Film directors, ad film makers, music video directors across the world have used the iPhone to shoot commercial projects. One of Selena Gomez’s popular song “Lose you to Love Me” music video was shot entirely on the iPhone. Now, Apple has released a short Indian film that has been shot entirely on the iPhone 14 Pro. What movie has been shot on the iPhone Shot entirely on iPhone 14 Pro, “Fursat” is a Bollywood-style musical that has been directed by Vishal Bhardwaj. It is a short 30-minute film but brings all the ingredients of popular cinema, including songs and choreographed dances. Where is the movie available? Fursat is available on YouTube as well as Apple’s official website. What do the professionals have to say? Swapnil Sonawane, director of photography, who has worked on popular projects, including Sacred Games, says that he was actually surprised at how much the iPhone could handle. He also said that the Action Mode is an “amazing update” before adding, “for it to be held in your hand and run with all your might looking at the actor, one can get extremely steady shots, without external gimbal.” He also said that how the Cinematic mode shifts focus is the way the focus puller would, “it’s an emotional shift focus, which is what was absolutely beautiful about it.”
Vishal Bhardwaj, director, said that he found the whole experience “liberating”. He also said that, “I’ve never had this kind of scale in my films ever before. And this can tell you about the scale the iPhone can achieve.” The two modes that “enable” filmmaking on the iPhone The Action mode gives you steady, smooth video even if you’re capturing in the middle of the action. Action mode is easy to toggle on in video mode. And it provides even more stabilisation in situations where the person capturing the video is moving around a lot, like running — which is quite evident in the movie. Cinematic mode in 4K enables depth-of-field effect and automatic focus changes to video in a simple and intuitive way, so anyone can capture cinema-style moments for more immersive storytelling. It now supports 4K resolution up to 30 fps, including 24 fps—a go-to for shots just like the movies. Also Watch:
How to use karaoke feature in iPhones, Apple Music Sing
Wordle is a web-based puzzle game owned by The New York Times. It was created in 2021 by Josh Wardle and featured a daily puzzle where users have six attempts to guess the “word of the day.” The colour of the tiles changes to help users figure out the correct word, with grey indicating the letter is not part of the word, yellow indicating the letter is part of the word but in the wrong location, and green showing the letter is in the correct location and part of the “Word of the day.” Wordle 594 is the puzzle for February 3; this article provides hints, clues, and answers to the puzzle. Wordle is an online puzzle game popular among people who want to use their time productively. If you are having trouble with the Wordle 594 puzzle for February 3, 2023, the following hints and clues may help you solve it: Wordle hints and clues for today, February 3, 2023, are stated here for our readers:
Wordle 594 hints and clues for February 3, 2023, are:
Today’s Wordle starts with the letter ‘T’
The Wordle ends with the letter Y’
Today’s Wordle contains only one vowel.
Still, stuck? If you could not find the answers, fret not; we have got it all figured out for you: TASTY is the solution to Wordle 594 for February 3, 2023. If you keep winning for two or more days, you will be awarded a winning streak. This will continue till the time you fail to guess the correct word. If you lose, the streak will be broken.
Meta has taken the lid off its 2022 end-of-year finances (opens in new tab), uncovering a reasonably small 1% drop in annual revenue compared with the year prior, at a time when other companies are reporting significant losses.
The company explained a number of decisions it took to “pursue greater efficiency and to realign [its] business and strategic priorities”, which included a heavy review of its facilities that saw it open up subleases, early terminate, and even abandon a number of its offices.
The report also details the layoffs that affected around 11,000 of its workers, but it’s the company’s plans for its data centers that are likely to be most talked about.
It said that it would “pivot” toward a next-generation design which would mean canceling a number of its existing projects in the process.
In a follow-up call (opens in new tab) regarding its end-of-year report, CFO, Susan Li, explained that the new architecture is designed to be “more flexible” when it comes to accommodating various workloads, not AI and non-AI.
Li said: “That flexibility means that with this new data center architecture we can also optimize our approach to building data centers more efficiently.”
The phased approach that Meta hopes to take will see it building data centers with less initial capacity commitment, but with the space and flexibility to grow as needed.
