General Motors plans to phase out popular Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity in favor of built-in Android systems.
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TV maker Hisense held an event in NYC this week to announce its new partnership with the National Basketball Association. Along with the NBA sponsorship news, the event gave the company a chance to announce that they are now the number two TV brand in North America based on unit share according to data supplied by the Circana retail tracking service.
Hisense has made great strides in the North American TV market over the past few years, heightening its visibility with a lineup of affordable QLED sets. Last year’s U8H series, the first model with mini-LED backlighting to arrive from the company, impressed us with its high brightness and rich contrast, earning a spot on our list of the best 4K TVs and best 120 Hz TVs for PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.
Mini-LED in general has given QLED tech a shot in the arm, with top new Mini-LED backlit TVs like the Samsung QN95C starting to rival the best OLED TVs when it comes to performance aspects like shadow detail and black uniformity. As it previously announced at CES, Hisense will offer four series of mini-LED TVs in 2023, starting with the budget U6K line and topping out with the flagship limited edition UX series.
As part of its NBA partnership, Hisense will sponsor X-Factor Moments, a weekly series of game highlights from the 2023 postseason on the NBA’s social media channels. The NBA League Pass live game subscription service will also be available in the NBA TV app on Hisense smart TVs.
While the sponsorship arrangement extends to all Hisense TVs and appliances, the flagship ULED X model has been designated as The Official Television of the NBA.
The limited edition ULED X, which will only be available in an 85-inch screen size, boasts impressive specs. Its backlight consists of over 20,000 mini-LEDs that are controlled by 5,000-plus local dimming zones. Peak brightness is 2,500 nits, according to Hisense, with a claimed two times higher contrast range than OLED TVs. The ULED X also features a built-in 4.1.2 Dolby Atmos and DTS:X speaker system powered by 80 watts.
The other new mini-LED models in the Hisense lineup are the U8K, U7K, and U6K series. These are all available in 55-, 65-, 75-, and 85-inch screen sizes and have a peak brightness spec ranging from 600 nits on U6K series up to 1,500 nits on the U8K series. Both the U8K and U7K also have 144Hz-capable panels, making them a good choice for gaming, while all models feature a built-in ATSC 3.0 digital TV tuner.
Hisense’s top ultra short throw projector for 2023 is the L9H. This comes paired with either a 100- or 120-inch ambient light rejecting screen and uses an RGB laser light engine that’s capable of 107% BT.2020 color space coverage. Dolby Vision high dynamic range is supported by the L9H and it runs the Google TV smart interface for streaming and voice control.
Other features of the L9H include a built-in 40-watt Dolby Atmos sound system and an ATSC 3.0 tuner for viewing next-gen digital TV broadcasts.
Hisense was also showing its L5H ultra short throw projector at the event, a step-down model that uses a blue laser light source with reduced BT.2020 color space coverage.
There’s no surprise in Hisense becoming the official partner of the NBA, because the high visibility that sports sponsorship nets a brand literally brings it into the living room of millions of viewers. That’s why TCL, Hisense’s main competitor in the budget TV space, is the official partner of NFL football, and OLED TV maker LG is an official partner of NCAA basketball.
For Hisense to compete with TCL it needs to expose its brand to as many eyeballs as possible. And while this sponsorship should do precisely that, the upside to Hisense’s competition with TCL for consumers is that the company’s TVs are seeing year-over-year picture quality improvements, while their prices remain affordable.
Hisense hasn’t yet announced specific pricing for its new TVs, all of which should arrive around June. At that time, we’ll see just how good they look when we get the new U8K model in for review.
ChromeOS has been getting plenty of upgrades to its video editing since 2022, and now it's getting even more from Google Photos.
According to a new Google support page post, Google Photos will be empowering the best Chromebooks everywhere with even more new features. Jumping off from Chromebook’s Gallery app integration in 2022, Google Photos has added more support for Gallery and Files by allowing you to “seamlessly” use photos and images saved on the Chromebook and edit them in Google Photos.
Another major edit comes in the form of revamped movie creation tools on the Photos app, which lets you create a movie from scratch using a suggested theme. After you choose a theme from the Photos app, as well as the people or pets you want to be included in the movie, the video editor uses video clips and photos you have stored that match that theme and strings them together into a custom movie. If you want a more hands-on approach instead, Google Photos has a search feature that lets you find and arrange all that media yourself.
Google has a full how-to on creating movies, as well as editing photos and videos, through the app on ChromeOS. But it’s a simple process that involves the following:
If you want to create a movie:
ChromeOS, once the oft-ignored child of Google that's been the platform for the best cheap laptop option for school kids and nothing more, has been growing in both popularity among users and in support by its own creator.
Last year, we saw the debut of the HP Elite Dragonfly Chromebook, considered by our standards to be the best Chromebook and one that can stand toe to toe with plenty of the best Ultrabooks out there.
More features like the aforementioned updates to Google Photos and the addition of more Apple support via one of the best video editors, Apple’s LumaFusion app, have become commonplace in the last several years. We even have gaming Chromebooks like the Acer Chromebook 516 GE that are specifically designed to handle high-end gaming via the cloud.
And, unlike even the best Windows laptop, ChromeOS simply doesn’t see the kinds of viruses and malware plaguing other operating systems, meaning you don’t need to worry about constantly protecting and scanning your machine for threats (or cleaning it out if something nasty does worm its way in).
It’ll be interesting to see how much more support Chromebooks get in the future, but it’s an exciting time for Chromebook fans.
Having recently impressed us with their mid-range FiiO M11S portable digital audio player, Chinese audio firm FiiO is back with a decidedly high-end offering for its next on-the-go device.
The new M15S portable player comes packed with two desktop-grade ES9038PRO digital-to-analog converters, with individual DAC chips dedicated to the left and right stereo channels.
Each chip makes use of four D/A converters for what FiiO claim to be extremely high-quality decoding, with the device able to support playback of audio files up to 384kHz/DSD256.
The new M15S also supports MQA, allowing listeners to directly stream TIDAL Masters as well as MQA files stored locally, while further Hi-Res audio options come in the form of aptX HD Bluetooth, alongside LDAC and LHDC wireless codecs.
