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U.S. auto sales at 10-year high

Thu, 01 Oct 2015 21:54:13 +0000

U.S. auto sales rose to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 18.2 million in September–the highest in more than 10 years, according to Bloomberg.

A combination of Labor Day, low oil prices and low oil prices created high demand. It doesn’t hurt that economists expect that September boasted solid job growth. General Motors, Ford Motor, and Nissan Motor all beat analysts’ expectations for the month.

GM’s sales rose 12.5% in September from the previous year to more than 250,000 cars. Fiat Chrysler reported a 14% increase year-over-year, and Ford saw its sales increase 23% since the previous year, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Even Volkswagen enjoyed a small sales gain of 0.6%, despite being embroiled in a scandal over its emissions.

15M T-Mobile customers affected by Experian data breach that included Social Security numbers, more

Thu, 01 Oct 2015 21:50:34 +0000

T-Mobile has confirmed this evening that as many as 15 million of its customers have been affected by a data breach. As the company is quick to point out, however, the breach did not occur on its servers, but rather its credit partner’s, Experian.

While Experian and T-Mobile both confirm that no credit card or banking information was compromised in the breach, a variety of other sensitive information was. Customer names, addresses, birthdates, Social Security numbers, and ID numbers were all leaked as part of the attack.

The attack affects approximately 15 million people who required a credit check when signing up for device financing through T-Mobile. Perhaps most notably, however, the vulnerability was open for more than two years, from September 1, 2013 though September 16, 2015.

T-Mobile says that it is offering two years of free credit monitoring to anyone who fears they could have been affected by the breach. T-Mobile CEO John Legere wrote in an open letter on the carrier’s website that he is “incredibly angry about this data breach” and that T-Mobile will be reevaluating its relationship with Experian.

T-Mobile CEO on Experian’s Data Breach

I’ve always said that part of being the Un-carrier means telling it like it is. Whether it’s good news or bad, I’m going to be direct, transparent and honest.
We have been notified by Experian, a vendor that processes our credit applications, that they have experienced a data breach. The investigation is ongoing, but what we know right now is that the hacker acquired the records of approximately 15 million people, including new applicants requiring a credit check for service or device financing from September 1, 2013 through September 16, 2015. These records include information such as name, address and birthdate as well as encrypted fields with Social Security number and ID number (such as driver’s license or passport number), and additional information used in T-Mobile’s own credit assessment. Experian has determined that this encryption may have been compromised. We are working with Experian to take protective steps for all of these consumers as quickly as possible.

Obviously I am incredibly angry about this data breach and we will institute a thorough review of our relationship with Experian, but right now my top concern and first focus is assisting any and all consumers affected. I take our customer and prospective customer privacy VERY seriously. This is no small issue for us. I do want to assure our customers that neither T-Mobile’s systems nor network were part of this intrusion and this did not involve any payment card numbers or bank account information.

Experian has assured us that they have taken aggressive steps to improve the protection of their system and of our data.

Anyone concerned that they may have been impacted by Experian’s data breach can sign up for two years of FREE credit monitoring and identity resolution services at www.protectmyID.com/securityincident. Additionally, Experian issued a press release that you can read here, and you can view their Q&A at Experian.com/T-MobileFacts.

T-Mobile’s team is also here and ready to help you in any way we can. We have posted our own Q&A here to keep you as informed as possible throughout this issue.

At T-Mobile, privacy and security is of utmost importance, so I will stay very close to this issue and I will do everything possible to continue to earn your trust every day.

Filed under: Tech Industry Tagged: breach, carrier, Data, T-Mobile

Check out 9to5Mac for more breaking coverage of Tech Industry, T-Mobile, and Data.

What do you think? Discuss "15M T-Mobile customers affected by Experian data breach that included Social Security numbers, more" with our community.

Dish affiliates will hand back some spectrum licenses after controversy

Colin Lecher — Thu, 01 Oct 2015 21:50:12 +0000

Dish Network affiliates almost received $3.3 billion in small business discounts from a spectrum auction early this year, only for the FCC to take the discounts away when it became clear the "small business" discounts would go to businesses under Dish's control. But it looks like that wasn't the end. According to The Wall Street Journal, the Dish affiliates have surrendered some spectrum licenses purchased in the auction back to the FCC.

