Manipulative User Research Earns Facebook a Shiner

Once again, Facebook is embroiled in a controversy over privacy. This time, hackles have been raised by publication of a study for which the company manipulated the News Feeds of nearly 700,000 subscribers. The study concluded that, yes, negative messages on social networks make people sad, and positive ones make them happy -- and those feelings can spread through a social network to third parties. Led by Adam Kramer of Facebook's Core Data Science team, the study was published in PNAS.

Linux Mint 17: Fresh and Long-Lasting

Linux Mint 17, dubbed "Qiana," is one of the best releases from this community since Linux Mint 13 arrived in 2012 with the Cinnamon desktop. Qiana is filled with extensive improvements and embellishments to all five desktop editions. It is available in Cinnamon, Xfce, KDE, Mate and LMDE. Regardless of which desktop you favor, the core improvements are well worth the upgrade. They include improvements to the Update and Drivers managers, retooled Login and Welcome screens, and improvements to system, artwork and main components.

In 'The Internet's Own Boy,' the Good Guy Doesn't Win

The Internet's Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz, a documentary directed and produced by Brian Knappenberger, is opening at theaters and online this weekend -- and re-opening wounds about the subject and his suicide. It is also serving as a reminder that often the good guy doesn't win, said tech analyst Rob Enderle. "I hope that is the biggest takeaway people watching this movie have," he added. "If you are going to fight this fight, be aware it will get really ugly."

The Big Winners at Google I/O 2014

At last week's Google I/O, Nvidia was the big winner. It was showcased in TVs, mobile devices and automotive as the supplier of a key technology. Other brands were mentioned in the keynote, but it was Nvidia that was mentioned most consistently -- and its technology apparently was connected to most of the demos. In the gaming segment, Nvidia even figured in the talk preamble, which spoke to how mobile technology was starting to rival PC platforms. Though it was mentioned only in passing, Lenovo actually was the other big winner.

Facebook, NY DA Lock Horns Over User Data Warrants

Facebook, not known for respecting users' privacy, is battling a New York County district attorney's demand for all information pertaining to the accounts of several hundred of its subscribers. DA Cyrus Vance's office issued 381 secret warrants for the information in July of 2013 in a hunt for retired police officers and firefighters wrongfully claiming Social Security disability benefits for their involvement in 9/11. New York State Supreme Court Judge Melissa Jackson ruled that Facebook did not have standing to dispute the warrants.

Google's GAL Makes Glowing I/O Debut

One of the many notable things to come out of Google's I/O conference this week was the announcement that 40 new auto industry companies representing 25 brands had joined the Open Automotive Alliance, which Google formed earlier this year. Google also unveiled Google Automotive Link, or GAL, which works like Apple's Carplay, along with an Android Auto software development kit, including application programming interfaces for audio and messaging for GAL. The full SDK will be available later this year with Android L.

In 'The Internet's Own Boy,' the Good Guy Doesn't Win

The Internet's Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz, a documentary directed and produced by Brian Knappenberger, is opening at theaters and online this weekend -- and re-opening wounds about the subject and his suicide. It is also serving as a reminder that often the good guy doesn't win, said tech analyst Rob Enderle. "I hope that is the biggest takeaway people watching this movie have," he added. "If you are going to fight this fight, be aware it will get really ugly."

Facebook, NY DA Lock Horns Over User Data Warrants

Facebook, not known for respecting users' privacy, is battling a New York County district attorney's demand for all information pertaining to the accounts of several hundred of its subscribers. DA Cyrus Vance's office issued 381 secret warrants for the information in July of 2013 in a hunt for retired police officers and firefighters wrongfully claiming Social Security disability benefits for their involvement in 9/11. New York State Supreme Court Judge Melissa Jackson ruled that Facebook did not have standing to dispute the warrants.

Google's GAL Makes Glowing I/O Debut

One of the many notable things to come out of Google's I/O conference this week was the announcement that 40 new auto industry companies representing 25 brands had joined the Open Automotive Alliance, which Google formed earlier this year. Google also unveiled Google Automotive Link, or GAL, which works like Apple's Carplay, along with an Android Auto software development kit, including application programming interfaces for audio and messaging for GAL. The full SDK will be available later this year with Android L.

