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Submission + - Robot printer 'comes to your desk' with documents

Submitted by mrspoonsi
mrspoonsi writes: Fuji Xerox has developed a new robotic printer that can move around a lounge or office to bring documents to the person who printed them. The printer is designed to be used primarily in public places as a way to keep sensitive documents secure. Sensors on the machine prevent it from bumping into people on the way. However, some analysts argued that the idea was not cost effective when compared with other secure printing methods. Fuji Xerox — a joint venture between the two firms — has been testing the printer this month at a business lounge in Tokyo. Each desk in the lounge is given a unique web address from which to print. Users access the address and upload documents to be printed. Once the printer receives the job, it moves to the intended recipient who then has to display a smart card to activate printing.

Submission + - HTC One M8 Windows Phone Half the Price of Android M8

Submitted by mrspoonsi
mrspoonsi writes: The handset maker HTC has unveiled a new smartphone that runs a Windows Phone operating system. The modified One M8 is being sold at roughly half the price of the same handset running Google's Android. This is the first time the struggling manufacturer has released a Windows smartphone in more than two years. One analyst said the new device was "almost certainly financially supported" by Microsoft, in an attempt to gain a foothold in the US market. The new phone, which comes with Windows Phone 8.1 pre-installed, is available exclusively through US network provider Verizon. Daniel Gleeson, an analyst at the consultancy IHS Technology "Microsoft are desperate for other manufacturers to develop Windows smartphones, and they almost certainly financially supported HTC to make this phone," he added.

Submission + - Reversible USB cable design finalized

Submitted by mrspoonsi
mrspoonsi writes: The design for the new reversible USB interface — the standardized connection for data transfers between electronic devices — has been finished. It means users will no longer have to worry which way round the part is facing when plugging it into a device. The new USB Type-C is small enough for mobiles but "robust enough for laptops and tablets", its designers said. But the new USB cables will not connect into the current ports that are found on millions of devices.

Submission + - Google tracking your location if use Gmail or any Google apps

Submitted by mrspoonsi
mrspoonsi writes: If you have a Gmail account or use any of Google's apps, there's a good chance Google has some of your location data stored in its systems. Luckily, there's an easy way to see exactly what Google knows about where you've been, and you can even see a map of past locations you have visited.

Submission + - Fugitive child sex abuser caught by facial-recognition technology

Submitted by mrspoonsi
mrspoonsi writes: A US juggler facing child sex abuse charges, who jumped bail 14 years ago, has been arrested in Nepal, after the use of facial-recognition technology. Street performer Neil Stammer travelled to Nepal eight years ago using a fake passport under the name Kevin Hodges. New facial-recognition software matched his passport picture with a wanted poster the FBI released in January. Mr Stammer, who had owned magic shop in New Mexico, has now been returned to the US state to face trial. The Diplomatic Security Service, which protects US embassies and checks the validity of US visas and passports, had been using FBI wanted posters to test the facial-recognition software, designed to uncover passport fraud. The FBI has been developing its own facial-recognition database as part of the bureau's Next Generation Identification (NGI) programme.

Submission + - Samsung reveals Galaxy Alpha metal-framed smartphone with rounded corners

Submitted by mrspoonsi
mrspoonsi writes: Samsung says a metal frame and curved corners give the Galaxy Alpha a "sophisticated" look. The South Korean company describes the Galaxy Alpha as representing a "new design approach". The firm has previously been criticised for the plastic feel of its handsets at a time when other firms have opted to use materials marketed as having a "premium" feel. Samsung Electronics saw a 20% year-on-year drop in its last quarter's profit.

Submission + - Microsoft turns (almost) any camera into a Kinect

Submitted by mrspoonsi
mrspoonsi writes: Microsoft has been working on ways to make any regular 2D camera capture depth, meaning it could do some of the same things a Kinect does. As you can see in the video below the team managed to pull this off and we might see this tech all around in the near future. What’s really impressive is that this works with many types of cameras. The research team used a smartphone as well as a regular webcam and both managed to achieve some impressive results, the cameras have to be slightly modified but that's only to permit more IR light to hit the sensor.

Submission + - Apple and Samsung agree to drop cases outside the US

Submitted by mrspoonsi
mrspoonsi writes: Apple and Samsung have agreed to withdraw all legal cases against each other outside the United States. The two rivals have sued each other over a range of patent disputes in nine countries outside the US, including the UK, South Korea, Japan and Germany. A joint statement said the agreement "does not involve any licensing arrangements", and they would continue to pursue existing cases in US courts. The two firms are the biggest players in the smartphone and tablet PC market. But they have been involved in a bitter legal battle, spread across various countries, which has escalated in recent years.

Submission + - Wikipedia reveals Google 'forgotten' search links (bbc.co.uk)

Submitted by mrspoonsi
mrspoonsi writes: Wikipedia has begun naming links to its online encyclopaedia that have been removed from EU search results under "right to be forgotten" rules. The deleted links include pages about European criminals, a musician and an amateur chess player. The Wikimedia Foundation, which operates the site, said the internet was being "riddled with memory holes" as a result of such takedowns. The action follow a European Court of Justice ruling in May. The judges involved decided that citizens had the right to have links to "irrelevant" and outdated data erased from search engine results. A fortnight ago Google briefed data regulators that it had subsequently received more than 91,000 requests covering a total of 328,000 links that applicants wanted taken down, and had approved more than 50% of those processed.

Submission + - Microsoft tip leads to child porn arrest in Pennsylvania

Submitted by mrspoonsi
mrspoonsi writes: A tip-off from Microsoft has led to the arrest of a man in Pennsylvania who has been charged with receiving and sharing child abuse images. It flagged the matter after discovering that an image involving a young girl had been allegedly saved to the man's OneDrive cloud storage account. According to court documents, the man was subsequently detected trying to send two illegal pictures via one of Microsoft's live.com email accounts. Police arrested him on 31 July.

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