Engaget Summary (2023-05-19 07AM)

Source: Hyundai will pay $200 million after a TikTok challenge exposed a huge security flaw

Summary
Hyundai will pay up to $200 million to compensate nearly 9 million US owners of Hyundai and Kia cars, following a TikTok viral campaign, “Kia Challenge,” which exposed security vulnerabilities and led to theft of many cars. As part of the settlement, affected customers will receive refunds for out-of-pocket losses and costs related to the theft.

Fact

💰 Hyundai has agreed to pay a settlement worth up to $200 million to compensate roughly 9 million US Hyundai and Kia owners after a TikTok challenge exposed a huge security flaw.

🚙 The brands will pay up to $6,125 per owner for the total loss of a car and up to $3,375 for damage to the vehicle and any personal property across a range of the models released between 2011 and 2022.

🔒 The marques have already released firmware updates to improve theft prevention for models with the push-to-start button and will provide up to $300 towards anti-theft devices for other affected cars.

---

Source: ‘BlackBerry’ review: The comedy and tragedy of the innovator’s dilemma

Summary
The film “Blackberry”, directed by Matt Johnson, depicts the rise and fall of Research in Motion’s keyboard-equipped smartphone. The movie is a true tragedy that portrays the struggle of RIM’s co-CEOs, Mike Lazaridis, and Jim Balsillie, as they try to rule the mobile industry amidst the innovation of a more nimble newcomer, Apple’s iPhone.

Facts

📱 BlackBerry Messenger was a brilliant maneuver that made BlackBerry users even more loyal. BBM was not accessible on any other device, and it delivered free messaging to RIM’s customers at the time carriers charged 10 cents per SMS text.

💡Lazaridis is the genius protagonist behind the idea of a handheld keyboard-equipped pocket computer that is efficient enough to run on unused, low-bandwidth wireless signals.

🚫 Lazaridis’ early belief that the iPhone would fail was due to its high cost, lack of a physical keyboard, and the fact that it was built to gobble up mobile data, something RIM took pains to avoid.

💥 The iPhone arrived just as 3G networks were rolling out, which gave carriers more of an incentive to charge customers for data instead of cellular minutes. It promised to put the full power of the internet in your pocket and revolutionized the world of mobile phones.

---

Source: Google’s Nest Learning Thermostat is on sale for $144 right now

Summary
The Google Nest Learning Thermostat is on sale for $144 when you use the Wellbots discount code 55ENGDT at checkout. This smart home device can learn your temperature preferences and automatically adjust the settings to help you cut down on energy usage and lower power bills.

Fact

💰 The Google Nest Learning Thermostat is on sale for $144 with the Wellbots discount code 55ENGDT, saving you $105 overall.

🏠 The Nest Learning Thermostat can help you cut down on home energy usage and possibly lower your power bills.

📷 The Google Nest Camera with Floodlight is on sale for $155 (reg. $220) with the Wellbots discount code 65ENGDT. The camera uses on-board machine learning to recognize activity and subscribers will get up to 10 days of around-the-clock recording with Nest Aware Plus.

---