If you were worried that the universe presented in the smart city-toting Watch Dogs video game, you’ll be glad to know that the garbage bins wont be seeing you any time soon. That is to say: won’t be tracking you from now on. According to a report released by the group responsible for the bins […]
Many have grown comfortable with the targeted ads that populate the modern web and expect companies to keep track of their online activity, but UK firm Renew took things one step further earlier this summer. It began tracking real world traffic on the streets of London by recording the MAC addresses of the phones that passed by some of the many public recycling bins it operates in the city.” Today, however, the City of London Corporation demanded that the tracking stop while a determination is made by the Information Commissioner’s Office whether the technology complies with the UK’s Data Protection Act.
The bins themselves are equipped with WiFi and screens that display a rotating series of ads, and this summer, a dozen of those bins began to record the MAC address of any nearby phones with WiFi turned on. Doing so allows Renew to determine repeat passers-by, how quickly pedestrians are moving so that ads displayed on the bins can be better targeted to the surrounds foot traffic. However, owners of those phones were not notified that their handset’s MAC addresses were recorded. For its part, Renew explained in a blog post that the tracking was done on a trial basis and MAC addresses were anonymized and aggregated so that personal information was not recorded. Quartz reports that during the first month of tracking, over one million unique devices were recorded, however, and that over 100,000 phones were identified during the trial’s busiest day. What say you, dear readers: want trash cans tracking the surrounding foot traffic in the name of serving you ads targeted to your tastes?
Via: The Telegraph
Source: Quartz
When projectors are a dime a dozen, they have to do something truly special to stand out. BenQ’s newly available W1500 might just pull that off: how does high-quality wireless video sound? The DLP unit is billed as the first projector to offer WHDI over 5GHz frequencies, letting it stream 1080p 3D movies at quality that’s reportedly on par with an HDMI signal. The company isn’t leaning solely on this trick to lure us in, mind you. The W1500 integrates with mobile devices, courts gamers through 3DTV Play support and throws an 84-inch picture from as close as six feet away. Such convenience is expensive at $2,299, but it could be a viable alternative to stringing video cables around the den.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD
Source: BenQ
BearExtender has been making signal extenders for Macs for a few years now, such as the n3 WiFi adapter we reviewed back in 2010. Now the company has unveiled its latest two offerings, the 1200 being an 802.11n receiver and the Turbo being slated for 802.11AC. The 1200 has already been put up for pre-order […]
Skype Premium subscribers will now get access to Skype Wi-Fi for free—The service
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Just how connected is your life when you take stock of all the devices in your pockets and bag? I am quite sure that most of us would have taken the built-in Wi-Fi connectivity for granted where a feature on any decent device worth its salt is concerned these days. Well, there are moments in life when Murphy just loves to prove his law on you, and you are stuck in some place where there is no 3G or 4G LTE signal available, and the Wi-Fi rates there are just way too expensive to justify hooking up to the internet to scratch that social network itch. Good to know then, that this will not be the case if you are a Skype Premium subscriber, as you are then eligible for Skype WiFi for free throughout the entire month of August.
Yes sir, no longer do you need to purchase Wi-Fi according to your needs and drain your Skype credits along the way, Skype Premium subscribers are able to take advantage of this offer for the entire month, and to know that Skype WiFi is available at more than 1 million hotspots worldwide is another comforting thing to hear. Just remember that Skype WiFi is available on Windows desktop, Windows 8, Mac OS X, Linux, iOS and Android only at the moment, and Internet access will remain subject to the terms and conditions of the hotspot service provider. In case you are wondering, this is not the first time Skype is offering free WiFi, as they have done so at airports and conferences in the past.
Like It , +1 , Tweet It , Pin It | Skype Premium Subscribers Enjoy Free Wi-Fi Throughout August original content from Ubergizmo. 
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Stop worrying: BearExtender is not in the business of enabling the bear population, but rather WiFi signal strengthening. The company’s two latest products — the BearExtender 1200 and BearExtender Turbo (how’s that for a name?) — offer that service in two different flavors. The 1200 is a much stronger version of the company’s previously released BearExtender, adding “70 percent more power” to signal boosting, while the Turbo is specifically designed to bring 802.11ac functionality to Macs. Both arrive this fall, with the 1200 ($50) landing in mid-August and the Turbo (not priced yet) available in October. Again, neither is designed to extend the reach of murderous bears, nor is the Turbo designed to speed up said murderous bears. That said, it’s best to keep an eye out and stay vigilant.
Filed under: Laptops, Networking, Internet
Source: BearExtender
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.
When one goes to any of the numerous Starbucks coffee joints around the world, chances are your favorite brew would taste more or less the same throughout the entire franchise, and we do know that Starbucks has tried to be at the front of technological advancements too. For instance, they have started to offer wireless charging for your compatible devices in select parts of the country, not to mention give out free apps with each drink purchase from time to time and enabling Square wallet payments as of last year. Another endearing aspect of Starbucks would be having free Wi-Fi, and if you need to know, it does seem as though AT&T’s Wi-Fi at Starbucks outlets in the US will be ousted by Google soon.
We are talking about a massive number of 7,000 stores throughout the US, and Google themselves did promise to deliver up to 10 times a faster speed, which would bode well for Starbucks regulars. This entire process will be a lengthy one, taking approximately 18 months to complete. Of course, we do drool in anticipation of areas that do have access to Google Fiber which will theoretically deliver up to 100 times faster speed that before.
Like It , +1 , Tweet It , Pin It | Starbucks’ AT&T Wi-Fi To Be Replaced By Google original content from Ubergizmo. 
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This week Canon has revealed the newest member of their VIXIA camcorder lineup, this time placing emphasis on the display and its ability to face forward as easily as it does backward. This 1080p-capable camcorder works with a 12-megapixel BSI CMOS sensor up front and a 2.7-inch 230K-dot-resolution display on top able to work anywhere
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