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The Microsoft Store currently sells Windows phones from Acer, Alcatel, and HP… but you probably shouldn’t buy them, since Windows Phone is pretty much a dead platform at this point. But Microsoft also recently started selling two Android ph…
The Microsoft Store currently sells Windows phones from Acer, Alcatel, and HP… but you probably shouldn’t buy them, since Windows Phone is pretty much a dead platform at this point. But Microsoft also recently started selling two Android phones: you can now buy the Samsung Galaxy S8 or Galaxy S8+ from Microsoft. The phones have […]
Microsoft is selling Samsung’s Android phones is a post from: Liliputing
FCC will let carriers abandon copper lines without offering adequate replacements.
(credit: Aurich Lawson)
The Federal Communications Commission will vote Thursday on a plan that, according to Chairman Ajit Pai, will strip away regulations that prevent telcos from upgrading their networks.
But in doing so, the Republican-controlled FCC plans to eliminate a requirement that telcos provide Americans with service at least as good as the old copper networks that provide phone service and DSL Internet. The requirement relates to phone service but has an impact on broadband because the two services use the same networks.
As carriers like AT&T and Verizon turn off copper networks throughout much of the country, many people fear that the networks won't be replaced with fiber or something of similar quality. That's why the FCC in 2014 created a "functional test" for carriers that seek permission to abandon copper networks. In short, carriers have to prove that the replacement service is just as good and provides the same capabilities as what's being discontinued.
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There are plenty Android phone users who make a habit of rooting their devices in order to gain more control over their device, gain access to system settings and files that would otherwise be unavailable, and run apps that only work on a rooted device…
There are plenty Android phone users who make a habit of rooting their devices in order to gain more control over their device, gain access to system settings and files that would otherwise be unavailable, and run apps that only work on a rooted device. But choosing to root your phone is one thing. Finding […]
Backdoor found in OnePlus phones can provide root access without unlocking the bootloader is a post from: Liliputing
Bug hunters are educated, young, looking for challenge—and cash to feed security habit.
Enlarge / This is not what a hacker looks like. Except on hacker cosplay night. (credit: Getty Images | Bill Hinton)
Asking the crowd for help in fixing security problems is going mainstream. Microsoft, Facebook, and other tech giants have offered "bug bounties"—cash rewards or other prizes and recognition—to individuals discovering vulnerabilities in their products for years. (Ars even made it onto Google's security wall of fame in 2014 for reporting a Google search bug, though we didn't get a cash payout.)
But now, with even the government embracing "bug bounty" programs in an attempt to close vulnerabilities in systems before attacks happen, companies that manage "crowdsourced" vulnerability-disclosure programs are starting to move deeper into more conservative corporate territory. And as they do, companies like HackerOne, Synack, and Bugcrowd are placed in the position of having to convince people who view all hackers as security risks that their vulnerability hunters come in peace, just as the ranks of their "crowds" of would-be white hats swell.
To help cast a better light on its ranks, Bugcrowd today released numbers detailing the demographics of its 65,000-strong "crowd." That release is buttressed by a survey of 500 sample members that offers some insight into who exactly signs up to participate in the public and private bug bounty programs run by the company. And the sketch the "Mind of a Hacker 2.0" report provides of the vulnerability-hunting community is one you might have pieced together on your own if you spent any time at a security conference lately: increasingly experienced and professional, diverse (at least from a national origin standpoint), highly educated, and mostly under 30.
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Most modern web browsers support tabs, allowing you to open multiple pages without adding multiple windows to your desktop. Some other programs use tabs as well (they’re a big part of my podcast editing workflow in Reaper, for example). But there…
Most modern web browsers support tabs, allowing you to open multiple pages without adding multiple windows to your desktop. Some other programs use tabs as well (they’re a big part of my podcast editing workflow in Reaper, for example). But there are a lot of apps that don’t use tabs… even if they should. Enter […]
Stardock’s Groupy brings tabs to Windows apps that don’t normally have tabs is a post from: Liliputing
Worker says he routinely heard the n-word at Tesla’s Fremont factory.
Tesla Factory in Fremont, California. (credit: Maurizio Pesce / Flickr)
Update: In a statement posted late on Tuesday, Tesla disputed allegations that it has turned a blind eye to racial discrimination at the company. The company says it promptly investigated reports of racially-charged remarks at Tesla's Fremont factory.
"Our investigation identified a number of conflicting accusations and counter-accusations between several African-American and Hispanic individuals," the company writes. "Immediate action was taken, which included terminating the employment of three of the individuals. We believe this was the fair and just response to the facts that we learned."
Tesla vowed to take further action, as necessary, to address future incidents of workplace misconduct.
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A federal court in Seattle has asked a copyright holder of the film “Once Upon a Time in Venice” to provide more information on the evidence it has against accused BitTorrent pirates. The accuracy of the tracking tools was put in doubt after the company sued a now-deceased man, who was mentally and physically incapable of operating a computer at the time of the accusation.
Source: TF, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, torrent sites and more. We also have VPN discounts, offers and coupons
In recent years, file-sharers around the world have been pressured to pay significant settlement fees, or face legal repercussions.
These so-called “copyright trolling” efforts have been a common occurrence in the United States for more than half a decade, and still are.
While copyright holders should be able to take legitimate piracy claims to court, there are some who resort to dodgy tactics to extract money from alleged pirates. The evidence isn’t exactly rock-solid either, which results in plenty of innocent targets.
A prime candidate for the latter category is a man who was sued by Venice PI, a copyright holder of the film “Once Upon a Time in Venice.” He was sued not once, but twice. That’s not the problem though. What stood out is that defendant is no longer alive.
