Breach in Bank Biometrics; Facebook Contractors Transcribed Messenger Calls; Some 2016 Google Pixel Owners Can Get $500; Future iPhone-NoNotch

A security company in Britain uses facial recognition, fingerprints, and passwords to secure facilities for banks, defense contractors, and even the Metropolitan Police. Now, according to theguardian.com, after their Biostar 2 database was integrated into another control system called AEOS (used by 5700 organizations in 83 countries), a couple of Israeli security researchers found that much of the database was unprotected and mostly unencrypted. The researchers found over 27.8 million records…including admin panels, dashboards, fingerprint data, facial recognition data, face photos of users, unencrypted usernames and passwords, logs of facility access, security levels and clearance, and personal details of staff. When notified, Suprema bused it off saying they would notify people if there was a threat. NOTHING is totally secure on the internet!

You will be thrilled to hear that Facebook has stopped using paid contractors to listen to and transcribe audio clips from Messenger. CNET.com says the social network claims the contractors had no idea of when or where the audio was recorded. They also said the users had selected an option to transcribe their voice chats in the settings of Messenger, and that the chats were anonymized prior to the contractors listening to them. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg had previously told the US Senate that Facebook doesn’t “listen to what’s going on on your microphone and use that for ads … we don’t do that.” But hey…it’s ok, because they have stopped the practice. Cough, cough.

In May, Google settled a class action suit over defective microphones on the Pixel 1. Arstechnica.com notes that the settlement was for $7.25 million. Now, owners can file a claim at a new Pixel Settlement website. Owners of a first-generation Pixel could get up to $500 if they bought multiple defective devices, and everyone that bought an original Pixel before the cut off date is entitled to $20, even if they didn’t experience a defect. The deadline to file is October 7, 2019.

A patent was revealed yesterday that indicates that future iPhones may lose the dreaded ‘notch’ entirely, with the phones getting a “Display with light transmitting windows.” Without getting into the weeds on this (which are pretty tall), the so-called windows could be made to be more transparent than other portions of the display, allowing hiding the Face ID sensors, front cam, etc. behind the screen, without interfering with the quality of those sensors and the cam.

Snap-Spectacles 3; Apple Card- Handcuffs to iPhone; Verizon Selling tumblr to WordPress; Cray’s Hyper Fast El Capitan Supercomputer

Snap has announced Spectacles 3, a new version of its augmented reality sunglasses…they will sport a new design and get an HD cam to create depth perception. According to theverge.com, the limited release glasses will go on sale in November for $380 at spectacles.com. That’s double the price of last year’s model. Along with the 2nd cam, this model will get a suite of new 3D effects to take advantage of it. There will be 2 colors, ‘carbon’ (black) and ‘mineral’ (a sort of blend of gold and beige.) The Spectacles 3 will have a lightweight steel frame, adjustable tips, and tinted lenses. Battery life is better…Snap says you will be able to shoot 70 or 200 photos on a charge, and the 4 gigs of storage will hold 100 videos or 1200 photos. A full charge in the charging case takes an hour and 15 minutes.

A lot has been made of the word that Apple’s partner Goldman Sachs has taken people with less than stellar credit ratings for the new Apple Card (albeit with small credit lines…some as low as $750.) It is probably worth pointing out that, since you have to apply and use the card over an iPhone, there are very few people who haven’t bought a $700 phone applying! Businessinsider.com also notes that since the card is tied to iPhone, it is a great ‘hook’ for keeping people from leaving the Apple ecosystem, and to keep ‘em buying iPhones…still Apple’s #1 product and profit center. Switch to Android, and it’s bye, bye Apple Card. The Apple Card DOES come with a physical card, and it’s metal, so has that premium, upscale look to it…but since you can only manage the card via the phone, the credit account requires an iPhone. The Card is a pretty slick way to keep the 900 million or so iPhone users hitched at $750-$1100 a phone, even though Samsung sells some great Android phones starting at only $400. Apple didn’t get to be one of the world’s largest companies by doing dumb things!

Over 6 years ago, Yahoo bought Tumblr for more than a billion dollars. Now, it’s present owner, Verizon, has gotten WordPress owner Automattic to take it off their hands at what’s called a ‘nominal’ price. TechCrunch.com says Automattic will continue the no porn policy…one that knocked down Tumblr’s traffic by 33% last quarter compared to the previous year. Considering Automattic’s size and reach in the blogging world and as a supplier of publishing tools, it is probably a much better fit than either Yahoo or Verizon was. They will keep 200 Tumblr staffers in the deal.

