EwtNet

Author: Ebenezer Obasi

  • TwitPic Data Barely Surviving as they Hash out Twitter’s Terms

    TwitPic Data Barely Surviving as they Hash out Twitter’s Terms

    It’s been over a month since Twitter came after Twitpic  over the service trademark, threatening to remove the service’s access to Twitter’s API. Today, CEO Noah Everett has announced that they have reached an agreement with Twitter that will let them stay alive – but a mare survival.

    And in a somewhat happy turn of events, Twitpic has announced that it has reached an agreement with Twitter to keep Twitpic photos and links alive, giving Twitter control over the domain and the full photo archive.

    However, the agreement also states that Twitpic will no longer be taking any new photos or data and will exist in a read-only mode. Apps on the App Store and Google Play have been removed, but users will still be able to log in, delete content or the account itself, and export and/or download data.

    This comes after a “roller coaster ride” of the past few months. In September, Twitpic founder and CEO Noah Everett announced that the service would shut down after Twitter came after the service over the Twitpic trademark, threatening to remove the service’s access to Twitter’s API.

    “This came as a shock to us since Twitpic has been around since early 2008, and our trademark application has been in the USPTO since 2009,” Everett wrote in a blog post.

    Shortly thereafter, rumors circulated that Twitpic might be bought in order to save the service and the data that lives on it, until Everett once again admitted defeat and announced that he had given up on finding acquirers.

    It’s with a heavy heart that I announce again that Twitpic will be shutting down on October 25th. We worked through a handful of potential acquirers and exhausted all potential options. We were almost certain we had found a new home for Twitpic (hence our previous tweet), but agreeable terms could not be met.

    According to the blog post from today, which you can read below, it seems Everett won’t be staying on at Twitter or Twitpic.

    Today marks the end of a difficult battle for Twitpic, whether it’s a happy or sad ending.

    First off I want to say thank you to everyone who has used Twitpic over the years and for your patience with us over the last couple of months. As you know it’s been quite the roller coaster ride.
    We weren’t able to find a way to keep Twitpic independent. However, I’m happy to announce that we have reached an agreement with Twitter to give them the Twitpic domain and photo archive, thus keeping the photos and links alive for the time being. Twitter shares our goal of protecting our users and this data. Also, since Twitpic’s user base consists of Twitter users, it makes sense to keep this data with Twitter.
    What this means for Twitpic users:

    • Twitpic will no longer be taking on new photos or data (the site will be in a read-only mode)
    • The iOS and Android apps have been removed from the app stores and will no longer be supported
    • You will still be able to login to your profile to delete content or delete your account on Twitpic.com
    • You can still export and download your data / photo archive on Twitpic.com

    This will be my (@noaheverett) final chapter with Twitpic, and again I want to say thank you for allowing me to be a part of your photo sharing memories for nearly seven years. It has been an honor.

  • Microsoft Spots New Vulnerability in Microsoft Office – Your PC may be at Risk

    Microsoft Spots New Vulnerability in Microsoft Office – Your PC may be at Risk

    Heads up! In what feels like a throwback to the late 90s/early 2000’s, Microsoft has discovered one helluva bug in Microsoft Office. Executed properly, the bug could be exploited to take over your entire system running just about any version of Windows.

    You can find Microsoft’s full disclosure on the bug here, but here’s the bulk of what you should know:

    • This bug is being exploited in the wild, though Microsoft only knows of “limited, targeted attacks” so far
    • It affects Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows Server 2012, and Windows RT. XP isn’t mentioned as Microsoft no longer supports it — but yeah, it’s probably affected too.
    • If executed properly, the exploit gives the attacker the same permissions on your system as whatever type of user you’re currently logged in as. If you’re an admin, that means full admin rights — code execution, app installs, etc.
    • If you have Window’s User Account Control feature enabled, it’ll throw up a prompt asking if the file is okay to execute. If you aren’t 100% sure that the file is legit, avoid doing so.
    • The bug is part of PowerPoint’s OLE system, which lets you embed things like spreadsheets into a presentation. It’s supposed to be fairly well sandboxed; alas, it looks like someone found a gap.
    • Microsoft says that hacked presentations e-mailed to users and hacked presentations sitting on the web are potentially dangerous. The short version: avoid all but the most-trusted PowerPoint presentations right now.

    So just how gnarly is this bug? Says Microsoft (emphasis ours):

    An attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could gain the same user rights as the current user. If the current user is logged on with administrative user rights, an attacker who successfully exploited this vulnerability could take complete control of an affected system. An attacker could then install programs; view, change, or delete data; or create new accounts with full user rights.

    But should you panic?

    Nah. Do a few things things, and you should be safe:
    1) Play it smart about what presentations you open
    2) If you’re on a build of Windows that has User Account Control as an option, enable it (it should be on by default, in most cases.) This won’t fix the bug outright, but it’ll throw up a big permissions prompt that’ll remind you not to open mystery files.
    3) Check out this advisory page from Microsoft, which offers up a temporary patch until Microsoft finalizes a security update.

  • Queen Elizabeth II takes to an iPad to send her first Tweet

    Queen Elizabeth II takes to an iPad to send her first Tweet

    Think about your first tweet. Mine was sent from a desktop, but I’m sure plenty of people sent their first tweet from a smartphone.

    But before you can ever send a tweet, you have to sign up for an account. And, of course, you have to type out an actual message. Only then can you press that little blue Tweet button and begin your Twitter journey.

    The Queen, however, does things a bit differently.

    In her first tweet, she promoted the opening of the Information Age exhibition at the Science Museum, signing the tweet with her official signature: Elizabeth R. The R stands for Regina, which is the Latin for Queen.

