Facebook cuts off access to user data for 'hundreds of thousands' of apps

Facebook has just blocked a truckload of apps from accessing its user's data.

Facebook's VP of Product Partnerships, Ime Archibong, explained in a blog post Tuesday that Facebook had cut off API access for "hundreds of thousands of inactive apps that have not submitted for our app review process." That's a lot of random, dormant apps that had access.

The social media giant, which was once very open to developers until the whole Cambridge Analytica thing, announced in May during F8 that it was tightening up the review process for apps.

SEE ALSO: Facebook's top security exec urges company to collect less user data Read more...

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Tim Cook casually tosses light shade at Donald Trump's tariffs

Don't make Tim Cook mad, or he might elliptically refer to something you did in an earnings call. 

His comments were directed at Donald Trump, whose love for tariffs could impact the cost of certain Apple products, many of which are made and sold in China. 

The small guns were out in medium effect today during the Apple Q3 earnings call, when the CEO casually addressed Trump's existing and threatened Chinese tariffs. Cook, in typical Cook fashion, minced a few words. 

SEE ALSO: Tim Cook's barf face at Trump's big tech meeting says it all

“Our view on tariffs is that they show up as a tax on the consumer and wind up resulting in lower economic growth," he noted — without mentioning Trump by name — on the conference call, "and sometimes can bring about significant risks of unintended consequences.” Read more...

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New smart car feature alerts you if you leave something in the back seat

It can be as simple (and stinky) as forgetting leftovers in the back seat, or as tragic and terrifying as leaving a pet or young child sitting in the back while a car heats up in the summer sun. That's where Nissan's "smart" alert system comes in.

Nissan's rear door alert — or RDA — system was first introduced in the Nissan Pathfinder last year. The recently patented technology triggers the horn and a message display through door sensors alerting drivers to check the back seat after the car is parked if the back door was opened before the ride started. The tech was filed as an "activity monitoring apparatus." Read more...

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Federal judge blocks release of plans for 3D-printed guns

A federal judge temporarily blocked the release of blueprints for 3D-printed guns on Tuesday, only a day before they were supposed to be made public. 

Defense Distributed reached a settlement with the U.S. State Department last month which would've allowed it to release blueprints for guns — including AR-15-like rifles — that could be downloaded and built with the help of 3D printers. 

SEE ALSO: U.S. states sue Trump administration over lift of 3D printable guns ban

But then eight states filed a last-minute lawsuit to stop the release of the information. Judge Robert S. Lasnik in Seattle agreed with the state attorneys general that the release of Defense Distributed's files would cause “a likelihood of irreparable harm,” according to the New York Times. Read more...

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DJI is planning not one but two successors to the Mavic Pro

The drone known as the DJI Mavic Pro has aged well since 2016 — but guess what: There are two successors on the horizon.

SEE ALSO: DJI's Spark drone is so small and smart, it could be a game-changer

Argos UK, a British catalog retailer, recently published a listing revealing two unreleased DJI Mavic Pro successors: the Mavic 2 Zoom and Mavic 2 Pro. Twitter user @Chromonian found the advertisement and shared it. 

Of all places to confirm the Mavic 2 its Argos UK - 2 additions being released Mavic 2 Zoom and Mavic 2 Pro (1” CMOS sensor) - both 31 mins of flight time, 8km range and 1080P live video transmission @OsitaLV @DroneDJ #mavic2 #djimavic2 #dji #mavic #news #dronedj #ositaLV #drone pic.twitter.com/uDY4luqP6n

— Brett Thake (@Chromonian) July 28, 2018 Read more...

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Plantronics BackBeat Fit 500 review: balanced sound with big bass

Plantronics BackBeat Fit 500 Review

$99.99

View Product

The Good

Excellent sound for the price • Easy controls for playback and volume on the ear cups • Vibrant color choices differentiate the headphones from other models

The Bad

Falls short of promised battery life

The Bottom Line

The Plantronics BackBeat Fit 500 will surprise users with excellent sound that can handle bass like a champ, all at a sub-$100 price.

Mashable Score4.25

Cool Factor4.0

Learning Curve5.0

Performance3.0

Bang for the Buck5.0

There is no shortage of over-the-ear headphones, with manufacturers ranging from Bose to Bang & Olufsen and even Sony flooding the market with models. So where does a midrange brand like Plantronics fit in among those big hitters? Read more...

