Author: Mobile Syrup

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Mobile Syrup

Microsoft ups cap on Bing AI chat lengths, daily chats

After acknowledging that long chat sessions confused Bing Chat, Microsoft is back with another blog post about its ongoing efforts to reign in the Bing AI.

Last week, Microsoft explained that lengthy chat sessions confused the language model that Bing Chat uses — as a refresher, Bing Chat runs on an updated version of OpenAI’s ChatGPT. That came after a ton of reports surfaced highlighting various odd and unhinged statements made by Bing Chat.

Microsoft’s first attempt to reduce the issue was to limit how many Bing Chat sessions people could have and how long the sessions could go. The company started with a cap of 50 chat turns per day and five chat turns per session, describing a ‘turn’ as “a conversation exchange which contains both a user question and a reply from Bing.”

In the latest blog post, Microsoft said it would increase chat turns per session to six and increase to 60 total chats per day, with plans to expand further, after receiving feedback about the initial cap.

“Our data shows that for the vast majority of you this will enable your natural daily use of Bing. That said, our intention is to go further, and we plan to increase the daily cap to 100 total chats soon. In addition, with this coming change your normal searches will no longer count against your chat totals.”

Microsoft also reiterated plans to allow Bing Chat users to pick a tone for conversations, ranging from ‘Precise’ with shorter, search focused answers, ‘Balanced,’ or ‘Creative’ with longer, chattier answers. However, it’s not clear when this change will arrive.

Source: Microsoft

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Mobile Syrup

Chrome tries to shrug off memory hog reputation with latest update

Google’s Chrome browser is incredibly popular but has garnered a reputation for being a resources hog — particularly when it comes to memory. However, a new set of features hopes to change that by making Chrome more memory and energy efficient.

The two new features arriving in Chrome version 110 (which is rolling out to desktops now) are Memory Saver and Energy Saver. Both are exactly as they sound — Memory Saver tries to reduce the memory Chrome uses on your PC, while Energy Saver tries to reduce Chrome’s drain on the battery of laptops and Chromebooks.

Memory Saver works by sleeping inactive tabs and other applications to free up resources to use elsewhere. Tabs remain visible in the tab bar and reload when users click back on them. Plus, a notification appears in the ‘Omnibox’ — what Google calls the search/URL bar — that lets users now when a tab becomes active again. Users can check that notification to see how much RAM Chrome saved with Memory Saver.

If that sounds familiar, it’s because Chrome isn’t the first to do this. Microsoft’s Edge browser — which runs on Chromium, the same underlying foundation as Chrome — has had a tab sleeping feature for a while (Microsoft started testing it in December 2020). Edge greys out sleeping tabs and users can have their cursor over them to see an estimate of save resources, though Edge is admittedly vague about what’s being saved.

As for the Energy Saver feature, it targets laptops and Chromebooks by disabling certain settings to reduce energy use. Users cna configure Energy Saver to kick on automatically when their devices’ battery falls below 20 percent. While active, Energy Saver displays a leaf icon in the top-right corner of the browser next to things like your extensions. Energy Saver disables things like smooth scrolling and website animations while also reducing video frame rates to tamp down on energy use.

The Chrome 110 release enables Memory Saver and Energy Saver by default on Chromebooks, Windows and Mac. Of course, it’s worth noting that Energy Saver isn’t available for desktop versions of Chrome, which makes sense given it’s meant to extend battery life and desktops typically don’t run on battery power.

Source: Android Police

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Mobile Syrup

Select Air Canada passengers can skip usual boarding process under digital ID pilot program

Air Canada has launched a new pilot project allowing select travellers to board flights and use services with digital credentials.

Travellers headed to Winnipeg on select flights from Vancouver International Airport and eligible customers at the Air Canada Café at Toronto Pearson International Airport can use facial recognition technology to confirm their identification.

Craig Landry, Air Canada’s executive vice-president, said the program is voluntary.

“We are very excited to now take a leadership position in Canada and test digital identification using facial recognition technology to validate customer identification quickly, securely and accurately at select airport touchpoints,” Landry said in a press release. 

Eligible customers will receive an invitation to use digital identification before they arrive at the airport. Air Canada is the first airline in Canada to utilize the feature with federal approval.

