Big, beautiful screen on a budget

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Big, beautiful screen on a budget
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The HONOR Magic5 Lite (aka the HONOR X9), which launched last year, proved to be a compelling offering at its price bracket. It was a budget phone, and it tried to offer the best specs for the price. Well, its successor arrived quite recently, and we’re here to check it out. I’ve been using the HONOR Magic6 Lite for a while now, and this is my review of it.

The HONOR Magic6 Lite is not trying to reinvent the wheel, not at all. In fact, it is simply an evolution of the Magic5 Lite, design-wise. That’s not a bad thing, though, as the Magic5 Lite design was not bad at all. HONOR did, though, change things up under the hood, making this phone even more compelling from the price perspective. This phone is also known as the HONOR X9b 5G in some markets. Having said that, let’s dive in.

Table of contents

HONOR Magic6 Lite Review: Hardware / Design

The HONOR Magic6 Lite is very similar to its predecessor… design-wise. The phone looks almost the same from the front, and the same goes for the back. The camera island on the back does have a wider black portion, where the cameras are placed, which is how you can differentiate these two phones. The HONOR Magic6 Lite is also a bit larger due to a larger display. We’ll talk more about that a bit later on.

The model we reviewed has a glass backplate

The HONOR Magic6 Lite comes in four different colors. Those colors are Emerald Green, Midnight Black, Sunrise Orange, and Titanium Silver. We received the Emerald Green model, by the way. Every model except the Sunrise Orange one has glass on the back. The Sunrise Orange variant includes vegan leather on its back, so it’s less slippery. This Emerald Green variant is very slippery, as you’d expect out of a glass sandwich design, but it’s also very nice to look at. Its backplate sparkles when it’s hit by light, and it really does look quite nice.

AH HONOR Magic6 Lite image 12

The HONOR Magic6 Lite is very comfortable to hold despite its size

This phone is also very comfortable to hold. That’s something we’re used to when it comes to HONOR. The company has been making very ergonomic smartphones for quite some time now, this one is no different. There are no sharp angles to worry about or anything like that. It is slippery, but it’s also very comfortable. Make no mistake, though, this is a large phone. It measures 163.6 x 75.5 x 7.98mm, and weighs 185 grams. So it’s not that heavy at all, it’s actually quite light for its size. It is quite large, though, in every way. Its weight is quite surprising considering that it has a gigantic 5,800mAh battery.

It is also IP53 certified

The HONOR Magic6 Lite is IP53-certified for water and dust resistance. That is nice to see on budget devices, that’s for sure. The phone has very thin bezels and a centered display camera hole. The circular camera setup on the back is unique. It does protrude a bit, but not as much as the ones on flagship devices. All in all, there’s not much to complain about here, design-wise.

AH HONOR Magic6 Lite image 7

Accessories

When it comes to accessories, you may be surprised by what you get here, in a negative way. I was expecting to get both a charger and a silicone/gel case. That was not the case. That’s something I realized the moment I’ve seen how small and thin the box is. A charging cable (USB Type-A to Type-C) is included, but not the charging brick. You won’t find a case on the inside either. A SIM ejector tool is included, and some paperwork, of course. That’s it. I have to admit I was negatively surprised, but you should be able to find a compatible charger without a problem. More on that later on.

HONOR Magic6 Lite Review: Display

The display on the HONOR Magic6 Lite is… well, great. In all honesty, there’s nothing to complain about here at this price tag, not at all. In fact, this display is shooting above this price range. We’re looking at a 6.78-inch AMOLED display, which is curved. It has a resolution of 2652 x 1200, and a 120Hz refresh rate. The peak brightness is set at 1,200 nits and it also comes with TUV Rheinland Low Blue Light certification. The PPI here is 429, and a 1,920Hz PWM dimming is also a part of the package. That’s something that much more popular and expensive phones don’t offer.

On top of all this, HONOR refers to this display as ‘Ultra-Bounce Anti-Drop Display’ with ‘SGS Five-star Overall Drop Resistance”. That’s a certification, yes. I did not attempt dropping this phone, or anything of the sort, but you can find a ton of drop tests online. Do note that the ‘HONOR X9b’ could be the name of the phone related to those drop tests. It’s the same device but for different markets. That display really managed to survive a lot in those tests, and I was quite impressed, in all honesty.

AH HONOR Magic6 Lite image 15

The display is more than sharp enough and quite responsive

This panel is more than sharp enough, and quite responsive. It doesn’t have a particularly high touch sampling rate, but that’s per course for phones in this category. That’s not something many people will notice, though. The viewing angles are great, and the display is quite vivid. Its brightness is high enough for usage in basically all conditions, even though the panel is not as bright as some flagship ones out there, of course. That’s not something that should worry you, though. All in all, it’s a great display, especially at this price range. After using a ton of flagship phones in the last year or so, I really don’t have any outstanding complaints.

HONOR Magic6 Lite Review: Performance

HONOR improved this smartphone in the performance department too, compared to its predecessor. The Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 SoC is included here, and it’s over 30% faster than the Snapdragon 695 that HONOR used last year. On top of that, faster UFS storage is used here. The HONOR Magic6 Lite utilizes UFS 3.1 flash storage, compared to UFS 2.2 last year. You’re getting 8GB of RAM here, with 256GB of storage. That is the only variant of the HONOR Magic6 Lite, the HONOR X9b could be a different story, of course.

