FDA to Focus on Apps That Turn Smartphones Into Medical Devices

A MIM Software app that allows doctors to view X-rays
and MRIs on smartphones and tablets was one of
the first to win FDA approval. (MIM Software photo / September 23, 2013)

As reported by Reuters: The Food and Drug Administration said Monday that it will focus on mobile medical apps that have the potential to harm consumers if they do not function properly.

The FDA, which issued final rules on the apps Monday, has cleared about 100 over the past decade, including products that can diagnose abnormal heart rhythms or help patients monitor their blood sugar. About 40 were cleared within the past two years.

The agency said it will not regulate the sale or general consumer use of smartphones or tablets or mobile app distributors such as the iTunes store or Google Play store.

It will, however, focus enforcement on products that transform smartphones into devices the agency currently regulates, such as electrocardiography machines that can determine whether a patient is having a heart attack.

The FDA will also focus on apps that would be used as an accessory to a regulated device, such as one that displays images used by physicians to make specific diagnoses. 

Google Adds Remote Lock and Password Reset Features to Android Device Manager

As reported by the Verge: Android users can now remotely lock down a misplaced or stolen device from the web. Google has rolled this critical feature into Android Device Manager, which launched last month with location tracking and remote wipe functionality. Now the web tool lets you lock any Android smartphone running version 2.2 of the operating system and above.

To do so, you'll simply need to set a new password to be entered once the device is recovered. This can be different from your regular lock screen PIN, so even if that password is compromised, you can override it with a new one.

Google is actively discouraging users from re-using their main Google credentials, however.

A lock request will immediately secure any device connected to Wi-Fi or a cellular network — even if it's actively being used. 

If a thief has turned off a phone or enabled Airplane Mode, the lock will take effect as soon as a data connection is reestablished. And should your beloved smartphone prove unretrievable, there's always the last-ditch measure of wiping its memory entirely.

Gecko Bluetooth tags act as motion and location triggers for your mobile

As reported by Engadget: What you see above isn't a fancy pick -- it's a gesture control peripheral called 'Gecko' designed to do a lot more than strum a guitar. 

According to its creators, each action the coin-sized gadget makes can correspond to a phone function, so long as the two are connected via Bluetooth. 

You could, for instance, configure your device loaded with the accompanying iOS or Android app to make an emergency call whenever you shake Gecko once. However, they claim that it also has many potential offbeat uses, such as notifying you when someone moves your bag or helping you find lost pets, kids or, worse, keys. 

Of course, that'll only work if you tag your items with it, but anyone with a hyperactive five-year-old wouldn't mind improvising a necklace out of it. Don't expect to find one at a local mall, though -- Gecko's merely an Indiegogo project at the moment, hoping to raise $50,000 to start mass production.  A video on the product can be found here.

 

GPS/GNSS Spoofing Test Bed to be Developed

As reported by Marine Link: Spirent Communications, has teamed up with Qascom to develop a test tool that reproduces spoofing attacks in a controlled laboratory environment. They say that their collaborative solution will be launched commercially later in 2013.

The test bed will concurrently simulate legitimate GPS/GNSS constellations and spoofed or hoax signals. It will enable positioning systems manufacturers to improve their products’ resilience to hoax signals.

As GPS/GNSS becomes increasingly embedded in modern infrastructure for application timing and device positioning, the impact of spoofing attacks becomes greater. From mobile telephony to Internet banking, GNSS timing signals are used in many key systems, and yet there is no requirement on GNSS equipment to demonstrate any degree of robustness to block or even detect malicious attacks that disrupt performance.

“There is growing industry concern about the vulnerability of satellite navigation signals,” said John Pottle, Marketing Director of Spirent’s Positioning Division. “This will help the industry to create positioning systems that are more resilient to interference.”

Hoax or spoofing attacks work by mimicking genuine GNSS signals, which mislead GNSS receivers. Often affected receivers do not recognize when they are receiving fake signals and continue to operate normally, but provide false time or position information. This new test tool helps to develop systems that will detect and counter spoofing attacks by providing a fully controllable laboratory based, non-radiated test solution to evaluate a receiver’s response to a range of spoofing attacks.

