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Iranian hackers stole terabytes of data from software giant Citrix
Citrix is best-known for software that runs behind the scenes, but a massive data breach is putting the company front and center. The FBI has warned Citrix that it believes reports of foreign hackers compromising the company's internal network, swiping business documents in an apparent "password spraying" attack where the intruders guessed weak passwords and then used that early foothold to launch more extensive attacks. While Citrix didn't shed more light on the incident, researchers at Resecurity provided more detail of what likely happened in a conversation with NBC News.
Iridium's 'truly global' satellite internet connects aircraft and ships
Wondering what Iridium would be doing with those Next satellites that SpaceX just finished launching? You now have an idea. Iridium has formally debuted Certus, a "truly global" satellite broadband service that promises to keep aircraft, ships and other vehicles (including self-driving vehicles) connected even in the remotest places. It's far from fast at 352Kbps for both downloads and uploads, but that's enough to keep crews online and provide reasonably high-quality voice services.
NASA's reconfigurable radio can track planes over oceans
When the 66 Iridium Next satellites are already in orbit, air traffic controllers and pilots will be able to track all flights, even planes flying across ocean. That's because the satellites are equipped with reconfigurable radios called AppSTAR, which NASA built together with Florida-based Harris Corporation. AppSTARs are capable of transmitting larger amounts of data than NASA's current radio communications network can. Plus, they can be reprogrammed from a distance through software upgrades, allowing the agency to tweak them for future missions.
SpaceX's comeback launch was a success
2016 was a fairly good year for SpaceX, with Elon Musk's spaceflight company inching closer to developing a reusable rocket for missions. At least up until September, when a Falcon 9 rocket exploded during a pre-launch test on the pad at Cape Canaveral. The company quickly investigated and found that the craft's liquid oxygen had leaked out of a tank, with the resulting friction causing ignition. At last, however, SpaceX is ready to turn a corner: the private outfit has returned to flight by launching a Falcon 9 from Vandenberg Air Force Base, delivering 10 Iridium Next satellites into orbit.
Watch the first SpaceX launch since September's explosion
SpaceX is busy preparing for its first Falcon 9 launch since its rocket exploded in September. The Iridium-1 mission will take off from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California tomorrow, January 14th, and you can watch it all happen live after the break or through the space corporation's website. This mission is headed to Low Earth orbit to deliver 10 satellites for communications company Iridium. They're the first 10 of at least 70 satellites SpaceX will be ferrying to LEO for Iridium's global constellation.
SpaceX delays its comeback launch to January 14th
SpaceX's much-vaunted return to flight just hit a snag. Iridium has revealed that the Falcon 9 rocket launch has been pushed pack several days to January 14th, at 12:54PM Eastern. Why the long postponement when most delays tend to be a day or two at most? Simply put, the weather at Vandenberg Air Force Base will just be that terrible -- there are "high winds and rain" in the forecast for the next several days.
The FAA has once again approved SpaceX for rocket launches
SpaceX is finally, officially, ready to get back into the space launch game after losing one of its Falcon 9 rockets during a massive launch failure last September, which destroyed both the rocket itself and its $50 million payload. On Friday, the Federal Aviation Administration reauthorized the company's Commercial Space Transportation License.
SpaceX will resume rocket launches on January 8th
After months of uncertainty and delays, SpaceX can finally say when it expects to resume rocket launches following its September launchpad explosion. The private spaceflight outfit is now aiming for a return to flight on January 8th, when a Falcon 9 will carry an Iridium Next satellite into space from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. And crucially, SpaceX has narrowed down accident's likely cause to the point where it has solutions that should prevent a repeat accident.
SpaceX delays its return to flight until early January
So much for SpaceX resuming rocket launches before 2016 is over. Elon Musk's spaceflight company now expects to launch a Falcon 9 rocket in early January, when it will carry Iridium-1 into orbit. Iridium had previously hinted that the rocket might be ready as soon as December 16th, but SpaceX says it's using the extra time for both vehicle prep and "extended testing" to make sure this return to flight goes according to plan.
Apple bought a company focused on super-accurate GPS
Apple has snapped up more than a few companies that know how to deal with your location data, but it now appears to be focused on improving the accuracy of that data from the get-go. MacRumors has discovered evidence that Apple recently acquired Coherent Navigation, a company specializing in very accurate GPS. It combined the usual GPS positioning with information from Iridium's low-orbit communication satellites to pinpoint your whereabouts within inches, rather than feet.
