Microsoft, Google patching ‘BlueBorne’ vulnerabilities linked to Bluetooth

Why it matters to you

Microsoft and Google are now issuing patches to fix vulnerabilities related to Bluetooth, but you may want to switch it off on other platforms for now.

Bluetooth was originally created in 1998 to serve as a secure short-range wireless connection between two devices. It pairs our wireless mice to our laptops, our smartwatches to our smartphones, and so on. But a recent report published by security firm Armis points to eight Bluetooth-related vulnerabilities — four of which are critical — that reside on more than 5 billion Android, Windows, Linux, and pre-iOS 10 devices. The company dubs this “epidemic” as BlueBorne.

“These vulnerabilities are the most serious Bluetooth vulnerabilities identified to date,” Armis said on Tuesday. “Previously identified flaws found in Bluetooth were primarily at the protocol level. These new vulnerabilities are at the implementation level, bypassing the various authentication mechanisms, and enabling a complete takeover of the target device.”

The problem starts with the complexity of Bluetooth itself. The specification stretches across 2,822 pages, which is massive compared to the base Wi-Fi specification (802.11) consisting of only 450 pages. Because of its complexity, Bluetooth does not receive the same scrutinized audits as other less-complicated protocols. That means vulnerabilities get buried as Bluetooth evolves.

Many issues prior to Bluetooth v2.1 were resolved with the introduction of Secure Simple Pairing, thus the security community shifted its attention away from Bluetooth. But a thorough inspection still needed to be performed and Armis says that its discovery of eight vulnerabilities in a recent analysis of Bluetooth could very well be “the tip of the iceberg.”

Overall, the BlueBorne set of vulnerabilities can enable a hacker to take control of a device, access its content, and use it to infect other Bluetooth-enabled devices with malware. Outside the actual vulnerabilities, the root of the issue stems from keeping Bluetooth turned on. A device will listen for Bluetooth traffic even if it is not set to discoverable mode, so all a hacker needs to know is its Bluetooth device address (BDADDR), and its MAC address.

But how do you get this information? By using open-source hardware sold online that can sniff out encrypted Bluetooth connections passing through the air. These packets of information contain plain text data pointing to the Bluetooth device address. Hackers can then use that address to send unicast traffic if they are within physical proximity of the target device.

“If the device generates no Bluetooth traffic, and is only listening, it is still possible to ‘guess’ the BDADDR, by sniffing its Wi-Fi traffic,” the firm explains. “This is viable since Wi-Fi MAC addresses appear unencrypted over the air, and due to the MACs of internal Bluetooth/Wi-Fi adapters are either the same, or only differ in the last digit.”

Device owners may want to switch Bluetooth off in public until patches are released by original equipment manufacturers and platform developers. This especially holds true in corporate environments where an attacker could gain access to multiple devices, and then hop onto the local network to steal data, and more. BlueBorne should not be an issue within the home environment.

Google and Microsoft released patches on Tuesday, September 12 to address the eight vulnerabilities. Other OEMs and platform developers are working on patches as well.

Conducting plastic used in touchscreens could help fight — or grow — bacteria

Why it matters to you

The conducting plastics used in touchscreens could be employed by hospitals to fight the spread of bacterial infection.

Even in the relatively short period of time that they have been around, the technology involved in touchscreens has advanced at an impressive rate. Researchers from Sweden’s Karolinska Institute in Stockholm have an unusual new application for the conducting plastic used in touchscreens, however: manipulating the growth of bacteria.

In an innovative piece of research, scientists from Karolinska Institute’s Swedish Medical Nanoscience Center reveal how conducting plastics can also be used to “trick” the metabolism of certain pathogenic bacteria. By either adding or removing electrons from the plastic surface of a touchscreen, bacteria can be made to either grow more or — often ideally — less.

