Amazon’s Black ‘Friday’ Plans; Costco & Instacart Test 1 Hour Prescription Delivery; Facebook-100 Developers Scooped Up Data; Facebook Ad Policy-Possibly Illegal; Surprise! 90% of World Net Users Are Monitored

Amazon has officially revealed their Black ‘Friday’ sales event. Bgr.com reports it all starts at 12:01AM Pacific Friday, November 22nd, and it runs a full week…to the ACTUAL Black Friday…November 29th. Of course, after that, it’s what used to be Cyber Monday, and now Cyber WEEK, which will feature even more crazy deals and bargains. If you want a preview of of a lot of the deals, check out Amazon’s Holiday Sales Event Page.

Costco and Instacart are teaming up to test out one hour prescription delivery in Washington and California. According to engadget.com, the service is is free for orders over $35, although Instacart adds a 5% tip. If less than $35, the delivery price varies on how quickly the patient needs the meds, but usually comes in at under $10. Buyers do need to be over 18, and will have to show an ID to the courier, who must be HIPAA certified. Amazon and Walmart have also explored prescription delivery.

Facebook says that even after it locked down its Groups system last year, some app developers still kept improper access. Theverge.com says it is around 100 developers, some of whom still had access until a couple months ago. So far, no evidence that any really abused the data. A potentially bigger problem for Facebook comes from their political ad policy. An open letter addressed to Zuck from the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law indicates that Facebook is exposing itself to liability under various federal and state level statutes…including those aimed at promoting voting rights, protecting consumers from unethical business practices, and preventing racial and religious discrimination. Facebook now says it appreciates the information, and ‘looks forward to continuing the discussion’ with the Lawyers’ Committee.

In one of the biggest non-surprises every, almost 90% of the world’s internet users are being monitored. Mashable.com reports that the study was from Freedom House, which found that 40 out of 65 countries it studied ‘have instituted advanced social media surveillance programs.’ Also not surprising…China is ranked least free, and Russia and Egypt are also ranked as ‘not free.’ In total, almost 3 billion people are being watched by a government. The US is listed as ‘free’ of internet censorship, but was by no means off the hook. Other countries are sending people here to learn all the tricks of the trade. “47 of the 65 countries assessed featured arrests of users for political, social, or religious speech.” Have fun online!

Laser Hacks Siri, Alexa, & Google Assistant; Google Program Rewards App Downloads; iPhone 12 Feature Rumors; Apple May Be Partnering With Valve on AR Headset

It sounds like something out of James Bond, but researchers have figured out how to use lasers to inject commands into voice activated systems like Siri, Google Assistant, and Alexa. Arstechnica.com reports that the system…called Light Commands, can also work on Facebook Portal and a variety of phones. They shoot a low powered laser into the systems from as far away as 360 feet, and can make the device perform tasks on gadgets it controls or over the web. Examples given were: unlocking doors, locating, unlocking, and starting vehicles, visiting websites, and more. Since the voice systems often don’t require that a user authenticate themselves, the laser exploits a vulnerability in microphones that use micro-electro-mechanical systems. (MEMS). The microscopic components in the system unintentionally responds to light as if it were sound. Before you freak out completely, keep in mind that the laser needs direct line of sight to the device, and has to be aimed precisely at a very specific part of the microphone. Also, when activated, all the voice systems respond first, so if someone is around, they will hear the device reply and know something is up.

If you have given up entirely on the concept of privacy, and figure there isn’t much Google doesn’t already know, here’s something that might be for you…that is, if you spend significant time and money on apps and media from Google’s Play store. According to bgr.com, Google has launched a new rewards program in the US. The program has been live in Japan and South Korea, where Google says there are now ‘millions’ of users. It’s called Google Play Points. The program is free to join, and you earn Play Points on everything you buy (in-app items, movies, books, subscriptions, etc.), in addition to featured free apps and games. There are also weekly points events to boost the rate at which you can earn Play Points. The plan has 4 levels, with the usual labels: Bronze, Silver, Gold, and Platinum. You can use points for weekly prizes, or even donate them to a non-profit of your choice. Hit the Google Play Store and tap Play Points for details or to sign up.

