A Delta pilot has sued the airline for $1 billion, accusing it of trade secrets theft over a communications app he developed a few years ago. According to Bloomberg, Captain Craig Alexander pitched the QrewLive app, which he reportedly developed with $100,000 of his own money, to the company as a way for crew to easily communicate in case of disrupted flights. However, Delta turned him down and then launched what he says is an identical tool a few years later.
Alexander apparently contacted Delta CEO Ed Bastian back in 2016 after a computer system meltdown put all flights on hold and cost the company over $150 million. He told the CEO that he had a solution for issues like that, which resulted to several meetings with executives who gave him verbal assurances that they were going to acquire his app.
According to Alexander's complaint, Delta ended up telling him that his technology didn't fit its needs and ultimately launched its own Flight Family Communications app in 2018. He called the official Delta app a "carbon copy, knock-off of the role-based text messaging component of [his] proprietary QrewLive communications platform." As for how he decided to seek $1 billion in damages, he said it's "based solely upon operational cost savings to Delta, [which] conservatively exceeds $1 billion."
The plaintiff has been with the airline for 11 years and still currently works with the company. Delta spokesperson Morgan Durrant told Bloomberg in a statement: "While we take the allegations specified in Mr. Alexander's complaint seriously, they are not an accurate or fair description of Delta's development of its internal crew messaging platform."
If you’re an Apple user with a 2020 Toshiba or Insignia 4K UHD Smart Fire TV, you’ll want to look out for the latest software update for your television set as it adds support AirPlay 2 and HomeKit. AirPlay 2 allows you to stream audio and video content from your iPhone, iPad or Mac to a compatible device. It’s also possible to mirror the screen on your iOS device. With HomeKit, meanwhile, you can control your TV using Siri or the Home app on iOS and macOS. Using voice commands, it’s possible to turn the TV on and off, as well as adjust the volume and control playback.
To take advantage of that latter functionality, you’ll need to dig into the settings menu on your TV, navigate to the “Display and Sounds” section and select “AirPlay and HomeKit.” From there, follow the on-screen instructions to complete the setup process. If all you want to do is use AirPlay, you don’t have to do anything special; the feature is enabled by default after installing the new software.
Google is ready to add more features to the public preview of its upcoming platform as it gets closer to being ready for its proper launch. The company announced that it's pushing out the third beta of Android 12 today, and it brings features like scrolling screenshots, enhanced auto-rotate and more. For developers, Google said this is the "last beta release before the Platform Stability milestone," which means they can begin to test their apps for the next platform. Beta 3 will also include the final Android 12 APIs and official SDK.
Those may not seem obviously impactful for the average user. What will feel more immediately useful are scrolling screenshots, which Google said will work "out-of-the-box for most apps." With Beta 3, when you snap an image of your screen, you'll see a new "Capture more" button. Tap that, and you'll extend the boundaries of your screenshot to get all the content available, after which you can adjust the crop. Google said it's "continuing to iterate on scrolling screenshots" and "also working to provide support for a wider variety of content (such as web content)," so it's possible this version isn't what you'll see when Android 12 officially launches.
Google
Beta 3 also brings enhanced auto-rotate, which will use your phone's front camera to detect your face and tell when you've flipped the device. As opposed to relying only on accelerometers/gyroscopes to detect the orientation of your phone, this can make auto-rotate more responsive. It's "especially helpful for people who are using their devices while lying down on a couch or in bed, for example," Google said. If you don't like the idea of your camera being used to see how you're holding up your phone, it may help to know that the company said the feature lives in its Private Compute Core and the "images are never stored or sent off the device." Enhanced auto-rotate will be available on the Pixel 4 and newer Pixel devices.
If you're on an older or non-Pixel phone, you'll also see some improvements. Google said it "optimized the animation and redrawing and added an ML-driven gesture-detection algorithm" that's reduced the base auto-rotate feature's latency by 25 percent.
