Software

Huawei has updated its EMUI 11 upgrade plans in two regions. To date, the OS upgrade has only reached handsets in Asia Pacific and Canada, where the Mate 30 and P40 series have begun the slow march to EMUI 11. Huawei claims that it has upgraded over 10 million devices to EMUI 11 already, though.

Apple has started distributing watchOS 7.2 to Apple Watch Series smartwatches. The latest version of watchOS introduces Apple's smartwatches to Fitness+, although this is not available globally. Thankfully, there is another exciting new feature as of watchOS 7.2 that is available everywhere.

Released back in mid-August on Windows and expected to hit Xbox consoles next year, this year's Microsoft Flight Simulator was highly praised by both the press and the public for its graphical accuracy. Although it also has some issues, this title is the fastest-growing in the series so far, with more than 2 million players already.

Google's game streaming platform Stadia is now available on iOS. It is not on the App Store, however, having taken NVIDIA GeForce NOW's route as a web app onto iPhones. Therefore, users with these devices can now log into the sevice on its latest compatible hardware, should they want to.

The Galaxy A32 is predicted to be Samsung's cheapest 5G phone of 2021. It is also said to have a design rather different from other rumored devices from this OEM. A product that might match its description has been certified by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), suggesting that it will launch in the US at least.

Epic Games has released a new alpha for Fortnite on PCs. It may lower the flagshi title's demand on memory and hard-drive space in order to increase FPS on devices with less powerful CPUs. Then again, it may also reduce detail and visual effects in-game.

Qualcomm and Google are now collaborating to extend Project Treble support to offer four Android OS versions and four years of security updates starting with devices powered by the Snapdragon 888. With this move, Qualcomm hopes to give users a more predictable software lifecycle and ensure most of them are on the latest OS release. The onus of actually releasing these updates, however, still rests on OEMs.

Described as "the largest and most ambitious Grand Theft Auto Online adventure to date," The Cayo Perico Heist is also the first of its kind that can be played without any companions from start to finish, although the player can also choose to team up with one or two companions.

Word on the grapevine from last week teased the possibility of Xiaomi launching a Mi 11 Mini as the third device in the Mi 11 series. That appears to be unlikely now, however, as a new report claims that the third device will be the Mi 11 Pro+. Or, perhaps, the Mi 11 Ultra? The Galaxy S21 Ultra will have its work cut out for it in any case.

Xiaomi has released a new firmware update for the Mi Band 5 activity tracker. The software has been pushed out to deal with problems with the accuracy of the sleep-tracking function, with a few other minor additions such as extra language support included. It’s likely the update will eventually make it to the international Mi Smart Band 5 variant.

Apple has now issued iOS and iPadOS updates to version 14.3. It contains some previously-promised features, which include ProRAW support in the Pro iPhone 12 variants, not to mention Apple Fitness+. It also reportedly fixes some issues, including one in which a user's new messages failed to appear in their Notifications.

2020's consoles have been linked to chronically low stock since their launch. This might cause some concern among buyers wishing to have one ordered prior to the winter holidays. However, Best Buy has announced that it should have stock of the PlayStation 5 and new Xboxes available to buy online from December 15.

Vivo has announced that the X60 and X60 Pro smartphones will be unveiled later in December 2020. These devices will be powered by SoCs provided by Samsung, and have cameras augmented by Zeiss technology. The OEM will also hold a conference that outlines the latter prior to its new hardware launch.

CDPR has apologized for Cyberpunk 2077's lackluster performance on last-gen consoles such as the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 and said that new patches are forthcoming to fix a majority of reported issues. The company is also offering to refund these players via PSN and the Xbox Store.

The POCO X3 NFC smartphone is to receive a new MIUI 12 build before it gets Android 11. Xiaomi has announced a beta stable Global ROM for the POCO X3 NFC that is currently being pushed out to select users. It seems owners can expect to get an upgrade to Android 11 soon as well, thanks to an appearance on Geekbench.

The hotfix labeled 1.04 that has been around for two days already on all platforms fixes multiple quest bugs, improves stability, takes out a few crashes, but also includes changes to the flashing effect in Braindance sequences that eliminate the chance for these episodes to induce epileptic seizures.

Jay Freeman, the developer of the Cydia app store, has filed suit against Apple for monopolistic practices that have shut alternative app distribution methods out of iOS. If Freeman wins this suit, it could force Apple to allow and support alternative app installation methods for iOS.

