Qualcomm reached a big settlement in favor of shareholders, something that not even Apple had achieved after a previous lawsuit. Shareholders had accused the company of using shady methods to inflate stock prices.
According to the lawsuit, Qualcomm was deceiving them about the company’s administrative issues. The main problem was licensing patents. The company had apparently refused to license essential patents in some cases. They would have even demanded the purchase of chipsets as a prerequisite for obtaining the licenses.
Shareholders reach a $75 million settlement with Qualcomm, something Apple wanted
By definition, patents defined as essential must be granted in a fair and non-discriminatory manner. After all, the related technical process is essential to working on a particular technology or standard. Therefore, making an agreement subject to a prior purchase of Qualcomm chips went against this principle. This was the reason for Apple’s lawsuit against Qualcomm related to the $75 million settlement that shareholders will receive.
Interestingly, Qualcomm emerged victorious from its legal confrontations related to this matter. However, shareholders achieved something that neither Apple nor other entities (such as the US Federal Trade Commission) could. According to the lawsuit, Qualcomm claimed that its chip sales and technology licensing were separate businesses. However, the company was bundling them, engaging in an anti-competitive practice. These practices would have been carried out between February 2012 and January 2017.
Apple had sued for the same thing; the agreement was not in their favor
Apple and the Federal Trade Commission sued Qualcomm in 2017. At that time, the Cupertino giant also referenced the practices described by shareholders. Apple claimed that the chip supplier used its position to charge excessive prices for baseband processor licenses. Licenses for baseband processors are on the “essential” patent list. In addition to the price, they also mentioned that Qualcomm required onerous conditions to grant these licenses. The situation even led Apple to consider ditching Qualcomm modems. For this, the company was in talks with Intel.
Samsung’s Galaxy Watch Ultra has been unofficially confirmed thanks to leaked certifications, and while we don’t know for certain if Samsung is going to launch this device at all, let alone at its next Unpacked event, it’s highly suspected, and it got me thinking about what features I want to see from Samsung with this watch.
Now without Samsung officially revealing the watch, it’s tough to say exactly what if any features the Galaxy Watch Ultra might be lacking. After all, we can’t know what it will or won’t be capable of doing without any confirmed details from Samsung. With that being said, there are at least a few things I know that I personally hope the Galaxy Watch Ultra can deliver to the user experience.
These are of course my own opinions and based on the use of past Galaxy Watch smartwatches. Not to mention numerous smartwatches from other brands, not all of them Wear OS. So, with all of that out of the way, here are the features I’m hoping the Galaxy Watch Ultra will offer. No matter how far-fetched they are.
The Galaxy Watch Ultra needs to keep the rotating bezel
Part of me thinks this is a little less likely, and I’ll tell you why. The Galaxy Watch Ultra is supposed to be Samsung’s answer to the Apple Watch Ultra. If not by design alone, by the description from the rumors that this is supposed to be another rugged-style watch. Similar to the way the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro was Samsung’s outdoor adventurer model. Meanwhile, the Galaxy Watch 5 was for basically anyone else. And that’s likely what we’ll see from the Galaxy Watch 7.
The Galaxy Watch Ultra appears to be a step up from this. Potentially boasting an even more rugged build and tailored more to outdoorsy activities. Based on these factors, it is entirely possible that Samsung wouldn’t use the rotating bezel here. It’s one more thing that could break on a watch that is supposed to be more protected against breaking.
That doesn’t mean the Galaxy Watch Ultra won’t have a rotating bezel though. And I certainly hope it does have one because there is no better way to navigate the Wear OS user interface (or any smartwatch interface for that matter) than the rotating bezel Samsung introduced with its Galaxy Watch lineup.
Rumors have already suggested that the rotating bezel isn’t going away. And judging from the leaked images, the bezel does look raised enough to wear it might rotate. Obviously, I’m not 100% sure that this is the case. However, you can’t ignore the possibility. Or perhaps, just maybe, this is just me getting my hopes up only to be disappointed if it isn’t there.
