Latest Science and Technology

The numbers for 2018 are coming in, and it appears the video game industry is getting along just fine. The year turned out to be an alright one for the industry, and it upends predictions that the focus on revisiting older games via remasters and nostalgic re-releases would put a crimp on things — namely, um, my own prediction. It’s not exactly a secret that the video game industry has a passion for repackaging old games to re-sell them on new machines. It’s not new: I’m old enough to remember when it was arcade games cropping up on the Nintendo… This story continues at The Next Web from The Next Web http://bit.ly/2DMJT3O

In September last year, TikTok surpassed YouTube, Snapchat, Instagram, and even Facebook in monthly App Store downloads. For a fringe social network, the kind most would assume occupies a second-tier of the internet’s social media hierarchy, you’d be forgiven for not noticing the app had become the internet’s most interesting network of creatives. For more than 500 million monthly active users, TikTok is a place to let your freak flag fly. It’s a difficult thing to describe, but comparing it to Vine — the now-gone six-second video loop platform — seems like an obvious place to start. Like Vine, the… This story continues at The Next Web from The Next Web http://bit.ly/2DLxwVY

The most popular wireless speakers tend to be part of a walled garden. Sonos, Google, and Apple’s speakers force you into their own wireless protocols, with few or no inputs for wired sources. Though they all sound great in their own way, they might not be the best choice for audio enthusiasts looking for versatility. If you’re looking for a wireless speaker that offers convenience, sound quality, and flexibility, Cambridge Audio’s $400 Yoyo (L) is a good place to start. You may not be familiar with Cambridge Audio, but it’s been making audio equipment for over 50 years. Best known for its… This story continues at The Next Web Or just read more coverage about: Google from The Next Web http://bit.ly/2S5gbjG

Another cryptocurrency startup is laying off staff and restructuring its business entirely. This week, it’s the group behind the NEM blockchain and its token, XEM, and of course, it’s the bear market‘s fault. The news was shared in a wordy statement from the NEM Foundation, a non-profit. Unsurprisingly, it held the cryptocurrency market downturn responsible, even while describing its shoddy spending practices. “The XEM exchange rate has suffered catastrophic drops from this time a year ago, just as many other ambitious cryptocurrency projects have suffered, now the NEM Foundation is facing challenging budget decisions,” it stated. “We are in a tough spot… This story continues at The Next Web from The Next Web http://bit.ly/2HGdfVS

We’ve all heard the trope cryptocurrencers use to push their utopian dream on us; having the ability to buy your morning coffee with Bitcoin or some other cryptocurrency. But I’ve been wondering where this incessant need to “caffeinate by cryptocurrency” came from? Is it really a good thing? I don’t even drink coffee, so what am I supposed to buy every morning with my cryptocurrency? Why is everyone so keen on buying coffee with cryptocurrency? Hard Fork asked some leading industry names to get the skinny latte on this obnoxious meme that won’t go away. It’s a metaphor Let’s be… This story continues at The Next Web from The Next Web http://bit.ly/2HJg48n

With less than 100 days to go, TNW2019 is really ramping up. We already have over 50 confirmed speakers from companies like Bynder, Google, and eToro, all coming to discuss the future of technology on May 9 and 10 in Amsterdam. We also recently announced the 11 tracks we’ll be exploring – whether it’s marketing or machine learning that interests you, we have it all conveniently categorized. To help you find talks you’ll love, here are some new speakers we’ve announced that might appeal to you: For the data lovers: Cassie Kozyrkov (Google) Cassie is on a mission to democratize… This story continues at The Next Web from The Next Web http://bit.ly/2Sjkmrd

HackerRank released its 2019 Developer Skills report this week. The report, which includes data from over 71,000 coders, paints a picture of stark generational differences. For instance, did you know different generations of coders built completely different things for their first program? Older developers, particularly those in the 38-53 and the 54-72 age brackets, overwhelmingly tended to create games as their first programming project. Those currently aged 21 and under, however, tended to build calculators as their first programming projects. So, what gives? Eager to figure out why, TNW reached out to Jim Wilson, Pluralsight author and a veteran software… This story continues at The Next Web from The Next Web http://bit.ly/2DMCLEW

