Kalakshar US

1Password’s previously announced passkey feature is rolling out to users starting today. Passkey is the proposed solution to end passwords for good that’s finally starting to gain some momentum. The technology uses your device’s biometric sensors – whether that’s fingerprint or facial recognition – to authenticate you. It’s not too dissimilar to using biometrics to unlock your phone.

Announced via a press release, 1Password says that starting today, you’ll be able to add passkey logins via the password manager. For example, when you create a passkey for your Google account, 1Password will detect that and add it to your 1Password account. Then, when you need to log in to your Google account next, 1Password will automatically log you in. So, as long as your fingers aren’t wet or your face isn’t obscured, you won’t need a password. 

The company says that support will start with beta extensions for Safari on macOS, as well as Chrome, Firefox, Edge and Brave on macOS, Windows and Linux. You’ll also be able to view, edit, move, share and delete passkeys on 1Password for Mac, iOS, Windows, Android and Linux. 

With the wide adoption of biometrics on phones, tablets, and laptops, this seems like a logical next step. If you were using a password manager like 1Password, you were likely already using biometrics to autofill logins on websites and apps. It sounds like passkeys will remove the step of having to autofill a username and a password, in addition to having to press the login button entirely.

Because 1Password is platform agnostic, it will work for those who regularly switch operating systems or entire ecosystems. Unlike Apple or Google’s current implementations, 1Password works and syncs across ecosystems. And just like any other item in 1Password, you’ll be able to share your passkeys with friends and family, and even set time limits on how long they’ll have access.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/passkey-support-for-1password-arrives-in-beta-today-183010530.html?src=rss 

The Chinese startup Greater Bay Technology claims its latest EV battery can charge at normal speeds even in cold temperatures. Huang Xiangdong, co-founder and chairman, says the company’s new Phoenix cell uses superconducting materials and thermal management to heat from -4F to 77F in only five minutes, allowing the battery to charge “within six minutes in all weather conditions,” according toBloomberg. “The Phoenix battery not only addresses the long charging time for EVs, but other pain points,” Huang said. “It doesn’t matter if it’s a hot day or a cold day, the Phoenix battery’s range won’t be affected.”

A loss of charging efficiency in cold weather has been a persistent obstacle in the EV battery space. Other automakers, including Polestar and GM, have tackled the problem by adding heat pumps — and German company ZF even prototyped a heated seat belt (or “heat belt”) to reduce the energy used for cabin heating.

The new Phoenix cell allegedly has a range of 1,000 km (621 miles). The company expects to launch the battery to the public next year in electric vehicles from Aion, China’s third most popular EV brand. (Aion falls under the umbrella of the state-owned Guangzhou Automobile Corporation, which Greater Bay Technology is incubated within.) In addition, Greater Bay Technology is reportedly “in talks with other carmakers to use the cell.” Summarizing Huang’s long-term vision, he said, “Once EVs can be driven and maintained like gasoline cars, then there’s a greater chance for mass adoption.”

Greater Bay Technology is a two-year-old startup valued at over $1 billion. Its first-generation battery is an extreme fast-charging cell currently equipped in Aion’s V Plus electric SUV.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/chinese-startup-says-its-new-ev-battery-doesnt-lose-range-in-the-cold-164149959.html?src=rss 

Until now, you’ve had to buy a Seagate card if you wanted to augment the fast internal storage of your Xbox Series X or S. Now, however, you have a slightly more affordable option. Western Digital has released a WD Black C50 expansion card line that starts at $80 for a 500GB model. That’s $10 less than the recently price-cut Seagate equivalent, and easier to justify if you only need room for a few extra games. A 1TB card sells for the same $150 as its comparably-sized rival.

You’ll need one of these proprietary add-ons if you want to add space for ready-to-play Xbox Series X/S games, which require solid-state drive cards that are as quick as the SSD built into the console. Conventional external USB drives can only be used to archive games or play Xbox One titles. That’s fine if you only have a handful of active games at a time, but you’ll want an Xbox-native card if you want access to many titles at short notice.

These cards are still costlier than the NVMe SSDs you can buy for a PlayStation 5. However, the price gap is now small enough that the storage format probably won’t affect your choice of system. It’s only an issue if you want 2TB of additional capacity. Western Digital doesn’t offer a 2TB C50 card, and Seagate’s $280 Xbox option is decidedly more expensive than PS5 options like Sabrent’s $160 NVMe drive.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/western-digitals-first-xbox-series-xs-storage-cards-start-at-80-171723507.html?src=rss