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Samsung Elec to expand chip production at the largest plant next year

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Despite estimates of an economic downturn, Samsung Electronics intends to expand chip production capacity at its greatest semiconductor power station next year, according to a South Korean media outlet late on Sunday.

In contrast, rival chipmakers have reduced their investment due to declining demand and chip oversupply.

chip production
Image Source: gizmochina.com

Analysts believe that Samsung’s persistence in investing will help it boost sales of memory chips in the market and assist its share price once demand starts to recover.

According to the Seoul Economic Daily, citing unnamed industry sources, Samsung intends to expand the P3 factory located in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, by incorporating a 12-inch wafer capacity for DRAM memory chips.

The plant will also be expanded with an additional 4-nanometer chip capacity, which will be manufactured under foundry contractual agreements that is, as per the client designs as stated in the paper.

P3, the firm’s largest chip production plant, started the manufacturing of NAND flash memory chips with cutting-edge technology this year.

According to the newspaper, Samsung plans to add at least ten extremely ultraviolet pieces of machinery next year but Samsung did not respond to the report.

In October, it stated that it was not planning intentionally reduce chip production, disobeying the industry’s trend of reducing production to meet mid-term to long-term demand.

“We plan to stand behind our original infrastructure investment plans,” Han Jin-man, executive vice president of memory business at Samsung, said then.

Source: money.usnews.com

Micron Technology Inc, a competitor in memory chips, announced last week that it would reduce its financing in fiscal 2023 somewhere between 7 billion USD and 7.5 billion USD, down from 12 billion USD in fiscal 2022. It would also significantly reduce capital expenditure plans in fiscal 2024, according to the firm.

Taiwanese chipmaker TSMC reduced its 2022 annual fund budget by at least 10 percent in October, sounding more careful than usual about future demand.

“The chip industry downturn will add to the difficulties of No. 2 and below chip companies, and have a positive impact on the market control of top companies such as Samsung,” Greg Roh, head of research at Hyundai Motor Securities, said in a client note on Monday.

Source: money.usnews.com
Twitter

Twitter now shows how many people view your tweets

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Twitter is launching a functionality that shows how many people have seen your tweets, similar to the number of times a video has been seen on platforms like YouTube.

Twitter
Image Source: nme.com

“Twitter is rolling out View Count, so you can see how many times a tweet has been seen! This is normal for video,” Elon Musk wrote in a tweet. “Shows how much more alive Twitter is than it may seem, as over 90% of Twitter users read, but don’t tweet, reply or like, as those are public actions.”

Reference: techcrunch.com

According to Musk, he is excited about this feature that shows users the number of people they would reach, the similarity to internet video seems like a call out to all the content creators such as YouTuber MrBeast, whom Musk explicitly states is not out of the question in the search for Twitter’s upcoming Chief exec. But even so, for some users, this feature may have the inverse result, revealing that relatively few people view their Twitter posts than they thought.

It already includes a feature that displays a lot more detailed analytics regarding your Twitter posts than simply likes, retweets, and quote tweets. You can check out how people interacted with your Twitter post by clicking “view Tweet analytics” under your Twitter post, such as tapping to see your profile or broadening the specifics of a quote tweet.

You can also view total impressions, which are defined as “Times this Tweet was seen on Twitter.” This definition is somewhat ambiguous because we don’t comprehend what it entails for a Twitter post to be “seen.”

The latest views feature differs in that views will now be viewable to all, not just the account owner.

This feature is not yet available to all users because it requires a while for a launch to reach all users. The feature is now useable on both iOS and Android together with web usage coming soon. Reverse app researcher Nima Owji demonstrates just what functionality will look like in practice for people who can’t see it just yet, introducing that it appears to only work for tweeter posts that were made after December 15.

Twitter’s product launches have indeed been hit or miss. for instance, remember how you could get blacklisted for posting on Twitter the URL to your Instagram only about a week ago? That was short-lived. Twitter appears to be prioritizing less controversial feature updates in recent days.

Twitter upgraded its hashtag system on Wednesday, allowing you to view the price of a particular stock or cryptocurrency just by typing $ETH or $GOOG into the search bar.

LastPass

LastPass Says Hackers Stole Customer’s Data and Passwords

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LastPass has released a doozy of an update regarding a recent data breach. The company now claims that hackers were able to “copy a backup of customer vault data,” meaning they now theoretically have access to all of those passcodes if they can crack the stolen vaults.

LastPass
Image Source: forbes.com

LastPass has acknowledged that hackers stole user password vaults that were encrypted as well as other private information. This is the most recent information provided by the corporation concerning a security incident involving the theft of the platform’s source code, which was initially revealed in August 2022.

Once obtained, source code provides hackers with a better understanding of closed systems and increases a platform’s susceptibility to attacks. By first acquiring source code and technical information from the firm back in August, the hacker was able to gain access to LastPass.

