The Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA) today announced the debut of a new Matter 1.3 specification that’s available for device makers and platforms. Matter is a smart home protocol that allows smart devices to work across multiple platforms, including HomeKit.
Matter 1.3 adds support for a range of new device types and features, including water management devices, electric vehicle chargers, kitchen and laundry appliances, and TVs.
For smart plugs and other devices, the update includes energy management reporting, allowing users to see actual and estimated measurements of power, voltage, and current, both in-real time and over time. EV Charging manufacturers are able to include Matter-based features such as manually starting and stopping charging, adjusting charging rate, and optimizing charging times.
Water management devices like leak and freeze detectors, rain sensors, and controllable water valves are supported in Matter 1.3, as are several new appliance types including microwave ovens, ovens, cooktops, extractor hoods, and dryers.
For TVs, Matter 1.3 improves casting initialization and search, plus it adds support for push messages and dialog for ambient experiences, expanded interactivity for TV apps, and better interaction with other home devices.
Scenes are supported with the new specification, allowing product makers and platforms to set, read, and activate scenes on devices. Scenes for Matter work like HomeKit scenes, letting users set a desired state for rooms and devices with one command. Matter controllers are also now able to batch multiple commands into a single message when communicating with Matter devices for less delay between command execution.
Matter 1.3 devices and improvements will likely be available on the market later this year, with more information available on the CSA website.
Final Cut Pro has been updated with live multi-camera recording on iPad and powerful new AI color correction on Mac. A free new app for iPad and iPhone, Final Cut Camera, allows for professional video capture in multicam or on its own.
These “amazing updates” will “take creativity to the next level,” said Will Hui, project manager for creative apps at Apple, during its “Let Loose” event today.
Updates to Final Cut Pro for iPad and Mac — and the new Final Cut Camera app — will be available later this spring.
Final Cut Pro 2 for iPad is now a multi-cam recording studio
Live Multicam brings the power of 1960s television three-camera videotape recording into the digital age — all on iPad. Photo: Apple
Last year, Apple released Final Cut Pro for iPad — letting users record, professionally edit and export videos all from its thin-and-light tablet. The entire interface was rebuilt from the ground up around multitouch input. Just a year later, the app is getting powerful new features that push the iPad version of the app forward.
Live Multicam lets directors switch between the live camera feeds of up to four iPhones or iPads, while recording directly into the Final Cut timeline. This “opens up entirely new video workflows,” says Hui.
On an iPhone- and iPad-based production, this significantly reduces the friction between independently recording video on four separate devices, importing footage and editing hours later.
Final Cut Camera can be used for Live Multicam or as a standalone camera app. Image: Apple
Powering Live Multicam is a new app for iPad and iPhone called Final Cut Camera. From the director’s iPad, you can remotely control focus, exposure, white balance and more. It can also be used as a standalone video recording app with more precise manual controls than what Apple can fit in the regular Camera app.
Other improvements to Final Cut Pro 2 for iPad include storing project files on an external drive, thanks to the iPad Pro’s Thunderbolt port. Final rendering is “up to two times faster than M1” on the new iPad Pro with M4, announced at the same event, according to Hui. The M4 also enables “up to four times more streams of ProRes RAW” video footage, a huge increase in bandwidth for editing high-quality video.
Final Cut Pro for Mac gets powerful AI color correction
Color correction is easier with the new update to Final Cut Pro. Image: Apple
Color correction is made easier with a new “Enhance Light and Color” button. Clicking it is a shortcut to getting improved “color, color balance, contrast, and brightness in one simple step, and is optimized for SDR, HDR, RAW and Log-encoded media,” according to the press release. Professional color correction takes years of skill and a great eye — this feature offers an easy starting point for those with less experience.
You can easily drag-and-drop the color correction made to one clip to other clips in the timeline, too. To make edits easily identifiable, you can give each tweak a different name — like Sepia, High Contrast, Desaturated Reds, etc.
AI now fills in the gaps when you slow down a clip from its original speed, too. “With Smooth Slo-Mo, frames of video are intelligently generated and blended together,” according to the press release. That means that slowing down a segment of video to 80% of its original speed will look more natural and less choppy.
