Innholdsfortegnelse for #251 i Techlife News

Mobile apps that allow users to create their own emojis or share the stylized images of NBA star Stephen Curry and other celebrities are paying off for a small upstate New York company. Moji Maker- with its mix-and-match menu of happy, angry or goofy faces - was the No. 2 paid app on the iTunes chart as of last Friday morning. The company that made it, Moji, recently scored big with its Curry app and is following up with similarly styled apps for two Olympic athletes who won gold this week: swimmer Michael Phelps and gymnast Simone Biles. The company of about a dozen people is based far from Silicon Valley and celeb-heavy Los Angeles in Binghamton, New York, where the three principals - all between 30 and 32 years…

The International Olympic Committee is fending off massive cyberattacks during the Rio de Janeiro Olympics. “Throughout the games, the same in London (in 2012) when you are the center of attention of the world, there are massive attempts everyday all day long to break our security,” IOC spokesman Mark Adams told the Associated Press. “We have it all year round anyway but it’s particularly intense at the moment.” The IOC is coming under “regular attack,” he said. The Court of Arbitration for Sport warned earlier this week of attempts to break into its website. The sports court is overseeing doping sanctions at the Olympics for the first time. The World Anti-Doping Agency has disclosed a successful breach of its system by hackers, who gained access to Russian whistleblower Yulia Stepanova’s…

Kenny Baker played the lovable droid R2-D2 in the “Star Wars” films, achieving cult status and fans’ adulation without showing his face or speaking any lines. The 3-foot 8-inch (1.1 meter) performer - a word he preferred to actor - inside the waste-bin-shaped costume has died at 81. Baker’s nephew and carer, Drew Myerscough, said he found Baker dead Saturday (13) at his home in Preston, northwest England. Myerscough told Sky News that Baker had suffered years of breathing problems, “which he had borne very bravely.” He said the affection of “Star Wars” fans around the world “kept him going, without any doubt.” “He was amazed that, even after 30-odd years, the fans still basically adored him,” Myerscough said. Baker’s agent, Johnny Mans, confirmed his death. He said Baker was…

Being one of the biggest companies in the world doesn’t happen by accident. Apple has consistently been one of these enormous companies, currently topping Forbes’‘World’s Most Valuable Brands’ list, but how did they get there? The company has a history of providing reliable and powerful tech, which is obviously the main factor in their success, but the Apple brand encompasses a whole lot more than this. Building a brand from the bottom up isn’t just about the product. The culture surrounding the company is also important. There’s no point in creating a wonderful product if nobody trusts the people making and selling it. Apple has carefully built consumer relations through trust, and it is this trust that allows people to be confident in purchasing their products, proven in their sales figures,…

Spanish-language broadcaster Univision won an auction Tuesday for Gawker Media, which was put on the block in the aftermath of a $140 million judgment against it in the Hulk Hogan invasion-of-privacy case. Univision is paying $135 million for the online gossip and news publisher, according to a person familiar with the matter who asked not to be identified because the deal had not been formally announced. Expanding from its Spanish-language base, Univision has been investing in media properties aimed at young people, including taking a stake in satirical website The Onion in January. In April, it said it was taking full control of Fusion, a TV channel and website aimed at English-speaking young people it had launched with ABC in 2013. Univision outbid Ziff Davis, the owner of tech and…

Stranger Things, Vol. 1 (A Netflix Original Series Soundtrack) Kyle Dixon & Michael Stein The soundtrack to the hit Netflix series is highly reminiscent of the 80s, and will appeal to horror and electronic music fans alike. FIVE FACTS: 1. Currently IMDB’s most popular TV show. 2. Winona Ryder is admittedly a late bloomer in terms of electronic devices and hereby didn’t know what streaming was, when she was approached for this Netflix series. 3. The series’ logo resembles the font used on the covers for the original 1980s editions of Stephen King novels, notably Cujo and Christine. 4. The Duffer Brothers originally wanted to make the upcoming remake of Stephen King’s “IT” but were turned down. They then went on to make Stranger Things, playing homage to Stephen King…

Warren Buffett’s company is taking an even bigger bite of Apple stock and adding to its already sizeable stake in Phillips 66. Berkshire Hathaway Inc. filed an update with regulators Monday on its roughly $130 billion U.S. stock portfolio. Berkshire said it held 15.2 million Apple Inc. shares at the end of June, up from the 9.8 million share stake it first disclosed in the spring. The Apple investment raises eyebrows because Buffett has always been reluctant to invest in technology companies. It may have been the work of one of Berkshire’s two other investment managers. The quarterly filings don’t disclose who is managing Berkshire’s Apple investments, and Berkshire officials don’t generally comment on the filings. Buffett tends to handle the larger investments in Berkshire’s portfolio, such as IBM, Wells…

