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Showing posts from March, 2022

OnePlus 10 Pro launch live: get ready for the next huge Android phone to arrive

It's finally almost here: the OnePlus 10 Pro is set to debut today, months after its initial launch in China (which was only for sales in that country). The global launch for this next big OnePlus phone is taking place today at 7am PT / 10am ET / 3pm BST, or at 1am Friday 1 AEDT, and you can find our guide on how to watch the online live stream here . This OnePlus 10 Pro is set to be an event just for the phone itself, as the company has confirmed that there won't be a 'standard' OnePlus 10 , either at this event or ever. Maybe we'll see other gadgets though - that's something we've yet to find out. You're on our OnePlus 10 Pro launch live blog right now - here we'll narrate the event for you as it happens. We'll also explore the event before it kicks off, so we know what to expect, and after the thing, so we can debrief about what we saw. Welcome to our OnePlus 10 Pro live blog! The event is hours and hours away - it's later in the

Disney Streaming’s new CTO is a former Google exec who worked on the tech behind YouTube

Image: Disney Direct-to-customer streaming is now a focus for Disney, and today it took another step in organizing that business by announcing a new CTO for the Disney Streaming business unit that includes Disney Plus, Hulu, ESPN Plus, and Star Plus. Jeremy Doig is a tech industry veteran with several decades of experience including stints with the BBC and Microsoft, and who has worked for Google for the last 18 years. Variety reports that Doig will take over for Joe Inzerillo, who helped build Disney Plus and joined SiriusXM earlier this year. Image: Google/Weinberg-Clark Photography According to a press release announcing the hire, while there he worked on compression tech for audio and video and streaming protocols that are used for YouTube and Chrome. He’s also worked on spatial experiences and reportedly had a hand in leading Google’s Android VR efforts . Doig will report to Disney Streaming president Michael Paull, who was just named to that position in January to hav

This company is giving away a free VPN to businesses and there's no catches

The cloud VPN provider GoodAccess has announced the launch of its new Starter plan that allows even smaller companies to get access to a capable business VPN service for free. With the company's new Starter plan, SMBs and even startups can create a cloud-based business VPN for up to 100 users for free without the need to build their own hardware infrastructure.  Despite being free, GoodAccess' new plan ensures the security of remote work, encrypts user connections with business systems, protects sensitive data and even blocks online threats. Compared to other free VPN offerings, the GoodAccess Starter plan doesn't feature any advertising nor is an organization's browsing data sold to third parties. TechRadar needs you! We're looking at how our readers use VPNs with different devices so we can improve our content and offer better advice. This survey shouldn't take more than 60 seconds of your time, and entrants from the UK and US will have the chance to

Australia's revamped PS Plus will be different to the rest of the world

In yet another instance of Aussies getting the short end of the stick when it comes to online services, Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) has announced that a slightly worse version of the newly revamped PlayStation Plus will be arriving Down Under in June. While most overseas subscribers will have the option of Essential (free monthly games, online multiplayers, exclusive discounts, cloud saves), Extra (access to up to 400 PS4 and PS5 titles for download) and Premium tiers, Aussies will instead receive a downgraded version of the top tier dubbed PlayStation Plus Deluxe. Essentially, PS Plus Deluxe is the same as PS Plus Premium, only without access to the PlayStation Now cloud streaming functionality that's been added to PS Plus in the US, Japan, UK and other European territories. Simply put, territories that don't already offer PlayStation Now as a service (such as Australia) will continue not to have it when the new PS Plus launches. No official reason has been g

TweetDeck might become a paid Twitter Blue feature

It’d be a big selling point for the subscription service. | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge It’s starting to look like the upcoming version of TweetDeck, the power-user-focused version of the Twitter app, won’t be free. Security researcher Jane Manchun Wong has discovered a work-in-progress sign-up page for the app, which boasts that it’s a “powerful, real-time tool for people who live on Twitter” and offers an ad-free experience. While the page doesn’t explicitly say you’ll have to pay Twitter to access TweetDeck, companies don’t usually advertise “helps you avoid the thing that makes us money” as a feature of free products (even if, like the current version of TweetDeck, it is). And wouldn’t you know it, Twitter’s already got a paid subscription service that it’s trying to sell to its power users . TweetDeck is essentially Twitter Pro — and used by the type of people Twitter Blue targets Twitter is filling in the new @TweetDeck signup page that they’re working on.