“In order for bacteria to grow they need to respire, just like humans,” Professor Agneta Richter-Dahlfors, one of the researchers on the project, told Digital Trends. “When doing so, they produce electrons. We have used a surface made of conducting polymers as a dynamic interface. By removing the electrons from the conducting polymer via an electric circuit, we help bacteria to get rid of their electrons by delivering them to the surface. By doing so, bacteria grow very well, and they form a dense layer — a so-called biofilm — on the surface. In contrast, when we fill the conducting polymer surface with electrons, again via an electric circuit, all spaces become occupied so bacteria have nowhere to deliver their electrons. This is bad for bacterial growth, and bacterial growth is hampered.”

At present, it’s still relatively early in the research but the team hopes it will be able to use this insight to develop a new, highly-effective antibacterial coating technology. While we would personally love to see something like this used to keep our smartphones bacteria-free, the scientists behind the project have more pressing applications in mind: Namely employing it in hospitals to hinder bacterial infection. It could also be used, conversely, to promote the growth of bacterial biofilms where they are needed — such as in wastewater management systems.

Who knew that some of the technology which makes our iPhones work could also be used to potentially save lives?

A paper describing the research was recently published in the journal NPJ Biofilms and Microbiomes.

iPhone X hands-on review

Research Center:
Apple iPhone X

It’s hands down the best iPhone ever, but is it the smartphone of the future? That’s the million dollar question – or, considering the $1,000 starting price and the number of phones Apple is likely to sell, let’s call it the trillion dollar question.

The iPhone X (pronounced “ten,” not “ex”) was announced Monday in Apple’s new Steve Jobs Theater at the company’s revamped, $2.5 billion Apple Park campus, and it’s the premium flagship in Apple’s lineup. With a bold new design and a myriad of new features sure to impress everyone from casual owners to tech enthusiasts, it’s bound for success. So let’s get the big question right out of the way: Yes, lots of people are going to buy this, and yes, they’re going to be very happy with this phone.

Beautiful all-glass design

In my brief hands-on time with the phone, I was struck first by how substantial it is. The iPhone X is not heavy, but it’s definitely more phone than the Galaxy S8 and iPhone 7 I brought for comparison. It feels great in the hand, too; it’s slim, efficiently designed, beautiful to look at and hold. Gone is the slippery aluminum back that many have complained about. In its place is an all-glass back. Now you can drop your phone and shatter it on both sides. Complainers gotta have something to whine about, right?

Jeremy Kaplan/Digital Trends

Jeremy Kaplan/Digital Trends

Jeremy Kaplan/Digital Trends

But forget the build, think about the display: A 5.8-inch OLED screen with deep, inky blacks and colors so vibrant it looks like someone spilled paint all over the phone. I don’t usually gush about icons, but I could stare at these for hours. The absence of the home button is something long-time iPhone owners may complain about, but it allows for a clean slate interface. Swipe up to access the home screen, and pull down from the top to get to the Control Center, which used to be accessible from the bottoms up swipe. Swiping left gets to the notification center, or maybe it was pulling down one of the “ears” around the cut out at the top of the phone. Pulling in from the right gets to the camera – or did I just click the camera icon by accident?

Sure, these gestures are easy to learn, but they aren’t super intuitive. The absence of a grounding feature like the home button may confuse people who like the iPhone because it’s easy to use. Does the iPhone X just work? I’ll reserve my judgment on that one for the full review.

Second to market, but more refined

But what about the hardware and new features? Permit me a digression first: I bumped into Steve Wozniak prior to the event, who noted that today’s flagship smartphones have become little miracles: they’re powerful, beautiful, and it’s hard to go wrong. The iPhone X is no exception in the looks department, but it’s a bunch of new features that will really impress consumers – and that’s where Apple aims to set itself apart from the competition. Remember that “smartphone of the future” thing? It’s all about the software.

Here’s the thing: Many of the features Apple is bringing to this new phone are familiar ones other technology companies brought to market earlier. But … does it matter? Ford didn’t invent the car, Edison didn’t invent the lightbulb, and Apple didn’t invent the smartphone. It’s the people who did it right that history remembers. So does Apple do it right?

