Month: February 2016

Enlarge (credit: Zuzu)

In February 2014, thousands of Asus router owners found a disturbing text file saved to their devices.

"This is an automated message being sent out to everyone effected [sic]," the message read. "Your Asus router (and your documents) can be accessed by anyone in the world with an Internet connection." The anonymous sender then urged the readers to visit a site that explained more about the router vulnerability.

On Tuesday, the US Federal Trade Commission settled charges that alleged the hardware manufacturer failed to protect consumers as required by federal law. The settlement resolves a complaint that said the 2014 mass compromise was the result of vulnerabilities that allowed attackers to remotely log in to routers and, depending on user configurations, change security settings or access files stored on connected devices. Under the agreement, Asus will maintain a comprehensive security program subject to independent audits for the next 20 years.

BARCELONA, Spain—I'll admit to being a little sceptical as I sat down to listen to Noveto's private speaker system.

The current prototype—which like an old iPod speaker dock of the sort you'd find knocking around the bargain bin of a supermarket in the early '00s—doesn't exactly inspire me with confidence. Neither do the cheesy infomercial-like videos, which highlight the various ways in which having a private speaker—that is, one that only you can hear—might prove useful. And yet, as a focused beam of audio hit my ears with a clarity far richer than the robotic din of the MWC show floor might otherwise allow, it's hard not to be impressed.

Noveto, a small startup from Israel, hopes that its private speaker system might one day eliminate the need for headphones—no wires, no wireless, no nothing, just crystal clear audio. You could imagine a busy office where, instead of having to hold a phone up to your ear to take a call, you could whack it on a private speakerphone, leaving your hands free to take notes. Or, you could play a split-screen game, with each player able to hear a completely unique audio track. Those who struggle with their hearing could have a louder audio beam for themselves.

Mark Walton

HTC Vive.

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BARCELONA—Hot on the heels of announcing a substantial $799 (~£650) price for the Vive VR headset, HTC finally gave us a look at the consumer edition here at MWC. This is the same version of the Vive that will go out to customers when it ships in April, and while the differences are subtle, there are differences.

For starters, the HTC branding that adorned the controllers of the Vive Pre has been ditched in favour of a Vive logo, while the "Vive Pre" text on the headset has been removed leaving just the HTC logo. The headband design is largely the same, although there's now a cutout for keeping the Vive's many cables tidy. The Lighthouse tracking boxes have a glossy black finish on the front, while the I/O box—which contains HDMI and USB inputs—thankfully has a matte finish.

Now that the consumer version of the Vive is here, are you ready to stump up £650/$800 for the privilege of owning one? The market might just be willing to put up with the prices—the Oculus Rift certainly hasn't suffered—although for us mere mortals with less than ideal bank balances, sacrifices may have to be made.

(credit: Communications Workers of America)

Pennsylvania utility officials will hold hearings to examine the state of Verizon's copper network in response to complaints from a workers' union that Verizon has let older portions of its network fall into disrepair.

The Communications Workers of America (CWA) in October petitioned the state for an investigation, saying that Verizon has done little to maintain copper wires in areas where it hasn't upgraded its telephone and DSL Internet service to fiber. Customers have suffered service outages and other problems as a result, with more than 6,000 Verizon customers submitting quality and reliability complaints to the state since 2012, the CWA says.

"For many years, VZPA [Verizon Pennsylvania] has intentionally failed to maintain its physical plant in non-FiOS areas of the Commonwealth," the CWA wrote. "The state of deterioration is now so advanced that poles are literally falling over, cables are sagging to the ground, animals and insects are infesting broken wiring cabinets, and the safety of VZPA's employees and the public is being jeopardized every day."