OnePlus Pad Review: First time’s the charm!

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OnePlus Pad Review: First time’s the charm!
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We’ve been waiting for a tablet from OnePlus for years, and the company finally delivered. The OnePlus Pad is here, and Android Headlines was given the opportunity to review it. Is this a good first attempt at making a tablet, or is it back to the drawing board for OnePlus? Let’s find out.

By the way, this isn’t the only OnePlus device that launched this year. The company also launched the OnePlus 11. If you’re interested in checking out the company’s latest flagship phone, you can check out our review right here.

OnePlus Pad: Build and design

OnePlus really put a lot of love and care into the build and design of the OnePlus Pad. Design-wise, it’s rather simple. This tablet has a high-quality metal unibody that’s both sturdy and smooth to the touch. As opposed to Galaxy Tabs and iPads, the frame is rounded. The frame is only flat at the top to facilitate the stylus pen.

OnePlus Pad 10

The back of the tablet has a brushed metal look to it, but it’s extremely smooth to the touch. It looks nice, but it’s a definite fingerprint magnet. Also, you’ll want to watch what surfaces you place it on. It’s pretty slippery.

Overall, this is a tablet that undercuts most of the Galaxy Tabs and iPads in terms of price, but it doesn’t cut any corners in terms of build quality. It’s able to set itself apart from those tablets while remaining tough.

OnePlus Pad: Display

In my opinion, the display is the best aspect of this tablet; however, there is one drawback. Most tablets in this price range will opt for a 1080p (or similar) display. OnePlus opted for a display that’s between 2K and 3K. It has a resolution of 2880 x 2000, and it looks absolutely gorgeous.

This is an OLED display, so the colors pop throughout the software, and this makes watching media a treat. To top it off, it runs at 144Hz. So, not only is the display pleasantly saturated, but it’s also smooth as silk. So, I can honestly say that this device has the best display of any tablet that I’ve reviewed.

OnePlus Pad 11

The one drawback is the contrast. When I first powered on this tablet, I had to double-check to see if the display was actually OLED. For some reason, the blacks on this display aren’t truly black like you’d see on other OLED displays. They’re the hallmark dark gray that you see on LCD displays. That’s rather confusing, seeing as the colors are so saturated. That’s the only complaint that I have about the display.

OnePlus Pad: Speakers

OnePlus touted a powerful set of quad speakers for this tablet, and they are powerful, indeed. The set of speakers offers a loud and punchy sound when you’re watching content or listening to music. They’re loud and full enough to use this tablet without needing to take out your Bluetooth speaker.

That being said, the quality of the speakers isn’t really anything to write home about. They’re not terrible, but they’re definitely lacking in the immersion department. They get plenty loud, but the sound is very flat overall.

The thing is that nothing really pops out. It doesn’t matter if the song is more bass-heavy or emphasizes the higher frequencies, the sound profile is pretty flat. You can adjust the tuning with the Dolby Atmos sound settings, but they don’t do much to improve the sound.

OnePlus Pad 1

Overall, the speakers get the job done. They’re not bad, but they’re not great. If speaker quality is secondary to you, then they’ll serve you just fine.

OnePlus Pad: Performance

The OnePlus Pad uses the Dimensity 9000 SoC. This is MediaTek’s most powerful processor out at the time of writing this review, and it’s the company’s competitor to the latest Snapdragon SoCs. Going into this review, I expected top-of-the-line performance.

However, I was let down a bit. From a performance standpoint, the OnePlus Pad doesn’t particularly impress. I wouldn’t say that the experience is laggy overall, and it’s far from unusable. But, you get the hallmark experience of a device with a mid-range processor.

OnePlus Pad 8

Navigating the interface, you see a couple of stutters in the animations. The app drawer lags a bit, closing an app takes a second, etc. They’re few and far apart, but they do happen. When the interface hiccups while you’re not doing anything particularly labor-intensive, it’s never good for morale.

Gaming

When it comes to gaming, the story is the same as the general performance. It’s not bad. In fact, it’s pretty good. Most of the games you’ll get will run perfectly fine. 2D titles are no sweat, and most 3D games will run just fine. Sky: Children of Light is a good-looking 3D title and it will slow down most underpowered devices. It runs perfectly fine on the OnePlus Pad, and the same goes for Asphalt 9.