Carl Pei announced a decision to leave OnePlus, a smartphone OEM he helped set up, earlier in 2020. Now, he has reportedly attracted US$7 million in capital for his new business from various private investors. It is also apparently now hiring for positions in two cities.

Xiaomi has officially announced the latest stable MIUI 12 ROM for owners of the China variant of the Redmi Note 8. The software update is available either over-the-air (OTA) or as a download. Users of the Global version of the Redmi Note 8 can expect the Android 10-based update to land on their devices soon.

Ghosts 'n Goblins Resurrection is a remake of the Capcom arcade classic. The title, which has a nice graphical overhaul and some new features, maintains the original's infamous difficulty. The title will release for the Nintendo Switch in February 2021.

The LG Velvet has started to receive Android 11, albeit only in South Korea. The LG OS Preview Program is open to multiple variants of the device, and marks the beginning of the path to Android 11 for LG handsets.

The Redmi Note 8 Pro will be one of Xiaomi's next devices to receive Android 11. The same applies to the Redmi Note 8 as Xiaomi looks to bring Android 11 to more handsets on the beta branch of MIUI in China. The Redmi Note 8 and Redmi Note 8 Pro are two of four Redmi handsets to be called up to Android 11 within the next few weeks.

Elven apostate hedge mage Solas returns in the new Dragon Age 4 trailer, which has been unveiled two years since the last teaser. Unfortunately, the video does not contain any details regarding the release date of this title that was supposed to launch last year, but reveals that the hero will not be a "chosen one" as before.

Microsoft has finally rolled out the first Windows Insider tech preview of x64 emulation for Windows 10 on Arm devices. The update brings long-awaited support for regular 64-bit x86 applications helping to make Windows on Arm devices a more viable alternative.

A short teaser is enough to bring back a lot of pleasant memories to fans of the Mass Effect franchise and, despite BioWare's recent troubles, the company is now on the path to a new chapter of the game's universe. Sadly, the game is still "in the early stages," and there is no launch date to talk about yet.

Today (December 10, 2020) is a Thursday, which means GeForce NOW has new games to add to its library. NVIDIA has announced that Cyberpunk 2077 is one of them, which makes it a day-and-date release alongside other services such as the Epic Games Store. This streaming platform is also the official host of the Game Awards Festival.

Bomaker is not what could be called a household name in the home-theater projector market; nevertheless, it has made some attention-grabbing claims for its product freshly put up for crowdfunding. They include the ability to throw a 200-inch 4K screen up onto a wall just 31 inches away from this device.

Eight years of hard work developing Cyberpunk 2077 seems to have paid off for the Polish video-game company CD Projekt. Apparently the action RPG clocked up more than eight million preorders, amounting to over US$500 million in revenue. The incredible Cyberpunk 2077: Collector’s Edition features a statue of V in action and a map of Night City.

Samsung will be delivering the Android 11 upgrade to devices in Europe until September 2020, according to an official upgrade plan. The rollout of One UI 3.0 is already underway for the Galaxy S20 series, but the recently announced Galaxy S20 FE must wait until February 2021. Many of Samsung's recent flagships will receive One UI 3.0 and Android 11 from next month, though.

Although we are talking about a DRM-free title, Cyberpunk 2077 is already available for download from various shady sources in repacked versions. Even more, a GOG version of the game (which has roughly 110 GB, about twice the size of the compressed versions) has leaked online as well.

Unsurprisingly, the release of what is most likely the most anticipated game ever — we are talking about Cyberpunk 2077, of course — comes with a new GeForce Game Ready Driver from NVIDIA. In addition to DLSS support for Cyberpunk 2077 and Minecraft RTX, there is also support for multiple new G-SYNC displays, and more.

Samsung is now rumored to have a new Exynos 9825-powered phone called the Galaxy F62 in the works. Most recently, a rear panel for this device has allegedly leaked out, suggesting that it will be another member of the square-cam brigade. It is also now touted to be particularly thin and to be in production in an Indian factory.

OnePlus has just added some of its newer devices to the Android Enterprise Recommended (AER) program. However, this has created confusion as the OEM originally left its new webpage on the subject on "quarterly security patches" for all of the models in question. This has now been corrected, in conjunction with a statement from a company representative.

It appears as though Xiaomi is pulling a Samsung with a half-step upgrade for MIUI 12. The update will supposedly be called MIUI 12.5, and will feature multiple UI changes from MIUI 12. Xiaomi is yet to officially upgrade many devices from MIUI 11 to MIUI 12, though.

