AJ Dellinger

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Stories By AJ Dellinger

  • DoorDash security breach affects nearly 5 million users

    DoorDash announced today that it suffered a security breach that affected 4.9 million users. According to the company, on May 4th, 2019, an unauthorized third-party gained access to information belonging to DoorDash users including consumers, delivery drivers and merchants who joined the platfrom on or before April 5th, 2018. The information accessed included names, email addresses, physical addresses used for deliveries, order histories, phone numbers and passwords, which were encrypted using hashing and salting techniques. The company is advising users to reset their passwords, though it is not believed that any passwords have been compromised.

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  • Waze can take commands from Google Assistant anywhere in the US

    Google Assistant is officially available for all English-speaking Waze users in the United States. Waze announced the rollout last week after making the feature available in limited test runs earlier this year. The integration will give users the opportunity to ask Google Assistant to perform commands while on the road without requiring the driver to take their hands off the wheel into interact with the Waze app.

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  • Decades-old missing person case solved with Google Earth photos

    The body of a man who had been missing for nearly 22 years was found this week thanks to Google Maps, according to the Sun Sentinel. Remains of 40-year-old William Moldt turned up in a pond located behind a housing development in Wellington, Florida after one of the residents of the neighborhood spotted what appeared to be a vehicle in the water behind his house while looking at Google's satellite images. Police retrieved the remains of the body and positively identified it as Moldt.

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  • Vudu adds parental control to skip adult scenes

    Vudu, the streaming video platform owned by Walmart, announced today a new batch of parental controls that will give guardians the ability to automatically skip or mute scenes that contain objectionable content. The new Family Play tool will allow parents to set up rules that bypass on-screen examples of substance abuse, language, violence, sex and nudity. The feature will be available on more than 500 major studio titles to begin with, and Vudu is planning to expand the offering to more movies and TV shows each week.

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  • Apple adds titanium cases to the Watch lineup

    The Apple Watch Series 5, the latest iteration of Apple's popular wearable, will be the first model available with a brushed titanium finish. Apple also announced at today's event that the smartwatch will be available in a ceramic version, as well, after not offering that material with the Series 4 model.

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  • Fubo Sports Network will stream live sports and original shows

    FuboTV is bringing original programming and live sports to its free Fubo Sports Network. The channel will feature shows hosted by popular sports personalities including former ESPN and Fox Sports reporter Julie Stewart-Binks and former LA Galaxy plyer Cobi Jones. Fubo Sports Network will also broadcast live action from Liga MX, the top soccer league in Mexico, as well as major events in cycling and horse racing.

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  • Uber's next business idea: Lending money to drivers

    Uber is reportedly looking into offering loans directly to drivers, according to a report from Recode. The ride sharing company recently sent out an in-app survey to some drivers that indicated the company is starting to build a "new financial product" designed to help Uber drivers "in a time of need." The survey contained a number of questions regarding the driver's previous use and future interest in loans.

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  • NYC sues T-Mobile over 'pervasive' illegal sales tactics

    New York City is suing T-Mobile for allegedly violating consumer protection laws within the city. The lawsuit stems primarily from Metro by T-Mobile, a low-cost, prepaid wireless program operated by the major mobile carrier. According to the city, T-Mobile allegedly overcharged its customers, sometimes signing them up for expensive financing plans without getting their consent, and sold used phones as if they were brand new.

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  • TheScore's sports-betting app is live, but only in New Jersey

    Sports hub theScore announced today that it is launching a new betting app, aptly called theScore Bet. The app, available for both Android and iOS, will be the first mobile sportsbook operated by a media company in the United States. However, placing bets will only be available for sports fans located in New Jersey, where online sports gambling is now legal.

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  • Dentist offices across the US hit with ransomware

    Hundreds of dentist offices around the United States were hit with ransomware this week according to multiple reports from ZDNet, CNN and security researcher Brian Krebs. The incidents are the result of an apparent vulnerability in software provided by The Digital Dental Record and PerCSoft, two Wisconsin-based companies that offer medical record retention and backup services to dental practices.

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  • 'Night in the Woods' studio cuts ties with co-founder Alec Holowka

    The team behind the popular indie adventure game Night in the Woods has cut ties with game developer Alec Holowka following allegations of harassment and abuse from fellow game maker and former romantic partner Zoë Quinn. A planned physical release for the title from Limited Run games has been postponed and an unnamed project being worked on by the team has been cancelled, according to the development team. An iOS port of Night in the Woods remains in progress.

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  • Apple's comedy series 'Dickinson' gets its first trailer

    Apple appears to be ramping up for the launch of Apple TV. Just one week after dropping the trailer for its first original series, The Morning Show, the company released the first teaser for its upcoming series Dickinson on Monday. The comedy based on the life of Emily Dickinson will follow her rebellous, coming to age years and will be availble on Apple TV+ sometime later this fall.

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  • Twitter's Trust and Safety advisors say the company isn't listening

    It's been three years since Twitter formed its Trust and Safety Council, tasked with combatting abuse and harassment plaguing the platform. According to a recent report from Wired, things aren't going well. A number of members on the council sent a letter to Twitter leadership this week expressing concerns that the company is no longer listening to their recommendations. In some acses, members claim that Twitter has months without responding to messages from council members.

