Thursday, January 31, 2019
We dismantle Facebook’s memo defending its “Research” – TechCrunch
Facebook published an internal memo today trying to minimize the morale damage of TechCrunch’s investigation that revealed it’d been paying people to suck in all their phone data. Attained by Business Insider’s Rob Price, the memo from Facebook’s VP of production engineering and security Pedro Canahuati gives us more detail about exactly what data Facebook was trying to collect from teens and 
Bangkok chokes as pollution busting efforts falter | News
Bangkok, Thailand – The small park in Bangkok’s Rama III district is mostly popular with runners circling its neatly trimmed garden track to the sound of birdsong. But on Thursday, they were joined by a convoy of fire trucks and half a dozen military drones, drawing dozens of curious onlookers. After an hour setting up, the drones and water cannon were pumping thick plumes of water into the 
Nintendo’s Next Mobile Game Will Be ‘Dr. Mario World,’ Developed in Partnership With LINE
Nintendo today announced that its next iOS and Android release will be Dr. Mario World, an action puzzle game set to be released later in 2019. Nintendo will be partnering with messaging app LINE to develop the new title. Little detail is available on the new game at this time, but Dr. Mario was a 1990 puzzle game that tasked players with rearranging different colored pills as they fall to clear 
Apple restores Google’s internal iOS apps after certificate misuse punishment – TechCrunch
Apple has blocked Google from distributing its internal-only iOS apps on its corporate network after a TechCrunch investigation found the search giant abusing the certificates. “We’re working with Apple to fix a temporary disruption to some of our corporate iOS apps, which we expect will be resolved soon,” said a Google spokesperson. A spokesperson for Apple said: “We are working together with 
Apple reactivates Facebook’s employee apps after punishment for Research spying – TechCrunch
After TechCrunch caught Facebook violating Apple’s employee-only app distribution policy to pay people for all their phone data, Apple invalidated the social network’s Enterprise Certificate as punishment. That deactivated not only this Facebook Research app VPN, but also all of Facebook’s internal iOS apps for workplace collaboration, beta testing and even getting the company lunch or bus 
Five of the Best Email Apps on iOS
Email apps are a popular App Store category for one simple reason – almost all of us need to access email on our iPhones and iPads. While Apple has its own Mail app built into iOS devices, some people want a more feature rich experience. Luckily there are plenty of developers out there who are trying to create the perfect iOS inbox, but it’s hard to sort through the dozens of email apps available
Don’t worry, this rocket-launching Chinese robo-boat is strictly for science – TechCrunch
It seems inevitable that the high seas will eventually play host to a sort of proxy war as automated vessels clash over territory for the algae farms we’ll soon need to feed the growing population. But this rocket-launching robo-boat is a peacetime vessel concerned only with global weather patterns. The craft is what’s called an unmanned semi-submersible vehicle, or USSV, and it functions as a 
Pandora-powered channels will come to SiriusXM’s app this year – TechCrunch
SiriusXM this week offered a few more details on how it plans to leverage its newest asset, Pandora, following its $3.5 billion acquisition of the streaming music service last year, which officially closes on Friday. At the time of the deal, the company spoke about the potential for cross-promotion opportunities between the services and new subscription packages. Now, those efforts are getting 
Apple’s iOS 12.1.4 Update to Fix FaceTime Eavesdropping Bug Showing Up in Analytics
Apple’s upcoming fix for the FaceTime eavesdropping bug that was discovered on Monday will come in the form of an iOS 12.1.4 update, according to MacRumors analytics data. We began seeing a handful of visits from devices running an iOS 12.1.4 update on January 29, the day after the bug was widely publicized and spread across the internet. Apple on Monday said that a software fix for the issue 