Although it was announced two years ago and should have arrived in 2019, Dragon Age 4 is nowhere to be found yet. However, it seems that we will get "a special look" at this long-awaited title during this year's The Game Awards show, which has been scheduled to take place as a virtual event tomorrow due to the ongoing pandemic.

Google's Pixel 2 and 2 XL had been included in the Android 11 beta program, and has also been cut in to the latest security patch issued directly from its Mountain View-based OEM. However, after 3 years of being on the market, this update is also its final official OTA. Owners of these devices now have a few options going forward, upgrading included.

Huawei has released new software updates for two of its most popular smartwatches, the Watch GT 2 Pro and Honor MagicWatch 2. Each update adds a few interesting new features, such as workout upgrades and a quick dial that contains shortcuts for favourite features.

Nokia is currently rumored to hold a launch event before the end of 2020, at which the 7.3 5G, 6.3 and 5.4 smartphones are to be unveiled. A new leak purports to be a full specs spill for the latter. Its headline is an SoC which may be a disappointing follow-up to its predecessor.

NVIDIA has announced that four new game titles coming this month will bring support for DLSS enabling all GeForce RTX GPUs to play them at 4K at 60 fps and above. Also, Minecraft with RTX is now coming out of beta and will include full path tracing and DLSS compatibility along with a built-in ray tracing benchmark. NVIDIA also claimed that the GeForce RTX platform is the best for playing Cyberpunk 2077.

Android 11 is almost ready to arrive on another dozen devices like the Xiaomi Mi A3, according to a new report. The Mi A3 is Xiaomi's only Android One handset that is eligible for Android 11, as the Mi A1, Mi A2 and Mi A2 Lite have already received their allotted two OS upgrades. Other devices supposedly scheduled for Android 11 include the global Redmi Note 9 Pro and Redmi Note 9 Pro Max.

While reviewing Cyberpunk 2077, a Game Informer editor faced a major seizure and felt close to another one a few times. The list of triggers includes Braindance sequences, a part of the game that happens to be similar to the experience provided by a device used in real life by neurologists to trigger seizures.

Based on Chromium 87, Vivaldi 3.5 features the ability to share URLs with QR codes via a small button in the address field, media fixes that enhance video/audio content consumption, more ways to manage tabs, single key shortcuts improvements, a new accept-language setting, and much more.

The upcoming Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond requires a beefy rig to play, including an Nvidia GeForce RTX 2080, an Intel Core i7-9700K, and at least 16 GB of RAM. However, the most insane spec needed to run the game is a minimum of 170 GB of SSD storage.

The game can be already preloaded by those who purchased it, but when trying to load Cyberpunk 2077 via GOG GALAXY, those in a rush to enjoy this title end up facing an Easter egg in the shape of a message from Johnny Silverhand that says "Go back to sleep, Samurai! It's not December 10th yet." and nothing more.

Google has announced an update for Chrome OS to version 87. This upgrade allows users to see how much battery their Bluetooth-connected peripherals have left for the first time. It also confers the ability to search through open tabs and makes the system more accessible to multilingual users.

The Galaxy S21 series is currently touted to launch soon. Their launch is now said to mean the end of support for some older smartwatches or fitness bands from the same OEM, however. They may still work with older phones, though, just not those released after 2020.

The OEM Vivo's next flagship series of smartphones are now thought to be called the X60, X60 Pro and X60 Pro+. At least some of them may be the devices that feature in a new certification by the Chinese regulator 3C. If so, they may be capable of charging at up to 33 watts (W).

Earlier tips may have offered a glimpse of an early-2021 premium mobile device from Motorola. Now, another suggests that the OEM also has more affordable phones in the works. They are said to have the code-names Capri and Capri Plus, one of which may have a 90Hz display.

The Italian carrier TIM, Ericsson and Qualcomm have collaborated on a project to push millimeter-wave 5G reception beyond its current limits. This work has resulted in the ability to pick this signal up at high speed from 6.5 kilometers away. Then again, this was not done with smartphones, but rather with equipment for potential next-gen wireless broadband.

With "an exciting new design, enhanced everyday features and deep customization" in tow, the official launch of One UI 3 comes to Galaxy S20 series devices starting in Korea, the US, and most European markets. More regions and devices will follow in the coming weeks, while the Galaxy A handsets are scheduled to get it in the first half of 2021.