Hasta La Gadget!

Late least year, Microsoft rolled out a half dozen Bing Apps for Windows 8 users, each one focused on a specific category, such as travel and sports. The apps were designed to offer “immersive vertical experiences,” and now, about six months later, a big line of updates for them is being pushed out. Users can grab the updates now by heading into the Windows Store and selecting the updates notification.

The Bing Apps are comprised of News, Weather, Sports, Finance, Maps, and Travel. All six offer up content relevant to its category, having been created specifically for Windows 8, meaning they’re fast and work well. Each app is getting its own update that brings a variety of improvements and features unique to the app, such as the new ability to customize the News app to follow certain stories and topics you’re interested in. There’s also added support for RSS and reading offline.

New Maps features includes better driving, walking, and transit directions, the ability to save places you frequent as a start screen pin or favorite, and up-to-the-minute updates for things like construction and accidents. The Finance app, on the other hand, didn’t see much in the way of changes, gaining a refreshed watchlist, interactive charts that can be customized, and US stock updates in real time.

The Sports app gains 29 new sports leagues after updating, making for a total of 65 leagues across a variety of sports, including football, soccer, basketball, baseball, and more. The Travel app also got a bit of an update, gaining new content from Frommer’s, Lonely Planet, and Fodor’s. Flights can be booked from within the app, which is pretty convenient. And finally, there’s the Weather app, which now offers dynamic animated maps that show the weather into the future. Users can choose by cloud cover, temperature, and more.

[via Bing]

Bing Apps for Windows 8 get major updates is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Despite steadily advancing in version numbers, Skype for Windows Phone 8 has remained in a preview state for the past few months. It’s time for the app to enter the big leagues with its 2.5 update. The release is the first to drop the preview tag, mostly by fixing notable bugs with both video geometry as well as crashes when signing in with a Microsoft account. Frequent chatters may like that message notifications for Messenger friends are now active by default. There is one word of warning for HTC 8X owners: they’ll need the latest firmware to avoid a flaw that silences the microphone. Provided that’s no obstacle, though, we’d suggest swinging by the Windows Phone Store if you’re at all interested in Microsoft’s official mobile VoIP suite.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Microsoft

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Via: Skype, Joe Belfiore (Twitter)

Source: Windows Phone Store

The last we heard about TeleNav’s Scout GPS app was back in December, but the folks behind the popular navigation app are back with a new update. This time around, users will be able to take advantage of 3D buildings and landmarks while they navigate through unfamiliar cities, thanks to the SSAO technology that TeleNav has added on to the app.

TeleNav announced the update via their Twitter account, noting that the new 3D features will “give drivers a better view and navigation experience.” The feature will be available later this year, along with crowd-sourced traffic reporting like we’ve seen in Waze. It’s not said exactly when the update will hit, but hopefully it’s sooner rather than later.

TeleNav will rely on its 34 million subscribers to report various accidents and traffic jams around the country, and the app will update itself in real-time with the traffic information it receives from its users. This means that Scout will suggest faster alternate routes when it detects that you’re about to hit some heavy traffic.

The video above shows off the 3D buildings in a demo, and while you can clearly see the outlines of the buildings, they don’t get in your way of the navigation, and you can still through the buildings and look ahead to what roads you’ll be turning on. When the update eventually does hit, it’ll be available for both free and premium users of the app.

TeleNav’s Scout gains support for 3D buildings and landmarks is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

There’s no question that the Droid Bionic has had a rough life between long delays, a more popular cousin and slow updates. Both Motorola and Verizon may be making up for lost time, however — starting today, they’re pushing an Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update for the erstwhile flagship. The core updates will be familiar to anyone with a late 2012 Motorola phone, including Google Now and rich notifications. There are a few Droid Bionic-specific tweaks, including better data connectivity as well as removals of the preloaded Sling and (no longer relevant) MOG apps. A software update can’t erase any bitter memories, but it does show that the short-lived leader is getting long-term affection.

[Thanks, Jared]

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Google

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Source: Verizon

On Thursday, a man named Hugo Tesco demonstrated at the Hack in a Box security conference a way to hijack an airplane using an Android device – and nothing else. Obviously, such a claim drew quite a bit of attention, including from the Federal Aviation Administration and European Aviation Safety Administration, both of which have come forward with statements that it simply isn’t possible.

According to Tesco, an airplane could be hijacked because two aviation systems, the Automated Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast and the Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System, are unauthenticated and unencrypted. He acquired flight code software off eBay and a radio transmitter, and got to work with creating his plane hijacking method.

Tesco used the code to find vulnerabilities in virtual aircraft, and via these problems he used his Android app called PlaneSploit to take control of a Boeing jet in autopilot mode. Rockwell Collins, which is a company that make the systems that were hijacked, says the problem is that Tesco is using a virtual plane, and that such a method wouldn’t work with a real aircraft. The FAA agrees, publishing a statement that says:

“The FAA is aware that a German information technology consultant has alleged he has detected a security issue with the Honeywell NZ-2000 Flight Management System (FMS) using only a desktop computer … The described technique cannot engage or control the aircraft’s autopilot system using the FMS or prevent a pilot from overriding the autopilot. Therefore, a hacker cannot obtain ‘full control of an aircraft’ as the technology consultant has claimed.”

[via The Register]

Federal Aviation Administration says Android plane hijacking isn’t possible is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.