    The tweet was sent from the British Monarchy’s official account, which has over 750,000 followers. At the time of writing, the tweet has more than 20,000 retweets and almost as many favorites.

    It is a pleasure to open the Information Age exhibition today at the @ScienceMuseum and I hope people will enjoy visiting. Elizabeth R.
    — BritishMonarchy (@BritishMonarchy) October 24, 2014

    There was some controversy over whether or not the Queen actually typed out the tweet herself, as videos of the occasion only show her strolling up to an iPad on a lectern, removing a glove, and pressing a single button. However, pictures taken before show her typing on an iPad. Still, TweetDeck shows that the tweet was sent from an iPhone, as you can see in the picture below.

    The British Monarchy told the Verge that this discrepancy was due to “processology” (whatever that means), and insisting that the tweet was sent personally by the Queen. They even tweeted about it.

    Personally, I don’t mind if the Queen has someone else type out her 140-character knowledge bombs. After all, Ashton Kutcher can’t even handle the pressure and he leads no empires.

    SOURCE: Twitter, Engadget via TechCrunch. [Image credit: @BritishMonarchy] MORE COVERAGE: Time Magazine

  • Video: J-deite Quarter – A Working Transformer Built by Japanese Hobbyists

    Video: J-deite Quarter – A Working Transformer Built by Japanese Hobbyists

    A pair of Japanese hobbyists have built a transforming robot that can walk or, when in sports car form, drive around autonomously. It’s called the J-deite Quarter and is four feet tall. The goal, apparently, is to make a full-sized transformer… just because they can.

    The team consists of Kenji Ishida and Wataru Yoshizaki of Brave Robotics and Asratec. The team has been working on transformers since 2012 when they released a table-top model. They hope to make a full, eight-foot model in the next year.

    Some specs, for those who want to know all the details on their future robotic overlords:

    Height in robot mode/length in vehicle mode: 1.3 m,
    weight: 35 kg, maximum battery power: 3 kw,
    operating time: 1 hour, number of seats: 2,
    controlled by V-Sido OS.
    Power source: servo motor manufactured byFutaba Corp.[Robot Mode SPEC]
    Maximum walking speed: 1 km/h, gripping weight: 0.1 kg.[Vehicle Mode SPEC]
    Maximum traveling speed: 10km/h, minimum road clearance: 40 mm.

    That’s about half a mile an hour walking and about six miles an hour driving, which isn’t fast but I suppose it’s a start. That means Megatron and Starscream will be long gone before J-deite Quarter makes it to the scene of the crime (unless it rode on the back of Optimus Prime.) Now if they could only program it to explain the ridiculous Transformers movie storylines we’d truly be in business.

    Source: Simplebotics via TechCrunch

  • Lenovo G505, HP 255 and 5 budget laptops for Nigerian college students—we picked the best

    Lenovo G505, HP 255 and 5 budget laptops for Nigerian college students—we picked the best

    Going to  college in Nigeria could be financially cumbersome towards the end of each semester—especially when it is imperative to get a new laptop and you didn’t manage your finance during the semester.

    Your bank account is nearly tapped out, and you still need to buy text books, handouts and lay in enough ramen noodles to last through the winter.

    Yeah, we’ve all been there. Fortunately, Moore’s Law is still in play, so today’s budget notebook is yesterday’s workhorse. Pretty much any modern laptop can handle the gamut of productivity chores—word processing, number crunching, email, and the like—but all of the machines in this roundup can also tackle media editing and encoding sessions, and deliver respectable entertainment experiences.

    To strike the best balance between performance and affordability, I gathered the top five laptops I could find for ₦60,000 or less. Benchmark busters they’re not, but they aren’t budget busters, either.

    Also Read: Infinix Diamond, Ankara Q2 and 6 ‘Premium’ Affordable Android Phones/Tablets you can buy for ₦9,999+

    Lenovo G505 (₦58,000) — Buy Online

    Working on an environment that demands great sound system? Lenovo G505 offers you the best option. Thanks to its stereo speakers with Dolby® Advanced Audio™ v2, graphics card options up to the speedy AMD Radeon 8570M VRAM, and optical disk drive options up to a Blu-ray Disc™ combo, the G505 offers stunning, stutter-free visuals and immersive sound for a fuller, more satisfying home entertainment experience.

    The AMD E1-2100 APU Processor powered laptop comes with a Windows 8 operating system and a RAM of 2GB. The pre-installed Bitdefender Anti‎‐Virus Plus gives maximum security to the user for 1 year and can be renewed afterward.

    Key Specifications:

    • Windows 8 OS
    • 4GB DDR3 RAM
    • 1TB (1,000GB) Hard Drive
    • AMD E1-2100 APU Processor
    • 15.6-Inch, HD Display
    • Inbuilt Wireless Adapter
    • AMD Radeon Graphics
    • DVD RW Optical Drive

    The actual price for Lenovo G505 is currently ₦86,400 but can be bought online for ₦58,000 (discount rate). See product page for full specification and purchase.

    Dell Inspiron 3541  (₦59,990) — Buy Online

    Dell Inspiron 3541 is a well packaged Windows 8.1 laptop with an AMD E1-6010 Dual Core Processor, Free Dell Sleeve, Microsoft Office 365 Personal, 8GB Flash Drive and 2 years free call service with Skype.

    The device is suitable for gaming and performing high resolution display tasks, boasting of 15.6-Inch (1366×768) HD display unit and AMD R2 dedicated graphics card.

