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After Math: Politics as usual
It's been a crazy week for US politics, what with the end of the contentious 2016 election just around the corner. The New York Times announced that it would lower its paywall for the 72 hours surrounding election day while human dumpster fire Peter Thiel tried to explain away his support for Donald Trump. Security experts are also investigating why one of Trump's servers keeps pinging a Russian bank as the FBI investigates one of its own Twitter accounts for violations of the Hatch Act. And no, you still can't vote by phone, dummy. Numbers, because how else are you going to rig an election?
Why the Internet fell apart today
If you were on the internet on Friday morning, congrats! You were one of a lucky few who maintained their connectivity in the face of a massive, nationwide DDoS attack against part of the Domain Name System (DNS), a crucial piece of digital infrastructure which, when offline, cripples our ability to access the internet. But despite its importance, the DNS is often overlooked -- much like the rest of the behind the scene mechanisms that make the internet work. So before you go resetting your router to see if that clears things up (hint: it won't), let's take a quick look at what the DNS does and how it managed to break so spectacularly earlier today.
Feds indict seven Iranians for hacking banks, NY state dam
Just days after accusing Syrian hackers of a wide range of crimes, US Attorney General Loretta Lynch unsealed an indictment against seven Iranian nationals on Wednesday, charging that the men launched dozens of denial of service attacks against targets beginning in 2011. These included the cybersystems of numerous US banks including JP Morgan, PNC and Capital One, as well as the NYSE and AT&T. They are even accused of trying to take control of a small dam in Rye, NY at one point.
China asks US tech companies to follow its security policies
You know how Russia recently took the contentious step of insisting that Google and Twitter keep Russian user data on servers within the country itself, presumably to facilitate government searches? China apparently tried to pull the same stunt earlier this year with a number of American tech companies, according to unnamed New York Times sources. The document reportedly sought to have companies pledge that they would not harm China's national security and that their products be "secure and controllable", another way of saying "give us mandatory backdoor access and the encryption keys". The NY Times article does not name the IT companies targeted, however it did state that the document came from the China Information Technology Security Evaluation Center likely with pressure coming down from the country's internet regulation agency.
Sony Pictures softened 'Concussion' to appease the NFL
Looks like it isn't just its own Players Association that the National Football League can push around with impunity. Internal Sony emails recently brought to light by the company's massive data breach indicate that Sony Pictures intentionally softened the point on it's upcoming film Concussion so as not to upset the league. The movie, which stars Will Smith as Dr. Bennet Omalu, the man who helped first diagnose CTE (or chronic traumatic encephalopathy). According to the emails, Sony executives discussed at length with Smith and Peter Landesman, the film's director, about altering the script and marketing for the film to avoid antagonizing the NFL. The movie's angle was reportedly changed from being a condemnation of the NFL's handling of the growing CTE crisis to focus more on Omalu's discovery and initial diagnosis.
NYT Now news app goes free, ending a subscription experiment
Say goodbye to the $8 a month curated news app NYT Now, and say hello to the free, ad-supported news app of the same name. More than a year after launching NYT Now, which was basically a way for the New York Times to test out an inexpensive subscription offering, the paper is changing course. The basic gist of the app is the same: It serves up a hand-picked selection of NYT stories, which are continuously refreshed throughout the day. The paper's editors are also highlighting even more stories from around the web, which makes NYT Now feel more like a social news app like Feedly or Flipboard. The revamped app is yet another sign that the NYT is trying to be nimble in a time where major newspapers are struggling to hold onto subscribers and stay relevant.
NYT reports that Apple declined Sony offer to host "The Interview" on iTunes
Photo Credit: Korean Central News Agency The New York Times reported yesterday that the Sony Pictures comedy film "The Interview" would be released in a limited run at theaters throughout the country. Locked away in a single paragraph of a much-too-lengthy article about the movie, the controversy surrounding it, and the release was a statement that "Sony had in recent days asked the White House for help in lining up a single technology partner -- Apple, which operates iTunes -- but the tech company was not interested, at least on a speedy time table." The Times followed that statement with the standard "An Apple spokesman declined to comment" disclaimer. In case you've been stuck in a cave somewhere recently, or if you live in North Korea and haven't had access to the Internet, the Seth Rogen/James Franco film was allegedly the impetus behind the huge Sony hack that exposed almost all of the company's records to the public. The small Communist nation led by "Respected Comrade" Kim Jong-un -- that handsome fellow in the black suit in the photo above -- was also threatening to rain down terror and destruction on the rest of the Earth if the movie was put into general release. Whether or not the North Korean military was behind the Sony Hack, or the entire thing is just an elaborate public relations ruse designed to gain publicity for a movie that audiences love but critics hate, it's very possible that "The Interview" will appear on iTunes someday. Just don't expect the film to be appearing on your Apple TV for your New Year's Eve viewing pleasure.
