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Today’s topics include rumors of a new version of Google Glass, security concerns regarding the GlobalStar simplex satcom protocol, President Obama pushing for greater high-performance computing innovation and a new plan from Sprint.
Google is now “quietly distributing” a new version of Google Glass aimed at workers in industries such as health care, manufacturing and energy, according to a July 30 article in The Wall Street Journal.
The latest workplace version of Google Glass is “a curved rectangle, similar to the first Explorer version, but does not include a wire-like frame,” according to the report, which was based on interviews with people who are familiar with the plans. “Instead, it has a button-and-hinge system to attach the mini-computer to different glasses.”
In a session at the Black Hat USA security conference on Aug. 5 in Las Vegas, Colby Moore, manager of special activities at Synack, will detail security risks in the GlobalStar simplex satcom protocol that could potentially enable attackers to do all manner of malicious things.
The GlobalStar satellite communication network is used for high-value asset tracking, including monitoring the progress of tanker cars, containers and armored car fleets, according to Moore.
Unfortunately, he said, the GlobalStar system uses something called a direct sequence spread spectrum signal that can be intercepted and decoded.
The Obama administration wants to use the resources of the federal government to accelerate innovation in the country’s high-performance computing market and to drive the development of exascale compute systems in the United States.
President Obama last week signed an executive order establishing the National Strategic Computing Initiative to coordinate federal government efforts with those from public research institutions and the private sector to create a comprehensive, long-term strategy for the development of high-performance computing systems.
Sprint unveiled a new four-line Family Share Plan mobile package featuring 10GB of shared data for $100 a month for new customers who switch to Sprint from another carrier.
The plan, which also includes unlimited talk and text and eliminates per-line access charges forever on the first four lines, is available now, the company announced. As part of the deal, Sprint will also pay off existing wireless contracts and old phones for new customers to help them make the transition to Sprint.