Android Auto recently got a spiffy new Carplay-inspired layout that gave the UI separate panes for maps, music, and other tasks. This new look may now be getting another update where these dedicated panes can be switched around.
The new layout was unveiled at CES 2023 and has since then rolled out to the majority of Android Auto users in the United States. This improved split-screen user interface has been received by users with positive feedback as it allows you to juggle media playback and navigation duties without having to switch screens. When you divide the screen in this manner, it is much simpler to keep track of both what is being played and where you are going at the same time.
In the most recent beta release, a new configuration option has been added that gives users the ability to shift the media pane in the split-screen layout to be positioned either closer to the driver or closer to the passenger, depending on the user’s preference. The new option was spotted by a user who promptly shared the information on Reddit. The choice is available on the display of the car itself as well as in the settings for Android Auto on your phone.
Gianfcal (Reddit)
Unfortunately, installing the beta version of Android Auto is almost impossible at this point unless you got in on the beta at the right time. Right now, all spots are taken and no new signups are being accepted. Furthermore, as reported by Android Police, installing an APK of the beta version doesn’t necessarily enable this feature for you, as it seems that it’s controlled service-side.
This hopefully means that the feature will be properly tested and will eventually make it to the production version of Android Auto for all of us to enjoy. I would definitely appreciate having the choice of which panel is closest to me when reaching out to control or view my Android Auto screen.
Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold lineup doesn’t really have many competition out there. There are many great foldable phones in the market, but the vast majority of them are limited to China. That’s why I’m always excited when an interesting foldable device appears in global markets, a device like the HONOR Magic Vs. I got the chance to check out the Chinese variant of the HONOR Magic Vs a while back, for a couple of days. HONOR did promise that the device will launch globally, and I was waiting to use it. HONOR did send it out early. I’ve been using the global HONOR Magic Vs unit for a while now, and below you can check out my review.
This device does feel different compared to the Galaxy Z Fold 4, even though it comes sporting a similar form factor. Both phones are quite large, and both are book-style foldables which lean towards a portrait orientation. That being said, there are quite a few differences between them, and the HONOR Magic Vs does have some advantages. Let’s see what the phone has to offer.
Table of contents
HONOR Magic Vs Review: Hardware / Design
The HONOR Magic Vs has a similar profile to Samsung’s handset. It’s quite tall, and yet quite narrow for its display size, when folded. It is 72.6mm wide, and it weighs 261 or 267 grams, depending on whether we’re talking about the glass model, or a vegan leather variant. The phone actually feels really nice in the hand, better than most other foldables of its size. It is only 12.9mm thick when folded, and only the Xiaomi MIX Fold 2 beats it in that regard. That phone is not available globally, though. When unfolded, it’s only 6.1mm thick. This basically feels like a large phone with a case on it, and it’s a foldable, which is great.
It has a 4-component hinge which should be extremely durable
The phone feels like it’s a quality product, but quite frankly I’m not a fan of its folding mechanism, even though HONOR bets on durability. HONOR did wonders here with the hinge, it utilizes a 4-component hinge design, down from 92 components. Thanks to this, there are way less moving parts on the inside, and the phone can be folded flat. The thing is, the feeling when you’re folding the device is not as confident as with the OPPO Find N2, for example. When fully unfolded, the phone locks into place, basically, with confidence. The whole experience feels quite sturdy. That’s not really the case here. It actually feels closer to what I experienced on the Huawei Mate Xs 2, actually. When I unfold it, it stays in that position, but when you hold it, it feels like the phone is not really locked into place for 10-20 seconds. It has a small give when you try to move its sides forward, even with the slightest movement. It’s kind of difficult to explain, but it’s there. I experienced that on both units I used, actually. Once it does settle, it’s all good.
It feels different to use thanks to that hinge, though
Now, that doesn’t have to be a bad thing at all, that won’t damage the phone, or anything of the sort. It’s just a different implementation, and it feels different. I prefer what OPPO delivered, but this works really well too, so I can’t really complain. Plus this hinge seems to have less chances of breaking, at least on paper, so… there you go. And yes, you can fold the HONOR Magic Vs honor to certain angles, you’re not getting just folded and unfolded state here. You can prop it up to take a picture or something like that, no problem. It works well. I’ll talk about the crease in the display section.
