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Facebook is testing a new persistent notification bar on Android, featuring your profile picture

Mar19
by on March 19, 2014 at 9:22 pm
Posted In: Apps, Around the Web

Since the middle of last year, we’ve seen occasional mentions of the Facebook app for Android placing a persistent notification bar in the OS’ notification tray, one that stays in place whether it has anything to tell you or not. A new version being tested as of this week takes things a step further, adding your profile picture. While it certainly looks prettier than the previous version we’ve seen reported, I’m not sure many people will be comfortable with seeing their face appear every time they pull down their notification tray. I’m certainly not sure that I’ll keep it active, although…

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Technology companies knew about data collection, NSA general counsel says

Mar19
by on March 19, 2014 at 8:57 pm
Posted In: Around the Web, Insider

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Technology companies targeted by the National Security Agency (NSA) were aware of the data being collected from them, NSA General Counsel Rajesh De said today. At a Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board hearing, board member James Dempsey quizzed De for a few moments about the extent to which service providers were aware of their efforts. Without identifying any specific companies, De confirmed that those targeted under Section 702 knew about the NSA’s data collection and assisted in accordance with the law. What follows is a full transcript of the exchange. A video of the hearing can be found here. The…

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Google Search for Android now lets you say ‘Ok Google, take a photo’ or ‘take a video’ to launch the camera app

Mar19
by on March 19, 2014 at 8:46 pm
Posted In: Apps, Around the Web, Google, Insider, Mobile

Google today updated its Google Search app for Android with two new “Ok Google” commands: “take a photo” and “take a video.” You can download the new version now directly from Google Play (if you don’t see it yet, be patient as these rollouts are usually staggered). As you might expect, each phrase will launch your camera app in the preferred mode. If you don’t want to say “Ok Google” first, you can still use the voice commands by tapping the microphone icon first. These aren’t huge new features, but if turned into a habit, they might be useful when…

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Must-listen: The Guardian talks to Jake ‘Topiary’ Davis on life before, during and after LulzSec

Mar19
by on March 19, 2014 at 8:39 pm
Posted In: Around the Web, Insider

The saga of hacker collective LulzSec dominated the tech news in 2011, and Topiary (real name Jake Davis) grabbed plenty of attention thanks to his witty, eloquent press releases and tweets. This week’s episode of The Guardian’s Tech Weekly podcast features a 40-minute interview with Davis, and it’s a fascinating listen. The interview covers the full timeline from Davis’ isolated youth on the Shetland Islands, through his time with Anonymous and LulzSec and his incarceration in a young offenders’ institution and onto his release and his rediscovery of the Internet after a lengthy, court-enforced ban. Davis appears full of remorse…

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Google Keyboard for Android now makes suggestions and corrections based on what you type in other Google apps

Mar19
by on March 19, 2014 at 8:25 pm
Posted In: Apps, Around the Web, Google, Insider, Mobile

Google today updated its Google Keyboard app for Android, adding a new Personalized Suggestions feature under the hood that lets it grab data from other Google apps and services. You can download the new version now directly from Google Play. While the changelog merely talks about an option to switch the keyboard color scheme (white and blue) as well as the usual “bug fixes and stability improvements,” DroidLife points to the above message once you install the update. Essentially, Personalized Suggestions uses data from other Google apps and services to improve the keyboard’s suggestions and corrections. The data is stored…

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