discovered – Earlybirds Invest https://earlybirdsinvest.com Latest Crypto News Sat, 12 Apr 2025 13:03:12 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.7 https://i0.wp.com/earlybirdsinvest.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/cropped-New-Project-2024-12-17T235703.455.png?fit=32%2C32&ssl=1 discovered – Earlybirds Invest https://earlybirdsinvest.com 32 32 240146708 I just discovered how useless Android’s answer to Apple Health is https://earlybirdsinvest.com/i-just-discovered-how-useless-androids-answer-to-apple-health-is/ https://earlybirdsinvest.com/i-just-discovered-how-useless-androids-answer-to-apple-health-is/#respond Sat, 12 Apr 2025 13:03:12 +0000 https://earlybirdsinvest.com/i-just-discovered-how-useless-androids-answer-to-apple-health-is/
android health connect

Rita El Khoury / Android Authority

When Google introduced Health Connect to the Android platform with Android 14, I thought it was a genius way to bridge the gap between multiple fitness and health platforms. I’ve had a Fitbit since the original Fitbit One in 2012, so most of my data lives on the platform, but Fitbit doesn’t track everything. My hikes are in AllTrails, my blood pressure is in Google Fit, and I wear an Oura Ring 4 that gives me more detailed sleep and wellness tracking than my current Pixel Watch 3 provides. Health Connect promised to bring all of that data together into Fitbit and all of my Fitbit data into those other apps so I can have a holistic view of my health.

And in reality, it does all of that. But little did I realize that it only does it momentarily, on one phone.

I had always set up all my apps and Health Connect links on every phone I got, so my data always showed properly, and I never gave it a second thought. Health Connect was billed as Android’s answer to Apple Health, a way for Google to solve the fragmentation of health apps across its ecosystem, so I had made the assumption that it carried across all devices like Apple Health. But I recently bought a Walking Pad A1 Pro to be more active while working at my desk and decided to use my Pixel Tablet as my dashboard for the treadmill, and that’s where things went south and I discovered this silly, silly limitation. And my rosy-tinted view of Health Connect shattered.

Do you use Health Connect to link up your fitness and health apps together?

0 votes

From “Yay, Health Connect!” to “Oh, oh, no, that can’t be right?!”

ks fit dashboard on pixel tablet

Rita El Khoury / Android Authority

The Walking Pad A1 Pro ($599 on Amazon) originally appealed to me because it’s a folding, low-footprint treadmill that I can deploy when needed and stash away when I’m done. The fact that its companion app, KS Fit, supports Health Connect was a huge bonus, too. So I made the plunge, paid the discounted €419 price (it’s cheaper in France than in the US), and waited for my huge package to be delivered.

When I got the treadmill, the first thing I tried was to see if my Pixel Watch 3 would detect any steps while my hands were raised and relatively staying still at my desk. The answer was an obvious big fat no. At best, it counted one out of a hundred or more steps. I love exercising, but I’m a sucker for the positive reinforcement of good metrics and stats. I can’t walk 10,000 steps a day and then look at my Pixel Watch or my Fitbit app and see a silly low number. I need that dopamine rush. Plus, how would I know if I’m improving, pushing myself harder, or struggling to regain form?

So I installed KS Fit on my phone, signed in, and realized that the app needs to remain running while I’m on the treadmill. Which, if you’re following my logic, would be several hours a day since I’m walking while working. That would be too detrimental to my phone’s battery life. So I decided to install KS Fit on my Pixel Tablet, which also sits at my desk, always charged on its dock, screen ready, and just basically begging to become a dashboard for my health journey.

Health Connect only syncs my treadmill walks to Fitbit on my tablet, and that data doesn’t carry over to Fitbit on my phone.

I thought I’d send my KS Fit data to Health Connect on my Pixel Tablet and then catch it on my phone to see it all in my Fitbit app. Oh, how naive.