Moreover, higher-density racks and more efficient servers will allow its campuses to reduce their footprints, helping to cut both costs and environmental implications such as emissions.
Elsewhere in the business, things are looking promisingly healthy as other companies battle with tough economic headwinds. Facebook’s daily active users increased 4% to top two billion, while overall headcount is also reported to have increased despite its mass layoffs.
The Samsung Galaxy S23 series is here, and if you’re planning to buy one, then as well as choosing which model to get, you also need to decide on the color.
There’s no shortage of options there, particularly if you buy direct from Samsung.com, where a selection of additional exclusive colors can be found. But to help you out you’ll find an overview of every option below.
Then head on over to our Samsung Galaxy S23 preorders page for a look at all the best deals available ahead of release.
Note that with the exception of Sky Blue and Red, every color is available for every Galaxy S23 model. Those two though are exclusive to the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra.
Cream
(Image credit: Samsung)
Cream is the closest thing to white that you can get these phones in, and it’s sure to be popular, given what a common shade white is for phones.
It’s not the most inspiring finish in our opinion, but if you want your phone to blend in rather than stand out, then this will do the trick.
Lavender
(Image credit: Samsung)
Samsung’s take on Lavender is a very pale purple that’s almost pink. It’s an understated shade but a bit more unusual than just a black or white phone.
This can be seen as a replacement for the Pink Gold you could get the Samsung Galaxy S22 in, which isn’t an option this year.
Green
(Image credit: Samsung)
You can also get the Samsung Galaxy S23, Galaxy S23 Plus and Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra in green, and this shade is one of the most interesting options, simply because it’s not a particularly common color for a phone.
It’s worth noting that there’s also a green option for the Samsung Galaxy S22 series, but that’s a lot bolder than this one. As with the Lavender option above, this is an understated, smart take on the color; first impressions from our hands-on experience with the S23 series highlighted that vibrancy looks particularly muted under warm lighting.
Phantom Black
(Image credit: Samsung)
Phantom Black is a classic Samsung shade that we’ve seen numerous times before. It’s also just black, which is one of the most popular and common smartphone finishes in general.
Of course, there’s more than one type of black, and the way light diffuses on the phones’ Gorilla Glass Victus 2 back shows that there’s a dark metallic grey quality to it as well, that adds a little interest. Samsung clearly isn’t interested in bright, bold or flashy shades with this line of phones.
Lime
(Image credit: Samsung)
The four colors above are widely available for the Samsung Galaxy S23 series, but Lime is one of a number of shades that you can only get from Samsung.com.
That means it will probably be less common than the options above, simply because fewer people will know about it or be able to get it.
It’s also arguably the brightest and most showy color that you can get the standard S23 or S23 Plus in, though in keeping with the other shades, it’s doesn’t offer particularly heavy saturation. The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is also available in this shade, but there’s an alternative bright option for that phone which we’ll get to below.
Note that this finish includes a silver frame, whereas the shades covered so far all feature colour-matched frames.
Graphite
(Image credit: Samsung)
Graphite is the another Samsung Store exclusive for the Galaxy S23, Galaxy S23 Plus and Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra.
This is a smart-looking shade and a solid alternative to the Phantom Black model, if you want something dark but a little different. It also stands out a bit by having a dark black frame – darker even than the frame used by the Phantom Black model.
Sky Blue
(Image credit: Samsung)
Sky Blue is one of two shades that are not only exclusive to Samsung.com but exclusive to Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra.
As such, it’s one of the more exclusive colors you’ll find any of these phones in; a pleasant pale blue, bright but inoffensive while also managing to look a little unorthodox. It also – like the Lime shade – has a silver frame, that contrasts nicely with the blue.
Red
(Image credit: Samsung)
Perhaps the most head-turning finish among the S23 series is also a Samsung.com exclusive that’s unique to the S23 Ultra. It’s simply, red.
This particular finish is surprisingly bright, to the point where it doesn’t quite feel like it fits with the rest of the color options on offer. There’s a warmth to the red, edging towards burnt orange that ensures it doesn’t offer too harsh a contrast against the frame.
