Tech Digest daily round up: AirCar completes 35 minute flight
A prototype flying car has completed a 35-minute flight between international airports in Nitra and Bratislava, Slovakia. The hybrid car-aircraft, AirCar, is equipped with a BMW engine and runs on regular petrol-pump fuel. Its creator, Prof Stefan Klein, said it could fly about 1,000km (600 miles), at a height of 8,200ft (2,500m), and had clocked up 40 hours in the air so far. It takes two minutes and 15 seconds to transform from car into aircraft. The narrow wings fold down along the sides of the car. Prof Klein drove it straight off the runway and into town upon arrival, watched by invited reporters. He described the experience, early on Monday morning, as “normal” and “very pleasant”. In the air, the vehicle reached a cruising speed of 170km/h. It can carry two people, with a combined weight limit of 200kg (31 stone). But unlike drone-taxi prototypes, it cannot take off and land vertically and requires a runway. BBC
Dark web brokers are attempting to sell the data of 700 million users of the professional social network LinkedIn. Hackers have put up for sale the user data of millions of accounts from the Microsoft owned-site, including email addresses, locations, phone numbers and even estimated salaries. A report from security researchers Restore Privacy found a listing from hackers offering account details on up to one million LinkedIn users. The hacker claimed to have data of up to 700 million accounts, 93pc of all LinkedIn users. The sample examined by Restore Privacy was found to be genuine, it said. Restore Privacy said in a blog post: “While we did not find login credentials or financial data in the samples we examined, there is still a treasure trove of information for bad actors to exploit for financial gain.” Telegraph
The best smart speakers are a great way to listen to your favourite music and audio books for adults and children alike, but with no parental controls built-in, there’s a worry that kids could stumble on something inappropriate. Amazon is hoping to make this a thing of the past, however, by bringing its extremely cute Echo Dot Kids smart speaker to the UK. Available in a Tiger or Panda design, this child-friendly version of Amazon’s smallest smart speaker comes with a year’s subscription to Amazon Kids+, which offers unlimited access to a range of suitable audio books, radio stations and skills and games. The new Echo Dot Kids price is £59.99 and it’s available to pre-order today, ahead of going on sale on July 21. Tech Radar
Google UK is to require financial services to verify their identity with the regulator before advertising on the platform as part of its efforts to fight online fraud. The firm said the new requirement would take effect from September 6 and help prevent scammers from exploiting its platforms. Advertisers must successfully complete the updated verification process by the time enforcement begins in order to show financial services ads to UK users. Financial services advertisers will be required to demonstrate that they are authorised by the UK Financial Conduct Authority. Yahoo!
Apple today announced a new set of Apple Watch Sport Loop bands with colors representative of 22 countries around the world, alongside custom Apple Watch faces for each of those countries. The full list of the countries represented within Apple’s new “Limited Edition International Collection” includes Great Britain, US, Brazil, Australia and most European countries. All of the bands retail for $49.99, each with the normal “soft, breathable, and lightweight” design of the Apple Watch Sport Loop band. Each band is also accompanied by a custom Stripes Apple Watch face with the colors of the country’s flag. The new bands are available for purchase and order on Apple’s website starting today. Mac Rumors
