Tag: fitness

Windows 10 upgrade push changes things for IT pros and bootleggers

Microsoft mistakenly pushed Windows 10 upgrades to existing Windows 7/8 users through the Update process earlier this year, but next year it will do it on purpose . That’s just one of several changes coming to the update process, as it targets IT professionals doing mass upgrades, and even people running less-than-legit copies of Windows. The office IT guys out there will appreciate a future update to the Media Creation Tool so it can create a single image capable of upgrading older Windows PCs whether they’re 32-bit, 64-bit, Home or Pro, and even wipe a system to do clean installs. Also coming soon to users in the US (and later in other countries), will be an easy one-click activation process to “get Genuine” via the Windows Store, even with a code purchased elsewhere. Of course, even if you don’t fall into those categories and just want to keep your old version of Windows, you’ll need to be more careful starting in 2016. Source: Blogging Windows

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Windows 10 upgrade push changes things for IT pros and bootleggers

AT&T gives you extra data in return for taking surveys

Do you find yourself perpetually running just over your phone carrier’s data cap, and wish you could get a little more breathing room without paying a lot more? AT&T might have the answer. It just launched a Data Perks app for Android and iOS that adds precious megabytes to your plan for a given month in return for taking surveys and completing shopping offers. Think of it like Google’s Opinion Rewards, only you’re earning internet access instead of store credit. Via: TalkAndroid Source: AT&T , App Store , Google Play

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AT&T gives you extra data in return for taking surveys

The IRS has used Stingray phone-tracking tech

This year, the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Justice have thankfully put into place more stringent regulations on how government agencies can use ” Stingray ” cellphone-tracking devices. However, we’re also learning more about how widespread usage of such tools was within the government: Today, The Guardian reports that the Internal Revenue Service made purchases in 2009 and 2012 of Stingray equipment from manufacturer Harris Corporation. The documents it received as part of a Freedom of Information Act request were heavily redacted but still revealed that in 2012, the IRS paid more than $65, 000 to upgrade previous Stingray equipment to a newer version called the HailStorm. Source: The Guardian

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The IRS has used Stingray phone-tracking tech

Facebook expands search to all 2 trillion of its posts

Facebook announced on Thursday that it will expand its search function to include every publically-available post in its archive, not just those of your friends and liked Pages. But this won’t simply be a firehose of information , Facebook will reportedly segregate and stack results depending on the source. The top of the search results will be dominated by trusted sources like professional news outlets (CNN and the like). Below that section will be posts from your friends, presumably providing color commentary and insightful discussion of the headlined news — or, if they’re anything like my friends, it’ll quickly devolve into GIF wars and poop jokes. And at the bottom of the stack will be a Digg-like section of aggregated links related to the search topic. The returned results are reportedly personalized for each user based on 200 search factors. These factors include what subjects and Pages you like as well as your personal information and search history. This change comes in response to criticism of FB’s existing search feature, which has been characterized as an “echo chamber.” By at least exposing users to thoughts and opinions beyond those of their immediate social circle, FB hopes to improve the overall discussion about breaking news. “You don’t just see what your friends and people around you are saying, ” Tom Stocky, VP of Search, told TechCrunch . “You see the stories of people on the ground. It gives us a different level of perspective.” Though, if this new search function is anything like the bedlam of breaking news that is Facebook’s Signal news service, you might want to just stick with Google. [Image Credit: Shutterstock] Via: TechCrunch Source: Facebook

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Facebook expands search to all 2 trillion of its posts

New Homeland Security policy demands warrants before deploying StingRays

The Department of Homeland Security announced a substantial policy change Wednesday regarding how it employs cellphone-tracking tools like the StingRay system. These cell-site simulators have been in use for more than a decade. They allow law enforcement to find cell phones either by directly searching for a known device or find an unknown device by sniffing for signaling information from the simulator’s immediate vicinity and triangulating that data. The new policy explicitly demands that DHS personnelle acquire a warrant before deploying the devices unless an exception, such as the imminent loss of human life, destruction of evidence, or to prevent the escape of a fugitive felon. Wednesday’s announcement follows a similar decision by the Department of Justice last month. [Image Credit: Getty] Via: Verge Source: Department of Homeland Security

