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Police claim to have cracked extra-secure BlackBerry phones
BlackBerry smartphones have secure messaging as a matter of course, but for some that isn't enough: there are custom models that are even more secure thanks to PGP-encrypted mail. However, it seems that these locked down models aren't quite as safe as you'd think. The Netherlands Forensic Institute has confirmed a recent report that it's capable of scooping up encrypted data from PGP-equipped BlackBerry devices. It's not discussing the exact techniques involved, but it's relying on a tool from CelleBrite to get the job done. One possibility is that investigators are guessing the password based on a memory dump, although that normally requires yanking a memory chip off the phone's motherboard.
I found a secondhand telescope, now what?
It's amazing what you can find on the streets of San Francisco. No, the actual city streets, not the '70s cop drama starring Michael Douglas. I recently came across a scavenger's treasure in the city's Sunset neighborhood: a fully operational Meade NG-70 Altazimuth Refractor Telescope. It was just sitting there on the curb with a handwritten note simply stating "Free" taped to its barrel. Now, I'll tell you, I'm not much of an astronomer -- inasmuch as I have never used (even touched) a telescope or ever had much interest in learning. The idea of standing around outside in the dark, fiddling with dials always seemed too much hassle to make very distant sparkly objects to appear slightly larger. But what I am also not is a sucker -- and a free telescope is a free telescope -- so into my car's trunk it went.
Plastic roads may put asphalt to shame
The days of putting up with crumbling asphalt streets might just come to an end. Construction company VolkerWessels has revealed plans for recycled plastic roads that are both more sustainable and more practical than old-fashioned blacktop. Besides reusing material, they'd last about three times longer and survive greater temperature ranges (between -40F and 176F) -- despite their fragile look, they're less likely to crack under the strain of vehicles or the weather. You can pre-assemble them to lay them down faster, too, and their hollow structure is handy for cabling and pipes.
Meat your match with this Tinder-swiping steak
Dating apps are often characterized as 21st century "meat markets" and, thanks to this Dutch art installation, Tinder's getting uncomfortably close the real thing. The piece, appropriately called Tender, was built by four students at Leiden University in the Netherland. It's scheduled to debut at the Habitat art exhibition at Radion Amsterdam next weekend. But don't worry about getting hooked up with cold cuts, the app is actually a Tinder knockoff called 6Tin and that's an instant dealbreaker. [Image Credit: The Ministry of Gifs]
Dutch police arrest four Uber drivers in Amsterdam
Despite working with authorities to legally launch its private and luxury car services in Amsterdam, Uber's regular taxi service, uberPOP, hasn't enjoyed a very warm welcome. Bloomberg reports that Dutch police yesterday arrested four drivers for using the Uber app to provide taxi services in the city, leaving them with a possible fine of €4,200 euros ($5,300) each. To bring them down, a Ministry of Environment & Infrastructure spokesperson said that four inspection officials posed as passengers and found they were not operating with the correct permits. The company, of course, isn't new to all of this, having been targeted in London, Brussels and numerous German cities in recent months. While Uber believes the action is "unjustified and disproportional," Dutch authorities certainly aren't willing to hang around -- those first four arrests came just four days after uberPOP officially launched in the city.
Apple to open third Netherlands retail store this weekend
Apple has announced that it will be opening another Apple Store in the Netherlands this coming Saturday, August 9. The store will be located at The Hague's Passage mall, and joins the company's other stores in Haarlem and Amsterdam. This is the third store Apple has opened in the Netherlands since 2012. If you'd like to attend the grand opening, and presumably get a free t-shirt, the store's address is Passage 39, 2511 AB Den Haag. Here's footage from the opening of the Amsterdam store in 2012.