Jeremy Kaplan/Digital Trends

Jeremy Kaplan/Digital Trends

Jeremy Kaplan/Digital Trends

Jeremy Kaplan/Digital Trends

Microsoft Windows Hello brought us face recognition in Windows 10-based computers, and in my experience, it’s been lightning quick. I didn’t get to enroll my face with the iPhone X – we’re looking forward to putting the phone through its paces – but I saw Face ID in action, and Apple has brought a similar speedy experience to the phone. The Galaxy S8 can unlock through iris and facial recognition, which is similarly quick, but infrared cameras and software that map the contours of your face in real time make Apple’s implementation much more secure (as well as more complex and harder to do). Heck, it even works in the dark.

That said, Windows Hello performance deteriorates over time, in my experience. How will Apple’s fare over time?

It’s the people who did it right that history remembers. So does Apple do it right?

Wireless charging is another feature users will welcome, and it’s long overdue. Android phones have had this feature for years, and seen it improve steadily. That said, can Apple do it better? A new wireless charging pad introduces what looks like a proprietary feature to the Qi standard, allowing a user to monitor multiple devices charging at multiple speeds simultaneously. Is Apple doing it better or just doing it differently?

Apple clearly has a hit on its hands. The OLED screen is gorgeous, the phone feels great in the hand, and the added power — thanks to the A11 Bionic processor — means it’s responsive and powerful as heck. So will consumers spend $1,000 on a phone like this? Absolutely – Apple’s smartphone of the future may be your future smartphone, and if so, you future looks pretty bright.

Apple iPhone X Compared To

Apple iPhone 8

Apple iPhone 7

Apple iPhone 7 Plus

Apple iPhone SE

iPhone 6S

iPhone 6S Plus

Apple iPhone 6 Plus

Apple iPhone 6

Apple iPhone 5C

Apple iPhone 5

Apple iPhone 4S

Apple iPhone 4

Apple iPhone 3GS 32GB

Apple iPhone 3GS 16GB

Apple iPhone (4GB)

Speed up your Mac with these 11 tips and tricks

Is your Mac slow? Are you tired of seeing that annoying, spinning beach ball? Here’s a quick guide for how to speed up your Mac, without shelling out a fortune for additional RAM or a faster hard drive.

Apple’s operating system is good about optimizing itself, but that doesn’t mean there’s nothing you can do to speed up a slow system. Let’s dive in!

Update your Mac’s software

First things first — make sure your Mac is up-to-date. The latest security patches are essential to keeping your Mac running well, and Apple is pretty good about optimizing new releases for better performance. Click the Apple icon in the upper-left corner of you display and select App Store to head to the App Store.

Next, select Updates at the top and click the Update All button. If you’re using a MacBook, plug it in before doing this. The process will update MacOS and most of your apps, ensuring they take advantage of the most recent security patches and optimizations.

Do a quick malware scan

The whole “Macs don’t get viruses” thing is a myth. While it’s true that MacOS has certain security advantages because the vast majority of malware targets Windows users, Macs are still prone to the occasional intruder. Need an example? Mac malware is on the rise. 

Thankfully, there are tons of free options designed to keep you safe, from around-the-clock scanners to one-time tools.

If you don’t know what to pick, Malwarebytes for Mac offers a free one-time scan that catches and removes the most common malware found on the platform. It’s also quick at doing so.

Run it as part of your regular Mac cleanup habit, and you’ll catch the most common malware designed for the platform. If you want ongoing protection, consider Avira. Just know that constantly-running antivirus software could potentially slow down your system, which is the opposite of what we’re going for here.

Disable login items

If your Mac takes forever to start up, there’s a good chance you’ve got way too many apps starting up with your system. Disabling these login items will not only speed up the booting process, but potentially free up system resources and speed up your system as a whole.

To begin, open System Preferences, which you can find by clicking the Apple icon in the left-hand side of the menu bar. Once there, click Users & Groups and select the Login items tab to see a list of apps that start up when your Mac does.

If you see any that you don’t need, select them in the list and click the minus button at the bottom of the screen.

