Half Monk

The Marriott hotel chain has agreed to pay a fine of $600,000 following an investigation by the Federal Communications Commission into claims that a hotel guest had their personal Wi-Fi hotspot blocked during an event at one of Marriott's hotel and conference centers last year. As outlined in a nine-page order on the matter, a guest visiting the company’s Gaylord Opryland hotel in Nashville complained that the hotel was jamming personal hotspots in its convention space. The hotel ultimately fessed up to the matter, saying one or more of its employees used containment features to block customers’ mobile hotspots. As Ars Technica points out, the particular hotel in question offers dedicated wireless services to guests for convention purposes. Pricing ranges anywhere from $250 up to $1,000 per access point – or in other words, it’s not cheap. Additionally, the network also includes the ability to shut down any other Wi-Fi network that isn’t its own. It’s a feature typically used in government or corporate environments to help prevent data leaks. In a statement sent to Ars, Marriott spokesperson Jeff Flaherty seems to defend the company’s practice. He said Marriott has a strong interest in ensuring that when guests use their Wi-Fi service, they will be protected from rogue wireless hotspots that can cause degraded service, insidious cyber attacks and identity theft. He added that the Gaylord Opryland hotel in question protected its Wi-Fi network by using FCC-authorized equipment provided by well-known, reputable manufacturers. What’s more, he said they believe their actions were lawful. It’s clear that Marriott, rightfully or not, is playing the safety angle versus what most would see as them blocking personal hotspots for financial gain. Do you believe Marriott had the right to jam personal hotspots? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.

Google’s next version of Android, known only to the public as Android L, was first revealed at Google I/O earlier this year. We’ve certainly been hearing and seeing a lot about the upcoming mobile operating system but now we get to see what it looks like with Samsung's TouchWiz interface in the mix. https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=2yBLqnokjPM The gang over at SamMobile recently got their hands on an early build (LRW58J) of Android L for the Samsung Galaxy S5 (SM-G900F). The plan was to make the firmware available for anyone to download but after test driving it for a couple of days, the publication decided against it because it was too buggy and is “slow as a turtle.” Of course, that is to be expected from an early build that was never intended for the public. Instead, they’ve created an eight-minute video to show off the new look and feel of Android L which they claim will be called Android Lollipop.

Kim Dotcom is well aware of the fact that he isn’t exactly on the best of terms with those in the music industry. Nevertheless, the file sharing guru helped create a digital music service last year called Baboom in which he owned a 45 percent stake in through a family trust. Baboom, pitched as a way for musicians to get their tunes in the hands of fans through digital downloads and streaming while still getting paid, won’t launch publically until early 2015 but apparently the company has already suffered some setbacks due to its association with Dotcom. As such, Dotcom and Baboom have decided to part ways. The decision appears to be amicable – at least on the surface – with Dotcom posting on Twitter that he was holding the company back and they’ll do better without him. He added that the music industry hates him (probably an accurate assumption at this point) and wished Baboom the best of luck. Solidifying the split, Dotcom sold his 45 percent stake in the company although terms of the deal weren’t made public. While not directly taking a jab at Dotcom, it’s clear that Baboom is more than eager to distance itself from Dotcom. Baboom CEO Grant Edmundson said the transaction means Dotcom no longer has any equity or role in Baboom, nor any relationship with the company. Edmundson added that Dotcom is moving on to focus on other projects and both camps wish each other well with future plans.

Google missed out on the first wave of mobile messaging apps, an outcome it doesn’t intend to repeat. The search giant is reportedly in the early stages of developing a messaging app aimed at competing with popular apps like Hike, Line and WhatsApp. The Mountain View-based company is said to have sent top product manager Nikhyl Singhal to India last month on a reconnaissance mission to gauge the state of the mobile messaging market. According to a report from The Economic Times, Google is looking to test its app in India and other emerging markets with a launch scheduled for sometime in 2015. We may never know for sure whether or not Google genuinely had any interest in WhatsApp before Facebook swooped in for the acquisition but based on this latest information, it certainly seems likely. Rumors of such a deal initially surfaced in April 2013 but were quickly dismissed by WhatsApp. Scuttlebutt nearly a year later – just after Facebook’s acquisition was made public – indicated the search giant originally offered $10 billion for the messaging app which again, was denied. If you recall, Facebook paid a whopping $19 billion for the startup this past February. Interestingly enough, the report also points out that Google’s new messenger app will not force users to sign in with their Google account credentials. This, along with the app being free, should make it more attractive to users simply interested in chatting without having to jump through hoops and pay for the opportunity.

