Project Ara Falls Apart, Update Internet Explorer Now… [Tech News Digest]

Google struggles to keep Project Ara together, Microsoft patches Internet Explorer, play Final Fantasy VII on iOS, Pocket Casts casts pods, find your Ashley Madison email, Kelly Clarkson sings Tinder. Project Ara Is Just Too Fragile Google recently revealed that Project Ara — its effort to create a modular smartphone — has been delayed until 2016. And now we know why. In a nutshell, Project Ara failed the drop test. As Google explained with a tweet promising, “No more electropermanent magnets.” These magnets are what Google has been using to keep the various modules attached to the body of the handset, but they clearly aren’t strong enough to keep the components from separating if dropped. This is a rather serious fail on the part of Google, and it’s no wonder it has forced the company to go back to the drawing board. A follow-up tweet hinted at the possible solution, with Google “testing a signature experience to attach/detach modules”. Whatever that means. Regardless, don’t get your hopes up of buying a modular smartphone anytime in the near future. Internet Explorer Gets Patched Up Microsoft has issued a critical patch for Internet Explorer designed to fix a flaw already being exploited by undesirables. All versions of Internet Explorer, from IE7 to IE11, are affected, although the new Edge browser for Windows 10 is safe. Interestingly, Microsoft is crediting Clement Lecigne of Google with the find. Microsoft explains the issue in a Technet post, saying, “An attacker could host a specially crafted website designed to exploit this vulnerability through IE, and then convince a user to view the website”. Thankfully, there is still an element of user control involved, as “an attacker would have to convince users to take action, typically by getting them to click a link in an instant message or email that takes them to the attacker’s website, or by getting them to open an attachment sent through email”. Users are being advised to update Internet Explorer as soon as possible. We would add that switching to another, probably better, Web browser would also fix the problem. You know Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox both exist, right? Final Fantasy VII Lands on iOS Final Fantasy VII is finally available on iOS, with Square Enix releasing the game in the App Store on Wednesday (Aug. 19). This mobile version of the classic RPG (role-playing game) works on iPhone 5s or later, iPad 3 or later, and iPad mini 2 or later. Final Fantasy VII is priced at $15.99 in the U.S., which is significantly more than most mobile games. But then this is Final Fantasy VII, one of the greatest games ever released on any platform. It also comes with touchscreen controls, and various built-in cheats to help those struggling to make progress. Pocket Casts Adds Nearby Podcasts Pocket Casts, one of the best podcast catchers currently available, has been updated. At least on Android. The update has added a rather cool new feature which offers users a new way of discovering podcasts they currently don’t listen to/have never heard of. The new Nearby tab, found under Discover, shows you the podcasts being listened to by people in close proximity, and what podcasts you have in common with those around you. Provided they have Pocket Casts installed and are sharing the information. Unfortunately, iOS users will have to wait a little longer for the update to reach them. The Ashley Madison Email Finder The hackers who hacked Ashley Madison — the website for people who want to cheat on their significant others — recently dumped the data on the dark web. As a result, a lot of people are enduring a tough week, after being exposed as (potential) cheaters. However, it turns out that many of the email addresses used to sign up to Ashley Madison were used without their owner’s permission. Which means your email address could have been used even though you had never even heard of Ashley Madison before last month’s incident. Thankfully, there is a simpl ways to discover if your email address was caught up in the scandal. Simply type your email address into cynic.al, and you’ll at least know if you have some explaining to do. We just hope your partner believes you’re entirely innocent of any wrongdoing. Kelly Clarkson Sings Tinder Profiles And finally, to succeed at Tinder — which essentially means scoring more dates than anyone else — you really need to spend some time on your profile. Pitching it just right is essential to Tinder effectively. Unless, that is, you personally know Kelly Clarkson. This video shows American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson singing a selection of Tinder profiles. She makes them all sound good, whether they’re bland, odd, or even a little bit perverted. So, there’s the answer: if you’re struggling to Tinder, make friends with a singer. [H/T CNET] Your Views on Today’s Tech News Do you have any interest in Project Ara? Are you still using Internet Explorer? Will you be buying Final Fantasy VII on iOS? Is Pocket Casts your favorite podcatcher? Was your email address caught up in the Ashley Madison hack? Let us know your thoughts on the Tech News of the day by posting to the comments section below. Because a healthy discussion is always welcome.

