shamino

About

Username
shamino
Joined
Visits
110
Last Active
Roles
member
Points
611
Badges
1
Posts
563

Reactions

274Like3Dislike49Informative

  • Apple releases MagSafe Battery Pack for iPhone

    shaminoshamino
    How much thicker does that make the phone?

    And wouldn't it look a lot better if Apple would just make the whole phone a bit thicker and fill the extra space with a bigger battery?  And as a happy side-effect, get rid of the camera bump as well.
    muthuk_vanalingamelijahgwilliamlondonpscooter63Beatswatto_cobra

  • Reminder: Don't install Apple's betas on any critical devices unless you really hate yours...

    shaminoshamino
    There are two caveats here: Apple Watch and Apple TV 4K. Neither has a physical port that owners can access, so, all updates are installed either wirelessly or across Ethernet in the case of the Apple TV. This leaves no way to roll back the betas if something explodes.


    And if something goes wrong in the initial install or a future beta update, your Apple Watch or Apple TV can be bricked, and you'll need to mail it in to Apple to have them fix it for you. Install this one at your own risk.
    The really aggravating part here is that both AppleTV and Apple Watch have hidden undocumented diagnostic ports that can be used to restore firmware when this happens (much like how the USB port on 3rd generation AppleTV can be used for this) but as far as I know, the special cable needed to use this port isn't available for anyone (at least anyone outside of Apple's repair facilities) to buy.

    See also:
    I wonder if someone with the appropriate cable could use iOS-standard tools (iTunes, Finder or Configurator) to restore firmware to these devices.  Has anyone here read reports of someone doing this?
    watto_cobra

  • AirTag hacked and reprogrammed by security researcher

    shaminoshamino
    The part that surprises me is that he was able to rewrite the AirTag's firmware.

    Most non-trivial microcontrollers I've seen include some kind of secure-boot facility where public key data is written to write-once memory as a part of loading the initial firmware image.  From that point forward, the device will refuse to boot if the rest of the firmware isn't signed with the corresponding private key.  This isn't unusual - I've seen it in MCUs from Realtek, ST, Silicon Labs, Qualcomm and many others.

    I'm surprised Apple didn't do the same for the AirTags.  Either they picked an MCU without this feature (maybe to minimize cost or to get something physically as small as possible) or they didn't bother using it.

    Or, as a third possibility, they only signed the software not the data file containing the URL (which may have been the only thing modified by this hack).

    Knowing what's going on here is far more interesting than arguing about what word should be used to describe BLE communication.  :smile: 
    roundaboutnowfastasleep

  • Apple kept iMessage off Android to lock users in to iOS

    shaminoshamino
    So Epic is claiming that if you develop a popular app for your own platform, you have some legal obligation to port it to your competitor's platforms?  And give it away for free?

    Well that cuts both ways.  Why can't I buy Fortnite for Linux?  How about for my Raspberry Pi?  Or my SGI Indy workstation?

    If they don't immediately do this right now, then they are being anti-competitive and need to be punished to the full extent of the law.
    chaickahammeroftruthBeatsmagman1979killroyGeorgeBMacchiawatto_cobratmaydarelrex

  • Apple's MagSafe wallet review: finally solves the unified iPhone and wallet issue

    shaminoshamino
    Looks nice, but I want to see some tests about how well it will shield the magnetic stripes on your cards from the magnets in the MagSafe connector.  And from the charging field, for that matter.
    williamlondonrandominternetperson