Android Phones Now Physical Security Key; Facebook Tries (Again) To Squelch Fake News; Amazon Employees Call for Company-Wide Climate Change Plan

Google has announced that any phone running Android 7 or higher can now be used as a security key for two factor authentication. When You need a second device to verify a login, you can now just use your phone, and not need the Google Authenticator app. It works over Bluetooth, and should be quite intuitive for users. Theverge.com reports that you will need to connect your Android phone through Bluetooth to a Chrome browser to verify logins. It works on Gmail, G Suite, Google Cloud, and any other Google account service. On Pixel phones, your FIDO credentials are stored in the Titan M chip, which can verify that button presses are legit. Google says that eventually, they will add other browsers to the system.

Facebook has rolled out a string of new announcements aimed at promoting more trustworthy news sources, and tamping down on Groups that spread misinformation. According to wired.com, the biggest change will be a new metric called Click-Gap, which Facebook is launching worldwide today…it’s their attempt to limit the spread of websites that are disproportionately popular on Facebook compared to the rest of the web. The system would limit the reach of such websites’ reach. The plan is not without critics, especially Republicans, who claim it would stymie free speech on the platform. Facebook will also take a more punitive approach for administrators of toxic Groups, and penalize the groups which spread fake news, even if such doesn’t violate community standards. All the granular information about the changes will be available in FB’s community standards.

Over 3500 Amazon employees have produced an open letter asking Jeff Bezos and others in the company hierarchy to adapt a shareholder resolution and release a ‘company-wide’ climate change plan. Engadget.com says the plan they ask for includes a ‘complete’ end to the use of fossil fuels, not just carbon offsets. Amazon has not directly responded, but did tell the New York Times that they are still working towards Shipment Zero and plan to reveal a company level carbon footprint and related goals later this year. They have already announced plans for wind farms in Ireland, Sweden, and the US.

Spyware App now Targets iPhones; Facebook’s ‘Tributes’ Tab; Firefox Improves Anti-Tracking Features; Tesla Sells Emission Compliance To Fiat Chrysler

A spyware app originally spotted on Android has now found its way to iPhones. Techcrunch.com reports that the app…called Exodus on Android, bypasses Apple’s app store by abusing Apple-issued enterprise certificates. Once installed, it can stealthily grab contacts, audio recordings, photos, videos, and other info…including real-time location data. It can be remotely triggered to listen in on conversations. Apparently it is disguised as a cell phone carrier or helper app for your cell phone carrier. On Android, it is more powerful, and can get root access to your phone. This allows stealing of email, cellular data, Wi-Fi passwords, and more. It has NOT been available from Apple’s App Store, but was on the Google App Store for a time. It is made by a professional group called Connexxa. Best advice- don’t download apps except from the App Store if you are on iOS.

You may have seen something in your news feed on Facebook, or even gotten an alert, about a new feature called the Tributes Tab. According to engadget.com, Facebook is rolling out updates to memorialized accounts (those kept active for people who have passed away.) The dedicated tributes tab will let friends and family share stories and memories of the loved one on the timeline of the person who passed. A moderator can use the tab to limit who can make and see posts, delete as needed, and so on. Thankfully, Facebook is working on stopping birthday reminders from tribute pages, and blocking the pages from getting event invites. The former can’t happen too soon!

Firefox is testing out a new anti-tracking feature that will block sites from being able to ‘fingerprint’ your browser and track you, even after you have cleared cookies. Firefox ill also now explicitly block cryptocurrency mining scripts that attempt to hijack your computer’s resources to mine digital currency. The features are in beta testing right now. Theverge.com says that Apple announced an anti-fingerprint tracking feature it plans to add to Safari at WWDC last summer. If you’re interested in getting ahead of the curve on Firefox, the features are available in the browsers Nightly builds version 68 or Beta build in version 67. Both are disabled by default.

Fiat Chrysler has cut a deal with Tesla which will enable Fiat to meet Europe’s tough new emission regulations. According to arstechnica.com, Fiat Chrysler will pay several hundred million euros to Tesla to be able to claim the electric cars as part of their own fleet, helping them to avoid some 2.77 billion euros in fines ($3.12 billion.) Fiat Chrysler’s total net global profit last year was $4.1 billion! This may be why Elon Must said he wasn’t worried about cash, despite having to dig into reserves for a big bond payment recently, with more bond payments due soon.

Next iPhones-3 Rear Cams, Bigger Screens; Samsung-4 Galaxy S10 Models; Why Netflix Blocked Airplay; Tesla-Longer Range Motors for Models S & X

The top line 2019 iPhones have been rumored for months to be moving to a triple lens camera setup for the rear cams. According to 9to5mac.com, the premium Apple handsets will rock 6.1 and 6.5 inch OLED screens in addition to the triple cam setup…and Apple blog Macotakara, these will be new models! The XS and XR will get the usual upgrades in specs, but the 2 new models will have a different chassis to accommodate the 3 cams. The overall phones will be thinner than the XS or XR, but for the rather large, square ‘camera bump’ that encloses the 3 cams and flash. The bump will only protrude by about .5 mm. Another source…with a little more sketchy reputation…says ALL the upcoming iPhones will have 3 rear cams…stay tuned!

