So just like most of you guys out there, I have WhatsApp installed on one of the best Android phones on the market — my Pixel 6a. I use the app to stay in touch with family and to double check suspicious IMs.
Now, that last part is important, because hits — naturally — puts my profile at risk. As such, a few days ago, I was in shock, because after a quick call via the instant messaging app, the green microphone access indicator on the top right of my screen stays on.
Mark Zuckerberg was listening to me!
Yes, I freaked out. Despite being the guy who wrote the guide on how to stay safe from Malware, that doesn’t make my phone immune to malicious software. Nor does it make me any less of a risk-taker. By which I mean bad decision maker, but you get my point.
Well, luckily, thanks to a tweet from Android Developers, I can now rest assured that it was just a bug. Right?Right?
A recent Android bug affecting a limited number of WhatsApp users produced erroneous privacy indicators and notifications in the Android Privacy Dashboard.
Users can now update their WhatsApp app to address this issue.
We thank WhatsApp for their partnership and apologize…
Well, it turns out that this has happened to many other users online, so we can start a support group WhatsApp chat if you’d like to. The good news is that it was just a false alarm, though, so this will maybe, probably not happen again.
WhatsApp — as far as we know — did not actually have unlimited, full-time access to your microphone in order to siphon out data to Meta’s attention-span-analysis farms. The privacy dashboard overestimated the risk at hand and some friendly neighbor-web Google engineers took care of the issue.
And, while on the subject: kudos to Meta and WhatsApp’s team for collaborating with Google on this one, as the fix actually rolled out through a patch to the IM app. So, if you’ve had this weird bug happen to you: you probably have a pending update right now.
As of now, we can say that no damage has been done — beyond potential emotional scarring. If you happen to find yourself in this bug-a-licious situation, just restart your phone and it should be fine. Right?Right?…
As drone technology becomes commonplace, managing drone security gets crucial. Researchers have demonstrated that in their recent study via EMFI (electromagnetic fault injection) side-channel attack against a commonly-used drone. Executing such attacks allows an attacker to gain complete control of the target drone.
EMFI Attack Allowing Drone Takeover
IOActive – an industrial security solutions provider – demonstrated the vulnerability of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) or drone systems to sneaky EMFI side-channel attack.
Though drones come with numerous security measures to prevent cyber attacks, their innate technology that relies on wireless connections and remote operation make them highly vulnerable to various interception attacks.
As explained in the white paper, the IOActive team devised a trivial attack strategy to extract a target drone’s firmware decryption keys and achieve code execution. Executing this attack required them to develop the desired technical setup.
In their experiment, the researchers took DJI Mavic Pro as the subject drone to test the proposed electromagnetic fault injection (EMFI) attack. EMFI attacks typically disrupt the target system’s hardware when performing certain operations, like changing CPU behavior, without physical alterations. Thus, these attacks help conduct covert side-channel attacks, often benefiting the adversary with the desired access control.
Whereas they selected DJI Mavic Pro due to its huge user base and known vulnerabilities. Also, these drones boast numerous security features, such as Trusted Execution Environment (TEE) and Secure Boot. In turn, reverse engineering the drone’s firmware helped the researchers better understand the attack stages and the subsequent impact on the drone.
The ultimate result of their entire experiment came as complete takeover of the target drone by achieving code execution and gaining access to sensitive data, including encryption keys. The researchers have explained the entire attack setup and technical steps in their white paper.
Recommended Mitigations
Since IOActive’s effort shed light on a new type of cyber threat to drones – EMFI attacks – the researchers advise the drone developers to implement EMFI countermeasures in their products, both at the hardware and software level.
IOActive explained that hardware countermeasures are more effective in preventing EMFI but incur more cost. In contrast, software-level countermeasures are convenient to deploy during the final development stages, but they aren’t effective in mitigating all sorts of risks. Therefore, addressing both these aspects together is critical.
The Swing VPN app, which is available on the official Google Play Store under the name Swing VPN – Fast VPN Proxy, has more than 5 million downloads.
Swing VPN is a legitimate VPN app developed for Android and iOS systems by Limestone Software Solutions. However, according to researcher Lecromee, the Android version of this app is a DDoS botnet and allegedly harbours malicious intent as it can carry out distributed denial of service attacks (DDoS attacks).
