Tech Sightings, October 29, 2014

Posted October 29th, 2014 at 2:20 pm (UTC-4)
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Google Working on Nanoparticles to Detect Cancer

Google X research lab’s Life Sciences Team wants to create tiny, magnetic particles that can target different parts of the body to detect cancer and other health issues. The particles will come in the form of a pill; and a wearable device applied to the skin keeps count of the particles and provides information on any health problems it detects.

App Tracks Twitter for Suicide Warning Signs

British charity group Samaritans has developed a free Web app that tracks the posts of a Twitter user’s friends for possible signs of suicide tendencies. The app, called Samaritans Radar, alerts the user if any troubling words and phrases are detected and suggests ways to help.

Hungary’s Crazy-Expensive Internet Drives People to Throw PCs in the Street

Thousands of Hungarians have been marching through the streets since the country’s 2015 budget proposal added a surcharge of about 60 cents to the costs of every gigabyte uploaded and downloaded, over and above the expensive Internet access rates. Angry citizens have even gone as far as throwing their computers at government buildings.

Hackers are Using Gmail Drafts to Update Malware, Steal Data

Startup Shape Security says its researchers have found a strain of malware on a “command and control” network that connects hackers to their malicious software and allows them to update their instructions and steal data. Researchers found the hackers’ instructions hidden in Gmail drafts that never get sent.

Mobile Malware Takes Victims by Surprise

A new variant of Koler, an app that originally hijacked Android devices for ransom, now has a new, self-replicating strain. A user who downloads the new version of Koler will run the risk of having her/her address book hijacked and spammed in SMS messages that look like they originated from trusted sources.

Android Devices Will Soon Unlock One Another

Google’s Android security team has come up with Smart Lock, a new Android Lollipop security feature that will allow one of your Android devices to recognize and unlock another near by. The idea is to rid customers of the nuisance of passwords and PIN codes, although these will be backup options if Smart Lock fails.

 

 

 

 

Aida Akl
Aida Akl is a journalist working on VOA's English Webdesk. She has written on a wide range of topics, although her more recent contributions have focused on technology. She has covered both domestic and international events since the mid-1980s as a VOA reporter and international broadcaster.

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