Hasta La Gadget!

This beach house in Connecticut was photographed with drones.

(Credit: Video screenshot by Tim Hornyak/CNET)

Anyone want to buy this heap in Connecticut for $7.6 million? No? What if you can see it from a flying robot’s perspective?

Until recently, most real estate agents could only show off headshots with fake gigawatt smiles to distinguish themselves from the competition. But some have been using drones for years to sell luxury homes.

New York-based Halstead Property shot exterior and interior footage of this sprawling beach house in Darien, Conn. Featured on “The Today Show” months ago, it’s still for sale.

The agency has commissioned similar photography for hundreds of multimillion-dollar properties. Video reels highlight the best features of homes with high-def, cinematic footage from drones that fly over, around, and inside them.

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Last week Target revealed that it had suffered a massive security breach in which 40 million credit and debit card numbers had been compromised. The retailer said that the “sophisticated” hack lasted 19 days but didn’t say exactly how it went down. Numerous reports started circulating a few days back about the possibility of encrypted bank PINs having been compromised as well, Target initially denied it, but now it has confirmed that hackers were able to steal encrypted credit and debit card PINs.

A spokeswoman for the retailer made this confirmation, while saying that the PIN numbers should be “safe and secure” because hackers can not decrypt them without having the required keys. Since Target doesn’t store encrypted keys, they couldn’t have been stolen in the hack, which is why the retailer is certain that despite encrypted bank PINs being stolen there’s not much that the hackers will be able to do with them. Target’s independent payments processor has the necessary keys, and so far there haven’t been any reports of that payments processor being hit with a similar breach. Nevertheless, a major U.S. bank which spoke to Reuters is concerned that hackers will ultimately be able to crack the encryption, which would allow them to wreak havoc on associated bank accounts. Those who shopped at Target and paid through plastic should considering changing their PINs and keeping a close eye on their account activity.

Target Confirms That Encrypted PINs Were Stolen In Massive Security Breach original content from Ubergizmo.

If you’re a health buff or if you have food allergies, you probably have a mental list of edibles to avoid. But how can you be sure that the food that’s in front of you is up to your standards? That’s the idea behind TellSpec. It’s a small scanner that can supposedly tell you what’s in your food.

TellSpec has two primary parts: a low-power laser and a spectrometer. Simply put, substances in food reflect light from the laser in distinct ways. The spectrometer analyzes and records the reflections, then TellSpec sends this data online using your mobile device. The results are displayed on your device as well via an app. TellSpec can identify the amount of calories and sugar on the scanned item, as well as the presence of preservatives and allergens such as nuts and gluten. It can scan through plastic and glass so you can use it while buying or browsing food.

TellSpec’s app can do more than just identify ingredients. It can also keep track of your calorie intake and even help you self-diagnose if you’re allergic to a particular substance. Here’s a demo of a very early prototype of the TellSpec:

Looks like they’ve got a long to go to get the device down to size. But if you’re willing to take the gamble, you can pre-order TellSpec online for $320 (USD). There are also pre-order bundles for family use and for developers. Because it uses a cloud service, TellSpec will also require a subscription. When you buy the device, you get one year of free service but after that you need to pay either $7 a month or $70 a year for it to keep working. Check out TellSpec’s website or their Indiegogo campaign page for more info.

[via The Red Ferret Journal]

LG today launched its new Pocket Photo 2.0 “smart mobile printer,” touted as an excellent travel companion, this nifty little printer can connect through NFC and Bluetooth with Android and iOS mobile devices and let users print custom 5.1 x 7.6cm photos. The new LG Pocket Photo is 4mm thinner than its predecessor but it doesn’t compromise on performance. In fact, the new model offers more prints per charge, 30 to be precise, with each printed picture being rendered at 313 dpi or dots-per-inch. To begin printing, all users have to do is download the free Pocket Photo editing app and connect their smartphone or tablet with it.

The app has been updated as well, it features an expanded range of customization options. There is a new set of filter effects and a clever frame augmentation feature. Users will also be able to embed QR codes into photos printed through the LG Pocket Photo. To print photos, the printer employs ZINK technology, which eliminates the need for ink cartridges, ribbons or toner. The technology uses heat to fire up the necessary color-forming chemistry, which is already imbedded in each sheet of paper. The new LG Pocket Photo Printer will be available in pink, jewel white and lime yellow, it is already available for purchase in China whereas global roll out is scheduled in 2014. The Korean company will be showcasing this gadget at the Consumer Electronics Show 2014 next month.

New LG Pocket Photo Printer Launched original content from Ubergizmo.

Earlier this year a fellow called Edward Snowden made some earth shattering revelations about the various electronic spying programs of the NSA. The leaked documents listed a number of globally recognized companies such as Apple, Google and Yahoo, though the companies initially denied having any knowledge of the agency’s programs. Interest in encrypted messaging services surged after these revelations, which is when Cryptocat’s popularity reached new heights. iPhone users waiting for an app should give up on waiting, Apple has rejected Cryptocat’s app for its smartphones.

Cryptocat is popular due to its ease of use, it simply lets two users exchange messages using end-to-end encryption. Nadim Kobeissi, who developed the app, was quite vocal on Twitter against Apple’s decision to reject the app. Since he’s bound to a non-disclosure agreement which is part and parcel of the Apple developer program, he can’t go into details as to why the app was not approved, but he believes that the reasons he was given were “illegitimate.” However, it is interesting to note that Cryptocat is available for download from the Mac App Store, which has similar guidelines for developers as the iOS App Store. So perhaps it really doesn’t have to do with Apple’s reluctance in approving Cryptocat for iPhone, perhaps it really has found something during the approval process which has compelled it enough to stop it from being listed on the App Store. Kobeissi, on the other hand, is “seriously considering lawyering up.”

Encrypted Messaging Service Cryptocat’s iPhone App Rejected original content from Ubergizmo.