Insights For Success

Strategy, Innovation, Leadership and Security

Samsung releases ad to mock Google's Pixel 2 XL screen issues

GeneralEdward Kiledjian

We regularly see mobile carriers release commercials mocking competitors but we rarely see this with smartphone manufacturers. Samsung has been watching all of the flack reviewers are throwing at Google regarding the screen on its new flagship Pixel 2 XL. And good ol Sammy decided it's time to use Google's misstep to its advantage with a short commercial talking about the incredible screen on its own devices.

I'm in the market for a new smartphone and actually ordered a Panda Pixel 2XL from Google (scheduled to arrive Dec 18). With all of the issues, I am now considering alternatives and leaving towards a Samsung Note 8 or the upcoming OnePlus 5T. 

The short well-crafted ad shows clips from various Youtube tech reviewers talking about how great the Samsung screens are (e.g. MKBHD, Unbox Therapy, Mr. Mobile and many more).

Regardless of how you feel about the Pixel 2 XL screen (some do like it), there is no debate that Samsung is the king of OLED screens. When talking about $1000 phones, companies are expected to deliver high-quality devices and I am fine with Samsung using this opportunity to win some points.

OnePlus 5T specs and release date

GeneralEdward Kiledjian

It's time to upgrade my phone and I am waiting to see what OnePlus releases as their OnePlus 5T model. In the above photo (from GizChina.it) , we see that the launch will likely take place on November 16 (for India at least which is where we believe this slide was created for).

And everyone's favorite leaker, EVLeaks also confirmed a November release date.\

OnePlus 5T Specs

Everything we have so far is based on rumor. Remember that everything we have seen so far could be an elaborate misinformation campaign by OnePlus. With that caveat, let's dive in.

We believe the processor will be the same Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 found in the OnePlus 5 and all other 2017 smartphones.

We also expect the OnePlus 5T to be delivered in 2 common packages:

  • 6GB of RAM + 64 GB of internal storage
  • 8GB of RAM + 128 GB of internal storage

These options should be identical to what we have with the OnePlus 5.  Some of the leaks also suggest a larger 3300 mAh battery (according to AnTuTu benchmarks). It is also safe to assume the OnePlus 5T will come with their proprietary Dash speed charging technology, 

The OnePlus 5 had an excellent camera and OnePlus understands the importance of the camera. The latest leaks suggest that the OnePlus 5T will now include 2 20MP cameras. 

OnePlus co-founder (Carl Pei) recently tweeted this:

If the above picture is an indication of low light picture quality the OnePlus 5T will bring, I am very excited. 

OnePlus 5T design

OnePlus has always been a design-driven company and it is safe to assume they will deliver this time as well. It is safe to assume the new OnePlus 5T will adorn a 6" 18:9 screen with a resolution of at least 2160x1080. 

This new larger display will require a more "bezeless" front and we expect the fingerprint sensor to be moved to the back. 

 

The above "leaked" image from a Chinse site supports everything we have heard so far. You can see the post containing this picture on Sina Weibo yourself. Keep in mind that all the leaks have come from unverified sources so they may simply be photoshop creations. 

OnePlus 5T Price

OnePlus has slowly increased the price of it's phone with every new release. We typically see a $50US increase each time and it is safe to assume OnePlus will stick to that model. The OnePlus 5 was $US479 at launch. I expect the OnePlus 5T to be around $US529.

Even at $529, it is almost half the price of equivalent flagships from Samsung, Google or LG.

Conclusion

And now we wait for November 16 to come. I am anxiously waiting for the OnePlus 5T to see if it is my next daily carry phone or if I will go with the Samsung Note 8 or Google Pixel 2XL. Did I mention I hate waiting? 

Changing Google.com country domain no longer works

GeneralEdward Kiledjian

Google power users knew that changing the Google country top-level domain (ccTLD) would allow you to find results optimized for another country or language (e.g. searching Google.ch instead of Google.com to get more swiss biased results). 

