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Showing posts from July, 2017

Warring factions are splitting Bitcoin in 2. Here's what you need to know.

The wild world of Bitcoin is about to get a whole lot wilder.  On August 1, 2017, the preeminent cryptocurrency is set to break in two. Two warring factions, fundamentally divided on Bitcoin's future, are coming to a head — and the impending split could either save Bitcoin or doom it. The split, called a hard fork, will result in two separate and distinct cryptocurrencies:  Bitcoin Cash  and  Bitcoin Core . Oh, and it also has the potential to create billions of dollars worth of new cryptocurrency out of thin air.   But that's not what this is really about. Bitcoin as it currently stands is in trouble, and with so much money on the line opposing parties have naturally come forward with plans to save it. And, surprise, they all don't agree on the solution.  That resulting disagreement is set to play out in full force at  5:20 a.m. PT  on August 1 with the launch of the Bitcoin Cash protocol, and many in the Bitcoin community have no choice but...

Huge Apple leak confirms iPhone 8 design

With each new iPhone 8 leak that we’ve seen so far, it becomes increasingly obvious that the hottest iPhone that Apple will launch this year will also feature a design unlike anything we’ve seen on previous models. The iPhone 8 will not have a physical home button and its bezels will be smaller than ever. CAD drawings, 3D renders, and protective case designs have shown the same purported iPhone 8 design over and over. Well, it looks all the rumors are true, and we have Apple to thank for the biggest iPhone 8 leak to date. DON'T MISS Genius flash drive works with micro-USB, USB-C, and USB-A all at once You know how Apple is big on secrecy and how the company has employed a team of highly skilled former intelligence officers to combat internal leaks? Well, Apple probably didn’t see this one coming. Someone at Apple accidentally — or intentionally — released the first firmware of Apple’s HomePod smart speaker. Intrepid developers took that firmware apart to find various details ab...

Google Play Services is the first Play Store app to cross 5 billion downloads

Ever since the release of the HTC Dream back in 2008, Android has been growing steadily. Over the weekend, the platform achieved a pretty major milestone when  Google Play Services  crossed 5 billion downloads on the Google Play Store. If you know anything about Android, you know that Play Services isn’t something you go to the Play Store and download yourself. Instead, the app is automatically loaded onto your Android-powered gadget — if it has access to Google’s suite of Play services, that is. Play Services was first launched in 2012, and since then, more than 5 billion people have logged into an Android device with their Google account to enable it. That’s a substantially large amount of people, and it makes sense considering  Google’s claim at I/O  earlier this year that there are currently 2 billion monthly active Android devices. The 5 billion number for Play Services is substantially higher because it includes billions of devices that are out of commissi...

Samsung Galaxy Note 8 receives FCC certificatio

The  Samsung Galaxy Note 8  has just been approved by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). This is one of the last stops on the road to release and it arrives only a few weeks before the phone’s official unveiling on August 23 in New York. The device bears model number SM-N950 (following SM-N930, 920, 910 and 900 for the Note 7, Note 5, Note 4 and Note 3 respectively), and the FCC filing listing indicates that it will support the GSM and CDMA networks for full compatibility with US carriers, as you might expect. SEE ALSO: Update: Samsung Galaxy S8 Active render gives us a better look at the rugged flagship

INJECTING CODE INTO MOUSE FIRMWARE SHOULD BE YOUR NEXT HACK

Here’s a DEF CON talk that uses tools you likely have and it should be your next hacking adventure. In their  Saturday morning talk  [Mark Williams] and [Rob Stanely] walked through the process of adding their own custom code to a gaming mouse. The process is a crash course in altering a stock firmware binary while still retaining the original functionality. The jumping off point for their work is the esports industry. The scope of esporting events has blown up in recent years.  The International 2016 tournament  drew 17,000 attendees with 5 million watching online. The prize pool of $20 million ($19 million of that crowdfunded through in-game purchases) is a big incentive to gain a competitive edge to win. Contestants are allowed to bring their own peripherals which begs the questions: can you alter a stock gaming mouse to do interesting things? The  steelseries Sensei  mouse was selected for the hack because it has an overpowered mircocontroller:...

