Our mobile devices have become more powerful, more expensive, and more difficult to repair. Long gone are the days when you could easily pry open a phone’s back to slap in a fresh new battery and keep on going without scrambling for a power outlet. These days we do have power banks to fill that need, but these are more like band-aid solutions to problems of our own making. Curiously enough, there are still phones and tablets that do offer removable batteries, but those have been limited to the kind that very few consumers use outside of industrial or field applications. Yes, it’s quite mind-boggling that those tank-like rugged devices sometimes have features we wish still existed in today’s phones. But Samsung’s latest Active tablet takes it even further by allowing you to swap out batteries without even turning the device off. Designer: Samsung The Galaxy Tab Active5 Pro is definitely not a looker, though that depends on who you ask. There has been a wave of tough tablets that look more like miniature projectors because they’re exactly that. In comparison, Samsung’s newest tough-as-nails tablet has a more traditional aesthetic that’s also sleeker and thinner. Slap on a more decorative case and you might not even be able to tell that it’s one of those rugged tablets built like tanks. You might not want to cover up the tablet, though, because its defining feature is its removable 10,100mAh battery. What makes this more interesting, however, is that the Galaxy Tab Active5 Pro supports “Hual Hot-Swap” battery functionality, meaning you don’t have to power down the tablet just to change large battery slabs. It probably won’t stay powered up too long with a battery, but it definitely helps remove the stress from quickly replacing batteries in the field. The rest of the Galaxy Tab Active5 Pro’s specs don’t look that bad either, at least for a mid-range rugged tablet. It’s powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 processor, though the selection of 6GB or 8GB of RAM and 128GB or 256GB of storage is way too low for today even for this tier. But yes, it also has “old-school” features like a microSD card slot and a 3.5mm headphone jack that some also probably wished still existed on modern smartphones. It probably sounds a bit ironic that rugged smartphones and tablets still have removable batteries when one of the reasons manufacturers moved away from that is to tightly seal and protect sensitive devices from the elements. The Galaxy Tab Active5 Pro, along with the new Galaxy XCover7 Pro smartphone, has IP68 and MIL-STD-810H ratings, so they have you covered in that regard. Maybe someday in the future, we will be able to go back to hot-swappable batteries or, better yet, longer-lasting batteries that don’t need to be charged as often in the first place. The post Rugged Galaxy Tab Active5 Pro has a battery superpower you wish every phone or tablet had first appeared on Yanko Design.

Not quite maximalism, not quite minimalism.

A Chinese e-commerce app has shot up the App Store rankings in response to Donald Trump’s tariff changes. It's as safe as the next online marketplace—but as with all of them, buyers should know what they're in for.

The Meta chief executive testified for a third day in a landmark antitrust trial accusing his company of quashing competition through acquisitions.

