Apple Confirms Unencrypted Kernel in iOS 10 Beta is Intentional
Yesterday it was discovered that iOS 10 does not feature an encrypted kernel, allowing users and researchers access to the core of the operating system and its inner workings. It was unclear at the time whether the lack of encryption was an accident or intentional, but today Apple confirmed to TechCrunch that the company did not encrypt the kernel for a reason.
“The kernel cache doesn’t contain any user info, and by unencrypting it we’re able to optimize the operating system’s performance without compromising security,” an Apple spokesperson told TechCrunch.
The kernel, which dictates how software can use hardware and keeps the device secure, is unencrypted so that developers and researchers can “poke around” and find potential security flaws. Because the kernel is easier to access and flaws may be easier to find, Apple can more easily and more quickly patch potential issues.
The move is a shift for Apple, who had encrypted the kernel in past versions of iOS, leaving developers and researchers out of the loop on the inner workings of the operating system. As noted by security expert Jonathan Zdziarski, it’s likely that Apple has made this shift to prevent groups from “hoarding” vulnerabilities in Apple’s software, like the vulnerability used by the FBI to break into the iPhone 5c of the San Bernardino shooter.
Related Roundup: iOS 10
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Protect your smartphone data with G Cloud Unlimited Backup – now over 90 per cent off
The cold panic of losing your phone is an all-too-familiar feeling, with so much of our data, contacts, memories and more packed into our devices. Worry no more with G Cloud Unlimited Backup, which allows you to safeguard your important data against accidents and misfortune.
With G Cloud, you can conveniently back up any photos, videos, contacts, calendars and more on your Android – as well as any iPhone or iPad devices. For a limited time, a 5-year subscription is available at 93 per cent off from Pocket-lint Deals.
G Cloud is simple to use, offering a one-tap restore feature alongside an intuitive timeline interface allowing you to easily organize your personal media. Utilizing highly secure, military-grade 256-AES encryption, your data and files are stored on the secure and reliable Amazon AWS Cloud, allowing for ultimate flexibility in both sharing and storage.
If you’re prone to losing your phone, G Cloud is here to help. Taking a cue from Apple’s “Find my iPhone” feature, G Cloud has expanded the idea to the Android platform – simply sign into your G Cloud account to utilize a number of locator options, and reunite with your misplaced device in no time. Even without Internet access, you can send your phone an SMS to locate it with ease.
Pocket-lint readers can pick up the G Cloud Unlimited Backup: 5-Yr Subscription for just £20.42 ($29), for a limited time only.
‘Quake’ marks its 20th anniversary
Attention gamers of a certain age: you’re about to feel very, very old. June 22nd, 2016 marks the 20th anniversary of the original Quake, id Software’s classic first-person shooter. It may not be quite as genre-defining as the Doom games that preceded it, but it was still considered revolutionary. For a start, it was presented entirely in 3D (with semi-realistic lighting, no less) at a time when most shooters had to make do with ‘2.5D’ engines — even the zero-gravity title Descent had some 2D. Quake was also one of the first games of its kind to be built with internet multiplayer in mind, not just local networks. And who can forget the eerie soundtrack from Nine Inch Nails’ Trent Reznor?
As important as the game was when released in 1996, its long-term impact was arguably greater. Thanks in no small part to QuakeWorld (a version optimized for the slow internet connections of the time) and add-ons like Threewave CTF, online action gaming took off. Its extremely flexible code led to extremely popular mods like Team Fortress, which spawned stand-alone games that are still played today. Even the computer hardware industry owes a debt to Quake. After all, it was frequently the main reason why you bought an early 3D graphics accelerator. AMD and NVIDIA wouldn’t be where they are now without people buying video cards to get some extra visual oomph out of GLQuake.
The Quake series doesn’t have an active presence outside of Quake Live right now, but it’s about to enjoy a revival thanks to the upcoming Quake Champions. Even if that falls flat, though, the game’s influence will likely be felt for a long time. You can trace the basic controls and mechanics of many modern first-person shooters back to id’s pioneering work, and it popularized certain parts of the modern gaming lingo (such as frags and spawn camping). Whenever you shotgun someone in Call of Duty, you’re showing Quake some gratitude.
Source: John Romero
‘Furi’ unleashes its unique brand of chaos this July
The Game Bakers’ Furi is a neon-soaked fever dream in which you go tackle boss after boss after boss in the vein of Shadow of the Colossus. It was certainly a standout during E3 2016, and it’s streaking forward to PlayStation 4 and PC this July 5 for $24.99.