There's onboard 2.4GHz/5GHz Wi-Fi allowing for support of Apple AirPlay and DLNA streaming, as well as compatibility with the increasingly popular multi-room music software platform Roon.
Weighing 345g, the device runs on Android 10, which allows for lossless access to Tidal, Qobuz and Apple Music, and it's powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 processor - the same CPU which features on FiiO's flagship M17 hi-res audio player.
Along with a regular 3.5mm headphone jack and both 2.5mm and 4.4mm balanced headphone outputs, there's a 5.5-inch multi-touch HD display with 64GB of onboard storage that can be expanded up to 2TB of extra storage via the microSD card slot.
The FiiO M15S is available now to order for $999/£979 from the FiiO website, and set to ship later this month.
We can't wait to put it through its paces and see how it matches up to best MP3 players currently out there. Watch this space…
Okay, Gen Z, you’ve discovered vinyl records, find them cool, and maybe even bought one of the best turntables to play them on. But how much do you know about the proper handling and cleaning of your precious vinyl stash?
If the answer to that question is “I didn’t know I had to clean it,” here’s some news that will help set the record straight.
Spin-Clean, manufacturer of the long-running Spin-Clean record cleaning system, has announced a consumer outreach program to teach vinyl newbies about proper vinyl LP maintenance. According to the company, the program’s launch coincides with the first major upgrade to the Spin-Clean system in 50 years, and will include “digital and print ads; pop-up banners on vinyl user forums and record collector sites; and social media that specifically targets young vinyl enthusiasts.” There is also a white paper with info on vinyl care and playback basics.
The inspiration for the consumer outreach program apparently stems from recent research conducted by US-based MusicWatch, with a press release issued by Spin-Clean to announce its updated system citing the following statistics:
This is all obviously music to the ears of a record cleaning system manufacturer, which may have been at one time worried about its primary market – boomers – aging out, and a lack of new customers for its products as the best music streaming services started to overtake physical media.
But a vinyl revival has been a real and ongoing thing over the past few years, with record sales experiencing record-breaking year-over-year increases in 2020 and 2021 – the height of the pandemic. That meteoric rise stalled out in 2022, however, when sales rose a mere 4.2% according to the U.S. 2022 Luminate Year-End Music Report, with a good chunk of it driven by the release of Taylor Swift’s Midnights.
So, what’s new about this upgraded Spin-Clean system that the company is targeting at the next generation of LP collectors?
Along with simple snap-in rollers for 7-, 10-, and 12-inch records, it has a new streamlined basin design that’s easier to clean, a higher-precision brush alignment, and improved stability from new self-adhesive rubber feet. The company says these changes should make the record cleaning process more approachable for newbies, and they apparently won’t come at an increased cost since the new Spin-Clean will sell at the same $79 / £79 / approximately AU$120 price as its predecessor.
If the growing number of record stores in my hometown is any indication, vinyl continues to be very much a viable medium. There are regular events like Record Store Day that drive consumer demand and interest, and major artists like Taylor Swift continue to max out the capacity of existing record-pressing plants in the US with their new releases.
For many newcomers to collecting, playback apparently isn’t an issue – that same Luminate 2022 year-end report cited that 50% of consumers who had bought vinyl over the previous 12 months don’t even own a record player. Reading into that data, some people are buying vinyl LPs simply to own a physical token that gets them closer to their favorite artists. Streaming may be convenient, but it’s clearly not enough of an experience for serious music fans.
As someone who owns a record cleaning machine and uses it to scrub the LPs that I pick up from garage sales, record fairs, and on occasion those local record stores, I can vouch for the sound quality improvements proper record cleaning brings. At $79, the Spin-Clean system counts among the more affordable options on the market, and with a 50-year history, it’s obviously one that has plenty of satisfied users.
New vinyl records can be expensive (and sometimes not exactly what you expect in the case of reissues of older titles). Gen Z, Millennial, Boomer, whomever, if you are actually playing LPs on a turntable, you will benefit from giving them a semi-regular cleaning. Spin-Clean is on the right track with its outreach program, so let's hope it locks in groove with its target market.
Criminals have been discovered distributing fake Tor browsers that are designed to steal cryptocurrency, and so far, have been quite successful, raking in roughly $400,000 in various tokens from unsuspecting victims, experts have warned
Cybersecurity researchers from Kaspersky are warning users to watch out for Tor browser installers from third-party stores.
They’ve spotted one such executable sitting in a password-protected RAR archive which, when extracted and installed, monitors the Windows clipboard for cryptocurrency wallets. If it spots one, it will replace it with one controlled by the attacker.
When a person tries to send funds from one address to another, they would usually copy and paste the recipient’s address, as these are a long string of seemingly random characters which are almost impossible to remember.
If the malware replaces the copied address with a different one, chances are the victim won’t see the difference and will just send the funds to the wrong address.
The method actually works quite well, as these attackers stole some $400,000 from roughly 16,000 users, just this year. Most of the stolen cash is in Bitcoin ($380,000), Litecoin ($10,000), Ethereum ($4,800), and Dogecoin ($517). Due to the way the malware is designed, the researchers can’t be absolutely certain about the amount of money stolen, and speculate that the final figure is probably even bigger.
While the victims are scattered all over the world (52 countries) the bulk of them reside in Russia, followed by Ukraine, and the US. The researchers believe Russians were the biggest targets as Tor was first banned, and later censored, in the country. That made Russians look for alternative places to grab the famed browser from.
"The Tor Project called to help keep Russian users connected to Tor to circumvent censorship," said Vitaly Kamluk, head of Kaspersky's Global Research and Analysis Team for APAC. "Malware authors heard the call and responded by creating trojanized Tor browser bundles and distributing them among Russian-speaking users."
Via: The Register
Cybersecurity researchers have shared details on a North Korean state-sponsored hacking group that’s been operating in the shadows for five years now.
Called APT43, the group was seen targeting governments, and high-profile individuals in the West (the US, Europe), but also in its neighborhood (Japan, South Korea).
The findings were shared by experts from Mandiant, which described APT43 as a “moderately sophisticated” group that mostly goes after sensitive information, but sometimes also is just after money, with stolen funds usually going to fund additional cybercrime operations.