Macworld Apple on Wednesday announced that customers can get 10 percent off the purchase of an Apple accessory if they bring in an old Apple device for recycling. The program, which is available now, is part of the company’s efforts to promote Earth Day on April 22 and lasts until May 16. Each customer can bring in up to five eligible devices to be recycled and for each they will receive 10% off the price of a new device. The offer is available through participating Apple Stores worldwide and applies only to eligible Apple products. Apple provides full details of the Ts&Cs on it’s current offers page. This is separate to Apple’s existing Trade-In program by which, if the device is deemed by Apple to have a trade-in value, a store credit will be issued towards the purchase of a new product. Apple’s trade-in scheme applies to devices including iPhones, Apple Watch, iPad and Mac, and the company will even accept the trade in of Android devices. For example, an iPhone 15 Pro Mac is worth up to $630 in trade in value when buying a new product from Apple. Find out what you can get if you trade in an Apple device on Apple Trade In website. Trade-in values depend on the condition and age of a device. For more information about that read: How Apple trade in works and saves you money. This 10% discount on eligible Apple accessories is for products that don’t usually qualify for trade in. How to save 10% with Apple’s Earth Day Promotion To take advantage of the 10% saving on a new “Eligible Accessory” bring any of the following “Eligible Devices” to an Apple Store to recycle (this can only be done in person, not online): Eligible Devices AirPods AirPort AirTag Apple TV Computers Displays Hard Drives & Storage Headphones & Speakers HomePod Mice & Keyboards Networking Printers & Scanners Smartphones Tablets Watches iPod Customers can then get 10% off the price of the following eligible accessories: Eligible Accessories Apple Branded Adapters Apple Branded AirPods 4 Apple Branded AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation Apple Branded AirTag (1-pack) Apple Branded AirTag (4-pack) Apple Branded Apple Pencil Apple Branded Apple TV 4K Apple Branded Apple Watch bands Apple Branded Cables Apple Branded Chargers Apple Branded HomePod mini Apple Branded iPad cases Apple Branded iPhone cases Apple Branded Magic Keyboard (excluding Magic Keyboard for iPad) Apple Branded Magic Mouse Apple Branded Magic Trackpad Customers need to take advantage of the discount immediately, the promotional discount can’t be used at a later date. It is possible for a customer to recycle up to five Eligible Devices during the Promotion Period. It’s not clear if this means a customer can then get 50% off one device or 10% off five devices, we are awaiting clarification. The trade-in announcement was part of Apple’s report on its environmental efforts. The company states that it has surpassed a 60 percent reduction in its global greenhouse gas emissions, which moves the company closer to its 75 percent goal by the year 2030.  Apple’s global supply chain has 17.8 gigawatts of renewable electricity online, which meant that the chain avoided 21.8 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions in 2024. Also part of the Earth Day celebration will be an Earth Day limited-edition Apple Watch award by completing any workout of 30 minutes or more, and new Earth Day Time to Walk and Time to Run episodes will be available. Apple TV+ will have shows featuring Earth Day, and the iPhone Tips app will have “planet-friendly actions.”

In what may yet be seen by some as a triumph of some kind, funding for the Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) system, the world-renowned security service trusted and used by Apple and other tech firms across the planet, has been summarily cut. CVE numbers are part of a globally recognized system used to identify and track vulnerabilities. Weakening it might save the US government budget a few dollars — at the cost of creating havoc across a security community already stretched by a politically-driven spike in cyberattacks. What it is and why it matters The CVE service provides a really easy way for individuals and organizations to report security vulnerabilities they find in any product. You can tell how important it is, given that a CVE number has pretty much become the market standard for identifying such problems. The numbers act as a common language and ensure everyone is referring to the same bug. But federal funding for the program has been cut, which could leave tech users less safe than before.  In a letter to board members, MITRE Corporation (a not-for-profit, federally-funded group that supports CVE) warns that a break in the service might generate multiple bad impacts, “including deterioration of national vulnerability databases and advisories, tool vendors, incident response operations, and all manner of critical infrastructure.” Mitre laid off more than 400 employees in anticipation of the cuts earlier this month; the funding reduction comes as the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) continues to struggle to stay on top of the accelerating number of vulnerabilities disclosures. No times like the present With an accelerating number of active vulnerability disclosures and a growing volume of attacks, chaos in the language used by researchers to describe and act against these attacks can’t help but weaken ongoing security protection by slowing reaction times as new flaws are reported.  Critics of the CVE system exist, and the people running it will admit that it was designed for a time when the level and scale of threat was lower. But the system is internationally accepted, works, and provides a level of infrastructure security on which researchers depend. A funding cut with little warning will cause chaos in the community – though hopefully the big companies that rely on CVE for their own work will dig deep into their revenue to finance the organization. Doing so is, after all, in their own interests – the very rich, will, after all, be the only real beneficiaries of any tax cuts coming down the pipe in exchange for changes such as these. It isn’t clear what Apple’s reaction will be, but given it has been referencing CVE numbers for years, there’s little doubt the system is important to the company and its network of independent security researchers. Before the system emerged, security researchers each used their own unique terminology to refer to risks, creating a lot of confusion when securing platforms. Weakening the system now makes little sense to professionals in the field. “CVE is a cornerstone of cybersecurity, and any gaps in CVE support will put our critical infrastructure and national security at unacceptable risk,” Luta Security founder and CEO Katie Moussouris told The Register. “All industries worldwide depend on the CVE program to keep their heads above water when it comes to managing threats, so an abrupt halt like this would be like depriving the cybersecurity industry of oxygen and expecting it to spontaneously sprout gills.” Not giving up yet The people behind the effort aren’t giving up. One group of CVE board members immediately repositioned themselves as a nonprofit group to be called the CVE Foundation, which will continue the mission. “CVE, as a cornerstone of the global cybersecurity ecosystem, is too important to be vulnerable itself,” said Kent Landfield, an officer of the foundation. “Cybersecurity professionals around the globe rely on CVE identifiers and data as part of their daily work — from security tools and advisories to threat intelligence and response. Without CVE, defenders are at a massive disadvantage against global cyber threats.”  Other entities are also stepping up to mitigate the inevitable damage. “VulnCheck is actively monitoring the MITRE situation, and will ensure that our customers, partners, and the entire cybersecurity community will have continued access to timely, accurate vulnerability data,” said Anthony Bettini, founder and CEO of VulnCheck. “We recognize the critical role that the CVE program plays in the cybersecurity ecosystem, and we are actively preparing for any potential disruptions.” We’ll see how this develops, but one way most everyone using digital devices could help maintain security is by being much more careful when clicking links in emails or elsewhere. Those aren’t the only attack vectors, of course, but when you can’t rely on the tech to save itself, you need to gather the fruit closest to the floor. Now is a good time to be more security aware, on any platform. You can follow me on social media! Join me on BlueSky,  LinkedIn, and Mastodon.

