Month: July 2023

Looking for a quick fix of today’s tech news? Our Fast Charge liveblog will plug you into the latest stories.

Our Fast Charge liveblog is a quick round-up of all the day’s biggest tech news as it’s happening, so you can plug in for a quick firmware update.

(Image credit: Oura)

Keeping up with the latest tech news can be a fun but energy-sapping challenge, but luckily our Fast Charge liveblog is here to give you blast of all the latest headlines in minutes.

So what big stories are kicking off the week that will soon see us head into August? Now that Samsung Unpacked is out the way, it looks like the tech giant is focusing on its next big wearable – with the Samsung Galaxy Ring potentially going into production as soon as next month.

Despite those rumors, the Oura rival may not actually launch until 2024, so what about more imminent tech launches? Well, if you want a truly massive addition to your home cinema setup, TCL’s new 98-inch 4K TV is as ridiculously cheap as it is ridiculously big.

Camera fans also have good reason to be excited, with a new Nikon Zf leak suggesting the exciting retro camera could launch within days. If you like the sound of a travel-friendly camera with retro looks and modern mirrorless tech, it’s definitely one to watch.

Meanwhile at the menacing-sounding X Corp, the Twitter rebrand continues to plumb new depths as the Microsoft Edge browser warns users that the new X site could be a scam. We’ll be discussing the latest on all of these stories and more in today’s Fast Charge liveblog…

(Image credit: Future)

Samsung Galaxy Ring rumors ramp up

It’s starting to sound like Samsung is getting serious about making a rival to the health-tracking Oura ring. A new report from South Korean website The Elec (via SamMobile) suggests that mass production on a Samsung Galaxy Ring could begin as early as August. The bad news? It still probably won’t launch until 2024.

We’re certainly fans of the Galaxy Ring’s name. The TechRadar team thinks it sounds like everything from an anime attack to someone you could use with four other elemental ringbearers to become Captain Galaxy. 

But it could be equally fun for health-tracking, too. In a Galaxy Ring trademark filing that was uncovered in February, it was described as a smart device “for measuring health indicators and/or sleep in the form of ring”. And that’d fit nicely alongside the likes of the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6, which has an increasing focus on sleep.

(Image credit: Nikon)

It’s a good week to be a Nikon camera fan

Ever since the Nikon Z fc was launched in July 2021, camera fans have been asking why it wasn’t a full-frame camera. Well, it sounds like Nikon has listened to those pleas, because the Nikon Zf has now been tipped to land within the next few days.

Like the Z fc, the Zf is expected to be heavily inspired by the Nikon FM2 (below) from 1982, a camera that was renowned for being nigh-on indestructible. Hopefully, Nikon will add a bit more of that build quality this time, and sprinkle it with its latest autofocus tech. 

If so, it could definitely have a winner on its hands, given the Fujifilm X100V remains largely sold out due to the popularity of classic film camera design.

(Image credit: TCL)

Who wants a 98-inch 4K TV?

The answer, of course, is anyone who has a room big enough for one. And fortunately, TCL is helping to push 98-inch TVs down to affordable levels with its new P745 model in Europe.

It’s slated to launch in late August or early September for €2,800, which converts to around $3,100 / £2,400 / AU$4,600. Not exactly cheap, but also not bad for a 100/120Hz LCD panel with HDMI 2.1 ports and 144Hz VRR (variable refresh rate).

Sure, its lack of LED local dimming won’t serve up the ultimate HDR experience, but then this is a 98-inch 4K TV – and that sheer size may help you forgive any picture quality shortcomings. 

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Surfshark launches Alternative ID to protect your identity and email from nuisance and harm.

Popular VPN provider Surfshark has launched a new feature aimed at protecting users from identity theft attacks online. 

Alternative ID lets you create an online persona to hide your real name and email address, handy when websites require your personal information in order to access certain content – but you’re not particularly keen on giving it to them. 

Surfshark believes the new privacy tool has various privacy and security benefits, as it helps to eliminate spam and protect your identity from being stolen by bad actors, who will either sell the data to other cybercriminals or conduct their own attacks with it. 

Alternative ID

The alternative email account that you create forwards emails to your real email address, acting as a buffer so that you can receive communications anonymously. If you no longer wish to receive said emails, then you can simply close or amend your alternative email address.

 “People are constantly asked by websites to provide their personal information, including name, address, and email,” says Sarunas Sereika, product manager at Surfshark. 

“At the same time, we can see that data breaches are happening more and more rapidly, and data brokers are also actively buying and selling user data.”

“With Alternative ID, users can minimize their online footprint and enhance their privacy while maintaining their freedom online and being able to sign up on websites or subscribe to newsletters without worry.”

