verge-rss

Image: Evan Blass

We’re only one week away from Samsung’s next Unpacked event on July 10th, where we’re expecting the company’s Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Z Flip 6 folding phones — but leaker Evan Blass has just revealed the entire spec sheets and marketing materials with practically everything you’d want to know.
For example, did you know both phones will be lighter, with longer battery life, despite being slightly thinner, and both have slight changes to their screens? Or that the Flip will now let you use Samsung’s language-translating Interpreter Mode on its front cover screen as well, letting you point the text of one language at the person you’re talking to while the other faces you?

Image via Evan Blass
The cover screen Interpreter Mode for the Z Flip 6.

Or that the Z Flip 6 will be the first with vapor chamber cooling?
Both also claim IP48 ingress protection, though that’s not necessarily an improvement: the “4” in IP48 is not actually the dust resistance we’ve been waiting for to head off potential long-term hinge damage, but rather protection against solid objects 1mm in size or greater, and it’s possible Samsung simply didn’t bother to claim that rating for previous foldables.
You can find every leaked spec in the galleries below, but here are the highlights we’ve gleaned by checking these specs against last year’s Z Fold 5 and Z Flip 5, assuming these details pan out:
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 (7.6-inch inner screen, 6.3-inch outer screen)

The screen has significantly higher max brightness at 2,600 nits, up from 1,750
New Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor
Claims one hour longer LTE internet battery life, two hours longer video playback
14 grams lighter
1.4mm shorter, 1mm wider, 1.3mm thinner when folded
1.4mm shorter, 2.7mm wider, 0.5mm thinner when unfolded
“improved Armor Aluminum frame”
Secondary screen is 0.1-inches larger
Slightly different main display res at 2160×1856 vs. 2176×1812
No change in cameras, battery capacity (4400mAh), or cover glass (Gorilla Glass Victus 2)

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 (6.7-inch inner screen, 3.4-inch outer screen)

50MP main camera, up from 12MP, same f/1.8 aperture
New Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor and 12GB RAM (up from 8GB)
Secondary display is now IPS instead of OLED
0.2mm thinner when folded, other dimensions and weight are the same
Higher capacity 4,000mAh battery (up from 3,700mAh)
Claims two hours longer LTE internet battery life, three hours longer video playback
No change in cover glass (Gorilla Glass Victus 2)
Entire phone now reflects your choice of color, instead of just one panel on the back

We’ve already seen leaked colors for the phones from Blass, including an excellent ice blue Flip. Now, we just need prices, I suppose.

Image: Evan Blass

We’re only one week away from Samsung’s next Unpacked event on July 10th, where we’re expecting the company’s Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Z Flip 6 folding phones — but leaker Evan Blass has just revealed the entire spec sheets and marketing materials with practically everything you’d want to know.

For example, did you know both phones will be lighter, with longer battery life, despite being slightly thinner, and both have slight changes to their screens? Or that the Flip will now let you use Samsung’s language-translating Interpreter Mode on its front cover screen as well, letting you point the text of one language at the person you’re talking to while the other faces you?

Image via Evan Blass
The cover screen Interpreter Mode for the Z Flip 6.

Or that the Z Flip 6 will be the first with vapor chamber cooling?

Both also claim IP48 ingress protection, though that’s not necessarily an improvement: the “4” in IP48 is not actually the dust resistance we’ve been waiting for to head off potential long-term hinge damage, but rather protection against solid objects 1mm in size or greater, and it’s possible Samsung simply didn’t bother to claim that rating for previous foldables.

