New Google Assistant update reads your messages to you

August 4, 2019

The Google Assistant just got a new update that would make it even more useful for many.

After applying the update, the Assistant will now be able to read your messages to you from some third-party apps. Of course, you would have to grant it the permission to do this before it works – in a bid to ensure your privacy is upheld.

The best thing about the new update is that you also get to reply to the messages (via voice, of course) with the Assistant.

For those who use their Google Assistant well enough, they would know that you can do this on the normal text messaging app already. However, the update doesn’t come with support for either Facebook Messenger or WhatsApp. If you were on Android Auto, though, that is another ball game entirely.

Since this is a fairly recent addition, we don’t expect everything to work well out of the box. Being Google, though, it is worth a shot.

Samsung working on new chipset solely for the Note 10 launch

O. Christopher

August 3, 2019

Samsung working on new chipset solely for the Note 10 launch

Before now, Samsung Galaxy S and Galaxy Note devices launched in the same year have always used the same Exynos chipsets. If that is anything to go by, it means the Galaxy Note 10 series for this year should have used the same Exynos 9820 chipset we have on the Galaxy S10 family.

Well, that is not going to be the case.

Samsung took to their Twitter account today to announce an Exynos 9825 – and it needs no telling that this would be some next level processor to what the ordinary Exynos 9820 offers. It also goes without saying that the artificial intelligence capabilities and overall performance will be better.

Samsung did make a note to remind us though.

Going by some mumblings in the industry, the new chipset is made on a 7nm process as opposed to the 8nm process which birthed the 9820. That alone means there would be improvements in the battery life. If the artificial intelligence capacity is what we are hoping for, all of processing, camera and such will be better pronounced.

Facebook to rebrand Instagram and WhatsApp soon, but you might not like it

O. Christopher

August 3, 2019

Facebook to rebrand Instagram and WhatsApp soon, but you might not like it

Facebook is the owner of both Instagram and WhatsApp, but not everyone knows that. To fix this oversight on the part of many, the social media giant is now planning to roll out a new update that would rebrand the apps for good.

There is no official word on the matter yet, but some inside sources claim that we could see this rebranding happen soon. When that happens, it might be time to see all the simplicity sucked out of both apps.

In a way, they could require the influence of Facebook to work, helping the social media giant reclaim its spot and gain some more momentum at a time when it seems that they have reached saturation. Likewise, ads from Facebook may start making their way onto both platforms.

For now, we have no timeframe as to when this change will become active or what it will bring at all. Till then, we can only keep our fingers crossed while hoping it doesn’t ruin things as we know it.

Google is trying its hands at social media again with a new app

O. Christopher

July 13, 2019

Google is trying its hands at social media again with a new app

Google has always been looking for a way into the social media game (as if they don’t have enough data on all of us already), but there hasn’t been much of headway for them. Just a couple of months ago, they even shut down the Google+ platform which they had been promoting for a while now.

Now that they are back with a platform called ‘Shoelace,’ they have yet another shot at gunning for the top in this social media race.

Apparently, Shoelace isn’t like any other social media network. Instead of wanting to connect people from all around the world, the app is based on linking up people in a certain community. Such a small niche is one that hasn’t been tapped in a while, and it would make sense for Google to try something out there.

Besides, it is worthy of note that there is no website for this service yet. For now, it is available on only Android and iOS. Speaking of availability, the app is still being tested – so only users with an invite code get to download it. Furthermore, it is being tested in the New York region for now.

The results of this test will tell whether there will be a global rollout, or this one will fall into the heap of other developmental projects from the search engine giant.

Honor 9X confirmed to launch with the new Kirin 810 chipset

O. Christopher

July 4, 2019

Honor 9X confirmed to launch with the new Kirin 810 chipset

The all-new Honor 9X from Huawei is expected to make the market on the 23^rd of July, and it has already been confirmed that it will have the latest Kirin 810 chipset under the hood. This is the current top of the line chipset from the manufacturer, and it was just announced a couple of weeks ago.

This new chipset was developed under the 7nm process, carrying a total of eight cores and a maximum clock speed of 2.27GHz. For graphics rendering, the chipset is paired with a Mali-G52 MP6 to give the best performance.

Speaking of performance, it has been said that the current chipset is about 162% faster and better than its predecessor. If it can deliver on such a promise, we are surely in for a performance treat when the Honor 9X does make the market.

Facebook Plans to Rid App of Red Notification Dot

O. Christopher

June 29, 2019

Facebook Plans to Rid App of Red Notification Dot

It started as a ploy to keep users glued to the app, but the famous red notification dot that appears over the Friends, Group and Marketplace tab on the Facebook app according to reports might kiss the world goodbye as Facebook is looking to provide a way to turn them off.

A series of switches in the app’s settings have been discovered by app specialist Jane Machun Wong, which would let the user disable the dots for Groups, Marketplace, Profile and Menu. It was also confirmed that the toggles are available for a lot of users on both Android and iOS all over the world.

This change might be a part of Facebook’s master plan to create a more fun environment while surfing the site and this could be affirmed by the feature released last year. Dubbed ‘Your time on Facebook,’ that shows various photo montages of the media kept on your timeline as well as letting you see different photos of family birthdays and celebrating how long you’ve being friends with your contacts.

Hopefully, the addition of the ability of disable those annoying red notification dots might be the “crème de la crème” of their aim to get users more responsive while making the app less demanding.

