Aereo wins major court battle against TV networks, Is this the future of memory? A Hybrid Memory Cube spec makes its debut and more

By Ryan Kamauff

Here are the top tech news and stories of the day.

• Aereo wins major court battle against TV networks – Aereo is a broadband TV delivery service, offering users access to OTA local broadcasts. “Aereo allows TV watchers to stream HD video over the web with a proprietary remote antenna and DVR service. For $12 a month, customers can watch more than 20 local broadcast networks, including CBS, NBC, FOX, ABC, PBS, and the CW. The company employs a fleet of miniature antennas that pull broadcast signals from the air, like the classic “rabbit ears” that capture local TV signals.” Via The Verge, more here.
• Mailbird, A Sparrow-Like Client For Windows, Is Making Email A Platform, Not Just An Application – There have a been a few recent stabs at “removing email” or getting rid of it all together. “Mailbird, a very Sparrow-like email client for Windows users, is launching into beta this week.” Mailbird will bring an app store to email, enabling cloud search and more. I actually just downloaded the client myself, so be on the lookout for a upcoming blog. Via TechCrunch, more here.
• Bullseye from 1,000 yards: Shooting the $17,000 Linux-powered rifle – A new sniper rifle uses a Linux targeting system to identify and accurately engage long range targets. Using “a tightly integrated system coupling a rifle, an ARM-powered scope running a modified version of Angström Linux (with some custom BitBake recipes and kernel modules to support the rifle’s proprietary hardware), and a linked trigger mechanism whose weighting is controlled by the scope[,]” users can hit targets that they have no business hitting. Via Ars Technica, more here.
• Is this the future of memory? A Hybrid Memory Cube spec makes its debut – “A highly dense memory technology introduced in 2011 takes another step closer to reality with the launch of new interconnection specifications. At this rate, we’ll see the new tech in devices in 2014.” This memory should be able to provide CPUs with the large amount of data that they can process. HMC should offer 15x performance gains as well as using 70% less energy per bit. ARM, Samsung, Micron, IBM and Microsoft are all key members of the consortium. This could lead to better, faster and more efficient computing, from server, to workstation to the mobile endpoint. We should expect HMC computing capabilities sometime in 2014. Via GigaOM, more here.
• Dell PC industry analysis : OEMs face dead end – “Forbes points us to a recent proxy statement filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission where Dell outlines the risks of remaining a private PC manufacturer and paints a very grim picture for the PC industry overall.” As these margins decline, companies must adapt, and this is Dell’s plan. “One big reason that Dell wants to go private is that it reportedly plans to reinvent itself by developing a computer the size of a USB stick that’s capable of giving users access to every major operating system.” Via Boy Genius Report, more here.
• ATM Skimming Is Now Prolific on Payment Terminals and Ticket Machines – “Krebs on Security reports findings from the European ATM Security Team (EAST) which reveals that point-of-sale skimming attacks are becoming the norm.” There have been reports from at least five countries. “EAST reveals that the practice of skimming is growing most rapidly in the United States, the Dominican Republic, Brazil, Mexico, Peru and Thailand. The reason? Thieves have been unable to successfully hack the relatively new bank card security standard known casually as “chip-and-PIN”, which is now commonplace across Europe and other parts of the world.” This underlines the need for users to request a greater deal of security from their banks, and to not be satisfied with a lesser degree of security. Via Gizmodo, more here.
• Google faces wrath of European regulators over unified privacy policy – Google’s privacy policy has been like a sine curve, we rage and rave over it, then we let it go for a while, and it has once again reared its (ugly) head in the EU. “When Google abruptly unified its privacy policies a year ago, data protection authorities in France reckoned the result broke EU law. The French regulator, CNIL, subsequently took up the cause on behalf of its peers across the various European nations, and sent Google a comprehensive list of questions about the change. Then, in October, following unsatisfactory responses from Google, the regulators came back with a series of recommendations for the company.” Google has not complied with the recommended changes, which may lead to an issue in the future. Via GigaOM, more here.

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