Screenshot from Lecromee’s report
It all started when Lecromee’s friend informed him about observing an unusual request pattern on his cellphone. The phone continually sent requests to a specific website every 10 seconds. The app allegedly used different tactics to hide its malicious actions to keep the attack undetected.
Initially, Lecromee blamed the issue on malware or a virus. However, further investigation revealed that all requests were sent from the Swing VPN app, which his friend had installed on his phone. The requests were sent to the same site that Lecromee’s friend had never accessed or visited, which made the researcher suspicious of the app.
To investigate further, Lecromee installed the Pcapdroid app to check his terminal’s log communication and inspect Swing VPN’s operations. At this point, Lecromee was uncertain whether the Swing app had a malicious agenda. He observed that the Swing VPN app sent some requests to a site.
To determine the actual intention of the app, he used mitmproxy to capture the sent data. He identified that the app figures out the real IP address right after installation, language selection, and accepting the Privacy Policy. It then sends a request to Bing and Google with the query “What is my IP?” Lecromee also learned that the app parses the returned HTML and identifies IPs from the responses, mainly to find the config files to upload.
After identifying its required config type, the app sends requests to two different config files stored in the developer’s personal Google Drive account. These files are requested from specific personal servers, several GitHub repositories, or Google Drive accounts. The app concludes its initialization process by connecting to an ad network to load ads and finally stores data in a local cache before proceeding to a DDoS site.
This is the page where Swing VPN sent the request. The website is managed by Turkmenistan Airlines (turkmenistanairlines.tm).
The researcher was surprised that the request payload contained specific data and that the endpoint of the requests was also extracting many of the site’s resources by sending one request every 10 seconds.
“Since flight search is a quite intensive task that requires a lot of databases and server resources, it is clear that the goal is to stress the server out of resources so that normal users won’t be able to access it when needed,” Lecromee said in a technical blog post.
As of June 2023, the app had over 5 million installations on Android, and splitting it by ten yields a potential of 500k RPS. That’s impressive for DDoSing. Lecromee criticized Google for having a weak security system that allows malicious apps to exploit unsuspecting users’ devices.
Hackread, however, cannot confirm this claim for now. We will update this story with the latest information about the Swing app soon.
It’s always a great day to be a gamer, but today is especially good to be a Nintendo fan. The company just held its latest Nintendo Direct where it announced some exciting games for the Switch. What was announced? What should you be excited about? Let’s dive in! Here are the top announcements during the June 2023 Nintendo Direct.
The showcase featured a full 40 minutes of announcements for the Nintendo Switch. Some of the games were surprises like a new Super Mario Bros. game (we’ll get to that later in the article). Other games are long-awaited titles (like the fourth installment to a certain adorable gaming franchise).
June 2023 Nintendo Direct rundown: Major announcements
Let’s start off with some of the headlining announcements. These are games that really stole the show and are sure to get the majority of the fans jumping to click the Pre-order button.
Pikmin 4
It’s been nearly 10 years since the last Pikmin game graced us, and we were all wondering when the next one was going to come. Well, Nintendo finally dropped the trailer for this Pikmin 4.
In this game, you’ll crash land on a strange new world (familiar, huh?) and meet the plant-like creatures called Pikmin. You’ll gather and use the Pikmin to perform tasks and solve puzzles. As you explore, you’ll find different pieces to repair your ship and eventually leave the planet.
New additions to the franchise include a new canine creature called Otchi who will be crucial to your journey. Also, for the first time, you’ll be able to explore at night.
Pokemon Scarlet/Violet Hidden Treasures of Area Zero
This is a new DLC pack released for Pokemon Scarlet and Violet. It’s called “Hidden Treasures of Area Zero”, and it involves two new adventures. The first one is called The Teal Mask, and it takes place during a festival in the countryside. On the opposite side of the coin, the second adventure, “The Indigo Disk” takes place in a futuristic academy.
Information on these paid DLC packs will come out in the future.
Super Mario RPG Remake
If you enjoyed Super Mario RPG back in the SNES days, then you’ll be excited about this upcoming title. This is a from-the-ground-up remake of the original game, so the graphics, animations, music, and everything else have been revamped for the Switch.
