Someone just perpetrated one of the largest cryptocurrency heists known to date... and appears to be having second thoughts. The Block and CNBC report that a hacker stole about $611 million in Ethereum, Shiba Inu and other digital currencies from the decentralized Poly Network finance platform on August 10th by exploiting a vulnerability. Less than a day later, however, the intruder sent a token indicating they were "ready to surrender" and started returning millions in funds.
It's not completely clear what prompted the change of heart, but the hacker may have been caught. Slowmist and other security researchers reportedly tracked down identifying info, including email, an IP address and the Chinese cryptocurrency exchange the perpetrator used. If so, the 'refund' may have been an attempt to avoid criminal charges.
The damage might be limited as a result. However, this is still one of the largest thefts in DeFi (decentralized finance) history, and comes in a year when there had already been $361 million in such hacks as of July. It might just shake the confidence of those relying heavily on crypto exchanges. If there's any consolation, it's that the very technology exploited during the attack also made it difficult to profit from that attack. As analyics firm Elliptic's Tom Robinson told CNBC, it can be difficult to launder or otherwise cash out cryptocurrency without leaving a trail of clues — incidents like these might discourage attacks.
In less than two hours, Samsung will kick off its fourth Galaxy Unpacked event of 2021. While the official livestream won't get underway until 10AM ET, Engadget’s coverage of Unpacked will start at 9:40AM ET with a pre-show. We’ll also return after the event is complete to share analysis and answer your questions. Between information shared by Samsung and the usual assortment of pre-release leaks, we have a good idea of what to expect from the company later today.
For instance, we’re almost certain Samsung won’t announce a new Note phone at Unpacked. Instead, updated models of the Galaxy Z Flip and Galaxy Z Fold will headline the event. The company has also confirmed it will show off a new version of the S Pen that will work with its foldable devices. However, what we’re most excited about is the chance to see its latest Galaxy Watch wearable. At I/O 2021, Samsung and Google announced they were working together on a new version of Wear OS, and we’ll see the fruits of that partnership at Unpacked. Beyond that and an updated pair of Galaxy Buds, there’s always the chance Samsung could surprise us as well.
Follow all of the news from Samsung's Galaxy Unpacked event right here!
It’s been more than three years since 1Password released its last major update for Mac. That’s not to say the company has been idle. Far from it, in fact, but macOS users haven’t had a significant refresh to look forward to until now. Following early access previews on Linux and Windows, you can now try 1Password 8, the latest version of the company’s desktop app, on Mac. The update brings with it a host of improvements to the password manager.
One of the first things you’ll notice is how categories have moved from the sidebar to a dropdown menu you can access from below the search bar. 1Password co-founder David Teare told Engadget that’s a decision the company made to highlight different accounts and vaults without forcing users to access a separate mode.
A goal the developer set out for itself when it started work on 1Password 8 was to make the app better at highlighting all the ways you can share different vaults and login credentials between family members and co-workers. You’ll see that approach reflected throughout the app, starting with when you first open it.
1Password
The lock screen now includes icons that display what accounts you will open. Moreover, once you’re in the main interface, you’ll see more contextual information throughout. For example, when you’re about to move a login, a pop-up window will appear to tell you who will gain access to that information as a result.
With the emphasis on sharing, 1Password is doubling down on paid memberships. While the writing has been on the wall for a while, 1Password 8 won't allow you to sync your accounts and vaults over Dropbox, iCloud or any other services aside from 1Password. According to Teare, the company decided to discontinue support for third-party syncing for a handful of reasons. “It’s hard to do sharing using a platform for syncing that doesn’t have a concept of other users,” he said.
1Password
One of the other goals 1Password set for itself with this new app was to keep things familiar. However, there are areas where the company experimented. It’s most apparent in the new Watchtower view. That section of the software will still warn you if you have weak, reused and compromised passwords, but will do so using a new dashboard view that’s similar to how competitors like Dashlane and LastPass present the information in their products. Teare said 1Password debated making Watchtower the first screen you see after opening 1Password 8 but ultimately decided that was “too big of a jump for one release.” However, he noted the updated Watchtower represents a new direction for 1Password, one where the company has the capabilities to allow its designers to tweak things more freely.
