Released in 2011, the Link hub provided smartphone and tablet owners the ability to use these devices as universal remotes for thousands of devices. But users over at the Logitech forums say they've been receiving e-mails informing them these devices will be effectively bricked in the new year.

While this entire fracas was unfolding, several Reddit users discovered that the company was banning users from using the phrase "class action lawsuit," which unsurprisingly is only making frustrated Link owners more annoyed.

A whopping 42% of children ages 0-8 have their own tablet device, up from less than 1% in 2011, according to Common Sense Media's newest national "Media Use by Kids" census.

10% of kids age 8 or under own a "smart" toy that connects to the internet and 9% have a voice-activated virtual assistant device available to them in the home, such as an Amazon Echo or Google Home.

The FDA sent notice Tuesday that nearly half a million pacemakers from the health company Abbott (formerly St. Jude Medical) are vulnerable to being hacked and need a software update to protect them.

The FDA didn't immediately respond to a request for comment about whether any pacemakers have been hacked so far.

In fact, the only real question is whether $999 is the starting price, or maybe the middle model. (I hope Apple will at least have mercy and start the storage capacity on the baseline model at 64GB instead of just 32GB.)

I think the iPhone 8 -- or whatever it's called -- priced at $1,000 will sell briskly, and probably be hard to find for months. Far from hurting Apple and the iPhone brand, I think a new "luxury" iPhone will only enhance it.

The tsunami-sized trend to add intelligence with sensors and actuators and to connect devices, equipment and appliances to the internet poses safety, security and privacy risks.

90% of devices collected at least some information via the device
80% of devices, along with their cloud and mobile components, did not require a password complex enough
70% of devices, along with their cloud and mobile components, enabled an attacker to identify valid user accounts through enumeration
70% of devices used unencrypted network services
6 out of 10 devices that provided user interfaces were vulnerable to a range of weaknesses, such as persistent XSS1 and weak credentials

On Tuesday, August 8, smart locks manufacturer LockState botched an over-the-air firmware update for its WiFi enabled smart locks, causing the devices to lose connectivity to the vendor's servers and the ability to open doors for its users.

The company is asking customers to send in their affected locks so engineers could update the device with the proper software. LockState estimates that the total time to fix and return the product will be around 5 to 7 days.

Electric car company Tesla has shown a willingness to break from automotive legacy, and it moves even further away with the Model 3, where owners will rely on their smartphones to access and start the car. Unlike most current cars, and even Tesla's own Model S and Model X, Model 3 owners won't need to carry a key fob in their pockets.

As a back-up, or for valet access, each Model 3 will come with a couple of NFC cards, which can also unlock and start-up the car. The cards will unlock the door with a tap on the B pillar, and start up the car with another tap between the front seats.

While it may seem like the information that a Roomba could gather is minimal, there’s a lot to be gleaned from the maps it’s constantly updating. It knows the floor plan of your home, the basic shape of everything on your floor, what areas require the most maintenance, and how often you require cleaning cycles, along with many other data points.

This is all part of the larger quest for a few major companies to hoover up every bit of data about you that they can. Now, they want to know all about your living space.

The lack of security on those internet connected toys is so pervasive that the FBI provided detailed advice for taking steps that might help with security, such as using strong passwords. The most important piece of advice from the FBI, however, is to make sure the devices are turned off when they’re not actually being used, and when they are being used, to keep an eye on what’s happening through the app associated with the device.

Unfortunately, there’s little or no indication that there’s any serious effort on the part of device makers to secure their products.

"The proposed rules' ambitious enforcement date is not possible to meet, and if unchanged would lead to a widespread disruption of the product portfolio of most automakers operating in China. At a minimum, the mandate needs to be delayed a year and include additional flexibilities," the letter said.

They said banning carmakers who fail to meet the quotas from importing and producing non-NEV vehicles would be an unprecedented step which would lead to significant disruptions and dislocations within the Chinese and global automotive industries.

"This preference for domestic automakers over import automakers undermines the environmental goals of the regulation, puts imports at a competitive disadvantage, and risks opening China up to international trade disputes," the letter said.