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Google can remotely bypass the passcode of at least 74% of Android devices if ordered

According to a document prepared by the New York District Attorney’s Office, older versions of Android can easily be remotely reset by Google if compelled by a court order, allowing investigators to easily view the contents of a device.

The document, which looks at the impact of full disk encryption on access for law enforcement, says that devices running Android 5.0 (and newer) are unable to be remotely reset as they use full disk encryption – it’s not switched on by default for many devices, however. Anything using an older version is vulnerable to remote reset.

“Forensic examiners are able to bypass passcodes on some of those devices using a variety of forensic techniques.

For some other types of Android devices, Google can reset the passcodes when served with a search warrant and an order instructing them to assist law enforcement to extract data from the device. This process can be done by Google remotely and allows forensic examiners to view the contents of a device.”

According to the Android Developer Dashboard, that means that 74.1 percent of devices are still using a version of Android that can be remotely reset at any time.

Software boosts smartphones to 4K without tapping out battery

Ultra HD 4K videos can be a sight to behold, but they come at two costs: price and power. While 4K screens will inevitably drop in price over time, Japan’s Kogakuin University and Fujitsu are working to reduce the power consumed while playing 4K videos’.

The university and electronics maker have worked together to develop software that can scale up video playback on smartphones to a resolution of 3,840×2,160 pixels, commonly referred to as 4K. The new technology can display Ultra HD at a highly stable 30 frames per second (fps) without increasing the typical power consumption of a smartphone. Kogakuin University has also confirmed that it is possible to increase video frame rate to a more fluid 60 fps.

At the moment, Sony’s Xperia z5 Premium is the only handset on the market that sports a 4K screen, though this is sure to change as Ultra HD screens become less costly. However, displaying content in the cutting edge resolution is extremely draining to the battery, so the Z5 Premium is designed to only output in 4K during media playback, and not during other uses. The new software could circumvent one of the considerable negatives to Ultra HD viewing, even if there are still doubts as to the benefit of 4K screens on smartphones.

Amazon Prime Music’s top challenge? (Q&A)

The pioneer of the 140-character text update is rolling out a new image-centric Web profile page for users that bears a striking similarity to those of a certain other social network.

The first thing you’ll notice is a huge new header image that extends across the top of your profile page, along with a missing background image. You can change your theme color by selecting “Edit profile,” but the background will remain uniformly gray.

Less obvious at first glance are a few new features—best tweets, pinned tweets and filtered tweets. Tweets that have more retweets, favorites or replies will appear slightly larger in your timeline. You can show off your favorite tweet by “pinning” it to the top of your page where it won’t get lost among your stream. Filtered tweets let you choose how to view other people’s tweets, photos, or @-replies.

Viewing photos, tweets or followers no longer shows you just lists, but rather large Twitter cards that emphasize visual elements such as a profile photo or embedded album—similar to a Facebook post.

Apple plans to launch Apple Pay in China by February

Well, here’s a surprise: Mountain View now accepts PayPal payments for apps, games, books and other digital goods on Google Play. If you’re not exactly fond of paying through credit cards cards or carriers, you can activate the option by clicking Add Paypal and typing in your log-in details. The option has a huge limitation, though: you can’t exactly use it to buy devices and accessories. So, if you want to buy a new Android phone or a Nest thermostat, you need to bust out that plastic. That said, Play has also expanded carrier billing and gift card availability to more countries, and anyone waiting for either may want to check Google Support for the full lists.

What’s the catch with off-brand prepaid wireless services?

Master Chief is getting a face-lift with an HD collection of his exploits. We’ve learned that Halo: Combat Evolved, Halo 2, Halo 3 and Halo 4 are being collected in a Master Chief-focused HD remaster coming from Microsoft. Our sources say that the set will zero in on Halo‘s most famous soldier to refresh audience’s memories ahead of Halo 5: Guardians‘ release, so curiosities like Halo 3: ODST and Halo: Reach likely won’t be a part of the package. The game’s developer is unknown at this point, but considering that Saber Interactive handled Combat Evolved Anniversary and is also working on an unannounced Xbox One project, the team is a likely suspect. Also unclear are plans for digital distribution, resolution and frame-rate (Microsoft bragged that that the next Halo will run at a “blistering” 60fps), piecemeal releases, or if the games will surface on other platforms as well (PC, anyone?).

Microsoft has gone on record saying that it would love to have Halo release more than once every three years. It’s used different developers to fill that task since, but we’re still pushing two years since Halo 4 launched. To commemorate the first game’s 10th birthday, Microsoft released Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary for the Xbox 360, which served as a stop-gap for the 343 Industries-developed Halo 4; there’s precedent for this sort of thing. This remake makes a lot of sense for Redmond for a couple of different reasons: it satisfies the more-frequent release desire and it helps fans get caught up on the story. It also gives them the chance to re-experience some of the best console shooters with better looks and sound — everyone wins!