When it comes to more graphically-intensive games like Genshin Impact and Star Rail, you’ll start to see the performance dip, but not by much. I was able to play both games on full graphical settings and get relatively smooth gameplay, but there were stutters here and there while playing.

Action scenes with a lot of effects will be the main cause of stutters, and I saw them more often in Ganshin Impact. However, these games are more than playable on the tablet.

OnePlus Pad 2

If you’re looking to make this your gaming tablet, you will not be disappointed with the majority of the games on the market. Just know that the more demanding games will definitely push the OnePlus Pad to slow down a bit.

OnePlus Pad: Battery

The battery life on the OnePlus Pad is pretty middle-of-the-road. Using the tablet with several hours of gaming, video-watching, and writing, I was able to get about seven hours of screen-on time. That’s not bad considering that I had the brightness up to 100% and the display was set to 144Hz. Adjusting those settings will definitely push the battery a bit further, so it should be able to get you through the day.

If you have to top it off quickly, then OnePlus has you covered in that department. You get a 67W charger included in the box which is always nice to have. You’re able to charge the tablet from 0% to 100% in about 80 minutes which is great for a tablet.

OnePlus Pad: Software

Moving onto software, the OnePlus Pad is running OxygenOS 13 running on Android 13. Because it’s on Android 13, it’s running a version of Android that’s well formatted for tablets. You’ll see the revamped notification shade along with the new multitasking view and optimized Google apps.

OnePlus Pad 7

Since this is OxygenOS, you have access to a ton of customization tools. You have deep customizations for the app icons, animations, home screen transitions, theme, animation speed, and much more.

If you’re a OnePlus phone user, then you should feel at home with this software. OnePlus did a great job optimizing its software for the tablet form factor.

So, how did the company do on its first tablet?

This is OnePlus’ first time making a large-screen device, and I think the company knocked it out of the park. OnePlus was able to give us a tablet with a sturdy design, a beautiful and fluid display, good performance, a pretty good gaming experience, and perfectly optimized software while keeping the price within a reasonable range.

If you’re looking for a great tablet experience for a great price, then I recommend that you pick up the OnePlus Pad.

OnePlus Pad 5

You should buy this tablet if you:

  • Want an affordable tablet
  • Want a tablet with a gorgeous display
  • Want a tablet with stylus support
  • Want a tablet that’s good for gaming
  • Want a tablet for reading

You shouldn’t buy this tablet if you:

  • Want top-notch performance
  • Want great speakers
  • Need deep blacks in your picture

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Multiple Vulnerabilities Spotted In APC Easy UPS Software

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Multiple Vulnerabilities Spotted In APC Easy UPS Software
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Heads up, UPS users! Schneider Electric has patched numerous severe vulnerabilities in its APC Easy UPS Online Monitoring software. Exploiting these flaws could allow remote code execution and DoS attacks on target devices.

APC Easy Online Monitoring Software Vulnerabilities

According to a recent advisory from Schneider Electric, the vendors have patched three different security vulnerabilities in its APC Easy UPS Online Monitoring Software.

Specifically, two of these vulnerabilities could allow remote code execution attacks from an adversary. Whereas a third vulnerability could let the attacker induce denial of service on the target devices.

Below is a quick review of these vulnerabilities.

  • CVE-2023-29411 (CVSS 9.8): It’s a critical severity vulnerability that could allow an attacker to modify admin credentials. Exploiting the flaw could lead to remote code execution on the Java RMI interface. Schneider Electric has credited the researcher Esjay from the Trend Micro Zero Day Initiative for reporting the vulnerability.
  • CVE-2023-29412 (CVSS 9.8): Another critical severity flaw that existed due to improper handling of case sensitivity. Exploiting the flaw could allow a remote attacker to manipulate internal methods via the Java RMI interface and execute codes. This vulnerability caught the attention of two researchers, Esjay from the Trend Micro Zero Day Initiative and Nicholas Miles from the Tenable Network Security.
  • CVE-2023-29413 (CVSS 7.5): It’s a high-severity vulnerability that could allow an unauthenticated adversary to induce denial of service on the target Schneider UPS Monitor service. The advisory acknowledges Esjay from Trend Micro ZDI for reporting this issue.

