iPhone 11 Pro Max beats Huawei Mate 30 Pro and Galaxy Note 10+ in battery life test - 9to5Mac

Apple focused on two big things for the iPhone 11 lineup: cameras and battery life. In typical battery life tests up to now, the flagship iPhones have performed well but have been outpaced by leading Android phones which ship much larger capacitiy batteries.

However, Apple increased the battery capacity in the iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max this year. And the results speak for themselves; in Arun Maini’s battery life test video, the iPhone 11 Pro Max easily beat the leading Android competition.

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Apple made big claims about the new iPhone flagship battery life, with all models reportedly beating the iPhone XR’s performance, and general real-world use has been backing up those estimates. But how does the iPhone 11 lineup compare to the leading Android smartphones when it comes to battery life …

The iPhone 11 battery capacity is rated at 3046 mAH, and the iPhone 11 Pro is roughly comparable with 3190 mAH. The larger iPhone 11 Pro Max has a whopping 3969 mAH battery. In this test, Maini compared the three iPhone 11 models to the Note 10+ and the Huawei Mate 30 Pro, which features an incredible 4500 mAH battery.

The battery life test is relatively strenuous, cycling through tasks like Instagram, Camera, 3D games, music streaming and Shazam. How well does Apple’s combination of hardware and software do?

You can obviously watch the video yourself for the full breakdown of what happened, but what’s interesting is that whilst the iPhone 11 Pro Max stormed ahead, the $699 iPhone 11 trailed its 5.8-inch iPhone 11 Pro cousin by quite a margin — even though on paper the batteries are seemingly equivalent.

The iPhone 11 achieved a final time of 5 hours and 2 minutes. This longevity is fine for everyday use and mirrors the performance of the iPhone XR, which everyone generally agrees is more than enough to get you through a normal day.

However, the iPhone 11 Pro managed 6 hours and 42 minutes, lasting an additional hour and a half than the iPhone 11. This much of a discrepancy was surprising. Perhaps the OLED display in the 11 Pro is just more efficient than the 11’s LCD panel, or maybe there are buggy software explanations behind this.

The Note 10+ achieved 6 hours and 31 minutes, almost rivalling the iPhone 11 Pro.

But there’s a big gap between those and the remaining two contenders. The Huawei Mate 30 Pro came in at 8 hours and 13 minutes … but the iPhone 11 Pro Max took the number one spot with an incredible 8 hours and 32 minutes of battery life.

It’s going to be seriously difficult to run out of juice on an iPhone 11 Pro Max with typical day-to-day workloads.

Watch the full test here:

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https://9to5mac.com/2019/09/24/iphone-11-pro-max-battery-life/

2019-09-24 10:46:00Z
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Samsung will let Galaxy Fold owners replace their screens once for $149 - The Verge

In just a few days, the Samsung Galaxy Fold will again go on sale in the US, for $1980. One of the big mysteries about the re-launch was what Samsung would do to try to avoid another debacle. The answer, it turns out, is just a ridiculous amount of education and warnings. And if none of that convinces purchasers to baby their Folds, Samsung is allowing for a one-time-only screen replacement for $149.

We have already covered the changes Samsung made to the Fold in a previous story. In short: Samsung extended the screen protector under the bezel so you’re not tempted to peel it off, it reduced the size of the gap when it’s closed, added covers to better protect the insides from debris, and finally added more protection to the back side of the screen itself.

Customers who purchase a Galaxy Fold will have make an appointment and go to a retail store to pick it up. Samsung emphasized repeatedly that it would be available in “limited quantities” and also that it won’t ship a Fold direct to anybody. Instead it wants users to get one-on-one “Premier” consultations at either a Best Buy, AT&T, or Samsung Experience retail store. I got a brief demo of one of those sessions yesterday, and as you might expect it involved quite a lot of discussion about the proper care and maintenance of the Fold.

We normally don’t do unboxings here at The Verge, but I’m making an exception for the Galaxy Fold because of the sheer number of warnings you have to look at before you can hit the power button on the Fold for the first time. The first is a piece of paper that describes the Fold’s screen as being made up of “tissue thin layers.” That piece of paper is itself translucent and maybe a little tissue-esque, just to make sure the point gets across.

Underneath that is a black sheet of paper describing the Galaxy Fold Premier Service. It doesn’t offer any special warranties beyond a standard Samsung one-year service, unfortunately, except for the option to replace the screen once for $149. That only applies to people who purchase a Fold before December 31st, 2019. What happens after that is anyone’s guess.