Overall, it’s a nicely-designed phone
Overall, I enjoyed using the phone. When folded, it felt much better to me than the Galaxy Z Fold 4. It folds flat, and it’s quite noticeably thinner than Samsung’s offering, which is a huge plus in my book. Other than the folding mechanism I talked about, I really don’t have any complaints on this design. Everything worked well, and I had a feeling like I’m using a premium device. Design-wise, it’s definitely a nice contrast to the Galaxy Z Fold 4, it’s a shame it doesn’t offer water resistance, though.
A really nice, thin, soft-touch case is included
The HONOR Magic Vs does include a case in the box, and a really good, minimal one. This seems to be a plastic case, but with a soft feeling. It’s difficult to explain, it actually almost feels like soft vegan leather. It’s very thin, and it attaches to the back of the phone. There is a stick pad on the inside as well, for added protection. This is one of the best cases I’ve seen for foldables thus far. It’s quite grippy, and extremely thin, so it doesn’t add any bulk to the device. Foldable phones are bulky as it is, so the least they need is added bulk. You’ll be able to confidently place the phone on a table thanks to this case.
HONOR Magic Vs Review: Display
The HONOR Magic Vs has a 7.9-inch 2272 x 1984 Foldable OLED display. This panel can project up to 1 billion colors, supports HDR10+ content, and it has a 90Hz refresh rate. It gets up to 800 nits of peak brightness. The cover display, on the other hand, measures 6.45 inches, and it’s a 2560 x 1080 OLED panel. It also can project up to 1 billion colors, and supports HDR10+ content. This panel, however, has a 120Hz refresh rate. This display gets up to 1,200 nits of peak brightness.
Both displays are nice, though the main one could be brighter
During my usage, I didn’t really miss 120Hz refresh rate on the main panel. Its 90Hz refresh rate is plenty for everything to feel smooth, and the vast majority of people won’t really notice the difference. I’m just glad HONOR avoided using a 60Hz panel. The display feels good to use, it doesn’t feel plasticky like on some other foldables. The colors are good, and the display is vivid, but I’ve seen better foldable panels thus far. The main thing that managed to irk me is the brightness. Its 800 nits peak brightness wasn’t exactly enough outdoors, and sunny days started early in my region, so it’s definitely something I’ve noticed. Another thing that I noticed is that the crease isn’t exactly as minimal as on the OPPO Find N2. Truth be said, I didn’t expect it to be, but it is less noticeable than on the Galaxy Z Fold 4, which is a good thing.
The cover panel is really good, and wide enough
The phone’s second panel is really good, actually. It’s very responsive, and its high refresh rate does improve the overall feel. This panel does get a bit brighter at 1,200 nits, and that is a difference you do notice when you’re using the phone outdoors, especially on sunny days. This display is curved on the right side for the ease of use, as is one many other foldable phones that feature this style. The viewing angles on this panel are also really good. I don’t have any major complaints here, I enjoyed using this display.
HONOR Magic Vs Review: Performance
The HONOR Magic Vs is fueled by the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 SoC. That is no longer Qualcomm’s flagship SoC, but it’s not far behind. It’s an excellent SoC, and paired with 12GB of RAM, and HONOR’s software, it performs great. HONOR did a really good job polishing out this software, when it comes to performance. It’s a bit different to what you’re used to, but we’ll talk more about that in the software section.
The Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 keeps the performance at a high level
The Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 is an outstanding SoC, and I really had no issues with performance here. The device was quite snappy regardless of what I was doing. Even when I was switching between the main and cover display frequently, it managed to keep up without a problem. You’ll also find out that running apps on this phone feels great. The phone’s performance only emphasizes that fact. HONOR did include some gaming-related features here too, which only helps with the experience. I was able to run basically anything without a hiccup. Even Genshin Impact ran really well, and that is the game that I use to make phones lag, basically. There’s really nothing to worry about here.
HONOR Magic Vs Review: Battery
HONOR included a 5,000mAh battery pack on the inside here, and that battery will provide you with enough juice… well, at least most of you. I, personally, was able to get around 6 hours of screen-on-time with around 15-20% of battery left in the tank. Now, those are not bad results, especially if you consider that my usage was about 50:50. I cannot be sure, of course, but I was using the main display a lot. Of course, some days were stronger than others, and on some days I landed below that point. Those days were mostly when I used 5G more, instead of being connected to a WiFi network. Do note that gaming will likely decrease your battery life numbers as well. Also, your mileage will likely vary based on a number of factors.
