Half Monk

One gigabit per second (1Gbps) fiber connections like those offered by Google Fiber is considered the Holy Grail of broadband in the US. The truth of the matter, however, is that Americans lag (no pun intended) far behind other countries in terms of Internet speeds. Take South Korea, for example. The nation’s current average broadband speed is 100Mbps which enables users to download a 1GB file in around 80 seconds. That’s certainly nothing to scoff at although it pales in comparison to what’s just around the corner. One of the nation’s largest broadband service providers, SK Broadband, will be introducing its new 10Gbps fiber service on October 20 at the Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunications Union at the Busan convention center. If you’re keeping up, that’s 100 times faster than the already fast 100Mbps average that South Koreans enjoy. With it, customers will be able to download the aforementioned 1GB file in just 0.8 seconds. The latest advancements in broadband technology typically come out of countries like Japan and South Korea, a fact that citizens are very proud of. Natsuki Kumagai told Stop the Cap that the world watched NASA send men to the moon in the 1960s and many grew up amazed at the constant advancements of the Americans. Now, however, the Americans are the ones doing the watching. Pyon Seo-Ju echoed those sentiments, highlighting how slow and expensive Internet access was during travels to the US. How fast is your home Internet connection? Let us know in the comments section below!

Razer, known for its gaming peripherals and devices, has joined the elite club of billion-dollar companies. According to a TechCrunch report, the San Diego-based company recently attained a valuation of over $1 billion, thanks to new funding from Intel Capital, the chip giant's venture-capital arm. “We’re already one of the billion dollar unicorns in the tech start-up world and now, we’ve got more resources than ever to allow us to focus on designing and developing the best experiences for gamers worldwide”, noted a leaked internal memo which was handed over to TechCrunch by an anonymous source. The memo also says the company now counts over 10 million people using its software, with over 2 million logged on daily, and details the appointment of three new board members, with one identified as an investor in the company. Neither Razer nor Intel responded to requests for comment, but TechCrunch says its sources have indirectly confirmed the memo is legitimate. Following its mantra "For Gamers. By Gamers", Razer has seen success with its high-end gaming mice and keyboards as well as its Blade gaming laptops and Edge tablets. The company claims to have shipped 11 million connected devices, with 7 million gamers using its products, and is also set to enter the wearables market with its Nabu smartband, due in the coming weeks. The last round of funding for Razer was in 2011, when the company raised $50 million from IDG and Accel. Just how much money Intel has invested in this latest round is not yet known.

There’s no shortage of new features packed into Android 5.0 Lollipop but one that’s certain to draw a lot of attention is the “kill switch.” Google’s new “factory reset protection” option is certainly a step in the right direction although one questionable decision means it’s far from a perfect solution. Previous implementations of the kill switch in Android (through Android Device Manager) allow users to remotely lock and wipe their phone if it comes up missing or is stolen. The problem, however, is that there was little stopping a thief from performing a factory reset on a hot handset if it wasn’t passcode-protected. The factory reset protection requires a Google ID and password before a handset can be reset. What’s more, it only works when a lockscreen passcode is enabled but Google missed the mark as the feature is still opt-in. That means many won’t bother - or even know - to enable the feature and criminals will have a higher chance of stealing an unprotected phone. What’s more, it likely won’t pass muster in regard to California’s kill switch law that goes into effect next July. In a joint statement on the matter, San Francisco District Attorney George Gascon and New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman pointed out that in order for these theft-deterrents to effectively end the epidemic, they must be enabled by default so violent criminals lack the incentive to steal smartphones. The two said they would continue to encourage every actor in the smartphone industry – including Google – to take the necessary, additional step of ensuring this technology is opt-out on all devices.

