Google introduced Ultra HDR to Android starting with Android 14. The Google Pixel 8 series was the first to get this feature. Later Samsung enriched the Galaxy S24 series with a similar implementation, Super HDR. Although the older Google Pixel 7 and Google Pixel 6 series received the feature with its Google Camera 9.2 update, older Samsung devices don’t have this feature yet.
Galaxy S23 series and older models won’t get Super HDR
When people asked about the rollout timeline of the Super HDR feature to older models, the Samsung forum moderator said this – “In the case of Super HDR, only the S24 model can be supported by AP and display is supported”. While the translation from Korean to English reads a bit weird, it is clear that Samsung won’t provide the feature to older Galaxy devices.
Notably, 2023 flagships, such as the Galaxy S23 series, the fifth-generation foldable devices, and also the Galaxy Tab S9 series have received a couple of Galaxy AI features such as Circle to Search with Google, Live Translate, Chat Assist, and Generative Edit.
Speaking of the feature itself, it’s a bit surprising that just a couple of generation older Galaxy flagships aren’t capable enough to implement this feature. The AMOLED displays on those devices should be capable enough to reach the high brightness and depict the scene properly. Speaking of the processing, it shouldn’t be too demanding of a task either.
The camera sensors in older models might not support the implementation
Google’s Ultra HDR format (which the Super HDR is based on) basically encodes a logarithmic range gain map image in a JPEG image file. While it’s a new method that enables saving and sharing more of the captured information, it shouldn’t surpass the computing power requirement to run Google’s LLM Gemini nano on-device. However, 9to5Google hints that the camera sensors themselves might not be capable enough to capture the required amount of information.
But then again, the Galaxy S23 series offered one of the best camera hardware of its time, and the Google Pixel 7 checks all the boxes.
Nonetheless, if you are a user of the latest Galaxy S24 series or the last two generations of Pixel devices, you can actually see the display lighting up upon opening the image. Now you can also share the images with the gain map included in a number of platforms including Instagram and Google Messages.
The classic card carousel that greets you when you open the Google app on your mobile device is getting a new UI in the latest app update. The section is even getting a new name: “Your Space.”
For years, the Google app has had the focus of “learning” about you and offering you useful information at a glance for your daily life. This is notable with things like the widget literally called “At a Glance” or the card carousel that appears below the search box. These cards include data on items such as the weather, sports scores from your favorite teams, stock prices, and air quality in your location.
The new design that the Google app card carousel is getting
Now, Google is tweaking the UI of these cards to make them more prominent. They maintain the rectangular shape with rounded edges, but now they are larger and their color tones stand out more among all the elements. The new UI shows more bits of information or distributes it more clearly on each card, which is in line with Google’s idea of facilitating access to key data with little effort.
Additionally, the company named this collection of cards “Your Space” although the functionality remains similar. That is, there are no new cards with information on other items, maintaining the classics for sports, air quality, weather, and finances.
According to the source, the new card UI carousel is available starting with the Google app 15.12 update. In addition to in the app, the redesign will be present in the Google Discover feed which you can access by swiping all the way to the left on your Google Pixel or Android device (if enabled).
If you haven’t received the update yet, don’t worry since the rollout could be gradual, but the redesign is already available in the stable version of the Google app.
The Xiaomi 14 Ultra is the company’s latest and greatest smartphone. It has an outstanding camera setup and performance, as we were able to find out during our review cycle. How does this phone compare to the very best of Apple, though? Well, that’s what we’re here to find out. We’ll compare the Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max vs Xiaomi 14 Ultra in this article. Two very different smartphones, and yet two truly powerful offerings.
Needless to say, there are a lot of differences here. Not only are their software immensely different, but the two phones look totally different, and feel entirely different in the hand. This should be an interesting one. We’ll first list the specifications of both smartphones and will then move to compare them across a number of categories.
Specs
Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max vs Xiaomi 14 Ultra, respectively
Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max vs Xiaomi 14 Ultra: Design
As you can see, these two phones do look very different. They are both made out of metal and glass, but that’s about the only thing they have in common. The iPhone 15 Pro Max has completely flat front and back sides, while its frame is flat all around, with slightly rounded corners. The Xiaomi 14 Ultra has a curved display, while its back side is also curved towards the edges.
