States are under pressure to use online voting for the US presidential election when COVID-19 could remain a threat in November, but those platforms might not be as secure as you’d like. MIT and the University of Michigan have published a report detailing security problems in Democracy Live’s OmniBallot, the voting and ballot delivery system that will be used by some citizens in Delaware, New Jersey and West Virginia. The system apparently takes a number of risks with data, including personal info.
The online vote relies on a “simplistic approach” that isn’t software-independent or verifiable from start to finish, the researchers said. They also lean heavily on third parties like Amazon and Google to host functions. Delaware’s take on the system sends your identity and vote to Democracy Live even if you intend to print and mail your ballot, while all systems send personal info like names, addresses and partial social security numbers. There’s also a chance that even blank ballots could be “misdirected or subtly manipulated” to lead to incorrect vote counts.
Criterion Games is shifting its attention to the next Need For Speed title. As such, tomorrow’s patch will be the last update for NFS Heat, which will hit the EA Access and Origin Access Basic Vault on June 16th. EA’s summer game showcase will take place on June 18th, and you can expect to learn more about the future of Need For Speed and the publisher’s ambitions for Steam during EA Play.
More and more games have adopted cross-platform play recently — Sony finally loosened its restrictions on PS4 cross-play in 2018 before dropping them completely last year. It’s now clear that EA is interested in letting more people play its games together, but it remains to be seen whether it’ll switch on cross-play in the likes of Madden, FIFA and Apex Legends.
While I had to dig out my USB CD drive to put the thing on devices I’d actually listen to, the sampler has a good mix of remade tracks from the original and entirely new arrangements. It had some of the major battle themes and catchier background songs but it’s not all the tracks I want. I want the rough, funky remix of “Oppressed People,” the Jenova battle theme that you only get to hear once in the closing chapters and many more.
Square Enix is very aware of the existence of people like me, willing to spend more money beyond the standalone game. We are the company’s whales. That’s why there’s a $77.77 official soundtrack, spread across eight discs. Remember this is the first installment of the remake. How many CDs will the entire project cover?
I haven’t (read: haven’t yet) gone that far, but definitely wanted more. FF7R even has jukeboxes and collectible CDs scattered across the game, teasing even more songs, most of which are apparently on a limited-run jazz CD. I’m adding it to the shopping list, if only for the yacht-rock flavored main theme.
It’s hard to explain precisely why I like listening to game soundtracks — but there’s something comforting about it — especially with older games like FFVII. It’s familiar, and a lot of game tracks are also energetic without being overwhelming. I like the shot of adrenaline a battle theme can offer in the gym, or while on deadline. I often sort tracks into two sections: chill and… not chill, as RPG soundtracks, in particular, can really run the gamut there.
Square Enix
Take Final Fantasy VII’s soundtrack, which encompasses aggressive rock fight music, sinister choral arrangements, mournful character themes, and ridiculous surf rock. The popularity of the game took the original soundtrack even further still. This lengthy Wikipedia entry scratches the surface, but there’s the twee country music cover album, the prog-rock covers from the Black Mages, the orchestral Distant Worlds albums that pluck songs from the entire Final Fantasy oeuvre, or the soundtrack from the Advent Children CGI movie.
And then! If you do a quick search across YouTube, Spotify and Apple Music there’s a treasure trove of fan-made (and even more official) tracks inspired by the original FFVII. In fact, it’s difficult to think of a game that’s had so many of its songs remade, recast and reimagined. I think that’s why I’m obsessed — there is so material out there. I just wish the physical versions were more reasonably priced.
I’m very willing to trade my really handy lanyard for the aforementioned jazz album, if anyone’s interested. I can’t buy it in the UK.
Want a good set of over-ear wireless headphones to keep you company at work, or just to tune out the rest of the world? You now have your chance, at least if you aren’t picky about colors. Amazon is selling Bose 700 headphones in white for $299, knoc…
Sonos’ new S2 platform and app are now available to download via the App Store and Google Play. The new S2 app is the only way to control the company’s latest slate of speakers, including the Sonos Arc, Sonos Five and the updated Sonos Sub. Besides a new tan icon and a cleaned-up user interface, the new software adds support for Dolby Atmos on the Sonos Arc. Sonos says it has also made the app more secure. In the future, the company plans to add support for other high-resolution audio technologies.
The S2 app supports all of the company’s modern devices, including speakers like the Sonos One and its various offshoots and the company’s recent IKEA collaborations. That said, you can continue to use the old Sonos app — now known as Sonos S1 Controller — to control and manage your existing Sonos system if you want. However, as the company notes on the App Store and Google Play listings for S1, it doesn’t plan to update the platform with new features. Moreover, should you decide to expand your Sonos system with any of the speakers the company is releasing this week or ones it announces in the future, you’ll need to update to S2 to accommodate those devices. The good news is that Sonos says it still plans to support S1 with bug and security fixes.
There’s a lot to like about Samsung’s latest flagship, which scored a solid 85 points in our comprehensive review. The S20+ doesn’t have the same advanced camera system as the S20 Ultra, but it has everything else, including a long-lasting battery and vibrant, smooth display. The slightly curvier design makes it nicer to hold than its predecessors, too.
If longevity is important — and it will be for most people considering handing over this amount of cash — then the S20+ comes with a degree of future-proofing in that it touts 5G. It’s no secret that 5G infrastructure around the world leaves a lot to be desired, but its inclusion in this handset means that once networks have been better fortified (and the 5G conspiracy theories die down) you’ll be ready to go.
