Software

Razer has already held its first virtual launch event in 2020. Now, it will hold a second to be livestreamed in November of the same year. It apparently consists of a series of "exclusive" product debuts, unboxings and giveaways via the OEM's official YouTube channel.

After successfully completing the internal testing stage, Diablo Immortal is now ready to being the external regional testing. To make it all even better for Blizzard fans, the company's president and COO, Daniel Alegre, has also confirmed that more mobile games are currently in the works.

The PlayStation 5 launch title Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales has been spotted at the Walmart website for a surprisingly low price of just US$21.88. Although it is likely to be a listing error, future owners of the PS5 might want to see if they can snag a bargain while the Miles Morales page is still up.

With a starting price of US$9.99 per month, eligible Google One plans in the US will include the VPN service for free. However, this handy feature will be available only in the Google One application for Android. In the coming months, Google's VPN might become available in other markets as well.

There is a possibility that Xiaomi will reveal details about MIUI 13 in the company’s upcoming Mi Developer Conference (MIDC). There is no official eligibility list for MIUI 13 yet, but it has been predicted it will include the Redmi Note 8 and Note 9 series smartphones, all the Mi 10 range, and the POCO X2 and X3 devices.

Recently, an upcoming OPPO device with a pleasant dark blue finish and quad rear cameras appeared on the Chinese regulator TENAA's website. Subsequent leaks indicate that it is the K7x 5G, a 90Hz display device slated to launch on November 4, 2020 in the same country. It is set to run on the Dimensity 720 SoC, up to 8GB of RAM and a 5000mAh battery.

The OEM Ulefone has launched its new Watch series, which support continuous heart-rate tracking, multiple sports modes and 5ATM water-resistance. There is also a blood-oxygen sensor in the Pro model, whereas the Watch GPS has additional activity-tracking features. They start at US$49.99, or even less with a limited-time introductory offer.

Apple's products have shown themselves as resistant to teardowns and re-assembly in the past. The Australian device-repair YouTuber Hugh Jeffreys has posted a new video that seems to demonstrate that this is also true of the recently-launched iPhone 12. The device's UI and cameras exhibited anomalies in response to a motherboard switch.

A leaked video clip of the PlayStation 5 in action has been amazing fans with its superfast load times. One of the highlights on display is the time it takes to get from the PS5 user interface to the Spider-Man: Miles Morales game save: two seconds. Only a few more seconds of waiting are required for the game to fully load.

Xiaomi has started pushing out the MIUI 12 beta stable ROM for users of the Global variant of the Redmi Note 7. At the present, the Android-based software should start arriving on some selected Redmi Note 7 smartphones as an over-the-air (OTA) update. Devices with the Indonesia or Russia ROM should follow soon.

Huami has released extensive software updates to three of its most popular smartwatches, the Amazfit GTS, GTR and GTR Lite. The update brings an important health feature to the three smartwatches and improves the precision of their GPS modules.

ROCCAT has announced new additions to its gaming peripheral line-up. The new Vulcan keyboard series consists of Pro, Pro TKL and vanilla TKL variants. They are equipped with this OEM's Titan switches and AIMO lighting system, as is the new Burst Pro mouse. Its properties include feet made of pure, heat-treated PTFE to enhance its speed and responsiveness.

The usual dark mode that has been available for a while on the desktop and iOS versions of Facebook is finally ready for a public test, although there is no release date to talk about at this stage. Since Instagram and WhatsApp got this visual theme a long time ago, Facebook for Android will probably go dark for everyone as soon as possible.

The Eve V 2020 is an upcoming Intel Tiger Lake-powered convertible PC that, as its OEM likes to say, was co-designed with its fans. The latest stage in its ongoing production involves finalizing the design of its detachable keyboard. It now apparently combines aspects of a few previous concepts, the custom button functions of which Eve now invites feedback on.

Introduced as a new part of the SmartThings app, SmartThings Find is now available for all Samsung users worldwide. This is a new way to locate a range of select Galaxy smartphones, tablets, smartwatches, and earbuds at once thanks to the Bluetooth Low Energy and ultra-wideband technologies.

Huawei has published the list of devices that will be eligible to receive EMUI 11 beta. All devices should be brought onto the EMUI 11 beta program by the end of November. The list contains 37 devices, including some Honor handsets. Stable EMUI 11 updates start rolling out by the end of next month, too.

