Author: jamrockbrown

iPhone 12 could finally see Apple drop the notch

Don’t expect much change in the iPhone 11 though

One of the most distinctive features of the newest iPhones is the top notch that houses the camera and upper speaker – both the iPhone X and iPhone XS have it, even though many other modern smartphones have come up with more modern solutions, or use smaller notches. However, it looks like the iPhone 12 will drop the feature, based on analyst reports.

According to China Times, which has read a research note from analysts from Credit Suisse bank, Apple is moving to reduce and even remove the notch in the coming years, starting with one phone in 2020, then all its models in 2021.

Apple is reportedly looking to embrace under-screen technology for the front-facing camera in the future, like the kind Oppo unveiled at MWC Shanghai. We’re still expecting it to be quite a while before this kind of tech is common in smartphones, so Apple could be one of its first champions.

One of the casualties of dropping the notch would be the loss of Apple’s Face ID, which provides quicker log-in than typical face recognition through a smartphone camera, but Apple is apparently looking to replace this with the in-screen fingerprint recognition that’s common in new smartphones.

However, don’t expect to see these big changes in the iPhone 11. We’ve heard repeatedly that the 2019 iPhones, which are set to be revealed near the end of the year, will only be a modest improvement over the iPhone XS range.

Instead, the analysts predict the first notch-free iPhone will come in 2020, with the iPhone 12 series – but not all of them. Instead, the note suggests only one of the iPhone 12R, iPhone 12, and iPhone 12 Max, will have no notch, and the rest will follow suit with the iPhone 13 range in 2021.

Since Apple usually brings its newest tech to the ‘Plus’ phones, we’d expect that of the three 2020 models this improvement is most likely to come to the iPhone 12 Max.

While most iPhone rumors we’ve heard so far are for the iPhone 11, we’ve been hearing a fair bit about the iPhone 12 too, like how it could have 5G, and it looks set to be a much more impressive smartphone than Apple’s upcoming 2019 smartphones.

iPhone rumors and leaks never stop, so stay tuned to TechRadar for all the latest on Apple’s premium handsets.

Bose introduces new flagship noise cancelling headphones with built-in AR tech

Bose is launching a new pair of flagship noise-cancelling headphones, and they sound every bit as spectacular as you’d expect. The new Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 ($399) allow users to personalise their environment with 11 levels of noise cancellation. Turning it up will minimise the distractions and ambient noise heard in loud places, while knocking it down will allow the wider-world to seep into your eardrums. The bluetooth cans also include intuitive touch controls, a 20 hour battery, and Bose AR, the latter of which is a new audio augmented reality platform that promises to unlock fundamentally new ways to travel, exercise, learn, and play. It works by leveraging motion sensors inside the headphones to detect your head orientation and body movement, before sending that information to Bose AR-enhanced apps so they can offer audio content tailored to where you are and what you’re doing. The 700s are already available to pre-order in the States, and should be making their way across the pond shortly.

Starling partners with Churchill insurance

Starling Bank has added buildings and contents cover from Churchill insurance to the Starling Marketplace.

The partnership allows the insurer to sell its products on the bank’s app via Starling Marketplace. Starling already offers deals and products from business partners including online mortgage broker Habito, investment firm Wealthify, and pension company Pension Bee.

Starling’s in-app Marketplace uses API technology to let customers share data with third parties. Open Banking reforms means consumers can allow businesses, other than their bank, to access their financial data.

Starling customers who choose to select home insurance through Starling Marketplace will be directed to Churchill’s quote and buy page after opting in to have some of their details pre-filled. If a customer chooses to convert their quote to a policy, details of the start and end date will be stored within their Starling account.

Rob Fleet, director of partnerships at Direct Line Group, said: “We are delighted to be working with Starling Bank. We recognise that the platform economy provides significant opportunities to streamline the insurance experience.

“Starling Bank are at the forefront of this movement and this partnership enables us to innovate as we continue to make insurance easier and better value for customers by providing seamless access to our insurance services through transactional APIs.”

