sochi
Latest
Russian authorities only accept real money
Now that the good people of Russia have been robbed of untold billions to fund corruption at the Sochi Olympics, their government would like to warn them of a much more serious danger: Bitcoin. The crypto-currency could easily lose its value, according to a statement from the country's central bank, and could draw citizens into unintentionally supporting illegal activity and "financing terrorism." In keeping with the tough stance adopted by China and India, but in contrast to the more laid back attitude taken in some other parts of the world, Russia's General Prosecutor's Office has also chimed in to describe Bitcoin as a prohibited "money substitute." It has reiterated that the country's only officially accepted currency is the rouble, preferably in a plain brown envelope.
Inhabitat's Week in Green: floating cities, vegetable synthesizer and a syringe that seals gunshot wounds
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. All eyes turned to Russia last week as the Winter Olympics kicked off in Sochi. The opening ceremony took place in the Fisht Olympic Stadium, a venue designed by Populous that was inspired by Fabergé eggs. But despite promises that this year's games would be zero-waste, environmental groups have countered that the event won't live up to its green claims. In other green design news, Paris is planning to turn abandoned underground metro stations into restaurants, auditoriums and even underground swimming pools. In London, a series of impressive origami-inspired pavilions popped up in Canary Wharf. In Abu Dhabi, Inhabitat obtained some exclusive photographs of the Al Bahr Towers, which are cooled with the world's largest computerized façade. A new study suggests that white roofs are actually more effective at fighting climate change than green roofs, but planning for climate change will require more than just a coat of white paint. Some prominent thinkers are suggesting that as ocean levels rise, we will be forced to build floating cities -- or at the very least, buildings that are better adapted to water.
Security researcher disputes NBC's Sochi 'hacking' experience
Hacked! As soon as you connect to the internet while at the Winter Olympics. Well, maybe not. There's been a bit of blowback from the report, even from the expert that NBC turned to during its report on online security in Sochi, Russia. To begin with, the team actually wasn't even there, they were in Moscow, and this points to a bigger issue: the hacking that NBC News experienced would have likely been the same regardless of location, as it happened while hitting up Olympic-themed websites and willingly downloading (hostile) Android apps. It had nothing to do with connecting to public WiFi, at least in the instances shown during the report. As Robert Graham pointed out at Errata Security, the only increase in hacking while being in Sochi comes for the geolocation data given to Google through your IP address, increasing the chances of sketchy Russian sites appearing in your results. (This can also be disabled within your Google account settings.) Advice for avoiding hacking if you're in Sochi (and well, anywhere) is pretty straightforward: don't visit shady sites, patch your programs (from browsers to Flash), get rid of not-so-secure elements (like Java), and if you're particularly nervous, switch on a VPN when you connect to public WiFi. The threat researcher quoted, Kyle Wilhoit, is looking to clarify a lot of the questions surrounding the admittedly brief report, although according to his Twitter feed, it's turning from a blog post into an academic paper. Update: Trend Micro researcher Kyle Wilhoit has posted his detailed blog post, confirming Graham's statements that the tests took place on devices operating without the latest updates, and that all attacks required some kind of user interaction. For the full layout of what did and did not happen in the demonstration -- despite any video edits to the contrary -- check out the post here.
Comcast is bringing its online Olympics coverage to Xfinity TV subscribers
By its nature, conventional TV offers limited coverage of large sports events like the Olympics -- much to the chagrin of fans. Comcast's Xfinity TV subscribers won't have that problem with the Sochi Olympics, though. The cable giant is bringing its NBC Sports Live Extra app to X1 set-top box owners for the first time, giving them 1,000 hours of live Olympics video streams that would previously have required a desktop browser or a mobile app. Comcast is augmenting its regular coverage with recent technology as well. X1 users in some regions will get to watch prime-time coverage through Xfinity On Demand as soon as the programming begins, and all Xfinity TV customers can use SeeIt to switch to an Olympics broadcast when it's mentioned on Twitter. While we'd like to see the NBC app available through other TV providers, it's still good news for athletics enthusiasts who insist on big-screen viewing.