It’s been a rough year for Samsung’s semiconductor business. The division, known as System LSI Business, has suffered huge losses as a result of Apple’s heavy reliance on rival Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) to produce the A8 SoC found in the new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. Sources familiar with the matter claim Samsung is only producing around 30 percent of Apple’s total volume with the remaining 70 percent coming directly from TSMC. Teardowns of the new iPhones lend a bit of credibility to this claim as only TSMC chips have shown up thus far. Samsung semiconductor business president Kim Ki-nam believes the bleeding won’t last too much longer as the company is preparing to begin production on 14-nanometer chips by the end of the year. According to sources, Apple already has a contract in place to have its next generation A9 mobile chip built on Samsung’s smaller manufacturing process. Chips built on the 14-nanometer FinFET process are expected to consume 35 percent less energy while offering 20 percent more processing power and taking up 15 percent less space compared to existing 20-nanometer components. Apple has systematically been reducing its reliance of Samsung over the past few years. In 2012, Apple turned to LG as its primary supplier of displays and as mentioned above, they’ve favored TSMC for production of the A8. TSMC, meanwhile, recently announced they managed to fabricate a 16-nanometer FinFET on ARM's big.LITTLE multi-core architecture.

Google's laboratory for moonshot projects like Internet-beaming balloons and self-driving cars is reportedly hard at work on creating a display that could connect to other similar screens like Legos to create a much larger, seamless image. Given its modular nature, screens could be developed in all sorts of sizes and shapes to meet different applications according to three people familiar with the plans as reported by The Wall Street Journal. The project is being led by former Massachusetts Institute of Technology processor Mary Lou Jepsen, perhaps best known for co-founding the One Laptop Per Child initiative. It appears as though she has recruited engineering veterans from Samsung and Qualcomm to work on the new project based on LinkedIn profiles. The concept of linking several smaller displays together to create a large video board has been around for years yet surprisingly, nobody has really done anything to advance the idea. Even in the home and office, the use of multiple displays isn’t uncommon but just like with larger implementations often used for advertising purposes, screen bezels are always a problem. Bezels are less visible from a distance but up close, they pretty much ruin the experience. The scope and target audience for the project is unclear at this hour as we are told the project is currently in an early stage. One of the biggest challenges is figuring out how to stitch images together across screens, both electronically and through software. One can’t help but wonder if Google X drew inspiration for its Lego-like screens from Project Ara, the modular smartphone that some believe could revolutionize how we buy and use mobile phones.

Most startups would be thrilled with the proposition of being absorbed by Google but that’s apparently not the case at Cyanogen Inc. The custom Android ROM maker recently turned down such an offer according to a report from The Information (subscription required). The publication claims Cyanogen CEO Kirt McMaster recently told shareholders he met with Google’s senior vice president Sundar Pichai who has been over the Android division since Andy Rubin stepped down in March of 2013. During the meeting, Pichai expressed interest in a full acquisition of the ROM maker. Cyanogen reportedly declined the offer, instead saying they were still growing. Exactly what Google would want to do with Cyanogen is up for debate as there are several viable outcomes currently floating around the web. Cyanogen is actively seeking a $1 billion valuation to help with its third round of funding. As Engadget points out, the company is serious about becoming the third major mobile ecosystem. It’s entirely possible that Google wanted to buy them out then shut it down before they get any larger. Whether or not that would make much sense is again up for debate when you consider Cyanogen is basically just a more open version of Android. Then again, with Cyanogen reportedly working a distribution deal with Indian consumer electronics company Micromax, such a plan certainly seems plausible. Another possible acquisition outcome could see Google absorb Cyanogen’s intellectual property, retain some of the top talent and maintain a firm grip over Android as a whole. It’s too early to know if Cyanogen’s decision to decline Google’s offer will pay off in the long run but it’ll be interesting to see how the whole thing plays out. As a consumer, more competition is always welcomed.