Speaking of the frame, it’s black, the same darker shade you’ll also find on the Graphite colorway.
This is sure to be a divisive choice, but those after something a little bolder will undoubtedly love it.
A new malware campaign targeting gaming and gambling companies has been reported and codenamed IceBreaker.
The attackers contact the customer support section of the companies online to seemingly raise an issue. They attach a ‘screenshot’ to highlight their ‘problem’, which contains a backdoor – previously unseen by experts – to hack their endpoint.
The attacks have been reported since September 2022, and although the group behind them remains a mystery, some of their actions – such as requesting to speak to customer service agents in languages other than English – may be clues to their identity.
Hiding in a JPEG
Whoever the group is, they appear to be using advanced techniques and have avoiding being exposed so far.
Israeli cybersecurity firm Security Joes was able to stop three of their attacks after analyzing data from an incident in September 2022, but says the only public recognition of the threat actor was a single tweet from MalwareHunterTeam (opens in new tab).
The firm also notes that the attackers have asked to speak to customer service in Spanish, although they were observed conversing in other languages as well. Regardless, Security Joes believes that English is not their first language.
The apparent attached screenshots that they send to these companies contain a LNK file but masquerades as a JPG image file. It retrieves the IceBreaker backdoor, or downloads the well-known Visual Basic Script (VBS) Houdini Rat, which has been around for a decade, from the attacker’s server without any user interaction or interface required.
The file is complex, compiled JavaScript, which Security Joes says can steal file and passwords, run scripts on the target’s system, and open a proxy tunnel between the attacker and victim. Essentially, the backdoor gives the hackers control over the system, and what’s more, can allow for further potential penetration within the company’s network.
The download that the LNK file initiates is an MSI payload containing the malware, and is poorly detected by antivirus services – Bleeping Computer reports that out of 60 scans on virus scanning website VirusTotal, the malware was only detected 4 times.
The decoy files within the malware that feign a legitimate software signature mean that such tools do find anything wrong with it.
Security Joes’ report on IceBreaker (opens in new tab) contains adivce on how to spot the malware if you suspect it is on your system. Lookout for shortcut files created in the startup folder and opening of the open-source tsocks.exe program.
This Samsung Galaxy S23 pre-order deal from Amazon applies to Samsung Galaxy S23 Series, which includes the Galaxy S23 ($799.99), the Galaxy S23 Plus ($999.99), and the Galaxy S23 Ultra ($1,199.99). The standard Samsung Galaxy S23 comes with a $50 Amazon gift card, and the S23 Plus and Ultra will include a $100 gift card – all of which will be shipped to you instantly after you place your order. This pre-order deal from Amazon also includes a free storage upgrade from 128GB to 512GB, saving you up to $180.
The best part about Amazon’s Samsung S23 pre-order deal is that you’re getting an unlocked device, which means there are no trade-ins or upgrades required, and you aren’t forced into a long-term plan from a carrier. If you’re looking for a no-strings-attached offer on Samsung’s latest and greatest device -this deal is for you.
When it comes to cybercriminals stealing money from cryptocurrency companies and protocols, 2022 was the worst year – ever.
A report (opens in new tab) from Chainalysis claims that in 2022, $3.8 billion in various tokens were stolen.
Drilling deeper through the year, the analysts discovered major spikes in March and October, with the latter becoming the biggest single month for crypto theft – ever. That month, a total of 32 separate attacks occurred, leaving businesses $775.7 million short.
Lazarus Group dominating
Most of the attacks saw hackers after decentralized finance (DeFi) protocols.
The trend, which started in 2021, spilled into 2022, with DeFi protocols making up 82.1% of all crypto hack incidents last year (up from 73.3% the year prior). All in all – $3.1 billion were stolen, with two-thirds of that sum (64%) being taken from cross-chain bridge protocols.
Numerous hacking groups were involved, but one specific stands out as the worst performer – the North Korean Lazarus Group. This group is said to have strong ties with the country’s government and apparently uses the money stolen in crypto hacks to fund the country’s nuclear weapons program.
In 2022, the group amassed an estimated $1.7 billion in various cryptocurrency tokens, with $1.1 billion being taken from DeFi protocols alone.
