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The Casio G-Shock G-SQUAD line of watches are sports watches at their heart, equipped with simple, effective training tools. Last year’s revamp of the line offered step counts and running pace tracking, calories burned, and a dedicated stopwatch for interval workouts. Sometimes it’s more useful to pare things down, so you can focus on your watch.  Connecting to your phone to share some of these metrics via Bluetooth, it was a good activity tracker without all the noise associated with a smartwatch - plus it lasts for seven years and is cheaper than most of the best smartwatches . However, G-Shock just got a whole lot smarter. After the release of the GBD-H1000 series, which used Google’s Wear OS as a basis, the new G-SQUAD GBD-H2000 line uses Polar’s advanced suite of tracking technology, as the Finnish sports hardware company shares its fitness tracking algorithms with Casio for the first time. The GBD-H2000 offers an optical heart rate sensor, built-in GPS functionality (inc...

Something we never thought we’d see happen has, in fact, happened. In the latest update to its Phone Link app for Windows, the tech giant is bringing support to the Apple iPhone - most notably, iMessage for Windows 11 . According to Microsoft’s official blog and reported by The Verge , the Phone Link app works by mirroring your phone on your PC for notifications, phone calls, and messages. With this update, iPhone users can now connect their devices to a Windows laptop or PC, send messages through iMessage, make and receive calls, and get notifications through Windows 11. In an interview with The Verge, Yusuf Mehdi, Microsoft’s head of consumer marketing, explains how it works. “We send the messages back and forth via Bluetooth, Apple I think in turn sends those as iMessage once it gets onto their system.”  As impressive as this sounds, there are some setbacks involved. (Image credit: Microsoft) Users won’t be able to see the full message history, only ones sent or ...

2023 could very well be the biggest year ever for cybercriminals, new figures have claimed. According to SonicWall’s latest figures, cybercrime is on the rise across the board, but trends are slowly shifting which is something IT security teams should keep in mind. More precisely, hackers are opting for a “slow and low” approach, keeping stealthy while trying to achieve financially-motivated goals. That being said, the company found that the total malware volume was up 2% in 2022, after three straight years of decline. Ransomware up in volume Overall, the entire European continent saw increased levels of malware (10%+), with Ukraine suffering a record 25.6 million attempts. Certain countries, such as the UK (-13%) and Germany (-28%) fared quite well last year. Across the pond, the U.S. experienced 9% lower malware volume, compared to 2021. Ransomware , arguably one of the most popular attack vectors out there, saw a global decline of 21%, but total volume that surpassed that of ...

The upcoming LG G3 OLED uses a Micro Lens Array panel in order to boost brightness, the company has confirmed to TechRadar. It’s rare for LG Electronics to ever confirm what sort of OLED panel it’s using, and it had been extremely cagey about what was in the G3, but the company explained that some sizes (explained below) of the G3 will use so-called '3rd-gen OLED' panels from LG Display – the latter is the part of LG that actually makes OLED screens (its panels are used in almost all the best OLED TVs ), and operates separately to LG Electronics, which makes the TVs. LG has been showing the G3 off at recent events, and the headline news is that the TV looks set to match or even exceed the (perhaps briefly) world's-best brightness of the Samsung S95C , which we measured during the testing time of our early hands-on Samsung S95C review .  The 55, 65, and 77-inch versions of the G3 appear to use a Micro Lens Array panel (though not the 83-incher) – these are the only size...

Data stolen from top gaming publisher Activision by hackers has now appeared for download on a popular dark web forum. The breach, which occurred in December 2022, was confirmed by the videogame publisher several days ago . Now, it looks as if the worst case scenario has become reality. The data, which the hackers claim was stolen from Activision's instance of the content delivery network ( CDN ) Azure , apparently includes nearly 20,000 records of employee details, including full names, email addresses, phone numbers and office addresses.   Contradicting reports Rather than being sold for a price, the data here is being offered for free to all users of the forum, in the form of a text file. Threat finders FalconFeedsio were the first to report the post on Twitter . read more > Riot Games delays game patches following security breach > Top gaming companies hit by major data breach, one million employees affected > These mods for popular online game Dota 2 c...

