The morning after: Google didn’t mean to leak the Pixel 8 Pro on its website

Google (coincidence?) posted a photo of the Pixel 8 Pro before it unveiled the device, within 24 hours of rival Apple announcing the launch of the iPhone 15. An Android X user (Twitter) spotted a photo of the beige phone on the Google Play Store.

It has since been pulled from the page promoting Google subscriptions and services, but its alternative text reportedly reads: “Person receives a call on a ceramic Pixel 8 Pro.”

Overall it looks like another “pro” Pixel phone, with the same camera array on the back. Google hasn’t announced a launch date yet, but we do have a date for the event: October 4th. But timing is everything.

– Matt Smith

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It may be wise to stack an extra year on top of your existing membership.

A few months after Microsoft revealed its plans to increase the prices of Game Pass subscriptions, Sony is getting in on the act. The basic annual subscription will soon cost $80 per year, up from $60. The Plus plan will go up by $35 to $135 per year, while the annual Premium plan will soon cost an additional $40 at $160. Pricing changes will not apply to existing PS Plus users on the Annual Plan until the next renewal date, which is on or after 6th November.

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PS Plus is generally less expensive than the equivalent Game Pass tiers. An annual PS Plus Essential plan costs $52 less than a year of Xbox Game Pass, while a 12-month PS Plus Premium membership is $44 less than Game Pass Ultimate over the same time frame. However, Microsoft offers all first-party games via Game Pass upon release.

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The salvageable modular smartphone has matured.

The Fairphone 5 doesn’t stray too far from the model set by its predecessor. It has the same bulky body, the same camera cover, the same fingerprint-sensing power button, and the same easily removable back panel. Changes include a larger battery, larger screen, and better cameras. Thanks to Fairphone’s efforts to improve its products, and the general slump in smartphones, the gap between high-end and mid-range phones has narrowed a lot.

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The MTA’s OMNY website shows a 7-day trip history with credit card number only.

The New York City Subway’s contactless payment system suffers from a security flaw. Anyone with access to someone’s credit card number can see when and where they’ve entered the city’s subway in the past seven days. The problem is a feature on OMNY’s website, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s (MTA) click-to-pay system, which allows you to view your recent trip history using only credit card information. A loose implementation of the MTA could allow stalkers, abusive ex-partners, or anyone who hacks into or buys someone’s credit card information online to see when and where they usually get on the subway. The MTA said, in an email to Engadget, that it will look into security changes as it improves its system.

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