In a way, that’s the unifying theme of 1Password 8. It’s a significant milestone for 1Password not because of the new features involved but due to the work the company did behind the scenes to put systems in place for future releases. “With 1Password 8, we really wanted to tie everything together,” Teare said. Previously, the company had separate teams working on its different apps, with little in the way of shared code and resources between them. To help them work together, 1Password built a common code base using Rust, a programming language Teare said allowed the company to create a more cohesive experience across its apps while still catering to what makes each operating system different.
1Password
The way 1Password 8 works in conjunction with Safari is one example of that. You’ll now see the browser extension open inline with the username and password field on a website. If you have the app configured to handle two-factor authentication requests for you, it will also automatically fill that field once you get to it.
Once it's done testing the app, 1Password expects to release 1Password 8 for Mac and Windows later this year. According to Teare, the company also plans to bring the improved experience to Android, iPhone and iPad users "in the near future."
We’ve known for a while that iOS 15 will grant succor to all of those who have lost, and lamented, their AirPods. Those true wireless earphones are small enough that it’s easy to misplace them, and desirable enough that some folks would want to pinch them. Now, 9to5Mac has found code inside the iOS 15 beta that better explains how this feature is going to work in practice, at least if you have the Pro or Max versions.
In its report, the site says that those AirPods will be linked with your Apple ID and use Bluetooth to help you locate them when they go missing. Even if they’re not connected to your phone, you should still be able to find them on the map via the Find My network. Unfortunately, it does look that, despite being tied to your Apple ID, the relevant AirPods will not have an activation lock attached to them. That means that, should some unscrupulous type find a pair on the street, they can remove them from the network.
As summer comes to a close, for the tech launch calendar we’re getting into new iPhone season. Before we even know, officially, what Apple will reveal, the question I’m always asked by friends, family and readers returns: Is it worth upgrading to the new iPhone?
I don’t know yet. Hah. The rumors, however, converge on hardware changes to the iPhone screen, which will probably arrive in the same sizes we saw on the iPhone 12 series. — something noted in Bloomberg’s latest report.
We might get always-on screen tech, utilizing a battery-efficient 120Hz display that should look smooth, while offering information and notifications on a lock screen without having to wake the iPhone up. Otherwise, so far at least, we expecting refinements to software-based camera features, a (predictably) faster mobile chip and perhaps stronger MagSafe magnets to keep your peripherals locked on.
We’ll have to wait and see how much the rumors get right — will Apple call it the iPhone 13?
Before all that, however, it's Samsung's day in the spotlight. Its Galaxy Unpacked event kicks off later this morning. We'll be streaming the full event, with analysis right after it wraps. It all kicks off at 9:40AM ET — join us on YouTube right here.
Xiaomi has today announced the CyberDog, an open-source quadruped robot intended for developers to “build upon” and create applications for. Xiaomi says that this technology is good enough to enable CyberDog to follow its owner and navigate around obstacles. It is also capable of identifying posture and tracking human faces, enabling it to pick out and track individuals in a group. The path to mainstream robotics is paved with ‘dogs’ and humanoids that didn’t quite work out and for now, rather than selling this as a general-sale product, the company will produce 1,000 Cyberdogs for “Xiaomi fans, engineers and robotics enthusiasts.” Continue reading.
The chain’s newest shareholders are enthusiastic about crypto.
AMC announced that it will accept Bitcoin as payment for tickets and snacks at all US theaters by the end of 2021. Company chief Adam Aron didn't say how you'd make those payments, but he did hint that AMC was also researching other ways it could join the "burgeoning cryptocurrency universe." Continue reading.
Google is streamlining its security key family. The search giant will now only offer two editions; one with USB-A and USB-C, both of which will pack NFC to enable it to be used by most mobile devices. That should reduce any confusion that would-be purchasers had with the current lineup, where some models didn’t work contactlessly. Continue reading
If it’s not robot dogs, it’s another smartphone. The Mi Mix 4 is Xiaomi’s slimmest ceramic unibody smartphone yet, with a 6.67-inch 2,400 x 1,080 screen that hides a 20-megapixel selfie camera underneath the glass. Notably, the patch that hides the camera has the same 400ppi density as the rest of the panel, albeit with smaller pixels and transparent circuitry. In-screen cameras usually offer sub-par photos and often stand out from the rest of the smartphone screen, due to reduced pixel density. Xiaomi might have solved that issue, but we’ll have to see it in person to confirm. It’s the dawn of hidden selfie cameras, and Xiaomi and Oppo are leading the pack. Continue reading.
