Friday, December 7, 2018

iOS 12.1.1 for iPhone XR Expands eSIM Support, Brings New Haptic Touch, RTT Support to Wi-Fi Calling


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MediaTek Helio M70 5G Baseband Chipset with LTE, 5G Dual Connectivity Support, 5 Gbps Data Rate Announced


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How to use iCloud

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What is iCloud, and what does it do? We explain how to get the most out of Apple's iCloud services

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DxOMark: iPhone XR is 'Best Single-Cam Smartphone We've Tested'

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DxOMark today published the results of its in-depth analysis of the iPhone XR's single-lens rear camera. Apple's flagship smartphone achieved an overall score of 101 points, surpassing Google's Pixel 2 to make it the top-ranked single lens phone in the site's rankings.


In its testing, DxOMark found the iPhone XR to offer "a very similar proposition for image quality as the flagship iPhone XS Max," across key photo attributes like exposure, color, detail, noise, and artifacts.

Both devices also achieved the same overall score for video, but the dual lenses of the iPhone XS Max meant the XR fell behind on zoom and bokeh shots, although DxOMark noted that Apple had managed to improve the flash on the more affordable single-lens iPhone.

Colored panels shot on iPhone XR

The review adds that the iPhone XR has very good exposure and dynamic range in bright light and indoor conditions, while detail is well-preserved in all lighting conditions with "vivid and pleasant colors in most situations."

Apple iPhone XR, HDR test scene

The few cons the review noted included the visibility of fine grain luminance noise in indoor and low-light conditions, while video was criticized for instabilities in white balance when filming indoors.

Apple iPhone XS Max, HDR test scene for comparison

DxOMark concludes that the photographic capabilities of the iPhone XR are "broadly similar to those of the XS/XS Max" which should make the less-expensive model "desirable to many Apple enthusiasts looking to upgrade their smartphone."
"Compared to the Google Pixel 2, which is the best single-cam smartphone we’d tested up until now, the results are very comparable in many areas, but thanks to improved results for noise and particularly for artifacts, the iPhone XR just nudges it out of first place to become our top-ranked single-cam smartphone."

For its scoring and analysis methodology, DxOMark says its engineers capture and evaluate over 1,500 test images and more than two hours of video both in controlled lab environments and in natural indoor and outdoor scenes, using the camera's default settings.

DxO is a well-known French image lab that has been reviewing smartphone cameras for several years, but they aren't immune to criticism, which just goes to show how subjective image quality can sometimes be.

Related Roundup: iPhone XR
Tag: DxOMark
Buyer's Guide: iPhone XR (Buy Now)

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How to set up iCloud

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Looking to get started with iCloud? We explain how to set up iCloud on iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Apple TV, Mac and even Windows PC

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O2 and Ericsson Apologize After 4G Service Outage Affects Millions of Smartphones

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Cellular network operator O2 on Friday said its data networks had been restored after millions of smartphones across the UK and Japan were taken offline yesterday (via BBC).

A statement on its website said the 4G network was finally working again, after having been affected from about 05:30 GMT on Thursday.


Earlier, mobile network equipment supplier Ericsson said that an expired certificate was the reason behind the outage, which also created problems in several other countries. Ericsson UK boss Marielle Lindgren said the "faulty software" that had caused the issues was being decommissioned.

Both O2 and Ericsson issued a joint apology to millions of customers hit by the disruption. "I want to let our customers know how sorry I am for the impact our network data issue has had on them, and reassure them that our teams, together with Ericsson, are doing everything we can," said O2 boss Mark Evans. "We fully appreciate it's been a poor experience and we are really sorry."

O2 is owned by Spain's Telefonica and has the UK's second-largest mobile network after British Telecom subsidiary EE.

The company said voice calls were not affected by the problem, but some O2 customers said they could not make calls or send texts, despite having cellular reception.

The outage also had knock-on effects for other services that use the O2 network, such as Transport for London's electronic timetable service at bus stops, which stopped working for most of Thursday.


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Australia Passes Controversial Encryption Bill Despite Opposition From Apple and Other Tech Companies

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The Australian parliament on Thursday passed controversial encryption legislation that could result in tech companies being forced to give law enforcement access to encrypted customer messages.

As we reported in October, Apple opposed the legislation in a seven-page letter to the Australian parliament, calling the encryption bill "dangerously ambiguous" and wide open to potential abuse by authorities.


Advocates of the bill, officially titled "Assistance and Access Bill 2018," argue it is essential to national security because encrypted communications are used by terrorist groups and criminals to avoid detection.

CNET provided a breakdown on the Australian bill and the three tiers of law enforcement and state agency assistance it covers:
  • Technical assistance request: A notice to provide "voluntary assistance" to law enforcement for "safeguarding of national security and the enforcement of the law."

  • Technical assistance notice: A notice requiring tech companies to offer decryption "they are already capable of providing that is reasonable, proportionate, practicable and technically feasible" where the company already has the "existing means" to decrypt communications (e.g. where messages aren't end-to-end encrypted).

  • Technical capability notice: A notice issued by the attorney general, requiring tech companies to "build a new capability" to decrypt communications for law enforcement. The bill stipulates this can't include capabilities that "remove electronic protection, such as encryption."
The Australian government insists that the laws don't provide a backdoor into encrypted communications, however Apple says says the language in the bill permits the government to order companies who make smart home speakers to "install persistent eavesdropping capabilities" or require device makers to create a tool to unlock devices.

Likewise, the joint industry lobby group DIGI, which includes Amazon, Facebook, Google, Oath, and Twitter, said they were willing to work with the government to promote public safety, but the laws could "potentially jeopardize the security of the apps and systems that millions of Australians use every day."

Apple has fought against anti-encryption legislation and attempts to weaken device encryption for years, and its most public battle was against the U.S. government in 2016 after Apple was ordered to help the FBI unlock the iPhone owned by Syed Farook, one of the shooters in the December 2015 attacks in San Bernardino.

Apple opposed the order and claimed that it would set a "dangerous precedent" with serious implications for the future of smartphone encryption. Apple ultimately held its ground and the U.S. government backed off after finding an alternate way to access the device, but Apple has continually had to deal with further law enforcement efforts to combat encryption.

Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.


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