ITy Bytes 17 August – in this edition,
- Update Microsoft Windows 10 now,
- Google adds reminder features – Hey Ray, do the newsletter!,
- Samsung releases 64 and now 108MP smartphone cameras,
- Samsung exposes 7nm Exynos 9825 engine in Galaxy Note10,
- InvisibleShield Ultra VisionGuard and Ultra Clear for the Samsung Galaxy Note10 and Note10+,
- Canon DSLR camera hacked with ransomware,
- IFixit says Apple playing dirty tricks with third-party battery replacements,
ITy Bytes 17 August is a short, curated collection of news you may like to know
Update Microsoft Windows 10 now
If you manually update Windows 10, then it is time to force an update to patch two new remote desktop vulnerabilities CVE-2019-1181 and CVE-2019-1182.
While you are at it, you can force the update from 1809 to the new version 1903 by using the standalone Windows updater tool. Otherwise, the 1903 update is being progressively rolled out, and it may be some months before you receive it. More at Microsoft.
Google adds reminder features – Hey Ray, do the newsletter!
Google Assistant can now send reminders to (and nag) family and friends with Android phones or Google Assistant speakers.
Assignable reminders allow those in your Google family group or those who have their accounts linked to the same Smart Display or speaker as you and are Voice Matched. The recipient must also be in a senders’ Google Contacts. For parents who want to give their kids access to the Assistant on Google Home, you can create an account for kids under 13 (or the applicable age in your country) through Family Link, then link their Google Account and voice to Google Home. Also, you have the control to block anyone from sending you reminders at any time through the new Assignable reminders section in Assistant Settings.
This feature will also work for location-based reminders with a specific address or landmark.
For example, if you want to remind Claire to pick up flowers—and you don’t know the exact time she’ll be going shopping—just say, “Hey Google, remind Claire to pick up flowers when she gets to the Ferry.” The Assistant will then create a reminder that will pop-up for Claire when the Assistant recognises that she has arrived at the Ferry.
Samsung releases 64 and now 108MP smartphone cameras
Samsung Electronics has announced a 108MP ISOCELL Bright HMX, the first mobile image sensor to go beyond 100 million pixels. It will expand its 0.8μm image sensor offerings from its recently announced ultra-high 64MP to 108MP, a resolution equivalent to that of a high-end DSLR camera.
Its 48/64/108MP sensors all pixel bin (like a Google Pixel does) resulting in 12/16/27MP final image sizes but capture so much detail and information that, with the right, AI and post-processing power makes it impossible to take a bad shot.
It supports video recording without losses in field-of-view at resolutions up to 6K (6016×3384)@30fps. It will be on a Xiaomi phone first.
Samsung exposes 7nm Exynos 9825 engine in Galaxy Note10
While the release is pretty short on details, it does show why the Galaxy Note10 is such a powerhouse.
- CPU: Four core – 2 x A75 and 2 x A55 in big/little energy-saving format
- GPU: ARM Mail G76 MP12 (12 lanes – four times faster than the current three lanes)
- Memory: LPDDR4x (12GB)
- Multi-format codec (MFC) to encode/decode 8K@30fps or 4K@150fps in 10-bit HEVC(H.265), H.264, VP9 and 1024 tones per colour
- LTE Modem Cat 20, 8CA, 2Gbps/316Mbps DL/UL
- Storage: The latest UFS 3.0
- Physically Unclonable Function (PUF) to store and manage personal data in isolation
- Plus, a neural processing unit, DSP, ISP, Amp, Wi-Fi 6, BT5.0, GPS and more all on-die
Details on its 5G 5100 modem are scant, but it is a separate chip.
The chip has recorded the highest ever Android GeekBench4 single/multi rating of 3512/11210 compared to the 3500/9000 (approx) of the Galaxy Note 9.
In other tests, its screen has achieved 686nits brightness (usually around 400-500) and 212.4/14.6% of sRGB (vivid/natural settings) – but more impressive is a Delta E of .25 (o is perfect)
And in the latest news, it has scored the highest ever DxOMark rating of 113 (rear) and 99 (selfie). You can read more here.
