iPhone Slowdowns : Chinese Consumer Group Latest to Question Apple

Despite apologising for slowing down iPhone models with ageing batteries and offering a new battery replacement programme, Apple continues to face questions regarding the issue. Now, a Chinese consumer group has reportedly asked the company for more information regarding slowing down older iPhones and has demanded an answer before this Friday. From consumers groups like these to government authorities worldwide, complaints, investigations, and lawsuits over the iPhone slowdown have mired Apple since the issue came to light.

As per a Xinhua report, the Shanghai Consumer Council is the latest organisation to question Apple over the issue. It has sent an inquiry letter to the Cupertino giant over the slowdown of older iPhones with ageing batteries. The council has reportedly demanded the cause of the performance as well as remedial measures taken to resolve it. The report says that the council has received 2,615 complaints on Apple products and services last year, compared to 964 complaints in 2015.

Apple had recently apologised for slowing down iPhone models and offered a new battery replacement programme. In a post on December 28, Apple had apologised over its handling of the battery issue and said it would make several changes. Under the new offer, Apple had reduced the price of a replacement for out-of-warranty batteries (in iPhone 6 or later) from $79 to $29. "We know that some of you feel Apple has let you down," Apple said in its posting. "We apologise."

In December last year, Apple had acknowledged that iPhone software has the effect of slowing down some phones with battery problems. The company had said the problem was ageing lithium batteries delivering power unevenly, which caused iPhone handsets to shutdown unexpectedly to protect the delicate circuits inside. However, Apple had denied that it had ever done anything to intentionally shorten the life of a product.
Apple has been facing several lawsuits regarding the issue, all around the world. According to a report, there has been at least 30 separate iPhone slowdown class actions lawsuits against the company, in the US itself. This is on top of government investigations that Apple faces in some countries. Another reportsays cases have been filed in Israel, France, and Korea as well.

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Bitcoin Price Drops 18 Percent Over Fears of Ban in South Korea

Bitcoin tumbled 18 percent on Tuesday to a four-week trough close to $11,000, after reports that a ban on trading of cryptocurrencies in South Korea was still an option drove fears grew of a wider regulatory crackdown. Bitcoin's slide triggered a massive selloff across the broader cryptocurrency market, with biggest rival Ethereum down 23 percent on the day, according to trade website Coinmarketcap, and the next-biggest, Ripple, plunging 33 percent.

South Korean news website Yonhap reported that Finance Minister Kim Dong-yeon had told a local radio station that the government would be coming up with a set of measures to clamp down on the "irrational" cryptocurrency investment craze.

South Korea had said on Monday that its plans to ban virtual coin exchanges had not yet been finalised, as government agencies were still in talks to decide how to regulate the market.

Bitcoin slid on the latest news, trading as low as $11,191.59 on the Luxembourg-based Bitstamp exchange, down 18 percent on the day, for a short period putting the digital currency on track for its biggest one-day fall in three years.

"It's mainly been regulatory issues which are haunting the cryptocurrency, with news around South Korea's further crackdown on trading the driver today," said Think Markets chief strategist Naeem Aslam, who holds what he described as "substantial" amounts of Bitcoin, Ethereum and Ripple.

"But we maintain our stance. We do not think that the complete banning of cryptocurrencies is possible," he said.

Cryptocurrencies enjoyed a bumper year in 2017 as mainstream investors entered the market and as an explosion in so-called initial coin offerings (ICOs) - digital token-based fundraising rounds - drove demand for Bitcoin and Ethereum, the second-biggest digital unit.

The latest tumble leaves Bitcoin down more than 40 percent from the record high around $20,000 it hit in mid-December, wiping about $130 billion off its "market cap" - the unit price multiplied by the total number of Bitcoins that have been released into the market.

The news from South Korea came as it emerged a senior Chinese central banker had said authorities should ban centralised trading of virtual currencies as well as individuals and businesses that provide related services, according to an internal memo from a government meeting seen by Reuters.

Bloomberg reported on Monday that Chinese authorities plan to block domestic access to Chinese and offshore cryptocurrency platforms that allow centralised trading.

"(It) seems like it's uncertainty spooking the markets ... with regulations unclear," said Charles Hayter, founder of data analysis website Cryptocompare. "(Traders) are taking profits on the increased risk scenarios going forward."

A director at Germany's central bank said on Monday that any attempt to regulate cryptocurrencies must be on a global scale as national or regional rules would be hard to enforce on a virtual, borderless community.

