What’s new
Phone maker Blu trades Chinese spyware for Google software
Blu, the Florida-based maker of budget Android phones, says it’s swapping out the Chinese update software that stole user data for Google-approved software. The issue, first unveiled last month by security firm Kryptowire, was a firmware-updating application that monitored user communications and even sent back text messages to a keyword-searchable archive on a Chinese server. The code, which came pre-installed on certain Android devices, sent the data, call, location, and app data surreptitiously. “Even if you wanted to, you wouldn’t have known about it,” Kryptowire vice president of product Tom Karygiannis said. Now, any Blu phone will use Google’s standard over-the-air firmware-updating tool. The revelations from Kryptowire last month called into question Blu’s business model of buying up cheap Chinese smartphones and relying on some of the devices’ third-party software. Blu has now signed a deal with Kryptowire to have its phones monitored for the next year for any malicious software.
You can read more here.
AirDroid, a remote control app for Android, is vulnerable to attack
You may have heard of AirDroid, a souped-up remote control app that lets you wirelessly connect to an Android phone or tablet. It’s impressively robust: you can respond to text messages directly from your PC, dismiss or answer an incoming call, silence notifications from certain apps, and even transfer files and photos simply by clicking and dragging. But it’s also frighteningly vulnerable to hacks: according to research firm Zimperium, a nasty security hole has left “tens of millions” of AirDroid’s users susceptible to data-stealing attackers. At fault is the app’s weak method of encryption. Zimperium reported that AirDroid’s key — a digital passcode made up of a combination of numbers, letters, and characters — that it uses to obfuscate sensitive updates and data is both “static” and “easily detectable.” And while AirDroid uses the industry-standard HTTPS security protocol to handle most files, the app transfers crucial bits over unencrypted HTTP.
More info are available here.
New products
New Meizu smartphone leaks
Allegedly code-named ‘1206,’ the device sports a 2K curved display. Aside from design, the leak also reveals a couple of handset’s key specs: Exynos 8890 SoC and QHD display. Reports say the device may be called Meizu Four. The device looks a lot similar to the upcoming Xiaomi smartphone Mi 5C. Meizu 4 is spotted in Black and White colors variants. We have to wait and see what really it is. Few leaks will come for sure before the launch event.
You can read more here.
ZUK Edge now pictured in white/gold, to be priced at $390
Price details of Lenovo’s flagship phone ZUK edge have surfaced online, just days before the launch. The ZUK Edge is expected to feature a 5.5-inch full HD display with 1920x1080p resolution, Qualcomm Snapdragon 821 quad-core processor backed by Adreno 530 graphics engine, 6GB RAM, Android Nougat OS and 64GB internal storage. It is also said to come with a 13MP primary camera on the back, an 8MP snapper on the front and a 3,000mAh battery.
More info here.
You might want to know about this
Machine learning will scale personalized customer interactions
Flamingo, an ASX-listed artificial intelligence company that develops conversational commerce agents for financial organisations, will be ramping up its expansion efforts with a newfound focus on the Asia-Pacific market, as well as new industry verticals such as healthcare. Flamingo is a software-as-a-service (SaaS) company that provides an “intelligent guided selling platform” to help financial services firms address the problem of low online sales conversion rates. By combining web chat, web forms, and artificial intelligence, Flamingo guides customers through their purchasing decisions, coupled with a data science capability. The company claims its edge is a conversational commerce agent called Rosie that is more sophisticated than a chatbot.
You can read more here.
Apple has acknowledged for the first time that it is investing in building a self-driving car
A five-page letter from Steve Kenner, Apple’s director of product integrity, to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is the company’s most comprehensive statement yet about its interest in self-driving vehicle technology. The Nov. 22 letter followed more than a year of industry speculation about the computer and iPhone maker’s plans for expanding into transportation. “The company is investing heavily in the study of machine learning and automation, and is excited about the potential of automated systems in many areas, including transportation,” Kenner wrote. “Executed properly under NHTSA’s guidance, automated vehicles have the potential to greatly enhance the human experience — to prevent millions of car crashes and thousands of fatalities each year and to give mobility to those without.” Apple urged regulators not to impose too many restrictions on testing of self-driving cars, saying “established manufacturers and new entrants should be treated equally.”
More info can be found here.
Fun stuff
reMarkable E-ink tabler aims to make papaer obsolete
As a material, paper has a lot of benefits. It’s been around for thousands of years, it’s a universally understood medium, and it’s cheap. But there are also downsides: paper can rip and tear, it’s heavy, and can take up a lot of space. reMarkable is a company that thinks it’s time for paper to get an upgrade, with its similarly named reMarkable “paper tablet.” The reMarkable device is essentially an E-ink tablet that aims to replace paper, working as a reading and note-taking device. In particular, the company is highlighting the “ultra high friction” materials used on the display to allow it to feel like writing on actual paper, alongside proprietary low-latency technology for quickly updating the screen (refresh rate is famous for being one of E Ink’s biggest weaknesses).
You can read more here.
