lifehacker.com Google Just Revealed When Apple Will Officially Adopt RCS
Google just announced that Apple will be adopting RCS in fall of 2024. If this is true, it's likely Apple is planning RCS adoption as part of iOS 18.
I blog about #technology #gadgets #opensource #FOSS #greentech #traditionalwetshaving #LCHF #health #alternativeto #hamradio (ZS1OSS) #southafrica - see https://gadgeteer.co.za/blog. I also blog to various other social networks which I list at https://gadgeteer.co.za/social-networks-i-post-to.
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Yes I was too, that is the client end-point that everyone is after now, and where Meta was trying to spy on Snapchat, and where State Actors get into encrypted data before it gets encrypted. It's the known weak point, as you read everything unencrypted. But it also comes down to who would want to read your data and why. Are they legally empowered/prevented from doing so, do they sell data to data brokers, etc.
Not as simple as that as many did ditch WahtsApp for Meta's documented privacy violations, and their ongoing T&C which passes the WhatsApp metadata upstream to Meta and others. A lot of people also only use one messenger, and right now nothing connects them together yet. So I have masses of family and friends that only use WhatsApp, and I now only have SMS contact with them. About 8% to 10% do have multiple messengers so I see some on Signal and Telegram.
The last thing the world needs, is for WhatsApp to become the default dominant standard. That is a company that can be least trusted out of everyone worldwide, based on their history. With the app installed, the metadata includes constant location, usage, contacts, messages to who, etc.
It is certainly not where it needs to be yet.
One to one messages are fully E2EE so are not decrypted on the server side. It was only groups that was still getting E2EE rolled out. I agree tho as an open standard for adoption, it should not only have a server at Google. I don't think the mobile carriers like that either.
Not really so, as MSMS is a major thing by us (outside the US) for most notifications from banks, gov, transactions, visit to pharmacy, etc. Incoming is fine apart from fact it is all open for anyone to read, but replies cost money. Also, where people are not using the same messenger, then it is sms text messages, each costing money. For pre-paid phone accounts, those SMSS messages cost even a bit more. SMS today is still the common denominator everything falls back on. It is very expensive when you consider what is paid, and it is only around 140 characters vs data.
From what I understand with Apple's fallback (or like Google's Message app does), if RCS is sensed by the other non-iMessage user, then RCS will be used, if not right now it would still default back to text SMS but then lose some features like hi-res photos etc. Just don't know how it will work for me where I am on iMessage on my iPad, but when out with my Android phone will the iMessage's wait a week until I turn on my iPad again. Would be nice if there was a proper presence sensing, and it routes to there. That may be possible with RCS, but we won't know how Apple plans to use it, and they are not going to want it to be as shiny and nice as sending an iMessage....
Certainly not now as a replacement but I understand that is the longer term intention. There is a lot of older infrastructure carriers need to unload and move on (lime dismantling 2G and 3G etc), and they often pay negotiated Inter-carrier fees. If it is to replace SMS I understand carriers can zero rate whatever data they want to, so it will be cheaper for them to not charge any data charges on RCS than to actually keep providing text SMS. RCS also uses exiting modern network technologies so there is nothing extra, or outdated, that has to be maintained.
It does seem to have innovated quite quickly. I'm still using Bitwarden as I have the paid access to biometrics etc, and it has a nice tweak also to add unique e-mails for every login, etc. But I'm interested to see where Proton Pass will be in another few months, seeing I'm already paying for their service, and maybe I can consolidate my expenses a bit. I actually got drawn into paid Proton by leaving ExpressVPN, which I needed for Netflix, and then found Proton (with one or two others) were the only one's handling Netflix's geofencing quite well. Looking at options is always good.
No just have "Proton for Business newsletter" disabled but I see many of their mails say only once a quarter etc. So seems they don't send out every month.
It is the same for Bitwarden. What I noticed is if I go to a site with passkeys, then Bitwarden prompts me with a pop-up to want to add a passkey. It's not something you manually add, apparently.
Not really, right now as the password resets all undermine passkeys for many sites. One day if/when passwords get replaced then there will be a need, but that is a long way off probably. A good random password along with any 2FA is really good enough for most cases, and Bitwarden already does that very well along with even random e-mail addresses.
