Users of Google Workspace can now set their pronouns and who can see them as part of the collaboration tool suite’s personal information cards.
Announcing the change in a “Weekly Recap” post on the Google Workspace Updates (opens in new tab) blog, the company also explained that pronouns will also be displayed in Google Contacts, accessible via the “open detailed view” option in the information cards seen when hovering over Workspace profile photos.
If an admin has enabled the feature for their organization, users can set their pronouns and visibility in their Google Account (opens in new tab), while admins can learn more about the feature from Google’s Help Center (opens in new tab).
Google Workspace pronouns
As is sometimes the case, Google’s latest useful tweak to its business productivity tool collection isn’t available to those with personal Google accounts.
The tech giant is keen to point out that only users on various Google Workspace plans, as well as legacy G Suite Basic and Business customers, can access the feature through their organization.
Though a welcome feature, it’s somewhat baffling that a feature geared towards personal expression is only available in a work setting, one that people may feel less comfortable expressing themselves in, or feel pressured to do so.
Google already gives Workspace users the choice to specify their gender, affecting how Google refers to and presents them to other Workspace users.
For example, users may see text like “send her a message”. Similarly, if a user identifies as another gender altogether, or prefers not to specify, Google products will refer to that user as “them”.
The latest move enabling users to display their pronouns is simply a more overt way of presenting those choices, and for organizations to show clear support of trans and alternate gender identities. We’re all for it.
Microsoft has unveiled its intention to collect data from Office users about which out-of-date products they’re still running.
The company says it is looking to gather data about the number of users running 2007, 2010, and 2013 versions of Microsoft Office.
Microsoft also said that the scheme, part of the KB5021751 update, “will run one time silently without installing anything on the user’s device”, though there are still some unanswered questions about why the tech giant wants to roll out this census-type update.
Microsoft Office 2007, Office 2010, and Office 2013
“This update is intended to help Microsoft identify the number of users running out-of-support (or soon to be out-of-support) versions of Office,” the company stated.
However The Register (opens in new tab) notes the contradicting information on the company’s support page (opens in new tab) with regards to the installation and running of the update, leading the publication to believe that the company may have done a poor ‘copy and paste’ job of the article.
It also pointed out that the maker of Office has failed to provide any information about how it will collect the data, and whether it will leave anything behind on the user’s computer.
Besides this, there’s the concern that some users may not even want to tell Microsoft which version of the office software they’re running. While the 2007 and 2010 versions have been decommissioned, and support for the 2013 version is set to end in April, users are well within their rights to continue using the unsupported software even after security patches have been dropped.
Beyond these, and Office 2016 which is set to stop receiving extended support in 2025, Microsoft is keen to push its subscription-based Microsoft 365 (formerly Office 365) suite, which enables regular updates as part of an ongoing plan.
TechRadar Pro has asked Microsoft about its reason for pushing an update to collect the data; an update for which shall be posted here if received.
A leaked render for Mobvoi’s next TicWatch Pro series smartwatch teases a simpler design than its predecessor – and one that looks heavily inspired by the Google Pixel Watch.
We were really impressed with the TicWatch Pro 3; it’s currently one of the best Wear OS smartwatches on the market boasting a long (three-day) battery life and a slew of useful features at a fairly budget-friendly price. And Mobvoi’s next TicWatch Pro 5 device is expected to take things up a level with a more capable Snapdragon W5 Plus processor and Wear OS 3 software, which should give this device a power and functionality boost.
Now we might have gotten our first look at what the wearable will look like, with Kuba Wojciechowski (opens in new tab) – a developer who shares leaks on Twitter – revealing a render that he says is of the TicWatch Pro 5.
Mobvoi’s upcoming smartwatch shares a lot of similarities with the TicWatch Pro 3, but most notably it will seemingly drop the dual-crown design in favor of a simpler single-crown control – just like the Google Pixel Watch. What’s more, the numbers surrounding the watch face have been stripped away in favor of a textured rim which again helps to make the gadget look less busy than iterations that have come before.
⌚️ Leak: Mobvoi TicWatch Pro 5 – one of the first watches to ship with Snapdragon W5(+) and Wear OS 3 pic.twitter.com/FIg8BEcMQRJanuary 20, 2023
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As for why the new smartwatch is expected to be called the TicWatch Pro 5 instead of the TicWatch Pro 4, Wojciechowski explained that it’s most likely due to tetraphobia.