The iPhone 15 Pro Max has a pill-shaped camera cutout, while the Xiaomi 14 Ultra includes a centered display camera hole. The iPhone 15 Pro Max is made out of titanium and glass. The Xiaomi 14 Ultra utilizes aluminum and glass, for its global variant. The models in China do come with vegan leather on the back, while a special edition model with a titanium frame is also available in Xiaomi’s homeland.
You’ll notice that their rear-facing camera setups look very different. The iPhone 15 Pro Max has a squarish camera island with three cameras included there. The layout is very familiar to those of you who used iPhones in the last couple of years. The Xiaomi 14 Ultra has a huge camera oreo on the back, including four cameras. That camera oreo is centered, and it does protrude quite a bit.
Both smartphones are quite slippery, and both of them do offer an IP68 certification for water and dust resistance. The iPhone 15 Pro Max is slightly shorter, slightly wider, and slightly thinner. The weight of these two phones is very much comparable. The iPhone 15 Pro Max weighs 221 grams, compared to 229.5 grams of the Xiaomi 14 Ultra (global model). There are lighter Xiaomi 14 Ultra models in China, though. Both phones do feel immensely premium in the hand.
Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max vs Xiaomi 14 Ultra: Display
Apple’s flagship includes a 6.7-inch 2796 x 1290 LTPO Super Retina XDR OLED display That panel is flat, and it has a 120Hz refresh rate (adaptive). It supports HDR10 content, and also Dolby Vision. The maximum brightness this display can reach is 2,000 nits. The iPhone 15 Pro Max’s panel has a 19.5:9 aspect ratio, while the phone has around 89 screen-to-body ratio. The display is protected by the Ceramic Shield Glass.
Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max
The Xiaomi 14 Ultra utilizes a 6.73-inch QHD+ (3200 x 1440) LTPO AMOLED display. This display is curved, and it has an adaptive refresh rate of up to 120Hz. This display does support HDR10+ content, and Dolby Vision too. The theoretical maximum brightness of the display is 3,000 nits. This panel has a 20:9 aspect ratio and around an 89% screen-to-body ratio. The Xiaomi Shield Glass protects this panel.
Both of these displays are outstanding, to say the least. They are both very vivid, with deep blacks, and great viewing angles. The touch response is great too, and both displays are well-protected. They both get very bright too, though the Xiaomi 14 Ultra’s panel does technically get a bit brighter. Regardless of which you choose, however, you’ll be happy with. Just keep in mind one is flat, and the other is not.
Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max vs Xiaomi 14 Ultra: Performance
The Apple A17 Pro 3nm processor fuels the iPhone 15 Pro Max. Apple also included 8GB of RAM inside of its flagship and is using NVMe storage. The Xiaomi 14 Ultra, on the flip side, is fueled by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor, a 4nm chip. Xiaomi included 16GB of LPDDR5X RAM inside of this smartphone, while the company is also using UFS 4.0 flash storage on the inside.
From the performance standpoint, you can’t go wrong either way. Both of these smartphones offer outstanding performance, to say the least. They do run different software, entirely, but both handle workloads like champs. They can fly through apps while you jump from one to the other, and also do everything you do on a daily basis without a hitch. Gaming is the true test for them.
You’ll be glad to hear that both smartphones pass that test too, with flying colors. They can run pretty much the most demanding games on their respective app stores without a problem. Yes, they will both get quite warm during longer gaming sessions, but we did not notice a dip in performance on either phone. Also, neither one of them got too hot while gaming, even though they were quite warm.
Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max vs Xiaomi 14 Ultra: Battery
The Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max includes a 4,441mAh battery, while the Xiaomi 14 Ultra has a 5,000mAh battery on the inside. In China, it actually includes a 5,300mAh battery pack. We’re focusing on the global variant, though. Apple’s handsets usually have smaller batteries than their Android counterparts, so this is perfectly normal. Now, as far as general battery life goes, they’re both very good.
Getting over the 7-hour screen-on-time mark proved easy for us. The iPhone 15 Pro Max proved to offer a bit more in the battery life department, but the difference was not that big at all. Even getting to 8 hours of screen-on-time proved to be viable with both. Do note that we did not play any games during those days, and we were mostly connected to WiFi. Your experience may be different, of course, in fact, it almost surely will. Both of them do offer good battery life, though.