Despite the battery issue of a few years ago, Samsung’s Galaxy Note continues to be a very popular model for the company. Now, 9to5google.com is reporting that Samsung may be working on FOUR different Note 10 models! The phablets would feature varying screen sizes and connection options…including 5G. It’s not clear how the Note models would fit into the lineup with the S models…the S10 5G might be kind of intermediate between the Galaxy S10 and Note 10, but with no S Pen support. A guesstimate of screen sizes has them at 6.28 and 6.75 inches respectively. At any rate, it will be the 1st time Samsung has offered multiple models of its phablet (aside from the usual color and storage options.) They will probably bow August 8th.

Netflix had claimed ‘technical reasons’ for disabling its Airplay support. Now, appleinsider.com says the reason may be due to Netflix not being able to tell which device the stream is being sent to…whether a TV, tablet, or phone. No one can figure out what an actual technical problem would be for Netflix with this situation…but it would mean less valuable data harvesting for them. It may just be about the bucks!

Tesla is looking at moving to longer range electric motors for Model S and Model X. Engadget.com is reporting the company may be going to the newer tech permanent magnet reluctance motors that the Model 3 runs on. The newer motors are 97% efficient, while the older AC induction motors are just 93%. The design change would gain more miles in range without any notable compromises to the design of the cars. No timetable has been discovered, nor if the change would bring a bump in cost.

More Confirmation of 3 Lens iPhone; Apple 5G May Slide to 2021; 540 Million Facebookers’ Info Exposed; Amazon Division From Seattle to ‘Burb

With some handset makers rocking 4 or 5 rear cameras now, Apple is behind the curve on one of their main selling points. There have been a number of rumors that they are going to 3 rear cams next fall, and now some physical evidence has appeared that would seem to confirm that. According to bgr.com, a metal plate that matches a leaked diagram has been spirited out of a Foxconn facility, and it has a large, square cutout matching the square bulge shown in earlier rumors. All of the rumors point to 3 rear lenses and a flash in the much larger camera bump. There is also a large round cutout in the metal plate for the wireless charging coil goes. Present iPhones already have wireless charging, but reports say the iPhone 11 line will have two-way charging, so the phone can charge your Air Pods or Watch.

Intel has apparently missed a key deadline for Apple concerning their 5G modems. Apple has been planning to add 5G capability to the 2020 phones, but now this is in doubt. Macrumors.com reports that Apple has a large staff working on their own modem chips so they don’t have to rely on either Intel or Qualcomm, but that they won’t be ready by 2020. Apple is also looking to switch to their own processor chips in the Mac line in the next year or two, dropping Intel. They already run iPhones and iPads on their own silicon. Switching to the A series processors would lower power consumption and allow using mobile apps on the Macs and possibly Mac apps on phones and especially Pro model iPads.

Facebook just can’t seem to keep peoples’ data safe, no matter how they promise to try. TechCrunch.com says researchers found that 540 million user records were exposed in the clear by a third party company called Cultury Collectiva, with the database living on an Amazon Web Services server without any password protection. The data included comments, likes, reactions, account names, and more. Another 22,000 peoples’ info that had been scraped by app maker At The Pool was more revealing…including friend lists, interests, and photos. Neither company responded to requests to take down the info, but AWS did…they killed the databases. Facebook just put out an empty statement that they are investigating, and that it’s against their policy for third parties to store user info on a public database.

Amazon apparently plans to relocate its entire Seattle based worldwide operations team to Bellevue by 2023, adding thousands to it’s new campus there. Geekwire.com reports that this new campus presently has 700 employees, compared to over 45,000 at headquarters in Seattle. Amazon has been planning this move since before all the drama over the New York location that fell through. Lest it seem that Amazon is slowing down…they still have over 10,000 job openings in the Seattle area!

Next iPhones-Bigger Batteries; New Surface Book 2; Walmart Taps Google For Voice Grocery Shopping; Zillow Launches Home Loan Biz

It had previously been leaked that Apple was planning to add reverse wireless charging to the upcoming iPhones. That would allow you to charge your AirPods or Watch, for example, using the phone. According to businessinsider.com, the usually accurate analyst Ming-Chi Kuo says the next batch of iPhones will rock bigger batteries to support the feature. Kuo says the successor to the iPhone XS will have a bump in battery of 20-25%. The bigger Max model will only get a 10-15% bigger one, but it has a notably bigger battery already. The XR replacement will get a modest bump of 5% or less in battery capacity.

Microsoft has refreshed the Surface Book 2 base model. Theverge.com reports that it will be powered by Intel’s latest 8th ten quad-core i5 processor for the 13 inch model. The present dual-core 7th ten processor will still run the previous model, which drops to $1299. The new one is priced at $1499. Microsoft has bumped the storage on the midrange model to 256 gigs and it comes with 8 gigs of ram. Microsoft will show more, including the Surface Hub 2 at an event April 17th in New York City.

“OK Google, talk to Walmart.” Walmart has partnered with Google on Walmart Voice Order, which works over Google Assistant devices for ordering groceries. Techcrunch.com says it can be used on Google smart speakers, and displays, smartphones and smartwatches. A cool feature…the service learns from your orders, so you don’t have to repeat the entire item. An example they gave was that you could just say ‘milk,’ instead of ‘XYZ 1% organic milk’. Voice shopping for pickup will be available at more than 2100 Walmart stores, and online delivery at 800 locations.

Last year, Zillow bought Mortgage Lenders of America. They have been quietly originating mortgages for several months, and have now launched a Home Loans division. According to geekwire.com, the rebranded mortgage division will complement Zillow Offers, the company’s direct home sales operation. They are reportedly shooting for streamlining and simplifying the process of buying a house. The company noted that you don’t have to use Zillow Offers to take advantage of their loans division.