Recommended Mitigations And Patched Updates

The vendor explained that these vulnerabilities affect the Easy Ups Software clients for Windows 10 and 11 and Windows Server 2016, 2019, and 2022. However, Schneider Electric has presently released the patches for the Windows 10 version only. The updated software versions include the APC Easy UPS Online Monitoring Software Version V2.5-GA-01-23036 and Schneider Electric Easy UPS Online Monitoring Software version V2.5-GS-01-23036.

Nonetheless, for Windows 11 and Windows Server 2016, 2019, and 2022 users, the vendors recommend updating the Easy UPS units with the PowerChute Serial Shutdown (PCSS) software on all servers protected by your Easy UPS On-Line (SRV, SRVL models) as mitigation.

Let us know your thoughts in the comments.


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Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 may bring about 15% faster CPU

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Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 may bring about 15% faster CPU
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Qualcomm’s next-gen flagship smartphone chipset Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 is starting to take shape. There are already rumors that the new Qualcomm processor will feature a slightly different CPU core arrangement with a much speedier prime core. Another noted tipster has reiterated that information.

According to a tipster Digital Chat Station, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 will bear the model number SM8650 (via). That’s in line with the previous-gen solutions (SM8450 for Gen 1 and SM8550 for Gen 2). However, Qualcomm will reportedly switch to a 1+5+2 CPU core arrangement this year. The company is replacing an efficiency core with a performance core. Last year’s solution featured a 1+4+3 configuration. The Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 came with a 1+3+4 CPU core arrangement in 2021.

This suggests Qualcomm is focusing more on the performance side of things as node improvements make chips more efficient than ever. The rumored frequency of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3’s Cortex-X4 prime CPU core suggests the same too. The upcoming chipset will reportedly boast a clock speed of up to 3.7GHz, a figure similar to the one reported last month. That’s about 15 percent faster than the regular Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, which tops out at 3.2GHz. The Samsung-exclusive version found in the Galaxy S23 series goes up to 3.36GHz.

The massive boost is reportedly enabled by TSMC’s improved 4nm process node. The Taiwanese firm will manufacture the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 N4P node, which is said to be about six percent more efficient than the N4 node used to manufacture last year’s chip. The upcoming solution will also upgrade to the Adreno 750 GPU, but its frequency details are not known yet. We will let you know when we have more information.

Qualcomm may skip the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 2

Qualcomm usually launches two flagship smartphone chipsets every year. The first one comes in the first half of the year and is essentially an overclocked version of its previous-gen solution (denoted by a “+” sign). For example, it launched the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 in May last year with a slightly faster CPU and GPU setup than the 2021 flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, which debuted in November.

Going by this, last year’s flagship Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 should get a “+” version within the next couple of months. Qualcomm’s Taiwanese rival MediaTek has already confirmed a May 11 launch of its Dimensity 9200+, a similarly overclocked version of last year’s Dimensity 9200. However, rumors are that the American chipmaker doesn’t plan to launch Snapdragon 8+ Gen 2 this year. It will go straight to Gen 3. That explains why there hasn’t been any talk about the former but the latter frequently pops up in the rumor mill.


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HiddenAds Adware Target Android Via Minecraft App Clones

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HiddenAds Adware Target Android Via Minecraft App Clones
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Heads up, Android users! The notorious HiddenAds adware again targets Android users by impersonating legit gaming apps like Minecraft. Users must review the applications installed on their devices to delete malicious apps.

Minecraft And Other Android Gaming App Clones Spread HiddenAds Adware

According to a detailed McAfee report, around 38 gaming apps are actively distributing the HiddenAds adware, targeting Android users. These apps even appeared on the Google Play Store, luring even those gamers who stick to downloading from official sources only.