It appears that recent celebrity nude leaks were largely due to Apple’s lack of security with iCloud. Many believe, simple, old-school brute force hacks were used to access accounts, but now it looks like Google could be on the hook for millions over the debacle. Marty Singer, a well known Hollywood lawyer, has recently threatened the search giant with a $100 million lawsuit. Singer apparently represents dozens of celebrities whose scandalous photos were leaked, which may very well include people like Jennifer Lawrence, Rihanna and Arianna Grande, among others. In a letter to Google spotted by Page Six, Singer said the company’s “despicable, reprehensible conduct in not only failing to act expeditiously and responsibly to remove the Images, but in knowingly accommodating, facilitating and perpetuating the unlawful conduct." The lawyer claims Google’s behavior has lead to the company making millions off the images in question. Singer says despite take down requests being made up to 4 weeks ago, Google has made massive profits off videos and images being hosted on sites like Blogger and YouTube. The letter claims several requests have been sent since the first few but “Google has taken little or no action to stop these outrageous violations.” Some feel that while the claims against Google seem serious, the legal case may not be as tight as it sounds. Google, like any other internet publishing company, is partly protected from the things its users upload and share. While there may very well be some issues when it comes to the copyright law surrounding these photos, it’s hard to imagine Google specifically avoiding takedown requests for monetary reasons. It is more likely a wider legal issue pertaining to online publishing as a whole.

Finland-based Rovio Entertainment, maker of the popular Angry Birds franchise, has said it is laying off up to 130 employees, or approximately 16% of its total workforce, admitting that the number of employees had swelled based on "assumptions of faster growth than has materialized". "We announced today that we plan to simplify our organization around our three key businesses with the highest growth potential: games, media, and consumer products", said Chief executive Mikael Hed. One of the most popular game series in the world, Angry Birds has been downloaded more than 2 billion times since it launched back in 2009. However, its popularity is going down; the game currently has more than 200 million monthly active players, down from 263 million it had back in 2012. Rovio also saw its profits cut by more than 50% during the last fiscal year; the figure stood at $37 million, compared with $77 million in 2012. The company's workforce, however, grew by 300 people in 2013 to 800 employees. This compares with competitor Supercell, the four-year-old Finnish company behind the Clash of Clans franchise, which saw its revenue soar nearly nine-fold last year. The company, which is valued at over $3 billion, offers two games, and has just 132 employees. Hed, who co-founded Rovio with his cousin Niklas Hed in 2003, has already announced that he will step down by the end of the year, to be replaced by Pekka Rantala, the company's chief commercial officer, who has previously spent 14 years working at Nokia. Hed will, however, remain on the company's board, and will also take up a role as chairman of the company's animation division. The layoff news comes ahead of the launch of the company's new game: Angry Birds Transformers, which hits iOS and Android devices this month.

Facebook has issued a public apology over its real-name policy after coming under fire for locking San Francisco-area drag queens out of their accounts and requesting they use their real names instead of stage names. The social network also told these individuals to set up fan pages for their drag personas. In a post on the matter, Facebook chief product officer Chris Cox said the entire incident caught them off guard and came about when a single Facebook user reported several hundred accounts used by drag queens, drag kings, transgender people and those in the LGBT community as fake. Cox pointed out that these reports were among the several hundred thousand fake name reports they process each week, the vast majority of which are “bad actors” doing bad things like impersonation, bullying, trolling, domestic violence, hate speech and so forth. Because they receive so many requests, Facebook didn’t notice the pattern with the aforementioned accounts. As such, hundreds of members of the community that use stage names to protect their true identity were locked out of their accounts. Cox went on to explain that Facebook’s policy has never been to require people to use their legal name but rather, the authentic name they use in real life and until recently, it’s never been a problem. He said that Facebook believes this is the right policy for the social network because it differentiates the service from the rest of the Internet where the use of pseudonyms is the norm. As a result of this event, Cox said they’ve realized there is a lot of room for improvement in the reporting and enforcement mechanisms as well as the customer service for anyone who’s affected. Facebook is already working on a fix that’ll help authenticate the real people and keep the so-called bad actors out.