The performance is here more than fine

Do those improvements result in an obvious performance advantage? Well, to be quite honest, the HONOR Magic5 Lite performed really well for me. I didn’t have any major complaints, and the same is the case here. The phone was quite smooth during my usage over the course of almost two weeks. Even more advanced multitasking was no problem. There was a dropped frame here and there, but that’s about it. The phone didn’t even get hot during extended usage, actually, not even when I was running demanding benchmarks, such as the 3D Mark Stress Test, which you can check out below.

AH HONOR Magic6 Lite image 54

This device is not made for gaming, but it handles “normal” games without a problem

If you’re planning to play more demanding games with the HONOR Magic6 Lite, well, I’d recommend a different phone. This phone can run the vast majority of games without a problem, but it’s not exactly a machine for Genshin Impact. Casual games of all sorts are not a problem, the phone handles those without breaking a sweat. Chances are that cameras are not exactly considering this phone at all, so… that’s a non-issue. All in all, the performance was really good, and the heat was not an issue at all, not even close. This handset will be more than good enough for the vast majority of users.

Benchmarks

Benchmarks are never the best way to assess what the phone performs like, but they’re a good way to see how powerful and capable a phone is in general. That being said, we ran two different benchmarks here, rather different ones. Geekbench tests both the single and multi-core performance of a device and also its GPU performance. The 3D Mark Wildlife Extreme Stress test is different. It simulates using your phone for work stuff, as it runs continuous loops of simulated usage. On top of all that, we also tested how long it takes the HONOR Magic6 Lite to export a video via Capcut in 1080p at 30 fps. You can see all those results below.

Geekbench 6

HONOR Magic6 Lite review Geekbench chart

3D Mark Wildlife Extreme Stress Test

HONOR Magic6 Lite 3D Mark wildlife extreme stress test

Video export test

HONOR Magic6 Lite video export chart

HONOR Magic6 Lite Review: Battery

There is a 5,800mAh battery included inside the HONOR Magic6 Lite. Needless to say, that’s quite a large battery. This phone does have a large display, which is also quite sharp, but its SoC is not particularly power-hungry, and this battery should… in theory, be enough to handle everything. Is that the case in practice, however? Well, yes, it is, definitely. In fact, I’d say it’s one of the major selling points of this smartphone. If you need a large phone that also offers great battery life, this one is for you.

This can be a two-day battery smartphone for some people

This will be a two-day phone for most people. Of course, if you are a power user, you’ll likely want to charge it on a daily basis. After two days of use, I ended up with over 8 hours of screen-on-time. That was the case several times. At one point the phone actually reached the 9-hour mark, even though it was almost dead at that point. Usage on those days included everything but gaming, basically. As I did take pictures, a couple of video clips, streamed multimedia, used a browser, sent emails and messages, and so on. All in all, the battery life is great, and the video streaming test we’ll talk about next proves that.

Video streaming battery test

We’ve started doing a video streaming test for our review units not long ago. We have a specific video that we run at max resolution and at full brightness (manual). I’ve set the speakers to 50% volume, as that’s more realistic than 100%, that’s for sure. The phone did great in this test, as it reached 16 hours and 37 minutes before it died. That’s how long it took it to go from 100% all the way to empty battery.

35W wired charging is here, though it’s not particularly fast

AH HONOR Magic6 Lite image 52

What about charging? Well, the phone does support 35W wired charging. The thing is, there is no charger in the box, all you get is a Type-A to Type-C charging cable. Having that in mind, I charged the phone using a UGREEN 65W GaN charger and was able to utilize proper fast charging on the device. I didn’t test the charging speed with that charger, however. Just to be as accurate as possible, I used one of HONOR’s newer chargers, the one that came with the Magic5 Pro. The phone charged at max 35W, and it took it around two hours to fully charge. Well, a bit under two hours, 1 hour, and 56 minutes. For half that time, I was able to reach 80%. That’s not exactly the fastest charging around, but we’ve seen much slower, so… it’s not as bad in this price bracket.

HONOR Magic6 Lite Review: Camera

The HONOR Magic6 Lite is not a camera phone, far from it. Still, HONOR used a rather capable 108-megapixel main camera here with an f/1.75 aperture. That is the only camera worth paying attention though. Why? Well, there is also a 5-megapixel ultrawide camera, and a 2-megapixel macro camera, neither of which deliver good results. In any case, let’s talk a bit about those cameras, as not everything is bad.

AH HONOR Magic6 Lite image 22

The camera samples are separated into three different galleries

Before I get into everything, do note that there are three galleries at the end of this section. The first one shows you samples from the main camera (day and night), the second will show you main, ultrawide, and 3x zoom samples side-by-side. The last gallery focuses on samples with and without night mode. With that in mind, let’s talk about the main camera first.

During the day, the performance is passable

Almost every shot from the main camera that you’ll see in those galleries has been taken with the ‘AI’ mode on. That enables some additional processing on the phone’s part, and scene recognition as well. Images taken in that mode do look a bit more saturated and brighter than the ones without ‘AI’ mode on. The images during the day are passable, but I’m not impressed by any stretch of the imagination. We do have to keep the price tag in mind, though. Some images do end up looking really nice, others are underexposed, or too saturated. I didn’t really enjoy the inconsistency in the performance of this camera.

You can get a passable low-light shots, but that’s definitely not this phone’s strong suit

AH HONOR Magic6 Lite image 50

The same goes for low-light shots, actually. Some of them are passable, others are very blurry. The best ones I was able to capture were outdoors with a decent amount of street lights in the mix. Now, in some scenes, the photos look better with night mode off, while others are better with night mode on. I’ve noticed that night mode comes particularly handy when you’re indoors and there are not plenty of street lights in the mix. It does take the phone quite a bit more time to capture an image in night mode, though. You’ll have to wait for about 2 seconds for the capture, and 2-4 seconds for processing. It all depends on how dark it is.

