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The iPhone 18 series could include a variable aperture

Apple, like most phone makers, puts a lot of focus on improving the cameras from one model to the next, and we now have an idea of what the next two generations of camera updates might look like.

Numerous leaks have already pointed to 48MP telephoto cameras for the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max, with the whole iPhone 17 line possibly getting 24MP front-facing cameras. But with the iPhone 18 line, Apple might focus on the aperture rather than megapixels.

This is according to reputable analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who in his latest post on Medium  claimed that Apple will be equipping the main camera on the “high-end” iPhone 18 models with a variable aperture.

By high-end he presumably means the iPhone 18 Pro Max and likely also the iPhone 18 Pro, but he doesn’t mention the phones by name.

A variable aperture allows you to adjust the size of the lens opening on the iPhone, similar to how you can with a DSLR camera. This feature gives you greater control over the amount of light that enters the camera sensor, affecting the depth of field in your photos. With a variable aperture, you can switch between different f-stops, providing flexibility for various shooting conditions. In other words, you can enjoy more artistic freedom to experiment with varying depths of field and achieve the desired look for your photos.

So this sounds like it would be a worthwhile upgrade, and while we’d take Kuo’s reporting with a pinch of salt for now – especially as this is a very early leak – he does have a great track record for Apple information.

Not the first variable-aperture phone

If this claim does prove to be accurate, the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max wouldn’t be the first smartphones with a variable-aperture lens. Most smartphones do not feature variable aperture technology. However, the Xiaomi 14 Ultra does include this capability, just like the Xiaomi 13 Ultra. The Samsung Galaxy S9 Plus also had a variable aperture system, but it was based on older technology. Currently, Samsung’s latest models, such as the Galaxy S24 Ultra, do not incorporate variable aperture technology.

Since the firstiPhonewas revealed in 2007, Apple has consistently improved the camera on its No. 1 product. The next significant update could arrive in less than two years.

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Microsoft adds AI feature Rewrite to Notepad for Windows Insiders

Now rolling out to Windows Insiders in Windows 11 is a new Rewrite option for Notepad that promises to spruce up your text with the help of AI. Using an AI model called GPT, Rewrite can revise sentences, modify the tone, or alter the length of your text, explains Microsoft.

To take Rewrite for a spin, you’ll need the latest Canary or Dev build on Windows 11. Assuming you’re already registered with the Windows Insider program with either of these builds, head to Settings, select Windows Update, and click the button for Check for Updates.

You should also make sure you’re running the latest version of Notepad. For that, open the Microsoft Store app, click the icon for Downloads, and then update all your installed apps.

Further, you’ll need to be signed into Windows with the Microsoft account registered with the Insider program. Microsoft says that’s because Rewrite is a cloud-based service that requires authentication and access to the AI credits necessary for generating content.

Now, fire up Notepad and type some text you want to revise, anything from a couple of words to an entire document. 

Windows Insiders can access Rewrite by highlighting text in a Notepad window and right-clicking it in the menu or pushing the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+I. A dialogue box will open showing the AI’s suggested rewrites of the highlighted text and the adjustable features menus including “Longer,” “Tone” and “Format” above the “Replace” button. If you prefer to write with just your fingers and brain, you can turn off the AI feature in the app settings menu, according to the official Windows blog.

In response, the AI overhauls your text and generates three versions of the rewrite. Check each version to find the one you prefer. If you don’t like any of them, tweak the settings and try again. When a suitable draft finally pops up, apply the changes to your original text.

With the Rewrite feature currently limited to the Dev or Canary Windows 11 insider builds, we’ll likely have to wait at least a few months before the option pops up in the standard version of Notepad.

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Samsung Galaxy Z Fold SE reaches China as W25 with a much smaller crease

Samsung launched the Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition in China but under a different name. The foldable is called Samsung W25 and comes with a new redesign. Golden accents can be found everywhere around the phone – the hinge, the frame, and even the camera lenses.

The announcement in China saw two foldables. The second is called W25 Flip and is essentially the Galaxy Z Flip6, but again redesigned along the same lines as the W25.

The W25 (sold in South Korea as Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition) is a much more polished foldable than the globally available Galaxy Z Fold6 with its bigger screen, thinner profile and 200 MP main camera.

Originally launched with 16 GB RAM and 512 GB storage, the variant in China even comes in a 1TB version.

The W25 Flip is exactly like the Galaxy Z Flip6 – Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 for Galaxy chipset, 12 GB RAM and 256 GB or 512 GB storage, 25W charging.