Samsung has obtained Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approval for a device called the SM-A205M. This, according to several leaks, may be launched as the Galaxy A02 or possibly A02s. Its new registration shows that it is a 4G/LTE-only phone with a rectangular rear camera.

Samsung has donated another feature to the Galaxy Watch Active 2, its former flagship smartwatch. This time, the South Korean company has borrowed from the feature set of the new Galaxy Watch 3, which it released in August.

GeForce Now gets a boost this week with new games including Watch Dogs: Legion and Ghostrunner, as well as free subscriptions for RTX 3070 and eligible Chromebook owners. The service now has over 650 games available and has new titles added every week.

It seems that Xiaomi forgot to include several features in the first Android 10 and MIUI 12 update for the global version of the Redmi Note 8. According to multiple reports, V12.0.1.0.QCOMIXM is missing multiple elements of MIUI 12, like floating windows, new animations and even the Android 10 gesture navigation pill.

The Samsung Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge have received a new update, over four-and-a-half years since their release in March 2016. The update brings the September 2020 security patch to the two devices, along with bug fixes, performance optimisations and stability improvements.

Xiaomi has started publishing volume two of its MIUI 12 Global ROM bug tracker report over at the Mi Community forum. The table contains a list of issues reported by Mi Pilot testers, with the POCO F1 featuring heavily. There are also entries for the Redmi Note 9 Pro, Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro, POCO F2 Pro, and Redmi 9A.

AMD introduced the RX 6800 as the most vanilla of its all-new RDNA 2-based line-up today (October 28, 2020). However, based on its specs, it may pack a punch of its own. It offers the same GDDR6 memory and Infinity Cache as its higher-end siblings, albeit with fewer compute units (CUs) and the series' lowest base clock thus far.

Unbridled MIUI 12 has finally arrived globally for the Pocophone F1. V12.0.2.0.QEJMIXM is available as an OTA download, but Xiaomi has also published the recovery and fastboot ROMs of the build, should you need to install one of those instead.

Recently, the tipster Max J. asserted that OnePlus would introduce its first-ever smartwatch in October 2020. Now, the same leaker claims that this launch has been postponed, possibly due to development issues with the new product. The OEM apparently does not have a new date for the event at this time.

Take to the streets in joy, Redmi Note 8 owners; MIUI 12 and Android 10 is finally here for you! After months of delays, Xiaomi is finally sending out the stable MIUI 12 and Android 10 update to the global version of the Redmi Note 8, with the update weighing a hefty 2.1 GB.

The OEM Huami has held its global launch for the second-gen Amazfit GTR and GTS wearables, although they will only be released in the US and UK markets to start off with. These smartwatches feature blood-oxygen, heart-rate, sleep and stress monitors, which are analyzed using their in-house PAI system. They will be available through channels such as Amazon on their release.

After sending out the highly awaited MIUI 12 update to the European version of the Redmi Note 9S, Xiaomi has now expanded the rollout by sending a similar update to the global variant of the device. The Mi A3 also happens to be receiving the October security patch.

Mesh networking is based on a set of repeaters that can be placed strategically around a building (usually a home) to ensure a good Wi-Fi signal in every room. Qualcomm has just announced its latest series of chipsets for this use-case, which, as it claims, can greatly improve on speeds while reducing the size of each new mesh point based on it.

OnePlus' first-ever TWS earbuds were AirPod clones, but did come with a gray variant at least. They have been out of stock in many countries for some time, however. The OEM has now revealed that they are back in its store now, however, and that they are US$20 off their regular price right now.

DOOGEE's latest in its line of durable smartphones is the S96 Pro. This device counts a 20MP Sony "night vision" sensor among its 4 rear cameras. It also has a colossal battery of over 6000mAh in capacity, an ingress-protection rating of up to IP69K and the MediaTek Helio G90 SoC.

Hacking Google apps and services have returned to Honor and Huawei devices, courtesy of Googlefier. The workaround can bring Google Mobile Services to devices like the Mate 30 Pro and P40 Pro.

In addition to the Sprint and T-Mobile customers that receive the One UI 3.0 beta update on the Galaxy Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra — alongside those who use the unlocked versions of these handsets — in the US. The good news is that this update is also rolling out in other markets, such as India and Germany.

Xiaomi has now launched its newest device, the Redmi K30S, in its home country of China. The Redmi K30S is, for all intents and purposes, a rebranded Mi 10T for certain markets, and it carries an appropriate price tag, starting at €325 versus the Mi 10T's €499.