Disable transparency

OS X Yosemite added all sorts of visual effects to MacOS, mainly transparency. Everything is transparent now, which is why the menubar takes on some of the colors from your wallpaper, among other things. While El Captain really reduced the impact of these effects on performance, there’s still a pretty big productivity gain to be had by turning them off, even on the most recent update, Sierra.

The option to do so exists, but is slightly hidden. Head to System Preferences and select Accessibility. Under Display, click Reduce transparency so it’s checked.

User interfaces will stop using the transparency effect once deactivated, and run a lot quicker.

Clear out your caches

If you regularly use your computer, odds are that it’s building up all sorts of cruft over time. That’s taking up space on your hard drive, and could also be slowing down applications. Web browsers, with their backlog of history and massive caches, are famous for this, which is why it’s a good idea to clear your cache from time to time. But they’re not the only programs that build up caches and other files over time, which is why we recommend you check out CCleaner for Mac.

This free application can simultaneously clear out your browsers’ caches, and the caches your system builds up over time. Keep in mind that a company also offers a premium version of the software on its site, but the free version is more than adequate for most users.

Uninstall software you don’t use

Freeing up space on your boot drive can increase performance, particularly if your drive is nearly full. An easy way to save a bunch of space is to delete apps you don’t use anymore. So if you’re the kind of person who installs a bunch of apps and then forgets about them, it’s time for a journey.

We need to head to your Applications folder and take out the trash. But don’t just drag your applications to the Trash icon – that will leave behind a bunch of stuff you don’t need. Instead, look into the free application AppCleaner.

Drag any app to this window, and you can also delete all related files, including caches and configuration files. Or, if you prefer, you can browse a complete list of your apps and delete them from there. This is the best way to ensure an application you don’t want anymore isn’t leaving anything behind, so get to it, and clean out that Applications folder.

Find and delete unnecessary files

Apps probably aren’t taking up most of the space on your drive — it’s files. But which ones? The free application Grand Perspective gives you a birds-eye view of your files, with the largest files taking the form of the biggest blocks. Explore this and see if there are any large files you want to delete or move to an external hard drive for long-term storage.

Another quick way to free up storage space on your hard drive is to delete languages you don’t use. Your Mac speaks several languages, and offers a spell-check tool among other features that most users don’t need. The free app Monolingual automates this, letting you delete language files you know you don’t want. Uncheck anything you want to keep, then click Remove. You’ll be amazed how this adds up.

Clean up your desktop

Here’s a quick tip: if your desktop is a cluttered mess of icons, clean it up. Your desktop is a window like any other, so if it’s so overwhelming you can’t find files, it’s also probably slowing down your system. Even putting everything on your desktop into a folder can help, if you’re too overwhelmed to actually sort everything. We get it.

Disable the Dashboard (or disable unused widgets)

When was the last time you used the Dashboard? Exactly. It was fun back in 2005, but in 2016, a collection of widgets that take up the entire screen just amounts to unnecessary clutter. Head to System Preferences, then click the Mission Control icon.

If you still love the Dashboard, sorry for what I said earlier. Also, consider disabling any widgets you don’t actually use, because they’re slowing you down ever so slightly.

Actually close applications

This is kind of Mac 101, but don’t be embarrassed if you don’t know this (lots of users don’t). When you hit the red “X” circle in the upper-left corner, it doesn’t close the app. It actually keeps it running — you can tell because a glowing dot still rests beneath the application in the dock.

To properly close an app, right-click the icon and select Quit. Alternatively, you can close apps using the keyboard shortcut “CMD”+”Q,” which shuts down any app. Having too many apps open can seriously slow down your system, so make closing apps a priority.

Run OnyX if things are still slow

All these tips didn’t work? Let’s get out the big guns, then. OnyX is a free application that runs all sorts of Mac-centric optimizations. Download the appropriate versions for your system, then install it and start it up. This is a power user’s tool, and probably shouldn’t be used by anyone who isn’t comfortable with that.

