Yesterday's leak might have spoiled the surprise, but DJI was still enthusiastic about unveiling its new Mavic Air drone in rainy New York this morning. While last year's Spark was all about making drones accessible to a new generation of pilots, the... read more
Tuesday, 23 January 2018
Xbox exclusives games will come to Game Pass on launch day
To date, the Xbox Game Pass has been a tricky value proposition. While there have been a few recent hits, it frequently comes across as a clearinghouse for games whose best days are over. You'll have a better reason to subscribe going forward, though... read more
Instagram Stories harness the power of Giphy for animated stickers
You don't need to use another app to put GIF stickers all over your pictures before uploading them to Instagram Stories anymore. Next time you add a photo or a video to your story, you'll find a new GIF option within the usual sticker menu accessible... read more
Most Gmail Users Don’t Use Two-Factor Authentication
A Google engineer revealed that more than 90 percent of active Gmail accounts don’t use two-factor authentication (2FA), reports The Register. Given the low uptake, The Register asked Google software engineer Grzegorz Milka why 2FA isn’t mandatory for all Gmail accounts. Milka chalks it up to usability, adding that, “It’s about how many people would we drive out if we force them to use additional security.” The statistic was shared during a presentation at Usenix’s Enigma 2018 security conference in California.
Two-factor authentication is a security tool that requires a user’s password as well as an additional form of authorization. It adds another layer of security if your password has been stolen, or you use the same password for...
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Apple's HomePod Speaker Will be Released on February 9th and the UK Price Will be £349
Apple has announced it will release the HomePod on February 9th and that preorders for the device will start this Friday, January 26th. The smart speaker will initially go on sale in the US, UK, and Australia. It’ll then arrive in France and Germany sometime this spring.
The company’s first smart speaker was originally supposed to go on sale before the end of the 2017, but it was delayed in mid-December. That meant Apple missed a holiday season where millions of smart speakers were sold — but the market for voice-activated speakers is clearly just getting started. And at $349, Apple’s speaker is playing in a very different market than Amazon’s and Google’s primarily cheap and tiny speakers.
Despite the delay, Apple doesn’t appear to have...
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Monday, 22 January 2018
Google's AI Research Team Expands to France
Google announced today that it's expanding its AI research efforts, setting up a new research team in France that will work with the country's AI research community on issues ranging from health to the environment. Google says the team's work will be... read more
Integral's New 512GB microSD card is the largest Capacity Yet
There’s a new king of the microSD card: Integral Memory’s 512GB microSD card, which packs a record breaking full half-terabyte of storage into the diminutive card format. You definitely should try not to lose it.
No price was given, but it’s almost guaranteed to be expensive when in launches sometime in February.
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Netflix Is Now Worth 100 Billion Dollars
Netflix crossed a fun milestone today, crossing the $100 billion mark for its market cap as it once again surprised industry observers with better-than-expected growth in its subscribers. We’ll get to the financial numbers in a minute but, as usual, the big story here is that it continues to wow Wall Street with impressive growth in its subscriber numbers. The company said it added… Read More
Apple is Launching an Internal Fitness Challenge for Employees, Watch Band is the Prize
Starting in February, Apple will be hosting an internal company wide fitness challenge for all of its employees, with a prize that includes a unique fitness-themed Apple Watch band.
The band, as seen in a photo shared by 9to5Mac, appears to be similar to Apple's Woven Nylon bands. It comes in a solid black color but has an accent loop in a dark pink/red shade, lime green, and light blue, the three colors that represent the Activity rings on the Apple Watch.
The red colored ring tracks a person's overall movement and calorie burn throughout the day, and the amount of movement necessary to fill it up will vary based on each person's personal goal. The green ring represents exercise and can be completed with 30 minutes of exercise per day (based on an elevated heart rate), while the blue ring represents how many hours out of the day an Apple Watch user stands up and moves. One minute of standing movement per hour is required to fill the stand ring.
To earn the special Apple Watch band, employees will need to complete the challenge at the "gold" level, earning points by filling their Activity rings for a set number of days.
Apple last year hosted a "Close the Rings" Apple Watch fitness challenge for employees. Rewards for completing that challenge included pins in gold, silver, and bronze, awarded based on performance, along with a T-shirt that included the colorful Activity rings and the phrase "Close The Rings Challenge 1.0."
read more...
The band, as seen in a photo shared by 9to5Mac, appears to be similar to Apple's Woven Nylon bands. It comes in a solid black color but has an accent loop in a dark pink/red shade, lime green, and light blue, the three colors that represent the Activity rings on the Apple Watch.
