Google Play sale serves up 99 cent movie and TV show rentals

If you’ve been putting off renting a film, buying an app, or downloading an ebook, you’ll be glad to hear that it’s sale time on the Google Play Store (again). That means all movie rentals now cost a buck, and the same goes for three episodes from TV programs, giving you the perfect excuse to watch the stinkers you missed at the cinema (like bonkers sci-fi headrush Valerian), and the shows you’ve yet to binge. What’s more you can dive in to some peak drama with 50 percent off HBO Now for the first three months for new subscribers.

If you’re looking for some thumb-flexing gaming action, there’s up to 80 percent off premium titles, including Minecraft Story Mode season 2, Need for Speed Most Wanted, and FRAMED 2, among others. Meanwhile, popular games like Candy Crush, Clash of Clans, and Pokémon Go currently come with seasonal bundles on features and toys.

In case you’ve not joined the ranks of Spotify or Apple Music users, Google Play Music (which is set to merge with ad-free YouTube Red) is also free for the first four months. If podcasts and sports are more your thing, you may want to nab the TuneIn app for 40 percent off a year’s subscription.

Google knows you’re (probably) mulling a get-fit new year’s resolution, so it’s also offering the same amount off calorie counting app Lifesum. Plus, there’s hundreds of discounts on additional apps in the Play Store. For books over 5 bucks, Google is offering $5 store credit, along with discounts on titles from best-selling authors Dean Koontz, Sheryl Sandberg and EL James.

The 12 Days of Play deals kick off today and run through January 2nd. Just head over to Google Play’s Holiday Hub to find out more.

Lizard Squad’s founding member pleads guilty to cyber-crimes

A 20-year-old has pleaded guilty in a Chicago federal court to launching cyberattacks and harassment campaigns as a founding member of the hacker-for-hire groups Lizard Squad and PoodleCorp, according to the Chicago Tribune. Between them, the two outfits knocked both the PlayStation Network and Xbox Live offline in 2014, took down the UK’s National Crime Agency website the following year, and breached thousands of CCTV cameras for DOS attacks against companies.

Zachary Buchta — the latest of the ragtag bunch to get arrested — is staring down a recommended two-and-a-half-year jail stint, after agreeing to a plea agreement that will see him cooperate with the prosecutors’ investigation. If he doesn’t play nice, Buchta could be locked up for up to ten years for one count of conspiracy to commit damage to protected computers.

In addition, he must pony up $350,000 in restitution to two online gambling companies that he helped to target. Another member of the group is being indicted by authorities in the Netherlands. The charges form part of an international investigation, and are among the first in the US against alleged Lizard Squad members.

The 61-page complaint claims Buchta and the Dutch co-defendant operated websites (including one dubbed “phoneBomber.net”) where customers could pay as little as $20 to have someone harassed through spoofed phone numbers. The victims would then receive hourly calls containing the same expletive-laden message. One person, who lived in the Chicago area, was the target of these calls for 30 straight days. The crew also sold stolen payment card info and hacked Taylor Swift’s Twitter profile.

Buchta and his Dutch counterpart aren’t the first Lizard Squad members to be arrested. In 2015, a 17-year-old affiliate of the group was convicted for a slew of computer crimes in Finland and sentenced to two years in prison.

Source: Chicago Tribune

A growing email scam has cost a major airline millions of dollars

As individuals, we all know we have to keep our wits about us when we’re online. If you’re really unlucky, a couple of ill-considered clicks or downloads could quickly ensnare you in a scam that ends up costing you hundreds of dollars, possibly more.

But if you’re working for a company and your job is to make big payments to clients, the stakes are much higher. And yes, even global players can get caught out.

Take Japan Airlines (JAL). This week the international carrier admitted it’d fallen victim to an email scam that cost it a not-insignificant 384 million yen (about $3.39 million).

Known as “invoice redirect” or “business email compromise,” it seems that at least one JAL employee was tricked into making several payments to bogus bank accounts. One account purported to belong to a U.S. financial services company which had been leasing a plane to the airline, but it had in fact been set up by fraudsters, the Japan Times reported.

