The recent news of Spotify’s plan to shut down all Car Thing devices by the end of the year has caused quite a stir. The streaming giant discontinued sales of the device a while back, but the announcement to completely deactivate functional units has drawn criticism from users who were hoping for a more sustainable solution.A tech enthusiast, Josh Hendrickson, recently shed light on an interesting detail about the Car Thing that Spotify hadn’t publicized. It turns out that the device is, in fact, open source. Hendrickson shared his findings on Twitter, revealing that the Car Thing runs on Linux and the source code for its U-boot and Linux kernel is readily available on GitHub. Additionally, the Amlogic chip used in the device allows users to run custom code and even add their own software.
So, why didn’t Spotify make this information public? Hendrickson believes it’s due to the Car Thing’s hardware limitations. With a weak Amlogic processor, limited storage, and minimal RAM, the device struggles to run anything beyond its intended purpose as a lightweight web-based music player. Although the Car Thing is technically open for modifications, its underwhelming performance makes any significant repurposing rather pointless.This new information adds another layer of disappointment to the Car Thing saga. Hendrickson even refers to the device as “open-source e-waste.” For those interested in the technical details, he plans to release a comprehensive video delving deeper into the inner workings of the Car Thing.
Looking back, it seems questionable for Spotify to have invested in creating a $100 device solely for playing music from the web. There were arguably more efficient and environmentally friendly alternatives available, such as improving integration with existing car infotainment systems or leveraging the capabilities of smartphones.
While the open-source nature of the Car Thing might have offered a glimmer of hope for repurposing, its hardware limitations ultimately render it impractical for anything beyond its original function. As Spotify moves forward, it’s hoped that the company will consider more sustainable and practical solutions for its future hardware endeavors.
Europol led Operation Endgame, the largest operation against botnets to date, focused on dismantling the infrastructure of malicious dropper networks that enabled ransomware attacks.
In a major crackdown on cybercrime, Europol announced on Monday the successful completion of Operation Endgame, a massive international effort to disrupt and dismantle dropper networks, including IcedID,SystemBC, Smokeloader, Trickbot, Pikabot, and Bumblebee.
The three-day operation, coordinated from Europol’s headquarters, resulted in the arrest of four suspects, the execution of over 16 searches, and the takedown of over 100 servers and 2,000 domains linked to these criminal activities.
For your information, Droppers are malicious software tools designed to bypass security measures and deploy additional harmful programs, such as viruses, ransomware, or spyware, onto a target system. They are often used during the first stage of a malware attack and play a major role in the deployment of ransomware.
Operation Endgame, the largest-ever operation against botnets, targeted the infrastructure of these dropper networks, which facilitated attacks with ransomware and other malicious software.
The operation was led by France, Germany, and the Netherlands and supported by Eurojust, Denmark, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Other countries, including Armenia, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Portugal, Romania, Switzerland, and Ukraine, also supported the operation with various actions, such as arrests, searches, and seizures of servers and domains.
The operation was also supported by several private partners at national and international level, including Bitdefender, Cryptolaemus, Sekoia, Shadowserver, Team Cymru, Prodaft, Proofpoint, NFIR, Computest, Northwave, Fox-IT, HaveIBeenPwned, Spamhaus, DIVD, abuse.ch, and Zscaler.
The operation resulted in the arrest of one suspect in Armenia and three in Ukraine, as well as the execution of 16 searches in Armenia, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Ukraine. Over 100 servers were taken down or disrupted in Bulgaria, Canada, Germany, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Romania, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Ukraine. Additionally, over 2,000 domains under the control of law enforcement were seized.
Further investigations, as per Europol’s press release, revealed that one of the main suspects earned over €69 million ($74 million – £58 million) in cryptocurrency by renting out criminal infrastructure sites to deploy ransomware. The suspect’s transactions are being monitored, and legal permission to seize these assets has been obtained.
The operation is a major blow to the dropper industry and a step in the fight against ransomware and other forms of cybercrime. However, Europol warned that Operation Endgame does not end here and that new actions will be announced on the official website of Operation Endgame.
The success of this operation shows cyber criminals may have become sophisticated but law enforcement agencies would always be a step ahead. It also highlights the need for continuous funding and innovation in cybersecurity measures and the importance of international cooperation in addressing online criminal activity.
The Vivo V30 is a premium mid-range smartphone and a watered-down version of the Vivo V30 Pro we reviewed in March. The vanilla model has the same design language as the Pro, meaning you get an incredibly slim phone with curved edges that offer no grip. The device still feels fairly premium thanks to a well-built body and a glass back. However, it is significantly different from the Pro internally. Most notably, the Vivo V30 comes with only two 50MP rear cameras in some regions. Vivo offers a third 2MP camera in select markets but our review unit lacks it.
This device also lacks a ZEISS partnership for enhanced image quality. Additionally, it features a less powerful processor and an older storage standard (UFS 2.2 instead of UFS 3.1). On the brighter side, it retains a 1.5K display, up to 12GB of RAM and 512GB storage, and a 5,000mAh battery with 80W charging. The overall package looks solid for the money you pay. But it is ultimately the everyday performance that matters the most. In this review, we evaluate how the Vivo V30 holds up during moderate and heavy usage.
Table of contents
Vivo V30 Pro Review: Hardware & Design
The Vivo V30 is an incredibly slim phone, measuring just 7.45mm in thickness. It is Vivo’s slimmest phone with a 5,000mAh battery, alongside the Pro. The vanilla model is 2 grams lighter too, weighing in at 186 grams. The device is 164.4mm tall and 75.1mm wide, making it comfortable to hold and use with one hand. Its dual-curved design with glass on the front and back makes it a bit slippery but the bundles transparent cover adds the required grip without concealing its design much.
The phone has a plastic frame with a glossy finish that perfectly complements the shiny rear glass. Vivo says the frame has reinforced corners with a cushioning structure for better shock absorption. The Vivo V30 has its frame slightly recessed on the top and bottom. Like the Pro, it has “PROFESSIONAL PORTRAIT” inscribed on the top. This is despite the phone lacking a dedicated portrait camera. There are no stereo speakers here, so you get a single bottom-firing speaker alongside the SIM tray, USB Type-C port, and a microphone.