The key feature of Apple’s new iMac is in the name: the 5K Retina display. Despite the fact that Apple’s latest went on sale just days ago, the repair specialists at iFixit couldn’t resist the urge to see if the addition of a super high-resolution display would affect its repairability. That, of course, meant a complete teardown was in order. It is good news from the get-go as the machine features the familiar, easily accessible RAM upgrade access panel found on other iMacs. On the opposite side, the team discovered the process of removing the display requires a steady hand but otherwise hasn’t changed much. With the 5K panel out, iFixit found it was manufactured by LG Display while much of the hardware that controls it comes from Texas Instruments. Yet as they delved deeper into the system, they realized that the layout of supporting hardware was almost exactly the same as last year's model. If something isn’t broken, don’t fix it, eh? All said and done, iFixit awarded the 27-inch iMac with 5K Retina display a repairability score of five out of 10 (10 being the easiest to repair). User-replaceable RAM, hard drive and CPU were all cited as positives although the latter two components require the removal of the display. The fact that the glass and LCD are fused together as well as having to peel off the old double-sided sticky tape and apply new tape in order to remove and replace the display, however, earned negative marks from iFixit.

Anonabox, the tiny plug-and-play Tor router that raised nearly $600,000 on crowdfunding platform Kickstarter in less than a week, may be a fraud. Kickstarter’s Trust and Safety team suspended the project on Friday after a number of Reddit members have poked holes in its creators’ story. Kickstarter announced the suspension in an e-mail sent to backers. In it, they point out that a review of the project uncovered evidence that it broke Kickstarter rules. The team added that all funding has been stopped and backers will not be charged for their pledges. Questions regarding Anonabox came in nearly as quickly as donations did. In a Reddit AMA on the matter and in numerous other outlets online, people called into question Anonabox’s claim that it features custom hardware while others wondered if its open-source software was truly open-source. As Quartz points out, some believe the Anonabox is little more than a cheap Chinese router with an inflated price. Based on images alone, the two products appear to be virtually identical with the only difference being the Chinese branding appears to have been removed from the Anonabox image. The publication spoke with Anonabox developer August Germar about the matter. Germar told them he received no information on Kickstarter regarding why the project was suspended. Given the wealth of evidence so far, do you believe Anonabox was trying to scam Kickstarter backers by simply selling hardware that already exists as their own? Let us know in the comments section below!

One way or another, the traditional way of making payments at retail is going to change. While companies like Apple and Softcard are hoping you ditch plastic completely, others believe consumers do indeed value security and convenience but will be reluctant to give up their trusty cards. In a move to cater to the latter audience, MasterCard and Zwipe have announced a biometric contactless payment card with a built-in fingerprint scanner. Ordinary contactless payment systems allow a cardholder to wave their credit or debit card over a terminal to complete a transaction. This eliminates the need to enter a PIN which makes the entire process a bit more convenient but it also makes it incredibly easy for someone to steal your card and make unauthorized purchases. When making a contactless payment with MasterCard’s new solution, users will simply need to hold their finger over the card’s biometric scanner when waving the card to authorize the transaction. Cardholder fingerprint data is stored directly on the card, not in an external database, so it’ll no doubt be more secure. The card itself will be roughly the same size as a regular credit card. Power is drawn not from a battery within the card but from the payment terminal at the time it is swiped. It also features an EMV certified element. The two companies recently completed a successful live pilot in Norway. They’re working on a revised version of the card designed to work with all payment terminals for release in 2015.

While local multiplayer sessions are possible, Android multiplayer gaming is for the most part turn-based or done via remote play. Google is looking to change that with some new functionality being added to the Play Games Android gaming framework. It is essentially a series of APIs and other tools that allows creators to implement a number of services into their games including time-based player events/quests, leaderboards, achievements and other features. And now Google Play Games is getting an update to its multiplayer capabilities with a new new kind of local support. Similar to what Nintendo DS gamers are used to with StreetPass, Android users will be able to challenge others in real-time, local matches, providing those games are built on Play Games. The company said in a Google+ post recently that players will be able to “invite others nearby into the same game when starting a multiplayer session,” which it hopes will create more local competitive and cooperative experiences. StreetPass allows DS players that come within range of each other to connect and exchange game data, among other things. While it remains to be seen whether or not the development community will fully embrace the new services, it seems to be the type of technology that is suited for the popular mobile gaming platform.

