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You want to rent a DVD from Netflix? Bummer, they don’t do that anymore

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September 29, 2023

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You want to rent a DVD from Netflix? Bummer, they don’t do that anymore

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It’s official. Farewell to the era when Netflix came in the mail!

September 29, 2023, will go down in history as the day the last rented DVD from Netflix is mailed. “But the red envelope remains an enduring symbol of our love of entertainment”, reads a post from the official X account for Netflix over at X.

There are three separate social media posts from Netflix regarding the DVD-renting ending. The aforementioned one features a picture that contains the “DVDs will always be in our DNA” slogan on a billboard.

The second one is picture-featuring (pun intended) as well, with the image being a collage from multiple movie posters. “Netflix has shipped 5.2 billion DVDs over the last 25 years – here’s a timeline of the most rented movies throughout those years”, reads the tweet. There are iconic titles, like The Great Lebowski, Gladiator, The Departed, Dunkirk, and more. Here it is:

The third post is a carefully edited 73-second long video that shows the ins and outs of the DVD-renting empire in the last 25 years (starting in 1998 with the shipping of its first disc, Beetlejuice) but shot in the manner of a Christmas Hallmark movie.

What the hell is even that – a DVD?

We’ve come full circle now. Being raised on online streaming platforms, there surely are many young people today who literally have never seen a DVD, as many people didn’t either back in the 90s.

Since we’re talking about movies, there’s a memorable scene from the 1984 Wolfgang Petersen heart-warming classic The Neverending Story that comes to mind. A boy is being chased by bullies and manages to escape them by accidentally getting into a dusty, gloomy bookshop. The owner is an elderly grouchy fella who automatically refuses to believe a kid could enter a bookshop willfully. In a rather short, but cynical tirade he tries to kick the boy out with words:

“Here we just sell small rectangular objects. They’re called books. They require a little effort on your part and make no bee-beep-beeps. On your way please.”

So, next time some 16-year-old is curious what DVDs are, you can answer that they did in fact use to make “bee-beep-beeps”, but required a little effort – mainly to walk to your postbox to get that red Netflix envelope.

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ZeroFont Phishing-Hackers Manipulates Font Size to Bypass Office

Hacking

andreasc

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September 29, 2023

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ZeroFont Phishing-Hackers Manipulates Font Size to Bypass Office

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A new but ancient technique for Phishing emails has been recently identified called ZeroFont Phishing. Threat actors have followed several tactics for sending phishing emails, bypassing all the security mechanisms.

However, using this technique, threat actors could bypass Microsoft’s Natural Language Processing, which was acting as a Phishing email protection for Office users.

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Implementing AI-Powered Email security solutions “Trustifi” can secure your business from today’s most dangerous email threats, such as Email Tracking, Blocking, Modifying, Phishing, Account Take Over, Business Email Compromise, Malware & Ransomware

Office 365 – Natural Language Processing

Microsoft has been working towards their way of securing its customers in all aspects. One of the major areas they focus on is phishing (Business Email Compromise) attacks, which have been the most used technique by threat actors for infiltrating organizations.

To prevent these phishing emails, Microsoft has been relying on Natural Language Processing, which scans the contents of an email for signs of impersonation or fraud. If an email content includes text like “© 2018 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved” and the email is not from Microsoft.com, Microsoft immediately flags this email as fraudulent.

This technique was also used to interpret email contents like banking information, user accounts, password resets, and financial requests and are checked for authenticity. However, threat actors bypassed this technique using the ZeroFont Phishing attack.

ZeroFont Phishing

The threat actor sends an email to the victim impersonating an Office 365 quota limit notification, which looks like an administrative service email. However, this phishing email bypassed the protection due to the use of the ZeroFont attack.

ZeroFont Phishing attack (Source: AVANAN)

Threat actors inserted random text inside the email, which had <span style=”FONT-SIZE: 0px”> for a zero font size, and broke up the text strings to bypass Microsoft’s natural language processing.

A complete report has been published by Avanan, which provides detailed information about this attack and bypass scenarios used by threat actors.

Protect yourself from vulnerabilities using Patch Manager Plus to quickly patch over 850 third-party applications. Take advantage of the free trial to ensure 100% security.

