AfterDawn: Tech news

Latest news

AfterDawn: News

Amazon deliver Prime packages inside your home, here's Amazon Key

Written by Matti Robinson @ 25 Oct 2017 2:10

Amazon deliver Prime packages inside your home, here's Amazon Key Amazon is constantly trying to come up with new ways to sell and deliver you products whether its acquiring Whole Foods, trying to perfect drone delivery, or prototyping stores without lines or checkouts with Amazon Go.

Now Amazon has come up with a new concept that gets rid of the package theft problem some portion of Prime members struggle with. Amazon Key allows the delivery man (or woman) to drop the package in your house.

As you might imagine this requires some specific technology that most might not have. You'll need smart lock, one of several supported by Amazon, and you need Amazon Cloud Cam, a new security camera released by Amazon. The latter will cost you $120 and the locks, depending on your choice, start at around $130.

As said, the reason Amazon unveiled this new service is the package theft problem that some unequivocally have. Obviously if the package is left on the other side of the door there's a big difference.

However, the e-commerce behemoth obviously realizes that people don't want to let delivery man, or anyone else, in willy-nilly. That's where the security camera comes in.

Read more...


AfterDawn: News

Bloomberg: Apple struggling to get Face ID tech in iPhone X

Written by Matti Robinson @ 25 Oct 2017 11:44

Bloomberg: Apple struggling to get Face ID tech in iPhone X Rumors had it even before the launch of iPhone X last month that a new authentication technology would pose problems for Apple. The feature, later christened as Face ID, was so hard to manufacture that the phone would have to be released later in very limited quantity.

A new report from Bloomberg details the problems Apple has had, and perhaps is still having, with the new face recognition technology employed by the upcoming iPhone X. According to Bloomberg Apple has had to compromise in quality to get the phones ready.

To speed up production Apple has had to dropped the quality requirements of the Face ID dot projector, one of three main components in the Face ID technology. The dot projector creates a 3D model of the users face which is used to authenticate comparing it to a saved model.

It is extremely hard to manufacture, fragile, and even the slightest faults, measured in microns, might make the component not viable. While Apple has had to drop the definition of the model making component, it is still said to be more accurate than the Touch ID.

Read more...


AfterDawn: News

Yet another new Nokia smartphone expected next week

Written by Matti Robinson @ 24 Oct 2017 2:55

Yet another new Nokia smartphone expected next week The Finnish phone brand, known for its indestructible phones back in the day, was revived last year. Company behind the Nokia branded smartphones, HMD Global, has so far released five Android phones, but there's a new one coming soon.

The release party is held in India next week, and it's still unknown which device the company will unveil. There are a few options after releasing Nokia 3, Nokia 5, Nokia 6, Nokia 7 (the one in the picture), and Nokia 8. Obviously that leaves at least five options if you just look at the numbers, but a few of them have been rumored more than others.

Nokia 4 or Nokia 1 haven't really been in the rumor mill much at all and you can probably scrap those. Nokia 9, a new super high-end flagship, has been rumored but it might be too soon after Nokia 8 release so it is more likely that it will be the Nokia 2.

Nokia 2 would be the cheapest of the bunch which would probably mean a relatively small 720p screen and especially a really low price point. While previously India as a release place would suggest a cheap phone, that isn't necessarily the case anymore. So it could be that there's a more high-end phone to come, perhaps something about the recently unveiled Nokia 7, which is a higher mid-tier smartphone.

Read more...


AfterDawn: News

Facebook revamping the news feed radically, makes more room for ads?

Written by Matti Robinson @ 24 Oct 2017 11:12

Facebook revamping the news feed radically, makes more room for ads? Facebook is allegedly currently trialing a new news feed where the main feed might be swarmed by ads. This would entail that some more relevant posts get moved to a secondary feed.

According to the information by The Guardian the new feed is being tested in six countries that include Slovakia and Serbia.

Facebook's new approach would mean that most of the content from liked paged would be moved from the main feed to the secondary feed, and thus the main news feed would consist of posts by friends as well as so-called promoted posts, also known as advertisements.

This would obviously mean that if a news source wants to reach the Facebook users they have to promote their piece or otherwise it'll be shown only in the secondary. And we all know what happens when you demote something to, for example, Google's second page or further.

It of course could be that people who want to follow liked paged, including the ones publishing news, will start following two pages instead of one but so far in the trial it doesn't look like it. According to the Guardian the user engagement has dropped between 60 and 80 percent.

Read more...


