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Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference goes online-only due to coronavirus

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The news comes as no surprise, considering the tightening cadence of bad news recently. After the World Health Organization officially declared the widespread novel coronavirus outbreak a pandemic on Wednesday, the California Department of Public Health recommended that “large public gatherings that include 250 people or more” be postponed or cancelled, making a show like WWDC nearly impossible to justify. (For reference, WWDC attendance in recent years has hovered around 6,000.) And Apple isn’t the only company facing the prospect of revamping a splashy developer event; Google has previously said that the largely outdoor I/O conference would not have an in-person component this year, and Microsoft announced that Build would go online-only yesterday, after Washington Governor Jay Inslee issued a similar ban on large-scale events.

We’ve reached out to Apple for more information on how this announcement affects its plans for the show, and we’ll update this story if and when they respond. For now, though, it seems likely that all of the usual announcements will take place — in other words, expect in-depth updates on the latest versions of iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, macOS and more. What’s less clear is whether Apple will use WWDC, as it sometimes does, to reveal new, high-profile hardware.

The company publicly acknowledged the impact of production delays and anxiety in China last month when it warned Wall Street that it would miss its second-quarter revenue guidance. (The situation in China does appear to be improving, though; all 42 Apple Stores the company closed there in January have now re-opened.) More recent reports, however, suggest that Apple has had to postpone an iPhone launch event entirely because of slow production and concerns over gathering hundreds of journalists and partners in one place to show off the new device. If true, WWDC is the next big show on Apple’s docket — maybe the so-called iPhone 9 will make its first official appearance in a keynote livestream.

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Looxid adapts its VR brain monitor for Oculus Rift S

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The attachment sits just above the goggles of the Oculus Rift S, allowing the nine EEG electrodes to make contact with the user’s forehead. It looks like a natural fit — the video shows the user dodging some enemy fire in a VR game and the unit doesn’t wobble at all. The Oculus Rift S version seems to have some simple modifications from the currently available HTC Vive edition of the Looxid Link so that it better conforms to the shape of the goggles. The Vive versions cost $300, and while there’s currently no price or release date for the unit, Looxid promises more details in a few weeks. The company planned to announce the product at SXSW before the event was cancelled.

While the Looxid Link may seem like a gaming accessory at first glance — and it could certainly be used to modify a game based on the player’s emotions — the company hopes that businesses and healthcare providers leverage the brain-sensing technology, too. For example, a car manufacturer could have focus group members wear a Looxid Link to get a more objective reaction to a product. Therapists could use the VR add-on to create a less stressful take on exposure therapy while also better understanding the patient’s reactions. It seems like these ideas could take a while to catch on, but by integrating its product with several popular VR headsets, Looxid Labs is making it easier for developers and researchers to take the first steps toward creating new applications.

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Windows 10’s Your Phone app will let you copy-paste to Samsung devices

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To activate the feature, a user simply has to toggle it on in Settings. Once it’s on, they can copy-paste text and images by using the familiar CTRL+C and CTRL+V commands or by tapping and holding the phone’s screen.

Microsoft

In addition, users can now switch off their mobile device’s display while using the app’s phone screen feature on their PC. Microsoft calls it the “black screen” function, and it kicks in the moment a session is initiated and dismisses itself after it ends. Users can dismiss black screen by pressing the power button, swiping the screen and activating Bixby, as well.

Finally, the Your Phone app now also supports RCS messages for Galaxy S20 users and can see when their messages get marked as “Read.” Again, only Insider Preview users in the Fast ring can access these features at the moment — those who aren’t part of the program will have to wait for their wider release.

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Microsoft issues emergency Windows 10 patch for leaked vulnerability

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The security hole exists in Microsoft’s Server Message block (SMB) protocol on recent 32- and 64-bit versions of Windows 10 both on the client and server sides. Researchers from Microsoft and elsewhere labeled it critical because the compromise of a single machine could compromise others on the same network. Microsoft said that there’s no evidence so far that the flaw is being actively exploited, but said it’s “more likely” than not to happen in the future.

An attacker who successfully exploited the vulnerability could gain the ability to execute code on the target server or client. To exploit the vulnerability against a server, an unauthenticated attacker could send a specially crafted packet to a targeted SMBv3 server. To exploit the vulnerability against a client, an unauthenticated attacker would need to configure a malicious SMBv3 server and convince a user to connect to it.

Windows 10 has strong defenses that make that scenario unlikely, but motivated and skilled attackers could likely engineer successful attacks. To prevent against that, users (especially those on networks) should install the KB4551762 security update as soon as possible or follow Microsoft’s mitigation advice. Most folks should get the patch installed automatically via Windows Update.

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Google explains the complex tech behind the Pixel 4’s gesture radar

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Soli’s short-range radar can essentially do two things: detect your presence to prepare the screen for face unlock, and read swiping or tapping gestures performed in the air above the phone. However, in order to make the antennae small enough for a smartphone, the radar is geared to detect motion rather than shapes.

That has the added advantage of privacy. Since Soli can’t form a well-defined image, there’s “no distinguishable image of a person’s body or face” that can be generated or used by Google, the researchers wrote.

The challenge for Google was to quickly and accurately interpret these temporal motions in order to figure out what the user is doing. At the same time, it had to account for movement of the phone when you’re walking, for instance, or vibrations when music is playing.

Google Pixel 4 soli gestures radar

To do that, Soli sees the world as a sort of 3D graph, with the distance of the subject on the vertical axis, the velocity moving toward or away from the phone on the horizontal axis, and the brightness of each pixel representing the relative size of the object detected. The resulting data is shown above.

