Xbox beauty products waft into supermarkets
has teamed with teen-bloke-oriented brand Lynx to create a body spray, deodorant, and shower gel.
Xbox and Lynx have gone for “pulsing green citrus… top notes of kaffir lime and winter lemon, aromatic herbal middle notes of mint and sage, and woody bottom notes of patchouli and clearwood.”
Apple’s biggest reveals at WWDC 2019
https://www.crn.com.au/news/apples-biggest-reveals-at-wwdc-2019-526114
iPad-specific operating system, dubbed iPadOS,
alongside previews of iOS 13
and the next Mac operating system, macOS Catalina.
Apple also unveiled a number of changes coming to iOS and macOS apps, including the phase-out of the iTunes app for Mac.
The iOS 13 and macOS Catalina updates are coming in the spring,
iOS 13: Performance & dark mode
Apple’s iOS devices will get a performance boost with iOS 13, the company announced at WWDC 2019. That will include 30-percent faster unlocking with Face ID, 50-percent smaller app downloads and 60-percent smaller app updates. Ultimately, users will enjoy 2X faster app launch speed in iOS 13, Apple said. Meanwhile, Apple is also now bringing its popular “dark mode” option from macOS over to iOS devices (pictured).
iOS 13: Privacy
Apple announced an expansion of its efforts around user privacy with new protections built into iOS 13. Users will only have to allow location sharing to an app on a one-time basis, and the app will be required to ask again if it wants further location information. For log-in to apps, Apple announced a new option called “Sign in with Apple” that is meant to take the place of logging in through social accounts such as Google or Facebook.
Sign in with Apple will enable iOS 13 users to log in by authenticating with Face ID without revealing any personal information, according to Apple. And for apps that require an email, users will be able to have a unique random address created for each app.
iOS 13: App updates
Key updates to Apple’s built-in apps in iOS 13 include an enhanced camera app with an additional portrait lighting option, dubbed “high key mono,” which gives a monochrome look to photos. Portrait lighting also will offer the ability to “virtually” move the light closer or further from the photo subject in iOS 13. Added photo editing capabilities in the new version of iOS will include swiping to control effects application to photos, while many editing features are now being made available for video as well, such as rotating and adding filters.
Other app updates in iOS 13 will include a quick toolbar for adding details in the Reminders app; a “more natural” voice for Siri; and the Voice Control app for enhanced operation of devices by voice.
iPadOS
Apple announced that it’s splitting off the iPad operating system from the iPhone, with the introduction of iPadOS. The operating system will be meant to take advantage of the larger form factor on the iPad in numerous ways, including with enhanced split-view multi-window capabilities—which can either put two windows from the same app side by side (such as within Notes or Microsoft Word) or put windows from different apps side by side.
The Files app will be improved in iPadOS with easier sharing of files with the iPad, while iPadOS will also introduce a download manager to iPad tablets. Meanwhile, Apple said it’s bringing “desktop-class” web browsing to the Safari app on iPad, meaning that the devices will default to the desktop version of websites (rather than the mobile version) but will show an optimised view for iPad.
Apple will also roll out new gestures as part of iPadOS, including for navigating and text editing. Users will be able to grab a scroll indicator for easier scrolling of documents and web pages and will be able to pick up and drag the cursor to any location in a document. Users can also drag out unwanted sections of text; use a three-finger pinch to copy text; and use a three-finger swipe to undo.
Mac Pro
Apple announced a fully revamped version of the high-powered Mac Pro desktop at WWDC 2019. The new Mac Pro, aimed at creative professional users such as video and audio editors, will include Intel Xeon processors will up to 28 cores and up to 1.5 TB of system memory. The new Mac Pro will also offer massive graphics performance with AMD Radeon Pro 580X, Radeon Pro Vega II or Radeon Pro Vega II Duo (which contains two Vega II GPUs). The new Mac Pro will be available in the fall for a starting price of US$5999.
Pro Display XDR
In tandem with the new Mac Pro, Apple unveiled a new display for creative professionals intended for use with the Mac Pro. The Pro Display XDR will offer a 32-inch Retina display with 6K (6016 x 3384) resolution, which Apple says is its largest Retina display to date. The Pro Display XDR will also offer up to 1600 nits of brightness and will be rotatable for “portrait mode” with Apple’s new Pro Stand, the company said.
The Pro Display XDR will have a starting price of US$4999, while the Pro Stand will cost US$999.
MacOS Catalina: The end of iTunes
Apple signaled that it’s bringing an end to its trailblazing iTunes app on the Mac. First introduced in 2001, iTunes has just gotten too complex as it’s come to comprise music, TV/movies, podcasts and syncing with devices, Apple said during the WWDC 2019 keynote. With macOS Catalina, Apple will be splitting up the iTunes functions into separate apps for Music, TV (which will include purchased movies) and Podcasts. Syncing will remain an option as a sidebar in the Finder, but will not happen automatically, Apple said.
MacOS Catalina: Key updates
Another notable update in macOS Catalina is a new feature called Sidebar, which will enable using an iPad as a secondary display for a Mac. The connection between a Mac and iPad will be offered both wirelessly and wired, Apple said. Apple is also bringing several of the same feature updates in iOS 13 apps, such as Reminders, to macOS Catalina — and is extending the Screen Time feature (which offers controls for device usage) to Macs, as well.
