Author

Ben Lovejoy

Ben Lovejoy is a British technology writer who started his career on PC World and has written for dozens of computer and technology magazines, as well as numerous national newspapers, business and in-flight magazines. He has also written two novels.

He thinks wires are evil and had a custom desk made to hide them, known as the OC Desk for obvious reasons.

He considers 1000 miles a good distance for a cycle ride, and Chernobyl a suitable tourist destination. What can we say, he’s that kind of chap.

He speaks fluent English but only broken American, so please forgive any Anglicised spelling in his posts.

Connect with Ben Lovejoy

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Google moving up-market with Android Wear, announcing Tag Heuer smartwatch partnership with Intel

Ben Lovejoy Mar 19 2015 - 6:41 am PT

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carerra

While Android Wear has not yet set the world alight, Google is not sitting idly by while Apple grabs all the media attention with its Apple Watch. The company has announced a deal with Tag Heuer and Intel to create a smartwatch version of one of the watchmaker’s best-selling models, the Carrera.

TAG Heuer, Google and Intel have announced a partnership to launch a Swiss smartwatch powered by Intel technology and Android Wear. The effort signifies a new era of collaboration between Swiss watchmakers and Silicon Valley, bringing together each company’s respective expertise in luxury watchmaking, software and hardware.

While the company did not go into details, Reuters reports that the watch “will be a digital replica of the original Tag Heuer black Carrera, known for its bulky, sporty allure, and will look like the original.”

Sincere or not, Tag Heuer CEO Jean-Claude Biver says that he welcomes the launch of the Apple Watch …
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Don’t worry if you break your new HTC One M9 or want to switch carriers – HTC has you covered

Ben Lovejoy Mar 18 2015 - 6:27 am PT

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htc-m9

If you’ve ever said “Uh-oh” as your smartphone fell to the ground, HTC knows how you feel. It is today announcing a free, one-year protection plan for the One M9 smartphone, offering a free replacement if you crack the screen or drop it in water. The company will also replace the phone if you want to switch carriers.

HTC UH OH Protection provides consumers who damage their new HTC One M9 with an untimely fall onto the pavement or into a toilet with a free phone replacement within 12 months of purchase. Consumers who don’t take advantage of UH OH Protection within the first 12 months will receive $100 towards the purchase of a future HTC One.

The UH-OH program is an extension of the HTC Advantage cover offered on the M8, which was limited to screen damage and only lasted for six months …
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Xiaomi announces bamboo casing for its iPhone 6 competitor, the Mi Note,

Ben Lovejoy Mar 17 2015 - 5:11 am PT

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bamboo

Xiaomi‘s 5.7-inch phablet, launched in January, is now available in a special edition with a back cover made from natural bamboo. Xiaomi said that the Mi Note can be preordered now for delivery within two weeks, priced at RMB2299 ($370).

The Natural Bamboo Edition combines the awesome experience of 5.7 ” display and the smoothness as well as uniqueness of natural bamboo.

As it’s real wood, each back cover will be unique. Inside, it’s the same specs as the standard model: a 2.5GHz quad-core Snapdragon 801 CPU with 3GB RAM, 13MP main camera and 1080p display.

Xiaomi positions the Mi Note against Apple’s iPhone 6 Plus, though is copying the wood idea from Motorola.

IDC numbers from last month show that Xiaomi is now the top-selling smartphone brand in China, overtaking Samsung, Lenovo, Huawei and Coolpad last year. The company recently held an event in San Francisco in which it said it had no plans to launch in the USA this year, but wanted to “introduce the brand” to Americans.

T-Mobile extends 10GB free LTE data to prepaid customers, includes data rollover for up to a year

Ben Lovejoy Mar 16 2015 - 7:02 am PT

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Uncarrier 8.0 Data Stash Announcement

T-Mobile announced Data Stash back in December, giving postpaid customers 10GB of LTE data free of charge and the ability to roll over their unused data month-to-month for up to a year. As of Sunday March 22nd, prepaid customers will now get to enjoy the same deal.

This month, we’re taking Data Stash even further. I’m happy to announce that, starting Sunday March 22^nd, Data Stash will start rolling out to Simple Choice prepaid customers. Every single one of our prepaid voice customers with a qualifying Simple Choice plan will start out with a Starter Stash with up to 10 GB of 4G LTE data. And when that’s all used up, they’ll start rolling forward their unused data for use up to a full year. Automatically… and at no extra charge.

T-Mobile says that the ability to roll over data from month to month has been one of the most requested changes, with 27% of postpaid customers having already dipped into their data stash.

