BGR Daily Breaking Stories

Daily Headlines WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 14, 2015

How to give your Android phone a huge visual upgrade without Lollipop Still waiting patiently for Android 5.0 Lollipop to make its way to your device of choice? Depending on what you own, it could be months before you receive the update, but here’s one easy way to give your phone a makeover while you wait. This week, Google gave the Google Now Launcher a visual overhaul to bring it up to speed with the look of Lollipop.  MORE → Apple finally files a lawsuit against a company other than Samsung Apple and Samsung’s long, drawn-out patent battle was the talk of tech for several years, and now things have finally begun to die down since both companies realized the legal costs of the suits far outweighed the benefits. Apple isn’t quite done with patent-related court battles, however, and on Wednesday it filed a new lawsuit in the U.S. District Court of Northern District of California. But this time, Samsung isn’t the target of Apple’s suit.  MORE → Video: Nancy Grace gets humiliated by 2 Chainz in a debate on legalizing pot No one will ever accuse rapper 2 Chainz of being a presidential-level debater. That said, he didn’t have to be when he went up against Nancy Grace in a debate on legalizing pot this week because Grace did just about the worst job advocating against pot legalization that we’ve ever seen. And yes, her arguments were so bad that we have a hard time really believing she once had a successful career as a prosecutor.  MORE → Stop freaking out about Apple killing GoPro cameras GoPro shares fell dramatically on Tuesday, apparently following news that Apple has been granted a patent that largely describes a sports camera system that’s similar to the very popular GoPro cameras. While investors were apparently quick to sell GoPro shares on the news that Apple is thinking about such technology, chances are the iPhone maker won’t kill GoPro anytime soon.  MORE → Google won’t fix a security issue that affects 1 billion Android devices Whenever asked about security and malware in Android, Google always explains how it keeps updating the security of its mobile operating system to make sure users are safe, while simultaneously minimizing the risks. Even so, millions of Android users are affected by malware, and security researchers have just discovered a serious issue that might affect as many as 1 billion devices — and Google isn’t willing to fix it. Or at least, not by itself.  MORE → Why your Apple ID isn’t as safe as Apple says it is In early September last year, just before Apple launched its new iPhones and iOS operating system, the company was hit by a huge data breach scandal — naked pictures of many celebrities stolen directly from their iCloud photos appeared online — even though iTunes itself was not cracked by hackers, who employed other means to get access to those accounts. Apple still felt like it had to explain its stance on privacy and security in the days and weeks that followed. The company assured users their data is safe from hackers and spy agencies, further urging them to use the improved two-factor authentication features for their Apple IDs.  MORE → What it’s like to ride in a 3D-printed car As always, there was a huge focus on motor vehicle innovations at CES this year, from hydrogen fuel cells to dashboard operating systems. But here’s one thing you probably didn’t see: a 3D-printed car. Chris Ziegler at The Verge had a chance to ride around in the Local Motors Strati at the North American International Auto Show this week and found that a 3D-printed vehicle shares a surprising   MORE → Watch a 20-something Matthew McConaughey audition for his breakout role in Dazed and Confused 20 years before he won his first Academy Award for Best Actor, Matthew McConaughey had his breakout role playing David Wooderson, a somewhat creepy 20-something guy who still loved hanging out with high schoolers in the film Dazed and Confused. Now a new video of the young McConaughey auditioning for the film has surfaced and it really shows how he had the role nailed pretty much from the start.  MORE → Forza Motorsport 6 is officially coming to Xbox One Fans of racing games, rejoice! On Monday, at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Microsoft and Turn 10 Studios announced that Forza Motorsport 6 is officially in development and will be arriving exclusively on Xbox One. Forza 6 will be the third game in the series to land on the new console, following Forza Motorsport 5 and our game of the year for 2014, Forza Horizon 2.  MORE → How to set up a VPN – and why you should, if you care about privacy If we learned anything in 2014, it’s the simple but painful truth that here in the digital age, we are not safe. Nefarious hackers are lurking around every virtual corner of the Internet, constantly developing new ways to attack us and steal our private data. Many times, these hackers target the large companies that store our data and as troubling as it is, there is simply nothing we can do to safeguard information that is held by third parties. Instead, we must rely on these companies to take the necessary measures to protect our data. When it comes to our own data and our personal browsing habits, there are measures we all can and should take to protect ourselves.  MORE →

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