Update: Sources confirm that, at an 11:15AM meeting, undersecretary Darren Beattie has announced the closure of the office, and the termination of all remaining positions.  The only office within the US State Department that monitors foreign disinformation is about to be eliminated, two State Department officials have told MIT Technology Review. The Counter Foreign Information Manipulation and Interference (R/FIMI) Hub is a small office in the State Department’s Office of Public Diplomacy that tracks and counters foreign disinformation campaigns.  In shutting R/FIMI, the department’s controversial acting undersecretary, Darren Beattie, is delivering a major win to conservative critics who have alleged that it censors conservative voices. Created at the end of 2024, it was reorganized from the Global Engagement Center, a larger office with a similar mission that had long been criticized by conservatives who claimed that, despite its international mission, it was censoring American conservatives. In 2023, Elon Musk called the center the “worst offender in US government censorship [and] media manipulation” and a “threat to our democracy.”  The culling of the office will leave the State Department without a way to actively counter the increasingly sophisticated disinformation campaigns from foreign governments like those of Russia, Iran, and China. The office could be shuttered as soon as today, according to sources at the State Department who spoke with MIT Technology Review. Shortly after publication, employees at R/FIMI received an email inviting them to an 11:15AM meeting with Beattie, where employees were told that the office—and their jobs— is being eliminated.  Censorship claims For years, conservative voices both in and out of government have accused Big Tech of censoring conservative views—and they often charged R/FIMI’s predecessor office, the Global Engagement Center (GEC), with enabling such censorship.  GEC had its roots as the Center for Strategic Counterterrorism Communications (CSCC), created by an Obama-era executive order, but shifted its mission to fight propaganda and disinformation from foreign governments and terrorist organizations in 2016, becoming the Global Engagement Center. It was always explicitly focused on the international information space. It shut down last December after a measure to reauthorize its $61 million budget was blocked by Republicans in Congress, who accused it of helping Big Tech censor American conservative voices.  R/FIMI had a similar goal of fighting foreign disinformation, but it was smaller: The office had a $51.9 million budget and a staff that, by mid-April, was down to just 40 employees, from 125 at GEC. Sources say that those employees will be put on administrative leave and terminated within 30 days.  With the change in administrations, R/FIMI had never really gotten off the ground. Beattie, a controversial pick for undersecretary—he was fired as a speechwriter during the first Trump administration for attending a white nationalism conference, has suggested that the FBI organized the January 6 attack on Congress, and has said that it’s not worth defending Taiwan from China—had instructed the few remaining staff to be “pencils down,” one State Department official told me, meaning to pause in their work.  The administration’s executive order on “countering censorship and restoring freedom of speech” reads like a summary of conservative accusations against GEC: “Under the guise of combatting “misinformation,” “disinformation,” and “malinformation,” the Federal Government infringed on the constitutionally protected speech rights of American citizens across the United States in a manner that advanced the Government’s preferred narrative about significant matters of public debate.  Government censorship of speech is intolerable in a free society.” In 2023, the Daily Wire, founded by the conservative media personality Ben Shapiro, was one of two media outlets that sued GEC for allegedly infringing on the company’s First Amendment rights by funding two nonprofit organizations, the London-based Global Disinformation Index and New York–based NewsGuard, that had labeled the Daily Wire “unreliable,” “risky,” and/or (per GDI) susceptible to foreign disinformation. The lawsuit alleged that this amounted to censorship by “starving them of advertising revenue and reducing the circulation of their reporting and speech.” Those projects were not funded by GEC. In 2022, the Republican attorneys general of Missouri and Louisiana named GEC among the federal agencies that, they alleged, were pressuring social networks to censor conservative views. Though the case eventually made its way to the Supreme Court, which found no First Amendment violations, a lower court had already removed GEC’s name from the list of defendants, ruling there was “no evidence” that GEC’s communications with the social media platforms had gone beyond “educating the platforms on ‘tools and techniques used by foreign actors.’” The stakes The GEC—and now R/FIMI—was targeted as part of a wider campaign to shut down groups accused of being “weaponized” against conservatives.  Conservative critics railing against what they have called a “disinformation-industrial complex” have also taken aim at the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the Stanford Internet Observatory, a prominent research group that conducted widely cited research on the flows of disinformation during elections.  CISA’s former director, Chris Krebs, was personally targeted in an April 9 White House memo, while in response to the criticism and millions of dollars of legal fees, Stanford University shuttered the Stanford Internet Observatory ahead of the 2024 presidential elections.   But this targeting comes at a time when foreign disinformation campaigns—especially by Russia, China, and Iran—have become increasingly sophisticated.  According to one estimate, Russia spends $1.5 billion per year on foreign influence campaigns. In 2022, the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting, that country’s primary foreign propaganda arm, had a $1.26 billion budget. And a 2015 estimate suggests that China spent up to $10 billion per year on media targeting non-Chinese foreigners—a figure that has almost certainly grown. In September 2024, the Justice Department indicted two employees of RT, a Russian state-owned propaganda agency, in a $10 million scheme to create propaganda aimed at influencing US audiences through a media company that has since been identified as the conservative Tenet Media.  The GEC was one effort to counter such campaigns. Some of its recent projects have included developing AI models to detect memes and deepfakes and exposing Russian propaganda efforts to influence Latin American public opinion against the war in Ukraine.  By law, the Office of Public Diplomacy has to provide Congress with 15-day advance notice of any intent to reassign any funding allocated by Congress over $1 million. Congress then has time to respond, ask questions, and challenge the decisions—though to judge from its record with other unilateral executive-branch decisions to gut government agencies, it is unlikely to do so. 