66W charging can charge the phone in only 45 minutes
Having said that, HONOR does include a charger in the box, and the phone supports 66W charging. Yes, you do get a 66W charger, so you can take full advantage of the charging speeds. You will charge up this phone’s 5,000mAh battery rather fast, as it will take you only 45-46 minutes to do so. At least that was the case with our unit. Wireless charging is not supported, however, so keep that in mind.
HONOR Magic Vs Review: Camera
From the hardware standpoint, the HONOR Magic Vs has a really compelling camera setup. The device includes a 50.4-megapixel main camera (IMX800 sensor), a 50-megapixel ultrawide camera (122-degree FoV), and an 8-megapixel telephoto camera (3x optical zoom). Those cameras do perform well in general, and can go head-to-head with what Samsung is offering on its foldable. They’re not on the same level as what the best camera smartphones have to offer, though.
The camera is not perfect, but it’s good enough
In any case, let’s talk about the main camera. Most of the time the pictures looked very nice. At times, I’ve noticed, the focus is a bit soft when you’re taking indoor shots of objects. The same goes if you’re taking macro shots of objects, especially if it’s an overcast outside or something of the sort. As far as the negatives go, I’ve also noticed some oversharpening, but only in specific cases. When I was taking pictures of my cat, for example. It did not happen that often, though. In general, it handles photos well, even in low light. The consistency is not the best, though, and that’s what bothered me the most.
The ultrawide camera keeps up with the main camera when it comes to the color profile. What I didn’t like all that much is the telephoto shooter. It did a good job when the light was good, but I just wish HONOR opted for a bigger sensor here. It can be useful, though, far from it. The video recording is good, but nothing to write home about. It’s a bit janky at times, especially when there’s not plenty of light in the shot.
HONOR Magic Vs Review: Software
This phone does sound really nice thus far, doesn’t it? Well, it is nice, but it could use better software, in all honesty. Don’t get me wrong, the software works fine, aside from a tiny bug here and there, but the problem are the features. It feels like HONOR didn’t have time to implement everything it wanted to implement here. I tried asking HONOR about this, and they said that more features are coming in future updates, but I didn’t get any specifics. Also, MagicOS, which comes pre-installed here, work a bit differently than what you’re used to.
The software does feel a bit iPhone-ish
Let me give you an example. When you swipe top-down across the display, HONOR Search will activate. Which is basically a powerful search feature baked into the phone. You can disable it, but you cannot assign anything instead of it. So, you cannot call upon the notification shade, for example, as you can on other phones. HONOR said that they’re trying to do things differently, and I can see that, but this just felt a bit iPhone-ish, and the fact there’s not alternative option is not that great. HONOR may introduce something soon, though, who knows.
The app drawer is not here, but it’s coming soon
Also, MagicOS, by default, doesn’t give you an app drawer. You can usually change that via the settings, but this phone doesn’t offer that option. I have confirmed with HONOR that the feature will be rolling out very soon, so that won’t be a problem for much longer. At the moment, you’re stuck with all your apps across various home screens, without the ability to alphabetize them. That may change by the time the phone ends up in your hands, though.
Some features are missing, but they’ll hopefully be added
There are some other issues I’ve spotted. For example, you cannot swap the two apps if you’re running them side-by-side. HONOR also decided not to take advantage of the app bar for foldables/tablets that Google offers in Android. It does have its own offering which is a bit different, though. There’s no camera shortcut for when the phone is off (double-tap the power button, or something like that), there’s also no gesture to take a selfie with the main camera. You also can’t quickly swipe from right-to-left to dismiss a notification, only the other way around, and so forth. These are just rather noticeable annoyances if you’re used to some of those features. Some are easy to ignore, others not so much. The good news is, HONOR can fix this, easily, if it deems it wants to, that is. The company obviously wants to do things differently, but some of these features are truly required, to say the least.