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  • 'Uncharted' movie loses its director, again

    Sony is still planning on bringing the popular Uncharted franchise to theaters, but it's going to have to find new director to make it happen. Dan Trachtenberg had signed on to direct the project but stepped down, according to Deadline. Sony hasn't picked a replacement yet but plans to have a new person to head up the project picked by the end of this summer. Production is set to start sometime early next year.

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  • You can finally get PowerBeats Pro in colors other than black

    After launching its truly wireless Powerbeats Pro headphones earlier this year, Beats is finally introducing new color options to its lineup. The earbuds, which retail for $250, will be available in off-white Ivory, a nature-green Moss, and dark blue Navy finishes. The new colors will be available to purchase from Apple.com starting August 22nd at 12:01 AM PST. Orders will ship out on August 30th, the same day that the new colors will be available to purchase from Apple retail stores.

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  • YouTube is testing paid online hangs with influencers

    Google is expertimenting with an events-focused crowdfunding service for YouTube creators, according to a recent report from Variety. The new effort, called Fundo, allows YouTubers to set up online meet and greet sessions and other events that fans can pay to access. Several YouTube personalities have reportedly been using the feature to set up small online get together and live conversations with subscribers.

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  • New Amazon donation program gives unsold products to the needy

    Following reports that Amazon often destroys unsold and unwanted products stored in its warehouses, the company is launching a donations program that will help distribute goods to people in need, according to a report from CNBC. The program, called Fulfillment by Amazon (FBA) Donations, will distribute products to non-profit organizations through Good360 in the United States and Newlife and Barnardo's in the United Kingdom.

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  • 'Storm Area 51' event creator is working on an alien festival

    Facebook may have shut down the "Storm Area 51" event that racked up more than two million followers, but the spirit of the meme is going to live on in the form of a festival. Matty Roberts, the creator of the original event, announced that he teamed up with event producer The Hidden Sound to create Alienstock, a three-day festival that will be hosted in Rachel, Nevada. The event, which promises a bunch of headlining music acts who have yet to be announced, will start September 20th.

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  • Apple extends bug bounty and provides special iPhones for researchers

    Apple wants everyone to know that it's taking security seriously, and it's willing to pay for it. The company announced today that it is launching a new bug bounty program that will pay people up to $1 million for discovering and disclosing security flaws in macOS, tvOS, watchOS and iCloud. The company also revealed that it will provide security researchers with special iPhones to help them discover bugs before hackers do, according to Bloomberg. The iPhone program had been rumored earlier this week.

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  • The Note 10s camera can can 'zoom-in' on sounds

    The camera on Samsung's newly revealed Galaxy Note 10 features a "state of the art" camera system with overhauled video tools that allow users to focus on a particular part of a scene. Specifically, it features a "Zoom-In Mic" feature that can amplify audio and focus on sound happening in the frame while pushing out background noise. The feature was announced during Samsung's Unpacked 2019 event.

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  • NHTSA sent Tesla cease-and-desist over Model 3 safety claims

    Documents obtained by nonprofit advocacy group PlainSite show that the United States National Highway Traffic Administration sent automaker Tesla a cease-and-desist letter urging the company to stop making certain claims about the safety of the Model 3. The agency also subpoenaed Tesla in order to obtain information regarding a number of crashes involving the company's cars.

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  • Twitch will stream Team USA basketball games

    USA Basketball has had a hard time getting players to participate in the upcoming FIBA World Cup, but the organization has managed to lock down one position: its streaming partner. Today, Twitch announced that it will be the exclusive home for live streaming content from USA Basketball's men's and women's teams. The content will be available to watch live at twitch.tv/nba, with full on-demand videos available to fans shortly after the end of each broadcast.

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  • Sony is using AI to replace drummers, one beat at a time

    Sony is the latest company to dip its toes into AI-powered music. The company revealed this week that its researchers have created a machine learning model that can create kick-drum tracking. According to Sony, the artificial intelligence is capable of building "musically plausible" drum patterns based on existing instruments being used on the song.

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  • Burger King takes the Impossible Whopper nationwide August 8th

    Burger King announced today that it is adding the Impossible Whopper -- the chain's famous Whopper burger made with a plant-based patty from Impossible Foods -- to its menu nationwide. Starting on August 8th, you'll be able to go to any Burger King location in the United States and get your hands on the alternative meat burger.

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  • Cruel Google Maps trick marked livestreamer's mansion as a homeless shelter

    While most pranks that originate from YouTube are terrible, a recent one targeted at homeless people in Los Angeles was particularly abhorrent and cruel. According to the Los Angeles Daily News, a group of online pranksters connected with popular YouTuber Paul Denino -- better known by his online handle Ice Poseidon -- created a fake homeless shelter on Google Maps that directed people looking for a place to stay to a private mansion he was renting.

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  • Google researchers discovered serious iOS security flaws

    Six critical security vulnerabilities that were patched in the iOS 12.4 update released earlier this month were originally discovered by security researchers at Google. Natalie Silvanovich and Samuel Groß, two members of Google's Project Zero bug-hunting team, alerted Apple to the issues. Silvanovich will be laying out the details on several of the bugs and provide a demonstration of exploits in action at the Black Hat security conference set to be held in Las Vegas next week.

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