Friday, August 26, 2022

Who Is My Student Loan Servicer? Here's How to Find Out - CNET

Biden's new debt forgiveness plan has millions scrambling to reach out to the company managing their loan.

from CNET https://ift.tt/3rXjg6p

Latest Tech News

Audio brand Soundcore has launched a new mid-range Space audio line that might be able to block out 98 percent of outside noise.

The lineup includes Soundcore's Space A40 earbuds and the Space Q45 headphones, the latter of which incorporate the company’s new “three-stage noise canceling system.” A company representative told us the system utilizes a "dual cavity structure for improved passive noise canceling to filter out high and mid [frequency sounds]..." For filtering low-frequency sounds, the Q45 uses a hybrid active noise canceling (ANC) feature. This style of sound-muffling is, according to some experts, more effective than standard ANC because it uses outward microphones facing in different directions to actively filter external sound. 

Soundcore's new Space A40 earbuds obviously can't cover your entire ear, so instead of the three-stage system, it opts for a hermetically tight seal that stops external noise from leaking in. On top of that, it shares a similar outward-facing microphone system as the Q45 for its ANC feature.

Alongside the robust active noise cancellation, the Space line has other noteworthy features that could potentially make it a leader in mid-range audio devices.

Q45 features

Starting with the Q45, the pair of headphones comes with 40mm double-layer diaphragm speakers that sport certifications for LDAC, Hi-Res Wired, and Hi-Res Wireless. These are audio codecs created in part by Sony that ensure high-quality audio across wired and wireless connections. Hi-Res Audio, in particular, is “capable of reproducing the full range of sound from recordings…” to simulate an in-person experience. 

The Q45 has a whopping 65-hour battery life which is reduced to 50 hours of playtime when using the active noise cancellation. If power is running low, a quick five-minute charge can give you four hours of battery life. You can also customize the audio with the accompanying app to adjust the level of noise cancelation and turn on the LDAC codec.

A40 features and availability

The Space A40 earbuds have a lot of the same features as the headphones. They use the same app for customizing noise canceling, the same codec certifications, and offer a similar battery life. Used with the wireless charging case, the A40 can last up to 10 hours on a single charge or 50 with the pocket-sized recharging case. If you’re on the go, a 10-minute charge gives you four hours of life. 

Both sets of devices have the ability to hold phone calls thanks to outward-facing microphones and an AI algorithm. Together, the microphones and AI collaborate to block outside noise and enhance a speaker’s voice. But the feature is potentially better on the A40 because it has six microphones compared to the Q45’s two. This allows the earbuds to better filter noise. The last noteworthy feature is Multipoint Connection via Bluetooth. This allows you to connect either the Q45 or the A40 between two Bluetooth-enabled devices and seamlessly hop between them.

Both Soundcore Space devices are currently available for purchase in the US, Europe, and Canada. The Q45 will set you back $149.99 and it's available in black only. There are plans to release white and blue models later in the year, but only for certain markets. We will update this story if Soundcore tells us where it's selling the other colors. The A40 will be available in the same global regions for $99.99 and comes in three colors: black, white, and navy blue.

Basically, you have high-quality noise-canceling headphones at a pretty friendly price. You can’t beat that. But if price is not an issue for you and you’d like something more high quality, TechRadar recently updated its best headphones list for 2022



from TechRadar - All the latest technology news https://ift.tt/toXh1nM

Latest Tech News

Late is better than never, right? Yamaha’s latest Aventage and RX-V series AV receiver lines were launched back in 2021 with multiple HDMI 2.1 ports listed on their spec sheets – great news for gamers who were looking for to connect their next-gen PS5 or Xbox Series X consoles to both a speaker-based surround sound system and one the best 4K TVs with features like 4K/120 Hz display.

And while Yamaha’s spec sheets were packed with details about what a gamer could expect from the new receivers when it came to HDMI 2.1-specific features – along with 4K/120 Hz and 8K/60 video pass-through, Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM) and Variable Refresh Rate (VRR)  were on the list – there was an asterisk next to each one stating “available via a future firmware update."

Cutting-edge features promised to arrive in a future firmware update for AV products that you buy now have become commonplace, however, and Yamaha rolled out one that added 4K/120 Hz and 8K/60 video pass-through earlier in 2022. Now, a new firmware update is available that brings the promised ALLM and VRR support, both of which are essential features for playing on a PS5 or Xbox Series X connected to one of the best gaming TVs.

Just to recap, VRR on a 120 Hz-capable TV allows for the set’s display to accurately sync up with the variable frame rate delivered by next-gen gaming consoles (or a graphics card on a gaming PC). This effectively eliminates “screen tearing” artifacts, resulting in a more smooth and solid-looking graphics.

