Quirky Cameras, Quick Charges and Racing Robots

HTC is stepping so far out of the box with the RE Camera, it's almost as if there was never a box to begin with. Instead of making us stare through a viewfinder, this minimalist device almost demands a return to older forms of photography, while still taking advantage of modern technology. It looks like a cross between a periscope and an asthma inhaler, neither of which scream style to anyone who might spot it in your hand. The positives: It captures 16-megapixel still images and 1080p video while wirelessly transferring the content to a phone.

The E-Label Act Will Remove Those Silly FCC Symbols From The Back Of Future Gadgets

You know all that crap that’s listed on the back of your smartphone and tablet? It looks something like this: A jumble of letters and words, an FCC symbol, and instructions to not throw your electronic equipment into the trash. It’s ugly, and generally a waste of space. But luckily for us, it’s time to say goodbye to that mess. In what feels a bit like a holiday gift,… Read More

The One Really Important Apple Watch Thing

While the cellphone nearly killed the wristwatch, the Apple Watch gizmo actually will revive it. In fact, I think the attention that the Apple Watch will bring to our wrists will spark sales of traditional watches. Why? I believe there is a latent desire to have a wristwatch -- to have the convenience of the time on your wrist without the need to pull out your smartphone and ignore the world around you. I think -- hope -- that the Apple Watch actually will lead people to slow down the movement of hand to pocket and pocket to face.

WWI's March on Technologies

When the "Guns of August" began firing 100 years ago, few expected it to be a long war, and fewer still expected it to be a "World War." However, the "Great War," as it was known to contemporaries, in fact was destined to become the First World War -- and it truly was the first modern war. Today it is easy to look back at the Second World War for providing great technical advancements. It ushered in the atomic bomb, jet aircraft and even Silly Putty; however, the First World War also was a war of great technological advances.

This Week On The TC Gadgets Podcast: BlackFriday!

We’re bringing this podcast to you a little early so you can arm yourself before going into Black Friday! Join Greg Kumparak, Matt Burns, and Darrell Etherington as we skewer Zelda and talk about the best laptops for your money! We invite you to enjoy our weekly podcasts every Friday at 3 p.m. Eastern and noon Pacific. And feel free to check out the TechCrunch Gadgets Flipboard… Read More

'Elegant' Regin Malware Linked to Brits, NSA

A sophisticated malware program called "Regin" has been used in systematic spying campaigns against a range of international targets since at least 2008, Symantec reported. Regin is a backdoor-type Trojan with a structure that displays a degree of technical competence rarely seen in malware, according to Symantec. "Its elegance is comparable to Stuxnet and [it is] much more elegant than Flame," said Scott Borg, CEO of the U.S. Cyber Consequences Unit. "It's a beautiful piece of architecture."

Wristband Heads Off Password Headaches

Has software glut got you down? Do you reuse passwords because creating unique ones for all your online accounts would cause a memory overload? If your answer to those questions is yes, you may be interested in a bit of jewelry called the "Everykey," by a startup with the same name. Everykey is a wristband that, combined with software and the cloud, removes the need to remember the countless log-in credentials we use every day. What's more, it will work with electronic locks, too -- like car doors.

Black Friday May Be Losing Its Mojo

Some $13.1 billion in sales are anticipated this Thanksgiving weekend across all manner of channels, from mammoth shopping centers to online retailers to local shops and pop-up stores. Consumers are eager to score the best bargains, of course, while retailers want nothing more than to attract shoppers to their venues and keep them there for as long as possible this weekend. Why? Well, to lock in their holiday shopping budgets, of course. However, the twain will not necessarily meet: Consumers may well find that better bargains are to be had if they wait until later in the season.

The One Really Important Apple Watch Thing

While the cellphone nearly killed the wristwatch, the Apple Watch gizmo actually will revive it. In fact, I think the attention that the Apple Watch will bring to our wrists will spark sales of traditional watches. Why? I believe there is a latent desire to have a wristwatch -- to have the convenience of the time on your wrist without the need to pull out your smartphone and ignore the world around you. I think -- hope -- that the Apple Watch actually will lead people to slow down the movement of hand to pocket and pocket to face.

