Geek News

Amazon now has an Android web browser app that’s designed to use minimal storage and data. It’s called... Internet. The app has been sitting unspotted in the Google Play app store since March. Amazon hasn’t publicly announced its launch, which was reported by TechCrunch . It’s currently only available to users located in India and runs on Android 5.0 and higher devices. The app offers a web browser that supports private tabs that don’t save browser history and it has a homepage that shows cricket news and more general headlines for its users. Internet is reminiscent of Facebook Lite, YouTube Go, or Gmail Go, all apps that companies launched as slimmer versions of the original mobile versions. They provide the same basic features as the... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "https://ift.tt/2qEc4dN"

Animals U.S. policies for protecting them could be shifting drastically. The Trump administration has announced a position on protecting migratory birds that is a drastic pullback from policies in force for the past 100 years. via Popular Science "https://ift.tt/2Hv0Bre"

Gadgets Improved battery, picture quality, and security. The new Eufy EverCam smart home security system is now on Kickstarter. Read on. via Popular Science "https://ift.tt/2H7Wq0Z"

The company behind Facebook’s massive data leak scandal, Cambridge Analytica , attempted to develop its own cryptocurrency this past year and intended to raise funds through an initial coin offering, Reuters and The New York Times reported today. The digital coin would have helped people store online personal data and even sell it, former Cambridge Analytica employee Brittany Kaiser told the Times . Cambridge Analytica, which obtained the data of 87 million Facebook users, was hoping to raise as much as $30 million through the venture, anonymous sources told Reuters . Cambridge Analytica confirmed to Reuters that it had previously explored blockchain technology, but did not confirm the coin offering and didn’t say whether efforts are still... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "https://ift.tt/2JRiSxk"

There have been reports about upcoming changes to Spotify’s free tier of service over the past couple of weeks, and it appears the music service is now serving the updated UI to select users. While The Verge cannot confirm if this is officially the new form of the free version for mobile expected to roll out next week, these UI changes, which include the option to play songs on demand in select playlists, would make the Free tier act more like a Premium account. Spotify declined to comment. Last week, Bloomberg reported these updates would specifically impact mobile users, and a flyer for the company’s upcoming April 24th event recently confirmed that modifications were coming to Spotify mobile. While there are several notable changes in... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "https://ift.tt/2HcEVNq"

The Internal Revenue Service isn’t the most technologically sophisticated government agency in the US. As evidence, check out its online payment system, called Direct Pay , that still remains out of service on the tax filing deadline for the entire country, as noted by Engadget . The Direct Pay system went down sometime early this morning as part of a widespread failure of the IRS’s electronic filing system, due most likely to a technical glitch possibly related to the huge influx of people trying to file returns. The IRS says it is “working to resolve the issue.” That said, the agency expects around 5 million people to file taxes on April 17th, the deadline for individual income tax returns to be submitted to the federal government. You... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "https://ift.tt/2HuL36Q"

Gadgets This $300 security camera recognizes you, your family, and even your pets. Lighthouse is a pricy, but intelligent solution for a connected security camera. via Popular Science "https://ift.tt/2EWjDRU"

Environment Hungry, hungry enzymes. We’re slowly suffocating a lot of natural ecologies with our trash. Fish, birds, and other animals all unwittingly consume the five trillion tons of plastic (and… via Popular Science "https://ift.tt/2H7g1Tg"

Thirty-four major technology companies — including Facebook, Microsoft, HP, ARM, Cisco, and Oracle — have signed a new Cybersecurity Tech Accord . The pledge spans helping to protect against cyberattacks as well as to not helping governments — including the United States — “launch cyberattacks against innocent citizens and enterprises,” as first reported by The New York Times . According to the NYT , the driving impetus for the coalition has been Microsoft president Brad Smith, whose goal is, ultimately, to develop a “digital Geneva Convention” to set the rules for acceptable digital warfare. As listed in the accord , there are four areas that the signed companies are promising to improve upon: helping to protect customers from future... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "https://ift.tt/2EVsVOb"

New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman launched an investigation into bitcoin exchanges today, his office announced . He’s looking into thirteen major exchanges, including Coinbase, Gemini Trust, and Bitfinex, requesting information on their operations and what measures they have in place to protect consumers. “Too often, consumers don’t have the basic facts they need to assess the fairness, integrity, and security of these trading platforms,” Schneiderman said in a statement. His office sent detailed questionnaires to the thirteen exchanges, asking them to disclose who owns and controls them, and how their basic operation and transaction fees work. The questionnaire also asks for specific details on how exchanges might suspend... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "https://ift.tt/2JTT9V5"

