That soft teddy bear seems harmless -- until hackers can use it to spy on your kids. Amazon said it has pulled CloudPets, a smart toy that researchers said was riddled with security flaws, from its online store. Last week, Walmart and Target stopped selling the toy. Amazon began removing CloudPets on Tuesday morning. The decision comes a day after Mozilla contacted Amazon with research showing new vulnerabilities on CloudPets. "In a world where data leaks are becoming more routine and products like CloudPets still sit on store shelves, I'm increasingly worried about my kids' privacy and security," Ashley Boyd, Mozilla's vice president of advocacy, said in a statement. Walmart and Target did not respond to a request for comment. This isn't the first time that Amazon has stopped selling products over privacy concerns. Last July, the online retailer giant suspended Blu phones -- its top selling phone at the time -- because researchers found spyware on the popular devices. … [Read more...] about Amazon will stop selling connected toy filled with security issues
Selling connect
Vodafone UK begins selling the BlackBerry Curve 9320 at a pretty affordable price point
Got an itch for the latest and greatest in the BlackBerry world? Well, if you’re in the UK, where it seems to be the place for everything BlackBerry of late , you can actually pick up the socially connected BlackBerry Curve 9320 . Although some other carriers in the UK have launched it, Vodafone UK is the latest member to start selling the Curve 9320 to customers, and to tell you the truth, it isn’t that bad of a deal considering its price point. Right now, the carrier is selling the smartphone for $177 (£112) on Pay As You Go price plans. Conversely, prospective customers can purchase it for free with a contract on monthly plans that start at £15.50 per month . So yeah, whichever route you decide to go with, you’ll still be getting a pretty good deal on the handset . Besides sporting that iconic portrait style Curve keyboard, the 9320 as a refresher features a 2.44” non-touchscreen QVGA display, 3.2-megapixel rear camera, microSD card … [Read more...] about Vodafone UK begins selling the BlackBerry Curve 9320 at a pretty affordable price point
3 New Digital Tools For Making Connections
By Sarah Kessler2012-01-01 15:19:54 UTC The Spark of Genius Series highlights a unique feature of startups and is made possible by Microsoft BizSpark. If you would like to have your startup considered for inclusion, please see the details here. Each weekend, Mashable selects startups we think are building interesting, unique or niche products. This week we focused on three companies creating new ways to connect online and offline. Tutorspree connects students and tutors. Taap.it is a local Craigslist that connects buyers with listings nearby, and QR Living makes a bracelet that makes it easy for offline acquaintances to connect online. Tutorspree: A Peer-to-Peer Market for Tutors Quick Pitch: Tutorspree is an online marketplace for private tutors. Genius Idea: Screening tutors before listing them on the site. Mashable's Take: Just like Airbnb is a peer-to-peer alternative to hotels and Getaround is a peer-to-peer alternative to car rentals, Tutorspree is a peer-to-peer alternative … [Read more...] about 3 New Digital Tools For Making Connections
How Artsy finally convinced galleries to sell art online
For 13 years, the Mike Weiss Gallery was a thriving member of the Chelsea art world, hosting over 100 exhibitions and participating in local group shows. But in October of last year, Weiss and his wife Virginia Martinsen decided to shutter their physical location. Rent was rising, nearby construction was becoming a major headache, and the ever-expanding number of art fairs was drawing attention and customers away from galleries. The woes of the Weiss Gallery are widespread. From London to Los Angeles, galleries that survived the decades of market crashes and changing tastes have gone out of business in the last few years. Lingering contractions from the economic crisis of 2009 means the traditional art market, especially smaller galleries, has seen precious little growth over the last decade. But just as importantly, Weiss says, they felt the way in which people discovered and purchased art had shifted. “We used to get a thousand people on a Saturday,” said Weiss. … [Read more...] about How Artsy finally convinced galleries to sell art online
The Klifit connected backpack comes with RFID chips so you never forget your keys again
This year has already yielded a backpack for gadget nerds and a connected backpack with a cute badge. Now we’re getting another idea for a backpack, and this one sells itself on the idea that nothing you need will ever be left at home again — not your keys, exam paper, laptop, or charging cable. That is, unless you forget to clip an RFID chip to those items. The Klifit backpack comes with multiple chips that you can stick to whatever you need to have with you every day, and then the backpack’s companion Android and iOS app will check to ensure they’re inside the bag and let you know if they're not through Bluetooth push notifications. Oh, and it also claims to somehow know what items you need for specific events throughout the day and will remind you to bring those items with you. Klifit doesn’t really explain how the backpack knows that items are inside the bag, but it does provide this diagram. Please interpret it. The Klifit also comes with a "Spectrum … [Read more...] about The Klifit connected backpack comes with RFID chips so you never forget your keys again