Saturday, May 23, 2020

Run The World, which helps clients organize and host virtual conferences and events, raises $10.8M Series A led by Andreessen Horowitz and Founders Fund (Paul Sawers/VentureBeat)

Paul Sawers / VentureBeat:
Run The World, which helps clients organize and host virtual conferences and events, raises $10.8M Series A led by Andreessen Horowitz and Founders Fund  —  Some businesses have boomed, and others have gone bust due to the COVID-19 crisis — without question, live events is one sector that has been hit hardest.



Hackers release a new jailbreak that unlocks every iPhone

A renowned iPhone hacking team has released a new “jailbreak” tool that unlocks every iPhone, even the most recent models running the latest iOS 13.5.

For as long as Apple has kept up its “walled garden” approach to iPhones by only allowing apps and customizations that it approves, hackers have tried to break free from what they call the “jail,” hence the name “jailbreak.” Hackers do this by finding a previously undisclosed vulnerability in iOS that break through some of the many restrictions that Apple puts in place to prevent access to the underlying software. Apple says it does this for security. But jailbreakers say breaking through those restrictions allows them to customize their iPhones more than they would otherwise, in a way that most Android users are already accustomed to.

The jailbreak, released by the unc0ver team, supports all iPhones that run iOS 11 and above, including up to iOS 13.5, which Apple released this week.

Details of the vulnerability that the hackers used to build the jailbreak aren’t known, but it’s not expected to last forever. Just as jailbreakers work to find a way in, Apple works fast to patch the flaws and close the jailbreak.

Security experts typically advise iPhone users against jailbreaking, because breaking out of the “walled garden” vastly increases the surface area for new vulnerabilities to exist and to be found.

The jailbreak comes at a time where the shine is wearing off of Apple’s typically strong security image. Last week, Zerodium, a broker for exploits, said it would no longer buy certain iPhone vulnerabilities because there were too many of them. Motherboard reported this week that hackers got their hands on a pre-release version of the upcoming iOS 14 release several months ago.

JioMart rolls out its online grocery delivery service, including directly sourced farm produce, in dozens of cities in India, after a month of testing in Mumbai (Manish Singh/TechCrunch)

Manish Singh / TechCrunch:
JioMart rolls out its online grocery delivery service, including directly sourced farm produce, in dozens of cities in India, after a month of testing in Mumbai  —  The rationale behind the deluge of dollars flooding into billionaire Mukesh Ambani's Reliance Jio Platforms is beginning to become …



Amazon to create 50,000 temporary jobs in India, Microsoft launches Surface Hub 2S and other top tech news of the week

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First Commercial Space Taxi a Pit Stop on Musk's Mars Quest

But it all comes back to Musk's dream. Former NASA chief O'Keefe says Musk has his eccentricities, huge doses of self-confidence and persistence, and that last part is key: "You have the... https://ift.tt/2LWc03U

Betaal Season 2? 'Not Up to Me,' Says Creator Patrick Graham

Wondering about Betaal season 2? Creator Patrick Graham Betaal says Betaal was "intended as a single, encapsulated" series. At the same time, he's "open-minded" about a season 2, as it... https://ift.tt/2XncmWB

Friday, May 22, 2020

London-based Blink, an app that helps companies and orgs connect with their frontline workers, raises £8.2M Series A led by Partech as it launches publicly (Annie Musgrove/Tech.eu)

Annie Musgrove / Tech.eu:
London-based Blink, an app that helps companies and orgs connect with their frontline workers, raises £8.2M Series A led by Partech as it launches publicly  —  Blink, a London-based app that connects frontline employees, has announced £8.2 million in funding from Partech Partners and a group of angel investors.



PresenceLearning, which helps school districts provide speech and mental health therapy to students online, raises $27M Series D, bringing total raised to $70M+ (Tony Wan/EdSurge)

Tony Wan / EdSurge:
PresenceLearning, which helps school districts provide speech and mental health therapy to students online, raises $27M Series D, bringing total raised to $70M+  —  Speech and other special-education professionals were already in short supply even when classes were in session.



AI has played a useful but fragmented role in the global fight against COVID-19, from predicting outbreaks to aiding diagnosis and drug discovery efforts (Kai-Fu Lee/Wired)

Kai-Fu Lee / Wired:
AI has played a useful but fragmented role in the global fight against COVID-19, from predicting outbreaks to aiding diagnosis and drug discovery efforts  —  Disease diagnosis, drug discovery, robot delivery—artificial intelligence is already powering change in the pandemic's wake.



83% online users think up their own, weak passwords

Highlighting the need for storing passwords, cybersecurity researchers have found that that 83% of online users are thinking up their own, weak passwords, while 54% say they are unaware about how to check if any of their credentials have already been leaked. https://ift.tt/2Txh0Ab

Canada to ramp up COVID-19 testing and tracing, recommend digital app

Canada will ramp up COVID-19 testing and contact tracing as it gradually lifts restrictions and is working closely with Apple Inc and Alphabet Inc's Google on a mobile phone app to help, the prime minister said. https://ift.tt/3e8Oih5

Cyclone Amphan: Telecom networks operating at 65-70 pc capacity in affected districts, says COAI

Telecom networks continued to operate at 65-70 per cent capacity on the third day after super cyclone Amphan wreaked havoc in coastal districts of West Bengal, the Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) said on Friday. https://ift.tt/2yqbhVx

Brazil telecom watchdog sees COVID-19 boosting broadband usage, admits delay in 5G auction

Brazil's broadband service usage has grew by between 40% and 50% amid the coronavirus pandemic, the president of telecoms watchdog Anatel said on Friday, admitting for the first time that social distancing measures to curb the outbreak may ultimately delay the 5G auction schedule. https://ift.tt/2yqBlzU

DoT selects MSTC for conducting spectrum auction

The Department of Telecom on Friday selected public sector firm MSTC Ltd as auctioneer for conducting the next round of spectrum sale. https://ift.tt/2zeackj

BMC to use app cabs’ technology to cut waiting time for ambulances

In order to reduce waiting time of patients for ambulances, the BMC has decided to make use of the technology platform of app cabs so that it can track the movement of government ambulances real-time https://ift.tt/2AOxeyo https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

A look at what's next for Netflix and Comcast's Peacock after the WBD-Paramount deal; Nielsen says Netflix had six of the top 10 original streaming shows in Q1 (Lucas Shaw/Bloomberg)

Lucas Shaw / Bloomberg : A look at what's next for Netflix and Comcast's Peacock after the WBD-Paramount deal; Nielsen says Netfl...