Light Start: Reverse wireless iPhones, Mr Stark is back, an iOS 13 exploit and no more BMW i3s
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The new iPhones may have bilateral charging, but it has been disabled
It’s fair to say that the newly announced iPhones (named the 11, 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max) were somewhat underwhelming. We expected at least some of the tech seen in most of its competitors’ flagships, like in-display fingerprint sensors, 5G, a smaller notch and bilateral charging. But nope — it’s the same 2018 iPhone with a slight upgrade. But industry insiders have revealed that (some of) the iPhone 11-range may already sport reverse wireless charging hardware, but it was disabled via software just before launch. This feature was something we were expecting from Apple this year. Because its new-gen AirPods feature a wireless charging case. Huawei introduced reverse wireless charging with its Mate 20 Pro in 2018, and Samsung followed suit with its flagships this year — so it would have been a natural progression for Apple. Unfortunately, the developers weren’t happy with the output of the feature mere hours before the event, so the company made an informed decision not to run with it. It does mean, however, that iPhone 11 owners may be in for a surprise someday when Apple decides to reactivate the feature.
Robert Downey Jr. may get some more MCU screentime
Spoilers ahead if you haven’t watched Endgame yet. Be warned… We are very much in two minds about Robert Downey Jr. leaving the MCU after his contract expired. But the dude has had a great run leading the way for newcomer superheroes in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Also, we’re gonna miss the guy. Which is why we’re more than a little excited by the prospect of seeing him in one of the confirmed Phase Four titles: the Black Widow standalone movie. The prequel will (at least partly) occur after the events of Civil War when Natasha Romanov is on the run. It’s entirely possible that she could encounter Mr Stark in her travels. It should make for an extremely emotional scene, as we lost both characters in Endgame. We’re not crying, you’re crying. We’ll see for sure when the prequel comes out in May 2020.
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iOS 13 exploit can give you access to contacts from the lock screen
Apple’s new mobile operating system version iOS 13 is only due to release next week. But a security researcher already found an exploit which allows access to your contacts from the lock screen without unlocking the phone. Weirdly, this exploit was found on Apple’s iOS 12.1 too, and uses the same bypass to access the contacts. But, how? “It involves activating a FaceTime call and then accessing the voiceover feature from Siri to enable access to the contact list. You can then obtain email addresses, phone numbers, address information, and more from the list of contact,” The Verge explains. This is obviously what beta testing is for though, so Apple will patch the exploit as soon as possible. Being Apple, the patch will probs be available with iOS 13.1 — so don’t panic just yet.
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BMW plans to pull the plug on i3 electric vehicles
BMW has decided not to renew its flagship i3 electric car, although it has made great headway into the EV market. In South Africa, it’s one of the few EVs available to consumers. Luckily BMW doesn’t plan to stop production altogether, just the release of new models in the future. The i3 is in its sixth year of development, and the company does not intend to cease overall production just yet. It represented quite a different side to BMW, a notorious luxury car brand, by bringing a modernist touch to its lineup. It could be argued that the i3 is aimed at a particular type of person, but in South Africa, it is aimed at consumers who want to enter the EV market. For the time being, it’s one of the only choices South Africans have to bypass fossil fuels. This move is a strategic one, with BMW planning to invest more into new electric vehicle tech. It plans to build more electric powertrains and hybrid technology into its whole range.