    Key Specifications:

    • Windows 8.1 OS
    • 2GB DDR3 RAM
    • 500GB Hard Drive
    • AMD E1-6010 Dual Core Processor
    • 15.6-Inch (1366×768) HD
    • DVD RW Optical Drive
    • Inbuilt Wireless Adapter

    You can purchase or see complete features and specification of Dell Inspiron 3541 on the product page.

    HP 255 G2 (₦58,600) — Buy Online

    HP 255 is a multi-tasks Windows 8 laptop powered by a 1 GHz, AMD E1-2100 Dual Core Processor and 2 GB RAM, certainly not the fastest PC on this list but the 15.6 Inch, HD display unit will make up for its shortcoming.

    The laptop has a 500 GB storage space, DVD RW Optical Drive and yes, it has an inbuilt wireless adapter.

    Key Specifications

    • Windows 8.1 OS
    • 2GB RAM
    • 500GB Hard Drive
    • AMD Dual-Core E1-2100 APU with Radeon HD 8210 Graphics (1 GHz, 1 MB cache)
    • 15.6-Inch (1366×768) HD
    • Intel HD Graphics
    • DVD RW Optical Drive
    • Inbuilt Wireless Adapter

    The actual amount for this device is ₦75,000 but can be purchased online for just ₦58,600. See pricing and full specifications.

    Also Read: Sony & Samsung Tablets Dominate the Top 5 Most Expensive Android Tablets in Nigeria

    Acer Aspire E1-510 (₦53,500) — Buy Online

    When it comes to producing quality PCs, Acer is second to no one. Acer Aspire E1-510 carries the same DNA, featuring a durable plastic case and a 4-cell Li-Ion with extended life capacity—if you are in an area where electricity is an issue, you might want to stick with this product.
    The practical yet stylish notebook is loaded with powerful and useful features like multimedia tools and convenient connectivity features‎‎.‎‎ This is a stylish notebook which comes with 15.6 inch, HD LED Backlit display‎‎,‎‎ powered by Intel Pentium processor with Linux OS to provide a faster and user friendly experience‎‎.‎‎ It has Intel HD Graphics that deliver ultimate graphics needed for gaming‎‎,‎‎ 500GB Hard disk drive also provides ample space for storage‎‎,‎‎ HDMI and USB 3.0 ports for faster data transfer.‎‎
    Key Specifications
    • Linux OS (Windows 8.1 & 7 OS Compatible)
    • 4GB DDR3 RAM
    • 500GB Hard Drive
    • Intel Celeron Processor
    • 15.6 Inch, Active Matrix TFT Color LCD
    • 4-cell Li-Ion Battery
    • DVD RW Optical Drive
    • Inbuilt Wireless Adapter
    The researcher friendly laptop is on sale for ₦53,500 online and ₦71,500 in most shops offline. See full product specifications and pricing.

    Acer V5-123 Mini Laptop (₦49,900) — Buy Online

    If you think the products listed above are a little above your budget and you don’t mind sacrificing the option of listening to another Davido’s single, you can bite the bullet and go with an Acer mini laptop without a CD Drive.
    The Aspire V5 Series puts inspiring performance in a thin and light form. A choice of elegant views adds to the charm. Breathe life into your entertainment and enjoy hands-on control with Acer Aspire V5-123. Its built-in speakers sweeten the deal with splendid sound. The laptop features;11.6-Inch WXGA HD, AMD Radeon trade; HD display with 2GB RAM and a 500GB hard drive which provides enough space for you to store your files, data, photos, and music. You can connect to the world wherever you are with your laptop, the WiFi enables you to browse and surf the web, you can also transfer data to other devices via bluetooth. This laptop comes with a free mouse, bag and headset.
    Key Specifications:
    • Windows 8.1 OS
    • 2GB RAM
    • 500GB Hard Drive
    • 11.6-Inch WXGA HD Display
    • Intel HD Graphics
    • Inbuilt WiFi 802.11 bgn Adapter
    Although Acer Aspire V5-123 has no CD Drive, you can still connect a CD Drive via the USB port. Saving over ₦10,000 compared to other products listed above. Purchase or see more about this product on its product page.
  • Ello vows never to be like Facebook and makes its ad-free promise a legal one

    Ello vows never to be like Facebook and makes its ad-free promise a legal one

    It’s one thing to say your social network will never be like Facebook, it’s another to enshrine that promise in legal documents. Ello, a social site whose claim to fame is an anti-ad manifesto, is doing just that by filing to become a public benefit corporation.

    A benefit corporation is a company that chooses to be socially conscious of how its decisions affect not just shareholders or investors, but also its customers, employees, and the environment. Ello won’t get any tax benefits for being a do-good social network, but the charter the company filed prevents current and future investors and owners from ever profiting from ads or user data.

    “In other words, Ello exists for your benefit, and will never show ads or sell user data,” Ello founder Paul Budnitz wrote in a Thursday Ello post.

    Ello is growing rapidly, ballooning to 1 million members in the last two months, according to Wired. Another 3 million are waiting to be let in. The network also announced that it raised $5.5 million in venture capital, but its investors had to sign the ad-free charter, which you can read in full here.

    So if ads are off the table forever, how will the social network make money? Budnitz plans to model Ello after the most successful company in the world: Apple.

    “We will make money, and we are a business, and we have been really open about that since the beginning,” Budnitz told Inc. in an interview earlier this month. “Our model is based on a very successful business model that has been applied to all kinds of other things except social networking, which is the iPhone model. In its most basic form, Ello will be fun and free to use. But after that there are features that some groups want really badly—for example one of the most requested features is the ability to control multiple accounts from a single log in. We might charge a dollar for that. It would be like the App Store.”