These new features require a Mac with Apple silicon. These updates, alongside Final Cut Pro 2 for iPad and Final Cut Camera, will be available this spring.
Final Cut Pro for iPad costs $4.99 per month or $49.99 per year; Final Cut Pro for Mac is available as a one-time purchase for $299.99. Final Cut Camera will be available for free.
Microsoft has just unveiled the next step in its major cybersecurity overhaul, and that is to hire security executives for different product groups.
Following a string of major cyberattacks, and the subsequent US government “call to arms” of sorts, Microsoft decided to completely revamp its cybersecurity practices, and “put security above all else”, as CEO Satya Nadella recently put it.
One major milestone in that endeavor is the hiring of additional security chiefs to product groups, Bloomberg reports. While the identities of the new officials are yet to be released, we do know a couple of names.
Russians and the Chinese
Ann Johnson, for example, who’s been a Microsoft security executive for almost a decade now, has been named deputy CISO for consumer outreach and regulated industries. In an email to the publication, Microsoft said Johnson will work on “customer engagement and communication about Microsoft’s own security”. Johnson will report to Igor Tsyganskiy, the company’s global CISO since December last year.
Roughly a year ago, news broke that APT29, a known Russian state-sponsored threat actor, compromised Microsoft corporate email accounts, and through those breached accounts of officials working in several US federal agencies. “Midnight Blizzard’s successful compromise of Microsoft corporate email accounts and the exfiltration of correspondence between agencies and Microsoft presents a grave and unacceptable risk to agencies,” CISA said at the time.
A few months later, Chinese hackers were deemed responsible for stealing one of Microsoft’s access tools and using it to infiltrate email accounts of US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, US Ambassador to China Nicholas Burns and hundreds more.
All this, and more, led the US Cyber Safety Review Board to issue a report earlier this month, criticizing Microsoft’s “shambolic cybersecurity”.
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In the meantime, Microsoft promised to do better, by setting up the Secure Future initiative which Bloomberg described as the “most significant security plan since co-founder Bill Gates halted Windows development in 2002 and ordered engineers to prioritize product safety over new features.” However, the company is still being criticized for not doing enough.
Google has been emailing Android users about an update to the Play Store allowing you to enable biometric verification for purchases. We got the message over the weekend buried in our inbox. It states users can set fingerprint or facial recognition on the digital storefront as long as they have a mobile device that supports the technology. Once set up, “you’ll be asked to verify it’s you with biometrics” every time you buy something on the platform.
We can confirm the update is live as it appeared on our phone. To turn it on, open the Play Store app then tap Settings near the bottom. Expand Purchase Verification and toggle the switch to activate Biometric Verification. The storefront will then ask you to type in your password to confirm the setting change.
It’s important to mention that the final step will change within the coming weeks. According to the email, Google will let users use biometrics instead of requiring them to enter their account password.
The purpose of this feature is to seemingly provide an extra layer of safety to protect yourself against unauthorized transactions in case your phone is ever compromised. You don’t have to use a password anymore, although you will always have the option.
(Image credit: Future)
Minor, yet important detrails
There are a few minor details you should know regarding the feature.
At a glance, it seems the biometric verification will primarily live on the Play Store. We attempted to purchase an ebook and were met with a fingerprint reader to authenticate our identity before checkout. Then we discovered the security feature will appear on third-party apps, but its presence on them varies.
We purchased items for the game Arknights on our Android phone to see if a biometric verification reader popped up. It didn’t. The checkout went through without any hindrance. However, when we signed up for a three-month trial on Amazon Music, a Play Store message showed up asking if we would like to enable biometrics for future purchases.
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This leads us to believe that some apps will support the new verification method while others won’t. It may depend on whether or not a developer decides to support the security fixture on their product.
Do note this has been our personal experience with the tool. It may operate differently for you. Google didn’t provide much information in their email or Play Store Help page. Of course, we reached out to the tech giant for clarification and will update the story if we learn anything new.
Pixelmator Pro 3.5.8 has gone live on the Mac App Store, and the latest update to the popular image editing app brings the ability to edit text in PDFs, along with a handful of other notable additions.