More refined gesture controls would be nice
This is almost certainly a pipe dream. Nevertheless, it doesn’t diminish my hope that Samsung might have seen Apple’s implementation of gesture controls and decided to come up with its own iteration of it. I’m talking of course, about Apple’s Double Tap feature that can be found on the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2. This simple gesture has you tap your thumb and index finger together to perform certain functions. This includes pausing and playing music, answering or ending an incoming call, and scrolling through the Apple Watch’s Smart Stack widgets.
And now with Apple opening up the Double Tap feature to developers with WatchOS 11, who knows what else it will be able to do in time. Once developers have had time to play with it. Samsung adding something like this to the Galaxy Watch Ultra is almost certainly a very big stretch. As it would need to come up with a gesture that would act similarly without being a direct copy of Double Tap.
Wrist Gestures and Universal gestures
Now, Wear OS can already use wrist gestures for a few things. You can use it for scrolling through notifications, for one. As well as for opening the apps menu, opening the settings menu, and a few other things. Watches like the Galaxy Watch 6 and Galaxy Watch 6 Classic also have something called Universal Gestures. This does implement the use of tapping your fingers together to perform actions. But it was designed with the intention of being an accessibility feature. And in practice, it’s not as fluid or seamless as Apple’s Double Tap.
It would be nice to see Samsung refine the Universal Gestures to work more seamlessly. Both on the Galaxy Watch Ultra and the Galaxy Watch 7. At the very least, Samsung could make it so you need to perform fewer taps to initiate a single action.
Battery life that lasts for at least a week
And I’m not talking about a feature that essentially disables all connectivity functions so you’re left with a simple watch. While this sort of functionality is nice in a pinch, it removes everything that’s great about smartwatches. There are some smartwatches out there that can last for upwards of a week or more without disabling all these features. Sure, some of them cost more. Such as the Garminx Fenix series. However, there is a rumor that Samsung might be pricing the Galaxy Watch Ultra pretty high. Somewhere around the $700 mark.
If that ends up being true, I think it’s fair to wish for a battery that would keep the watch going for at least 7 days. This is probably another thing that we won’t be getting with the Galaxy Watch Ultra. It’s still running on Wear OS. And Wear OS doesn’t have the best track record for battery life. Even if it has gotten considerably better these past few years.
To Samsung’s credit, I was able to use the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro for upwards of 4 days on a single charge. That’s better than any other Wear OS smartwatch that I’ve used before or since. If Samsung could just stretch that by a few more days, the Galaxy Watch Ultra would already be miles ahead of most competition.
Google has released the third beta for Android 15, which means that it has hit platform stability, and all app behaviors are finalized. There is one more beta before the stable release – which is expected at some point after August. So there’s not a whole lot of changes in Android 15 Beta 3. Or is there?
Mishaal Rahman, who’s pretty well-known in the Android community for digging through code and finding some new features and changes within Android, has put together a pretty detailed list of changes over on Reddit.
In this beta, there are plenty of behind-the-scenes changes for Android 15. The first one relates to it hitting platform stability. This means that the “Android version” is no longer listed as “VanillaIceCream” but instead listed as “15”. The SDK version is also set to 35 now.
New “Home Controls” screen saver debuts in Android 15 Beta 3
One of the bigger new features in Android 15 Beta 3 is going to be the new “Home Controls” screen saver. It’s exactly what it sounds like, too. Basically, it’s a new screen saver (which used to be called “Daydream”) that will surface your smart home controls for lights, thermostats, plugs, etc. It’s a pretty cool feature to have if you have loads of smart home products in your home.
It also brings in some new changes to Circle to Search, which now works with both taskbar styles. Essentially, it is both transient and persistent on the Pixel Fold and Pixel Tablet.