After the setup concierge has walked you through those two pieces of paper, you’re finally going to get a chance to use the Fold itself, but it is wrapped in a piece of plastic that is also just riddled with warnings. So much so that it begins to seem more like a pharmaceutical ad that has to disclose dozens of side effects. Here’s some of what Samsung warns you about (emphasis mine below):

• Do not press the screen with a hard or sharp object, such as a pen or fingernail.
• Do not place any objects, such as cards, coins, or keys, on the screen.
• This device is not water or dust resistant. Do not expose to liquids or small particles.
• Do not attach any adhesives such as films or stickers to the main screen or remove the top protective layer.
• Keep a safe distance between your device and objects that may be affected by magnets such as credit cards and implantable medical devices. If you have an implantable medical device, consult your physician before use.

After all of that, the Samsung concierge will offer to help set up the phone and transfer your data to it. They can also explain how the unique multitasking system on the larger screen works.

Once you’re out the door, Samsung will give you a custom phone number just for Fold customers who need support — though they can also do video chat via Samsung’s Members app.

I have another review unit from Samsung here in my hands, but I’ve only had it for a little under 24 hours, so there’s no chance I could give you any kind of verdict on its durability yet. I will say that I am still intrigued by the idea of a folding phone, if only because it forces you either to intentionally use it or ignore it, as I explained in our original (now sort of defunct) review of the Galaxy Fold:

Phones are funny things. They fit into our in-between times when you’re waiting in line or you have a minute to glance at something. But then they fill up all of those moments — and much more. The Galaxy Fold is just too big to fit in those in-between times. It is less useful than a phone when you’re walking, and it’s way more useful when you’re sitting down. I ended up feeling better about how I was using this than I usually do with a regular phone.

If that interests you too, and you have $1,980 to blow on a experimental luxury tech product, and another $149 to spare in case you need to replace the screen, and all of those warnings didn’t scare you off, and you are willing to go to a Best Buy or AT&T store to pick one up, and you pinkie promise not to let your fingernails or dust or liquid of any kind get near the screen, you can order the Galaxy Fold on September 27th.

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https://www.theverge.com/2019/9/24/20881040/samsung-galaxy-fold-screen-replacemet-premier-service-cost-unboxing

2019-09-24 10:00:00Z
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Xiaomi's Mi Mix Alpha is 180% screen, and it's crazy - CNET

The Mi Mix Alpha display wraps all the way around the back.

Screencap by Daniel Van Boom/CNET

Screen-to-body ratio is used to denote the amount of screen compared to the size of the phone chassis itself. The higher the screen-to-body ratio, the smaller the bezel. The iPhone 11 Pro has a screen-to-body ratio of 82.1% thanks to its big ol' notch. Huawei's Mate 30 Pro's ratio is 94.1%. The Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Plus? 91%. On Monday, Chinese company Xiaomi unveiled the Mi Mix Alpha, a phone it says has a screen-to-body ratio of 180.6%.

Yep, you read that right.

The concept phone's display wraps around the sides of the phone and extends aaaaaaall the way to the back. The only bezel on the phone is a narrow strip on the back which houses the camera setup. Oh, and that camera setup? It combines a 108-megapixel shooter with a 12-megapixel telephoto lens (for 2x optical zoom) and a 20-megapixel ultra-wide angle camera.

One hundred. And eight. Megapixels.

The camera shoots 12,032 by 9,024 resolution photos, Xiaomi says. That's a lot of pixels. More megapixels doesn't always mean better photos -- the Huawei P20 Pro takes excellent photos with a 40-megapixel lens, but the Google Pixel 3 takes equally-if-not-better photos with a 12.2-megapixel lens -- but it's hard not to be intrigued by 108 megapixels. To show off its prowess, Xiaomi demoed a photo taken with the camera and then showed that you can zoom in up to 8x without losing much detail at all.

The sides of the phone will show reminders and notifications. The back will be dormant when you're using the phone as usual (i.e. using the front screen), but will turn on when you flip the phone around. There you'll have a display which has shortcuts to your most used apps.

And your selfie game is about to be stronger than ever. When you turn the Mix Alpha around, the rear camera becomes a front camera. You'll use that, all 108 megapixels of it, to shoot your selfies.

The phone runs on the premium hardware you'd expect. A Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 Plus CPU, 12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. That's the guts as the Mi 9 Pro 5G, which Xiaomi announced alongside the Mi Mix Alpha.