The UI does looks a bit dated, but some of you may like it
I’m also not a fan of the design of the UI, to be quite honest, but you may like it. There’s nothing especially wrong with it, but after using it across a number of devices, it feels a bit dated. Truth be said, HONOR usually caters its phones towards the younger generations, so this somewhat cartoonish UI may be what appeals to some people. The bottom line is, Magic OS does work really well, I’ve only had one or two bugs when I tried to launch apps, but other than that, it works fine. So as long as HONOR tweaks some things, and introduces a couple of new features, it could actually become a lot better.
The upsides
There are upsides to this software, of course. It’s immensely fluid, some of you may actually like the style, even though it feels a bit disconnected in some places. The phone comes with an excellent image and video editor built-in, the knuckle gestures are immensely useful, and so forth. There’s a lot to like here as well, but with some changes, MagicOS could be so much better. That goes for both foldable-related and non-foldable-related features.
HONOR Magic Vs Review: Should you buy it?
So, with all that being said, should you buy the HONOR Magic Vs? Well, only you can answer that question, but we can help you come to a conclusion. This is a very good phone. It does have some advantages over the Galaxy Z Fold 4, its direct competitor, but HONOR has to offer more software-wise. If you’re annoyed by the gap on the Galaxy Z Fold 4, or simply want a thinner foldable, this could be the phone for you. It offers great performance, really good battery life, solid cameras, good audio, and has good displays. There’s really not much to complain about here. Well, the price is quite high, so that may put some of you off. If that’s not a problem, however, do consider the Magic Vs.
You should buy the HONOR Magic Vs if:
You want a gapless foldable phone experience
You want fast charging in a Galaxy Z Fold 4 competitor
You’ve been waiting for a global book-style foldable that is of a larger format
You want a rather durable hinge
You want good battery life in a large foldable
You waited for a non-Samsung large format foldable
Streaming sports these days is, very complicated. But now, according to a new report out of CNBC, it looks like ESPN wants to change that.
Apparently, ESPN has been reaching out to other media companies that offer sports streaming, with a rather intriguing idea. It wants to use the ESPN app to show users where they can watch any sporting event currently being streamed. That would include on a competing service. Now, ESPN kind of already does this with other sports. But some networks will not appear in the app.
But, ESPN wants to take this a bit further. They want you to open the ESPN app and see what Premier League soccer matches are happening on Peacock right now. And then you could jump right into Peacock and start watching. It’s a pretty interesting idea, especially with sports being so fragmented right now.
A sports aggregator is desperately needed
The world of sports streaming is super fragmented right now. For instance, with the upcoming MLB season, you could watch games on FOX, FS1, ESPN, TBS, MLB Network or Apple TV. Some of which you might have from a streaming service like YouTube TV, and others you won’t have. Not to mention, most of your local games will be on a regional sports network (that might or might not be around by Opening Day). But being able to open up the ESPN app and see what games are on TBS today, or the MLB Network, would be a huge help.
This is a move that is desperately needed, but it makes you wonder, what could ESPN get out of this? Well, it’s pretty simple. That would mean more people are opening the ESPN app. Which leads to more ads being viewed and of course, that’s more revenue. ESPN knows that it can’t get all the sports rights, do this should still help them increase revenue.
The best TV streaming device available do tend to change from time to time. And that’s why we are here to help you find the best device for you. Whether it’s an Android TV device, Amazon Fire TV, Roku or something else. We’ve used all of these devices in our own home, and know why they are good, or why they aren’t so good.
There’s so many great streaming devices on the market these days, though they all run on Amazon Fire TV, Android TV/Google TV, Roku or Apple TV. So here are the best streaming devices you can buy today.
Best TV Streaming Devices
This list of the best TV streaming device includes a number of different options, and different platforms. So you can choose the best TV streaming device for your needs. Whether you want to use Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant. Or use Android TV or Roku. There’s something here for everyone. Prices range from as low as $30, to as much as $200. So depending on your budget, we have something for everyone.
The Roku Streaming Stick 4K got refreshed for 2021, and it’s still the same great 4K Roku streaming device that you’ve come to know and love, thankfully.
It supports 4K HDR as well as Dolby Vision. So you’re going to get a really great experience out of this one. This time around, it has up to 2x faster WiFi, so you’re going to be able to stream 4K content a whole lot easier and faster. Say goodbye to buffering.
With The Roku Channel, there are now over 150 live streaming TV channels available to watch, among the many other apps that are available on Roku.
