Google has announced that it is rolling out a series of new features to its Google Home app, including expanded support for the first-generation Nest Cam Outdoor, the ability to create custom clips, and new AI-powered garage door detection. These features will first show up for users signed up for the Public Preview of the Google Home app, but will be available to all users in the coming weeks, with some requiring a Nest Aware subscription.
Expanded Support for First-Gen Nest Cam Outdoor
The first-gen Nest Cam Outdoor is now getting expanded support in the Google Home app. This means that users can now access their Nest Cam Outdoor footage directly within the app, without having to switch between apps. Additionally, the new camera history experience in the Google Home app makes it easier to find the footage that matters to you, thanks to event list and timeline views.
Source – Google
Create and Download Custom Clips
The Google Home app now lets you create and download custom clips from your Nest Cam footage. To create a custom clip, simply trim an existing event video clip by selecting a start time and choosing a clip length. You can also download custom clips from any part of your video history if you have a Nest Aware Plus subscription and a compatible Nest Cam or Doorbell.
Compatible cameras include Nest Cam (indoor, wired, 2nd gen), Nest Cam (outdoor or indoor, battery), Nest Cam with Floodlight, Nest Doorbell (wired), Nest Doorbell (battery), and Nest Cam Indoor (1st gen) and the Nest Cam Outdoor (1st gen) once Google Home app support is added.
Source – Google
New AI-Powered Garage Door Detection
Nest Cams can now tell you when you forgot to close the garage door. This new AI-powered feature uses image detection to identify whether your garage door is open or closed. If your garage door is left open, you’ll receive a notification in the Google Home app.
This particular feature will require a Nest Aware subscription and a Nest Cam (indoor, wired, 2nd gen) or a Nest Cam (battery) when wired for power.
Source – Google
Additional Updates
In addition to the new features mentioned above, Google is also working on adding event and timeline history to Nest cameras and doorbells viewed in a browser. The company is also working on the ability to download clips on Google Home for web.
Also, starting on December 1st, Nest doorbell users can start enjoying the yearly holiday themes that greet your visitors arriving for the holidays with a festive chime. This current update and the work that has been done with the Public Preview of the Google Home app so far, show that Google is committed to making it the single best place to set up and control your smart home.
A new study that examines the current state of password policies across the internet shows that many of the most popular websites allow users to create weak passwords.
For the Georgia Tech study, the researchers designed an algorithm that automatically determined a website’s password policy. With the help of machine learning, they could see the consistency of length requirements and restrictions for numbers, upper- and lower-case letters, special symbols, combinations, and starting letters. They could also see if sites permitted dictionary words or known breached passwords.
Using this tool they found:
12% of the websites they looked at completely lack password length requirements
3 out of 4 fail to meet minimum requirement standards which means they:
Allow very short passwords
Do not block common passwords
Use outdated requirements like complex characters
More than half of the websites in the study accepted passwords with six characters or less, with 75% failing to require the recommended eight-character minimum. Around 12% of the websites had no length requirements, and 30% did not support spaces or special characters.
Giving users that kind of freedom is asking for them to be duped. As we pointed out a while back, even tech-savvy users like IT administrators resort to awful passwords when given the chance.
The reasons for not enforcing standards are obvious. Most websites care more about customer satisfaction than security, and you can guess which one is better for business.
Users don’t like passwords, especially since the password situation has been made worse by ridiculous and unnecessary rules, such as asking users to pick passwords that follow formulas, or forcing users to change their password every few months. Both rules have been discredited but continue to haunt us. Formulas reduce the number of possible passwords a user can pick from, and regular password resets encourage users to pick passwords that conform to a predictable pattern, both of which can make guessing passwords easier, which is the opposite of what we want.
If you’d like to read more about this, read “Why (almost) everything we told you about passwords was wrong.” The article summarizes how a lot of what you’ve been told about passwords over the years was either wrong (change your passwords as often as your underwear), misguided (choose long, complicated passwords), or counterproductive (don’t reuse passwords).