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Microsoft Edge is killing off passwords with a big new update

Microsoft Edge just got a little easier to use.

The web browser developed by Microsoft announced yesterday in a blog post that users no longer need passwords to log onto their favorite websites. All they need is Microsoft's new web authenticator to get in, which relies on fingerprints, facial recognition, and special PINs.

This new feature accessible via Windows Hello is akin to Google's and Firefox's authenticators, which launched months ago. So while it's revolutionary for Microsoft, the tech company is pretty far behind. No wonder Edge only holds 4.19 percent of the market share as of publishing time. Read more...

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Save $160 on Western Digital's 2TB portable solid-state storage drive on Amazon

Let's face it!: Laptops never have enough storage.

So it's always a good idea to get a portable storage drive to bring large video and photo files with you wherever you go, especially if you're a professional. Luckily, the WD 2TB My Passport SSD Portable Storage from Western Digital is on sale for just $539.99, which is 23% off its retail price of $699.99.

SEE ALSO: Save 25% on the Dell XPS9560 on Amazon and have a laptop for everything life throws at you

The SSD (solid-state drive) portable and compact storage drive is lightweight at only 1.44 ounces, while it's also blazing fast. It handles quick video and photo file transfers with ease, as if it were part of your computer. The shock-resistant drive is compatible with USB 3.0, 2.0, and USB-A ports, while it's next generation-ready with USB 3.1 and USB Type-C for future-proofing.  Read more...

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Lyft wants you to ditch your car for its promotional experiment

For car owners, spending 31 days without using your car is quite a challenge. But Lyft wants to prove otherwise with its latest promo, #DitchWithLyft.

Lyft thinks you can live without driving your own vehicle if car-share, take public transit, ride bike-shares, and of course, use Lyft. So it's offering the first 100 people who sign up and promise to stash away their car for the month of August $550 in transit credits. 

That breaks down to:

• $300 in Lyft shared ride credit

• $45 in Divvy Bike credit

• $100 in Zipcar credit

• $105 in ‘L’ and bus monthly pass

Lyft's own roots were as a carpool platform, Zimride, which partners with Zipcar, and it recently acquired bike-share platform Motivate, which runs the Divvy bike program in Chicago. So these aren't unexpected partnerships for this promotional event. Read more...

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Today only, you can save up to $145 when you buy an Amazon Cloud Cam + compatible smart lock

Facebook uncovers a new plot to manipulate its users — and proves they'll always be a target

Here we go again.

Facebook on Tuesday announced that it had once again detected and removed a coordinated group of so-called "inauthentic" accounts working to influence the U.S. political landscape. Despite the lessons learned from the disastrous Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, these unnamed actors managed to use the social media platform to organize real-world events and gain hundreds of thousands of followers. 

And while Facebook has kicked the 32 suspicious pages and accounts off both Facebook and Instagram, this isn't the end. More likely, the problem will never completely fade. Regardless of the effort put forth by Menlo Park engineers and security researchers, Facebook — with its 2 billion monthly users and powerful micro-targeting tools — will forever be too tempting of a target for those looking to, say, sway an election.  Read more...

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The Volta is the best smart e-bike to conquer your commute, and it's $500 off right now

Pure Cycles was founded by three best friends who turned their mutual love of bikes into a booming business. Now they’ve focused their eye for design and spirit of innovation on the world of urban transportation. After years of research and development, countless prototypes, and a 45-day Kickstarter campaign that raised over $440,000, Pure Cycles has created the Volta Electric Bike—one of the most advanced e-bikes ever made. And you can get it today for 25% off the regular price.

SEE ALSO: The bike of the future is here, and it has all the features you could want

Thanks to its team of engineers from all over the world, the Volta strikes the perfect balance of cycling-snob craftsmanship, commuter-friendly features, and high-tech bells and whistles (to be clear, the bike features neither a bell nor a whistle). Read more...

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Sayonara, fast fox. Mozilla is redesigning its logo.

Mozilla, the non-profit company best known for the Firefox browser and its progressive outlook on online privacy, is giving its fox logo a makeover.

