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Crucial iPhone source code posted in unprecedented leak (updated)
Critical, top secret Apple code for the iPhone's operating system was posted on Github, opening a new, dangerous avenue for hackers and jailbreakers to access the device, Motherboard reported. The code, known as "iBoot," has since been pulled, but Apple may have confirmed it was the real deal when it issued a DMCA takedown to Github, as Twitter user @supersat noted.
SpaceX confirms it lost the center core of the Falcon Heavy
SpaceX pulled off quite the feat today when it launched the Falcon Heavy rocket. What's more, it landed the two flanking boosters in perfect synchronized formation. But the fate of the core booster was unclear; now it appears that the center booster, which was supposed to land on a drone ship, was lost.
Tesla’s big battery is undercutting Australia’s energy cartels
When Tesla installed the world's largest lithium-ion battery in South Australia last year, it came with the promise that it would revolutionize the way electricity is produced, stored and sold in a region known for blackouts and market monopolizing. Less than two months later, that promise has been delivered to the tune of a multimillion-dollar saving, as the Tesla big battery essentially noped an attempt by Australia's energy cartel to capitalize on power fluctuations and send the market into overdrive.
Elon Musk sells all 20,000 $500 Boring Company flamethrowers
Just a few days after opening pre-orders for $500 Boring Company-branded flamethrowers, Elon Musk has announced that all 20,000 have been sold. That's $10 million in sales for a product that will ship in spring (hopefully) on a website that admits it's overpriced and said: "You can definitely buy one for less elsewhere." At least, according to Musk, each order will come with a complimentary fire extinguisher, and, of course, will help fund his tunnel-digging exploits. If you missed out and absolutely must have a flamethrower ASAP, there are others available. USA Today points out the XM42-M from Ion Productions Team that's a bit more expensive at $899, but promises a range of over 30 feet. If it absolutely must be Musk, however, don't despair -- he tweeted that a "snowthrower" would be fun.
Amazon gets into healthcare with Warren Buffet and JPMorgan
Amazon just took a surprising turn into the healthcare industry, teaming up with investing hero Warren Buffet and New York-based bank JPMorgan Chase, the Washington Post reports. The project is still in the planning stages, so there isn't yet a lot of info on what form it will take. The idea, however, is to reduce costs while improving patient care with the aid of technology. "The ballooning costs of (health care) act as a hungry tapeworm on the American economy," Berkshire Hathaway founder Warren Buffet said in a statement.
White House says it’s not considering a national 5G network
Yesterday, Axios reported that the Trump administration was considering the option of a government-controlled 5G network. Documents obtained by Axios showed that Trump's national security team had proposed a couple of options, including one where the US government funds and constructs a single network, aimed at protecting US networks from Chinese cyberattacks. However, Recode now reports that those documents were outdated and their proposed plans are not actively being considered by the administration.
Researchers create 'true' 3D holograms by trapping particles
SciFi movies like Star Wars and Avatar depict holograms that you can see from any angle, but the reality is a lot less scintillating. So far, the only true color hologram we've seen come from a tiny, complicated display created by a Korean group led by LG, while the rest are just "Pepper's Ghost" style illusions. Now, researchers from Brigham Young University (BYU) have created a true 3D hologram, or "volumetric image," to use the correct term. "We can think about this image like a 3D-printed object," said BYU assistant prof and lead author Daniel Smalley.
Nintendo Labo: Overpriced or innovative?
Weird Nintendo is often the best Nintendo, or so it is said. After all, two of its biggest successes (the Wii and the Switch) are far from ordinary consoles. Now, with a year of huge Switch sales behind it, Nintendo is getting even weirder with Labo -- cardboard accessories that kids can build themselves and use to immerse themselves in a game's world. So far, Nintendo has shown off a mini piano, fishing rod, robot fighting suit, remote-controlled robot walkers ... and what amounts to a cardboard house with your Switch screen built right into the middle. All of these are controlled in some way by the Switch Joy-Cons. It's incredibly unusual and rather expensive (the initial sets start at $70), but it's also the kind of thing that only Nintendo would dream up. Of course, the company's imagination sometimes takes it to places that don't work as well (Wii U, Virtual Boy, the list goes on). Many of Engadget's editors had immediate reactions to Nintendo's Labo, ranging from disgust to extreme excitement -- here are some of the things we've been thinking in the day since Labo was made official.
Watch the first footage from Kodak’s reborn Super 8 film camera
Even if you think film has had its day, there's no denying that it evokes a dreamy nostalgia that digital video can't match. Kodak got a lot of folks, including A-list Hollywood directors, excited about its hybrid Super 8 camera based on that idea, and it has now revealed the first footage that seems to deliver on that promise. Shot by cinematographers like Nick Green and GQ fashion photographers, the video reveals the soft grain, organic-looking flares, low resolution and high contrast you (might) love with Super 8 film.