No matter how big or small, the Internet loves a controversy. Apple’s iPhone 6 Plus was the center of last month’s “bendgate” and it looks as though Samsung may be next up at bat. Initial reports out of Korea suggest the Galaxy Note 4 may suffer from a quality control issue resulting in excessive gaps between the edge of the phone’s screen and its chassis. Photos of the purported “gapgate” show business cards stuffed in the gaps – both at the top and on the sides of the screen. As it turns out, Samsung is well aware of the gap which, according to them, isn’t an “issue” but part of the overall design. Buried deep in the Note 4’s instruction manual (page 180 under the ‘troubleshooting’ section) is a reference to the gap around the screen. It states that the gap is a necessary manufacturing feature and some minor rocking or vibration of parts may occur. The manual also points out that over time, friction between parts may cause this gap to expand slightly. The latter statement could be interpreted in one of two ways. If read word-for-word, it suggests parts will rub together over time which will make them smaller and increase the gap. Another interpretation (which seems more likely to me) is that the gaps are there for when parts heat up and expand under regular use, similar to why sidewalks have gaps in them (albeit that’s mostly for ice expanding, but it’s the same principle). All things considered, it’s still a bit too early to put the issue to bed. How widespread is the gap? Does it affect just a few handsets or is it noticeable on every unit? Is the gap large enough that hair, dirt or other debris could get trapped inside? I suspect it’ll likely be a non-issue but we won’t know for sure until the handset launches in the US starting October 17.

Nearly a year after bringing the feature to its iOS app, TiVo has finally added streaming capabilities to its Android app. This means that you can now stream recorded as well as live shows to your Android smartphones and tablets. The app can connect to both Wi-Fi as well as cellular networks, compared to the iOS version which is Wi-Fi only. “We’ve effectively been serving half the market in this context with iOS functionality”, said Jim Denney, TiVo’s vice president of product marketing. The app enables you to discover and interact with recorded and live television from over-the-air antenna broadcasts or cable TV, as well as from Internet-based services such as Netflix, Hulu Plus, and Amazon Instant Video. That said, not all recorded content can be streamed or downloaded to a mobile device due to restrictions imposed by the content owner. For example, copy-protected content, like recorded HBO shows and movies, won’t be available on the go. The TiVo Android app can display information on both the cast and the crew for whatever you're watching on TV. Also, If you are watching content on your Android device and want to switch to your TV, a simple tap on the app will switch the stream from the mobile device to the big screen. The app is now available on Google Play, and is also scheduled to be available soon at the Amazon App Store. It is compatible with any mobile device running Android 4.1 or above with a non-Intel or AMD chipset.

Four hackers have been charged with breaching the computer networks of major technology companies and the US Army, and stealing more than $100 million in intellectual property, the US Department of Justice revealed yesterday. According to court records, from January 2011 to March 2014, the four men allegedly hacked into the computer networks of Microsoft, Epic Games, Valve Corporation, Zombie Studios, and the US Army, stealing unreleased software, software source code, trade secrets, copyrighted and pre-release works, and other confidential and proprietary information. The alleged cyber theft included software and data related to Microsoft's Xbox One gaming console and Xbox Live online gaming system, pre-release copies of popular video games such as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and Gears of War 3, as well as Apache helicopter training software. The DoJ claimed the technology was worth between $100 million and $200 million. Part of the group called Xbox Underground, the four allegedly used SQL injection attacks and stolen usernames and passwords of company employees and their software development partners to break into the targeted companies' networks. Nathan Leroux, 20, of Bowie, Maryland; Sanadodeh Nesheiwat, 28, of Washington, New Jersey; David Pokora, 22, of Mississauga, Ontario, Canada; and Austin Alcala, 18, of McCordsville, Indiana, were charged on 18 counts by a federal grand jury in the District of Delaware on April 23, 2014. The charges include conspiracies to commit computer fraud, copyright infringement, wire fraud, mail fraud, identity theft, and theft of trade secrets, as well as individual counts of aggravated identity theft, unauthorized computer access, copyright infringement, and wire fraud. Pokora and Nesheiwat have already pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit computer fraud and copyright infringement, and are scheduled for sentencing in January. Both face up to five years in prison. “These were extremely sophisticated hackers ... Don’t be fooled by their ages”, said assistant US attorney Ed McAndrew after a court hearing yesterday.

