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Tesla alleges self-driving car startup Zoox stole company secrets

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According to Tesla, the four former employees violated the terms of their contracts by forwarding documents and other information from work email addresses to personal accounts. The files included inventory documents, company schematics and other proprietary pieces of information. Tesla says it caught on to the alleged scheme when one of the former employees now at Zoox mistakenly sent an email to another former Tesla employee’s old Tesla email account. The email had an attached image of an internal Tesla document, unchanged from the original but emblazoned with a Zoox logo.

Zoox, a California-based company, has staffed up with a considerable number of Tesla expats. According to Business Insider, more than 100 former Tesla employees now work at the company. It’s not uncommon for workers in the field to jump ship to competitors and things can often get ugly in the process. A similar situation occurred when an engineer left Google-owned autonomous car company Waymo to join Uber and allegedly took more than 14,000 company files with him. The case was settled without any party admitting guilt.

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Free movie tickets for watching ads

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What if you could watch commercials and actually get rewarded for it? That’s how PreShow was born. It’s an app that lets you earn free movie tickets for watching 15 to 20 minutes of branded content on your phone. That could include movie trailers, behind the scenes features and interactive experiences from related companies. PreShow is launching its Kickstarter campaign today, which lets you snag some early spots on the service, as well as invites for your friends, starting at $60. (There are also $25 and $15 tiers that will get access later this year.)

PreShow

Getting stuff in exchange for seeing ads isn’t a new concept — remember NetZero and Juno? — but PreShow is handling it in entirely new ways. For one, it relies on Apple’s FaceID to log into its iOS app, which helps to prevent fraud. (That was a common problem for MoviePass, since there were a plethora of ways for people to share accounts.) And I’m sure you’re asking yourself, what if you just start playing a PreShow ad and walk away? That’s where things get interesting.

The company has developed a way to track your gaze to make sure you’re actually looking at the PreShow commercial. The app also places a green border around the edges of your screen to confirm that it sees you. If you look away for too long, or leave your seat, the ad automatically pauses and you’ll get a red border around your screen. You can later continue watching whenever you like. While Spikes demoed the app, it could easily tell when he was glancing away. And when he looked at the screen again, the ad restarted almost instantly.

Obviously, a precaution like this is necessary to prevent people from completely ignoring PreShow’s ads. But it opens a Black Mirror-like door that could get downright dystopian quickly. Just imagine being forced to stare at a commercial before you could see a YouTube video or read an article online. PreShow’s gaze tracking technology is patent-pending, and Spikes says he’s only aiming to use it to ensure the integrity of the service. But really, there’s no telling where this technology could eventually go.

Once you’ve completed a PreShow sequence, you’ll earn points that can be redeemed for a ticket to the associated movie. So far, the service only supports 2D showings, but Spikes says they’re working on alternative screenings like 3D and IMAX. There aren’t any blackout periods, and you’ll be able to watch a PreShow twice to earn points for two tickets. You’ll actually have to use those tickets before you can watch that film’s ads again, though. As for buying tickets, you can either do that with the app’s virtual credit card, or you can request a physical card in the mail for a fee. PreShow will be testing out different methods based on user feedback.

Since this is an advertising-driven platform, data will be a big selling point for marketers. Spikes says they’ll only get anonymized data confirming that you’ve finished watching a commercial. But of course, the PreShows themselves can be gateways for more information. A car maker could offer you more points when you sign up for a test drive through the app, for example. Spikes says PreShow could also be an avenue for for studios to communicate with consumers. After seeing a film, they could create a survey for you to fill out and earn more points. (It seems like a more convenient idea than the film survey companies that camp out in cinemas.)

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Evidence mounts that Russian hackers are trying to disrupt the EU elections

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Both groups have previously been linked to Russia. APT28 was allegedly behind the 2016 Democratic National Convention hack, while Sandworm is believed to be the malicious actor involved in last year’s NotPetya ransomware attacks on mainly Ukrainian facilities. FireEye says that latest efforts of both groups appears to be co-ordinated — although each have used different methods — and that their campaign is ongoing. The company did not confirm whether any sensitive data had been leaked.

In a statement, FireEye’s senior manager of cyberespionage analysis, Benjamin Read, said that, “The groups could be trying to gain access to the targeted networks in order to gather information that will allow Russia to make more informed political decisions, or it could be gearing up to leak data that would be damaging for a particular political party or candidate ahead of the European elections.”

Up to 300 million citizens across the EU are set to vote in European parliamentary elections this May, the outcome ultimately determining the future of peace in Europe. Hacking efforts by hostile parties could seriously undermine this. While FireEye says it’s notified the affected institutions and is advising them on future action, this isn’t the first attempt by Russia to sway the voting process — Microsoft made a similar announcement last month. Given the extremely tenuous political situation across the world right now, it’s unlikely to be the last, either.

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Square will offer its new crypto employees payment in Bitcoin

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There has been no further information beyond Dorsey’s tweets, although it’s notable that the new hires will have the option of being paid in bitcoin, something Dorsey has long championed as the world’s single native currency of the future. Square’s cash app already supports bitcoin purchases and sales, so it will be interesting to see what the team will be working on.

Dorsey added that building upon the current crypto ecosystem is “the most impactful thing” Square can do for the community right now, adding that “Square has taken a lot from the open source community to get us here. We haven’t given enough back. This is a small way to give back, and one that’s aligned with our broader interests: a more accessible global financial system for the internet.”