Apple Updates Final Cut Pro X, Motion, Compressor and MainStage Pro Apps

In what is surely a release timed (at least partially) to reassure pro users that they are still paying attention to them, Apple has released updates to its Final Cut Pro X, Motion, Compressor and MainStage apps. Earlier today, Apple announced that it was discontinuing Aperture, its pro photo editing app, in favor of the Photos app in the upcoming OS X Yosemite release. As a part of the apps… Read More

Apple To Cease Development Of Aperture And Transition Users To Photos For OS X

With the release of OS X Yosemite later this year, Apple will cease the development of its ‘pro’ photo editing app Aperture. Users of that program will be transitioned to Photos, a new app that was introduced during the WWDC keynote. Photos integrates many of the advanced photo editing features that were previously found in Aperture and will replace iPhoto on the new OS X as… Read More

The Next iPhone Is a Naming Catastrophe Waiting to Happen

I can't help but wonder how the heck Apple is going to name its new iPhone lineup when it debuts this fall. Make no mistake, the naming scheme is due for a change. Last year, the shakeup was two form factors that introduced the plastic body of the iPhone 5c with the clear flagship iPhone 5s model. With the next iPhone, the top-of-line iPhone model won't be clear to consumers at all. As it turned out, last year's sales showed that the majority of Apple's consumers made a beeline for Apple's best iPhone at the time, the iPhone 5s.

Google Worms Its Way Into Nest

Google-owned Nest Labs, maker of smart thermostats and smoke detectors, this week launched a developer program along with partnerships that already have products on offer. Partners include Jawbone; LIFX, which makes smart WiFi-enabled light bulbs; Logitech; and Mercedes-Benz, which will offer models that allow owners to remotely control the Nest device. Nest also plans to integrate its products with Google Now, so users can control their thermostats using voice commands on Android devices.

No Cellphone Search Without Warrant, Supreme Court Rules

Police need a warrant to search the cellphone contents of people they have arrested, the United States Supreme Court ruled Wednesday. Warrantless searches, in essence, would impact privacy to a far greater extent than is acceptable. The ruling also applies to individuals stopped for questioning by the authorities, said Jake LaPerruque, the Fellow on Privacy, Surveillance, and Security at the Center for Democracy and Technology. "The Supreme Court properly recognized that digital information is fundamentally different."

'Lifelike' New Robots Deliver News, Chat You Up

Two humanoid robots on Wednesday made their debut as part of a new exhibit at Japan's National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation, or Miraikan. The newly unveiled Kodomoroid -- a child android -- and Otonaroid, an adult female android, are designed to fill human roles as the world's first android announcer and as the Miraikan's android science communicator, respectively. Along with Telenoid -- a minimalistic humanlike robot introduced in 2010 -- the two are part of a new exhibition at the museum entitled, "Android: What is Human?"

Cruise RP-1 Kit Transforms Regular Audis Into Driverless Cars

Cruise aims to spark a revolution among autopilot technology with a $10,000 accessory that consumers can use to create a self-driving car, of sorts. At the heart of the Cruise RP-1 system is a sensor pod that gets mounted on the roof of a car. It utilizes cameras, data and radar to analyze the vehicle's surroundings. With that information, it can make changes in steering to keep a driver within lane boundaries, monitor nearby vehicles or other obstacles, and move or brake to avoid a collision.

Google I/O Offers Devs Big Bonanza

Google on Wednesday announced a plethora of opportunities for developers at its I/O conference. The upcoming version of Android, currently known as "L," will have 5,000 new apps. Android L offers a new design language consistent across Android, desktops, tablets and the Web. It will enable smooth animations for screens, apps and platforms, as well as seamless transitions among notebooks, smartphones, tablets, TV screens and automobile dashboard screens. "It's all about developing the ecosystem," said tech analyst Ronald Gruia.

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Hands On With Google’s Incredibly Clever Cardboard Virtual Reality Headset

Each year at I/O, Google gives all of the developers in the audience a gift. Some years it’s a tablet. Some years it’s a laptop. This year? It was a piece of cardboard. Yeah, yeah, they gave attendees some other stuff, too — but that cardboard! It’s amazing, and I’ve got an extra one to give away. Read More

Nokia X2 Mixes and Matches Android Apps, Windows Phone Services

Microsoft on Tuesday announced the launch of the Nokia X2, the first device to come out in Nokia's Android-based X line since Microsoft acquired the company earlier this year. The Nokia X series targets emerging markets with a low-cost family of smartphones offering access to Android apps and Microsoft services. However, the new Nokia X2 offers an enhanced experience, with more Microsoft services, an updated Fastlane feature, and upgraded specifications including a 4.3-inch ClearBlack display and 5-MP rear camera with autofocus and flash.

