Save Hundreds on Electric Bikes at Best Buy - CNET

The deal ends at midnight.

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Nintendo Switch's Mario Strikers Is Holding an Online Demo This Weekend - CNET

Switch Online members can try the upcoming Mario soccer game early.

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Telecommunications giant AT&T has developed drones capable of beaming down 5G signal to an area with patchy connectivity.

In true dad joke style, the drone has been named the 5G Flying COW (an acronym for Cell on Wings). In testing, it was able to provide an area of some 10 square miles with strong 5G signal, AT&T says.

“We had intermittent, weak LTE signal at the flight location before we launched the 5G Flying COW,” said Ethan Hunt, Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Principal Program Manager, AT&T. “We flew the drone up to about 300 feet, turned on the signal and it began transmitting strong 5G coverage to approximately 10 square miles.”

Flying for hours

While there may be many use cases for drone-based mobile hotspots, AT&T’s first idea is to have them help first responders, mountain rescue services and the like.

The benefits for teams works in rugged conditions are obvious, providing a reliable connection with which to communicate with one another and the people they are trying to help.

The usual problem with drones is their stamina. Today’s flying machines, even the most advanced ones, can only stay in the air for a couple of hours, while consumer-grade products rarely make it for longer than 40 minutes. Right now, AT&T’s devices are tethered, but that’s also being worked on for future iterations.

Read more

> 5G: everything you need to know

> Three years after the first 5G phone landed in Europe, 5G still hasn't proven itself

> Vodafone and Google Cloud look to boost Europe's 5G

“We are currently working through many exciting technical challenges to expand the capabilities of our Flying COWs,” said Art Pregler, Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Program Director, AT&T. 

“We’re working to autonomously fly without tethers for months without landing, using solar power to provide secure, reliable, and fast 5G connectivity to large numbers of users over wide geographic areas. This solution may one day help bring broadband connectivity to rural and other underserved communities across the US and elsewhere.”

Elon Musk’s Starlink is working on providing the entire world with satellite internet connectivity, but until that happens, flying drones beaming down super high-speed internet is a welcome next step.

• Give your fleet a connectivity boost with the best business mobile plans around

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A new tech demo was published recently showcasing what Fallout 5 could look like if developed using Epic Games’ Unreal Engine 5.

The trailer comes courtesy of YouTuber Enfant Terrible, which reveals what Fallout 5 could look like if Bethesda taps into the full power and toolset of the new gaming engine. You can check out the video below and see it for yourself. 

If you’re interested in seeing more from Enfant Terrible, there are other demos including a reimagining of what Cyberpunk 2077’s Night City could have looked like. There’s also several other demos that imagine Red Dead Redemption and Dead Space remakes, as well as the in-development Mass Effect 4 in Unreal Engine 5.

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 Analysis: Unreal Engine 5 continues to impress 

Unreal Engine 5 looks like it will continue the legacy of Epic Games’ cutting edge gaming engines. 

The new video shows just how powerful and complex it is, able to render decadent details like individual wisps of pollen blowing in the wind, or cheap white paint peeling back to reveal the rusting metal underneath. All of this is brilliantly rendered and it’s exactly the kind of graphical flex we should see from Fallout developer Bethesda going forward.

There’s even the train station demo that recently went viral, which is so photorealistic that until mid video, it’s easy to mistake it for real life. Seeing the potential already in the hands of casual developers, we're excited to see what this engine could do in the hands of an experienced development team.

And with games like Mass Effect 4 and The Witcher 4 being developed with Unreal Engine 5, they’re sure to feature stunning graphics and smooth gameplay unlike any we've seen before. Given what we’ve seen already, it’s a wonder why every game isn’t being made using this incredible tool. 

• Skyrim has been recreated in Unreal Engine 5 – and it looks brilliant

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52 Pride Products That Support LGBTQ Causes - CNET

These brands are putting their money where their marketing is.

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The mobile app of coffee chain Tim Hortons was found to have been tracking people even when it’s off, despite “misleading” the users to think otherwise. It was gathering user data, including their movement, places of living, as well as places of work. 