First, the application will verify your hard drive, which is already useful. Assuming everything is fine, head to the Maintenance tab and head to the Scripts section. From here, you can force the regular Mac maintenance script to run. After that, head to Rebuilding to force MacOS to rebuild a number of different caches — this can potentially solve slowdowns. The Cleaning section can also help, but largely overlaps with CCleaner as outlined above. As for the other configuration tools, feel free to explore, but for the most part, they aren’t meant to help with performance.

Updated 9-11-17: Brought up to speed for the latest MacOS release. 

The 5 features that make the Apple Watch Series 3 the coolest version yet

Just short of a full Steve Jobs hologram cameo, Apple’s September 12 announcement went down in quintessential Apple fashion. After a lengthy tour of Apple’s sparkling new campus and an odd bit on rebranding the company’s “stores” as “town squares,” the team finally got to the meat and potatoes of the keynote. The company finally revealed the iPhone 8, the mysterious $1,000 iPhone X, as well as a new Apple Watch and WatchOS update.

WatchOS 4 features plenty of welcome upgrades, including an updated and significantly more intuitive Heart Rate app, a proactive Siri watch face, and an autoset function for pool training. However, the latest Apple Watch Series 3 — with a new dual-core processor and (finally) built-in cellular connectivity — is a whole new monster compared to the previous two generations. Here’s a rundown of our favorite Apple Watch Series 3 features. (For more information, feel free to peruse our Apple Watch Series 1 review, Apple Watch Series 2 review, as well as our side-by-side spec comparison of the the two smartwatches.)

Built-in cellular

Without a doubt, the raddest feature of the Apple Watch Series 3 is built-in GPS and cellular. Previously, the watch needed to be synced with your iPhone via Bluetooth to utilize the cellular function.

With the latest iteration, you now have the freedom to leave your iPhone behind on quick errands or runs while staying connected. And don’t worry about activating a second number, the watch shares the same number as your iPhone. For the first time on an Apple Watch, you can receive calls and send texts solely with your watch.

Streaming music

With this cellular addition, the third-generation Apple Watch and WatchOS 4 can now function with Apple Music, allowing individuals to choose from up to 40 million tracks to stream from their wrist — without needing to have your iPhone in tow to do so. Apple’s digital assistant, Siri, can also now communicate from the watch via a built-in speaker. This means Siri can communicate with you straight from the app, and you can even ask her to play that perfect track to push you onward at the end of a grueling run.

Design, processor

Apple has packed plenty of muscle under the hood with the latest Apple Watch, including an all-new, faster dual-core processor that allows for 70 percent faster performance and snappier graphics loading. Despite all of these new internal components, the Apple Watch 3 is the same size as the Apple Watch 2. However, the crystal along the backside has been extended a negligible 0.25 millimeters.

Enhanced WiFi

As part of this internal design overhaul, Apple also included a series of hardware updates to boost connectivity. With the rather limited interior space, even a nano-SIM card would’ve been too cumbersome internally, so Apple engineers incorporated a much slimmer electronic-SIM card. There’s also a W2 chip to improve Bluetooth and wireless connectivity, which should increase Wi-Fi speeds by 85 percent while making both Bluetooth and WiFi 50 percent more efficient.

Barometric altimeter

Neither the first- nor second-generation Apple Watch could track elevation. That’s quite the technological blunder for a wearable fitness tracker. With previous iterations, to fully measure elevation, your watch would need to be connected to your iPhone.

Thankfully, with the third-generation, Apple decided to fix this flaw. The Apple Watch Series 3 for the first time includes a barometric altimeter to track and record elevation metrics during workouts. Rival fitness tracker Fitbit has incorporated altimeters for quite some time, so this move finally shores up this early design deficiency.

You won’t have to wait long to get your paws on the new Apple Watch — these bad boys are coming to a “town square” near you very soon. Apple will be offering the fully loaded Apple Watch 3 for $399 and a version without cellular connectivity for $329. You can pre-order the Apple Watch 3 on September 15 and the latest phones will be available on September 22.

