Author Archives: Saqib Shah

Palantir glitch allegedly granted some FBI staff unauthorized access to a crypto hacker’s data

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Peter Thiel's AI company Palantir, whose clients have included the CIA and US immigration agency ICE, is back in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. A new report claims a glitch in its secretive software program used by the FBI allowed unauthorized personnel to access private data for more than a year. According to The New York Post, the mishap was revealed in a letter by prosecutors in the Manhattan federal court case against accused hacker Virgil Griffith. Palantir denied the claims in a statement and said the fault was caused by the FBI's incorrect use of the software.

Griffith was arrested in 2019 for allegedly providing North Korea with information on how cryptocurrency and blockchain tech could help it to evade US sanctions. The incident in question revolves around the alleged hacker's social media data, obtained through a federal search warrant in March 2020. According to the letter, the Twitter and Facebook information was uploaded to Palantir's program through the default settings, effectively allowing unauthorized FBI employees to access it.

Between May 2020 to August 2021, the material was accessed four times by three analysts and an agent. The FBI case agent assigned to Griffith's case was alerted to the issue by a colleague earlier this month, according to the letter. Those who accessed the info reportedly told prosecutors that they did not recall using it in their investigations.

“An FBI analyst, in the course of conducting a separate investigation, had identified communications between the defendant and the subject of that other investigation by means of searches on the Platform that accessed the Search Warrant Returns,” the letter noted.

Palantir is trying to distance itself from the issue. "There was no glitch in the software," it told The New York Post in a statement, adding that the "customer" did not follow the "rigorous protocols established to protect search warrant returns."

Amid increasing growth, the last thing Palantir needs is a major PR crisis involving flaws in its software. Since going public last fall, the company has seen its revenues surge, though it's operational losses are also increasing. Palantir's customers now span government agencies, tech stalwarts like IBM and even mining group Rio Tinto. Plus, it's working with commercial space companies to manage a meta-constellation of 237 satellites.

Lucid is offering two variants of its Air Dream Edition luxury EV

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Lucid is giving prospective owners of its $169,000 luxury electric sedan the choice between two variants. The Air Dream Edition will be available in a "Performance" or "Range" version that ultimately leaves you to decide between speed and real-world driving range. The former promises 1,111 horsepower, which rivals the Tesla Model S Plaid, and can hit 0-60 mph in 2.5 seconds.

The Dream Edition Range, meanwhile, will deliver 933 horsepower and take 0.2 seconds longer to go from 0-60 mph. Both have a top speed of 168 mph, cost $169,000 (before factoring in federal tax credits or other incentives) and are expected to ship later this year. You'll be able to identify each variant with the "P" or "R" letter on their respective badges. The company previously revealed that it only planned to build about 500 units of the Dream Edition.

Notably, Lucid is still in the process of confirming the cars' official range with the US Environmental Protection Agency. In real-world tests, the company says a pair of Dream Edition Range models travelled 445 miles on a single charge. The journey saw the cars venture from LA to San Francisco at highway speeds via central California, and then back across the San Francisco Bay to Lucid’s global headquarters. Upon arrival, Lucid claims the the cars displayed 30 miles and 72 miles of charge remaining (for totals of 475 and 517 miles). 

The EV maker is currently reaching out to those who put down $7,500 to reserve the Air Dream Edition to confirm their chosen configuration. Lucid said in June that it had received over 10,000 reservations across all Air models, which — along with the top-of-the-range Dream Edition — includes the base edition, the Air Touring and Air Grand Touring.

Zoom’s latest update includes gesture-activated reactions on iPad

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As more businessesdelay the return to the office, Zoom looks set to keep thriving in a hybrid work setup. To build on that momentum, the communications platform is introducing a raft of new updates that span meetings, chat and even phone calls.

The neatest new feature rolling out today are gesture-activated reactions for iPad. Now, when you raise your hand or give a thumbs up during a meeting it will automatically show the corresponding icon in your video panel. The broader "non-verbal feedback" function needs to be activated first.

For now, "Raise Hand" and "Thumbs Up" are the only gesture-supported reactions, though that could change in the future. The others are "slow down," "yes" and "no," while the standard emoji also include clapping hands, heart, tears of joy, open mouth and party popper (celebration). The gist of non-verbal feedback is to allow participants to communicate with the host while maintaining the flow of a meeting. Using physical gestures may help novice Zoomers to express themselves without the fear of mishaps.