ALLM, meanwhile, is a feature that lets the TV automatically switch into a low-latency mode for gaming when it detects a compatible input, and then switch back for regular TV or movie viewing. With both VRR and ALLM, the source, TV, and AV receiver’s HDMI ports all need to support these basic HDMI 2.1 features, and with this update Yamaha has now mostly fulfilled its promised specs for the latest receivers, with QMS (Quick Media Switching) and QFT (Quick Frame Transport) still to come in a later firmware update.

Yamaha’s firmware update needs to be installed using its MusicCast app and pertains to the following models:

  • RX-A2A, RX-A4A, RX-A6A, RX-A8A
  • RX-V4A, RX-V6A

Analysis: What does an A/V receiver bring to gaming?

While it’s easy enough to connect a gaming console directly to a TV, audio is also a big component of gaming, and Xbox Series X (along with One X and One S) consoles even support Dolby Atmos sound. (The PlayStation 5 uses its own proprietary surround format for games, though a Dolby Atmos bitstream output can be enabled for Blu-ray disc playback on the PS5.)

An easy enough TV audio upgrade for gaming is to use one of the best soundbars. In that case, the TV’s HDMI eARC port is connected to a soundbar, which routes the audio from the set for both gaming and streaming. Another option is to use a soundbar with multiple HDMI ports that let you connect the console and other video sources directly to the ‘bar for audio, with the video switched and routed out to the TV.

AV receivers provide a more advanced option, and by letting you connect to a separate, passive speaker package, they can provide better performance than Dolby Atmos soundbars. Easy switching of multiple HDMI sources is one advantage to receivers, but there is also more immersive sound than what a typical soundbar system can deliver, along with improved dialogue clarity and bass extension.

Of course, we’re talking mainly about gaming here, and all of the advantages that AV receivers bring to movies can also be applied to game soundtracks. But to meet the needs of both next-gen consoles and the latest TVs, receivers need to be outfitted with a full suite of HDMI 2.1 features, and with this latest update for its Adventage and RX-V series models, Yamaha has stepped up its game to the level of its best A/V receiver competition. 



from TechRadar - All the latest technology news https://ift.tt/N6XCwH5

Best Workout Headphones and Earbuds for 2022: Our Top Picks for Every Budget - CNET

An assortment of the best wireless earbuds and headphones for working out and running.

from CNET https://ift.tt/guHx2lJ

Latest Tech News

Your command line experience could be in for a revamp soon, with Windows Terminal becoming the default terminal in the latest Windows 11 Insider preview build.

As described in a Microsoft blog post, all command line applications, including the likes of Command Prompt and PowerShell, will now launch in Windows Terminal automatically for members of the early access Dev Channel.

Windows Terminal, launched in 2019, offers up a modern replacement to Microsoft’s decades-old Windows Console, giving users access to a whole new set of features including multiple tabs and panes, and the ability to create your own themes and customize text, colors, backgrounds and shortcuts.

Does this impact me?

The change will only impact you if have Windows Terminal version 1.15 installed - which you can grab from GitHub by heading here - and are a member of the early access program.

However, Microsoft is set to soon start rolling out the change more widely. Windows Terminal is set to become the default command line experience in Windows 11 at a yet-to-be-disclosed point in 2022.

If your business computer is one of the many not up to the demands of running Windows 11, however, you might still be stuck with Windows Console as default for some time. 

Meanwhile, if you still prefer a more traditional flavor to your console experience you can disable the feature by heading to Settings > Privacy & Security > For developers and then amending the Terminal setting.

There are also a wide variety of Windows Terminal alternatives available for those interested in running command prompts including Cmder, Xshell, PuTTY, as well Microsoft’s own PowerShell.



from TechRadar - All the latest technology news https://ift.tt/PExbofV

Thursday, August 25, 2022

Latest Tech News

Two people are suing digital payments powerhouse Block and its subsidiary Cash App Investing for allegedly failing to properly protect sensitive personal data in a December 2021 data breach. 

As per the lawsuit filed in a federal district in Oakland, California, the two individuals saw “unauthorized charges” to their Cash App accounts, and spent many hours trying to fix the problem.

These unauthorized charges came as a result of a data breach in December 2021, when a former employee logged back into Cash App’s systems and downloaded internal reports which held personal information. The data the culprit took includes customers' full names, brokerage account numbers, brokerage portfolio values, brokerage portfolio holdings, and in some cases, stock trading activity for one trading day.

Millions affected

Now, they’re seeking damages, as well as other punishment for the service providers, arguing the company “failed to exercise reasonable care in securing and safeguarding consumer information”. What’s more, they’re claiming the company didn’t notify customers on time, shared too little information about what had happened, and did not offer credit and identity monitoring services.

