All About Tech Update

[rosiebaxter990]

Facebook Increases Parental Control Features In Messenger Kids App



Facebook Inc said on Tuesday it plans to add new tools and features for parental control in its messaging app for users under the age of 13, months after questions rose about application’s privacy protection for children. Parents can also see the most recent photos or videos sent and received in the app’s inbox, and can remove them if needed, Facebook added.

In August, Facebook acknowledged a flaw it fixed in Messenger Kids that allowed thousands of children to join group chats in which not all members of the group were approved by their parents. Facebook has been under scrutiny by multiple governments over child safety protections on its suite of apps, especially since announcing its plan to extend end-to-end encryption across its messaging services last year. The company said on Tuesday it will also inform Messenger Kids users on the types of information others can see about them.

[owenmarsden]

Gmail Dark Mode Is Vanishing On Some Smartphones And Could Be Costing You Battery Life



ANDROID 10 users have noticed that dark mode has vanished from their Gmail settings. And the all-important new appearance has automatically disabled itself on their handset, leaving them unable to change back from the traditional white look of the app. But luckily, there is an unofficial fix that could resolve the glitch for you. Dark modes are the latest fad among app developers – and for good reason. Following the system-wide support for dark modes added in iOS 13 and Android 10 by Apple and Google, respectively, app developers have been quick to add support for the new appearance. Dark modes switch the large swathes of white and bright colours in user interfaces for pitch-blacks and darker shades. These modes are designed to make using a smartphone screen a little easier on the eyes at night, as well as significantly boost your battery life on handsets with an OLED display. Dozens of apps, including the likes of Google Maps, Facebook and Instagram have all added a dark mode setting. Google’s hugely-popular Gmail app didn’t have a dark mode setting in time for the launch of Android 10 last summer, but Google quickly fixed this oversight. However, over the weekend, Gmail users noticed the setting to enable the gloomier, battery-boosting appearance vanish from the app settings.

[owenmarsden]

BT Broadband Dropped To 'lowest' Ever Price As Customers Face Two Dramatic Changes

BT'S broadband has been dropped to its lowest ever price in a new money-saving deal. Here's all you need to know about this latest sale event and two other big changes coming to this popular service. The January sales might be over but that’s not stopping BT from dropping prices to an all-new low. The broadband firm has just revealed a new deal which it says offers the lowest ever price for its internet access. This dramatic cut means you can get BT’s Superfast Fibre beamed into your home for just £28.99 per month - usually, this would cost £31.99 per month. To make this offer even more attractive, BT says that the lower price lasts for 24 months meaning there’s a total saving of £72 to be made over the two-year deal. Before you sign up there are a couple of things to note. Firstly, BT’s Superfast Fibre only offers average download speeds of 50Mbps which isn’t the fastest and there’s a £9.99 upfront fee to pay.

[rosiebaxter990]

WHATSAPP WARNING: Why Iphone Owners Must Update Their Chat App Now


IF you use whatsapp on an iphone you could be at risk from a new cyber threat. Then make sure you follow this simple advice to keep your personal details safe. The issue impacts those who use an Apple iPhone paired with WhatsApp's popular WhatsApp Desktop app on either macOS or Windows 10. Explaining more about the issue, Facebook's security advisory revealed that a "vulnerability in WhatsApp Desktop when paired with WhatsApp for iPhone allows cross-site scripting and local file reading." It seems for the hack to work, WhatsApp users needed to click on a link sent in "a specially crafted text message". The flaw was discovered by Gal Weizman a researcher at PerimeterX who said he found a gap in WhatsApp's Content Security Policy. Speaking about his findings, Weizman said: "I really wanted to find a major security flaw in a well-known and widely used service, and I felt like WhatsApp was a good start. So I gave it a go since I already had some clue of existing security flaws in WhatsApp mobile and web applications.

[Amelie Barrett]

Best 5G-ready phones: Galaxy S10, OnePlus 7 Pro, LG V50, Note 10 Plus and more

Samsung Galaxy S10 5G
LG V50 ThinQ 5G
Motorola Moto Z4
OnePlus 7 Pro 5G

[Amelie Barrett]

Amazon Alexa will let you pay for gas via voice

Amazon has unveiled partnerships with major automakers to bring its Alexa voice assistant to new models from Ford, Audi, BMW and Toyota.

