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FBI investigates fake texts sent to House Republicans
Law enforcement is looking into one of the stranger digital attacks against US politicians in recent memory. The Wall Street Journal has learned that the FBI is investigating fake text messages sent to "several" Republicans in the House of Representatives, including Illinois' Adam Kinzinger. The currently mysterious perpetrator posed as VP Mike Pence's press secretary, Alyssa Farah, and asked representatives for both their availability for meetings and the whereabouts of other politicians.
Clinton campaign considered Tim Cook and Bill Gates for VP
One of the nuggets of information to come from the Podesta emails leaked by Wikileaks is a correspondence that lists business and tech leaders as potential running mates for presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. If you're running against a business man, you might as well fight commerce with commerce.
How to watch the US vice presidential debate
In this US election, the vice presidential debate matters more than ever -- both the Democrats' Tim Kaine and the Republicans' Mike Pence have had relatively little time in the limelight beyond their home states. You may want to watch just to see where they stand, not to mention how they handle themselves on the national stage. But how to do that online? Never fear: we've rounded up the major streaming options that you'll have when the VP debate starts at 9PM Eastern.
Twitter will livestream the US Presidential debates
Twitter made it a point to livestream the Democratic and Republican national conventions, and it's keeping up that trend of political involvement now that it's debate season. The social network is partnering with Bloomberg to livestream both the US Presidential and Vice Presidential debates, which start on September 26th. Each stream will be available worldwide through the web (at debates.twitter.com, which isn't live yet) and Twitter's official apps, with Bloomberg providing commentary and analysis. We can't promise that the debates will be deep, insightful discussions that help you make an informed decision on election day, but you at least won't have to put down your phone to watch the political circus in action.
Where the would-be vice presidents stand on cybersecurity
Aside from sound bites on Russia and hacking, where Clinton and Trump stand on cybersecurity issues is generally unclear. In fact, they've devoted little time to this crucial and urgent subject. Which is weird in light of the epic amount of hacking shenanigans this presidential race has compelled us to endure. When it comes to cybersecurity, neither Clinton nor Trump has a position, a statement, a plan or a section in their "Issues" sections of their campaign websites. Only Clinton's website mentions it -- in passing: once on China's accountability to the U.S., and then again in a little line stating she will work to promote "cybersecurity at home and abroad." You'd think either one of them would have something substantial on a topic that's simultaneously consuming the nation and making them both look foolish. But apparently, that's where their VPs are supposed to come in and take up the very troubling amount of cybersecurity neglect we're witnessing. Which, as you'll see, is pretty lopsided.
Senior VP Bob Mansfield removed from Apple's leadership page (updated)
It could mean nothing, but it could mean everything. As of this morning, Bob Mansfield was still a senior vice president at one of the world's most iconic technology firms. As of now, his leadership bio is nowhere to be found on Apple's official web presence. If you'll recall, Mansfield has had an interesting couple of years at Apple. In June of 2012, he abruptly announced that he was retiring. A couple of weeks later, he publicly addressed mounting criticism regarding Apple's computers and their relationship with EPEAT, seemingly putting the kibosh on said retirement. A few weeks following that, Mansfield actually got a promotion, with his responsibilities growing once again during the executive shakeup of October 2012. It's unclear if someone accidentally deleted the profile of one of Apple's most important figureheads (read: unlikely), or if Mr. Mansfield truly has stepped aside, but we'll be reaching out to Apple in hopes of clarifying things. Update: Reuters' Poornima Gupta is reporting that Mansfield is "no longer with Apple's executive team, but will remain at Apple working on special projects reporting to Tim Cook."
