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Leaked images show off Samsung’s budget Galaxy Tab A8

More images of Samsung’s rumoured Galaxy Tab A8 10.5 have leaked, this time courtesy of WinFuture (via Android Police).

This leak features a series of marketing pictures that give us a good look at the budget tablet from all sides and in three colours, including a dark grey, a light grey/white/silver and a pink colour.

The Tab A8 will reportedly sport a 1920 x 1200 pixel 10.5-inch LCD screen running at 60Hz with slim bezels. The top edge of the tablet appears to have the power and volume buttons and a microphone, while the bottom edge features an expansion slot. The two sides have speakers and the left edge has another microphone. The right side sports a USB-C charging port and a 3.5mm headphone jack.

Additionally, the Tab A8 has a 5-megapixel front-facing camera and a lone 8-megapixel rear camera. There’s also no rear flash.

As for the internals, leaks suggest it will have an octa-core Unisoc Tiger T618 chip — Android Police calls it “low-midrange,” so it likely won’t blow anyone’s mind with performance. Additionally, the A8 will offer 4GB of RAM and 32, 64 or 128GB storage options. The tablet will have a 7,040mAh battery with up to 15W fast charging. However, it’s unclear if Samsung will include a charger in the box.

Finally, the Tab A8 will likely start at around €240 (about $345.68 CAD) for the Wi-Fi model with 32GB of storage.

Source: WinFuture Via: Android Police

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Mobile Syrup

Instagram head shares more details about return of chronological feed

After revealing this week that Instagram was working to bring back the chronological feed, head of Instagram Adam Mosseri posted a Q&A detailing how the new chronological feed would work.

Mosseri first mentioned that the chronological feed — previously the default on Instagram before it was removed over five years ago — would return during a Senate hearing on December 8th. Instagram later confirmed the plan, noting that it was experimenting with several feed types.

In the Q&A posted December 10th (available via Twitter), Mosseri reiterated that the Meta-owned image sharing platform aimed to bring back the chronological feed “early next year.” Further, he said that one version of the feed would let users pick their favourites and they would “show up at the top of the feed in chronological order.” Presumably, that would apply to the ‘Favourites” feed previously mentioned by Instagram.

The other version of the feed would let users view posts from everyone they follow in chronological order. However, Mosseri didn’t share how recommended posts would factor into the new chronological feeds.

The Favourites mode will arrive first — Mosseri said it’s already in testing — and full chronological will come after.

Finally, Mosseri clarified that Instagram wasn’t moving away from the algorithmic feed. Instead, the app will give users a choice between algorithmic and chronological feeds, similar to Twitter.

Those interested can check out the full Q&A below (reposted to Twitter):

Source: Adam Mosseri (Twitter) Via: The Verge

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Mobile Syrup

Save big on Wacom, Sony, and Lenovo products at Best Buy right now

If there’s a budding (or full-on professional) artist on your list this year, the Wacom One Creative Pen Display could make this a holiday to remember. Its pressure-sensitive stylus makes for a unique painting experience on its 13.3″ HD display, and right now, you can get it for $103 off its usual price, along with a slate of other great gifts.

Check out the Wacom One and other tech-gear deals below:

Wacom One Creative Pen Display for $426.98 (save $103)

Toshiba 32″ 720p HD LED Smart TV for $249.99 (save $30)

Sony BRAVIA XR X90J 65″ 4K UHD HDR LED Smart Google TV for $1,499.99 (save $400)

ASUS ROG Strix G10DK Gaming PC for $1,599.99 (save $100)

SUS 27″ FHD 60Hz 5ms GTG IPS LED Edge-Lit LCD Monitor for $199.99 (save $30)

Sony WH-1000XM4 Over-Ear Noise Cancelling Bluetooth Headphones for $349.99 (save $150)

DJI Mini 2 Quadcopter Drone Fly More Combo for $699.99 (save $30)

HP 14″ Laptop – Silver for $549.99 (save $150)