Olympic athletes ordered to cover Apple logos during the games? and other news for Feb. 6. 2014
Update: The story regarding the "request to cover Apple logos" during the Olympics turns out to be a miscommunication, and not an overall instruction. Macworld has the story. The International Olympic Committee is telling all athletes to cover Apple logos on any mobile devices they use throughout the 2014 Winter Olympics. You see, Samsung is a sponsor, and its agreement guarantees that athletes may not mention competitors or display competitors' logos during Winter Olympics. Samsung's request is nothing new. Virtually every Olympic sponsor has similar clauses in their sponsorship contracts. The official Olympic Charter states that athletes must comply or else risk "removal of accreditation and financial penalties" or even disqualifications. The specific clause is known as "Rule 40" and, needless to say, is quite controversial. The International Olympic Committee, however, says Rule 40 is a necessity because without sponsors, the games could not take place. In other news: Square-Enix has launched Final Fantasy VI for iOS devices. Square-Enix says that all the graphics were "painstakingly recreated" for mobile devices. The game costs US$15.99. Apple has removed the popular Blockchain Bitcoin app from the App Store. Blockchain allowed users to send and receive Bitcoins to each other. The developer says Apple told him it was withdrawn "due to an unresolved issue," but notes that Apple did not specify what the issue was and that the app has been in the App Store for two years already. Apple has posted a new video called "On The Runway" on its iPhone page. The video uses re-edited footage that was shot using the iPhone 5s at the Burberry Fashion Show in London last fall. Apple has confirmed on its website that it will open its first retail store in Brazil on February 15. The store will be in the VillageMall luxury shopping center located in the Barra da Tijuca borough of Rio de Janeiro.
Daily Roundup: Xbox One update inbound, Sony Cyber-shot RX10 review 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.
With one day to go, the official NBC Olympics app is a bit of a mess
The 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics begin tomorrow, and if you haven't already seen the coverage from journalists who have arrived in Russia for the festivities, well, let's say there's a lot of work that clearly won't be done in time for tomorrow's opening ceremony. And it seems that same "unfinished" theme carries over to the official Olympics highlights and results app from NBC as well. The app is designed to be a one-stop shop for news from the games, and while I can't judge it on its promptness -- since there have been no results yet, of course -- the app has a number of issues. For starters, some of the images for the columns and video content are incorrectly cropped, leading to some squashed faces and otherwise ugly graphics. That's not really a deal-breaker, so we'll overlook it. Then there's the matter of the content itself not showing up after following a link from the front page of the app. Some stories seem to load fine, while others are simply nowhere to be found. You can click a teaser on the "What's Hot" list and get a blank page. That's a problem. On top of those two issues, there are all kinds of errors that pop up randomly on the top and bottom of the screen. I don't know what an "SSI file" is, but the app seems to have problems processing it. Oh, and there's a yellow bar at the bottom of the screen that reads "Base mobile - from 320px (20em) to 480px (30em)" which seems like some sort of formatting guide for the developers that was never taken out or cleaned up. All in all, it's kind of an embarrassing effort on NBC's part and definitely not worth downloading despite the fact that it's free. Unless they release the actual finished version, it'll remain a major disappointment.
Visitors to Sochi Olympics should expect to be hacked (video)
There's little question at this point that the logistics in Sochi, from hotel rooms to public infrastructure, are a mess, but one of the greatest threats to visitors is one they can't even see. According to NBC, it's a near-guarantee that connected devices are being watched by hackers within Russia, who use malware downloaded on smartphones and laptops to steal personal information. It can be assumed that visiting dignitaries, athletes and journalists face a particular risk when it comes to unauthorized access. NBC's Richard Engel came to Russia with brand-new gear littered with fake accounts, testing the waters while limiting exposure to his legitimate data and contacts. The "honeypot" was a success, with Engel's Galaxy S 4, Mac and Windows laptop all compromised within a day of arrival. If you're headed to Sochi (or anywhere else in Russia, for that matter), you should exercise extreme caution while browsing the web and opening email attachments. Hackers will likely need to get malware onto your machine in order to easily access files, but with deadline pressures and limited free time to surf online, it may be unreasonable to expect the majority of users to avoid falling victim to these attacks. In fact, many visitors may already be sharing their online movements with hackers, and with the exception of pulling the plug entirely, at this point there's little hope. According to NBC, the US State Department has informed Americans traveling to the Olympics that they should have "no expectation of privacy" while in Russia. And if a device is infected, it could continue transmitting information back to The Motherland long after tourists return home. At this point, clear tap water and a pillow on every bed may be the most some Olympics visitors can hope for.
Five apps to help you follow the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi
The Sochi 2014 Olympic and Paralympic Games start later this week with the opening ceremony slated for Friday, February 7. To keep track of the epic wins and the disappointing losses, you should check out one or all of these five apps below. NBC Sports Live Extra [iOS Universal; Free] The NBC Sports Live Extra app will provide a live stream of the games that covers all 15 sports and all 98 medal events. Some live streaming content on NBC Sports Live Extra will only be available to authenticated cable, satellite and telco customers via TV Everywhere. NBC also has a dedicated Olympics highlights and results app if you don't have time for the full stream and only want a brief synopsis of the results. Sochi 2014 Guide [iOS Universal; Free] The Official Sochi 2014 Guide may not have a live video stream, but it has everything else you need to follow the Olympic games, especially if you are there in Sochi. The app includes coverage of the Olympic Torch relay, venue information and breaking news. The app also has an event scheduler that you can customize with the competitions that you want to watch. The Games 2014 [iOS Universal; $2.99] The Games 2014 will help you follow the Olympic events and plan your viewing schedule. The app has information on the stadiums, events, sports, dates and medal winners. Each sport is easy to find and follow. There's also a handy feature that allows you to send your favorite events to your calendar. Sochi 2014 Results [iPhone; Free] This is the official Sochi 2014 Results application and, as such, it provides full details of the events of the XXII Olympic Winter Games and XI Paralympic Winter Games. Follow the medal races in real time and get quick access to the competition schedule and results. 2014 Team USA Road to Sochi [iOS Universal; Free] Read about the contingency of athletes the US is sending to Sochi to compete in the Winter Olympics. The app features biographies, results and performances for each athlete and a customizable feed that can be filtered to show only news from your favorite athletes.
