loading-chartbeat – Page 26 – Tech Today w/ Ken May

Soylent aims to make its nutritious sludge much cheaper than $3 a meal

Love it or hate it, the food replacement drink Soylent isn’t going away anytime soon. The company is now planning to drive down the cost of its meals to “a fraction” of their current $3 price after banking an additional $20 million, according to investor Chris Dixon . Soylent was originally developed as an inexpensive and convenient way to consume vaguely healthy meals (it’s made up of carbohydrates, proteins, and amino acids), and it quickly gained a loyal fan base . The only problem? It tastes like chalky pancake mix (with a dash of impending dystopia). It’s also tough to get your hands on right now: You can snag around 21 meals for $70 a month (or an $85 one-time fee), but you’ll have to wait four to five months for your order. Driving the price down to under $2 a meal (and hopefully increasing availability) is exactly what Soylent needs to do for normal folks to give it a shot. While Soylent was initially hyped as an entire meal replacement, Dixon points out it’s more an alternative to terrible fast food options. He also stresses that the real value of the company is the community that’s developed around it. “If you look at Soylent as just a food company, you misjudge the core of the company, the same way you would if you looked at GoPro as just a camera company, ” Dixon said. [Photo credit: Josh Edelson/AFP/Getty Images] Filed under: Misc Comments Via: TechCrunch Source: Chris Dixon

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Soylent aims to make its nutritious sludge much cheaper than $3 a meal

Google won’t fix a security bug that’s in almost a billion Android phones

A day after Google publicized a flaw in Windows 8.1 before Microsoft could do anything about it, news broke about a security vulnerability in Android that the Mountain View company, well, won’t fix at all. Tod Beardsley, an analyst from Rapid7, a security data and analytics firm, found a serious bug in the WebView component of Android 4.3 and below (it’s an older bit of software that lets apps view webpages without launching a separate app) that potentially opens up affected phones to malicious hackers. Android 4.4 and 5.0 are unaffected by the bug, but as 60 percent of Android users — that’s close to a billion people — still use Android 4.3 or lower, it still affects a lot of people. Unfortunately, as Beardsley found out, Google won’t fix it, leaving it up to the various OEMs and manufacturers to issue a patch instead. The quote from Google to Beardsley is as follows: If the affected version [of WebView] is before 4.4, we generally do not develop the patches ourselves, but welcome patches with the report for consideration. Other than notifying OEMs, we will not be able to take action on any report that is affecting versions before 4.4 that are not accompanied with a patch. According to Beardsley, it seems that Jelly Bean devices are simply too old to support — supporting old software versions is fairly unusual, after all. But in this case, he asks Google to reconsider, due to the wider consequences this security flaw could potentially unravel. Until then, however, it might be a good idea to upgrade to Android 4.4, or perhaps get a new phone altogether. [Image credit: Phillip Bond / Alamy] Filed under: Cellphones , Google Comments Via: ArsTechnica Source: Rapid7

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Google won’t fix a security bug that’s in almost a billion Android phones

Facebook will alert you when kids go missing in your area

Facebook will now show amber alerts in its news feeds to inform users about missing or abducted children. The social network launched the venture with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to deliver the information in specific, targeted search areas following an abduction. The alerts will appear on mobile devices and desktops with photos and other pertinent details, allowing you to share them with friends or link to the latest info. Facebook said it was inspired to add the alerts after missing children were recovered due to information posted independently by users. For instance, earlier this year a motel owner recognized an 11-year-old girl from such a post and helped police recover her unharmed. Once it receives and amber alert from police, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children distributes them to Facebook, along with photos of the child, license plate numbers, the name and description of the child and abductor and any other relevant info. State and local law enforcement then determine the search area and send the alerts to your news feed if you live there. The item won’t trigger notifications, and you’ll only see them a few times a year at most, depending on where you live. Facebook now joins Google in highlighting amber alerts, meaning there’s now an extra 1.35 billion extra pairs of eyes helping spot abducted kids. Filed under: Internet , Facebook Comments Source: Facebook