Alternative ID generates a new online identity and email address once users choose their own gender, date of birth, and country. Other companies offer similar services, including Mozilla with its Firefox Relay, which allows users of the browser to mask their real email address. 

However, Sereika believes that Surfshark’s solution is different due to the company’s “dedication to prioritizing credibility, transparent privacy policies, and ensuring a safe and reliable experience for our users. Furthermore, we provide a flexible option that allows you to enjoy our services for as long as you desire.” 

To start using Alternative ID, existing Surfshark users will need to log into their Surfshark One or Surfshark One+ account and select Alternative ID on my.surfshark.com/alternative-id. It is currently in beta, with a full release said to be ‘in the works,’ which will also include more features yet to be disclosed.

These are the best identity theft protection for families services around

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New Samsung Galaxy S24 series leaks share purported details about materials and screen sizes.

Samsung is reportedly replacing the ‘Armor Aluminum’ frame on its most premium Galaxy S-series phone with titanium. This follows rumors that Apple is also adopting titanium on its iPhone 15 Pro devices.

The new report comes from tipster Ice Universe, who shared a post on X, the social network formerly known as Twitter, indicating that Samsung would be adopting titanium on the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, which Samsung is expected to announce in February 2024 alongside the S24 and S24 Plus.

Apple is reportedly adopting the same material on its most expensive iPhones when they launch in September, with the most recent claim to that effect coming in a report from Bloomberg.

Phone manufacturers commonly reserve high-end features and materials for their top-tier devices, and titanium would be an obvious choice due to its strength, and its premium look and feel.

Ice Universe also claims that the Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus, which we’re expecting, will have a 6.65-inch display. That would only be slightly larger than the 6.6-inch display on the Galaxy S23 Plus.

If accurate, we don’t expect this to make much of a difference in actual use, but it could mean thinner bezels are on the menu should Samsung keep dimensions the same.

Features converge at the top of the smartphone world

If these latest reports are accurate they point to further convergence between phone brands in terms of materials and features.

The iPhone 15 line, which we’re expecting to see in September, are expected to be the first iPhones to have a USB-C port, bringing them into line with not only Samsung’s phones but all Android handsets, and the iPhone 15 Pro Max is rumored to be getting a periscope camera, which other premium Samsung phones such as the Galaxy S22 Ultra and Galaxy S23 Ultra already have.

With upcoming premium devices from both manufacturers seeming set to use the same materials, it looks like there are going to be even fewer differences between the best iPhones and the best Samsung phone.

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The previous release of iOS messed up Screen Time, and now this has happened again with iOS 16.6.

There’s a bug in Screen Time that means your kids might not be restrained by the parental control feature, and could end up spending as much time as they want – perhaps way too much – using their iOS device.

As the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reports (via MacRumors), Apple has acknowledged the problem whereby Screen Time settings can get reset (or fail to sync properly across devices).

For the uninitiated, as the name suggests, Screen Time allows parents to set limits on the length of time their kids can be staring at their iPhone or iPad screens. It’s more than this, though, as there’s a whole lot of fine-tuned control that can be applied with these time limits (and you can block age-inappropriate content, too).

With these settings being reset in some cases, any limitations previously imposed on children are falling by the wayside.

Apple told the WSJ: “We are aware that some users may be experiencing an issue where Screen Time settings are unexpectedly reset. We take these reports very seriously and we have been, and will continue, making updates to improve the situation.”

The issue is happening for some of those using iOS 16.6, the latest release of Apple’s mobile operating system which came out a week ago. (It should also be noted that those using the iOS 17 beta are also reportedly being affected by the bug).

Analysis: Time after time…

Screen Time is a very useful feature for parents, so it’s disappointing to see it go wrong in this manner. As well as barring the use of an iPhone or iPad at certain times, you can use Screen Time to limit the amount of time a particular app can be used. Don’t want to allow more than an hour of YouTube viewing daily? You can do that. Or you can set strict time limits on whole categories of apps such as all social media.

All of those precautions are flung out the window when the bug strikes, though. What makes this a little more frustrating is that the problem happened with the previous version of Apple’s operating system, iOS 16.5, and was fixed. So, it’s doubly disappointing to see this gremlin rear its head once again in the very next release.

In the issued statement, Apple promises an update that’ll fix the issue – again – so hopefully, the company will have a pretty good idea of what it’s dealing with here, and a resolution won’t take long.

As to how widespread this bug is, there are a fair few reports complaining about Screen Time failures on Reddit and some quite angry users who observe that even though they’ve blocked specific apps, they have subsequently discovered their kids have been using them. (This being the case with YouTube is a moan we spotted multiple times on Reddit).

Parental controls are an important part of an OS for those who need them, and with recurring bugs, it feels like Apple isn’t giving this feature the priority level it deserves right now.

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