That’s twice in two days. Yesterday, security firm Zvelo discovered a potential exploit against rooted phones. Today, tech blog TheSmartphoneChamp discovered how to accomplish the same feat on non-rooted phones. More »
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Google Wallet Hacked Again [Video]
Every graphical and technical advance the game industry has seen from Pong to Crysis has been a small step toward the end goal of a real-time, photorealistic 3D world that is truly indistinguishable from a real-world scene. Speaking at the DICE Summit Thursday, Epic Games founder and programmer Tim Sweeney examined the speed and direction of computing improvements and determined that we “might expect, over the course of our lifetime, we’d get to amounts of computing power that come very close to simulating reality.”
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How close are we to truly photorealistic, real-time games?
Like most hacks, this discovery of a way to find an Android phone’s Google Wallet PIN requires a lot of initial access but is disturbing nonetheless. Google knows about the hack and is repairing it. Discovered by Joshua Rubin of Zvelo, the hack is one of the most interesting attacks on Google Wallet so far.
In short, this hack allows access to credit card data and purchase history and could, in theory, allow a hacker to use a Google Wallet freely in the wild. However, it does require the hacker to have unfettered root access to the phone. Using a small program, the exploit simply brute-forces a file found in the phone, thereby revealing the PIN and unlocking the wallet.
Again, the hack requires a rooted Android phone – a state that is trivial to achieve if your phone is stolen – and a bit of know how. Rubin recommends:
Google recommends that anyone with Google Wallet call their toll-free support line at 855-492-5538 to ask that their prepaid card be disabled. They also recommend setting a lock screen.
Wolfram Alpha has made some fairly big strides in its few short years of existence, but the so-called computational knowledge engine has now rolled out what founder Stephen Wolfram says is the “the single most important development for Wolfram Alpha since the original website launched in 2009.” That development is Wolfram Alpha Pro, a new premium service that will run you $4.99 a month (or $2.99/month for students) and give you access to a wealth of new options for both input and output. On the input end, you can now upload images, audio and other files (over 60 types in all) for automatic analysis and a detailed report — according to Stephen Wolfram, the ultimate goal being “to do what a top data scientist would do if given the user’s data.” As for output, you’ll now be able to take advantage of a number of richer download options, including the ability to interact with and tailor the reports to your liking. As you might expect, however, that’s just scratching the surface — you can get a detailed look at the new service at the links below, or take it for a spin yourself with a free trial subscription.
Wolfram Alpha Pro now available, $4.99 a month will let you throw almost anything at it for analysis originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Feb 2012 03:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Wolfram Alpha Pro now available, $4.99 a month will let you throw almost anything at it for analysis
Cutting_Crew writes “As we all know brick and mortar stores have been closing left and right recently. We had CompUSA, Borders and Circuit City all close their doors within the last 4 years. According to an article on Forbes.com, it is spelled out pretty clearly why Best Buy is next in line to shut its doors for good. Some of the reasons highlighted include a 40% drop is Best Buy stock in 2011, lack of vision regarding their online services, management too concerned with store sales instead of margins and blatant disregard for quality customer service.”
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The Gradual Death of the Brick and Mortar Tech Store
The iconic VW camper van paved the way for the modern motorhome, but they were barely big enough for a couple of hippies. So a UK company has created the Doubleback with an extending pod that can fit a whole commune. More »
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Extending Camper Vans Give the Modern Hippy Plenty Of Leg Room [Video]
That’s twice. In two days. Yesterday, security firm Zvelo discovered a potential exploit against rooted phones. Today, tech blog TheSmartphoneChamp discovered how to accomplish the same feat on non-rooted phones. This is not good. More »
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Google Wallet Has Been Hacked Again, Now You Should Panic [Video]
We’re here at the Tesla Design Studio in Los Angeles, where Elon Musk just unveiled his startup’s third vehicle: an SUV it calls the Model X. The ‘ute sports some rather unique looking double-hinged “falcon wing” rear doors which makes loading people and things easier as you reach into the car, not over it. According to Musk they’ll open in tighter spots than a traditional door, opening high enough to fit even a standing human. Powered by an AWD variant of the Model S drivetrain, despite the larger shell, its most performant offering still clocks in at a 4.4 seconds to go from 0-60MPH — matching the most brawny variant of the Model S. And because it’s devoid of a space-hogging ICE, that front portion’s a trunk that Elon lovingly calls the “Frunk.” Per GigaOm, the seven-seater will cost in the $50,000 to $70,000 range, with first deliveries of the “Signature Series” arriving in 2013 before mass production begins in 2014. If that sounds like you’re kind of beat, Those interested can begin reservations on Tesla’s website tomorrow at noon.
Gallery: Tesla Model X launch
Gallery: Tesla Model X eyes-on
Tesla unveils Model X SUV, wants to be your all-electric crossover originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Feb 2012 23:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Tesla unveils Model X SUV, wants to be your all-electric crossover
So this happened. It’s a father reacting to a post his daughter made on Facebook. He wasn’t happy. You can skip ahead to 7 minutes for the big reveal. More »
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Dad Shoots Daughter’s Laptop With .45 Because of Facebook Post [Video]
So.
Do you carry reusable bags to shop at the grocery store? Do you sort empty
plastic containers into the correct recycling bin? Did you trade-in your
gas guzzler for a well-worn pair of sneakers?
Do you think that all those enviro-goody-two-shoes things you did matter?
Think again.
No hate mail, please! That’s what economist Gernot Wagner at the Environmental
Defense Fund said. He argued that in order to save the planet, we need much
more than environmentalists. Instead, we need smart economic policies.
Here’s an interesting interview at Co.Exist:
Co.Exist:What does the average environmentalist get wrong?
Wagner: Environmentalists, all too often, think that the best way
to go about solving the problem is to get everyone to do as they–we,
I included–do. I don’t eat meat. I don’t drive. But individual
do-gooderism won’t solve global warming.And it may actually be counter-productive, for two reasons. First,
there’s a well-documented psychological phenomenon called “single-action
bias.” You do one thing, and you move on. You carry your groceries
home by foot, in a cotton canvas bag, and you think that single act
of environmental kindness makes up for other sins.Second, you spend all your energy thinking about these tiny things.
Should you buy the local apples that have been stored for months in
a cool house somewhere, or should you buy the fresh apple flown in from
across the world? Or should you not buy apples at all when they are
not in season and risk not getting enough vitamins?You’d go positively crazy trying to figure out what to do,
and you’d miss the big picture: That, at the end of the day, none
of that really matters.
So what should we do? Read on at Co.Exist: Link
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Psst, Environmentalists! Earth-Friendly Lifestyle Actually Doesn’t Matter