Signal now allows people to keep phone numbers private and choose usernames instead

Oliver Haslam | Software & Apps | Feb 22, 2024 7:45 AM CST

Signal has long been one of the more popular secure instant messaging platforms and it's the one that has also required that people use a phone number by way of identification. That also meant that people needed to share their number if they wanted to connect with anyone on the platform which is less than ideal. But now, that's all changing.

Signal now allows people to keep phone numbers private and choose usernames instead

Signal has now confirmed via a blog post that it is going to start hiding phone numbers as default, making it easier than ever for people to protect their privacy. In its place will be a username, and that's also how people will be able to identify people in the future. The username isn't a permanent handle however, with Signal saying that it is simply a way to initiate contact on the network without sharing a phone number.

The announcement also comes as Signal confirms that it is launching a new, optional privacy setting that will allow people to stop themselves from being searchable using a phone number at all. The result is that unless someone knows an exact username, they won't be able to contact people who don't want to be.

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Meta Quest owners could one day use AirPlay to watch content from their iPhone, iPad, or Mac

All of the talk in the world of AR/VR headsets might be about the Apple Vision Pro right now, but there is no denying that the Meta Quest products are popular. With prices that make Apple's $3,499 starting price seem so far out of reach that it's a wonder anyone bought an Apple Vision Pro, the headsets are self-contained and powerful. And soon, they could also support a key Apple feature.

Meta Quest owners could one day use AirPlay to watch content from their iPhone, iPad, or Mac

That feature is AirPlay, and it could change the way that Meta Quest owners enjoy media on their headsets. AirPlay allows iPhone, iPad, and Mac users to share their displays and the content of streaming apps to other devices. Those devices could be an Apple TV streaming box or a smart TV, while smart speakers are also offered as an AirPlay option for music fans. And if things go according to plan, Meta Quest headsets could be next.

The move, confirmed by Meta's VP of VR Mark Rabkin, would mean that owners of Apple devices could potentially AirPlay content from those devices and onto a Quest device. As Upload VR notes, the state of video streaming apps on the Quest is dire - Netflix hasn't been updated in years and only supports 480p video and the Peacock app is just a link to the website. The Amazon Prime Video app simply does not work.

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WhatApp now lets you format your text in some new ways including lists and more

Oliver Haslam | Software & Apps | Feb 22, 2024 6:30 AM CST

There are plenty of instant messaging platforms to choose from right now and most phones have first-party options built in, including Apple's wildly popular iMessage. But WhatsApp is also a great option and it's free, encrypted, and available across every platform you're likely to think of. And now it has some new text formatting options that make it easier than ever to get the point across.

WhatApp now lets you format your text in some new ways including lists and more

While WhatsApp already offered Markdown-like syntax for formatting text, it now has four new options to go with bold, italic, strikethrough, and monospace. The new options are bulleted lists, numbered lists, block quotes, and inline code.

The first of those is fairly obvious and users can create a bulleted list by placing a '-' before a line. Numbered lists are the same, but a number followed by a period replaces the hyphen. All simple stuff and great for sending things like shopping lists to your significant other.

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FDA warns your smartwatch or ring can't measure your blood sugar, no matter what it claims

Oliver Haslam | Wearable Computing & Fashion | Feb 22, 2024 5:30 AM CST

If your fancy new smartwatch or ring claims that it can measure your blood glucose levels without piercing your skin, it might be lying to you. Or, at the very least, providing results that shouldn't be used to inform your decisions in terms of medication. That's according to a new FDA safety warning which suggests that such devices might not be quite so smart as they claim.

FDA warns your smartwatch or ring can't measure your blood sugar, no matter what it claims

With smartwatches already hugely popular and smart rings now expected to boom in popularity, there are plenty of eyes on such technology. Oura's smart rings are the best on the market right now and Samsung's Galaxy Ring will be officially unveiled later this year. Apple was also recently tipped to launch its own smart ring sooner or later, and blood glucose monitoring is something that people seem to really need, especially if they're diabetic.

But knowing how much glucose is in the blood normally means pricking a finger, and that isn't something rings can do for obvious reasons. Non-invasive checks are where technology is going, but the FDA isn't convinced. No smartwatch or ring has been cleared by the FDA to do such a thing, but that doesn't mean that they aren't available. Apple is thought to be trying to make blood glucose monitoring a feature of future Apple Watches, but it hasn't done so to date.

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Sony's new PlayStation passkey support means you can happily forget that password one last time

Oliver Haslam | Gaming | Feb 22, 2024 4:59 AM CST

We've all been in that situation where we need to sign into the PlayStation website or if we're lucky, a new console, and find that we just can't quite remember our PlayStation Network passwords. Yes, we should probably have used a password manager and no, the password that we set shouldn't be the same one we used elsewhere. But thankfully these days are coming to an end.

Sony's new PlayStation passkey support means you can happily forget that password one last time

Sony has now announced that PlayStation Network users can ditch the passwords for good and instead use a passkey, a new type[e of authentication that uses biometrics rather than alphanumeric strings like those passwords we can never remember.

The idea is simple. Once a passkey has been configured users can sign into apps and services using Face ID or Touch ID on Apple devices and a fingerprint scanner on Android devices. That's all they need to do and all of the key-matching magic is done behind the scenes. It's more secure than passwords because passkeys can't be leaked, and they're easier to use because you can't forget a passkey, either.