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Apple iPad Air hands-on (2019): Just ‘Pro’ enough

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We’ve been testing the new, $499 iPad Air for a little over a day now, and it’ll be a while yet before we publish our full review. At this point, though, it’s already clear that the new iPad Air sits in a sweet spot that a lot of people are going to find compelling. See, on the low end, there’s the $329 iPad — it hasn’t been touched this year (so far), and it’s an excellent, basic tablet. On the high end, there’s the iPad Pro, with its USB-C port and fancy new design (and its $800 price tag).

In our limited time together, the Air seems well-suited to living in that crucial middle ground. Its 10.5-inch display is noticeably better than the one in the less expensive iPad, with its wider color gamut and real-time True Tone color tuning. Sure, it doesn’t have the super-smooth ProMotion technology that made the last 10.5-inch iPad so easy on the eyes, but Apple had to save money somewhere. And in terms of performance, it’s basically a bigger version of this year’s iPad mini, since they both share the same A12 Bionic chipset.

That’s a very good thing, mind you: it means that both of this year’s new iPads are just as snappy as the iPhone XS family, not to mention noticeably quicker than Apple’s $329 tablet. Again, we haven’t been testing the Air for very long, but so far, it has handle multitasking, light video editing and graphically complex games with aplomb.

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Kaia's motion-tracking workout app remembers which rep you're on

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Kaia Health caught our attention last year with an app that tracks your motion using your phone's camera in a bid to help you achieve perfect squat form, though we found it didn't quite hit the mark. Still, Kaia is elevating the concept with an updat…

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Telltale’s ‘The Walking Dead’ delivers its final episode next week

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The final season of Telltale’s The Walking Dead series will come to an end next week, when the fourth and last episode is released by TWD creator Robert Kirkman’s Skybound Games. When Telltale Games virtually shut down and laid off everyone working on the project any release of the game’s finale seemed in doubt, but then Skybound announced plans to complete the series with participation from “many of the talented, passionate team members” who originally worked on it.

For players, they’ll be able to end Clementine’s story leading a community of lost children fighting through a world infested with zombies. After years of following along it will hopefully be a satisfying ending, despite everything that transpired at the game’s studio and its impact on developers. There’s a brief trailer that shouldn’t give away too much about the story, but you can play it yourself on March 26th when its released on Xbox One, PS4, Switch and on PC via the Epic Games Store.

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Apple rolls out pastel Watch bands and iPhone cases for spring

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Apple also designed the new Watch bands to match the color of the springtime cases. If you’re looking to buy a new Sports Band ($49), you’ll now find Delft Blue, Papaya and Spearmint as some of your options. The new Sports Loops ($49), on the other hand, come in Cerulean, Papaya, Spearmint and Lilac.

AppleYou can get Modern Buckle ($149) in Cornflower, Sunset and Lilac or Leather Loop ($149) in Cornflower and Sunset, as well. Nike+ Sport Bands are now available in Black/Hyper Grape, Teal Tint/Tropical Twist and Spruce Fog/Vintage Lichen color combinations, while Nike+ Sports Loops are available in single colors of Hyper Grape, Teal Tint and Spruce Fog.

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Finally, the lineup includes new Watch Hermès Double Tour ($489) and and Single Tour ($339) bands in Rose Sakura/Craie/Argile and Bleu Iin/Craie/Bleu du nord tri-color gradients. Apple will roll out matching faces for these bands as part of watchOS 5.2, which could be due sometime after Apple’s March 25th event. For now, you can grab any of the bands and cases from Apple’s website, though they’re also making their way to brick-and-mortar stores, retailers and carriers later this month.

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Shampoo magnate uses glasses-free 3D to push budget phones

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Be ready for phones that are modest beyond the tentpole 3D feature. The Io 3D centers on a 5.45-inch, 1,440 x 720 display, a quad-core 1.3GHz MediaTek processor, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of expandable storage, a rear 8-megapixel camera and a front 2-megapixel cam. Move to the Io Pro 3D and you’ll get a 6-inch 2,160 x 1,080 display, an eight-core 2GHz MediaTek chip, 4GB of RAM, 64GB of expandable storage, a hybrid 13MP and 2MP rear camera system and a front 8MP shooter. Don’t expect excitement when you’re not gawking at 3D footage, then, although you do curiously get a year’s worth of health care services and insurance coverage (including death) for free.

The price is competitive, at least. You can order the Io 3D now for $200 (£140), and the Io Pro 3D for $300 ($250). There’s also a plain 2D phone, the 5-inch Io Light ($90) for those that only need the basics. They may be tougher sells when handsets like the Moto G7 are more powerful overall, but consider this: if you ever lose interest in the 3D, you’re out considerably less money than you might be otherwise.

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Crowdfunded Nanoloop synth doesn’t need a Game Boy to make beats

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This version replaces on-screen visuals with LEDs, and runs on either a pair of AAA batteries (for 50-plus hours) or a micro USB connection. A microSD slot is available to help you store your projects, and 3.5mm inputs and outputs help it sync with MIDI gear in addition to analog fare.

The project has already met its funding targets, but you can still pledge €97 (about $111) to the campaign if you want a Nanoloop. It’s poised to ship in August. That may seem like a lot, but it’s a small outlay if you’re committed to your craft.

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