Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation James Comey expressed his concern today over Apple and Google’s decision to encrypt information stored on smartphones, the Huffington Post reports, adding that FBI officials are pushing both companies to change their policies in order to allow law enforcement officials to access data in certain instances. In the case of the iPhone maker, Apple CEO Tim Cook used the company’s privacy stance as a major marketing point on a number of occasions over the past month....

Earlier today, we reported on evidence within the latest macOS 10.15.3 beta that suggests Apple is working on a “Pro Mode” feature to boost performance on portable Macs. This feature would essentially boost your Mac’s performance at the cost of things like battery life and fan noise. While I’d love to see this feature come to macOS, something I’d also like to see in tandem with it is a Low Power Mode, focused on extending MacBook battery life....

Warning: SPOILERS for Avengers: Endgame ahead. Marvel Studios’ Avengers: Endgame unites all the female heroes in the final battle for a cool moment of fan service, but we deserve a REAL, full-length A-Force movie. With the recent release of the 22nd installment in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Avengers: Endgame wraps up the story thus far, what Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige termed the Infinity Saga. Endgame is the culmination of the MCU, bringing it full circle back to when the franchise kicked off in 2008’s Iron Man....

Haugen testified that Facebook takes down the “bare minimum” when it comes to harmful content, especially when content comes in languages that are not spoken prominently in developed countries as there is minimal criticism from these underrepresented users. “It can consistently underinvest in safety, and particularly, it really under invests in safety outside the United States because, disproportionately, their safety budget is spent on paving the United States,” Haugen said....

Facebook has today announced a pair of new features for its platform. The company is rolling out support for finding home service professionals via its Marketplace platform and is also making two-factor authentication easier to set up. First and foremost, Facebook has announced a pair of improvements to two-factor authentication. The company says the entire process has been “streamlined,” while it is also ensuring that people can enable two-factor without the need to register a phone number:...

The Radscorpions are one of the most common enemies that you’ll encounter during gameplay in Fallout 76. Though they’re common creatures in the game, you’ll find the need to get into a fight against them in order to complete certain quests that the game throws at you. If you’re unlucky, you’ll experience how hard it is to find these creatures when you actually need them. In this guide today, we’ll take you through every bit of information that you need to find Radscorpions in Fallout 76....

Scammers “continue to exploit security weaknesses on job recruitment websites to post fraudulent job postings in order to trick applicants into providing personal information or money,” the FBI warns in a new public service announcement. The bogus ads threaten to damage the impersonated firm’s reputation and financial loss for the job seeker. SEE: Cybersecurity: Let’s get tactical (ZDNet special report) According to IC3’s complaint reports, the average reported loss from this scheme since early 2019 has been $3,000 per victim....

Apple has made white accessories a signature design since the white earbuds dangled from the white iPod in 2001. The company even made a whole ad campaign out of the instantly recognizable white cord. Since then, its cables, adapters, and other accessories have generally followed that trend. With the darker space gray color available as a default on iPhones, iPads, and even MacBooks nowadays, the standard white accessories have started to look cheap and tacky and not iconic for many customers....

Apple’s commitment to customer privacy includes extreme testing of Secure Enclave chips inside a top-secret lab, reveals a new report today. The tests include ensuring that the chips remain secure even when subjected to extreme temperatures, whether low or high … The Independent learned about the testing through an interview with Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of software engineering. Comprehensive testing of Secure Enclave chips is part of what has made the chip an achievement recognized by independent security experts....

Face ID supplier AMS, which makes optical sensor tech used in the iPhone X family of phones, says that it expects ‘a strong second half of this year.’ AMS was one of the companies to give an early clue to lower-than-expected iPhone sales in the holiday quarter, when it lowered its estimates and strongly hinted that iPhone orders were the reason … As reported in November: The majority of its income came from Apple....

Facebook will soon be available on the Apple TV for the first time, the social network confirmed today. As rumored, the upcoming Apple TV app will focus on video playback with personalization features and launch soon. Facebook’s video app was first reported as in development earlier this month, and Facebook made the news official today in a blog post outlining upcoming video features. Included in Facebook’s other video-focused news is auto-play sound on videos which is coming to everyone shortly....

