Dell embraces bitcoins, accepting the cryptocurrency on its website

Michael Hatamoto | Business, Financial & Legal | Jul 18, 2014 6:39 PM CDT

PC manufacturer Dell is the latest major company to join the bitcoin cryptocurrency bandwagon, with CEO Michael Dell confirming the announcement. Dell has partnered with Coinbase to help process payments, and the cryptocurrency receives a 1 percent processing fee following $1 million in sales.

"We've fostered a close partnership with the Dell team and that's been instrumental in getting the Coinbase integration up and running in such a short timeframe," said Fred Ehrsam, Coinbase co-founder, in a statement. "We look forward to continuing to support the team as they explore other ways to offer even more functionality when it comes to bitcoin payments."

The updated Dell 'Terms and Conditions' portion of the website indicates if a customer wants a refund from a bitcoin payment, they will receive a check in U.S. dollars.

Continue reading: Dell embraces bitcoins, accepting the cryptocurrency on its website (full post)

Snowden says NSA workers shared intercepted sexts, NSA defends itself

Michael Hatamoto | Hacking, Security & Privacy | Jul 18, 2014 11:43 AM CDT

Former NSA contractor Edward Snowden has revealed widespread spying and surveillance, but there has been a large amount of other revelations made by the American. Snowden recently said it's not uncommon for NSA workers to share "intimate nude photos of someone in a sexually compromising situation," including intercepted sexts sent among phone users.

"You've got enlisted guys 18-22 years old," Snowden said. They've suddenly been thrust into a position of extraordinary responsibility where they now have access to all your private records. During the course of their work, they stumble across something that is completely unrelated to their work in any sort of necessary sense, for example, an intimate nude photo of someone in a sexually compromising situation. But they're extremely attractive. So what do they do? They turn around in their char and show a coworker who says, 'Hey that's great. Send that to Bill down the way.' Then Bill sends it to George, who sends it to Tom."

An NSA official didn't deny the activities occurs, but said the organization "has zero tolerance for willful violations" of professional conduct and would address "credible allegations of misconduct." If true, it's not necessarily surprising to hear that this type of behavior happens, though certainly is inappropriate.

Continue reading: Snowden says NSA workers shared intercepted sexts, NSA defends itself (full post)

GoTenna portable gadget keeps you connected when signals are poor

We have all been in a situation where we need our phones for one reason or another and the area lacks enough signal for a connection. If you are in an emergency, that lack of a signal can be life threatening. A new device called the GoTenna has debuted that promises to be able to keep you in touch even in areas where cellular signal strength is weak or not available.

The GoTenna is a small 2-ounce wand that can be connected to a backpack or belt loop that is able to connect to a smartphone via Bluetooth low energy. Once connected and powered on, users of GoTenna are able to send messages and GPS coordinates to other people who are also connected by a GoTenna.

High-resolution offline maps are offered by the company allowing users to reference transmitted location data. GoTenna isn't able to give high-speed data or voice capability, so there is no surfing the web or using Facebook with the device. It creates a low frequency radio wave network for iOS and Android devices that is good for about a mile in a dense urban area or about 9 miles in outdoor conditions. Pre-orders are underway now with a pair of the devices selling for $149 before going to $299 per pair later.

Continue reading: GoTenna portable gadget keeps you connected when signals are poor (full post)

Pro-Russia Ukrainian rebels blamed for downing Malaysia Airlines MH17

Michael Hatamoto | BREAKING STORY | Jul 18, 2014 3:20 AM CDT

Following tragic news that Malaysia Airlines MH17 was shot down in Ukrainian airspace on Thursday morning, details of the incident continue to flood out. The Boeing 777 had 298 people aboard and went down near Torez, located in eastern Ukraine's Donetsk region. The airplane was traveling almost 33,000 feet and was at cruising altitude before being struck by a surface-to-air missile.

It's still unknown what type of surface-to-air missile brought the craft down, but there are only limited options. It seems likely that the powerful Buk missile is responsible; a missile that is 16 feet long and weighs about 1,500 pounds, equipped with a 154-pound warhead - and includes a maximum speed of 2,684 mph. Even if it was fired towards MH17 from a distance of 30 miles, it still would make impact within just 40 seconds, military experts note.

Almost 200 bodies have been recovered, but the crash scene is so large, it's unknown how long it will take to recover the remaining victims.

Continue reading: Pro-Russia Ukrainian rebels blamed for downing Malaysia Airlines MH17 (full post)

Smartphone use in the restaurant causing disruptions and headaches

It's not uncommon to walk into a restaurant and see customers using their smartphones, taking photos of the dinner party and of their food, or communicating via phone, text, or email. However, there is some concern that heavy smartphone use can be a disruption that interferes with how the restaurant runs smoothly.

Some chefs and restaurant managers have complained that smartphones and social media "ruin the dining experience," and some establishments have banned patrons from using phones while at the table. However, being so heavy handed could drive patrons to other restaurants, because banning smartphone use seems a bit over the top, restaurant industry experts warn.

Restaurants need to find a way to ensure they are able to cater to customers, while also ensuring service runs smoothly. As Patrick Duxbury, TAO Downtown restaurant general manager noted: "Those pictures go up on social media, some of them instantly on Instagram and Facebook, and it gets out there."

