Tag: device

Here’s Apple’s workaround when your iPhone 7 home button fails

The iPhone 7’s non-moving home button may feel odd at first, but it has its perks… especially if it ever stops working. MacRumors forum goer iwayne has shown that the new iPhone will give you an on-screen home button (along with a warning that you may need repairs) if it thinks the physical key is broken. While that’s not much consolation if your phone needs to be fixed, it does mean that you can keep using your device in a relatively normal way while you’re waiting for your Genius Bar appointment. The technology may be short-lived when there are reports of Apple possibly ditching physical home buttons entirely with the next iPhone . However, it’s not hard to see why Apple would push for a motionless button in the short term. It’s not just the customizable haptic feedback — the new design is theoretically less likely to break (since it doesn’t click down) and reduces the pressure to get an immediate fix. That helps Apple’s bottom line, of course, but it may also make you a happier owner in the long term. Image credit: iwayne, MacRumors Forums Via: MacRumors Source: MacRumors Forums

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Here’s Apple’s workaround when your iPhone 7 home button fails

Rifftrax app takes the guesswork out of syncing jokes to film

For fans of snarky, alternative film commentary, Rifftrax has long been a haven of amusement. For only a few dollars, one can hear MST3K veterans Mike Nelson, Kevin Murphy and Bill Corbett rag on classic and modern cinema. There was only one problem: syncing these audio tracks to the actual movies could be a minor nightmare . Fortunately, those days seem to be behind us: the group’s new RiffTrax app will do it for you. The company’s announcement sums up the app’s features perfectly: “Think of it like Shazam, ” the post reads, “but for riffs.” Indeed, that’s exactly what it is. The Rifftrax app uses your device’s microphone to listen for a movie and automatically syncs Rifftrax playback to the film. It’s simple and easy… but not perfect. Despite offering easy access to the user’s library of “just the jokes” RiffTrax, the app doesn’t support Bluetooth speakers just yet. Still, the app is free — and better than trying to sync the audio up yourself. The Rifftrax app is available on both Google Play and Apple’s App store . Check out the source link below for additional details. Source: Rifftrax

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Rifftrax app takes the guesswork out of syncing jokes to film

Ben Heck powers on the Nintendo PlayStation’s CD drive

When we got our hands on the legendary ” Nintendo PlayStation ” prototype last November, the device worked fine as a Sony-branded SNES console sans audio, whereas its CD drive — the part that eventually led to the birth of the PlayStation — failed to be recognized by the system. The device has since been handed over to hacking maestro Ben Heck, who has just revealed that he finally got the CD drive to power up. First of all, Ben cleaned the contact pins on the Super Disc driver cartridge to get its 256KB of extension RAM talking to the console, then he removed one of the mod wires on the logic board, which got the CD drive to make a ticking noise and even pulling its tray back in. It was a nice “wow” moment for everyone, but the ticking noise suggested that the CD drive was struggling to move its optical head, plus the screen was flickering. Ben figured this was to do with a power glitch caused by three leaky electrolytic capacitors on the logic board, so he replaced those with modern ones, and boom! The CD drive is alive! The diagnostic software gave all the green ticks, and the CD player’s control panel appears to be working. As a bonus, the audio function has also been restored since that’s part of the CD drive’s decoder, so we can now fully enjoy SNES games on this super rare device as well. What’s left to do now is to find some compatible disc games and see if they’ll run on the Nintendo PlayStation — prototype owner Terry Diebold believes he may have one in the boxes he bought from that fateful auction . We also came across a homebrew game called Super Boss Gaiden based on the Super Disc cartridge’s software dump, so here’s hoping they can get that to work on the device. Source: The Ben Heck Show (YouTube)

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Ben Heck powers on the Nintendo PlayStation’s CD drive