Pop-Up Shops Startup Appear Here Raises $7.5M, Led By Balderton Capital

Appear Here, a marketplace for retail space aiding and abetting the fashionable craze of ‘pop-up’ shops, has raised a significant $7.5 million of new funding, in a round led by Balderton Capital. Existing investors MMC, Forward and Meyer Bergman also took part in the round, which follows on from a £1m fundraising in November 2013. The investment will be spent on customer service,… Read More

'The Practice of Cloud System Administration' Brings Network Management Down to Earth

The Practice of Cloud System Administration, Volume 2 is a look into IT gone bad in some companies, and how doing it right can salvage enterprise use of cloud computing. The authors make 11 statements about computers and their networks on the first page of the book's preface. They ask which statements are true. If you get most of them correct, you probably have only one reason left to read this book: It will challenge some of what you hold valid. However, you most likely will get numerous wrong answers.

Lollipop's Encryption Takes a Hefty Toll

The new full-disk encryption feature that's enabled by default in Android 5.0 Lollipop comes at a hefty price in terms of performance, according to a recent benchmark report. In fact, when full-disk encryption is enabled, random read performance drops by 62.9 percent, while random write performance falls by 50.5 percent, AnandTech reported late last week. Sequential read performance, meanwhile, drops by a whopping 80.7 percent. The bottom line is "serious negative implications for device performance in any situation where applications are reading or writing to disk," the report concludes.

'Elegant' Regin Malware Linked to Brits, NSA

A sophisticated malware program called "Regin" has been used in systematic spying campaigns against a range of international targets since at least 2008, Symantec reported. Regin is a backdoor-type Trojan with a structure that displays a degree of technical competence rarely seen in malware, according to Symantec. "Its elegance is comparable to Stuxnet and [it is] much more elegant than Flame," said Scott Borg, CEO of the U.S. Cyber Consequences Unit. "It's a beautiful piece of architecture."

Wristband Heads Off Password Headaches

Has software glut got you down? Do you reuse passwords because creating unique ones for all your online accounts would cause a memory overload? If your answer to those questions is yes, you may be interested in a bit of jewelry called the "Everykey," by a startup with the same name. Everykey is a wristband that, combined with software and the cloud, removes the need to remember the countless log-in credentials we use every day. What's more, it will work with electronic locks, too -- like car doors.

Thoughts of Thanksgiving for All That Is FOSS

Well Thanksgiving week is upon us here in the land of stars and stripes, and in anticipation of all the social events soon to besiege us, more than a few Linux bloggers have been practicing keeping their favorite barstools warm down at the blogosphere's Punchy Penguin Saloon. How chilly would those stools get if we were all flitting here and there from this party to that? It would be truly unkind. Much better to stay put and keep to ourselves in a comfortable place where inane small talk is frowned upon.

Lollipop's Encryption Takes a Hefty Toll

The new full-disk encryption feature that's enabled by default in Android 5.0 Lollipop comes at a hefty price in terms of performance, according to a recent benchmark report. In fact, when full-disk encryption is enabled, random read performance drops by 62.9 percent, while random write performance falls by 50.5 percent, AnandTech reported late last week. Sequential read performance, meanwhile, drops by a whopping 80.7 percent. The bottom line is "serious negative implications for device performance in any situation where applications are reading or writing to disk," the report concludes.

EFF Spearheads Safer Web Initiative

The Electronic Frontier Foundation has announced a nonprofit organization that will aim to secure the entire Web. Let's Encrypt, starting in summer 2015, will offer free server certificates to help websites transition from HTTP to the more secure HTTPS protocol. EFF is partnering with Akamai, Mozilla, Cisco, iDenTrust and University of Michigan researchers. HTTPS has been around for years, but "certificate management and TLS in general tends to be a bit of a black art," said Stephen Ludin, chief architect at Akamai.

Gadget Ogling: Dueling Tablets, a Smart Scale, and Slooow Games

Welcome, dear readers, to our weekly look at the latest, greatest, and poorest gadgets to be revealed to the world. Hark as yours truly extols the virtues and horrors of two wildly different tablets, a smart kitchen scale, and video games requiring patience, among other objects. Don't shovel dirt on Nokia as a manufacturing brand just yet. It's not like the planet needs another well-known consumer gadget maker whipping up Android tablets, and yet here we are. I just have to question why in heaven's name Nokia thought it wise to make the N1 look just like an iPad.