Google unveiled the new Chromecast with Google TV last month, and it quickly became one of our favorite streaming devices. That is because it brings all the familiarity of Android TV, to a smaller dongle, with an actual remote. Which is something the Chromecast was always missing.
Chromecast with Google TV runs Android TV, but it has a new user interface on-top called Google TV. Which works extremely well. It makes it much easier to find something to watch, and the recommendations will get better over time. Additionally, it has a “Live” tab for YouTube TV (other streaming live TV services will be added in the future, apparently), which makes it easy to see what is live on TV right now. Without jumping into the app, which can be a bit slower.
The remote has all the buttons you’d want, including buttons to control your TV. Which makes the Chromecast with Google TV incredible, and worth buying.
The Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max is now the best Fire TV device that you can buy. It takes everything that the Fire TV Stick 4K was already able to do, but makes it a bit faster. The Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max has WiFi 6 support, allowing for faster speeds for streaming different shows and movies.
It also boosts RAM to 2GB, and now supports Dolby Vision. Giving you a really great picture on your Dolby Vision-compatible TV. Which is always nice to see.
The Xiaomi Mi TV Stick is the best Android TV streaming device on the market right now. Though there aren’t many competitors to choose from. It doesn’t do 4K though, so if you want 4K, check out the NVIDIA SHIELD TV listed below.
This stick from Xiaomi does the absolute bare minimum for Android TV, and that’s not a bad thing. It’s keeping things simple. As mentioned, it does 1080p only, it has a gigabyte of RAM and 8GB of storage as well. Which should keep it decently speedy.
With Android TV running on the Xiaomi Mi TV Stick, you’re going to be able to watch all of your favorite movies and TV shows here. From apps like YouTube, Sling TV, Fubo TV, Disney+, Hulu, Netflix and much more.
The NVIDIA SHIELD TV Pro is the best streaming device for gamers, because it is also a gaming console and works with GeForce Now. So you can play your favorite PC games on the big screen.
This runs on Android TV, as you might have expected, and that allows it to run a bunch of great apps. Like Fubo TV, Netflix, YouTube TV, Hulu, Disney+, HBO MAX and much more. There are hundreds of thousands of games available on the NVIDIA SHIELD TV Pro.
Of course, with it running on Android TV, you also get the Google Assistant here. So you can control your smart home products from your TV, find something to watch and much more.
The Roku Ultra is the best Roku streaming devices without being the overall best. It offers some really cool features, but it’s more of a set-top box, instead of a streaming stick. It does do 4K HDR, and even HDR10. Giving you some really great looking content on your 4K HDR TV.
It does also include a number of great apps, like Hulu, SHOWTIME ANYWHERE, STARZ, Philo, ESPN+, Disney+, Netflix, YouTube TV and much more. There are over half a million TV shows and movies available on the Roku platform. There’s also the Roku Channel, that allows you to watch all sorts of movies and TV shows which are ad-supported.
There is also support for both Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. So you can use whichever one you want with the Roku Ultra. On top of that, it also has Google Cast, allowing you to Cast your favorite content to your TV with ease. Which is a really popular feature.
The Amazon Fire TV Stick Lite is not only the cheapest Fire TV device on this list, but the cheapest streamer period. It comes in at just $29.99 and does all of the basics. So don’t expect anything crazy from this one, like 4K HDR.
But it does support 1080p HDR, with support for HDR, HDR 10, HDR10+, HLG. It also has Dolby Audio via HDMI pass-through. It’s a good streamer to use in a pinch, especially if you’re looking for something that can get the job done without spending a fortune.
Since it runs on Fire TV, you still get access to most of your favorite apps. Including YouTube, Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, ESPN+ and much more.
Walmart has been making a lot of its own electronics lately, a lot like Amazon does with Amazon Basics. And onn. is their own brand. Which also makes an Android TV streaming stick. This streaming stick is just $15, making it the cheapest on this list.
It supports WiFi 2.4GHz and 5GHz networks, so you’re going to get some fast speeds here. Which is needed for streaming at up to 2K resolution. Unfortunately, there’s no 4K available here, but that’s what you expect for a $15 streaming stick.
BidenCash, a new entrant in the underground carding business, has announced a 1-year anniversary promotion in which it is offering the data of 2 million credit cards for free.
