A New Laptop That Uses Your Palm-Print To Login

For all the popularity of fingerprint scanners, Fujitsu believes that it can go one better. The Japanese company has been working on palm-based systems for the last few years, and we've already seen turnstiles, wallets and tablets that are accessed from your hand. Fujitsu believes that palm vein sensing is around a thousand times more secure than conventional biometric methods and it's implementing the technology in its next range of business-focused laptops due out this week. We've been shown around some of these models, which have the new sensor fitted into an area that is roughly the same size and position as the company's existing fingerprint scanners, just below the bottom right corner of the keyboard. Using it is simple: Hold your hand a few inches above the sensor and the hardware will quickly scan the unique arrangement of your veins. If it judges you to be the real deal, it'll open up its secrets for your enjoyment.
(View full site to see video)
Of course, your biggest objection to that would be that, if some nefarious type wanted to get at your Facebook account, all they'd have to do is grab a sword and lop off your hand, right? Turns out, biology has provided us all with a built-in failsafe. Fujitsu's technology only works while blood is flowing through your veins, so your lifeless limb can't be used to breach the wall. Having seen this technology in action, I'm reasonably sure that it's ready for prime-time, and excited to see if this as fool-proof as Fujitsu claims. Even if it is, however, the easiest and least messy way to access someone else's login will always be to ask them -- an approach that worked just fine for Edward Snowden.

A Malaysia Airlines Flight Carrying 239 Actualy Vanished Off Coast of Vietnam

Friday afternoon, at about 1:40 pm EST, a passenger jet flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing disappeared from radar screens and lost radio contact with air traffic control. Malaysia Airlines Flight 370, which was scheduled to land four hours later, was carrying 227 passengers, including two infants, and 12 crew members.
"Malaysia Airlines is currently working with the authorities who have activated their Search and Rescue team to locate the aircraft," the airline said in a statement."Our thoughts and prayers are with all affected passengers and crew and their family members."
The airline is in the process of contacting family members of the passengers and crew, 160 of whom were from China.
Malaysia Airlines vice president of operations told CNNthat, at the time it went missing, the Boeing 777 had about seven hours of fuel left, which means it would have run out by 8:45 pm EST. I'll update if I learn anything new

UPDATE : Officials in Italy and Austria have reportedly confirmed that two people listed as passengers were not on board the flight and that their passports had been stolen.

The Lumia 630 Leaked With A Lot Of Errors.

There have been leaks showing the front of the Nokia Lumia 630(aka Moneypenny), but a complete view of the Windows Phone 8.1 hardware has been elusive... until now. Frequent tipster @evleaks has posted an apparent press shot revealing the back of the bright-hued device, and it suggests that the 630 will represent a sharp break from the designs of the Lumia 620and 625. There's no camera key or flash, for a start -- mobile photography fans may want to give this phone a pass. We also see hints of a flatter, more X-like body. There aren't any fresh clues as to when the 630 might launch, although we're not expecting to see it until sometime after the official unveiling of Windows Phone 8.1, which may take place in April.

SMARTPHONES CAN NOW SEND SCENTS

If the aroma of sweet, buttery coffee is something you want to share with friends - even friends who live miles away - you soon may have the option of doing so through a device called the "oPhone."

Harvard researcher David Edwards and a team of his students are developing a technology that, once completed, will allow scents to be passed along through a text message, phone call or social media application via a Bluetooth-capable smartphone, tablet or computer.

"The oPhone is in development. It will be available for use notably in Cambridge, Massachusetts, from July and commercially from later this year," Edwards told FoxNews.com via email from Italy.

A new scent-based messaging app called oNotes will be available July 10 to send the nose-news, he said. But in order to "download" an aromatic message, you'll need the oPhone -- an accessory that can be used with different devices. Each oChip - a small cartridge that produces hundreds of odor signals - will be do the work of emitting thousands of unique odors for at least 20 to 30 seconds.