The full text of the press release can be found below.
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YouTube exploring subscription video service, competing with Netflix, Hulu & others

Ben Lovejoy Mar 16 2015 - 4:36 am PT

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youtube-vod

The subscription-based video on demand market could see a significant shake-up this year as it was reported that YouTube has started to negotiate licensing deals for its own service to compete with services like Netflix and Hulu.

Variety quoted an unnamed YouTube partner as saying that the company not only wanted to discuss a licensing deal, but was extremely aggressive in its approach.

An exec at one YouTube partner says reps from the vidsite reached out late last year about an SVOD licensing deal. But the offer came with a warning: If the partner didn’t agree to the terms of the subscription service, it would be excluded from any future ad revenue — a tactic YouTube has used in dealing with independent music companies that refused to get onboard with Music Key.

This is the same approach YouTube was said to have taken to persuade independent music labels to sign-up for the company’s subscription music service …
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Smartwatches are worse for driver distraction than smartphones, shows UK safety tests

Ben Lovejoy Mar 13 2015 - 7:34 am PT

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watch

UK safety tests have shown that using a smartwatch while driving is more dangerous than using a smartphone, reports the Huffington Post.

The Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) in Wokingham, Berks showed that a driver reading a message on an Apple Watch would take 2.52 seconds to react to an emergency manoeuvre, whereas a driver talking to another passenger would react in 0.9 seconds. Reading on an Apple Watch was even found to be more distracting than using a handheld mobile (1.85 second delay).

While the piece refers to the Apple Watch, the TRL told me that the tests were conducted with an unspecified smartwatch, and was not a full-scale study, but earlier studies have shown that even talking with someone handsfree is more distracting that holding a conversation with someone in the car.
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Microsoft plans to bring Google Now competitor Cortana to Android devices, with focus on predictive intelligence

Ben Lovejoy Mar 13 2015 - 6:21 am PT

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cortana

Microsoft is planning on making the next generation of its voice-recognition system, Cortana, available on Android and iOS devices sometime after the fall, reports Reuters. The focus, says the company, will be on an intelligent assistant that predicts the help you need, rather than simply responding to user requests.

Cortana could tell a mobile phone user when to leave for the airport, days after it read an email and realized the user was planning a flight. It would automatically check flight status, determine where the phone is located using GPS, and checking traffic conditions.

Google has of course long majored on this kind of proactive approach through its Google Now service, which aims to work out what you will want to know when, but Microsoft believes that integrating everything into the digital assistant is the future …
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Anonymously tracking phones through airport security cuts waiting time by a third

Ben Lovejoy Mar 13 2015 - 6:06 am PT

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blip

Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport says that anonymously tracking smartphones and tablets through airport security has enabled it to cut the average waiting time by a third.

The system, developed by Danish company Blip Systems, scans both WiFi and Bluetooth connections to look for MAC addresses of mobile devices passing through security. Counting the number of devices in each queue enables the system to estimate the length of the queue. The queue length is displayed to passengers in minutes, so they can choose which queue to join, and also used to help the airport allocate the right number of security personnel.

Blip says that it anonymizes this data, and only uses device counts. The same system is used in a number of other airports around the world, but this is the first time it’s been used in the USA.

Via The Verge

Google software glitch exposes personal details of 280,000 Google Apps domain owners

Ben Lovejoy Mar 13 2015 - 4:18 am PT

1 Comment

The failed privacy add-on offered by Google’s domain registration partner

More than a quarter of a million people who had opted to keep their contact details private when registering web domains through a Google Apps service have had that information made public as a result of a software glitch by Google.

Usually when you buy a domain name, your name, address, phone number and email list are all made available to anyone who wants to view them by using a WHOIS lookup service. Most domain registrars offer a way around this, where their details, rather than yours, are listed. The $6/year privacy add-on offered by Google’s domain registration partner eNom failed when the domains were renewed, leaving the customer’s details exposed …
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Google launches first retail presence with the Google Shop in London, England

Ben Lovejoy Mar 11 2015 - 6:22 am PT

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google-shop

More than a year after a failed attempt at establishing a retail presence, Google has opened the first ever Google Shop, reports the Telegraph.

The store, to be called The Google shop, will sell the company’s range of Android phones and tablets, Chromebook laptops, and Chromecast TV services. The shop will hold tutorials showing consumers how to use the devices and hold demonstrations showing off key Google apps. It is the first time that Google has opened a shop under its own name.

The Google Shop is store-within-a-store in a flagship branch of Currys PC World, a large electronics retail chain on Tottenham Court Road. The road is gadget central in London, almost every other store on the street selling consumer electronics …
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Google among hundreds of businesses urging US Supreme Court to legalize same-sex marriage

Ben Lovejoy Mar 6 2015 - 2:29 pm PT

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androidlove

Apple, Google, Microsoft and hundreds of other businesses have joined together to urge the US Supreme Court to legalize same-sex marriage across the country.

