2017 June | AIVAnet

Jun

New iMacs at last! And the $5,000 iMac Pro is the most powerful ever

Why it matters to you

If you’ve been waiting for a real workstation-class MacOS desktop, then Apple’s upcoming iMac Pro should be worth the wait.

Apple held its 2017 Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) today, and as usual revealed a slew of new features coming for its various platforms. While WWDC tends to focus on software, Apple’s Mac hardware wasn’t left out of this year’s event.

The iMac is one of Apple’s more important MacOS hardware products, representing its main presence on PC users’ desktops. While the Mac Pro remains in limbo, the iMac got some serious love at today’s event with both refreshed models available today and a sneak peek at an upcoming iMac Pro.

iMac Pro

The iMac Pro is perhaps the most interesting machine introduced today. It represents Apple’s effort to provide power users with a much more powerful machine that can compete with the most advanced workstations on the market. Apple’s penultimate desktop machine, the Mac Pro, might be awaiting its own redesign, but the iMac Pro offers a great alternative for anyone looking for a high-end MacOS desktop today.

Apple will be stuffing the iMac Pro with everything on the typical power user’s checklist, including:

Up to 18-core Intel Xeon processor
Up to 128GB ECC RAM
Up to 4TB SSD storage
AMD Radeon Vega GPUs providing up to 11 Teraflops of single precision and up to 22 Teraflops of half precision
Four Thunderbolt 3 ports that can drive up to 44 million pixels of display and two external drive enclosures
10Gb Ethernet, Apple’s first machine with that level of network performance

In addition, the iMac Pro will utilize a new thermal design that utilizes a new dual centrifugal fan system that will keep all that power in check. The overall design of the iMac Pro will be similar to today’s iMac, but with a new Space Grey color scheme. Apple didn’t spend too much time covering all of the new features and capabilities coming to the iMac Pro, but it did flash a quick slide that provided some additional details.

Apple is being aggressive in terms of pricing the iMac Pro, as well. While the typical PC workstation, according to Apple, runs $7,000 or more, the entry-level iMac Pro configuration will be priced at $4,999. The basic iMac Pro will include the following components:

Retina 5K display
8-core Intel Xeon processor
Radeon Vega graphics
32GB ECC RAM
1TB SSD
Thunderbolt 3
10Gb Ethernet

Apple will be shipping the iMac Pro in December 2017.

iMac

The standard iMac line also received a significant update, with Apple focusing on refining the existing physical design with updated components. Everything that Apple announced today is available at the Apple Store for immediate purchase, meaning that anyone in the market for a new MacOS desktop has some nice new options to consider.

Some of the improvements to the iMac include:

Significantly improved display brightness for both the 4K and 5K displays, up 43 percent to 500 nits
Improved color support, with 10-bit dithering, up to one billion colors, and improved color gamut support
Intel seventh-generation Core processors
Up to 32GB RAM on the 21.5-inch model, and up to 64GB on the 27-inch model
Apple’s Fusion Drive is now standard on the 27-inch and on the high-end 21.5-inch models
SSD storage options have been increased to 2TB
Two Thunderbolt 3 ports are now available, supporting both an external display and drive enclosure for the first time
The entry-level 21.5-inch model now comes standard with Intel Iris Plus Graphics 640 GPU with 64MB graphics cache
The 4K 21.5-inch iMac has new AMD Radeon Pro 555 and 560 options with up to 4GB VRAM
The 5K 27-inch iMac has added AMD Radeon Pro 570, 575, and 580 options with up to 8GB VRAM
The iMac now supports virtual reality (VR) systems

iMac pricing starts at $1,099 for the entry-level 21.5-inch iMac, $1,239 for the 4K 21.5-inch iMac, and $1,799 for the 5K 27.5-inch iMac. Apple announced that the iMacs will be available starting today, but the Apple Store is still unavailable.

