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• Scientists have tested the level of PFAS in some consumer smartwatch bands
• They found elevated levels of "forever chemicals" in some models
• These chemicals are potentially toxic and have been linked to diseases such as cancer

Scientists from the University of Notre Dame have called for more comprehensive studies and greater transparency from manufacturers after a study found elevated levels of so-called "forever chemicals" in some consumer smartwatch and fitness tracker bands.

The study, published this week in Environmental Science & Technology Letters, analyzed 22 watch bands from numerous brands and price points and found that some of these bands contained elevated levels of PFAS (polyfluoroalkyl substances), namely perfluorohexanoic acid (PFHxA). These chemicals are colloquially known as "forever chemicals" because they have an almost unbreakable chemical structure which means they don't degrade or break down over time.

The tested brands include many of the best smartwatch manufacturers and accessory makers including Apple (and Apple Watch Nike sport bands), CASETiFY, Fitbit, Google, and Samsung.

As reported by Notre Dame News, nine of the 22 bands tested contained elevated levels of PFHxA, with more expensive bands generally found to have higher levels.

"The most remarkable thing we found in this study was the very high concentrations of just one PFAS — there were some samples above 1,000 parts per billion of PFHxA, which is much higher than most PFAS we have seen in consumer products," said Graham Peaslee, study co-author and professor emeritus in the Department of Physics and Astronomy.

PFAs in smartwatch bands, should you be worried?

(Image credit: Future)

"This discovery stands out because of the very high concentrations of one type of forever chemical found in items that are in prolonged contact with our skin," Peaslee told Independent. "We have never seen extractable concentrations in the part-per-million range for any wearable consumer product applied to the skin," he warned. The study's lead author, Alyssa Wicks, recommends buying lower-cost silicone bands, or avoiding products listed as containing fluoroelastomers if they want a more expensive band.

While the study does mention some big names in the smartwatch sector, notably Apple, Samsung, and Google, it's difficult to extrapolate too much because the study doesn't give the results for each brand. Companies like Apple clearly advertise Fluoroelastomer as present in its best Apple Watch bands, notably its Nike offerings, Sport Band, and the Apple Watch Ultra's Ocean band. However, the study doesn't tell us which of the bands offered by these major players were tested, or if they were the bands with notably high PFA levels.

Samsung and CASETiFY were not immediately available to comment on the story. Apple pointed TechRadar to its work on testing materials and its commitment to totally phasing out PFAS from its products and manufacturing processes from 2022.

More specifically, Apple also highlighted its Regulated Substances Specification document, which specifically lists PFHxA, the offending chemical highlighted in the study, as a restricted substance. Apple says that for PFHxA, its salts and related substances, it has a threshold limit of "25 ppb for the sum of PFHxA and its salts" and "1000 ppb for the sum of PFHxA-related substances."

"Don't panic"

As Wicks notes, there are also "few studies" on the absorption of PFAS through the skin. She cites one such article that found that a couple of types of PFAS had "significant transfer through the skin", but that it was a limited study that only examined 20 of the 14,000 known types of PFAS.

Speaking to Yahoo Life, Jamie Alan, associate professor of pharmacology and toxicology at Michigan State University called the findings "interesting", but said that the study doesn't give any insight into how much PFHxA is absorbed through the skin, if any is absorbed at all. Other specialists in toxicology and dermatology agreed, stating that it is unlikely a significant amount of PXHxA would be absorbed through the skin. Finally, Alan pointed out that the study involved chemically extracting these compounds from Apple Watch bands, something users aren't doing when they wear these items day-to-day. "So although they found very high levels, that does not mean any significant amount is getting into our system," she concluded.

Alan said there's no need to panic if you own a smartwatch or fitness tracker band with fluoroelastomer, but that "it is good to be aware of cumulative exposure." If you're looking for a new band, you could always choose a PFAS-free option.

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• A security researcher found Hapn website is spilling sensitive information
• The data includes people's names and business affiliation
• No location data was leaked, but the company is remaining quiet for now

Hapn, a company that sells GPS tracking hardware and software, is reportedly spilling sensitive user information online, and is not responding to researcher alerts or media inquiries, experts have claimed.

In late November 2024, a security researcher reached out to TechCrunch, saying they observed a bug in Hapn’s website, which allows malicious actors to view the exposed data using the developer tools in the web browser.

The data being exposed apparently includes customer names, and the names of their workplace. It also includes data on more than 8,600 GPS trackers, and IMEI numbers for their SIM cards. Location data is not included, though. TechCrunch analyzed some of the data, and even reached out to a few people whose names were found in the leaked data, and confirmed the information is correct.

No response

Hapn is used by both commercial entities, and individuals, with the company advertising its tools as means of tracking valuables and loved ones, and claims there are more than 460,000 active devices, with customers reportedly including some Fortune 500 companies.

Tracking services are always a sensitive topic, whether they are hardware, or software-based, since in many instances, they are abused to spy on people and track their location without consent or knowledge.

Misconfigured databases, website bugs, and other errors, can happen to anyone. How the companies respond to being notified is what matters, and in this case, it seems that Hapn failed. TechCrunch says “several emails” to the CEO went unreturned, and some even bounced with an error message that the address is non-existent.