Apple news bites for Tuesday, August 5, 2014
It's been very, very quiet in the world of Apple the past few weeks, but that doesn't mean that there's nothing happening out there. Here are a few little snack-sized bits of news that we've picked up this morning: Did you break the screen on your iPhone 5s? Just walk into your local Apple Store soon and you will be able to have it repaired on-site. AppleInsider reports that as of yesterday, Apple Stores are doing iPhone 5s screen replacements in as little as one hour. Previously, damaged screens meant that your iPhone 5s would need to be sent offsite for servicing, a process that could take up to five full days. Dutch Apple fans who live in Den Haag (The Hague), Netherlands can attend the grand opening of the new Apple Store in that city this upcoming Saturday (August 9) at 10 AM local time. Grab me a t-shirt if you go to the opening, OK? The Apple website lists the address of the new store as Passage 39, 2511 AB Den Haag. Apple has been granted more patents ... totally unsurprising considering the number of patents that are applied for each year by the company. There's a patent for a "magnetic resonance power system" that could eliminate the need for batteries in keyboards and mice, another for a "microwave frequency communication system covering a wireless disposable wristband," and one for "backside iPad gaming controls." As usual, none of these patents may ever see the light of day in a future Apple product. UK Virgin Media users who are also subscribers to Sky Movies or Sky Sports can now watch those channels on their iPhones and iPads via the Sky Movies and Sky Sports apps. The Sky Sports app provides "second screen" capabilities when you're watching football games, cricket matches, or Formula 1 races on the big screen, while the Sky Movies subscription lets you watch all 11 channels or over 800 on-demand films on the go. The Mac Observer's Jeff Gamet reports that Apple has a social media secret weapon in the form of Musa Tariq. Mr. Tariq was hired as Apple's retail Digital Marketing Director, coming from Burberry (where he was a marketing director working with new Apple retail VP Angela Ahrendts) and Nike, where he was the social media director.
Those glow-in-the-dark roads? They didn't fare well in the first public trials
The pilot project that looks to replace streetlights with video game-esque glow-in-the-dark lane markers in the Netherlands has hit a bit of a snag. If you're in need of a refresher, the lines absorb ultraviolet light during the day before glowing through the night. So far, performance has been less than consistent. The markers don't give off a uniform amount of light, and more importantly, they've been disappearing with heavy rainfall. In a press release earlier this week, Dutch engineering firm Heijmans Infrastructure said that it'll address the issues for the next iteration that's slated for more widespread testing this summer, pressing pause until then. "We will use these insights to introduce an update to the Glowing Lines 2.0 version. In the meantime we have temporarily faded out the lining to prevent any confusing situations for road users," the statement read.
Glow-in-the-dark roads hit the streets in the Netherlands
One stretch of road in the Netherlands may make you feel like you're cruising through a video game. A new glow-in-the-dark pavement has replaced power-sucking streetlights for a 500m (.3mi) piece of the highway. The result is a Tron-like street that shines courtesy of solar-powered photo-luminescent powder incorporated into the road paint. This is just a proof of concept, but its creator, Studio Roosegaarde, hopes to use parks as a testing ground for new versions of the product.
Inhabitat's Week in Green: WarkaWater Tower, kangaroo-like robot and an energy-generating carousel
Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week's most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us -- it's the Week in Green. The world is flooded with electronic devices, which add up to a huge e-waste problem -- but if a team of MIT researchers has its way, the gadgets of the future could be made from living cells. The team is working on hybrid materials made from bacteria that could grow anything from solar cells to smartphones. The German engineering company Festo is known for its biomimetic creations, producing everything from flying seagulls to wind turbines that flap their wings like birds. Now the company has developed an energy-efficient robot that hops around like a kangaroo. In green lighting news, Torafu Architects has created a series of recycled glass pendant lamps that are inspired by droplets of water. And Philips has developed a new LED bulb that looks and feels like an incandescent. And for those travelers who just can't seem to fit everything in their carry-on luggage, we present you with the JakToGo, a new jacket that stores up to 10 kg of goods, freeing up space in your suitcase.
Xbox One rolling to 26 new regions in September
Microsoft plans to bring the Xbox One to 26 more markets in September, eight of which were in the original plans for the console's November 2013 launch. Those eight territories, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Netherlands, Norway, Russia, Sweden and Switzerland, were cut from the first run in August, at which point Microsoft scaled its launch plans back to 13 regions. Head past the break to see the list of the other 18 regions the system will arrive in come September.
