The world may be coming to terms with new social isolation orders to combat the spread of the COVID-19 virus, but some companies are taking to it like ducks to water – iPhone maker Apple among them.
According to a new report from Bloomberg, Apple employees, despite now working remotely, are going full steam ahead to get the company's 2020 slate of products into the hands of consumers, despite the disruption to their usual working practices.
From new iPhones to iPads, new iMac to new MacBooks, the perennials are all accounted for. But perhaps more interestingly, the report suggests that 2020 will see the debut of a HomePod 2 smart speaker and a new Apple TV set-top box – the oft-overlooked members of the Apple hardware family.
While the details of each product of course remain shrouded in secrecy, the report states that all remain intended for 2020 release dates.
It seems that Apple is having to relax certain elements of its standard working practices in order to achieve this, too. Ever since a prototype iPhone 4 was lost in a bar by an Apple employee back in 2010, it's had strict rules on how its new devices can be used out in the real world.
But according to the report, Apple has "started allowing engineers to take home early versions of future devices to continue work during the lockdown period. Previously, the company allowed select employees to take home nearly compete devices such as iPhones for real world testing."
The OnePlus 8 series launch event is happening on April 14, and while we were expecting three phones to be launched (the base handset with a Lite and Pro variant), it seems that may not be the case.
No, according to multiple reliable leakers the OnePlus 8 Lite isn't to be unveiled on April 14. Instead it will apparently land later, and with a different name.
Firstly, Max Weinbach stated that the OnePlus 8 Lite would actually be called the OnePlus Z, as a spiritual successor to the OnePlus X from 2015 which was a budget alternative to the OnePlus 2. This handset would likely be for fans who are put off by the fact that OnePlus phones are slowly getting more and more pricey.
Oppo, a phone company owned by the same parent company as OnePlus, took a similar route in expanding its Oppo Reno series with the Oppo Reno Z, and Apple is rumored to be doing the same with the iPhone 9 for people who don't want to pay for a pricey iPhone 11.
As for the later launch, Ishan Agarwal tweeted that the OnePlus Z might come later in 2020, and that it could herald the beginning of a whole new OnePlus range.
This, presumably, would be a series distinct from the OnePlus 8T range - which we're also expecting later this year - and would be aimed at a different audience to the main devices.
Most phone companies have multiple lines of smartphones coming out, like Samsung with its Galaxy S, Note, A, M and J phones available in some combination depending on region, so it wouldn't be surprising if OnePlus did the same.
It sounds like OnePlus could be trying to come up with a budget line to sit under its main line, like how Xiaomi has the Redmi brand to hit that market.
We'll likely find out later in the year though, with the April 14 launch dedicated to the OnePlus 8 and OnePlus 8 Pro by the sounds of it. TechRadar will be reporting on all the news from the event, as well as our analysis and opinions, so stay tuned for that.
A number of rumors had suggested the iPhone 9 might land soon, and it’s now looking very likely that they were right, as cases for the phone are reportedly being sent out to major retailers in the US, such as Best Buy.
This claim, along with a photograph of one of the cases, comes from a tipster speaking to 9to5Mac, and if true this would likely mean the iPhone 9 could launch imminently, since physical stock of cases is unlikely to be sent long before the launch.
As for exactly when the iPhone 9 would launch though, that’s still unclear. The source claims that retailers have been told not to merchandise the cases until April 5, but that’s a Sunday, which is a very unlikely day for a new product launch.
However, it’s unlikely that Apple would want the cases known about before the iPhone 9 is announced, so we could well see it land before then – which would mean an announcement sometime before the 5th.
One leak had even previously pointed to an announcement on March 31, which is today at the time of writing, but with no other sources backing that up we’d take it with a pinch of salt.
Still, the only real reason to doubt a launch soon is the disruption caused by the coronavirus, but a number of reports claim Apple is getting back on track. Most recently a Bloomberg report suggested that Apple employees have largely adjusted to working from home and numerous Apple products are on track to launch this year.
The iPhone 9 wasn't specifically mentioned, but the likes of new budget iPads and the iPhone 12 range were, so there's no reason Apple's budget phone couldn't be on target too.
As for the case image itself, that doesn’t show us much, other than a camera cut-out in the top left corner of the rear, which is where we’d expect to find it. However, there are two things to note.
