gizmosure

Author: Allen Parker

  • Android 10 beta now officially available for the Galaxy S10

    Android 10 beta now officially available for the Galaxy S10

    Samsung has officially commenced the Android 10 beta program for the Galaxy S10 range. Users in several countries are now allowed to test and install the early version of the OS on their smartphones. The handsets supported in the Android 10 beta program include the Galaxy S10e, Galaxy S10, Galaxy S10+, as well the Galaxy S10 5G.

    The beta of Android 10 is based on One UI 2.0, which brings features such as the new Focus Mode in Android 10, along with One UI 2.0 perks such as enhanced ‘Dark Mode’ and smaller notifications. The new update will also focus on other improvements such as digital wellness, new media controls, as well as other features that will be added to the beta program.

    “Designed to simplify and streamline interactions, One UI has brought a unified mobile experience to Galaxy devices. Since its launch, Samsung has been refining the UX, while also expanding its capabilities to help users focus on the tasks that matter. Features are further enhanced to make the experience more natural, seamless and efficient,” explained Samsung.

    Users in supported countries can now download and install the beta by registering via the Samsung Members app. Once they’ve completed the registration process, they should check for notifications and the beta should show up on their device. The program is now rolling out for users in South Korea, Germany, and the US, though Samsung is expected to expand the One UI 2.0 beta program to other countries as well in the coming weeks.

    Besides, Samsung is also expected to add the Galaxy Note 10 and Galaxy Note 10+ to the beta testing program by late October or early November.

  • Instagram launches new ‘Threads’ messaging app for close friends

    Instagram launches new ‘Threads’ messaging app for close friends

    Instagram has announced a new standalone app called Threads, a messaging app designed to be used among close friends. The app allows users to share to quickly share photos, text, and videos with people they’ve added to their ‘close friends’ list.

    The main component of the app is the camera, which is the default screen when you open the app. That said, it doesn’t get the bells and whistles of Instagram stories as there are no filters in the selfie mode. As soon as you open Threads, you’re directly taken to the camera so you can quickly share photos and videos with people on your close friends’ list.

    “Threads is a standalone app designed with privacy, speed, and your close connections in mind. You can share photos, videos, messages, Stories, and more with your Instagram close friends list. You are in control of who can reach you on Threads, and you can customize the experience around the people who matter most,’ explained In Instagram in a blog post on Thursday.

    threads

    Ability to set auto-status

    The app also offers the ability to set a status message, or an auto status. Users can set their own status message as an emoji, while the auto status “automatically shares little bits of context on your whereabouts without giving away your coordinates.” For example, it could show when you’re at home, gym, at a cafe, or driving in a car. Though it doesn’t reveal the exact address or the name of the place you’re at to protect your privacy.

    Instagram also mentioned that despite the availability of Threads, users can continue using Instagram Direct as they normally would, as messages from your close friends’ list will appear in both Threads and Direct, so users have full control over how and with whom they’d want to interact. Threads, also a direct competitor to Snapchat, is rolling out today globally on iOS and Android.

  • OnePlus 7T: Everything you need to know

    OnePlus 7T: Everything you need to know

    OnePlus officially announced the latest OnePlus 7T during a global unveiling event from India. The successor to the OnePlus 7 and OnePlus 7 Pro,  the latest OnePlus 7T gets its fair share of upgrades across the board.

    Some of the handset’s highlights include a frost mist matte glass build, triple rear cameras on the back, as well as a 90Hz AMOLED screen – all for less than $600. Here’s what’s new in the OnePlus 7T.

    Display

    The OnePlus 7T packs a 6.55-inch Full HD AMOLED display with a resolution of 1920×1080 pixels. Besides, the OnePlus 7T offers a screen refresh rate of 90Hz, along with a taller aspect ratio of 20:9  giving it a more compact form factor. The 90Hz refresh rate allows the screen to refresh itself within just milliseconds – 40 milliseconds, to be exact – which is a boon when playing high-end games or binge-watching TV shows.
    Elsewhere, the waterdrop notch gets reduced by 31 percent which would make watching movies or playing games even more immersive. It also offers other useful features such as HDR10+ compatibility along with a high peak brightness of 1000 nits.