We feel that we should entirely move away from the model that requires users to create and remember passwords. It is time for something more secure AND user-friendly. And it’s not like these systems don’t exist (hello Passkeys), we just need to embrace them more widely.
Let’s enable muti-factor authentication (MFA) where we can, even if we feel that using a password as the first factor doesn’t add a lot of extra security to the login procedure. And if we need to rely on passwords alone, try using a password manager. They help you create complex passwords and remember them for you.
The full report of the researchers will be presented at the ACM Conference on Computer and Communications Security (CCS) in Copenhagen, Denmark, later this month.
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.
Samsung-owned Harman has successfully acquired Roon, a multi-device music streaming app. It is a popular choice among music enthusiasts and is available across all popular operating systems. It supports several audio technologies, such as AirPlay, Chromecast/Google Cast, and more. The South Korean tech major’s acquisition of Roon is a move towards shaping its digital presence. Meanwhile, the financials remain under wraps. The latest acquisition, Roon, will continue to work as a standalone app.
Samsung-owned Harman acquires Roon, but major changes are unlikely
Samsung hasn’t revealed the amount it paid to acquire Roon. In a related acquisition, Samsung Electronics acquired Harman for a whopping $8 billion around six years ago, in March 2021. This acquisition gives Samsung a spot in the audio market and technology, as the former owns several leading audio brands, including AKG, B&O (Bang & Olufsen), Harman Kardon, Infinity Audio, and JBL.
Harman’s acquisition of Roon will not result in any immediate changes for Roon employees, according to an announcement. Roon will continue to operate autonomously within Harman, allowing its team to maintain their current focus and responsibilities. This acquisition signals Harman’s commitment to expanding its presence in the music technology sector.
Both parties seem excited about the deal
Roon’s open ecosystem seamlessly integrates with popular music streaming services and streams to a wide range of audio devices. Users can enjoy multi-room playback and manage their Roon library remotely using the Roon ARC app. Harman’s acquisition is poised to expand Roon’s compatibility with over 160 audio brands and enhance its support for over 1,000 high-performance devices.
Harman’s President of the Lifestyle Division, Dave Rogers, said in a statement, “We are looking forward to welcoming Roon, whose impressive talent will join the HARMAN family and bolster our already robust engineering capabilities.” Meanwhile, Roon Chief Enno Vandermeer stated, “Our team is ecstatic to join HARMAN, a visionary company that has been leading the audio industry forward for decades.”
With the acquisition of Roon, Samsung gains access to a sophisticated music streaming, multi-room audio, and music discovery platform that could be seamlessly integrated into its vast ecosystem of smart TVs, smartphones, and other audio devices. Roon’s advanced music management capabilities would allow Samsung to offer a more personalized and immersive music experience for its users. For instance, Roon can automatically identify and organize music collections. It can also provide recommendations based on listening habits, and even stream music in high-resolution formats for audiophiles.
Bitcoin’s mining process is not just limited to its voracious appetite for energy. It’s also making a substantial dent in water resources. A recent analysis reveals that the water usage associated with a single Bitcoin transaction could fill a small backyard pool, as reported by The Verge. Notably, it is equivalent to about six million credit card swipes, the researcher calculates. This arrives at a significant time when Bitcoin’s value is making a comeback after a while.
Vrije Universiteit’s PhD candidate highlighted Bitcoin’s water consumption
The study conducted by Alex de Vries, a PhD candidate at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, discusses the increasing water footprint of Bitcoin. De Vries points out that Bitcoin mining operations are notorious for their excessive consumption of both electricity and water.
While concerns about the environmental impact of cryptocurrencies have encouraged legislative discussions, the main focus has always been on its effect on climate change. However, de Vries’ latest analysis notes the potential stress Bitcoin mining brings to water resources, especially in drought-prone areas.
Water serves as a cooling system to prevent machine overheating
Bitcoin mining works as a nonstop process where specialized computers solve puzzles to validate transactions and earn Bitcoin. The giant computing power required not only results in major energy consumption. But also prompts the use of substantial amounts of water in cooling systems to avoid machine overheating.