Security researchers from Palo Alto Networks’ Unit 42 have identified a new cryptocurrency stealing malware. What has been dubbed as “CookieMiner,” specifically targets Mac users and the cookies related to their logon credentials for cryptocurrency exchanges like Coinbase, Binance, Poloniex, Bittrex, Bitstamp, and MyEtherWallet. There be gold in them cookies The new malware was uncovered after examining the infamous OSX.DarthMiner which surfaced late last year. “It sparked our interest as it was a new variant with additional functionality,” Jen Miller-Osborn, deputy director of threat intelligence at Unit 42, told Hard Fork. It also attempts to steal passwords saved in Chrome,… This story continues at The Next Web from The Next Web http://bit.ly/2SgkDew

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Binance users will now be able to use their credit cards to purchase cryptocurrency such as Bitcoin or Ethereum. The crypto-to-crypto exchange has joined forces with a third party to enable consumers to make credit card purchases directly on its platform. Users will be able to purchase BTC, ETH, LTC and XRP, but not XLM and NEO, as earlier versions of the original press release had indicated. According to CoinMarketCap, Binance is the number one cryptocurrency exchange per trading volume, currently processing over $650 million in trades every day. Today’s news comes months after Binance – which was founded in China in 2017 and… This story continues at The Next Web from The Next Web http://bit.ly/2TmXIeL

Millions of people will have the opportunity to see a lunar eclipse – an event popularly known in the media as a “blood moon.” During such an eclipse, the full moon moves into the shadow of the Earth cast by the sun, and is momentarily darkened. Some sunlight still reaches the moon, refracted by the Earth’s atmosphere, however, illuminating it with an ashen to dark red glow, the color depending on atmospheric conditions. As a communicator of astronomy, the term “blood moon” is a major thorn in my side, since it suggests something other than a lunar eclipse and conjures… This story continues at The Next Web from The Next Web http://bit.ly/2DMoEzj

Last night, just when we were trying to get our heads around Facebook‘s data collecting program, TechCrunch reported that Google also had an app that monitored users’ activities on an iPhone and rewarded them. The Screenwise Meter app, launched in 2012, had a similar installation process to the Facebook Research app that’s now been shut down. It invited users aged 18 and above (or 13 and above in a family group), to install the app and the enterprise trust certificate in order to monitor users’ activities on their mobile devices. The company has now apologized and shuttered the iOS app: The Screenwise… This story continues at The Next Web Or just read more coverage about: iOS , Facebook , Google from The Next Web http://bit.ly/2GcIk0L

As we learned last year, Facebook has a habit of stealthily grabbing customer data to improve its own products and services, and then apologizing when the world finds out. There have been several instances that highlight how the company will go to any lengths to learn more about its users. It’s worrying for a number of reasons, but it’s especially troubling because the company still has tremendous potential to reach billions of users. Here’s a comprehensive list of Facebook‘s notorious attempts to collect information for its own purposes. This doesn’t include incidents like the Cambridge Analytica fiasco of last year,… This story continues at The Next Web Or just read more coverage about: Facebook from The Next Web http://bit.ly/2FYyIYf

Are we all addicted to the Internet? Maybe. The latest Digital 2019 report, from Hootsuite and We Are Social, shows we’re spending on average 6 hours and 42 minutes online each day. Half of that is spent on mobile devices. That figure sounds like a lot, but it’s absolutely astronomical when spread across an entire year. It equates to more than 100 days of online time every year for every Internet user. That’s more than 27 percent of every year. 2019’s figure shows a modest decrease from the previous year, which showed 6 hours and 49 minutes of usage. That… This story continues at The Next Web from The Next Web http://bit.ly/2WvSijK

Until Apple revoked its privileges Wednesday, Facebook was paying iOS users $20 a month to download and install the data-sucking application. from Security Latest http://bit.ly/2TnjD5N

Welcome to TNW Basics, a collection of tips, tricks, guides, and advice on how to get the most out of your gadgets, apps, and other stuff. The PlayStation Network is a perfectly serviceable gaming network, and you can meet some lovely people though it. But the truth is some gamers just want to play their single-player games and be left alone. If you’re one of those gamers, then here’s how you can access all the options which will allow you to conceal almost everything about you on PSN. The first option you might want to change is your online status, which… This story continues at The Next Web Or just read more coverage about: Playstation , Playstation 4 from The Next Web http://bit.ly/2sUETEl

