Apple's digital car key feature might soon be useful for unlocking more than a handful of BMW models. In his latest newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman claimed Hyundai and its upscale Genesis badge will support Apple CarKey "by the summer." It's not certain which models would provide the option, but it's notable that some trim levels of the Ioniq 5 and other Hyundai cars include NFC for a (currently proprietary) digital key.

While remote lock controls have been available through smartphones for a while, CarKey (and its Android equivalent) treats the phone more like a physical key. You just have to bring your phone or Apple Watch to the door handle to unlock it, and you can even place your phone in a given area to start the car. People with ultra-wideband iPhones (such as the iPhone 11 and newer) can even leave their phone in their pocket when opening and starting the vehicle.

If the leak is accurate, Apple's move could significantly expand the audience for digital car keys — you wouldn't need to shop from one high-end marque to even consider it. A deal would also suggest the tussle over a possible EV collaboration wasn't enough to deter Apple and Hyundai from exploring a CarKey team-up.

Now is a good opportunity to buy one of the best no-frills e-readers available. Amazon is selling the latest generation of its standard Kindle reader for just $50 during a one-day sale, or $70 for a version without ads. Those are the lowest prices we've seen since Black Friday, and make them easy picks if you don't need water resistance or other extras. There's also a Goldbox sale on Kindle e-books if you need some reading material.

The base Kindle may be from 2019, but it's still a very competitive e-reader in 2022. The touchscreen, front illumination, high-contrast display and compact design make it easy to use and read in many situations, whether you're in bed or at the beach. More importantly, you're getting full access to the Kindle book ecosystem for a low price — if you don't care for what the Paperwhite offers, why pay more?

There are limits you should consider. The lack of waterproofing will prevent you from reading by the pool, and the 4GB of storage may prove limiting if you either want a large on-device library or tend to read visually intensive books that chew up storage. For most people, though, the regular Kindle is plenty.

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Ukraine isn't hesitating to point fingers following a major cyberattack that hobbled dozens of government websites. As The Guardianreports, Ukraine's digital transformation ministry has blamed Russia for the hack, accusing the country of fighting a "hybrid war" meant to "destabilize" an already tense situation and erode trust in the Ukranian government. While officials didn't elaborate on the evidence linking the attack to Russia, Microsoft shared details late Saturday that suggested a hostile nation was responsible.

The company's Threat Intelligence Center noted that the code was purely destructive malware disguised as ransomware. It had a ransom note, a Bitcoin wallet and an encrypted messaging identifier, but no recovery mechanism — in fact, it wipes the Master Boot Record (the hard drive element that tells a PC how to load the OS) and downloads malware meant solely to corrupt files. All known targets are in Ukraine, and there aren't any tangible links between this campaign and other groups.

Russia denied any involvement in the cyberattack. A spokesperson for President Putin said Ukraine pinned everything on Russia, "even the weather." Russia has long been accused of using cyberattacks to target its political opponents, including Ukraine, the US and European countries.

Microsoft said it wasn't certain about the current stage of the hacking operation or the scope of the damage. It wasn't yet clear if there were other victims in Ukraine or beyond. However, it's safe to presume the timing of the attack is problematic regardless of the perpetrator. Ukraine and its allies have been worrying for months about signs of a looming Russian invasion, and the US on January 14th claimed Russia was planning a false flag operation that would help it justify that invasion. The cyberattack appears to be exacerbating those tensions, and may have weakened Ukraine's government infrastructure at a critical moment.

Apple is facing another lawsuit over Powerbeats battery trouble. New York resident Alejandro Vivar has filed a potential class action lawsuit over allegations Powerbeats Pro design defects prevents the wireless earbuds from charging properly. As it's reportedly too easy to lose contact between the buds and their charging case, one of the earpieces either won't charge "consistently" or quickly drain its charge. Apple committed fraud by misrepresenting battery life and failing to address issues it supposedly knew about, the plaintiff said.