Arizona lags in homes with high-speed Internet

Posted Nov 30, 2014, 5:01 pm Miranda Rivers Cronkite News Arizona homes trailed the nation in both their access to high-speed Internet and their computer ownership, according to a recent report from the Census Bureau. The report, released this month, said 86.8 percent of Arizona homes had a computer and 76.2 percent had high-speed Internet connections in 2013, both about 2 percentage points below the national averages for the same categories. Experts in the state were not surprised by the numbers, pointing to the state’s largely rural make-up which they said leads to fewer providers, harder access and higher Internet costs. “Our problem over quite a while, is just the fact that bandwidth just hasn’t been available locally,” said Shirley Pulsipher, a technician for Apache County Schools Business Consortium. “We don’t have the option of multiple providers like you do in the Valley,” said Pulsipher, noting that for the past year the local phone company has been the only provider available to Apache County schools. The Census Bureau report said Arizona was one of 20 states that fell below the national average for computer ownership and high-speed Internet. Utah topped the list for computer ownership, at 94.9 percent of households, and New Hampshire had the most households with high-speed access, at 85.7 percent. Mississippi was last in both categories, with 80 percent of homes having a computer and 62.3 having broadband. Patrick Sherrill, president and CEO of Zona Communications, said the biggest difference between Internet access in Arizona’s rural and urban areas is price. His Phoenix-based company provides telephone and broadband service to rural areas of the state. “Rural areas are much less populated, which means the cost of building the networks there are more expensive,” Sherrill said. That’s true in Apache County, where Pulsipher said schools pay $40 to $50 per megabit, compared to the $5 to $10 they might pay in the city for the same level of service. Pulsipher, who works in Sanders – population 630, according to the latest Census numbers – said the cost for putting in infrastructure is “just too high.” Mike Murphy, superintendent of Sanders Unified School District in Apache County, said his district was able to increase its bandwidth because of E-rate, a federally funded program that provides discounted telecommunications services for eligible schools. “We have boosted our bandwidth prior to the start of the school year, and the connection seems to be pretty solid,” Murphy said. But for the general rural population, Pulsipher said, getting access to high-speed internet and computers can be tough. That’s particularly true in areas like Apache County, where a sizeable number of homes might not have power or running water, he said. “The provider can’t really sell something to people that don’t have the infrastructure for that type of thing,” Pulsipher said. Sherrill said his company is seeing population growth in some rural areas of the state, where he said demand for broadband is “pretty solid.” “We are constantly trying to figure out how to get them a faster speed,” Sherrill said. But that takes money to construct the needed network facilities. Sherrill said the demand for Internet in rural areas is just as strong as those in more populated areas. And just as important: Having a computer gives people the ability to get access to healthcare and education, and to prosper economically, he said. “A network is more valuable for everybody when everybody’s connected to it,” Sherrill said. - 30 -