While this is a remake, it will still play faithful to the original installment. So, you’ll still embark on an adventure with turn-based combat and all of the original characters.
Launch: November 17th, 2023
Upcoming unnamed Peach game
During the presentation, the company showed off some footage of a new adventure surrounding Princess Peach. It looks like it takes place on a stage as if it’s all a play. She uses some light magic attacks and it seems that something special happens to her when she stands on a particular spot on the stage. It was only a teaser, so there’s not much information available.
Launch: Sometime next year
Super Mario Bros. Wonder
This is the next 2.5D Super Mario Bros. adventure. Just like the Super Mario Bros. games we’ve grown up with, you’ll be running through different levels with a plethora of different characters from the franchise.
As you play, you’ll pick up different powers that will have certain effects. Since this is a new game, the company is introducing some new items. Starting off with the Wonder Flower, this will open up a completely different version of the stage where a bunch of wild and crazy things happen. This is the headlining feature of this game.
Also, there’s a new mushroom that will turn Mario into an elephant. So, there’s that. Also, along the way, you’ll see different talking flowers.
Launch: October 10th, 2023
Here are the other exciting announcements
Now, let’s get into some more exciting announcements from the company.
Sonic Superstars
We’ve been talking about a lot of Mario stuff, but our boy Sonic isn’t exactly empty-handed. Nintendo announced that Sonic Superstars will be coming to the Nintendo Switch in the fall this year.
It’s an all-new adventure where you can play as either Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, or Amy. You’ll be racing through different beautiful worlds while discovering some new powers. Also, for the first time in the series, there’s four-person multiplayer.
Launch: Sometime this Fall
Persona 5 Tactics
Sonic Superstars wasn’t the only SEGA title announced. Those who love Persona will love the new turn-based spin-off of Persona 5. In this game, your team finds themselves in an unfamiliar world. There, they meet a person named Erina who’s fighting off an army that’s trying to invade that world.
Launch: November 17th, 2023 (Pre-orders start today)
Luigi’s Mansion Dark Moon remastered
The second installment in the Luigi’s Mansion series is going to be making its way to the Nintendo Switch. It will have improved visuals that will utilize the more powerful hardware.
Launch: Sometime next year
Detective Pikachu Returns
The popular game that spawned a popular movie is back. Detective Pikachu Returns takes you on a new adventure with your adorable Pikachu who loves coffee. More information will come out in the future.
Batman Arkham Trilogy
The smash-hit Batman Arkham series of games is now making its way to the Switch (well, most of them). This is a pack of three games: Batman: Arkham Asylum, Batman: Arkham City, and Batman: Arkham Knight. Batman: Arkham Origins is not part of this package, as it’s not a part of the trilogy. The games will involve all of the DLC, as well.
Launch: Sometime this Fall
Mario + Rabbids: The Last Spark Hunter
There’s a new DLC for Mario + Rabbids: Sparks Of Hope. In the DLC, your team of characters happens upon a musical planet. There, they’ll fight off new enemies and discover new wonders.
Vampire Survivor on Switch
The hit game Vampire Survivor is officially launching on the Nintendo Switch. This is a survivor game where you’re facing hordes of terrifying monsters. You’re tasked with surviving 30 rounds of increasing enemies. As you play, you’ll gather different items that will aid you in the battle. However, that might not be enough.
Launch: August 17th, 2023
Dragon Quest Monsters: The Dark Prince
This is a new game that puts a different spin on the Dragon Quest series. In this game, your character is cursed and unable to fight monsters. So, they need to become a monster wrangler. They’ll collect and fuse different monsters to use them in the battle against other monsters.
Launch: December 1st, 2023
Watch the event
There are more exciting announcements explained in the presentation. You can check out the rest of the announcements by watching the video below.
Apple has iOS 16.5.1 today, along with iPad OS 16.5.1. It has also released macOS Ventura 13.4.1 and watchOS 9.5.2. So quite a few updates today from Apple. But so far, no word on the iOS 17 Beta 2. An update that a lot of beta testers are eagerly awaiting due to the pretty poor battery life in the first Beta.
iOS 16.5.1 is a pretty small bug fix, since it is a point update. According to the update screen, this is roughly a 283MB bug fixing update. Apple specifically calls out an issue being fixed that was caused when using the Lightning to USB3 Camera adapter. Among other security updates.