You can find every leaked spec in the galleries below, but here are the highlights we’ve gleaned by checking these specs against last year’s Z Fold 5 and Z Flip 5, assuming these details pan out:

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 (7.6-inch inner screen, 6.3-inch outer screen)

The screen has significantly higher max brightness at 2,600 nits, up from 1,750
New Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor
Claims one hour longer LTE internet battery life, two hours longer video playback
14 grams lighter
1.4mm shorter, 1mm wider, 1.3mm thinner when folded
1.4mm shorter, 2.7mm wider, 0.5mm thinner when unfolded
“improved Armor Aluminum frame”
Secondary screen is 0.1-inches larger
Slightly different main display res at 2160×1856 vs. 2176×1812
No change in cameras, battery capacity (4400mAh), or cover glass (Gorilla Glass Victus 2)

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 (6.7-inch inner screen, 3.4-inch outer screen)

50MP main camera, up from 12MP, same f/1.8 aperture
New Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor and 12GB RAM (up from 8GB)
Secondary display is now IPS instead of OLED
0.2mm thinner when folded, other dimensions and weight are the same
Higher capacity 4,000mAh battery (up from 3,700mAh)
Claims two hours longer LTE internet battery life, three hours longer video playback
No change in cover glass (Gorilla Glass Victus 2)
Entire phone now reflects your choice of color, instead of just one panel on the back

We’ve already seen leaked colors for the phones from Blass, including an excellent ice blue Flip. Now, we just need prices, I suppose.

Read More 

Illustration by The Verge | Photo via Getty Images

A federal judge has partially blocked the Federal Trade Commission’s impending ban on noncompete agreements from going into effect. The ban had been set to go into force on September 4th, but on Wednesday, Judge Ada Brown issued a preliminary injunction in a lawsuit brought against the FTC.
Tax firm Ryan LLC filed the lawsuit against the FTC the same day the ban was announced in April, arguing that the ban is “an unauthorized, unconstitutional attempt to eliminate a long-established private economic arrangement.” The US Chamber of Commerce and Business Roundtable are among those who have joined the suit since its filing.
The plaintiffs are “substantially likely to prevail on the merits of their challenge to the FTC’s Non-Compete Rule,” Brown writes in the preliminary injunction. Brown intends to rule “on the ultimate merits of this action on or before August 30, 2024,” according to the order.
“The FTC stands by our clear authority, supported by statute and precedent, to issue this rule,” FTC spokesperson Douglas Farrar said in a statement. “We will keep fighting to free hardworking Americans from unlawful noncompetes, which reduce innovation, inhibit economic growth, trap workers, and undermine Americans’ economic liberty.”
The FTC voted 3-2 in support of the ban. At the time, the FTC argued that the ban would allow for more than 8,500 new businesses to be made each year.
Update July 3rd: Added statement from the FTC.

Illustration by The Verge | Photo via Getty Images

A federal judge has partially blocked the Federal Trade Commission’s impending ban on noncompete agreements from going into effect. The ban had been set to go into force on September 4th, but on Wednesday, Judge Ada Brown issued a preliminary injunction in a lawsuit brought against the FTC.

Tax firm Ryan LLC filed the lawsuit against the FTC the same day the ban was announced in April, arguing that the ban is “an unauthorized, unconstitutional attempt to eliminate a long-established private economic arrangement.” The US Chamber of Commerce and Business Roundtable are among those who have joined the suit since its filing.

The plaintiffs are “substantially likely to prevail on the merits of their challenge to the FTC’s Non-Compete Rule,” Brown writes in the preliminary injunction. Brown intends to rule “on the ultimate merits of this action on or before August 30, 2024,” according to the order.

“The FTC stands by our clear authority, supported by statute and precedent, to issue this rule,” FTC spokesperson Douglas Farrar said in a statement. “We will keep fighting to free hardworking Americans from unlawful noncompetes, which reduce innovation, inhibit economic growth, trap workers, and undermine Americans’ economic liberty.”

The FTC voted 3-2 in support of the ban. At the time, the FTC argued that the ban would allow for more than 8,500 new businesses to be made each year.

Update July 3rd: Added statement from the FTC.

Read More 

Illustration by Hugo Herrera for The Verge

Amazon Prime Day 2024 is nearly here. The annual two-day super sale will start on July 16th and run through July 17th, bringing with it a treasure trove of discounts, promos, and exclusive deals for Amazon Prime subscribers. It may not be the only Prime Day event we see this year — Amazon has recently taken to hosting a second shopping event in the fall — but it will likely remain one of the best opportunities of the year to score discounts on a range of tech outside of Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
Like in previous years, we’re highlighting the best deals on a variety of Verge-approved gadgets and gizmos, from the latest laptops and OLED TVs to robot vacuums that can leave your hardwood floors as spotless as your living room carpet. We’re also rounding up anti-Prime Day deals from competing retailers, including Walmart and Target, as well as an array of useful tips and tricks for making the most of the 48-hour event.
The price cuts are sure to be fleeting, but if you’re quick enough, you may be able to knock a few items off your holiday wish list before the eggnog even begins to arrive.

