Many apps process highly sensitive data, but how well do they take care of it? You can quickly set up your own test laboratory for the analysis with our tips.
(Image: Albert Hulm)
Health apps are all the rage, and accordingly many of them are currently seeing the light of smartphone displays. However, there are always reports of spectacular security gaps in such and many other apps or the associated infrastructure. Those who do not want to blindly rely on the skills of the developers can check for themselves how secure an Android app is. Assuming some basic knowledge and the right tools, interesting insights are not far.
Even if you do not have a 1337 H4x0r, you can do something with this article. Previous knowledge of Android, Linux and Java is helpful, but an interest and willingness to learn is much more important. As is known, the best hacking tool is a good search engine. This article shows you basic ways to tackle an Android app. There are also tips and tricks from the practice of a penetration tester.
You first need a PC with an operating system of your choice – am best a Linux so you can play through this article in full. However, most tools also work on Windows and macOS. You also need an Android smartphone that can run the app you’re targeting. A reasonably current Android version should be installed on it: at least version 7.0 (Nougat), better 8.0 (Oreo) or newer. It is advisable to use a smartphone for such experiments that you do not depend on in everyday life.
Access to all contents of heise + exclusive tests , Advice & background: independent, critically sound c’t, iX, Technology Review, Mac & i, Make, c’t read photography directly in the browser register once – read on all devices – can be canceled monthly first month free, thereafter monthly 9, 95 € Weekly newsletter with personal reading recommendations from the editor-in-chief Start FREE month Start your FREE month now heise + already subscribed?
Sign in and read Register now and read the article immediately More information about heise +
Using the California Contact Tracking System, which was released on 10. It was launched on December 31st, almost half of all US citizens now have access to such an app. The services warn you if you have been around someone with Covid – 19 for too long. The Pandemic Technology Project is monitoring the apps as part of the Covid Tracing Tracker program, which tracks the development of contact tracking apps in the US and around the world.
The current apps are currently being used in 19 states and in Washington DC , Guam and Puerto Rico. A handful of other states are either in a pilot phase or have announced that they will consider smartphone-based exposure notifications.
The US is behind other countries As in several other US states that use the system developed by Google and Apple, the Californian app is also embedded in the operating system of newer iPhones: You just have to switch it on in the settings menu. Android users, on the other hand, have to download software, even if that is about to change.
Can these apps help? At the start of the pandemic, they were advertised to curb transmissions. Countries like Singapore and Australia started their services in the spring. In the absence of a coordinated national effort, the US states created a patchwork of systems that became available at different times and did not necessarily work across local borders.
Personal Protection The first batch of US apps came out in August, several months after those in other parts of the world. They are only now arriving in some areas where the disease is already widespread. In California, the most populous state in the United States, there are more and more cases, and many people are in lockdown.
According to many experts, it is already too late for the apps to broadcast could reduce drastically. However, the software is useful for another purpose, and that is to keep people personally safe and to know when to test them. When the vaccinations start and the cases drop again, experts say the apps will become important too.
No wonder weapon “On the individual level, it is more important today than three months ago because there is much more viral material circulating in the community than it was three months ago, ”said Rajeev Venkayya, who launched the United States’ first national strategy for pandemic preparedness in the year 2005 wrote.
Julie Samuels, head of the task force that developed the app for New York State, puts it this way: “In American society, people are really looking for a silver bullet , so for the one solution that Covid – 19 can stop. “But the right way to think about the app is that it is another protective layer. “If it just keeps one more person from getting infected, isn’t it worth it?”
The original version of this article was made as part of the “Pandemic Technology Project” of the Rockefeller Foundation under supports.
Hardkernel, the makers behind the Odroid SBC, have announced their latest portable gaming console which cosmetically upgrades their Odroid-Go Advance (OGA) handheld from 2019 to something much larger, the Odroid-Go Super (OGS) which promises a larger, higher resolution screen, greater battery capacity and a second analog control stick.
Image 1 of 5
(Image credit: Hardkernel)
Image 2 of 5
(Image credit: Hardkernel)
Image 3 of 5
(Image credit: Hardkernel)
Image 4 of 5
(Image credit: Hardkernel)
Image 5 of 5
(Image credit: Hardkernel)
System on Chip
Rockchip RK3326 quad-core Arm Cortex-A35 1.35 GHz processor with Mali-G31 MP2 GPU
RAM
1GB DDR3L
Storage
16MB SPI Flash, push-push Micro SD Card slot
Display
5-inch 854×480 TFT LCD
Audio
3.5mm earphone stereo jack, Onboard Mono Speaker
USB
1x USB 2.0 host port
Battery
4,000mAh Li-Polymer battery
The Odroid-Go Super provides a larger, five inch, 854 x 480 tempered glass display and a 4000mAh battery. Both of these are upgrades over the Odroid-Go Advance’s 3.5 inch, 480 x 320 display and 3000mAh battery.
Under the hood, the OGS has the same system-on-chip, a Rockchip quad-core Arm Cortex A35 running at 1.35 GHz and a Mali-G31 MP2 GPU and 1GB of DDR3L RAM. A push-push micro SD card slot provides a means from which we can boot the Ubuntu 20.04 based operating system with the popular EmulationStation retro gaming interface. The unit is capable of emulating consoles, computers and arcade cabinets up to Playstation Portable (PSP) era.
Odroid-Go Super is due for release in late January 2021 for around $80 and it comes in grey or a retro clear case. Community developers are receiving their units in the next week.
During its typically slick, but untypically pre-recorded, WWDC 2020 keynote briefing in June, Apple announced something that really piqued our interest: spatial audio.
Basically Apple’s take on Dolby Atmos for Headphones and Sony’s upcoming PS5 3D Audio, spatial audio is designed to deliver surround sound and 3D audio via your headphones – specifically your Apple AirPods Pro and AirPods Max headphones. The feature arrived as part of iOS 14 in September.
So how do you get Apple spatial audio? What devices do you need? And what other upgrades are included in the latest iOS 14 update? Answers to those questions and more are just a short scroll away.
Apple AirPods Max review
What is Apple spatial audio?