Android 15 Beta 3 will also now automatically delete your face or fingerprint unlock if they aren’t working well. It will then prompt you to set them up again. So, instead of continuing to fuss with your biometric unlocking and why it’s not working, your phone can intelligently fix it for you.
Google is finally changing Android 15 Beta 3, which will stop treating 7.5W chargers as “fast” because they aren’t. Thanks to this small change, Android 15 will be able to determine a charger as “fast” if it is 20W or faster. That threshold does determine whether the “charging rapidly” text is shown on the lock screen or not.
A small tweak has been applied to the screenshot overlay UI. Now, the screenshot preview sits above the buttons instead of in line with them.
Google’s working on a “Creative Assistant” app
Surfacing in Android 15 Beta 3 is a new “Creative Assistant” app that Google is working on. It is speculated that generative AI will be used to create custom stickers or photos, such as what Apple is doing with Genmoji in Apple Intelligence.
Android 15 Beta 3 also added the “show long app names” toggle. This will allow the user to decide whether the home screen and app list show a truncated name for longer app names or the full name.
Google has also brought up the toggle for Circle to Search one page. So now it can be found under Settings > System > Navigation Mode.
Android’s wallpaper picker UI has also been tweaked in Android 15 Beta 3, making it more evident that you can zoom in or pan on the image.
The Adaptive Timeout feature that we first reported on back in April is finally here in Beta 3. This “automatically turns off your screen if you’re not using your device.” It appears that Adaptive Timeout will use the proximity sensor to see if you’re actually looking at your phone.
Finally, Google is planning to reorganize the settings app in Android 15. There’s a new code in Beta 3 that reveals how the top-level settings page will organize the entries. It’ll also look better with a more Material You design. A few settings have also been renamed, including Device & app notifications to Notification read, reply & control.
Display Supply Chain Consultants has released its latest report for the global OLED tablet panel market. The report’s data shows that Huawei’s OLED market share has increased to 25 percent in Q1 2024. The company took second place after Apple in the global OLED tablet panel shipment race. The report also mentions that the Q1 2024 OLED tablet panel shipments jumped 131 percent year-on-year to a record high.
Huawei is closing in on Apple who still leads the pack with its new OLED iPads
DSCC’s latest data shows that Huawei is threatening Apple’s dominance in the OLED tablet market. The company is already putting pressure on the iPhone shipments in the Chinese market. It is now doing the same in the global OLED tablet shipments. For Huawei, a major credit goes to the MatePad Pro 11, which accounted for 11 percent of the market. The slate will continue to lead in procurement volumes in Q2 2024 as well.
While Huawei is seeing growth, it still has a lot of ground to cover. As per the report, the iPad maker is ruling the Q1 2024 OLED tablet panel race. The company procured a total share of 47 percent ahead of the launch of the new OLED iPad Pro models, which arrived in May. The 13-inch M4 iPad Pro procured the highest number of OLED panels at 35 percent. It was followed by its 11.1-inch smaller sibling, which had a total share of 12.5 percent.
The Q1 2024 was exceptional for the OLED tablet panel market as the total shipments rose 131 percent year-on-year. They are expected to jump another 127 percent quarter-on-quarter and 333 percent YoY in Q2 2024. In the second quarter, it will be another record high as Apple has ramped up the production and shipments of the OLED iPad Pro models.
Furthermore, DSCC’s latest analysis suggests that OLED tablet panel shipments will continue to grow through 2028 as the price gap with LCDs narrows. By 2025, OLED tablets are expected to grab a 16 percent unit share and 55 percent revenue share. Apart from the leading three – Apple, Huawei, and Samsung – there will be more brands joining the OLED tablet market.
A threat actor named ” IntelBroker ” claims to have breached AMD in June 2024 and is now selling the allegedly stolen data on hacking forums.
The compromised information reportedly includes sensitive data such as future AMD product plans, specification sheets, employee and customer databases, property files, ROMs, source code, firmware, and financial documents.
