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takyon writes:

Apple wins reversal in University of Wisconsin patent lawsuit

Apple Inc persuaded a federal appeals court on Friday to throw out a $234 million damages award in favor of the University of Wisconsin-Madison's patent licensing arm for infringing a patent on computer processing technology.

In a 3-0 decision, the U.S. Federal Circuit Court of Appeals said Apple deserved judgment as a matter of law, because jurors could not have found infringement based on evidence introduced in the liability phase of a 2015 trial.

The Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation, or WARF, sued Apple in 2014, saying processors in Apple's iPhone 5s, 6 and 6 Plus smartphones infringed a 1998 patent describing a means to improve performance by predicting instructions given by users.

"We hold that no reasonable juror could have found literal infringement in this case," Chief Judge Sharon Prost wrote for the Washington, D.C.-based appeals court.

Also at The Verge and Engadget.

In a related development, the US International Trade Commission (ITC) has ruled that they will not be imposing an import ban:

An Anonymous Coward writes:

The New York Times reports:

What do you call it when employers use Facebook’s advertising platform to show certain job ads only to men or just to people between the ages of 25 and 36?

How about when Google collects the whereabouts of its users — even after they deliberately turn off location history?

Or when AT&T shares its mobile customers’ locations with data brokers?

American policymakers often refer to such issues using a default umbrella term: privacy. That at least is the framework for a Senate Commerce Committee hearing scheduled for this Wednesday titled “Examining Safeguards for Consumer Data Privacy.”

[...] What is at stake here isn’t privacy, [it's] the right not to be observed. It’s how companies can use our data to invisibly shunt us in directions that may benefit them more than us.

takyon writes:

Facebook reportedly avoided DOJ wiretap of Messenger calls

As part of a case involving members of the MS-13 gang, the US Department of Justice has been pushing to get access to Facebook Messenger voice calls. It even attempted to hold Facebook in contempt of court last month when the company pushed back on a wiretap order. Now, Reuters reports that a US District Court judge ruled in favor of the social media giant, according to sources familiar with the matter, but because the proceedings are sealed, the reason why isn't yet clear.

Court filings have shown that the government was able to intercept phone calls and Messenger texts during its investigation, but three Messenger voice calls of interest were inaccessible.

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An Anonymous Coward writes:

Japan's Hopping Rovers Capture Amazing Views of Asteroid Ryugu (Video)

Two tiny, hopping rovers that landed on asteroid Ryugu last week have beamed back some incredible new views of the asteroid's rocky surface.

The Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency's (JAXA) Hayabusa2 sample-return mission dropped the two nearly identical rovers, named Minerva-II1A and Minerva-II1B, onto the surface of Ryugu on Sept. 21. In a new video from the eyes of Minerva-II1B, you can watch the sun move across the sky as its glaring sunlight reflects off the shiny rocks that cover Ryugu's surface.

Also at Hayabusa2 project website.

takyon: Additionally, the Hayabusa2 spacecraft has returned its highest resolution view of Ryugu, from when it dropped the Minerva rovers.

Original Submission

Bytram (from IRC) writes:

Shoppers Love Rewards Credit Cards. Retailers Hate Them.:

Large merchants including Amazon.com Inc., Target Corp. and Home Depot Inc. are pushing for the right to reject some rewards credit cards, which typically carry higher fees for merchants. They are likely to opt out of a roughly $6.2 billion settlement Visa Inc., Mastercard Inc. and several large banks recently reached with merchants and continue to make their case in court, according to people familiar with the matter.

The retailers are trying to end the card networks' "honor all cards" rule, which requires merchants that accept Visa- or Mastercard-branded credit cards to take all of them. If merchants could pick and choose among Visa or Mastercard credit cards, those with the highest merchant fees -- and most generous rewards -- likely would be on the chopping block.

The stakes are high all around. Rewards credit cards such as JPMorgan Chase & Co.'s Sapphire Reserve, Capital One Financial Corp.'s Venture and Citigroup Inc.'s Double Cash are wildly popular among consumers for their perks like cash back, airfare and hotel stays. Some 92% of all U.S. credit-card purchase volume is currently charged on rewards credit cards, up from 86% in 2013 and 67% in 2008, according to estimates from Mercator Advisory Group Inc., a payments research and consulting firm.

