Software

Panasonic has announced pricing and availability data for its new RB-M500B and RB-M700B wireless headphones. Both feature 40 millimeter (mm) neodymium drivers housed in ergonomically-designed ear-pads, although only the latter features active noise cancellation (ANC). They are also designed to enhance bass using this OEM's XBS DEEP technology.

The Xiaomi Mi Mix 3 may not receive MIUI 12 until September. The device, which Xiaomi released in October 2018, is on Round 2 of the company's MIUI 12 Release Schedule. However, it is not eligible for its fledging Mi Pilot progam.

The widget is lacking at the moment, but it's at least easy on the eyes with direct controls for brightness, colors, power plan, and live recording or streaming. A more fully-featured version of the widget is expected to come later in the year.

MIUI 12 firmware for owners of the Redmi Note 8 Pro in India has been restricted to official testers who were part of the Mi Pilot program so far. However, it appears that Xiaomi is expecting the testing period to be completed soon, as the MIUI 12 India ROM should start rolling out “shortly”.

A new feature update coming to Chrome 86 looks set to make serious reductions in its resource usage. The experimental feature could extend battery life considerably on laptops by shutting down certain background tasks in open tabs.

LG has updated the portable variants of its XBOOM speaker line-up. These new PL7, PL5 and PL2 models feature an equally renewed design that incorporates Meridian technology for their audio clarity. They can also be controlled via an iOS or Android app and respond to voice commands.

An alleged roadmap was posted on the Mi Community forums detailing Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4 rollout of the MIUI 12 stable ROM in China. While this does list all the Xiaomi and Redmi devices likely to be covered in each phase, it does not indicate any definite timeline. Interestingly, this roadmap also includes older devices such as the Redmi 4X and the Redmi Note 4X.

The Panasonic RZ-S300W are new TWS earbuds with a non-AirPod-clone form-factor and a unique finish. A further variant of the same (the RZ-S500W) have "Dual Hybrid Noise Cancelling Technology" with an ambient mode for "best-in-class" audio isolation. The OEM also has a 3rd pair of new buds launched under its high-end Technics brand.

Nine months after release, the Redmi Note 8 is yet to receive a major OS update, even though the Redmi Note 8 Pro got its Android 10 update months ago. That is set to change, however, with new information giving Redmi Note 8 owners around the world an idea of when the Android 10 update will finally arrive.

Android has been a 64-bit OS for some time now. However, this transition has not resulted in a wholesale switch to the same in all apps. Nevertheless, Chrome has finally shown signs of migrating to this platform, starting with its newest Dev and Canary versions.

Xiaomi has officially announced that the MIUI 12 beta stable update (V12.0.2.0.QFJINXM) has started to roll out to some Xiaomi Mi 9T/Redmi K20 devices in India. The firmware has now been pushed OTA and users chosen by random should start receiving notifications to install the MIUI 12 update. The public ROM should be available soon.

Huawei is now expanding its EMUI 10.1 rollout. The company is currently sending out the EMUI 10.1 update to owners of the Mate 20 X 5G in Europe, as well as owners of the P30 and P30 Pro in South Africa, North Africa, South-East Asia, and the Middle East.

It seems likely that the MIUI 12 update for Redmi Note 9 smartphone users in Europe has been temporarily halted. A new MIUI 11 stable update has started rolling out for the Redmi Note 9 instead, which will bring the device up to date in terms of security patches. Owners of the phone in China have already started receiving MIUI 12.

Every year, Android and iOS get new features, and every year, the differences between the platforms diminish. The recent announcement of iOS 14 showcased a bevy of new features, and some of them will look quite familiar to Android users.

After sending out a global beta MIUI 12 update to the Redmi Note 8 Pro, Xiaomi has now also released a MIUI 12 update to the Redmi Note 8 and Redmi Note 7 Pro in China. The update bears the build designation "MIUI 12.20.7.3", and is only available for those who opted into the MIUI 12 China beta testing program.

Some phones from 2019 and 2020 that bear the Samsung Galaxy name now have OTA updates that contain the latest Android security patch. They include the S20 series, as well as the Note 10s. Some higher-end Ax0 devices are also included in this list, which has appeared markedly early in the month.

The current chief executive officers (CEOs) of Google, Apple, Facebook and Amazon are reportedly required to appear before the United States' Congress later in July 2020. These events are apparently tied to proceedings related to antitrust practices. Their attendance has been confirmed by a member of this body representing the state of Rhode Island.

The hopeful PlayStation 4 homebrew scene has waited a long while for a new kernel exploit, after the release of the firmware 5.05 jailbreak back in 2018. That wait is unlikely to end anytime soon, in light of recent developments.

The stable MIUI 12 update has arrived for the Xiaomi Redmi K20 Pro and Mi 9T Pro in India. The update, which is arriving as an OTA download, is live now. A corresponding OS upgrade has reached the Redmi Note 9 and Redmi 10X 4G too.

