Month: November 2019

After testing the feature on beta users for a little while, WhatsApp is now rolling out fingerprint unlock to all Android users. It brings biometric security to Android some 8 months after similar options landed on iPhone.

The Fingerprint Lock security feature is available in version 2.19.222 of the Android WhatsApp app, and it gives Android users a security option that is more in line with what is available in the iOS version of the app. iPhone users already have Touch ID and Face ID support, and now WhatsApp says: “today we’re introducing similar authentication, allowing you to unlock the app with your fingerprint, on supported Android phones”.

For now, at least, fingerprints are the only security options available. WhatsApp has not enabled face unlocking for Android users, nor suggested that it will in the future.

Once enabled, the feature prevents other people from accessing WhatsApp and reading your messages. The only way to get into the app is to scan a registered finger. The description of the setting within the app explains: “When enabled, you’ll need to use fingerprint to open WhatsApp. You’ll still be able to answer calls if WhatsApp is locked.”

Touch to unlock

To enable Fingerprint lock, just head to Settings > Account > Privacy > Fingerprint lock. Turn on Unlock with fingerprint, and confirm your fingerprint.

You can also choose how long WhatsApp should wait before it locks – either immediately, after a minute,or after 30 minutes.

Following version 78’s release on Android, Mac, Windows, and Linux, the next beta release of Google’s browser is rolling out. The Chrome 79 beta features tab freezing on desktops to conserve resources, shared clipboard, and a trial of DNS-over-HTTPS.

A new “tab freezing” feature in Chrome 79 works to save memory, CPU, and battery life. This feature is available for Mac, Windows, and Linux browsers, as well as Chrome OS. Tabs that have been in the background for over five minutes will be frozen and not able to perform tasks. There is an exception for audio and video, while sites can experimentally opt out.

Google is working on a shared clipboard between computers and Android that’s available from the right-click menu. Copied text can be shared on devices that are logged into the same Google Account and have Chrome Sync enabled. Text is end-to-end encrypted and Google notes how it can’t see the contents. It began rolling out earlier this month for a “limited number of users” and will be “released to all users in a future version of Chrome.”

Originally planned for the previous release, Chrome 79 will feature an experiment for 1% of users that enables secure DNS connections with DNS-over-HTTPS. This prevents user tracking and malicious redirects. A new flag allows you to opt out of the DoH test: chrome://flags/#dns-over-https.

Chrome will check if the user’s DNS provider is among a list of participating DoH-compatible providers and if so, it will enable DoH. If the DNS provider is not on the list, Chrome won’t enable DoH and will continue to operate as it does today.

Chrome will begin marking sites that use TLS 1.0 or 1.1 as “Not Secure” and remove the lock symbol. This measures starts in January 2019 as Google encourages sites to move away from legacy TLS.

The WebXR Device API is now shipping in Chrome, and allows developers to create web-based virtual reality experiences for smartphones and head-mounted displays. This spec will soon be supported by Firefox Reality, Oculus Browser, Edge, and the Magic Leap Helio browser for a consistent experience. Moving forward, the API will allow for augmented reality and other rich interactive experiences.

Progressive Web Apps help online experiences feel like any native client. A part of this is appearing in the launcher and getting a homescreen icon. On Android, Chrome 79 allows adaptive icons to “automatically mask irregularly shaped icons to fit properly” and not just be circular.

An Intel Wi-Fi adapter bug is causing headaches for Surface Pro 7 and Laptop 3 users, but there’s a possible temporary workaround.

Over the past week, several Reddit users have reported issues with their Surface Pro 7 and Intel-based Surface Laptop 3 devices have suffered from an issue that causes Wi-Fi speeds to tank after waking them from sleep. Microsoft has yet to acknowledge the issue, but there is currently an open thread on the Microsoft Answers forum as well.

According to another Reddit post, the issue appears to be related to how the Intel AX201 Wi-Fi adapter handles connectivity when entering and waking from sleep. When the Surface Pro 7 or Surface Laptop 3 is put to sleep, it disables one antenna while putting the other into a low-power state, which is meant to save battery life. The problem is that the disabled antenna doesn’t appear to be activated and the other remains in low power mode when waking the device from sleep, cutting Wi-Fi connection speeds.

