Quick Shots-310

JBL launches feature-packed true wireless earbuds you’ll want to wear all day

What makes a great pair of true wireless earbuds? After spending years reviewing the best  earbuds you can buy, we think the top priorities are that they feel great, have noise-cancellation on-board for zero distractions, there’s solid battery life so you’re not wasting time charging them up, and they sound truly stunning. But few earbuds tick all of the boxes, excelling in some areas and falling short in others. 

The JBL Live Pro 2(opens in new tab) are a fantastic pair of all-rounder true wireless earbuds. Whether you’re wearing them on a train and need to drown out voices and sounds around you, to the gym for fantastic bass and sweat-resistance, or when you’re working and studying, so you can switch between taking calls and listening to music easily. These earbuds are designed to fit into your life, adding a soundtrack to whatever you’re doing, wherever you are.

It’s good to know you’re in safe hands with these buds, too. They’re the latest true wireless earbuds from JBL, an audio tech brand with a solid legacy of combining terrific sound and features in a comfortable, durable and good-looking design—all at a price that’s affordable compared to many rival brands.

Let’s take a closer look at what sets the JBL Live Pro 2 apart from the competition. 

From Techradar

iPhone 14 preorders start September 9 – here’s what we know

The iPhone 14 is coming in September, despite the various lockdowns, manufacturing issues, and geopolitical tensions that might have impacted the release this year. Recent leaks from trusted insiders say the iPhone 14 launch event will happen on September 7th. That means iPhone 14 preorders will start on September 9th.

Apple hasn’t confirmed these dates, but if recent reports pan out, there’s no reason to doubt them.

From BGR

Fitbit announces August 24 unveiling for Sense 2 and Versa 4 smartwatches

Somewhat surprisingly and out of the blue, Fitbit has announced an August 24 launch event where we’ll likely see the Sense 2 and Versa 4 smartwatches.

The launch event for the new hardware was shared by the official Fitbit Twitter account alongside a couple of teaser images of the new hardware. Recently leaked images and high-quality renders of the new Sense, Versa, and Inspire fitness band show familiar footprints and designs with a few tweaks to the side buttons, bezels, and more.

Those renders gave a glimpse at the Fitbit Sense 2 in “Gold,” “Graphite,” and “Platinum” colors. We’re also expecting pale blue, black, and light gray bands but Fitbit is expected to offer far more options for bands. Unfortunately, those previous renders only showcased the Versa 4 in two colors – “Graphite” and “Rose.” The Fitbit Inspire 3 is yet another basic fitness band offering that will come with a color display per those aforementioned renders.

From 9to5Google

Xiaomi 12T Pro appears on Google Play Console

Xiaomi is expected to bring a new 12T Pro smartphone with a 200MP camera and Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chipset soon and the device just appeared on the Google Play Console.

The listing confirms the device name and a few other key specs including 12GB RAM, Android 12 and the aforementioned Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chipset. The display resolution is listed at 1220×2712 px which matches the recently announced Redmi K50 Ultra.

From Gsmarena

iPhone 14 allegedly surfaces in Indian regulator database ahead of September unveil

The Indian Consumer Affairs authority may have leaked important information about the upcoming iPhone 14 ahead of the September 7 Apple event. The possible model number of the next iPhone was spotted on the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) as the Cupertino company is readying the new phone.

As discovered by MySmartPrice, the Bureau of Indian Standards is now listing a new iPhone model number ahead of a new iPhone announcement.

The National Standards Body of India under the Department of Consumer Affairs currently lists the iPhone XR (A2105), iPhone 11 (A2221), iPhone 12 (A2403), and the iPhone 13 (A2633). Now it shows a new model number A2882, which could be for the upcoming iPhone 14 series.

From 9to5Mac

Xiaomi NoteBook Pro 120G will feature a 2.5K 120Hz screen, Smart TV X Series will include three models

Last week, Xiaomi announced it will unveil the NoteBook Pro 120G laptop and Smart TV X Series TVs in India on August 30. While Xiaomi hasn’t detailed the specs sheets of these products yet, it has revealed a few details about them while also giving us a glimpse of their designs.

Let’s talk about the Xiaomi NoteBook Pro 120G first. The image shared by Xiaomi on its official website reveals the laptop has a USB-A port on its right side and an HDMI port on its left side, flanked by a Thunderbolt port and a 3.5mm headphone jack. You can also see the Xiaomi logo on the laptop’s lid.

From Gsmarena

Galaxy Watch 4 plugin update brings new watch faces, UI from Galaxy Watch 5

A couple of weeks ago, Samsung unveiled the Galaxy Watch 5 and the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro. Apart from their bigger batteries and a temperature sensor, they are highly similar to their predecessors in terms of internal hardware. The Galaxy Watch 4 series is now getting some features from the Galaxy Watch 5 series.

