Microsoft’s redesigned Xbox dashboard is now available to all

Microsoft’s next big update to the Xbox dashboard is now ready for public consumption. The first “Fluid Design” interface comes with a redesigned Home page, which is all about simplicity and customisation. The top-level section has four shortcuts (your current game, two personalised suggestions, and a deal from the Microsoft store) and a horizontal carousel underneath. The biggest change, however, is the new “Content Blocks” that sit below this screen. Scroll down and you’ll find a series of large, visual panels dedicated to games and friends. These are completely customisable and act like miniature hubs for your favorite titles and communities.

The quick-access Guide has been tweaked for speed, with small, horizontal tabs that you can slide between with the Xbox controller’s LB and RB bumpers, D-pad or left thumbstick. If you launch the Guide while you’re streaming or part of an active party, you’ll also see the corresponding broadcast and party tabs by default. Other Guide tweaks include a new Tournaments section in the Multiplayer tab, which will summarise any official, professional or community tournaments that you’ve entered.

In addition, Microsoft has overhauled the Community tab with a modern, grid-based layout. It’s also tweaked the idle and screen dimming features that kick in when you walk away from the console momentarily. These might sound like small changes, but together they represent a pretty significant visual overhaul. We first heard about them in August, when Microsoft rolled the update out to Xbox One Insiders on the alpha ring. Starting today, however, they should be available to everyone. Microsoft has long-struggled with the look and feel of the Xbox dashboard, but now, finally, it seems to have landed on something simple and cohesive.

Latest Adobe Flash vulnerability allowed hackers to plant malware

Adobe Flash may be on its way out, but apparently, its goodbye tour is going to be marred by security issues just as the software has for most of its existence. Kaspersky Labs reports that a new Adobe Flash vulnerability was exploited by a group called BlackOasis, which used it to plant malware on computers across a number of countries. Kaspersky says the group appears to be interested in Middle Eastern politics, United Nations officials, opposition activists and journalists, and BlackOasis victims have so far been located in Russia, Iraq, Afghanistan, Nigeria, Libya, Jordan, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia, Iran, the Netherlands, Bahrain, United Kingdom and Angola.

The attack took place on October 10th and the malware planted by BlackOasis is a commercial product called FinSpy or FinFisher, typically sold to governments and law enforcement agencies. Kaspersky notified Adobe of the vulnerability and it has since released a Flash Player security update for Windows, Macintosh, Linux and Chrome OS. Kaspersky said that it believes BlackOasis, which it has been tracking since last year, was behind a similar exploit in September.

Via: Reuters

Source: Kaspersky Labs

Apple ordered to pay $440 million to FaceTime patent troll

VirnetX’s seemingly endless FaceTime patent lawsuit against Apple is winding down… sort of. An Eastern District of Texas court has denied all of Apple’s motions to end the case in a non-infringement ruling or retrial, leaving the tech giant with a final judgment that orders it to pay VirnetX $439.7 million. That’s much more than the $302.4 million Apple was told to pay last year. VirnetX, widely considered a patent troll, is unsurprisingly “elated” at having won its third jury battle against Apple. However, it can’t really rest on its laurels — that judgment isn’t as final as it seems at first blush.

To begin with, Apple tells TechCrunch that it plans to appeal the final judgment. And it’s no small matter that the USPTO has already invalidated all of VirnetX’s patents. That doesn’t stop the ongoing case, but the invalidation kicks in the moment all appeals have been exhausted. If Apple has better luck in court, VirnetX won’t get a second shot — and it can’t wield those patents in new lawsuits regardless of what happens with Apple.

The judgment could still raise concerns for companies affected by other VirnetX-held patents, as it might set a higher bar for payouts in future cases. Microsoft ‘only’ had to pay $200 million, for example. However, VirnetX may have more trouble winning lawsuits going forward. A Supreme Court ruling in May forced companies to sue in places where they’re either based or do a large chunk of their business, preventing companies from cherry-picking court districts that tend to favor trolls (such as the Eastern District of Texas). While this doesn’t rule out future VirnetX victories, the firm will likely face a slower legal process and courts that aren’t quite so receptive to its demands.

Via: TechCrunch

Source: PR Newswire

Waymo is training cops how to respond to autonomous car crashes

There are a lot of hurdles to clear before autonomous cars can fully take over the roadways. Chief among them is training the police on how to react and handle a self-driving car error, as spotted by Recode. Currently, Waymo is working with local police forces and first responders in Arizona, California, Texas and Washington to educate them on how to identify and access an autonomous car in the event of an accident.

Furthermore, if there isn’t a driver present, the car will find a safe place to stop if a collision happens or if there’s a system error. Same goes for times when its sensors are essentially whited out during a snow storm or other inclement weather. After an accident, the car will send a crash report back home.

Waymo’s cars are outfitted with audio sensors in addition to radar and LIDAR setups, which means that they can detect sirens in the distance. This benefit is two-fold. For one, it means that the car can react appropriately by pulling over to give emergency vehicles a wide berth. It also means that the vehicles can tell when help is arriving after a crash, and be ready when the police or paramedics arrive.

