Topics

The Lenovo ThinkBook Plus. (Source: Lenovo)

The dual-screen Lenovo ThinkBook Plus will be released soon

Lenovo's innovative ThinkBook Plus is now up for pre-order on JD.com, prior to general sales starting from April 24, 2020. To recap, this 13.3-inch notebook has a 10.8-inch e-ink display on its lid. The user can thus write or dood...

Deirdre O Donnell, 18 Apr 2020 20:55

Zoom zero-day vulnerabilities are being auctioned for up to US$500,000

Two new zero-day vulnerabilities have been found for the popular teleconferencing software Zoom. The exploits, one of which affects the Windows client and the other of which affects the macOS client, are currently up for auction o...

Sam Medley, 16 Apr 2020 22:59

Qualcomm's 3D Sonic fingerprint sensor technology. (Source: Qualcomm)

Qualcomm and BOE announce a collaboration to bring 3D Sonic fingerprint sensing to more displays

BOE has announced that it will make more displays that support Qualcomm's 3D Sonic fingerprint sensor technology in the future. These panels will also be of more types and for more use-cases than ever before. This includes flexibl...

Deirdre O Donnell, 15 Apr 2020 21:30

You can now sideload unverified apps on iOS without Jailbreak or revokes

The latest update to the AltStore/AltServer iOS app allows users to sideload their own IPA files without the need for Jailbreak or the worries of possible revokes. AltStore uses a method that exploits the app developer license sys...

Sam Medley, 12 Apr 2020 03:58

Apple and Google collaborate on a new API to help track Covid-19 transmission

Consumer tech has already been used for 'Covid-19 contact tracing' in Taiwan and South Korea already. Now, Google and Apple have jointly announced a new API to do the same using Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE). It will apparently used ...

Deirdre O Donnell, 11 Apr 2020 17:53

The Realme XT's bootloader unlock is now officially available. (Image Source: Realme)

Realme XT bootloader unlock now officially available, but there's a downside

The bootloader unlock tool for the Realme XT is now official with instructions for use being made available on the Realme Community site. While the bootloader unlock allows Realme XT users to install custom ROMs, it disables offic...

Vaidyanathan Subramaniam, 10 Apr 2020 10:19

Firefox 75 is collecting data from you by default, and you may not know it. (Image via Firefox w/ edits)

Firefox 75 includes telemetry that sends data about your default browser settings to Mozilla every day

The latest version of Firefox for Windows, Firefox 75, includes a default telemetry practice that sends users' default browser settings to Mozilla once a day. The data is sent via a Windows scheduled task. While disabling this tel...

Sam Medley, 09 Apr 2020 16:20

Tuned is a new app for couples aimed squarely at couples. (Image via Apple App Store)

Facebook releases Tuned, an app that gives couples a "private space" to message each other

Tuned, an app designed for couples, is now available on iOS. The app comes from the NPE Team within Facebook. Though Tuned is billed as a private app for couples, users should be aware that anything sent through Tuned could be sen...

Sam Medley, 09 Apr 2020 04:40

Raspberry Pi: Turn the single-board computer into a door opener with face recognition and SMS alert

A new project has turned the Raspberry Pi into a cheap electric lock. The project uses facial recognition to make it particularly easy to open the door and should also be comparatively easy for beginners to utilize. Also, relative...

Silvio Werner, 07 Apr 2020 18:29

Microsoft releases optional patches for Internet connection problems on Windows 10

The big February update brought some internet connection problems for some users, especially when using a VPN. An unfavourable mistake in the age of the home office, in our opinion. Microsoft confirmed the bug and promised a quick...

Alex Alderson, 03 Apr 2020 21:22

VPN use was found to increase in March 2020. (Source: Flickr)

Global VPN use spiked during March 2020, study finds

Virtual private networks (VPNs) are popular tools among those who want to safeguard their internet usage and the data involved. The sudden and widespread need to work from home has given them a new dimension of necessity, however....

Deirdre O Donnell, 02 Apr 2020 22:14

OnePlus launches its own payments service in its home country

OnePlus Pay is the latest smartphone OEM-provisioned digital wallet platform on the market. To date, it only works in China, although it could expand to other markets later. As with other similar services, it allows a user to stor...

Deirdre O Donnell, 25 Mar 2020 18:31

The ICI HotSpot non-contact thermometer. (Source: ICI)

A US company donates its IR-powered remote thermometers to authorities affected by COVID-19

Infrared Cameras Inc. is a Texas-based company that makes products that allow the assessment of a target's core temperature without touching them. For example, its HotSpot thermometer uses infrared (IR) technology to help assess s...

