Friday, August 16, 2024

Latest Tech News

Researchers have discovered the data of 10 million citizens of Chile has been leaked online in an exposure that puts over half the population of the country at risk.

Experts from Cybernews say the data originated from Caja Los Andes, a firm which provides Chileans with health insurance, loans, mortgages, and pension funds.

It is the largest Family Allowance Compensation firm in Chile, and employs nearly 3,000 people.

The fund was reported to have four million members in 2023, but the leaked data set contained details of over double that amount. This suggests the database includes family members, individuals who have switched providers, or those who may have passed away, explained Cybernews researchers.

“Leaked home addresses and financial details coupled in one leak make these people vulnerable to targeted robberies or physical threats. What’s more, they could become prime targets for scams and financial exploitation even without direct physical threats as there are plenty more PII, such as email addresses, that make this dataset a valuable target for phishing operations.”

The leak of the Apache Cassandra database was reportedly due to a lack of authentication. According to Chile’s data protection laws, the company responsible for leaking personal data could be subject to severe penalties, with fines that could reach up to 4% of its annual income and large scale lawsuits from affected individuals.

Protecting yourself

The news comes shortly after reports of one of the largest data breaches in history left almost three billion individuals vulnerable. Data breaches are all too common, and with so many different organizations holding everyone’s information, how can you keep your information safe?

Staying alert is the most important thing, especially being vigilant and changing your passwords often. For anyone concerned that their information may be exposed, Identity theft protection plans with dark web monitoring and credit monitoring make sure you are on top of any vulnerabilities as soon as they arise.

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Thursday, August 15, 2024

The 12 Best Eye Creams of 2024

Whether your goal is to brighten dark circles or moisturize the delicate skin around your eyes, these are the top eye creams to do it.

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Wednesday, August 14, 2024

Score a 2024 Motorola Edge at Its All-Time Low Price of $450 at Amazon

The Motorola Edge was already a budget-friendly phone, but it's now $100 less and has hit an all-time low price of $450 at Amazon.

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Latest Tech News

New research has found three-quarters of US lawmakers could be vulnerable to security risks such as identity theft as their personal information is easily accessible online through people search finder sites.

A report from Incogni identified contact details, relative information, and home addresses for 80% of male Republican house members, and 74% of male house Democrats. In comparison, female house members' information was marginally harder to obtain, with 62% and 73% of Republican and Democratic house members information available respectively.

People search sites are specialized search engines which compile and sell personal data - often unbeknownst to the owner. Information available on the House member varied, with some members of Congress’ court records, property values, and relative information exposed.

Security risks

Smaller US states were most unprotected, whereas Arizona, Washington, New York, Minnesota, Indiana, and Connecticut the best protected, with less than 60% of house members’ information found on people search sites.

Unprotected personal information was a massive oversight from security services, said Darius Belejeva, Head of Incogni and data privacy expert.

“The safety of U.S. lawmakers has rarely felt so precarious, so it was frightening to uncover how much of their personal data is easily obtainable," she added. "This is a massive oversight that exposes House Members to security risks, and needs to be urgently addressed.”

The news comes at an important time for US political security after the recent assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump, as well as a Virginia man being charged with making violent online threats against Vice President Harris.

‘“This is not just an issue affecting high-profile politicians though," added Belejeva. "Millions of Americans unknowingly have their personal data stored on people search sites that can be exploited by fraudsters and identify thieves and sold to unknown entities for purposes they haven’t consented to.”

Personal information data removal services are available and can be used to keep track of and remove data from online brokers.

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Tuesday, August 13, 2024

Latest Tech News

Google Pixel Watch 3 has landed. Google has used its Made by Google event (on August 13, 10am PT / 1pm ET / 6pm BST) to unveil the latest iteration of its best smartwatch. While you can read our hands-on review to check out our first impressions of the watch (and check out our run-down of the whole Made By Google event live here) one aspect of the device we've not yet had a chance to test is the set of new fitness tools. 

As well as smart features and the new emergency Loss of Pulse Detection tool, which alerts emergency services if you’re having a cardiac event, there’s a big new suite of fitness functions from Fitbit. The Pixel Watch 3 now uses machine learning to analyze advanced running metrics, so runners can benefit from knowing their stride length, ground contact time, and vertical oscillation (which means 'how much you bounce up and down during a run' in runner-speak). 

The Pixel Watch 3 also offers a new Target Load feature and more advanced workout plans, allowing you to schedule in multi-stage workouts incorporating warm-ups, intervals and target paces. The watch will alert you if you’re falling behind your target pace during your run. 

While it collects information about your workout, it also gathers recovery information, serving you up your Daily Readiness Score and other health metrics in a new Fitbit Morning Brief, a daily digest of your health sent directly to your watch. 

