Andrew Brust / ZDNet:
Microsoft says Azure SQL is launching soon and SQL Server 2019 preview is coming later this month, as it ends support for SQL Server 2008 and SQL Server 2008 R2 — Microsoft's database releases from 2008 and 2010 reach end of extended support. In response, Redmond says, that for many customers …
Tech Nuggets with Technology: This Blog provides you the content regarding the latest technology which includes gadjets,softwares,laptops,mobiles etc
Monday, July 8, 2019
Microsoft says Azure SQL is launching soon and SQL Server 2019 preview is coming later this month, as it ends support for SQL Server 2008 and SQL Server 2008 R2 (Andrew Brust/ZDNet)
LinkedIn appoints India country manager for the second time in 6 months
Researcher finds unsecured ElasticSearch server owned by a Chinese public security department that leaked databases with 90M+ records of people and businesses (Sergiu Gatlan/BleepingComputer)
Sergiu Gatlan / BleepingComputer:
Researcher finds unsecured ElasticSearch server owned by a Chinese public security department that leaked databases with 90M+ records of people and businesses — A publicly accessible and unsecured ElasticSearch server owned by the Jiangsu Provincial Public Security Department …
Researcher discloses zero-day exploit in Zoom's Mac client that lets any malicious site force a user into a Zoom call with video enabled without user permission (Jonathan Leitschuh/Medium)
Jonathan Leitschuh / Medium:
Researcher discloses zero-day exploit in Zoom's Mac client that lets any malicious site force a user into a Zoom call with video enabled without user permission — A vulnerability in the Mac Zoom Client allows any malicious website to enable your camera without your permission.
Volkswagen and Autodesk turned a vintage Microbus into a tech design showcase
Volkswagen and Autodesk teamed up to celebrate the 20th anniversary of one of the automaker’s biggest R&D facilities with an iconic vintage VW Microbus that looks retro on the outside but packs a ton of tech on the inside, including an electric powertrain and significant weight savings afforded through use of ‘generative design.’
That’s the design practice in which designers use software to autonomously create (or ‘generate,’ get it?) designs based on input of their desired performance requirements, the materials they have available, or what they’re using in terms of manufacturing.
In this case, one of the key requirements for this retrofit was saving space and weight to make the Microbus more energy efficient. That’s what led to things like the almost organic-looking wheel design, which offer 18 percent weight savings vs. standard wheels. Similarly, the steering wheel, rear-view side mirror mounts and back bench supports sport similar, root-structure like looks that it was grown more than manufactured.
[gallery ids="1853239,1853238,1853237,1853236"]
In addition to light weight, strength and ease of construction, designers on the project say they hope that these results of generative design generally invite touch more often from users of the vehicle, which is not typically a result of utilitarian support structure design for your average car.
Engineers and designers from both Autodesk (which has also done generative design collaborations with GM and NASA JPL previously) and Volkswagen’s Innovation and Engineering Center California worked together on this project, but it’s just a show car so don’t expect to be able to buy any tree vans anytime soon.
Two years on, WannaCry still lurks in thousands of networks globally, despite patches; researcher: WannaCry's kill switch stopped ~60M detonations in June alone (Zack Whittaker/TechCrunch)
Zack Whittaker / TechCrunch:
Two years on, WannaCry still lurks in thousands of networks globally, despite patches; researcher: WannaCry's kill switch stopped ~60M detonations in June alone — Two British researchers saved the internet from a global cyberattack in 2017. Amid mounting pressure and little sleep …
HQ Trivia has paid out $6M, but winners complain of delays
HQ Trivia’s troubles continue after a failed mutiny to oust the CEO, a 92% decline in downloads since versus a year ago, and layoffs of 20% of its staff last week. Users continue to complain about delays for payouts of their prizes from the live mobile trivia game, and about being booted from the game for no reason while on the final question.
Notably, Jeopardy winner Alex Jacob claims he hasn’t been paid the $20,000 he won on HQ Trivia on June 10th. This could shake players faith in HQ and erode their incentive to compete.