Initially announced as one of the Sony-published launch titles for the upcoming PlayStation 5 console, the vehicular combat game Destruction AllStars has had its launch date pushed to early 2021. The good part is that the game will come (almost) for free with a PlayStation Plus membership.

Vivo is rumored to launch its camera-centric successors to the X50 line of phones soon, perhaps before 2020 is out. These devices are also now thought to introduce a new Android skin developed by this company. This "Origin OS" is now slated to have the quality necessary to challenge rivals from OnePlus or Samsung.

LG now has a few generations of its TONE FREE AirPod-clones under its belt. Now, it has announced a new one. These buds look much like the old, except that they support active noise-cancelling (ANC) this time. Their series' UVnano self-disinfecting technology is also still here.

A reported update policy operated by Xiaomi in regard to MIUI and Android upgrades has shown the smartphone series favored by the Chinese OEM and which are more likely to be neglected. The unofficial list reveals that owners of Redmi (not Redmi K), Redmi Note, POCO M, and POCO C smartphones will receive the least upgrades.

Xiaomi is slowly continuing with the MIUI 12 rollout for the Snapdragon 720G-powered arm of the Redmi Note 9 family. The latest devices to receive MIUI 12 are the European variant of the Redmi Note 9S and the Indonesian model of the Redmi Note 9 Pro, keeping with reports from a week ago.

The now — unofficially, of course — declassified achievement list for Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War contains no less than 44 items that cover various milestones that players need to reach in the campaign, multiplayer, and zombie modes. The platinum trophy gets awarded to those who hit 1,000 points.

A new research report has concluded that 63% of households with residential security equipment in the US are now considering buying a smart home device in the next 12 months compared to 40% of broadband internet-using households. Therefore, it seems that the trend toward integration with assistants such as Amazon Alexa among home-grade security OEMs is paying off in that respect.

More users of Xiaomi smartphones have been reporting issues with battery drain after installing the MIUI 12 update. The problem had already been mentioned on social media in connection to devices like the Redmi Note 8 Pro and Xiaomi Mi 9, with POCO F1 owners also recently complaining about the hitch. Xiaomi may address the issue with future firmware builds.

Some evidence of Samsung's next-gen super-budget smartphones has appeared in a new tip. It concerns a phone thought to be called the Galaxy A02s, which appears to be a 3GB RAM version of the also-rumored Galaxy A02. Oddly, however, the new benchmarking leaks for both possible phones lack SoC data.

Eve Devices is adamant that it should not ship its upcoming Spectrum monitor "until it is ready". To this end, it has revealed that the shipping date for its QHD/240Hz and 4K/144Hz SKUs has been pushed back to February 2021. This, apparently, will give it time to iron issues with its production out.

A Sony executive's latest blog post has revealed that 6 different major content-streaming platforms will be compatible with the PlayStation 5 from day 1. They include Spotify, YouTube, Disney Plus and Netflix, which will get their own dedicated buttons on the console's also newly-announced Media Remote. Other apps may become available thereafter.

Apple is now slated to finally unleash its long-awaited AirTags in 2021. These new products are currently widely accepted to be this OEM's answer to products such as Tile anti-loss wireless accessories. However, according to leaks of new patents obtained by the Cupertino company, their applications may go far beyond that.

The Xiaomi Mi A2 has received its monthly update, this time called V11.0.15.0.QDIMIXM. The new update brings the October 2020 set of security patches to the Android One handset, along with a few bug fixes. V11.0.15.0.QDIMIXM is rolling out now as an OTA.

MIUI 12 may still be on a limited release for the global version of the Xiaomi Pocophone F1. If your device is yet to receive the OS upgrade, then flashing the OTA files manually may do the trick.

Owners of the Redmi Note 7 that operates with the Europe (EEA) MIUI ROM will be pleased to know that there is an Android 10-based MIUI 12 beta stable update now available for that particular smartphone. MIUI 12 for Redmi Note 7 users with the Global, Indonesia, or Russia variant should be coming soon.

Huawei's freshly-launched Mate 40 series has, as predicted through leaks, an extra-premium Porsche Design variant. It is accompanied by a similarly customized new smartwatch. This titanium-cased version of the Watch GT 2 has a new "iconic" watch-face, as well as continuous blood-oxygen tracking.