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VTech Under Fire; Apple’s Awkward Battery Case Raises Eyebrows

Posted December 8th, 2015 at 11:50 am (UTC-4)
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Today’s Tech Sightings: VTech Slammed for ‘Unforgivable’ Security Lapse Toy maker VTech is in the crosshairs following the November hack attack that compromised account data for more than six million kids in the company’s app store. Some experts claim a lot of the stolen information was available online for a while before it was taken […]

Dropbox Malware Found; Google Denies Deception in Tracking Kids

Posted December 3rd, 2015 at 11:55 am (UTC-4)
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Today’s Tech Sightings: New Malware Found Hidden Inside Dropbox Account Researchers at U.S.-based security firm FireEye have discovered a new malware in Hong Kong that hides its Command and Control server in Dropbox accounts. The hackers, called ‘admin@338,’ are thought to have ties to the Chinese government. The malware targets media organizations and creates a […]

Microsoft, Apple Share Holiday Cheer; Is Google Tracking Kids?

Posted December 2nd, 2015 at 12:06 pm (UTC-4)
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Today’s Tech Sightings: Microsoft Employees Serenade Apple Employees for ‘Peace on Earth’ Tech rivals Apple and Microsoft have been at each other’s throats for decades. But as the season of giving approaches, Microsoft’s Manhattan store employees took a special message to their old friends at a nearby Apple store in New York. Google Accused of […]

Wireless-tracking Chip; Kids, Parents’ Info Hacked in VTech Products

Posted December 1st, 2015 at 12:03 pm (UTC-4)
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Today’s Tech Sightings: Former BlackBerry Execs Create Wireless-Tracking Chip Developed by Cognitive Systems Corp., the chip, called R10, can pick up and analyze wireless radio signals from various devices, including routers and television remote controls. Built on top of that is Amera, a wireless tracking technology that can sense motion by detecting changes in wireless […]

Mobile Consumes Teen Generation; Emoji Makes 2015 Word of the Year

Posted November 17th, 2015 at 11:30 am (UTC-4)
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Today’s Tech Sightings: I’m 15 and I Can’t Look Up From My Phone Mobile devices and their various apps are sucking in a whole generation of teenagers. Writer Ruby Karp notes how young people easily grab their smartphones in the middle of a social gathering or a conversation because they don’t know how to be […]

Retailers Lights Have Eyes; Google Launches ‘About Me’

Posted November 12th, 2015 at 2:01 pm (UTC-4)
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Tech Sightings: Editors Note: Techtonics is taking November 13 off. Will return next week. We’re Watching You: Carrefour Lights Have Eyes Almost three-quarters of British retailers are using new technologies, including facial recognition software, to track customers in stores. French retailer, Carrefour, started using a marketing tool that tracks your movements and beams data to […]

Education Tuition Reimbursement; Facebook Blocking Rival

Posted November 11th, 2015 at 2:07 pm (UTC-4)
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Tech Sightings: Udacity Now has 1,000 Graduates and is Valued at $1 billion Launched only 13 months ago, for-profit online educational organization Udacity has seen its 1,000th student graduate from a current total enrollment of 10,000 across 168 countries. It has also accepted a $105 million investment, giving it a $1 billion valuation. Udacity offers […]

Goodbye Betamax; Hackers Charged in ‘Largest Theft of Consumer Data’

Posted November 10th, 2015 at 2:00 pm (UTC-4)
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Today’s Tech Sightings: That’s A Wrap: Sony To Kill Off Betamax Tapes It’s the final chapter in a long-running “format war” which began in the 1970s. Sony announced it will stop selling Betamax video cassettes in March 2016. New tapes have been available only in Japan for several years — even though the company discontinued Betamax […]

Interactive Movie Watching; Android Adware Not Removable

Posted November 5th, 2015 at 2:09 pm (UTC-4)
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Today’s Tech Sightings: Hollywood Studios Wade Into Virtual Reality Over the next year, movie goers might enjoy the same interactive experience as video gamers have long ago, by wearing virtual reality headsets. Innovators are creating headgear, specifically for film.  Viewers can experience being dropped into the middle of the world of the film. Rather than […]

Dinotrux 5-Minute Favorites; TV Networks Reading Minds

Posted November 4th, 2015 at 2:08 pm (UTC-4)
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Today’s Tech Sightings: Netflix, DreamWorks Have Videos to Help Parents Get Kids in Bed Sooner Netflix and DreamWorks Animation have teamed up to give Mom and Dad an upper hand when kids often want to watch ”one more show,” before retiring, Netflix now has three new 5 Minute Favorites based on the animated series Dinotrux — each one […]