By 1000 GMT Bitcoin was trading down 16 percent on the day at around $11,500 on Bitstamp.

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'AdultSwine' Android malware exposes 'millions' of children to porn

A NEW STRAIN of Android malware dubbed 'AdultSwine' infiltrated more than 60 apps and exposed potentially 'millions' of children to pornographic material.

AdultSwine was first uncovered by researchers at Check Point security, who claim that the threat's malicious code had hidden inside around 60 apps in the Google Play Store. These apps have been downloaded onto as many as seven million Android devices, according to the researchers, and a number were targeted squarely at children.

This is especially bad news at AdultSwine, once installed on a device, would display adverts from the web that were often highly inappropriate and pornographic.

"As for the ads being displayed, they come from two main sources; the first is that of the main ad providers, which forbid such illegitimate display of their ads," Check Point said.

"The second is the malicious code's own ad library, which contains ads of an offensive nature, including pornographic ads. All these are displayed to children while playing the game that the app is masquerading as."

As well as throwing up explicit content, AdultSwine also attempted to trick users into downloading other apps, including dodgy 'security' apps that, ironically, promised to help protect the device against malicious content. The malware did so by displaying advertisements in the victim's web browser that claimed the device was infected or prompted them to download an app to remove a virus.

AdultSwine also attempted to get the user to sign up for premium services, such as text messaging scams, which would charge the victim and generate profit for the attackers.

While many of the infected apps were relatively obscure, Check Point notes that a handful of them were popular. A game called 'Five Nights Survival Craft', for example, had as many as five million downloads, while a kid-focused app called 'Mcqueen Car Racing Game' had been downloaded one million times. A full list of infected apps can be viewed on the Check Point blog.

However, you needn't worry too much, as Google said in a statement that it has removed the infected apps from the Play Store and disabled the developers' accounts. 

"We appreciate Check Point's work to help keep users safe," a Google spokesperson added.

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Hackers Steal 'Stellar' Cryptocurrency Worth $400,000

Hackers broke into the digital wallet provider BlackWallet and stole its 'Stellar' cryptocurrency worth $400,000 (roughly Rs. 2.5 crores), the media reported. According to CNN, an unidentified group hijacked the server that hosts BlackWallet and stores the virtual currency.

"In a statement sent out by its founder, open source online Stellar wallet BlackWallet has claimed to have been hacked," CNN reported late on Monday.

The attack apparently was a phishing attack aimed at the BlackWallet's hosting provider.

"Posting on Reddit, user 'orbit84' posted that a hacker gained access to his hosting provider account and changed the DNS settings to his own hosted version of BlackWallet. The attackers' wallet, which the author posted a link to, appears to have amassed around $400,000 worth of cryptocurrency Stellar," the report added.

BlackWallet tried to warn users about the attack via forums. However, many users continued to log in and lose money, according to tech news site Bleeping Computer.

The hackers have reportedly moved the money to Bittrex - a virtual currency exchange, where they are likely to convert it into another digital currency to hide their tracks.

Earlier this month, Marko Kobal - the co-founder of Slovenian Cryptocurrency mining market NiceHash that suffered a hack in December - stepped down as the company's CEO. The loss was about 4,736.42 Bitcoins, worth more than $60 million. Cryptocurrencies have been gaining interesting over the past few years, and became a topic of discussion for people across the world when Bitcoin's valued soared to nearly $20,000 late last year.

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Garmin Forerunner 645 Music: Garmin announces first GPS smartwatch with music playback

Garmin finally adds a device capable of music playback to its smartwatch lineup, but what makes the Forerunner 645 Music so special?

Shockingly, Garmin has steered clear of a smartwatch with music playback capabilities. It’s certainly a strange revelation, given the firm is one of the big players in the fitness wearables market, and it seems like an obvious – and straightforward – step to success.

And crucially, its competition already boasts such a much-needed feature. Apple, Samsung, Fitbit, Polar and TomTom have all let loose devices with music storage, so it’s high time Garmin threw its metaphorical hat into the ring. It’s a good job then, that the firm’s appropriately titled Forerunner 645 Music, announced at CES 2018, does just that.

Garmin Forerunner 645 Music: Specs and first impressions

Let’s get to that music functionality first. I certainly wouldn’t get too excited, because the feature is somewhat limited, as you can only transfer up to 500 songs directly from your PC, or store offline playlists with Deezer+. Sadly, there’s no Spotify or Apple Music integration at launch. Still, this is a feature the more limited Deezer+ subscriber base can take advantage of, at the very least.
Elsewhere, Garmin’s latest fitness wearable supports contactless payments via Garmin pay, so you can grab a quick coffee on the way to the gym, without having to take your cards with you. But, Garmin pay is yet to support UK banks or credit cards.

