Tech news

Apple has blocked a Facebook app that paid users for total access to all network data passing through their mobile phones. Facebook had been paying users $20 a month for root network access to their phones. Facebook was on-boarding users of its Research program, which included teenagers, through Apple's Enterprise system, which Apple said was a violation of its policy. The Enterprise system is supposed to be used only for the distribution of internal corporate apps to employees, not to paid external testers. from TechNewsWorld http://bit.ly/2G1NVIa

Apple has suspended its Group FaceTime application following reports that a bug in the software allowed callers to eavesdrop on the people they were calling. The flaw let a person making a FaceTime call listen through the phone of the person called before the call was accepted or rejected. It reportedly also allowed access to the front-facing camera in an iPhone. After making a FaceTime call from an iPhone X to an iPhone 8, a user could hear audio from the iPhone 8 before any action was taken on the call. from TechNewsWorld http://bit.ly/2DJ6e2c

A 'Netflix for Games' type of service may be in Apple's future. Apple has been developing a subscription games service that will function much like Netflix does for movies and TV series, according to a report. It's still unclear what the subscription fee would be or what kinds of games would be offered on the service. Whatever the fee for the offering, it could be tough for Apple to find an audience for a streaming service, maintained David Cole, an analyst at DFC Intelligence, a market research firm in San Diego. from TechNewsWorld http://bit.ly/2Ul4AJC

Intel released earnings last week. It beat expectations on the bottom line, but it missed big on the top line and the outlook was dismal. Looking under the covers, the company is a mess. The expected CEO announcement didn't occur. AMD's earnings are expected to be very strong, and AMD just made some organizational changes that suggest an increase in its competitive attack in view of Intel's weaknesses. I'll walk you through what is wrong with Intel -- why it missed, and why its outlook is so grim. from TechNewsWorld http://bit.ly/2MElLmO

A new Linux OS gets to the core of Linux computing with a revamped desktop environment and a new way to have fun with your daily computing tasks. Developer Jacque Montague Raymer has debuted the MakuluLinux Core OS, and hopes it becomes the crown jewel of the Series 15 release family. MakuluLinux released the latest versions of family members LinDoz and Flash several months ago. While the Core entry integrates some of the features of its two cousins, it offers something new and exciting that brings MakululLinux to a higher level of usability. from TechNewsWorld http://bit.ly/2sSktM8

YouTube TV will be rolling out to an additional 95 markets in the U.S., almost doubling its coverage. The streaming video service already covers the top 100 markets in the country, and the expansion will enable it to reach more than 98 percent of households in the U.S., YouTube said. The rest will follow shortly thereafter. There are roughly 120 million TV households in the United States, but only about 108 million households have broadband, which is a prerequisite for YouTube TV, noted Michael Goodman, research director at Strategy Analytics. from TechNewsWorld http://bit.ly/2DxpDU4

Blackbird, Netrunner's version 19.01 release, hit the download servers on Jan. 14, and this distro deserves to be considered bleeding-edge. Netrunner is a step ahead of other KDE distros, thanks to its solid integration of classic KDE desktop performance with Web-based applications and cloud services. That said, if you aren't fondness of the K Desktop, Netrunner may leave you wanting more desktop simplicity. For that you must look elsewhere. KDE is the only desktop available from the Germany-based Blue Systems development team. from TechNewsWorld http://bit.ly/2MrDyxC

Google must remove search results about medical regulators' conditional suspension of a Dutch physician in the first "right to be forgotten" case of its kind in the European Union. After Google and Dutch data privacy watchdog Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens rebuffed the doctor's initial attempts to get disciplinary actions purged from online search results, a district court in Amsterdam sided with the surgeon. The physician had an interest in preventing her full name from appearing in Google search engine links connected to a blacklist of doctors, the court found. from TechNewsWorld http://bit.ly/2WdI9YH

Facebook has begun rolling out a new feature that's bound to charm the political activists among its users. Called "Community Actions," it lets Facebook members create an action page where they can describe what they'd like done, and set up a button that like-minded members can click to show their support. The page will show the government agencies and officials notified about the action, as well as the number of its supporters. When you support an action, you'll be able to see any of your friends who also support it. from TechNewsWorld http://bit.ly/2Hr2k24