(Image credit: Apple)
Apple spatial audio takes 5.1, 7.1 and Dolby Atmos signals and applies directional audio filters, adjusting the frequencies that each ear hears so that sounds can be placed virtually anywhere in 3D space. Sounds will appear to be coming from in front of you, from the sides, the rear and even above. The idea is to recreate the audio experience of a cinema.
This is not the first technology of its type. Dolby Atmos for Headphones has been around for some time now, while Sony has its 360 Reality Audio format for music, delivers 3D audio in some PS4 games via its Platinum Wireless Headset, and has gone big on 3D audio for the PS5.
Apple’s spatial audio has a unique feature, though: it not only tracks your head movement using accelerometers and gyroscopes in the AirPods Pro and AirPods Max in order to position the sound accurately, it also tracks the position of the iPhone or iPad that you’re watching on, so that sound is also placed relative to the screen. This means that even if you turn your head or reposition your device, dialogue will still be anchored to the actor on the screen.
Apple has apparently been working on spatial audio for years and it was always part of the plan for the AirPods Pro earbuds – that’s why they’ve got gyroscopes (which were never previously mentioned, by the way).
Apple AirPods 3: price, design, release date, leaks and news
How do you get Apple spatial audio?
Apple AirPods Pro (Image credit: Future)
Apple spatial audio comes as part of the newly released firmware update for the AirPods Pro. You’ll also need the new iOS 14 or iPadOS 14, which is now available. All of these updates are free of charge.
The next-gen Apple operating system is available to all iPhones from the iPhone 6S onwards, and iPadOS 14 works on every iPad since, and including, the iPad Air 2. Does this mean that all of these devices will also support spatial audio? Unfortunately not. Here’s the full list of devices that can handle spatial audio:
iPhone 7 or later
iPad Pro 12.9‑inch (3rd generation) and later
iPad Pro 11‑inch
iPad Air (3rd generation)
iPad (6th generation) and later
iPad mini (5th generation)
It’s also worth noting that Dolby Atmos is only available on Apple devices launched since 2018. While you don’t need Atmos for spatial audio, the two working together will likely produce the best results.
On the software side of things, as long as an app supports 5.1, 7.1 and/or Atmos, it will work with spatial audio. That already includes apps such as Vudu, HBO Go, Hulu and Amazon Prime Video. Netflix does not currently support surround content via iOS devices, but stereo content can also be converted to spatial audio. All a developer needs to do is allow stereo spatialisation via an Apple plug-in.
Once you’ve updated your device and the AirPods Pros/AirPods Max, spatial audio will be automatically enabled. To check, open Settings on your iOS device, tap on Bluetooth, and then tap on the ‘i’ icon next to your AirPods Pros in the list of Bluetooth devices. If the icon next to Spatial Audio is green, it’s enabled. There’s also a neat little demo of the tech included just below this.
(Image credit: Future)
To test it out, fire up a supported video (See on Apple TV+ is a good example), open up your device’s Command Centre by swiping down from the top-right corner of the screen, then press and hold the AirPods Pro volume icon. On the page that opens you will see a Spatial Audio icon. A bright blue icon indicates that Spatial Audio is enabled, but if the sound waves are static it’s not supported by the content you’re watching. If the waves are pulsing, Spatial Audio is enabled and working. You can tap the icon to turn it off and experience the difference it makes.
Apple unveils new iPad, iPad Air, plus Apple Watch SE and Series 6
Apple AirPods Max (Image credit: Apple)
Is Apple spatial audio any good?
Having given spatial audio an initial whirl with the AirPods Pro and a more thorough one since during our AirPods Max testing, we’re certainly impressed.
The way the audio is tied to the screen is incredibly effective and the extra openness and spaciousness to the sound makes for a much more cinematic and engaging experience. There appears to be a slight drop off in terms of directness and punch, but it’s not huge and, broadly speaking, spatial audio so far appears to be a very worthwhile upgrade.
To quote our AirPods Max review, “All told, the effect is superb. The whole presentation is very open, spacious and convincing, and the tracking is amazingly smooth and accurate as you move your head.
“The opening of Gravity is recreated brilliantly by the AirPods Max. The placement of the various voices coming through the radio is brilliantly precise and convincing, there’s excellent weight to the dull thumps against the satellite and the heavy bass notes of the soundtrack, superb all-round clarity, and excellent dynamics as the peaceful scene turns threatening and then catastrophic. It’s easy to forget that you’re listening using headphones, such is the spaciousness of the delivery. It’s terrifically cinematic.
“Simply put, combining an iPad with a pair of AirPods Max headphones gets you the most convincing portable cinema experience that we can think of.”
Will music be available in spatial audio?
(Image credit: Apple)
There’s no reason that this stereo spatialisation can’t be added to the many music apps available on iPhone and iPad, but there have been no announcements on that front yet.
One suspects that now Apple has the technology, it may well look to add music with full-fat spatial audio to its own Apple Music service but, again, that’s not been officially announced.
Apple One bundles Apple TV+, Apple Music and more into single subscription
What about spatial audio gaming?
There’s no reason that other apps can’t also benefit from spatial audio, and we’d be amazed if it’s not picked up very quickly by game developers. Again, there’s nothing official on that yet.
We do know, though, that the movement data provided by the AirPods Pros will be made available to app developers, and that could open up some interesting opportunities such as head-tracking in games and more accurate sensing of movement for fitness apps.
What about spatial audio on Apple TV 4K?
(Image credit: Apple)
Here’s something of a surprise: despite having also had a software update (to tvOS 14), the Apple TV 4K does not currently support spatial audio. That seems odd to us. True, AirPods are more often connected to a portable device than an Apple TV, but spatial audio seems a perfect way for those people without a surround sound system to get a taste of cinema-style sound while watching on their lounge TV.
Apple’s not explained why the Apple TV 4K isn’t getting spatial audio. We had wondered if it was a power issue, but the A10X chip in the Apple TV 4K has more grunt than the standard A10 chip in the iPhone 7, which does support spatial audio, so that can’t be it. Perhaps it needs to be implemented in a different way for Apple TV 4K and will come later, or perhaps Apple has decided to save this feature for the next Apple TV. After all, it’s rumoured that the next-gen Apple TV, expected to arrive in 2021, will be more gaming-focused. Only time will tell.
What other new features are in the AirPods update?