"The oChip is like the ink cartridge of the oPhone," Edwards explained. "It contains the basic aromatic material that gets mixed to produce hundreds of unique aromas per oPhone."

The oPhone website, Vapor Communications, whimsically explains its vision: "Imagine a less stressful, more sensual, incredibly inclusive world of global communications where a moving gesture of friendship, a culinary pleasure, and a childhood memory are all just a touch away. This is the world we hope to create with the oPhone."

Edwards believes that beyond sending complex smells to and from any place on the globe, the oPhone will also help people who are suffering from Alzheimer's disease by triggering memories associated with certain scents.

"It may have beneficial effects with respect to memory, stress relief, weight control, among other conditions," he said.

Cost of the oPhone, which links to a smartphone or other device via Bluetooth, has not yet been determined.

"You should imagine the oPhone will be around the price of a phone, and oChips priced low enough to encourage the same frequency of use as M&Ms for an M&M lover."

Apparently The Galaxy S5 Won't Be As Cheap As We Thought It Would Be

After the announcement of the Samsung Galaxy S5 earlier this week at Mobile World Congress, speculation began circulating that the handset would go on sale for lower than the Galaxy S4’s initial launch pricing.

A series of pre-orders for the device going live around the UK and Europe shows a handset that sells for an equivalent amount, however, with off-contract pricing that equates to around $1000.
Clove has the handset for £599( roughly N140,000) after taxes while Amazon Spain lists the Galaxy S5 at €730. While those figures indeed break the $1000 when exchanged for US dollars, it is more likely Samsung is targeting an amount in the 600-700 range, regardless of currency. This would match the strategy deployed with the Galaxy S4, which sold in a similar $600-700 range in the US.
Whispers of a low launch price for the Galaxy S5 likely stem from the perception of some that Samsung did not unveil many major upgrades over the previous generation of the device. While rumors hinted at a smartphone with 64-bit processing, 4K display, metal construction, Samsung showcased a device that featured marginal improvements to the GS4’s specs and design. Rumors persist that Samsung could launch a premium version of the phone with some or all of these features.
The Samsung Galaxy S5is set to launch globally in April. With about a month to go, we should be getting more clarity on pricing as carriers solidify and announce their plans for the device.

The Galaxy S5's Camera Can Refocus After Taking A Picture.

Samsung has never been a leader when it comes to smartphone cameras but with the Galaxy S5, it's taken a step forward.
It has nothing to do with megapixels—instead it's all about that weird-sounding feature called "phase-detect" autofocus, which allows the camera to focus in just .3 seconds. Samsung claims that's the fastest in the world, and it could seriously change how you use the camera.
We've tested basically every smartphone camera, and it's astounding how quickly their quality has been improving over the years. Low-light quality has never been better, and in recent years, the megapixel counts have been soaring, without seeing any of the corresponding loss in image quality you'd expect.
One thing we haven't heard a lot of—but you can expect to now—is claims about how fast a camera is. Think about how important speed is. If your buddy slips and falls embarrassingly, you want to be able to whip out your camera and snap the picture as quickly as possible, before the shock leaves their faces and they've got time to recover. You want to get the hilarious agony of the moment.
The Samsung Galaxy S5 has a higher resolution camera 16 megapixel camera, but what's really important, is that as far as we can tell (tell us if we're wrong!), it's the first camera on a smartphone to use phase-detect autofocus. Traditionally, digital cameras that don't have a mirrorbox—IE, point-and-shoots and mirrorless cameras—use contrast detection autofocus. In this method, the contrast between nearby pixels is measured, and the camera's lens is adjusted until this contrast is maximized. This system has a lot of drawbacks: It's coarse, it's slow, and more importantly in situations where there's not a lot of contrast (or light) in a scene to begin with, it doesn't work very well.
Phase detection autofocus was commonly used on SLR cameras with mirrors, but it's only recently started trickling into mirroless cameras over the last couple of years, as part of the "hybrid" systems that enable shooters like the Sony A6000to focus crazy fast. The contrast detect autofocus gets you close, but the fine adjustment is performed by phase detection which compares the actual light received by the sensors, rather than just the contrast.
In the real-world, you can't underestimate the important of shooting with a fast AF system. It's one of the most important features we test when we're reviewing cameras. You're probably familiar with the experience of a camera that "hunts" for focus—moving in and out of clarity until it settles on the best spot You've also probably noticed the frustration that occurs when you've got an autofocus hunts and then settles on a spot that's totally wrong, as if it just gave up. The new phase detection will help remedy some of this frustration.
Or rather itshouldhelp, assuming it works properly. We'll have to wait and see how well this new phase detection works on the camera when we've had the chance to test it out in real life.

