Samsung DeX bridges the divide between your phone and PC (or Mac)

Samsung’s DeX software has been available for a few years, letting you connect a keyboard, mouse, and display to supported phones or tablets to use Android in a desktop-like environment. Now Samsung is letting you just plug your phone into a PC. …

Samsung’s DeX software has been available for a few years, letting you connect a keyboard, mouse, and display to supported phones or tablets to use Android in a desktop-like environment. Now Samsung is letting you just plug your phone into a PC. The company says the new version of DeX for the Galaxy Note 10 […]

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Here’s why Rocket Lab changed its mind on reusable launch

“Once would be wonderful. Anything more would be really fantastic.”

Rocket Lab CEO Peter Beck speaks during the opening of the new Rocket Lab factory on October 12, 2018, in Auckland, New Zealand.

Enlarge / Rocket Lab CEO Peter Beck speaks during the opening of the new Rocket Lab factory on October 12, 2018, in Auckland, New Zealand. (credit: Phil Walter/Getty Images)

On Tuesday, the US-based company Rocket Lab announced that it had begun to explore the possibility of reusing its smallsat launch vehicle, Electron. This represented a change of heart for the company, whose chief executive, Peter Beck, had previously dismissed the possibility of re-using the Electron booster.

To understand what led to this decision, Ars spoke with Beck at length on Wednesday. During the interview, we also discussed SpaceX's recent announcement that it was entering the smallsat launch market with dedicated rideshare missions on its Falcon 9 rocket. Because the whole interview may be of interest to space aficionados, we're sharing all of it.

Ars Technica: So, after all this time, how did you come to this decision to embrace rocket reusability?

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Report: Google Pixel 4 to feature 90Hz display, telephoto camera

Google’s Pixel smartphones have always had some of the best cameras of any smartphones thanks to a combination of high-quality sensors and some nifty software. But no matter how good Google’s “super-rez zoom” feature is when com…

Google’s Pixel smartphones have always had some of the best cameras of any smartphones thanks to a combination of high-quality sensors and some nifty software. But no matter how good Google’s “super-rez zoom” feature is when compared with other digital zoom specs, it can’t match the quality of a telephoto zoom lens. So while some […]

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Samsung makes the Galaxy Note 10 official

It’s $949 for the Note 10 and $1,099 for the Note 10+, shipping August 23.

NEW YORK—Samsung has officially taken the wraps off of the Galaxy Note 10. As usual, this is a device that is close in design and specs to the Galaxy S device released early this year, but with some mid-cycle upgrades. What's new for the Note line is that it now comes in two sizes: the Note 10 and Note 10+.

There are two Galaxy Note 10 screen sizes to pick from. The vanilla "Note 10" version has a 6.3-inch, 2280×1080 OLED display, while the Note 10+ has a bigger, 6.8-inch 3040×1440 display. I feel like I say this every year, but the 6.8-inch version is one of the biggest displays ever fitted to a smartphone, besting the 6.67-inch OnePlus 7 Pro, the S10+'s (and Note9's) 6.4-inch display, and the S10 5G's 6.7-inch display.

As usual for Samsung, the Note 10 will have a different SoC depending on what market you're in. Some markets, like the US and usually China, will get the Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 SoC, while others, like Europe, will get Samsung's newly announced Exynos 9825 SoC. Shipping with the Snapdragon 855 in the US is a bit of a disappointment given that the 855 is not even Qualcomm's fastest chip anymore. That honor belongs to the up-clocked Snapdragon 855 Plus, which recently launched with the Asus ROG Phone 2.

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Samsung Galaxy Book S laptop with Snapdragon 8cx coming in September for $999

As expected, Samsung is launching a new Windows on ARM notebook with a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, a thin and light design, and a promise of all-day battery life. It also features always-connected capabilities thanks to integrated support for connec…

As expected, Samsung is launching a new Windows on ARM notebook with a Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, a thin and light design, and a promise of all-day battery life. It also features always-connected capabilities thanks to integrated support for connecting to cellular networks. The Samsung Galaxy Book S with a Snapdragon 8cx processor ill be available starting in […]

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Galaxy Book S: Samsung bringt 13-Zoll-Notebook mit Snapdragon 8cx