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Is this Apple's upcoming 4.7-inch iPhone 6 smartphone? Photos inside

TweakTown Team | Mobile Devices, Tablets & Phones | Jul 17, 2014 11:13 PM CDT

EXCLUSIVE - We just received photos that appear to be of Apple's upcoming iPhone 6 smartphone from a source who will remain anonymous.

The quality of the photos aren't great, but as far as we can tell, they appear to be accurate images of Apple's soon-to-be-released new 4.7-inch smartphone. If rumors are correct and based on historic data, Apple is set to launch the iPhone 6 in September to major countries around the world.

Additionally, if rumors are correct, this is the smaller version of the iPhone 6, Apple also plans to release a larger 5.5-inch model.

Continue reading: Is this Apple's upcoming 4.7-inch iPhone 6 smartphone? Photos inside (full post)

UN human rights commissioner says Snowden shouldn't face charges

Michael Hatamoto | Hacking, Security & Privacy | Jul 17, 2014 8:53 PM CDT

The highest ranking official of the United Nations humans rights department says former NSA contractor Edward Snowden should be celebrated and not hunted. The U.S. and British governments relying on mass surveillance is a "dangerous habit" with very little oversight, even following Snowden's whistleblowing activities.

Snowden is facing espionage charges in the United States, accused of theft of government property, wilful communication of classified communications and unauthorized communication of national defese information. If Snowden did return to the United States, he noted he's not necessarily afraid of a possible trip to Guantanamo Bay - but wants to face a jury trial - something that the federal government probably wouldn't agree to.

"Those who disclose human rights violations should be protected: we need them," said Navi Pillay, UN high commissioner for human rights, during a recent press conference. "I see some of it here in the case of Snowden, because his revelations go to the core of what we are saying about the need for transparency, the need for consultation. We owe a great deal to him for revealing this kind of information."

Continue reading: UN human rights commissioner says Snowden shouldn't face charges (full post)

Edward Snowden wants encryption, data protection used by journalists

Michael Hatamoto | Hacking, Security & Privacy | Jul 17, 2014 6:28 PM CDT

Former NSA contractor Edward Snowden wants professionals to utilize data protection and encryption to communicate, and is reportedly working on some type of "encryption tools" to help protect sources. Remaining in Russia, with his asylum status extended, it's mainly unknown what the American has been doing with his spare time.

Snowden also is working on funding for the project, which will be used to keep communications between journalists and their anonymous sources secure from government spying.

"Journalists have to be particularly conscious about any sort of network signaling, any sort of connection, any sort of license-plate reading device that they pass on their way to a meeting point, any place they use their credit card, any place they take their phone, any email contact they have with the source because that very first contact, before encrypted communications are established, is enough to give it all away," Snowden recently said in an interview.

Continue reading: Edward Snowden wants encryption, data protection used by journalists (full post)

Intel has made no delays for its 10nm process technology

Roshan Ashraf Shaikh | CPU, APU & Chipsets | Jul 17, 2014 5:26 AM CDT

Intel is facing troubles with its schedule of its 14nm manufacturing process, however the chipmaker said that this won't affect 10nm fabrication's schedule. Intel may be under the pressure to reassure its investors as its postponed its 14nm processor production plans that was supposed to roll out from its Fab 42 plant in Arizona, USA. 10nm is scheduled for mass-production for 2016.

Intel's CEO Brian Krzanich said during its quarterly conference call with financial analysts and investors,"We have done no changes or shift to our 10nm schedule, but we will not really talk about 10nm schedules until next year". However, Intel didn't reveal details about the production of these chips.

This might be the reason why Intel may show-off its first 10nm wafer during the upcoming Intel Developer Forum 2014. The demonstration of these wafers should reinvigorate investor's faith in Intel's schedule and in its tick-tock strategy, despite 14nm delays. It is also rumoured that Taiwan-based semi-conductor maker TSMC is also making plans to fabricate 10nm chips, which may also pressure Intel to go ahead of schedule with its 10nm roadmap.

Continue reading: Intel has made no delays for its 10nm process technology (full post)

Sony hopes that remastered titles for PS4 will attract Wii owners

Roshan Ashraf Shaikh | Gaming | Jul 17, 2014 4:33 AM CDT

Sony made an announcement to remaster its renowned PlayStation 3 titles for PlayStation 4, starting off with The Last of Us. As we reported earlier, the game will run at 1080p resolution with variable framerate to up to 60 FPS. Despite many titles like The Last of US being a hit, many gamers who never owned a PS3 were hesitant to purchase it at the time when the release of next-generation gaming consoles was very close. According to Sony Computer Entertainment, this should help them make the jump, including the current Nintendo Wii owners.

During an interview with Sony Computer Entertainment's boss Andrew house, he said that many of the older PlayStation titles will be released for PlayStation 4 to attract a new audience who are currently using Nintendo Wii. He said,"Our big opportunity is to welcome back an audience much earlier in the lifecycle that possibly bought into the Wii previously".

According to SCE, many players have skipped the purchase of PlayStation 3 for Nintendo Wii, and therefore couldn't get their hands-on playing many exclusive titles. According to him, remastering PlayStation 3 titles for the current gen PlayStation 4 will encourage Wii owners to make a switch.

Continue reading: Sony hopes that remastered titles for PS4 will attract Wii owners (full post)