The world’s smallest computer mouse

 The world’s smallest computer mouse

Computer mouse – familiar to many, and is undoubtedly one of the most comfortable controllers. However , this device has disadvantages, for example, the need to work on a flat surface. In laptops its may replace the touchpad, trackpoint, but there are many other options. One of most compact can be called a device  ThumbTrack, formed in the shape of a ring for a finger. This new product is positioned as the smallest computer mouse in the world and weighs only 14 grams, and its term continuous operation up to 15 hours. Thanks to the external surface of the sensor and and touch the same buttons, ThumbTrack has full functionality of the touchpad , and in some cases may be even more convenient. Buy unusual controller one can closer to the end of the year.
Source: itechfuture.com

Google wants Android to be your wearable OS of choice

Well, maybe not 'choice'... 

By JR Bookwalter  

 Just because Google plans to make its own smartwatch doesn't mean developers have to avoid Android when making their own. In fact, it'll be a relative breeze to use the platform in just a few short weeks.

Google is planning to release a software development kit (SDK) later this month that will make it easier for manufacturers to power their future smartwatches with Android.
During a South by Southwest conference speech March 9, Google Senior Vice President Sundar Pichai announced the search giant's intentions to dominate the wearables market much in the same way it has smartphones.
To accomplish this task, Google plans to borrow from its own Android playbook by making a free SDK available to manufacturers and developers, part of the company's "vision" for a wearables market where its mobile OS is on everyone's wrist.

Feedback welcome

Google is reportedly working on its own smartwatch to be manufactured by LG that could debut in June, but Pichai calls the early release of an Android wearable SDK an opportunity to get "plenty of feedback" in advance of the annual Google I/O conference.
But smartwatches may be only the beginning as Pichai teased the possibility of other wearables such as a "smart jacket," which could incorporate sensors for a variety of unspecified uses.
Pichai also told SXSW attendees that Google's Chromecast will soon branch out to countries other than the US after racking up sales "in the millions" there.
The Android, Chrome and apps executive also answered a query about Google's recent Nest acquisition, saying it could deliver a future "mesh layer" of software designed to help devices interact with each other.

Via: The Wall Street Journal

Are biometrics the future for mobile authentication?

In Depth Fingerprint scanners like Apple's TouchID add another security layer to business devices

By Kate O'Flaherty

Past attempts to introduce biometrics into business have proved futile. When laptops featured fingerprint scanners years ago, one expert was able to bypass security using a gummy bear.
But now, improved and more accurate touch scanners are bringing biometrics back into the security domain. The convenience of Apple's iPhone TouchID technology has appealed to the mass market, making it increasingly likely to appear in a corporate setting.

The idea of fingerprint scanners is also backed by vendors including Microsoft as an improvement to static passwords. As such, Windows 8.1 gives users the option to switch accounts and to pay for apps using this method. Meanwhile, Fujitsu is using fingerprint scanners on some of its laptops in Japan.
In the smartphone space, a wide range of devices - such as those made by HTC and Samsung - are likely to introduce scanners in the near future, while Google's Android has already dipped its toes into biometric authentication.
Some businesses will look into multimodal biometrics, which features multiple methods of identifying the user, bringing down the potential for error. Devices such as the Xbox One are already doing this by combining elements including voice and facial recognition.
Mobile devices are thought to be the next big driver for biometrics, so it's not surprising that authentication based on behaviour is another growing area. This type of biometrics can be based on elements such as typing behaviour, Thomas Bostrom Jorgensen, CEO of security vendor Encap, says: "The way you type can be used to build a profile and the device can then recognise the user."

Bypassing biometrics

So how easy are mobile biometrics to bypass? The security community isn't convinced by their viability.
In September, the German Chaos Computer Club (CCC) claimed to have defeated Apple's scanner using a latex copy of a fingerprint. The group thinks that it is "plain stupid" to use a method of authentication "that is left around every day".
"We have said now for years, fingerprints should not be used to secure anything. You leave them everywhere, and it is far too easy to make fake fingers out of lifted prints," a hacker with the nickname Starbug said at the time.
Therefore, on their own, scanners such as those used by Apple are just "security theatre", says Jon Inns, Director of Project Management at security company Accumuli."Even with TouchID enabled you still have a PIN on the iPhone 5s; the fingerprint doesn't replace that entirely – so fundamentally we're still securing sensitive information with a password," he says.

Scanners

Biometrics can be bypassed; it depends on the scanner's accuracy, Adam Badaoui, Cyber-Security Consultant at Information Risk Management, says. He adds that iris scanning, where authentication is based on a person's eye, is probably the most accurate method.
Biometrics that use what is dubbed 'local' features are also thought to be more secure, but they are complex to achieve. The first step is to capture the image; then processing is done to enhance it and make sure it's read. Next, 'binarization' takes the image and represents it in a digital form, after which the picture must be thinned down. This a complicated process using multiple algorithms.
Biometrics can also be expensive and it is therefore unlikely they will be adopted on a massive scale just yet. However, with Apple, Microsoft and Google's Android on board, it is likely this form of authentication will start appearing on an increasing number of mobile devices. When biometrics does become widespread, it will come as part of a business' layered security strategy along with mobile device management (MDM) tools, rather than forming a standalone method of authentication.

Source: http://www.techradar.com/news/world-of-tech/are-biometrics-the-future-for-mobile-authentication--1219743

US Navy tests robotic fire-fighters

Fire-fighting robots designed to withstand intense heat are to be tested by the US Navy this summer.

The Shipboard Autonomous Fire-fighting Robot (SAFFiR) has been built by engineers at Virginia Tech and other US universities.
The robots are expected to perform a variety of tasks - balancing, turning valves, picking up and dragging a fire hose and jetting water on the fire.
They also have a vision system to search for survivors.
"The human-sized autonomous robot is capable of finding and suppressing shipboard fires and working seamlessly with human fire-fighters," says the Office of Naval Research's website.
Such a machine should be "able to withstand higher heat for longer periods than human fire-fighters," it adds.
Two versions of the robot, made by researchers at Virginia Tech and the universities of California, Los Angeles and Pennsylvania, will be tested on board the decommissioned USS Shadwell.
The ship is regularly set on fire to test new equipment.
One robot will be about 5ft (1.5m) while the other will be slightly taller and more advanced.
Synthetic soldiers Robots are increasingly finding their way into the military. The Pentagon's Darpa (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) has a range of battlefield robots and is also working on ways to enhance soldiers' abilities with exoskeletons and uniforms made of smart materials.
This week it announced a new unit devoted to researching the intersection between biology and engineering.
It will look at creating man-made super-materials, renewable fuels and solar cells.
But it has led some commentators to ask if, longer term, the military will also try to create artificial life.
"It makes you think: Why bother with mechanical robots when you can engineer fake human replicants to fight your battles?" asked Meghan Neal. a journalist at Motherboard - a website dedicated to future technologies.
Source: http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-26850631