Zero Knowledge Networking vendor shrugs off firewall flaw
In the wake of the recent disclosure of a critical vulnerability (CVE-2024-3400) affecting a leading firewall solution, Xiid Corporation reminds organizations that Xiid SealedTunnel customers remain secure. This latest vulnerability, currently unpatched and rated 10/10 on the CVSS (Common Vulnerability Scoring System), highlights the limitations of traditional security approaches.
Xiid SealedTunnel, the world’s first and only Zero Knowledge Networking (ZKN) solution, goes beyond Zero Trust architecture. Unlike today’s firewalls susceptible to zero-day exploits because of their break-and-inspect approach and the inevitable use of “smart” detection techniques that can and do fail, SealedTunnel is inherently resilient by design.
“This is a great example of why complex firewalls become their own security risk. Keep your firewalls simple, and just have them block all inbound access,” said Josh Herr, Head of Deployment and Integration at Xiid Corp. “Xiid SealedTunnel takes a fundamentally different approach. Our ZKN architecture ensures that data remains completely private and never exposed, even in the face of unknown threats.”
Xiid’s ZKN technology leverages the power of Zero Knowledge Proofs, allowing users to verify access rights without ever revealing sensitive information. This eliminates attack surfaces and renders data unreadable to unauthorized parties, even if a network breach occurs.
About Xiid Corporation
Xiid Corporation is a leading cybersecurity provider specializing in Zero Knowledge Networking solutions. Xiid’s flagship product, SealedTunnel, empowers organizations to achieve unparalleled security and privacy through a revolutionary approach that goes beyond traditional firewalls and zero-trust models. www.xiid.com
Samsung is expected to launch the new Galaxy Watch 7 and its potential variants at the upcoming Unpacked event a little later this year. While the naming scheme, pricing, and really any details about the watch have yet to be confirmed, quite a bit has already been rumored or leaked. And that gives us some information to go on in terms of what to expect from Samsung’s next smartwatch.
Naturally, the Galaxy Watch 7 is thought to be the official name, although it’s always possible Samsung could change things up. As one of Wear OS‘s most popular smartwatch lineups for Android users, the Galaxy Watch series is going to continue gaining plenty of attention. And that doesn’t seem to be stopping with this year’s coming release.
With that said, there are no doubt some changes Samsung could make that would cause the new watch (or watches) to be even more popular. Say, by extending the battery life. If you’re looking forward to the Galaxy Watch 7 and what it has to offer, we’ll be covering everything that’s been rumored or leaked about it in this post. Here’s everything we know so far about the Galaxy Watch 7 series.
This article will be regularly updated with new information on the Galaxy Watch 7 (this is a preview article) — both official teasers and credible leaks, rumors, and insider claims — as it becomes available in the run-up to the release of the upcoming Samsung smartwatch.
When will the Galaxy Watch 7 be released?
There’s no definitive date yet, which makes sense given that Samsung hasn’t announced or even teased the watch. Furthermore, the company hasn’t even said when its next Unpacked would be. However, it’s thought that Unpacked will happen sometime in July this year. So it’s likely that the watch will be released sometime in August, the following month. This is, of course, all speculation. But an upcoming Samsung smartwatch was recently spotted in Bluetooth certification. That suggests that Samsung may be preparing to launch the device within the next few months.
When exactly is still anyone’s guess. But with the Bluetooth certification out of the way, a release probably isn’t too far off, and if Unpacked happens in July, Samsung will no doubt want to release the watch soon after. We can look to the release of the Galaxy Watch 6 series as a potential timeframe.
Samsung launched last year’s watch on August 11. So there’s a good chance it will end up releasing this year’s watch around the same time. It wouldn’t necessarily be on the same day, but it shouldn’t be surprising if the launch falls within the same month.
How many models will there be?
If it’s anything like the last few Galaxy Watch devices, there will be two models. A Classic or Pro version, and a standard version. However, there have been a few rumors stating that Samsung is looking to actually release three models this year. Beyond that, it’s unknown what these models will be. There will most certainly be a standard Galaxy Watch 7. This would be the normal version that is akin to the Galaxy Watch 6. There will also likely be either a Galaxy Watch 7 Classic or a Galaxy Watch 7 Pro. There was also an “Ultra” model rumored at one point.
A Classic model would probably come with a rotating bezel just like the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic did. But if Samsung diverts back to a Pro model instead, then it would probably be like the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro, with a touch bezel. While probably coming with a titanium case for better durability, and longer battery life with a more “adventure” oriented feature set.