When stealing money, APT43 mostly targets cryptocurrencies. The researchers spotted the group using fake crypto investment apps for Android, tricking people interested in crypto loans, and stealing their funds, which are later laundered through hash rental and cloud mining services.
When stealing sensitive information, it mostly targets government and military agencies from North Korea’s adversaries:
"The group is primarily interested in information developed and stored within the U.S. military and government, defense industrial base (DIB), and research and security policies developed by U.S.-based academia and think tanks focused on nuclear security policy and nonproliferation," Mandiant says in its report.
"APT43 has displayed interest in similar industries within South Korea, specifically non-profit organizations and universities that focus on global and regional policies, as well as businesses, such as manufacturing, that can provide information around goods whose export to North Korea has been restricted."
Mandiant’s key argument that APT43 is a government player is the fact that it’s been seen “abruptly” switching targets, most likely after getting orders from higher echelons.
"More specifically, Mandiant assesses with moderate confidence that APT43 is attributable to the North Korean Reconnaissance General Bureau (RGB), the country's primary foreign intelligence service," the company said. The researchers have been tracking the group’s activities since 2018.
Via: BleepingComputer
Two new variants of the infamous IcedID malware have been spotted, however both are lacking certain distinctive features, making security experts curious as to their purpose.
Cybersecurity researchers from Proofpoint revealed since February, they have been tracking two versions of IcedID, one called “Lite”, and the other called “Forked”.
Both come without the usual online banking fraud features, instead supposedly working more as a dropper for more elaborate campaigns.
Proofpoint says that it’s seen at least three different hacking groups using these two versions across seven campaigns since late last year. Apparently, these groups have been using IcedID as a stepping stone toward ransomware infections.
Why exactly threat actors decided to strip IcedID of its unique features remains unclear, but some reports have suggested that removing “unneeded” functions makes it stealthier and leaner, helping cybercriminals stay hidden for longer.
The way IcedID is delivered to victims also differs. In some cases, the attackers would distribute phishing emails with Microsoft OneNote attachments. In other cases, they’d use Emotet.
The researchers noted that the existence of two new variants does not mean the original malware is no longer being used.
As recently as March 10, 2023, some threat actors still choose to deploy what Proofpoint calls the “Standard” variant. The researchers believe most threat actors will still opt for the standard variant, even though Lite and Forked might gain some popularity this year.
IcedID is an old, modular banking trojan, usually used to deploy stage-two malware. So far, cybersecurity researchers have seen it used in countless campaigns, mostly used by access brokers to obtain, and later sell, access to high-value networks and endpoints.
One such group was TA551, a threat actor with no concrete ties to any nation-state. The group was seen selling access obtained via IcedID last April.
Apple WWDC 2023 is official, with the start date for the weeklong event set for June 5, 2023.
Apple's Worldwide Developer Conference is the company's major industry event, normally chock full of panels and tech demos for Apple software developers to learn about new changes to OS features and the underlying programming languages, but occassionally we do get product announcements during the event.
"WWDC is one of our favorite times of the year at Apple because it’s an opportunity to connect with the talented developers from around the globe who make this community so extraordinary,” Susan Prescott, Apple’s VP of Worldwide Developer Relations, said in a statement announcing the event. “WWDC23 is going to be our biggest and most exciting yet, and we can’t wait to see many of you online and in person at this very special event!
The event will be online for all registered developers, with a special in-person event on June 5 at Apple Park in Cupertino, California.
Last year, Apple unveiled the Apple M2 chip, along with the new MacBook Air and MacBook Pro 13-inch. In 2019, Apple debuted a new Mac Pro as well, and it's very possible that a new Mac Pro with M2 Ultra chip might be shown off.
Apple is being characteristically tight-lipped about it, so we can't say anything for sure yet. Still, there are any number of products that Apple might show off at the event, and these are some of the most likely in our opinion.
Last year, hopes were high for a new Mac Pro at WWDC 2022, which is traditionally an industry conference more than a consumer product event. A Mac Pro, which is an industry-grade workstation costing a gajillion dollars (ok, not literally), is perfectly suited for a debut before all the developers who might reasonably be working on one or at least developing with that workstation in mind.
It's also the last major Apple product that hasn't switched over to Apple's in-house silicon, so it makes sense to finally cut ties with Intel and put out a new workstation PC.
In addition to the new Mac Pro, we expect that an M2 Ultra SoC will also be shown off. Apple has already shown off the M2, M2 Pro, and M2 Max chips, with an M2 Ultra the last remaining tier of silicon to debut.
If it's anything like the M1 Ultra, it will be two M2 Max chips interconnected to effectively double the power of that chip, which makes it appropriate for a workstation PC like the high-end Mac Studio. The latter device uses the M1 Ultra, but it's not clear that this kind of chip is powerful enough for the kind of thing that industrial users need.
The 2019 Mac Pro had a max capacity of 1.5TB of memory. The M-series chips use unified memory and if the M2 Ultra is two M2 Max chips fused together, then its max unified memory would only be 256GB. That's not nearly enough to edit a major Hollywood film or score an orchestral piece with hundreds of samples, all of which require a lot of memory.
Still, if the M2 Ultra is going to appear, WWDC 2023 makes the most sense.
Finally, on the computing side, there really is just the iMac.
The iMac (24-inch) debuted two years ago powered by the then-new M1 chip, so it's definitely due for an upgrade. Its bold color options definitely made it a hit, especially with me, but that color trend seems to have all but vanished ever since.
I would love to see a purple iMac (M2), and might even buy one if it's actually revealed in June, but this one is less likely than a Mac Pro, in my opinion.
Apple has released iOS 16.4 and is urging iPhone users, particularly those with older devices, to update immediately to benefit from some important security fixes
Despite the seemingly unassuming update number (16.x, rather than 16.x.x), this update has patched 32 known security flaws that have been plaguing iOS 16 users for some time, making it a vital update even if you’re not chasing the latest features.
Among the patched vulnerabilites is a fix for a WebKit type confusion issue that hackers could use trigger OS crashes and gain code execution on compromised iOS and iPadOS devices.
If successful, anyone utilizing the flaw could then be able to execute arbitrary code, most likely by tricking the victims into opening malicious web pages.
