We’re getting closer and closer to launch day for Apple’s Vision Pro headset, which means if you’re not yet sold on ordering one, you’ll soon be able to try it out in the store. But don’t expect the process to be quick and easy. In the Power On newsletter this week, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman says customers hoping for a demo will each have to go through face scans and the subsequent assembly of a custom Vision Pro, a walkthrough of the interface and all the controls, and device calibration — all before a 25-minute demonstration of the Vision Pro experience.
The Vision Pro is meant to sit just right on its wearer’s face, with multiple sizing options for the light seal, foam cushion and band. And Apple isn’t planning on taking the risk of an attempted universal fit for in-store demos, according to Gurman. In addition to face scans, employees will have a device to scan customers’ glasses to determine the right prescription for Vision Pro lenses. Each store “will have hundreds of lenses on hand for demos,” Gurman says, and employees will tag-team the process, with one on the floor taking customers’ details and another in the back handling assembly.
Some stores will have at least a dozen Vision Pro headsets around for people to try. During the actual demo, according to Gurman, users will be shown a series of normal, panorama and “spatial” photos, spatial videos, immersive experiences including a “scene that makes users feel as if they’re on a tightrope,” and a glimpse at what it will be like using the Vision Pro as a computer. Signups will start at 8AM local time on February 2.
If you’re just walking in to buy a Vision Pro, the process should be much simpler. You’ll have to go through the face scans — as will anyone ordering one online — and then all the correct pieces will be boxed up for you right there, Gurman says. There will also be multiple display-only units in each store, if you just want to take a look.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/if-you-want-to-demo-the-vision-pro-at-an-apple-store-prepare-to-be-there-a-while-172207401.html?src=rss
Apple AirTags can really come in handy when one of your belongings has gone missing, and with a deal on Amazon right now, you can pick up a four-pack of the trackers to keep more of your things protected. Normally $99, a 10 percent discount has dropped the price of a four-pack to $89 — and with a $10 coupon that’s being offered alongside the deal, that’s slashed even further to just $79. Just don’t forget to check the “Apply $10 coupon” box before adding it to your cart.
AirTags have become a staple for Apple device owners over the past few years. The Bluetooth trackers are a little bigger than a quarter and slim enough to slip into a wallet, making them a convenient way to keep tabs on your possessions. With the right accessories for your AirTags, they can also be attached to a keychain or stuck directly onto the tracked items to be sure they stay put. AirTags rely on Apple’s Find My network, which can provide precise location information as long as there are other Apple devices nearby.
When the AirTags aren’t in the range of any Apple devices to generate a new position, the app will show the item’s last known location. They don’t need to be charged, either, and should last about a year before the battery needs to be replaced. Users can add up to 32 items in the Find My app to track. With the Find my app, you can also ping the AirTag so it will play a sound and lead you right to the lost item if it's within your vicinity.
AirTags come with an IP67 rating for water and dust resistance, meaning they are pretty durable against the elements under normal conditions. They’re built to survive splashes of water and submersion up to 1 meter for 30 minutes. AirTags are the best Bluetooth trackers for iPhone owners thanks to the ease of use and peace of mind they bring.
Apple AirTags can really come in handy when one of your belongings has gone missing, and with a deal on Amazon right now, you can pick up a four-pack of the trackers to keep more of your things protected. Normally $99, a 10 percent discount has dropped the price of a four-pack to $89 — and with a $10 coupon that’s being offered alongside the deal, that’s slashed even further to just $79. Just don’t forget to check the “Apply $10 coupon” box before adding it to your cart.
AirTags have become a staple for Apple device owners over the past few years. The Bluetooth trackers are a little bigger than a quarter and slim enough to slip into a wallet, making them a convenient way to keep tabs on your possessions. With the right accessories for your AirTags, they can also be attached to a keychain or stuck directly onto the tracked items to be sure they stay put. AirTags rely on Apple’s Find My network, which can provide precise location information as long as there are other Apple devices nearby.
When the AirTags aren’t in the range of any Apple devices to generate a new position, the app will show the item’s last known location. They don’t need to be charged, either, and should last about a year before the battery needs to be replaced. Users can add up to 32 items in the Find My app to track. With the Find my app, you can also ping the AirTag so it will play a sound and lead you right to the lost item if it's within your vicinity.
AirTags come with an IP67 rating for water and dust resistance, meaning they are pretty durable against the elements under normal conditions. They’re built to survive splashes of water and submersion up to 1 meter for 30 minutes. AirTags are the best Bluetooth trackers for iPhone owners thanks to the ease of use and peace of mind they bring.
