Thursday, February 29, 2024

This Wine Deal from Firstleaf Gets You 6 Bottles for $30 -- No Strings Attached - CNET

Time to stock the rack with a half-case of wine for just $5 per bottle.

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Latest Tech News

The Oscar-nominated movie Poor Things is coming to Hulu in the US on March 7. This means you'll have just enough time to watch it before the Oscars air on March 10. If you're elsewhere in the world, you can already rent or purchase Poor Things via Amazon's Prime Video or Apple TV Plus. It'll also be landing on Disney Plus in other regions, but there's no official confirmation about when that will be.

Directed by Yorgos Lanthimos (The Lobster, The Favourite), Poor Things is based on a  1992 novel by Scottish writer Alasdair Gray. It follows the story of Bella Baxter (played by Emma Stone), a woman who lives in Victorian London who is given a brain transplant by scientist Dr. Godwin Baxter (Willem Dafoe) and later begins a journey of self-discovery with Duncan Wedderburn (Mark Ruffalo) to assert her independence.

The film has been nominated in 11 categories at the 96th Academy Awards, including best picture, lead actress and director. It already won the Golden Globe for best motion picture – musical or comedy back in January, when Emma Stone also bagged a trophy for best actress in a musical or comedy.

Where can you watch the rest of the Oscar nominees?

If you want to catch up with the rest of the Oscar Best Picture nominees before March 10 rolls around, here are the best streaming services where you can find a few of our favorites right now.

American Fiction is one of our top picks in this year's line-up of Best Picture nominees. It follows the story of a frustrated writer and professor who writes a harsh satire of stereotypically "Black" fiction. However, the stereotypes he creates end up being taken seriously and highly praised. You can currently buy American Fiction on Prime Video and Apple TV Plus in the US and stream it on Prime Video in Australia. Sorry UK viewers, you can't get your hands on it yet.

Barbie is currently streaming on Max in the US and you can rent or buy it elsewhere on Prime Video. Although the Golden Globes snubbed Greta Gerwig's Barbie, it was an incredibly fun movie that sneaked in some smart, barbed observations about our patriarchal culture amongst its entertaining adventure.

You'll find Killers of the Flower Moon on Apple TV Plus. This epic tale from Martin Scorsese follows the story of the brutal murders of Osage Nation members and the subsequent cover-up in a dark and violent movie that's western-meets-crime drama.

For the rest, take a look at our guide: where to watch the Oscar Best Picture nominees.

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Wednesday, February 28, 2024

Latest Tech News

In an effort to meet the ever-growing data demands, a team of Chinese photonic engineers has developed a high-capacity optical disc capable of holding up to 200TB of data. The team's groundbreaking work, published in Nature, has the potential to revolutionize storage technologies, particularly in data centers where space is at a premium.

Traditional DVDs, used for storing movies and data, have a capacity of 4.5GB - enough to store approximately two hours of video. Data is written onto the disc's surface using a laser to etch a series of ones and zeros. However, Tech Xplore reports that this new technology developed by the Chinese team takes an entirely different approach.

The engineers claim to have found a way to store data in three dimensions, as opposed to a single layer, enabling them to create an optical disc with up to 100 layers.

Challenges ahead

This new breakthrough was achieved by developing a special coating and using unique patterns of light and a dye in the coating that allowed for etching at the nanoparticle scale. This process has enabled the team to store data at an unprecedented level.

However, the team acknowledges that there are still challenges to overcome before these “super DVDs” can be commercialized. The current process of writing data to the disc is slow and energy-intensive, issues the team believes can be rectified. Furthermore, the cost of manufacturing such DVDs and the potential retail price for consumers remains unclear.

Despite these obstacles, the Chinese research team remains optimistic. They believe they are on the right path to selling DVDs capable of storing massive amounts of data, not only to consumers but also to data storage facilities, businesses, and media companies.

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Tuesday, February 27, 2024

Latest Tech News


  • iOS 18 tipped to be compatible with the same models as iOS 17
  • That would mean support for iPhones from the XR onwards
  • Major software update expected to be announced in June

With iOS 18 expected to be one of the biggest updates in iPhone history, the obvious follow-up question is – which models will support it? Well, we now have a good idea thanks to a new rumor from a credible source.

A now-deleted post on X (formerly Twitter) from MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris says that iOS 18 will be compatible with models from the iPhone XR onwards. The XR was released in 2018 and has an A12 bionic chip, which means the rumor suggests that the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max will also be compatible.

If true, that means the iOS 18 compatibility list would match the one for last year's iOS 17 update. And that'd be good news, as Apple usually drops support for older devices with each new iteration of iOS. For example, iOS 17 dropped support for the iPhone 8iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X.

iOS 18 and iPadOS 18: rumored compatibility

An iPhone on an orange background showing Siri

(Image credit: Apple)

iOS 18
iPhone XR, XS and XS Max or later

iPadOS 18
iPad Pro (2018 or later)
iPad Air (2019 or later)
iPad mini (2019 or later)
iPad (2020 or later)

The three latter phones all ran on the A11 Bionic chip, but it seems that the A12 has a longer shelf life for software updates. If the rumor is correct, then Apple will have given the iPhone XR, XS and XS Max six years of software updates (and counting).

However, the news could be less positive for owners of older iPads. According to the same MacRumors source, iPadOS 18 could drop support for iPads running on the A10X and A10 Fusion chips. 

If so, these incompatible models would include the iPad Pros launched in 2017 (including the iPad Pro 10.5 2017 and iPad Pro 12.9 2017), plus the standard iPad 9.7 (2018) and iPad 10.2 (2019). iPadOS 18 is likely to arrive at WWDC 2024, which typically runs every June – although we're yet to get a confirmed date for the event.

Which phones will get AI features?

