IBM has announced that it’s designed a new kind of ultra-dense chip, which squeezes in four times as much computing power as the best silicon currently available. Read more…
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IBM’s New Chip Is Four Times as Powerful as Today’s Best Silicon
Spotify isn’t happy that its iOS customers have to pay an additional $3 for a premium subscription if they make the purchase through the App Store. That’s why it’s planning to send them instructions on how to apply for a subscription straight from the company’s website. The Verge got its hands on a copy of the letter, wherein Spotify made clear that “the normal Premium price is only $9.99, but Apple charges 30 percent on all payments made through iTunes.” That ups the total to $12.99, which is only $2 away from Apple Music’s six-person family plan. That email, if you haven’t gotten it yet, contains links that make it easy to cancel Spotify’s auto-renew on iTunes and redirect you to the service’s website. You’ll have to wait until your current month ends before you can subscribe again, but after you do, you won’t have to pay $12.99 again. As Bloomberg notes, Apple doesn’t allow links within apps that allow people to make purchases from external websites. That’s likely what prompted the streaming service to decide on sending an email blast instead of adding a PSA inside the app. The publication also points out that Apple only adds $$$ on top of goods or services if it doesn’t have a competing product. For instance, you apparently don’t have to pay extra if you buy a plane ticket through United Airlines’ iPhone app . Since Cupertino’s new Music streaming service has a lot of competitors in addition to Spotify, it’s facing antitrust investigations in a couple of states. [Image credit: AFP/Getty Images] Filed under: Misc , Mobile , Apple Comments Via: Bloomberg Source: The Verge
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Spotify tells iOS users how to avoid iTunes charges and pay less
You’ll frequently hear law enforcement complain that it can’t break the full-drive encryption in newer smartphone operating systems, but how often does the police run into that problem, really? Thanks to a US Senate Judiciary Committee hearing, you now have a better idea. The Manhattan District Attorney’s office has revealed that, out of the 92 cases where an iPhone with iOS 8 has been involved so far, the cops have been locked out 74 times. District Attorney Cyrus Vance portrays this as proof that officers need backdoors or other forms of guaranteed access, noting that there’s at least one case (in Illinois) where evidence from a victim’s iPhone led to a conviction. Police shouldn’t simply be told that there’s “nothing [they] can do, ” he says. Context is everything, however, and this isn’t quite as dire a situation as Vance made it out to be. The Manhattan DA typically handles 100, 000 cases a year — 0.0007 percent is a drop in the bucket. Moreover, there’s no records showing whether or not the encryption actually stopped the investigation cold. It’s possible that the security merely forced officers to rely on other forms of evidence. While there’s still a concern that clever criminals will take advantage of encryption, there’s also no data showing that there would be enough arrests to justify the reduced privacy. [Image credit: Shutterstock] Filed under: Cellphones , Mobile , Apple Comments Source: Wired
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iPhone encryption has locked out Manhattan cops just 74 times
Facebook is stepping up its commitment to renewable energy today. While announcing a new data center in Fort Worth (above), which happens to be entirely powered by wind energy, the social network also set a new goal of having 50 percent of its data centers relying on renewables by the end of 2018. That follows an earlier self-imposed goal to have 25 percent of its data centers powered by clean energy come the end of this year. Naturally, Facebook plans to have all of its operations powered by renewable energy eventually. It’s also working together with Greenpeace — which took today’s announcement as a chance to shame Amazon for its data center energy usage — to ensure that it’s exploring new energy options properly. Facebook teamed up with Citi Energy, Starwood Energy, and Alterra Power to bring a 17, 000 acre wind farm online for its new Fort Worth data hub, which should deliver around 200 MW of energy to Texas. Facebook plans to get that new data center online by the end of 2016. Filed under: Networking , Internet , Facebook Comments Source: Facebook
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Facebook says renewables will power 50% of its data centers by 2018
Google’s engineers can do some pretty incredible things with the consumer technology it has developed—from “dreaming” neural networks based on computer vision to an algorithm that can create video from Street View images. Read more…
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The Latest Google Algorithm Creates Video Based On a Few Still Images
Researchers at Clemson University have created a new sort of robotic design based on the long, curled tail of the seahorse. The seahorse is unique because it consists of “square prisms surrounded by bony plates that are connected by joints.” Other animal tails are cylindrical and therefore easily crushed. The researchers write: Researchers found that the square prototype was… Read More
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Scientists Turn To Seahorses For Nearly Unbreakable Limbs
As computer games go, Tetris is one of the most mesmeric. Now, a team of researchers has found that the visual processing required to play the game can help sufferers of post-traumatic stress disorder overcome flashbacks—even after the memory of an event is lodged within their brain. Read more…
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Tetris Blocks Flashbacks of Traumatic Events Lodged in the Brain
Sometimes, game studios have strict security. Other times, they let random people sneak into their buildings, steal lunch, and find out about unannounced games. Read more…
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Guy Sneaks Into Game Studio, Finds Unannounced Game [UPDATE]
With one hand Apple giveth, and with the other, it rips a long-standing feature away with no warning. Read more…
If you use the Plex media server for your movie and TV library, you’ll need to change your password this morning. The company announced it’s forum servers were hacked, leaving email addresses, forum messages, and hashed passwords vulnerable. Read more…
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Plex Hacked, Change Your Password Now