Must See HDTV for the week of February 3rd: Walking Dead and Winter Olympics
After the Super Bowl, we will have to fill the hours with non-football things (until the NFL Combine, at least) and right on time we have the return of AMC's The Walking Dead this weekend. If you prefer the rush of sports action (and the thrill of high speed crashes in various downhill events) however, the 2014 Winter Olympic Games from Sochi also begin, with the first competition set for 3AM ET Saturday. In the US NBC is broadcasting hours of coverage across its channels (check out the schedule here), and streaming every event live online (if you have a cable TV subscription). Football fans can get their last taste of the game with the season finales of Inside the NFL and NFL Turning Point, while gamers can check out the Fable Anniversary collection. Check after the break for trailers plus our weekly listing of what to look out for in TV, Blu-ray and gaming.
Going to Sochi? Here's the free app you need to explore the area
Sochi is hosting the 2014 Winter Olympic Games next month, and for most visitors, it will be their first time in the Russian coastal city. Sochi is a free app that gives you places to see superimposed on a map of the city, locations of historical sites, loads of photos and even a guide to the area's cuisine. Since the app doesn't require an internet connection except for maps, it's a hefty 265 MB download. I won't be going to the Olympics, but I found the tour of the area to be fascinating. The area is on the Black Sea near the scenic Caucasus Mountains. It's Russia's largest resort city, and the nearby mountains are great for skiing and the other winter events. The cuisine guide was most interesting. The Shashlik (marinated meats on a skewer) and the stuffed peppers looked great. If you want additional detail on some of the historical sites, the Sochi app requires a US$3.99 additional purchase. My only gripe with the app revolves around the home screen. It's designed for landscape viewing, and in portrait mode, some of the icons are off screen. You can scroll to them, but there is no indication that they are actually there. Other related apps are Sochi 2014 Guide (free), and an app that focuses on US Olympic Team members called Team USA (free). The Sochi app is not an app that collects competition results, but it is an interesting look at the city and its culture. The app store has dozens of apps that will help you follow the results; just search on "Sochi" or "Winter Olympic Games." Sochi requires iOS 6 or later, and it's a universal app for all iOS platforms. It's optimized for the iPhone 5, but remember about those hidden home screen icons if you use it in portrait orientation.
Wii U message lists Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Winter Games for November 8 on eShop
A recent Wii U notification states that Mario & Sonic at the Sochi 2014 Winter Games will go for Wii U owners' gold "at midnight" via the console's eShop on November 8. The game's reveal trailer in May's Nintendo Direct showcased snowboarding, skating and bobsledding events. A more recent trailer announced that the game will have 16 events and make use of both the Wii Motion Plus and Wii U GamePad, with some events using both controllers - the Biathlon, for example, will use the Wii Remote for skiing and the GamePad for sniping targets.
Inside the giant batteries that will power Russia's Sochi Winter Olympic Games (video)
Clean and constant power is something that we take for granted here in the Americas. Sure, we've seen rolling blackouts in California before, and that outage in the Northeast back in 2003 was decidedly uncool, but those are the exception to the norm. Right now many Japanese citizens are dealing with power problems in the wake of the devastating tsunami, but in parts of Russia unreliable power is a decidedly reliable part of day-to-day life. So, what's going to happen when a couple-hundred-thousand fans from around the world swoop into Sochi in 2014, along with a flotilla of international media and all the world's greatest athletes? The Winter Olympics will happen, and the power will flow. It has to, and it will thanks to that unassuming looking shipping container above. It's being assembled at Ener1's facility outside of Indianapolis, and it's actually a giant battery holding an amazing amount of power -- enough to juice 1,000 average homes for an hour, or to act as the mother of all UPS's. Join us for a look inside and a video show how each of those packs is made. %Gallery-119744%
Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics set for (only?) an HD broadcast
Don't get us wrong, the news that Russia's first Winter Games will be in HD is great, obviously, but frankly we've become a bit spoiled as of late. We were figuring by 2014 they'd be moving beyond 3D, 1080p live broadcasts to straight 4K Silverlight streaming, or holograms, or something. Still, as high definition still spreads throughout Russia, for the moment at least, we'll pencil it in as "just" an HD Olympics, and be glad it's not the muddled mess of HDTV and widescreen SD we endured during the Torino Games in 2006.
