By Kelly Faircloth 2/28 11:15am

Hack Hack Hack Hack It Apart

It's like they're trolling George Orwell. (Photo: screencap, Russia Today)

Malware Has Speed Cameras in Moscow All Effed Up

How’s that brave new world  of connected devices faring so far? It’s going just great if you’re a Russian who drives like a bat out of hell, because some sort of malware infection has got Moscow’s network of speed cameras all screwed up. Welcome to the autobahn, baby!

The report comes from Russia’s Izvestia, via The Register. The city has an extensive system of cameras designed to catch offenders in the act and mail them tickets. It’s supposed to net something like $3.2 million in fines every month, which no doubt buys a whole lot of umbrellas for the meter maids. Read More

By Nitasha Tiku 12/10/12 9:15am

Mr. Roboto

Screen shot 2012-12-10 at 8.23.17 AM

An App Store for Your Roomba? Look Up in The Cloud, It’s the Future of Personal Robotics

When Betabeat first met Russian tycoon Dmitry Grishin in June, the CEO of Mail.ru was arguing that personal robotics companies needed to put the same emphasis on customers and user experience as their consumer Internet counterparts.

Today, Grishin Robotics, his New York City-based venture capital firm, has made an investment that could mean a step in that direction: $250,000 in funding for RobotAppStore, which bills itself as the first-ever marketplace for apps that “extend the functionality of any types of robot–from Roomba vacuum cleaners and NAO humanoids to the AR.Drone quadcopter and Sphero (the robotic ball).” Read More