Tag Archives: New Technology

Posted on Author Atlantic Computer Services Categories Blog

 Will We Control Computers With Our Brains Soon?

Over the years, Facebook has made several high-profile acquisitions, with one of their most recent being the acquisition of Oculus Rift for a staggering two billion dollars.  Now, rumors are swirling that the company is on track to buy another innovative startup, CTRL-Labs. They are the makers of an innovative device worn at the wrist that uses brain waves to allow users to control electronic devices.

Estimates are that the social media giant will pay between $500 million and a cool one billion dollars to acquire the company, which is one of a number of startups creating BMIs, (Brain Machine Interfaces).

What’s interesting about the offering by CTRL-Labs is that their product is worn on the wrist, while most of their competitors rely on devices worn on the head. In a few cases, they require chips to be physically implanted in the brains of those who want to use their tech.

In this regard, what CTRL-Labs is offering borrows from two different technologies that have been featured on TED talks in recent years:  Pranav Mistry’s “Sixth Sense” technology (which translates gestures into commands that a computer can understand) and the Emotive headset, which scans your brain for changes and translates those signals into commands.

Honestly the industry is still too small and the technologies are too unrefined to know for certain whose products will wind up being adopted as the de facto standard.  However, the fact that Facebook is placing a large bet on the industry is a powerful indication that these types of technologies (whatever form they ultimately take) are the future.

It’s a long-term bet, to be sure.  Although there are products you can buy today, they only offer limited functionality and it will be at least five years before we see a killer app for the new tech, but one way or another, the day is coming when we will indeed control computers with our brains.

 

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Posted on Author Atlantic Computer Services Categories Blog

WiFi 6 Is The Latest In Wireless Technology Advances

Most people don’t spend a lot of time thinking about standards or the organizations that maintain and push them forward.  Standards just aren’t very interesting, which is why they don’t get a lot of press time.  That’s exactly why when the Wi-Fi Alliance announced that they’re soon to be launching their new Wi-Fi 6 Certification Program, it didn’t make the headlines and most people didn’t notice.

It is a pretty big deal though, and it means good things for consumer devices and the people who use them. That is because the new standards translate into faster connection speeds and better, more seamless online experiences. People do tend to notice those kinds of things.

Theoretically, the boost Wi-Fi 6 brings to the table is huge, moving the theoretical maximum Wi-Fi connection speed from 3.5 Gbps to 9.6 Gbps. However, those numbers are largely meaningless because in the real world, consumers will never see either.

The most important thing to know about the new standard is that now that it’s available, companies will flock to get their products certified as being Wi-Fi 6 compatible. That means that all the new devices you’ll be seeing from this point forward will offer faster connections and major security improvements.

You won’t have to wait long, either.  By the time you read this, Apple may have already begun rolling out their new iPhone, the iPhone 11 and 11 Pro, both of which support Wi-Fi 6. Since there are legions of people standing by to upgrade to Apple’s latest offering, that will mean incredibly rapid adoption of the new standard, which will have ripple effects throughout the industry.

Kudos to the Wi-Fi Alliance for pushing the standard forward, and to Apple for helping ensure widespread, rapid adoption.  Good times ahead.

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Posted on Author Atlantic Computer Services Categories Blog

USB 4 Is Coming, And It Will Be Much Faster

USB four has been in the pipeline for quite some time now.

Finally, in the second half of 2020, we’ll start seeing devices coming to market that take advantage of the new and improved technology.  Based on Thunderbolt 3 technology, the latest iteration of the tech will boast transfer speeds of up to 40 Gigabytes Per Second.

Currently, those kinds of blazing fast transfer speeds are only available to people who own high-end MacBook Pros and similar devices.

That’s great news all around because it represents an improvement of more than 100 percent in transfer speed, as compared to the current standard, USB 3.2. Of special note, many consumers are still using older computers with an even earlier version of the USB standard, so their speed increases will be even greater.

The promise of such a significant boost in speed more widely available will have ripple effects that will be felt through the entire industry.  As devices making use of USB 4 become increasingly common, people will naturally come to gravitate toward USB-C connector cables, which require USB4 to work.  As that happens, the older USB-A and USB-B connectors will simply fall out of favor and eventually, will stop being produced altogether.