This leaked dataset comprises credit card information sourced from various regions globally, with a considerable proportion of the cards issued in the following locations:-
The United States
China
Mexico
India
Canada
The UK
It has come to light that the compromised data includes over 500,000 email addresses, each of which is linked to its corresponding credit card number and even the CVV code.
To make matters worse, all this sensitive information was in plain text, making it easy for unauthorized access and potential misuse.
Types of Data Involved
There are a number of cardholder details that have been leaked, including:-
Full names
Card numbers
Bank details
Expiration dates
Card verification value (CVV) numbers
Home addresses
It is a common practice for cybercriminals to trade stolen information via the dark web. However, in the case of BidenCash, the situation is unique as the individual responsible for managing the carding site has opted to release a massive amount of sensitive data into the public domain, which could have severe repercussions.
According to the report, It’s important to highlight that the screenshot mentioned above displays a whopping 260 MB of data that has been exposed. Furthermore, this leaked information has found its way onto a renowned Russian-language hacker forum, which could lead to further illicit activities.
It has come to light that malicious individuals, commonly referred to as threat actors, resort to procuring payment cards that have passed their expiry date to acquire additional details regarding potential targets.
The compromised data in question comprised a minimum of:-
740,858 credit cards
811,676 debit cards
293 charge cards
Debit cardholders face a comparatively greater degree of risk than credit cardholders because of varying fraud protection policies.
Records Leaked by Country
As a result of the data leaks, the following countries have the most records:-
UNITED STATES: 965,846
MEXICO: 97,665
CHINA: 97,003
UNITED KINGDOM: 86,313
CANADA: 36,906
INDIA: 36,672
ITALY: 23,009
SOUTH AFRICA: 22,798
AUSTRALIA: 21,361
BRAZIL: 19,700
Most Impacted Banks
Below is a list of the top ten most impacted banks in order of impact:-
CHASE BANK USA, N.A.: 118,826
BANK OF AMERICA, N.A.: 98,631
WELLS FARGO BANK, N.A.: 62,650
CAPITAL ONE BANK (USA), NATIONAL ASSOCIATION: 50,832
CITIBANK N.A.: 47,851
BANK OF AMERICA, NATIONAL ASSOCIATION: 35,249
BBVA BANCOMER, S.A.: 28,296
CAPITAL ONE BANK (USA), N.A.: 27,192
Others: 1,696,173
The exposure of email addresses and complete personal information in the compromised data makes the affected individuals susceptible to a host of additional cyberattacks, such as:-
Phishing
Identity theft
Scams
Despite the expiration of their card details, the risks associated with these cards can persist for a considerable period of time.
As observed in the case of BidenCash, cybercriminals often engage in fraudulent activities by making use of illegally obtained credit cards, which they procure from online carding marketplaces. This is a common practice among malicious actors seeking to make a quick profit through illegal means.
Smartphones have evolved a lot over the past few years. We now have 200MP cameras, 300w charging speeds, and 3nm processors, none of which existed a couple of years back. But amidst all this, smartphone batteries have largely remained static in terms of capacity. Even the biggest phones today hardly go beyond 5,000mAh.
However, Redditor Downtown_Cranberry44 took battery capacity to a new level with their modded Samsung Galaxy A32 5G. They have modified the phone with a ludicrous 30,000mAh battery.
The Galaxy A32 5G is a mid-range Samsung phone from 2021. The handset, which currently sells for less than $200, ships with a 5,000mAh battery out of the box. As said earlier, that’s the industry standard today, though the average may still be well below it.
Unless you seldom use it, a 5,000mAh battery will struggle to power the phone for two days without charging. The Redditor has solved the problem by giving the device six times its original battery capacity.
The modification involves replacing the internal battery with an external pack that consists of six Samsung 50E cells (5,000mAh each) wired in parallel for a total capacity of 30,000mAh.
The handset doesn’t look pretty, of course. It’s like a brick strapped on the back of the phone. The whole package weighs about a pound (over 450 grams). The original device weighs 205 grams, so it’s more than two times heavy now.
The 30,000mAh battery took seven hours to charge fully
According to the Redditor, the device doesn’t recognize the external battery pack and still shows its original capacity. It no longer reads the battery level as well, and always reports 1%.
