You may remember that in 2011 Google offered to buy Snapchat for 3 Billion USD and was rejected. According to Techcruch Goggle are again proposing to acquire Snapchat, this time for 30 Billion USD, to pre-empt the pending Snapchat IPO. Thats 60% of the current market value of General Motors for a company that has yet to produce a profit. I get flashbacks to the AOL – Time Warner merger, and hope this one turns out better!
Category: Technology
The cost of unlimited data plans on customers in the US
Opensignal has just released their “State of Mobile Networks: USA” for August of this year. The volumes created by the unlimited data plans are eating up the networks capacity, with less than ideal impacts in the users with ever depreciating speeds as an outcome.
This will at some stage have to be addressed, an yet another shot across the bow of Net Neutrality – We need a way to shape the traffic to enable a more satisfactory end user experience, and to let people pay for prioritized use. Can this lead to a final universal adaptation of IP6?
The end of Symantec as a Root CA
Symantec’s CA services have been in a lot of trouble in the last couple of years, caught multiple times issues certificates to others that the owners of the domains. They have been or are being removed as trusted root CA’s among the browser manufacturers. Google (and thus Chrome) last ones to publish their plans. Bleepingcomputers has a nice breakdown of the steps agreed between Google and Symantec – in essence demoting Symantec to be a child of a more trusted root CA. There is an opening for Symantec to start a new CA root attempt, but one must expect that they’ve burnt their fingers enough in this business area.
Skimming devices now call home
A new generation of mag-stripe skimmers with a fully built in GSM device has been found in US Petrol pumps, as shown in a recent article by Brian Krebs. The captured devices contained a common T-Mobile GSM SIM, allowing for the captured data to be immediately transferred via SMS to the skimmers for real time use and abuse. All of course down the the US slowness in implementing the Chip / PIN security aspects ot EMV.
Microsoft iPad Touch Cover discovered
The German IT website Winfuture has found a filing with ICAO (In German, use google translate) to rate the device as flight safe and ready. This is the only known reference to the “Model 1719”, also a correct numbering in the Microsoft ecosystems (Holo Lens is 1688, Surface Book 1796). The document also identifies an on-board battery, so maybe finally there will be a iPad keyboard with back light capabilities?
The chaos that is IOT standards (or lack thereof)
Yet another attempt to bridge the disparate world that is IOT standards, this time the EdgeX Foundry from the Linux foundation. Again trying to create unity in a over-fragmented segment of technology. Danny Bradbury has a nice summing up on the chaos on The register, trying to create an overview of all the various standards and the various attempts and joining them together. This will easily be the first hurdle IOT needs to overcome, only when there is a good set of cross compabilities will mass consumer adaptation realty happen.
Reddit: Finally growing up?
For those that followed the 8Chan to 4Chan to Reddit debacle will know that Reddit has long struggled to achieve a good working relationship with it’s wide user base and how fundamental these users are against any and all changes in the experience. Shutting down Alt right sections, the normal issues with non PC content and petty crime hidden in /r, /x and so on. Now they have completed a USD 200 Mil seeding, and are looking at how to grow into a functioning commercial Company. Alphr has an extensive interview with the current Reddit CEO Steve Huffman on what to expect. Should be fun based on the previous attempts to implement changes. Hints of looking and feeling more like Facebook will give current users the shivers I am sure.
USB-C power bank for laptops
For those of us that have ultralight laptops with USB-C charging there has been a major gap in the power bank market: a power bank that can charge our laptops. There has been a number of vapor ware solutions touted, but now there is a commercially available alternative. Mophie has just launched the powerstation USB-C XXL, a 19,500mAh, USB-C PD 30W Fast Charge powerbank for sale in the US. Will eventually be available elsewhere, already in the Apple Stores. Currenlty promoted for Apple devices, will let you
Is a new generation of SurfaceBook’s around the corner?
Paul Thurrott (a long term trust able source on what goes on inside Microsoft) posted an update yesterday noting that the 1TB SurfaceBook has for a long time been unavailable and is now gone from the Microsoft Store. He observes that this is a typical Microsoft move before a major upgrade, and is quoting the existing rumors that a new line will be introduced in October. As the second generation was mainly an CPU / RAM / HD upgrade, can Microsoft again surprise us with their continued overtures in the HW space?
Amazon Echo as an illegal monitoring device
The woes of IOT and the very basic security features supported keeps on giving gifts to hackers. An article on help net security reports on MWR InfoSecurity research showing that an Amazon Echo can be HW hacked to have microphones “always on”. Only for 2015 and 2016 editions, only with physical access. Never the less, the first stumbling steps in attacking our connected homes.