Google’s New Cloud Storage Plans Launch in the U.S.

Google today launched its new cloud storage pricing scheme under the moniker Google One, which replaces all paid storage plans under the Google Drive brand.

The new plans include 100GB storage for $1.99 a month, 200GB for $2.99 a month, and 2TB for $9.99 a month (down from $19.99). The free 15GB for non-paying users remains. There’s also a new family option for divvying up a single storage plan amongst up to five members.

As a result of the changes, Google is removing its 1TB/$9.99 plan, but existing 1TB Drive plans will be upgraded to 2TB at no extra cost. Pricing for plans larger than 2TB will remain the same.

The new storage plans provide users with space for Google Drive, Gmail, and original quality photos and videos (including 4K) in Google Photos. The paid plans also come with live chat support, something that was previously limited to G Suite business account holders.

Apple’s iCloud monthly storage plans aren’t so different: they start with 5GB free storage for non-paying users, then offer 50GB for $0.99, 200GB for $2.99, and 2TB for $9.99.

On the face of it, Google One’s new 100GB/$1.99 plan offers something of a middle ground between iCloud’s 50GB and 200GB tiers, but that doesn’t account for the practicalities of switching ecosystems that you’d need to factor in, not to mention differing privacy policies.

As of today, the new Google One plans are available to users in the United States, with existing Drive subscribers there having already been moved to the new plans. Google is promising availability for other regions soon.

Tags: Google, Google One
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Melbourne Teen Pleads Guilty to Hacking Apple Servers and Accessing Customer Accounts

A Melbourne schoolboy has pleaded guilty to hacking into Apple’s secure network after the company notified authorities of the intrusion (via The Age).

The teen, who can’t be named for legal reasons, appeared at an Australian Children’s Court on Thursday facing allegations of hacking into Apple’s servers on multiple occasions.

Details of the case are still sketchy, but the boy’s hacking is said to have begun at the age of 16, and included downloading tens of gigabytes of secure files and accessing “authorized keys” that grant login access to users.

The boy is said to have attempted to hide his identity using a number of methods including “computerized tunnels”, a system which had “worked flawlessly” until the teen was caught.

That chain of events began when Apple apparently detected the unauthorized access and blocked the source of the intrusions. It subsequently notified the FBI, which passed on the information to the Australian Federal Police, resulting in a warrant being executed at the family home last year.

Prosecutors said the raid turned up a “litany of hacking files” on a computer laptop and hard drive, as well as a mobile phone with an IP address that matched the source of the intrusions.

The boy’s lawyer said the teen was a fan of the company and had “dreamed of” working for Apple. His lawyer also asked the magistrate’s court not to disclose some of the details of the case because the boy is well-known in the hacking community and it could put him at risk.

The magistrate’s court acknowledged the guilty plea, and the case has been adjourned until next month for sentencing.

Tags: Australia, cybersecurity
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How to Subscribe to Calendars on iPhone and iPad

Calendar subscriptions offer a convenient way for you to stay up to date with everything from national holidays to the match fixtures for your favorite sports team. In this article, we’ll show you how to subscribe to a public calendar on your iPhone or iPad – all you need in advance is the web address of the calendar (ics) file.

Note that if you want a calendar subscription to sync across all devices signed into your iCloud account, you’ll need to subscribe to it on your Mac. To do so, open the Calendar app in macOS and select File -> New Calendar Subscription, enter the URL of the calendar to subscribe to, and then select iCloud in the Location menu.

How to Subscribe to a Calendar in iOS 11

Launch the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.
Tap Accounts & Passwords.
Under the Accounts section, tap Add Account.

Tap Other.
Under Calendars, tap Add Subscribed Calendar.
Type in your calendar link in the Server field; to paste in a copied link, tap and hold the field and select Paste.

Tap Next.
Use the Description field to give the calendar an easily recognizable name.
Enter a server username and password if required (most users will be able to skip this step).
Tap Save.

How to Remove a Calendar Subscription in iOS 11

Launch the Settings app on your iPhone or iPad.
Tap Accounts & Passwords.
Tap Subscribed Calendars.

Tap the calendar subscription you want to remove.
Tap Delete Account.