Vivar's attorneys suggest a combination of the case design and an insufficiently sturdy ear "gasket" (the piece that goes into your ear) may be responsible. Customers have had to resort to inserting a "wedge" to keep the charging pins in contact, according to the lawsuit. The lawyers also reject Apple's claims the Powerbeats Pro are sweat- and water-resistant, arguing that sweat corrodes the charging contacts.

The lawsuit calls for Apple to "correct" the situation, compensate affected users and pay unspecified damages. If the lawsuit is fully certified as a class action, it would cover both New York customers as well as those in Georgia, Michigan, Montana, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Dakota and Virginia.

We've asked Apple for comment. As with many such lawsuits, there's no certainty it will reach class action status or lead to compensation. And don't expect a windfall even if the case succeeds — with some exceptions, class actions tend to result in small payouts. If anything, the lawsuit may do more to affect design choices than Powerbeats Pro buyers' bank accounts.

You might not be thrilled that face masks are a part of daily life during the COVID-19 pandemic, but they could soon be useful for more than protecting others and yourself. Researchers at Northwestern University (including battery-free Game Boy creator Josiah Hester) have developed a "FaceBit" face mask sensor that can track a wide range of health data from inside an N95 mask. The magnetically-attached unit can gauge your heart rate using the subtle head movements from blood pumping, and can detect leaks or a poor fit by looking for sudden dips in mask resistance.

Those measurements, in turn, can help the sensor detect a slew of other conditions. Heart and breathing data could let you know when you're stressed and need a break. And while the sensor won't replace an N95 fit test (to verify a proper seal), it's capable enough to help you maintain that fit over the course of a long day.

You might not have to charge the sensor, either. While there is a battery in the prototype, the sensor uses breathing force, heat, motion and the Sun to extend the mask's longevity to 11 days. Hester eventually wants the mask to be battery-free.

FaceBit will need to go through clinical trials and other tests before it's ready for real-world use. However, Hester's team has already released the project code and hardware to the public to help others build and verify it. While you probably won't buy one of these for personal use, it could be crucial for hospitals eager to keep workers safe and prevent burnout over long shifts.

Apple employees may have to stay up to date on their COVID-19 vaccines if they want to avoid significant hassles. The Verge says it has seen internal email revealing that Apple will require corporate and retail staff to offer proof of COVID-19 vaccine booster shots if they want to enter offices or stores from February 15th onward. Once an employee is eligible for a booster, they'll have four weeks to get it and provide evidence.

Workers who are either unvaccinated or can't provide proof will have to provide negative rapid antigen test results from January 24th onward, but it's not certain if this affects both office and store employees.

Apple was plain in its reasoning. The "waning efficacy" of initial vaccine doses and the rise of COVID-19's Omicron variant meant that boosters were necessary to guard against serious illness, according to the company.

We've asked Apple for comment. The report comes just days after Facebook parent Meta required booster shots for a return to the office, and not long after Apple temporarily closed numerous stores following COVID-19 outbreaks. Simply put, there's a lot of added pressure to require boosters and minimize significant disruptions.

FedEx jets might soon pack defensive weaponry. NBC News and Reuters report FedEx has asked the Federal Aviation Administration for permission to equip an upcoming fleet of Airbus A321-200 aircraft with an anti-missile laser system. The proposed hardware would disrupt the tracking on heat-seeking missiles by steering infrared laser energy toward the oncoming projectiles.

The courier service pointed to "several" foreign incidents where attackers used portable air defense systems against civilian aircraft. While there weren't specific examples, NBC pointed to Iran shooting down a Ukranian airliner in January 2020 (reportedly due to mistaking the jet for a cruise missile) and a Malaysian flight brought down by Russia-backed Ukranian separatists in July 2014.