The attacker then used the information they had obtained to hack a LastPass employee, steal their security codes, and access files stored on the company’s cloud storage service.

According to LastPass, it has reset all companywide corporate login credentials in reaction to the breach. Although LastPass does not expressly state this, it is obvious that users must take steps to protect their account information. Users are advised to update any passwords they have on the platform.

The company noted, “We are also performing an exhaustive analysis of every account with signs of any suspicious activity within our cloud storage service, adding additional safeguards within this environment.” There is, however, ample proof that not everyone uses the optimal password procedures. One’s entire data is at risk if they have an easily cracked master password.

Additionally, according to LastPass, the hackers would attempt to access users’ accounts by “phishing attacks, credential stuffing, or other brute force attacks”. Do not click on any links in emails requesting personal information that purport to be from LastPass. It is advised that one immediately change their master password if it is brief, simple to guess, or contains information about you that is readily available online to prevent additional account vulnerability.

The minimum suggested length for master passwords is 12 characters. Additionally, it is advised against using the master password on some other websites. LastPass asserts that users who have safe master passwords need not be concerned, but advises those who have not complied with the suggestions to “consider minimizing risk by changing passwords of websites you have stored.”

Concerned users may want to think about changing any important passwords kept in their vault and turning on two-factor authentication for the relevant online accounts. The CEO of the company, Karim Toubba, claimed in a new blog article that hackers got access to other “credentials and keys which were used to access and decrypt some storage volumes within the cloud-based storage service.”

The IP addresses from which clients were using the LastPass service, as well as corporate names, end-user identities, mailing addresses, email addresses, and phone numbers, were also stolen by hackers. The most alarming fact is that they were also able to “copy a backup of customer vault data from the encrypted storage container.”

Twitter CEO

Elon Musk will resign as Twitter CEO once he finds a replacement

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Elon Musk, the owner of Twitter, clarified Tuesday evening that he will resign as Twitter CEO, but only after identifying a new leader, specifically addressing for the very first time a Twitter poll he made earlier this week in which thousands of users voted for his overthrow.

Twitter CEO
Image Source: latimes.com

Musk stated in a tweet that he would resign as soon as he finds someone unwise enough to take the job.

Musk also stated that after stepping down as CEO, he will run the software & servers teams at Twitter, implying that he will retain great influence over the business and decisions.

The news comes now after a day of passivity regarding the poll’s outcome. After more than 17 million daily users chose to vote, with 57.5 percent of respondents saying Musk should resign, Musk acknowledged the results only implicitly on Monday. He proposed that future Twitter polls be limited to paid subscribers to Twitter Blue which is the firm’s subscription service.

Musk’s poll asking people whether he should step down as CEO came in the wake of a huge backlash over Twitter’s abrupt dispersion of several journalists who cover him, as well as Twitter’s choice to ban, then unban, links to other social networking sites such as Facebook, Instagram, and Mastodon which is a rapidly growing Twitter rival that has grown in size since October.

Musk’s brief duration as CEO has caused dramatic, sometimes unpredictable changes at one of the world’s most powerful social media firms.

Under his governance, Twitter has laid off most of its employees, ostracised major advertisers, accepted former President Donald Trump back to the site after his suspension following the Jan. 6 Capitol riots, as well as issued internal communications to reporters about Twitter’s operational processes before Musk acquired the company.

Musk forced the company’s existing workers to sign a pledge to become extremely hardcore in their job, and he flagrantly ignored Twitter’s policy against Covid-19 misconceptions.

Twitter launched, and then had to un-launch, a paid verification feature that was immediately exploited by cynical accounts imitating authenticated major brands, sports people, and other prominent people on the platform in a matter of days.

Musk’s proclivity for making massive product changes based on nothing other than informal Twitter poll results has highlighted his impromptu and ad hoc management style. However, many people on Twitter have expressed their displeasure with this approach. Twitter suspended several reporters last week after they reported on Musk’s complete ban of a profile that tracked his jet.

Growing critique of Musk resulted in Sunday’s poll, which served as an impactful, if unscientific, referendum on Musk’s management of the business since his acquisition of Twitter in late October.

OnePlus 11

The OnePlus 11 launch date has been finalized

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OnePlus has made the launch date public for its upcoming high-end smartphone. On February 7, the OnePlus 11 will be unveiled alongside a slew of other new products, including the OnePlus Buds Pro 2.

OnePlus 11
Image Source: 91mobiles.com

OnePlus 11 is on its way. OnePlus has officially revealed its plan for the launch of the OnePlus 11, its next-generation flagship phone, following a slew of teasers and rumors. A teaser video showcasing the camera block and Hasselblad branding was posted by OnePlus. OnePlus 11 will be released on February 7. The OnePlus 11 5G and OnePlus Buds Pro 2 will be unveiled at an event called Dubbed Cloud 11 in New Delhi.