Deirdre O Donnell, 25 Mar 2020 15:33

The new Reolink Lumus. (Source: Reolink)

The new Reolink Lumus Wi-Fi security camera also has a motion-activated spotlight

Most IP and Wi-Fi-connected home security cameras are designed to simply detect suspicious movement on a property. However, the Lumus may improve on such products from Reolink in that it also has a built-in spotlight. This augment...

Deirdre O Donnell, 24 Mar 2020 18:00

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to advanced prevention measures worldwide. (Source: CDC)

Samsung, OPPO, Vivo and Xiaomi suspend work on their devices at their Indian facilities

Samsung, Xiaomi and OPPO are among a growing number of businesses announcing a shut-down of their plants in India in order to comply with this country's COVID-19-related lockdown measures. Meanwhile, Vivo has reportedly asked thei...

Deirdre O Donnell, 23 Mar 2020 18:53

HMD Connect is a new roaming alternative. (Source: Google Play Store)

HMD Global offers a new way to get mobile data wherever you are

HMD Global has launched a new product, which is for an Android phone rather than being one. Known as "Connect", it distributes data-only SIMs that operate based on a sort of pay-as-you-go model. The user buys data "packages" to us...

Deirdre O Donnell, 21 Mar 2020 18:49

A good VPN service is essential for those who spend a lot of time online. (Image source: Globb Security)

Deal | Increase your web-surfing options: Private Internet Access offers yearly VPN service from US$2.85 a month thanks to 71% savings

Private Internet Access is currently offering some great deals on its Virtual Private Network (VPN) service. While the monthly subscription stands at US$9.95 each month, a 6-month plan can be had for the equivalent of US$5.99 a mo...

Daniel R Deakin, 21 Mar 2020 10:15

Netflix soon only in SD resolution due to high network usage?

Because of the Corona-Breakout a large number of people is staying home causing Internet usage to climb up. Although the data usage it is not yet absolutely critical, the EU is already discussing ways to restrict data traffic in f...

Christian Hintze, 19 Mar 2020 12:53

The Purism Librem Mini's software can detect hardware and software tampering. (Image source: Purism)

Purism reveals the Librem Mini - a configurable mini PC with an Intel Core i7-8565U CPU and PureOS from US$599

Purism has launched its Librem Mini small form-factor mini PC, with preorders for the device now being taken. The tiny computer comes with a Whiskey Lake Intel Core i7-8565U processor and can be configured with up to 64 GB RAM. Pu...

Daniel R Deakin, 19 Mar 2020 07:53

Google's Advanced Protection has new features. (Source: Google)

Google's Advanced Protection starts to prevent the side-loading of non-Play Store apps

Advanced Protection is a program offered by Google to those potentially in need of enhanced mobile-device security. The Mountain View giant has announced some new changes to its policies. They include a built-in blocker for side-l...

Deirdre O Donnell, 18 Mar 2020 20:03

The free offer on DxOdyssey will last at least until August 31 (Image source: DH2i)

Free software | To combat COVID-19, DH2i just made its enterprise-grade DxOdyssey “unVPN” free for all work from home employees

With COVID-19 forcing millions of employees to work from home, network software company DH2i just made its DxOdyssey “unVPN” free for stay-at-home workers until August 31st.

Arjun Krishna Lal, 18 Mar 2020 15:01

The PlayStation 4 is set to get an updated jailbreak release. (Source: Digital Trends)

A new PS4 firmware 6.20 kernel exploit is finally in the works

Rejoice, PlayStation 4 owners, a new jailbreak solution is coming your way. Popular developer @theflow0 has announced the discovery of a new vulnerability on firmware 6.20 of Sony's outgoing console, with a kernel exploit and jail...

Ricci Rox, 15 Mar 2020 10:22

The OnePlus 7T series has an Open Beta. (Source: OnePlus)

OnePlus announces the 7T and 7T Pro's first OxygenOS Open Beta

OnePlus often releases Open Beta versions of its Android skin, OxygenOS. They are often updated compared to the "normal" (stable) builds in terms of features, security patches and other new tweaks. The OEM has started just such a ...

Deirdre O Donnell, 13 Mar 2020 22:54

Mozilla will update KaiOS in fundamental and vital ways soon. (Credit: TechAltar via YouTube)

Mozilla and KaiOS' new partnership may result in a better future for feature phones

Phones that run neither Android nor iOS have been falling behind in terms of their browser and web-based support. Mozilla and KaiOS (the mobile platform most likely to run on such devices) have addressed this through a new partner...

Deirdre O Donnell, 13 Mar 2020 19:19

Yet another Intel chip-level security flaw uncovered. (Source: Intel)

New and unfixable Intel chip flaw discovered putting PCs at risk of attack

Intel has had a rough trot with chip-level security flaws in the past couple of years and it seemed as though it had gotten on top of them. Unfortunately, security researchers have discovered a new chip-level vulnerability affecti...

