TikTok users have started to get pop-up notifications about a new app that the social network company plans to launch in the not-so-distant future. The app is called Notes and allows users to share photos much like Instagram.
TechCrunch reports that TikTok has already confirmed the Notes app was in development, but the company didn’t offer any timeframes for the release of the photo sharing app.
As part of our continued commitment to innovating the TikTok experience, we’re exploring ways to empower our community to create and share their creativity with photos and text in a dedicated space for those formats.
The notification that many TikTok users have been getting in the last couple of weeks mentions that Notes is “a new app for photo posts.” Also, TikTok explains that “your existing and future public TikTok photo posts will be shown on TikTok Notes.”
Thankfully, TikTok will offer the option to opt-out from the app: “if you prefer not to show your public TikTok photo posts on TikTok Notes, turn this off now.”
The upcoming Notes app is not the only project that TikTok is currently working on. The company is also experimenting with different formats such as text posts and longer videos.
Google has announced the global rollout of its revamped Find My Device network.
This innovative feature is set to transform how Android users locate their misplaced devices and everyday items, leveraging a vast, crowdsourced network of over a billion Android devices.
Here’s a closer look at what this update entails and how it can benefit Android users worldwide.
1. Locating Offline Devices
One of the most groundbreaking aspects of the new Find My Device feature is its ability to locate compatible Android phones and tablets offline.
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Users can ring their devices or view their location on a map within the app, providing a much-needed solution for finding devices that have been misplaced in silent mode or have run out of battery.
Notably, Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro owners will enjoy an added advantage, as specialized hardware in these devices allows them to be found even if they are powered off or the battery is dead.
Google has released its updated version of the Find My Device network globally.
The upgraded network has improved features and functionalities, enabling users to locate and manage their lost or stolen devices easily.
Starting in May, the Find My Device app will support locating everyday items such as keys, wallets, or luggage through Bluetooth tracker tags from brands like Chipolo and Pebblebee.
Source: Google
These tags are designed to be compatible with the Find My Device network and will feature unknown tracker alerts across Android and iOS platforms, enhancing security against unwanted tracking.
Users can expect additional Bluetooth tags from manufacturers such as Eufy, Jio, Motorola, and more later in the year.
3. Finding Nearby Items
The frustration of losing items right under our noses is all too familiar.
To address this, the Find My Device app will introduce a “Find nearby” button, aiding users in pinpointing the exact location of their lost device or everyday items equipped with Bluetooth tags.
This feature is set to search misplaced items more efficiently and less stressful.
4. Integration with Nest for Home Device Pinpointing
Losing items at home is a common occurrence.
The Find My Device app now integrates with Nest devices, offering users a reference point for the proximity of their lost device to home Nest devices.
This integration simplifies locating misplaced items within the home, saving time and reducing frustration.
5. Sharing Accessories with Friends and Family
The updated Find My Device app also introduces the ability to share accessories with friends and family.
This feature allows users to keep track of shared items such as house keys, TV remotes, or luggage within the app, making it easier to locate shared items when they go missing.
Source: Google
Google emphasizes that the Find My Device network is secure by default and private by design.
It incorporates multi-layered protections, including end-to-end encryption of location data and aggregated device location reporting.
These features offer users peace of mind by safeguarding their personal information and providing additional protection against unwanted tracking.
The new Find My Device feature is compatible with Android 9 and above devices.
Users are encouraged to explore the full capabilities of the Find My Device network and stay tuned for upcoming software updates that will extend support to headphones from brands like JBL and Sony.
As Google continues to innovate and enhance the Android ecosystem, the Find My Device network stands out as a significant advancement in device security and user convenience.
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Researchers identified a significant vulnerability within the HTTP/2 protocol, potentially allowing hackers to launch Denial of Service (DOS) attacks on web servers.
The vulnerability tracked as CVE-2024-28182 has raised concerns among internet security experts and prompted responses from various technology vendors.
The CERT Coordination Center (CERT/CC) disclosed the vulnerability in a vulnerability note VU#421644.
It has been assigned the Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) identifier CVE-2024-28182. This security flaw is particularly worrisome because it affects the HTTP/2 protocol, which is widely used for secure communications on the Internet.
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Impact on Vendors and Products
This vulnerability has impacted several technology vendors. Arista Networks, a prominent player in the networking space, has confirmed that some of its products are susceptible to the identified threat.
The company has provided a detailed advisory on the affected products and their impact on its official website.
Fastly, a global cloud platform has also acknowledged the impact of vulnerability on its services.
The company’s statement, dated April 5, 2024, indicates that CVE-2023-45288 is among the affected vulnerabilities. However, Fastly has not yet received a statement from the vendor regarding several other CVEs.
The Go Programming Language is another affected entity, with its net/http and golang.org/x/net/http2 packages being vulnerable due to a lack of a limit on the number of headers for a request.
SUSE, a significant software company known for its Linux distributions, has also reported that its distributions contain affected packages.
The company has committed to shipping updated Go compilers and rebuilt Go packages once available.
The CVE-2024-28182 vulnerability allows attackers to exploit the HTTP/2 protocol by overwhelming a web server with a flood of data, leading to a DOS attack.
This attack can render the server unresponsive to legitimate traffic, effectively taking it offline and disrupting services.
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Responses and Mitigations
Since the vulnerability was discovered, affected vendors have been working on patches and updates to mitigate the risk.
Arista Networks has already provided information on the affected products and their steps to address the issue. Similarly, SUSE has announced plans to release updated compilers and packages to protect against the vulnerability.
The Importance of Timely Updates
The identification of CVE-2024-28182 underscores the importance of timely security updates and the need to monitor cybersecurity threats continuously.
