Mobile Game Harry Potter: Wizards Unite Arrives Early On iPhone, Android Out Now - GameSpot

Harry Potter: Wizards Unite has finally arrived--and it's launched sooner than expected. The much-anticipated free-to-play game received an early launch, as mobile games often do, in the Australia and New Zealand markets earlier this year, but it's arrived ahead of schedule in the United States and United Kingdom. It had been scheduled for release in these markets tomorrow, June 21, but it's officially out now on Android (through Google Play) and iOS devices (App Store). The mobile game was developed by Pokemon Go maker Niantic and revolves around a similar style of augmented reality-based gameplay. As such, it requires an internet connection, and some players have reported intermittent issues throughout the day; if you can't get in, keep trying.

Like the aforementioned AR game Pokemon Go--which it bears numerous similarities to--Wizards Unite is free to download and features optional microtransactions. You can spend money to purchase Gold, which can then be used to buy in-game items such as potions, Dark Detectors (which reveal special items), Runestones (which are required for Wizarding Challenges), and more.

The story of Wizards Unite revolves around an event known as the Calamity, which has caused Foundables--people, creatures, and artifacts from the Wizarding World--to appear in the Muggle World, thereby risking their discovery. Moreover, these Foundables are sealed by Confoundable magic. As a member of the Statute of Secrecy Task Force, it is your mission to break these Counfoundable spells and retrieve the Foundables. You'll interact with Harry Potter and other familiar faces.

We recently went hands-on with Harry Potter: Wizards Unite thought it felt very much like a Harry Potter version of Pokemon Go, albeit with more content from the outset. Right from the start, the game offers a variety of quest objectives to complete, and you can add other players to your friends list (a feature that didn't come to Pokemon Go until years after its launch). The game also features an RPG-style Profession system that allows you to unlock abilities in skill trees. If you're diving into the game and are familiar with Niantic's previous work, check out our Wizards Unite guide for Pokemon Go players.

Wizards Unite launched in beta form in Australia and New Zealand last month. If you're interested in getting a closer look at the game, you can watch nearly 15 minutes of gameplay footage of the beta version in the video above.

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https://www.gamespot.com/articles/pokemon-go-devs-harry-potter-game-wizards-unite-is/1100-6467923/

2019-06-21 02:56:00Z
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[Update: Buttons aren't dead] The Galaxy Note 10 won't have a headphone jack or physical volume and power keys (rumor) - Android Police

Speaking to a source familiar with the company's plans, Android Police has learned that Samsung will likely begin its wind-down of the headphone jack - and even physical keys for functions like volume and power - with the Galaxy Note 10. The Note 10 will have no 3.5mm connector, and exterior buttons (power, volume, Bixby) will be replaced by capacitive or pressure-sensitive areas, likely highlighted by some kind of raised 'bump' and/or texture along the edge (i.e., a faux button). We don't know if it's Samsung's intent to carry over both of these changes to the Galaxy S11 in 2020.

Both changes had been previously rumored, but we can now provide stronger confirmation.

The Note line has always been fertile ground for Samsung's more forward-looking changes to its smartphones' industrial design and general philosophy, as it's a phone that's long been adored by some of Samsung's most ardent fans - the sort of people who tend to be early adopters of new technology.

Removing the headphone jack would almost certainly result in excoriation from some of those fans, who have long held that Samsung's steadfast adherence to the 3.5mm jack is one of their big reasons for sticking with the brand. But in 2019, Samsung virtually stands alone in the high-end phone space in this regard. Google, OnePlus, Huawei, and Apple have all abandoned the headphone jack on their premium devices. Even many budget phonemakers have started to purge it: Xiaomi's Mi 9, Honor's 20 Pro, and Oppo's Reno all lack the familiar connector. It really does appear to be fully on the way out, and I imagine it's just a matter of time before this trickles down even to budget phones.

Samsung is likely to argue that removing the jack creates precious volume for more battery capacity, though there are also benefits in terms of reducing design complexity and increasing ingress resistance from dust and liquids (Samsung's latest offering, the Galaxy S10, still gets an IP68 rating even with a headphone jack). The same argument likely applies to the buttons, which are another potential failure point that could theoretically be eliminated. One of the lesser-known upsides to removing those keys is removing their cutouts, which tend to be the weakest points in the unibody aluminum frames most premium phones are constructed from. This could possibly allow Samsung to create a thinner, lighter phone design without compromising on structural rigidity.

Our source confirms existing rumors about multiple models of the phone, with two sizes anticipated to be available - one larger, one smaller (though "small" is only by Note standards).

If history is any indicator, we can expect Samsung to announce this phone mid-summer, likely in August.

We've received new information from a reliable source indicating Samsung has, in fact, halted plans to debut pressure-sensitive "faux" buttons on the Galaxy Note10. The phone will have traditional physical power and volume keys (but no Bixby key). While we're not sure why the company changed course—and we can confirm that was the case, Samsung did seriously plan to get rid of them—it seems for whatever reason that Samsung decided the world wasn't ready for its take on HTC's phony buttons.

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https://www.androidpolice.com/2019/06/20/rumor-galaxy-note-10-wont-have-headphone-jack-or-volume-and-power-keys/

2019-06-20 14:17:00Z
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Adobe Lightroom arrives in the Mac App Store - TechCrunch

The pro-focused photo-editing tool Lightroom is now available on the Mac App Store, marking the first major Adobe app to be available through the revamped version of the platform. The title joins the more lightweight Photoshop Elements, but is the sole pro app currently available through the venue. 

Unlike Element’s flat $70 a month upfront charge, Lightroom adopts the company’s shift in recent years toward a subscription-based model, running users $10 a month for continued access. Apple’s clearly excited about the arrival, with Lightroom currently featured atop the App Store home page.