Block publicly disclosed the incident almost five months after it had happened - in early April 2022. Back then, it said that 8.2 million current and former customers were affected and that it had reached out to notify them of the incident.

The lawsuit doesn’t detail exactly how the unwanted charges came to be, or how they link to the December data breach. According to The Register, when Block first announced the data breach, it said the former employee did not steal usernames or passwords, or other sensitive personal information. 

We have reached out to Block for a comment and will update the article if we hear back from the company. 

Via: The Register



from TechRadar - All the latest technology news https://ift.tt/ci1vDE7

Latest Gadgets News

Corsair announced the Xeneon Flex OLED 45-Inch bendable gaming monitor. It gives gamers the choice between a flat display and an 800R curve for an immersive gaming experience. It is compatible with both Nvidia G-Sync and AMD FreeSync Premium adaptive sync standards.

from Gadgets 360 https://ift.tt/qNoHbnU

iPhone 14: See What Rumors Say Ahead of Apple's Big Event - CNET

We're collecting all the buzz about the new iPhone's release date, price and more.

from CNET https://ift.tt/mt8EX4u

Latest Tech News

Media streaming platform Plex has been hacked with user passwords and personal data stolen, the company has confirmed.

Plex sent out an email notification to its users explaining the situation, and asking them to change passwords as soon as possible.

The email noted a “limited subset” of accounts had been compromised, but the stolen data was “hashed and secured in accordance with best practices”. 

Plex passwords

No more details have been provided, including how the breach happened, how many users were affected, or whether or not the passwords were salted. 

The only thing we do know is that payment data was not stolen, as Plex says it does not keep that kind of data around, and that whatever hole the threat actor crawled through, was patched. Plex “already addressed the method that this third-party employed to gain access to the system,” it said.

It is also worth mentioning that users were “kindly requested” to change their passwords, suggesting that the update isn’t mandatory. Regardless, people rushed to change their login credentials, but many couldn’t do it, as Plex’s servers collapsed under the increased traffic.

This is not the first time Plex's cybersecurity issues have made the headlines. In early 2021, it was discovered that DDoS-for-hire services were leveraging some security flaws in Plex Media Server systems as a UDP reflection/amplification vector in DDoS attacks.

This is not the first time Plex's cybersecurity issues have made the headlines. In early 2021, it was discovered that DDoS-for-hire services were leveraging some security flaws in Plex Media Server systems as a UDP reflection/amplification vector in DDoS attacks.

The company was quick to react to the news, issuing a software patch that fixed the problem.

Via: The Register



from TechRadar - All the latest technology news https://ift.tt/uhw43xZ

Wednesday, August 24, 2022

Latest Tech News

If you're looking for an inexpensive tablet connected to a fast cellular data network there are shockingly few options available. The new TCL Tab 10 5G will cost $300 and run on T-Mobile’s 5G network, making it a great value option if you want a backseat tablet for travel with its own connectivity. The ten-inch display is much bigger than the next cheapest option, and the battery is large enough that it should last through long trips. 

The only tablet less expensive than the TCL Tab 10 is the Samsung Galaxy A7 Lite tablet, which uses only an eight-inch display but costs $100 less. For only $100 more, you get quite a step up with the TCL Tab 10. You get a larger screen, the 10.1” full HD display made by TCL’s NXTVISION group. You also get a much larger battery, an 8,000mAh cell compared to the 5,100mAh battery on the smaller Galaxy Tab. 

The TCL Tab 10 has an 8MP camera on the back and a 5MP camera on the front for selfies. That front camera can also handle face unlocking for security measures, a very nice option for quick access to a tablet, especially for young ones.

This new Tab 10 runs Android 12 but includes a scant 4GB of RAM with only 32GB of storage space (after the system software), but that should be just enough for basic movies and Web browsing. Faster gaming and multitasking would be more difficult since it's running on the MediaTek Kompanio 800T processor.

Analysis: It's cheaper than what?

TCL also makes a Tab Pro tablet, available on Verizon’s network, for $100 more, but that tablet has very similar specs. You get a potentially more powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 480 processor, but a similar screen size and resolution, and the same 4GB of RAM and 8,000mAh battery. The cameras are a bit higher resolution, but it ships with Android 11, and TCL is unproven with Android system updates. The Tab Pro also gives you 64GB of storage, a fingerprint reader, and microSD card expansion, for more professional use. 

For much more power than this, you’d have to take a major step up in price. Apple’s cheapest iPad costs $160 more for a cellular-connected option. A Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE connected to T-Mobile starts at $669, more than twice what this tablet costs. For that price, you get a device that can replace a small laptop or Chromebook. 

