Important announcements
Apple sues Qualcomm for $1 bilion over licensing practices
Apple is claiming that Qualcomm leveraged its monopoly position as a manufacturer of baseband chips, a critical component used in cellphones, to seek “onerous, unreasonable and costly” terms for patents, and that Qualcomm blocked Apple’s ability to choose another supplier for chipsets. Apple said in a statement that it sued Qualcomm “after years of disagreement over what constitutes a fair and reasonable royalty.”
You can read more here.
Gmail will block JavaScript file attachments starting February 13
Google has announced that its e-mail service Gmail will soon block JavaScript files from being uploaded and sent over email as they are increasingly being used as a form of malware. This is the reason why Google does not allow .exe and .bat files on their e-mail, and after February 13, .js files too will be banned. If a user downloads a malicious JavaScript file, hackers can use it to gain access to their PC to steal data or perform other damaging functions.
More info are available here.
Facebook accounts can now be secured with a physical USB key
Facebook will support security keys, USB drives that plug into a Mac or PC and use the FIDO Alliance’s open Universal 2nd Factor (U2F) standard to provide cryptographic proof of identity. The keys can be registered to an account through the two factor authentication settings in the security menu. On PC, the process of logging into Facebook this way is as simple as plugging a USB key into your computer and tapping on it after you’ve entered your password.
You can read more here.
Top new products
ZTE BA602
The phone will have a 5.5-inch display, a quad-core processor and three available RAM configurations include 1GB, 2GB, and 3GB. The ZTE BA602 is said to come with a 3,000 mAh battery, an 8MP rear-facing camera, and a 2MP shooter on the front.
More info here.
BlackBerry Mercury
It comes with a 2.02GHz Snapdragon 625 processor with 3GB of RAM, 32GB of storage, 18MP and 8MP cameras and a 3,400 mAh battery. Mercury has a QWERTY keyboard and a 4.5-inch 1080p full HD display.
More info here.
Blu Vivo XL2
The successor of the Vivo XL will have a 5.5-inch IPS LCD display, quad-core MediaTek MT6737T processor, 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. The XL2 comes with a 8MP front camera, a 13MP back camera and a 3,150mAh battery.
More info here.
Top interesting info
Samsung explains what caused the Note 7’s batteries to overheat and catch fire
It appears that two separate battery-related issues were to blame. In the case of batteries sourced from Samsung SDI, there wasn’t enough room between the heat-sealed protective pouch around the battery and its internals making the electrodes to bend and cause a short circuit. In the case of batteries sourced from Amperex Technology Limited, some cells were missing insulation tape, and some batteries had sharp protrusions inside the cell that led to damage to the separator between the anode and cathode.
You can read more here.
Apple released iOS 10.3 Beta 1
One of the major changes is the switch to APFS or Apple File System. The other useful addition is Find My AirPods. With this feature, you will be able to send a beeping sound through one or both your AirPods so you will be able to locate them. You can also see the last position they were in on a map before they lost connection with the phone. Other changes include ability for developers to have multiple alternate icons for their apps, improved Safari 10.1, widget for Podcasts app and support for payments of bills and check status of payments in Siri with the new SiriKit.
More info here.
Google expands Daydream VR platform to developers
Starting this week, anyone can publish an app for Google’s Daydream VR platform, which had previously been limited to a select group of partners. In order to ensure that Daydream apps meet a certain level of quality, Google has also published a page of Daydream app quality requirements to ensure that any VR experiences meet Google’s standards.
You can read more here.