Mobvoi is a Beijing-based tech company and in some Asian languages – including several varieties of Chinese – the word for four and the word for death sound pretty similar. Because of this, some companies choose to avoid using the number four in product names and when labeling floors in buildings – much like how some businesses avoid using 13 in similar ways.
We should always take leaks with a pinch of salt, but Wojciechowski has been a fairly solid source for tech leaks in the past, so it’s worth paying attention to what he has to say. That’s especially true here as the leaked design does match an official silhouette shared by Mobvoi.
For now, this is only a design leak. Beyond the promise of a new chipset and OS, there’s little else on what this device is capable of nor a price tag or when it’ll release. Hopefully, it’ll boast the same battery life and affordability as its predecessor but we’ll have to wait and see if this simplified smartwatch has what it takes to knock the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 Pro off the top spot in our Wear OS smartwatch ranking.
The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra was always likely to rank among the best camera phones, and now we’re even more sure of that, as leaked camera samples, reportedly shot on the phone, show impressive photography skills.
Twitter user Edwards Urbina (opens in new tab) posted a series of shots showing off night and zoom photography (via NotebookCheck (opens in new tab)), so let’s take a look.
First up, night photography. For this, Urbina posted two photos (opens in new tab) taken in presumably the normal mode, alongside ones in night mode (or perhaps astrophotography mode).
Image 1 of 4
The normal shots are incredibly dark, giving an indication of how little light there was in the scene, while the night mode shots are impressively bright, and packed with detail.
They’re far from perfect – there’s a bit of noise, some mushy details, unnatural color on the foliage, and they aren’t perfectly focused. But given how little light there seemed to be to work with the results are still strong.
Now we come to the zoom shots, with photos apparently taken at 1x, 3x, 10x, and 30x zoom.
The Ultra line always excels at zoom shots, so it’s no surprise that these look good – particularly the first three, as the phone can probably optically zoom to those distances. However, the 30x zoom also looks fairly detailed – if not quite as sharp as the others, and given that the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra’s optical zoom probably tops out at 10x, that’s impressive.
Indeed, leaker @UniverseIce (opens in new tab) claims that this shot looks as good as a 20x zoom shot on the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra, so even though the optical range might not be any better this year, the overall quality of zoom shots – and particularly digital zoom – could be improved.
Of course, these are just a few photos, we can’t be certain that they’re genuine, and we don’t have side by side comparisons with the Galaxy S22 Ultra or other phones. So don’t read too much into them, but they look promising regardless.
With the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra expected on February 1, we’ll know exactly how good its cameras are soon.
Opinion: zoom looks great, but next year it needs to be much better
From everything we’ve seen and heard so far, it seems likely that the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra will take the crown as the best camera phone, replacing the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra, which currently sits in the top spot.
With a new 200MP primary sensor and improvements to both night and zoom photography, there should be a reasonable number of photographic upgrades here – but next year the company should focus even more on zoom improvements.
Samsung is arguably in the lead for zoom photography right now, as rival handsets don’t offer 10x optical zoom, but they might soon catch up. Google is gradually closing in, with 5x optical zoom offered on the Pixel 7 Pro, and Apple will reportedly put a periscope camera on the iPhone 15 Ultra.
Meanwhile, Samsung has done little to push zoom photography forward in the last few years. The software has improved but hardware improvements have been minimal, and there’s been no change to the maximum optical zoom distance on the Ultra phones.
So, if the company wants to maintain its lead then we might need more than 10x optical zoom on the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra – or some other tricks, like the continuous optical zoom offered by the Sony Xperia 1 IV.
Tecno Spark Go 2023 is here. Tecno has expanded its entry-level smartphone lineup with the launch of Tecno Spark Go 2023 smartphone. The smartphone is powered by a MediaTek chipset and it runs Android 12 operating system. The device sports an HD+ display and sports a 13MP dual rear camera. Price and availability The Tecno Spark Go 2023 comes with a price tag of Rs 6,999 and it can be purchased in Endless Black, Uyuni Blue and Nebula Purple colour options. The smartphone will be available offline at authorised retail stores starting January 23, 2023.