We’ve asked for a closer look at the TCL Tab 10 5G to see if it could be our favorite bargain tablet that you can connect to a superfast network. Check back for our full review. 



from TechRadar - All the latest technology news https://ift.tt/Dalby4A

Latest Gadgets News

Nothing CEO Carl Pei tweeted on Wednesday that the company plans to ship the beta version of the Android 13-based Nothing OS by the end of the year. The stable version is said to arrive in the first half of 2023. Android 13 rolled out to Pixel smartphones on August 15.

from Gadgets 360 https://ift.tt/pPY2GvB

Why Stacking Chips Like Pancakes Could Mean Faster, Cheaper Laptops - CNET

By packaging "chiplets" into a single, larger uberprocessor, Intel hopes to bring to the masses the kind of premium speeds found in Apple's M1 Ultra.

from CNET https://ift.tt/2FZXTIf

Latest Tech News

The maker of popular tax software platform TurboTax is facing a major legal battle with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) over claims it misled customers.

Parent company Intuit is facing an FTC lawsuit over false advertising concerning its "free" platform, which the body claims has become less available in recent years.

If ruled against the company, the suit could allow millions of "free" TurboTax users to claim for losses or damages.

'Free' TurboTax

The FTC claims that Intuit is running a "bait-and-switch" operation for free TurboTax users, luring them in with the promise of a free service. However, after the user has gone through the lengthy process of entering all their personal information into the platform, TurboTax then demands a fee to file the return.

The FTC says that many users affected in this way simply pay the fee to get the process finished, with two-thirds of users who filed with TurboTax in 2020 were ineligible for the platform's free tier.

The suit follows several months of wrangling between the FTC and Intuit, and comes shortly after the company agreed to pay out $141 million to settle a separate lawsuit brought by several US states over exactly the same accusation.

Intuit had said that the settlement of this case, "affords the public all of the material relief the FTC seeks to obtain through this action," but the FTC continued to press its case, ruling that "the public interest warrants further litigation."

The FTC filed its case against Intuit back in March 2022, noting that, "the commission is asking a federal court to put an immediate halt to Intuit advertising and has also authorized the filing of an administrative complaint alleging that the company's practices are illegal."

A preliminary date of March 27, 2023 has now be set for a hearing - just a few days ahead of the traditional April 15 deadline for US citizens to file individual income tax returns, one of the busiest times for TurboTax users (although the upcoming 2023 deadline will be Tuesday April 18).

Via The Register



from TechRadar - All the latest technology news https://ift.tt/SO6ud2C

Latest Gadgets News

Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal toldsaid to have addressed employees at an internal meeting on Wednesday to state that accusations by former employee and whistleblower Peiter 'Mudge' Zatko were inaccurate, as per a report. The company is also reportedly said to have defended its spam and bot account enumeration to the US SEC earlier this year.

from Gadgets 360 https://ift.tt/pI7SG1y

Latest Tech News

Cybercriminals are increasingly turning towards legitimate Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solutions to launch, distribute, and advertise their campaigns, security researchers have reported.

Unit 42, the cybersecurity arm of Palo Alto Networks, has published a report which  found the abuse of such services soared by 1,100% in a span of a year between June 2021 and 2022. 

All kinds of services are being abused: file sharing sites, hosting tools, form and survey builders, website design sites, and collaboration tools, to name a few. Website builders, collaboration platforms, and form builders were also said to have experienced the highest uptick in abuse in the last year. 

Saving time and money

Unit 42 says the rising popularity of these tools among crooks can be attributed, first and foremost, to the fact that they are legitimate, and as such, often pass through various fraud and scam filters, including email security solutions. 

But it can also be attributed to the fact that they’re super easy and convenient to use, and allow for the quick upscaling and downscaling of campaigns. 

What’s more, should law enforcement agencies take down a phishing page, for example, the crooks can simply change the link and have it point elsewhere, while avoiding the gruntwork of having to design the page from scratch. That being said, the tools are built with newbies in mind, which eliminates the need to know how to code, or be well-versed in website, or form, design. 

Palo Alto Networks isn’t the only company warning about the abuse of legitimate SaaS solutions, either. As reported by BleepingComputer, Cyren has been warning about the “rampant abuse” of typeform.com since mid-2021, while Trend Micro warned of 123formbuilder.com, formtools.com, as well as smartsurvey.co.uk. Cofense was warning about the abuse of canva.com, as well.

Stopping the abuse of these services, the publication says, will be relatively challenging, as implementing “aggressive email filters” can do more harm than good.

Via: BleepingComputer



from TechRadar - All the latest technology news https://ift.tt/2eJD4jk

Latest Tech News

Some TV shows are like comfort food, and for me, there’s no show more comforting than Peep Show. The British sitcom from the early 2000s h...