Zoom
Zoom

As mentioned, this latest update is a biggie, but how much of it you notice depends on the parts of Zoom you actually use. For Meetings, there's a new Focus Mode that only shows participants the host and the content they are sharing. As its name implies, the feature is designed to cut out distractions. You can now also seamlessly transition a meeting from mobile to desktop and vice versa. Plus, admins can limit screen sharing when a guest joins a meeting.

In addition, Zoom is making the chat sidebar easier to navigate with public and private channel markers. Now, the display will generally show fewer chats and channels per group, but you'll be able to expand it to see more activity. Zoom is also once again moving the search function to the left side. Lastly, you can try out the new admin experience — which puts a bunch of management controls in one place — before it becomes the default in October.

As for calls, Zoom Phone users are getting more usage metrics, group call monitoring privileges and a privacy feature that prevents others from accessing shared line calls.

Otter’s transcription tech now supports Microsoft Teams, Google Meet and Webex

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Otter has a solution for that pile-up of virtual meetings in your calendar. The AI transcription tool essentially attends the gathering or conference in your place and jots down what was said. After launching with Zoom support in May, Otter is now expanding to include Microsoft Teams, Google Meet and Cisco Webex. According to the company, the update means it will now reach a potential audience of 500 million users. 

The setup is the same: Otter Assistant connects to your calendar, allowing you to choose which meetings you want it to join. You can access all of your notes on the web or through Otter.ai's mobile apps. Like Zoom's transcription tool, Otter's assistant is a premium feature, too. It's included in the company's business subscription plans, which start from $20 per month.

Of course, it's more than just a convenient way to skip meetings. You can also use it to take the hassle out of transcribing the video calls you do attend or to take your place when you're running late. The expansion, meanwhile, brings it to most of the major video conferencing platforms — barring Facebook's Workplace and Slack. Maybe one day it will end up transcribing VR meetings, too.

Twitter test shows you the Spaces your friends are listening to

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In the hopes that Spaces don't go the way of Fleets, Twitter has largelyfocused on discovery efforts around the audio chat rooms. It's latest stab at making the feature easier to find is all about eliciting FOMO. Twitter is experimenting with a new "listening activity" mode that shows you the Spaces the people you follow are tuning in to. For now, the feature is limited to some users on iOS and Android.

Of course, not everyone wants their interests to be highlighted atop other's timelines, so Twitter is allowing you to toggle the option on or off via settings. Bear in mind that Spaces are public anyway, which means your activity is visible to others including those you follow and those browsing the rooms. Though, Twitter does note that it's possible for you to listen to a Space without being listed as a guest.

Instagram is putting ads in its Shop tab

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Instagram is introducing ads to the Shop tab it launched last November as part of a divisive app redesign. The Facebook-owned company's push to bring ads to more parts of its app has upset some users, but at least the move makes sense in this context. 

Moreso than on Reels or the Explore feed, ads seem like a natural fit for Instagram's shopping section, where you go to peruse products from brands and creators. They'll look like the other tiles on the Shop home page, but with a little "sponsored" label that tells you someone paid to show you them. 

As a rep for luggage brand Away explains in their spiel, ads tend to be more successful "in an environment where the consumer is already in a shopping mindset which the Shop tab naturally attracts."

Clicking on a Shop ad will show you more details about the product, including any additional images, and let you browse more items from the brand. You can also save products to your wishlist or share them with friends. As is the norm, you can hide or report ads, too. Unlike Instagram's video ads in Stories and Reels, you can't skip photo ads.

Spotify will allow any US podcaster to charge for a subscription

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Spotify is expanding paid podcast subscriptions to all US creators as a means of monetizing more content. Since its launch with a dozen indie publishers in the Spring, the premium option has been activated on 100 podcasts, according to the Sweden-based streaming service. On September 15th, subscriber-only content will be made available to international listeners. While overseas creators will have to wait a tad bit longer to get their hands on the monetization tools.

The program itself is available through Anchor, the podcast creation platform Spotify acquired alongside podcast network Gimlet for just shy of $340 million in 2019. The company has billed the service as a win-win for its entire user base, giving publishers the chance to reap subscription fees with no commission (for the first two years) from avid listeners. Spotify will start taking a cut of 5 percent in 2023. Comparatively, Apple charges a $20 annual fee for its program and takes a 30 percent cut of subscriptions for the first year and 15 percent thereafter.

Based on learnings from its test period, Spotify is introducing 20 new pricing options for podcasts to offer creators more flexibility. It's also allowing publishers to download a list of contact addresses for their subscribers so they can better engage with them. That should help creators to further promote their content using email marketing and notifications.