Voice-controlled RTS There Came an Echo speaks up in Feb.
There Came an Echo, the voice-controlled real-time strategy game from Iridium Studios starring nerd royalty Wil Wheaton, is due out on February 24 for $20 via Steam for PC. The release date comes courtesy of a new trailer (below), featuring players that Iridium "totally found on Craigslist." These uninitiated few try out There Came an Echo's voice controls, including the ability to change characters' names to things like "Sweetie Pie" and something naughty that appears to rhyme with "Duckface." There Came an Echo was successfully funded on Kickstarter in March 2013, raising $115,000 of a $90,000 goal. It's Iridium's second successful Kickstarter game, following Sequence. There Came an Echo stars Wil Wheaton and Ashly Burch, and puts players in charge of a small, gun-wielding squad in a near-future sci-fi environment. "Corrin (played by Wil Wheaton) is a 31-year-old cryptographer and inventor of a very particular encryption algorithm ... one that currently holds safe a shocking secret," the game's Kickstarter reads. "His comfortable existence is interrupted by the enigmatic Val, who informs him that his life is in very imminent danger. His desperate attempts to uncover the truth are aided by a mercenary, Miranda; a vengeful young woman, Grace; and a mysterious British gentleman named Syll." Players are able to customize the voice controls in There Came an Echo, and Iridium promises that it's possible to play the game without speech at all. It's also coming to Xbox One and PS4, eventually.
There Came an Echo reverberating to Xbox One
After Iridium Studios launches There Came an Echo, an in-development, isometric strategy game that can be controlled with spoken commands on PC, Iridium will say "Xbox, port ... no, Xbox, port! Xbox PORT!" Official Xbox Magazine has revealed Iridium's plans to launch an Xbox One version of There Came an Echo "shortly" after its PC launch. Although a June 2014 release date was suggested during the game's Kickstarter campaign, a backer update from last month states that October 2014 is a bit more likely. During Destructoid's recent e-mail exchange with Iridium, Iridium calculated that the delay would put the Xbox One version's launch near early 2015. Mac and Linux ports are also planned, but Iridium told Destructoid that they're unlikely to launch alongside the PC version. The delay will allow Iridium to add gesture controls, but if you're worried about the technology being unable to pick up the eyerolls you've been practicing over the aforementioned speech controls, know that you'll be able to use a keyboard and mouse for the PC version. Presumably, that suggests controller support will also be available for those who don't want to use the Kinect. [Image: Iridium Studios]
Daily Roundup: Satya Nadella named Microsoft CEO, 10 years of Facebook and more!
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Iridium's satellite hotspot will get you online nearly anywhere on Earth
Globalstar's Sat-Fi won't be the only game in town for satellite hotspots. Iridium has unveiled the Iridium Go, a hotspot that lets up to five WiFi-equipped devices hop on the internet, send texts and make phone calls from just about anywhere on the planet. It's built for outdoor adventurers with both a rugged design and an SOS mode that gets in touch with emergency services. However, software may be the Go's real ace in the hole; while it will ship with official Android and iOS apps, there's already a developer kit that lets third-party software take advantage of the satellite link on any platform. Iridium plans to ship the hotspot in the first half of the year. The firm isn't discussing exact pricing at this point, but it promises that Go will represent its "lowest cost" offering to date at below $800 -- for some people, it will be cheap enough to come along on that big summer hiking trip.
Instant Wild satellite cameras protect animals through crowdsourcing (video)
Remote cameras are useful to wildlife conservationists, but their closed (or non-existent) networking limits the opportunities for tracking animals around the clock. The Instant Wild project's cameras, however, are designed to rely on the internet for help. Whenever they detect movement, they deliver imagery to the public through Iridium's satellite network. Anyone watching the cameras through the Instant Wild iOS app or website becomes an impromptu zoologist; viewers can identify both animals and poachers that dedicated staff might miss. Maintenance also isn't much of an issue, as each unit is based on a Raspberry Pi computer that can run for long periods on a single battery. The Zoological Society of London currently operates these satellite cameras in Kenya, but there are plans underway to expand their use to the Antarctica, the Himalayas, Indonesia and Sri Lanka.
