You can now send money to friends with your Apple Watch
If you’ve ever wanted to quickly send money to a pal to cover your share of the restaurant bill, you can now do so with your Apple Watch. Square has just updated its iOS Cash app — which lets you send money to anyone via email or text — so that it also loads on the wearable from Cupertino. Simply enter in the amount you wish to pay in increments of $1, $2, $5, $10, $20 or $100, tap in the appropriate contact info, and your friend will get her money back in a matter of seconds. The Cash app can push payment request notifications to the Watch as well, which you can accept or deny right from your wrist. Aside from just email and text, you can also send money to folks via Bluetooth LE (just like its phone counterpart) as long as they’re in range. So now that you can settle your debts without having to take out your wallet and your phone, there’s no excuse to skip out on paying up — especially if you’ve got the cash to plunk down on a pricey smartwatch in the first place.
Filed under:
Wearables, Software, Apple
Source:
Square Cash (App Store)
Tags: apple, applewatch, square, squarecash
ICYMI: Head injury alert, zombie killing centers and more
Today on In Case You Missed It: Google is putting its glut of satellite imaging data to good use with the “Sunroof” database, which helps people check their homes and figure out if they get enough sun to install solar panels. University of Pennsylvania researchers made a polymer that changes color depending on the depending on the amount of force used against it. They’re hoping to make helmets that quickly signal the degree of a possible brain injury. And Australians beat the Americans to the virtual reality laser tag fun zone finish, building a VR zombie killing gaming center ahead of the U.S. one slated to open next year.
If you’re into internet characters doing appropriately strange stuff, you’ve also got to see the video from the Slingshot Channel guy of the frisbee made for lethal intent.
You should also make sure to read the New York Times piece analyzing workplace culture at Amazon. It’s generated enough chatter that you’re likely to continue hearing about it and any changes in tech culture for some time to come.
If you come across any interesting videos, we’d love to see them. Just tweet us with the #ICYMI hashtag @engadget or @mskerryd.
Filed under:
Gaming, Household, Peripherals, Transportation, Science, Internet, Software, Google
Tags: engadgetdailyshow, engadgetvideo, football, footballhelmets, Google, Googlessolarpanels, Googlesunroof, h, icymi, InCaseYouMissedIt, robots, solarpanels, traumaticheadinjury, UniversityofPennsylvania, UPenn, video, virtualreality, virtualrealitygaming, VR, zombie
Windows 10 won’t run old games with dodgy copy protection
Do you recall the bad old days of PC games in the mid-2000s, when titles were loaded with copy protection that was not only a hassle, but horribly insecure? Well, Microsoft does — and that could be a problem if you’re trying to run some of those vintage games on Windows 10. The company notes that games which depend on some versions of SafeDisc and Securom DRM (digital rights management) aren’t allowed to run on Windows 10 at all. That could mean that your dusty copy of Grand Theft Auto III, Battlefield 1942 or The Sims won’t load. As Microsoft’s Boris Schneider-Johne says, their DRM intrudes so deeply your system that they introduce a “possible loophole for computer viruses.” Sure enough, at least one of the concerns about burdensome copy protection proved true — it was more of a nuisance to honest gamers than to pirates.
We’ve asked Microsoft for more details, including the effect on other copyright mechanisms. However, you’ll be relieved to hear that there are frequently workarounds. Some developers have already patched out the offending DRM, and digital stores like GOG sell versions that aren’t subject to the restrictive software. And while we wouldn’t recommend it, the cracking tools this copy protection was meant to defeat (but rarely did) should theoretically do the trick. While you could still be locked out of some of the classic games you own, that list might be relatively short.
Filed under:
Gaming, Software, Microsoft
Via:
Rock Paper Shotgun
Source:
Rocket Beans TV (YouTube)
Tags: copyprotection, drm, gaming, microsoft, safedisc, securom, software, windows, windows10
Developer reveals Mac security hole without telling Apple
Typically, coders and researchers who discover security vulnerabilities in software will tell the companies involved before posting their findings — it’s a courtesy to make sure that those holes are patched before attackers can use them. Don’t tell that to developer Luca Todesco, though. He recently posted details of an OS X exploit, “tpwn,” that lets intruders get root-level access to your Mac (even if it’s running the recent 10.10.5 update) without even telling Apple, let alone waiting for a patch. It’s now a race between the Cupertino crew and malware writers to make use of the discovery.
We’ve reached out to Apple to find out what it’s doing in response to the flaw, and we’ll let you know if it has something to share. However, Todesco isn’t about to have a change of heart. He contends that an unofficial solution will protect you if you’re not willing to wait, and that this isn’t any different than publishing details of an iOS jailbreak (which takes advantage of security flaws to let you install unofficial software). Those are technically true, but they downplay the practical dangers of publishing this info. Many people aren’t knowledgeable enough to try third-party safeguards or deal with the possible side effects, and jailbreaks are at least intended for semi-innocuous purposes. A ‘surprise’ exploit for the Mac only really serves to give attackers time that they wouldn’t otherwise have.
