Technology

Major updates are coming to Volvo's XC90 flagship SUV, bringing the plug-in hybrid's aesthetic and tech shoulder-to-shoulder with the full-electric EX90.

Four versions of the Omega x Swatch mashup are now available on the brand's website—but only if you're in two specific countries.

If you use WhatsApp on macOS, you may find that you have to redownload the app on your device very soon, as while the older WhatsApp app remains available, Meta (WhatsApp’s parent company) has confirmed that this version is due to be discontinued.

The older version of WhatsApp is built on an Electron framework, an open-source software that allows you to adapt a web app into a desktop app. According to 9to5Mac, Meta has rebuilt the Whatsapp app from scratch, which means that if you want to continue using the WhatsApp app on your desktop, you'll have to install the new version. 

9to5Mac quotes WABetaInfo, who continued running the older WhatsApp app on a Mac and was notified that the app wouldn't be available in 54 days (at the time of writing). When this happens, Meta says users will have to download the newly rebuilt desktop app from the official WhatsApp website or from the App Store for Mac.  

(Image credit: Karolina Grabowska / Pexels) The new Catalyst-powered WhatsApp app

The new WhatsApp Mac desktop app is built using Catalyst, Apple's software framework that enables developers to make iOS (its mobile operating system for iPhones) apps work natively on macOS devices. 9to5Mac writes that downloading and installing the new app will preserve all of your existing chats and contacts. 

The new WhatsApp for macOS, built with Catalyst, leverages the iPhone app as a foundation to run natively and reportedly offers better performance than the Electron-based web app. While the web version is convenient, it lacks many features, making the native macOS app a superior option for Mac users.

9to5Mac does point out that the older WhatsApp app for Mac is still being used by some people, possibly due to the newer app seemingly arriving without some important features. However, it does reassure readers that most of the older app's features have been carried over to the newer app. 

You can get WhatsApp for Mac for free from the Mac App Store or the official WhatsApp website, and you'll need to make sure your device is running macOS 11 or later. 

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Earlier this week, Cisco introduced new patches that fix bugs in different products, which allowed threat actors to log in to, or take over, vulnerable devices.

First, it addressed an OS command injection vulnerability, caused by insufficient validation of user-supplied input, found in Cisco’s Identity Service Engine (ISE). This one is tracked as CVE-2024-20469, and carries a severity score of 6.0. Cisco's ISE is a network access control and policy management platform that enables organizations to enforce security policies across their network.

In theory, a local attacker could submit a malicious CLI command and escalate privileges on vulnerable systems to root, but they need to have admin rights on the unpatched system to begin with.

Bugs in SLU

"A vulnerability in specific CLI commands in Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE) could allow an authenticated, local attacker to perform command injection attacks on the underlying operating system and elevate privileges to root," Cisco said in an advisory, adding that it is aware of proof-of-concept code circulating online. So far, there is no evidence of successful abuse, though.

Versions 3.2 and 3.3 are affected, and to secure their premises, admins should upgrade to 3.2P7 and 3.3P4, respectively.

The second flaw that was recently addressed is a backdoor account that was found in Cisco’s Smart Licensing Utility Windows (SLU) software. SLU is a tool that helps manage and activate software licenses for Cisco products using the Smart Licensing system. The bug, described as an “undocumented static user credential for an administrative account,” is tracked as CVE-2024-20439, and carries a severity score of 9.8.

The third flaw, tracked as CVE-2024-20440, is due to excessive verbosity in a debug log file. As a result, crooks could access sensitive information, remotely. This one, too, has a 9.8 severity score.

SLU versions 2.0.0, 2.1.0, and 2.2.0, were said to be vulnerable. The first fixed version is 2.3.0.

Via BleepingComputer

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DJI has enjoyed near-total dominance of the global consumer drone market for years, but more recently a couple of challengers have identified a gap in DJI's lineup – tiny selfie / FPV drones – and exploited this space to offer this new line of drones for beginners.

HoverAir's X1, successors for which have just been announced in the form of the Apple-esque monikered X1 Pro and X1 Pro Max, and BetaFPV's Cetus X were both well reviewed last year. Now, DJI is looking to take on those rivals with its latest model, the aggressively priced Neo, which is its smallest and lightest 4K drone ever.

• DJI Neo hands-on review

Weighing just 4.76oz / 135g, the Neo can take off from the palm of your hand, and capture stabilized 4K videos with AI subject tracking and DJI's Quickshots feature. It can track you and stick close, keeping you center of the frame for selfies with a difference, plus it can perform six automated flight moves: Boomerang, Helix, Circle, Rocket, Dronie, and Spotlight, before returning to your palm. 

It can be controlled without a remote, or paired with DJI's Fly app, remote controllers and FPV goggles, as well as being voice operated, while its tiny size and propellor guards allow you to safely maneuver into and around tight spaces. 

The DJI Neo also has a tempting standalone price tag of just $199 / £169 / AU$299 – in fact, I'd call that pretty aggressive pricing. The Neo Fly More Combo kit (including three batteries and an RC controller) costs £299 / AU$539 but isn't available in the US, where there's a Combo kit instead (three batteries, no controller) for $289. 

