Xbox FPS Boost games on Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S
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Do you find that despite your best efforts, you’re not getting the quality sleep you need every night? It’s possible that even if you’ve invested in the best mattress and best pillow to go with it, you might still be struggling to fall asleep and waking up tired and irritable in the morning after a night of inadequate slumber.
If that’s you, it could be helpful to figure out what your sleep window is. Essentially it describes the optimal time period in which someone should fall asleep to get the most restful night; the tricky thing is that everyone has their own individual sleep window is slightly different, so there’s no right answer as to when it should be.
According to Chloe Angus, Wellbeing Manager at Cavendish Care (opens in new tab), figuring it out is a matter of trial and error; using curiosity and openness to increase your awareness of when you actually feel sleepy. “We suggest a good idea is to begin experimenting between 9:30pm and 11:30pm,” she says, “as most people’s optimal sleep window falls within this time.”
However she also notes that it might not be quite that simple, as other factors can have an impact on the timing and quality of your sleep, such as stress and alcohol, not to mention things like diet, mood and use of electronic devices. Chloe suggests that being aware of these factors should help you find it easier to tune into your body and recognise when you feel the most tired.
Chloe adds that if you develop a good sleep routine and regularly fall asleep within your optimal window, you can create a positive brain habit for sleep, which in turn will improve your overall sleep status. Read on to discover her tips for doing just that.
Eight hours’ sleep is the standard sleep recommendation for many, but it may not be the right amount for you. “Whether you feel that you need the recommended 8 hours sleep or not,” says Chloe, “refer to this benchmark when finding your own sleep window. For example, if you need to get up at 6am, aim to be asleep by 10pm, and adjust accordingly.”
It’s easy to fall into the trap of not falling asleep straight away, then being kept awake worrying about not being able to get to sleep. Chloe points out that it’s very rare to fall asleep as soon as our heads hit the pillow, so you need to factor in the time it takes to actually fall asleep. “If you’re aiming to be asleep by 10pm, get into bed at 9pm if it takes you a while to wind down,” she says. You should also consider preparing your body and mind for sleep with a sleep-friendly routine during the early evening, and avoid anything that could impact your sleepiness.
We all know that certain food and drinks can keep you awake at night. So, says Chloe, you should limit your caffeine intake and cut out late-night snacking. “Ideally,” she suggests, “avoid caffeinated drinks such as tea, coffee and energy drinks from midday, and finish eating completely at least 2 to 3 hours before you want to fall asleep to give your body a chance to digest food properly before bedtime.”
The blue light that your phone emits can overstimulate the mind by tricking it into thinking it’s daylight, which will make sleep harder to come by, but even if you’ve fixed that by activating a dark mode, late-night doomscrolling can be just as ruinous to your sleep, so Chloe suggests that you resist looking at your devices late at night. “Switch off phone notifications by using the Do Not Disturb feature on your phone,” she suggests, “use night time filters, and avoid engaging, stimulating TV or film content in the lead up to bedtime.”
Our minds and bodies love a good routine; it saves us the hassle of having to think about what we’re doing, making it easier to build new, healthier habits. So, says Chloe, you should take advantage of this by developing a night-time routine to optimise your sleep window. “A healthy bedtime routine that includes things such as reading, listening to relaxing music or performing a step-by-step skincare routine will help to soothe you before bed,” she says, “helping you achieve that ideal window of sleep needed for your wellbeing.”
Finally, while you might start working on your sleep window with the best intentions, it’s easy to let things slip. To prevent that, Chloe suggests writing a sleep diary; making notes of mental distractions, and giving yourself daily deadlines to keep yourself consistent. “For example,” she suggests, “having the last cup of coffee at 12 noon, herbal and decaf beverages only after this time; evening meal to finish at 7pm; switch off phone/TV and start bedtime routine at 9pm. With these distractions out of the way, you will be able to discern when your body usually wants to fall asleep naturally.”
Want to know more about finding your ideal sleep window? Mattress Online has all the details on timing your sleep to your natural rhythms (opens in new tab).
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Hackers have been detected abusing a Google Ads feature to deliver adult websites and infostealing (opens in new tab) websites to unsuspecting victims.