Original Story Found On Gizmodo

Robot cops rule! Humanoids take over streets of Kinshasa to tackle traffic chaos

How do you solve the problem of choking road traffic in one of the world's bustling megacities? You bring in the robot cops.
In Kinshasa, the sprawling capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, two humanoid robots have been installed in high-traffic areas to regulate the flow of vehicles and help drivers and pedestrians traverse the roads safely.
Read this: The daily grind of commuting in Africa's economic hubs
The goal is to ease the traffic woes of commuters and cut the number of road accidents in the center of Kinshasa, a city of some 10 million people.
"It is an innovation about road safety," Vale Manga Wilma, president of the DRC's National Commission for Road Safety (Commission Nationale de Prevention Routiere), told CNN.
"The traffic is a big problem in the rush hours," he explained. "With the robots' policemen intelligence, the road safety in Kinshasa becomes very easy."
Read this: Megacity's ambitious plans
Standing eight feet tall, the robot traffic wardens are on duty 24 hours a day, their towering -- even scarecrow-like -- mass visible from afar. They are powered by solar panels and are equipped with rotating chests and surveillance cameras that record the flow of vehicles.
The humanoids, which are installed on Kinshasa's busy Triomphal and Lumumba intersections, are built of aluminum and stainless steel to endure the city's year-round hot climate.
Featuring green and red lights, Kinshasa's robot cops are designed to merge some of the functions of human officers and traffic lights. The anthropomorphic robots can raise or bend their arms to stop passing vehicles or let others pass, and are also programmed to speak, indicating to pedestrians when they can cross the roadManga Wilma said that this is a DRC-made technology, designed and built by a team of local engineers called WITECH ONG.
READ MORE: Africa's 'new cities' - Urban future or utopian fantasies?
READ MORE: Africa's giant infrastructure projects

Nokia Unveils Two New Androids.

Nokia is officially launching its very first Android devices, known as the X and the X+, on stage at its annual Mobile World Congress press conference. We were all taken aback by the second ( and third) device (since only one leaked), but either way it's still incredible to see Nokia take this particular approach. The X will have a 4-inch, 840 x 480 IPS screen, 512MB RAM, 4GB of storage expandable storage via microSD slot and 3-megapixel camera, while the X+ sports the same specs but more RAM (768 MB) and an included 4GB microSD card. You won't be getting Google's apps or Play store, however as both handsets will be based on the forked AOSP Android OS. Nokia says that'll have the advantages of the Android ecosystem, but with a "differentiated experience." So far,Here Maps, MixRadio, Skype and Outlook are being featured on the Nokia Store.You can access the Nokia and third party stores using the devices, but not Google Play, obviously. We've heard SwiftKey will be available on the Nokia X range, as will BBM, which is also coming to Windows Phone sometime "this summer."
The new devices are featuring a ported version of FastLane for Asha devices, to give a similar experience as its other budget handsets. When you swipe across it, it'll bring up a sort of notification bar showing recently used apps, missed calls and texts and other activities. During the demo, Elop showed both the Nokia Store also Yandex, where he pulled down Aero Express, a Russian-flavored app. The X will be available immediately in growth markets (ie, not the US) and run 89 euros. The X+, meanwhile, will run 99 euros but won't arrive until sometime in Q2 this year.