New York Public Library will rent Wi-Fi hotspots to people who need it most

No need to wait your turn on a limited number of computers. (vincent desjardins) The New York Public Library, as well as the Queens Library and the Brooklyn Public Library, will begin renting out 10,000 Wi-Fi hotspots to residents later this month, The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday. A press release provided to Ars by the New York Public library noted that the New York and Brooklyn Public Libraries will rent out the hotspots for six months to a year to residents who don't have broadband and who are enrolled in library programs and adult learning programs. The Queens Library will lend the mobile hotspots from five of its libraries to anyone with a library card. Further Reading NYC to blanket the city in free public Wi-Fi with 10,000 stations The kiosks have charging stations, claim they can reach "up to Gigabit speeds." The hotspots will be provided by Sprint. A New York Public Library spokesperson told Ars via e-mail that people who borrow the hotspots will need "to sign an 'acceptable use agreement'" as required by Sprint. "It essentially states that the user will not do anything illegal with the Wi-Fi (such as illegally download movies)," the spokesperson said. In addition, renters of the hotspots will be afforded the same privacy protections they would have if they had purchased the hotspot themselves. The announcement is yet another front in New York City's efforts to bring Internet access to all of its residents. Earlier this month, the city announced that it will roll out a new communications network called LinkNYC, which will turn old payphones into kiosks that offer "up to gigabit speeds." Those 10,000 kiosks will be funded by advertisements surrounding them and will offer free domestic calls as well. Still, the LinkNYC plan has been criticized for falling short in serving all of the residents of New York City equitably, especially given that the kiosks will be placed far enough apart in many poorer neighborhoods that residents will see gaps in being able to connect. The hotspot rental plan through the public library system will be a step forward in filling those gaps and closing the digital divide that exists between poor and wealthier families. (That is to say, wealthier residents will not be able to just check out a hotspot and go work in the park.) Currently, computers at the city's public libraries are packed. “At every branch you walk into, every computer is being used all the time,” Anthony Marx, president of the New York Public Library, told The Wall Street Journal. “As more and more of what the library offers moves online, it became obvious that there was a problem.” In a press release e-mailed to Ars, the New York Public Library said the funding for the program came from a $500,000 donation from a coalition of nonprofits, as well as a $1 million donation from Google. The New York Public Library ran a six-month pilot of the hotspot rental program this summer. During the pilot program, the library conducted a survey that found that 55 percent of its patrons using the Internet and computers in its branches did not have broadband access at home. Of those patrons using the free Internet in the library who reported making $25,000 or less each year, 65 percent said that they did not have Internet access at home. As part of the launch, Google is also providing 500 free Chromebooks to be distributed to children and teens enrolled in library programs.

Boys & Girls Clubs get boost from Comcast

The roof leaked. Purple paint colored the walls. Toilets sat open in the bathroom, with no stall doors. This was the condition of the Wayne Boys & Girls Club in Nicetown until a $520,000 renovation - completed in the last week - remade it into a spiffy hangout and brought the 100-year-old, two-story brick facility into the modern age with WiFi, technology labs, and 40 laptops, desktops, and tablets. Comcast Corp.'s David Cohen and others will announce the renovation project Thursday as part of the cable TV giant's five-year philanthropic commitment to the national Boys & Girls Clubs of America to expand digital literacy - knowledge of the Internet and computers - among low-income families. Comcast has not put a specific dollar value on its commitment to the Boys & Girls Clubs for sponsorship of its My.Future (pronounced "my dot future"). But the company says it amounts to tens of millions of dollars in cash and services, including cable TV advertisements. News conferences pledging Comcast's support to My.Future at Boys & Girls Clubs also will be held in Chicago and Washington on Thursday. Participating in the Philadelphia event will be Jim Clark, president of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America, which has 4,100 facilities and helps about four million young people a year. The youth-guidance organization aims to build character so boys and girls can become productive citizens. Libby Lescalleet, executive program officer of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Philadelphia, was walking around the Nicetown club on the 4200 block of Wayne Avenue late last week as contractors were polishing the floors and assembling furniture in time for the news conference. The Philadelphia Boys & Girls organization has 15 clubs with 7,000 boys and girls who are paid members. Overall, it helps 13,000 youths through its after-school and sports programs. Comcast's relationship with the Boys & Girls Clubs began in 2001, and now 39 Comcast managers or executives nationally serve on Boys & Girls Clubs boards or advisory committees. One of those is Tom Firmani, vice president of operations for Comcast's Philadelphia region and a member of the board of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Philadelphia. At the Nicetown club, Comcast donated $120,000 in computers, furniture, and other equipment. The Boys & Girls Clubs of Philadelphia leveraged the Comcast donation for an additional $400,000 to renovate the roof, stairs, bathrooms, and other parts of the building, said Lisabeth Marziello, who runs the Boys & Girls Clubs of Philadelphia with her husband, Joseph. Lescalleet gave a tour of the upgraded facility. The second-floor library has been converted into a digital literacy center, and the former TV lounge will now be a digital art and music studio. She said she hoped the renovation and new technology would allow children who participate in its program "to dream a little bigger." BY THE NUMBERS The Philadelphia organization has: 15 Boys & Girls Clubs. 7,000 Boys and girls who are paid members. 13,000 Boys and girls it helps through after-school and sports programs. Comcast's participation: 2001 Year the company began its relationship with the Boys & Girls Clubs. 39 Managers or executives nationally serve on Boys & Girls Clubs of America boards or advisory committees. bfernandez@phillynews.com 215-854-5897 @bobfernandez1

