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Sound Bubble could make restaurants, bars and offices sound better

Sound Bubble adds extra microphones to sense distanceFilter unwanted audio by proximity Still very much in the future-tech file

The best noise cancelling headphones are brilliant things, but there’s still plenty of room for improving what active noise cancellation can do. And a new system could make today’s transparency and conversation awareness modes look positively prehistoric.

The tech comes from engineers at the University of Washington. We’ve reported on their work before: earlier this year they unveiled a system called Target Speech Hearing that could tell who you were looking at and prioritize their voice. And now they’ve got another great idea: the Sound Bubble.

How the Sound Bubble could change the way you cancel

The name Sound Bubble may bring to mind images of a kid-friendly Bluetooth speaker. But this bubble is a lot more interesting than that. As NewAtlas.com reports, it’s essentially an ANC system with six extra microphones, and those mics are connected to a neural network.

That network is the key. It analyzes the audio from the mics to determine the distance of sound sources, and that enables you to set cancellation not just by frequencies but by proximity too. It can block faraway sounds and amplify closer ones, enabling you to hear what you want much more easily.

If you’ve ever struggled to hear your friends in a busy space, you can see the appeal of a Sound Bubble: by setting your noise cancellation so it doesn’t filter your friends but still eliminates the chat from other tables, or other unwanted noise, it’s exactly the kind of feature I’d gladly swap my existing earbuds to have.

It’s also considerably more practical than the last version, which used a bunch of small robots to listen to the room you’re in. Fun, but hardly ideal in your local dive bar.

This is still very much in the jetpacks and flying cars file of tech that looks amazing but you can’t yet buy. But given the pace of change – and the fierce competition – in the ANC audio market, it might not be long before we’re sticking something very similar on or over our ears.

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Banks and insurers are being advised to focus on their data foundations, so they can benefit from AI.

Cloud users in financial firms up 54 percentage points in four yearsKey AI hurdles are siloed legacy systems and poor data qualityOnly 15-30% are mature in AI, predictive analytics and automation

Financial firms are still battling the challenges of effectively leveraging cloud technologies despite the positive opportunities, new research has claimed.

A Capgemini report states most (91%) of the 600 leaders and 120 execs it surveyed now report having adopted at least one cloud platform, up considerably from just 37% in 2020, likely driven by the sudden pandemic-induced shift in working patterns and the subsequent boom in AI tech.

However, fewer than two in five execs report high satisfaction with their outcomes so far.

Banks are struggling with cloud, AI

Banks and other highly regulated industries have been late to join the AI party given that they must adhere to stringent data protection and security measures, however it’s now their turn to adopt emerging tech and it seems that they haven’t observed and addressed the challenges that early adopters have had to overcome.

More than two-thirds of industry execs are concerned about siloed legacy systems (71%), the protection of customer data (70%) and poor data quality, such as incorrect and missing information (69%). Artificial intelligence requires a strong data foundation to be at its most effective.

“With generative AI now top of the boardroom agenda, a cloud-based technology foundation can also help the industry maximize investment in new technologies at scale,” noted Ravi Khokhar, Global Head of Cloud for Financial Services at Capgemini.

Moreover, many respondents consider AI (81%), predictive analytics (75%) and robotic process automation (65%) to be crucial for supporting their cloud ecosystem, but maturity in those areas sits at 15%, 30% and 22% respectively.

To put the opportunities into perspective, 31% of banks and insurers identified as ‘innovators’ exceed targets in cross-selling, upselling and data monetization, compared with 10-12% of non-innovators.

Looking ahead, and with emerging regulations like Europe’s Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) and Section 1033 of the Dodd-Frank Act coming into force, Capgemini is calling for the financial sector to “apply a data-driven, cloud-focused approach.”

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Netflix has announced Beyoncé will perform live at its Ravens-Houston match, where she’s expected to sing songs from her latest album Cowboy Carter for the first time.

Beyoncé will perform at the Ravens-Houston halftime show live streamed on NetflixThe game is set to take place on Christmas Day at 4:40pm ET This is the first time she will perform songs from her latest album Cowboy Carter

Netflix’s most recent live stream of the Mike Tyson vs Jake Paul fight proved that, despite being one of the best streaming services, perhaps Netflix isn’t the be-all and end-all when it comes to live events. But its glitchy livestream hasn’t put me off just yet, especially when you throw Beyoncé into the mix.

