Teenage Engineering’s new OP-XY is a portable synthesizer and sequencer that looks similar to the company’s OP–1 Field. But functionally it’s instead a more capable upgrade to the company’s six-year-old OP-Z, with a stronger focus on layering sounds with various effects and a steeper $2,299 price tag.

With an “anodized, all-black finish,” the OP-XY is yet another delightful example of Teenage Engineering’s design chops. Its black and white motif accented with a grayscale gradient running across its 16 sequencer inputs is the antithesis of the bright yellow Playdate handheld that Teenage Engineering helped Panic design. Unlike the $429 OP-Z that relied on a mobile device like a smartphone for its screen, the OP-XY now has a black and white OLED display built in, which probably contributes to the high cost.

Powered by a dual Blackfin CPU system paired with 512GB of RAM and 8GB of internal storage, the OP-XY offers eight “unique synth engines” and punch-in effects carried over from the OP-Z and Teenage Engineering’s calculator-sized Pocket Operators. There’s also a six-axis accelerometer inside allowing sounds and effects to change by simply moving the sequencer around.

The OP-XY includes sampling capabilities through a built-in microphone or inputs that include a 3.5mm audio port. There’s also a USB-C port, a 3.5mm multipurpose output that includes MIDI capabilities for controlling external synthesizers, and a 3.5mm port for analog audio output. If you don’t want to deal with wires, the OP-XY’s rechargeable battery will keep it powered for up to 16 hours, and there’s support for MIDI over Bluetooth.

Although Teenage Engineering continues to sell its $59 Pocket Operators, the company’s audio gear has shifted towards more premium and pricier offerings in recent years. Its TP-7 Field Recorder, a digital audio recorder with a novel spinning “tape” reel, debuted last year for $1,499, following a tiny mixer called the TX-6 that arrived the year before for $1,199. Even the company’s original OP-1 synth, which debuted in 2011 for $849, has been replaced by the $1,999 OP-1 Field.

• Security researchers from Group-IB discover unique new piece of malware
• It abuses extended attributes for macOS files to deploy the payload
• The malware is most likely built by North Korean state-sponsored actors

Cybersecurity researchers have stumbled upon yet another malware variant for macOS likely built by the notorious North Korean Lazarus group.

The report from Group-IB concerns the discovery of RustyAttr, a brand new piece of macOS malware built using the Tauri framework. T

Google’s focus on Android safety and security has been pretty evident this year. From partial screen recording and private spaces to protection against juice jacking attacks, Android 15 has been quite a reassuring iteration.

Google is now injecting some more energy into that endeavor with a couple of new features that tackle the threat of scam calls and bad apps. These features are appearing first on Pixel smartphones, and will subsequently make their way to other Android phones.

First in line is Google Play Protect live threat detection, which shows real-time alerts for apps that pose a threat. “Play Protect analyzes behavioral signals related to the use of sensitive permissions and interactions with other apps and services,” says Google.

The latest upgrade allows the system to send an alert as soon as it detects that an app is engaged in unusual activities. This notice will help users take necessary action, such as revoking access or uninstalling it, before a malicious app package does more damage.

The entire risk evaluation process relies on Android’s Private Compute Core, a safe processing environment that pushes for on-device analysis. Real-time alerts, originating from activity analysis, will initially focus on apps engaged in stalking behavior, and will soon expand to other types of harmful apps.

Next, we have enhanced scam detection for calls. Once again, this is an on-device system, one that relies on AI to look for signs of suspicious behavior, such as a scammer asking for money or a code transfer.

“If a caller claims to be from your bank and asks you to urgently transfer funds due to an alleged account breach, Scam Detection will process the call to determine whether the call is likely spam,” explains Google. This feature is now available to users in the U.S. as part of a phase testing program.

Less than a month ago, Google announced enhanced scam detection for the Messages app, with the intent of preventing fraudulent and package delivery scams. As far as call scam detection goes, it’s an opt-in feature.