Frameless Google Pixel 2 can get the platform Snapdragon 836

This time, a leak occurred in the company Google – the public decided to show how Pixel 2, supposedly codenamed Walleye, will look, and also talked about the platform on which it will be built. If the novelty looks like it does on the render. Perhaps this is the main idea of ​​designers? The company has found the ideal form for itself, and only will change the filling and make only accurate design adjustments? Techno-spies reported that once again, users will be offered to buy  Google Pixel 2  with a 5-inch display or Pixel 2 XL with a screen of 5.5 inches. Novelties will receive the Snapdragon 836 platform, created according to the standards of 10-nanometer process technology, and will be expected to work on Android O. At the moment there is no information about the new platform from Qualcomm. But if it is in the plans of the chip maker, then almost certainly it will be an overclocked version of Snapdragon 835. By and large, the design of the second generation was decided ...

Australia thwarts 'Islamic-inspired' plane attack plot

Australian counter-terrorism police conduct raids across Sydney suburb Security has been increased at Australian airports after police foiled "Islamic-inspired" plans for a bomb attack on an aircraft during counter-terrorism raids in which four men were arrested on Saturday, the Australian Federal Police (AFP) have confirmed. "In recent days, law enforcement has become aware of information that suggested some people in Sydney were planning to commit a terrorist act using an improvised device," AFP commissioner Andrew Colvin said during a press conference with Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull on Sunday, adding: "We do believe it is Islamic-inspired terrorism. Exactly what is behind this is something that we will need to investigate fully. "At this time we don’t have a great deal of information on the specific attack, the location, date or time. However, we are investigating information indicating that the aviation industry was potentially a target ......

Trump, on Long Island, Vows an End to Gang Violence

Hours after another defeat at the hands of the Republican-held Senate, President Trump launched into a speech about immigrant gang violence on Friday and wound up delivering a de facto campaign rally with a spray of Long Island police officers applauding behind him. In his second brief appearance in his home state since taking office — this time in a small auditorium at the Suffolk County Community College in Brentwood — Mr. Trump described cities as “bloodstained killing fields” that were overrun with undocumented immigrants before his inauguration in January. He described the perpetrators of violent crimes as “animals” and said his administration seeks to “dismantle, decimate and eradicate” gangs. He also used his roughly 30-minute speech to bolster the police, urging them to be less “nice” in arresting immigrant criminal suspects or gang members whom he described as enraptured by slow torture of their victims. The gang...

Congress asks U.S. agencies for Kaspersky Lab cyber documents

 A U.S. congressional panel this week asked 22 government agencies to share documents on Moscow-based cyber firm Kaspersky Lab, saying its products could be used to carry out "nefarious activities against the United States," according to letters seen by Reuters. The requests made on Thursday by the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Science, Space and Technology are the latest blow to the antivirus company, which has been countering accusations by U.S. officials that it may be vulnerable to Russian government influence. The committee asked the agencies for all documents and communications about Kaspersky Lab products dating back to Jan. 1, 2013, including any internal risk assessments. It also requested lists of any systems that use Kaspersky products and the names of any U.S. government contractors or subcontractors that do so. Kaspersky has repeatedly denied that it has ties to any government and said it would not help any government with cyber espionage. It...

Water Found Deep Inside the Moon-- Get the Facts

Satellite data suggest that water inside the moon is widespread, and that volcanic rocks may be a valuable resource for future explorers. There’s Water Inside the Moon—More Than We Thought There's even more water on the moon than we previously thought, according to new analysis of tiny glass beads left over from ancient volcanic eruptions. The naturally occurring beads were collected in the 1970s as part of the Apollo 15 and 17 missions, which landed near zones of volcanic activity. The beads formed when magma bursting onto the surface crystallized in such a way that water became trapped inside. However, scientists couldn’t be sure if the Apollo samples are unique or if other volcanic flows on the moon are filled with water-bearing glass. (Find out how  flying oceans of magma help demystify the moon's creation .) In a  new study published today in  Nature Geoscience , scientists reexamined the Apollo samples and used more recent satellite data to look for signs of...