In such cases, cybercriminals first hack the client’s email system to gain information about its business procedures before using the gathered data to approach the company’s customers for due payments. Posing as the company, the scammers contact the customer by email, with the correspondence including invoice and bank details. If the two companies have a history of doing business, there might even be a bogus explanation as to why the bank information has changed.

Employees sometimes fail to spot the red flag presented by the change in bank details as they’re already expecting to make the payment to the company, so in their eyes nothing seems out of the ordinary.

In JAL’s case, an employee first transferred around 360 million yen ($3.17 million) to the criminal’s Hong Kong account for the lease of a plane when they believed they were paying into the account of the financial services company. This was soon followed by another payment of around 24 million yen ($212,000) into a different Hong Kong account that JAL thought belonged to an American logistics firm it’d had dealings with. In the case of the first transaction, JAL only realized it’d been scammed a month later when the company got in touch to inquire about its payment.

The incidents took place in September but came to light this week when the airline revealed it was working with law enforcement in a bid to find the perpetrators and track down the money.

In a similar incident reported on Thursday, scammers tricked officials at Dublin Zoo in Ireland into paying 500,000 euros ($590,000) into a fake account. Fortunately for the company, 370,000 euros ($440,000) has been frozen and will be returned to the zoo, though the remainder may be lost.

The sting, which has become more prevalent in the last couple of years, targets companies big and small around the world. Experts suggest that an employee making a payment to an outside company first call it to confirm the validity of the emailed invoice and also the bank details contained within it, and to call again once the funds have been sent to ensure they’ve been received.

Cases like this surged in the U.S. last year, with fraudsters attempting to steal a total of more than $5.3 billion, the FBI said.

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Sony recruits Khalid for its next VR music event

Google and Samsung have been adding tons of virtual music experiences, both live and pre-recorded, to their respective line-ups this year. So where does that leave Sony? You’d think a corporation that straddles both industries would be the most likely to gain a monopoly on the burgeoning VR music space. Well, it’s not for want of trying. The company kicked off its ‘Lost in Music’ VR campaign at the onset of the year, courtesy of an immersive music video collaboration with The Chainsmokers. Now, as 2017 draws to a close, it’s leveraging its label roster once more for an upcoming partnership with pop hitmaker Khalid.

The second lap of Lost in Music kicks off with a two-day live event at LA Hangar Studios on January 19, followed by VR experiences at the annual SXSW conference in Austin, TX on March 15 and 16, where Khalid will take the wraps off his VR music vid. Naturally, the clip will be made available on PlayStation VR in spring. Like Google before it, Sony is also readying a Lost in Music VR series to debut in February.

Source: Sony

Google AI can rate photos based on aesthetic appeal

Photo apps can help you find objects in your pictures, but they don’t tell you whether or not those images are worth sharing. For now, that’s still up to you. If Google has its way, though, AI may serve as an art critic. It just detailed work on a Neural Image Assessment (NIMA) system that uses a deep convolutional neural network to rate photos based on what it believes you’d like, both technically and aesthetically. It trains on a set of images based on a histogram of ratings (such as from photo contests) that give a sense of the overall quality of a picture in different areas, not just a mean score or a simple high/low rating.

The approach can use reference photos if they’re available, but it can turn to statistical models if there’s no ideal target photo.

The result is a neural network system that “closely” replicates the mean scores of humans when judging photos. That, in turn, has all kinds of implications for photography apps. To begin with, it could help you quickly find your best photos while avoiding blurry or poorly composed shots. Google adds that it’d be helpful for editing, too, as you could use it to tune automatic editing tools. Your favorite editing app could tweak exposure, brightness and other details based on artistic appeal rather than arbitrary values. While there’s a lot of work to be done, this hints at a day when your phone could have as discerning a taste in photos as you do.

Via: The Verge

Source: Google Research Blog

Eric Schmidt to quit as executive chairman of Alphabet, Google’s parent company

He played a key role in Google’s success before becoming executive chairman of its parent company, Alphabet, but on Thursday Eric Schmidt announced he’s stepping down.

Schmidt will leave his post as executive chairman of Alphabet’s board of directors in January, 2018, and will become the company’s technical advisor. He’ll also continue to serve on Alphabet’s board.