After a thorough investigation by state and provincial authorities, the iconic Canadian brand was found to be breaking the law on mobile tracking and data harvesting.

What’s more, the app generated an ‘event’ every time the user would enter a competitor’s premises, a major sports venue, their home, or their office.

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Vague language

The initial investigation into Tim Hortons was launched two years ago, and that’s when the company decided to pull the plug on its data harvesting program.

However, it kept a contract with an American third-party location services supplier whose language was “so vague and permissive” that it would have allowed it to sell de-identified location data, The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada said in a press release. 

The company also said its use of aggregated location data was “limited” to spotting trends, such as whether users switched to other coffee chains, or how the pandemic affected their coffee buying habits. 

Read more

> Users warned of Microsoft data harvesting

> Google under investigation in Australia for large scale Android data harvesting

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The press release further stated that the app “continued to collect vast amounts of location data for a year after shelving plans to use it for targeted advertising, even though it had no legitimate need to do so.”

The company behind the app was ordered to delete all remaining location data, as well as to force third-party providers to do the same. It was also ordered to establish and maintain a privacy management program, and report back to the authorities detailing how it plans on staying compliant with the rules and regulations on data privacy. 

No financial penalty, though, but the company said it would carry out the orders.

• Remain anonymous online with the best firewalls around

Via: Bloomberg

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Best Laptop for High School Students in 2022 - CNET

Whether you need Windows, Chrome or MacOS, there are budget-friendly laptops here to help you through the upcoming school year.

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A new Google Chrome update looks to cut down on the amount of notifications being sent by potentially harmful websites.

The change should mean that the number of unwanted browser notifications users receive by blocking alerts from websites that Chrome defines as “disruptive.”

Spotted by 9to5Google, the code change means that Chrome will be able to automatically revoke a website’s permission to send notifications and block any future attempts to ask for the permission.

Google Chrome notifications

Google says that it is acting in order to enforce its “Developer Terms of Service,” which include a pledge not to use the company's APIs to send any form of spam.

The change also means that even if a user had accidentally previously allowed a malicious site to send notifications, Chrome will now automatically move in and block the alerts completely.

Asides from this, Google hasn't explained entirely quite how it defines a website as "disruptive", but the move looks to address one of the biggest problems with Chrome and other web browsers today.

"Notification spam is one of the top complaint reports we receive from Chrome users," a Google spokesperson told 9to5Google. "This feature is focused on addressing this problem by ensuring users are only receiving relevant notifications.  We see this work as acting on behalf of users to protect their interests, and is an intervention that is under user control and discretion."

Read more

> Google Chrome users urged to update immediately or risk attack

> Watch out Google Chrome - Safari has taken a huge bite into the browser market

> Browser wars: Has Microsoft Edge completely lost its way?

Google had aimed to act on harmful notifications back in October 2020, when it blocked alerts from sites that attempted to ask for permission or abuse notifications in a misleading way, with users given a prompt that the site may have bad intentions at heart.

There's no news of a concrete release date for the new feature just yet. but it will probably require some testing before a wider rollout, so don't hold your breath for a rollout just yet.

• Shield your browsing activity from prying eyes with the best proxy services around

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As Apple gears up for its annual WWDC showcase, a rumor the company is preparing to launch its own search engine is doing the rounds.

The source of the rumor is a tweet from blogger Robert Scoble, which features at the end of a thread describing the announcements he expects from Apple over the next year.

In an exchange with TechRadar Pro, Scoble explained the information is based partly on conversations with sources and partly on deduction. "This is the most expensive product launch of all time [sic]," he added.

Scoble told us the search engine will not be announced at WWDC next week, but rather in January. TechRadar Pro has asked Apple for comment.

Apple Search?

The dearth of competition in the search market and historic rivalry between Google and Apple has long had people wondering whether the Cupertino giant might eventually dip its toes in the water.

Although the worth of Google Search is difficult to ascertain due to the way Alphabet earnings are reported, we know that search accounts for the largest chunk of its ad revenue, which totalled $210 billion for 2021.