The red colored ring tracks a person's overall movement and calorie burn throughout the day, and the amount of movement necessary to fill it up will vary based on each person's personal goal. The green ring represents exercise and can be completed with 30 minutes of exercise per day (based on an elevated heart rate), while the blue ring represents how many hours out of the day an Apple Watch user stands up and moves. One minute of standing movement per hour is required to fill the stand ring.
To earn the special Apple Watch band, employees will need to complete the challenge at the "gold" level, earning points by filling their Activity rings for a set number of days.
Apple last year hosted a "Close the Rings" Apple Watch fitness challenge for employees. Rewards for completing that challenge included pins in gold, silver, and bronze, awarded based on performance, along with a T-shirt that included the colorful Activity rings and the phrase "Close The Rings Challenge 1.0."
read more...
Android Can Now Detect Wi-Fi network Speed Before You Join
Some of the cool, more subtle features of Android 8.1 are still rolling out weeks after the first significant update to Oreo was released. For instance, today Google announced that Oreo will now display the speed of nearby open Wi-Fi networks to help you decide whether they’re even worth the effort of connecting to. The Wi-Fi settings menu will now display one of four speed labels: Very Fast, Fast, OK, or Slow.
The difference between Very Fast and Fast, according to Google, is that you can stream “very high-quality videos” on the former and “most videos” on the latter. Most coffee shop dwellers should be fine with the OK level, as that’s enough for web browsing, social media, and Spotify streaming.
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How to Every Ounce of Battery Life Out of Your Apple Watch
The Apple Watch is the most popular smartwatch on the market, yet battery life has never been its strong suit. That said, Apple has made improvements in this area with successive models, and while the company still only promises all-day battery life on a single charge, many Series 2 and 3 owners find they can get a lot more.
Of course, how long a given Apple Watch lasts between charges depends almost entirely on how it's used. With that in mind, this article aims to help wearers optimize their usage and get the best battery life they can reasonably expect based on their individual needs. Read on for some of our favorite power-saving tips for Apple Watch.
It shouldn't come as a surprise that the Apple Watch's OLED display draws a significant amount of power. If it tends to light up when you least expect it, and you'd rather manually activate it with a button press or by tapping the display, then try turning off the automatic wake screen feature. To do so, open Settings on your Apple Watch, tap General -> Wake Screen, and toggle off Wake Screen on Wrist Raise. (You can also find this setting in the Watch app on your iPhone.)
To some users, turning off the automatic wake screen feature might seem like overkill. Perhaps you only accidentally wake the screen during certain times of the day – when you're in bed, for instance.
In that case, you're better off making selective use of the Theater Mode. To enable it, swipe up from the bottom of any clock face to reveal the Control Center, and tap the symbol showing two theater masks. Note that Theater Mode also silences notifications, which is why it's best kept for bedtime or trips to the movies.
Many Apple Watch owners find that they can easily get along with the OLED display set at its lowest and least energy-sapping brightness level. To adjust the brightness, select Settings on your Apple Watch, tap Brightness & Text Size, and alter the level to suit. (You can also find this setting in the Watch app on your iPhone.)
OLED panels don't expend energy on displaying true black colors – those pixels simply remain unlit. In other words, the more screen space your chosen clock face takes up (if it displays a photo, say) the more likely it is to drain battery whenever it's activated. For this reason, you might want to consider using a more minimalist watch face and disabling any complications you don't need to see every time you raise your wrist.
Another good reason to minimize your use of complications is that many of them require frequent refreshing in order to display up-to-date information, which uses additional power. So if you rarely tap it, then turn it off using the clock face customize mode, which is activated with a single long press on the clock face screen.
The same goes for third-party apps, many of which frequently refresh in the background whether you use them or not. If you find yourself regularly reaching for your iPhone to check social media, then ask yourself, do you really need that Twitter function on your wrist? Only install apps on your Apple Watch that benefit you by being there.
read more...
Of course, how long a given Apple Watch lasts between charges depends almost entirely on how it's used. With that in mind, this article aims to help wearers optimize their usage and get the best battery life they can reasonably expect based on their individual needs. Read on for some of our favorite power-saving tips for Apple Watch.
Apple Watch Display Settings
Wake Screen on Wrist Raise
It shouldn't come as a surprise that the Apple Watch's OLED display draws a significant amount of power. If it tends to light up when you least expect it, and you'd rather manually activate it with a button press or by tapping the display, then try turning off the automatic wake screen feature. To do so, open Settings on your Apple Watch, tap General -> Wake Screen, and toggle off Wake Screen on Wrist Raise. (You can also find this setting in the Watch app on your iPhone.)
