The date for Prime Day 2019 has officially been announced, and the countdown to the big July event has begun. While it’s still a couple of weeks away, Amazon has a Prime Day prices on the best-selling Apple Watch. For a limited time you can get the Apple Watch Series 3 on sale for $199. That’s an $80 discount and the lowest price we’ve found for the smartwatch. You can also get the Apple Watch 3 with LTE connectivity on sale for $299.
The Apple Watch 3 is a smartwatch that offers health-focused features while also keeping you connected. The Apple watch tracks steps, popular workouts, calories burned, and offers continuous heart rate monitoring. The Series 3 will even notify you when an irregular heart beat is detected and provides a breathing app to help manage day-to-day stress. The swim-proof smartwatch can also help you meet your fitness goals with reminders to keep moving and personalized coaching.
The Series 3 includes GPS technology and offers an impressive battery life of up to 18 hours. The Apple watch also offers basic smartwatch features such as the ability to receive notifications, send messages, make calls, and more.
Like we mentioned above, this is the lowest price we’ve found for the Series 3 and a fantastic price for a feature-rich smartwatch. We don’t know if the price for Prime Day will go any lower, so if you’re interested in an Apple Watch, you should snag this deal today.
Ecobee’s smart thermostats are consistently among our top picks, and the overhaul that produced this fifth-generation product is as welcome as it is unexpected. In other words, we didn’t think the Alexa-powered Ecobee could get much better—but it has. And that goes for the remote room sensors, too (more on those in a bit).
Apart from the glass over its display, the new model doesn’t look radically different from the previous one, because most of the improvements are under the hood. That display, however, is even more vivid and responsive to touch, thanks in part to an all-new quad-core processor. There’s also a new dual-band Wi-Fi adapter, so you can add the thermostat to your 5GHz network if you find the 2.4GHz frequency band in your environment to be too crowded.
An updated microphone makes it even easier to summon Alexa’s, and the addition of a Bluetooth radio gives you the option of pairing external speakers to the Ecobee in the pursuit of higher-quality audio streaming. The new Ecobee can do pretty much anything an Amazon Echo smart speaker can do.
Ecobee
A larger speaker and a more sensitive microphone render Ecobee’s latest smart thermostat a better Amazon Alexa host.
Well, almost anything. If you already have a bunch of Echos in your home, you might find it to be a crapshoot as to which one answers when you utter the Alexa wake word. An easy fix for this would be to change the Ecobee’s wake word, but Amazon apparently reserves that feature for its own hardware (you can configure any Echo speaker to respond to “Amazon,” “Echo,” or “Computer” instead of “Alexa.” The Ecobee is stuck with the default.)
What’s that? You don’t live in an Alexa household? Take your pick of several other smart home integrations then. The new model also supports Google Assistant, Apple HomeKit, Samsung SmartThings, and IFTTT.
An easy-to-use smart thermostat
Jason D’Aprile / IDG
If you don’t want to talk to your thermostat—or you don’t want it listening—you can easily turn its microphone off.
Every Ecobee model we’ve dealt with has been easy to install and easier to use, and this fifth-generation model is no different. The company does suggest you take a quick compatibility test to make sure your HVAC system is compatible (you’ll find that here), but all Ecobee thermostats are generally compatible with a wide range of central HVAC systems, including heat pumps, two-stage set-ups, and other common configurations.
A power extender kit (PEK) for systems without a C-wire is included in the box. One other minor inclusion we appreciated was the surprisingly detailed paper manual covering the entire physical installation process—we much prefer printed documentation over relying on just the mobile app for instructions.
Once you’ve wired it up, powered it on, and the new Ecobee has confirmed your HVAC setup, you need only inform the thermostat of your preferred temperature comfort ranges for when you’re at home, away, and sleeping. It will then establish a basic schedule that will automatically adjust as it learns both your daily activity and any tweaks you make while using the app, via Alexa commands, or by operating the thermostat itself.
An onboard motion sensor and any remote sensors you deploy in other rooms (the kit comes with two) helps the thermostat determine which rooms are occupied. Geofencing is also supported, so you can program the thermostat to automatically adjust target temperatures to avoid needlessly heating or cooling your home while you’re not in it.
Ecobee’s sensors have been overhauled, too
Ecobee was one of the first smart thermostat manufacturers to support remote sensors, so that your home’s climate will be comfortable wherever you are in it. More conventional thermostats simply the monitor the space where the thermostat itself is located—which is typically a hallway that people only pass through. Remote sensors are less unique than they once were, however, as competitors including Nest and Honeywell have followed Ecobee’s lead. Ecobee has responded in turn, making its all-new SmartSensor even better.