Chainalysis tried to illustrate the power the group holds, saying that in 2020, North Korea exported a total of $142 million worth of goods.
But the problem with these hacks is that Lazarus Group usually ends up with large quantities of illiquid tokens, which they first need to exchange for more liquid ones. To do that, they move the tokens to other DeFi protocols, and only then move them to mixers – crypto projects which crooks usually use to launder money.
Still, law enforcement is fighting back, the researchers say, reminding that last year $30 million worth of cryptocurrency (opens in new tab) stolen in the Axie Infinity Ronin Bridge hack was retrieved. “We expect more such stories in the coming years, largely due to the transparency of the blockchain,” the researchers concluded.
In what could be an unexpected boon to hybrid working environments, Microsoft have unveiled a new plugin for hardware aimed at Twitch streamers.
In a post (opens in new tab) on the Microsoft Teams blog detailing the webinar features of the new Teams Premium offering, it was quietly revealed that the tech giant have developed an official plugin for internet streaming hardware manufacturer Elgato’s Stream Deck devices, promising compatibility with the video conferencing software.
In case you’re confused, Elgato Stream Decks are essentially customisable switchboards for computers that look to boost productivity, though are usually the domain of streamers. However, marketing for the devices is keen to point out their potential workplace applications.
Elgato Stream Decks and Microsoft Teams
Per a tweet (opens in new tab) from Elgato, it seems like a Stream Deck could be a great addition to a workstation setup, making it possible to map functions like turning webcams and microphones on and off, live reactions, and raising/lowering a virtual hand to LCD-lit keys on the device.
However, with the latest available model, the Stream Deck + (opens in new tab), being priced at $199.99/£199.99, those looking for a budget device won’t find it here.
The Deck + offers additional physical controls and indicators for things like volume, or “any incremental app settings”, and too far in the other direction is the Stream Deck XL (opens in new tab), which offers 32 customizable LCD keys for $249.99/£229.99.
However, those who don’t need all the bells and whistles have other options. Those looking to be more productive with Microsoft’s collaboration tool may be better off with the Mk. 2, which offers 15 keys for $149.99/£139.99.
And although it only offers six customizable keys, the cheapest available option is the Stream Deck Mini (opens in new tab), available for $79.99/£69.99. As a result, a true budget option for a portable switchboard for a business PC doesn’t really exist.
Help is at hand, though. To promote the new plugin for Teams, Elgato are offering savings of “up to” 10% on all Stream Deck Mk. 2s with the coupon code “TEAMS” at checkout until February 6, 2023.
Some may find it a little odd to buy a device chiefly marketed towards streamers for workplace productivity, but plugins exist for all kinds of programs useful for work, including Zoom, Powerpoint, and photo editing software like Adobe Photoshop, so it might not be a bad idea, especially at a discount.
PPDS, the brand behind Philips professional displays, has announced a new range of products at ISE 2023, including Philips Tableaux, which it claims is the most energy-efficient and eco-friendly digital signage range ever launched by a major manufacturer.
What captured our attention about Tableaux is the fact that it can run entirely unplugged and without using a single kilowatt of electricity, a feat that could help reduce the carbon footprint of businesses as well as their electricity bills. It also allows for new installations in places where access to electricity is challenging.
Two panels are available, one in a traditional 25-inch 16:9 format, while the other is a more stretched 28-inch 32:9 model. PPDS claims that its Android-based Tableaux range can deliver up to 60,000 colors – including blue – which is a major milestone for what is essentially a glorified e-paper technology.
Images of the two panels in what looked like commercial settings show content with relatively rich colors, high brightness and contrast, a far cry from the usual monochrome setup.
The Tableaux series will show content without being plugged in or using power at all and PPDS already confirmed that they will be compatible with its Wave cloud-based fleet management platform which is used to, for example, update the content being displayed, over the air and without human intervention. Note that due to the nature of the technology, it cannot be used for interactive displays, touchscreen displays or as business monitors.
The rise of zero-power electronics
From its humble beginnings in 2007 till now, color e-paper has reached mainstream, even finding its way in supermarkets and petrol stations. What Tableaux brings in terms of innovation is the ability to scale to much bigger display areas and the ability to sip power.