Theater Mode
To some users, turning off the automatic wake screen feature might seem like overkill. Perhaps you only accidentally wake the screen during certain times of the day – when you're in bed, for instance.
In that case, you're better off making selective use of the Theater Mode. To enable it, swipe up from the bottom of any clock face to reveal the Control Center, and tap the symbol showing two theater masks. Note that Theater Mode also silences notifications, which is why it's best kept for bedtime or trips to the movies.
Adjust Brightness
Many Apple Watch owners find that they can easily get along with the OLED display set at its lowest and least energy-sapping brightness level. To adjust the brightness, select Settings on your Apple Watch, tap Brightness & Text Size, and alter the level to suit. (You can also find this setting in the Watch app on your iPhone.)
OLED panels don't expend energy on displaying true black colors – those pixels simply remain unlit. In other words, the more screen space your chosen clock face takes up (if it displays a photo, say) the more likely it is to drain battery whenever it's activated. For this reason, you might want to consider using a more minimalist watch face and disabling any complications you don't need to see every time you raise your wrist.
Apple Watch Apps
Apps and Complications
Another good reason to minimize your use of complications is that many of them require frequent refreshing in order to display up-to-date information, which uses additional power. So if you rarely tap it, then turn it off using the clock face customize mode, which is activated with a single long press on the clock face screen.
The same goes for third-party apps, many of which frequently refresh in the background whether you use them or not. If you find yourself regularly reaching for your iPhone to check social media, then ask yourself, do you really need that Twitter function on your wrist? Only install apps on your Apple Watch that benefit you by being there.
Installation Creep and Refresh Management
read more...
Sunday, 21 January 2018
The Cleaners is a remarkable documentary about how social media affects the world
Welcome to Cheat Sheet, our brief breakdown-style reviews of festival films, VR previews, and other special event releases. This review comes from the 2018 Sundance Film Festival.
We’re in a cultural moment where the impact of social media isn’t something that we just notice when we catch ourselves heads-down in our phones or computers. It’s something that’s underscored with almost daily news stories, with each new revelation seemingly more sinister than the last. It’s so ever-present that it can be easy to tune out, which makes the Sundance documentary The Cleaners pack such a devastating wallop.
The film, from first-time documentary directors Moritz Riesewieck and Hans Block, starts with one unseen corner of the internet: the content...
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Audi smart home battery grid creates a 'virtual power plant'
Audi isn't going to let rival automakers like BMW and Tesla corner the market on home batteries. The German badge is testing a Smart Energy Network where solar-powered batteries not only help your home minimize use of the electrical grid, but talk t... read more
Saturday, 20 January 2018
BMW to charge for Apple CarPlay
Apple CarPlay is being offered in more and more vehicles, often as standard equipment. BMW, though, charges for it. BMW currently offers CarPlay as a $300 option on cars equipped with navigation. This will change, though, as The Verge reports the Ger... read more
Thursday, 18 January 2018
Honda’s HoloLens demo was when we found AR to be really useful
Honda is offering a simple augmented reality demo at the Detroit Auto Show using Microsoft’s HoloLens. It involves strapping on one of the headsets, walking around, and getting into the car, which takes between five to 10 minutes total. And it’s probably the most useful augmented reality demo I’ve had yet.
The demo is really just a fancy new way to show off the specs and features of one of Honda’s new cars. HoloLens isn’t exactly comfortable. I also didn’t have my contacts in, which meant I had to squint through the entire experience.
But I was taken aback by how accurately the headset placed the floating AR elements in and around the car. Even when I got into the car, the headset made it look like there were colorful lines and arrows...
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Oculus Story Studio alum makes a return with a new cinematic VR company
Last year, Oculus shut down its award-winning Story Studio, which was dedicated to creating bold new cinematic VR experiences. Rather than drifting apart, though, members of the team stuck together, and today they're announcing their new outfit, Fabl... read more
Microsoft AI can draw objects based on detailed text descriptions
Google may have taught an AI how to doodle, but drawing something more complex is tough for a computer. Imagine asking a computer to draw a "yellow bird with black wings and a short beak;" it sounds a little tricky. Researchers at Microsoft, though,... read more
Tuesday, 16 January 2018
A Report Finds That Apple Supplier Workers Have Been Exposed to Toxic Chemicals
An Apple supplier in China has once again been flagged for having poor factory working conditions by a report today from non-profit China Labor Watch, which Bloomberg added original reporting to. The report details working conditions at a Catcher Technology factory, which manufactures products for Apple in Suqian, Jiangsu province, six hours north of Shanghai.
