AfterDawn: Tech news

News written by James Delahunty (February, 2019)

AfterDawn: News

WinRAR 5.70 Final released with improvements and bug fixes

Written by James Delahunty @ 28 Feb 2019 12:29

WinRAR 5.70 Final released with improvements and bug fixes RARLAB has released a new version of the popular WinRAR archiver with a whole list of improvements and bug fixes.

WinRAR is the most popular tool for opening and extracting archives for a wide range of formats, including RAR, ZIP, TAR, 7ZIP and more. Today, RARLAB released WinRAR V5.70 Final with an extensive list of changes, improvements and bug fixes.

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Nokia 9 Pureview with 5 back cameras unveiled at MWC

Written by James Delahunty @ 25 Feb 2019 6:20

Nokia 9 Pureview with 5 back cameras unveiled at MWC HMD Global showed off a new Nokia smartphone that can snap photos with up to 240-megapixel resolution using five separate lenses.

A new contender in the current smartphone camera battle has come forth. The Nokia 9 Pureview was shown off at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona over the weekend. The key selling feature of this smartphone is what it can do with its five cameras on the rear of the device.

Three are monochromatic (they only record light in shades of grey) and two are conventional color lenses. All five can capture 12-megapixel images, but they work together to produce single multilayer images up to 240 megapixels in detail. An infrared sensor compliments the five cameras and allows the device to perceive and accurately capture depth like never before on a phone.

Depending on the light settings, the cameras capture detail up to four times in quick succession, and then the device's software picks one of the color shots as the primary image. The other stills are then used to add even more detail to the image, producing stunningly detailed shots that can even retain details otherwise lost (such as objects in shadows etc.)

The dynamic range this permits (12.4 stops) is higher than any other smartphone on the market, touts HMD Global, which licenses the Nokia brand. Using depth mode, Nokia 9 PureView can identify over 1,200 layers to build a detailed depth map, allowing you to re-focus your shots later in Google Photos.

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WinRAR fixed security bug that was present for 19 years

Written by James Delahunty @ 22 Feb 2019 1:06

WinRAR fixed security bug that was present for 19 years The latest version of WinRAR addressed a serious security flaw that left users' PCs vulnerable to attack for almost two decades.

WinRAR is one of the best tools available for creating, opening and modifying file / compression archives, such as RAR files, ZIP files, 7zip, ISO and so many more. It has been very popular for pretty much all of its existence, but it had a nasty flaw present for a long time that went unnoticed.

Check Point Research revealed that there was a problem with how WinRAR handles ACE archives, and crucially, even ACE archives that had a different file extension (e.g. .rar). In a nutshell, a crafted ACE archive when extracted with WinRAR could place an executable file in the startup folder in Windows, meaning that the OS would run that executable file on the next boot.

This is a serious problem for obvious reasons. Technically, WinRAR had been using a third-party tool to extract ACE archives, and that's where the vulnerability lay and goes some ways to explaining why it was not noticed by WinRAR developers until pointed out.

To address the issue, WinRAR v5.70 beta 1 does not support opening or handling ACE archives at all. It is worth emphasizing that there is no evidence this flaw was used in any known attacks.

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Samsung unveils Galaxy Watch Active, Galaxy Fit and Galaxy Buds wearables

Written by James Delahunty @ 20 Feb 2019 4:02

Samsung unveils Galaxy Watch Active, Galaxy Fit and Galaxy Buds wearables At Samsung's press event in San Francisco today, the South Korean firm has unveiled three new wearables alongside its Galaxy S10 handsets and Galaxy Fold.

Samsung's wearables line-up has expanded with the newly designed and health-conscious Galaxy Watch Active, the new Galaxy Fit, and the new cord-free Galaxy Buds.

First up is the Galaxy Watch Active.