PPDS is part of TPV Technology Limited, the world’s largest manufacturer of monitors and the rollout of Tableaux is an intriguing new direction we will keep a keen eye on given the current financial pressures businesses – especially SMBs – are under.
We’ve reached out to PPDS to find out more about the exact specifications of the two displays: can they be charged via a USB port (and potentially using nothing more than a portable power station or a battery charger)? What is the screen resolution? What sort of brightness/contrast ratio can they deliver? Do they use no power at all to display? How much power do they use to swap the content being displayed? What is the capacity of the embedded battery?
Beyond that it will be interesting to see if there are any plans to scavenge energy (e.g. ambient heat or light?), whether there’s any plans to go for even larger format displays and whether PPDS will license the technology to other electronics manufacturers who may then introduce them elsewhere (e.g. fridge, laptop, furniture etc).
According to Franck Racapé, Head of Global Commercial & Vice President EMEA at PPDS, the smaller of the two Tableaux will cost around 1,000 Euros in Europe, which, at current energy prices, will pay for itself in about 30 months.
It’s a sad day for our favorite gimmick Twitter accounts, as we might have to soon say goodbye to them. Late Wednesday night, the official Twitter Developer account announced the platform will stop offering free access to the platform’s API (Application Programming Interface) on February 9.
Access to Twitter API v1.1 and v2 will soon be replaced with a “paid basic tier,” which may further cripple third-party support. Twitter API (opens in new tab) allows third-party developers to access publicly available Twitter data to create bots or apps for the site. We’re not just talking about bots like RemindMe_OfThis that basically remind users of tweets they come across; researchers have, in the past, used the API to track online hate speech (opens in new tab).
It appears that the developers are trying to capitalize on the sheer amount of data on the platform. As the Twitter Developer account said in a thread (opens in new tab), “Over the years, hundreds of millions of people have sent over a trillion Tweets, with billions more every week… Twitter data are among the world’s most powerful data sets.” The new price point for the tier hasn’t been revealed. Rather, it was hinted at with the account saying it will give more details sometime next week.
Making money
It does appear this is another attempt by Twitter (and its contentious CEO Elon Musk) to make money off the platform. Purchasable APIs aren’t anything new on Twitter, but they’re more geared towards businesses (opens in new tab). Enterprising users can collect a bunch of “Tweets posted within the last 30 days” based on a certain query using the Premium Search API, but doing so means paying Twitter (opens in new tab) up to $2,500 for up to 10,000 requests per month. However, is it a wise move when advertisers have been fleeing in droves?
That isn’t to say the platform will charge developer thousands of dollars to use Twitter’s API to build a bot (we don’t know that yet). It’s entirely possible developers will only have to pay $99 a month or less (opens in new tab) for access. However, given the recent banning of third-party apps as a part of “enforcing… long-standing API rules” and the $12.5 billion mountain of debt (opens in new tab) Elon Musk is under because of his Twitter purchase, it’s hard to imagine things will stay cheap.
For mega companies like Google, this probably changes nothing. But for small-time developers, like the ones behind the Ace Attorney Court Bot on Twitter (opens in new tab), this spells doom for them unless they can somehow scrounge up the money for the expected high costs.
User outcry
Outcry has been deafening on Twitter. Look through the Developer thread and quote tweets, and you will find nearly 50,000 users criticizing the end of the free API. One user, Luca Hammer (opens in new tab), said that “this change will destroy research, activism, and commercial projects” and he’s going to stop “work on non-commercial projects that use the API”. Hammer goes on to say he will “have to re-evaluate which commercial projects are still feasible.” Others bemoan the short notice (opens in new tab), calling it “cruel”.
At this point, we would’ve liked to ask Twitter about this new move; however, their press contact is nowhere to be found. We’ll be sure to reach out… if we ever find it.
It is a shame Twitter continues turning its back against developers. APIs are a great way for users to improve a service without the company having to spend time and money developing a new feature. If you’re thinking your hand at making bots with an API on another service, it’s recommended you utilize some endpoint protection to keep you safe.