Illustration by Hugo Herrera for The Verge

Amazon Prime Day 2024 is nearly here. The annual two-day super sale will start on July 16th and run through July 17th, bringing with it a treasure trove of discounts, promos, and exclusive deals for Amazon Prime subscribers. It may not be the only Prime Day event we see this year — Amazon has recently taken to hosting a second shopping event in the fall — but it will likely remain one of the best opportunities of the year to score discounts on a range of tech outside of Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

Like in previous years, we’re highlighting the best deals on a variety of Verge-approved gadgets and gizmos, from the latest laptops and OLED TVs to robot vacuums that can leave your hardwood floors as spotless as your living room carpet. We’re also rounding up anti-Prime Day deals from competing retailers, including Walmart and Target, as well as an array of useful tips and tricks for making the most of the 48-hour event.

The price cuts are sure to be fleeting, but if you’re quick enough, you may be able to knock a few items off your holiday wish list before the eggnog even begins to arrive.

Read More 

Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge

Navigating the maze of platforms, ecosystems, protocols, and gadgets on your way to a smarter home is a full-time job. (I should know; it’s mine.) The smart home holds so much promise. It can make life more convenient with lights that turn on as you walk in a room, doors that unlock as you approach, and robots that clean your floors. It can also make your home safer, more energy efficient, and even a little more fun. (Have you tried asking Alexa to beam you up?)
But for all its benefits, the smart home can be complicated, confusing, and occasionally maddening. It’s also hard to keep up with all the changes. New gadgets are arriving daily, new features come to old products, and there are so many different ways to turn on a smart light bulb.
If you need a guide, that’s what I’m here for.
Here, I’ll be posting the latest smart home reviews, guides, news, and opinions on everything happening in the connected home. Follow this page to stay updated on what Apple, Amazon, Samsung, Google, and Home Assistant and the rest are doing with their smart home platforms. I’ll keep you in the loop on all the newest technologies — including Matter, Thread, Sidewalk, UWB — as well as the old favorites. And, of course, I’ll cover all the news on the latest gadgets and the biggest releases around tech for your home.

Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge

Navigating the maze of platforms, ecosystems, protocols, and gadgets on your way to a smarter home is a full-time job. (I should know; it’s mine.)

The smart home holds so much promise. It can make life more convenient with lights that turn on as you walk in a room, doors that unlock as you approach, and robots that clean your floors. It can also make your home safer, more energy efficient, and even a little more fun. (Have you tried asking Alexa to beam you up?)

But for all its benefits, the smart home can be complicated, confusing, and occasionally maddening. It’s also hard to keep up with all the changes. New gadgets are arriving daily, new features come to old products, and there are so many different ways to turn on a smart light bulb.

If you need a guide, that’s what I’m here for.

Here, I’ll be posting the latest smart home reviews, guides, news, and opinions on everything happening in the connected home. Follow this page to stay updated on what Apple, Amazon, Samsung, Google, and Home Assistant and the rest are doing with their smart home platforms. I’ll keep you in the loop on all the newest technologies — including Matter, Thread, Sidewalk, UWB — as well as the old favorites. And, of course, I’ll cover all the news on the latest gadgets and the biggest releases around tech for your home.

Read More 

You won’t have to worry about how your hair looks when using the Game Boy Camera as a webcam. It will always look bad. | Screenshot: Epilogue

The 26-year-old Game Boy Camera is still embraced by some photographers seeking a lo-fi aesthetic, and soon, it could serve double duty as a webcam for anyone who wants to show up to a video call looking like a low-res pixelated mess.
This is made possible using the GB Operator: a USB dock that allows Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance cartridges to be played on a computer (or the Steam Deck) through an app called Playback and the open-source mGBA emulator. The dock can also back up save game data or easily extract photos captured by the Game Boy Camera.
Epilogue, the company behind it, shared a short video of the new feature on X and told Time Extension, “We now have a live feed from the Game Boy Camera, but still need to fine-tune some things and allow for configuration options.”
It also described the new feature as “the worst and the best webcam you’ll ever have.”

