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- Heartbeat Authentication May Unlock Smartwatch Mobile Payments
- OLEDNET Flexible Tablet Screen Folds into Thirds to Save Room
- Apple CEO Tim Cook Is ‘Proud to Be Gay’
- Assassin’s Creed Kitten Cosplay Is Deadly Cute
- Bluesmart Connected Carry-On Is a Futuristic Piece of Luggage
- Apple Pay Rival ‘CurrentC’ Gets Hacked, Email Addresses Stolen
| Heartbeat Authentication May Unlock Smartwatch Mobile Payments Posted: 03 Nov 2014 11:20 AM PST  Identity wearables company Bionym is currently working together with Mastercard to create a contactless mobile payment method that relies on heartbeat authentication. Many wearables already come with a heart rate tracker, so why not put that to some good use and rely on it for mobile payments? A pilot program that takes place in Canada this year includes several card-issuing banks that included their NFC chips from contactless credit cards into Bionym’s Nymi wristband. Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) Mastercard users will be the first “We’re continuing to work to provide customers increased choice how they pay,” mentioned RBC’s mobile payments head Jeremy Bornstein. “Once their wristband is activated, they can leave their phone at home while they go for a run or run an errand and conveniently and securely buy a coffee or groceries with a tap of the wrist.” Bionym’s contactless payment system for wearables could prove a real alternative to Apple Pay, which many stores (including some important pharmacy chains from the US) are reluctant to adopt. What’s unique about the biometric authentication implemented by Bionym is the heartbeat factor. When first put around the wrist, the Nymi bracelet reads the ECG (electrocardiogram) of the user, which is unique for every individual. Fingerprint sensors and retina scanners can be tricked into thinking that a certain person uses the system while in fact there’s a replica, but heartbeats are preeeetty difficult to fake and to hack. You never know how resourceful hackers really are, so let’s hope they don’t find a way around this, as well. In an interview with VentureBeat, Bionym’s founder and CEO Karl Martin pointed out that “We are a platform play,” meaning that the technology could make its way to other wearables, such as smartwatches and why not, even smart jewelry. The Nymi bracelet was first showcased in September 2013, so I can only conclude that in the meantime Bionym has searched for partners and found one in Mastercard. Now let’s hope that this partnership turns out to be fruitful and many banks adopt this unique biometric authentication. Be social! Follow Walyou on Facebook and Twitter, and read more related stories about the world’s first biometric credit card developed by Mastercard and Zwipe, or the Swedish biometric payment method that relies on vein patterns.         |
| OLEDNET Flexible Tablet Screen Folds into Thirds to Save Room Posted: 03 Nov 2014 09:56 AM PST  Even though Samsung promised us that curved displays would play a major role in its smartphones, the results weren’t that impressive, so it became Japanese firm SEL’s duty to develop a tri-foldable AMOLED display. The Semiconductor Energy Laboratory, aka SEL Co. Ltd., exhibited its foldable tablet AMOLED display at the Display Innovation 2014 tech show in Yokohama. This design is currently a prototype, so it’s fair to assume that it won’t make its way into a commercially viable product anytime soon. And yet, the concept proves us that future devices don’t need to be entirely flexible. Instead, they could have parts that bend so that the tablet can be stacked and put away in a format that takes way less room. SEL has been working on flexible displays for a while now, and has even showcased a smaller prototype in May 2013. The actual version measures 8.7″ in diagonal, so it would be suitable for a tablet. To indicate that’s the direction SEL is going, the foldable AMOLED screen is also equipped with a touch sensor. When folded in thirds, the bend point displays notifications in a way similar to the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Note Edge. If SEL’s foldable displays ever make it into a product, they’ll be far more functional than the South Korean tech giant’s, which seem to be too little, too late. In other words, I doubt the Note Edge will redeem Samsung for delaying the launch of curved displays so much. Sure, Galaxy Round also had a curved screen, but that didn’t come with any additional functionality. Samsung, LG, Sony and Sharp may be slower at innovating in this field, but it’s very probable that one of these tech giants will end up buying SEL’s flexible display technology. After that, they need to find a way to fit a flexible battery in a foldable tablet. I assume that one more convenient solution would be to make one of the folds bulkier in order to integrate the battery and the other electronic components.