D.C. Is the New Hub for U.S. Ivory Sales

As states impose their own bans on ivory to help save elephants, it appears the market is simply shifting to other spots. New York City has long been a hub of the U.S. ivory market, but a state ban enacted in 2014 has reduced the amount of ivory for sale. Here, an antique store on 5th Avenue displayed ivory items in the window.   Has the nation’s capital become the new center of the U.S. ivory trade? Investigators counted almost three times as many ivory items for sale in the Washington, D.C., area in 2016 than ten years earlier, even as the amount of ivory for sale in other parts of the country has been decreasing. From antique shops to flea markets, galleries, and even a tobacco shop, some 658 pieces of ivory for sale were identified in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area by investigators with TRAFFIC, the wildlife monitoring organization. A  new report from TRAFFIC, with support from the World Wildlife Fund and the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), a co...

Hackers Extorted $28 Million in Cryptocurrencies Last Year

Victims lost $1.33 billion to cyber criminals in 298,728 cases, with hackers stealing and extorting $28.3 million in cryptocurrencies in 2016. On June 22, the Federal Bureau of Investigation presented its annual  Internet Crime Report  for the year of 2016. The FBI analyzed the victim reports at the  Internet Crime Complaint Center  (IC3) and used the information from their database to publish the annual study. It is important to mention that, according to the Department of Justice’s research, only an  estimated 15 percent  of the U.S. fraud victims reported their crimes to law enforcement. The FBI highlighted multiple “hot topics” regarding internet crimes for the year of 2016. This included Business Email Compromise (BEC), which resulted in the loss of $360 million from victims, currently standing in first place in the category of most damage caused. BEC is a sophisticated scam targeting companies working with international or foreign businesses o...

Investing in Cryptocurrencies as Securities: An Interview from a Legal Perspective

Digital currency practices have exploded in recent months, bringing to the forefront new regulations. This means VC investors looking to get a piece of the action need to do further due-diligence and remain informed on the legal side. According to  Inside Bitcoins , last year two Bitcoin and blockchain-related startups raised over $1 billion in total investment. This is a massive increase from the $347 million invested in the space in 2014. So what are the latest issues around cryptocurrencies? How will the recent  SEC announcement  impact investors? Bob Graham, partner and head of the digital currency services practice at  Friedman LLP , has been receiving inquiries from both Bitcoin and blockchain-related firms and investor funds asking for audits and advice. Graham tells  Bitcoin Magazine  in an exclusive interview what VC investors should be aware of and how Bitfinex recently engaged Friedman to assist with an audit. What issues are VCs facing rela...

US-South Korean military fire missiles, following North Korea's latest missile test

  After  another North Korean missile launch  on Friday, the US and South Korean military responded by holding a joint missile exercise "to exercise assets countering North Korea's missile launch," a joint statement read. The exercise utilized the Army's Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) and South Korea's Hyunmoo Missile II - which were said to be capable of rapidly deploying in order to provide "deep-strike precision capability." The missiles were also said to have been  fired  into the East Sea, where North Korea's latest missile was also rumored to have landed. ATACMS missiles can carry a 500-pound high-explosive warhead and can travel up to a distance of 186 miles. The newest provocation from North Korea appeared to demonstrate the country's advances in its missile program, given that the latest missile was estimated to be capable of reaching major US cities, such as New York and Washington, D.C.,  according to experts . President Donald...

What are you looking forward to with Android O?

Changes big and small are coming to Android and these are our favorites. Android O  will soon be here, though it will take a while for most of us to see it. With it comes more of the tweaks under the hood with each release: changes to make batteries last longer, apps run better, and to keep our information safer. But there is also a lot of other cool stuff there! Things that sound small but will make a big difference like better ways to manage fonts and emojis, as well as bigger changes like new ways to show notifications. Everyone has a favorite feature from the list of changes, and that's what we're going around the table with this week. See what we're most looking forward to when Android O arrives. Jerry Hildenbrand I have two things, but they kind of go together so it's not cheating. The new window controls like picture-in-picture combined with new ways to use the keyboard mean developers can build apps that work even better on  Chromebooks . It's great ...

