All signs are pointing to Apple announcing new iPads this March. But what can you expect from those new iPads? Let us fill you in.
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The Whoop is a fitness tracker for your wrist that won’t bring another screen to your life. Try if free!
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Annapurna is delaying the release of its upcoming narrative adventure game, Open Roads, by a few weeks so the team can do a little more refining. It’s now scheduled for release on March 28 instead of the originally planned date of February 22. The decision was made to “ensure the most polished experience for players,” a spokesperson for Annapurna told Engadget.
Open Roads, which we had a chance to preview earlier this month, is a nostalgia-heavy experience that follows 16-year-old Tess Devine (voiced by Kaitlyn Dever) and her mother, Opal (Keri Russel), on a road trip to explore their family’s past. It features hand-drawn animations and, of course, carries the promise of deep, dark family secrets to unearth. It’ll be available for Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch and PC.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/narrative-game-open-roads-has-been-delayed-by-a-month-221217266.html?src=rss
Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics
Helium Mobile’s new $ 20 monthly unlimited 5G service is an affordable plan that lets you be part of building the 5G network.
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I’ve had the Google Pixel 8 Pro for over a month. Is it still one of the year’s best Android phones? Have software bugs ruined it? Here’s what I’ve learned.
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The iPhone 15 Pro has been out for over a month now. After weeks of using it, here’s what I love the most about it.
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If you’ve trimmed your outgoings by cancelling your Disney+ streaming subscription you can snag a 3-month sub for less than it usually costs for a single month. As part of Disney’s latest promotional offer to tempt both new and former subscribers back to its stable, you can get 3 months access for a total of […]
Come comment on this article: New and returning subscribers can get three months of Disney+ for just $ 2/£2 a month
Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak will be free on the Epic Games Store later this month. The well-received 2016 prequel to 1999 real-time strategy classic Homeworld arrives ahead of Homeworld 3, due early next year after multiple delays. The (usually $ 50) Deserts of Kharak will be available to claim on Epic’s storefront from August 24th to 31st.
The 2016 game takes place over a century before the events of Homeworld on the desert world of Kharak. The arid planet is the once-home of the Kushan people, protagonists of the 1999 original and central figures in the series. It’s the only Homeworld installment to move the action from space to the ground as you navigate the terrain to gain the advantage over the Kiith Gaalsien. This cult-like faction believes anyone who dreams of flying to the stars deserves harsh punishment — something they’re all too happy to dole out. Its gameplay honors the series’ strategic roots while adapting to ground play’s reduced axes of movement by making elevation (navigating the desert’s plateaus and valleys) a core focus.
Snagging the game for free can give the franchise’s fans something to tide them over ahead of Homeworld 3 in February 2024 — and publisher Gearbox Software would surely love to lure some younger gamers into the nearly quarter-century-old series.
The Homeworld series has ridden an IP roller coaster since the RTS genre’s late 90s / early 00s heyday. After the first game’s critically acclaimed reception, original developer Relic Entertainment made two more (also well-received) games: an expansion and a proper sequel. However, after 2003’s Homeworld 2, THQ bought Relic and failed to produce a single Homeworld game under its ownership.
The series only got another lease on life after THQ folded and Gearbox Software won a 2013 auction to secure its rights. The Borderlands maker revived the saga with remastered versions of the classic titles. Deserts of Kharak followed soon after, and Homeworld 3 was finally announced in 2019, using a crowdfunding campaign to raise money and gauge consumer interest. After several delays, the long-awaited third installment will (hopefully) arrive next winter.
Claiming the PC game from August 24th to 31st will require an Epic Games account. During that time, you can navigate to the Deserts of Kharak store page in a browser or use the Epic Games Launcher to redeem it.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/homeworld-deserts-of-kharak-will-be-free-on-the-epic-games-store-this-month-181511485.html?src=rss
Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics
Here with a bump in its monthly fees is YouTube whose Premium tier will cost new subscribers an extra couple of dollars monthly. And, just to prove that there’s no such thing as loyaly to long-serving customers the price increase will show in the next payment cycle for existing YouTube Premium customers, bringing the price […]
Come comment on this article: YouTube Premium will cost you a couple more bucks every month
Microsoft is taking another turn at testing its HoloLens-based combat goggles with the US military. The company has confirmed to Engadget that it's delivering improved IVAS (Integrated Visual Augmentation System) 1.2 devices to the Army before the end of July. These updated augmented reality models are "slimmer, lighter and more balanced" than before, Microsoft says. That, in turn, should make them more comfortable and improve soldiers' performance.
