Google’s new version of Android Auto focuses on Assistant - TechCrunch

Google is starting to roll out an updated version of its in-car platform Android Auto that aims to make it easier and safer for drivers to use.

The version, which was first revealed during Google I/O 2019, has a dark theme, new fonts and color accents, more opportunities to communicate with Google’s virtual assistant and the ability to fit wider display screens that are becoming more common in vehicles.

Android Auto, which launched in 2015, is not an operating system. It’s a secondary interface — or HMI layer — that sits on top of an operating system and brings the look and feel of a smartphone to the vehicle’s central screen. Rival Apple introduced its own in-car platform, Apple CarPlay, that same year.

Automakers, once hesitant to integrate Android Auto or Apple CarPlay into vehicles have come around. Today, Android Auto is available in more than 500 car models from 50 different brands, according to Android Auto product manager Rod Lopez.

Car owners with Android Auto support will start to see the new design over the next few weeks. However, updates will not be made to the standalone version of Android Auto, a smartphone app that gave users access to the platform even if their car wasn’t compatible to Android Auto. Google says it plans to “evolve” the standalone phone app from Android Auto to the Assistant’s new driving mode in the future.

Meanwhile, the in-car version features some important changes, notably more opportunities for drivers to use their voice — and not their hands — to interact with Android Auto. Users will notice the Google Assistant badge on Android Auto, that when tapped will provide information about their calendar, read the weather report or news.

Other new features include a new app launcher designed to let users access their favorite apps with fewer taps. A button on the bottom left of the screen launches this feature. Once deployed, users will see app icons with the most commonly used ones featured in the top row.

Android Auto has also improved its navigation, which is perhaps the most commonly used feature within the platform. Now, the navigation bar sits at the bottom of the display and allows users to manage multiple apps. This improvement means users won’t miss an exit or street while they’re listening to Spotify .

The navigation feature also pops up as soon as the driver connects with Android Auto. If a route is already queued up on a phone, Android Auto will automatically populate the directions.

This latest version also has a new notification button — located on the bottom right corner — houses recent calls, messages and alerts. Drivers can tap the mic button or say ” “Hey Google” to have the Google Assistant help make calls, send messages and read notifications.

Google has also developed an operating system called Android Automotive OS that’s modeled after its open-source mobile operating system that runs on Linux. Instead of running smartphones and tablets, Google modified it so it could be used in cars. Polestar, Volvo’s standalone performance electric car brand, is going to produce a new vehicle, the Polestar  2, that has an infotainment system powered by Android Automotive OS.

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https://techcrunch.com/2019/07/30/googles-new-version-of-android-auto-focuses-on-assistant/

2019-07-30 17:00:16Z
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Google researchers discovered serious iOS security flaws - Engadget

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Six critical security vulnerabilities that were patched in the iOS 12.4 update released earlier this month were originally discovered by security researchers at Google. Natalie Silvanovich and Samuel Groß, two members of Google's Project Zero bug-hunting team, alerted Apple to the issues. Silvanovich will be laying out the details on several of the bugs and provide a demonstration of exploits in action at the Black Hat security conference set to be held in Las Vegas next week.

The majority of the vulnerabilities discovered by google were so-called "interactionless" bugs, meaning they can be executed on a remote iOS device without requiring any sort of direct interaction with the phone. An attacker simply has to send malicious code via iMessage and wait for the victim to open it. Because these "interactionless" bugs are in high demand for hackers, the security flaws discovered would have sold on the black market or other seedy parts of the internet for as much as $5 million apiece, according to ZDNet.

While Apple largely addressed these significant security flaws with the release of iOS 12.4 on July 22nd, the researchers are holding back on revealing the details of one vulnerability that has not yet been fully patched. Users are advised to keep their phones up to date and download updates as soon as they become available in order to avoid any significant security risks.

Via: ZDNet

Source: Black Hat USA 2019

In this article: apple, bug, gear, google, interactionless, ios, ios 12.4, mobile, security, vulnerability

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2019-07-30 14:56:00Z
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Sony Has Shipped 100 Million PS4s - Kotaku

The PS5 may be on the horizon, but the PS4 is far from dead. Sony reports that they have now shipped 100 million PS4s between the machine’s late 2013 launch and June 30 of this year.

Sony’s most recent figure for the number of PS4s actually sold to customers is 91.6 million, through the end of 2018.