(Image credit: Apple)
Spatial audio isn’t the only new feature included in the AirPods autumn update.
Automatic switching between Apple devices is also part of the package, so you no longer need to manually connect your headphones when turning your attention to a second device. Let’s say you’ve just stopped listening to a podcast on your iPhone and you open Netflix on your iPad – the audio coming from the AirPods is going to automatically switch to what’s coming out of the iPad. Switch to your MacBook for a FaceTime call and it will automatically switch again. An incoming phone call will always take precedence.
Low battery notifications are here now too, with a pop-up notification appearing on your iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch to tell you when it’s time to charge.
Audio sharing, which already allows two people to connect their headphones to a single iPhone or iPad, has been expanded to work with Apple TV 4K. Each listener gets independent volume control, which is rather cool.
Finally, there’s something called ‘Headphone Accommodations’, which allows audio to be adjusted to account for hearing differences. This involves going through a guided listening experience that will help select an audio profile that’s tailored to your specific needs. Interestingly, this profile also works in Transparency mode, so can boost the sounds around you as well as those coming from your device.
Best of all, these other new features are available on more headphones than just the AirPods Pros. Automatic switching is available on the 2nd Gen AirPods and the Beats Powerbeats, Powerbeats Pro and Solo Pro. Headphone Accommodations work with all of those models and the standard EarPods that come bundled with new iPhones. Sharing audio, meanwhile, works with all versions of the AirPods and all Beats headphones that have the Apple W1 or H1 chip inside.
The US company recently released the complete list of smartphones that will receive the latest version of Android. They are 23 devices, including a Lenovo also appears. In the article the complete list
of Lorenzo Tirotta published 22 December 2020 , at 17: 01 in the Telephony channel motorcycles Motorola
Motorola is ready to receive the pending version Android 11 on its smartphones. The US giant published yesterday, the official list of devices who will receive the latest version of Android . The list shows 23 smartphone belonging mainly to the flagship series such as Razr and Edge, at the bottom of the list we also find a Lenovo smartphone. are excluded from the update all the entries- level of the moto family e.
Here is the complete list of Motorola smartphones ready to receive Android 11
motorola razr 5G
motorola razr 2019
motorola board
motorola board +
motorola one 5G
motorola one action¹
motorola one fusion
motorola one fusion +
motorola uno iper
motorola a vision
moto g 5G
moto g 5G plus
fast g motion
moto g power
moto g pro
moto g stylus
moto g9
moto g9 play
moto g9 plus
moto g9 power
moto g8
moto g8 power
Lenovo Note K 12
“The Android OS update 11 is expected to be rolled out to these Motorola smartphones starting in the next few months, pending partner support. “ Motorola stated in the official report .
Motorola has left a further important communication to be taken into consideration with a final note :
“The information contained herein is provided for informational purposes only and is intended to describe Motorola Mobility’s current plans for potential upgrades or upgrades to operating systems on its Android devices and is , therefore, subject to change. The information disclosed does not constitute a commitment or obligation to provide any product, product feature, software update or functionality, and Motorola Mobility reserves the right to change the content and timing of any product, feature product or software version. The software features and features provided by a specific version of the Android operating system may vary depending on the device and the manufacturer. ”
Microsoft has fixed a bug that some Windows – – installations in the versions 20 H2 and 2004 affected and by the cumulative update KB 4592438 of December 8th 2020. Users who run the command line “chkdsk / f” reported that this operation corrupted the file system. In some cases, the systems could not be started afterwards.
The Windows on-board tool chkdsk is actually supposed to contain errors in the file system and bad hard disk sectors track down and repair. In the current case, the file system repair initiated by “chkdsk / f” apparently had the opposite effect. Microsoft has documented the problem in the support article for KB 4592438 in the section “Known issues in this update”.
Error correction and troubleshooting As can be seen from an addendum in the support article, Microsoft has now got the problem on “unmanaged” devices – those that are not updated in a company network via WSUS or SCCM – remotely remedied. It could take up to 24 hours for the changes to take effect; a restart might speed up the process.
How the remote correction works without a new update package is not clear from the article; A change in a registry entry by Microsoft is conceivable. For managed devices in corporate environments, however, a special group policy is available that must be downloaded and configured manually.
For devices whose Windows 10 no longer start due to damage caused by “chkdsk / f”, Microsoft provides step-by-step instructions for solving the problem in the “Known Issues” section. In summary, it is recommended that users start the command line via the repair environment that opens automatically after several boot attempts, restart a “chkdsk / f” process and then try a restart after entering “exit”. If the recovery selection opens again, a new “exit” should lead back to the operating system.
Repair hard drive – you can do that (heise tips + tricks) (ovw)
Dell’s Wyse ThinOS operating system is vulnerable and endangers series computers. The two gaps are considered ” critical “. After successful attacks, attackers could completely compromise clients.
The security holes (CVE – 2020 – 29491, CVE – 2020 – 29492) have the highest possible CVSS Base Score 10 of 10 classified. They affect all versions of Wyse ThinOS up to and including 8.6. Dell issues a warning that the issue 8.6 MR8 is secured. The computer manufacturer also lists the affected models there.
In a contribution by the discoverers of the gaps in CyberMDX, the security researchers explain what possible attacks could look like. Devices of the Wyse Thin series are compact PCs as virtual desktop solutions that connect to a high-performance server for demanding computing tasks and thus carry out calculations.
The security problem Admins can also manage Wyse thin clients globally over the network – and this is where the security problem lies. A local FTP server is used as standard for remote administration, which provides firmware updates and configuration files, among other things.
This is problematic that the access succeeds without entering log-in data. The firmware files are signed, but this is not the case with INI configuration files. To make matters worse, a certain INI file is writable so that anyone in the network could manipulate this file.
In this way, attackers could manipulate files with comparatively little effort to gain control over clients the security researchers warn.
I would like to thank Corsair for supplying the review sample.
The Corsair TBT100 Thunderbolt dock in many ways reminds us of the Elgato Thunderbolt 3 docks, but offers a different set of I/O. Corsair acquired Elgato a while back, so the TBT100 is a result of having that knowledge and expertise in-house now as well. The Corsair TBT100 is a bit more compact than the Elgato Thunderbolt 3 Pro dock and comes in at a much lower price point to boot.