Ultrawide camera on this smartphone is not particularly good

If you jump over to the second gallery below and check out main vs ultrawide camera samples, you’ll notice a huge difference. Ultrawide camera samples look very washed out, and they’re also missing details. That’s not all that surprising considering what sensor are we looking at here. 3x zoom shots are essentially processed crops of the main camera, and truth be said I prefer what they look like over what the ultrawide camera provides. Macro camera shots are not even worth mentioning, to be quite honest. Not a single phone out there should include a 2-megapixel macro camera. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again.

Camera performance is not the HONOR Magic6 Lite’s strong suit

So, to sum up, the HONOR Magic6 Lite can take a passable picture with the main camera, but that’s about it. This is not a camera smartphone, and the camera performance proved to be one of its weakest links during my testing. Luckily the phone does a great job in almost every other way, though.

Main camera samples:

Main vs ultrawide vs telephoto camera samples:

No night mode vs Night mode:

HONOR Magic6 Lite Review: Software

The HONOR Magic6 Lite ships with Android 13, on top of which you’ll find HONOR’s MagicOS 7.2 skin. If you’ve used any of HONOR’s smartphones in the last couple of years, you’ll be right at home here. For some, MagicOS is great, for others, not so much. It is rather different than stock Android, and different from what other OEMs tend to use on their smartphones. That doesn’t necessarily mean it’s bad, but you will be missing some features, while other things do work differently than you may be used to.

HONOR’s MagicOS 7.2 is clearly inspired by iOS

Truth be said, MagicOS 7.2 still looks a bit like iOS. HONOR is sticking with that theme. Just to list a couple of similarities, the notification cards on the lock screen are moved to the bottom of the screen. Those notifications do disappear after you see them, regardless of whether you’ve opened/swiped away the notification or not. The notification shade and quick toggles are two separate entities. You can move between them by swiping left and right, but they’re accessed differently. In order to access the notification shade, you need to swipe down from the top-left side of the screen. If you do the same from the top-right side, you’ll access the quick toggles. Speaking of which, quick toggles on this phone do look a lot like what iOS has to offer in that regard. In fact, the entire MagicOS 7.2 style resembles iOS, for better or worse.

AH HONOR Magic6 Lite image 11

There are some customizations included, but more options would be welcomed

In fact, even the lack of customization options is the same here. From the get-go you don’t have an app drawer, though you can luckily change that in the settings. What you can’t change, however, is what a swipe down across the screen does. On most Android phones you can set that action to open the notification shade, that’s not the case here. You’re stuck with HONOR Search, or nothing, as you can disable HONOR Search. There is also no double tap to lock option, but there is double tap to wake. Don’t get me wrong, there are customization options available here, but not as many as you’d like, and many of the ones you can find on plenty of other Android UIs are not here. HONOR is sticking with its choices.

The software has great animations and offers great performance overall

Now, I had to get that out of the way, as MagicOS is really not my favorite UI in its current state. That has been the case for quite some time. Still, if you like how it looks like, and the fact that some customization features are not available, this UI will serve you great. It worked very smoothly even on this budget phone, with gorgeous animations, and responsiveness. I really don’t have any complaints in that regard. Also, there’s not much bloat included on top of Android here. Only some HONOR apps and Google apps, most of which you can actually remove/disable, if you want. You do get an Always-On Display (AOD) feature here, the same goes for theming, changing the way icons look like, even a sidebar with app shortcuts if that’s something you want/need. Check out the screenshots I’ve left below if you’d like to take a closer look at MagicOS 7.2.

HONOR Magic6 Lite Review: Should you buy it?

Should you get the HONOR Magic6 Lite? Well, that’s a question only you can answer. But… if you have a limited budget, and this phone is in it, it’s worth considering, at the very least. There are a lot of upsides when it comes to the HONOR Magic6 Lite. This smartphone offers great design, and I’m not only talking about how it looks, but how it feels in the hand. It may be large, but it’s not heavy at all, and HONOR did an outstanding job with the shape of the device. There are no sharp edges or anything of the sort, not even close to it.

There are a lot of upsides here

On top of that, the HONOR Magic6 Lite has a great display. This is one of the best displays in this price range, without a doubt. The performance is also really good, and the battery life is great. Charging could be faster, but we do have to keep in mind what’s the price tag here. This phone’s weakest point is in the camera department. The cameras here are usable, especially the main one, but they’re not that good. So if you do tend to take a lot of pictures, and want them to look really good, well… that’s one area this phone is not really great at. Still, as mentioned, it has a ton of upsides, so… it’s your call.

AH HONOR Magic6 Lite image 14

You should buy the HONOR Magic6 Lite if you:

…are on a budget, and you like what this phone offers
…want a great display at this price range
…good performance is a must for you
…if you don’t want to charge your phone in the middle of the day
…like HONOR’s MagicOS implementation of Android

You shouldn’t buy the HONOR Magic6 Lite if you:

…don’t want to buy a charger separately
…want great camera performance


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GitLab Addressed A Critical Zero-Click Vulnerability

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GitLab Addressed A Critical Zero-Click Vulnerability
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Heads up, GitLab users! It’s time to upgrade to the latest GitLab versions, as the updates address multiple security flaws, including a zero-click vulnerability.

GitLab Disclosed A Serious Zero-Click Flaw Allowing Account Hijacking

As disclosed, numerous security vulnerabilities riddled the GitLab Community Edition (CE) and Enterprise Edition (EE), exposing users to different threats. Specifically, GitLab disclosed five different issues affecting the service, including an account hijacking zero-click vulnerability.