Jony Ive talks new materials and Tim Cook's involvement in the creative process
As an addendum to its recent profile of Apple CEO Tim Cook, the New York Times on Monday published the full transcript from its interview with Apple designer Jony Ive. The full interview contains a number of interesting tidbits, with Ive taking time to address issues as varied as the industrial design team he leads and Tim Cook's involvement in the creative process. Responding to a question about what it's like working with Cook, Ive explains: We meet on average three times a week. Sometimes those meetings are over in his space, sometimes here in the design studio. We all see the same physical object. Something happens between what we objectively see and what we perceive it to be. That's the definition of a designer – trying to somehow articulate what contributes to the way we see the object. Ive also added that Tim Cook has long been a part of Apple's design culture of excellence that Steve Jobs helped establish. Steve established a set of values, and he established preoccupations and tones that are completely enduring – and he established those principles with a small team of people. I've been ridiculously lucky to be part of it. But Tim was very much part of that team – for that last 15 or 20 years. Concluding, Ive didn't divulge what he and the creative folks at Apple are currently working on, though he did note -- in classically vague Apple fashion -- that the work involves materials new to Apple. I've worked for the last 15 or 20 years on the most challenging, creative parts of what we do. I would love to talk about future stuff – they're materials we haven't worked in before. I've been working on this stuff for a few years now. Tim is fundamentally involved in pushing into these new areas and into these materials. Intriguing, especially in light of Eddy Cue's recent statement that Apple's 2014 product pipeline is the best he's seen in 25 years. Materials-wise, it remains to be seen what type of tricks Apple has up its sleeve, though it is worth noting that the company last year partnered up with GT Advanced Technologies to manufacture a lot of sapphire. Further, Apple last month renewed its exclusive right to use metal alloys from Liquidmetal Technologies.
Weekends with Engadget: the future of Oculus Rift, new HTC One review and more!
Welcome to Weekends with Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines from the past seven days -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. For even more news, subscribe to our Flipboard magazine!
NYT Now is a mobile news platform with a dedicated staff curating stories
SXSW is a veritable playground for journalists, with panels catering to media professionals and -- most importantly -- no shortage of free food. We're not surprised, then, that The New York Times chose Austin as the venue for an announcement this week. Perhaps "tease" is more apt than announcement, though, since we aren't allowed to capture any pictures of the upcoming NYT Now app at this time (the bar menu above was the only documentation we're permitted to publish).
'High-end' Battlefield coming to mobile, Gibeau says
EA Labels president Frank Gibeau has discussed an upcoming "high-end and high performance" Battlefield game designed for mobile devices. In an interview with the New York Times, Gibeau was asked if Battlefield could potentially be enjoyed on the smaller screen of a mobile device. Gibeau noted that the game's Commander Mode lends itself very well to a tablet screen, then said, "We are working on a mobile game of Battlefield that will be high-end and high-performance." "It's our bet that we can successfully pull that off. But we're embarking on something no one has ever done before - to get these games to inter-operate between platforms. Will it work? It already has in some cases. Will it work for all franchises? Not all franchises will make the transition." "Battlefield might be a little harder," Gibeau added. News of a high-end, mobile Battlefield game is novel but not entirely surprising. In May we reported on EA's Frostbite Go engine, which would allow for console-esque graphical fidelity on comparatively underpowered mobile devices. Frostbite Go is a slimmed-down adaptation of the same Frostbite engine which currently powers the Battlefield franchise.
Former NYT digital head joins EA's board as Gregory Maffei leaves
Following last week's "restructuring," Electronic Arts has announced a new addition to its board of directors. Denise F. Warren has been appointed to both the board and EA's Audit Committee. Warren is the Vice President of the Digital Products and Services group at the New York Times, where she previously oversaw operations on NYTimes.com and the Times' other digital properties. Warren will be stepping in as director Gregory Maffei steps out, passing on re-election at the stockholders meeting to be held on July 31. Maffei is the president and CEO of Liberty Media, the distributor that owns cable channels Discovery Channel, USA, Starz and more. Maffei has been on the EA board for 10 years, but is resigning to work with his own company.
NYT wins Pulitzer for Apple 'iEconomy' investigations
The winners of the 2013 Pulitzer Prizes were announced Monday, with the New York Times winning this year's prize for explanatory reporting. The award was for the paper's "iEconomy" series investigating the way business has adapted to the changing global economy, largely focusing on Apple. The reporting lead to changes in the Chinese factories where Apple products are made. Criticism was leveled at the reports for focusing too much on Apple, without addressing the other tech companies who also use cheap Chinese labor for production. The Pulitzer Prize is a annual series of awards given to recognize excellence in journalism and the arts.
ABC has live-streaming mobile app in the works
The New York Times is reporting that ABC is working on an app to stream live ABC programming to the iPhones and iPads of cable and satellite TV subscribers. ABC, which is a subsidiary of Disney, would become the first American broadcaster to provide a live internet stream of both national and local programming. By providing the stream only to those who already pay for cable or satellite TV, the Times notes that ABC "preserves the cable business model that is crucial to the bottom lines of broadcasters, while giving subscribers more of what they seem to want -- mobile access to TV shows." This isn't the first time that ABC has taken a giant step away from the home TV -- the network was the first to sell TV episodes through iTunes and pioneered streaming free episodes of shows on its website. Parent company Disney has live-streaming and on-demand apps for ESPN and the Disney Channel, but there are some legal barriers to overcome for the ABC app. Many of the contracts signed between ABC and production companies were put into place before mobile video streaming became possible, and local ABC stations might feel threatened by an app. There's no word on exactly when the app will arrive in the App Store, but the Times believes that it may become available to some cable and satellite subscribers later in 2013.
