Category: Tech

Chinese Institute Claims It Cracked Apple’s AirDrop to Uncover Sender Email Addresses, Phone Numbers

China’s government has announced that it can now uncover the identities of Apple device owners who send messages and content using AirDrop, the company’s wireless sharing protocol. A Chinese institute has found a way to decrypt the device log of an iPhone to reveal both the email address and phone numbers of users who send content via AirDrop. In the past, activists and dissidents have relied on AirDrop to anonymously send messages to other users in a manner that cannot be easily monitored.

According to a post shared on a Chinese government website (via Bloomberg) an institute in Beijing found that Apple stores the phone numbers and email addresses of users who have shared content via AirDrop on an iPhone’s log files, which are encrypted. The Chinese institution was able to extract and analyse records from phones provided by law enforcement, according to the post.

Apple stores details such as an AirDrop sender’s device name, their email address, and phone number in the form of hash values, according to the Chinese government. The institute used a detailed rainbow table — a table of reversed hashes — to access the encrypted data, which would then reveal the identity of the sender via their email address and their phone number.

Images shared by the Chinese government show details captured from an iPhone
Photo Credit: Beijing Municipal Bureau of Justice

 

The Chinese government also says that law enforcement has managed to identify “multiple suspects” in a case. The institute managed to achieve this by analysing both the sender’s device and the receiver’s device. It is currently unclear whether Apple plans to issue a patch that fixes the flaw identified by the government.

Bloomberg reported in 2022 that Apple limited the capability of its AirDrop wireless sharing feature as part of the iOS 16.1.1 update in China. While the US firm previously allowed users to receive files from all users, their contacts, or no one, the first option was reduced from an always-on mode to a limited 10-minute window. This limitation was later expanded to all iPhone models globally.

The detection method listed by the Chinese government suggest that both the sender’s and receiver’s smartphones are required in order to confirm the user identities. AirDrop wirelessly transfers data between Apple devices without requiring an Internet connection, while both devices do not need to be on the same Wi-Fi network. As a result, the cracking of AirDrop would allow the government monitor transfers that are difficult to track as they work without access to the Internet.

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Samsung Galaxy Book 4 With Microsoft to Allow Using Galaxy Phones as Webcam and More

Samsung Galaxy Book 4 series was unveiled in December 2023. The lineup consists of the Galaxy Book 4 Pro, Galaxy Book 4 Pro 360, and an Ultra model. Now, at CES 2024, Samsung announced that these models will offer improved connectivity and AI features to users. In partnership with Microsoft, Samsung will allow Galaxy Book 4 users to connect their Galaxy smartphones or tablets to the laptops to enhance select features. The company is yet to confirm the availability of these features.

In a blog post, Samsung confirmed its collaboration with Microsoft that will help integrate new AI-backed connectivity features into the Galaxy Book 4 models. With Microsoft’s Copilot, Galaxy Book 4 users can connect their Galaxy smartphones to the laptops and use the handset’s camera as the PC webcam. This can be used in video conferencing applications like Microsoft Teams.

Connecting a Galaxy Book 4 with a Galaxy smartphone will enable users to access a higher image quality thanks to higher resolution rear and front cameras. It is also said to bring access to additional features like Background Blur and Auto-framing. Using the Galaxy smartphone camera as a PC webcam will also allow free switching between front and back cameras with a single click to accommodate any setup.

The new, smart connectivity features will also allow users to access all the applications of their Galaxy phones on their Galaxy Book 4 laptops. With integrated Copilot features, users can track, explore, and navigate different apps. This can allow them to create and send text messages directly from the PC. For instance, users can access a restaurant recommendation shared with them via text on the laptop, browse its location and reviews, make a reservation, and share its details with their friends from their laptop, without having to scramble through different applications on their phone.

Samsung also confirmed that Galaxy Book 4 users can connect an additional Galaxy device like the Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra that can be used as an additional screen to help improve productivity. Meanwhile, the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro can be used for clear, low-latency calls on PCs. Several Galaxy products are said to be compatible with these features. The company, however, noted that the availability of these features will vary by market and device. It added that users will need a mandatory Microsoft account login to access these features.