De Vries told The Verge that he was surprised by the massive water consumption linked to crypto-mining. His analysis revealed a whopping 1,600 gigaliters in 2021 when Bitcoin’s value skyrocketed. His calculations included both direct water and indirect water consumption i.e., use from cooling systems and linked to electricity generation, respectively.
Despite a temporary decline in Bitcoin’s price and mining activities in 2022, the recent surge in Bitcoin’s value to around $38,000 indicates a potential resurgence in mining activities. He predicts that global water consumption for cryptocurrency mining will reach about 2,300 gigaliters in 2023. And, the U.S. will probably become a major mining hub.
For those wondering how much 2,300 gigaliters are, it could fill a football stadium or lake with ease. Meanwhile, Ethereum ditched the energy-intensive mining process in favor of a different consensus mechanism known as Proof of Stake (PoS). De Vries advocates for proactive measures, suggesting a shift away from mining could rapidly lessen the environmental toll of Bitcoin.
In August, Mozilla announced full-fledged browser extensions for Firefox for Android. The company said an open extension ecosystem will be available for its mobile browser app before the end of the year. It has now shared a precise launch date. Firefox users on Android will be able to download more than 400 extensions starting December 14, 2023. A handful of them are already available, giving you a sneak peek at what’s on the way.
Mozilla starts rolling out open extensions to Firefox for Android
While extensions are common in desktop browsers, their mobile versions don’t support the feature or have limited support. Google Chrome is the world’s most popular mobile browser but still lacks extension support on Android. Firefox’s extension ecosystem on Android is poor too. It got smaller since the Fenix redesign in 2020. Mozilla cited security reasons and other compatibility issues for killing mobile extensions.
The firm has revived a few over the past three years, but only a handful of desktop extensions are available on Android. It’s now expanding the ecosystem with hundreds of new open extensions. Earlier this year, Mozilla provided developers with instructions and other technical information for making their extensions ready for Android. It also created guides and resources for developers and hosted webinars to support them during this migration.
It appears the efforts bore fruits. Giorgio Natili, Firefox’s Director of Engineering, says the Android browser app will gain support for more than 400 new extensions at launch on December 14. The company has already started preparations for the launch with an “Explore all Android extensions” section on the addons.mozilla.org (AMO) page. It is a dedicated section for new extensions.
“We’ve been so impressed with developer enthusiasm and preparation,” Natili said in a blog post. “Just a few weeks ago it looked like we might have a couple hundred Android extensions for launch, but now we can safely say AMO will have 400+ new Firefox for Android extensions available on December 14.”
You can already download a few extensions
Ahead of the big launch next month, Mozilla has released a handful of extensions for the Firefox Android app for you to try out. Some of the notable ones include Bitwarden’s password manager, a text-to-speech tool, a reverse image search tool, Web Archives, and an extension to remove tracking elements from URLs. You can find them all on the AMO page. Check back again on December 14 for more.
If you’re in the know about the Google Pixel 8 and Google Pixel 8 Pro, you’re aware of their prominent AI features. Recently, the Pixel 8 Pro received an update for the integrated AI Core app, elevating its AI capabilities. This update is currently exclusive to the Pixel 8 Pro, leaving the door open for speculation about its future availability on other Tensor-enabled Pixel devices.
This distinctive AI Core app doesn’t have an app icon that shows up in the app drawer or on your home screen. Instead, it operates in the background as a service, helping any app that taps into the power of artificial intelligence.
Possible additions to the Pixel 8 Pro with the AI core update
Earlier 9to5Google noticed a Google Play Store listing for the app that describes, “powers features across Android and provides apps with the latest AI models”. However, the listing has now been taken down. Possibly because Google has plans for a separate announcement for the app or its functions that you get on a Pixel device.
The exact functionalities of AI Core remain shrouded in mystery due to the absence of an official statement from Google. However, insights from the Pixel 8 Pro launch event suggest that the device runs some impressive generative AI models on-device. It enhances numerous functions like the Magic Eraser feature in Google Photos with swifter performance. This AI Core update appears to intend just that with Google’s latest on-device foundation models.
