ONENAIJA

Android 11 will be released later in 2020 like clockwork, but developers and anyone happy to put up with a half-finished operating system - bored much? - can try it out now. A beta of the software is available here for Pixel 2, 3, 3a, and Pixel 4s. It has some, but not all, of the features of the final version. We've taken a look at the beta on one of Google’s Pixel smartphones to see what progress has been made. On reflection, some changes are long overdue, the kind of tweaks a 2016 buyer might expect to see in six months rather than four years. But we do get, at least, the addition of some useful changes already in place in Android 11. Device controls The Google Home speaker was released back in 2016, and was a bold sign of intent: Google wants to control your home. That home control should now feel better in Android 11. Long-press the power button and you’ll see a new control screen. There are the usual buttons to reset and power off your p

A new console launch is always cause for excitement, even in the midst of a pandemic. Enter Sony with its big PS5 unveiling, imaginatively titled 'PS5: The Future of Gaming Show', which teased more than it satisfied, but gave us a good opportunity to see what the next generation of games will look like. Assuming you haven't already skipped to the good stuff, let's get to it. What did I miss? Sony mainly used the event as an extended sizzle reel for the eclectic collection of exclusives coming to the console, though it wasn't clear which would launch with the console later this year.  The most immediately interesting were Spider-Man: Miles Morales , a follow-up to last year's hugely popular game featuring the lead from the critically acclaimed animated movie Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse , and Horizon: Forbidden West , a sequel to the equally popular Horizon: Zero Dawn . The latter, in particular, looked stunning. Sony also revealed t

Most of us spend more time on our phones than our computers, but how secure is your smartphone? Protect yourself online, while you’re on the go, by going through this checklist of 5 phone settings. 1) Don’t use your social logins to sign into third party sites It’s an increasingly common sign-in feature when logging in. A pop-up appears giving you the option to sign-in with one of your social media accounts, like Facebook, Twitter, or Google.  While you might be relieved to get this option (because you forgot your password for the umpteenth time), don’t do it. You’ll be paying for the convenience by giving up privacy because you’re basically linking accounts and letting them both track you, collect data and access your personal information. The worst part is: if one account gets hacked, your other profiles will also be compromised. 2) Clean up your permissions settings Backtrack and go through each of your social accounts to revoke access you may have already given to comp

 The social network unveiled on Wednesday a security feature that lets you see a list of recent emails sent by Facebook. Hackers often send emails disguised as messages from companies like Facebook to trick users into giving them login and password information. The tactic, called phishing, is common among cybercriminals. Now, if you receive an email from an address that appears to be Facebook (FB) -- but don't recognize the activity or the alert -- a tool in its Security and Login section in Settings will tell you if it's legit.  If the email claiming to be from Facebook isn't listed there, you'll know it's fraudulent. Facebook sends security emails from the domain "Facebookmail.com," offering another way to check its authenticity. But if you don't recognize the domain or sender, you can report the issue directly to Facebook. In a blog post, product manager Scott Dickens urged users to report fraudulent emails pretending to be Faceboo

After years of rumours, Apple has confirmed that it does indeed slow down older iPhones, a feature introduced last year to protect against problems caused by ageing batteries. The feature was implemented on the iPhone 6, 6S and SE last year during a software update, and on the iPhone 7 as of December with the release of iOS 11.2. The feature is planned to be rolled out to newer devices in the future. Apple said it slowed down phones that have older batteries, batteries with low charge or that are cold. An Apple spokesperson said: “Our goal is to deliver the best experience for customers, which includes overall performance and prolonging the life of their devices.” The company explained that when a battery is in a poor condition it may not be able to supply the required maximum current demanded by the phone’s processor at full speed. If that happens, the iPhone can shut down unexpectedly to protect the internal components. It was one of the factors contributing to user

Of all the advertising-inflicted annoyances on the web, the “forced redirect” ad most deserves to be shot into the sun. As you’re reading a page an ad bumps your content aside with an obviously fraudulent pitch — maybe a phony claim that your computer has been hit with a virus, maybe a fictitious offer of a free gift card — and takes over your browser’s address bar. Clicking or tapping the back button doesn’t get you away from the pestilential ad, because it already sent your browser through a loop of page reloads. Your only recourse is closing the entire tab — or, if this happened as you read something shared on a social network’s mobile app, quitting the entire program. What’s more, these ads can lead you to download malware or trap you in a financial scam. “These are the bottom of the bottom,” said Jason Kint, CEO of Digital Content Next, an online-publishing group that has been campaigning against fraudulent and deceptive ads. And while everybody hates the way these

I’m a big fan of Apple’s iPhone X. In fact, it’s the first iPhone in years that I want to buy for myself. It’s also the most expensive one yet, which doesn’t bode well for my bank account. But after using a version of the handset Apple sent me, I’ve noticed a slight issue. See, no one I handed the phone to could figure out how to turn it off the first time they used it. That’s because the original power button is now used to call upon Siri, lock the screen and bring up Apple Pay. So how do you turn it off? With standard iPhones, the 8, 8 Plus and all of their predecessors, you simply hold down the large button on the phones’ right sides, then swipe their screen to turn them off. The iPhone X, however, requires you to hold down the side button and either the volume up or volume down buttons at the same time until the power off screen appears, then swipe to shut it down. It’s a bit confusing because it’s completely different from how you’re likely used to turning off a phon