Brilliant colors, clicky buttons
Vivo offers the V30 in four colors, each with a unique finish that adds to its aesthetics. We have the Waving Aqua variant with a Rippling Magnetic Particle effect. The Bloom White version has a 3D Petal Pattern, the Lush Green has a color-changing rear panel, and the Noble Black has Fluorite AG Glass. The company gets full marks for the color scheme. The vertical rectangular camera bump is also designed nicely. It is divided into two rounded squares. The top one houses the two 50MP cameras, while the bottom has the Aura Light ring and an LED flash.
Like other Vivo phones, the V30 has power and volume buttons on the right side. Both buttons are at a comfortable height and fairly clicky. The curved nature of the phone, which doesn’t leave much space for a wide frame, makes the buttons a little sharp, but nothing uncomfortable. Going back to the front, the earpiece is hidden nicely under the frame, while the punch-hole cutout for the selfie camera is also small. I would have preferred the under-display fingerprint scanner at a slightly higher position, but it doesn’t take long to get used to it.
Vivo V30 Pro Review: Display
The Vivo V30 has a 6.78-inch AMOLED display of 1,260 x 2,800 pixels (1.5K resolution) or 453ppi pixel density. The company has slapped a curved Schott Alpha glass protective panel on the screen. It is a high-end display with a 120Hz refresh rate, 300Hz touch sampling rate, 10-bit color depth, and an 8,000,000:1 contrast ratio. Vivo says the screen can reach a local peak brightness of a whopping 2,800 nits. That is the maximum it can go when viewing certain HDR content.
In everyday usage, the Vivo V30 Pro can achieve a peak brightness of 1,200 nits. That is more than enough for a comfortable viewing even in the brightest environment. In our testing, we reached a maximum brightness of 870 nits by manually sliding the controller. In automatic mode, the brightness went up to 1,191 nits when a bright beam of light was directed onto the sensor. Overall, the Vivo V30’s display gets adequately bright depending on the surroundings, with the screen getting even brighter when displaying HDR content.
At night, when you need the display to dim, the phone benefits from 2160Hz PWM (pulse-width modulation) dimming. We recorded a minimum brightness of just 2 nits. The screen colors appear decent even at low brightness. The Vivo V30 also boasts hardware-level low blue light certification and anti-fatigue technology to make for a comfortable viewing experience at night. The screen is one of the strengths of this phone, and there are more reasons for it.
Highly-customizable screen colors
The screen colors on the Vivo V30 are amazing. You get vibrant colors with excellent color depth, saturation, and contrast ratio. And if you do not like the default color scheme, you can customize it to your liking. Vivo offers three color presets—Standard, Professional, and Bright. You can select between those and manually adjust the color temperature to get the desired colors on the screen.
Excellent colors coupled with Widevine L1 DRM support make the Vivo V30 a great phone for media consumption. You can stream content in Full HD across all popular platforms, including Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. The phone also has HDR10 support for an enhanced viewing experience. If you aren’t using earphones, you might rue the lack of stereo speakers as a single speaker doesn’t quite give you an immersive experience. That said, it is fairly loud (more on the speaker quality later).
Vivo V30 Pro Review: Performance
The Vivo V30 is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 chipset. It is a 4nm SoC manufactured by TSMC and released in early 2024. It boasts an octa-core CPU with one Cortex-A715 prime core clocked at 2.63GHz, three more at 2.4GHz, and four Cortex-A510 efficiency cores at 1.8GHz. The setup includes an Adreno 720 GPU and supports LPDDR5 RAM. Vivo has paired the setup with 8GB/12GB RAM and 128GB/256GB/512GB UFS 2.2 storage.
The company sent us the 12GB+512GB variant, the beefiest of the lot. In everyday usage, the phone delivered reliable performance with no noticeable hiccups. It handled background apps efficiently, and switching between apps was fairly smooth. The Vivo V30 also did well in graphic intense games at moderate graphics settings. Pushing it to the highest graphics caused some stutters that we expected from it, though the phone didn’t get too warm. You can find more about its performance and thermals below.
Benchmarks
We run several benchmark apps on smartphones we review. We treated the Vivo V30 similarly. The run began with a Geekbench test. Since the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 is a mid-range chipset, we didn’t expect miracles and we were right. The phone scored 1,137 in the single-core CPU test on Geekbench v6 and 3,184 in the multi-core test. It achieved a score of 3,557 in the GPU test. Here’s how these scores compare against some other phones.
Next up, we ran the 3D Mark Wildlife Extreme Stress Test on the Vivo V30. It is an intense, 20-minute test designed to simulate prolonged heavy use. It pushes the device to its limits to determine how it holds up. The scores we got were within the expected range. Its best loop score was 1,489, while the lowest loop score was 1,236. The phone delivered a decent performance stability of 83%.
We also run a Capcut test on devices that arrive on our desks. This is a test we have put together here at Android Headlines and is aimed at determining its performance speed. We use Capcut to export a 1-minute video (the same video on every phone) and note the time a device takes to complete the job. The Vivo V30 took about 26 seconds to complete the export. You can compare its performance with other phones in the graph below.
The phone is surprisingly good at handling thermals
Thermal performance is critical to determining how good a phone is. It is not ideal if the phone delivers excellent performance but heats up too much. Hence we run thermal tests on devices we review to give you an insight into its cooling system. Firstly, we checked the device’s body temperature immediately after the 20-minute-long 3D Mark Wildlife Extreme Stress Test, which we ran with the screen brightness at maximum.
On the screen side, the Vivo V30 reached a maximum temperature of 113.9 degrees Fahrenheit/ 45.5 degrees Celcius. Our heat gun recorded the highest temperature of 111.1 degrees Fahrenheit/ 43.9 degrees Celcius on its back side. These figures are notably less than the Pro model, which reached a temperature of 123.6 degrees Fahrenheit after the 3D Mark Wildlife Extreme Stress Test. Its non-Pro sibling is surprisingly good at handling thermals.
