!Shownotes:

I miss being surprised by technology

Google’s 2018 launch event was a piece of corporate theater, like so many before it, to unveil a new smartphone. I’ve watched and attended a lot of product launches in my time, dahlink, but this one was the least engaging for ages. Not because of the products, or the presenters, but because it lacked one key ingredient: surprise.

Essential is reportedly working on an AI phone that operates through voice commands

While Essential’s first device has a cult following among those who prioritize quick Android updates, it became clear in May that it would never see a follow-up. A report from Bloomberg revealed that the company had canceled a second Essential Phone and put itself up for sale. However, over the past several months, the company has quietly chugged along, continuing to push out lightning-fast security patches. Now, a new report from Bloomberg states that the company is indeed working on a second device — but it’s not at all like its first product. According to the publication’s tipsters, the handset is an anti-smartphone with a small screen that relies primarily on voice commands.

Pre-order ASUS’ ROG gaming phone on October 18th

ASUS Republic of Gamers (ROG) announced the release date of its gaming-oriented smartphone today. The ROG Phone will be available for pre-order on October 18th for a starting price of $899 for the 128 GB version. The 512 GB model will cost $1,099. There isn’t any word on ship date yet, though accessories for the device will be available starting in Q4.

Nasty WhatsApp Bug Left Users Vulnerable to Attack by Simply Answering a Video Call

On Tuesday, a researcher for Google’s Project Zero security team published a report revealing how WhatsApp users could lose control of their account just by answering a video call from a bad actor. Natalie Silvanovich ‏published her findings on Google’s Chromium blog and explained that the vulnerability was discovered in August and was promptly reported to WhatsApp’s parent company Facebook. Project Zero hunts down vulnerabilities and companies are given 90 days to fix them before the findings are made public. In this case, Silvanovich said that a patch rolled out for Android on September 28 and was applied for iOS on October 3.

Take A Look At Fallout 76’s Full Map

Fallout 76 is a major new evolution for the long-running series, as we got to find out in our recent hands-on session. It takes the nuclear war ravaged wasteland that we’re accustomed to exploring in isolation and turns it into an always-online multiplayer game, opening it up for players to come together. Fallout 76 will enable dozens of players to explore and adventure together–either as friends or enemies, so naturally, the game world will have to be big enough to accommodate them. On top of that it also needs to have enough activities to keep them engaged for hours on end.

Just Cause 4 story trailer

Now rogue from the Agency, in Just Cause 4 Rico Rodriguez travels to the South American inspired Island of Solís, hell bent on uncovering the truth behind his father’s death. Solís is a place ravished by powerful storms and tornados, it’s in a state of unrest and on the brink of war. The ruthless Black Hand militia, led by the dangerous Gabriella, is using everything they have to keep the situation under control. Rico soon forms an alliance with Mira, a rebellious dissident before finding himself leading an army as he fights, grapples and wingsuits his way through conspiracies and chaos.

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