Packaging, Contents and A Closer Look
A yellow box will certainly draw your attention on a retailer’s shelf, with an image of the device on front and two further shots of it on the rear for you to clearly see which connectivity the unit provides. There is another, inner package you have to pull out, inside of which the device and all its accessories are stored neatly.
Corsair ships the unit with a passive Thunderbolt 3 cable alongside the power cable. As the TBT100 also offers power delivery via Thunderbolt, you will find an external 100 W unit to provide it. That means you no longer have to use your laptop’s power adapter—it will all be done through a single cable.
A warranty guide and basic manual round out the extras within the package.
As previously mentioned, the Corsair TBT100 feels a bit more compact than the Elgato units and comes with an edgier design as well. The housing is made out of metal and sports a similar “gunmetal gray” color tone as those found on Apple notebooks, so the unit should match nicely on your desktop in such a scenario. On the scale, we can see that the TBT100 is rather hefty, weighing 430 grams.
Looking at the front, you will find a power switch alongside a USB-C 10 Gbps connector, SD card reader, and 3.5 mm audio-combo port. In the rear, where the bulk of I/O is located, are two USB 3.0 Type A, a Gigabit Ethernet, another USB-C 10 Gbps, two 4K@60Hz capable HDMI ports, and the Thunderbolt 3 port to interface with the host system. To the very right is the power port and a hole to secure the TBT100 with a Kensington lock.
Inner Workings
There is no need for you to take apart the device as it is essentially plug and play, but for the sake of this article, we have disassembled it to show you the insides. The metal casing holds both the PCB and a metal heatspreader, which comes with a few thermal pads to keep things cool enough even when utilizing all the ports. The PCB is clearly Corsair branded and extremely clean, with most of the ICs on the top of the multi-layered PCB.
At the core of the device is the Intel JHL 7440 Thunderbolt IC, which offers a dual-port configuration with a TDP of 2.4 W and DisplayPort 1.4 support even though the TBT100 does not offer such an interface. Right next to it is the Texas Instruments TPS65983BA power delivery IC, so you may charge your notebook by passing electricity from the external PSU through the TBT100 and its Thunderbolt 3 interface.
In the center of the PCB is the VLI VL822-Q8 USB 3.1 controller which also supports vendor specific charging via USB profiles, like those from Apple and Samsung.
The VLI VL817 Q7 USB 3.1 Gen1 hub controller ensures the TBT100 has all those aforementioned Type-A ports with modern interface speeds. Next to that is the Realtek ALC4050, which is a USB-C to audio jack interface DAC, so you can plug your classic headphones straight into the TBT100.
The Realtek RTL8153B—you may have guessed it—offers the 10/100/1000 Mbps Ethernet interface by translating it to USB on the internal side. In essence, it is the sort of IC you would find in a modern USB-C to Ethernet dongle as well. Close to the physical port itself, Corsair employs a GST5009M LF discrete LAN magnetics IC, which allows for long-haul connectivity and offers quite a few additional features, like POE. It is great to see, and I welcome this amount of over-kill.
Remember that the Intel Thunderbolt IC can handle DisplayPort? Because the TBT100 utilizes HDMI, there are two ITE IT6563FN DP receiver to HDMI transmitter ICs, one for each port, at the back of the device.
The GL3232S is a USB 3.1 Gen1 memory card controller with UHS-I interface support, so you can throw pretty much any modern SD card at it without issue.
Lastly, there is another smaller IC on the other end of the PCB, which I was unable to identify fully, but it could have something to do with the power button and its LED.
Software
While the Corsair TBT100 works right out of the box without any software applications, you may also download an app to make ejecting/disconnecting devices easier. It shows up as a little Corsair logo in the status bar on Mac OS and literally only offers the option “Unplug Thunderbolt Dock.” This way, you won’t have to worry about having to disconnect every attached device within your operating system, but can do so in a controlled and automated fashion, in one fell swoop before pulling the cable out of your notebook, for example. Within the simple application, you may set it to start automatically as well.
Up and Running
Using the Corsair TBT100 is incredibly easy, which is the essential point really. The single Thunderbolt 3 cable connects to the notebook and immediately starts charging it as needed as well. The power button lights up with a tiny white LED as soon as turned on and operational, so you will always know about the state of the unit by looking at it. The SD card reader holds the card securely, and since it is soldered to the top of the PCB, you don’t need to flip the card over to slide it in. Any of the rear ports instantly work as soon as you plug anything in, be it an HDMI monitor, Ethernet cable, or a USB storage device.
Once in place, the Corsair TBT100 will quickly become an essential part of your desktop environment, especially if you are using a notebook as the brains of your setup. In my scenario, I am utilized the unit for this review with an HDMI-based 27″ 1440P monitor, one USB-C based NVMe drive, one USB-A-based Time Capsule 2.5″ spinning storage unit, and the USB 3.0 hub of the monitor via the second USB-A connector, as well as the SD-Card reader to pull pictures onto the notebook. Lastly, the audio port turned out to be extremely useful, allowing me to keep a headset attached at all times for my “work from home” setup for quick and functional Microsoft Teams chats, or even audio when watching Netflix or playing games in Bootcamp using my Razer eGPU.
With all that and proper charging of the 13″ Macbook Pro, all I had to worry about was a single Thunderbolt cable so that my actual charging adapter stays inside my notebook bag when I am on the go. So while the $230 (MSRP $259) for the Corsair TBT100 is quite the investment, it is absolutely worth it for elaborate setups like this.
Troubleshooting your system is usually supposed to help solve your problems instead of introducing new issues, but according to reports from some Windows users, the operating system is currently breaking their SSDs and causing blue screens after running its Check Disk Utility.
While Windows does a decent job maintaining disks on its own nowadays, “chkdsk” is a command that tech-savvy users will be plenty familiar with. It’s still useful if you need to repair your storage, but for now, you’ll probably want to avoid using the command.
A thread from German tech forum Planet3DNow, which has been reported on by both Hot Hardware and Windows Latest, points to a forum admin whose SSD file system broke after running chkdsk’s /f parameter on their C drive.