Two iPhones on an orange background showing the Siri assistant and shortcuts

(Image credit: Apple)

While it's good news that iOS 18 potentially won't see Apple drop software support for older models, that doesn't mean the iPhone XR will get exactly the same experience as the iPhone 15.

As we've seen before, older iPhones can hit a performance ceiling when running the latest versions of iOS, even if they technically support all of the latest features. And given that some of the biggest iOS 18 changes are expected to be AI-powered, some new tricks may still be restricted to more recent models (in reality).

According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, Apple's senior management has called its next operating system "ambitious and compelling" with some "major new features and designs".

What kind of features? Reliable leaker Revegnus has suggested that Apple is using a proprietary LLM (large language model) to “completely revamp Siri into the ultimate virtual assistant", while Messages, Apple Music and Pages are also expected to get major AI upgrades.

The question is how many of these new features will run on-device or via the cloud. Given Apple's privacy-focused stance, it seems likely that it'll err towards the former, but we'll likely find out for sure in June. For now at least, your iPhone XR, iPhone XS or iPhone XS Max will live on to see another year, it seems.

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Monday, February 26, 2024

Latest Tech News

The iconic Canadian national police force, also known as the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), suffered a recent data breach which temporarily knocked its website offline - but its operations, as well as citizens, should not be affected by the incident, it said.

CBC says the RCMP sent a breach notification letter to its employees following the attack, explaining what had happened, with a spokesperson for the law enforcement organization confirming the news to media shortly afterwards.

"The situation is evolving quickly but at this time, there is no impact on RCMP operations and no known threat to the safety and security of Canadians," the RCMP spokesperson said.

Missing details

"While a breach of this magnitude is alarming, the quick work and mitigation strategies put in place demonstrate the significant steps the RCMP has taken to detect and prevent these types of threats."

The Office of the Privacy Commissioner (OPC) was reportedly notified of the attack, which knocked the RCMP website offline, but was already up and running again by press time.

Other details are not known at this time, but this could very well be a ransomware attack - possibly even LockBit, given that the group promised retaliation against law enforcement, for the disruption it experienced last week. 

More than two dozen servers, plenty of stolen data, and a number of encryptors were seized recently during an international effort against LockBit, dubbed Operation Cronos.

Initial reports state that data on police investigations, as well as on Canadian citizens, is secure. However, data on RCMP employees could still have been compromised, and later used for blackmail or advanced spear-phishing attacks.

Usually, ransomware operators refrain from targeting critical infrastructure organizations, healthcare firms, or law enforcement, as this allows them to remain undetected for longer and avoid becoming a target themselves.

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Sunday, February 25, 2024

Dog Essentials List: 13 Necessities for New Dog Owners - CNET

We’ve rounded up all the gear your dog will need to live comfortably in your home. From beds and blankets to bowls and chew toys -- and everything in between -- we’ve got you covered.

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Latest Tech News

The design elements in iOS don't often change – and when they do, it's not usually by much – but the upcoming iOS 18 software could indeed have a significantly updated look, according to one well-placed source.

According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman (via 9to5Mac), Apple "is indeed working to update the design of iOS as early as this year". That doesn't give us much detail to work with, but it does suggest there will be noticeably different visuals.

Gurman – usually reliable when it comes to predicting Apple's moves – was in part responding to rumors that iOS 18 would borrow some design inspiration from visionOS on the Apple Vision Pro. That "total overhaul" isn't happening, says Gurman, though it sounds as though Apple may get part of the way there in 2024.

New versions of iOS are usually unveiled at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) in June, so we don't have too long to wait to see what Apple's been working on – and how much different in style it is to iOS 17.

An "ambitious and compelling" update

iPhone 15 front handheld angled

iOS 18 will be coming to the iPhone 15 (Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)

The biggest visual overhaul we've ever seen for iOS came with iOS 7, launched back in 2013: skeuomorphism (where digital elements are designed like their real world equivalents) was out, and a much more modern look was in.

In the decade since, app icons and menus have been tweaked and adjusted, but there hasn't been what you would describe as a full-scale redesign. We'll have to wait and see what iOS 18 brings when WWDC 2024 gets underway.

Gurman has previously gone on record as saying that iOS 18 is going to be an "ambitious and compelling" upgrade, so it sounds as though there's a lot to look forward to. As with everything else in tech lately, generative AI is likely to play an important role – with Siri and iOS set to be updated with some big new AI-driven capabilities.

According to Gurman, a visual refresh is also coming to macOS, though it'll lag behind iOS: the updates Apple is planning to the macOS design are apparently still in the early stages, and won't be completed until 2025 or 2026.

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Saturday, February 24, 2024

You Can Find Many Great Deals at Best Buy's Member-Exclusive Weekend Sale - CNET

If you're a My Best Buy Total or Plus member, you can use your membership to find a ton of excellent deals across various product categories.

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Latest Tech News

It's hard to imagine the notch on the iPhone 14 or the Dynamic Island on the iPhone 15 looking any different than they currently do, but of course there will have been a full design and review process behind them – and some unused ideas just leaked out.

According to information obtained by MacRumors, a variety of different designs were explored before the ones that we now have got finalized. Some mockup images have also been put together to show how the rejected ideas would've looked.

One of the ideas apparently under consideration was a pop-up sidebar down the right of the screen, to go alongside the notch – a sidebar that would be used to show the time, signal strength, battery level, and other bits of key information.

Apple also reportedly thought about extending the notch all the way across the top of the screen – so less a notch, more an Android-style status bar – which may have had the added benefit of giving users a little bit more battery life.

A design for life

iPhone mockup concept

Dynamic Island ideas that didn't make it (Image credit: MacRumors)

Apple's design team was busy when it came to introducing the Dynamic Island too, which first appeared on the iPhone 14 Pro and the iPhone 14 Pro Max. One of the rejected ideas here was a full row of status icons underneath the selfie camera.

