Sofia Elizabella Wyciślik-Wilson

Leave your iPhone at home: Apple Watch Series 3 has built-in cellular

Apple Watch -- the number one watch in the world -- now has an LTE variant, distinguishable by a red crown. Apple Watch Series 3 can be used to make and receive calls using the same number as your iPhone, but you no longer need to have your iPhone with you.

Apple boasts of a new dual core processor with up to 70 percent better performance. There's also a new W2 chip with 85 percent faster Wi-Fi and better battery efficiency, and it's claimed that Apple Watch Series 3 has all-day battery life. Apple also announced a new gray ceramic model, a series of new straps, and revealed how the company has managed to cram so much into the new model without increasing size.

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Want to unsend WhatsApp messages? Delete For Everyone feature is being tested

WhatsApp logo with padlock

WhatsApp users have many requests for new features that would improve the way the app works for them. One that is most frequently requested is the ability to unsend messages that have been fired off in haste, or contain mistakes.

Users of the Facebook-owned messaging tool will be pleased to hear that the unsend option -- also known as Delete For Everyone -- is undergoing testing, and could be on the verge of rolling out to all.

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Facebook removes Instant Articles from Messenger

Facebook's self-hosted Instant Articles have been dropped from Facebook Messenger. The faster-loading, mobile-optimized versions of articles will still be available in the main Facebook app, just not in the company's messaging tool.

While Facebook launched Instant Articles promising much, publishers have failed to see the income they would have hoped for from articles presented in this way. This has been blamed on it being much harder to track Instant Article Content.

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OnePlus 5 Special Edition may be launched at Paris event on September 19

At an event in Paris next week, OnePlus is teaming up with French fashion designer Jean-Charles de Castelbajac. The company is giving nothing away at the moment, but it's widely expected that we'll see an announcement about OnePlus 5 Special Edition -- possibly called Callection.

A leaked photograph shows a box that bears the words "Shot on OnePlus JCC+" on the side -- surely a reference to a Jean-Charles de Castelbajac special edition of the phone.

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Bashware attack makes Linux a security threat to Windows 10

While many people welcomed the arrival of Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) in Windows 10, it has been found to be a potential security issue. A new technique known as a Bashware has been discovered by security researchers that makes it possible for malware to use the Linux shell to bypass security software.

While administrator access is needed to execute a Bashware attack, this is fairly easily obtained, and the technique can be used to disguise malicious operations from antivirus software and other security tools. Researchers from Check Point Research point out that the danger stems from the fact that "existing security solutions are still not adapted to monitor processes of Linux executables running on Windows."

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Android Oreo's Wi-Fi Passpoint support makes hotspot switching simple

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We've already heard a lot about what's new in Android 8.0 Oreo, but something that has not received much attention is its support for Wi-Fi Passpoint. Also known as Hotspot 2.0, the technology was introduced by the Wi-Fi Alliance way back in 2012 as a way to simplify the process of moving from one wireless hotspot to another.

Anyone who has connected to a hotspot while walking through a city will have experienced the frustration of having to log into one hotspot after another in order stay connected to the internet. Wi-Fi Passpoint makes jumping from one hotspot to the next as simple as using a data connection, eliminating the need for login credentials. Support in Oreo is a great step forward... but Google has chosen to make it optional for OEMs.

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Facebook tests Instant Video downloading over Wi-Fi to save your data

Facebook has managed to effectively reduce page loading times for its users with the Instant Articles feature. Now the social network is looking to do something similar with video content.

The feature is called Instant Videos, and it works by automatically downloading videos when there is a Wi-Fi connection available so they can be watched later without having to use a data connection. Instant Videos is undergoing testing with a limited number of users at the moment ahead of a possible wider rollout.

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Samsung plans to release a foldable Galaxy Note in 2018

Samsung logo building

The age of the flip phone may be well and truly over, but people still seem to be hankering for a foldable handset. Samsung is hoping to help people fulfil their dreams, aiming to release a foldable phone in 2018.

Koh Dong-jin, president of mobile business at Samsung Electronics, has said that the company is hoping to release a Galaxy Note with a bendable screen in 2018. He also said that Samsung is working with Harman on an AI-powered speaker.

