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Apple's most budget-friendly earbuds are available for just $50 this Prime Day through Amazon and Target.

The group of state attorney generals accuse TikTok of causing teen mental health problems pointing to dangerous "challenges" and use of beauty filters.

Pro-Ukrainian hackers have delivered an unwelcome birthday message for President Vladimir Putin after an ‘unprecedented’ cyberattack hit Russian state broadcaster VGTRK, which was taken offline by the incident.

Some report have claimed Russia’s court systems were also affected, and court documents and decisions have been wiped.

VGTRK confirmed ‘no significant damage’ was suffered in the attack, but the disruption caused appears to be significant, with VGTRK servers down for an extended period of time, and some reports suggesting servers and backups belonging to the media organization have been wiped.

A proxy war

It’s not yet clear who was behind the attack, but pro-Ukrainian hacking group Sudo rm-RF seemingly took credit, tweeting a happy birthday message to President Putin with screenshots of the compromised systems.

"Who is behind a specific attack will be determined by the competent authorities and departments, but we understand that when the collective West says that it is aiming to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia, this includes an attack on the media," said Maria Zakharova, Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson.

The campaign represents a significant propaganda victory for Ukraine, which has been on the receiving end of a huge 123% jump in Russian cyberattacks in the first half of 2023, and whose critical infrastructure has sustained a huge influx in cybersecurity incidents since the start of the war.

In conjunction with the ground invasion, Russia has utilized its military intelligence units to carry out a series of critical infrastructure attacks to weaken Ukrainian services and damage morale.

Both sides have carried out successful cyber operations, as the digital arena continues to play an important role in the conflict.

Ukraine’s largest mobile network was taken offline, seemingly by Russian threat actors, in 2023, leaving millions without internet or the ability to make calls. In retaliation, Ukrainian backed hacking group took down Moscow based M9 telecoms.

Via The Washington Post

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Samsung has big news for TV buyers. From 2025, it will be unifying all of its product lines, including its best TVs, under the banner of One UI. If you're not familiar with Samsung's Android phones, One UI is its flavor of Android: this design sits on top of the operating system to give every phone a distinctive Samsung personality.

If you are familiar with Samsung's Android phones, though, you may understand why we have distinctly mixed feelings about this announcement.

One UI on Samsung TVs: the good

We have reviewed endless models of Samsung TVs over the years, and while Samsung makes really good televisions we're less enthusiastic about its TV operating system. Tizen.

We've put together an in-depth comparison of the various TV operating systems here, but the short version is that Tizen is the weakest link in Samsung's televisions: it's fine in terms of what it does, but what it does isn't done as quite as nicely or in as user-friendly a way as some of its rival operating systems, especially webOS or Roku.

According to Samsung (via FlatpanelsHD), with the move to One UI you'll get a "cohesive product experience" across your various Samsung devices as well as "software upgrades for seven years".

It's important to note that One UI isn't an operating system but an overlay, so it's entirely likely that it'll sit atop Tizen rather than Samsung switching to Android TV. But whatever's underneath, One UI should deliver a very different and hopefully better TV experience. And it could be very different: Samsung says One UI 7.0 will have a "brand new UX [User Experience] design".

One UI on Samsung TVs: the not so good

We like One UI. We really do. But we don't always like what Samsung does with it. In our reviews of the Samsung Galaxy S24 and Samsung Galaxy S24 FE, we noted that Samsung has a tendency to hide important features and to be a little over-complicated: system settings in particular could be "tough to track down". In our Galaxy S24 review we scored its software just two out of a possible five due to problems that "were starting to feel like laziness" in an operating system that was "pushing me to do more, to buy more, and use more" when we just wanted simplicity.

Hence the mixed feelings. One UI can be great, but Samsung can also make it not-so-great – so while we're absolutely on board with the idea of an improved interface on Samsung TVs, we'll reserve final judgement until we see what Samsung actually delivers.

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The White House says big companies like Amazon, the NHL, and United Airlines are joining the push to prevent overdoses by making naloxone widely available.

(Image credit: Justin Sullivan)

Finally, after 14 years, Rockstar Games has officially confirmed that Red Dead Redemption and its Undead Nightmare expansion will be coming to PC on October 29, 2024.

"For the first time in its storied legacy, John Marston’s beloved journey can be experienced on PC in stunning, new detail, with both Red Dead Redemption and its iconic zombie-horror companion story, Undead Nightmare, arriving to PC on October 29," Rockstar said in its announcement post.

When the game re-releases later this month, in collaboration with Double Eleven, the fan-favorite title will be available on Steam, the Epic Games Store, and the Rockstar Store.

