Month: November 2019

OOPS! Google’s Pixel 4XL Cracks Under Pressure

CompuScoop Staff November 7, 2019 0

We’ve come a long way from 2014, which is when early iPhone 6 buyers discovered an annoying problem. Apply enough pressure on those first-gen thin aluminum frames, and you could bend them without damaging the structure of the phone. Apple was quick to fix its “Bendgate” problem and made sure it never happened again.

But every new iPhone since the iPhone 6 was tested for bending problems, with YouTube channel JerryRigEverything being a constant source of durability tests for new devices. The same test is performed on every major new phone, and the Pixel 4 just received the same treatment.

To read the rest of the article, and to see the video, click here.

DuckDuckGo Privacy Essentials Extension Returns to Safari

CompuScoop Staff November 7, 2019 0

After removing the extension from Safari 12, search Engine DuckDuckGo has returned their privacy essentials extension to Safari 13 for people using macOS Catalina.

What is it?

DuckDuckGo Privacy Essentials is an extension for Safari that aims to block third-party trackers hidden on websites, such as those used by advertisers, which are used to collect data and build a profile of the user. While the blocker is developed to protect users right after installation, DuckDuckGo advises it is possible to whitelist sites of a user's choosing, for example, to fix issues with session management for some online venues.

How to install it:

To install the extension, users can download it from the Mac App Store, with it requiring macOS 10.15 or later to function. While the extension isn't available on iOS, there is a DuckDuckGo Privacy Browseravailable which offers similar functionality.

Apple publishes new technical details on privacy features

Reuters News November 6, 2019 0

Apple today published four new papers outlining technical details of how some of the privacy features in its most recent operating systems, apps, and services work.

The white papers are similar to a security guide that Apple publishes for the iOS operating system that powers iPhones. They cover Apple’s photo app, its Safari web browser, the location-based services on its mobile devices and a new service for signing into third-party apps [Sign in with Apple].

In the papers, Apple outlines how its new sign-in system tries to prevent the creation of fake accounts in apps, a problem for nearly all app developers that has taken on new importance with the advent of bots on social networks.

The company uses machine-learning technology that analyzes whether the device user engages in “ordinary, everyday behavior such as moving from place to place, sending messages, receiving emails, or taking photos,” Apple said.

That yields a numerical score that Apple combines with data from its servers to produce an assessment sent to the developer of whether the account creator is a real user.

Stephen Nellis for Ruters

Out of this world: Astronaut Casts Pennsylvania Ballot from Space (no, really!)

CompuScoop Staff November 6, 2019 0

NEW CASTLE, Pa. - An election official in Pennsylvania didn't think anything of the absentee ballot application until he saw the out-of-this-world voting location.

The New Castle News reports that the application to Lawrence County's voter services department listed the location as "International Space Station, low Earth orbit."

Director Ed Allison said his reaction was "What?" But then he found out that astronaut Andrew "Drew" Morgan, currently serving as a flight engineer aboard the space station, has an address in Neshannock Township and is a registered voter in the county.

County IT director Rick DiBello set up a secure email and password and a fillable PDF file that Morgan received, filled out and sent back.

DiBello said he thought "that is pretty cool," and Allison called it "very, very cool" - and he added: "This is the future."

Via: WFMZ TV - Allentown, Pennsylvania