Insurance companies and governments are still figuring out the at-fault quandaries, and it seems like Alphabet is working to answer other questions regarding the non-human driver equation. There’s an awful lot to chew on in Waymo’s report, so if you need something to read this afternoon, hit the source links below.

Via: Recode

Source: Waymo (PDF)

Outlook for desktops will behave a lot like the mobile app

Outlook on computers can be overwhelming, to put it gently. The interface is loaded with buttons you probably aren’t using, and it generally isn’t as intuitive or fluid as the mobile and web versions. Thankfully, Microsoft knows this — and it’s planning a revamp that could give the email and calendar app a breath of fresh air. Microsoft recently previewed Outlook redesigns for Mac and Windows that are nearly as clean and intuitive as their mobile counterparts. You can still have a customizable “ribbon” at the top, but it’s stripped down and less intimidating to newcomers. The navigation panel (on the left) also takes its cues from Outlook’s mobile apps, making it much easier to switch folders or entire accounts.

Mac users may notice the difference the most. This time around, Microsoft is aiming for an “authentically Mac” look instead of shoehorning the Windows interface into a Mac app. This won’t matter much if you’re interested in features above all else, but it could help you adjust if you’re switching from Apple Mail or another Mac-native email program.

There’s no mention of when the new Outlook will hit your PC, although it wouldn’t be surprising if Microsoft rolls this into Office 2019’s release next year. Whenever it arrives, it’ll reflect how much Microsoft’s software priorities have changed in the past few years. Where Outlook’s desktop version has largely focused on business users circulating memos and scheduling meetings, it now has to court home users who may just be looking for an app similar to what they have on their phones. Microsoft’s challenge will be to please these relative newcomers without alienating the corporate crowd.

Via: MSPowerUser, The Verge

Source: Microsoft Ignite (YouTube)

Explore (most of) the solar system in Google Maps

Google first added the moon and Mars to Google Maps back in 2014 to commemorate the Curiosity rover’s second year exploring the red planet. Sure, you couldn’t zoom down to Street View level, but it’s the closest many of us will get to the celestial bodies. If that wasn’t enough extraterrestrial fun, Google has answered your prayers: Mercury, Venus, Pluto and ten moons from other planets have been included in the roster.

Notably missing are the gas giants. Instead, users can venture around several moons from Jupiter and Saturn, including Enceladus where the recently-deceased probe Cassini discovered evidence of a global ocean. After you’ve ventured out to the edge of our solar system viewing the non-planet Pluto, make sure to take a walkthrough of the ISS on the way back, which Google Maps added in July.

Via: TechCrunch

Source: Google

Facebook is testing a LinkedIn-like résumé feature

Business Insider reports that Facebook appears to be testing a LinkedIn-like résumé/CV feature. The new addition was spotted by web developer Jane Manchun Wong and screenshots of the feature were posted on Twitter by The Next Web’s Matt Navarra.

New! Facebook is testing a Resume / CV feature for job hunters

h/t @wongmjane pic.twitter.com/KfN2x66OKq

— Matt Navarra ⭐️ (@MattNavarra) October 15, 2017

While Facebook has let users list their job and education histories on their pages for quite some time, this would allow those who want to use it to add additional information like contact details and an image. And Facebook puts all of this information together in its own separate package. However, people might not want their Facebook profile being so closely associated with job application documents. In fact, when on the job market, plenty of people make their social media profiles private and even go so far as to change their names and pictures in order to disguise their social media presence from potential employers. So, while this could infringe upon LinkedIn’s services, there might be enough people wanting to keep the job hunt away from their Facebook accounts to prevent the new feature from pulling too many users from LinkedIn.

It’s not clear how many people have access to the feature or when Facebook might roll it out more widely. But a spokesperson for the company told us, “At Facebook, we’re always building and testing new products and services. We’re currently testing a work histories feature to continue to help people find, and businesses hire, for jobs on Facebook.”

Via: Business Insider

Source: Matt Navarra

Netflix could spend $8 billion on content next year

Once again, Netflix’s quarterly earnings report (PDF) shows it’s added even more customers (5 million in the US alone), and now boasts more than 115 million subscribers worldwide. The company is now five years into its “original content strategy” that first drew attention with House of Cards, which turned into a string of series including hits like Stranger Things and Orange is the New Black.

Of course, with more competition turning up (Amazon, Hulu, CBS All Access and, eventually, Disney), things are getting more expensive, as the company says it will spend “$7-8 billion on content” next year — even if it’s off the hook for 30 Rock. That’s potentially a billion dollars more than what Ted Sarandos predicted in August, and up to two billion more than it spent this year.

Those differences also explain why prices are going up on some of its plans, as it continues a push to become more profitable. The company is predicting it will add slightly fewer new customers next quarter than it did last year, although it’s unclear if that’s due to the price changes or simply running out of people who want Netflix but don’t have it yet. The company will broadcast the video from its quarterly earnings call on YouTube at 6 PM ET, if there are any interesting anecdotes, we’ll update this post.