Archos, the French consumer electronics company best known for building budget-friendly tablets, is preparing to launch a virtual reality headset. Their solution, the Archos VR Glasses, is a bring-your-own-screen headset that’ll accept smartphones with screen sizes up to six inches according to a press release on the matter. Built of robust and lightweight materials, the Archos VR Glasses will be compatible with phones running Android, iOS and Windows Phones. All virtual reality apps (more than 100 as of writing, we're told) will work with the wearable. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of Archos’ solution is the price. The headset will start at just $29.99, far cheaper than most everything else we’ve seen thus far. The company points out that they are also working on a Bluetooth controller for gaming purposes but didn’t disclose any more information on it. We have Google, not Oculus VR, to thank for the wave of bring-your-own-screen virtual reality headsets flooding the market. Google Cardboard, a build-it-yourself enclosure that was distributed to I/O conference goers earlier this year, has spawned a number of copy-cat devices from a variety of manufacturers. Samsung partnered with Oculus VR to create Gear VR, a headset that relies on the Galaxy Note 4 (and only the Galaxy Note 4) to provide visuals. It’s supposed to go on sale sometime this fall at a rumored cost of $199. More recently (as in, earlier this week), optics specialist Carl Zeiss unveiled its VR enclosure. The VR One is half the price of Samsung’s solution and will be compatible with more than just one phone. The Archos VR Glasses will be available starting next month.

If a PC company had flat sales, you might think its CEO would go "phew, not bad when the overall market is declining." Not really though: Lenovo, HP, Dell, Acer and Asus all increased sales this past quarter even though the overall market declined. Apple, too. It's not clear which PC company is suffering, but the strong are getting stronger while the weak are now exiting. So flat iPad sales -- in spite of what Tim Cook may say -- is alarming to Apple and Apple watchers. Moreover, now that Apple is selling larger phones, people are realizing that you don't need a big phone and a small tablet. The bigger iPad will need to grow a lot faster for the overall business to grow. The iPad may not be one of the weak, but it is not one of the strong either. What should Apple do? The company has two options: 1) make the iPad more appealing to a new market segment, and/or 2) deliver the same proposition to the existing market segment better. That new segment is business. We dedicated a previous column to this topic, but here's the recap: Apple has a ~13-inch iPad Pro in development with split-screen functionality that will make the iPad a stronger suit for business users. The company is also rumored to have a revamped, 12-inch MacBook Air -- in other words, that the portrayed iPad Pro might have a larger display than the company's most popular laptop says volumes. According to the Wall Street Journal, Apple delayed the iPad Pro to early 2015 because of supply issues and so didn't announce it in yesterday's keynote. Instead, Apple chose to focus on the second strategy: doing the same thing better. The iPad 2, 3 and 4 basically had the same body, so pundits were somewhat surprised to see a noticeably streamlined iPad body for the second year in a row. Perhaps that speaks to the urgency driving Apple with its iPad line. Apple's strategy with the iPad Air is clear with the sequel -- they want to improve the Air enough to make the iPad mini obsolete (and potentially other competing small tablets in the process). The key to doing that is reducing the iPad Air's weight. A larger tablet does everything better than a mini tablet except portability, and specifically, being able to hold the device in one hand while you read. Large tablets were too heavy for that purpose. That may change with the iPad Air 2, which is 18% thinner and 7% lighter than its predecessor. I considered purchasing the first iPad Air when it launched and while at the store I tested for "one hand holdability while lying down in bed" (don't ask how). It was just a shade too heavy. That will be the test I give the iPad Air 2 again. If it passes, the iPad mini is truly dead and buried. The iPad mini 3 is getting squeezed from both sides: the iPhone 6 Plus from the bottom and the iPad Air 2 from the top. There is less and less need for this device to exist; mini tablets, like I long predicted, will eventually become a niche device. It's no accident Apple spent considerable time talking about the iPad Air 2, and then simply glossed over the largely unchanged iPad mini 3.

As wireless carriers around the globe continue their 4G LTE rollout, researchers and industry heavyweights have already turned their attention to next generation wireless implementations. Samsung’s research and development arm, for example, created its 5G mobile wireless technology well over a year ago and have been testing and optimizing it ever since. The company recently put it to the test and achieved what it calls an industry-best speed record. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=0MVZyr7-cj0 In a stationary environment, Samsung clocked 7.5Gbps, or 940MB per second, which is the fastest-ever 5G stationary data transmission rate. In a mobile environment (a vehicle traveling at over 100km/h or a little over 62 MPH), the team was able to achieve an uninterrupted and stable connection of 1.2Gbps, or 150MB per second. Both tests were conducted over a 28GHz 5G network. As Samsung points out, the industry as a whole has avoided higher frequencies such as 28GHz despite speed-related benefits due to range limitations. The Korean tech giant has been able to overcome this, however by using their own Hybrid Adaptive Array Technology which uses millimeter wave frequency bands to enable the use of higher frequencies over greater distances. In a statement on the matter, ChangYeong Kim, Head of DMC R&D Center at Samsung Electronics, said they will continue to build upon these milestones and develop advanced technologies that contribute to the 5G standard. It’s no doubt impressive work but realistically, consumer 5G wireless implementations are still several years away.

