After exposing secret military bases, Strava restricts data visibility

At the end of January, an analyist discovered that location data from the fitness app Strava was exposing US military bases. Publicly-available heatmaps were revealing details about the military’s installations abroad, which riled up both privacy experts and the Pentagon. Over a month later, the app’s company told Reuters that it will overhaul its heatmap and restrict access to street-level details to anyone who isn’t a registered user.

Strava rushed to clearly outline what info users are sharing and how they can change their settings. At the beginning of March, the company simplified its opting-out process for the heat map. But the new changes shift the map itself: Roads and trails with very little activity won’t show up until enough users submit workouts in the area, and the map will be refreshed monthly to wipe off data that people make private.

Prior to the outcry, soldiers in US bases across the world were casually sharing their workout paths, which combined with others to reveal well-trafficked routes on military installations. Strava CEO James Quarles told Reuters that the company didn’t expect that worldwide users would find sensitive info through the app since users voluntarily share their fitness data. He also assured that the company doesn’t track people without their knowledge.

Source: Reuters

Google built a hardware interface for its AI music maker

Music and technology go together hand in hand; drum machines and modular synths are just some of the more recent music technologies to emerge. Last year, a Google Brain project called Magenta created NSynth (Neural Synthesizer), a set of AI and machine learning tools that learn the characteristics of sound and create entirely new sounds from those attributes. Now, in collaboration with Google Creative Lab, the team has built NSynth Super, hardware to interface with NSynth using up to four source sounds at once to algorithmically create new sounds.

The team recorded 16 sounds sources across a 15-pitch range for input to the NSynth algorithm, which resulted in more than 100,000 newly created sounds, not just blends. These new sounds were then loaded into the NSynth Super, which has a touch screen musicians can drag their fingers across to play the new sounds. It’s still early days with this music tech, but the project is open source; code and design files can be found on GitHub if you want to make your own.

Source: Google Brain, Google

Amazon will give away free games every month with Twitch Prime

Today, Amazon announced a new Twitch program called Free Games with Prime, and what it does is pretty self-explanatory. Subscribers with Twitch Prime memberships will receive a collection of free games to keep each month. The program starts on Thursday, March 15th, when subscribers will have free access to games such as Superhot and Oxenfree.

The full list of games available in March is Superhot, Shadow Tactics, Tales from Candlekeep, Oxenfree and Mr. Shifty. Starting April 1st, subscribers will find Tales from the Borderland, SteamWorld Dig 2, Kingsway, Tokyo 42 and Dubwars. Additionally, all eight games from the Twitch Prime Indie Amplifier program will be made available over the next few months.

Twitch has been giving away video games to Prime subscribers for awhile now, but this is the first program to regularly hand out games. PlayStation and Xbox both have similar monthly programs for their paying members.

Twitch Prime is free for current Amazon Prime subscribers. A subscription costs $12.99 per month, or $99 per year, and will give you access to all Amazon Prime benefits. Amazon has been very good at continuing to add value to its Prime subscription; these free games are certainly enticing.

Firefox can block pesky site notification requests

Website push notifications can be helpful. The way you’re asked to enable those notifications? Not so much — the constant requests can drive you up the wall when you’re just trying to check the latest news. Mozilla is coming to your rescue. Its newly released Firefox 59 for the desktop gives you the option to block notification requests. You can also tell the browser to block requests to use your hardware or location, for that matter. You’ll have to dig deep into the settings (it’s under permissions) to turn these features off, but they should make your web surfing relatively hassle-free.

It’s a relatively minor update beyond that, although that’s not surprising given that the big Quantum overhaul is just a few months old. The biggest improvements are faster page loading times and a Private Browsing upgrade that strips out potentially identifying referral links. Really, this update is for those who hate nagging websites — everything else is just gravy.

Source: Mozilla Blog, Release Notes

Oura’s second-generation ring is a better fit for your finger

The first generation of Oura’s smart ring was little more than a proof of concept, showing it was possible to put a fitness tracker on a finger. But you can understand why folks might have thought twice about wearing one of the massive pieces of jewelry. Inconspicuousness is the watchword for the second generation of the device, which at least does look like an actual ring.

Much like rival Motiv, the new Oura ring looks more like a reject from the Diesel catalog than a sophisticated activity tracker. The company has been able to utilize smaller, more customized components to get the new, ring-like shape. Even better, is that the battery now runs for seven days, up from the two-to-three available on the original.

Other changes include a new gyroscope that is designed to deliver better activity tracking, even though the company admits that this won’t necessarily replace your Fitbit. The whole point of it is to help you get healthier by better understanding your circadian rhythms and sleep cycle.

Charging the Oura is now significantly more elegant, since you no longer have to do anything involving a micro-USB port. Instead, you can just drop the band onto the bundled inductive charging plate at the end of each week and wait 80 minutes before putting it back on.