Organizations using affected products are advised to follow the vendor’s guidance and apply necessary patches or updates as soon as possible to protect against potential attacks.
The discovery of the CVE-2024-28182 vulnerability in the HTTP/2 protocol reminds us of the ever-present risks in the digital landscape.
As cyber threats evolve, the collaboration between vendors, security researchers, and the broader cybersecurity community becomes increasingly crucial in identifying and mitigating such vulnerabilities.
Users and administrators are urged to stay vigilant and ensure their systems are up-to-date with the latest security measures.
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In the dynamic and ever-evolving landscape of cyber security defenses, enterprise-grade penetration testing is one of the most crucial practices for organizations to adopt.
With cyber criminals operating on a far more sophisticated level than ever, continuous and multi-layered security testing, across internal and external infrastructure, is key for enhanced resilience.
However, organizations may find that with such a broad spectrum of expanding threats and technologies, a targeted penetration testing service may be more suitable than others.
This guide seeks to uncover those points of differentiation, how each type works and why and when they should be performed.
Understanding the different classifications of penetration testing is vital for security analysts to determine the best solution for their organization’s unique requirements.
Exploring The Dynamic Penetration Testing Space
In simple terms, penetration testing (pentesting as the vernacular) refers to exercises and strategies that exploit vulnerabilities and weaknesses in internal/external systems, 5G networks, or assets.
The main quirk of penetration testing solutions is that all exercises are cautiously performed to assess security controls and their effectiveness.
In other words, they act completely ethically despite the possibility that their actions may resemble or be similar to those of a cybercriminal or malicious entity.
Tests may involve using sophisticated social engineering techniques, phishing emailsto access critical databases, accounts, and systems, or shared passwords to access sensitive data.
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Some attack methods may be visible and intrusive, while others may be covert and innocuous, bearing some similarities to red and purple team exercises that often take place without the organization’s security or IT staff’s prior knowledge.
This methodology sounds fairly simple, but not all penetration testing exercises follow the same formula.
There are numerous types of pentesting, including tests on network services, web applications, and physical media that are available for firms to enlist.
What Do Tests Need?
Tests may be performed internally or externally to simulate and validate different attack vectors, with some penetration testing experts – usually outsourced professionals from an approved and verified cyber security provider – having complete, moderate or even zero knowledge of the incumbent environment or systems they are attempting to hack ethically. As such, tests may be deemed anything from black box to white box exercises.
“Scoping plays an essential role in any penetration testing engagement” says Mark Nicholls, Chief Research Officer of the CREST-approved penetration testing company, Kroll. “Our accredited security experts work with our customers to develop a testing program that aligns with the unique requirements of each organization.
Our experts enable businesses in a range of industries to uncover and address complex vulnerabilities across their internal and external infrastructure, whether that includes wireless networks, cloud services, web apps, mobile apps, APIs or network builds and configurations.“
While the end goals of penetration testing services may remain the same (i.e. evaluating specific aspects of an organization’s multi-layered security posture), it’s fair to say that not all tests are created equal.
“The main goals of any penetration test are tied to our clients’ overarching business strategies,” Nicholls continues. “Many of our clients are regulated by third-party statutory bodies that mandate specific forms of security testing, while others need to build testing programs to support mergers and acquisitions, new application releases or other significant infrastructure changes.
Pentesting Examples
Businesses sector-wide may be facing more red tape and regulatory pressure to deploy specific compliant solutions and robust software that aligns with particular security frameworks.
An application-specific penetration test can identify flaws and weaknesses in native and server-side code that could expose the vendor and users to attacks.
Analysts then provide a report to the client’s appointed representative (usually a senior business leader) to provide direction and guidance for developers to follow that fixes errors while reducing risk exposure.
Penetration testing reports can vary drastically, depending on the complexity and setup of a business’s infrastructure, its objectives, the tools, software and endpoints being tested, the perceived value of the assets, and so much more.
So it’s clear that penetration testing differs in approach, strategy, and execution from organization to organization. Broadly speaking, however, it’s important to decipher the sub-types of testing exercises.
Penetration Testing Types
Network penetration testing
Network service testing (or infrastructure testing) focuses on evaluating the security of an organization’s internal and external networks.
This type of testing aims to identify vulnerabilities that could be exploited in the network infrastructure, such as firewalls, routers, switches, PCs, and other devices connected to a network.
Common network-based attacks include MITM (man in the middle), DNS, IPS/IDS, proxy server, FTP/SMTPand open port attacks, to name just a few.
Tests can be simulated from outside network perimeters or internally as if a perpetrator has already gained a foothold within the network and has moved laterally across the infrastructure.
Social Engineering Penetration Testing
Social engineering attacks target the human element of an organization’s security posture. In an ethical scenario, ‘malicious actors’ attempt to persuade and deceive users into divulging sensitive information, login credentials, and administrator access to critical systems.
Social engineering pentesting techniques include phishing emails, vishing (voice phishing), tailgating, name-dropping, eavesdropping, and disguising oneself as a known entity or individual on the pretext of legitimacy.
Social engineering tests employee awareness, response time and tactics, and attitudes towards security.
Application Penetration Testing
Application penetration testing evaluates the security of web applications, desktop applications, and browsers and their components such as ActiveX and Silverlight. These complex tests evaluate the endpoints of every web-based application that interacts with – or is used by – the user.
Software application development relies heavily on defined CI (continuous integration) and CD (continuous delivery) pipelines, in that developers regularly try to enhance and improve codebases.
Agile code deployment is preferred over batch methods, as sandbox environments (i.e. duplicate codebases) can be used to test functionality and usability before live deployment.