Pixelmator recently added support to the app for vector PDFs, which allows users to import image, shape, and text elements in the portable document format as separate layers.
With the newest version, this support has been expanded so that users can edit imported text as regular text layers. In practice, this means existing text in PDFs can be more easily replaced, formatted, and styled using Pixelmator Pro tools. As the developers explain:
Typically, text in PDF documents is not directly editable. Instead, it’s stored as vector shapes to keep documents looking consistent across various platforms and apps. To make text editable again, Pixelmator Pro extracts various embedded data from the original PDF, allowing it to recover the original text, fonts, and formatting. Even if some of these elements are missing, for instance, if the original font is not installed on your Mac, you can still import the text, select a different font, and continue with your edits.
In addition, the new text editing abilities mean users can seamlessly export Apple Keynote and Pages projects and continue editing them in Pixelmator Pro. All text remains fully editable in its original fonts, including the SF Pro font that is used throughout the Apple ecosystem.
Elsewhere in this update, the Style tool has been improved to simplify the creation of custom outlines around text layers. Users now have the option to add strokes inside, within, or outside of the text, choose from various stroke ends and corners, and also add dashed strokes.
Pixelmator Pro 3.5.8 also includes 12 new templates for web, social media, and more. All of the templates include a set of alternative color palettes for adjusting the theme to custom requirements.
Pixelmator Pro is available exclusively from the Mac App Store as a free update for existing users and $49.99 for new customers. A free seven-day trial of the software with no restrictions is also available on the Pixelmator website.
While the first iOS 17.5 beta is slim on new features, there is one fun addition for Apple News+ subscribers: a daily word game called Quartiles.
Quartiles tasks you with combining tiles to form words and earn points. Each puzzle starts with a grid of 20 tiles, and words can be formed with one to four tiles. A quartile is a four-tile word, and if you find all five in each puzzle, you earn a 40-point bonus. The website Gadget Hacks shared a walkthrough of the game with more details.
Quartiles is the third puzzle game included with an Apple News+ subscription, alongside Crossword and Crossword Mini. Starting with the iOS 17.5 beta, all three games integrate with Game Center to display leaderboards.
On an iPhone updated to the iOS 17.5 beta, Quartiles can be found in the Apple News app under the Following tab → Puzzles. The game is also available on the iPad and Mac starting with the iPadOS 17.5 and macOS 14.5 betas.
Apple News+ is available in the United States, Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom.
While rumors have been focused on new iPad Pro and iPad Air models, some Apple customers are wondering when the next iPad mini will be released. In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman said new iPad mini and entry-level iPad models will be released in late 2024 at the earliest. “The company is also working on new versions of the low-end iPad and iPad mini, but those…
Following a few notable discounts on MacBooks yesterday, Best Buy today introduced a sale on the 10th generation iPad, including numerous all-time low prices on the tablet. Prices start at $349.00 for the 64GB Wi-Fi model, and include $100 markdowns on both Wi-Fi and cellular devices. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Best Buy. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may…
It has been nearly a year and a half since the current Apple TV was released, so the device is becoming due for a hardware upgrade. Below, we recap rumors about the next Apple TV, including potential features and launch timing. The current model is the third-generation Apple TV 4K, announced in October 2022. Key new features compared to the previous model from 2021 include a faster A15…
Apple’s upcoming iPhone 16 lineup will feature bigger battery capacities compared to previous-generation models with the exception of the iPhone 16 Plus, which will have a smaller battery than its predecessor. That’s according to the Chinese Weibo-based leaker OvO Baby Sauce OvO, a relatively new source of supply chain leaks with an as-yet unproven track record for accuracy. The iPhone 16 …
Apple will likely launch new iPad Pro and iPad Air models during the second week of May, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. “For those looking for more specific timing, I’m told the launch will probably happen the week of May 6,” said Gurman, in his Power On newsletter today. “Another data point to that end: Apple retail stores are preparing to receive new product marketing materials…
While the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max are still months away from launching, there are already over a dozen rumors about the devices. Below, we have recapped new features and changes expected for the devices so far. These are some of the key changes rumored for the iPhone 16 Pro models as of April 2024:Larger displays: The iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max will be equipped with large…
Microsoft will advertise that its upcoming Windows laptops with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite processor are faster than the MacBook Air with Apple’s latest M3 chip, according to internal documents obtained by The Verge. “Microsoft is so confident in these new Qualcomm chips that it’s planning a number of demos that will show how these processors will be faster than an M3 MacBook Air for CPU…
Google today began letting Android customers know that it will soon launch a promised Android-based Find My Device network, reports 9to5Google. Google announced the upcoming Find My feature last year, but it has not yet debuted because Apple and Google were working to develop a cross-platform solution for unwanted tracking alerts.