Frequent fliers will no doubt relate to at least some of Virgin America’s latest commercial. I use the word “some” because the “commercial” is nearly six hours long and filled with virtually ever boring, strange and annoying situation you could ever experience during a flight… and then some. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=UsMZRl71Zo4 While I didn’t have the time to watch the entire clip, I did skip around and found the annoying guy whistling “Row Row Row Your Boat” non-stop, several strange background conversations, instructions on how to play “Rock, Paper, Scissors” from a bimbo flight attendant and a dream sequence involving large bubbles, a dog catching a Frisbee and a coin flipping through the air. Sure, it’s over-the-top silly but you have to admit, it’s absolutely brilliant marketing.

Following the announcement of the iPad Air 2, iOS 8.1 and OS X Yosemite, Apple unveiled the new 27-inch iMac with Retina display. Described as the next step in Retina technology, it boasts what the company calls a Retina 5K display with a massive 5120 x 2880 resolution or 14.7 million pixels. According to Apple, that’s 7 times more pixels than your typical 1080p HDTV and 67% more pixels than 4K, making it “the world’s highest resolution display.” Apple said it had to create a number of new technologies to drive the display including a custom made timing controller and specifically engineered oxide-based TFT. The company is also implementing some tech from its Retina iPad lineup like organic passivation to accommodate such a massive number of pixels. Apple’s new screen tech can power 4 times more pixels while using 30% less energy than previous models by way of high efficiency LEDs. Even with all of the new upgrades it is still 5mm at the thinnest edge, the same as the previous generation models. The base model 5K Retina iMac will come with a quad-core Intel Core i5 clocked at 3.5GHz (up to 4GHz Core i7), AMD Radeon R9 M290X graphics, 8GB RAM, and 1TB of Fusion Drive storage. It has 2 Thunderbolt ports and has 45% faster graphics than previous models. The new high res iMac will only ship in a 27-inch model with Apple continuing to offer previous-gen models. The new Retina all-in-one starts at $2499 and is available to order starting today.

Google Play served more downloads than Apple's App Store in the past three months, but the latter surpassed the former in terms of revenue, according to App Annie's latest quarterly market report. Play Store downloads exceeded those from the iTunes App Store by around 60 percent in Q3 2014, up from 25 percent in the year ago quarter, something which can be partially attributed to rapid adoption and growth of Android in developing and emerging markets. According to the report, countries like Brazil, India, and Indonesia have driven explosive growth in Play Store downloads. While Brazil's market share of Google Play downloads increased more than any other country, Indonesia has been witnessing a double-digit, quarter-on-quarter growth for more than two years. But when it comes to revenue, Apple is ahead of Google, with App Store downloads in the last last quarter generating 60 percent more revenue than Play Store. One possible reason for this could be that users in developing markets, where Android has seen tremendous growth lately, are more likely to prefer free apps over paid apps. Games have always accounted for the majority of Play Store's worldwide revenue, a trend that continued last quarter. The report noted that games were responsible for nearly all of Google Play’s Q3 revenue growth in the US and South Korea. Another standout from the report was that social media and messaging apps, like Facebook Messenger, Line, and more, continued to experience strong growth across both platforms. “Facebook Messenger’s downloads jumped on both stores in late July following Facebook’s strategic decision to move all worldwide messaging functionality from Facebook to Facebook Messenger. Its downloads vaulted in August and increased yet again in September", the report said.

