Author: batteryforpc

After rolling out to Android, Mac, Windows, and Linux, version 79 of Chrome OS is now available. Notable features in Chrome OS 79 include a reworked Overview mode for tablet devices and lockscreen media controls.

Virtual Desks widely rolled out with last month’s release. Chrome OS 79 continues iterating on them by having links you click always open in the current workspace.

Dedicated Chrome OS tablets are still relatively rare, but all 2-in-1s have the same tablet mode. An updated Overview mode for slates, convertibles, and detachables lets you scroll vertically through open windows. There are about six cards to a page with the next column peaking to signal you have more open.

You can long-press on one and drag to either side of the screen for split view. This new Overview — which is particularly ideal on smaller screens — is in contrast to the regular laptop version that just shrinks cards as more windows are added.

Building on version 76 in August adding Android-esque media controls in the Notification Center, Chrome OS 79 lets you see what audio is streaming with playback controls on the lockscreen. It works with both Android apps and any playing media on the web.

Manage your apps in Settings allow you to control basic application preferences and permissions from a single list. Google plans to further improve application management in the future.

Click in further and you can see whether you’ve granted an app permission to your location, microphone, camera, and more. Quickly adjust these settings based on your preferences, through one centralized menu.

A new “tab freezing” feature in Chrome 79 works to save memory, CPU, and battery resources. Tabs in the background for over 5 minutes will be frozen and not able to perform tasks. There is an exception for audio and video, while sites can experimentally opt-out.

This release also expands Google’s password and phishing protections in Chrome. More details are available here.

Originally planned for the previous release, Chrome 79 features an experiment for 1% of users that enables secure DNS connections through DNS-over-HTTPS. This prevents user tracking and malicious redirects. A new flag allows you to opt-out of the DoH test: chrome://flags/#dns-over-https.

Chrome will check if the user’s DNS provider is among a list of participating DoH-compatible providers and if so, it will enable DoH. If the DNS provider is not on the list, Chrome won’t enable DoH and will continue to operate as it does today.

Chrome will begin marking sites that use TLS 1.0 or 1.1 “Not Secure” and remove the lock symbol. This measure starts in January 2020 as Google encourages sites to move away from legacy TLS.

Google is working on a shared clipboard between computers and Android that’s available from the right-click menu. Copied text can be shared on devices that are logged in to the same Google Account and have Chrome Sync enabled. Text is end-to-end encrypted and Google notes how it can’t see the contents. It began rolling out in October for a “limited number of users” and will be “released to all users in a future version of Chrome.”

Apple iOS 13 comes with a number of cool security and privacy features, including the ability to better control apps such as Google and Facebook. But iOS 13.3 has upped the stakes even further by adding the ability to use security keys such as Yubico’s YubiKey in Apple’s Safari browser.

When iOS 13.3 dropped last week, I wrote about the basic considerations that need to be taken into account when using security keys. The best option for now is the YubiKey, which is the first featuring USB-C and lightning connectors on a single key. Also worth noting is that YubiKey maker Yubico now makes an authenticator app to use if a service doesn’t offer built in support for security keys.

Apple iOS 13.3: Using a security key now

The ability to use security keys in Safari is an exciting development, so how do you get started?

Once you have your key, in the case of YubiKey, there are some instructional videos and guides on how to set up authentication across sites. I’ll use the example of Twitter to get you started.

First, log into Twitter via the Apple Safari browser on your iPhone. You might have Face ID set up to authenticate you as an extra secure layer. Once you’ve logged in, go to the security section in your settings and toggle on the switch to indicate that you want to use a security key.

After you have done this, you will be asked to put your key into the device. You will be asked to press the key to indicate it’s you. Now you are ready to use it as a layer of authentication to log into Twitter.

Once this is set up, it’s easy to log into other services on your iPhone’s Safari browser using your security key. The video below shows how I used the YubiKey to log into my Twitter account.

Why use a security key with your iPhone?

Big sites such as Twitter, Facebook and Google will always be at risk of getting hacked, and people often use weak passwords or repeat their credentials across a number of services.

This is why extra methods of authentication beyond passwords are so important. Biometrics are partly resolving the issue but security keys provide something robust–a physical padlock of sorts that you have in your possession.

They also help to protect you against phishing, where attackers will try to steal your credentials by encouraging you to enter them on a fake log in page.