The companies have filed what’s known as an amicus brief, a way for parties not directly involved in a case to make an argument for or against a particular decision by the court. The brief argues that there is a sound business case for consistency across the country, explained counsel Susan Baker…
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EU court says ebooks aren’t books, must be subject to higher tax rates

Ben Lovejoy Mar 5 2015 - 6:39 am PT

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play-books

Europe’s top court has declared that ebooks are ‘services’ rather than books, and that European countries are not allowed to give them the same favorable tax treatment as paper books. The reasoning, such as it is, is that ebooks cannot be used without a physical device, and ebooks are a service provided to those devices.

Both France and Luxembourg have applied to ebooks the same reduced rate of VAT (sales tax) enjoyed by books made from crushed trees. The WSJ reports that the EU has ruled that this is illegal.

Since 2012, France has applied a 5.5% VAT rate and Luxembourg a 3% VAT rate on e-books, the same rate as for paper books. The European Court of Justice said both countries must apply their normal VAT rate, which for France is 20% and for Luxembourg is 17%.

Europe already closed one ebook-related tax loophole: Amazon used to use its Luxembourg base as a reason to charge just 3% on ebook sales throughout Europe, but a change in the law forced it to apply the VAT rate applicable to the customer’s own country.

There is some small hope that sanity may prevail in future. The European Commission has said that there may be legal mechanisms through which countries can in future define their own policies, with an “extensive overhaul” of VAT rules to be completed next year. However, don’t be surprised if ‘harmonization’ of tax rates for paper and digital books results in higher taxes on the former to pay for lower taxes on the latter …

Via Engadget

Waze app to get AMBER alerts, help users look out for missing & abducted children

Ben Lovejoy Mar 4 2015 - 5:57 am PT

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amber

Waze, the free crowdsourced navigation and traffic app, is to get AMBER alerts in the U.S., helping users look out for missing and abducted children. You’ll only see alerts for children in your local area, and for safety reasons details will only appear once your vehicle has been stationary for at least ten seconds.

AMBER alerts are created by law enforcement agencies to quickly alert members of the public to children who have been reported missing or are believed to have been abducted. Waze says the app will scan for new alerts every ten minutes, though once you’ve dismissed an alert it won’t be shown again for a further week.

Alerts will display all the information available, which will normally include a photo of the child, their name, age, description, where they were last seen, what clothing they were wearing and details of any vehicle known or believed to have been involved.

The update is expected to roll out shortly in the U.S. only. Waze is a free download from Google Play. It was reported yesterday that the app may in future be pre-installed on Android devices following its integration into Google Mobile Services.

Facebook added AMBER alerts to its mobile apps in January.

Security flaw places Android, iOS & Mac users at risk from hacking on some major websites

Ben Lovejoy Mar 4 2015 - 4:26 am PT

3 Comments

freak

Cryptographers have discovered that a security flaw dating back to the ’90s is placing Android, iOS and Mac users at risk from hacking attacks when visiting some major websites, including American Express, Airtel, Bloomberg, Business Insider, Groupon, Marriott and many more.

The FREAK exploit allows an attacker to force a website to use lower-grade encryption for HTTPS connections, which can be cracked within a few hours when using a small botnet of just 75 computers. Once cracked, attackers would be able to hack the website as well as steal personal data from those visiting the site …
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Pebble Time Steel announced, metal version of color e-paper screen smartwatch

Ben Lovejoy Mar 3 2015 - 5:36 am PT

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time-steel

A week after Pebble announced a color-screen version of its popular smartwatch, the Pebble Time, it has now announced a stainless steel model: the Pebble Time Steel. The metal version is available in silver, black and gold finishes.

The Time Steel will retail at $299–a hundred bucks more than the plastic original–but you can order one now on Kickstarter for an early bird price of $250 …
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Elegant Withings Activité/Pop smartwatches now compatible with Google Fit

Ben Lovejoy Mar 3 2015 - 4:56 am PT

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withings

If you loved the look of the Withings Activité or Activité Pop watches, but wanted to track your activity data on your Android device, you now can. The company has announced that both watches are now compatible with Android, feeding your activity data (steps, swimming distance and sleep cycles) into Google Fit …
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Microsoft announces foldable version of its universal Bluetooth keyboard

Ben Lovejoy Mar 2 2015 - 5:50 am PT

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keyboard

If you use both Android and Windows devices (and maybe iOS too), the latest version of Microsoft’s universal keyboard may appeal. Designed to allow you to switch easily between Android, Windows and iOS devices, the Microsoft Universal Foldable Keyboard is a more portable version, folding in half down the middle. (If you like a smaller vertical fold made for smartphones, Zagg makes an excellent product)

folded

There’s no word yet on pricing or availability, but the original version retailed at $80 (and is available on Amazon for $65), so something in the same ballpark or a little higher seems likely.

