HiTechEdge

Category: Tech

All news related to tech.

  • Google May Be Getting Serious About Tablets With Android 12L

    Google May Be Getting Serious About Tablets With Android 12L

    Google may be preparing to take another run at the tablet market with Android 12L.

    Google has long played second fiddle to Apple in the tablet market. Despite concerted efforts on the part of multiple manufacturers, Android tablets have never been able to pose a real threat to Apple’s dominance with the iPad.

    That may be changing with the latest Android, however. Google has released a beta it is calling Android 12L. Unlike Apple’s iPadOS, Android 12L isn’t a separate version of the Android OS. Instead, according to Android Authority, it’s a feature set that is specifically designed help Android better scale to larger displays, traditionally one of the weak points for Android.

    Google plans on an official release “early next year.”

  • ProtonMail Scores Big Win Against Swiss Data Retention Laws

    ProtonMail Scores Big Win Against Swiss Data Retention Laws

    ProtonMail has scored a major legal victory against the Swiss government’s data retention laws, significantly increasing user privacy.

    ProtonMail is one of the most secure and private email platforms in existence. The company is used by individuals around the world who value their privacy and want encrypted communication.

    The company is based in Switzerland due to the country’s strong privacy laws, but that hasn’t stopped the government from forcing the company to turn over a user’s IP address to the authorities.

    ProtonMail launched a legal challenge in May, in an effort to get email providers reclassified so they’re not subject to the same requirements as telecommunications firms.

    As part of these efforts, in May 2020, we launched a legal challenge against the Swiss government over what we believe to be an improper attempt to use telecommunications laws to undermine privacy. In a ruling this week, the Swiss Federal Administrative Court confirmed that email services cannot be considered telecommunications providers, and consequently are not subject to the data retention requirements imposed on telecommunications providers.

    The victory follows another legal challenge in April by Threema.

    This comes on the heels of a Swiss Supreme Court ruling in April 2021 in a case brought by Threema (2C_544/2020) that ruled that instant messaging services are also not telecommunications providers. Together, these two rulings are a victory for privacy in Switzerland as many Swiss companies are now exempted from handing over certain user information in response to Swiss legal orders.

    The legal victories are good news for ProtonMail users and privacy advocates, and will likely result in Switzerland attracting even more privacy-focused companies.

  • Rumored iPhone SE Plus Expected in 2022 With 5G, But Same Design

    Rumored iPhone SE Plus Expected in 2022 With 5G, But Same Design

    Apple fans hoping for a bigger iPhone SE are in for a disappointment, as the latest rumor says the next iPhone SE will retain the same design, albeit with 5G.

    The iPhone SE is Apple’s entry-level iPhone, offering many of the features of its more expensive siblings, but at a much cheaper price. The SE gives up only the most advanced features, and is also smaller than the largest iPhones.

    Some rumors have hinted at a larger SE in the pipeline, but the latest rumor from Ross Young, CEO of Display Supply Chain Consultants (DSCC), indicates the redesigned larger version won’t be released till 2024. In the meantime, Young says Apple will release an iPhone SE Plus next year, keeping the same design but adding 5G.

  • Google CEO Makes Connected TVs a “Top Priority”

    Google CEO Makes Connected TVs a “Top Priority”

    The battle over the streaming TV market is heating up, with connected TVs a “top priority” at Google.

    Streaming TV is quickly gaining ground and threatening traditional cable and satellite TV. Connected TVs are seen as the gateway to the market. Once a company gets their TV operating system installed as the default, they have a tremendous amount of power over what other apps can be installed, and often get a cut of revenue from the various streaming platforms the customer ends up using.

    According to The Information, via Forbes, Google has recently increased the amount of money it’s willing to spend to gain that coveted foothold. Whereas industry leader Roku pays manufacturers $7 to $8 per TV to be installed by default, Google has upped its payout to $10 to $15.

    The change in focus comes directly from Pichai and, according to The Information, is an attempt to change the perception of Google being “half-hearted” in its efforts in the TV industry, thanks largely to Chromecast and Android TV.

  • WhatsApp Ending Support For Android Versions Older Than 4.1

    WhatsApp Ending Support For Android Versions Older Than 4.1

    WhatsApp is ending support for Android 4.0.4 and older beginning November 1, meaning impacted users have less than a week to save their chats.