The teaser image that accompanied Monday’s revelation is consistent with earlier leaks of renders and depicts a revised camera bump. Separately, company spokeswoman Spenser Blank stated that two features absent from the OnePlus 10T—a Hasselblad-branded camera system and the adored alert slider—will be included on the OnePlus 11.

Read More: 15.5-Inch MacBook Air Expected to unveil in Spring 2023

There aren’t many specifics available at this time. “Witness the Shape of Power” is the headline for the event teaser, which is undoubtedly related to quick charging, one of OnePlus’ key selling points. According to leaks so far, the device will also have a 6.7-inch screen with a 120Hz refresh rate, a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 CPU, and rapid wired charging up to 100W.

The OnePlus 11 will supersede the OnePlus 10 Pro. It will likely have a premium glass sandwich layout with a metal frame as far as appearance is concerned. The primary camera bump will be the main distinction between the OnePlus 10 Pro and its successor.

It will feature a circular camera bump at the rear with Hasselblad branding in contrast to the OnePlus 10 Pro’s square-like camera configuration. The display is probably going to be more accurate in terms of color and peak brightness than the OnePlus 10 Pro. The smartphone will probably come with a brand-new, enhanced in-display fingerprint sensor as well.

This display is most likely 3D curved, and Corning’s most recent Gorilla glass is anticipated to be used for enhanced protection. The OnePlus 11 should be a wonderful gaming device because the display probably has a better touch reaction rate.

The phone will reportedly have a 5,000 mAh battery and support wired charging up to 100W and wireless charging up to 50W. By limiting the fast charging capabilities to 100W, it appears that the company has discovered the ideal balance between protecting battery health and quick charging.

In order to leverage the market success of its midrange devices in 2022, the company is holding its event in India. As per Counterpoint Research, OnePlus was in 3rd spot in India’s premium smartphone market share, after Apple and Samsung (respectively), thus there is still plenty of space for growth.

The OnePlus 11 is probably going to be sold on Amazon, and it might also be the priciest OnePlus phone ever introduced. The base model of the phone is expected to cost more than Rs 65,000, whereas the top-of-the-line OnePlus 11 with 16GB RAM and 512GB of internal storage may cost more than Rs 80,000.

end-to-end encryption

Google announced end-to-end encryption for Gmail web

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To render its emails more difficult to hack, Google is deploying a new update. According to a Google announcement, Gmail will soon support end-to-end encryption in web browsers. The capability, which is presently in beta, enables customers to send and get encrypted emails both inside and outside of their domain, according to a blog post from the company.

end-to-end encryption
Image Source: gizmodo.com.au

The new technology, which Google describes as client-side encryption, will make sure that important information in the body of the email and attachments is unreadable by Google servers. Additionally, it will provide customers access to the encryption keys while allowing the identity service to access them.

Google noted, “Google Workspace already uses the latest cryptographic standards to encrypt all data at rest and in transit between our facilities Client-side encryption helps strengthen the confidentiality of your data while helping to address a broad range of data sovereignty and compliance needs.”

Client-side encryption (CSE) in Google Workspace enables the processing of data encryption in the client’s browser prior to data transmission or cloud-based storage in Drive. The company emphasized will not be able to access users’ encryption keys. It noted, “You can use your own encryption keys to encrypt your organization’s data, in addition to using the default encryption that Google Workspace provides.

Read More: 15.5-Inch MacBook Air Expected to unveil in Spring 2023

With Google Workspace Client-side encryption (CSE), content encryption is handled in the client’s browser before any data is transmitted or stored in Drive’s cloud-based storage. That way, Google servers can’t access your encryption keys and decrypt your data. After you set up CSE, you can choose which users can create client-side encrypted content and share it internally or externally.”

Gmail’s end-to-end encryption will make sure that all email communications sent by users are encrypted by the sender and can only be decoded on the device of the intended receiver.

The emails and attachments transmitted with them cannot be decrypted or read by any organization or third party, including Google’s own email server. The fact that Google already offers client-side encryption on Google Drive, Sheets, Docs, Google Meet, Slides, Google Calendar and Google is noteworthy.

According to Google, customers with Google Workspace Enterprise Plus, Education Plus, or Education Standard are eligible to sign up for the Gmail client-side encryption (CSE) beta program. The beta program is accepting applications through January 2023. Users must submit a Gmail CSE Beta Test Application, which must include details like their email id, test group domain, and Project ID.

Users of Google Workspace Essentials, Business Starter, Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Essentials, Education Fundamentals, Frontline, and Nonprofits, as well as older G Suite Basic and Business customers, will not be able to use the new feature as of now. According to Google, the public release will be made available at a later time in 2023.

Google has made it clear that the new functionality would encrypt both the email content and all attachments, including embedded photos. Google, however, will not encrypt the email’s header, which contains the topic, timestamps, and recipient lists.

Additionally, Google has stated that “in an upcoming release” it will add client-side encryption to its Gmail application for iOS and Android devices.