The department paid millions for facial recognition, vans equipped with X-ray machines and more.
The New York City Police Department has spent over $159 million on surveillance systems and maintenance since 2007 without public oversight, according to newly released documents. As reported by Wired, The Legal Aid Society (LAS) and the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (STOP) obtained the documents from the NYPD, which include contracts with vendors.
The NYPD made the purchases through a Special Expenses Fund, which meant it didn't need to gain the approval of the NYC Council or other city officials before signing the contracts. Continue reading.
It’s the same old story: Government hands out a multi-billion contract to one tech giant, only to see another tech giant complain about the process. But no sooner had we put the JEDI contract out of our minds and Amazon and Microsoft are, once again, at each other’s throats. Washington Technology, (via The Verge) reports that Microsoft has filed a complaint after the NSA awarded a $10 billion contract to Amazon Web Services. The project, codenamed WildAndStormy, of which details are not widely available, but apparently involves the provision of cloud computing technology to the wider intelligence community.
Microsoft has lodged a complaint with the Government Accountability Office, reportedly claiming that AWS’ product was not properly evaluated. The Windows giant feels that in a side-by-side comparison of its tech versus that of Amazon’s, it would win, and feels the process here wasn’t very fair. The GAO has until October 29th to respond to Microsoft’s complaint, and it’s likely that this will not be the end of the pair’s war of digital attrition. As reported by NextGov, an NSA spokesperson said that any response will be “in accordance with appropriate federal regulations.”
Apple has settled its 2019 lawsuit with Corellium, a company that build virtual iOS devices used security researchers to find bugs in iPhones and other iOS devices, the Washington Post has reported. The terms of the settlement weren't disclosed, but the agreement comes after Apple suffered a major court loss in the dispute in late 2020.
Corellium’s software allows users to run virtual iPhones on a computer browser, giving them deep access to iOS without the need for a physical device. In addition to accusing Corellium of infringing on its copyright, Apple said the company was selling its product indiscriminately, thereby compromising the platform’s security.
Specifically, Apple accused the company of selling its products to governments that could have probed its products for flaws. When he was employed by another company, Corellium co-founder David Wang helped the FBI unlock an iPhone used by a terrorist responsible for the San Bernardino attacks.
However, a judge dismissed the copyright claims, calling them "puzzling, if not disingenuous." He wrote in his ruling that “the Court finds that Corellium has met its burden of establishing fair use," adding that its use of iOS in that context was permissible.
Corellium started offering its platform to individual subscribers earlier this year, after previously only making it available to enterprise users. Each request for access is vetted individually so that it won't fall into the wrong hands for malicious purposes, according to the company.
T-Mobile has launched a pilot offering fiber optic home internet service in New York City, according to a report from T-Mo confirmed by The Verge. It's testing the service in select Manhattan residential buildings, offering 940Mbps upload and download speeds along with a WiFi 6 router, according to the company's new fiber product page.
It's using a third-party provider's fiber rather than its own lines and running the program on a "very limited pilot," the company told The Verge. It added that it would offer more information "when and if" it rolls out more widely.
The fiber service is being marketed alongside T-Mobile's 5G wireless home internet launched in April. T-Mobile said that service would deliver average download speeds greater than 100Mbps for most new customers, with a minimum 50Mbps speeds. The service is available for around $60 per month to 30 million Americans across 49 states (not including Alaska), and the company recently told investors it was on track to sign 500,000 customers by the end of 2021.
The fiber offering is a new twist, though it's not clear how widespread T-Mobile plans to go with it. We've also yet to learn pricing, but rival Verizon charges around $80 per month for similar speeds with its Fios service.
Instagram has introduced new features called Limits and Hidden Words designed to reduce hate and abuse on trending posts, the company announced. The update is designed to protect its users, particularly creators and public features, from seeing harassing, racist, homophobic and sexist content in comments and DM requests.
