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Sony’s Mobile World Congress plans seem to have leaked out ahead of time: details for its new flagship Xperia XZ2 and XZ2 Compact smartphones have hit the internet a few days early, according to Evan Blass at VentureBeat. According to Blass, Sony will be announcing the 5.7-inch XZ2 (a follow-up to last year’s XZ model) alongside a smaller 5.0-inch XZ2 Compact model (which had a prototype show up online earlier this week). Both phones are said to offer Qualcomm’s top-of-the-line Snapdragon 845 processor and ship with Android Oreo. Sony will reportedly be offering the same 19-megapixel, ƒ/1.8 camera from the XZ Premium. (That might not be a good thing, given that my colleague Vlad Savov found it to be fairly unreliable in his tests last year.) Also included is a rear fingerprint sensor, as opposed to the button-based sensors Sony has used in the past. Hopefully the company will continue the trend from the Xperia XA2and offer fingerprint functionality in the US. THERE ARE A FEW DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE XZ2 AND XZ2 COMPACT There are a few differences between the larger XZ2 and smaller XZ2 Compact beyond size, though. The XZ2 will apparently offer glass on both sides of the phone and support wireless charging in addition to USB-C, while the XZ2 Compact will feature a polycarbonate case back instead and lack the wireless charging found on the larger model.
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google's ARCore SDK Is out of preview, now many developer can publish AR to the play store25/2/2018 Following a long preview period which started last August when it was initially announced, Google's ARCore SDK has now finally reached version 1.0. It's thus out of preview and allows any developer to create AR-infused apps and publish them to the Play Store for Android. ARCore 1.0 has improved environmental understanding, letting users place virtual assets on textured surfaces like posters, furniture, toy boxes, books, cans, and many more - see an example in the image below. ARCore already works on 100 million smartphones running Google's OS, complete with advanced AR capabilities. 13 different models are supported right now: Google’s Pixel, Pixel XL, Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL; Samsung’s Galaxy S8, S8+, Note8, S7 and S7 edge; LG’s V30 and V30+; the Asus Zenfone AR; and the OnePlus 5. Expect many upcoming smartphones from the likes of Samsung, Huawei, LG, Motorola, ASUS, Xiaomi, Nokia, ZTE, Sony, and Vivo to have ARCore enabled this year. ARCore will even be supported in China, on devices from Huawei, Xiaomi and Samsung, which will distribute AR apps through their app stores for the country.
Source uTorrent Windows Apps Contain Security Flaws That Let Attackers Control Your Computer, Fixes Coming22/2/2018 HIGHLIGHTS
A Google Project Zero researcher has discovered critical bugs in two versions of the popular uTorrent app. With millions of daily users, uTorrent is considered one of the most widely used torrent clients. However, parent company BitTorrent was alerted to the serious security issue. Google researcher Tavis Ormandy has detailed several exploits in Windows versions of the software that lets attackers intrude into a user's computer. Because it is a DNS rebinding issue, hackers can potentially execute remote code, download malware to the computer's startup folder, launch malware on reboot, access downloaded files, as well as peep at the user's download history, Ormandy said. While the exploit affects all unpatched versions, it primarily affects uTorrent Web, the newer version of the popular BitTorrent client, as it has a serious remote code execution bug, as per the Google researcher. The examples of exploits, as mentioned by Ormandy, include one for uTorrent Web, and two for uTorrent desktop. Meanwhile, as per a TorrentFreak report, BitTorrent had rolled out a 'patch' in the latest Beta release and promises to fix the stable uTorrent client soon. Later, in an official statement, the company said, "Our fix is complete and is available in the most recent beta release (build 3.5.3.44352 released on 16 Feb 2018). This week, we will begin to deliver it to our installed base of users. All users will be updated with the fix automatically over the following days. The nature of the exploit is such that an attacker could craft a URL that would cause actions to trigger in the client without the user's consent (e.g. adding a torrent)." However, Ormandy had expressed his displeasure with BitTorrent's response. He said, BitTorrent just added a second token to uTorrent Web which does not solve the issue. Further, he wrote, "I just fixed the exploit and verified it still works. I would recommend asking BitTorrent to resolve this issue if you're affected, and it works in the default configuration so you probably are. Sigh." It is not clear if an attacker has made use of the exploits in the wild. However, it will only take one visit to a targeted website to trigger a hack. In order to stay safe, users can either disable uTorrent for now or upgrade to the latest Beta release. The uTorrent version 3.5.3.44352, is available for download and uTorrent Web users can update to the latest available build 0.12.0.502.