Anne Boden, CEO at Starling Bank, said: “Churchill is a well-known and trusted brand and we are both committed to using technology to financially empower our customers. Partnering with Churchill means Starling customers will save valuable time and effort on their house insurance.”

Shop around

Although buying home insurance through Starling’s app might be convenience, customers should remember to compare quotes in order to get the best deal.

As well as comparing premiums, customers should also double-check exactly what is covered, the excess payable, and any exclusions that may mean a claim isn’t eligible to be paid.

Use Group Policy to Configure Domain Member Client Computers

You must be a member of Domain Admins, or equivalent to perform these procedures.

To create a Group Policy Object and configure BranchCache modes

  1. On a computer upon which the Active Directory Domain Services server role is installed, in Server Manager, click Tools, and then click Group Policy Management. The Group Policy Management console opens.

  2. In the Group Policy Management console, expand the following path: Forest:example.com, Domains, example.com, Group Policy Objects, where example.com is the name of the domain where the BranchCache client computer accounts that you want to configure are located.

  3. Right-click Group Policy Objects, and then click New. The New GPO dialog box opens. In Name, type a name for the new Group Policy Object (GPO). For example, if you want to name the object BranchCache Client Computers, type BranchCache Client Computers. Click OK.

  4. In the Group Policy Management console, ensure that Group Policy Objects is selected, and in the details pane right-click the GPO that you just created. For example, if you named your GPO BranchCache Client Computers, right-click BranchCache Client Computers. Click Edit. The Group Policy Management Editor console opens.

  5. In the Group Policy Management Editor console, expand the following path: Computer Configuration, Policies, Administrative Templates: Policy definitions (ADMX files) retrieved from the local computer, Network, BranchCache.

  6. Click BranchCache, and then in the details pane, double-click Turn on BranchCache. The policy setting dialog box opens.

  7. In the Turn on BranchCache dialog box, click Enabled, and then click OK.

  8. To enable BranchCache distributed cache mode, in the details pane, double-click Set BranchCache Distributed Cache mode. The policy setting dialog box opens.

  9. In the Set BranchCache Distributed Cache mode dialog box, click Enabled, and then click OK.

  10. If you have one or more branch offices where you are deploying BranchCache in hosted cache mode, and you have deployed hosted cache servers in those offices, double-click Enable Automatic Hosted Cache Discovery by Service Connection Point. The policy setting dialog box opens.

  11. In the Enable Automatic Hosted Cache Discovery by Service Connection Point dialog box, click Enabled, and then click OK.

  12. Note

  13. When you enable both the Set BranchCache Distributed Cache mode and the Enable Automatic Hosted Cache Discovery by Service Connection Pointpolicy settings, client computers operate in BranchCache distributed cache mode unless they find a hosted cache server in the branch office, at which point they operate in hosted cache mode.

  14. Use the procedures below to configure firewall settings on client computers by using Group Policy.

To configure Windows Firewall with Advanced Security Inbound Traffic Rules

  1. In the Group Policy Management console, expand the following path: Forest:example.com, Domains, example.com, Group Policy Objects, where example.com is the name of the domain where the BranchCache client computer accounts that you want to configure are located.

  2. In the Group Policy Management console, ensure that Group Policy Objects is selected, and in the details pane right-click the BranchCache client computers GPO that you created previously. For example, if you named your GPO BranchCache Client Computers, right-click BranchCache Client Computers. Click Edit. The Group Policy Management Editor console opens.

  3. In the Group Policy Management Editor console, expand the following path: Computer Configuration, Policies, Windows Settings, Security Settings, Windows Firewall with Advanced Security, Windows Firewall with Advanced Security – LDAP, Inbound Rules.

  4. Right-click Inbound Rules, and then click New Rule. The New Inbound Rule Wizard opens.

  5. In Rule Type, click Predefined, expand the list of choices, and then click BranchCache – Content Retrieval (Uses HTTP). Click Next.

