Alert: Anyone still using an iPhone 5 should update their software immediately

• As of November 3rd core functionality of the phones will break due to a GPS bug with daylight saving time, and if you haven’t already updated to iOS 10.3.4 by then you’ll have to manually do so through your computer- iCloud connections and over-the-air updates will no longer work

Samsung has released an update to address the fingerprint fiasco on their Galaxy S10 and Note 10 devices

• A couple weeks ago we talked about the problem with Samsung’s revolutionary new ultrasonic under-display fingerprint sensor, and how by applying a screen protector to the device you can unlock it with anything from a piece of fruit to a small toy
• Samsung’s now officially released a fix for this problem, and they’ve said they’ll be sending notifications to all users who have registered their fingerprints in their devices
  • They’re also asking anyone that has registered their fingerprint with a screen protector applied to remove it, then delete and re-register their prints, since the stored prints may include “incorrect” info
• Time will tell if Samsung can earn back the trust of the security community though, with many banks worldwide pulling fingerprint verification from their apps on varying ranges of Samsung and Galaxy devices
  • The Bank of China even blocked it for Tab S6 users, which uses a standard optical sensor instead of the in-display ultrasound

Just days before Blizzcon is slated to begin, reputable leaks have popped up on ESPN of all places showing what appears to be Overwatch 2

• From the looks of things it will be introducing a new PVE experience, possibly similar to some of their event game modes that have had a team of heroes playing against waves of enemies, as well as new game modes, maps, and heroes
• There’s also new artwork hidden on the Blizzard Gear website featuring a group of Overwatch heroes charging into battle including Echo, a previously teased but unannounced character that may be going live alongside the expected announcement
  • There are also some minor costume changes in the new artwork, with Tracer, and Mei getting subtle tweaks and Genji wearing a hoodie and pants over his cybernetic body
• It will be interesting to see what gets announced at Blizzcon, how many of these leaks get confirmed, and what the fate of Overwatch 1 will be with players having spent so many hours and earned so many unlocks but having its sequel coming down the pipe

Apple sneakily announced and released their new AirPods Pro this week, and they’ve got a lot of the changes I was hoping for after seeing Google’s Pixel Buds earlier in October

• The redesign brings in rubber tips more in line with modern earbuds, smaller stems, active noise cancellation, and a fancy “Transparency” mode
• They’ve also kept ear detection, which is my favourite feature of my old Gen 1 AirPods, but have swapped out tapping on the buds to activate Siri for squeezing the stem to control music more traditionally- one squeeze for pause/play, two for next track, three for back, along with a long squeeze to switch from ANC to Transparency
  • Apparently there’s some Apple trickery at work that makes it feel and sound like clicking a button, though there aren’t any actual moving “button”
  • They also still have the ridiculously simply pairing process with iDevices, where you just have to open the case nearby and tap the screen. New to iOS 13.2 though, you can also use this to temporarily share audio with a friends AirPods and have it playing through both sets simultaneously
• So let’s dive in to what’s new:
  • Rubber tips – they’ve got the usual three sizes to customize your fit, but instead of having a little vent hole in the rubber like Google did to equalize pressure they actually have a vent system running through the AirPod itself
    • The vent doesn’t sacrifice water resistance though, as these are rated IPX4 and good for exercising and sweating all over
    • They also have a fit test you can run where it uses microphones both in and outside of your ear to gauge the seal around the Pods and see if you should adjust the sizing
  • Speaking of those microphones, the active noise cancellation uses them along with fancy software to process your environment 200 times a second and remove background noise by sending out special customized anti-noise
  • They also do some adaptive equalization, tuning the frequencies of the music to the shape of your ear to optimize audio quality
  • And then there’s the new Transparency Mode, which lets you hear your environment and your own voice while offering just a hint of noise cancellation to keep things clear and understandable if you want to hear traffic or transit announcements
    • You can swap between Transparency and ANC on the fly by squeezing the stem, from your iPhone’s Control Centre, or on your Apple Watch
• Battery life is pretty much unchanged depending on your usage- turning off ANC and Transparency gets you the usual 5 hours of listening, while turning them on takes it down to 4.5, and you’ll see 3.5 hours of talk time on the phone. The case amps that up to 24 hours of listening, 18 hours of talk, and it can be charged via Lightning or a Qi wireless charge mat
• All that can be yours for $250 USD or $329 CAD, and they’re available to order or pick up now

Apple’s also released a bunch of software updates

• As I mentioned earlier iOS 13.2 is out, with not only audio sharing but also Deep Fusion photos for the iPhone 11 (taking multiple exposures using all the lenses and fusing them into one high-quality photo), and the ability to control whether your Siri dictation is used to improve the service and, if not, delete anything they might have archived
  • You can opt out by going to Settings > Privacy > Analytics & Improvements > Improve Siri & Dictation and toggling the slider off
  • And you can delete any saved Siri interactions from Apple’s servers by going to Settings > Siri & Search > Siri & Dictation History, and tapping on Delete Siri & Dictation History
  • This is all a much-needed improvement, especially from a company that claims to care so much about the privacy and security of your data
• watchOS 6.1 brings support for the new AirPods, as well as finally allowing version 6 to be installed on Series 1 and 2 watches
• and macOS 10.15.1 also brings AirPods Pro support and those Siri privacy settings
• They did release audioOS 13.2 for HomePods as well, which brought the ability to differentiate between multiple voices and easily hand off audio by bringing your phone near the speaker, but it was soon pulled after users online started saying it bricked their HomePods
  • If you’ve already updated your HomePods Apple recommends you don’t reset or reboot it, even if iOS prompts you to, until they issue a fix.
  • In the meantime, if you’ve been affected by this issue you’ll need to contact Apple support and have it repaired or replaced

The Outer Worlds – Josh’s Impression

• Great RPG
  • I’m not generally a fan of RPG’s but this one has really taken me by surprise
• The setting is, as other have put it, is like 1984 by George Orwell, but with corporations instead of the government
  • When faster than light technology was discovered, companies spread out and bought the rights to many star systems.
  • This story takes place in a system controlled by The Board
    • The Board is made of the heads of massive companies that control everything
  • The technology is similar to Bioshock
    • Sort of less pipes and steam, more plug-n-play tech and Edison bulbs
    • But the main hook of it is fascinating technological advancements that can be maintained with a pipe wrench
  • Weapons are neat too
    • There has been knives, scythes, hammers, staves, all sorts of things
    • For ranged weapons there are your handguns, rifles, heavy machine guns, flame throwers and grenade launchers
    • Best part is ammo is only 3 types, Light, Heavy and Energy
  • Armour is simple as well
  • Stats
  • Companions
  • Healing
  • Time Dilation
• Great conversations
  • Funny
  • Skills do well in it
• Not too long
  • Has an end!
• Lots of replay

Tibits

• Apple’s copyright lawsuit against mobile device virtualization company Corellium over offering virtual iOS for development and testing hit an interesting development, when Corellium fired back saying Apple owed them $300K because they make it easier for security researchers to track down bugs
  • Corellium claims that its product is fair use and makes the world a better place, though the fact that one of their customers sells hacking tools to law enforcement and intelligence agencies makes it tough to believe in their altruism

• In an interesting move EA has announced they’ll start publishing games on Steam again, leading many to speculate on their Origin launcher soon being shut down
  • Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order is already up on Steam, and other major titles will hit in the coming months. We’ll see multiplayer titles like Apex Legends next year, with cross-play between Steam and Origin versions

Alan recommends The Lost Boys

Literally Misleading

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