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Apple patches three zero-day exploits after activist is hacked
Apple has rolled out a patch for three previously unknown zero-day exploits that were used to target the iPhone 6 of Ahmed Mansoor, an award-winning human rights activist based in the United Arab Emirates. Security company Lookout and internet watchdog group Citizen Lab investigated the attack on Mansoor's iPhone and found it to be the product of NSO Group, a "cyber war" organization based in Israel that's responsible for distributing a powerful, government-exclusive spyware product called Pegasus.
NASA and the UAE team up on space exploration
NASA wants whatever help it can get for its journey to Mars, and it's willing to forge some unusual partnerships to make that happen. Case in point: the agency has reached an agreement with the United Arab Emirates that will have them cooperating on space exploration. The deal lets them share everything from data and research facilities to aircraft and spacecraft. Mars exploration is the initial focus of their cooperation, but they'll look at other areas where they can work together.
World's first 3D-printed office opens in Dubai
The world's first 3D-printed office building opened this week in Dubai, Reuters reports. The 2,700-square-foot, single-story building was built in just 17 days using a gigantic, 20-foot tall 3D printer and a special mix of concrete, fiber reinforced plastic and glass fiber reinforced gypsum.
The UAE wants an artificial mountain to increase rainfall
Desert countries are frequently victims of their elevation. They tend to be mostly flat, making it tough for air to climb upwards and form rain clouds. The United Arab Emirates thinks there's a direct solution to this, however: make your own mountain. It's in the early stages of developing an artificial mountain that would force air upwards and create clouds that (with seeding) could produce additional rainfall. In theory, an arid landscape could become verdant over time.
Dubai will host the World Future Sports Games in 2017
Apparently, the World Drone Prix was just the tip of the robotic sports iceberg. Dubai has announced that it's holding the World Future Sports Games, a broader competition, in late December 2017. The tech-focused event will include drone races as well as "robotic swimming, running, wrestling and car racing" -- basically, it's the Olympics for automatons. If it's successful, the plan is to hold the Games every two years after that.
Dubai hosts the first World Drone Prix on March 11th
While there are plenty of efforts to make drone racing a serious sport, Dubai is determined to outdo them all. It's about to host the World Drone Prix, which will robotic fliers against each other in high-speed (over 62MPH) competition. Over 100 teams will participate in "American Idol-style" qualifiers between March 7th and 8th; the top 32 from that bunch will make it to the actual races on March 11th and 12th.
PlayStation 4 drops to €350 across Europe and £300 in the UK
With Uncharted 4 slipping into 2016, Sony's PlayStation 4 doesn't have much in the way of exclusives this fall. But in its ongoing battle with Microsoft and the Xbox One, the company does have a fallback to stay competitive: price-cuts. After dropping the system to $350 in the US, Sony is now doing the same for the rest of the world. Starting today, the 500GB model will cost $349.99 across Europe and £299.99 in the UK. Furthermore, the console is dropping to $479.95 in Australia, $569.95 in New Zealand and AED1399 in the United Arab Emirates. Sony doesn't have Halo 5 or Rise of the Tomb Raider (at least, not yet) but the PlayStation 4 does have a broad, extensive library including Bloodborne, Until Dawn and Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection. If you've been waiting to jump to "next-gen," or already own an Xbox One, there's really been no better time to pick up a PS4.
Dubai building will be entirely 3D printed, right down to the furniture
The uses for 3D printing are seemingly endless. We've seen the tech used by doctors, to build cars and for construction. While parts of a building have been 3D printed before, the United Arab Emirates National Innovation Committee is working to use the method for an entire office building in Dubai. Working with WinSun Global and a few other companies, the committee plans to use a 20-foot tall 3D printer to make everything on-site rather than fabricate the pieces and have them transported for assembly. WinSun Global has already printed a six-story apartment building and a house in China. As you might expect, the structure is small, measuring 2,000 square feet.