Regarding the zero-click flaw, GitLab elaborated that exploiting the flaw could allow an adversary to take over target accounts. The vulnerability appeared following a feature change to allow users reset their passwords with a secondary email address. Because of the error, it facilitated delivering account reset emails to unverified email addresses, triggering the security threat.

This flaw, CVE-2023-7028, first caught the attention of a bug bounty hunter with alias asterion04, who reported the bug via GitLab’s bug bounty program. It impacts GitLab self-managed instances running these affected versions: 16.1 to 16.1.5, 16.2 to 16.2.8, 16.3 to 16.3.6, 16.4 to 16.4.4, 16.5 to 16.5.5, 16.6 to 16.6.3, and 16.7 to 16.7.1.

The other vulnerabilities affecting the service include the following.

  • CVE-2023-5356 (critical severity): Incorrect authorization checks in GitLab CE/EE allowed an adversary to “abuse Slack/Mattermost integrations to execute slash commands as another user.”
  • CVE-2023-4812 (high severity): Adding changes to previously approved merge requests could allow bypassing CODEOWNERS approval.
  • CVE-2023-2030 (low severity): This vulnerability allowed an adversary to modify the metadata of signed commits.
  • CVE-2023-6955 (medium severity): Improper access control in GitLab Remote Development could let an adversary create a workspace under a different root namespace. GitLab listed this as the only vulnerability that caught the attention of GitLab’s internal security researchers.

GitLab has shared details about the vulnerabilities in its detailed post.

Patched Versions Available

Following the vulnerability reports for all five flaws, GitLab addresses them with GitLab Community Edition (CE) and Enterprise Edition (EE) versions 16.7.2, 16.6.4, and 16.5.6. while the service confirmed detecting no active exploitation attempts for any of these vulnerabilities, it still advised the users to upgrade their systems with the latest releases to receive all security fixes in time.

Let us know your thoughts in the comments.


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Data Management for Small Businesses

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Data Management for Small Businesses
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In the rapidly evolving digital world, data management has become a vital component of success for small businesses. As these entities strive to compete in a data-driven world, the challenges they face in effectively managing their data are unique and multifaceted.

This article aims to shed light on the significance of data management for small businesses, emphasizing the role of data in enhancing decision-making, operational efficiency, and customer relationships.

By understanding and leveraging the right data management tools, small businesses can unlock potential, streamline processes, and gain a competitive edge. Here, we learn more about the essentials of data management tailored specifically for the needs and constraints of small enterprises.

Understanding Data Management

Data management, at its core, is the systematic process of collecting, storing, processing, and analyzing data to derive meaningful information. For small businesses, this encompasses a range of activities from tracking customer interactions to managing inventory levels.

The essence of data management lies in its ability to transform raw data into actionable insights, facilitating informed decision-making. In a small business setting, effective data management can be the difference between missing opportunities and capitalizing on them.

Key concepts in data management include the efficient collection of accurate data, secure storage that protects against data breaches, and the ability to process and analyze this data to draw valuable conclusions. Each step is critical, as poor data collection practices can lead to unreliable insights, while inadequate storage can compromise data security.

Moreover, the processed data should be easily accessible to decision-makers, ensuring that insights are readily available to guide business strategies. In essence, data management for small businesses isn’t just about handling data; it’s about turning data into a strategic asset that drives growth and enhances customer satisfaction.

The Importance of Choosing the Right Data Management Tools

For small businesses, the selection of appropriate data management tools is not just a technological decision; it’s a strategic one. The right tools can significantly enhance a company’s ability to make informed decisions, respond to market changes swiftly, and maintain operational efficiency. When choosing these tools, small businesses must consider several key factors.

Scalability is crucial. The chosen data management solution should grow with the business, accommodating increased data volumes without compromising performance. Cost is another important consideration.

Small businesses need affordable solutions that offer good value for money without unnecessary features that inflate costs. Ease of use is essential; the tools should be user-friendly, requiring minimal technical expertise to operate. This ensures that all team members can utilize them effectively.

Lastly, integration capabilities are vital. The tools should seamlessly integrate with existing systems and software, facilitating a unified approach to data management. By carefully selecting data management tools that align with these criteria, small businesses can harness the power of their data more effectively.

Data Integration and ETL Processes

Data integration and ETL (Extract, Transform, Load) processes form the backbone of efficient data management, especially for small businesses dealing with diverse data sources. ETL is a critical procedure where data is extracted from various sources, transformed into a consistent format, and then loaded into a central repository. This process ensures data uniformity and accessibility, key factors in making data-driven decisions.

For small businesses, integrating data from different sources, like sales platforms, customer feedback, and internal databases, provides a comprehensive view of the business operations. This integrated approach allows for more accurate analysis, leading to informed strategic decisions. The transformation phase in ETL is particularly important as it standardizes data, making it more usable and meaningful.

Effective data integration through ETL results in several benefits for small businesses. It enhances data quality by eliminating inconsistencies, saves time by automating data collection and processing, and supports better decision-making by providing a holistic view of business data. By prioritizing efficient data integration and ETL processes, small businesses can leverage their data to its full potential, driving growth and success.

Leveraging Big Data and Analytics

Big data and analytics are not just the domain of large corporations. Small businesses, too, can harness these powerful tools to glean insights that drive strategic decisions and operational improvements.

Big data refers to the vast volumes of data generated every minute from various sources like social media, transaction records, and online interactions. For small businesses, leveraging this data through analytics can unveil patterns, trends, and customer preferences that were previously hidden.

