A new iOS and iPadOS update has been released that fixes a security flaw, suggesting it could be a big one that users should patch as soon as possible. Apple has hastily rolled out a pair of iPhone and iPad software updates to fix security flaws that may have been exploited by bad actors.
The iOS 15.3.1 and iPadOS 15.3.1 updates fix only one issue, which is unusual since Apple typically bundles multiple bug and bug fixes into each update. This suggests that the flaw is serious enough that Apple rushes to fix it.
In fact, the updated support page says “Apple is aware of reports that this issue may have been actively exploited,” a rare confirmation from the company that the vulnerability is not only theoretical, but may have been exploited.
If this rush to update iPhones and iPads to fix security flaws sounds familiar, it’s because Apple did just that with iOS 15.3 and iPadOS 15.3 a few weeks ago. As far as we know, this new security update addresses different vulnerabilities than previous patches were supposed to fix.
As with all Apple software updates, these security patches are free and available for all modern devices that can download iOS 15 and iPadOS 15. These are iPhone 6s and later, and iPod Touch (7th generation) and iPad Pro (all models) for iOS, iPad Air 2 and later, iPad 5th generation and later, and for iPadOS Newer iPad mini 4 and later.
Updating a compatible iPhone or iPad is easy: just open the Settings app and go to General > Software Update.
Garmin finally sees fit to update its top-of-the-line Fenix smartwatch, with the new Fenix 7 series, and a return to the full-color display Epix smartwatch first introduced in 2015. The Fenix line represents some of the most powerful and highly regarded multisport smartwatches on the market, offering the company’s best GPS timing technology for serious athletes who value function, durability and longevity. Let’s take a look below!
Garmin Fenix 7S, 7 and 7X
Like the previous generation, in addition to the basic finish options, the Fenix 7 series is divided into three case sizes: the 42mm Fenix 7S, the 47mm Fenix 7, and the sizeable 51mm Fenix 7X.
While both the Fenix 7S and 7 are available in base and solar charging supported versions, the 7X comes standard with supplemental solar charging; and all three models are also available in a premium sapphire solar variant, which includes solar charging, a titanium case, and a tempered sapphire crystal cover glass.
On the hardware side, Garmin has implemented touchscreen functionality across the entire range. Don’t worry though, Fenix purists, the lineup still features a series of five physical buttons that users can choose from depending on the situation when it comes to the most convenient means of user interaction. Support for “all major satellite systems” remains, however, the L5 frequency range of GPS has also been added to “improve accuracy in challenging GPS environments”.
Fenix 7X owners will also find an integrated LED array that supports flashlight functionality as well as running mode support that alternates between white and red with the wearer’s running rhythm; used to make the wearer easier for nearby people to see and A means of indicating direction.
As for the software, in addition to the existing feature set that includes Garmin Pay, Spotify/Amazon Music/Deezer playback, sleep monitoring, and activity tracking, the new real-time stamina tool can notify wearers of stamina and if they’re running a track that tracks overwork during activity risk, and support for wrist downloads from the Connect IQ Store over WiFi without the need for a phone.
Another big highlight of the Fenix range is battery life, the base standard 7S gets 11 days in smartwatch mode and 37 hours in GPS mode (plus 3 days or 9 hours respectively if you opt for the solar model). Fenix 7 promises 18 days in smartwatch mode or 57 hours in GPS mode. While the 7X hits 28 days or 89 hours in smartwatch or GPS mode, respectively, solar charging adds 9 days or 33 hours, respectively.
While the Fenix series already features a color transflective MIP display, similar to the original Epix, the new second-gen model has a 1.3-inch full-color always-on AMOLED touch panel. Set in a 47mm round housing. Unlike the Fenix 7, this new Epix is available as a standard or sapphire model, with a choice of leather straps.
The standard model features a polycarbonate and stainless steel body, while the Sapphire Edition ups the ante by swapping stainless steel for titanium and protecting the display with sapphire crystal instead of Gorilla Glass DX, just like the regular edition.