  6. In Predefined Rules, click Next.

  7. In Action, ensure that Allow the connection is selected, and then click Finish.

  8. Important

  9. You must select Allow the connection for the BranchCache client to be able to receive traffic on this port.

  10. To create the WS-Discovery firewall exception, again right-click Inbound Rules, and then click New Rule. The New Inbound Rule Wizard opens.

  11. In Rule Type, click Predefined, expand the list of choices, and then click BranchCache – Peer Discovery (Uses WSD). Click Next.

  12. In Predefined Rules, click Next.

  13. In Action, ensure that Allow the connection is selected, and then click Finish.

  14. Important

  15. You must select Allow the connection for the BranchCache client to be able to receive traffic on this port.

To configure Windows Firewall with Advanced Security Outbound Traffic Rules

  1. In the Group Policy Management Editor console, right-click Outbound Rules, and then click New Rule. The New Outbound Rule Wizard opens.

  2. In Rule Type, click Predefined, expand the list of choices, and then click BranchCache – Content Retrieval (Uses HTTP). Click Next.

  3. In Predefined Rules, click Next.

  4. In Action, ensure that Allow the connection is selected, and then click Finish.

  5. Important

  6. You must select Allow the connection for the BranchCache client to be able to send traffic on this port.

  7. To create the WS-Discovery firewall exception, again right-click Outbound Rules, and then click New Rule. The New Outbound Rule Wizard opens.

  8. In Rule Type, click Predefined, expand the list of choices, and then click BranchCache – Peer Discovery (Uses WSD). Click Next.

  9. In Predefined Rules, click Next.

  10. In Action, ensure that Allow the connection is selected, and then click Finish.

  11. Important

  12. You must select Allow the connection for the BranchCache client to be able to send traffic on this port.

Coinbase launches its cryptocurrency debit card in six more countries in Europe

  • As of Wednesday, the Coinbase Card will be available in Spain, Germany, France, Italy, Ireland and the Netherlands.
  • The card allows users with Coinbase accounts to spend cryptocurrencies like bitcoin, ethereum and litecoin in stores and online at any merchant that accepts Visa.
  • Start-ups, banks and tech companies are trying to make crypto payments and trading more accessible.

Digital currency exchange Coinbase announced Wednesday its Visa debit card is to launch in six more European countries after debuting in the U.K. in April.

The card allows users with Coinbase accounts to spend cryptocurrencies like bitcoin, ethereum and litecoin in stores and online at any merchant that accepts Visa.

Coinbase U.K. CEO Zeeshan Feroz told CNBC in an interview the goal of the card is to make payments with digital currencies as seamless as paying with cash.

“You can buy groceries on bitcoin and then coffee on litecoin right after,” he said.

As of Wednesday, the “Coinbase Card” will be available in Spain, Germany, France, Italy, Ireland and the Netherlands. Feroz said the card has seen “extremely strong take-up” since it launched in the U.K. in mid-April. He did not disclose specific figures but said the company “blew past” the initial 1,000 cards it offered users for free.

The card comes in a mobile app and syncs directly with Coinbase accounts. It is also available as a physical contactless card that can be used to withdraw cash from ATMs.

Users can decide which cryptocurrency they would like to use to make a payment in the mobile app. Rather than paying retailers directly with crypto, Coinbase charges users a fee to convert fiat money, like the euro, into a digital currency.

Start-ups, banks and tech companies are increasingly trying to make crypto payments and trading more accessible. Coinbase rival Binance, one of the world’s largest cryptocurrency exchanges, partnered with fintech firm Simplex to offer debit and credit card payments with crypto earlier this year.

Fintech start-ups like Revolut in the U.K. and Square in the U.S. already offer crypto trading on their platforms, while Facebook will reportedly launch its own cryptocurrencylater this month.

California-headquartered Coinbase was most recently valued at $8 billion, according to CB Insights. The company is viewed by some in Silicon Valley as a poster child for the volatile cryptocurrency market. Amid a slump in prices for digital currencies earlier this year, Coinbase reportedly laid off more than a dozen workers in its Chicago office.

Feroz said Coinbase hopes to expand the card into other markets but needs to find the right banking partners.

“We will be looking at all of our key markets including the U.S.,” he said.