“The company does not have a web page or form for reporting security vulnerabilities,” the publication added.

We have reached out to Hapn anyway, and will update this article if we hear back from the company.

Via TechCrunch

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• Death of a Unicorn is the latest trailer to be released by iconic studio A24
• The movie stars some huge names including Jenna Ortega, Paul Rudd, and Richard E. Grant
• It will be released in Spring 2025 with an exact release date to be confirmed

Death of a Unicorn is the latest A24 movie to get a trailer, and while the studio has a reputation for making pretty crazy films, this one could be the most bonkers one yet. And I do mean that as a compliment, by the way, as I love the uniqueness that A24 brings to the table.

Many of its works can be found among the best Max movies, and there are three more A24 movies coming to Max in January. I'm hoping this one can join the ranks when it lands in Spring 2025. Although we don't have a release date, we do know it's coming and it'll be one to add to our new movies list, with plenty to enjoy over the coming months.

When it comes to a movie like this, you really do need to see the trailer to believe it because it manages to combine comedy, fantasy, and horror through very different tonal shifts. The fact it's done all of that in just over two minutes is impressive stuff!

Watch the trailer for Death of a Unicorn below.

What do we know about Death of a Unicorn?

In the movie, a man and his teenage daughter accidentally crash into a unicorn while they are on their way to a summit with his boss Dell Leopold and his family. Despite trying to conceal the unicorn's body, it is soon discovered and the Leopolds want to exploit it, especially when they realize it has supernaturally curative properties. The trailer sees them claiming the unicorn can cure cancer, so like, it's a big deal.

But, of course, seizing a supernatural creature and trying to profit off it turns out to be a big mistake when another unicorn starts hunting them down, meaning the Leopolds and their guests are putting their lives at risk. It's a wild plot and I'm so excited to watch it.

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• GitHub Copilot free tier now integrates directly into VS Code
• Limits include 2,000 monthly code completions and 50 chats
• GitHub now supports 150 million developers on its platform

Microsoft-owned developer platform GitHub has confirmed it will be offering a free version of its Copilot AI assistant for all developers using the VS Code IDE.

Until now, Copilot was only available for free to verified students, teachers and open-source maintainers, with developers who weren't eligible for free access having to pay a monthly subscription for one of three levels to access the tool.

Anyone familiar with the way the platform has operated won’t be surprised at the change. CEO Thomas Dohmke explained: “GitHub has a long history of offering free products and services to developers.”

GitHub Copilot now free for VS Code

Previous products and tools that have been made available for free include open source and public collaboration, private repos, minutes for GitHub Actions and GitHub Codespaces, and package and release storage.

GitHub Copilot free is now available directly within VS Code and includes access to 2,000 code completions and 50 chat messages per month. Access to the AI tool requires users to sign in with their personal GitHub account.

Users will also be able to choice between OpenAI’s GPT-4o, which powers the version of ChatGPT that many developers use, or Anthropic’s Claude 3.5 Sonnet.

GitHub Copilot free includes most of the functionalities that the Pro tier has, which is the version that’s free for students and teachers. The free version makes do without summaries for pull requests, issues and discussions, among a few other things.

Anybody who isn’t an open-source maintainer or in education will need to pay $10/month for Pro, which removes the code completion and message limitations entirely.

More broadly, Github Copilot is also available across other popular IDEs, like Visual Studio, JetBrains IDE, Neovim and Azure Data Studio. Despite the platform’s affiliation with Microsoft, you can also use the AI assistant in Apple’s Xcode.

At the same time, Dohmke announced a new milestone of 150 million developers on GitHub. The Microsoft-owned platform is now said to have an annual revenue run rate of $2 billion.

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• Elevation Labs has launched an AirTag case with a ten-year battery life
• The TimeCapsule uses AA batteries to boost your AirTags’ juice
• It also boasts IP69 protection from dust and water

Apple’s AirTags are great for finding your lost items, but their batteries don’t last forever. And while their button cells are easy enough to swap out, wouldn’t it be better if you just didn’t have to worry about changing their batteries at all?

That seems to be the motivation behind an opinion-splitting new product from Elevation Labs that promises to extend your AirTags’ battery life to a decade or more. Dubbed the TimeCapsule, the device is essentially a large case for your AirTag that boosts its battery life to ten years.

The black housing is roomy enough for two AA batteries, which offer up to 14 times the longevity of the CR2032 cell inside a regular AirTag. To use it, you just take the top half of an AirTag and attach it to the white plate inside the TimeCapsule, which is what sends the AA batteries’ power to your AirTag.

The enclosure can be screwed securely shut and is nondescript enough to not attract attention from a would-be thief. According to the TimeCapsule’s Amazon page, it also has an IP69 rating, enabling it to keep out dust and high-pressure liquids.

Size compromise

(Image credit: Elevation Labs)

You might be noticing the elephant in the room here: namely, the TimeCapsule seriously compromises the AirTag’s portability, which is one of its key selling points.

