The US Special Operations Command is developing a portable face-recognition system designed to identify people 1 kilometre away. It could also be used by law enforcement Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2233639-us-military-face-recognition-system-could-work-from-1-kilometre-away/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…
Tag: portable
Activate this ‘Bracelet of Silence,’ and Alexa Can’t Eavesdrop
Ben Zhao and his wife, Heather Zheng, computer science professors at the University of Chicago, designed what they are calling a “bracelet of silence” that will jam the Echo or any other microphones in the vicinity from listening in on the wearer’s conversations. The New York Times reports: The bracelet is like an anti-smartwatch, both in its cyberpunk aesthetic and in…
OpenBSD Mail Server Bug Allowed Remotely Executing Shell Commands As Root
This week a remotely-exploitable vulnerability (granting root privileges) was discovered in OpenSMTPD (OpenBSD’s implementation of server-side SMTP). ZDNet notes that the library’s “portable” version “has also been incorporated into other OSes, such as FreeBSD, NetBSD, and some Linux distros, such as Debian, Fedora, Alpine Linux, and more.”
To exploit this issue, an attacker must craft and send malformed SMTP messages to a…
Europe Plans Law To Give All Phones Same Charger
On Monday, members of the European Parliament (MEPs) discussed the idea of introducing “binding measures” that would require chargers that fit all mobile phones and portable electronic devices. The company that would be impacted most by this legislation would be Apple and its iPhone, which uses a Lightning cable while most new Android phones use USB-C ports for charging. ZDNet reports:…
A Lithium-Ion Battery That You Can Scrunch
An anonymous reader quotes a report from IEEE Spectrum: Busan-based firm Jenax has spent the past few years developing J.Flex, an advanced lithium-ion battery that is ultra-thin, flexible, and rechargeable. With the arrival of so many wearable gadgets, phones with flexible displays, and other portable gizmos, “we’re now interacting with machines on a different level from what we did before,” says…
Secretive Surveillance Company Is Selling Cops Cameras Hidden In Gravestones
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Motherboard: A surveillance vendor that works with U.S. government agencies, such as the FBI, DEA, and ICE, is marketing spying capabilities to local police departments, including cameras that are hidden inside a tombstone, a baby car seat, and a vacuum cleaner. The brochure highlights some of the capabilities on offer to law enforcement agencies,…
China has developed the world’s first mobile quantum satellite station
China has connected the world’s first portable ground station for quantum communication to the Mozi satellite, and has plans to launch more quantum satellites soon Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2229673-china-has-developed-the-worlds-first-mobile-quantum-satellite-station/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…
In a First, Amazon Launches a Battery-powered Portable Echo Speaker in India
After launching nearly a dozen Echo speaker models in India in two years, Amazon said on Wednesday it is adding a new variant to the mix that addresses one of the most requested features from customers in the nation: Portability. From a report: The e-commerce giant today unveiled the Echo Input Portable Smart Speaker Edition, a new variant in the lineup…
Solid State Battery Breakthrough Could Double the Density of Lithium-ion Cells
Researchers at Australia’s Deakin University say they’ve managed to use common industrial polymers to create solid electrolytes, opening the door to double-density solid state lithium batteries that won’t explode or catch fire if they overheat. Tangential writes: Dr. Fangfang Chen and Dr. Xiaoen Wang from Deakin’s Institute for Frontier Materials claim to have made a breakthrough with “the first clear and…
Wearable artificial kidney works well in first tests in people
A portable artificial kidney set has been used successfully by 15 people, and could free them from regular haemodialysis sessions Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2224122-wearable-artificial-kidney-works-well-in-first-tests-in-people/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…