The third variant is rumored to have a square shape for the case. It might sound weird given Samsung’s smartwatches have had round cases for many generations now. But Samsung’s earliest iterations of the smartwatch had square cases. Some people prefer these styles, much like Apple Watch enthusiasts do. And because Samsung has made square smartwatches before, bringing one back as a third smartwatch variant for this year’s lineup wouldn’t be out of left field. All it would do is add more variety for consumers. And more variety is rarely a bad thing.
Depending on pricing, it could also add to the presence of consumer choice. As each model might be priced to target specific spending groups.
How much will the Galaxy Watch 7 cost?
Pricing rumors don’t appear to have popped up yet but, we can still make estimated guesses. Based on the cost of past models. Samsung has typically released one right around $300 for the past few years. This pricing would offer the smallest version of the watch and connect to Wi-Fi and Bluetooth only. Samsung will almost certainly release a cellular variant as well. In addition to offering a larger option. Both of these things would alter the price a bit. For the Galaxy Watch 6, bumping up to a 44mm watch from the 40mm took the price from $300 to $330.
Going from Bluetooth/Wi-Fi to LTE but sticking with the 40mm size bumps the price to $350. Choosing both the larger size and the LTE connectivity bumps the price all the way up to $380. Meanwhile, the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic starts at $400 and can go all the way up to $480.
We can probably expect pricing for the upcoming Galaxy Watch 7 series to be very similar. As Samsung hasn’t really changed it much over the past few years. The watch is rumored to get a huge upgrade though. So it is still possible there could be a slight increase in the base cost.
What are the specs?
There have been a few specs rumored or leaked so far, but there’s still plenty that’s unknown. For example, the Galaxy Watch 7 has been rumored to get a huge upgrade. That huge upgrade will allegedly come in the form of a 3nm chipset. It’ll be Samsung’s first smartwatch to use a chipset of this size. It’s said to be about 50% more power efficient than the chipset used in the Galaxy Watch 6 series. On top of that, it’s rumored to come with 32GB of storage.
Image credit: Safety Korea
Both of these things would be very notable upgrades. As more power efficiency would translate to better battery life. Or it should anyway. The storage on the other hand will just give the user more room for stored apps, music, and anything else you might store on a smartwatch. 32GB is quite a lot for a smartwatch, especially compared to the 16GB offered in the Galaxy Watch 6 series. Would you use it all? Who knows. Probably not. But if Samsung does indeed bump it up this much, there must be a reason for it.
As for other specs, nothing has really been rumored as of yet. That includes display size, battery capacity, RAM, and everything else. However, it’s not likely to be long before some more of these details pop up with Unpacked potentially being just a few months away.
What will the design look like?
It’s a pretty safe bet that the design of the Galaxy Watch 7 will be pretty similar to the Galaxy Watch 6. At least for two of the models. If Samsung does release three versions of the watch this year, then one of them is rumored to be the square design that Samsung used in the past. The other two watches should be round and look pretty similar to the current models. One of them will also likely have a rotating bezel, with both of them having two side buttons for various functions.
They should also be using the new latch system for the bands that Samsung introduced with the Galaxy Watch 6 series. If you missed this, the Galaxy Watch 6 introduced new bands that have a button on the underside that you press down on to latch and unlatch the band to the watch lugs. As opposed to the traditional style where you pull on a little pin.
Additionally, expect a clean left side with no buttons unless Samsung decides to add some new features that make use of these. But if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it, and that seems to be Samsung’s mantra with the design seeing as it’s been the same for basically forever.
How many colors will there be?
The Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 is likely to come in three or four color options when it comes to the watch case itself. The Galaxy Watch 6, for example, is currently available from Samsung in three different colors. The Galaxy Watch 6 Classic comes in two. On the other hand, the Galaxy Watch 5, had four colors, while the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro came in two colors. No colors have been rumored or leaked yet. But you can probably expect Samsung to stick to this format.
Three or four colors for the Galaxy Watch 7. And then two colors for the Galaxy Watch 7 Classic or Pro. As for what the colors will be, expect the familiar. That is to say, probably silver, black, and gold versions of the Galaxy Watch 7. Whereas the Galaxy Watch 7 Classic or Pro may come in Silver and Black only. Samsung may change this up a bit by swapping colors. But it has typically stuck to three or four colors for the standard model watch and two colors for the fancier model.
Should you buy a Galaxy Watch 6 or wait for the Galaxy Watch 7?