Jun

Apple plans to make iOS the largest augmented reality platform around, overnight

Pokemon Go was undeniably one of 2016’s biggest gaming success stories, offering a wholly new mobile experience that hinged on location-based gameplay and augmented reality technology. Today at WWDC 2017, Apple unveiled ARKit, a new platform that will allow developers to integrate computer vision into their projects with greater ease than ever before.

Apple’s senior vice president of software engineering, Craig Federighi, debuted ARKit with a live demonstration on stage. He used an iPhone to run a test application that could place virtual objects on a surface in front of him at the touch of a button.

The coffee cup that Federighi set on the table remained in place as he moved around with his iPhone in hand, without the kind of stuttering or unwanted rotation that can break immersion in this kind of experience. He went on to add a lamp to the scene, which cast a realistic shadow from the coffee cup to demonstrate the way virtual objects can interact.

ARKit will provide fast, stable motion tracking that developers can build into their apps. It’s capable of seeking out planes like tables and floors, it can estimate how much ambient light is in the vicinity, and it’s capable of balancing the scale of various objects to ensure the scene is congruent.

The utility will apparently work alongside third-party frameworks like Unity and Unreal as well as Apple’s own SceneKit to give developers more freedom in their creative process.

Apple is bullish that ARKit will become the largest AR platform in the world overnight, thanks to the hundreds of millions of iPads and iPhones already out in the wild, already capable of running content created using the tools. The company has already been working with some big-name partners, with IKEA and Lego both having experimented with the platform.

Meanwhile, Niantic has used ARKit to make Pokemon Go even more immersive. The way that Pokemon are rendered in real-world environments has been improved, integrating them into their environment with a greater sense of place and space.

Wingnut AR, a sister studio of Peter Jackson’s movie production company, then demonstrated its usage of the technology on stage. A standard table top was transformed into a sci-fi battle, with explosions and artillery covering the surface and spilling out into the ‘skies’ above.

ARKit is set to launch as part of iOS 11 later this year.

Jun

Apple plans to make iOS the largest augmented reality platform around, overnight

The utility will apparently work alongside third-party frameworks like Unity and Unreal as well as Apple’s own SceneKit to give developers more freedom in their creative process.

ARKit is set to launch as part of iOS 11 later this year.

Jun

Corel gets creative with the Surface Pen in its latest graphics software suite

Why it matters to you

Microsoft and Corel want to provide graphic artists the most natural form of creating digital artwork with support for the Surface Pen in Corel’s latest software.

Corel’s latest suite of graphics design tools, CorelDraw Graphics Suite 2017, arrived in April, packing new features such as a touch-friendly user interface, interactive sliders, the ability to import legacy workspaces, and support for the Microsoft Surface Dial. However, the suite also includes a new LiveSketch tool for free-form sketching using a stylus, including Microsoft’s latest Surface Pen peripheral.

“We went all-in developing a natural, fluid experience with the new Surface Pen,” says Gérard Métrailler, Corel’s vice president of global products. “It gives us opportunity to zoom in, pan, and move around very naturally.”

With LiveSketch, CorelDraw artists can now sketch directly on the screen just like they would with pen and paper. Métrailler says the software understands the intent of the designer, making it the first graphics design software product to provide “pen-first” input. The technology fades into the background, allowing artists to focus on their work rather than fight with inputs and screens.

According to Corel, LiveSketch is based on artificial intelligence and machine learning. That means the software adapts to the artist’s style, whether they use folded strokes, overlapping strokes, or chicken scratch-based strokes. The software includes a timer as well, so artists can create and shape their lines before they become “final” in the artwork.

The first-generation Surface Pen arrived alongside the Surface Pro in 2012. Since then, Microsoft’s peripheral has endured several generations of enhancements and refinements up until the release of Microsoft’s fifth-generation Surface Pro 2-in-1 last month. The digital pen is now offered as a stand-alone product, supporting the Surface Book with Performance Boost, the Surface Laptop, the Surface Studio, and Surface-branded devices.