Filed under:
Internet, Software, Apple
Via:
AppleInsider
Source:
GitHub
Tags: apple, exploit, internet, kpwn, mac, osx, security, tpwn, vulnerability, zero-day
This drone can steal data while hovering above your office
It’s the job of a security researcher to figure out how the company they are working for could be compromised. Apparently that now means using a drone sniff out vulnerabilities a few dozen feet off the ground. The Aerial Assault drone houses a raspberry Pi running Kali Linux, a distro built specifically for penetration testing (also known as pen testing) of networks and devices. Once in the air, the spy drone can detect insecure devices and networks and store that information locally or beam it back to the pilot.
The Aerial Assault drone is built on top of open source technology so researchers can purchase and adjust it to work in a way that suites their needs. Because it uses GPS, in addition to hanging outside of skyscrapers collecting unencrypted data, it can also be sent out to multiple buildings in areas that would be inaccessible by a person. For example; a courtyard in the middle of a complex or building behind a very large fence with razor wire.
While the craft is intended for researchers, there’s always the possibility that someone with fewer scruples could purchase it and use it to steal data from an individual or company. So if you’re feeling a bit safer about your system because you’re 30 floors up, think again. The $2,500 drone should be on sale in the next few days at Wall of Sheep. If you’re super impatient, you can hit up the site’s sales team via email.
Filed under:
Misc, Transportation, Software
Tags: AerialAssualt, DefCon, Drone, PenTesting, security, Wallofsheep
Android ‘M’ is for Marshmallow
As is tradition, Google has revealed the version name for the upcoming sixth version of Android with a new statue in front of its Mountain View, CA HQ. Android M will stand for Marshmallow, and while it’s still not available for public consumption (check out our preview from June), the company is encouraging developers get their apps ready now. The name shouldn’t be much of a surprise however, since it’s the one most of you guessed in our poll, where it nabbed 37 percent of the votes.
Filed under:
Cellphones, Software, Mobile, Google
Source:
Android Developers
Tags: androidm, google, marshmallow, mobilepostcross, video
‘Sonic the Hedgehog’ tribute games reflect a mascot’s fall from grace
It’d be an understatement to say that the Sonic the Hedgehog game franchise hasn’t held up well over time. Sonic was once nearly as big as Mario, but a long string of bad titles (with exceptions) ruined his rep — you’re more likely to spot him in dodgy fan fiction and internet memes than a popular game. And the homebrew developers from Arcane Kids know it. They’ve built the Sonic Dreams Collection, a batch of tiny tribute games for Macs and Windows PCs that acknowledge the Sega mascot’s fall from grace. It masquerades as a leaked set of Dreamcast protoypes, but it’s really a nod to the weird places Sonic fandom has gone in the 21st century. There’s a “Sonic Movie Maker” where the hedgehog calls you his dad, and “My Roommate Sonic…” well, let’s just say it turns romance stories on their head.
You’ll probably finish playing the whole collection in minutes. However, it’s uncanny at recreating both the vibe of crude fan art and Sega’s turn-of-the-century zeitgeist, that sense that the Dreamcast would usher in a brave new era for the blue hedgehog and his friends. In that light, it’s worth giving Sonic Dreams a spin just to see the contrast between the 1999-era optimism and the grimmer, stranger reality circa 2015.
Via:
Boing Boing
Source:
Arcane Kids
Tags: arcanekids, dreamcast, fanfiction, gaming, mac, nostalgia, sega, software, sonic, sonicdreams, sonicdreamscollection, sonicthehedgehog, videogames, windows
Firefox private browsing test keeps more of your data off-limits
Numerous browsers have a private mode to prevent local users from learning too much about your web habits, but what about preventing the sites themselves from tracking what you’re doing? Mozilla thinks it can help. It just released a pre-beta version of Firefox whose updated, experimental Private Browsing mode blocks web elements that could track your behavior, such as analytic tools and social network services. While the measure could break some sites, Mozilla reckons that it’s ultimately better to keep you off sites’ radars by default. If you do run into problems, there’s a central control area where you can tweak your privacy and security settings.
That isn’t the only test underway. The pre-beta also enforces add-on verification by default, so that social plugin you downloaded shouldn’t add unwanted toolbars, inject ads or collect more data than it should. Like with Chrome, you can turn off this filter if you’re willing to throw caution to the wind. If you just have to try either of these features right away, you’ll want to grab this early Firefox build now — it’s going to be a while before they make their way into a finished version.