Older iPhones get a price cut after Apple unveils its new, expensive devices

Why it matters to you

You can now purchase last year’s flagship iPhone 7 and previous devices for $100 less.

At Apple’s event on Tuesday, September 12, the company announced its new line of iPhones — the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and the iPhone X — along with its prices. But like clockwork after every Apple launch, the company reduced the pricing of last year’s iPhone 7 and 7 Plus as well as its predecessors.

The iPhone 8 is launching at $700 and $800 for the Plus — both with 64GB of storage space and an optional 256GB available. On the other hand, the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus pricing has been cut by $100. The devices are now available starting at $550 and $670, respectively. You can also opt for the iPhone 6S and iPhone 6S Plus which has also been cut by an additional $100 since last year’s Apple event. The iPhone 6S is now starting at $450 and the iPhone 6S Plus starting at $550.

Adding to the array of discounted devices, there’s the iPhone SE starting at $350 — making it $50 cheaper than its previous price. Even though it’s not one of the latest iPhones, the SE took first place in the Annual Customer Satisfaction Index in May. The results suggested consumers may be looking for smartphones that are not only smaller, but also less expensive.

Closely resembling the iPhone 7 and 7 Plus, the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus have the same 4.7-and 5.5-inch screen sizes including chunky bezels. But the main difference falls under the iPhone 8’s backing which is glass, allowing for Qi wireless charging. The new iPhone also uses True Tone technology and has redesigned speakers to deliver 25 percent higher volume.

With the iPhone X, it is clear Apple pulled out all the fancy stops for its 10th anniversary iPhone, including a $1,000 price tag. The device boasts an OLED display, Face ID, and a powerful A11 Bionic chip. It also includes a dual-lens 12-megapixel rear camera and a 7-megapixel front camera along with new augmented reality features.

If you are unsure about which iPhone you want to commit to, there is always the option of signing up for the iPhone Upgrade Program. Starting at $34.50 per month, you can trade in your current iPhone and upgrade to a new iPhone after 12 payments. Although, other companies do have their own plans — like Sprint’s Flex Plan or T-Mobile’s Jump On Demand — Apple’s program is still compatible with all four major U.S. carriers.

iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus hands-on review

Research Center:
Apple iPhone 8

The iPhone 8 – don’t call it the 7S! – looks almost exactly like the iPhone 7. It feels almost exactly like the iPhone 7. And it works and costs almost exactly what the iPhone 7 did. But it’s what you can’t see that really counts.

Following the launch event in the Steve Jobs Theater at Apple’s spaceship-ish new Apple Park campus, I had a few minutes to play around with the new iPhone 8 – the larger Plus version, to be specific. I brought an iPhone 7 along for comparison purposes, and while the Apple folks manning the display station wouldn’t let me take side-by-side photos (noting that my phone has more scars and cuts than Nick Nolte), it was readily apparent they’re essentially the same.

The iPhone 7 clone

The iPhone 8 has the same bezels above and below screen, the same home button, and largely the same screens, although the 8 now supports True Tone for adjusting the contrast of the screen dynamically in response to lighting. Was it just me or did the screen look a little too warm? We’ll clearly need to test this feature out a little more.

Jeremy Kaplan/Digital Trends

Jeremy Kaplan/Digital Trends

Jeremy Kaplan/Digital Trends

The major design change is the switch to an all-glass design, front and back, which facilitates the integration of wireless charging. If you’ve been using a case with your iPhone – and you HAVE been using a case, right? – you’ll never notice that this newer phone is slightly less slippery.

Wireless charging and Portrait Lighting

The addition of wireless charging is one of a few key new “at last!” features Apple has brought to the iPhone 8 that’s useful enough to make anyone consider upgrading. Wireless charging is fabulous when it works. The Qi protocol has one limitation, however: It doesn’t transmit effectively through thicker cases (and you ARE using a case , right?). We didn’t get a chance to try Apple’s new charging mat, which purports to juice up several different devices at different speeds simultaneously, but we look forward to testing this out.