"Processing maliciously crafted web content may lead to arbitrary code execution. Apple is aware of a report that this issue may have been actively exploited," Apple describes the zero-day. "Apple is aware of a report that this issue may have been actively exploited."
Older iPhone devices are particularly susceptible, with the list of impacted devices including iPhone 6s (all models), iPhone 7 (all models), iPhone SE (1st generation), iPad Air 2, iPad mini (4th generation), and iPod touch (7th generation) devices.
Elsewhere, iOS 16.4 also amends a worrying Calendar fault that could have seen malicious invitations leaking user information, as well as further fixes including the Photos app’s Hidden Photos Album which has allowed access without authentication via Visual Lookup, a handful of Safari and WebKit flaws including one that saw some user information be trackable, and a number of kernel-related issues.
More broadly, macOS 13.3 fixes issues relating to trackpad gestures and accessibility features, while iOS 16.4 has also added support for home screen web apps by third-party browsers, a new order tracking widget for Apple Pay purchases as part of the Wallet app, voice isolation for cellular calls (as well as video and VoIP calls as before), and other UI tweaks.
After suffering through multiple delays, Apple Pay Later is finally touching down as it begins rolling out to randomly selected users across the United States.
Originally, the service was supposed to launch alongside iOS 16 back in September 2022, but developers ran into a variety of “technical setbacks”. Apple Pay Later allows people to apply for loans from $50 up to $1,000 to purchase whatever they want while avoiding paying the full price up-front. From there, users will pay off that amount in four separate payments across six weeks with no interest or extra fees slapped on top. $1,000 is a decent chunk of change, however, it's not a guarantee. Eligibility depends on your credit score; a history with low numbers will qualify for smaller loans.
The feature will have its home in the Apple Wallet which comes with a detailed calendar that'll notify you of upcoming payments. If you're having a hard time paying, Apple will work with you to make up a new plan. And if you still can't pay off the bill, you won't be eligible for future loans. Customers must connect either a bank or debit card to their account to use the money. Credit cards cannot be used in order to, as Apple notes in its release, “prevent users from taking on more debt to pay back loans”.
Before applying, you'll need to meet some basic requirements first. Currently, the feature is unavailable in Hawaii, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, and Wisconsin plus all US Territories. Currently, Apple Pay Later is available in 45 states. People living in Hawaii, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Wisconsin, or any of the US territories do not have access to the feature, at this time. You have to be at least 18 years old (19 if you live in Alabama) and living in a supported state with a valid physical address.
As for hardware, all you need is an iPhone or iPad updated to iOS 16.4 and iPadOS 16.4, respectively, with two-factor authentication enabled.
Once everything is squared away, you can apply through Apple Wallet via an option at the top. Be aware the company will run a “soft credit pull” to see if you’re in a “good financial position” to borrow the money. Those rejected will get an email from Apple explaining why you didn't make the cut.
There are some rules regarding how you can spend the loan, however.
The money will appear on the checkout page of a purchase under the Pay Later option where you’ll have 30 days to use everything. Past that time, you’ll have to reapply all over again. Whatever you get has to be used on one big order as leftover money can't be reused somewhere else. Additionally, the loan will only be accepted by online retailers and apps supporting Apple Pay, but you won't be forced to just buy Apple tech. It'll work for multiple products bought from a single retailer. Apple cannot see the details of that transaction (your purchase of an Xbox Series X and Sonic Colors Ultimate at Target.com will not be judged).
Pay Later is not currently supporting in-physical-store payments.
Apple Pay Later customers won't pay any fees, but Apple will be making some money off this program through its cut of the fees installment payment plan provider, Mastercard, charges retailers.
The company is pretty set on maxing out the loan at $1,000. For more expensive purchases, say a MacBook Pro, Apple recommends using something like the Apple Card to have payments across months instead of weeks. There are plans to expand support to all eligible customers in the US later this fall when Apple Financing, LLC, begins reporting to American credit bureaus. Unfortunately, there are currently no plans for a global launch.
Hopefully, there will be. Until then, check out TechRadar's list of the best iPhone models for 2023 if you're looking for a new device.
Apple Music Classical has made its long-awaited debut in the App Store – and for Apple Music subscribers, the app is an exciting new way to explore the world's biggest classical music catalog.
Right now, Apple Music Classical is exclusive to the iPhone, but the company says an Android app is "coming soon". If you're an Apple Music subscriber ($10.99 / £10.99 / AU$12.99 a month). you can download the app right now for free from the App Store.
But should you download Apple Music Classical and how good use it? And why on earth has Apple made a separate app, rather than bundling all of this classical goodness into its existing Apple Music app?
We've answered all of these questions and more in this guide to Apple's unique app, which gives Apple Music a unique advantage in its battle with Spotify and the best music streaming services.
Apple Music Classical is available to download now in any country where Apple Music is available. That includes the USA, UK and Australia, though countries including China, Japan and South Korea currently miss out.
You need an Apple Music subscription to listen to Apple Music Classical and there's currently no separate subscription available. Right now, that costs $10.99 / £10.99 / AU$12.99 a month.
Considering Apple Music has over 100 million songs and Apple Musical Classical adds another 5 million tracks to that, that's pretty good value – particularly if you have wide-ranging taste from stretches from classical to college rock.
There are a few boxes to tick before you can start streaming Apple Music Classical. First, you need an individual, student, or family subscription to Apple Music – unfortunately, the cheaper Apple Voice ($4.99 / £4.99 / AU$5.99) plan doesn't include the new classical streaming service.
You also may need to update your iPhone's software. While you don't need to be running the absolute latest version of iOS 16, you will need a phone with iOS 15.4 or higher. That means any iPhone from the iPhone 6S onwards, including the iPhone SE.
Got both an Apple Music subscription and a relatively recent iPhone? You can download Apple Music Classical from the App Store right now. Just sign in with the same ID you use for your Apple Music subscription and you're off.
Unfortunately, there is currently no iPad app or Mac app for Apple Music Classical, which is a shame. But Apple has said that an Android app "is coming soon". We'll update this page as soon as we know more about a date.
Apple Music Classical sounds like a straightforward concept – a spin-off from Apple Music where you can stream around five million orchestral tracks by all kinds of composers, from Bach to Mozart. But its surprising depth, which is built on Apple's purchase of the classical music app Primephonic in 2021, makes it suitable for all experience levels and shows why Apple decided to make it separate app.
