Tag Archive for: ‘Pro

Apple Rushes To Fix A Vision Pro Zero Day Exploit, Announces 600 Apps For Today’s Launch


The inclusion of 600 apps for Vision Pro is no surprise, as Apple has been building a massive ecosystem of apps and content for several years across its devices. On the entertainment front, apps such as Apple TV will provide unique and immersive content to users that won’t be replicated on standard devices. Having a large virtual screen in front of users is certainly appealing if executed well, along with surround sound and curated content. 

With gaming, there is a plethora of opportunity here for Apple to expand on the popularity of Apple Arcade, and gain some high-end marketshare on that front from other popular headsets. 

Productivity is a major area where Apple plans to focus its efforts, with the idea that spatial computing can replace the traditional desktop for some users. Apps such as Zoom, popular with work-from-home, can be a starting point for those dipping their feet into this immersive world that Apple is aiming for. 

If users will ultimately buy into the idea of Vision Pro as a replacement or supplemental device for work and play remains to be seen. While there is no killer app available yet, the Apple ecosystem is robust and the technology is sufficiently capable to provide an experience not available elsewhere yet. 

apple webkit

While new apps are always needed to prove a products seaworthiness upon its maiden voyage, security is just as important. Apple has quickly released a security update addressing “maliciously crafted web content which may lead to arbitrary code execution.” This update is part of visionOS 1.0.1 for developers, and visionOS1.0.2 for those with visionOS1.0. 

While Vision Pro won’t have the same number of users as Apple’s iPhone, there will be a sufficient user base that makes security updates like this vital. Apple products have a reputation for being less likely to have issues such as malware, so keeping that reputation on a halo product such as Vision Pro is certainly in Apple’s best interest. 

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Apple fixes zero-day bug in Apple Vision Pro that ‘may have been exploited’


A day after reporters published their first hands-on review of Apple’s Vision Pro, the technology giant released its first security patch for the mixed reality headset to fix a vulnerability that “may have been exploited” by hackers in the wild.

On Wednesday, Apple released visionOS 1.0.2, the software that runs on the Vision Pro, with a fix for a vulnerability in WebKit, the browser engine that runs Safari and other web apps. Apple said the bug, if exploited, allowed malicious code to run on an affected device.

It’s the same vulnerability that Apple patched last week when it rolled out iOS 17.3, which included fixes for iPhones, iPads, Macs and Apple TV — all of which rely on WebKit. No patches for this bug, officially tracked as CVE-2024-23222, were released for Apple Watch.

It’s not immediately clear if malicious hackers used the vulnerability to specifically exploit Apple’s Vision Pro, and Apple spokesperson Scott Radcliffe would not say when asked by TechCrunch.

It also isn’t yet known who was exploiting the vulnerability, or for what reason.

It is not uncommon for malicious actors, such as spyware makers, to target weaknesses in WebKit as a way to break into the device’s underlying operating system and the user’s personal data. WebKit bugs can sometimes be exploited when a victim visits a malicious domain in their browser, or the in-app browser.

Apple rolled out several patches for WebKit bugs last year.

Vision Pro is expected to be available starting Friday.

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Pixel 8 And 8 Pro Reviews, Pixel Watch Problems, Honor Magic Vs2 Launched


Taking a look back at seven days of news and headlines across the world of Android, this week’s Android Circuit includes the latest reviews of the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, problems with the Pixel Watch, Samsung’s ambitious update plans, a new Honor Magic V for China, and Apple faces more RCS messaging pressure.

Android Circuit is here to remind you of a few of the many things that have happened around Android in the last week (and you can find the weekly Apple news digest here).

Pixel 8 Review

It’s a little smaller, it’ has one less lens in the primary camera, and there’s nothing incredibly exciting about the new Pixel 8; but it’s a great day-to-day phone where a lot of tiny advantages add up to something pretty damn smart for a phone:

“Cool design, a better display than before and super-fast performance all make the Pixel 8 a highly usable phone that, unless you really must have the significantly better camera set-up on the Pro, is easy to recommend. The price has gone up this year to $699, compared to $599 last time around. But that’s a great deal cheaper than the $999 you need to splash out on the Pro. Last year’s Pixels were flagship phones at mid-range prices. That’s not the case any longer, but the Pixel 8 still represents good value.”

(Forbes).

Pixel 8 Pro Review

The larger Pixel 8 Pro picks up where last year’s model left off, although the popularity of the flat display on the Pixel 7 compared to the curved Pixel 7 Pro has led to the 8 Pro using a flat display as well. As for everything else, the hardware has been iterated on while the AI software makes the real difference:

“All this positioning is lovely, but is it a “good smartphone” for consumers? As an upgrade from last year’s Pixel 7 Pro, there are not enough points of difference in the hardware, and I’d expect much of the AI-based software to be backported over time. Coming from the Pixel 6 Pro, there’s an argument that there is now enough of a difference to be considered.”

(Forbes).

Pixel Watch 2 Review

Last year saw Google debut the first Pixel wearable in the Pixel Watch. Targeting the sports/fitness crowd and working with the Fitbit platform was a…

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Xiaomi announces 13T Pro with promise of four major Android updates


Xiaomi is launching the 13T and 13T Pro today, two smartphones that will benefit from more Android upgrades than what it’s offered previously. Both are due to receive four major Android updates as well as five years of security patches, Xiaomi’s communications director, Daniel Desjarlais, announced earlier this month

The Xiaomi 13T Pro will start at £649 (€799, or around $790), while the 13T will start at £549 (€649, or around $669), and both will be available starting today in the UK. The phones will primarily be sold in European markets, but based on Xiaomi’s previous smartphone releases, they’re unlikely to be officially available in the US.

Xiaomi 13T Pro in green.
Image: Xiaomi

A support commitment of four major Android updates and five years of security patches brings Xiaomi more or less in line with what Samsung promises for its latest Galaxy S23 phones and is technically better than the three major Android upgrades Google offers with its latest Pixels. But there’s an important caveat with Xiaomi’s 13T series: they’re shipping with last year’s Android 13 out of the box. So at least one of these Android upgrades is going to be used on updating the phones to this year’s Android 14. 

And in black.
Image: Xiaomi

Like Xiaomi’s previous phones, the 13T and 13T Pro once again feature a Leica-branded camera system, though there are fewer hardware novelties this time around. There’s no one-inch-type sensor like we saw with the Xiaomi 13 Pro, nor are Xiaomi buyers getting a 200-megapixel sensor this time around. (It’s probably for the best.) Instead, on both phones, you’re getting 50-megapixel main cameras with a 1/1.28-inch sensor paired with a 50-megapixel telephoto, a 12-megapixel ultrawide, and a 20-megapixel front camera. 

Internally, the Xiaomi 13T Pro is powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 9200 Plus processor, while the 13T packs a Dimensity 8200-Ultra. Both have 5,000mAh batteries, but only the 13T Pro can be fast-charged at up to 120W for a full charge in as little as 19 minutes. (The non-Pro 13T tops out at 67W.)

Around front, both phones have a 6.67-inch display with a 144Hz refresh rate, a peak brightness of 2,600 nits (1,200 nits typical), and a…

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