“This is not an isolated case,” the admin writes (via Google translate). “It is also not due to the hardware used by the PCs, because it can also be reproduced in a VM on a completely different system.”
The admin said that the vulnerability appeared after updating to the December 2020 version of Windows 10 64-bit. Other users confirmed that they faced the same issue. Those encountering the bug said that the blue screen error they encountered displayed “NTFS_FILE_SYSTEM,” which renders the system unable to boot.
A Windows Feedback Hub user expressed similar problems, saying “I was doing routine maintenance on my PC, I ran chkdsk c: /f from an elevated PowerShell console and restarted my PC. It seemed to work normally, but after the chkdsk ran, my PC restarted again, then tried to run another chkdsk and failed, then tried to diagnose startup problems and failed and then started the recovery screen.”
Thankfully, Microsoft has acknowledged the issue, but its fix oddly predates these user reports.
The company said in its December 8th updates that “This issue is resolved and should now be prevented automatically on non-managed devices.” However, given that the user reports are only now starting to come in, it’s clear that chkdsk might still be dangerous for some. If you haven’t run across the issue yet, Microsoft suggests restarting your device to help apply the fix.
If you have encountered the problem, Microsoft also posted the following guide to fix your machine:
“1. The device should automatically start up into the Recovery Console after failing to start up a few times.
2. Select Advanced options.
3. Select Command Prompt from the list of actions.
4. Once Command Prompt opens, type: chkdsk /f
5. Allow chkdsk to complete the scan, this can take a little while. Once it has completed, type: exit
6. The device should now start up as expected. If it restarts into Recovery Console, select Exit and continue to Windows 10.
Note After completing these steps, the device might automatically run chkdsk again on restart. It should start up as expected once it has completed.”
Given that the original German forum thread was posted on the 18th, we’d suggest restarting your PC if you haven’t since the 8th, and then still being cautious about running the chkdsk command for a while.
The Corona Warning App (CWA), which was or is being developed by SAP and Deutsche Telekom on behalf of the Federal Government, is known to need Google Play Services on Android in order to function. This means that an estimated several million people in Germany cannot install the CWA because their smartphone does not meet this requirement.
This is But not only about people for whom their privacy is particularly important and who have therefore removed all Google services from Android, but also, for example, all customers of the Chinese manufacturer Huawei who do not use Google’s services due to legal requirements of the US government may. In order to solve this problem, a group of developers around the app developer cosee GmbH from Darmstadt is developing the open source app CoraLibre – a fork of the official CWA that is supposed to run on Android phones without Google.
No contact tracing without Play Services Shortly after the presentation of the Contact Tracing API developed together with Apple, Google promised to take care of it that it will eventually get by without Play Services, but that doesn’t seem to have a high priority. The group does not even respond to corresponding inquiries on this topic. So it seems to be up to the open source developers to ensure that more people can use the Android version of the CWA. And that’s no small task. In an interview with heise online , the cosee developers explained to us exactly how the Corona warning app works without Google.
Google has therefore integrated its implementation of the Contact Tracing API into the Play Services in order to be able to update this component of the operating system outside of the normal operating system updates. As it is well known, a significant proportion of all Android devices receive updates very late or not at all, so this makes sense for now. However, this means for the CoraLibre developers that they have to implement the Google / Apple API from scratch. And that’s not all. Because Play Services are also responsible for background activities for Android apps, they also had to develop their own mechanism to keep their app active in the background. This was a problem with very early contact tracing apps, such as those from TraceTogether from Singapore, which had to run in the foreground in order to work and were therefore considered to be quite ineffective in real-life situations. The cosee developers solve this with a notification in the status bar of Android, which is supposed to keep the background process for exchanging the Bluetooth data alive.
The CoraLibre project consists of two separate parts: An SDK, which represents the implementation of the Contact Tracing API, and the actual application. The application is a fork of the CWA, which modifies the code from the upstream project by SAP and Telekom so that it works with the CoraLibre SDK. The CoraLibre developers had first tried to bring their code directly upstream in the CWA project, but submitted topics were put on the back burner because the CWA developers were under time pressure. Accordingly, they now operate their own fork, whose code they want to change as little as possible. According to their own statements, they communicate corresponding modifications back to the upstream developers as early as possible. The aim of the CoraLibre project is to have an app in the end that works as exactly as possible like the official app of the federal government, only on Android devices without Play Services.
Millions of Germans are left out The app could potentially involve millions more citizens in contact tracing. Since politicians and experts repeatedly emphasize how important it is – especially now with the daily rapidly increasing positive SARS-CoV-2 tests in the population and the associated overload of the health authorities – that as many citizens as possible use mobile contact tracing to participate, that seems to be a worthwhile goal. Above all, segments of the population could be reached that have not been involved in digital contact tracing to a large extent.
So far, CoraLibre is still not ready for everyday use and is only available as a test version that has to be installed manually and should only be used on test devices. However, the developers hope to be able to publish a version of the app in Google’s Play Store in the next few weeks. The project is partially funded by public funds, including from the Hessian state government. However, the cosee employees are also very happy to receive support from other open source developers. Interested parties who have experience with Android development can participate in the development of the app on GitHub.
The Tape Archiver is the mother of all packers and standard on the command line. An introduction to the powerful and at the same time inconspicuous tool.
(Image: Michael Plura)
Introduction to tar: Packing and unpacking data cleverly on the command line First steps with tar Search archives Unpack archives Compress archives Deletion, backups and a packer alternative Software and extensive documents of any kind are usually available for download as a compressed package. A click in the web browser is all it takes to move the package to the download folder. Double-click in the file manager or right-click and “unzip here” to access its content. Even a packed zip archive can be created without much effort: Mark all the required files and directories, right-click again and “compress” in most cases already leads to the desired result.
However, these simple methods fail when it comes to special use cases or even packing in scripts – be it for automatic backups carried out regularly via cron or the provision of generated data on a web server. The classic Unix packer tar is available for this in the GNU / Linux or FreeBSD terminal. This has a big advantage: it is available for almost every operating system and it behaves almost identically everywhere. tar itself cannot compress, which sounds impractical at first, but has advantages because tar works with all common external packers. So tar is first and foremost a sophisticated tool for combining and packing files and directories. Via simple options like z or j tar then uses the compressor of choice such as gzip, bzip2, xz or almost any other data squeezer to evaporate either quickly and moderately or slowly and extremely.