Guys, I need your help. I won $20,000 on @hqtrivia on June 10 and still haven’t heard anything about payment. Sadly, I don’t think they’re going to pay.
Please RT to tell HQ they should honor their jackpots. If I’m wrong, I’ll happily delete this & give $100 to someone who RT’d! pic.twitter.com/FmpY6unK49
— Alex Jacob (@whoisalexjacob) July 8, 2019
An HQ Trivia representative tells TechCrunch that the game has paid out $6.25 million to date and that 99% of players have been eligible to cash out within 48 hours of winning, but some winners may have to wait up to 90 days for it to ensure they didn’t break the rules to win. Given Jacob’s large jackpot, it’s possible the delay could be due to the company investigating to ensure he won fairly, though he’s clearly skilled at trivia given he won Jeopardy’s Tournament Of Champions in 2015. Jacob did not respond to requests for interview.
“We strive to make a game that is fair and fun for all players. As such, we have a rigorous process of reviewing winners for eligibility to receive cash prizes. Infrequently, we disqualify players for violating HQ‘s Terms of Service and Contest Rules” HQ Trivia’s press alias anonymously reponded to our request for comment. “It may take some eligible winners up to 90 days to receive cash prizes, however 99% of players have been able to cash out within 48 hours of winning a game and we have paid out a total of $6,252,634.58 USD to winners since launch.”
It seems that HQ’s internal problems are now metastasizing into public issues. Its team being short-staffed and distracted by weak morale could lengthen payout delays, which make players worry if they’ll ever get their cash. When they share those sentiments to social media, it could discourage others from playing. That, combined with concerns that bots and cheaters are winning the games, splitting the jackpots into tiny fractions so legitimate winners get less, has hurt the perception of HQ as a game where the smartest can win big.
Back in April, TechCrunch reported that 20 of HQ’s 35 staffers were preparing a petition to the board to remove CEO and co-founder Rus Yusupov for mismanagement. Yusupov caught wind of the plot and fired two of the leaders of the movement. However, HQ’s board decided it would bring in a new CEO. Board member and Tinder CEO Elie Seidman told TechCrunch that Yusupov had accepted he would be replaced by someone with the ability fire him and that a CEO search was ongoing. The startup’s lead investor Lightspeed has pledged to provide 18 months of funding once a new CEO was hired.
However, multiple sources tell TechCrunch that a new CEO has yet to be installed. One source tells me that management had promised a new CEO by the beginning of August, but that Yusupov had stalled the process seemingly to remain in power. HQ Trivia, Yusupov, and Seidman did not respond for requests for comment regarding the CEO search.
When asked about morale at the company, a source familiar with HQ’s internal situation told me “It’s terrible.” Yusupov is said to continue to be tough to work with, making decisions without full buy-in from the rest of the company. A substantial portion of the team was allegedly unaware of plans to launch a $9.99 subscription tier for HQ’s second game HQ Words until the company tweeted out the announcement.
Hopefully HQ Trivia can find a new captain to steer this ship back into smoother waters. The game has hundreds of thousands of players and many more with fond memories of competing. There’s still hope if it can evolve the product to give new users a taste of gameplay without waiting for the next scheduled match, find new revenue in expanded brand partnerships, fight off the bots and cheaters, and get everyone paid promptly. Perhaps there’s room for television tie-ins to bring HQ to a wider audience.
But before the startup can keep quizzing the world, HQ Trivia must endure its internal tests of resolve and find a champ to lead it.
MLB Ballpark app adds Apple Business Chat-powered concierge experience for All-Star game
Just in time for tonight’s Home Run Derby, Major League Baseball is rolling out a new feature on its Ballpark app that utilizes Apple’s Business Chat feature for a customized in-person experience. MLB says it’s the first league to roll out the feature, letting users ask location-specific questions — though Apple Business Chat has been used for things like drink orders in the past.
Clicking into the Indians section will bring you Progressive Field, the center of this week’s festivities, where you can access the new All-Star Concierge feature. Developed alongside New York-based AI startup Satisfi Labs, the feature is designed to answer simple questions.