The key for small businesses is to start small with big data. They can use affordable and accessible analytics tools to analyze customer data, track sales trends, or monitor online engagement. These insights help in optimizing marketing strategies, improving customer service, and streamlining operations.

The use of analytics in processing big data enables small businesses to make predictions about future trends and customer behaviours, thus allowing them to be proactive rather than reactive. This approach leads to smarter business decisions, tailored marketing campaigns, and ultimately, a significant competitive advantage in the marketplace. By embracing big data and analytics, small businesses can unlock a wealth of information that helps them grow and thrive in today’s data-driven world.

Best Practices in Data Management 

For small businesses, adopting best practices in data management is crucial for maximizing the value of their data assets. Firstly, maintaining high data quality is essential. This involves regular cleaning and validation to ensure accuracy and reliability.

Secondly, data security must be a top priority. Implementing robust security measures like encryption and access controls protects sensitive information from breaches. Additionally, conducting regular data audits helps in identifying areas for improvement in data handling processes.

Small businesses should also focus on training staff in data management best practices. This ensures that all team members understand the importance of data accuracy, security, and privacy. By adhering to these best practices, small businesses can not only enhance their operational efficiency but also build trust with their customers by responsibly managing their data.

Final Word

Effective data management is pivotal for the growth and success of small businesses. By understanding the basics of data management, choosing the right tools, integrating data effectively, leveraging big data and analytics, and adhering to best practices, small businesses can turn their data into a strategic asset. These efforts lead to better decision-making, enhanced efficiency, and stronger customer relationships.

While the challenges in managing data are significant, the opportunities it presents are even greater. Small businesses that invest in proper data management tools and techniques are well-positioned to thrive in today’s data-centric business environment, staying ahead in the competitive market.

  1. What Is Incident Management Software?
  2. Data Fabric: The Intricate Shield Against Evolving Cyber Threats
  3. 5 Common Database Management Challenges & How to Solve Them
  4. Elevating Data Security: Considerations When Transferring Digital Workspace
  5. PCI DSS Compliance for E-commerce: Ensuring the Security of Cardholder Data

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Motorola announced the Moto G Play (2024)

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Motorola announced the Moto G Play (2024)
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Motorola has launched its fair share of premium smartphones over the last year, but the company’s bread and butter is still its budget phones. The newest entry into the company’s popular Moto G line is the Moto G Play 2024. The company just announced this phone, and it looks like it should be your next affordable handset.

The Moto G Play 2024 has enough horsepower to get the job done

This phone comes with a set of specs that make it an all-around solid performer. It’s not exactly going up against the next Galaxy S Series phones, but it’s not exactly a slouch. This phone is sporting the Qualcomm Snapdragon 680 SoC. That’s a pretty solid performer, though it is getting a little long in the tooth.

This processor is backed up by 4GB of RAM, which could be further expanded to 6GB with RAM boost. As for the storage, we’re looking at 64GB of onboard storage which can be expanded 1TB via a microSD card.

The Moto G Play 2024 comes with a 6.5-inch 720p+ display. It’s not quite pixel-packed, but it does have a smooth 90Hz refresh rate. This will make for a pretty nice viewing experience.

Moving on to the camera, the Moto G Play 2024 will come with a sizable 50-megapixel camera. This camera will use pixel binning, so you’ll be looking at about a 12-megapixel shot. However, if you want to use the full 50 megapixels of the sensor, you’ll be able to do that as well. Up front, this phone is sporting an 8-megapixel selfie camera.

Moving on to the battery, this should come as no surprise. Motorola tends to put rather large batteries into some of its mid-range phones. The Moto G Play 2024 sports a large 5000mAh battery. This is standard for flagship smartphones on the market, so that’s a plus.

Other features include dual speakers, a 3.5 mm headphone jack, a water-repellent design, Bluetooth 5.1, and 10-watt fast charging.

Launch and availability

The Moto G Play 2024 will be available in the US starting on November 8th. This phone comes in at $149.99, and you’ll be able to get it unlocked from Amazon, Best Buy, and Motorola.com. If you’re looking to get it on a plan, then you can look into Consumer Cellular, Verizon, Xfinity Mobile, Visible, Cricket, AT&T, US Cellular, Cox Mobile, Straight Talk, Family Mobile, Total by Verizon, and Simple Mobile.


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Apple wants to move San Diego’s AI team to Texas, layoffs possible

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Apple wants to move San Diego’s AI team to Texas, layoffs possible
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Apple is disbanding a team of 121 employees handling the company’s artificial intelligence (AI) in San Diego. This team, called Data Operations Annotations, was told they have to move to Austin and join the Texas team. If they don’t want to move, they might lose their jobs. This news comes from Bloomberg, citing people in the know. Interestingly, Apple may be pushing limits to regain momentum. Notably, Microsoft recently dethroned Apple to become the most valuable company with a market cap of $2.89 trillion.

Apple wants to shift its AI team to Texas from San Diego

Apple is moving its AI team in San Diego, which checks if Siri is working well, to Austin, Texas. The San Diego team has 121 people, and if they don’t want to move, they might lose their jobs on April 26. This team listens to Siri recordings in different languages like Hebrew, English, Spanish, and Arabic to make sure Siri responds correctly, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman noted.

The announcement about the move comes from Apple’s Senior Vice President of ML/AI strategy, John Giannandrea. He is tasked with Siri development and the Apple Car project. Before joining Apple, he spent over 8 years at Google as head of Machine Learning.

Many affected workers in San Diego express reluctance to relocate to Austin. And some are feeling ineligible for roles due to a lack of engineering backgrounds. Apple has encouraged employees to apply for other positions. However, they haven’t received sufficient information about their future employment prospects.

