Technology

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• Edge-lit LEDs appear to develop visible problems very early
• Problems are particularly obvious with larger-sized displays
• Shop around for discounts on better-quality panels

Late last year, we published a warning for Black Friday TV buyers: avoid big TVs with cheap edge-lit panels. The main reason was the visual quality, as edge-lit panels aren't great for big sizes. But a new report suggests another reason you should steer clear. Big edge-lit panels appear to fail more quickly than other types of TV displays.

That's according to Rtings' ongoing TV longevity tests, as reported by FlatpanelsHD.com. The tests feature 100 different TVs from multiple brands and with multiple technologies – edge-LED, direct LED, full array local dimming, and OLED – and the results for edge-LED aren't great.

What's the problem with edge-lit panels?

There are multiple problems, though. First, they don't generally deliver great uniformity in how they light up the display. That's because their backlight is usually positioned at the bottom with a diffuser film to spread the light over the panel. The bigger the panel, the more obvious the design's shortcomings become.

According to Rtings, over 25% of the LCD TVs they tested exhibited visible light uniformity issues. But among edge-LED LCD TVs, that figure rocketed to 64% – so you've got a one in three chance of getting a TV with consistent lighting.

To be fair, the number of sets affected is small: seven out of 100 TVs. However, three of those seven started showing problems before or after 2,200 hours of testing. That's the equivalent of one year's viewing in the typical US household.

According to Rtings, the results of their tests demonstrate that "edge-lit TVs are inherently prone to significant durability issues, including warped reflector sheets, cracked light guide plates, and burnt-out LEDs due to concentrated heat."

That's the bad news. But the good news is that with Black Friday nearly here, you won't necessarily have to plump for edge-lit if you want a nice big TV that fits your budget: this is, of course, one of the best times to buy a new TV because they're a big part of every Black Friday, and even high-spec models such as LG's C4 OLED get big discounts.

Naturally, we're tracking those deals, so check out our guide to the best Black Friday TV deals here.

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Genmoji is finally available to the public thanks to the new iOS 18.2 public beta, which was released this week. I’ve been using Apple’s generative AI emojis for the last few weeks, and after my initial testing period, I’m not only hooked, but I’m now convinced Apple Intelligence will be a huge success.

Why? Well, aside from how much fun it is creating emojis of anything that comes to mind, including a frog drinking beer or a French bulldog riding a skateboard, Genmoji feels like the kind of feature that will instantly impact society and our online lives.

It’s fun, cute, and the perfect way to entice users into investing in Apple Intelligence.

What even is Genmoji?

(Image credit: Apple)

Genmoji is one of the main Apple Intelligence features coming to iOS, iPadOS, and macOS later this year. It’s an easy-to-use image generator that might be one of the best AI image generators, just because of how accessible it is.

Built into your iPhone’s emoji keyboard, Genmoji is always just a tap away and allows you to create useful emojis that work just like your standard yellow smiley face. So not only can you use Genmoji in a text, but you can also react to messages and even use it with Apple’s message effects. Third-party apps like Messenger and WhatsApp should also be compatible when the feature launches in December.

Many software features built into the best smartphones these days are fun to use but quickly become gimmicks that never make it into your day-to-day life. Others, like Genmoji, make sense as soon as you use them for the first time and you start to incorporate them into your everyday.

I’ve found Genmoji to be one of the most accessible and easy-to-use AI features, not just because of its UI but because it makes sense to whoever tries it out. I’ve shown Genmoji on my iPhone 16 Pro Max to the least tech-literate friends and elderly family members, and all of them just “got it.” Within a few moments of trying Genmoji out, everyone had the same reaction: hysteric bouts of laughter followed by asking how they could use it on their iPhones, too.

That reaction is often when you know that something will take off, that first exposure where people show interest and flock to the Apple Store to test it out. I previously worked at the Genius Bar in my local Apple Store, and you could always sense when a feature would be a success based on how many normal folks walked in to ask about it.

I imagine Apple Stores worldwide are bombarded with Apple Intelligence questions nowadays, and I suspect that the best way to showcase what AI on an iPhone looks like is with Genmoji – it’s just that good.

A gateway into Apple Intelligence

(Image credit: Apple)

Genmoji is the perfect gateway into Apple Intelligence, a friendly and easy-to-use feature that quickly becomes part of communicating with your friends. Apple’s strategy with Apple Intelligence is very clever: Add a fun Apple-specific instant messaging tool like Genmoji with viral potential, and then watch as everyone scrambles to get a new Apple-Intelligence compatible device to be just as cool as their friends.

