Software

The market research group Above Avalon has studied the fortunes of the Apple Watch series up to 2020, and has put the number of its adopters at 100 million. This would make it the OEM's fourth biggest product, with iPhones, iPads and Macs the only lines to sell better than these wearables. Should this trend continue, they may in fact be able to overtake the PCs by 2022.

Facebook is planning to expand its hardware ambitions further according to a report from The Information. Facebook is said to be working on a smartwatch along with its own operating system for mobile devices as it looks to diversify while also bolstering the anonymized aggregated data it collects from its users.

Xiaomi has now launched its new flagship phone the Mi 11 internationally, having done so in its native China earlier in the year. The YouTuber Frankie Tech has pitted units from both releases against each other in an exhaustive AnTuTu benchmarking test. He has concluded that the 'Chinese' version of the phone held up better in terms of scores, even if it did heat up more in the process.

The long-awaited dark theme for the Google Search webpage on Windows or macOS is reportedly now in A/B testing. This means some users may have already seen this update, which consists of an automatic color-scheme change in accordance with the system theme. This can help address preparing for the shock of that ever-present bright page that clashes with an otherwise eye-friendly UI.

The Epic Games Store is releasing all Kingdom Hearts games (across various collections) for the PC on March 30. The games appear to be direct ports from the respective console versions.

The ever-popular Nintendo Switch now has a Super Mario-themed edition. It is essentially the same as a normal SKU of this device, although it has a new red-and-blue colorway and is bundled with an appropriately-themed new carrying case, as well as JoyCon grips and straps in matching colors. It starts at US$299 on Best Buy.

Microsoft has reportedly set a date of February 18, 2021 for the launch of the Surface Duo in some European countries, as well as in Canada. However, it seems the dual-screen Android device will very much revert to its original price on its new international debut. Meanwhile, its price is now down by as much as US$450 in stores where it is sold.

Motorola has released the Moto E6i to the Brazilian market. This phone has just 2GB of RAM and 32GB of internal storage, something that one would have thought would be left behind at this stage. It also has a Unisoc SoC, an HD+ display and a microUSB port. On the plus side, it is an Android Go device, at least.

A proposed North Dakota law will force Apple and Google to allow developers alternative options for distributing iOS and Android apps, respectively. The bill will also allow developers to receive in-app payments through any method they choose, not just through the app's respective app platform.

A deleted tweet by a Spanish tech YouTuber claims that Xbox fans will get some "very interesting" news on February 17. Sadly, there are no details to talk about right now, but it is very likely that the backward compatibility update that promises double frame rate for old games locked at 30 fps will be finally unveiled.

Xiaomi has added the POCO F2 Pro and the POCO X3 NFC to its MIUI 12.5 rollout schedule, bringing the total number of eligible devices to 18.

Huawei has rolled out a new update to its most-expensive smartwatch, the Watch GT 2 Pro. The update brings plenty of improvements to the device, including the ability to set a password. 11.0.4.22 also optimises the Watch GT 2 Pro in multiple areas.

The Xiaomi MIUI 12.5 update for eligible smartphones utilizing the Global ROM has been found to offer fewer features and lower system optimization figures than the MIUI 12.5 China ROM. One particular memory-related optimization has a shortfall of -13% for the Global ROM, leading some to call MIUI 12.5 Global a “lite” version of the Android overlay.

The Sony Xperia 1 II may be the consumer version of the Xperia PRO, but it still contains many of the latter's professional features. Its latest software update gives it one of the Xperia PRO's best features too, arguably. The feature will be available on the Xperia 5 II, also.

JLab Audio is known for its personal audio devices; however, it claims to have translated its expertise in that market to the plug-and-play USB-connected mic. There are three of these new products: the Talk GO, Talk and Talk Pro. They all have a 24-bit rate, although the recording sampling rate rises from 96k to 192k in the Pro.

Thanks to the SwitchRoot team, Android 10-based LineageOS 17.1 can now be easily installed on the Nintendo Switch console. In the past, this popular game console received Android 8.1 Oreo from the same team. The new unofficial Android ROM brings deep sleep and a snappier overall experience to the Nintendo Switch.

Although handsets on other carriers all over the world should receive it as well, it looks like the first Galaxy A71 5G units to receive the Android 11-based One UI 3.0 update are those on Sprint's network in the US. In addition to the software refresh, it also addresses a memory corruption exploit.