It's not a race and I would not even start to use passkeys until I know they can move with me across devices and OSs. Also, most sites that do offer passkeys, still offer highly insecure password resets which really undermines the security that passkeys should offer. I waited a long time for Bitwarden to start with passkeys, and they were going to be the answer to fully portable passkeys (I've been waiting so that I know my passkeys will work across all my devices and OSs). Now I'm waiting for mobile implementation before I can get going. I do hope they will also be offering exporting of passkeys, like you can currently export your passwords to other services.
Ah thanks for explaining that. It just makes it then difficult to fully move to passkeys with Bitwarden, which is why I've been waiting so long, and why I never stayed using Google or Apple's passkeys.
There is a difference but right now as long as one uses a good password with a 2FA it is probably good enough. Too many services with passkeys are still quickly offering password resets via e-mail or text, so they, as sites, are not secure. And unless you can move your passkeys with you, like you can with passwords, you don't want to get locked into a single device or OS.
Firstly, the point was made that the passkey functionality in Proton Pass is free (no account needed or "selling") and that is for unlimited logins. Anyone can just use it. I pay for, and am still using Bitwarden. I posted about this because it is interesting that Pass has implemented passkeys for mobile, while I still wait for Bitwarden, so I'm interested in testing this out with Proton Pass. I post about all sorts of things that I find interesting, and sometimes I do switch my services across if I find it can match or better what I already use. That's the bottom line.
I was just as interested when I was considering moving from LastPass to Bitwarden, but then I was accused of "selling" free Bitwarden to people. Everyone must make up their own minds as their circumstances are different. But if no-one posted about what they found interesting, we'd have no Lemmy, and we'd all forever just stay stuck on whatever we personally know. Certainly Bitwarden and Proton Pass are not the only good password managers out there, but this week I was interested to see an article about Proton Pass, and I had not even known they'd rolled out passkeys yet. It seems like quite a few others did not either.
I'm sure others also post about what new stuff 1Password has just rolled out, and I'd be interested to hear about that too. That is how I decide whether I want to try something better.
If I wanted to try to sell something, I'm sure Proton Pass probably has some loyalty link for paid accounts, but no, you did not see me sharing anything like that. I mentioned the access was free.
Google's own one may be, and that is their right, but it is an open standard so anyone can produce their own RCS app like Samsung has done, and the same way Apple is building support into their exiting app. Nothing should stop a 3rd party developer looking at the standard, and producing an open source RCS app?
The GSMA does need to work harder at ensuring true interoperability between carriers, esp for E2EE. I'm expecting that the Google "monopoly" will get broken up at some point. I would have hoped that Apple insisted on hosting their own RCS (standards compliant) server.
Vulnerabilities on the client end are the only way right now for most state actors to gain access to messaging. So yes, various actors are already exploiting that as they have a lot at stake to gain access. But with others already able to exploit that, why would Proton want to do that? Their model is not about advertising or selling data, and they have 100 million paying customers as I understand it. The one's that have been spying and exploiting have been the likes of Meta's Facebook with their app present on the client device, and then trying to break Snapchat's encryption this was (this came out in March 2024). Anyone "can" but we need to also consider "why" and what business model they have.
Not the only one, Samsung also their Messages app with RCS built in, and Apple is adding soon. The one-to-one messages are E2EE, and I understand groups are/were to be E2EE. We should be seeing more apps building it in as I've been asking Truecaller to do, as I have to pay for every SMS in Truecaller.
It is not zero encryption, like SMS, though? All GSMA-compliant RCS implementations must use TLS to encrypt data transfer between your device and the carrier's server. While recommended by GSMA, E2EE is an optional feature that carriers can choose to implement or not. So carriers can implement it. I'm pretty sure that as adoption goes mainstream, a "monopoly" on the server side is going to get broken up.
Google Just Revealed When Apple Will Officially Adopt RCS: Northern Hemisphere Fall 2024
The Android developer just published an updated landing page for Google Messages, showing off key features ranging from customization, privacy and security, and, of course, AI.
On this landing page, there are different sections for each feature set, including one for RCS. As spotted by 9to5Google, if you expand this list of RCS features and scroll to the bottom, you see a section on "Coming soon on iOS: Better messaging for all." That's no surprise: We've known Apple was adopting RCS since November. However, it's the next line that brings the news: "Apple has announced it will be adopting RCS in the fall of 2024."