Fitness feature-wise, the Forerunner 645 comes with what Garmin calls “connected features” essentially, you can send texts and have the ability to invite your friends to follow you while you run, with a service called LiveTrack. You can also view social media updates and emails, although there is no cellular option, so you’ll have to be in range of your phone.
Still, that’s not to stop the Forerunner 645 being a thumping good runners’ watch. Built-in GLONASS and GPS allows you track how far, fast and where you’ve run and the watch also accommodates swimming, cycling and walking tracking.

 You also have the option to view completed courses, or even re-race a previous activity. Additionally, when used in tandem with Garmin’s Running Dynamics Pod (£60) you can track extra metrics such as stride length, cadence and ground contact time.

Garmin Forerunner 645 music: Early verdict

Garmin may be a few years’ late to the party, but a sorely-needed music playback function in its latest Forerunner 645 fitness watch is a welcome and useful addition. It may be a tad limited, but it’s certainly a step in the right direction.
And as for fitness features, Garmin's efforts – just like with GoPro and action cameras – are the definitive fitness wearable and thus, there’s little doubt that the Forerunner 645 won’t underperform. In fact, I can safely say this is shaping up to be the fitness wearable to beat in 2018.
Let’s see how Garmin’s Forerunner 645 Music performs in my review in the near future.

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Lego Teams Up With Chinese Internet Giant Tencent

Danish toymaker Lego is teaming up with Chinese Internet giant Tencent Holdings to jointly develop online games and potentially a social network aimed at Chinese children.

Privately-owned Lego has seen a slowdown in sales growth in recent years, but the Chinese market has been a bright spot with sales growing 25-30 percent in 2016.
It is competing with Barbie maker Mattel and Hasbro, the firm behind My Little Pony, for a slice of the $31 billion toys and games market in China.

Lego said on Monday the partnership with Tencent, China's biggest social network and gaming company, aimed to create a safe online environment covering content, platforms, and experiences tailored for Chinese children.

"We've seen more and more Chinese children engage with the world digitally, and the partnership will bring them safe and imaginative digital LEGO content that also supports their needs of learning, development and entertainment," Jacob Kragh, head of LEGO in China, said in a statement.
The partnership includes developing a Lego video zone for children on the Tencent video platform, as well as developing and operating Lego branded licensed games, the toymaker said.

It also includes LEGO BOOST - a building and coding set that lets children turn their brick creations into moving objects - and will explore developing a joint social network for children in China.
Tencent is Asia's most valuable company with a market capitalisation of $537 billion.

Last year, Mattel struck deals with Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd and online content developer BabyTree to sell interactive learning products based on its Fisher-Price toys.
Lego has about a 3 percent market share in China, followed by Mattel and Hasbro with around 2 percent and 1 percent, respectively, according to Euromonitor International.

In November 2016, Lego opened a factory in Jiaxing, China, which it expects to produce 70-80 percent of all Lego products sold in Asia.

© Thomson Reuters 2018

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HTC 10 Android 8.0 Oreo Update Suspended: Reports

HTC has suspended the rollout of the anticipated Android 8.0 Oreo update for the HTC 10. The update, which was released last week, is no longer live through the original RUU package. It has also been reported that the users haven't received any push notification for an over-the-air (OTA) release. The Taiwanese manufacturer had originally promised the arrival of the latest Android update for three of its flagship models including the 2016 top-end HTC 10 but so far delivered the update for the HTC U11.

The original download link to the RUU package was pulled at the time of filing this story, and the link was generating a 404 error. Similarly, as reported by users on XDA Developer Forums, the update hasn't been available as an OTA rollout. Some of the early users who were able to install the RUU package appear to have opted for the paid Sunshine S-OFF that may cause some serious issues with the handset. There are also some user reports about battery issues after installing the latest update.

Launched in April 2016, the HTC 10 was originally running Android 6.0 Marshmallow. It received an update to Android 7.0 Nougat in February last year. The smartphone features a 5.2-inch Quad HD (1440x2560 pixels) Super LCD 5 display and is powered by a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor clocked at 2.2GHz. It had arrived in the market with two configurations - one featuring 4GB RAM and 32GB onboard storage and the other one with 4GB RAM and 64GB internal storage. Both the versions have expandable storage support via microSD card (up to 2TB). The Indian variant of the HTC 10 was debuted with an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 652 processor clocked at up to 1.8GHz and comes in 3GB of RAM and 32GB onboard storage.