US slams 'provocative' Iran satellite-launch rocket test

The United States on Thursday hit out at Iran over its test of a satellite-launch rocket, calling it an act that undermined regional stability and saying it appeared to violate UN Security Council resolutions. "We consider that to be continued ballistic missile development," State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert told reporters. "We consider this to be provocative action." Nauert added that if confirmed, the test could be a "violation of UN Security Council resolutions." Iranian state television broadcast footage of the takeoff from the Imam Khomeini space center, named after the late founder of the Islamic republic, in Semnan province in the east of the country. The report said the launch vehicle, named Simorgh after a bird in Iranian mythology, was capable of propelling a satellite weighing 250 kilograms (550 pounds) to an altitude of 500 kilometres (300 miles) above earth. Western states suspect Iran of developing the technology capable of l...

Titanic' cast reunite 20 years later

If you're wondering why a bunch of  Titanic  stories have been popping up lately, it's because 2017 is the film's 20-year anniversary. James Cameron is  making a documentary about it  and everything. On Wednesday, the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation held its yearly gala to raise money for environmental causes. A whole bunch of celebrities went, Madonna performed, and -- most importantly -- Leo's  Titanic  co-stars made an appearance. It was the perfect opportunity for Billy Zane to up his Instagram game with the following, spectacularly captioned photo: The joke quickly spread on Twitter, too. If there's one thing that makes the internet happy, it's cast reunions decades after a film.

North Korea fires missile into sea off east coast, possibly an ICBM

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un watches the test of a new-type anti-aircraft guided weapon system organised by the Academy of National Defence Science in this undated photo released by North Korea's Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) May 28, 2017. KCNA/via          North Korea fired a missile on Friday in an unusual late-night test launch, and details announced by Japanese officials and media suggested it could be an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM). The launch from North Korea's northern Jangang province took place at 11:41 p.m. (1441 GMT), an official at South Korea's Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said. The U.S. Defense Department confirmed the launch, saying it was making further assessments.       "As a result of their launches of ICBM-level missiles, this clearly shows the threat to our nation's safety is severe and real," Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said. Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said that the...

Samsung is officially the world’s top chipmaker

Samsung has been  the world’s top smartphone vendor  for a few years now, and the most successful TV manufacturer since 2006, but the chaebol’s domination of the two very important and competitive markets is nothing compared to Intel’s supremacy in a similarly influential industry. Check that, semiconductors are even more crucial than phones for the evolution of the entire technology landscape, sitting at the core of computers and any “smart” device you can think of. Thus,  yesterday was a momentous day for Samsung  in more ways than one, with record-crushing overall profits  probably exceeding Apple’s latest quarterly gains  (to be confirmed next week), and sales figures in the semiconductor segment beating Intel’s total Q2 revenues. That’s right, Samsung made a staggering $7.2 billion profit between April and June 2017 on $15.8 billion earnings, consumer electronics (aka TVs and appliances) and mobile communications divisions not included. Meanwhile...

Speed Train Crash In Barcelona

Image captionReports said the train did not brake when entering the station, hitting the buffers at the platform. At least 54 people have been injured, one seriously, after a train crashed at a station in the Spanish city of Barcelona, officials say. The incident happened during the morning rush hour at the Francia station, in the city centre. Reports said the train did not brake properly when entering the station, hitting the buffers at the platform. Dozens of emergency personnel were sent to the station, with most of the injured being treated on the platform. Emergency services said as well as the seriously wounded person, who does not have life-threatening injuries, 19 people were moderately hurt. They are being treated in hospital. Among them is the driver, who is said to be in a state of shock. The remainder were lightly injured. Image captionEmergency personnel treated some of the injured on the platform Image captionReports suggested many of those injured in the bus...