Yet merchants say the most generous rewards credit cards with the highest fees are cutting into their profits. When shoppers pay with Visa or Mastercard credit cards, merchants are charged interchange fees that are set by the card networks and funneled to the banks that issued those cards. These "swipe" fees vary widely, but are higher on rewards credit cards -- sometimes around 3% of the cardholder's purchase price.

chromas (from IRC) writes:

Google Images now displays image credits based on IPTC Photo Metadata:

Rights-related photo metadata can now be accessed directly in Google Image Search results, thanks to a joint effort by IPTC, Google and CEPIC, the Council of European Professional Informatics Societies.

Google, the IPTC and CEPIC worked together closely to determine the best way to incorporate metadata in Google search results of images to identify an image's author and rights holder.

When users see an image in a Google search result, they can click the "image credits" link to see the image's creator and credit information, read from IPTC embedded metadata. Over the coming weeks, copyright notice metadata will also be added.

"Embedded IPTC photo metadata has an essential role for photos posted on a website," said Michael Steidl, lead of IPTC's Photo Metadata and Video Metadata Working Groups. "These fields easily show people searching for images who its creator and copyright owner is. We encourage all parties who post images on the web to fill in these IPTC fields."

Photo metadata is vital to guarding images' licensing and copyright information online, and essential for managing digital assets.

The IPTC Photo Metadata Standard is the most widely used specification for describing photos, due to its universal acceptance among news outlets, photographers and photo agencies, libraries, museums and other related organisations. Most major photo software vendors support IPTC's Photo Metadata Standard.

That's neat and all, but Bing is way more superiorer for image search.

Original Submission

martyb writes:

Motherboard has a report on The Strongest Indoor Magnetic Field Ever:

Earlier this year, researchers at the University of Tokyo accidentally created the strongest controllable magnetic field in history and blew the doors of their lab in the process.

As detailed in a paper recently published in the Review of Scientific Instruments, the researchers produced the magnetic field to test the material properties of a new generator system. They were expecting to reach peak magnetic field intensities of around 700 Teslas[*], but the machine instead produced a peak of 1,200 Teslas. (For the sake of comparison, a refrigerator magnet has about 0.01 Tesla)

This is the strongest magnetic field ever generated in a controlled, indoor environment, but it's not the strongest magnetic field produced in history. This honor belongs to some Russian researchers who created a 2,800 Tesla magnetic field in 2001.

In both the Japanese and Russian experiments, the magnetic fields were generated using a technique called electromagnetic flux-compression. This technique causes a brief spike in the strength of the magnetic field by rapidly "squeezing" it to a smaller size. This technique has been around since the 1940s (pdf), but in the early days it relied on using large amounts of TNT to generate an explosion powerful enough to compress the magnetic field. The downside of this technique was that it could only be done once since the explosion destroyed the equipment. Furthermore, it was difficult to reproduce and control the explosion.

Instead of using TNT to generate their magnetic field, the Japanese researchers dumped a massive amount of energy—3.2 megajoules—into the generator to cause a weak magnetic field produced by a small coil to rapidly compress at a speed of about 20,000 miles per hour. This involves feeding 4 million amps of current through the generator, which is several thousand times more than a lightning bolt. When this coil is compressed as small as it will go, it bounces back. This produces a powerful shockwave that destroyed the coil and much of the generator.

"Destroyed" the coil and much of the enclosure. In other words: Ka-Boom!! Here's a short youtube video of the test. Undaunted:

"I didn't expect it to be so high," Shojiro Takeyama, a physicist at the University of Tokyo, told IEEE Spectrum. "Next time, I'll make [the enclosure] stronger."

Next time. They intend to make an even bigger boom; they just need a stronger enclosure to blow it up in!

[*] Wikipedia entry on Tesla, a measure of the strength of a magnetic field.

Original Submission

An Anonymous Coward writes:

On Sept. 28, the company publicly admitted that it was the victim of a data breach that impacted approximately 50 million user accounts. Out of an abundance of caution, Facebook is resetting the access tokens for a total of 90 million user accounts. The breach was apparently discovered in the afternoon on Sept. 25 and was quickly remediated.