In August last year, HTC announced the release of the Android Oreo update for the HTC 10 as well as the HTC U11 and HTC U Ultra. Between these three models, the HTC U11 received the update in last November.

HTC is not the only smartphone maker that has silently pulled the Android Oreo rollout. Recently, Xiaomi also suspended the Android 8.0 Oreo update rollout for the Mi A1. The smartphone based on Google's Android One project had started receiving an update to Android 8.0 Oreo in late December via an over-the-air (OTA) rollout. But the company reportedly pulled the OTA update after some issues emerged publicly.

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Samsung Galaxy S9 Specifications and Features Leaked via Retail Box Image; Variable Aperture Camera With Super Slow-Mo Video Tipped

While the tech world is looking forward to the Galaxy S9 launch at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2018, an image showing an alleged retail box of Samsung Galaxy S9 has emerged online to detail some of the key features of the upcoming flagship. The box shows the presence of a 'Super Speed' camera on the upcoming Galaxy model alongside revealing stereo speakers tuned by AKG. Previously, Samsung bundled AKG-tuned earbuds with the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ to deliver an enhanced audio experience.

The image, which has surfaced on Reddit, details various key specifications of the Galaxy S9. It shows that the handset will come with a 5.8-inch QHD+ Super AMOLED display with rounded corners, similar to the last year's Galaxy S8. The box also mentions an 8-megapixel AF selfie camera, IP68-certified water- and dust-resistant build, Iris scanner, 4GB RAM, 64GB onboard storage, and wireless charging support. Having said that, what's the most noticeable mentioning on the box is the Super Speed technology that accompanies a Dual Pixel 12-megapixel camera sensor. The new camera tech will also enable the smartphone to offer a 'Super Slow-mo' mode.

Alongside the Super Speed technology, the leaked image shows that the Galaxy S9 camera will come with optical image stabilisation (OIS) and have two different aperture sizes - f/1.5 and f/2.4. The variable aperture could potentially allow the user to pick the one that best suits the environment.

The box also specifies that the Samsung Galaxy S9 will include stereo speakers tuned by AKG as well as AKG-tuned earphones. It is yet to be revealed whether the smartphone would have two front-firing speaker modules, similar to the Pixel 2 XL, or one bottom speaker and one hidden under the front-facing earpiece, just like the iPhone 7 or iPhone 8 models.

Notably, the box appeared in the image matches the one that comes with the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+. We can't comment on its authenticity, though.

As Samsung's Mobile Communications Business President DJ Koh at a CES press conference confirmed, the next Galaxy S-Series flagship will debut at MWC 2018 next month. The new flagship, being the successor to the Galaxy S8, is expected to come in two variants - the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+. Some early reports have claimed that the Galaxy S9 family will come with an improved iris scanner and enhanced Infinity Display panels. A recent Geekbench listing highlighted that both the new smartphones will have an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 SoC and run Android 8.0 Oreo out-of-the-box. Moreover, the global versions of the new Galaxy S9 models are expected to have an Exynos 9810 SoC that was unveiled earlier this month with artificial intelligence (AI) features and better face recognition capabilities.

Between the two, the Galaxy S9+ is rumoured to have 6GB of RAM and up to 512GB of storage. The company is also said to add a dual camera setup to the bigger variant in the new Galaxy S family that is also likely to come with the spotted Super Speed technology.

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Android Malware Targets 232 Banking Apps Including Banks in India: Quick Heal

An Android malware is reportedly targeting over 232 banking apps including a few banks in India. The Trojan malware, named 'Android.banker.A9480', is designed to steal personal data from users, Quick Heal Security Labs reports. Similar to other banking malware, this one also sneaks into login data, SMS, contact lists and uploads them to a malicious server. Additionally, apart from the banking apps, this Trojan also targets cryptocurrency apps present on a user's phone.

Quick Heal lists the Indian banking apps that are targeted by the Android banking Trojan malware: Axis mobile, HDFC Bank MobileBanking, SBI Anywhere Personal, HDFC Bank MobileBanking LITE, iMobile by ICICI Bank, IDBI Bank GO Mobile+, Abhay by IDBI Bank Ltd, IDBI Bank GO Mobile, IDBI Bank mPassbook, Baroda mPassbook, Union Bank Mobile Banking, and Union Bank Commercial Clients. 