Of course, this does not say a lot as it is "in the fall" which is anywhere over a couple of months, and Google has tried to embarrass Apple into making moves before. I suppose, though, there is the looming court case against Apple which is anyway keeping pressure on Apple. If it were not for the US court case, I would have guessed Apple may have pulled out after the EU had
Proton Pass now supports passkeys on all devices and plans: Beating Bitwarden to mobile devices
proton.me Proton Pass now supports passkeys on all devices and plans | Proton
Proton Pass supports passkeys for everyone, allowing you to manage and use passkeys across all devices seamlessly.
Passkeys are an easy and secure alternative to traditional passwords that can help prevent phishing attacks and make your online experience smoother and safer.
Unfortunately, Big Tech’s rollout of this technology prioritized using passkeys to lock people into their walled gardens over providing universal security for everyone (you have to use their platform, which often does not work across all platforms). And many password managers only support passkeys on specific platforms or provide them with paid plans, meaning you only get to reap passkeys’ security benefits if you can afford them.
They’ve reimagined passkeys, helping them reach their full potential as free, universal, and open-source tech. They have made online privacy and security accessible to everyone, regardless of what device you use or your ability to pay.
I'm still a paying customer of Bitwarden as Proton Pass was up to now still not doing everything, but this may make me re-evaluate using Proton Pass as I'm also a pay
Atuin is an open-source shell command history app for Linux with syncing, unlimited history, and with contextual search
Atuin replaces your existing shell history with a SQLite database, and records additional context for your commands. With this context, Atuin gives you faster and better search of your shell history!
Additionally, it provides optional and fully encrypted (E2EE) synchronisation of your history between machines, via an Atuin server, or you can self-host your own server. There is a single command to easily delete your data from the server too.
It supports zsh, bash, fish, and nushell shells right now.
The search is as easy as pressing the up arrow in the terminal and then scrolling back, or typing to search. But you could also type something like this to do a search [search for all successful make commands, recorded after 3pm yesterday
atuin search --exit 0 --after "yesterday 3pm" make].
Atuin offers configurable full text or fuzzy search, filterable by host, directory, etc. As it has context around dates, times, exit code, and even the directory location form where a command was
Mbin is a fork of kbin: a decentralized content aggregator running on the Fediverse network
Mbin is a decentralized content aggregator, voting, discussion and microblogging platform running on the fediverse network. It can communicate with many other ActivityPub services, including Kbin, Mastodon, Lemmy, Pleroma, Peertube. It is an open source alternative to other link aggregator services like Reddit. The initiative aims to promote a free and open internet.
Mbin is focused on what the community wants, pull requests can be merged by any repo owner (with merge rights in GitHub). Discussions take place on Matrix then consensus has to be reached by the community. If approved by the community, only one approval on the PR is required by one of the Mbin maintainers. It's built entirely on trust.
It seems it's claim to fame is being more open and accepting of community changes and improvements. It can install as either bare metal/VM or as a Docker container.
Although anyone can install it and self-host it, their project page also contains a link to various instances that already
Konsave lets you save, apply and share Linux desktop theme customisations
KDE, especially, is known for its amazing themes and theme customisations. With that can come lots of tweaking, and then forgetting how to get back to what you really liked. Or maybe you want to share that fantastic theme combination that you got right with friends.
Konsave helps do all of this very simply and effectively. I do like that all its options are logically named like -r for remove, -l for list, etc. So, although it is command line driven, it is really easy to use.
It officially supports KDE Plasma, but can be used on all other Linux desktop environments too. It is an open source application written in Python.
See https://github.com/Prayag2/konsave
#technology #opensource #Linux #themes
This XDA Reporter replaced their monitors with XREAL smart glasses for a full week
Not made by Meta = Tick. The price though is almost the cost of three monitors...
These may not be full time permanent replacements for monitors, but they are great for portable use, and could potentially save a ton of desk area space. You can also work in a confined area (even on a plane trip, without the neck strain of having to look down the whole time), with the illusion of space and the monitors being further away from you. Or they can also be used so that they don't disturb someone sleeping (or working) next to you, or you can use them instead of having a large screen TV.