This is most certainly a question some people are asking themselves. And you may be asking yourself this very question too. Should you buy the Galaxy Watch 6, or wait for Samsung to release the Galaxy Watch 7? That all depends on a few things. The Galaxy Watch 6 series devices are currently on sale from Samsung. At least for some of the variations. There may also be more sales closer to the Galaxy Watch 7 release.
So one thing to consider is whether you want to pick up a great smartwatch at a discount or not. Samsung may have promos on the new watch coming up. But pricing is surely going to be higher than the Galaxy Watch 6. So you could end up saving money by going with it over the upcoming model. However, the Galaxy Watch 7 will surely come with some new features and if it has better battery efficiency, then it may be worth it to wait and pay the higher price.
There’s also the fact that there’s no clear indication of what the watch will do, what it will look like, or how much it will be. With all of that said it might be best to hold off on a purchase until you have more information on what’s coming. Because then you’ll at least be able to more accurately compare your options.
Right now, there are several flavors of large language models on the market from Google, OpenAI, xAI, Anthropic, and so on. One such company is Meta, and it has its LlamaV2 7B language model. Well, a company called Deep Keep did a risk assessment of the LlamaV2 7B language model, and it discovered some concerning facts along with a high tendency to hallucinate.
Deep Keep is a leading provider of AI-native Trust and risk security management (TRiSM). It’s a company dedicated to assessing risks related to AI models. The company’s AI security “safeguards machine learning Pipelines in order to promote unbiased, error-free, secure, and trustworthy AI Solutions.”
The LlamaV2 7B LLM may be highly susceptible to hallucinations
When it comes to these large language models, accuracy and security are extremely important. Many businesses are relying on these large language models to be as accurate and secure as possible. This is why it’s a bit scary that Deep Keep’s assessment is showing some red flags.
The company discovered that LlamaV2 7B is highly susceptible to certain types of attacks including denial of service (DoS), direct prompt injection, indirect prompt injection, and PII (Personal Identifiable Information) leakage.
Prompt injection is when the user gets the LLM to produce unintended responses by manipulating the prompt. A DoS attack is when you get the LLM to use an excessive amount of tokens at once.
LlamaV2 7B is also very susceptible to hallucinations. This is when an LLM seems to fabricate facts that are not grounded in reality. This is a major issue with all AI tools on the market today.
The LLM is also moderately susceptible to attacks such as adversarial jailbreaking. It involves tricking the LLM into producing responses that violate Meta’s ethical guidelines. During testing, Deep Keep was able to see that, during such an attack, LlamaV2 7B is less likely to deny certain prompts.
If you’re using this model for any professional uses, you shouldn’t have to switch to something else. However, it’s important to know the risks associated with using it. Hopefully, Meta will be able to deliver improvements before any major attacks.
Every relationship has its disagreements. Who takes out the trash and washes the dishes? Who plans the meals and writes out the grocery list? And when is it okay to start tracking one another’s location?
But, as a cybersecurity, privacy, and identity protection company, Malwarebytes is concerned with risk, and location sharing carries significant risks within many types of relationships.
There are new relationships in which the rules around privacy and sharing are still being agreed upon, old relationships in which power imbalances are deeply entrenched, and, of course, abusive relationships in which non-consensual tracking and surveillance are used as levers of control.
As a company—and not a relationship counselor—Malwarebytes cannot endorse any reasons for location sharing between romantic partners. But Malwarebytes can provide guidance on what safe location sharing looks like, including a requirement for consent.
Importantly, Malwarebytes can also remind readers about one simple, often-forgotten fact in this conversation: You don’t have to engage in location sharing if you do not want to.
It really is as simple as that. Do not agree to location sharing in your relationship if:
You are being pressured, coerced, or harassed into sharing your location.
You do not trust or feel comfortable sharing your location with your partner.
You do not want to.
As the reasons for location sharing are valid for many couples, the reasons against it are just as valid, too. You have the right to determine the rules in your own relationship, and that includes the digital decisions that impact your feelings of privacy, safety, and trust.
When polling more than 1,000 people about their attitudes and behaviors around online privacy and cybersecurity, a full 50% agreed or strongly agreed with the statement that “monitoring my spouse’s/significant other’s online activity and/or location makes me feel they are safer.”
Similarly, 42% agreed or strongly agreed with the statement that “being able to track my spouse’s/significant other’s location when they are away is extremely important to me.” This sentiment was higher amongst Gen Z—49% felt the same way compared to the general population.
