Category: Technology

As Google continues the great merger between its Duo and Meet video communications apps, the company today announced that it’s introducing new Apple SharePlay-like live-sharing features to Meet, making it easier for call-participants to engage with content together in real time.

It’s worth noting that Google already introduced some live-sharing features (eg watching YouTube videos together) to Duo back in February, and now it’s bringing them to Meet as the part of the merger.

The live-sharing feature will let users watch YouTube videos together, for example, and listen to songs on Spotify or play games such as Heads Up!, UNO! Mobile or Kahoot!

These new features will be available under a new Activities tab — which also hosts Q&A and polls options — and is accessible through the three-dot menu. From there, users can start a shared activity — for instance, if they want to listen to a Spotify track together, they would tap on the Spotify icon and Meet redirects them to the Spotify app where they can join a group session. Notably, the group session feature is only available for Spotify Premium customers, with support for two to five participants.

Last week, Google took the next step of merging both video calling apps by updating the icon for Duo and renaming it Google Meet. As for Google Meet, it will now be called “Google Meet (original),” with a green icon — yes, it’s all very confusing. The tech giant has been adding other new features to Meet, too, such as instant and schedule meeting options, in-meeting chat and virtual backgrounds.

While these latest updates work well for Meet calls across different platforms, consumers embedded in Apple’s ecosystem will already be familiar with this type of social content consumption through SharePlay, which works across a broader array of apps such as Apple TV+, TikTok, Disney+, Hulu , HBO Max, NBA, Twitch, TikTok, MasterClass, ESPN+, Paramount+, Pluto TV, Apple Fitness+, and Apple Music.

Xiaomi CEO, Lei Jun announced the company’s CyberOne humanoid robot at its launch event in Beijing on August 11th. The debut is ahead of Tesla’s AI Day which many are anticipating a working Optimus Bot prototype. It will be interesting to see the two robots side by side.

According to Xiaomi, the CyberOne robot has arms, and legs, supports bi-pedal motion posture balancing, and reaches peak torque of up to 300 Newton meters (Nm). It can detect human emotions, has advanced vision capabilities, and can create a three-dimensional virtual reconstruction of the real world.

Jun spoke about the robot’s AI and mechanical capabilities being self-developed by the lab.

“CyberOne’s AI and mechanical capabilities are all self-developed by Xiaomi Robotics Lab. We have invested heavily in R&D spanning various areas, including software, hardware, and algorithms innovation.”

“With AI at its core and a full-size humanoid frame as its vessel, this is an exploration of possibilities of Xiaomi’s future technological ecosystem and a new breakthrough for the company.”

In the video below, Jun debuses the robot taking small quick steps as it walks on stage handing the CEO a flower. The robot commented that Jun was taller than he thought and said the flower was for him. In the demonstration, the robot said that it had just learned to walk but that its lower body is still not stable. Although, it is also learning Kung Fu.

Will Xiaomi CyberOne Compete With Optimus?

Some have speculated that Xiaomi unveiled the CyberOne to compete with Tesla’s Optimus Bot. It’s most likely true given the timeframe of CyberOne’s debut. And it’s not surprising that there will be competitors.

Although Tesla hasn’t unveiled a working prototype of the Optimus Bot just yet, Elon Musk announced that AI Day was moved to September 30th with the hopes that Tesla would have one by then.

Elon Musk has said many times that the Optimus Bot was one of the most important products Tesla was developing. During the Q4 2021 Tesla earnings call, Elon said,

“So, in terms of priority of products, I think actually the most important product development we’re doing this year is actually the Optimus humanoid robot. This, I think has the potential to be more significant than the vehicle business over time.”

“If you think about the economy, it is—the foundation of the economy is labor. Capital equipment is distilled labor. So, what happens if you don’t actually have a labor shortage? I’m not sure what an economy even means at that point. That’s what Optimus is about. So, very important.”

As we have seen with Tesla’s vehicles, I’m looking forward to the day when we can compare the Tesla Optimus Bot and the Xiaomi CyberOne robot.

Disclaimer: Johnna is long Tesla.

I’d love to hear from you! If you have any comments, concerns, or see a typo, you can email me at [email protected]. You can also reach me on Twitter @JohnnaCrider1

Xiaomi debuts CyberOne ahead of Tesla’s AI Day

Motorola is proving to be the new powerhouse smartphone brand in Australia with ChannelNews able to confirm that the new Motorola Razr foldable smartphone is set to be launched in Australia as early as September.