Google has announced that it is increasing the maximum bounty for finding bugs in Chrome from $5,000 to $15,000. The lower end of the reward pricing range, however, remains unchanged at $500. It's quite clear from the breakdown shown below that the search giant will pay more when researchers provide a reliable exploit that demonstrates that the bug reported can be easily, actively and reliably used against Chrome users. Researchers now have an option to submit the vulnerability report first and follow up with an exploit later. Google believes this will turn into a win-win situation for both security and researchers. "We get to patch bugs earlier and our contributors get to lay claim to the bugs sooner, lowering the chances of submitting a duplicate report", the Mountain View, California-based company said. Although Google has clearly set the reward amounts, the company said it will pay even more for "particularly great reports". For example, last month, the company awarded $30,000 to a researcher who reported a combination of bugs that could have allowed attackers to perform remote code execution outside of Chrome's protective sandbox system. In addition, Google announced that Chrome reward recipients will now be listed in the company's Hall of Fame, a public record of successful submissions, and that it will back-pay valid submissions from July 1, 2014 at the new reward levels. Bug bounty programs have proven really effective for companies, who pay researchers for their hard work without hiring them as full-time employees. Launched back in 2010, the Chrome bug bounty program has paid out over $1.25 million to researchers, who have helped Google squash more than 700 security bugs.

Samsung has updated its line of monitors with a new 27-inch curved LED display. Dubbed SD590C, the device features a resolution of 1920 x 1080, aspect ratio of 16:9, curvature of 4000R, and 178-degree extra-wide viewing angle. It is priced at $429.99, and will be available beginning tomorrow. Samsung says the SD590C is the result of extensive research it conducted on the human eye to determine the optimal monitor curve radius. The monitor's edges are physically closer to the user’s eyes and match their natural curve, so they don’t need to shift focus to see the edges of the screen, the firm says. The display, which sits on a curved T-shape stand, has a maximum brightness of 350cd/m2, gray-to-gray response rate of 4ms, and a maximum refresh rate of 60Hz. It also features a 5-watt 2-channel dual stereo speaker system, as well as HDMI, Display Port, and D-sub inputs. The monitor includes a Game Mode, which according to the company, intelligently detects changes in scenes, enhances the color, and alters the screen’s contrast to make the darks darker and the lights lighter, allowing users to see "all the action at all times, even in the darkest scenes". There's also a Game Boost feature that enhances audio by making important game noises, for example, car noises in a driving game, explosions in an action game, or character sounds in a role playing game, distinctly audible. “The SD590C represents that vision, with a curved design that was carefully engineered to draw you into the display and truly make you feel a part of the content", said Ron Gazzola, vice president of marketing at Samsung Electronics America.