The Dish affiliates won't be going away without anything — they'll still keep about $9.8 billion in licenses they bid for — but will pay penalty on the licenses they won't acquire. In total, according to the Journal, the Dish companies will default on about 200 licenses.

Handing back the spectrum licenses is only the most recent turn in the unfurling controversy over the Dish-backed companies' use of small business accounts. The Dish companies came away as major winners of the spectrum auction, but the bids quickly turned controversial when it was revealed how closely the small businesses were aligned with the massive Dish. Soon after the controversy, the FCC created new rules on how the discounts can be allocated.

Data breach hits 15M T-Mobile customers

Thu, 01 Oct 2015 21:48:40 +0000

A hack of Experian, the company that handles credit checks for the wireless carrier, results in the loss of Social Security numbers, birth dates and names.

Aspiration, A “Merrill Lynch With A Conscience,” Gains Traction

Thu, 01 Oct 2015 21:46:32 +0000

As consumers, we can probably agree that bank profits are, well, gross. In the second quarter of this year alone, U.S. lenders wrung a record $43 billion from their customers. It’s the kind of stat that a small but growing two-year-old, L.A.-based investment company called Aspiration is increasingly using to gain new customers. In the words of cofounder and CEO Andrei Cherney,… Read More

T-Mobile CEO: I'm 'incredibly angry' after 15 million records stolen

Thu, 01 Oct 2015 21:46:30 +0000

Approximately 15 million T-Mobile customers and credit applicants had their records stolen after hackers stole information from its credit verifier, Experian, said CEO John Legere.

People who applied for a credit check or device financing from T-Mobile between September 1, 2013 and September 16, 2015 had their information stolen, according to a note posted by Legere.

The encryption that was supposed to protect much of the information is also believed to be broken. The stolen records included names, address, birthdays, social security numbers, and driver's license (or passport) information. Credit card and banking info was not compromised, according to Experian.

The breach happened not in T-Mobile's systems, but in those of Experian, a third-party vendor that the phone company used to verify credit information. Experian's announcement said that the access was in one server that contained T-Mobile's information.

"Obviously I am incredibly angry about this data breach and we will institute a thorough review of our relationship with Experian, but right now my top concern and first focus is assisting any and all consumers affected," Legere wrote.

Experian warned that customers should not respond to any calls or messages from the company in connection to the data breach, and should only visit their website online.

Join the conversation about this story »

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Hurricane Joaquin intensifies but U.S. landfall not certain

Thu, 01 Oct 2015 21:42:36 +0000

NASSAU (Reuters) - Hurricane Joaquin strengthened as it battered the Bahamas with torrential rain, storm surges and powerful winds on Thursday and U.S. officials raced to prepare for possible landfall early next week, three years after Superstorm Sandy devastated New York and New Jersey.

Freshdesk buys social recommendation app Frilp to improve customer service

Thu, 01 Oct 2015 21:36:59 +0000

EXCLUSIVE:

Cloud service desk software provider Freshdesk is announcing today that it has acquired Frilp, a small startup with an app that lets users seek and receive expert help from friends.

All 19 employees of Frilp — which stands for “free help” — have joined Freshdesk’s development center in Chennai. The beta Frilp app for Android will shut down soon. Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed.

This acquisition isn’t meant to make Freshdesk into a consumer app. Rather, Frilp’s know-how will help Freshdesk become a smarter, more scalable tool for getting customers’ questions answered quickly. And that means relying on people who don’t work directly for companies but do have the ability to help, including friends of consumers.

From VentureBeat

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“What we do know is our customers have asked us for this and said, ‘Can we enable some sort of peer-to-peer conversation, because I have very active set of users or customers,'” Freshdesk president Dilawar Syed told VentureBeat in an interview this week.

The idea is to extract key terms from customer service tickets with natural language processing — technology that was at the core of Frilp — and use that to find the people most well equipped to help.