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Facebook hit with €1.2 million fine for Spanish privacy violations

Facebook keyboard

That Facebook is causing ripples when it comes to privacy will come as little surprise to anyone. Like Google, the social network and its users have an interesting relationship with privacy. Facebook is facing a particular problem in Europe, and the latest installment of the saga sees the company being fined €1.2 million ($1.44 million) by the Spanish data regulator AEPD.

After an investigation into Facebook, the regulator found that the company had gathered sensitive personal data without consent, and this constituted a very serious infringement of data protection laws. The investigation also identified two "serious" violations, including tracking users through the use of Like buttons embedded in non-Facebook pages.

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Microsoft has finally fixed some game performance issues in Windows 10 Creators Update

Although Windows 10 Fall Creators Update is only just around the corner, Microsoft is still fixing problems with the current Creators Update. The update still may not yet have rolled out to everyone, but there have been plenty of complaints about gaming performance.

Some five months ago, users started to complain about a drop in framerate and stuttering performance in a number of popular games. Microsoft has now finally acknowledged that there is a problem, and has issued a fix for one of the issues.

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Twitter is testing a tweetstorm feature to allow for longer tweets

There are two features that Twitter users constantly ask for -- the ability to edit tweets, and the ability to send tweets that are longer than 140 characters. Tweet editing is not likely to come any time soon, and longer tweets are also an uncertainty, but Twitter could be about to make tweetstorming much easier.

Tweetstorms are the alternative to longer tweets: messages that won't fit into 140 characters are simply manually split up over multiple tweets. Manually doing this is a chore, but there is hope on the horizon. A hidden tweetstorm composer has been unearthed in the Twitter Android app, indicating that the feature is undergoing internal testing.

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PewDiePie is back with his own brand of casual racism

The N word is undeniably inflammatory -- particularly when used by the wrong person in the wrong situation. An example of the word being used by the wrong person in the wrong situation? PewDiePie (yep, him) casually spitting out the epithet as an insult during a gaming session.

During a live stream of PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, PewDiePie -- real name Felix Kjellberg -- ejaculated "what a f***ing n***er!" when one of his teammates was killed in the game. The incident has been somewhat polarizing on social media, and it's not the first time the most popular YouTuber in the world has caused controversy with a racially charged statement.

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New mobile-friendly Google Dashboard simplifies privacy settings

Google and privacy are not really happy bedfellows, but the company likes to at least give the impression that its users have a semblance of control over what the company does with their data. To this end, the new Google Dashboard aims to simplify the act of taking control of your data.

At least that's the idea. In Google's own words, "Data helps improve our products, keep them safe, and -- with your permission -- tailor them to match your interests." Data is Google's business. It's not in the company's interest for you to have too much control over your privacy settings.

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iPhone 8 and iPhone X leaks: firmware reveals a lot about Apple's upcoming smartphones

Ahead of just about any smartphone launch, there are usually endless leaks -- but Apple is different. While there are often rumors about what the next iPhone will be like, photo leaks and confirmable details of features are rare. Ahead of Tuesday's big event at the Steve Jobs Center in Cupertino, however, there have been some pretty major revelations.

A leak of the iOS 11 gold master has crept online, and analysis of the code seems to confirm that Apple is planning to launch an iPhone 8, an iPhone 8 Plus and an iPhone X on September 12. As well as this, the leak has also given us an insight into the features we can expect to see unveiled, including Face ID, Portrait Lighting, True Tone display and animated emoji called animoji. We are now almost certain that the LTE Apple Watch will be revealed too.

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European Court of Justice will determine the legality of mass surveillance in the UK

The Investigatory Powers Tribunal has ruled that the legality of mass surveillance in the UK should be decided by the European Court of Justice. The ECJ has already ruled that governments engaging in "general and indiscriminate retention" of data is illegal, and this led campaign group Privacy International to bring a case.

The ruling means that only targeted interception of data and communication is permissible, something which the Investigatory Powers Act -- also known as the snooper's charter -- goes far beyond.

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