For a country that few people know exists, Western Sahara has had a uniquely tumultuous history. Its modern history starts, as is unfortunately the case with most African nations, with colonialism. Until the mid-70’s, it lived under the thumb of Spanish rule. When Spain ultimately withdrew, it handed the territory to Mauritania and Morocco, sparking a fierce war for independence. Flash forward to 2019. Morocco controls a vast swathe of the country. The Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic controls a smaller chunk. Both sides are divided by a 2,700 kilometer wall. The country is sparsely populated, and economically underdeveloped. But surprisingly,… This story continues at The Next Web from The Next Web http://bit.ly/2G9s6Wa

Can a trio of privacy advocates effect change from within Facebook—or will they be stifled by corporate bureaucracy? from Security Latest http://bit.ly/2Gc3xrG

We Are Social and Hootsuite’s latest collection of Global Digital reports reveals that internet users are growing by an average of more than one million new users every day, with all of the original ‘Next Billion Users’ now online. The number of people using the internet has surged over the past year, with more than one million people coming online for the first time each day since January 2018. It’s not just internet users that have been growing either, as the extensive new collection of Digital 2019 reports from Hootsuite and We Are Social reveals. Now, just before we get… This story continues at The Next Web from The Next Web http://bit.ly/2RsJTcX

The so-called Collections #1-5 represent a gargantuan, patched-together Frankenstein of rotting personal data. from Security Latest http://bit.ly/2S2Efn1

We’re likely to see a real-world application of blockchain technology over the next two years – if recent research is to be believed. More than 23 percent of developers out of the 71,281 who contributed to HackerRank’s 2019 Developer Skills report said the”real-world” application of the technology over the next 24 months was very realistic. Some 27.54 percent said they thought it was somewhat realistic, 21.89 percent were unsure, 19.77 percent felt the technology was overhyped, and only 7.01 percent thought it was unrealistic. IoT and deep learning Before you get too excited, though, the report predicted that the Internet of Things (IoT) would be the most adopted technology over… This story continues at The Next Web from The Next Web http://bit.ly/2FXxWuz

Welcome to Hard Fork Basics, a collection of tips, tricks, guides, and advice to keep you up to date in the cryptocurrency and blockchain world. Something major is happening to Bitcoin in 480 days – the Halvening. Bitcoin is created when the blockchain rewards the individual (or group) for validating transactions. This is reimbursement for the costs associated with maintaining the network, like electricity and hardware upkeep. The network gives Bitcoin to miners for adding blocks to its chain. Miners typically sell it immediately to cover their overheads, thus releasing new Bitcoin into the ecosystem. The Halvening is when the network reduces the reward by… This story continues at The Next Web Or just read more coverage about: Bitcoin from The Next Web http://bit.ly/2MFXgWu

Something special happened today. Samsung, a tech company you definitely know, announced it’s mass-producing 1TB flash storage chips for mobile devices. In other words, you’ll soon be able to buy phones with a terabyte of storage space. When I asked people about this news, there were two main schools of thought. The first was a deep apathy focusing on why anyone’s phone would need this much space. The other camp – which I’m a firm and unwavering member of – think the idea a 1TB phone is awesome. To settle this, let’s have a look at the main arguments for and against a 1TB phone.… This story continues at The Next Web from The Next Web http://bit.ly/2RVmCp6

The Mac Lock Screen is a land of wasted opportunity. My MacBook, for example, users valuable screen real estate to convey a message that anyone who’s used a Mac for more than a few days doesn’t need to see: “Touch ID or Enter Password.” I’d like to personalize that. In my case, I’m going to add a message that pleads with would-be thieves to return my laptop (or communicates a way to get in touch with me should someone find my device). Granted, thieves should know by now that Apple products make lousy targets since anyone with an iCloud account… This story continues at The Next Web from The Next Web http://bit.ly/2G8YIQ1