Penetration testing would exploit this architecture as part of its continuous code testing.
Client-side Penetration Testing
Client-side penetration testing evaluates the security of client-side components, such as web browsers, browser extensions, and client-side scripts.
This type of testing aims to identify vulnerabilities that could be exploited through cross-site scripting (XSS), clickjacking, HTML injections, open redirection, malware infections and other client-side cyber attacks.
Wireless Penetration Testing
Wireless networks usually are the single resource that provides network connectivity to various internet of things (IoT) devices in an on-site environment, such as laptops, tablets, smartphones, servers, drives, and so on.
The right wireless pentesting involves identifying and examining the connection security of these devices and the siloed network.
Wireless penetration tests will usually require the complete identification of access points, invalid encryption methods (e.g. HTTPS), monitoring systems in place, misconfigurations, network duplicates, access point protocols (e.g. WPA3) and authentication mechanisms.
Any vulnerable access or unencrypted connection point can be divulged with the help of pentesting.
Physical Penetration Testing
Physical penetration testing assesses the physical security controls and measures in place to protect an organization’s facilities, data centers, and other critical infrastructure.
Physical barriers are often overlooked as far as cyber security is concerned. Still, if a criminal were to gain physical access to servers, drives, and assets, then they could knowingly exploit all connected data.
This testing involves ethical attempts to gain physical access to restricted areas, bypassing security controls, and evaluating the effectiveness of physical security measures such as access control systems, surveillance cameras, and employee awareness.
Black Box, White Box, And Gray Box Penetration Testing
Penetration tests can also be classified based on the level of information provided to the testing team:
1.Black box (external) penetration testing: In this type of testing, the testing team has no prior knowledge of the target environment, mimicking the scenario of an uninformed and opportunistic external attacker.
2.White box (internal) penetration testing: In white box testing, the testing team has full knowledge and access to the target environment, including source code, system configurations, and networks, simulating an insider threat scenario.
3.Gray box penetration testing: Gray box testing falls between black box and white box testing. The testing team has partial knowledge of or access to the infrastructure or application, reflecting a scenario where an attacker has gained some information about the target.
The right pentesting approach can provide valuable insights and direction to help organizations strengthen their security posture and navigate the complex threat landscape with increased confidence and peace of mind.
Samsung managed to retake its top spot from Apple, it’s once again selling most phones
As a reminder, Apple managed to take over back in September last year. It seems like the Galaxy S24 series managed to help Samsung to regain its place on the throne, though.
In February, Samsung sold 19.69 million smartphones and thus captured 20 percent of the market. Apple, on the other hand, sold 17.41 million smartphones in the same period and grabbed 18 percent of the market.
Analysts say that Samsung enjoyed great sales numbers in the US and Europe, for its new phones. Those are the main reasons it managed to reclaim its throne, at least for now.
Kim Rok-ho, a researcher at Hana Securities said “It is encouraging that Samsung regained the top spot by achieving a 20 percent global share with a positive response to the Galaxy S24 series in the U.S. and Europe”.
Samsung did really well in both Europe and the US
When it comes to the European markets alone, Samsung simply kept the lead, as it never lost it. It managed to grab 34 percent of the market. When it comes to the US, Samsung rose from 20 percent to 36 percent in January this year. Apple’s share fell from 64 percent to 48 percent in the same period.
Samsung is also planning a big event for July, during which it will launch its new foldables. It’s realistic to expect the company to keep its lead past that point, at least until Q4 this year. It remains to be seen, though.
In case you haven’t realized over the past seven years, the vertically scrolling short video format is pretty popular. TikTok has revolutionized the way we watch content on our phones, and other companies like Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat, Facebook, etc. have followed suit to further strengthen that notion. Well, Google is making it easier to find short-form videos with the Short Videos search filter.
Google is one of the main companies providing short-form videos because it owns YouTube. The video-sharing service has been pushing YouTube Shorts heavily ever since TikTok took off. In fact, the company announced that a quarter of YouTube shorts creators are receiving money for their videos. As time goes on, we expect that number to grow.
Google is testing a new Short Videos search feature on mobile
When you search for something on Google, and there are relevant video results, you’ll see them close to the top of the feed. The videos mostly consist of longer-form videos straight from YouTube, which is no issue. However, if you’re a person who can’t quite spend the time to watch a 10-minute video, and you need information wrapped in a 60-second package, then you will want to watch a short video.
Well, Google is currently working on a new filter in the Google Search app for mobile. Currently, when you search for something on YouTube, you will see the search bar up top with a horizontally scrolling carousel of chips. These chips are the search filters, and they will show your results accordingly. For example, the Images chip will show you images relative to your search, and the Shopping chip will show you where to buy what you just searched for.
Well, Google is testing a new Short Videos chip. As you can guess, this will filter your search results to show you a feed of short vertically scrolling videos. You’ll see a two-column feed of the videos. Obviously, since this is powered by Google, you should expect to see YouTube Shorts in the feed. However, it won’t exclusively show Shorts. In the screenshot below, we see that it will feature TikTok videos as well. Since we also see TikTok, we can realistically expect to see Instagram and Facebook Reels along with other short-form videos from across the web.
This is only on mobile… for now
Right now, we only have information on this tool coming to the mobile version of Google. However, it seems like Google will launch this feature on the web at some point. We will just have to wait for information on that to come out.
OnePlus and Xiaomi have some truly compelling smartphones out in the market now. Their best smartphones are both very compelling, but also very different. In this article, we’ll compare them, we’ll compare the OnePlus 12 vs Xiaomi 14 Ultra. Both phones come in global variants too, so getting them shouldn’t be much of a problem, at least in some markets. The Xiaomi 14 Ultra is considerably more expensive, though, so keep that in mind.