Featuring character design from Afro Samurai creator Takashi Okazaki and an aesthetic that’d challenge even the zaniest parts of El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron, Furi isn’t The Game Bakers’ first rodeo when it comes to indie gaming. But it certainly could be one of its best. With a combination of synthwave and electronica punctuating its soundtrack and explosive fights that’ll challenge your reflexes, Furi is definitely one to watch.
Check out the announcement trailer below and brush up on the basics of CQC if you want to make any progress in this frenetic action game.
Source: The Game Bakers
6 tips to improve battery life on the Nexus 5X
How do I improve battery life in the Nexus 5X?
While the 2,700mAh battery in LG’s Nexus 5X can get you through the day on a single charge, depending on usage, we think you can probably get a little bit more out of it by making a few simple changes.
1. Turn off Ambient Display
Ambient Display is a feature that sends notifications to your screen when it’s locked. It’s useful to see what’s going without having to unlock your phone’s screen, but it does consume battery power.
To turn this feature off, follow these steps:
Launch Settings from your Home screen, the app drawer, or the Notification Shade.
Tap Display.
Toggle the Ambient Display switch to off.
2. Mind your Bluetooth
Smartwatches are great and we love them, but you should be aware that they consume more battery than Ambient Display does. If you know that you need extra power, leave your smartwatch at home that day.
The same goes for fitness trackers, speakers, car audio systems, and just about anything else with a Bluetooth connection. When in doubt, disable Bluetooth!.
Launch Settings from your Home screen, the app drawer, or the Notification Shade
Tap Bluetooth
Toggle the Bluetooth switch to off.
3. Lower your screen’s brightness setting
The Nexus 5X has a beautiful 5.2-inch inch full HD LCD display that hits that sweet spot for size but is one of the most battery-intensive features of the phone.
Dial down how much battery your Nexus 5X’s screen draws by decreasing the brightness level a few notches:
Launch Settings from your Home screen, the app drawer, or the Notification Shade.
Tap Display.
Tap on Brightness level.
Tap and drag the brightness bar to your desired level.
Alternatively, you can let Adaptive brightness manage the brightness level of your screen based on the amount of ambient light available:
Launch Settings from your Home screen, the app drawer, or the Notification Shade.
Tap Display.
Toggle the Adaptive brightness switch to on.
4. Limit or turn off Location Services
Google’s Location Services is useful for helping you get around town and some apps, such as Foursquare and Twitter, use it to determine your location as well. However helpful Location Services is, it can take a huge chunk out of your battery, especially when using GPS.
Location Services has three modes: High accuracy, Battery saving, and Device only. High accuracy uses GPS, Wi-Fi, and mobile network information to find your position, Power saving uses just Wi-Fi and mobile network information, while Device only uses only GPS. Of the three, the most power hungry modes are High accuracy and Device only.
If you need some form of location services on, choose Battery saving — it won’t be as accurate, but it will save on battery. For the most power savings, turn off Location Services altogether. If you choose to turn off Location Services, some apps that rely on it may not function properly — just something to be aware of.
You can find all of these settings under Location in your Nexus 5X’s Settings menu:
Tap Location.
Tap Mode to pull up the Location mode screen. From there tap the option of your choice:
- High accuracy
- Battery saving
- Device only
To turn Location Services off, simply toggle the switch to off at the top of the screen.
5. Check apps’ battery usage
Android keeps tabs on how much battery every app on your phone consumes and it’s simple to check:
Launch Settings from your Home screen, the app drawer, or the Notification Shade.
Tap Battery.
Here you’ll see a breakdown by app of how much battery they consume as a percentage of total battery use.
Video streaming services and games naturally will use more battery than others, but if something else is hogging the battery when it shouldn’t be, you’ll see it here.
6. Avoid streaming video
The Nexus 5X loses power more quickly when streaming video. If you can, download any video content you plan to watch to your device and watch it locally.
Here’s how you can download content for offline viewing in Google Play.
Launch the Google Play Movies and TV app from your Home screen or the app drawer.
Tap the Menu button. It looks like this ☰.
Tap My library.
Tap the Download button next to the content you’d like to watch offline.
That’s it. Now the content will download to your device and be available to watch any time you’d like, no internet connection necessary.
How about you?
We’ve given you some tips on how you can eek out a few more hours of life from your Nexus 5X’s battery, but what about you? What do you do to make your battery last longer? Tell us about it in the comments below.
Want more information on the LG Nexus 5X? Have a peek at our review.
Nexus 5X
- Nexus 5X review
- 5 things to know about the Nexus 5X
- Read the latest Nexus 5X news
- Learn about Nexus Protect insurance
- Learn about Project Fi
- Join the Nexus 5X forums
- Nexus 5X specs
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‘Hotline Miami 2’ is ready for your user-built sequels
The flashy, lo-res violence of Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number just got a new lease on life. The long-awaited level editor companion just dropped its beta status and is ready to go live. Since the second installment was “the brutal conclusion” to the series, a boatload of user-made, downloadable content is likely the closest thing fans will get to an HM3. And that’s essentially what users will find now that the game has landed on Steam Workshop.