Securing your iPhone using iOS 13

Apple’s iOS 13 offers great improvements in security–although it is also important to note that the operating system update has come under fire recently for not applying the same controls to Apple’s own apps. With this in mind, I created a guide to securing all your apps in iOS 13, including Apple’s. Along with using biometrics such as Face ID, security keys are a great addition. 

The previous iteration of HP’s premium convertibles did nearly everything right. They had an eye-catching design, a wide range of components, solid build, you name it. But sadly, those highlights were often drowned out by a clunky touchpad experience that left people feeling frustrated. But now, HP has returned to fix the Spectre’s lingering issues and then some, and the result is simply one of the best all-around 13-inch laptops you can get right now.

On the outside, aside from a new Poseidon blue paint job (along with the existing black and silver model seen here), the new Spectre x360 13 looks quite similar to the outgoing version. However, a closer examination reveals that HP has reduced the x360’s top and bottom bezels by more than 50 percent. Not only does this get rid of the massive chin found on the previous Spectre x360 13 and allow for a superb screen-to-body ratio of just over 90 percent, it also meant HP could reduce the size of the Spectre’s chassis, resulting in a body that’s almost an inch shorter from front to back (0.9 inches or 23mm shorter to be exact).

That might not sound like much, but when you combine those size reductions with a chassis that weighs just 2.88 pounds, you get a 2-in-1 that slips into almost any bag and is incredibly easy to carry around. Critically, HP didn’t mess with the Spectre’s port selection, which means you get three USB ports (with two featuring support for Thunderbolt 3), along with a headphone jack and a microSD card slot.

As someone who appreciates clever design, I love how HP installed one USB-C port on the tiny diagonal section on the back right of the laptop. It’s the perfect position for plugging the Spectre in to recharge while still keeping cables out of the way. Same goes for the power button on the back left of the machine, which is easy to reach in both laptop and tablet modes, but in such a way that you practically never press it accidentally.

Another neat touch is that because the Spectre’s body is now too thin to support a traditional full-size USB port, HP switched over to a collapsible design that help the laptop retain its Type-A connection without ruining its slim, tapered edges. Getting at least three USB ports is key (though one more would be really ideal) because with one USB port often reserved for charging, having two other USB ports free means it’s still possible to leave your dongle at home without really limiting expandability.

With a peak brightness of 365 nits, the Spectre’s 13.3-inch 1,920 by 1,080 touchscreen performs respectably well, though if you want a display with a bigger impact, you’ll probably want to upgrade to HP’s optional 4K OLED touchscreen. And while I don’t necessarily think it’s something that qualifies as a con, the Spectre’s 16:9 aspect ratio does seem like it’s slightly optimized more for entertainment than productivity, at least compared to laptops with taller 16:10 or 3:2 displays (like the Surface Laptop 3).

As for the Spectre’s keyboard, you get a nice bounce with a decent amount of travel, something that prevents typing from ever feeling dead or lifeless. And with new Microsoft Precision drivers, HP’s touchpad finally gets the accuracy and quick response people have been pining for on previous models. That said, because of the Spectre’s overall smaller dimensions, the new X360 13’s touchpad is slightly smaller too, giving you less space to work with overall. This isn’t a big deal as left to right as HP’s glass pad is plenty wide. Yet sometimes it feels like an extra couple millimeters would go a long way while scrolling.

I also want to call out the presence of dedicated controls for turning off the Spectre’s webcam (which does support Windows Hello face login) and microphones. For the mic, there’s a dedicated button on the keyboard for disabling the microphone, complete with an indicator light so you know it’s really muted. And on the right side of the system between the microSD card reader and the USB-C port, there’s a second toggle for disconnecting the webcam. HP probably could have combined these functions into a single button, but I’m glad it didn’t.

Meanwhile, the Spectre x360 13′ provides solid performance, with our $1,300 Core i7-1065G7 review unit offering a sweet spot between price and power. The i7 CPU gives you a bit more raw computing power than a base Spectre x360 13 with an i5 chip, while the upgrade to 32GB of Intel Optane memory and a 512GB SSD makes it so that opening bigger programs like Photoshop feels just a bit snappier.

Finally, with a time of 10 hours and 23 minutes on our video rundown test, the Spectre x360 doesn’t last quite as long on a charge as the Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 (11:30). You still get more than enough battery life to last pretty much all day. But if you upgrade to the 4K OLED screen, expect battery life to drop a bit.