Workers at Catcher make iPhone frames and components for MacBooks. On a typical day, workers may stand for up to 10 hours to cut and blast iPhone casings, according to the report. The workers are said to handle harmful chemicals daily without goggles or proper gloves to protect their hands or faces. Workers do wear paper face masks, but the oil they use to cut iPhone casings may...
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Lawsuit filed by 22 state attorneys general seeks to block net neutrality repeal
A lawsuit filed today by the attorneys general of 22 states seeks to block the Federal Communications Commission’s recent controversial vote to repeal Obama era Net Neutrality regulations. The filing is led by New York State Attorney General Schneiderman, who called rollback a potential “disaster for New York consumers and businesses, and for everyone who cares about a free and… Read More
A Refresh Might Be in the Works for Microsoft's Xbox Elite Controller
Microsoft's Xbox Elite controller is pricey, but arguably the go-to choice for Xbox One owners who want a gamepad that fits their exact needs. And apparently, there's enough demand to merit a sequel. Multiple leaks appear to have uncovered a new El... read more
Today Marks the 10th Anniversary of Apple’s MacBook Air
Ten years ago today, Steve Jobs triumphantly held up a manilla interoffice mail envelope to a round of applause at the Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco. It was a silly gimmick, but it got the point across. A year after introducing the Macworld crowd to the iPhone, the company was about to add another cornerstone product to its repertoire. Ten years and seven generations later,… Read More
Monday, 15 January 2018
iMac Pro is $1,000 Cheaper at Micro Center Stores in the U.S. Now $3,999 While Stock Lasts
Micro Centre stores are currently offering the base model iMac Pro for $3,999, a significant $1,000 discount off Apple's regular price, and by far the lowest price we've ever seen for the powerful desktop workstation since it was released a month ago.
Micro Center says the deal is available at its retail stores only and not online. The official Apple Authorized Reseller has 25 locations across the United States, many of which appear to be open this Saturday and Sunday.
The best deal we had previously seen on the base model iMac Pro, which starts at $4,999 from Apple, was a $250 discount from Best Buy that dropped the price to $4,749.99 earlier this week, so this is an impressive sale.
Micro Center says the deal is limited to one per household, and supplies are likely extremely limited, so we recommend calling ahead if you are planning on visiting one of their stores. There's no indication when the sale ends, so act fast.
The base model iMac Pro is equipped with a 27-inch 5K display, 3.2GHz 8-core Intel Xeon W processor, 32GB of ECC RAM, 1TB SSD storage, Radeon Pro Vega 56 graphics with 8GB HBM2 memory, 10Gb Ethernet, and four Thunderbolt 3 ports.
Micro Center says the deal is available at its retail stores only and not online. The official Apple Authorized Reseller has 25 locations across the United States, many of which appear to be open this Saturday and Sunday.
The best deal we had previously seen on the base model iMac Pro, which starts at $4,999 from Apple, was a $250 discount from Best Buy that dropped the price to $4,749.99 earlier this week, so this is an impressive sale.
Micro Center says the deal is limited to one per household, and supplies are likely extremely limited, so we recommend calling ahead if you are planning on visiting one of their stores. There's no indication when the sale ends, so act fast.
The base model iMac Pro is equipped with a 27-inch 5K display, 3.2GHz 8-core Intel Xeon W processor, 32GB of ECC RAM, 1TB SSD storage, Radeon Pro Vega 56 graphics with 8GB HBM2 memory, 10Gb Ethernet, and four Thunderbolt 3 ports.
Windows 10 new build adds 'Quiet Hours' feature
If you're part of the Windows Insiders Fast Ring (or have opted to skip ahead), you'll find the Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 17074 available to download. Of note is the addition of Quiet Hours, which functions similarly to the Mac Do Not Disturb... read more
Saturday, 13 January 2018
Google Assistant did well in CES 2018
Celine Dion at Caesar’s, David Copperfield at the MGM Grand, Google at the Las Vegas Convention Center. The company wallpapered the Vegas monorail and plastered the words “Hey Google” on every rentable screen in town. Take that, Donny and Marie. That crazy booth in the Convention Center parking lot seemed like a terrible idea on Tuesday when the rains opened up and… Read More
Amazon’s failed phone project made better hardware possible in newer phones
Amazon devices have taken root in our homes with almost alarming speed, but the tech giant hasn't gotten everything right. Back in 2014, Amazon released the Fire Phone, an ambitious smartphone that remains the company's biggest hardware flop to date.... read more
Friday, 12 January 2018
Intel’s Spectre patch is causing havoc on older processors
Intel is running into problems protecting its chips from the major Meltdown and Spectre vulnerabilities that became public last week. The company has been warning customers of three specific flaws in a recent firmware update and recommending that customers hold off installing the patch, according to emails first reported by The Wall Street Journal. According to a follow-up announcement by Intel, the issue may cause reboot issues in systems running older Haswell chips.