Interestingly, Vivo says both phones have the same cooling system. It claims a total cooling area of 35,141 mm², an ultra-large vapor chamber measuring 3,002 mm², and 11 temperature sensors to keep the system temperature in check. That doesn’t seem to be helping the Pro model much. Perhaps its aging processor is the main culprit. The Vivo V30 has a newer chip and it is good at thermals. The phone also cooled down fairly quickly.
The Vivo V30 also did a better job at handling thermals during camera usage. After 5 minutes of 4K video recording at 30fps (the device doesn’t support 4K videos at 60fps), its body temperature measured a maximum of 104.1 degrees Fahrenheit/ 40.05 degrees Celcius. It reached 106.7 degrees Fahrenheit/41.5 degrees Celcius after 10 minutes. The device’s maximum temperature after playing Genshin Impact in high graphics settings for 30 minutes was 104.5 degrees Fahrenheit/ 40.3 degrees Celcius.
Vivo V30 Pro Review: Audio
The Vivo V30 has a single speaker at the bottom. Many competing phones offer dual-stereo speakers, so this is one of its weaknesses. However, the single bottom-firing speaker is quite loud, particularly when you enter Audio Booster mode. It’s automatically enabled when you press the volume up button after reaching 100% volume level. Pushing the volume to the highest level doesn’t affect the audio quality, which is great.
Like on other phones, we tested the Vivo V30’s speaker output quality across five different parameters. We used the same five audio tracks to test the phone’s loudness and distortion, bass, treble, vocals, and overall balance. It did well overall, though we found it a bit lacking in bass. Of course, everyone has their preference when it comes to audio settings, but this phone shouldn’t disappoint with its audio quality. If anything, the lack of stereo speakers makes content consumption not as immersive as you’d like.
Vivo V30 Pro Review: Battery life & Charging
Like its Pro sibling, the Vivo V30 packs a 5,000mAh battery. More importantly, it turned out to be more efficient than we expected. The device could comfortably run us through the day even with relatively heavy usage involving some gaming sessions, photography, video streaming, and video calling. In our three weeks of using the phone as a daily driver, we never had to charge it twice a day. We charged it in the morning, used it throughout the day, and were still left with a decent amount of battery every single day.
To give you a better insight into the Vivo V30’s battery endurance, we ran a YouTube test on it. We charged the device to 100% and played a YouTube video in 1080p resolution with 100% sound and maximum manual brightness till it ran out of battery. The device lasted 19 hours and 45 minutes before the battery dropped to 0. That’s the best we have achieved on any mid-range phone. To recall, the Vivo V30 Pro lasted for 18 hours and 5 minutes.
Impressive charging speed
The Vivo V30 not only lasts long on a single charge but replenishes itself fairly quickly when you run out of battery. The phone supports 80W wired charging with the company including a charger in the box. Starting at 0, it reached 13% charge in just five minutes. By 10 minutes, we had a 26% charge, which reached 38% in 15 minutes. A 50% charge took about 20 minutes, while we achieved a 73% charge in 30 minutes. It took another 13 minutes (43 minutes in total) to reach 100%, though a “Fully Charged” notification only showed up after 47 minutes of charging.
Vivo V30 Pro Review: Camera
Vivo has always focused its V series on camera and photography. The V30 Pro featured four excellent 50MP cameras. Its non-pro sibling lacks the dedicated portrait shooter (2x optical zoom lens) and the ZEISS partnership but it is no slouch when it comes to the camera performance. The main camera has a 1/1.55-inch optical format size with an f/1.9 aperture, 23mm focal length, and 1.0µm pixels. It boasts PDAF (phase-detection autofocus) and OIS (Optical Image Stabilization).
In daylight conditions, it gives you brilliant photos with a great amount of detail, dynamic range, and vibrancy. We occasionally ran into exposure issues, particularly in scenes with shadows. However, the Vivo V30 captures satisfactory photos if there is enough light. In indoor conditions with less light, some images may contain noise in darker areas. The colors are still fine though. The stock camera app lets you switch between three preset color modes—Vibrant, Natural, and Textured.
Zoomed-in photos aren’t as amazing as expected
The Vivo V30 is a mid-range smartphone and expectedly lacks a dedicated zoom camera. However, we have seen companies use powerful software algorithms to produce almost lossless 2x zoom photos using the main camera. Sadly, we can’t say the same for this phone. While 2x photos are nice overall, they lack fine details. They get worse in darker environments. Vivo seems to be softening the images the make them look good on the small screen.
2x zoom samples:
Beyond 2x, the quality of zoom photos deteriorates fast. The amount of noise is too high in dark patches. Some photos up to 4x or 5x zoom come out decent enough for uploading to social media but nothing special. Considering how Vivo has focused the V30 on photography, it should have worked on improving its zoom algorithm. Maybe software updates can improve the quality of zoomed-in photos.
5x zoom samples:
A better ultrawide camera than the competition
The Vivo V30’s 50MP ultrawide camera has a 15mm focal length, an f/2.0 aperture, and 0.64µm pixels. It boasts autofocus but no PDAF or OIS. However, the images we get from the ultrawide camera are commendable. They contain plenty of detail, sharpness, and vibrancy, all with excellent color accuracy and dynamic range. Since most competing phones have a lower-resolution ultrawide camera, this Vivo phone impresses with its ultrawide image quality.
An excellent selfie camera
The Vivo V30 also impressed us with its selfie camera. The phone has a 50MP unit with an f/2.0 aperture, 20mm focal length, and 0.64µm pixels. The image quality is comparable to the main rear camera. Selfies capture skin tones well while giving you excellent details and sharpness. Of course, you can always soften the skin tone using various built-in camera tools. But if you like the natural look of your face, this phone doesn’t disappoint.
Vivo V30 Pro Review: Software
Vivo ships this phone with Android 14-based Funtouch OS 14. Funtouch OS has always been one of the most heavily customized, and highly customizable, Android skins. It lets you customize almost every aspect of the UI, from wallpapers and lock screen to AOD (Always-on Display), fonts, animations, and more. You get several built-in styles and customization options for various UI elements.
As far as software features are concerned, Vivo offers a sidebar where you can keep your most frequent apps for quick access from anywhere. The sidebar can be pulled on top of any app, letting you enter a new app without going back or entering the Recents menu. Speaking of which, the Recents screen can be customized at the tap of a button. You can quickly switch between a single and a two-row tile layout with live preview.