The iPhone 7 introduced Portrait Mode , and iPhone 8 enhances it with Portrait Lighting, which lets you switch the lighting scheme for a portrait among the various styles professionals might use in their studio. It wasn’t clear how to find Portrait Lighting, so I dug into the Photos app and clicked edit on what looked like a suitable shot. A new wheel pops up at the bottom of the screen that simply and intuitively let me shuttle between the different modes, from Stage Light to Studio Light to Portrait Light. Easy to discover and inspiring, this is exactly the sort of thing that prompts people to upgrade.

Indeed, Apple has made steady, smart improvements to the cameras in its phones for years, and the iPhone 8 is no exception. Yes, it looks a lot like the 7. But the new cameras are more powerful, there’s optical image stabilization in both the 8 and the 8 Plus, and the autofocus is improved, according to Apple. Indeed, there are many under the hood improvements to battery life and processing power, and the base model jumps up a bit in terms of storage too.

The other big feature addition is AR, or augmented reality. I tested this out briefly with a game. After a few seconds initializing the game and getting it to recognize the tabletop surface, giant robots clashed before my eyes. How was no one else noticing these things? AR takes robust processing power, but the iPhone 8 had no problems rendering, though the app was a little slow to load the first time.

Jeremy Kaplan/Digital Trends

Jeremy Kaplan/Digital Trends

With lots of under the hood improvements — such as a new A11 Bionic processor — and few superficial tweaks, it’s hard to separate first impressions of the iPhone 8 from months spent growing familiar with the 7. They just feel the same in the hand. But consumers thinking of upgrading or considering an iPhone for the first time will see a much more compelling product when they look at the 8. And in that sense, looks do matter.

The iPhone 8 will start at $700 for the 64GB model, and the iPhone 8 Plus comes in at $800 for the same amount of storage.

Apple iPhone 8 Compared To

Apple iPhone X

Apple iPhone 7

Apple iPhone 7 Plus

Apple iPhone SE

iPhone 6S

iPhone 6S Plus

Apple iPhone 6 Plus

Apple iPhone 6

Apple iPhone 5C

Apple iPhone 5

Apple iPhone 4S

Apple iPhone 4

Apple iPhone 3GS 32GB

Apple iPhone 3GS 16GB

Apple iPhone (4GB)

Samsung working on a foldable phone for 2018

Samsung’s President says the company is working towards releasing a foldable phone by the end of 2018.

One of the most common criticisms of the Galaxy Note 8 was that Samsung played things too safe. It’s understandable after the Note 7 debacle last year, but part of the appeal of the Note series was that it was more than just a big screen and a pen. The Note line would often debut with a newer processor than the corresponding Galaxy S phone of the year, [new materials](/samsung-galaxy-note-4], or both. But since the Note 5, the Note line has largely mirrored the design language and feature set of the Galaxy S series.

That may be changing next year. Bloomberg reports that Samsung Electronics President Koh Dong-jin is currently targeting a 2018 release for a smartphone with a foldable display. The company has been trying to make foldable displays for the past few years, but maybe a new advancement has made the flexible devices possible. From Bloomberg:

“As the head of the business, I can say our current goal is next year,” [Koh] told reporters. “When we can overcome some problems for sure, we will launch the product.

Such a device would let users fit the device in a normal pants pocket — though it will certainly be thicker when folded — then unfold the display for watching movies, reading books, or doing productive work. Combined with Samsung’s Dex docking stations and Knox security suite, the devices could be a boon for enterprise customers. Similar functioning devices include the Kyocera Echo and upcoming ZTE Axon Multy, though those devices both use two displays rather than one foldable panel.

Bloomberg also said Samsung’s Boxby-powered smart speaker is still in the works, though there is no information on when the device will be formally announced or available to purchase.

Would you be interested in a phone with a foldable display? Let us know down below!