Final Fantasy 16 is looking like the biggest and most detailed game in the series to date and takes full advantage of the PS5’s capabilities to achieve its lofty ambitions. It’s slated for a June 22 release.  The biggest difference that separates Final Fantasy 16 on PS5 from most of its predecessors is the real-time battle system which goes for all-out spectacle. This is done by utilizing the console’s NVMe SSD and GPU prowess for enemy encounters that just weren’t possible on older hardware.  A recent hands-on with Final Fantasy 16 from the PlayStation Blog has deep-dived into exactly why the RPG will become: “an essential PS5 title”. This can be evidenced through encounters with the Eikons, which are essentially giant monsters that you’ll have to face throughout your journey. Inspired by Japanese Kaiju, you’ll be taking on all manner of larger foes to see what you’re made of. From the early gameplay revealed, it’s looking to have more in common with something like God...

Sitting in on a Q&A session fronted by several members of Oppo's senior product and strategy teams on day one of Mobile World Congress this year, we were treated to illuminating insight on the company's current approach to the foldable market and why it feels the time isn't right for such technology to trickle down to the mid-range space. Although we've had the ability to fork over cash for foldables for about three years, the materials, engineering and hardware that go into such devices still render them notably more expensive than similarly-specced alternatives that don't have to bend at the waist. A week prior to MWC 2023, Oppo unleashed its first foldable clamshell on the world, the Oppo Find N2 Flip . Despite being a great value for a folding smartphone (at £849 in the UK), it still prices-out plenty of users that would otherwise welcome the convenience of a compact foldable in their pocket. The Oppo Find N2 Flip (Image credit: Future | Alex Walk...

Samsung’s new Galaxy S23, Galaxy S23+, and Galaxy S23 Ultra are all right in line with what everyone has come to expect from a premium Android experience with top-of-the-line phones with great specs, fantastic cameras, and a beautiful new design. And there’s nothing worse than watching your $1000 phone fall to the concrete only to pick it up and find it cracked into a thousand tiny little pieces. We’ve all seen time slow as that brand new phone leaves the warm embrace of our palm or pocket and slowly tumbles to the cold, hard concrete.  In response, ROKFORM has announced the Rugged case line for the all-new Samsung Galaxy S23, S23+ and S23 Ultra, which includes a MAGMAX™ MagSafe® compatible magnet system and strong lower magnet for mounting to any magnetic surface, plus MagSafe® accessories. Customers also get the patented RokLock® twist-lock mount system for cars, bikes, motorcycles, and more. It even works with the S23 Ultra S-Pen. (Image credit: Rokform) Rokform cases...

Telus has confirmed it recently discovered a database being sold on the dark web that apparently contained employee contact information as well as other sensitive data.  The comms giant is currently investigating the matter to see how big the potential breach is, but preliminary reports suggest that no corporate or retail customer data was taken.  Still, whoever buys the database could wreak serious havoc. SIM swapping API The company confirmed the news in a statement to The Register : "We are investigating claims that a small amount of data related to internal Telus source code and select Telus team members' information has appeared on the dark web," Telus spokesperson Richard Gilhooley said. "We can confirm that to this point our investigation, which we launched as soon as we were made aware of the incident, has not identified any corporate or retail customer data ." So what data was taken? As per the ad posted on BreachForums, the attacker is selling 7...

Microsoft may be adding a new customization option in an upcoming Windows 11 update – one that could address a feature that a good amount of users find annoying. According to Twitter user @PhantomOfEarth and reported on by MSPowerUser , the Windows 11 Dev Insider build 25300 contains three strings that make turning off the date and time on the system tray on the right side of the Taskbar an option. Those strings are ‘Hide taskbar clock,’ ‘Hide time and date in the system tray,’ and ‘Turn this on to hide your time and date information in the corner of your taskbar.’ Most likely the setting will be located on the Taskbar, as other settings that configure it are located there.  However, this is all still mere conjecture at this point. Finding these strings inside the build doesn't guarantee implementation. And even if it was confirmed the feature would be coming to Windows 11, we still don’t have a release date. What does this mean for Windows 11? Personally, I find the date and...