As usual, rumors started about the iPhone 12 before the 11 was even out, and continue…building to a climax by next summer. Here’s one from a less solid source than we usually get: there will be a new TrueDepth cam system that is much smaller…and will fit in a small bezel at the top of the screen, eliminating the dreaded (by some) ‘notch.’ Bgr.com notes this comes from a graphic designer with an iffy track record, so don’t plan your pre-order yet. Another rumor is probably on solid ground…Apple may be bringing ‘Pro Motion’ over from its iPad Pros to the phones. This incorporates a 120Hz screen refresh rate instead of the 60Hz one on all Apple phones up to now. Apple watchers say this will bring an eye-popping experience to using the iPhone screens that will amaze and delight users. Stay tuned for this one!

On the topic of Apple, we have previously reported that Cupertino plans to launch their AR glasses in 2020. Now, DigiTimes says they may be partnering with Valve to develop AR head mounted display devices. Valve is the company behind the popular Steam digital storefront and delivery platform, and they introduced their first VR headset, Valve Index, last April. According to highly reliable Apple Watcher Ming-Chi Kuo, the Apple AR headsets could be going into production this quarter, with a launch planned for early 2020!

Microsoft New Android & iOS Office App; MS Tries 4 Day Workweek in Japan-40% Productivity Boost, Hacked Facebook Account Bankrolls Scams; Dropbox Launches File Transfer For All; Garmin Autoland Lands Small Planes in Pilot Emergency

Microsoft has rolled out a new Office app for iOS and Android. The app merges Word, Excel, and Powerpoint. Of course, all of those have been available on the mobile systems for years, but this makes them available as a single download. It’s not only convenient, it takes up significantly less space than the free standing apps. Theverge.com says if you want to test drive the combined app, a public preview is available today. Right now, it’s only available on phones, though….no tablet support yet.

A certain amount of common sense tells us that shorter workdays and a 4 day workweek can increase productivity. Now, Microsoft has proved this with regards to a 4 day work week with a test run in Japan. According to businessinsider.com, MS closed down every Friday in August, then compared to August of 2018. The result was a 40% boost in productivity and creativity! This all took place as part of Microsoft’s ‘Work Life Choice Challenge 2019 Summer.’ Its worth noting that full time employees were given paid leave during the Fridays off.

In a scary development, hackers have started hacking Facebook ad accounts and stealing credit card info to fund scam campaigns. Cnet.com reports that this happened to one man, and Facebook approved $10,000 a day to prove a 13 second video. Fortunately, since he hadn’t run any Facebook ads in a couple years, the credit card info wasn’t updated, and Facebook did shut down the campaign hours later. It wasn’t until THEN that he was notified! Now, if you are just a regular user with a page or account, don’t stress too much over this. The point is, Facebook didn’t stop the campaign for being pushed by hackers, but only when they found the credit card had expired, and they weren’t going to be paid! The ads encouraged you to click through to a site for a wagon that was ‘accidentally’ marked down to 13 cents. The scammers had a credit card skimmer embedded in the site, to steal users’ card info. DO be careful! Also…thanks for nothing, Facebook!

After a few months in beta, Dropbox has rolled out its file transfer service to all users. Venturebeat.com says Dropbox has positioned it as an easy way for users to share files with people when collaboration isn’t important. Uses mentioned include shooting a contract over to someone or delivering a video or audio piece. Although this has been available with expiration times and password protection through the shared-links feature, this one will be handy where the file may be changed and sent back and forth. There is a 100 MB limit, and they do expire after 7 days. The feature is available on all pricing tiers.

For years, commercial planes have been able to virtually land themselves using glidescope and other data. Now, Garmin swoops in out of Lenexa, Ks, and has launched Autoland, which brings actual automatic landing to small aircraft. According to techcrunch.com, they have partnered with Piper and Cirrus to make the feature an option on 202 Piper M600 turboprop planes and the Cirrus Vision Jet, pending FAA approval. If a pilot should pass out or become incapacitated, the push of a button will activate the system and land the plane…it also automatically alerts authorities. Right now the system is pricey, so don’t expect it to be retrofitted to any Cessna 150’s at your local airport…most of those don’t even have an autopilot. Like all tech, it will probably come down in price with time, and could one day be reasonable enough to be retrofitted into a lot of the general aviation fleet.