So for everyone not on the iOS 17 Beta path, there’s an update for you, on literally every platform. Just head into Settings. Tap on General, and then Software Update.
Where’s iOS 17 Beta 2?
The second beta for iOS 17 is imminent. Prominent Apple leaker, Mark Gurman mentioned on Twitter yesterday that he’d expect Beta 2 to launch today, and the first public beta coming next month. So it could come later today, or tomorrow, or even next week.
Those on the beta are really excited for a second beta, because while the first beta was pretty stable, the battery life was anything but. With many having to charge their iPhone 14s (which are still fairly new) multiple times a day. Including myself. Luckily, I was working on reviewing some Android phones over the last two weeks, so I wasn’t using my iPhone as much. And the terribly battery life didn’t hit me as much.
The stable version of iOS 17 is set to come in September, so there’s still plenty of betas coming ahead of that stable release. Hopefully things get better, especially in the battery department by then. I’d expect to see at least four more betas for iOS 17, before the release candidate.
Beta software is traditionally unstable. However, when an Android Beta hits platform stability, most of the bugs with third-party apps have been exterminated by developers and no changes are expected with these apps making them less likely to malfunction. But other things can go wrong. With Android 14 Beta 3, many Pixel users lost the ability to access the share sheet to share content with other devices. This has left those affected frustrated especially when Android 14 Beta 3.1 didn’t fix this problem.
But there is a third-party app available for free from the Google Play Store that will give you the ability to share content. Called Sharedr, it will allow those subscribed to the Android 14 Beta program to access a share sheet once again. Since I’ve been unable to do much sharing on my Pixel 6 Pro ever since installing Android 14 Beta 3 (and after installing Beta 3.1), I installed the app and found it to be exactly what the doctor ordered. Every time I tapped on the share icon, the app’s share sheet was made available.
The app doesn’t collect any personal data and there are no in-app payments required or ads to view. So far, it remains a secret with only more than 50,000 installs although I suspect that this number might rise in the days ahead. After all, this isn’t an Android app that most people running a stable version of the operating system would normally install. After over 1,000 reviews, the app has a 4.3 rating out of a possible 5.
The share sheet from the Sharedr app
Keep in mind that not every Pixel model and Pixel user running the Android 14 Beta has had issues with the share sheet. And some have found that performing a factory reset (backing up their data first) has not only eliminated the problem with sharing content, but it has also made their phone run better. Still, if you want to avoid having to wipe your phone, and the share sheet is the main problem you have with Android 14 Beta 3.1, installing the Sharedr app is the easiest thing you can do to fix the problem.
To install Sharedr, tap on this link which will take you to the Google Play Store. Do not pass Go, and do not collect $200; simply install the app. The share sheet that comes with the app is in alphabetical order and you will have to slide your finger up on the sheet to see all of the options that you have.
After the review of the original Pulsefire Haste back in 2021 we were very pleased with the build quality and its simplistic feature set, and we’re back with a review of its follow-up, the Pulsefire Haste 2.
With the original mouse, one of its strongest features was that it was a lightweight mouse with not a lot of extras. It wasn’t trying to be a jack of all trades. It was simply focused on doing a couple of things really well. For the most part, that was giving the user a gaming mouse that can easily be dragged across the mat at higher speeds because it wasn’t a weighty piece of plastic.
The Pulsefire Haste 2 takes what made the original such a good option and improves upon it. So much so that I feel comfortable saying this is the best FPS mouse out there. It doesn’t cost an arm and a leg, it’s well-built, and you get all you need if all you want is to play games and dominate. Now I’m not saying this is going to make you a better gamer. I am however saying that this is the right tool for the job, and that job is gaming.
The Pulsefire Haste 2 gets a makeover for the better
The design of the original mouse from 2021 is just fine. But I’ve never personally been crazy about the open slotted pattern. It just feels like a dust magnet and I want less things to clean not more. That being said, I was excited to see that HyperX was changing that about the Pulsefire Haste 2.