As explained, these apps boasted millions of downloads on the Play Store, highlighting the widespread impact of the malicious campaign. For example, one such app, “Block Box Master Diamond,” boasted over 10 million downloads. Likewise, the other apps, “Craft Sword Mini Fun,” “Block Box Skyland Sword,” and “Craft Monster Crazy Sword,” garnered over 5 million downloads each.

Most of these malicious apps impersonated Minecraft to trick users. These apps didn’t alert the user immediately as they could still play the games. However, the adware would continue to run background ads, consuming the device’s resources.

List of Malicious Apps

The researchers have listed the following malicious apps found to be spreading this adware campaign.

Application Name  Package Name  Google Play Downloads
Block Box Master Diamond com.good.robo.game.builder.craft.block 10M+
Craft Sword Mini Fun com.craft.world.fairy.fun.everyday.block 5M+
Block Box Skyland Sword com.skyland.pet.realm.block.rain.craft 5M+
Craft Monster Crazy Sword com.skyland.fun.block.game.monster.craft 5M+
Block Pro Forrest Diamond com.monster.craft.block.fun.robo.fairy 1M+
Block Game Skyland Forrest com.cliffs.realm.block.craft.rain.vip 1M+
Block Rainbow Sword Dragon com.block.builder.build.clever.craft.boy 1M+
Craft Rainbow Mini Builder com.fun.skyland.craft.block.monster.loki 1M+
Block Forrest Tree Crazy com.skyland.craft.caves.game.monster.block 1M+
Craft Clever Monster Castle com.box.block.craft.builder.cliffs.build 500K+
Block Monster Diamond Dragon com.block.sun.game.box.build.craft 500K+
Craft World Fun Robo com.builder.craft.diamond.block.clever.robo 500K+
Block Pixelart Tree Pro com.block.master.boy.craft.cliffs.diamond 500K+
Craft Mini Lucky Fun com.fun.block.everyday.boy.robo.craft 500K+
Block Earth Skyland World com.builder.craft.block.sun.game.mini 500K+
Block Rainbow Monster Castle com.dragon.craft.world.pixelart.block.vip 500K+
Block Fun Rainbow Builder com.craft.vip.earth.everyday.block.game 500K+
Craft Dragon Diamond Robo com.block.good.mini.craft.box.best 500K+
Block World Tree Monster com.lucky.robo.craft.loki.block.good 100K+
Block Diamond Boy Pro com.caves.robo.craft.dragon.block.earth 100K+
Block Lucky Master Earth com.tree.world.city.block.craft.crazy 100K+
Craft Forrest Mini Fun com.game.skyland.craft.monster.block.best 100K+
Craft Sword City Pro com.everyday.vip.caves.house.block.craft 100K+
Block Loki Monster Builder com.cell.rain.block.craft.loki.fairy 100K+
Block Boy Earth Mini com.block.good.sun.boy.craft.fun 100K+
Block Crazy Builder City com.fairy.builder.sun.skyland.craft.block 100K+
Craft Sword Vip Pixelart com.monster.house.good.block.earth.craft 100K+
Block City Fun Diamond com.block.best.boy.craft.sword.cell 100K+
Craft City Loki Rainbow com.crazy.clever.city.block.caves.craft 100K+
Craft Boy Clever Sun com.cliffs.builder.craft.block.lucky.earth 100K+
Block City Dragon Sun com.lucky.best.block.game.diamond.craft 100K+
Craft Loki Forrest Monster com.build.craft.boy.loki.master.block 100K+
Lokicraft: Forrest Survival 3D com.build.lokicrafts.master.forest 50K+
Craft Castle Sun Rain com.sun.realm.craft.lucky.dragon.block 50K+
Craft Game Earth World com.block.craft.vip.sun.game.box 50K+
Craft Lucky Castle Builder com.rain.crazy.lucky.pro.block.craft 50K+
Craftsman: Building City 2022 com.JavaKidz.attacksnake 50K+
Craft Rainbow Pro Rain com.skyland.house.block.craft.crazy.vip 50K+

Google Removed the Malicious App

Following the researchers’ report, Google removed all malicious apps from the Play Store and empowered Play Protect to detect those apps.