After all, it’s harder to slip a TimeCapsule into your compact flight luggage than a tiny AirTag. And attaching one to your keyring? Forget it. Sure, it’s not obnoxiously large, but it’s still much bigger than a regular AirTag.

Whether that’s a problem depends on how you intend to use it. If you want something that has better weatherproofing than Apple’s AirTag, it might be a good option. Similarly, if you’re not bothered that it takes up a little more room in your bags, you likely won’t be put off by its added bulk. But if you want a small tracker that can fit pretty much anywhere, it’s a little less viable.

The TimeCapsule costs $20 for a single pack (around £15 / AU$32), $30 for two and $40 for four. It can be bought from the Elevation Labs website or from Amazon. With an updated AirTag 2 reportedly on the way, we’ll have to see if battery life is something Apple improves, or if the TimeCapsule continues to hold its own.

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ExpressVPN has expanded its product range by launching a new eSIM for international travel.

The new holiday.com offering provides coverage in over 200 countries, including popular travel destinations such as Singapore, Australia and the United States, with plans starting from $3.50.

eSIMs eliminate the hassle of buying a physical SIM card upon arrival at your destination, with travelers able to opt for regional and global plans if they are traveling to multiple destinations. For example, the global plan offers coverage across 156 countries, starting at $13, and includes 1 GB of data valid for five days.

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"With holiday.com, you’ll have instant connectivity from the moment you step off the plane—without any adjustments or network headaches," Himmat Bains, Product Lead at ExpressVPN said.

ExpressVPN's move follows rival NordVPN's move earlier this year with its launch of Saily, emphasizing the increasing importance of privacy and security for travelers.

“Millions of people worldwide rely on ExpressVPN to keep them safe when they’re online — especially when they’re traveling. So it made sense for us to expand our product line up to help everyone travel with enhanced digital security and convenience," noted CMO of ExpressVPN, Ankit Khemka.

The traditional worries of navigating foreign SIM cards or unreliable data connection abroad are dying down thanks to eSIMs. With eSIMs, travelers find themselves more in control of their connectivity, and can also be more secure for travelers who often rely on untrusted Wi-Fi networks at airports and cafes.

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• The EU could force Apple to allow Android phones to use AirDrop and other exclusive features
• New proposals under the Digital Markets Act also highlight AirPods and Apple Watch features
• Apple has responded citing privacy concerns

A new round of EU proposals have firmly suggested that Apple make its exclusive features available to other developers and phone makers.

Under the proposals, EU residents may not need to buy an iPhone 16 for themselves to use features like AirDrop, AirPlay, and automatic audio switching.

Allowing other companies to use long-exclusive Apple features APIs would mark a significant step up in the EU’s ongoing efforts to loosen Apple’s control of the smartphone market in the region.

An API – Application Programming Interface – is a piece of software that allows two applications to communicate, forming the foundation for features like AirDrop. These exclusive elements of the Apple ecosystem have long been considered major perks of buying an iPhone.

The proposals are the latest suggestions made in relation to the Digital Markets Act, a piece of EU legislation that regulates the activity and competition of online storefronts and tech companies.

Apple has already responded with a paper titled “Interoperability December 2024”, which claims that “abuse” of the DMA could result in the loss of user privacy.

The paper says Meta has made 15 requests for wide-reaching access to Apple device technology, and suggests Apple would be unable to reject these should the latest round of DMA proposals be enforced.

As well as iPhone features, the latest round of suggestions focuses on the exclusive audio and notification features enabled on the Apple Watch and AirPods. The EU has requested that Apple allow third-party accessories the same notification systems as its own products.

As Android Authority reports, the EU has repeatedly demonstrated that it finds that Apple’s market dominance and tightly controlled ecosystem give the company an unfair advantage over the competition.

The suggestions do not seem to be immediately binding, but it is ostensibly within the EU’s purview to use the DMA to enforce them.

My analysis

Apple has previously been seemingly forced to make begrudging concessions under the DMA, such as switching to USB-C with the iPhone 15 and allowing sideloading of apps through unofficial channels – but API access feels like a step too far.

The DMA has been instrumental in puncturing the popular view of tech companies as invincible entities, and shown time and time again that even the top dogs can be compelled to change.

However, if the DMA exists to foster competition, it’s worth remembering that companies need something to compete with. Phones in particular have been on something of a performance plateau that’s only just coming to an end this year, so internal specs are rarely going to be enough to pull customers in.

Exclusive features, like AirDrop and AirPlay, give Apple something to offer. It’s great that Google is so open with Android – I make frequent use of all the interoperability features of the platform when switching between handsets for reviews – but I’m not convinced that this is a precedent Apple should be made to follow.

Furthermore, I’m inclined to believe Apple’s concern for user privacy. The company previously faced down the FBI in order to protect the integrity of its ecosystem, and I’m always pleasantly surprised by privacy features when using my iPad, MacBook, or on the rare occasions I use an iPhone.

Apple has received its fair share of criticism over the years, some earned, some not. But one thing the company has done is work hard to create a singular vision and sense of flow through its ecosystem. If the company is forced to offer its prized exclusive features publicly, I’ll wonder how long it’ll take before we see Android phones with Apple logos printed on the back.

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