The Razr 5G may combine nostalgia with a compelling design, but Motorola is letting it down with awful software support. With a vague promise of Android 11 at some point this year and six-month-old security patches, the Razr 5G is a tough sell at US$1,200.

EMUI 11.1 is on the horizon, according to multiple reports. Possibly arriving as early as March 2021 alongside the P50 series, EMUI 11.1 is expected to be the farewell for EMUI 11, with Huawei switching to HarmonyOS after that.

An early build of Google’s next iteration of Android appears to have leaked from documentation targeted at developers. The screenshots show a considerably overhauled UI along with the introduction of what could be a new approach to widgets and an added emphasis on privacy and security.

MIUI 12.5 may be faster, lighter and smoother than MIUI 12, but Xiaomi has confirmed that only 16 devices are slated to receive its new OS before Q3 2021. The MIUI 12.5 rollout will not begin until Q2 2021 either, although Xiaomi will eventually bring more devices onto MIUI 12.5 at some stage, but seemingly not before the summer.

Andrew Spinks, a co-creator of the popular platformer Terraria, took to Twitter today to blast Google for failing to provide help with his locked Google accounts. Spinks' YouTube, Gmail, Drive, and other Google services have been locked for three weeks. As a result of what he claims is a lack of support from Google, Spinks also announced that the Stadia version of Terraria has been canceled.

GoPro has announced its first full-year financial report since it switched to an online retail and subscription-based business model. The customers in question are now just over 760,000 in number, beating the company's most ambitious goal for the year. This may suggest that the action-cam's brand new strategy works, although that is not the full story of GoPro's 2020.

Xiaomi left it late with updating the Mi A2 to the January 2021 security patch, but we can have no such complaints this month. V11.0.21.0.QDIMIXM is rolling out now, just a few days after Google updated its Pixel smartphones to its latest security patch. The February 2021 security patch addresses 19 serious or critical CVEs for the Mi A2.

After sending out the Android 11 update to the Indian models of the Mi 10T and Mi 10T Pro last week, Xiaomi is now expanding the rollout to include the European models of the devices. The OTA weighs in at 2.8 GB and delivers MIUI 12 based on Android 11.

Nioh 2: Complete Edition recently launched on PC. While the package is decent value, including all DLC released so far, the port is in a rough state. Nioh 2 doesn't currently feature NVIDIA DLSS 2.0 option, as promised. Worse yet, keyboard and mouse button prompts don't show up, making for a confusing experience.

OnePlus has announced the roll-out of OxygenOS 11 Open Beta 2 for the OnePlus 7 and 7T series. This advance preview of the latest software for these flagships is the one that introduces Always-on ambient displays, albeit only for their Pro variants. It might also improve the behavior of features such as dynamic wallpapers and automatic brightness.

Optoma claims that its new DuraCore ProScene laser projector is rated to throw images with a brightness of 7,000 lumens. It is also short-throw, which means it can has use-cases up to and including whole-room, 24/7 immersive effects. The ZU720TST also weighs only 28 pounds, which could allow one person to mount it, even to a ceiling.

Telegram was #9 on SensorTower's list of most downloaded (non-game) mobile app in December 2020. Fast forward one month, however, and it had jumped up to #1. WhatsApp and Instagram were #3 and #4 at the end of 2020, but fell to #5 and #6 respectively at the start of 2021.

The Android 11-based version of the popular Pixel Experience ROM is now finally available for the Xiaomi Mi A1 with the February 2021 security patch in tow. Although we are talking about another Beta release, this ROM is stable enough and has almost everything it needs to be used on a daily basis.

The Galaxy F62 is the rumored re-brand of the Galaxy M62 smartphone said to be exclusive to India. Samsung has reportedly unveiled its marketing campaign for this device on Flipkart. It seeks to hold consumer attention until February 8, 2021, whereupon the phone might either be launched or leaked officially in more detail.

Google is bringing some clever features to its current crop of Pixel smartphones. According to a blog post, its smartphones will soon be capable of measuring heart rates and breathing without needing a smartwatch. The features should arrive on other Android smartphones eventually, too.

POCO's Indian division has announced that it has now sold 1 million units from its X series. It is also marking its first anniversary of "independence" from its original parent Xiaomi with a sale on Flipkart. This event involves deals such as 25% off a new C3, and runs until February 7, 2021.