Intel has been aware of the Spectre issues since June, but rewriting processor firmware to address the vulnerability proved to be a significant challenge. The company has committed to protecting 90 percent of its CPUs produced in the last five years, with patches to be...
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Apple made a section of the App Store to highlight apps that offer free trials
For those who want to test out an app before making a purchase, Apple is now promoting a new section in the App Store, “Try it for Free,” that highlights apps that offer a free trial period before you have to pay for a subscription. The introduction of the new feature makes sense as Apple is also trying to promote its subscription-based apps as a new business model for app developers.
To get to the new section, go to Apple’s App Store on iOS, then tap the Apps tab. The new section is the second thing listed on the screen.
As of this writing, there are only four apps being offered in the section. Current apps with free trials include an annual membership for 1Password that’s normally $35.99, a subscription to USA Today for $2.99 a month,...
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These concepts Canon Cameras are the Most Exciting Devices the Company brought to CES in years
Tucked in a corner on a shelf at Canon’s booth are the two most exciting cameras the company has brought to CES in years. They’re not wholly unique ideas (and one of them doesn’t even work yet), but compared to the iterative releases and myriad of camcorders that usually make up Canon’s announcements for this particular show, they’re a welcome breath of fresh air.
The concept camera that does work is shaped a bit like the Samsung Gear 360, though it only has one lens. That lens and the sensor architecture sit on a movable platform inside the camera’s dome, which itself can quickly swivel a full 360 degrees.
The point is for the camera to be able to follow and film objects or faces in almost any direction. Canon imagines it using AI to...
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The Netflix App was 2017’s Top App by Revenue
Netflix was the top earning app of 2017 that wasn’t a mobile game, according to Sensor Tower’s new year-end report on the most successful apps and publishers across Apple’s App Store and Google Play. In previous years, the top spot had gone to Spotify, and before that, LINE. But this was Netflix’s year to shine. The service saw gross subscriber revenue of approximately… Read More
Yesojo Releases Nintendo Switch projector dock
The Yesojo Nintendo Switch projector dock got a lot of attention when we covered the launch of its crowdfunding campaign last year, but at CES, it was on display and working, with the company ready to ship to its early backers. We got to spend some time with the portable projector, which gives your Switch a high-resolution screen you can take with you anywhere – and we came away very… Read More
Google Duo lets you call people who are not on the app
Duo is Google's video calling app, and it looks like the tech giant wants to spread the word about it. According to Android Police, Duo users can now call people who don't have the app installed and who haven't registered with the service. It works l... read more
Thursday, 11 January 2018
Apple Allows Downgrades on Every Single Firmware Including iOS 6
Apple has quickly corrected a mistake that allowed iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch users to downgrade to older software versions on early Thursday.
The situation began on late Wednesday when Apple suddenly stopped signing all iOS versions for select devices, including the iPhone 4s and some very old iPad and iPod touch models, according to the website IPSW.me.
Next, it appears that when Apple went to flip the switch back on, it accidentally began signing several older software versions between iOS 6 and iOS 11.1.2 for any compatible iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch models.
Apple routinely stops signing older iOS versions, which effectively closes the window on downgrading. The company stopped signing iOS 11.1.2 in December, for example, while many older versions haven't been signed in years. Yet, suddenly, users found themselves able to downgrade to over five year old software.
Many users turned to Reddit to discuss the bizarre turn of events, which transpired briefly during the early morning hours in the United States.
Apple has yet to comment on the matter.
The situation began on late Wednesday when Apple suddenly stopped signing all iOS versions for select devices, including the iPhone 4s and some very old iPad and iPod touch models, according to the website IPSW.me.
Next, it appears that when Apple went to flip the switch back on, it accidentally began signing several older software versions between iOS 6 and iOS 11.1.2 for any compatible iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch models.
Not entirely sure why the signing window has opened for iOS 6–10 on various iOS devices, but not gonna complain. Have some iOS 6 pic.twitter.com/Ixfpn8waU6— Steve Troughton-Smith (@stroughtonsmith) January 11, 2018
Apple routinely stops signing older iOS versions, which effectively closes the window on downgrading. The company stopped signing iOS 11.1.2 in December, for example, while many older versions haven't been signed in years. Yet, suddenly, users found themselves able to downgrade to over five year old software.
They opened up iOS 6.1.3 shsh signing 😝 pic.twitter.com/FV2watYKxi— Khaos Tian (@KhaosT) January 11, 2018
Many users turned to Reddit to discuss the bizarre turn of events, which transpired briefly during the early morning hours in the United States.