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The Google Messages redesign is now rolling out

Android

andreasc

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September 29, 2023

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Not too long ago, we followed rumors that Google was working on a redesign for Google Messages. It’s going to bring some subtle yet noticeable changes to the home page. Well, the Google Messages redesign is finally rolling out, according to 9To5Google.

Google has been in the process of redesigning the app’s home screen for a few months, so we’re just now seeing it in action. Since this is a software update, there’s a chance that you won’t see it right away.

It may take some time to make it to your device. If you want to check for it, you can go to the Play Store and check for an update. If you still don’t see it after updating your app, then you’ll have to wait.

The Google Messages redesign is now rolling out

This isn’t a major redesign of the app. It just changes some aspects of the home screen. One thing you’ll notice is the change to the search feature. Previously, you saw a search bar across the top. However, this time around, you just see a search button on the top right of the UI right next to your profile picture.

Tapping on it will bring up a dedicated search page with your most recently contacted contacts. Under that, you’ll see a grid of filters to help you refine your search. These filters are Unread, Known, Unknown, Starred, Images, Videos, Places, and Links.

The next change to the interface is the banner across the top. The app has a two-toned look to it, and the top bar will be a different shade from the rest of the interface. In the Banner, we see the Google logo on the left with the text “Messages” right next to it.

The next change is the lack of the hamburger-style menu that used to be on the top left of the UI. This menu housed the starred and archived messages, Spam & blocked messages, device pairing settings, and the theme setting.

Now, you can find most of those settings in the floating window that pops up when you tap on your profile picture. All that’s missing is the theme setting button. That will be found under the Messages settings section.

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iPhone 15 Pro, Pro Max heating issue is getting out of hand

Tech

andreasc

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September 29, 2023

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iPhone 15 Pro, Pro Max heating issue is getting out of hand

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It hasn’t been smooth sailing for Apple since the launch of the iPhone 15 series. There are concerns about the durability and thermal management capabilities of the new iPhones, particularly the two Pro models. The iPhone 15 Pro Max’s back glass shattered during a YouTuber’s bend test. While it may not be a major problem, the heating issue is getting out of hand. A user’s iPhone 15 Pro has started swelling due to too much heat.

iPhone 15 Pro starts swelling after just a few days of use

A Reddit user recently posted a photo showing their brand-new iPhone 15 Pro swelling up on the right side near the bottom of the screen. The user says they picked up the phone on Monday from a Verizon store and didn’t notice anything wrong initially. A couple of days later, they tried putting a case on it but it didn’t fit perfectly. At this point, they examined the device properly and found it swelling up at one end.

It’s unclear whether the phone started swelling after they put it in the case or if it was swelling before that. Either way, this is a major problem likely caused by overheating. The battery has swollen because the device failed to keep temperatures in check. There’s no other report of a swollen iPhone 15 (any model) at the moment, but online platforms are full of complaints about the phones getting abnormally hot.

Users say their new iPhones are heating up not only during charging or heavy usage but also during phone calls and basic usage such as scrolling through Instagram reels. The bulk of the complaints have come from iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max users, suggesting that the new Apple A17 chip is the culprit here. The two regular models use last year’s processor, the Apple A16.

This iPhone 15 heating issue is fairly widespread

Of course, not every Pro model has this heating issue. However, the problem appears fairly widespread for it to be a major concern for Apple. The company hasn’t responded to the reports yet, but we expect to hear something from it soon. It certainly can’t sweep things under the rug. If you remember, the iPhone 4 had a connection or antenna issue and Apple said it was because people were holding the device wrong.

This kind of solution won’t work here, though. A brand-new phone getting abnormally hot and having its battery swollen after just a few days of use is a major problem. Apple might be able to keep the temperature in check by throttling the A17 chip through a software update, thus affecting the performance of the phone. However, you can’t completely rule out the possibility of a bigger underlying issue that can’t be fixed with software updates.

It remains to be seen how Apple responds. The company may already have many return or replacement requests from early buyers. If the replacement units have the same problem, things could get unmanageable for the Cupertino giant. In the worst-case scenario, it might have to recall the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max. For the time being, it might be a safe bet to not place your orders if you haven’t already.