Apple sent an email to customers today notifying them that when they pre-order the Vision Pro starting on January 19, they will need to scan their face with an iPhone or iPad using Face ID to make sure they get a precise band fit on the headset. Deliveries will begin when it launches on February 2. US shoppers will be able to purchase the headset on apple.com, in the Apple Store app and in retail Apple Stores.
Apple said the latest version of the Apple Store app will be needed for shoppers to conduct a face scan. Additionally, for people that wear glasses, there will be an option to add optical inserts into the headset so that they can be worn without eyewear. To get the inserts for an additional fee, provided by its partner Zeiss, Apple says shoppers will need to share an updated official prescription document when pre-ordering the headset.
For those on the fence about purchasing the Vision Pro, which starts around $3,499, Apple said the headset will be available in store for demos on the launch date. The Vision Pro, which was first announced at Apple’s WWDC 2023 keynote, received praise for its crisp 3D visuals during a hands-on preview. The headset will provide more than just a VR screen and speaker system for watching films and playing games — it will eventually act as a tool that will connect friends in Horizon Worlds.
The option to freely roam around a virtual world with an integrated gaming program made by Meta will push the bounds for what constitutes modern social networking and online gaming. Apple’s push for the Vision Pro to be branded and function as a spatial computer will also create endless possibilities for developers to create compelling apps.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apple-vision-pro-pre-orders-require-a-faceid-scan-with-an-iphone-or-ipad-171544636.html?src=rss
Credential stuffing, or using compromised login information to take over accounts, has been around as long as we’ve used passwords to secure our accounts. But, perhaps in part because it's gotten easier for hackers to perform this type of attack, credential stuffing made headlines in recent months.
Look at the 23andMe breach affecting nearly 7 million users. While not every account was compromised via credential stuffing, it was how the hackers initially got in, and then they used a social feature called DNA Relatives to keep going. Hackers gained access to sensitive information like full names and locations, specifically targeting groups like Ashkenazi people, offering the data for sale in bulk online.
Hacking conjures an image of sophisticated, high tech break-ins, but what makes credential stuffing so lucrative is that it's surprisingly “pretty unsophisticated,” Rob Shavell, CEO of online personal information removal service DeleteMe, told Engadget. Hackers will use educated guesses to figure out your password, or just buy old passwords from leaks online to see if they work for different accounts. Tactics used by hackers include using personal information found online to guess passwords or asking a generative AI program to come up with usable variations on a password to get into an account.
Companies frequently fail to protect your data, sticking you with the burden of preventing credential stuffing accounts to the best of your ability. In fact, credential stuffing has become so prevalent, that you’ve likely already fallen victim. Nearly a quarter of all login attempts last year met the criteria for credential stuffing, according to security company Okta’s 2023 State of Secure Identity Report that surveyed more than 800 IT and security decision-makers across fields. Verizon's 2023 analysis of data breaches found that about half of breaches involved stolen credentials. Checking an email address on sites like Have I Been Pwned can show you which passwords may have been compromised, meaning if you’ve reused it on another account, it could be a matter of time until hackers try to use it to get in.
Credential stuffing works because we tend to stick to certain patterns when creating passwords, like using your mother’s maiden name or a childhood address, with small variations to make them easier to remember. “Because we’re lazy, and because we have 50 passwords now, it is the default to just pick one password and use it many places,” chief information security officer at cloud company Akamai Steve Winterfeld said. “The problem is you then are not taking appropriate risk measures.”
That level of risk varies widely. The one-off account you used to try out World of Warcraft years ago and doesn’t have any personal or financial information attached to it probably doesn’t concern you. But hackers are betting you’ve reused an email, username and password for a more lucrative account, like your bank or social media, and they will use credential stuffing to get in. “I have one username and password that I use for things that I’m okay if they’re compromised … that would not financially or brand impact me,” Winterfeld said.
Minimizing the risks you’re taking online by using strong passwords will make it a lot more manageable to start protecting yourself against credential stuffing. Changing passwords frequently, or making the switch to passkeys, can also help. There are other ways you can protect yourself, too, as companies have made it clear that they’ll do anything in their power to shirk responsibility for protecting your information.
First, understand that once a credential is leaked, it can be used to gain access to other accounts, Frank Teruel, CFO at bot prevention firm Arkose Labs, said. So, change passwords for any accounts where you may have repeated it, especially high-profile targets linked to financial or other sensitive institutions. This is where a password manager comes in handy, because some will even flag if a password has been found in a breach and suggest that you change it to a stronger option.