Android.banker.A9480 malware gets circulated via a fake Flash Player app on third-party stores, Quick Heal said. The Flash Player app is a popular target for cybercriminals due to its prevalence. Once users download the malicious application, they get several prompts to activate administrative rights. The app sends numerous pop-ups to victims until the administrative privileges are activated, the report added.

Once the app is installed on a smartphone, the icon gets hidden when the user taps on it. The malicious app keeps working in the background while checking for one of the 232 banking apps. Further, if the app finds one of the targeted apps, it sends a fake notification that resembles the banking app. When users open the notification, they get a fake login window that is then used by the attackers to extract confidential data like login ID and password.

As per the blog posted by Quick Heal, the malware can process commands like sending and collecting SMS, upload contact list and location, display fake notification, accessibility and GPS permission, and more. Since the malware can intercept incoming and outgoing SMS from an infected smartphone, it is also able to bypass the OTP based two-factor authentication on the user's bank account.

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Forget Bitcoin and Ripple: Trader reveals latest cryptocurrency to INVEST in today

BITCOIN’S new rival Stellar is the “faster and cheaper” cryptocurrency that traders are encouraging investors to buy now.

Ripple creators have split and developed a new cryptocurrency called Stellar, which is similar to Ripple and expected to be the next big cryptocurrency, trader Brian Kelly has said.
Speaking to CNBC, money manager Mr Kelly said: “Stellar is one that is very similar to Ripple. It is created by one of the creators of Ripple.

Effectively, the company split and they went out and created Stellar. They are already working with IBM, they are beginning to deal with them to do cross-border payments.
So IBM has a payment system similar to kind of what Moneygram wants to do.

Speaking to CNBC, the CEO of Berkshire Hathaway said: “In terms of cryptocurrencies, generally, I can say with almost certainty that they will come to a bad ending.”
Mr Buffet said he is unsure when the cryptocurrencies bubble will burst but he is “certain” it will happen.

He said: “I know this. If I could buy long-term puts. If I could buy a five-year put on every one of the cryptocurrencies – I’d be glad to do it. But I would never short a dime’s worth. 

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WhatsApp Security Flaw Can Allow Strangers Add Themselves to Group Chats: Researchers

At the Real World Crypto security conference in Switzerland, a group of German researchers announced that they have discovered flaws in WhatsApp's end-to-end encryption.
According to a report in Wired, the researchers say that anyone who controls WhatsApp's servers can add people into private group chats, without getting the admin's permission. The new member would be able to read all messages going forward, breaking the confidentiality of the group and negating end-to-end encryption.

"The confidentiality of the group is broken as soon as the uninvited member can obtain all the new messages and read them," Wired quotes Paul Rösler, one of the Ruhr University researchers who co-authored a paper on the group messaging vulnerabilities, as saying. "If I hear there's end-to-end encryption for both groups and two-party communications, that means adding of new members should be protected against. And if not, the value of encryption is very little."

Although this is a serious concern, the requirement that this method has of controlling WhatsApp servers would appear to limit the risk factors a little. Extremely sophisticated hackers, WhatsApp's own staff, and state actors are the different kinds of people who would be able to exploit this. And even then, all messages previous to the insertion of a new member would remain private.
Facebook’s Chief Security Officer Alex Stamos, responding to the report on Twitter, said, “Read the Wired article today about WhatsApp – scary headline! But there is no [sic] a secret way into WhatsApp groups chats.”

Stamos further pointed out in his tweets that everyone in the group would see a message that a new member has joined, so this wouldn't be a stealthy strategy for government spying.
"On WhatsApp, existing members of a group are notified when new people are added," he tweeted. "WhatsApp is built so group messages cannot be send [sic] to hidden users and provides multiple ways for users to confirm who receives a message prior to it being sent."

He added that the report has been looked at carefully, and while there may be a way to add more protections, it's not clear cut. "In sum, the clear notifications and multiple ways of checking who is in your group prevent silent eavesdropping," he wrote. "The content of messages sent in WhatsApp groups remain protected by end-to-end encryption."

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Monaco Cryptocredit-Card

One of the 2 crypto credit cards I am waiting for is MONACO (MCO).

They are offering 4 different tiers with different perks like cashback and free Withdrawal limits

There are no fees and the shipping of the card is free but to receive cashback you need to at least order the "Ruby Steel" and need to lock 50 MCO Token for 6 months.

One additional cool feature of the MONACO card is that holders of the "Obsidian Black" and "Precious Metal" get free access to "LoungeKey" Airport Lounge access. I have not been a guest of them and to be honest did not hear about them before but for someone who is planning to travel and make flying a bit more convenient that does not sound to shabby as the pictures are looking very promising.

