Light Start – iPhone’s tracking you, more Huawei phones we can’t have, load shedding issues and cop Cybertrucks
Marcé
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]
Apple’s iPhone 11 Pro is tracking your every move
It looks like Facebook isn’t the only corporation who’s collecting sensitive user data. Apple’s new iPhone 11 Pro has been collecting and transmitting its users’ location data. Even when they’ve blocked it from tracking them. It looks like the iPhone 11 Pro keeps tracking GPS data even when an app’s Location Services is set to ‘never’ collect this info. A security journalist called Brian Krebs found the issue, and mentioned that it might be the result of new hardware used for Wi-Fi 6, but he couldn’t confirm this was the case. Following Kreb’s report, Apple has issued a warning to iPhone 11 Pro users, and initially dismissed Kreb’s findings. Riiiight. Anyway, the company later confirmed that its new ultra-wideband chip does track GPS-data. “Ultra-wideband technology is an industry-standard technology and is subject to international regulatory requirements that require it to be turned off in certain locations,” Apple said in its statement in its statement. It continued by explaining that iOS uses Location Services to help determine if an iPhone is a prohibited location, to then disable ultra-wideband and comply with regulations.” Good save, we guess?
We still don’t have the Huawei Mate 30 Pro available in South Africa (and many other countries, to be fair), but that didn’t stop Huawei from launching another range of phones. This weekend, Huawei announced the Nova 6-series, which includes a total of three phones — the Nova 6 5G, Nova 6 and Nova 6 SE. And although all of them boast impressive specs, they can’t launch with GMS (we blame you, Trump). Both Nova 6 and Nova 6 5G come with a 6.57in display with a 32MP main sensor and a secondary 8MP ultra-wide-angle snapper upfront in the cutout-notch. Both are powered by the HiSilicon Kirin 990 processor, feature 128GB/256GB onboard storage, and 8GB of RAM. As expected, the back cams are just as impressive, with a 40MP f/1.8 sensor, an 8MP f/2.4 telephoto and another 8MP f/2.4. The Nova 6 SE is the more affordable one of the crop — gotta include everyone, eh? We’re very sad to see another impressive range of Huawei’s be crippled by the lack of Google services. Hopefully, Huawei’s making headway with their HMS fix.
Vodacom connection issues are due to load shedding
Thanks to continuous downpours, South Africans may need to gear up for a black Christmas as the power utility has implemented more load shedding. As expected, this affects more than just our lights. Local telecoms are also struggling to keep networks running smoothly, as blackouts also affect cellphone towers. On Friday, Vodacom issued a statement, saying that they are ‘aware that many customers around the country will be experiencing issues connecting to the network because of the Stage 4 Loadshedding that is currently in place. Our towers do use batteries as a back up but these do have limited power and will eventually fail. We have put proactive measures in place to help mitigate the effects of widespread load shedding.” To make sure its customers stay connected during load shedding, Vodacom has started deploying generators to many of its sited across South Africa. Our advice? Invest in a board game or two. Maybe get a Nintendo Switch or some Lego to keep you entertained throughout the holiday season. That’s what we’re gonna do.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]
The Cybertruck joins the police force
Oh, how we love Elon Musk’s newest bakkie concept, the Cybertruck. And we’re not the only ones. The internet has completely exploded after Tesla’s grand reveal of its dystopian-sci-fi inspired truck. Now it looks like soon after it becomes available, the Cybertruck will be adopted by at least one law enforcement agency. Guess which one? The Dubai Police announced it will add the vehicle to its fleet of high-end police cars. According to Gizmodo, “The Police chief Abdullah Khalifa Al Marri told Arabian Business the Cybertruck will boost security in popular tourist areas like downtown and the Burj Khalifa.” We don’t know, however, if the state of Dubai actually put in pre-orders for its new police-bakkies. Apparently, Musk has already received more than 250,000 pre-orders on its Cybertruck. We haven’t put in our pre-order yet due to lack of funds, but be assured that every one of the staff at Stuff would if we got the chance to.