Rockstar has also confirmed that the PC version will feature some significant enhancements including native 4K resolution at up to 144hz on compatible hardware, Ultrawide (21:9) and Super Ultrawide (32:9) monitor support, HDR10 support, and full keyboard and mouse functionality.

Red Dead Redemption on PC will also support NVIDIA DLSS 3.7 and AMD FSR 3.0 upscaling technologies, as well as NVIDIA DLSS Frame Generation, on top of adjustable draw distances, shadow quality settings, and more.

You can take a look at the enhanced PC version in the latest trailer below.

According to the Steam page, the PC version will feature the complete single-player experiences of both games, including bonus content from the Game of the Year Edition. However, it won't feature a multiplayer mode.

Red Dead Redemption first launched in 2010 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 before it eventually made its way to PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch in 2023.

The game's standalone expansion pack, Undead Nightmare, was released originally in October 2010 and added a zombie-themed single-player campaign, along with two multiplayer modes and a bunch of cosmetics.

The downloadable content (DLC), which was also re-released in 2023, is essentially a non-canonical story that follows John Marston as he sets out to find the cause and possible cure for a zombie plague.

The game's PC release was leaked this summer, so it was only a matter of time before Rockstar made an announcement.

Elsewhere, the studio is gearing up to launch perhaps its most anticipated game of all time, Grand Theft Auto 6, which is slated for a Fall 2025 launch on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and Xbox Series S. A PC version has not been confirmed at this time.

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Raspberry Pi owners of all stripes can now purchase branded SD cards optimised for the Pi ecosystem directly from sanctioned resellers, with additional performance enhancements promised for the Pi 5 specifically.

The Raspberry Pi Foundation announced the company has teamed up with OEM card vendor Longsys to ensure the new cards “offer exceptional random read and write throughput” on any and all Pi computers, while support for command queuing (CQ) on the Raspberry PI 5 will push them even further.

Unlocking this additional functionality in the Pi 5’s host controller requires an update to the latest release of Raspberry Pi OS; which does of course mean that users running other Linux distributions are out of luck for the foreseeable future.

Command queuing

CQ-compatible cards can, with the right hardware, take read/write commands in any order from the read/write queue.

The release of the Pi 5 did not initially feature support in its host controller for CQ, which supersedes the legacy SD Host Controller Interface (SDHCI) interface when a compatible card is detected, because of it only previously being available on eMMC devices until a Pi developer decided in 2024 to work on adding the support to Pi OS directly.

While this is good news, the Pi Foundation admit that it’s not quite the speed revolution you might be expecting: “command queuing lets the flash controller hide more of the latency associated with accessing disparate NAND flash pages”, it says, noting that cards are capable of “better throughput” “in theory”.

Pi SD cards

Still, it’s a new product to sell, and the Pi foundation reports that retailers have been instructed to only promote its own cards as well as include them in bundles. At resellers, that appear to be free to price the products with some degree of wiggle room, the new SD cards have been priced around $10/£10 for 32GB and $20/£20 for 64GB.

Other cards may be cheaper, but one that truly adheres to the A2 specification, and allows for command queuing on true A2 cards in Pi 5 computers, may be a worthwhile purchase for those new to the Pi microcomputer or enthusiasts looking to quickly get up and running.

Meanwhile, a brand new, snap-on, durable case made of silicon, the Raspberry Pi Bumper, is now available for the Pi 5. It protects both the Pi “and the surface you’re putting it down on”, and is just $3. The case will also fit the Active Cooler heatsink-and-fan combo for the Pi.

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Google is testing how its large language model can answer questions about sleep, activity and more through Fitbit Labs.

Putting off voter registration to the last possible second won't be a problem for a lot of folks this year.

Mental wellness differs for everyone. Here's how to embrace yours for Mental Illness Awareness Week.

Blood pressure readings are a key to evaluating your risk of cardiovascular disease. But a new study finds that even small missteps in how they are taken can significantly skew the results.

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Apple has unveiled a refreshed iCloud.com. The update introduces a modest range of new features, as well as aesthetic updates to enhance the user experience.

Users can now customize their home page’s background, using a selection of colors, and the site now honors users’ existing dark mode settings.

Navigation within iCloud Photos has been streamlined, for a more efficient browsing experience. The homepage now includes tile options showcasing photo albums more prominently. A calendar icon has been added, enabling users to quickly jump to specific months or years, and adjust the time, date, and location of their photos directly from the info pane.

Apple has also upgraded iCloud Notes. Now – with a right click or Control-click – users can pin important notes to the top of their list for easy access.

iCloud Calendar’s design has been elevated to improve usability, and support for the Hijri calendar has been added. And iCloud Drive now has a Shared View tab, which makes it easy for users to see files that are shared with them.