It’s the Faustian pact for the 21st century, except this time the devil is Facebook. As unearthed by TechCrunch’s Josh Constine, the world’s biggest social network has been paying people (including 13-year-olds) to install a sketchy mobile VPN that spies on everything they do. The VPN app, called Facebook Research, but referred to as “Project Atlas” in company documentation, provides absolute access to a device’s network data. Every packet sent is captured for later analysis, allowing Facebook to glean information on user habits, as well as to see how its competitors are faring. According to Constine, users were also asked… This story continues at The Next Web Or just read more coverage about: Facebook from The Next Web http://bit.ly/2FYZqjB

Visor just raised millions in financing backing a simple premise: that the aid of a qualified tax professional shouldn’t be a privilege of only the rich and famous or cost an arm and a leg. Right now, you can sample Visor and get help completing your next tax return for just $89, over half off the regular price. from The Next Web http://bit.ly/2TmcGSp

If you’ve ever wondered if your phone is spying on you, you’re not alone. One of the most hotly debated topics in technology today is the amount of data that firms surreptitiously gather about us online. You may well have shared the increasingly common experience of feeling creeped out by ads for something you recently discussed in a real life conversation or an online interaction. This kind of experience has led to suggestions that tech firms are secretly recording our private conversations via smartphones or other internet-connected devices such as smart TVs, Amazon Echo or Google Home. Or that they… This story continues at The Next Web Or just read more coverage about: Amazon , Facebook , Google from The Next Web http://bit.ly/2UqJ9aj

China’s recent scientific achievements – including its embryo gene-editing research and historic moon landing – appear to be surrounded by secrecy. The global scientific community first learned about its experiments modifying the DNA of human embryos through rumors in 2015. While China’s National Space Administrative (CNSA) acknowledged in December 2018 that its spacecraft was preparing to land on the moon, it didn’t broadcast or announce the actual touchdown. Instead we learned about it through whispers among journalists and amateur astronomers. These events demonstrate how little we actually know about what’s going on within the Chinese scientific establishment. They also cast… This story continues at The Next Web from The Next Web http://bit.ly/2TlwiGl

During its earnings call yesterday, Apple revealed that its quarterly revenue for fiscal 2019’s Q1 (which ended on December 29, 2018) was down by 5 percent compared to a year ago, at just over $84 billion. It also shed light on why that happened: people bought fewer iPhones. About 15 percent fewer, to be precise. That might sound bad, but it’s worth noting that Apple still made nearly $52 billion from selling iPhones last year. It also highlights the fact that we may have reached a saturation point with iPhones for the time being. Plus, there might be a fix.… This story continues at The Next Web Or just read more coverage about: Apple from The Next Web http://bit.ly/2FWcLco

Tuesday's worldwide threats briefing to Congress outline numerous concerns for US security—many of which Donald Trump has inflamed or denied. from Security Latest http://bit.ly/2RTNx4N

I do not like the cold. I grew up on a tropical island, and though I appreciate the beauty of the first snow and winter festivities I will do everything in my power to avoid going out once the temperature drops below 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Needless to say that when Oros, an outdoor apparel company, offered to let me try its $300 Orion Parka with ‘NASA-inspired’ insulation, I was curious. You may have heard of aerogel before. One of the lightest man-made materials and greatest insulators, it’s what NASA uses to insulate things that need to go to space. If you’ve… This story continues at The Next Web Or just read more coverage about: NASA from The Next Web http://bit.ly/2WrNufc

Purchasing either of the two most popular virtual reality headsets — HTC Vive and Oculus Rift — is an exercise in making concessions. Vive has superior visuals and better controllers, but Rift is more intuitive and portable. And Rift has some excellent exclusive titles. We can’t help you make your Vive any more portable or easy to use, but we can help you play Oculus exclusive titles – or almost anything you’ve purchased in the Oculus Store – on your HTC HMD. First things first, you don’t need a work-around for most games. If you own a Vive headset you should, most… This story continues at The Next Web from The Next Web http://bit.ly/2D2YTJF

Google wants to get rid of URLs. But first, it needs to show you why. from Security Latest http://bit.ly/2RpMWme