Lenovo IdeaPad 3i 15.6″ Laptop for $449.99 (save $150)

Sony SRS-XB23 EXTRA BASS Waterproof Bluetooth Wireless Speaker for $99.99 (save $50)

Google Nest Hub (2nd Gen) Smart Display with Google Assistant for $69.99 (save $60)

Twinkly Strings+Music Smart 48m (157.5 ft.) RGB LED String Light Set with Music Dongle for $199.99 (save $50)

Fitbit Versa 2 40mm Smartwatch with Amazon Alexa & Heart Rate Tracking for $149.99 (save $80)

Microsoft Surface Pro 8 13″ 256GB Windows 11 Tablet for $1,379.99 (save $150)

JBL Bar Deep Bass 300-Watt 2.1 Channel Sound Bar with Wireless Subwoofer for $299.99 (save $150)

Google Chromecast with Google TV for $59.99 (save $10)

Insignia Air Fryer – 4.8L – Stainless Steel for $79.99 (save $140)

ProForm Tour de France Exercise Bike for $799.97 (save $400)

Hover-1 Ranger Hoverboard for $179.99 (save $80)

Photo source: Best Buy

MobileSyrup utilizes affiliate partnerships and publishes sponsored posts. These partnerships do not influence our editorial content, though MobileSyrup may earn a commission on purchases made via these links.

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Security flaw in widely-used logging system impacts Minecraft, iCloud, more

A massive security vulnerability dubbed ‘Log4Shell’ that potentially impacts millions of devices has security teams scrambling to apply patches.

The vulnerability affects an open-source logging library called ‘log4j’ used by apps and services across the internet, according to The Verge. Logging, for those not familiar, is a common process where apps keep a running list of activities they perform that can be reviewed later in case of an error. Nearly every network security system runs some kind of logging process — that gives libraries like log4j significant reach and, by extension, huge impact when there’s a vulnerability like this.

The log4j flaw could allow remote code execution on vulnerable servers if exploited. That could give attackers the ability to import malware that would compromise machines.

Worse, the vulnerability is fairly easy to exploit. Attackers need to make an application save a special string of characters in the log — since apps often log a range of events, covering everything from chat messages to system errors — it’s not hard to inject the string.

For example, the exploit was first spotted on sites hosting Minecraft servers. Those sites discovered that attackers could trigger Log4Shell by posting chat messages. A new version of Minecraft that rolled out Friday includes a patch for the vulnerability.

However, Minecraft is far from the only impacted service. A blog post from security company LunaSec claims that Valve’s popular PC gaming platform Steam and Apple’s iCloud are both vulnerable to Log4Shell. Other vulnerable platforms will likely be discovered in the coming weeks.

The Verge reports that an update released for the log4j library mitigates the vulnerability. However, considering the sheer number of impacted apps and services, and the time it’ll take to update everything, Log4Shell will remain a significant problem.

Source: Ars Technica, The Verge

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Mobile Syrup

Teams update partially fixes Android emergency calling bug, OS patch to come

Earlier this week, Google confirmed it was aware of a nasty Android bug that, when mixed with Microsoft’s Teams app, could break emergency calls.

Since then, a partial fix has been rolled out via an update to Microsoft Teams. However, a larger Android update is still expected in January to resolve OS-side of this particular puzzle.

In case you missed it, the explanation shared by Google said that an “unintended interaction” between Teams and Android was behind the bug. Specifically, trying to place an emergency call would freeze the smartphone if the Microsoft Teams app was installed but the user hadn’t logged in.

Google didn’t provide much more information about the cause, beyond noting that it believed the issue was “only present on a small number of devices” with Teams installed. However, Mishaal Rahman, former editor-in-chief at XDA Developers, wrote a detailed blog post analyzing the bug and what caused it.

Rahman’s post is well worth the read if you care about these types of things, although it’s pretty technical. Still, it’s fascinating to learn more about how complex something as seemingly basic as a phone call is.