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Intel unveils its new Intel 14A process node, ready for the future of AI chip production

Anthony Garreffa | CPU, APU & Chipsets | Feb 21, 2024 10:35 PM CST

Intel has penciled in that it will be making the world's best chips later this year, beating TSMC, and teasing its next-gen Intel 14A process node that will go into production in 2026.

Intel unveils its new Intel 14A process node, ready for the future of AI chip production

The latest Intel 18A process node is gearing up right now, with Microsoft being the first customer with a next-gen processor made on Intel 18A, but the company was confident in announcing its new Intel 14A process node that will cement its position as the fastest chip maker in the world, toppling TSMC, in 2026.

The news was announced at the Intel Foundry Services (IFS) Direct Connect 2024 event. Intel said its current Intel 7 and Intel 4 process nodes are in the market, with its upcoming Intel 3 preparing for high-volume manufacturing (HVM).

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Intel eyes off 2026 as when it wants to beat TSMC at making the world's fastest chips

Anthony Garreffa | Business, Financial & Legal | Feb 21, 2024 10:08 PM CST

Intel hosted its first-ever Intel Foundry Direct Connect event, where the company added its new Intel 14A node to its extended process technology roadmap.

Intel eyes off 2026 as when it wants to beat TSMC at making the world's fastest chips

On the subject of AI, Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger said at the event: "AI is proudly transforming the world and how we think about technology and the silicon that powers it. This is creating an unprecedented opportunity for the world's most innovative chip designers and for Intel Foundry, the world's first systems foundry for the AI era. Together, we can create new markets and revolutionize how the world uses technology to improve people's lives".

Intel provided new details on how it plans to push into the lead ahead of TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company) into 2026 and beyond. Intel wants to retake the mantle of making the world's fastest chips away from TSMC later this year with its upcoming Intel 18A process node, and then in 2026, it says it will push further into the lead with its next-gen Intel 14A process node.

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This DVD-style optical disc could store 200TB of storage, enough for 2000 x PS5 game discs

Anthony Garreffa | Storage | Feb 21, 2024 9:27 PM CST

A new paper published by researchers at the University of Shanghai for Science and Technology teases that they've developed an optical disc that's capable of storing up to 1.6 petabits of data, which works out to around 200GB... or enough storage to hold over 2000 x PlayStation 5 games and many, many more PC games.

This DVD-style optical disc could store 200TB of storage, enough for 2000 x PS5 game discs

The scientists increased the capacity by leaps and bounds using an optical disc with a 3D planar recording architecture, which uses a highly transparent, uniform photoresist film doped with aggregation-induced emission dye and stimulated by femtosecond lasers. It sounds like a lot of scientific jargon -- and it is -- but this allows hundreds and hundreds of layers to be crammed into a single micrometer apart on the disc at the same thickness as a DVD or Blu-ray disc.

The highest-density Blu-ray disc on the market is a 4-layer Blu-ray, which holds around 100GB of data, but the University of Shanghai for Science and Technology researchers claim this new format could record 100 layers on both sides of the disc for a total capacity of 1.6 petabits, or around 200TB.

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NVIDIA CEO: we need 14 different planets, 3 galaxies, 4 more suns to power future AI GPU tech

Anthony Garreffa | Artificial Intelligence | Feb 21, 2024 9:00 PM CST

NVIDIA just posted its latest quarterly earnings, blowing expectations out of the water with $22 billion in revenue, largely driven by the AI GPU dominance by the company.

NVIDIA CEO: we need 14 different planets, 3 galaxies, 4 more suns to power future AI GPU tech

The company has been selling as many AI GPUs as it's been making, slowly improving the supply chain holdups that were stopping companies and governments from getting NVIDIA AI GPU hardware. TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company) has been in the middle of this, with their advanced CoWoS packaging technology also flexing its (required) muscle here.

If you think we've seen enough AI so far, you're wrong... the technology industry is all-in with AI like it's 3D + VR + RGB + ray tracing all at the same time. NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang says we're in the first year of a 10-year cycle in AI, with Jensen explaining: "Accelerated computing and generative A.I. have hit the tipping point. Demand is surging worldwide across companies, industries and nations".

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Microsoft is using AI to 'force-update' older Windows 11 versions to the newer Windows 11 23H2

Kosta Andreadis | Software & Apps | Feb 21, 2024 8:32 PM CST

Windows 11's big 23H2 update from 2023 has entered a new 'rollout phase,' one that will leverage machine learning (ML) to automatically update Windows 11 devices to the latest version of the operating system. Forcing major OS updates on users is never a good look, but this adds an extra layer thanks to AI being in charge of which devices will be 'force-updated.'

Microsoft is using AI to 'force-update' older Windows 11 versions to the newer Windows 11 23H2

Of course, it comes down to older versions of Windows 11 reaching their end of servicing phase, so there's a definite reason to update. The devices in question are predicted to be those running Windows 11 21H2 or 22H2.

"This automatic update targets Windows 11 devices that have reached or are approaching end of servicing and it follows the machine learning-based (ML) training we have utilized so far," Microsoft writes. "We will continue to train our intelligent ML model to safely roll out this new Windows version in phases to deliver a smooth update experience."

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