The new Galaxy Watch Active sports a new thin, light and versatile design and it focuses on your health and wellbeing. Exercise, sleep, stress and health tracking features are the selling point of Samsung's largest Galaxy-branded smartwatch. The device can monitor your blood pressure through a My Bp app that has been designed with the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF).



Galaxy Watch Active keeps up with you by auto-detecting when you run, bike, row, use the elliptical trainer, or start a dynamic workout. You can work with 39 activities, set daily goals and keep track of your progress all the way through.

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Samsung unveils Galaxy S10 5G on tenth anniversary

Written by James Delahunty @ 20 Feb 2019 3:12

Samsung unveils Galaxy S10 5G on tenth anniversary Samsung has marked the tenth anniversary of the original Samsung Galaxy S smartphone with the release of a powerful and speedy Galaxy S10 5G.

It was announced along with three other models: Samsung Galaxy S10, Samsung Galaxy S10+ (plus) and Samsung Galaxy S10e. You can read about those models here.

The Samsung Galaxy S10 5G beefs up things again over the S10+. As the name suggests, it supports 5G connectivity for lightning transfer speeds compared to current 4G technology. It also has a larger screen again, trading in the 6.4-inch screen on the S10+ for a 6.7-inch AMOLED, 3040x1440 (19:9) Infinity-O AMOLED display.

It packs 8GB of RAM. For internal storage, this model can be purchased with up to 256GB internal storage. It packs the same 4,500 mAh battery (with support for Super Fast Charging at 25W as the S10+ and weighs the same 175g.

There are three camera lenses on the back; a standard camera (12 MP, OIS, f/1.5 or f/2.4), ultra-wide 123-degree angle camera (16 MP, f/2.2), and a telephoto camera (12 MP, OIS, f/2.4). On the front is a 10 MP, f/1.9, Dual Pixel AF.

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Samsung Galaxy S10, S10+, and S10e unveiled in San Franciso

Written by James Delahunty @ 20 Feb 2019 2:58

Samsung Galaxy S10, S10+, and S10e unveiled in San Franciso Samsung has shown off its shiny new Galaxy S10 handsets on the tenth anniversary of the original Galaxy S smartphone.

There are three options to choose from: Samsung Galaxy S10, Samsung Galaxy S10+ (plus) and Samsung Galaxy S10e. To start with what is common to all of them, we would first note that they are all driven by a Snapdragon 855 processor (in the United States), or Exynos 9820 (outside the U.S.). They all support WiFi 6, Near Field Communication and Bluetooth LE.

The new models also support reverse wireless charging (Wireless PowerShare7), which allows owners to charge other devices using their Samsung Galaxy S10. An ultrasonic fingerprint scanner lurks beneath the curved edge screens of the Samsung Galaxy S10 and S10+ but is moved to the side for the S10e.

While the Samsung Galaxy S10e has two cameras, the S10 and S10+ features a standard camera (12 MP, OIS, f/1.5 or f/2.4), ultra-wide 123-degree angle camera (16 MP, f/2.2), and a telephoto camera (12 MP, OIS, f/2.4) on the back. With the S10, you can easily switch between the lens based on what you need at the time. The S10 is the first smartphone that can record video in HDR10+.

The S10 camera has a new Instagram mode that allows you to quickly send photos to your Stories and share immediately.

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Samsung Galaxy Fold is a powerful smartphone that unfolds into a tablet

Written by James Delahunty @ 20 Feb 2019 2:24

Samsung Galaxy Fold is a powerful smartphone that unfolds into a tablet Samsung has unveiled its new Samsung Galaxy Fold, a powerful smartphone that unfolds into a tablet.

Rumors and leaks had confirmed that Samsung show off its foldable smartphone at the Galaxy UNPACKED 2019 conference in San Francisco, and the South Korean firm didn't disappoint. The Galaxy Fold resembles a normal smartphone in your hand but unfolds into a powerful tablet. It unfolds smoothly and naturally, like a book.