It will be set to “off” by default, and only when users enable it, will the AI be able to do its job. The AI in question here is the Gemini Nano model, which is running locally on Pixel 9 series phones. However, it will expand to the Pixel 6 series, as well as all the subsequent models.

The OnePlus 13 launched last month in China with some amazing features. As we await the global launch, the device was recently spotted on multiple certification sites. Another smartphone that OnePlus will soon debut in the global market is the OnePlus 13R. Previously, rumors have hinted that it could be a rebrand of the OnePlus Ace 5. Now, a tipster has detailed the colors and variants of the OnePlus 13 and 13R ahead of the global launch.

The color options of the OnePlus 13 and 13R surfaced online ahead of the global launch

The OnePlus 13 is likely to launch with similar specs in the global market as well. OnePlus debuted three different variants of the OnePlus 13 in China with 12GB, 16GB, and 24GB RAM options. Today, in a post on X, the tipster (@MysteryLupin) hinted that won’t be the case with global models.

The tipster mentioned that the OnePlus 13 will debut globally with only two variants. You’re likely to see one variant with 16GB of RAM paired with 512GB of storage, while the other will feature 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. That also means OnePlus wouldn’t launch the 24GB RAM variant of the OnePlus 13 in the global market.

Apart from these details, the tipster has also detailed the colors of the OnePlus 13 ahead of the global launch. If we consider the tipster’s words, the 16GB RAM variant of the OnePlus 13 will be available in Black Eclipse, Midnight Ocean, and Arctic Dawn color options. On the other hand, the base variant with 12GB of RAM will come in a single Black Eclipse color option.

OnePlus 13R could be a premium mid-range phone

The tipster has also shared some details about the upcoming OnePlus 13R. According to the tipster’s post, OnePlus will globally launch the OnePlus 13R in only one variant variant featuring 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. However, that model might be available in two color options – Nebula Noir and Astral Trail.

In the past, a popular Weibo tipster hinted that the OnePlus 13R could be a mid-range device with premium features. Moreover, the tipster has also hinted that the device would pack the Snapdragon 8 Elite SoC under the hood.

The latest Alteryx platform update provides new capabilities to support all types of data management and analytics system deployments, whether in the cloud, on premises or a hybrid of both.

Included in the vendor’s Fall 2024 Release are the general availability of Standard Mode, a channel in Designer Cloud that provides new data integration and preparation capabilities for working with data in the cloud, and LiveQuery, a feature that improves integrations with cloud data warehouses.

In addition, Alteryx’s update, unveiled on Nov. 12, includes new connectors to data storage platforms, support for analytics applications, whether on premises or in the cloud and improvements to APIs designed to improve efficiency.

Not included are the general availability of any significant new AI capabilities, which Alteryx tends to unveil separately from its general platform updates. For example, the vendor introduced its version of a generative-AI-powered assistant in May. However, one AI-related feature included in the Fall 2024 release now in public preview is Magic Reports, which uses AI to automatically generate insights.

Without any generally available AI features with the potential to change the way Alteryx customers interact with their analytics systems, the vendor’s Fall 2024 Release is made up of additive but not groundbreaking capabilities, according to Doug Henschen, an analyst at Constellation Research.

“The update is delivering mostly incremental improvements such as new connectors, app and user management upgrades and API enhancements,” he said.

While perhaps incremental, the update is providing customers with what they want, according to Jay Henderson, Alteryx’s senior vice president product management.

For example, adding new connectors and improved APIs was driven by customer feedback.

“We’re continuing to prioritize functionality that makes the analytics user’s life easier, and their work more efficient,” Henderson said. “By combining customer-driven product features with cloud advancements, Alteryx is [meeting the] needs of our customers.”

Based in Irvine, Calif., Alteryx is a longtime data management vendor whose platform is designed to automate aspects of the data preparation process.

In December 2023, following a slow evolution to the cloud that led to an executive overhaul in 2022, Alteryx agreed to be acquired by a group of private equity firms for $.4 billion.