As to why location tracking has become so popular, there is little doubt. It’s about safety (or, at least, the feeling of it).
On Reddit, the question of location tracking between partners is frequently posed and is just as frequently answered: “I think it should be fine for safety reasons,” said one user in a the most popular response to a thread.
In writing for the media platform Her Campus, one Pennsylvania State University student said that, if she already shares her location with her friends for safety, “why would I not share it with someone I am involved with romantically?”
“If I want to call my boyfriend for something, sometimes I’ll check his location first (if he’s at the office, for example, I won’t call),” wrote Erika Harwood, managing editor. “Or if he tells me he’s on his way home and it seems to be taking unusually long, it’s easier to just check his location and see if he’s stuck in traffic.”
Harwood continued:
“Basically, it all boils down to me trying to eliminate as many phone calls from my day as possible.”
What these explanations all share is purpose and consent. The people featured here have told their partners about location sharing, and they have identified specific reasons to engage in this practice. Because of this, these situations are hardly cause for alarm.
What Malwarebytes hopes to draw attention to, however, are starkly different situations.
Coercion, control, and crisis
Location “sharing” implies two partners who consensually share their locations with one another. But as Malwarebytes discovered last year, location “sharing” isn’t the only activity that some people engage in—it’s also location spying.
According to the same survey last year, 41% of all people admitted to monitoring their partner in some way without their partner’s permission.
That includes 16% of people who non-consensually “tracked my spouse’s/significant other’s location through an app or Bluetooth tracker (like Apple AirTags, Tile, Find My)” and 13% who non-consensually “installed monitoring software/apps on spouse’s/significant other’s devices (e.g., Life360).”
The harms here are obvious.
Non-consensual location tracking in a relationship is a clear invasion of privacy. It puts sensitive information into one partner’s hands without the other partner knowing it, and the nature of the information itself can be used to harass and stalk someone—especially after a breakup.
Non-consensual location tracking is also present in domestic abuse, particularly in instances where one partner is being spied upon with the use of “stalkerware” apps. And while those who deploy these types of invasive apps are not guaranteed to be physically abusive against their partners, several documented cases highlight the risk.
As Danielle Citron, professor of law at UVA, wrote back in 2015 about what she called “cyber stalking apps”:
“A woman fled her abuser who was living in Kansas. Because her abuser had installed a cyber stalking app on her phone, her abuser knew that she had moved to Elgin, Illinois. He tracked her to a shelter and then a friend’s home where he assaulted her and tried to strangle her. In another case, a woman tried to escape her abusive husband, but because he had installed a stalking app on her phone, he was able to track down her and her children. The man murdered his two children. In 2013, a California man, using a spyware app, tracked a woman to her friend’s house and assaulted her.”
These cases may sound extreme, but they should not be ignored. They reveal that it isn’t location sharing itself which is harmful, but rather that harmful relationships will lead to harmful forms of location tracking.
Be sure that, if you do engage in location sharing, it is with someone who you trust, on both of your agreed terms, and in a way that you can turn off the location sharing at any point in the future.
What’s the answer?
Your real-time location is extraordinarily sensitive information, and as such, access to it should be understood as a privilege, not a right. No romantic partner has a “right” to your location just because their previous partners practiced location sharing. No romantic partner should coerce or harass you into location sharing. And no, the refusal to share your location, at any stage of the relationship, is not a “red flag.”
If you do decide to share your location with your partner, be sure to follow these guidelines:
Have an open conversation about location sharing with one another. You must obtain consent from your partner if you’re going to share your locations. Spying on your partner’s location without their consent is a breach of trust.
Have a reason why you’re engaging in location sharing. Many problems in a relationship will not be solved by location sharing. Have a firm reason why you want to share locations and what value it will provide. If you do not have a good reason, you may not need location sharing at all.
Set up rules about location sharing. Location sharing can be enabled on a case-by-case basis for, say, music festivals, vacations, or solo hiking trips. It can also be enabled between partners indefinitely.
Check in periodically about whether it is working. Just because you agreed to location sharing a year ago does not mean you cannot revisit the topic. See how location sharing feels and then see if you still want it later in your relationship.
As every couple has its own rules and behaviors for success, there is no single answer to whether you should share your location with your partner. You know your partner—and yourself—best to answer this question. Be safe, whatever option you choose.
We don’t just report on threats—we remove them
Cybersecurity risks should never spread beyond a headline. Keep threats off your devices by downloading Malwarebytes today.
