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Sense is a bedside gadget for monitoring and improving your sleep

Jul23
by on July 23, 2014 at 11:00 am
Posted In: Around the Web, Gadgets, Insider

sense
James Proud, a graduate of the first class of the Thiel Fellowship, has launched his new startup, Hello, on Kickstarter with Sense, a gadget that sits on your nightstand and monitors your sleeping environment. The device includes motion, light, temperature, humidity, noise and air quality sensors in order to understand your environment. Its design reminds me of a miniature version of the Olympic Stadium in Beijing, affectionately called the Bird’s Nest. Sense also combines with a “sleep pill” that clips to your pillowcase to provide more specific data about your sleep cycle. Sleep trackers are nothing new, with multiple startups…

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How cat photos can reveal privacy issues with what you share online

Jul23
by on July 23, 2014 at 10:41 am
Posted In: Around the Web, Shareables

cat
Posting pictures of your cat to the internet may seem like one of the most innocuous (and fun) things to do. But did you know that doing so can give away the location of your feline and, by extension, you too? Even if you are aware of that, you may not realize exactly what can be done with that data. Owen Mundy, an assistant professor at Florida State University, is filling in the gap by using the example of cat pictures to show what metadata in images can reveal about us. Munday’s project – I Know Where Your Cat Lives – shows one million randomly…

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China is forcing app developers to reveal their true identity amid a porn crackdown

Jul23
by on July 23, 2014 at 10:15 am
Posted In: Around the Web, Asia

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China has embarked on a “clean-up” of mobile internet services, and now app developers are the government’s next target. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology issued a statement saying that it will “strengthen” the management of telecom firms and app stores among other entities — which includes urging them to verify the true identity of app developers (hat/tip Tech in Asia). It also wants these entities that publish apps to monitor illegal or pornographic information and take them down as necessary. Stemming the spread of pornographic information seems to be the key aim of the government in its latest move…

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Mediametric is a handy tool for writers and publishers to measure reach and online influence

Jul23
by on July 23, 2014 at 10:11 am
Posted In: Around the Web, Insider, Product Reviews

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Without the tools to capture and analyze data, capitalizing on the wealth of digital information is a challenge for online publishers. But tracking visitors and acting on trends is made easier with the likes of Google Analytics, while those more concerned with real-time activity, might lean towards something like Visual Revenue, and elsewhere Chartbeat has been carving a sizable niche for itself in recent times too. Mediametric is the latest company to throw its hat in the data-centric journalism ring, though it’s coming at things from a different perspective. This is less about real-time tracking and ‘how well is that scoop…

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Microsoft launches $114 Lumia 530 with 4-inch display. Hits Europe next month

Jul23
by on July 23, 2014 at 8:42 am
Posted In: Around the Web, Gadgets, Insider, Product Launches

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Microsoft has today announced a new member of its Lumia range in the form of the low-end Lumia 530, which will arrive from the start of next month in Europe. Priced at €85 before taxes or local subsidies, Microsoft said it expects the Lumia 530 to go on sale in European countries for a retail price of below €100 when it starts to roll out next month, putting it at the lower-end of the affordability scale for Lumia devices. Key specs include the most recent version of Windows Phone 8.1, a 1.2GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, a 5-megapixel camera, a 4-inch…

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