The above clip exemplifies how the foldable AMOLED display works. It should be noted that the touch sensor is functional even if the screen is only partially folded. I’m looking forward to see how this technology will become part of our daily lives in the not-so-distant future. Be social! Follow Walyou on Facebook and Twitter, and read more related stories about HuddleLamp, which treats multiple tablets as a single display, or the bendable and foldable displays Samsung promised us two years ago.    |
| Apple CEO Tim Cook Is ‘Proud to Be Gay’ Posted: 03 Nov 2014 06:00 AM PST  Apple CEO Tim Cook comes on out in a blog post and reveals that he is ‘proud to be gay’.
As it stands, the majority of Americans support same-sex marriage, there are LGBTQ characters in mainstream television shows and it’s not unheard of for public figures to be called out over homophobia. But, these statements do not equal full equality. For example, in America being gay can get you fired in 29 states. In some places across the world being gay is a criminal offense and plenty have been forced to flee their home countries due to prejudice, so while the world is steadily becoming more progressive, for LGBTQ citizens things are not perfect. That’s why it’s so important then that Apple CEO Tim Cook has recently come out, revealing that he is ‘proud to be gay’ in a new blog post. Published on Bloomberg Businessweek, Cook was able to discuss his sexuality on his own terms, despite the fact that he is gay being highly speculated for some time. He wrote;
As the man in charge of one of the most important and influential tech companies in the world Tim Cook’s coming out makes him one of the most high profile figures to do so. And, while it may seem like a small thing (that many would argue is insignificant because ‘who cares if you’re gay!’) his reveal should be heralded, supported and praised because in the road to equality, this helps people to understand that being gay is neither wrong nor taboo. Cook’s statement shows people that being gay is normal and he adds that his coming out could even can help others who are struggling with their sexuality,
Despite Tim Cook’s coming out being a Very Big Deal, nothing will change at Apple and Cook very much still values his privacy. Those against gay people (or LGBTQ people in general) shouldn’t need to run for the hills, throwing their iPhones into ditches as they go because Apple was run by a gay man several days ago and all that’s different today is that he has finally addressed it. Cook also notes that Apple has long been a supporter of workplace equality, has defended same-sex marriage rights in their home state of California and they were also outspoken about anti-gay legislation in Arizona. They’ll now continue to “fight for [their] values” just as they did before and with a proud gay man at the helm we look forward to seeing Apple’s progressive attitudes continue. Source: Bloomberg Businessweek Be social! Follow Walyou on Facebook and Twitter, and read more related stories,How to Use Apple Pay Outside of the United States, 4 Amazing Product Reveals from Apple's iPad Event    |
| Assassin’s Creed Kitten Cosplay Is Deadly Cute Posted: 03 Nov 2014 05:00 AM PST  Don’t underestimate these furry assassins, they’re purrfectly trained bounty hunters.