Cray has landed a contract to build a $600 million super computer for the Department of Energy to conduct 3D simulations at ‘unprecedented speeds’ to better assess and maintain the US nuclear weapons capability. Geekwire.com reports that the ‘El Capitan’ will be an ‘exascale’ supercomputer, which means it can do one quintillion (a billion billion) calculations per second….approximately simulating the human brain. The computer will even exceed that and do 1.5 quintillion per second for advanced AI and modeling capabilities. It will be faster than the top 100 fastest systems on earth right now…COMBINED!

iPhone Pro & 3 Cam iPad Pro Rumors; Instagram, YouTube, & Facebook Could be Fined Millions; Destroyers Dump Touch Screens; Amazon-Brick & Mortar Liquor Store

As we are a stone’s throw away from the iPhone rollout, someone has leaked a rumored name for the biggest top line iPhone. According to 9to5mac.com, an anonymous Twitter user called ‘CoinX’ claims the successor to the XS Max will be iPhone Pro. This person leaked a number of accurate details about the iPhone XS and iPad lineup previously. The name actually makes more sense than ‘Max,’ and fits in neatly with the iPad Pro branding.

Speaking of iPad, an unconfirmed rumor out of China says that the iPad Pro coming in October will sport a triple lens cam setup like the new iPhones, ditching the single lens shooter they have had since the first iPad was introduced. The rumor was picked up by Mac Otakara out of Japan. The 3 cams would come on the Pro, while the entry level iPad would move up to a two cam system. More businesses are issuing iPads, so the better cams might really make sense. If you have had a home appraisal, blinds installed, an alarm system, or an HVAC system, all the people that come out carry iPads with custom software.

Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube could be facing king sized fines for failing to remove toxic online videos as part of a crackdown by the UP government on harmful social media content. Cnet.com reports that the new rules will be introduced next year, and will amount to 5% of company revenue for failure to comply, and even restriction or suspension of service in the country for continued failure to comply. The UK government is charging Ofcom, which regulates telecoms and broadcasting to ensure compliance. TechUK, a trade organization representing the online firms, said in a statement “We urge Government to take a balanced and proportionate approach and ensure that the implementation is consistent with its wider approach to Online Harms.”

In one of those rare examples where old school may just work better than high tech, the US Navy is replacing touchscreen throttle and help controls in its destroyers with mechanical controls starting in 2020. Theverge.com notes that this follows a report from the NTSB finding that the touch screen controls were a big factor in a 2017 crash between a destroyer and a Liberian oil tanker off the coast of Singapore. Sailors apparently tried to divide steering and throttle between touch screens, and it basically didn’t work…causing them to lose control of the ship. Ten sailors died and 48 were injured on the USS John S. McCain. Apparently, splitting the controls put the ship into ‘backup manual mode’, which turned off computer assisted controls. The old-fashioned manual controls provide ‘immediate and tactile feedback to the operator,’ and it’s believed that such will allow better control of ships if such a situation arises again.

Amazon has gotten into brick and mortar the last couple years in bookselling, and by virtue of their purchase of Whole Foods, in grocery sales. Now, the online giant is turning its sights to booze. Businessinsider.com reports that Amazon is trying to open a liquor store in San Francisco to sell beer, wine, and spirits. The have applied for a liquor license and approval from the City to open a storefront at the Amazon warehouse in SF. The brick and mortar store will apparently be 200 square feet in size, and will also facilitate an alcohol delivery service to Prime Now customers in San Francisco. The store would be open 8am to 4 pm daily, but the delivery service would ruin 8am to midnight daily.

Disney Streaming Prices; iPhone Release Date; Google WiFi 6 Hardware Coming; Amazon-AR Headset to Guide Delivery People

Disney has announced that it will offer a bundle for its 3 streaming services….Disney+, Hulu, and ESPN+. The fee will be $12.99 a month starting on November 12th. According to theverge.com, the announcement was made over a Disney investor call yesterday by CEO Bob Iger. That price point will be competitive with Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, and will be significantly cheaper than HBO Max’s rumored stream price of $16-$17 a month. No word on international pricing or bundling as yet, but for the US, we now know the figure. Disney+ will be available stand alone for $6.99 a month.

Every year, there is plenty of speculation about the date for Apple’s iPhone event…although it generally has been the third week of September the past few years. Now, bgr.com reports that by doing some sleuthing, the date has been nailed down. It has to do with a new law going into effect in Japan on October 1st. The new law will make wireless carriers unbundle devices and service plans. Carriers there have been bundling only the most expensive plans with the most popular smartphones. (Sound familiar?) At a SoftBank event, the SoftBank president, Ken Miyauchi, was asked how the law might affect Apple’s September iPhone launch. What he said (translated) was this: ‘Honestly, I am wondering what should I do for 10 days. No, I shouldn’t say that. Anyway, I don’t know when the new iPhone will be released. However, after about 10 days, it will be unbundled.’ If you could back 10 days from October 1st….BINGO! You get September 20th. That’s about when most expected the new iPhones to go on sale, but now it’s pretty well confirmed! This would put the likely date of the apple event on Wednesday, September 11th.