These improvements are not going to knock anyone’s socks clean off, but they certainly will make users of the site’s lives just that little bit easier - and frankly, some of the changes have been a long time coming. I mean, how does a platform not have dark mode in 2024?

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If you rely on screen recording tools, Apple’s macOS Sequoia 15.1 update could have some good news for you: fewer permission pop-ups. One of Apple’s key goals with Sequoia was to strengthen security and privacy for its users. Unfortunately, these protective measures felt a little too like an overbearing, over-worrying parent. 

Early Sequoia beta testers were effectively being made to reauthorize screen recording apps on a weekly basis, which quickly became irritating for many users. Just before the launch of Sequoia, Apple addressed this by making the requests monthly instead. Now, Apple is reportedly taking it down a further notch.

The reminders serve an important role: ensuring users are aware of the real risks of screen recording – if an app can directly see your screen it can see all sorts of sensitive data. There’s no doubt about the importance of such measures, but when you’ve granted permission to the app already and use it daily, those frequent reminders are a nightmare.

Pop-ups, begone

Previously, the Amnesia app was developed to disable the monthly reminders on an app-by-app basis. Fortunately, Apple now seems to have found a balance between security and convenience. In the latest beta release notes, Apple explains there’s been a change in how macOS handles older content capture tech, which means that trusted apps will trigger fewer interruptions. 

Mind you, this doesn’t mean the prompts will disappear altogether – privacy is still Apple’s top priority – they just won’t be as obnoxious for frequent users of the apps.

If you screen-record daily, you can be slightly less grumpy now, though some users may still want to reserve judgment until they see the update in action when it’s released on October 28. 

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All things must come to an end, and unfortunately Somebody Somewhere season 3 will be the final outing for the beloved HBO Original comedy series. A full trailer has just been released for the new episodes, which will premiere on October 27, with episodes streaming on Max (it's also available on Sky in the UK and Binge in Australia).

One of the best streaming services has consistently impressed with the quality of its shows, and Somebody Somewhere is no exception with its flawless 100% Rotten Tomatoes score, making it one of the best Max shows around. The trailer incorporates that beautiful mix of comedy with some heartfelt moments as we catch up with Sam (Bridget Everett) and co one last time.

Take a look at the trailer below.

What is the plot of Somebody Somewhere season 3?

We've come a long way since season 1, where we first met the grieving Sam, who was mourning the loss of her sister. Isolated and struggling to fit in within her small hometown of Manhattan, Kansas, we met her in a very difficult place. Since then, she has gone on to find a small community of like-minded people who helped her to come out of her shell, and the series focused on some very raw emotions, with some good comedy sprinkled throughout.

Season three will continue and ultimately conclude Sam's journey, as a 40-something trying to find happiness, battling a midlife crisis where she seems to have lost direction. The series was meant to continue for a fourth instalment, but HBO decided to cancel it. Still, the third outing should be a bittersweet one and we're all hoping for a good ending for Sam. She deserves it after all!

Fan-favorite characters are expected to return like Jeff Hiller as Joel, Sam's co-worker and friend who has formed this now iconic duo we know and love, so it should be a very good send off indeed.

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Windows 11 received support for Wi-Fi 7 in the recent 24H2 update, but Microsoft is working to extend functionality with wireless connections further in allowing users to establish 6GHz Wi-Fi hotspots.

Currently, Windows 11 lets you set up a hotspot – to allow other devices to connect to your PC on the Wi-Fi network, and use its internet connection – on the 5GHz or 2.4GHz bands.

But as spotted by leaker PhantomOfEarth on X, there’s now the ability to set up such a hotspot over 6GHz – as brought in with Wi-Fi 6E – albeit this isn’t live in testing yet, not for everyone.

To enable support for 6 GHz mobile hotspot connections on devices with the right hardware and drivers in the latest Dev CUs (started rolling out in .1912), run:vivetool /enable /id:40466470 pic.twitter.com/K5A5bmElA2October 7, 2024

The feature is currently rolling out in the most recent preview builds in the Dev channel, so some testers may have it, and others may not. In the latter case, Windows 11 testers can enable 6GHz support using a Windows configuration utility (ViVeTool), as the leaker mentions.

(Image credit: Shutterstock) Support is required across the board with your hardware

Note that to use this feature when it arrives in Windows 11, you will of course need a PC that supports Wi-Fi 6E, and a router that supports the standard too – plus your connecting devices will need 6GHz support.

The 6GHz band offers benefits above the traditional 5GHz and 2.4GHz bands (in Wi-Fi 6) including faster Wi-Fi speeds and more bandwidth, with less potential for interference in crowded environments (like apartment blocks).

We wouldn’t recommend diving in to install a test build of Windows 11 just to see this feature, mind. While 6GHz support might still be in the early stages of preview, given that not all testers in the Dev channel even have it yet, hopefully it won’t be too long before support debuts in the full version of Windows 11.