    That sounds good, but it’s not exactly similar to how Apple makes money. Apple’s model is to sell you expensive hardware at a comfortable profit margin, and the software and services—and even the App Store—enhance the experience to make you want to buy the hardware. Apple wouldn’t give you a basic iPhone for free and then upcharge you to add more features that you want really badly. If you wanted features Apple isn’t providing, you’d probably go buy a different phone.

    Anyway, Ello is technically still a beta network that has tons of ideas about features to add but isn’t fully built out yet. Users are dying for a “like” or “favorite” button, which Budnitz says is coming, but don’t expect the feature to be like Facebook’s or Twitter’s. Budnitz in an Ello post earlier this month recommended people use the bread emoji to signify a nod or thumbs up. It’s a little unconventional, but, hey—that’s Ello.

    In the meantime, the network has added a notification center, blocking and muting functions, and is working on better search, an NSFW mode, sound and video embeds, and a couple much-needed apps. Ello might never be as big as Facebook, but if it keeps working to woo skeptics, it might just be a viable alternative.

    Originally posted on TechHive

  • Apple Pay’s Could Emulate Bluetooth File Share and Enable Phone-to-Phone Payments

    Apple Pay’s Could Emulate Bluetooth File Share and Enable Phone-to-Phone Payments

    The launch of Apple Pay this week is giving many people their first taste of NFC payment technology, which allows them to buy things in a store by bringing an iPhone 6 close to a compatible terminal.

    But the NFC standard also allows payments to be made directly between smartphones. Apple and its competitors, such as Google Wallet, don’t offer support for that part of the standard, but the technology already exists inside many of today’s NFC-equipped phones and could one day allow retailers to accept NFC payment using smartphones. It would also be technically possible for individuals to exchange money with their friends through the same system.

    The NFC standard defines three modes for the technology.

    The first, and most simple, is for reading small snippets of information such as phone numbers or Web addresses from wireless tags. The second, used by Apple Pay and Google Wallet, involves the phone emulating an NFC payment card. The third allows the NFC chip to function as a card reader.

    It’s this third mode, if enabled by Apple or Google, that would allow a smartphone to accept payments.

    Smartphone payment systems are already common in some countries. Perhaps the most famous and recognizable is the Square system, which uses a small magnetic stripe reader that plugs into a phone’s headphone jack. In Europe, some companies offer card readers for more secure chip-based payment cards, but nothing exists yet for NFC.

    “We’ve been working on it at Mastercard for a little while,” said James Anderson, the company’s senior vice president of emerging payments. “We’re interested in turning every phone into a payment acceptance device.”

    But while many of the NFC chips used in smartphones support it, not every phone could necessarily be used to accept payments.

    There are a number of requirements for NFC payments, such as the minimum and maximum distance over which the NFC transaction can take place and the speed with which it happens. Terminal manufacturers design for these requirements, but not all smartphones have necessarily been built with these in mind.

    “There may be situations in which the two devices may technically be capable of exchanging data for payment, but may not be able to achieve the read ranges and/or response times required for them to be certified as contactless payment capable,” said Sam Shrauger, senior vice president of digital solutions at Visa.

    For now, the industry is watching closely to see consumer reaction to Apple Pay. If it takes off, competitors such as Google would probably step up their offerings and the NFC payments field would become a lot more competitive. That might bring new features such as phone-to-phone payments into play.

  • US Court Officially bans Aereo from streaming live TV to devices

    US Court Officially bans Aereo from streaming live TV to devices

    Aereo can no longer relay TV shows to its customers using its teeny-tiny antennas (for now, that is), according to US District Judge Alison Nathan. 

    It’s been a while since the Supreme Court decided that the service violates the law by “transmitting performances of copyrighted work to the public,” but it’s only now that a judge has issued a temporary ban order. For those who’ve forgotten what it is: Aereo used to stream live or nearly-live programming to its subscribers’ phones, laptops or tablets for $8 a month.
    Each customer is assigned a minuscule antenna of his own (pictured above), which captures shows from the airwaves, as well as a DVR that stores recordings for a later time. Now, though, it’s no longer allowed to beam on-air TV shows to people’s devices anymore. Even worse, Judge Nathan has refused to acknowledge it as a cable service, which means it can’t reinvent itself as one — even if it’s now willing to pay those licensing fees.

    Wondering what’s next for Aereo? Well, the jury’s still out on whether it can record and store programs to be aired at a later time. The judge didn’t grant TV networks their request to stop the company from doing so, since they didn’t include it as part of their demands when they first filed a lawsuit. She’s currently investigating whether she should grant that request, though — and whether to order a final, permanent ban against Aereo. If you want to know more about the temporary injunction, prepare to pore over 17 pages of legalese before checking out the official court documents.

    [Image credit: AP] SOURCE: Scotusblog, Bloomberg, Hollywood Reporter,Injunction (Scribd) Via Engadget.

  • Job Vacancy: Senior Procurement Manager, Nexius, Inc.

    Job Vacancy: Senior Procurement Manager, Nexius, Inc.

    Are you looking to work from the comfort of your home? End-to-end wireless services and software solutions company Nexius is looking for honest applicants with excellent communication skills to work as senior procurement manager.

    The position is open to everyone residing in US and not limited to any city. Since it’s a virtual office, you have the option to work from home or anywhere you are comfortable.

    Job description

    Nexius is the leader in delivering end-to-end wireless services and software solutions to industries worldwide. The company’s ~1000 dedicated professionals serve as subject matter experts, providing Technology Strategy, Network Services, and Software Solutions to many of today’s leading organizations. Nexius closely collaborates with their customers to deliver the strategic insight, proven experience, and practical knowledge necessary to transform their business through wireless.