Microsoft says the latest Surface Pen is “better than ever” with a precision ink tip on one end, a rubber eraser on the other, and support for tilt shading for a more natural, artistic input and style. It consists of 4,096 pressure points that responds to the lightest of touches, and weighs a mere 0.04 pounds. The rubber “tail” eraser serves as a button in addition to the button located on the pen’s narrow barrel.

“The tilt mechanism lets me really control the curves and be more precise with the vectors,” says artist José-Tzontlimatzi-López. “The pen is essentially an extension of my hand.”

The full version of CorelDraw Graphics Suite 2017 costs $500, while the upgrade from previous versions costs $200. Corel provides a subscription plan too for $198 a year, which breaks down to $16.50 per month. While that may some a little expensive, the suite includes seven programs including CorelDraw 2017, Corel Power Trace 2017, Corel Website Creator, and more.

Jun

You won’t empty your wallet for studio-grade headphones with the Status Audio HD One’s at $25

Our friends at Thrifter are back again, this time bringing you studio-grade headphones for much less!

Wireless headphones have grown in popularity lately, but wired headphones are still invaluable for many since they don’t need to be charged, offer a more reliable connection and more. Over-the-ear headphones can range in price from around $10 to over $300, depending what you are looking for. If quality is the main concern for you, but you don’t want to go broke buying a new set of headphones, we’ve got just the deal for you.

Status Audio, a company that specializes in high-quality affordable headphones, is currently offering its HD One wired headphones for just $24.64 with coupon code THRFTR44. This is the lowest price these headphones have ever been, and $5 less than our previous mention. You won’t want to miss this deal.

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So, you’ve never heard of Status Audio? Don’t worry, these headphones have a 4.3 out of 5-star rating at Amazon with over 700 reviews, and the company’s other headphones, the OB-1, maintain a 4.7 out of 5-star rating with over 70 reviews. These are actually on sale as well, and with the coupon code THRFTR38 you can get them for just $48.98. This is a $30 savings.

With the HD One’s you’ll get:

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See at Amazon

For more great deals be sure to check out our friends at Thrifter now!

Jun

Factory images with June security patch now available for Pixels and Nexuses

Get your Google devices up to the latest release on your own terms.

Google has just released the latest factory images for supported Pixels and Nexuses including the June 2017 security patches with Android 7.1.2. That includes the Pixel XL, Pixel, Pixel C, Nexus 6P, Nexus 5X, Nexus Player. The Nexus 6 and Nexus 9 get the June patches with Android 7.1.1.

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If you’re going to apply a factory image or OTA file from Google to get the latest security patches, be sure to grab the right version for your phone. For example you’ll notice there are separate files for the Pixels to use on different carriers like Deutsche Telekom and Project Fi. The latest images also include a specific fix for VoLTE on Rogers in Canada.

More: Android Security Bulletin — everything you need to know

For those who aren’t in such a rush, over-the-air updates should be arriving on supported devices in the coming days, so keep on the lookout for those.

Manually updating your Pixel or Nexus is actually quite easy, particularly now that Google provides OTA images that will do nothing but update your system and can be simply sideloaded. If you need any help with the steps, be sure to read our step-by-step guide on manually updating and head to the forums!

Google Pixel + Pixel XL

Google Pixel and Pixel XL review
Google Pixel XL review: A U.S. perspective
Google Pixel FAQ: Should you upgrade?
Pixel + Pixel XL specs
Understanding Android 7.1 Nougat
Join the discussion in the forums!

Google Store
Verizon

Jun

Android Security Bulletin: Everything you need to know

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Fixing the latest bugs and exploits in Android every month.

Google has detailed the latest Android Security Bulletin and released the fixes for Nexus and Pixel devices.

These are exploits and other security concerns that affect Android as a whole. Issues with the operating system, kernel patches, and driver updates may not affect any particular device, but these need to be fixed in the Android base by the folks maintaining the operating system code. That means Google, and they’ve detailed the things they have improved for this month.