There Came an Echo, voice-controlled strategy starring Wil Wheaton
Iridium Studios, the team responsible for 2011's Kickstarter success, Sequence, is tackling the widely untouched genre of speech-run gaming with There Came an Echo, a voice-controlled strategy game. Iridium hopes to cash in on Kickstarter once again with There Came an Echo, asking for $90,000 to complete the game for PC, with a launch on Steam scheduled for mid-2014 (no Greenlight required).Players in There Came an Echo act as the field commander of a small squad and talk members through operations to achieve various objectives. The game will recognize a pre-programmed vocabulary of a few hundred commands, such as "head to Bravo 3," but each command is fully customizable."For instance, instead of 'Grace, hold position,' you might choose to say 'yo girl, hold up,' or instead of 'weapons free,' you might say, 'not the gumdrop buttons!' You'll be able to direct your troops in a style completely your own," Iridium's Kickstarter description reads.If that's not intriguing enough, Iridium roped in geek extraordinaire Wil Wheaton to star in There Came an Echo. Iridium founder Jason Wishnov has a pretty hefty industry track record himself, including freelance work for Joystiq's Wii Fanboy and DS Fanboy when those were still things back in 2007. Check out Wheaton and Wishnov in the Kickstarter promo video above.
Delorme's inReach two-way satellite communicator gets iOS support, sends iPhone texts from Timbuktu (video)
If you're an iPhone or iPad owner, you might have been disappointed that the Delorme inReach two-way GPS communicator launched with app support only for Android users. That's fine if you're trekking with a Casio G'zOne Commando, but not so hot if you're of the Apple mindset and get stranded canoeing down the Amazon. Thankfully, Delorme just posted an iOS version of its Earthmate app that will let your Cupertino-designed gear send either text messages or SOS beacons through a paired-up inReach unit. As before, the handheld relies on its own GPS positioning and embedded locations in messages to keep friends and rescue crews updated anywhere the device can get an Iridium satellite lock-in. It'll still cost you $250 for the device and $10 per month to stay linked up; even so, there's a real chance you'll be texting your friends from your iPhone in Mali, assuming you haven't had to call a rescue helicopter first.
Iridium releases AxcessPoint Mail & Web app for globetrotting iDevices
A towel and an even keel go a long way when you're galavanting around the globe, but whether we're going to grandma's or New Guinea, many of us won't leave home without access to email. Iridium created its AxcessPoint Mail & Web software for such connection-dependent people, but the service was unavailable to those using iOS... until today. The company has finally brought AxcessPoint to Cupertino's mobile platform, and iPhone users can download the free app now. Of course, before you start checking messages in the middle of the Sahara, you'll need to spring for one of Iridium's pricey sat phones and its WiFi hotspot, then pay a $1 per minute charge once you've connected your iDevice. And, with speeds on the network checking in around 12kbps for web browsing and 40kbps for email, you'll pay dearly for the privilege of opening the Vogon poetry attachment your buddy sent to entertain you while you sail solo across the Atlantic.
Rhythm RPG Sequence now available on Steam
The Xbox Live Indie Game Sequence, which recently took home third place in Microsoft's Dream Build Play competition, is now available on Steam. In case you've missed our previous coverage, Sequence offers a unique take role-playing games, replacing traditional combat with rhythm game mechanics. Basically, imagine tapping along to a slammin' beat, except you're not earning points, you're slaying monsters. Sequence is currently available for $4.50, 10 percent off the usual price.
Iridium to introduce iOS satellite access point later this year
If you've found that Wi-Fi, 3G, EDGE, and GPRS don't provide sufficient coverage to siphon the internet into your iOS device, you're in luck. According to Network World, Iridium is introducing new access point gear that will enable satellite-based internet access on your iPhone or iPad from pretty much anywhere on Earth. "The two new devices enable use of data applications on mobile smartphones and tablets that have Wi-Fi capabilities," Network World says, "and the access point bridges the connection over the Iridium satellite network." While Iridium says the service should be sufficient for email and internet access, the sub-dialup 26-27 Kbps speed means accessing anything but the most basic internet services is going to be an exercise in extreme patience. Connecting the new access point to an Iridium satellite phone allows you to create a local Wi-Fi network, and from there any Wi-Fi capable device should be able to piggyback off the satellite link. It sounds somewhat similar to the MiFi, but with a satellite signal providing data rather than 3G. AccessPoint should cost "less than US$200" according to Iridium, but it must also be paired with a much more expensive satellite phone, and service will cost about a dollar per minute. The service will roll out with support for BlackBerry and Android devices soon, with support for iOS devices coming later this year. I guess that's good news for anyone who's sailing across the Pacific, driving across the Outback, or caravanning across the Sahara -- and wants to check in on Foursquare.