I’m done with Wyze

Image: Wyze I just threw my Wyze home security cameras in the trash. I’m done with this company. I just learned that for the past three years , Wyze has been fully aware of a vulnerability in its home security cameras that could have let hackers look into your home over the internet — but chose to sweep it under the rug. And the security firm that found the vulnerability largely let them do it. Three years Instead of patching it, instead of recalling it, instead of just, you know, saying something so I could stop pointing these cameras at my kids, Wyze simply decided to discontinue the WyzeCam v1 this January without a full explanation. But on Tuesday, security research firm Bitdefender finally shed light on why Wyze stopped selling it: because someone could access your camera’s SD card from over the internet, steal the encryption key, and start watching and downloading its video feed. Nowhere is Wyze saying anything like that to customers like me. Not when it discontinued

Apple and Meta shared data with hackers pretending to be law enforcement officials

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Apple and Meta handed over user data to hackers who faked emergency data request orders typically sent by law enforcement, according to a report by Bloomberg . The slip-up happened in mid-2021, with both companies falling for the phony requests and providing information about users’ IP addresses, phone numbers, and home addresses. Law enforcement officials often request data from social platforms in connection with criminal investigations, allowing them to obtain information about the owner of a specific online account. While these requests require a subpoena or search warrant signed by a judge, emergency data requests don’t — and are intended for cases that involve life-threatening situations. Fake emergency data requests are becoming increasingly common, as explained in a recent report from Krebs on Security . During an attack, hackers must first gain access to a police department’s email systems. The hackers can then forge an emergency d

YouTube is finally rolling out picture-in-picture mode for YouTube TV on iOS

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge YouTube is rolling out a picture-in-picture mode for YouTube TV on iOS devices running iOS 15 or newer, the company announced Wednesday . YouTube chief product officer Neal Mohan promised on The Vergecast that the feature was on the way, and now it’s finally here. The Vergecast gets results ;) https://t.co/z57srOSCLQ — nilay patel (@reckless) March 30, 2022 With picture-in-picture, you’ll be able to keep watching YouTube TV when you navigate away from the YouTube TV app. The feature could come in handy if, for example, you’re watching a sports game but want to scroll through Twitter to see reactions to what just happened on the field. It’s a feature that’s been available on Android for years , so it’s good to see that Google has finally brought it over to Apple’s iOS devices. That said, we’re still waiting for Google to launch picture-in-picture for all users of the standard YouTube app on iOS, no YouTube Premium subscription required

Bring home some extra 10W Amazon Qi wireless charging pads at $10 Prime shipped (Reg. $15+)

Woot is offering the Amazon Basics 10W Qi Certified Wireless Charging Pad for $9.99 with free shipping for Prime members. Otherwise, a $6 delivery fee will apply. Regularly $20, it more typically goes for between $15 to $18 at Amazon where it is currently at an all-time low of $13. Today’s offer is also matching our previous mention for the lowest price we can find. While there’s no AC adapter included in the package here, this is a quick and affordable way to land an extra wireless charger or two with an included 4-foot USB-A to USB-C cable. It can deliver 10W of power to Android devices and the expected 7.5W to Apple handsets through thinner cases (providing they aren’t magnetic or metal) alongside a “sleep-friendly” LED indicator.More details below. A quick look at the $10 and under section on Amazon yields very little alternatives at a lower price point. You will find some no name options for slightly less , but for the most part, today’

Apple will reportedly no longer fix iPhones flagged as stolen or missing

Apple technicians will check devices' IMEI before accepting them for repair.  Apple technicians will decline to fix iPhones that had been reported as stolen or lost, according to MacRumors . The tech giant has reportedly sent out a memo to Apple Stores and authorized providers not to accept a device for repair if they get a notice on their internal MobileGenius or GSX systems that the phone had been marked as missing. Presumably, that means technicians will check a device's IMEI against the GSMA Device Registry when a customer brings it in for repair.  The GSMA registry is a global database where owners can register their devices' IMEI and designate a status for them, such as whether they'd been lost, stolen or were fraudulently obtained. This move expands Apple's existing policy to decline repairs for devices whose owners cannot disable the Find My iPhone feature. It could discourage mo