Hello from the team in glorious 16 kilopixels ! Coming soon to a GB Operator near you. pic.twitter.com/nFjiQxn9DO— Epilogue (@meet_epilogue) July 2, 2024

A previous attempt at turning the Game Boy Camera into a webcam required a stack of hardware, including a Super Nintendo, a Super Game Boy cartridge, a device to convert a composite video signal to HDMI, and a video capture card for a PC. Epilogue’s solution looks much simpler and nearly painless — except for those forced to see their co-workers livestreamed through a relic of digital photography.

Sleek, super and see-through: SN Operator’s first official images ✨! pic.twitter.com/3r8CO8tbHX— Epilogue (@meet_epilogue) May 26, 2024

In addition to the Game Boy-focused GB Operator, Epilogue recently shared the first images of its upcoming SN Operator, which offers the same functionality and PC connectivity but for Super Nintendo cartridges. There are currently no details on when the SN Operator will be released, and “coming soon” is the only timeline shared for the GB Operator upgrades.

You won’t have to worry about how your hair looks when using the Game Boy Camera as a webcam. It will always look bad. | Screenshot: Epilogue

The 26-year-old Game Boy Camera is still embraced by some photographers seeking a lo-fi aesthetic, and soon, it could serve double duty as a webcam for anyone who wants to show up to a video call looking like a low-res pixelated mess.

This is made possible using the GB Operator: a USB dock that allows Game Boy, Game Boy Color, and Game Boy Advance cartridges to be played on a computer (or the Steam Deck) through an app called Playback and the open-source mGBA emulator. The dock can also back up save game data or easily extract photos captured by the Game Boy Camera.

Epilogue, the company behind it, shared a short video of the new feature on X and told Time Extension, “We now have a live feed from the Game Boy Camera, but still need to fine-tune some things and allow for configuration options.”

It also described the new feature as “the worst and the best webcam you’ll ever have.”

A previous attempt at turning the Game Boy Camera into a webcam required a stack of hardware, including a Super Nintendo, a Super Game Boy cartridge, a device to convert a composite video signal to HDMI, and a video capture card for a PC. Epilogue’s solution looks much simpler and nearly painless — except for those forced to see their co-workers livestreamed through a relic of digital photography.

In addition to the Game Boy-focused GB Operator, Epilogue recently shared the first images of its upcoming SN Operator, which offers the same functionality and PC connectivity but for Super Nintendo cartridges. There are currently no details on when the SN Operator will be released, and “coming soon” is the only timeline shared for the GB Operator upgrades.

Read More 

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

Twilio says someone has obtained phone numbers associated with its two-factor authentication service (2FA), Authy, as reported earlier by TechCrunch. In a security alert on Monday, Twilio warns that the “threat actors” may try to use the stolen phone numbers to carry out phishing attacks and other scams.
The incident follows a 2022 data breach that occurred after a phishing campaign tricked employees into disclosing their login credentials. The attackers accessed data from 163 Twilio accounts and managed to access and register additional devices on 93 Authy accounts.
Twilio traced this leak back to “an unauthenticated endpoint” that it has since secured. Last week, the threat actor ShinyHunters published a list of 33 million phone numbers from Authy accounts on the dark web. As pointed out by BleepingComputer, the threat actor seems to have obtained the information by inputting a massive list of phone numbers into Authy’s unsecured API endpoint, which would then verify whether they’re associated with the app.
“We encourage all Authy users to stay diligent and have heightened awareness around the texts they are receiving,” Twilio writes. It adds that it “has seen no evidence that the threat actors obtained access to Twilio’s systems or other sensitive data” and that Authy accounts weren’t compromised. Twilio is advising users to update their Authy apps on Android and iOS (the Authy desktop app has been discontinued).

