Software

Apple has introduced incremental updates for iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, tvOS and HomePod. All have received x.1 updates, which introduce several new features including SharePlay.

After three already planned updates in 2022, millions of old Android smartphones will not be able to run the latest version of the popular Microsoft Teams app. While the download of the final version of the Microsoft Teams app for these Android devices will also be limited, some users could feel forced to upgrade their smartphone.

Nokia's new "Let's Plant Together" initiative involves a commitment to getting new trees planted for every X- and G-series smartphone sold. The HMD Global brand has announced the measure as a new augment to the sustainability of its smartphone business, which already involves long-term warranty and software support.

Apple has started distributing macOS Monterey as a free update to most Macs that have been around since 2015. After the update, you can use an iPad as a second display without prior setup, among other changes.

HTC has introduced its latest product as a pair of noise-cancelling TWS earbuds. In fact, the Taiwanese stalwart insists these accessories have dual noise cancellation: that of the often sought-after active variety (or ANC), as well as the environmental (ENC) kind, thus ensuring "clear communication in any environment". They also offer "worry-free" IP5X splash-resistance and up to 24 hours of battery life.

Motorola had confirmed plans to release new smartwatches under its branding with a new partner, currently known as CE Brands. Now, this company has dropped this wearable's final product name, as well as several strong hints as to its design and about how much it might cost. It is now to be followed up by 2 more of its new series on its launch.

With Halo Infinite set to arrive in just two months, Microsoft finally decided to take the wraps off the campaign: the new campaign will show the first single-player footage we've seen in over a year since Craig the Brute's infamous debut.

Yuzu's resolution scaling feature recently received a massive update. Alongside a more effective texture scaling solution, Yuzu developers added in support for AMD's FidelityFX Super Resolution upscaling feature, making 4K Breath of The Wild more accessible than before.

Rockstar recently released the official minimum and required specifications for the Grand Theft Auto Trilogy remasters. Calling for an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 760 at minimum, alongside a quad-core processor, the 20 year-old games actually require beefier hardware than Assassin's Creed: Odyssey to run.

TCL has launched the TAB Pro 5G slate to the North American market. It has a 10-inch display and an affordable-grade Qualcomm processor for its up-to-date connectivity. This will be accessed through Verizon's network, as the tablet will be sold through this carrier only on its release.

Walmart now has new listings for Amazfit smartwatches; however, they are not for the latest GTR/GTS 3 series, but for the popular health and fitness tech brand's latest "performance" wearables, the Bip U Pro included. They start at US$40 through the physical and online retailer from now.

Google has confirmed that its five years of software support for the Pixel 6 series does not cover all software for the devices. Unfortunately, Google can only guarantee five years of security patch updates, with three major OS updates coming the way of the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro too.

The OEM Asus has outlined its timeline for the roll-out of its version of Android 12, and which devices are counted into this schedule. It contains some good news for owners of newer flagship devices from this company, if less so for those with older ROG Phone- or ZenFone-series smartphones.

Vivo has made the latest member of its more affordable Y series of smartphones official. The Y71t has an FHD+ 6.44-inch AMOLED display and a Dimensity 810 SoC. However, it seems the next device to launch from this OEM with the same display size might be much higher-end, although the two might have the same battery capacity.

Samsung Pay is the third most popular contactless digital payments system in use in Russia today. The South Korean giant's resultant market dominance is now under threat, however, as a Swiss company now asserts a relevant patent it owns is being infringed upon so that consumers can use it in the country. It is seeking a sales blockade that would mean Samsung would have to take a sizeable number of its handsets off Russian shelves soon.

Xiaomi has issued MIUI 12.5 Enhanced Edition to the Redmi 9 and Redmi Note 9 for global Mi Pilot testers. Both updates also contain the October 2021 Android security patch, with V12.5.2.0.RJOMIXM for the Redmi Note 9 bringing over two-dozen bug fixes and optimisations, too.

Xiaomi has begun rolling out its latest OS to the Mi 10T Lite on MIUI's global channel. MIUI 12.5 Enhanced Edition arrives as V12.5.3.0.RJSMIXM and should reach all handsets within the next week or so.

Huawei's latest Nova-series phones are veritable unicorns in the smartphone industry, having launched in China with a 4G/LTE-only version of the Snapdragon 778G. Now, some new leaks allege that they are coming to Europe, bringing this chipset with them. However, it already seems it is lacking in areas besides connectivity.

