Hardware

2014 brought more attention to 4K and curved displays than on 3D and active glasses. Toshiba launched a 4K laptop in April, LG sells a 4K curved TV, and recently Samsung introduced a 4K curved PC monitor. Apple took it a step further and released a 5K iMac refresh, followed by Dell with a 5K "smart desk", and Samsung promised to release a phone with a foldable display in 2015. Toshiba is also following the 'retina' trend and is looking to bring smooth 8K broadcasts by 2020.

When we last checked in with Keurig, the coffee machine maker had just turned itself into a big, fat target for copyright reform activists. The problem: Keurigs’s promise to make its 2.0 machines incompatible with any single-serving coffee pods it hadn’t licensed. Critics compared the approach to the DRM restrictions that hobble the sharing of digital music.

And as with DRM, it now appears that Keurigs have been hacked.

You can own a piece of Bletchley Park history thanks to Christie's online auction of two Enigma machines and other rarely seen ciphers.

One of the cipher machines up for auction is the 1941 M4 Enigma, which was one of the first 4-Rotor M4 Enigmas to be manufactured by the Germans for use by their Navy. This original Enigma machine is in working condition and has a very unusual feature that includes the appearance of numbers on the top and bottom rows of keys.

Kaspersky has used its annual gaze into the crystal ball of cybercrime to predict attacks on digital wallet and virtual payment schemes, citing Apple Pay as a potential target.

The malware-mashing security company has suggested that ATMs and payment systems will be likely targets for hackers in the coming 12 months, naming the recently launched Cupertino Bucks service as a probable victim.

​Sony's secret project called FES, which stands for Fashion Electronics, managed to surpass its initial goal of US $17,000 on a Japanese crowdfunding website.

The Fashion Electronics project was first set up in September on the Japanese website, Makuake, but the Sony brand wasn't mentioned as the company wanted to analyze the actual demand of e-ink wearables shown on the website. Within three weeks the initial goal was met and has so far managed to generate $20,000 from 150 backers.

For Airbnb hosts who want to keep tabs on their homes, a full home security system might be overkill. They're expensive, and live cameras and motion detectors invade guests' privacy. So how do they make sure guests keep the volume down, aren't smoking inside and don't ransack their home?

A new device called Point combines microphones with environmental sensors to detect anything out of the ordinary in your home while you are away. A broken window while you're at work, the sound of your teenagers throwing a raging party, Grandad sneaking an unauthorized after-dinner cigar.

I've never been tempted to buy a large widescreen tablet. They're good at certain things, but they're too wide for everything onscreen to be reachable if you're holding it with both hands. They're too tall for portrait mode to be comfortable for long stretches. One-handed use is generally tolerable at best. Smaller widescreen tablets like the Nexus 7 are nice because they're closer in size and heft to books, but 10-inch-and-up widescreen tablets have always been too gawky for my taste.

The controversial anonabox anonymity hardware router project returned today amidst a scathing reaction from the wider security and anonymity communities.

Previously, the project was suspended from Kickstarter after claims that the project used entirely custom hardware were debunked by industry experts and laymen alike. The project has resurfaced on crowdfunding site Indiegogo, where so far it has raised over $11,000.

Microsoft is making available a $49 adapter kit that will allow Kinect for Xbox One sensors available for use with Windows 8/8.1 PCs and tablets.

Microsoft also is enabling developers to make their Kinect apps available in the Windows Store for the first time, officials said on October 22.

A new security feature for Google’s services will help users better protect their data by requiring that they insert a USB security key to log in to their account.