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The Curious Case of Binance, Kraken Disappearing from Apple India’s App Store: Details

Apple’s App Store, as of Wednesday, January 10 is not showing a number of foreign crypto exchanges like Binance and Kraken in India. Several members of India’s crypto community posted screenshots of their Apple Store searches on X, showing no results on the App Store. The development comes at a time when the government of India is laying mega focus on making sure that all crypto firms operating in the country, are registered with the concerned authorities.

The overnight disappearence of these foreign exchanges from App Store comes around a week after the Indian government issued notices seeking updates on their legal compliance statuses. At the time, the Indian Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) had urged to government to ban these crypto exchanges until they show how compliant they are with India’s crypto laws deployed so far.

Members of India’s crypto community are actively discussing on social media reasons and warnings behind the disappearance of these apps from Apple’s ecosystem in India. Along with Binance and Kraken, App Store searches on Mexc, Huobi, and Gate.io are also not shoing desired results.

The move seems to be a part of the regulatory efforts that India is undertaking in regards to the crypto sector, aiming to to address concerns related to tax evasion.

After India imposed taxes on crypto incomes last year, many Indian traders decided to move their deposits to offshore international exchanges. Indians have to pay a 30 percent tax on all crypto earnings and one percent TDS on all crypto transactions. As soon as these laws went live in 2022, Indian crypto exchanges recorded a nosedive in trading volumes.

The government now wishes to narrow the margin of crypto misuse for criminal activities and silently promote the use of native exchanges.

“By asking offshore exchanges to register with the FIU-IND, the idea is to increase compliance with Indian laws on taxation, Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) and KYC norms. This will help create a level playing field between Indian and offshore exchanges, fortify compliance guardrails and also enhance consumer protection. This is also better for consumer protection in India,” Ashish Singhal, Co-founder and Group CEO, PeepalCo told Gadgets360.

As of now, none of the affected international exchanges have responded to this development.

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The Last of Us Season 2 Casts Kaitlyn Dever as Abby

The Last of Us season 2 has found its Abby in Kaitlyn Dever, confirming previous reports. In a tweet, HBO confirmed that the Booksmart star will be playing the second protagonist — some prefer seeing her as a villain — in the post-apocalyptic series, posing a new challenge to Ellie Williams (Bella Ramsey). Interestingly, Dever had a prior connection to the show when fans lobbied the studio to cast her as the 13-year-old Ellie, due to her facial resemblance to the in-game character and her involvement in the Uncharted 4 game — also from developer Naughty Dog. However, co-creator Neil Druckmann and the team opted for a younger actor in Ramsey, who in my opinion, nailed the role.

“Our casting process for season two has been identical to season one: we look for world-class actors who embody the souls of the characters in the source material,” Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin said in a prepared statement (via Variety). “Nothing matters more than talent, and we’re thrilled to have an acclaimed performer like Kaitlyn join Pedro, Bella and the rest of our family.” Abby Anderson is a very divisive character in the Last of Us universe, drawing hatred from a section of fans due to her actions in The Last of Us Part II and her muscular build, which sparked a spate of body-shaming comments. The outrage went so far that Laura Bailey, the voice actor who helmed Abby, received death threats for her role. With the backlash to the game and the character in mind, one can only hope that Dever doesn’t have to deal with similar hateful comments if and when the Abby discourse is brought up again.

The Last of Us Season 1 Review

Dever previously received praise for her performances in the Emmy-nominated Dopesick and the Hulu alien invasion movie No One Will Save You, in which she played a silent protagonist for the most part. In The Last of Us season 2, which adapts the events from the gory and polarising sequel The Last of Us Part 2, she’ll have a pivotal scene with Pedro Pascal’s Joel that leaves a lasting impact on the story. Pacal, meanwhile, has got Ridley Scott’s Gladiator sequel on top of his priority list; every other production will have to work around that schedule. This could also be attributed to the likely lesser screen time for the actor in the second season, where the focus is on the revenge arc between Ellie and Abby — the game intercut between the two characters to offer differing perspectives as they often trod the same paths.

Filming on The Last of Us season 2 was delayed due to the Hollywood actors’ and writers’ strike last year. The new season was greenlit merely two episodes into the debut chapter, and given the length and the ambitious scope of the video game sequel, the studio has enough material to adapt for multiple seasons. That’s what Mazin and Druckmann plan on doing with the story, having mapped out the entire affair with a slew of planned new characters in the mix. Last week, The Last of Us season 1 bagged eight awards at the Creative Arts Emmys, including an Outstanding Guest Actress award for Storm Reid and Outstanding Best Actor for Nick Offerman, who appeared in episode 3.