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

Twilio says someone has obtained phone numbers associated with its two-factor authentication service (2FA), Authy, as reported earlier by TechCrunch. In a security alert on Monday, Twilio warns that the “threat actors” may try to use the stolen phone numbers to carry out phishing attacks and other scams.

The incident follows a 2022 data breach that occurred after a phishing campaign tricked employees into disclosing their login credentials. The attackers accessed data from 163 Twilio accounts and managed to access and register additional devices on 93 Authy accounts.

Twilio traced this leak back to “an unauthenticated endpoint” that it has since secured. Last week, the threat actor ShinyHunters published a list of 33 million phone numbers from Authy accounts on the dark web. As pointed out by BleepingComputer, the threat actor seems to have obtained the information by inputting a massive list of phone numbers into Authy’s unsecured API endpoint, which would then verify whether they’re associated with the app.

“We encourage all Authy users to stay diligent and have heightened awareness around the texts they are receiving,” Twilio writes. It adds that it “has seen no evidence that the threat actors obtained access to Twilio’s systems or other sensitive data” and that Authy accounts weren’t compromised. Twilio is advising users to update their Authy apps on Android and iOS (the Authy desktop app has been discontinued).

Read More 

The update brings mixed reality spatial computing to the mainstream on the Meta Quest 3. | Image: Meta

Mark Zuckerberg announced on Wednesday that version 67 of Horizon OS is rolling out with an experimental feature allowing Quest owners to multitask with up to six virtual windows. Once enabled (by going to Settings, then Experimental, and toggling it on), you’ll be able to dock three windows in what Meta is calling a “hinged” layout while freely placing and resizing up to three more wherever you want.
The feature is available on the Quest Pro, Quest 2, and Quest 3, but it’s especially nice on the Quest 3 when you’re using it in mixed reality mode. The augmented reality support is similar to the Apple Vision Pro’s experience. With the additional windows, Quest owners now have more options and, according to reports, the ability to move further away without losing windows.
There’s also a “Theater View” button that quickly isolates and enlarges any one of the windows while dimming the others. It works with the browser, video player, and other 2D apps and windows within Horizon OS.

Meta has also added a new Horizon Feed section that highlights content from select creators like A Wolf in VR and SteveKnows. It’s positioned as a more sociable approach to discovering new apps and games. You’ll be able to like posts and share them with friends.

Image: Meta

Other changes coming in version 67 include swipe typing for easier text input, QR code scanning to set up Wi-Fi access (available only on the Quest 3), improvements to eye tracking performance on the Quest Pro, and the ability to set durations for Do Not Disturb mode. Keep checking back if you’re not seeing the update right away, as Meta says it’s a gradual rollout.

The update brings mixed reality spatial computing to the mainstream on the Meta Quest 3. | Image: Meta

Mark Zuckerberg announced on Wednesday that version 67 of Horizon OS is rolling out with an experimental feature allowing Quest owners to multitask with up to six virtual windows. Once enabled (by going to Settings, then Experimental, and toggling it on), you’ll be able to dock three windows in what Meta is calling a “hinged” layout while freely placing and resizing up to three more wherever you want.

The feature is available on the Quest Pro, Quest 2, and Quest 3, but it’s especially nice on the Quest 3 when you’re using it in mixed reality mode. The augmented reality support is similar to the Apple Vision Pro’s experience. With the additional windows, Quest owners now have more options and, according to reports, the ability to move further away without losing windows.

There’s also a “Theater View” button that quickly isolates and enlarges any one of the windows while dimming the others. It works with the browser, video player, and other 2D apps and windows within Horizon OS.

Meta has also added a new Horizon Feed section that highlights content from select creators like A Wolf in VR and SteveKnows. It’s positioned as a more sociable approach to discovering new apps and games. You’ll be able to like posts and share them with friends.

Image: Meta

Other changes coming in version 67 include swipe typing for easier text input, QR code scanning to set up Wi-Fi access (available only on the Quest 3), improvements to eye tracking performance on the Quest Pro, and the ability to set durations for Do Not Disturb mode. Keep checking back if you’re not seeing the update right away, as Meta says it’s a gradual rollout.

