Technology - Google News

Galaxy S8, S8 Plus Now Receiving Android 8.0 Oreo In Canada
Facebook suspends Cambridge Analytica for misusing personal data from 50M users
Apple's next big display innovation could be microscopically small

Galaxy S8, S8 Plus Now Receiving Android 8.0 Oreo In Canada

Posted: 19 Mar 2018 06:28 AM PDT

Canadian carriers Rogers and Freedom Mobile are now rolling out an update that will upgrade the operating system of the Samsung Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy S8 Plus to Android 8.0 Oreo. After installing the software package, users of the two handsets can now take advantage of features like the Picture-in-Picture mode and the notification dots functionality. The Picture-in-Picture mode enables users to view two applications at the same time by showing one app in a smaller window on top of another application. On the other hand, the notification dots feature alerts the user on the apps that have notifications directly on the home screen. Tapping on the dots will open a set of in-app quick actions.

This major operating system upgrade also brings both the Google Play Protect and the Autofill functionalities to the two devices. Once the user grants the necessary permission, the autofill feature will automatically remember important information like usernames and passwords. This feature should help in reducing the time spent by the user in logging-in to applications and websites. Meanwhile, the Google Play Protect feature regularly scans the device for malware and other forms of potentially damaging software. In addition, this software package brings the upgraded version of the South Korean tech giant's proprietary skin, the Samsung Experience 9.0, to the Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy S8 Plus.

It is important to check first if the internal flash storage of the handset has enough free space to temporarily keep the update file, which has a size of 1.3GB. Moreover, Samsung recommends that users should back up the files and images stored in the device in order to prevent loss of important data. The Samsung Galaxy S8 and the Galaxy S8 Plus were both launched by the South Korean tech giant in March 2017. The two devices are powered by the Snapdragon 835 chipset, which is comprised of an octa-core Kryo 64-bit CPU and the Adreno 540 GPU. Both handsets include 4GB of RAM and 64GB of internal flash storage, although the two smartphones differ primarily in terms of display size and battery capacity. The Galaxy S8 sports a 5.8-inch display and a 3,000mAh battery, while the larger Galaxy S8 Plus includes a 6.2-inch display and a 3,500mAh battery.

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Facebook suspends Cambridge Analytica for misusing personal data from 50M users

Posted: 18 Mar 2018 04:37 AM PDT

Facebook has banned the analytics firm Strategic Communication Laboratories and its political arm, Cambridge Analytica, for failure to follow its rules regarding the handling of personal data — and what may be among the largest abuses of personal data in U.S. history.

While some outlets have reported that this was the result of a breach, the social network denies this claim. In the company's statement, Facebook VP and Deputy General Counsel Paul Grewal said that the reports regarding a data breach were "completely false."

The truth seems more complex than that.

Cambridge Analytica, which is best known for its work alongside Donald Trump's presidential campaign, obtained the information from Dr. Aleksandr Kogan, who created an app called "thisisyourdigitallife." The app billed itself as a personality test and was downloaded by about 270,000 people. By downloading the app, the users gave permission for the app's developers to access information regarding the city they lived in, what kind of content they liked on Facebook, and other general information.

But by sniffing through the friends of those users, and the friends of friends, the company was able to gather up info on 50 million people in total, according to the New York Times — none of whom granted the company permission to use or even access to their data.

"The firm harvested private information from the Facebook profiles of more than 50 million users without their permission, according to former Cambridge employees, associates and documents, making it one of the largest data leaks in the social network's history," the Times reported. This may not have been a data breach, but user's wishes certainly weren't honored.

While Kogan obtained the information on the initial 270,000 users legitimately and in accordance with Facebook's rules, he then proceeded to violate those rules by sharing them with a third party — in this case, Cambridge Analytica.

"By passing information on to a third party, including SCL/Cambridge Analytica and Christopher Wylie of Eunoia Technologies, he violated our platform policies," Grewal wrote. "When we learned of this violation in 2015, we removed his app from Facebook and demanded certifications from Kogan and all parties he had given data to that the information had been destroyed. Cambridge Analytica, Kogan, and Wylie all certified to us that they destroyed the data."