Taking some time to purge accounts you no longer use will greatly reduce the number of password leaks to worry about, too, Teruel said. In the meantime, make it a habit not to reuse passwords or small variations on them, and to change passwords frequently to limit risk.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/what-is-credential-stuffing-and-how-do-you-keep-your-accounts-safe-from-it-190044846.html?src=rss
Lenovo just announced a handful of new gaming laptops at CES 2024 in Las Vegas. Each of these computers features the company’s proprietary Legion Coldfront: Hyper cooling technology that keeps temperatures low while making sure the fans don’t get too loud. They're also packed with AI chips for improved speed and performance. These laptops ship with Windows 11 and come with three free months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.
The Lenovo Legion 9i is the flagship model with the most features and the highest asking price. This is a refresh of the similarly named laptop that was released back in September, but this one packs a 14th-gen Intel CoreTM Gen i9-14900HX CPU and up to the NVIDIA GeForce RTXTM 4090 GPU. It also features the company’s upgraded LA3-P AI chip, which automatically adjusts power to the CPU and GPU based on what you’re doing with the computer.
Additionally, the AI chip enables Lighting Audio Sync, which matches up the laptop’s RGB lights with sound to increase immersion. You get a 16-inch Mini-LED display panel with 3.2K resolution, a 16:10 aspect ratio and a snappy 165Hz refresh rate. You can choose up to 64GB of DDR5 RAM and up to 2TB of Gen4 PCIe internal storage. It also features a nifty-looking forged carbon top cover, which sets the aesthetics apart from similar gaming laptops. The Lenovo Legion 9i releases later this month, with a starting price of $4,400.
The Lenovo Legion Pro 7i boasts the all-new Intel Core 14th Gen i9-14900HX CPU, an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 GPU in top-end models, up to 32GB of RAM and up to 2TB of internal SSD storage. There’s a 16-inch IPS display that supports refresh rates up to 240Hz and 500 nits of brightness. This upgraded PureSight panel features 100 percent DCI-P3 coverage. In short, this thing is a beast. The Legion Pro 7i will be available this March with a starting price of $2,700. There’s also the lower-powered Legion Pro 5i, which is available this month for $1,500.
Lenovo
In addition, the company announced standard Lenovo Legion 7i and 5i models. They don’t boast the “Pro” moniker, but should still be sufficient for modern gamers. These laptops are available in a variety of colorways, which is neat, and can be outfitted with up to the latest Intel Core i9 14900HX chips and up to the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 GPU. Both models include 16-inch displays, up to 32GB of RAM and up to 1TB of SSD storage. The Legion 7i releases in March with a starting price of $2,100, while the 5i launches in April with a starting price of $1,400. There’s also a smaller and lighter version of the 5i coming in April that starts at $1,500.
Lenovo didn’t just announce gaming laptops. This is CES, after all. The company also unveiled a fair amount of gaming peripherals and accessories. The coolest of the bunch is the Lenovo Legion K510 Pro Mini Keyboard. This compact gaming keyboard is packed with mechanical key switches and 16.8 million color per-key RGB support. It’s expected this June for $70.
We're reporting live from CES 2024 in Las Vegas from January 6-12. Keep up with all the latest news from the show here.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/lenovo-announces-new-gaming-laptops-at-ces-that-feature-proprietary-cooling-tech-and-performance-enhancing-ai-chips-230035119.html?src=rss
Mophie’s Juice Pack, once practically synonymous with smartphone battery cases, is making a comeback at CES 2024. With Apple having discontinued its MagSafe Battery Pack as part of its purge of Lightning accessories, the Zagg-owned Mophie has seized the moment to reintroduce the Juice Pack for the first time in five years. The new version of the battery case is designed for the iPhone 15 series (with the notable exception of the 15 Plus).
The battery capacity in the new Juice Pack varies depending on which iPhone model you have. The iPhone 15 version has a 2,400mAh battery, the iPhone 15 Pro model moves to 2,600mAh and the iPhone 15 Pro Max variant is 2,800mAh. The case supports passthrough charging and will prioritize the iPhone when both need power.
Mophie’s iPhone 15 and 15 Pro cases have identical external dimensions (despite the phones’ measurements being different) at 161 x 75 x 17.54mm (6.3 x 3 x 0.7 inch). Meanwhile, the iPhone 15 Pro Max version measures 174 x 81.1 x 17.12 mm (6.85 x 3.2 x 0.67 inch). The case is made from acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) and has slightly raised corners to help with drop protection.
The Mophie Juice Pack for iPhone 15 series costs $100. The battery case will be available for pre-order in late February from Mophie’s website.