All Things Appy: Top 5 iOS Utilities and Tools

While Apple's mobile operating system does hold users' hands when it comes to device management more so than competitor Android, there are additional steps you can take to optimize your iOS device. Free third-party utilities are available in app form to beef up battery management, cloud storage and camera backup, as well as to find lost phones, among other things. Our No. 1 choice, Battery Doctor HD, is one of the most popular battery management tools available in the iTunes store, and it looks fabulous with its elegant and sophisticated graphic design.

To Pay or Not to Pay - That's the Ransomware Question

Ransomware is a growing problem for consumers and businesses. In Symantec's most recent quarterly security report, the company's researchers found all targeted attacks -- including ransomware -- grew 91 percent year-over-year. That's raising a big question for those targeted by cyberextortionists: Should the ransom be paid? Security experts generally say no, but some insert a caveat or two. "It's easy to say you shouldn't pay the ransom, but you may have to do it to save your business," said Troy Gill, a senior security analyst with AppRiver.

Cruise RP-1 Kit Transforms Regular Audis Into Driverless Cars

Cruise aims to spark a revolution among autopilot technology with a $10,000 accessory that consumers can use to create a self-driving car, of sorts. At the heart of the Cruise RP-1 system is a sensor pod that gets mounted on the roof of a car. It utilizes cameras, data and radar to analyze the vehicle's surroundings. With that information, it can make changes in steering to keep a driver within lane boundaries, monitor nearby vehicles or other obstacles, and move or brake to avoid a collision.

Somewhere Releases iPhone App For Sharing Your Work (Not Your Life)

Somewhere.com, which bills itself as a sort of pinterest for sharing your work (not your favorite knitting patterns), has now launched the iPhone app to accompany the site we covered in January. Somewhere’s pitch is that many people think visually and most social platforms (unlike perhaps Pinterest) don’t work that way. And that’s a missing link in business social platforms. Read More

RainBird Opens Beta To Build Knowledge Base Platform

A startup with an intriguing API product has raised a small seed round of £330,000. RainBird is an API platform lets developers build knowledge bases or publish web sites based on those knowledge bases. The founders say it works ‘a bit like GitHub is with source code repositories’. If you don’t want to pay for it, you are adding knowledge into the RainBird community for… Read More

All Things Appy: Top 5 iOS Utilities and Tools

While Apple's mobile operating system does hold users' hands when it comes to device management more so than competitor Android, there are additional steps you can take to optimize your iOS device. Free third-party utilities are available in app form to beef up battery management, cloud storage and camera backup, as well as to find lost phones, among other things. Our No. 1 choice, Battery Doctor HD, is one of the most popular battery management tools available in the iTunes store, and it looks fabulous with its elegant and sophisticated graphic design.

Jenn Allen Retracts Michael Arrington Rape Accusations

TechCrunch founder Michael Arrington has reached a settlement agreement with Jenn Allen. He’s posted a copy of the agreement on his site Uncrunched, and it says that “Allen retracts, and expresses her regret for making, the Statements.” Apparently that covers a number of statements Allen made accusing Arrington of abusing and raping her. Arrington, meanwhile, has dropped… Read More

Heartbleed Flaw Goes Unpatched on 300K Servers: Report

Two months after the Heartbleed vulnerability sent frissons of fear down the spines of IT managers everywhere, 300,000 servers still remain vulnerable, Errata Security said. When the flaw was announced in April, Errata found 600,000 servers vulnerable. "The norm is to do no patches at all for some systems, no matter how easy it is to patch," said Errata CEO Robert Graham. "If they're retirement management systems, [being left unpatched] won't be a problem, but if they're on a power grid, there is a problem."

To Pay or Not to Pay - That's the Ransomware Question

Ransomware is a growing problem for consumers and businesses. In Symantec's most recent quarterly security report, the company's researchers found all targeted attacks -- including ransomware -- grew 91 percent year-over-year. That's raising a big question for those targeted by cyberextortionists: Should the ransom be paid? Security experts generally say no, but some insert a caveat or two. "It's easy to say you shouldn't pay the ransom, but you may have to do it to save your business," said Troy Gill, a senior security analyst with AppRiver.