Google Ads, the search engine giant’s advertising platform, has a feature allowing users to invite other people to the account administration interface.
The invitations get sent via email, from Google’s official email address – [email protected]. As these emails are technically sent by Google, email security services see them as legitimate and let them pass, so most of them end up in the victims’ inboxes, rather than the spam folder, or similar.
The URLs being shared with these emails redirect the recipients to “dodgy websites” that host adult content. Some websites “appear to be designed to collect personal information from visitors”. More details were not shared.
In any case, people have taken to Reddit and other forums to share their stories and their frustration with Google, the publication further states. “It would be nice if Google would get a handle on their products so their users aren’t having to constantly guard against phishing scams,” one user was cited saying.
Google, on the other hand, seems to be aware of the creative way its tools are being abused and is doing something about it. How long before we see the results of that work, remains to be seen:
“Our security teams are aware of this spam content and are working hard, as always, to stay ahead and keep our users safe,” a Google spokesperson said in a statement to BleepingComputer.
“We have strict Google Ads policies against misrepresentation and have taken appropriate action. We encourage users to report messages when they receive emails containing spam links to help us take appropriate action on accounts involved in the spam.”
Via: BleepingComputer (opens in new tab)
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The best way to school people on desperately dull topics is through humor, at least that’s the assumption made by Apple in its new four-part Data Privacy video series featuring Ted Lasso’s Nick Mohammed.
The video, which was released today as part of a multi-pronged effort to highlight Data Privacy Day (January 28), the week that leads up to it, and all the data privacy tools iPhone users may or may not be using, spotlights four core iPhone data privacy features.
In the video, “A Day in the Life of an Average Person’s Data,” Mohammed plays a heightened version of himself, someone overly concerned with his fame and notoriety but also being humbled at every turn. It takes a mostly light touch on explaining tools like Mail Privacy Protections, Intelligent Tracking Prevention, Apple Tracking Transparency, and Wallet & Apple Pay.
The more serious guidance will come courtesy of a new in-person Today at Apple session.
Starting on January 28, Apple will launch its first Today at Apple session solely devoted to data privacy: “Taking Charge of Your Privacy on iPhone.” You can register for the free sessions, which will be conducted at Apple retail locations around the world, starting today (January 24) through Apple.com/privacy or the Today at Apple page on Apple.com (opens in new tab).
For both the video and live sessions there are no new Apple Data Privacy features to tout. All of them are available in iOS 16 right now. Subjects the sessions will cover include:
In other words, you’ll learn more about how to keep your mobile information private via Today at Apple than you will from Nick Mohammed.
That four-part (not counting the introduction and ending) video will be featured prominently on Apple.com, social media, and YouTube (opens in new tab). While you may already use features like Intelligent Tracking Prevention, you could probably still get a chuckle out of watching Mohammed repeatedly embarrass himself. It’s a far cry from where his character Nathan Shelley is heading in the upcoming Ted Lasso season 3 (which lives on Apple TV Plus, naturally) where he’s now squaring off with Lasso as the new manager of a rival team.
While Apple’s appropriation of Data Privacy Day (launched in Europe in 2007 and Adopted by the US in 2009) might seem self-serving, Apple’s data protection tools have had a significant impact on the way many mobile, tech, and social media businesses operate.
Multiple companies, including Facebook (Meta) and Twitter, have noted the deleterious impact Apple Tracking Transparency has had on their businesses, including possibly costing them billions of dollars (opens in new tab) in advertising revenues.
Because Apple doesn’t sell ads on its consumer devices or share any of the data it houses (and encrypts) for its consumers, Apple can do what, for instance, Google cannot. The latter’s business is built almost entirely on user data and advertising.
It makes sense for Apple to lean into and celebrate this week while other tech companies might take a more muted, or even silent, approach.
The real question, though, is how well do you know the privacy tools on any of Apple’s best iPhones or even the best smartphones? If you’re not happy with how your data is managed, it might be time to trade up.
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Nvidia totally dominated Google search queries for graphics cards last year, according to a freshly released report that did a deep dive into those searches.