The Weekly Roundup for 02.11.2013
You might say the week is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workweek, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Weekly Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 7 days -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
New York Times says Apple is developing a curved glass smart watch
In today's Bits column, New York Times writer Nick Bilton says Apple is developing a curved screen watch. Apple has declined to comment on any of this, as usual, but an Apple-branded smart watch been long rumored. There has been a good deal of interest in a smartphone-connected watch. There was lots of excitement around Kickstarter-backed Pebble watch, and I personally tried the iPhone-connected Citizen watch with decidedly mixed and mostly negative results. There's no denying how nice it would be to get mail and messages without having to dig my iPhone out of a pocket, and integration with Siri and other services would be a winner. To add a little juice to the rumor, Corning Glass, which makes the Gorilla Glass used in the iPhone, is about ready to launch bendable glass called "Willow Glass" which might be just the ticket for Apple to introduce on a smart watch. Former Apple UI designer Bruce Tognazzini recently wrote a lengthy treatise about an Apple iWatch, discussing not only the drawbacks and features of existing smart watches, but what the "killer apps" for a wrist-based Apple device might be. The watch industry has been in the doldrums for many years, with a lot of younger users simply not buying watches and getting the time of day from their cellphones. If anyone has a chance at helping the watch make a comeback, Apple is a good candidate. Like all rumors, take this with a few grains of salt, but it makes sense for Apple to pursue this.
NY Times: App gold rush leaves many struggling developers
The New York Times appears to have finally caught on to the big secret that many independent developers have known for a while -- the days of grabbing a pot of gold by writing an iOS app are over. In a Saturday post, the Times regaled readers with the stories of two app developers who have seen very different results on the App Store. The success story noted in the Times article is that of Ethan Nicholas, who released the iShoot artillery game (icon at right) back in the early days of the App Store. Nicholas was able to get his app into the store in 2009, and made over US$1 million -- in fact, he sold over 17,000 copies of the $2.99 app on January 11, 2009 and quit his day job the next day. Nicholas is now part of a healthcare app startup and attributes his early success to "sheer dumb luck and being in the right place at the right time." At the other end of the spectrum is the sad story of couple Shawn and Stephanie Grimes, who formed Campfire Apps to develop educational apps for kids. The couple started Campfire Apps after Shawn lost his job as a computer security specialist at Baltimore financial firm Legg Mason. Stephanie quit her job as a teacher, and the couple estimates that they've made a paltry $4,964 from the eight apps they sell. The moral of the Times story? Don't expect to become a millionaire independent developer overnight, as those heady early days of the app gold rush are over. But we already knew that, didn't we?
Google puts Hurricane Sandy on its crisis map, hopes to help you weather the storm
Just because Google abandoned its October Android event doesn't mean it's left its users out to dry -- Hurricane Sandy now has its very own Google Crisis Map. It isn't the first time Mountain View has lent its mapping tech to folks in harm's way -- survivors of Hurricane Issac used a similar Crisis Map to track the storm, follow public alerts and find shelters. Sandy's map is no different, providing locals with information on the storm's path, forecast information, evacuation routes, areas of high wind probability and even links to webcams surrounding affected areas. Google isn't the only firm lending a hand, either -- both the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal are lifting site paywalls during the storm, ensuring the public has access to developing news as long as their internet connection doesn't give out.
New York Times releases Windows 8 app for all the news that's fit to tile
The newspaper of record announced today that it will be arriving on Windows 8 tomorrow, offering up full articles, videos, photos and blogs to subscribers. Non-subscribers, on the other hand, will just get access to the Top News section. Also new in the world of New York Times / Microsoft teamups is the arrival of a NYT channel in the Bing News app. More info on both after the break.
How Apple's mobile devices are re-defining medicine
The New York Times examines how Apple's iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad are changing the way the health industry works. Of course, a light, powerful, and simple touchscreen computer can be handy almost anywhere, but that's especially true in the field of medicine. Much of the work involves reference materials and careful measurements, and Apple's little devices are quickly becoming many doctors' first step in helping patients. From huge reference books slimmed down into easy-to-access apps and websites, to special accessories designed to measure specific patient conditions. In fact, the Times notes, some professors of medicine are cautioning their students to remember that they have more tools at their disposal than just that iPhone in their pocket. Examining and dealing directly with the patient is always a priority, obviously, and some doctors in the piece say certain tasks just call for a good old fashioned pen and paper. But Apple's iOS devices are certainly great tools to be used in the medical field, as we've seen before. Apps and accessories both, in conjunction with Apple's great computers, are just adding more and more weapons to doctors' growing arsenal of tools to do their jobs.