Here's what it's like to fly over Dubai with a jetpack
Dubai already seems pretty futuristic on the ground, but what's it like in the air? As you'll soon see, it's almost like another planet. Yves Rossy (aka Jetman) and "protégé" Vince Reffet recently flew over the extravagant city in jetpacks, and their view was every bit as strange as you'd expect. The Burj Khalifa tower (above) resembles a sci-fi super weapon, while the artificial Palm Jumeirah archipelago sticks out from the coastline like a sore thumb. Will this airborne sightseeing trip get you booking a flight to the United Arab Emirates? Probably not, but it's worth a look if you're wondering what a ton of oil money will do to a desert landscape.
Tour one of Earth's grandest deserts in Google Street View
Visiting a large desert in person can be difficult. Roads will only take you so far, and you probably aren't used to navigating gigantic sand dunes. Thankfully, you no longer have to plan a whole adventure just to see this austere beauty at ground level. Google has used camel-mounted Trekker cameras to bring Street View to Liwa, an oasis-laden desert in the southern end of the United Arab Emirates. The move gives you 360-degree panoramas of everything from massive dunes (up to 131 feet high) to date farms. This won't compare to making the trip yourself, but it'll probably be much more comfortable.
The UAE's eco-friendly, robotic city looks more like a ghost town
The United Arab Emirates' pre-planned Masdar City is supposed to be a shining beacon of technology between its clean energy and automated cars. However, it has hit a few roadblocks, including the financial crisis from the last decade -- and the result is less of a Utopia and more of a ghost town. If you need proof, Quartier Libre has posted an eerie video tour (below) of Masdar as it stood this summer. With just a few thousand residents, many of the buildings and high-tech facilities sit unused; it's as if everyone suddenly went on vacation. The city should be more welcoming once it's completed sometime after 2020, but for now it's not exactly a tourist's dream. Not unless you really enjoy haunted houses, that is. [Image credit: Jan Seifert, Flickr]
World's largest Apple retail store may soon be built in Dubai
Edgar Daily reports that an upcoming Apple retail store planned for the Mall of the Emirates in Dubai may prove to be Apple's largest yet. After regional media picked up on UAE-based job advertisements by the Californian company, we have insider knowledge that the Majid Al Futtaim owned mall will become home to Apple's first flagship in the Middle East. Our undisclosed source said that the store – which will be the biggest Apple has ever built – was originally planned to replace the current cinema complex. The timing of the recent job adverts suggest the store could have a planned opening for the first quarter of 2015. While it remains to be seen what the final store looks like, there are a few pieces of circumstantial evidence worth pointing out. As mentioned above, Apple last week posted a number of UAE-based positions for its retail unit. According to iFoAppleStore -- a site that tends to have its finger on the pulse of Apple retail -- hiring schedules on Apple's job board point to a possible Feburary 2015 unveiling. What's more, you might remember that Tim Cook this past February traveled to the United Arab Emirates where he met with UAE Prime Minister Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum. In a statement on the matter provided to Business Insider, an Apple spokesperson said: The United Arab Emirates is an important country for Apple. We launched the Apple Online Store, UAE in 2011 and it's one of our fastest growing markets around the world. We look forward to opening a physical store in the region and sharing Apple's unique shopping experience and services that have been incredibly popular around the world in the near future.
Dubai's beating the heat with Mall of the World, a massive climate-controlled city
Dubai is hot. Summer temperatures can easily exceed 110 degrees Fahrenheit, and desert conditions can mean weeks without relief. The city is already home to a slew of all-weather venues, such as Ski Dubai, the Middle East's first indoor ski resort, but the UAE's latest project could bring comfort to millions of residents and annual visitors. Mall of the World, as the complex is to be named, will include 20,000 hotel rooms, making up some 100 hotels and apartment complexes, the world's largest indoor theme park, an 8-million square foot mall and a 3-million square foot "wellness district," with doctors and inpatient facilities for medical tourists.