Our geeky love for cosplay has now caught on with our feline friends. From the website that brings the Internet an endless daily supply of “the cute” from the animal kingdom, Cheeszburger.com, is a cast of kittens donning the shadowy robed figures of Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed. How effective would a legion of kitten assassins be in eliminating their target? Well, in this following video (made by YouTuber Mr.TVCow), apparently good enough to take out a bunch of British Redcoats. And in the most adorably possible way, too! Leaping off tiny ledges, jumping into small mounds of hay, and parkour-ing through rocky terrain. Now, I'm not so exactly sure how they take down their intended mark without having accurately-sized weapons (or how they would even hold them without opposable thumbs for that matter), but I'm going to guess their target's have strong cat allergies. Anyway, take a look! Source: Cheezeburger Be social! Follow Walyou on Facebook and Twitter! And for geeky antics around the web, like the news of Microsoft’s foray into the heath-wearables arena and the gaming cross-over of Angry Birds and Transformers, stay tuned right here!    |
| Bluesmart Connected Carry-On Is a Futuristic Piece of Luggage Posted: 02 Nov 2014 12:29 PM PST  It was about time suitcases received an upgrade! Bluesmart is a connected carry-on that’s aware of its location and weight, and can track the places it has been to, among many other things. Bluesmart may not be the first piece of luggage capable of weighing itself, as the TUL suitcase comes with a similar feature. However, the similarities pretty much stop there, and Bluesmart comes out as the obvious winner. Being connected on its own and helping people stay connected are two very important steps towards having an extremely pleasant experience while traveling. Right after picking it up from the handle, Bluesmart’s integrated weight sensors start transmitting data to the companion app via Bluetooth. A way to weigh in real time the things you need to take with you would’ve probably been better, but this still works wonders. The built-in scale will make sure you’re not charged extra when checking-in because your luggage is heavier than it should. Secondly, the Bluesmart suitcase is all about guarding your things. It includes a digital lock that is secured via the app, and when the suitcase feels it’s not near you, it locks itself up. If somehow it gets lost, all you need to do is fire up the app and see its location on the map. Mind you, the lock is compliant with TSA regulations, so they can open the suitcase if they need to. Not at last, this smart suitcase features a built-in charger so you can keep your mobile devices powered while waiting at the airport. Safety measures have been tighten in the recent past, and if you have mobile devices that don’t power on, you risk have them confiscated. When going through the security check, you can easily remove the electronic devices from the suitcase, as it features a separate compartment for them that unlocks easily. The connected suitcase is the subject of a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo at the moment. A very successful crowdfunding campaign, I might add, since it garnered more than 14 times the funding goal of $50K. The Super Early Adopter and Early Adopter spots are long gone, so if you want a Bluesmart carry-on, you will have to pledge at least $235, and you should receive yours in August 2015. For all the features it has, I’d say that this is quite a decent price.
Be social! Follow Walyou on Facebook and Twitter, and read more related stories about the Moveo electric scooter that folds up like a suitcase, or the bread slice travel suitcase.    |
| Apple Pay Rival ‘CurrentC’ Gets Hacked, Email Addresses Stolen Posted: 31 Oct 2014 06:00 AM PDT  With Apple Pay now taking off, the service’s biggest competitor CurrentC has just been hacked.
Announced back in September alongside the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, Apple Pay is the payment service that hopes to replace your wallet. Set to bring all of our payment options together, the benefits of Apple’s new payment project are great. Except, that is, for Apple Pay’s biggest competitor. Called CurrentC, the Apple Pay rival is run by the retail group MCX (which includes Walmart, Rite Aid and CVS Health) and is connected to people’s checking accounts rather than their credit cards. CurrentC’s plans to thwart Apple Pay became visible earlier this week when several MCX retailers refused to put Apple Pay systems in their stores, causing severe backlash from critics and consumers. It seems that the service has now hit another snag though, as CurrentC has just been breached by a hack. Taking place just yesterday, the CurrentC breach enabled hackers to steal user email address. Luckily, as CurrentC is still in testing, those figures aren’t terribly large but as the email address appear to have been stolen via a hack of the service’s backend rather than with email phishing (which tricks users into providing their info) there appears to be plenty to worry about. In an email to users, MCX said the following,
And, while they also added that they are “continuing to investigate this situation” this will be little solace to those already concerned about the service. People are already doubting CurrentC because of the large amounts of data it gathers from customers and their purchases, feeding that data back to the retailers and allowing them to use it for profit gains (e.g by changing pricing, marketing and possibly even sharing it with partners). Apple Pay on the other hand is completely anonymous with its data, which some would agree is a much safer option. So this hack will only validate those concerns then because if they struggle to keep a hold of email addresses now, how will this pan out when payment data and other more precious customer info is in the system? CurrentC is still in testing mode but security will absolutely need to fixed before the service launches. We’ll keep you posted once we know more. Source: TechCrunch Be social! Follow Walyou on Facebook and Twitter, and read more related stories, How to Use Apple Pay Outside of the United States, 4 Amazing Product Reveals from Apple's iPad Event
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