Everything indicates that the app drawer on Samsung Galaxy devices will make the switch to vertical scrolling. This is something that fans of the brand have been asking for for a long time, and it could be a reality soon.
The app drawer is that “hub” where all your apps are available. Currently, the vast majority of Android brands use an app drawer with vertical scrolling. However, for one reason or another, Samsung has gone against the grain by using horizontal scrolling. Maybe they do it as one of the ways to differentiate themselves from other Android phones.
A vertical app drawer will be available natively in One UI
For a while, it was possible to set up a vertical app drawer in One UI using Good Lock. This official Samsung app offers several additional customization possibilities in the form of “modules” that you can install. The module that allowed using a vertical app drawer was “Home Up,” but it suddenly lost the option. This happened without any explanation, which left many Galaxy device users unhappy.
Now, a reply from an official “in charge” of Good Lock revealed the reason for the option’s removal. Apparently, it happened because the vertical app drawer will be integrated into the OS in a future update. More specifically, a member of the Good Lock support team said: “Please note that the Home Up vertical list function is currently being prepared for support in the next OS version.”
It may arrive with the One UI 6.1.1 update in July
It’s noteworthy that, previously, another member of the Good Lock support team said something similar. In that case, the reply was even more specific since the One UI 6.1.1 update was explicitly mentioned. This means that the option may be available sooner than expected. If everything goes well, you won’t have to wait for the One UI 7 update based on Android 15 to get it.
That said, perhaps the ideal would have been to keep the option available in the “Home Up” module in the meantime. After all, the One UI 6.1.1 update could arrive with the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Z Flip 6 in July. This means that users will have to wait at least three months to get the vertical app drawer.
Google Drive dark mode is finally available on the web
Most of the Google apps for both Android and iOS devices have supported the dark mode for a while now. However, the dark theme isn’t available in the web counterpart of all the Google apps. But now, the users of the Google Drive application will be happy as the dark mode is live on the web. This mode will put less strain on their eyes while using Google Drive on their computers at night.
To enable Google Drive’s dark mode, users will need to click on the Gear icon in the top-right corner of the screen. Then, click on the Settings option in the drop-down menu. Finally, change the appearance settings to “Dark”. Some users are also getting a prompt to change to the new dark mode whenever they open Drive in the browser.
The dark theme only applies to the file view
It’s worth mentioning that the dark theme in Google Drive web only applies to the file view. Once you switch on the dark mode, the background will go completely dark. The menus, file names, tabs, and more will appear gray on top of the black background. The sidebar and search bar are slightly lighter and somewhat gray when compared to the darker inner container.
The Docs, Sheets, Slides, and other files will still appear white when you open them. It is quite similar to what Gmail’s dark theme offers. The contents of an email in the dark mode still appear white.
Google has started rolling out the dark mode for Drive’s web version from April 16. The new feature is being rolled out gradually, so it could take some time to reach all the users. The much-anticipated feature is available for all Google Workspace users, Workspace individual subscribers, and all users with personal Google accounts.
Many of you have probably heard of Google Docs at this point, even if you’re not using Google. Google Docs service has been around for a long time as part of Google’s suite of productivity tools. Many people know it as a direct replacement for Microsoft Word, actually. In this article we’ll talk more about Google Docs in order to get you more familiar with the tool, starting with what exactly is it. If you’ve been wondering, or you’re simply looking to step away from Microsoft Word, this could be a great option for you. It also has some benefits, of course, especially if you’re a Google user. So, let’s get to it.
What are Google Docs?
Google Docs is an online word processor. That’s the best explanation of the tool. It’s a part of Google’s web-based suite of productivity tools. That suite also includes Google Sheets, Google Slides, Google Drawings, Google Forms, Google Sites, and Google Keep. Considering that this suite is often looked at as a direct replacement for Microsoft Office, you’ll likely hear Google Docs, Google Sheets, and Google Slides mentioned most frequently.
Google Docs have been around for a long time, actually. Google launched it back in March 2006, so we’re 18 years in at the time of writing this article. The service is available in 100 languages at this point in time, and has come a long way since its inception. It also comes with direct integration with Google apps, and most importantly Google Drive. Google Drive is the company’s cloud storage which is connected to your Google account. You can launch Google Docs from there directly if you want, though it’s available as a separate app too.
What platforms are Google Docs available on?
