Codys

08/14/2022

08/10/2016

New MacBook Pro is coming soon!

Get ready for a massive MacBook Pro update. Apple is planning to unveil new 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Pro laptops with retina displays soon. According to a new report from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, Apple is building a completely new pro laptop with many new features, such as a Touch ID sensor and an OLED mini screen above the keyboard.

If you’ve been following MacBook Pro rumors, you know these rumors aren’t new. But Gurman is confirming what well-informed analyst Ming-Chi Kuo from KGI Securities and 9to5mac have already been saying: yes, the new MacBook Pro is going to be a big release.

Let’s start with the shape of the device. The new MacBook Pro should be thinner and lighter, but not wedge-shaped like the MacBook Air or 12-inch retina MacBook. The bezels around the display should be smaller, and the overall frame of the device should be smaller.

The fact that the new MacBook Pro won’t look like a MacBook Air is a good sign for those who rely a lot on the multitude of ports on the existing MacBook Pro — there will be more than one port. Apple could switch to USB Type-C ports to replace USB ports, the MagSafe port and even Thunderbolt ports as USB-C ports can support the Thunderbolt protocol. Maybe Apple will drop the HDMI port and SD card slot to save up on space, maybe not.

Under the hood, Apple will most probably use the Intel Skylake processors, giving a performance boost and improving energy consumption. You can expect better Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chips as well.

But the most significant addition will be a narrow OLED display right above the keyboard. It should replace the physical function keys with a touchscreen. This could be the most surprising element of this MacBook Pro as nobody knows exactly how Apple will use this strip. You could control basic laptop functions from this screen, such as volume and media buttons. But Apple could also take advantage of this screen to display shortcuts and information depending on the app you’re using.

Apple also plans to integrate a Touch ID sensor in your Mac. This would let you unlock your laptop without having to type your password. More importantly, the Touch ID sensor would ship with a secure enclave, making your Mac more secure than before. It would let app developers use Touch ID for other things — password managers could take advantage of Touch ID for example. And finally, it would make Apple Pay for macOS Sierra more secure.

Recently, many have pointed out that the MacBook Pro is embarrassingly outdated. The last major update was in June 2012, bringing a retina display and a thinner design to the MacBook Pro lineup.

But people tend to forget that the unibody MacBook Pro was introduced in 2008, also four years before the retina update. Apple doesn’t change its laptops very often, relying on internal component upgrades every now and then.

And yet, Skylake processors should have come sooner to the MacBook Pro. Gurman is saying that Apple won’t introduce the new MacBook Pro at the iPhone launch event that will likely happen on September 7. I could see Apple introducing the new laptop in October. It’s about time.

07/27/2016

Chinese hardware giant Xiaomi already makes smartphones, TVs, air purifiers and fitness trackers. It’s now entering the laptop market with the Mi Notebook Air.

The new laptop doesn’t just sound like the MacBook Air, it also bears a striking resemblance to the latter. But Xiaomi says the 13.3-inch version of its new product is 13 percent thinner than Apple’s popular notebook, and 11 percent smaller overall.

The Windows 10-based machine features an Intel Core i5-6200U 2.7 GHz processor paired with 8GB RAM, an Nvidia GeForce 940MX dedicated graphics card and 256GB of SSD storage. It comes with a Full HD display and a full keyboard with individual backlit keys.

It’s available in gold and silver finishes, and the all-metal body weighs 2.82 lbs (1.28kg) – a tad more than the 2.38 lbs MacBook Air – and Xiaomi says it’ll last up to 9.5 hours on a single charge. You can juice it up via the USB Type-C port to 50 percent capacity in just 30 minutes. There are also HDMI and USB 3.0 slots for additional peripherals.

You can also opt for the smaller 12.5-inch version that weighs 2.36 lbs and can run for 11.5 hours. This variant comes with an Intel Core M3 processor with integrated graphics, 4GB RAM and a 128GB SSD.