I literally ran into my parents room to grab my dad's poor old iPhone 5s and iPad mini 2, both of which were suffering on iOS 11. Now I managed to downgrade them to iOS 7.1.1. I then downgraded my old iPhone 5 to iOS 7.1.1 as well and now my iPhone 7 to iOS 10.3 to jailbreak. I'm so happy right now!While some users rushed to downgrade for the nostalgic factor, the mishap provided others with an iPhone 6 or newer a brief opportunity to revert to iOS versions that aren't affected by Apple's power management changes introduced in iOS 10.2.1 and/or iOS versions that have a publicly released jailbreak.
Apple has yet to comment on the matter.
'Mario Tennis' and ‘Dark Souls’ coming to Nintendo Switch in 2018
Nintendo revealed another slew of titles that will come to the Switch, from old favourites and cult classics to, uh, Dark Souls. In today's Nintendo Direct video, the company announced new Kirby and Mario Tennis games headed to the console, plus a cou... read more
Nintendo announces new and retro titles for Switch
The Switch is getting a bevy of new games that should appeal to a broad variety of players, Nintendo announced today in one of its “Direct” videos. A new Mario Tennis game, updates to Odyssey, some classics and indies, and perhaps most unexpectedly, Dark Souls: Remastered. Read More
Intel promises more transparency about Spectre performance impacts
Intel CEO Brian Krzanich has penned an open letter to the rest of the technology industry, addressing concerns over the two major CPU security flaws. Intel has been issuing cleverly-worded statements, and altering its guidance on performance issues related to security fixes, but the company now says it’s ready to be transparent. “As we roll out software and firmware patches, we are learning a great deal,” admits Krzanich. “We know that impact on performance varies widely, based on the specific workload, platform configuration and mitigation technique.”
Intel is committing to providing updates for at least 90 percent of CPUs produced in the last five years by January 15th, and the rest by the end of January. Whether end users will get... read more
An option for encrypted conversations is coming to Skype
Soon, your chats on Skype can be just as secure as conversations on Signal, the service used by US Senators. Microsoft is integrating the open source Signal protocol, used by WhatsApp, Google, Facebook and Signal itself, into test versions of Skype a... read more
Wednesday, 10 January 2018
iPhone X Sells Well in Several Countries During First Month of Availability
Kantar Worldpanel's newest smartphone OS data details the "stellar" performance of the iPhone X in multiple markets around the world during November, amid an overall "mixed performance" for iOS devices from September to November 2017. While Apple's piece of the smartphone ecosystem fell in Great Britain, the United States, Japan, and Australia, the company saw ongoing growth in urban China during this period.
Specifically, iOS dropped 3.8 percentage points in the U.S. when compared to the year-ago period, resulting in a total smartphone OS sales share of 39.8 percent. In the U.S., Android grew 4 percentage points to capture 59.4 percent of the smartphone OS market.
Kantar noted that in the U.S. the iPhone X was outsold by the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus in November, coming in third and helping Apple capture the three top spots for the best-selling smartphone models that month. The researchers said that Apple "easily" beat Samsung's Galaxy S8, which landed at sixth place.
In China, Kantar said that iOS "continues to impress" with a growth of 4.6 percentage points from the previous year and sitting at 24.3 percent of the smartphone OS market in the country. At the same time, Android fell 4.6 percentage points, but it still owns 75.5 percent of the smartphone OS share in China.
Kantar Worldpanel global director Dominic Sunnebo explained that Apple's growth in China during this period was helped by "staggering" demand for the iPhone X, despite its high price tag, and came from users who were mostly switching sides from rival smartphone makers.
Specifically, iOS dropped 3.8 percentage points in the U.S. when compared to the year-ago period, resulting in a total smartphone OS sales share of 39.8 percent. In the U.S., Android grew 4 percentage points to capture 59.4 percent of the smartphone OS market.
Kantar noted that in the U.S. the iPhone X was outsold by the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus in November, coming in third and helping Apple capture the three top spots for the best-selling smartphone models that month. The researchers said that Apple "easily" beat Samsung's Galaxy S8, which landed at sixth place.
In China, Kantar said that iOS "continues to impress" with a growth of 4.6 percentage points from the previous year and sitting at 24.3 percent of the smartphone OS market in the country. At the same time, Android fell 4.6 percentage points, but it still owns 75.5 percent of the smartphone OS share in China.
Kantar Worldpanel global director Dominic Sunnebo explained that Apple's growth in China during this period was helped by "staggering" demand for the iPhone X, despite its high price tag, and came from users who were mostly switching sides from rival smartphone makers.