In the same post, the poster, Wiidesire, has posted a potential workaround:

Go to the hardware manager -> network adapter -> Intel AX201 -> Advanced -> MIMO power save mode -> Change “Auto SMPS” to “No SMPS”. While this resulted in the bug occurring less frequently, only changing the setting to “Static SMPS” (-> disabling MIMO) eliminated the problem entirely for me.

(Optional) Go to the Windows Settings App -> System -> Power & Sleep -> When my PC is asleep and on battery power, disconnect from network -> Change “Never” to “Always”

The issue appears to be related to driver version 21.40.1.3 for the Intel AX201 adapter.

Presumably, we’ll see Microsoft push out a fix in the coming days or weeks. However, if you’ve encountered this bug, you can attempt to temporarily work around it by trying the steps above. Importantly, you should avoid installing Intel’s generic AX201 drivers, as they are likely to introduce further issues.

We’ll update this post if and when Microsoft acknowledges the problem and provides a timetable for an update.

Rumor site 91Mobiles has spotted renders of a new Huawei tablet that could sit at the high-end of Huawei’s mid-screen range. The tablet has a smooth look with a thin bezel and a ‘hole-punch’ selfie camera on the front screen.

Leaks label this tablet with an internal codename “Marx,” but prolific Twitter leaker Evan Blass chimed in to say this would be the Huawei “MatePad Pro.”

The device is pictured with Huawei’s professional-looking keyboard attachment, similar to Apple’s iPad Pro keyboard. 91Mobiles also claims the tablet will support Huawei’s M-Pen stylus. A few other details can be inferred from the leak, including a USB-C port and bottom-firing speakers, but important items like the stylus silo or the fate of the 3.5mm headphone jack are unclear.

The new Huawei tablet is shown in black and white. What is not so black and white, however, is the fate of Huawei’s Android devices. Huawei is currently locked out of the Google services program while the Chinese company is under investigation by the U.S. government. It’s unclear what OS this new tablet is running, but assuming it’s anything like the Mate 30 Pro, it’ll be a build of Android 10 / EMUI 10 without access to Google services.

The latest Raspberry Pi is about to get a whole lot cooler, literally speaking. The Raspberry Pi Foundation has released a firmware update for the Raspberry Pi 4 which reduces its power usage and correspondingly its heat output — and this time it doesn’t come with a nasty bug that causes certain USB 3.0 devices to switch from throughput measured in hundreds of megabytes to single-digit kilobytes. For those willing to play with beta software, there’s also a new bootloader to unlock the Raspberry Pi 4’s long-awaited network boot functionality.

Test, Then Test Again

The Raspberry Pi 4 has received a number of software and firmware updates since its launch, but one stands out: an updated firmware for the VLI VL805 controller used to add two high-speed USB 3.0 ports alongside two lower-performance USB 2.0 ports. The firmware was released for alpha testing back in July, and appeared to offer a measurable reduction in power draw and heat output with no loss of performance.

“Appeared to” is key here: While many users found that installing the firmware worked fine, plenty of others found that switching from the stock firmware to the alpha version caused the performance of USB 3.0 peripherals to dramatically drop – from hundreds of megabytes to single kilobytes per second. Not all USB devices were affected, with some working fine on the new firmware while others caused no end of trouble.

Developers at VLI and the Raspberry Pi Foundation worked to find the source of the issue, and the result is the firmware released this week: All the benefits of the alpha version, but – hopefully – none of the compatibility problems.

Installation

The new firmware comes with an equally new means of installing it, and thankfully it couldn’t be easier. Anyone running the latest build of Raspbian, based on Debian Buster, need only update their system through the apt package manager:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade && sudo apt install rpi-eeprom rpi-eeprom-images

The firmware comes in two packages – rpi-eeprom-images and rpi-eeprom, the latter containing the tools needed for installation. Once apt is finished, rebooting the Raspberry Pi will trigger the installation of the new firmware. When Raspbian has rebooted, you can check the version of both the bootloader and the VL805 firmware with a single command:

sudo rpi-eeprom-update

The new firmware is also installed as standard with the latest version of the NOOBS operating system installer available on the Raspberry Pi Downloads page; it will be added to updated versions of the Raspbian standalone image and the NOOBS Lite network installer in the near future.