A new leak claims that Apple's follow up to the Apple Vision Pro will switch from aluminum to titanium to reduce weight, and will come in a black or dark blue color.The next Apple Vision headset could use titanium, and come in a dark blueFollowing a dubious report that Apple Vision Pro 2 will come out in April 2026, a new leak claims that the next headset may not be called Apple Vision Pro at all. It may instead be just called Apple Vision, or possibly Apple Vision Air.Without specifying a release date, leaker Kosutami has also tweeted that the next headset will be this lighter model. Rumor Score: 🤔 Possible Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

The DOOM series is widely considered to be the grand-daddy of first-person shooters, and it was a very influential game that has truly shaped the modern first-person shooter in more ways than one. Despite a few missteps followed by a long hiatus, DOOM has managed to carve a space for itself amidst a horde of homogenized first-person shooters – and part of that success can be attributed to id Software staying true to its roots. The DOOM franchise was always characterized by over-the-top action with its concept of slaying demons in style, and the weapons that are used for these deeds are just as iconic as the game itself. As the imminent release of DOOM: The Dark Ages approaches, we are taking a look at some of the best weapons in the entire franchise. Please note that this is an ordered list, starting from the bottom and reaching all the way to the top. Pistol – DOOM (1993) The original DOOM didn’t just hit the right notes in terms of its heavy metal riffs but also nailed it with its suite of weapons. The starting pistol is not something that you would pull out against bigger demons, but it is most definitely an important tool to have in your arsenal. The sound effects have the proper weight to it, and it’s pretty effective at chipping away health points.