And also,Samsung Galaxy Z Fold SE comes with a much smaller crease.It is barely visible when the screen is turned on, and the user has to turn the device off and really try hard to visualize the grooves of the panel. 

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold Special Edition is highly unlikely to ever make it outside South Korea and China. We can only hope the two rumored Fold7 devices will go global next year, though.

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Apple could pick Samsung’s tech for its cheap Vision Pro headset

Apple is still trying to figure out the best recipe for an affordable Apple Vision Pro and it has given itself plenty of time to do so – the headset has reportedly been delayed beyond 2027. 

Back in 2023, it was believed that a future variation of the Apple Vision Pro would get a brighter display than the original model. Then in June 2024, Apple was reported to be looking to add component suppliers for that new headset.

Now according to The Elec, Apple has two choices regarding the displays. Both options relate to how a color filter can be added to an OLED panel.

One is W-OLED+CF. This dense acronym describes a White OLED board with a Color Filter (to form the red, green and blue colors). This is built onto a glass plate instead of silicon.

But there are two ways to build the color filter. The more traditional option is to build the color filter on a second glass sheet. This is established technology, but since there’s an extra piece of glass involved, it is thicker.

The option that Apple is leaning towards is to build the color filter on the Thin-Film Encapsulation (TFE) of the first glass sheet, removing the requirement for a second sheet.

Samsung is developing panels for Apple Vision Pro

Samsung is using such a technology to build the screens for its foldable phones.Samsung has previously been reported to be aiming to supply Apple with this technology. Specifically, while the current Apple Vision Pro’s OLEDoS (OLED on Silicon) display panels use a form of W-OLED+CF, Samsung has a process to incorporate RGB pixels right into the panel.

There’s an issue, however. Even though Apple is targeting less than half the pixel density of the pricey Vision Pro, 1,500ppi vs. 3,391ppi, that is still well above the typical density of a folding screen. Looking at the current crop of Z-foldables, the most dense display belongs to the Galaxy Z Flip6 at 426ppi. That is a third of what’s needed.

Of course, 1,500ppi is way overkill for a mobile device and 400+ ppi is quite enough (rigid flagships are typically 500ppi or so). But that still means that Samsung Display has to develop higher density panels for the XR headset. The two-glass solution hasn’t been completely ruled out yet.

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The Samsung Galaxy Ring 2 could launch with new features and a thinner design

The Samsung Galaxy Ring took the wearables world by storm, with the product shoving this smartwatch alternative into the spotlight – and helping to generate more interest in competitors in the best smart ring category from the likes of Oura and RingConn. Now it looks like Samsung is gearing up to launch an upgrade to this product line shortly, with a tipster’s comments making it sound like we could see the Galaxy Ring 2 fairly soon.

A new leak out of Korea claims that Samsung may launch the sequel to the Galaxy Ring early with a few improvements. The leak, shared on the Korean search engine/blogging platform Naver, said that the Galaxy Ring 2 will be released “a bit earlier than originally scheduled”.

Samsung is expected to launch the Galaxy S25 phone series in January next year, though that is probably too early. It has been rumored that Samsung might launch a Galaxy S25 Slim later in the spring. That could be a potential early window for the Korean company to accelerate the release date of the next Galaxy Ring. However, it’s unclear what “early” actually means here.

More feature on the way

The leaker, Lanzuk, did add that Galaxy Ring 2 should have a thinner band, longer battery life and “more features.” However, they did not provide more details on what those new features might include. They commented in their post that the sensor structure and measurements have been improved.

Perhaps it’ll also include that adaptive sizing feature teased by a recently awarded Samsung patent, though we’ll have to wait and see what’s announced.

On this note, as with all leaks we should take Lanzuk’s blog post and our speculation with a pinch of salt. Until Samsung makes an announcement we don’t know what we’ll get from the Galaxy Ring 2 – nor when it will launch.

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Google fixes two Android vulnerability used in targeted attacks

Google fixed two actively exploited Android zero-day flaws as part of its November security updates, addressing a total of 51 vulnerabilities: CVE-2024-43047, a flaw affecting Qualcomm chipsets, and CVE-2024-43093, a vulnerability in the Google Play framework.

“There are indications that the following may be under limited, targeted exploitation,” says Google’s advisory.

