Tag Archives: Information technology

Google says its secure entry passkeys have been used a billion times

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As part of World Password Day (yes, that's a thing), Google is hyping up its security achievements and sharing updates on its latest endeavors. The company revealed passkey adoption metrics for the first time and said they have been used more than one billion times by 400 million Google accounts. "Since launching, passkeys have proven to be faster than passwords, since they only require users to simply unlock their device using a fingerprint, face scan or pin to log in," Google wrote.

The company launched broad support for passkeys in 2022 and rolled them out across its services a year ago. Over the past 12 months, the technology has been adopted by Amazon, 1Password, Dashlane, Docusign and others, joining companies like eBay, PayPal and WhatsApp. Google boasted that the tech helped Kayak users sign in 50 percent faster and said Dashlane has seen a 70 percent increase in conversion with passkeys. 

Google will soon be expanding passkeys to users at the highest risk of targeted attacks as part of its Advanced Protection Program (APP). That offering is aimed at individuals including campaign workers and candidates, journalists, human rights workers and others, according to the company. 

"APP enrollment traditionally required the use of hardware security keys as a second factor, but users will soon have the option to enroll with any passkey in addition to using their hardware security keys," Google wrote. "This expanded passkey support will help reduce the barrier of entry to APP while still providing phishing resistant authentication... [and] is coming during a critical election year." 

It's also expanding Cross-Account Protection to safeguard users on multiple platforms. That system lets Google share security notifications about suspicious event with non-Google apps and services. "This is a critical benefit since cybercriminals often use an initial entry point as a foothold to gain access to more of your information." 

Google suggests creating a passkey for your account to benefit from the new protections. In the meantime, practice good password hygiene by using long passwords with a mix of characters, numbers and symbols, applying two-factor authentication (2FA), never recycling passwords and more. According to HIPAA, attackers can crack a simple 8-number password in just 37 seconds, but it takes 19 quadrillion years to break an 18-digit cypher with a mix of numbers, upper and lowercase letters and symbols. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/google-says-its-secure-entry-passkeys-have-been-used-a-billion-times-120001230.html?src=rss

Anthropic now has a Claude chatbot app for iOS

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Anthropic is making its Claude AI easier to access on mobile. The company has released a Claude mobile app for iOS that any user can download for free. Similar to the mobile web version of the chatbot, the app syncs users' conversations with Claude across devices, allowing them to jump from a computer to the app (or vice versa) without losing their chat history. Users will also be able to upload files and images straight from their iPhone's gallery — or take a photo on the spot — if they need Claude to process or analyze them in real time. They'll be able to download and access the Claude app whatever plan they're using, even if they're not paying for the service. 

If they do decide to pay for Claude, they now have a new option other than Pro. The new Team plan provides greater usage than the Pro tier so that members can have more conversations with the chatbot. It also enables users to process longer documents, such as research papers and contracts, thanks to its 200,000 context window. The Team plan gives users access to the Claude 3 model family, as well, which includes Opus, Sonnet and Haiku. It will cost subscribers $30 per user per month, with a minimum head count of five users per team. 

Back in March, Anthropic claimed in a blog post that its Claude 3 language model had outperformed ChatGPT and Google's Gemini in several key industry benchmarks. It was better at graduate-level reasoning, multilingual math and coding (among many other metrics), the company said, showing Claude 3's benchmark results against its staunchest rivals. The most powerful Claude 3 model, the Opus, even apparently showed "near-human" abilities with rapid response rates that make it ideal for more complex and time-sensitive tasks. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/anthropic-now-has-a-claude-chatbot-app-for-ios-075930308.html?src=rss

TikTok might be going around Apple’s in-app purchase rules for its coins

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Another day, another company tests Apple's resolve. This time, it's TikTok allegedly violating the company's rules for apps, with the video platform seemingly allowing some users to purchase its coins directly from its website. TikTok has apparently given some iOS users the option to "Try recharging on tiktok.com to avoid in-app service fees" — namely Apple's 30 percent commission on purchases.

