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Intel Wants to Use Sensors Change The Way You Go Shopping

Jonathan Antonio
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Intel Wants to Use Sensors Change The Way You Go Shopping

Technology is being introduced to change the way people shop.

Intel’s CEO, Brian Krzanich, announced on Monday a way for companies to collect data on shoppers visiting their stores in real time. Called the Intel Responsive Retail Platform, the new program allows for companies to understand how people interact with their stores. Intel plans to invest $100 million with into their new platform with the company’s goal to integrate every part of a retail company’s operations.

How does Intel Responsive Retail Platform work?

Intel Responsive Retail Platform works by collecting data based on digital and physical objects in the store. Ultimately, with Intel’s platform it will allow for a company to strategically place items people want to see in areas that will increase revenue for the retail store. In addition, it can track inventory and other information and share it directly with other parts of the company. Moreover, the platform can keep track of items, what clothes are being tried on the dressing rooms, and keep track of which products are not in their correct location.

Furthermore, the Responsive Retail Platform will integrate Intel-based retail sensors, with the company’s technology and finally their Intel cloud service to deliver real-time retail insights.

“With technology like robots and artificial intelligence to free up employees, every aspect of the store and supply chain will allow retail employees to better focus on the customer and improve the store’s performance,” Krzanich explains. “We’re developing technologies that will help transform the shopping experience in the near future,” Krzanich added.

More and more companies are focusing on data related shopping experiences. Last year, Snap Inc acquired Cinimagine, an augmented reality company that allows for people to see a virtual image of a product in a specific location in real time.

Most notably, Amazon announced a new shopping experience called Amazon Go. The data focused shopping experience would allow for people to purchase objects from an Amazon store without ever pulling out their wallet as the stores are cashier-less.

Google Continues to Invest and Innovate Google+

Jonathan Antonio
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Google Continues to Invest and Innovate Google+

Google is still working and developing their social network platform, Google+.

Google+’s product manager, Danielle Buckley, posted a blog post illustrating the new changes for the social network. The new changes include hiding low-quality conversations, improving UI/UX, and the introduction of events.

Buckley explains that Google+ is focused on creating good conversations on the platform. In order to accomplish this, Google+ has added a new feature that allows for users to hide lower quality posts. In turn, the new platform will allow for users to “focus on the comments that matter the most.”

Google Plus Comments
Google.com

In addition, Google+ updated the way posts look on the social network platform. For example, photographers can share large images on the social network and users can zoom into photos. In turn, letting users “get up close and personal” with images.

Finally, Google’s social network will bring back Events starting January 24th. Users will be able to create and join events listed on the platform.

“With this latest round of updates, we believe the new Google+ is really your Google+— designed around your suggestions, requests and needs,” Buckley explains. “It also means it’s time to say goodbye to classic Google+ on the web, which we’ll be turning down on January 24,” Buckley added.

Google is continuing to innovate and develop their social network but, since the company launched the social network they have face tougher competition. For instance, Facebook still has over 1 billion users. Albeit, the company has been busy waging a war against fake news.

Then there is Snapchat. Snap Inc’s Snapchat has become extremely popular among teenagers and millennials. In fact, a 2016 study examining social media use among teens found Snapchat as the most popular social media app with 28% of all teens surveyed said Snapchat was their favorite social media platform. Meanwhile, only 1% of teens reported using Google’s social network.

You Can Crash Any iPhone with This Text Message

Jonathan Antonio
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0
You Can Crash Any iPhone with This Text Message

YouTuber reveals how to crash any iPhone with only a text message.

YouTube channel EverythingApplePro revealed a text message that features a list of characters that has the capability of freezing an iPhone. Apparently, when someone sends a white flag emoji, the number “0” and a rainbow emoji, the iOS 10 operating system shuts down and freezes. In fact, the recipient of the text message with those sequence of characters doesn’t even have to open the text message for their phone to freeze.

EverythingApplePro also explained that after sending the message the recipient’s phone freezes for three to five minutes before restarting, shutting down all services on the iPhone. However, the phone does restart and turns back on. Check out the video above to see how it’s done and how to fix the problem.

Following the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 controversy, Samsung became a hit after a major recall. In fact, a 2016 study found 34% of Samsung owners planned on buying an iPhone. But, the surge of hacking has put celebrities, government officials and even U.S. presidential candidates on hackers’ radar.

Nowadays hackers are becoming more and more sophisticated when it comes to technology. Hacking group OurMine were able to launch a Britney Spears death hoax and even take over Netflix’s Twitter account late last year.

