Philips launches E14 Hue bulbs
I never thought I'd be talking passionately about lighting, but I hate E14 bulbs. Not only do most options have low power but the selection is limited as well -- at least when compared against E27 bulbs. With the launch of new Hue bulbs, however, Philips is trying to change that.
Referring to it as the "candle light bulb", the new smart E14 Hue lights that Philips just announced were "one of the most requested products by Philips Hue customers." And it's easy to understand why, as the Dutch company says that they're used in more than 80 percent of households worldwide.
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The CIA, WikiLeaks and Spy vs Spy
As pretty much anyone already knows, WikiLeaks has dropped a trove of about 8700 secret documents that purport to cover a range of CIA plans and technologies for snooping over the Internet -- everything from cracking encrypted communication products to turning Samsung smart TVs into listening devices against their owners.
Two questions immediately arise: 1) are these documents legit (they appear to be), and; 2) WTF does it mean for people like us, who aren’t spies, public officials, or soldiers of fortune? This latter answer requires a longer explanation but suffice it to say this news is generally not good for anyone, not even for spies unless they have been recently unemployed. But for some companies it will open up significant new business opportunities.
Intel Security releases EFI rootkit checker for MacBooks after CIA hacking leaks
The Vault 7 leaks this week suggest that the CIA has been able to exploit vulnerabilities in a wide range of popular hardware and software, including Windows, macOS and Linux. One of the suggestions is that the agency produced EFI (Extensible Firmware Interface) rootkits for MacBooks called DarkMatter.
To help calm the fears of MacBook owners, Intel Security has pushed out a tool to check for such rootkits. Apple issued a statement earlier this week indicating that it had addressed "many of the issues" exposed by WikiLeaks, but Intel Security's further intervention will bring some peace of mind to concerned users.
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Julian Assange says WikiLeaks will share CIA hacking tools from Vault 7 with technology companies
Technology companies will be given access to the CIA's hacking tools revealed earlier in the week, Julian Assange said today. The WikiLeaks founder said that full details of the exploits used by the CIA would be shared with a view to allowing companies to patch the security holes.
Apple has already said that it has fixed many of the iOS vulnerabilities mentioned in the document cache, and we know that the CIA exploited vulnerabilities in all major operating systems as well as weaponizing numerous popular programs. While WikiLeaks has made certain details of the CIA's hacking tools public, it intends to share them in their entirety privately so software developers can create patches.
Vault 7: The CIA weaponized these popular programs to spy on people
Two days ago, WikiLeaks unleashed a treasure trove of data relating to the CIA's supposed arsenal of hacking tools. Code-named Vault 7, the "Year Zero" cache contains over 8,500 documents and files, and is, according to WikiLeaks, just the first batch. More content will be leaked over time.
While we know that the CIA’s zero day weapons could be used to exploit iPhones, Android devices, Windows PCs and even Samsung TVs, one of the hacking tools is particularly interesting.
FBI investigates CIA leaks, Comey says 'There is no such thing as absolute privacy in America'
The FBI and CIA are working together on a joint investigation into the Vault 7 document cache published by WikiLeaks that supposedly reveals the CIA's hacking tools. Many of the companies mentioned in the documents for having exploitable vulnerabilities -- including Apple, the Linux Foundation, and Microsoft -- have spoken out about the leaks, but it has taken some time for the CIA itself to respond.
Speaking to the BBC, a CIA spokesperson said: "The American public should be deeply troubled by any Wikileaks disclosure designed to damage the intelligence community's ability to protect America against terrorists and other adversaries." FBI director James Comey has also spoken about the lack of privacy that now exists in the US.
Vault 7 fallout: Linux Foundation says it's "not surprising" Linux is targeted
In the wake of WikiLeaks' Vault 7 CIA leaks, Apple has been quick to point out that vulnerabilities mentioned in the documents have already been addressed. Microsoft and Samsung have said they are "looking into" things, and now the Linux Foundation has spoken out.
Nicko van Someren, Chief Technology Officer at The Linux Foundation says that while it is "not surprising" that Linux would find itself a target, the open source project has a very fast release cycle, meaning that kernel updates are released every few days to address issues that are found.
Vault 7: WikiLeaks reveals CIA's secret hacking tools and spy operations
WikiLeaks has unleashed a treasure trove of data to the internet, exposing information about the CIA's arsenal of hacking tools. Code-named Vault 7, the first data is due to be released in serialized form, starting off with "Year Zero" as part one. A cache of over 8,500 documents and files has been made available via BitTorrent in an encrypted archive.
The plan had been to release the password at 9:00am ET today, but when a scheduled online press conference and stream came "under attack" prior to this, the password was released early. Included in the "extraordinary" release are details of the zero day weapons used by the CIA to exploit iPhones, Android phones, Windows, and even Samsung TVs to listen in on people. Routers, Linux, macOS -- nothing is safe.
[Giveaway] Win an Askborg ChargeCube 5,200mAh external battery
An external battery can come in handy if you need to charge your smartphone on the go. It can have enough juice to give you a full charge and be small enough that it fits in your pocket. Personally, I never leave on a trip without one.
Askborg's 5,200mAh ChargeCube, which is the smaller brother to the 10,400mAh and 20,800mAh ChargeCube external batteries I reviewed this week, is designed as a portable option that can charge pretty much any smartphone to 100 percent, including larger devices like the Apple iPhone 7 Plus and Samsung Galaxy S7 edge. And, with Askborg's help, we're giving one away!
Windows 10 Creators Update Build 15046 for PC arrives on the Fast ring
Work continues apace on the next big update to Windows 10, and Microsoft has rolled out a new build to the Fast ring a mere four days after the last one.
Build 15046 for PC (no new Mobile build yet) adds some additional functionality and tweaks to the OS, as well as squashing plenty of bugs.
Askborg ChargeCube 20,800mAh and 10,400mAh external batteries [Review]
I tend to use my smartphone more than usual when I'm away, so before I go on a trip I make sure to throw an external battery in my bag. That way, if my device is about to run out of juice early I can plug it in and get enough charge to last me through the day.
Because I want to charge my smartphone a couple of times or two smartphones at the same time, I prefer larger external batteries. Askborg's ChargeCube 20,800mAh and 10,400mAh models meet this requirement, featuring two full-sized USB ports and big-enough batteries inside to keep me happy for a few days. I've tested both to see whether they're worth your attention.
Performance issues and high failure rates continue to plague iPhones
We reported back in August that failure rates of iOS devices had overtaken those of Android for the first time.
The latest State of Mobile Device Performance and Health report from Blancco Technology Group shows that this trend is continuing with the iOS failure rate at 62 percent in the final quarter of last year.
Telco data is an untapped source of customer information
Brands often turn to sources like Google and Facebook to find information about consumers, but a new report suggests that telecom carriers could be a valuable source of customer data.
The study of over 300 brands in the US, UK and France by Ovum for mobile technology company Synchronoss Technologies finds that 67 percent of brands consider telecoms operators to be a better original source of data insights than Google, Apple and Samsung.
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