Meanwhile, threats of legal action are beginning to appear. On Saturday, Massachusetts attorney general Maura Healey said she planned to look into the situation.

#BREAKING: Massachusetts residents deserve answers immediately from Facebook and Cambridge Analytica. We are launching an investigation. https://t.co/wjqmHa6zjm
— Maura Healey (@MassAGO) March 17, 2018

Last week, Facebook received reports that not all of the data had been destroyed as promised. Facebook has not yet verified these claims, but has chosen to suspend SCL/Cambridge Analytica and Kogan from the site while it investigates these accusations.

Facebook isn't the only organization looking into Cambridge Analytica. The Guardian has reported that the British Election Commission is investigating the organization in regards to the Brexit vote, which saw the U.K. vote to leave the European Union.

"We are investigating the circumstances in which Facebook data may have been illegally acquired and used," said the Commission's Elizabeth Denham. "It's part of our ongoing investigation into the use of data analytics for political purposes which was launched to consider how political parties and campaigns, data analytics companies and social media platforms in the U.K. are using and analysing people's personal information to micro-target voters."

Facebook itself has faced questions regarding how it handles user data as well.

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Apple's next big display innovation could be microscopically small

Posted: 19 Mar 2018 07:01 AM PDT

Apple's devices might have some of the best displays on the planet, but according to a new report, there could be a big change on the horizon. Well, technically a big small change.

Bloomberg's Mark Gurman is reporting that Apple is developing its own MicroLED screens for future Apple Watches and iPhones that would make them thinner, brighter, and more energy efficient. The report says Apple Watch would receive the new displays first, followed by iPhone, but the advancements are still likely years away.

Why this matters: Pretty much every Apple product has a display and a processor. Apple already controls production of its A series chips—which is why your iPhone feels faster than your friend's Galaxy S9—but homegrown displays would be an even bigger deal. Apple does a tremendous job calibrating Samsung and LG displays for iPhones and Apple Watches, respectively, but without control over the manufacturing process, there's only so good they can get. With MicroLED, Apple can finally start to innovate in the display space, with superior brightness and color accuracy, as well as making screens that are lighter, thinner, and far more power efficient. And hopefully cheaper. So maybe we'll finally get that Apple TV set we've been waiting for.

A new look for Apple Watch

The new displays would be a first for the company. While Apple already makes its own chips for the iPhone, it outsources its display manufacturing to Samsung, LG, Japan Display (a join venture by Sony, Toshiba, and Hitachi), and others. Samsung is Apple's sole supplier of iPhone X OLED displays, which Apple only recently starting using in iPhone X after debuting the screen tech in the original Apple Watch. All other iPhones (including the new 8 and 8 Plus) use LCD screens.

According to the report, Apple already has a "secret manufacturing facility near its California headquarters" to manufacturer the MicroLED screens. The display tech, a complicated process that combines arrays of microscopic LEDs to form the visual pixels, is reportedly at an advanced stage after early complications that nearly caused Apple to shutter the project. Gurman says the whole process is handled under one roof, from "growing" the LEDs to arranging and calibrating them.

Gurman's source says the prototype screens Apple has already made are notably brighter than the current OLED displays in Apple Watch, which top out at around 1,000 nits. Furthermore, engineers have a finer level of control over individual colors, which will likely bring richer, deeper blacks and superior accuracy. But the biggest advancements could come in how the displays are used, possibly bringing a new thinner design for Apple Watch and an expanded line of wearables.

While OLED screens are fairly common in smartphones and watches, MicroLEDs are still an emerging technology, and there are no major products using it. That's what makes Apple's investment such a risky one. Along with a host of manufacturing hurdles, the biggest issue, as with OLED, will be producing it to scale, as Apple needs to make tens of millions of displays each year for Apple Watch and hundreds of millions for iPhones.

Apple reportedly limited OLED to iPhone X due to cost and production concerns, but is due to ramp up usage of the tech in the next iPhone. Rumor has it that a 6.5-inch model will make its debut alongside the current 5.8-inch one when the next iPhone lands in the fall.