But, some hackers are doing more damage than spreading fake tweets. ‘Operation Methbot’ was revealed last year and found that Russian hackers were able to steal $3 million a day by using bot farms. The report by White Ops called it the biggest fraud operation against digital advertising in history.

But, at the end of the day personal protection against hackers still remains key to cybersecurity. In fact, a new report by Keeper Security found that ‘123456’ is still one of the most common passwords in the world, making it easy for hackers to crack accounts.

Abortions Hit Historic 40 Year Low, New Study Says

Brent Edward
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Abortions Hit Historic 40 Year Low, New Study Says

A report by the Guttmacher Institute has found that the abortion rate in the United States has hit a new historic low point. Researchers explain that this drop in abortions is credited to improvements in contraceptive use but, analysts also point out that abortion restrictions may also be causing the decline in abortions in America.

Analysts reported that for first time in over 40 years, the number of abortions have dropped under one million. In fact, the number of abortions have decreased by 14% since 2011.

Guttmacher Institute did not report why there was a decrease in abortions, they assume increased contraceptive use was a major factor. However, researchers also assert that abortion restrictions passed by states governments over the past five years could have contributed to the 14% decrease in abortions.

Rachel Jones, the lead author of the study explained that fewer abortion clinics have forced many pregnant women to travel long distances to find a physician able to complete the medical procedure. In turn, many low-income individuals are unable to afford it.

Abortions
NEW YORK CITY – AUGUST 22 2015: anti-abortion activists squared off against pro-choice demonstrators in front of Planned Parenthood’s Margaret Sanger Clinic on Bleecker St. (a katz / Shutterstock, Inc.)

“The majority of abortion patients—75%—are poor or low-income, and nearly two-thirds are already parents,” Jones explained in a statement.

“It can be very difficult for them to arrange for time off from work, transportation and child care. While many find ways to access care despite these obstacles, some of the abortion rate decline is likely attributable to women who were prevented from accessing needed services,” Jones added.

Hours after this report was released a new bill was introduced that would allow for women to sue doctors who perform their abortions. Lawmakers in Iowa are contemplating a bill that would allow for a woman to sue a physician at any point in her lifetime, if she experiences emotional distress following an abortion, the Associated Press reports.

Sen. Mark Chelgren (R) introduced the bill argued that clinics who profit off of the procedure should be held “accountable”.

“That’s all this does. It protects women from people who would normally be trying to sell them something in a time when they are under the most stress that is kind of imaginable,” Chelgren explained.

Facebook Launches Startup Program in Paris with Station F

Jonathan Antonio
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Facebook Launches Startup Program in Paris with Station F

Facebook launches their first startup program with Station F in Paris, France.

While the social media company is facing an Oculus lawsuit and Facebook executives are leading a war against fake news, Facebook’s COO, Sheryl Sandberg announced a new program with Station F to help data focused startups in the home of the Eiffel Tower.

Facebook launches startup garage Station F

In a Medium post by Station F, Facebook will be launching a 6 month program that is designed for 10 to 15 startups who are focused on data. Overall, 80 desks zones will be used by Facebook’s startup garage.

Station F reports that Facebook experts will help assist these start ups by providing them access to a wide array of developmental tools including assistance with user experience, marketing and more.

“Facebook is thrilled to be a founding partner of Station F. We are committed to France, which is home to some of the most innovative technology companies in the world,” Sandberg explained during a tour of Station F.

Sheryl Sandberg Station F Start Up
Laguna Niguel, CA, USA; Tuesday, Oct. 7th, 2014; Sheryl Sandberg, Chief Operating Officer of Facebook speaks at the 2014 Fortune Most Powerful Women Summit. (Krista Kennell / Shutterstock, Inc.)

“We look forward to bringing together entrepreneurs, developers and startups in this unique space where they will grow and flourish, and we’re excited to support a new generation of French startups with enormous potential to grow the economy and create jobs,” Sandberg added.

So far, Facebook has announced their program will include Mapstr, which is a program that allows for people to bookmark places they enjoy and Chekk, a startup that helps people keep track of the digital identity.

What is Station F?

Station F is located in Paris, France and is a start up campus that provides the “strongest startup ecosystem”. According to their website, the campus features over 3,000 startup desks, a coffee shop, 3D printers, restaurants, a bar, showers, event spaces and even 100 shared apartments, which are coming soon. Along with those amenities, Station F also features VC funding.

“Our program is built around the notion that 90% of entrepreneurs’ problems can be solved by other entrepreneurs,” Station F director Roxanne Varza explains. “Therefore, we go out of our way to pick the best, most ambitious, intelligent entrepreneurs from around the world for our program.”