AirBnB Tests Group Travel Partnerships With London’s Citysocializer

AirBnB has signed what appears to be a new deal to offer ‘social group travel experiences’ to independent travellers. It’s partnered with citysocializer, and app and web platform which, like Meetup, helps organise real-world social events for new groups of people in cities, by charging a monthly fee. The partnership appears to feed into the initiative AirBnB is testing out… Read More

All Things Appy: Top 5 iOS Utilities and Tools

While Apple's mobile operating system does hold users' hands when it comes to device management more so than competitor Android, there are additional steps you can take to optimize your iOS device. Free third-party utilities are available in app form to beef up battery management, cloud storage and camera backup, as well as to find lost phones, among other things. Our No. 1 choice, Battery Doctor HD, is one of the most popular battery management tools available in the iTunes store, and it looks fabulous with its elegant and sophisticated graphic design.

Heartbleed Flaw Goes Unpatched on 300K Servers: Report

Two months after the Heartbleed vulnerability sent frissons of fear down the spines of IT managers everywhere, 300,000 servers still remain vulnerable, Errata Security said. When the flaw was announced in April, Errata found 600,000 servers vulnerable. "The norm is to do no patches at all for some systems, no matter how easy it is to patch," said Errata CEO Robert Graham. "If they're retirement management systems, [being left unpatched] won't be a problem, but if they're on a power grid, there is a problem."

Tide Turns in Favor of Crime-Fighting Smartphone Kill Switches

In the wake of overwhelming evidence that the kill switch Apple introduced in iOS 7 last year has reduced iPhone thefts, Google and Microsoft have agreed to follow suit. SF District Attorney George Gascon and NY Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, who have spearheaded the battle to implement smartphone kill switches, last week announced that the next versions of Android and Windows Phone will include a kill switch. Crimes related to iPhones -- robberies, muggings and theft, often violent -- were reaching epidemic proportions.

Should Everyone Learn to Code?

So the dog days of summer are upon us once again here in the northern reaches of the Linux blogosphere, and for countless young people out there, that means it's time for camp. Some, of course, will take this time to pursue their sweaty fun in the great out-of-doors alongside our friends the ticks and mosquitoes. Linux Girl wishes those hearty souls well from the chilly confines of her arctic lair. Many others will go to code camp instead, and learn skills that will last them a lifetime.

Apple Gets Ready to Tell Consumers Why They Want a Smartwatch

Apple reportedly is preparing to ship multiple versions of a smartwatch this coming fall, as competition increases in the wearable technology space. Its long-rumored smartwatch reportedly will be available in multiple screen sizes and will include more than 10 sensors that will allow it to track the wearer's health and fitness metrics, among other information. Apple wants to address the notion that smartwatches currently on the market do not provide significant additional functionality beyond what a smartphone can do, it seems.

How Amazon's Fire Phone Will Beat the iPhone in 3 Years

Amazon launched its rather impressive Fire Phone last week, and it has a number of things that make it interesting -- but just as the iPhone improved massively by the third version, I expect this phone will as well, as a result of users providing feedback on what they want. Ironically, if the iPhone fails against the Fire Phone, it will be because Jeff Bezos is executing Steve Jobs' old strategy of focusing on building a great experience, while Tim Cook shifts Apple to price competition, as a result of his battles with Google and Samsung.

Intel (?) Gets Chat-Appy With Mood-Mimicking Avatars

Best known for its computer chips, Intel has ventured into new territory with Pocket Avatars, a mobile messaging app that uses animated icons to mimic users' facial expressions. Now available for both Android and iOS, the free app can be used to create, send and receive personalized 3D video animated messages designed to convey emotions and mood. It uses a mobile device's standard camera and microphone to capture a user's facial expressions, head movements and voice, recreating them in cartoon-like characters.

Lego Fuses Physical and Virtual Gameplay

Lego fans are about to experience a new way to play with their favorite plastic bricks, both in the physical and virtual worlds. The company's line of Fusion playsets will become available in August. The sets combine traditional brick construction play with video games. The goal is to allow people -- especially children -- to engage with Legos both physically and virtually. Each Fusion playset includes a distinct set of Lego bricks, a free downloadable app for smartphones and tablets, and what Lego calls the "Fusion capture plate."