    Nexius is on a steady path of growth in the U.S. and globally, ranking as the 103rd fastest growing business in America by Entrepreneur Magazine and in the Deloitte Technology Fast 50 and the Inc. 5000 lists. Headquartered in Allen, Texas, Nexius has offices in Washington DC, Seattle, Dallas, Puerto Rico, Dubai, London, Sao Paulo, Mexico and Argentina.

    Senior Procurement Manager

    We are hiring a Senior Procurement Manager. This role will be part of the Corporate Operations team. While our corporate headquarters is based in Allen, TX, we are willing to consider virtual work for the best-qualified candidate.

    Responsibilities:

    • Develops and implements an efficient, effective strategic sourcing, procurement and distribution function in support of the strategic and operational objectives of the company.
    • Develops and implements a compliance program and regulations to prevent fraud and ensure adherence to best practices in any procurement activities.
    • Lead the Procurement organization and drive sourcing business objectives and strategic initiatives, with focus on market project related services procurement activities.
    • Manage activities related to strategic and tactical purchasing for services, suppliers/GCs.
    • Develop and manage the Procurement including setting targets and monitoring performance
    • Collaborate with other Supply Chain functions to improve organizational, system and process efficiency
    • Coordinate with planners & deployment primes from regional markets to forecast demand and create supply plans that ensure availability of services needed, including but not limited to Construction, Site Acquisition, Installation, A&E, etc.
    • Ability to lead complex negotiations and secure the best price & commercial terms for the company (subcontractors and material vendors).
    • Monitor supplier performance to assess ability to meet quality and delivery requirements.
    • Implement new or improve the existing Purchasing processes.
    • Optimize the supply base and drive supplier spend consolidation where applicable
    • Develop material/services costs forecasts or standard cost lists.
    • Develop a supplier engagement model to select, evaluate and manage suppliers.
    • Gather and analyze supplier performance data & metrics.
    • Build Supplier Relationships at a senior level to help the company’s purchasing & negotiation position. Work closely with key suppliers on cost reduction and other value add programs
    • Document Procurement processes such as workflows.
    • Ensures the Procurement team has the tools, processes, skillsets and training to successfully perform procurement activities.

    Skills:

    • Excellent communication skills, negotiations , and ability to drive a win-win deal.
    • Sound Managerial skills including the ability to lead a team.
    • Continuously looks for ways to improve processes and business practices.
    • Possesses entrepreneurial qualities.
    • Stress tolerant and decisive.
    • Able to collaborate , honest, trustworthy, and transparent

    Experience:

    • Experience leading the development and implementation of strategic procurement plans including purchasing, sourcing and vendor selection. Best if this experience is in the Telecom industry – network deployment.
    • Experience in leading teams of up to 7 people or more
    • Established relationships/contacts with General Contractors (GCs) in the telecom services space nationwide or in specific markets is a huge asset.

    To apply for the job, you will have to sign up on Nexius job portal. View job posting on Nexius website.

  • Amazon Takes $170 Million Hit on Fire Phone

    Amazon Takes $170 Million Hit on Fire Phone

    In case you didn’t know, here’s the crazy thing about Amazon: it isn’t really known for turning a profit. Just think about that for a second. The company that wants to sell you everything, get it to you by any means necessary and serves as the backbone for a considerable chunk of the internet doesn’t usually make money at the end of the day. And even with that financial truth entered into the record, people — from Wall Street types to armchair prognosticators — cheer whenever Amazon avoids losing as much money in a quarter as they expect it to. Today is not one of those days.

    Amazon’s Q3 results dropped not too long ago, and it packs some big numbers. While the Everything Store raked in $20.58 billion in revenue (which is more than what most small countries make in a year) it just wasn’t enough to please those pesky shareholders — the company’s stock price is down over 10 percent in after-hours trading. Amazon’s business model is the epitome of spending money to make money, except what operating profits they do post are pretty meager and big losses like today’s (think $437 million) aren’t rare. In fairness, this quarter has been a really busy one for the folks in Seattle. After all, Amazon snapped up Twitch for a billion dollars, expanded its same-day delivery service in six cities across the United States, and launched a phone that no one actually seems to want (if you’re reading, Bezos, we’d still like hard sales numbers for that thing). The question is, how much longer can Amazon afford to spend and spend and acquire and expand and develop before shareholders — the people who back the company with their own money — decide that Amazon’s not going where they want it to?

    Update: So our wishes for firm Fire Phone sales numbers haven’t been answered, but we’ve now got a better idea of how it’s doing thanks to the company’s CFO. During the company’s earnings conference call, Amazon’s Tom Szkutak said it took a $170 million hit “primarily related to Fire phone inventory valuation and supplier commitment costs.” Yikes.

    Via Engadgets

  • TestFlight Beta Testing Goes Live For All iOS Developers

    TestFlight Beta Testing Goes Live For All iOS Developers

    Apple has pushed its TestFlight Beta testing service live for everyone, the company revealed on its developer news portal today. Registered developers can now invite up to 1,000 beta testers to try out their iOS apps, using emailed invitations sent via the iTunes Connect portal. TestFlight, the beta testing service Apple acquired sometime within the last year, allows developers to build teams to try out software before it launches, and report back bugs in order to prepare apps for a public launch.

    TestFlight had still been usable by devs between Apple’s acquisition of the service and now, but this marks the completion of Apple’s transition of the service to a built-in part of its developer tools. Now, TestFlight invites are distributed via iTunes Connect, as mentioned, and a dedicated TestFlight app provides the central resource for testers in terms of providing feedback and getting new builds as they’re released by developers, instead of the web portal TestFlight used pre-acquisition.