“This project has great potential in making gate boarding easier and faster for Canadian passengers, while maintaining strong safety measures,” Omar Alghabra, Canada’s Minister of Transport, said.

Image credit: Air Canada 

Source: Air Canada 

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Mobile Syrup

What’s new on Xbox Game Pass on console, PC and mobile in late February, early March 2023

Every month, Xbox brings new games to its Xbox Game Pass subscription service.

This latest batch of new Game Pass titles covers the rest of February and bleeds into March. The highlight is Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty, a new action-RPG from Team Ninja (Nioh).

  • Merge & Blade (Cloud, Console, and PC) — February 28th
  • Soul Hackers 2 (Cloud, Console, and PC) — February 28th
  • F1 22 (Console and PC) EA Play — March 2nd
  • Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty (Cloud, Console, and PC) — March 3rd

Additionally, the New Zealand update for Microsoft Flight Simulator, which is included with Game Pass, is coming February 23rd.

Finally, here’s what’s leaving Game Pass on February 28th:

  • Alien: Isolation (Console and PC)
  • Crown Trick (Cloud, Console, and PC)
  • Dragon Ball FighterZ (Cloud, Console, and PC)
  • Far: Changing Tides (Cloud, Console, and PC)
  • Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII (Console and PC)
  • Madden NFL 21 (Console and PC) EA Play
  • Octopath Traveler (Cloud, Console, and PC)

An Xbox Game Pass subscription costs $11.99 CAD/month for either Console or PC, while a $16.99/month Game Pass Ultimate membership includes Game Pass for both Console and PC, Xbox Live Gold, EA Play and Xbox Cloud Gaming.

Image credit: Koei Tecmo

Source: Xbox

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Mobile Syrup

Activision acknowledges Call of Duty hack, denies claims that personal data was compromised

Activision has confirmed that it fell victim to a data breach in December 2022.

The incident was first reported by malware-focused Twitter user @vxunderground and corroborated by credible leaker site Insider Gaming. According to @vxunderground, an Activision HR employee’s computer was hacked, which led to a slew of company data being accessed. While it’s said that no player data was breached, @vxunderground that employee information like names, emails, phone numbers, places of work and salaries were leaked.

However, Activision denied this in a statement to Insider Gaming, claiming that it “quickly resolved” the issue and determined that “no sensitive employee data, game code, or player data was accessed.”

Even if Activision is being truthful, @vxunderground points out that the company didn’t actually inform anyone of the breach. Indeed, the company is only addressing it now, more than two months later, after it had come to light from other sources.

Meanwhile, the leak also revealed a slew of information for future Call of Duty titles, including DLC for last year’s Modern Warfare 2, this year’s rumoured smaller-scale title and next year’s entry. We won’t share that here in case you want to avoid any potential spoilers, but more information can be found in @vxunderground’s Twitter thread.

Source: @vxunderground, Insider Gaming

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Mobile Syrup

PlayStation’s next State of Play is slated for February 23

After two months, we have our first PlayStation State of Play for 2023 on February 23rd.

This showcase will look at five PS VR2 games that are set to arrive later this year, as well as anticipated games from third-party partners.

Additionally, we’ll get 15 minutes of all-new gameplay and updates on Rocksteady Studios’ upcoming title, Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League.

The PlayStation State of Play begins this Thursday at 4pm ET and 1pm PT on Twitch and YouTube.

Unfortunately, we won’t see Insomniac’s Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, considering its focus on third-party titles. However, I’m hoping we see more from Neowiz’s Lies of P.

Image credit: Rocksteady 

Source: PlayStation

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Mobile Syrup

Microsoft signs 10-year deal to bring Call of Duty to Nintendo platforms

Microsoft has announced that it has signed a 10-year deal with Nintendo to bring Call of Duty games to the Japanese company’s platforms.

On Twitter, Microsoft president Brad Smith said this is a “binding” agreement that will see Call of Duty games come to Nintendo on the same day as Xbox, “with full feature and content parity.” Given that this is a 10-year deal and we’re nearing the end of the Switch’s life cycle, this would, presumably, primarily apply to the console-handheld hybrid’s yet-to-be-revealed successor.

