You probably know your phone can pinpoint your location for GPS, local search, or the weather. Hopefully, you also know that means your phone keeps track of everywhere you go, all the time. Don’t be alarmed—it’s the trade you make for the features you get. If it makes you uncomfortable, here’s how to opt-out.
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The Google EU antitrust case has been ongoing for quite sometime now. And while it seems to be never-ending, that isn’t necessarily due to Google slowing the process. They have offered concessions several times now, and several times they have been told to resubmit. And well, it looks like Microsoft and other complainants are still […]
If you’re an American abroad, the NSA could find out where you are right now, if they wanted to. According to documents leaked by Edward Snowden, the agency’s collecting 5 billion records a day on cell phone locations around the world. Some of those are from "incidentally" domestic cell phones.
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Shine, the quarter-sized activity tracker that attaches to your clothing, now has an app for Android. Until today, you could only sync the elegant little button to iOS devices. The device’s manufacturer, Misfit Wearables, is set to make the announcement today (Monday.) The Shine app for Android requires version 4.3 (Jelly Bean) or above, with […]
Remember all the fuss a couple years ago about Apple storing your location data from iPhone 4 handsets and the subsequent privacy lawsuits that resulted? Well, that’s all amounted to nothing for four of the plaintiffs, as their claims have just been dismissed in court by none other than Judge Lucy Koh. She said that those folks failed to show they had relied on any alleged Apple misrepresentations, and suffered no harm in any case. Shortly after the allegations were made in 2011, Apple countered that it was just using the data to improve connection times, and the only thing it did wrong was keep it for too long. As a result, it ended up patching the problem so that the offending file only stored your information for a week, instead of a year. Despite Koh’s ruling, Apple has paid out similar suits elsewhere, and still has up to 19 more to contend with stateside. Anyway, after what we’ve seen since then, the whole thing now seems downright quaint.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Apple
Source: Reuters
Google only has to pay $17 million for tracking people without their knowledge. The search giant just agreed to the sum to settle allegations from 37 states (and DC) that it added cookies to users’ computers without consent. Google stopped short of admitting to wrong-doing, though.
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Slovenia has became a hotbed for hardware startups during the past year and the newest one to come out of this Southeast European country is Chipolo – a simple to use Bluetooth-based item finder for iPhone and Android.
Designed and developed by two startups, Geartronik and Nollie Apps, Chipolo is a rounded sensor that connects to your smarthphone. It uses Bluetooth 4.0 and it acts like a simple tracker. Just download the app from the App Store or Google Play, connect your device to one or more Chipolo trackers and you’re good to go.
Guys behind the project are promising a solid 60 meter signal strength which makes it good for both indoor and outdoor use. Once the tracker goes out of the range, a notification is sent to your phone. If you don’t notice it, the app will mark the last known GPS location on the map which should get you in range of your lost item. If smartphone is the thing you’re missing, shake your Chipolo and the phone will start ringing.
The product made its debut on Kickstarter where it already raised more than $160,000 (ten times the amount of original pledge). Over 3,000 people backed the project with 9 days left on campaign.
At this time, only Android and iOS devices are supported with Windows Phone coming next year – making Chipolo the first device of it’s kinds to support this platform. It also comes equipped with a temperature sensor, which turns it into a Bluetooth thermometer for your smartphone.
The team has big plans and one of those is Chipolo Network. If your item is stolen and out of your smartphone’s range, other Chipolos will be able to track it if it’s in their range, hence sending you the relevant coordinates.
The product will come in nine colors and is scheduled to launch in January 2014.
When most people hear that Facebook upgrades are on the way, they’re probably not hoping for more tracking software. But according to a new Wall Street Journal report, that’s exactly what they’re going to get.
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Not content with its current range of fitness wearables, Fitbit is set to unveil an updated version of its Flex tracking device called the Fitbit Force. As spotted by The Verge, the Force will introduce a number of features that were omitted from the Flex but are present in its popular One tracker clip. One such feature is an altimeter that calculates your current altitude and the number of steps you have climbed over a 24-hour period. The second is that the Force will offer a digital watch face, effectively turning it into a fitness-focused smartwatch. This feature will give it an edge over some of its wearable rivals — most notably the Jawbone Up.
Although Fitbit has yet to announce its new product, the company has been taking steps to update its website, uploading a sizing guide for black and slate models of the wristband, as well as early listings for replacement clasps (which have since been removed). We were able to access some of Fitbit’s promotional material, which highlights the Force’s different measurements metrics, and have included some of them in the gallery below. Apparently the Force will be priced at $129.95, $30 more than the Flex, when it goes on sale — but when that is, only time will tell.
Filed under: Wearables
Via: The Verge
E-ZPass is probably the best thing that’s ever happened to paying tolls. Those plastic funnels you toss coins into are a close second. But E-ZPass has a bonus feature. It can be used to track you everywhere you go.
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