Michael Firth
Neowin
United Kingdom
Contact Michael
Discover and connect with journalists and influencers around the world, save time on email research, monitor the news, and more.
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Past articles by Michael:
You can now pre-order Apple's HomePod smart speaker
Apple is now taking pre-orders for its HomePod smart speaker. Among other features, it comes with a strong focus on high-fidelity audio, touch controls and Apple's smart assistant Siri built-in. → Read More
Twitter deploys neural network to improve auto-cropping of images
AI or human eye; Twitter has been training a neural network to impersonate the human eye, recognising faces, animals, text and other objects to tailor image previews and avoid awkward auto-cropping. → Read More
EE rolls out 4G home broadband in the UK
One of the UK's 'big four' networks has announced "landline killer" broadband packages. The service is delivered over its 4G network, rather than traditional fixed lines, but comes at quite a premium. → Read More
Philips Hue Entertainment; movies, games and audio content to become more immersive with Hue
In an announcement timed to coincide with its' 5th birthday and IFA 2017, Philips' lighting division has announced 'Philips Hue Entertainment', a new service dubbed as "surround sound for the eyes" → Read More
Android devices can be compromised simply by being within range of nefarious Wi-Fi networks
A Wi-Fi chipset used in both Android and Apple devices has been exploited by researchers to upload and execute arbitrary code. An iOS patch has been issued but Android users have been left waiting. → Read More
Happy Birthday: Windows 3.1 is 25 years old
It was 25 years ago that Microsoft released Windows 3.1 and laid the foundation for the future of its operating systems. Today, Neowin pays homage to Microsoft's last 16-bit operating system. → Read More
YouPorn joins HackerOne, offers up to $25,000 for finding the biggest bugs
Porn peddling website YouPorn has joined forces with HackerOne to help the firm identify software vulnerabilities on its platform, with a maximum reward of $25,000 for the most serious weaknesses. → Read More
LG acknowledges UltraFine 5K monitor suffers from Wi-Fi interference, offers repairs
LG says users of its UltraFine 5K monitors need to move either the monitor or their Wi-Fi router in order to prevent display problems, though an LG repair/replacement program is now available. → Read More
Hotel pays Bitcoin ransom after guests are locked out of rooms
A hotel fell victim to hackers who managed to take control of its electronic key system, making it impossible for guests to access their rooms. A ransom of €1,500 was paid to restore the system. → Read More
Sky is to offer its first 'dish free' TV service in 2018 by delivering Sky Q over broadband
Satellite TV provider Sky has announced plans to offer its subscription TV service via broadband next year for some customers, a notable departure from its traditional satellite delivery model. → Read More
'HummingBad' Android malware briefly returns as approved 'Whale Camera' Play Store app
The updated malware not only made it onto the Google Play store, but has been downloaded 'several million times' as part of specially crafted applications designed to infect a users device. → Read More
Mozilla is re-branding to convey its vision of the internet, using an open design process
Mozilla is undergoing a major re-brand that includes a new logo, colour palette and style guide, all of which it hopes will identify it as an evolving, open, healthy and accessible internet brand → Read More
AT&T killed its 2G service two weeks ago
AT&T announced just yesterday that it shut down its 2G network on the 1st January. A move which had been announced 4 years ago, it paves the way for the LTE to 5G transition when it arrives. → Read More
Tesla driver is stranded in the desert after a spectacular technology fail
A Tesla driver was stranded 6 miles from home last week after testing Tesla's keyless driving feature. As he found out, the system only works if you have phone signal. And the desert doesn't have any. → Read More
Stanford University researchers have produced a "self-extinguishing" lithium-ion battery
Recognising safety concerns surrounding lithium-ion battery fires, scientists have developed a battery with a 'built-in' fire extinguisher at its core, enabling fires to be put out in just 0.4 seconds → Read More
Sony just turned a 4K OLED TV into a speaker, or is it a speaker turned into a 4K OLED TV?
Sony just entered the OLED TV market with a bang. Their new flagship display is free-standing, delivers 4K imagery via 8 million OLED pixels and, to top it off, the screen panel itself delivers sound. → Read More
Samsung unveils new QLED TV models for CES 2017 featuring "100% color volume"
Samsung has launched a new range of TV's, the Q9, Q8 and Q7 ahead of CES 2017, focussing heavily on new colour technology that is designed to provide ultra-realistic colour, regardless of brightness. → Read More
Behold, the smart hairbrush. L'Oreal smart-brush claims innovation award at CES 2017
Fridge-freezers, kettles, light bulbs...everything is connected to your smartphone nowadays. As of today though, that list also includes your hairbrush which, rather creepily, now has a microphone... → Read More
Samsung expands 'smart' refrigerator range with Family Hub 2.0
An anniversary update to Samsung's smart fridge range has been unveiled at CES. The refresh includes the announcement of Family Hub 2.0 and an expanded range of connected refrigeration devices. → Read More
Symantec launches 'secure' Norton Core home router for the IoT world, with a subscription
Norton has announced its first foray into the hardware business with a wireless router that it claims is designed to protect your network, including the IoT enabled devices that connect to it. → Read More