Read More 

A “warranty void if seal broken” sticker covering a screw hole. | Image: Eirik Solheim (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Ever seen one of those “warranty void if removed” stickers covering the screw holes on a gadget? Today, the FTC is reminding ASRock, Gigabyte, and Zotac that they’re illegal.
In fact, the FTC sent letters to ASRock, Gigabyte, and Zotac that suggest the FTC’s concerns aren’t just skin sticker-deep. Each letter tells the manufacturer to change its warranty and review its customer support practices to make sure they aren’t illegally threatening your warranty.
“Staff would be concerned if GIGABYTE, in practice, denied warranty coverage based on the warranty provisions quoted above or any similar provision,” reads part of one of the letters.
As of today, each of these companies’ warranties does include such a threat. The very first line in ASRock’s warranty reads, “Manufacturer’s warranty will be null and void if products are modified, damaged or otherwise tampered with, for example, the outer case is opened or additional optional parts/components are installed/removed.”
Gigabyte includes: “If the manufacturing sticker inside the product was removed or damaged, it would no longer be covered by the warranty.”
The particular right-to-repair law the FTC is invoking here isn’t one of the state-by-state ones that are now taking effect — it’s the federal Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act that attempts to keep companies from making bad warranties and misrepresenting them in the first place.
“The Warranty Act prohibits warrantors of consumer products costing more than five dollars from conditioning their written warranties on a consumer’s use of any article or service, such as repair service, which is identified by brand, trade, or corporate name, unless (1) the warranty states the article or service will be provided to the consumer for free, or (2) the warrantor has been granted a waiver by the Commission,” the FTC writes.
“FTC investigators have copied and preserved the online pages in question, and we plan to review your company’s written warranty and promotional materials after 30 days,” the agency is telling each firm.
In 2018, the FTC put Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft on notice for doing the same thing with their game consoles, as well as Asus, HTC, and Hyundai. Nintendo, Sony, and Hyundai updated their policies less than two months later.
iFixit has a blog on how “warranty void if removed” stickers may be legal in other parts of the world.
Asus has also recently been rethinking its customer support and warranty after a Gamers Nexus investigation, but that one didn’t have to do with voided warranties.

A “warranty void if seal broken” sticker covering a screw hole. | Image: Eirik Solheim (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Ever seen one of those “warranty void if removed” stickers covering the screw holes on a gadget? Today, the FTC is reminding ASRock, Gigabyte, and Zotac that they’re illegal.

In fact, the FTC sent letters to ASRock, Gigabyte, and Zotac that suggest the FTC’s concerns aren’t just skin sticker-deep. Each letter tells the manufacturer to change its warranty and review its customer support practices to make sure they aren’t illegally threatening your warranty.

“Staff would be concerned if GIGABYTE, in practice, denied warranty coverage based on the warranty provisions quoted above or any similar provision,” reads part of one of the letters.

As of today, each of these companies’ warranties does include such a threat. The very first line in ASRock’s warranty reads, “Manufacturer’s warranty will be null and void if products are modified, damaged or otherwise tampered with, for example, the outer case is opened or additional optional parts/components are installed/removed.”

Gigabyte includes: “If the manufacturing sticker inside the product was removed or damaged, it would no longer be covered by the warranty.”

The particular right-to-repair law the FTC is invoking here isn’t one of the state-by-state ones that are now taking effect — it’s the federal Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act that attempts to keep companies from making bad warranties and misrepresenting them in the first place.

“The Warranty Act prohibits warrantors of consumer products costing more than five dollars from conditioning their written warranties on a consumer’s use of any article or service, such as repair service, which is identified by brand, trade, or corporate name, unless (1) the warranty states the article or service will be provided to the consumer for free, or (2) the warrantor has been granted a waiver by the Commission,” the FTC writes.

“FTC investigators have copied and preserved the online pages in question, and we plan to review your company’s written warranty and promotional materials after 30 days,” the agency is telling each firm.

In 2018, the FTC put Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft on notice for doing the same thing with their game consoles, as well as Asus, HTC, and Hyundai. Nintendo, Sony, and Hyundai updated their policies less than two months later.

iFixit has a blog on how “warranty void if removed” stickers may be legal in other parts of the world.