It seems that Apple designers also toyed with the idea of having a Dynamic Island that was permanently elongated – so just an island, in that case – before deciding that it should change shape and size depending on context.

Head over to MacRumors to see the full set of mockups and imagine what might have been. It's possible that some of these ideas might appear again in the future, as Apple continues to tweak the look of its iPhone series.

It's also possible that both the notch and the Dynamic Island will eventually disappear altogether, if Apple can figure out how to get the selfie camera and the sensors next to it to sit under the display somehow (as Samsung has with the Galaxy Z Fold 5).

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Latest Tech News

You might not be too familiar with Loongson, but it has been developing computer processors since 2000, and in China the company is widely viewed as the grandfather of domestic CPUs.

The launch of Loongson 1 in 2002 was China's first independently developed general-purpose CPU, using the MIPS III instruction set. in 2020 Loongson transitioned from the MIPS instruction set to its independent instruction set, LoongArch (which is widely viewed as being a clone of MIPS). The first LoongArch-supported processor, the 3A5000, debuted in 2021, marking the beginning of the Loongson ecosystem's Dragon architecture era.

The 3A6000, a follow-up product of the 3A5000, is the second-generation processor using the LoongArch instruction set. Fabricated on a 12nm process it has four cores and eight threads capable of boosting to 2.5GHz under a 50 watt TDP. It has an L2 cache of 256KB and an L3 cache of 16MB, and is compatible with DDR4-3200 RAM.

Hit and miss performance

In a recent video review by Geekerwan (Geek Bay), Loongson's 3A6000 demonstrated substantial progress in its Instructions Per Cycle (IPC), nearly on par with the latest architectures from Intel and AMD. While it still lags behind the latest x86 and Arm CPUs in raw performance, the high IPC suggests a promising future, provided Loongson can attain higher frequencies.

In SPEC 2017's integer and floating point performance test with all CPUs locked to 2.5GHz, Loongson's chip impressed. It surpassed the Zen 3-based Ryzen 9 5950X and was just slightly behind the Zen 4-powered Ryzen 9 7950X and Raptor Lake Core i9-14900K. Tom’s Hardware has more on the test results.

However, the 3A6000 can't truly harness its impressive IPC due to its low clock speed and its limitations in core count and cache size. The company's next-generation 3A7000, rumored to use a 7nm process, may improve on these points, potentially boosting clock speeds and allowing for more cores and more cache.

While the 3A6000 demonstrates considerable progress, it still falls behind Intel and AMD's performance when operating at silent frequencies above 5GHz. However, the rapid improvement in Loongson's architecture design, coupled with its high IPC, suggests a promising future for China's homespun CPU.

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Friday, February 23, 2024

Best Ski Accessories for 2024: High-Tech Gear for the Winter - CNET

The best ski accessories are going high-tech for enthusiasts of the popular winter sport.

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Latest Tech News

Japanese tech giant Dynabook has unveiled a new 14-inch notebook, the Dynabook R9

Available in a stylish Dark Tech Blue color, the new device is powered by a Core Ultra 7 155H CPU and Intel Arc Graphics GPU, and weighs only 1.04kg/2.29lbs, potentially making it the lightest laptop of its kind.

The new R9 sports a 14-inch display (1920 x 1200) and comes with 32GB of LPDDR5X RAM, and a 512GB NVMe SSD. It features a range of ports, including two USB 3.2 (Gen1) Type-A, two Thunderbolt 4 (USB4) Type-C, HDMI, microSD card slot and audio input/output. Connectivity is provided in the form of Gigabit Ethernet, Wi-Fi 6E, and Bluetooth 5.3.

Copilot ready

There’s a 920,000-pixel (VGA) webcam with privacy slider and a fingerprint sensor. Plus the keyboard includes a dedicated Microsoft Copilot key so you can summon Microsoft's new AI assistant with a single tap.

The R9 comes with four Dolby Atmos compatible speakers and, for a bit of variety, there are twin microphones at the top of the screen rather than at the side of the webcam. AI noise cancelling reduces unwanted background sounds during Teams and Zoom meetings.

As with other Dynabook products, the laptop features Dynabook Empower Technology to optimize heat dissipation, and maximize the performance of the Core Ultra.

The Dynabook R9 runs on Windows 11 Home, and comes with Office Home & Business 2021 and one free year of Microsoft 365 Basic.

The main downside of the new laptop? It’s only going to be available for sale in Japan. Priced at around 290,000 yen ($1932.56) it’s expected to go on sale there in late April.

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Thursday, February 22, 2024

You Can Earn $200 From Bank of America When You Open a New Checking Account - CNET

You can add $200 to your account with this big bank's bonus. Here's how to do it.

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Best Chest Strap Heart-Rate Monitors for 2024 - CNET

Chest strap heart-rate monitors are a comfortable, accurate way to track your cardio health. Check out CNET's picks for the most comfortable options.

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Latest Tech News

Many of the most popular laptops and smartphones in use today could be vulnerable to two major security flaws that could result in identity theft, data exfiltration, business email compromise (BEC) and other risks, experts have warned. 

This is according to cybersecurity researchers  at Top10VPN and Mathy Vanhoef, who found two separate vulnerabilities - one tracked as CVE-2023-52160, and another tracked as CVE-2023-52161. 

With the latter, a threat actor would be able to join an otherwise protected Wi-Fi network, and target other devices connected to it with malware or infostealers. The former, on the other hand, is found in the default software Android uses to handle logging into wireless networks and allows hackers to create a malicious clone of legitimate networks. If a victim gets tricked into joining this malicious clone, their traffic can be hijacked.