Dell to fix flaw of its own making that puts its computers at risk

Google has acquired Quest Visual for an undisclosed amount. In doing so, the company has picked up a means for augmenting its translation capabilities in Android and Google Glass, in addition to bolstering its own Google Translate service with Quest Visual’s eye-catching technology.

Quest Visual’s primary app, Word Lens, allows a person to flip on the camera of their Android or iOS device and use it to frame a series of words they don’t otherwise understand — like a road sign printed in a foreign language, for example. In a perfect world, Word Lens recognizes the text and automatically replaces it with whatever you’ve elected to translate it to: French to English, English to Spanish, et cetera.

The app is primary for going between English and a second language, and vice versa, as language packs that one could previously purchase (and are now free, thanks to the acquisition) are all combinations of English and another language: Russian, Spanish, French, Italian, German, or Portuguese. The app works without any kind of network signal, which is a boon for those travelling. It also works with Google Glass, for those of you who have become recent explorers for the $1,500 device.

Apple and Google settle Motorola patent disagreement and agree to cooperate on patent reform

(Reuters) – Apple Inc and Google Inc’s Motorola Mobility unit have agreed to settle all patent litigation between them over smartphone technology, ending one of the highest profile lawsuits in technology.

In a joint statement on Friday, the companies said the settlement does not include a cross license to their respective patents.

“Apple and Google have also agreed to work together in some areas of patent reform,” the statement said.

Apple and companies that make phones using Google’s Android software have filed dozens of such lawsuits against each other around the world to protect their technology. Apple argued that Android phones that use Google software copy its iPhones.

The two companies informed a federal appeals court in Washington that the cases should be dismissed, according to filings on Friday. However, the deal does not appear to apply to Apple’s litigation against Samsung Electronics Co Ltd, as no dismissal notices were filed in those cases.

The most high-profile case between Apple and Motorola began in 2010. Motorola accused Apple of infringing several patents, including one essential to how cell phones operate on a 3G network, while Apple said Motorola violated its patents to certain smartphone features.

Pinterest wins new funding, raising valuation to $5 billion

(Reuters) – Pinterest has raised a new $200 million round of funding that gives it a valuation of $5 billion, the photo pin-up site said on Thursday.

Pinterest, which allows users to create online bulletin boards based on various themes such as travel, decorating, or sports, said in a statement it would use the capital to invest in technology, develop its advertising program further, and expand internationally.

Pinterest said it raised money from existing investors SV Angel, Bessemer Venture Partners, Fidelity, Andreessen Horowitz, FirstMark Capital, and Valiant Capital Partners.

The company last raised money in October 2013 at a $3.8 billion valuation in a round led by Fidelity Investments.

News of the funding round was first reported by ReadWrite.

Pinterest said it has raised a total of $764 million so far from the time of inception.

Couchbase – Consolidation Begins In Big Data Space

One of the common comment from those watching the Big Data space is that there are too many projects that makes it too difficult to chose the right set of tools for the user needs. Well, the consolidation process has started with the merger of Membase (see previous CloudAve coverage), the company supporting open source memcached project, and CouchOne, the company behind open source CouchDB project (see previous CloudAve coverage). The new company called Couchbase will offer comprehensive, end to end family of NoSQL database products. This is clearly a big move targeted to attract organizations trying to tap into NoSQL data stores for their big data needs.

Mark Zuckerberg Has Obtained a Restraining Order Against His Stalker

Mark Zuckerberg has obtained a restraining order against a man who took the term “Facebook stalking” to a literal level.

According to TMZ, 31-year-old Pradeep Manukonda sent Facebook’s CEO messages through Facebook, left flowers and a handwritten note at his home, and showed up at several Facebook offices looking for him. At one point, security intercepted Manukonda walking up to Zuckerberg’s home.

According to the handwritten note and Facebook wall posts obtained by TMZ, Manukonda consistently referenced a problem that he wanted Zuckerberg to help him with.

“Thank you for your valuable time and attention towards my problem,” the note reads.

The wall post, left on Randi Zuckerberg’s wall, takes a more drastic approach. “I owe my entire life to your service .. please help me, then I am ready to die for you,” it reads.

A judge ordered Manukonda to stay at least 300 yards away from Zuckerberg, his sister and his girlfriend. In a later interview with TMZ, Manukonda apologized for his behavior. “I’m a peaceful guy … I’m sorry he thought I was trying to harm him,” he said.