"Our investigation is still in its early stages. But it's clear that attackers exploited a vulnerability in Facebook's code that impacted 'View As', a feature that lets people see what their own profile looks like to someone else," Guy Rosen, vice president of product management at Facebook, wrote in an advisory. "This allowed them to steal Facebook access tokens which they could then use to take over people's accounts."

[...] An access token is not the same as the username and password combination that Facebook users need to log into the social networking service. Rather, once a user logs into Facebook with their credentials, the site assigns an access token, which keeps the user logged in. It is those access tokens that were accessed in the data breach.

Facebook has now reset 90 million user access tokens, meaning those users have been logged out of the system and will need to log back in. Rosen noted that there is no need for users to change their existing password.

(source)

Original Submission

takyon writes:

OPPO Find X to get 10GB RAM version, spotted at TENAA

There have been rumors of a 10GB RAM smartphone in development for a while now. Vivo's yet unreleased Xplay7 was rumored to come with 10GB RAM and the ASUS ROG Phone was also supposed to come with 10GB of RAM. It appears OPPO will be the first to launch a 10GB RAM phone judging by an updated TENAA listing of the Find X.

The Find X originally comes with 8GB of RAM and 128GB or 256GB of storage but Chinese leaker @UniverseIce shared a photo of an updated listing that shows the Find X will get a new 10GB RAM + 256GB ROM model.

We were able to confirm that the leak is genuine as the full TENAA specs listing for the Find X (PAFM00 model) now has a 10GB RAM variant. The update to the listing was made yesterday. The rest of the specs will remain the same as the other variant.

TENAA is China's phone regulatory body.

Also at The Verge, Engadget, Fossbytes, and BGR.

Related: Samsung Announces 12Gb LPDDR4 DRAM, Could Enable Smartphones With 6 GB of RAM
Samsung Announces 8 GB DRAM Package for Mobile Devices

Original Submission

takyon writes:

Jeff Bezos's rocket company beats out spaceflight veteran for engine contract

Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin rocket company just scored a major contract. His company's BE-4 engines will power United Launch Alliance's Vulcan Centaur, a new suite of rockets that will aim to better compete with Elon Musk's SpaceX on price. Its first launch is slated for 2020. The contract award with ULA marks a high-profile vote of confidence for Bezos's space startup.

"We are very glad to have our BE-4 engine selected by United Launch Alliance. United Launch Alliance is the premier launch service provider for national security missions, and we're thrilled to be part of their team and that mission," Blue Origin CEO Bob Smith said in a statement announcing the award on Thursday.

[...] Blue Origin's win does not come as a huge surprise. The BE-4 is further along in development than the comparable Aerojet engine, dubbed the AR1, and is expected to be less expensive to make. [ULA CEO Tory] Bruno previously expressed his preference for Blue's BE-4 over Aerojet's AR1.

BE-4.

Also at Ars Technica.

Related: Blue Origin Will Build its Rocket Engine in Alabama
NASA Opens Door to Possibly Lowering SLS Cost Using Blue Origin's Engines
Aerojet Rocketdyne Seeks More U.S. Air Force Funding for AR1 Rocket Engine
SpaceX BFR vs. ULA Vulcan Showdown in the 2020s
Blue Origin to Compete to Launch U.S. Military Payloads

Original Submission

takyon writes:

Intel Issues Update on 14nm Shortage, Invests $1B Into Fab Sites (Update)

Intel's CFO and interim CEO Bob Swan penned an open letter to its customers and partners today outlining the steps it is taking to address a persistent and worsening shortage of 14nm processors.

[...] The shortage impacts nearly every aspect of Intel's business, from desktops to laptops, servers and even chipsets, so Intel is making the sound business decision to prioritize high-margin products. The firm has also expanded its testing capacity by diverting some work to a facility in Vietnam.

[...] Intel's statement also assures us that processors built on its 10nm fabrication will arrive in volume in 2019. Intel had previously stated that 10nm processors would be available in 2019, but hadn't made the distinction that they would arrive in volume. That's a positive sign, as the oft-delayed 10nm production is surely a contributing factor to the shortage. Intel also cites the booming desktop PC market, which has outstripped the company's original estimates earlier this year, as a catalyst.