Nonetheless, Android users should still scan their devices for any malicious applications running on their devices. Also, it should remain a rule of thumb not to download apps from unknown or untrusted developers, even from the Play Store.

Let us know your thoughts in the comments.


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Full Pixel Fold specs appear, leaving little to the imagination

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Full Pixel Fold specs appear, leaving little to the imagination
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Evan Blass aka @evleaks has just shared detailed Pixel Fold specs, following some official images he shared over the weekend. There’s a lot of information included here, so let’s get into it.

Detailed Pixel Fold specs have just surfaced, laying out everything on the table

The Pixel Fold will feature a 7.6-inch main display. That will be a flat OLED panel with a 6:5 aspect ratio, and a 1840 x 2208 resolution. We’re looking at a 380 ppi here, by the way, while a 120Hz refresh rate will be supported. It will have a plastic protective layer, and be able to get up to 1,450 nits of peak brightness.

The cover display will measure 5.8 inches, and it will also be an OLED panel with a 120Hz refresh rate. This panel will have an aspect ratio of 17.4:9, and a resolution of 2092 x 1080. We’re looking at a 408 ppi here, and 1,550 nits of peak brightness. This panel will be protected by the Gorilla Glass Victus.

The Google Tensor G2 SoC will fuel the phone, while the Titan M2 co-processor will also be included. The device will offer 12GB of LPDDR5 RAM, and 256GB or 512GB of UFS 3.1 flash storage.

30W wired charging will be supported, no wireless charging

A 4,821mAh battery (typical) will also be included, while 30W wired charging will be supported. We’re guessing that a charger won’t be included, though, as Google doesn’t include it with its phones. Wireless charging also won’t be supported.

A 48-megapixel main camera (0.8um pixel size, f/1.7 aperture, 82-degree FoV, dual pixels) will lead the pack on the back. A 10.8-megapixel ultrawide camera (f/2.2 aperture, 1.25um pixel size, 121.1-degree FoV) will also be included. The third camera on the back will be a 10.8-megapixel telephoto unit (f/3.05 aperture, 1.22um pixel size, dual pixel, 21.9-degree FoV, 5x optical zoom).

It will have two selfie cameras, and be water resistant

The Pixel Fold will have two front-facing cameras. The camera above the main display will be an 8-megapixel unit (f/2.0 aperture, 1.12um pixel size, 84-degree FoV). Google decided to utilize a 9.5-megapixel camera (f/2.2 aperture, 1.22um pixel size, 84-degree FoV) on the cover display.

The device will be IPX8 certified for water resistance. It will include a Type-C 3.2 Gen 2 USB port at the bottom. The device is coming in Obsidian and Porcelain color options. Blass also said that the Pixel Fold will measure 139.7 x 79.5 x 12.11mm when folded, and 139.7 x 158.7 x 5.8mm when unfolded. It will weigh 283 grams.


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ChatGPT Service Back in Italy, After the Ban

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ChatGPT Service Back in Italy, After the Ban
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ChatGPT Service Italy

Earlier this month, Italian SA raised a temporary ban for ChatGPT as there was a data breach in March 2023.

Along with this, the application had data privacy issues and lack of age affirmation which made authorities conclude this decision.

To remove this ban, Italian SA has provided certain conditions.

Compliance deadline – 30th April 2023

As per reports, the Italian SA is deciding to lift this temporary ban if ChatGPT includes certain policies which were similar to the CCPA (California Consumer Privacy Act).

The application must be transparent on how they use users’ data and must have a legitimate reason for using that data to train their AI.

Italian SA also said that users must be able to control their and must have the option to object to the usage of their data if they are no longer interested.

If and Only if ChatGPT does this, will it be allowed in Italy?

Information

The Italian SA also said that OpenAI must include a notice of their data arrangement on their website which explains how OpenAI uses the users’ data.

Before registration, users in Italy must be able to see these arrangements and comply with them.

In addition to this, ChatGPT must have an age affirmation that asks to confirm their age whether they are between 13-18.

Previously registered users must be notified of this when they access the application and must confirm their age. 

Italian SA did not want people under 13 years of age to use this service.