With the latest Spectre x360 13, HP delivers practically everything we look for in a quality ultraportable. It’s well built while also sporting slick, distinctive styling that won’t get the Spectre x360 confused with similar systems from Apple or Dell. Battery life and performance are strong, as are the Spectre’s selection of ports, and discrete toggles for the system’s microphones and webcams are a welcome addition to help reduce paranoia about day-to-day privacy.

And with smaller bezels on a more portable body and a touchpad with more responsive drivers, HP addressed the previous model’s greatest weaknesses. This version of Spectre x360 13 is the culmination of great design and thanks to meaningful tweaks over the past couple generations, HP has really made damn fine laptop.

README

The Spectre x360’s integrated Iris Plus graphics are fine in a pinch, but pro video editors will want to step up for something with a discrete GPU

HP hits a sweet spot for ports with two USB-C ports with Thunderbolt 3 plus a collapsible port for USB 3 Type-A

HP has finally ditched Synaptics touchpad drivers for Windows Precision drivers.

If you’re using the Spectre on your lap, the system’s rear vent can sometimes get a bit toasty

The Spectre x360 13’s 16:9 display is nice for watching movies, but may feel slighty cramped for productivity.

Because of the Spectre x360’s new smaller dimensions, HP had to move its speakers from the top of the laptop to the bottom.

This build of the G7 15 gaming laptop has a 9th Gen i7-9750H, 16GB RAM, 1TB HDD/256GB SSD storage, and a GTX 1660 Ti graphics card. Throw in a reasonably bright IPS (around 300-nits) display, and you have a pretty powerful entry-level system. You’d be able to play most games at a generous frame rate at 1080p, with some concessions in the settings for demanding games. You won’t be able to play Cyberpunk 2077 on ultra settings, but you could probably play this Cyberpunk-inspired map in Minecraft.

I always prefer it when my gaming laptops don’t look like gaming laptops. If you’re the same way, the G-series redesign laptops are sleek looking without being too over top with obnoxious RGB lighting or racing stripes on the chassis. You’ve also got all the ports you need if you’re looking to be productive at work or school.

This slim gaming laptop comes with a free 3-month subscription to Xbox Game Pass for PC that’ll give you to over a hundred games to play like Halo: The Master Chief Collection or Pathologic 2. If security is concerned for you, you also get a free year subscription of McAfee Livesafe to protect your expensive new purchase—though Windows 10’s built-in antivirus protection is quite good on its own.

The Samsung Galaxy S11 series are phones that we are looking forward to thanks to the different leaks we have seen about them. We have already learned that the distribution of cameras on the Galaxy S11+ will not be as messy as we saw in its first renderings, but there is still more information about it. Samsung’s next flagships are changing the key sections that users look for in the latest phones. This year, the camera will undergo a breakthrough.

Among other things, we know that these phones will have a 120 Hz refresh rate display. Which will allow you to enjoy a much more fluid user experience than what we find in its current catalog. Another aspect that caught our attention was its 108-megapixel camera, which we confirmed by the source code of the OneUI 2.0 camera app and that it would be an exclusive sensor, not the same as that of the Mi Note 10. This camera will be capable of doing something unique in the market.

SAMSUNG GALAXY S11 CAMERA

For a couple of years, the cameras of the Samsung Galaxy phones have not lived up to its competition, both in hardware and software. This year the thing could change radically with the new 108-megapixel camera that we will see on these phones. The resolution has high importance in photos if it was used correctly. Also, it seems that the next Samsung high-end phones will have pixel fusion technology that will allow combining physical pixels to work as a single larger one.

Until now, that fusion in the high-resolution cameras was 4 in 1. But Samsung will go even further with the Samsung Galaxy S11+ camera, the South Korean firm will merge 9 pixels in 1. Obtaining a huge simulated pixel size, the largest to date, of 2.4 μm. This will make the captured photograph 12 megapixels (108/9) and pixels of that size will allow or should allow, a low-light camera behavior much higher than what Samsung has accustomed us.

In a separate tweet, the leaker UniverseIce showcased the back design of the phone. The Galaxy S series is going to adopt the design of the A and M lineups. With a huge rectangle in the upper left corner.

Now we will have to see if the firm also decides to maintain the variable focal aperture with this camera. Or if having pixels of such a large size it prefers to opt for a fixed focal aperture. Anyway, we expect great things from the photographic section of the Samsung Galaxy S11.