At even 60Hz to 120Hz, that is a pretty decent refresh rate, and more than I expected it to be. They are also not as heavy or cumbersome as many VR goggles are, weighing it at around 75g. Resolution is 1080p per eye.
It seems too that the glasses can connect to Linux computers that support USB-C DP video output.
But this type of device really needs to be tested in person before buying. It's not the sort of t
New Fork of the Linux Streamdeck-UI app for Elgato Stream Deck
github.com GitHub - streamdeck-linux-gui/streamdeck-linux-gui: A Linux compatible UI for the Elgato Stream Deck.
A Linux compatible UI for the Elgato Stream Deck. Contribute to streamdeck-linux-gui/streamdeck-linux-gui development by creating an account on GitHub.
Many of us Linux users may have been using Timothy Crosley's excellent app for Linux. But with the Pillow library causing a problem after it was updated, we realised Timothy seems to have disappeared. Within a week or so of that realisation, the project was now forked to https://github.com/streamdeck-linux-gui/streamdeck-linux-gui and even the AUR package has now updated from the new fork The bug was fixed and the Linux support is again fully working.
The project has a coordinator, and a few people looking at issues, but it would be great to see if there are more devs who are interested in assisting, especially with adding of any new features. For example, users would like to see hold for repeat key presses, buttons showing dynamic display information, etc. So right now we can't expect too much to happen, but if any of you know any devs who may be able to assist, that would be greatly appreciated.
It's a long shot, but maybe even someone from Elgato wants to unofficially assist as
youtu.be Open Konsole named Profiles, with own identification and a custom command, using a keyboard shortcut
This solves a problem I had with wanting to quickly start up a Distrobox container using a shortcut key, but also being able to differentiate it visually fro...
This solves a problem I had with wanting to quickly start up a Distrobox container using a shortcut key, but also being able to differentiate it visually from my normal Konsole terminal screen I'd use on Manjaro Linux. It is extremely quick and the named Konsole Profile has a different colour as well as a different window title bar. I needed this as my Starship custom prompt was not playing ball with showing the change of OS properly (it could do so, but the formatting broke all the time). This method I describe here is solid, and works irrespective of the prompt.
I thought this was worth sharing as firstly I could find no search results showing how to do this, and secondly, it can actually be applied for purposes other than just starting a Distrobox container. Any terminal command can be used. It is also a useful way to actually use these named Profiles that Konsole has in KDE Plasma.
My video also gives a taste of what Distrobox does, so if you're interested further in Distrobox I
Why You Should Use Bionic Reading in Chrome (or Any Browser): An extension to highlight the most important parts of words
www.howtogeek.com Why You Should Use Bionic Reading in Chrome (or Any Browser)
This browser extension promises to make reading better in Chrome (or any web browser.)
Bionic Reading is a new way of reading text that uses a patented algorithm to highlight the most important parts of words, making it easier and faster to read. The method was developed by a German software developer named Renato Cukar, who was inspired by the way the human eye reads text.
Bionic Reading works by highlighting the most important parts of words, which helps the eye to follow the text more smoothly and efficiently. This makes it easier to read longer passages of text, and can also help to improve comprehension.
Bionic Reading is available as a free Chrome extension, as well as a mobile app for iOS and Android. It can also be used on websites and in PDFs.
See https://www.howtogeek.com/882688/why-you-should-use-bionic-reading-in-chrome-or-any-browser/
EDIT: Although some individuals claim to see improvement, it may be that results do vary as one test shows no real improvement across the board - https://blog.readwise.io/bionic-reading-results/
#technology #bionicre
My video overview of Nostr: A simple, open protocol that enables global, decentralized, and censorship-resistant social media
Nostr is unique in that it has a global public key ID that replicates posts (notes) via relays, so it is scalable, resistant to censorship, and the user fully owns their identity profile. There are only two parts to the network, namely relays and clients, with the Nostr protocol linking them. Every post is signed, and every client validates these signatures.
In this video I explain more about Nostr is, why it is probably one of the easiest networks to get registered and going on, I compare it with some other protocols, and I demonstrate a few of the web as well as Android mobile apps. There are no servers at all needing to be chosen, and it is truly irrelevant which client app is used. I'll also explain where cryptocurrency may come in, but why you need not worry about it all, or even use it at all.