Firstly, the image is of a UAG case, which is a big-name brand that might well have launch information in advance, so it’s very believable that its cases could have been sent out to retailers based on accurate launch timing information.
Second, the phone is referred to as ‘New iPhone 4.7" 2020’, which tells us firstly to expect a 4.7-inch screen, as had been rumored, but secondly doesn’t include either of the possible names we were expecting for the new iPhone. Previous rumors had pointed probably to iPhone 9, or failing that iPhone SE 2.
The slightly bland description here probably just means UAG wasn’t sure of the final name, but it’s always possible that Apple is ditching the numbers and just calling its most basic phone the iPhone, much like its most basic iPad is just called iPad. It’s likely that we’ll find out for sure very soon.
Samsung Display is the global leader when it comes to panels, not just limited to smartphones. A significant but expected change is reported to go in place later this year when it will end all LCD production.
Samsung Display has been the supplier of choice for most smartphone and television brands across the world, with customers spanning from Apple to OnePlus and everything in between. LG happens to be the closest competitor, which is significantly smaller in terms of market share.
Reuters reports that Samsung is on its way to ending all LCD panel production by the end of this year, after fulfilling the pending orders to its partners. Currently, there are two production lines at its South Korea campus, and two LCD-only factories in China. One of the former will eventually be upgraded and converted into a facility that can produce superior “Quantum dot” displays, while the fate of the latter is yet to be finalized.
One of the key reasons for this shift is to curb the oversupply of LCDs while there is a global slowdown for smartphones and TVs. Moreover, most manufacturers are also looking to leap on to OLED displays, which are generally considered to be superior. With the prices of OLED panels going down due to advancements, we’re now seeing them feature even in budget smartphones.
Samsung’s displays are generally considered to be the best in the business, especially when it comes to smartphones. Aspects such as high resolutions, triple-digit refresh rates, HDR capabilities, physically curved sides, in-display biometrics, and never-before-seen peak brightness levels have all been democratized in the recent past.
Even LG made a similar announcement earlier this year that LG DIsplay Co will halt LCD production for TVs in late 2020.
We're well into the week now, and if you're one of the millions of people suddenly aware they want to get fit, a man named Joe Wicks is trying to be the PE teacher for the UK (and increasingly, the entire world).
The online phenomenon is seeing hundreds of thousands of people crowding around their TVs, iPads, smartphones and more and flinging their limbs around in new and strength-giving ways at 9AM BST each day.
While it was originally dubbed as 'just for kids' during self-isolation, we've been doing it daily and it's certainly not easy. Our stiff muscles tell that story...
The man many will know as the Body Coach has also pledged the following rather nice thing on his Instagram:
"So I've decided that as long as I’m the nations P.E. teacher, every single penny of the money generated on these videos is going to the place where we need it the most right now. All of it is going straight to the NHS, to support the real heroes right now."
So you'll be getting fit and helping those on the front line - that's something we can get on board with.
We'll be updating this article with the live video below - check back regularly and we'll put the link below.
Want to get the best out of the workout? Here's a quick list to make those morning workouts a little easier:
Or, if you don't want to buy a whole new TV to get easy smarts, a Chromecast or Roku stick will allow you to easily stream to your TV too:
What time does Joe Wicks’ kids workout start each day?
If you’re itching to get your fix of Wicks live each day, then you’ll need to have YouTube open and waiting at 9AM BST each day.
(If you're in other parts of the world and don't want to get up ridiculously early each day to watch live, we've got the recent uploads listed at the bottom of this article).
The sessions last for 30 mins, and include a warm up and cool down, and two repetitions of the circuits he walks (or sprints) you through.
If you‘re interesting in getting involved with The Body Coach as it happens, and can cope with irrepressible enthusiasm as this hour, then you’ll need to have your YouTube portal open on your TV, tablet or smartphone at around 8:55AM BST.
You won't see him on camera straight away - but try to memorise all the items on his shelves as there's a daily spot the difference for the die-hard fans.
(If you want to watch it on catch up each day, at a time that suits you, then you can just follow the same instructions above, where the previous workouts will be posted to catch up on.)
How to watch Joe Wicks’ kids workout on a TV
The best way - if you’ve got the space - is to watch the workout in front of a TV. There are myriad ways to get YouTube on your tellybox, thus making it simpler to get active.