AfterDawn: News

Google's advocacy of HTTPS a soaring success

Written by Matti Robinson @ 21 Oct 2017 3:33

Google's advocacy of HTTPS a soaring success Google has released a new blog post which celebrates the success in adoption of secure web connections. A year ago the search giant announced that it would start giving preferential treatment to secured websites, now a year later it seems to have all worked out amazingly.

In its web browser, Chrome, Google started to mark websites using regular HTTP and included visible forms as not secure. This meant that most websites had to make conscious efforts to adopt HTTPS.

Obviously no website wants to be marked anything else than secure in any browsers, much less on the popular Chrome, and thus web services have been getting more safe in spades. According to Google 71 out of 100 most popular websites in the world now use HTTPS. An impressive increase of 37% in just one year.

The fight for safer web is far from over but Google's efforts have definitely paid off, and we can expect the trend to continue as the rest are moving towards HTTPS as well.

You can't, however, disregard the effect of project Let's Encrypt which brought free and easy to use SSL certificates to the public, and more importantly to webmasters. Before Let's Encrypt many of the admins would have had to pay hundreds, even thousands, of dollars every year just to buy the certificates. While that might not be a problem for the top 100 websites it does help significantly with less popular ones.

Read more...


AfterDawn: News

As cable TV falters, broadband prices go up

Written by Matti Robinson @ 20 Oct 2017 1:13

As cable TV falters, broadband prices go up Cable TV has been in decline for quite some time and there's no reason to believe that cord-cutting is slowing down any time soon. Netflix et al have just made this particular entertainment sector better, and there's no going back to clunky DVRs.

While internet based television, or streaming media in general, is becoming more popular you still need the means to acquire the content. That's where cable companies usually come in trying to force you into home phones and TV packages to drop your internet prices to reasonable levels.

The U.S. is largely divided into areas controlled by either Spectrum, formerly Time Warner Cable, or Comcast. So often you have no real choice where you'll get your internet from.

And unfortunately for most of us that means that you might be facing a fairly steep rise in prices in the near future.

According to Investor's Business Daily cable companies are looking to increase internet prices to keep up with the profits that have been suffering because of decline in cable TV subscriptions.

Comcast and Charter Communications (Spectrum) report Q3 results next week and according to analysts we'll see a further decline in TV business. According to Morgan Stanley cable as a result companies hiked the internet-only plan prices as much as 12% from year prior to an average of $66/mo.

Read more...


AfterDawn: News

Tim Cook promises Mac mini still has a future

Written by Matti Robinson @ 20 Oct 2017 12:15

Tim Cook promises Mac mini still has a future Apple's computer lineup has been refreshed fairly steadily during the past years, and even though lineup has changed slightly most products are still intact. Even the iMac was updated this year with the new iMac Pro launching in December.

One product seems to have been forgotten though, the Mac mini. Many have probably thought that the 2014 launched computer was the last of its kind.

However, even though earlier this week it celebrated three years since and update, the Mac mini still has some life in it, according to Apple CEO Tim Cook.

In an email Tim Cook has revealed that the inexpensive desktop computer will have an important role in Apple in the future. That would suggests that Mac mini is coming back sometime soon. Unfortunately, albeit not surprisingly, Cook did not reveal any schedule or plans about the release.

MacRumors reader asked Cook in an email if there was anything in the pipeline to update the beloved Mac mini, and while Cook couldn't share any details he said "we do plan for Mac mini to be an important part of our product line going forward."

It could be that Mac mini is the product Apple uses to introduce ARM based chips to mac OS. The device has never been a speedster but instead meant for normal office work or perhaps a media device with a focus on easy of use. This would be a perfect opportunity to perhaps narrow the gap between iOS and mac OS devices.




AfterDawn: News

Google makes 'try without downloading' Instant Apps public

Written by Matti Robinson @ 19 Oct 2017 5:06

Google makes 'try without downloading' Instant Apps public There aren't many more important upgrades coming to Google's app store than what the company calls Android Instant Apps. Unveiled first time more than a year ago and already available for developers for months now, Instant Apps have now been made public.

Google has added a new category to Google Play called 'Apps to Try Now' which includes a total of eight Instant Apps – not eight thousand or eight hundred, eight. While only a very limited amount of apps can, at this point, be tried before downloaded for actual use, one can expect the availability of this feature to be expanded in the future.

You can find a host of other apps featured on the Android Instant Apps developer page. Android 8.0 Oreo brings along a built-in support for Instant Apps.

Currently you can try the following eight apps: Hollar, Onefootball Live Soccer Scores, dotloop, ShareTheMeal, BuzzFeed, NYTimes Crosswords, Red Bull TV, Skyscanner. At this moment all the apps are free to not only try but to download, but one can imagine that in the future Google will also bring paid apps to Instant Apps.