The company’s been making a push for developers to make their wares available through its channels as it pushed toward a more content-focused approach. Of course, the desktop store has been a harder push than its mobile version, given that macOS pre-dated its walled garden by decades in one form or other. Among other methods, Project Catalyst is making it much easier for developers to create apps across platforms.

Lightroom joins other recent big-name Mac App Store additions, including Microsoft’s Office 365, which utilizes a similar subscription-based approach to monetization.

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https://techcrunch.com/2019/06/20/adobe-lightroom-arrives-in-the-mac-app-store/

2019-06-20 14:12:09Z
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Adobe Lightroom arrives in the Mac App Store - TechCrunch

The pro-focused photo-editing tool Lightroom is now available on the Mac App Store, marking the first major Adobe app to be available through the revamped version of the platform. The title joins the more lightweight Photoshop Elements, but is the sole pro app currently available through the venue. 

Unlike Element’s flat $70 a month upfront charge, Lightroom adopts the company’s shift in recent years toward a subscription-based model, running users $10 a month for continued access. Apple’s clearly excited about the arrival, with Lightroom currently featured atop the App Store home page.

The company’s been making a push for developers to make their wares available through its channels as it pushed toward a more content-focused approach. Of course, the desktop store has been a harder push than its mobile version, given that macOS pre-dated its walled garden by decades in one form or other. Among other methods, Project Catalyst is making it much easier for developers to create apps across platforms.

Lightroom joins other recent big-name Mac App Store additions, including Microsoft’s Office 365, which utilizes a similar subscription-based approach to monetization.

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https://techcrunch.com/2019/06/20/adobe-lightroom-arrives-in-the-mac-app-store/

2019-06-20 14:11:59Z
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Here's How the Galaxy Note 10 Will Fight iPhone 11 - Tom's Guide

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1. Here's How the Galaxy Note 10 Will Fight iPhone 11  Tom's Guide
2. The Less Known Samsung Galaxy Phone...  Unbox Therapy
3. The 11 best new tech gadgets of 2019 so far  Business Insider
4. Here Are My 5 Biggest Questions About the Galaxy Note 10  Gizmodo
5. 11 things you need to know in tech today  Android Authority
6. View full coverage on Google News

https://www.tomsguide.com/us/galaxy-note-10-tof-three-stage-aperture-camera,news-30404.html

2019-06-20 11:57:17Z
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A rogue Raspberry Pi helped hackers access NASA JPL systems - Engadget

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Andrei Stanescu via Getty Images

NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) suffers from multiple cybersecurity weaknesses despite the advances it has achieved in space technology, according to the agency's Office of Inspector General (PDF). Investigators looked into the research center's network security controls after an April 2018 security breach, wherein a Raspberry Pi that was not authorized to be linked to the JPL network was targeted by hackers. The attackers were able to steal 500 megabytes of data from one of its major mission systems, and they also used that chance to find a gateway that allowed them to go deeper into JPL's network.

Diving deeper into the system gave the hackers access to several major missions, including NASA's Deep Space Network -- its network of spacecraft communication facilities. As a result, the security teams of some sensitive programs, such as the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle and the International Space Station, have chosen to disconnect from the agency's network.

In addition to having reduced visibility to devices connected to its network and to not keeping different parts of its network separate, investigators have also found instances of security tickets not being resolved for extended periods of time. In some cases, the tickets sat unresolved for as long as 180 days. The investigators have also noted that JPL's incident management and response practices deviate from NASA's recommendations.

The OIG recommended a fix for all those issues, and NASA agreed to all of them except one: establishing a formal threat-hunting process to find flaws before they even cause issues. It will verify if JPL follows through before closing the investigation entirely.

Via: Threatpost

Source: NASA Office of Inspector General

In this article: gear, jpl, nasa, security

All products recommended by Engadget are selected by our editorial team, independent of our parent company. Some of our stories include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

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https://www.engadget.com/2019/06/20/nasa-jpl-cybersecurity-weaknesses/

2019-06-20 09:01:24Z
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Philips Hue company announces lights that can beam data at 250 Mbps - The Verge

Signify, the company formerly known as Philips Lighting that produces Hue-branded smart lights, has announced a new range of internet-transmitting Li-Fi lights called Truelifi. They’re capable of transmitting data to devices like laptops at speeds of up to 150 Mbps using light waves, rather than the radio signals used by 4G or Wi-Fi. The product range will consist of both new lights as well as transceivers that can be retrofitted into existing lighting. The technology can also be used to wirelessly connect two fixed points with data speeds of up to 250 Mbps.

Signify, a leading lighting provider, is initially targeting professional markets like office buildings and hospitals rather than homes, where it has the potential to reach a much wider audience.

Li-Fi technology has been around for years — we even tried a working prototype from Oledcomm back at CES 2018 — but so far it’s failed to take off. Most internet-connected devices like laptops and smartphones need an external adapter to receive data over Li-Fi, and even then the signal can be blocked when the receiver is in shadow. Signify says you’ll need to plug a USB access key into a laptop to receive a Li-Fi signal from its Truelifi products.

In the right circumstances, however, Li-Fi’s use of light rather than radio signals to transmit data has its advantages. For example, it can be used in areas where there might be a lot of radio frequency interference, or in places like hospitals where RF could interfere with sensitive machines. While Li-Fi signals can be easily blocked, this disadvantage can be a boon to security applications since you have a lot more control over where the network spreads.

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https://www.theverge.com/2019/6/20/18692656/signify-philips-hue-truelifi-li-fi-wi-fi-lighting-250-mbps

2019-06-20 10:43:24Z
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