This article shows the basic handling of tar and the common compressors in the terminal under the BSDs and GNU / Linux. macOS behaves like FreeBSD, OpenBSD, and NetBSD thanks to the FreeBSD userland. Under Windows 10 there are different implementations like bsdtar or gzip. We also present tricks and tips that simplify daily work with archives.
Access to all contents of heise + exclusive tests, advice & background information : independent, critically founded c’t, iX, Technology Review , Mac & i, Make, c’t Read photography directly in the browser register once – read on all devices – can be canceled monthly first Month free, then monthly 9, 95 € Weekly newsletter with personal reading recommendations from the editor-in-chief Start FREE month Start your FREE month now heise + already subscribed?
Sign in and read Register now and read the article immediately More information about heise + Introduction to tar: Packing and unpacking data cleverly on the command line First steps with tar Search archives Unpack archives Compress archives Deletion, backups and a packer alternative
On some smartphones with outdated operating systems, WhatsApp will no longer work or at least in its most recent features or updates. The reason is soon said but which are the smartphones that will not stand it anymore? Here they are!
by Bruno Mucciarelli published 20 December 2020 , at 12: 31 in the Telephony channel WhatsApp
WhatsApp continues to claim victims among supported smartphones and will do so even during the next year . Unfortunately the high number of innovations that the company is implementing on the platform does not allow all smartphones to guarantee adequate performance and this therefore blocks application support at its latest update. After the end of support on Windows Phones, WhatsApp will cease to work on other devices still in use by fewer users. For security reasons, in fact, it is necessary to unplug the obsolete platforms and no longer supported by the respective manufacturers.
We know well WhatsApp as an instant messaging service from over 1.5 billion users : it is the most used in the Western world and since 2014 belongs to Facebook (the acquisition at the time caused a sensation for the figure of 16 billions paid by the colossus of Zuckerberg). Together with Instagram (bought in 2012 from Facebook) it is part of the family of applications of the Facebook brand, to which also Facebook and Facebook Messenger belong.
WhatsApp: here are the devices no longer supported
But on which smartphones it will no longer be able to be updated WhatsApp and therefore on which devices it will no longer be possible to have the security and all the features? The list sees all iPhones that cannot pass the iOS 9 update (therefore iPhone 4 or earlier models) while as regards Android, in this case the smartphones no longer supported are those with the version of Android prior to 4.0.3 . We are talking, however, of decidedly obsolete releases with a few years on their shoulders, fortunately, and therefore for a lower percentage.
WhatsApp is no longer available for smartphones:
Android with version 4.0.3 or earlier
iPhone with version of iOS 9 or earlier
Nokia S 40 and S 60
Smartphone with Windows Phone
Smartphone with BlackBerry OS
Smartphone with BlackBerry 10
To understand which type version of the operating system you own will be enough from your smartphone on the Settings. In particular:
Android: Settings -> System -> About and you will find the Android version
iOS: Settings -> General -> Info / Software update and you will find the iOS version
WhatsApp won’t work anymore, what to do?
Who wants to continue using WhatsApp and has one of the terminals indicated above must necessarily change the terminal , both because of the restrictions that will be activated, and because it would also be appropriate to do so in terms of security of your data. For those still on Windows Phone 8.1 or Windows 10 Mobile the advice is of course to switch to an updated iOS or Android terminal.
The digital certificate is a way to verify your identity, This certification is issued by the Fábrica Nacional de Moneda y Timbre or its acronym FNMT which is granted to natural persons to expedite certain administrative procedures, with the possibility of carrying out these electronically from the electronic headquarters of most public organizations and entities, that is why we are going to tell you step by step the two ways that there are to obtain the digital certificate of the FNMT .
With the digital certificate we can carry out multiple procedures , among others:
Payment of taxes
Resources and claims
Census data
Register data
Fines management
T procedures for applying for grants
Signature of documents
Actions reported
Consultation of the place of vote
And it is useful in many organizations such as the Cadastre, Banco de Spain, Ministries, Social Security, procedures with your autonomous community or your city council among others , thanks to the digital certificate we will be able to carry out these procedures in these and other organizations without having to travel, which translates into a great comfort , since you can present it from home, any day and at any time.
To get the digital certificate from the FNMT you have two options , you can request it through the FNMT software or using the DNIe 3.0 , although in both cases the FNMT software must be installed, the difference is that using DNIe it will not be necessary to go to one of the offices accreditation of the FNMT .
How to get the digital certificate from the FNMT software
As we have seen, there are two ways to obtain the certificate, either with a DNIe, for which we will need a reader and have the DNIe updated, or from the FNMT software; which requires going in person once to accredit us for the request.
It is very important not to make any changes to the equipment since the request is made. digital certificate until we download it , this includes any hardware modification or update of programs or operating system, it is necessary to download it with the same browser that is requested and using the same computer and user.
Obtain the certificate using the FNMT software
First we will have to configure our computer to obtain the certificate, for this we must install software that will help us to request the certificate for later and once accredited to be able to download it.
We entered the FNMT website to download the software that will generate the keys that will allow us to request the certificate later. Download the appropriate one for your operating system, it is available for Windows and Linux in versions of 32 and 64 bits and for macOS.
Once downloaded we install it by double clicking on the downloaded file and the FNMT software installation wizard will open, follow the instructions to install it.
If we do not have self-signature installed, at the end of the installation we you will remember that we must install it, we can download it from here.
Self-signature is compressed in Zip, to decompress it you can use one of the decompressing programs that we teach you in this guide, already decompressed, All you have to do is double click to install it, we follow the steps to finish the installation by clicking next and accept at the end. We must have the browsers closed to complete the installation.
Now we can enter the section to request the FNMT certificate, we fill in the data as requested , we accept the conditions and click on send request , if everything is correct it will ask us to open the configuration of the FNMT application and we will have to protect it with a password, the same that will be used to download it, the application will tell us that it has sent us an email with the request code.
Now we will have to attend one of the accreditation offices with the code obtained.