According to photos shared on X (formerly Twitter) by David Tesler, co-founder of the app Sendit, TikTok is prompting users to save around 25 percent when purchasing coins (used to tip creators) thanks to lower third-party service fees. They can then use Apple Pay, PayPal or a credit or debit card to complete their transaction. It's unclear why only some users have access to this circumnavigation; one hypothesis is the feature was turned on for individuals who previously purchased a large number of coins.

Apple notably kicked Fortnite off its app store in 2020 after Epic Games introduced discounts on the game's currency for anyone who directly purchased it. The incident set off a multi-year legal battle, with Apple reinstating Epic Games' developer account in March after the European Union began looking into the situation. More recently, Apple has faced pushback from Spotify and rejected updates that would have displayed the music streamer's pricing and allowed in-app plan purchases. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/tiktok-might-be-going-around-apples-in-app-purchase-rules-for-its-coins-134527587.html?src=rss

Microsoft confirms its next Xbox Game Showcase is on June 9 at 1PM ET

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Microsoft has officially announced the next Xbox Games Showcase. In a blog post, the company said the summer version will be on Sunday, June 9, at 10AM PT / 1PM ET.

The event will be followed by a cryptic “[REDACTED] Direct” that probably isn’t much of a mystery. The teaser logo looks like something ripped from the Call of Duty franchise, and reports already pointed to the military shooter’s next installment arriving this year. Microsoft describes the direct event as “a special deep-dive into the next installment of a beloved franchise.”

Further squashing any intrigue, The Verge says it’s confirmed the event will focus on Activision-Blizzard’s long-running franchise. This will be the first Xbox showcase with the Call of Duty maker officially within Microsoft’s grasp.

The company wants to turn heads with its new post-acquisition portfolio, and Xbox will use the entire week (which coincides with Summer Game Fest) to pump up its lineup. “June 9’s double-feature broadcast also kicks off a week’s worth of coverage here on Xbox Wire and The Official Xbox Podcast, featuring updates and deep-dives on a ton of games,” the company wrote.

Engadget will have all your Xbox Games Showcase and Summer Game Fest news in early June.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/microsoft-confirms-its-next-xbox-game-showcase-is-on-june-9-at-1pm-et-153704263.html?src=rss

Microsoft confirms its next Xbox Game Showcase is on June 9 at 1PM ET

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Microsoft has officially announced the next Xbox Games Showcase. In a blog post, the company said the summer version will be on Sunday, June 9, at 10AM PT / 1PM ET.

The event will be followed by a cryptic “[REDACTED] Direct” that probably isn’t much of a mystery. The teaser logo looks like something ripped from the Call of Duty franchise, and reports already pointed to the military shooter’s next installment arriving this year. Microsoft describes the direct event as “a special deep-dive into the next installment of a beloved franchise.”

Further squashing any intrigue, The Verge says it’s confirmed the event will focus on Activision-Blizzard’s long-running franchise. This will be the first Xbox showcase with the Call of Duty maker officially within Microsoft’s grasp.

The company wants to turn heads with its new post-acquisition portfolio, and Xbox will use the entire week (which coincides with Summer Game Fest) to pump up its lineup. “June 9’s double-feature broadcast also kicks off a week’s worth of coverage here on Xbox Wire and The Official Xbox Podcast, featuring updates and deep-dives on a ton of games,” the company wrote.

Engadget will have all your Xbox Games Showcase and Summer Game Fest news in early June.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/microsoft-confirms-its-next-xbox-game-showcase-is-on-june-9-at-1pm-et-153704263.html?src=rss

Apple’s second-generation AirPods Pro are back down to their lowest price ever

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The latest generation of Apple's eternally popular AirPods Pro are back down to their all-time low price of $180 at Amazon. The deal takes $10 off the typical sale price of $190 and a solid $69 off the $249 MSRP. The last time we saw this price tag was during Amazon's spring sale in March. Apple updated the charging case when the iPhone 15 came out last year to give both devices a more universal USB-C port (both can also charge wirelessly). If you have an iPhone, we think these are one of the better bits of audio gear you can stick in your ears. 