Patches available

While the vulnerabilities sound ominous, they’re not that easy to exploit. For the first one, the target’s Wi-Fi client needs to be configured not to verify the certificate of the authentication server. Furthermore, the attacker needs to know the SSID of the Wi-Fi network the victim usually connects to and needs to be close enough to be able to connect to it. 

"One possible such scenario might be where an attacker walks around a company's building scanning for networks before targeting an employee leaving the office," the researchers explained.

CVE-2023-52161 was said to affect any network using a Linux device as a wireless access point.

Most Linux distributions (Debian, Red Hat, SUSE, Ubuntu), have all released patches, and so has ChromeOS. An Android fix is still pending.

"In the meantime, it's critical, therefore, that Android users manually configure the CA certificate of any saved enterprise networks to prevent the attack," Top10VPN said.

Via The Hacker News

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Wednesday, February 21, 2024

Latest Tech News

The Sphere, a music and entertainment arena east of the Las Vegas Strip, is a staggering technological achievement, standing approximately 366 feet tall and 516 feet wide, making it the largest spherical building in the world. 

If you've seen any photos of it, you'll know the exterior is coated in 1.2 million fully-programmable puck-sized LEDs that allow for the creation of stunning, dynamic 360-degree image displays.

The interior is just as cutting edge however. With a seating capacity for up to 18,000 people, it hosts various events such as concerts and performances and features a 160,000-square-foot, 16K wraparound LED canvas, making it the world's largest and highest resolution LED screen with 256 million rendered pixels.

Enter Matrox

To manage this, multimedia system designer and integrator Fuse Technical Group, developed a system capable of handling 16K resolution, running on a complete SMPTE ST 2110 backbone, a standard they were not accustomed to.

"It took five years to build the Sphere, but we had only five months from the initial contact to deliver a 100% reliable solution in time for the first show — using a standard and workflow we weren't accustomed to. It was definitely no small feat to do something like that in such a compressed timeline," said Ryan Middlemiss, Fuse Technical Group's director of media servers.

To manage this, Fuse chose technology from Matrox Video, one of Nvidia’s earliest rivals, for the SMPTE ST 2110 routing, orchestration, conversion, and control inside Sphere.

"The jaw-dropping spectacle at Sphere sets a new gold standard for video in live entertainment,’ Francesco Scartozzi, vice president, sales and business development at Matrox Video said. "We're honored to have worked with Fuse on this unparalleled project and that our technology and our people played a role in its success."

The technology behind such an endeavor is, naturally, on the bleeding edge.

Critical Matrox products used for the workflow are:

  • Matrox ConvertIP for SMTPE ST 2110 Conversion - Fuse deployed 23 Matrox ConvertIP DSS dual-channel SFP SDI-to-IP devices to convert high-resolution SDI from the media servers into SMPTE ST 2110 and deliver content to the IP video backbone for display on the LEDs. Fuse selected ConvertIP for its 12G SDI and 4K (DCI) support, its low latency, and its 25G speeds. Fuse subsequently requested 6G support, and Matrox Video added the capability to ConvertIP.
  • Matrox ConductIP for Routing and Orchestration - Fuse uses Matrox ConductIP to route and orchestrate SMPTE ST 2110 sources on its internal network, a critical part of the workflow.
  • Matrox Extio 3 for Remote Operation and Control - The production system uses 30 computers, with one programmer and two technicians in the control room handling all the video for the show. Fuse deployed Matrox Extio 3 IP KVM extenders so the operators can access multiple computers from one remote workstation with one keyboard, mouse, and monitor. Users can move between Extio 3-equipped computers at once just by dragging the mouse.

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Tuesday, February 20, 2024

Latest Tech News

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 could come with a flatter and square-aspect-ratio inner display, potentially making for a phone with a wider inner screen and cover display. 

That’s according to reliable smartphone tipster Ice Universe, who claimed on X that the next Galaxy Fold could be wider and have screen edges that are closer to a true right angle. If this turns out to be the case, as noted by SamMobile, the Galaxy Z Fold 6 could have a screen design that’s not unlike the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra

A wider cover display would translate to a wider overall design, which would likely see the cover screen expand, perhaps offering a similar amount of screen real estate to the OnePlus Open. While Samsung has made improvements to the cover display of its Fold phones, they're arguably still too narrow to be used easily, especially if you have larger hands.

In the post, Ice Universe compares this to the screen design and middle frame of the rectangular Nubia Z60 Ultra, while including a close-up of that phone to illustrate the proposed look.

See more

This would represent a departure from the established look of most Samsung foldable phones, including the Galaxy Z Fold 5, which usually feature softer curved edges. Ice Universe’s tip matches up with a previous post from August last year that showed what was claimed to be a prototype Samsung Fold sporting a similar angular look.  

Go bold with Fold 

The past few generations of Galaxy Fold models have featured only iterative design changes over their predecessors, and while these have added up to making the Fold 5 one of the best foldable phones, there’s still scope for change. 

We’d like to see titanium get used on the Galaxy Z Fold 6 to help make it stronger and lighter, perhaps opening up the way for more design tweaks. However, no rumors have hinted at this happening so far. 

Instead, a recent rumor was camera-focused and has the Galaxy Z Fold 6 sticking with another 50MP camera instead of the much more impressive 200MP shooter used in the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, which many fans were hoping for.

The rest of the camera setup on the Galaxy Z Fold 6 is tipped to feature the same 12MP ultra-wide, 10MP cover display front camera, and 4MP under-display camera that was included in the Galaxy Z Fold 5’s load-out.