Whisper, the Android and iOS app that allows users to anonymously post some of their deepest and darkest secrets, may not be all that secret after all. A new report from The Guardian alleges the app tracks its users’ whereabouts – even if they opt out of geolocation tracking – and shares that information with the US Department of Defense. The report claims Whisper has developed an in-house mapping tool that allows staffers to filter and search GPS data and even pinpoint messages to within 500 meters of where they were sent. And when a user turns off their geolocation services, the company can reportedly extract their location from IP data – something that is done on a targeted, case-by-case basis. The Guardian said they learned of this practice during a three-day visit to Whisper’s Los Angeles headquarters to discuss a journalistic relationship. The publication further alleges that Whisper keeps posts that users believe have been deleted in a searchable database. They don’t collect information such amembers’ names or phone numbers, instead opting to store records of the precise time and location that messages are posted. In a written statement to TechCrunch, Whisper said it does not collect nor store any personally identifiable information from users and its use is anonymous. There is nothing in their geolocation data that can be tied to an individual user and a user’s anonymity is never compromised. Whisper does not follow or track users, the spokesperson said. They added that The Guardian’s assumptions that Whisper is gathering information about users and violating user’s privacy are false. The Guardian further claims that Whisper updated its terms of service just four days after learning that this story would be published. The updated terms now permit the company to establish the broad location of people that disable the app’s geolocation feature. Either way you slice it, these are pretty serious claims that, if nothing else, should reaffirm the fact that none of these “anonymous” apps are truly anonymous. We’ll keep an eye on this as it develops over the coming days.

A group of scientists from Nanyang Technological University in Singapore have created a new battery that puts Motorola’s Turbo Charger technology to shame and could have a significant impact on the electric vehicle industry. By replacing the traditional graphite used to create the anode (negative pole) within lithium-ion batteries with a gel material developed using titanium dioxide, the new batteries are able to be recharged up to 70 percent in just two minutes. Titanium dioxide is described as an abundant, cheap and safe material that is found in soil. It’s often used as a food additive or in sunscreen lotion to absorb harmful ultraviolet rays according to Science Daily. For comparison, Motorola’s aforementioned technology for mobile devices can provide eight hours of battery life from a 15 minute charge albeit under a very particular set of circumstances. It’s not all about speed, however, as researchers also claim their new batteries can endure over 10,000 charging cycles – or about 20 more than existing batteries can withstand. In real-world terms, this means that electric vehicles could be recharged 20 times faster and could have a lifespan of more than 20 years. Researchers have been singing the praises of various next-generation battery technologies for some time but thus far, we haven’t really seen any massive advancement hit the market. This new technology appears to be the real deal as its inventor, Chen Xiaodong, says it’ll be commercially available in two years’ time.

Today’s game trailers typically stick to a familiar template: overload the viewer with tons of fast-paced action sequences and explosions set to a generic dubstep track and call it a day. And while the latest Far Cry 4 trailer does feature its fair share of over-the-top action and awesome explosions, it’s the background music that sets it apart from the masses. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=XlfwWHk5b5k As The Tech Report notes, the Survive Kyrat trailer is set to a cover of Gloria Gaynor’s classic tune I Will Survive, setting a different tone than most of today’s trailers. The song has been covered by a wealth of musicians and bands over the years including Diana Ross, Selena and Cake, just to name a few. The first installment in the Far Cry franchise from Ubisoft debuted on the PC in March of 2004. Its success spawned a sequel, Far Cry 2, in 2008 followed by Far Cry 3 two years ago. As the name suggests, Far Cry 4 will be the fourth title in the main game series although there have been a number of spin-offs as well including Far Cry Instincts and the retro-inspired Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon. There was even a film adaptation by the same name in 2008 although most would agree that it was pretty terrible. Far Cry 4 is set to arrive on the PC, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 3 and PlayStation 4 on November 18. Those who pick up a copy for the PS3 or PS4 will get the added bonus of being able to invite friends to play with them over the PlayStation Network even if said friends don’t have a copy of the game.