According to IntelBroker’s post on the BreachForums site, the employee database contains user IDs, first and last names, job functions, business phone numbers, email addresses, and employment status of AMD personnel.
The threat actor is offering the data for sale exclusively in exchange for Monero (XMR) cryptocurrency and is accepting a middleman for transactions.
IntelBroker has a notorious reputation in the cybersecurity community, with previous high-profile hacks of entities such as Europol, Home Depot, the U.S. Pentagon, and allegedly one of the T-Mobile data breaches.
🚨MAJOR BREACH🚨IntelBroker is allegedly selling the AMD data breach dated June 2024.
— Dark Web Informer (@DarkWebInformer) June 17, 2024
The origins and affiliations of the threat actor are currently unknown.
If the claims are substantiated, the breach could have significant implications for AMD, its employees, customers, and partners.
Sensitive data like source code, firmware, future product plans, and employee information could potentially be exploited if it fall into the wrong hands.
AMD’s IT and security teams are likely urgently investigating the incident to determine the validity and full extent of the alleged breach.
This developing story underscores the ongoing challenges companies face in securing their digital assets against increasingly sophisticated cyber threats and the importance of robust cybersecurity measures to protect sensitive data.
More details are expected to emerge as AMD’s investigation progresses.
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Google could be working on an Android or Pixel equivalent of Apple’s Genmoji, a generative AI feature in iOS 18 that lets you create custom emoji. Code strings found in the latest Android 15 Beta 3 hint at a new Creative Assistant feature that may function similarly. It could debut with the Pixel 9 series this fall. The new Pixels feature the Samsung-made Tensor G4 chipset with improved NPU for AI applications.
Pixel 9 may introduce a generative AI tool to create custom emoji and stickers
Google recently released the third public beta version of Android 15. As usual, it brought a host of user-facing changes and stability improvements. But there are a few additional changes behind the scenes. Reputed Android expert Mishaal Rahman of Android Authority dug into the new Android 15 build to discover code strings related to an unreleased feature called Creative Assistant. He found references to the feature in a Tensor chip TPU binary and the Google Markup app.
Evidence present within the code strings suggests Creative Assistant is a generative AI tool that can remix/create a custom sticker (and emoji) and “paste it onto a screenshot or other image you’re editing.” It could be part of Android’s built-in image editor, though Google may also integrate it into Google Photos. As Rahman notes, the company already integrates its image editing tool into its photo viewer. The sticker/emoji generation will be handled by Creative Assistant everywhere.
As things stand, there is no way to tell whether this generative AI feature will work locally on the device or if it will be a cloud-based solution. However, Rahman speculates it could be the former. “Given the smaller size and resolution of stickers, I can see it [on-device emoji/sticker generation] working out,” he wrote explaining the technical tidbits of this discovery. Rahman also found clues suggesting that Creative Assistant will work on the Pixel 8 series, but there’s no solid evidence yet.
The generative AI feature may be exclusive to Pixels
The tool’s package name (com.google.android.apps.pixel.creativeassistant) suggests Creative Assistant will be exclusive to Pixel phones. So, while it may be part of Android 15, non-Google products won’t get it with the next Android update. That said, generative AI is all the rage right now. We won’t be surprised if other firms build a similar feature into their custom Android skin. Samsung is expected to introduce several new AI features with One UI 6.1.1 and One UI 7.0 later this year.
There has been a solid breakthrough in the world of battery technology. TDK, a major supplier of batteries to Apple and Tesla, has managed to develop a material for solid-state batteries with 100-times higher energy density. The breakthrough will allow the manufacturing of battery cells with 100x the volumetric density than its current solution.
The new material for solid-state batteries will offer significantly higher energy density
According to TDK, the newly created material will offer significantly higher energy density than the company’s current CeraCharge solid-state batteries. It has an energy density of 1,000Wh/L. Essentially, it has 100 times higher energy capacity than TDK’s current mass-produced solution.