    More power

    Under the hood, the OnePlus 7T gets powered by the latest Snapdragon 855  chipset clocked at 2.9Ghz bundled with 8GB of RAM. Besides, Qualcomm claims a 15 percent performance improvement on the Adreno 640.

    Storage

    The handset is offered in two choices when it comes to storage – 128GB and 256GB. However, it’ll be offered in 128GB storage in most markets. Besides, the Chinese manufacturer is also offering 5GB of cloud storage for free. Also, there’ll be an additional 50GB of cloud storage for free, though the offer is only valid for the first year.

    Software

    Elsewhere, the OnePlus 7T will be the first smartphone to ship with the latest Android 10 OS out-of-the-box. The company’s proprietary OxygenOS 10 runs on top.

    Camera

    In the photography department, the OnePlus 7T packs a triple-camera system on the back with a 48MP primary sensor, 12MP telephoto lens with 2x optical zoom, and a 16MP ultra-wide sensor with a 117-degree field of view. For selfies, there’s a 16MP front-facing shooter.

    Bigger battery and faster charging

    Juicing up the handset would be a 3800mAh battery with support for fast charging with the bundled 30W Warp charger. Boasting about the handset’s fast charging ability, OnePlus claims it’s 23 percent faster than the previous-gen Warp charging facility. Other key features on the OnePlus 7T include UFS 3.0, an in-display fingerprint scanner, as well as face detection feature.

    Pricing and Availability

    The OnePlus 7T will be available in the US starting October 18 for $599 via OnePlus.com, T-Mobile.com, and in T-Mobile stores. The handset will be offered in a choice of Frosted Silver and Glacier Blue color variants.

  • Amazon launches Alexa-powered Eero mesh router

    Amazon launches Alexa-powered Eero mesh router

    Amazon has unveiled its brand new Eero mesh router with Alexa controls, making it the first Eero product released since it acquired the maker of mesh home routers in February this year. Priced at $99, the new Eero router is available in the United States starting today, and will arrive in Europe later this year.

    Amazon boasts that its new Eero router offers hassle-free usage, allowing for setup of 10 mins or less. The router packs a dual-band radio system, as well as deeper integration with Alexa controls. With advanced Alexa integration, it allows users to control their network via voice commands. For instance, users can turn on or off guest Wi-Fi with voice commands, or pause Wi-Fi access to a specific device on the network (such as a video game console or any other device such as a tablet or a smartphone).

    Such advanced features are currently not available for third party devices, though Amazon announced its plans to make an API so that other companies can use these advanced features. Routers from the likes of TP-Link, Asus, Linksys, and Arris will get support for these features later this year.

    As already mentioned, the new Eero router will cost $99. However, it’ll also be offered in a pack of three which costs $249. According to Amazon, the three-pack can cover a house of up to 5000 square feet, and offer speeds of up to 350Mbps with dual-band 2.4GHz and 5GHz, and supports 802.11ac WiFi and Bluetooth 5.0 LTE.

    To recall, Amazon announced its Eero acquisition, manufacturer of mesh home routers back in February this year. Amazon stated that acquiring Eero will allow them to help customers connect their smart devices better, with Alexa-powered devices which will be easier to set up and manage. The latest Eero router marks the first new product from the mesh networking company since Amazon acquired it earlier this year.

  • Adware apps with over 500 million donwloads found in the PlayStore

    Adware apps with over 500 million donwloads found in the PlayStore

    Yet again, apps ridden with nasty malware were found in the PlayStore. Google has faced some serious criticism in recent months as malicious applications have often found a way to get into the Play Store. These sketchy applications witness millions of downloads before being deemed as dangerous and removed subsequently.

    The latest culprits happen to be four VPNs and two selfie apps, which have collectively racked up over 500 million installs. These apps contain harmful adware that seeks sensitive system information which according to researchers, can cause serious damage. The VPN apps in question include HotSpotVPN, Free VPN Master, Secure VPN, or CM Security Applock AntiVirus. All these four apps originate in China and bombard users’ with fraudulent ads. The four Android VPNs have been collectively installed more than 500 million times.

