As part of a larger update on Android for enterprise users, Google revealed plans to expand Work Profile availability. The feature enables users to separate their work and personal lives on a single handset, but it is only available for managed devices at this time. That'll start to change next year when Google brings the feature to Workspace users with more to follow.
Privacy has become a hot topic in tech in the past few years, especially on mobile. Apple has even made it an important selling point for its products, especially iPhones and iOS. Google has been working to change the image of Android as a Wild West for privacy-violating apps, and it is introducing a new section on the Google Play Store to give users a clue on what apps are doing with their data. Of course, that doesn't happen by magic, and Google is now pushing developers to start submitting the required information before 2022 deadlines.
When in a few years Facebook releases a new pair of glasses with cameras, microphones, and proximity sensors aboard, remember this article. Today we're taking a peek at some research posted by Facebook AI called "Ego4D". This research worked with "a consortium of 13 universities and labs across nine countries" that together collected "2,200 hours of first person video in the wild, featuring over 700 participants going about their daily lives."
As a non-profit organization, Mozilla has always had the problem of finding ways to keep the lights on. Like many Web companies, it tried to resort to some form of advertisement in order to bring in some revenue to support the development of Firefox, among other things. Those efforts never sat well with Firefox's more privacy-minded users, and some have either been removed or remained in seclusion. This latest attempt might fall by the wayside as well, but, at least for now, you can still turn off these Firefox search bar ads until it gets removed completely.
Mozilla has announced a redesign for its Firefox Focus mobile privacy browser, retaining the same simple and private browsing experience while improving things a bit for those who use the product regularly. Among other things, Firefox Focus now features shortcuts, an arguably vital feature for a browser that aims to get users to their destinations as easily as possible.
Amazon was rumored this week to have a product-tracking refrigerator in the works for consumers. This new product is tipped to use technology similar to Amazon Go cachierless stores and would be one of the most massive consumer products released by Amazon so far. This fridge is said to be developed with the ability to scan its contents to see if supplies are low, thereby learning which products need to be re-ordered from Amazon.
This week the folks at Yubico released the YubiKey Bio to the general public for the first time. This is the USB-docked fingerprint scanning security key system that was first previewed to the world back at Microsoft Ignite 2019. Now this key system is available in two iterations, one with USB-A, the other with USB-C, both with fingerprint readers.
If you're using an Android device that's still running a version of the OS of a certain age or older, you're in for some trouble - starting this week. As of this week (actually starting on the 27th of September, 2021), Google began removing Google Account access from older Android devices. The cut-off point is Android 2.3.7 - Gingerbread - meaning you'd have to have a significantly aged Android device for this situation to be an issue.
If you're looking for a way to be a Big Brother to your grandparent or elderly friend, Alexa Together may be the key. Amazon will provide a series of services and features that'll allow you to use your Amazon Echo, Alexa, and a variety of other devices to keep an eye on your relative or friend. It's sort of like a baby monitor, but far, far more advanced.
Amazon is switching on local voice recognition processing, promising users of some of its latest Echo smart speakers and smart displays that they can have their Alexa commands avoid the cloud completely. The new feature, announced at Amazon's big hardware and services event today, taps into the retail giant's homegrown AZ1 Neural Edge chipset.
1Password today announced that it's teaming up with Fastmail to offer a new feature called Masked Email through its browser, desktop, and smartphone apps. You'll be able to create new email accounts on the fly with Fastmail's Masked Email, allowing you to have individual emails for each website that requires you to create an account. Not only does that offer better protection against data breaches, but it can also make it easier to determine who may be selling your information for some extra cash on the side.
Facebook's Ray-Ban Stories glasses partnership may have gone on sale, but they still need to convince European privacy regulators that the social network has done enough to warn people that they might be recorded by the hidden cameras. Announced earlier this month, Ray-Ban Stories feature two 5-megapixel cameras built into what look otherwise like a regular pair of sunglasses, and which can be activated by a tap or a voice command.