Nach Lenovos 14-Zoll-Convertible ist das Galaxy Book S das zweite Gerät mit Snapdragon 8cx und Windows 10 on ARM: Das Notebook fällt dünn und leicht aus, vor allem aber soll es auch nach Deutschland kommen. (Windows 10 on ARM, Notebook)

Nach Lenovos 14-Zoll-Convertible ist das Galaxy Book S das zweite Gerät mit Snapdragon 8cx und Windows 10 on ARM: Das Notebook fällt dünn und leicht aus, vor allem aber soll es auch nach Deutschland kommen. (Windows 10 on ARM, Notebook)

ISP Frontier is failing so badly it won’t take questions from investors

Frontier records $5.45 billion impairment, warns of continued revenue drops.

A Frontier Communications service van parked in a snowy area.

Enlarge / A Frontier Communications service van. (credit: Mike Mozart)

Frontier Communications yesterday reported lower revenue and a $5.45 billion goodwill impairment charge, and it warned investors that its revenue will continue to decline in future quarters.

Frontier's financial performance is so bad that the company said it wouldn't take any questions from investors during its quarterly earnings call yesterday. Frontier reported second-quarter revenue of $2.07 billion, down from $2.16 billion in Q2 2018 and $2.1 billion in Q1 2019. Frontier also reported a net loss of $5.32 billion, though this was due to the goodwill impairment charge.

Goodwill is the fair market value of a company, excluding its assets. Frontier said its goodwill impairment of $5.45 billion is due to "our expectation of continued revenue declines because of pressures on the business, reduced expectations for the transformation program, the long-term sustainability of our capital structure, a lower outlook for our overall industry, and the cumulative impact of all these factors on business trends going forward." Frontier said its goodwill balance is now just $276 million, "and further impairments are possible as a result of ongoing reviews of the business and operations."

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Samsung Galaxy Note 10 and Note 10+ coming August 23rd for $949 and up

The oft-leaked Samsung Galaxy Note 10 and Note 10+ are official. Samsung’s new Galaxy Note 10 features a 6.3 inch, 2280 x 1080 pixel AMOLED display with an “Infinity-O” design, which means there’s a hole in the screen for a came…

The oft-leaked Samsung Galaxy Note 10 and Note 10+ are official. Samsung’s new Galaxy Note 10 features a 6.3 inch, 2280 x 1080 pixel AMOLED display with an “Infinity-O” design, which means there’s a hole in the screen for a camera. The Galaxy Note 10+ is a 6.8 inch model with a 3040 x 1440 pixel display, […]

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‘Cheating’ Fortnite Kid Wants Copyright Lawsuit Dismissed

Epic Games’ efforts to take several “Fortnite” cheaters to court over copyright infringement continues. In one of the cases, the defendant, who’s still a minor, has asked the court to dismiss the complaint. The kid’s attorneys, however, argue that the court doesn’t have jurisdiction and that requiring a minor to defend himself in another state would be unreasonable.

Source: TF, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, torrent sites and more. We also have VPN reviews, discounts, offers and coupons.

Frustrated by thousands of cheaters who wreak havoc in Fortnite’s “Battle Royale,” game publisher Epic Games has taken several to court.

The game developer isn’t trying to bankrupt these people financially. It is mainly interested in preventing them from cheating in the future.

The main strategy thus far has been to ‘settle’ the cases. Several accused cheaters have signed consent judgments, promising not to cheat or engage in any copyright-infringing activity going forward. This includes the popular YouTuber Golden Modz, who settled his case earlier this year.

Despite these widely publicized lawsuits, cheaters will be cheaters. The problem persists and some still openly sell cheats online while posting YouTube videos to promote their work.

This includes a YouTuber called CBV, who was sued by Epic Games a few weeks ago. The games company is pursuing the minor (referred to as C.B. in the complaint) with several claims, including copyright infringement and breaches of the DMCA’s anti-circumvention provision.

While plenty of kids would be terrified facing a lawsuit like this, CBV didn’t appear to be impressed. In a YouTube video discussing his troubles, the 14-year-old states that he won’t make Fortnite videos anymore. But his tone is far from apologetic.

“Fuck epic games. I mean, at least they can’t come after my channel anymore. I’m never gonna make another video. But if they really want to come at my neck for 100 Mil then they can just fuck their brand on their own,” CBV notes.