Almost all Chief Information Security Officers (CISO) are under immense stress at work, a new report from Cyble has claimed.  Asides from the personal consequences, the company notes that for many businesses, this stress hinders a CISO's ability to perform, putting the entire organization at risk. Cyble's “Implications of stress on CISOs 2023” report, based on interviews with CISOs working in SMBs whose IT teams have up to five people, says that 94% of them are super stressed at work. As a result, two-thirds (65%) don’t perform as well as they would like to.  Switching jobs Stress also makes people quit - and three-quarters (74%) of the respondents had at least one team member call it quits in the past 12 months, while half (47%) had multiple people walk out the door. Stress also makes hiring troublesome. More than four in five (83%) have had to compromise on the staff, just to fill the gaps and keep the company running.  More than a third of CISOs polled for the re...

Two million Cosori air fryers are being recalled due to safety concerns. The firm is voluntarily recalling and replacing certain models of air fryer after an investigation identified that the closed-end crimp connectors within the recalled air fryers – responsible for establishing electrical connections between certain wires – can pose an increased risk of fire and burn hazards. Cosori makes some of the best air fryers , and is one of the leading air fryer brands in the US as a result, so there are lots of these models out there. In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Health Canada, and Mexico Procuraduría Federal del Consumidor (Profeco), Cosori has announced a consumer notice. Here are the affected air fryers, and what to do if you have one. Which Cosori air fryers are affected? (Image credit: Cosori) The affected models were sold between June 2018 through December 2022 for between $70 and $130. They were sold at Best Buy, Target and The Home Dep...

Netflix has revealed three new characters who will appear in The Umbrella Academy season 4 – and I'm not sure what to make of them. The streaming giant has confirmed that Nick Offerman, Megan Mullally and David Cross have signed on to appear in The Umbrella Academy 's fourth and final season. According to Netflix's press release, Offerman and Mullally will play community college professors (and husband and wife) Doctors Gene and Jean Thibedeau. Cross, meanwhile, will portray a shy businessman called Sy Grossman, who longs to be reunited with his lost daughter. So, what's the problem? First, let me say this: I have nothing against this talented trio. Offerman is a fantastic hire for one of the best Netflix shows around – his performances in The Last of Us , Parks and Rec , Devs , and many other productions are proof of that. Mullally – Offerman's fellow Parks and Rec alumnus – is equally wonderful in Bob's Burgers , and Will and Grace among others, while, ...

The GSMA has announced the introduction of open network APIs that it hopes will help provide developers with universal access to telecom networks like never before. Unveiled at MWC 2023 in Barcelona, Open Gateway has been described as a “paradigm shift in the way the telecoms industry designs and delivers services in an API economy world”. The GSMA says Open Gateway is designed with developer-friendly tools and code in an effort to encourage developers to tap into the network APIs and deploy services both more quickly and easily.  GSMA Open Gateway Open Gateway has initially launched with eight universal network APIs: SIM Swap; Quality on Demand; Device Status (Connected or Roaming); Number Verify; Edge Site Selection and Routing; Number Verification (SMS 2FA); Carrier Billing - Check Out; and Device Location (Verify Location). In the year ahead, the Open Gateway initiative plans to launch even more APIs to help connect developers to participating networks. The work has been...

We're all aware of the need to keep our computing devices secure, with a range of security solutions available for PCs and laptops - but what about our mobile devices? Smartphones have made huge leaps forward in terms of power and capabilities over the past decade, becoming high-level computing devices in their own right, holding not just our apps, photos and games, but also becoming an entry point for work. With many of us now embracing hybrid working, having a smartphone geared for work is a crucial tool, but they also need to be kept safe from cyber-threats - so here's some tips to keep your mobile devices safe and secure. Keeping safe online Sadly, some parts of the Internet aren’t really a safe place to visit, and this can be true when mobile browsing as well as being on a PC. Dodgy websites can look to infect your device with malware or other malicious software, installing trackers or keyloggers, with phishing websites looking to scam their victims out of their hard...