    “In case of outside ad fraud ads pop up while apps are running in the background or even outside the app environment (e.g. ad views placed on the home screen and covering app icons that users must reach to start new apps). As a user, not only do I think it’s treacherous for a privacy app to abruptly intrude my phone screen, but the constant HTTP requests keep the phone CPU heated and drain phone battery,” researcher Andy Michael wrote in a blog post.

    Meanwhile, the two camera apps deemed as a security risk are Sun Pro Beauty Camera and Funny Sweet Beauty Selfie Camera. Both of these apps were identified by security researchers to have racked up more than 1.5 million downloads infecting devices with adware. These camera apps were bombarding screens with full-screen ads and even continued to display ads when the pop-up remained unopened.

    Security researchers at Wandera suggest that the permissions requested by these apps can cause more harm than just filling screens with fraudulent ads. These include installing shortcuts, serving fake system alerts, as well as recording audio without user permission.

    “Intrusive out-of-app ads interrupt users in the middle of their workflow, brick their devices, drain the device battery, and in some cases, infected devices need to be replaced altogether,” explained security researchers at Wandera.

    Naturally, researchers have advised that if any of these apps are installed on your device, you should delete them right away.

  • Google announces expected Pixel 4 event for October 15: ‘Made by Google’

    Google announces expected Pixel 4 event for October 15: ‘Made by Google’

    Save the date. Google has finally announced its next big event for Tuesday, October 15, where we expect the company to take the wraps off the Pixel 4. The company has sent out press invites for the said date for its ‘Made by Google’ event. During last year’s event, Google announced the Pixel 3, Pixel 3 XL, a new Chromebook, and the Home Hub. Therefore, at this year’s event, we expect to see Pixel 4 revealed.

    Google’s upcoming flagship has already witnessed a barrage of leaks. And thanks to the bevy of online leaks, Google also confirmed back in June what the phone will look like. The company teased an image that revealed a large, square camera bump on the back of the device. Also, the image showed a phone without a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner. Google also showed off a bunch of features for the Pixel 4, which include motion-sensing technology and the ability to unlock the phone just by looking at it, much-like Apple’s Face ID feature.

    Dual-camera system incoming

    However, the one major upgrade this year is widely believed to be the new dual-lens camera system with a new telephoto lens capable of zooming in on subjects. The primary camera will also get the ability to take fast-action pictures with the new ‘Motion Mode’. Besides, there’ll be an astrophotography mode, which gives the phone the ability to take low-light shots with the Milky Way in the background.

    The other big feature is arguably the hands-free gestures to control the phone. With gesture controls, Pixel 4 users would have the ability to control the phone and apps with gestures from above the screen.

    As per earlier reports, the Pixel 4 is expected to get powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 855 processor. Besides, leaks also hint at 6GB RAM for both Pixel 4 models, which would be an upgrade on the 4GB RAM found on the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL. However, leaks suggest the Pixel 4 will be offered in 64GB and 128GB storage options, same as last year’s Pixel 3 range. The Pixel 4 is expected to be offered in black, white, and coral color schemes.

  • Apple unveils the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max

    Apple unveils the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max

    Apple announced its 2019 iPhone line-up during an event held at the Steve Jobs Theatre at Apple’s headquarters in Cupertino, California. Just like last year, this year’s iPhone range consists of a trio of models. These include the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, and iPhone 11 Pro Max.

    All three iPhone models are quite similar to their predecessors. That said, Apple boasted about some massive improvements in the camera department during the event. Besides, several upgrades have been made under the hood to deliver faster performance and better battery life. The iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max feature 5.8-inch and 6.5-inch OLED displays, respectively.

    The highlight of these devices is the new triple-lens primary camera, which includes a telephoto lens, a wide-angle camera, along with an ultra-wide camera with a 120-degree field of view. The triple-lens camera system on the back is also capable of recording 4K videos at 60fps. Besides, users will be able to edit a video using the Photos app.

    Elsewhere, the iPhone Pro range gets support for HDR10, spatial audio, Dolby Vision, and Dolby Atmos. Besides, Apple has promised four more hours of battery life with the iPhone Pro series compared to their predecessors. Both iPhone Pro models also ship with an 18W charger in the box.

    The most affordable of the lot, the iPhone 11, features a 6.1-inch Liquid Retina displays. It’ll be offered in a choice of six color variants. These include green, purple, yellow, red, white, and black. Under the hood, it comes with the A13 Bionic processor, which Apple claims makes it the fastest GPU and CPU ever in a smartphone.

