Software

Details on the inaugural digital event RazerCon have been unveiled. This 2020 conference will provide mixed-reality (MR) showcases of new products from the event's host, as well as partners including NVIDIA, Intel and Western Digital. There will also be appearances by gaming celebrities during the live-streamed show, as well as a virtual concert featuring artists such as Deadmau5.

Pete Lau is the CEO of OnePlus, an OEM with a late-2020 flagship phone refresh on the way. He has taken to Weibo to discuss lag in mobile devices of this tier. The executive also indicated that the impending 8T will resist it until it is 3 years old at the earliest.

The prominent tipster _rogame_ has found a new entry on UserBenchmark for a laptop with a Tiger Lake Core i7 processor, 16GB of RAM and a 512GB hard-drive. The results do not mention an OEM; however, the leaker insists the upcoming device is from Huawei. Therefore, it may be a high-end Matebook of the future.

A new video from PlayStation UK has offered up an explanation of some of the PS5 tech, including a mention of the console’s famous SSD and its 5.5 GB/s typical raw read bandwidth. However, thanks to assistance from Oodle Kraken and Oodle Texture, I/O bandwidth could actually reach 17.38 GB/s and even Mark Cerny’s 22 GB/s claim.

Another unofficial Xiaomi Android 11 update list has appeared on Telegram with a few changes worth noting. Both the Xiaomi Mi 10 Ultra and Redmi 9 have been promoted to apparent internal testing, while it appears no smartphones that were operating on MIUI 9 at launch time will receive Android 11 from Xiaomi.

The latest word on HarmonyOS, Huawei's alternative to Google's AOSP-based Android, was that it would not be available until 2021 at the earliest. Now, a new report claims that the OEM will release the software to developers as early as December 2020 so as to make this happen. The company may also take this opportunity to integrate smartphones into the rest of its device ecosystem.

Amazon has made the latest generations of its Echo, Echo Dot and Echo Show smart speakers official. The latter still has an in-built screen; however, this one can swivel around on its base so as to keep a user in the "eyeline" of its 13MP camera. The Echo Dot also now has multiple variants. These new smart speakers are available to pre-order from now.

RollingSquare has launched the HYPHEN 2 truly wireless (TWS) earbuds on Indiegogo. They are touted as having internals and advantages that set them apart from other products in their category. These include a slight departure from the AirPod-clone form factor, a different type of battery and a new type of noise isolation that is apparently as good as active noise cancelling (ANC) with fewer downsides.

Although the latest statistics show its usage below 1 percent worldwide, the now ancient Windows XP is still being used by almost two times as many people as the more recent Windows Vista. However, the fact that the leaked code became widely available this week through Mega, 4Chan, and other sources, should make anyone think twice before going online with it.

A video clip of the purported MIUI 13 power menu animation has recently been leaked. Along with that, a completely unofficial and somewhat bewildering MIUI 13 eligible device list has been drawn up that includes the practically ancient Redmi Note 4 but forgets about the Xiaomi Mi 9 series and the brand-new Redmi Note 9 range.

Xiaomi looks to be keeping up rather nicely with security patches—at least on some of its phones. After sending out the September update to the Indian model of the Redmi Note 8 Pro, the company is now rolling out the update to the global variants of the Redmi Note 9 and Redmi Note 9 Pro.

Epic Games has been in open litigious conflict with Apple over the latter's 30% levy on developer revenue in exchange for the use of its App Store. Now, the studio has escalated this situation with the implementation of the Coalition for App Fairness (CAF), a new non-profit for "developer rights". Spotify, another company openly disgruntled with Apple's "unfair" practices, has also helped form the group.

Canon has unveiled the EOS C70 4K Digital Cinema Camera, the first of its series to have compatibility with RF lenses. It features a next-gen Super 35mm sensor, yet weighs only 2.6lbs. It is rated for 4K DCI/UHD up to 120 frames per second (fps) or 2K DCI/HD up to 180 fps.

Huawei has issued a new round of updates for the Mate 10, Mate 10 Pro, P20 and P20 Pro. The new build, called EMUI 10.0.0.180, seeks to deliver system improvements for the four devices as they near the end of software support.

Xiaomi announced MIUI for TV 3.0 back in July and now it seems some users in China have started receiving the update. MIUI for TV 3.0 offers a new refined layout for the user interface, a selection of viewing modes, and dynamic animation effects that may be limited only to Xiaomi Master Series devices.

OPPO has unveiled an electrocardiography (ECG) -enabled version of its first-gen smartwatch in the course of its 2020 Developer's Conference. The wearable is essentially the same as the 46mm variant of this Watch, just with the new in-depth heart rate-tracking feature. The Watch also now also has a new League of Legends Limited Edition.