Dec 6, 2018. Taken from Ferris wheel. Photo courtesy of Patricia Chang Imagine your mandate was to design an outdoor place in Montreal that would embody the Canadian identity, and one where you could enjoy sun, fresh air from the St. Lawrence River, and soak in the spectacular views and history of the city, all while enjoying music of all eras, genres and languages, and even get some exercise in? Where people young and old, locals and tourists, couples on first dates, singles getting energized before tackling their work days or relaxing after a tough week, children with their parents and grandparents, groups from elementary and high schools and colleges, hockey teams, breakdancing and ice skating groups, and those of all ages and nationalities could co-exist and mingle in a magical setting? Where the vibe is one of excitement, positivity and joy, and even tranquility, depending on the time of day? What if I told you, such a place already exists—and has been in existence for 33 years? The skating rink at Bonsecours Basin at the Old Port of Montreal has evolved into the embodiment of a modern Canadian square; a genius loci. Those who gather there, non-skaters and skaters alike, connect to the rich history, culture and identity of Montreal, Quebec and Canada, to nature, and to each other. They are not just sitting there scrolling on their phones, they are actively participating in physical exercise, having fun and laughing while learning a new skill, even if they fall. Isn’t this what we want for our youth and young adults? To become physically and mentally strong, especially with depression and anxiety levels being at all-time highs? To become resilient, to be able to handle all the stress of growing up so that they can contribute to society? The natural skating rink of Bonsecours Basin last seen in February 2020. Photo courtesy of Patricia Chang So then why would the Federal Government—which owns the land where the skating rink is located—quietly announce that they would be closing the skating rink, due to costs associated with the requirement of a new refrigeration system meant to deal with extreme fluctuating temperatures? It seems ironic that the government, which had spent years developing the Old Port—starting from the national competition in 1981 and completion in 1992—would make this decision so hastily as a “fait accompli,” especially since the skating rink had always been the shining star. It has become more and more popular each year, despite the fact that one must pay to skate and a parking fixed fee of $25 has been implemented. The skating surface has also decreased: the natural ice rink of the entire Basin used to be maintained and accessible for skating, but in the last five years, only the refrigerated portion of the rink has been in operation. The unpredictable weather has also shortened the seasons of many neighborhoods’ natural ice rinks across Montreal Island, so that is all the more reason for the Old Port refrigerated rink to stay open. As for the costs? The complex at Bonsecours Basin is currently grossly under used. When the refrigerated rink is closed for nine months out of the year, the open space of the rink, or the space in front of the pavilion, could be used for events. Imagine dancing under the stars, or doing yoga, tai chi, martial arts, or break dancing, or even attending weddings there during the day. The possibilities are endless. Same goes for the two-winged pavilion. In fact, the upper storey, rooftops, and side terrace could be used for events during the season, and off season, could be rented to groups and events. Ferris Wheel. Photo courtesy of Patricia Chang Perhaps we can also look to other cities for inspiration such as Reston, Virginia, which has their outdoor skating rink, that features a gorgeous glass and steel structure, as their main attraction to the town square. Their off-season events even include concerts. Other examples include Delaware River Rink in Philadelphia, and Wollman Rink in Central Park. The latter is an activity hub with a skating season that lasts seven weeks longer than ours. While their climates don’t experience the same extremes as ours, the warmer temperatures also present their own challenges. The Old Montreal rink is in one of the most gorgeous unique settings in the world. It is not as large as the Rideau Skateway, but it is of no less importance. So, what is the silver lining? The opportunity to maximize the potential of the site—in a way which retains the open-air skating rink. A start is signing a petition on Change.org. How can architects or developers rally to approach the government with further ideas and plans? I would be pleased to offer my suggestions. Patricia Chang is a lifelong Montrealer, former architect, realtor, content creator on Tik Tok as elfie@BigPictureCoach and is writing a book on Hope and Humour for Humanity. The post Op-Ed: A Silver Lining to the Closure of Montreal’s Old Port Skating Rink? appeared first on Canadian Architect.