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The Google Messages redesign is now official, the hamburger button is no more

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andreasc

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September 29, 2023

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The Google Messages redesign is now official, the hamburger button is no more

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The hamburger button, menu icon, slide drawer icon, slide drawer navigation button, the three lines button… call it whatever you wish, it’s gone from the Google Messages app. This is part of Google’s home screen redesign for Messages that only a handful of users got their eyes on as early as this past June. Now, it’s official and being rolled out to everyone (via 9to5Google).The user interface change has been in beta testing for some months now and it seems the tests were satisfactory to Google’s taste, as the new look is now official. Until now, upon opening the Google Messages app, there was a search field at the very top of the screen.

The redesigned home screen now displays (left-to-right) four elements. The first two are both non-clickable and are to the left of the screen: the (in)famous “G” logo in Google’s four-color palette, and a “Messages” title text.

Over at the right side, there’s a magnifying glass icon that’s doing what the now-missing search field was doing; the last element is the profile avatar button that opens the app’s menu. This is where you can now find Archived, Spam & blocked, Mark as all read, and Device pairing, as well as options for managing your account and digging into the app’s general settings.

Let’s go back to the magnifying glass icon for a moment. When you tap it, the good old search field appears on a new screen with eight filter boxes available for a refined search: “Unread, Known, Unknown, Starred, Images, Videos, Places, and Links”. Another change is that the Message organization feature has been removed: gone are the tabs at the top for All, Personal, and Business sections, but the “Auto-delete OTPs after 24 hrs” option remains available in settings.

Messages went from 1 billion to 5 billion installs since the pandemic

Google Messages is very popular, to say the least. Back in the spring of 2020, the app was downloaded one billion times. Except for the Google Pixel phone, the app was not pre-installed on many Android devices. In 2022, Samsung adopted it as its default messaging app for the Galaxy phones.

Another significant milestone was passed just the other day: the Google team announced the app has been installed over five billion times.

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Samsung Galaxy A72 & A52s 5G are getting big new updates

Android

andreasc

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September 29, 2023

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Samsung Galaxy A72 & A52s 5G are getting big new updates

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Samsung is rolling out a big new software update to a bunch of A-series mid-range smartphones. The Galaxy A72, Galaxy A52s 5G, and Galaxy A22 are all receiving updates with OTA (over the air) file sizes of over a gigabyte (GB). The changelogs supplied by the company don’t mention any notable changes, though.

Galaxy A72, A52s 5G & A22 get big new software updates

The latest updates for these A-series Samsung smartphones are available widely in various parts of the world. The global versions of the phones are receiving the updates with the firmware build numbers A725FXXU6DWH2 (Galaxy A72), A528BXXU5EWH9 (Galaxy A52s 5G), and A225FXXU7DWI1 (Galaxy A22). The former two models are picking up the September security patch, while the latter is getting the August patch.

However, the OTA file sizes and the build numbers (U as the eighth character) suggest these are more than just security updates. Screenshots shared by users on official Samsung Community forums reveal that the updates weigh 1,285MB, 1,360MB, and 1,125MB for the three models, respectively. Unfortunately, the accompanying changelogs only mention device stability and reliability improvements and some bug fixes.

This makes us wonder what changes the devices may be getting with these big updates. Samsung may be pushing some One UI 5.1.1 features to the Galaxy A72, Galaxy A52s 5G, and Galaxy A22 without bumping the version number (the phones remain on One UI 5.1). The new One UI version debuted with the latest foldables last month and brings a host of new features and improvements.

That said, users who have updated their phones say they didn’t notice any major changes. System animations feel a little smoother but there are no new features. They couldn’t find changes worth 1.3GB. It appears Samsung has made some changes behind the scenes. The changelogs state that you can’t roll back to the previous firmware once you have installed the latest update because of updates to the security policy.

The Galaxy Tab A7 Lite is getting One UI 5.1.1

While it’s unclear what these A-series phones are getting with their latest updates, we have confirmation that the Galaxy Tab A7 Lite is receiving One UI 5.1.1. The update for this affordable tablet is now available in Europe with the build number T225XXU4CWI2. It’s also picking up the August security patch. A global rollout should follow in the coming days. If you’re using any of these Samsung devices, you can check for updates from the Settings app.

