Tech Digest daily roundup: Apple updates safety guide for AirTag
Apple has released an updated safety guide amid ongoing concerns over the company’s AirTag devices. The company quietly released the safety portal on Monday. The Personal User Safety Guide offers advice on how people can keep themselves and their data safe. AirTags are designed to locate lost items using Apple’s powerful ‘Find My’ network. They are small button-shaped items that can be attached to keys or a wallet. However, the BBC and other outlets have previously found evidence that AirTags have been misused to track people. BBC
Britain’s cyber security centre has urged UK organisations to check their cyber defences because of concern about the potential for new Russian cyber attacks linked to tensions with Ukraine. The public-facing arm of the spy agency GCHQ encouraged everyone to read new guidance published on its website entitled: “Actions to take when the cyber threat is heightened.” Paul Chichester, director of operations at the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), said: “While we are unaware of any specific cyber threats to UK organisations in relation to events in Ukraine, we are monitoring the situation closely and it is vital that organisations follow the guidance to ensure they are resilient. Sky News
E-scooters could all be given the same distinctive artificial sound to warn people when they are approaching, after engineers and rival operators announced a joint research project to identify the best noise for them to make. Acoustic researchers will work with firms licensed to run UK e-scooter rental schemes with the aim of developing a universal sound for the otherwise near-silent vehicles. The sound would help alert other road users, particularly people with sight loss. Concerns have been raised by charities for blind people about the safety of e-scooters after a number of collisions, although these have largely involved unlicensed e-scooters, which are illegal to drive on public roads, let alone pavements. Guardian
Philips has unveiled the latest incarnation of its ‘The One’ LED TV series. The 8807 is pitched at buyers who want premium features at an affordable price, although that price is yet to be confirmed. What we can tell you is that the 8807 is a 4K LED model with solid specs: three-sided Ambilight, 120Hz refresh rate, the company’s 5th Gen P5 picture processing engine, support for Dolby Vision and HDR10+, plus Dolby Atmos. Sound is handled by 20W twin downward-firing speakers but there’s also the option of a matching 3.1 Dolby Atmos soundbar (B8507). The TV will use the Android TV operating system, which grants access to over 7000 apps and Google Assistant voice control. What HiFi
Apple shook off supply shortages that have curtailed production of iPhones and other popular devices to deliver its most profitable holiday season yet. The results posted Thursday for the final three months of 2021 help illustrate why Apple is looking even stronger at the tail end of the pandemic than when the crisis began two years ago. “iPhone has never been more popular,” Apple CEO Tim Cook crowed during a conference call with analysts. The company’s Mac computers and, to a lesser extent, iPads also continue to proliferate. With the iPhone leading the way, Apple disclosed it now has more than 1.8 billion devices worldwide now in use. AP News