BlackBerry Q5 to make early debut in the UAE tomorrow
Earlier than expected (and a little pricier than we'd hoped), the BlackBerry Q5 will go on sale tomorrow in the UAE. We know that its radios are primed for AT&T 3G and while the build might not rival the flagship BB10 device, it's another option for those who can't relinquish the tactile joys of a physical keyboard. It will launch priced at 1,499 AED (just above $400), which nets you BlackBerry's latest OS spread across a 3.1-inch touchscreen with the aforementioned keyboard nestled below. Interested in hopping on a red-eye flight for the third device since the company's name change? Then we'd recommend reacquainting yourself with our first impressions.
Distro Issue 60: Infinitec's rebirth gets Kickstarted in the Dubai desert
Another week has come to a close and that signals the arrival of a brand spanking new issue of our weekly e-magazine. This time out, Darren Murph makes the trek to the United Arab Emirates to chat with Ahmad Zahran about how crowd sourcing has jumpstarted his company, Infinitec, for a second time. We also pay a visit to the Paris Auto Show to take a gander at the latest in transportation tech, while Amazon's Kindle Paperwhite and the Samsung Galaxy S Relay 4G get the full review treatment. "Eyes-on" tackles a suitcase full of sound, "Weekly Stat" offers a look at data consumption amongst Android users and NVIDIA's Nick Stam tells all in the Q&A. Grab a spot in your favorite reading chair because the latest issue is just a few clicks away. Distro Issue 60 PDF Distro in the iTunes App Store Distro in the Google Play Store Distro APK (for sideloading) Like Distro on Facebook Follow Distro on Twitter
Web Marketplace for Windows Phone gets 22 more stamps in its passport
If you've been holed up in Thailand, waiting to browse the latest and greatest apps for your Windows Phone in your browser instead of on the device directly, then things are looking up. Microsoft has just announced that 22 new countries are being graces with their own web Marketplace. The full list covers Bulgaria, Costa Rica, Croatia, Estonia, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Turkey, Ukraine, Venezuela, UAE, Bahrain, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kazakhstan, Israel, Thailand, and Vietnam. The same blog post advises that work is also underway to improve the search results delivered by the site. So you might not have to play Hungry Birds for much longer.
Daily Update for March 13, 2012
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen. Subscribe via RSS
UAE Cabinet has adopted iPads
The UAE Cabinet is now using iPads to "achieve speed and flexibility in decision making" says HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, who is the Ruler of Dubai and UAE Prime Minister and Vice President. The above picture, tweeted by Sheikh Mohammed, shows cabinet members already putting their iPads to good use. These tablets are part of a larger "Minister e-briefcase" initiative that'll automate most of the cabinets' administrative operations. [Via The Loop]
Apple opens online stores for Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, UAE
Apple expanded its online reach by opening stores in the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, and the United Arab Emirates. Apple celebrated the event with a brightly colored confetti banner on each country's website that announced the grand opening. Customers in these above countries will be able to shop online directly with Apple, buy extended Apple Care plans, and receive online sales support just like we do here in the US. With these four new storefronts, Apple now has online stores in 37 countries. In many of these countries, it'll be interesting to see if Apple's online storefront has an impact on local retailers. In the UAE, many Apple products are sold by third-party retailers like Sharaf DG and Carrefour UAE and their prices tend to be more expensive than Apple. With the global economy struggling, we wonder how well these retailers will compete against Apple's strong online presence. [Via The National]
BlackBerry PlayBook rolling out internationally over the next month
Here in the US and Canada, we're already worrying about things like recalls, while the rest of world is still waiting for its crack at the original BlackBerry PlayBook. RIM today announced that its enterprise-friendly tablet will be hitting 16 more markets over the next 30 days -- though some of the locations, like the UK, have already been announced (you guys will be getting the thing in a mere six days). Recipients include Hong Kong, India, and Australia -- check out the full list in the form of a press release after the break. And when you're done let's start talking next-generation specs.