We're reporting live from CES 2024 in Las Vegas from January 6-12. Keep up with all the latest news from the show here.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mophie-resurrects-the-juice-pack-for-the-iphone-15-series-220713020.html?src=rss
Those who've been yearning for a chance to try the Apple Vision Pro headset and have the cash to spare won't need to wait much longer to snap one up. The company says the hotly anticipated device will arrive in the US on February 2. Pre-orders for the mixed reality headset, which starts at $3,499 for 256GB of storage, will open on January 19. The device will be available at all US Apple Store locations as well as through the company's web store.
Those who require vision correction will need to snap up Zeiss optical inserts and attach them to the headset magnetically (Vision Pro doesn't work with glasses). Readers will cost $99, while prescription lenses will set you back $149. The inserts will only be available for purchase online, so don't expect to be able to wander into an Apple Store to pick them up. Naturally, you'll need a prescription for the prescription lenses. However, Apple says that "not all prescriptions are supported."
The era of spatial computing has arrived! Apple Vision Pro is available in the US on February 2. pic.twitter.com/5BK1jyEnZN
This is Apple's first new major product line since it introduced the Apple Watch back in 2014. Apple revealed the Vision Pro release date just as CES 2024 is kicking off, likely to steal some thunder away from the show's exhibitors without needing to actually show up in Las Vegas itself.
The Vision Pro, which Apple announced at WWDC last year, marks the company's initial foray into spatial computing. You'll primarily control it with your hands, eyes and voice, though you can pair a Magic Keyboard and Trackpad for productivity needs or a controller when it's time to kick back and play games.
Apple says a brand new App Store will support more than a million apps from the iOS and iPadOS ecosystems. Of course, there will be apps that are unique to the headset's visionOS. You'll interact with apps by just looking at them, tapping your fingers (à la Apple Watch's new Double Tap feature), flicking your wrist to scroll and using dictation or a virtual keyboard for typing. Siri will enable to you control media playback, open and close apps and much more, Apple says.
Users can place apps anywhere in a 3D virtual environment, which could be a boon for multitasking. You'll be able to access your Mac through your Vision Pro as well, so you'll have access to a giant 4K canvas for your desktop or laptop to help you get things done.
On the entertainment front, you'll be able to stream shows and movies from the likes of Apple TV+, Disney+ and Max on a virtual screen that appears to be 100 feet wide. There's HDR support and, through the Apple TV app, you'll me able to check out more than 150 titles in 3D. Vision Pro also supports Apple's new Immersive Video format, through which you can check out 180-degree, 3D experiences in high resolution.
As for games, Vision Pro will support more than 250 Apple Arcade titles as well as others from the App Store. Players will be able to check out "spatial games," such as Game Room, What the Golf? and Super Fruit Ninja. In those cases, Apple says the headset will transform the space around you, likely leading to more immersive gaming experiences. It's possible that you'll be able to use PlayStation and Xbox remote play features using Vision Pro too.
Speaking of immersion, you'll be able to virtually relocate to more peaceful environments, such as a national park or the surface of the Moon, if you don't feel like looking at your office or home in mixed reality. By turning the Digital Crown, you can adjust the level of immersion in these environments.
The iPhone 15 Pro or iPhone 15 Pro Max can now capture spatial photos and videos, and you'll be able to view those in "life-size scale" through Vision Pro. Panoramas, for instance, will wrap around you.
FaceTime and other types of calls are getting an intriguing upgrade through Vision Pro. Headset users will appear as a Persona, a virtual representation of them that shows their hand movements and facial expressions (Personas are also supported on the likes of Zoom, Webex and Microsoft Teams). Those taking part in a call on a Mac, iPad or iPhone will appear in a tile, while spatial audio will make it seem as though each person's voice comes from the location of their tile in the space.
Oftentimes, wearers of virtual reality or mixed reality headsets seem disconnected from others in the same physical space as they can't make eye contact with those around them. To mitigate that, Apple has developed technology called EyeSight. This makes it appear as though the Vision Pro is transparent, allowing others to see a wearer's eyes.
Elsewhere, Apple has developed a new authentication system called Optic ID to unlock the device, as well as for password autofill and Apple Pay payment approval. The company says that eye-tracking information remains private — neither Apple nor the makers of third-party apps or websites can access that data. It also notes that Vision Pro has a number of accessibility-minded features, such as the ability to enable eye tracking for one dominant eye (which may be helpful for those who have severe vision loss in one eye or a misalignment).
