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Tech News
As new smartphone prices climb, more consumers are turning to refurbished and secondhand iPhones and other devices to save money. Experts caution that this booming resale market carries hidden risks, from hardware defects to security vulnerabilities, that buyers need to guard against.
Most wireless earbuds ship with silicone ear tips, which are cheap to produce but often fail to seal properly given how much ear shapes vary from person to person. Because earbuds rely on the ear tips alone to create a seal, a poor fit lets sound leak out and outside noise in, weakening bass response and noise cancellation performance. Swapping to a better-fitting tip, particularly memory foam versions, can significantly improve both comfort and audio quality without buying new earbuds.
Asus's new PG27UCWM monitor uses a tandem RGB Stripe OLED panel at 3840x2160 resolution, a conventional sub-pixel layout that finally solves the text-clarity issues that plagued earlier OLED monitor sub-pixel designs. Color coverage measures 94% DCI-P3 and 89% AdobeRGB, slightly behind top QD-OLED rivals, but the panel's contrast and color volume still place its image quality near the top tier, despite a highly reflective glossy finish that some viewers may dislike.
The Telegraph reported that a small UK power generator was taken offline for four days in July after being hit by a cyberattack tied to Iranian hackers. UK officials would not confirm attribution or name the affected facility, but stressed the incident was isolated and posed no threat to the broader national grid. The disclosure follows separate US warnings this year about Iran-linked actors targeting water infrastructure across several states.
A file claiming to be a 113GB build of Grand Theft Auto VI has been spreading on torrent sites following recent leaks of the game. Independent analysts who examined the download say it is almost entirely padded with empty zeroes and contains a hidden 50KB malicious payload rather than actual game code. The malware reportedly tries to disable Windows Defender protections and kill security processes once executed.
Researchers discovered that AliExpress's homepage runs hidden, inaudible audio-processing code tied to Alibaba's security systems, which measures how a device's hardware handles an audio signal to create a unique fingerprint without cookies. The behavior was uncovered by a developer whose Bluetooth headphones failed to switch between devices while an AliExpress tab stayed open, since the silent audio graph kept the system's audio path active even when muted. The same scripts reportedly also collected canvas, WebGL, and hardware configuration data as part of a broader tracking setup.
The FCC has retroactively revoked the equipment authorization it granted to Shenzhen Zero Zero Infinity Technology for the HoverAir Versa's Flight Kit, a module that turns the 230g pocket camera into a self-flying drone. The agency says the certification was issued in error since the Flight Kit qualifies as a prohibited foreign-made UAS critical component under its Covered List rules, and it accused HoverAir of willfully skirting the ban. HoverAir has already pulled Flight Kit orders for U.S. backers on its Indiegogo campaign, which had raised over $230,000, citing vague 'logistics updates.'
A troubleshooting guide outlines steps Android users can take when an app repeatedly crashes, starting with checking the Google Play Store for pending updates via the 'Manage apps and device' menu. If no updates are available, users are advised to visit the app's info page to clear its cache and force stop it before relaunching.
Christine Hunsicker, former CEO of clothing-rental startup CaaStle, has been sentenced to five years in prison after being convicted of orchestrating roughly $300 million in investor fraud. Her defense argued a brain injury from a falling mirror erased her memory and judgment during the years the fraud occurred, but prosecutors pointed to incriminating search history and inflated revenue figures as evidence of deliberate deception.
Tom's Hardware reviewed TP-Link's Deco 7 Pro BE13000, a tri-band Wi-Fi 7 mesh system sold exclusively at Costco as a three-pack for $399, covering up to 8,100 square feet. The satellites share the familiar white cylindrical Deco design but include only three 2.5 GbE LAN/WAN ports each, fewer than the lower-tier Deco BE63, with mismatched port speeds on the back.
A free, community-built add-on called the 'I have ADHD' skill has gained traction online for trimming Claude's verbose, meandering responses into more concise, front-loaded answers. Android Authority's Calvin Wankhede tested it for two weeks across both Claude Chat and Claude Code, installing it via a skill.md file from GitHub and enabling it through Claude's Customize settings. He reports it significantly reduces the chatbot's tendency to preach and add unnecessary preamble.
DoesItPlay, a video game preservation community, is organizing a week-long PlayStation boycott from August 23 to 30, urging players to avoid logging into PSN, playing, or making purchases on Sony platforms. The protest responds to Sony's plan to phase out physical game production by 2028, though critics note the chosen week lacks major releases and overlaps with Gamescom, likely blunting its impact.