Old vs. new

Durability-wise, the device is clad in titanium with a scratch-resistant, diamond-like carbon coating. It is available in three different styles: a plain band, one with a slight point sculpted at one “end,” and a megabucks diamond-encrusted version.

The first two editions come in a variety of colors, including rose gold, matte black and silver, while the latter comes with a line of five 0.005 ct diamonds. The former pair will set you back $299, while the diamond version will be priced at $999, obviously. Whatever style you pick, however, you won’t be waiting long for them to arrive, since the company claims they’ll ship this April.

Source: Oura

Android Oreo 8.1 is finally available for Essential Phones

Andy Rubin’s Essential Phone appeared midway through last year, poised to take on the Samsung-Apple hegemony with a sleek, rugged design. The company skipped updating its phones to Android’s Oreo 8.0 release, and rather opted to wait for Oreo 8.1. Today is that day, then, with the company announcing the update is available for Essential phones immediately.

We’re excited to announce the full release of Android Oreo 8.1 on Essential Phone! Check your phone now for the update. pic.twitter.com/0PwPBMj6h1

— Essential (@essential) March 13, 2018

Oreo 8.1 gets a faster start up, smart text selection, instant apps and windowed video multitasking features. Of course, not that many folks are waiting for the new operating system. The IDC noted last month that Essential had shipped less than 90,000 phones in the first six months after launch. Still, if you’ve got an Essential phone and want the latest OS now (it’s been available for Nexus and Pixel devices since December), just check your phone for the over the air update.

Via: The Verge

Source: Essential/Twitter

Amazon Echo now reads your first Audible book for free

Amazon has a new way to reel you into Audible now that smart speakers are a big deal: give you a freebie just by asking. As of this week, anyone who’s new to Audible can ask an Echo speaker to read a full audiobook at no cost. You don’t have to be picky about your choice of book, either, so you can ask for the hot new novel if that’s your preference. Naturally, Amazon is hoping you’ll be so enamored that you sign up on the spot — if you aren’t, though, you can at least say that it didn’t take much effort to get that free book in the first place.

The timing might not be all that random. Google recently started selling audiobooks in the Play Store, and it’s no secret that the company would like you to listen to them on an Assistant-capable speaker. This gives Amazon an easy way to push its own service, albeit to people who’ve already committed to an Echo.

Amazon Recalling 260,000 ‘AmazonBasics’ Power Banks Due to Overheating Risk

If you’ve purchased an Amazon-branded power bank from Amazon recently, you should be aware of a recall that Amazon issued today due to reports of overheating. Amazon has received 53 reports about defective power banks that have, in a few cases, led to chemical burns and property damage.

Affected AmazonBasics models that are part of the recall are listed here: 16,100 mAh; 10,000 mAh; 5,600 mAh; 2,000 mAh with micro USB cable; 3,000 mAh and 3,000 mAh with USB micro cable. All impacted units are rubberized or metallic power banks with the AmazonBasics logo printed on the front of the unit.

These Amazon-branded power banks are affordable options that many Apple customers users may have purchased to charge their iPhones and iPads.

According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, which shared details on the recall, consumers should immediately unplug any recalled power banks and contact Amazon for details on how to return them for a full refund.

Amazon is sending out emails to all customers who might have purchased one of the faulty power banks.

Tag: Amazon
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Quick Takes: Tim Cook at Capitol Hill, Apple Hires Events Director From Golden State Warriors, and More

In addition to our standalone articles covering the latest Apple news and rumors at MacRumors, this Quick Takes column provides a bite-sized recap of other headlines about Apple and its competitors on weekdays.

Tuesday, March 13

– Apple CEO Tim Cook visits Capitol Hill: Cook was spotted in the U.S. Capitol with senators Mark Warner (Democrat-Virginia) and Richard Burr (Republican-North Carolina). He reportedly had lunch with Warner.

SPOTTED in the US Capitol: Senate Intel Cmte Chair @SenatorBurr, @MarkWarner & Apple CEO @tim_cook (Warner is getting lunch with Cook in the Senate dining room): pic.twitter.com/VwtnE4EQGS

— Frank Thorp V (@frankthorp) March 13, 2018

Commentary: The report doesn’t mention what was discussed, but it is fairly routine for Cook to make visits to Washington D.C. given his position. Warner is known to be a tech-savvy senator with concerns about cybersecurity.

– Apple hires Golden State Warriors executive as events director: Apple has hired Gail Hunter, who was vice president of public affairs and event management of the NBA’s Golden State Warriors team. Hunter will serve as Apple’s director of events effective March 19, according to the team.

Commentary: Hunter will join Apple just under three months prior to its annual Worldwide Developers Conference in June, the company’s largest event of the year. The report doesn’t mention what her responsibilities will be.