Familiar (watch) faces

Garmin Forerunner 955 showing Training Readiness score

(Image credit: Matt Evans)

If all this sounds great, that’s because it is. As a keen runner, I’m certainly looking forward to testing these advanced running metrics. However, I’ve also already been using them for years… because they’re already on other watches. 

None of this is anything new. The best running watches and best Garmin watches have been estimating stride length, oscillation and ground contact time for a very long time, and even Apple advertised that advanced training tools for runners just like these were arriving to its new suite of watches – two years ago, during its watchOS 9 debut. 

Likewise, the Morning Brief sounds almost exactly like Garmin’s Morning Report, a feature I also loved when it was introduced, and I welcome it here. Garmin has also long allowed its users to design custom multi-segment running programmes, or use its premade ones, with warm-ups, virtual pacers and intervals. Garmin has actually moved on and is now using algorithms to adjust its running plans based on your recovery statistics.  

I’m glad Google has caught up with the pack. Its Fitbit devices have long been lagging behind, and Google seems intent on making the Google Pixel Watch 3 the best Fitbit ever created, even if it’s not a device that’s properly under the Fitbit name. However, the implication that these features as groundbreaking or innovative is silly, as competitive smartwatch brands have been doing this for ages. 

Google Pixel Watch wearers who happen to be runners - and I’m betting there are quite a few - will definitely benefit from these powerful running tools. The bit I’m interested in is the mention of “machine learning” used to calculate statistics: as soon as I get the opportunity, I’ll be running with a Google Pixel Watch 3 on one wrist and an Apple Watch Ultra 2 or Garmin Epix Pro on the other, to see if the two watches spit out similar results. 

Check out our Google Pixel Watch 3 TikTok coverage here:

@techradar ♬ original sound - TechRadar

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Latest Tech News

With ChatGPT rolling out Advanced Voice Mode to some users this month, and Apple on the verge of launching Apple Intelligence, Google has fired back with Gemini Live, a version of the Gemini AI that you can talk to on your phone as if it were a real person. Gemini Live is currently only available to Gemini Advanced customers, as part of the AI Premium plan for $20 (£18.99, AU$30) a month, but should be available to all subscribers with a compatible phone, not just those with a shiny new Google Pixel 9, which the search giant just launched.

My first impression is that Gemini Live is really impressive to hear in action. Finally, I can chat with my phone as if it were a real person, which is all I've ever wanted to do since voice assistants like Google Assistant, Siri and Alexa became a thing. Unfortunately, for the last few years I've been reduced to using Siri and Alexa to set timers on my phone, or play music, since there’s a limit to how useful they can be, usually referring me to a web page if I ask anything too complicated. In contrast, with Gemini Live I can have a conversation on just about anything and it will give me a meaningful answer. It understands my words and intent on a whole new level. Ask Gemini how the USA did in the recent Paris Olympics and it will respond with a real answer. Ask it to recommend a diet plan and it will give me some ideas, based on what it knows about me. 

Of course, I could already talk to Gemini on an Android phone and ask it basic math questions, or ask it about the weather, but the new Gemini Live is a whole new beast. With Gemini Live I can have a real conversation about complex topics, ask it to brainstorm or ask it for advice. To make the conversation truly realistic, I can also interrupt its responses, so if I'm finding the answer I'm getting is just going on too long, I can interrupt Gemini and ask it something else. It feels a bit rude, but machines don't have feelings, right? I don’t need to press anything on the screen to talk to Gemini either, so it’s a totally hands-free experience, meaning I can use it while doing other tasks.

Gemini Live

The mysterious blue glow of Gemini Live working away. (Image credit: Future, Lance Ulanoff)

Gemini Live is also multimodal, so it can 'look' at images or videos on your phone and answer questions about them. This can be particularly useful if I want to take a photo of something then ask Gemini Live a question about it. It will intelligently take information from the photos and use it in its response. Despite a few hiccups in the live demo at the recent Made for Google event, this is genuinely useful.

Google is still adding features to Gemini (and presumably, will be adding them forever), and “in coming weeks” extensions will be added that start to making it really useful, and allow Gemini to integrate with various apps, like Calendar and Gmail. So, you will be able to say things like, “Find the specs that James sent me in an email a couple of weeks ago”, and it will be able to do it. That feature could end up being the sleeper hit for Gemini Live.