When it comes to charging, the Xiaomi 14 Ultra blows the iPhone 15 Pro Max out of the water. It supports 90W wired, 80W wireless, and 10W reverse wireless charging, while including a charger in the box. The iPhone 15 Pro Max supports 20W wired, 15W wireless (MagSafe & Qi2), 7.5W Qi wireless, and 4.5W reverse wired charging. It does not come with a charger in the box. The Xiaomi 14 Ultra can charge with its slower, wireless charging and charge up a lot faster than the iPhone 15 Pro Max. It can basically charge up around three times before the iPhone 15 Pro Max chargers a single time, that’s how much faster Xiaomi’s charging is.
Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max vs Xiaomi 14 Ultra: Cameras
The iPhone 15 Pro Max has three cameras on the back, while the Xiaomi 14 Ultra includes four. Apple’s handset includes a 48-megapixel main camera, a 12-megapixel ultrawide unit (120-degree FoV), and a 12-megapixel periscope telephoto camera (5x optical zoom). The Xiaomi 14 Ultra has a 50-megapixel main camera, a 50-megapixel ultrawide unit (122-degree FoV), a 50-megapixel telephoto camera (3.2x optical zoom), and a 50-megapixel periscope telephoto camera (5x optical zoom). On top of that, it also includes Leica’s lenses and expertise.
Xiaomi 14 Ultra
It’s hard to deny that both of these smartphones are great as smartphone cameras. If you get the iPhone 15 Pro Max, you’ll be fine. It takes great photos in almost all conditions. The thing is, the Xiaomi 14 Ultra does push that to a new level. During the day, the images from the Xiaomi 14 Ultra looked a bit closer to real life, and more often than not, we preferred their colors. In nighttime, the difference was even more obvious. The Xiaomi 14 Ultra takes some of the best low-light shots we’ve ever seen. It does a great job taming tons of light sources as well, which is not something the iPhone 15 Pro Max is particularly good at. Images from the Xiaomi 14 Ultra also do look less processed.
All the other cameras on the Xiaomi 14 Ultra tended to provide a bit more detail compared to what the iPhone 15 Pro Max had to offer. They all held up well in both daylight and nighttime, though. Both smartphones did a great job with high-zoom shots, though we did prefer Xiaomi’s shots most of the time, especially those in somewhat lower light. Both are great, but if we had to choose one to carry with us just for the camera, we’d probably go with the Xiaomi 14 Ultra due to added versatility, and the general look of images… well, most of the time. We still prefer the iPhone 15 Pro Max’s video output, even though it was close.
Audio
You will find a set of stereo speakers on both of these smartphones. Those speakers are good on both ends, though the ones on the iPhone 15 Pro Max are slightly louder. Both sets of speakers are well-balanced.
Neither of the two phones has an audio jack. You can always utilize their Type-C ports, though, and connect your headphones. If you prefer wireless audio, the iPhone 15 Pro Max supports Bluetooth 5.3, while the Xiaomi 14 Ultra comes with Bluetooth 5.4 support.
Web3 gaming platform Gomble Games, a spinoff of the renowned game studio ‘111%’, has now secured a total of $10 million in cumulative investment. Recent rounds saw Gomble receiving investments from Spartan, Hashed, IOSG Ventures, Foresight Ventures, BigBrain Holdings, and others. This follows on from the initial round back in 2023 which saw participation from notable global venture capital firms such as Binance Labs, Animoca Brands, Altos Ventures, and Shima Capital.
Gomble Games’s predecessor, ‘111%’, is responsible for producing viral hits like Random Dice and BBTAN, captivating a user base of over 100 million players in seven years. Gomble Games, however, will be focused on bridging the gap between the worlds of traditional (web2) gaming and its blockchain-based (web3) counterpart.
“At Gomble Games, we firmly believe in the power of collaboration and community in game development,” said Chris Chang, CBO at Gomble Games. “Our vision is to create accessible games that are not just played but lived, where every player’s input shapes the world they immerse themselves in through very easy and engaging casual gaming experience”
“This funding is a heartening testament to our commitment to bring the best of web2 gaming into the blockchain realm, focusing on an enhanced gaming experience, a sustainable economy, and motivated participation.”