The Mi Mix Alpha is a concept phone, but it will actually come to market. However, only a small number of units will be made. And they'll cost 20,000 yuan, which converts to $2,815, AU$4,150 and £2,265. Who ever said the future would be cheap?

Xiaomi made its name for being an Apple clone, but is responsible for some serious innovation. Not only is it making this absolutely insane phone, its first Mi Mix in 2016 introduced the idea of a no-bezel display -- which is now common among all Android brands.

Key specifications

• Wraparound display with 180.6% screen-to-body ratio
• Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 Plus
• 12GB, 512GB storage
• 108-megapixel camera + 20-megapixel wide-angle shooter + 12-megapixel telephoto sensor
• 4,050mAh battery
• 40W wired fast charging
• Android-based MIUI 11 operating system

Xiaomi Mi Mix

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https://www.cnet.com/news/xiaomis-mi-mix-alpha-has-360-degree-screen-108mp-camera/

2019-09-24 09:01:00Z
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Xiaomi’s new Mi 9 Pro 5G can charge fully in just 48 minutes - The Next Web

Xiaomi launched its latest flagship the Mi 9 Pro 5G in China today with souped-up specs, 40W wired and 30W wireless fast charging support. Alongside this, the phone has upgraded processor and battery as compared to its predecessor – the Mi 9 Pro 5G.

The company claims its working with three of China’s major telecom operators to support 5G. It also added in the company’s field tests the Mi 9 Pro 5G achieved download speeds of up to 1.78Gbps.

Here’s a look at the device’s flagship-grade specifications:

Specifications

• Screen: 6.39-inch AMOLED FHD+ Dot Drop display.
• Processor: Qualcomm Snapdragon 855+
• RAM: 8/12GB
• Rear camera: 48-megapixel primary sensor+ 16-megapixel ultra-wide sensor + 12-megapixel telephoto sensor
• Internal storage: 128/256GB
• Battery: 4,000
• Fast charging: 40W wired fast charging, 30W wireless fast charging
• Software: MIUI 11

The phone ships with the new MIUI 11 software that includes new fonts called “Milan Pro,” and two new work suite apps called Mi Work and Mi Go. The latter has a smart travel assistant and a super power saver mode that reportedly has a stand-by time of 24 hours with only 5 percent of charge. The Mi Work app hosts features such as file sharing, large document transfer, and smart screencast.

The device supports fast charging with a 40W charger that charges it from 0 to 100 percent in just 48 minutes. It also supports 30W wireless charging with the company’s proprietary chargers. Plus, you can charge any other Qi-charging supported device with 10W reverse charging.

30W Fan-cooled Wireless Charging Stand, all new ventilation design, highly efficient heat dissipation. #Mi9Pro5G pic.twitter.com/EP5eUOXpOH

— Xiaomi #FortuneGlobal500 (@Xiaomi) September 24, 2019

The Xiaomi Mi 9 Pro 5G pricing:

• 8GB+128GB: 3,699 Yuan ($520)
• 8GB+256GB: 3,799 Yuan ($534)
• 12GB+256GB: 4,099 Yuan ($576)
• 12GB+256GB: 4,299 Yuan ($604)

There’s no word on availability as of yet, we’ll update the post when we have all details.

For more gear, gadget, and hardware news and reviews, follow Plugged on Twitter and Flipboard.

Published September 24, 2019 — 07:12 UTC

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2019-09-24 07:12:00Z
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Microsoft releases emergency Internet Explorer security update - Ghacks Technology News

Microsoft released an out-of-band emergency security update for Internet Explorer on September 23, 2019 for all supported versions of Windows.

The emergency update is only available on the Microsoft Update Catalog website at the time of writing and not through Windows Update or WSUS.

Some support articles provide little information. The Windows 10 update description simply states "
Updates to improve security when using Internet Explorer" without going into further detail. The page links to the Security Update Guide which, after some digging, leads to the CVE of the vulnerability.

The support page for the cumulative update for Internet Explorer offers more information and a direct link to the CVE.

It states:

This security update resolves a vulnerability in Internet Explorer. A remote code execution vulnerability exists in the way that the scripting engine handles objects in memory in Internet Explorer. The vulnerability could corrupt memory in such a way that an attacker could run arbitrary code in the context of the current user. The security update addresses the vulnerability by changing how the scripting engine handles objects in memory.

The same information is provided on the CVE page as well. Microsoft notes that an attacker could take control of the attacked system if the attack succeeds which would allow the attacker to install or remove programs, view, change or delete files, or create new user accounts.

