ourlovecanlastforeve shares a report from The Register, where Chris Mellor takes a look at Seagate’s recently launched “SkyHawk” and “SkyHawk AI” HDDs. After closer inspection, Mellor concludes that the “AI” variant has a more buzz-worthy name and “slightly higher numbers on the specs” than its “SkyHawk” brethren. From the report: Seagate has bolted “AI” to its SkyHawk disk drive brand, saying it’s better suited for next-generation deep learning and video analytics. The marketing department breathlessly describes it as “the first drive created specifically for artificial intelligence (AI) enabled video surveillance solutions.” Sai Varanasi, VP product line management, burbled in the same fashion: “We are excited to introduce smart, purpose-built SkyHawk AI solutions that expand the design space for our customers and partners, allowing them to implement next-generation deep learning and video analytics applications.” How so? Seagate says the new drive’s “high throughput and enhanced caching deliver low latency and excellent random read performance to quickly locate and deliver video images and footage analysis.” Both SkyHawk and SkyHawk AI have a 256MB cache buffer and 4.16ms average latency. Where it does differ from SkyHawk is having a higher 550TB/year workload and 2 million hours mean-time-before-failure rating, compared to 180TB/year and a million hours. It’s been given a five-year limited warranty and a two-year Seagate Rescue Services contract is included with the drive. In other words the SkyHawk AI is more robust than the standard SkyHawk and transfers data 1.9 per cent faster. Otherwise it seems identical.

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Source: Slashdot – Seagate’s New ‘SkyHawk AI’ Disk Drive Is Just a Slightly Higher Speced Version of Its Predecessor

An anonymous reader writes from a report via Techdirt that claims the company has “chosen to proclaim its willingness to hack into its own customers’ devices if the government asks.” From the report: From a Forbes article: “[CEO John] Chen, speaking at a press Q&A during the BlackBerry Security Summit in London on Tuesday, claimed that it wasn’t so simple for BlackBerry to crack its own protections. ‘Only when the government gives us a court order we will start tracking it. Then the question is: how good is the encryption? ‘Today’s encryption has got to the point where it’s rather difficult, even for ourselves, to break it, to break our own encryption… it’s not an easily breakable thing. We will only attempt to do that if we have the right court order. The fact that we will honor the court order doesn’t imply we could actually get it done.'”

Oddly, this came coupled with Chen’s assertions its user protections were better than Apple’s and its version of the Android operating system more secure than the one offered by competitors. This proactive hacking offer may be pointed to in the future by DOJ and FBI officials as evidence Apple, et al aren’t doing nearly enough to cooperate with U.S. law enforcement. Of course, Chen’s willingness to try doesn’t guarantee the company will be able to decrypt communications of certain users. Blackberry may be opening up to law enforcement but it won’t be sharing anything more with its remaining users. From the Forbes article: “Chen also said there were no plans for a transparency report that would reveal more about the company’s work with government. ‘No one has really asked us for it. We don’t really have a policy on whether we will do it or not. Just like every major technology company that deals with telecoms, we obviously have quite a number of requests around the world.'”

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Source: Slashdot – BlackBerry CEO Promises To Try To Break Customers’ Encryption If the US Government Asks Him To

According to a leaked advertisement, GameStop is rolling out a used game rental subscription service. Subscribers will be able to pick any used game, play it, return it and get another as often as they like. The service will reportedly cost $60 for six months, and players get to keep the last game they borrow. Polygon reports: The advertisement was first seen at ResetEra, the new gaming forum. It appears to be from the newest issue of Game Informer (which is published by GameStop). The “Power Pass” subscription lasts six months and costs $60, according to the advertisement. Sign ups will begin on Nov. 19. The fine print says the Power Pass must be activated by Jan. 31, 2018, possibly hinting at when this service will go live. The subscription requires that the user be a PowerUp Rewards member, and the offer will be available only to the used game catalog in a store (i.e. physical discs), not from GameStop’s online library. The PowerUp Rewards requirement apparently is there to help GameStop track the game currently in a user’s possession.

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Source: Slashdot – GameStop Is Launching An Unlimited Used Game Rental Subscription, Says Report