The move looks forward-thinking on the part of Freshdesk, which faces competition from Salesforce (which has been doing more with the technology it picked up through the RelateIQ acquisition), Zendesk, and Atlassian, among others. There are also enterprise software vendors with on-premises service desk tools, including Oracle and SAP.

Freshdesk plans to incorporate Frilp’s technologies in three ways, Syed said.

First, Freshdesk will start routing each customer service inquiry to the agent who knows the most about the topic the customer is asking about.

Second, Freshdesk will look to find the people hanging out in customer forums and communities and connect them with customers who bring in new inquiries.

Third, Freshdesk wants to connected customers with service desk inquiries with their friends on social networks who might be able to solve their problems.

All of that should put a lot less burden on companies’ customer service teams. And that’s important, because companies are getting more and more requests for help from customers, but companies “can’t keep hiring customer service reps, especially in North American markets,” Syed said.

It’s likely that Freshdesk will take a vertical-specific approach here and roll out the services in the industries where it has the most traction, and thereby the most data. Prices for the services haven’t been determined yet, Syed said.

Frilp started in 2012. The startup raised $500,000 in funding from angel investors, including Freshdesk cofounder and chief executive Girish Mathrubootham and former Groupon executive Deva Kannan. The startup participated in the Microsoft Ventures accelerator.

San Francisco-based Freshdesk started in 2010 and employs around 450 people. Freshdesk announced a $31 million funding round, with Google Capital participating, in June 2014. Freshdesk now has more than 50,000 customers in 145 countries, Syed said.

This is Freshdesk’s second acquisition. The first was live video chat service 1CLICK.

Playdate: Grinding through 'Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 5'

Thu, 01 Oct 2015 21:30:00 +0000

The reviews are in and Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 5 is... not looking good. When I played the game in Chicago earlier this year, it was fine. There were a few glitches here and there, sure, but it was an early version of the game and that's to be expec...

Cape Watch: Khal Drogo’s New Aquaman Is Pretty Dark

Thu, 01 Oct 2015 21:25:53 +0000

Why are superheroes fighting each other? Will the Joker be appropriately scary? And will the cinematic Aquaman ever be happy? Find out here.

The post Cape Watch: Khal Drogo’s New Aquaman Is Pretty Dark appeared first on WIRED.

Nest Releases Weave Connected Home Protocol, But It's Different Than Google Weave

Thu, 01 Oct 2015 21:10:49 +0000

Nest has announced that a communication protocol it's been using internally for its products is now being made available to all device makers. It's called Weave, and I know what you're thinking, but it's not the same as Google's Weave/Brillo platform (because that's not confusing at all). Nest Weave will allow devices around your home to communicate directly (and with the Nest app) rather than relying on the cloud.

Thus far, anything that paired with Nest products like the Thermostat, Protect or new Nest Cam needed to traverse your home WiFi network and the internet.

Nest Releases Weave Connected Home Protocol, But It's Different Than Google Weave was written by the awesome team at Android Police.

Ridiculous Deus Ex pre-order scheme canceled after “resounding” fan ire

Thu, 01 Oct 2015 21:08:37 +0000

Looks simple enough to us...

At times, it feels like there's nothing that can be done about major game publishers linking additional content to ridiculous pre-order marketing campaign—the kind that lock that content to a specific retailer, a specific console, or a specific "collector's edition" packed with a plastic figurine (or, um, a mini-fridge). That's not always true, though, as Square Enix and Eidos Montreal proved today by canceling the near-universally derided "Augment Your Pre-order" program for Deus Ex: Mankind Divided.

First announced a month ago, the Augment Your Pre-Order program implemented a convoluted system where new tiers of rewards unlocked as more customers pre-ordered the game—though Square Enix never publicly announced what pre-order targets would unlock each tier. Once a tier was unlocked, all pre-orderers could choose a single reward from that tier—either an extra in-game mission or a digital soundtrack sampler in tier two, for instance.

Those who didn't want to pick and choose their bonuses could invest in the $140 Collector's Edition, which included all the "unlockable" digital bonuses as well as physical bonuses like a figurine and artbook. As a final touch, Square Enix also promised to release the game four days earlier than the planned Feb. 23, 2016 release date if it got enough pre-orders to unlock the mythical "tier five."