Updated factory images for Pixel and Nexus devices that are supported are available, and over-the-air updates are rolling out to users. If you don’t want to wait, you can download and flash the factory image or OTA update file manually, and here are some handy instructions to get you started.

How to manually update your Nexus or Pixel

The company who made your phone uses these patches to send an update out to you.

These changes have been released to the people making Android phones for at least 30 days, but Google can’t force anyone to deliver them to you. If you’re using a phone from Samsung, LG, or anyone besides Google, you’ll need to wait for them to send an update and shouldn’t try to flash any of the above files.

Of course, Google has safety checks in place to prevent any problems on your phone because of any security exploits. Verify Apps and SafetyNet are at work anytime you add an app to your phone, and seamless updates to Google Play Services will keep them up to date regardless of any hold-up from a manufacturer or carrier. Details and incident numbers can be found in the yearly Android Security Review (.pdf file).

Highlights for June 2017

May 2017’s update comes with two patch dates: 06/01/2017 and 06/05/2017.

Google Pixel devices for the Canadian carrier Rogers will get a hotfix for VoLTE issues in addition to security updates.
Qualcomm has patched a slew of device drivers for the Snapdragon platform. Most were of moderate severity but a Bluetooth-specific update is a critical patch.
NVIDIA, MediaTek, and Synaptics have also supplied patched device drivers for a range of issues rated from low to moderate. Any of these binaries that are applicable to Nexus or Pixel devices are available at the Google Developer site.
Exploits that allow remote code execution while viewing media in email, SMS or the browser continue to be addressed as new ones arise. This is a never-ending fight and a reason why monthly patches are important.

If you get an update with a patch date of 05/05/2017, you also have every issue addressed by the 05/01/2017 update in place.

Previous bulletin highlights

Here are summaries and highlights of recent patches from the monthly Android Security Bulletin. As with the current bulletin, these issues were also mitigated by Google’s Verify Apps, Safety Net, and seamless updates to Google Play Services.

May 2017

May 2017’s update comes with two patch dates: 05/01/2017 and 05/05/2017.

Qualcomm has patched an exploit that potentially could allow unauthorized bootloader access for devices using Snapdragon 800 series processors. Motorola has issued a separate update to address the Nexus 6.
A specific vulnerability in GIFLIB that can cause memory corruption when a bad file is received has been isolated and patched. This patch applies to Android 4.4 or higher and has been merged into AOSP.
Qualcomm, NVIDIA and MediaTek continue to address exploits that affect their “drivers” and have again refined the code for May 2017. Any of these binaries that are applicable to Nexus or Pixel devices are available at the Google Developer site.
Several moderate exploits in the Bluetooth stack that could allow a user to receive a file without explicit permission have been addressed. Patches have been merged into AOSP back to Android 4.4.

If you get an update with a patch date of 05/05/2017, you also have every issue addressed by the 05/01/2017 update in plac

April 2017

April 2017’s update comes with two patch dates: 04/01/2017 and 04/05/2017.

MediaServer is once again the focus of patches for potentially critical exploits. Six possible ways a media file can cause memory corruption during decoding and playing have been patched in all supported devices from Google. Changes have been merged into AOSP as far back as Android 4.4.
A potential exploit in the Factory Reset process has been found and fixed for all supported Google devices and changes were merged into AOSP in 4.4 and above.
Updated firmware binaries to address hardware-specific vulnerabilities were received from Broadcom, HTC, NVIDIA, Qualcomm, and MediaTek. Any of these binaries that are applicable to Nexus or Pixel devices are available at the Google Developer site.
A number of important updates and patches for the Linux kernel have been found, applied and merged upstream.

If you get an update with a patch date of 04/05/2017, you also have every issue addressed by the 04/01/2017 update in place.

March 2017

March 2017’s update comes with two patch dates: 03/01/2017 and 03/05/2017.