If Scoble's information proves to be correct, Apple has decided it fancies a piece of the action. But why now?

One possible explanation is that the firm believes the iOS and Safari install base has reached a critical mass, such that it can prop up a genuine challenge to Google's throne.

Apple has profited for years from a deal (potentially worth upwards of $20 billion/annum) that guarantees Google’s position as the default Safari search engine. According to filings from a recent class action lawsuit, the terms of this arrangement also prohibit Apple from launching a standalone search product.

Read more

> MacBook Air 2022 reveal at WWDC now more likely than ever

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But hypothetically, if Apple were to tear up the deal with Google and bring an alternative to market, the billion-strong Safari user base would provide a solid foundation on which to build.  And as the spectre of new antitrust legislation looms, it’s possible the company will be shoved in this direction regardless.

However, it would be a mistake to assume that wide reach is a guarantee of success. Microsoft, for example, has failed to make material inroads in browsers and search, despite presiding over the world’s largest operating system.

In order for Apple to call off its agreement with Google voluntarily, the company would have to be sufficiently sure that gains in advertising revenue would compensate for the billions of dollars lost.

It’s also possible that the rumored service won’t look anything like a traditional search engine. In his tweet, Scoble hinted that Siri may be the primary beneficiary, which could indicate the new product is built to augment the (Google-powered) responses served up by the digital assistant, not to field general queries like a regular search engine.

We'll have to wait and see.

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Best Online Will Makers for June 2022 - CNET

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Latest Tech News

Instagram is incorporating AMBER Alerts into its app.

AMBER Alerts, which is short for American's Missing: Child Broadcast Emergency Response, were launched 26 years ago as a nationwide system to help find lost and abducted children by sharing alerts on TV, radio, highway signs, and via SMS alerts. You know them as those loud and important notifications that you get on your smartphone whenever a child goes missing.

Now that system of alerts is rolling out on one of the world's most popular social media platforms. When an AMBER Alert is activated by the police, a new post will appear in your Instagram feed alerting you to the missing child.

The AMBER post will have a photograph of the child, a brief description of where they were last seen, and any other information available that will help locate them. You’ll be able to share the alert with your friends, and if anybody manages to see the missing person, Instagram provides a phone number where you can contact your local police department.

Instagram, which is owned by Meta, said in a release that AMBER Alerts are specific to your general area and the app will utilize a combination of IP addresses, phone location, and the city listed on your profile to decide who gets which notification.

Instagram is partnering up with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children in the US and several other international organizations to make this feature possible.

AMBER Alerts on Instagram will eventually roll out to 24 other countries within the coming weeks although it will probably be under a different name. AMBER Alerts is an American system but other countries do have their own child abduction alerts.

Analysis: Successful alerts

Adding an AMBER Alert to the digital space is not new. Google integrated these alerts into its Search and Maps service all the way back in 2012. Meta did the same back in 2015 by adding AMBER Alerts to Facebook’s feed. And like Instagram, Google and Facebook post a photograph of the missing child and other details that can help in finding the child. The good news about these mobile AMBER Alerts is that they’ve proven to be successful.

According to the US Department of Justice, 123 children have been found as a direct result of those wireless AMBER Alerts. A Meta representative told us that Facebook’s AMBER Alerts have helped in “hundreds of successful child endangerment cases around the world.”

It’s wonderful to see these systems working as they should and we hope to see other apps incorporate them.

• Since you may be spending more time on Instagram, here's how to put it in Dark Mode.

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NESN 360 Will Let You Stream Red Sox, Bruins Games Without Cable For $30 Per Month - CNET

You no longer need cable to watch Red Sox and Bruins games, but be prepared to shell out.

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Millions of MySQL servers were recently discovered to be publicly exposed to the internet, and using the default port, researchers have found. 

Nonprofit security organization, The ShadowServer Foundation, discovered a total of 3.6 million servers are configured in such a way that they can easily be targeted by threat actors.

