Technology - Google News

Google Just Spilled Some More Details on the Pixel 4 - Thurrott.com - Thurrott.com
Sony warns trade war could lead to PlayStation price hikes - Engadget
Google found a way to remotely attack Apple iOS devices by sending a boobytrapped iMessage - Graham Cluley Security News

Google Just Spilled Some More Details on the Pixel 4 - Thurrott.com - Thurrott.com

Posted: 29 Jul 2019 09:34 AM PDT

Google isn't letting leakers have their usual fun this year. The company already teased some official renders of the back of the device back in June, showing off how the device might look. And now, it's revealing some more details about the features of the Pixel 4.

Following reports about Google including a motion sensor on the Pixel 4, Google is confirming that it will indeed include a Motion Sense feature on the phone. The company has made a miniature version of its Soli sensor that's included on the top of the device, and it allows users to skip songs, snooze alarms, silence phone calls, etc. "We've developed a miniature version [of Soli] located at the top of Pixel 4 that senses small motions around the phone, combining unique software algorithms with the advanced hardware sensor, so it can recognize gestures and detect when you're nearby." the company said. Google says the company will introduce new capabilities for the Motion Sense experience in the future.

Pixel 4 will also come with an advanced face unlock feature. Google shared a picture of all the sensors included at the top of the device, and it features three different components for the face unlock feature. All these three components work together to allow you to unlock the Pixel 4 with your face. Google says the company's face unlock feature is implemented differently than others in the market.

It uses Soli to detect when you may want to unlock your phone, turns on the face unlock sensors, and then unlocks the device after it detects your face using the IR camera and dot projector. The company claims it will work in "almost any orientation" and even if you are holding the device upside down. Apple's Face ID feature on the iPhone works in a similar way, and Apple has actually made a lot of progress with Face ID on the newest iPhones, so it will be interesting to see how well Google's implementation compares against Apple's Face ID.

Google says the company will share more details about the Pixel 4 later this year, though it's likely it will share some more official details if there are more leaks in the near future. This is certainly a very interesting and weird way to go about a product launch, but I am not complaining. Phone companies have long stuck to this usual boring routine for product launches, so it's nice to see Google try something different.

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Tagged with Face Unlcok, Google, Motion Sensor, Pixel 4

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Sony warns trade war could lead to PlayStation price hikes - Engadget

Posted: 30 Jul 2019 06:27 AM PDT

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Sony has more than just the pre-PS5 sales slump to worry about in the near future. Company financial chief Hiroki Totoki has warned that US plans for expanded tariffs on Chinese products could force a price hike on PlayStation consoles. The tech giant is still exploring its options, Totoki said, but passing the costs to consumers was one of them. There hasn't been a firm decision as it's not clear whether or not widened tariffs will apply in the first place -- that depends on the Trump administration's negotiations with China.

The US raised tariffs on $200 billion in Chinese goods back in May, to 25 percent. A further tariff expansion would cover another $300 billion in products, including PlayStation systems.

This leaves Sony in a tough position. Consoles like the PS4 are typically sold at slim profit margins (or even at a loss early on) with the expectation of recouping more money through game and service sales. There might not be much room for Sony to absorb the tariff costs or move production to another country. At the same time, a price increase could lead to even weaker PS4 sales and leave Sony on shaky ground until the PS5's launch, which many expect in late 2020. Short of the US ending its tariff threats, there's no easy answer.

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Google found a way to remotely attack Apple iOS devices by sending a boobytrapped iMessage - Graham Cluley Security News

Posted: 30 Jul 2019 05:50 AM PDT

Google found a way to remotely attack Apple iOS devices by sending a boobytrapped iMessage

I do hope that owners of iPhones and iPads updated their devices to iOS 12.4 when it was released last week.

Details weren't shared at the time, but we now know that the iOS security update addressed critical vulnerabilities discovered by Google security researchers Samuel Groß and Natalie Silvanovich that could allow a remote attacker to attack an iPhone just by sending a maliciously-crafted iMessage.

Thankfully the vulnerabilities, which could most likely have been sold to an intelligence agency for millions of dollars, were responsibly disclosed to Apple in May so that they could be addressed and fixed within the 90-day disclosure deadline imposed by Google.

Ios bug tweet

The vulnerabilities are said to allow a remote attacker to run malicious code on an iOS device without requiring any action by the targeted user, opening up opportunities for iPhones and iPads to be spied upon without the knowledge of their owners and without the snooper requiring any physical access to the device.

Google security engineer Natalie Silvanovich is scheduled to give a talk at Black Hat in Las Vegas next week, entitled "Look, No Hands! – The Remote, Interaction-less Attack Surface of the iPhone"

iPhone and iPad users often have their devices configured to automatically install updates like iOS 12.4, but – if you want to make sure that you are protected – follow these instructions:

Click on Settings > General > Software Update, and choose Download and Install.