In either case, Intel concedes that "supply is undoubtedly tight, particularly in the entry-level of the PC market" but doesn't provide a firm timeline for when the processors will become fully available. Intel's letter also touts its $1 billion investment in 14nm fabs this year, but half of that capital expenditure was scheduled prior to its first public acknowledgement of the shortage. Given Intel's foresight into the production challenges, the prior $500 million investment was likely in response to the increases in demand and looming production shortfall.

Previously: Intel Migrates New Chipsets to "22nm" Node From "14nm"

Related: Intel's "Tick-Tock" Strategy Stalls, 10nm Chips Delayed
Intel's First 8th Generation Processors Are Just Updated 7th Generation Chips
Intel Delays Mass Production Of 10 nm CPUs To 2019

Original Submission

Bytram (from IRC) writes:

Seattle throws out pot convictions:

Judges in Seattle have decided to quash convictions for marijuana possession for anyone prosecuted in the city between 1996 and 2010. City Attorney Pete Holmes asked the court to take the step "to right the injustices of a drug war that has primarily targeted people of colour."

Possession of marijuana became legal in the state of Washington in 2012.

Officials estimate that more than 542 people could have their convictions dismissed by mid-November.

Mr Holmes said the city should "take a moment to recognise the significance" of the court's ruling. "We've come a long way, and I hope this action inspires other jurisdictions to follow suit," he said. Mayor Jenny Durkan also welcomed the ruling, which she said would offer residents a "clean slate."

Order (PDF).

Also at CNN and The Hill.

See also: Vacating misdemeanor marijuana convictions is the right thing to do (Editorial)

Original Submission

canopic jug writes:

The company ESET, based in Slovakia, has announced finding the first-ever UEFI rootkit in the wild. Once infected with the malware the only option is to reflash the SPI firmware or else replace the whole motherboard.

First spotted in early 2017, LoJax is a trojaned version of a popular legitimate LoJack laptop anti-theft software from Absolute Software, which installs its agent into the system's BIOS to survive OS re-installation or drive replacement and notifies device owner of its location in case the laptop gets stolen.

According to researchers, the hackers slightly modified the LoJack software to gain its ability to overwrite UEFI module and changed the background process that communicates with Absolute Software's server to report to Fancy Bear's C&C servers.

UEFI is an overly complex replacement for BIOS, and is often conflated with one of its payloads, Restricted Boot aka Secure Boot.

Original Submission

Phoenix666 writes:

Hackaday:

Everything is getting smaller and even wearable, so traditional antennas are less practical than ever. You’ve probably seen PCB antennas on things like ESP8266s, but Drexel University researchers are now studying using titanium carbide — known as MXene — to build thin, light, and even transparent antennas that outperform copper antennas. Bucking the trend for 3D printing, these antennas are sprayed like ink or paint onto a surface.

A traditional antenna that uses metal carries most of the current at the skin (something we’ve discussed before). For example, at WiFi frequencies, a copper antenna’s skin depth is about 1.33 micrometers. That means that antennas have to be at least thick enough to carry current at that depth from all surfaces –practically 5 micrometers is about the thinnest you can reasonably go. That doesn’t sound like a lot, but when you are trying to make something thin and flexible, it is pretty thick. Using MXene, the researchers made antennas as thin as 100 nanometers thick — that’s 10% of a micrometer and only 2% of a conventional antenna.

I'm looking forward to networked graffiti.

Original Submission

Phoenix666 writes:

Roadshow:

The BMW i3 has been on sale since 2014, and in that time, BMW has seen fit to expand its battery size and, by proxy, its range. For the 2019 model year, it's getting yet another battery upgrade, and it's a big one.

The 2019 BMW i3 will come with a 42.2-kWh battery (120 amp-hours), which should permit for up to 153 miles of all-electric driving. This is a roughly 30 percent improvement over the previous 94-Ah battery, which allowed for 115 miles of range. The i3's first battery was just 60 Ah, offering a range of just 81 miles. Oh, how far we've come.

BMW will offer the battery in both variants of the i3. The standard i3 uses a 170-horsepower electric motor, powerful enough to get the little EV to 60 mph in just 7.2 seconds. The i3s, on the other hand, is the sportier trim, offering a 181-hp electric motor and a 6.8-second sprint to 60.

Will EVs (electric vehicles) like this succeed in replacing ICEs (internal combustion engines) as commuter cars?

Original Submission