President Donald Trump reopened the US government last Friday after his 35-day-long attempt to compel members of Congress to fund a wall along the southern border ended in abject failure. By all accounts, except perhaps the President’s own, the longest shutdown in modern US politics was a complete catastrophe. According to experts, it’s lingering effects may never be fully understood. Especially when it comes to the gaps and delays caused by a lack of data – the people’s data. The most visible and immediate harm caused by the shutdown came in the form of Federal employees forced to work for… This story continues at The Next Web from The Next Web http://bit.ly/2TjFhI0

Cryptocurrency gamblers have left Ethereum-based decentralized apps (dApps) en masse. They’ve converted almost entirely to gambling on competing networks, taking their transactional volume with them. Blockchain research unit Diar studied three blockchains that support dApps, Ethereum, EOS, TRON, to determine just how much US dollar value is processed on each network – and by what kind of dApp. It discovered that dApps deployed on EOS and TRON are now responsible for 94 percent of all the US dollar value transacted across the three protocols. Surprisingly, 55 percent of that traffic is coming from EOS, and 36 percent is flowing through dApps deployed… This story continues at The Next Web from The Next Web http://bit.ly/2WpYDgs

TNW2019, our tech conference in Amsterdam, is all about discussing the future of technology. Whether you’re a developer, marketer, artist, or entrepreneur, there’s an interesting discussion that you’ll want to join. That’s why we’ve divided up our keynote talks into 11 tracks – to help you decide which ones will be the most personally relevant. Let’s discover what we’ll be talking about at TNW2019. We’ve outlined the burning questions we’ll be answering, to help you find out which of this year’s 11 diverse tracks inspire you the most: Main Stage On our main stage, we’re inviting some of the biggest… This story continues at The Next Web from The Next Web http://bit.ly/2DH37ry

Have you ever heard of Evanescence, the Arkansas-originating metal band — when we say metal we mean more like the shiny substance melted over the buckle of a Hot Topic piano key belt — who brought us the 2003 classic, “Bring Me To Life”? I remember wailing this into my bedroom mirror, sobbing. And did you ever see that magic trick where one person — usually a dad — bends their finger, and then using highly technical illusions makes it look like they’re pulling off their finger from the knuckle? Well, luckily for us, both have combined in this digital age,… This story continues at The Next Web from The Next Web http://bit.ly/2RU6d4q

Group FaceTime chats let people eavesdrop on whoever they called, a bug so bad that Apple pulled the plug until it comes up with a fix. from Security Latest http://bit.ly/2MG1cq6

Saudi Arabia’s and the United Arab Emirates’ (UAB) central banks have teamed up to test a new cryptocurrency. The Saudi Arabian Monetary Authority (SAMA) and the Central Bank of the UAE confirmed the news in a joint statement released today. The proof-of-concept will see the two nations trial Aber, a digital currency, to see whether they can leverage the technology to reduce remittance costs. According to the statement, the project will also explore whether blockchain-based financial settlements between the two nations are viable. It’ll also seek to find out if a blockchain system can serve as an additional reserve for… This story continues at The Next Web from The Next Web http://bit.ly/2MBouNU

You can get trained and work toward getting certified in running Oracle databases with The Oracle Professional Certification Training Bundle, only $59 (over 90 percent off) from TNW Deals. from The Next Web http://bit.ly/2ScnMMh

An overwhelming majority of 2018’s criminally-connected cryptocurrency was ultimately laundered on basic online exchange services. Blockchain researchers at Chainalysis have calculated that roughly 64 percent of last year’s dodgy cryptocurrency, which amounted to over $1 billion, was washed by simply depositing it onto digital asset exchanges and trading it. Money launderers used other peer-to-peer (p2p) exchange services to clean a further 12 percent of their illegal proceeds. This means over two-thirds of last year’s “illegal” cryptocurrency moved through online exchange desks at some point. “A majority of illicit funds actually flow through either exchanges, or peer-to-peer exchanges, with the rest flowing… This story continues at The Next Web from The Next Web http://bit.ly/2HFdIHH

Our lives are increasingly affected by algorithms. People may be denied loans, jobs, insurance policies, or even parole on the basis of risk scores that they produce. Yet algorithms are notoriously prone to biases. For example, algorithms used to assess the risk of criminal recidivism often have higher error rates in minority ethic groups. As ProPublica found, the COMPAS algorithm – widely used to predict re-offending in the US criminal justice system – had a higher false positive rate in black than in white people; black people were more likely to be wrongly predicted to re-offend. Findings such as these… This story continues at The Next Web from The Next Web http://bit.ly/2FTUfBr