Motorola has just launched the Moto G Pure for the Canadian and US markets. Now, a device that looks like it might be a higher-end variant of the same phone has leaked via the FCC and Wi-Fi Alliance. They indicate that the device is 4G/LTE-only; however, images allegedly linked to the same phone show scope for a more premium display than that of the G Pure, at least.

A Lenovo representative has announced that the OEM will hold a major product event for later in 2021. A new tablet, the Xiaoxin Pad Pro 12.6, is confirmed as one of the stars of this show. However, there may be others, and they may be new PCs of the Yoga line.

Vivo launched its first-gen smartwatch in 2020. Now, a device that might prove to be its successor has been certified in China. It is rumored to uphold its series' trend of high-end specs such as a round AMOLED display, and add some of its own such as standalone connectivity.

Sony has just announced that its latest camera is none other than the latest alpha 7 (or a7) full-frame unit. The OEM touts it as a true "hybrid" shooting machine, in that it has optimized the new device for stills as well as videos - and live-streams. Furthermore, the a7 IV boasts a raft of updated hardware updates, which include its rear-mounted touchscreen.

You can now install Android apps on Windows 11, but only if you can jump through all the hoops that Microsoft sets. Not only is app support restricted to the US, but also the Windows Insider Preview Programme's Beta Channel. Other limitations apply too that are even harsher than Windows 11's punitive system requirements.

Xiaomi has brought the Mi 10 Lite and POCO F2 Pro onto MIUI 12.5 Enhanced Edition, its latest OS update. Additionally, the Redmi Note 10 5G and POCO M3 Pro 5G have received MIUI 12.5 globally, with MIUI 12.5 Enhanced Edition evading them for the time being.

Samsung has formally unveiled One UI 4 today. The OEM has indicated that this new interface is intended for use across all devices a given user might have from its brand, from its accessories to its mobile devices or PCs. Accordingly, it contains the latest versions of features such as SmartThings Find and Quick Share.

Google has announced the "most advanced smartphone camera" as part of its new Pixel 6 series. It introduces the latest modes and features developed for this historically competent line, Magic Eraser, Motion Mode, Real Tone and Face Unblur included. However, one or two are reserved for the higher-end Pro model.

A few screenshots showing Android apps running on a preview build of Windows 11 have surfaced on Chinese social media. The screenshots indicate that Microsoft will offer Android support via an optional install from the Microsoft Store. Supported Android apps on Windows will be able to offer multi-window multitasking, notification center integration, taskbar pinning, and more.

Oukitel has launched its latest Android phone as WP17. The OEM defines it as its first phone with "esthetic design", which translates to a device with 'rugged' features, albeit one that looks more like a "normal" phone compared to most in this category. Nevertheless, it still has "work-" and "outdoor" functions, most notably a rear camera with night vision.

Developers will be able to position content on either side of the contentious notch on the new Apple MacBook Pros. macOS Monterey will also offer a compatibility mode that can either be provided for by developers or enabled manually the Get Info panel in Finder, which reduces the display area via a black bar hiding the notch area.

Apple has dropped major updates to its popular pro creativity apps, Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro. Both apps now feature capabilities designed to fully leverage the exceptional performance capabilities of the M1 Pro and M1 Max silicon powering Apple’s new MacBook Pro notebooks.

Sony's Alpha division has just tweeted that a new camera is coming. This device, teased as the latest addition to the alpha series, will thus join the growing list of potentially major new devices to be launched this week (October 18-24, 2021). It is likely to come with the latest processor for its form-factor from the OEM, although further upgrades remain to be seen.

A "white hat" has reportedly jailbroken an iPhone 13-series unit in what might be record time and to the highest level of access. Furthermore, this exploit was apparently done remotely, and allowed the hacker in question to access and delete photos and other files on the phone. This allegedly involved entry points found in numerous aspects of iOS 15.

Xiaomi has brought another security patch update to the Mi A3, its last-supported Android One smartphone. V12.0.15.0.RFQMIXM is rolling out now to handsets on MIUI's global branch.

Intel Pentium 4 processors run Windows 11 because of an oversight on Microsoft's behalf. Even single-core ones are eligible for Windows 11, provided that they support Hyper-Threading.