Gomble Games’ approach to gaming is centered around three key elements: Dynamic Change, Reversal Opportunity, and Simplicity, which collectively ensure an engaging and continuously evolving gaming experience. The project aims to establish a self-sustainable economy where games generate revenue based on user engagement, creating a beneficial ecosystem that rewards both players and game developers.
Looking to the future, Gomble Games envisions the establishment of a participatory DAO (Decentralized Autonomous Organization), where users are not just players but active contributors in marketing, game production, and more. This inclusive model also extends to third-party developers, who will be integral to the ecosystem’s sustainable economic structure.
“By fostering a space where every contribution is valued and rewarded, we are not just creating games but building a community where everyone has a stake in our success,” added Chris Chang.
Kelvin Koh, Co-founder of Spartan commented: “With the boom in mobile gaming, we believe that hypercasual mobile games would be one of the main drivers of users into web3. The crypto-native Gomble Games team adeptly leads this charge as they combine the technical know-how to build addictive game loops with a deep understanding of the web3 gamer community. We are proud to back the team led by Chris, and cannot wait to experience what these creative geniuses have in the pipeline”
With this latest round of funding, Gomble Games is set to embark on a journey to transform the gaming industry, making it more fun, engaging, and rewarding for all involved.
About Gomble Games
Gomble Games is a web3 gaming project, a spinoff of the successful game studio 111%. With a focus on user participation in game development and an open community playground for web3 integration, Gomble Games is dedicated to bringing an enhanced gaming experience to the web3 world. Building on the legacy of 111%, Gomble Games aims to create skill-based, fun, and broadly appealing casual games.
You need proper communication if you want to run a business. This is where communication platforms like WhatsApp, Slack, and Google Chat come in. Well, Telegram is on that list; it’s one of the most used communication platforms in the world, and many of its users are using it for business. If you’re one of them, then you may want to consider getting a Telegram Business account.
But what is a Telegram Business account? Why should you use it? What makes it different from a Telegram Premium account? And, more importantly, how much does it cost?! Well, that’s what this piece is for. We’ll go over all of the important questions you may have about this type of account.
Also, since companies like Telegram are always adding new features, this article will be updated to reflect each new change that may come. So, without further ado, let’s dive in.
What is Telegram Business?
Telegram Business is an account that provides tools that better augment your business. It has several tools that business owners can use that make their more accessible to potential customers.
How much does a business account cost?
This is something that could change as time goes on. As of the writing of this article (April 2024), there isn’t a set price for a Telegram business account. However, you can access all of the business account features if you have a Telegram Premium account.
A Telegram Premium account costs $4.99/month, and it comes with its own set of features. We will keep you updated if the company launches any changes to its pricing.
Is the price the same across the web and the app?
You’ll need a Premium account, and the price for a premium account is the same $4.99/month across the app and the web.
What features do you get with a business account?
Here comes the fun stuff. The features you get with a Telegram Business account range from business-centric to fun.
Start page
When a person starts a chat conversation with you, they will get a start screen. You can customize the start screen to show relevant information about your business. This is so that people know what your business is about before starting a conversation. You can use text and stickers to customize your start page.
You can include information like what your company does, its founders, who your company represents, ETC.
Hours of business
If you’re operating a local location, then you’ll want to let people know what hours you’re open. This feature will let you post the hours that your location is open or accepting business. It’s similar to what you’d get on Google Maps.
On your business profile page, users will be able to access the hours by tapping on a karat on the side of the screen.
Location
You want to make sure that you’re able to bring customers to your location. Well, with this feature, you’ll be able to input your business’ location, When you do that, your location will be viewable on a map screen (most likely Google Maps).
Customers will be able to navigate to your location with directions given by the app. They will also get information like how long it will take to get to your business from your location.
Quick replies
If you’re in a hurry, and you need to quickly reply to a client, then Quick replies could come in handy. This is pretty self-explanatory; Quick replies allow you to quickly send a pre-typed message to another in a group chat.
Say, someone messages you asking what the special dish at your restaurant is. You just need to type “/” into the chat and you’ll see a panel of pre-typed messages appear. You can choose the one you want and it will be pasted into the chat.
What’s neat about this feature is that you can give the messages a name. So, if you are messaging talking about the special dish, you can just name it “Special”.
