Month: August 2024

Apple just made its iPhone 16 unveil official as invites are out for a Special Event on September 9, 2024, themed “It’s Glowtime.”

We’ve all been expecting an Apple event in September, and the technology giant just made it official. On Monday, Apple sent out invitations to guests for a special event on September 9, titled “It’s Glowtime.”

It’ll all kick off at 10am PT/1pm ET/6pm BST on September 9, 2024, at Apple Park, but fear not if you didn’t score an invite. The event will be broadcast live, and TechRadar will be on the ground, bringing you the latest. And if you’ve been following rumors, that’s a day earlier than the supposed leak date.

As with previous September Apple events, we’re expecting the next-generation iPhone 16 lineup, Apple Watches, and AirPods to appear during what should be a pretty jam-packed keynote. Of course, we’ll learn more about Apple Intelligence – aka the Cupertino-based giant’s flavor of AI – and its next generation of platforms like iOS and iPadOS 18, watchOS 11, macOS Sequoia, and tvOS 18. 

Along with rumors about what Apple will unveil, we did our due diligence and have been dissecting the invite, complete with the hints we’ve found.

What does the invite tell us?

(Image credit: Future/Jacob Krol)

For “Glowtime,” Apple’s invite showcases the classic Apple logo with a redesigned Siri twist, as well as all the new hues of blue, purple, orange, and pink. It looks quite delightful and definitely teases the rollout and anticipated full release of Apple Intelligence.

The tagline, “It’s Glowtime,” hints at that as the new Siri interface basically takes over the iPhone’s screen, squeezing it on the left, right, bottom, and top. You can read TechRadar’s Editor-at-Large Lance Ulanoff’s take and hands-on with the new Siri here.

Glow could also be teasing a new iPhone color, brighter screens, or even better low-light performance with the cameras. We’ll unpack some of the rumors and leaks for the forthcoming iPhones, Apple Watches, and AirPods below, but just like September 2023’s “Wonderlust” event or May 2024’s “Let Loose” event, Apple’s teasing the event pretty well. 

Of course, we also learned that the event will be on September 9th, 2024, with a kick-off at the standard 10am PT/1pm ET/6pm BST, aka the classic Apple Event start time. The event will be at Apple Park, specifically the Steve Jobs Theater, but it will be live-streamed on Apple.com and the official YouTube channel. TechRadar will also be on the ground reporting live, so you’ll want to stay tuned for that.

What can we expect at “It’s Glowtime.”

Considering we’ve been hearing rumors about the next generation of iPhones since before the iPhone 15 lineup was unveiled, we have a pretty good idea of what Apple will unveil at its September 2024 event. For starters, Apple will likely stick with four iPhone 16 models – the iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 16 Pro Max. All four are expected to run Apple Intelligence, which should be a star feature.

As Apple has done in the past, the iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max’s A17 Pro chip will likely trickle down to the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus. This will be plenty to run Apple Intelligence, as the iOS 18.1 beta already works on the 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max, powering early looks at these features, including “Writing Tools” and the ability to create custom memory videos in Photos.

On the other hand, the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max will likely get Apple’s latest iPhone silicon and be extra-speedy, potentially enabling some custom tricks. If the rumors come true, we can expect slightly larger, still buttery smooth, vibrant screens on the Pros and an extra button that is tailor-made for the camera. The cameras should be further improved with the better zoom that premiered on the 15 Pro Max, arriving on both iPhone 16 Pros, and additional improvements like a higher-megapixel ultra-wide and better low-light performance.

(Image credit: Future / Britta O’Boyle)

Beyond the iPhone, three new Apple Watches might be in store at this event. The Apple Watch will officially hit 10 with the Apple Watch Series 10, and the Ultra will now be in its third generation. Both should sport new processors, but the Series 10 might offer a more significant reason to upgrade with a larger display. There is also talk of a plastic Apple Watch SE, which could really bring the price down and make it an even more affordable option.

While we likely won’t see a successor to AirPods Pro second-gen, rumors point to new entry-level and mid-range AirPods models. These may even trickle down some of the Pro features, such as a more comfortable design and smarter listening modes, with recent reporting from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman noting that noise cancellation will be on the mid-range model.

Of course, as with Apple rumors, nothing is 100% certain until the company announces it, but luckily, we don’t have to wait much longer. Apple will officially announce all its new hardware, features, software, and services during its special event on September 9, 2024. 

You’ll be able to follow along and see all the new gadgets first via the TechRadar live blog, as we’ll have boots on the ground and be able to stream the event live via Apple.

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Method used by this malware was never seen before, allowing it to remain hidden for years

A novel piece of Linux malware, which grants its operators the ability to remotely access the compromised device, has been hiding in plain sight for more than two years now, experts have warned.

Stroz Friedberg, which discovered the malware and wrote an in-depth explainer, said the malware is called “sedexp”, and has been evading detection since 2022.

While granting the attackers remote access to the vulnerable endpoint is important, it’s not this malware’s unique property. Instead, it’s the way it remained hidden for more than two years, and made sure most antivirus solutions didn’t detect it.

Udev rules abused

As per the report, sedexp went under the radar by using udev rules.