The launch date for the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 is currently unconfirmed, but it’s expected to launch around July, with another recent rumor pointing at it being joined by the Galaxy Ring

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Monday, February 19, 2024

Nectar Hybrid Mattress Review 2024: A Memory Foam Hybrid Bed Tested by Experts - CNET

If you like memory foam, chances are you’ll like the Nectar mattress. It’s been a mainstay within the online space for years, but up until recently, it was only available as an all-foam bed. In this review, I’ll cover everything you should know about the new hybrid version.

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Latest Tech News

Notorious Israeli commercial spyware company NSO Group was reportedly offering a way to exfiltrate sensitive mobile phone data unlike anything ever seen before, experts have revealed. 

A new report from telecom security specialists Enea discovered the method while recently sifting through the documents filed during the court case between WhatsApp and NSO Group.

According to ENEA, in late 2019, WhatsApp committed into evidence a copy of a contract between an NSO Group reseller, and the telecom regulator of Ghana. In the contract, one of the features and capabilities NSO Group offered was called “MMS Fingerprint”.

Blocking malicious MMS messages

This feature, as it later turned out, was exploiting a vulnerability in both Android and iOS (but also in BlackBerry devices, apparently) to exfiltrate some sensitive data from the device. 

After a bit of digging, ENEA managed to recreate the flaw, and then explained how it worked. Allegedly, the attacker could create a unique, malicious MMS message, which the victim didn’t even need to open (or otherwise interact with). That message would trigger the device to return two unique pieces of information: the MMS UserAgent, and the x-wap-profile.

The former is a string that usually identifies the operating system and the device of the victim, while the latter points to a UAProf (User Agent Profile), that describes the capabilities of the target device. 

This information, ENEA argues, could be used to profile the victim and prepare for more concrete attacks: “Both of these can be very useful for malicious actors. Attackers could use this information to exploit specific vulnerabilities or tailor malicious payloads (such as the Pegasus exploit) to the recipient device type. Or it could be used to help craft phishing campaigns against the human using the device more effectively,” the researchers explained in the report.

While being able to steal data without victim interaction sounds ominous, the victims aren’t utterly helpless, ENEA adds. Mobile subscribers could disable MMS auto-retrieval on their handset, which would prevent the malicious messages from reaching their devices. Also, most mobile operators today filter these kinds of messages from being sent in the first place.

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Sunday, February 18, 2024

15 Questions You Should Ask Your Solar Installer - CNET

Ready to go solar but aren't sure where to start? Learn the right questions to ask prospective solar installers and get the best deal on your system.

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Saturday, February 17, 2024

Latest Tech News

The best Chromebooks are all physically different from Windows laptops in one important way: they all have Google’s iconic ‘Everything’ button. It’s essentially a search button that can be used to access everything on your laptop and beyond; from your own files and apps to online query results.

However, a new unique button could soon be coming to Chromebooks everywhere: a dedicated key for Google Assistant. As spotted by ChromeUnboxed, a file found in the Chromium Repositories (an open-source code base behind many of the features of ChromeOS and the Chrome browser) makes reference to an upcoming Chromebook model that features a hardware-mapped Assistant key.

The new Chromebook, codenamed ‘Xol’ – a rather oblique reference to Destiny 2, while past codenames have openly referenced everything from The Witcher to Skyrim – has scant other information about it, only that it will apparently run on one of Intel’s 13th-gen CPUs. That’s an odd move, given that Intel’s 14th-gen ‘Core Ultra’ chips are already on the table. But as ChromeUnboxed points out, we might not have seen the last of Intel’s 13th generation just yet.

Return of the king?

More intriguing is the fact that we have seen a dedicated Assistant button before - but only ever on Google’s own first-party Chromebooks, the venerable Pixelbooks. The Pixelbook Go remained in several of our laptop rankings even after Google axed the product line, and I even prayed for a Pixelbook revival that sadly didn’t materialize during last year’s Google I/O event.

Does this mean ‘Xol’ could be a new Pixelbook? Unfortunately, the answer is ‘probably not’ - Google seemed pretty committed to moving away from first-party Chromebooks when it killed off the Pixelbook back in 2022, fully dissolving the team responsible for it and encouraging third-party laptop makers to go all-in on ChromeOS with the recent Chromebook Plus initiative. There’s likely a far more straightforward explanation: artificial intelligence.

Google Assistant

'Hey Google' might soon become 'Hey Gemini'... (Image credit: Google)

With AI on the rise just about everywhere, from OpenAI’s new Sora video generator to the seemingly ever-present ChatGPT, it makes sense that Google (and other Chromebook manufacturers) would want to push AI features as a key selling point for new laptops. 

A dedicated button for accessing your on-board AI companion is the logical conclusion; and would you look at that, Google has a new suite of AI tools for us to play with.

AI for the Google guy

Yes, Google Gemini is here, a powerful selection of AI software – some new, some rebranded from Google’s own previous Duet and Bard AI models – that seems like it would be right at home on a new AI-focused Chromebook. Google promises that Gemini will be able to do all sorts of stuff, from simple chatbot functionality to writing-assistant tools that rival Microsoft Copilot.

Most importantly, Gemini will be replacing Google Assistant, although not just yet - it seems there are still some teething issues to work through, and Assistant remains present on all compatible devices at the time of my writing this. But for a Chromebook in early development, the inclusion of an Assistant key when Google is preparing to deprecate the virtual helper feels… off.

So, could this be a Gemini button instead? ‘Gemini Key’ has a nice ring to it. Paired with the Everything button for accessing all your stuff, a dedicated key to instantly summon the full might of Google’s AI software suite could be a worthy addition to the ChromeOS roster. Google has consistently put ease-of-use at the forefront when it comes to Chromebooks, so this could prove to be a good way to introduce less tech-savvy users to AI tools.