Census: Arizona lags in homes with computers, high-speed Internet access

Working without a 'net A Census Bureau report said Arizona homes fell below the national average for both the number of households with a computer and the number with access to high-speed Internet service. Where Arizona stood, compared to top and bottom states: Computer ownership 1 . Utah: 94.9 percent 2. New Hampshire: 93.2 percent 3. Alaska: 92.9 percent 4. Wyoming: 92.4 percent 5. Colorado: 92.4 percent U.S. average: 88.4 percent 39. Arizona: 86.8 percent 46. Louisiana: 83.1 percent 47. West Virginia: 82.7 percent 48. Alabama: 82.6 percent 49. New Mexico: 80.9 percent 50. Mississippi: 80 percent With high-speed Internet 1. New Hampshire: 85.7 percent 2. Massachusetts: 85.3 percent 3. New Jersey: 84.5 percent 4. Connecticut: 83.9 percent 5. Utah: 83.8 percent U.S. average: 78.1 percent 35. Arizona: 76.2 percent 46. Louisiana: 70.3 percent 47. Alabama: 68.7 percent 48. New Mexico: 68.1 percent 49. Arkansas: 65.7 percent 50. Mississippi: 62.3 percent WASHINGTON – Arizona homes trailed the nation in both their access to high-speed Internet and their computer ownership, according to a recent report from the Census Bureau. The report, released this month, said 86.8 percent of Arizona homes had a computer and 76.2 percent had high-speed Internet connections in 2013, both about 2 percentage points below the national averages for the same categories. Experts in the state were not surprised by the numbers, pointing to the state’s largely rural make-up which they said leads to fewer providers, harder access and higher Internet costs. “Our problem over quite a while, is just the fact that bandwidth just hasn’t been available locally,” said Shirley Pulsipher,ÿa technician for Apache County Schools Business Consortium. “We don’t have the option of multiple providers like you do in the Valley,” said Pulsipher, noting that for the past year the local phone company has been the only provider available to Apache County schools. The Census Bureau report said Arizona was one of 20 states that fell below the national average for computer ownership and high-speed Internet. Utah topped the list for computer ownership, at 94.9 percent of households, and New Hampshire had the most households with high-speed access, at 85.7 percent. Mississippi was last in both categories, with 80 percent of homes having a computer and 62.3 having broadband. Patrick Sherrill, president and CEO of Zona Communications, said the biggest difference between Internet access in Arizona’s rural and urban areas is price. His Phoenix-based company provides telephone and broadband service to rural areas of the state. “Rural areas are much less populated, which means the cost of building the networks there are more expensive,” Sherrill said. That’s true in Apache County, where Pulsipher said schools pay $40 to $50 per megabit, compared to the $5 to $10 they might pay in the city for the same level of service. Pulsipher, who works in Sanders – population 630, according to the latest Census numbers – said the cost for putting in infrastructure is “just too high.” Mike Murphy, superintendent of Sanders Unified School District in Apache County, said his district was able to increase its bandwidth because of E-rate, a federally funded program that provides discounted telecommunications services for eligible schools. “We have boosted our bandwidth prior to the start of the school year, and the connection seems to be pretty solid,” Murphy said. But for the general rural population, Pulsipher said, getting access to high-speed internet and computers can be tough. That’s particularly true in areas like Apache County, where a sizeable number of homes might not have power or running water, he said. “The provider can’t really sell something to people that don’t have the infrastructure for that type of thing,” Pulsipher said. Sherrill said his company is seeing population growth in some rural areas of the state, where he said demand for broadband is “pretty solid.” “We are constantly trying to figure out how to get them a faster speed,” Sherrill said. But that takes money to construct the needed network facilities. Sherrill said the demand for Internet in rural areas is just as strong as those in more populated areas. And just as important: Having a computer gives people the ability to get access to healthcare and education, and to prosper economically, he said. “A network is more valuable for everybody when everybody’s connected to it,” Sherrill said.