    WhatsApp is one of the most poplar messaging platforms, used by individuals and organizations around the world. As such, the app supports a wide range of hardware and OS versions.

    Users of Android 4.0.4 and older, however, are about to lose access to WhatsApp, as the company will only support version 4.1 and newer beginning November 1.

    The company recommends saving chat history before the deadline.

    Note: WhatsApp will no longer support Android phones running OS 4.0.4 and older on November 1, 2021. Please switch to a supported device or save your chat history before then. Learn how in this article.

  • WhatsApp Began Rolling Out E2EE Chat Backups Thursday

    WhatsApp Began Rolling Out E2EE Chat Backups Thursday

    WhatsApp started rolling out end-to-end encrypted (E2EE) chat backups on Thursday, fulfilling a promise CEO Mark Zuckerberg made a month ago.

    WhatsApp has offered E2EE for its chats for some time, but cloud backups have not enjoyed the same level of encryption and security. A month ago, Zuckerberg announced the company was adding the feature, and it began rolling out Thursday.

    Zuckerberg announced the rolled in a Facebook post.

    End-to-end encrypted backups for WhatsApp starting to roll out today. Proud of the team for continuing to lead on security for your private conversations.

    According to Engadget, the feature will roll out gradually to ensure reliability for all users.

  • Google TV Expanding Multiple Accounts and Personalization

    Google TV Expanding Multiple Accounts and Personalization

    Google TV is making some major improvements, adding more personalized profiles, suggestions and watchlists.

    Google TV already supported multiple accounts, but the watchlists, suggestions and Google Assistant-based features are linked to the primary profile. According to The Verge, Google is preparing to remedy that, offering a true personalized experience.

    The new features will ensure each profile sees its own watchlist and suggestions, and has its own Google Assistant features.

    Google told The Verge that the new features will begin rolling out next month.

  • Linus Torvalds Releases Linux 5.15-rc5

    Linus Torvalds Releases Linux 5.15-rc5

    Linux creator Linus Torvalds has released the latest release candidate of the operating system kernel, version 5.15-rc5.

    The stable release of Linux 5.15 is expected in next few weeks. According to Torvalds post, things are coming along nicely.

    So things continue to look quite normal, and it looks like the rough patch (hah!) we had early in the release is all behind us.

    Overall, it appears the latest release candidate has relatively minor changes.

    The commit stats look normal for an rc5, and the diffstat is fairly regular too. We had more arch updates than perhaps is common, with almost as many lines of diffs in architecture code as there is in drivers. Admittedly some of that “architecture” code ends up being devicetree updates, so some of it could be attributed to driver code, but that’s not how our source tree is laid out..

    Outside of arch code (x86, powerpc, arm, arm64) and drivers (mainly gpu, networking and usb), we have a smattering of other changes: 9p and ksmbd, core networking, and some perf tooling updates. And misc smaller random stuff.

  • Android October Patch Fixes 41 Vulnerabilities

    Android October Patch Fixes 41 Vulnerabilities

    Google has released its Android October patch, and it fixes some 41 vulnerabilities.

    Google releases security patches for Android on the 5th of every month. According to Bleeping Computer, October’s patch fixes a whopping 41 vulnerabilities, including three critical ones.

    The worst vulnerabilities includes remote code execution, privilege elevation, denial of service and information disclosure.

    Fortunately, it doesn’t appear that any of the vulnerabilities were being actively exploited.

  • Google Pixel 6 Will Come With Five Years of Security Updates

    Google Pixel 6 Will Come With Five Years of Security Updates

    A new leak indicates Google’s upcoming Pixel 6 will include a full five years of security updates.

    Samsung made headlines in February when it announced it would provide four years of security updates for its Galaxy line of devices. Updates have traditionally been an area where Android has played second fiddle to Apple, with the Cupertino company well-known for supporting its iPhones for years.

    Not to be outdone, a new leak indicates Google is planning on one-upping Samsung, providing five years of security updates for the upcoming Pixel 6. Leaker Evan Blass tweeted about it, including screenshots of the leaked pages before they were taken down.