Author Archives: Cheyenne MacDonald

Some Vizio TV owners can claim a share of a $3 million settlement over misleading marketing

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Vizio TVs’ “effective” refresh rates have been confusing customers for years, and the company may now owe payments to some buyers who were misled by the term. As spotted by The Verge, Vizio recently agreed to settle a class action lawsuit in California over what plaintiffs claim is “false and misleading” advertising. While some Vizio TVs are marketed as having a “120Hz Effective Refresh Rate” or “240Hz Effective Refresh Rate,” that describes a result achieved using motion clarity technology. Their actual, native refresh rate in most cases is 60Hz.

Vizio has denied any wrongdoing on its part, but agreed to a $3 million settlement covering all Vizio TVs purchased in California that were advertised with the above descriptions, going back to April 30, 2014 and up until the final court judgment. The final approval hearing is right now set for June 20, 2024. People may be entitled to payments of up to $50, but claims must be in by March 30, 2024. The claim form can be found here. Vizio also agreed to stop marketing its TVs this way and to “provide enhanced services and a limited one-year warranty to all Settlement Class Members.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/some-vizio-tv-owners-can-claim-a-share-of-a-3-million-settlement-over-misleading-marketing-220925933.html?src=rss

Now’s the last chance to send your name to one of Jupiter’s moons on NASA’s Europa Clipper

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NASA’s campaign to gather names for a sort of “message in a bottle” that will fly with its upcoming Europa Clipper mission closes after this weekend, so if you were hoping to participate but haven’t yet made your submission, you’d better hurry up and do so. The signatures will accompany a poem written for Europa by US Poet Laureate Ada Limón, which will be engraved in Limón’s handwriting on a metal plate attached to the spacecraft. Europa, one of Jupiter’s largest moons, is thought to have a deep saltwater ocean beneath its icy crust — and there, the conditions could be suitable for microbial life.

To enter the Message in a Bottle campaign, you just need to go to NASA’s website and fill out a short signup form. The deadline is tomorrow, December 31. So far, more than 2.4 million people have added their names. According to NASA, the names of everyone who participated will be stenciled in tiny, tiny letters onto microchips using an electron beam that can create lines of text smaller than 1/1000th the width of a human hair. These microchips will be affixed to the plate containing the poem.

The Europa Clipper spacecraft is scheduled to launch in October 2024, and it’ll be another six years from then before it reaches Jupiter’s orbit. Once there, it’ll investigate Europa’s potential habitability through a series of close flybys. Europa is one of an estimated 95 moons circling Jupiter and among the longest known to humanity. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/nows-the-last-chance-to-send-your-name-to-one-of-jupiters-moons-on-nasas-europa-clipper-181639628.html?src=rss

Now’s the last chance to send your name to one of Jupiter’s moons on NASA’s Europa Clipper

Posted on by

NASA’s campaign to gather names for a sort of “message in a bottle” that will fly with its upcoming Europa Clipper mission closes after this weekend, so if you were hoping to participate but haven’t yet made your submission, you’d better hurry up and do so. The signatures will accompany a poem written for Europa by US Poet Laureate Ada Limón, which will be engraved in Limón’s handwriting on a metal plate attached to the spacecraft. Europa, one of Jupiter’s largest moons, is thought to have a deep saltwater ocean beneath its icy crust — and there, the conditions could be suitable for microbial life.

To enter the Message in a Bottle campaign, you just need to go to NASA’s website and fill out a short signup form. The deadline is tomorrow, December 31. So far, more than 2.4 million people have added their names. According to NASA, the names of everyone who participated will be stenciled in tiny, tiny letters onto microchips using an electron beam that can create lines of text smaller than 1/1000th the width of a human hair. These microchips will be affixed to the plate containing the poem.

