Mereja

Author: Zach Walton

  • Advocacy Groups Ask Skype To Release Transparency Report

    Skype was embroiled in a mini-controversy last year when reports came out claiming that Skype was spying on its users. The Microsoft-owned company hit back at the reports saying that it only hands over information when law enforcement “follows appropriate procedures.” That explanation, given in July of last year, was apparently not good enough for some advocacy groups.

    Reporters without Borders, The EFF, The Action Network and others have sent an open letter to Skype asking the company to clarify its position on the privacy of its users’ communications. The letter states that the service’s users “work in the face of persistently unclear and confusing statements about the confidentiality of Skype conversations, and in particular the access that governments and other third parties have to Skype user data and communications.”

    The advocacy groups pushing for more information are concerned that Skype launching on multiple platforms could have worrisome implications for more than just desktop users’ privacy. In fact, Skype will be replacing Windows Live Messenger soon, and it’s rumored to replace Xbox Live chat on the Xbox 360.

    The letter calls on Skype to release a transparency report that includes the following information:

    Quantitative data regarding the release of Skype user information to third parties, disaggregated by the country of origin of the request, including the number of requests made by governments, the type of data requested, the proportion of requests with which it complied — and the basis for rejecting those requests it does not comply with.

    Specific details of all user data Microsoft and Skype currently collects, and retention policies.

    Skype’s best understanding of what user data third-parties, including network providers or potential malicious attackers, may be able to intercept or retain.

    Documentation regarding the current operational relationship between Skype with TOM Online in China and other third-party licensed users of Skype technology, including Skype’s understanding of the surveillance and censorship capabilities that users may be subject to as a result of using these alternatives.

    Skype’s interpretation of its responsibilities under the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act (CALEA), its policies related to the disclosure of call metadata in response to subpoenas and National Security Letters (NSLs), and more generally, the policies and guidelines for employees followed when Skype receives and responds to requests for user data from law enforcement and intelligence agencies in the United States and elsewhere.

    The letter’s demands aren’t that absurd. Google, Twitter and others already release frequent transparency reports that detail how much user information is requested from them by governments around the world. In fact, Google just released its latest transparency report that revealed government requests for data have increased yet again.

    It’s likely that government requests to Skype for user data have increased in the last year as well. It’s not unreasonable to ask for government requests for user data be made known. We should at least know how many requests are being made every six months. If anything, it will endear Skype to the public even more, and make Microsoft look like it cares about its users.

  • Injustice: Gods Among Us Gets Even More Mysterious In Latest Trailer

    Injustice: Gods Among Us, the DC fighter coming from the Mortal Kombat team, is still shrouded in relative secrecy. We don’t know exactly why all these heroes and villains are fighting against each other. Director Ed Boon has dropped a few hints here and there, but it’s mostly still a mystery. A new cinematic trailer doesn’t help matters much.

    The latest trailer for Injustice features notable characters from the DC Universe presumably talking about the events that led up to the game. In particular, Superman laments that he couldn’t save everyone this time. It seems that Lex Luthor is also using the events of the game to rid the world of Superman once and for all.

    Beyond the aforementioned characters, we get another good look at The Flash, Wonder Woman, Batman and The Joker. Other confirmed characters for the title that don’t show up in the trailer include Bane, Catwoman, Cyborg, Deathstroke, Green Arrow, Green Lantern, Harley Quinn, Nightwing and Solomon Grundy. It’s going to be interesting to see how the writers at DC and NetherRealm Studios bring all these iconic characters together under one title. This latest trailer suggests that the story will at least be flashy and well narrated, even if it makes no sense in the end.

    Injustice: Gods Among Us will launch on the PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii U on April 16.

  • Smartphones Will Soon Be Equipped With Their Own “Kinect”

    You may not who PrimeSense is, but you definitely know the company’s products. The Israel-based company produces the sensors used in Microsoft’s Kinect full-body motion controller. Now the company is working to bring that same technology to smartphones.

    PrimeSense recently announced that its motion sensing technology for mobile phones has shrunk enough to be able to fit comfortably into mobile devices. The hardware is called Capri 1.25, and features a number of enhancements over the past versions of the technology.

    Capri 1.25 is 3D sensing technology at its heart, and as such, will be judged by its ability to scan the environment around it. The latest hardware has the following features:

  • Field of View 57.5×45
  • Range 0.8m-3.5m
  • VGA depth map (640×480)
  • USB2.0 powered
  • Standard off the shelf components
  • OpenNI compliant

    • All of the above technical information may not mean much to you, so here’s a video that shows what PrimeSense’s technology may be capable of in the near future:

    Will the Capri 1.25 be able to do all that right now? Of course not, but PrimeSense obviously thinks that 3D motion tracking is the future. They think it will be in everything from smartphones to store displays.

