Moto360 Q&A Highlights

A few points of interest from the Moto360 event going on now on YouTube. [Update: Event is over.]

  • Wireless charging - I'm inferring this, they didn't explicitly say it, but implied it strongly.
  • 1.8" (46mm) diameter.
  • Won't comment on battery life, "but was designed with power efficiency in mind."
  • Targeting mass appeal, so not intended as a men's watch.
  • Works with all Android devices running Android 4.3 or later.
  • Water resistant, details forthcoming.
  • No camera embedded in the watch (thankfully).
  • Genuine leather.
  • "With this watch, you'll always be able to tell what time it is." (Subtle jab at Pebble?)

More updates posted as they're revealed.

91% of Cyber Attacks Exploit Java... The Language Used to Create Android →

Java is a nice introductory language, it is pretty ubiquitous, and it is platform agnostic. Those are likely the primary reasons for schools using it so frequently in computer science departments, the University of Colorado does anyway (and interviews I've conducted lead me to believe that is normal).

When Cisco reported that 91% of attacks exploited Java vulnerabilities, it triggered some concerns.

  1. Just take a minute and think about how shocking this is.
  2. Android is largely written in Java. No surprise that Android sees 97% of malware in the mobile space.
  3. Schools are too slow to adapt to changes in the real world.

AT&T Announces Sponsored Data →

There is no doubt that privacy is getting more visibility than ever with the NSA leaks of late. A lot of people are opting for more secure services, apps, and hardware. This often comes at a price as these services are harder to engineer and maintain, they're not usually given away for free. The exception is Kim Dotcom's MEGA service with 50GB of free ultra secure cloud storage.

AT&T announced sponsored data plans today that allow providers to pay for the data that you use on your mobile device while using their services. Imagine streaming Netflix without it counting toward your 2GB data cap, seems neat right? Well the financial savings represent the most obvious upside, the privacy issue presents the largest down side. Your data and your usage are now bought and paid for by someone else, meaning they own it.

This isn't to say that sponsored data is bad in all regards, sponsored Netflix seems like the most obvious win since they already know what you're watching, you're not really revealing anything. Where do you draw the line though? Will AT&T give you fine control over this, or will it be fully opt-in or opt-out? From the looks of the press release, users will get this new sponsored data automatically, there is no mention of an opt-out policy.

I think there is room for both sides of this privacy issue to win - sponsored data and secure data. I think there are appropriate times to use both. However, I do not expect to be able to really balance the two any time soon, it'll be all or nothing for a while.

Square's New Reader

MacRumors: Square Debuts New Card Reader Developed by Former Apple Lightning Connector Designer

To develop the thinner card reader for Square, Dorogusker was forced to move away from stock components and develop proprietary hardware such as a new custom read head that is able to read two bands of data from the magnetic stripes on credit cards, resulting in greater swipe accuracy. 

Dorogusker and his team concentrated on improving the "feel" of swiping, incorporating additional tension in a spring that attaches to the read head for a more satisfying credit card swiping experience.

Wonderful to see such a great company make such an explicit effort toward the details of using their product.