“Apple was riding on the back of some momentum before the iPhone X release but demand for latest model in urban China has been staggering given its price point.Despite an overall percentage point loss for Apple in Great Britain from September to November (down 4.2 points), Kantar said that for the month of November only, "Apple achieved its highest share in more than three years." The company reached 49.4 percent of the market in November thanks to iPhone X demand, beating out Samsung and "easily regaining" the number one sales spot for the month.
“Apple is now back on form – the iPhone X was the top selling model in urban China in November, with a market share of 6.0%. Unlike in Europe and the US, where the vast majority of new early iPhone X sales came from existing Apple smartphone owners, in urban China there are significant numbers of Huawei, Xiaomi and Samsung customers switching to the new iPhone models, which they deem a cut above the rest.”
Apple to pay the UK £137 million in extra taxes
After an extensive audit by UK tax body HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC), Apple Europe has agreed to pay over £137 million (around $185 million) in extra taxes, reports The Guardian. The payment includes interest on unpaid tax, covering several years until September 2015, mirroring “the company’s increased activity.”
Apple operates two primary subsidiaries in the UK called Apple Europe Ltd and Apple Retail UK Ltd. Apple Europe Ltd provides marketing, financial and support services, while Apple Retail UK Ltd runs Apple’s online and physical stores across the UK. The Guardian notes that Apple Europe reported a pre-tax profit of £297 million in the 18 months to April 1st, 2017. It paid taxes of £57 million during that period and the £137...
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Wireless charging pads are abundant at CES 2018 in part because of the new iPhones
Wireless charging is not particularly new technology, but this year at CES 2018, we’re seeing it show up in a big way. Tons of companies are releasing new products in a wide variety of form factors and styles.
Specifically, we’re seeing a huge wave of Qi wireless chargers, the popular industry standard that’s used by major smartphone companies like Samsung, LG, and tons of others. The standard has actually been around for years, but last fall, Apple introduced Qi charging to its new iPhone 8 and iPhone X models which brought an influx of new users. So now, accessories companies are cashing in.
Apple jumping on board meant two things: tons of new customers looking for Qi pads, and the effective end of the other main wireless charging...
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NVIDIA GPUs Didn't Escape the Spectre Security Flaws Neither
It's not just your processor and operating system that are affected by the Meltdown and Spectre memory vulnerabilities -- your graphics card is, too. To that end, NVIDIA has detailed how its GPUs are affected by the speculative execution attacks and... read more...
macOS High Sierra's App Store System Preferences Can Be Unlocked With Any Password
A bug report submitted on Open Radar this week reveals a major security vulnerability in the current version of macOS High Sierra that allows the App Store menu in System Preferences to be unlocked with any password.
MacRumors is able to reproduce the issue on macOS High Sierra version 10.13.2, the latest public release of the operating system, on an administrator-level account by following these steps:
• Click on System Preferences.
• Click on App Store.
• Click on the padlock icon to lock it if necessary.
• Click on the padlock icon again.
• Enter your username and any password.
• Click Unlock.
As mentioned in the radar, System Preferences does not accept an incorrect password with a non-administrator account.
We're unable to reproduce the issue on the third or fourth betas of macOS High Sierra 10.13.3, suggesting Apple has fixed the security vulnerability in the upcoming release. However, the update currently remains in testing.
MacRumors is also unable to reproduce the issue on macOS Sierra version 10.12.6, suggesting the issue affects macOS High Sierra only.
The implications of this security vulnerability are rather serious. Anyone with physical or remote access to your Mac could unlock the App Store preferences and enable or disable settings to automatically install macOS updates, app updates, system data files, and, ironically, even security updates.
This is the second major password-related bug to affect macOS High Sierra in as many months, following a major security vulnerability that enabled access to the root superuser account with a blank password on macOS High Sierra version 10.13.1 that Apple fixed with a supplemental security update.
Apple will likely want to fix this latest security vulnerability as quickly as possible, so it's possible we'll see a similar supplemental update released, or perhaps it will fast track the release of macOS High Sierra version 10.13.3. Apple did not immediately respond to our request for comment on this matter.
In the meantime, we can't think of an obvious workaround for this issue, so if you keep your App Store preferences behind lock, you'll want to keep a close eye on your Mac until further notice. If we learn of a solution, we'll share it.
We're still investigating further to confirm if macOS High Sierra versions 10.13 or 10.13.1 are affected. We'll update this article as we learn more.
MacRumors is able to reproduce the issue on macOS High Sierra version 10.13.2, the latest public release of the operating system, on an administrator-level account by following these steps:
• Click on System Preferences.
• Click on App Store.
• Click on the padlock icon to lock it if necessary.