Using your smart TV
The easiest way is if you've got a smart TV into your life - open up your smart hub and navigate to YouTube, where you can follow the searching instructions above to find The Body Coach TV, with a new video going live each day at 9AM GMT.
If you don't see it straight away, then it should appear just before 9AM - and Wicks gives you a few minutes to get ready too.
Using Google Chromecast
Alternatively you can use streaming sticks - one of the simplest is Google's Chromecast, which plugs into your HDMI socket and will stream content from your phone to the TV.
Fire up YouTube on your smartphone or tablet and look for the icon below in one of the corners:
(The same icon will also show you any compatible smart TVs or streaming sticks on your network that you can 'cast' the show to - you might be surprised which devices are already enabled).
The Chromecast isn't too expensive either, and is a simple way to turn your TV smart - allowing you to stream a multitude of services (like Netflix and other streaming platforms) from your small phone screen to a larger display:
How to watch on a Roku stick:
More advanced than a Chromecast, the Roku stick turns your TV into a smart hub easily too. When plugged in, hit the 'source' button on your remote and navigate to the HDMI port where your Roku stick is located (or, with some modern TVs, just pressing the 'Home' button on the Roku remote will achieve the same thing).
From there, open the YouTube app and navigate to the Body Coach TV at 9AM GMT... or fire it up on your smartphone or tablet and look for the 'cast' icon above, tap it and see if the Roku is listed (which it should be if all devices are connected to the same Wi-Fi network).
How to watch Joe Wicks’ PE workout on an iPad
You’ve got two options here: if you’ve already got the YouTube app downloaded onto your tablet, then just search for ‘The Body Coach’ and click the icon at the top of the screen for ‘Body Coach TV’.
From there you’ll see a list of all the videos, and at 9AM the new option should pop up - although you may need to refresh.
You can achieve the same thing if you don’t have the iPad app by heading to your Safari or Chrome browser and clicking the link to the The Body Coach’s YouTube channel - you can play the video directly from there, and hit the full-screen option in the bottom right-hand corner.
How to catch up on Joe Wicks' other PE workouts
If you missed anything, or want to browse previous workouts, they're all available on the same YouTube channel above - or you can watch them right here:
It's no secret that businesses are creating more and more data today as their work becomes increasingly digital. But with so much information being generated, sometimes it can be hard to track where your key data lies. This "trapped data" can often be locked away either online or in physical documents, meaning your business could be losing out on vital insights or information.
There's no need to worry though, as smart document capture technology can help you quickly scan through all this information to extract all the useful knowledge that could otherwise have been lost or forgotten. Bringing together a range of services and tools, smart document capture technology is able to quickly analyse and extract all the insights locked away.
Getting the most out of these systems could not only lead to vital data being saved, but could mean your company cuts down on inefficiencies and operational costs across the business.
TechRadar Pro has teamed up with Ephesoft to outline everything you need to know about smart document capture - just fill in the form below to download our free whitepaper for all the information you need.
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We are, as I’m sure you’re well aware, in the midst of a global health crisis. As governments and health organisations around the world work to stem the spread of the virus and ease the anxiety and panic within society, there are those who are maliciously turning this crisis into opportunity.
Our security research teams have identified a number of instances where bad actors are preying on the worries of the public, tainting the good work of people and institutions trying to help, and taking advantage of our increasingly remote workforce for profit. These are troubling times, there is a long road ahead of us, and it’s important that we all be alert to additional threats riding on the coattails of the current crisis and take appropriate precautions.
What follows are examples of recent exploits we’ve been seeing that both businesses and the public need to be aware of.
With so much fear having permeated society, cybercriminals are using this to entice people to click on malicious links and provide personal information or corporate credentials. Recent phishing emails promise recipients a variety of false COVID-19 related information, from up to date infection numbers in their locality, shocking images that governments are supposedly hiding from us, and even a link to a cure. Panicky and curious users who click on these links will often find that malware infects their devices.
Attackers will also go so far as exploit people’s sense of urgency and make emails time-sensitive. It’s a similar psychological trick to how online retailers may use flash sales to lure us to make a purchase on-the-spot, although what a user gets is a lot worse than a little buyer’s remorse. An email promising free coronavirus testing for the first 10,000 respondents will get a user’s attention, especially those who may not know the warning signs of a malicious email.