07/20/2016

Rumor: Google is working on two Nexus smartwatches

A new report suggests Google is working on two smartwatches that may be Nexus devices for release after it debuts new Nexus phones.

Like the Nexus phones, the watches are believed to be essentially the same internally, but with different screen sizes. Codenamed Angelfish and Swordfish, it seems Google is leaning toward the round screen for Android Wear.

Android Police describes the larger Angelfish as being very reminiscent of a Moto 360, but has “a smooth housing shape that curves where the watch band meets the body.” It has a crown on the side, flanked by two hardware buttons.

Swordfish is described as the same size as a Pebble Time Round — just without the annoying bezel.

Angelfish has heart rate monitoring, GPS and LTE capabilities, while Swordfish may not. Swordfish is believed to be made available in silver, rose gold and titanium, while Angelfish may only come in the titanium color, which is described as a matte dark grey.

Nexus expansion

We’ve been looking forward to Google getting into the smartwatch game. Really, it’s overdue; there’s been no real killer Android Wear watch, even though plenty of really good contenders have shown up.

The Moto 360 is great, but bulky (and that flat tire!). LG made some good smartwatches, but quickly stopped supporting them. Samsung is off doing Tizen-y things, so that leaves — well, nothing great.

Google also announced standalone Android Wear apps at I/O this year, so we’d expected to see some LTE and GPS capabilities in watches at some point this year. Hopefully, this serves to jumpstart Android Wear app development. Like the hardware, there are just no must-have Wear apps in the wild.

Hopefully we see these two smartwatches debut alongside the new Nexus phones. It’d be nice to see Google drop anchor in Nexus land and start pushing Wear forward a bit, and Nexus phones are always a welcome sight.

07/12/2016

Google speeds past Apple in the race to train mobile app devs in India

In the next two years, India is slated to have the largest population of software developers in the world, at four million professionals in the industry.

To that end, it’s important for companies to get in on the ground floor and capture as large a share of that focus as possible. That’s why Google has launched its Android Skilling program in the country, with a view to train two million devs in the next three years.

The program includes integrating Android development into university curricula through the government’s National Skill Development Corporation of India, as well as offering an exam for globally recognized certification – priced at Rs. 6,500 ($97) that should make it easier for students to land jobs in the software sector.

The company also partnered with online learning firm Udacity to offer Android nanodegrees, including a full-fledged one last year and another for beginners last month. In addition, it will make its Android Developer Fundamentals courseware open source and publicly available for free later this year.

With that, Google is set to zoom past Apple in the race to build a large developer base for its mobile platform in India.

In May, Apple announced that it will open a new facility in the city of Bangalore sometime in 2017 to enhance iOS designers and developers’ understanding and capabilities. Unlike Google’s program, which is set to kick off this year, Apple’s initiative is still a while away and doesn’t offer end-to-end training for would-be iOS devs.

Plus, with training available as part of university curricula, it’s easier to begin learning to code Android software than take up lessons after school hours and on top of one’s existing course load.

07/06/2016

Android has a problem. New research shows that the mobile operating system’s encryption can be bypassed using a fairly straightforward brute force method.

The hack
Brute force is actually pretty simple; heck, you may have even done it yourself and not known about it.

All it really means is that you try repeatedly to enter the correct password (you know, like when you forget a password to an online account and just keep trying). Though Android uses a strong 2048-bit RSA key in addition to your password, devices using a Qualcomm processor (read: most modern Android devices) are at risk.

So how did the person who found the exploit, Gal Beniamini, get through that encryption? From Neowin:

" - That strong RSA key makes brute-force attacks, where a computer simply tries every single possible combination of a password, almost impossible."

However, the researcher proved that thanks to flaws in the way Qualcomm implements some security measures, combined with Android kernel flaws, an attacker could get that key. That means that all that stands between him and your data is your password. And we know how good users are at choosing secure passwords.