    Once external testers are invited to TestFlight, they’ll receive a link to download the official app from the App Store. There’s no longer any need to install provisioning profiles on tester devices with this shift, and there’s no need to for users to manually find and send their device’s UDID to participate. The official app will also send notifications when new builds of an app they’re testing is available, which is much more convenient than getting an email, as was the case before.

    To make an app available for the 1,000 external testers that this launch enables, an app has to pass a Beta App Review, which means it’s subject to the same App Store Review Guidelines that apply to final releases. New versions with big changes require a new review before being pushed to testers, and developers can test up to 10 apps at a time, both internally (which requires no review approval, and which is available to 25 admin or tech level team members in iTunes Connect) and externally.

    Apple has shared more about how to get started with TestFlight here, and developers who are looking to get more help can head over to the App Review team contact page (developer account and login required).

    The new TestFlight offers a lot of convenience features that should make it easier for developers to gather feedback from actual users, instead of just tech-savvy early adopters, but that review requirement might add some time to how fast builds can go out. At any rate, it’s nice to see wider beta testing options finally built directly into the platform.

  • Video: Astrobotic Technology to Land a Robot on the Moon and Send Live Video Back to Earth

    Video: Astrobotic Technology to Land a Robot on the Moon and Send Live Video Back to Earth

    Astrobotic Technology, a private technology company, is planning to land a robot on the moon.

    “Whether men have reached the moon” has long been kept to bed as researchers compete to earn a $30 million fortune from Google to beam video back from the moon.

    A researcher at Carnegie Mellon University, Daniel Shafrir, and his team want to do something incredible: they want to send a rover to the moon and then let us, the Earthlings, control it and look out of its stereoscopic cameras as it tumbles around that barren alien rock. The researchers are working to win a $30 million prize from Google to beam video back from the moon.

    The team, called Astrobotic Technology, has to complete the Google Lunar XPrize, a mission to land a robot on the moon and send live video back to Earth while moving it at least 1,600 feet. As you can imagine, this is harder than it sounds, given that they have to help the robot escape Earth’s orbit.

    Shafrir, game designer Ben Boesel, and astronomer Dan Arnett are working together to connect the robot to an Oculus Rift which, in turn, would control the robot. The team said they hope to let children worldwide see what “only 12 other people” have seen on Earth. They will build their lunar lander and fire their little robot, Andy, after Andrew Carnegie, into the stratosphere to pull this off.

  • PlayStation 4 Update Coming Next Week With ‘Share Play’ Feature

    PlayStation 4 Update Coming Next Week With ‘Share Play’ Feature

    PlayStation 4 update: Back in August, Sony started teasing a new feature they call “Share Play.”. Though we’re still waiting to see just how well it works, the idea itself is wonderful: once enabled, you can let your friends play your games with you (or by themselves, even) from across the vast Interwebs without them owning a copy of the game.

    Up until now, Sony was pretty vague about when this feature would launch, noting only that it was coming “this fall.” Thanks to a quiet announcement on Twitter, however, we’ve now got a date: October 28th.

    PS4’s next software update, Masamune, will be available on 10/28. Includes Share Play, USB Music player, and more! pic.twitter.com/FjfgcY91Ki
    — PlayStation (@PlayStation) October 23, 2014

    As the tweet above mentions, an update that Sony expects to ship on 10/28 will include Share Play, along with the ability to play music (MP3, MP4, M4A, and, for some crazy reason, 3GP) off of a USB drive while playing a game.

    As for the “and more” that leaves that tweet oh-so open ended, the update also brings the long-awaited YouTube app, a better voice command system, and the ability to tweak the background color of your PS4’s homescreen.

    While Share Play sounds incredible, there’s a footnote or two that Sony seems to be downplaying a bit that might make it a bit less incredible. For example: sony has previously confirmed that Share Play sessions are limited to 60 minute chunks — so don’t expect to be able to blast through an entire game on a buddy’s remote console without shelling out for your own copy eventually.

    On the upside, the feature should work with all PS4 games right out of the gate — so it’s not something that’ll only work on a title-by-title basis.

    Via TechCrunch

  • You can now Add Friends by Username in Telegram Messaging App

    You can now Add Friends by Username in Telegram Messaging App

    The Telegram Messaging App, the security-focused messaging app, now lets you add friends without necessarily knowing their phone number (see the step-by-step guide on how to add a username in Telegram). An update to the iOS and Android apps today has introduced the option to register a a username, although all users must still bind their account to a phone number.

    The advantage of a username is that you can share your contact details for Telegram without revealing your phone number, thus safeguarding some level of privacy.

    Usernames must be a minimum of five characters — so you can’t make up for losing out on a one-letter Twitter handle here — and can contain letters, numbers and underscores.

    You are also free to change your alias, so long as the new one is not already taken.

    That’s not quite all from this Telegram update. The company has also taken a leaf out of Snapchat’s book with a new feature that lets users ‘Tap and Hold to View’ photos, video and voice messages that are sent with a self-destructing timer. Prior to this update, Telegram users had to tap on media to load it.

    Importantly, Telegram has now amended said self-destructing timer for media so that it only begins once the content has been opened. That means that photos, videos, etc do not self-destruct before being read.

    Founded by the brothers behind Russian social network VK, Telegram launched in October 2013 with a promise to make mobile messaging more secure. The service gained some serious momentum after Facebook agree to buy WhatsApp, when it clocked 8 million downloads in a matter of days, primarily from users concerned with Facebook’s approach to user data.

    Earlier this year, Telegram revealed that it has 35 million monthly active users, 15 million of whom use it daily. Co-founder Pavel Durov confirmed to TechCrunch that, as of March 2014, more than 18 billion messages were received by users of the service per month.