A View of the Future: Demo 2014

I attended Demo in Silicon Valley last week and, as always, it showcased things likely to mature in the market 12 to 14 months into the future. The presenters are small companies, hand-selected because they offer something unique and forward-looking. You have to feel a bit sorry for the folks doing the demonstrations, because they have one shot to do this right, and often the god of technology exhibits his or her sense of humor and something doesn't work.

Another Bleak Black Friday for Apple Fans

Apple is a company that bucks trends, that does things its own way, that manages its business through highly tuned cycles. One thing Apple barely does at all, though, is offer any sort of special deal or sale price. Not even on Black Friday. Or Cyber Monday. Or just because. Heck, when Apple celebrated 25 billion App Store downloads, it gave one person a $10,000 iTunes Gift Card. At 50 billion App Store downloads, another $10,000 gift card. That was pretty exciting and fun.

Marketplaces Are Eating Firms

If software is eating the world, then marketplaces are one of the agents of destruction. Marketplaces are eating every type of firm on the planet. Let’s look at where the feasting is happening. Read More

Gadget Ogling: Dueling Tablets, a Smart Scale, and Slooow Games

Welcome, dear readers, to our weekly look at the latest, greatest, and poorest gadgets to be revealed to the world. Hark as yours truly extols the virtues and horrors of two wildly different tablets, a smart kitchen scale, and video games requiring patience, among other objects. Don't shovel dirt on Nokia as a manufacturing brand just yet. It's not like the planet needs another well-known consumer gadget maker whipping up Android tablets, and yet here we are. I just have to question why in heaven's name Nokia thought it wise to make the N1 look just like an iPad.

NotCompatible Mobile Malware Gets Badder

A new version of the NotCompatible malware, which first appeared in 2012, is bigger, badder and pretty much indestructible, Lookout Security reported. And it can compromise corporate networks, thanks to the BYOD trend. The malware, called "NotCompatible C," focuses on Android devices. "Given this is an Android Trojan and the app is not trusted by Google, it would need the 'Unknown Sources' special permissions to install," said Malwarebytes analyst Armando Orozco. "So users just have to not install apps from untrusted sources."

Another Bleak Black Friday for Apple Fans

Apple is a company that bucks trends, that does things its own way, that manages its business through highly tuned cycles. One thing Apple barely does at all, though, is offer any sort of special deal or sale price. Not even on Black Friday. Or Cyber Monday. Or just because. Heck, when Apple celebrated 25 billion App Store downloads, it gave one person a $10,000 iTunes Gift Card. At 50 billion App Store downloads, another $10,000 gift card. That was pretty exciting and fun.

IncuBus — The Tech Startup Incubator Based On A Double-Decker London Bus

IncuBusLDN is literally an incubator and co-working space on wheels, based on a renovated, red ‘double decker’ London bus, parked close to the ‘Tech City’ tech startup cluster in East London. The bus features a ‘Confession Booth’ – a two person meeting booth, for video conferences; the top deck co-working space with a view; and fast broadband. Aiming… Read More

Citadel Trojan Adds Keylogging to Arsenal

Cybercriminals are using a new version of the dangerous Citadel Trojan, which has been employed to attack the financial and petrochemical industries, to compromise password and authentication solutions, IBM Trusteer has reported. The new version begins capturing keystrokes, or keylogging, when some processes are running. It was discovered on a server that already had been infected when IBM Trusteer Apex was installed -- it's not clear how the machine became infected.

Cinnamon Desktop Spices Up Makulu Linux

The Makulu Cinnamon Debian Edition 1.1 marks a new path for Makulu. This latest release has numerous new features that could make it a top competitor against the Linux Mint Cinnamon edition. Makulu Cinnamon Debian Edition, or MCDE, has fewer standard apps than the previous Makulu Xfce and KDE versions offered. Dropping the kitchen sink philosophy has made it a lot less unwieldy. MCDE has much going for it. However, one critical concern keeps me from making it my permanent Linux Mint Cinnamon replacement: Makulu is a one-person distro.