To suggest that electric cars are having a painful birth would be a colossal understatement. Tesla clearly plowed this field and quickly recognized that the lack of a charging infrastructure was going to be a problem and, with reasonable effectiveness, dealt with it tactically. However, those "tactical" chickens are about to come home to roost and it probably won't be pretty. Jaguar, the first company to offer a true alternative to the Tesla, did some things very right and some very, very wrong. from TechNewsWorld http://bit.ly/2sC1xB4

Independent software vendors, along with Internet of Things and cloud vendors, are involved in a market transformation that is making them look more alike. The similarities are evident in the way they approach software security initiatives, according to a report from Synopsys. Synopsys has released its ninth annual Building Security in Maturity Model, or BSIMM9. The BSIMM project provides a de facto standard for assessing and then improving software security initiatives, the company said. from TechNewsWorld http://bit.ly/2Hl0uQl

The Motorola Razr -- once the hottest flip phone available -- is being revived as a smartphone with a foldable screen, according to reports. It will be offered exclusively through Verizon in the United States, possibly in February, although the device is still being tested and the launch date is not firm. Its starting price reportedly will be $1,500. Unlike Apple and Samsung, Lenovo may not have the chops to push a $1,500 smartphone, suggested Ramon Llamas, a research director at IDC. from TechNewsWorld http://bit.ly/2Hfc1jR

Authorities can't force people to unlock their biometrically secured phones or other devices, according to a federal judge. "The Government may not compel or otherwise utilize fingers, thumbs, facial recognition, optical/iris, or any other biometric feature to unlock electronic devices," Magistrate Judge Kandis A. Westmore wrote. An attempt by law enforcement authorities in Oakland, California, to force two suspected extortionists to unlock their mobile phones with biometrics violated Fifth Amendment protections against self-incrimination. from TechNewsWorld http://bit.ly/2TTGaqp

Sometimes it takes more than a few tweaks to turn an old-style desktop design into a fresh new Linux distribution. That is the case with the public release of Blue Collar Linux. Blue Collar Linux has been under development for the last four years. Until its public release this week, it has circulated only through an invitation for private use by the developer's family, friends and associates looking for an alternative to the Windows nightmare. Another large part of his user base is the University of Wisconsin, where he engages with the math and computer science departments. from TechNewsWorld http://bit.ly/2VYtsbI

Samsung is expected to unveil its new lineup of flagship smartphones on Feb. 20 at a Galaxy Unpacked event in San Francisco, and the rumor mill has been operating on overtime. It's believed three new Galaxy S10 models will be announced at the event, as well as a folding phone. Banners promoting Unpacked are using the phrase "Unfolding the Future" as a tagline. Three models are expected: Galaxy S10, Galaxy S10 Plus, and Galaxy S10 Lite. "That's a winning strategy," said Jack E. Gold, principal analyst at J.Gold Associates. from TechNewsWorld http://bit.ly/2ss84OA

To say I'm typically not a fan of CES would be an understatement, but this year was very different. A combination of better logistics and fewer people at the show, coupled with some truly earth-shattering content, made CES a must-attend event this year. One of the things that jumped out at me is that IBM announced a compelling fix for the border wall controversy. It's a fix that actually could improve the U.S. government overall. In addition, I had an interesting chat that showcased the death of the tech market -- but that's a good thing. from TechNewsWorld http://bit.ly/2FxmbKg

Think about planning for a natural disaster emergency that might affect your home. You'd likely store some water, flashlights, food, blankets and other essentials. The key element of your planning would be proactivity. You'd do all of the work before an emergency occurred, not during the actual crisis. If your supplies were used up after the emergency passed, then you would restock before the next disaster might strike. Protecting data requires a similar approach: putting in place as many safeguards as you can before anything bad happens. from TechNewsWorld http://bit.ly/2VOsSNS

Google this week debuted a slew of new capabilities for Google Assistant at CES in Las Vegas. The new Connect platform lets device manufacturers incorporate Assistant into their products easily and cost-effectively. Connect uses Google's existing smart home platform to expand to new device types, while making device setup and discovery easy for consumers. A manufacturer could create a continuous e-ink display projecting weather or calendar information, for example, while using Connect to drive content from a linked smart speaker. from TechNewsWorld http://bit.ly/2VJwwZ9

