Oswaldo Royett

  Privacy Please is an ongoing series exploring the ways privacy is violated in the modern world, and what can be done about it. Your phone number was never meant to be an all-access pass to your life. That 10-digit string has likely followed you around the world and across the internet for years. Over the course of that time, you've almost certainly handed it out — willingly or otherwise — to every person, restaurant, social media platform, or online store that's asked. That's a problem. For someone with the right motivation, that number is a thread which, once pulled, can unravel your entire digital life — crashing down your privacy, bank account, or even your very identity. But it doesn't have to be. There's a way to mitigate the very real risks that come with treating your phone number like both a public identifier and a key protecting all your secrets: getting and maintaining a second phone number. Thankfully, as long as you're diligent about it, the proce...

  Canada says it will ban two of China's biggest telecoms equipment makers from working on its 5G phone networks. The restrictions against Huawei and ZTE were announced by the country's industry minister on Thursday. Francois-Philippe Champagne says the move will improve Canada's mobile internet services and "protect the safety and security of Canadians". But Huawei Canada said it was "disappointed" by the decision, which it said was "political". "This is an unfortunate political decision that has nothing to do with cyber security or any of the technologies in question," a statement said. Several nations - including the UK, US, Australia and New Zealand - have already put restrictions on the firms. The four countries, along with Canada, make up an intelligence-sharing arrangement named " Five Eyes ". It evolved during the Cold War as a mechanism for monitoring the Soviet Union and sharing classified information. Canada'...

Fujitsu and the Riken research institute ended up packing 152,064 A64FX chips into what would become the Fugaku system, which is now the world's fastest supercomputer.  For the first time, a machine built with ARM chips has achieved the top ranking as the world’s fastest supercomputer.  On Tuesday, the Top500 supercomputing organization crowned a new champion: Japan’s “Fugaku” system. Based in Kobe, Japan, the machine is able to achieve 2.8 times the processing power of the previous record holder, the US’ Summit supercomputer.  The Fugaku system stands out due to its use of ARM processors, which are typically found in smartphones and known for their low power consumption. Past top-performing supercomputers have generally avoided their use, and instead relied on server chips from Intel, AMD, and IBM.   However, the makers of Fugaku—Fujitsu and Japan’s Riken research institute—opted for ARM-based processors at a time when the chip architecture is trying to gain gr...

  Apple may release a new Apple TV hardware model in the second half of 2022 with a potentially lower price tag, according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Kuo made the prediction in a tweet Friday, claiming that Apple will launch a new Apple TV model that "improves cost structure" in the second half of the year. That implies a lower price point. The analyst goes on to say that he believes Apple's "aggressive strategy" of integrating hardware, content, and services could help the iPhone maker close the gap with its TV hardware rivals. It's not clear what data points he bases the claim on, however. There is a pricing and marketshare gap. Market share reports indicate that the Apple TV trails behind other cheaper streaming devices like Roku, Amazon Fire TV, and Google Chromecast. Smart TVs are also complicating matters and taking market share from all streaming device makers. This is not the first time that we've heard rumors of a cheaper or lower-cost Apple TV mo...

New “trust” tool improves online experience and helps tackle digital fraud Microsoft named as first partner for new technology Mastercard on Monday announced the launch of an enhanced identity solution designed to improve the online shopping experience and tackle digital fraud in a new collaboration with Microsoft Corp. Now more than ever, delivering a frictionless shopping experience is critical as retailers look to shift window shopping and price comparison visits to confirmed sales. And, while consumers enjoy the convenience of shopping online, fraudsters also seek to develop new methods to use these same channels for ill-gotten gains. One of the growing types of digital fraud is first-party fraud, where a legitimate purchase is made online but later disputed. First-party fraud is estimated to be a $50 billion global issue. Mastercard has directly addressed these needs by enhancing its Digital Transaction Insights solution with next-generation authentication and real-time decisionin...

  People ask all the time about the best headphones. And I have plenty of suggestions, with considerations for ANC, sound and comfort, but included somewhere in there is always mention of headphones from Sony. For the last few years, the answer has been the Sony WH-1000XM4. Now it's undeniably these new Sony WH-1000XM5. Predictably, and still kind of amazingly, these headphones are more comfortable, sound better and have an improved feature set over the 1000XM4. If you really want the previous generation, those headphones are still available for the same retail price of $349.99, but the new headphones, for $399.99, are easily worth their extra $50. Equipped with eight microphones, the WH-1000XM5's adaptive ANC is outstanding. Noise doesn't stand a chance against these headphones. But, that's expected from the company. The unexpected advancement here is that Sony raised the bar, slightly and finally giving their premium headphones some style. Pros: Comfortable earcups—sp...

  Sports tech specialist Garmin has announced the launch of its latest watch-style dive computer, the Descent G1 Solar. Following in the footsteps of the Descent Mk1 and Descent Mk2/Mk2S, the new dive computer comes packaged with 24/7 health and wellness features, smartwatch functionality and optional solar charging, all packed into a rugged design. ‘Whether you are looking to purchase your first dive computer or wanting to support your active lifestyle, our Descent G1 Series is the ideal companion for all types of divers who appreciate having a multisport smartwatch for all other aspects of life topside,’ said Dan Bartel, Garmin vice president of global consumer sales. ‘Descent G1 Solar builds upon Garmin’s innovative dive technology line-up with the addition of solar charging, allowing customers more time to enjoy their topside activities.’ Garmin Descent G1 design The Garmin Descent G1 features an easy-to-read, high-contrast display built into a 45mm watch case which is rated to...