Code in iOS 17.5 suggests that Apple is adding support for discovering nearby third-party item trackers and alerting iPhone owners when one has been located. “You can disable this item and stop it from sharing its location with the owner. To do this, follow the instructions provided on a website by the manufacturer of this item,” reads some of the code.
With Apple likely planning to add alerts for third-party trackers in iOS 17.5, Google is clear to launch its new Find My Device network, which will allow Android smartphones to be used to locate lost phones, Bluetooth trackers, headphones, and other accessories.
Apple and Google first announced plans for an industry tracker specification in May 2023, with the aim of putting an end to the misuse of Bluetooth item trackers for tracking individuals. Both companies have been working to implement AirTag-style tracking alerts so people will know when a tracker of any kind is nearby.
After Apple launched the Find My network alongside AirTags, there were countless news stories and reports of criminals using AirTags for stalking purposes, leading Apple to make several changes to unwanted tracker alerts. iPhones were initially able to identify nearby AirTags and alert customers if they were being used for stalking purposes, but Android devices could not. Apple remedied this with a Tracker Detect app for Android, but the partnership with Google will allow for a more permanent and reliable solution that will work regardless of device.
Google says that the Find My Device network will let Android users find their devices even when offline, and it will work with compatible Fast Pair accessories as well as Android-based electronics. Google plans to launch the network early next week.
While the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max are still months away from launching, there are already over a dozen rumors about the devices. Below, we have recapped new features and changes expected for the devices so far. These are some of the key changes rumored for the iPhone 16 Pro models as of April 2024:Larger displays: The iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max will be equipped with large…
A first look at iOS 18’s rumored visionOS-style redesign may have been revealed by a new image of the Camera app. Alleged iOS 18 design resource. MacRumors received the above iPhone frame template from an anonymous source who claims they obtained it from an iOS engineer. It will allegedly be included as part of the Apple Design Resources for iOS 18, which helps developers visually design apps …
Apple is exploring various “personal robotics” projects in an effort to create its “next big thing,” according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. Amazon’s Astro robot One of these projects is described as a “mobile robot” that would “follow users around their homes,” while another is said to be an “advanced table-top home device that uses robotics to move a display around”:Engineers at Apple have…
Nearly one year after it launched in the U.S., the Apple Card’s high-yield savings account will be receiving its first-ever interest rate decrease. Starting on April 3, the Apple Card savings account’s annual percentage yield (APY) will be lowered to 4.4%, according to data on Apple’s backend discovered by MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris. The account currently has a 4.5% APY. 4.4% will …
Apple has yet to release the first beta of iOS 17.5 for the iPhone, but two changes are already expected with the upcoming software update. iOS 17.5 will likely allow iPhone users in the EU to download apps directly from the websites of eligible developers, and the update might include some changes to how Apple ID recovery contacts work. More details about these potential changes follow. W…
Apple today added a handful of devices to its public-facing vintage and obsolete products list, including some older iPhone and iPad models. Apple now considers the iPhone 6 Plus to be “obsolete” worldwide, meaning that Apple Stores and Apple Authorized Service Providers no longer offer repairs or other hardware service for the device. Apple says it considers a product “obsolete” once seven…
Best Buy is discounting a large collection of M3 MacBook Pro computers today, including both the 14-inch and 16-inch versions of the laptop. Every deal in this sale requires you to have a My Best Buy Plus or Total membership, although non-members can still get solid second-best prices on these MacBook Pro models. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Best Buy. When you click a link and…
Apple researchers have developed an artificial intelligence system named ReALM (Reference Resolution as Language Modeling) that aims to radically enhance how voice assistants understand and respond to commands. In a research paper (via VentureBeat), Apple outlines a new system for how large language models tackle reference resolution, which involves deciphering ambiguous references to…
This week, Samsung started rolling out a new update to its pro-grade mobile photography app, Expert RAW. The update pushes the app to version 3.0.05.12 and brings one major feature photography enthusiasts should find very useful.