Mignon Clyburn, one of five commissioners for the Federal Communications Commission and a staunch supporter of net neutrality, announced her decision to step down from her role today after more than eight years at the agency. Clyburn, a Democrat, may be replaced by FCC official Geoffrey Starks, who Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has reportedly been eyeing to take up the second of two Democratic seats on the Republican-controlled FCC. It is typically customary for the FCC commissioners to represent the party in power, and President Donald Trump appointed Republican Ajit Pai as chairman in January of 2017. While Clyburn’s departure was expected, the loss of a net neutrality advocate does further diminish the FCC’s willingness... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "https://ift.tt/2qE9vZ2"

Ian Balina, a former IBM salesman who became a full-time cryptocurrency trader and pundit, is not known for his modesty. Like many YouTube personalities in the vein of motivational speaker Gary Vaynerchuk, he brands himself as a self-starter-made-good who now wants to teach you how he did it (while clarifying, of course, that his recommendations are not investment advice). He regularly shares screenshots of his extensive portfolio, which was valued at more than $3 million on April 14th, according to an image he posted on Twitter and Instagram. One of his videos is called “ Six-Figure Slave to Crypto Millionaire .” This bravado may have backfired. On Sunday, during one of his marathon live streams, Balina found himself unable to log into... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "https://ift.tt/2H5TG8F"

In December 2016 — in the wake of sexual assault allegations against prominent men like Bill Cosby, Roger Ailes, and then-President-elect Donald Trump — tech writer April Glaser posited a simple solution for combating sexual assault: create a tool that would combine identity verification, encryption, anonymization, and messaging to enable sexual assault victims to report their assaults and connect with other victims who had reported the same perpetrator. As Glaser envisioned it, this platform would be a trusted, fully encrypted system that would allow a victim to maintain control of her identity. If others were to report the same perpetrator, victims could be alerted and invited to join a private messaging center. There, they could... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "https://ift.tt/2H8Ejwg"

Casio is introducing a new smartwatch for the outdoors today that runs Google’s Wear OS, but it doesn’t look all that different from some of Casio’s older Wear OS watches. In fact, it looks exactly the same and appears to have all the same specs and features, except for one: it costs $100 less. The new Pro Trek Smart Outdoor Watch, or the WSD-F20A will sell for $399 when it launches on May 1st. That’s $100 less than the WSD-F20, which was introduced in January . The two watches look identical, aside from their color. We’ve reached out to Casio to find out if there are any other differences. What’s nice about this series of Casio watches is how little they look like traditional Wear OS devices. Casio has highly customized the watches to... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "https://ift.tt/2HJv0zC"

The new $170 Jabra Elite 65t earbuds are my go-to recommendation for anyone who wants truly wireless earbuds that aren’t Apple’s AirPods. As good as the AirPods are , there are several things that might rule them out for some people. If you’re like me, it’s the one-size-fits-most design; my ears just aren’t a good match, and buying aftermarket ear hooks for a snug, secure fit is a hassle. And then there’s the outside noise; the open design of AirPods, though great for awareness and safety, means you’ll occasionally find yourself cranking the volume to extremes when you want to drown out the cacophony of city life. But those pitfalls aside, the AirPods have remained on their own pedestal above the competition for well over a year because... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "https://ift.tt/2H7Nx7K"

What does the future of fake news look like? No one really knows, but here’s a little sampler from Jordan Peele and BuzzFeed, who teamed up to make the above PSA. Using some of the latest AI techniques, Peele ventriloquizes Barack Obama, having him voice his opinion on Black Panther (“Killmonger was right”) and call President Donald Trump “a total and complete dipshit.” The video was made by Peele’s production company using a combination of old and new technology: Adobe After Effects and the AI face-swapping tool FakeApp. The latter is the most prominent example of how AI can facilitate the creation of photorealistic fake videos. It started life on Reddit as a tool for making fake celebrity porn, but it has since become a worrying symbol... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "https://ift.tt/2HaL9gr"

Save 66% on Darkest Dungeon® during this week's Midweek Madness*! *Offer ends Friday at 10AM Pacific Time via Steam RSS News Feed "https://ift.tt/2vscs4O"