Overall, it’s a solid device — our main bugbear was the price, which is why Amazon’s deal is definitely worth paying attention to. We’ve seen some platforms offering the phone at a reduction on Samsung’s RRP, but this is the first time we’ve seen it drop a decent chunk below the $1,000-mark (for the 128GB version, at least). It’s an attractive saving, so take advantage while this one-day-only deal is still available.
Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.
SpaceX’s Crew Dragon put people into orbit last week, and now the company looks to be focusing attention on its next big thing: Starship.
That’s meant to be the company’s got-to rocket, useable in different situations (space tourism or longer-distance trips) as well as being composed of reusable hardware to speed up turnaround and flight frequency — and naturally, cost a little less.
In an email obtained by CNBC, Elon Musk asked staff to treat Starship as the “top SpaceX priority,” pushing them to “dramatically and immediately” speed up progress on the super-heavy rocket. About the only other focus is whatever can “reduce Dragon[’s] return risk,” Musk said.
The future of SpaceX seems to center on the success of its Starship. The US Senate, at least, is interested in helping out the private spaceflight sector.
— Mat
Some iPhone 11 models display a green tint after unlocking
The issue seems to affect iOS 13.4 and 13.5 users.
Engadget
A number of iPhone users are seeing a strange green tint on their devices’ displays for a few seconds after unlocking their devices, and it’s still unclear what’s causing the phenomenon. Based on the complaints posted over the weekend, the most affected devices are the iPhone 11, 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max. Several users are saying the green tint only shows up when they have Dark Mode and Night Shift on or if they’re in a dark room.
Affected users are also reporting that the issue popped up after iOS 13.4 came out, though there are those who’ve only noticed it after upgrading to iOS 13.5. At least one user says the green tint disappeared upon installing iOS 13.5.5, which is currently in beta, so it’s looking more likely that it’s a software issue. Continue reading.
UK may pay drivers to replace combustion cars with EVs
It could help revitalize a pandemic-struck economy.
Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images
The UK car market has taken a bruising due to COVID-19, like much of Europe, but Prime Minister Boris Johnson may be counting on electric vehicles to bring it back. Reports suggest that the UK government is drafting plans that would give drivers up to £6,000, or about $7,627, if they exchange their combustion engine car for an EV. The prime minister would reportedly announce this on July 6th as part of a broader plan to help the British economy recover as lockdown measures ease.
A swap incentive might even be necessary to fulfill long-term goals. The UK wants to ban sales of new combustion cars by 2035, and that may be challenging if there isn’t a thriving EV market by that point. Another issue is that while the charging infrastructure is growing, it’s not clear that there are enough stations (or a sufficiently prepared electrical grid) to handle a spike in demand. Also, given the economic uncertainty, who is planning to buy a new car this summer? Continue reading.
The best gifts for grads under $50
Give them something useful without breaking the bank.
The graduating class of 2020 might have a different experience to other years, but that’s no reason not to celebrate their efforts — even without breaking the bank. We’ve compiled everything in our grad guide under $50 so you don’t have to scour the internet for presents that fit in your budget. Continue reading.
Now that Westworld season 3 has aired, the team behind the show’s impressive visual effects has revealed exactly how they made the series’ robots come to life. In a short Vimeo clip, DNEG illustrates how a combination of VFZ wizardry helped to create Westworld’s bleak dystopian landscape, along with the processes used for modeling robots and filming the show’s iconic car chases. Take a look below, but be warned, there are a fair few spoilers.
“The autocomplete default was inspired by search query clientid attribution that all browsers do, but unlike keyword queries, a typed-in URL should go to the domain named, without any additions,” said Brendan Eich, Brave CEO and Mozilla co-founder.
Eich explained that the company is “trying to build a viable business,” mostly by offering users the option to allow ads that pay out in crypto coins. However, the Brave is seeking other sources of revenue by including ads and widgets on its new tab pages, much as more established browsers like Firefox already do. “This includes bringing new users to Binance & other exchanges via opt-in trading widgets/other UX that preserves privacy prior to opt-in,” he added. “It includes search revenue deals, as all major browsers do.”
Some Brave users on Twitter (many from the crypto community) weren’t mollified, but Eich offered a mea culpa. “Sorry for this mistake — we are clearly not perfect, but we correct course quickly. We will never revise typed in domains again, I promise.”
The UK car market has taken a bruising due to COVID-19, like much of Europe, but Prime Minister Boris Johnson may be counting on electric vehicles to bring it back. The Telegraphsources (via Reuters) understand that Johnson’s team is drafting plans that would give drivers up to £6,000, or about $7,627, if they exchange their combustion engine car for an EV. The Prime Minister would tentatively announce this on July 6th as part of a broader plan to help the British economy recover as lockdown measures ease.
This would be a pragmatic move if accurate. It would theoretically give a boost to the overall British economy, and would be particularly beneficial for Jaguar, Mini and other brands that manufacture at least some of their EVs domestically. A swap incentive might even be necessary to fulfill long-term goals. The UK wants to ban sales of new combustion cars by 2035, and that may be challenging if there isn’t a thriving EV market by that point. A reward for ditching diesel and petrol could accelerate that adoption, particularly among cost-conscious buyers who may like the lower running costs of EVs but can’t justify the higher up-front prices.
Want a good set of over-ear wireless headphones to keep you company at work, or just to tune out the rest of the world? You now have your chance, at least if you aren’t picky about colors. Amazon is selling Bose 700 headphones in white for $299, knoc…
