Latest News - Page 2852

Nest Labs has issued a recall on 440,000 of its Protect smoke alarms due to an issue with the Wave feature. The issue with that Wave feature can disable the smoke alarm accidentally. Nest's Wave feature was designed to allow the user to disable the alarm in non-emergency situations by waving their hand in front of a sensor.

Nest has rolled out an update to the alarm that is applied via Wi-Fi. That update will disable the Wave feature while allowing other features of the smoke detector to function. Nest Protect smoke alarms do more than just detect smoke in the event of a fire.

They are also designed to detect carbon monoxide, heat, light, and motion. It can send warnings to a smartphone if the feature is set up. Nest is offering the software update to fix the issue with Wave or a refund at the owner's discretion.

Dell was one of the companies who showed-off its Steam machines under its Alienware Brand. But during an interview with Alienware Chied Frank Azor with The Wall Street Journal, he revealed that making a branded Steam Machine was challenging for them. To add more burden to the challenge, it was the least profitable system they would ever sell.

According to the interview, the only reason they've made a Steam Machine was to be associated with Valve. Azor added that they were very optimistic about PC gaming's future and with the functionality to be used with a TV.

In other words, the only reason Alienware have put so much effort in building their branded Steam Machine was because they believed in PC gaming, and wanted to be a part of Valve's goals.

More companies face cyberattacks and potential data theft, with many C-level executives unsure how to combat these types of growing threats. CEOs should be extremely proactive to try and prevent cyberattacks, which will help protect employee and customer data from theft.

CEOs should try to join an information-sharing organization, with additional cybersecurity-focused groups starting, and run security audits. It's also important - yet typically overlooked - to monitor what access third-party vendors have, especially when it comes to sensitive information.

As popular retailer Target learned, a massive data breach can have a major ripple effect for future business efforts. Former Target CEO Gregg Steinhafel resigned just five months after the data breach, while the company also shuffled its IT team around.

Lavabit founder Ladar Levison recently opened up about why he was forced to shutter his secure email service following the fallout of former NSA contractor Edward Snowden. The Lavabit email service had 410,000 users, Snowden included, and with Levison rejecting U.S. government access to encrypted email accounts, he was found in contempt of court.

When federal investigators wanted private encryption keys and user passwords of Lavabit users, Levison immediately rejected the idea. It only took a few weeks of legal proceedings that would ultimately lead to the company unraveling, and then eventually shuttering.

Here is what Levison said in an op-ed posted by The Guardian: " If my experience serves any purpose, it is to illustrate what most already know: courts must not be allowed to consider matters of great importance under the shroud of secrecy, lest we find ourselves summarily deprived of meaningful due process. If we allow our government to continue operating in secret, it is only a matter of time before you or a loved one find yourself in a position like I did - standing in a secret courtroom, alone, and without any of the meaningful protections that were always supposed to be the people's defense against an abuse of the state's power.

Since Android 4.4 was first announced by Google, handset manufacturers have been racing to update ROMs for their devices which would bring in the resource sipping next-gen mobile OS from Google. Today it seems like Sony has finally accomplished the task of bringing KitKat to several of its most popular devices. Android 4.4 updates have begun to roll out to the Xperia Z, Xperia ZL, Xperia ZR, and the Xperia Tablet Z.

This morning, eBay announced that its internal and customer databases were compromised earlier this year. Sometime between February and March of 2014, hackers managed to compromise a number of employee accounts and were able to obtain log-in credentials that allowed them to access eBay's internal and customer databases. eBay says that the security breach remained undetected until just two weeks ago.

Customer information was stolen, and included log-in information, email addresses, encrypted passwords, physical addresses, phone numbers and date of birth information. Fortunately, the database that stores customer financial information was not compromised, and all of that information remains secure. eBay is however urging every account holder to change their passwords as soon as possible, and personally, I would suggest changing your PayPal password as well even though it was not part of the breach.