Google Docs tool comes in both app and web formats. So you can basically access it from any web browser, as long as you log into Google Drive, where the service is docked. It really doesn’t matter what platform you’re using at that point, whether be it Windows, macOS, or some sort of a Linux-based OS. Alternatively, you can also access Google Docs in an app format. Google Docs app is available on Android, iOS, and ChromeOS. Needless to say, Android and iOS are the world’s largest mobile OS’ which hold almost the entire market, so… you’re well-covered in that regard.
Are Google Docs free to use?
Google Docs are free to use, yes, as long as you have free storage on Google Drive. As mentioned earlier, Google Docs comes with your Google account, and it’s a web-based service. Anything you do in Google Docs gets saved to the cloud pretty much immediately so that you don’t lose any of your work. That does take free online space from your Google account. When you open your Google account, you do get 15GB of free storage space. Every Google service that you use will take chunks of that space, including Google Docs, Sheets, Keep, Photos, Gmail, and so on. So, the bottom line is, yes, it’s free… but you need to have free space on Google Drive.
What are Google Docs’ competitors/alternatives?
The best-known Google Docs alternative is Microsoft Word. Those are arguably the two most popular word-processing tools out there. They even open the same types of files, .doc and .docx, amongst others. Microsoft Word is not the only competitor to Google Docs, though. There are a number of other word-processing suites out there, but let’s stick with direct competitors that open the same types of files. Many of you have probably heard of LibreOffice and WPS Office.
LibreOffice is an open-source office software suite that came to life in 2010. It’s very popular for Linux users, actually. WPS office is way older, as it came to life way back in 1988. It’s cross-platform, and it actually has a wider availability than Microsoft Word and Google Docs. WPS Office is not only available on Android and iOS but also on Fire OS and HarmonyOS, as far as mobile platforms are concerned. You can also access it from desktop operating systems, though.
Another competitor that comes to mind is the Zoho Writer. It’s a part of Zoho’s rich suite, and you can link it to your Google and Yahoo accounts. It is also web-based and saves documents for you automatically. It’s feature-rich, and a solid alternative to Google Docs.
Can I use Google Docs if I’m not connected to the Internet?
Is it possible to use Google Docs if you’re not connected to the Internet? Well, yes, it is. You can do that for Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides, actually. Do note that it’s not available outright, though. You’ll need to turn on offline access for specific files you have created via Google Docs, well, unless the document we’re talking about is already saved on your phone or something. Let’s assume it’s not, though. You’ll need to have an Internet connection and navigate to the document you’d like to use offline. Once you find it, either via desktop PC or your smartphone, you’ll need to make it available offline or download it.
On desktop PCs, you’ll need to locate the file, right-click on it, and you’ll see the ‘Make available offline’ option. Once you enable that, you’ll be able to edit it while you’re not connected to the Internet. The moment you get an Internet connection, however, your changes will be saved. You can also download the document for offline use, though that’s something else entirely, as you’ll basically disconnect that file from Google Drive. Do note that you’ll need to long-press on a specific file from your smartphone in order to get the same options menu as the right-click delivers on desktop PCs.
Do Google Docs require any type of configuration before you start using it?
You’ll be glad to know that you don’t really have to configure Google Docs before you start using it. Just make sure you have a Google account, and you’re ready to go. You can always go in the Google Docs app and set your preferred theme, though, or something like that, but that’s completely optional. The app will work as intended without any configuration whatsoever. The same goes for the web client too.
What are the best features of Google Docs?
Google Docs is a very capable text-processing tool. If you’ve ever used Microsoft Word, Google Docs basically delivers that functionality in a different packaging… plus some added ones. The feature lists are not the same, but they do share a lot of the same functionality. That being said, we won’t really talk about all the tools available in the app and stuff like that, as that would take up an eternity. We will, however, highlight some of the most interesting Google Docs features, and the ones we use the most.
Continuous auto-saving
This was one of my personal favorite features when I started using Google Docs. Your words will get saved as you write them, so even if you lose power or something, pretty much everything will be saved. You never have to manually click the ‘save’ or ‘save as’ options, or anything like that. This feature always worked seamlessly for me, and it’s probably still my favorite thing about Google Docs.
Pageless view
By default, Google Docs does separate your documents into pages. However, you can change that. You can activate the pageless view if you’d like to just write on an endless piece of paper, basically. You won’t see any page breaks or anything of the sort. This is likely not ideal if you’re writing a book, or collaborating with someone on something like that. However, it is convenient in many other situations, especially if you’ll be using images, tables, and so on. You can do that by going to ‘File’, and then ‘Page Setup’. There you’ll see the ‘Pageless’ tab and need to confirm your choice. If you opt for the ‘Set to default’ option, you’ll get a pageless view of all your future documents.