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Samsung is all set to take the covers off the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ on Sunday, reveal its 2018 flagship Galaxy S-Series handsets. While the South Korean company readies itself for its Galaxy Unpacked event in Barcelona, ahead of Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2018, a teaser of the upcoming smartphone series has already been listed on Flipkart. The popular online retailer has posted images and a video that was already released by Samsung last week. As seen on the Flipkart page, a teaser showcases the number "9" alongside the words - "Camera. Reimagined" - echoing the teasers shared by Samsung. This essentially indicates that the company will bring some major upgrades to the camera features in the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+. The fact that cameras might be the biggest focus of this year's Samsung event, is further, elaborated by another video that has been posted on the page. The video teases various camera elements such as flash, iris, photo tagging, selfies, and other youth-oriented features. The Flipkart page also notifies that the smartphone is "coming on 25.02.2018" - the same date as the pre-MWC 2018 launch on Sunday, thus providing no hint as to when the new smartphone series will arrive in India. It is also not certain if the smartphone will be exclusive to the e-commerce site, as it may just be a case of one of Samsung's retail partners teasing the arrival of an upcoming flagship. The 27-second Samsung video was shared by Flipkart on its official YouTube channel as well. It reveals several expected features of the Galaxy S9's camera. This is the same video that was released previously by Samsung Malaysia. The video highlights upgrades on features like the front-facing iris scanner, flashes for low-light photography, and more. It also showcases social media-focused features such as photo tagging, selfies, and Snapchat-like emojis. Those following the Galaxy S9's leaky path to its launch, already know that the there are several rumours and speculations going around the Internet. When it comes to the camera specifications, the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ are expected to get major upgrades with features like variable f/1.5 aperture, Super Slow-Mo mode, better low light photography, and a 3D emoji feature. The front camera might be integrated with an iris scanner on the Galaxy S9. While we wait for the new smartphones to launch, it is worth noting that Samsung is leveraging augmented reality (AR) to host the event. Meanwhile, you can check out some recently leaked renders, the new default ringtone or the benchmark results of the Galaxy S9 smartphones Also related
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Much about the Samsung Galaxy S9family has already been leaked and rumoured. It's now the time to see how Samsung is making its Unpacked 2018 event different from all the other conferences that are taking place at Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2018in Barcelona. It has been found that Samsung is leveraging the presence of augmented reality (AR) to attract a large number of attendees of the forthcoming Unpacked event and let them experience the new Galaxy flagships virtually. The South Korean giant recently released the Unpacked 2018 app that reveals the AR plan. The Unpacked 2018 app, which is available for free download on Google Play, by default, shows a countdown to the event. There is also a content section that redirects users to a YouTube video that teases a revamped camera experience on the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+. However, what is the most interesting part of the new app is the AR feature. You can access the advanced feature by tapping the AR button that is available on the top-right side and activates AR experiences by scanning any Samsung or Galaxy logo on the screen. The feature is presently showing the Unpacked event venue on the app. Having said that, XDA Developers reports that a Reddit user has torn down the Unpacked 2018 app and found some 3D models that are apparently designed to show the Galaxy S9 in AR. The models are said to be available to the attendees would be able to scan their event badge. Further, the models are reportedly available on Samsung's site - not an internal part of the Unpacked app. This is indeed a step to retain secrecy of the new development. The official 3D models to enable the AR view of the Galaxy S9 confirm the Lilac Purple colour option. These models also point towards a dedicated Bixby button, bottom-firing speaker, and a new fingerprint scanner placement. Also, as XDA Developers folks report, the spotted 3D models show a quad-LED flash module, similar to what Apple has provided on its iPhone models, and a new heart rate monitor version. Moreover, we can say that the smartphone in the 3D models looks identical to the one that surfaced through some recently leaked renders.
We need to wait for few more days to see how Samsung is making the Unpacked 2018 a historical event at the MWC. Meanwhile, you can listen to the new default ringtone of the Galaxy S9 lineup or see what are its purported benchmark results. HTC might be posting one negative recordafter another, but the company hasn't given up hope and keeps pushing out new devices. A leaked retail box of an HTC phone revealed the Taiwanese company is going to launch a low-end device with basic specs dubbed Desire 12. Android Authority reported that the HTC Desire 12 will have a Mediatek chipset and 3 GB RAM, coupled with 32 GB storage and a microSD slot for up to 2TB more. The display is going to be 5.5” with HD+ resolution (1440 x 720 pixels), meaning a tall 18:9 ratio panel.