Two small bugs, one big problem

In short, Rahman’s analysis identified two main issues, one with Teams and the other with Android. The Teams app creates a ‘PhoneAccount’ instance whenever it’s cold-launched when the user isn’t signed in. Apps with calling capabilities create PhoneAccount instances so that Android has a list of apps that can handle phone calls. An important part of these instances is that they list other details about what the app can handle — for example, whether it’s capable of emergency calls.

The second part of the issue revolves around what Android does when it checks the PhoneAccounts ahead of placing an emergency call. A very simplified explanation of this is that the check can create an error if there are too many PhoneAccount instances (such as all the instances Team creates with its bug).

Microsoft’s new Teams update resolves the PhoneAccount creation part of the problem. According to Rahman, Teams will now clear PhoneAccounts it created at first launch, which should prevent it from amassing multiple PhoneAccount instances over time. However, that still leaves the Android bug open — it requires very specific circumstances to trigger, so most users probably won’t need to worry about it. Regardless, it’s a problem that needs to be addressed, and Rahman spotted at least two potential fixes submitted to the Android Open Source Project (AOSP). A patch sporting one of the fixes should ship in January as part of the monthly Android security update.

For now, if you have Teams installed on your Android phone, you should make sure to update it to the latest version (1416/1.0.0.2021194504) right away — you can download the update for free from the Play Store.

Source: 9to5Google, Mishaal Rahman

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Mobile Syrup

These heart-eyed delivery robots are being taken off the streets of Toronto

If you’ve strolled around the streets of Toronto in recent months, you might have seen tiny pink-coloured robots with hearts-eyes minding their business and heading to their destination.

Developed by a company called Tiny Mile, the pink machines are actually food delivering robots that are temporarily being taken off the road, owing to the fact that they may be hazardous for people with low vision and mobility.

These robots help small businesses save money on delivery expenses by delivering meals via Uber Eats within two kilometres of the restaurant.

Tiny Mile is taking the robots off the streets to cooperate with authorities, including the Committee for Infrastructure and Environment and Toronto Accessibility Advisory Committee which recently voted to ban all non-muscle operated devices from sidewalks and bike lanes.

“We agree with the City that the health and safety of people with disabilities should be the highest priority for councillors and our company,” reads Tiny Mile’s Instagram post. “Tiny Mile’s mission is to create a more livable city for all Torontonians. Whether it’s providing a service to improve the lives of people with disabilities or reducing emissions from the delivery service industry, we believe our technology has a role to play in the Toronto of tomorrow.”

The Council will look at the proposal on December 15th, and will decide the fate of these robots and future operation. If a ban does come into effect, anyone who is found operating these robots can face a set fine of $150.

For now, Tiny Mile will pause public use of its robots. The company also said on its Instagram that it will seek input from the public and people with disabilities to see if the robots can be improved in any way.

Image credit: TinyMile

Source: @tinymiledelivery

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Mobile Syrup

Google Play Games coming to Windows 10 and 11

Not to be overshadowed by Amazon, Google has stepped up to make more Android games available on Windows PCs.

The tech giant shared this at the Game Awards in 2021 with the intention of bringing Android games to Windows at some point in 2022.

There’s no word on how involved Microsoft is in this project, but it looks like Google will be bringing over a version of the Google Play Games app for computers that will sync cloud saves across Windows and Android. This is much different from Amazon, which loaded its Android apps into the new Microsoft Store app.

Reports on the Google app do suggest that it may run emulated Android games and native windows games as well.

What’s also strange is that Google is just focusing on bringing its gaming hub to Windows instead of more apps. While I’m sure millions of people play games on Android, I don’t know how many people actually care about the Play Games network. Perhaps Google bringing it to Windows will help with that, but this gaming expansion seems a little misplaced to me.

Source: 9to5Google 

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Mobile Syrup

If you order the Amazon Echo Show 15 now, you’ll get it in a month or three

Amazon’s Echo Show 15, which the company unveiled at its September event, started shipping in Canada on December 9th.