    Speaking of smartphones, we may start seeing the technology appearing in mobile devices later this year. PrimeSense says the chipset will be available in mid to late 2013 for those who able to buy 100,000 chipsets annually.

    [h/t: Fast Company Design]

  • Microsoft Announces Record $21.5 Billion In Revenue For Q2

    The promise day has arrived – Microsoft’s Q2 earnings report. After launching a number of high profile devices, including Windows Phone 8 and Surface, many people were wondering how Microsoft’s financials were going to look. In short, Microsoft had a pretty good quarter with only a few divisions posting losses.

    Microsoft announced today quarterly revenue of $21.46 billion in the last quarter. Operating income for the quarter was $7.77 billion, net income as $6.38 billion and diluted earnings per share was $0.76. Most of the growth seems to have come from the launch of Windows 8 which has sold 60 million licenses to date.

    “Our big, bold ambition to reimagine Windows as well as launch Surface and Windows Phone 8 has sparked growing enthusiasm with our customers and unprecedented opportunity and creativity with our partners and developers,” said Steve Ballmer, chief executive officer at Microsoft. “With new Windows devices, including Surface Pro, and the new Office on the horizon, we’ll continue to drive excitement for the Windows ecosystem and deliver our software through devices and services people love and businesses need.”

    Windows 8 was the big performer last quarter with a posted revenue of $5.88 billion, a 24 percent increase from the past year.

    “We saw strong growth in our enterprise business driven by multi-year commitments to the Microsoft platform, which positions us well for long-term growth,” said Peter Klein, chief financial officer at Microsoft. “Multi-year licensing revenue grew double-digits across Windows, Server & Tools, and the Microsoft Business Division.”

    The Server & Tools Division also saw an increase of revenue to $5.19 billion, an increase of 9 percent from last year. Most of its success can be attributed to “double-digit percentage revenue growth in SQL Server and System Center.”

    “We see strong momentum in our enterprise business. With the launch of SQL Server 2012 and Windows Server 2012, we continue to see healthy growth in our data platform and infrastructure businesses and win share from our competitors,” said Kevin Turner, chief operating officer at Microsoft. “With the coming launch of the new Office, we will provide a cloud-enabled suite of products that will deliver unparalleled productivity and flexibility.”

    The last division to post an increase over last year was Microsoft’s Online Services Division. It posted revenue of $869 million, an 11 percent increase from last year. The big performer this time was Bing with online advertising revenue rising by 15 percent.

    The only two divisions to see a decline over last year were the Business, and Entertainment and Devices Division. the former posted $5.69 billion in revenue, which is a 10 percent decrease from the past year. That being said, Microsoft points out that its productivity software, like Exchange and SharePoint, continues to see double-digit percentage growth.

    The Entertainment and Devices Division took the biggest hit as it only pulled in $3.77 billion in revenue, an 11 percent decrease from last year. Microsoft touts the Xbox 360 as the best-selling console in the United States, but it neglects to mention how well Windows Phone 8 or the Surface tablet are doing. Those details are bound to come forward during the conference call later this evening at 2:30 p.m. PST/5:30 p.m. EST.

    Microsoft Announces Record $21.5 Billion In Revenue

  • Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon Gets 4 Player Online Co-Op

    The first Luigi’s Mansion has often been described as Nintendo’s first and only foray into survival horror. Part of the appeal was that Luigi was all by himself as he attempted to solve the mystery of the mansion and save his brother. The sequel – Dark Moon – retains that same foreboding atmosphere, but players can now take on a new challenge with up to three friends.

    The new mode is called “Hunter Mode” and it has four different colored Luigis clearing floors of a haunted tower called the “Scarescraper.” A report from IGN reveals that players have a set time limit in which they must eradicate all ghosts including boss ghosts within a set time limit. Making it even more challenging is the fact that floor and ghost layouts are completely random each time.

    The multiplayer can be played locally and online with players from across the world. The mode will also support download play which allows players to transfer parts of the game to a 3DS owner that doesn’t have the game. The limitations of this mode are not readily apparent.

    There are more multiplayer modes that have yet to be revealed before the game’s launch on March 24. I wouldn’t be surprised if one of them was similar to the excellent Luigi’s Mansion: Ghost Hunt mini-game in Nintendo Land. In fact, Nintendo would be stupid not to.

  • Sony Hit With $395K Fine Over PSN Hack From 2 Years Ago

    PlayStation fans may remember a dark time from almost two years ago when the PSN went down for almost a month. The cause? A massive cyberattack that crippled the network and led to account details for over 77 million users to be stolen. It could be assumed that Sony has tried to put that nasty business behind it, but it’s being dragged back up as the company is being hit with a fine.