Well, there are quite a few perks for those moving to Austin

Apple is offering a $7,000 relocation stipend to employees relocating to Austin by the end of June. Therefore, those declining the move will have their roles eliminated, receiving severance pay based on their length of service, along with six months of health insurance. Despite Apple’s previous avoidance of significant layoffs during the pandemic, this recent move may lead to some employees leaving the company.

All in all, Apple is striving hard to reclaim its position as the world’s most valuable company and prepping to ship the Apple Vision Pro in the US starting February 2.


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Alleged FruitFly malware creator ruled incompetent to stand trial

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Alleged FruitFly malware creator ruled incompetent to stand trial
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On January 4, 2017, Case Western Reserve University (CWRU), located in Cleveland, Ohio, became aware of an infection on more than 100 of its computers. The university was notified by an undisclosed third party, who provided information to help the team find and identify the malware.

CWRU began working with the FBI, who determined that the systems had been infected for several years. Together, CWRU and the FBI were able to identify that an IP address with which the malware was communicating had also been used to access the alumni email account of a man called Phillip Durachinsky.

On January 10 2017, and unaware of this ongoing investigation, Malwarebytes became aware of the Mac version of the malware that would become known as FruitFly. We shared our investigation with Apple, and learned that it was working with the FBI and calling the malware “FruitFly” internally.

On January 25, 2017, Durachinsky was arrested for involvement with the FruitFly malware. On December 7, 2023 – nearly 7 years later – a judge ruled that Durachinsky is incompetent to stand trial.

Who is Phillip Durachinsky?

Durachinsky, a resident of northeast Ohio, was seen by his peers as “awkward and eccentric” throughout grade school and college. Despite this, he was active in extracurricular activities. In high school, he participated in a computer club. As a member of the club, he competed in a local programming competition, helping the team to win in both 2005 and 2006. Interviewed by a local newspaper reporter following one of these wins, Durachinsky said, “It’s about teamwork, knowing your strengths and weaknesses to help the team.”

In college at CWRU, he participated in a philosophy club, where he was “interested in the philosophy behind mathematics.” In 2012, as a senior soon to graduate with a physics degree, he worked on a project with faculty member Robert W. Brown regarding nanoparticle behavior, assisting with software to visualize the behavior in 3D.

However, Durachinsky was frequently in trouble for his other computing activities. He was rumored to have hacked into his high school’s computer system, although those rumors were never confirmed. While at CWRU, he was accused of “cracking passwords” on a CWRU network. In an interview following his 2017 arrest, a local law enforcement representative said that Durachinsky was “not unknown to the authorities.”

The FruitFly malware

Initial investigation of the FruitFly malware showed something very interesting: some of the code in the malware was extremely old. There were many references to functions that dated back to the early days of the Macintosh, and that had been deprecated in macOS for years. (This led to Malwarebytes initially using the name “Quimitchin” for the malware, after the name for ancient Aztec spies that infiltrated enemy tribes. This name did not catch on.)

FruitFly included a number of very powerful capabilities, including file exfiltration, screen capture, execution of arbitrary commands, and remote access to the webcam and microphone. The FBI found more than 20 million files collected from victim machines on hardware confiscated from Durachinsky’s home.

According to an FBI Flash document released to affected organizations on March 27, 2017, machines were infected with FruitFly via brute force attacks, using weak passwords or passwords from breaches of other systems. (The latter is referred to as “credential stuffing.”)

“The attack vector included the scanning and identification of externally facing Mac services to include the Apple Filing Protocol (AFP, port 548), RDP, VNC, SSH (port 22), and Back to My Mac (BTMM), which would be targeted with weak passwords or passwords derived from 3rd party data breaches.”

FBI Flash

In this manner, thousands of computers were infected over more than a decade.

Arrest and arraignment

Apple had been acting as an intermediary, coordinating with both the FBI and Malwarebytes. On January 18, 2017, all three organizations took simultaneous actions. Apple released a security update to protect users against FruitFly, Malwarebytes published a blog post with technical details about the malware, and the FBI knocked on the door of the house linked to the IP address used by the malware. (The IP address was linked to the malware using data collected by CWRU, Malwarebytes, and AT&T.)

The house, as it turned out, was the home of Durachinsky’s parents, who allowed the agents to enter and mentioned that Durachinsky had been in trouble in high school for breaking into his high school’s website and hacking into teachers’ email.

The FBI found a laptop in Durachinsky’s room. When they entered the room, the laptop lid was slightly ajar, and agents were able to see that the cursor was moving – indicating that it was being remotely accessed – and that the control panel for the malware was visible on the screen. Agents disconnected the network router to prevent further remote access, which could have resulted in deletion of evidence. Also found were numerous hard drives.

On January 19, a judge signed a warrant allowing the FBI to examine the contents of the laptop and hard drives. As a result of the evidence found, Durachinsky was arrested on January 25. Following numerous requests by the defense and changes in Durachinsky’s legal representation, he was finally arraigned nearly a year later, on January 19, 2018.

Durachinsky was charged with 16 counts, including accessing and damaging computers without authorization, accessing a non-public government computer without authorization, production of child pornography, three counts of wire fraud, four counts of aggravated identity theft, and five counts of illegal wiretapping.

During the lengthy trial, it was the child pornography charge that seemed to be of most concern to the defense. Repeated attempts were made to evade it, including an attempt to suppress evidence due to claims of improper seizure, an attempt to suppress a confession made by Durachinsky, and an attempt to separate that charge from all the others and try it separately.