Russian Site Exposes Thousands of Private Videocam Streams

A Russian website has been posting live video streams from unprotected webcams in homes and businesses around the globe, Britain's Information Commissioner's Office warned on Thursday. The website has gained access to the webcams using the cameras' default login credentials, which are freely available online but often don't get changed by their owners during the set-up process. Baby monitors and CCTV networks are among the systems that have been compromised, explained Simon Rice, the ICO's group manager for technology.

Twitter Opens Entire Multibillion-Tweet Gold Mine to Searchers

Twitter this week began indexing every public tweet posted since it began operating in 2006. "Our long-standing goal has been to let people search through every tweet ever published," said Yi Zhuang, who led the team working on the project. Use cases Zhuang cited for the new infrastructure include results for entire TV and sports seasons, conferences, industry discussions such as in the mobile payments field, places, businesses, and long-lived hashtag conversations such as #Ferguson, #HongKong and #Election 2012.

Will Apple's Next iPhone Capture DSLR Quality With 2 Lenses?

The Apple rumor mill never stops spinning, and even though the iPhone 6 is barely here and the next version ages away, the most interesting rumor is the chance that the next iPhone will make a huge leap forward with its camera -- possibly using two lenses to produce DSLR-quality images. The rumor comes from John Gruber of Daring Fireball, a well-connected Apple-focused commentator who is highly respected in the Apple ecosystem. He usually measures his words carefully and isn't known to make wild predictions.

Tyba Pulls In Another $3.1M To Scale Up Its Graduate Recruitment Platform

Tyba – a “junior recruitment market” aimed at allowing companies like tech startups to more efficiently hire university and college graduates – last year raised $1.3 million in an investment round led by Sunstone Capital. It’s now raised another $3.1 million, once again from Sunstone Capital and a new investor, the VC fund Impulse, which is part of the Kuwaiti… Read More

Jolla's Open Source Tablet Gets Crazy Crowd Love

Jolla, the company set up by former Nokia executives to keep the Meego operating system alive, raised more than $841,000 on Wednesday, the first day of its crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo. That's 221 percent of its goal of $380,000 -- and the campaign has 21 days to go, closing Dec. 9. Nearly 5,325 people have contributed to the campaign, although only about 3,800 actually purchased the tablets. The first 1,000 contributors got the tablet for $189; the next 1,000 for $199, and both lots sold out fast.

WhatsApp Battens Down the Hatches

WhatsApp has added end-to-end encryption and enabled it by default in the latest version of its Android messaging application, partner Open Whisper Systems announced Tuesday. The new feature taps Open Whisper's open source TextSecure encryption protocol to ensure that only a conversation's participants can read the messages they exchange. WhatsApp itself won't be able to decrypt the messages, in other words, even if law enforcement should try to require it.

GOP Caught With Fingers in the Twitter Jar

The Republican Party and at least two outside political-spending groups reportedly used anonymous Twitter accounts to share internal polling data in the months leading up to this year's midterm elections. Tweets posted to the accounts -- one of which was named after the fictional West Wing character Bruno Gianelli, who attempted to fund campaigns with possibly unethical cash -- appeared as unintelligible streams of numbers to the untrained eye. "CA-40/43-44/49-44/44-50/36-44/49-10/16/14-52-->49/476-10s" is one example cited.

Google Glass May Be Saved by Obscurity

Whatever happened to Google Glass? In the early days -- was it just a year ago? -- people got punched in bars, bounced from movie theaters, and pulled over in cars for wearing them, and some establishments outright banned "glassholes" from their premises. Google claimed the white "Cotton" beta model sold out when it held a one-day sale of Google Glass Explorer for United States residents at $1,500 a pop in April. However, nine of 16 Glass app devs recently queried said they had suspended work on or abandoned their projects.

China Suspected in Attacks on USPS, NOAA

The U.S. Postal Service and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration last week confirmed that their computer systems were targeted in months-long cyberattacks that appear to have originated in China. The attack on USPS compromised information of an estimated 800,000 employees. Data at risk includes names, date of birth, Social Security numbers, addresses and dates of employment -- the kind of info that could be used to forge future forays against the service or other federal agencies.

Toyota's Mirai Aims to Kick Fuel-Cell Tech Into High Gear

Toyota on Monday officially unveiled its fuel cell sedan in an Internet video featuring Toyota Motor Corporation's president and CEO Akio Toyoda. The announcement comes in advance of the Los Angeles Auto Show Nov. 21-30. The new sedan, dubbed "Mirai" -- which means "future" in Japanese -- can travel up to 300 miles on a single tank of hydrogen, refuel in less than five minutes, and emit only water vapor. To ensure that its drivers actually can fuel up, Toyota announced that it will help establish 12 new hydrogen fueling stations in five states.