Obviously, that didn’t happen. KS Fit was bringing the data in, but there was nothing to grab it. So I thought, “Alright, I’ll have to make the link between these services on the same device,” so I installed Fitbit on my tablet to sync up with Health Connect and then thought that’d send the data everywhere I have Fitbit installed. Oh, how naive — again.

fitbit ks fit health connect difference 1

Rita El Khoury / Android Authority

Health Connect synced my KS Fit data to my Fitbit app on my Pixel Tablet. Just my Pixel Tablet. I kept opening and refreshing Fitbit on my phone, waiting for the data to show up there, and nada. It was incredibly upsetting to see just 600 steps taken on my phone when I knew I’d just polished 10,000 steps on my treadmill. After a few refreshes, it dawned on me. Could it be? Really? Is Health Connect per device? Does it not carry over?

I had assumed that data synced to Health Connect was retained by the apps that receive the data and by Health Connect itself. I was wrong on both accounts.

No, no carryover. Google’s support page explains that:

Your data is stored locally, on your device, and you’re in control of which apps have access to your data on Health Connect and what kind of data is shared with your connected apps.

Also,

Once access is granted, the connected app can access data from the last 30 days and any new data written after that.

So, you’re telling me that for the past few years, I’ve been syncing my AllTrails hikes, Oura data, and Google Fit metrics to Fitbit for no particular reason? None of that synced data is retained by Fitbit? And if I install Fitbit on a new phone and don’t log into these apps and connect them together in Health Connect, I don’t see any of that data? And if I do, I just get 30 days back, not the two past years’ worth of syncing?

Health Connect privileges privacy over convenience

android health connect app permissions

Rita El Khoury / Android Authority

I’m quite baffled by this discovery, honestly. I had incorrectly assumed that Health Connect carries over devices and that data synced to it was retained a) by the apps that receive that data and b) by Health Connect itself. I thought that the exercises and metrics I was syncing from my other apps to Fitbit would be retained by the latter so I could see them everywhere I use Fitbit. I thought that if I stopped using AllTrails, for example, and moved to Komoot or some other outdoors tracking app, I’d still have my AllTrails data in Health Connect, linked to my Google account.

Unlike Apple Health, Android’s Health Connect is just a momentary, local, on-device link between two apps.

But no. Health Connect doesn’t work like Apple Health. It’s not a central repository for all your health and fitness details that retains data synced with it. It’s just a momentary, local, on-device link between two apps. Not more, not less. Google says this is done for privacy reasons, and I think that’s commendable for those who want to give away their health data. But hear me out: If I’m agreeing to share my exercises and health metrics, if I’m consenting to let Fitbit see my Oura, AllTrails, Google Fit, and KS Fit data, then why can’t I let it keep a trace of those details? Why create a half-baked solution that serves on the spot but doesn’t have any long-term value?

fitbit ks fit health connect difference 3

Rita El Khoury / Android Authority

Now, I find myself in a conundrum. Yesterday, I walked 12,000 steps normally, plus 7,000 more on my Walking Pad. Fitbit on my Pixel Tablet tells me I walked 19,000 steps; Fitbit on my Pixel 9 Pro says it’s just 12,000 steps.

The everyday difference is so remarkable between the two that it’s skewing my Fitbit averages between my phone and tablet. The former says I’m averaging around 6,500 steps per day this week, the latter has a more impressive average of nearly 15,000 steps. It’s so discouraging to open up Fitbit on my phone and see these low numbers when I know I’ve been putting in the effort.

fitbit ks fit health connect difference 2

Rita El Khoury / Android Authority

KS Fit is silly enough that it won’t let me sign into two devices at the same time (price of low-effort Chinese-made software), so I can only run it on my tablet. I can sync all my nice step counts to Fitbit on my Pixel Tablet daily, but every few weeks, I’ll have to temporarily log into the app on my phone, let Health Connect sync up, and then disconnect and return my KS Fit account to my tablet. That’s the only way I can keep an eye on all my stats on my phone. Ridiculous. And even then, any phone upgrade I do will lose me all that data. More ridiculous.

