TDS

Tech news roundup for June 10

indexTwitter hacked! Change your password
According to reports, about 33 million Twitter usernames and passwords were stolen. The news was made public this week, but Twitter says they weren’t hacked—customers were. Multiple sources say the database of info was created by gathering data from previously hacked computers. Twitter has notified millions of users they know are on the stolen password list, but you might want to change yours anyway, just to be safe.

Small comfort: you’re in good company
You can feel better knowing that even Mark Zuckerberg isn’t immune to getting his credentials stolen—his Twitter and Pinterest accounts were hacked this week too.

Shakeup with Google’s Nest
Okay, it’s technically now Alphabet’s Nest, but the tech press was ablaze with the news that—Nest’s founder, Tony Fadell, is leaving. Rumor has it he was feeling constricted by Alphabet’s demands for profit as compared to Google’s more warm-and-fuzzy room-to-grow environment. The flip side of the story is that he got lots of money to take Nest to the next level, but he failed to deliver so was therefore transitioned to an “advisory role.” The new Nest CEO will be Marwan Fawaz.

Pasted image at 2016_06_07 02_23 PMGadget watch: Bluetooth-connected toothbrush
Phillips’s PR department must be pleased this week because their new gadget got a lot of press. It’s a $199 Bluetooth connected toothbrush. No, for real. It’s called (really for it?) the Sonicare FlexCare Platinum Connected (now that’s a mouthful!)and it pairs with your phone and an app to help you brush better. Apparently, your dentist can use the app to highlight trouble spots in your brushing routine. Watch for it in July (for more info, check out TechCrunch and The Verge). Image: Sonicare

Google co-founder is building flying cars
This week we found out that Larry Page has apparently been personally funding a startup called Zee.Aero. The company is, “working on a small, all-electric plane that could take off and land vertically—a flying car.” The company now employs 150 and has expanded to an airplane hangar in Hollister, Calif. so this stuff is getting real. Even more, Page has also invested in another flying-car startup called Kitty Hawk. If you want details, Boomberg has lots.

https _blueprint-api-production.s3.amazonaws.com_uploads_card_image_111524_model_s_refresh_sideFriday eye candy: Tesla rolls out two new, cheaper, Model S cars
If you signed up for a Model 3, you might just want to pull your name off the list and get one of the newly announced Model Ss. The cheapest one, the 60, is now “only” $66K and comes with rear-wheel drive. Okay so it’s not cheap, but that’s a lower entry point than ever before on an S.  You can score an all-wheel drive version, the 60D, for $71K. The advantages of going with one of these models is that you don’t have to wait, and you’ll get free Supercharger access (unlike the Model 3) – so it could be cheaper to drive which will offset some (but not all!) of the higher cost (but let’s just pretend, okay? Thanks). Image: Tesla Motors

Apple announcements coming Monday
Next week is Apple’s WWDC (translation: worldwide developer conference). Already there’s lots-o-talk about what the company is going to unveil. They’ve already revealed App Store updates coming, but there’s also talk about updated hardware and a new, better, Siri. I’ll give you the highlights next week.

Are bendable/foldable cell phones coming?
If they are coming, they’re probably not coming from Apple next week. According to Mashable, Samsung is playing around with phones that use their flexible OLED screens that would basically double in size when opened (check out their 2014 concept video below). Allegedly they may even launch such a phone as soon as 2017.

 

 

About Missy Kellor

Missy works on the Corporate Communications team and reports stories to TDS employees and customers. This is right up her alley because she’s an extrovert and also a big fan of research (really, she’ll look up just about anything that strikes her interest). Missy is a native of Madison, Wis. with an undergraduate in Anthropology and a master’s degree in Life Sciences Journalism from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Her interest in the Internet as a mass media shaped her work towards a PhD in Journalism and Mass Communications. She’s also worked as an editorial assistant, copywriter, and production artist. In her off hours, Missy is a crafter, Pinterest addict, reader, wife, and mom of two kids.

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