Apple promotes pair of execs to Senior VP level, Bob Mansfield to hang around after all
It's a day of upheaval in the boardroom at Apple -- in the good sense. Remember how Hardware Engineering Senior VP Bob Mansfield said he would retire in June? He's had a change of heart and will keep working on future products. Meanwhile, two of the vice presidents who've been mainstays of Apple's recent plans, Mac Software Engineering VP Craig Federighi and Hardware Engineering VP Dan Riccio, have been promoted to Senior VP. All three will report directly to CEO Tim Cook, and both Federighi as well as Riccio will get their first turns at Apple's executive management team. While the shift isn't going to signal a dramatic change in strategy, it's notable that Riccio's role is expanding: he's moving from his earlier iPad focus to overseeing all the hardware Apple makes. We can only guess at what the ultimate goals might be for the new assignments, although we can imagine Apple jumping through hoops to keep a hardware executive as skilled as Mansfield on its side.
Apple's VP of Europe steps down after 12 years
French newspaper Le Figaro is reporting that Pascal Cagni is stepping down from his position as Apple's vice president of Europe. Cagni was hired by Steve Jobs in 2000 and has served as Apple's European VP for 12 years. He was responsible for Apple's explosive growth in the EMEA region, which saw revenue grow from US$1 billion to $19 billion per year under his leadership. This resignation hasn't been confirmed by Apple or Cagni and, as pointed out by The Next Web, Cagni's LinkedIn account has not been updated. Given the newness of this change, this radio silence is expected. [Via The Next Web]
HP on laptop design similarities with Apple's: it's a struggle as we drive to simplicity
HP's spent the afternoon here in Shanghai to share some details about its latest products and strategy, and to our delight, there was one session dedicated to "Style Meets Function," during which Vice President of Industrial Design Stacy Wolff talked about his design philosophy and design goals for the current market. Most notably, we learned that some of HP's latest laptop designs were based on the work of its research centers from 11 different cities, and the company isn't afraid of admitting that it used consultants for an outside perspective as well. Despite Stacy's upbeat presentation and interesting stats (apparently these days men have a boring color preference, from first to fourth favorite: black, gray, blue and white), the inevitable question popped up: One lady expressed her concern that the brand-spanking-new Envy Spectre XT reminded her of the MacBook Air a lot, so she wondered if HP's ever worried that Apple might sue. Stacy kept his initial reply pretty brief: "I would go back to the TC1000 [Tablet PC] from about 10 years, and that's a tablet. I think if you look at the new Spectre XT, there are similarities in a way, not due to Apple but due to the way technologies developed. Apple may like to think that they own silver, but they don't. In no way did HP try to mimic Apple. In life there are a lot of similarities." As always, we wanted more from the horse's mouth, so we grabbed hold of Stacy right after the session and had a little chat over this topic -- you can see the full and surprisingly candid interview after the break.
Windows Phone exec exits five months after being poached from Samsung
Microsoft's Gavin Kim was a high-profile capture for Redmond, as it poached the former Samsung and Motorola exec to bolster its Windows Phone marketing team. Now, just five months into the job, he's departing after marshaling the "Smoked by Windows Phone" campaign into the world. The company wouldn't go into specifics beyond saying that it was a personal decision to leave and Microsoft bears him no ill will -- but then that's what they always say. He'll be replaced by Eugene Ho, who now has the job of continuing the burgeoning platform's upward trajectory and winning around those European carriers who've greeted it with little more than apathy.
Samsung promotes DRAM chief to vice chairman, implements 'top-two' structure
Samsung reshuffled its managerial hierarchy yesterday, promoting Kwon Oh Hyun, head of its DRAM operations, to vice chairman. Kwon, who successfully steered Samsung through an industry-wide price slump last quarter, will continue to head up the company's chip and LCD divisions, while working alongside Jung Yeon Joo -- the former CEO of Samsung C&T Corporation who was also promoted to vice chairman. The restoration of this "top-two" structure was one of several moves the Samsung Group made on Wednesday, including the announcement of six new presidents. Kwon's advancement, however, is certainly the most noteworthy. As the Korea Times reports, the move has already garnered speculation among industry observers, some of whom believe that Kwon's new position signifies Samsung's equal commitment to both component and product divisions. In a statement, Samsung praised the executive for navigating its DRAM business through choppy economic waters, while crediting him for the "strengthening of Samsung's market leadership in memory products." Read more at the source links below.