Read 5 remaining paragraphs | Comments

Lunches With Unicorns: Twilio Forgoes Flash for Frugality (Q&A)

Thu, 01 Oct 2015 20:50:12 +0000

Can you still woo top-notch developers without endless perks?

9to5Toys Lunch Break: LG Watch Urbane (first-gen) $225, UE ROLL Bluetooth Speaker $90, more

Thu, 01 Oct 2015 20:25:08 +0000

Keep up with the best gear and deals on the web by signing up for the 9to5Toys Newsletter. Also, be sure to check us out on: Twitter, RSS Feed, Facebook, Google+ and Safari push notifications.

Today’s can’t miss deals:

First-gen LG Watch Urbane smartwatch: $225 shipped (Reg. $280)

UE ROLL 360 Bluetooth Speaker (all colors): $90 shipped (Reg. $100)

Motorola Nexus 6 Unlocked 32GB: $300 shipped (Orig. $650) | eBay

Chromecast, Chromecast Audio, Nexus 5X & 6P pre-orders now live on the Google Store

More new gear from today:

Daily Deals: FitDesk v2.0 Exercise Bike w/ Massage Bar $205, SanDisk Ultra 32GB Micro USB/USB 3.0 Flash Drive $11, more

Inateck MercuryBox Aluminum Bluetooth 4.0 Ultra-Portable Speaker: $37 shipped (Reg. $46)
Games/Apps: Mad Max (PS4/Xbox One) $50, Videoshop & Cloud Spin go free, more iOS freebies
VisionTek 120GB USB 3.0 Pocket Solid State Drive: $80 shipped (Reg. $100)
Download Cole Swindell’s debut album for free ($10 value)
Under Armour Gear 40% Off: Fleece Hoody $30, Caterpillar Work Boots 50% Off: Steel Toe $78

More deals still alive:

Free PS Plus Games for October: Super Meat Boy, Broken Age, Kickbeat, more

Free Xbox Live Gold Games for October: Valiant Hearts, The Walking Dead, more

Networking: ZyXEL AV500 Powerline $25 shipped (Reg. $50+), travel routers, more

WD My Cloud 4TB Personal Cloud Storage NAS $160 shipped (Orig. $220)
Anker 14W Dual-USB Port Solar Charger: $40 shipped (Reg. $50+)
LG 34-inch 21:9 UltraWide LED IPS Monitor: $620 shipped (Reg. $780+)
GoPro HERO3+ Silver Edition Camera (Refurb): $169 shipped (Orig. $240)
Klipsch STATUS Over-Ear Headphones $100 shipped (Orig. $150), more
Samsung 850 EVO 2.5-inch Internal SSDs: 500GB $150 (Reg. $175+), 250GB $80 (Reg. $90)
USB Power: Anker 15,600mAh Battery Pack $24 (Reg. $30), more
CowBoom 20% off sitewide: iPad mini 3 64GB Wi-Fi + Cellular (pre-owned) from $292, more
Toshiba Canvio Basics 2TB Portable USB 3.0 Hard Drive: $70 shipped (Reg. $85+)
SanDisk Connect Wi-Fi Flash Drive for iOS: 64GB $50 (Reg. $60), 32GB $30 (Reg. $40)
Beyerdynamic T5p Tesla Audiophile over-ear headphones $650 shipped (Reg. $850+)
Canary All-in-One Internet-Connected Home Security Device: $199 shipped (Reg. $250)
Keep your Wi-Fi running during a power outage – APC Network Backup UPS: $40 shipped (Reg. $65)
Buy 2 Board Games, Get 1 Free: Star Wars Pictopia $25, Jenga $9, Monopoly $20, more
Belkin QODE Ultimate Keyboard Case for iPad Air 2 in White/Gold: $49 shipped (Reg. $100)
Learn to hack a Raspberry Pi: $115 (Orig. $804, CA Tax Only)
First Generation Lytro 16GB Digital Camera $80 (Orig. $199)
Skybell Wi-Fi Doorbell livestreams video of anyone who calls: $169 Shipped (Orig. $199)
Loot Crate: 3-Month Subscription: $49 Shipped (Orig. $58, CA Tax Only)
SKEYE Pico Drone fits inside its own controller, packs gyro-stabilization: $35 Shipped (Orig. $49)
Typinator Family Pack (5 licenses) for $21.99 (48% off)
KeySmart 2.0 Titanium Key Organizer: $30 Shipped (Orig. $44, CA Tax Only)
Lyrix Axis Levitating Wireless-Charging Speaker: $140 Shipped (Orig. $200, CA Tax Only)
Private Internet Access VPN offers browsing protection, 2-year subscription now $60 (Orig. $80)