Ruling

Almost seven years after Durachinsky’s arrest, judge Solomon Oliver ruled that Durachinsky was incompetent to stand trial, by reason of being unable to assist in his own defense due to autism spectrum disorder (ASD). If psychologists determine that his “condition” can be treated to restore his competency, the trial will continue. Otherwise, he will be civilly committed.

Interestingly, although both prosecuting and defense attorneys agree on the competency ruling, Durachinsky himself does not. He has been cited as saying, “I don’t challenge the autism disorder diagnosis, but I disagree with the way this has been prosecuted.”

This ruling has caused some concerns in the information security community. ASD is not something that can be “cured,” though therapy can help to teach people on the spectrum how to improve social and communication skills. This can take years, however.

Some have expressed skepticism about the ruling, arguing that Durachinsky’s activities and public statements suggest that, like many affected by high-functioning ASD, he appears to be fully capable of understanding his situation and knowing the difference between right and wrong.

Others have expressed concerns about how this case has proceeded. Seven years of jail time without ever having been found guilty in a court of law is concerning. Although the evidence seems pretty damning, and it has been fully expected that Durachinsky would be found guilty, the US justice system is supposed to presume a defendant to be innocent until proven guilty.

What next?

It’s unclear what’s next for Mr. Durachinsky, but it would seem the saga is not yet over. Presumably he will be – or has been – released from jail, but there’s still the question of civil commitment. It’s unclear exactly what that will mean – whether this would require time in an institution and, if so, for how long. It’s also unclear whether there will be any kind of treatment that the court deems successful at restoring his competency, in which case the trial could resume.

We don’t just report on threats—we remove them

Cybersecurity risks should never spread beyond a headline. Keep threats off your devices by downloading Malwarebytes today.


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YouTube now works slower for users with ad blockers

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YouTube now works slower for users with ad blockers
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YouTube vs. ad blockers is no new thing. It has taken various measures to tackle them. Notably, it sent a legal notice leading to the shutdown of Vanced. Despite these efforts, it seems the war against ad blockers continues. According to reports, YouTube might’ve implemented measures to tackle ad blockers. These measures, including slowing down the platform for affected users, are now impacting a wider audience. This has led to complaints of longer loading times for some viewers, who may now have to choose between disabling their ad blockers or subscribing to YouTube Premium.

Those with ad blockers on, say YouTube has slowed down

Many users reported experiencing a slowdown in streaming videos with ad blockers installed. One user even shared a video of their experience on Reddit. It is likely because YouTube doesn’t like when people block ads, as it causes a sharp decline in its revenue system. Plus, it also affects content creators. Because no ads mean no check.

More importantly, YouTube thinks using ad blockers breaks their rules. For people who want to watch videos without ads, YouTube has a special paid service — YouTube Premium — that also makes them a lot of money.

It’s just slow and sluggish

People on Reddit noticed YouTube getting slow, as 9to5Google reported. The site becomes hard to use, but users found that turning off their ad-blocker makes it work normally again.

It seems YouTube is making the site slow on purpose by adding delays or limits, pretending there’s a slow internet connection. Videos take longer to load, previews don’t show up, and fullscreen mode doesn’t work without refreshing the page, as per reports. This makes YouTube tough for people with ad blockers installed on their browsers.

In an update to Android Central, YouTube clarified that it is not responsible for the recent slowdown on the platform. It added that this is not a part of its war against ad blockers. Nevertheless, users have faced this issue.


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Navigating the new frontier of cryptocurrency futures

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Navigating the new frontier of cryptocurrency futures
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Imagine a world where you could bet on the digital currencies of the future without actually holding any coins in your hands. That’s exactly what’s happening in the world of Cryptocurrency Futures. It’s like taking a shortcut through the maze of buying and storing digital tokens, bypassing the complexities, yet still getting a piece of the action.

By trading in futures, you’re essentially speculating on the price of cryptocurrencies going up or down, without the fuss of managing a digital wallet. But it’s not all smooth sailing; cryptocurrency futures come with their own set of waves to ride and winds to navigate.

Understanding the basics of cryptocurrency futures and their market dynamics

Let’s talk about the basics. In the heart of this financial adventure, Cryptocurrency Futures represent contracts to buy or sell digital currency at a predetermined price on a specific date in the future. While traditional traders might wrinkle their brows, those familiar with the ebb and flow of cryptocurrency understand its allure.

The market operates much like its traditional counterparts – relentless, 24/7 trading across a network of computers, without a physical home. This is trading jazzed up with the high note of blockchain technology.

Analyzing the risk and rewards associated with crypto futures for individual investors

Dealing with cryptocurrency futures is not for the faint-hearted. You might liken it to surfing; you have to respect the ocean’s power – the market’s volatility, in this case – or risk getting wiped out. But with risk comes the potential for reward.

A smart trader, like a good surfer, knows when to ride the wave and when to sit one out. The crypto space can offer lucrative opportunities, but it demands an understanding of the tides of digital currency and a firm grasp of the financial surfboard of risk management strategies.

Strategies for incorporating cryptocurrency futures into a diversified investment portfolio

For those looking to diversify, cryptocurrency futures could be a noteworthy addition to your investment mix. But think of it as seasoning with strong spices; a little can profoundly impact the entire meal, or your portfolio in this case.

It’s about finding the balance, understanding your financial taste buds, and knowing how much heat you can handle. A sprinkle of cryptocurrency futures might just be the zing you’re looking for, complementing traditional assets such as stocks and bonds to potentially stabilize returns and hedge against inflation.

Global economic shifts and their ripple effects on investments

Our world is a financial tapestry, where a tug on one thread can unravel or tighten the pattern of global markets. Economic shifts, whether due to policy changes, geopolitical events, or the impact of an innovation, can send shockwaves through your investments.