Daniel Ahmad, an industry analyst and Tweeter of jokes, said that the PS4 has reached the 100 million mark faster than the phenomenally successful PS2 and Wii:

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Note that Ahmad’s chart shows the Switch (the light purple line) to be on the same sales path as the PS4 (light blue), though equally notable is that the Wii was a hotter seller than either machine for a long time before slowing down greatly by year five. The PS4 just hasn’t faded as much.

We expect the PS5 to launch next year, but with a PS4 installed base of this size, it’s a certainty that games will be made and sold for Sony’s current console for a long time to come.

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https://kotaku.com/sony-has-shipped-100-million-ps4s-1836816199

2019-07-30 14:30:00Z
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Sony warns trade war could lead to PlayStation price hikes - Engadget

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Sony has more than just the pre-PS5 sales slump to worry about in the near future. Company financial chief Hiroki Totoki has warned that US plans for expanded tariffs on Chinese products could force a price hike on PlayStation consoles. The tech giant is still exploring its options, Totoki said, but passing the costs to consumers was one of them. There hasn't been a firm decision as it's not clear whether or not widened tariffs will apply in the first place -- that depends on the Trump administration's negotiations with China.

The US raised tariffs on $200 billion in Chinese goods back in May, to 25 percent. A further tariff expansion would cover another $300 billion in products, including PlayStation systems.

This leaves Sony in a tough position. Consoles like the PS4 are typically sold at slim profit margins (or even at a loss early on) with the expectation of recouping more money through game and service sales. There might not be much room for Sony to absorb the tariff costs or move production to another country. At the same time, a price increase could lead to even weaker PS4 sales and leave Sony on shaky ground until the PS5's launch, which many expect in late 2020. Short of the US ending its tariff threats, there's no easy answer.

Source: Wall Street Journal

In this article: av, china, console, donald trump, games, gaming, gear, playstation, ps4, sony, tariff, tariffs, trump, video games

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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2019-07-30 13:33:46Z
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Google found a way to remotely attack Apple iOS devices by sending a boobytrapped iMessage - Graham Cluley Security News

I do hope that owners of iPhones and iPads updated their devices to iOS 12.4 when it was released last week.

Details weren’t shared at the time, but we now know that the iOS security update addressed critical vulnerabilities discovered by Google security researchers Samuel Groß and Natalie Silvanovich that could allow a remote attacker to attack an iPhone just by sending a maliciously-crafted iMessage.

Thankfully the vulnerabilities, which could most likely have been sold to an intelligence agency for millions of dollars, were responsibly disclosed to Apple in May so that they could be addressed and fixed within the 90-day disclosure deadline imposed by Google.

The vulnerabilities are said to allow a remote attacker to run malicious code on an iOS device without requiring any action by the targeted user, opening up opportunities for iPhones and iPads to be spied upon without the knowledge of their owners and without the snooper requiring any physical access to the device.

Google security engineer Natalie Silvanovich is scheduled to give a talk at Black Hat in Las Vegas next week, entitled “Look, No Hands! – The Remote, Interaction-less Attack Surface of the iPhone”

iPhone and iPad users often have their devices configured to automatically install updates like iOS 12.4, but – if you want to make sure that you are protected – follow these instructions:

Click on Settings > General > Software Update, and choose Download and Install.

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2019-07-30 12:50:08Z
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The newest Pixel 4 announcement proves Google was wrong about Pixel cameras all along - BGR

The increasing number of Pixel 4 leaks convinced Google to tease the phone’s design several months before its launch. As a result, we’ve known for weeks now what the Pixel 4’s rear design will be. We’ve also known that the handset will feature a dual-lens camera on the back, a first for the Pixel series. Then, on Monday, Google surprised Android fans loyal to the Pixel brand with an unexpected announcement, one that confirmed two signature features of the Pixel 4 series. Google practically told us the phone would feature 3D facial recognition just like the iPhone X phones, stressing on the fact that its tech is different. The company also touched on the rumored Project Soli integration, confirming that the Pixel 4 will be the world’s first phone to integrate a radar sensor. But in the process, Google also confirmed the phone would have a single-lens selfie camera, instead of two, as it was the case for the Pixel 3.

In other words, Google just confirmed that its camera approach for the Pixel 3 camera systems was wrong.