Quick replies don’t only contain text. They can contain images, stickers, and even PDF files. This is great, as it gives you a wide range of files that you can send to customers. For example, if a person messages you asking what you have on your menu, you can send a message with a PDF showing your menu.
Greeting messages
A greeting message is a great way to get your conversation with a person started off on the right foot. If a person messages you for the first time, Telegram will automatically send this greeting message to them. The message could contain anything from simple “Hello!” to relevant information about your business. A great thing you could do is send a message with frequently asked questions.
This feature ensures that potential customers get an instant reply when contacting you for the first time. Giving a speedy reply is important for running a business.
Away messages
This one is a simple one. If you’re away from your business or on vacation, people who message you will get an automatic message letting them know that you’re away. This way, you’re able to keep some sort of contact when you’re not around.
Chat tags
When you have a bunch of chats in your feed, it can be hard to differentiate between them. You’ll want to tell the difference between friends/family and customers. Also, customers contact you for different reasons.
This is where chat tags come in handy. This allows you to add color-coded labels to your chats. When you add a label to a chat, it will be moved to a folder of the same name. So, when you are viewing the All Chats feed, you’ll see the labels next to the chats.
You can add multiple labels to chats, and they will all show up in the designated folder when you tap on it. The chat folders will be displayed as tabs on a panel at the top of the screen.
Links to chats
If you want to direct users to a specific chat, you can create a link to it. Regardless of whether the user is in Telegram or not, they will be taken to that chat. Also, you’ll be able to see how many people clicked on the links that you share.
Chatbots for business
It should come as no surprise that there’s some new generative AI feature being unveiled. Telegram Business will let you add different chatbots to your workflow. These chatbots will be able to answer questions just like any other chatbot.
You can also add specialized chatbots to complete different types of tasks.
AI music is facing backlash. In an open letter on Medium.com organized by the Artists’ Rights Alliance, over 200 musicians took part including Billie Eilish, Nicki Minaj, Katy Perry, and Frank Sinatra’s estate, raising concerns about AI’s predatory use within the music industry.
AI music backlash is stirring the web as 200+ artists join together to stop AI-driven music
AI adoption devoid of control may be dangerous in music production, as pointed out by the artists in an open letter organized by the Artist Rights Alliance. The musicians warn that if not properly regulated, Artificial Intelligence could lead to a “race to the bottom” and undermine human songwriters and artists’ craft.
According to BBC, artists are concerned that tech giants like YouTube are experimenting with AI-based tools for creating music because they believe that this might infringe on creative rights and devalue their work. These companies want these organizations to pledge not to create AI that could replace or undermine human creativity or deny fair payment to creators of art.
Taking into consideration such trends Tom Kiehl from UK Music gave unauthorized use of works belonging to musicians as training data for AI “music laundering.” For him, it’s important for artists to give their consent and get proper credit as well as remuneration due to them having contributed to AI systems.
When a song made by AI mimicking Drake and The Weeknd went viral, the question became prominent. Moreover, Drake did not like the song because this was an example of the challenges that musicians face when trying to defend their work against AI-generated products. Sting also insisted on keeping the human touch in music production saying that “the musical building blocks are ours.”
Some artists still support AI, saying it’s a great tool to generate copyright-free tracks
However, there are musicians who support AI in music. For instance, Grimes has encouraged her fans to create tracks with her voice using AI without infringing copyright while offering to share royalties for successful songs created by AI. David Guetta is another musician who supports the use of artificial intelligence tools.
Hence, it can be seen that the arguments concerning artificial intelligence and music have been illusory and must consider moral implications as well as safeguarding artists’ intellectual property rights. Recently BBC has asked Google for its comments on this topic.
Ibis Budget guests were left vulnerable after a security flaw in self-check-in kiosks exposed room access codes. Learn how this major security breach could have impacted travelers and what steps you can take to stay safe.
A data security issue at Ibis Budget hotels across Europe raised concerns for guest safety after a vulnerability in their self-check-in kiosks allowed anyone to see room access codes.
The issue came to light in late 2023 when a team of hackers from Swiss firm Pentagrid discovered the flaw in a kiosk at an Ibis Budget hotel in Germany. Their investigation revealed that the kiosks displayed the room access codes on the screen after check-in, potentially compromising the security of any guest who used the kiosk.