[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzPEPfJHfKU] Facebook recently introduced a new feature for profiles called Timeline, and the social network giant describes it as “[telling] your life story with a new kind of profile.” The feature, as demonstrated for the web in Facebook’s promotional video shown above, places all of your photographs, interactions, status updates, and more on a timeline that starts from the day you were born. The feature works great on the desktop web and mobile version of Facebook’s website, and now Facebook plans to bring Timeline to the iPad’s Facebook application....

If you’re an avid Facebook user on the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch, the social networking giant has some good news for you. In yesterday’s 13.0 update, Facebook informs users that app updates with speed and performance enhancements will be arriving every four weeks. That’s about monthly. New features and other enhancements will come along the way, Facebook says, and those changes will be noted appropriately. Facebook seems to want users to get the latest iOS app updates as soon as possible, so it is recommending that users enable iOS 7’s Automatic Downloads feature via the iOS Settings app....

Apple Watch is gaining a helpful new feature called Theater Mode with watchOS 3.2. You could already mute alerts easily, and now Theater Mode lets you both mute alerts and disable raise-to-wake which easily activates the screen. Theater Mode is intended to be used at the movie theater where lighting up a small screen accidentally when you raise your wrist can be distracting. Theater Mode may be useful in other situations despite its name....

Final Fantasy 7 Remake announced a Classic Mode at Tokyo Game Show 2019, a gameplay feature that will allow player to enable an optional turn-based battle mode that will more closely resemble the experience that characterized the original game. Final Fantasy 7 Remake is one of the most anticipated games of 2020, but some fans have expressed concern that the completely rebuilt effort is eschewing too many of the qualities that made the original FF7 such an iconic and enduring experience....

Apple may be planning a significant upgrade to its retail store in Vancouver’s Pacific Centre shopping mall. Plans unearthed by Daily Hive Vancouver reveal an expansive, multilevel glass pavilion destined to replace the mall’s rotunda entrance. In a series of public development documents submitted to the City of Vancouver by Perkins+Will Architects and mall owner Cadillac Fairview, a multi-phase refresh of the Pacific Centre shopping mall is detailed. Cadillac Fairview has been planning a redesign of the mall plaza at Georgia and Howe streets since at least 2016, but the latest documents show an updated design that deemphasizes the mall entrance in favor of a “retail pavilion” that aligns perfectly with Apple’s architecture style....

Facebook has been planning to merge WhatsApp, Instagram, and Messenger chats into a single app for some time, but now the company has taken the first actions to make this happen. During this Friday night, Instagram was updated to offer an option that merges its chat feature with Facebook Messenger. Instagram users are now being notified to join their accounts with Facebook Messenger, which brings chats and features from Messenger to Instagram....

First, was Adele. Next, was Space Quest III: The Pirates of Pestulon. Space Quest was made by Sierra in the late 80s, but it’s set in the distant future in space. In the final chapter of the game, the hero Roger Wilco has to infiltrate the enemy base to rescue two game developers who have been imprisoned in lime Jello. Part of the plot involves foiling an access door that’s protected by a facial scanner....

Disney has officially confirmed a Falcon & Winter Soldier series is in the works for Disney+ and revealed the first logo. Marvel Studios has dominated the big screen over the last eleven years, but now that they’re moving into Phase 4, they’re also expanding their reach to the small screen. Thanks to Disney’s own streaming service, Marvel Studios is set to make TV shows based around characters who haven’t received enough spotlight already....

I’ve written many times that the integrated ecosystem offered by Apple is one of the company’s greatest strengths. The Handoff feature is a great example of that integration. It’s really handy to be able to do start reading something in Safari on my Mac, and then continue reading it on my iPhone, for example. Handoff works with most Apple apps: Mail, Maps, Safari, Reminders, Calendar, Contacts, Pages, Numbers and Keynote – but not Music....