It’s a no frills design that isn’t trying to rope you in with flashy looks. And that sleeper style is precisely the kind of change I was hoping for. Just a great gaming mouse that doesn’t need to look over the top.
And the best part is the Pulsefire Haste 2 still looks good. The design is simple, sure. But it’s also elegant. And surprisingly more comfortable to use than the original Pulsefire. I will admit, it’s tough for me to move to any new mouse that isn’t in the Razer Naga line. I’ve just been using a Naga as my main gaming mouse for so long that almost everything else feels a little foreign. I play a lot of MMOs, so it’s always been the right fit. Despite there being lots of other good gaming mice out there. But the Pulsefire Haste 2 has been really comfortable and easy to get used to for FPS titles.
Delivering long-lasting comfort that didn’t dwindle away even after gripping it for hours. And with just six buttons, there’s not a lot for you to worry about stretching your fingers to press.
It’s a mouse you can use to play games all day and not get tired of it. Now it should be said that I don’t have exceptionally large hands. They’re not tiny, but they’re not massive either. If you have big hands, this might not work as well for you, and you may want to go for something with a wider profile. Unless you’re comfortable with holding a mouse using claw grip in which case it should be fine.
The specs
The most important spec is undeniably the weight. At just 53g, the Pulsefire Haste 2 hones in on moving as fast as possible across the mat. Quick flicks feel effortless when you have a mouse that doesn’t feel like you’re dragging a rock from side to side. It also helps that the mouse comes with skates on the bottom that are incredibly low friction. And should you need them, there’s replacement PTFE feet in the box along with some grip tape for extra grippyness. I didn’t use the grip tape but it’s there if you like it on your mice.
Though it’s just as important to have a mouse mat that doesn’t increase friction. Aside from the weight, the mouse features a cable that’s 5.9 feet long which is more than enough for most setups. It’s also made of a paracord material that is supposed to cut down on potential cable snags and so far it feels like it lives up to that claim.
Of course, the mouse is really only as good as the buttons on it that you’ll need to use for all your gaming needs, and those are only as good as the switches underneath. HyperX rates these at 100 million clicks. While I don’t think I’ll ever reach that limit, they do feel durable and they have a nice satisfying tactile feedback.
Additionally, the mouse has a maximum dpi of 26,000 paired with an 8,000Hz polling rate. So it’s wired (get it? ha.) for super fast inputs which might just be that clutch moment for you in a game. It’s definitely something that’s tailored to more competitive gamers and professional esports players. But it’s nice to know it’s there if you ever decide you want to try and compete at a higher level with some practice.
No onboard profile storage is a shame
It’s not the end of the world, but it would be nice to see the capability to store personal profiles for games on the mouse. That way if you ever take it with you somewhere and you don’t have your rig with you, you’ve still got the capability to play with your preferred settings without having to reconfigure stuff on a new rig.
I do get it though. HyperX may have not included this because doing so might have required components that would add to the weight. And if HyperX was going for a lighter weight here, then adding features that add to it just seems counterproductive.
It’s also worth considering that this doesn’t impact me particularly heavily. I normally game on PC from my own desktop and if I do play away from home, I have a laptop for that. On rare occasions though, neither of those are an option and I have to use someone’s spare rig. And this is where the onboard storage for profiles would be useful. And I imagine there are many more people who play games that are in this exact situation much more often than myself.
So it’s just something to think about if you play games on rigs that aren’t your own a lot. I wouldn’t say it’s a deal breaker. At least not for me. But it might be for you. And if that’s the case there are plenty of options for a gaming mouse. But if this matters very little to you, then don’t let the lack of onboard profile storage deter you from the Pulsefire Haste 2. Because it’s excellent for FPS games.
Wired vs wireless
HyperX sent us the wired version in White which is probably the best possible option for anyone looking at a gaming mouse that’s ultra lightweight. The wireless mice are great for having less clutter. But they do weigh more and that could be bad for your performance.
I’m not saying it will be, but it can be. Personally, I prefer a wireless gaming mouse. I like the cleaner look of my PC setup and I don’t play at a high enough level often enough to care about shaving off the extra weight.