In the new CeraCharge solid-state battery solution, the company has used an oxide-based solid electrolyte. It is accompanied by additional lithium alloy anodes. Apart from this, TDK hasn’t revealed many technical details about how this solution will create batteries with 100 times higher energy density.
The company did mention that these batteries are extremely safe due to the use of oxide-based solid electrolytes. This means they will be much safer in products that come in direct contact with the human body, like smartwatches, fitness trackers, earbuds, and hearing aids.
Notably, TDK’s new solution would effectively make high-capacity batteries compliant with the new EU regulations. The new rules require the hardware makers to phase out disposable batteries in favor of the ones that can be recharged or replaced. The new regulations aim to reduce the e-waste, which will contribute to the reduction of environmental impact.
TDK’s new battery solution can be utilized in various devices
TDK says there are many applications of its new higher energy density battery solution. These batteries can be used in wearable devices like earphones, hearing aids, and smartwatches. They can also be put in environmental sensors, apart from being used as a replacement for coin cell batteries.
Smartphone companies like Apple could also utilize the new CeraCharge batteries, as it already uses the current TDK batteries in its products. We can expect Apple devices like the iPhone, AirPods, and the Apple Watch to offer much higher battery life in the future. We can expect that other consumer electronics providers will also use this tech in their products.
TDK is now working towards bringing the new power cells to mass production. It will also try to increase the capacity of its new solid-state battery further. The company will start sending samples of the new battery tech to clients next year.
Two young men, Sagar Steven Singh (20) aka Weep and Nicholas Ceraolo (26) aka Ominous and Convict hailing from New York and Rhode Island have pleaded guilty to charges of computer intrusion and aggravated identity theft for hacking a federal law enforcement agency’s web portal.
According to the Department of Justice (DOJ) press release, Singh and Ceraolo used stolen credentials to gain unauthorized access to the sensitive portal, potentially compromising a wealth of confidential data. They were charged in March 2023.
The Department of Homeland Security’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) El Dorado Task Force, the National Security and Cybercrime Section of the US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York, the FBI, and the New York Police Department collaborated in this case’s investigation.
The duo was part of a cyber crime group called Vile featuring an appalling logo of a hanged girl. The group harvested personal information, posted it on a public website, and asked victims to pay the hackers to have their information removed.
It is worth mentioning that, at the time of writing, the website was still online. However, the image of a hanged girl had been replaced with a video of the song “La rose des vents“ by France Gall.
As per Brain Krebs’ report from March 2023, the targeted agency was the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), which provided access to 16 different law enforcement databases in the United States.
According to prosecutors, Singh and Ceraolo used a law enforcement official’s stolen password to access a nonpublic, password-protected online portal maintained by a U.S. federal law enforcement agency. The portal provided access to government databases, including records of narcotics, intelligence reports, and currency seizures.
Singh threatened to harm the victim’s family unless they provided him with their Instagram accounts. This tactic, known as “doxxing,” can have devastating consequences for individuals, leading to humiliation, harassment, and even physical harm.
Singh and Ceraolo were aware of the illegality of accessing the portal and the information it could provide. Both men face a sentencing range of two to seven years in prison.
U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York, Breon Peace, condemned the duo’s actions, highlighting the severity of the crime.
“The defendants called themselves ‘ViLe,’ and their actions were exactly that,” Peace said.
HSI New York Special Agent in Charge Ivan J. Arvelo said that the defendants and co-conspirators exploited government database vulnerabilities for personal gain. The guilty pleas send a strong message to those seeking illicit access to protected computer systems.
Stuxnet, a complex worm discovered in 2010, targeted Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems used in industrial facilities.
By exploiting multiple vulnerabilities, including zero-days, it breached air-gapped networks (isolated systems) and disrupted Iranian nuclear centrifuges controlled by Siemens Step7 software.