Samsung's Galaxy Grand Neo melds ultra-basic specs with a mid-size screen
Let's say you like the idea of a big-screened Samsung smartphone, but even the Galaxy Grand 2 is too rich for your blood. Are you stuck? Not at all -- the company has quietly released the Galaxy Grand Neo, a more frugal take on an already cheap handset. The new device keeps the Grand 2's quad-core 1.2GHz processor and 8GB of expandable storage, but scales down to a 5-inch 800 x 480 display, a 5-megapixel rear camera and a VGA front shooter. Few will be blown away by the hardware, then, although there is a healthy 2,100mAh battery inside. Let's just hope that the pricing becomes more competitive. As of this writing, the Grand Neo sells for a relatively high €260 ($355) after tax in the Netherlands; we can think of a few smartphones that offer considerably more for your money.
Dutch ISPs overturn Pirate Bay blocking order, get pieces of eight for the trouble
In many countries, ISPs are regarded as partly culpable for the P-word that's now synonymous with the internet. We're talking, of course, about piracy. Government and legal pressure has forced several ISPs to block sites known for illegal file distribution, with The Pirate Bay being a prime target due to its popularity. Today, however, a court in The Netherlands has overturned an order compelling two of the country's major ISPs to block The Pirate Bay, based on the belief that's it's ineffective and tantamount to censorship. Local anti-piracy group BREIN, with the help of a judge and gavel, put the restriction in place in 2012 -- the ISPs appealed, and won. The Dutch court that's sided with the providers has said that a block is not only against the freedom of information, but referenced a report showing it had little impact on torrent traffic. (As most of us know, for every site that's squashed by the banhammer, there is a swarm of others providing the same services.) It gets even worse for BREIN, too, as now it's been ordered to pay 326,000 euros (around $445,000) for the trouble it's caused. That should buy at least a couple of lawyers lunch and new suits, we'd imagine.
Apple's second Netherlands store opens December 7
Apple will open its second retail store in the Netherlands this Saturday, December 7. The store will be located in the city of Haarlem's main shopping district at Grote Houtstraat 99 and opens its doors at 9 AM local time. Haarlem is only about 20 km away from Amsterdam, where Apple's first and only other store is in the country. That puts the journey between the two stores at only about 20 minutes. The close location of the two stores may annoy Apple fans in other areas of the country, which have yet to see any official Apple presence. However, earlier this year, when the first job listing for the Haarlem store appeared, Apple also listed job openings for a third store located in The Hague, suggesting that another store could open there.
Seven 'Steve Jobs Schools' open in the Netherlands
Throughout the Northern Hemisphere, kids are either preparing to go back to the classrooms or have already started school again. In the Netherlands, seven of what are called "Steve Jobs Schools" opened their doors today. The schools are focused on using the iPad as the primary focus of all learning and activities. As TUAW reported in July, the schools will replace blackboards, schedules, parent-teacher conferences and more with iPads. The schools are the brainchild of the Education for a New Era Foundation (O4NT is the Dutch acronym). Two of the schools currently provide the iPad-centric curriculum at all grade levels, while the other schools will begin with younger students and expand to higher grades as the children move through school. As you can see from the image at the top of this post (courtesy of O4NT), the youngest students are using iPad minis encased in custom kid-proof case / stands. O4NT now calls teachers "coaches" to reflect that their role is to support a child's personal projects and group efforts, not just shovel out information and assignments. One unique feature of the iPad-centric learning is the sCoolSpace, a virtual schoolyard for each physical school where students can meet at any time. Both students and coaches have their own avatars, and can communicate via FaceTime or Messages. Parents are also involved in the Steve Jobs Schools: they can monitor their child's progress daily through "iDesk Learning Tracker". Unlike traditional schools, kids can just show up any time between 7:30 AM and 6:30 PM, and are only required to be onsite between 10:30 AM and 3:00 PM. Parents can take vacations on their schedules, as the children can keep up with their schoolwork from anywhere. It's a fascinating experiment in education, bringing iPads and kids together into a classroom that may eventually span the world.
