Friday, 18 October 2019

Drop's Legendary Sennheiser HD 6XX Headphones Are Cheaper Than We've Ever Seen

Sennheiser’s HD 650 open back headphones are widely considered some of the best-sounding cans you can buy for under $1000, and the best chance to get them is when Drop (formerly MassDrop) drops a new shipment of the legendary HD 6XX.

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Apple TV+ Comedy Series 'Dickinson' Starring Hailee Steinfeld Premieres in Brooklyn

Apple TV+ comedy series "Dickinson" made its global premiere on Thursday evening at St. Ann's Warehouse in Brooklyn.


Created, written, and executive produced by Alena Smith, the 19th-century coming-of-age story explores the constraints of society, gender, and family from the perspective of rebellious young poet Emily Dickinson. The series stars Oscar- and Emmy-nominated actresses Hailee Steinfeld and Jane Krakowski.

Apple says the complete 10-episode first season of "Dickinson" will be available to stream on Apple TV+ starting November 1, the day the service launches, in over 100 countries and regions around the world.




In other Apple TV+ news, Variety reports that screenwriter and producer Monica Beletsky has reached a multi-year deal with Apple to develop and produce television series exclusively for Apple's streaming video service. Her previous credits include "Fargo," "Friday Night Lights," and "Parenthood."

Apple TV+ will be available in the Apple TV app on iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Mac, Roku, select smart TVs, and other devices, including online at tv.apple.com, for $4.99 per month with a seven-day free trial.


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Tribes Are Pushing Washington to Be the First State to Declare a Climate Emergency

There’s an occupation taking place in Olympia, Washington. Native American activists have established a semi-permanent camp 15 minutes away from the state Capitol as part of a campaign to push Governor Jay Inslee—the former presidential candidate who put the climate crisis front and center as part of his bid—to…

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Google Pixel 4's Face Unlock Feature Works With Eyes Closed, Sparking Security Concerns

Google has ignited security concerns over the facial authentication system in its new Pixel 4 smartphone by admitting that it will unlock the device even when the user's eyes are shut.


Google unveiled the Pixel 4 this week to mostly positive reviews, many of which praised the phone for is super-fast new face unlock system, which replaces the fingerprint sensor and works much the same as Apple's Face ID on iPhones, except for one key security feature.

The BBC has discovered that the Pixel 4 can be unlocked even with the user's face even if they're sleeping (or pretending to be asleep). That contrasts with Apple's Face ID system, which engages by default an "Attention Aware" feature that requires the user's eyes to be open for the iPhone to be unlocked. Attention Aware can be disabled for convenience, but the Pixel 4 lacks an equivalent security feature entirely.

To its credit though, Google isn't hiding this fact. A Google support page reads: "Your phone can also be unlocked by someone else if it's held up to your face, even if your eyes are closed. Keep your phone in a safe place, like your front pocket or handbag."

To "prepare for unsafe situations," Google recommends holding the power button for a couple of seconds and tapping Lockdown, which turns off notifications and face recognition unlocking.

In early leaks of the Pixel 4, screenshots revealed a "require eyes to be open" setting for face unlock, so it looks as if Google tried to implement a similar feature to Apple's Attention Aware, but couldn't get it working in time for the device's launch.

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Speaking before the launch, Pixel product manager Sherry Lin said: "There are actually only two face [authorisation] solutions that meet the bar for being super-secure. So, you know, for payments, that level - it's ours and Apple's."

Cyber-security experts disagree.

"If someone can unlock your phone while you're asleep, it's a big security problem," security blogger Graham Cluley told the BBC. "Someone unauthorized - a child or partner? - could unlock the phone without your permission by putting it in front of your face while you're asleep."

In a statement given to the BBC, Google said it would "continue to improve Face Unlock over time."


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Report: 'AirPods Pro' to Launch End of October with New Design, New Noise-Canceling Feature and $260 Price Tag

Apple's rumored next-generation noise-canceling AirPods will launch at the end of this month with a new "‌AirPods‌ Pro" moniker and a price tag of around $260, claims a new Chinese-language report this morning.


According to China Economic Daily, Apple's third-generation ‌AirPods‌ will adopt a new in-ear design to support the new noise-canceling feature and enhance the listening experience. The paper claims the 'Pro' suffix, which Apple recently adopted for its most expensive iPhone 11 models, will help to differentiate the new wireless earbuds from Apple's existing ‌AirPods‌ models and underscores the marketing rationale justifying the higher $260 price tag.

According to a separate report on Friday from the same Chinese-language financial media outlet, the ‌AirPods‌ Pro will also feature a new metal design that increases heat dissipation. Apple ‌AirPods‌ supplier Inventec is said to be cooperating with Chinese manufacturer Lixun to undertake the new orders.

In April, noted Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said two new ‌AirPods‌ models would likely go into mass production between the fourth quarter of 2019 and the first quarter of 2020, with Luxshare, Goertek, and Amkor serving as primary suppliers.

Kuo also claimed one of the new ‌AirPods‌ models will feature an "all-new form factor design" and a "higher price" than the second-generation ‌AirPods‌, which cost $159 with a standard charging case and $199 with a wireless charging case. The other model is expected to be a more iterative update with the same pricing, although it's unclear what any new features would be.

Previously, the ‌AirPods‌ expected to launch later this year were thought to be the more iterative pair that Kuo refers to. Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said he expects the higher-priced AirPods with water resistance and noise cancelation to launch as early as 2020. However, today's report suggests they could come sooner.

According to industry sources previously cited by DigiTimes, Apple's suppliers are gearing up to assemble the next-generation ‌AirPods‌ as early as October, suggesting an updated version of the earphones could arrive in time for the holiday shopping season.

In the beta version of iOS 13.2 there's an icon showing redesigned AirPods that appear to have rubber ear tips that would likely be needed as part of a noise cancelation feature. The image is contained in the Accessibility Settings folder, suggesting the new ‌AirPods‌ will contain a new accessibility feature such as being able to use them as hearing aids, or it could be related to existing Live Listen capabilities.

No specific date has been given for when the new ‌AirPods‌ could debut, but Apple has a number of rumored pending announcements that could point toward an October media event.

Related Roundup: AirPods 2
Buyer's Guide: AirPods (Buy Now)

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