    Talking about cameras, the iPhone 11 packs a dual-lens primary camera which includes a wide-angle lens and an ultra-wide-angle lens with a 120-degree field of view. For selfies, the handset features a 12MP TrueDepth camera, which lets users take wide-angle selfies and shoot slow-motion videos.

    The iPhone 11 also comes with Night Mode, which is said to improve low-light photography. Apple explained that Night mode gets automatically activated when it detects low light to increase the brightness and reduce noise. The dual-lens camera system on the iPhone can also shoot 4K videos at 60fps.

    iPhone 11 range: Price and availability

    All three iPhone 11 models are available for pre-order starting September 13 at 5 am Pacific Standard Time, while shipping begins on September 20. The ‘iPhone 11 Pro’ and ‘iPhone 11 Pro Max’ are priced at $999 and $1099 respectively, while the iPhone 11 gets a price tag of $699.

    Meanwhile, Apple also announced a new trade-in program for several countries as a part of the iPhone launch. The trade-in program allows you to return your old iPhone to get a new one at discounted prices. With the trade-in offer, new iPhones start at $399, $599, and $699.

  • Leaked Google Pixel 4 ad shows-off gesture controls, low-light camera prowess

    Leaked Google Pixel 4 ad shows-off gesture controls, low-light camera prowess

    Google is expected to announce the Pixel 4 range sometime in October, and leaks about the upcoming flagship are flying thick and fast. The latest leak appears to be a genuine Pixel 4 video promo, sent to ProAndroid by a reader. The video confirms the presence of gesture controls, an astrophotography mode, as well as massive low-light camera improvements.

    Google has already teased a video which shows off how users will be able to control the Pixel 4 without touching the screen, just by hand gestures. And the latest leaked TV commercial showcases the Soli-powered gesture control feature. With gesture controls, Pixel 4 users would have the ability to control the phone and apps with gestures from above the screen.

    Besides, the promo video also boasts about the Pixel 4’s low-light camera prowess, along with the ability to take impressive shots of the stars.

    A recent leak indicated that Google is prepping a new feature called ‘Motion Mode,’ which allows users to take high-quality action shots without any blur. The feature would come in real handy while shooting sports and action shots. The same leak also tipped at an 8x zoom and capabilities for astrophotography – such as the ability to take low-light shots with the Milky Way in the background. And the latest promo video indeed suggests that Google plans to give Pixel 4 the ability to take photos of the stars.

    You can check out the leaked Google Pixel 4 promo below:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xoGaGe10VyY

    As per earlier reports, the Pixel 4 is expected to get powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 855 processor. Besides, leaks also hint at 6GB RAM for both Pixel 4 models, which would be an upgrade on the 4GB RAM found on the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL. However, leaks suggest the Pixel 4 will be offered in 64GB and 128GB storage options, same as last year’s Pixel 3 range.

    Besides, Google also plans to upgrade the face unlock mechanism with its new Pixel range. The latest video shows how a user unlocks the Pixel 4 by looking at it, similar to how Face ID works.

    Google is expected to launch the Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL sometime in October, while shipping is likely to begin later that month. More leaks about the Pixel 4 are expected to surface as we near its official release. We’ll update you as soon as we hear anything new. Until then, keep checking back for more.

  • Samsung Galaxy Fold release date announced

    Samsung Galaxy Fold release date announced

    The Samsung Galaxy Fold was originally slated for a release in April. However, the launch got delayed after early reviewers faced issues with the device’s screen. Samsung later officially announced that it had fixed these issues and the device is ready for a release. Now, the Korean manufacturer has revealed an exact release date of the handset. According to Samsung, the Galaxy Fold is now ready for launch and will be available starting September 6 in South Korea.

    The handset will arrive in the US ‘in the coming weeks, said Samsung in a press release. Rumour has it that the handset would launch in the US on September 27. As far as pricing goes, the handset is set to cost a whopping $2000.