Verizon, Samsung and Qualcomm have collaborated on a project directed toward raising the limit for upload speeds over 5G. This was done using a combination of mmWave and other bands to produce a result estimated at over 700 megabits per second (Mb/s). This might reduce the time taken to upload 4K videos over the networks in question to just a few seconds.

The Honor 50 is a premium mid-range smartphone said to launch in Europe soon. Now, its maker is rumored to be preparing a 50 Lite to go along with it. It is said to have the exact same specs and looks as a device from Honor's former parent company Huawei - however, one version might have some crucial advantages over the other.

Xiaomi has sent out the MIUI 12.5 Enhanced Edition update to a number of its more expensive phone. The company is now setting its sights towards the mid-range segment, starting with the Redmi 9T—with its Global version now getting a MIUI 12.5 Enhanced update that also delivers Android 11.

Intel's latest display driver, version 30.0.100.9955, brings support for dynamic refresh rate and H.264, HEVC DX12 encode for 10th gen Core processors with Iris Plus graphics and upwards. Dynamic refresh rate is a new Windows 11 WDDM 3.0 feature that allows devices, such as the Surface Pro 8 and Surface Laptop Studio, to seamlessly switch between 60 Hz and higher refresh rates to offer the best of battery life and smooth inking.

In a recent policy change, Valve decided that the Steam platform would no longer support games built on blockchain technology that let users receive or exchange crypto or NFT assets, raising questions about the future of player-owned NFT assets.

Motorola is slated to have the next round of its Moto G-series smartphones in the works. These rumors started with the G31; now, signs of what might be its higher-end siblings have emerged. The FCC may have approved one already, while Geekbench purports to have tested another.

Sony's Chinese division is reportedly in talks with Meizu to port features of the latter's Android skin, Flyme OS, to mobile devices from the former in that country. This may sound strange as Sony already develops its own apps for its phones; however, it may perceive the region-specific change as a better way to appeal to that market.

The Financial Crimes Enforcement Network stated that so far in 2021, crypto exchange and financial institutions have reported nearly US$600 million in transactions to pay ransomware attackers. This is signifcantly higher than 2020’s entire-year figure of US$416 million.

Anker's popular personal audio brand Soundcore has gotten into the audio glasses game with its first-gen Frames. This modern-day pair of shades sets itself apart in that the user can remove the speaker-enabled components and attach them to an entirely new set of lenses. This makes the spectacles interchangeable in terms of style, although this does come at an additional cost.

The surprisingly high specifications, with a GeForce GTX 970 as the recommended GPU, raise questions about optimisation and how significant Rockstar’s remastering efforts are.

OnePlus India has posted a new Tweet strongly hinting that a previously rumored new version of the OEM's first-gen smartwatch is coming to India. This "Harry Potter Edition" is currently projected to launch with the same specs as the original wearable, although it is now clear it will have a new band to go with its new theme.

Thunderbird is an augmented reality (AR) -focused start-up supported by the display-centric OEM TCL. Now, the two brands have unveiled something apparently three years in the making: the new Smart Glasses Pioneer Version, with a groundbreaking color micro-LED display geared toward an optimal AR experience.

miHoYo has announced a new chapter for its flagship game Genshin Impact, coming to iOS via a new update. This 2.2 iteration adds a number of new assets and stories - not to mention 120fps support for "some devices". Meanwhile, the same feature remains missing from the title's PC and console versions.

Crytek employees showcased Crysis 2 gameplay on Twitch, with the game slated to arrive on October 15th. A detailed list of new enhancements was also shared: Crysis 2 will be receiving SVOGI, hardware ray-tracing, and a raft of other features. However, RT will be limited to PC.

Acer's new L811 laser-powered device is directed at those wishing to project their own 4K HDR10-compatible movies at home. For those who would prefer a monitor that could also support some image-editing work, there is the 27-inch CB273U IPS monitor. For more "serious" display needs, however, the OEM has now also announced pricing and availability for the Nitro XV272U KF.

The Mi 10T and Mi 10T Pro have received MIUI 12.5 Enhanced Edition in Europe. Previously, the pair were eligible for the update on Xiaomi's Mi Pilot program. V12.5.7.0.RJDEUXM is rolling out as a Stable Beta update with the September 2021 security patch.