Watch https://youtu.be/8mSyMCJlSwA
#technology #Nostr #socialnetworks #alternativeto #decentralised
Berty Messenger for iOS and Android - Zero Trust Open Source Peer-to-Peer Messenger based on IPFS protocol
** Now in Android and iOS app stores **
No Face, No Name, No Number, No SIM card, No Internet! Berty is a messenger that doesn’t require any of your personal data or network connection (using Bluetooth Low Energy BLE). All conversations are encrypted with end-to-end encryption, in a fully distributed network.
It is a peer-to-peer messenger with no servers, no cloud - your data is only stored on the device where Berty is installed and used. No one would be able to access the data or shut the app down, not even the developers.
Being P2P, it means the IP address needs to be available to route messaging, but their site explains a bit about how they've tried to mask this. Whilst Briar is an excellent alternative, it is still Android only. The closest alternative is maybe Jami, but it lacks a non-Internet Bluetooth alternative if I recall correctly. Interestingly, Berty also can use Airdrop (iOS to iOS) and Android's Nearby as alternative protocols.
You can share your details and add con
PowerToYou and Cloud Battery (amongst others) both display battery levels of your other Apple devices
gadgeteer.co.za PowerToYou and Cloud Battery (amongst other apps) both display battery levels of your other Apple devices
I was looking for an app to alert me to low battery levels across various of my iOS devices. Although coconutBattery looked good, it is macOS only, and I only power my Macbook up occasionally. So I looked at a good four iOS app options, and there is no perfect one that does everything perfectly....
I was looking for an app to alert me to low battery levels across various of my iOS devices. Although coconutBattery looked good, it is macOS only, and I only power my Macbook up occasionally. So I looked at a good four iOS app options, and there is no perfect one that does everything perfectly. I also discarded anything that was updated more than a year ago. I installed across my iPhone, iPad and Watch. You can view the battery levels from any device’s app, for all the devices.
PowerToYou covers iPhone, iPad (and iPencil found under Bluetooth devices), Watch, AirPods (added as a Bluetooth device). What I like is that it has a good widget layout, clearly showing the percentages and time last updated for each device. You can set notifications globally for any device falling below, or going above (to prevent full cycle charging), a percentage charged. Adding the AirPods on my iPhone, made them show up on the iPad’s app just fine. The widget expanded to show the AirPods. It also has some
Anyone know if Aether P2P is still active?
aether.app Blog | Aether
Aether is a network of self-governing communities, and a tool for private communication for teams.
I only see posts dating up to Sep '21 and nothing more. I've cleared my profile, reinstalled a new profile, etc, but still Sep '21.
I also noticed neither the blog, the community nor their Twitter account shows anything past Sep '21.
Now I'm starting to think maybe it's not me.... But how does a P2P network just stop working, if so?
gadgeteer.co.za How to continue playing Wordle offline as it exists now
I've been looking through so many clones (and I expect we'll see even more coming now) for a self-hosted alternative that also only has a single daily word that you can play only once. Some come very close, but all allow you to replay the same game multiple times, and that takes away the competitive...
I've been looking through so many clones (and I expect we'll see even more coming now) for a self-hosted alternative that also only has a single daily word that you can play only once. Some come very close, but all allow you to replay the same game multiple times, and that takes away the competitive part I have going with some friends (yes I suppose you could just switch browsers too).
But as Wordle is actually locally executed Javascript, and it's collection of words are also stored there, you can save the whole Javascript package to a folder, and just click to open the page file to continue playing the game as it exists right now. I tested this with Firefox and Edge browsers, and it worked fine. Brave however has some block for local files, so it did not work with that browser.
To do it:
- Go to the Wordle online page.
- Right-click and choose "Save Page" or "Save As".
- Then choose "Web page, Complete" (this ensures not just the page itself is downloaded, and includes supporting J
New DEAFinition App helps you communicate with deaf friends and family
mybroadband.co.za New DEAFinition App helps you communicate with Deaf friends and family
A new South African app, developed by mobile app specialists Codehesion, helps users learn the basics of sign language to communicate with Deaf friends and family.
A new South African app called DEAFinition, developed by mobile app specialists Codehesion, helps users to learn the basics of sign language to communicate with deaf friends and family.