As part of Netflix’s NFL Christmas Gameday, the platform has revealed that none other than Beyoncé herself will be taking to the stage to perform at the Ravens-Texans game halftime show on December 25 at the NRG stadium.

Performing in the host city and her hometown of Houston, Beyonce is tipped to give the album’s first live performance with songs from her eighth studio album Cowboy Carter, which has just been nominated for a total of 11 Grammy Awards making it the most nominated album in Grammy history.

In what is expected to be a new holiday tradition for Netflix, the streamer will be the global host to two games taking place on Christmas Day starting with the Kansas City Chiefs vs Pittsburgh Steelers game, which goes live at 1pm ET. Beyoncé will perform during the second game (Baltimore Ravens vs Houston Texans) which will kick off at 4:30pm ET. The halftime performance will be produced by Beyoncé’s company Parkwood Entertainment in collaboration with Jesse Collins Entertainment.

In light of this next venture for Netflix, Beyoncé is by all means no stranger to both the NFL and the streaming service itself. In 2013 she headlined the Superbowl halftime show, and appeared as a guest performer alongside Bruno Mars in 2016 when Coldplay performed at the 50th halftime show. When it comes to collaborations with Netflix, Beyonce put out her Homecoming concert movie/ documentary in 2019 which showed the ins and outs of her groundbreaking headlining Coachella performance – one of my favorite music movies on streaming.

Finally, I get to hear Cowboy Carter live for the first time

While the Mike Tyson vs Jake Paul livestream wasn’t the best reflection of Netflix’s ability to stream live events, it certainly won’t get in the way of Beyoncé and I. Since Cowboy Carter was released in March this year, which will definitely appear in my Spotify Wrapped 2024, we’ve heard not even a peep of a live performance from Beyoncé, so her debuting the album’s first live show in her hometown for Netflix is more than a big deal for us fans.

Still, there hasn’t been any more announcements regarding the performance itself other than what we already know – but that’s just Beyoncé being Beyoncé. But according to Netflix, she’s expected to be joined by some of the artists featured on the most recent album, meaning that Post Malone, Miley Cyrus, Shaboozey, Linda Martell, or even Dolly Parton could make an appearance. If there’s one thing that Beyonce knows how to do, it’s give us the unexpected.

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All three models in the Galaxy S25 series are tipped to come with 12GB of RAM as standard.

The Samsung Galaxy S25 lineup is rumored to launch at the same price as the current-gen S24 family Another leak points to the entire lineup launching with 12GB of RAMSamsung has yet to officially announce any details of the S25, S25 Plus, and S25 Ultra

New rumors suggest that the next generation of flagship Samsung phones could receive a major spec boost without commanding higher price tags.

In a now-deleted post, noted leaker Jukanlosreve (via Sammy Fans) shared that the Samsung Galaxy S25 family will cost the same as the current-generation S24 lineup. That would mean starting prices of $799 / £799 / AU$1,399 for the S25, $999 / £999 / AU$1,699 for the S25 Plus, and $1,299 / £1,249 / AU$2,199 for the S25 Ultra.

Sammy Fans also suggests that the Galaxy S25 could start with 128GB of storage, with the S25 Plus and S25 Ultra each starting with 256GB of storage – again, that’s the same as the current lineup.

Though not yet confirmed, it’s always nice to see phone makers keep their product prices stable, especially given the multiple factors that typically push manufacturers to increase them, such as inflation, changing production costs, and popular expectations of new features.

As for what new upgrade Samsung fans will reportedly get for those same-as-last-year prices, a Geekbench report publicized by GSMArena records the base model Galaxy S25 as sporting 12GB of RAM, suggesting the rest of the lineup will come equipped with at least this much memory, too.

And, as with the current lineup, we expect to see a top-tier variant of the Galaxy S25 Ultra with 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage.

More RAM is always a welcome addition for multitasking and AI, and Galaxy AI now forms a core part of Samsung’s mobile platform. It’s reasonable to suggest an additional 4GB of RAM could offer noticeable improvements in both departments.