The partnership was first revealed during the last TechCrunch Disrupt, as the social media company was one of the founding partners of startup program.

People Are Spending More Time in Apps Than Ever Before

Jonathan Antonio
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People Are Spending More Time in Apps Than Ever Before

A new report by mobile app research group, App Annie, has revealed that 2016 was a big year for mobile applications.

Researchers have found that downloads around the world have increased by 15% from 2015 to 2016. In addition, the time spent in apps have grown by 25%, which in turn led to higher revenues for both Google Play and the iOS App store. In fact, analysts report a revenue increase of 40% in comparison to last year.

Analysts explain that this increase in revenue and mobile app downloads stem from China. According to the report, China is the largest country in terms of iOS App store revenue in 2016.

The report goes on to highlight the fact that mobile gaming apps accelerated app store revenues. Researchers point out that the response towards Pokémon Go was incredible with engagement on the app as high as the 19 next most popular mobile gaming apps combined. Analysts explain the success of Pokémon Go highlights the start of augmented reality mobile apps.

Pokémon Go Mobile App
Pokemon GO augmented reality smartphone game players (Stoyan Yotov / Shutterstock, Inc.)

Meanwhile, app based shopping also increased. Time spent on shopping apps increased by 30% from 2015 to 2016 in the U.S. especially right before the holidays.

The App Annie report also reports that the average smartphone user uses over 30 apps every month. In fact, China followed by India mobile users used nearly 40 apps every month.

So what’s next for the mobile app industry? Analysts explain that 2017 is going to be even bigger year than 2016.

“As technology and business models continue to evolve, apps will play an even greater role in transforming, disrupting and creating opportunities for companies and industries both old and new.”

This news comes after a report revealed that December was a huge month for Apple’s mobile app sales. Talking to The Verge Phil Schiller, the Senior VP of Worldwide Marketing at Apple, noted that the App store had $3 billion in revenue in December alone. This number included subscription fees, in-app purchases, and paid downloads. In addition, App Store earnings from China rose by 90% in 2016 in comparison to 2015.

‘123456’ is the Most Common Password of 2016

Jonathan Antonio
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0
‘123456’ is the Most Common Password of 2016

From the Russia hacking controversy, to the Britney Spears death hoax, hacking has recently became a major issue. However, one of the best ways people can protect themselves is by using a hard to crack password. However, a new study found that people tend to have really easy to crack password combination. For example, want to know the most common password of 2016? Recent research by Keeper Security has found that 17% of all accounts had ‘123456’ as their password in 2016.

Keeper Security explained that after they analyzed 10 million passwords that became available thanks to data breaches that occurred in 2016 they discovered that most-frequently used passwords have rarely changed over the past few years making millions of people vulnerable to getting hacked.

Researchers also found that four of the top ten passwords on the list are six characters or shorter, which is problematic because hackers have developed the technology unscramble passwords in a matter of a few seconds.

In addition, Keeper Security explains that even when most people try to scramble words with numbers, passwords can still be easily cracked by ‘dictionary-based password crackers’.

With that being said, the cyber security company explains that blame does not rest entirely on unknowledgeable computer users. The research firm argues that email providers are not working hard to help users create difficult passwords.

Ultimately, the company explains that website owners should work harder on enforcing password security best practices.

We can criticize all we want about the chronic failure of users to employ strong passwords. After all, it’s in the user’s best interests to do so,” Keeper Security explained on their website. “But the bigger responsibility lies with website owners who fail to enforce the most basic password complexity policies. It isn’t hard to do, but the list makes it clear that many still don’t bother.”

IHOP Says Twitter Account Was Hacked After Anti-Hillary Clinton Retweet

Jonathan Antonio
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IHOP Says Twitter Account Was Hacked After Anti-Hillary Clinton Retweet

Over the weekend IHOP’s Twitter account was reportedly hacked after the pancake chain posted an anti-Hillary Clinton retweet.

Several media outlets reported that the IHOP retweet said “Also good morning to everyone except Americans who don’t want to accept the simple fact that Hillary Clinton had a major garbage campaign.”

By Sunday, IHOP explained that their account had been hacked. In a statement, the company described what took place, “At the core of the IHOP brand is a desire to bring people together and a commitment to creating a warm and welcoming environment for guests and fans everywhere, both in our restaurants and online.”

IHOP added, “After a thorough investigation, we have confirmed that the IHOP Twitter account was hacked this morning. The retweeted post in question was immediately removed, and we have taken the necessary steps to ensure the security and integrity of our social media accounts. We appreciate our fans bringing this to our attention and recognizing that this is not normal content shared by IHOP.”