Qualcomm patched CVE-2024-43047 – a use-after-free vulnerability in the Digital Signal Processor (DSP) service that could be exploited to escalate privileges on targeted devices – in October 2024, and urged original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to deploy the patches as soon as possible.

CVE-2024-43093 is also a high-severity elevation of privilege flaw,that allows privilege escalation and has been fixed by restricting access to “Android/data,” “Android/obb,” and “Android/sandbox” directories and their sub-directories. This time impacting the Android Framework component and Google Play system updates, specifically in the Documents UI.

While Google did not share any details on how the vulnerabilities were exploited, as researchers at Amnesty International discovered CVE-2024-43047, it could indicate that the flaw was used in targeted spyware attacks.

Propagating fixes in the Android ecosystem

Google issues two patch levels each month, in this case, November 1 (2024-11-01 Patch Level) and November 5 (2024-11-05 Patch Level).

The first level addresses core Android vulnerabilities, with 17 issues this time, while the second patch level encompasses those plus vendor-specific fixes (Qualcomm, MediaTek, etc.), counting an additional 34 fixes this month.

To apply the latest update, head toSettings>System>Software updates>System update.Alternatively, go toSettings>Security & privacy>System & updates>Security update. A restart will be required to apply the update.

Android 11and olderare no longer supported but may receive security updates to critical issues for actively exploited flaws through Google Play system updates, though that’s not guaranteed.

The best course of action for devices still running those older releases should be either to replace them with newer models or use a third-party Android distribution that incorporates the latest security fixes.

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Weather widget comes to Mac menu bar in Sequoia 15.2 Beta

Apple has unleashed new beta software on macOS, iOS, and iPadOS, with many cool features centered around Apple Intelligence.  While AI will undoubtedly be the focus for most people jumping into the developer beta of macOS Sequoia 15.2, a new option to add the weather in your current location to the menu bar of the Mac. 

The new widget consists of a small weather icon and the temperature displayed next to the time, Wi-Fi status, and battery icons. Clicking on the widget shows you the weather for the next few hours where your Mac is located. If you’re curious, you can also use the widget to see temperatures in other parts of the world.The pop-out widget also features a link to the weather app.

As always, the features could change regarding developer betas, so the weather widget’s presence in this version doesn’t mean it’ll make its way to the final release. Still, the fact that Apple is even working on such a widget is exciting. 

If you try the 15.2 beta, you can enable the weather widget by going to System Settings and Control Center.Opening up the Mac’s Settings app, going to Control Center, and scrolling down to the “Menu Bar Only” section. Weather joins other options that include Clock, Spotlight, Siri, and Time Machine.

The ‌macOS Sequoia‌ 15.2 beta is limited to developers at the current time, but Apple may release a public beta in the not too distant future. ‌macOS Sequoia‌ 15.2 will be released in early December.

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Xiaomi 15 Ultra Camera Details Emerge,Tipped to Feature 50-Megapixel Main Sensor and Advanced Features

Xiaomi 15 series with Snapdragon 8 Elite SoC was unveiled last month, however the Xiaomi 15 Ultra is expected to launch early next year as the third model in the series. Despite the potential launch being months away, details about the quad camera setup of the phone have surfaced on the Web. A new leak suggests that the Xiaomi 15 Ultra will have a 50-megapixel main sensor with larger focal length. This could enhance the low-light performance of the Ultra model.

Xiaomi 15 Ultra Camera Specifications Leaked 

According to a Weibo post by known tipster Digital Chat Station (translated from Chinese), the Xiaomi 15 Ultra will feature a 50-megapixel main sensor with a 23mm focal length and an f/1.6 aperture. The focal length of the primary sensor is said to be larger than Xiaomi 14 Ultra’s 8.7xmm. This is likely to improve the low-light performance of the phone. The tipster says the handset will have a “new customised hardware module”, this could be a remark about the custom designed main sensor.

Like the predecessor, the Xiaomi 15 Ultra is said to carry a 200-megapixel periscope sensor. This telephoto sensor is tipped to offer 4.3x optical zoom, a 100mm focal length, and an f/2.6 aperture. The tipster claims that the size of the periscope sensor has been cropped to 25.xmm focal length. It is said to offer two zoom options – 4.3x with a 1/1.5-inch image size, and 4.1x with a 1/1.4-inch sensor.

Besides the primary sensor and telephoto sensor, the camera unit of the Xiaomi 15 Ultra is expected to include a 50-megapixel Samsung ISOCELL JN5 sensor and a 50-megapixel periscope lens with 2x zoom. On the front, it could include a 32-megapixel selfie camera.