“At the time of this writing, the persistence technique used (udev rules) is not documented by MITRE ATT&CK,” the researchers note.

Udev is a device manager for the Linux kernel, responsible for managing device nodes in the /dev directory. It dynamically creates and removes device nodes based on the devices connected to the system, such as USB drives, printers, and network interfaces. It also makes sure that each node gets the right driver loaded into memory.

Udev rules, on the other hand, are text configurations that tell the device manager how to work different devices or events. To run the malware, and make sure it remains hidden, it adds a specific rule to udev, the researchers explained. Finally, the malware names its process ‘kdevtmpfs’, the same as another, legitimate process, making detection even harder.

Stroz Friedberg believes this piece of malware has been used since at least 2022, and found it in numerous online sandboxes, none of which triggered any antiviruses. The researchers believe the malware was used to hide a credit card skimmer.

Via BleepingComputer

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New HoverAir X1 Pro and HoverAir X1 Pro Max foldable drones have pro-level, high-end camera features

Not content to serve just beginners, HoverAI is flying into the pro space with two new foldable camera drones: the HoverAir X1 Pro and HoverAir X1 Pro Max. Both bring better cameras, more speed, more intelligence, and more flight time.

The new drones combine the best of HoveAir X1’s intelligence with up to 4K video shooting capability on the Pro model and up to 8K at 60fps on the X1 Pro Max. The original HoverAir X1, which is still available, shoots up to 2.7k. The cameras on the new drones sit on 2x-axis gimbals.

Like the original HoverAir X1, the new drones unfold and can be flying within moments. The rotors are covered, which makes them good for flying indoors or outside. 

They’ll also automatically follow subjects, which has always made them great for sports enthusiasts who want follow-me shots of their mountain bike ride. The new HoverAI X1 Pro and Air Pro Max have additional collision sensors. The Pro gets a proximity sensor on the back and the Pro Max also has an additional vision sensor. This should help them fly in more difficult terrain, and HoverAir maker Zero Zero Robotics claims the drones can fly over water, snow, and other challenging terrains, environments the original HoverAir X1 was not rated to handle.

(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

The drones can both fly somewhat longer than the original HoverAI X1, with a promise of 16 minutes of flight time per battery. Speed is up to 26mph. However, if you like to sprint, the HoverAir X1 Pro and Pro Max can do fly fast, with a burst speed of 37mph. The max altitude is 393 ft. The max transmission distance between your phone (and the app running the drone) and the drones has increased from 30 meters on the HoverAir X1 to a kilometer on the X1 Pro and X1 Pro Max.

The extra capabilities and flight time mean the pro-level drones have put on a little weight. While the HoverAir X1 weighs 125g, the X1 Pro and X1 Pro Max come in at 192g. These new drones are also noticeably larger than the HoverAir X1. Even so, I picked up both drones and each still felt lightweight compared to most palm-sized drones.

Aside from the video resolution, there aren’t a lot of differences between the X1 Pro and X1 Pro Max other than internal storage. The HoverAir X1 Pro has 32GB of on-board storage and the HoverAir X1 Pro Max doubles that to 64GB. Both drones also include a micro-SD slot for additional storage.

With these more pro features come more pro-level prices. The HoverAir X1 Pro costs $499 and the Pro Max is $699. Pricing for the UK and Australia has not been set.

Both drones are still primarily autonomous follow drones, but Zero Zero is offering a wide array of accessories, some of which can give you true manual control. There is, for instance, a joystick that will let you use your finger or thumb to control the flight path.

There’s also a nifty accessory called Beacon ($129). It’s both a motion tracker for the drone and video feedback. There’s a small, roughly 1-inch screen on it so you can see what the HoverAir X1 Pro or X1 Pro Max sees. The Zero Zero Robotics representatives described a scenario in which you attach the Beacon to your bicycle handlebar so you can see what the drone sees as it follows behind you. 

The Beacon can also attach to one of the aforementioned joysticks to create a small remote. If you buy two joysticks, you can connect them to the Beacon and put your phone between them to build, almost LEGO-style a complete HoverAir X1 Pro and Pro Max remote control.

(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

Other accessories include a charging case ($169) that will let you carry and charge the HoverAir X1 Pro or Pro Max. It includes a USB-C port for charging your phone. There’s even a special battery equipped to handle temperatures as low as -4 degrees Fahrenheit.

While I wasn’t allowed to fly the new drones on my own, I did see the HoverAir X1 Pro Max in flight and watched as it tracked and followed me. The drones are somewhat quieter than previous ones and, I’d say, a little quieter than similar drones of their size.

While I can’t speak to the video quality from hands-on experience, Zero Zero Robotics did have some video captured by the drones running on a loop on a large-screen TV. It looked quite good and you almost forget that it’s being captured by an autonomous drone following someone skiing down a hill.

It’s still just as easy to unfold the drone and get flying and the HoverAir signature move of landing on your palm when you hold your hand directly under it remains intact on the HoverAir X1 Pro and X1 Pro Max.

The HoverAir X1 Pro and X1 Pro Max launch today (August 26) on Indiegogo.com.

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