DEAFinition is a non-profit company providing a range of services and funding opportunities to promote equal access for the deaf community.
The SASL DEAFinition App, available to Android and iPhone users, offers reference videos and material for the official sign language used by deaf people in South Africa.
#technology #mobile #deaf #hearing #disability
Ultimate Guide to Traditional Shaving Practice because about 2 billion razors, including cartridges, are disposed of every year in the US alone
Wet shaving doesn’t involve some new disposable razors or cartridges, making it a more sustainable practice. Many shaving soaps and creams are in reusable containers, which means it is not as much waste if you are responsible. And check to make sure you are buying a biodegradable one, which means the little you throw away also doesn’t kill the planet.
A double-edged razor is an upgrade, no matter how you look at it. It is heavy and sturdy and better than a plastic razor. This one will also last longer, which is the cheaper option. You can pick from the many universally fitting blades available in the market. A straight razor also comes with the same benefits.
See https://beardoholic.com/wet-shaving/
#traditionalshaving #environment #shaving
An original Gillette Fatboy D4 safety razor circa 1958 sells for R2,450 ($155) in South Africa today
www.bundubeard.co.za 404 Not Found
Shaving store for SA men. a Wide range of products to cater for all classes of wet shaver, from cash strapped student to the purist and shaving connoisseur .
I still have my dad's old Gillette Fatboy razor, which he would have been using in the 1960's. I cleaned it up and have shaved a few times with it, as of course as safety razor shavers around the world know, today's DE blades still fit perfectly well. A safety razor is built to last multiple generations. Try that with today's cartridge razors - you won't find blades for them in 40 years time, or by then the blades purchased, will have bankrupted you!
I just really regret my dad never let me into the secret of safety razor shaving, and I had to suffer ingrown hairs for 30 years before I discovered this...
#safetyrazors #traditionalshaving #wetshaving #gillettefatboy
dri.es PHP Foundation launched
Dries is the Founder and Project Lead of Drupal and the Co-founder and CTO of Acquia.
There is a common misconception that large open source projects are well-funded. In practice, many rely on a small group of maintainers.
The PHP programming language is one of them. Despite being used by 75%+ of the web, PHP only has a few full-time contributors.
See https://dri.es/php-foundation-launched
#php #opensource
This shouldn't be news but... Apple now lets you repair your own iPhone
www.xda-developers.com Apple now lets you repair your own iPhone
Apple will finally allow individuals to order genuine repair parts and tools for their iPhones. Macs will follow later on.
Following heavy criticism regarding anti-repair practices on the iPhone 13 lineup, Apple has just announced its Self Service Repair program. The company shared earlier that it wouldn’t be disabling Face ID after third-party screen repairs, after online outrage. The Cupertino giant is now taking an unexpected step further and making repairs easily accessible to individuals.
In a newsroom post, Apple has stated that iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 users will be able to order genuine spare parts and tools to repair their own iPhones. The move is unprecedented by Apple, but it’s most definitely a welcome one that will help dodge anti-trust lawsuits.
Clearly, without lawsuits and pressure groups, this would never have changed. Whilst I really love some of what Apple does (very long software update cycles, the best health smartwatch, etc) there is also a lot I really dislike (a crippled Shortcuts app, iCloud web apps that lack features, Photos is dismal compared to Google Photos, etc). So this is
Clever perspective puzzler Moncage is now available on Android (and on Steam Games)
www.androidpolice.com Clever perspective puzzler Moncage is now available on Android
Indie dev Optillusion's promising debut, now pocket-size
Optillusion is a new indie developer that just released its first game today, and it's a doozy. This game is called Moncage, and it's a drop-dead gorgeous puzzler that offers a uniquely interesting mechanic.
You see, the whole game takes place in a cube that you can rotate, and each side offers unique imagery. In order to solve the game's puzzles, you'll rotate this cube to line up the perspective of the cube's imagery. The goal? To collect photos of your perfectly aligned imagery, which reveals the story of the game. Moncage is an interactive optical illusion puzzle game, and not only is the presentation superb, but the gameplay is also a hoot that's perfect for play on a touchscreen.
It's also available on Steam Games for desktops.
See https://www.androidpolice.com/clever-perspective-puzzler-moncage-is-now-available-on-android/
#technology #gaming #puzzles #Moncage