Facebook prevails in shareholder lawsuit over IPO
You have to own stock to participate in a shareholder class action lawsuit, an appeals court has ruled, confirming an earlier Manhattan district court ruling. The case brought by Facebook shareholders accused the company of withholding key financial information from the public until after its IPO. Circuit Judge Dennis Jacobs said that because the shareholders weren’t owners of Facebook stock at the time the sales information wasn’t disclosed, they had no legal standing to sue.
Chrysler recalls 1.4 million vehicles after Jeep hack
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles has recalled 1.4 million vehicles after security experts Charlie Miller and Chris Valasek showed Wired magazine how they could remotely hack into—and control—the entertainment system and more vital functions of a 2015 Jeep Cherokee.
Cellphone kill switch hasn’t killed cellphone theft
The so-called kill switch mandated by the state of California to turn stolen smartphones into useless paperweights on command has not discourage theft of the devices, a Wall Street Journal investigation has showed. “Technological fixes can always be circumvented,” a lawyer told the newspaper. “It’s purely a question of economics.”
… but police have killed a company switching fake phones for good
Buying a bricked iPhone isn’t the only way to find yourself with a dud: In China,a company has produced over 40,000 fake iPhones, police there say—but they only succeeded in confiscating 1,400 of them when they raided the place. That’s still a drop in the ocean compared to the hundreds of millions of genuine ones Apple has shipped.
U.S. Census Bureau says breach didn’t expose household data
Amid fears that federal agencies might be leaking everyone’s personal information, not just that of government employees, the U.S. Census Bureau said Friday that a leak of its data from a database held by the Federal Audit Clearinghouse last week did not expose survey data the bureau collects on households and businesses.
Honda joins list of carmakers embedding Apple CarPlay, Android Auto
Drivers fearing ecosystem lock-in can safely choose a new Honda: infotainment systems in the company’s 2016 Accord models will support both Apple Carplay and Android Auto, allowing users of either of the major smartphone OSes to mirror apps and entertainment on dashboard screens. GM recently announced that it too will back both mobile platforms in 2016 models.
Samsung offers an HD monitor for cord cutters
Samsung Electronics has joined the quest to cut cable clutter from our desktops. Its contribution is a Full HD monitor that can wirelessly charge compatible cellphones—including the company’s Galaxy S6. The SE370 monitor has a built-in Qi charger on the stand just below the screen. You’ll still need to plug the monitor into a wall outlet, though.
Where Moore’s law could end: The single-molecule transistor
The semiconductor industry has been racing to keep up with Moore’s Law, a prediction about the pace at which the number of transistors on a chip will double, for decades, but recent moves at Intel suggest things may be slowing down. Now German researchers have shown where the prediction could come to a grinding halt: IEEE Spectrum reports on their transistor gate composed of a single molecule.
Facebook invites operators to open its Internet.org free surfing service to all
Internet.org, the Facebook-backed service that helps network operators link impoverished Internet users with low-bandwidth mobile apps for free, is opening its doors to all comers. Reuters reports. The organization estimates there are 4.5 billion unconnected people, mainly in Latin America, Asia and Africa, but in its first year of operation has connected just 9 million in 17 countries.
Best Buy to sell Apple Watch from Aug. 7
If you haven’t been able to make an appointment to try on an Apple Watch at one of the company’s own stores, perhaps you’ll find it easier to try and buy at a Best Buy? The retailer will begin selling the wearable in 100 of its stores on Aug. 7, and in 200 more in time for the holiday season. That’s a big boost, as Apple only has 680 outlets for the Watch so far.
Watch now
Yaskawa’s Motoman robots are still on the cutting edge, 31 years after one terminated the original Terminator. Watch them in action.
One last thing
The squeaky Greece that has the will: The New York Times reports on entrepreneurs determined to build a start-up culture in the country’s broken-down economy.