If you haven’t yet jumped into Hotline’s world, now would be an excellent time to do that. Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number is currently on sale for a dirt-cheap $3.74 or $4.99 bundled with the original. For the true aficionado, the full 49-track original soundtrack is also available for a $14.99 download.
Facebook brings VR Reactions to 360-degree videos
In between shooting up enemy spaceships in Eve:Gunjack and watching your favorite shows in virtual reality, you can also use your Gear VR to browse 360 Videos on Facebook. Now, in addition to viewing them, you can also show what you think about them. Oculus has just made it possible to see and leave reactions — you know, those Like-alternatives that Facebook released earlier this year — right within the smartphone VR viewer. Just look at the Like button long enough, and you’ll trigger a circle of possible Reactions to choose from. And if you’re dying to give a “Wow” emoji to a friend’s 360-degree panorama instead, don’t worry — support for 360 Photos should arrive in the coming weeks.
Source: Facebook
Nest will begin curating its Works With Nest products online
Home automation producer Nest wants to make things easier for you when it comes to building your connected home. That’s why it will soon curate select items that work with your Nest products so you can buy them directly from its online storefront.
Works with Nest products run the gamut from LIFX WiFi smart bulbs that offer enhanced lighting that works in a complementary way with your Nest Cam or Nest Protect, with options you can alter on your own. You might also opt to add a SkyBell HD WiFi Video Doorbell to your setup, which allows you to stream live video of your front door and record it if Nest Cam happens to sense motion outside your door when you’re out.
Over 100 Works with Nest products are out in the wild, though Nest won’t be adding them all at the onset of its Works with Nest store. They’ll be sprinkled into the mix soon, with additional items releasing online and likely into your home in the future.
Source: Nest
Electric race car sets an acceleration world record
Electric cars are quick off the mark as a matter of course, since they’re both very efficient with energy and always operate at peak torque. You probably haven’t seen a road-going machine this fast, though. Swiss students have shattered the world record for EV acceleration with an experimental race car, Grimsel, that reached 62MPH in 1.513 seconds — over two tenths of a second sooner than the previous best. For context, the 1,480HP Bugatti Chiron hits that speed somewhere under 2.5 seconds.
Like any good performance car, Grimsel achieved the feat through a combination of the right engine technology and light weight. While its four wheel hub motors produce just 200HP, they also produce a whopping 1,254 foot-pounds of torque… and when the car’s carbon fiber body weighs just 370 pounds, it’s extremely easy to move. Per-wheel traction control helps translate that power effectively, too.
It’s doubtful that you’ll see this exact car in full-fledged competition. All the same, it bodes well for the future of electric motorsport. As quick as the cars in Formula E might be, Grimsel shows that there’s still room for improvement.
Source: ETH Zurich
Misfit Ray review – CNET
The Good Slim design, water-resistant, long battery life thanks to replaceable batteries. Tracks activity automatically. Vibration alerts.
The Bad Uncomfortable fit won’t feel great on all wrists. Minimal look means no buttons or display, except for one glowing light. Misfit app not as good as competing fitness apps.
The Bottom Line Misfit’s tube-shaped Ray fitness tracker looks stylish and gets the job done, but it does too little for what it costs.
It looks like a bracelet, or some space-age tube. But the Misfit Ray’s a fitness tracker. One of a vast number of track-your-steps, pair-with-an-app gadgets that keep popping up. Fitness trackers — the standalone ones that aren’t smartwatches — have started shrinking down to aspire to be jewelry, sort of. That’s been Misfit’s formula for years. But now, that formula feels a little commonplace.
The original Shine, a metal disc that automatically tracks steps and sleep and has good battery life, was innocuous. But also, easily lost. It could pop into accessories and be worn lots of places. I liked the Shine a lot when it first debuted in 2013, because it was unique and small. But there are more fitness trackers now, and most of them are unnecessary. The Shine 2 only made a few advances over the Shine. Its main appeal — being simple and automatic — has been adopted by many other competitors, including the king of the hill, Fitbit.
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Misfit Ray in two colors, with Misfit Shine 2 in the middle. Same functions, different design.
Sarah Tew/CNET
Now the Ray is the same idea as the Shine 2, but in a tube. Like those earlier Misfit products, the Ray tracks steps, sleep and short activity sessions. It can be worn as a bracelet (it comes with a band), or turned into a necklace pendant. But it’s not really attractive enough that you’d wear it if you weren’t “using” it.
AIVAnet 