Features aren’t all that different from the Fenix 7, including features like Garmin Pay and music playback from services like Spotify. With the change in display technology, Garmin still promises up to 16 days in smartwatch mode and 42 hours in GPS mode.
Updating apps on your iPhone or iPad is a quick and easy way to get new features, play new levels, or fix bugs and security issues in the apps you use. But you may not even know if an update is available for your app or how to update your app – unless you know where to look.
Updating your apps was even easier before the release of iOS 13 in September 2019. All you have to do is open the App Store, click the Updates tab, pull down to refresh the list and click Update All. This is the process that all iPhone users have followed since the App Store launched in 2008, and you can still use it if you have an older Apple device that isn’t compatible with anything after iOS 12.
When you update your iPhone app in iOS 15, you won’t find the Updates tab. With the release of iOS 13, Apple filled that space with its Apple Arcade gaming subscription service. Even without a separate update tab, the process of updating apps is just as quick and easy, but it’s hidden.
Where to Find Hidden iPhone App Updates
1. Open the app store.
2. Click the profile icon in the upper right corner.
3. Scroll down to the Available Updates section, where you can find any app updates that you can install. You can still use pull-to-refresh to force your device to look for updates.
If you have updates, you can update them individually or hit the “Update All” button and call it a day. The ability to remove apps from the update list is also somewhat hidden. If you want to delete an app, swipe left.
Tablets with detachable keyboards were the originals of the Surface line, but it wasn’t until 2018 that Microsoft 2-in-1s really became affordable. That’s when the first Surface Go came out, making it one of the cheapest devices to run a full version of Windows. While the Surface Go 3 was one of Microsoft’s less exciting releases last year, that’s continued for the next two iterations. Aside from the processor upgrade, out-of-the-box Windows 11 is the only change to be aware of. Here’s everything you need to know about the Surface Go 4 in the early stages. Let’s have a look!
When will the Surface Go 4 be released?
Microsoft usually doesn’t reveal anything about a new product until it’s officially released. But so far, without any other release date rumors, our best guesses come from previous generations:
Surface Go 3 – October 2021
Surface Go 2 – May 2020
Surface Go – August 2018
The Surface Go doesn’t seem to have a regular update cycle yet, so it’s hard to predict when the next model will arrive. However, Microsoft typically launches new hardware in late spring and early fall.
What specs and new features will Surface Go 4 have?
Surface Go 4 isn’t expected to launch until late 2022 at the earliest. We will almost certainly see a change. The Go 3 came out just a few months before Intel showed off its 12th-generation mobile CPUs at CES. This makes it very likely that the Go 4 will be powered by an Alder Lake processor – its new hybrid architecture suggests we’ll see performance and power efficiency benefits.
The latter should help extend battery life, boosting Microsoft‘s claims of up to 11 hours on a single charge. However, the battery drained much faster in our review tests, so expect the 28Wh capacity to increase as well.
The Surface Go 2 increases the display from 10 inches to 10.5 inches without changing the overall footprint of the device, but it’s the only design change we’ve seen. Thinner bezels would allow Microsoft to fit an 11-inch display here, but it might be reluctant to make a budget device look as good as a premium Surface Pro.
That’s why we’re also unlikely to see the Go 4 move to a 120Hz display, although if we do see a price hike, 90Hz is a possibility. Either way, the 1920×1080 PixelSense (LCD) display probably won’t change — it’s detailed enough for most people buying a Surface Go.
The business version of Surface Go 3 has optional support for 4G LTE. That’s likely to stay the same for the Go 4, with the Surface Pro 9 more likely to move to 5G.
One of our main gripes with the Go 3 is its lack of ports. There’s only one USB-C, one microSD, and Surface Connect for charging. It would be nice to see at least one more USB-C port (possibly supporting Thunderbolt 4), as well as USB-A and a 3.5mm headphone jack. This may add thickness to the device, but it will be a worthwhile tradeoff.