Also coming is a new Motorola X30 and X30 Pro along with an all new Moto Watch 100.

In an exclusive interview with ChannelNews, Mototola General Manager Australia Kurt Bonnici, confirmed that the all new Razr foldable that comes with a large 3,500mAh battery and a 144Hz OLED display and was revealed in China yesterday will go on sale shortly in Australia.

According to Bonnici most features will stay the same as the new model though there will be variations to the memory configuration for the Austrtalian market.

We understand that carriers and mass retailers are clamoring to range the new device as an alternative to the new Samsung Galaxy Flip 4, that was launched earlier this week, with 30% of consumers who now own a Samsung foldable device brand switching from the likes of Apple and other brands to a foldable device.

Bonnici said “Yes we will launch the new Razr in Australia and pricing will be similar to Samsungs Fold 4″he said.

“The foldable smartphone is set to grow and we will be a key player in this market”, he said.

The move is ideal timing for the Lenovo owned Company that do not have the same marketing funds and the timing of the launch allows them to ride in Samsungs marketing slipstream.

Earlier this week Samsung launch a new $499 Watch 5 and a $799 Watch 5 Pro.

Motorola has confirmed (see separate story) that they will launch with a partner the new Moto Watch 100 smartwatch that is described as a contemporary aluminum smartwatch that’s high on value and impact.

With built in is multiple health and lifestyle features, extended battery life, and an all-new streamlined OS the new Motorola watch is tipped to retail at half the price of the Samsung Watch 5.

In addition the new Motorola watch which will retail around could be given away with the new Razr according to one retailer ChannelNews spoke to.

During the past 12 months Motorola grew their base in Australia by over $250% and the introduction of a new range of premium smartphone which will include the all new Motorola X30 Pro could see the Lenovo owned brand become a key player in the premium smartphone market which has been dominated by Samsung and Apple claim analysts.

After rushing the last Razr the new model is a powerhouse with the latest Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 chipset powering the device, it also has a foldable 144Hz P-OLED display, a secondary screen, two 50-megapixel cameras on the back, and a large 3,500mAh battery that can be charged quickly.

Some reviewers are already describing it as “superior” to the latest Samsung offering.

The inner foldable display is a 6.7-inch OLED screen, while the cover display is a 3-inch display an 800 x 573 resolution, which will deliver nine different widget options for at-a-glance info.

The display will have support for DC dimming and a 10-bit panel with HDR10+ support.

It will be one of the few smartphones in the market to sport an OLED display with a 144Hz refresh rate.

Another notable change is the dual-lens rear camera setup, but there is no word if more color options other than black will be available in Australia.

Observers are claiming that the inclusion of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor and chipset is a huge jump for Motorola.

By using this Motorola chipset will be able to unlock new capabilities for the camera similar to what Samsung has delivered.

Another big addition with the 2022 Razr is a 1/1.55-inch 50MP primary camera with OIS. It supports 4-in-1 pixel binning, so you can expect to get 12.5MP images.

The main camera is accompanied by a 13MP ultrawide camera with a 121-degree field of view and support for macro shooting. On the front, you get a 32MP sensor.

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Keeping enough power in your device’s limited battery can be challenging — especially when you’ve got one of the older iPhone models. We’ve all had those moments when a critical call or message is cut off because the battery dies or when just one text wipes 10% off your battery life in an instant. But, in the modern day, it’s an avoidable problem. Enter: these handy power banks. They can slip right into your bag or pocket to deliver two or more full charges to most smartphones or your other mobile devices.

What should you be looking for in a portable charger?

Battery life: While there’s no real formula for how many charges you will get out of your portable charger, as it depends on what you’re charging, you can do a rough calculation by calculating how many times your devices mAh can fit into the charger’s mAh.

According to Gizmodo, the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra is a phone with a 5,000mAh internal battery, so you’d expect a 20,000mAh power bank to recharge it four times if it’s fully charged, right? Not exactly, but you should see more than three recharges if the power bank is relatively new and fully charged for sure. Generally speaking, though, the higher the mAh, the longer-lasting it’ll be. Think around two-four charges.

USB-connectors: While USB-A is the standard because most charging cables end with that rectangular type plug anyway, some power banks offer up either USB-C or Apple’s Lightning connection points, so keep an eye out if that’s something you require.

Now that you know what you’re looking for, let’s get into it, shall we?!