For gamers, the built-in Ultra Game Mode lets you enhance your gaming experience with extra controls over calls, notifications, and more. The Quick Settings panel has a standard experience with two large pills followed by smaller circular buttons. It can be customized fairly easily. We would have liked it better if Vivo moved the Settings shortcut above the Quick Panel. You have to pull down the full panel to get the shortcut, which is a little inconvenient.
The overall software experience on the Vivo V30 is smooth. Funtouch OS is known for its customizability and the latest version doesn’t disappoint. You can even customize system sounds, which can be helpful for people with hearing problems or older people with impaired hearing. If anything, Vivo’s poor update support is a big disappointment.
Poor software update support from Vivo
Vivo’s software update support for its V series phones has always been poor. Despite many competing brands improving their support, Vivo stays adamant. The V30 series, including the Pro model, is only eligible for two major Android OS updates, i.e., you will get updates up to Android 16. Security patches are promised for three years, so those will come until sometime in 2027. We expected better from Vivo— at least three Android OS updates and four years of security patches—but it disappointed us again.
Vivo V30 Pro Review: Should you buy it?
Vivo made the V30 for people who want excellent cameras without breaking the bank. We found its zoom algorithm somewhat lacking but the main cameras produce amazing regular photos. The Vivo V30 doesn’t disappoint much in everyday usage, thanks to a large curved display, a big battery with fast charging, and highly customizable software. But if cameras aren’t your primary need, you might find some great alternatives. After all, the mid-range Android market is full of amazing phones.
You should buy the Vivo V30 if you:
…want amazing cameras …like a dual-curved design …want an excellent display …want great battery life
You should not buy the Vivo V30 if you:
…want stereo speakers …prefer strong protection against dust and water …want an excellent gaming mid-range phone
Sticky Werewolf, a cyber threat group, has shifted its targeting strategy from sending phishing emails with download links to malicious files to using archive attachments containing LNK files, which act as shortcuts to malicious executables hosted on WebDAV servers.
When a user clicks on the LNK, a batch script is triggered, which in turn launches an AutoIt script designed to deliver the final payload, which bypasses traditional phishing tactics and injects malware directly if the user executes the LNK file.
Infection Chain
A cyberespionage group, Sticky Werewolf, is targeting the aviation industry with phishing emails disguised as business invitations from a legitimate Russian aerospace company, AO OKB Kristall, where the emails contain an archive attachment with two malicious LNK files masquerading as DOCX documents and a decoy PDF file.
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Clicking the LNK files triggers a Batch script that launches an AutoIt script to ultimately deliver the final payload, which is a significant shift from Sticky Werewolf’s previous tactics of using links to download malware directly from file-sharing platforms.
Phishing Email
A phishing email with a decoy PDF attachment targets enterprises related to Russian helicopters, as the PDF mentions a video conference and references two malicious LNK files disguised as meeting documents.
Clicking the LNK files triggers an NSIS self-extracting archive, a variant of the CypherIT crypter, to download and run a malicious executable from a network share.
The extracted files land in the Internet Explorer temporary files directory, and then a batch script is executed.
Pdf
Two malicious LNK files, disguised as Word documents, target users, and clicking either LNK triggers a sequence of events, as first, the LNK adds a registry entry to run a compromised WINWORD.exe on login persistently.
Then, it displays a decoy error message to distract the user. The first LNK copies a potentially deceptive image file, while the second LNK behaves similarly, launching a malicious WINWORD.exe.
Batch Script
A batch script within the LNK delays execution if specific antivirus processes are running and potentially renames files to evade detection.
Finally, the script combines a legitimate AutoIt executable with a malicious script and executes them.
Processes monitored by the Batch script and their corresponding security vendors.
This malicious AutoIT script aims to evade detection, establish persistence, and check for signatures of security environments and debuggers. It injects a clean copy of ntdll.dll to bypass hooking, effectively unhooking any monitoring attempts.
Persistence is achieved through scheduled tasks or startup directory modifications, where the payload, hidden within the script, is decrypted using a two-stage RC4 process with a user-defined passphrase.
According to Morphisec, the decrypted and decompressed payload is injected via process hollowing into a legitimate AutoIT process, making it harder to detect.
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Following their divorce, a husband carried out a campaign of stalking and abuse against his ex-wife—referred to only as “S.K.”—by allegedly hiding seven separate Apple AirTags on or near her car, according to documents filed by US prosecutors for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.
The documents, unearthed by 404 Media in collaboration with Court Watch, reveal how everyday consumer tools, like Bluetooth trackers, are sometimes leveraged for abuse against spouses and romantic partners.
“The Defendant continued to adapt and use increasingly sophisticated efforts to hide the AirTags he placed on S.K.’s car,” US attorneys said. “It is clear from the timing of the placement of the AirTags and corroborating cell-site data, that he was monitoring S.K.’s movements.”
The stalking at the center of the government’s indictment allegedly began around March 27, when the FBI first learned about S.K. finding and removing an AirTag from her car. Less than a month later, on April 18, the FBI found a second AirTag that “was taped underneath the front bumper of S.K.’s vehicle with white duct tape.”
The very next day, the FBI found a third AirTag. This time, it was “wrapped in a blue medical mask and secured under the vehicle near the rear passenger side wheel well.”
This pattern of finding an AirTag, removing it, and then finding another was punctuated by physical and verbal intimidation, the government wrote. After a fourth AirTag was removed, the government said that Numanovich called S.K., followed her to a car wash, and “banged on her windows, and demanded to know why S.K. was not answering his calls.” Less than one week later, during a period of just 10 minutes, the government said that Numanovich left five threatening voice mails on S.K.’s phone, calling her “disgusting” and “worse than an animal.”
