Smashing News

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Black Friday is coming quick, and we want to make sure that you are prepared before camping in line for 3 days! We looked at all the tech deals available at the major retailers and identified some of our favorite Black Friday tech deals. Check them out below!

BestBuy 

50″ Panasonic LED TV – $199.99

55″ Samsung 4k TV – $899.99

29′ Insignia LED TV – $99.99

LG 55″ LED TV – $479.99

Samsung Galaxy S5 – $1 (with 2 year activation)

All iPad Air 2 – $100 off

Nokia Lumia 635 – $40 (AT&T GoPhone Plan)

Walmart

50″  1080p 60Hz LED TV (Brands may vary by store) – $218

65″ Vizio Smart LED TV – $648

iPad mini 16 GB WiFi + $30 Gift Card – $199

XBox One + $30 Gift Card – $329

Beats by Dr. Dre Wirelss Headphones – $149

Target

60″ Samsung LED TV – $797.99

55″ Westinghouse LED TV – $395

50″ Samsung LED TV – $477.99

Chromecast – 24.99

XBox One + $50 Gift Card – 329.99

iPhone 6 + $30 Gift Card – 179.99 (with 2 year activation)

Apple TV – $89

GoPro Hero 3 + $50 Gift Card – $249.99

Nikon L330 20.2MP Digital Camera – $99

Sears 

65″ Curved 4K UHD TV – 1,999.99

55″ Samsung Smart LED TV – $799.99

32′ Samsung LED TV – $199.99

Galaxy Tab S – #399.99

Sling Media – $149.99

Kmart

60″ RCA LED TV – $699.99

40″ Toshiba LED TV – $329.99

32″ RCA LED TV – $179.99

Galaxy Tab 4 10.1  – $249.99

GameStop

XBOX one – $329.99

PlayStation 4 – $399.99

Save $30 on select PS4 and Xbox One games

Xbox One and PlayStation 4 Controller – $44.99

PlayStation Gold Wireless Headset – $69.99

Nintendo 3DS XL Mario Party Island Bundle – $179.99

Staples

Asus Laptop with intel Processor – $99.99

23.6″ widescreen LED Monitor – $99.99

Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 Lite 7″ – $99.99

Toshiba with Intel i5 Processor 8GB RAM and 1TB HD – $399.99

20% off Select iPads

Sam’s Club

60″ Vizio Smart TV – 848

75″ Samsung SMart TV – $1,998

55″ Samsung Curved TV – $1,278

Apple iPhone 6 – $99 (with 2 year activation)

Samsung Galaxy Note 3 – 96¢ (with 2 year activation)

Samsung Galaxy s5 – 96¢ (with 2 year activation)

Roku HDMI Streaming Stick – $39.86

HP Pavilion Touch Notebook i5 processor and 6GB RAM 750 GB HD – $499

I am what you call a, “Crazy Black Friday Shopper”. For the last three years, I have waited in lines for days in advance to get that sweet deal on a killer TV. If you are willing to fight for a position in the front of the line, and risk getting in a fight with some crazy people trying to get all their Christmas shopping in, GOOD LUCK! 

Keep an eye on  this article to stay updated on our favorite tech deals! If you know of great deals before we do be sure to share it in the comment section below.

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A recent experiment by Bitglass, a security firm, has shown just how quickly anyone’s data can proliferate through the cyber underground. To do this, the company made up 1,568 unique names, credit card and Social Security numbers, as well as addresses and phone numbers. Then, they loaded them into a watermarked spreadsheet that would check in with a server every time the file was opened. The executable within the spreadsheet would attempt to log the approximate location-based on the IP address and the type of device used to open the file. They then uploaded the file to seven different shady sites known to be used by criminals.

Within just 12 days, the file was downloaded from those sites 47 times and then opened one thousand times in 22 countries spanning five continents. The countries with the most activity were Russia, China, and Nigeria. The first two should come as little surprise, there are many cyber crime syndicates both private and seemingly state-sponsored in both countries. But Nigeria? Perhaps the princes aren’t getting as much money from spam campaigns and have devolved into wheeling and dealing on the cyber underground. Har har.