    Besides, Samsung also plans to offer something called ‘Galaxy Fold Premier Service”. The service essentially gives Galaxy Fold buyers “”direct access to Samsung experts who can provide you tailored guidance and support over the phone any time, any day.” Key sources also suggest that buyers won’t have to pay for the service separately, as it’ll be included in the price of the Galaxy Fold.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E9ydQoi2VbA

    To recall, Samsung initially pushed back the handset’s launch after reviewers faced several hardware issues with the device. Though the company later confirmed that it had made several changes to the Galaxy Fold to resolve the problems with the screen discovered by early reviewers.

    To begin with, the top protective layer of the Infinity Flex display now covers the bezels as well. Hence, everything looks proper now as early reviewers assumed it was screen protector and tried to peel it off, thereby damaging the screen.

    Next, Samsung has added more metal layers under the screen to make it more durable. Also, the space between the body and the hinge has been reduced. Elsewhere, Samsung also claims there are additional reinforcements now to protect the screen from external debris. Finally, the company has strengthened the top and bottom of the hinge with more protective particles.

    “Samsung is conducting final product tests to make Galaxy Fold available to consumers starting from September in select markets. Availability details will be shared as we get closer to launch,” the company added in the press release.

    Hopefully, Samsung is now ready to launch the Galaxy Fold starting September 6, without any issues that were discovered in early review units of the handset.

  • State-backed effort responsible for the massive iPhone hack: Report

    State-backed effort responsible for the massive iPhone hack: Report

    Google’s Project Zero team recently found multiple flaws in iOS that allowed hackers to gain access to an iPhone. The attack involved a small group of websites which targeted visitors’ devices to gain access to their personal information, as well as location data. Besides, the attack could also gather encrypted information from apps such as WhatsApp, iMessage, and Telegram.

    According to sources, such websites have been running for two years, during which thousands of visitors possibly accessed them every week. Apple, however, was quick to roll out a fix for the flaw in iOS 12.1.4. Apple revealed in the update that the vulnerability, referred to as ‘memory corruption issues’, was fixed with ‘improved input validation. Hence, iPhone owners are most likely protected against these exploits, as a fix was rolled out for the same with iOS 12.1.4 on February 7.

    That said, the perpetrator behind these attacks remained a mystery. Now, thanks to some digging by TechCrunch, it turns out that the culprit behind these attacks was the Chinese government.

    The attack was apparently part of a campaign to gather surveillance on a minority Muslim group in China, the Uyghur community, residing in China’s Xinjiang territory. The Chinese government claims that Islamists militants and separatists target the country’s Xinjiang region. Reports indicate that China has forced nearly 2 million people from the Uyghur community and Muslim minorities into camps for indoctrination, prompting activists to call on China to stop such mass detention efforts.

    Google revealed in its disclosure that merely visiting the infected sites was enough for the exploit to attack your device. Therefore, even people outside the Uyghur community may have been affected by this state-sponsored spy effort. Key sources also indicate that not only iPhone users were affected by the attack, but even devices running Android and Microsoft’s operating systems. With thousands of visitors accessing such malicious websites, it allowed the Chinese government to capture their private data as well as their location data.

  • Fitbit Versa 2 powered by Amazon Alexa goes official

    Fitbit Versa 2 powered by Amazon Alexa goes official

    The Fitbit Versa 2 smartwatch is finally official. The new smartwatch comes with Amazon Alexa and will launch on September 15, starting at $199.95. It’ll come in three color options. These include a black color with a carbon case, a stone color with a mist grey case, and a petal color variant with a copper rose aluminum case.

    Besides, there’ll be two exclusive editions of the smartwatch, emerald and Bordeaux with a copper rose case. The two exclusive versions will be available later this fall via Fitbit.com and select retailers.

    The Fitbit Versa 2 gets a slew of upgrades over its earlier model. For instance, it gets a more powerful processor, which means apps and data will load much faster. Besides, it is claimed to offer over five days of battery life.

    Elsewhere, the Versa 2 gets a sleek new waterproof design, along with new sleep features such as ‘sleep score,’ which essentially tells a user how well he slept. It also gets an on-device microphone with Amazon Alexa integration, which users can command to check their schedule, start a workout, or respond to texts.

    The Fitbit Versa 2 also gets a brighter, crisper AMOLED display with an optional ‘Always On’ mode. Other notable features include water resistance up to 50 meters, 15+ exercising routines, 24/7 heart-rate tracking, and on-device workouts.