Wccftech (opens in new tab) spotted that Razzem.com (opens in new tab) (specifically Raul Bilc) compiled a list of the most searched-for graphics cards on Google throughout 2022, focusing on 62 desktop GPUs from AMD, Intel, and Nvidia.
For Nvidia that meant the RTX 40, 30, 20, and 10 (plus 16) series, and for AMD, the RX 7000, 6000, and 5000 families, plus the older 600 and 500 range. In Intel’s case, it was all-new Alchemist GPUs (A7 and A3) that were only just introduced last year, of course.
The results were quite startling, with Nvidia’s graphics cards racking up 77% of all searches, with AMD in a distant second place at 22%, and Intel managing just 1% of total search volume.
Moreover, Nvidia held nine of the top 10 search spots in the overall rankings. So, what was the most searched-for GPU? That would be Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 3060 which accrued 1,467,000 searches during 2022, nailing almost 9% of overall search volume by itself.
It was followed in second place by the RTX 3050 (on 1,161,800), and then the RTX 3080 (1,006,500), with the RTX 3070 (973,100) in fourth and the RTX 4090 (822,600) in fifth place.
The highest AMD GPU was at number 10, which was the AMD Radeon RX 6600 on 533,600 searches.
If we pull things back to the top 20, AMD still only has four graphics cards present (the RX 6600, 6600 XT, 6700 XT, and RX 580).
As for Intel, the Arc A770 flagship was its top search performer at number 43 in the rankings with 102,240 queries.
This is no surprise, of course, and is really just a case of search mindshare reflecting graphics card market share. For many years now, at any given time, Nvidia typically holds around 80% of the actual desktop GPU market (in terms of sales), so it makes sense for this to be reflected in the search sphere for desktop cards (with a 77% share).
Similarly, Nvidia dominates the top 10 or 20 best-selling GPU lists at major retailers (like Amazon or Newegg for example), and so for Team Green to own the search rankings in a similar fashion is no surprise either.
Can we learn anything interesting from these stats, then, aside from the obvious? What was a surprise was how high the RTX 4090 ranked for search, in fifth place, no less. This likely reflects a couple of things, although not that many people were thinking about buying the GPU – with its extortionate pricing, that definitely wasn’t the case. Rather, folks were likely super-curious about how the Lovelace flagship was coming along, and then how it was selling post-release (not to mention the controversy around melting adapters too, no doubt).
And in a broader sense, before the RTX 4090 came out, people were likely very interested in the GPU as it was heavily (and correctly) rumored to be the first next-gen card to arrive, and therefore its performance leaks were some of the earliest indications of the kind of overall frame rate shifting power that Lovelace cards would pack.
Another very interesting point these stats flag up is that the most searched-for graphics cards were budget models – the RTX 3060 and 3050 – showing that there’s a definite clamor for more wallet-friendly GPUs. Despite that clear mid-range demand, sadly, from what we’ve heard about the RTX 4060, it isn’t likely to get here anytime soon, and it might be disappointing (something that’s been said about the 4060 Ti, too). So the RTX 3060 could still be getting a whole load of search volume quite some way into 2023, by the look of things.
Or alternatively, from AMD’s point of view, maybe this is a chance to get back in there and grab some mid-range sales (and searches).
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Apple has released a fix to a dangerous security flaw that could have allowed threat actors to completely take over older versions of the iPhone and the iPad.
The flaw was apparently being used in the wild, but Apple is not sharing any details on exact incidents until the majority of the endpoints (opens in new tab) apply the patch.
The patch addresses a confusion weakness vulnerability in Apple’s Webkit web browser engine. It’s tracked as CVE-2022-42856 and allows threat actors to run arbitrary code on target devices which, in theory, could also give them access to the entire device. It was given a severity score of 8.8 – “High”.
In late 2022, Apple fixed it for Safari 16.2, tvOS 16.2, macOS Ventura 13.1, iOS 15.7.2 and iPadOS 15.7.2, iOS 16.1.2. Now, it expanded the patch’s reach to a wider set of vulnerable device series, including iPhone 5s, iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, iPad Air, iPad mini 2, iPad mini 3, and iPod touch (6th generation).