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Microsoft wanted Apple to buy Bing, antitrust trial reveals

Tech

andreasc

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September 29, 2023

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Something rather interesting popped up during Google’s antitrust trial. It seems like Microsoft wanted Apple to buy its Bing search engine at one point. This happened back in 2020, Bloomberg reports.

Microsoft actually wanted Apple to buy Bing a couple of years ago

Do note that these talks never got too serious. Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president (SVP), was involved in the talks, but he never got too interested. In other words, Apple was never too interested in replacing Google as its main search engine on iPhones.

Actually, based on the report, Microsoft believes Apple entertained the idea briefly just to get more money from Google. Microsoft’s Mikhail Parakhin said: “It is no secret that Apple is making more money on Bing existing than Bing does”.

Apple has a rather lucrative deal with Google, and it has been that way for a long time. So this is not surprising. Also, however, it seems like Apple has “had concerns about Bing’s ability to compete with Google in quality and capabilities”.

Apple is making a ton of cash by keeping Google as its default search engine

So, many of you are probably wondering how much is Apple making from its deal with Google. Well, we don’t have any concrete numbers, but based on reports, it gets upwards of $20 billion annually. That manages to keep Google Search as the default search engine on both iOS and iPadOS.

We all know that the vast majority of users will never bother with changing the default setting, or in this case, the default search engine. Also, they’re very familiar with Google, so most of them probably don’t want to.

If they ever do get a wish to do so, it’s rather simple to do, but it does require tapping through settings a bit. It’s not as convoluted as DuckDuckGo’s CEO said it is, when claiming it “takes too many steps”. People simply don’t change default settings all that often, for better or worse.

As a reminder, Google’s antitrust trial kicked off on September 12, and it will keep going for around two months.

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Apple sued by three credit unions for alleged monopoly with Apple Pay

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andreasc

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September 29, 2023

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Apple sued by three credit unions for alleged monopoly with Apple Pay

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Apple, just like any other big tech company, is no stranger to lawsuits. Now, 9to5Mac reports it’s got another one that will go ahead after a judge has rejected Apple’s motion to dismiss it: we’re talking about an antitrust lawsuit against Apple Pay.

Apple Pay antitrust lawsuit will go ahead despite Apple trying to dismiss it

In this lawsuit, we’ve got three credit unions suing the Cupertino company, claiming it is a 100% monopoly on mobile wallets on iPhones and Apple Watches. This is by far an old issue, although the lawsuit is new. Apple has been accused of holding a monopoly with other of its services as well. And it’s also had multiple lawsuits for Apple Wallet as well.All of the various antitrust cases concentrate on the fact that Apple doesn’t let other mobile wallet apps access the NFC chip that’s present in iPhones and Apple Watches. All in all, this means you can make contactless transactions only using Apple Wallet on iPhones and Apple Watches.

All this means that if any bank or credit union (or any other financial institution) wants their cardholders to be able to make contactless payments with iPhone or Apple Watch, they need to sign up to Apple Pay. And of course, Cupertino charges a fee on each transaction.

The EU has also been investigating the issue as a potential antitrust violation since 2019.

On the other hand, Apple’s defense against this is claiming this is irrelevant as people are free to use physical cards to make contactless payments. The company also highlights other mobile wallet options like QR codes.

However, you can clearly see where this can be problematic, given the fact people would generally prefer to avoid the hassle of paying with a physical card when they can pay with their phone. Also, physical cards have payment limits (you can pay up to a certain amount) while Apple Pay doesn’t have such.

This lawsuit, as we mentioned above, is led by three US credit unions: Illinois’ Consumers Co-op Credit Union, Iowa’s Affinity Credit Union, and GreenState Credit Union. Apple tried to dismiss the case with the arguments we indicated above, but the judge decided to case would move forward.

The complaint also states banks and credit unions that use Apple Pay are forced to pay at least $1 billion of excess fees. We’ll see how this lawsuit will go, but for now it’s far too early to give any predictions. Just like any other lawsuit of this type, we can for sure say that the issue won’t be resolved quickly, and the lawsuit might as well continue on for years.