Use the New Find My Device Tool to Track Your Windows 10 Laptop

Microsoft has finally got around to adding a Find My Device feature to Windows 10. As you might expect, it lets you identify where your laptop is, should it get lost or stolen. The new feature is part of the major update for Windows 10 rolled out earlier this month, and here’s how to activate it on your machine. Read more…

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Use the New Find My Device Tool to Track Your Windows 10 Laptop

This crowdfunded router updates its own security

It’s really, really, really hard to make a router sound exciting , but the folks behind the Turris Omnia are betting the device’s focus on keeping your sensitive data secure might grab you. The manufacturer’s IndieGogo campaign still has 45 days to go, but it’s already proved incredibly popular: over a thousand backers have pledged some $274, 598 as of this writing. That’s 275 percent higher than the threshold for funding the project. The router itself runs Turris’ open source operating system (based on the OpenWRT project ) which auto updates as soon as any type of vulnerability is discovered by its cadre of developers. Via: Turris Source: IndieGogo

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This crowdfunded router updates its own security

Fitbit trackers can be hacked in ’10 seconds’

Fitbit trackers have a whopper of a vulnerability that can let somebody within Bluetooth range quickly hack them, according to security company Fortinet . Worse yet, once the attackers are in, the device will infect any computer that tries to sync with the device. Via Twitter , Senior Fortinet researcher Axelle Apvrille told Engadget “you don’t need physical access (to the tracker), but you do need to be close (Bluetooth range). It does not matter if it is paired (to another device) or not.” When in range, a bad actor could infect the device in as little as 10 seconds. Apvrille informed Fitbit of the vulnerability back in March, but the wearable outfit has yet to fix the issue, according to the Register . In addition, the vulnerability remains in the wearable even after it’s reset. Once infected, the device can install a virus, trojan or other vulnerability on your computer, even days later. “An attacker sends an infected packet to a fitness tracker nearby at Bluetooth distance then the rest of the attack occurs by itself, without any special need for the attacker being near, ” Apvrille said . While the Fitbit uses encryption, the Bluetooth transmitter itself is apparently wide open, allowing attackers in. If you want to find out more, Apvrille will present her findings via a video demonstration at the 2015.Hack.lu conference tomorrow in Luxembourg. @AaronIsSocial you don’t need physical access, but you need to be close (bluetooth range). It does not matter if it is paired or not. — Axelle Ap. (@cryptax) October 21, 2015 Via: The Register Source: Axelle Apvrille (Twitter)

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Fitbit trackers can be hacked in ’10 seconds’

Windows 10 Could Mean Never Typing a Password Again

Biometric security is a feature already found on lots of mobile phones and tablets and it’s getting better and better , but Microsoft wants to bring the tech front and center on Windows 10, using fingerprint, faces, and even your irises to completely kill the password once and for all. Read more…

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Windows 10 Could Mean Never Typing a Password Again

16 Things You Can Do In Android Lollipop That You Couldn’t Do In KitKat

After what feels like a long time since we saw the L Preview first appear , Google is now rolling out the final version of Android 5.0 Lollipop to its existing Nexus devices, and it also appears on the brand new Nexus 6 and Nexus 9 gadgets. Get to know the best version of Android yet by working through this selection of tips and tricks, covering all of the new features, major and minor, that are built into the operating system. Read more…

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16 Things You Can Do In Android Lollipop That You Couldn’t Do In KitKat

Cables Can Significantly Impact the Charging Speed of Your USB Devices

USB chargers can impact how fast your device’s battery gets back to 100%, but they’re not the only determining factor. The wrong cable can slow down charging speeds as well. Redditor Esteef explains. Read more…        

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Cables Can Significantly Impact the Charging Speed of Your USB Devices

How to Speed Up a Slow, Aging iPhone or iPad

Apple’s rumored to announce a new iPhone next week , and some of you may be tempted to shell out for the newest one—especially if your old beater is acting slow, crashing, and generally misbehaving. Here are a few ways to speed it up so you can save a few bucks. Read more…        

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How to Speed Up a Slow, Aging iPhone or iPad