Additional RAM could also make Samsung Dex – the desktop mode that activates when certain Samsung Galaxy phones are linked to a monitor – a more appealing proposition.

For the moment, the above remains steeped in rumors and speculation – we’ve not heard anything on the Galaxy S25 lineup from Samsung directly – but with a January release date tipped by leakers, we’d expect to hear the first murmurs soon.

Until then, we’ve got our eyes on the latest Samsung Galaxy S25 rumors. For all the official updates as we hear them, be sure to keep up with our Samsung phones coverage.

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Here’s one of the more interesting products we’ve seen lately: a digital watch that fits around your finger.

The Casio CRW-001-1JR is part smartwatch, part smart ringIt looks as though it’ll only be available in JapanThe device celebrates 50 years of digital watches from Casio

Can’t decide between one of the best smart rings and one of the best smartwatches? The new Casio CRW-001-1JR gives you both form factors in the same device – it’s a smartwatch that fits around your finger rather than your wrist.

Getting hold of one might be an issue though, as it looks as though the Casio CRW-001-1JR will only be available in Casio’s home country of Japan. The wearable has been priced at 19,800 yen, which is about $130 / £100 / AU$200.

The wearable has been launched to mark 50 years of Casio smartwatches, and it’s more of a fashion accessory than an actual working smartwatch. You don’t get any fitness-tracking features here, for example, or synced smartphone notification support.

However, the little gadget can tell you the time in two locations, and there’s also a stopwatch function. You can set alarms for specific times on the device, and Casio has fitted in a small LED light as well.

One to watch

You can only get the Casio CRW-001-1JR in one size – the equivalent of US ring size 10.5 – but there are spacers included for a snugger fit on smaller fingers. Unlike the similar Timex T80, the strap isn’t adjustable.

The ring/watch has been designed to pay homage to the classic Casio GMW-B5000 smartwatch, and it’s made from stainless steel. There are even three functional buttons for controlling the features on the device.

Tipping the scales at 16 grams, this isn’t as lightweight as something like the Samsung Galaxy Ring, which weighs a maximum of 3 grams. The smartwatch is “waterproof for daily use”, and powered by a replaceable battery that should be good for two years of use.

It’s something different at least – and perhaps the start of a whole new product category. The Casio CRW-001-1JR is going on sale at the start of December – though even if you do live in Japan, it seems stock is going to be limited.

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A smart TV could be a smart move now more than ever.

Apple is reportedly evaluating whether to make an Apple-branded TVIt was rumored years ago, and it may be backPeople might pay a premium for privacy and long software support

Apple doesn’t make TVs, but that may soon change. According to new report, Apple is seriously considering an Apple-branded TV set. And that might not be a bad idea, even in a very busy industry.

As you know, Apple isn’t currently a TV manufacturer: it makes the excellent Apple TV 4K instead, bringing Apple’s system and smarts to any television, as well as a widely available Apple TV Plus app.

Apple TVs have been rumored for a very long time, but it’s a very low-margin business and if there’s one thing Apple hates, its low profit margins. But there’s something Apple likes, and that’s profiting from other firms’ mistakes. And the TV industry may have given it an opportunity to do just that.

Why an Apple TV could be a big hit

It’s important to stress that the story, from Bloomberg, says that Apple is only “evaluating” whether to make a TV; that doesn’t mean it will. But there are some good reasons why it might even though it didn’t before, and why an Apple TV might not be another expensive-then-abandoned project like the Apple Car.

There’s no doubt that Apple can make a TV. But the bigger question is why it should. And the answer could be: privacy.

As we reported last month, a severe new report has accused many streaming services of being a “Trojan Horse”, a sinister surveillance system that’s undermining not just privacy but consumer protection too. What used to be a simple transaction – you pay money, you get a TV, and you don’t have any more contact with the maker unless there’s a warranty claim – has become a swamp of services demanding your data by fair means and foul. This privacy-collecting smart TV tech is built into all of the best TVs today, and people are starting to take notice.

Apple has made privacy a big part of its pitch to us for quite a long time in its Macs, iPhones and services such as Apple Intelligence. And the same policy for a TV would be an important differentiator from many other firms.