As per usual, we’ll first list their specifications, and will then move to compare them across a number of other categories. We’ll check out their designs, displays, performance, battery life, cameras, and audio performance. There is plenty to talk about here, needless to say, so let’s get to it, shall we?
From the front, the two phones do look somewhat similar, but that all disappears when you look at them from the back. They also have considerably different in-hand feel, so… there are plenty of differences. Both smartphones come with a frame made out of metal. The OnePlus 12 has a glass backplate, while the Xiaomi 14 Ultra has a vegan leather backplate (in both of its global versions).
The two phones have curved displays, and each has a centered display camera hole. The bezels are very thin on both devices. All the physical buttons sit on the right-hand side, while the OnePlus 12 also has an alert slider which is located on the left. If we flip them around, you’ll notice quite a few differences. The Xiaomi 14 Ultra has a centered camera oreo with four cameras. The OnePlus 12 also has a round camera oreo, but in the top-left corner, with three cameras. The one on the Xiaomi 14 Ultra definitely protrudes more, though.
The OnePlus 12 is a bit taller and a bit wider than the Xiaomi 14 Ultra, while the two phones have the same thickness. They are also almost identical in terms of weight. Do note that the Xiaomi 14 Ultra has both heavier and lighter models on offer, but only one variant is available globally, the one with a vegan leather backplate, A glass backplate model is available in China, and the same goes for a model with a titanium frame. There is a reason the OnePlus 12 is a bit larger, it has a bigger display.
Both smartphones come with a certification for water and dust resistance. The Xiaomi 14 Ultra is IP68 certified, while the OnePlus 12 is IP65 certified. So the Xiaomi 14 Ultra does have the edge in that regard. They both feel great in the hand, though completely different. The point is, they’re comfortable to use, and feel like premium devices. The OnePlus 12 is more slippery due to its glass backplate, though.
OnePlus 12 vs Xiaomi 14 Ultra: Display
There is a 6.82-inch QHD+ (3168 x 1440) LTPOA MOLED display included on the OnePlus 12. That panel is curved, and it has an adaptive refresh rate of up to 120Hz. Dolby Vision is supported, and the panel can also project HDR10+ content. The theoretical peak brightness of this display is 4,500 nits. The phone has a screen-to-body ratio of around 90%, while the Gorilla Glass Victus 2 protects this display.
OnePlus 12
The Xiaomi 14 Ultra, on the other hand, has a 6.73-inch QHD+ (3200 x 1440) LTPO AMOLED display. This panel is also curved, and it has an adaptive refresh rate of up to 120Hz. Dolby Vision is supported, as is HDR10+ content. The theoretical peak brightness of the display is 3,000 nits. The screen-to-body ratio is around 89%, and the display aspect ratio is 20:9. The Xiaomi Shield Glass protects this panel.
Both of these displays are outstanding. Choosing either one will make you happy, to be quite honest. Both are immensely sharp, vivid, and offer great viewing angles. Both of them also get immensely bright, so using them in direct sunlight is not a problem at all. They also have very good touch response too. Just do note that they’re both curved, just in case that’s not your thing. We don’t really have any complaints on either of these displays.
OnePlus 12 vs Xiaomi 14 Ultra: Performance
Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor fuels both of these smartphones. That is the most powerful processor Qualcomm has to offer at the moment. The OnePlus 12 comes in both 12GB and 16GB LPDDR5X RAM variants. The Xiaomi 14 Ultra is only available in a 16GB LPDDR5X RAM configuration. Both smartphones also offer UFS 4.0 flash storage, so they’re kind of on par in terms of performance-related specs.
Both of these devices offer outstanding performance, to say the least. They can handle anything you throw at them, ranging from simple multitasking to gaming. Launching apps is very fast on both, as is jumping between apps, consuming multimedia, browsing, taking pictures, processing images, and so on. They never seemed like they were struggling with anything. Their software offerings are considerably different, though, but they both come with Android 14 underneath their custom skins.
You can run pretty much any game on either one of these phones. They can even handle Genshin Impact without a problem. The OnePlus 12 does have a better cooling implementation, and that is noticeable, but neither phone got too hot during gaming or anything of the sort. Also, the performance did not suffer even after prolonged gaming sessions, at least for us. Both companies did a great job.
OnePlus 12 vs Xiaomi 14 Ultra: Battery
The OnePlus 12 has a 5,400mAh battery on the inside, while the Xiaomi 14 Ultra comes with a 5,000mAh battery pack. Its Chinese variant does include a larger battery, a 5,300mAh unit. We are focusing on the global variant, though, of course. The good news is that both smartphones offer great battery life. Both smartphones did great in our battery drain test, and they also proved worthy during regular testing.
Both of these smartphones were able to cross the 8-hour screen-on-time mark. That goes for days when we did not play any games, but we used them for plenty other things. Ranging from emails and web browsing to taking pictures and multimedia consumption. Do note that we did get slightly better battery life on the OnePlus 12, though. That phone even managed to cross the 9-hour screen-on-time mark. Your mileage may vary, however, of course, as you’ll be using your phone differently with different signal strengths, and so on.
When it comes to charging, both smartphones have plenty to offer. The OnePlus 12 supports 100W wired (80W in the US), 50W wireless, and 10W reverse wireless charging. The Xiaomi 14 Ultra supports 90W wired, 80W wireless, and 10W reverse wireless charging. You’ll also be glad to know that both smartphones do include a charger in the box. So you’ll get blazing charging regardless of which phone you get.