There are a tone of reasons why I used this little trick:

  • Accessing Google.com results when terminating a VPN in another country
  • Travelling to a European country that skews results (right to be forgotten) and wanting "real" information returned
  • and much more

In a blog post, Google announced that results will now be customized based on the user's location (without regard for the country ccTLD input in the URL). So if I am in France and try to access American results by using the Google.com site, I will still get french results.

Google explains that 1/5 searches are location dependent (therefore detecting and using the user's actual location makes sense).  If I am traveling to Paris and search for pâtisserie, the logic motivation is that I am searching for a pâtisserie in Paris, not Toronto (my home city). 

You can still search for results in another location but the process is much more complicated now (you can still go into settings and select the correct country service you want to receive.) 

“It’s important to note that while this update will change the way Google Search and Maps services are labeled, it won’t affect the way these products work, nor will it change how we handle obligations under national law. ”
— Google blog post

Source: Google Blog

ChromeOS 62 rolling out now with Krack patch

GeneralEdward Kiledjian

Google started rolling out Chrome 62 to Windows and Mac clients about a week ago and now most Chromebook users should have received the update. For those that haven't realized it, Chromebook updates typically lag behind their Windows/Mac counterpart by about a week.

What does ChromeOS 62 bring?

ChromeOS 62 brings an improved file manager, improved OS notifications, and most importantly vulnerability fixes (including the famous KRACK vulnerability).

Pressing and holding a file in the file manager now allows you to select a file (or more) instead of bringing up the right-click menu.

Google updated the system notification to look more like Android notifications (they use to look more like Chrome for Windows notifications in the past). This more Androidesque style brings material design with large icons. 

If you take a screenshot, you are now presented with a thumbnail of the notification (similar to Android). 

You now have better captive portal detection  ( that interstitial webpage in a coffee shop that asks you for your email address before giving you web access).

The most important update for me (a security guy) is the remediation of the WPA2 KRACK vulnerability.

Microsoft takes aim at Google Chrome vulnerabilities

GeneralEdward Kiledjian

July 2014, Google launched it's project zero initiative to identify Zero-Day vulnerabilities in commercial software thus making computing generally more secure. 

Google's modus operandi is to inform affected vendors and give them 60 days to release patches. After the 60 day window, they go public even if a patch is not yet available. 

“Our standing recommendation is that companies should fix critical vulnerabilities within 60 days — or, if a fix is not possible, they should notify the public about the risk and offer workarounds. We encourage researchers to publish their findings if reported issues will take longer to patch”
— Google

There have been situations where Microsoft has not been able to release a public patch within that 60-day Window and obviously this has created a tense relationship between Google and Microsoft. 

“Google’s decision to disclose these vulnerabilities before patches are broadly available and tested is disappointing, and puts customers at increased risk.”

You can read this Microsoft blog entry about their disappointment with google. not wanting to take the hit and move on, it looks like Microsoft security research has been looking for flaws in Google's products and found 2 bad ones. Realizing security is now a major differentiator, they decided to play Google's game and disclose the vulnerabilities after an elapsed wait time. 

Here is a sentence that takes a jab at Google's Chrome while praising their own Microsoft Edge security architecture :

“This kind of attack drives our commitment to keep on making our products secure on all fronts. With Microsoft Edge, we continue to both improve the isolation technology and to make arbitrary code execution difficult to achieve in the first place. For their part, Google is working on a site isolation feature which, once complete, should make Chrome more resilient to this kind of RCE attack by guaranteeing that any given renderer process can only ever interact with a single origin”

Microsoft justified the release of the detailed vulnerability information with this sentence:

“it’s important to note that the source code for the fix was made available publicly on Github before being pushed to customers.”

I think large well-funded companies should be doing general security research and helping improve the overall security of the entire ecosystem. I wish they could agree on a more friendly approach to vulnerability disclosure, not leaving their customers open and unprotected. This should not become a marketing tool but more of a commitment to societal improvement.

A guy can dream, can't he?