- Quad-camera, including ToF sensor
- Primary: 12Mp sensor with 1.4µm pixels, 26mm (equivalent) variable-aperture f/1.5-2.4 lens, dual-pixel AF, OIS
- Ultra-wide: 16Mp sensor with 1.0µm pixels, 13mm (equivalent) f/2.2-aperture lens
- Tele: 12Mp sensor with 1.0µm pixels, 52mm (equivalent) f/2.1 aperture lens, PDAF, and OIS
Yes, it is king of the heap.
InvisibleShield Ultra VisionGuard and Ultra Clear for the Samsung Galaxy Note10 and Note10+
InvisibleShield Ultra VisionGuard provides the same advanced shatter protection found in InvisibleShield’s Ultra Clear, and it also protects against HEV blue light without distorting the appearance of the Note10 and Note10+ screen. Featuring a thinner design, Ultra VisionGuard offers improved touch sensitivity and a unique surface finish for a glass-like feel. Self-healing Nano-Memory Technology™ is scientifically formulated with smart molecules to heal minor scratches and dings.
InvisibleShield Ultra Clear features a high gloss surface finish that makes the screen protector seem to disappear into the device screen. An edge-to-edge fit offers complete impact and shatter protection for the Note10 and Note10+ screen while EZ Apply tabs makes installation easy and bubble-free.
InvisibleShield Ultra VisionGuard ($44.95) for the Samsung Note10 and Note10+ are now available at InvisibleShield.com and JB Hi-Fi and Harvey Norman stores across Australia and New Zealand—also available in Vodafone stores in Australia.
InvisibleShield Ultra Clear ($39.95) for the Galaxy Note10 and Note10+ will be available later this month at InvisibleShield.com and JB Hi-Fi and Harvey Norman stores across Australia and New Zealand—will also be available in Vodafone stores in Australia.
Canon DSLR camera hacked with ransomware
A Canon EOS 80D Wi-Fi enabled DSLR camera has been hacked by Check Point Technologies to show how IoT devices can spread malware to other connected devices. Don’t worry, Canon has been aware of this since March and working with Check Point to disclose the vulnerability.
It says its research shows that any “smart” device is susceptible to attacks. The combination of price, sensitive contents, and wide-spread consumer audience makes cameras a lucrative target for attackers.
IFixit says Apple playing dirty tricks with third-party battery replacements
By activating a dormant software lock on their newest iPhones, Apple is effectively announcing a drastic new policy: only Apple batteries can go in iPhones, and only it can install them.
If you replace the battery in the newest iPhones, a message indicating you need to service your battery appears in Settings > Battery, next to Battery Health. The “Service” message is normally an indication that the battery is degraded and needs to be replaced. The message still shows up when you put in a brand-new battery, however. Here is the bigger problem: iFixit’s lab tests confirmed that even when you swap in a genuine Apple battery, the phone will still display the “Service” message.
It’s not a bug; it’s a feature Apple wants. Unless an Apple Genius or an Apple Authorized Service Provider authenticates a battery to the phone, that phone will never show its battery health and always report a vague, ominous problem.
Apple refuses to make its reset software available to anyone but Apple Authorized Service Providers.
This is a huge problem for iPhone owners who may not know about this new, sneaky lockdown, and it will undoubtedly cause confusion: they’ll replace their own battery and notice the “Service” message, then begin troubleshooting a problem that isn’t there.
To make matters worse, as of iOS 10 Apple has blocked third-party battery health apps from accessing most of the battery’s details, including cycle count, which is critical information that tells you whether your battery is on the brink of degradation. You can get around this, however, by plugging your iPhone into a Mac and installing a Mac app like coconutBattery.
Apple – haven’t you learnt from the Error 53 debacle. You can read iFixit’s article here.
ITy Bytes 17 August is a short, curated collection of news you may like to know.
See ITy Bytes 17 August. ITy Bytes 17 August, ITy Bytes 17 August