There’s just one problem.

chromebook plus laptop sitting on bed with cat

'Chromebook Plus' is a step up from your everyday Chromebooks, and could benefit from a fresh injection of AI. (Image credit: Future)

As I mentioned above, ‘Xol’ runs on a 13th-gen Intel CPU - meaning it won’t have access to the powerful Neural Processing Units (NPUs) found in Intel’s new Ultra processors. You can click that link for the full rundown, but an NPU is essentially a dedicated chip for running local AI workloads; that's something you’d probably want in an exciting new AI-focused Chromebook Plus, no?

Whatever ‘Xol’ is, it might never see the light of day; Chromebooks spotted like this don’t always make it to final production, so this one might simply be a project that ends up half-finished. In any case, I’m still excited to see what Gemini means for ChromeOS – and I’m not the only one.

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Great Amazon Weekend Deals: Save on AirPods Pro, Anker Powerbank, Keurig K-Compact Coffee Maker and More - CNET

There are lots of great Amazon deals you can take advantage of this weekend. We've collected a few of our favorites.

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Friday, February 16, 2024

Latest Tech News

Remedy's chief executive offer, Tero Virtala, has revealed how Alan Wake 2 has impacted the studio and the future of other upcoming games in development.  

Alan Wake 2 was released in late 2024 to wide critical success, and since then it has managed to sell 1.3 million units as of the beginning of February 2024 according to a stock exchange memo from Remedy

"By comparison, Alan Wake 2 sold over 50% more copies and over three times more digital copies in its first two months than Control did in its first four months," the memo explains. "A great game can generate excellent long tail sales, and we expect this to be the case with Alan Wake 2 as well."

There is also mention in the memo of two paid DLCs and continuing updates for Alan Wake 2. This will likely work to support the horror game and the community that surrounds it. The latest update, which was released towards the end of January 2024, saw chapter selection and an option to stop jumpscare visuals from popping up on your screen. 

"We will continue to develop the game to serve existing fans and attract new players and expect the game to continue selling well,” Virtala explains. “The successful launch of Alan Wake 2 has supported our other game projects: Condor, Control 2, and Max Payne 1&2 remake have all increased development pace thanks to the personnel released from Alan Wake 2, and we expect these projects to reach their next development stages during the first half of 2024."

This is excellent news for horror and survival game fans as well as those looking forward to experiencing more of the ever-growing Remedy Connected Universe. 

For more terrifying games, be sure to check out the best horror games and the best indie horror games, which are all available to play right now. 



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Thursday, February 15, 2024

Best Credit Cards for February 2024 - CNET

These are the best credit cards for earning rewards, paying off debt, building your credit history and more.

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Latest Tech News

This year’s Geneva Motor Show is going to be a comparatively quiet affair, with most of biggest automakers in the world boycotting the format following its recent move to Qatar. But Chinese EV giant BYD will be there, complete with the equally gargantuan Yangwang U8.

Boasting four electric motors - one for each wheel for true all-wheel-drive - as well as a 49kWh battery pack, the opulent U8 also uses a 2.0-litre turbo petrol that acts as a range-extending generator to top up the battery packs on the move.

Previously a model only destined for China, the fact BYD is bringing it to Geneva suggests it is gauging opinion ahead of a potential European launch. 

As a reminder, the Yangwang U8 rides on a new e4 platform that isn’t currently shared with anything in the group. And although the model packs all of the hallmarks of a hulking SUV for the urban show-off, it is in fact engineered to tackle truly tricky terrain.

Yangwang U8

(Image credit: BYD/Yangwang)

Previously, the U8 has been shown performing 360-degree 'tank turns', where each wheel is individually controlled to allow the vehicle to effectively spin on the spot. On top of this, Yangwang also took delight in showcasing its 'emergency flotation' function that sees the vehicle sit on top of the water for around 30 minutes… like a boat.

If it senses a flash flood, or the U8 accidentally takes a dip in a nearby body of water, the windows close, the sunroof opens (to act as an emergency escape hatch) and the wheels can spin in order to propel the vehicle along at slow speed. It’s not quite an amphibious car, but it’s close.

The performance stats are mightily impressive, too. There’s 1,184bhp on tap, which means it can accelerate from 0-62mph in 3.6 seconds, while the onboard range extending engine means the overall electric range is pegged at 621 miles with everything brimmed.

Chinese brands drive towards the luxury market

Yangwang might not be a name that’s on your current EV radar but it is making waves in China, where its other party piece - the U9 electric supercar - showcases technology that allows it to jump and even drive on three wheels should you get a puncture. The same tech has been carried across to the off-road U8, where it arguably makes more sense.

Slated to cost around £120,000 (around $150,000 / AUS$232,000) in its domestic market, the U8 would represent excellent value for money in Europe if it can stick to those sticker prices. 

It would mean it sits in direct competition with the upcoming Mercedes-Benz EQG (or the electric G-Class, for short) and a fully kitted out Land Rover Defender.

Yangwang U8

(Image credit: BYD/Yangwang)

Whether or not the rest of the world will swallow that kind on money for a relatively unknown marque from China is another question, but the fact BYD is showcasing a swathe of vehicles at the Geneva Motor show suggests that it is seriously thinking about taking a punt.

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Wednesday, February 14, 2024

Best Cheaper Rivals to Apple AirPods Max for 2024: Sony, Bose, AirPods Pro 2 and More - CNET

If Apple’s swanky over-ear noise-canceling headphones are not your style then these are the best alternatives to consider.

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Latest Tech News

Hundreds of thousands of Facebook Marketplace users have had their personal information stolen and posted on a dark web forum, putting them at serious risk of phishing, identity theft, and other cybercrime. 

According to a BleepingComputer report, a known data leaker with the alias IntelBroker posted a new thread on an underground forum, with 200,000 Facebook Marketplace records. The records contained people’s names, phone numbers, email addresses, Facebook IDs, and Facebook profile information.