I’d love for Google to find a solution to this. Maybe those who want to and who understand the privacy implications can connect or back up their Health Connect data to their Google account (or use Google Fit, which is pretty much forgotten at this point) to act as a central repository of all health and fitness data. That way, we have one place to check, no matter the phone or the apps installed, to get an overall view of our exercises, sleep, body metrics, and more. No need to install all apps, no loss of data when you start over and can only sync 30 days’ worth, no fussing when moving phones or using a tablet as a secondary device. That’d be ideal.

]]> https://earlybirdsinvest.com/i-just-discovered-how-useless-androids-answer-to-apple-health-is/feed/ 0 30418 GlassNode discovered that XRP is the top pick for retailers https://earlybirdsinvest.com/glassnode-discovered-that-xrp-is-the-top-pick-for-retailers/ https://earlybirdsinvest.com/glassnode-discovered-that-xrp-is-the-top-pick-for-retailers/#respond Fri, 04 Apr 2025 01:30:59 +0000 https://earlybirdsinvest.com/glassnode-discovered-that-xrp-is-the-top-pick-for-retailers/

Reasons to trust

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Created by industry experts and meticulously reviewed

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The soccer price for the Lion and Player is soft. I hate each of the arcu lorem, ultricy kids, or ullamcorper football.

This article is also available in Spanish.

GlassNode, on-chain data analytics firm, has identified interesting changes in retail investors’ preferences and has put XRP in the spotlight as the focus of speculative interest. Findings from GlassNode’s newly published report entitled “Rippling Away” reveal that while Bitcoin market measures are approaching a bear zone, XRP is seeing a pronounced influx of momentum and user activity.

According to a GlassNode report, Bitcoin consolidates the price range from $76,000 to $87,000. Indicators such as realized profit/loss ratios indicate “signs of short-term seller fatigue still persistent bullish momentum updates.”

Furthermore, the long-term on-chain “death cross” suggests that current weaknesses in the market could last for some time. “The supply of losses remains rising at 4.7m BTC,” the report said, highlighting the depth of investor stress. These conditions draw the picture, as GlassNode points out, “deepen the bearish terms” for major cryptocurrencies.

XRP flocks to retail

In contrast to Bitcoin’s attention signal, GlassNode refers to XRP as the proxy for advanced retail speculation in this cycle. The report emphasizes: “In particular, during this cycle, Ripple (XRP) is a trade-priority asset among retail investors, and studying its behavior could serve as a proxy to measure retail speculative demand.”

Related readings

After the low cycle in 2022, XRP’s daily active addresses are jumping quarterly on average “+490%,” while Bitcoin is only up 10%. This sharp divergence underlines the retail community’s enthusiasm for XRP. GlassNode believes it shows a broader speculative appetite in the market.

Daily active addresses for XRP after low cycle (90 days SMA)
Daily active address for XRP after Cycle Low (90 Day SMA) | Source: GlassNode

The enthusiasm for XRP was translated into a nearly collision of caps that were realized. This ranged from $30.1 billion to $64.2 billion during the rally between December 2024 and early 2025. GlassNode estimates that around $3 billion of this new capital has come in the last six months, referring to a new wave of market participants.

XRP realization cap depends on age
XRP realization cap is age | Source: GlassNode

Along with a short surge in capital flows, there was a rapid concentration of wealth in new investors,” the report explains. But Glassnode also warns.

Related readings

Glassnode warns that these new investors are vulnerable to negative side volatility, particularly as the cost base of XRP becomes more heavier. Therefore, despite initial excitement, the report focuses on the cooling of speculative interest since late February 2025.

XRP’s GlassNode realised loss/profit ratio has been steadily decreasing since January 2025, suggesting profitability and “loss of confidence.” This may reflect a more vulnerable market structure, with large swaths of relatively new holders facing paper losses.

XRP realized loss/profit ratio
XRP Realized Loss/Profit Ratio | Source: GlassNode

“The XRP market shows signs of a top-heavy structure, with many investors being captured on a relatively high cost basis,” the report adds. This vulnerability in XRP positioning could mean broader attention for the retail-driven Altcoin market.