The test tool controls the emulation of signals representing both the genuine GNSS signals and the false signals. This allows users to simulate a wide range of sophisticated attacks and monitor the response of the receiver under attack to then improve the resilience of the design against such attacks.

Cyber-poachers Hack GPS Collar Data to Pinpoint Tigers

As reported by Times of India: Considering their long history as a favorite target among poachers, it's not surprising that Bengal tigers are now among the planet's most elusive creatures. But while most illegal hunters faced long days of bushwhacking through the dark jungle in hopes of spotting the big cat before it finds them, a dangerous new breed of cyber-savvy poachers may be on the rise -- using conservation tools to help target their illicit prey.

Wildlife officials responsible for monitoring the species in the Satpura-Bori tiger reserve say that their computer systems were recently hacked to collect data from a tiger's GPS collar. The cyber crime, the first of its kind, would allow the poachers real-time data on where the animals were within the reserve, eliminating the dangerous work of tracking them down.

The Times of India reports that location data on at least one collared tiger, identified as Panna-211, may have been compromised. Normally, access to such sensitive information is strictly limited; only three wildlife specialists possess passcodes to view the GPS tracking data.

Since the perpetrator is yet unknown, nor the viability of the hacked information, officials say they will be closely monitoring Panna-211's movement for the next 6 months.

As many iconic endangered species continue to decline due to poaching, conservationists have increasingly begun turning to high-tech tools to aid in their protection. In wrong hands, however, the information could be immensely valuable to criminals with the opposite intention.

BlackBerry may have a deal

BlackBerry may have found a buyer in a consortium
led by Fairfax Financial, which has a letter of intent signed by BlackBerry
 to sell the company at $9 per share, or roughly $4.7 billion.

As reported by GigaOM: BlackBerry shares were halted on Monday afternoon for the second time within a week.

The company has signed a letter of intent to be purchased by a consortium that already owns stock equating to around 10 percent of BlackBerry. The potential buyer is “a consortium led by Fairfax Financial” according to the Wall Street Journal, with the deal valued at $4.7 billion.

Fairfax Financial will get six weeks for due diligence with an agreement expected on November 4, pending its review of the company, says The Globe and Mail.

The publication also reports that the consortium already has funding lined up for the deal. BlackBerry is still expected continue to re-focus efforts on the enterprise market instead of the consumer market where it never regained traction as iPhones and Android phones have grown sales at the expense of BlackBerry devices.

Google Glass for the Blind?

As reported by the Boston Business Journal: GPS navigation systems are increasingly being used to help blind people get around on the street, but what happens when blind individuals move into areas where GPS doesn't work?

This is the problem that Cambridge-based Draper Laboratory and Alabama-based Auburn University, are working to address in a project funded by the Federal Highway Administration.

The collaborators are building a prototype that can work indoors, and can also alert users to the presence of objects not found on maps, such as crowds and cars. The model will include technology that Draper Laboratory developed for soldiers and unmanned vehicles.

While the device will track the movements of the wearer while integrating data from GPS satellites, when indoors, it will use visual information from cameras, and wireless information from pedestrian signals in order to enhance safety and mobility. It is designed to be able to work in challenging unstructured environments such as MBTA stations, construction sites and event arenas.

Auburn and Draper are working with the National Federation of the Blind to ensure all of the visually impaired wearers’ needs will be addressed in their design. A prototype is expected to be ready in 2015 and is likely to take the form of an ankle bracelet with movement sensors and a small camera placed in a pair of glasses. Tactile vibrators will likely be used to provide directional guidance to users.

Similarly Google Glass is being used to help the visually impaired through the Dapper Vision's OpenGlass Project.  Harnessing the power of Google Glass’ built-in camera, the cloud, and the “hive-mind”, visually impaired users will be able to know what’s in front of them. The system consists of two components: Question-Answer sends pictures taken by the user and uploads them to Amazon’s Mechanical Turk and Twitter for the public to help identify, and Memento [Memento, allows people to record descriptions or commentary about a certain scene] takes video from Glass and uses image matching to identify objects from a database created with the help of seeing users. 

Information about what the Glass wearer “sees” is read aloud to the user via bone conduction speakers.