CrunchWeek: Amazon’s Fire Phone, Facebook’s Slingshot, And Yo

This week Colleen Taylor, Kyle Russell, and myself sat around the round table to dig into the week’s news: Should we buy Amazon’s new Fire smartphone? Is Slingshot Facebook’s mobile moonshot? And, of course, Yo. Just Yo. Read More

Apple Gets Ready to Tell Consumers Why They Want a Smartwatch

Apple reportedly is preparing to ship multiple versions of a smartwatch this coming fall, as competition increases in the wearable technology space. Its long-rumored smartwatch reportedly will be available in multiple screen sizes and will include more than 10 sensors that will allow it to track the wearer's health and fitness metrics, among other information. Apple wants to address the notion that smartwatches currently on the market do not provide significant additional functionality beyond what a smartphone can do, it seems.

Hardware Battlefield Finalist CubeSensors Raises A $700,000 Seed Round In Bitcoin

Bitcoins are everywhere these days! CubeSensors, a Slovenian hardware startup that is making mini environmental sensors for homes, has just received a $700,000 seed round from the founders of BTC payments platform, Bitstamp. The cash came in the form of crypto currency. In addition to the funding, the company is also selling their Cubes for bitcoin in addition to fiat currency, which is a… Read More

Intel (?) Gets Chat-Appy With Mood-Mimicking Avatars

Best known for its computer chips, Intel has ventured into new territory with Pocket Avatars, a mobile messaging app that uses animated icons to mimic users' facial expressions. Now available for both Android and iOS, the free app can be used to create, send and receive personalized 3D video animated messages designed to convey emotions and mood. It uses a mobile device's standard camera and microphone to capture a user's facial expressions, head movements and voice, recreating them in cartoon-like characters.

LXQt Desktop Could Be a Real Beaut

If you like the economy of working in a lightweight desktop environment such as LXDE, you no doubt will love the tweaked performance of the LXQt desktop. It is a fusion of the LXDE and Razor-Qt desktop environments. The LXQt hybrid is the next generation of the popular Lightweight X11 Desktop Environment. The result is a lightweight, modular, very fast desktop environment that is user-friendly. LXQt 0.7.0 is a stable desktop environment that is usable in production desktop machines.

Lego Fuses Physical and Virtual Gameplay

Lego fans are about to experience a new way to play with their favorite plastic bricks, both in the physical and virtual worlds. The company's line of Fusion playsets will become available in August. The sets combine traditional brick construction play with video games. The goal is to allow people -- especially children -- to engage with Legos both physically and virtually. Each Fusion playset includes a distinct set of Lego bricks, a free downloadable app for smartphones and tablets, and what Lego calls the "Fusion capture plate."

Bright and Shiny Fire Phone: Amazon Delivers

Despite entering the smartphone world late, Amazon managed to double down with a user-focused infusion of technical innovation to deliver a compelling new device: the Amazon Fire Phone. The most head-turning feature is its ability to track your face and create a three-dimensional effect on the home screen and in apps, which makes it seem as if you're peering into a lavishly illustrated diorama rather than a 2D smartphone screen. It looks fantastic.

Kima Invests In Pakistan-Based Startup Behind Groopic Photo App

The world just got that little bit smaller. The Pakistan-based startup behind Groopic, an iOs and Android app that ‘lets the photographer be in the picture’ has secured an investment from Kima Ventures. Kima is a seed stage capital firm with headquarters in Paris, France, and is known to invest at a high velocity. Eyedeus Labs, which made Groopic, is an alumni of Plan9, … Read More

The Maker Faire Gets the Obama Bump

Hopeful tinkerers and entrepreneurs gathered Wednesday on the White House lawn to showcase their innovative ideas at the Maker Faire. The Maker Faire brings together students, educators, artists, engineers and innovators who have an invention or an idea about how to make something. Billed as "The Greatest Show (and Tell) On Earth," the Maker Faire got its start in the Bay Area. This year, the White House decided to host it as part of an effort to energize the nation's innovators and spark a "grassroots renaissance in American manufacturing."