The Last of Us season 2 is set to begin filming in the American Spring and premieres sometime in 2025 on HBO.

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Realme 12 Pro 5G Series With Periscope Camera Teased to Launch in India in January

Realme 12 Pro 5G series will soon launch in India. Realme, via a post on X, confirmed the arrival of the new Realme 12 Pro 5G and Realme 12 Pro+ 5G smartphones in India. The Chinese smartphone brand is highlighting the presence of a periscope camera in the new lineup. The periscope sensor would offer better image clarity at high zoom levels. Specifications of the Realme 12 Pro 5G series have been tipped over the last few weeks through different listings on certification platforms. The Realme 12 Pro 5G series is expected to come as a successor to Realme 11 Pro 5G lineup that debuted in the country in June last year.

Via a teaser video on X, Realme announced that the Realme 12 Pro 5G series will debut in India in January. The post doesn’t specify the exact launch date of the smartphones but, it asks users to guess the launch date and get a chance to win the new smartphones. The video shows the rear portion of the device with a ring-shaped camera module. It is teased to include a periscope telephoto camera.

Realme has also set up a landing page on its India website teasing the arrival of the Realme 12 Pro 5G phones. The page highlights the periscope telephoto camera of the handsets. It includes a tagline “Beyond 200M” making a dig at the 200-megapixel camera units of the Redmi Note 13 Pro series. Interested customers can click on the “Notify Me” button on the website to get the latest updates about the launch.

Recently, the Realme 12 Pro 5G and Realme 12 Pro+ 5G surfaced on the TENAA website with model numbers RMX3843, and RMX3841, respectively. The former is expected to run on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 SoC. They are said to pack 50-megapixel triple rear cameras and could be backed by 5,000mAh batteries. The Realme 12 Pro+ 5G is rumoured to get a 64-megapixel Omnivision OV64B 3X periscope telephoto lens. The upcoming series could be sold in India via Flipkart.

The specifications for the Realme 12 Pro+ and Realme 12 Pro will be an upgrade over the Realme 11 Pro+ and Realme 11 Pro. They made their India debut in June last year with an initial price tag of Rs. 23,999.

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CES 2024: Lenovo Unveils Concept Keyboard, Mouse That Harvest Mechanical Energy for Charging

Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2024 has already seen a host of product launches and innovative concept devices. Lenovo, too, has showcased a lineup of new ThinkBook laptops, ThinkCentre neo desktops, and other products at the event. The manufacturer’s CES slate also includes a proof-of-concept mechanical energy harvesting keyboard and mouse combo. Lenovo’s new keyboard and mouse concept do not require traditional external charging to work and instead rely on mechanical movement to generate power.

The Mechanical Energy Harvesting Combo, showcased at CES, is ergonomically designed keyboard and mouse combination that runs on manually generated mechanical energy. The proof-of-concept devices can also utilise solar irradiation to function, thus eliminating the need for an external charger, Lenovo claims.

Lenovo’s concept keyboard has 68-keys, is wireless, supports RGB lighting, and can be seen in a metallic grey colourway. They keyboard comes with a horizontal strip of solar panel on its topside, which can charge the keyboard under bright lighting conditions. Additionally, the keyboard includes a large circular dial on the top left, which reportedly is utilised to transform kinetic energy into battery charge for the device. According to a PC Mag report, the dial can be spun to generate power for the keyboard. Lenovo claims that about five minutes of spinning the dial can should get users about 30 minutes battery usage for the keyboard. The concept keyboard also comes with a USB Type-C port for wired connection.

The mouse, on the other hand, reportedly comes with a ring-shaped crank at the bottom that can be pulled up and wound to provide charge to the device’s battery. One minute of winding should get users about 30 minutes of charge, Lenovo claims.

The mechanical energy keyboard and mouse combo also support both Bluetooth and 2.4G wireless connection. Lenovo has not provided any additional specifications for the devices. As both the keyboard and mouse are proof-of-concept devices, we might not see them hit the market.

In addition to the concept keyboard and mouse, Lenovo announced its new lineup of ThinkBook laptops, ThinkCentre desktops, accessories, and AI PC enhancements at CES this week. The company unveiled its ThinkBook 13x Gen 4 laptop, which comes with a dedicated Microsoft Copilot key. Additionally, the company also introduced the Lenovo Tab M11 at the ongoing tech showcase event. Shipping with Android 13 onboard, the Tab M11 is powered by a MediaTek Helio G88 chipset and packs a 7,040mAh battery. The tablet will be available for purchase initially in the US, starting April.

