An Amazon device powered by the Alexa voice software recorded a couple’s private conversation in their home and sent it to someone in their contact list without their knowledge, KIRO television reported. A Portland woman told the TV station that two weeks ago, one of her husband’s employees called to say he had received audio […]
Amazon Key Delivery Driver Could Knock Out Security Camera, Researchers Show
A Seattle-based group of cybersecurity researchers has demonstrated a way to knock Amazon.com’s new security camera offline, a capability that could enable malicious delivery drivers for the online retailer’s new in-home delivery service to snoop around a house undetected. Amazon Key, which became available to customers this month, gives Amazon delivery drivers one-time access to a residence to […]
Microsoft Sets Up $3.5 Million Competition For Artificial-Intelligence Startups
Microsoft is looking for a few good artificial-intelligence startups. The Redmond company said recently that it will launch a competition pitting startups working on intelligent technology against each other for $3.5 million in investment. The bake-off, dubbed Innovate.Ai, will see Microsoft Ventures award $1 million loans that convert to an equity stake to one startup each from North […]
Amazon’s High-End Kindle Gets A Recharge As E-Reader Marks 10th Year
For its 10th birthday, Amazon’s Kindle is getting a new suit. A refreshed version of the high-end Kindle Oasis, unveiled on Wednesday, sports an aluminum back and larger screen and is the first waterproof device Amazon has rolled out in the decade since launching its e-reader line. The Kindle Oasis will start shipping at the […]
Microsoft Makes A ‘Crazy’ Bet On Fuel Cells To Feed Power-Hungry Data Centers
In an industrial space tucked off a side street in Seattle’s Sodo District, Microsoft is trying to reinvent the data center. Twenty racks of servers sit in a stark, white, well-lit room – a familiar setup for anyone who’s visited one of the data centers that make up the humming infrastructure powering the internet. To […]