Out of the total 3.6 million, 2.3 million are connected over IPv4, while 1.3 million over IPv6. They’re all using the default TCP port 3306.

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"While we do not check for the level of access possible or exposure of specific databases, this kind of exposure is a potential attack surface that should be closed," the non-profit explained in an announcement.

Misconfigurations lead to data compromise

Most of the servers are found in the United States (more than 1.2 million), with China, Germany, Singapore, the Netherlands, and Poland, also hosting significant numbers of servers. 

Internet-connected servers are a major pillar in today’s enterprise, as it allows web services and applications to operate remotely. But misconfigured servers are one of the most frequent errors that lead to data loss, as many ransomware attacks, and remote access trojan (RAT) deployments, have started with a misconfigured database.

Researchers have been very vocal about the need to properly secure databases, which includes strict user policies, changing and monitoring ports, enabling binary logging, keeping a close eye on queries, and encrypting all of the data, BleepingComputer reminds in its report.

Read more

> Many data breaches are being caused by misconfigured clouds

> Sega left a huge database of user information open to hackers

> Misconfigured web apps exposed millions of US personal records online

A report from IBM published in May 2021 claimed that 19% of data breaches happen because IT teams fail to properly protect the assets found within their cloud infrastructure. 

This time last year, the company polled 524 organizations that suffered a data breach between August 2019 and April 2020, and also found that the average cost of a data breach increased by half a million dollars during that time.

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Via: BleepingComputer

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Monopoly Ditches T. Rex Dinosaur Token for Old-School Thimble - CNET

Monopoly fans voted to shake up the makeup of the tiny tokens.

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Starting December 2, 2022, Amazon will be dropping all support and service for Cloud Cam devices and accompanying apps.

People first learned about the drop from an email Amazon sent out to customers. A user on the HomeKit subreddit was gracious enough to share the information. Going through the email, the entire video history from your Cloud Cam will be deleted on December 2, but you’ll be able to download the recordings. The Cloud Cam – Key Edition will also lose its functionality to connect to smart locks and manage codes on the final day.  

Amazon states in the email that they would rather focus on their other smart home tech; namely, Ring video doorbells and Blink security cameras. We reached out to Amazon and a spokesperson confirmed the shut-off date, the renewed focus on Ring and Blink, and revealed that people will be able to replace their Cloud Cams. 

In exchange for a Cloud Cam, Amazon will give you a Blink Mini and a Blink Subscription Plus Plan for one year. The Blink Mini is a small, budget indoor camera with a 110-degree field of view and can record in Full HD.

According to Blink, the Plus Plan will give you “motion-activated notifications”, the ability to share recordings, and regularly taken photographs among other features. Amazon is also offering a free 4th gen Echo to Cloud Cam – Key Edition owners to use as a hub for smart locks.

If you’re someone who has multiple Cloud Cams, you’re in luck. The Amazon representative clarified that for every active Cloud Cam you own, you’ll get a Blink Mini. And for every Cloud Cam – Key Edition you own, you’ll receive a Mini and a 4th gen Echo. All in all, a great way to accommodate people slated to lose their devices.

Amazon states that it will be sending out emails detailing how to get the free Blink Mini, Echo, and the one-year Plus Plan sometime before the December 2 shut-off date; although they didn’t say exactly when. And if you’d like to back up your videos, the recent announcement email gives detailed instructions.  

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(Image credit: TechRadar)

Analysis: Disappearing smart home trend 

Looking at recent trends, Amazon dropping Cloud Cam isn’t a random move, as a lot of smart home companies have been biting the dust lately. 

Back in April 2022, iHome shut down its service, effectively rendering the company’s devices useless. Insteon suffered the same fate and it was given to a financial service firm to manage the liquidation of its assets. 

Amazon appears to be weathering this downturn by focusing on a few brands over endlessly expanding. It looks like the smart home concept just isn’t as popular as these companies would have liked, but least Amazon is offering replacement devices and not ghosting people.  

• Blink vs Ring: How do Amazon’s home security cameras differ?

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