Digital influencers and the dollars that follow them – TechCrunch
Sunny Dhillon Contributor More posts by this contributor Security tokens will be coming soon to an exchange near you Amazon’s next conquest will be apparel Animated characters are as old as human storytelling itself, dating back thousands of years to cave drawings that depict animals in motion. It was really in the last century, however—a period bookended by the first animated short film 
Boochani: Asylum seeker on Manus wins Australian literature prize | News
A Kurdish asylum seeker has won one of the most important Australian literature prizes, the Victorian Prize for Literature. However, Iranian Kurd Behrouz Boochani was unable to accept the award personally in Melbourne because he is being kept in the offshore detention centre on Manus Island. Boochani won the award, which comes with a monetary prize of $73,000, for his book “No Friend but the 
Step targets teens and parents with a no-fees mobile bank account and Visa card – TechCrunch
A new mobile banking startup called Step wants to help bring teenagers and other young adults into the cashless era. Today, cash is used less often, as more consumers shop online and send money to one another through payment apps like Venmo. But teenagers in particular are still heavily burdened with cash — even though they, too, want to spend their money on things that require a payment card, 
FBI Mapping ‘Joanap Malware’ Victims to Disrupt the North Korean Botnet
The United States Department of Justice (DoJ) announced Wednesday its effort to “map and further disrupt” a botnet tied to North Korea that has infected numerous Microsoft Windows computers across the globe over the last decade. Dubbed Joanap, the botnet is believed to be part of “Hidden Cobra“—an Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) actors’ group often known as Lazarus Group and Guardians of 
Apple Shipped 14.5M iPads in Holiday Quarter According to Strategy Analytics
Apple shipped an estimated 14.5 million iPads in the fourth quarter of 2018, according to research firm Strategy Analytics. Apple no longer discloses iPad, iPhone, or Mac unit sales in its earnings reports, leaving us with these estimated figures, which can vary quite significantly between research firms. With the iPhone, for example, estimated shipments have ranged from 65.9 million to 68.4 
FuboTV Rolls Out Apple TV App Integration
FuboTV this week has quietly rolled out support for the TV app on Apple TV, allowing subscribers to connect their FuboTV account with the TV app and keep track of all the shows and movies they watch within FuboTV. For those keeping track, this means that FuboTV is now the second live TV streaming service to integrate with Apple’s TV app, following PlayStation Vue last October. Users can discover
Apple makes its first Sundance buy with coming-of-age film ‘Hala’ from Jada Pinkett Smith – TechCrunch
Apple made its first deal at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival on Monday, with its acquisition of the global rights to a coming-of-age drama, “Hala.” The film, written and directed by Minhal Baig, and executive produced by Jada Pinkett Smith, tells the story of a 17-year-old girl, Hala, raised in a conservative Muslim household, who develops feelings for a classmate that puts her at odds with her 
Poor smartphones sales drag LG to first quarterly loss in 2 years – TechCrunch
We’ve written extensively about LG’s struggling mobile business, which has suffered at the hands of aggressive Chinese Android makers, and now that unit has dragged its parent company into posting its first quarterly loss for two years. The Korean electronics giant is generally in good health — it posted a $2.4 billion profit for 2018 — but its smartphone business’s failings saw it post a loss 
Airbus Suffers Data Breach, Some Employees’ Data Exposed
European airplane maker Airbus admitted yesterday a data breach of its “Commercial Aircraft business” information systems that allowed intruders to gain access to some of its employees’ personal information. Though the company did not elaborate on the nature of the hack, it claimed that the security breach did not affect its commercial operations. So, there’s no impact on aircraft production. 