When OnePlus teased its OnePlus 11 Concept ahead of MWC 2023 earlier this month, we were quick to speculate that the mysterious device looked more like a gaming PC than a phone .  Well, as it turns out, that assessment wasn’t too far wrong. Having now handled the OnePlus 11 Concept for ourselves at the annual Barcelona trade show, we can confidently say that this phone is indeed the most gaming PC-like handset we’ve ever seen. But hold the applause, because we also know that the OnePlus 11 Concept definitely won’t be earning a spot on our list of the best gaming phones any time soon.  Unfortunately, the OnePlus 11 Concept is just that: a concept. In essence, it’s a prototype version of the OnePlus 11 (you can read our thoughts on that phone in our OnePlus 11 review ) that’s intended to demonstrate how gaming PC-style liquid cooling technology can be applied to future OnePlus smartphones – which is certainly a neat idea, albeit one in the early stages of development. ...

If you're already a Wordle addict then Quordle could be your next must-play game. This spin-off takes the familiar Wordle format and makes it harder by giving you four puzzles to solve simultaneously.  As you might imagine, it's hard! So if you already find yourself searching for Wordle clues , you'll probably need some for Quordle too. I'm a Quordle and Wordle addict who's been playing since December 2021, so I can definitely help you solve Quordle today and improve your game for tomorrow. Read on for my Quordle hints to game #399 and bookmark this page so you can easily return tomorrow.  SPOILER WARNING: Information about Quordle today is below, so don't read on if you don't want to know the answers.  Quordle today (game #399) - hint #1 - Vowels How many different vowels are in Quordle today? • The number of different vowels in Quordle today is 4 *. * Note that by vowel we mean the five standard vowels (A, E, I, O, U), not Y (which is sometim...

While most of the gadget world celebrates New Year with the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, for the phone world there is Mobile World Congress (MWC), the huge show in Barcelona focused on mobile technology. We're on the ground in Spain covering the latest phone launches and forward-looking technology news, including flashy new devices from Xiaomi and OnePlus, and a race to talk to satellites.  We've already seen the newest phones from Xioami, the Xiaomi 13 and Xiaomi 13 Pro, plus the rebadged Xiaomi 13 Lite. These phones made a big splash in Xiaomi's home market of China, and now that they are going global we've gotten a hands-on look.  We're also expecting news from OnePlus, which has been teasing its OnePlus 11 Concept phone for the MWC show. We should have all the details, including whether this is even a phone we'll be able to buy, before the show is over.  We're expecting announcements from almost every major phone maker that isn't Samsu...

The Apple AR/VR headset that's rumored to be in production could be arriving as early as this year – but we're already seeing predictions about a 2nd-gen version, which could include both high-end and low-end models. This is via well-respected Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo (via MacRumors ), who says that the two devices are slated to make an appearance in 2025. Other than that, we don't have too much information about them. As an industry analyst, Kuo talks about some of the deals Apple is doing with manufacturing partners behind the scenes – but as far as consumers are concerned, it's that promise of a cheaper headset that's most interesting. The price might be right If the rumors are accurate, the first Apple AR/VR headset that's coming this year or next will be on the very expensive side: prices of $3,000 (£2,510 / AU$4,460) and up have been mentioned by various sources who you would expect to be in the know. That's going to put it out of reach for ...

Leaks around the iPhone 15 are arriving thick and fast at the moment, with the latest imagery reveal focusing on the most expensive iPhone 15 Pro Max model – and there are a few changes from the current model to talk about. These renderings are courtesy of well-known tipster Ice Universe , and we get a look at the iPhone 15 Pro Max from just about every angle possible. The images are apparently based on schematic information that Apple has given to its supply chain partners. Intriguingly, the same leak refers to the "iPhone 15 Pro Max (or iPhone 15 Ultra)" – we had previously thought that the iPhone 15 Ultra might be a completely separate model, but the implication here is that it will be rebranded Pro Max. Exclusive：iPhone 15 Pro Max（or iPhone 15 Ultra），Rendering based on CAD.Compared with 14ProMax,bezel is narrower，but thicker.Titanium alloy middle frame with frosted process, Type-C ，No physical button design. pic.twitter.com/d4fLOeqWSu February 25, 2023 See more...