Ecobee
Ecobee’s new SmartSensors are more effective and deliver even better range than the previous generation.
Despite being smaller, the new and more attractive SmartSensor can detect motion across a wider field of view. It also draws less power—Ecobee says you can expect up to five years of battery life—and it delivers significantly better range (from about 30 feet to better than 60 feet, although walls and other barriers will reduce that range). During my tests, the new sensor never lost its connection to the thermostat, including when it was placed in locations where the previous-gen device was unreliable at best.
Ecobee thermostats can support up to 32 SmartSensors (add-ons come in two-packs that cost $79 each at Amazon), and these new models are backward compatible with Ecobee3, the Ecobee 3 Lite, and the Ecobee 4. Over time, any of these Ecobee models will learn which rooms you spend the most time in and strive to have your HVAC system warm or cool those rooms to your preferred temperature. You can also set up the thermostat to average the measured temperatures in several rooms to eliminate hot and cold spots in your home.
Ecobee is still on top
As much as we dig the new model, there’s not quite enough of a bump in performance to justify replacing a fourth-generation Ecobee—or even one of the Ecobee 3 models if you don’t care about having a smart speaker in your smart thermostat.
But if you’re looking to replace a dumb thermostat or an early smart hone, the all-new Ecobee SmartThermostat with voice control is the model we’d recommend, hands down. It’s beautiful to look at and easy to use, its AI will learn your patterns and preferences more quickly than anything else, its Alexa implementation is even better than what’s on offer with the fourth-generation model, and the new SmartSensors perform better and deliver longer range. Highly recommended.
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Brand spoofing or phishing email attacks aren’t new but they’re growing every quarter as cybercriminals are tricking more people to disclose their confidential and financial data for the purpose of identity theft. The sender’s email address is spoofed to look like it is coming from a reliable source..
According to the US security solutions provider FireEye’s Email Threat Report, Microsoft is the most commonly spoofed brand, accounting for almost 30% of all detections. Also present on that list are Apple, PayPal and Amazon, each within the 6-7% range.
(Image credit: Future)
Attackers don’t restrict their activities just to the commercial sector. The top 20 brands used in phishing attacks include personal services such as Netflix, LinkedIn, Amazon and Free Score 360.
Most common brands detected in phishing attacks
Microsoft – 29%
OneDrive – 7%
Apple – 7%
PayPal – 7%
Amazon – 6%
Microsoft Outlook – 4%
Excel – 3%
Adobe – 3%
LinkedIn – 2%
Free Score 360 – 2%
American Express – 2%
DHL – 2%
Microsoft Office – 2%
Netflix – 1%
Source: FireEye
Phishing is on the rise with a 17% increase in the first quarter of this year
The security company has seen a 17% increase in phishing attacks in the first three months of this year compared to the last three months of last year. FireEye saw many attacks involving emails that relate to a Microsoft Office 365 account.
Ken Bagnall, Vice-President of email Security at FireEye, said that threat actors are doing their homework. “We’re seeing new variants of impersonation attacks that target new contacts and departments within organisations,” he said.
The report said that HTML attachments and phishing pages are other phishing attack mechanisms that were popular in the first quarter because HTML attachments are not hosted; they can evade detection and made to look very convincing.
In 2018, FireEye reported that URL-based attacks had overtaken attachment-based attacks as a means of delivery. The company has seen a 26% quarter-over-quarter increase in malicious URLs using HTTPS, which indicates that malicious actors are taking advantage of the common consumer perception that HTTPS is a “safer” option to engage on the internet. Phishing pages which require user interaction such as Sleep, Captcha, Display-links, and graphic buttons with links to malicious documents add to the apparent authenticity of the page.
That email is NOT from your CEO
Impersonation attacks, such as CEO fraud and business email compromise also showed a steady increase over the quarter and the trend points to a continued rise in the second quarter as bad actors impersonate executives and senior managers to dupe employees into taking an action, such as authorising fraudulent wire transfers.
“The danger is these new targets may not be prepared or have the necessary knowledge to identify an attack…The targeted organisation thinks they’ve paid a legitimate invoice when the transaction was actually made to an attacker’s account,” Bagnall said.
Popular language learning app Duolingo announced today that Arabic is now available as a selectable course via the company’s apps and on the web.
The company stated that Arabic was one of the most-requested languages to be added, with nearly 250,000 signing up to be alerted of its availability.