The best power banks to buy in Australia

Anker Power Bank

Anker’s power banks are a crowd favorite — and it’s not hard to see why — thanks to their epic durability and resilience against drops, alongside their four output options and quick charge capabilities.

Where to buy: eBay ($64.49, usually $79.99)

Anker Slim Power Bank

While this baby has a smaller mAh than its predecessors, it comes at a perfect size and capacity to slide right into your pants pockets or one of your tiny Jacquemus-esque handbags for a night out because no one should worry about not having enough battery to order an Uber home.

Where to buy: eBay ($49.99)

ROMOSS Fast Charge Portable Charger

This epic 20,000mAh portable charger offers quick charge support, as well as three output sockets to change a range of different devices, including the Nintendo Switch. How’s that for multi-tasking?!

Where to buy: eBay ($39.59)

iMuto Compact Power Bank

The iMuto is an attractive-looking phone charger that brings a massive 20,000mAh battery to the party along with a pair of USB-A connectors for bringing power to various devices. It’s also got a handy digital screen, so you can see how much power is left in the bank.

Where to buy: eBay ($149.99)

Charmast Phone Charger

It offers 26,800mAh across its five different ports, including a quick charge one. This phone charger is ideal for a big family road trip or someone who carries a lot of devices on-the-go — think your phone, Mac, iPad and Apple Watch. It also can charge that Nintendo Switch of yours, which is an extra win.

Where to buy: eBay ($78.94, usually $88.94)

IT admins, take note – Microsoft urges admins to use safety updates and allow Extended Safety instantly, after a lot of Alternate Server flaws had been dropped at your consideration.

The corporate addressed 121 flaws in its safety patch earlier this week. None, by exploiting some Alternate vulnerabilities, distant attackers malwareexcept immediate motion is taken.

With the warning coming to the eye of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Safety Company (CISA), it is clear that Microsoft’s message have to be taken critically. Subsequently, to forest your Alternate Server from being compromised and related cyber assault sooner or later – this is what you are able to do.

Microsoft Says Alternate Bugs Are Susceptible

Earlier this week, Microsoft rolled out the ‘August 2022 Patch’, during which the corporate addressed a complete of 121 flaws.

17 of the ‘mounted’ vulnerabilities had been categorized as vital as they allowed distant code execution or elevation of privileges – a ‘DogWalk Home windows zero-day vulnerability’ and some ‘Microsoft Alternate vulnerabilities’ that gave attackers entry. customized person emails and passwords.

Regardless of the efforts made by Microsoft’s safety group, Alternate vulnerabilities nonetheless seem like prone to being exploited. This leaves many Microsoft customers weak to hackers who might use their phishing emails and chat messages to entry malicious servers.

“Microsoft evaluation has proven that exploit code may be created in such a method that an attacker can regularly exploit this vulnerability. Additionally, Microsoft is aware of previous exploits of the sort of vulnerability.” –Microsoft

In Microsoft’s Exploitability Index, the corporate additionally warned that such vulnerabilities could possibly be topic to repeated assaults except IT directors take acceptable motion. Luckily, there are steps you’ll be able to take to guard your server. We summarize these beneath.

How Can IT Directors Repair These Vulnerabilities?

Apply The Newest Safety Updates From Microsoft

The primary motion directors can take is to put in the newest safety updates from Microsoft.

The corporate not too long ago launched updates for vulnerabilities present in Alternate Server 2013, 2016, and 2019. In line with Microsoft, they don’t seem to be aware of any exploits presently energetic within the wild, however nonetheless advise directors to implement them instantly.

“Whereas we aren’t aware of any energetic exploits within the wild, our recommendation is that you simply set up these updates instantly to guard your setting.” –Microsoft

You possibly can check with the corporate’s Safety Replace Information for extra data on these widespread vulnerabilities and vulnerabilities.

Allow Prolonged Safety

Along with making use of the newest safety updates, Microsoft additionally urges directors to allow Prolonged Safety. Prolonged Safety is a safety device that improves Home windows Server authentication and helps mitigate third-party assaults.

Microsoft not too long ago launched a script to allow this function, however they warned directors to fastidiously consider their setting earlier than implementing the measure. In addition they observe that the script have to be run as Administrator within the Alternate Administration Shell on an Alternate Server for it to take impact.

Be Cautious of Phishing Assaults

To use the sort of vulnerability, victims should first be uncovered to a malicious server. Hackers use numerous phishing Methods to draw customers, together with electronic mail, HTTPS phishing, and pop-up phishing.