Forget about Windows 9, that would have been Microsoft's next OS under Steve Ballmer. The company is taking a more radical approach with its most treasured product. Under Satya Nadella, the next version of Windows will run across devices, be it smartphones, tablets or laptops, TVs, and of course on desktops, and in the enterprise. Say hello to Windows 10. Microsoft hosted a Windows event in San Francisco that was meant to focus mostly on the enterprise side, but it actually grabbed headlines for the new name and direction the company is taking with their flagship operating system. Initially it was hinted that business folks would be the first to take a peek at Windows 10, the upcoming OS will provide a 'novel' way to separate corporate from personal information, it will be backwards compatible with enterprise tools, and provide a configurable Windows Store. However, by the end of the event it was all about enthusiasts and developers. A Technical Preview will be released tomorrow. Joe Belfiore, VP of the Operating Systems group, showed off Windows 10 desktop improvements, including the return of the Start Menu. When referring to the failed transition of Windows 8's Modern UI and how it handled the desktop, he said: "We don't want that duality, we want users on PCs with mice and keyboards to have their familiar UI." The new Start menu is customizable, marrying some of the legacy Start capabilities with Modern UI tiles, not unlike what we've seen from the several Windows 8 Start menu replacements, but of course, this time it will run natively. An improved universal search (local, cloud and web) that lives within the Start menu is getting hyped up, however given the gripes we've had with Windows' search capabilities, even in Windows 8.1, we'll believe it when we see it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=84NI5fjTfpQ Modern UI apps designed for touch now work windowed in the desktop, and will be compatible with a mouse and keyboard. The intent is that if you write one app for Windows 10 it will work across mobile or desktop devices, or in hybrids like the Microsoft Surface. There's a new multi-tasking button in the taskbar called "Task view" that gives an overall view of all running applications and virtual desktops, similar to Expose in OS X. The addition is certainly welcome, but it's too bad it has to wait a full year until it arrives. Microsoft is touting "Continuum" which is their way to say Windows will adapt, showing or hiding features depending if you are on a touch device or using the mouse. The Charms bar is still there in the preview, but it sorts of dissappears for desktop users and will receive improvements for touch users before release. Windows' snap capabilities have also received a marked improvement, you can now select up to four applications and arrange them in a 2x2 grid. When you snap a window on the side, the OS will move other apps so they are not hidden behind and will suggest if you want to snap a second or third application. Looks like a breeze to work with (see it in action in the video above). Windows 10 Technical Preview is slated to roll out tomorrow and it will be open to everyone, first targeting laptop and desktop users, with a build aimed at servers shortly thereafter. The Windows Insider Program website is where you need to go to grab it (tomorrow!) though Microsoft warns that this will be a very early build. Windows 10 has received a "later in 2015" release date. More consumer-facing features won't be shown officially until next year's Build conference in April, which hints we are still a year away from Windows 10's final release.

During a recent chat at the Linaro Connect Conference, Project Ara director Paul Eremenko revealed quite a bit of news on the status of the modular smartphone concept. The team still plans to have a fully functional prototype ready to showcase at the next Ara developer conference by the end of the year. What’s more, Project Ara is still on target for an early 2015 launch but it’s another snippet of news that has everyone excited today. According to Eremenko, the platform will run a modified version of Android L that’s being developed in collaboration with Linaro. This custom software will allow users to swap out modules (except for the CPU and display) without having to turn the phone off. Eremenko also confirmed the modules will be sold through an online store much like the Play Store. Hot-swappable modules could be a key feature in terms of marketing as it would allow friends and family to share modules without having to power down their devices. Employees could swap modules when arriving at work for job-specific tasks then remove them at the end of the day, photo enthusiasts could swap lenses for different shooting environments and so on. The possibilities really are limitless here. Project Ara is shaping up quite nicely and although it’s far too early to know if it’ll revolutionize the way we buy and use smartphones today, there’s no doubt that the potential is there. Let’s just keep our fingers crossed that the platform is affordable to most when it arrives.

Adding to Apple's iOS 8 woes, a bug in the operating system's Reset All Settings option is causing documents stored in the new iCloud Drive to be permanently deleted, according to a MacRumors report. The problem, which affects iOS users as well as Yosemite developers and beta testers, raises its ugly head when users select the aforementioned option from the Reset menu in the Settings app. The Reset All Settings option, which is meant to reset settings and preferences, clearly says that "No data or media will be deleted", but MacRumors says it has confirmed the option is also deleting files. The issue came to light when MacRumors forum member Chris Newbold performed the reset on his iPad and found his iWork documents deleted (both locally and from the cloud). However, the report notes that the bug is limited to Apple's own iWork apps like Pages, Keynote, and Numbers, and doesn't affect iCloud Drive files from other third-party apps. Although Apple is yet to comment on the issue, we strongly recommend that you either back up your iCloud Drive documents before performing the Reset All Settings operation, or better, avoid the operation entirely until a fix comes out. Introduced with iOS 8 and OS X Yosemite, iCloud Drive is Apple's cloud-based storage service that lets you sync files across devices running iOS and Mac OS X, and to other platforms through iCloud apps. The service, which was first introduced during the company's annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June, is expected to be fully functional next month, after OS X Yosemite is released.