The Europa Clipper spacecraft is scheduled to launch in October 2024, and it’ll be another six years from then before it reaches Jupiter’s orbit. Once there, it’ll investigate Europa’s potential habitability through a series of close flybys. Europa is one of an estimated 95 moons circling Jupiter and among the longest known to humanity. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/nows-the-last-chance-to-send-your-name-to-one-of-jupiters-moons-on-nasas-europa-clipper-181639628.html?src=rss

Mint Mobile says hackers accessed customer information during a security breach

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Mint Mobile, the prepaid mobile carrier backed by Ryan Reynolds, notified customers via email this weekend that their information may have been stolen in a security breach, according to BleepingComputer. That information includes names, phone numbers, email addresses, plan descriptions, and SIM and IMEI numbers — which could be used for SIM swap attacks.

After a Reddit user posted a screenshot of the email and questioned if it was a scam, the Mint account responded to confirm its validity and said a customer support number has been set up to handle questions about the breach. Hackers did not access customers’ credit card information, which Mint says is not stored, nor were passwords compromised, BleepingComputer reports. The company also said it has since resolved the breach and customers do not need to take any action.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mint-mobile-says-hackers-accessed-customer-information-during-a-security-breach-185215800.html?src=rss

Mint Mobile says hackers accessed customer information during a security breach

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Mint Mobile, the prepaid mobile carrier backed by Ryan Reynolds, notified customers via email this weekend that their information may have been stolen in a security breach, according to BleepingComputer. That information includes names, phone numbers, email addresses, plan descriptions, and SIM and IMEI numbers — which could be used for SIM swap attacks.

After a Reddit user posted a screenshot of the email and questioned if it was a scam, the Mint account responded to confirm its validity and said a customer support number has been set up to handle questions about the breach. Hackers did not access customers’ credit card information, which Mint says is not stored, nor were passwords compromised, BleepingComputer reports. The company also said it has since resolved the breach and customers do not need to take any action.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mint-mobile-says-hackers-accessed-customer-information-during-a-security-breach-185215800.html?src=rss

NASA beamed a video of a cat named Taters from deep space to Earth

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In a successful demonstration of new laser communications capabilities, NASA beamed an ultra-high definition video across 19 million miles of space from its Psyche spacecraft to Earth earlier this month. It’s the first time a UHD streaming video has been sent from deep space via laser. The history-making video? A 15-second clip of an orange cat named Taters chasing a laser dot.

The signal from the video, sent on December 11, made it to Earth in 101 seconds from Psyche’s location at the time, which was about 80 times as far as the distance between Earth and the moon. It was uploaded before the mission launched, and sent back home by a flight laser transceiver aboard Psyche at a rate of 267Mbps. The spacecraft, which set off on its journey in October, is on its way to study a metal-rich asteroid in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.

“Despite transmitting from millions of miles away, it was able to send the video faster than most broadband internet connections,” said Ryan Rogalin, the receiver electronics lead for the project at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab. “In fact, after receiving the video at Palomar, it was sent to JPL over the internet, and that connection was slower than the signal coming from deep space.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/nasa-beamed-a-video-of-a-cat-named-taters-from-deep-space-to-earth-175814869.html?src=rss

NASA beamed a video of a cat named Taters from deep space to Earth

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In a successful demonstration of new laser communications capabilities, NASA beamed an ultra-high definition video across 19 million miles of space from its Psyche spacecraft to Earth earlier this month. It’s the first time a UHD streaming video has been sent from deep space via laser. The history-making video? A 15-second clip of an orange cat named Taters chasing a laser dot.

The signal from the video, sent on December 11, made it to Earth in 101 seconds from Psyche’s location at the time, which was about 80 times as far as the distance between Earth and the moon. It was uploaded before the mission launched, and sent back home by a flight laser transceiver aboard Psyche at a rate of 267Mbps. The spacecraft, which set off on its journey in October, is on its way to study a metal-rich asteroid in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter.