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What Bitglass is doing is exactly what we need in the security community. The more we can come to understand the cyber underground, the better we can protect against future attacks. In a past life, I got paid to monitor a honeynet and search for our client’s data. What is a honeynet? Well, it is a system of computers that are allowed to be compromised. Often, an attacker will use an infected computer as a waypoint to stash stolen data from other machines that may be infected. Bitglass doesn’t know exactly how their file moved from place to place, but it could be that malicious groups used compromised machines to mask the file’s movements. This makes it difficult to trace. The company did notice that groups in Nigeria and Russia may have been sharing or selling data to one another directly and may even have been trying to test the validity of the names, addresses, and numbers before transactions were made.

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Are you worried about your personal data? You should be. Were you to use the same email address to log into multiple services like banking or healthcare information, you’d be only one hacked account away from ruin. If you have a Gmail address and would like to know what your email is worth to an attacker, head on over to the University of Illinois’ Cloudsweeper site. The following is a screen shot of how much UIC thinks my Gmail is worth to attackers:

My Gmail is worth…4.6 burritos

Have you ever been compromised (hacked)? Or do you sit on the hopeful, “I don’t think it can’t happen to me” camp? Tell us why in the comments below!

Here at TechSmash we are continually looking for interesting technology. Lately, we have featured some crazy wearable technology like AIM, wearable microchips, and AIRE. Now we are adding one of the latest IndieGoGo projects known as BitBite. Bitbite is a device that monitors how much food you eat, what type of food you eat, as well as how fast you eat your food. Bitbite then analyzes this data, and provides real-time diet coaching based on your eating habits.  

Check out this video to understand the capabilities of BitBite:

What allows BitBite to stick out amongst some of the “crazy” tech we have featured lately its its design. Unlike the AIM, which wraps around your ear, BitBite is simple, small, and packed with great features. Currently, the device is up for pledge on IndieGoGo. 

We dig the design, and hope you do as well. If it’s something you’re interested in, you can Pledge (donate money towards its development and release) on the IndieGoGo website. As of this email, they had only reached 54% of their goal still requiring just over $27,000 dollars in funding in order to develop and release the device.

Do you like the design? Dig the features? Would we catch you walking down the street wearing a BitBite? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.

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It’s hard to imagine a world minus the impact that Microsoft has made. While Apple certainly made ripples in bringing computing to the masses, it was the efforts of Microsoft that really saw the vision through to fruition. Tomorrow marks the 40th anniversary of Microsoft since it was founded on April 4th, 1975. To remember the past and share his vision of the future, Bill Gates sent an email to all Microsoft Employees. The email was as follows:

Tomorrow is a special day: Microsoft’s 40th anniversary.

Early on, Paul Allen and I set the goal of a computer on every desk and in every home. It was a bold idea and a lot of people thought we were out of our minds to imagine it was possible. It is amazing to think about how far computing has come since then, and we can all be proud of the role Microsoft played in that revolution.

Today though, I am thinking much more about Microsoft’s future than its past. I believe computing will evolve faster in the next 10 years than it ever has before. We already live in a multi-platform world, and computing will become even more pervasive. We are nearing the point where computers and robots will be able to see, move, and interact naturally, unlocking many new applications and empowering people even more.

Under Satya’s leadership, Microsoft is better positioned than ever to lead these advances. We have the resources to drive and solve tough problems. We are engaged in every facet of modern computing and have the deepest commitment to research in the industry. In my role as technical advisor to Satya, I get to join product reviews and am impressed by the vision and talent I see. The result is evident in products like Cortana, Skype Translator, and HoloLens — and those are just a few of the many innovations that are on the way.

In the coming years, Microsoft has the opportunity to reach even more people and organizations around the world. Technology is still out of reach for many people, because it is complex or expensive, or they simply do not have access. So I hope you will think about what you can do to make the power of technology accessible to everyone, to connect people to each other, and make personal computing available everywhere even as the very notion of what a PC delivers makes its way into all devices.

We have accomplished a lot together during our first 40 years and empowered countless businesses and people to realize their full potential. But what matters most now is what we do next. Thank you for helping make Microsoft a fantastic company now and for decades to come.

While remembering the resistance and doubt that Bill Gates and the company faced with their original vision is astounding, it’s even more intriguing to ponder on the future impact the company will make. Technology is advancing at an exponential rate. As technology improves, our ability to use technology in order to advance technology becomes even greater. These exponential advancements hold a world of promise in our future. 

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Gates mentioned a few upcoming technologies that he believes will make an impact on the world, “Cortana, Skype Translator, and HoloLens” Additionally, autonomous vehicles, virtual reality, and the internet of things are a few more technologies that make me excited for the future. Regardless of what the future holds, Microsoft has proven that they are a company dedicated to using technology to make the world a better place. That is something that we can all tip our hats to. Thank you Mr. Gates and anyone else that has contributed in enabling computing and technology to change our lives.