    Those stats are far smaller than WhatsApp — which has over half a billion monthly users — and others, but they are impressive for such a new entrant in the messaging space.

  • New Microsoft adapter lets Xbox One’s Kinect play nice with PCs

    New Microsoft adapter lets Xbox One’s Kinect play nice with PCs

    Xbox One owners can attach their Kinect motion sensors to Windows PCs and tablets thanks to a new adapter introduced by Microsoft.

    The new $49.99 adapter is specific to Kinect sensors built for Xbox One, and it plugs into the USB 3.0 port of Windows 8 PCs. Microsoft already sold a separate $199.99 Kinect for Windows v2 motion sensor, which plugs directly into PCs without the need for an adapter.

    There will be no difference in the performance of the Kinect sensors, Microsoft said.

    Kinect sensors can recognize movement and gestures, which then allows users to participate in games. It can do much more for PCs than a simple webcam-style monitor. Kinect sensors, for example, can work with Windows applications like Microsoft’s 3D Builder, which allows the scanning of 3D objects.

    Software developers are working on various PC applications that take advantage of Kinect sensors, which are also used in engineering, design, and healthcare applications.

    To further fuel developer interest, Microsoft on Wednesday also released the Kinect SDK 2.0, which is available for download. It is an update from the June preview and has more than 200 updates and improvements.

    With SDK 2.0, “developers can commercially deploy Kinect apps in the Windows Store for the first time,” Microsoft said.

  • Roughly 1000 Transactions Made with Apple Pay Were Logged Twice in Customer Accounts

    Roughly 1000 Transactions Made with Apple Pay Were Logged Twice in Customer Accounts

    Roughly 1000 transactions were made with Apple. Some Bank of America customers have been double-charged for purchases made with Apple Pay, the payment system Apple launched on Monday.

    Roughly 1,000 transactions made with Apple Pay were logged twice in customer accounts, said Tara Burke, a spokeswoman with Bank of America, which is one of the largest U.S. banks and was an Apple Pay launch partner.

    “We apologize for the inconvenience and are correcting the problem,” said Burke.

    The duplicate transactions should be removed by the end of Wednesday.

    Apple Pay utilizes a secure chip inside Apple’s new iPhone 6 that enables the phone to emulate an NFC (near field communications) payment card. When the Apple Pay app is loaded with a customer’s credit or debit card, payments can be made at NFC terminals by bringing the phone close to the terminal.

    Roughly 1000 Transactions. The system is being positioned as easier and more secure than current payment cards because the card number is not passed to the retailer’s terminal. Instead, a substitute number called a token is offered to the merchant, which sends it on to the card issuer for approval.

    The token can only be used once, so if it’s stolen it should prove useless to cyberattackers. It’s tied to the actual card number deeper in the financial services network, further away from the retailer terminals that have been the target of so much hacking recently.

    Apple Pay is compatible with existing NFC payment terminals, which can be found in around 200,000 shops and taxis across the U.S.

    Originally posted on PC World

  • Android 5.0 Lollipop to hit the wild on November 3

    Android 5.0 Lollipop to hit the wild on November 3

    Google is telling developers to step on it if they want their apps ready for a November 3 release of Android Lollipop.

    It’s the first specific date we’ve heard, which means the newest flavor of Android will start hitting the street in less than two weeks. The Nexus 9 preorders start shipping on that same date as well. Though as is often the case with preorders, they may show up on some people’s doorsteps early.

    Google wants developers to finish tinkering and get their apps ready to go in the Play Store.

    With Lollipop so close, Google is gently nagging programmers in the Google Play Developer Console (pictured) to grab the latest release of Android and get cracking. They can already upload apps and schedule them for release when Lollipop goes live.

    This isn’t a guarantee that your device will get Lollipop on November 3, but at least we know when the rollout will start. Expect Nexus devices to get it first, with others manufacturers planning to follow suit. Manufacturers like HTC have promised some phones (like the One M8 and M7) will get an update within 90 days of the official release—this would be the date to start the clock. Software updates often have to be tested by carriers before they’re released, too.

    Why this matters: It’s one thing to get Android 5.0 Lollipop out the door, it’s quite another to get the rest of the ecosystem ready. Lollipop is a significant rewrite of how Android looks and performs, so it will be rather funky if third-party apps look like they don’t belong.

    Google is nudging developers to update their apps so the transition to Lollipop is a smooth one, which won’t happen if all of a sudden Android owners can’t get their favorite apps to work properly.

  • Job Vacancy: Head of Operations for Ericsson, Lagos, Nigeria

    Job Vacancy: Head of Operations for Ericsson, Lagos, Nigeria

    Job Vacancy: Multinational telecommunications company Ericsson is short of a head of operations in its Nigeria branch. The company is reported to require a qualified applicant to fill the void.

    Ericsson Nigeria is currently looking for a Bachelor/Master Degree holder to fill the vacant spot in the operation office.

    The Job Vacancy application is open to applicants with at least 10-12 years of experience in handling customer Networks in bigger projects or similar operations. See below for Job details and requirements.

    Job Vacancy description

    Ericsson Overview
    Ericsson is a world-leading provider of telecommunications equipment & services to mobile & fixed network operators. Over 1,000 networks in more than 180 countries use Ericsson equipment, & more than 40 percent of the world’s mobile traffic passes through Ericsson networks. Using innovation to empower people, business & society, we are working towards the Networked Society, in which everything that can benefit from a connection will have one. At Ericsson, we apply our innovation to market-based solutions that empower people & society to help shape a more sustainable world.