Anand Chandrasekher resigns from Intel after 24 years, leaves scandal mongers hanging
Well, as tech industry resignations go, this one's not exactly sensational, but Anand Chandrasekher's plan to leave Intel is no doubt a popular topic of conversation with chip makers this week. The chief of the company's Ultra Mobility Group (UMG) and the man behind Atom, apparently resigned "to pursue other interests." Intel Architecture Group's Mike Bell and Dave Whalen will co-manage UMG in Chandrasekher's stead -- and that's about it for sordid details. His resignation isn't apt to be marked by a Mark Hurd-style scandal, and we have a feeling this is a pretty straight forward changing of the guards, but, then again, we said the same thing when Dirk Meyer left AMD.
HP's Todd Bradley all but confirms webOS tablet for February 9th event, promises even more devices
We do love to hear from loquacious execs, and HP's Todd Bradley has been the very definition of one in an interview conducted with CNBC during CES. In a discussion revolving around webOS, Bradley was asked how HP intends to differentiate itself from the iPad and improve upon it, to which he quipped, "you and I will talk about that on the 9th." If that's not a confirmation that we'll finally have our unicorn of a webOS tablet next month, we don't know what is. Even more encouraging is the implication further on in the interview that HP could have debuted this slate at CES, but opted to do an unveiling at a separate event so as to properly highlight just how awesome it is. But wait, there's yet more good news for webOS fans: Bradley's crew sees its upcoming tablet as just "one piece" of the connected experience that is the company's goal and we're promised to be enlightened about a broad range of webOS devices at the February 9th event in San Francisco, though the lack of any Palm namedrops seems to suggest they might not bear the name of their maker. Even if they're called iPaqs, we just want to see them already!
Nokia's Peter Skillman talks design priorities, gives us hope for a sunny MeeGo future
A day before jetting off to London to commence his role as MeeGo's head of User Experience and Services, Peter Skillman was kind enough to sit down with the design junkies at ZURB and dish out his thoughts on what makes for good mobile design and where it is that most companies trip up. Lest you forget, this is the dude that was in charge of putting the Palm Pre together, so he's not exactly without credence in these circles. Which is a good thing, because he doesn't bother with pulling any punches. Peter namedrops Motorola's Motoblur as an unnecessary layer on top of Android, criticizes the failure of different groups within companies to communicate effectively, and finishes off his treatise with a list of priorities for successful design: consistency, emotional content, and a paranoid fear of mediocrity. Inspiring stuff, we're sure you'll agree. Other tidbits of import include the fact that Pete had to withstand nine days of interviews before getting the Nokia job, and also this memorable quote on the topic of smartphones: "if you're not succeeding at the high end, then you're absolutely doomed to failure." We've been saying the same thing for ages and it's encouraging to know that Nokia now has an exec with his finger on the market's pulse. Now let's see him deliver on those words. You'll find the full interview at the source link below.
