Square to Make First-Ever Hardware Wallet for Bitcoin

Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey's Square, Inc., an American financial services and digital payments company, in a recent tweet, has confirmed that it will make a hardware wallet exclusively for Bitcoin. This tweet was made shortly before U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren flagged growing risks posed to the financial markets and its consumers by the ever-volatile cryptocurrency market.

Square has said that Bitcoin wallets can be stored offline or online at any cryptocurrency exchanges, venues where they can be bought and sold for traditional currencies or other virtual coins without any risk. With a non-custodial wallet, the users have sole control of their private keys, which control their access to a cryptocurrency wallet and prove the funds are theirs. Besides, the custodial wallet is a web-based exchange wallet.

This move by Square to build a robust hardware wallet and service will make Bitcoin custody more mainstream. Most importantly, it will serve a growing need to protect their users' digital assets from online theft. This effort will surely help lay the groundwork for legislation to regulate the advanced and fast-growing cryptocurrency market securely

 

Qualcomm’s new smartphone has created a huge noise in the gaming community

Qualcomm, a popular name in the gaming circuit, has finally launched a smartphone called “Smartphone for Snapdragon Insiders.” The gaming community was speculating the latest launch months before, and they are very excited about the company’s entry into smartphone manufacturing. The new gaming phone will serve as a “thank you” to the community. The phone’s specs look interesting with 16 GB of RAM, 144Hz AMOLED display, and Snapdragon 888 chip. The latest smartphone is highly customized, and people who are adept at their smartphone features will understand the value of the latest offering.

The company made use of its high-end processor. However, it is surprising to note that it did not choose the Snapdragon 888 Plus, which was launched recently. Statement from Qualcomm shows that the development work for the new smartphone had begun last year, so adding the latest processor was not an option. The new processor is better in terms of graphic quality, and it is just a little above the chip used in the new smartphone. The new phone from Qualcomm costs around $1,499, and there is just one variant with 512 GB storage and 16GB RAM. The phone will be available in countries like the US, UK, Korea, Germany, China, and Japan from August, and other regions will get it after the first wave launch.

 

Janet Petro Appointed as Director of Kennedy Space Center

NASA administrator Bill Nelson in a recent press meet, has announced that Janet Petro will be replacing Bob Cabana as the new director of the Kennedy Space Center, making her the first-ever woman to lead the center. Petro previously served as the deputy director of Kennedy since 2007, before being named acting director in May.

Petro first began her professional career as a commissioned officer in the U.S. Army. She holds a Bachelor of Science in engineering degree from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York. She was in the second class of West Point graduates to include women. Petro also holds a Master of Science in business administration from Boston University's Metropolitan College.

"It's an honor to be selected to lead Kennedy Space Center. Having grown up on Florida's Space Coast and being the second generation in my family to work at Kennedy Space Center, it's exhilarating to help grow the multi-user spaceport as we prepare for Artemis and continue launching commercial crew missions to the International Space Station," Janet Petro said.

 

 

House Panel Approves DHS Bill and allots Funding for Cybersecurity

The Committee in the House has now approved a bill to fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) through the related subcommittee with $2.42 billion for the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. As the cybersecurity threats are increasing, the country is facing many changes; the missions and investments of the Department of Homeland Security are to adapt and respond quickly. This bill will be making historic investments in cyber and infrastructure security.

The bill will include funding to deal with contentious immigration issues and other things such as defending the US against Russian aggression in the Arctic, making $52.81 billion available to the DHS in discretionary funding. It is reported that a total of $934 million more than for 2021 will be available. Roughly a third of that increase—$397.4 will boost CISA, DHS's newest agency.

The Committee members of the House have stated that they are thrilled that the Appropriations Committee is allocating a sum of $2.42 billion for CISA, which is the nation's premier cybersecurity agency, in line with the Solarium Commission's recommendation. The bill investments will prevent cyberattacks and root out cyber intrusions.

 

Metro by T-Mobile to Offer Insurance for BYOD Phones

In a recent press meet, Metro by T-Mobile announced that customers who bring their own device get insured for their eligible phones or tablets in July. Yes, you heard that right – customers can get device protection insurance even if they did not initially buy their device from Metro by T-Mobile.

The company has stated that this offer will be valid from July 1^st to 31^st; both existing Metro customers and those with Metro devices who did not register in device protection can get device protection in Metro stores. The customers can choose from more protection options than ever before, including T-Mobile's Premium Service Bundle. In addition, all customers will have up to 30 days from a device's activation to enroll in protection — giving you more time to decide what plan works best.

With Metro by T-Mobile's affordable choices for BYOD, insurance customers are happy knowing their favorite devices will be protected. The all-new BYOD Premium Service Bundle providesservices such as McAfee Mobile Security, Scam Shield Premium, Unlimited Directory Assistance, and device protection for $16 a month added to your Metro by T-Mobile plan cost.