All in all, Gemini Live is the best use of AI I've seen from Google so far. Google has spent a lot of time and money trying to integrate AI into its search pages with AI Overview, which isn’t what I want. I don’t want AI taking over from my searches and getting in the way with unhelpful answers, when all I want is to be directed to a web page. AI can still get its facts wrong, and Gemini is no different in that regard. I simply want AI to help me with my life, and while there’s still lots to come that will take Gemini Live up to a whole new level, for now I can wave goodbye to Google Assistant and I get to have a real conversation with my phone, and that’s pretty amazing.

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Monday, August 12, 2024

Best Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 Deals: Save on the Innovative Z Fold Phone

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 is an exciting new phone with a stellar design. You can now save on this state-of-the-art foldable with these discounts.

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Latest Tech News

The president of CrowdStrike has accepted the award for ‘Most Epic Fail’ at the 2024 ‘Pwnie Awards’, hosted at this year’s DefCon hacking conference.

Per TechCrunch, CrowdStrike was already in attendance at the cybersecurity gathering, manning one of the largest booths at the event, and dispatching free t-shirts and action figures to attendees/

Fans have already been leaping to the defence of the company that put millions of Windows machines out of action pending a fix to be manually applied in safe mode, calling them a “class act” after CrowdStrike president Michael Sentonas acknowledged that the ward was “definitely not [one] to be proud of receiving”.

CrowdStrike hanging by a thread

I’m fascinated by the idea by a company in line for a lawsuit leveraged by the airline Delta and another by its own shareholders can rehabilitate itself.

Sentonas was, to be clear, quite apologetic for thrusting a great deal of the world’s digital infrastructure, from transport to retail, into chaos, admitting that “[CrowdStrike] got this horribly wrong [...] and it’s super important to own it when you do things horribly wrong.”

“Our goal is to protect people,” he went on, “and we got this wrong, and I want to make sure everybody understands [that] these things can’t happen.”

This is a lovely sentiment from CrowdStrike, but it’s also one being expressed on camera in front of a sympathetic audience proud to host them. Actions speak louder than words, which is at least something that the company claims to understand.

Last week, it was revealed that systems in place to truly make it so that ‘these things’ (a broken update to CrowdStrike’s Falcon software) can’t happen failed to work as intended, allowing the things that can’t happen to happen.

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Sunday, August 11, 2024

Best Alkaline Batteries for 2024

Not sure what alkaline batteries are best for you? We've tested some strong brands so you can choose the one perfect for you.

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Best Seafood Delivery Services for 2024

You don't have to live by the sea to enjoy seafood, thanks to these delivery services.

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Saturday, August 10, 2024

Best Printer for 2024

If you need a new printer for your home office or to prepare for the upcoming school year, check out our top picks. We’ve got the best printers of 2024 -- with options for every budget.

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Latest Tech News

You don’t need to pay a fortune for a decent entry-level WiFi 7 router, as TP-Link’s newly announced Archer BE3600 is now priced at a bargain $99, making it a promising and affordable option for consumers and SMBs alike.

The Archer BE3600 operates on dual-band frequencies, providing speeds of up to 2,882Mbps on the 5GHz band and 688Mbps on the 2.4GHz band. It is equipped with four external antennas featuring Beamforming technology, which boosts signal strength and coverage. It offers Multi-RUs, 4K-QAM and Multi-Link Operation (MLO) for simultaneous data reception on different frequencies and channels.

Archer BE3600 supports both VPN clients and servers, and can run both VPN and ordinary internet connections at the same time. It also supports EasyMesh, allowing users to expand their network seamlessly with other EasyMesh routers and range extenders.

6GHz band not supported

The router boasts two multi-gig ports, each capable of 2.5Gbps, in addition to three 1Gbps LAN ports and a USB 3.0 port that supports a range of file systems, including NTFS, exFAT, HFS+, and FAT32. These ports provide decent data transfer capabilities within the network, even if the broad internet speed does not match ultra-high-speed broadband requirements.

Archer BE3600 supports multiple encryption standards such as WPA, WPA2, WPA3, and WPA/WPA2-Enterprise. Additionally, TP-Link's HomeShield security suite offers a number of protective features like malicious site blocking, intrusion prevention, and real-time IoT protection. The router can be easily set up and managed via the TP-Link Tether smartphone app.

Given the price, it will come as no surprise that TP Link’s offering lacks features found in higher-end models like the Asus RT-BE88U. Notably, it lacks support for the 6GHz band - a feature that is becoming more common in higher-tier routers but is limited by regional regulatory differences.

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While Galaxy’s Edge at Disney World and Disneyland gets a lot of attention from Star Wars fans and folks visiting the theme parks, true stans will know of the appeal of Star Tours, the Star Wars spaceship simulator ride. 

And now, Star Tours is getting the ultimate homage in one of the best, most high-tech toys around. You can now have your own Starspeeder 3000, the acclaimed cruiser, as a toy model. Better yet, it’s modeled after the original form of the ride vehicle from the attraction that opened back in 1987 (a long, long time ago). 