Source: Netflix Q3 2017 earnings report (PDF)

iMac Pros With Custom Xeon Chips Possibly Appear on Geekbench Ahead of December Launch

While the iMac Pro doesn’t launch for another six weeks or so, possible benchmarks for the computer may have already surfaced on Geekbench. The results provide us with an early look at just how powerful Apple’s $4,999-and-up desktop workstation will be when it is released in December.

Interestingly, the iMac Pro models benchmarked appear to have custom, downclocked Xeon chips that Intel hasn’t publicly announced yet. There is a benchmark result for a model with a 3.2GHz 8-core Xeon W-2140B processor, while a third listing exists for a model with a 3.0GHz 10-core Xeon W-2150B chip.

All of the models are identified as “AAPJ1371,1,” and unlike other Xeon chips, the processors have a “B” suffix. A few of the benchmark results are from late August, while the rest are from October.

MacRumors spoke with Geekbench founder John Poole, who speculated that the iMac Pro may require chips with lower thermal design power, and thus lower frequencies, due to its all-in-one form factor. He noted that the other chips in the Xeon Processor W family have relatively high TDPs of up to 140W.

The multi-core Geekbench score for the 8-core model averages out to 23,536, which is the highest performance of any iMac ever. It’s nearly 22 percent faster than the latest 5K iMac equipped with a maxed-out 4.2GHz quad-core Core i7 processor, which has an average multi-core score of 19,336.

The higher-end 10-core iMac Pro has a multi-core score of 35,917, which is roughly 41 percent faster than the latest Mac Pro maxed out with a 2.7GHz 12-core Xeon E5 processor. Even its single-core score of 5,345 is faster than all but the highest-end 5K iMac released earlier this year.

All in all, the benchmarks point to the iMac Pro being unsurprisingly powerful from top to bottom. And that’s not even looking at the 18-core iMac Pro, which hasn’t been benchmarked yet and will surely blow every other Mac out of the water—at least until the modular Mac Pro is ready.

Apple said the iMac Pro will also feature top-of-the-line Radeon Pro Vega graphics, up to 4TB of SSD storage, and up to 128GB of ECC RAM. The computer will share the same design as the standard iMac, but with an all-flash architecture, a new thermal design, and four Thunderbolt 3 ports.

Related Roundup: iMac ProTags: Intel, Geekbench, benchmarks
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Deals: iPad Mini 4 Sales Continue, Exclusive Discount on iPhone/iPad USB Wall Outlet, and More

Best Buy this week has launched a sale on Apple’s iPad mini 4, mirroring the $100 discount that Target placed on the 7.9-inch device late last week. You can get the 128GB iPad mini 4 from Best Buy in Space Gray, Silver, and Gold for $299.99, down from $399.99. There are also a few markdowns for the tablet on its cellular versions, depending on which carrier you choose.

Most notably, Best Buy is offering shipments to your home, unlike Target’s sale which required in-store pickup. Free two-day shipping is available for the device as well, and anyone who buys one of Apple’s smaller tablets during the sale will gain a six-month subscription to Trend Micro Internet Security for three devices. Furthermore, students can save an additional $20 on their total order if purchasing an iPad mini 4 with two years of AppleCare+.

In other discounts, we’ve partnered with Top Greener to offer MacRumors readers an exclusive 15 percent discount on the company’s Dual USB Wall Charger Outlet at Amazon, priced at $19.29 with promo code RUMORUSB, down from $22.69. The accessory is rated at 2.4 amps per USB port with a maximum output of 24W, which should provide quick charge times for iPhones and average charge times for iPads.

There are also three interchangeable face covers in white, black, and light almond that come with Top Greener’s accessory, but the wall plate that surrounds the outlet is not included. There are many simple and cheap solutions on Amazon, however, like Leviton’s standard wall plate for $2.58.

To purchase the Top Greener Dual USB Wall Charger Outlet on sale at Amazon, select the “15A Dual USB Outlet” style on the Amazon page, add the item to your cart (making sure it specifies “Sold by Top Greener Inc.”), and then type in the promo code “RUMORUSB” at the final stage of checkout. You have until Thursday, October 26 at 11:59 p.m. PDT to take advantage of the discount.

Also running this week only is an Aukey sale at Amazon, which ends this Saturday, October 21. Each Aukey accessory with a discount is listed below:

• Aukey 20,000 mAh Portable Charger – $31.99 with promo code AUKEYPY4, down from $39.99
• Quick Charge 6-Port USB 3.0 Charger – $24.89 with promo code AUKEYPAY, down from $29.99
• Alarm Clock Radio Bluetooth Speaker – $41.99 with promo code AUKEYSK7, down from $49.99

If you’re looking for sales on smart door locks, The Home Depot’s Special Buy of the Day is worth checking out today as well. The retailer has taken a variety of smart locking systems and marked them down by 48 percent, including the Schlage Sense Smart Lock in numerous colors and finishes for $179.00, down from $344.00.

Otherwise, be sure to check out our full Deals Roundup to stay up-to-date on the latest sales going on throughout the week.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors

Related Roundup: Apple Deals
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