Overall, GlassNode’s latest research highlights the dichotomy of the digital assets situation today. Bitcoin’s drift fell below $80,000, which increased losses for long-term holders, but the rise in XRP meteors and subsequent slowdown portrays a market driven by short-term retail enthusiasm that could be nearing saturation.

“For more speculative assets such as XRP, demand may already be at its peak,” the report concludes.

At the time of press, the XRP traded for $2.00.

XRP Price
XRP must keep above 200 days EMA, 1 day chart | Source: XRPUSDT on cordingView.com

Featured images created with dall.e, charts on tradingview.com

]]> https://earlybirdsinvest.com/glassnode-discovered-that-xrp-is-the-top-pick-for-retailers/feed/ 0 28884 Max severity RCE flaw discovered in widely used Apache Parquet https://earlybirdsinvest.com/max-severity-rce-flaw-discovered-in-widely-used-apache-parquet/ https://earlybirdsinvest.com/max-severity-rce-flaw-discovered-in-widely-used-apache-parquet/#respond Thu, 03 Apr 2025 23:46:07 +0000 https://earlybirdsinvest.com/max-severity-rce-flaw-discovered-in-widely-used-apache-parquet/

Apache

A maximum severity remote code execution (RCE) vulnerability has been discovered impacting all versions of Apache Parquet up to and including 1.15.0.

The problem stems from the deserialization of untrusted data that could allow attackers with specially crafted Parquet files to gain control of target systems, exfiltrate or modify data, disrupt services, or introduce dangerous payloads such as ransomware.

The vulnerability is tracked under CVE-2025-30065 and has a CVSS v4 score of 10.0. The flaw was fixed with the release of Apache version 1.15.1.

It should be noted that to exploit this flaw, threat actors must convince someone to import a specially crafted Parquet file.

Severe threat to “big data” environments

Apache Parquet is an open-source, columnar storage format designed for efficient data processing. Unlike row-based formats (like CSV), Parquet stores data by columns, which makes it faster and more space-efficient for analytical workloads.

It is widely adopted across the data engineering and analytics ecosystem, including big data platforms like Hadoop, AWS, Amazon, Google, and Azure cloud services, data lakes, and ETL tools.

Some large companies that use Parquet include Netflix, Uber, Airbnb, and LinkedIn.

The security problem in Parquet was disclosed on April 1, 2025, following a responsible disclosure by its finder, Amazon researcher Keyi Li.

“Schema parsing in the parquet-avro module of Apache Parquet 1.15.0 and previous versions allows bad actors to execute arbitrary code,” warned the short bulletin published on Openwall.

“Users are recommended to upgrade to version 1.15.1, which fixes the issue.”

A separate bulletin by Endor Labs highlights the risk of CVE-2025-30065 exploitation more clearly, warning that the flaw can impact any data pipelines and analytics systems that import Parquet files, with the risk being significant for files sourced from external points.

Endor Labs believes the problem was introduced in Parquet version 1.8.0, though older releases might also be impacted. The firm suggests coordinated checks with developers and vendors to determine what Praquet versions are used in production software stacks.

“If an attacker tricks a vulnerable system into reading a specially crafted Parquet file, they could gain remote code execution (RCE) on that system,” warns Endor Labs.

However, the security firm avoids over-inflating the risk by including the note, “Despite the frightening potential, it’s important to note that the vulnerability can only be exploited if a malicious Parquet file is imported.”

That being said, if upgrading to Apache Parquet 1.15.1 immediately is impossible, it is suggested to avoid untrusted Parquet files or carefully validate their safety before processing them. Also, monitoring and logging on systems that handle Parquet processing should be increased.

Although no active exploitation has been discovered yet, the risk is high due to the flaw’s severity and the widespread use of Parquet files in big data applications.

Administrators of impacted systems are recommended to upgrade to Parquet version 1.15.1, which addresses CVE-2025-30065, as soon as possible.

Red Report 2025

Based on an analysis of 14M malicious actions, discover the top 10 MITRE ATT&CK techniques behind 93% of attacks and how to defend against them.

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