There will be one snapper on the back with 12 MP sensor, phase-detection autofocus and 1080p video recording, while the selfie camera will be 5 MP. The list also reveals 2,730 mAh battery, 4G LTE, dual nano-SIM slots, WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n and, of course, Bluetooth. HTC could probably launch the Desire 12 along the flagship U12 that is reported to arrive at a separate event after MWC 2018. Source MWC 2018 Set to Start: Samsung Galaxy S9, Moto G6, Nokia 9, and More Smartphones to Expect from MWC21/2/2018 HIGHLIGHTS
Samsung at MWC 2018One of the biggest MWC 2018 launches will, undoubtedly, be the Samsung Galaxy S9 series. The South Korean manufacturer is set to announce its latest in the flagship smartphone segment at the Galaxy Unpacked event on February 25, for which media invites have already been sent out. Starting off with the Galaxy 9and Galaxy S9+ design, it is expected the phones will look similar compared to the previous-gen Galaxy S8 range. Reports suggest the front bezels might be thinner, albeit just slightly. The Galaxy S9+'s rear camera will get a companion in the form of a dual camera setup, while a single rear camera module is expected on the Galaxy S9. Screen sizes will likely remains same - Galaxy S9 might get a 5.8-inch display, Galaxy S9+ might get a 6.2-inch display, both with 18.5:9 aspect ratio. In terms of camera specifications, the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S9+ are expected to get a major upgrade with features like variable f/1.5 aperture, Super Slow-Mo mode, better low light photography, and a 3D emoji feature. The front camera might be integrated with the iris scanner on the Galaxy S9. Samsung MWC 2018 event to be held at 6pm CET (10.30pm IST) on February 25. Nokia at MWC 2018Nokia's big comeback came at last year's MWC, and Nokia licensee HMD Global has confirmed its presence for MWC 2018 as well. The Nokia 3310 (4G) is highly expected at the launch keynote on February 25. After making everyone nostalgic with the Nokia 3310 (2G) in Barcelona last year, the brand is looking to tap back at the smart feature phone market with a new 4G variant. The smartphone has already been announced in China, and is expected to go global at the mega expo. The Nokia 3310 4G modelcomes with access to high-speed Internet, and runs on Android-based YunOS. Other key upgrades over last year's model include 256GB RAM, 512MB internal storage, up to 64GB microSD card support, and Wi-Fi support.
Apart from that, we can expect some new Android smartphones from Nokia at MWC 2018. Firstly, a new entry-level phone from Nokia - dubbed the Nokia 1 - is in the pipeline. Rumoured specifications include an HD (720x1280 pixels) IPS display, 1GB of RAM, and 8GB of onboard storage. Secondly, a mid-range Nokia 7 Plus is also rumoured for an MWC 2018 launch. Recent renders have suggested the phone will run on Android One, have a thin-bezel display, and sport a dual camera setup on the back. The Nokia 4 with Snapdragon 450 SoC is also rumoured for a MWC 2018 unveiling. We can also expect the Nokia 9flagship smartphone to make an appearance at the tech show later this month. The phone might get dual cameras on the front as well as the back of the phone. An alleged FCClisting reveals that the phone might have 128GB of inbuilt storage, a 5.5-inch OLED display, a 3250mAh battery with fast charging support, and run Android 8.0 Oreo out-of-the-box. Nokia 8 (2018) could also be unveiled at the year's biggest technology expo, with the moniker Nokia 8 Pro. According to a FCC listing, the Nokia 8 (2018) or Nokia 8 Pro - which has been trademarked as the Nokia 8 Sirocco as well - will feature a 5.5-inch OLED display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 SoC, dual camera setup with 12-megapixel and 13-megapixel sensors, and 3250mAh battery with fast charging support. However, there are some rumours that Nokia 9 and Nokia 8 (2018) are the same phone (going by the leaked codename), so we will have to wait till Sunday to find out which moniker HMD Global goes with. Nokia MWC 2018 to be held at 4pm CET (8.30pm IST) on February 25. Motorola at MWC 2018 Lenovo-owned Motorola does not have an event slated during MWC 2018; however, previous reports have claimed that the company is expected to unveil its latest Moto G6 lineup. The Moto G6, Moto G6 Play and Moto G6 Plus are rumoured for launch at Mobile World Congress this year. Additionally, we might also see the Moto X5 and Moto Z3 series at Motorola's booth. It is said the Moto G6 Play will be the most affordable of the lot with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 SoC and a 4000mAh battery. The Moto G6 is expected to bear a Qualcomm Snapdragon 450 SoC and 3000mAh. And, lastly, the