Lots has been leaked about the new Pixel 4 and Pixelbook 2 to be rolled out at Google’s Made by Google event, but here’s something new….they may have a Google Home revamp to reveal, too. 9to5google.com says it looks like there is at least one device coming with new Google WiFi hardware and WiFi 6 support. The device could include a two-in-one WiFi router plus smart speaker device. It seem like such a device would also have Google Assistant built in. Of course, this could all be speculation and vapor…we’ll have to wait until the Made by Google event coming up this Fall before we know for sure.

An Amazon patent schematic has been uncovered that shows how info about a delivery drop-off location might be overlaid on the display of an augmented reality headset for delivery people. According to geekwire.com, the patent also details alerting the delivery agent about the best times for delivery, best routes to take, and even the best places for parking. All of this would be overlaid in the AR headset! Most delivery folks learn a lot of this as they drive their routes, but with the AR headset taking it all in, a substitute driver could wear the headset and deliver just as efficiently as the regular route person. Delivery agents could also post tips and cautions that would go to the server and pop up to warn a sub about different issues.

Galaxy Note 10 Reveal is Tomorrow; Apple Card Rolls Out to Limited Customers; AT&T Employees Took Bribes to Plant Malware; Industrial Cyberattacks Have Doubled Last 6 Months

Samsung is holding Unpacked tomorrow, and will show off the Galaxy Note 10. Businessinsider.com reports that it will sport the same ‘Infinity O’ display as the S10, and has no visible fingerprint reader on the back, so probably has an in-display fingerprint sensor lurking in the 6.3 inch screen. It will rock a 3 lens camera system….standard, ultra-wide, and zoom. The Note 10 is thought to have a 25W charger, but will support 45 W charging, so much quicker charging speeds will be noticeable right away over previous models. There MAY be a ‘Pro’ or ‘Plus model with a 6.8 inch screen and a 4th camera, as well as bigger battery. Tomorrow, Samsung will reveal all.

Over at Apple, they have started rolling out the Apple Card to a limited number of customers. According to macrumors.com, random people who signed up on the website will get invites to go ahead and apply. The card will be available in the Apple Wallet app almost instantly to those who qualify, and they can order a physical card to be delivered later this month. The full rollout of the Apple Card is expected in a couple weeks to the general public. Apple has posted a dozen videos on their website relating to the Apple Card if your inner fanboy or fangirl can’t wait!

Terrible behavior that screws around vast numbers of people continues on the internet and in service of same. Zdnet.com says AT&T employees took bribes to unlock millions of smartphones and install malware and unauthorized hardware on the company’s network, according to the Department of Justice. The DOJ has a case active against Muhammad Fahd, a 34 year old man from Pakistan, and his co-conspirator, Ghulam Jiwani (now believed to be deceased.) The scheme was active from 2012 to 2017. The unlocking of iPhones was the relatively innocuous part. The pair got employees to install malware such as a key logger, which let Fahd hoover up ‘confidential and proprietary information regarding the structure and functioning of AT&T’s internal protected computers and applications.’ In addition, they had the bribed employees place more malware in the system that ran automated actions gathering info and unlocking phones without any need for the crook to interact with AT&T employees. So far, the government and AT&T both claim that no users’ personal data was exposed, but the company lost over $5 million a year due to the unlocked phones.

Cyberattacks designed to cause damage have doubled the past 6 months. According to arstechnica.com, over half of them are in the manufacturing sector. The word comes from a report by IBM’s X-Force IRIS incident response team. The malware, Industroyer, Not Petya, Student, and others, are designed to cause damage rather than just to do covert surveillance or data theft. Until late last year, almost all such attacks were by state actors, but the response team says in the hast months cybercriminals have been involved. The most common initial infection vectors are phishing emails, the theft of credentials required to enter an internal network, watering hole attacks, and the successful compromise of third parties with a connection to the true target. Ah, the good news never stops coming!

Apple Will Absorb Tariff Costs for Now; Pixel 3 $300 off Before 4 Rolls Out; Man Crosses English Channel on Hoverboard; Cloudflare Whacks 8chan; Tesla Lease Partner Sells 60% Stake

Well known Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says Apple will absorb any extra cost tacked on by tariffs on China for now. 9to5mac.com reports that Kuo is also saying that Cupertino will be investing in non-Chinese production in the meantime. He believes that most of Apple’s production bound for the US will be made in non-Chinese counties within 2 years. Apple has already been building iPhones in both India and South America. The new iPhones and probably updated Apple Watch should roll out the third week of September.