Once accredited we can download our certificate from 1 hour, remember that it must be with the same computer and user without having made modifications to the computer. To download it, the FNMT application will open again and we will have to enter the password that we entered when requesting it.
Once downloaded we can export it to any browser, or even to our mobile phone to continue using it, it is advisable to leave a backup for what may happen.
How to obtain the digital certificate of the FNMT with DNIe
In this way we will not have to move to accredit ourselves , but we will have to use a DNIe reader and the software of the FNMT.
The process is the same as the previous one, but accrediting you through DNIe instead of going to an accreditation office, for this it is necessary to install the software that reads our DNIe in addition to the trust certificates.
It will also be necessary to have active the certificates of our DNIe if we do not have what e renew them in the corresponding police station machines, which requires going in person and taking into account that the FNMT certificate is much easier to use than the DNIe, in the case of not having the DNIe certificates active, we recommend that you follow the direct method of requesting them from the FNMT in the previous section.
The digital certificate of the FNMT allows expediting all kinds of procedures
We will save a few trips with their corresponding queues and documentation to provide if we have a digital certificate, in addition to the convenience of receiving the requested documentation instantly in most cases, for example, if we need a certificate of registration or if we want to pay some time of tax that we do not have domiciled is done at the moment. Or, simply, to identify ourselves in many portals and systems that support digital certificates.
Also as once installed we can export it to other browsers and / or equipment , even to our mobile, we can do the procedures from any device where we have installed the digital certificate , but make sure that only You can use it yourself, if you are teleworking and have a computer from your company, it is better that you delete it before returning it if this happens.
End of Article. Tell us something in the Comments or come to our Forum!
The technical advantages of these HP units is that they have TLC memories, which makes them more suitable for those Users looking for higher quality Flash memory drives that can last for years. it is also properly configured, with buffer memory for the write allocation table, allowing it to maintain performance well under heavy loads and sustained transfers.
Everything indicates that the HP EX 950 is a well-designed unit, although already within what we could call mid-range, since it does not take advantage of the new PCI Express 4.0 interfaces, but that promises us excellent results in this review.
Biwin, the manufacturer behind HP units
We have all seen HP storage units in countless electronic stores, often with very interesting price offers at specific times of the year , but certainly HP does not manufacture its storage units, rather it entrusts its brand name to Biwin, a company based in the Shenzhen area of China.
This brand manufactures products related to flash memory, which they do not manufacture, but which integrate in customized designs for their clients or also for their own brands, which have much more market penetration in China than they have in other regions like ours.
In their portfolio of products we can find SSD units, like the one we tested today, RAM memory modules, eMMC embedded memory for lightweight mobile devices and also the entire portfolio of pr HP Flash products.
Its range of SSD products ranges from HP home and professional drives to rugged drives for the most demanding industrial environments or formats that we would never think to use in our computer such as CF units of the NAND Flash type or the less and less common U.2 interface units which is like an M.2 but wired widely used in data center environments.
Biwin develops the entire manufacturing process of its products, from industrial design, assembly of units, development of software and firmware, etc. Founded in 1995, currently have one of the wafer assembly plants of 12 ”most advanced in the world and its products are accessible worldwide.
PCI Express 3.0 Drive with NVMe
Although today in Today these are no longer the most powerful storage units that we can install in our computer, as long as we have a third-generation Ryzen or Threadripper processor or higher, these are the exclusive units with a PCI Express 4.0 interface. Be that as it may, those of type 3.0 are still the most widespread, and in general they offer the performance that we may want for a quick response at an appropriate price for our operating system, programs and games.
These types of units support PCI Express 3.0 links up to 4x which generates a bandwidth of up to 32 Gbps (8GT / s) which translates to more than 3000 MBps of actual bandwidth, although not in this model, not at least in recording due to the configuration of its Flash memory structure and also due to the integrated controller.
In SATA drives the interface is limited to 6Gbps which results in a limitation to 500 – 550 MBps of sequential speed, the attempt to resurrect the interface in the form of the SATA Express of 10 Gbps which was quickly superseded by this M. 2 PCI Express. With these numbers we have up to six times more bandwidth than in the SATA interface and without cabling.
This type of units also take advantage of the NVMe protocol, which has been used for a long time. time in professional solutions, ranging from the notable reduction of latencies in reading and writing as well as the possibility of using multicore controllers that can work with data input and output operations in parallel.
Not only do we have faster sequential access speeds, we also have lower latencies and more processing power. These are the three pillars on which the performance of any storage unit is based and the combination of PCI Express and NVMe improves all of them.
This HP model boasts of supporting NVMe 1.3c which is a revision of the standard that was released in August of 2018. It is a minor revision, and it is not the most recent since the 1.4 standard was released in June of last year, although today there are no domestic units that support it. All are based, at least the most recent ones, on the NVMe 1.3c that the Biwin HP EX also supports 950 object of this analysis. This patch does not have technical improvements that improve performance over any other that supports 1.3./s) which translates to more than 3000 MBps of actual bandwidth. On SATA drives
TLC memories and format
The HP EX 950 1TB is a M.2 PCI Express 3.0 drive with 80 mm long and 22 mm wide and is made up of TLC-type memories configured on two sides, at least for this level of capacity, driven by an SM controller 2262 IN which in turn is supported by 1GB capacity DDR4 DRAM memory (2GB is reserved for 2TB drives) to cache write table assignments. This system allows the table recording to be much more efficient and without dependency on the operating system.
The Silicon Motion SM 2262 EN supports eight memory channels, with 4 NAND Chip Enable lines, and a communication interface of up to 800 MT / s. It is designed for TLC memories of 32 layers, such as the one that mounts this unit, with a DRAM data bus of 32 – Bit for DDR3, LPDDR3 or DDR4 memory. Among its technical features we can find sequential reading speeds of up to 3500 MBps, write up to 3000 MBps with Random Access Speeds of up to 420 K IOPs both in reading and writing.
This efficient controller added to a standard configuration, not HMB (which uses system RAM resources for the recording allocation table), achieves as a whole a very solvent unit and that is already far from the cheapest units, also included in this connective standard, they already rely on QLC memories to reduce costs even more.