Tag: Calendar
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Scientists try to trick brains of amputees with phantom limb syndrome

The term “phantom limb” is often thrown around to describe the subtle sensation of something felt but not seen, but few people realize how disorienting the syndrome can be.

For more than half of all amputees, phantom limbs can be an uncanny and even painful experience, feeling as though their missing limb is much smaller than it actually was. That can cause added problems when wearing a prosthesis. Instead of sensing their limb as extended by the prosthesis, they feel as though the device just doesn’t match up with their phantom limb.

New research out of École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland might help some amputees better mesh what they see with what they feel. In a paper published recently in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry, the researchers show how an amputee’s brain can be tricked into thinking that a prosthetic hand blends with their own body.

“In this study, we show that amputees can actually be convinced that the prosthetic hand belongs to their own body,” Giulio Rognini, a senior scientist at EPFL and first author of the study, told Digital Trends. “We do this by going beyond the ‘seeing is believing’ idiom, based on established research on how the brain identifies what belongs to its own body. Instead of using the sense of sight alone, we used a combination of two senses — sight and touch.”

Rognini’s system works by stimulating a nerve in the subject’s stump, which cause them to feel a tactile sensation on the index finger of the phantom limb. At the same time, the index finger is illuminated on a prosthetic device, depicted to the participant through a virtual reality headset. That combination of vision and tactile sensation seems to congeal the mind, restoring the perception of the phantom limb into the prosthesis.

In studies ran on amputees, the feeling of extension of their phantom limb lasted up to 10 minutes after the simulation ended, according to the researchers. The participants said after the study that they felt as though the limb had stretched into the prosthetic device. Moving forward, they want to test whether these effects can be made permanent and whether this system can be used to alleviate or eliminate pain experienced in phantom limbs.

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Apple Expands Transit Directions in Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine and Michigan

Apple recently updated its Maps app to expand the availability of transit directions to several new states.

Transit data is now available in areas of Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, and Michigan. Apple previously offered transit directions in Detroit, Michigan, but availability has expanded across the state.

Transit directions are new in Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. Full transit lines are not yet being displayed in the Maps app, but the transit directions are active.

Apple has been rolling out transit directions to major cities across the United States and around the world, but in recent weeks has concentrated on expanding it further in various states.

Transit directions were first added to Apple Maps in 2015 with the launch of iOS 9 and were initially limited to a few cities, but Apple has been introducing the feature in new markets at a steady pace.

Transit information is now live in dozens of cities and countries around the world, with a full list available on Apple’s iOS Feature Availability website.

(Thanks, Ram!)

Tag: Apple Maps
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This robot arm could soon recharge your electric car, no driver effort required

Part of convincing traditional car owners to join the electric vehicle revolution is persuading them that EVs, to paraphrase late Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, “just work.” One way to do this is to offer a vastly simplified, more seamless refueling experience.

We’ve previously covered innovative ideas, such as roads capable of wirelessly charging cars as they are driven on. Now, engineers from Austria’s Graz University of Technology — working in conjunction with BMW, the Austrian Society of Automotive Engineers, and select other groups — have come up with an efficient alternative that’s sure to impress even the most seasoned of gas guzzlers. It involves a smart robotic charger that can automatically plug into any electric vehicle, no driver effort required.

“The charging system is based on a collaborative robot, [which] can operate next to any living person without danger, and is controlled by an arrangement of cameras and specific software,” Bernhard Walzel, the researcher overseeing the project, told Digital Trends. “It automatically detects an electric plug at the car and connects it to the charging station. As long as the plug is within the range of the robot, it is not necessary to place the vehicle in an exactly defined parking position.”

In order to carry out a safe plug-in process, the robot uses a variety of sensors, along with A.I. technologies such as object detection and recognition. When you park your car, the robot is able to identify its make and model, locate the charging port, and establish what kind of charging port it is. It then connects the liquid-cooled charging plug to give your battery some much-needed juice. Oh, and it can do this regardless of lighting.

“The prototype provides a future link between autonomous parking of electric vehicles and the charging infrastructure,” Walzel said. “Inductive charging is an alternative solution, but the contactless technologies are not expected to provide the required high charging power for quick charging. Conductive systems using charging cables are able to be operated with high charging power. In addition, when using standardized cables and plugs, no attachments such as charging plates or special plugs are needed at the vehicle. One of our focuses was to avoid any [need to adapt the] vehicle itself, due to issues and challenges like weight, costs or installation space.”