ChatGPT must not collect and use customers’ data on a contract basis. Instead, they must have a concrete reason to use users’ data.

This can either be permission from the user or a legitimate interest must be there for OpenAI.

EHA

Italian SA must also have the authority check and investigate this whenever they require.

Data Subject Rights

Italian SA also said that users of Italy must have the ability to correct their information whenever they need it.

If correcting their data is difficult, there must be an option for them to delete their personal data from OpenAI.

Non-users of ChatGPT must also have the option to object to ChatGPT from using their data even if OpenAI has a legitimate need or interest in using their data.

Under Age Protection Before 31st May

As stated earlier, Italian users must be provided with an age affirmation on the signup page which gets the users’ consent and age confirmation.

This must be available before 31st May and the plan for implementation must be there before 30th September 2023.

This helps the authorities to prevent users below 13 years of age and have parental authority for users between the age of 13-18 from using the service.

Awareness Campaign

As per reports, OpenAI must conduct an awareness campaign through radio, TV, newspapers, and the internet for informing users about their personal data usage by OpenAI.

Italian SA will be investigating continuously whether ChatGPT is breaking any laws or rules related to data protection.

They will try to fix if any breach of law happens or take different actions depending upon the circumstances.

Struggling to Apply The Security Patch in Your System? – 
Try All-in-One Patch Manager Plus


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Google News smartphone app gets limited Material You makeover

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Google News smartphone app gets limited Material You makeover
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Google’s Material You design language has been used to update several Google apps including some very popular ones such as Google Maps, Gmail, and Google Photos. Now the Material You look is coming to the Google News smartphone app. The changes include a pill-shaped indicator that highlights the tab that you’ve selected at the bottom of the page. The dynamic theming feature, which changes the color of the app’s interface to match the dominant color of the wallpaper being used on an Android device, is not working yet as the app defaults to a blue color for accents.

The tablet version of the Google News app has already been through the Material You makeover which added a navigation rail on the left-hand side with buttons for Headlines, Newsstand, Following, and For You. The same blue pill used to highlight the selected tab being viewed on the smartphone version is used to highlight the selected tab on the navigation rail.
There is no indication from Google about when the rest of the Material You features will be made available to the Google News app. The app gives you a briefing on the top stories, shows you local news from your area, takes deep dives into stories with multiple perspectives, and will even show you stories based on your interests. If you want to have the Google News app on your Android phone, you can tap on this link to install it from the Play Store. Apple iPhone users can tap on this link to install it from the App Store.
One feature of Google News that you might appreciate is the one that shows different takes on the same story from various online publications. Look for the button that says “Full Coverage of this story” and tap on it. You’ll see a list of different online publications that covered the same story all with their own take on the same event.

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Meta’s ad platform experiences huge glitch wiping out some customers’ advertising budgets

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Meta’s ad platform experiences huge glitch wiping out some customers’ advertising budgets
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According to Gizmodo, Facebook advertisers say that they experienced a strange glitch last weekend forcing them to pay as much as twice the usual ad rates. These advertisers were charged rates as high as hundreds of thousands of dollars for ads they claim that no one was able to view even though this was denied by Facebook parent Meta. This happened at 2 am last Sunday and for a brief period Meta removed all ads from its network and at the same time, it barely spoke with its advertising customers.

Meta’s advertising system suffered a major glitch that wiped out some ad budgets in mere hours

The glitch affected mostly advertisers on Facebook although some Instagram advertisers were also affected. A Meta spokesman said, “A technical issue that has now been resolved caused ad delivery issues for some advertisers.” Last Sunday not only did advertisers notice that they were being charged more than Meta was supposed to charge them for ads, but they also spent more money that budgeted for specific campaigns.

Meta's status page tells advertisers if the firm's systems are up and running - Meta's ad platform experiences huge glitch wiping out some customers' advertising budgets

Meta’s status page tells advertisers if the firm’s systems are up and running

Amazingly, complete advertising budgets were wiped out in just a few hours. And the ads were not being shown to any more users than usual and didn’t even drive more clicks despite all of the money that was being drained from advertisers’ accounts. And as we mentioned earlier, some advertisers said that their ads were not being viewed at all.