    Apart from the new smartwatch, the company also announced Fitbit Premium, a new subscription service slated for a release this fall for $9.99 a month or $79.99 per year. The Versa 2 smartwatch will support Fitbit Premium service, which essentially gives users more information about their health trends. The service will be available in English in 17 countries via the Fitbit app.

    Besides, the service will be available in more languages by 2020, such as French, German, Spanish, Italian, Japanese, and Korean. Moreover, Versa 2 buyers will get a 90-day trial for the service.

  • Baidu overtakes Google, now the second largest smart speaker seller globally

    Baidu overtakes Google, now the second largest smart speaker seller globally

    The global smart speaker market has seemingly witnessed a tectonic shift, making the Chinese manufacturer Baidu the second-largest smart speaker seller internationally, as it overtook Google to claim the second spot.

    According to a new report from Canalys, the Chinese manufacturer recorded a staggering growth in Q2 2019, compared to the same period a year ago. The company saw an astounding growth of 3,700 percent, recording sales of 4.5 million units, which is a monumental rise compared to 100,000 units it sold during the same period last year.

    In comparison, Google managed to achieve sales of 4.3 million units of its smart speakers, a drop of 19.8 percent as it sold 5.4 million units in Q2, 2018.

    Amazon regains the top spot, recording sales of 6.6 million units of its smart speaker systems in Q2 2019. Now, this makes for a growth of 24.5 percent, compared to 4.1 million units of its Echo range of smart speakers that found buyers in Q2, 2018.

    It’s also worth noting while Google and Amazon maintain an international presence, sales of Baidu smart speakers were largely restricted to the Chinese market. That said, the enormous size of the Chinese market means there’s a massive potential for Baidu to grow, given that smart speaker market in the country is still in its nascent phase.

    “Local network operators’ interests on the [smart display] device category soared recently. This bodes well for Baidu as it faces little competition in the smart display category, allowing the company to dominate in the operator channel,” said Canalys Research Analyst Cynthia Chen.

    Both Google and Amazon focused on international markets in Q2 2019. Reports indicate that 50 percent of Amazon’s shipments were outside the U.S in Q2, an increase of 32 percent compared to the same period last year. As for Google, 55 percent of its shipments were made outside the U.S, an increase of 42 percent compared to the same period the previous year.

    The remaining top five contenders were Alibaba and Xiaomi, shipping 4.1 million and 2.8 million units respectively in Q2 2019. Meanwhile, the sales of Apple’s HomePod totaled 3.7 million units.

  • Dell XPS 13 announced with Intel’s Comet Lake 10th Gen CPUs

    Dell XPS 13 announced with Intel’s Comet Lake 10th Gen CPUs

    Ahead of IFA 2019, Dell has refreshed its XPS 13 lineup with the latest Intel Comet Lake 10th Gen processors. The base model featuring the Intel Core i3-10110U processor gets a price tag of $899. Besides, Dell plans to ship the top-end model with the hexacore Intel Core i7-10710U chipset in October.

    Dell also announced that the XPS 13 2-in-1 is now available for purchase. It becomes the first laptop to get Project Athena certification, with 9 hours of battery life thanks to the 10th generation of Intel Core mobile processors for laptops and 2-in-1 devices.

    Besides, Dell’s Inspiron and Vostro range will also soon start shipping with Intel’s 10th Gen CPUs. These include the likes of Inspiron 14 7000 and Inspiron 7000 13-inch 2-in-1 laptops, which begin shipping on October 1st starting at $929.99 and $849 respectively. Both devices will feature 10th Gen Comet Lake CPUs. The 2-in-1 will come in 13-inch, 15-inch, and 17-inch configurations, featuring DDR4 RAM and support for Nvidia GeForce MX250 graphics.

    Intel’s latest 10th gen Comet Lake processors come in i3, i5, and i7 configurations with up to 6 cores, promising 2x performance improvement with increased productivity and multitasking.

    “From multitasking to everyday content creation, the newest additions to the family-scale performance for even higher levels of productivity,” said Intel’s Chris Walker, Vice President and General Manager of Mobility Client Platforms in the Client Computing Group.