Read more...


AfterDawn: News

Marvel's newest Netflix superhero series gets a release date – and a new action-packed trailer

Written by Matti Robinson @ 19 Oct 2017 4:16

Marvel's newest Netflix superhero series gets a release date – and a new action-packed trailer Netflix has become one of the most important partners for Marvel very recently. In only a few years Netflix has released five Marvel shows with one more in line before the end of the year.

The streaming giant has been the publisher of more Marvel TV shows in 2015-2017 than Hulu, ABC, FX, and Fox combined. Six out of ten Marvel shows during that three year period have been brought to you by Netflix.

Now the latest of them has finally gotten a release date.

The Punisher got a second official trailer today and with it Netflix unveiled the release date, November 17. Frank Castle, aka The Punisher, will hit the streaming service with 13 episodes.

The new trailer, with music from Metallica, shows some of the dark history of Frank Castle and his family, and the subsequent action-packed fight against the crime that is running rampant in New York City. The Punisher, previously guest starred in Netflix show Daredevil, is played by Jon Bernthal (The Walking Dead).

Without further ado...

Read more...


AfterDawn: News

Netflix to spend $8 billion in programming next year

Written by Matti Robinson @ 18 Oct 2017 2:23

Netflix to spend $8 billion in programming next year There's no bigger player in the streaming TV and movies scene than Netflix – no matter how much you want it YouTube. This year the streaming giant will spend approximately $6 billion in programming, only to increase the spending by quite a margin in 2018.

According to Bloomberg, Netflix is going to up the game another 33% in 2018 bringing the total program spending to a whopping $8 billion. This obviously means that there will be tons of new and popular returning TV shows, host of exciting documentaries as well as record number of original movies.

Netflix's content chief Ted Sarandos told in an investor call that Netflix will release 80 original movies next year, more than three biggest Hollywood studios (Disney, Warner Bros. and Universal Pictures) combined. Not every single one of them, or even most, are big budget blockbuster type of movies but there are those too.

In addition to increasing the content altogether, Netflix has focused their efforts in few specific niches. The upcoming year will bring along Netflix's first ever Danish show (The Rain, a post-apocalyptic adventure) as well as its first Swedish series (Quicksand, a suspenseful crime drama) among other foreign content. This year the company released their first Italian and German shows.

Read more...


AfterDawn: News

Google Fiber launched in Louisville

Written by Matti Robinson @ 18 Oct 2017 12:29

Google Fiber launched in Louisville Google Fiber has been officially launched in Louisville, KY. Louisville becomes the tenth city to get search giant's super fast internet service.

Google has been working on San Antonio, TX as well as Louisville for a while now. San Antonio is still under construction but today first customers will be able to apply for Google Fiber in Kentucky's most populous city.

Louisville mayor Greg Fischer welcomed Google Fiber earlier today to the city with Google representatives visiting the city. The availability is fairly limited at this point, and only available in three neighborhoods (Portland, Newburg and Strathmoor). Google hasn't revealed the exact number of potential customers reached with the launch.

Louisville is the first city to not get Google Fiber as an Internet and TV bundle. Instead, you'll have separate Google Fiber internet connection which you can pair up with the new YouTube TV streaming service that costs you an additional $35/mo.

The internet service itself, however, is priced just like in other Google Fiber cities. 100/100Mbit for $50 and 1000/1000Mbit for $70/mo.

Read more...


AfterDawn: News

Microsoft updates Macbook Pro competitor, here's the new Surface Book 2

Written by Matti Robinson @ 17 Oct 2017 6:10

Microsoft updates Macbook Pro competitor, here's the new Surface Book 2 Microsoft has announced today a new Surface Book 2, the second generation of the hybrid laptop. It is aimed solely at competing against the MacBook Pro, which Microsoft promises it will blow out of the water.

According to Microsoft's Panos Panay, the new Surface Book 2 offers double the performance compared to Apple's offering. What this exactly means is questionable but it definitely offers impressive specs.

The device comes now in two form factors, 13.5" and 15", which offer either Core i5 (for 13.5") or Core i7 (both) processors, GeForce GTX 1050 or 1060 graphics chips, massive 70 (13.5") or 80 Wh (15") batteries, improved hinge mechanism that allows multiple use cases, and detachable display for tablet use.