Product leaks are often credited to supply chain insiders or other unnamed sources but every so often, a company flubs by posting something online ahead of schedule. Such was the case Wednesday with Apple’s upcoming iPad refresh. Screenshots of the two new tablets we are almost certain to see take the stage at tomorrow’s media event inadvertently made their way to the iTunes Store earlier today as part of a downloadable iPad user guide for iOS 8. While the slides didn’t reveal every single detail about the new slates, they did provide a good bit of information and seem to confirm some of the rumors that have been circulating as of late. Visually, the iPad Air 2 and the iPad mini 3 look nearly identical to their predecessors save for the addition of Touch ID sensors embedded in the Home button. All other buttons and switches appear to be in the same location as before. Another new feature hinted at in the user guide is a camera Burst Mode for the iPad Air 2, similar to functionality that debuted on last year’s iPhone 5s. There was no mention of this feature coming to the iPad mini 3, however. That said, most expect the two new iPads to feature updated processors either in the form of the A8 found in the iPhone 6 / iPhone 6 Plus or a slightly more powerful A8X. Apple will also more than likely launch Apple Pay via iOS 8 update. As always, keep in mind that nothing is final until it’s actually announced. If you recall, the long-rumored Surface Mini also showed up in a Surface Pro 3 user guide despite the fact that Microsoft shelved it.

Along with the new Motorola-made Nexus 6, Google pulled a couple more hardware announcements this morning with a new 8.9-inch tablet and a streaming media player that marks. The latter is the first Android TV device since the company revealed its renewed effort to target living rooms, after Google TV and the Nexus Q failed to pick up much interest. Dubbed Nexus Player, the $99 device is made by Asus and will compete directly with the likes of Apple TV, Roku and Fire TV. Users will be able to rent movies and TV shows from Google Play, or stream content from a myriad of apps including Netflix, Hulu Plus, YouTube, Pandora, Plex and a bunch more available from Google’s app store. The device also mimics Chromecast’s functionality by letting you stream content from a smartphone or tablet. Gaming is apparently a big focus for Google, and much like Amazon, the company will be selling an optional gamepad for $40 so you can play Android games on it -- it’s unclear if the entire Google Play library will be available, as developers will likely need to adapt their titles for TVs first. The device itself sports a sleek hockey puck shape around 4.7-inches in diameter and comes with a voice search-enabled remote control -- again, like Amazon’s Fire TV. Hardware specifications include a 1.8GHz quad-core Intel Atom processor, 802.11ac Wi-Fi, 8GB internal storage, and HDMI-out. The Nexus Player will be available to preorder on Friday, and you'll be able to buy it in stores beginning November 3rd. It’ll be interesting to see how Android TV measures up against the competition -- from what little we’ve seen of it, the interface looks really nice, and Google has probably learned a thing or two with the success of its more-limited and inexpensive Chromecast dongle. Nexus 9Google is replacing its previous two tablets, the Nexus 7 and 10, with a single slate this time around. The HTC-made Nexus 9 has an 8.9-inch, 2048 × 1536-pixel display and is powered by the 64-bit dual-core variant of Nvidia’s Tegra K1 SoC -- which, unlike KitKat, Android Lollipop can actually take advantage of. Design-wise the tablet has a soft-grip back and brushed aluminum frame. At 7.95mm, it’s a little thicker than an iPad Air, but it’s not quite as tall or wide, and it’s even a little lighter -- although that could change tomorrow. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=yYHY3MFiq1o Features include an 8-megapixel rear camera and 1.2-megapixel front-facing camera, a 6700mAh battery, comes in either black or white and in three configurations: 16GB for $399, 32GB for $479, and an LTE-enabled 32GB model for $599. There’s also an optional keyboard cover for an extra $129. Google's planning to launch Nexus 9 in 29 countries over the coming weeks, with pre-orders going live in the US and Canada this Friday.

Shamu has arrived. Google’s long-rumored Nexus 6 smartphone was officially unveiled on Wednesday alongside the Nexus 9 tablet and the Nexus Player. It'll arrive sporting the search giant’s latest operating system, Android 5.0 Lollipop. Co-developed with soon-to-be ex-Google company Motorola, the Nexus 6 is Google’s answer to the iPhone 6 Plus and the Galaxy Note 4. It packs a massive 5.96-inch Quad HD display operating at a resolution of 2,560 x 1,440 (493 PPI) which is by far the largest Nexus device Google has ever offered. Under the hood is a Qualcomm Snapdragon 805 quad-core chip clocked at 2.7GHz, Adreno 420 graphics and your choice of 32GB or 64GB of internal storage. The handset features a 13-megapixel rear-facing, f/2.0 camera with optical image stabilization, a 2-megapixel camera on the front, dual front-facing speakers and a large 3,220mAh battery that Google claims is good for more than 24 hours of use. The phone also includes Motorola’s Turbo Charger which can offer up to six hours of use from only 15 minutes of charging under the right circumstances. Google has yet to reveal how much RAM the Nexus 6 is packing. The announcement comes less than a day ahead of Apple’s media event where they are expected to unveil updated iPads and iMacs. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=wk-PY2dBKaA The Nexus 6 will be available for pre-order starting October 29 with availability slated for sometime in November through AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, US Cellular and Verizon on contract. Additionally, the handset will be sold unlocked and contract-free priced at $649. It’ll be available in blue and white color schemes.