Tecno Spark Go 2023 specifications Tecno Spark Go 2023 features a 6.56-inch HD+ display with 720×1612 pixel resolution. The display offers 20:9 aspect ratio and up to 480 nits of brightness. The entry-level Tecno smartphone is powered by MediaTek Helio A22 chipset paired with 3GB of RAM. The smartphone packs 32GB internal storage which can be expanded up to 256GB by adding a microSD card. Tecno Spark Go 2023 runs Android 12 operating system topped with the company’s own layer of HiOS 12. The dual SIM smartphone comes with an IPX2 rating which makes it splash-resistant. Tecno Spark Go 2023 comes equipped with a rear-mounted fingerprint sensor and a dual rear camera. The dual rear camera comprises 13MP main sensor with f/1.85 aperture and a secondary AI lens. There’s also a 5MP front-facing camera with dual micro slit flashlight. The smartphone is backed by a 5000mAh battery with 10W charging support. Recently, Tecno launched its flagship smartphone — Tecno Phantom X2 Pro 5G in India. Priced at Rs 49,999, it is the first smartphone of the company to come with a retractable lens. Tecno Phantom X2 Pro comes with Mediatek’s Dimensity 9000 chipset. Under the hood, the chipset comes paired with 12GB LPDDR5 RAM and 256GB of UFS 3.1 internal storage. The Phantom X2 Pro runs Android 12-based HiOS 12. The smartphone boasts a 5160mAH battery with 45W fast charging.
Hackers have discovered a new way to bypass the macro block in Microsoft Office files and still deliver malware (opens in new tab) to unsuspecting victims through the company’s suit of online collaboration apps.
Security experts at BleepingComputer found freshly distributed phishing emails equipped with OneNote attachments.
OneNote is a digital notetaking app, which people can use to create a sharable content library. It comes as part of the wider Microsoft Office suite, meaning if people have this installed, they can open OneNote files, too. While OneNote’s files, called NoteBooks, don’t support macros, they do support attachments, and that’s what the crooks are now leveraging.
Malicious VBS files
The phishing emails themselves are nothing out of the ordinary – they include fake DHL parcel notifications, fake invoices, fake shipping notifications, ACH remittance forms, and such. Instead of carrying a Word or Excel file attached, they carry a OneNote file which, if opened, seems to be blurred out, with a huge button in the middle saying “Double Click to View File”.
Double-clicking, however, runs the attachment which, in this case, is a malicious VBS file.
This file then initiates communication with the command & control (C2) server and downloads the malware.
BleepingComputer obtained a couple of these emails and determined that multiple remote access trojans and infostealers are being circulated, including the AsyncRAT and XWorm remote access trojans, as well as the Quasar Remote Access trojan.
The best way to protect against these attacks is the same as it always was – educate your employees not to download attachments and click on email links from people they don’t know, don’t trust, or whose identity cannot be confirmed. Also, they should be educated not to ignore warning messages prompted in programs such as Word, Excel, or OneNote. Other than that, having a strong antivirus solution, and a firewall, is welcome.
Finally, activating multi-factor authentication (MFA) wherever possible greatly reduces the chances of more serious compromise.
We’re already thinking about the PS6, despite it being almost three years since the PS5 launched. But, just like most consoles, Sony’s guaranteed to be looking ahead into its successor already.
We’re unlikely to see another new, mainline PlayStation console for a few years yet, but that doesn’t mean we can’t fantasize about what we would like to see from the next PlayStation – or predict when we’re likely to get our hands on it. After all, we know that Sony is already thinking about the future, having trademarked the PS6, PS7, PS8, PS9 and PS10 names.
In the meantime, it feels much more likely that we’ll see Sony releasing a PS5 Slim or PS5 Pro, though when that’ll be is currently anyone’s guess. That is, assuming the last generation’s anything to go by, where the PS4 saw a PS4 Slim and PS4 Pro variants releasing several years after the base console. Mid-generation hardware revisions are pretty common these days, after all.
PS6
So, while we’re still enjoying the PS5 and the best PS5 games, we’ve gathered up everything we want to see from the PS6 and when we expect to get our hands on the next PlayStation.
PS6 release date: when do we expect it to launch?
The PS6 is likely to be a long way off. The PS5 only released in November 2020, so it’s unlikely Sony will consider releasing a brand new PlayStation for several years. Typically PlayStation consoles launch around six or seven years apart, with the PS4 arriving in 2013 and the PS5 following up in 2020.
