Multizone | All our technotes
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Android 12 Developer Preview
This article is about installing Android 12 on a supported Google Pixel device using the OTA image. If you have a compatible device you can try out Android 12 today. You can get back to the current release, or just wait for further over the air updates from the preview.
TL:DR— If you have a recent Google Pixel phone and the Android developer tool 'ADB' which is part of the developer tools this is easy enough to do.
Android 12 images are available for Google Pixel 5, 4a, 4a (5G), 4, 3a, 3a XL, 3, and 3 XL devices.
The OTA image shouldnt (and in my case didnt) cause any problems, and should not wipe your data but your mileage may vary! I havent noticed any reliability issues in the last couple of days having installed it on a Pixel 4a (5G) phone.
More polish in the User experience
Androis 12 includes a few improvements you'll notice immediately and many that you won't notice yet because developers need to build apps that support them or they are not yet in the build of Anrdoid 12 that has been made available.
- New call notifications have more visibility.
- Notifications can be snoozed.
- Screenshots can be annotated in the editor with text or stickers.
- Alarms require less battery if implemented using inexact alarms.
- Web linking respects your default browser rather than from a chooser dialog.
- Richer haptics on devices that can support them.
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Kali NetHunter
Kali NetHunter is an Android ROM overlay for a rooted, supported device, that includes a robust Mobile Penetration Testing Platform. It comprises tools from Kali Linux as well as some additional android specific functionality. As well as a command line, it has the ability to get a full VNC session from your phone with access to these sophisticated tools for pen testing your environment or one you have permission to assess.
This article is about installing on the Nexus 7 with the pre-built image. If you have a compatible device you can turn it into a portable, dirt cheap penetration testing platform.
TL:DR— This requires an advanced understanding of Android firmware, and you may well have to flash your device back to OEM firmware more than once befode you can make it work so you should be proficient at that process but if you have a supported device it is a well maintained invaluable tool for the information security professional.
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iOS 14.4.2 and iPadOS 14.4.2
iOS 14.4.2 is a security update available for: iPhone 6s and later, iPad Pro (all models), iPad Air 2 and later, iPad 5th generation and later, iPad mini 4 and later, and iPod touch (7th generation)
TL:DR— Install right away. Security fixes.
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Why a Mac Mini?
I sent back my Apple DTK (the prototype ARM-based Mac computer which was kind of an iPad in a Mac Mini case) and in return Apple sent me a voucher which enabled me to part finance an M1 Mac Mini. I could not justify a Macbook Air or Macbook Pro at that time, (although I have since also bought a Mac Studio and a Macbook Pro M2). It arrived on the twentieth anniversary of the introduction of Mac OS X! It was built to order in Shenzen, China. The logistics at Apple never cease to amaze me.
Anyway, I thought I would document the setup and first impressions here. Mac mini, now with an M1 processor should be an impressive computer. The M1 processor brings an 8-core CPU which Apple claim dramatically accelerates demanding workloads, from compiling a million lines of code to building enormous multitrack music projects. An 8-core GPU delivers up to a massive 6x increase in graphics performance, allowing Mac mini to tackle performance-intensive tasks like complex 3D rendering with ease.
TL:DR macOS customisations, might be helpful for someone.
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Data loss can be a distressing experience, whether it's due to a hardware failure or accidental deletion. Enter GNU ddrescue, a powerful data recovery tool specially designed for these unfortunate situations. This article serves as an exhaustive guide on using GNU ddrescue on Ubuntu Linux, offering insights into its installation, safe usage practices, and real-world applications that may assist in recovering your precious data. GNU ddrescue is a proven data recovery tool which you can trust. However, it is also quite a complicated command line tool. If only there was a way to make it more straightforward to use. Enter DDRescue-GUI! Sady this is now a paid download tool. It is still worth it though.
TL:DR—GNU ddrescue provides the easiest way to copy as exact an image as possible of a failing drive and should help avoid catastrophic errors. DDRescue-GUI makes that process much easier, but before embarking on this process you should check your drive with GParted, and use the smartctl command from smartmontools to ascertain if the drive is really failing as it will be easier to recover your data by mounting the drive if it is a healthy drive.
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Read more: Tips for Recovery Success Using GNU ddrescue on Ubuntu Linux
Bootstrap Studio
Bootstrap Studio is a powerful desktop app for creating responsive websites using the Bootstrap framework.
It is a drag and drop editor reminiscent of Netscape Communicator but far more modern, written for Bootstrap and with excellent stability. You can use it to assemble responsive web pages. The app is built to make adoption of the hugely popular Bootstrap framework easier and exports clean HTML. It is not a product of the producers of the Bootstrap framework.
TL:DR It is very, very good!
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Don't like the blank screen? XScreenSaver is for you!
Since forever, Ubuntu has had a blank screen screensaver. I know not why. But I dont like it. I like to know my system is there, especially if it is remote. I have always used XScreenSaver. It is cross platform and runs on all the platforms I use. macOS has an OS provided screen saver and lock screen although the selection of savers is moribund. What can be done?
XScreenSaver has been the defacto standard screen saver for Linux and Unix systems for decades. It came to macOS in 2006, to iOS in 2012, and to Android in 2014. It pleases me greatly, probably far too greatly, to have the same screen saver on all my systems. You can find downloads at XScreenSaver, in the App Store and on Google Play and of course it is included in many distributions of Linux.
- Ubuntu Linux — Install from the repository via your package manager
- Android— Install from Google Play
- macOS— Install from the developers website via a DMG
- iOS— Install from the App Store
TL:DR – Lets install them all, via the simplest methods. You can of course compile from source, and make some deeper customisations on Linux and Unix should you need to!
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- VSCodium and Flutter
- Favourite computers I've used daily or owned
- Two Factor authentication for Apple ID
- Echo Link Amp
- Official NHS contact tracing apps in the UK
- iOS 12.5.1
- Cheap Microsoft Office for Windows or Mac
- A warning about External Drives for Home folders on macOS
- Warrant canary
- Fire TV Cube (3rd gen)
- CoD - My First ever Warzone victory
- Install macOS Big Sur in VMware Fusion on a Intel based Mac