OnePlus 12 vs Xiaomi 14 Ultra: Cameras
The OnePlus 12 is equipped with three cameras. The main one is a 50-megapixel unit, while there’s also a 48-megapixel ultrawide camera (114-degree FoV) in use here. The third camera on the back is a 64-megapixel periscope telephoto unit (3x optical zoom). When it comes to the Xiaomi 14 Ultra, there are four 50-megapixel cameras used. A 50-megapixel main unit has a variable aperture. A 50-megapixel ultrawide camera offers a 122-degree FoV. There is also a 50-megapixel telephoto camera (3.2x optical zoom), and a 50-megapixel periscope telephoto unit (5x optical zoom).
Xiaomi 14 Ultra
It is worth noting that the OnePlus 12’s cameras are backed by Hasselblad. The ones on the Xiaomi 14 Ultra come with Leica’s lenses and expertise. Both of these smartphones have a lot to offer in the camera department, though it’s worth saying that the Xiaomi 14 Ultra is a bit more versatile thanks to that telephoto camera. The images they provide are excellent. The OnePlus 12 prefers a bit more contrasty shots, while the Xiaomi 14 Ultra aims for realistic pictures. They do a fantastic job in both day and night, to be honest.
The images turn up sharp, detailed, and vivid. The HDR shots are excellent, and both smartphones also handle noise in low light like champs. If we had to choose one of the two, we’d probably go for the Xiaomi 14 Ultra, but both smartphones are truly outstanding when it comes to photography. Even the video content that comes out of them is praise-worthy.
Audio
Both the OnePlus 12 and Xiaomi 14 Ultra include stereo speakers. Speakers on both smartphones are good, and they’re loud enough. The ones on the Xiaomi 14 Ultra are a bit louder, though. Both sets are well-balanced.
If you were hoping to get an audio jack on either of these two phones, well, that’s not the case. You can utilize their Type-C ports for wired audio connections, though. Both phones also support Bluetooth 5.4.
Google Home “Routines” has gained the option to read out Fitbit stats for the day. Google Assistant can deliver key metrics such as step count, distance traveled, calories burned, and much more.
Just like a digital motivational coach, Google Assistant can now summarize Fitbit health data, the fitness tracker has gathered in a day. Such verbal readouts could help Google Fitbit owners stay on track with their physical routines.
How to get Google Assistant to read out Google Fitbit Stats?
Google Home Routines is an interesting feature compilation of the smart home assistant. Users can merge specific keywords with the data or information they need. For example, users can club keywords such as “Good Morning”, “Tell me about my day,” or “I’m up” with their day’s to-do list, calendar, and so on.
Similarly, Google Fitbit users can reportedly club the keyword “Goodnight” with Google Fitbit sensor data. The Google Assistant Goodnight Routine can now verbally inform Fitbit users of their key vital health stats of the day. Users can even request their sleep data from the night before.
Google Home app has an “Automations” tab. The search giant has now added a new option for Routines, called “Get Wellness Info”. This tab essentially collects and collates Google Fit sensor data.
Google has included the new routine inside Google Home’s “Personal Routines”. Once activated, Google Home can deliver the day’s data, which has been made a part of a routine or automation, when a user speaks the preset keyword.
Google Fitbit users can choose to hear their daily activity and/or sleep data with the following categories:
Step count
Distance travelled
Calories burned
Days exercised out of the week
Hours slept
Sleep start time
It is not clear why Google decided to offer a verbal readout of Fitbit stats through Home Assistant so late. The company had plugged Fitbit into Google Assistant more than three years ago.
Google Assistant has been struggling with the simplest of verbal instructions. Several users were so frustrated with their Google Home initiating a Google Search instead of obeying their instructions, some recently developed a workaround.
Robot vacuums have come a long way since the early days when all they did was vacuum, and even then it was a barely passable job. These days, however, robot vacuums have become so smart they can clean almost as well as you can when you put in 100% of your effort. They can certainly do it more efficiently. Enter the Narwal Freo X Ultra, the latest robot vacuum I’ve had the pleasure of testing, and, most certainly the smartest. The Freo X Ultra is jam-packed with features that deliver an almost entirely hands-off clean. Mind you, at a very steep price.
The only times I ever interacted with it were to start the cleaning sessions in the app, and to fill up the water container. Which you’ll need to do from time to time. I haven’t been using it long enough to go through one of the included dust bags. So I have yet to need to take it out and replace it. The point is, I’ve barely had to do anything with the vacuum other than hit the start button. And I haven’t had to clean my floor myself in weeks. With its laundry list of features and the promises from Narwal of its cleaning prowess, I had high hopes going into this review. And I can proudly say I was not let down.
Let’s dive into this review further to see how the Freo X Ultra stacks up and if it’s worth your hard-earned money. Because you’ll need to spend quite a bit to bring one of these home.
Narwal Freo X Ultra Review: Hardware & Design
In laying eyes upon the Freo X Ultra for the first time, the only thing going through my mind was how big it was. As a robot vacuum, it’s about the size you might expect. It’s a big round disc of a robot. Not necessarily much bigger than other vacuums I’ve used. But certainly not smaller. And that’s fine, really. It leaves more room for the components that give this thing all of the useful functions it offers. What really caught my eye was how big the base station is.
It’s massive. And when I say massive, I mean massive. It takes up a large chunk of space on the floor. In contrast to the Switchbot K10+ mini robot vacuum I tested last month, the entire thing is probably at least double the size. Which means it may or may not be the best option for small apartments. Certainly not those that don’t have hard floors that need a mopping system. Although, that’s really true of any robot vacuum.