New products & more

TiVo makes the DVR sexy with 4K content, AirPlay and one-click commercial skipping

Bose’s latest connected speaker lowers the entry price into the SoundTouch family
Keurig’s new KOLD brewer lets you make Coca-Cola at home but it’s going to cost you
Amazon snags exclusive streaming rights for Back to The Future trilogy
Amazon’s Prime Music adds new artists to its streaming service
GoPro introduces a new cost-effective action camera with Wi-Fi capabilities
Exploride combines the best iPhone features into one safe head-up display unit for your car
Microsoft is announcing a new Xbox One bundle every day this week
Review: JBL’s new Xtreme Bluetooth speaker goes big on sound and design
You can make the new J-Force electric surfboard go 0-35MPH with the bend of your finger

Filed under: Tech Industry Tagged: 9to5toys, Android, Android deals, Bluetooth, Google deals, LG, lg watch urbane, Nexus, Nexus 6P, watch urbane 2

For more news on Android, Tech Industry, and LG continue reading at 9to5Google.

What do you think? Discuss "9to5Toys Lunch Break: LG Watch Urbane (first-gen) $225, UE ROLL Bluetooth Speaker $90, more" with our community.

At Google, Breathing Room for New Ideas

Thu, 01 Oct 2015 20:16:50 +0000

Nest Labs, acquired by Google last year, negotiated unusual autonomy. Now, as Google reorganizes, Nest has become a model for how the new Alphabet Inc. holding company wants to give its new ideas breathing room.

A Seattle Start-Up Studio, Pioneer Square Labs, Starts With Prominent Backers

Thu, 01 Oct 2015 18:34:09 +0000

Typically, tech entrepreneurs come up with startup ideas and bring them to investors to get funded. Pioneer Square Labs, a new investment firm, plans to come up with start-up ideas on its own.

LG reveals first cellular-enabled Android Wear smartwatch, the LG Watch Urbane 2nd Edition

Thu, 01 Oct 2015 12:21:04 +0000

LG set the bar high with the first round Android Wear device and is now following it up with the first cellular-enabled model that also includes GPS.

Blackphone: privacy-obsessed smartphone aims to broaden its appeal

Thu, 01 Oct 2015 11:30:18 +0000

Privacy company Second Circle releases the second version of its phone, created by an encryption expert and a member of Navy Seal Team Six

Can you hear me now? Not if you’re eavesdropping on a Blackphone. Privacy company Silent Circle has released a second version of its signature handheld, a smartphone designed to quell the data scraping and web tracking that’s become such an integral part of the digital economy in the last few years (and whose results might well end up with the NSA, if the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act passes).

Silent Circle is the brainchild of the inventor of the modestly named “Pretty Good Privacy” (PGP) encryption, Phil Zimmermann, and former Navy Seal Team Six sniper Mike Janke. In the beginning, Janke said, the Blackphone project was just a way for people working for his security firm SOC, since sold, to call home without having their communications intercepted. With its newer and easier to use model, it’s seeking industry clients in addition to individual security wonks.

Do You Know What Happened In The News This Week?

BuzzFeed News — Fri, 18 Sep 2015 15:44:15 +0000

Australia has a new prime minister, Republican presidential candidates debated for a second time, and NBC named a replacement for Donald Trump on “The Celebrity Apprentice.” Take the BuzzFeed News quiz, made from stories featured in the BuzzFeed News app and the BuzzFeed News newsletter this week.

Want to get better at the BuzzFeed News quiz? Download the BuzzFeed News app for iPhone now! (Android is coming very soon, we promise!)

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