Apple's calls the service "the world’s largest classical music catalogue" but its real appeal is the power of its search function. Because classical pieces have hundreds of recordings by different orchestras and conductors, traditional streaming apps can be difficult to navigate.
Apple Music Classical promises to be an improvement thanks to the nuance of its Browse section, which lets you search by composer, period, genre, conductor, orchestra, soloist, ensemble, choir, instrument or even the work's opus number or nickname. That makes it easier to surface, for example, that particular movement by Massenet.
The app is also a pretty beginner-friendly introduction to the slightly intimidating world of classical music. Apple's created over 700 playlists along with some handy guides, like The Story of Classical, which combine commentary with works and breakdowns of classical terminology. We'd love Apple to do more of this for all genres of music in its own Music app, but it's definitely a nice feature here.
With some exclusive artwork, including high-resolution portraits of composers from Bach to Vivaldi, Apple Music Classical clearly wants to be as much a digital home for classical music fans (or fledgling fans) as it is a place to stream music. But Apple fortunately hasn't forgotten about sound quality either.
As you'd hope for an app that's attempting to recreate the sound of a live orchestra at home – even if that isn't really possible – Apple Music Classical does promise impressive sound quality for a streaming service.
The app features lossless audio quality up to 24 bit/192 kHz throughout its catalog, which is a boon considering there's still no sign of equivalents like Spotify HiFi (its lossless, CD-quality offering). The quality you ultimately get, though, will depend on whether or not you're listening with wired or wireless headphones.
Some of the Apple Music Classical catalog is also available in Spatial Audio with Dolby Atmos, which gets a bit closer to that 360-degree immersive live experience. You can find these pieces in its 'Now in Spatial Audio' section, which currently contains just over fifty works.
You'll again need headphones or speakers that can handle Spatial Audio to benefit from this. And it's also worth bearing in mind that on Apple's wireless Bluetooth headphones (like the AirPods Max) you'll still only be able to stream Apple Music Classical in lossy quality, as lossless audio isn't currently possible over Bluetooth on Apple headphones.
Got some wired headphones or listening on some speakers? You can turn on lossless audio quality by going into your iPhone Settings menu and finding the Music app. From there, go to Audio Quality and tap 'Lossless Audio' to turn it on. Bear in mind that this will use a lot more data than usual, which means you may also want to turn off Cellular Data for the Music app (which also controls the settings for Apple Music Classical).
The overall design of Apple Music Classical is, as you'd expect, clean and simple, much like the Apple Music app. There's a refreshing lack of clutter compared to other music streaming apps like Spotify and the Browse section is particularly powerful for classical music.
You can add albums or playlists to your Library section by tapping the '+' symbol in the top right of either. But strangely, you can't download these tracks in Apple Music Classical for offline listening – instead, you need to go to the standard Apple Music app, find them there and then download them to your device.
Apple Music Classical certainly isn't perfect. For a start, there currently aren't any dedicated apps for iPad, Mac, Apple TV or CarPlay, which is strange. There also isn't an Android app yet, even though one is "coming soon".
It's possible that this will change in the future, as Apple has stated that the current version of Apple Music Classical is "just the beginning". But that does make it slightly more limited than it could have been, even if the likes of AirPlay are a workaround for Apple TV owners.
There are a few other limitations, too. There's no 'shuffle' option available for those who want to have more of a radio-style experience like the one offered by the standard Apple Music app. And in general, the design is set up for those who already know what piece of classical music they're looking for.
It also isn't possible to download tracks in Apple Music Classical for offline listening. But while Apple did previously confirm to us that there would be no offline listening option in the app, there is an unexpected workaround – you can find tracks saved to your Apple Music Classical library in the Apple Music app and download them from there. Not ideal, but better than nothing.
We're pretty impressed with Apple Music Classical so far. The streaming quality is good (particularly when you use wired headphones) and the catalog has depth and variety. The key benefit, though, is its powerful search function, which makes it far easier to browse classical music than, say, on Spotify.
It's a shame there aren't more apps available, particularly for iPad and Mac. We hope that changes soon,, as it will for Android fans. And the offline listening setup, which you have to do via the Apple Music app, is a bit convoluted.
But for a first-gen offering, Apple Music Classical is a polished new experience for fans of the genre – and a unique differentiator for Apple Music when compared to the likes of Tidal, Amazon Music, and Spotify.
LG has kept its promise to update its premium handsets despite shutting up shop a few years ago. The company is rolling out Android 13 to the LG V60 ThinQ on T-Mobile. It is expected to arrive on other carriers in the coming weeks.
According to a changelog shared on an LG V60 group on reddit, a recent software update includes Android 13, with accompanying bug fixes and security updates.
Android 13 was very much a behind-the-scenes update for all but a few Android phones. Still, LG's customers on Reddit have reported increased performance, and those security updates are definitely going to be handy.
Upon shutting down its mobile division in 2021, LG shared that it would be updating select premium smartphones for up to three years after their release. This marks the third year for the LG V60 ThinQ, and therefore most likely its final update.
The LG Wing phone, the last premium handset from LG’s phone division, got an Android 12 update in September, 2022, and hopefully that phone will be elligible for an Android 13 update.
In all, LG said it would keep updating its G series, V series, VELVET, and Wing phones for three updates after it shut down its phones team in 2020. Certain 2020 models such as LG Stylo and K series were due for only two years of updates, so it is unlikely those phones will get a new Android system moving forward.
It's not often that Android manufacturers dish out timely updates to older flagships. It's even more heartening when a manufacturer that no longer sells phones keeps to its word with no easy marketing benefit. LG did well keeping its phones with Android 12 up to date, and while we doubted it would keep up with Android 13, the company has honored its promises so far.
It's worth noting that the LG V60 ThinQ will be getting Android 13 before more contemporary phones like the Motorola Edge 30. That says a lot about both companies involved.
Other than the LGV60, the LG Velvet is also expected to pick up Android 13 this year. That phone was the company's last Android flagship and received rave reviews.
If getting the latest software update is important to you, we can recommendmany of the best foldables and best Android phones that you can buy today, whichget great updates. LG's time was good, but even this update is a reminder that its time is over.