Other researchers on the project included Professor Mario Hirz, and Ph.D. student Helmut Brunner. Having demonstrated their proof of concept with a prototype, the researchers are now working to find ways to make the system more cost effective. Hopefully, it won’t be long before such technology finds its way onto our streets, freeways and, well, wherever gas stations are currently found.

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T-Mobile partners with Live Nation, Pandora to offer customers more perks

In addition to revealing that it’s reinventing its customer care service, T-Mobile made a few other announcements. Not only has the carrier partnered up with Live Nation to provide offers, but customers will also be getting a free year of Pandora Plus.

T-Mobile’s partnership with Live Nation brings along a few cool perks — especially for those frequent concertgoers. For starters, customers will get tickets to sold-out reserved seating at first-day prices.

Soon, you will also be able to unlock reserved seats in sold-out sections as long as you purchase them through Live Nation’s site 30 days before a select show. Starting August 21, customers can also get two $25 tickets to certain amphitheater shows as well, which you can claim through the carrier’s T-Mobile Tuesdays app.

The discounted tickets are on a first-come, first-served basis but T-Mobile will be offering new discounts in the future. As part of T-Mobile Tuesdays, customers will receive at least $10 tickets for shows across the country.

Since the summer season is coming to an end, customers will also have a few more exclusive offers at next year’s amphitheater shows such as fast lane entry. Customers will be able to skip the line at certain locations and will have an exclusive concession line during shows. For those who enjoy lawn seats, T-Mobile customers will also get free lawn chairs — which might actually come in handy.

With Pandora, customers will receive a free subscription to Pandora Plus for 12 months. That means you will get ad-free music, unlimited skips, replays, personalized stations, and offline listening.

The Pandora offer will be available starting August 28. Customers can unlock the free subscription via the T-Mobile Tuesdays app. You will have to claim the code before 5 a.m. ET on August 28, and redeem it before 5 a.m. on September 4, otherwise it will be invalid.

While news of T-Mobile partnering with Live Nation and Pandora came toward the end of the company’s event in South Carolina on Wednesday, August 15, the main topic focused on its revamped customer service model.

Rather than connecting its customers to an Interactive Voice Response System, T-Mobile connects you directly to a team of people instead. Whenever a customer calls or messages customer service, they will be in contact with the same team each time.

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Police body cams are scarily easy to hack into and manipulate, researcher finds

Although the jury’s still out on their effectiveness, body-worn cameras for police are generally viewed as a positive development. As part of an effort to make law enforcement more transparent, the hope is that they may be used to both protect civilians against excessive use of force, as well as safeguard police against unfounded complaints. But body cams are not infallible — as a security researcher recently revealed.

Speaking recently in Las Vegas at the annual hacker conference DefCon, Nuix cybersecurity expert Josh Mitchell demonstrated how it is possible to manipulate footage from police body cams. Mitchell’s demo used five different cameras — including Vievu, Patrol Eyes, Fire Cam, Digital Ally and CeeSc — and showcased how these could be hacked into and potentially altered. This could include deleting or altering footage or amending crucial metadata, including where and when footage was shot. It could also open the door to bad actors being able to track the location of police officers.

“I have uncovered that hacking [and] editing body camera footage is not just possible, but entirely too easy,” Mitchell told Digital Trends. “These systems have multiple unsecured attack points, and fail to have even the most basic security practices. One device allowed root telnet access without a password. I could replace videos on another device by simply using FTP to overwrite existing evidence files. The third device encrypted and password protected evidence files by using the file name as the encryption key. None of the devices I have tested digitally sign the evidence files. Furthermore, every device I have tested allows for unsecured firmware updates.”

For obvious reasons, this is bad news. Making it worse is the fact that the security vulnerabilities are not difficult to exploit. Mitchell was able to carry out his hacks without needing to develop any custom software. “The risks would be entirely dependent on the motivation of the individual to carry out the attack,” he said. “I would say that the impact and ease of exploitation are very high.”