Namely, Expert RAW v3.0.05.12 now lets users capture lossless RAW photos. This new option optimizes image quality by capturing RAW images in lossless format. However, the downside is that lossless photos use more storage.
You can grab this new Expert RAW update from the Galaxy Store. Once you have it, you can try this new feature by opening the app, accessing the app’s settings menu, and ensuring the “Lossless RAW” quick toggle is ON.
One thing to keep in mind is that the Lossless RAW option is available only for some resolutions, not all. We tested this feature on a Galaxy S24+, and we can confirm it is grayed out when using the 50MP shooting mode.
However, you can turn Lossless RAW ON or OFF on the Galaxy S24+ if you have the 12MP or 24MP shooting mode selected in the viewfinder. Needless to say, your mileage with this Lossless RAW option might vary depending on which Galaxy phone you use.
Co-op shooter Helldivers 2is back with yet another update, this time adding two all-new Stratagems that seem specifically designed to help combat the brutal Automaton enemy type.
The official Helldivers 2 X / Twitter account confirmed these powerful weapons with a neat, lore-appropriate graphic that shows off the LAS-99 Quasar Cannon and the MG-101 Heavy Machine Gun. Both can be earned in-game and distributed to players on the battlefield by calling them in via their Stratagem loadout.
The post states that these Stratagems “are available now for use against the Automaton horde,” implying that these powerful weapons are particularly effective against the deadly robotic faction.
Helldivers, support has arrived! The LAS-99 Quasar Cannon and the MG-101 Heavy Machine Gun are available now for use against the Automaton horde. pic.twitter.com/EZSzXJWSPnMarch 28, 2024
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For those not in the know, Stratagems are powerful items in Helldivers 2 that can seriously turn the tide of battle if used appropriately. They can come in the form of massive guns as seen above, air strikes, placeable turrets or even something as simple as an ammunition resupply. They require players to input a code with the directional buttons, adding a layer of intensity when enemy counts become particularly frightening on if you’re playing on the higher difficulties.
It will be interesting to see existing Helldivers 2 players takes to these new weapons. The game does feature friendly fire which, as you’d expect, often leads to players (accidentally or otherwise) killing members of their team. No doubt this will also be the case with these two powerful Stratagem weapons.
Launching only last month on PlayStation 5 and PC, Helldivers 2 has a long life ahead of it if its immense popularity is anything to go by. If you’re a regular player and keen to stay up to date on the multiplayer shooter’s future, be sure to read up about the latest details on our dedicated Helldivers 2 update page.
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Samsung has done an excellent job avoiding feature creep when it comes to Samsung Internet, its in-house browser for Android devices. The company doesn’t add new features very often, and the ones it does add go to the beta version of the app before coming to the stable version.
Samsung tests both major and minor features in the beta version, and the latest feature falls in the latter camp. The Samsung Internet beta app has received an update that adds a new option that, when enabled, prevents the menu bars from disappearing when you scroll through a website.
Latest Samsung Internet beta update adds option for persistent menu bars
Most browsers for smartphones hide all of their menus, including the address bar, when the user is scrolling. It’s something most people don’t notice or care about, but those who do, and perhaps find it irritating, can disable that behavior in the newest version of Samsung Internet beta.
The option, which is called Show menu bars while scrolling can be accessed from the app’s Settings » Layout and menus section. Once it’s enabled, menu bars at both the top and bottom will remain visible at all times.
The latest version, 25.0.0.31, of Samsung Internet beta also fixes bugs and improves general stability. It can be downloaded from the Galaxy Store. The app is also available on the Play Store, but the Galaxy Store is recommended as it receives updates faster. If you wish to manually install it without using any app store, you can download the latest APK file from APKMirror.