Apple raises the minimum price of apps in Europe and Canada

If you live in Europe, Canada or Norway, you might find that some apps are now a little more expensive on your iPhone or iPad. Yesterday, Apple informed developers that it would be raising prices before the weekend to reflect changes in VAT and foreign exchange rates. Those increases are now starting to take effect, with a 10 pence rise for the cheapest premium apps in the UK, up from £0.69 to £0.79, and a new €0.99 starting price in EU countries. The minimum spend in Canada (beyond free apps, anyway) has risen from $0.99 to $1.19 , and Norway, which uses its Norwegian krone, should see a similar rise in price. Apple is tinkering with app fees in Iceland and Russia too, so if you live in any of these countries it’s probably worth opening up the App Store to assess the damage. Filed under: Cellphones , Apple Comments Source: AppleInsider

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Apple raises the minimum price of apps in Europe and Canada

Samsung’s latest SSD is absurdly fast and uses virtually no standby power

Samsung has started manufacturing a PCIe (M.2) SSD which pulls off a rare trick — it’ll be the fastest drive your laptop has ever seen, while consuming almost no power in standby mode. The new SM951 SSD succeeds the Korean company’s XP941 , a drive that can already read data at a mind-melting 1.4 gigabytes per second (GB/s) clip. On newer laptops or desktops, its successor will shame that with 2.15GB/s read and 1.55GB/s write speeds (on PCIe Gen 3 tech) using new 10-nanometer MLC flash tech. It also sips 50 percent less power and only consumes a negligible 2 milliwatts in standby mode. The SSDs will come in 128, 256 and 512GB sizes, but only to major laptop and workstation manufacturers to start with. If it follows the XP941’s footsteps , however, you’ll be able to supercharge your own laptop later on. Filed under: Storage , Samsung Comments Via: The Register Source: Samsung

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Samsung’s latest SSD is absurdly fast and uses virtually no standby power

Here’s a closer look at Dell’s super thin tablet and nearly bezel-less XPS 13

When I invited Sam Burd, the general manager of Dell’s personal computer group, to do an interview with me at CES about the state of the PC industry, I did so mostly because, well, Dell knows a lot about computers. I had no idea at the time that Dell would be showing off some amazing stuff at the show, with not one, but two products making the finalists’ list for our Best of CES Awards . So, before Mr. Burd and I got to talking about wireless charging and Intel’s RealSense technology, he gave me a closer look at both the skinny Venue 8 7000 tablet and the nearly bezel-less XPS 13 Ultrabook . Check out our interview in full below. Filed under: Laptops , Tablets , Dell Comments

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Here’s a closer look at Dell’s super thin tablet and nearly bezel-less XPS 13

Intel’s Compute Stick puts Windows 8.1 on your TV for $149

Your Chromecast key may be able to play Netflix, but can it play Crysis ? Intel’s HDMI Compute Stick probably can’t either, but the tiny device does have enough power to run Windows 8.1 apps on your TV. Intel has rather impressively crammed in a quad-core Atom CPU, 32GB of storage and 2GB of RAM, along with a USB port, WiFi and Bluetooth 4.0 support and a mini-USB connector for power (HDMI power will come later). “But why?” you might ask. Intel sees it as a low-priced computer or (pricey) media stick, or even a thin-client device for companies. To up the crazy factor, it may eventually launch a much zippier Core M version. The Windows version will run $149, and if that seems a bit much, a 1GB RAM/8GB memory Linux version is priced at $89. Both will arrive in March. Filed under: Home Entertainment , HD , Intel Comments Source: Intel

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Intel’s Compute Stick puts Windows 8.1 on your TV for $149

Mophie introduces new line of battery cases for the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus

It was only a matter of time before Mophie made one of its popular battery cases for the latest iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus . Today, at CES 2015 , that time has come. Long-known for its line of battery “juice packs” for Apple handsets, Mophie has announced not one, not two, but three different battery cases for the latest iPhones. The Juice Pack Air for the iPhone 6 packs in more than a 100% of additional battery, the Juice Pack Plus promises more than 120% but is slightly thicker and last but not least is the phablet-sized Juice Pack for the iPhone 6 Plus, which Mophie tells us is the thinnest battery case it’s ever made. It does, however, only offer 60% of extra battery power. Another feature that sets these Mophie packs apart from previous generations is that they’re supposedly designed with rubberized points set inside the case to be more shock-absorbent, which hopefully means they’re more likely survive the occasional drop on the pavement. As far as pricing goes, the Juice Pack Air for the iPhone 6 and the Juice Pack for the 6 Plus are $99.95 each, while the Juice Pack Plus for the iPhone 6 retails for $119.95. The new cases come in black, white and gold. If that sounds like something you would want for your shining new Apple smartphone, you can go ahead and pre-order the case starting today from the Mophie website. Filed under: Cellphones Comments Source: Mophie

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Mophie introduces new line of battery cases for the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus

You can play 2,400 classic DOS games in your web browser

If you’re a PC gamer of a certain age (cough), you’ve probably lamented that many of the titles you played as a kid are hard to use on modern systems without downloading emulators or waiting for special re-releases . Well, it just got a lot easier to relive your gaming glory days. The Internet Archive’s growing collection of web-based retro games now includes roughly 2, 400 MS-DOS classics — you can now play cult hits like Gods or Tongue of the Fatman in your browser. This won’t quite recreate the experience of sitting at the family computer, of course. The project’s Jason Scott warns that you can’t save your progress on the web, and that some games could still “fall over and die” despite attempts to include only those programs that are likely to work properly. But look at it this way: even half-functional web emulation could prevent a much-loved game from fading into obscurity. Filed under: Gaming , Internet , Software Comments Via: ASCII Source: Internet Archive

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You can play 2,400 classic DOS games in your web browser

Smart pacifier tracks your baby and its fever

No parent likes to see their tyke battle a little sickness, only to have to exacerbate the little one’s discomfort with constant thermometer probes. But what if temperature monitoring could actually be a soothing experience for the baby? Enter Pacifi, a child’s pacifier with a thermometer built into its silicon teat and a Bluetooth chip that sends temperature readings to a paired smartphone. From within the Pacifi app for Android and iOS, you can view a live reading and see previous ones in a timeline graph, allowing you to track improvement or decline in the child’s condition. This data can also be easily shared — with your doctor, for example. And if your child happens to be on a course of treatment already, you can set dosing reminders from within the app, too. Oral temperature readings aren’t as accurate as other, more uncomfortable methods. That’s why Blue Maestro, the makers of Pacifi, have included a calibration feature. You’re advised to initially take two readings — one with the pacifier and one with, say, an ear thermometer — and correct any discrepancy manually. This offset value will then be added to any subsequent results for consistency. But taking a baby’s temperature isn’t the only thing Pacifi does. It also acts as a proximity monitor, sending a notification to the paired smartphone if your child is tries to escape. If the pacifier moves out of the 30-meter range, the Pacifi app with make a note of the last known location using your phone’s GPS, pointing you in the direction of your lost child or hopefully, just a lost pacifier. And if you do misplace the thing, you can trigger a miniature siren that’s built into it to help track it down. For easy washing, the Pacifi is hermetically sealed, which also means you can’t replace its battery. That shouldn’t be too much of a problem, though, because it’s expected to last between 12 and 18 months before running out of juice (based on a one reading per day estimate). The Pacifi is currently up for preorder at £25/€30/£39, but as it’s technically a medical device (just like the TempTraq Bluetooth thermometer patch ), it won’t launch in earnest until it’s been given the green light by regional regulators. European approval is expected as soon as next month, at which point Blue Maestro will start the same process in the US, with an eye to launch at some point during the first half of this year. Filed under: Misc Comments Source: Blue Maestro

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Smart pacifier tracks your baby and its fever