During the investigation, the FBI retrieved seven AirTags in total. Here is where those AirTags were found:
Found by S.K. with no detail on specific location
Duct-taped underneath the front bumper of S.K.’s car
Underneath S.K.’s car, near the passenger-side wheel well, wrapped in a blue medical mask
Within the frame of SK’s driver-side mirror, wedged between the mirror itself and the casing around it
“An opening within the vehicle’s frame” which, documents say, was previously sealed by a rubber plug that was removed
Underneath the license plate on S.K.’s car
Undisclosed
For two of the retrieved AirTags, the FBI deactivated the trackers and then, away from S.K., placed the AirTags at separate locations. At an undisclosed location in Philadelphia where the FBI placed one AirTag, FBI agents later saw Numanovich “exit his vehicle with his phone in his hand, and begin searching for the AirTag.” At a convenience store where the FBI placed a second AirTag, agents said they again saw Numanovich.
The FBI also received information about attempted pairings and successful unpairings with Numanovich’s Apple account for three of the Apple AirTags.
In addition to the alleged pattern of stalking, the government also accused Numanovich of abusing SK both physically and emotionally, threatening her in person and over the phone, and recording sexually explicit videos of her to use as extortion. After a search warrant was authorized on May 13, agents found “approximately 140 sexually explicit photographs and videos of S.K.” stored on Numanovich’s phone, along with records for “numerous” financial accounts that transferred more than $4 million between 2022 and 2023.
In a follow-on request from the government to detain Numanovich before his trial begins, prosecutors also revealed that S.K. may have been brought into the US through a “Russian-based human smuggling network”—a network of which Numanovich might be a member.
According to 404 Media, a jury trial for Numanovich is scheduled to start on June 8.
Improving AirTag safety
Just last month, Apple and Google announced an industry specification for Bluetooth tracking devices such as AirTags to help alert users to unwanted tracking. The specification will make it possible to alert users across both iOS and Android if a device is unknowingly being used to track them. We applaud this development.
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Oppo is a major smartphone brand worldwide, and it’s a shame that its phones are not available in the States. The company has its Reno series of phones, and it recently released its Reno 12. Well, according to a new source, the Oppo Reno 12 Pro 5G was spotted on Geekbench.
The Oppo Reno 12 series debuted in China not too long ago, and we’ve been waiting for the company to bring the global variant so that everyone can join in on the fun. The base Reno 12 uses the very capable MediaTek Dimensity 8250, and it has a 6.7-inch 120hz display. Other specs include a 50MP main camera, a 5,000mAh battery, 12GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage.
There’s a Reno 12 Pro, and it shares several specs with the base version. The only main difference is the more powerful Dimensity 9200 Plus. These are very nice-looking and capable phones, and they’re sure to provide a great experience for their users.
The Oppo Reno 12 Pro 5G was spotted on Geekbench
While the phone has already launched, these leaked Geekbench scores are significant because they’re for the global variant of the phone. So, this means that a global launch shouldn’t be far away. Looking at the scores, we’re seeing a decently capable device. It’s important to note that benchmark scores aren’t an objective indicator of a phone’s real-world use. The phone is showing a single-core score of 1043 and a multi-core score of 2944.
The benchmarks don’t indicate the specific processor that the global variant is using. You might think that it will use the Dimensity 9200 Plus, but most likely won’t be the case. Based on the motherboard (k6878v1_64) and the cores that it’s using (four 2.5GHz performance cores and four 2GHz efficiency cores), it looks like this phone will use the Dimensity 7300. That’s a bit of a bummer, as it will be coming with a less powerful chip.
Another downgrade might be with the battery. This variant was spotted with a slightly smaller battery capacity of 4,880mAh. That’s not a huge drop in capacity, so users shouldn’t be too concerned with the battery life.
Microsoft is changing some key aspects of Windows Recall in response to all the controversy generated since its launch. The new feature never quite convinced the general public regarding data security and privacy. Now, the company wants to make sure that everyone is very clear about how it works. They are even making it easier to disable the feature.
The way Windows Recall works is based on constantly taking and saving snapshots of everything you do on your PC. This allows you to ask questions about your activity. For example, if you want to remember what you were doing on a specific day. Recall is an AI-powered feature that requires powerful NPUs to run smoothly. So, the best way to use it is on Copilot+ PCs. However, Recall can (barely) run on unsupported hardware as well.
It seems that it was never clear to the public how Recall would handle snapshots. Multiple questions arose about the security of your data in certain situations. For example, one of the concerns is that another person with physical access to your PC could potentially get your detailed activity history, even with images. In response to concerns, Microsoft is changing some of the most criticized aspects of Recall.
Microsoft is changing these key Windows Recall aspects
The changes focus on three main points. First, the company will modify the set-up process for Copilot+ PCs. Now users will be able to clearly decide whether they want to enable Recall or not. Even if you don’t choose any option, Recall will be disabled by default. This way, there will be no risk of enabling the feature without realizing it.
Next, the Windows Hello security system will now be a mandatory requirement to start Recall. This means that the feature will require biometric verification when you want to use it. But not only that, as the OS will also run a “proof of presence” test before you can check your timeline or do searches. Lastly, the company is encrypting Recall snapshots and the search index database. The latter was one of the most sensitive potential security holes. After all, it was just decrypted plain text.
The security features available before
The new security measures are in addition to those that were available before. For instance, fully on-device data storage and processing (nothing is uploaded to the cloud), persistent notification for when the feature is active, support for DRM services, and InPrivate support (to hide sensitive data fields).
With these changes, Microsoft wants to gain the public’s trust. They also offer more flexibility, allowing you to even disable Recall from the initial setup of your new PC. It will be interesting to see if users give it the opportunity once it is widely available. The feature rollout will begin on June 18.
WhatsApp, the popular Meta-owned messaging, never seems to rest on its laurels. Always testing new features, the company recently revamped the status updates tray in their Android beta, giving it a sleek new look with bigger thumbnails and a more modern layout. But the changes don’t stop there – WhatsApp appears to be doubling down on enhancing the status update experience, with a particular focus on making sure you see updates from the people you care about most.A new feature currently being tested in the Android beta, dubbed “ranked status updates,” aims to prioritize updates from your most important contacts. This means that instead of seeing updates in strictly chronological order, WhatsApp will intelligently reorder them. This is based on several factors, including how often you interact with each contact, whether they’re pinned to the top of your chats, and how recently you’ve messaged them.