US Marshals Have Their Own Cellphone Data Slurpfest

The United States Marshals Service reportedly is grabbing data from thousands, if not millions, of Americans' cellphones using high-tech devices deployed on five Cessnas. The aircraft operate out of at least five metro-area airports and apparently can cover most of the U.S. population. They are equipped with DRT boxes, popularly known as "dirtboxes," made by a subsidiary of Boeing. The DRT boxes gather the IMSI numbers -- a cellphone's unique identifier -- and geolocation data from all cellphones within their range.

Prezi Secures $57M Growth Round From Spectrum And Accel, Passes 50M Users

Prezi, the cloud presentation platform that has been gradually eating away at Microsoft’s Powerpoint market share for the last few years, is poised to become a far more mainstream product than some might have previously thought. It’s making two major announcements today. The first is that it has secured a $57 million growth investment from Spectrum Equity, a growth equity firm,… Read More

GOP Caught With Fingers in the Twitter Jar

The Republican Party and at least two outside political-spending groups reportedly used anonymous Twitter accounts to share internal polling data in the months leading up to this year's midterm elections. Tweets posted to the accounts -- one of which was named after the fictional West Wing character Bruno Gianelli, who attempted to fund campaigns with possibly unethical cash -- appeared as unintelligible streams of numbers to the untrained eye. "CA-40/43-44/49-44/44-50/36-44/49-10/16/14-52-->49/476-10s" is one example cited.

When Microsoft Went A-Courting

FOSS fans perhaps may be excused if they've felt a bit confused over the past few days. Dizziness, headaches and vertigo also have been common. What strange new ailment is this, you might ask? Well, it's no ailment -- but that doesn't mean it's any simpler to remedy. The cause, it turns out, is none other than the news that Microsoft is open sourcing .Net and also expanding it to run on Linux and Mac OS. Yes, you heard that right: Steve Ballmer once may have called Linux a "cancer," but today Redmond has a newfound "love" for Linux.

Toyota's Mirai Aims to Kick Fuel-Cell Tech Into High Gear

Toyota on Monday officially unveiled its fuel cell sedan in an Internet video featuring Toyota Motor Corporation's president and CEO Akio Toyoda. The announcement comes in advance of the Los Angeles Auto Show Nov. 21-30. The new sedan, dubbed "Mirai" -- which means "future" in Japanese -- can travel up to 300 miles on a single tank of hydrogen, refuel in less than five minutes, and emit only water vapor. To ensure that its drivers actually can fuel up, Toyota announced that it will help establish 12 new hydrogen fueling stations in five states.

US Marshals Have Their Own Cellphone Data Slurpfest

The United States Marshals Service reportedly is grabbing data from thousands, if not millions, of Americans' cellphones using high-tech devices deployed on five Cessnas. The aircraft operate out of at least five metro-area airports and apparently can cover most of the U.S. population. They are equipped with DRT boxes, popularly known as "dirtboxes," made by a subsidiary of Boeing. The DRT boxes gather the IMSI numbers -- a cellphone's unique identifier -- and geolocation data from all cellphones within their range.

Finexkap, Offering Working Capital to SMBs In France, Raises $22.5M

Finexkap, a web platform offering working capital to small businesses in France, has now raised $22.5 million, comprising of a $7.5m Series A equity round and a further $15m, which will be used to finance the platform’s first flurry of deals. Finexkap is the first French working capital financing platform to purchase SMEs’ receivables on the web through refinancing The company… Read More

WeMail Raises $1M From Twitch, Reddit Founders For Intelligently Designed Mobile E-mail

Sure, there have been plenty of attempts at re-thinking e-mail on mobile devices. But that’s no reason not to try, try again. A pretty experienced team of founders who have sold companies to or been acqui-hired by both Amazon and Zynga are tackling e-mail with a new mobile app called WeMail. Having been part of one of Y Combinator’s earliest classes, the pair, Philip and Gerald… Read More