The modified Galaxy A32 5G reportedly took seven hours to charge fully (likely externally determined a full charge). At the time of posting, they used the phone for two days. Since it doesn’t note the battery level correctly, it’s unclear how much charge is left. But the handset may last over a week before running out of power.
It’s not just the battery that they replaced, though. This modified Galaxy A32 5G also gained multiple charging ports. It supports fast charging via USB Type-C, Apple lightning, and MicroUSB ports, though it’s unclear if all ports charge the phone at the same speed.
Moreover, it supports reverse fast charging through two USB Type-A ports and a USB Type-C port. So the handset can be used as a 30,000mAh power bank as well.
That said, you shouldn’t do this. It’s a safety hazard. You may not be able to carry it around as well. The TSA doesn’t allow batteries above 27,000mAh capacity. This modification is just a fun project for experts and enthusiasts. Don’t try this at home.
Microsoft seems to have addressed the European Union’s antitrust concerns over its purchase of video game company Activision Blizzard. Sources have told Reuters that the EU will soon approve the $69 billion acquisition. The Windows giant’s licensing offers to rivals reportedly helped it win over the European watchdog. The Union previously raised concerns that the deal could stifle competition in the market.
Microsoft reached an agreement to purchase Activision Blizzard in January last year. The acquisition, its biggest ever, would equip the Windows maker with tools and resources to take on videogaming giants Tencent, Sony, and others. Unsurprisingly, the deal faced regulatory hurdles as the company could leverage Activision Blizzard to gain an unfair advantage in the booming video gaming market.
In November, the European Commission launched a full-scale investigation into the deal. The regulators said that the purchase may “significantly reduce competition”. Microsoft could block competitors from accessing Activision Blizzard’s “high-profile and highly successful games,” including Call of Duty. Dedicated gaming devices like the Steam Deck may lose business because of this, while Windows could greatly benefit from it.
Amongst the possible solutions to alleviate these concerns was the sale of asses like Call of Duty. EU is scheduled to announce its findings and decision on the matter on April 25. However, three people familiar with the matter told Reuters that it may no longer demand an asset sale. Last month, Microsoft pledged to keep these popular games on competing platforms for at least ten years. That seemingly proved enough to win the EU’s trust.
“Our commitment to grant long-term 100 percent equal access to Call of Duty to Sony, Steam, NVIDIA, and others preserves the deal’s benefits to gamers and developers and increases competition in the market,” Reuters cites a Microsoft spokesperson as saying. The EU may not release an official statement on the matter until the original schedule of April 25.
Microsoft’s Activision Blizzard purchase is also facing regulatory hurdles in other markets
Microsoft may have won over the European Commission, but its Activision Blizzard acquisition is still under scrutiny in other regions. The UK competition agency is demanding it to divest Call of Duty, while the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has mulled blocking the deal altogether citing antitrust concerns. Microsoft has until July of this year to address all of these concerns. If it fails to get a green light for the purchase by July, it will have to renegotiate or forfeit the agreement, which would incur a hefty breakup fee. We will keep you posted.
Garmin has unveiled a fresh set of new running watches called the Forerunner 265 and the Forerunner 965, both of which feature AMOLED displays. These are Garmin’s first running watches with AMOELD displays and are designed to deliver advanced training metrics, recovery insights, and everyday health stats for runners who want assistance with training. This includes features like checking your heart rate variability and daily suggested workouts, as well as a morning report to see how well you slept.
The Garmin Forerunner 265 will come in two variations. The standard 46mm Forerunner 265 and the Forerunner 265S, which is 42mm. The Forerunner 965 meanwhile comes in only one size and sits around 47mm. You’re also looking at slightly different battery life for all three watches. The Forerunner 965 can last you up to 23 days in smartwatch mode, for example. The Forerunner 265 and 265S will last you up to 13 days and 15 days respectively. And naturally tuning it to GPS mode will reduce that down to just about a day in all three cases.
All three watches come with Garmin’s Body Battery feature to help you track and manage your body’s energy levels. This way you can decide on the best time for training or know when to rest instead. The slate of usual sport watch features are there too, such as Vo2 Max and Pulse Ox sensors, women’s health tracking, stress tracking, sleep tracking and more.