Image credit: WABetaInfo
Even status updates that are about to expire will get a boost, ensuring you don’t miss out on those fleeting moments. Notably, official WhatsApp updates will remain at the top of the list, guaranteeing you never miss important announcements from the app itself.
Keen-eyed users may notice the absence of timestamps on status updates. This is a deliberate design choice, as WhatsApp shifts its focus from displaying the newest updates to showcasing the most relevant ones. Reportedly, all the data used for ranking updates remains on your device, so your privacy is not compromised.
However, this new feature isn’t without its quirks. If you reinstall WhatsApp or link a new device, the ranking system essentially resets, meaning it will take some time for the app to relearn your preferences. Additionally, if you use WhatsApp on multiple devices, the order of status updates may vary slightly due to differences in synced chat histories.
As of now, the ranked status updates feature is only available to a limited number of beta testers. But if it proves successful, it’s likely to be rolled out to a wider audience in the near future. So keep an eye on those WhatsApp updates – your status feed could soon become a whole lot more personalized and engaging.
For a few years there, we thought that the tablet was dead! There was a period when only Apple and Samsung made tablets that were worth anything. However, while the tablet market isn’t exactly flourishing, we’re seeing more companies put more effort into their slabs. Poco just made its foray into the tablet market. I was given the opportunity to review the Poco Pad, so let’s see if this tablet is worth the money.
Many of us in the mobile tech world know about the Xiaomi Poco brand and its significance. This is a brand that came out of the gate swinging with the Poco F1. That phone was sporting the most powerful Snapdragon SoC of the year along with other flagship specs for a measly $300. This was a true Flagship Killer back in the age when that term was in full swing. So, there’s the expectation that all of its products will share this mentality.
Well, I recently reviewed two phones that uphold the Flagship Killer name. Firstly, there’s the new Poco F6 (Review). This is a Snapdragon 8s Gen 3-powered beauty of a phone. It’s a great phone with a beautiful design, nice speakers, smooth performance, and other amazing attributes. It starts at $399.
Next up, there’s the Poco F6 Pro (Review). This is the more advanced version of the Poco F6 with a powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, up to 1TB of storage, a gorgeous premium design, great performance, a solid camera, and other great aspects. It’s an amazing phone to pick up for the starting price of $499.
So, let’s see if the Poco Pad is a proper addition to this family.
Poco Pad Review: Design
In terms of this tablet’s design, there’s not much to talk about. I have to admit that many of the tablets that come out don’t really have notable designs. Most tablets nowadays share a similar aesthetic. There’s not much of a need to make tablets as diverse as phones. You’re more likely to take your phone out with you, so there’s more of a chance that people will see it. However, tablets are designed to stay at home. You’re not really planning to impress people while watching Moana on your couch.
So, the design of the Poco Pad isn’t really anything to write home about. It matches the aesthetic of most of the other tablets on the market. I received the gray colorway, and it has a sort of elegance to it. It’s not meant to be flashy. The tablet is designed to give off an appearance of professionalism.
The Poco Pad has a pretty minimalist design with a unibody that covers the back and the frame. As far as branding goes, the only text on the back is the Poco branding at the top left of the tablet. On the other side, we see two pretty large camera modules. In my opinion, they seem pretty big, but they do help give the tablet a more unique look.
In terms of design, I don’t have any complaints. I don’t expect the company to do something wild and outlandish with the design because there’s not much of a need to. The design is nice for what it is.
Poco Pad Review: Build quality
In terms of the build quality, I think that Poco delivered a solidly built device. When I pick it up, I don’t get the impression that I’m holding a cheap device. Firstly, it’s a pretty hefty tablet. There’s a decent amount of weight to it. It’s the kind of heavy that lets you know that it was made with quality materials. It doesn’t feel clunky or cumbersome.
As for the materials, Poco chose to use a metal unibody for the tablet, and that lends to the overall feeling in the hand. It feels nice grabbing a metal device rather than a plastic one. Not only does it feel nice, but I also get the impression that I’ll be able to use it for quite some time. You never want to use a device that feels like it’s going to be broken in a year or two.
I performed a slight bend test on this tablet, and, just as I expected, there was a little bit of flex to it. Since tablets are much bigger than phones while remaining as thin, they’re much easier to bend. Adding a bit of force to the tablet from both the front and back, I found that there was definitely some give to it, so you’ll want to be careful not to sit on it. There’s a chance that it could bend.
I also listened for any creaks or other sounds, and I did hear a few. It wasn’t bad, but I mostly heard them from where the frame of the tablet met the glass. This doesn’t mean that this is a poorly built tablet. It’s just one of those areas where Apple and Samsung tablets show why they cost so much money. You wouldn’t really hear these creaks from an iPad or Galaxy Tab. In any case, the Poco Pad is still a well-built tablet.
Poco Pad Review: Display
A big part of the tablet experience (both figuratively and literally) is the display. Many people buy tablets to consume media, so having a nice display can be make-or-break for some users. With much more expensive tablets, you can expect brilliant OLED displays. In the case of the Poco Pad, the company opted for a less flashy panel and went with a typical LCD display.
However, there are tablets out there like the OnePlus Pad and the Galaxy Tab S9 FE that have beautiful LCD screens. So, let’s see where this tablet’s screen falls. Just like with the Poco F6 series, it’s a bit tough to judge this display because it has several options to customize it. There aren’t as many customizations as with the F6 phones, but there are a few.
There are three color saturation modes that you can choose from. There’s the Standard mode which gives you more natural colors and the Vivid mode which automatically adjusts the color saturation based on the content you’re watching.
The last mode is the one I’ll be using, and it’s called Saturated. This will push the display to its highest saturation setting. People are more likely to use this setting, so I’ll be judging the screen by this setting.
Brightness
Starting off with the brightness, the Poco Pad’s screen can definitely get up there. It’s more than bright enough for indoor use. I used the tablet in some brightly lit indoor environments, and I was still able to see the screen without any issues.
When I took it outside, I was still impressed with the brightness. With older screens, I shudder to think of how bright sunlight ruined the viewing experience. In the case of the Poco Pad, I was still able to see the screen pretty well in the bright sunlight. I admit that this isn’t the brightest screen on the market, but I was still able to comfortably view the tablet’s screen in the sunlight. This included navigating the interface, using apps, and playing games. I was able to comfortably see everything on the screen. If a screen can pass the sunlight test, it’s a win in my book.