But I do see the appeal here and I did notice that in my time using the Pulsefire Haste 2 wired model, I was able to flick the mouse around faster and more effortlessly. That being said, HyperX does offer a wireless model of this mouse. I think which one you go with depends on what you’re really after. Do you want something that’s cable free and offers less clutter? Well you can have that at the expense of the weight.
But if you don’t mind another cable sitting around, the wired model is the better option. And I think this is likely to be the case for most people that want a mouse specifically for more competitive play. There’s also the fact that you don’t have to worry about as much latency. Because the mouse is plugged directly into your PC.
The Ngenuity software is easy to use
Part of this comes down to the basic setup. The software, like the mouse itself, isn’t packed with unnecessary stuff. When you plug the mouse in and load up the software, you have a segment for your connected products to the left. Once you click on the mouse, you’ve got three different sections you can adjust.
The lights, the buttons, and the sensor. Let’s start with the lights. This mouse has one single RGB center. The scroll wheel. With that being the case, there’s not a whole lot to change here. There’s the color, opacity, and speed. There is also an effect option with just a few choices, including cycle, breathing, and static. However, you can expand on those lighting effects with the Lightsync menu in the software to get effects like confetti, sun, and twilight. Worth noting though is that these aren’t specific to the mouse and should be applicable to other HyperX devices with RGB.
Outside of lighting, the software lets you remap the buttons if you don’t like what the default settings are. I didn’t find the need to change any of this but reassigning the keys with the software looks simple enough. Lastly you can adjust the dpi of the sensor. There are two ways to do this. You can either type in the number you want or use a slider bar and drag it to the desired value. Both are easy to use. There’s also four different levels you can set which makes it easy to swap between them at a moment’s notice using the dedicated button that sits behind the scroll wheel.
And you can even add a specified color to each dpi level so you know which one you’re on if you happen to accidentally swap it. All-in-all the software is perfectly fine. User-friendly, simple, and straight to the point. So no complaints here. Plus, Ngenuity isn’t constantly bugging you with new updates. A big plus in my book.
Should you buy the HyperX Pulsefire Haste 2 wired?
There’s a lot of reasons to get this mouse and some reasons not to. But before we get into all of that let’s recap. HyperX already made a great quality mouse with the original Pulsefire Haste. It wasn’t perfect but it was an excellent option for anyone wanting a gaming mouse that was easy to move around and provided fast flicks thanks to the weight.
HyperX improved on all the best features with its successor. From weight, to cable, to design and comfort. And it managed to do so while keeping the price reasonably low. While it’s unlikely to be my personal go-to for day-to-day gaming, simply because of the types of games I play, it’s an easy recommendation to anyone who primarily plays first-person or third-person shooters.
If you need more buttons, this isn’t the mouse for you. But luckily most shooters don’t have that many different abilities or actions you need to worry about. Making the Pulsefire Haste 2 more than viable. Is it the only option for a competitive gaming mouse? No. But I believe it’s the best option. You can pick up your own for $59.99 at Best Buy and other retailers.
Buy the HyperX Pulsefire Haste 2 wired if:
You want a lightweight gaming mouse
You need something that works with fast, high-level play
Hackers Attacks on Websites, the websites developed by a certain Korean company, have been the subject of assaults and have been used to spread malware.
A wide range of businesses, including those in the manufacturing, trade, electrical, electronics, education, construction, medical, and tourism industries, have websites made by this particular website creation company.
The compromised websites were used to communicate information taken using web shells and to propagate malware, among other functions.
According to AhnLab Security Emergency Response Centre (ASEC), the first spread occurred via an email attachment.
Specifics of the Attack
According to reports, the compromised system is linked to the task scheduler, enabling the breach to occur continually.
If infected, the threat actor connects to a web shell that resembles the command listed in the task scheduler using the regular process mshta to take remote control of the victim’s PC.
Task Scheduler Registration Script
Users may not be aware that they have been infected since the web shell URL used for remote control also utilizes the URL of a legitimate website that has already been compromised.
All domains used in this assault approach were verified to have been developed by the mentioned Korean website creation company.
“The web shell URL required for remote control also uses the URL of the normal website that had already been breached, so it is difficult for users to realize that they have been infected,” researchers explain.
The domains also had an admin page that was reachable from the outside on the same path.