According to the USB-IF, the three key advantages of the new technology are:

  • Backward compatibility with Thunderbolt 3, USB 2.0 and USB 3.2
  • Multiple data and display protocols that will allow tech utilizing USB4 to drive multiple displays simultaneously
  • Two-lane operation using existing USB-C cables and up to a whopping 40 Gbps operation over certified cables

One wrinkle to be aware of is this:  Thunderbolt 3 on today’s MacBook Pros uses its USB-C ports, but there’s no guarantee that a future USB4 port will support a Thunderbolt peripheral, despite that Thunderbolt 3 has been woven into USB4.  Something to be mindful of as we march forward into a USB4 future.

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Posted on Author Atlantic Computer Services Categories Blog

New Charging Cables Could Hack Your Devices

A security researcher known as “_MG_” on Twitter has invented a modified Apple Lightning cable that could allow a hacker to remotely access any Mac computer using them.  He demonstrated his new invention, dubbed the “OM.G Cable” at the Def Con hacking conference in Las Vegas recently. The Lightning Cable is used by Apple owners to charge their devices and sync data.

The OM.G cable is indistinguishable from a legitimate Lightning Cable. According to tests conducted by Motherboard, it allows a hacker to type in the IP address of the fake cable on his own device and gain access to a variety of tools on the victim’s computer or phone, via a simple menu-driven system.

The cable comes with a wireless implant that allows the hack to occur.  Once it’s plugged into the victim’s device, it creates a Wi-Fi hotspot that allows it to wirelessly transmit malicious payloads, scripts, and commands on the victim’s device. Even worse, it has an impressive range of 300 feet.

In an interview with Motherboard, MG had this to say about his invention: “It looks like a legitimate cable and works just like one.  Not even your computer will notice a difference – until I, as an attacker, wirelessly take control of the cable.”

MG sold his home brew cables to Def Con attendees for $200 each, so there are a small number of these devices in the wild now, and the number is growing steadily.  For their part, Apple has responded to the event by advising their customers to avoid buying cables from untrusted vendors and to only use the cable contained in your iPhone box.

They also explained how to spot a counterfeit cable, as follows:

“To identify counterfeit or uncertified cables and accessories, look carefully at the accessory’s packaging and at the accessory itself.  Certified third-party accessories have the MFi badge on their packaging.  An Apple Lightning to USB cable has ‘Designed by Apple in California,” and either ‘Assembled in China,’ or ‘Assembled in Vietnam’ or ‘Industria Brasilerira’ on the cable about seven inches from the USB connector.”

It’s good information and something to keep a close watch on.  This kind of hack is very hard to counter.

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Posted on Author Atlantic Computer Services Categories Blog

Android Devices May Soon Get New Fast Sharing Feature

Google’s first attempt at making it possible for Android users to share files with each other was called Android Beam.

While it was functional, it left a lot to be desired, and never really caught on. That fact prompted the company to announce that it would be calling a halt to further Beam development in preference for a new tool.

It is called ‘Fast Share’, which the company sees as a direct competitor to iOS’s “AirDrop.”

Fast Share will allow users to share text, images, URLs and other files with nearby devices, even without an internet connection.  Rather than relying on NFC to connect and transfer files between devices, the new technology uses Bluetooth connectivity.

This, of course requires that both the sending and target devices have Bluetooth and Location Services activated.  Once those two conditions are true, users will be required to enter a Device Name and turn Fast Share on.  At that point, you’ll get a full screen interface that will give you control over exactly what you’re sharing. That along with a progress bar and a list of devices close enough to share with.

Recipients will get a notification that includes the name of the sending device, a connection ID number, and a prompt allowing the recipient to accept or decline the file transfer.  Fast Share also includes a feature called “Preferred Visibility” which allows you to trust frequent connection pairings.

Google hasn’t yet made a firm announcement about when the service will be available for Android devices. Given the buzz, you probably won’t have to wait long.

All of this sounds fantastic, but of course, it also opens the door for a great number of new hacks and abuses. So be mindful of that in the weeks and months ahead.

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