The hacker claims this is a partial Marketplace database, stolen by a different threat actor, with the Discord alias “algoatson”. This person allegedly breached the systems of a Meta contractor late last year. "In October 2023, a cyber criminal by the name of 'algoatson' on Discord, breached a contractor that manages cloud services for Facebook and stole its partial user database of 200,000 entries," IntelBroker allegedly said in the forum thread.

The publication said that at least some of the data is valid, as it took a random sampling and successfully matched email addresses and phone number information.

What can hackers do with your data?

IntelBroker is a known leaker, who has a long track record of leaks from major companies. Before Meta, IntelBroker was seen sharing sensitive data from DC Health Link, Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE), General Electric Aviation, Weee!, and others. 

Information such as this one is a true treasure trove for hackers around the world. By knowing the details about people’s personal lives, they can craft convincing phishing attacks, breaking into their computers and smartphones, and possibly even stealing money and cryptocurrencies. They can also target businesses, deploying different malware and ransomware, and engaging in devastating Business Email Compromise (BEC) attacks. 

Companies that suffer data leaks often offer affected individuals identity theft protection services for free. 

Meta is yet to formally comment on the incident.

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Tuesday, February 13, 2024

Latest Tech News

Nvidia briefly overtook Amazon in terms of market capitalization, fueled by a spike in interest surrounding artificial intelligence.

LSEG data reported by Reuters claimed the chipmaker reached a record high of $734.96 per share, giving it a market value of $1.82 trillion, surpassing Amazon’s $1.81 trillion.

Nvidia has now returned back to fifth position among the US’s most valuable companies, trailing Microsoft, Apple, Alphabet (Google) and Amazon.

Is Nvidia worth more than Amazon?

With Nvidia share prices rising 231.6% over the past year, and Amazon shares up by a less impressive (but still very healthy) 73.1%, Nvidia may soon overtake the Seattle-based company more permanently.

This achievement marks the first time Nvidia has outpaced Amazon in more than two decades, when it 2002 they were both worth less than $6 billion. 

With Amazon reporting better-than-expected sales last month, thanks to a successful holiday period, investors are waiting for Nvidia to report its most recent quarterly earnings on February 21.

Nvidia has positioned itself as a key player in supplying components to technology companies focused on generative AI. However, with companies like Google, Amazon and Meta all exploring their own chips, Nvidia’s success rides on a lot.

Elsewhere in the tech landscape, Microsoft last month surpassed Apple as the world’s most valuable company, and the second to reach a market value of more than $3 trillion. Today, Apple sits below that $3 trillion threshold, after reaching the momentous figure in June 2023.

As the AI boom continues, Nvidia’s considerable share of the market highlights the growing significance of technology companies in contributing to the overall global economy, as well as the immense growth potential for companies handling aspects of AI.

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Monday, February 12, 2024

iOS 17.4 Beta 2: Your iPhone Could Get Virtual Card Numbers for Apple Cash - CNET

Developers and beta testers can access some new features now depending on their location.

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Best Body Pillows for 2024 - CNET

A regular pillow may not be the best option for those looking for some extra comfort and support. Here are our picks of the best body pillows out there.

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Sunday, February 11, 2024

Best Cheap Mattress for 2024 - CNET

Just because you need a new bed doesn’t mean you must go over budget to get it. We've tested the best budget-friendly mattresses and selected which ones are worth considering.

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Saturday, February 10, 2024

Best Minimalist Wallet for 2024 - CNET

We tested more than a dozen of the most popular and interesting minimalist wallets on the market. Here's what we found.

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Friday, February 9, 2024

Latest Tech News

A tale of three million hacked electric toothbrushes used to launch a DDoS attack has sparked skepticism among cybersecurity experts. The story, which originated from cybersecurity firm Fortinet went viral, raising questions about its authenticity.

Last week, Swiss news site Aargauer Zeitung reported that three million manipulated toothbrushes were involved in a cyberattack. The case, presented by Fortinet, a global cybersecurity leader, quickly gained traction, featuring in international media outlets such as the Independent and Times of India.

However, the story was met with skepticism, with some experts labeling it as "pure fiction" and "an invented example." Others claimed there was no evidence to suggest such an attack ever occurred. Cybersecurity expert Kevin Beaumont even highlighted that the story was being used as propaganda in Russian Telegram chats.

Contradicting statements

Fortinet issued a statement, carried by several media outlets, including BleepingComputer, saying "To clarify, the topic of toothbrushes being used for DDoS attacks was presented during an interview as an illustration of a given type of attack, and it is not based on research from Fortinet or FortiGuard Labs. It appears that due to translations the narrative on this topic has been stretched to the point where hypothetical and actual scenarios are blurred."

However, the following day, the author of the original story at Aargauer Zeitung disputed this, saying, "Fortinet provided specific details: information about how long the attack took down a Swiss company's website; an order of magnitude of how great the damage was. Fortinet did not want to reveal which company it was out of consideration for its customers. The text was submitted to Fortinet for verification before publication. The statement that this was a real case that really happened was not objected to." 

The case of the three million toothbrushes DDoS attack continues to be shrouded in mystery for now, leaving us all wondering exactly where the truth lies.

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Thursday, February 8, 2024

Latest Tech News

Nvidia's most powerful AI chip to date, the GH200 Grace Hopper Superchip, is now available for pre-order. It is designed for heavy generative AI workloads, such as Large Language Models like ChatGPT.

The GH200 superchip boasts a high-bandwidth connection between the Grace CPU and Hopper GPU, which Nvidia says allows for a tenfold increase in performance for applications running terabytes of data.

The company claims this boost in power and efficiency could enable scientists and researchers to discover unprecedented solutions to some of the world’s most complex problems, but businesses stand to benefit from the GH200 too, which offers enhanced LLM  training and inference.