Eve Devices originally pitched the Spectrum as the ideal display for enthusiasts - then pushed its delivery date back until well into 2021. However, it is still posting updates to its community website as a sign it is working on getting the product to the shipping stage. The latest one claims it is crossing things off a long list of desired features, which include VRR and an inbuilt frame-rate counter.

Reports out of China have stated that Xiaomi has started blocking the installation of Google Mobile Services (GMS) from some of its smartphones that operate with the China ROM firmware. Previously, users in China had been able to install the Google apps, but some with devices running on MIUI 12.5 have found this is no longer possible.
Xiaomi has clarified the GMS situation with an official statement.

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 has received many new features, including support for the company's SmartThings platform. The update, which is rolling out now, should also improve the smartwatch's reliability and stability.

Google launched a new smart screen interface in 2020, which it may intend to roll out across all devices that run its UI going forward. A new software update may bring that to fruition, with a new look for Android TVs that bring features like that found on the new Chromecast dongle.

MIUI 12.5 will debut in a few days, with Xiaomi billing it as smoother, faster and lighter than MIUI 12. The incremental OS update is not guaranteed to reach the Pocophone F1 though, despite being Xiaomi's poster child less than three years ago.

The Android 11-based One UI update is finally making its way to some Samsung Galaxy A51 in Russia. It brings forth new features such as a new user interface, scopes storage, improved privacy and permission settings and chat bubbles.

There have been some posts on Reddit claiming to show the PlayStation 5’s Oodle Kraken tool working at its best in regard to compressing game data from Control Ultimate Edition. While Xbox Series X owners have to give up around 42.5 GB of SSD space for the game files, PS5 owners only relinquish about 25.79 GB of room.

After gracing the Redmi Note 9S with the Android 11 update days ago, Xiaomi has now set its sights towards the Mi 10T series, with the Mi 10T and Mi 10T Pro currently receiving the Android 11 update in India. The OTA is a 2.8 GB download and is being sent out randomly at the moment.

Mobvoi's latest update for the TicWatch Pro 3 has not only added four new features to its popular smartwatch, but six improvements and a few bug fixes too. The update is rolling out now to smartwatches globally.

Apple is currently rumored to be involved in the design of its own-brand electric cars to rival other brands such as Tesla. This might now be bolstered with reports that the Cupertino giant has invested ~US$3.6 billion in Kia, a subsidiary of Hyundai known to be involved in the production of those kinds of automobiles.

The January 2021 update has brought new features and improvements to the Huawei Watch Fit, one of the Chinese company's cheaper smartwatches. The Watch Fit can now measure SpO2 levels periodically and manually split workout routines, among other changes. The update is rolling out now via the Huawei Health app.

Samsung marketed the latest generation of their Galaxy Buds with a number of new modes, an Ambient Sound mode being most prominent among them. It is a form of ANC with environmental awareness mixed in. The TWS earbuds' latest updates should improve the hand-off between these two modes.

The Dimensity 1100 is an SoC MediaTek has introduced as a one-step-down option from its new flagship, the 1200. The OEM Vivo is rumored to be one of the first, if not the first, to produce a phone based on it. According to a new leak, it is called the S9 and will debut on March 6, 2021.

Huawei may brag that HarmonyOS 2.0 is a 'brand-new distributed operating system', but Ars Technica has discovered that the company is telling porkies. Instead, HarmonyOS 2.0 is nothing more than a renamed EMUI 11, and one that Harmony requires a passport or a driving licence to try out.

Sony decided to only update only a handful of devices to Android 11, including the Xperia 1, Xperia 5 and Xperia 5 II. The Android 11 upgrade has now spread to more countries, but there are multiple complaints from owners of bugs and of regressive changes that Sony has made from Android 10.

The Galaxy A52 is a keenly-anticipated Samsung mid-ranger as it is projected to come with quad rear cameras and 4G/5G variants. Its launch has been set in stone as it has now been listed on the TENAA regulatory database. Meanwhile, the leaker Evan Blass now asserts that it will come in 4 "Awesome" colors.

Santa Monica Studio will release a free God of War patch that will bring new visual enhancements to those playing the 2018 hit title on the PlayStation 5. Gamers will be able to choose to play God of War in “enhanced performance mode” on the PS5 at 4K (checkerboard) and 60 FPS.