It exposed the limitations of traditional security and highlighted the evolving cyber threat landscape, forcing a reevaluation of cybersecurity strategies and serving as a case study for the challenges of defending critical infrastructure in the digital age, where interconnected systems are vulnerable to sophisticated cyberattacks.
Stuxnet, a sophisticated computer worm, targeted Siemens Step7 software used in industrial control systems, particularly those controlling uranium enrichment centrifuges, and by exploiting zero-day vulnerabilities, it infiltrated air-gapped networks and manipulated programmable logic controllers (PLCs) to increase centrifuge speed, causing them to malfunction and damage Iran’s nuclear infrastructure.
This highly modular worm’s ability to adapt and its rootkit capabilities to hide its presence underscored the need for robust cybersecurity practices to protect critical infrastructure from cyberattacks.
It targeted Iranian nuclear centrifuges with zero-day exploits and manipulated Siemens industrial control systems, suggesting nation-state involvement and possibly a collaboration between US and Israeli intelligence agencies (codename: Operation Olympic Games) aiming to disrupt Iran’s nuclear program.
Despite lacking official confirmation, Stuxnet’s impact on cyber warfare is undeniable. A skilled team likely spent years developing it, potentially inspiring future covert operations.
It exploited zero-day vulnerabilities, used stolen certificates to disguise origin, and manipulated centrifuge frequency converters to destroy them.
Success in disrupting air-gapped networks with these techniques highlighted the potential for cyber weapons to inflict physical damage on critical assets.
Stuxnet exposed critical infrastructure vulnerabilities to cyberattacks, prompting discussions on international regulations for cyber warfare and improving cybersecurity collaboration by targeting industrial control systems, blurring the lines between cyber and physical warfare.
Its success in disrupting Iran’s nuclear program highlighted the potential for digital weapons to cause physical damage and achieve strategic goals, raising concerns about cyberwar escalation and unintended consequences.
According to GreyDynamics, it led to a global reassessment of cybersecurity practices and discussions on regulating cyber weapons development and deployment.
This influence continues to shape cyberwarfare, where malicious code will likely target critical infrastructure like healthcare and finance, causing immense disruption.
State-sponsored hacking increases the risk of cyber weapons leaking to non-state actors, potentially leading to widespread attacks.
To counter this, international agreements for regulating cyberwarfare are being developed, but geopolitical tensions and difficulty in pinpointing attackers make consensus challenging.
The future of cyberwarfare hinges on technological advancements, political maneuvering, and the delicate balance between security and individual freedoms.
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Before we get into it, please note that this phone has a 15,600mAh battery. So that’s a huge, huge battery pack. In addition to that, Ulefone included 120W fast charging, which is great considering the battery capacity.
The official Ulefone Armor 26 Ultra battery & charging test is in
Alright, let’s talk about the battery consumption. After 30 minutes of gaming, only 3% of the battery charge was lost. After 30 minutes of video streaming, 2% of the battery charge was drained. This should give you an idea of what you’re working with here. The battery life is great.
What about charging? It takes a long time to charge up a gigantic battery like this, right? Well, if you don’t have proper fast charging, yes, sure. With 120W charging, it will take you only 1.5 hours to charge the Ulefone Armor 26 Ultra’s battery pack. And yes, the charger is included in the box.
For comparison’s sake, the iPhone 15 Pro Max has a 4,441mAh battery, and it takes around 2 hours to charge. So longer than this handset which has almost four times the battery capacity. This handset supports much faster charging.
A 200-megapixel main camera sits on the back, along with a 50-megapixel ultrawide unit, and a 64-megapixel night vision camera. The fourth camera back there is a telephoto unit.
The phone has 12GB of RAM, but you can boost that up to 24GB via virtual RAM. A large 6.78-inch 120Hz display is also on offer here, and 512GB of expandable storage. If you’re interested in getting the phone, it’s now on sale thanks to Ulefone’s Summer Sale on AliExpress. All the necessary links are included below.