Ingenious Dutch research center boasts one patent created 'every 20 minutes'
The city responsible for the first solar-powered family car and a building shaped like a UFO is no stranger to creativity. Eindhoven, Netherlands was recently named "most inventive city" by Forbes magazine, probably thanks to the High Tech Campus (HTC) research and development center located there. The HTC is the result of the Dutch government's initiative to bolster high-tech innovation in the region after rounds of layoffs from companies like Philips. Scads of tech firms are holed up within HTC's walls including IBM, Intel and Accenture, with a focus on open cooperation and sharing of ideas and resources. Apparently, this has paid off in spades. According to the HTC's website, the campus is responsible for roughly 50 percent of the Netherlands' almost 10,000 patents each year. Yowza. [Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons]
ABB to build over 200 EV charging stations in the Netherlands' largest network
Swiss company ABB has been chosen by Fastned to provide chargers for over 200 EV charging stations throughout the Netherlands, in what will be that nation's largest such network. The largely solar-fueled stations will be spaced out along Dutch highways at a maximum distance of 50 kilometers from each other. Fastned will be using ABB's Terra fast chargers, which are compatible with a large number of vehicles, including "all major car brands from Europe, Asia and the USA." Each charger will also be connected to the internet, allowing ABB to push software updates and provide customers with remote assistance. The first batch of chargers will land roadside in September with rollout expected to be completed in 2015. There's one more image and video after the break.
Netflix streaming is coming to the Netherlands later this year
Netflix mentioned another European country was in its sights for this year and tonight it's announced the new region it will service is the Netherlands. As is its custom, it will be offering Dutch viewers a package of movies and TV shows for one low price, including its ever-growing slate of original series. There's no word yet on what that price will be, an exact launch date or what devices will be supported, but interested residents can sign up for alerts at Netflix.nl starting today.
HTC shutting down Watch movies in six countries by May 31st
While there are signs HTC's fortunes might turn a corner through the launch of the One, few would doubt that its finances could use some streamlining. The company has just outlined one of the ways it will be pinching pennies: it's closing its Watch movie stores in Denmark, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain and Sweden by May 31st, with some Italians reporting a shutdown on the 15th. As the company explains to us in a statement (after the break), it's concentrating on supporting Watch in those regions with the "highest engagement" while dropping those with "less application traffic" -- in short, markets with poor performance get the boot. HTC stresses that Watch isn't going away, however, and it's delivering a steady stream of content. We're glad to hear that the company is sharpening its focus rather than cutting the cord. Still, that won't be much consolation to movie-loving Europeans and Scandinavians.
HTC insists Nokia's injunction won't affect the One's current stock, new mics in the works
In an email to press, HTC took the opportunity to make a few clarifications about the injunction filed by Nokia this week regarding the dual-membrane microphone in the One. The preliminary injunction claims that the high-amplitude mic, which HTC uses in its flagship device, was supposed to be manufactured exclusively for the Finnish company (and currently used in the Lumia 720). If you've been wondering how this particular action would affect sales of the high-end HTC handset, spokespeople assure us that it's business as usual for the company. According to its official statement, the One is not the actual target of any injunction in The Netherlands -- in actuality, the legalities of the matter are apparently only between Nokia and STMicroelectronics, the supplier of the component in question. HTC tells us that Nokia's attempts to institute a recall of the One failed; since the products were purchased in good faith, the ruling states that HTC can continue to use microphones that are in its inventory. Despite having a history rich in manufacturing delays, we're told that this legal ruling will have no effect on the One's availability. The Taiwanese phone maker plans a transition to "improved microphone designs" as soon as its current stock of STM supplies has been exhausted, a move which HTC claims will be transparent to consumers. Head below to see the full statement.