Here are the best Kindle deals right now

When it comes to finding a device to use to read your ebooks, you have a few options to choose from. You can always buy a tablet or use your smartphone, but those devices are multipurpose and can be used for a ton of things, like surfing the web or doom-scrolling on Twitter. If you are looking for something to strictly read books, e-readers, while niche, are designed to store all of your books in a virtual library with limited functionality. Amazon, one of the pioneers of the e-reader, has dominated the space for years with its Kindle lineup, which consists of several unique models with their own pros and cons. Below, we’ve listed each model currently available for purchase. Sometimes, there isn’t a deal for one, or any, of the products, which is why we’ve mentioned the most recent sale price in those instances. Al

Etsy sellers will go on strike in April and want customers to boycott

Etsy sellers will go on strike in April and want customers to boycott  In February, Etsy CEO Josh Silverman had good news to share with investors: sales and revenue were at an all-time high, sending Etsy stock soaring. At the same time, Silverman had less welcome news for sellers, delivered via email: transaction fees were going up , from 5 percent to 6.5 percent, or a 30 percent increase, beginning April 11th. For Kristi Cassidy, an active seller on Etsy since 2007, the fee increase was the last straw. Cassidy, who sells gothic Victorian costumes and accessories, had a happy first decade on the platform. She was able to reach a customer base eager to buy handmade products, and she grew her business selling made-to-order and custom pieces. But for the last few years, changes at Etsy that she feels h

Hackers hit popular video game, stealing more than $600 million in cryptocurrency

A blockchain powering the NFT game Axie Infinity was attacked, leading to one of the biggest crypto swipes to date In a brazen attack on popular video game Axie Infinity, hackers swiped $625 million in cryptocurrency, the game company’s executives said Tuesday, marking one of the largest crypto-thefts to date amid rising rates of such crime. The theft occurred last Wednesday, according to the company, when hackers infiltrated part of Ronin, the underlying blockchain that powers the game. Developers at Sky Mavis, which runs both Axie Infinity and Ronin, said they only discovered the breach Tuesday. “There has been a security breach on the Ronin Network,” the company said in a post in its newsletter. “We are working directly with various government agencies to ensure the criminals g

Xbox series X: Today’s best console deals from Amazon UK

The best Xbox deal right now is at Amazon, where you can grab the console with no accessories or add-ons and with 50 percent off gift wrapping (£449.99, Amazon.co.uk ). Prime customers can also enjoy free next-day delivery. Bundles usually stick around a little longer than lone consoles, as the increased price deters scalpers, but Amazon’s restock of the basic console has been ongoing for more than a week. The current stock situation is the best we have seen with the Xbox series X for months. As always the Xbox series S is easier to find in stock (£248.39, Amazon.co.uk ), but surging demand for the more powerful Xbox series X has seen the console regularly sell out across the board. Can you upgrade the Xbox hard drive? You can upgrade the Xbox series X storage with a simple plug-in accessory. The console comes with 1TB of built-in hard drive space. Some of that storage is taken up by system files, so you actually get a little less space than tha

Teenage Engineering’s tiny, orange, bendable PC case is back on sale

Its looks are undeniable. | Teenage Engineering You can finally get your hands on Teenage Engineering’s absolutely tiny and absolutely orange Computer-1 PC case again, months after it initially went on sale and sold out . If you were really hoping to buy the $195 build-it-yourself mini-ITX case, you can head over to the company’s website and add it to your cart — though before you do, it’s probably worth refreshing yourself on the Computer-1’s... particularities. When Teenage Engineering announced this case, we had some concerns. It has barely any room for a modern graphics card (even this tiny RTX 3060 is bigger than Teenage Engineering recommends), the airflow situation seemed a little suspicious, and the “think twice, bend once” warning in assembly guide made the building process seem high-stakes. Image: Teenage Engineering Some assembly required. People who have since built systems in the case say the bending and the airflow aren’t huge problems, but they also discove