It’s one thing to have your personal notebook filled with family photos, music and movies come up missing. It’s a different beast entirely when that missing notebook contains business information, trade secrets or the login credentials of your employer. In those instances, it’d be great to have a self-destructing hard drive akin to something out of a James Bond movie. As it turns out, that technology already exists and it comes from a company called SecureDrives. The company lists four different solid state drive models that offer up a mixture of 256-bit AES CBC hardware encryption, two-factor authentication, GSM command over encryption key flipping and physical fracturing of the NAND flash storage. There are a few different instances where the drive will trigger its self-destruct mechanism. For example, trying to physically open the drive (it’s sealed during the production process) will initiate physical fracturing. What’s more, user’s can configure the drive to destruct if removed from your system’s SATAII connector, self-destruct when the internal battery runs completely empty (some may think a dead battery would disable security features) and even remotely kill the drive via SMS sent from any phone. I suspect these drives won’t be cheap but if data security is your top priority, they certainly seem capable of the job. Just don’t accidentally trigger the self-destruct mode as there’s absolutely no way to recover your data once the deed has been done.

Apple has announced that its new iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus smartphones will launch in China on Friday, October 17. Besides the company's online and retail stores, the devices will also be available at China Mobile, China Telecom, and China Unicom stores. Customers can pre-order the new iPhones from the Apple Online Store beginning Friday, October 10. “We are thrilled to bring iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus to our customers in China on all three carriers at launch”, said Apple’s CEO Tim Cook. “With support for TD-LTE and FDD-LTE, iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus customers will have access to high-speed mobile networks from China Mobile, China Telecom and China Unicom for an incredible experience”. The 4.7-inch iPhone 6 is priced at 5,288 RMB ($860) for the 16GB model, 6,088 RMB ($990) for the 64GB model, and 6,888 RMB ($1120) for the 128GB model, while the 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus is priced at 6,088 RMB ($990), 6,888 RMB ($1120), and 7,788 RMB ($1264) for the 16, 64, and 128GB models. Both the iPhones will be available in gold, silver, and space gray colors. The announcement comes after Apple received approval from Chinese regulators who scrutinized the devices for potential security risks. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) issued the network access licenses, which is the final step in the approval process, after Apple addressed the privacy issues found in a government agency's safety test. Both the iPhone 6 and the iPhone 6 Plus went on sale in the US on September 19. Three days later, Apple revealed that it sold more than 10 million iPhones in its opening weekend, surpassing the previous record of nine million with the launch of last year’s iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c.

Google is continuing its attempted takeover of the classroom. Just this past Summer the company launched an online education tool for teachers called Classroom, allowing for online class management, among other things. Now, Google is launching an updated version of Google Drive for education. “Today we’re announcing Drive for Education, an infinitely large, ultra-secure and entirely free bookbag for the 21st century,” said Ben Schrom from Google Apps for Education. The new Google Drive offers free, unlimited storage (with a massive 5TB file size limit) for students and teachers as well as Google Vault access for archiving. There will also be an auditing system describes as the company’s “solution for search and discovery for compliance needs” made available by the end of this year. It appears the system works similar to the company’s Drive for Work corporate solution, meaning only students and educators that attend or work at institutions that are registered with Google Apps for Education have access. However, unlike Drive or Work which starts at $10 a month, its educational counterpart is available for free with no ads to all non-profit education organizations. It will be a few weeks before the 30 million students and teachers involved in the program will see the current 30GB cap lifted on the Drive education accounts. While 30GB is likely plenty for most students, Google seems to be attempting to lock youngsters in to its online platform earlier on. The company says it will be rolling out the new features one at a time, so once everyone is set up with the free storage, the Vault access and other things will get added into the mix.

Chromebooks are great for basic Internet tasks like web browsing, social networking and sending / receiving e-mail but the one major drawback to the Windows alternative is they can’t run true desktop-class software. It’s a valid argument but one that apparently won’t stick forever as Adobe and Google are aiming to improve Chromebooks’ image (no pun intended) by bringing Adobe’s Creative Cloud software to the search giant’s budget-friendly platform. There are a few caveats to take note of, however. For starters, the offering will initially be limited to a streaming version of Photoshop. Due to the streaming nature of the application, files are saved / opened / etc. from a user’s Google Drive rather than locally. Adobe has a full list of features that aren’t included in the streaming version that can be found by clicking here. What’s more, Adobe is limiting access to US-based Adobe education customers with a paid Creative Cloud membership from the get-go. The good news is that since it’s a streaming version of Photoshop, it runs straight from the cloud to your Chromebook and is always up to date. Google also touts the fact that there is no long client installation so it’ll be a breeze to deploy to a company’s Chromebook fleet. In addition to being able to access Photoshop from a Chromebook, users will also be able to access it from any Windows device with a Chrome web browser. While there are some limitations, it’s better than the alternative of nothing at all. Interested parties that meet the above criteria are invited to head over to Adobe’s website to apply for access.