There’s a second issue too, which is software support. Apple sticks with its stuff for many years, so you’ll get iPhone updates for longer than you will Android ones; the current Apple tvOS, tvOS 18, works with Apple TV devices going back to the Apple TV HD from 2015.

How many smart TVs from 2015 are still updating their apps? Again, people are starting to get frustrated that services may stop working on their TV. Samsung recently addressed this concern with a promise of seven years of updates to its TVs, while LG is promising five years. It’s a problem that needs addressing, and Apple can easily promise it.

The downside, of course, is that an Apple TV wouldn’t be cheap if the company is to keep its usual profit margins in a cut-throat market – and the company is said to be looking at OLED for the screen, and the best OLED TVs are never cheap.

But you could say exactly the same about the best iPhones, best iPads and best MacBooks. But as with those products, Apple may offer something different enough to its rivals to justify the more premium pricing.

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Infostealing malware app spread via posted QR codes, and it has access to more than 380 Android apps.

Swiss citizens warned about fake ‘Alertswiss app’Malicious app deploys a variant of the Coper trojanKeystrokes, 2FA codes and credentials are at risk

The Swiss National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) is warning the public about a recent malware campaign targeting citizens via the country’s postal service.

Residents are reportedly receiving letters through the post from what they believe to be the Federal Office of Meteorology and Climatology, urging them to install a fraudulent weather app.

The letters include a QR code to facilitate with the download of the Android-based ‘Severe Weather Warning App,’ which masquerades as the nation’s Alertswiss app.

Swiss citizens targeted by QR code malware

Using QR codes to spread malware isn’t new, however attack vectors can vary widely. When accessing online content, users should always be cautious of telltale signs that suggest the content they’re accessing is not legitimate.

In this case, the malicious app is labelled ‘AlertSwiss,’ whereas the genuine app is labelled ‘Alertswiss.’ It also has a slightly different icon. Furthermore, the app is distributed via a third-party website, rather than Google’s own Play Store, which is another key red flag.

Upon installation, the app deploys a Coper trojan variant that logs keystrokes, intercepts two-factor authentication messages and steals banking credentials by targeting apps installed on the victim’s device. According to the public warning, it has access to more than 383 smartphone apps.

The app also communicates with command-and-control servers, and can present phishing screens to obtain sensitive information from the victims.

The NCSC said that this was the first time that malware had been delivered through physical mail in the country: “The letters look official with the correct logo of the Federal Office for Meteorology and thus trustworthy.”

Citizens targeted by the letter are being urged to report it to the NCSC. Those who have already downloaded the app should reset their phones to factory settings.

Via The Register

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New AI football commentator will add additional insights.

ESPN is testing an AI-generated avatar for SEC NationFACTS will provide analysis during the popular college football showESPN says “It complements our journalists and on-air talent, providing additional insights”

ESPN is trialling a new AI-generated avatar which the TV network hopes to add to its popular college football show, SEC Nation.

The AI avatar called FACTS is being trialed for “pre-game discussions, promoting education and fun around sports analytics.” The project has been developed at the ESPN Edge Innovation Center to foster engagement and educate fans on sports analytics related to college football.

Baron Miller, coordinating producer for SEC Network/ESPN told Front Row, “FACTS is designed to test innovations out in the market and create an outlet for ESPN Analytics’ data to be accessible to fans in an engaging and enjoyable segment. It complements our journalists and on-air talent, providing additional insights.”

He added, “FACTS is built on NVIDIA Omniverse, using its ACE microservices, and integrates with Azure OpenAI for language processing and ElevenLabs for text-to-speech.” Combined with ESPN Analytics data and team statistics, FACTS is seen as a way to engage a new audience wanting to get invested in college football.

AI sports analysis on ESPN

ESPN hasn’t showcased FACTS in action and the company has already used generative AI to create recaps of sports matches. However, the AI recaps have come under scrutiny for errors such as completely forgetting to reference USWNT legend Alex Morgan in the final game of her professional career, instead focusing on the scoreline and the goalscorers.

