Snapchat to Release Updated App After Hack

Snapchat said it will release an updated version of its app after hackers downloaded usernames and phone numbers for 4.6 million accounts. It said the update will allow users to opt out of appearing in its feature, Find Friends, after they have verified their phone number. Find Friends allows users to upload their address book contacts to find others who are also using the service. The hack came after a security firm warned of vulnerabilities in the app.

 

 

Now, Software that can Predict Weather

Scientists have developed a new software that gives anyone the opportunity to know their community, state or country’s weather activity for the day and months ahead. Researchers from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) designed the software Monitoring Climate Change (Moclic) through which it is possible to organise, store and operate geo-referenced data from climate elements. Moclic can calculate bio and agroclimatic indicators, such as humidity, aridity, rain erosion and rainfall concentration, researchers said. 

 

 

LinkedIn, Pinterest More Popular than Twitter: Study

More US adults use LinkedIn and Pinterest than Twitter, but that website attracts a greater proportion of blacks and young adults than do its social media peers, a Pew Research Center study released on last Monday showed. Photo pin-up site Pinterest spiked in popularity over the past year, according to the survey, a poll of 1,445 Internet users aged 18 and older. About 21 per cent of respondents said they employ the service, up sharply from 15 per cent in a similar survey conducted a year ago.

 

 

New Technology Boosts Information Storage in Electronics

Researchers have developed a new technology that enables bigger and longer lasting memory in electronics such as laptops and smartphones. A team of researchers from the Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering at the National University of Singapore (NUS) Faculty of Engineering developed the new Magnetoresistive Random Access Memory (MRAM) technology that can boost information storage in electronic systems. The technology will drastically increase storage space and enhance memory which will ensure that fresh data stays intact, even in the case of a power failure. Led by Dr Yang Hyunsoo, the team developed a new device structure useful for the next generation MRAM chip which can potentially be applied to enhance the user experience in consumer electronics, including personal computers and mobile devices such as laptops and mobile phones. 

 

Microsoft Launches New Safety App for Windows Phone Users

Technology giant Microsoft launched a new application ‘Guardian’ with safety features, exclusively for Windows Phone users. Guardian enables users to switch on a ‘track me’ feature in the app that lets friends and family track them in real-time using Microsoft Windows Azure cloud services and Bing Map, the company said in a release. Guardian users can call for help through an ‘SOS’ alert button and also connect to security agencies, police and hospitals easily via this app in times of crisis, it added. It took more than six months for a team of Microsoft employees in India to develop the safety app in the Microsoft Garage, the company said. Microsoft Garage is a global employee innovation initiative that gives Microsoft employees an outlet to explore ideas.