In December, Microsoft said it had committed to a 10-year deal with Nintendo, but the February 21st announcement means that it’s now legally binding. Microsoft is making this deal in an effort to help get its pending acquisition of Call of Duty Activision Blizzard approved in the EU.

Regulators have been investigating the purchase out of concerns that such a move would be anti-competitive. PlayStation, in particular, argues that Microsoft’s ownership of Call of Duty would present the company with an unfair advantage in the market. To counter these claims, Microsoft has said it’s “committed” to bringing Call of Duty and other Activision Blizzard games to platforms like PlayStation.

In his tweet about the Nintendo deal, Smith said “this is just part of our commitment to bring Xbox games and Activision titles like Call of Duty to more players on more platforms.” It should also be noted that a similar 10-year agreement has been offered to Sony, although the company has not yet agreed to the deal.

As it stands, it’s unclear if and when the Activision Blizzard acquisition may be approved, although Microsoft is hoping it will close by July. Last month, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer reiterated his confidence that the deal will be approved.

Image credit: Activision Blizzard

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Mobile Syrup

Pixel Fold rumoured to sport heavier frame and bigger battery than Z Fold 4

Google is still on track to release its first foldable, but the device might be one of the heaviest on the market, according to 9to5Google, which says it received the information from a reliable source.

9to5 has learned that the Pixel Fold will be heavier than the Fold 4’s 263g, and weightier than even the 250g Surface Duo. This makes the foldable seem more like a small tablet than a smartphone.

However, the weight is due to the foldable’s larger battery size. 9to5 hasn’t revealed the smartphone’s exact weight, but it will be bigger than the Z Fold 4’s 4,400mAh battery and the Oppo Find N2’s 4,520mAh battery. The Pixel Fold’s battery will still be smaller than 5,000 milliamps, however.

Alongside the larger battery, the Pixel Fold is poised to measure 158.7 x 139.7 x 5.7mm (8.3mm including rear camera bump) and 14mm thick when folded. These measurements make the device wider and thicker than the Z Fold 4.

9to5 says that the having a wider internal display in a more rectangular shape instead od Samsung’s squared shape, which will work with large-screen optimization for tablets, as the phone will offer the same aspect ratio.

The handset is rumoured to launch in May alongside Google IO 0r October when Google unveils the Pixel 8 series.

Image credit: Howtosolve

Source: 9to5Google

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Mobile Syrup

Cogeco acquires ISP Oxio

Oxio is no longer an independent service provider (ISP).

The company will now run under telecom company Cogeco. The company announced the transaction in a press release on February 21st, stating that Oxio will continue to operate independently.

It’s unclear how much Cogeco paid to acquire Oxio.

“With the acquisition of oxio, Cogeco Connexion will now have a second brand to serve the telecommunications needs of Canadians,” Cogeco’s president, Frédéric Perron, said.

Oxio stood out from the rest, promising customer no “teleco bullshit” under its brand. While Cogeco promises that the company will “operate independently and serve its customers using its brand,” only time will tell if that will actually be the case.

Oxio isn’t the only ISP to be acquired by a major player. Telus added Altima and Start.ca to its banner, and Bell added Distributel and EBOX.

Source: Cogeco

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Mobile Syrup

Apple fixes multiple security issue with iOS 16.3 update

Apple has revealed that the iOS 16.3.1 and iPadOS 16.3.1 updates address a security issue that could lead to a “maliciously crafted certificate.”

According to Apple’s website, the issue could contribute to a denial-of-service attack leading to hackers inundating a device or its network with traffic, leading to a crash. “A denial-of-service issue was addressed with improved input validation,” Apple says of the update.

This applies to all models of the iPad Pro, iPad Air 3rd-Gen and later, iPad 5th-Gen and later, iPad mini 5t-Gen and later, and the iPhone 8 and later.

The updates also address two other security patches. The first is an app’s ability to carry out code with “kernel privileges.” The second relates to hackers controlling code by accessing malicious web content. “Apple is aware of a report that this issue may have been actively exploited,” the company says on the latter security patch.

Source: Apple Via: 9T05Mac