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Google Pixel Call Screening Feature Said to Arrive in India and Other Countries Soon

Google’s useful call screening feature for Pixel smartphones could soon be available in more countries — including India — according to details spotted by a user on Reddit. The feature that transcribes calls from unknown and spam callers is currently available in select countries and languages, but the company is now tipped to add support for over 10 more languages and regions in the future. It is currently unclear whether the expanded rollout will offer access to the automatic call screening feature that is available to users in the US.

Reddit user u/Yuval17G (via Android Police) states that they were able to enable the Google Pixel Call Screening feature on a rooted OnePlus 7 running on a custom version of Android 14 called AOSPA (Paranoid Android) along with another root-related module called GappsMod. After enabling the relevant call screening flags, the user claims that they were able to download Hindi language packages and get the feature to work on their smartphone.

Screenshots of the call screening feature running in Hindi
Photo Credit: Reddit/ Yuval17G

 

According to screenshots shared by the user, Google appears to have added English (India) and Hindi (India) to the languages supported by the call screening feature. The discovery of previously unsupported languages suggests that the company could be planning on introducing the feature on Pixel smartphones in India in the coming months. The user claims that their friend was also able to enable the feature on a Redmi Note 8, but did not provide additional details.

The post on Reddit also includes a list of other languages and regions where Pixel Call Screening might soon be available. These include English (Singapore), French (Belgium and Switzerland), German (Belgium, Austria, Switzerland), Italian (Switzerland and Italy), Portuguese (Brazil), and Spanish (US/ EE.UU).

It’s worth noting that while the user managed to use a rooted smartphone to enable the feature and the languages were available, the company is yet to make an announcement related to the expansion of call screening in other languages and regions. It is likely to arrive in the form of a Pixel Feature Drop — the next one is anticipated to land in March, and we can expect to find out more details in the coming weeks.

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Flipkart Republic Day Sale 2024 to Start on January 14 With Discounts on iPhone 14, Pixel 7a, More

Flipkart Republic Day sale 2024 dates are now official. The six-day online sale will begin in India on January 14. Like previous years, the sale will start exclusively for Flipkart Plus members on January 13. The e-commerce company is promising exciting deals and offers on hundreds of products in the upcoming sale. The Flipkart Republic Day sale will bring deals, discounts, and offers on products such as mobile phones, laptops, tablets, smartwatches, earbuds, and smart TVs, among others. Additionally, Flipkart is promising savings on payments through select bank cards. Smartphones from brands including Apple, Samsung, Google, and Realme are confirmed to see price cuts during the sale.

The e-commerce company has created a dedicated webpage revealing the Flipkart Republic Day sale dates. The discount sale will start on January 14 and continue until January 19. Plus members will be given early access to deals from January 13. Fashion accessories, TVs, electronics, furniture and mattresses are confirmed to get up to 80 percent discount. There will be up to 85 percent discount for appliances whereas beauty and toys items will be listed with up to 85 percent price cuts.

Smartphones from brands including Apple, Samsung, Realme, and Motorola will see price cuts during the sale. Flipkart has not disclosed deals on smartphones, but the flagship iPhone 14, and Pixel 7a are teased to receive discounts. Flipkart’s banners indicate offers on Samsung Galaxy S21 FE, Motorola Edge 40 Neo, Samsung F14 5G, Realme C53, Realme 11X 5G, Moto G54 5G, and more.

Further, the sale will cover new launches including the Vivo X100 series, Oppo Reno 11 series, Infinix Smart 8, Redmi Note 13 Pro series, and Poco X6 series. Additionally, there will be cashback, exchange offers, no-cost EMI offers, and more.

Earlier this week, Flipkart rival Amazon also announced that it is hosting its Amazon Great Republic Day sale starting January 15.

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WhatsApp Working on Theme Colours; Rolling Out Sticker Editor Feature on Latest iOS Beta: Report

WhatsApp is working on a feature that will allow users to select a theme accent for the popular messaging app on iOS, according to details shared by a feature tracker. The company recently changed the appearance of the app on the beta version of the app on iOS, adding a green tint to some parts of the interface. It appears that the company will soon allow users to choose from five theme colour accents for the app, in a future update. Meanwhile, the service is reportedly testing a sticker editor feature on the latest beta version.

