Geekly Update - 02 December 2020
Would you buy a television for one hundred thousand dollars? No? But what if it was on sale at half price? Is your Tesla Model X vulnerable to theft via yet another key fob hack? Why is Microsoft in the ugly sweater business? And what new scams have those clever Nigerian princes cooked up for 2021? Get answers in today's Geekly Update... it's jam-packed with the latest tech news. This issue is guaranteed to make you 146% smarter -- you'll see why. Read, think, and, comment! |
The AskBobRankin Geekly Update
The whopping 98-inch Q900 QLED Smart 8K TV has a whopping price tag as well. The mega-screen television is priced at $99,999.99, but you can score a $50,000 instant savings discount for a “limited time only.” You might want to buy two at that price.
Wyze has announced the Wyze Watch, priced at just $20. This smartwatch has nine-day battery life, heart rate and blood oxygen saturation tracking, IP68 water and dust resistance rating, activity and sleep tracking, and integration with Google Fit and Apple Health. It ships in the US in February 2021.
Microsoft is updating its lineup of ugly sweaters, offering an MS Paint-themed “ugly” sweater for sale, with a portion of the proceeds from each sale donated to Girls Who Code, an organization that encourages teenage girls to enter the computer science field. The company previously offered Windows XP and Windows 95 sweaters.
A Belgian security researcher has discovered a way to steal the Tesla Model X in just minutes, by hacking the key fobs. The attack requires no expensive gear, and is the third Tesla vulnerability discovered by Lennert Wouters, a PhD student at the Catholic University of Leuven (KU Leuven) in Belgium.
Walmart Plus has removed their $35 minimum order requirement for free shipping, in a move aimed at competing with Amazon Prime.
Hacker Ryan Hernandez has been sentenced to three years in prison for leaking information about the Nintendo Switch before its launch. Hernandez also must to pay Nintendo $259,000 in compensation for the stolen information. My favorite line in this article: “The FBI requested that Hernandez stop all illegal activity in 2017.” That didn’t happen. Apparently they should have “demanded” that he do so.
ZDNet has some tips on how to securely erase hard drives and solid state drives before selling or giving them away.
The ‘Nigerian prince’ scam has been around since before the Internet, and they’ve continued to up their con game over years. The FBI says the “Business Email Compromise” scam costs companies more than $8 billion a year. A BBC reporter spoke with one Nigerian hacker to find out how he feels about his victims.
The latest lidar-equipped iPhones can take 3D photos and scans, but they don't have 3D screens. The $349 Looking Glass Portrait is a photo frame solves that problem by turning iPhone portraits into 3D holograms.
Beware of super-cheap "1024GB MicroSDXC" cards being offered by sellers on eBay or Amazon. One ZDNet contributor ordered some and found that they have only a fraction of the advertised storage, and are so flimsy, they can break and get stuck in your device.
Your thoughts on these topics are welcome! Post your comment or question below...
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This article was posted by Bob Rankin on 2 Dec 2020
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Article information: AskBobRankin -- Geekly Update - 02 December 2020 (Posted: 2 Dec 2020)
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Most recent comments on "Geekly Update - 02 December 2020"
Posted by:
NB
02 Dec 2020
The Wyze watch for 20 bucks sounds like a bargain!
Wonder how much they make by selling all my data?
Posted by:
Kenny
02 Dec 2020
A new battery for the Wyze watch every 9 days. How much for the battery? You will need 40.55 batteries per year if you replace it every 9 days for a year.
Posted by:
Ken H
02 Dec 2020
Sounds to me like Tesla deals with hacks far, far better than ANY other corporation I am aware of, including financial institutions that have at least as much at stake in security.
"Tesla has a good relationship with hackers and has a bug report bounty program, with a maximum payout of $15,000 after an increase in 2018. The Elon Musk-led company has ramped up its security team over the years and its relationship with hackers through participation in hacking conferences."
Posted by:
Bobsie
02 Dec 2020
Kenny: According to the Wyze website, the battery is rechargeable although they don't say how many times.
As shown on the website:
"9 days of battery life
"44mm battery capacity 260mAh
"47mm battery capacity 300mAh
"Average charging time is 2.5 hours"
They also do not say anything about the charging method. Looking at the picture of the battery they do show, it doesn't look like USB charging.
See https://wyze.com/wyze-watch.html and scroll down for the picture/info. Also, no free shipping.
Posted by:
MG
03 Dec 2020
Under Specs: "Magnetic Charging" (but USB cable for the charger itself)
Posted by:
JP
03 Dec 2020
Just a comment: If watch makers can put solar batteries in a standard timepiece, why don't smartwatch makers do the same thing? It would make life a lot easier.
Posted by:
SamG
07 Dec 2020
Cheap sd card warning way too late. Bought 3 sandisk? cards. 1st clue sandisk told me a card was bogus. Purchased a dashcam and broke a card and dashcam trying to remove the card.