Sending emails straight from Google Docs
This is more of an interesting and cool feature than something I’m using regularly, but still, it’s worth noting. You can actually send emails directly from Google Docs if you want. This enables you to place tables, dropdowns, and more in your emails. Simply click the ‘Insert’ menu, and hover over the ‘Building blocks option’. There, you’ll need to select ‘Email draft’, and set everything the way you like it. Once you’re done, click the ‘Gmail’ icon in order to export it. You’ll get a preview of your email before you send it.
Version History
The ‘Version History’ feature is also one of my favorites. You can access it from the ‘File’ menu. It’s great to have in general, especially if you’re collaborating with someone. Thanks to this feature, you’ll get access to a detailed log of all document versions. You’ll also see the changes made, the person who made them, and when they were made. That way, you’ll know exactly what’s what, without surprises.
Sharing documents
As is the case with files in Google Drive in general, you can easily share your Google Docs files with other people. You have the option to send them a link to be able to read a document or allow someone to co-edit a file with you. It all depends on what your plans are for that specific file, of course. Furthermore, you can create a link for the document that anyone with the link can access, or you can add Google users directly to the sharing menu, it’s all up to you. Google does provide you with options.
Suggesting edits
If you’re collaborating with someone on a specific document, you can suggest edits for said document. You can easily select any portion of the text you want, and then you’ll see a pill-shaped pop-up menu on the right. The third and last option there is ‘Suggest edits’. Once you do that, the other side will see that a specific portion of the text is highlighted, and they’ll see what you said about it. This is a great way to proofread something for someone, or generally collaborate on a project.
Voice typing
Some of you are likely using voice typing wherever you can. Well, you’ll be glad to know that it’s built straight into Google Docs. That tool is located in the ‘Tools’ menu. You’ll see the ‘Voice Typing’ option there. Needless to say, this tool is very accurate, as we’ve come to expect from Google. If you’re unwilling to manually type, you can always use this option and dictate your text. You can, of course, proofread and change what needs changing later on.
Custom keyboard shortcuts
Another extremely useful feature to have in Google Docs is custom shortcuts. This is not something many people will use, but if you have the time to set it up, it can be really useful. It can increase your workflow quite a bit. Google Docs does support your standard shortcuts, such as CTRL+C for copying and CTRL+V for pasting, for example. Thanks to the custom shortcuts option, however, you can make a ton of other options. The possibilities are endless. Simply open the ‘Tools’ menu, and click on ‘Preferences’. You’ll figure it out from there.
It should be common knowledge by now that Samsung’s Galaxy AI is powered by Google’s Gemini Nano AI model. While some of the tools do use Gemini Pro via an online connection, many of the computations are done on-device. Well, according to a new report, Google’s Gemini Nano 2 will power the Galaxy S25’s AI.
Galaxy AI was a major selling point for the Galaxy S24 series. In fact, this series broke the record held by the Galaxy S23 phones. These tools involve on-device AI, and many of them include text generation and language translation. If you are excited about picking up a Galaxy S24, the base model starts at $799 with the Galaxy S24 Ultra (Review) coming in at $1,299.
Gemini Nano 2 could power the Galaxy S25’s AI
This news comes to us from Nguyen Phi Hung on X. This is a reputable source, but you will still want to take this news with a grain of salt. Since this has not been officially announced by the companies, there’s always the chance that anything could change between now and the official launch.
According to the report, Google and Samsung are set to collaborate again for the next batch of Galaxy S phones. Releasing early next year, Samsung plans to bring further improvements to Galaxy AI with the introduction of the Galaxy S25 phones. Now, there’s not too much information regarding these devices. We can expect the usual slew of performance and camera improvements with a similar form factor to what we’ve gotten over the past couple of years.
However, since Samsung really hit gold with Galaxy AI, we should also expect the company to shift a ton of effort and improvements over to the new platform.
However, one thing we didn’t expect was a new version of Gemini Nano. Gemini Nano was introduced only a few months ago, so we have no idea about Google’s release plan. However, if Gemini Nano version 2 is released early next year with the Galaxy S25, then we should probably expect yearly iterations of its AI models.