Apple says there are reports of the flaw being “actively exploited” in the wild, but doesn’t want to share any details as it might prompt more threat actors to try and abuse it. The media are saying the CVE is most likely used in “targeted attacks” only, but that shouldn’t mean regular consumers shouldn’t rush to apply the patch.
The fix comes as part of a wider patching event, in which Apple fixed dozens of security flaws found in both its Safari web browser, and the latest iterations of macOS, iOS, and watchOS devices. However, it seems as the CVE-2022-42856 is the only fixed vulnerability being actively exploited in the wild.
We expect Apple to release the details on how crooks were taking advantage of the flaw, and if any malware, infostealers, or trojans, were included.
Via: BleepingComputer (opens in new tab)
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When Apple announced the new Mac mini (M2), one of the interesting tidbits was that its HDMI port has been upgraded, although only if you get the version with the M2 Pro chip.
Support for 4K at 120Hz natively, or 4K at 240Hz using Display Stream Compression (DSC) tech, are now available in that model, and both are nice – but what really made me sit up and take notice is that 4K HDR is now supported, for the first time.
We’re only talking HDR10 right now (the most ‘basic’ and common form), but that’s still a major step up over the ‘no HDR at all’ we previously had. Apple does support the more advanced Dolby Vision HDR format in macOS (the mini-LED screen on its Pro laptops takes full advantage of it, as we discuss in our MacBook Pro 16-inch (2023) review), but not over the HDMI port currently.
But still, with HDCP 2.2 on board to support this, it immediately raises the question of using the Mac mini M2 Pro as a HTPC (home theater PC) connected to one of the best TVs. HTPCs used to be a notable thing, but have fallen away more recently given the rise of the best streaming devices, which could do most of the same features for a lot less money.
But HTPCs still have their uses (and their fans). You can watch video from literally anywhere that can serve video to a web browser, after all – not just services supported by the device. You can also play any digital movie files you have, no matter their format, or connect to any kind of streaming server (or create one powered by the Mac mini, of course).
And because it’s the M2 Pro version, you get a beastly amount of power for anything else you want to do with it – including entertainment. As ever, Macs are not generally the first port of call for games, but there’s still a huge number of releases, new and old (especially strategy games), and you can be sure that anything you throw at it will run great on the 19-core GPU.
And it can be ideal for music fans as well – plug the Mac mini into a great AV receiver with serious speakers connected to it and you could play a Hi-Res Audio music collection at excellent quality.
There are some issues with using the Mac mini M2 Pro as a HTPC. The first is the lack of Dolby Atmos output from the HDMI port – multi-channel audio is supported, but not in the Atmos format, so you can effectively get surround sound, but not the full 3D object-based audio effect with one of the best Dolby Atmos soundbars.
Again, Atmos is supported in macOS, and you get Atmos Spatial Audio from the speakers on the iMac 24-inch (2021) or when watching something and using AirPods Pro 2 – but Atmos won’t be output over the HDMI.
And then there’s the price. $1,299 / £1,399 / AU$1,999 is quite a lot for a HTPC. You can get the latest Apple TV 4K (2022) for nearly 90% cheaper than that, leaving you with enough money to buy a PlayStation 5 and an Xbox Series X for that gaming hit. And then you’d have Dolby Vision and Atmos support, too.
But you wouldn’t have the flexibility. I’m not saying people should rush out to buy the new Mac mini as an alternative way to watch the best streaming services; I’m just saying that for a certain class of home theater nerd (me – I mean: me), it just became one of the more interesting devices around.
You can read our full Mac mini (2023) review for more on the machine – and yes, we got to test the M2 Pro version.
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Tecno Spark GO (2023) vs Xiaomi Redmi A1 (2022): Specs comparison
While the two smartphones are nearly identical in some departments, there are also certain key points of difference that set them apart. Those who primarily use the camera to take selfies may find Tecno Spark GO more appealing due to its comparatively better front camera. On the other hand, those who usually rely on the rear camera to click pictures may prefer the Xiaomi Redmi A1, thanks to its rear camera which is more powerful on paper. Another major point of difference is that Tecno’s offering is 5G-enabled and its Redmi counterpart only offers up to 4G connectivity.
