Ars Technica: Secret chips in replacement parts can completely hijack your phone’s security. “People with cracked touch screens or similar smartphone maladies have a new headache to consider: the possibility the replacement parts installed by repair shops contain secret hardware that completely hijacks the security of the device.”
hardware
CNET: Snapchat’s Spectacles fade faster than a Snap
CNET: Snapchat’s Spectacles fade faster than a Snap. “Snap’s Spectacles are careening into irrelevancy. Second-quarter sales of the glasses, which are embedded with a camera to make it easier for you to take photos or videos for a Snap, declined to $5.4 million from more than $8 million in the first quarter. At $130 a pop, that’s 41,000 people who bought Spectacles.”
TechCrunch: Facebook reportedly building smart speaker with touch screen
TechCrunch: Facebook reportedly building smart speaker with touch screen. “Facebook may launch its own smart-home gadget to get you messaging more friends and looking at more photos. DigiTimes reports from Taiwan that Facebook is building a 15-inch touch-screen smart speaker.”
Neowin: Google says there will be 11 Daydream VR phones by the end of 2017
Neowin: Google says there will be 11 Daydream VR phones by the end of 2017. “At its I/O 2017 developer conference in May, Google shared details of improvements planned for its Daydream virtual reality platform. Daydream allows owners of certain Android smartphones to use them with Google’s Daydream View headset, along with a touch controller, creating a portable VR solution. Google CEO Sundar Pichai said yesterday, during Alphabet’s earnings call, that by the end of 2017, there will be 11 Android devices available that support Daydream.”
The Next Web: Facebook’s new patent hints at a modular smartphone
The Next Web: Facebook’s new patent hints at a modular smartphone. “Facebook yesterday filed a patent detailing plans for a modular smart device. The patent shows off a design that would allow consumers to mix and match different hardware components compatible with a base frame.”
The Next Web: You can now buy Snapchat Spectacles on Amazon
The Next Web: You can now buy Snapchat Spectacles on Amazon. “Spetacles were originally only available at special yellow kiosks, but they’ve since been sold on Snap’s website. Yet even after all these months, Snapchat gives an estimated delivery date of 5-10 days, so Amazon is probably your best bet if you want the glasses in just a day or two.”
Wired: Google Glass 2.0 Is A Startling Second Act
Wired: Google Glass 2.0 Is A Startling Second Act. “Don’t call Heather Erickson a glasshole. Yes, that’s Google Glass on her frames. But she’s not using it to check her Facebook, dictate messages, or capture a no-hands video while riding a roller coaster. Erickson is a 30-year-old factory worker in rural Jackson, Minnesota. For her, Glass is not a hip way to hang apps in front of her eyeballs, but a tool—as much a tool as her power wrenches. It walks her through her shifts at Station 50 on the factory floor, where she builds motors for tractors.” Should have focused on industry applications to start with…