    The new 10th-generation Intel Core lineup also gets Intel Wi-Fi 6 (Gig+) wireless chipset with WPA3 security support for a secure and faster Internet connection. Besides, the new range also scales the performance of Thunderbolt 3 ports with capabilities of up to 40 Gb/s data transfers. They take advantage of the super optimized 14nm process technology to offer a gain of 16 percent overall performance and more than 41 percent better productivity and multitasking.

    Built using super optimized 14nm process technology, they deliver a 16 percent improvement in overall performance as well as over 41 percent improvements in productivity and multitasking.

  • iOS 12.4 bug lets anyone jailbreak an iPhone

    iOS 12.4 bug lets anyone jailbreak an iPhone

    During the early days of the iPhone, jailbreaking was primarily done to install third-party apps that were not available via the App Store. Since then, there’s been no need to jailbreak iPhone thanks to the availability of thousands of apps and more customizable operating systems. That said, a new vulnerability was found this week in iOS 12.4, making it the first iOS jailbreak to be publicly revealed in years.

    First reported by Motherboard, the latest iOS 12.4 has a bug that Apple apparently fixed in iOS 12.3. Now, this essentially makes it possible to exploit the vulnerability to jailbreak iOS 12.4. Security researcher Pwn20wnd released the first free public version of the jailbreak that users are already using to customize the look of their Homescreen or to download unauthorized apps. That said, readers are advised not to do so, as jailbreaking makes your iPhone more susceptible to risks and hacks.

    Therefore, until Apple rolls out a fix for the same in iOS 12.4.1, many iPhones are at risk as the bug makes it easier to hack iPhones. A security researcher told Motherboard that hackers could exploit this vulnerability to develop a malicious app that could steal data from other apps on your iPhone. Given the security risks, readers are advised not to jailbreak their iPhones. Besides, they should also beware of the apps downloaded from the App Store until Apple rolls out a fix.

    Jailbreaking allows iOS users to add apps and other functions that Apple wouldn’t usually allow users to perform on their iPhones. iOS has rather strict limitations that are designed to protect users from malicious apps but also gives Apple more control over the ecosystem. Therefore, jailbreaking has an adverse effect on your iPhone’s security, but at the same time gives users more control over the phone.

  • iOS 13 beta tips at an iPhone 11 event on September 10

    iOS 13 beta tips at an iPhone 11 event on September 10

    Apple today started rolling out iOS 13 beta 7 for developers. As expected, people are already looking for clues through the software about the upcoming iPhone 11. It appears iHelp BR has found something concrete in the latest iOS 13 beta. They’ve discovered an image named ‘HoldForRelease,’ which shows the September 10 date on the calendar of iOS 13’s home screen. Now, this implies that Apple might hold an iPhone event on the said date.

    Notably, even iOS 12 included a similar image, which displayed September 12, which was, in fact, the date Apple officially announced the iPhone XS range. Now, the presence of a similar picture in iOS 13 beta, only points to the fact that Apple might hold an iPhone 11 event on September 10.

    Apple typically holds an iPhone event on the second Tuesday or Wednesday in September. For instance, the iPhone XS event was held on Wednesday, September 12, 2018, while the iPhone X went official on Tuesday, September 12, 2017. Similarly, the iPhone 8 event was held on Wednesday, September 7, 2016, while the iPhone 7 was unveiled on
    Wednesday, September 9, 2015.

    Are three iPhones incoming?

    As per earlier reports, Apple is expected to launch three new iPhones in 2019. These include the successor to the iPhone XR with a 6.1-inch LCD screen, along with two OLED models with 5.8-inch and 6.5-inch displays. The upcoming iPhones are expected to get similar screens as the current-gen iPhone models, though with larger batteries.

    Multiple sources also point to the fact that Apple will incorporate a triple-lens camera setup for this year’s flagship iPhone model. Besides, a recent leak via Twitter suggests that Apple’s top-end iPhone model for 2019 might have the word ‘Pro’ in its name, as opposed to the ‘Max’ moniker. Now, this suggests that Apple’s top-end iPhone for 2019 might be called the iPhone 11 Pro, or simply the iPhone Pro.

    Besides, analysts at Citi Research predict that Apple Pencil support might finally arrive on the next iPhone.