Samsung Galaxy S9 will be announced in February at MWC

And just like that, the rumors are laid to rest.

Rumors and leaks for the Samsung Galaxy S9 have been pouring in for a couple months now, and while most of them have had to do with the phone itself, there was previously one suggesting that the S9 would get an unveiling at this year’s CES. A spokesperson for Samsung later said that this was “unlikely”, but now Samsung’s president of mobile, DJ Koh, has officially shut this rumor down.

Koh confirmed that the Galaxy S9 will not make an appearance at CES 2018, and instead will be announced at MWC this coming February. This year’s Mobile World Congress takes place between February 26 through March 1, and the announcement will likely come closer to the start of the convention.

Last year, Samsung announced the Galaxy S8 at its own Unpacked event in March, with sales shortly following in April. With an announcement coming in February this year, it’s entirely possible that sales for the S9 will go live at some point in March.

The Galaxy S9 is expected to be a fairly minor improvement over the S8, but dual cameras on the larger S9+, even slimmer bezels, and a repositioned fingerprint sensor still have us excited for what Samsung has in store.

Samsung said to start producing foldable smartphone in November

Lacie’s DJI Copilot is the perfect portable hard drive for video pros

Look, it’s kinda hard to get excited about a hard drive. But Engadget video producer Kaard Bombe immediately started geeking out hard over the Lacie DJI Copilot. It’s a portable hard drive with the sort of features any professional videographer or photographer would kill for. Sure, at its heart it’s a rugged 2TB drive, but it’s also a media-card reader, a USB hub and backup battery.

Pull off the rubber side panel and you’ll find a charging jack; USB, USB-C and micro-USB ports; plus an SD-card slot. Any media you insert, be it a card or a thumb drive, is automatically backed up the Copilot’s disk. And a large monochrome screen on the front lets you know just how much storage you have left. It’s perfect for shooting tons of footage in the field and quickly backing it up without having to fumble with a laptop.

You can even view or edit your footage from a mobile device thanks to the integrated Lightning and micro-USB cables. Just connect your iPad and you can start poring over your 6K drone footage, while the battery keeps your tablet charged up. Even more interesting, you can daisy chain other drives off the Copilot. While it’s connect to your computer, just plug another external drive into the Copilot’s USB port and you’ll be able to access all its data.

Now, because of all these features the Copilot isn’t exactly tiny. It’s definitely small enough to toss in a bag, but you won’t be slipping this into a coat pocket or a purse. And it’s not going to be cheap. The Copilot is going to cost around $349 when it ships sometime this spring.

Click here to catch up on the latest news from CES 2018.

The Morning After: CES 2018, Day 1

Hey, good morning!

Yesterday was the first official day of CES, the world’s biggest tech show. Showfloors were open, SD cards were filled with hands-on photos and we tested plenty of things. We’re now eyeing up the shortlist candidates for our Best of CES awards, but there’s still plenty for us to unearth from deep inside the Las Vegas Convention Center. Let’s get started.

And they cost less than the competition.
Sony’s totally wireless, noise-cancelling sports earbuds are surprisingly good

During last night’s press event, Sony revealed its latest sports earbuds with totally wireless and wireless models — two of which feature active noise cancellation. The company debuted its WF-1000X back at IFA, but the WF-SP700N that’s here at CES has the sporty treatment. This includes IPX4 rating that protects the tiny audio devices from sweat and moisture at the gym or during a run. In fact, Sony claims it’s the first to put active noise cancellation in a pair of true-wireless water-resistant sports earbuds. According to Billy Steele, the WF-SP700N had punchy highs and a solid amount of bass — something that’s often lacking with these kinds of headphones.

That’s a new one for CES.
Volocopter’s 18-rotor air taxi

At Intel’s keynote, Volocopter showed off a drone big enough to carry people around. The German company’s vehicle relies on nine batteries to power two rotors each (located on opposite sides) during flights of up to 30 minutes. It doesn’t charge between flights either, using swappable battery packs to get units back in the air ASAP. Getting this drone past regulators will be tricky, but Volocopter hopes it will be ready to fly in five years or so.