The Meta spokesman added that the issue “resulted in some miscalibration for advertising campaigns that were focused on optimizing for certain sales objectives. This caused faster campaign spending, resulting in more variable costs. We do not have evidence that we charged customers for ads that no one saw. If no impression occurred, the advertiser would not be charged.”
Typically, a company might lay out money for a two-week ad campaign. Say the company budgeted $5,000 for the campaign. Meta would control exactly how much money would be spent and when it would be spent. Advertisers would have access to metrics showing how well the ad campaign was working but wouldn’t know anything beyond that. They can look at a status page that shows them when Meta’s systems are down.
Meta allows the platform to spend 25% over the daily amount budgeted by each company and the Meta spokesman said that “We do not have evidence of exceeding this 25% increase on daily budgets amid the technical issue on Sunday, however.”

The advertisers affected by the glitch were forced to make a tough decision. They could temporarily pause their ad campaigns or keep the status quo and hope that Meta would straighten things out. For small companies that depend on these ads to generate business, the problem could be a major one. Advertisers don’t like to put up a big fuss and make noise because Meta and Google together own 50% of the digital advertising market.

Advertisers affected will get a refund from Meta, but it won’t be quick and it won’t be easy

Long-time advertising consultant Barry Holt, who has a decade’s experience managing Facebook advertising campaigns, said, “We shouldn’t have to take action when Facebook has a bug. But for the small business who don’t have an ear at Facebook, there aren’t a lot of options. Meta is just counting on advertisers to bend over and take it.” Holt adds, “Meta is extremely opaque, and it always has been. All we get is a generic explanation that ‘we are aware of an issue.’ That’s better than nothing, but it’s not enough.”

Meta has admitted that the events of last Sunday did happen and promised to initiate its “normal refund policies.” But as the ad consultant notes, this is not a quick, smooth, and painless process. “You can burn hours and resources complaining and begging them for refunds and credits. Sometimes it works, but it may not be worth the investment,” Holt said. “And when the restitution comes, it can be months later.”

Media strategist Eric Seufert wrote in a tweet last week, “Meta’s ad platform experienced an irregularity today that saw many advertisers’ campaigns dramatically increase spend with poor performance. Meta’s communications about this situation with advertisers have been woefully inadequate. This is unacceptable and insulting.”

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The Movie Maker for Chromebooks is now available to everyone

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The Movie Maker for Chromebooks is now available to everyone
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Google’s Chrome OS is useful for many tasks, and its usefulness has grown over the past decade. However, it’s not the best when you want to produce videos. Google is looking to change that, and it made its Movie Maker for Chromebooks available for everyone, according to a new announcement.

This has been a while in the making, as the company announced last year that it wanted to boost the video editing capabilities in ChromeOS. It added a bunch of useful video editing features to Google Photos in ChromeOS. These will allow the user to make interesting videos within the native app.

The Movie Maker for Chromebooks is now available to everyone

Google launched the Movie Maker for Chromebooks not too long ago, and it showed off some of its capabilities. Since this is in the Google Photos app, you don’t have to download any additional software to use it. All you have to do is access to Google Photos app, and you’ll be able to start making your movie.

Now, since this is Google we’re talking about, the company will use powerful AI to handle certain tasks for you. This is great if you want to make a quick video using some clips and pictures that you just got. But, if you’re looking for a more robust video editing experience, then you may want to look elsewhere.

A good application to consider is Lumafusion, as it is now available on Chromebooks. Getting the application will cost you a cool $40, but it’s well worth it if you want to edit videos on your Chromebook.

Using the movie editor is rather simple if you’re looking to make a quick video. When you start making your video, you’ll be able to choose one of the several themes. These are basically templates. After that, you’ll choose the photos, videos, people, and/or pets that you want included in the movie, and the app will do the rest.

However, if you don’t want Google handling everything for you, you can also create videos from scratch. You can go in and manually pick the clips and pictures that you want, load them into the editing plane, and arrange them however you want.

Since this feature is making its way to the public, you should be able to see it on your Chromebook. If you don’t, then you may just want to wait a couple of days.


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