Small study suggests dark mode doesn’t save much power for very human reasons

If you know how OLED displays work, you know about one of their greatest strengths: Individual pixels can be shut off, offering deeper blacks and power savings. Dark modes, now available on most operating systems, aim to save power by making most backgrounds very dark or black, while also gratifying those who just prefer the look. But what about on the older but still dominant screen technology, LCDs? The BBC…

February 20, 2025
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Russia-aligned hackers are targeting Signal users with device-linking QR codes

Signal, as an encrypted messaging app and protocol, remains relatively secure. But Signal’s growing popularity as a tool to circumvent surveillance has led agents affiliated with Russia to try to manipulate the app’s users into surreptitiously linking their devices, according to Google’s Threat Intelligence Group. While Russia’s continued invasion of Ukraine is likely driving the country’s desire to work around Signal’s encryption, “We anticipate the tactics and methods used to…

February 19, 2025
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“Truly a middle finger”: Humane bricking $700 AI Pins with limited refunds

After launching its AI Pin in April 2024 and reportedly seeking a buyout by May 2024, Humane is shutting down. Most of the people who bought an AI Pin will not get refunds for the devices, which debuted at $700, dropped to $500, and will be bricked on February 28 at noon PT. At that time, AI Pins, which are lapel pins with an integrated AI voice assistant, camera, speaker,…

February 19, 2025
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Apple announces “iPhone 16e” to replace iPhone SE, starts at $599 for 128GB

As expected, Apple has released a new low-end iPhone into its lineup to replace the aging iPhone SE. The iPhone 16e is a 6.1-inch phone with an edge-to-edge OLED screen and a display notch, an Apple A18 processor inside (similar to, though not exactly the same as, the regular iPhone 16), a USB-C port and Action Button, and Apple’s first in-house cellular modem, dubbed the Apple C1. The iPhone 16e…

February 19, 2025
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Nvidia’s 50-series cards drop support for PhysX, impacting older games

Most PC games that you can play on a modern PC would run faster on an Nvidia RTX 5080 or 5090 than, say, a GTX 1070. But some games, from a particular phase of enthusiasm for particles, destructible environments, and smooth-moving hair, will take a notable hit if their owners upgrade to the latest Nvidia cards. That’s because PhysX, once a dedicated physics simulation tool and card that became a…

February 18, 2025
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Acer CEO says its PC prices to increase by 10 percent in response to Trump tariffs

PC-manufacturer Acer has said that it plans to raise the prices of its PCs in the US by 10 percent, a direct response to the new 10 percent import tariff on Chinese goods that the Trump administration announced earlier this month. “We will have to adjust the end user price to reflect the tariff,” said Acer CEO Jason Chen in an interview with The Telegraph. “We think 10 percent probably…

February 18, 2025
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Microsoft warns that the powerful XCSSET macOS malware is back with new tricks

Microsoft said it has detected a new variant of XCSSET, a powerful macOS malware family that has targeted developers and users since at least 2020. The variant, which Microsoft reported Monday, marked the first publicly known update to the malware since 2022. The malware first came to light in 2020, when security firm Trend Micro said it had targeted app developers after spreading through a publicly available project the attacker…

February 18, 2025
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“NokiApple LumiPhone 1020 SE” merges Windows Phone body with budget iPhone guts

February 17, 2025

Remember the Lumia 1020? It’s back—in iPhone SE form. The Lumia 1020 was a lot of smartphone in July 2013. It debuted with a focus “almost entirely on the phone’s massive camera,” Ars wrote at the time. That big 41-megapixel sensor jutted forth from the phone body, and Nokia reps showed off its low-light, rapid-motion camera abilities by shooting pictures of breakdancers in a dark demonstration room. The company also…

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X is reportedly blocking links to secure Signal contact pages

X, the social platform formerly known as Twitter, is seemingly blocking links to Signal, the encrypted messaging platform, according to journalist Matt Binder and other firsthand accounts. Binder wrote in his Disruptionist newsletter Sunday that links to Signal.me, a domain that offers a way to connect directly to Signal users, are blocked on public posts, direct messages, and profile pages. Error messages—including “Message not sent,” “Something went wrong,” and profiles…

February 17, 2025
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What is device code phishing, and why are Russian spies so successful at it?

Researchers have uncovered a sustained and ongoing campaign by Russian spies that uses a clever phishing technique to hijack Microsoft 365 accounts belonging to a wide range of targets, researchers warned. The technique is known as device code phishing. It exploits “device code flow,” a form of authentication formalized in the industry-wide OAuth standard. Authentication through device code flow is designed for logging printers, smart TVs, and similar devices into…

February 14, 2025
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