The man’s wife informed a federal court in Seattle that he passed away recently, at the respectable age of 91. While age doesn’t prove innocence, the widow also mentioned that her husband suffered from dementia and was both mentally and physically incapable of operating a computer at the time of the alleged offense.
These circumstances raised doubt with US District Court Judge Thomas Zilly, who brought them up in a recent order (citations omitted).
“In two different cases, plaintiff sued the same, now deceased, defendant, namely Wilbur Miller. Mr. Miller’s widow submitted a declaration indicating that, for about five years prior to his death at the age of 91, Mr. Miller suffered from dementia and was both mentally and physically incapable of operating a computer,” the Judge writes.
The Judge notes that the IP-address tracking tools used by the copyright holder might not be as accurate as is required. In addition, he adds that the company can’t simply launch a “fishing expedition” based on the IP-address alone.
“The fact that Mr. Miller’s Internet Protocol (‘IP’) address was nevertheless identified as part of two different BitTorrent ‘swarms’ raises significant doubts about the accuracy of whatever IP-address tracking method plaintiff is using.
“Moreover, plaintiff may not, based solely on IP addresses, launch a fishing expedition aimed at coercing individuals into either admitting to copyright infringement or pointing a finger at family members, friends, tenants, or neighbors. Plaintiff must demonstrate the plausibility of their claims before discovery will be permitted,” Judge Zilly adds.
Since the copyright holder has only provided an IP-address as evidence, the plausibility of the copyright infringement claims is not properly demonstrated. This means that the holder was not allowed to conduct discovery, which includes discussions with defendants.
The court, therefore, ordered Venice PI to cease all communication with defendants effective immediately, until further notice. This order applies to a dozen cases which are now effectively on hold.
The copyright holder has been given 28 days to provide more information on several issues related to the evidence gathering. This offer of proof should be supported by a declaration of an expert in the field.
The Judge wants to know if an IP-address can be spoofed or faked by a BitTorrent tracker, and if so, how likely this is. In addition, he questions if the material that was tracked (possible only part of a download) is actually playable. And finally, the Judge asks what other evidence Venice PI has against each defendant, aside from the IP-address.
“In the absence of a timely filed offer of proof, plaintiff’s claims will be dismissed with prejudice and without costs, and these cases will be closed,” Judge Zilly warns.
The harsh order was noticed by copyright troll skeptic FCT, who notes that Venice PI will have a hard time providing the requested proof.
Venice and other “copyright trolls” use the German company Maverickeye to track BitTorrent pirates on a broad scale. They are also active with their settlement demands in various other countries, most recently in Sweden.
If the provided proof is not sufficient in the court’s opinion, it will be hard for them and other rightsholders to continue their practices in the Washington district.
—
The full order is available here (pdf).
Source: TF, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, torrent sites and more. We also have VPN discounts, offers and coupons
Plus deals on 4K TVs, noise-cancelling headphones, the Moto G5 Plus, and more.
Greetings, Arsians! Courtesy of our friends at TechBargains, we have another round of deals to share. Though the madness of Black Friday doesn't start in earnest for another week, today's list brings a few early gadget discounts, including Lenovo's 14-inch IdeaPad 510S marked down to $570. This notebook has been slashed a few times before, but in the notoriously fussy realm of budget laptops, you could probably do worse than a Core i7 (7th-gen) chip, a 1080p display, 8GB of RAM, and a 256GB SSD for less than $600.
The rest of the roundup brings us savings on various 4K TVs, a nice discount on the 4GB RAM/64GB variant of Motorola's Moto G5 Plus, and three months of Amazon's Music Unlimited streaming service for a buck. There's more beyond that, including a look at the early Black Friday ads from various retailers, so take a peek at the full list below.
Note: Ars Technica may earn compensation for sales from links on this post through affiliate programs.
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At $10 per month, Amazon Music Unlimited is the same price as most other music-on-demand streaming services. But Amazon knocks $2 off the price for Amazon Prime Members. Echo users can sign up for just $4 per month (if they only listen on an Echo). Or …
At $10 per month, Amazon Music Unlimited is the same price as most other music-on-demand streaming services. But Amazon knocks $2 off the price for Amazon Prime Members. Echo users can sign up for just $4 per month (if they only listen on an Echo). Or you can pay $15 per month for a family […]
Deals of the Day (11-14-2017) is a post from: Liliputing
The rear sensors might use a different tech than the iPhone X’s front array.
Enlarge (credit: Samuel Axon)
The iPhone X's front-facing TrueDepth sensor array could be used for more than just Face ID authentication, and it fits neatly into Apple's broader march into augmented reality on the iPhone, but the iPhone X's rear camera still uses a combination of motion sensors and two rear cameras for AR. That could change in next year's iPhone; sources cited by Bloomberg claim that Apple plans to add 3D camera technology to the rear of next year's iPhone in addition to the TrueDepth array already on the iPhone X's front.
The rear camera might not use the same technology as the TrueDepth sensor array used for Face ID on the front of the iPhone X, however. Rather, the rear array might use time-of-flight sensors, which would map objects in 3D space by calculating how long it takes for light from its laser to bounce off of an object in its field of view. Bloomberg's sources say that adoption of this technology is not certain, but it seems to be what Apple is testing right now. The technology is in development at Sony, Panasonic, Infineon Technologies, and STMicroelectronics.
In the iPhone X, Apple aligned the telephoto and wide-angle lens cameras on the back vertically (instead of horizontally, as on the iPhone 8 Plus) to make augmented reality applications more effective. But without a more advanced way to read and track 3D space, AR apps will remain limited. Unlike more robust hardware like Microsoft's HoloLens, the current iPhones' rear cameras can't deal well with surfaces that aren't flat. They can't even track when an object is obstructing the camera's view; current iPhone AR apps place an object in space relative to the flat surface but can't partially obscure it behind a real-world obstacle, for example.
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