Users will be taught a less formal, spoken version of Modern Standard Arabic, which can be used in a conversation and can be used with the widest range of Arabic speakers.
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You’ll be able to work through three sections that cover grammar, the alphabet, and most importantly, phonetic exercises that help with pronunciation of Arabic letters and words.
The course will be available on iOS, Android, and the web (course page here) starting today.
Coolpad has announced the Cool 3 Plus, it’s budget offering for the Indian market at an event held in New Delhi. The Cool 3 Plus is a more buffed up version of the Cool 3 with a waterdrop notch and Helio A22 chipset. In addition to this, Coolpad India CEO, Fisher Yuan said that the company was gearing up to launch 5G-ready smartphones in India very soon.
Coolpad Cool 3 Plus specifications and price
Coolpad Cool 3 Plus features a 5.71-inch HD+ display with a waterdrop notch on the front which gives it a 19:9 aspect ratio. It is powered by MediaTek Helio A22 chipset with a quad-core CPU and is paired with 2GB/3GB of RAM and 16GB/32GB storage. The Cool 3 Plus runs on Android 9.0 Pie out-of-the-box.
The phone sports a 13MP camera on the back and an 8MP selfie snapper on the front. There’s a fingerprint sensor on the back which offers a fast unlocking solution along with the general set of sensors such as Bluetooth 5.0 and Wi-Fi.
Coolpad Cool 3 Plus is powered by a 3,000mAh battery which should easily last for a day under moderate use.
As mentioned, the Cool 3 Plus is available in two variants– 2GB RAM + 16GB storage at Rs 5,999 while the other model with 3GB of RAM and 32GB storage is up for Rs 6,499. It comes in two gradient colour options, Ocean Blue and Cherry Black.
Coolpad Cool 3 Plus will go on sale starting July 3 and can be purchased from Amazon India.
If you’ve been eagerly waiting to get your hands on the new Xiaomi Mi Band 4 then you’re in luck, as it’s now available to buy in the UK.
You can now pick up the fitness tracker from the Xiaomi website, and it’ll set you back £34.99, which is quite the bargain compared to the triple figures other fitness trackers can cost you.
Xiaomi launched the Mi Band 4 in early June, but to begin with you could only buy it in China – that’s changed now, and its release in the UK heralds a wider rollout elsewhere.
What’s in the Xiaomi Mi Band 4?
The biggest upgrade the Xiaomi Mi Band 4 has over the Mi Band 3 is its display, as while the Band 3 had a black and white screen, the newest wearable has a 0.95-inch AMOLED display. Xiaomi hasn’t used colour displays on its wearables before, and it means there’s a lot more versatility in apps and customisation in terms of interface for the fitness tracker.
You can choose between 77 new watch faces thanks to this colour display, and we’d expect more to be released after the Mi Band 4 launches.
There’s also a new six-axis sensor in the Band, which means it’ll be able to track your swimming, with different modes for different strokes like backstroke or butterfly.
All in all the Xiaomi Mi Band 4 is a fairly comprehensive fitness tracker – it doesn’t have all the bells and whistles of your high-end monitors, but you’re paying so little for it that it’s great for a range of users and budgets.
Tech giant Lenovo today launched its ‘Made To Order’ service, the first of its kind for India. With this, customers can assemble an actual factory-built custom laptop from over 100,000 configurations on offer.
The service is currently available for the company’s ThinkPad line and will be rolled out for the other Lenovo brands later this year.
Lenovo says the custom made laptops will be built at Lenovo’s facility using precision automation technology and will be delivered to the customer within two weeks of placing the order. However, there are a few parameters for customizing a PC.
At Lenovo, we understand that in today’s world every individual uses a laptop differently, because of which there has been a growing demand for personalized laptops, which cater to specific needs. The launch of this service is a big step in our journey to becoming a truly customer-centric company and will prove to be a compelling proposition for our direct e-commerce business on www.lenovo.com.
Rahul Agarwal- CEO & MD, Lenovo India
Customisation parameters
CPU: AMD/ Intel; Intel CPU Customization options – Core i3, i5 or i7
Storage: Standard Hard Disks/ High speed SSD
Graphics: Standard in-built graphics/ dedicated graphics AMD/ NVIDIA graphics
Screen: FHD/UHD, between touch and non-touch screen
Pre-installed software options: MS Office, Adobe suite, Anti-virus solutions and more
Accessories: Upgraded extra battery, Ethernet dongles, Expansion docks, External monitors and more
Opt for Premier support: Extended warranty and Accidental Damage Protection