Whatsapp Is Down, It's Not Just You. (UPDATED)

I thought it was just me but apparently it's a worldwide problem. It's been down for a few hours now causing mass hysteria (jk). So to avoid any confusion and MTN Customer Care calls they tweeted about it to let us know they were working on it( who knows? Maybe it's just Zuck messing with it) I'll update on it if anything comes up.

UPDATE: It's back, no questions answred, or explanations given.

No Cards? No Cash? You Can Still Get Cool Stuff. With Your Smartphone!

The aroma of rich coffee wafts through the air as Xolile Malindi leans behind the counter of House of Machines, a hip café in the heart of Cape Town. Opposite him, a young customer approaches the bar, taking his wallet out to pay for his double espresso made of organic Arabica beans.
"Have you ever heard of this program called the SnapScan?" Malindi, who is the coffee shop's day manager, asks quickly. "You pay with your phone," he continues. "A lot of places are using it in Cape Town -- it's quite amazing."
House of Machines is just one of dozens of stores here where customers can find SnapScan, an award-winning new digital mobile payment method developed in South Africa. The smartphone app, which is free to download, allows buyers to pay for goods using their phone, without having to worry about carrying cash or credit cards.
How it works
Each SnapScan-connected store has a unique code that is linked to their bank account.
When customers want to pay, they can scan the code with their SnapScan smartphone app, which then brings up the store where they are making the purchase.
"All you do is you type in the amount and punch in the PIN and press send and it's gone -- it's all done," explains Malindi. "You've got your secret code (four-digit PIN), so if your phone goes missing for example, you don't have to worry about people using your phone," he adds.
The transaction is complete with SnapScan charging the customer's debit or credit card for the amount they are paying -- similar to a normal card payment.
Cutting-edge
Using your phone to pay for goods and services is nothing new in Africa, a continent where there are more than 720 mobile phones. Services such as M-Pesa, the revolutionary Kenyan mobile payment system that allows people to bypass banks and pay bills, withdraw salaries and transfer cash electronically, have transformed the way people and business operateMeanwhile, Africa's smartphone market is expected to double over the following four years -- at the moment, South Africa is reportedly the biggest smartphone market in sub-Saharan Africa, with a 19% penetration.
And as smartphones increase, the paying methods are also becoming smarter.
"If you look at mobile payments specifically, Africa is actually one of the leaders in this space," says Kobus Ehlers, co-founder of the SnapScan app. "SnapScan was developed in South Africa for the African market, so we try to find really local and relevant solutions and I think it's going to get a massive uptake," he adds.
"Technology in general is going to get a massive uptake in Africa as we don't have those legacy systems," continues Ehlers. "People aren't used to using credit cards for example, they can skip right ahead and start using cutting-edge payment technology."
Cashless society
Right now, SnapScan is only available at formal merchants but the hope is that the e-currency could flow from the phones of customers to the accounts of informal merchants too. It can even be used to send remittances.
Ehlers says that the hope of a cashless society is possible for Africa.
"Quite a large portion of people have access to a smartphone and by leveraging that technology we can provide payments that were previously impossible," he says. "That really is an empowering thing for most people in Africa who haven't got access to formal infrastructure to provide those services."
John Campbell heads up the Beyond Payments division of Standard Bank, which partners with innovators such as SnapScan to create banking solutions. He says that lack of traditional infrastructure often leads to creative solutions.
"In other territories where that infrastructure was not available, that infrastructure has been leapfrogged by the use of mobile," explains Campbell. "M-Pesa in Kenya is a good example of that, where money goes straight to your mobile -- your mobile number almost becomes your account number, that's effectively what happens."Back in the House of Machines, Malindi keeps on introducing the new payment method to his customers.
"It's way better as opposed to using your credit card or cash," he says, adding that he was surprised to find out that SnapScan was a tech company that started in South Africa.
"I thought it's one of the things that we get from overseas," says Malindi. "When I found out this is African-launched I was 'wow, here we go Africa, here we come, we're rocking the world!'"