How has Microsoft impacted your life? Let us know in the comments below

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Sci-fi movies have long predicted immortality through the integration of humans and technology. As the internet of things continues to grow into every aspect of our lives, an emerging trend that we’re seeing is the application for health. Currently we have smartphones with pedometers and heart rate monitors that can let you know when you’re stressed, apps that can take pictures of food and tell you the health content of your meal, as well as various other exercise/health tracking type applications.

Most of these devices and applications require a user to consciously use them to find benefit. In a world where we often stop to get fast food because we don’t have the time or patience to make food, actively using these apps are likely going to be limited to those who actively work on their health; i.e. the health enthusiast and gymnazis. (Yes, I just coined that word. Can you tell I’m fat?)

The invention of wearable health tracking devices has changed all of that. The FitBit was first to the market offering up the ability to effortlessly track your activity levels and sleep activity; two crucial activities for human health. With the emerging trend in smartwatches, the likelihood of the average consumer wearing a device that can track your ongoing health is going to increase drastically. The implications go far beyond just tracking activity level and sleeping patterns.

I foresee in the near future that these devices will be tracking our pulse on an ongoing basis, taking our blood pressure multiple times a day, checking our temperature, and even potentially our blood sugar. This is becoming an ever increasing possibility as skin implanted devices are being developed. As was recently reported by the New York Times, devices are in development that adhere like a band-aid or temporary tattoo that have all the sensors necessary to monitor many of our vital signals. With computation technology that will store ongoing data in the cloud, the opportunity for understanding disease and life threatening illness and events is huge.

John A. Rogers/The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Imagine just being able to see the trends amongst human pulse of millions of individuals about to have a heart attack. Couple that with trends in blood pressure being captured and calculated in real time, this technology has huge implications to save lives and help identify imminent health threats and address them prior to being fatal.

The biggest challenge to this technology having an impact is security. With the recent scandal of leaked celebrity pictures, and the ongoing news articles about retailers being hacked, the general public’s opinion of information security is relatively low. The question that we as the human race need to ask ourselves is: is the risk of our health information getting into the wrong hands too high to justify the incredible benefits on ongoing health tracking and life saving opportunities.

While some of our personal health lives could be exposed, do we want our pride to be the thing that stops us from health advancements? Additionally, there are a number of ways in which this risk could be mitigated. These devices don’t have to be tied to us personally. The cloud can capture the data anonymously, while allowing our doctors to manually download ongoing data in each of our checkups. This would enable the benefits of big data while mitigating the risk of personal health information from leaking from the cloud.

The real risk of this technology harming the human race is when these connected devices start to have the power to intervene with our health. By having mini injection kits that could inject specific drugs triggered by certain medical indications, the opportunity to save lives is even greater. This comes, however, with greater risks. Hackers could potentially gain access to one of these devices and trigger an unwarranted overdose on fatal drugs. A cloud connected pacemaker could be converted into an online connected taser.

This becomes especially disconcerting with the security research firm Europol predicting that the first online murder will occur by the end of 2014. Serious advancements in information security and public opinion will have to occur before these devices will be accepted by the general public.

In conclusion, there are incredible opportunities to improve human health with the introduction of technology. Big data has the opportunity to drastically improve our understanding of disease and life threatening events. Devices with the ability to intervene are incredibly promising, but ultimately come with greater risks and issues to sort out prior to mainstream acceptance. One thing is certain, the marriage of health and technology is extremely promising yet terrifying in its own way.

Courtesy of Bestbuy.com

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Today, Best Buy announced they are going rogue and supporting Apple Pay; despite a conflicting affiliation. First, they have enabled the use of Apple Pay through their iOS Best Buy App; available now through an app update. The company will then enable Apple Pay at check out (NFC) in Best Buy stores at a later date this year.

While it may not seem peculiar that a technology retailer wants to embrace the use of new technology to accept payments, the surprising aspect of this announcement is that Best Buy is a member of Mobile Customer Exchange (MCX). This is a consortium of retailers working together on an alternative mobile payment method known as CurrentC. This mobile payment solution will enable customers to pay with their smartphones using QR codes as opposed to NFC technology used by both Apple Pay and Google Wallet.

