Security

Invented by siblings Joe and Christine Edell, the AirLock is both a tire pump and a cable lock.

​More and more, we're seeing bike locks that open not with a key or combination, but with a fingerprint or Bluetooth signal. Almost all of those, however, are U-locks. What if you prefer the more compact form factor and wider reach of a folding lock? Well, that's where the ZiiLock comes in.

​Although U-locks are generally considered to be the most secure type of bike lock, the fact is that a portable angle grinder can typically cut through their shackle in a matter of seconds. Washington, DC-based Altor Locks has set out to address that problem, with its big n' beefy SAF Lock.

AddArmor has wrapped an Audi RS7 with its special in-house paneling and ballistic glass to produce what it says is the fastest armored car in the world, with plenty of other tricks up its sleeve to stave off attacks.​​

​Although biometric face-recognition security tech is now becoming quite common on devices such as smartphones, it does still require a lot of processing power. In the not-too-distant future, however, the same purpose could be served by an integrated piece of analog glass.

​If you're managing security at an outdoor event, then it's important that you know where all of your staff are. A system developed at Germany's Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Information Technology is designed to let users do just that, and it doesn't require a mobile phone network.

Mimic Go might look like a bubbly, chubby-version of a tracking tag (which it is) but that's only one of the tricks it has up its red, plastic sleeve. The Mimic Go can help prevent things from going missing in the first place. And light up your ride.

Web forum OGUsers, popular with individuals who seek to access other people's online accounts, has itself been hacked, exposing the details and messages of some 113,000 users.

Smartphones and smartwatches for kids aren't exactly new, but China-based Abardeen has done things a little differently. The company has taken a modular approach with its latest offering – launched this week on Kickstarter – bringing considerable flexibility to the kids phone/watch space.

​WhatsApp is urging users everywhere to update their apps after the discovery of a major vulnerability that lets attackers read messages on targeted devices. A fix was released Friday.

​It's always a risk, leaving detachable lights on a bike that's parked in a public place. It can also be a hassle to carry them with you, though. A group of North Carolina-based entrepreneurs has developed an alternative, in the form of lights that are attached to a bike-mounted U-lock.

Already deployed in over 50 stores around Japan, the VaakEye system constantly monitors security camera footage, detects suspicious activities and alerts staff, who can instantly review the footage and act on it. And the company is getting ready to launch Amazon-style auto-checkout as well.