The Army tellsBloomberg two squads will test 20 prototype IVAS goggles in late August. They'll gauge low-light functionality, reliability and whether or not they make soldiers feel ill. Some testers complained last year of nausea, headaches and eye strain, while others weren't happy with the bulk, narrow field of view and a display glow that could give away a soldier's presence at night. Key features also failed relatively frequently.
The HoloLens tech is meant to improve battlefield awareness. Infantry can see each other's positions, get vital health stats and use night vision that's less conspicuous. They can better coordinate assaults and warn if there are signs of injury or fatigue. The technology might reach the field within a few years if the August test is successful. The Army would award a contract between July and September 2024 for a second field study, and could move to an operational combat test as soon as April 2025. The Army could deploy IVAS months afterward.
Much is riding on this test, however. While the Army could spend as much as $ 21.9 billion in ten years for up to 121,000 IVAS units, Congress blocked further orders of the earlier goggles in January following reports of problems. Politicians instead gave Microsoft $ 40 million to rework the hardware. If there are still issues, the Army could cancel the program. It would not only cost Microsoft a lucrative contract, but would cast further doubt on HoloLens itself. The team lost lead developer Alex Kipman last year following misconduct allegations, and layoffs early this year dealt a serious blow to the mixed reality division.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/microsoft-will-deliver-improved-hololens-combat-goggles-to-army-testers-this-month-211521914.html?src=rss
Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics
As we wait for Samsung to set a specific date for its upcoming Unpacked event near the end of July, a serial leaker has revealed all that the Korean brand is planning to unveil. Thanks to the official marketing renders posted by Evan Blass, we’ve got the lineup of Galaxy devices scheduled to be announced […]
Come comment on this article: This is what to expect from Samsung’s Unpacked event next month
Qualcomm has unveiled its latest chipset that will power a wealth of mid-range phones starting later this month. Redmi and Realme are among the brands that will use the Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2 chipset.
As you might expect, the chipset isn't quite as powerful as the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, but it appears to offer a notable upgrade over the Snapdragon 7 Gen 1. Qualcomm says the CPU will deliver a performance improvement of over 50 percent, with speeds of up to 2.91GHz. The company claims the Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2 will offer improvements in GPU performance (by two times) and power efficiency (by 13 percent) as well. Moreover, Qualcomm says that "on-device AI is integrated across the entire platform."
You can expect over twice the AI performance compared with the Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 and 40 percent better per-watt performance, Qualcomm says. AI Super Resolution is said to be capable of upscaling game visuals and photos from 1080p to 4K resolution.
Other gaming features include volumetric rendering, which adds particle graphics such as fog and smoke. Auto variable rate shading should help to boost performance and power by rendering content that's in focus at full resolution and limiting the background of a scene to a lower resolution, according to Qualcomm. The company claims that Snapdragon Sound with Qualcomm aptX will deliver lossless music streaming and lag-free gaming audio too.
The chipset supports photo captures up to 200MP, along with HDR video capture with triple exposure from two cameras at the same time. Thanks to 18-bit Triple ISP support, it could be easier to capture better images in very low light. Qualcomm says devices using the Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2 can capture 30 images and blend the best parts of them into a single shot to provide you with brighter, clearer and more colorful photos.
On the connectivity front, there's support for 4G and 5G dual SIMs, along with download speeds of up to 4.4 Gbps over a data network thanks to the new X62 5G modem. As for WiFi, Qualcomm says the Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2 will enable download speeds of up to 3.6 Gbps.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/qualcomms-snapdragon-7-gen-2-will-debut-in-mid-range-phones-this-month-060023883.html?src=rss
Engadget is a web magazine with obsessive daily coverage of everything new in gadgets and consumer electronics
We always knew that Google’s acquisition of Fitbit would result in certain synergies but it was hoped that the move would create a better experience for those with Fitbit devices rather than a diminished one. Sadly, it’s the latter proposition that is the present situation, with today’s announcement that the Fitbit app is losing three […]
Come comment on this article: The Fitbit app is losing Challenges, Adventures, and Open Group features next month
Google Fiber is launching the 5Gbps internet plan it began testing in October. The service will initially cover four cities, but Google says the $ 125-per-month service will expand to other areas later this year.
The new plan is available today in Kansas City,West Des Moines and Fiber’s Utah cities. It has symmetrical upload and download rates, an upgraded 10 Gig Fiber Jack (the small box housing the fiber cable’s entrance into your home), professional installation, a WiFi 6 router and up to two mesh network extenders.