HP EX Technical Specifications 950
Focusing on performance of this model, we can find it in configurations of 550 GB, 1TB and 2TB capacity. Depending on the size, the rest of its benefits also vary. The slowest, how could it be otherwise, is that of 512 GB, the two other units of 1 and 2 terabytes of capacity hardly have differences between their features and performance , perhaps the only notable thing that the installed DRAM memory goes from 1GB to 2GB of capacity.
Among the most interesting data we can see the speeds of up to MBps of write speed, the 2TB model increases this figure to 2900 MBps. In terms of processing power, this unit produces 394 K Random Read Speed IOPs and 370 K IOPs of random write speed. In this sense, all the models are very similar since this depends more on the controller than on the memory configuration itself. Another thing they share is the impressive 2 million hours of average use before failure, with a 5-year direct manufacturer warranty.
This Kioxia model offers us a simple solution with medium capacities, some model with at least 2TB of capacity is missing, although at least it configures all its models, from the 250 GB up to 1TB of capacity, in single-sided units that are more compatible in all types of systems, including the most compact.
Technical characteristics of the HP EX 950 1TB
Interface: PCIe 3.0 × 4, NVMe 1.3c
NAND Flash Memory: Micron 64 L TLC
Size: M.2 2280 – D2
Controller: SMI SM 2262IN
DRAM: 1GB Micron DDR3
Sequential read (maximum, MB / s), 128 KB: 3500
Sequential Write (maximum, MB / s), 128 KB: 2900
Random Read (Max, IOPS), 4KB QD 64 T8: 410. 10
AND random write (max, IOPS), 4 KB QD 32 T8: 370. 000
Total Bytes Written (TB): 673
Mean time between failures (MTBF, hours): 1. 500. 000
Limited warranty (years): 5 years
Average Running Power Consumption (W): 5.4
PS3 idle power consumption, average (mW): 22
Low current consumption mode L1.2 (mW): 2
Internal operating temperature (° C): 0 to 80
HP EX temperatures 950 1TB
Idle temperature
Load temperature, without heatsink
Entry-level performance
Performance limited to PCI Express 3.0 but seamless is what we see in our benchmarks. I can also add that sustained writing speeds are kept high by a lot of data that we transfer, that is seen less every day, especially in units that make use of HMB technology to cut costs by saving the DRAM memory installed in the unit itself.
Atto Sequential Read
Atto Sequential Write
AS-SSD Sequential Read
AS-SSD Sequential Write
Crystal DM Sequential Read
Crystal DM Sequential Write
IO Meter QD 32 Read (KIOPs)
IOMeter QD 32 Write ( KIOPs)
Anvil Storage Pro 1.0 read x 10
Anvil Storage Pro 1.0 Write x 10
Good unit, without surprises and with TLC memories
The HP EX 950 is a solvent unit that offers v High speeds and processing power for interface and controller generation with which it costs. Obviously it cannot sell the fastest PCI Express 4.0 units that we have tested, but unlike these new generations of units this has TLC memories that offer greater durability.
The The mounting is also adequate, with quality DRAM memory for recording cell assignments in writing, and a controller that takes good advantage of parallelized memory configurations as in this model. Everything is also, not surprising, but it is a great unit. The only downside, perhaps, is that in configurations of 1 and 2TB of capacity we will only find it in a double-sided configuration so it could be a problem to install it in very compact systems.
End of Article. Tell us something in the Comments or come to our Forum!
Blizzard Entertainment is back to talk about Diablo Immortal, a project ever closer to its commercial debut. The free spin-off of the RPG series will land on iOS and Android, but only on the Google OS will the technical alpha be made available. There are also new details on the free-to-play model.
by Pasquale Fusco published 18 December 2020 , at 21: 45 in the Videogames channel Blizzard Diablo iOS Android
Announced two years ago, Diablo Immortal is the first mobile spin-off of the iconic Blizzard series. Its reveal was received lukewarmly by the public, particularly by Diablo fans themselves, who criticized the portable nature of the title and the free-to-play model .
The developer then intervened to talk to us about the progress made with Immortal, spending a few words on the content accessible for free and on the paid ones . There was also talk of a technical alpha that will soon be released for a small circle of users.
Diablo Immortal: Technical Alpha will be playable in Australia
In the video released a few hours ago by Blizzard Entertainment, the chief designer Wyatt Cheng updates us on the latest Diablo Immortal news and takes the opportunity to clarify some fundamental points. First, Cheng confirms that the game is in its final stages of development and is now ready for the first public test , that of technical alpha.
Coming soon, a limited number of players will be able to download the Diablo Immortal app via Google Play Store . It starts with resident users in Australia and some members of the community: among these, as explained on the blog of Blizzard, the “players who pre-registered first will be selected if their device meets the minimum requirements” .
What are these requirements ? Here they are, for both Android and iOS:
Minimum requirements for Android CPU: Snapdragon 710 / Hisilicon Kirin 810 or higher GPU: Adreno 616 / ARM Mali-G 52 or higher RAM: 2GB RAM Operating system: Android 5.0 (Lollipop) or above
Minimum requirements for Apple iPhone 8 or higher Operating system: iOS 12 or higher
Users who access Diablo Immortal Technical Alpha will be able to experience much of the content from the main campaign – and four of the six classes provided ( Barbarian , Monk , Demon Hunter and Magician). During the test phase the progression will be limited to the level 18, but it will be possible to test the system of Excellence created for the spin-off.
The free-to-play model: the entire campaign will be free, and not only
Blizzard took this opportunity to come back to talk about the system free-to-play by Diablo Immortal. Publisher reassures fans regarding freely accessible content : “ All story, classes and game time will never be limited . All future content will also be free, including additional stories, new classes and new zones “.
Wyatt Cheng also reiterates this, who states: “We want players to feel that spending money on Diablo Im mortal is optional and not necessary to enjoy the game “.
So, what will be the purchases that will go through the in-app purchase system? As the lead designer himself explains, there will be a Battle Pass for a fee, as well as the so-called Emblems : Once consumed, these items will trigger random modifiers for Ancient Rifting – PvE mode that will catapult players into dungeons procedurally generated.
At the moment, as Blizzard Entertainment reiterates, we still don’t have a release date for the final version of Diablo Immortal . We will follow the next updates, in the hope of being able to access a possible alpha (or beta) also from Italy.
We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.