Picture this: a new policy rolls out across the Atlantic, and suddenly, the coffee beans you’ve invested in are either golden or losing their aroma. Such is the nature of our interconnected economies, where the wings of a butterfly (or in our case, the clicking of a trader’s mouse) can indeed cause a hurricane across global markets.

The relationship between environmental policies and energy investments

In the world of investment today, green is more than just a colour; it’s a directive. Environmental policies are reshaping the energy sector, bringing both challenges and opportunities. Investors are increasingly placing bets on companies that align with a sustainable future.

Renewable energy sources like solar and wind are gaining ground, while traditional fossil fuels see a more speculative horizon. Each new regulation could tilt the scales in favour or against your green investments. It’s a new kind of gold rush, but this time, it’s green, and it’s powered by policies aiming to sustain not just economies, but our very planet.

  1. How Altcoins Influence The World of Crypto
  2. ETH Exchange Rate Expectations for 2023-2025
  3. Outdated Wallets Threatening Billions in Crypto Assets
  4. What is Blockchain Gaming and its Play-to-Earn Model?
  5. Blockforia: An Analysis of Prominent Cryptocurrency Exchange

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Galaxy S24 Ultra to produce better 10x zoom shots than S23 Ultra

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Galaxy S24 Ultra to produce better 10x zoom shots than S23 Ultra
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Samsung will introduce a new telephoto zoom camera on the Galaxy S24 Ultra, which launches tomorrow. It is a 50MP unit with 5x optical zoom, a massively different solution than the Galaxy S23 Ultra’s 10MP unit with 10x optical zoom. Despite a drop in optical magnification, the new camera is rumored to produce better pictures. A reliable tipster may have just confirmed that.

Galaxy S24 Ultra to bring a massive zoom camera upgrade

Leaked official promo materials for the Galaxy S24 series have shown that Samsung touts the Ultra to feature a Qual Tele System with optical quality. While the phone has 3x and 5x optical zoom cameras, it also claims optical zoom quality at 2x and 10x magnification. The former is a crop from the 200MP main camera while the latter is from the 50MP 5x camera.

However, there are concerns about whether the Galaxy S24 Ultra can match the 10x zoom quality of the Galaxy S23 Ultra, which has a dedicated 10x zoom camera. A recent X post from noted tipster Ice Universe addresses these concerns. They claim the new model surpasses its predecessor in output quality when capturing photos at 10x magnification. It holds up well in low-light conditions too.

“The new 5x sensor of the Galaxy S24 Ultra is generally stronger than the three-year-old 10x sensor,” the tipster said. “When the light is weak, the photos taken by the S24U’s 10x are very smooth and clean, while the S23U’s 10x is full of noise.” If true, the telephoto camera change from Samsung will prove to be a major upgrade on the upcoming Ultra flagship.

Rumors say the new camera also allows you to record 8K videos at 5x zoom. Older models can record 8K videos only with their main camera. All of this comes without affecting the existing 100x hybrid zoom, which Samsung calls Space Zoom. The Galaxy S24 and Galaxy S24+ only feature a 3x zoom camera, though. So, you get optical zoom quality at 2x and 3x, while Space Zoom goes up to 30x magnification.

The new Samsung flagships will use AI to improve the camera performance

Samsung has built AI into the Galaxy S24’s system. You will find AI tools everywhere, including the cameras. Leaks suggest the new flagships will use AI to improve the camera performance and picture quality across various shooting conditions such as low-light environments. It won’t be long before we get to experience these upgrades hands-on. The Galaxy S24 trio will go official tomorrow, January 17.


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X, formerly Twitter, secures its 15th money-transmitter license, paving the way for new payment features

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X, formerly Twitter, secures its 15th money-transmitter license, paving the way for new payment features
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X (formerly Twitter) has been flying under the radar for a while now, with the occasional blip on the news scope, like when it gave verified businesses a price cut or forgot to cough up millions in bonuses (oops, it happens). However, now it seems the social media platform is inching closer to bringing Elon Musk’s dream of it becoming the “everything app” to life.According to Reuters, X has secured a money-transmitter license from Utah, marking the 15th US state to give the green light as the company delves into the possibility of offering payment features. This license allows X to operate like PayPal’s Venmo, facilitating money transfers and potentially allowing users to send money to one another.

Since taking over Twitter in October 2022, Musk has been on a mission to reshape the platform into an “everything app,” akin to the popular Chinese app WeChat. WeChat not only allows users to send messages but also enables functions like hailing a taxi and making payments to merchants.

In line with Musk’s vision, X snagged its initial state money-transmitter license in New Hampshire back in June 2023. The approval streak continued with nods from Pennsylvania, Arizona, Georgia, Maryland, and Michigan.

X is still awaiting approval from several other states, including California, New York, and Texas. The end goal is to snag licenses from all 50 states, giving X the green light to offer money transactions to users nationwide. “We want money on X to flow as freely as information and conversation,” once X’s CEO, Linda Yoccarino, said.

Dipping its toes into payments might be X’s way of spicing things up beyond just digital ads, especially after taking a hit under Musk’s reign. Some bigwig advertisers, Apple included, hit the pause button or bid farewell to the platform. Why? Well, Musk agreeing with an X user spouting off an antisemitic conspiracy theory last year might have had something to do with it.

After the transition from Twitter to X under Musk’s ownership, a slew of changes has rolled out, bringing in a bunch of new features. In the first year post-Musk takeover, we saw longer post lengths, the inclusion of video and audio calls, the launch of various new premium subscriptions, and a whole lot more.


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