Asus has also recently been rethinking its customer support and warranty after a Gamers Nexus investigation, but that one didn’t have to do with voided warranties.

Read More 

Users will be able to swap the CMF Phone 1’s rear case and attach accessories like a folding kickstand. | Image: Nothing

Nothing plans to reveal the first smartphone from its affordable CMF subbrand on July 8th, but as part of a continuing series of teasers, it’s revealed the CMF Phone 1’s unique customizability, including a dial that can be used to attach accessories and a rear panel that can be easily swapped.
The light-up glyphs on the Nothing Phone 1 and Phone 2 won’t make it to this model, but a short video of a rotating dial on the back looks similar to the aluminum alloy dial on the CMF Buds that allows a lanyard to be attached to the earbuds’ charging case.

The engineer’s aesthetic.CMF Phone 1 celebrates technical craftsmanship with its uniquely adaptable nature. Customisable. Functional. Yours.Learn everything at the next Nothing Community Update on 8 July 2024, 10:00 BST. pic.twitter.com/0fqYkaf4OX— CMF by Nothing (@cmfbynothing) July 3, 2024

Today’s tease seemingly confirms the phone’s dial will at least function in a similar manner to the dial on the CMF Buds to accommodate accessories and can be unscrewed and swapped with optional attachments, including a lanyard mount and a folding kickstand.
Will it offer additional functionality? Nothing’s teases have been cryptic, but the dial shown is reminiscent of the smart dial on the CMF Neckband Pro headphones, which is used to control volume, playback, and active noise cancellation.

yes mr. wayne, it does come in black… and also in blue, light green, and orange. pic.twitter.com/BZFZbfZfu1— CMF by Nothing (@cmfbynothing) July 3, 2024

Previously, the CMF account had shared images of the back that revealed easily accessible screws and a tiny screwdriver matching the brand’s aesthetic. The teases strongly hinted the device would have an easily removable rear panel, which seems confirmed today in a post featuring images of the panel itself in black, blue, light green, and orange colorways.

Image: Nothing
Can the CMF Phone 1’s back panel be swapped with one featuring an extended battery?

It’s not known if other companies are making alternate rear panels, but looking closer, it seems as if the device might handle panels adding either a larger battery — similar to a Mophie Juice Pack or the Motorola phones that supported “Moto Mods” a few years ago — or a wallet for holding credit and ID cards.
Nothing also hasn’t revealed if removing the rear panel will provide easier access to the CMF Phone 1’s internals, including its battery, but the feature may focus more on customizing appearance and functionality than improving repairability.
In addition to announcing the CMF Phone 1 on July 8th at 5AM ET, the brand will also debut its CMF Buds Pro 2 and Watch Pro 2 at its “Community Update” event.

Users will be able to swap the CMF Phone 1’s rear case and attach accessories like a folding kickstand. | Image: Nothing

Nothing plans to reveal the first smartphone from its affordable CMF subbrand on July 8th, but as part of a continuing series of teasers, it’s revealed the CMF Phone 1’s unique customizability, including a dial that can be used to attach accessories and a rear panel that can be easily swapped.

The light-up glyphs on the Nothing Phone 1 and Phone 2 won’t make it to this model, but a short video of a rotating dial on the back looks similar to the aluminum alloy dial on the CMF Buds that allows a lanyard to be attached to the earbuds’ charging case.

Today’s tease seemingly confirms the phone’s dial will at least function in a similar manner to the dial on the CMF Buds to accommodate accessories and can be unscrewed and swapped with optional attachments, including a lanyard mount and a folding kickstand.

Will it offer additional functionality? Nothing’s teases have been cryptic, but the dial shown is reminiscent of the smart dial on the CMF Neckband Pro headphones, which is used to control volume, playback, and active noise cancellation.

Previously, the CMF account had shared images of the back that revealed easily accessible screws and a tiny screwdriver matching the brand’s aesthetic. The teases strongly hinted the device would have an easily removable rear panel, which seems confirmed today in a post featuring images of the panel itself in black, blue, light green, and orange colorways.