The security issue is exploited actively according to Microsoft; an attacker could create a specifically prepared website to exploit the issue in Internet Explorer.

Microsoft published a workaround to protect systems if the released updates cannot be installed at this point. The workaround may reduce functionality "for components or features that rely on jscript.dll".

The commands need to be run from an elevated command prompt.

Workaround for 32-bit systems:

• takeown /f %windir%\system32\jscript.dll
• cacls %windir%\system32\jscript.dll /E /P everyone:N

Workaround for 64-bit systems:

• takeown /f %windir%\syswow64\jscript.dll
• cacls %windir%\syswow64\jscript.dll /E /P everyone:N
• takeown /f %windir%\system32\jscript.dll
• cacls %windir%\system32\jscript.dll /E /P everyone:N

The workaround can be undone by running the following commands from an elevated command prompt:

Undo 32-bit:

• cacls %windir%\system32\jscript.dll /E /R everyone

Undo 64-bit

• cacls %windir%\system32\jscript.dll /E /R everyone
• cacls %windir%\syswow64\jscript.dll /E /R everyone

List of updates that fix the vulnerability:

What about Windows Updates?

Microsoft has not released the update via Windows Update or WSUS. Susan Bradley notes that the company could release the update on September 24, 2019 via Windows Update and WSUS but that has not been confirmed by Microsoft.

It is a bit puzzling that Microsoft releases an out-of-band security update that addresses an issue that is exploited in the wild but chooses to release it as an update that needs to be downloaded and installed manually only.

Closing Words

Should or should not you install the update right away? It is a security update but it is only available via the Microsoft Update Catalog website at the time of writing.

I still would recommend installing it but you should create a system backup, e.g. using Macrium Reflect or Paragon Backup & Recover Free, before you do so as one never knows these days updates introduce unwanted side effects or issues of their own.

Now You: install or wait, what is your position?

Summary

Article Name

Microsoft releases emergency Internet Explorer security update

Description

Microsoft released an out-of-band emergency security update for Internet Explorer on September 23, 2019 for all supported versions of Windows.

Author

Martin Brinkmann

Publisher

Ghacks Technology News

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https://www.ghacks.net/2019/09/24/microsoft-releases-emergency-internet-explorer-security-update/

2019-09-24 05:04:19Z
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Google Play Pass bundles 350 Android games and apps for $4.99 per month - The Verge

Today, Google is launching a new service called “Google Play Pass,” which for $4.99 per month gives Android users access to over 350 games and apps which will be served ad free and without any in-app purchases. Google will give users 10 days free and is also planning on offering the first year at $1.99 per month. It will be available in the US this week and other countries “soon.”

Google’s take on the app subscription model is a little different from Apple, which just last week launched Apple Arcade, its $4.99 games subscription service. Firstly, Google Play pass includes apps as well as games. Secondly, Google isn’t directly funding development their development nor demanding exclusivity.

At launch, all of the apps and games included in Google Play Pass were already available on the Play Store and will continue to be available as standalone purchases (or ad-supported). If you’ve previously installed any app that’s included in the service and sign up, your current app should automatically have its ads removed and its in-app purchases unlocked.

In a demo, Google showed me a game that normally would have an in-app purchase for an expansion pack — but as a part of Play Pass, it was simply free. The Google Play Store will soon begin showing a small, multi-colored ticket next to apps that are included in the Play Pass bundle, showing subscribers that it’s free and enticing non-subscribers to sign up.

Google says roughly two thirds of the apps included in Play Pass are games, including longtime favorites like Stardew Valley, Monument Valley, Limbo, and Risk. In other words, they include a mix of indie and institutional developers. Similarly, the non-game apps include biggies like AccuWeather and smaller, well-loved Android apps like Hi-Q recorder. I haven’t seen a full list yet, but other notable games that I noticed include Star Wars: KOTOR, Mini Metro, Old Man’s Journey, and Eloh.

Play Pass subscriptions can be shared with up to five family members and also integrate with Google’s parental controls for the Play Store. Unlike Apple, Google isn’t requiring more stringent privacy standards from apps included in Play Pass — though the removal of all ads is a big step forward for many of them.

Also unlike Apple, Google was willing to share at least a little about how it plans to pay developers: via user “engagement” with the apps. What precisely that entails is not entirely clear yet — Google says it’s more than simply tracking screen time or number of opens per week.

Developers may balk at their income being handled by another algorithm, but then again the state of Android apps is such that anything that brings in money at all would be a big improvement for Android developers. The platform has a reputation for doing a worse job of monetizing apps than iOS, after all.