“They’re going to attempt to bankrupt my family just because I made Fortnite cheats. Just cause I allegedly made Fortnite tonight cheats and played this game while making YouTube videos,” he adds.

In its complaint, Epic Games indeed seeks damages. However, the statutory maximum in this case, where one work is at stake, wouldn’t exceed $150,000, which is far from $100 million.

CBV is trying to make the point that it would look bad if Epic Games pursues massive damages from a relatively small cheater, who’s not even an adult. While that may be, arguments like that don’t win a lawsuit.

The YouTuber’s attorneys, however, have more arguments why the case should be dismissed. This week they filed a motion to dismiss the case. Among other things, they point out that the court doesn’t have jurisdiction over their client and that requiring a minor to defend himself in another state would be unreasonable.

“Defendant C.B. is a child who lives in Illinois with absolutely no connection to North Carolina. Nonetheless, Plaintiff Epic Games, Inc., a multibillion company, wants to drag him into court here,” they write.

“Exercising jurisdiction over C.B. would be unfair and unreasonable, as well as forbidden by the United States Constitution,” the attorneys add.

One of the additional issues highlighted is that the TOS and EULA are not enforceable, because a minor can not enter into a legally binding contract. In fact, both Epic’s TOS and EULA specifically state that the signee has to be an adult.

In the YouTube video, CBV notes that the case is “kind of a joke,” adding that Epic Games surely doesn’t need the little money that he has, as they just hosted a 100 million dollar tournament.

However, reading through the paperwork it becomes clear that this lawsuit, which is similar to the ones that have been filed in the past, isn’t really about money. The main issue Epic Games appears to be concerned with is to stop CBV from promoting and selling hacks.

Epic has previously asked YouTube to remove several videos where this activity is promoted. Since CBV submitted DMCA counternotices to reinstate a video, Epic has to file a lawsuit, otherwise the video will automatically become available again after 14 days.

In other words, the lawsuits may not be about bankrupting and defendants, as we have suggested before, but mostly an indirect effort to ensure that certain hacking-related YouTube videos remain offline. Or as Epic Games puts it in the original complaint.

“Defendant’s submission of a DMCA counter notification, which requires YouTube to restore the infringing content unless Epic files an action seeking a court order to restrain Defendant from engaging in infringing activity, creates a continuing risk of copyright infringement.”

It will be up to the court to decide whether it has jurisdiction over the 14-year-old and if Epic’s claims hold up or not.

A copy of the motion to dismiss, filed on behalf of the alleged cheater, is available here (pdf).

Source: TF, for the latest info on copyright, file-sharing, torrent sites and more. We also have VPN reviews, discounts, offers and coupons.

Is that rare whisky bottle the real deal? This artificial tongue can make the call

Counterfeits of rare single-malt whisky are a growing problem for the industry.

Inside a dunnage warehouse of Highland Park whisky distillery. A new type of artificial tongue would help detect counterfeit whiskies.

Enlarge / Inside a dunnage warehouse of Highland Park whisky distillery. A new type of artificial tongue would help detect counterfeit whiskies. (credit: Jeremy Sutton-Hibbert/Getty Image)

Scientists at the University of Glasgow in Scotland have developed an artificial tongue capable of distinguishing between different brands of whisky, a potentially useful tool to combat counterfeit whiskeys on the international market. The researchers describe their device in a new paper in Nanoscale.

There is an exploding demand for expensive rare whiskies, so naturally there has been a corresponding increase in the number of counterfeit bottles infiltrating the market. A study last year subjected 55 randomly selected bottles from auctions, private collectors, and retailers to radiocarbon dating and found that 21 of them were either outright fakes or not distilled in the year claimed on the label.

Ten of those fakes were supposed to be single-malt scotches from 1900 or earlier, prompting Rare Whisky 101 cofounder David Robertson to publicly declare, "It is our genuine belief that every purported pre-1900 bottle should be assumed fake until proven genuine, certainly if the bottle claims to be a single malt Scotch whisky." There's also an influx of counterfeit cheaper whiskies seeping into the markets, which could pose an even greater challenge, albeit less of a headline-grabbing one.

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