The drag-and-drop feature on iOS 15 allows you to quickly send a link via text message or add a photo attachment to an email. With drag-and-drop on iPhone, you can move seamlessly between apps to quickly upload photos, send links, share files, and more. In seconds, you can quickly drag a dozen photos to text or drop a link into an email. We’ll show you everything you can do with the new drag and drop functionality on iOS 15. Let’s have a look!
How to Drag and Drop Photos and Videos on iPhone
The first way to use drag and drop on iOS is to move images from one app to another. This feature now works with any app that allows you to press an image to share. Below we’ll show you how to drag and drop from the native photos app.
1. Open the Photos app.
2. In grid view, hold your finger on the photo or video until the quick action menu appears, then move your finger around so that it floats below your finger.
3. If you want to add more photos to share, tap any other photo or video with another finger and these photos or videos will be automatically added to another photo under your finger.
4. Use another finger to leave the app and navigate to where you want to place the photo or video.
5. If you can put it there, you’ll see a green plus sign in the corner of the photo or video.
6. Lift your finger to drop photos and videos.
For example, you can drag a photo into the Mail app to add it as an attachment, or into the Messages app to quickly send it via text.
Files that exist in the Files app can also be dragged out of Files and into other apps, like Messages or Mail to share the file, or even to another file manager if you want to share the file server application you are trying to upload a file. Methods as below:
1. Open the Files app.
2. In the icon or list view, press your finger down on the file until the quick action menu appears, then move your finger around without lifting your finger to make the file follow your finger.
3. Use another finger to leave the Files app and go to another app.
4. Wait until you see a green plus sign, which means you can put it there, then lift your finger to release the file.
If you’re already in the Files app, this is a faster way to share files via text or email.
Like Photos, you can drag and drop links from apps like Safari, Calendar, and more. Likewise, you must be able to press the link and make the quick action menu appear to be able to drag and drop it. Here’s how to do it from Safari.
1. Open the Safari app.
2. Press your finger on any link until the quick action menu appears, then move your finger so that the link floats under your finger.
3. Leave the app with another finger and lift your finger to place it elsewhere (only if you see the green plus sign).
You can put links in other apps such as Messages, Mail, Notes or any number of social media apps.
After a few years of minor upgrades, Microsoft is releasing the Windows 2-in-1 that many people want in 2021. The Surface Pro 8 features a host of upgrades over its predecessor, including a larger 120Hz display, narrow bezels, longer battery life, and an improved camera. We also got regular processor upgrades, while it was one of the first devices to run Windows 11 out of the box. But assuming Microsoft reverts to its traditional update cycle, we expect the Surface Pro 9 to launch by 2022.
When will the Surface Pro 9 be released? Microsoft has yet to confirm the existence of a Surface Pro 8 successor, let alone any potential release date. No other rumors so far, our best guesses come from the release date or previous entries: Surface Pro 8 – October 2021 Surface Pro 7+ (for business and education) – January 2021 Surface Pro 7 – October 2019 Surface Pro 6 – October 2018 Surface Pro 5 – June 2017
What specs and new features will Surface Pro 9 have?
Microsoft only launched the Surface Pro 8 for business in January 2021, with a new, slightly pricier 4G/LTE model. While the Pro 9 may be in development at the time of writing, there are no concrete rumors so far.
But unless Microsoft surprises us with bigger changes, we have a pretty good idea of what to expect. The most likely upgrade is a move to Intel’s new 12th-gen CPUs — possibly again with a choice between an i5 and an i7. Given that the Ryzen 6000 series was also launched at CES 2022, it’s nice to see an option for AMD chips on the Surface Pro, but there’s no indication that’s happening anytime soon.
Assuming the Pro 8 moves to Alder Lake processors, its new hybrid architecture includes specific cores for performance and power efficiency. The latter should be good for battery life, so Microsoft can claim more than the “up to 16 hours” you’ll get from the Pro 8 from a single charge. If the battery capacity is also increased, we could see some significant improvements in battery life.
The Surface Pro is Microsoft’s most likely Windows device to move to 5G. The technology will be widely adopted across a range of mobile devices by the end of 2022, so it makes sense to see it make its way to Microsoft’s premium 2-in-1s.
