Safe Browsing on Google Chrome adds real-time protection against malicious sites

Google says it's upgrading the default Safe Browsing mode in Chrome to offer better protection against malicious websites. Until now, this mode has used a locally stored list to check whether a site or file may be dangerous. The list updates every 30-60 minutes but Google says that a malicious website only exists for 10 minutes on average.

To combat that, Google is drawing from a feature in Safe Browsing’s Enhanced protection mode to check sites against a server-side list of known unsafe sites in real-time. The Enhanced protection mode is opt-in, but Google found that these real-time checks offer "significant value," so it's bringing them to the standard version of Safe Browsing. 

The company notes that Safe Browsing is used on more than 5 billion devices and it helps protect against the likes of phishing, malware and unwanted software. The mode evaluates north of 10 billion URLs and files day. Chrome shows users more than 3 million warnings for potential threats through this feature on the daily. However, Google believes that real-time URL checks will help it to block 25 percent more phishing attempts.

Google says it's keeping privacy in mind as Safe Browsing doesn't share the URLs of sites you visit with the company. Chrome says this feature employs hashing and encryption. A privacy server strips out any details that might identify a user before forwarding encrypted hash prefixes to the Safe Browsing server to check against the list of sketchy sites. 

The company still recommends that users adopt the Enhanced protection mode as it offers additional safeguards. The Safe Browsing option only checks against a list of sites that are already known to be unsafe. Enhanced protection looks at additional factors and uses machine learning to identify risky sites that Safe Browsing hasn't yet confirmed as potentially malicious. Freshly created sites and those that mask their true behavior may not be picked up on by Safe Browsing’s detection systems right away.

The new Safe Browsing feature is available now on the latest desktop and iOS versions of Chrome now. It's coming to the Android app later this month. 

Meanwhile, Google says it recently updated Chrome's Password Checkup feature on iOS. Along with alerting you to compromised passwords, it will now warn you about weak and reused credentials.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/google-says-chromes-safe-browsing-mode-now-offers-better-protection-against-bad-sites-160054102.html?src=rss

Proton’s Windows and macOS mail app is out of beta and available now

Proton, the privacy-focused company that offers a variety of internet tools like mail, calendars, online storage and a password manager, continues to built out its portfolio. As of today, Proton's desktop mail app for Windows and macOS is out of beta and now available to all its paid users. At the same time, Proton is also releasing its app for Linux users in beta.

If you've used Proton Mail before (or any recent / modern mail client), the app won't be a surprise —it's the standard three-pane view, with different folders on the left, a list of message in the middle and a preview of the message contents on the right. Like in Gmail, there's a right-hand rail that has icons for your contacts and calendar that'll expand to show the selected item if you click them. But for more calendar details, there's a button to switch the whole window view from mail to calendar and back. Proton Drive and Proton Pass already have a desktop app, but for now Proton is keeping it separate from mail and calendar, which makes sense. Those two tools go hand-in-hand, but storage is kind of its own thing. 

Proton Calendar desktop app
Proton

While the new mail app doesn't improve on or change the design of Proton's web tools in any major way, I can say that the beta app felt quite responsive in a little testing I did. And while I wouldn't mind more than a slightly tweaked web wrapper (being able to draft an email in its own window would be nice), I do prefer keeping my email out of my browser window. I'm sure there are other Proton users who feel the same way and will find this app pretty handy for that. 

If you're not currently paying for Proton Mail, you can give the new app a try for two weeks, but after that you'll need to upgrade your account to keep using it. The Mail Plus plan costs $4/month if you sign up for a year, or you can get Proton Unlimited for $10 per month with a year plan that includes 500GB of storage (instead of 15GB for Mail Plus) and Proton Drive, Pass and VPN.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/protons-windows-and-macos-mail-app-is-out-of-beta-and-available-now-110010822.html?src=rss

PS5 system update that makes your controller sound better is rolling out today

Sony is rolling out a new PlayStation 5 system update that makes your controller sound better, your screen sharing more immersive and your power indicator adjustable. System Update 9.00 entered beta over a month ago and is available in the public software pushed to PS5 owners on Wednesday.

PS5 system software version 24.02-09.00.00 enhances DualSense and DualSense Edge controller audio. The controller speakers are now louder, making the speakers sound clearer when broadcasting in-game sounds and voice chat. The controller’s microphone is also improved. Sony says a new “AI machine-learning model” suppresses background noises from button presses and game audio, leading to an improved voice chat experience.”

The update also adds brightness adjustments for the PS5 power indicator. You can change its levels by heading to Settings > System > Beep and Light > Brightness. You can choose from three settings: dim, medium and bright (default).