Colors
In terms of the colors, I think that this is a pretty good performer. I’ve seen several LCD panels produce colors that are basically on par with OLED panels. Well, the Poco Pad doesn’t have one of those displays. In its Saturated mode, the colors do look pretty punchy for an LCD panel. I feel that blues get a nice little pop.
However, in terms of overall saturation, I feel like the display strikes a nice balance between saturated and bland. The colors are on the punchy side, and they do make for some nice visuals. I was still able to enjoy watching movies and other videos on the display. It’s a nice-looking panel, don’t get me wrong, but you shouldn’t really expect it to blow your mind.
There are additional settings that allow you to change the color temperature of the screen. You can use these settings to further cater your viewing experience to your tastes.
Resolution
Are you a pixel peeper? Don’t be ashamed! This is a tablet with a pleasant-looking screen; a good resolution would only make the experience better. The Poco Pad has a QWXGA display with a resolution of 2560 x 1600. This gives the tablet a pixel density of 249 PPI.
Plainly put, that’s a decent resolution for this tablet. It’s more than double the resolution of 1080p, and you’ll want to have the extra pixels if you plan on watching content or gaming on it.
Overall
The Poco Pad has a generally good display. It has decent brightness, nice colors, and a good resolution. Take those with the 120Hz refresh rate, and you have a really good viewing experience. I wouldn’t say that it’s the best part of this tablet’s experience, but it’s not bad by any means.
Poco Pad Review: Speakers
Tablets have more real estate for larger speakers. This is why some tablets have really amazing speakers. There are some tablets I’ve used that I just use instead of a Bluetooth speaker; the speakers are just that good! The Poco Pad boasts an impressive four speakers. How do these speakers perform?
I tested these speakers using a set of test pieces. Each of these pieces was designed to accentuate a particular aspect of the tablet’s audio. These are the Loudness, Bass, Treble, Vocals, Balance, and Immersion. I also just generally used the tablet, so I’m not only judging the speakers on the test pieces.
Loudness
One thing I mentioned in both my Poco F6 and Poco F6 Pro reviews was the fact that they weren’t particularly loud. Well, the same is true with the Poco Pad. It’s plenty loud for personal and indoor use. Again, you’re more likely to use your tablet at home, so the speakers are perfect for the most part.
However, at their highest volume, I find that they’re a little quiet compared to other tablets that I reviewed. At their highest volume, I would have liked just a bit more punch. If you’re outside or in a loud environment, then you’ll certainly have trouble hearing the speakers on this tablet.
Bass
In terms of the bass, I wasn’t really surprised by the sound that I heard. When reviewing the Poco F6/Pro, I found that these phones’ speakers could produce some great bass. With the Poco Pad, it seems that the company paid an equal amount of attention to the speakers.
The bass that these speakers could produce is pretty great. It’s warm and rumbly without sounding muddy. The test piece that I used had a lot of lower instruments like Double Basses, Bassoons, Contra Bassoons, and Tubas. Not only was I able to hear the tone of each instrument, I was able to hear the low rumble that really characterizes lower tones. The speakers produced a very wide and rich sound, and that contributes to the overall experience.
Treble
It’s easy to overlook the treble, but you shouldn’t. The test piece that I used for the treble had certain instruments like Piano, Celeste, Violins, Flutes, and Pizzicato Strings to really drive the higher notes. I was listening for clarity in the sound, and I think that these speakers did a pretty good job creating clear high notes.
I wouldn’t say that the treble performance was a highlight of the speakers; I would have liked to hear just a bit more clarity. However, they’re not bad. I could hear some nice detail in the higher registers of these instruments. If your guilty pleasure is a little ASMR, then you won’t be disappointed.
Balance
While high notes and low notes are on opposite sides of the spectrum, it’s important that these two parts of the sound play nicely with one another. Balance is a crucial part of the audio experience.
When it comes to balance, I think that these speakers were able to give me a nicely balanced sound. Neither the bass nor the treble outshined the other. The piece I used was a very balanced song that had a fair share of low-end thumps and high-end notes. Listening to the song, I didn’t feel that I really needed any more of either the highs or lows.
Vocals
If you’re going to be listening to songs on these speakers, then vocal performance is important. Overall, I think that the speakers on the Poco Pad do a good job of projecting voices. No matter what song I listened to, the singer’s voice was able to cut through the music and be heard as clear as day.
Immersion
Immersion is where all of the elements of the audio come together to create an all-encompassing sound. Overall, I think that the speakers on the Poco Pad achieve this. The sound coming out of the speakers is very immersive.
Overall
I think that the speaker performance is one of the best things about the Poco Pad. The audio from the speakers, while not the loudest, checks a lot of boxes when it comes to quality. I could listen to these speakers without needing to reach for a pair of headphones or a Bluetooth speaker.
Poco Pad Review: Performance
Using this tablet, I didn’t really know what to expect. It’s not quite using the latest and greatest silicon from Qualcomm, but many devices wound up surprising me by using less powerful chips. In the case of the Poco Pad, I was thoroughly impressed with the performance. It’s powered by the Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 SoC, so it’s not quite at the cutting edge. However, that’s not to say that it’s a sluggish chip either. This is the kind of chip that won’t show its weakness under typical loads. It’s the kind of chip that you have to push to great heights in order to start seeing some slowdown.
Typical day-to-day performance is rather smooth. I didn’t experience any stutters or dropped frames while navigating the software, using the apps, or performing any tasks. Everything flowed, and I thank both the hardware and the software for this. This is the kind of tablet that you’ll most likely use for media consumption, but that’s not to say that you can’t use it for some work, If you’re going to use this tablet for some writing or drawing, you’ll have more than enough power to do that. Other than that, you won’t need to worry about it slowing down while performing other tasks.
When using affordable hardware, we’ve become accustomed to expecting a sluggish experience. We have cheaper tablets from back in the day to blame for this. Imagine using a $300 tablet back in 2016 (Yikes!). Nowadays, the companies making those crappy $300 tablets back in the day have learned better ways of optimizing their software to work on cheaper hardware. We also can’t forget about the major steps that the chipmakers took to boost the performance of their lower-powered chips.