Nokia hires Peter Skillman, former Palm Design VP, as MeeGo user experience chief (update: confirmed)
Now this, this is what we call exciting. Nokia has managed to scoop up Peter Skillman from the wreckage of the HP/Palm merger. One of the many senior VPs to leave Palm upon its assimilation into the HP empire, Peter spent 11 years with his previous employer and was in charge of the design team that produced the deliciously curvaceous Palm Pre. Now at Nokia, he'll be heading up the user experience and services division for MeeGo, which means that if you weren't excited for the platform already, you've now got a very good reason to be. Update: We met with Marko Ahtisaari, Senior Vice President of Design at Nokia, to get comment on this story. His response? "Right, I just hired him." So why not announce it, we asked, this is pretty big news? According to Marko, "We have products today, products are more interesting. Peter is looking after the user experience design of MeeGo and services and is a great new addition to the team." Marko's team, to be specific. To us this seems like another component that could help Nokia break into the US market with MeeGo. [Thanks, Dave]
Nokia's Anssi Vanjoki resigns, the search for a new smartphone chief begins
Holy moly, it's all gone topsy turvy over in Nokia's camp. After Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo was given his marching orders on Friday, this week it's the turn of Anssi Vanjoki -- who only recently became the company's Mobile Solutions leader -- to announce his departure. Anssi has handed in his requisite six-month notice along with the following statement: "I felt the time has come to seek new opportunities in my life. At the same time, I am one hundred per cent committed to doing my best for Nokia until my very last working day. I am also really looking forward to this year's Nokia World and sharing news about exciting new devices and solutions." It doesn't take a rocket surgeon to recognize that Anssi's sudden desire to explore new opportunities is at least in part motivated by Nokia's choice to install Stephen Elop as its future CEO at the expense of good old OPK. Still, you've got to think there could've been a better time to announce such heart-stopping news, maybe after your company's most pivotal Nokia World convention in recent memory? [Thanks, Ted]
Intel snaps up former Palm and Apple VP Mike Bell for its smartphone push
Seriously, what the hell did HP acquire when it bought Palm? A bunch of pretty patents and a rapidly dwindling talent pool, it would seem. Mike Bell, a celebrated capture for Palm back in 2007 after 16 years at Apple, was most recently occupying the role of Senior VP for Product Development on Jon Rubinstein's team, but he has now switched allegiances to the blue team. Interestingly, though his address might change, his job spec will not -- Mike will act as Director of Smartphone Product Development in Intel's Ultra Mobility Group, where he'll "help build and lead a team to build breakthrough smartphone reference designs to accelerate Intel Architecture into the market." It's hard to imagine how Intel could signal its intent to be a big player in the smartphone realm any more forcefully. Click past the break for the full text of the internal email announcing Mike's arrival.
CE-Oh no he didn't!: Nokia's Anssi Vanjoki thinks cameraphones are about to make SLRs obsolete
From what we know of Anssi Vanjoki, he's a great guy and one that isn't afraid of admitting his company's mistakes. Alas, now we can also add to that dossier the ignominious fact that the fella doesn't seem to know how professional cameras work. Talking about the rapid improvement in cameraphone technology during a speech in Helsinki yesterday, Vanjoki said that very soon "there will be no need to carry around those heavy lenses." He's really enthusiastic about HD video coming to phones, which he predicts will be here within 12 months (if you ask Sony Ericsson, it's here already), but we just can't let that spectacular line about lenses slide. The glass you shoot through is, for a lot of people, the most important piece of photographic equipment and there are genuine reasons why said lenses are heavy, elongated, and typically unfriendly to pockets. Then again, this dude also thought the N-Gage was gonna be a success, so don't start selling off that glass stockpile just yet.
PS3 could debut in Europe for 500 euros, says SCEE exec
La PlayStation Trois! French gamers must be familiar with that combination by now, and if a certain Sony executive gets his way, the PS3 could be appearing in Europe for as low as 500 euros this fall.Apparently George Fornay (president of Sony Computer Entertainment France and vice president of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe) confirmed to Generation Europe 1, in French, that the PS3 could be priced around the 500 euro mark, most likely between 499 euros and 599 euros. For the unfiltered French audio, try the Play button near the middle of Europe 1's podcast page here.Such an estimated figure may include Europe's Value Added Tax (VAT), so the final price range in the States might well be lower than the current U.S. currency equivalent of roughly $600-$725 for those many euros. Of course, who's to say whether Mr. Fornay was simply speculating on a local podcast or whether he actually exhibited loose lips before the French press?[Thanks, Fan; also via Joystiq]