Screen still from The Last of Us Part II, featuring Share Screen interactions. The player’s audience members have arrows (circles with upward-left-facing arrows) at various points on the screen.
PS5 Share Screen pointers
Sony

Share Screen, which lets you broadcast your gameplay straight from the console, adds pointers and emoji reactions. Your live audience can now use a pointer to show you locations on the screen. They can also send emoji reactions highlighting your gameplay triumphs and tragedies from the Share Screen. The features are toggled on by default, but hosts can turn them off from the Share Screen settings.

The 9.00 update also adds Unicode 15.1 emojis to messages. Less specifically detailed changes include performance and stability improvements for the system software, DualSense gamepads, PlayStation VR2 headset and controllers and Access controller.

If you aren’t automatically prompted to update, you can trigger the software download by heading to Settings > System > System Software > System Software Update and Settings, and choosing “Update System Software” under “Update Available.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ps5-system-update-that-makes-your-controller-sound-better-is-rolling-out-today-162511840.html?src=rss

PS5 system update that makes your controller sound better is rolling out today

Sony is rolling out a new PlayStation 5 system update that makes your controller sound better, your screen sharing more immersive and your power indicator adjustable. System Update 9.00 entered beta over a month ago and is available in the public software pushed to PS5 owners on Wednesday.

PS5 system software version 24.02-09.00.00 enhances DualSense and DualSense Edge controller audio. The controller speakers are now louder, making the speakers sound clearer when broadcasting in-game sounds and voice chat. The controller’s microphone is also improved. Sony says a new “AI machine-learning model” suppresses background noises from button presses and game audio, leading to an improved voice chat experience.”

The update also adds brightness adjustments for the PS5 power indicator. You can change its levels by heading to Settings > System > Beep and Light > Brightness. You can choose from three settings: dim, medium and bright (default).

Screen still from The Last of Us Part II, featuring Share Screen interactions. The player’s audience members have arrows (circles with upward-left-facing arrows) at various points on the screen.
PS5 Share Screen pointers
Sony

Share Screen, which lets you broadcast your gameplay straight from the console, adds pointers and emoji reactions. Your live audience can now use a pointer to show you locations on the screen. They can also send emoji reactions highlighting your gameplay triumphs and tragedies from the Share Screen. The features are toggled on by default, but hosts can turn them off from the Share Screen settings.

The 9.00 update also adds Unicode 15.1 emojis to messages. Less specifically detailed changes include performance and stability improvements for the system software, DualSense gamepads, PlayStation VR2 headset and controllers and Access controller.

If you aren’t automatically prompted to update, you can trigger the software download by heading to Settings > System > System Software > System Software Update and Settings, and choosing “Update System Software” under “Update Available.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ps5-system-update-that-makes-your-controller-sound-better-is-rolling-out-today-162511840.html?src=rss

The Morning After: Neil Young returns to Spotify after two-year protest

Neil Young is back on Spotify after boycotting the platform over two years ago, he said in a new blog post. The Canadian singer ditched the platform over vaccine misinformation on the Joe Rogan podcast. He’s returned because Rogan’s podcast is no longer exclusive on Spotify. “My decision comes as music services Apple and Amazon have started serving the same disinformation podcast features I had opposed at Spotify,” he said – which isn’t really the stance he thinks it is.

When Young dropped his catalog from Spotify, he added he was fed up with Spotify’s “shitty” sound quality. Nothing has particularly changed there.

— Mat Smith

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In the EU, Apple will allow iOS apps to be distributed on websites

Instead of its App Store.

Days after Apple started allowing iOS users in the EU to use third-party app stores, the company has announced more changes to how developers can distribute their apps. Most significantly, those who meet certain criteria can let users download apps from their websites. The Web Distribution option, available this spring, will effectively let developers bypass the app ecosystem entirely for their own apps. To be eligible, devs must opt in to new App Store rules and pay a fee for each user install after a certain threshold.

Continue reading.

Ray-Ban’s Meta sunglasses can now identify and describe landmarks

It’s one of the more useful AI-powered features.

TMA
Engadget

AI-powered visual search features arrived to Ray-Ban’s Meta sunglasses last year with some impressive (and divisive) tricks — but a new one in the latest beta looks quite useful. It identifies landmarks and tells you more about them — a sort of tour guide for travelers. Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth explained in a (Meta-owned) Threads post with a couple of sample images explaining why the Golden Gate Bridge is orange (easier to see in fog), a history of the painted ladies houses in San Francisco and more.

Continue reading.