Mozilla has announced that SSL version 3.0 will be disabled by default in Firefox 34, which is due for release on November 25. The announcement comes in the wake of a vulnerability that was discovered in said version of the security protocol which, according to the company, is used by Firefox for around 0.3% of HTTPS connections, or "millions of transactions per day". For those who can't wait until the next release, the company has also created the SSL Version Control Firefox extension to disable SSLv3 immediately. The code to disable SSLv3 will be available shortly via Mozilla Nightly, a nightly build of the latest development version of the web browser, and will be promoted to Aurora and Beta in the next few weeks, the company said. Mozilla also said that as an additional precaution, Firefox 35 will support a generic TLS downgrade protection mechanism SCSV which, if supported by the server, prevents attacks that rely on insecure fallback. To stay safe, the company is advising all to ensure that Firefox is configured to receive automatic updates under Preferences -> Advanced -> Update. The SSL v3.0 vulnerability was recently uncovered by Google researchers, who dubbed it as "Poodle", short for Padding Oracle On Downgraded Legacy Encryption. "By exploiting this vulnerability, an attacker can gain access to things like passwords and cookies, enabling him to access a user’s private account data on a website", Mozilla said.

Cracking a safe protected by a combination lock is typically reserved for skilled professionals or custom machines worth tens of thousands of dollars that are only sold to the military. A pair of Australian security professionals, however, have come up with a brute-force method that relies on technology instead of skill to open such a safe. Jay Davis and Luke Janke demonstrated their automated safe cracker at the Ruxcon security conference in Melbourne earlier this week. The unnamed device was built largely of 3D printed parts, some step motors from an old stage lighting array and the heart of the gadget, an Arduino microcontroller. Once attached to a combination lock on a safe, the device works its way through every possible combination using custom software. That certainly sounds like a lot of work – and it is (hey, nobody said it was fast). The team claims the device can crack a safe in less than four days. That’s not much of a problem if it’s your safe and you happen to forget the combination but don’t expect to break into someone’s house and brute-force their safe… unless they’re on vacation or something (kidding, of course). Because the device relies on software, it can be optimized for the job much like a brute-force password cracking program can on computers. For example, some combination locks come pre-loaded with several default combinations. By trying these first, the gadget can often crack a safe in just a few minutes versus a few days. The components to build the device cost around $150 which, if you desperately needing to get into a safe without destroying it, could be a bargain.

The Asus smartphone/tablet hybrid, PadFone X Mini, is now making its way stateside. The system, which includes a 4.5” smartphone and a larger 7” tablet, will be available in the US for $199.99 on AT&T’s GoPhone plan without a contract. The smartphone device docks directly onto the tablet. The $200 price tag includes both items, but the tablet does not function without the phone. Intel made the announcement recently, as its chips power the device. The launch of the PadFone X Mini in the US is a significant one for Intel considering it will be the first time the chipmaker’s processor was used inside a smartphone with 4G LTE in the US, according to reports. While certainly a foot in the right direction, the mobile device market is generally dominated by Qualcomm in the US and with more than $1 billion in losses to its mobile chip unit, Intel still has some work to do. Inside the PadFone, Intel has provided a dual-core, Atom Z2560 to support 1GB of RAM, 8GB of flash storage, two cameras and a Micro SD slot. It runs on Android 4.4 KitKat and the tablet end of the deal adds some extra battery power. The phone on its own provides nearly 16 hours on one charge, but the tablet brings an additional 12.5 hours. Launch is just around the corner now on October 24th. While it certainly won’t be the most popular option in the US and not likely to spell the end of Qualcomm for Intel, it will be interesting to see if the unique hybrid device gains any traction stateside.