The second-generation AirPods Pro (with the Lightning case) came out towards the end of 2022 — the case refresh didn't alter the buds themselves too much, other than adding some improved dust resistance. That makes these a little older at this point, but new AirPods are not one of the things we're expecting to see announced at Apple's upcoming "Let Loose" event in May (we're mostly anticipating iPad news). A more likely time for a new AirPods reveal is during the company's annual iPhone event in September. But if you don't want to wait around to see if such a debut materializes, this deal is a decent time to get your first pair. Or replace the pair you left on the train.  

We gave the AirPods Pro a score of 88 when they came out. Engadget's Billy Steele praised the effective active noise cancellation (ANC) and called the ambient sound mode one of the best on the market. Plus they work fairly seamlessly with all your Apple devices, offering quick pairing, fast device switching and hands-free Siri support. The audio itself is richer with more depth and clarity than with previous Pro generations. 

All of that lead us to name them the best wireless earbuds for iPhones in our buying guide. Of course, they don't work with non-Apple devices. Our current top pick from our guide for Android phones are the Google Pixel Buds Pro, which are currently down to $140 at Amazon after a 30 percent discount. 

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apples-second-generation-airpods-pro-are-back-down-to-their-lowest-price-ever-231655823.html?src=rss

Apple’s second-generation AirPods Pro are back down to their lowest price ever

Posted on by

The latest generation of Apple's eternally popular AirPods Pro are back down to their all-time low price of $180 at Amazon. The deal takes $10 off the typical sale price of $190 and a solid $69 off the $249 MSRP. The last time we saw this price tag was during Amazon's spring sale in March. Apple updated the charging case when the iPhone 15 came out last year to give both devices a more universal USB-C port (both can also charge wirelessly). If you have an iPhone, we think these are one of the better bits of audio gear you can stick in your ears. 

The second-generation AirPods Pro (with the Lightning case) came out towards the end of 2022 — the case refresh didn't alter the buds themselves too much, other than adding some improved dust resistance. That makes these a little older at this point, but new AirPods are not one of the things we're expecting to see announced at Apple's upcoming "Let Loose" event in May (we're mostly anticipating iPad news). A more likely time for a new AirPods reveal is during the company's annual iPhone event in September. But if you don't want to wait around to see if such a debut materializes, this deal is a decent time to get your first pair. Or replace the pair you left on the train.  

We gave the AirPods Pro a score of 88 when they came out. Engadget's Billy Steele praised the effective active noise cancellation (ANC) and called the ambient sound mode one of the best on the market. Plus they work fairly seamlessly with all your Apple devices, offering quick pairing, fast device switching and hands-free Siri support. The audio itself is richer with more depth and clarity than with previous Pro generations. 

All of that lead us to name them the best wireless earbuds for iPhones in our buying guide. Of course, they don't work with non-Apple devices. Our current top pick from our guide for Android phones are the Google Pixel Buds Pro, which are currently down to $140 at Amazon after a 30 percent discount. 

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apples-second-generation-airpods-pro-are-back-down-to-their-lowest-price-ever-231655823.html?src=rss

The Apple Watch Series 9 is back on sale for $299

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If you've been planning on buying an Apple Watch Series 9, today looks like a decent time to take the plunge. The smartwatch is currently on sale for $299 at multiple retailers, including Amazon, Best Buy, Target and Walmart. That's not quite the lowest price we've seen — a couple colorways briefly fell to $269 earlier this month, for instance — but steeper discounts have generally been uncommon. This deal takes about $30 off the watch's typical street price on Amazon, and it's $100 less than buying from Apple directly. As of this writing, the offer applies to the 41mm non-cellular version of the watch in Midnight, Red, Silver or Starlight. It covers models with a rubber, S/M- or M/L-sized Sport Band or a nylon Sport Loop.

We gave the Apple Watch Series 9 a score of 92 in our review last September, and it's currently the top pick in our guide to the best smartwatches. It runs fast, it's water-resistant and it can still handle many tasks that'd normally require an iPhone, from checking iMessages to calling on Siri to using Apple Pay. Most of the essential health and fitness tracking features are still here as well, as are safety-related tools like fall detection and an emergency SOS function. Compared to the lower-cost Apple Watch SE, it has a slightly larger display that can stay always-on, which makes it less cumbersome for checking the time at a glance. 