X rival Bluesky will let users run their own moderation services

Users can subscribe to third-party labeling services too.

Bluesky, the open-source Twitter alternative, is about to start testing one of its more ambitious ideas: allowing its users to run their own moderation services. The change will bring Bluesky users and developers together to work on custom labeling tools for the budding social media platform.

Bluesky is seeing a surge in growth after it removed its waitlist and opened to all users in February. The service has added about 2 million new users, bringing its total community to just over 5 million. It might need the extra moderation.

Continue reading.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-neil-young-returns-to-spotify-after-two-year-protest-111513737.html?src=rss

Discord will soon offer more games and apps inside its chats

Discord has been experimenting with embedding apps and games directly in chats for a while, via the Activities feature. Now the company is set to launch a dedicated SDK for developers to join the chat-based fun. The Embedded App SDK rolls out on March 18 and allows devs to build experiences that are embedded in an iframe within Discord.

Putt Party app running on Discord.
Discord

“Plenty of Discord Developers out there have had their eyes on Activities, wondering when they could create their own,” the company wrote in a blog post. Prior to this announcement, these tools were limited to select developers. Currently, Discord users can do stuff like watch YouTube, play poker and share a whiteboard while participating in a chat. The SDK should open up the floodgates and allow for a drastic increase in the number of available shared experiences. So how long until Doom shows up?

The platform’s also bringing back app pitches. This program encourages developers to pitch app ideas and snag up to $30,000 in funding. Discord ended up funding some cool stuff last year, including a coral reef cam, a city-building sim and an art portfolio app, among others. Who knows what 2024 will bring.

Discord app tool image.
Discord

Finally, Discord announced that it’s experimenting with technology to allow users to add apps to their accounts, so these experiences will follow them across servers. A beta version of this tool will launch alongside the SDK on March 18. The company says that users will begin to see apps popping up “within DMs, group chats and small servers.”

These updates come just two months after the company announced a brutal round of layoffs that impacted 17 percent of its workforce. CEO Jason Citron said the cuts were necessary to put Discord “in the best position to continue building a strong and profitable business.” To that end, the company recently unveiled a partnership program with game developers to sell themed avatars and various profile effects.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/discord-will-soon-offer-more-games-and-apps-inside-its-chats-182540566.html?src=rss

Epic will charge non-game developers $1,850 ‘per seat’ to use Unreal Engine

Epic Games has announced a new pricing structure for non-game developers to use its Unreal Engine, after teasing the change last year. The Fortnite developer will charge an annual “per seat” subscription of $1,850. The term “per seat” is tech nomenclature that effectively means “a person using the software.” These changes will go into effect with the release of Unreal Engine 5.4 in late April.

Though Unreal Engine is primarily known as a game development tool, it’s regularly used in a diverse array of industries, which is where this pricing structure comes in. Companies that make linear content, like TV shows and movies, will have to cough up that $1,850 fee, as will organizations that develop in-car infotainment platforms and immersive experiences, like theme park rides. Currently, Epic makes no money from the majority of these users, as the end products aren't, as Sweeney put it last year, "royalty-bearing."

The annual fee provides these users with access to the Unreal Engine itself, the Twinmotion real-time visualization tool and the company’s RealityCapture 3D modeling software. However, organizations can purchase standalone licenses for each. Twinmotion will cost $445 per year and RealityCapture will cost $1,250 each year.

There are some exclusions here. Companies that make less than $1 million in annual gross revenue won’t have to pay the fee. The same goes for students, educators and hobbyists. Companies that develop plug-ins for the Unreal Engine can continue to use the software for free, but Epic will take a cut via its revenue share model.

Epic’s real bread and butter, game developers, will continue to have access to Unreal Engine for free, only paying a five percent royalty on software that earns over $1 million in lifetime gross revenue. Epic extended the royalty-free cutoff from $50,000 to $1 million back in 2020

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/epic-will-charge-non-game-developers-1850-per-seat-to-use-unreal-engine-162015997.html?src=rss

Apple will allow iOS apps to be distributed on websites in the EU

Days after Apple started allowing iOS users in the EU to use third-party app stores, the company has announced more changes related to how developers can distribute their apps. Most significantly, those who meet certain criteria will be able to let users download apps from their websites.

The Web Distribution option, which will be available this spring, will effectively let developers bypass the app ecosystem entirely for their own apps. To be eligible, devs will need to opt in to new App Store rules that see them pay a fee for each user install after certain thresholds and be an Apple Developer Program member that’s been in good standing for at least two years. They’ll need to “have an app that had more than one million first annual installs on iOS in the EU in the prior calendar year” among other criteria, per a support document.