Today's Deal: Save 30% on Besiege !* Look for the deals each day on the front page of Steam. Or follow us on twitter or Facebook for instant notifications wherever you are! *Offer ends Thursday at 10AM Pacific Time via Steam RSS News Feed "https://ift.tt/2qFIIvw"

It’s been more than a year since Apple released the AirPods , but it’s only now that other companies are really starting to match them when it comes to the style and shape of wireless earbuds. The latest are from Mobvoi, which is starting an Indiegogo campaign to sell the TicPods Free, a pair of wireless earbuds that look like a slightly thicker, more angular version of the AirPods. Plus, they come in colors other than white. The TicPods offer the same feature set of the AirPods: they come with a charging case, they pause the music when removed from your ears, you can tap on them to control playback, they have built-in mics to take calls, and you can access a smart assistant — Google’s Assistant, Amazon’s Alexa, or Apple’s Siri — with a... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "https://ift.tt/2J5gLVF"

Space The early solar system was a wild, world-destroying place. A study published in Nature Communications offers a dramatic origin story for the meteorite. Based on materials found inside the diamonds, researchers think this may be… via Popular Science "https://ift.tt/2Hu409C"

When one of the most prominent information security conferences in the world, the RSA conference, announced its keynote speakers in February, professionals across the industry went to Twitter complain. With the exception of Monica Lewinsky — who was to give a talk titled “The Price of Shame” — every single keynote speaker was a man. Within five days of a tweet by Alex Stamos, currently chief information security officer at Facebook , suggesting that it was time to start an “alt-conference,” a group of organizers scattered across the country announced Our Security Advocates, or OurSA 2018 , a one-day alternative conference happening today in San Francisco. (A live stream will also be available.) Maybe it's time to rent out the Metreon... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "https://ift.tt/2vnciLH"

If you need to know one thing about rare earth metals, it’s that they’re crucial to modern technology, helping power everything from MRI machines and satellites to headphones and nuclear reactors. If you need to know two things, it’s that despite their name, they’re not at all rare. This second fact is crucial when putting recent headlines about these 17 oddly named elements in proper context. Last week, many publications covered the news that a Japanese team of scientists had found a huge trove of rare earth elements off the coast of the country’s Minamitori Island. Some 16 million tons were estimated to be lurking in the deep-sea mud, enough to meet global demand on a “semi-infinite basis,” said the researchers. This news was... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "https://ift.tt/2EUFd9s"

Boosted is best known for its orange-wheeled electric longboard, but that’s about to change because the company has made the biggest expansion yet to its product lineup. Four new boards were announced today in two different form factors, including the company’s smallest and cheapest electric skateboard, the Boosted Mini. The Boosted Mini comes in two versions: a standard range model (S) that lasts up to seven miles and has a top speed of 18 miles per hour, and an extended range (X) that can do around 14 miles with a top speed of about 20 miles per hour. The Boosted Mini S will cost $749 and ships in May, making it Boosted’s cheapest board ever. The Mini X costs $999 and ships in June. Both boards have a kick tail, all-new 80mm wheels... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "https://ift.tt/2JV1M1x"

Hero Academy 2 is Now Available on Steam Early Access! Sequel to the original tactical strategy game, Hero Academy 2 adds card collection, deck building, and real-time matches! via Steam RSS News Feed "https://ift.tt/2ETPzGS"

Facebook is introducing third-party fact-checking in India, with a pilot program first starting in the state of Karnataka. Facebook says the fact-checking program is aimed at fighting “the spread of false news,” and the company has partnered with independent journalism initiative BOOM, which is certified by the International Fact-Checking Network. According to The Indian Express , Facebook says India has 201 million active Facebook users as of 2017, falling just behind the United States. Facebook has previously admitted to the spread of misinformation and fake news during the 2016 US presidential election . With India due for a general election in 2019, Facebook seems to be timing this launch to stem such misinformation from influencing... Continue reading… via The Verge - Tech Posts "https://ift.tt/2vm9les"

Health New recommendations suggest vitamin supplements probably won’t help stave off falls and breaks. Vitamin supplement companies want you to believe their products stave off disease. They can save you from heart attacks and broken bones and common colds. Or at least… via Popular Science "https://ift.tt/2vm8pGY"