Another new feature on Beta 3 is platform support for Google's on-device search engine called AppSearch. It'll allow developers to offer better search tools in their apps, and also offer them the option of participating in a central index "that's maintained for the entire system in Android 12 (and later releases)." Those who opt-in to the central index will enable Google to show data from their apps in overall system searches. Developers can also choose to "securely share data with other apps, allowing them to search your app's data as well as their own." That means one day, if they decide to enable it, apps like Tinder and Spotify could search data within your Facebook, Twitter or Instagram apps, for example.
Google
That function is not here yet since it requires developer participation. Many other features on Beta 3 are also behind-the-scenes, like the new ability for enterprises to set camera and mic restrictions on devices they manage. Android 12's Game Mode APIs will let developers respond appropriately to different profiles selected by the player, "like better battery life for a long commute, or performance mode to get peak frame rates," for example. These will be part of an "upcoming game dashboard which provides an overlay experience with quick access to key utilities during gameplay" that will be available on select devices later this year.
We're still eagerly awaiting the addition of the Material You design scheme that Google unveiled at I/O earlier this year, but as Android 12 approaches platform stability and a final release, it looks like most of the features we were expecting are here. If you're eager to test out this preview and can't wait for the official launch, you can enroll in Google's beta program. As always, we must caution that preview software is not guaranteed to be stable and you should back up your data before installing the beta. Whether you check out this early build or wait for a little longer, it does seem like a meaty update is coming for Android users that could be worth the anticipation.
SolarWinds vulnerabilities continue to be targeted by overseas hackers months after the US information technology company suffered a widespread cyberattack. On Tuesday, Microsoft said that a group operating out of China was using a zero-day remote code execution to attack SolarWinds software. If successfully exploited, the flaw in the IT company's Serv-U software allows hackers to perform actions like install and run malicious payloads or view and change data, Microsoft noted in a blog post.
As part of its investigation, Microsoft said it had observed the hacking group targeting organizations in the US military research and development and software sectors. The company has designated the actor as DEV-0322 in reference to its status as an unidentified "development group." Microsoft explained that it uses the label prior to reaching high confidence about the origin or identity of a hacker. The group operating out of China is using commercial VPN solutions and compromised consumer routers to carry out their attacks, Microsoft said. Those affected have been notified and assisted in their response, the company noted.
SolarWinds confirmed on the weekend that it was notified by Microsoft of a security vulnerability in its Serv-U software. The flaw was related to the product's managed file transfer and secured FTP, which it has since patched.
SolarWinds gained overnight notoriety in December after it became the subject of a supply chain cyberattack that impacted 18,000 of its customers, including nine US government agencies. US intelligence released a joint statement in January naming Russia as the most likely source of the hack. The following month, Reuters reported that suspected Chinese hackers had exploited a separate flaw in SolarWinds' software to to help breach US government computers last year. The latest vulnerability is not related to the so-called Sunburst supply chain attack, SolarWinds said.
Ring has today announced that end-to-end encryption (E2E) has exited technical preview stage and is now available for many Ring users across the globe. Once activated, the footage captured by those doorbells is only viewable on the user’s enrolled mobile device, reducing the ability for third parties to see the clips. The news follows the rollout of a US-only technical preview from the start of the year, although it remains limited to the more premium versions of Ring’s connected doorbells.
At the same time, the company is rolling out support for third-party authentication apps for two-step verification. Similarly, users will now be greeted by CAPTCHAs when logging in to both the Ring app and Neighbors in order to further deter malicious types from trying to gain access. Plus, Ring is making it easier for you to sell your doorbell on by automating the system to transfer hardware within the app.
The move comes shortly after the company announced a shift in how it dealt with requests for footage from law enforcement agencies. Rather than the previous system, officials now have a 12-hour window in which to ask users in the vicinity of an incident to submit footage via public feed. It comes in the wake of news that the company has partnerships with more than 2,000 fire and police departments, and that its Neighbors app was briefly publishing precise locations of people’s homes.