Moto G6 Plus (listing number: LNV-G6P) is suggested to feature a 3250mAh battery, borrowed from the Nexus 6. Sony at MWC 2018 The biggest highlight of the Sony keynote will be an expectedsuccessor to the flagship Sony Xperia XZ1. The purported Xperia XZ2 is rumoured to get an 18:9 aspect ratio display and a USB Type-C port; other specifications haven't yet been outed. We might also see the successor to the Xperia XZ1 Compact getting unveiled at the event. This smartphone might sport a near-5-inch display with an 18:9 aspect ratio. Additionally, there are also reports around the Sony Xperia XZ1 Premium, Xperia XZ1 Plus, and Xperia XZ1Sarriving at MWC although we will get a clearer picture closer to launch. Sony MWC 2018 event is scheduled for 8.30am (1pm IST) on February 26. Asus at MWC 2018 Event to be held at 7.30pm CET on February 27 (12am on February 28). At Taiwanese phone manufacturer Asus' February 27 MWC event, we can almost certainly expect the next-gen flagship ZenFone 5 to be announced. In the invitations sent out last month, Asus hinted the ZenFone 5 series will be announced at the event. We can expect the flagship ZenFone 5 to come packed with a Snapdragon 845 SoC, 6GB of RAM, 32GB inbuilt storage, a 18:9 aspect ratio display, and other specifications on par with flagship offerings from other OEMs. The phone is suggested to run Android 8.0 Oreo out-of-box, with Asus' custom ZenUI skin on top. A leaked render shows the smartphone will have a notch too, but don't expect 3D facial recognition and other bells and whistles similar to Apple's TrueDepth tucked away in the notch. Additionally, we can expect another mid-range smartphone - dubbedZenFone 5 Lite - to make an appearance at the tech show. This phone is rumoured to sport a total of four cameras, two on the front and two at the back. It is tipped to bear a full-HD+ (1080x2160 pixels) display with an 18:9 aspect ratio. LG at MWC 2018 While there hasn't been any official communication around a keynote by LG Electronics at MWC 2018, the company has hinted that the 2018 version of the LG V30 - dubbed LG V30s - will be launched at the Barcelona tech show. The phone will get improved smartphone AI capabilities for image processing and voice recognition. We can also expect it to be LG's first phone powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 SoC, coupled with 256GB of inbuilt storage. Xiaomi Chinese brand Xiaomi was earlier rumoured to launch the Mi MIX 2S at MWC 2018. With rumoured features like Snapdragon 845 SoC, 8GB RAM, 256GB inbuilt storage, and a 5.99-inch display, the Mi MIX 2S might be Xiaomi's flagship for 2018. However, recent media reports claim the company will not announce any new smartphone at MWC 2018. Others HTC is expected to unveil the Desire 12 smartphone at MWC 2018, featuring a 5.5-inch HD+ (720x1440 pixels) display, quad-core MediaTek processor, 3GB RAM, microSD card support up to 2TB, 12-megapixel camera on the back, and 5-megapixel front camera. Other rumoured features of HTC Desire 12 include 2730mAh battery, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, 4G LTE, and Bluetooth. Finnish company Jolla is also hosting an event at the first day of the MWC 2018 where it will announce Sailfish 3 as well as new Sailfish OS devices. You should expect a host of 5G-related announcements from the telecom side of things at the event, with Ericsson, Nokia Networks, Huawei, ZTE, and others making a big splash, like always, at the MWC. OnePlus is sure not planning to put a stop to its controversial adverts. The adverts are surely providing publicity for the brand whichever way you look at it. Come to think of it, how many times does a new phone ad get covered in the news? The latest ad is a familiar one. Familiar to fans of OnePlus from the start as it involves smashing phones. However, unlike the smash your phone contest for the OnePlus One back in 2014, this phone smashing is without the owner’s consent. In the 98-second video ad, OnePlus wants to prove that the OnePlus 5T is the fastest in the world. So it gets a couple of Londoners who use an iPhone X, iPhone 8, Samsung S8, and the Galaxy Note8 and asks them to perform certain tasks against the 5T. Think of it as a gun duel but with phones instead of guns. The OnePlus 5T won all the rounds which involved turning on your flash light, playing a song, or taking a picture. At the end, the losers could have simply walked away but OnePlus took things a step further. They smashed the losing phones on the floor! This resulted in the contestants getting angry, cursing, and storming off. But it appears it was just a trick as the smashed phones were replicas. The participants got their original phones back and even a brand new OnePlus 5T.