In an interview with Game Informer (opens in new tab), Sony’s Executive VP of Hardware Engineering Masayasu Ito confirmed that the PS5 life cycle is expected to last about six or seven years, meaning we won’t see the PS6 until at least 2026.
“Indeed, in the past, the cycle for a new platform was seven to 10 years, but in view of the very rapid development and evolution of technology, it’s really a six to seven-year platform cycle,” Masayasu said.
“Then we cannot fully catch up with the rapid development of the technology, therefore our thinking is that as far as a platform is concerned for the PS5, it’s a cycle of maybe six to seven years. But doing that, a platform lifecycle, we should be able to change the hardware itself and try to incorporate advancements in technology. That was the thinking behind it, and the test case of that thinking was the PS4 Pro that launched in the midway of the PS4 launch cycle.”
It looks like Sony is following a similar roadmap to the PS4, meaning we’re likely to see a PS5 Pro or PS5 Slim release sometime in the middle of this lifecycle: around 2023 or 2024.
PS6: what we want to see
A smaller console The PS5 is a mammoth console. In fact, it’s the biggest console in modern history. But bigger doesn’t always mean better, and the PS5’s size makes it impractical for those who don’t have the shelving unit to house it – and, let’s be honest, not many of us do.
With the PS6 (and perhaps even with a PS5 Slim Edition), we’re hoping that Sony can learn from its mistakes, making the next-gen console smaller and more streamlined, while allowing for adequate airflow.
More affordable expandable internal storage It will be possible to expand the PS5’s internal storage by popping off the side panel and installing an SSD, once Sony drops a software update to enable it – but it’s not that simple. The PS5 only accepts compatible NVMe SSDs, which match or excel past the existing drive specifications, and they don’t come cheap.
These types of SSDs are typically pretty pricey, meaning that players may opt for external storage instead – but unfortunately, these externals storage options don’t harness the raw power of the PS5. With the PS6, we hope that Sony will make expanding internal storage easier – perhaps taking an approach similar to the Xbox Series X’s expandable storage card.
Built-in Bluetooth Audio Support – so we don’t need a dongle for the official headset It is baffling that, in the year 2020, a brand-new games console launched and it requires you to plug-in a USB dongle receiver to use its own-brand wireless headphones. Like, what the actual hell Sony. Talk about an aesthetic assault on our eyes and under-TV storage area. Just build the freaking support into the PS6 will you. Good grief.
Wireless charging for controllers/headset – can just be placed on top when off Sure, the Sony charging dock for the PS5 DualSense controllers works pretty well and the controllers slide nicely against the charging pins – but we don’t want yet another piece of hardware by our TV. Sony should take a leaf out of the smartphone industry’s book and build in a wireless charging pad to the top of the PS6. That will allow you to place a controller on the top of the console, when you’re not gaming, to charge – and you could even expand the wireless charging tech to headphones, a media remote and any other peripherals.
Wire-free (and zero-latency) connection to the TV There are far too many wires behind our media stations – and the PlayStation 5 is a guilty party. We’ve got the power and HDMI, plus a completely separate plug block for the controller charging base. Add in the HD camera, and the additional cable for PSVR 2 when that launches and things are a mess. With the PS6, we want a single power lead and everything else to be wireless – obviously with zero lag and latency.
Improve the UI The updated PS5 UI definitely screams “next-gen”, but it also has some flaws that we would like to see ironed out with the PS6. The PlayStation Store is a pain to navigate, especially when it comes to finding sales, trying to find your friends and organize a party isn’t as straightforward as it was with the PS4 and – to top it all off – even trying to find the ‘off’ button takes longer than it should. While the PS4 UI absolutely needed an update, we found it more accessible to use. With the PS6, we hope to see Sony settle on a middle ground that is both futuristic and accessible.
HP has expanded its Envy laptop series with the addition of Envy x360 15. The all-new Envy x360 15 is priced at Rs 82,999 onwards, going up to Rs 1,14,999. The Envy x360 15 comes in four variants. All the models in the lineup are said to be ‘designed for mainstream creators’. The key highlights of the new Envy series laptops include 360-degree hinge, 15.6-inch display, Emoji Keyboard, 5MP IR camera with Auto frame technology, HP Quick Drop, and ‘intelligent’ power management.
