Blackphone to launch the world's first privacy-focused app store

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/12/09/blackphone-privacy-focused-app-store/

Earlier this year, with the Snowden leaks still fresh in the public consciousness, a privacy-focused smartphone called the Blackphone wanted to put people back in control of their data. Running PrivatOS, a custom fork of Android 4.4.2 KitKat, the device aims to strip away bloat and make calls, messaging, contact storage, calendars and internet browsing as secure as they could possibly be. However, its secure core also came with one big disadvantage; if users want to keep their communications private, they could only use default apps supplied on the device. That's about to change, though, after the company announced it's going to launch the "world's first privacy-focused app store".

The marketplace is set to come as part of the "biggest update" to PrivatOS to date. Launching at the start of next year, "Silent Space" will be featured by default and come with the suite of Silent-branded apps, the Blackphone store and a selection of third-party safety-conscious apps. The update will also introduce "Spaces," a new feature that will help users divide their personal and work apps, data and accounts into two separate sandboxes on one phone. If you know of Samsung's secure Knox platform, then you'll have a pretty good idea of what Blackphone is trying to achieve.

Filed under: Cellphones, Internet, Software, Mobile

Comments

Via: Blackphone (PRNewswire)

Read More...

Summary only...

Amazon Prime Instant Video begins streaming in 4K

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/12/09/amazon-prime-instant-video-4k/

Amazon just announced another benefit for folks with a Prime subscription: 4K video streaming. That's right, Ultra HD content is now available via monthly membership through the Instant Video app or on compatible smart TVs. For now, the selection is a bit limited, but you can expect to enjoy Amazon Originals, BBC's Orphan Black and a smattering of titles from Sony Pictures Entertainment in all of their 4K glory. Higher video quality doesn't come with an extra fee either, as the content will be lumped in with the rest of those Prime perks. Amazon's a little tardy with the rollout, but hey, we can't complain too much as it's here in time to break in that shiny new TV Santa will deliver in a few weeks.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Internet, HD, Amazon

Comments

Source: Amazon

Read More...

Summary only...

25 Hot NYC Startups You Need To Watch

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/25-hottest-ny-startups-2014-12

Over the past several years, New York has transformed into startup hotbed.

It's home to exciting early-stage companies like Airhelp, Abacus, Glamsquad, and Classpass. 

We compiled our list of 25 Hottest NY Startups by talking to investors, employees, fellow journalists, and active members of the tech scene in New York. 

Though there are some big names out there already, this list includes young startups, some of which you may not have heard of yet. All have only raised Series A funding or below and are based in New York city. 

Bowery allows developers to set up coding environments in 30 seconds flat

What it is:

Programmers waste countless hours setting up redundant coding environments. In order to begin coding a new program, developers need to manually install complicated sets of paramaters. This allows developers to test their products and make sure they work on different types of devices and screens. 

Bowery's cloud-based system removes the pain from the process and lets developers share their environment with co-workers in real time. The three young founders have attracted attention from big name investors such as Google Ventures and First Round Capital.

Founders:

Zachary Hamed, David Byrd, Steve Kaliski

Funding:

Betaworks, Bloomberg Beta, BOLDstart Ventures, Deep Fork Capital, Google Ventures, Homebrew, Magnet Agency, RRE and SV Angel. General Catalyst’s Rough Draft Ventures and First Round Capital’s Dorm Room Fund

Website: 

http://bowery.io

 

 

Oscar is a health insurance company for the 21st century

What it is:

Oscar brings simplicity and good design to the archaic world of health insurance. The company launched in October 2013 right as the Affordable Care Act began to allow consumers to pick and choose their own plans, and since then Oscar has enrolled thousands while raking in tens of millions of dollars in annualized revenue. They received a fresh $30 million round of funding in January, and are working toward their long-term goal of expanding out of the state of New York.

Founders:

Josh Kushner, Kevin Nazemi, Mario Schlosser

Funding:

Thrive Capital, Khosla Ventures, General Catalyst Partners, Founders Fund, Stanley Druckenmiller, Jim Breyer

Website:

http://hioscar.com

Niche is a talent agency for social media stars

What it is:

Niche works with prominent creators on social media platforms like Vine, Instagram and Tumblr and connects them with brands and marketers looking to beef up their social presence. Though barely more than a year old, Niche has already raked in over $1 million revenue and shows no sign of slowing down.

Founders:

Rob Fishman, Darren Lachtman

Funding:

David Tisch, Slow Ventures, BoxGroup, Gary Vaynerchuk, Kevin Colleran, WME Advancit Capital, SV Angel, Lerer Hippeau Ventures

Website:

http://niche.co

See the rest of the story at Business Insider

Read More...

Summary only...

drag2share: Thieves swipe over 1 million smartphones in the US each year

source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/12/08/1-million-phones-stolen-per-year/?utm_source=Feed_Classic_Full&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Engadget&?ncid=rss_full

If you suspected that smartphone theft was becoming an epidemic in the US... well, you're right. The FCC has published findings which show that Americans report well over 1 million smartphone thefts to the police each year. That's not as high as unofficial estimates (Consumer Reports pegged 2013 thefts at 3.1 million), but it still means that "at least" a tenth of all known robberies in the US involve a phone. Also, that figure may be conservative -- many people don't report stolen phones in the first place.

As bad as that sounds, there are hints that things are getting better. The voluntary addition of remote kill switches has reduced theft rates in some cases, and state laws requiring those switches are likely to improve the situation further. According to the FCC, the biggest challenge is convincing foreign carriers to block stolen American phones. If they do that, there's less of an incentive to swipe your phone and put it on the international black market. Muggings and break-ins won't stop even if the regulator gets its way, but the hope is that thieves will at least think twice before they grab the device in your hands.

---
drag2share - drag and drop RSS news items on your email contacts to share (click SEE DEMO)

Read More...

Summary only...

Anyone Can Now Use IBM's Watson To Crunch Data For Free

Source: http://gizmodo.com/anyone-can-now-use-ibms-watson-to-crunch-data-for-free-1667753086

You probably know IBM's Watson platform best from its winning performance on Jeopardy . But the supercomputer is more than just a mechanism for IBM to publicly shame smart people. It's arguably the most powerful natural-language supercomputer in the world, and thanks to a new public beta, its number-crunching abilities are open to all.

Read more...

Read More...

Summary only...