Yamaha’s $500 wireless ANC headphones pack 3D sound and head tracking tech

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Yamaha is releasing high-end headphones with adaptive audio tech and an eye-catching design to help them stand out in a crowded marketplace. The $499.95 YH-L700A are the latest over-ears to join the exclusive head tracking audio club. Like the Dolby Dimension before them, Yamaha says its new headphones can identify where sound is coming from and re-orientate what you hear on the fly. 

Working in tandem with the 3D audio, the tech aims to deliver an immersive experience that lets you track individual sounds. It all sounds similar to Apple's Spatial Audio or Samsung's rival 360 Audio. Yamaha's feature is called "3D Sound Field" and essentially leans upon its Cinema DSP processing to convert stereo sound into multi-channel audio.

Yamaha YH-L700A
Yamaha

Overall, the headphones tick a number of boxes. There's "advanced" active noise cancelation (ANC) that can be switched on and off. Here, the system uses an algorithm and internal mics to adaptively remove ambient noise from the playback music signal. 

Plus, there are a range of audio modes that you can enable via an accompanying mobile app, which (along with the advanced ANC) are also available on the $350 YH-E700A headphones. They include a "listening optimizer" that can adjust the sound based on how you wear the headphones; "listening care" that promises a fuller range of audio at lower volumes; and "ambient sound" that uses the mics to capture external sounds and present them in the background of your audio. Yamaha claims you'll get an ambitious 34 hours of listening time per charge, though the jury's out on whether that will withstand rigorous testing.

While they retain some features from Yamaha's other headphones, they don't look like the company's prior efforts. Yamaha has switched from round to rectangular earcups that can swivel and fold. Like the headband, they're covered in a foamy fabric. The new headphones are out now at select retailers and on the Yamaha store.

Oculus update lets Quest headsets auto-sync VR media to mobile

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Oculus is rolling out an update to its Quest VR headsets that includes several tweaks and improvements. The highlight is the ability to auto sync your saved photos and video files directly to the Oculus mobile app. That way, you can manage and share those in-game captures when you're outside of the headset. 

The feature can be activated by opening the Files App from your Quest app library and selecting the cloud icon in the top-right corner of the panel. Your saved files will then be available in the the “Synced Media” section under the Devices tab in the mobile app. Oculus says that media will be unsynced and automatically removed from the app after 14 days.

The improvement is the latest aimed at saved media. In the v29 update earlier this year, Oculus introduced a Browser app that let you download and upload files to websites, making the task more seamless than plugging the headset into a PC.

Additional features include the option to gift games directly from the headset — a process that was previously limited to browsers or the Oculus mobile app. You can now also interact with your Facebook and Oculus friends from the People tab in Messenger.

Finally, Oculus is changing up its fitness-oriented Move feature. It's moving to weekly workout goals instead of daily ones, which will be viewable on the redesigned calendar. Keeping the focus on long-term targets, you'll now see revised suggested calorie goals and move minutes. Plus, you'll be able to share your workout stats to Facebook, including Groups, Messenger, and your timeline. 

‘Neon Genesis Evangelion’ is coming to Blu-ray in the US for the first time

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If streaming the Neon Genesis Evangelion saga on Netflix and Amazon Prime Video has made you an acolyte of the hit anime, then we have good news. The original series is coming to Blu-Ray for the first time in North America. 

But, this isn't just a regular physical release. Billed as "Neon Genesis Evangelion: Ultimate Edition," the box set is spread across 11 discs, contains over 7 hours of bonus features, along with extras that span a 156 page book, art boards and limited edition artwork, a Sachiel resin paperweight and a NERV ID Card with lanyard. 

The release includes the official and classic dubs and subtitled versions, plus the follow-up films, Evangelion: Death (True)² and The End of Evangelion. All of that will cost you $275 during the current pre-order period, which ends December 7th. Afterwards, you'll have to fork out $350 for the special release. As of now, the Blu-Ray is listed as sold out in the US, probably because fans quickly snapped up the 5,000 copies that were available. Though it still appears to be in stock in the UK, where it's limited to just 2,500 copies.

GKIDS Films
GKIDS Films

Despite all the riches on offer, what you won't get here is the series' "Fly me to the Moon" ending theme, likely due to licensing issues. As fans will know, the song was also missing from Neon Genesis Evangelion on Netflix. The streamer opted to replace it with "Hostility Restrained" from the show's score. Those feeling wistful can listen to it in the video below.