With viral culture a staple in today’s world and sites like TikTok spreading consumerism like never before, Gen Z is going to fall in love with Genmoji and, by doing so, enter into a world of Apple Intelligence that they may not have been interested in otherwise. Try telling a teenager that Writing Tools are cool, and they’ll most likely shrug their shoulders. But show a teenager Genmoji, and they’ll instantly want to show their creations to their friends.

If Genmoji does pick up in the way I think it will, it does open up some questions about cyberbullying. For instance, one of the best ways to use Genmoji is by creating emojis based on photos of people you have on your phone. In high school, this could be used to humiliate classmates, and that could cause huge concern.

This issue isn’t limited to Genmoji, though; it’s a problem with AI image generators in general. So far, from my testing, I’ve noticed Apple won’t edit my likeness, which could be to combat issues like bullying. For example, if I ask Genmoji to create me as an ogre (Shrek), it will just turn my t-shirt green, leaving the human elements as is. I’m also yet to see any use of Genmoji that would flag up as concerning, and that makes me hopeful that Apple has found a way to combat the dangers of image generation.

Genmoji is due to launch in early December and will be available on all the best iPhones and iPads, like the iPad mini 7, the cheapest device that offers Apple Intelligence.

If my gut feeling is correct, I think we’ll see a lot about Genmoji and, in turn, hear more about Apple Intelligence as mainstream consumers flock to AI as the perfect holiday gift. Apple is onto something with Genmoji, and it might just be the best Apple Intelligence feature, ready to expose other AI tools to the average customer.

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• Google TV will need 2GB of RAM in new TVs and related hardware
• Android TV is unchanged with a 1GB minimum spec
• It won't affect your current streamer in the short term

One of the most common criticisms of Google TV is that it isn't always very smooth on more modestly priced televisions. That's largely because Google's system requirements aren't very demanding, so a TV can meet the minimum spec with some pretty unimpressive components. That's about to change, though, which is good news for new buyers but a possible worry for existing owners.

As Android Authority reports, Google has submitted a change to the Android open-source project regarding Google TV minimum requirements. The change says that the minimum RAM must be 2GB, which is more than the RAM in the Chromecast with Google TV.

What does this change mean for your TV or streaming device?

Right now, it won't have any effect at all. But going forward, it could be an issue because if there's one thing we've learned in the decades we've been covering hardware, it's that when you up the hardware spec, the software becomes more demanding very soon afterward.

That's one reason why identical versions of iOS or Android can run so differently on different models of the same devices: the newer ones have more horsepower, and the operating system tends to be optimized for the newer spec rather than the oldest devices.

For most budget devices, Android TV may be the preferred OS since it only needs 1GB of RAM. Google's approval process also seems more generous, and Android Authority points out that we're only just seeing more projectors get approved for Google TV. Still, there are tons of Android TV ones available.

It's unclear whether the change is already in effect or if Google is phasing it in at a later date, but we should see TVs reflecting the change very soon.

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• Cisco issues urgent patch for worrying security flaw
• Vulnerability could have allowed hackers to run malicious code
• Industrial systems and platforms particularly affected, so update now

Cisco has patched a critical vulnerability in some of its software which could have allowed threat actors to run malicious code remotely.

In a security advisory, Cisco said it discovered a flaw in the web-based management interface of Cisco Unified Industrial Wireless Software for Cisco Ultra-Reliable Wireless Backhaul (URWB) Access Points.

These access points are designed for industries that require highly dependable and robust wireless connections in challenging environments. They are particularly popular among industries where maintaining consistent connectivity is critical for operations, such as transportation and logistics, public safety and emergency services, utilities and energy, or mining and construction.

Cisco says update now

The bug that was discovered is tracked as CVE-2024-20418, and has a top severity score - 10/10.

"An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by sending crafted HTTP requests to the web-based management interface of an affected system," Cisco said in the advisory. "A successful exploit could allow the attacker to execute arbitrary commands with root privileges on the underlying operating system of the affected device."

Cisco products vulnerable to this flaw are Catalyst IW9165D Heavy Duty Access Points, Catalyst IW9165E Rugged Access Points and Wireless Clients, and Catalyst IW9167E Heavy Duty Access Points. Products that are not working in URWB mode are not affected by vulnerability, Cisco said.

To defend against potential compromises, users are advised to upgrade their Cisco Unified Industrial Wireless Software to version 17.15.1. All those using versions 17.14 and earlier are advised not to stall with the patching.

Cisco did not mention finding any evidence (or lack thereof) of abuse in the wild. It said it discovered the flaw during internal security testing, so it could be that miscreants haven’t yet picked up on it. However, now that the cat is out of the bag, it’s only a matter of time before they start hunting for vulnerable endpoints.

Via TheHackerNews

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