With big battery (and touchscreen) comes big burden: 13.5 inch Surface Book 2 weighs in at 3.38 lbs while the bigger one is fairly hefty at 4.2 lbs. Fortunately Microsoft promises up to 5 hours battery life in tablet mode and a whopping 17 hours with the keyboard base.

Storage options include 256 GB, 512 GB, and 1TB SSDs, the display is either a 10-point PixelSense touchscreen with 3000 x 2000 (267 PPI) on the 13.5" or 3240 x 2160 (260 PPI) on the 15" model.

Surface Book comes with a more impressive array of connectivity compared to MacBook Pro. While it only has one USB-C, capable of charging and data transfer, many will appreciate two USB-A ports as well as the integrated memory card reader.

Read more...


AfterDawn: News

Huawei's Mate 10 flagships also got a Lite version

Written by Matti Robinson @ 17 Oct 2017 3:37

Huawei's Mate 10 flagships also got a Lite version Huawei unveiled yesterday the new Mate 10 lineup that included two flagship phones with newly found AI prowess. There was however a third new release as well, a much more affordable one.

The Chinese manufacturer's third option is Mate 10 Lite which is in many ways the lightest of the bunch. If is the slimmest at 7.5mm, the lightest at 164 grams or 5.78 oz, and definitely weighs the lightest on your wallet at 400 euros (approx. $470).

As you might imagine with half the price of the Mate 10 Pro you can't exactly get all the specs. That means no AI powered Kirin 970, instead more of a mid range Kirin 659.

However, Mate 10 Lite is still not horribly stripped-down – there's still a dual camera setup, actually two. In the back you'll have a 16MP + 2MP setup and in the front a dual 13 MP selfie camera. The battery is still an impressive 3340, and the display is the same resolution as Mate 10 Pro with Full HD+ or 1080 x 2040. The size is very comparable too, 5.9 inch vs the Pro's 6.0 inch.

It is definitely one of the cheaper large displays that shrink the bezels enough to squeeze out even the home button. Fingerprint sensor, however, is still there in the back.

Read more...


AfterDawn: News

Huawei revealed two new Mate 10 flagships with AI and dual cameras

Written by Matti Robinson @ 17 Oct 2017 1:07

Huawei revealed two new Mate 10 flagships with AI and dual cameras In yesterday's press event Huawei unveiled this years Mate-lineup. That included two new flagship phones Huawei promised even before the launch would blow iPhones out of the water when it comes to AI.

Both of the new flagships, Mate 10 (top picture) and Mate 10 Pro (bottom picture), include the AI enabled HiSilicon Kirin 970 chipset. Armed with a Neural Processing Unit, or NPU, the Mate 10 duo should be able of some impressive feats, right?

Well, yes and no. It might be able to do things most smartphones can't do but currently it is used very sparingly. The Chinese smartphone manufacturer said that the phones smart features include context-aware camera that changes its settings to match the place and subject. Also Mate 10 (yes, the Pro as well) knows how dim the screen depending on more than just the ambient light sensor, and improve battery life according to your usage.

However, according to Huawei it is up to 3rd party developers to fully unshackle the power of Kirin 970 and its NPU.

Fortunately Huawei's new flagships aren't all about AI unlike you might have imagined after such a strong AI focused marketing campaign before the launch. The Mate 10 features a 5.9 inch QHD resolution (1440x2560) display, 64GB microSD expandable storage, 4 GB of RAM.

Read more...


AfterDawn: News

Every WiFi network in the World is now non-secure - WPA2 encryption broken

Written by Petteri Pyyny @ 17 Oct 2017 3:58

Every WiFi network in the World is now non-secure - WPA2 encryption broken Researchers from Belgian university KU Leuven have managed to find a way to break WPA2 encryption used as the "strongest" encryption available in WiFi networks. They published their findings yesterday and now the security organizations across the globe are trying to find ways to curb the problem.

Researchers managed to break the WPA2 encryption by using so-called KRACK (Key Reinstallation Attack) attack against the encrypted network. Breaking the network encryptyin isn't exactly a trivial one, as it requires installing a WiFi router with fake MAC address and to place that router within the WLAN network's reach.

Those most in danger now are the corporations that handle sensitive data within their networks and transfer messages within their own WiFi network without further encryption, relying on WPA2-encrypted network.

Thus, security organizations now recommend that eveyrbody who handles sensitive data and transmits that within a WiFi network should start using SSL/TLS (basically, all web connections that are used for, say, intranet, should use https), SSH and VPN connections.

Basically all WiFi networks should now be treated as non-secure and shouldn't be used to transmit sensitive data within or from them without further encryption.

Read more...



  Newer entries Older entries  

News archive