While Pentagrid only confirmed the vulnerability in a single German hotel, they believe it likely impacted a wider range of Ibis Budget locations. The budget hotel chain, owned by hospitality giant Accor, boasts over 600 locations across 20 countries.
According to Pentagrid, it promptly notified Accor about the security hole. The hotel group responded swiftly and within a month, a patch was rolled out to address the vulnerability and prevent further exposure of room access codes.
Although a fix is now in place, cybersecurity experts warn that such vulnerabilities can have serious consequences. With access codes exposed, anyone could potentially gain unauthorized entry to a guest’s room, putting them and their belongings at risk.
It is worth mentioning that hotels are a lucrative target for cybercriminals. There have been cases where threat actors infected hotel door lock systems with ransomware, or security researchers identified critical security vulnerabilities in electronic key software used by thousands of hotels worldwide, allowing hackers to unlock hotel rooms.
Watch the Demo Video
Despite the potential severity of the issue, Accor has not yet issued a public statement regarding the vulnerability in their Ibis Budget kiosks. This lack of transparency has raised concerns among security researchers and potential guests.
Nevertheless, security experts advise travellers using Ibis Budget hotels to be cautious and consider alternative check-in methods if available. Additionally, remaining alert about personal belongings and reporting any suspicious activity to hotel staff is crucial.
The Ibis Budget kiosk vulnerability shows the growing importance of cybersecurity in the hospitality industry. As hotels increasingly rely on technology to streamline operations, ensuring vital security measures are in place is vital to protect guests and maintain trust.
Allegedly in 2026, Google’s YouTube TV will become America’s biggest pay-TV service overtaking rivals like Comcast’s Xfinity TV and Charter’s Spectrum TV as per media analyst Michael Nathanson. He predicts extensive growth for YouTube TV by the end of 2026 with 12.4 million paying subscribers expected.
YouTube TV will soon overtake Comcast and Spectrum as a top TV service provider
Conversely, pay TV subscribers will likely keep dropping over the next two years at both Comcast and Charter. If projections are to hold, YouTube TV might take first place in the U.S. pay TV market thereby changing everything within the industry.
Despite its potential growth, limited reporting by Google and YouTube makes it difficult to determine exactly how many people are willing to pay for subscriptions on YouTube TV. Furthermore, issues like promotional rates, extended free trials, or referral discounts greatly complicate subscriber data analysis making precise figures hard to come up with.
Nevertheless, a competitive pricing model adopted by YouTube TV has made it an attractive option among budget-conscious consumers who want a full channel lineup without cable-like fees associated with traditional cable & satellite services.
Despite remaining unprofitable from the time it started until now, some believe that the platform’s position will change in 2026 and estimate a short-term margin of six percent. In the virtual pay-TV industry, YouTube TV might be heading in an upward direction with its predicted financial performance.
The projections seem solid as we see a decline in traditional cable TV services
This platform’s growth is fueled by telecom companies leaving traditional cable TV businesses for more broadband-intensive offerings. Last year, we saw the announcement of several regional cable operators who have chosen to terminate their cable TV services in favor of live entertainment, news, and sports programming on streaming platforms like YouTube TV.
Jason Cohen, CEO of video streaming marketplace MyBundle projects that hundreds of other cable providers will join them shortly advancing the transition to internet-based television solutions. With the growth in subscriber numbers, consolidation, and a secure position as one of the primary players in the industry, YouTube TV seems imminent to change market dynamics and lead a new age of televised content.
Google has started dropping updates and changes to its smart home products, and it’s affecting Works-with-Nest, Dropcam, and Nest-Secure users. The Works with Nest (WWN) developer program officially shut down on September 29, 2023. Dropcam and Nest Secure will follow suit on April 8th.
Google’s last-minute appeasement offers for Works-with-Nest and Dropcam users
While the Works-with-Nest developer program closed last year, 9to5Google confirms that existing connections will remain active until the time they become entirely inaccessible (between 5-60 days). One of the alternatives Google is introducing is the Google Home script editor in a few months where users can create advanced home automation for existing devices.
As of April 8, 2024, Dropcam and Dropcam Pro cameras will no longer be functional in the Nest app. As a result, those who wish to access anything related to these devices must download their video history before this date. In addition, owners of Dropcams that have been active during the past twenty-eight days will receive an email containing a free Nest Cam subscription before the shutdown date.