Image: Nothing
Can the CMF Phone 1’s back panel be swapped with one featuring an extended battery?

It’s not known if other companies are making alternate rear panels, but looking closer, it seems as if the device might handle panels adding either a larger battery — similar to a Mophie Juice Pack or the Motorola phones that supported “Moto Mods” a few years ago — or a wallet for holding credit and ID cards.

Nothing also hasn’t revealed if removing the rear panel will provide easier access to the CMF Phone 1’s internals, including its battery, but the feature may focus more on customizing appearance and functionality than improving repairability.

In addition to announcing the CMF Phone 1 on July 8th at 5AM ET, the brand will also debut its CMF Buds Pro 2 and Watch Pro 2 at its “Community Update” event.

Read More 

Image: The Verge

Until Friday, OpenAI’s recently launched ChatGPT macOS app had a potentially worrying security issue: it wasn’t hard to find your chats stored on your computer and read them in plain text. That meant that if a bad actor or malicious app had access to your machine, they could easily read your conversations with ChatGPT and the data contained within them.
As demonstrated by Pedro José Pereira Vieito on Threads, the ease of access meant it was possible to have another app access those files and show you the text of your conversations right after they happened. Pereira Vieito shared the app he made with me, and I used it to make a video showing how the app can read my ChatGPT conversations with the click of a button. I was also able to find the files on my computer and see the text of conversations just by changing the file name.

After The Verge contacted OpenAI about the issue, the company released an update that it says encrypts the chats. “We are aware of this issue and have shipped a new version of the application which encrypts these conversations,” OpenAI spokesperson Taya Christianson says in a statement to The Verge. “We’re committed to providing a helpful user experience while maintaining our high security standards as our technology evolves.”
After downloading the update, Pereira Vieito’s app no longer works for me, and I can’t see my conversations in plain text.
I asked Pereira Vieito how he discovered the original issue. “I was curious about why [OpenAI] opted out of using the app sandbox protections and ended up checking where they stored the app data,” he said. OpenAI only offers the ChatGPT macOS app through its own website, meaning the app doesn’t have to follow Apple’s sandboxing requirements that apply to software distributed via the Mac App Store.

Unless you’ve opted out, OpenAI may review ChatGPT conversations for safety and to train its models. But that privilege isn’t one you’d expect to extend to unknown third parties that get access and know where to look.
Of course, it could be worse — this app still wasn’t storing everything you’ve seen on your computer in plain text.

Image: The Verge

Until Friday, OpenAI’s recently launched ChatGPT macOS app had a potentially worrying security issue: it wasn’t hard to find your chats stored on your computer and read them in plain text. That meant that if a bad actor or malicious app had access to your machine, they could easily read your conversations with ChatGPT and the data contained within them.

As demonstrated by Pedro José Pereira Vieito on Threads, the ease of access meant it was possible to have another app access those files and show you the text of your conversations right after they happened. Pereira Vieito shared the app he made with me, and I used it to make a video showing how the app can read my ChatGPT conversations with the click of a button. I was also able to find the files on my computer and see the text of conversations just by changing the file name.

After The Verge contacted OpenAI about the issue, the company released an update that it says encrypts the chats. “We are aware of this issue and have shipped a new version of the application which encrypts these conversations,” OpenAI spokesperson Taya Christianson says in a statement to The Verge. “We’re committed to providing a helpful user experience while maintaining our high security standards as our technology evolves.”

After downloading the update, Pereira Vieito’s app no longer works for me, and I can’t see my conversations in plain text.

I asked Pereira Vieito how he discovered the original issue. “I was curious about why [OpenAI] opted out of using the app sandbox protections and ended up checking where they stored the app data,” he said. OpenAI only offers the ChatGPT macOS app through its own website, meaning the app doesn’t have to follow Apple’s sandboxing requirements that apply to software distributed via the Mac App Store.

Unless you’ve opted out, OpenAI may review ChatGPT conversations for safety and to train its models. But that privilege isn’t one you’d expect to extend to unknown third parties that get access and know where to look.

Of course, it could be worse — this app still wasn’t storing everything you’ve seen on your computer in plain text.

Read More