The Motorola Edge 40 and Edge 40 Pro have leaked, courtesy of MySmartPrice which cites a source with direct knowledge of the official specs. The Motorola Edge 40 Pro is expected to essentially be the same phone as the Moto X40, which has already launched in China, while the Motorola Edge 40 will be a brand-new device.
According to the rumor, the Edge 40 Pro will have a lot of the X40’s specs, which would mean a 6.7-inch OLED screen with a 165Hz refresh rate, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 paired with 8GB or 12GB of RAM, and up to 512GB of storage. Cameras-wise, the Moto X40 packs three rear cameras; a 50MP main shooter, a 50MP ultrawide, and a 12MP telephoto, plus a 60MP front-facing camera. All this is powered by a 4,600mAh battery, with 125W fast charging.
Since the Moto X40 is already out in the wild, the specs can be assumed to be more or less accurate, based in the notion that Motorola is essentially going to package this same device for international markets.
The standard Edge 40, on the other hand, is expected to be an all-new phone – complete with an as-yet-unannounced MediaTek Dimensity 8020 chip – and is likely to be a step down from the Pro in all aspects. The display is said to be 6.55 inches, with a 144Hz refresh rate, while the rear camera setup is reportedly comprised of a 50MP main camera, accompanied by a 13MP ultrawide. According to the leak, it’ll have 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, with a 4,400mAh battery and 68W charging rounding out the specs. Of course, we’ll take all this all with a pinch of salt until the phones are officially announced.
If these reports are true, Motorola looks set to continue its streak of putting out excellent hardware. We were impressed by last year’s Edge 30 Ultra – in our Motorola Edge 30 Ultra review we praised it as one of the best Android phones so far – and the clean Android user experience means that many people are going to be pleased with it.
Where Motorola has floundered in the past is with software updates. The company has yet to roll out Android 13 to its flagships, even with the public beta of Android 14 due to roll out in the coming weeks. Whether that's good or bad is up to you.
Motorola is expected to release the Edge 40 and Edge 40 Pro sometime around April, with sales opening in May in Europe, based on the previous Edge 30 and Edge 30 Pro. A Moto Edge (2023) might also come to the U.S. around that time.
Microsoft has released a new guide to help users determine whether or not a threat actor tried to steal sensitive data by exploiting a recently patched zero-day vulnerability found in its Outlook email client.
The vulnerability is tracked as CVE-2023-23397, and it’s described as a privilege escalation security flaw on Windows, allowing threat actors to steal NTLM hashes without the victim interacting on their side of the endpoint. The attack is called NTLM-relay zero-click attack.
Tarlogic describes NTLM hashes as “cryptogrpahic formats” in which Windows stores user passwords. These hashes are stored in the Security Account Manager (SAM), or NTDS file of a domain controller. “They are a fundamental part of the mechanism used to authenticate a user through different communications protocols,” it says.
To leverage the flaw and steal these hashes, a threat actor can send a specially crafted message with extended MAPI properties. These will contain UNC paths (Universal naming convention paths, used to access network resources) to attacker-controlled Server Message Block (SMB) shares.
Now, back to what Microsoft did - the Redmond software giant claims there are multiple signs of exploitation that IT teams can analyze: telemetry data from firewalls, proxies, VPN tools, RDP Gateway logs, Azure Active Directory sign-in logs for Exchange Online users, or IIS Logs for Exchange Server.
They can also look for data like Windows event logs, or telemetry data from endpoint detection and response solutions. Threat actors will often target Exchange EWS/OWA users, and look to change mailbox folder permissions to grant themselves persistent access, which is also what IT teams can look for, Microsoft concluded.
"To address this vulnerability, you must install the Outlook security update, regardless of where your mail is hosted (e.g., Exchange Online, Exchange Server, some other platform) or your organization’s support for NTLM authentication," the Microsoft Incident Response team said.
Finally, the company also released a script that helps admins automate the process and determine if any Exchange users were compromised.
Via: BleepingComputer
Framework announced brand new upgrades for its DIY laptop line that should greatly improve performance. These upgrades can be installed into older models, with two main upgrades for the motherboards: one that brings them from the Intel 12th-gen CPUs to the 13th-gen CPUs, and another that brings AMD CPUs to Framework laptops for the first time.
The 12th-gen Intel chips used in previous Framework laptops negatively affected battery performance but the manufacturer stated that 13th-gen chips are far more battery efficient and "firmware optimizations" will improve battery performance even further.
The AMD upgrade is a bit more mysterious but we do know that it will combine Zen 4 CPU and integrated graphics using AMD's current-gen RDNA3 architecture, which will give the laptop a major performance boost so it should even handle low-end gaming.
However, the main story here is that Framework has and continues to do what many other laptop manufacturers have only just started at the most in terms of Microsoft and have been skirting around the concept as Apple does.
One of the worst aspects of laptops by far is their lack of sustainability. The fact that you can’t easily upgrade components that naturally age like CPUs, GPUs, or even motherboards, means that eventually your nice and shiny laptop will die and will produce more e-waste. It’s an extremely wasteful cycle that only benefits short-term profits.
But Framework creating a laptop that can be upgraded with new parts while keeping the same modular base is a stroke of genius. Even better is how easy and accessible disassembly is, which is the major roadblock to DIY laptop maintenance, if the laptop manufacturer even allows for it in the first place.
In recent years, Microsoft has finally loosened the reins on ‘right to repair,’ allowing users to open up their Surface Laptop SE laptops and repair them — even featuring the steps in a how-to video, though the tech giant hasn’t been clear on whether this would void your warranty. When it comes to other Microsoft products, however, users are still forced to use first-party repair services.
It’s still better than Apple, which has refused to budge on its own stance regarding ‘right to repair’ when it comes to laptops and PCs. It does offer Apple Self Service Repair, but that only works for some phones.
As a refresher, a consumer’s ‘right to repair’ means that they are given the tools, knowledge, and legal leeway to repair their own tech and hardware, a movement that has grown increasingly popular as laptops have become more widespread. And compared to two multi-billion dollar corporations, Framework is light years ahead of them in progress.