Both USB-C ports on the Surface Pro 8 support Thunderbolt 4 for fast data transfers, but it still uses the proprietary Surface Connect. This magnetic charging system tends to be more frustrating than useful, so hopefully Microsoft will drop it in favor of USB-C charging on the Pro 9. You can’t go wrong with adding some extra ports.
The 13-inch, 2880×1920 display is unlikely to change, especially since Microsoft introduced a 120Hz adaptive refresh rate on the Pro 8. No need for higher resolutions, but if the PixelSense (LCD) screen is at a point. This will pave the way for the addition of an in-display fingerprint sensor, but there’s no indication it’ll make it to the Pro 9.
Surface Pro 9 previews so far have been largely based on speculation, but leaks and rumours may not be far off.
There are many reasons why your iPhone or Android phone might no longer charge—from rusted charging ports to damaged cables. But a common problem is that your charging port, whether it’s Lightning on the iPhone 13 or USB-C on phones like the Google Pixel 6 Pro, gets clogged with dirt and the cable doesn’t plug all the way in. Let’s take a look at the reasons and solutions below!
Why is my charging port blocked?
The phone’s charging ports don’t have protective covers, which means they’re exposed to every bit of dust, grime, and debris they come across. But those tiny bits of dust and lint can build up over the months or years you own your phone, pressing together every time you plug in the charging cable until it forms a solid barrier to your charger from fully entering and allowing it to connect and Charge. If your phone is more than six months old and you’re gradually finding that the charger is becoming more and more unstable, there’s a good chance that dirt on your port is the culprit.
How to Clean Your Phone’s Charging Port
Unclogging your phone port is an easy task. You’ll need a cocktail stick, toothpick, or other small item that can be inserted into the port to scrape off grime. Wood or plastic is better because it’s less likely to scratch anything inside and possibly cause injury.
Insert the tool of your choice into the charging port until it goes no further, then gently start scraping away. With the iPhone’s Lightning port, you can scrape back and forth, but with USB-C, you’ll need to scrape the charging connector that sits in the middle of the port.
Eventually, you will start to loosen the compacted pieces and you will be able to drain the sloughed material out of the port. It’s a satisfying process, and you might be surprised how much stuff actually turns out. Work lightly on the sides of the port, but be careful not to scratch any metal charging connectors too hard.
Hopefully it’s now safer to plug in and start charging. If not, go ahead and try to extract more dirt and test the charger again. If that still doesn’t solve the problem, it’s time to consider other solutions, like a new cable or charger.
Apple on Wednesday released a small update to iOS and iPadOS for iPhone and iPad users, fixing bugs and potential vulnerabilities in operating system security related to Apple’s Siri-powered smart home platform Homekit.
The iOS 15.2.1 update fixes an issue on iPhone that could prevent messages from loading or third-party CarPlay apps from responding to input when sending messages using an iCloud link.
The iOS 15.2.1 and iPadOS 15.2.1 updates also fix operating system vulnerabilities that could allow Homekit to be exploited by denial of service attacks.
For iPhone and iPad users, the update can be accessed by navigating to Settings from the device’s home screen. From settings, navigate to “General” and click “Software Update”.
The iOS and iPadOS 15.2 updates were recently released and include many updates and new features.
Apple’s iMessage has a long history of separating users into “blue” and “green” bubbles based on whether they’re on an iPhone or an Android phone. But the question now goes way beyond looking cool in our group chats.
Over the weekend, the Wall Street Journal published an article detailing how the difference between green and blue chat bubbles can create social stress among teens and young adults. The blue-and-green bubble debate highlights a broader problem across the industry: There is no single modern texting standard that works on all phones.
Google has been supporting the messaging platform, which has iMessage-like features, by working with carriers to make it the default option on most Android phones. This is a step forward in making messaging more unified across the wide range of Android devices out there.