Ransomware in sheep's clothing
Attackers are also using coronavirus fears to draw people to bogus, malicious apps. Most recently we found one app that presented itself as a means to track the global spread of the virus, when in fact it had a ransomware payload. To confuse and entice users these will sometimes be built on the genuine work of professionals. For example, Johns Hopkins University recently created an interactive dashboard of coronavirus infections and deaths, which has now been copied onto websites utilising drive-by downloads and malicious apps in the Google Play Store for Android devices.
Security researchers identified a new campaign where attackers are copying the Johns Hopkins map into an Android app. When the user installs the application, it encrypts the phone’s data, transmits the user’s GPS location data, and displays a message to the user that they can only retrieve their files if they pay $100 in bitcoin.
This is already turning into a lucrative black market business. Hackers on underground forums are reportedly selling £600 exploit kits that include Java code that clones the virus outbreak map and allows attackers to inject password-stealing malware, spam, malicious ads, or ransomware. Worryingly, the .jar file is reportedly able to make it through popular webmail filters and can also successfully exploit a system with a fully-patched version of Java.
Working from home woes
With public gatherings currently prohibited, remote working policies and business continuity plans are enabling workers to continue performing their duties from home. Whilst flexible working policies have been part and parcel of the modern workplace for some time, the sudden introduction of remote access solutions at scale is introducing additional work and complexity to an already overworked IT and security staff. As remote users increase, and with a limited number of technical staff to support them, it exposes a far larger attack surface for criminals to exploit.
As the scale of the need to support remote workers appeared so quickly, it’s possible that in the rush to get more remote access appliances online as quickly as possible, organisations may have bypassed traditional security reviews and change management procedures. This will have been done for benevolent reasons, most likely preventing any major disruption and ensuring business continuity, but it creates vulnerabilities within the remote access system.
For instance, traditional remote access solutions such as VPNs or firewalls need inbound access to listen for incoming connections. If organisations have not kept their appliances adequately patched and updated due to the rush, it could lead to unauthenticated access into corporate networks.
With so many employees working remotely, social engineering attackers could more convincingly call into the help desk to get user credentials reset, as this would be chalked down to a common hiccough associated with the onboarding of a significant number of remote access users. Once an attacker gains access to VPN credentials, the entire corporate network is exposed unless significant network segmentation has occurred. Network changes during a crisis are difficult, and may not be seen as top priority, so many organisations unaccustomed to supporting a large number of remote workers may well have been left vulnerable.
Lastly, the very nature of human psychology may put networks at greater risk. Employees working remotely are no longer protected by the security stack traditionally housed in a corporate data centre. Organisations rely on VPNs to send their traffic to a data centre for inspection, then out to the internet. However, end users are likely to take the path of least resistance in aid of getting their jobs done more efficiently, and forgo using a VPN for a faster browsing experience, or only use the VPN when they need to access the corporate network.
Be alert to cyberthreats
So long as coronavirus continues to disrupt our lives, both personal and professional, expect cybercriminals to exploit the situation by luring victims into clicking malicious links and installing malicious software. With all that’s going on in the world already this is a disheartening truth, but by following remote working organisational procedure, being more suspicious than ever of what you click and download, and trusting that the cybersecurity community is working tirelessly to stop these threats in their tracks, you can limit yours and your employer’s exposure.
Get your wallet out and your card ready, because the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 has been discounted by an astonishing AU$500! This is an amazing deal for one of the best smartphones Samsung has produced that will leave you in awe after every use.
The Note 10 has a stunning 6.3-inch screen and bezel-free design – this combined with an AMOLED display produces immaculate detail in pictures and videos giving you a thrilling and immersive experience.
It also comes with a nifty stylus which is one of its best features as you can take notes on the screen without having to navigate through a variety of menus. This makes it particularly useful in meetings when you need to quickly scribble something down.
The Galaxy Note 10 also takes great photos thanks to a combination of a 16MP ultra-wide lens, a 12MP regular lens and a 12MP telephoto lens. If you’re a lover of amateur photography, this phone will definitely satisfy your creative side.
To summarise, the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 is a top-notch smartphone with all the bells and whistles that is sure to satisfy your phone thirst. Currently on sale in Aura Black, you can grab this beauty for only AU$999 through Samsung’s official Amazon store.