Video: Nokia’s New Small Tablet, The N1, Is A Showcase For Its Z Launcher

Nokia unveiled a new tablet at Slush today in Helsinki. The part of Nokia that did not get sold off to Microsoft launched the N1, a iPad-Mini-sized tablet, with a 7.9-inch screen, running Android Lollipop OS. As you can see from the video Nokia is really pushing its Android homescreen, the Z Launcher which allows you to scribble a letter on the screen to call up a specific app, and has… Read More

Nvidia Launches a New Mobile Device Age

There was an announcement last week that I think is far bigger than folks realize: Nvidia's free Netflix-like streaming gaming service for its Shield products. I think this is a precursor to an event that is similar to what cable did to TVs years ago, and that it will change not only how we use these devices, but also what we use them for. This may be the biggest step to something we used to call "thin client" computing, and eventually, it will expand vastly what we can do with products we currently use more for consumption than creation.

When Microsoft Went A-Courting

FOSS fans perhaps may be excused if they've felt a bit confused over the past few days. Dizziness, headaches and vertigo also have been common. What strange new ailment is this, you might ask? Well, it's no ailment -- but that doesn't mean it's any simpler to remedy. The cause, it turns out, is none other than the news that Microsoft is open sourcing .Net and also expanding it to run on Linux and Mac OS. Yes, you heard that right: Steve Ballmer once may have called Linux a "cancer," but today Redmond has a newfound "love" for Linux.

Intel’s MICA Smart Bracelet Will Be In Stores Before Christmas For $495

Intel today debuted the Intel MICA bracelet (short for “My Intelligent Communications Accessory), which was developed in collaboration with Opening Ceremony, the CFDA and sold exclusively at Barneys. The company also announced that it will go on sale in time for Christmas, and will retail for $495. That price includes at AT&T Sim card, complete with data and SMS messages, for two years. Read More

Toyota's Mirai Aims to Kick Fuel-Cell Tech Into High Gear

Toyota on Monday officially unveiled its fuel cell sedan in an Internet video featuring Toyota Motor Corporation's president and CEO Akio Toyoda. The announcement comes in advance of the Los Angeles Auto Show Nov. 21-30. The new sedan, dubbed "Mirai" -- which means "future" in Japanese -- can travel up to 300 miles on a single tank of hydrogen, refuel in less than five minutes, and emit only water vapor. To ensure that its drivers actually can fuel up, Toyota announced that it will help establish 12 new hydrogen fueling stations in five states.

Gadget Ogling: A Creepy Echo, Clever Home Connections, Bizarre Smartphones and Flexible 3D Printing

Echo, Amazon's newest attempt at a smart personal assistant, is set to take pride of place in your home. The black tower is voice-activated and can play music, as well as provide information and news updates. Also, because it's from Amazon, it can update your shopping list. It's always on, which means it's continually listening to you, no matter where you are in a room. That's just more than a little unsettling. Amazon promises that Echo activates only when you say a wake word, but who's to say Echo can't hear everything?

Microsoft Widens Skype World

Skype on Friday announced Skype for Web, a new version of its VoIP service that can be used in a browser rather than through the dedicated application. "Perhaps you're sitting at a computer that doesn't already have Skype downloaded," explained Jonathan Watson, a senior product marketing manager with Skype. "Or maybe you're on the go and using an Internet cafe or hotel computer where you can't download Skype at all. Using Skype for Web makes it more convenient to get to your conversations."

Nvidia Launches a New Mobile Device Age

There was an announcement last week that I think is far bigger than folks realize: Nvidia's free Netflix-like streaming gaming service for its Shield products. I think this is a precursor to an event that is similar to what cable did to TVs years ago, and that it will change not only how we use these devices, but also what we use them for. This may be the biggest step to something we used to call "thin client" computing, and eventually, it will expand vastly what we can do with products we currently use more for consumption than creation.