Photos: CNET

Latest sketchy image of Samsung Galaxy S6 – a claimed Sprint promo

Ben Lovejoy Feb 27 2015 - 5:04 am PT

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s6-sprint

A pupported Sprint promo image for Samsung’s Galaxy S6, set to be revealed on Sunday evening, was posted to a Reddit thread. The main thread link is to a Sprint pre-registration page, but a claimed Sprint employee posted the above image.

The images appear in line with earlier claimed leaks, but it’s of course not uncommon for fake images to be based on earlier ones. As Gizmodo notes, there is also inconsistent use of upper/lower case for ‘Edge’ in the image, suggesting it should be viewed with some caution …
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Google invests $300M in largest ever fund for residential solar power

Ben Lovejoy Feb 26 2015 - 7:26 am PT

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ssr-gallery-05

Google has invested $300M in a SolarCity fund designed to bring solar power to around 25,000 homes. Debt financing brings the total to $750M, making it the largest ever investment in residential solar power, reports Reuters.

While investing in solar power makes sound economic sense for homeowners, as well as being good for the environment, many are deterred by the typical $20-30,000 upfront cost of purchasing the panels. The SolarCity fund instead allows homeowners to lease the panels, paying a monthly fee to do so …
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Google has now paid Android developers $7B in past 12 months; testing sponsored app searches

Ben Lovejoy Feb 26 2015 - 6:03 am PT

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google-play-ad-example

Google paid developers a total of $7B in the past 12 months from a mix of app sales and in-app purchases, the company says, closing in on the record $10B payout recently announced by Apple.

Re/code also reports that Google is testing sponsored searches in the Play Store, enabling developers to pay to have their apps show up at the top of searches. Sponsored Play Store searches will work in exactly the same way as they do in the company’s main search engine: developers bidding for keywords, with sponsored apps appearing above organic search results, flagged with a small Ad tag …

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Samsung extends salary freeze to all employees in response to falling profits

Ben Lovejoy Feb 26 2015 - 5:18 am PT

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samsung

Samsung, which recently froze the salaries of executives in response to falling profits, has confirmed to Reuters that it is now extending the salary freeze to all employees.

The cost-cutting move is the latest by Samsung Electronics, which in January reported its first annual profit decline since 2011, as it lost market share to Apple Inc’s new iPhones and cheaper Chinese rivals like Xiaomi.

The move comes a few days before Samsung is set to unveil its new flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S6. Korean business professor and author of Sony vs Samsung says that the salary freeze is likely to “inject a sense of crisis into employees” …
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Google’s Lunar XPrize competition will come down to 500-metre moon race between two robots

Ben Lovejoy Feb 25 2015 - 5:12 am PT

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The two competing lunar robots, Astrobotic top, Hakuto bottom

Google’s Lunar XPrize competition, to be the first team to take a robot to the moon, looks like it will come down to a head-to-head race between two competing robots–one American, one Japanese.

While five teams were awarded prizes for achieving key milestones along the way to the final goal, two of the robots appear set to get there first, jointly commissioning the same SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket to carry them to the moon in the second half of 2016, with a race across the lunar surface determining the winner …
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Toyota has “no plans” to offer Android Auto, prefers own in-car entertainment system

Ben Lovejoy Feb 23 2015 - 5:55 am PT

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android-auto

Toyota, which makes three of the top-ten best-selling cars in the USA, has told the NY Times that it “currently has no plans” to offer Android Auto in US-sold cars.

John Hanson, the national manager of Toyota’s advanced technology communications, said while the company talked frequently with both Google and Apple, it currently had no plans to adopt Android Auto or CarPlay in the United States.

“We may all eventually wind up there, but right now we prefer to use our in-house proprietary platforms for those kinds of functions,” Mr. Hanson said.

Google created the Open Automotive Alliance for manufacturers committed to bringing the Android platform to cars, whether through original in-car entertainment systems or after-market equipment. Toyota was a notable omission from the 28 car manufacturers listed.

The company is also going it alone on the self-driving car front, currently testing a Lexus LS 600h using what appears to be the same laser-scanning equipment used on Google’s autonomous cars.

$34 smartphone dongle allows 15-minute HIV test with similar accuracy to ‘gold standard’ lab test

Ben Lovejoy Feb 23 2015 - 5:36 am PT

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[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TC9XNqSgj4w]

A team of biomedical engineers at Columbia University has developed a smartphone dongle costing just $34 that can conduct HIV tests with similar accuracy to ‘gold standard’ laboratory equipment costing over $18,000. The test, which also detects syphilis, takes just 15 minutes to run …
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