As per past leaks, the Xiaomi 15 Ultra will have a 6.7-inch 2K LTPO micro quad-curved display with 120Hz refresh rate. Like other Xiaomi 15 series siblings, it could be powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset. It is expected to run on HyperOS 2.0 based on Android 15. It may carry a 6,000mAh battery with 90W wired and 80W wireless charging support. It could boast a circular camera module. 

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iOS 18.2 Beta 2 Shows Siri ChatGPT Limit,Offers ChatGPT Plus Upgrade

With the second beta of iOS 18.2 that’s available for developers today, Apple has further fleshed out the ChatGPT integration that’s available with Siri. In the Settings app, there’s now a section that shows the ChatGPT daily limit, and offers an option to upgrade to the paid ChatGPT Plus plan.

The beta includes an Advanced Capabilities section with a “Daily Limit” reading that shows up as “Under Limit” without a paid ChatGPT plan. Users have access to a small number of requests that use the most advanced ChatGPT capabilities, and requests are downgraded to a basic version of ChatGPT after that.

OpenAI has long restricted access to ChatGPT’s most advanced feature set to a paid Plus plan, so accessing ChatGPT through ‌Siri‌ is subject to the same limitations.

There is an option to upgrade to ChatGPT Plus, which is priced at $19.99 per month. ChatGPT Plus provides 5x more messages on the newest version of ChatGPT, GPT-4o. It also allows for higher limits on photo and file uploads, image generation, and web browsing, as well as an option to converse with ChatGPT using advanced voice mode.

Customers who already have a ChatGPT Plus plan can sign into their account, and those that do not can sign up through the Settings app. The Settings app opens to an in-app browser where users can sign up directly with OpenAI.

Free ChatGPT users won’t have access to OpenAI’s latest models (such as o1-preview) or premium features such as Advanced Voice Mode. They also can only make two images with Dall-E per day, and can’t send as many messages to the AI chatbot as premium users.Free access to ChatGPT-4o requests resets every 24 hours, and when the limited number of requests are used up, ‌Siri‌ will switch to a more cost effective version of ChatGPT. 

It’s also unclear whether Apple is taking a cut of the revenue OpenAI generates from ChatGPT Plus signups through the Settings app. It’s possible the iPhone maker is simply betting that having cutting-edge AI features is worth the free exposure it’s giving OpenAI, because it will push enough customers to upgrade to new phones.

iOS 18.2 adds other new AI features, too, including Visual Intelligence and Genmoji. TThe update is set to arrive the week of December 2nd, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reports.

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Google Gemini: Adjust Your Smart Home Accessories with Google Home Integration

Given up on trying to get Google Assistant to dim the lights or pull your drapes? If you’re an Android user, now’s your chance to give Gemini a spin with your smart home. 

Google has just released an extension for the Gemini app that allows Google’s LLM to take charge of a wide range of smart gadgets, from smart lights and thermostats to smart shades and TVs. 

For now, you’ll need the Android version of the Gemini app, and you’ll also need to be enrolled in Google’s Public Preview program. 

Once you’ve enabled the Google Home extension on the Gemini app (this Google support page has all the details), you’ll be able to give smart home commands to Gemini that had previously been executed by Google Assistant. 

Google explains that telling Gemini the phrase “the sun is too bright in the living room” will result in the AI assistant closing the smart window blinds in your home. The company also gives an example of using “help me clean up the kitchen” to start a robot vacuum.

There are a few limitations to note, though. It’s only available on Android phones and is restricted to English prompts.For now, only the following categories are supported (according to Google): 

  • Lights & power, like lights, outlets, and switches 
  • Climate control, like air conditioning units, thermostats, heaters, and fans 
  • Window coverings, like curtains, blinds, and shutters 
  • Media devices, like TVs and speakers 
  • Other smart devices, like washers, coffee makers, and vacuums 

Google warns that Gemini’s smart-home control abilities are (for the moment, anyway) “for convenience only, not safety- or security-critical purposes.” On devices that don’t have Gemini, you’ll still be using Google Assistant.

Specifically, Gemini can’t do anything with a security device that requires a PIN, stream video feeds from security cams, or perform “some” actions on gates, locks, doors, garage doors, and other security-related devices.

You can try the Google Home extension in the Gemini app now if you’re enrolled in the early preview, and a wider release is likely to follow in the future.