Those on earlier Raspberry Pi models – including the Raspberry Pi 3B and 3B+ – needn’t do anything, as the firmware applies only to the USB 3.0-equipped Raspberry Pi 4.

The firmware, which enables previously-dormant power-saving functionality in the VL805 USB 3.0 controller, is functionally identical to the alpha release, and the same effects can be seen: Power draw is lowered by around 0.4W while the Raspberry Pi 4 is at idle, and around 0.3W under loaded conditions.

In temperature terms, that equates to a rough 2.6°C drop at the SoC – enough to push back the thermal throttle point at which the CPU drops from its stock 1.5 GHz to 1 GHz, but not enough to prevent throttling altogether. Anyone looking for peak performance should combine the new firmware with an aftermarket cooling add-on like the compact Pimoroni Fan Shim or impressive 52Pi Ice Tower.

The difference extends beyond both the VL805 chip and SoC, though, as a thermal analysis of the board reveals.

On the stock firmware, the heat from both the SoC and the VL805 spreads throughout the board, reaching even the power management circuitry at the bottom-left near the USB Type-C power input.

With the updated firmware, heat at all points is reduced – and while it may only be by a handful of degrees, it’s hard to argue with a free improvement in efficiency.

The new firmware has undergone a lengthy testing period, including with devices known to trigger the throughput-sapping bug in the original alpha release. So far, all tests have indicated that the bug is resolved – though the more cautious user may want to hang fire for a week or so to see if any issues are reported once the update is widely spread among the Pi-using populace.

The launch of the Raspberry Pi 4 added a wealth of new features, from more computational performance to USB 3.0 connectivity, but it also took a couple away — temporarily, at least. The Raspberry Pi 3 family has the ability to operate without a microSD card installed, loading its operating system from a USB storage device or over the network from a trivial FTP (TFTP) server; the Raspberry Pi 4, at launch, could do neither.

While USB booting is still in development, network boot is ready now, in beta form. Those looking to try it out ahead of its official launch will need to switch to the beta firmware branch on the understanding that it may contain bugs that could leave the Raspberry Pi 4 unable to boot at all without the use of the EEPROM recovery image.

To switch to beta firmware, edit the file:

/etc/default/rpi-eeprom-update

Change the section of the file which reads:

FIRMWARE_RELEASE_STATUS=”critical”

To:

FIRMWARE_RELEASE_STATUS=”beta”

Then run:

sudo rpi-eeprom-update

Reboot to load the new bootloader, then follow the instructions on the Raspberry Pi Network Boot Tutorial to set up the server. Details on configuring how the Raspberry Pi 4 boots are available on the Pi 4 Bootloader Configuration page. Remember that the network boot functionality should be considered in beta, and may not yet work as expected on all networks.

Intel is wheeling a ton of its NUCs (Next Unit of Computing) into the retirement home and, maybe even more notably, the ones based on the chipmaker’s unfruitful Cannon Lake (CNL) microarchitecture.

Cannon Lake will forever be a dent in Intel’s push for 10nm supremacy. With just one single chip, the Core i3-8121U, to show for it, it’s a wonder why Intel didn’t retire Cannon Lake sooner. Only a handful of devices, including Intel’s own NUCs, employed the Core i3-8121U. While the chip’s performance wasn’t horrible, the lack of integrated graphics certainly didn’t earn it any extra points, either.

Cannon Lake-powered NUCs, codenamed Crimson Canyon, are officially discontinued as of October 28. Intel’s customers can put in their last orders before December 27, and the final shipments go out on February 28, 2020.

The list of retirees also includes various NUC kits under the Pinnacle Canyon and Rock Canyon codenames. The aforementioned devices date as far back as five years and utilize long gone Braswell and Broadwell processors.

The last product order and shipment dates for the Pinnacle Canyon and Rock Canyon NUC kits are the same as the ones for Crimson Canyon.

As the company previously promised, it has begun rolling out firmware updates based on AMD’s latest microcode (AGESA 1.0.0.4), for its X570 motherboards, some of which are on our list of the best gaming motherboards. According to MSI, these BIOS updates bring with them over 100 improvements and fixes, and can shorten boot times as well.

