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Nokia 7.2 allegedly has unlockable bootloader, a first for HMD Global’s Nokia

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HMD Global’s revival of the Nokia brand has gone exceptionally well so far . However, the custom ROM community has been miffed by how no new Nokia devices have unlockable bootloaders. It appears that’s not the case anymore, though, as the Nokia 7.2 bootloader has allegedly been unlocked. According to  Techmesto , not only is the Nokia 7.2 bootloader unlockable but it’s incredibly easy to unlock by following the usual steps: turning on developer options, enabling OEM bootloader unlocking, and then using ADB and fastboot to push the usual unlocking commands. Allegedly, you don’t even need an unlock code to finish off the process. As proof,  Techmesto posted the below image which appears to be a Nokia 7.2 with an unlocked bootloader: Techmesto With an unlocked bootloader, Android developers can create custom ROMs for devices, such as the popular Lineage OS . Since all other HMD Global devices with the Nokia brand name come with fully-locked bootloaders and no option to unlock the

Hackers able to unlock smartphones by lifting fingerprints off a drinking glass

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At a demonstration in China, a team of hackers working with Tencent used an unorthodox method to unlock a stranger’s smartphone (via South China Morning Post ) . The team was able to trick the smartphone fingerprint sensor using a legitimate fingerprint lifted from a glass of water. The team demonstrated this hack on stage during a hacking event, using its method to unlock three smartphones and two attendance machines equipped with fingerprint sensors. The hack is fairly simple: a subject touches a drinking glass with their fingers and the hacker uses a smartphone to photograph the fingerprint left behind on the glass. The hacking team produced an app that can then scan that photograph and create a cloned fingerprint that can then be scanned by the subject’s smartphone fingerprint sensor and unlock the device. However, the team did not demonstrate the entirety of the hack on stage. Notably, they did not go over how the app is able to lift the appropriate fingerprint data from just

Parent company of OnePlus, Oppo could soon surpass Samsung as top dog

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Over the years, smartphone companies like Oppo , OnePlus , Realme , and Vivo have become household brand names around the world. With the global success of these devices, their parent company, Chinese conglomerate BBK Group , just might surpass Samsung as the number one phone manufacturer in the world. According to Counterpoint Research , BBK Group’s top three performers — Oppo, Vivo, and Realme — account for nearly 20% of the global smartphone market as of Q3 2019. Collectively, these brands sold more than 72 million devices around the world in that same quarter. This isn’t accounting for OnePlus sales either, so BBK’s overall sales numbers should be even a little higher. Counterpoint Research Compare those numbers to Samsung’s 20.6% market share and 78.4 million devices sold in Q3, and we can see that BBK is hot on its heels. Despite Huawei’s continued success , it trails behind BBK with 66.8 million devices sold in Q3, and it currently holds 17.6% of the global market. The nu

Price drop! The 2019 Computer Science Bundle is now 96% off

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Not everyone has the time and money to go back to school for a computer science degree, but an alternate route to get your geek on these days is taking online courses . It’s much more economically sound, and the flexibility to learn what interests you most is a huge perk. The 2019 Complete Computer Science Bundle is a great example. This 11-part mega bundle contains over 110 hours of expert-led training . It covers many exciting aspects of computing, developing, and more, making it an excellent platform to launch your tech career . Naturally, you’ll learn to code in several widely-used programming languages, such as Python and JavaScript . You’ll learn by completing practical projects applying your skills in real-world scenarios. Like a computer science degree, you also get comprehensive instruction in mainstream tech skills such as web development and software testing. You’ll even learn how to build chatbots and voice apps for  Alexa . These tech skills can open up a host of

WhatsApp now supports fingerprint lock on Android

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WhatsApp is one of the most popular messaging apps in the world. And now, the team behind the app has given users yet another reason to choose their service over the competition. As of today, WhatsApp officially supports fingerprint lock on Android devices. WhatsApp rolled out a similar update for iOS devices earlier this year, but the feature is just now making its way to Android devices. This is a welcome new security measure that can further protect your conversations from prying eyes. WhatsApp It also hides messages and other notification content from displaying users’ private information. The feature doesn’t block incoming calls, which makes sense since standard Android phone calls aren’t protected by security measures like this either.  Once you do get the update, you are only a few clicks away from enabling it. Navigate to the app’s settings, then Account, then Privacy. Here you will see WhatsApp’s new fingerprint lock option. Just toggle the setting, set the lock durati

Foldable Motorola Razr revival phone leaks, looks much thicker than a Razr

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Mobielkopen We just got our first look at some press images for the upcoming Motorola Razr revival phone. Unlike the iconic Razr devices from the early 2000s, this device will feature an inner foldable display, similar to what we’ve seen on devices such as the Samsung Galaxy Fold . The images — leaked by reliable source Evan Blass on Twitter as well as Dutch site Mobiel Kopen — show a device that (unsurprisingly) looks incredibly similar to the Razr’s of yesteryear. However, the device also appears to be much, much thicker than a Razr. See for yourself in the images below: The original Motorola Razr devices seemed impossibly thin, which was probably one of the reasons the devices were so popular back in the day. While the design language of those devices is clearly transferred to this new foldable Razr, the thickness of the device makes the allusions to a razor blade seem a little incongruous. We won’t know just how thick the device is until we get an offici

#TBT The life and death of custom ringtones

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For those of us above a certain age, custom ringtones were a rite of passage. Blasting your favorite tune from your flip phone was as critical to your identity as your MySpace profile (and equally cringe-inducing in retrospect). But what happened to these little snippets of self-expression? Today, having your phone make any noise at all in public is a source of embarrassment, despite it being easier than ever to get music on your phone. To really understand how a once massive industry went quietly into the night, we have to go back to the very beginning. A brief history of custom ringtones Custom ringtones were first made available in Japan with the Digital Minimo D319 in 1996. The basic flip phone had a few preset MIDI tunes, but the real revolution was the ability to input new ringtones using the number pad. This rudimentary customization was massively popular, with a book about how to recreate popular songs with simple beeps and boops selling more than 3.5 million copies. Rea