Scanning

Savvy iPhone users know what to do when they see a QR code in the wild. Open the Camera app, aim, and tap the link that gets revealed. But what about QR codes in images and PDFs that are already on your iPhone? It’s sort of a well kept secret that more people should know about. Tapping and holding on the QR code will reveal a menu with the URL. From there, you can open the link in Safari, copy the link, or share it with someone else. QR codes being actionable on iOS can also be relevant when…

Google Play Protect was recently updated with a powerful real-time scanner aimed at protecting users from apps installed outside the Play Store, and the company's efforts to prevent malicious users from gaining access to user information appears to have paid off. The proactive protection for users on Android smartphones is capable of warning users, preventing app installation, or disabling an existing app — and is capable of stopping several threats, including those that can be used to extort money from users, according…

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s sci-fi-tinged, iris-scanning cryptocurrency project Worldcoin began rolling out services internationally today. The extent to which Worldcoin actually delivers on its promise of a “new global digital currency,” however, may vary dramatically depending on where users are located.ChatGPT’s Creator Buddies Up to Congress | Future TechOn Monday, Worldcoin announced it has officially begun rolling out its “World ID” decentralized identity protocol and its “WLD” cryptocurrency tokens. In the 35 cities…

Police in New York recently managed to identify and apprehend a drug trafficker seemingly by magic. The perp in question, David Zayas, was traveling through the small upstate town of Scarsdalewhen he was pulled over by Westchester County police. When cops searched Zayas’ vehicle they found a large amount of crack cocaine, a gun, and over $34,000 in cash in his vehicle. The arrestee later pleaded guilty to a drug trafficking charge.Threads Needs These Five Missing Features to Be a Twitter KillerHow exactly did cops know…

WhatsApp is making it easier to transfer your chat histories between two phones running the same OS (Android to Android or iOS to iOS). You can now move all your chats and attachments to a new phone by simply scanning a QR code. The new feature seems to have already been rolled out widely. Until now, transferring your WhatsApp messages required a cloud backup. You first need to back up all the data to a cloud service (Google Drive on Android and iCloud on iOS) from your old phone. Then, set up WhatsApp on the new phone…

A new study reveals that Android users encounter fewer problems while using their phones compared to iOS users. This suggests that Android may be a more user-friendly operating system. The study was conducted by Green Smartphones, a company that compares smartphones, and it looked at 12 common tasks performed on both Android and iOS, such as recording the screen, sharing location, and taking screenshots.The results show that Android performed better than iOS in ten out of the twelve tasks examined. Android users needed…

An example of the differences between a TreadMatch walking scan and a TreadMatch hand-rolled scan of the same shoe, showing the measurement landmarks used. Credit: University of Huddersfield Research involving the University of Huddersfield is helping to improve accuracy in the field of forensic comparison. The University's Dr.…

You don’t have to be a security expert or even a business owner to know that cyber-attacks are some of the biggest threats to our modern, hyper-connected society. We live a big part of our lives online, and with the boom in e-commerce and e-services, most business operations happen online as well. Plus, we store sensitive data, such as financial, personal, and healthcare information, in digital format. This has massive benefits for everyone involved but also comes with the curse of cybersecurity threats and risks. This…

Artist’s impression of Ceratosuchops and the orientation of the endocast in the skull. Spinosaurs are a group of carnivorous theropod dinosaurs that lived during the Cretaceous period. They are characterized by their elongated, crocodile-like snouts, and the large, sail-like structures on their backs, which may have been used for display or regulating body temperature. Spinosaurs were among the largest predators of their time, with some species reaching lengths of up to 15 meters. Credit: Anthony HutchingsA team of…

Popular recipe/cookbook iOS app Pestle is out with a big update that brings a number of upgrades. Headlining the release is Smart Folders plus new ways to import recipe cards and cookbooks via PDF, existing images, and more. A neat new way to organize all of your recipes is with the Smart Folders feature in Pestle 1.4. The capability lets you pick criteria with the folders then filling themselves. Here’s what developer Will Bishop had to say about it: “Desserts that aren’t drinks that are also rated at least 4…