iOS 9 Will Use Cell Data When Your Wi-Fi Sucks

The latest version of the iOS 9 beta has brought some goodies, among them the new Wi-Fi Assist feature, which will recognize bad Wi-Fi connections, and use cellular data instead. http://gizmodo.com/ios-9-preview-… Read more…

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iOS 9 Will Use Cell Data When Your Wi-Fi Sucks

Stagefright Detector Detects if Your Phone Is Vulnerable to Stagefright

Android: Last month, we got news of a particularly nasty Android vulnerability called Stagefright that affects nearly every Android device. If you want to find out if you’re vulnerable, Stagefright Detector can let you know. Read more…

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Stagefright Detector Detects if Your Phone Is Vulnerable to Stagefright

Thermos’ New Smart Bottle Tells You When Your Water’s Warm and Gross

There’s no shortage of smart water bottles on crowdfunding sites like Kickstarter and Indiegogo. But when a brand like Thermos enters the game with a new smart lid for its bottles that tracks hydration and even monitors the temperature of your water, you better pay attention. Read more…

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Thermos’ New Smart Bottle Tells You When Your Water’s Warm and Gross

You Can Now Stream From Xbox One Using a Windows 10 PC or Tablet

With the launch of Windows 10 upon us, Microsoft is making good on its promise from earlier this year: Windows 10 users can now stream gameplay footage from Xbox One. Which is awesome, and it might finally convince me to buy a new Xbox. Read more…

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You Can Now Stream From Xbox One Using a Windows 10 PC or Tablet

Emailing your members of Congress just got much easier

It’s supposed to be easier to email Congresspeople than it is to pick up the phone, but that’s not always how it works in practice. Just ask anyone who has navigated convoluted web forms just to voice opposition to a bill , for starters. You won’t have to put up with those technical hurdles after today, though. The Electronic Frontier Foundation’s new Democracy.io site helps you email House and Senate representatives without having to dig around their sites. You can even email all of your politicians at once, if there’s a concern that stretches across both legislative branches. There’s no guarantees that officials will listen when you fire off your messages, but you’ll at least get to say that you exercised your civic responsibility. [Image credit: TTarasiuk, Flickr ] Filed under: Internet Comments Via: EFF Source: Democracy.io

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Emailing your members of Congress just got much easier

WiFi Offloading is Skyrocketing

dkatana writes: WiFi Offloading is skyrocketing. This is the conclusion of a new report from Juniper Research, which points out that the amount of smartphone and tablet data traffic on WiFi networks will will increase to more than 115, 000 petabytes by 2019, compared to under 30, 000 petabytes this year, representing almost a four-fold increase. Most of this data is offloaded to consumer’s WiFi by the carriers, offering the possibility to share your home internet connection in exchange for “free” hotspots. But this article on InformationWeek Network Computing also warns that “The capacity of the 2.4GHz band is reaching its limit. the growing number of WiFi devices using unlicensed bands is seriously affecting network efficiency. Capacity is compromised by the number of simultaneously active devices, with transmission speeds dropping as much as 20% of the nominal value. With the number of IoT and M2M applications using WiFi continuously rising, that could become a serious problem soon.” Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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WiFi Offloading is Skyrocketing

Section 215 of the Patriot Act Expires—For Now

Section 215 has expired. At least for now. The law that the NSA used to authorize its collection of vast amounts of information about the telephone calls of ordinary Americans is no more. Even though it’s likely temporary, it’s a good thing and we should pause to celebrate a little. The calls and emails Congress received from people across the country and across the political spectrum changed the debate. Read more…

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Section 215 of the Patriot Act Expires—For Now

The Most Extreme Body Hacks That Actually Change Your Physical Abilities

Biohacking is one of those buzzy blanket terms used to describe a whole spectrum of ways that people modify or improve their bodies, from fairly tame experiments like drinking nasty butter coffee to more intense modifications like growing extra ears out of their arms . Read more…

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The Most Extreme Body Hacks That Actually Change Your Physical Abilities

"In The Shower Eating Cherries" and More Tales of Nightmare IT Calls

We asked for your worst stories of working IT phone support — and boy, did you ever answer our call. You have the patience of saints and the fortitude of soldiers. We’ll never look at a phone the same way again. Read more…

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"In The Shower Eating Cherries" and More Tales of Nightmare IT Calls