It is believed that the threat actor used this page to upload their malware.
“The findings from this recent incident reveal that a vulnerable website development company was the primary target of this attack,” researchers said.
“It shows that the websites created by this company are susceptible to exploitation by the RedEyes (APT37) threat group’s targeted attack”.
Earlier, the malware had been spread through scripts that were added to the websites of organizations and companies and placed in banner advertisements.
Due to its security being less robust than the websites of organizations and businesses, the advertising firm was targeted in that event.
A possible danger of malware infection exists on websites developed by vulnerably sourced firms. For these reasons, it is essential to strengthen security precautions and carry out internal system audits.
Samsung is expecting foldable sales to jump significantly this year. The company has reportedly set an internal target to sell 1.3 times more foldable smartphones in 2023 than it did in 2022, which would be a 30% annual growth. The Korean behemoth discussed this target during the ongoing global strategy meetings of its senior executives. It is gearing up to launch the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Galaxy Z Flip 5 next month.
“We have set the sales target for foldable devices this year at approximately 1.3 times higher than last year,” Twitter tipster @Tech_Reve quoted an unnamed person who participated in the meeting. The tipster added that Samsung’s internal assessment of the Galaxy Z Flip 5 has returned a “significant amount” of positive feedback. The improvements this year’s clamshell foldable brings over its predecessor should help in driving sales. Flip models have always sold in higher numbers than the Fold.
Samsung is eyeing big growth in foldable sales in 2023
Samsung has been the undisputed king of the foldable market so far. But that’s largely because it never faced stiff competition globally. Apart from China, the Korean firm has had a near-monopoly in this niche pretty much everywhere. That may not be the case this year, though. Most Chinese vendors are going global with their foldable phones in 2023, while Google is also entering this market.
However, Samsung is still eyeing big growth this year. In February, the company’s mobile chief said that its foldable sales will grow double digits in 2023, with total shipments crossing 15 million units. According to research firm Canalys, the Korean behemoth sold 12 million foldable devices in 2022. So that would mean about a 30% growth in foldable shipments this year. It has stuck to the target despite the economic uncertainties.
Samsung won’t be the only company selling more foldable phones this year, though. The market itself is estimated to double in 2023, reaching 30 million shipments globally. If the Korean company manages to achieve its target, then it would capture about 50% of the company. As many as nine brands are expected to compete for the remaining 50%, including Huawei, Honor, OPPO, Vivo, Tecno, Google, OnePlus, Motorola, and Xiaomi.
Notably, Samsung’s foldable market share would drop from 80% in 2022 to 50% in 2023. But that isn’t because of weaker demand for its products but because of growing competition. The upcoming Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Galaxy Z Flip 5 will bring a handful of upgrades over their respective predecessors, including a redesigned hinge. Time will tell whether they help Samsung hit its foldable sales target for 2023.
JMGO has just announced its latest addition to the N series, the N1. This is a new entry-level portable projector, which has a price of $999.99. That’s cheaper than the N1 Pro and N1 Ultra, as you’d expect.
This projector is a 1080p projector with a triple-color laser engine that is going to give you a really incredible picture. It is also pretty bright, at about 1200 ANSI Lumens. Which should make it good to use in a room with a significant amount of light.
The other, rather unique feature of this projector is the built-in Gimbal. This gimbal provides 127-degree vertical and 360-degree horizontal flexible adjustment of the projection angle. This projector will work on screen sizes from 60 to 150-inches, and with the gimbal included, you’ll get instant screen correction.
Powered by Android TV
Much like JMGO’s other projectors, they are using Android TV here for the software. That’s both good and bad news. The good news is that it is going to provide you with a ton of great apps, out of the box. The bad news is, no Netflix. Technically, you can sideload Netflix on this one, but it’s going to be the smartphone version, which is a real pain to use. So we would recommend plugging in your own streaming device – like a Chromecast with Google TV, Apple TV, Fire TV, etc – and that will solve the problem.
Finally, let’s talk about the audio. The N1 has Dynaudio HiFi Audio Experience, which is going to give you a really immersive HiFi sound, created by Dynaudio. So in this tiny little, portable projector, you’re actually going to get a pretty good sound experience.
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