    The UK’s Information Commissioner Office has hit Sony with a $395,000 fine for being in violation of the Data Protection Act. The Office says that the hack, and the resulting fine, could have been avoided if Sony’s server software “had been up-to-date.”

    Here’s the full statement from David Smith, Deputy Commissioner and Director of Data Protection:

    “If you are responsible for so many payment card details and log-in details then keeping that personal data secure has to be your priority. In this case that just didn’t happen, and when the database was targeted – albeit in a determined criminal attack – the security measures in place were simply not good enough.

    There’s no disguising that this is a business that should have known better. It is a company that trades on its technical expertise, and there’s no doubt in my mind that they had access to both the technical knowledge and the resources to keep this information safe.

    The penalty we’ve issued today is clearly substantial, but we make no apologies for that. The case is one of the most serious ever reported to us. It directly affected a huge number of consumers, and at the very least put them at risk of identity theft.

    If there’s any bright side to this it’s that a PR Week poll shortly after the breach found the case had left 77 per cent of consumers more cautious about giving their personal details to other websites. Companies certainly need to get their act together but we all need to be careful about who we disclose our personal information to.”

    So what will Sony do? A spokesperson told IT World that it plans to appeal the fine. If the appeal falls through, Sony can have the fine reduced to $316,000 if it pays by February 13. I’m sure the payment will come with a box of these.

  • 3D Printers Give Boy The Hand He Never Had

    Technology improves lives – we hear it everyday as large companies continue to force feed us the latest technological toys. Sure, these things make our lives more convenient, but does technology really improve lives? It’s a resounding yes for a little boy from South Africa.

    3ders has an excellent story up about a man named Richard and a boy named Liam. Both face the challenge of getting through life without a hand. For Richard, he lost most of his fingers in a woodworking accident. For Liam, he was born with Ambiotic Band Syndrome which means he has no fingers on his right hand. For both, some 3D printing ingenuity is helping to change their lives for the better.

    Richard and a designer from Washington named Ivan both worked on the design of the first “robohand.” Check out the initial design process and Liam using the hand for the first time below:

    Here’s Liam a month later performing more complicated functions with the hand:

    After this, Richard and Ivan got in contact with MakerBot to inquire about 3D printing. The company sent two MarkerBot Replicator 2s, free of charge, to both Richard and Ivan so they could continue refining the design of the “robohand” without having to be physically near each other. The results are pretty amazing:

    As the two men make progress with the “robohand,” they are also hoping to help others with similar handicaps overcome them with cheap, effective solutions via 3D printing. To that end, the design of the robohand has been made open source so anybody can benefit from it. You can check out the design on Thingiverse here.

    As for the project itself, you can continue to follow it at the designers’ Web site. You can also help contribute to the project with a donation. They’re hoping to raise $50,000 over the next year to help “create prosthetic fingers for whoever wants one.”

    Liam’s story is another great example of how 3D printing and related technologies are helping to better peoples’ lives without the major investment required by modern medical technology. As 3D printers become more affordable, expect to see more heartwarming stories like this pop up.

    [Image: Coming Up Short Handed]

  • Grab Some Popcorn And Watch The Hour Long Mega Launch Party

    As you all know by now, Kim Dotcom’s Mega launched over the weekend to much fanfare. The new file-sharing site is already in the top 150 most visited sites on the Internet, and it shows no signs of slowing down.

    Dotcom has already shared the speech he gave at the launch of Mega, but we didn’t get to see the full spectacle. Now you have the opportunity to see what all the hubbub was about as Dotcom launched his latest product.

    The video clocks in at an hour and 14 minutes long. You might want to grab a snack:

    Despite hosting a massive launch event, Mega has not been without its stumbles over its first few days. The service was a little unreliable at first, and then reports started coming out that Mega’s encryption wasn’t all that it was cracked up to be. The launch problems have been fixed already, but Dotcom is now engaging critics of the site’s encryption. He will even be offering a cash reward soon for those who can break it.

    Perhaps the strangest thing to come out of the launch, however, was the above video being taken down from YouTube as a result of a DMCA complaint from GEMA. Dotcom claims all the songs in the video are of his own creation. The video is back up, but Dotcom says GEMA will be hearing from his lawyers.

    It’s pretty obvious that Dotcom and Mega will continue to run into situations like this as the file-sharing service becomes more popular. In fact, it shouldn’t be too long before we start hearing some noise from the same media industry that’s been gloating about the shut down of Megaupload.