Image 1 of 3

(Image credit: DJI)Image 2 of 3

(Image credit: DJI)Image 3 of 3

(Image credit: DJI) Neo knows kung-fu

Positioned somewhere between the Ryze Tello beginner drone and DJI's FPV drone, the DJI Avata 2, the Neo is designed to be as simple a drone as they come, equipped with impressive flight and camera features to quickly elevate your flights skills and aerial content.

The simplest option for getting airborne is to select your desired shooting mode on the drone's mode button, after which the Neo takes flight from your palm, capturing 4K 30fps / 1080p 60fps video or 12MP stills, before returning to your hand, all without the use of a remote.

Alternatively, you can control Neo using the Fly app on your phone using virtual joysticks, or explore FPV piloting using DJI's Goggles (which are an extra cost). 

Whether you want to be intelligently tracked as you're moving, or after some cool flight moves from above, such as Boomerang, which sees the Neo fly in an oval pattern around you, the idea is that you won't need any prior drone experience to get the aerial shots you like.

(Image credit: DJI)

With single-axis stablization, DJI says the Neo can hover steadily in up to level 4 wind conditions. It packs 22GB of internal storage, which equates to around 40 minutes of 4K video or 55 minutes of 1080p video.

There's a built-in mic if you want audio too, with the app automatically eliminating propellor noise, while if you're serious about audio quality you can connect a Bluetooth mic such as the DJI Mic 2.

We're in the early days of conducting our full review of the DJI Neo. If it delivers on its impressive specs, it could be the gateway to aerial piloting and photography for a whole new wave of beginners.

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Apple’s Find My might have started on the tech giant’s own devices, but since then – even with the arrival of the AirTag – it’s made its way into countless other devices, all with the point of helping you track down an item. We’ve seen some unusual applications like Find My being used to track drink tumblers and now it's breached another uncharted gadget category.

Twelve South, known for higher-end and premium Apple accessories, just unveiled the PlugBug with Find My. A fast-charging wall plug with either 2 or 4 USB-C ports and Find My built-in to see where it is on the map and even get an alert if you leave it behind. Kind of genius, and in fact it’s the world’s first wall charger with Apple’s Find My built-in. 

PlugBug with Find My – which, yes, is an adorable product name – comes in two flavors. It is a US wall plug-compatible two-port 50W charger or a four-port 100W charger, priced at $69.99 / £69.99 / EUR $79.99 or $119.99 / £119.99 / EUR $139.99.

However, for folks traveling internationally or who live internationally, Apple will exclusively sell the PlugBug Travel at $79.99 for the 50W with two ports or $129.99 for the 120W with four ports, both paired with six international adapters (US, UK, EU, AU, KR, and CN). It's not too bad for just $10 USD more, and a carrying case is included, but this is exclusive to the United States.

Both PlugBug and PlugBug Travel are available for order now and will launch on September 16, 2024. While it won't initially be for sale in Australia, it is coming to that territory in the future.

Potentially, a very handy world’s first

(Image credit: Twelve South)

The advantage of any Find My-enabled tech is that you can easily see where it is on a map and ping it through your iPhone to have it emit a sound, which should help you find it. It works like a charm for the AirTag on my keys and even helped me track down a lost bag. 

In a wall plug, it is potentially beneficial, especially if, say, you’re using it at a hotel and are leaving, but in the hallway, you get a Find My alert that your PlugBug 50W was left behind. Rather than never seeing your wall charger again, you can go back and grab it. The same goes for working at a coffee shop, departing an office, leaving a friend's house, or even charging on an airplane or train. 

Like an Apple AirTag, you can set up and add the PlugBug via your iPhone within the Find My app, name it, and link it with your Apple ID (soon to be renamed Apple Account). Via the Find My app on your iPhone, iPad, or even Mac, you can see where it is on a map – alongside other Find My devices – and ping it to play a sound.

(Image credit: Twelve South)

It also doesn’t hurt that Twelve South gave the PlugBug a two-tone white and red design that will make it decently easy to spot. With either a two-port 50W or four-port 120W, you’ll find the wall plug on the back that flips back in when not in use for easy storage and the USB-C ports on the bottom. The PlugBug is fairly slim and compact, though not the slimmest we’ve ever seen. Inside, though, and powering the USB-C ports, is Gallium Nitride or GaN for a fast, safe charge.

That same tech will also help to split the power efficiently based on the plugged devices. With either the 50W or 120W, you can swiftly charge an iPhone, iPad, MacBook, AirPods, Apple Watch, and countless other devices.

I’m keen to try the Twelve South PlugBug with Find My, especially on a trip, to see how well it performs. At $69.99 or $119.99 sans any travel adapters or $79.99 and $129.99 with, it's a pretty good deal compared with other GaN chargers. You're also getting extra functionality that could prove very, very useful – especially if it saves you from leaving a wall plug behind.