Google is streamlining how Drive users backup and sync their files. The company is rolling out the new Drive for desktop app on Mac and Windows.
Drive for desktop will replace the Backup and Sync app (which supplanted the Google Drive desktop app in 2018) as well as Drive File Stream, which is for business users. Given that Google Workspace is now available to everyone, it doesn't make a lot of sense to have separate sync methods.
The new app combines the best parts of Backup and Sync and Drive File Stream, according to Google. You will be able to upload and sync your photos and videos across Google Photos as well as Drive. There's the option to sync external storage devices with the cloud as well. In addition, you'll be able to mirror Drive files on your computer, with locally stored versions of files for faster access.
On top of that, you can sync local folders such as your desktop and documents. There's also integration with Microsoft Outlook and Meet scheduling, and you'll be able to see who's editing Microsoft Office files in real time.
Drive File Stream users won't have to do much. Google renamed the app to Drive for desktop, and it will gain features from Backup and Sync in the coming months. Google will prompt Backup and Sync users to switch over to Drive for desktop. From October 1st, Backup and Sync will stop working, so you'll need to make the transition to keep backing up your files with Drive.
After oh so many delays, training up its founder, Sir Richard Branson, and some delightful, sometimes petty, banter with Blue Origin (love those “largest windows in space” claims), Virgin Galactic has made it into space.
Or at least, it did, depending on who you ask. Blue Origin’s first crewed spaceflight is just days away, and it’s pointed out that Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo didn't’ really fly in space. The craft reached an altitude of 'just' 53.4 miles. However, the Kármán line (the formal demarcation for space) is 62 miles.
It’s a fair point, even if it comes across a little like sour grapes. While not quite crossing over that line, the mission was to evaluate the SpaceShipTwo’s cabin environment, seat comfort and the overall experience it will offer customers. Presumably, this was where Sir Branson’s expertise in astrophysics with his myriad companies came to the fore. Two additional test flights are set to launch before Virgin Galactic begins offering paid flights next year.
Watch Virgin Galactic’s successful flight right here.
The phones the FBI sold to crooks for a sting operation weren't just running a custom messaging app — it appears the operating system itself was customized for the sting. Motherboardobtained one of the "Anom" phones — a modified Pixel 4a underneath it all — and its mysterious ArcaneOS has a number of customizations you wouldn't necessarily expect, even for a privacy-oriented phone.
There’s no app store, and you can't toggle location tracking. You can’t flash the device with third-party firmware to make it behave more like normal phones, either — the bootloader is locked, even though the startup screen tells you the device has been “modified.”
For nefarious types you’d expect to see in Mission Impossible movies, less real-life, there’s a hidden chat app (accessed through the "calculator" when it worked) and PIN scrambling. There’s also a wipe code feature that lets you erase a phone from the lock screen — although it won’t explode. Continue reading.
You’ll only see shared media a single time before it vanishes.
After releasing the feature on Android last month, WhatsApp is debuting self-erasing media and texts on iOS, via a new beta release. If you sign up for the beta version 2.21.140.9 on Testflight, you'll be able to send photos and videos that self-destruct as soon as they're viewed and dismissed. Users with access to the "view once" feature will see a dedicated button resembling a timer in the caption input field.
Unlike WhatsApp's disappearing messages, which delete after seven days, photos and videos sent using view-once mode vanish immediately after you close them. That said, there's nothing stopping users from taking screenshots of media, and you won't be notified if a recipient has done so. Some apps, like Snapchat, make this harder to do or inform the user when screenshots are snapped. Continue reading.
While English fans might not want to think about football for a bit, FIFA 22 is, predictably, on its way, and its centerpiece is a new HyperMotion system. This will apparently offer more realistic animation and gameplay when you game on a PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S or Google Stadia. The technology uses machine learning to produce animations in real-time, leading to more "organic" movement.