The point is that this is a big unit. So you’ll want to be sure you have a bit of space for it on the floor. Even if you have to move some things around, as long as you have somewhere you can tuck it away, you’re good. I do feel though that it simply won’t be workable for everyone. This will depend on what your furniture setup looks like. Some places have very little extra space and you simply may not have room near an outlet to set up the base station. And if there were any drawbacks to the vacuum aside from the price, it would have to be this. Size aside, the design of the Freo X Ultra is intelligent and thoughtful.
Carry handles on the base station are a nice touch
I’ll briefly use the Yeedi Cube as an example here because Narwal’s design decisions are on this level. Back when I reviewed the Yeedi Cube there was one thing I absolutely loved about it. The handle on top of the vacuum served as a carry handle to move it from room to room and between floors. The Freo X Ultra doesn’t have a carry handle on the vacuum. But it does have carry handles on the side of the base station. And I’d wager that honestly, that’s a little more important.
We’ve already established that the base station is a big unit. Narwal knows this. So it designed handles into the side of the base station you can grab to make moving the base station much easier. Now, you aren’t going to be moving this thing a lot. But if you ever do need to move it, such as during the initial setup, this is going to simplify the process. This is the only vacuum I’ve seen with this kind of design, and I think was a very smart move on Narwal’s part.
The base station gets even heavier if you have the water tank in there completely full. And if for any reason you need to move it after you fill it up, it’s honestly more work to pull the tank out, then move the base station, and then put it back in. It’s more efficient to just pick up the base station and move it without removing anything other than the vacuum itself.
The self-contained dust bags are genius, hidden under a slick magnetic lid
In addition to the handles on the side of the base station, there’s a tiny lid on the top of the vacuum that can be pulled off to reveal a few things. Such as the QR code for the initial setup and the dust bag compartment. This lid is connected with magnets so it’s super simple to pull off when you need to. But strong enough to keep it secure at all other times. Plus, magnets are just slick whenever they’re implemented into any product design.
Narwal’s most genius design choice though might be the special dust compression bags with HEPA filters. These slot right into the vacuum under the magnetic lid and they compress dust, dirt, hair, and anything else the vacuum picks up for up to 7 weeks. When it needs to be replaced you simply pull out the now full bag and toss it out, then put in a new one. It’s a process that takes just a few seconds. Most importantly, the HEPA filter and enclosed bag means no dust getting out and no dusty odors.
This does have a drawback. The dust bags are disposable, so you will eventually have to buy new ones. Assuming each one lasts you the full 7 weeks, you can expect to have to buy new ones every six months, as the vacuum comes with three in the box. Narwal sells these in three-packs for $20 each. So after the first year with the Freo X Ultra, you’re looking at $40 a year for the dust bags. Admittedly, this is a very minor drawback. Because it saves you the time of emptying a plastic dust bin, which the vacuum does come with as well. $40 a year also isn’t that expensive. It is extra money though, and the vacuum isn’t cheap.
Still, the bags are a genius design. And they definitely simplify the cleaning process. So I think they’re worth it.
Narwal Freo X Ultra Review: Build Quality
Build quality might not be the first thing you think about with a robot vacuum, or most products for that matter, but maybe it should be. You want the stuff you buy to be made well, or as well as it can be, and thankfully, Narwal has built a quality product with the Freo X Ultra. I say thankfully because it’s a robot vacuum and mop combo that costs $1,400 at full retail price. And there’s no world where paying that much for this type of product should result in anything less than a well-made product.
I can confidently say that the Freo X Ultra has great build quality. It’s a very solid-feeling robot vacuum and none of the parts feel or look cheap. Even something as simple as the two water containers in the base station are designed well and don’t feel like they could just up and randomly break after normal use. They’re made of thick plastic with durable hinges and lids. Even the latch that helps keep them locked while in the base station feels nice and sturdy.
When it comes to the vacuum itself, it’s clear that Narwal set out to ensure the Freo X Ultra offered top-notch build quality. The wheels, the no-tangle brush, essentially everything feels like it belongs to a product that commands a premium price tag. In short, I have no worries that in six months something on this vacuum is going to go faulty, stop working, or physically break. At least not unless there’s a human element to it. Such as me picking up the vacuum and moving it and accidentally dropping it for example.
Narwal Freo X Ultra Review: Cleaning
If you’re buying a robot vacuum and mop combo, more than anything else, you want to know how it cleans. Because there’s no reason to buy one of these if it doesn’t clean well.
I typically don’t think much of devices that try to do too many different things. It just makes me think of them as a jack of all trades but a master of none. That isn’t something I was immediately thinking about the Freo X Ultra. But I was certainly curious if it would do well with both vacuuming and mopping. In my past experiences, it’s been either one or the other when it comes to a good clean, or both were decent but nothing to write home about. With the Freo X Ultra, it’s much different.
Mopping
I’m going to start with the mopping because it definitely feels more unique. Any of the robot vacuums I have personally used over the years that come with a mop all implement it pretty much the same way. They oscillate back and forth to gently scrub stains on the floor. Some may have had a variation on how that works. But in the end, they still oscillate back and forth. With the Freo X Ultra, it’s different. The mop on the Freo X Ultra uses two almost triangular-shaped mop heads that spin to scrub as the vacuum moves around. But it gets a lot more in-depth than that.
The mop heads also spin while the vacuum adds a downward force to the pads to help with lifting stubborn stains off the floor. To make things even better, the Freo X Ultra has what Narwal calls DirtSense technology. This basically identifies how dirty the floors are and the Freo X Ultra will continue mopping until the floors are spotless. For exceptionally dirty floors, it’s possible that you may have to refill the water in the clean water tank before competition. For example, my first time using the Freo X Ultra for mopping resulted in this kind of situation.
