Archives February 2023

The Nothing Phone (1) is a mid-range device, but for the Nothing Phone (2) it looks like the company could be targeting the high-end, as it’s set to pack a high-end chipset.

Specifically, Nothing announced during MWC 2023 that the Nothing Phone (2) will use a Snapdragon 8 series chipset, which are the top mobile chipsets Qualcomm makes.

We’ve written a lot about the huge potential for SCL6, the new wireless audio format also known as MQAir, but bemoaned the lack of support for the adaptive hi-res wireless audio format. That looks set to change however, with news that the codec’s developer MQA has announced a partnership that promises a new set of next-gen hi-res headphones.

The team-up is with NAD sister-brand PSB Speakers and hearable app developer Sonical, with a press release boldly declaring that the partnership “will define a new category of high-resolution audio headphones”. The catch is that they’re scheduled to launch in the first half of 2024. Still, these headphones sound ‘next-gen’ in more ways than one.

A new James Bond game by the name of Project 007 is in the works. IO Interactive, the folks behind Hitman, is currently developing the project. Though details are scarce, Project 007 will be the next big release from IO Interactive, meaning that more details are likely to be forthcoming in the future. 

While Project 007 doesn’t feature actors from the films, we’ve also had a short teaser trailer. Although said teaser doesn’t show any gameplay, the website confirms that the story is about James Bond’s origins and it’ll be “completely original” to the game. That means IO Interactive won’t be borrowing stories or even actors from previous James Bond movies.

The Internet has recently been awash with frightening stories of how thieves could gain access to all of the deepest, darkest secrets that you keep on your iPhone, just by knowing your PIN number.

Simply by knowing your login PIN (and getting hold of your iPhone), it’s possible for anyone to change your Apple ID, locking you out of all other Apple devices, and even get unwanted access to your bank accounts and social networks. 

Intel has released a new Bluetooth driver for Windows 10 and Windows 11, and it’s an update many of us have been clamouring for. These days, where almost every device has Bluetooth compatibility, a good connection is key, so the new drivers are definitely welcomed with open arms if they can actually solve one of Windows’ biggest problems.

For anyone using a Bluetooth device with a Windows 10 or Windows 11 PC, you may have been frustrated by an unreliable connection that drops out at awkward times, if it connects at all, and there have been instances where connecting a Bluetooth games controller to a PC can cause frame rate drops in games. 

Researchers have discovered two high-severity vulnerabilities in a popular WordPress (opens in new tab) theme and plugin that could allow threat actors to completely take over the affected websites.

Cybersecurity experts from Patchstack uncovered two flaws in a premium add-on used mostly for real-estate websites. The $69 theme is called Houzez, and reportedly has more than 35,000 customers. 

Audio specialists Jabra have launched a new range of portable speakerphones, also known as conference phones following on from its successful Speak range and designed for hybrid working.

The new Speak2 (opens in new tab) range includes Speak2 75, Speak2 55 and the Speak2 40, which the company says are “engineered for the hybrid worker who wants to hear and be heard in the most productive way….(and) designed to handle anything a busy hybrid working day throws at it.”

LastPass has shared more details about the December data breach that shook the industry, with the attack sounding like it came straight out of a spy movie.

In a security advisory (opens in new tab), the password manager said two incidents, seemingly unrelated, which were actually part of a larger campaign. It also said that the threat actors specifically targeted one of four DevOps engineers, further highlighting the sophistication of the entire campaign.

One of the best VPN services around, NordVPN, has called in an independent cybersecurity firm to test the security of its software.

Experts at Cure53 examined both Nord’s server infrastructure and the security of all its apps, garnering a “robust impression” overall.

Meta has just canceled two in-development VR headsets if the latest rumors are true.

The social media giant has made a name for itself in the VR world by making some of the world’s best VR headsets – the Oculus Quest 2 and Meta Quest Pro. We expect it’ll continue to impress us later this year when the Oculus Quest 3 finally launches, but its launch calendar after that might be looking a little more sparse.