From there, it will either answer straight away or open the appropriate app, like Maps and Calendar. In the case of this week’s events, that could mean something as simple as the start time for the derby or something more specific like where to pick up a shuttle to a specific hotel.
The feature is being rolled out to start with tonight’s Home Run Derby and tomorrow’s All-Star game, but it should start arriving in more parks after the All-Star break as different stadiums begin to implement it. MLB has been experimenting with a number of different features to enhance the ballpark experience via smartphone, including, notably, the addition of an AR stat feature.
Podimo, which says it is building Europe's "Netflix for podcasts," raises €6M in seed funding, ahead of a planned launch in Germany and Denmark later this year (Steve O'Hear/TechCrunch)
Steve O'Hear / TechCrunch:
Podimo, which says it is building Europe's “Netflix for podcasts,” raises €6M in seed funding, ahead of a planned launch in Germany and Denmark later this year — Podimo, a Copenhagen-based startup building what it hopes will become Europe's “Netflix for podcasts,” …
Google Pixel 4 Could Sport a Rear Telephoto Lens, Front IR Camera: Reports
Facebook, Twitter Not Invited for Trump's Social Media Summit: Report
Vodafone Rs. 139 Prepaid Recharge Revised, Data Benefit Reduced to 3GB
Sunday, July 7, 2019
Samsung Galaxy Note 10 could include IR-blaster and drop headphone jack
While Samsung is gearing up for the launch of its next flagship device, leaks are coming in thick and fast. Just last week, the South Korean giant sent out invites for the Galaxy Unpacked event on August 7. Now, new leaks claim that the upcoming Galaxy Note 10 devices could come with an IR blaster, and drop the 3.5mm headphone jack. The audio jack is a feature that many users have come to expect of Galaxy phones. However, we might not get the 3.5mm jack in the Galaxy Note 10 devices this time around.
In the second half of the year, there will be no better screen than Note10. pic.twitter.com/4F28KpGull
— Ice universe (@UniverseIce) 7 July 2019
As per a new leak by tipster Ice Universe, Galaxy Note 10 case renders have been spotted showing the absence of the headphone jack. Nonetheless, the renders appear to show a small cut-out at the top of the cases, which could indicate the presence of an IR-blaster. Moreover, the tipster has also revealed the screen protector of the Note 10 that shows a circular cut-out at the top center for housing the punch-hole camera, something which has been reported for a while now.
Besides this, from what we know thus far, Samsung could launch the Galaxy Note 10 in two display sizes: 6.4-inch and 6.8-inch, the latter could be called the Galaxy Note 10+. The phones could come with up to 12GB RAM and 1TB of internal storage. The phones could also feature a new camera setup on the rear.
On the optics front, the Galaxy Note 10 is rumoured to come with a primary wide-angle lens with a triple aperture setup, f/1.5, f/1.8, and f/2.4, a telephoto lens, and an ultra-wide lens. Additionally, the Note 10+ is expected to add a fourth Time-of-Flight sensor for added depth information and various AR applications.
Moreover, Samsung could also launch the Galaxy Watch Active 2 along with the Note 10 devices on August 7.
https://ift.tt/2S0qF0lApple allows Face ID and Touch ID login authentication for iCloud on iOS 13 beta, iPadOS beta, macOS Catalina beta
In a bid to make signing into its iCloud service, Apple is reportedly testing a new method. As per a report by 9to5Mac, devices running on iOS 13, iPadOS, and macOS Catalina beta can now use biometrics like Face ID and Touch ID to sign into beta.icloud.com. This option is said to be available when the iCloud website is visited using Safari on the devices running the above-mentioned beta operating systems. It apparently shows up as a pop-up and on devices supporting Face ID, the authentication option can be used. On the other hand, Macbook Pro and other eligible Touch ID capable devices can use the Touch ID feature for signing into iCloud.