Also as part of the transition process for current Nest Aware subscribers, people can either get one free or half-priced Nest Cam, as entailed by the outgoing emails. There is also free recycling for all Dropcam devices provided by Google (if they were sourced from official channels).
Nest Secure is also shutting down leaving the Nest app obsolete
After April 8th, 2024, the Nest Secure system will completely halt and the Nest app will also stop functioning by the end of that day. Eligible U.S customers whose Nest Secure systems were still operational within the last four weeks would receive an opportunity for a free ADT Self Setup System comprising Smart Home Hub, door/window sensors, motion sensors, and twelve-month professional alarm monitoring.
On the other hand, if customers don’t want ADT, they may opt for a $200 Google store credit instead. This move follows Google’s discontinuation of NEST Secure products in 2020 while ADT introduced a modern alternative built around their legacy users.
These updates demonstrate how Google continues its efforts towards streamlining its smart ecosystem for home applications thereby creating new solutions for users’ home security and automation needs. To this end, users should remember these dates and the relevant offers so that they would have an easy time.
Telecommunications giant AT&T has finally confirmed that 73 million current and former customers have been caught up in a massive dark web data leak. The leaked data includes names, addresses, mobile phone numbers, dates of birth, and social security numbers.
The data came to light a few weeks ago when it was put up for sale on an online cybercrime forum, but the seller, a hacker calling themselves “MajorNelson”, claimed it had been stolen from AT&T three years prior.
In 2021, a hacker named “Shiny Hunters” put a database apparently containing the personal details of 70 million AT&T customers up for sale, but AT&T denied the leak was its data, and denied it again when the data appeared on the dark web last month. It has since revised its position as it wrestles with the thorny problem of investigating what happened on its computers three years ago.
In its latest statement, the company confirmed that the leak contained “AT&T data-specific fields,” but said it had not yet determined the source of that data.
AT&T has determined that AT&T data-specific fields were contained in a data set released on the dark web approximately two weeks ago. While AT&T has made this determination, it is not yet known whether the data in those fields originated from AT&T or one of its vendors. With respect to the balance of the data set, which includes personal information such as social security numbers, the source of the data is still being assessed.
However, it also said that it believes that the leak affects 7.6 million current customers, and the leaked data is “from 2019 or earlier”.
Based on our preliminary analysis, the data set appears to be from 2019 or earlier, impacting approximately 7.6 million current AT&T account holders and approximately 65.4 million former account holders.
It has come to our attention that a number of AT&T passcodes have been compromised. We are reaching out to all 7.6M impacted customers and have reset their passcodes. In addition, we will be communicating with current and former account holders with compromised sensitive personal information.
Personal information like names, addresses, phone numbers, passcodes, and social security numbers are prized assets for cybercriminals because they can be used to make scams much more believable.
In particular, this information will make it easier for criminals to pose as AT&T, and all 73 million people affected by this breach will need to be on their guard for scammers using it as a pretext to send personalised, AT&T-branded emails and messages.
Protecting yourself from a data breach
There are some actions you can take if you are, or suspect you may have been, the victim of a data breach.
Check the vendor’s advice. Every breach is different, so check with the vendor to find out what’s happened, and follow any specific advice they offer.
Change your password. You can make a stolen password useless to thieves by changing it. Choose a strong password that you don’t use for anything else. Better yet, let a password manager choose one for you.
Enable two-factor authentication (2FA). If you can, use a FIDO2-compliant hardware key, laptop or phone as your second factor. Some forms of two-factor authentication (2FA) can be phished just as easily as a password. 2FA that relies on a FIDO2 device can’t be phished.
Watch out for fake vendors. The thieves may contact you posing as the vendor. Check the vendor website to see if they are contacting victims, and verify any contacts using a different communication channel.
Take your time. Phishing attacks often impersonate people or brands you know, and use themes that require urgent attention, such as missed deliveries, account suspensions, and security alerts.
Set up identity monitoring.Identity monitoring alerts you if your personal information is found being traded illegally online, and helps you recover after.
Check if your data has been breached
Our Digital Footprint records now include the AT&T data so you can check if your information has been exposed online. Submit your email address (it’s best to submit the one you use most frequently) to our free Digital Footprint scan and we’ll send you a report.