Sanjiv Sathiah, 07 Mar 2020 11:31

Huawei's CEO presents on the OEM's 5G hardware strategy. (Source: Huawei)

Huawei reportedly circumvents US policy with its 100% in-house base station

Base stations are crucial pieces of hardware for mobile networks, particularly 5G ones. Huawei is now reportedly in a position to sell versions of these devices based on their own proprietary chipsets, rather than those made by US...

Deirdre O Donnell, 02 Mar 2020 19:04

Cheetah Mobile's apps can no longer be downloaded on the Play Store. (Source: Cheetah Mobile)

Google announces the removal of about 600 apps from the Play Store

Google has released a blog post explaining why nearly 600 apps have just been removed from Android's Play Store. These apps were deemed guilty of "mobile ad fraud", which contravenes the Mountain View giant's policies. The apps in...

Deirdre O Donnell, 02 Mar 2020 18:24

Self-driving cars could become more acceptable through improved camera tech. (Source: GSA)

A Korean research group claims to have improved camera calibration for self-driving vehicles

Cars that are capable of autonomous driving are often touted as the future. However, their actual ability to do so through perceiving the real world in 3D with sufficient accuracy is still in development. A new research paper publ...

Deirdre O Donnell, 01 Mar 2020 20:54

The new Kami Wire-Free Outdoor Camera. (Source: Kami)

Kami releases its 100% wireless, weather-resistant outdoor IP security camera

Kami - YI Technology's new home-security brand - has released its new Wire-Free Outdoor Camera. As it lacks the need for connectivity hubs and has batteries that can be recharged in a USB-powered holder, it can be installed anywhe...

Deirdre O Donnell, 27 Feb 2020 21:24

MediaTek's MT3620 may be one of the most popular IoT MCUs out there. (Source: MediaTek)

MediaTek asserts that its MT3620 MCU has driven Microsoft Azure Sphere uptake

The MediaTek MT3620 is the first microcontroller unit (MCU) to directly integrate the Azure Sphere security platform from Microsoft. This solution is used to connect a business' internet-of-things (IoT) system with Azure's cloud s...

Deirdre O Donnell, 27 Feb 2020 20:55

Some private WhatsApp group invite links may be searchable. (Source: WhatsApp)

App researchers report that WhatsApp group invites are searchable online

WhatsApp sets a lot of store by the privacy in messaging it supposedly offers. However, allegations that links that invite new users to private groups are searchable online have recently emerged. This is due to the fact Google has...

Deirdre O Donnell, 23 Feb 2020 23:14

Facebook will soon begin paying users for recordings of their voice, which the company claims it will use to improve products like the Portal. (Image via Amazon)

Facebook will pay you for a voice recording

Facebook will soon send invitations to some users of its Viewpoints marketing research app. The invites will allow users to record a phrase and the names of some of their friends in exchange for $5. Facebook claims these recording...

Sam Medley, 21 Feb 2020 21:54

The Android 11 preview has appeared. (Source: Google)

Google releases the first Android 11 Developer Preview

Google has made the Developer Preview page for the next version of Android live. This build is now available to download onto certain devices, Pixel phones included. It exhibits changes such as new security measures, privacy safeg...

Deirdre O Donnell, 19 Feb 2020 23:33

The US' Justice Department defers Huawei's ban from the market again

Huawei has been slapped with a trade ban from the US Administration that prevents it from selling to companies based in that country. However, the nation's Department of Justice (DoJ) had postponed it for 90 days by way of a new l...

Deirdre O Donnell, 15 Feb 2020 21:20

While xHelper can be removed by antivirus software, it will soon reinstall itself. (Image via Malwarebytes forum user Amelia)

Android trojan xHelper can reinstall itself after removal and factory reset

An Android trojan by the name of xHelper has been found to reinstall itself after removal. Worse still, the malware reinstalls itself even after a factory reset. Malwarebytes has devised a fairly complex manner of removing the mal...

Sam Medley, 15 Feb 2020 17:21

The Indian government's proposed legislation will make internet anonymity a thing of the past

Indian social media users risk losing online anonymity amid controversial law

The Indian government is reportedly in the final stages of drafting a law that will force social media companies to divulge the personal information of anonymous social media users. The proposed law will apply to all social media ...

Anil Satyanarayana, 13 Feb 2020 12:45

Secretly owned by CIA, Swiss tech company Crypto sold encryption products to 120 countries and...

Liquidated in 2018, Swiss firm Crypto AG seems to have been involved in helping the US and German governments spy on no less than 120 countries for decades. The story has just surfaced thanks to an investigation carried out by The...