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You may recognize MCX from when we reported late last year on Apple Pay support being pulled from both CVS and Right Aid stores a week after the service was released. Twitter was in uproar over the removed Apple Pay support despite publicly demonstrating that both stores had the technology to support Apple Pay. As a result, it was brought to light that CVS and Right Aid were participating in the MCX which required exclusivity to be a member of their consortium.

It is precisely this exclusivity that makes accepting Apple Pay such an interesting move on Best Buy’s part, as Best Buy is also a member of MCX. Best Buy explains that their goal is to provide customer’s with the right to choose. Below is an excerpt from their announcement:

Today’s consumers have many different ways to spend their money and we want to give our customers as many options as possible in how they pay for goods and services at Best Buy.

What does MCX think of Best Buy’s announcement? USA Today reported of a statement made by the Consortium’s Chief Operating Officer:

We are of the firm belief that there need to be at least 2-3 major players within the mobile payments ecosystem for it to succeed. We remain steadfast and passionate about CurrentC, as well as completely focused on delivering the best mobile commerce solution for our merchant partners and for consumers.

One of the driving forces behind why contributing retailers want to drive adoption of CurrentC is that it removes the middle man so the retailer doesn’t have to pay credit card fees. Credit card merchants charge a percentage of the sale, a processor and acquirer fee, and network fees. These fees add up. Have you ever been to an old gas station that requires a purchase of $5.00 or more to use credit? Now you know why. (I’ve purchased far more beef jerky in life as a result of such demands… Not a bad thing.) Apple Pay and Google Wallet still rely on credit/debit card networks which still require such fees.

Additionally, using QR codes is bound to gain greater adoption as the technology is already readily available at most merchants to accept payment. Whereas Apple Pay and Google Wallet require an entirely new NFC enabled payment terminal; a costly investment. Despite this cost, Apple Pay’s numbers are growing. According to Forbes, Tim Cook recently revealed that Apple Pay support has increased its supporting retail locations three-fold bringing the total number to 700,000 total locations. This is an impressive increase, however, it’s still a drop in the bucket compared to the total number of retail locations in the United States (6 Million).

Additionally, if Apple Pay’s consumer adoption numbers are any indication, CurrentC may have a chance to catch up on marketshare once it is finally released. Last Month, PYMNTS.com performed a survey on 1,000 users and found that only 6% of iPhone 6 users are actually using Apple Pay. This is likely due to a low percentage of retailers accepting the form of payment. Hopefully the release of the Apple Watch and an increase in supporting retailers will help increase adoption of the technology.

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What are your thoughts on the matter? Should Best Buy have stayed their commitment and opposed Apple Pay? Or is a technology retailer making a smart move by enabling its tech-loving customers the right to choose their payment method? Let us know in the comments below.

When any new device hits the market the race is on to find every little defect. This was not different when the iPhone 6 hit the market this month. Following the release of the new iPhone 6 reports surfaced of the bending iPhone 6. Bending iPhone? We had to look into this further. Sure enough there were a staggering nine complaints of bent devices according to the Wall Street Journal. So how much does it take to bend your iPhone? Consumer Reports performed this test for us!

As you can see it takes quite a bit of force to bend the iPhone 6. And although it is possible, it is unlikely that this amount of force would be applied to any device through normal everyday use. So now the question is, what were these people doing to their phones??

When the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus hit the market, a few owners reported that their phone would bend after placing the device in their back pocket and sitting down. Apple was scrutinized by both Apple and non-Apple users alike regarding the bending iPhone 6, which caused Apple to eventually make an official statement:

With normal use a bend in iPhone is extremely rare and through our first six days of sale, a total of nine customers have contacted Apple with a bent iPhone 6 Plus. As with any Apple product, if you have questions please contact Apple.

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So it appears that the bending iPhone was blown a bit out of proportion, and Bendgate quickly died after apple released their statement. However, Bendgate has recently begun to resurface with the upcoming release of the Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 edge. As Samsung prepares to release their flagship smartphone, should buyers be concerned about a bending Samsung Galaxy S6? Luckily, SquareTrade has already taken the Samsung Galaxy S6 to its limits.

To summarize the video, the iPhone 6 Plus bent at 110 pounds of pressure and eventually broke at 179 pounds of pressure, the HTC M9 bent and broke at 120 pounds of pressure, and the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge bent at 110 pounds of pressure and broke at 149 pounds of pressure. Yes, you iPhone 6 users can cheer knowing the iPhone 6 withstood the most pressure prior to a full on break. 