You can find more information here

MONACO was also not hit by the recent "ban" on Crypto Credit-Cards.

Interesting and annoying at the same time is that if you recruit people you will pull ahead in the queue.

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Kodak Becomes Latest Cryptocurrency Convert

Kodak, which traces its roots to the early days of film-based photography, is getting into the digital licensing and cryptocurrency market as part of a partnership with WENN Digital.

The companies are launching blockchain technology with KodakOne and KodakCoin. Blockchain is a ledger where transactions of digital currencies, like Bitcoin, are recorded.

Rochester, New York-based Kodak, founded in 1880, is the latest company to enter the cryptocurrency market as Bitcoin makes gains. Bitcoin has surged from less than $1,000 a year ago to more than $14,000.

Recently, Long Island Iced Tea said it plans to change its name to Long Blockchain, as it wants to focus more on blockchain technology, while continuing to make beverages.

The Kodak systems will allow photographers to register work that they can license and then receive payment. The initial coin offering will open January 31.

Shares of Eastman Kodak more than doubled to close at $6.80 on Tuesday. The stock has been slumping over the last year, shedding more than 70 percent of its value.

"Engaging with a new platform, it is critical photographers know their work and their income is handled securely and with trust, which is exactly what we did with KodakCoin," said CEO Jeff Clarke.

Kodak and others are entering the market as warnings grow over the riskiness of virtual currencies and the potential for a bubble. There are no regulations over the creation and use of virtual currencies and the nature of the transactions make them hard to trace.

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MoneyGram Partners With Blockchain Firm and Bitcoin-Rival Ripple

Shares of MoneyGram International jumped 10.5 percent on Thursday, after the money-transfer company said it partnered with blockchain firm and Bitcoin-rival Ripple.

As part of the arrangement, MoneyGram will test the use of Ripple's cryptocurrency, XRP, to move funds in a faster and cheaper way.

Ripple, created by the founder of Bitcoin exchange Mt Gox, has risen 31,000 percent over the past year, overshadowing bitcoin's 1,200 percent increase.

XRP rose 13 percent to $13.38 on Thursday, according to coinmarketcap.com.

Many see it as a close contender to Bitcoin, which is by far the biggest cryptocurrency with a market value of more than $250 billion (roughly Rs. 15.9 lakh crores).

XRP allows banks and payment companies to send money quickly, no matter the location. Its transaction fee, at just "fractions of a penny", is also comparable to bitcoin's $30 per transaction fee.

Several companies such as UBS and Santander already use Ripple's products to enable payments. In November 2017, American Express Co also launched an instant blockchain-based payment system using Ripple.

China's Ant Financial's deal to buy MoneyGram for $1.2 billion collapsed last week.

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The future of gadgets

So for those of you who don't know about CES (Consumer Electronics Show), it features all the innovative gadgets that will then be released that year. So a lot of really cool electronic devices and many different categories (cars/Vr/wearable devices/screens/robots and so much more)

The conference takes place every year in Vegas early January and though there are thousands of products featured, a few caught my eye.

Obviously it's no secret our future holds more technology but we could be looking at some pretty crazy things like:

Rollable TV Screens:

A few years ago LG had announced the newspaper folding screen but check this... A MicroLED 65inch screen (If you were wondering the difference a microLED vs LED - micro uses millions of LED to create the image so it will be amazingly crisp and sharp!! Now're we're talking. This will actually be released later this year so grab your Apple TV, roll up your screen and hit the road because we can be truly mobile now.

A Talking Toilet:

If you have ever used those japanese toilets, it seems pretty much like a 2.0 of that. Except it talks...
Yeah.. TALKS ... Did we really need all our tech efforts put into this?? I guess it can be a little lonely in there but still strange.

Smelly Bracelets:

A dansish company released this bracelet, INVI to prevent sexual assault. Apparently you break it and a horrible smell comes out, researchers replicated the skunk smell... It comes out around $70 so unless you've got some cash on hand, it's a Cinderella kind of deal. One night wonder. That being said, I think it's great that people are focusing on non violent ways to protect one another.

Countertop Dishwasher:

Tetra is a countertop dishwasher. It's super compact and seems like it would be energy efficient because you manually pour water into it. It just plugs into your wall. When I lived in NY with a miniature kitchen this would have saved me... but I can see this coming with a $$ price tag...so maybe it would have killed me.

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