Fortunately, developers shouldn’t need to do a lot of work to make their apps compatible with Google Play Pass. The company says that as long as apps use standard APIs for ads and in-app purchases, it should be a simple switchover — either way, developers shouldn’t need to ship two separate versions of their app.

Google says that the program is “invite only,” but will put up a web form where developers who want to participate can “express interest in participating.” A company representative also waved off my question about how it’s quite a coincidence that Google Play Pass comes within a week of Apple Arcade, saying that it had been in the works for some time and was simply ready for launch now. Although Google wouldn’t speak about specifics, I was told that long-term the intention is for Play Pass to make money — it’s not Google subsidizing apps.

I, along with many others, have been thinking about the potential implications of app stores switching to subscription bundles. For games, it could motivate developers to make stuff that’s less scammy, moving them away from in-app purchases that prey on the weak points in our psychology. In that sense, both Apple Arcade and Google Play Pass could be literal game changers.

But the longer-term implications are potentially bigger. Patricia Hernandez sees a potential future where apps sink to a “Netflix” level of quality where “The content doesn’t need to be ‘good,’ just good enough.” For both Apple and Android, that may be a champagne problem — right now it seems much more important to find a way to extract games from the in-app purchase gutter.

After that, who knows? Google Play Pass has the potential to be a very big deal for the Android app ecosystem. It includes both apps and games — I know for a fact that if I signed up I’d be more likely to use a weather app that’s included than one that’s not.

That puts more power in Google’s hands to pick winners and losers. But if Play Pass is even moderately successful, it could also put more money in developers’ pockets.

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https://www.theverge.com/2019/9/23/20878843/google-play-pass-bundles-350-android-games-and-apps-for-4-99-per-month

2019-09-23 16:00:00Z
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Google Changing Privacy Protections for Assistant, Plans to Auto-Delete More of Your Audio Data - Gizmodo

Photo: Alex Cranz (Gizmodo)

In recent months, it became clear that Google, Apple, and Amazon were all guilty of having humans review audio recordings collected by digital assistants. Today, Google’s trying to mitigate some of the backlash by updating and clarifying its policies on what it does with your audio data.

In July, a Google subcontractor leaked over a thousand Google Assistant recordings to VRT, a Belgian news organization. While it wasn’t exactly a secret that Google employed humans to review and transcribe recordings, the leak resurfaced concerns about accidental recordings in which the “Hey Google” wake word wasn’t used, and how securely Google stores sensitive audio data. In response, Google spun the leak as a security breach and defended human review as a necessary part of improving speech recognition across multiple languages. It then paused human transcription globally as it reviewed its policies.

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The first change Google’s making directly deals with human review. In a blog, it noted that customers were always able to opt-in or -out of its Voice & Audio Activity (VAA) setting during Assistant setup. However, it wasn’t necessarily clear from the previous language in its terms of service that humans would be reviewing audio recordings. To fix that, Google says it will highlight the fact “that when you turn on VAA, human reviewers may listen to your audio snippets to help improve speech technology.” Existing users will also have the option to review their VAA and reconfirm whether they still want to participate.

Google also said it plans to add an option to adjust how sensitive a Google Assistant device is to the “Hey Google” command. Meaning, you could make it stricter to reduce accidental recordings, or temporarily more relaxed in a noisy setting.

Also on the agenda is automatically deleting more data and beefing up privacy protections for the transcription process—though Google didn’t give much detail on these fronts. With regard to privacy, Google merely reiterated that audio recordings were never associated with individual accounts and that it would add “an extra layer of privacy filters.” Google did not immediately respond to Gizmodo’s request for comment to clarify what that actually means.

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As for data deletion, it said it would improve its process of identifying unintentional recordings. More concretely, Google noted it would update its policy “later this year” so that the audio data of VAA participants would be automatically deleted after a few months.

On the surface, these are all good things—especially the bit where Google says it will highlight human review in its VAA opt-in process. It bears reminding that right now, human review is still a necessary part of improving voice and speech recognition. Even with improved or stricter auto delete measures, you can’t be 100 percent sure that a digital assistant won’t accidentally record a conversation and send it off into the cloud for some underpaid contractor to listen to. If you want zero chance of that, you’re better off not opting into VAA at all, or eschewing voice assistants altogether.

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https://gizmodo.com/google-changing-privacy-protections-for-assistant-plan-1838356443

2019-09-23 14:30:00Z
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