Dems Push Net Neutrality Against the Odds

Congressional Democrats this week took another go at Net neutrality. Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Rep. Doris Matsui, D-Calif., member of the House Energy Subcommittee on Communications and Technology, introduced the Online Competition and Consumer Choice Act. The act would require the Federal Communications Commission to ban "paid prioritization" agreements between a broadband provider and a content provider.

ForgeRock Raises $30M For Its Open Source Identity Platform For Enterprise

ForgeRock, a company with European roots (UK and Nordics) but now global operations, has become a player in what has become known as – tortuously – “IRM” (identity relationship management). This is a jargony way of saying it tracks customers and the stuff they use and buy, but as you can imagine, this is becoming incredibly complex and the old ways of doing it re… Read More

Researchers Find Android Security on Par With iOS

The open source Android operating system long has been considered by security experts to be the mobile OS most vulnerable to security threats, but iOS is just as vulnerable, Marble Security has found. However, the two OSes expose users to different types of threats. The perceived greater security of iOS rests on Apple's control of app distribution rather than on any inherent superiority of the OS over Android, Marble said. Marble analyzed the vulnerability of 12 million Android and iOS apps.

Bright and Shiny Fire Phone: Amazon Delivers

Despite entering the smartphone world late, Amazon managed to double down with a user-focused infusion of technical innovation to deliver a compelling new device: the Amazon Fire Phone. The most head-turning feature is its ability to track your face and create a three-dimensional effect on the home screen and in apps, which makes it seem as if you're peering into a lavishly illustrated diorama rather than a 2D smartphone screen. It looks fantastic.

Apple Edges Into Entry-Level Desktop Market

Apple is making a foray into the entry-level desktop market with the introduction of a lower-cost iMac. The 21.5-inch, all-in-one system features a 1.4 GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 processor. That increases to up to 2.7 GHz with Turbo Boost Speeds. It includes an Intel HD 5000 graphics card, 8 GB of memory and a 500-GB hard drive. As is standard in iMac systems, this model includes 802.11ac WiFi. Peripheral connectivity and expandability options come in the form of two Thunderbolt ports and four USB 3.0 ports. The base model is priced at $1,099.

Facebook's Slingshot Draws a Bead on Snapchat

I'll show you mine if you'll show me yours. That's the idea behind a new photo-sharing app Facebook released Tuesday for Android and iOS devices. Slingshot lets you send an image or video to a group of friends. However, they can't view what you've sent until they first send you something. After that, they can view what you sent them and either respond to it or swipe it into oblivion. Slingshot appears to be targeting Snapchat, one of the most popular image-sharing apps in the market.

If Amazon Builds It, Will They Come?

Amazon is poised to reveal its very first smartphone, and the rumor mill is in full swing. It's expected to include a 3D display, utilizing sensors or retina-tracking technology in four front-facing cameras to detect eye positioning and movement in order to project a 3D image without the need for 3D glasses. As users move the device around, and closer to or further away from their face, it will zoom in and adjust text and images automatically. It reportedly will be available exclusively from AT&T.

Nest Offers Discounted, Wave-Less Smoke Alarm

Nest has returned its Protect smoke and carbon monoxide alarm to the market, less than one month after recalling 440,000 units because of a defect. The device has been discounted to $99 from $130. The Protect was recalled because of a software glitch that could prevent it from properly sounding an alert. Nest issued a temporary software update to disable its Wave feature, promising a permanent fix later. Returning the device to the market before a permanent fix has been developed may call into question Nest products' reliability and quality.

Pulsar Launches New Social Analytics Tools After Raising $2.3M

UK-based Pulsar, a social data analytics platform, has recently emerged as a smaller, but interesting new competitor to others in the field, such as Radian6, Brandwatch, Crimson Hexagon, Sysomos and Synthesio. Brandwatch recently raised $22 million to boost its social media monitoring platform – so this space clearly remains as hot as ever. Pulsar itself has so far raised a $2.3… Read More

UK Startup Blippar Confirms It has Acquired AR Pioneer Layar

Augmented reality startup Blippar has confirmed it has Layar, an AR pioneer which started in 2009. Terms were undisclosed in a blog post on the company’s site today. The acquisition makes Blippar one of the largest AR players globally giving it a powerful positioning in the AR and visual browsing space and which may help it’s adoption in the mass consumer space where AR has tended… Read More

Spire Breath Tracker Helps Users Chillax

Spire on Tuesday kicked off preorders for its namesake new wearable device dedicated to promoting health by monitoring the wearer's breathing. Billed as "the first wearable that tracks both physical movement and state of mind," Spire is the first activity tracker to measure breathing patterns, the company said, thereby offering new insights into periods of tension, relaxation and focus. The device offers suggestions for better well-being via push notifications and real-time activity recommendations.