While we have seen invisibility cloaking technology in the past, in many cases the tech required expensive, hard-to-find and advanced materials. Not only have these special products made cloaking technology extremely costly, they don’t tend to work as well as you would hope and tend to suffer from a number of limitations including mobility and viewing angle. However, researchers from the University of Rochester are currently prototyping and developing cloaking tech that is seemingly much more practical in its construction. Outside of some very intelligent math, the cloak requires little more than regularly available lenses. By positioning two pairs of lenses just right, the team has figured out how to reflect the light passing through in such a way that anything placed in between appears invisible. The particular lens arrangement can be scaled up to a much larger application than seen in the images and provides reliable cloaking at viewing angles up to 15 degrees. The team says, as far it knows, this is the only device that can do “three dimensional, continuous multi-directional cloaking.” It certainly isn’t going to to bring mobile cloaking in terms of something someone could wear, as it requires the subject to be completely on axis (the same level) with the lenses. However, the team sees a number of much more practical applications the technology could be used for. The researchers suggest lens cloaking tech of this nature could help to eliminate blind spots for drivers on the road or even allow surgeons to see through their own hands during tricky and delicate procedures. It is important to note, this tech is still a ways out and likely won’t see real world application for sometime, but it sounds as though it could eventually offer up some very useful conveniences. You can see more in the demonstration video below: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=vtKBzwKfP8E

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates is once again the richest person in America. Gates sits atop Forbes’ list of the 400 wealthiest Americans with a total net worth of $81.2 billion – roughly $13.4 billion more than the next richest American on the list, Warren Buffett. The fact that Gates has retained such wealth is telling when you consider he’s donated nearly a third of his money – $30 billion – to charity through the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. That much money on its own would be the 16th most in the US. Interestingly enough, the Microsoft co-founder added $9 billion to his net worth in the last year alone. As Forbes points out, the gain was partly due to a sharp rise in shares at Microsoft. Adding to that is the fact that Gates has enjoyed solid returns on his investments in Canadian National Railway and trash company Republic Services. It may also come as a surprise to some that Gates owns a significant amount of stock in tractor maker Deere & Co. and South American McDonald’s franchise Arcos Dorados. If nothing else, Gates’ fortune should serve as an example of how to invest – don’t keep all of your eggs in one basket. By that, I mean diversity is key to a successful portfolio. If Gates had his entire fortune tied up in Microsoft stock, he’d be doing really well right now. But on the flip side, Microsoft (just like any other company) could tank at any time and if that happened, he’d be looking at a significant loss. Rounding out the top five is businessman and investor Warren Buffet with a net worth of $67.8 billion, Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison at $48.1 billion and businessmen Charles and David Koch at $42.9 billion each.

Back in June of this year, the European Commission began an investigation into the infamous tax arrangement Apple has with the Irish government. The findings from that investigation are apparently ready for prime time, and could be released as early as today. The Commission suspects the deal between Apple and the Irish government could fall into the area of illegal state-aid. As you likely imagined, Apple has yet to speak up on the matter but has previously gone under Senate sub-committee questioning regarding the tax deal. The Irish government, on the other hand, has spoken. It remains firm in its position, stating its confident the Apple deal in no way goes against state-aid tax rules. In fact, the Irish claim to have already formally responded to the Commission hoping to address the issues at hand. Ireland has always headquartered Apple’s international operation, likely due to extreme tax breaks the company receives. Apple pays less than 2% tax in Ireland, according to reports, which obviously doesn’t sit with the Commission very well. While Apple has always denied the allegations put against it, the company could have more than 20 years worth of unlawful tax breaks to deal with. According to reports, if Apple is proven to have received special treatment, it could result in billions of euros in fines.