The PlayStation 5 console will be offered up to some fortunate Japanese vloggers as part of the YouTube Gaming Week that is coming up soon, with the PS5 hands-on giving the potential for a full UI reveal among other things. SIE boss Jim Ryan has stated that there is some “really cool stuff” to be shown off in regard to the user experience.

Redmi Note 8 and Redmi Note 8T owners are not going to be too happy with the latest news about Android 10-based MIUI 12 for their devices. Delays are already expected anyway and now the general manager of Xiaomi Indonesia has claimed that the company is “still testing” the firmware for the Redmi Note 8/8T.

Asus launched the ROG Phone 3, its latest gaming flagship Android phone, in July 2020. However, it never materialized on the US or Canadian markets. The device has just appeared on the FCC database, suggesting that it is finally approved for sale in the region.

After sending out an update to the Redmi Note 8 last week, Xiaomi is now sending an update to the Redmi Note 8 Pro. This new update delivers the September patch to the Indian model of the Xiaomi best-seller, with the Android One Mi A3 also getting its September update.

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 9S and Redmi Note 9 Pro have received their first MIUI 12 update in India. The OS upgrade should precede equivalents for the global, European, Russian and Turkish branches of MIUI, which are yet to receive Xiaomi's latest OS. The Mi Mix 3 5G has received MIUI 12 globally, too.
Update: MIUI 12 is now being rolled out to more Redmi Note 9S and Redmi Note 9 Pro devices.

Intel has emphasised that its latest Pentium, Celeron and Atom processors are ideal for the Internet of Things (IoT) use-cases of the near future. They are ultra-low-power CPUs that can still drive multiple 4K displays and are rated for twice the 3D graphics performance compared to their predecessors. They will start to become available in the first quarter of 2021.

Intel's Industrial Summit 2020 revealed that the OEM now believes that data and its processing will migrate to the edge in the future. To that end, it has announced 11th-gen Core processor versions aimed at Internet of Things (IoT) applications. They are extra-low-power variants of Tiger Lake CPUs with features such as Deep Learning Boost, although they retain Thunderbolt 4 and PCIe 4.0 support.

Huawei has patented a design for a smartphone that seems to have an under-display selfie camera. However, its other side has an interesting feature: quad sensors in a plus-sign-shaped module. Furthermore, one of the lenses is square, suggesting that it can accommodate cameras for periscope zoom photography.

MIUI 12 beta and internal testing will be halted between September 30 and October 12, according to a new report. The break in development may also result in a pause to phase three of Xiaomi's MIUI 12 release schedule for devices like older Redmi Note handsets.

Samsung US has announced that the OEM's TV Plus app is coming to smartphones. This means the 2020 and 2019 Galaxy Note and S flagships will be able to access this service, whereas it had only been available on smart screens prior to this. The in-house streaming service offers over 100 channels of ad-support content.

The Xiaomi Mi 10T and Mi 10T Pro may be cheaper than expected, according to new reports. The Mi 10T will supposedly retail for just €499 in Europe, while the Mi 10T Pro will start at €599.90 with 128 GB of storage and 8 GB of RAM. The 256 GB model will set you back €50 more, which would be significantly cheaper than previous claims.

The Killer brand of networking products has unveiled its latest adapter: one with a USB type C connector at one end and an RJ-45 jack rated for up to 2.5 gigabit Ethernet at the other. Rivet Networks asserts it is the world's first adapter designed for competitive gaming or other high-performance PC tasks in mind.

D-Link has announced the DCS-8302LH Full HD Outdoor Wi-Fi Camera. Despite one part of its name, the OEM asserts it is sleek and sophisticated to have inside the house as well. It also packs features such as IR for night vision, AI to help avoid unnecessary user alerts and "next-gen" IPv6/WPA3 support.

A YouTube channel has allegedly posted a video of a heretofore-unreleased Huawei wearable called the Watch GT 2 Porsche Design. It seems much like the rest of its possible series, albeit with a new bezel and boot animation. This may be a sign that such a product will be unveiled alongside the upcoming Mate 40 series.

LG has previously teased or showcased devices with rollable displays. Now, its latest patent, approved by the US Patents and Trademarks Office (USPTO) in September 2020, may show the OEM's latest take on the technology. It is a box housing a display that can be unfurled horizontally and be used as a drawing device.

HP has unveiled the latest version of its ThinPro OS for enterprise devices. ThinPro 7.2 has a locked file system and SecureBoot signing for added security. It also supports a host of virtual desktop environments like Citrix and VMWare. HP will announce ThinPro 7.2's price once it is released this December.