The Big Picture
This is what a 50-qubit quantum computer looks like

From afar, it looks like a steampunk chandelier. Or an intricate collection of tubes and wires that culminate in a small steel cylinder at the bottom. It is, in fact, one of the most sophisticated quantum computers ever built. We took a closer look.

Meanwhile, everywhere else…
Microsoft’s Meltdown updates are reportedly bricking AMD PCs

Following reports of unbootable machines, Microsoft has halted updates of its Meltdown and Spectre security patches for AMD computers. It made the move after numerous complaints from users who installed the patch and then couldn’t get past the Windows 10 splash screen.
According to reports from users, the unbootable problem appears to happen with specific AMD models. The same issue was also confirmed by other Athlon- and Sempron-equipped PC owners. Microsoft confirmed as much, blaming the issue on faulty AMD documentation. “After investigating, Microsoft has determined that some AMD chipsets do not conform to the documentation previously provided to Microsoft to develop the Windows operating system mitigations to protect against the chipset vulnerabilities known as Spectre and Meltdown,” the company said.

Plus it’ll connect to your phone, tablet or PC, for some serious VR gaming.
The Huawei VR2 is a stunningly comfortable virtual reality headset

The Huawei VR2 headset was first announced this past October in China, but CES 2018 appears to be its American debut. Unlike the original Huawei VR, this is a unit that hopes to take on the likes of Oculus and Vive, not the Gear VR. You don’t slide a phone inside; instead you connect a phone, tablet or even a PC to it via USB-C. Then you can enjoy your virtual worlds in glorious 3K — that’s a resolution of 1,600 x 1,440 per eye. And thanks to the 90Hz refresh rate, eye strain and motion sickness should be kept to a minimum. It’s also incredibly comfortable for a VR headset.

But wait, there’s more…

• Dell’s XPS 15 2-in-1 binds an Intel Core CPU with AMD Radeon graphics
• Kingston’s 7-in-1 Nucleum USB-C hub
• SanDisk made a really tiny 1TB USB-C stick
• Meet the selfie drone that lives in your phone case
• Matrix’s battery-free smartwatch gets some smart upgrades
• Learning how to drive in VR traffic school
• Project Linda is a laptop dock for the Razer Phone

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Carphone Warehouse fined £400K for serious 2015 data breach

The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) is back to doing what it does best today, slapping Carphone Warehouse with a £400,000 fine for a 2015 data breach that exposed the personal information of over 3 million customers and 1,000 staff. It’s one of the heftiest invoices the ICO has ever written up, though TalkTalk was fined just as much for failing to protect user data from a cyberattack that same year. Carphone Warehouse suffered a comparably serious breach that affected several of the company’s brands. Not only were names, addresses, dates of birth and other personal details exposed, but the “historical” card details of 18,000 customers. According to the ICO, though, “there has been no evidence that the data has resulted in identify theft or fraud.”

Naturally, not having appropriate security in place is the reason for the fine, and as far as hacks go, this one sounds relatively clumsy. “Using valid login credentials, intruders were able to access the system via an out-of-date WordPress software,” the ICO states. “The Commissioner acknowledges the steps Carphone Warehouse took to fix some of the problems and to protect those affected,” but this “serious contravention” of the Data Protection Act has left Carphone Warehouse staring at a £400,000 bill. Even though the hack was long-forgotten until today, Information Commissioner Elizabeth Denham took the opportunity to twist the knife and wag a stern finger at the retailer.

“A company as large, well-resourced, and established as Carphone Warehouse, should have been actively assessing its data security systems, and ensuring systems were robust and not vulnerable to such attacks. Carphone Warehouse should be at the top of its game when it comes to cyber-security, and it is concerning that the systemic failures we found related to rudimentary, commonplace measures,” she said.