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New Homeland Security policy demands warrants before deploying StingRays

Nike’s power-laced ‘Back to the Future’ shoes arrive in 2016

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past few hours, then you know today is Back to the Future Day . In the trilogy’s second film , Michael J. Fox’s character Martin Seamus McFly, better known as Marty, gave us a glimpse of how things would look on October 21st, 2015. And even though the future according to the movie may have not been fully accurate (which is okay), Marty’s power-laced Nike sneakers are indeed a reality . While the sportswear juggernaut did release the Mag in 2011 , that version didn’t use the self-lacing technology we saw in Back to the Future Part II . But don’t worry, the actual Marty McFly shoes are coming in spring 2016, Nike has confirmed. Tinker Hatfield, Nike’s VP of creative concepts and the man who designed the Mags, also sent a letter to Fox saying , “Although the project started as science fiction, we’re now proud to turn that fiction into fact.” “The first pair of self-lacing Nike Mag shoes is in New York City, ” a Nike representative said to Engadget early Wednesday. As for where exactly the limited edition sneakers are, well, interestingly enough, Fox is scheduled to be a guest on Jimmy Kimmel Live tonight. Yes, this means the 2015 Nike Mag is likely going to make its debut on the show — and it looks like Fox is already wearing the pair . Naturally, there’s no word on pricing, but in similar fashion to the originals, they will be sold at auction to benefit the The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s research. Michael J. Fox models the first self-lacing @Nike Mag pic.twitter.com/bgPWM5CKBE — michaeljfox.org (@MichaelJFoxOrg) October 21, 2015 Source: Nike

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Nike’s power-laced ‘Back to the Future’ shoes arrive in 2016

Fitbit trackers can be hacked in ’10 seconds’

Fitbit trackers have a whopper of a vulnerability that can let somebody within Bluetooth range quickly hack them, according to security company Fortinet . Worse yet, once the attackers are in, the device will infect any computer that tries to sync with the device. Via Twitter , Senior Fortinet researcher Axelle Apvrille told Engadget “you don’t need physical access (to the tracker), but you do need to be close (Bluetooth range). It does not matter if it is paired (to another device) or not.” When in range, a bad actor could infect the device in as little as 10 seconds. Apvrille informed Fitbit of the vulnerability back in March, but the wearable outfit has yet to fix the issue, according to the Register . In addition, the vulnerability remains in the wearable even after it’s reset. Once infected, the device can install a virus, trojan or other vulnerability on your computer, even days later. “An attacker sends an infected packet to a fitness tracker nearby at Bluetooth distance then the rest of the attack occurs by itself, without any special need for the attacker being near, ” Apvrille said . While the Fitbit uses encryption, the Bluetooth transmitter itself is apparently wide open, allowing attackers in. If you want to find out more, Apvrille will present her findings via a video demonstration at the 2015.Hack.lu conference tomorrow in Luxembourg. @AaronIsSocial you don’t need physical access, but you need to be close (bluetooth range). It does not matter if it is paired or not. — Axelle Ap. (@cryptax) October 21, 2015 Via: The Register Source: Axelle Apvrille (Twitter)

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Fitbit trackers can be hacked in ’10 seconds’

iOS and OS X updates arrive with a ton of new emoji

If you’ve ever wanted to text taco pics from your iPhone or give the middle finger from your Mac, today’s your lucky day. Apple has released iOS 9.1 and OS X El Capitan 10.11.1 , both of which add a slew of new Unicode emoji ranging from Mexican food through to rude gestures. There are some important under-the-hood fixes, too. Your iPhone 6s or 6s Plus is now smart enough to stop recording Live Photos when you lower the device, and OS X shouldn’t run into trouble with Office 2016 . Whichever platform you’re using, you’ll likely want to update pronto — if just to see the cutesy characters you’d otherwise miss. [Image credit: Emojipedia ] Source: MacRumors (1) , (2)

