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Selasa, 05 November 2019

Lasers can silently issue 'voice commands' to your smart speakers - Engadget

Laser pointers can apparently trick smart speakers, phones and tablets into following voice commands to open doors or make purchases, even from hundreds of feet away. Researchers from Tokyo and the University of Michigan have revealed that they were able to take over Google Assistant, Apple Siri and Amazon Alexa devices by shining laser pointers or flashlights at their microphones. One of the researchers, Daniel Genkin, was also part of the team that discovered the Meltdown and Spectre CPU vulnerabilities.

The team has published a paper detailing the light flaw after seven months of experimentation. They were able to hijack smart speakers 230 to 350 feet away by focusing lasers using a telephoto lens. In fact, the Google Home they tricked into opening a garage door was inside a room in another building. The laser modulation they beamed at its microphone port through the window is equivalent to the voice command "OK Google, open the garage door."

They explained that there's a small plate called a diaphragm inside devices' microphones that moves when hit by sound. Lasers can replicate that movement and convert it into electric signals that the device can understand. They said opening the garage door by taking over Google Home was easy to do, and they could've easily made online purchases, opened doors protected by smart locks and even remotely unlocked cars connected to voice AI-powered devices by using the same method.

The researchers have already notified Tesla, Ford, Amazon, Apple and Google about the issue -- a move that's highly important to get the problem fixed, since simply covering microphones with tape wouldn't solve it. Most microphones, they said, would have to be redesigned. The team was able to hijack Google Home/Nest, Echo Plus/Show/Dot, Facebook Portal Mini, Fire Cube TV, EchoBee 4, iPhone XR, iPad 6th Gen, Samsung Galaxy S9 and Google Pixel 2 devices using the technique. It was much easier hijacking smart speakers from afar, though. The method only worked on the mobile devices from a maximum distance of 16 to 65 feet.

This is far from the first digital assistant vulnerability security researchers have discovered. Researchers from China's Zheijiang University found that Siri, Alexa and other voice assistants can be manipulated with commands sent in ultrasonic frequencies. Meanwhile, a group from the University of California, Berkeley found that they can take over smart speakers by embedding commands, which aren't audible to the human ear, directly into recordings of music or spoken text.

Source: Light Commands, The New York Times

In this article: alexa, gadgetry, gadgets, gear, light commands, siri

All products recommended by Engadget are selected by our editorial team, independent of our parent company. Some of our stories include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

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2019-11-05 07:39:50Z
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Lasers can silently issue 'voice commands' to your smart speakers - Engadget

Source: Light Commands, The New York Times

In this article: alexa, gadgetry, gadgets, gear, light commands, siri

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2019-11-05 07:07:04Z
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Senin, 04 November 2019

Blizzard Releases First 4K In-Game Diablo 4 Screenshots Showcasing Art Design and D2-Like Visual Style - Wccftech

Blizzard has released the first set of in-game Diablo 4 screenshots in 4K showing off the game’s art design and Diablo 2-like visual style.

Following numerous leaks, Blizzard finally announced its next Diablo installment at Blizzon 2019. The game embraces the darker roots of the franchise and, compared to Diablo 3, its visual style is somewhat similar to Diablo 2. According to Blizzard, Diablo 4 draws players into a grim story line and gives them the freedom to explore and forge their own path across the most expansive and intense vision of the world of Sanctuary. Three playable classes have currently been unveiled by Blizzard - the Barbarian, the Druid and the Sorceress.

The Barbarian, known for their unparalleled strength and brutal melee combat, utilizes a new and more powerful system in battle, Arsenal, which arms them with the ability to carry and rapidly switch between four different weapons at a time by assigning them to individual attacks.

The Sorceress hearkens back to their Diablo II roots and shapes the elements to obliterate their foes by impaling them upon jagged spikes of ice, electrocuting them with bolts of lightning, or raining flaming meteors from the sky.

The Druid is a savage shapeshifter whose updated playstyle empowers them to fluidly transform between werewolf, werebear, and human form to unleash the raw power of nature’s fury on the forces of the Burning Hells.

Check out the brand-new set of screenshots down below:

True to the franchise’s roots, Diablo IV will deliver visceral combat, gruesome and varied monsters, an epic hunt for legendary loot, and endless playability and progression. Players will find a lifetime’s worth of adventure scattered across a land rooted in unique ecologies and inhabited by dangerous new foes. They’ll delve into randomized dungeons packed with unpredictable adversaries and unimaginable treasures. While continuing to fully support solo and coordinated party play, Diablo IV will also provide opportunities for groups of players to encounter each other in the same shared world—whether to tackle bigger challenges . . . or possibly even slaughter one another in player-vs.-player combat.