The public no longer gives Facebook, Google, Twitter, and the other tech giants the benefit of the doubt. And that's going to hamper their growth. from Ideas Latest http://bit.ly/2B7UeWA

Never in the history of the mobile phone has there been so much hype about a new technology ahead of its launch than there is with 5G. It seems mobile phone operators, handset manufacturers, and equipment vendors are locked into a massive global game of one-upmanship, seeking to claim to be the first to achieve something groundbreaking with the technology. But the stakes are high – the mobile industry also desperately needs 5G, whether for new revenue sources, market share, or to drive growth. Since mobile phones first appeared in the mid-1980s, the industry has launched several new “generations” of… This story continues at The Next Web from The Next Web http://bit.ly/2RoLn7Z

I’m chuffed about today’s news from Cheddar’s Alex Heath, who reports that Apple is building a game subscription service. Details are pretty scant right now: all we know is that you’ll be able to pay a monthly fee to access a bundle of titles, à la Netflix; the report doesn’t specify, but it’s almost certainly going to be for iOS rather than macOS (the former has way more games, and a significantly larger user base). And I can’t wait. Apple is believed to be interested in this model because it offers developers of premium games arguably a better way to… This story continues at The Next Web Or just read more coverage about: Netflix from The Next Web http://bit.ly/2MCp3qQ

You can’t discuss the ‘fake news’ phenomenon in India without bringing up WhatsApp. The Facebook-owned messaging service has been constantly under fire after several people were lynched across the country over a misleading video that did the rounds for a year. The platform had to set up a team for India and run multiple programs to educate people about fighting the spread of misinformation. With India’s assembly elections just around the corner, the company has a tough year ahead in ensuring its platform isn’t exploited to lead voters astray. But WhatsApp isn’t the only platform plagued by propaganda, fake news,… This story continues at The Next Web Or just read more coverage about: WhatsApp from The Next Web http://bit.ly/2MDGtDz

There was chaos on the internet late last night after 9to5Mac discovered a bug in Apple’s FaceTime video calling app that let you hear other person’s voice even before they answered your call. According to the report, a user running iOS 12.1 could potentially exploit the vulnerability to eavesdrop on others through a group FaceTime call. What’s more, The Verge noted if the recipient ignored or dismissed the call using the power button, their video feed was streamed to the caller. Now you can answer for yourself on FaceTime even if they don’t answer🤒#Apple explain this.. pic.twitter.com/gr8llRKZxJ — Benji Mobb™ (@BmManski) January… This story continues at The Next Web Or just read more coverage about: Apple from The Next Web http://bit.ly/2CQqzRJ

I have a bit of a confession to make. I’ve spent more money on audio gear than I care to admit… but I’ve never been that much into vinyl. Sure, I’ve owned a few budget tables over the years, and I’ve quietly admired the Regas, Technics, and VPIs of the world at audio events. I appreciated their value for those with extensive vinyl collections, or simply for the experience of the album art and ritual of placing a record on a platter. But as someone who grew up with the convenience digital era, I never felt compelled to invest in… This story continues at The Next Web from The Next Web http://bit.ly/2CTBiuA

When I said “’Space Boobs in Space’ is the best thing on Prime Video,” last year, I wasn’t playing coy or trying to be funny. The film, on its own merit, is a loud-and-proud statement on body-positive feminism. And the fact it was available on one of the world’s largest streaming entertainment networks gave me hope for the future of very-low-budget, independent cinema. That hope is gone. Amazon‘s Prime Video Direct, the program responsible for bringing independent films such as “Space Boobs in Space” to Prime Video subscribers, recently conducted a mysterious purge affecting thousands of films and dozens –… This story continues at The Next Web Or just read more coverage about: Amazon from The Next Web http://bit.ly/2DG4wPi

Former FTC chief technologist Ashkan Soltani argues it's time for Silicon Valley companies to formalize and test not just their products' security, but its "abusability." from Security Latest http://bit.ly/2RZvRVC