A remote code execution vulnerability in OpenSSL and BoringSSL was patched. This exploit could allow a specially built file to corrupt files stored in memory and potentially could allow remote code execution. All Android devices (everything else that connects to the internet as well) are vulnerable. Google has built patches for Android versions 4.4.4 through 7.1.1.
An elevation of privilege vulnerability in the recovery verifier that could enable kernel access to a local app has been patched. As above, this is a critical patch for all devices and Google provides a fix in AOSP for versions 4.4.4 to 7.1.1.
The AOSP Messaging app has been further patched to address a vulnerability that could enable another app to bypass Android’s system-level protections and see data it shouldn’t be able to access.
Updated firmware binaries to address hardware-specific vulnerabilities were received from Broadcom, HTC, NVIDIA, Qualcomm, Realtek, Synaptics and Google themselves for the ION subsystem. Any of these binaries that are applicable to Nexus or Pixel devices are available at the Google Developer site.

If you get an update with a patch date of 03/05/2017, you also have every issue addressed by the 03/01/2017 update in place.

February 2017

February 2017’s update comes with two patch dates: 02/01/2017 and 02/05/2017.

Qualcomm and MediaTek have issued updates that prevent a malicious app from gaining elevated privileges by executing code in the kernel space. The code for these patches is not publicly available, but updated binary files are available at the Google Developer site. Devices running Android 7.0 or higher were not affected.
The AOSP Messaging and Mail apps have been patched to address a vulnerability that could enable another app to bypass Android’s system-level protections and see data it shouldn’t be able to access.
The Bionic DNS function (Bionic is Android’s standard C library) has been patched to prevent a specific Denial of Service attack that would cause a device to freeze or reboot.
Updated firmware binaries to address hardware-specific vulnerabilities were received from Broadcom, HTC, NVIDIA, Qualcomm, Realtek, and Synaptics. Any of these binaries that are applicable to Nexus or Pixel devices are available at the Google Developer site.

If you get an update with a patch date of 02/05/2017, you also have every issue addressed by the 02/01/2017 update in place.

January 2017

January 2017’s update comes with two patch dates: 01/01/2017 and 01/05/2017.

Qualcomm has fully patched the various exploits that were collectively called quadrooter. All phones with a patch date of 01/05/16 or later are patched. Qualcomm additionally assisted in patching less severe exploits in the camera and bootloader of some phones.
The multimedia server and support drivers for audio and video components continue to be updated to prevent exploits such as last year’s Stagefright issues. Google made a promise to continuously monitor and patch the multimedia system to prevent a repeat and have so far delivered on it.

If you get an update with a patch date of 01/05/2017, you also have every issue addressed by the 01/01/2017 update in place.

Archives of all previous Android Security Bulletins are available at the Android Security website.

See the Android Security website for details on all bulletins

Jun

iOS 11 has a raft of new features, Siri gets new voice and more

Apple has announced the new version of iOS, expected for release in September.

iOS 11 comes with a raft of new features, which were unveiled during the company’s WWDC 17 keynote in San Jose.

iMessages are now stored as part of iCloud, so they sync across all your devices. All your messages are stored in the cloud, but are still end-to-end encrypted for security.

There are also new changes to Apple Pay, including the addition of person-to-person payments. It works as an in-app add-on for iMessage so you can easily send payments to friends and families.

Siri has a new, more natural voice. Apple has used deep learning techniques to understand intonations and context with different words, making it sound more like a human being.

Apple has also added translation to Siri, enabling travellers to translate from English to Chinese, French, German, Italian and Spanish and vice versa.

The Camera app improves in iOS 11, using HIEF compression for photos. They will look as good as normal JPEGs but at half the file size, so you can store more pictures on your device. And you can still share them with others as the software will do the conversion automatically when needed.

Photos now has a range of new options, including the ability to edit live images across the different frames.

Control Center now packs all the features on one page, with sliders for volume and brightness. Then 3D touch will access individual controls, to tweak different aspects with more depth.

Apple is yet to reveal the exact release date of iOS 11, but it should appear alongside the new iPhones later this “Fall”. A developer preview version is available now.