The tests performed were simple and not very comprehensive, but they still showed how much pressure the phones could withstand. As we don’t know how the phones would hold up when pressure is applied in different areas, we shouldn’t assume the results would be similar, but to be fair lets just say the Galaxy S6 would hold up the best! (Wink Wink)

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Being a recent iPhone 6 owner myself, I have taken the iPhone 6 through various bend tests and have come to the conclusion that it would be difficult to bend the iPhone 6 under normal use. While I have not had the opportunity to put my hands on the Samsung Galaxy S6, I will in the coming weeks, and will run the Galaxy S6 through the same tests. Lets hope I will be able to debunk Bendgate for the Galaxy S6, like I have been able to for the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus.

What are your thoughts? Have you been able to test your iPhone 6’s bend-ability? Did you find similar results? Do you think we should be concerned about the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge? Let us know what you think in the comment section below. 

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Kaspersky Lab, an organization dedicated to the cyber-security of the world, has shed some additional light on a current cyber-security threat known as “Dark Hotel” espionage campaigns. These campaigns target high profile individuals such as CEOs, vice presidents, and more to their steal intellectual property and secrets using the hotel’s internet. These attacks occur primarily in luxury hotels where corporate events are frequented.

Kasperski Labs goes on to explain that the culprits behind the scheme have installed malware onto the hotel’s Wi-Fi system that installs a backdoor (a way to gain complete access to your computer) on your system during the Wi-Fi registration process. This is typically done in the disguise of needing a software update for programs such as “Adobe Flash or Window’s Messenger.” Once this is installed, they use what are known as Keyloggers (the ongoing capture of every key press) and other information capturing tools to steal all of the information that they need before the get-away.

Kasperski has even put together a nice info-graphic to better demonstrate how it works. Take a look below:

Courtesy of Kaspersky Lab

Kaperski Labs recommends three primary ways to protect yourself from these threats:

1. Use a VPN that offers an encrypted connection channel
2. Be extremely wary of any software that is asking for an update when traveling. Check to ensure it is signed by the vendor prior to installing.
3. Ensure you have a quality internet security solution that defends you “proactively” as opposed to just a typical antivirus.

These best practices are applicable to anyone, especially if you’re a high profile individual with intellectual property that may be worth something on the black market. Follow the above proposed steps and you’re more likely to avoid such scenarios.

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Everyone loves free stuff. Trust me, I saw hundreds of people at E3 moving from booth to booth looking for free swag. Although most of us won’t be able to take advantage of the free Micro Bit computer, BBC will be making some children happy this October as they give one million kids in the UK the device for free.

The Micro Bit computer is a simple programmable device suited to teach kids the basics of programming. The device features an array of red LED lights, two programmable buttons, as well as a motion sensor. All of these features were not included in the prototype shown back in March.

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The Micro Bit computer does not have an onboard battery, so users will need to use an add-on battery pack that utilize two AA batteries. This is somewhat disappointing as the original prototype had a slot for a small watch battery, which would allow the device to be utilized as a wearable. A spokesman provided some reasoning behind the change:

The initial prototype utilized a smaller battery. However, in reviewing the design and examining the health and safety implications of using small batteries for a young audience, where siblings may be able to access the device. The partnership took the decision to re-engineer this element.

According to BBC, the device can be utilized in the following ways.

• The Micro Bit’s built-in magnetometer sensor could be used to help create a metal detector
• Its accelerometer to make a hi-tech spirit level
• Its Bluetooth chip to control a DVD player
• Its two buttons to create a video games controller

While BBC is offering the Micro Bit computer set, Microsoft has joined the party by building a Web-based app that provides a coding environment. Those that will be using the device can use the app to create different functionality for the device (as mentioned above).

Others that are helping fund the device include ARM (the chip designer), Barclays Bank, Samsung, and Lancaster University. While the first set of chips will be shipped to children in the UK free of charge, the device will be available for purchase to others in the UK and overseas by the end of this year.

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These types of offers enable children to become exposed to a whole new world of technology. Programming is a great tool and is key to the evolution of technology. I wish I had an opportunity like this to learn basic programming skills when I was 11 or 12. Professor Mitchel Resnick stated:

I see coding as a new type of literacy. When kids learn to code, they learn new ways of expressing themselves and organizing their ideas. These skills are important for everyone, not just those who plan to pursue computing careers.

What are your thoughts? Will the BBC Micro Bit computer be a distraction, or a blessing in the lives of 11-12-year-old children? Let us know what you think in the comment section below