IntellectBeat

A free smartphone app that will pay people to be physically active launches on Wednesday in Britain, with users given digital "sweatcoins" depending on how many steps they take that can be exchanged for rewards or traded like money. It's the latest initiative in an emerging fitness economy that includes all manner of monitoring devices, apps that reward activity with vouchers and even experiments in offering cheap insurance to people who can demonstrate they exercise. Sweatcoin aims to differentiate itself by using complex software to measure movement and location to prevent cheating, and by using the technology behind virtual currency Bitcoin to manage transactions. Retailers, health insurers and corporate wellness managers are taking notice, according to Oleg Fomenko, one of the serial, London-based Russian entrepreneurs who founded Sweatcoin. "This whole business is pegged to making movement valuable," he told Reuters. "Eventually, sweatcoin is goin...

A Brazilian congressional commission on Wednesday recommended a bill that forbids authorities from blocking popular messaging applications, just two days after a judicial order left 100 million Brazilians without Facebook's WhatsApp. A Brazilian judge on Tuesday overturned a 72-hour suspension of the application used by roughly half the population of the South American country, triggering popular outcry over its second judicial suspension in only five months. The reason for the freeze was not made public due to legal secrecy in an ongoing case in a Sergipe state court, but authorities have in the past demanded data from the Facebook's encrypted messaging service. A congressional commission investigating cyber crimes proposed removing messaging applications, such as WhatsApp, from a bill that regulates the suspension of websites and other applications used for crimes such as drugs and arms trafficking. "This way the legislation makes it very clear that judges cannot bl...

Vine , the popular six-second video sharing service, has finally launched its first app for Windows 10 desktops and tablets. The company announced the news on Wednesday in a blog and said, "Today we're releasing a new app: Vine for Windows 10 computers and tablets. Now you can watch entertaining stories and your favourite channels and accounts on larger Windows 10 devices." Users can download the new Vine for Windows 10 desktop and tablets from the Windows Store. Windows 10 users can share a Vine of their own either by uploading them manually, or just dragging and dropping videos right from their desktops. The new Vine app comes with Windows 10 native features including Live Tiles, an adaptive UI, and Drag and Drop. The Vine app will offer Explore option which will include channels such as Music, Dance, Comedy, and Sports. Additionally, users will also receive updates about trends and viral Vines. "You can enjoy all of this great content even if you don't ...

If the built-in speakers of your smartphone are falling short on offering a loud sound output, you could either invest in standalone speakers or use everyday (mostly waste) objects and make your smartphone sound louder than ever before. For times when you are cash strapped or simply want to go a little creative, here are some do-it-yourself techniques which could help you amplify your smartphone’s speakers at no extra cost. 1. Best Out of Waste Console For this technique, you would need a waste toilet roll, two plastic cups, and a pair of scissors. First, trace the outline of the bottom of your smartphone on the roll. Now cut it open and make sure the phone fits in well. Now, on the side of the cups trace a circle using the toilet roll and cut them open. Remember, you need to make a hole on only one side of the cups. Lastly, assemble the console by fitting the cups on the sides of the roll and placing the smartphone on the slot you made on the roll. 2. Magic Bowls Lay on tabl...

The first Thursday of May is observed as World Password Day. This year it falls on May 5. The day is a a global celebration to promote better password habits. Passwords are the critical gatekeepers to our digital existence and it is very important to make sure your passwords are strong. Here are seven ways to fortify your passwords: The recommended minimum is eight characters, but 14 is better and 25 is even better than that. Some services have character limits on passwords, though. Use combinations of letters and numbers, upper and lower case and symbols such as the exclamation mark. Some services won't let you do all of that, but try to vary it as much as you can. "PaSsWoRd!43" is far better than "password43." Avoid words that are in dictionaries, even if you add numbers and symbols. There are programs that can crack passwords by going through databases of known words. One trick is to add numbers in the middle of a word - as in "pas123swor456d...