The AI features have become standard on leading smartphones. However, the extent to which AI processing occurs locally versus in the cloud varies. The AI Core app likely manages local AI processing in the Pixel 8 Pro. Supporting the AI cores with the latest GenAI models indicates more efficient processing on the latest Pixel.
Will it remain exclusive to the Pixel 8 Pro?
While this update appears to be exclusive to the Pixel 8 Pro as of writing this, it’s likely that Google will push the latest foundation models to at least the Pixel 8 if not older tensor-enabled Pixels in the near future.
With the chips getting powerful and efficient and the development in the AI front, this on-device AI processing strategy is also expected to reflect on devices from other manufacturers like the upcoming Galaxy S24 Ultra, which is rumored to embrace the title of the company’s first ‘AI phone.’
Google has made a significant change to the way Cast media controls appear on Android devices. Instead of residing in the notification shade, Cast controls now sit within the dedicated Android media player. This brings Cast controls in line with other media playback controls, making it easier to manage multiple media sources simultaneously.
Previously, Cast media controls were displayed as separate notifications, occupying space in the notification shade. This approach, while functional, lacked the visual integration and ease of access offered by the dedicated media player.
However, as spotted by 9to5Google and replicated by yours truly, the new Cast controls are designed to be simple and unobtrusive. They will show up with a generic icon and no artwork, and you won’t be able to use the output switcher or see which media is playing at a glance. You will still be able to control playback (including pausing, playing, skipping, and seeking) and upon tapping the player, you will be directed to the Google Home app’s Now Playing screen.
New Cast Media Controls
While the current functionality mirrors the old Cast notifications, there’s hope for expanded options in future updates. The new Cast media controls are available in version 23.44.14 of Google Play services, which is rolling out to Android devices now. Users can anticipate receiving the update within a few days if it’s not yet available.The introduction of the new Android media player with Android 11 marked a turning point for built-in media playback capabilities. Over time, the media player gained enhanced features, including input switching, improved visuals, and functions linked to updated APIs.
Cast media controls, introduced in 2017, initially sparked confusion and controversy. Users were unaware that others could see their media choices, and some inadvertently interrupted media playback for others while dismissing the unexpected notifications. Google responded by adding the option to disable Cast notifications entirely.
The shift of Cast controls to the Android media player streamlines media management and aligns with the overall Android experience. While the current functionality is limited, future updates may bring additional features and enhance the overall Cast media control experience.
The Zoom vulnerability was originally discovered in June 2023. Despite the discovery being made earlier, the details were only publicly disclosed on November 28, 2023.
Zoom Rooms, the cloud-based video conferencing platform by Zoom, is making headlines due to a recently discovered vulnerability. This flaw poses a significant security risk as it enables attackers to seize control of a Zoom Room’s service account, gaining unauthorized access to the victim organization’s tenant.
Exploiting this Zoom vulnerability allows attackers to hijack meetings, manipulate the Contacts feature, infiltrate organization-wide whiteboards, and extract sensitive data from Team Chat channels, even without an invitation. What’s particularly concerning is that these actions can be carried out without detection.
In June 2023, a researcher at AppOmn discovered a vulnerability in Zoom Rooms during HackerOne’s live hacking event, H1-4420, where Zoom was a participating company. Despite the discovery being made earlier, the details were only publicly disclosed on November 28, 2023.
In a blog post shared with Hackread.com ahead of its scheduled publication on Tuesday, Ciarán Cotter from AppOmni outlined that once attackers gain access to an organization’s tenant, they can infiltrate confidential data shared within Team Chat, Whiteboards, and other Zoom applications.
For your information, Zoom Rooms allow team members from different physical locations to collaborate over Zoom. To set it up, the Zoom Rooms app must be installed on a device, such as an iPad. It serves as a terminal for everyone in the room. This device is of critical importance as it attends the meetings on behalf of all.
When a user creates a Zoom Room, their service account is automatically created with licenses for Whiteboards and Meetings. These accounts possess extensive access within the tenant because of their function as regular team members.
Exploiting the Zoom vulnerability enabled attackers to predict service account email addresses, hijack the accounts, and collect sensitive information. The issue arose because the Zoom Rooms service account ID was directly inherited from the user with the Owner role in the tenant during the account creation process.