To be fair, this isn’t the most controversial of their ads but it sure won’t be the last. The Galaxy S9 will arrive at the end of the week, but Samsung decided to unveil the new ringtone for the flagship six days earlier. The “Over the Horizon” tune that has been the default option for Galaxy phones since 2011 got yet another new version after the 2017 jazzy and youthful version. The 2018 ringtone is developed by Icelandic composer Petur Jonsson who performs the tune on a piano. The six-tone piece starts in Jonsson version of “Over the Horizon” in the video above. The mellow sound of the piano and the drone images from Icelandic countryside “arouse the purest, fundamental elements of the human sentiment that often remain hidden in our daily lives”. Samsung says the new brand sound will have the power to relax the mind and heal the soul, although this is completely the opposite people get when they hear their phone ringing. The new “Over the Horizon” ringtone is rearranged to mirror the aesthetic transformation of the devices. The Galaxy S9 will follow Galaxy S8 and Galaxy Note8 in the implementation of Samsung’s Infinity Display with bezel-less sides, as seen in numerous leaks.
Source The debate over which smartphone OS -iOS or Android- is better has been ongoing for years. Both Apple and Google released latest versions of iOS and Android, iOS 11and Android 8 Oreo respectively, last year. However, iOS 11 with a few updates and several new features seems to have beaten Android Oreo. Here are the things iPhones can do but Android smartphones can't. Spam filters iPhone users can filter out messages to control spam Spam messages are a big menace faced by almost every mobile user in the world. To address this issue, Appleintroduced a feature to filter out spam messages in iOS 11. Earlier versions of iOS could filter messages from unknown senders, but with iOS 11, Apple has given users a chance to use third-party message filters for Messages to get rid of spam messages. Screen Recorder iOS 11 comes with native screen recording Apple's latest iOS 11 has native "Screen Recording" feature that can not only capture a video of the contents of device's screen (display) but also record external voice input (audio or voiceovers) along with the video without any external device. iOS users can also create GIFs with this tool. Samsung devices support screen recording, but it isn't a native feature in Android OS. Messages Features Syncing messages and sending money via Messages app iOS 11 brings the updated version of Messages app with iCloud support. So, users can sync Messages across all of their Apple devices using the same Apple ID. Also, iOS 11 users can easily send or receive money to contacts directly from Messages app via texts. Money can also be transferred to bank accounts. Such messages-related features are yet to arrive for Android. Battery Control Users can control iPhone's battery and performance iOS 11.3 beta has a tool to give more power to users by allowing them to control iPhone's battery and performance; something that Android doesn't offer. It provides users with detailed battery information. It lets users disable the battery-throttling feature and can suggest battery replacement in case of issues. Apple faced criticism and lawsuits over secretly slowing the performance of iPhones with aging batteries. New formats Apple's new image, video formats save 50% space Apple brought new formats for capturing images/videos with iOS 11 that help users save 50% of the device's storage space while maintaining the quality. iOS 11 uses HEVC (High Efficiency Video Codec) for videos and HEIF (High Efficiency Image File Format) for still images. However, Android users can only capture images/videos; they cannot compress them while keeping the quality intact or save storage space. AirPlay 2 Users can play music on multiple speakers simultaneously Another interesting feature iOS 11 brings to users is the ability to stream music across Apple devices with the updated AirPlay 2. It will offer "multi-room audio" feature on iOS devices so that can users can stream music to multiple devices such as Apple TVs at the same time. However, Google is yet to come with such an audio/video streaming feature for Android. |
AuthorI am Shaik Fazle and I am hackwr Archives
March 2018
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