Mitchell suggests several possible solutions to the problem, although implementing all of these would likely mean purchasing new devices. They include digitally signing all evidentiary information, digitally signing all device firmware, randomizing all SSID and MAC information, utilizing modern exploitation prevention mechanisms, and keeping bundled software up-to-date.

“Proactively, departments need to disable wireless connectivity,” he said, noting that this is not possible in all cases.

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Google aims for better-quality Wear OS apps with mandatory review process

Rumors have been swirling for some time now about a Google-made smartwatch to be released in the near future, but before that happens it looks like Google wants to improve the overall quality of Wear OS apps available from the Google Play Store. How is it going to do this? By introducing a new mandatory Google Play Store review process for Wear OS apps.

To be clear, the Play Store review process for Wear OS apps has been available since Wear OS 2.0 was introduced, but at the time it was optional. Now, developers have to pass the review if they want their apps to show up in the Google Play Store. The idea is that reviewing every Wear OS app will ensure that apps maintain an appropriate standard of quality.

“Designing apps for wearables is substantially different to designing for phones or tablets. There are different strengths and weaknesses, different use cases, and different ergonomics to take into consideration,” says Google.

In announcing the new initiative, Google has also revealed the criteria with which it will judge new Wear OS apps. There are eight criteria in total, grouped under “functionality” and “visual design and user interaction.” Criteria include that Wear OS apps function as expected based on an app’s description, that notifications through the app work properly, and that an app is formatted properly for square displays, round displays, or both. Developers must also include one screenshot of the Wear OS app in the listing on Google Play.

Both new and existing apps will have to meet Google’s new guidelines, though existing apps will have a little time to update to meet them. New apps will be subjected to these guidelines on and after October 1, 2018, while existing apps will have until March 4, 2019. Thankfully, Google won’t block mobile apps if their associated Wear OS apps fail — mobile apps can still be updated if Wear OS apps fail the process, but the associated Wear OS apps won’t be searchable on Google Play.

While Wear OS may have had a rough few years, it looks like there is light at the end of the tunnel. A slew of new Fossil Wear OS devices have recently been released, and as mentioned, there are more devices set to show up in coming months. Hopefully, these new guidelines will improve the quality of apps on the Google Play Store.

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Google reportedly set to launch an A.I. fitness coach for smartwatches

If you’ve already been planning to get your hands on Google’s rumored Pixel Watch, it might come with a new fitness feature. According to Android Police, the tech giant is reportedly working on a health and well-being coach for Wear OS devices.

Internally, the project is being referred to as Project Wooden. But to the public, the assistant is being called ‘Google Coach’ — although, it could change before it launches.

Aside from tracking exercise, the report mentions Google Coach is apparently meant to keep you motivated to stay active as well. Using health and fitness data connected to your Google account, it might suggest workout routines or alternatives if you don’t have time to break a sweat that day. If you do end up squeezing in a workout, Coach will track your activity — which will shape and alter its suggestions.

For all-around health monitoring, Coach will even keep track of nutrition and recommend specific foods. Whether it’s a weekly meal plan or shopping list, the assistant will send recommendations right straight to your email in order to easily access it.

Android Police also notes that Coach might be able to recommend a healthy meal based on your location. That way, you won’t have to embark on the daunting task of searching through the menus of restaurants nearby for a healthy dish.

But for those who are afraid of notification fatigue from Coach, the company is aware this could be an issue. The report mentions that Google supposedly plans on grouping alerts together in one notification, with language that’s more conversational rather than authoritative.

As for availability, the report states that Google Coach will be available on Wear OS for the initial rollout, but users will have access to some features as well. Currently, the Wear OS app includes Google Fit — allowing users with smartwatches to track calories burned and distance traveled.

With Google Coach, you will most likely be able to use your phone to check data and suggestions. But to track your activity in real time, it’s assumed you need a Wear OS device. In the future, Android Police says it could also be available on Google Home and Android TV.

Pulling all that user data in order to allow Google Coach to make better, more educated suggestions might not be a big deal for users. But Google has been under some scrutiny this week after the Associated Press published an in-depth investigation on its location tracking.

In the report, the AP proved that certain Google services on Android and iPhone were storing location data even if users didn’t give permission to.

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