Dell does have its own version of Framework’s DIY laptops called Concept Luna, which would offer the same features. It even bragged that you could take apart a laptop in two minutes, and watching the process unfold in live demos is quite impressive. However, Dell hasn’t released said project or even announced a release date for it, which means it’s still just a concept.
Action camera brand Insta360 is entering new territory as it’s set to reveal what appears to be a new smartphone gimbal on March 29.
The 20-second teaser video doesn’t reveal a whole lot, but there are a few clues that we can use to paint a picture. For starters, the device will sport a small screen on the handle and some kind of folding mechanism for easier storage. Smartphones will sit on the gimbal via a magnetic clasp. In between the handle and clasp, it looks like there is a control panel with a wheel for changing various shooting modes on the side. The trailer zooms past this portion so it’s hard to tell what it has exactly.
Arguably the most revealing aspect of the teaser, though, is those shooting modes. Each one is represented by an acronym, and although Insta360 doesn’t directly say what they represent, we have a pretty good idea. “F” is for Follow Mode giving full freedom of control to move the gimbal however you want. “PF” for Pan Follow Mode locking the gimbal to a horizontal plane. And Auto Mode to automatically track a subject. But what confuses us the most is the fourth one, FPV Mode (presumably meaning First-Person View).
Other reports make the argument FPV Mode could mean the gimbal has the ability to connect to the camera of an external device, namely a drone, and see that view through a smartphone. Drones like the DJI FPV have the ability to connect their camera to the DJI Goggles 2 headset giving people an “immersive flying experience”. Insta360 doesn’t sell any drones itself so it’s possible the company will offer third-party support instead.
Assuming that this is the case, this would give the gimbal a unique edge over the competition by being more flexible. To have the same experience with DJI, you have to purchase the company's FPV drone and Goggles 2. Outside of some special online sale, you’re looking at over $1500 in equipment. Being able to see a drone’s viewpoint on a smartphone through a gimbal sounds like an interesting prospect.
But at the end of the day, we don’t know for sure. We’ll just have to wait until Insta360’s event on the 29th to get the full story. In the meantime, be sure to check out TechRadar’s list of the best drones for 2023 across different budgets.
Cybersecurity researchers from Phylum have found a new form of malware in a PyPI package that was using Unicode to hide.
Unicode is a global encoding standard used for different languages and scripts, covering more than 100,000 characters, whose goal is to simplify and streamline how characters are viewed in electronic and digital devices. With Unicode, every letter, digit, and symbol, get a unique numeric value, that stays the same, regardless of the program or platform in use.
The malware is called “onyxproxy”, it is an infostealer on the hunt for developer login credentials and authentication tokens. It was available on PyPI for a week, before being shut down, and during that time, it managed to get 183 downloads, meaning that up to 183 different developers are at risk of credential and identity theft.
The malware carries a package called “setup.py” which, according to the researchers, has “thousands” of suspicious code strings which use a combination of Unicode characters.
Observed on the surface, the characters look normal and benign - however, what the human eye sees, and what the program sees, are two vastly different things.
In onyxproxy, there are three critical identifiers: “__import__”, “subprocees”, and “CryptoUnprotectData”. These have a large number of variants, which makes them ideal for beating string-matching-based defenses, the researchers explain.
While the technique might sound complicated, the researchers claim it isn’t exactly sophisticated. However, should the abuse of Unicode for hiding malicious Python code become a trend, it might become cause for concern.
"But, whomever this author copied this obfuscated code from is clever enough to know how to use the internals of the Python interpreter to generate a novel kind of obfuscated code, a kind that is somewhat readable without divulging too much of exactly what the code is trying to steal," concludes Phylum.
Via: BleepingComputer
Nvidia has released a massive update on its Game Ready Driver, which will give plenty of the top PC titles a noticeable boost in performance and graphics over the next few weeks.
The first is Diablo IV’s open beta, which releases on March 24 and will give the title access to DLSS 2 support. Upon launch on June 6, the full version will be getting DLSS 3 support for gamers with RTX 4000-series graphics cards.
Then, on March 28, Forza Horizon 5 will be getting a DLSS 3 performance update as well. According to Nvidia, once that drops gamers will be able to hit 120 FPS at 4K resolution with every setting maxed out.
Cyberpunk 2077 will also be getting a new feature on April 11 called Ray Tracing: Overdrive Mode, which is essentially support for path-tracing or full ray-tracing. According to the official blog post, this process “accurately simulates light throughout an entire scene” which means that “practically all light sources cast physically correct soft shadows.”
Explained even further, any natural colored lighting will bounce multiple times throughout the game world, which in turn creates more realistic indirect lighting and occlusion. And considering how impressive the Cyberpunk 2077 world already looks with regular DLSS 3, a boost in that could mean one of the most visually stunning gaming worlds.
Other titles set to receive super-resolution upgrades from Game Ready Driver include Deceive Inc., Smalland: Survive the Wilds, and The Last of US Part I. Resident Evil 4 will receive a day one optimization as well and four other titles — Kerbal Space Program 2, Last Epoch, Like a Dragon: Ishin!, and Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty — will be given optimal settings.
DLSS is an incredible technological advancement that brings out the best in many PC games, showcasing what the best graphics cards can really do. And it feels like this gen in particular has found its footing with DLSS 3.
One of the best examples, in my opinion, of how downright incredible a game can look and play with it is Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered. An absolute technical marvel, it’s a PC port that takes every advantage of PC hardware to become a superior port in every way possible.
And now with the RTX 4000-series graphics cards out, titles can be pushed even further. Achieving 4K resolution while having ray-tracing capabilities and settings maxed out, while the FPS still chugs along at over 100 on average, is not only obtainable but already happening right now. And on gaming laptops no less!
It’ll be exciting to see how much further PC game performance can be pushed if we’re already seeing such excellent results even now.
In an effort to further reduce its environmental impact, Microsoft has signed a contract with the aptly named CarbonCapture to bury its CO2 emissions below ground.
The tech giant has been making various gestures towards going green in recent years, especially concerning the data centers used to power its cloud computing and CDN platform Azure. It was also one of the first companies to back projects that sought to remove CO2 from the atmosphere.
Although based in LA, CarbonCapture is building a new direct air capture (DAC) facility in Wyoming, titled Project Bison, which is slated to begin operations in late 2024. The company's modular technology will take CO2 emission from the air and store them in containers, which will themselves be stored underground.