Hired as CEO by Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin in 2001 when the web company was pretty much starting out, Schmidt brought with him years of corporate experience gained at Sun Microsystems and Novell that enabled him to help grow the fledgling company into the behemoth that it is today.

In 2011, 62-year-old Schmidt switched to the position of executive chairman, before moving to Alphabet in the same role when it was established as Google’s parent company in 2015.

Specific reasons for Schmidt’s departure haven’t been given, but in a tweet he said he was looking forward to spending more time pursuing other interests while continuing to help out at Alphabet:

“After ten years as CEO and seven as Executive Chairman, I can’t wait to dive into the latest in science, technology, and philanthropy,” Schmidt wrote. “I look forward to working with Larry and Sergey on our future here at Alphabet.”

After ten years as CEO and seven as Executive Chairman, I can’t wait to dive into the latest in science, technology, and philanthropy. I look forward to working with Larry and Sergey on our future here at Alphabet. https://t.co/nVnZqMEHoI

— Eric Schmidt (@ericschmidt) December 21, 2017

In a statement posted online, he offered a little more information regarding his imminent departure from Alphabet as executive chairman, saying, “Larry, Sergey, Sundar [Sundar Pichai, Google’s current CEO] and I all believe that the time is right in Alphabet’s evolution for this transition. The Alphabet structure is working well, and Google and the Other Bets are thriving.”

Schmidt added, “In recent years, I’ve been spending a lot of my time on science and technology issues, and philanthropy, and I plan to expand that work.”

Larry Page, who with partner Brin made the decision to hire Schmidt all those years ago, praised him for providing them “with business and engineering expertise and a clear vision about the future of technology.”

Page confirmed Schmidt will be helping Alphabet as a technical advisor “on science and technology issues,” adding that he’s “incredibly excited about the progress our companies are making, and about the strong leaders who are driving that innovation.”

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Eric Schmidt to quit as executive chairman of Alphabet, Google’s parent company

He played a key role in Google’s success before becoming executive chairman of its parent company, Alphabet, but on Thursday Eric Schmidt announced he’s stepping down.

Schmidt will leave his post as executive chairman of Alphabet’s board of directors in January, 2018, and will become the company’s technical advisor. He’ll also continue to serve on Alphabet’s board.

Hired as CEO by Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin in 2001 when the web company was pretty much starting out, Schmidt brought with him years of corporate experience gained at Sun Microsystems and Novell that enabled him to help grow the fledgling company into the behemoth that it is today.

In 2011, 62-year-old Schmidt switched to the position of executive chairman, before moving to Alphabet in the same role when it was established as Google’s parent company in 2015.

Specific reasons for Schmidt’s departure haven’t been given, but in a tweet he said he was looking forward to spending more time pursuing other interests while continuing to help out at Alphabet:

“After ten years as CEO and seven as Executive Chairman, I can’t wait to dive into the latest in science, technology, and philanthropy,” Schmidt wrote. “I look forward to working with Larry and Sergey on our future here at Alphabet.”

After ten years as CEO and seven as Executive Chairman, I can’t wait to dive into the latest in science, technology, and philanthropy. I look forward to working with Larry and Sergey on our future here at Alphabet. https://t.co/nVnZqMEHoI

— Eric Schmidt (@ericschmidt) December 21, 2017

In a statement posted online, he offered a little more information regarding his imminent departure from Alphabet as executive chairman, saying, “Larry, Sergey, Sundar [Sundar Pichai, Google’s current CEO] and I all believe that the time is right in Alphabet’s evolution for this transition. The Alphabet structure is working well, and Google and the Other Bets are thriving.”

Schmidt added, “In recent years, I’ve been spending a lot of my time on science and technology issues, and philanthropy, and I plan to expand that work.”

Larry Page, who with partner Brin made the decision to hire Schmidt all those years ago, praised him for providing them “with business and engineering expertise and a clear vision about the future of technology.”

Page confirmed Schmidt will be helping Alphabet as a technical advisor “on science and technology issues,” adding that he’s “incredibly excited about the progress our companies are making, and about the strong leaders who are driving that innovation.”

