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Monday, July 21, 2014

This Gadget Can Hijack Any Google Chromecast, And It's Actually A Pretty Serious Issue

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/rickmote-gadget-hijacks-google-chromecast-2014-7

rickmote chromecast

Living room trolls, rejoice.

Dan Petro, a security analyst for the Bishop Fox IT consulting firm, built a proof of concept device that’s able to hack into any Google Chromecasts nearby to project Rick Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up,” or any other video a prankster might choose.

According to a blog post written by Petro (via TechCrunch), the “Rickmote,” which is built on top of the $35 Raspberry Pi single board computer, finds a local Chromecast device, boots it off the network, and then takes over the screen with multimedia of one’s choosing.

Petro’s 20-minute YouTube video breaks down how the Rickmote works, but to briefly summarize, the device employs an unencrypted command called “deauth,” which basically deauthorizes the device from the network. As TechCrunch points out, this isn’t a Chromecast bug, but actually a relatively common quirk among WiFi devices.

When the Chromecast receives the “deauth” command, it returns to its configuration mode, leaving it open for a device — in this case, the Rickmote — to configure it. At that point, the Rickmote tells the Chromecast to connect to its own WiFi network, at which point, Google’s streaming stick is effectively hacked.

rickmo! te chrom ecast 2

When the Rickmote and Chromecast are connected, pranksters can send videos or songs of their choosing to Google's HDMI streaming dongle. But it gets worse for the victims: If the hacker leaves the range of the device, there’s no way to regain control of the Chromecast.

Unfortunately for Google, this is a rather serious issue with the Chromecast device that’s not too easy to fix, as the configuration process is an essential part of the Chromecast experience. We’ve reached out to Google for comment, and we’ll update this story as soon as we learn more.

Petro says he plans on releasing a “step-by-step guide on how to create a Rickmote controller out of a Raspberry Pi,” and will offer some details on August 6 at the Black Hat Tools Arsenal USA at the Mandalay Bay resort in Las Vegas. However, hackers and pranksters can already get started building their own devices with the open-source code and set of instructions, which is available at the Bishop Fox GitHub page.

“Once it’s ready, using the Rickmote could not be any easier,” Petro writes. “To start rick rolling, boot it up and press the big Rickroll button. One click is all it takes — and Rick Astley runs wild!”

SEE ALSO: One man's dream of customizable wireless earbuds just hit Kickstarter

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Ori Allon Sold One Startup To Google And Another To Twitter â His New 1-Year-Old Startup Is Worth More Than Both Combined

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/urban-compass-raises-40-million-fundraise-at-a-360-valuation-2014-7

ori allon urban compass

Ori Allon built and sold one startup to Google, then another to Twitter. His new company, which turned one in May, is now worth more than both of those startups combined.

Urban Compass has raised a $40 million series B round at a valuation that exceeds $360 million. Investors include Conde Nast's parent company Advance Publications, Joshua Kushner's Thrive Capital, Peter Thiel's Founders Fund, .406 Ventures, American Express CEO Kenneth Chenault and Salesforce founder Marc Benioff. The startup helps New Yorkers buy and rent apartments, and it raised $20 million at a $150 million valuation last October. Allon says his investors encouraged him to take more of their money so he could launch Urban Compass in other cities. Urban Compass is expected to roll out in Boston, Washington D.C., Chicago and possibly San Francisco later this year.

Allon is proud that his business has been making money since its first day. "We've built a real business and we're growing, mostly by word of mouth. We're helping people by giving our customers better real-estate tools," says Allon.

By the end of last summer, Urban Compass was generating $1 million per month and revenue has increased ten times since last June. Urban Compass' home sales business, which launched last fall, has grown five times faster than its initial rental business, Allon says. The startup works with local real-estate agents on a commission basis. Urban Compass currently employs more than 100 people full-time and it expects to double its staff by the end of the year.

Allon says the technology he's built significantly reduces the amount of time it takes to find a home. It's a cleaner experience than Craigslist and the startup prides itself on timely, accurate listings which it displays both online and via mobile app. Addr! esses ar e shown on a Google-like map as well as pictures of the homes.