Nintendo Delays Launch of ‘Mario Kart Tour’ Mobile Game Until Summer
Nintendo has announced that its upcoming Mario Kart Tour game for iOS devices won’t be ready until the summer (via The Verge). The news came in Nintendo’s quarterly earnings report released today, exactly a year since the company first revealed it was bringing the game to smartphones. Little is known about Mario Kart Tour, but the game was originally scheduled for launch before the company’s 
Nintendo’s Mario Kart mobile game won’t launch until the summer – TechCrunch
It’s been a long year for Nintendo fans waiting on Mario Kart to come to mobile and, unfortunately, more patience is required after the game’s launch was moved back to this summer. Nintendo announced plans to bring the much-loved franchise to smartphones one year ago. It was originally slated to launch by the end of March 2019, but the Japanese games giant said today it is pushing that date back
Samsung posts fourth-quarter profit drop, warns of weak demand until the second half of 2019 – TechCrunch
Samsung Electronics reported its largest quarterly profit decline in two years during its earnings report today. As the Galaxy maker warned in its earnings guidance earlier this month, its results were hurt by slower-than-expected demand for semiconductors, which had bolstered its earnings in previous quarters even when smartphone sales were slow. Samsung’s forecast was also dour, at least for 
Wednesday, January 30, 2019
The key number to look out for when Apple drops its Q1 earnings report later today – TechCrunch
Apple, the company formerly known by its trillion-dollar market cap, will be reporting its holiday quarter Q1 2019 earnings today, and it may just have the health of the global markets riding on how the financials look. No pressure. Earlier this month, Apple CEO Tim Cook issued a letter to investors, slashing Q1 guidance from a range of between $89 billion and $93 billion to just $84 billion.
Venezuelans call for humanitarian aid as political crisis deepens | Venezuela News
Caracas, Venezuela – Doctors, businessmen and other workers protested in major cities across Venezuela on Wednesday, calling for humanitarian aid to be allowed into the country and for President Nicolas Maduro to step down. Supporters of opposition leader Juan Guaido, who last week swore himself in as the interim president, waved flags and banners. Guaido’s proclamation came after the 
New York Officials Investigating Apple’s FaceTime Eavesdropping Bug
New York Attorney General Letitia James and Governor Andrew Cuomo are investigating the FaceTime eavesdropping bug on iOS devices that allowed a person to FaceTime another person and hear conversations and see videos even when the call was not answered. According to Bloomberg, the New York officials will be focusing on Apple’s failure to warn consumers about the bug and its slow response. 
Apple’s video streaming service to launch this spring – TechCrunch
Apple’s new streaming service is poised to launch this spring, according to The Information, citing three unnamed sources. Tucked away in a report about Amazon’s plans to dial down its efforts with its subscription video offering, The Information noted that Apple has been telling entertainment partners to be ready for a mid-April launch for the streaming service. But the report also said the 
Facebook shares shoot up after strong Q4 earnings despite data breach – TechCrunch
Facebook managed to beat Wall Street’s estimates in its Q4 earnings amidst a constant beat down in the press. Facebook hit 2.32 billion monthly users, up 2.2 perecent from 2.27 billion last quarter, speeding up its growth rate. Facebook climbed to 1.52 billion daily active users from 1.49 billion last quarter for a 2 percent growth rate that dwarfed last quarter’s 1.36 percent. Facebook earned $
Apple Trailed Samsung in Holiday Quarter With an Estimated 68.4M iPhones Shipped
Apple was the number two smartphone vendor in the world during the 2018 holiday quarter with an estimated 68.4 million iPhones shipped, according to new data shared today by IDC. IDC’s new iPhone shipment estimates come one day after Apple’s Q1 2019 earnings call, which corresponds to the fourth calendar quarter of 2018. Apple no longer provides unit sales of iPhone, iPad, and Mac, leaving it to 
Senator Warner calls on Zuckerberg to support market research consent rules – TechCrunch
In response to TechCrunch’s investigation of Facebook paying teens and adults to install a VPN that lets it analyze all their phone’s traffic, Senator Mark Warner (D-VA) has sent a letter to Mark Zuckerberg. It admonishes Facebook for not spelling out exactly which data the Facebook Research app was collecting or giving users adequate information necessary to determine if they should accept 
Apple’s FaceTime bug will be investigated by New York’s Attorney General – TechCrunch