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iOS and OS X updates arrive with a ton of new emoji

Lenovo’s flagship Yoga 900 laptop is an improvement in every way that matters

The Lenovo Yoga 3 Pro was one of our favorite laptops of 2014, but mostly for impractical reasons: At 2.62 pounds and half an inch thick, it was exceptionally thin and light, even for an ultraportable, but it suffered from relatively short battery life and performance that trailed some rivals. Fortunately, the company just announced a new flagship, the Yoga 900, and it appears to improve on its predecessor in every way that matters. For starters, it movies from one of Intel’s low-powered Core M chips to a sixth-gen Core i5 or i7 CPU. Between that and a new option for 16GB of RAM, the performance here should be faster than it was just a year ago. At the same time, Lenovo didn’t have to compromise much on weight: the Yoga 900 is just heftier, at 2.8 pounds and 14.9mm (0.59 inch) thick.Slideshow-330250 That addresses performance. As for battery life, Lenovo bumped up the battery capacity by about 50 percent, promising between eight and nine hours of runtime. Last year’s model lasted around seven and a half hours in our tests, so if the new model can indeed reach nine, that would be a marked improvement. Lenovo also increased the base storage from 128GB to 256GB, and plans to offer a 512GB on the highest-end configuration. This time, too, the Yoga starts with 8GB of RAM, going up to 16GB on the top-tier model. Additionally, Lenovo made a couple tweaks to the hardware, though this was admittedly one of the Yoga 3 Pro’s strong points in the first place. For one, Lenovo ditched last year’s five-row keyboard for a six-row setup, allowing the user to adjust things like brightness from the top row without holding down the Function key. Also, though the”Watchband” hinge in the back looks the same, Lenovo tightened it so that it feels sturdier when you’re flipping the 3, 200 x 1, 800 screen into different usage modes. Indeed, I noticed in my hands-on that the flex I complained about in my review was gone; no more creaking sound when you rotate the display back into tablet mode.Slideshow-330251 The Yoga 900 starts at $1, 200, and is available today at Best Buy and on Lenovo’s website. Colors include gold, silver and “clementine orange, ” and this time, the watchband hinge around back matches the rest of the chassis. Given that this is the direct replacement to one of our favorite laptops from last year, you can bet we intend to review this as soon as we’re able to get our hands on one. Until then, enjoy the hands-on photos.

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Lenovo’s flagship Yoga 900 laptop is an improvement in every way that matters

Amazon’s grocery service now requires a $299 yearly membership

Amazon warned late last year that it would eventually require a $299 yearly membership just to use its AmazonFresh grocery delivery service. And like or not, the internet giant is making good on its word: shoppers in New York City, Philadelphia and Seattle (and possibly other cities) are finding out that they need that pricey Prime Fresh subscription before they can go food shopping. The outlay gives you free delivery on all orders over $50, on top of the benefits of a regular Amazon Prime membership, but it’s now considerably more expensive if you only occasionally want groceries shipped to your door. So far, tests that would open the door to standard Prime members (who’d always pay delivery fees) haven’t led to anything concrete. The pricing doesn’t stack up well next to rivals like Instacart, which both costs less up front ($99 per year) and waives the delivery fees at a lower threshold ($35). However, it’s doubtful that Amazon will have a change of heart in the near future. The company is one of the old hands in the online grocery delivery business, and it had a long time to do the math — it’s likely convinced that an all-encompassing $299 plan is more sustainable than a groceries-only option. [Image credit: Andrew Hitchcock, Flickr ] Via: GeekWire Source: AmazonFresh

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Amazon’s grocery service now requires a $299 yearly membership