Both the Xiaomi Mi 8 and Mi 9T (also known as the Redmi K20) have received new custom ROM support that gives owners the chance to try out the Android 11 experience. The Mi 8 might have to camouflage itself as a Google Pixel 4a for this particular venture though.

The MIUI 12 rollout for smartphones listed in Xiaomi’s third batch of devices to receive the software update has seemingly commenced. Certain smartphones on the list, such as the Xiaomi Mi Mix 2 and Mi Note 3, have already started receiving a stable update of the MIUI 12 ROM in China.

A user on XDA Developers as packaged a tool that can create an APK of Super Mario 64 using an authentic ROM file. The APK is essentially an Android port of the popular platformer, but it requires users to compile the game themselves.

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 7 Pro has received a new MIUI 12 update. The update brings the Indian variant in line with the Chinese one, which received Xiaomi's latest OS in July. V12.0.1.0.QFHINXM includes Android 10, too.

The PlayStation 5 will launch in Singapore on November 19, 2020. On that date, its Standard edition will be the most expensive variant of its series yet in that country (as indeed it will for pretty much all its markets). However, some new research may predict when its price will get more bearable for many consumers.

Microsoft has announced that the new Xbox App is available as a beta on the Google Play Store. It has been designed so that users can stream downloaded titles from their consoles onto their Android devices. The app is also rated for easy sharing, invites and notification management across this gaming ecosystem.

The accessories OEM Aukey's gaming division has come up with some new mechanical keyboards. The 104-key variant features anti-ghosting, full n-key rollover and dedicated software. The brand has also even developed its own switches with different response and feedback properties.

Realme has officially unveiled a device based on the new Snapdragon 460 processor in Bangladesh. The C17 also has quad rear cameras, a 500mAh battery and a 6.5-inch HD+ display with a 90 hertz (Hz) refresh rate. It is priced at US$200 in its first market.

The TicWatch Pro 2020 may be a particularly interesting smartwatch due to its dual-layer display that is intended to save battery over time and 1GB of memory. Now, TicWatch has revealed that it has a successor that will launch in 3 days from now. This Pro 3 is slated to rock the latest Snapdragon wearables platform from Qualcomm.

Xiaomi has finally gotten around to enabling native call recording on the Poco F2 Pro. The feature is available on the global variant of the device and will work from within the default phone app.

Android 11 has arrived for the OnePlus 5 and OnePlus 5T, albeit in the form of custom ROMs. Neither device is ever likely to receive Android 11 officially, so custom ROMs will be the only way to access Android 11 from here on out.

Various new Android 11-based custom ROMs have been appearing for a number of Redmi devices, with the especially popular Redmi Note 8 and Redmi Note 8T getting the unofficial Android 11 treatment. The custom ROM for the Redmi Note 9S is in an alpha stage so may not appeal to all users and the aging Redmi Note 5 Pro is covered by LineageOS.

Xiaomi's CEO, Lei Jun, reportedly estimated that his OEM's global operations represented 50% or more of its total revenue at this stage. Speaking at an innovation conference in China, the executive attributed this international success to MIUI. This Android skin started out as a custom ROM, but now exists as multilingual official software found on millions of devices worldwide.

Turtle Beach has announced that the latest in its Stealth series of headsets for PlayStation or Xbox are available to purchase from today (September 20, 2020). These new variants of the "best sellers" in the wireless audio category for gamers boast features such as flip-to-mute mics, 50mm drivers and reinforced headbands.

OPPO has announced what it is calling a smartwatch with "professional"-grade electrocardiography (ECG) features. This is because it has been officially certified as such a device, albeit in China only. This wearable, which looks like the OEM's inaugural Watch, will launch worldwide in September 2020.

Updated custom ROMs based on Android 11 have become available for both the Poco F1 and Xiaomi Mi A2 smartphones. It has already been revealed that neither of these devices was on the list for official OEM support to Android 11, but custom ROM devs have not forgotten Poco F1 and Mi A2 owners.

Xiaomi may already be testing Android 11 builds of MIUI 12 for multiple devices internally, according to a new report. It seems that the Redmi K20, Redmi K30 and Mi CC9 Pro are next up for Android 11, as should the Mi Note 10, Mi Note 10 Pro, Mi 9T and Poco X2 by extension.

Large-scale 'video wall'-style displays (or those that are about 100 inches diagonally or more) are often impressive and effective, particularly in a professional environment. However, they can pose several disadvantages, especially when made using conventional LCDs. ViewSonic asserts that its new, LED-based alternative solves many of them while offering a more streamlined viewing and installation experience.