This flaw meant that being in the same meeting as a Zoom Room and messaging it on Team Chat could expose the entire email address, given that it followed the format: rooms_<account ID>@companydomain.com.
With this information, attackers could create an arbitrary Outlook email address that matches the format: room__<account ID>@outlook.com and use it to follow the Zoom sign-up flow. They would receive the activation link sent to the Zoom Room’s email address. With the control of the email inbox, they can click the link and activate the account.
The issue was further intensified by the fact that service accounts couldn’t be removed from Team Chat channels. However, there’s nothing to be wary of as Zoom has addressed this vulnerability by removing the ability to activate Zoom Room accounts. This prevents threat actors from exploiting this predictable email format and claiming unauthorized access to Zoom room service accounts.
Still, this finding highlights the potential misuse of service accounts to gain unauthorized access to SaaS systems. Service accounts are frequently used by third-party applications to access SaaS data. Therefore, safeguarding these applications and service accounts is critical for maintaining a robust SaaS security posture.
Spotify Wrapped 2023 is finally here. The yearly tradition of seeing what songs and artists you listened to the most, how many minutes you spent listening to music, and a few other metrics. Spotify Wrapped is a marketing stunt that everyone loves. It’s a story all about you and your music-listening habits, which makes it such a great experience.
Today, Spotify Wrapped 2023 was launched. The company has also added a few new features to Wrapped this year. The streaming service also revealed that 574 million people listened to its platform this year. Their top global artist is, unsurprisingly, Taylor Swift, with 26.1 million global streams. Spotify also mentioned that Bad Bunny, The Weeknd, Drake, and Peso Pluma rounded out the top five most streamed artists globally.
What is Spotify Wrapped 2023?
What exactly is Spotify Wrapped? Well, they provide the streaming services year in review for every user – free and premium. It’s a yearly feature showing you the listening habits over the past year.
In 2020, Spotify started using an Instagram Story-like carousel to put your listening habits into perspective. Show you the songs you listened to the most, your top artists, and even how many minutes you spent listening this year. And now, in 2023, the company has added a few more features to the Instagram Story feature.
New features in Spotify Wrapped 2023
This year, Spotify Wrapped has debuted five new features to help you dig more into your year in review. The first new feature is Sound Town. This will match you with a city that best fits your listening and artist affinity.
Spotify has also added “Me in 2023, ” demonstrating the streaming habit defining your music listening this year. You’ll be able to flip a card, and it will reveal a listening character specific to your tastes and habits on Spotify.
One of the more remarkable features that might make you a little hungry is the Top 5 Genres. This will show your top five music genres and how they stacked up, as presented in a sandwich.
Speaking of the top five, Spotify will also show you the top five artists you listened to and which month they peaked in for you. This helps paint a better picture of your year on Spotify and the artists you listened to.
Finally, you can get your own Artist Messages. Everyone will get at least one of your top artists and hear them thank you for listening to their music this year. You can also visit the Wrapped feed for video messages from thousands of other artists.
How to find your Spotify Wrapped
As usual, Spotify Wrapped can only be found on the iPhone, iPad, or Android app. When you open the app, you should see a banner in the middle about Spotify Wrapped 2023. Just tap on that. If you don’t see the banner, you should see a “Wrapped” button in the quick links at the app’s top.
Here, you will see an Instagram Story-like carousel showing you different music you listened to this year. It’ll showcase your listening habits as well.
Once you reach the final page, it’ll show you the Top Artists and Top Songs you listened to this year. As well as how many minutes you listened to Spotify and your top Genre.
You can tap the “Share” button at the bottom to share this on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook Stories, or anywhere else.
And that’s Spotify Wrapped for 2023!
How to Add “Your Top Songs 2023” to Your Library
You’ll also want to add the “Your Top Songs 2023” playlist to your library. This is your top 100 songs you listened to this year, and you’ll be able to add it to your library easily.
While you go through the Instagram Story-like carousel that we discussed above, on the fifth story, you should see something that says that you deserve a playlist as long as your skincare routine.