Folded, you can work on a 4.6-inch HD+ Super AMOLED (21:9) display, but unfolded it sports a large 7.3-inch QXGA+ Dynamic AMOLED (4.2:3) display. It supports three-app multitasking and app continuity ensures that your experience on the smaller screen switches seamlessly to the larger display

The device features an impressive six cameras; three on the back (16 MP Ultra Wide Camera F2.2, 12 MP Wide-angle Camera, Dual Pixel AF, OIS, F1.5/F2.4, and 12MP Telephoto Camera, PDAF, OIS, F2.4), two front dual cameras (10 MP Selfie Camera, F2.2 and 8MP RGB Depth Camera, F1.9), and cover camera (10 MP Selfie Camera, F2.2).

Under the hood is a powerful 7nm Snapdragon 855 processor (in the United States), or Exynos 9820 (outside the U.S.) and 12GB of RAM. Internal storage runs to 512GB. Two batteries combine to provide one 4,380 mAh equivalent source.

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Apex Legends boasts 25 million players in a week

Written by James Delahunty @ 12 Feb 2019 8:36

Apex Legends boasts 25 million players in a week Respawn Entertainment's new battle royale game has hit more than 25 million downloads in just a week after its announcement and release.

Apex Legends was released for Microsoft Windows, Xbox One and PlayStation 4 on February 4. It hit 2.5 million players within 24 hours of release and broke through 10 million within three days. Now, a week after its release, it has clocked up more than 25 million unique players, and more than 2 million peak concurrent players.

It is set in the same universe as Titanfall and set 30 years after the events of Titanfall 2. It is free-to-play and supported through microtransactions if players wish to unlock legends, purchase specific cosmetics or buy Apex Packs, which are the title's loot boxes.


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GTA Online cheat maker ordered to pay $150k in damages

Written by James Delahunty @ 11 Feb 2019 8:36

GTA Online cheat maker ordered to pay $150k in damages A U.S. court has ordered a man to pay a substantial sum of damages and attorneys fees for distributing a cheating tool for GTA Online.

The Florida man had developed and sold 'Elusive' which could bestow infinite money on the cheater and interfere with the gameplay of other users. Take-Two Interactive, which is the GTA publisher, filed a case against the man last year which accused him of copyright infringement.

The Elusive tool reportedly sold for between $10 and $30 online. Take-Two sought financial information from the cheat maker to determine how much was gained financially and was willing to work out a settlement. However, when the individual failed to respond, Take-Two filed for a default judgment and asked a New York federal court for the maximum damages for copyright infringement, which is $150,000. It also asked for $69,686 in attorney's fees.

"Take-Two has been irreparably harmed by Mr. Perez's infringing conduct and will continue to be harmed unless enjoined," US District Court Judge Kevin Castel writes in his order.

"Mr. Perez's Elusive program creates new features and elements in Grand Theft Auto which can be used to harm legitimate players, causing Take-Two to lose control over its carefully balanced plan for how its video game is designed to be played."

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Airbnb hit by $14 million lawsuit in France

Written by James Delahunty @ 11 Feb 2019 8:21

Airbnb hit by $14 million lawsuit in France Airbnb is facing a lawsuit in Paris that could cost the company around $14 million due to advertisements.

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo revealed the details of the lawsuit to the Journal du Dimanche newspaper. At issue is the publishing of "illegal" rental adverts for property in the French capital. Last year, a law came into effect that would make firms punishable by fines up to €12,500 for illegal rental postings.

Regulations in France state that homeowners can rent out their property on short-term rental platforms for no more than 120 days in a year. To enforce the limit, advertisements are required to include a registration number so that properties can't be rented out for longer periods.

"The goal is to send a shot across the bows to get it over with unauthorized rentals that spoil some Parisian neighborhoods," Mayor Hidalgo said, reports Reuters.

Airbnb's stance is that the French rules are inefficient, disproportionate and in contravention of European rules. Nevertheless, it has implemented measures to help Parisian users comply with the law.






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