MacOS Catalina: Universal apps
At WWDC 2019, Apple announced one major effort to improve life for developers with what the company is calling “Project Catalyst,” which lets developers more easily extend their iOS apps over to the Mac. The capability automatically builds fundamental features into Mac versions of apps so that developers only need to put on the “finishing touches” in many cases, Apple said.
Telstra to switch payphones to flat call rate
Telstra has changed the pricing for its public payphone calls to a simple flat rate for both local and selected international calls.
Pricing will shift from a distance-based model to a flat call rate of 50 cents unlimited to standard fixed line phones in Australia.
These are the most significant changes to payphone call costs in 13 years, giving users greater value for money and more ways to connect using our network,” Telstra payphone product manager Pete Manwaring said in a blog post.
Also for the first time, Telstra payphones will be able to receive incoming telephone calls.
A Telstra spokesperson told iTnews that a “Payphone How to Call Guide” next to the phones would display the number of the payphone.
When the payphone number is called, the payphone will ring. If a person answers a ringing payphone they will not be charged, the spokesperson said. Both parties will hear a brief cuckoo tone on the line.
Officeworks launches mobile phone service
Officeworks has launched a mobile virtual network, using the Optus 4G network.
“accord mobile by Officeworks”* offers half a dozen plans, all month-to-month affairs without ongoing contracts.
hree voice and data deals all offer unlimited calls and SMS, with the basic product offering
3GB of data for $15 a month.
$25 buys 10GB and $45 of international calls while
$45 buys 30GB and $450 of international calls.
The data-only plans offer monthly data allowances of 7GB, 50GB or 100GB at $20, $55 and $75 respectively.
Apple branded ‘criminal’ for selling stand that costs as much as an iPhone
Apple has been slammed as “criminal” and “flat-out delusional” for announcing a computer screen stand that could cost as much as $999.
During Monday’s WWDC 2019 keynote, Apple showed off its “most powerful Mac ever” – the new Mac Pro.It starts at $5,999
The monitor – dubbed Pro Display XDR – will cost you an additional $4,999
aluminum “stand” for the monitor for an extra $999
the stand itself is very attractive, sporting a metal aesthetic and magnetically attaching to your Pro Display XDR.
And it allows your screen to tilt to most angles, and even rotate from landscape to portrait mode.
It’s also impossible to use a third-party stand with the monitor unless you purchase a VESA mount adapter.
And that adapter will cost you $199 from Apple too
Apple iTunes lives on for Windows PC users
Apple announced plans to retire iTunes, but not for the PC.
Windows, iTunes users will see no changes in their experience,
Apple said it will break up the standalone iTunes software into three new apps called Music, TV, and Podcasts in the next version of macOS, dubbed Catalina, which arrives in the spring.
Microsoft currently lists the Windows version of iTunes as the most popular app on its digital store, putting it ahead of Netflix and Spotify.
Apple introduced iTunes in 2001 as a way to add or remove music on old-school iPods
Ads from influencers you don’t follow are about to hit your Instagram feed and Stories
https://www.theverge.com/2019/6/4/18652720/instagram-branded-content-ads-influencer-sponsored-post
- Instagram is now allowing advertisers to promote branded content from influencers as ads in the feed and in Stories. That means you might start seeing an influencer’ ads regardless of whether you’re following them or not.
- Brands can use the Facebook’s ads platform to get analytics on how their posts are performing and optimize their campaigns accordingly. Like any other ad on Instagram, the branded content ads will be marked with “Sponsored” at the top of the post, and have a “Paid partnership with” message with the brand above the captions. The feature will be rolling out to your feed in the next few weeks, and into Instagram Stories in the next few months.
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Samsung says the Galaxy Home will now ship sometime in Q3 2019
https://www.theverge.com/2019/6/4/18652035/samsung-galaxy-home-shipping-date-delay-q3-2019
- The Galaxy Home speaker, which will be the center of Samsung’s home appliances, is planned to be launched in mid-second half of the year.
- The Galaxy Home Speaker looks like a strange vase or statue that might go on a table in the corner of your home. It’s wrapped in fabric and elevated by three stout metal legs. It has a flat top with control buttons on it for skipping tracks and changing the volume.
- The speaker is supposed to deliver surround sound-style audio using six built-in speakers and a subwoofer. It also includes eight far-field microphones for detecting voice input. You’ll be able to say “Hi, Bixby” to activate Samsung’s assistant and ask it to start playing music or a number of other tasks. Samsung indicated that it’d be able to do many of the same things Bixby can do on a phone
BlueKeep ‘Mega-Worm’ Warning as Fresh PoC Shows Full System Takeover
https://threatpost.com/bluekeep-mega-worm-looms-as-fresh-poc-shows-full-system-takeover/145368/
- A working exploit for the critical BlueKeep Mega-Worm critical remote code-execution flaw has been indicated to show how an unauthenticated attacker can take over a victim machine in about 22 seconds.
- The BlueKeep vulnerability flaw exists in Remote Desktop Services and impacts older version of Windows, including Windows 7, Windows XP, Server 2003, Server 2008 and Server 2008 R2. The main thing that sets BlueKeep apart is the fact that it’s wormable – and so it can self-propagate from machine to machine.
- The concern is big enough that Microsoft even took the unusual step of deploying patches to Windows XP and Windows 2003, which are end-of-life and no longer supported it has also issued multiple follow-on advisories urging administrators to patch thier systems.
- “It only takes one vulnerable computer connected to the internet to provide a potential gateway into the corporate networks, where advanced malware could spread, infecting computers across the whole enterprise,” Microsoft has warned.
So do your Microsoft Updates