– Apple supplier Wistron secures land to build new site in southern India: The contract manufacturer has received approval to build a new facility roughly 40 miles from Bengaluru, in the Indian state of Karnataka.

Commentary: Wistron will likely use its new facility to expand its iPhone SE assembly work. India charges a 20 percent duty on imported smartphones to encourage companies to manufacture products within the country.

– Apple expands rollout of Apple Music for Artists, a dashboard that provides artists with insights about how often their music is played and purchased, listener demographics, and more. A few thousand artists were invited to test the beta in January, and now additional artists can reserve a spot.

Commentary: Apple has also refreshed the look of its Apple Music and iTunes Store badges for artists and affiliate partners, shortly after updating its Made for iPhone, iPad, and iPod logos for certified accessories.

For more Apple news and rumors coverage, visit our Front Page, Mac Blog, and iOS Blog. Also visit our forums to join in the discussion.

Tags: Tim Cook, Quick Takes
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Gear Up: Ventev refreshes product line for 2018

Smartphone makers, as most of you know, tend to refresh their products roughly once a year. Flagships, for instance, often arrive in the spring from a variety of players, each with new specs and features. It’s also about once a year that accessory makers shake up or refresh their portfolio, to. Ventev is one of those brands.

We had a chance to meet up with Ventev earlier this year at CES where it showed us some of its recently introduced products. We’ve long been a fan of its efforts and liked what we saw in Las Vegas.

A few weeks after we returned home, Ventev sent us a box of some of its newer items. Each is a little different from the other, but all fall under the same umbrella. Moreover, each builds on the company’s previous efforts and does well to represent Ventev as a premier accessory manufacturer.

Below you’ll find details for the products we were sent with corresponding feedback and insight.

Wireless Charging Kit

It’s 2018 which means that a lot of the phones we buy today feature wireless charging capabilities. This bundle includes a car mount, which attaches to your vehicle air vent, as well as a microUSB charging cable. Together they offer a strong, secure clamp to hold your phone in place and a wireless pad to charge at the same time.

Easy to set up, the mount can be moved to a new location in a matter of seconds. Have a short commute to and from work or school? No worries, the Quick Charge 3.0 speeds mean you’ll still get plenty of juice to power the rest of your day. $59.99 through Amazon

• 4-product bundle
• Rapid Charge: 12W (5V, 2.4A)
• Charges 1 wireless-enabled device
• Universal compatibility: Qi, PMA, Fast Wireless Charging
• Quick Charge 3.0: 24W (5V, 3A/9V, 2A/12V, 1.25A)
• Output: up to 15W (up to 9V, 1.6A) wireless
• 1-Year Limited Warranty

Wallport pd1300 Wall Charger

Given that so many phones, tablets, laptops, and gaming accessories have turned to USB Type-C, it makes sense to pick up some extra cables and chargers. The Wallport gives you more than enough power to charge up your phone. Got a Pixelbook or Nintendo Switch? The 3A/45W unit is exactly what you need to replenish your devices. $58.99 through Amazon

• Charges 1 USB Type-C™ device
• Input: 100–240V
• Limited Lifetime Warranty
• Output: 15W (5V, 3A), 27W (9V, 3A), 45W (15V, 3A), 45W (20V, 2.25A)

Chargsync Alloy USB Type A-C 2.0 cable

Offered in four different colors (Cobalt, Gold, Silver, Steel Gray), this cable is as practical as it is strong. You’ll have a hell of a time tangling it up, thanks to its braided high-tensile wrap and aluminum housing. And, at four feet long it reaches behind desks and furniture with more than enough cable left over.

With up to 480Mbps data speeds, the cable plugs directly into your standard USB ports with the Type-C plug for newer phones and tablets. The attached Velcro fastener lets you wrap things up nice and compact for travel. $24.99 through Amazon

• Premium braided cable aluminum housing
• Supports up to 3A
• Limited Lifetime Warranty
• Includes cable management wrap

Wireless Chargestand

An excellent desktop solution, this lets you prop your phone up at an angle with wireless charging coming from behind. It doesn’t matter where your phone’s charging coils are, the Ventev gives you control over height placement. Simply snap out the puck and place it in the desired spot.

Use the stand to watch media, take and make video conference calls, or whatever else tickles your fancy. The unit works just as well in landscape as it does in portrait orientation. And, because it has super-fast 15W charging, you don’t have to keep it in place very long before the phone’s ready to go another ten hours. Thanks to the six foot cable you can put the mount anywhere you want. $59.55 through Amazon

• Charges 1 wireless-enabled smartphone
• Universal compatibility: Qi, PMA, Fast Wireless Charging
• Fast charging speed (15W)
• Input: 100–240V
• Wireless output: up to 15W
• Power cord: 6ft UL-certified power supply
• 1-Year Limited Warranty