The company announced in a blog that it would seek user input on creating a new design system. Post authors Madhava Enros, Sr. Director, Firefox User Experience and Tim Murray, Creative Director, Mozilla explained that it was revamping the "fast fox" logo to better represent the suite of products that it now produces. 

SEE ALSO: Mozilla's next browser might be controlled by your voice

"Firefox is creating new types of browsers and a range of new apps and services with the internet as the platform," Enros and Murray write. "With your input, we’ll have a final system that will make a Firefox product recognizable out in the world even if a fox is nowhere in sight." Read more...

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This startup is using tons of dead seagrass leaves to produce objects like iPhone cases

The company PHEE has found a way to use dead seagrass leaves as a raw material to produce PHEE-board, a decorative panel which it then turns into functional objects like iPhone cases. The collection and upcycling of this material is saving coastal cities in Greece thousands of dollars that they would otherwise spend to discard the washed-up leaves in the country's landfills. Read more...

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New iPhone dummy models fondled on video

It's the iPhone dummy model season. 

Just days ago, we saw what Apple's upcoming 6.1-inch and 6.5-inch iPhones look like, thanks to some dummy models shared by leaker Ben Geskin. 

Now, we're treated to (different) dummy models of the same devices in a short video, shared by leaker Steve Hemmerstoffer (via Tigermobiles.com). 

SEE ALSO: This is probably what Apple's upcoming iPhones will look like

The most notable difference between the new and the old dummy models is that this time, we get to see the 6.1-inch model — the one with the single rear camera — in white color.

Size difference aside, the 6.5-inch dummy is a dead ringer for the iPhone X. Both dummies have a noticeable camera bump, which — to my eyes — looks to be the same size as the one on the iPhone X.  Read more...

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Save 25% on the Dell XPS9560 on Amazon and have a laptop for everything life throws at you

Choosing a laptop can be tricky. Whether you want one for gaming, work, or just everyday needs, there is a laptop that can deliver on whatever you're looking for. And if you find yourself in the market for a jack-of-all-trades laptop with plenty of power to boot, Dell and Amazon have a deal that might just be for you.

SEE ALSO: 7 of the best laptops for students heading back to school

Dell XPS9560-7001SLV-PUS 15.6" Ultra Thin and Light Laptop is available on Amazon for $1,499.99. It normally goes for $1,999.99, saving you 25%. 

The XPS9560 is an excellent, all-around laptop with plenty of power. It sports an Intel Core i7 and 16GB of RAM, so it's pushing out plenty of power under the hood. Then, for storage, it has a 512GB SSD, or solid state drive, which are faster and more secure than typical hard drives. And if you want to do some light gaming, it has the NVIDIA GTX 1050 with a 4K screen, so it will definitely deliver on the visuals as well. Read more...

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Samsung confirms slow Galaxy S9 sales in quarterly report

Samsung’s latest quarterly earnings confirm what analysts were expecting: the Galaxy S9’s sales aren't so hot.

In Samsung’s just released Q2 report, the South Korean electronics conglomerate missed the mark on Galaxy S9 sales targets. The smartphone, which was released at the end of last quarter, accounts for a major chunk of Samsung’s 4 percent year on year drop in revenue.

SEE ALSO: Samsung Galaxy S10 might come in three sizes, just like the new iPhone

Earlier this month, analysts warned that Samsung’s Galaxy S9 smartphone could be the worst selling Galaxy S series phone since the release of the Galaxy S3 in 2012. Analysts were estimating that the smartphone giant only shipped around 31 million Galaxy S9 phones since its release in March. Read more...

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This award-winning Bluetooth speaker weighs under a pound and is on sale for less than $45 right now

We're going to let you in on a little secret: Bigger isn't necessarily better.

Take tech, for example. No one wants to lug around a brick cellphone or full-fledged desktop computer when you can buy something slim and lightweight.

SEE ALSO: Get 62% off these 10-foot long lightning charging cables

Speakers are no exception, and if you're in the market for one that's small, but packs a punch, check out Soundfreaq's Pocket Kick Bluetooth Speaker. 

Don't be fooled by its size. The speaker might be small enough to fit in your pocket, and it does indeed weigh less than a pound, but it's specially designed to maximize sound quality and frequency dynamism.  Read more...

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