In a rare event, Apple has rolled out substantial updates to the web-based iCloud interface meant to allow users to access Apple services like Mail and Photos when they're away from a Mac, iPad, or iPhone. The flagship addition is dark mode; it "will automatically match your device settings with a Light Mode or Dark Mode color scheme," Apple explains as part of the update. There is also now a way to customize the background for the iCloud web interface—specifically, you can choose between several colors. Read full article

An emerging phishing-as-a-service (PhaaS) platform called Mamba 2FA has been observed targeting Microsoft 365 accounts in AiTM attacks using well-crafted login pages....

When faced with a legal threat from Nintendo, most alleged modders, ROM pirates, and/or emulator makers will simply give in to a cease-and-desist demand, reach an out of court settlement, or plead guilty rather than hiring legal representation for what could be a lengthy, costly trial. Then there's Ryan Daly, alleged owner of ModdedHardware.com, who has apparently decided to represent himself as a recent lawsuit brought against him by the Switch maker moves forward. Nintendo says it first approached Daly in March about his site (currently password-protected but archived here) and its sales of modded Switch consoles, console modding services, and piracy-enabling devices such as the MIG Switch card that were pre-installed with popular Nintendo games. At that time, Daly agreed "both verbally and in signed writing" to refrain from these infringing sales, according to Nintendo. It was only after months of Daly continuing those sales and largely ignoring further contact from Nintendo that the company says it was forced to file its June lawsuit in a Seattle federal court. In that initial lawsuit, Nintendo said it "received a communication from a lawyer purporting to represent [Daly]" in June, followed by a message days later that Daly "was in the process of obtaining new counsel." That search for new counsel has seemingly not moved forward, as last week Daly filed a pro se response to Nintendo's allegations, representing himself without any outside legal advice (thanks, TorrentFreak). Read full article

We had mixed feelings about the news in August that Disney+ had cancelled its Star Wars spinoff series The Acolyte after just one season. At the time, it seemed steadily declining ratings were to blame, particularly given the high production costs. More budgetary details have trickled out since then, indicating that the streaming series spent far more than previously reported, topping $230.1 million—roughly $28.7 million per episode—before post-production had even been completed. That's significantly more than the original $180 million reported budget, or about $22.5 million per episode. The show received solid-to-lukewarm critical reviews, although a review-bombing campaign hurt the series' standing on Rotten Tomatoes among user reviews. As we previously noted, from the start, The Acolyte was a bit of a departure from a typical Star Wars series, weaving in elements from wuxia films and detective stories while remaining true to the established Star Wars aesthetic and design. That alone made it an intriguing effort, with fresh characters and new takes on classic Star Wars lore. And the martial arts-inspired fight choreography was clever and fun to watch—especially in the shocking, action-packed fifth episode ("Night"). But there were some obvious shortcomings as well, most notably the clunky dialogue—although that's kind of a long-standing attribute of the Star Wars franchise. The pacing lagged at times, and there was a surprisingly high body count among the central characters. All these contributed to the lukewarm critical reviews. Read full article

Samsung is no longer providing software or security updates for the Galaxy Z Fold 2 foldable smartphone that it released in September 2020. Highly anticipated ahead of its full unveiling, the Z Fold 2 released with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 865+, 12GB of RAM, 256GB of UFS 3.1 storage, and a 4500 mAh battery. The phone’s hallmark is, of course, a foldable 7.6-inch OLED screen with 2208×1768 pixels running at a refresh rate of up to 120 Hz. Surpassing its predecessor, the Fold 2’s outside screen is 6.2 inches (2260×816 pixels), compared to the Fold 1’s 4.6 inches. The Fold 2 also introduced under-screen cameras to Samsung devices. With the Fold 1 having serious durability problems, the Fold 2 represented another chance for Samsung. And Samsung continued with the line in 2021 in the form of the cheaper ($1,800 upon release) Galaxy Z Fold 3. Samsung is now up to its sixth iteration of the Galaxy Z Fold, which came out in July for $1,900. Read full article

Tesla is gearing up to reveal its Robotaxi this Thursday, and everyone wants to know what it will look like, whether Tesla will unveil a commercialization strategy, and what outrageous timelines Elon Musk might announce to bump Tesla’s stock.  The “We, Robot” event will take place at 7 p.m. PT at Warner Bros. Discovery’s movie […]

We may not have to wait as long as we thought for the next test flight of SpaceX's Starship rocket. The world's most powerful launcher could fly again as soon as Sunday, SpaceX says, assuming the Federal Aviation Administration grants approval. The last public statement released from the FAA suggested the agency didn't expect to determine whether to approve a commercial launch license for SpaceX's next Starship test flight before late November. There's some optimism at SpaceX that the FAA might issue a launch license much sooner, perhaps in time for Starship to fly this weekend. The launch window Sunday opens at 7 am CDT (8 am EDT; 12:00 UTC), about a half-hour before sunrise at SpaceX's Starbase launch site in South Texas. Read full article