Apple says slower performance of older iPhones is intentional
You're not alone if you've noticed a slowdown in the performance of your older iPhone. The thing is, it may be more related to your battery than the phone itself. After a post on Reddit and a followup by benchmarking software Geekbench's founder, Apple told TechCrunch that it released a fix for premature shutdowns last year for iPhone 6, 6s and SE by smoothing out CPU demand when a battery is older, cold, or just low on juice. Apple also said that it recently extended this slowdown feature to iPhone 7 devices running iOS 11.2, and plans to "add support for other products in the future."
This is Magic Leap’s mixed reality headset
We've been following the development and rumors surrounding Magic Leap's glasses for awhile. Now, we finally have something official: The company revealed the Magic Leap One: Creator Edition headset on Twitter this morning. The mixed-reality glasses will ship in 2018, and while preorders aren't yet open (and there's no price point), you can sign up to be the first to know when it's available.
Hackers shut down plant by targeting its safety system
Hackers have already attacked critical infrastructure, but now they're launching campaigns that could have dire consequences. FireEye reported that a plant of an unmentioned nature and location (other firms believe it's in the Middle East) was forced to shut down after a hack targeted its industrial safety system -- it's the first known instance of a breach like this taking place. While the digital assault was clearly serious in and of itself, there are hints that it could have been much worse.
The FCC has repealed net neutrality
During today's open meeting, the FCC's proposal to repeal net neutrality protections put in place in 2015 was put to a vote and it passed, three votes to two. As was widely expected, the three Republican members -- Chairman Ajit Pai and Commissioners Michael O'Rielly and Brendan Carr -- voted in favor of the proposal while Commissioners Mignon Clyburn and Jessica Rosenworcel, both Democrats, voted against it.
People are mortgaging their houses to buy Bitcoin
Bitcoin is sitting at $16,674 at the time of writing, after rocketing from $1,000 to more than $19,000 in the course of this year. Those types of eye-catching numbers (and the resulting media hype) are bound to draw the interest of casual folk. But, unless you've got money to burn (like Bitcoin billionaires, and Zuck's Harvard-era nemeses, the Winklevoss twins), most analysts will tell you the same thing: steer clear of the hyper-volatile currency. (Even those dabbling in it have lost tons of cash to cyberattacks on Bitcoin wallets).
Uber paid off a 20-year-old Florida man to destroy hacked data
More details are coming to light about Uber's huge data breach. Reuters is reporting that a 20-year-old Florida man was behind the 2016 extortion-oriented cyberattack and was paid through the firm's bug bounty program. We know that the individual, whose identity Uber refuses to disclose, received $100,000 for destroying the info, which exposed the personal data of roughly 57 million customers and drivers. The ride-hailing firm then kept quiet about the breach for more than a year. You can bet Congress and the five states investigating Uber will be paying close attention to any new nuggets of info.
Tesla’s Gigafactory might be behind a global battery shortage
Tesla has been besieged by reports of production delays and quality control issues lately, and now it's coming under fire for problems at its Gigafactory, which have led to a global shortage of cylindrical batteries. According to sources quoted by etnews, it's now "impossible" to purchase cylindrical batteries in Japan -- where most of the world's electronics manufacturing happens -- because Gigafactory has hoovered up the supplies needed to create them, but has failed to do so.
The iPhone 8 goes up against the Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus
Before you start throwing down cash for new phones like a Grinch post heart-expansion, watch our video to directly compare more factors than just name brand and price on two of the most popular phones. The iPhone 8 and Galaxy S8 Plus are both less than $1000 (no thanks, iPhone X) but still expensive, beginning at $699 and $825, respectively.
Google will enlist 10,000 employees to moderate YouTube videos
YouTube had its hands full lately, dealing with disturbing channels and videos masquerading as family-friendly offerings. Now, YouTube chief Susan Wojcicki has explained how the platform plans to keep a closer eye on the videos it hosts going forward by applying the lessons it learned fighting violent extremism content. Wojcicki says the company has begun training its algorithms to improve child safety on the platform and to be better at detecting hate speech. To be able to teach its algorithms which videos need to be removed and which can stay, though, it needs more people's help. That's why it aims to appoint as many as 10,000 people across Google to review content that might violate its policies.
Facebook rolls out a Messenger app just for kids
It's no surprise that kids are using technology at a pretty young age these days, and a key part of that is using it to communicate with friends and family. But most kids tend to use tablets or iPod Touches that don't have phone numbers, so normal texting and video chats are a no-go (unless it's with mommy's phone, which isn't always great for mommy). Sure you could use an app like FaceTime or Hangouts, but most of them don't offer the kind of control that parents want, especially for really young kids. Facebook, however, has come up with a solution. It's called Messenger Kids and yes, it's basically a standalone child-friendly Messenger app with parental controls baked right in.
Coinbase must share users' cryptocurrency data with the IRS
Coinbase will be forced to share the financial information of 14,355 users with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), following a California federal court ruling. The move follows a year-long battle between the cryptocurrency company and the IRS, which believes a high number of customers are failing to report holdings on their taxes. Coinbase has some six million users, but fewer than 1,000 have officially declared cryptocurrency activity.
