Japan's Robot Hotel Opens Its (Automatic) Doors

When the reception desk is staffed by a robot dinosaur, the chances of a room upgrade are going to be fairly slim.

That hasn't stopped the first guests checking in to what's billed as the world's first robot hotel.

The five-star Japanese Henn-na Hotel -- a name that translates as Strange Hotel -- this week opened its doors to bemused visitors to Huis Ten Bosch, a theme park in Nagasaki Prefecture.

Humanoid robots greet Japanese-speaking guests at reception, while English-speaking guests are met, for reasons that aren't exactly clear, by a robotic dinosaur.

The robots are said to be able to engage in intelligent conversations.

More functional droids are on hand to cart luggage to the hotel's 72 rooms, staff luggage lockers and clean.

Tipping, thankfully, does not compute.

The hotel is currently in its first phase. A second stage is due to be completed in 2016 adding an additional 72 rooms.

High-tech features keep prices low

5 photos: Bleep blorp: New Japanese hotel to be staffed by robots

When the hotel was first announced, Huis Ten Bosch President Hideo Sawada said he hoped robots would eventually run 90% of the property.

"In the future, we're hoping to build 1,000 similar hotels around the world," he said, according to Japan's Nikkei News.

Other features will help make Henn-na the most futuristic low-cost hotel in the industry, according to the company.

Guestroom doors are accessed by facial-recognition technology.

Amenities provided in rooms will be kept minimal. Guests can request items through a tablet when needed.

Instead of air-conditioning, a radiation panel will detect body heat in rooms and adjust the temperature.

Solar power and other energy-saving features will be used to reduce operating costs.

Bid for your room

Room rates will vary depending on demand.

Instead of being presented with a fixed price, guests will bid for rooms during peak season. The highest bidders will secure rooms, though there will be a price cap on bidding.

The hotel says room fees at opening will be from JPY7,000 ($60) for a single room to JPY18,000 ($153), the highest possible price after bidding, for a triple room.

Superior and deluxe rooms will cost more.

Guests can already reserve rooms online through the hotel's website.

link: http://edition.cnn.com/2015/07/17/travel/japan-hotel-robot-opens/index.html

Porn App Secretly Takes Your Picture

The cybersecurity firm Zscaler just discovered that this Android app, called "Adult Player," is actually just malware in disguise.

It's easy to avoid, though. Adult Player can only be downloaded from illegitimate websites. If you follow a basic safety rule you're safe: Only download apps from the official Google Play store.

This is the latest case of something called "ransomware." That's a type of malicious software that hijacks your computer or smart device, then demands payment to unlock it.

People who download Adult Player will have their smartphone locked. But what makes this one different is that it takes control of the selfie camera and takes your picture. Then it displays your photo along with the message demanding a ransom. The alert is disguised to look like a message from the FBI.

Zscaler can only identify a dozen people who have been infected -- a tiny number. But the way this malware snaps your photo and demands a ransom shows how these cyberattacks are getting more personal -- and disturbing.

Even when the device is restarted, this ransomware keeps control over the device with the image of the ransom message staying locked on the screen.

The ransomware requests that the payment be made via PayPal "My Cash" gift card and promises to unblock the phone and decrypt the images within 24 hours of receiving the payment.

Zscaler said Adult Player is likely a more malicious variant of a ransomware app the same cybersecurity firm discovered earlier this year called "Porn Droid."

To regain control of your device, Zscalser recommends rebooting in "safe mode," and then clicking on "settings," then "security," then "device administrator," and then deactivating the "Adult Player" app. From there, you must go to "settings," then "apps" and uninstall "Adult Player."

The proposed fixed should permanently free the victim's device from the blackmailers, unless the user downloads another version of the app.

source: http://money.cnn.com/2015/09/08/technology/porn-app-adult-player/index.html