ESPN doesn’t see AI as a way to replace its journalists, however, instead, the company thinks AI-generated recaps frees up its human writers to focus on more interesting topics. An ESPN spokesperson defended the use of AI by saying, “These automated recaps will allow ESPN staff to focus on feature, analysis and breaking news coverage. ESPN has always worked to combine human capability with emerging technologies as part of its mission to serve sports fans.”

SEC Nation is an incredibly popular show every Saturday during the college football season. With a start time of 10 AM ET, it’s the perfect opportunity to introduce a friendly AI-generated analyst to help educate children and adults alike on the sport. ESPN has yet to announce when we’re likely to see FACTS on our TVs, but considering the quick rate of AI adoption across the world of media, we don’t expect we’ll have to wait long.

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WordPress users urged to double-check their websites following update to worrrying security flaw.

WordFence finds “one of the most severe flaws” in its 12-year historyThe critical flaw resides in the Really Simple Security pluginThe bug allows for automated, mass website takeover

Cybersecurity researchers have found a critical vulnerability affecting millions of WordPress websites which could grant attackers full control over the vulnerable website.

Security professionals from Wordfence reported discovering an “improper handling of user authentication” vulnerability in the Really Simple Security WordPress plugin, both free and paid versions.

This plugin simplifies the process of securing websites by enabling SSL with a single click, and automatically resolving mixed content issues. Furthermore, it offers features such as security headers, and HTTP Strict Transport Security (HSTS), which made it a super popular choice. It currently has more than five million active installations.

Biggest threat in more than a decade

The vulnerability is being tracked as CVE-2024-10924, and has a severity score of 9.8 (critical), and Wordfence describes it as “one of the more serious vulnerabilities that we have reported on in our 12 year history as a security provider for WordPress.”

It was discovered on November 6, and by November 14, all versions had patches lined up. Versions 9.0.0 to 9.1.1.1 of the “free”, “Pro”, and “Pro Multisite” releases were said to be vulnerable, with the first clean version being 9.1.2.

Currently, the WordPress plugins site shows 44.1% of installations being for version 9.1, with the remaining 65.9% falling on older versions.

Given the severity of the flaw, and the sheer number of potentially exploitable websites, researchers are urging everyone to patch up immediately and protect their digital assets.

The plugin’s vendor has coordinated a force update with WordPress, but website administrators should still double-check to see if their websites are running the newest version of the plugin, and Pro users with expired licenses should ensure they have their auto-updates disabled as well.

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There are some new additions to Apple’s list of devices that it’s no longer going to provide repairs and parts for.

The iPhone XS Max and iPhone 6s Plus are now ‘vintage’Apple also labels the Apple Watch 2 as obsoleteThese statuses affect whether or not you can get repairs

Apple has just done some reorganizing of its vintage and obsolete products list, and the iPhone XS Max (launched in 2018) and iPhone 6s Plus (launched in 2015) are now both officially labeled as ‘vintage’ gadgets.

The changes were spotted by MacRumors, and are a normal part of the lifecycle of an Apple product. A device becomes vintage when more than five years have passed since it was last sold as new by Apple.

Before that five years passes, you can always get repairs and replacement parts from Apple and authorized repair stores. Once a product is vintage though, you may or may not be able to get repairs or parts – it depends on stock levels and what the issue is.

Exact timings on vintage status can vary, and it’s worth noting that the iPhone 6s Plus with 32GB of storage is already categorized as obsolete (the next stage past vintage). Once Apple updates its lists though, it’s official as far as product status goes.

Not just vintage – obsolete

The Apple Watch Series 2

Another update to Apple’s list is that the aluminum and stainless steel Apple Watch 2 models are now obsolete. A gadget becomes obsolete when it’s been more than seven years since it was last sold as new by Apple.

Past that point, you can’t get repairs from Apple or its authorized partners, and new parts can’t be ordered. The only exception to the rule is some MacBooks, which are eligible for battery replacements for up to 10 years in certain cases.

You can certainly try and get an obsolete product repaired, but you’ll have to go somewhere other than Apple – and once you hit the seven-year mark, it’s probably worth thinking about investing in an upgrade anyway.

For now, the Apple Watch 2 with the ceramic casing clings on to its vintage status, so it’s not yet obsolete – but if you’re still wearing the smartwatch, which launched in 2016, you’d be best getting any necessary repairs sorted sooner rather than later.

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