Developages - Development and Technology Blog

Schlage LiNK is a system of locks and deadbolts that use Z-Wave technology for locking and unlocking. Through the use of the internet on either the computer or the phone, home owners could access the locks and command them using a 4-digit access code. To ensure that the code won’t get stolen, a Secure Socket Layer commonly used by the banking industry is in place. The lock itself is embedded with an 11-digit keypad that’s used to change the access code.

The Schlage LiNK system allows the owners to set access codes for specific days and specific times of the day. It also presents users with stats and sends them emails or text messages when certain access codes are utilized. The Z-Wave Bridge device that provides the wireless connection necessary to access the lock can be plugged into an Ethernet port. The Schlage LiNK Starter Kit costs $299 and requires a $12.99 per month subscription fee for the service.

Original post by Mariella Moon

FEMA just can’t catch a break. A hacker broke into the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s voicemail system in Emmitsburg, Md last weekend, using the organization’s phones to make more than 400 calls to the Middle East and Asia, racking up nearly $12,000 in charges.

“In this case it’s sort of embarrassing that it happened to FEMA themselves — FEMA being a child of DHS [Department of Homeland Security], with calls going to the Middle East,” security consultant Jack Johnson told AP.

The hacker used an old hacking method to tap into the organization’s recently installed phone system. Calls were made to a number of countries, including, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia, India, and Yemen. Most of the calls lasted around three minutes a piece.

Original post by Brian Heater

Filed under: Gaming, Peripherals, Portable Audio

Be honest, you were terrified that Turtle Beach would leave the awesomely titled Ear Force series sitting in lurk at X3, weren’t you? Thankfully, that’s not the case at all, as the Ear Force X4 wireless headphones have just been revealed. Designed with Xbox 360 gamers in mind, this headset / headphone combo promises to provide Dolby 5.1 surround sound out of just two earcups (we’re still checking on the velvet-lined part), and more importantly, the Chat Boost Dynamic Talkback Expander “automatically adjusts incoming XBOX Live chat levels during loud game moments” to keep you from going deaf when NewbX1337 gets all whiny on you. Can’t say we’re thrilled by the $199.95 price tag, but these are available now for those who are.

[Via IGN]

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Media PCs, Peripherals, Portable Audio

Earlier this month, ASUS introduced the “world’s first HDMI 1.3a compliant audio / video enhancement combo card.” Who knew numero dos was so close behind? Auzentech has just announced its very own HDMI 1.3-native PCIe audio combo card, which is built around Creative’s X-Fi processor and enables PC users to easily output 7.1-channel audio with no downsampling. Essentially, the Auzen X-Fi HomeTheater 7.1 “accepts video from either an internal or external connection, mixes it with digital audio, and outputs the combined video and lossless multichannel audio via a single HDMI 1.3 port.” Yep, that means Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio codecs are fully supported. The only digs? For one, pricing remains a mystery, but the real kicker is the September release — talk about a long wait.

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Original post by Darren Murph