• Click on the padlock icon again.
• Enter your username and any password.
• Click Unlock.
As mentioned in the radar, System Preferences does not accept an incorrect password with a non-administrator account.
We're unable to reproduce the issue on the third or fourth betas of macOS High Sierra 10.13.3, suggesting Apple has fixed the security vulnerability in the upcoming release. However, the update currently remains in testing.
MacRumors is also unable to reproduce the issue on macOS Sierra version 10.12.6, suggesting the issue affects macOS High Sierra only.
The implications of this security vulnerability are rather serious. Anyone with physical or remote access to your Mac could unlock the App Store preferences and enable or disable settings to automatically install macOS updates, app updates, system data files, and, ironically, even security updates.
This is the second major password-related bug to affect macOS High Sierra in as many months, following a major security vulnerability that enabled access to the root superuser account with a blank password on macOS High Sierra version 10.13.1 that Apple fixed with a supplemental security update.
Apple will likely want to fix this latest security vulnerability as quickly as possible, so it's possible we'll see a similar supplemental update released, or perhaps it will fast track the release of macOS High Sierra version 10.13.3. Apple did not immediately respond to our request for comment on this matter.
In the meantime, we can't think of an obvious workaround for this issue, so if you keep your App Store preferences behind lock, you'll want to keep a close eye on your Mac until further notice. If we learn of a solution, we'll share it.
We're still investigating further to confirm if macOS High Sierra versions 10.13 or 10.13.1 are affected. We'll update this article as we learn more.
Upgrade your iPhone if you want to keep playing Pokémon Go
Niantic is ending Pokémon Go support for Apple devices incapable of upgrading to iOS 11. Older iPhone models, like the iPhone 5 and iPhone 5C, will be affected by the incoming update, coming February 28th.
If you have a phone without iOS 11, you won’t be able to access your account, use your pokécoins, or use items in your bags. According to the developer, the reason for dropping support is simple: “This change is a result of improvements to Pokémon Go that push the application beyond the capabilities of the operating systems on such devices.”
Niantic has been steadily making improvements, like additional catchable creatures and weather systems, to the game since its initial release in July 2016. Its most notable update as of late added...
Continue reading…
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It's barely the second week of 2018, and GoPro's already been through the media-mill. Reports first surfaced that the company was about to begin another round of layoffs, and that it would shutter its drone business for good. Those proved to be true.... Read More...
Satechi Unwraps a USB-C Multiport Travel Charger 75W
Satechi today announced the launch of a new 75W USB-C travel charger that's equipped with multiple ports to charge all of your devices with one simple power adapter.
The 75W Multiport Travel Charger offers four charging ports, including a USB-C power delivery port, two USB 3.0 ports, and one Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 port.
The USB-C port can provide up to 60W of power, making it suitable for the 12-inch MacBook, the 13-inch MacBook Pro, and similar USB-C devices. It can also charge a 15-inch MacBook Pro, but as that machine accepts up to 87W of power, it may not charge fully with the Multiport Travel Charger when under a heavy workload.
While charging a MacBook or MacBook Pro, the Travel Charger can also charge your iOS devices at the same time, with up to 75W of total power provided.
When using the USB-C port with a USB-C to Lightning cable, the Travel Charger enables fast charging on supported devices like the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X.
Satechi says the Travel Charger features an input range of 100-240V, allowing it to meet the voltage requirements of multiple countries. It has also been designed with a compact size to make it easy to fit into a backpack or luggage.
Satechi's USB-C 75W Multiport Travel Charger can be purchased for $60 from Amazon.com or directly from the Satechi website for $64.99.
The 75W Multiport Travel Charger offers four charging ports, including a USB-C power delivery port, two USB 3.0 ports, and one Qualcomm Quick Charge 3.0 port.
The USB-C port can provide up to 60W of power, making it suitable for the 12-inch MacBook, the 13-inch MacBook Pro, and similar USB-C devices. It can also charge a 15-inch MacBook Pro, but as that machine accepts up to 87W of power, it may not charge fully with the Multiport Travel Charger when under a heavy workload.
While charging a MacBook or MacBook Pro, the Travel Charger can also charge your iOS devices at the same time, with up to 75W of total power provided.
When using the USB-C port with a USB-C to Lightning cable, the Travel Charger enables fast charging on supported devices like the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and iPhone X.
Satechi says the Travel Charger features an input range of 100-240V, allowing it to meet the voltage requirements of multiple countries. It has also been designed with a compact size to make it easy to fit into a backpack or luggage.
Satechi's USB-C 75W Multiport Travel Charger can be purchased for $60 from Amazon.com or directly from the Satechi website for $64.99.
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