The company announced Monday that it's adding a head-turning supercar to that lineup: the Huracan Evo sports car from Automobili Lamborghini. Also joining the crowd are Rivian's all-electric R1S SUV, R1T truck and its upcoming fleet of 100,000 delivery vans for Amazon.

Added to that, later this year, customers with Alexa-enabled cars or car accessories will be able to say, "Alexa, pay for gas," to buy fuel at 11,500 Exxon and Mobil stations.

[rosiebaxter990]

Facebook's Twitter Account Hacked

Facebook’s Twitter account appears to have been hacked. A post appeared on Facebook’s official Twitter profile shortly after 11.30 pm which said: “Hi, we are O u r M i n e. Well, even Facebook is hackable but at least their security better than Twitter.
“to improve your account's security
“Contact us: contact@o u r m i n e .org
“For security services visit: o u r m i n e. org”

The post was quickly deleted but the same message reappeared within seconds two more times. Ourmine is a hacker/security group that has previously hijacked the Twitter account of Jack Dorsey, the company’s chief executive. It used its access to post a string of Vine videos it had created using the tech founder’s account on that app. It has also claimed credit for taking down the hugely popular Pokemon Go app in 2016, and Netflix’s Twitter account in the same year.

[rosiebaxter990]

Google Chrome Block: Latest Update Will Protect Your Pc Against Dangerous Downloads

GOOGLE is implementing an important new change to its popular Chrome web browser designed to keep you safe from hackers and malware attacks. Google is taking new steps to help protect its users against dodgy downloads. Its hugely-popular Chrome web browser, which accounts for more than 69 percent of all desktop internet browser traffic worldwide, will block users from downloads that it deems to be “insecure” from June. The latest clampdown is an extension of Google’s war of insecure webpages. The company announced plans to downgrade any websites running on HTTP rather than HTTPS in its search results back in 2015. Last year, the California-based company announced plans to display a warning page, cautioning users that the website was not secure on any domain still using HTTP. Google has only just launched version 80 of its immensely successful Chrome browser, which brings a swathe of different features. The latest web browser update includes automatic blocks for some of the most resource-intensive advertisements, which should hopefully speed-up your browsing as you zip around the web. Those running older machines should also notice the performance boost afforded by the update too.

[rosiebaxter990]

Windows 10 Could Be Braced For A Massive Speed Boost, But There’s A Catch

WINDOWS 10 could be braced for a massive speed boost, but only if you're using a particular version of the Microsoft operating system... Ever wish Windows 10 would stop bombarding you with new updates that take far too long than they should to download and install? Well, it seems Microsoft is working on a solution, the only catch is that’ll it’ll only be available for Windows 10X, a forked version of the operating system designed for foldable and dual-screen devices. Microsoft announced Windows 10X back in October at its Surface event in New York City, but yesterday it spilt a few more details about the forthcoming operating system. Microsoft has already confirmed ASUS, Dell, HP and Lenovo are also working on Windows 10X devices, although the exact details of these are unknown. Outlining its vision for Windows 10X, Microsoft said: “Windows 10X is the best of Windows 10 built to enable unique experiences on multi-posture dual-screen PCs. We have taken the Windows 10 that customers know and love and built Windows 10X in a way that marries the familiar with the new.

[owenmarsden]

Canon Revs Eos Rebel Line With T8i, Adds Cheap Full-Frame Zoom For R Series

Canon's triannual update to its EOS Rebel i-series DSLR cameras has arrived with the usual mix of minimal upgrades. In this case, the EOS Rebel T8i improves on the T7i with the more recent Digic 8 image processor, which helps deliver 4K/24p video, better battery life and eye-tracking autofocus. It also gets slightly better continuous shooting speed using the more capable metering sensor from the higher-end 90D.

The T8i is $750 for the body and $900 for a kit with the 18-55mm f4-5.6 STM lens. Outside the US it's the EOS 850D, and prices for the kit are likely £895 and AU$1,400, the same as its predecessor at launch.

At this point, I can only think of one reason to buy the T8i over the far more capable but similarly priced mirrorless EOS M50: battery life. If you're still wedded to the idea of a Rebel-series DSLR, look for deals on the T7i, especially during discount seasons.