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Surface Pro with LTE is finally available for order, but with caveats

Microsoft first announced the Surface Pro with LTE in May of 2017, over seven months ago. Now, as spotted by MSPowerUser, it’s finally become available for purchase for everyone, even if you’re not an enterprise customer.

Over at the Microsoft Store, you’ll now find it as a detail in the description of the Surface Pro. Fortunately, it appears that “optional LTE advanced” can be included in every configuration of the device, ranging from $800 up to $2,700. However, there are a couple of caveats.

First, it’s only available as a “Commercial” unit, according to its listing. There isn’t currently any indication as to how these differ from a consumer-oriented model, or who is restricted from buying one.

Second, they are currently available only in the Core i5 variety, starting with the $1,150 version with 4GB of RAM and 128GB of storage up to the $1,450 configuration with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. Similar to how Apple has always priced LTE iPads, you may be getting internet wherever you go, but it comes at a price.

Though Microsoft isn’t making a big deal of it, the timing of the release is important. Just a couple of weeks ago, Qualcomm announced its move into the PC market with its “Always Connected PCs.” This new line of Snapdragon-powered 2-in-1s will hit store shelves in Spring with built-in LTE (at no extra cost!) and up to 20 hours of battery life. We’ve already seen a couple of these computers, but we’re expecting a whole line of them to flood the halls of CES in just a few weeks, with entries from companies like HP, Lenovo, and Asus.

These LTE-powered Surface Pros use the same Qualcomm Snapdragon X16 modems that can be found on these Always Connected devices. As pointed out by Neowin, a Core i7 configuration isn’t offered because the modem is placed right where the fan is located on the i7 model.

The Surface Pro LTE is currently listed as sold out on the website, but it appears to be available at a very slim selection of Microsoft stores around the country, for in-store purchase only. If you want one, we recommend acting quickly — it’s sure to be a popular model.

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Apple’s Video Team Gains Three More Former Amazon Studios Executives

Three more former Amazon Studios executives are joining Apple as the company continues to work to build out its video team, reports Variety.

Tara Sorensen, who previously served as the head of Amazon kids programming, is taking on a similar role at Apple. Sorensen will report directly to former Sony executives Zack Van Amburg and Jamie Erlicht, who are running Apple’s video team under iTunes chief Eddy Cue.

Amazon international development executive Carina Walker and business affairs chief Tara Pietri are also leaving Amazon for Apple. Pietri will lead Apple’s legal affairs division, while Walker will serve as an international creative executive under Morgan Wandell. Wandell, also from Amazon Studios, leads international creative development at Apple.

Apple started building its new video division in June of 2017 following the hiring of Erlicht and Van Amburg. The company has been making regular hires for its content team since then, and it has started inking deals for television shows.

So far, Apple has purchased a reboot of Steven Spielberg’s sci-fi series “Amazing Stories,” an untitled “morning show drama” that will star Reese Witherspoon and Jennifer Aniston, and an untitled space drama that “explores what would have happened if the global space race had never ended” created by Ronald D. Moore, known for Battlestar Galactica.

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Instagram Adds Live Video Support for Direct Messages

Instagram today announced the addition of live video support for Direct Messages. Instagram users can tap the Direct icon, create a live video, and then send it to a friend or a group of friends. There’s also an option to for Instagram users to share a live video they’re currently watching with friends.

Live videos sent via Direct Message can only be viewed while the live video is ongoing -i it’s not watchable after streaming has concluded.

When you’re live, just tap the Direct icon at the bottom of the screen and send your live video to friends. You’ll also have this option when going live with a friend. Once sent, the recipient will see your live video in their Direct inbox. Friends can only view your video if you’re currently live. If your live video is over, your friend will see a message saying the video has ended.

Those who do not want to send live videos to friends in Direct can disable the option in the stories settings.

Instagram says the new live video feature is designed to make it easier for people to watch and send live videos to friends, and it comes as Instagram tests a standalone direct messaging app with a small number of users in Chile, Israel, Italy, Portugal, Turkey, and Uruguay.

Instagram can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]
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