HP Envy x360 15 Features: Up to 12th-gen Intel CPU, Multimedia-focused feature set, and more HP’s Envy x360 15 laptops run on up to 12th-gen Intel Core EVO i7 and come with integrated Intel Iris Xe GPU under the hood. For connectivity, HP offers Wi-Fi 6E (2×2) and Bluetooth 5.2 with these laptops. System maintenance measures, including performance optimisation, skin temperature, and system noise, are handled by the Smart Sense technology. Coming to multimedia aspects, the lineup comes with a 15.6-inch OLED touchscreen with an 88% screen-to-body ratio and a ‘Bang and Olufsen’ audio system. Entry-level variants in this lineup offer an HD screen with 250 nits brightness. In the battery department, the laptops offer up to 10 hours of battery life and support the proprietary Fast Charge technology.
Other notable features of the Envy x360 15 series include HP Rechargeable MPP 2.0 Tilt Pen, VESA Trueback HDR 500 support and a physical camera shutter. On the software side, the lineup comes preloaded with HP Palette and HP Photo Match for sketching concepts and media organisation, respectively. HP Envy x360 15 variants and key specs
Chinese smartphone maker Vivo’s spin-off brand iQoo is set to expand its smartphone lineup with a new device in India. The company has confirmed that the iQoo Neo 7 5G will launch in India on February 17. iQoo has already started teasing some of the key features of the upcoming smartphone ahead of the launch. Now, the company has updated its India website with a separate landing page for the iQoo Neo 7 5G. The microsite hasn’t revealed any specifications of the smartphone except the already confirmed Dimensity 8200 SoC. https://shop.iqoo.com/in/sp/neo7 iQoo has also started a new contest in which customers can participate for a chance to win the upcoming smartphone. The iQoo Neo 7 5G landing page also has a “Notify Me” option that customers can select to get notified about the launch of the new phone. Apart from this, the landing page also showcases the awards won by last year’s iQoo Neo 6 5G smartphone, which is the predecessor of the upcoming phone.
iQoo Neo 7 5G landing page contest In this contest, participants have to answer two questions which are — “Guess the most powerful processor that is loaded with the iQOO Neo 7?” and “What is the slogan of the iQOO Neo 7?” Customers who want to participate in the contest will also have to provide other details like their name, email, and phone number after answering the questions. This contest will run through February 15 and the company will announce the winner on February 20. iQoo Neo 7 5G landing page contest: Availability and confirmed specs iQoo Neo 7 5G will be available on the popular e-commerce site Amazon after the new smartphone is launched. The company has already confirmed a few specs of the upcoming phone. This includes a 6.7-inch E5 AMOLED display with a centred punch hole. iQoo Neo 7 5G’s display will also support a Full HD+ resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate.
The smartphone will feature the Dimensity 8200 chipset and a 3D cooling system for heat dissipation. iQoo Neo 7 5G will also house an OIS-enabled triple camera setup and will even support 120W fast charging. The official renders of the upcoming phone also reveal that the smartphone may ship in two colour variants — Black and Blue. Also watch:
iQoo 11: First look of ‘India’s fastest’ smartphone
WhatsApp keeps updating the app by adding new features to improve the user experience. However, some of these features have already been rolled out for end users while beta testers are still testing others. One such feature that WhatsApp is currently testing is the ability to share voice notes via status updates. According to a report by WABetaInfo, WhatsApp is rolling out a new update (version 23.2.0.70) through the TestFlight beta Program. The update will add the aforementioned ability to some selected beta testers and has been reportedly rolled out to some beta testers. WhatsApp users who are unable to share voice notes via status will have to wait for the future update of the app. WhatsApp voice notes for status WhatsApp allows usual voice recording features on its platform as well the ability to pause and resume recording, the recording time limit is still set to 30 seconds.
The report further cites that WhatsApp Beta for iOS users running the latest version are able to share voice notes as status updates. As mentioned earlier, the feature is placed within the text status section. Just like images and videos, voice notes shared via status automatically expire after 24 hours but you can delete them for everyone at any time. The report also adds that users will have to update their WhatsApp app to listen to the voice notes posted as status. In addition, the voice notes posted as status are end-to-end encrypted. This means that the notes shared are as secure and private as other messages, images, etc shared using WhatsApp. Meanwhile, WhatsApp is rolling out a similar update for Android users. For those who are beta testers and unable to see the feature, it is possible that it has been rolled out for you yet. It may take a while before WhatsApp decides to roll it out to a wider audience. Also watch:
A step-by-step guide on how to use the WhatsApp image blurring tool