"Information security and customer data protection are of paramount importance to eBay Inc., and eBay regrets any inconvenience or concern that this password reset may cause our customers. We know our customers trust us with their information, and we take seriously our commitment to maintaining a safe, secure and trusted global marketplace," eBay said in a statement. "Beginning later today, eBay users will be notified via email, site communications and other marketing channels to change their password. In addition to asking users to change their eBay password, the company said it also is encouraging any eBay user who utilized the same password on other sites to change those passwords, too. The same password should never be used across multiple sites or accounts."

VR headsets have been in the news a lot of late with the major purchase of the Oculus Rift VR headset and talk of Sony Project Morpheus. The problem with those two VR headsets is that they are very expensive. An Oculus Rift will set you back around $350 and when it gets old, you need to spend that much again to upgrade.

A new VR headset has turned up in Europe called the Virzzmo. Rather than being an actual headset like the Oculus, this device is a harness system for your head that will hold your smartphone in front of your face. It doesn't only hold your smartphone in front of your face, it also has some optical lenses inside that can turn what you see into stereoscopic 3D.

The Virzzmo will work with any smartphone that has a 4.7-inch or larger screen. The gyroscope inside the smartphone is also used for head tracking. One of the best things about the Virzzmo headset is that it is very cheap with a price of €50. Development kits are expected to land in June.

Apart from arriving on 3 trillion 1.44-inch floppy discs, Watch Dogs on the Commodore 64 would look like the video below - kinda. Balazs Kalocsai's retro look at Watch Dogs is quite funny.

But if you're after the real Watch Dogs, that arrives on May 27 on the PS4, PS3, Xbox One, Xbox 360 and PC. On the PS4 it will be running at 900p, with the Xbox One version running it at 792p - both versions will be running the open-world game at 30FPS. PC users on the other hand, have a much bigger, better looking version of Watch Dogs waiting for them when it's released - not long to go now, folks!

Over $6 million has been raised for the prize pool of Valve's DotA 2 International tournament, making nit the largest tournament in gaming history! Last year, the DotA 2 International saw a huge $2.8 million prize pool, but the 2014 tournament has dwarfed it.

Where is all of this money coming from? Crowdfunding, that's where. Anyone who buys a DotA 2 Compendium from Valve contributes $2.50 to the growing prize pool, which has a heap of stretch goals attached to it. Most of them have been unlocked because it has ballooned out to $6 million now.

Ubisoft accidentally posted the name of its upcoming Far Cry 4 which also outlined more details about the game's storyline. The protagonist of the game 'Ajay Ghale' will be travelling to Kyrat to fulfil his mother's dying wish but getting caught up in a civil war to overthrow the oppressive regime of dictator Pagan Min.

Currently, Ubisoft has altered the description of the game in its Ubi story, but Redditors were quick enough to spot it. The first name 'Ajay' is one of the most common Indian names, whereas Ghale is from Nepal. However, its most likely that the lead is from the fictional country 'Kyrat'.

Alex Hutchinson, Ubisoft Montreal's creative director, said via Twitter,"Just so it's clear for those jumping to conclusions: He's not white and that's not the player.". Hutchinson responded to another article claiming that the promo art depicts 'a blonde light-skinned man in a shiny pink suit against the backdrop of the Himalayas, smirking as he uses a defaced statue as a throne'.

As the economy continues to recover, and companies are hiring new workers, an increasing number of small and midsize businesses (SMBs) expect to see their spending habits also rise. Around 57 percent of businesses plan to make a tech purchase sometime in the next 12 months a 4 percent increase over the previous quarter, according to the NPD Group.

Meanwhile, tech companies are pushing PCs, tablets, and laptops in the SMB sector, at a time when vendors are offering extremely competitive pricing. Companies purchasing PCs are finding a great buyer's market, in which PCs are affordable - and last longer - as OEMs continue to struggle to entice many customers to upgrade.

Here is what Stephen Baker, NPD VP of industry analysis, said in a statement: "Small and medium businesses of all sizes expressed their intent to increase spending in both the short and long-term. As is typical, a businesses' normal tendency is to limit spending in the short term, yet be more optimistic about their spending plans over a 12-month period. With continued robust sales growth in NPD's Distributor and Commercial channel tracking services where we saw revenue increase 9 percent in the first quarter, it is clear that intention and action are not always in sync."