Codrut Nistor, 12 Feb 2020 16:20

Huawei caught red-handed: The company has backdoor access to mobile networks worldwide

The latest Huawei-related security issue is huge and it's enough to describe it in a few words for everyone to figure out: for over a decade, the Chinese behemoth has been using backdoors intended for law enforcement to access mob...

Codrut Nistor, 12 Feb 2020 09:16

POCO's F1 apparently gets a 2nd new update. (Source: Reddit)

Pocophone F1 users report a Pixel-esque security patch update

Recently, the brand POCO has reportedly started providing OTA updates to Android 10 for its first device, the F1. Now, it seems one for the February 2020 security patch level has followed. Oddly, it seemingly comes direct from Goo...

Deirdre O Donnell, 04 Feb 2020 19:49

The iPhone X can be cracked by Cellebrite's tool. (Source: Business Insider)

Cybersecurity experts: Android phones may now be more secure than iPhones

iPhones are way more secure than Androids, right? Apparently not. A new report with information from forensic experts heavily points towards the reverse being the case. Androids may now be more secure than iPhones, with a Huawei f...

Ricci Rox, 31 Jan 2020 06:52

This game comes preinstalled on the TCL PLEX with its new Android upgrade. (Source: GameLoft)

TCL Plex owners get Android 10 and more from their latest software update

Those who use TCL's latest triple-camera smartphone, the PLEX, may be pleasantly surprised by a new OTA update that confers Android 10 and the January 1, 2020 security patch on these devices. This download is 2.7GB in size, and th...

Deirdre O Donnell, 27 Jan 2020 16:14

Smartphones in Russia will soon have to be more Russian... whatever that may mean. (Image via Charles DeLuvio on Unsplash, with edits)

Electronics sold in Russia must soon have software that supports "Russian spiritual and moral values"

A new draft of a government resolution in Russia mandates that all electronics sold in the country carry pre-installed software from Russian companies that espouses the "formation of the priority of traditional Russian spiritual a...

Sam Medley, 27 Jan 2020 05:20

Smart TVs will continue to grow as a market until 2025. (Source: Wikipedia)

Smart TV shipments may grow by about 57 million until 2025

Smart TVs are already popular purchases, and may become more so in the future due to their role as smart-home hubs. The latest analysis of their market has found that their shipments may number about 266 million over the next 5 ye...

Deirdre O Donnell, 24 Jan 2020 20:36

Apple touts iPhone privacy as a key selling point on its website. (Source: Apple)

FBI pressure leaves iCloud, iPhone users vulnerable to unencrypted back door

Apple has found itself in another privacy related controversy, this time over a decision apparently made two years ago, but only coming to light now. According to Reuters, Apple abandoned plans to fully encrypt iPhone (and iPad) b...

Sanjiv Sathiah, 22 Jan 2020 03:20

Windows 7 will no longer be supported by Microsoft. (Image Source: ComputerWorld)

Still can't let go of Windows 7? Here's a hack to further extend your eligibility for security updates

Microsoft has ended official support for Windows 7 on January 14, but many home users and businesses still use it as their primary operating system. Enterprise customers can still avail the option of paying for extended support le...

Vaidyanathan Subramaniam, 16 Jan 2020 09:48

Disney+ was far and away the most downloaded app this quarter. (Image via Disney)

TikTok and Disney+ top download charts in Q4 2019

The Disney+ mobile app has been downloaded more than 31 million times since its release in mid-November, giving a hint as to the early success of Disney's streaming service. The controversial video-sharing app TikTok came in secon...

Sam Medley, 15 Jan 2020 16:26

The vulnerability could impact every Windows system released in the past 20 years (Image source: Microsoft)

The NSA reports "extraordinarily serious" Windows flaw to Microsoft: The US military's already received an update

Sources told Krebs on Security that Microsoft is working to patch an "extraordinarily serious" vulnerability, potentially affecting every Windows system released in the last 20 years.

Arjun Krishna Lal, 14 Jan 2020 18:47

Smart assistant activation can result in embarrassing situations. (Source: The Manifest)

Up to 64% of users have activated a smart assistant by accident

A new study of those who use voice-activated searches have found that 64% of this group set the assistant in question off by mistake during December 2019. An accidental press of a hardware button was found to be the culprit in 49%...

Deirdre O Donnell, 08 Jan 2020 21:46

The FBI was unable to crack a mass shooter's iPhones

FBI asks Apple to help unlock two iPhones that belonged to a mass shooter

The FBI has asked Apple for help unlocking a pair of iPhones that belong to a mass shooter. Even though the agency has both devices in its possession, it is unable to get past the lock screen. Apple says that it will help the FBI ...

Anil Satyanarayana, 08 Jan 2020 03:56