U.S. to be forced to cut 'hundreds' of diplomatic staff in Russia: Ifx

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Industry and Trade Minister Denis Manturov watch a display during the MAKS 2017 air show in Zhukovsky, outside Moscow, Russia, July 18, 2017. Sputnik/Alexei Nikolsky/Kremlin via     The United States will be forced to cut hundreds of its embassy staff in Russia, the Interfax news agency quoted a source as saying, after Moscow retaliated on Friday for what it said were proposed illegal U.S. sanctions against it. "We are talking not about dozens, but hundreds of diplomatic and technical staff who work for U.S. diplomatic missions in Russia," the agency quoted the source as saying. Russia told the United States on Friday that some of its diplomats had to leave the country in just over a month and said it was seizing some U.S. diplomatic property. Russia's response, announced by the Foreign Ministry, came a day after the U.S. Senate voted to slap new sanctions on Russia, putting President Donald Trump in a tough position by forcing hi...

Neymar Involved in Barcelona Training Row with Nelson Semedo Amid PSG Rumours

Neymar has fuelled further speculation he could be set to join Paris Saint-Germain after he "stormed out" of training with Barcelona following a heated row with team-mate Nelson Semedo, which required the pair to be separated. Per MailOnline's  Matthew Smith and Pete Jenson , the Brazilian reacted to a heavy challenge from Semedo and confronted the right-back before Javier Mascherano came between them. Sergio Busquets is said to have "restrained" him after Semedo returned to the training match. Neymar then appeared to throw his training bib away before leaving the field, kicking balls away as he went. MailOnline also provided footage of the incident: Training continued without the 25-year-old as he exited to the car park and left "the training area entirely." Barcelona will play  Real Madrid  on Saturday in the last pre-season friendly of their USA tour before returning to Spain on Sunday. According to Smith and Jenson, Neymar was due to fly ins...

Boeing signs $1 bn contract with Dassault Systemes

Paris (AFP) July 25, 2017 US aerospace giant Boeing has signed a billion-dollarcontract with French industrial software company Dassault Systemes to modernise its production system, French media said Tuesday. "Boeing has signed a 30-year contract worth a billion dollars, renewable every 10 years," said Le Figaro newspaper, which is owned by the Dassault group. The partnership will focus on the use of 3D software "to design future products, to modernise the entire production system and to deploy new services". The software allows all stages of production, from the design to the management of subcontractors, to be organised across a single interface. "From start to finish, Boeing will drive all levels of subcontracting, from the largest to the smallest, and will be able to control exchanges between its divisions and its partners," Bernard Charles, Dassault Systemes CEO, was quoted as saying by Le Figaro. The contract, won after two years of competiti...

New Motorola dash camera coming - 4'' touchscreen, $99 price

A new dash camera is coming soon from Motorola. While the name isn't currently known, the device has a 4-inch screen, features a wide angle lens and a microSD card slot, and is capable of recording Full HD videos. There's also a motion detection feature that'll help you park your car. Binatone Global - an IoT electronics and lifestyle products firm, which has exclusive rights to design, develop and market certain Motorola accessories - is the company behind the product. The camera carries a price tag of $99, and will be available in the United States and Europe soon - the latter will get it first.

Britain plans to send a warship to the disputed South China Sea next year

HMS Queen Elizabeth, one of the Royal Navy's new aircraft carriers, on a sea trial this week. (Photo by the Press Association)  At a time of rising tensions between China and the US, a move likely to anger Beijing. The UK would increase in presence in the waters after it sent four combat aircraft for joint exercises with Japan in the region last year, British Defense Minister Michael Fallon said Thursday. "We hope to send a warship to region next year. We have not finalized exactly where that deployment will take place but we won't be constrained by China from sailing through the South China Sea," Fallon told Reuters. "We flew RAF Typhoons through the South China Sea last October and we will exercise that right whenever we next have the opportunity to do so, whenever we have ships or planes in the region,” he added. UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson also said Thursday that Britain plans to sail two new aircraft carriers through contested Asian waters. “One...