For those who try to keep their finger on the Linux community's pulse, 2018 was a surprisingly eventful year. Spread over the last 12 months, we've seen various projects in the Linux ecosystem make great strides, as well as suffer their share of stumbles. All told, the year wrapped up leaving plenty to be optimistic about in the year to come, but there is much more on which we can only speculate. In the interest of offering the clearest lens for a peek into Linux in 2019, here's a look back at the year gone by for all things Linux. from TechNewsWorld http://bit.ly/2Rhe8s9

Powerful technologies like deep data, AI and quantum computing should be introduced into society carefully, IBM CEO Ginni Rometty declared in opening remarks at CES. "These tools are so powerful they will solve some of the most enduring problems -- like food safety, waste," she said, "but like all powerful tools, we've got to usher them in safely into society." In order for those technologies to thrive, trust and security will be necessary, Rometty observed. "A competitive differentiator for all ... will be trust." from TechNewsWorld http://bit.ly/2ABdOu4

Apple movies and music are coming to Samsung Smart TVs this spring. Samsung's 2019 Smart TVs will support iTunes Movies and TV Shows, and Apple AirPlay 2, Samsung said Sunday at CES. Smart TVs made in 2018 also will be able to play Apple content via a firmware update. Apple content can be accessed from the smart TVs via an exclusive app. Samsung customers will be able to use it to access their existing iTunes library, as well as browse the iTunes Store to buy or rent from a selection of hundreds of thousands of movies and TV episodes. from TechNewsWorld http://bit.ly/2sh0oyK

We are approaching critical mass on a number of technologies that we will see increasingly this year. This wave will start at CES, where we will see an impressive number of attempts at personal robots and AI-powered digital assistants. Most will fail. However, both the failures and the few successes will set the stage for the first true mobile personal robots that will arrive in the following years. The 5G rollout will enable desktop cloud computing, and the Microsoft Virtual Desktop will become real for millions of us shortly thereafter. from TechNewsWorld http://bit.ly/2SIVGFp

Every child who's ever played a board game understands that the act of rolling dice yields an unpredictable result. In fact, that's why children's board games use dice in the first place: to ensure a random outcome that is -- from a macro point of view, at least -- about the same likelihood each time the die is thrown. Consider for a moment what would happen if someone replaced the dice used in one of those board games with weighted dice -- say dice that were 10 percent more likely to come up "6" than any other number. Would you notice? from TechNewsWorld http://bit.ly/2CQ9t7y

Smart speakers are becoming a more common platform for controlling connected entertainment due to a rapid increase in popularity and ease of use. Household penetration of smart speakers is expected to reach 47 percent among U.S. broadband households by 2022, based on Parks Associates estimates. New entrants in the connected consumer electronics market, including Samsung, Roku and Facebook, are likely to make announcements about new voice-controlled speakers at CES 2019 in order to claim a share of this new voice-first CE market. from TechNewsWorld http://bit.ly/2CNgnuA

Online and Internet security are not topics that typical computer users easily comprehend. All too often, Linux users put their blind trust in a particular distribution and assume that all Linux OSes are equally secure. However, not all Linux distros are created with the same degree of attention to security and privacy control. A misconfiguration of a firewall, or misapplied Web browser privacy and modem settings, can trash the best-designed Linux safety strategies. Kodachi Linux offers an alternative to leaving your computer privacy and security to chance. from TechNewsWorld http://bit.ly/2AtoZ7P

DNA printing has given rise to the world's first "DNA printer" on the market, a claim advanced by the product's creators. The BioXp 3200 System is available from SGI-DNA, a division of Synthetic Genomics, a San Diego biotechnology company. The BioXp 3200 System is a DNA/RNA assembler and synthesizer made out of steel, glass, plastic, insulated wire, laboratory instruments and microprocessors. The system is about the size of a business office network laser printer, but instead of outputting printed hard copy, this device copies genes and outputs proteins. from TechNewsWorld http://bit.ly/2RqeSul