If you’re sold on the PlugBug, you can order it directly from Twelve South. It will soon be available with the travel adapters from Apple, ahead of shipping and an official launch on September 16, 2024.

And if you need a wall charger sooner or don’t need one with this Find My integration, check out TechRadar’s recommendations here.

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The Magic V3 just launched internationally at the IFA tech conference in Berlin. Here's our in-depth hands-on of the world's slimmest book-style foldable phone.

Capable, durable, and impossibly slim, the Honor Magic V3 might be the best folding phone you can buy.

Honor has officially unveiled the Honor Magic V3 – aka the world’s thinnest commercially available inwards-folding phone – at IFA 2024.

Measuring just 4.35mm when unfolded and 9.2mm when folded, the Magic V3 is even thinner than the already paper-thin Honor Magic V2, and puts its closest rivals, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 (5.6mm / 12.1mm) and Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold (5.1mm / 10.5mm), to shame on the design front.

In fact, when unfolded, the Magic V3 is closer to the thickness of the iPhone 15 Pro Max (8.2mm) than it is to either of its major foldable competitors. At a weight of 226g, it’s almost as light as Apple’s best iPhone (221g), too.

Honor partially attributes the Magic V3’s thin design to the materials used in its construction – the company says the rear cover incorporates a “Special Fiber” that reduces thickness by 30%, though it hasn't yet elaborated on what this material is nor how such a dramatic reduction was achieved.

The Honor Magic V3 (left) and Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 (right) (Image credit: Honor / Samsung / Future)

The Chinese manufacturer also claims that this material increases the Magic V3’s durability compared to contemporary flagship bar phones, though you’ll have to check out our Honor Magic V3 review to see how that claim holds up.

The new phone is equipped with a 6.43-inch cover screen, which unfolds to reveal a 7.92-inch internal screen. Both panels are the same size as those on the Magic V2. 

Honor says the proprietary Super Steel Hinge found on the Magic V3 is rated for 500,000 cycles, meaning you could theoretically open and close the phone 100 times a day for more than 13 years (other durability-impacting factors notwithstanding). 

The rear cover hosts the phone’s octagonal camera unit, which itself comprises a 50MP main camera, a 40MP ultrawide camera, and a 50MP periscope telephoto camera. For comparison, the Magic V2 features a 50MP main camera, a 50MP ultrawide, and a 20MP telephoto.

The Honor Magic V3 is available in Reddish Brown, Green and Black (Image credit: Honor)

As for the phone's battery, the Honor Magic V3 has a maximum capacity of 5,150mAh, up from 5,000mAh on the Magic V2, with support for 66W wired fast charging and 50W wireless fast charging.

Honor has positioned the Magic V3 alongside a new lineup of AI-enhanced flagship products; the company also debuted the MagicBook Art 14 laptop, MagicPad 2 tablet, and Honor Watch at IFA 2024.

None of these products are likely to be available in the US, though users in other markets can expect the Honor Magic V3 to run MagicOS, a modified version of Android. UK shoppers can purchase the new phone now for £1,699 at Honor directly or from retailers including O2, Three, Amazon, Argos, and Very.

As mentioned, our in-depth Honor Magic V3 review is now live, so be sure to head there for our full verdict on Honor’s next-generation foldable.

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Star Wars Outlaws' creative director has confirmed that he will be spending his last weeks working on the game to add more improvements, before moving on to The Division 3.

"It's been announced that I'm exec[utive] producer on The Division, so these are my last weeks, but I'm making sure that I'm pushing as much as I can on the last weeks," said Julian Gerighty in a recent interview with GamesRadar.

This doesn't mean all work on Massive Entertainment's open-world Star Wars game will stop, as Gerighty has revealed that the development team is now in the process of implementing some adjustments to Outlaws, which could mean quality-of-life updates and other hotfixes are on the way.

Gerighty also added that while he and other staff members don't have long left before they need to move back to The Division 3's development, they're trying their best to deliver the content planned for later this year.

"We're pushing a lot of improvements," he said. "We don't want to let it go. They're going to have to kick us out the door. And that's improvements, not just on the base game, but it's things that we're going to deliver later on this year and next year with the downloadable episodes that we're creating there." 

These downloadable episodes are the two expansions previously announced for the game's Season Pass - Wild Card and A Pirate's Fortune - the first of which launches in Fall 2024 followed by the second in Spring 2025.

Gerighty also shared a little insight into both story packs, saying, "We're going to be able to build on that and make something that's really Sabacc themed," Gerighty said, referring to Wild Card's story. 

"The next one that features Hondo from the animation [The Clone Wars] – he's a legendary Space Pirate, a great character, super humorous – so that it's space piracy and pushing the space aspect of the game, which, I mean, we would have loved to spend more time in space."

Although Gerighty will be moving on from Star Wars, he adds, "Whatever happens next, I'll be playing it for sure."

The Division 3 was announced last September but we don't have too many details about the game, only that Ubisoft was "actively building a team" in 2023, so the game is likely a few years away.

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