Using that data, the researchers created an AI model and trained the system using millions of gestures recorded from thousands of volunteers. Those were compared against radar recordings to create AI models using Google’s TensorFlow machine learning framework. The whole thing was optimized to run on the Pixel 4’s custom digital signal processors at up to 18,000 fps.

While Soli can only interpret relatively simple gestures for now, Google has high hopes for what it’ll do in the future. It believes the tech could one day be used on smaller devices like smartwatches where gestures would be more useful, or put to service for security, entertainment, education and more.

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Niantic cancels ‘Pokémon Go’ and ‘Wizards Unite’ community days

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Both titles, as well as Ingress, are designed to get people out and about, exploring their local area and teaming up in groups. That’s the opposite to what people should be doing in the face of a pandemic, with people urged to isolate and reduce close contact with others wherever possible. Community days even more so, given that they reward groups of players that roam around city centers in large packs.

As well as axing the Abra community day, Pokémon Go has been changed to enable to buy 30 Incense for just 1 PokéCoin. This Incense, which acts as a lure to draw Pokémon to your location, will now last for an hour, rather than the 30 minutes as usual. In addition, hatch distances have been dropped by half if you incubate an egg in the next couple of weeks.

And if you live close to a PokéStop, you’ll be able to get gifts more regularly, reducing the need to travel far and wide. Niantic is also tweaking the game so many more Pokémon spawn in the wild, so if you live in a city, you might not need to leave your block but still get plenty of ‘mons caught. These new rules are in place “until further notice,” and we expect them to remain in place for as long as authorities say there’s a risk.



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Washington state approves stronger facial recognition regulations

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The House and the Senate originally couldn’t agree on the language used for Senate Bill 6280. After a series of negotiations, though, they were able to decide on a final version of the bill, which the lawmakers say is “one of the first and most comprehensive laws to regulate facial recognition technology in the nation.”

Under the bill, facial recognition technologies have to be tested for fairness and accuracy, since they’ve been proven to show bias against women and people of color. Law enforcement agencies would have to secure a court order or a warrant to be able to use them, and Washington state has to form a task force to study how public agencies should use and deploy facial recognition technologies.

Rep. Debra Entenman (D-Kent), one of the bill’s sponsors, said in a statement:

“The agreement we reached is a sensible compromise. I am confident that this bill now provides adequate guardrails for this emerging technology. It will mandate community input in how facial recognition technology is used and ensure that any use by the government is thoroughly vetted for accuracy, necessity, and fairness.”

Now that both the House and the Senate have approved the amended bill, the only thing it’s waiting for is the governor’s signature.

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All Call of Duty League matches for 2020 will be online-only events

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The Call of Duty League holds tournament-style events across the country hosted by participating teams in their cities. It’s clear that changes have to be made to ensure both the players’ and the spectators’ safety. The good news is that the online-only matches will still be livestreamed — if you’ll recall, the company teamed up with YouTube and made the platform its exclusive streaming partner. Activision Blizzard also promises to return to city-based competitions with live audiences “as soon as it is safe and logistically possible.”

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Sennheiser’s Momentum True Wireless 2 has ANC and improved battery life

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The biggest addition here is ANC. Sennheiser says this new feature will go beyond the passive noise isolation that the first version offered so that you can “enjoy incredible high-fidelity sound even in noisy environments.” The handy Transparent Hearing feature is back, and you can fine-tune how much outside noise you let in with the Smart Control App. For calls, the company says a pair of microphones equipped with its “advanced beamforming technology” will cut down on background noise and focus on your voice.

Sennheiser also made tweaks to the design. While the charging case looks mostly the same except for the shade of gray, the earbuds themselves are 2mm smaller. The company says this will help with fit and overall comfort. Version 2 still looks quite similar though, with the main shape and metallic touch panel returning from last year’s model. The Momentum True Wireless 2 is still IPX4 rated as well. That should protect the buds if you get caught in the rain, but you’ll want to avoid dropping these in water.

Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 2

Sennheiser also increased battery life from four hours on the buds themselves up to seven hours. That’s not exactly an eye-popping figure when the competition is hovering around 10 hours — or even up to 15 in some options. However, almost doubling the previous figure is respectable. Plus, Sennheiser says you can expect three full charges with the included case. The case with the original model only offered two. That means overall battery life is more than doubled at 28 total hours.

Just like before, you can adjust the EQ, customize touch controls and more inside the Smart Control app. The Momentum True Wireless 2 is also equipped with a Smart Pause feature that will automatically pause whatever you’re listening to when you remove the earbuds and resume it when you put them back in. Automatic pausing is pretty basic, but some companies don’t include it even on pricier models.

The Momentum True Wireless 2 will be available in black in April. There’s also a white version, but the company says that model will ship “at a later point.” Sennheiser has discounted the original Momentum True Wireless to $200, which isn’t a bad deal if you can live with the compromises.

Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 2

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Vudu’s ‘Lists’ feature helps you organize your video collection

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Vudu has just introduced a new lists feature that will finally let users organize their selection of movies and TV shows. Instead of just sorting them through release date or alphabetical order, you can now sift through your collection via customized categories and lists. Think of it as a mix playlist, but for your favorite Vudu flicks.

To create a list, simply look for “Lists” under the “My Vudu” menu. Select “Create New List” and away you go. You can either select individual titles or a whole slew of them at once. You can add the same movie to multiple lists, and after you make the list, the choices can be re-ordered however you want.

Some examples of lists include Marvel movies, family favorites, the top 100 movies of all time, retro classics, or maybe a few romantic choices for date night. The list doesn’t need to include just the movies you own either; you can include free titles from the catalog as well as movies you have yet to purchase. When you log on, you’ll see a list of Star Wars movies that Vudu created to help kick off the feature.

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