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Universal Music Group (UMG), the world’s largest music company, confirmed suffering a cyberattack in which sensitive customer information was stolen.

In a data breach notification letter sent to affected individuals, the company said that it detected unauthorized activity in one of its internal applications in early July 2024. Subsequent investigation determined that the threat actors exfiltrated people’s names and Social Security Numbers.

UMG also filed a form with the Office of the Maine Attorney General, in which it said that the breach affected 680 people, including one resident of Maine.

No evidence of misuse

While the breach definitely sounds limited, compared to some others we’ve seen lately, it is still big enough to result in phishing, or identity theft, which could lead to more dangerous attacks, such as ransomware. At this time, UMG does not believe this is the case:

“While we have found no evidence that your information has been misused, we are informing you of the incident to allow you to take steps to maintain the security of your identity,” the company wrote.

So, the data is yet to be abused somewhere - however, UMG is not taking any chances, and will be offering credit monitoring and identity theft protection through Experian’s IdentityWorks for 24 months, for affected people.

UMG did not share more details about the incident, so we don’t know if this was a ransomware attack in the first place. Usually, ransomware attacks do result in data theft, as well, although in recent times, some groups skip the encryption part and just go for the data. It’s faster and cheaper that way, yet apparently yields the same results.

No threat actors have assumed responsibility for the attack, as well.

Headquartered in the Netherlands, UMG is the world's largest music company, engaged in the recording, publishing, and distribution. It represents a vast catalog of artists and owns several prominent labels, such as Capitol Records, Def Jam, and Republic Records.

Via Infosecurity Magazine

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Yes, Amazon’s second Prime Day, dubbed Prime Big Deal Days, kicked off earlier this morning, but that’s not stopping the online retail giant from dropping new products – specifically limited-edition NFL-themed editions of its Echo Pop smart speaker.

It’s not an entirely new Echo Pop, but you'll be in for a treat if you’re an NFL and football fan, with Echo Pops available sporting the colors and logos of every team in the NFL. So whether, like Taylor Swift, you support the Kansas City Chiefs or you’re loyal to the New York Jets, Seattle Seahawks, Green Bay Packers or any of the 32 NFL teams, Amazon has you covered.

This limited-edition Echo Pop arrives as a bundle of a Glacier White Echo Pop and a custom faceplate and sleeve themed to the NFL team of your choosing. The team graphic will cover the front grille, and the associated colors will be on the side.

(Image credit: Amazon)

So, while it has a new paint job in the form of this sleeve, the rest of this limited-edition Echo Pop will be like the standard Echo Pop. That includes a 1.95-inch front-firing speaker, onboard microphones listening for the “Alexa” wake word, and the ability to function as an Eero mesh Wi-Fi access point. It still packs all of that functionality, including the ability to ask Alexa for updates on your favorite team or players and during game updates.

Considering that you’re getting a standard Echo Pop in Glacier White, as well as the faceplate and sleeve, you will pay a bit more than the standard smart speaker. Amazon’s NFL-themed Echo Pop bundle will cost $59.99 – the standard Echo Pop normally retails for $39.99, but it is currently discounted to just $17.99 for Prime Day, so right now you'll be paying a $42 premium to get a Pop rocking your team's colors.

(Image credit: Amazon)

To kick things off and match this week’s Thursday Night Football game, which is streaming on Amazon Prime Video, Amazon is starting off with San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks-themed Echo Pop bundles. You can order those now, and see them arrive at your doorstep soon. The other 30 teams are up for preorder now, and Amazon is staggering the shipping times.

The Denver Broncos and New Orleans Saints bundle will ship on October 15, with the Minnesota Vikings and Los Angeles Rams following on October 22, the Houston Texans and New York Jets on October 29, the Cincinnati Bengals and Baltimore Ravens on November 5, and the Washington Commanders and Philadelphia Eagles on November 12.

(Image credit: Amazon)

Then, on November 19, 2024, a whole slew of remaining teams will ship, including the Pittsburgh Steelers, Cleveland Browns, Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, New York Giants, Dallas Cowboys, Miami Dolphins, Green Bay Packers, Las Vegas Raiders, Kansas City Chiefs, Atlanta Falcons, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Los Angeles Chargers, New England Patriots, Buffalo Bills, Arizona Cardinals, Indianapolis Colts, Tennessee Titans, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Carolina Panthers.

If your NFL team fandom runs deep, this is a way to show it off with your smart home tech. In our review, which you can read here, we called the Echo Pop “a fun and basic Echo speaker.” And if you aren’t interested in the Echo Pop with this NFL theming, you can always pick one up during Prime Big Deal Days for just $17.99.

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