When HP announced a $99 Windows tablet a few weeks ago, we all thought that was pretty cheap for such a device. But Chinese OEMs are always looking to undercut the competition, with several lining up to release even cheaper tablets running Windows 8.1. Emdoor, which isn't exactly a household name, will sell you (or perhaps another company) a $65 seven-inch Windows tablet powered by an Intel Bay Trail Atom Z3735G SoC. For that low price you also get a 1024 x 600 display, 1 GB of RAM and a front-facing camera, which isn't too shabby. Since Microsoft has begun relaxing the licensing fees on Windows 8.1, and with subsidies available from Intel to push their Bay Trail SoCs into more devices, we're starting to see Windows tablets really compete with Android tablets at extremely low price points. Whether you get a better experience from a cheap Windows device remains to be seen, but the Z3735G in this $65 tablet is no slouch. Usually tablets from relatively unknown Chinese OEMs don't go on sale in Western nations such as the United States. However, some online resellers do tend to stock them, so if you really want a $65 Windows tablet for reading books or browsing the web, it won't be that hard to import one. If you want something a bit higher end, PiPO will sell you an eight-inch Windows tablet with a 1280 x 800 display for $81. Alternatively, Emdoor also sells a 3G-capable 8-inch Windows tablet, which will set you back $99.

Google chairman Eric Schmidt says that Amazon is their biggest competitor when it comes to online search. He made the remark during a visit to the headquarters of Native Instruments, a software and hardware company in Berlin, Germany, explaining that while Amazon is primarily focused on e-commerce, it is essentially answering users questions and searches. "People don't think of Amazon as search, but if you are looking for something to buy, you are more often than not looking for it on Amazon", he said, adding that since a large number of people head directly to the e-commerce website, it makes Amazon an even bigger competitor than Yahoo or Bing. According to ComScore's media report for the month of August, Google is the No.1 site on the Internet with around 233.1 million unique visitors, while Amazon ranks sixth with around 172 million unique visitors. In an apparent bid to counter the antitrust allegations that the Mountain View, California-based company is currently facing in Europe, Schmidt emphasized that Google is not the only search engine in the market, and it shouldn't be regulated as if it were the gatekeeper of the Internet, arguing that other companies like Facebook and Amazon are equally influential. He also said that a large number of people are now accessing the Internet through handheld devices like smartphones, posing a tough challenge to the company, as they prefer using apps rather than heading directly to a website. “And the most popular app in the world – including in Europe – is Facebook, a company which now describes itself as the on-ramp to the internet”, he said. Although Google is currently the leader in search, Schmidt said the company's position is constantly under threat from startups. "Someone, somewhere in a garage is gunning for us. I know, because not long ago we were in that garage," he said. "Change comes from where you least expect it". Schmidt's remarks came as a 4-year-old European Commission investigation into Google's search practices nears its conclusion. In February this year, the search giant reached a tentative settlement with European regulators, agreeing to display at least three of its rival services whenever a search result returns a link to one of Google's own services. Last month, the Commission asked Google to make further adjustments to the settlement proposal after rivals complained that it wouldn't help them much in competing more effectively in Europe.

Last month, a producer at Ubisoft hinted that we might see the publisher's console-only Assassin's Creed title, Assassin's Creed Rogue, on PC at some point in the future. Well, that point in the future is "early 2015", with Ubisoft today announcing that the game will indeed be hitting PC. With this latest announcement, the PC becomes the only platform that can play both of Ubisoft's upcoming Assassin's Creed titles. The main game in the series, Assassin's Creed Unity, is slated for launch on November 11 on PC, Xbox One and PlayStation 4. Rogue will be hitting last-gen consoles (the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3) on this date as well. While Unity is set during the French revolution, Rogue sends you back to the Atlantic ocean so you can catch up with past Assassin's Creed characters. The game allows you to play as a Templar for the first time, and features many naval action scenes that made Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag so enjoyable. Ubisoft says that Rogue isn't hitting PC at the same time as consoles "primarily for production reasons". It also might have something to do with Unity's launch, with Ubisoft not wanting to launch two tiles in the same series on the same platform at the same time. Regardless, if you are a PC gamer, you won't need to dust of your last-gen console to enjoy one of Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed games.