FedEx first applied for the laser system in October 2019. The FAA is open to approval, but has proposed "special conditions" before lasers could enter service. The system would need failsafes to prevent activation on the ground, and couldn't cause harm to any aircraft or people.

The concept of including countermeasures isn't strictly new. Some American commercial aircraft have used anti-missile systems as early as 2008, and FedEx helped trial a Northrop Grumman countermeasure system around the same time. Israel's El Al has used anti-missile systems since 2004. FedEx's plans would be significant, though, and rare for a courier company. It wouldn't be surprising if more commercial aircraft followed suit, even if the risks of attacks remain relatively low.

The murmurs of an iPad Pro with wireless charging are growing louder. 9to5Macsources claim Apple is moving forward with an update to its pro tablet that would include MagSafe wireless charging, but not necessarily how you'd expect. Rather than using a previously reported all-glass back (like most recent iPhones), the new iPad Pro could instead charge through an enlarged glass Apple logo built into a metal back. It would charge more quickly than an iPhone (expected given the iPad's added power draw) and carry stronger magnets to keep the charger in place.

The refreshed iPad Pro would include some more universal improvements, including a larger battery and an iPhone 13-style camera array. There would also be a "brand new chip" 9to5 presumed would be the M2 also expected for a new MacBook Air. Earlier rumors suggested the M2 would have eight cores like the M1, but would run them faster and tout more graphics cores.

There was no mention of a specific timeframe for the iPad Pro update. While talk has circulated of a spring event, there are no guarantees Apple will launch any new iPads in that time frame. Don't be shocked if there is a new Pro, though. The M1-based iPad Pro was as much a chance for Apple to flex its silicon prowess as it was a functional upgrade — an M2 sequel would keep that momentum going, and MagSafe support would help tie the Pro into Apple's wider ecosystem.

Google may have to rethink its non-disclosure agreements following a long-running lawsuit from an anonymous worker. According to The Washington Post, a California Superior Court judge has ruled that Google's employee confidentiality agreements violate state labor laws. Terms banning the employee from discussing his job with potential employers amounted to a non-compete clause and were thus illegal in the state, the judge said.

The internet company originally persuaded a judge to toss out most of the worker's claims in the belief federal law overrode California legislation. An appeals court overturned that decision, however, noting that state laws did more to protect free speech rights that included work experience. Google has declined to comment on either the verdict or any plans to appeal.

The outcome wouldn't let Google employees discuss trade secrets if it was upheld. It would let people discuss work experience, though, and could make it easier for job-seekers to switch roles without fear of lawsuits. It might also provide more opportunities for sexual assault and harassment victims to discuss their reasons for leaving a company, although California legislation has already tackled non-disclosure agreements that bar victims from talking about incidents.

 This ruling might also have wider repercussions for California's tech sector. QH Law partner Ramsey Hanafi told the Post that many large tech companies have similar gag rules. Like it or not, Silicon Valley firms might have to revamp their agreements and accept that it will be easier for staff to leave or identify toxic work cultures.

Apple is once again honoring regulations requiring it to allow alternative payment options in the App Store, although this one is highly specific. As Reutersreports, Apple confirmed it would comply with orders from the Netherlands' Authority for Consumers and Markets forcing it to allow third-party payment systems in Tinder and other locally-offered dating apps. The regulator determined on December 24th that Apple had abused its market power by requiring its in-app purchasing platform, and gave Apple until January 15th to make the change if it wanted to avoid fines.

Like with past decisions, Apple wasn't happy. It contended that allowing third-party options would "compromise the user experience" while posing new privacy and security threats, and reminded developers they (or their payment partners) would be responsible for handling refunds and similar issues. Apple is appealing the ACM's decision.

The order doesn't affect other apps available in the Netherlands. However, it reflects growing regulatory opposition to Apple's App Store business model in multiple countries, including South Korea and the US. Officials are increasingly convinced Apple is using its in-app purchasing requirement to stifle competition, and it won't be surprising if other countries follow suit before long.