The online retail giant opened pre-orders for the device in late September, and early buyers should be receiving their Echo Show any time now.

However, if you’re in the market to purchase the Echo Show now, beware that you’ll have to wait about a month to three months before the device is shipped.

The Echo Show 15 is Amazon’s biggest smart display with a 15.6-inch 1080p screen. The display can be mounted on a wall in your house in landscape or portrait orientation.

Amazon touts the device to be a central hub to be used by all family members, with widgets for calendars, weather, appointments, to-do lists and more.

It features a 5-megapixel camera that can be used for video calls, or for the device to recognize who is using it with the new Visual ID feature. This allows the Echo Show to provide tailored content. Similar to older Echo products, there is a dedicated slider to cover the camera and a button to turn off the microphone.

Apart from regular smart display features, the Echo Show can also be used to stream content on Netflix and Amazon Prime video, all in full HD.

The Echo Show 15 costs $329.99 and is available to order from Amazon today. Expect the device to be shipped in a month to three months.

MobileSyrup utilizes affiliate partnerships. These partnerships do not influence our editorial content, though MobileSyrup may earn a commission on purchases made via these links that helps fund the journalism provided free on our website.

Source: Amazon

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Mobile Syrup

Surprising pretty much no one, OnePlus pulls its OxygenOS 12 update

It’s become too common for OnePlus’ public updates to feel like betas, and unsurprisingly, the company has once again been forced to suspend its OxygenOS 12 update’s release until it can fix several issues.

At this point, it feels like every second beta and a few stable releases a year, are pulled back within the first week — even after that, I still find OnePlus to be exceptionally buggy compared to Google Pixel devices and especially Apple’s iPhone. The situation has gotten so bad that I struggle to find a reason to recommend OnePlus’ smartphones to anyone because I’m concerned the person in question will encounter a frustrating bug.

Overall, the move to Android 12 and from OnePlus’ software to ColorOS has proved too much for the company. In the form of posts on OnePlus’ official forums regarding the update, people are outraged over the new look and feel of the OS and the sheer amount of bugs within it. While I have yet to swap back over to the OnePlus 9 Pro as a daily driver, I managed to download the update and I’ve been running the beta since it launched.

Though I have yet to encounter significant bugs, I’m disappointed with the weird implementation of ColorOS. It feels like a reskinned update stuck between ColorOS 11 and 12. It also steps back some aspects of OnePlus’ design that it released last summer, which I find a little disappointing since, at that time, I thought OnePlus was in a good place to step up as a significant player in the smartphone space.

Since then, the company has rolled back some of my favourite parts of the update on its own, but the ColorOS rebuild is even worse. At this point, if OnePlus and Oppo are going to run the same version of Android, why try to rebrand it as OxygenOS at all? When the two companies publically announced that they planned to merge, one of the key goals was to provide OnePlus users with faster and more stable updates. So far, the opposite has occurred, and I’m hesitant to believe that OnePlus running its own tweaked version of ColorOS is the right move.

I still really like the OnePlus 9 Pro, and in particular, its camera systems and hardware quality, but my trust in the brand has been beaten down over the years as its software never appears to get better — just buggier in different ways.

Via: Android Police 

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Mobile Syrup

Cybertruck may ship with real mirrors and one giant windshield wiper

New photos and a video of Tesla’s Cybertruck have leaked, giving us a glimpse at close to production Cybertruck.

Most notably, the electric vehicle (EV) is rocking one massive windshield wiper on the driver’s side and the truck appears to include side mirrors, features that were absent from earlier designs. Other than those additions, the design looks very similar to the original vision for the futuristic-looking truck.

I’m sure Cybertruck enthusiasts will spot more changes than I’m able to uncover, so I’ve listed a few other tweets related to the reveal and the source YouTube video below.

Image credit: Chile Al100 (YouTube)

Source: Chile Al100 (YouTube)