“Sanctuary has been a home to Diablo players for more than 20 years, and it’s with our own deep passion for the series and a deep appreciation of the community that we announce Diablo IV today,” said J. Allen Brack, president of Blizzard Entertainment upon the game’s official announcement. “We’re excited to be returning to the dark, quintessential Diablo gameplay that players love while expanding the world and story in new ways, and we can’t wait for more people to be able to experience it.”

Diablo 4 is coming to PC and consoles but has yet to receive a release date. Be sure to check out the game's official website right here.

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2019-11-04 11:02:38Z
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Blizzard Releases First 4K In-Game Diablo 4 Screenshots Showcasing Art Design and D2-Like Visual Style - Wccftech

Blizzard has released the first set of in-game Diablo 4 screenshots in 4K showing off the game’s art design and Diablo 2-like visual style.

The Barbarian, known for their unparalleled strength and brutal melee combat, utilizes a new and more powerful system in battle, Arsenal, which arms them with the ability to carry and rapidly switch between four different weapons at a time by assigning them to individual attacks.

The Sorceress hearkens back to their Diablo II roots and shapes the elements to obliterate their foes by impaling them upon jagged spikes of ice, electrocuting them with bolts of lightning, or raining flaming meteors from the sky.

The Druid is a savage shapeshifter whose updated playstyle empowers them to fluidly transform between werewolf, werebear, and human form to unleash the raw power of nature’s fury on the forces of the Burning Hells.

Check out the brand-new set of screenshots down below:

True to the franchise’s roots, Diablo IV will deliver visceral combat, gruesome and varied monsters, an epic hunt for legendary loot, and endless playability and progression. Players will find a lifetime’s worth of adventure scattered across a land rooted in unique ecologies and inhabited by dangerous new foes. They’ll delve into randomized dungeons packed with unpredictable adversaries and unimaginable treasures. While continuing to fully support solo and coordinated party play, Diablo IV will also provide opportunities for groups of players to encounter each other in the same shared world—whether to tackle bigger challenges . . . or possibly even slaughter one another in player-vs.-player combat.

Diablo 4 is coming to PC and consoles but has yet to receive a release date. Be sure to check out the game's official website right here.

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https://wccftech.com/blizzard-4k-diablo-4-screenshots/

2019-11-04 10:02:15Z
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SpaceX completes crucial tests of its Crew Dragon parachutes - Engadget

Minggu, 03 November 2019

Apple TV+ debut tarnished by dour 'Morning Show' reviews - Yahoo Finance

Apple TV+ (AAPL) had a rough debut.

The platform officially entered the streaming wars on Friday, but lackluster reviews are dogging its flagship series, “The Morning Show.”

Critics listed a litany of complaints about the Jennifer Aniston-led production, calling it “brutally dull” and “boring,” while others took issue its high production price at a reported $15 million an episode. One Rolling Stone reviewer said the show is “a prime example of how throwing money at a problem…isn’t inherently the best way to solve it.”

Apple previously revealed plans to spend $6 billion on original programming ahead of its launch — hoping A-list pros like Stephen Spielberg and Oprah Winfrey could deliver content to surpass the competition as the company looks to expand beyond just the iPhone.

But although streaming appetite is at an all-time high — people don’t want more subscriptions.

The average American stills pays for fewer than 2 services, according to a new study from Limelight Networks. The survey shows a double edged sword: While there’s lots of upside in a booming market, the growing number of providers may make it harder to break through the noise.

Sizing up the competition

An upside to Apple’s service is its competitive price point at $4.99 a month — well below both Netflix (NFLX) and Amazon Prime Video (AMZN), both of which charge $8.99 a month for the most basic plan.

Additionally, Apple is offering consumers a free, one-year subscription with the purchase of a new iPhone or tablet, which should help the tech giant monetize its 900+ million worldwide iPhone users.

But its competitors also have a few tricks up their sleeves.

Graphic by David Foster/Yahoo Finance

Netflix announced on Friday it’d be rolling out 43 original series this month, which will include “a lot of Christmas titles.”

Meanwhile, NBC (CMCSA) is reportedly leaning toward making its Peacock streaming service free to everyone — a move that could change the game given its popular arsenal of content, including “The Office” and “Cheers.”

And Amazon Prime Video is looking to make a splash with Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn who will be hosting a new fashion-focused reality competition show in 2020.

This marks an expansion for the platform when it comes to capitalizing on reality television — a space that’s been profitable for Netflix, given the recent success of Queer Eye and The Great British Baking Show.

Clothes from each episode will also be available to purchase directly on Amazon’s website — another win for the tech giant as it aggressively pursues fashion and beauty. Recently, Amazon has pursued celebrity partnerships like Rihanna’s Savage X Fenty lingerie line and Lady Gaga’s Haus Laboratories makeup line.

Alexandra Canal is a Producer at Yahoo Finance.

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