This will show you the playlist and a button to “Add to Library.” Just tap that button, and it’ll be added to your library.
Alternatively, if you don’t want to browse that carousel, you can search for “Your Top Songs 2023,” which should be the first result.
What other Spotify Wrapped 2023 playlists are there?
Spotify doesn’t just make playlists for each user; it also makes other 2023 playlists to help you find music you might have missed or even forgotten about.
On the Spotify homepage, you should see a new carousel that says “Best of Fresh Finds 2023.” this has several different Fresh Finds playlists for different genres, including:
Fresh Finds
Hip Hop
Indie
Rock
Dance
R&B
Pop
Latin
Experimental
Country
And many more.
Spotify does make other playlists for Spotify Wrapped 2023. In the Spotify Wrapped section, these are found towards the top of the home page. These playlists include:
Top Tracks of 2023 USA
Top Artists of 2023 USA
Top Groups of 2023 USA
Top Tracks of 2023
Top Artists of 2023
Top Groups of 2023
Of course, these will differ based on your country. And there are many more that you can discover here. Spotify already does anent job with discovery, and they ashowtheir strengths here.
But that is Spotify Wrapped for 2023. And that’s how you can find your Spotify Wrapped 2023 and make the most of these playlists.
You may have come across a rumor recently that Samsung will soon rebrand its Exynos lineup of smartphone processors. The company was said to be preparing to replace Exynos with its “Dream Chip” next year or in early 2025. However, this doesn’t seem to be happening. The firm released a statement saying the rumor is not true.
“The rumor on rebranding is not true,” Samsung said in a statement to Android Authority. “For your reference, the mentioned brand name [Dream – ed] is simply an internal project name.” The firm went on to clarify that “all rumors regarding rebranding are not true.” So yes, the Exynos brand isn’t going to be a thing of the past, certainly not anytime soon.
Samsung will keep the Exynos chip brand
The rumor about Samsung rebranding Exynos chips was passed along by X tipster @OreXda. “Goodbye Exynos. Hello Dream Chip,” they posted, followed by a rendering of a Samsung processor featuring the “Samsung Dream Chip” branding. The source also said that the entire Exynos lineup will be rebranded.
Unsurprisingly, everyone rushed to cover the news, saying Exynos chips would soon be called “Dream Chips.” We held back on reporting on the story because the source doesn’t have a track record of accurate Samsung leaks. They have got a few things wrong in the past. Among other things, they claimed that the firm would launch the Galaxy S22 FE and Galaxy Buds 2 Live and that the Galaxy S23 FE doesn’t exist. All of these claims turned out to be incorrect.
It turns out their latest claim isn’t accurate either. Shortly after the internet went abuzz with reports on their claim, the tipster added that “Dream Chip” is just a codename and not the new branding for Samsung’s processors. They said the chips would go by a different name but not Exynos. However, the Korean firm has now clarified that no rebranding of its Exynos chips is happening.
Samsung’s Dream Chip is a custom processor for flagship Galaxy devices
Samsung may not rebrand the Exynos lineup, but it does have a “Dream Chip” in the works. It is a custom processor for flagship Galaxy devices. The Exynos solutions made by its semiconductor division aren’t customized for Galaxy devices at the development stage. Hence Samsung’s smartphone division is working with its sister firm on a customized solution. The project kicked off in early 2022.
It is going this route because of the power, performance, and thermal issues Exynos chips have had in recent years. Competing Snapdragon solutions from Qualcomm have consistently outperformed the Samsung processors. Unsurprisingly, Galaxy users have had enough and are already questioning its decision to equip the Galaxy S24 and Galaxy S24+ with the Exynos 2400 in some markets next year, despite Samsung promising improvements.
Deep down, it knows that customers have lost faith in Exynos. Hence, it is developing a custom solution for flagship models. The “Dream Chip,” as the project is internally called, is expected to debut with the Galaxy S25 series in early 2025, replacing the Exynos 2500. It may not bear the Exynos brand. However, Samsung’s other semiconductor chips will continue to use that brand for the foreseeable future.