The new Limits feature, available starting today, will allow all users to hide comments and DM requests from users who either don't follow them or only recently started following them. On top of that, the app will issue "an even stronger warning" and halt posting immediately if someone tries to publish an offensive content — rather than waiting for a repeat offense as before.
"Creators also tell us they don’t want to switch off comments and messages completely; they still want to hear from their community and build those relationships," said Instagram head Adam Mosseri in a blog post. "Limits allows you to hear from your long-standing followers, while limiting contact from people who might only be coming to your account to target you."
Instagram said that it developed the features following racist abuse directed at UK footballers in their direct messages. "Our research shows that a lot of negativity towards public figures comes from people who don’t actually follow them, or who have only recently followed them, and who simply pile on in the moment," said Mosseri.
We saw this after the recent Euro 2020 final, which resulted in a significant — and unacceptable — spike in racist abuse towards players.
The other new feature, Hidden Words, allows users to filter abusive messages in DM requests. If a request contains any filter word you've chosen, it's automatically placed in a hidden folder that you can choose to never open — though it's not completely deleted.
The update, available starting today, arrives after Facebook announced that it would make Instagram safer and more private for teens. Changes introduced last month include automatically making accounts private for teens under 16, limiting the ability of advertisers to target personal information like "interests" and using AI to detect a users' age.
The changes also come as Facebook explores creating a version of Instagram for kids under 13. While it's still in the early stages, the idea has drawn attention from Democratic lawmakers who've asked the company to detail exactly how it would work "given Facebook's past failures to protect children," they wrote. It is opposed by 44 state attorneys general, who wrote that "this is a dangerous idea that risks the safety of our children and puts them directly in harm’s way."
Audi has just come out with a pretty wild EV concept: A convertible roadster that extends its wheelbase to transform into a grand tourer (GT). With the touch of a button, the Audi Skysphere's entire front end can extend or retract 9.8-inches (and drop 0.4 inches).
The Skysphere is meant to show Audi's design chops as well as its technical prowess. It took inspiration from the company's 1931 Horch 853, a long, low roadster with a pushed-back cabin and rear-wheel drive. The modern concept retains those primary features, in spades, with the long snout and low, laid-back cockpit giving it a mild resemblance to rear-drive GTs like the Ferrari 812 Superfast.
Audi
In place of the straight-8 gas guzzler on the Horch, the concept car has a 623-horsepower electric motor and an 80-kWh battery, with much of it behind the rear bulkhead. That makes for a Porsche 911-like rear weight bias of 60-40, meaning it would be easy to get the Skysphere sideways if it was ever built. It also delivers 553 foot-pounds of torque, enough to take it to 60 MPH in around 4 seconds. At the same time, it will go around 310 miles on the Euro WLPT cycle, or less in EPA terms.
The interior is meant to evoke 1930s Art Deco architecture (matching the period of the Horch), with modern electronic conveniences. It has a full dashboard screen like the Honda E, along with large touchscreens at the armrest locations. The sharply angled, minimalist interior is designed for a Level 4 autonomous operation, so you can relax in GT mode and take control when you want to have some roadster-powered fun.
Roadster sport mode
Audi
Grander tourer (GT) mode
Audi
The most unique (though perhaps highly unrealistic) feature of the Skysphere is the variable wheelbase (above). Electric motors drive a telescoping structure that takes it from a long-wheelbase grand touring EV to a considerably shorter and lower roadster. It also uses active aerodynamics that are closed in GT mode and open in roadster form. When activated, they would duct air under the car for extra downforce.
The interior also transforms, pushing the steering wheel and pedals forward and the passenger seat rearward in roadster mode, while the dash moves forward to become a more driver-centric instrument panel. Despite the sporty nature of the EV, it has space for custom luggage and two golf club sets.
All told, the Skysphere concept is a fun take on an EV that could be two cars at once, offering both driver fun and some autonomy if you wanted to relax. Don't expect to see one on a road near you, but some of the ideas may one day come to Audi EVs. The automaker also announced that it will unveil two other concepts, the Grandsphere and Urbansphere, in the coming months.