Source: Information Commissioner’s Office

Spend some time with Samsung’s $2,700 Flip whiteboard

Samsung has made smart screens of all types and sizes, but there’s always a new market to invade, and at this year’s CES it found a new one. Flip is a smart whiteboard designed for businesses, but it would be right at home in a state-of-the-art school as well. It’s a 55-inch touchscreen with a smooth matte finish (e-ink-style), and it includes a dual-sided stylus with a fine-point pen on one end and a slightly wider highlighting tool on the other.

The Flip can import from and export to USBs, laptops or mobile devices. To connect a smartphone, for instance, simply tap the device against the bottom of the whiteboard and its screen displays directly on the Flip. You can then control the mobile device’s screen from the Flip itself, and the same is true for a laptop or desktop connection.

The Flip does indeed flip, turning horizontally or vertically as users see fit. The main whiteboard supports a scrolling lineup of 20 blank screens for note-taking, image importing and doodling.

The Flip costs $2,700, which isn’t terrible compared with products like Google’s Jamboard, which runs $5,000. The Flip is set to start shipping this month.

Click here to catch up on the latest news from CES 2018.

Philips Hue lights will sync with music and games on your PC

Philips’ team-up with Razer is just the start of Hue-to-PC syncing. The lighting behemoth is preparing to launch a Hue Sync app that will let you sync games, movies and music on any Windows 10 PC or High Sierra-equipped Mac. While the exact functionality is under wraps, it’s easy to imagine turning the room blood red when you play death metal, or dimming the lights when you settle in for a Netflix marathon.

The app is due sometime in the second quarter of the year and will launch alongside a version 3.0 Hue app for Android and iOS. The mobile overhaul promises to simplify light groups, offer quick access to recently used scenes and provide “seamless setup.” If you dislike the existing Hue app enough that you stick to the third-party options (such as the Apple and Google Home apps), it might be worth a revisit in the spring.

To top things off, there’s new hardware on the way… eventually. Philips has teased the launch of outdoor Hue lights (shown above) in the summer. There are virtually no details, but the company suggests they’ll be helpful for “peace of mind” by turning on when you arrive home, or deterring burglars when you leave. And of course, they can set the mood — we could easily see these being used for a creepy Halloween or a supplement to Christmas lights. Just don’t be surprised if they’re expensive, since they’ll have to both cover a large area and survive the elements.

Click here to catch up on the latest news from CES 2018.

Source: Philips

Say goodbye to ‘Pokemon Go’ on older iPhones

If you’re a hardcore Pokemon Go trainer with an old phone, it might be time for an upgrade. Niantic has announced its plans to drop support for iOS devices that can’t be updated to iOS 11, so phones released in or before 2013 (that’s the iPhone 5 and iPhone 5C) aren’t going to work with the game anymore.

Niantic has been steadfastly making improvements to Pokemon Go since its launch in July 2016, switching up gameplay rules for a better player experience, adding features such as dynamic weather and pushing for more hardware specific features in its AR component. So it makes sense that if it wants to keep driving the game forward it’ll have to cut loose some dead weight. There’s no word yet on a similar move for Android users — perhaps Niantic is testing the waters to see how this cull affects its user base. Support will be removed via an update rolling out on February 28, so upgrade now if you want to keep catching ’em all.

Source: Niantic

How HP plans to sell laptops to millennials in 2018

In 2017, HP chose some surprising places to launch its laptops and show off its technology — music festivals like Coachella and Panorama. Here at a more conventional tech launchpad, the company unveiled a couple of new laptops — the Spectre x360 15 and the Envy x2. We had a chat with Chief Technology Officer and VP of Product Experience Mike Nash to learn more about the company’s devices launched at CES, as well as how it determines what new features to add to its laptops. If you missed our interview when it aired live, here’s a nifty recap video for you to catch up.

Click here to catch up on the latest news from CES 2018.