Although 5Gbps speeds could be overkill for most households, they could come in handy for creative professionals, gamers or others who need minimal latency or transfer large files frequently. For example, a 150GB Microsoft Flight Simulator download that takes 11 minutes at 2Gbps would only take about three minutes at 6Gbps (under ideal conditions, anyway).
The upgraded speeds are part of Google’s rejuvenated focus on Fiber. The company also recently announced its first network expansion in years. But, perhaps more crucially, it reestablishes Fiber as an industry disrupter pushing competitors to upgrade speeds and lower prices (maybe) on existing plans. Comcast already offers 6Gbps service in some areas, but it costs a whopping $ 300 and doesn’t include symmetrical uploads.
Google also reiterated that Fiber’s 8Gbps option, also announced late last year, is still “coming soon.” That service will also include symmetrical uploads and downloads.
Stadia has been relegated to Google’s increasingly crowded graveyard but fans of the cloud gaming service are being thrown a lifeline by Ubisoft with a one-month GeForce Now Priority Subscription, free of charge. Once the month’s subscription to Nvidia’s GeForce Now Priority service finishes, users will be transferred to the free tier, which means you […]
Come comment on this article: Ubisoft throws Stadia gamers a lifeline with a free month of GeForce Now Priority
Ahh, Twitter. Gone are the days of applying for and failing to get verification for unspecified reasons, with Musk’s vision of Twitter Blue you can now sign up and pay your way to a verified tick. And from today onwards, you can even do so via the official Twitter for Android app so long as […]
Come comment on this article: You can now sign up for Twitter Blue on Android for $ 11 a month
Following an unsuccessful first attempt at paid account verification, Twitter will start rolling out its revamped Blue subscription on December 12th, the company announced on Saturday. Twitter originally launched Blue verification for iOS devices in early November for $ 8 per month, but the company paused the rollout after the platform was overrun by verified trolls. On Saturday, the company also confirmed the service will cost $ 11 per month when users subscribe directly through its iOS. On the web, where Apple's 30 percent commission on in-app purchases doesn't apply, the subscription will cost $ 8 per month, as previously announced.
Additionally, the company says it has implemented new measures to prevent a repeat of what happened last month. To start, users who want to display a blue checkmark on their profile will need to register with a phone number after subscribing to the service. Twitter adds subscribers can change their handle, display name and profile photo after obtaining verified status, but the company will temporarily take away their blue checkmark while it reviews their account again. "We've added a review step before applying a blue checkmark to an account as one of our new steps to combat impersonation (which is against the Twitter Rules," said Twitter product manager Esther Crawford in a separate thread.
we’re relaunching @TwitterBlue on Monday – subscribe on web for $ 8/month or on iOS for $ 11/month to get access to subscriber-only features, including the blue checkmark 🧵 pic.twitter.com/DvvsLoSO50
— Twitter (@Twitter) December 10, 2022
As before, Twitter says Blue subscribers will get access to a handful of other features later, including the ability to post longer videos and see fewer ads. In the meantime, other Twitter Blue perks include the ability to edit tweets and upload 1080p videos.
Next week will also see Twitter begin rolling out the new gold and grey checkmarks Elon Musk announced on November 25th, starting with the former for businesses. Later in the week, the company plans to begin rolling out the latter to government and "multilateral" accounts. The designators will replace the "official" label the company briefly experimented with after launching paid account verification.
Huawei’s Mate 50 might not be coming to the U.S. and Europe, but it may clue us in on what to expect from the next Honor Magic phone.
Mobile | Digital Trends
Interested in buying the Google Pixel 7 or 7 Pro? A leak has given an indication when they will be available, and you should be ready for early October.
Android | Digital Trends
Ahead of the debut of House of the Dragon on August 21st, HBO Max will begin streaming all eight seasons of Game of Thrones in 4K. HBO parent company Warner Bros. Discovery announced the news this week in a programming notice spotted by FlatpanelsHD (via The Verge). The company said all eight seasons would also support Dolby Atmos, as well as HDR10 and Dolby Vision. Whether that’s a good reason to revisit the show’s infamous “The Long Night” episode and less-than-stellar final season is up to you.
Previously, the only way to watch the entirety of Game of Thrones in 4K was to buy the Ultra HD Blu-ray collection, which can cost as much as $ 255. Streaming the series in 4K will be considerably more affordable since all you will need is a subscription to HBO Max’s $ 15 per month ad-free tier and a supported device like an Apple TV 4K, Amazon Fire TV Stick 4K or Google Chromecast Ultra. Those same devices will allow you to watch House of the Dragon in 4K HDR when it arrives late next month.