About a year ago, when Pixel 3 phones were leaking left and right with YouTubers offering actual reviews of the handset, I told you that the Pixel 3 showed an annoying case of camera hypocrisy. At a time when smartphone vendors placed more cameras on the back of their flagships, Google was sticking with a single-lens primary camera. But, oddly enough, Google was going for a rare dual-cam selfie system on the same phone.

A few months later, the official Pixel 3 launch came with Google confirming all the leaks. The company also stuck to its guns when it comes to the Pixel 3’s main camera. “We found [a second lens] was unnecessary,” Google’s vice president of product management Mario Queiroz said at the time. Google said it wanted to make up for the absence of a second camera with algorithms and Machine Learning (ML). But Google also did something different during the last Pixel launch. It kept quiet on DxOMark scores, which were topped by phones featuring triple- and double-lens camera systems at the time. Of course, those scores aren’t everything, and we’ve explained time and again why that is, but Google made a big marketing deal out of them in previous years.

Image Source: Google

This brings us to the Pixel 4, which will feature two cameras on the back and one camera on the front. So in less than a year, Google found that a second lens on the back is necessary, while a second camera on the front is unnecessary? Let’s remember that Pixel 4 development likely started a long time ago, as is the case for any flagship from competitors.

Now, of course, the IR camera on the front of the Pixel 4 should also help with photography, especially portrait mode. But the Pixel 4 might not get the same wide-angle selfie experience that Google insisted on during the Pixel 3 launch.

The Pixel 3 is still one of the best cameras in town, and I’m not disputing that. Google certainly took camera performance on phones to a whole new game with its Pixels. Also, other smartphone makers changed their mind over the years when it comes to certain phone features. Apple’s 3D Touch comes to mind. Or Samsung’s stance on the microSD card from a few years back. Or Samsung’s decision to kill the 3.5mm port on the Note 10 after holding out for so long.

But it’s certainly strange to see Google make these contradicting moves in the camera department in the span of a year. If single-lens cameras are so good, why not stick with them for one more year? Why not go fo a dual-lens selfie system on the Pixel 4?

Contradicting moves, it turns out, is a signature feature of the Pixel line. Google mocked Apple for removing the headphone jack from the iPhone 7, and then it did the same thing with the Pixel 2 a year later, admitting that it needs to do it to create all-screen phones. It mocked Apple again for keeping the better features for the bigger phone and then launched the Pixel 3 line where the bigger phone had a better display that offered more screen real estate, no matter how ugly the notch was. The Pixel 3 brought us camera systems unlike anything in the business when it comes to lens placements, but the Pixel 4 will turn everything upside down. Again.

It sure looks like Google is trying desperately to stand out with its Pixels each year, while simultaneously following Apple’s lead, only to concede time and again that its choices may have been wrong. And, in all these years, the company hasn’t been able to replicate the iPhone or Galaxy S’s sales success. So whatever marketing trick it has tried, it hasn’t worked. That said, I can’t help but wonder what Pixel 4 feature or design decision will be discontinued once the Pixel 5 rolls along. Is it Project Soli?

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https://bgr.com/2019/07/30/pixel-4-camera-vs-pixel-3-google-just-admitted-it-was-wrong/

2019-07-30 11:31:00Z
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PS4 Has Officially Sold 100 Million Units, and It's Done So Faster Than Any Other Console - Push Square

By jove, they've done it -- Sony has now sold through 100 million PlayStation 4 consoles. The data for the first financial quarter of 2019 has been released, and the Japanese giant managed to sell 3.2 million PS4s between April and June, tipping it over the edge of the milestone. We're sure all the folks at PlayStation HQ will be popping some champagne -- it's abundantly clear the console has been a monumental success.

But that's not quite the end of it. According to industry analyst Daniel Ahmad, the PS4 is now the console to have reached 100 million the fastest. Yes, faster than the Nintendo Wii, and yes, faster than even the PS2. That's a pretty staggering result.

Despite Sony selling more PS4s in this quarter than the last (3.2m vs 2.6m), we imagine things will begin to slow down with PS5 on the horizon. Whatever happens now, the machine will end up as one of the best selling consoles of all time. Here's hoping Sony can carry that momentum forward into next-gen.

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http://www.pushsquare.com/news/2019/07/ps4_has_officially_sold_100_million_units_and_its_done_so_faster_than_any_other_console

2019-07-30 09:30:00Z
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