“The latest 1.0.0.4 Patch B BIOS (SMU v46.54) comes with a massive improvement at all points concerning debugs and optimization for the previous version. There is a loooooooooong list regarding improvements and amendments. The most attractive one to me is optimized system boot up procedure that allows us to shorten boot time and less waiting,” MSI stated in a blog post last week.

Compared to BIOS releases based on the previous microcode, MSI says it has seen boot times improve by as much as 8 seconds, after clearing the CMOS.

These claims are a week old, but what’s new is that owners of certain X570 motherboards can now put this to the test, if desired.

It’s always a good idea to back up your data before flashing the firmware, in case something goes wrong. Also take note of your BIOS settings—you may need to adjust the settings after flashing to maintain that overclock you spent time fine tuning, to avoid a broken RAID array, and avoid other potential problems.

Whether the allure of faster boots is enough to warrant a BIOS flash, you’ll have to decide that for yourself—SSDs are a boon for boot times and you may find Windows (or Linux) loads fast already.

Beyond faster boots, AMD’s 1.0.0.4 microcode is also supposed to increase all-core boost clocks on Ryzen processors, though to what extent is not known.

Looking ahead, MSI says it will have new BIOS updates available for its 400 Max series motherboards around the middle of November, and for all 400 and 300 series motherboards by the end of next month. Other motherboard makers are expected to release new BIOS updates soon as well.

Having just lifted the lid on three new smartphones, the Moto E6 Play, Moto G8 Plus and the Moto One Macro, Motorola has further flooded the market with midrange budget camera phones – but with a dedicated 2cm macro lens, it’s the Moto One Macro that’s piqued our interest the most.

Packing midrange internals, a triple rear camera setup, huge battery and generous amounts of storage (the same starting capacity as the iPhone 11 and Pixel 4), we can’t fail to be impressed, given the Macro’s price.

Motorola Moto One Macro price and release

The One Macro costs £179.99 and is available in the UK from the 28 October, with a US release yet to be confirmed. There’s one capacity – 64GB, and it will be available from Amazon UK, John Lewis, Carphone Warehouse, EE and Argos.

Motorola Moto One Macro features

Despite having a plastic body, the Moto One Macro doesn’t feel or look particularly cheap. It’s high-gloss plastic frame and back emulate glass, and when sheathed in the soft-touch case, included with the phone, doesn’t really matter that it isn’t made of the stuff.

The screen’s a 6.2-inch HD+ panel, not a Full HD resolution display as found on some sub-£200 phones. With a sharpness of 295PPI though, it’s hardly dull, and the size is a decent balance of large and manageable.

The One Macro runs Android 9, Google’s OS, in tandem with some very light touch additions from Motorola. Powered by a MediaTek MT6771 Helio P70 processor which is paired with 4GB RAM, this isn’t a power-beast, and at the price, we wouldn’t expect it to be. That said, day-to-day tasks should be more than manageable, and the fact there’s a generous 64GB storage on-board too, as well as microSD card expansion up to an additional 512GB only adds to the phone’s value proposition.

Add to the mix a hefty 4000mAh battery and you get an impressive mix in the Motorola One Macro – but what about those cameras?

Motorola Moto One Macro: camera

The main camera on the One Macro is a 13MP, f/2.0 module with a 1/3.1” sensor and 1.12µ pixels, as well as phase detection and laser autofocus.

Next up, there’s that namesake macro lens with its f/2.2 aperture, combined with a 2MP 1/5“ sensor and 1.75µ pixels. Finally, there’s a 2MP depth sensor with exactly the same specs as the macro camera – this enables bokeh and foreground/background separation effects.

The macro camera has its own mode, and if you forget to fire it up, the camera UI will prompt you to make the switch, though be warned, unless lighting is fantastic, macros shots will be relatively low on detail and muddy, given the 2MP sensor resolution.

The phone captures video at up to Full HD resolution, 120fps from the rear camera, and the 8MP f/2.2 selfie camera grabs Full HD video at 30fps.

Motorola Moto One Macro: Early verdict

We’ve had a bit of time with the Motorola One Macro’s camera, and have managed to get a couple of cracking shots and a couple of pretty terrible ones – it’s definitely not one for casual snapping.

That said, its main camera seems to do a decent job for the price when paired with a steady hand. In turn, if the power under the hood checks out, then for £179.99, it’ll be yet another stonking midranger from Motorola – watch this space for the full review.