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Hackers get Linux running on a PlayStation 4

In the two years since the PlayStation 4 first went on sale, hackers have enjoyed limited success in their efforts to open up the console. In June, a Brazilian team claimed the first PS4 “jailbreak, ” which involved the cumbersome process of copying the entire hard drive of a hacked machine using a Raspberry Pi, but it took until this month for a tinkerer to fully circumvent Sony’s content protections . With a proper exploit in the wild, homebrew group fail0verflow took on the challenge of installing a full version of Linux on the system. It achieved its goal this week, giving the homebrew community hope that the PlayStation 4 will soon become a worthy tool in their arsenal. Although exact details of the exploit have yet to be disclosed, it appears that the fail0verflow team took a WebKit bug recently documented by GitHub user CTurt and then turned things up a notch. CTurt’s workaround focuses on the PlayStation 4’s Webkit browser, which is tricked into freeing processes from the core of the console’s operating system by an improvised webpage. The PS4 is powered by Sony’s Orbis OS, which is based on a Unix-like software called FreeBSD and is therefore susceptible to common exploits. With a route into the console’s system, fail0verflow then identified weaknesses in the PlayStation 4’s GPU. Engineers from semiconductor company Marvell were called out specifically and accused of “smoking some real good stuff” when they built the PlayStation 4’s southbridge chip. Before you start dreaming up your next DIY computing project, you should know that this proof-of-concept relies on PS4 firmware 1.76. Sony recently issued firmware 3.11 to consoles. While the bug has now been patched, it’s believed the jailbreak could be altered to achieve the same outcome on more recent firmwares. Incidentally, the WebKit bug identified here is the exact same one that affected Apple’s Safari browser, which put iOS 6.0 and OS X 10.7 and 10.8 at risk in 2013. It shows just how common WebKit-based software now is. While PS4 owners won’t be able to install pirated games anytime soon, fail0verflow’s achievement shouldn’t be dismissed. Sony went to a lot of trouble to ensure that unsigned code could not be run on the console. The company requires that the machine runs on the very latest software, meaning hacker groups still have a long way to go before the PlayStation 4 is made truly open to hobbyists — just like the PlayStation 3 officially was when it first hit shelves almost a decade ago. Via: VentureBeat

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Hackers get Linux running on a PlayStation 4

House looks into claims the NSA spied on Congress

You’re not the only one concerned that the National Security Agency might be spying on Congress … Congress is, too. The House Intelligence Committee says it’s investigating claims that the NSA monitored communications between members of Congress and Israeli leadership as they discussed the Iran nuclear agreement. The Committee not only wants a point-by-point verification of the Wall Street Journal ‘s original report, but to find out whether or not the NSA was following the rules. There’s potential for trouble. While the White House reportedly didn’t order the eavesdropping, it also didn’t stop the activity when it found out. Moreover, this came after officials claimed that the US no longer snoops on NATO members’ heads of state — apparently, that courtesy doesn’t extend to allies outside of the region. Even if any surveillance was completely above-board, it’ll still raise questions about where and when the NSA is allowed to operate. [Image credit: AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite] Source: The Hill

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House looks into claims the NSA spied on Congress

CBS, Paramount sue crowdfunded Star Trek filmmakers for copyright infringement

Prelude to Axanar (Official). On Tuesday, lawyers representing CBS and Paramount Studios sued Axanar Productions, a company formed by a group of fans attempting to make professional-quality Star Trek fan-fiction movies, for copyright infringement. “The Axanar Works are intended to be professional quality productions that, by Defendants’ own admission, unabashedly take Paramount’s and CBS’s intellectual property and aim to ‘look and feel like a true Star Trek movie,’” the complaint reads (PDF). Axanar Productions released a short 20-minute film called Prelude to Axanar in 2014, in which retired Starfleet leaders talk about their experiences in the Four Years War, a war between the Federation and the Klingons that occurred in the Star Trek universe before The Original Series began. The feature-length Axanar is scheduled to premier in 2016 and follows the story of Captain Kirk’s hero, Garth of Izar . Both productions were funded on Kickstarter and Indiegogo, raising more than $1.1 million from fans. Read 12 remaining paragraphs | Comments

AT&T to ditch most two-year phone contracts on January 8th

AT&T’s long affair with the two-year contract continues to wind down, Engadget has learned. According to an internal document sent to employees this morning, new and existing customers will only be able to get new phones by paying the full price upfront or in installments over time . The move is set to take effect on January 8th, so you’d better act fast if you (for some reason) really want to lock yourself down for a few more years. Just to be perfectly clear, this move applies to all of AT&T’s phones. Once the new year rolls around, even flip phones and non-smartphones with keyboards (what AT&T likes to call “Quick Messaging Devices”) must be bought outright or with an installment plan. What’s less clear is the status of wearables like the Samsung Gear S2 and tablets, which are currently sold (and promoted heavily ) with two-year contracts. It’s also possible (if not likely) that AT&T will keep multi-year contracts around for large corporate accounts, and we’re looking into both situations. AT&T’s vague, highly vetted statement says the change is being made for the sake of “aligning… service offerings with customer and industry trends”. Well, we can’t argue with that. While smaller, scrappier carriers like T-Mobile have already bailed on the multi-year contract model, AT&T has been slower to act. This June, the company stopped offering contracts for smartphones to customers through local dealers and partner retailers like Best Buy and Apple. The option to ink a contract remained for people who bought basic phones or went straight to an AT&T store and asked specifically for a contract extension. The message? Payment plans like AT&T Next were the future. That sentiment was echoed when Verizon stopped pushing two-year contracts a few months later . The thing is, people who had those contracts could keep them and still get subsidized phones if they wanted — an option that won’t be available to AT&T customers. Still have questions? Feel free to refer to the FAQ our tipster friend also provided:

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AT&T to ditch most two-year phone contracts on January 8th

A Week After India Banned It, Facebook’s "Free Basics" Shuts Down in Egypt

Facebook’s “Free Basics” program in Egypt has been shut down , according to Facebook. It’s unclear why the new free internet service stopped working. However, the news arrives a week after the Indian government temporarily banned the program in the wake of on-going net neutrality concerns . Read more…

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A Week After India Banned It, Facebook’s "Free Basics" Shuts Down in Egypt

Beating graphene to push supercapacitors closer to batteries

(credit: Oak Ridge National Lab ) Most people think of batteries when they consider energy storage, but capacitors are an alternative in some use cases. Capacitors are used in almost all electronic devices, often to supply temporary power when batteries are being changed to prevent loss of information. In addition to everyday devices, they are also used in more obscure technologies, including certain types of weapons. Understanding the supercapacitor Unlike batteries, capacitors use static electricity to store energy. In their simplest form, they contain two conducting metallic plates with an insulating material (dielectric) placed in between. A typical capacitor charges instantly but usually cannot hold a great deal of charge. Supercapacitors can at least partly overcome this shortcoming. They differ from the typical capacitor in that their “plates” provide significantly larger surface area and are much closer together. The surface area is increased by coating the metal plates with a porous substance. Instead of having a dielectric material between them, the plates of a supercapacitor are soaked in an electrolyte and separated by an extremely thin insulator. Read 11 remaining paragraphs | Comments

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Beating graphene to push supercapacitors closer to batteries

List of Major Linux Desktop Problems Updated For 2016

An anonymous reader writes: Phoronix reports that Artem S. Tashkinov’s Major Linux Problems on the Desktop has been updated for 2016. It is a comprehensive list of various papercut issues and other inconveniences of Linux on the PC desktop. Among the issues cited for Linux not being ready for the desktop include graphics driver issues, audio problems, hardware compatibility problems, X11 troubles, a few issues with Wayland, and font problems. At the project management side, there is also cited a lack of cooperation among open source developers and fragmentation of desktops. Let’s discuss. Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Oculus Rift will ship with VR platformer ‘Lucky’s Tale’

Evoking the days of when consoles shipped with actual games, Oculus just announced a second bundled title for its upcoming Rift VR headset: Lucky’s Tale , a platformer from Words with Friends creator Paul Bettner. Earlier this month, the company also revealed that Eve: Valkyrie will also come every Oculus Rift. For the most part, Lucky’s Tale looks like a typical platforming title along the lines of Mario 64 and Banjo Kazooie — the big difference is that the Rift serves as a virtual camera. But even if it doesn’t look very original, another free game will certainly make the Rift more appealing to mainstream consumers. While there’s still no official launch date or price, Oculus says the Rift will launch in the first quarter of 2016. Source: Oculus

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Oculus Rift will ship with VR platformer ‘Lucky’s Tale’

Google will strip Oracle’s Java code out of Android

Google has confirmed that it will no longer use Java application programming interfaces (APIs) from Oracle in future versions of Android, according to VentureBeat . Instead, it will switch to OpenJDK, an open-source version of Oracle’s own Java Development Kit. While you might ask, “Who actually cares?”, Google says the change will simplify app development by creating a common codebase for Java. It’s hard to imagine that such a huge change (8, 902 files are supposedly affected) isn’t related to Google’s ongoing legal dispute with Oracle, though. That dispute, depending on how it’s resolved, could adversely affect Android development and app coding in general. The epic dispute started when Oracle sued Google for copyright back in 2010, claiming that Google improperly used its Java APIs. Google argued that the APIs in question were essential for to software innovation, and therefore couldn’t be copyrighted. In 2012, a jury found that Google didn’t infringe Oracle’s copyright, but a Federal court mostly reversed the decision in 2014. The US Supreme court didn’t want to touch the case and sent it back to a lower court, where it currently sits. Users on Y Combinator’s Hacker News who first spotted the code have theorized that it may mean that Google and Oracle have settled the lawsuit out of court. However, Google told VentureBeat that the legal dispute is still ongoing, so it couldn’t comment on whether the code change is related. As for how this affects you or me, the new code should make it a touch simpler for Android N developers, possibly resulting in better apps and quicker updates. However, the court’s upcoming decision could have much wider ramifications. If they decide that API’s from the likes of Java can be copyrighted, it could turn the patent wars into even more of a cluster-you-know-what. Source: VentureBeat

ArcaBoard is a real hoverboard—but it’ll cost you $20,000

(credit: Arca Space Corporation ) After all the teased products that didn’t live up to their promises and the trouble caused by self-balancing scooters, ArcaBoard appears to be the closest we’ll get to an actual hoverboard in 2015. Designed by the US-based Arca Space Corporation, the mattress-shaped vehicle packs 272 horsepower and is propelled by 36 ducted fans spinning at 45,000rpm. Buying one will set you back about £13,500 ($19,900). Arca has begun taking pre-orders for ArcaBoard and promises to start shipping it to the customers in April 2016. The device’s speed is limited to 20km/h (12mph) and its flying height to 30cm (1ft). It’s powered by a set of Li-Po batteries that account for a significant part of its price: getting a new battery pack after the 1-year warranty has expired will cost you £4,600 ($6,840). There are two versions of the device: one for riders that weigh up to 80kg (176lbs), and another for riders up to 110kg (242lbs). The lighter option can hover for six minutes, the heavier just three minutes. The lighter rider can theoretically travel up to 2km (1.2mi) on one charge. Read 7 remaining paragraphs | Comments

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ArcaBoard is a real hoverboard—but it’ll cost you $20,000

Ken May

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