“Despite transmitting from millions of miles away, it was able to send the video faster than most broadband internet connections,” said Ryan Rogalin, the receiver electronics lead for the project at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab. “In fact, after receiving the video at Palomar, it was sent to JPL over the internet, and that connection was slower than the signal coming from deep space.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/nasa-beamed-a-video-of-a-cat-named-taters-from-deep-space-to-earth-175814869.html?src=rss

Ubisoft reportedly stopped hackers from stealing 900GB of data in a breach this week

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Ubisoft’s internal services were compromised in a security breach this week when hackers attempted to steal 900GB of data, including Rainbow Six Siege user data, according to VX-Underground. Ubisoft spotted the breach 48 hours later, and was able to revoke the hackers’ access before they could successfully exfiltrate the data.

In a statement to BleepingComputer, Ubisoft said, “We are aware of an alleged data security incident and are currently investigating. We don't have more to share at this time.” VX-Underground posted redacted screenshots shared by the attacker that allegedly show they accessed Microsoft Teams conversations, the Ubisoft SharePoint server, Confluence and MongoDB Atlas. “The Threat Actor would not share how they got initial access,” VX-Underground wrote in a post on X. “Upon entry they audited the users access rights and spent time thoroughly reviewing Microsoft Teams, Confluence, and SharePoint.”

According to VX-Underground, the attackers’ attempt to get Rainbow Six Siege user data was unsuccessful. It’s unclear at this time if they were able to get any sensitive information before Ubisoft shut the whole thing down.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ubisoft-reportedly-stopped-hackers-from-stealing-900gb-of-data-in-a-breach-this-week-162438766.html?src=rss

Ubisoft reportedly stopped hackers from stealing 900GB of data in a breach this week

Posted on by

Ubisoft’s internal services were compromised in a security breach this week when hackers attempted to steal 900GB of data, including Rainbow Six Siege user data, according to VX-Underground. Ubisoft spotted the breach 48 hours later, and was able to revoke the hackers’ access before they could successfully exfiltrate the data.

In a statement to BleepingComputer, Ubisoft said, “We are aware of an alleged data security incident and are currently investigating. We don't have more to share at this time.” VX-Underground posted redacted screenshots shared by the attacker that allegedly show they accessed Microsoft Teams conversations, the Ubisoft SharePoint server, Confluence and MongoDB Atlas. “The Threat Actor would not share how they got initial access,” VX-Underground wrote in a post on X. “Upon entry they audited the users access rights and spent time thoroughly reviewing Microsoft Teams, Confluence, and SharePoint.”

According to VX-Underground, the attackers’ attempt to get Rainbow Six Siege user data was unsuccessful. It’s unclear at this time if they were able to get any sensitive information before Ubisoft shut the whole thing down.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ubisoft-reportedly-stopped-hackers-from-stealing-900gb-of-data-in-a-breach-this-week-162438766.html?src=rss

GM halts sales of its new Chevy Blazer EV amid reports of major software issues

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GM has issued a stop-sale order for the Chevy Blazer EV just weeks after its release following reports of software problems that made the vehicle undrivable. Edmunds, which received confirmation on Friday night that the company is halting deliveries, previously documented 23 issues during tests of the SUV, including the infotainment system repeatedly crashing and displaying a multitude of error messages. Inside EVs writer Kevin Williams also tested the Blazer EV and not only encountered similar problems with the display, but was left stranded after the car broke down while charging.

In a statement to Edmunds, Chevrolet said, “We are aware that a limited number of Blazer EV owners have experienced some software quality issues. To ensure our customers have a great experience with their vehicle, we are temporarily pausing sales of Blazer EVs.” All new deliveries are on pause, VP Scott Bell said.

The Chevrolet Blazer EV is powered by GM’s Ultium battery system, which is being used in a slew of other vehicles including the GMC Hummer EV and the Cadillac Lyriq. Those, too, have been the subject of plenty of complaints, as Inside EVs reported. A spokesperson for GM told TechCrunch the Blazer’s problems are “not safety related nor related to Ultium or Google Built-In.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gm-halts-sales-of-its-new-chevy-blazer-ev-amid-reports-of-major-software-issues-214225984.html?src=rss