Apple opens up its Pride month celebration with two Apple Watch bands and watch faces. The company is also launching a new shot on iPhone campaign for Pride.
Wearables | Digital Trends
Employees at an Apple Store in Towson, Maryland have set a date for their union election. Workers at the Towson Town Center location will vote in person over four days, starting on June 15th.
The organizers call themselves Coalition of Organized Retail Employees (AppleCore). They're aiming to unionize with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers.
In a letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook, the group said "a solid majority" of staff supports the union drive. They said they are organizing "because of a deep love of our role as workers within the company and out of care for the company itself." They want "access to rights that we do not currently have" and for Apple to apply the same neutrality agreements it has with suppliers to workers, "so that as employees we can obtain our rights to information and collective bargaining that the law affords us through unionization."
They will be the second group of Apple Store workers to stage a union election. Those at the Cumberland Mall location in Atlanta will vote in early June on whether to join the Communications Workers of America (CWA).
Employees at Apple Stores other than the Towson and Atlanta locations are conducting union drives as well. Workers at the Grand Central Terminal store in New York City have been collecting signatures for a union vote.
While Apple has agreed to the elections in Maryland and Georgia, the company is reportedly fighting unionization efforts. It's said to have hired the same anti-union law firm as Starbucks. The company has also reportedly used anti-union talking points in pre-shift meetings at some locations. This week, workers at two stores accused Apple of union busting in Unfair Labor Practice filings.
The best tech we reviewed in April 2022 includes OLED TVs, mice, a handheld gaming device, and much more.
Mobile | Digital Trends
Since its debut in 2015, Apple Music has offered one of the more generous free trial periods in the streaming industry. As a first-time subscriber, you could use the platform to listen to music for free for up to three months before the company asked you to start paying. That’s no longer the case.
In a change spotted by Japanese blog Mac Otakara and subsequently reported by MacRumors, Apple now offers a shorter one-month free trial in many countries where the service is available, including the US, Australia, Canada, United Kingdom and Japan. You can already see the change reflected on the Apple Music website. “One month free, then $ 9.99 per month,” the US portal says when you visit.
At the moment, Apple Music pricing remains the same, with the $ 5 per month Voice Plan as the most affordable way to access the platform’s library of tracks. The change broadly aligns Apple with competitors like Spotify, which, outside of promos, typically offer one-month free trials to new subscribers.
While we’ll likely never know Apple’s official reason for shortening the trial, there’s a good chance the decision came down to simple economics. When the company first came out with Apple Music, it didn’t pay royalties for tracks users streamed during their free trial period. Apple later famously changed that policy after Taylor Swift published a letter criticizing the company. By shortening the trial period, the company can more quickly recoup the costs of attracting new subscribers to the platform.
Garmin has several smartwatch launches in the pipeline this year. One of the most anticipated — the Instinct 2 — is expected to arrive in February 2022.
Wearables | Digital Trends
The Taco Lover’s Pass will let you pick between seven popular items on the menu every day for just $ 10 a month through the mobile app.
Emerging Tech | Digital Trends
T-Mobile’s lures more subscribers with a new, exclusive Google One plan for customers, offering 500GB of storage for just $ 5 a month.
Android | Digital Trends
With everyone staying indoors and practicing social distancing in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, we’ve seen some sites and services degrade video quality to deal with the boost in traffic that they’re getting. As of right now it’s mostly just affected Europe, but Google has announced they’ll be throttling YouTube video streams across the […]
Come comment on this article: Google is going to slow YouTube down for the next month
In 141 years of climate records, January 2020 was the hottest January yet, according to scientists from NOAA's National Centers for Environmental Information. Global land and ocean surface temperatures were 2.05 degrees Fahrenheit (1.14 degrees Celsi…
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Google is teaming up with the North Pole again this year, and they’re making it really easy to track Santa’s progress as we get closer to Christmas. There are tons of Google Assistant games to play, GIFs to share, and even a snowbox to build your own 3D winter wonderland. Not everything will be available […]
Come comment on this article: Google Assistant picks up some holiday tricks, makes it easy to track Santa all month long
Headphones can be expensive. High-quality headphones can be really expensive. If you really wanted a nice set, would you be willing to pay a monthly fee for a rental service on a pair? That’s exactly what Nura is offering. They’re an Australian company that’s developed a pretty snazzy pair of headphones, and they apparently offer […]
Come comment on this article: Would you pay a $ 10 subscription every month for a pair of high-end headphones?