Geekbench scores
Yes, I know that benchmark scores aren’t a proper measure of a device’s performance. However, it’s still nice to see some numbers every now and then to see where certain chips stand. I ran the Poco Pad through Geekbench 6.
This tablet got a single-core score of 1034, which is pretty wimpy by most standards. The performance seems to be comparable to a flagship phone from a few years back. It was able to land just below the Galaxy S21 FE (1096). So, it’s safe to say that this chip rests comfortably in the mid-range area… on paper.
Moving onto the multi-core score, the story isn’t much different. It scored 2974. Again, the performance was basically neck-and-neck with the Galaxy S21 FE. This time, it beat the Galaxy by four points. So, this tablet’s chip is performing on par with a two-year-old phone running on a three-year-old chip… on paper.
The fact of the matter is that I don’t expect to be using this as an alternative to an iPad Pro. However, the software and hardware are working together to give this tablet some nice and smooth performance. At no point during my usage do I find myself wanting more power.
Poco Pad Review: Gaming performance
With great chips comes great gaming performance! At least, that’s what we’ve been led to believe. This is the kind of mentality that leads us to think that devices not running the latest and greatest Snapdragon chips suck at gaming. It blinds us to performers that manage to leverage their chip’s power to push some graphically intensive games.
To test out the Poco Pad, I used two rather graphically intensive games and two of the prettiest games on the market. As for the first two games, I installed Asphalt 9 and Sky: Children of The Light. I turned all of those games up to their highest settings, and I expected to see some sort of stutter. However, the Poco Pad was able to power through them without breaking a sweat. I didn’t notice any dropped frames or hitches.
We all know how intense Asphalt 9 can get. It was once one of the most graphically intensive games on the market. It still holds up today, but most phones have managed to conquer it. Sky is also a very pretty game, and it’s not shy about having wide-open spaces.
Genshin Impact and Honkai Star Rail
Now, let’s kick things up a notch. Running these games on a device using an upper-mid-range processor sounds like some cruel form of torture, but don’t worry, the tablet’s fine. In fact, I was rather surprised by its performance.
Beginning with Star Rail, seeing the tablet stutter on the title screen didn’t give me much hope. Then again, that damn screen slows down just about every phone I’ve used.
When it comes to the actual gameplay, the Poco Pad powered through like a champ. I maxed out all of the graphical settings and set the frame rate to 60FPS. Overall, the gameplay was smooth. I feel like the tablet touched 60fps at points and remained between 40fps and 50fps the rest of the time. There are points when the animations don’t feel silky smooth, but they rarely ever got to the point where I saw any dropped frames. There were maybe one or two instances where I saw a dropped frame, but the general performance is smooth as butter.
Moving on to Genshin Impact, the performance was much the same. Again, I maxed out all of the graphical settings and set the frame rate to 60fps. Just like with Star Rail, I was able to play the game smoothly while getting some pretty high frame rates. This was consistent throughout my gameplay. It didn’t matter if I was in an open environment, a town, or in the heat of battle, the gameplay remained smooth.
Overall, if you’re looking to make this a bit of a gaming machine, go for it! It’s powerful enough to handle the best of what the Play Store has to offer.
Poco Pad Review: Battery
In terms of battery life, I don’t think that this tablet could go up against some of the best on the market, but it’s still able to deliver some decent numbers. Using it in my daily life, I’m able to get through a good work session or movie-watching session before needing to plug it in. If you’re planning on doing some hardcore work, you’ll definitely want to keep the charger on hand.
In order to test the battery, aside from using the tablet as I would typically use a tablet, I also ran it through a test. I charged the tablet to 100%, put on a 24-hour video, and let it run all the way down to 0%. The Poco Pad lasted about five and a half hours before giving up the ghost. Your mileage will vary, of course.
In any case, if you’re going to be using this tablet for casual use, you shouldn’t have to worry about the battery life. It should get you through what you need to do. However, it’s not the best. If you plan on doing any sort of serious work or gaming, then you’ll need to make sure you have the charger handy.
Poco Pad Review: Software
In terms of software, I don’t really have any complaints…. except for the big one. The Poco Pad uses Xiaomi’s HyperOS Android skin running on top of Android 14. HyperOS is starting to grow on me. I’ve been using it while reviewing the Poco F6 and Poco F6 Pro. I will say that the version on the Poco Pad isn’t quite as flashy as the version on the phones. There aren’t as many impressive animations throughout the software. For example, when you pull down the notification shade, you don’t see the clock slowly grow and change position.
In any case, it’s still a good Android skin, and there are some nice tablet optimizations like the bottom panel on the home screen and the window options. These window options let you easily place apps in split-screen mode or pop them out as windows.
My big complaint
So, what’s my big complaint? Well, remember Android on tablets BEFORE Google brought Android 12L? Well, it feels a bit like I’m using that version of Android on the Poco Pad sometimes. The place where I felt that the most was the notification shade. As you may know, HyperOS splits the notification shade into two separate pages. If you swipe down on the top left corner of the screen, you’ll see your notifications and if you swipe down on the right side, you get your quick settings.
That’s tedious, yet understandable on a phone, but on a tablet?! When I summon the quick settings, they drop down and take up about 25% of the right side of the screen. The rest of the screen is just empty space. It’s literally wasted space. It’s similar with the notifications; in the case of the notifications, they’re in the center of the screen.
I think that Xiaomi could have done what other companies have been doing and put all of the notifications and quick settings on one screen. The notifications could sit on the left side of the screen while the quick settings could sit on the right. That seems like a massive oversight on the company’s part.
Aside from that gripe, I think that the software’s great. I hope that the company will send an update that will change that.
Poco Pad Review: Final verdict
This is Poco’s first tablet, and I think that the company was able to deliver a very compelling device. The design is nice, the build quality is solid, the display is good, the speakers are great, the performance is smooth, and the battery life is decent. It’s an overall solid device, and it’s more than worth it for the price.
If you’re a person who’s looking for a great device for some work, play, or other needs, I recommend you give the Poco Pad a try.
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