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Tuesday, 14 April 2020

Google Readies Custom Chip for Pixel Phones and Chromebooks

Google has made significant progress toward developing its own custom-made main processor in recent weeks, reports Axios.

According to the report, Google's Pixel phones could be powered by the processors as soon as next year – a potential blow to Qualcomm, which currently supplies Google with the main processor in its flagship phones.

The chip, code-named Whitechapel, was designed in cooperation with Samsung, whose state-of-the-art 5-nanometer technology would be used to manufacture the chips, according to a source familiar with Google's effort. Samsung also manufactures Apple's iPhone chips, as well as its own Exynos processors.

Google recently received its first working versions of the 8-core ARM processor, according to the report's sources. The chip is said to feature hardware optimized for machine learning, and will complement Google's existing custom Pixel chips dedicated to machine learning and image processing tasks.

Some of its silicon will also be given over to improving the performance and "always-on" capabilities of Google Assistant, according to the report.

The tech giant is said to be hoping that future versions of the processor will be suitable for its Chromebooks, but the Pixel is its first priority.

Apple was one of the first mobile device makers to design its own mobile processors, which have delivered increasingly impressive performance over recent years and allowed the company to save on costs.

Honing its chips over many iterations has enabled it to improve on already blistering speeds and add unique capabilities to its smartphones and tablets. Google has hired a number of chip experts from its rivals, including Apple, and will undoubtedly be hoping to mirror those achievements in the years to come.

Tags: Google, Google Pixel

This article, "Google Readies Custom Chip for Pixel Phones and Chromebooks" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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Anker's 60W Power Delivery USB-C Fast Charger Has Never Been This Cheap [Exclusive]

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Couple Fined For Violating Lockdown After Posting Old Vacation Photos to Facebook

An Australian couple was issued hefty fines this week for violating lockdown orders after they posted photos to Facebook that were taken at a vacation spot two hours from their home. Police showed up at their door and issued over $3,300 in fines for the photos, according to multiple reports. The only problem? The…

Over 500,000 Zoom Accounts Sold on the Dark Web and Hacker Forums

Hundreds of thousands of Zoom accounts are being sold or given away for free on the dark web and hacker forums, according to a new report by BleepingComputer.

Zoom has surged in popularity in recent weeks as the number of people working from home has increased, but concerns about the videoconferencing app's security have also made the headlines. However, the availability of Zoom accounts on the dark web does not appear to be a direct consequence the app's failings.

Rather, the sale of the login details are said to be the result of "credential stuffing attacks," where hackers attempt to log in to Zoom using accounts leaked in older data breaches.

Successful logins are then collated into lists and sold on or offered for free to other hackers, with the intention of using them in zoom-bombing pranks or for malicious reasons.

The accounts are reportedly being shared via text sharing sites as lists of email addresses and password combinations. The accounts can include a victim's email address, password, personal meeting URL, and their HostKey.

Zoom accounts sold on hacker forums
Cybersecurity firm Cyble, which was able to purchase 530,000 Zoom credentials for less than a penny each at $0.0020 per account, said the Zoom accounts began appearing in the hacker community at the beginning of April, with hackers offering the accounts to build reputation.

The finding underscores the importance of using unique passwords for each website where an account is registered. Concerned users are encouraged to check if their email address has been leaked in data breaches using the Have I Been Pwned website or Cyble's AmIBreached data breach notification service, and change their Zoom password if used elsewhere.

Tags: security, Zoom

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Apple Shipped 2.5 Million iPhones in China in March, Rebounding Slightly From February Slump

Apple shipped around 2.5 million iPhones in China last month, rebounding slightly after one of its worst months in the country on record (via Reuters).

Apple sold fewer than 500,000 iPhones in February amid curbs on travel and transport, amounting to an almost 60 percent slump in iPhone sales.

Mobile phone companies in general are hoping to see demand recover in China, where restrictions on movement have recently eased. Many are looking to increase sales in the country as a way to cushion declines in overseas markets in the coming months.

Meanwhile, multiple third-party resellers in China have been offering discounts on Apple's iPhone 11 lineup in an attempt to bolster demand during a time when consumer confidence and spending is lower.

Chinese resellers offered similar discounts on iPhone XS and iPhone XR models in early 2019, shortly after Apple lowered its revenue guidance for the first quarter of its 2019 fiscal year due to fewer ‌iPhone‌ upgrades than it had anticipated.

Tag: China

This article, "Apple Shipped 2.5 Million iPhones in China in March, Rebounding Slightly From February Slump" first appeared on MacRumors.com

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