On Monday, members of the European Parliament (MEPs) discussed the idea of introducing “binding measures” that would require chargers that fit all mobile phones and portable electronic devices. The company that would be impacted most by this legislation would be Apple and its iPhone, which uses a Lightning cable while most new Android phones use USB-C ports for charging. ZDNet reports:…
Tag: usb
iPhones Can Now Be Used To Generate 2FA Security Keys For Google Accounts
Most modern iPhones running iOS 13 can now be used as a built-in phone security key for Google apps. 9to5Google reports: A built-in phone security key differs from the Google Prompt, though both essentially share the same UI. The latter push-based approach is found in the Google Search app and Gmail, while today’s announcement is more akin to a physical USB-C/Lightning…
Thunderbolt 4 Arrives In 2020, But USB Will Remain the King of PC Ports
Intel announced Thunderbolt 4 this week at CES, saying it will arrive in PCs later this year with Intel’s new Tiger Lake processor. But, as CNET reports, “the all-purpose port won’t be any faster at transferring data than the 4-year-old Thunderbolt 3.” From the report: The chipmaker promised it would be four times faster than today’s USB, then clarified it was…
The Samsung Galaxy Chromebook is Beautiful, Fast, and Expensive
An anonymous reader shares a report: The Samsung Galaxy Chromebook is one of the nicest pieces of laptop hardware I’ve touched in a very long time. Not since Google’s 2017 Pixelbook has there been a ChromeOS device this good looking, this powerful, or — here’s the rub — this expensive. Available sometime in the first quarter, the Galaxy Chromebook starts at…
New USB Cable Kills Your Linux Laptop if Stolen in a Public Place
A software engineer has designed a so-called USB “kill cable” that works as a dead man’s switch to shut down or wipe a Linux laptop when the device is stolen off your table or from your lap in public spaces like parks, malls, and internet cafes. From a report: The cable, named BusKill, was designed by Michael Altfield, a software engineer…
How Should Students Respond To Their School’s Surveillance Systems?
Hundreds of thousands of American students are being tracked by their colleges to monitor attendance, analyze behavior and assess their mental health, the Washington Post reported this week. That article has now provoked some responses… Jay Balan, chief security researcher at Bitdefender, told Gizmodo that the makers of the student-tracking apps should at least offer bug bounties and disclose their source…
‘My Business Card Runs Linux’
Computer engineer George Hilliard says he has built an electronic business card running Linux. From his blog post: It is a complete, minimal ARM computer running my customized Linux firmware built with Buildroot. It has a USB port in the corner. If you plug it into a computer, it boots in about 6 seconds and shows up over USB as a…
More than 38,000 People Will Stand in Line this Week To Get a New Password
A non-standard and somewhat weird password reset operation is currently underway at a German university, where more than 38,000 students and staff were asked this week to stand in line with their ID card and a piece of paper to receive new passwords for their email accounts. From a report: All of this is going on at the Justus Liebig University…
Roku Built the Dominant Streaming Box. Now It’s Under Siege
An anonymous reader shares a report: More than 30 million people use a Roku device to navigate the constellation of streaming TV services. The company’s portfolio includes the “stick” ($49.99), which resembles a USB drive; the “puck” ($79.99), a black square with smooth edges and minimal detailing; and a $400 smart TV with Roku’s operating system. The more expensive options offer…
Valve’s Steam Controller Is Dead
Valve has confirmed to The Verge that it will stop making its Steam Controller. Currently, the gamepads are on sale for just $5 — 90 percent off its original price — but once these controllers are gone, Valve doesn’t plan to make any more. From the report: [W]hile I can’t recommend it wholeheartedly like I did when Valve discontinued its amazing…