It’s getting rarer for phone launches to generate excitement these days - especially in the Android world, where all models use the same underlying Google software. Every year, phones get routine refreshes such as faster processors, better cameras and longer battery life. But Android phone makers haven’t given up trying to stand out. Samsung, for instance, hopes to encourage upgrades by giving its new Galaxy Note 7 phone an eye scanner for identification and related security features. Other manufacturers are looking beyond the phone entirely, pinning their hopes on innovative accessories. Motorola offers mix-and-match modules that let you upgrade your phone on the fly, while Alcatel is focused on adding virtual-reality features, including a headset. JUST LOOK ... FOR SECURITY Fingerprint scanners are now standard in high-end phones, following their…

At what was once a remote desert outpost with spotty cell service and little infrastructure other than the shell of a quarter-billion-dollar futuristic hangar, Christine Anderson has watched the transformation of Spaceport America from her office window. The hangar sits just to the south, its patina metal paneling and glass walls rising from the valley floor. It’s Anderson’s favorite view. “I always get inspired,” she said of being at the spaceport. “It sounds so trite, ‘the dawn of the new space age,’ but you know it really is. I think it’s just going to be amazing what we in our lifetime get to see happening in this industry.” Even though commercial flights at Spaceport America have yet to begin, Anderson - executive director of the New Mexico Spaceport Authority -…

Hyatt, Sheraton, Marriott and Westin hotels in 10 states and the District of Columbia may have been targeted by hackers for months. According to the hotel operator HEI Hotels & Resorts, malware put into place in at least 20 locations may have collected names, card account numbers, card expiration dates and verification codes. Data from customers may have been collected from early December, through late June. At some properties, HEI said, data collection may have begun as early as March 2015 at hotel locations where people bought food or drinks. HEI said in a company release that “We are treating this matter as a top priority, and took steps to address and contain this incident promptly after it was discovered.” HEI said that once it found out about the problem…

Tesla said Monday that the term “Autopilot” was mistakenly removed from the electric car maker’s website for China, but it has been restored. The company said it did revise some language on the site to make it clearer to drivers that Autopilot is a driver-assist system and not a self-driving system. Tesla has been under pressure to stop using the term Autopilot in the U.S. following the death of an Ohio tech company owner in a Florida crash involving the system. Last week, a driver in Beijing relying on Autopilot mode sideswiped a car parked on the side of the road. Tesla says the driver’s hands weren’t detected on the steering wheel during the crash. The company says drivers using Autopilot must keep their hands on the wheel and be…

It was a feast for the raunchy animated comedy “Sausage Party” at the box office this weekend. The R-rated pic about anthropomorphized hot dogs and other grocery store foodstuffs earned $34.3 million out of the gate against a modest $19 million budget. “Sausage Party” still came in second to “Suicide Squad,” which held on to the top spot again with $43.5 million in weekend two. The Warner Bros. and DC Comics film has grossed $222.6 million to date. In third place, Disney’s remake of “Pete’s Dragon” stayed earthbound with only $21.5 million. The CG and live-action hybrid cost an estimated $65 million to produce. Holdovers “Jason Bourne” and “Bad Moms” rounded out the top five with $13.8 million and $11.4 million, respectively. The top 20 movies at U.S. and Canadian…

Consumers think smartphone makers are releasing too many new models each year, a survey showed Tuesday. The survey conducted in six countries, commissioned by the environmental group Greenpeace, showed that more than half of those who responded would prefer to change their phones less frequently. Handset devices are one of the most frequently replaced electronics products. The top cellphone companies, Samsung and Apple, launch new flagship phone models at least once every year, showing off the latest display and mobile processor technologies. Phone makers typically upgrade their cheaper lineups as well. “Over half of respondents across the countries surveyed agree that manufacturers are releasing too many new models, many designed to only last a few years,” said Chih An Lee, global IT campaigner at Greenpeace East Asia. “In fact, most…