It wasn’t until this time that I realized we hadn’t mopped in a while. The clean water tank was emptied out towards the end of the mop session and it wasn’t even finished yet. At first, I thought this was just how it was going to be every time I mopped. Maybe it was the size of the apartment. Maybe it was how much hardwood flooring there was. Or how much water I had set the Freo X Ultra to use on the mop heads. Turns out, it was none of those things. There was just a lot of dirt and grime that needed to be cleaned up.
Mopping weather adjustments
What’s really interesting is that the Freo X Ultra will also adjust how much water is used on the mop heads based on the weather. For example, it uses less water in the mop heads when it’s rainy or cloudy. This is to prevent standing water on the floors. On the flip side of things, when it’s sunny and warm the water is likely to evaporate more quickly. So the base station applies more water to the mop heads to account for this. I haven’t really noticed much of a difference myself. But I think that’s because it’s been mostly cloudy here every day for weeks. It is that time of year and all.
Nevertheless, I thought it was cool that this was developed into the mopping system. Because I could totally see this being a situation you run into.
Mopping with AI DirtSense Technology
This is honestly the best part about this vacuum. Now I’ve already mentioned the DirtSense, but here’s a little more about how it works. There’s a sensor inside the robot that scans for the dirt level in the water. If it detects any dirt or if it determines the floor isn’t clean enough, it’ll go out for another pass and clean the floors until it no longer detects any dirt in the water. It’ll also periodically go back to the base station to empty this dirty water into the wastewater tank. So if it needs to clean the floors again, it can accurately sense the level of dirt in the next batch of water.
This is a genius idea. Because you’ll never have to wonder how good of a job the Freo X Ultra is doing. It will go back out for more mopping until the water comes back clean. Not too unlike how you are supposed to stop rinsing rice before cooking. You stop rinsing once the water runs clear. In my experience, this works incredibly well. The first time I used it, the clean water tank was emptied out almost completely. And the picture above is what the wastewater tank looked like afterward. If you’re doing the mopping more often, you won’t have to refill the clean water tank after every session.
And you’ll more easily be able to tell when the DirtSense is doing its job. This is one of the main reasons why I think this is such a good vacuum. Because I know when the floors have been mopped properly based on this alone.
Vacuuming
Now for the vacuuming. The other half of this machine’s intended purpose. I will say right off the bat, that this has done a better job vacuuming than any robot vacuum I’ve tested to date. One particularly pesky problem in this apartment is the pet hair. It’s everywhere. But thanks to the Freo X Ultra I’d say about 99% of what’s on the floor gets sucked up. That’s alongside any dust or dirt particles, food crumbs, and the like. I am not a fan of dog hair being everywhere around the house. Especially all over the floors as it ends up on my socks and then it gets in my shoes, on my carpet, and… well you get the picture. It feels a little like sand. You always find more.
Thankfully, the Freo X Ultra has done a very good job at cleaning up almost all of the pet hair on the floors around the apartment. The only area where it doesn’t quite get it all is the rug that’s on the kitchen floors. For whatever reason, nothing can completely clean the pet hair off this rug.
Most of it goes away with the upright vacuum we have. A little bit less with the Freo X Ultra. Ideally, it would be spotless. But I’ve come to terms with the fact that this is just how it’s going to be with this rug. It does get most of it. And certainly more than any other robot vacuum has. So that’s a huge plus. And more importantly, it gets everything else. So in the long run, the floors are still essentially spotless save for this one area. Now the Freo X Ultra does have plenty of suction power at 8,200 Pa. And I want to be clear that it’s more than powerful enough to get just about everything.
I think on other rug types, the Freo X Ultra would have zero issues sucking up all the hair it finds. Overall, it does a stellar job at vacuuming.
It really does have a zero-tangle brush
I think this is one of the best revelations about this vacuum. Narwal wasn’t kidding when they said the Freo X Ultra came with a zero-tangle brush. When I say every other robot vacuum I’ve ever used had some hair tangled around it, I mean it. You always end up having to use the included tool they give you to cut the hairs tangled around the brush. Which is not a fun job. This is not something you have to do with the Freo X Ultra.
The reason this works according to Narwal is two-fold. The conical shape of the brush paired with the bristles that sit at a 50-degree angle. This helps release the hairs as they get sucked up. So they go all the way to the dust bag or dust bin where they’re supposed to. I’m just so surprised at how well it works. And I’m thankful that I no longer have to deal with cleaning the brush off. That being said, I want to be clear. We have one dog in this house. A small pug. So I can’t say how well this would work with other types of dog hair that might be longer. I can however imagine it works just as well.
If you have a pet you love but you hate detangling its hair from the vacuum brush, this is the robot vacuum you want.
Narwal Freo X Ultra Review: The Base Station
The base station is just as important to the whole experience as anything else. While it is huge, it’s a great base station because it helps automate essentially everything. The only things you end up having to do are empty the wastewater tank and refill the clean water tank. And of course, replace the cleaning detergent from time to time. But the base station takes care of literally everything else. It automatically washes the mop heads after a cleaning session. It automatically dries them too.
Plus, the app allows you to set how strong you want the drying to be. You can choose to have it go full strength and dry the mop heads more quickly. However, this process is louder, so you can choose to have the drying be quieter while the process takes longer overall.
The base station also automatically sucks up any wastewater into the wastewater bin. While deploying water and detergent to the mop heads. And, my favorite part, is that it compresses anything the vacuum sucks up if you’re using the dust bag. And it can do this for up to seven weeks. So you’re not replacing the bag for almost two months.