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Click here to catch up on the latest news from CES 2018.

U.S. Government Official Questions Apple Over iPhone Battery Slowdowns

Just two days after it emerged a French consumer fraud group is investigating Apple over its handling of battery-related performance issues on iPhones, Apple is now facing questions from government officials in its own country over the controversy.

The Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday that Senator John Thune (R–S.D.), chairman of the Commerce Committee, has sent a letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook asking a series of questions about how the company decided to throttle processing performance in iPhones with older batteries.

In a letter to Chief Executive Tim Cook, a copy of which was viewed by The Wall Street Journal, Thune asked how Apple has tracked customer complaints of processing performance, and if Apple has explored offering rebates to customers who paid full price for a battery replacement before the company offered discounted rates last month.

In the letter, Thune went on to note that Apple’s decision to offer battery replacements at a reduced price had prompted further criticism from customers who believe that Apple should have offered the replacements for free.

In addition to the senator’s letter, Wednesday’s WSJ report included official confirmation from the Paris prosecutor’s office that it is overseeing an investigation into Apple’s “alleged deception” that is being conducted by French consumer fraud group DGCCRF, which is part of the country’s economy ministry.

The investigation – which could lead to preliminary charges or be dropped – follows Apple’s admission that it slows down some older iPhones with degraded batteries during times of peak power usage in order to prevent unexpected shutdowns. Apple introduced the power management feature in iOS 10.2.1 after complaints of unexpected shutdowns in the iPhone 6s, but the company didn’t make it clear to consumers that it was due to battery deterioration, nor did Apple inform customers that it could cause occasional performance slowdowns.

Despite Apple’s apology and its efforts to correct the issue, in addition to the French inquiry, the company is now facing more than two dozen lawsuits accusing it of intentionally slowing down older iPhones and failing to disclose the changes that it introduced in iOS 10.2.1. One of those lawsuits also stems from France, filed by French consumer group “HOP”, which translates to “Stop Planned Obsolescence”.

Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.
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Apple Announces Relocation of Chinese Customers’ iCloud Data From U.S. to Mainland China

Apple today confirmed that its iCloud services in mainland China will be operated by a Chinese company from next month (via People’s Daily, China). The firm, called Guizhou on the Cloud Big Data (GCBD), is owned by the Guizhou provincial government in southern China, and will manage Apple’s new $1 billion data center, which opened in the region last year.

Apple said customers based in the country had been contacted and advised to examine new terms and conditions, which include a clause that both Apple and the Chinese firm will have access to all data stored on iCloud servers.

Apple on Wednesday announced its decision to relocate Chinese mainland customers’ iCloud data from the U.S. to China, promising that the relocation will not compromise users’ information security pic.twitter.com/AYIvFNnMUF

— People’s Daily,China (@PDChina) January 10, 2018

Apple originally announced in July its intention to set up its first China data center in partnership with a local internet services company. The operational change was agreed between Apple and the Chinese government, bringing the tech giant into compliance with the country’s cloud computing regulations, introduced in June 2017.

The cybersecurity law requires foreign firms to store data within the country. Other tech firms with data centers in China include Microsoft and Amazon, which will also need to comply with the new rules.

Apple said the partnership with GCBD would also allow it to improve the speed and reliability of iCloud services products, but assured customers that no backdoors had been created into any of its systems. However, critics claim the move will make it easier for Beijing to spy on users in the country. Last year, Apple was accused of kowtowing to state demands that it remove virtual private network (VPN) apps from its App Store in mainland China.

Shortly after, Apple CEO Tim Cook said Apple “would rather not remove apps”, but like it does in other countries, “we follow the law where we do business”. Cook also said he hoped China would ease up on the restrictions over time.

In Wednesday’s announcement, Apple said customer iCloud data will be transferred from February 28, and customers living in mainland China who did not want to use iCloud operated by GCBD had been given the option to terminate their account.

Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Tags: China, iCloud
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