Samsung has started rolling out an update to the Galaxy Watch 4 Manager app. It brings new watch faces from the Galaxy Watch 5 series and a slightly updated UI for the watch manager app. The latest update bumps up the app’s version to 2.2.11.22081151 and is available through the Galaxy Store and the Google Play Store.

The South Korean firm will soon release the Wear OS 3.5-based One UI Watch 4.5 update to the Galaxy Watch 4 and the Galaxy Watch 4 Classic, bringing slightly refreshed UI and new features. The new design and features debuted with the Galaxy Watch 5 and the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro.

From Sammobile

WhatsApp is rolling out Communities to select Android users

WhatsApp has earned its position on the list of best instant messaging apps. After all, it’s one of the most commonly-used IM services across the world. With more than a billion people actively depending on it, Meta has been further developing this platform into a richer one. For example, the company has recently started showing user stories in the main chat list. That’s not to mention the ability to hide one’s online status. Back in April, WhatsApp announced Communities — a hub for several relevant groups. The company has finally started testing this feature with select Android users.

As per a WABetaInfo report, WhatsApp is testing Communities with select Android users. The code spelunker mentions that the versions 2.22.19.3 (beta) and 2.22.19.2 (stable) are compatible with this server-side rollout. Those who have received this update will find a new WhatsApp Communities tab that replaces the old Camera one. There, users get to create a new Community and add up to 10 sub-groups to it. Each sub-group can then include up to 512 members.

When you first start a Community, WhatsApp automatically creates an Announcements group that includes all sub-group members. This makes it easy for admins to send common messages to everyone at once. Though, at the time being, WhatsApp doesn’t conceal phone numbers inside sub-groups. So other members will be able to see your contact information — until WhatsApp rolls out the ability to hide one’s phone number.

WhatsApp Communities are ideal for those managing schools or a neighborhood. This way, they get to keep all of the relevant sub-groups inside a common hub. If you want to get your hands on it, you can update your app to the latest available version and wait for the company to roll it out to you. Considering this is a server-side rollout, there is seemingly no way to force the feature to appear on your side — unfortunately.

From XDA

Twitter’s former security chief says company lied about bots and safety

Twitter has hidden negligent security practices, misled federal regulators about its safety, and failed to properly estimate the number of bots on its platform, according to testimony from the company’s former head of security, the legendary hacker-turned-cybersecurity-expert Peiter “Mudge” Zatko. The explosive allegations could have huge consequences, including federal fines and the potential unraveling of Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s bid to buy Twitter.

Zatko was fired by Twitter in January and claims that this was retaliation for his refusal to stay quiet about the company’s vulnerabilities. Last month, he filed a complaint with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) that accuses Twitter of deceiving shareholders and violating an agreement it made with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to uphold certain security standards. His complaints, totaling more than 200 pages, were obtained by CNN and The Washington Post and published in redacted form this morning.

In an interview with CNN, Zatko said he joined Twitter in 2020 at the bequest of then-CEO Jack Dorsey, right after the company was hit by a massive hack in which accounts belonging to figures like Barack Obama, Bill Gates, and Kanye West were compromised. Zatko says he joined Twitter because he believes the platform is a “critical resource” for the world but became disillusioned by the refusal of CEO Parag Agrawal to tackle the company’s many security failings.

“This would never be my first step, but I believe I am still fulfilling my obligation to Jack and to users of the platform,” Zatko told The Washington Post regarding his decision to become a whistleblower. “I want to finish the job Jack brought me in for, which is to improve the place.”

From The Verge

Indian crypto entrepreneur’s blockchain venture seeks seed funding at $200 million valuation

Indian crypto exchange WazirX’s co-founder Nischal Shetty is in advanced stages of talks to raise a maiden funding round for his new venture, sources familiar with the matter told TechCrunch.

Shetty is raising $20 million to $30 million in a seed financing round for his blockchain startup Shardeum, sources said, requesting anonymity as the deliberations are ongoing and private. The funding round proposes to value the startup at about $200 million, the sources added.

The Spartan Group, Struck Crypto, Big Brain Holdings and Cogitent Ventures are among some of the investors who are engaging to participate in the round, the sources said.

Shetty confirmed that the startup is in talks to raise funding, but said the round hasn’t closed.

“We are currently working with top VCs in an ongoing funding round. While it has not yet closed, we expect to see great support for Shardeum and our mission of making blockchain technology faster, smarter, and easier to use for everyone,” he said in a statement through a spokesperson.

“We look forward to sharing more details on how we’re working to turbocharge the expansion of our team and accelerate Web3 adoption for developers and their users.”

Shardeum is attempting to solve the trilemma affecting most blockchains where they have to prioritize among scalability, security and decentralization, but at best they can pick only two of these attributes.

From Techcrunch