Given the price of Apple's headset, it's highly unlikely that it will see wide adoption, at least in its first iteration. This is one for developers, early adopters and Apple enthusiasts. It may be the case that Apple eventually becomes the company to make mixed reality mainstream. In the meantime, at least we now know when eager beavers will be able to buy a Vision Pro if they have a spare few thousand dollars burning a hole in their pockets.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-apple-vision-pro-goes-on-sale-in-the-us-on-february-2-for-3499-142006153.html?src=rss
The Apple Watch Ultra 2 was recently banned from sale due to a patent dispute, but has now returned to the market pending an appeal by Apple. Now that you can buy one again, it's available with a solid discount from Amazon, priced at just $709 (with the Olive Alpine Loop strap) instead of $799 thanks to a $40 coupon and six percent discount — near it's all-time-low price.
The Apple Watch Ultra 2 arrived this fall with the new S9 SiP (system in package) chip, allowing you to double tap your thumb and forefinger together to perform activities like ending calls and playing music. The Ultra 2 also automatically turns on Night Mode, processes Siri requests right on the watch and has an always-on display. The form factor matches the OG Ultra smartwatch, but the display is now extra bright, at 3,000 nits vs 2,000 nits from last year’s release.
The watch has fantastic battery life, which comes in handy when you’re trekking through the wilderness, with up to 36 hours per charge. However, there’s also a low-power mode that brings this number up to 72 hours. The depth-tracker works even better for divers, adding the ability to save past dives and track depth history straight from the watch.
The Ultra 2 adds new widgets, an upgraded compass app, new workout-tracking features and much more. Apple also noted that it was manufactured using 95 percent recycled materials as part of a broader push to lessen the environmental impact of its product line. There's one caveat, though: This deal is only available on the Ultra 2 small model, which fits wrists of 130mm to 160mm, and the Olive Alpine Loop.
Xreal, formerly Nreal, hosted one of the busiest booths at CES in recent years, so it's no surprise that the company is back with new AR glasses for CES 2024 — especially given the much anticipated launch of Apple's Vision Pro. Following the Nreal Light from 2019, the brand new Xreal Air 2 Ultra finally brings back 6DoF (six degrees of freedom) spatial tracking and hand tracking, along with a wider 52-degree FOV (field of view) and a 42-pixel-per-degree sharpness within an 80-gram titanium package. The firm goes as far as claiming that these specs make the $699 Air 2 Ultra a compelling alternative to the $3,499 Vision Pro.
Unlike the standalone mixed reality headsets, the Air 2 series of glasses need to be powered by an external computing unit, such as a smartphone, a computer or Xreal's Beam module, via USB-C. While the earlier Air 2 Pro and Air 2 were positioned more as personal display wearables, the Air 2 Ultra emphasizes on its 6DoF spatial computing capabilities, meaning virtual objects can be mapped to the real world while you walk around.
This is enabled by the front-facing dual 3D environment sensors, as well as the Qualcomm Snapdragon processors on the Samsung Galaxy S23 or S22, iPhone 15, or any Mac or Windows machine that can run Xreal's Nebula launcher. If you already own an Xreal Beam, you can also plug the Air 2 Ultra in for a 3DoF experience (read: just simple head tracking) with video playback or console gaming. Oddly enough, the company doesn't plan on supporting more smartphones at the moment, but it is prepping a new custom computing unit to go with the Air 2 Ultra at some point.
Xreal
Like the Pro, the Air 2 Ultra's front layer supports three electrochromic dimming levels for increased immersion (without the need of a physical shield), as well as directional audio technology for improved privacy, and dual microphones for voice interaction. You'll find the same old Sony micro OLED panels with 1080p resolution per eye, a refresh rate of up to 120Hz (90Hz in 3D mode) and brightness of up to 500 nits (250 nits in 3D mode). Xreal added that these glasses can cast a virtual 2D screen "at an equivalent of 154 inches from a distance of 13 feet," and that they are "TÜV Rheinland-certified for Color Accuracy, Eye Comfort, Low Blue Light, and Flicker Free usage."
The $699 Xreal Air 2 Ultra is available for pre-order now, and if you bought an Nreal Light a while back, you're most likely eligible for a $100 discount. That's still not quite as aggressive as the Meta Quest 3's $500 base price, but then again, the Air 2 Ultra is largely aimed at developers for the time being. For one, Xreal's upcoming Unity-based NRSDK 2.2 won't be available until these glasses start shipping in March. Only then will developers be able to leverage the improved hand tracking, hand gesture recognition, spatial anchors, depth mesh and more. That is to say, Xreal will need to win over as many developers as possible to build up its mixed reality ecosystem, before getting consumers' attention at all, if not enterprises — the latter has been the case for HTC, which announced that it was sending VR headsets to the International Space Station back in November.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/xreal-air-2-ultra-is-an-affordable-alternative-to-the-apple-vision-pro-apparently-220944571.html?src=rss