Enlarge / A very exaggerated image of Qualcomm’s sensor. It is not this big. Qualcomm Qualcomm is launching a new in-screen fingerprint sensor for smartphones, the “Qualcomm 3D Sonic Sensor Gen 2.” Qualcomm says its ultrasonic fingerprint sensor “will be available in new sizes that are 50% faster and 77% larger compared to Gen 1,” […]
Gears & Gadgets
What to expect from the first-ever virtual CES
Enlarge Subject/Object Manifest | Getty Images Last year’s CES in Las Vegas, Nevada, marked the last time for a long time many of us would be chatting face-to-face, exchanging invisible respiratory droplets, handling the same germy gadgets, and enjoying food and drinks in windowless restaurants. This year, due to the ongoing pandemic, the annual CES […]
Motorola shovels the 2021 Moto G lineup onto the market
The Moto G Play (2021), for $ 170. There’s a rear fingerprint reader, a top headphone jack, and a teardrop front camera mount. Motorola The $ 200 Moto G Power, which goes with a hole-punch camera, and a side fingerprint reader. Motorola The $ 300 Moto G Stylus, which has another side fingerprint reader. Motorola […]
A Google smart display with radar-based sleep tracking is reportedly happening
Enlarge / The current Google Nest Hub. A “sleep-tracking smart display” sounds like something you might come up with if you were pulling tech product buzzwords out of a hat, but that is the latest Google product rumor on the always-reliable 9to5Google. Earlier this week, a new Nest product hit the FCC with Project Soli […]
Samsung backtracks on $1,000 Chromebooks with cheaper Galaxy Chromebook 2
The Galaxy Chromebook 2. It’s still extremely red. Samsung For a more reserved color scheme, here’s a gray model. Samsung Things to take note of here: 1) the 360 hinge, 2) the new, humongous cooling vents (last year’s model had heat issues) and 3) the USB-C port. Samsung This gives us a look at the […]
DoJ says SolarWinds hackers breached its Office 365 system and read email
Enlarge Gregory Varnum The US Justice Department has become the latest federal agency to say its network was breached in a long and wide-ranging hack campaign that’s believed to have been backed by the Russian government. In a terse statement issued Wednesday, Justice Department spokesman Marc Raimondi said that the breach wasn’t discovered until December […]
WhatsApp users must share their data with Facebook or stop using the app
Enlarge Getty Images WhatsApp, the Facebook-owned messenger that claims to have privacy coded into its DNA, is giving its 2 billion plus users an ultimatum: agree to share their personal data with the social network or delete their accounts. The requirement is being delivered through an in-app alert directing users to agree to sweeping changes […]
Bucking Trump, NSA and FBI say Russia was “likely” behind SolarWinds hack
Enlarge / Side view of colorful St. Basil’s Cathedral in Moscow on Red Square in front of the Kremlin, Russia. Getty Images Hackers working for the Russian government were “likely” behind the software supply chain attack that planted a backdoor in the networks of 180,000 private companies and governmental bodies, officials from the US National […]
OnePlus brings a 90Hz smartphone to the US for $180
The OnePlus Nord N100. OnePlus The top and bottom. I spy a USB-C port and a headphone jack. OnePlus The sides. OnePlus OnePlus is finally bringing its new, cheaper “Nord” line to the US over the next two weeks, complete with actual US prices. The most interesting is the OnePlus Nord N100, a $ 180 phone […]
Hackers are exploiting a backdoor built into Zyxel devices. Are you patched?
Enlarge Zyxel Hackers are attempting to exploit a recently discovered backdoor built into multiple Zyxel device models that hundreds of thousands of individuals and businesses use as VPNs, firewalls, and wireless access points. The backdoor comes in the form of an undocumented user account with full administrative rights that’s hardcoded into the device firmware, a […]
Microsoft hints at coming “sweeping visual rejuvenation” of Windows 10
Enlarge / This screenshot of the Photos and Calculator apps comes from a video Microsoft product chief Panos Panay dropped on Instagram to demonstrate new UI concepts in March 2020. Microsoft We’ve been hearing rumors for a while now about a significant visual refresh planned for Windows 10 in 2021 under the codename “Sun Valley.” […]
Ars Technica’s 2021 Deathwatch—2020 was just the beginning
Enlarge Aurich Lawson Here at Ars Technica, we would like to formally congratulate you for surviving the year that was 2020. COVID-19 may have changed everything about normal life in the last 12 months, but things are looking up for 2021. A vaccine is currently rolling out, a more science-friendly US administration will take office in […]
Activist hedge fund advises Intel to outsource CPU manufacturing
Andrew Cunningham Activist hedge fund Third Point has taken a stake of nearly $ 1 billion in Intel and called on the chipmaker to consider shedding its manufacturing operations, throwing a core part of its strategy into question. The firm with $ 15 billion in assets run by Daniel Loeb made a number of demands […]
Private party app pulled from App Store by Apple
Enlarge Hinterhaus Productions | Getty Images Despite over 82 million cases and over 1.75 million deaths due to COVID-19, many people are bound and determined to carry on with normal life. For some, that includes attending Saturday night ragers, just like they did in the Before Times. Reports of yet another secret party being broken […]