Ostrovok Raises New $12M Series C Round To Expand Outside Russia

Ostrovok.ru, the Russian accommodation booking startup, has announced a $12 million financing round investment led by Vaizra Capital Russia, a fund backed by Vyacheslav Mirilashvili and Lev Leviev, co-founders of Vkontakte, Russia’s largest social network. The cash will be used to expand the service more internationally and develop the product. Previously, it had raised $38.6 million… Read More

Flying Drone Buddies Can Capture Your Amazing Exploits

There are two new crowdfunded projects that are building self-flying drones to follow you around and video your awesomeness. Geared for adventure sports like skiing, biking or motorcycle riding, these two drones will follow you at high-speed, capturing high-flying jumps and steep dives from angles previously available only to professional filmmakers with powerful cameras and helicopters. For the outdoor adventure set, these flying cameras are simply insane. Yet some of the coolest bits of footage are relatively mundane.

If Amazon Builds It, Will They Come?

Amazon is poised to reveal its very first smartphone, and the rumor mill is in full swing. It's expected to include a 3D display, utilizing sensors or retina-tracking technology in four front-facing cameras to detect eye positioning and movement in order to project a 3D image without the need for 3D glasses. As users move the device around, and closer to or further away from their face, it will zoom in and adjust text and images automatically. It reportedly will be available exclusively from AT&T.

Nest Offers Discounted, Wave-Less Smoke Alarm

Nest has returned its Protect smoke and carbon monoxide alarm to the market, less than one month after recalling 440,000 units because of a defect. The device has been discounted to $99 from $130. The Protect was recalled because of a software glitch that could prevent it from properly sounding an alert. Nest issued a temporary software update to disable its Wave feature, promising a permanent fix later. Returning the device to the market before a permanent fix has been developed may call into question Nest products' reliability and quality.

SC to Mull Free Speech vs. 'True Threats' on Social Media

Are threats to people made on social media websites protected under the First Amendment? The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to consider that issue in the case of Anthony D. Elonis v. United States. Elonis already has served jail time for threats he made on his Facebook page to his wife, an FBI agent and former coworkers. It's jail time his lawyers say their client shouldn't have served, because the wrong legal standard was used to convict him. For more than 40 years, "true threats" have been excluded from First Amendment protection.

Tesla's Patent Giveaway Fuels Electric Car Enthusiasm

Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk threw the automotive industry into a tizzy last week, when he announced that he was throwing open the company's patents. Some hailed the move as yet more proof of the abysmal state of the United States patent system; others opined that it would give the electric car industry a boost; others just penned paeans of praise to Musk. But -- and there is always a but -- there were cynical reactions as well, with some suggesting that Musk was being self-serving rather than altruistic.

Estimote, Knoll Partner To Bring iBeacons Into Office Space Planning

betaworks-backed Estimote has today announced a partnership with Knoll to bring its iBeacon platform to the office space planning company. Estimote, a Disrupt and YC alum, offers a platform for developers to easily integrate iBeacon tech into existing apps and services, and at NeoCon 2014 (a trade conference for interior design) Knoll debuted one of the first retail installations of… Read More

SavingGlobal Raises €7.5M To Disrupt European Savings Deposit Market

Due to a mostly bad economy, owners of savings deposits in Europe get dismally low interest rates. SavingGlobal launched, six months ago, is platform to enable German savers to access to the best fixed deposit rates in Europe, from the comfort of their browsers. But now it’s raised €7.5m in a round led by Index Ventures, which will be used to first grow the core German market and… Read More

Flying Drone Buddies Can Capture Your Amazing Exploits

There are two new crowdfunded projects that are building self-flying drones to follow you around and video your awesomeness. Geared for adventure sports like skiing, biking or motorcycle riding, these two drones will follow you at high-speed, capturing high-flying jumps and steep dives from angles previously available only to professional filmmakers with powerful cameras and helicopters. For the outdoor adventure set, these flying cameras are simply insane. Yet some of the coolest bits of footage are relatively mundane.