    We are truly a global company, working across borders in 175 countries, offering a diverse, performance-driven culture & an innovative & engaging environment where employees enhance their potential every day. Our employees live our vision, core values & guiding principles. They share a passion to win & a high responsiveness to customer needs that in turn makes us a desirable partner to our clients. To ensure professional growth, Ericsson offers a stimulating work experience, continuous learning & growth opportunities that allow you to acquire the knowledge & skills necessary to reach your career goals.

    Purpose of the role

    The purpose of the Operations Head of Managed Services is to deliver the same responsibilities as MSCOO but at MS Operations Level
    The Head of Operations will be responsible for:

    • Full responsibility for Managed Services Organization in the unit within the CU
    • Meeting the contracted KPI’s in the designated geographical circle/area
    • CU level organisation consisting of Field Operations a, LNOC and GSC governance
    • Customer Satisfaction in the designated geographical circle/area
    • 1st Level of escalation for customer complaints and major network incidents
    • Regular customer meetings and regional performance review
    • Capacity management for the designated geographical circle/areas, including receipt/sign-off of the capacity forecast, preparation of network change plans, project plans, rollout and material forecasts etc.
    • Analyze structural problems in the networks, set improvement plans and follow up
    • Management of budget, corrective actions and follow ups
    • Implementation of the Network Change Plans
    • Own ,conduct and follow up 3PP governance and management

    Education & Expertise

    • Bachelor of engineering / Masters degree
    • Professional/Technical Competence
    • Demonstrated Ability to Deliver P&L Results Successfully in a Major Services Division
    • Ability to Drive Business Development – Up-scoping, Upselling, Contract / Business Retention
    • Contract Execution
    • Senior Leadership Capability (qualified leadership experience of leading bigger organizations)
    • Multi-Cultural Awareness
    • International Mobility willingness to relocate globally

    Skill and Experience

    • At least 10-12 years of experience in handling customer Network in bigger projects or similar operations, with a Combination of:
    • Technical & Operational Management
    • Financial & Business Management
    • Customer Relationship & Business Development
    • Leadership & Change Management

    To apply for the job role, click here and fill the form in the resulting page. See Ericsson company profile.  

    Primary country and city: Nigeria (NG) || Lagos || Lagos || Consulting&SysInt IT; ProdMgt; R&D SalesStratMkt&ComMgt ServEng; SharedServ; Stud&YP Supply&Log

  • First Apple Pay ad features George Brett making an Apple Pay purchase.

    First Apple Pay ad features George Brett making an Apple Pay purchase.

    Apple’s new payment system is live, and Apple Pay purchase have already garnered more attention than most mobile payment efforts to date. It also have a new ad, which aired yesterday during the opening game of the 2014 World Series, from payment partner MasterCard.

    MasterCard’s ad accompanies its new rollout of contactless payments at food and beverage purchase points in MLB ballparks across the U.S. The program supports a range of NFC-powered mobile payment options, but MasterCard is pushing the Apple Pay angle specifically, touting the fact that it brings Apple Pay to pro sports facilities for the first time, at ballparks in both Kansas City and San Francisco.

    MasterCard says that the Apple Pay system works well in the ballpark setting basically because people want their franks fast. Apple Pay/MLB partnerships don’t end there, however – the company is also offering in-app purchase support for Apple Pay users for single-game tickets once those start going on sale in November, via the MLB.com At the Ballpark app.

    The first ad features MBL Hall of Famer George Brett making an Apple Pay purchase. Remember, this is a MasterCard ad, not an Apple ad, meaning this is yet another sign that payments providers think Apple could be the company to make mobile payments really take off, and are investing resources and backing accordingly.

  • Vint Launches A Monthly Subscription Service Offering Unlimited On-Demand Fitness Training

    Vint Launches A Monthly Subscription Service Offering Unlimited On-Demand Fitness Training

    Two months after bringing its fitness marketplace to San Francisco, Vint is introducing a new way for users to set up 1-on-1 or group workout sessions with trainers in the form of a $120 monthly subscription that lets you arrange as many meetups as you’d like.

    The subscription service, known as Vint Unlimited, encompasses all of the workouts available on Vint today. That means you could go meet a trainer who specializes in pumping iron on Monday at a location that lets you hit all your major muscle groups and meet a CrossFit instructor in the park on Tuesday or Wednesday. Vint Unlimited won’t come online until November 1 (and that will only be in, though users who sign up now can get a week free to try it out.

    On a phone call, Vint CEO Louise Eriksson told TechCrunch that the idea behind the new subscription is to eliminate the friction involved in fitness — committing to a contract at the gym, making time to go, and sticking with a routine. While I certainly believe that workout schedules and gym membership are daunting and a turn-off to many who would like to get in better shape, I’d say the biggest “friction” when it comes to fitness is shear human laziness. Vint isn’t going to convince many people who aren’t willing to get up and go for a walk or jog and maybe do some bodyweight exercises to commit to spending $120 per month to get training that still involves meeting someone and putting themselves through intense exercise.

    But for those who already pay a monthly fee, Vint Unlimited seems like a pretty great deal. Doing the same routine every week kind of stinks—tthat’s why I tend to give up on my fitness plans every few months, at least. Being able to switch between tennis, boxing, and ballroom dancing (I am not brave enough to pick up pole dancing just yet) keeps things fresh. And with the new Recommendations feature, Vint lets you say what times are best for your workout on a given week and the kinds of routines you’d be willing to try and then suggests a couple of trainers you might like — or, you can use the new Social Feed to take up the same routines as your friends using the app. There’s bound to be some overlap anyway, given the fact that there are only 60 or so trainers in San Francisco at the moment, so you might as well work out with friends when you find someone you all like.