By 2030, Microsoft wants to be carbon negative, which will mean that it ends up removing more CO2 from the atmosphere than what it actually produces. And by 2050, it wants to remove same amount of CO2 that it has ever produced since its inception.
Currently, the technologies to capture this amount of carbon do not exist, but Microsoft seems confident that eventually they will, and that this new deal with CarbonCapture is setting them up on the right path. Phillip Goodman, director of Microsoft's Carbon Removal Portfolio, said:
"This agreement with CarbonCapture helps us move toward our carbon negative goal, while also helping to catalyze the growth of the direct air capture industry as a whole."
Although Microsoft has been aiming to prevent the amount of CO2 it releases in the first place, its emissions started to rise in 2021 for the first time in years, producing 14 million metric tons that year, which is more than that produced by 2.7 million households a year in their electricity use.
CarbonCapture, for its part, will only be able to capture 10,000 metric tons of CO2 a year according to its projections for Project Bison. However, it hopes to be able to increase this up to 5 million by 2030, a big ask considering all 18 DAC plants that are currently operational worldwide can only capture a combined total of just 0.01 million metric tons right now.
Despite this, CarbonCapture CEO and CTO Adrian Corless is excited about the deal with Microsoft, as it is the startup's biggest to date - larger even than all its other contracts combined - telling The Verge that it is "an important... validating step for our business."
Details are scarce regarding how just much of Microsoft's CO2 emissions will actually be captured by CarbonCapture, and how much the deal is worth. Microsoft has also bought carbon removal credits from another company, the Swiss-based Climeworks, again for an unknown amount. What we do know is that price per ton to buy captured CO2 from Climeworks is $600.
Intel Graphics head Raja Koduri is leaving Team Blue to found an AI gaming company, putting a spotlight on the future of Intel's discrete graphics dreams.
Announced by Intel's CEO Pat Gelsinger yesterday on Twitter, the departure of Koduri comes after five years at Intel where he recently headed up Intel's AXG graphics unit, responsible for producing the company's discrete GPU to rival the best graphics cards from AMD and Nvidia.
Thank you @RajaXg for your many contributions to Intel tech & architecture-especially w/high-performance graphics that helped bring 3 new product lines to market in ‘22. Wishing you success as you create a new software co. around generative AI for gaming, media & entertainment.March 21, 2023
Koduri is leaving to found a generative AI gaming software startup, according to Tom's Hardware, and his departure comes after a promotion in 2022 to executive vice president before being moved back to the role of Chief Architect, the role he took on after joining Intel in 2017 from AMD's Radeon Graphics Unit.
Thank you Pat and @intel for many cherished memories and incredible learning over the past 5 years. Will be embarking on a new chapter in my life, doing a software startup as noted below. Will have more to share in coming weeks. https://t.co/8DcnNdso3rMarch 21, 2023
Koduri's time at Intel has been a bit rocky in recent years, owing to the struggles Intel has had with its Intel Arc Alchemist graphics cards. Despite receiving decent reviews for those few reviewers who were able to get them in, finding the new graphics cards has been a challenge and those who have been able to get their hands on them have encountered performance issues tied to the drivers Intel has developed for the cards. Intel has since fixed some of these issues, but work remains to be done.
How that work will continue remains to be seen, as Gelsinger's message makes no mention of a replacement or anything about the future of Intel's AXG graphics group.
There has been a lot of hype around Intel Arc Alchemist as well as a fair bit of letdown. Many of us have been hoping hard for Intel's success in this endeavour as the AMD and Nvidia dichotomy in the GPU space could really do with some disrupting and there really aren't that many players who can enter the GPU fray thanks to the enormous cost of entry.
That cost might be one that Team Blue is eager to cut in the coming months, and I genuinely hope that Raja Koduri's departure isn't a sign of things to come in that regard.
With Nvidia's GTC 2023 event in full swing and Nvidia appearing to go all-in on AI and cloud services, I am very pessimistic about the future of Nvidia GeForce graphics cards.
Market pressures are going to lean very heavily on Nvidia to invest in AI at the cost of its consumer products division, meaning more workstation GPUs and fewer graphics cards for gamers. The Nvidia RTX 5070 will still likely see the light of day in a couple of years, but with the way AI is going, I seriously doubt that we'll ever see an Nvidia RTX 6070.
That leaves AMD and Intel, and while Team Red makes some incredible products, lack of real competition can only stifle innovation long term, and AMD will need a fire under its ass if it is going to continue the very positive trends we're seeing.
And given the price inflation of the best AMD graphics cards in recent years, it's hard to call AMD the budget option anymore. No, we need something else to fill that gap in the market, and Intel is very well positioned to serve that very real need. Will they? I definitely hope so, and Koduri's exit should provide an opportunity for Intel to double down on its discrete graphics card ambitions rather than abandon them.
To the intel graphics team in the battle arena🙏🙏🙏 https://t.co/DHjLeHkITLMarch 21, 2023
Getting a new product launch is hard, and for a first effort Intel Arc Alchemist seems like a pretty decent enough offering. It could absolutely be better, but what we really need is for the next Intel GPU to knock it out of the park.
There is a lot of attachment to Arc Alchemist from the Intel Graphics team for obvious reasons, and there does seem to be some genuine affection between Koduri and the team he led. Adversity tends to produce that, especially when the world seems to be counting you out from the jump.
But given everything, new leadership might be what's needed to get Intel's graphics team back on track to make its next GPU a success. That GPU series, codenamed Battlemage, is undoubtedly in the works and this reset could be the perfect opportunity to shrug off the challenges of Alchemist, learn the lessons that need to be learned, and come in hot with a strong contender for the best cheap graphics card on the market in a year's time.
And while every manufacturer wants to be out here claiming the title of "The Best There Is", let's be real: that's the Nvidia RTX 4090, and that's a graphics card that like five people are going to buy. Almost everyone else is going to be looking for something they can afford that will give them the next-gen gaming experience that they have been missing out on for the past few years.
Arc Battlemage can more easily hit that target and make a real case for itself as a viable alternative to Nvidia and AMD while also earning the gratitude of a lot of gamers out there who are increasingly feeling boxed out by those companies.
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