{"id":6017,"date":"2023-10-24T16:28:20","date_gmt":"2023-10-24T16:28:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/advisorator.com\/members\/?p=6017"},"modified":"2023-10-24T16:28:20","modified_gmt":"2023-10-24T16:28:20","slug":"10-24-2023-googles-passkey-mess-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/advisorator.com\/members\/2023\/10\/24\/10-24-2023-googles-passkey-mess-2\/","title":{"rendered":"10\/24\/2023: Google’s passkey mess"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Google goes passwordless<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Plus: Apple’s new Pencil, Chromebook deals, and the best place for a USB-C cable<\/h3>\n\n\n
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Jared Newman<\/div>
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October 24, 2023<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n
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Back in May, I wrote about how the tech industry’s attempt to kill the password is a well-intentioned mess<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Five months later, it still is. Only now, it’s becoming harder to avoid as companies get more aggressive about pushing the password’s replacement, known as passkeys. The most notable example is Google, which declared a couple weeks ago that it’s making passkeys the default sign-in method for Google accounts<\/a>, and has been nagging users to set up passkeys ever since.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I’m still convinced that the rush to go passwordless will create some near-term chaos\u2014and Google’s approach does little to change that\u2014but as passkeys start to become inevitable, you might as well get used to them.<\/p>\n\n\n

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Read the rest with a free trial<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

This week’s feature column includes a primer on passkeys, what to expect when you set one up with Google, and the downsides that haven’t been addressed yet. You can read it right now<\/a> with a one-week free trial:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n

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Need to know<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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The OnePlus foldable:<\/strong> OnePlus has entered the foldable phone fray with the OnePlus Open, a $1,700 device that looks like a regular phone when closed and a small tablet when unfolded. Compared to Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold5 and Google’s Pixel Fold, the Open has one notable attribute: The folding screen’s crease is barely noticeable<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Otherwise, reviewers have praised the Open’s overall shape<\/a>, but there are camera complaints and durability concerns<\/a>. Plus, OnePlus somehow managed to omit wireless charging from a $1,700 phone. I am so far loving the Fold5 that I recently picked up from Swappa (where like-new models now sell in the $1,150 range<\/a>) and still think Samsung has the most refined foldable of the bunch. More on that soon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cheaper Apple Pencil:<\/strong> In early November, Apple will start selling a $79 Pencil<\/a> that attaches magnetically to all flat-edged iPads\u2014including the Air, Pro, Mini, and 10th-gen models\u2014but has a USB-C charging port instead of wireless charging and isn’t pressure-sensitive like the $129 Pencil 2.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Aside from just being cheaper, the new Pencil addresses a deficiency with the 10th-gen iPad: It was only compatible with the original Apple Pencil, whose Lightning connector could plug directly into other iPads. Because the 10th-gen iPad has USB-C port instead, it needed a separate adapter to charge the Pencil. As Apple moves away from Lightning entirely, I wouldn’t be surprised if it finally discontinues the 9th-gen iPad within the next year now that it’s solved the 10th-gen’s Pencil dilemma.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Meanwhile, I’m sort of tempted to downgrade from my Pencil 2, which seems to drain my iPad Mini’s battery when it’s magnetically attached, but that’s another story.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don’t use WinRAR:<\/strong> On August 10, the file archive tool WinRAR patched a security flaw that can deliver malware on Windows PCs. But because WinRAR doesn’t automatically update itself, Russian and Chinese hackers continue to exploit it<\/a>. A couple points here:<\/p>\n\n\n\n