Technology - Google News

Facebook notifies 14M users of a bug that made status posts public
Dead or Alive 6 Confirmed for Xbox One, PS4, and PC Ahead of E3 2018
New images show Google's Pixel 3 XL in stunning detail

Facebook notifies 14M users of a bug that made status posts public

Posted: 07 Jun 2018 01:43 PM PDT

Facebook is notifying 14 million users around the world about a bug that changed their privacy setting default to public, which could have led to them accidentally broadcasting updates that were meant for friends only. The bug surfaced in mid-May, and the platform is now urging users who were affected to review their settings in case they'd been inadvertently switched.

In a statement provided to Engadget, Facebook chief privacy officer Erin Egan wrote: "We recently found a bug that automatically suggested posting publicly when some people were creating their Facebook posts. We have fixed this issue and starting today we are letting everyone affected know and asking them to review any posts they made during that time. To be clear, this bug did not impact anything people had posted before – and they could still choose their audience just as they always have. We'd like to apologize for this mistake".

Facebook notification

The bug became active on May 18th and Facebook started releasing a fix on the 22nd, though they didn't revert everyone's status settings until the 27th. It happened when the platform started building a 'featured items' section in profiles for users to highlight the content of their choosing. Those were set to be publicly visible, but Facebook accidentally extended that setting to all new posts.

Facebook has reset everyone's status setting to what they had before the bug, and plans to show more of these kinds of alerts to be more forthcoming in the future. But after the Cambridge Analytica scandal and reports that the company gave user data to device makers like Samsung, pledging to be open about technical mishaps feels very insignificant in the face of Facebook's history of willfully handing over its userbase's information.

Update 10AM 6/8/18: Changed the headline to more accurately reflect the bug. It did not change existing status posts, only the default visibility setting for status posts yet to be written.

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Dead or Alive 6 Confirmed for Xbox One, PS4, and PC Ahead of E3 2018

Posted: 08 Jun 2018 07:33 AM PDT

Ahead of E3 2018 this year, which officially kicks off tomorrow, Koei Tecmo and Team Ninja have decided to announce Dead or Alive 6 before the big event. Though we don't have a specific launch date at this time, we do know that it will be coming to PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC sometimes in early 2019.

The official reveal was set for June 11th but the team, alongside IGN, have decided to start the celebrations a little early and for that - we thank them. The media site also provided some in-depth gameplay analysis after getting their hands on the title, which can be checked out right here with their coverage.

Producer Yohei Shimbori sat with the site for a little one on one action while discussing the upcoming fighter, "“In Japan, there is a game for kids where you make two sumo wrestlers out of folded paper or cardboard, place them on a platform, and two players tap the platform repeatedly with only one finger until one of the sumo figures collapses in defeat,” Shimbori told the site. “Today, games developed for smartphone devices are often played with similar simplicity. That made me want to create a fighting game playable with only one finger, and this idea became the foundation of the new Special button.”

From the small reveal, the graphics look absolutely stunning and their impressions definitely reflect that. This is by far the most realistic entry into the franchise, making it an even better experience for those craving a less "cartoon-y" experience.

We don't have a release date at this time but with it set for 2019, it's unlikely we'll get one at this year's E3. Still, it's interested to see some confirmation though at this point - can we please stop calling it "Pre-E3?" Can't we all just comfortably admit that E3 is just two weeks long now and be done with it? No? That's just me? Alright ...

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Dead or Alive 6 is confirmed for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC for an early 2019 release.

You can also follow the author of this story over on Twitter @DirtyEffinHippy. She's a full on fangirl, but at least she has some sweet, sweet dance moves.

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New images show Google's Pixel 3 XL in stunning detail

Posted: 08 Jun 2018 08:14 AM PDT

We have several exciting new phone launches to get through before Google finally releases its upcoming new Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL smartphones. HTC and LG both have flagship phones set to be released in the coming weeks, and then all eyes will turn to Samsung when it unveils its new Galaxy Note 9 flagship phablet. The buzz surrounding the Note 9 will likely be short-lived considering how boring an update it’s shaping up to be, but then Apple will launch not two but three new iPhone models, including a second-generation 5.8-inch iPhone X, a larger “iPhone X Plus” with a 6.5-inch OLED screen, and a third new model with a similar design, a 6.1-inch LCD screen, and a much lower price tag. Once all of that is out of the way, however, Google will enter the spotlight with its new Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL smartphones.

We still likely have about 5 months to wait before Google’s new Pixel phones are released, but that hasn’t stopped a series of Pixel 3 XL prototype photos from leaking online this week. The images reveal a completely overhauled design, and now that design has been shown off in stunning detail by a graphic designer.

We learned a whole bunch of important details about the Pixel 3 XL from the prototype photos that leaked on Thursday. We can now seemingly confirm that the front of the phone will be an iPhone X ripoff, though of course that information isn’t at all unexpected. Google added official support for display notches in Android P, so it only stands to reason that it would release a new phone of its own with a notch. Lo and behold, the Pixel 3 XL has a giant notch at the top of the screen.

Within the Pixel 3 XL’s notch we find an ear speaker and not one but two front-facing camera lenses. Interestingly, there is no dual-lens camera on the back — only on the front. There’s also a big “chin” bezel below the display on the Pixel 3 XL because Apple is still the only company willing to invest the time and money into a brilliant solution to eliminate it.

While the back of the Pixel 3 XL looks similar to last year’s Pixel phones at first glance, it’s actually quite different. The entire back of the phone is glass, suggesting that Google plans to introduce wireless charging support. After all, OnePlus is the only company so far this year that decided to switch from sturdy aluminum to fragile glass for no good reason at all. Wireless charging hasn’t yet been confirmed for the Pixel 3 or Pixel 3 XL, though.

Based on the Pixel 3 Xl photos that leaked, a graphic designer who goes by “Phone Designer” on Twitter decided to create accurate renders of Google’s upcoming next-generation flagship phone. So now, instead of only having blurry shots to go by, we can take a look at Google’s new Pixel 3 XL design in stunning detail. The image at the top of this post gives us a look at both the front and back of the Pixel 3 XL, and a second image shows the new back design in greater detail.

Image Source: @PhoneDesigner, Twitter

Google’s previous-generation Pixel phones have been released in October 2016 and October 2017, so it’s likely that Google will launch the new Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL in October this year. That would mean production likely hasn’t yet begun, but the design is likely finalized by now so the leaked prototype and subsequent renders seen above are likely an accurate depiction of the Pixel 3 XL we’ll see released later this year.

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