Hong Kong's pro-democracy protests spur growth for secure messaging apps

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/09/29/hong-kong-secure-messaging/

Social media and civil unrest have long gone hand-in-hand, from coordinating revolution during the Arab Spring to repressing corruption in Turkey. Amid pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong, locals have taken to the location-based messaging app FireChat to communicate with each other. 100,000 local users signed into the off-the-grid messaging app for the first time last weekend after a student activist recommended the app for communication should authorities switch off cellular networks. The app creates a mesh network between nearby users using WiFi, cellular data, or Bluetooth, allowing them to communicate with people even when strict firewalls are in place. For now, it looks as though we're a long way away from the heavy-handed tactics of other governments, but FireChat's sudden popularity shows locals are keen to stay one step ahead when it comes to communication.

Filed under: Mobile

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Source: The Wall Street Journal

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New web service prevents spies from easily intercepting your data

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/09/29/okturtles/

The encryption that protects your email and social updates is far from flawless -- it's relatively easy for spies to intercept your data using spoofs and hacked servers. If Greg Slepak has his way, though, there will soon be a safer way to send your info. His okTurtles project uses blockchains (the transaction databases you see in virtual currencies like Bitcoin) to let you communicate over the web without the risk of a man-in-the-middle attack. Rather than rely on website security certificates that could easily be compromised, it gives individual users public keys that unlock data within blockchains. There's no centralized authority, and you can even run one of the necessary servers yourself if you don't trust others. When complete, okTurtles will have a browser add-on that lets you use this authentication on virtually any site. You could talk to a fellow okTurtles user through Gmail without worrying that someone besides your recipient could easily read the message, for example.

The underlying technology (DNSChain) is already available, but you'll have to wait a while for something that's easy to use; Slepak is launching a crowdfunding campaign "soon" to help get things moving. He's also quick to acknowledge that the system works only so long as both the software and keys aren't compromised. If either of those are cracked, you're just as vulnerable as anyone else. As long as they remain safe, though, okTurtles could easily reduce the chances that snoops and thieves will pry into your business.

Filed under: Internet

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Source: okTurtles, GitHub

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HP's $199 Windows laptop arrives alongside a pair of tablets

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/09/29/hp-stream-laptops-tablets/

Contrary to earlier rumors, HP's Chromebook-like Stream 14 turned out to be more expensive than people had hoped for when it was announced a few weeks ago. Having said that, today HP is finally introducing its $199 laptop with Windows, staying in line with what a company representative had told us before in regards to the Stream line expanding beyond the 14-inch machine. But there's more, since HP's new, budget-friendly, 11.6-inch laptop isn't the only fresh announcement. There's a 13.3-inch model as well, priced at $230, which, along with the $199 Stream, features an Intel Celeron processor and 32GB of flash storage. In addition to this pair of notebooks, HP is also introducing two Windows 8.1 tablets: the HP Stream 7 and HP Stream 8. If the moniker for each didn't give it away, they are 7- and 8-inch slates, respectively, with the former costing a mere $99 and the latter going for $149.

Unfortunately, HP isn't sharing many more details (like other specs) at the moment. We do know, however, that the company hopes to lure in customers by including a bit of free mobile data every month and access to Microsoft's Office 365 Personal productivity suite, which is definitely a nice bonus. All devices announced are expected to be available in the US by the beginning of November. In the meantime, stay tuned -- we'll be adding hands-on photos and additional info shortly.

Filed under: Laptops, Tablets, HP

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Samsung's 27-Inch Curved Gaming Monitors Are No Work, All Play

Source: http://gizmodo.com/samsungs-27-inch-curved-gaming-monitors-are-no-work-al-1640299077

At CES this year, we got a good look at Samsung's ideas on bringing curved display technology to consumer monitors. Ten months later, the company is ready to release its first one, boringly named "SD590C."

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Scientists make an invisibility cloak using off-the-shelf optical lenses

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/09/29/optical-lens-invisibility-cloak/

Most invisibility cloaks require fairly exotic technology to work, such as fiber optics or light-altering metamaterials. That's not very practical, especially since the illusion still tends to break when you move. The University of Rochester may have a far more realistic solution, however -- it has developed a cloak that only needs run of the mill optical lenses to hide objects from view. The system really boils down to clever math. By positioning two pairs of lenses in the right order, researchers can bend light in a way that hides almost everything you put in the middle of this arrangement. The approach scales up with the size of the glass, and it works at angles of 15 degrees or more; you don't need to look head-on to see the effect.

There is a big catch to this visual trickery. You can't hide whatever is directly on-axis, so this is more of an invisibility "doughnut" than a perfect disguise. It doesn't have to be used as camouflage, though. The lens-based system could eliminate blind spots in vehicles, or let surgeons see through their hands during delicate operations. Those uses are a long ways off at this early stage, but the relative simplicity of the technique makes them very plausible.

Filed under: Science

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Via: Phys.org

Source: University of Rochester, arXiv

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