New to this model is a handy Double Tap feature, which lets you respond to notifications without having to physically touch the device, and the ability to complete many Siri requests on-device, without having to always be online. It also has double the internal storage (64GB) as the Series 8, and its display's peak brightness rating (2,000 nits) is twice as high. 

That said, the usual caveats with any Apple Watch still apply. The whole thing will only work with iPhones. The battery will last most of a typical day but not much longer. There are better options for sleep tracking. Due to an ongoing patent dispute, Apple has also had to disable the watch's blood oxygen monitoring feature. In general, there's no huge need to make the switch if you own an Apple Watch today and are still happy with it. But if you're looking to upgrade today, this should be a nice value.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-apple-watch-series-9-is-back-on-sale-for-299-150928694.html?src=rss

The Apple Watch Series 9 is back on sale for $299

Posted on by

If you've been planning on buying an Apple Watch Series 9, today looks like a decent time to take the plunge. The smartwatch is currently on sale for $299 at multiple retailers, including Amazon, Best Buy, Target and Walmart. That's not quite the lowest price we've seen — a couple colorways briefly fell to $269 earlier this month, for instance — but steeper discounts have generally been uncommon. This deal takes about $30 off the watch's typical street price on Amazon, and it's $100 less than buying from Apple directly. As of this writing, the offer applies to the 41mm non-cellular version of the watch in Midnight, Red, Silver or Starlight. It covers models with a rubber, S/M- or M/L-sized Sport Band or a nylon Sport Loop.

We gave the Apple Watch Series 9 a score of 92 in our review last September, and it's currently the top pick in our guide to the best smartwatches. It runs fast, it's water-resistant and it can still handle many tasks that'd normally require an iPhone, from checking iMessages to calling on Siri to using Apple Pay. Most of the essential health and fitness tracking features are still here as well, as are safety-related tools like fall detection and an emergency SOS function. Compared to the lower-cost Apple Watch SE, it has a slightly larger display that can stay always-on, which makes it less cumbersome for checking the time at a glance. 

New to this model is a handy Double Tap feature, which lets you respond to notifications without having to physically touch the device, and the ability to complete many Siri requests on-device, without having to always be online. It also has double the internal storage (64GB) as the Series 8, and its display's peak brightness rating (2,000 nits) is twice as high. 

That said, the usual caveats with any Apple Watch still apply. The whole thing will only work with iPhones. The battery will last most of a typical day but not much longer. There are better options for sleep tracking. Due to an ongoing patent dispute, Apple has also had to disable the watch's blood oxygen monitoring feature. In general, there's no huge need to make the switch if you own an Apple Watch today and are still happy with it. But if you're looking to upgrade today, this should be a nice value.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-apple-watch-series-9-is-back-on-sale-for-299-150928694.html?src=rss

Some Apple users say they’ve been mysteriously locked out of their accounts

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Something is up with Apple ID this weekend. As reported by 9to5Mac, Apple users started complaining online last night that they’d been logged out of their Apple IDs on all of their devices without explanation. Upon trying to log back in, some say they were locked out of their accounts despite entering the correct details, and had to reset their passwords. Engadget has reached out to Apple for more information.

Apple hasn’t said anything publicly about what’s going on, and its System Status page makes no mention of problems with Apple ID or any other systems in the last 24 hours. In a Mastodon post spotted by The Verge, one person said Apple support told them only that “sometimes random security improvements are added to your account.” It’s unclear how many users have been affected, though people have piled onto social media threads about the issue to say they’ve experienced it too. According to 9to5Mac, some of the publication’s own team have run into the problem.

While the issue seemed to have heightened on Friday night, there have been sporadic reports of similar problems in the recent past. Software developer Michael Tsai published a blog post about the latest incident and referenced a time just last fall when the same thing happened.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/some-apple-users-say-theyve-been-mysteriously-locked-out-of-their-accounts-162739339.html?src=rss