Police and the airport operators’ association in Germany are warning of the potential dangers of playing “Pokemon Go” in some airport areas. They say so-called Pokestops beyond security controls should be deleted to prevent possible incidents. “Pokemon Go” was rolled out in Germany in mid-July. Federal police and airport association ADV said Monday that playing it at airports can bring “special dangers and risks.” They suggest that players avoiding security checks or opening emergency doors to catch their virtual quarry could cause “wide-reaching police measures and possibly civil damages claims.” Separately, police in the city of Osnabrueck said they’d rescued a man who “apparently wanted to catch a particular Pokemon” from railway tracks. They said the inebriated 22-year-old told them his cellphone led him to the spot Sunday morning.…

The exposure of malicious software purportedly linked to the National Security Agency is likely a message from Moscow, former intelligence worker Edward Snowden said Tuesday, adding a layer of intrigue to a leak that has set the information security world abuzz. Technical experts have spent the past day or so picking apart a suite of tools allegedly stolen from the Equation Group , a powerful squad of hackers which some have tied to the NSA. The tools materialized as part of an internet electronic auction set up by a group calling itself “Shadow Brokers,” which has promised to leak more data to whoever puts in a winning bid. In a series of messages posted to Twitter, Snowden suggested the leak was the fruit of a Russian attack on an NSA-controlled…

China’s launch of the first quantum satellite Tuesday will push forward efforts to develop the ability to send communications that can’t be penetrated by hackers, experts said. The satellite launched into space from the Jiuquan launch base in northwestern China’s Gobi desert will allow Chinese researchers to transmit test messages between Beijing and northwestern China as well as other locations around the world. If the tests are successful, China will take a major step toward building a worldwide network that can send messages that can’t be wiretapped or cracked through conventional methods. “It moves the challenge for an eavesdropper to a different domain,” said Alexander Ling, principal investigator at the Centre for Quantum Technologies in Singapore. “Lots of people around the world think having secure communications at a quantum level…

The Nice Guys A mismatched pair of private eyes investigates the apparent suicide of a porn star in 1970s Los Angeles. FIVE FACTS: 1. In the elevator scene, the same music plays in the background as in the elevator scene in The Blues Brothers (1980). 2. Russell Crowe and Ryan Gosling were both child actors who dropped out of high school to pursue their careers, and never had formal training in acting. 3. Shane Black has also directed Lethal Weapon, Iron Man 3, and Kiss Kiss Bang Bang. 4. Similarly to the studio’s marketing campaign for Inherent Vice (2014), Warner Bros. released a 70s-style trailer, complete with Betamax artifacts, an optical soundtrack audio crackle, and an “introducing” credit for Kim Basinger. 5. Jack Kilmer – who plays the character of…

Former “Saturday Night Live” star Jason Sudeikis will lead the cast of the world premiere stage adaptation of “Dead Poets Society.” Classic Stage Company said Tuesday that the “Horrible Bosses” and “The Last Man on Earth” actor will play the same inspirational teacher John Keating that Robin Williams played in the hit film. The story is about a straight-laced, conformist boys’ prep school whose harmony is disturbed when Keating arrives to teach English. Performances begin in October. More cast members will be announced later. Academy Award winner Tom Schulman is adapting his screenplay “Dead Poets Society” for the stage and Classic Stage Company incoming artistic director John Doyle will direct. Sudeikis became a regular cast member of “SNL” in 2005 and was known for mimicking Joe Biden and Mitt Romney.…

The nation’s transplant network is taking a long-awaited step to ease a serious disparity: Where you live affects whether you get a timely liver transplant or die waiting. Desperate patients sometimes travel across the country to get on a shorter waiting list - if they can afford it. On Monday, the United Network for Organ Sharing is proposing a change, redrawing the map that governs how donated livers are distributed so patients wouldn’t need to leave home for better odds. “We want to make sure we give everyone a fair opportunity to get a liver transplant,” said Dr. Ryutaro Hirose, chairman of the liver transplant committee at UNOS, which runs the nation’s transplant system. “It’s pretty much long overdue.” The problem is that some parts of the country have fewer…

Ford Motor Co. intends to have a fully driverless vehicle - no steering wheel, no pedals - on the road within five years. The car will initially be used for commercial ride-hailing or ride-sharing services; sales to consumers will come later. Ford CEO Mark Fields announced the new goal Tuesday at the company’s Silicon Valley campus in Palo Alto, California. “This is a transformational moment in our industry and it is a transformational moment for our company,” Fields said. Ford’s approach to the autonomous car breaks from many other companies, like Mercedes-Benz and Tesla Motors, which plan to gradually add self-driving capability to traditional cars. Instead, Ford is taking the same approach as Google, which supports moving directly to self-driving cars once the technology is perfected. “We abandoned the stepping-stone…