Garmin adds AMOLED display to its latest watches for even more visibility
There are a lot of features to love about both watch models, but the AMOLED displays deserve just as much attention. With the AMOLED displays on board, the watches are more visible no matter what the weather conditions are like. The displays are also full color and brighter than displays on past models. Garmin says you can also optionally keep them set to always-on, though keep in mind this will contribute to faster battery drain.
The Garmin Forerunner 265 and 265S are available today for $449.99 in multiple colorways. The Forerunner 965 is also available starting today at $599 and comes in multiple colorways as well.
Can bad actors use your stolen phone PIN to change your Google account password? Sadly, yes, they can, and recent reports have explained how this is possible. Some people might be aware of this threat with iPhones already, but it extends beyond that ecosystem.
Cybersecurity experts are now letting netizens know that this threat is also present on Android devices. This calls for both iOS and Android users to find ways through which they can better protect their devices. These security threats can lead to the theft of user data and other vital information.
This isn’t an issue that should be overlooked by both the Android and iOS parties. But how can you protect your device from anyone getting access to your PIN? In this article, you will learn more about this threat and what you can do to protect your Google passwords from being stolen.
Protect your Google passwords by first protecting your phone PIN from getting stolen
If you have ever lost the password to your Google account, you notice that there is a second login option. This option is provided once you click on the forgot password link on the login page. Using this redirect link that helps users bypass and change their forgotten password.
To do this, the user is asked to unlock his device, since this is a way for Google to certify account ownership. For iPhone users, they move to input their phone PIN, hence unlocking their device. Android users, on the other hand, can unlock their devices using the fingerprint sensor instead of using their PIN, password, or pattern.
But, this password reset system gives bad actors an opening to access your Google accounts. All they need to do is steal your phone PIN or means of security unlock (password or pattern). Then they head over to your Google account page in settings and activate the password change process.
Once this is activated, Google will require you to unlock your device and they can do this with your stolen phone PIN, password, or pattern. They can then change your password and move to steal your vital information. With the new password, they can log their Google account into another device and gradually access other synced accounts.
To protect your Google account passwords, you need to protect your phone PIN. Don’t give everyone your phone PIN, and be sure to use a safe PIN combination. Google and Apple are yet to fix this security issue plaguing their users around the world.
The US Marshals Service (USMS), a federal law enforcement agency within the US Department of Justice (DoJ) has announced that it was the victim of a ransomware attack that compromised confidential information held by the agency.
The attack, which took place on February 17, saw “a ransomware and data exfiltration” attack launched against a “stand-alone USMS system”.
The system compromised in the attack held a number of sensitive documents, including “returns from legal process, administrative information, and personally identifiable information pertaining to subjects of USMS investigations, third parties, and certain USMS employees”.
Chief of the USMS public affairs office, Drew Wade, told Reuters that the service had reported the data breach to the US Department of Justice, who then began a forensic investigation into the attack.
The DoJ has branded the cyber attack a “major incident”, which, according to the United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT), is an incident which is “likely to result in demonstrable harm to the national security interests, foreign relations, or economy of the United States or to the public confidence, civil liberties or public health and safety of the American people”.
Major incidents caused by ransomware
US-CERT also notes that cyber attacks classed as major incidents “demand unity of effort within the Federal Government and especially close coordination between the public and private sectors as appropriate”.
On January 11, a cyber attack against the UK postal service Royal Mail led to a request that customers stop sending mail abroad via its services. The attack was later linked to Russian hackers.
Royal Mail said the cyber attack caused “severe disruption” to the computerized systems used to send mail abroad. The company “immediately launched an investigation into the [cyber] incident” and utilized the help of the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre, Information Commissioner’s Office and National Crime Agency to halt further attacks.
Hackers targeting postal services
The system affected by the cyber attack was used at six Royal Mail sites to track and trace items sent abroad, as well as to prepare mail to be dispatched overseas.
On January 12, it was reported by multiple news sites that the incident was in fact a cyber attack against Royal Mail by Russian ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) gang LockBit.
Printers at a Royal Mail distribution center in Belfast, Northern Ireland, began to print letters from the gang. The letters allegedly informed those in the office that LockBit black ransomware was responsible for the disruption and that “your data are [sic] stolen and encrypted.” A threat was issued to post it online if the ransom demands were not met.