As per the report, the new sign-in process doesn’t require two-factor authentication confirmation. Additionally, when devices running on iOS 13, iPadOS, and macOS Catalina beta visit iCloud.com, they will be automatically redirected to beta.icloud.com. The new form of authentication could be seen as Apple’s effort towards testing its 'Sign-in with Apple' option that was announced back at WWDC 2019. The new option is similar to login methods provided by Facebook and Google, which can be found on most apps. ‘Sign in with Apple’ is touted to be a faster and more secure way to sign into an app or service “without all the tracking”. Developers will be able to integrate the option with their app and users will get to tap it and authenticate with Face ID. This will enable logging in “without revealing any personal information”.
Apple also previously announced a new feature that would enable users to hide their email ID when signing into apps that require additional info. For example, for apps that need a user’s name and/or email address, users will be able to create and assign a random email address that will be handled by Apple. This email ID will forward all emails from that app to the user and one can choose to stop receiving emails at any time, which is a good way to rid your inbox from unwanted emails.
https://ift.tt/2L7zzZ4Redmi K20, K20 Pro sale set to happen on Flipkart
Last week, Xiaomi announced that it would launch the Redmi K20 Pro and the Redmi K20 on July 17 in India, and now it is revealed that the phone will retail on Flipkart. The e-commerce website has made live a dedicated microsite for the Redmi K20 Series of phones. While the Redmi K20 Pro is a flagship device with Snapdragon 855 processor powering the device, the Redmi K20 features the Snapdragon 730 mobile platform. The phones have already been launched in the Chinese and European markets, in May and June respectively.
Redmi has been teasing the K20 Pro variant in India since a few weeks. In the meantime, it has been taking potshots at its direct rivel OnePlus and the recently-launched OnePlus 7 Pro and the One Plus 7 smartphones. The company had also recently launched the Mi Explorer 2019 programme to let a few chosen Mi fans use the Redmi K20 series of phones before before they come to market. Redmi India has been teasing the Redmi K20 Pro as the fastest phone in the market with the highest AnTuTu score of 388,803.
Redmi K20 Pro and K20 specifications:As mentioned, the Redmi K20 Pro has the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 chipset at the heart of the device. There is no information about the different RAM and storage variants of the phone, but in China, the phone was launched with upto 8GB RAM and 256GB storage. The Redmi K20 Pro sports a 6.39-inch Super AMOLED display that offers Full HD+ resolution (1080 x 2340 pixels). It is protected by Gorilla Glass 6 and offers 91.6 percent screen-to-body-ratio and a 19.5:9 aspect ratio. The Redmi K20 Pro ships with Game Turbo 2.0 to deliver an enhanced gaming experience.
In the camera department, the Redmi K20 Pro has a vertically stacked triple camera setup. The primary shooter is a 48MP Sony IMX586 sensor which is supported by a lens with an aperture of f/1.75. Along with it, there is a 13MP secondary sensor with a wide-angle lens and f/2.4 aperture, a field-of-view of 124.89 degrees. The third is an 8MP sensor with a lens sporting an aperture of f/2.4. On the front is a 20MP sensor.
When it comes to the K20, its is basically a toned down version of the flagship K20 Pro. It is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 730 chipset. The handset sports the same 6.39-inch AMOLED display as on the Pro variant. The camera setup is also the same on the K20 device, however, the 48MP sensor is the IMX582. The phone houses a 4000mAh battery that comes with an 18W fast charge.
https://ift.tt/2S2gus1Taiwan's National Security Bureau says daily average cyberattacks on government departments doubled in 2024 vs. 2023 to 2.4M, mostly from Chinese cyber forces (Yimou Lee/Reuters)
Yimou Lee / Reuters : Taiwan's National Security Bureau says daily average cyberattacks on government departments doubled in 2024 vs....
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Jake Offenhartz / Gothamist : Since October, the NYPD has deployed a quadruped robot called Spot to a handful of crime scenes and hostage...
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Lorena O'Neil / Rolling Stone : A look at the years of warnings about AI from researchers, including several women of color, who say ...