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Xiaomi’s 5G plans for Redmi Note series revealed
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Apart from this, a Twitter user named Neil Schofield has reported the worst case and even shared a screenshot to demonstrate his SSD issue. As per the tweet, Schofield’s Samsung 990 Pro SSD showed a 64% health status only after writing a mere 2TB.
Samsung promises 1,200 TBW (TeraBytes Written) for the Samsung 990 Pro SSD. This means, 1% equals 12TB of written data and a 93% health status means the user has already written about 84TB of data.
@robbiekhan @SamsungUK @samsungtomorrow @Samsung @NeowinFeed After reading your article, I thought I’d take a look… https://t.co/YW3TvsdyHH
— Neil Schofield (@neilaschofield) 1674408598000
Samsung 990 Pro: What’s causing the issue
The report didn’t mention if it’s a hardware issue with the Samsung 990 Pro that is causing the rapid health degradation or whether the health values shown for these SSDs are an error on the software side. Samsung is expected to conduct a thorough investigation to resolve this issue.
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Samsung AX46 Air Purifier: Bigger but is it better?
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The old ways are well and truly done with – and home working is now the norm for many of us.
After the pandemic forced us to embrace turning our homes into workplaces, the focus now turns to making the places into a productive and efficient location to work.
But security is always a concern for home working, with the less formal situation and physical distance from the office often leading to relaxed attitudes. But don’t worry – with our top tips, you can ensure your home office stays safe and secure.
Now many of us are settled working from home, you’ll more than likely have your home office set-up just how you like it, with all the hardware and devices you need.
It’s more than likely that this setup will include more than just a PC, with extra devices such as printers, tablets, and even your internet router itself can be weak spots when it comes to security, as potentially lower protections can allow hackers a simple entry route into your network.
Using a security solution such as Bitdefender Total Security (opens in new tab) can greatly help protect and secure all your home office devices, as the platform works across multiple software versions, including Windows, macOS, Android and iOS. It can be used across up to 15 devices per household, making sure your home office remains safe against threats
Most of us will have been familiar with using a Virtual Private Network, or VPN, before making the move to a home office, however the technology has certainly come into its own in the last few years.
Allowing workers to stay connected to a workplace intranet or collaboration network, VPNs have become a vital office tool, but it can also provide a useful security boost.
A VPN is able to disguise your internet connection to your liking, making it appear to originate from a different location or even country, meaning your online activity and location should be safe from any snooping.
Bitdefender Total Security (opens in new tab) comes packaged with its own Secure VPN service that offers complete online privacy – and with a 200MB/day allowance, you can ensure your online enjoyment is kept a secret.
We’re all aware of the need for strong passwords, but working from a comfortable home location can cause some of us to get a bit too relaxed when it comes to security.
Keeping your passwords fresh, changing them every few months if possible, is a crucial step to ensure your vital online accounts, whether work or personal, stay secure.
To help you keep track of all these passwords, Bitdefender Total Security (opens in new tab) comes with an in-built Password Manager service to look after all your details, meaning you can create tough-to-crack logins for each account, as re-using passwords across multiple accounts means that all it takes is for one to be compromised for hackers to gain knowledge of your logins to everything else.
Whether you’re kicking off a start-up journey, or work as part of a larger organization, your data will be an attractive target for criminals.
We’ve covered how having a strong password is vital, as discovering or stealing login details or personal data such as a date of birth or phone number could help hackers access your accounts.
Staying vigilant to anything suspicious is always the best course of action, particularly when it comes to working from home. Always make sure that any links you click in an email, or any attachments, are from a recognised and trusted source – simply double-checking the name of the sender or the email header can be enough. Don’t open risky emails from anyone you don’t know – especially if on a work device – as the consequences could be pretty costly.
Bitdefender Total Security (opens in new tab) features a range of tools to make you stay protected from all the latest threats, including an advanced filtering system that warns you whenever you visit websites that may try to scam you. There’s also advanced anti-phishing protection that helps sniff out and block any websites that masquerade as trustworthy in order to steal financial data such as passwords or credit card numbers.
For news on all the latest threats, you can also get real-time updates about malware outbreaks and scams on the Bitdefender Blog (opens in new tab).
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