Samsung Galaxy Note 8

• Galaxy Note 8 review
• Complete Galaxy Note 8 specs
• Galaxy Note 8 vs. Galaxy Note 5
• Which Note 8 color is best?
• Join our Galaxy Note 8 forums

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Pixel owners on Oreo receiving September patch disguised as downgrade to Nougat

Certain Pixel owners are being asked to downgrade their phone’s software.

The Android 8.0 Oreo announcement came and went a few weeks ago, and the Pixel phones began recieving the over-the-air update. However, it looks like some users are running into a new problem: their phones are asking to be updated to Android 7.1.2 Nougat.

9to5Google reports that several users on Google+ and Google’s Product Forums have noted that they received the “update” notification. Fortunately, it seems like a reboot fixes the problem and makes the notification disappear. Users noted that when they rebooted, the devices were running the September 2017 security patch, so it appears this was just a mislabeled OTA file.

In other news, the September security patch is currently rolling out to Pixel users, which is a bit later than what we reported a few days ago.

Have you gotten the mislabeled OTA update? Let us know down below!

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!

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Fact-checking Apple’s iPhone X event

Congrats on the event, Apple. Now lets talk a bit.

Android fans are no stranger to Apple events containing a jab or two at the competition, often lacking context to make things seem rosy and awesome for App fans. The September event for Apple is usually for the next iPhone, but this event had a lot of things to talk about from the comfort of the new Steve Jobs Theater at Apple Park. For nearly two hours, Apple captivated the tech world with new products and a look at some future things.

There was also quite a few things said that don’t quite line up with reality, so I decided to fact-check a little.

Did you miss the Apple event? Check out the highlights here!

If you don’t do it right, it gets so big it looks like a house arrest bracelet

You don’t need me to tell you this one Is as true as it gets. Cellular Android Wear watches are awful, and Apple Watch is smaller than all of the other smartwatches to begin with.

To have made a cellular Apple Watch and barely increase the size is damned impressive.

Our friends at iMore have all you need to know about the Apple Watch Series 3

We’re at the next major inflection point

This came from Apple talking about the new Apple TV 4K with HDR, as though 4K and HDR were new things. 4K isn’t a new thing, and HDR set-top boxes have been a thing since January.

For Apple to say that 4K and HDR is just now becoming the next big thing for televisions is hilarious. Way to catch up, Apple.

Learn more about the Apple TV 4K here!

No other device in our lifetime has had the effect on the world that the iPhone has

I’m sorry, what now? Not the Pacemaker, digital watch, or robots that clean our oceans for us. Nope, the iPhone is the most impactful thing the world has ever seen.

Sorry, I’m gonna call you on this one Apple.

For the first time you were actually touching the software instead of buttons.

“For the first time you were actually touching the software instead of buttons. Magical!” pic.twitter.com/tZ60KZ9wnA

— Michael Fisher (@theMrMobile) September 12, 2017

Apple was the first company to make a phone capable of multi-touch, but touchscreen and multi-touch as a concept had been around for quite a long time before the iPhone.

This sentence is just plain wrong, even with the first iPhone there was nothing magic about being able to touch the software.

The App Store changed the way we work, play, learn, communicate

You mean the App Store that didn’t come to iPhone until the 3G version? The one that came as a response to the growing developer ecosystem on Android in what was originally called the Android Market?

Yeah, gonna call this one false as well.

We changed the way people communicate with features like iMessage and FaceTime

While iMessage has certainly grown to be a capable messaging system, its beginnings were not only humble but lacking compared to just about every competing product at the time. All of which were available in app form in the App Store when iMessage launched.

As for FaceTime, please. Not only is FaceTime still one of the least interesting video chat services available today, it also launched on the iPhone when multiple competing products existed.

This is the first OLED display great enough to be in an iPhone

Samsung, the manufacturer of the panel Apple is using in the iPhone X, would love to know what the hell Apple is talking about here. The OLED panels in the S7, S8, and Note 8 have not only outperformed Apple’s displays according to DisplayMate, but every feature Apple is boasting in the iPhone X exists in the Note 8 display panel.

OLED has been great for a long time now, Apple. You’re just catching up.

Check out more iPhone X details over at iMore!