Earlier this week, a bug was found in FaceTime that could let others listen in to your Apple device’s microphone (or, in specific cases, view video from the camera) without you accepting the FaceTime call. Apple disabled the Group FaceTime feature that enabled this bug server-side, thus preventing its future misuse while they worked on a proper patch. Apple says that patch should land later this
Cheap Internet of Things gadgets betray you even after you toss them in the trash – TechCrunch
You may think that the worst you’ll risk by buying a bargain-bin smart bulb or security camera will be a bit of extra trouble setting it up or a lack of settings. But it’s not just while they’re plugged in that these slapdash gadgets are a security risk — even from the garbage can, they can still compromise your network. Although these so-called Internet of Things gadgets are small and rather 
Triple-Lens Cameras Coming to 2019 iPhones, 2020 iPhones and iPads to Feature Laser-Powered 3D Cameras
Apple is planning on introducing triple-lens cameras in its 2019 iPhone lineup, reports Bloomberg, confirming many triple-lens camera rumors that we’ve previously heard. Like The Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg says the followup to the iPhone XS Max will feature a triple-lens camera arrangement, with the iPhone XS and iPhone XR successors to use dual-lens camera arrangements. The third camera will
Apple bans Facebook’s Research app that paid users for data – TechCrunch
In the wake of TechCrunch’s investigation yesterday, Apple blocked Facebook’s Research VPN app before the social network could voluntarily shut it down. The Research app asked users for root network access to all data passing through their phone in exchange for $20 per month. Apple tells TechCrunch that yesterday evening it revoked the Enterprise Certificate that allows Facebook to distribute 
Palestinian teen shot dead after alleged stabbing attack | News
Israeli forces have shot dead a 16-year-old Palestinian girl after she allegedly attempted to stab a border policeman at a checkpoint between the occupied West Bank and Jerusalem, according to local media and police reports. Israeli border police opened fire on Samah Zuheir Mubarak, a student from the West Bank city of Ramallah, as she approached the al-Zaeem checkpoint, which separates an 
You can pre-order Meizu’s crazy phone with no port for $1,299 – TechCrunch
If you’re interested in Meizu’s insane smartphone that doesn’t have any port or button, you can now pre-order it on Indiegogo for $1,299. Supply is limited as the company is only selling 100 units for now. The Meizu Zero looks like any modern phone at first sight. But if you look beyond the display, you’ll notice that there’s absolutely zero port or button. The volume button has been replaced 
iCloud Possibly Suffered A Privacy Breach Last Year That Apple Kept a Secret
Late last year when an unknown group of hackers stole secret access tokens for millions of Facebook accounts by taking advantage of a flaw in its website, the company disclosed the incident and informed its affected users. Similarly, when Twitter was hit by multiple vulnerabilities (#1, #2, #3) in the last few months, the social media company disclosed those incidents and informed its affected 
Beats 1’s Zane Lowe to Keynote Music Business Conference in Nashville as Apple Music Crosses 50M Paying Subscribers
The Music Business Association today announced that Beats 1 anchor Zane Lowe will be the keynote speaker at its 2019 conference on May 5 at 5 p.m. local time. The event will take place at the JW Marriott in Nashville. In addition to his Beats 1 role, Lowe is the Global Head of Artist Relations for Apple Music. The Grammy-nominated producer and DJ has been part of Apple Music since its inception 
India’s largest bank SBI leaked account data on millions of customers – TechCrunch
India’s largest bank has secured an unprotected server that allowed anyone to access financial information on millions of its customers, like bank balances and recent transactions. The server, hosted in a regional Mumbai-based datacenter, stored two months of data from SBI Quick, a text message and call-based system used to request basic information about their bank accounts by customers of of 
American Airlines taps Apple Music for in-flight entertainment – TechCrunch
American Airlines and Apple Music have closed a deal that would give passengers access to the full library of Apple Music songs on AA flights. Apple Music’s more than 50 million songs will be available on any domestic American Airlines flight equipped with Viasat satellite wifi at no extra cost to customers, marking the first commercial airline to offer exclusive access to Apple Music via 
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