Available to reserve now

One of the key features of the GH200 is the power of its coherent memory. The NVIDIA NVLink-C2C interconnect provides 900GB/s of bidirectional bandwidth between CPU and GPU - seven times the performance found in accelerated systems. This connection offers unified cache coherence with a single memory address space that combines system and HBM GPU memory, simplifying programmability.

The GH200's specifications are unquestionably impressive and should help Nvidia continue its dominance in the AI hardware space. The Grace CPU boasts 72 cores, with a CPU LPDDR5X bandwidth of up to 500 GB/s. The GPU HBM bandwidth is 4TB/s HBM3, with an NVLink-C2C bandwidth of 900GB/s total, 450GB/s per direction. Its CPU LPDDR5X capacity is 480GB, while the GPU HBM capacity is 96GB HBM3. 

With an introductory price of just $4.99 per hour, the GH200 is available to reserve on Vultr now. Nvidia previously stated that it expects system makers to make the first models based on Grace Hopper available in Q2 of 2024.

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Wednesday, February 7, 2024

Best Online Mattress of 2024 - CNET

Online bed purchases are more popular than ever. Our team of experts has tested and selected the best mattresses you can buy online right now.

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Latest Tech News

The 2024 Super Bowl is almost here, and if you're still looking to grab a deal on a brand-new TV, Walmart will be your best destination. The retailer's Super Bowl TV sale includes a wide range of displays, with record-low prices you won't find anywhere else on 4K, QLED, and OLED displays. I've gone through Walmart's sale and listed the best Super Bowl TV deals below, with prices starting at just $298 for big-screen TVs.

Shop Walmart's full Super Bowl sale

Walmart has the best Super Bowl TV deals because you find big-screen budget TVs down to stunning prices as well as high-end OLED displays at record-low prices. Some of Walmart's best TV deals include this 65-inch 4K smart TV from Onn. on sale for an incredible price of $298, TechRadar's best-rated TV, Samsung's 65-inch S90C OLED TV on sale for $1,539, and this LG 70-inch 4K smart TV for just $498.

See more of Walmart's best Super Bowl TV deals below, and keep in mind that time is running out to order a new display for Sunday's big game. If you're looking to shop for more bargains, you can visit our main Super Bowl TV deals guide for all the top sales around the web.

Walmart Super Bowl TV deals

Onn. 65-inch 4K UHD Roku Smart TV: $298 at Walmart
Walmart's cheapest Super Bowl TV deal is this 65-inch 4K smart TV from Onn. for just $298 - an incredible price. For your money, you're getting 4K Ultra HD resolution, the Roku experience for easy streaming, and an edge-to-edge viewing experience thanks to the frameless bezel.View Deal

TCL 55-Inch Q6 QLED 4K Smart TV (2023): was $448 now $348 at Walmart
A mid-size QLED display under $400 is unheard of, which is why the TCL QLED 6-Series is a fantastic steal, with the 55-inch model on sale for just $348. The QLED TV delivers a cinema-like picture experience thanks to the Quantum Dot technology, plus HDR PRO+ with Dolby Vision, Game Accelerator 120, and smart capabilities with the Google Assistant make this an excellent buy.View Deal

Vizio 65-inch V-Series 4K Smart TV: was $528 now $398 at Walmart
The 65-inch Vizio is another fantastic big-screen budget option and pretty good value, considering you’re getting an array of built-in smart display features. For example, Vizio’s own SmartCast platform works with both Apple AirPlay and Google Chromecast and supports all the usual streaming services like Netflix right out of the box.View Deal

LG 70-inch 4K UHD Smart TV: was $648 now $498 at Walmart
This is a great deal on a 70-inch display from LG, marked down to just $498 at Walmart. You're getting a premium picture experience with brilliant colors thanks to LG's α5 Gen5 AI processor, and gamers will love the game optimizer and dashboard, where you can see and adjust all your settings in one place.View Deal

LG C2 55-Inch 4K Smart TV (2022): was $1,499.99 now $1,099 at Walmart
Walmart's Super Bowl TV sale has the highly-rated LG 55-inch C2 OLED on sale for a fantastic price of $1,099. The gorgeous display is praised for its intense brightness and vivid colors in our LG C2 OLED review. The 55-inch TV also packs an a9 Gen5 AI Processor, Dolby Atmos, and voice control - all for under $1,200, which is an incredible value for this highly-rated OLED TV.View Deal

Samsung 65-inch S90C OLED TV: was $3,299.99 now $1,539 at Walmart
The Samsung S90C OLED is ranked as TechRadar's best TV, and Walmart has the 65-inch model on sale for a new record-low price of $1,539. Our Samsung S90C review awarded this one five stars, praising its gorgeous picture, extensive gaming features, and super slim design, making it an excellent display to watch the big game.

Price check: Amazon: $1,597.99Best Buy: $1,599.99View Deal

Samsung 75-inch The Frame QLED 4K Smart TV (2022): was $2,999 now $1,949 at Walmart
Impress everyone at your Super Bowl party with Samsung's stunning The Frame TV, which is on sale for a record-low price of $1,949 for the 75-inch model. The best-selling Samsung The Frame TV transforms into a beautiful piece of art to seamlessly blend into your home's decor and includes customizable bezels, a QLED screen, and smart capabilities.View Deal

More Super Bowl TV sales

You can see more of the best cheap TV deals and OLED TV deals happening right now.

You can also look forward to upcoming discounts at the
Presidents' Day sales event and the Presidents' Day TV sales event.



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Could Apple's New Adaptive Power Feature Extend Your iPhone's Battery Life?

With this new feature being tested in the iOS 26 developer beta, you may be able to ditch the Low Power Mode setting in the future. from C...