As part of a recent WhatsApp beta for iOS update, the Meta-owned platform included some code that shows users will soon be able to pick an accent colour to theme some parts of the UI, according to details unearthed by feature tracker WABetaInfo. These include the message counts on the right side of the chat list, the circles around status updates, the colours of selected tabs at the bottom, and some buttons on the interface.

On the latest stable version of WhatsApp for iOS, these UI elements are displayed with a blue colour accent. A screenshot showing five colour accents was shared by WABetaInfo, showing a choice between WhatsApp’s green accent, the existing blue option, an off-white colour, pink, and purple. Users will reportedly be informed that selecting one of the five options will only update the app’s main branding colour.

WhatsApp is working on colour accents and a sticker editor
Photo Credit: WABetaInfo

 

Meanwhile, a more recent version — WhatsApp beta for iOS 24.1.10.72 — is rolling out to testers via the TestFlight program, along with support for a new feature, according to WABetaInfo. Beta testers can now use a newly added sticker editor that could eliminate the need for this party sticker apps altogether.

According to details shared by WABetaInfo, tapping existing stickers will offer beta testers the ability to edit them via an Edit Sticker button. Meanwhile, another button titled Create Your Own will allow users to create their own stickers on the app. Users will also be able to remove backgrounds from images on their phone while creating stickers.

While the new sticker editor is currently rolling out to beta testers, it might be a while before the colour accent picker is made available to testers — it is currently in development, according to the feature tracker. As WhatsApp typically maintains feature parity between both platforms, these features can also be expected to make their way to WhatsApp for Android in the future.

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Hogwarts Legacy Sold Over 22 Million Copies in 2023, WB Claims; More Harry Potter Games in Development

Hogwarts Legacy, the RPG set within the Potterverse, sold over 22 million copies in 2023. Speaking to Variety, Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment president David Haddad claimed that it was the best-selling game of the said year and that about 2 million of those sales were made during the Christmas holiday season, presumably owing to heavy discounts. Despite his statement, several developers in the industry, including Larian Studios (Baldur’s Gate 3) and Activision (Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3) have yet to reveal the latest sales numbers; so, take the claims with a grain of salt.

“It brought Harry Potter to life in a new way for gamers where they could be themselves in this world, in this story,” Haddad said in the interview. “And that’s what the team at Avalanche set out to do when they were developing the game and I think that’s really why it resonated so well and remains the best-selling game of the year in the entire industry worldwide.” Going forward, WB will continue betting on well-established franchises and using its namesake to generate better sales. In fact, CEO David Zaslav touched upon this in November, with plans to heavily veer into a live service model that would transform the company’s biggest names into long-term products, dropping new content regularly and deep monetisation. This also includes free-to-play mobile games and MultiVersus, the fighting game featuring characters from WB properties, which is expected to undergo a full launch this year.

Launched in February 2023, Hogwarts Legacy got off to a great start, with players worldwide discovering secrets, while developer Avalanche enjoyed staggering sales, partly bolstered by the drama revolving around the boycott of author J.K. Rowling. Although the interest gradually decreased in the following months — the game failed to earn a single nomination at The Game Awards 2023 — WB still seems hellbent on expanding its Harry Potter portfolio with its Quidditch Champions game, which underwent a closed playtest last year. The magical sport was not included in Hogwarts Legacy, so it would be interesting to see how it plays out as a multiplayer entry. Could the company try to make it a live service affair? Only time will tell. Regardless, there are plans for more Harry Potter spin-off games.

So far, wizards around the world have brewed 819 million potions, harvested 1.3 billion magical plants, bested 4.9 billion dark wizards in combat, and rescued 593 million fantastical beasts in Hogwarts Legacy. As per Haddad, another key area of success was NetherRealm Studios’ latest fighting game Mortal Kombat 1, which he alluded to have garnered more players than any other entry in the fighter franchise in its ‘30-plus year history.’ Selling 3 million copies as of November, the fighting game featured some aggressive microtransactions — something gamers have always shown a dislike for. WB Games’ upcoming Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League also falls under the live service umbrella, causing longtime fans of developer Rocksteady to be sceptical of it.

Hogwarts Legacy is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series S/X, and Nintendo Switch.

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