If you don’t have to have the very latest and greatest, but you want a great phone and a relative bargain price, here’s your chance. According to 9to5google.com, Google has gone live with special offers on the Pixel 3. You can pick one up at a $300 discount until September 28th, when the Pixel 4 rolls out. the 3 has arguably the best camera of any smartphone (at least until the new iPhones and the Pixel 4 roll out in September), so you can grab a 3 right now with 64 gigs of storage for $499. Compare that to an iPhone XS at a grand!

French inventor Franky Zapata successfully crossed the English Channel over the weekend on a overboard he designed. The jet powered board flew at speeds of up to 106 mph during the 22 mile trip. It’s worth noting, that Zapata did have to land once halfway across to refuel….he only could carry a 10 minute supply of fuel on his back! Theverge.com says this was Zapata’s 2nd attempt at crossing the English Channel. The 1st time was the end of July when he missed a landing on his refueling platform and ended up in the drink!

Apparently, Cloudflare has had enough…as of midnight, they cut off notorious site 8chan. The El Paso shooter apparently posted a racist manifesto on the image board, and that made the third time this year that a mass shooter had ties to the notorious site. Arstechnica.com notes that in 2017, Cloudflare dropped the white supremacist site the Daily Stormer. Cloudflare says they expect that 8chan will find another hosting service, as Daily Stormer finally did, but just decided the site should be someone’s problem. Matthew Prince, co-founder and CEO notes that there is no First Amendment involved here, since they are a private company and not bound by that. In addition, he pointed out that more than 50% of their revenue comes from outside the US anyway. Finally, he said that while this solved Cloudflare’s problem with hate speech for now, it doesn’t solve the internet’s problem with it. No one seems to have a solution for that thus far.

MUSA Auto Finance was apparently overwhelmed by its Tesla leasing business last fall, and burned through its capital resources. According to autonews.com, 60% of the relatively small company has been sold to PowerBand Solutions of Canada. The tech company seems mostly interested in the tech MUSA has developed for automated decision-making software. The MUSA programming can provide an approval for a lease back to a dealer partner and profile a lease contract accurately in less than 8 seconds! With the average Tesla lease almost double the cost of other dealer cars the company had been leasing, they wiped out their $157 million line quickly. Another partner had been brought in, but now, it looks like with PowerBand picking up 60%, they will begin leasing again within 60 days.

Smartphone Sales Projected Lower; Lyft Pulls e-Bikes in SF; Amazon- Buying Part of Reliance Retail-India; Apple Manager Segues to AR Team

At a point, markets get saturated, and growth tails off or even drops. Smartphone sales seem poised to do this. According to Gartner, smartphone sales are looking to drop 2.5% down to 1.5 billion. The biggest declines for this year are projected to be in Japan, Western Europe, and North America. Japan is already off 6.5%, Western Europe is softer by 5.3%, and North America down 4.4%. The blame is being put on slower upgrade cycles combined with pricier phones on top of a soft economy. Sales are even off in the world’s biggest smartphone market, China. A bump in sales is expected in the second half of this year and next year…propelled for at least a while by the introduction of blindingly fast 5G service.

Amazon is apparently in talks to buy 26% of India’s Reliance Retail. Businessinsider.com says the deal could give Amazon access to Reliance’s huge network of stores, which will be a major factor in fulfilling online grocery orders in the future. The e-commerce market in India is expected to be worth $200 billion by 2026…growing from $38.5 billion just two years ago in 2017. Amazon did $8.8 billion in India last year, but according to reports, may be passed up by Walmart brand Flipkart in 2023.

A veteran, high-profile software exec at Apple has reportedly been moved over to the AR team. According to 9to5mac.com, Kim Vorrath…who’s led program management for Apple’s software team for over 15 years, has transferred over to the AR team. The AR team is led by Mike Rockwell, VP of AR and VR for Apple. Vorrath is not a household name outside of Apple, but she originally reported to Craig Federighi, and oversaw keeping software teams on schedule and testing releases for bugs. It’s expected that the demanding exec will bring better order to the AR team in the manner she had with software.

We’ve all laughed at the meme about wanting to see a liar’s pants actually catch on fire. Now, Lyft…in a move to prevent this from actually happening…has pulled its electric bike fleet from San Francisco after a couple caught fire while in use! Theverge.com reports that the bikes had previously been pulled temporarily nationwide in April after a braking malfunction was found. The company has spent months integrating the dockless electric bikes with the docked manual bikes they operate. The e-bikes have also been operating in San Jose since June and Oakland since July 12th. Presumably, they will freeze fleets in those cities too until the problems are worked out.