Disney also went to incredible levels of detail with a button that opens the doors to let guests embark, an LCD screen that replays moments from the ride, and quite possibly the most important part – Captain RX-24. R2-D2 is included in the ride, but the 25 seats are designed for 3.75-inch figures so that you can bring other Star Wars toys along for the ride. 

Star Wars Star Tours StarSpeeder 3000 Vehicle Play Set: $300 at Disney StoreView Deal

The details of this high-tech toy also extend to the outside of the Starspeeder 3000 with thrusters and barrels that light up with matching sounds. It’s likely the best recreation of the ride in its original form, and fans of Star Tours at either Disneyland or Disney World who have ever wanted to take the ride home now have it in this collectible. You can see a quick video of the collector playset embedded below.

Considering the 25 onboard seats have working seatbelts and the screen works, letting your figures relive ride moments, you can get some solid play out of this. Still, if you want it for display – it is a collectible limited to 3,000, after all – it comes with a stand that lights up and sets the Starspeeder in a cool orientation.

Star Tours StarSpeeder 3000 Vehicle Play Set

(Image credit: Disney)

The Star Tours StarSpeeder 3000 Vehicle Play Set can be seen for the first time in real life at Disney’s D23 2024 event, currently in Anaheim, California, right near Disneyland itself. It’s dubbed the ultimate fan event, and we’re expecting more news about Star Wars, including shows, future films, and other toys or collectibles, as well as news about Marvel, Disney Plus, and, of course, the Disney parks. Rumor has it that we’ll finally hear about a potential expansion at Disney World.

While you can purchase Star Tours StarSpeeder 3000 Vehicle Play Set on-site for $300 USD, it will also be available online at the Disney Store beginning August 12, 2024, at 8 AM PT. The collector playset is priced at $300 and will be limited to one per customer, with a total of 3,000 on sale. To make the checkout process a little easier, you can use the handy box above to navigate over, create an account, and save it to your wishlist.

It’s certainly piqued my interest, and chances are if you have fond memories of riding Star Tours, maybe from the original attraction in 1987 at Disneyland or the more modern version in Anaheim or at Disney World, this isn’t one to miss.

Even so, the Disney Store is home to some other D23 2024 premieres at varying prices, including a talking action figure Captain RX-24 that lights up for just $34.99. That and other items will also be up for sale at 8 AM PT on August 12, 2024, and you can see the entire collection of items premiering at the fan-even – Star Wars and other franchises like Marvel and Mickey – included here.

Star Tours StarSpeeder 3000 Vehicle Play Set

(Image credit: Disney)

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Friday, August 9, 2024

Asus RT-AX86U Review: The Best Gaming Router You Can Buy

Strong speeds, good range and the best latency management of any router I've tested.

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Latest Tech News

South Korean memory giant (and Samsung’s archrival) SK Hynix has announced the arrival of what it says is the "industry's best" GDDR7 graphics memory, promising a big leap in performance.

First developed in March 2024, this new DRAM product is designed to meet the increasing demand for high-speed, specialized memory in the AI sector. The company says it plans to begin volume production in the third quarter of 2024.

The GDDR7 memory boasts an operating speed of 32Gbps, which represents a 60% improvement over its predecessor. Depending on the usage, speeds can reach up to 40 Gbps. This new memory chip can process more than 1.5Tbps - equivalent to 300 Full-HD movies (5GB each) - when used in high-end graphics cards.

More efficient

SK Hynix says it has also improved power efficiency by over 50% compared to the previous generation thanks to advanced packaging technology that addresses heat issues associated with ultra-fast data processing.

The company has increased the number of heat-dissipating substrate layers from four to six and introduced Epoxy Molding Compound (EMC) for packaging, which has reduced thermal resistance by 74% while keeping the product size the same.

Sangkwon Lee, Head of DRAM Product Planning and Enablement at SK Hynix, highlighted that the GDDR7 is expected to find applications in high-spec 3D graphics, AI, high-performance computing, and autonomous driving. “We will continue to work towards enhancing our position as the most trusted AI memory solution provider by strengthening the premium memory lineup further,” he said.

As The Korea Economic Daily notes, SK Hynix has major competition in this field. In July 2023, Samsung announced it had developed the industry's first GDDR7 chip and was in the process of verifying its products on customer systems, while Micron also created its version of the GDDR7 chip last year and is now preparing for mass production.

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Heat Domes and Surging Grid Demand Threaten US Power Grids with Blackouts

A new report shows a sharp increase in peak electricity demand, leading to blackout concerns in multiple states. Here's how experts say ...