Software

Although this is not the first time it happens this year, HP has been caught red-handed once again. This time, the keylogger has been found in the Synaptics touchpad driver that ships with more than 460 HP notebook models.

Google has asked developers whose apps use the accessibility permission to email them with how their app uses this permission to enhance user experience so that they can assess "responsible and innovative" use of the permission. While doing this they have put a pause on the 30 day 'modify or remove' notification they had previously given developers.

The Samsung Galaxy S8 received its Oreo beta weeks ago, so it's a bit surprising that Note 8 users have been left in the lurch. Only until now, though, as what looks like a stable internal Oreo build for the flagship has finally surfaced, with users testing it out and confirming its validity.

Live images of an unknown Sony Xperia device, which may be the Xperia XZ1 Premium, have surfaced, with the device featuring a unique design form that is sure to keep fans of the Japanese electronics giants on the edge of their seats.

The LG V30 looks to be the first device in LG's V series to move away from the content creator-cum-enthusiast demographic. While the device looks incredibly good, issues with its display have marred its success commercially.

The Mate 9 and Mate 9 Pro had their Oreo beta testing programs opened a few months ago, so it comes as no surprise that both devices are finally getting stable Oreo rollouts, with the P10 and V9 to follow soon.

There was word a while ago that the Nokia 8 would have Treble implemented on the final build of its Oreo update but that is not to be, as company CPO Juho Sarvikas has confirmed the lack of Treble on any Nokia device, much like we saw from OnePlus a while ago.

Microsoft OneDrive 5.1 for Android comes without the hamburger menu and features tabs at the bottom. A "Free space" option now shows up when the storage is full, advising you to remove those files you no longer need.

A fresh report published by The Citizen Lab revealed that Ethiopia, a country where less than 5 percent of the population has access to the internet, conducted a complex global cyber espionage campaign.

The Xiaomi Mi Notebook Pro suffered from less than ideal disk read and write speeds despite having a Samsung PM961 SSD onboard. A BIOS update is now available that enables full x4 bandwidth on the NVMe SSD PCIe lanes, leading to increased read/write speeds.

Next to Android 8.1 Oreo, Google intros the Go edition, which is a variant of its mobile operating system that comes with a lighter set of Google apps and has been optimized to work on devices with 512 MB to 1 GB of memory.

The Nokia 3 had issues getting the update to Android 7.1.2 Nougat due to its MediaTek heritage. HMD CPO Juho Sarvikas, however, has confirmed that the entry-level device will make the jump directly to Android Oreo, assuaging the fears of users of the device.

The Xiaomi Mi A1 was launched under the Android One program, which makes steady software updates a certainty. The device was slated to receive its Oreo update in December and there's a slim chance that deadline may actually be met, as beta testing for Oreo has finally kicked off.

BLU has released a fix for the phone-bricking OTA update they issued last week. While many users are reporting success, some customers will be left out to dry. Affected users are understandably upset at the latest misstep by BLU.

Ubisoft is offering the acclaimed RTS World in Conflict now through December 11th. They will then release Assassin's Creed: Black Flag for free from December 12 through the 18th.

The Target app has just received Wallet, a mobile payment system that only supports the Target REDcard for now, but it will soon gain the ability to add and pay with Target GiftCards as well.

The new Facebook Messenger Kids opens up the social network to children aged under 13. This app allows parents to download the app on their child's device, create a profile, and then approve the contacts they are allowed to interact with.

Apparently as a response to the recently discovered (and patched) KRACK exploit, Samsung added a VPN service to the Galaxy Note 8. Known as "Secure Wi-Fi," this service encrypts all outgoing traffic to provide safe browsing while connected to unsecured public networks.

Apple has just released iOS 11.2 with support for faster wireless charging, video camera stabilization, Apple Pay Cash, as well as a fix for the autocorrect bug that has been recently discovered.

The Moto Z2 Force is set to get its first taste of Oreo in the coming weeks, with the company sending out a teaser to users of the device a few days ago.

Malwarebytes has identified the use of pop-under windows which contain a cryptomining script to bypass adblockers and continue to run even after the user has closed the visible browser windows.

The Oreo beta update for the LG V30 that was sent out a few days ago was confirmed to not have Treble implemented. A customer rep, however, has claimed otherwise, which may mean that future builds get Treble support.

While the users of Andy Rubin's flagship can take the Android Oreo beta update for a spin, the Essential Phone gets a minor update that introduces the long-awaited portrait mode and multiple image quality improvements.

The Indian Intelligence Bureau has directed its border troops to format their smartphones and delete a number of specified apps, citing the reason as a discovered data trail leading from these apps to China.

PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, popularly referred to as PUBG, may be the hottest thing in the gaming industry right now, with the MMO reaching a Steam record of close to three million peak players.