If you want to see an apartment, you can schedule a viewing on Urban Compass which will put together an itinerary for you (Urban Compass is like ZocDoc – a real-time doctor appointment tool – for house hunting). Urban Compass acts as a broker, taking between 0 and 15% per completed deal.

While Allon has sold his last two startups, he says Urban Compass is different. "I do not want anyone to buy me out this time," Allon says. "Coming up with an idea and creating technology is exciting, but it's more exciting to grow a company — especially one customers like."

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Verizon Is Making More Money Per Customer Than Any Other Carrier In The US (VZ, TMUS, T, S)

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/carrier-data-plan-profit-comparison-2014-7

Verizon is monetizing mobile data plans better than its rivals, according to a new report from Consumer Intelligence Research Partners (CIRP).

That's because unlike some rivals Sprint, AT&T, and T-Mobile, Verizon offers fewer choices and has more customers using shared data plans. It also has the lowest percentage of customers on unlimited data plans (22%). Verizon stopped offering unlimited data plans in 2012, so those customers have been "grandfathered" into their unlimited data plans. With fewer people on unlimited data plans, Verizon is able to charge its customers for the data they use instead of a flat fee for unlimited data.

cirp unlimited data plan poll T-Mobile and Sprint have higher percentages of customers on unlimited data plans (78% for both) because they're the only two major carriers that still offer unlimited data. T-Mobile and Sprint are much smaller than Verizon and AT&T, so they use unlimited data plans as a way to entice customers away from the bigger, more expensive carriers.

data plans by carrier CIRP report Verizon customers also tend to pay more per month than customers on rival carriers. CIRP reports that 51% of Verizon customers pay at least $100 per month. An average of 41% of customers on the other three carriers have bills over $100.

average carrier bill CIRP report

SEE ALSO: No one is paying attention to the way wireless carriers could destroy net neutrality

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Recon's 'Google Glass' for sports gets a finalized design ahead of September launch

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/07/19/recon-jet-update/

No, the Recon Jet still isn't out yet, but its manufacturer has a few bits of news to share. For starters, the sports-minded heads up display's brain box is now angled slightly upward, which supposedly improves the display's viewing angle and camera orientation. This tweak apparently boosts the HUD's ergonomics and makes it fit a bit better, too. The Jet is also now rated to IP65 standard, which means it'll be able to withstand dust and torrential rainstorms. Don't think that it'll work on your next swim, though, because submerging the unit is apparently out of the question. The outfit (thankfully) doesn't mention any changes to its September 25th release date, either, but it is spending the next month working on testing the Jet. Oh, and there's a protective case in the works too -- all the better to keep your $700 investment safe and sound. How protected to the Jet remains while it's on your face, however, well, that's up to you.

Filed under: Wearables

Source: Recon Instruments

Control high-speed photography from your phone with this camera trigger

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/07/20/miops-camera-trigger/

MIOPS controlling a DSLR

High-speed photography can be daunting if you're not a seasoned pro. You may have a fast camera and flash, but you probably don't have the gear (or people) you'd need to get that frozen-in-time look in most situations. MIOPS' new camera trigger might make it easier to take high-speed shots all by your lonesome, though. By itself, it can tell a DSLR to take a shot and fire your flash when it detects light, motion or sound; you can capture lightning the moment it strikes, or your cat the moment it bolts across the room. The device supports external sensors like pressure pads, too.

It really comes alive if you pay for the Ultimate variant, which adds remote control from a Bluetooth-equipped Android or iOS device. Unlike most trigger apps, MIOPS' mobile software lets you set up capture scenarios that only take pictures under very specific conditions. You can set it to take time-lapse photos as soon as it gets dark, and snap additional lightning pictures if a big storm brews; in short, you shouldn't have to keep a close watch over your camera.

MIOPS is looking to crowdfunding to get its peripheral off the ground. If you're intrigued by the idea, you can pledge $189 for the Basic unit, or $229 for Ultimate. Everything should ship in December, so long as everything goes according to plan. That's a lot of money to spend for a specialized tool, but it might pay off if you're keen to shoot more than just the usual portraits and still life scenes.