Laundering funds with cryptocurrencies could soon become a thing of the past in South Korea if four of the country’s exchanges have their way. According to a local media report, Bithumb, Upbit, Corbit and Coinone have cobbled together to share ‘real-time’ wallet information on any suspicious activity linked to phishing attempts and pyramid schemes. It comes months after the South Korean government’s attempts to clamp down on cryptocurrency activity were met by deafening resistance from investors and companies in the space. The news also follows an amendment to the country’s anti-money laundering rules, which requires domestic banks offering services to cryptocurrency exchanges to… This story continues at The Next Web from The Next Web http://bit.ly/2RS5elg

Wireless charging is one of today’s biggest mysteries. On one hand, it’s everywhere. Most flagship phones support it, Apple has been working on a wireless charging matt for an age, there’s an industry standard format (shout out, Qi), and it’s cool. Despite all this, I don’t know a single person who actually charges their phone wirelessly – everyone still uses cables. So, when BIS Research put out a report claiming the global wireless charging market will be worth $20.97 billion in 2023, I was hooked. That’s a lot of money. In 2017, the wireless charging market was only worth $2.57… This story continues at The Next Web from The Next Web http://bit.ly/2DDTABP

Boris is the wise ol’ CEO of TNW who writes a weekly column on everything about being an entrepreneur — from managing stress to embracing awkwardness. You can also get his musings straight to your inbox by signing up for his newsletter! On my way to work, I pass two eyewear stores. They both have a large store window. The first one shows off all the major brands with models wearing sunglasses and normal glasses. They change the setup once a month to keep things lively, and in the winter they focus more on prescription glasses and in summer they… This story continues at The Next Web from The Next Web http://bit.ly/2Umk4gv

An Italian judge has reportedly ordered Francesco Firano, founder of shady cryptocurrency exchange BitGrail, to repay the $170 million worth of cryptocurrency that went “missing” early last year. Documents shared by a BitGrail victim advocacy group show Firano, who goes by the moniker “The Bomber,” must declare bankruptcy, forfeit personal assets, and return as much of the stolen digital assets as possible. The docs suggest Firano continuously bungled security matters related to the private keys (cryptocurrency) of BitGrail users, and at one point, had transferred customer funds into wallets under direct BitGrail control. In particular, they noted he had failed to… This story continues at The Next Web from The Next Web http://bit.ly/2SaH3O9

Artificial intelligence, the blockchain, Internet of Things. You know you’ve heard these terms about a thousand times but can you explain them in a way your (grand)parents would understand? New technologies are saving companies time, money and headaches. The problem is, most of us still don’t know exactly what they are and how we could be using them to make our lives better. On February 19th, SAP Leonardo is offering a (free!) straightforward, educational Virtual Event on Future Tech answering everything you always wanted to know but were waiting for the intern to ask. During the event you’ll learn how to… This story continues at The Next Web from The Next Web http://bit.ly/2FT6gqS

Growing an Instagram following can take as much time and effort as keeping a business rolling. Thankfully, services like Postable ($39, 88 percent off from TNW Deals) can help you automate and grow your Instagram account without becoming a massive time-killer. from The Next Web http://bit.ly/2FT6SMW

With the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games just one year away, Japan isn’t leaving anything to chance. On Friday, the country approved a law that would allow the government to hack into insecure IoT devices, in order to survey the number of easily-hackable gadgets that exist within the country. The survey will be conducted by employees of the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology (NICT), supervised by staffers from the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. Perhaps for privacy reasons, the survey is being performed under punishingly strict rules-of-engagement. Don’t get any ideas of Japanese government hackers firing up Metasploit… This story continues at The Next Web from The Next Web http://bit.ly/2CRP80z

Facebook made the news last week when The New York Times’ Mike Isaac reported that CEO Mark Zuckerberg intended to integrate the company’s three messaging platforms: WhatsApp, Messenger, and Instagram. We don’t have all the details of exactly how this will work. The plan is still in its early stages, and there are plenty of moving parts – legal and technical – to take care of. What’s clear is this: with more than 2.6 billion users between the platforms, this is set to impact a lot of people if it goes through – and potentially many hundreds of millions more… This story continues at The Next Web Or just read more coverage about: Facebook from The Next Web http://bit.ly/2G5wgON