Right now, information about both the Galaxy S25 and Gemini Nano 2 is scarce. Luckily, information about the latest Galaxy S phones starts popping up relatively early in the year. Couple that with the fact that Google is terrible at stopping leaks, then we should rightfully expect information about both of these products to start coming forth relatively soon.
T-Mobile faces fresh scrutiny after reports of mysterious texts offering employees cash in exchange for performing unauthorized SIM swaps recently started doing rounds on social media. The messages target current and former employees across the country and offer up to $300 per SIM swap. This brazen attempt to exploit T-Mobile’s staff raises serious concerns about the carrier’s security practices and highlights the ever-present threat of SIM-swapping attacks.
What is SIM swapping, and where did employee data come from?
SIM swapping is a fraudulent act in which a bad actor tricks a cellular carrier into transferring your phone number to a new SIM card. It gives the attacker control of your phone, allowing them to intercept calls, texts, and, most importantly, two-factor authentication codes. This can lead to, among other things, financial loss, as attackers can hijack bank accounts, cryptocurrency wallets, and other sensitive online services accessible through your phone.
The big mystery is how the perpetrators got their hands on T-Mobile employee phone numbers. The company denies a recent systems breach. However, the inclusion of former employees suggests the data might be linked to previous breaches. This may also represent a new, yet undisclosed, breach—a truly troubling prospect for T-Mobile given its recent history with data breaches.
T-Mobile’s response is not entirely reassuring
While acknowledging the investigation, T-Mobile’s statement does little to calm customer nerves. According to The Mobile Report, T-Mobile has denied any possibility of another data breach. T-Mobile also claims this issue isn’t limited to the Un-carrier. “We did not have a systems breach,” part of the statement reads. However, they’ll “continue to investigate these messages that are being sent to solicit illegal activity.” They also note that “other wireless providers have reported similar messages.” Still, the ongoing nature of these texts hints at a possible attack. Or worse yet, the presence of willing accomplices within T-Mobile’s ranks.
Customer concerns and the erosion of trust
This incident adds to a growing list of security scandals that have plagued T-Mobile in recent years. The company’s once-stellar reputation is rapidly eroding, and customers are rightfully questioning whether their information is safe. SIM swap attacks are a serious problem for the entire industry, but this incident suggests that T-Mobile seems especially vulnerable.
There’s no guaranteed fix for this. However, for better security, you can avoid SMS-based two-factor authentication and switch to app-based authenticators like Google Authenticator or Authy. Always scrutinize links and phone numbers. Also, be wary of mysterious texts or calls claiming to be from T-Mobile support. Lastly, enable the SIM protection function that T-Mobile offers, and be sure to activate it on your account.
Even as the investigation continues, T-Mobile needs to be more transparent about the source of these latest SIM swapping attempts (assuming it’s not a new data breach). The company must also reassure customers that their information is truly secure and that it is taking decisive steps to prevent similar incidences in the future.
While the year 2024 has been great for Google’s AI technology, it has not been great for Google’s workers (or, shall we say, “former workers”). The company has been shedding employees like crazy, and the layoffs don’t seem to be slowing down. According to a new report, Google is laying off even more people, and it shifted some roles to other countries.
Major tech companies have been laying off workers left and right over the past couple of years due to a turbulent economic climate. Recently, Tesla just laid off about 10% of its workers and Apple let go of about 700 workers. Google is one of the main companies getting rid of its employees, as the company had to lay off several thousand workers at a time.
Google is laying off more employees and shifted roles to other countries
Right now, this news is still pretty new. You should expect more information to come out about it soon. Google officially confirmed to Business Insider that the company will cut jobs this week. However, the spokesperson did not say just how many people will be let go. No other sources gave any sort of ballpark as to the number either. However, some employees confirm that affected workers include those working in finance and in real estate.
Since Google has laid off pretty massive numbers of employees in the past, there is reason to believe that this layoff will see a significant number of workers leaving. However, we’ll have to wait for more information to confirm that.
While many workers will likely get the ax, other workers in different countries have new opportunities. Google confirmed that it is moving roles to cities in other countries including Bangalore, Mexico City, and Dublin. Not all of the roles are being moved outside of the United States. The company will move some roles to its office in Atlanta, Georgia.
When following this story, you should expect a thick layer of PR speak from Google as the company responds to questions. However, it’s likely that the company is doing this for cost-saving reasons.
Hopefully, the number of layoffs isn’t substantial, and those affected will be able to find new positions. In fact, a bit of a silver lining is the fact that several workers have been offered different positions within the company. More information about this situation will be revealed as time goes on.