IHOP is not the first company to get hacked and will most likely not going to be the last. Last December, hackers were able to take over Netflix’s Twitter account. The hacking organization OurMine made headlines after tweeting from Netflix’s hacked account: “World security is ****. We are here to prove this :)”. Netflix social media team quickly removed the tweet.

But, companies are not the only groups targeted by hackers. Celebrities and executives have also become victims to hackers. In fact, in 2016 both Google’s CEO Sundar Pichai and Facebook’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s social media accounts were both hacked. In addition, hackers also sparked controversy after launching a Britney Spears death hoax by hacking Sony Music’s Twitter account. “britney spears is dead by accident! we will tell you more soon #RIPBritney,” Sony Music Global’s hacked account tweeted. Britney Spears’ reps would later confirm that Spears was still alive and well.

Baidu’s New Hire Highlights Company’s Focus on Artificial Intelligence

Reginald Edward
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1
Baidu’s New Hire Highlights Company’s Focus on Artificial Intelligence

The Chinese leading online search engine, Baidu, announced on Monday that the company will be hiring former Microsoft executive, Dr. Qi Lu, to become the company’s President and Chief Operating Officer and in turn he will be in charge of the company’s sales, marketing, products, and technology operations.

Robin Li, Baidu’s Chairman and Group’s CEO, explained that Dr. Lu has the experience and leadership skills especially in the area of artificial intelligence.

“I am confident that Dr. Lu will make major contributions to the overall strength of our management and technology,” Li explained.

“To achieve our goals, especially in artificial intelligence, which is a key strategic focus for the next decade, we will need to continue attracting the best global talent. With Dr. Lu on board, we are confident that our strategy will be executed smoothly and Baidu will become a world-class technology company and global leader in AI,” Li added.

Dr. Lu received his PhD in computer science from Carnegie Mellon University and began working for Yahoo in 1998. Then, in 2009 he joined Microsoft and became the company’s President of its Online Services Group.

Baidu joins the long list of Silicon Valley companies who are investing in artificial intelligence. Last week, Dr. Lu’s former company, Microsoft, announced the acquisition of Maluuba, an artificial intelligence start up. Microsoft explained in a statement that their new acquired company specializes in artificial intelligence that has the ability to learn and communicate like humans.

At the end of the day artificial intelligence is big business. Last year, CB Insights, a research firm found that more $1 billion was spent on funding artificial intelligence companies in 2015. Then a recent report by the IDC found that nearly 50% of all consumers will come into contact with some sort of Artificially enabled program by the start of 2019.

General Motors Moves Jobs from Mexico and Plans to Hire 7,000 U.S. Jobs

Reginald Edward
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0
General Motors Moves Jobs from Mexico and Plans to Hire 7,000 U.S. Jobs

Last year General Motors announced a new program to rent cars to Uber drivers, now the company announced their plan to create more U.S. jobs

General Motors (GM) announced on Tuesday a new plan that will help put more Americans back to work. The car company explained that they will invest an additional $1 billion in U.S. manufacturing, which in turn will create 7,000 U.S. jobs.

General Motors explained the new investments will include several different aspects of car manufacturing including new advanced car component projects. In addition, the company will be moving jobs that were originally based out of Mexico to Michigan. In fact, GM explains that the move from Mexico back to the United States will provide 450 U.S. jobs. Moreover, GM announced that another supplier for the company’s full size pick-up trucks will be manufacturing components in Michigan, which will bring jobs from Mexico to the U.S.

GM Chairman and CEO Mary Barra explained that the company is focused on creating more opportunities for Americans. “The U.S. is our home market and we are committed to growth that is good for our employees, dealers, and suppliers and supports our continued effort to drive shareholder value,” Barra explained.

General Motors also highlighted how the company has a history of creating jobs in the United States and this is just another example of how the car company is focused on putting Americans to work.

“We will continue our commitment to driving a more efficient business,” said Barra explained on GM’s website, “as shown by our insourcing of more than 6,000 IT jobs that were formerly outside the U.S., streamlining our engineering operations from seven to three, with the core engineering center being in Warren, Michigan, and building on our momentum at GM Financial and in advanced technologies.

Ultimately, General Motors is focused on investing into their company and moving jobs back to the U.S.

Barra explained, “These moves, and others, are expected to result in more than 5,000 new jobs in the U.S. over the next few years.”

Both Walmart and Amazon announced plans on creating new jobs in the United States. Earlier this month, Amazon revealed their plan to nearly double their workforce by hiring 100,000 jobs by 2018. Not to mention, Walmart announced today that the company will be hiring 34,000 jobs by investing billions into their company.

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