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DOJ lays down some privacy rules for feds flying drones
The Justice Department promises to keep a closer eye on how its agencies are using drones from now on -- after all, they can be useful in nabbing suspects, but they can also be used as a tool to abuse power. In its new five-page policy guidance, the department has listed when its agencies can and can't use drones, with a focus on people's right to privacy. For instance, they can't be deployed to monitor activities protected by the First Amendment, such as peaceful protests. Authorities will also have to secure warrants to use the machines in places where the subject of investigation has "reasonable expectation of privacy." Obviously, the drones can only be used for authorized investigations and never for engaging in discriminatory acts.
Federal law enforcement is wasting a lot of money on drones
The US' national law enforcement has been using drones to help nab crooks for almost nine years, but it's still making plenty of rookie mistakes. The Department of Justice's Inspector General has published an audit that shows its agencies not only making poor uses of drones, but wasting a ton of money in the process. Units in the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives spent $600,000 on drones that didn't live up to their promised abilities or couldn't even fly in the first place; in one case, a unit blew $15,000 without telling headquarters. Meanwhile, only half of the FBI's 34 drones (which cost a total of $3 million) worked as of 2014, and the agency has just two pilots that have to fly across the country to deploy their unmanned machines. It's no wonder that investigators have used drones a mere 13 times since 2006, then -- it's rarely practical to even consider the idea.
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives moving from BlackBerrys to iPhones
Yet another U.S. federal agency has announced that it is abandoning RIM's ... wait for it ... beleaguered BlackBerry platform for iPhones and other devices. This news comes from Politico.com, which notes that up to 3,800 BlackBerrys will be swapped out within the next year at the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The transition for the feds will start soon, with March being the date set for replacing the 2,400 BlackBerrys now carried by special agents in the field with iPhones. ATF, as the agency is still known, has been beefing up its mobile device infrastructure in preparation for the swap. The remaining 1,400 BlackBerrys will be phased out with a mixture of other devices. ATF is also finishing a pilot project at the Bureau that involved almost 200 iPads, although there is no definitive word on exactly how many of Apple's tablets will be purchased. Rick Holgate, the CIO for the Bureau, was quoted as saying the agency was switching to iPhones for "Video streaming, GPS capability, capabilities, the camera ... a variety of things. Yes, these things exist on BlackBerrys, but in terms of ease of use and adaptability of the devices, the iPhones are the more functional and compelling use case." [via MacDailyNews]
MartinLogan's Encore TF speaker -- below $500, face punch not included
Whether you're a "wall person" who can't spoil your HT room's feng shui with a equipment rack or not, MartinLogan's Encore TF speaker can fit into your HT speaker setup at a price point we didn't expect the company to hit. Put it on a wall or use the included table stand, hang it horizontally or vertically -- for $499 you get a Advanced Thin Film (ATF) mid/tweet backed by a pair of 4-inch woofers. Purists will cry that the ATF mid/tweet is a departure from MartinLogan's electrostatic calling card, but MartinLogan promises that the transducer is a good match for its panels -- it's still a push-pull design that moves the entire driver surface evenly -- and we figure consumers will appreciate the lower prices and smaller cabinets afforded by the design. Press release and more pics after the break.