A few years after removing apps that showed ads as push notifications, Google takes one more step in the right direction and forbids apps that display ads in the device's lock screen from being distributed via Google Play.

HTC's VP of Product Management, Mo Versi, has confirmed that the U11 Life will receive Android Oreo starting today. Only unlocked versions of the device will receive it now, though, as was the case with the U11.

The LG V30 and V30+ were released a few months ago, with both devices running on Android 7.1 Nougat out of the box. Users in South Korea, however, have started receiving Oreo beta updates. We expect an international rollout soon.

Since having more than a few GB of free, full-speed mobile data remains a dream for many Android users around the world, Google Datally comes to help them by providing the tools needed to better manage its usage.

Now that the beta period is over, Microsoft Edge is ready for both Android and iOS devices. Its list of changes includes password sync, a dark theme, and the very handy "Continue to PC" feature.

After five years in development, Skyforge entered the open beta stage in early 2015. This free-to-play MMORPG was released for PlayStation 4 in April, and now the time has finally arrived for the Xbox One console to get it as well.

Fluenty has recently become the first South Korean AI startup to join Samsung on their path to a much better Bixby virtual assistant. As usual, the financial terms of the deal have not been disclosed.

Next to the Xperia XZ and XZs, the Sony Xperia X Performance also receives the Android Oreo update this month. The new firmware includes the latest security patch from Google and comes with new features such as autofill, smart text selection, Xperia Actions, and more.

The latest OTA update for the phones of the popular US-based BLU Products apparently managed to brick a lot of phones and a lot of people are (very) angry about it. Sadly, there is no official solution for this problem that does not involve a factory reset.

During the Honor V10 launch event, Huawei also revealed the face recognition technology they are currently developing and a demo of its animated emojis, both (advertised as) better than the Face ID and the Animoji by Apple.

The Skype desktop software and web interface will receive the update treatment soon to match the Android, iOS, and UWP applications. When this happens, the legacy feature to sign in using your Skype account will disappear so any accounts set up this way will need to be merged with a Microsoft Account before the update.

Without any fanfare, Microsoft finally made Word, Excel, Outlook, and PowerPoint available for (apparently) all Chromebooks via the Google Play store. Chrome Unboxed confirmed their availability on the Pixelbook, Samsung Chromebook Pro, two Chromebook 15 models, and the Acer C771.

According to Mo Versi, HTC's Vice President of Product Management, the unlocked HTC U11 flagship receives the Android 8.0 update starting today. He also revealed that the Sprint variant and the older HTC 10 should get the new firmware soon as well.

A leaked Android Oreo-based firmware build for the OnePlus 5 reveals that this handset might soon get the Face Unlock feature that has been introduced last week with the new OnePlus 5T flagship.

HMD has sent out a final, stable Oreo update to the Nokia 8, effectively making them the third OEM to do so—impressive no matter how you look at it—with the Nokia 5 and 6 to follow suit in the coming weeks.

Sony has sent out Oreo updates to the Xperia XZ and XZs, keeping up its good form of sending updates out on time. We expect the Xperia X phones—X, X Performance, and X Compact to receive their updates in the coming weeks.

The latest Windows 10 "Redstone 4" test build is numbered 17046 and comes with a lot of tweaks and fixes, including faster access to advanced UWP app options, improved emoji support, and the ability to fill in and save data to use in forms when using Microsoft Edge.

The Samsung Galaxy S6 is way over two years old, so it comes as a pleasant surprise that Samsung service representatives have confirmed that the device will receive Android Oreo in the near future.

Humble Bundle inc. is offering up the tower-defense-cum-FPS game, Sanctum 2, for free as long as you claim it within the next 48 hours.

The Huawei Mate 9 was updated to support Project Treble on its Oreo beta. A user on XDA-Developers has successfully installed and booted a generic version of AOSP Android on the device in what may just be a groundbreaking event in the history of Android.

Xiaomi has kickstarted its closed Oreo beta-testing program, with selection currently ongoing and expected to last for a few weeks. The open beta is expected to begin by January 2018.

In an AMA on OnePlus forums yesterday, company staff confirmed that no current OnePlus device—5T inclusive—will be updated to support Google's new Project Treble.

Nintendo sprung a surprise by announcing the availability of popular game, Animal Crossing, on iOS and Android app stores for free. The company aims to capture both console and smartphone gamers with its offerings.

Not long after a few security research groups discovered new vulnerabilities in the Intel Management Engine remote administration subsystem, the chipmaker confirmed these issues in a new security advisory that also lists other bugs that were located in its software tools.

Intel has announced that its first commercial 5G modem, the XMM 8060, has completed end-to-end field testing, beating rival Qualcomm in the 5G race. It is also being rumored that Apple is in talks with Intel to incorporate Intel's 5G offerings in future iPhones.