First revealed during MWC 2019 back in February, Huawei’s Mate X folding smartphone has been the subject of delays and rumored tweaks, which is understandable when you consider the issues that Samsung has faced with its Galaxy Fold. While an exact date has yet to be announced, it seems that the Huawei’s Mate X could […]
Come comment on this article: Huawei’s Mate X folding smartphone could finally launch next month
Eero is a pretty powerful mesh network system that was recently scooped up by Amazon. So far we haven’t seen any drastic changes in Eero’s software or hardware, with the router sticking to its premium price point. But one thing that made Eero unique was its Eero Plus subscription, which runs $ 9.99 per month and […]
Come comment on this article: Eero will now block ads on your home network for just $ 2.99 per month
Audi's E-Tron SUV has seemingly been in development for ages, but you're going to have to wait longer still to see it on the road. The automaker has delayed the electric SUV's arrival by four weeks due a "software development issue," a spokesman tol…
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OnePlus has teamed up with Google to create a game/challenge called Crackables, and it starts on September 18th. And aside from that, that’s pretty much all we know. The only way we can describe it right now is mysterious. OnePlus’s twitter feed is full of short snippets of videos and pictures related to cracking some […]
Come comment on this article: Google and OnePlus are teaming up for a “Crackables” game later this month
OnePlus has never shied away from taking on the giants of the mobile industry dating all the way back to the original OnePlus One device, which offered killer hardware and specs at a fraction of the price of your typical flagship smartphone. That philosophy has changed a bit over the years (and we’ve certainly complained […]
Come comment on this article: OnePlus 6 review, one month in: Still a flagship killer?
If you’re a big PC gamer, you’ve probably heard of or used Valve’s Steam Link for streaming your games to a television. It’s a useful little gadget that saves you the hassle of running long HDMI cables all over your house, especially if you have a decent router. I’ve invested in two of them already, […]
Come comment on this article: Steam Link and Steam Video are making their way to Android TV and smartphones this month
If you think things are unendurably awful in the world today, maybe don't play Observer when it hits PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, Mac and Linux on August 15th. Observer follows one of the darkest paths at humanity's feet, imagining a 2084 where corp…
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If you have never been a subscriber to Google’s Play Music or YouTube Red services, Google is hoping to lure you into giving them a try with a slightly better trial period than normal. Usually new subscribers can get 2 months of either service for free before the monthly charges kick in. However, the Google Play […]
Come comment on this article: Google offering Play Music and YouTube Red 4 month trials to some users
New features for YouTube were introduced alongside the announcement of a major milestone. Every month there are 1.5 billion logged in viewers on YouTube, which Google says is about 20% of the world’s population. These viewers are watching an hour per day on mobile devices alone. That should mean the 1 billion hours of video […]
Come comment on this article: YouTube hits 1.5 billion viewers per month, introduces new share and dynamic adapt features
Sure, OnePlus’ software is among the best in the world because of its simple and clean presentation. A problem exists, though. Getting software updates out in a timely manner has been extremely difficult for the company. With every device, OnePlus just takes so long to go from testing to rolling out. If you were thinking […]
Come comment on this article: Hungry for Nougat? OnePlus 3 gets it this month
AT&T’s live television streaming service powered by DirecTV will launch next month with a price on the same level as the competition. The upcoming service, known as DirecTV Now, was teased by AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson and Time Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes during the duo’s appearance at WSJD Live. While the focus of their appearance […]
Come comment on this article: DirecTV Now will be $ 35 per month for 100 channels
Did you forget about Samsung’s Gear 360? You’d be forgiven if you did, since Samsung went almost completely silent on the little camera after its announcement with the Galaxy S7. Well, fast forward a few months to the launch of the next Galaxy phone, and the tentative release date for the US version of the […]
Come comment on this article: Samsung’s Gear 360 officially gets released in the US later this month
AT&T said that it’s increasing the data caps of its U-Verse and GigaPower Internet services in August. The company seems to be feeling generous, as it increased the caps once this year already. Customers will be informed by email and other means.
The post Guess how much AT&T is raising the data caps for U-Verse and GigaPower next month appeared first on Digital Trends.
Nintendo has crushed the dreams of many Pokémon Go players, and said the fun Pokémon Go Plus Bluetooth accessory (that may help conserve your phone’s battery) has been delayed, and won’t arrive until September.
The post Bad news Poké-players, that Pokémon Go Plus wearable isn’t coming out this month appeared first on Digital Trends.