Filed under:
Internet, Software
Source:
Mozilla
Tags: browser, firefox, internet, mozilla, privacy, privatebrowsing, web
ICYMI: Google’s face-policing API, Rage Rooms and more
Today on In Case You Missed It: Google’s new API for Android applications comes with face detection that can tell if you’re smiling or not. Then there’s the trend in Rage Rooms that looks like too much fun to keep to ourselves. And a hoax of an amazing prototype: A supposed adoption of Volkswagen technology birthed a stroller to follow you around, using collision sensors to avoid people or objects. This thing should really exist in some form, yes?
Next up, a lot happened in news this week, which we cover in rapid-fire fashion in TL;DR, yet we’re still most interested in Google’s decision to restructure into Alphabet.
If you come across any interesting videos, we’d love to see them. Just tweet us with the #ICYMI hashtag @engadget or @mskerryd.
Filed under:
Cellphones, Misc, Handhelds, Peripherals, Transportation, Science, Internet, Software, Google
Tags: Android, AndroidS, API, babystroller, engadgetdailyshow, engadgetvideo, golf, google, GoogleAPI, GooglefaceAPI, GoogleMobileVision, icymi, InCaseYouMissedIt, Japaneserageroom, MobileVision, RageRoom, Reddit, robots, stroller, video, Volkswagen, Volkswagenstroller
3 categories of apps that can make you healthy at work
By Spencer Blackman, Entrepreneur Contributor and Primary Care Physician at One Medical Group
Anyone who’s ever worked long hours in an office knows that it can be a challenge to stay healthy. And all that time spent sitting doesn’t help matters. From eye strain to poor posture, office workers are at risk for a variety of aches, pains and other health challenges.
Related: Protect Your Eyes From the Harm of Digital Devices With These 4 Tips
Although we often blame technology for the pitfalls of a desk-bound lifestyle, tech can also help alleviate some of the same health hazards from sitting in front of a computer all day. To keep your team healthy and productive, I like these three categories of apps, programs and devices to remedy the most common ailments workers face at the office:
1. To combat eye strain
- Orange-tinted glasses are an affordable option for reducing eye fatigue by filtering blue light.
- F.lux is a free software program that adjusts the tint and brightness of your device’s display depending on the time of day — full-spectrum during the day and warmer, red-spectrum at night.
- Awareness is a free app for Mac and Windows that reminds you to take breaks by playing the steady tone of a Tibetan singing bowl. It won’t lock you out of your computer, but it does monitor continuous usage to ensure you actually take a break.
- EVO beeps when it’s time for a break and temporarily blacks out the screen for an allotted amount of time. It also offers suggestions for eye exercises to do during the break. The app is customizable, but the default “20-20-20″ plan (every 20 minutes, take a break for at least 20 seconds and look at objects that are 20 feet away) is most commonly used.
- Eyelo reminds you to rest your eyes by occasionally dimming your screen and leading you through eye exercises. It also disables the screen for specified periods of time for longer eye breaks.
2. To improve posture
- Lumo Lift is a small sensor you put on your shoulder that tracks your posture and activity, coaching you to sit and stand tall by gently vibrating whenever you’ve been sitting with bad posture for too long.
- UpRight sticks to your lower back and delivers a gentle vibration when your posture slips.
- MacBreakZ is a posture-building app that offers two programs: prevention and recovery mode. Prevention mode demonstrates and prompts stretches to reduce muscle tension and promote good posture, then prompts you to take a short break. Recovery mode is for users already experiencing neck and back pain, worsening vision or poor circulation. It prompts users to take 10-minute breaks after a specified period of time.
- Posture Man Pat uses the Y-axis of your webcam to monitor head height. If you start slouching, the app will alert you by dimming the screen, sounding a bell or both.
Related: 4 Ways to Eliminate Back and Neck Pain at Work
3. To get you moving
- Big Stretch Reminder allows you to configure breaks. You decide how long they should be, what they’re for and how intrusive you want reminders to be.
- Move is an app that reminds you to stretch and stay active throughout the day. It allows users to select from more than 300 specific exercises. It describes them as “80+ coworker-friendly exercises you won’t be embarrassed to do at work. In fact, no one will even know you’re doing them.”
- Workrave reminds users to take micro breaks, long breaks and breaks that limit daily computer usage. It shows you how long it is until your next break and also offers a selection of exercises to do during breaks.
- Break Time is a simple app that allows you to set alerts at chosen intervals to remind you to take a break from sitting. It lets you customize break times and lengths, and reschedule breaks and disable reminders with one swipe.
Related: Why Exercising Is a Higher Priority Than My Business
Related:
- Why Food, Sleep and Exercise Are Critical to Success
- 3 Categories of Apps That Can Make You Healthy at Work
- 10 Healthy Snacks to Curb Your Appetite
Image credits: Shutterstock]
Tags: awareness, BigStretchReminder, BreakTime, entrepreneur, EVO, eyelo, lumolift, MacBreakZ, mobilepostcross, Move, partner, PostureManPat, syndicated, upright, Workrave
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