Qualcomm and Google
The good news is that the person who found the flaw is working with Qualcomm and Google on a fix. For its part, Google notes it has already paid Beniamini via its Vulnerability Rewards Program’ and patched its own issues.

Qualcomm is taking a less straighfroward approach. In a statement to Engadget, it pushes responsibility off onto partners:
"-The two security vulnerabilities (CVE-2015-6639 and CVE-2016-2431) discussed in Beniamini’s June 30 blog post were also discovered internally and patches were made available to our customers and partners. We have and will continue to work with Google and the Android ecosystem to help address security vulnerabilities and to recommend improvements to the Android ecosystem to enhance security overall."

Should you be worried?
The exploit affects full-disk encryption, something used as a default on Android 5.0 and later. According to Google, about 45 percent of its users are subject to this exploit.

While some of the flaws can be patched, Beniamini notes that complete security “might require hardware changes” as some exploits can’t be fixed. The nature of the exploit also lends itself to off-device hacks, so a would-be thief doesn’t necessarily need to have your device in-hand.

It does take dedicated effort and know-how to crack into your device, and that’s not something a lot of people can do. This is a troubling look at Full Disk Encryption (FDE), something Google was very proud of at launch.

You probably don’t need to panic about whether or not anyone is stealing your information, but if you’re hanging your hat on FDE as a means to protect your device, this exploit shows why that may not be your best bet.

07/01/2016

Apple patents a way to stop you from recording video at concerts

Like most people, I don’t enjoy having my view of a live concert blocked by someone filming the performance on their phone, but I understand their need to try it. Heck, I’ve done it myself when I saw my favorite band 6,000 miles from home and when a couple of close friends played an intimate gig in my hometown.

Apple’s latest patent might help the company put a stop to all that. The company has devised a way to prevent your phone camera from recording footage, using infrared signals.

The idea is that an infrared emitter can be placed wherever recording may be prohibited – concert venues, for example – and beam signals with encoded data that can be picked up smartphone cameras. The signals can include instructions for the phone to disable video capturing.

While the thought of having my camera remotely disabled really grinds my gears, I’m not polishing my pitchfork just yet. Just because the patent has been granted doesn’t mean Apple will begin building on it immediately.

Plus, it mentions other applications that are less aggravating. For example, if you pointed your camera at a museum exhibit, infrared signals could beam information about what you’re looking at.

Similarly, if you were at a store, you could aim your phone at a product and receive a tip about a discount on that item. Of course, these ideas might be better served by iBeacons.

Are you for or against recording video at concerts? Should Apple build a phone camera blocking system? Let us know what you think in the comments.

06/28/2016

Pre-sale: Create apps for iOS 10 before it arrives

The new iOS 10 is right around the corner, with enormously anticipated advancements in everything from Messages to Maps, Photos to the ways we interact with Siri and beyond.

If you’re interested in getting in on the ground level of Apple’s latest evolution, you can get a running head start down the path to a lucrative future in coding with an exciting The Complete iOS 10 Developer Course, now offered at a pre-sale discount of 98 percent off from TNW Deals.

The Complete iOS 10 Developer Course will prep you for success with 80 hours of training in the basics of iOS programming, and familiarize you with the significant improvements in iOS 10’s AI assistant, Siri.

You’ll build SpriteKit games and develop apps for TVOS, iPad, iPhone and Apple Watch as you learn through hands-on training.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PERPpFWHnDM

Rounding off and polishing your skill set, The Complete iOS 9 Hacker Training will walk you through comprehensive app-building techniques.

Learn to conquer Swift 2, Xcode 7, watchOS 2 and more, as you master the secrets of the most popular real-world apps such as Instagram and Uber. Along the way, you’ll create over 100 apps on your own to establish your confidence in creation.

Get ahead of the iOS 10 ball, and pick up The Complete iOS 10 Developer Course at 98 percent off from TNW Deals.