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More Pixel Watch 2 images & Pixel 8 marketing materials leak

Android

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September 29, 2023

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More Pixel Watch 2 images & Pixel 8 marketing materials leak

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The Google Pixel 8 series and Pixel Watch 2 leaks have been off the hook. They’ve been coming non-stop for a while now, as we’re approaching the event next week. Having said that, even more Pixel Watch 2 images and Pixel 8 marketing materials have just surfaced. Once again, Evan Blass aka @evleaks is the source.

Even more Pixel Watch 2 & Pixel 8 marketing materials leaked, including images

Let’s talk about the Pixel Watch 2 first, shall we? If you check out the gallery below this paragraph, you’ll see four new images that were shared. The first image shows a silver Pixel Watch, with a metal-clad strap. This is probably the classiest-looking variant you’ll be able to get.

The other three images show us the Pixel Watch 2 models with silicone straps. You can see four different color options of the watch here, and perhaps even choose your favorite one before the event.

Now, in addition to the Pixel Watch 2, some Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro info also appeared. If you take a look at a rather long promo image that surfaced, you’ll see some info about the cameras on the phones, and Google’s AI. The Pixel Watch 2 is mentioned here too. We’ve included that image below this paragraph, but you can also access it by clicking here, for the original quality.

The Pixel 8 series brings “the most advanced Pixel cameras yet”, of course

This promo image says that the upcoming Pixel phones feature Google AI and “the most advanced Pixel cameras yet”. Both phones are pictured here, along with some features.

The Magic Eraser feature is highlighted, as is the Photo Unblur feature. A picture of the Pixel Watch 2 is included towards the end too.

On top of all this, we also get to see the pre-order freebies for both phones, in the US. This is something we’ve seen leak already, in images, but Evan Blass shared the content again, in a new format, so… check them out below.

As a reminder, Google’s Pixel event is taking place on October 4.

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Galaxy S23 Ultra featured at Meta Connect 2023 event

Tech

andreasc

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September 29, 2023

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Galaxy S23 Ultra featured at Meta Connect 2023 event

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Meta unveiled its latest products and innovations during its Meta Connect 2023 event on Wednesday, September 27. The Quest 3 mixed-reality (MR) headset and Meta AI were stars of the show. Samsung‘s Galaxy S23 Ultra also found its way to the stage at the event. CEO Mark Zuckerberg used the phone to give a hands-on demonstration of the new AI product.

Meta CEO used the Galaxy S23 Ultra during the Meta Connect keynote

The Meta Connect 2023 event featured two Galaxy S23 Ultra units. As pointed out by SamMobile, Zuckerberg held a Cream colored unit connected via a USB Type-C DisplayPort cable for screen mirroring. The other one was the Phantom Black variant and served as a reference phone.

The giant screen on the stage mirrored the phone’s display as the Meta CEO showcased one of its new AI avatars. It was the Snoop Dogg-inspired Dungeon Master avatar for WhatsApp. Zuckerberg used the Samsung Keyboard to type things when interacting with the AI avatar. The Galaxy S23 Ultra he used featured navigation buttons rather than gesture navigation.

The new AI avatars showcased by Zuckerberg at Meta Connect 2023 will soon roll out to users across all of its products, including WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook Messenger. Maybe Threads too. The Meta AI chatbot, which has generative powers, is also coming to these apps. It will be available on all Android and iOS smartphones, including the Galaxy S23 Ultra.

It’s unclear whether the Meta CEO uses the latest Samsung flagship as his daily driver or if it was used just for demonstration purposes during the event. Either way, this solidifies the phone’s status as the best Android phone of the year so far. Google’s upcoming Pixel 8 Pro might give it a tough competition, though. The new Pixel debuts next Wednesday, October 4.

Samsung is working on its answer to Meta’s Quest 3

Meta’s Quest 3 is a $500 mixed-reality headset powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 processor. It boasts 128GB of onboard storage and offers an immersive MR experience thanks to 4K resolution visuals and loud and improved audio quality with surround sound. The headset supports hand gestures as well as a precision controller device.

The new Meta MR headset is now available for pre-order. While there’s no viable competitor to it at the moment, Samsung has one in the pipeline. The unnamed Samsung headset will also feature a Qualcomm processor. Unfortunately, details are scarce, so it’s unclear whether the same one as the Quest 3 or something else. We shall find out soon.

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