Samsung is working on the successor to the Galaxy Watch Active

O. Christopher

June 29, 2019

Samsung is working on the successor to the Galaxy Watch Active

The Samsung Galaxy Watch Active made its debut four months ago, and it still is one of the most demanded and popular watches on the market. In fact, its popularity has blown out of proportions so much that the South-Korean manufacturing company has started work on the second-generation model of the watch.

The new model will come without a rotating bezel much like the original, according to sources within the company. A lot hasn’t been released about the model but we can assume that Samsung plans to retain the same overall look as the first generation of the watch. But it cannot really be called an improvement without a few external tweaks which will be looked forward to by the millions of users worldwide.

Along with the changes on the design, we can expect some internal changes and software upgrades. Upgrades will be made available for the fitness-focused features and a likely introduction of new features should accompany the new model.

This would be a major boost amidst consumers and can raise competition points against other competitors like Apple (who apparently found big success with its range of health-related features) in the market.

With all things being held equal, we should expect the Galaxy Watch Active 2 anytime soon as the Galaxy Watch Active was just recently launched. Instead, early 2020 is a better time for the Smartwatch to make its debut with the Galaxy S11 series.

In the meantime, Samsung will be keeping users busy with a lot of new smartphones like the eagerly anticipated Galaxy A90 series and its other line of accessories

Nintendo Switch finally Goes Android

O. Christopher

June 28, 2019

Back in February, two developers – Billy Laws and Max Keller – had been able to get Android running on Nintendo’s Switch gaming system for the very first time. It had been four months since then and developer Billy Laws (ByLaws) is very close to the release of the unofficial Android port to the Nintendo’s Switch.

The aforementioned Android port lets the Nintendo Switch function like a typical Android Tablet. With its Tegra X1 chipset and 4GB of LPDDR4 RAM, users are assured of a wonderful and seamless gaming experience when playing different games download from the Play Store.

From the report released, PUBG Mobile runs without glitch on balanced graphic setting. However, the Joycons don’t work and a higher graphics cannot be chosen as those options will be made available to the device “soon”.

Asides PUGB Mobile and some other games, the Joycons work efficiently well with most games and other apps. The only condition appears to be that the Joycons work online in wireless mode, despite being physically connected to the sides of the console.

Besides gaming, the Nintendo Switch can be used for media consumption with apps like Netflix and Youtube. Without a camera, microphone and in-built GPS, apps like Pokemon Go and Snapchat will not work on the Nintendo Switch. It can also use a keyboard and mouse simultaneously for the full PC experiences with the three USB ports present on the console and when docked, it can be connected to a bigger display screen via HDMI.

The Nintendo Switch Android port runs on the microSD card, which means it doesn’t affect or block users from accessing other Nintendo services too.

Microsoft debuts Foldable Centaurus

O. Christopher

June 28, 2019

There have been whispers of a Microsoft Surface Product with the ability to be folded for more than a year, but with the latest info leaked, we might be up for more possible details than we expect.

British analytics Outfit IHS Markit, in conversation with Forbes, mentioned that a smaller foldable Surface device would make its appearance in the first half of 2020, according to a supply chain info it had received. The Surface Centaurus dual-screen laptop has been displayed in secret by Microsoft

HIS Markit had further stated that the anticipated device would use the Microsoft’s foldable-friendly versions of Windows 10, and would be able to launch and run Android and iCloud apps and also run on Intel’s new 10nm Lakefield SoC.

The new version of Windows 10 “Window Core OS” will feature integrated UI that will support dual display systems.

The foldable surface features dual 9-inch displays present physically in a 4:3 aspect ratio. Apparently, the folding edge will be reinforced by a flexible yet sturdy hinge as shown in recent patents released by the corporation. In addition, the device would support 5G or an always open LTE mobile data connection.

As there is a lot of rumors going around about a pocket-sized Microsoft device given the code name “Andromeda”, The device referred to by HIS Markit is the surface-branded device known as the Centaurus which promises to be functional.

With the launch of foldable phones like the Samsung Galaxy Fold and the Huawei Mate X upcoming, the distinctions between smartphones, laptops and tablets are becoming extinct as it will take more from these manufacturers to achieve the perfect balance between affordability and reliability.

OnePlus on track to release its very first TV

O. Christopher

June 28, 2019

OnePlus on track to release its very first TV

As announced last year by OnePlus CEO Pete Lau last year, it is no longer news that the Chinese based smartphone manufacturer has been working on its very one Smart TV called “OnePlus TV”.

OnePlus has kept the world in suspense for about a year and now it seems like the company is finally ready to show the fruits of their labor. In a report by Ishan Agarwal, the launch for OnePlus TV is “not very far away,” but there was no other detail or info surrounding the release of the product into the market.

When Pete Lau announced to the world about the work put in place to produce the Smart TV, he stated that the company hopes to launch the product mid-2019. However, the launch can be delayed till 2020. With the recent developments, though, we can hope for the former and say with confidence that the OnePlus TV would be launched in the following months.

The OnePlus TV will be different from all other smart TVs as it will run on its on AI engine. Hence, the TV will be able to interact and communicate with a smartphone and perform deep learning due to its AI integration.

In other statements made by Pete Lau, the TV will seamlessly connect with a smartphone. Hence, it will be able to show traffic information, reminders and some other information. It will also have a built-in camera and solve concerns related to Security and Home Privacy.

India stands as one of the first countries to receive the smart TV as it was hinted by India Head for OnePlus that the OnePlus Tv is the next focus for the Indian market.

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