When the dust bag does need to be replaced, you simply slide it out of the vacuum and toss it. Then put in a new one. I also briefly talked about this before but the base station has handles on it which makes it easy to move. Another nice little feature is the touch panel on top of the lid. You can use this for a few things. There are dedicated buttons for washing the mop heads as well as compressing the dust bag. There’s also a button for turning on/off the Freo Mind feature and a button for starting a cleaning session.
Naturally, you don’t want this being messed with. So if you have kids, there’s a nifty Child Lock function you can enable. I never used this touch panel myself. But it’s nice that it’s there if this is how you want to interact with the vacuum.
Narwal Freo X Ultra Review: Software
The software experience is, I feel like, always hit or miss. There’s never really an in-between. The app that lets you control the vacuum is either good or bad. In the case of the Freo X Ultra, it’s good. Not only is it well-designed visually, everything is pretty easy to use and easy to find. I will say that I had to poke around the app a bit to get to know the layout of where all the features were. But this really only took me like 5 minutes. By all accounts, not very long.
My only gripe with the app is that it took a ridiculous amount of time to get the vacuum set up. With the Freo X Ultra, I tried for multiple hours on the evening I first tried to set it up to get it all up and running. To no avail. I ended up giving it another try the following evening and everything was fine. You can also set up the vacuum using the QR code that sits under the vacuum’s lid (not the base station lid). I would have done this, but my review unit did not seem to come with a sticker that had this QR code on it. So I had to use the app.
Once I got things set up though, it was smooth sailing. First, the vacuum has to map your space. It feels like it’s the most accurate representation of my apartment setup that I’ve seen from any robot vacuum. Every room is also nicely color-coded.
If you want, there’s a way to display the floor plan and plenty of options for editing as well. In the map editor, this is where you can set up room names, merge rooms, and designate no-go zones if you don’t want the vacuum to clean somewhere. I for instance have it blocked off from two of the three bedrooms. But it has free roam over the rest of the place. And unlike some of the other vacuums I’ve used, the Freo X Ultra actually avoids these no-go zones every single time. It’s also possible to look at your tasks and set up schedules, as well as overlook the history of past cleaning sessions.
Cleaning modes
The app makes everything pretty straightforward when it comes to cleaning modes. You have Vacuum and Mop or Vacuum then Mop options. I mostly just used the vacuum and mop mode so everything gets done simultaneously. This is more efficient. However, you’re likely to get a better clean with the mopping if you set it to just mop only. This setting will mop until the floor is “flawless” Narwal says. And it does seem to do a better job but it does take longer.
That being said, it still does a great job when it does both at once. There’s also a custom option that lets you set different parameters for that specific time cleaning. Such as taking out any rooms you don’t need to clean for that one session or removing the mopping from one room for example.
Freo Mind
This is the majority of what makes this robot vacuum so smart. Now the nice thing is that this can be toggled on or off. So you don’t always have to have it enabled. And there is a reason to turn it off because it uses more battery power. However, you’re likely going to want to leave it on. It provides a better clean and in the end, that’s what you want. When enabled, which should be by default, the Freo X Ultra will vacuum and mop at the same time. But it also twists and swings at the same time.
This combination of movements helps to ensure a more thorough clean in corners and along baseboards. Freo Mind mode also helps remember the dirty parts of the floor around the home. Freo Mind will use the DirtSense tech to keep those dirtier parts in mind whenever you start a cleaning session. And it’ll focus more on those parts of the floor. Basically, you turn it on and let the intelligence of the vacuum handle everything. In my experience, it definitely provides a better, more noticeable clean compared to when it’s off.
I only tried having the vacuum clean once or twice without it, and it just seemed to be less clean than when I had this option enabled. I also think it’s worth noting that I do have a smaller apartment. So the battery never really runs out completely before the cleaning session is over. If you have a larger home, you may notice that the vacuum needs to go back and charge, then go back out to finish the cleaning session. Honestly, I think it’s worth keeping this on at all times.
Should you buy the Narlwal Freo X Ultra?
It’s an expensive robot vacuum and if I’m being honest, it’s not going to be right for everyone. However, if you want the best clean you can get, you should heavily consider spending the extra money. This has left my floors cleaner than they’ve ever been short of when I just moved into this apartment a few years ago. I think while expensive, the Narwal Freo X Ultra is worth the money. Hands down, this is the best cleaning experience I’ve had. And I think it’ll be hard for anyone to top what Narwal is currently offering.
On top of all this, using the Freo X Ultra is almost entirely automated. Most people don’t love cleaning. So if that happens to be you, you’ll love the Freo X Ultra.
Fresh real-life images of the Pixel 8a show off the display bezels
In a recent post by TechDroider on X, the newly leaked image of the Pixel 8a showcases the front and back of the device in its full glory. There’s no information yet on where the images popped from. But, looking closely, it is clear that Google is ditching the glossy back design of the Pixel 7a. That’s because the new Google Pixel 8a leak showcases a plastic matte finish on the back.
On the front, the rumored 6.1-inch screen with some big bezels at the bottom half is on display. In comparison, the side bezels don’t appear as chunky. As for the color, the leaked Pixel 8a image also shows off the supposed matte black or Obsidian color variant and a design inspired by the Pixel 6 series.
The Google Pixel 8a could be the next big hit from the company’s affordable A-series segment. Along with the leaked images of this phone, we also got some leaked specs. The device could feature up to 256GB of storage, which is double that of the Pixel 7a’s 128GB. Also, this could be the first Pixel A-Series phone to feature a 120Hz display. Last year’s Pixel 7a was fitted with a 90Hz display.
It is very unlikely that the Pixel 8a will see any further specs upgrades compared to its predecessor. However, we still expect this phone to be a powerful device. If you’re not excited about it, then there’s always the Pixel 9 to look forward to.