As one of the biggest players in the phone industry, Apple could certainly do more to help build a more consistent texting experience across devices. Apple has often touted its control of iOS as a selling point for consumers, and the move away from iMessage could jeopardize that.
Apple hasn’t responded to CNET’s request for comment, and Google pointed us to some tweets from its Android senior vice president, Hiroshi Lockheimer, in which he criticized Apple for using “pressure and bullying” to target users. However, Apple could make some changes to fix this, similar to how it brought a limited FaceTime experience to Android and Windows users in iOS 15.
Support RCS in Apple’s Messages app, even a little
Starting with the most obvious, it might be time for Apple to consider supporting RCS in iOS 16. In addition to the fact that RCS includes many iMessage-like features, Apple does have a history of adopting an open format.
Apple doesn’t even have to fully endorse RCS to make a difference. It keeps non-iPhone messages green and relies on an iPhone-exclusive feature that uses the iPhone’s Face ID to create facial animations to appeal to Apple loyalists. But supporting some key features will go a long way towards enabling a smoother communication experience while maintaining a level of Apple exclusivity.
It could also allow encryption between messages regardless of platform, especially since Apple has been a public defender of user privacy. Some would argue that this alone should get companies to embrace RCS.
The Huawei P50 Pocket is no longer a China exclusive and is now confirmed to be coming to Europe as well. Huawei has been focusing on its Mate X series of book-style foldable phones, but it’s finally time to see its first horizontally hinged phone, called the Huawei P50 Pocket.
When will the Huawei P50 Pocket launch?
Huawei officially released the P50 Pocket in China on December 23, 2021. The phone was initially thought to be a China exclusive, followed by pre-orders in Asia-Pacific markets including Malaysia on January 12, 2022.
What are the specifications of the Huawei P50 Pocket?
The best photos of the P50 Pocket before its release, oddly enough, came from the Chinese version of Harper’s Bazaar, which took photos with the phone and shared them on Weibo. The P50 Pocket Premium, which features a textured and polished gold finish, was designed in collaboration with haute couture designer Iris Van Herpen.
Aside from the obvious bling, another key difference between it and the standard model — its white diamond-shaped “3D micro-engraved design” — is the inclusion of 12GB of RAM instead of 8GB and 512GB of storage instead of 256GB.
Other than that, both phones have a similar external hardware layout and the same internal structure, with two circular elements on the outer surface: one hosts the Pocket’s main triple “hyperspectral camera matrix”, while the other features The circular 1.04 in the touchscreen display, like the Razr and Z Flip before it, can display things like time, notifications, and more, and it doubles as a camera viewfinder.
This unusual rear camera setup is led by a 40Mp ‘True-Chroma’ sensor, a 13Mp 120° ultra-wide sensor and a 32Mp ‘Hyperspectral camera’, the latter being paired with the unit’s ’10-channel multispectral sensor’ and “Hyperspectral illuminators” – which can capture and display wavelengths of light beyond the range of natural human vision through fluorescence mode.
The system also offers a sunscreen mode that more clearly highlights the sunscreened and unprotected areas of your face.
Below is the full Huawei P50 Pocket spec sheet, based on the device released in China:
Folding 6.9in 21:9 Full HD+OLED display
120Hz refresh rate
1440Hz high frequency PWM dimming
300Hz touch sampling rate
442ppi pixel density
Circular 1.04″ 340×340 60Hz OLED overlay display
Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 4G SoC
8GB or 12GB RAM
256GB or 512GB storage
rear camera:
40Mp f/1.8 “True Chroma” main camera
13Mp f/ 2.2 120° ultra wide-angle camera
32Mp f/1.8 “Hyperspectral” camera
“10-Channel Multispectral Sensor”
Laser autofocus
10.7Mp f/ 2.2 punch-hole selfie camera
EMUI 12
Side-mounted fingerprint sensor
face unlock
USB-C
Dual SIM
Bluetooth 5.2
NFC
4000mAh battery
40W fast charging
190 grams
170mm(unfolded)/87.3mm(folded) x 75.5mm x 7.2mm(unfolded)/15.2mm(folded)