By setting certain rules for supporting downloads from the web, Apple will be hoping to minimize the risk that users will be installing sketchy apps, such as ones containing malware or those that support piracy. Still, given the criticism levied against the company for seemingly only sticking to the letter of the EU’s Digital Markets Act and not its spirit, the fact that the company is exerting control over app downloads from the web may come under scrutiny too.

In addition, as 9to5Mac notes, Apple is now allowing developers to run app marketplaces that solely contain their own apps. Previously, they were required to offer apps from other devs. As such, this means the likes of Epic Games, Xbox and Meta can have iOS app marketplaces that only include their own apps and games.

Last but not least, developers will have more flexibility over how they can direct users to an external webpage to complete a transaction for digital goods and services. Apple had provided design templates for in-app promotions, discounts and deals, but those are now optional as of today. That means the likes of Spotify and Netflix can now design links out to their websites (and potentially avoid the 30 percent cut Apple takes of subscriptions from app-based signups).

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apple-will-allow-ios-apps-to-be-distributed-on-websites-in-the-eu-141526111.html?src=rss

Engadget Podcast: The MacBook Air M3 is great (but we still love the M2 Air)

Apple's refreshed MacBook Air laptops are finally here, and they're toting shiny new M3 chips. This week, Cherlynn chats with Devindra about his review of the 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air M3. They're faster, as we expected, but they're also not a huge leap over the M2 MacBook Air, which now starts at $999. (And we're sure you'll find some excellent refurbished and used deals soon.) No matter which one you pick, though, you're getting one of the most stunning ultraportable notebooks around. In other news, we discuss Apple's nearly $2 billion fine from the EU, Microsoft's upcoming Surface AI event and the death of Android apps on Windows 11.


Listen below or subscribe on your podcast app of choice. If you've got suggestions or topics you'd like covered on the show, be sure to email us or drop a note in the comments! And be sure to check out our other podcast, Engadget News!

Topics

  • Finally, the MacBook Air gets an M3 update – 0:41

  • EU fines Apple nearly $2 billion for “blocking” competing music apps – 15:27

  • iOS 17.4 brings third party app stores to the EU, podcast transcription for everyone – 20:18

  • Microsoft announces a Surface and AI event for later in March – 22:02

  • No more (Amazon App Store) Android apps in Windows – 27:49

  • Developer of Switch emulator Yuzu fined $2.4 million to settle suit with Nintendo – 39:19

  • Around Engadget: Sam Rutherford’s Nothing Phone 2 review – 46:17

  • Working on – 50:30

  • Pop culture picks – 57:47

Subscribe!

Credits
Hosts: Cherlynn Low and Devindra Hardawar
Producer: Ben Ellman
Music: Dale North and Terrence O'Brien

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/engadget-podcast-macbook-air-m3-review-133055974.html?src=rss

Engadget Podcast: The MacBook Air M3 is great (but we still love the M2 Air)

Apple's refreshed MacBook Air laptops are finally here, and they're toting shiny new M3 chips. This week, Cherlynn chats with Devindra about his review of the 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air M3. They're faster, as we expected, but they're also not a huge leap over the M2 MacBook Air, which now starts at $999. (And we're sure you'll find some excellent refurbished and used deals soon.) No matter which one you pick, though, you're getting one of the most stunning ultraportable notebooks around. In other news, we discuss Apple's nearly $2 billion fine from the EU, Microsoft's upcoming Surface AI event and the death of Android apps on Windows 11.


Listen below or subscribe on your podcast app of choice. If you've got suggestions or topics you'd like covered on the show, be sure to email us or drop a note in the comments! And be sure to check out our other podcast, Engadget News!

Topics

  • Finally, the MacBook Air gets an M3 update – 0:41

  • EU fines Apple nearly $2 billion for “blocking” competing music apps – 15:27

  • iOS 17.4 brings third party app stores to the EU, podcast transcription for everyone – 20:18

  • Microsoft announces a Surface and AI event for later in March – 22:02

  • No more (Amazon App Store) Android apps in Windows – 27:49

  • Developer of Switch emulator Yuzu fined $2.4 million to settle suit with Nintendo – 39:19

  • Around Engadget: Sam Rutherford’s Nothing Phone 2 review – 46:17

  • Working on – 50:30

  • Pop culture picks – 57:47

Subscribe!

Credits
Hosts: Cherlynn Low and Devindra Hardawar
Producer: Ben Ellman
Music: Dale North and Terrence O'Brien

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/engadget-podcast-macbook-air-m3-review-133055974.html?src=rss