Facebook-owned Oculus Rift will take its virtual reality headsets into Chuck E. Cheese, with the restaurant testing the Rift during a six-week trial run in three select markets. The trial begins today in Dallas, Texas, with testing opening up in San Diego, California and Orlando, Florida later this month.

"Kids today have unprecedented access to game consoles and tablets," said Roger Cardinale, president, CEC Entertainment, Inc. "Our challenge is to deliver an experience not available at home, and there is no doubt virtual reality does just that. Oculus Rift technology is the next frontier in the gaming industry, and we're thrilled to be able to say it's part of the Chuck E. Cheese's lineup."

The consumer version of the Rift headset is scheduled for release in 2015, as technology enthusiasts continue to experiment with the popular headset. Meanwhile, there are 571 Chuck E. Chees locations in 48 states and eight countries, though the company will study how visitors react to using the virtual reality headset.

Chinese officials have banned the Microsoft Windows 8 operating system from government computers, reportedly concerned over foreign-based spying techniques, according to Xinhua. However, the Chinese government - or the Xinhua news agency - never clarified how the ban would help improve security. The decision to ban Windows 8 from government-owned PCs was made last week, according to media reports, as Microsoft continues to struggle inside of China.

The majority of government PCs in China operate using Microsoft Windows XP, which reached its end of support earlier this month, as Chinese software security companies have stepped up to provide additional protection.

Both China and the United States are engaged in a rather fragile technology relationship, with growing concern of spying from both sides. The US Department of Justice charged several members of the Chinese Army of hacking activities, with accusations of organized hacking against U.S. companies. Previously, Huawei officials were angered to hear that the National Security Agency (NSA) reportedly targeted the Chinese electronics giant.

The CryptoLocker ransomware continues to plague PC users in the United States and throughout the western world, with spear-phishing techniques now used to spread the payload. Specifically, companies with CraigsList postings that receive emails with attached files are being compromised, as CryptoLocker is infecting company executives, company owners, or human resources personnel.

CryptoLocker has proven to be extremely successful for cybercriminals, with forty percent of those affected reportedly paying the ransom. Unfortunately, simply removing the malware once it has been installed doesn't work - CryptoLocker is installed, but the encrypted files remain in control of the criminals.

Here is what Stu Sjouwerman, KnowBe4 CEO, said in a statement: "These methods pose a high risk for companies looking to hire as well as for individual Internet users. The cybergangs running these Crypto-variants will try any number of things to outdo each other and extort your hard earned money. Since the weakest point in any security model is the person who touches the keyboard, it is vital to educate users what to look for. Stepping them through effective Security Awareness Training will make them think twice before clicking on a link, or open a possibly infected attachment."

In an effort to help keep mobile users more secure, McAfee today announced the newest version of the McAfee Mobile Secure program that gives Google Android users a way to check apps that use data collection techniques. There is a growing need to try and keep mobile devices secure, especially with users granting access to a wide variety of personal information when installing apps.

Around 80 percent of mobile apps used today collect user location information, 82 percent know device ID information, and 57 percent track when devices are used, according to the McAfee Consumer Mobile Security Report. After a scan is complete, users are informed regarding how much information each app accesses and shares, and ranks the apps by privacy sensitivity.

"The personal data some apps collect can be beneficial to enhancing your mobile experience, however many apps are collecting more information than they need, putting your privacy and personal security at risk," noted Gary Davis, McAfee VP of consumer marketing, in a press statement. "McAfee Mobile Security is empowering users by letting them know exactly what information their apps are accessing, and helps them safeguard their identity and personal information."

Since the introduction of the Arduino, we have seen a wealth of self-dispensing, self-mixing, and self-concocting barbots hit the scene, but never have we seen one quite so refined as the new Barobot. The Barobot is a cocktail slinging robot that is aimed at making your socializing events more about socializing than about mixing drinks.

Recently launched on Kickstarter, the Barobot is a $1600 (self assembly) to $2500 (fully assembled) alcoholic drink mixing machine that utilizes a 7-inch android screen, and some custom electronics to mix the perfect cocktail every time, without the need for a bartender. The team behind Barobot is looking to raise $151,500 to mass produce the Barobot and make it a retail success.