The game is also coming to PS4, Xbox One and PC (via Origin and Steam), while FIFA 22 Legacy Edition is coming to the Nintendo Switch, although EA didn't outline differences. Presumably, it’ll be a less graphically intense version of the game. EA has hinted at a "complete" revamp of the goalkeeper system, a new club creation experience in Career Mode and "reimagined" Volta Football. Continue reading.
The semi-autonomous upgrade has been in the works for years.
Tesla is rolling out FSD beta version 9 to Early Access Program users, and while it's still not full autonomy, it does enable numerous Autopilot driver assists, including lane changes and turns. You'll also get revamped visualizations that offer "additional surrounding information."
The update also references a recently activated feature that uses the cabin camera to make sure you're paying attention while Autopilot is engaged. Musk also urged beta testers to be "paranoid" and stay prepared to take the wheel at a moment's notice. Continue reading.
WhatsApp is working on a setting that will let users more easily bypass its iffy image compression and send photos and videos in the highest available fidelity. The "best quality" option will likely join "auto" and "data saver" choices in a future version of the app.
It appears users will eventually have the choice of whether to compress photos and videos to perhaps save on their data allowance, send them in the best available quality or let WhatsApp automatically select the optimal level of compression for files.
The settings are present in an update WhatsApp submitted to the Google Play Beta Program, as spotted by WABetaInfo. The options will probably arrive in the public Android build of the app, though it's not clear when — they're currently in development. It's likely the additional image quality options will come to iOS as well, since WhatsApp generally maintains the same features across both platforms.
This could come as welcome news for those who don't use the stock messaging apps on iOS or Android and often share photos and videos of their loved ones (Apple Messages retains the original image quality most of the time). Meanwhile, multi-device support is also on the way to WhatsApp.
Since 2018, an app called Natural Cycles has allowed women to track their temperature and menstrual cycle as a way to know whether they’re fertile. In that time, the process of using the app hasn’t changed significantly. Every morning when you wake up, it asks that you take your temperature with a basal thermometer and log that data. And while Natural Cycles says it’s okay for users to miss some days, the app is at its most effective as a contraception method when someone is methodical. With typical usage, the software is 93 percent effective at preventing unwanted pregnancies, according to studies published by the company.
Following an application last fall, Natural Cycles has obtained clearance from the FDA to allows users to track their temperature with a wearable device, the startup told Fast Company. With the help of 40 women who used an Oura ring, the company found its software was able to accurately predict when they were about to ovulate. In fact, the wearable helped Natural Cycle better predict non-fertile days. The company said the approval makes it the “world’s first wearable birth control,” in a statement it shared with Engadget.
At the moment, the feature is only available through an invite-only beta, and the company told Fast Company it currently doesn’t have a timeline for when it will widely roll out wearable supports to its users. It plans to first test a variety of different devices, as well as work on its own first-party offering.
Google has rolled out an update for the Meet video calling app that could make personal calls more enjoyable. The Meet app for Android and iOS now has filters and masks you can play with — simply tap the sparkle button at the bottom right corner of your video call to bring up the Effects options. You'll find Blur effects and backgrounds in there like you would on enterprise and education accounts, but you'll now also find "Styles" and "Filters" among the options in the carousel.
Under Styles, you'll see lens flare effects and color overlays you can apply to your video. If you want to see the truly fun options, though, look under Filters for cute animal masks and virtual accessories you can virtually put on your face and head. These new effects are already live, and based on our tests, they're available for use even if you start a meeting through Gmail instead of through the Meet app itself.
Add cats, astronauts, jellyfish and more to your Meet calls. New filters, masks and effects are now available for Meet on Android and iOS. Try it today → https://t.co/DDSvWFxDG8pic.twitter.com/hylhsCcUuj
As 9to5Google notes, Google has been releasing a number of features that would make the service a more veritable Zoom rival. This time, the tech giant is hoping to win over personal users with a feature that could convince them to use Meet for calls with friends and family. The publication previously reported that Google will eventually replace its Duo app with Meet entirely. This move could be a step towards that, as well, seeing as some of Meet's new masks and filters came straight out of Duo's library.