Obillex Secures £3M, Led by Dawn Capital, To Disrupt Small Biz Financing

There are two big problems waiting to be solved in small business finance. Small businesses find it hard to access working capital at good rates. And lots of investors have capital lying around doing nothing, looking for somewhere to be deployed. Obillex is a new startup that, quite simply, matches the two up. Thus, ‘early payments finance’ startup Obillex has secured £3m funding,… Read More

Gadget Ogling: A Creepy Echo, Clever Home Connections, Bizarre Smartphones and Flexible 3D Printing

Echo, Amazon's newest attempt at a smart personal assistant, is set to take pride of place in your home. The black tower is voice-activated and can play music, as well as provide information and news updates. Also, because it's from Amazon, it can update your shopping list. It's always on, which means it's continually listening to you, no matter where you are in a room. That's just more than a little unsettling. Amazon promises that Echo activates only when you say a wake word, but who's to say Echo can't hear everything?

CAINE Provides Sturdy Support for Forensic Specialists

CAINE is a professional-grade digital forensic Linux distro. It uses an old-school desktop environment hardened with top-notch specialty tools. CAINE provides tight security and built-in digital investigation tools, but it is less inviting for non-forensic specialists to use as an everyday Linux desktop. However, it could serve the purpose for users who are willing to handle several interface inconveniences. CAINE is built around a complete investigative environment that integrates existing software tools as software modules.

Microsoft Widens Skype World

Skype on Friday announced Skype for Web, a new version of its VoIP service that can be used in a browser rather than through the dedicated application. "Perhaps you're sitting at a computer that doesn't already have Skype downloaded," explained Jonathan Watson, a senior product marketing manager with Skype. "Or maybe you're on the go and using an Internet cafe or hotel computer where you can't download Skype at all. Using Skype for Web makes it more convenient to get to your conversations."

Nexus 6, the Star Destroyer of Phablets, Goes on Sale

Google's Nexus 6 phablet on Friday became available for sale at Sprint stores, as well as on its website and through other Sprint sales channels. Priced at $696 with a service plan, qualified buyers can purchase the Nexus 6 with no down payment, and 24 monthly payments of $29. The other three major U.S. carriers have announced plans to carry the Nexus 6 as well, but Sprint is first out of the gate. The Nexus 6, which was unveiled in October, has a display that measures nearly 6 inches diagonally.

Who Knew Tim Cook Would Fight for the American Way?

Ninety-one percent of Americans believe they have lost control of their personal information -- and many also don't trust companies that buy, sell, barter, and combine their habits and activities to better "serve" -- aka "manipulate" -- them, a recent Pew Research survey found. Along similar lines, they don't particularly trust governments either, as they monitor communications and movement. This distrust is becoming a big deal. Edward Snowden shone a spotlight on how the war on terror has been undermining the foundation of a free America.

Nvidia Flips Grid's Game-Streaming Switch

After close to a year of beta testing, Nvidia on Thursday officially launched its Grid on-demand game-streaming service. Due to become available on Nov. 18 in North America, Grid will be free through June 30, 2015, for users of Nvidia Shield tablets and portable devices. "We intend to build Grid into a premium cloud gaming service, and the best global service," said Nvidia spokesperson Brian Burke. After next June, "we plan to transition it to a paid-for service. We are working toward a Netflix-like, affordable subscription plan."

Ex-Reddit CEO Wanted To Move The Company To Daly City Instead Of SF

As we detailed this morning, Reddit CEO Yishan Wong has resigned from the company after what Y Combinator President Sam Altman called a “disagreement with the board” about the location of Reddit’s new office. If that reasoning sounds a bit strange to you… you’re not alone. Folks around the Internet are asking why someone would up and leave an exec role over what… Read More

Rosetta Plants 1st Human Kiss on a Comet

The European Space Agency's 1.4 billion-euros Rosetta mission on Wednesday achieved a first for humankind by successfully landing its Philae probe on comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. Now, the lander's fate hangs in the balance following a tense descent and the apparent failure of several key anchoring systems. "We are extremely relieved to be safely on the surface of the comet, especially given the extra challenges that we faced with the health of the lander," said Stephan Ulamec, Philae Lander Manager, following news of the probe's safe arrival.

Americans Flip-Flop on Personal Data Privacy

Despite the publicity about Edward Snowden's controversial leaks, only 43 percent of 607 English-speaking adults surveyed in January had heard a lot about government surveillance efforts, and another 44 percent had heard a little, according to the Pew Research Internet Project. However, 80 percent of the respondents agreed or strongly agreed that Americans should be concerned about government surveillance of communications. Thirty-six percent agreed or strongly agreed that it was a good thing for someone to an eye on the things they did online.