Filed under: Cameras, Peripherals

Via: PetaPixel

Source: Kickstarter

A 15-Year-Old is Developing a 3D Printer That's 10 Times Faster Than Anything on the Market! | Inhabitat - Sustainable Design Innovation, Eco Architecture, Green Building

source: http://inhabitat.com/a-15-year-old-is-developing-a-3d-printer-thats-10-times-faster-than-anything-on-the-market/

Thomas Suarez, 3d printing, 3d printer, Carrotcorp, TED, BBC, green design, sustainable design, teenage genius

When it comes to global innovation, teenagers are leading the way. The latest teen genius to cross our radar is Thomas Suarez, a 15-year-old who claims to have designed a 3D printer that is ten times faster and more reliable than anything on the market.

It's quite a claim, but you would be foolish to discount Suarez. A few years ago, he made headlines when he created a Justin Bieber whack-a-mole game called Bustin Jieber. Since then has given talks to TED and the BBC. Now he is turning to 3D printing

3D printing has the potential to revolutionize everything from the medical i! ndustry to the way we produce everyday objects, however one of the major drawbacks is the time it takes to create something. An object the size of a basketball can take a day to make, so we're a long way from making Mission: Impossible-style masks in a few minutes.

Hasbro's new site lets you sell 3D-printed fan art

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/07/21/superfanart/

3D-printed My Little Pony figurines

Hasbro recently opened up its toy universe by letting you sell fan fiction; now, it's giving you a chance to make some officially-sanctioned toys of your own. The company has just teamed up with Shapeways to launch SuperFanArt, a site that lets you both buy and sell 3D-printed designs based on Hasbro's brands. You're currently limited to producing art based on My Little Pony, but other imaginary worlds will be allowed in the "coming months." You know, just in case you're not quite so fond of Pinkie Pie's crew. No, SuperFanArt's catalog won't be as good as picking up an actual doll or action figure. However, it might do the trick if you're looking for a simple desk ornament -- or if your kids aren't very fussy about their playthings.

Filed under: Peripherals, Internet

Source: SuperFanArt

Friday, July 18, 2014

Netflix is testing a private mode that keeps your watching habits under wraps

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/07/18/netflix-privacy-mode/

Netflix Garners Two Top Show Nominations With 'Cards,' 'Orange'

If you've ever wanted to keep those embarrassing Netflix choices from family members or your social-networking pals, you might soon be in luck. According to the folks over at Gigaom, the streaming subscription service is currently testing a "Privacy Mode." This means that viewed titles won't appear in that Recently Viewed section on the main screen and they also won't factor into future recommendations. Select users across all of the company's locales are privy to the feature as part of the trial. Of course, there's a chance that it may never become a staple in the settings menu -- that's dependent on the results of the experiment.

[Photo credit: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images]

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Internet, HD

Source: Gigaom

The Cute and Sometimes Creepy Creations of the Willy Wonka of Robots

Source: http://gizmodo.com/the-cute-and-sometimes-creepy-creations-of-the-willy-wo-1607392955

The Cute and Sometimes Creepy Creations of the Willy Wonka of Robots

Instead of killing kids during private tours of his fantastical factory, Alex Reben is a Willy Wonka-type character of a different sort. He builds robots for a living—seemingly just for fun—and while some of his creations are certainly distressing, they're all fun to watch, interact with, or just ponder. The folks at Cool Hunting had the opportunity to check out Alex's lab, and thankfully, they brought a camera.

PC giant Lenovo halts US sales of small Windows tablets

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/07/18/lenovo-halts-us-sales-of-small-windows-tablets/

Lenovo has pulled all of its smaller Windows tablets from US shelves, citing a lack of demand. The world's largest Windows computer maker had two models on the market: the 8-inch, stylus-equipped Miix 2 and the ThinkPad 8. A spokesman told PC World that it'll shuttle remaining stock of both of those models over to developing countries where "demand has been much stronger." Lenovo will continue to sell all its other Windows-based tablets stateside, like the 10-inch Miix 2 convertible and ThinkPad 10, saying those models are selling well stateside. It's fair to say consumers won't miss the ThinkPad 8 anyway, as the model was saddled with terrible battery life and other issues. Ironically, Microsoft recently made Windows free for devices 9-inches in size or smaller -- but clearly the price was just one issue consumers had with small Windows tablets.