The Barobot is capable of holding 12 bottles of your favorite spirits, and can perfectly dispense the correct proportions for any drink in its library, making for a more accurate drink with less wasted boose. "Mixing drinks at home parties might prove a challenge if you are not a trained bartender with professional equipment. It requires remembering many recipes and accurate measures which could be disastrous if you forget, more importantly, it distracts you from interacting with your guests. Barobot takes care of your bar tending needs allowing you to focus on your friends," Barobot said in its Kickstarter Campaign.

Keeping track of our PCs performance and vital signs is one of the more fun aspects of being a custom PC enthusiast, and this morning, NZXT, announced a new piece of software that makes this easier than ever before. The new NZXT CAM software is designed to monitor and track your PCs vital signs and activity in real-time. Furthermore, CAM allows users to sync and store the data generated from CAM in the cloud, which lets you view them on your mobile device.

"Giving a modern refresh to antiquated monitoring methods, CAM offers the ability to sync your data to the cloud, allowing you to access your data and control CAM from anywhere using your mobile device. More than just a piece of software, CAM is a companion you can trust," NZXT said in a release. "With its all-encompassing approach to PC health, CAM actively monitors and tracks all of the important PC statistics ranging from network speeds, storage space, component temperatures, load usage over time and much more."

NZXT is releasing the software to the public, free of charge. I am really interested in seeing how CAM can make my PC experience better. I have CAM installed and will be testing it out over the next few days, so keep an eye on TweakTown.com for a full review of the software. If you would like to download and try it out, head over to the source link below for a free download.

Symantec has released another product designed to keep small and midsized businesses (SMBs) secure from cyberthreats, with Norton Small Business marketed for companies with less than 20 employees. The software has 100 percent virus removal assurance and a friendly user interface to make it even easier to utilize in case IT staff aren't available to lend a hand.

The Norton Small Business also has mobile security technology, providing device scanning, remote locate, locking and wiping capability to protect bring your own device (BYOD) supporters. Symantec also has the ability to scan Google Android applications to remove any malicious software, with the majority of mobile malware aimed at Android devices.

"According to the Symantec Internet Security Threat Report, small businesses were targeted in 30 percent of all cyberattacks in 2013," noted Brian Burch, Norton VP of Global Consumer and Small Business Marketing. "While the risks are real, small business owners with fewer than 20 employees often wear multiple hats and don't have the time or resources to manage IT needs. Running a small business is hard work, but Symantec wants to make securing it the easy part."

Currently, Netflix has a navigation scheme that relies mostly on grids of shows that you may or may not be interested in. There are some shows that are recommended for you based on your past watching habits. Netflix Chief Product Officer Neil Hunt has talked a bit about what the company sees for the future recently.

Hunt says that the streaming video service will eventually move beyond the grids of movies and TV shows that we see currently. In the future, the service will be mostly based on recommended content for users to enjoy. Hunt said, "Our vision is, you won't see a grid and you won't see a sea of titles."

Hunt also believes that in the future there may be no TV channels. Rather than channels as we have today, on-demand capability of the internet will help Netflix and other firms build a different channel for everyone. Hunt also thinks that the ad-free model has proven very popular with consumers and in the future firms will need to find other places to advertise their goods.

Nissan has issued a recall on 211 Leaf EVs that has to do with a defect in a weld. The defect is so severe that in some cases Nissan may end up giving the owner of the recalled Leaf a new vehicle. Nissan says that some structural welds in the front section of the Leaf may not have been made to specifications.

The bad welds could mean that the vehicle has reduced protection in an accident and violates safety standards for "electric shock protection." The defect in the Leafs was discovered in March during a quality inspection conducted at an assembly plant. Nissan says that the issue was due to an isolated process error that has been addressed.

The 211 Leaf vehicles covered in the recall will be inspected and if the vehicle is found to be missing welds the vehicle will be replaced with a new one at no cost. Nissan says that it is aware of no injuries or crashes related to the issue.