Filed under: Tablets, Lenovo

Source: PC World

This beautiful rainbow insect is actually a wasp

Source: http://sploid.gizmodo.com/this-beautiful-rainbow-insect-is-a-wasp-1606998758/+jesusdiaz

This beautiful rainbow insect is actually a wasp

So today I learned that all wasps are not yellow and black. There's a an iridescent rainbow variant called the cuckoo wasp—of which this is a particularly beautiful specimen. They are kleptoparasitic wasps, who lay eggs in others insects' nest. The baby wasps will then eat the eggs or larva in the nest. Gorgeous bastards.

Should You Get Amazon Kindle Unlimited?

Source: http://gizmodo.com/should-you-get-amazon-kindle-unlimited-1607137417

Should You Get Amazon Kindle Unlimited?

Amazon's Kindle Unlimited service is now available , offering access to 600,000 book titles and 8,000 audiobook titles for $10 a month. You can start a free trial today, but if you'd like to know immediately whether this is the digital borrowing service for you, we've got the answer:

After 150 Years, Scientists Finally Know How Barnacle Glue Works

Source: http://gizmodo.com/after-150-years-of-mystery-scientists-now-know-how-bar-1607232968

After 150 Years, Scientists Finally Know How Barnacle Glue Works

Over a century and a half ago, Charles Darwin first described the remarkable adhesive capabilities of barnacles. He couldn't figure out how their natural superglue worked, though. And it took until now to finally unlock the barnacle glue's mysteries.

It's Now Clear Why Amazon Is Making A Phone — And Why People Will Buy It (AMZN)

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-ad-for-fire-phone-2014-7

amazon fire phone woman puzzled weird thinking

Amazon's first ad for the Fire Phone makes a simple, direct pitch: Buy the phone, and you'll get videos and games from Amazon Prime for free. Simple as that.

The Verge thinks it's a "strange" choice for a TV commercial, but I beg to differ. The Amazon phone is expensive and doesn't have the features to compete with Apple's iPhone or Samsung's Galaxy line. It begs the question, why would Amazon bother to get into the super-competitive phone business? Samsung and Apple already split all the profits in the business between them. It's virtually impossible even for well-resourced companies like HTC or Motorola to get a toehold in the market. After Apple and Samsung, the third biggest slice of phone market share globally belongs to Huawei, with just 4.7%, according Strategy Analytics.

smartphone market share And Amazon is likely losing money on the Fire phone.

The one advantage it does have is all the free content and shipping you can get from Amazon for buying one. Amazon doesn't need to dominate the phone business like Apple or Samsung. All it needs is to add incremental users who shop heavily on Amazon and stay tied in to Amazon's attractive ecosystem of low-cost stuff (Amazon has a policy of insisting on the lowest prices possible from its vendors) coupled with free stuff (movies and games in this case) coupled with free shippin! g (Amazo n Prime) on anything else you buy.

Once those customers are tied in more heavily through their phones, they're basically just more shopping revenue for Amazon.

And if you use Amazon a lot but don't need the very best phone on the market, then the Fire phone probably looks a pretty good deal. Why not get all your movies and shipping free for a year? Here's the spot:

SEE ALSO: Delay Of Large iPhone Is The Best Possible News For Samsung

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Thursday, July 17, 2014

Facebook Now Lets You Buy Things Straight From Your News Feed

Source: http://gizmodo.com/facebook-now-lets-you-buy-things-straight-from-your-new-1606723998

Facebook Now Lets You Buy Things Straight From Your News Feed

Facebook is just full of surprises today. After releasing its new Mentions app earlier, the company has just announced the latest in its long history of experiments: Giving you the ability to buy things straight from your News Feed.

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