Honor has launched a pair of new Dimensity 800-powered phones today (July 2, 2020). Despite this, the 2 phones are quite different, particularly in terms of their displays. The 30 Youth Edition has a 6.5-inch 90 hertz (Hz) panel, whereas that of the X10 Max exceeds 7 inches. Both devices can be pre-ordered today.

Xiaomi has issued an important warning about the Redmi Note 8 Pro in regard to the current MIUI 12 global stable beta update rollout. The Chinese OEM is concerned that Redmi Note 8 Pro owners who are not part of the Mi Pilot program may damage their smartphones by installing the MIUI 12 update via another unofficial route.

Previous information indicated that the Redmi Note 8 would get the Android 10 update with MIUI 12 shortly. That may be in doubt now, however, as word from the Mi Forums claims the MIUI 12 update for the Redmi Note 8T—essentially a Redmi Note 8 for certain markets—is months away.

Samsung launched the quad-camera Galaxy A31 less than a month ago (in June 2020). Nevertheless, the phone is getting a discount already. It is now INR 1000 less than its original price, which brings it down to the equivalent of US$278.

Nintendo had been promoting the security of its 3DS and Switch devices by soliciting bug reports through HackerOne's bounty initiative. Here, users are incentivized to find such discrepancies with financial rewards. However, the hand-held gaming system is no longer signed up for the service.

The release of MIUI 12 for the Mi 9T Pro, Mi 9T, Mi 9, Redmi K20 and Redmi K20 Pro is "now starting to kick in", according to Xiaomi. The statement, tweeted to its hundreds of thousands of followers on Twitter, appears to signal that the company may be ready to start issuing MIUI 12 to other devices like the Redmi Note 7, Redmi Note 8 Pro and Pocophone F1 too.

The stable MIUI 12 update has landed for the global version of the Xiaomi Mi 9. The update follows equivalent OS upgrades for the Chinese and EU editions of the device.

After a long wait, the Android 10-based LineageOS 17.1 ROM is available for the Xiaomi Mi A1. The firmware is still a nightly status, unfortunately. Other handsets that got Android 10 support thanks to LineageOS 17.1 in the last few days include the OnePlus 5/5T and later models, LG V20, Honor View 10, HTC One 2014, and others.

After sending out stable MIUI 12 updates to its premium phones, Xiaomi has now set its sights towards the mid-range. MIUI 12 is now in the second round of seeding, beginning with the Redmi Note 8 Pro—which has now received a limited global beta build with the designation "MIUI 12.0.0.4 QGGMIXM".

The Snapdragon Wear 3100 was Qualcomm's latest dedicated SoC for smartwatches - until today. It has been supplanted by the new 4100 - as well as the 4100+. Both feature a new processor, paired with an ultra-low-power co-processor. The 4100+ distinguishes itself with an exclusive chipset for enhanced always-on displays.

A Sony spokesperson has made a somewhat cryptic comment about PS5 backwards compatibility that already has fans interpreting it from positive and negative viewpoints. Sony is focused on PS4 games, while there is no answer in regard to PlayStation 5 backwards compatibility for PS1, PS2, and PS3 games.

Xiaomi has published the pilot testers that have been selected to receive MIUI 12 Global Stable beta updates for Round 2 of the company's release schedule. The Redmi Note 7, Redmi Note 8 Pro and Poco F1 are eligible for the stable beta updates.

Xiaomi has delivered another update for the Redmi 7A, this time upgrading Indian handsets to Android 10. However, while the entry-level handset should soon be upgraded to MIUI 12, this latest update does not deliver on that.

Two new devices with what could be model numbers from the OEM OPPO have emerged on Geekbench 4. They both have 4GB of RAM, run Android 10 and have a heretofore-unseen code-name associated with their processing platform: bengal. Could this, then, be a brand-new upcoming SoC?

Stable MIUI 12 updates for the Mi 10 and Mi 10 Pro have already arrived for Chinese versions of Xiaomi's latest flagships. The same cannot be said in other countries though, as some people would have discovered today.

Xiaomi has now started rolling out Android 10 to its last-gen Redmi series, beginning with the Redmi 8 in China. The Android 10 update for the Redmi 8 is based on MIUI 11 and carries the build number "MIUI 11.0.1.0 QCNCNXM". It weighs 2.0 GB and doubles up as the June security patch.

Hot on NVIDIA’s heels, AMD released its first beta driver enabling support for Windows 10’s hardware accelerated GPU scheduling feature. The new technology, allowing for fine-grained VRAM management, appears to have a small but noticeable impact on performance according to benchmarks.

If you happen to own a new Ryzen 4000U series laptop, then we highly recommend updating to the latest Radeon and Adrenalin drivers. Otherwise, 4K video playback may buffer and be unwatchable.

The a7S II is a member of Sony's Alpha series of full-frame cameras lauded for its low-light and 4K video performance, even though it has been several years since its release. Now, an executive from this OEM has confirmed that a successor for the unit is on the way. According to this source, every aspect of the 7S has been completely re-designed.

Over the past few weeks, Xiaomi has been sending out beta stable MIUI 12 updates to its premium phones. The company has finally taken the MIUI 12 rollout to the next stage, however, by beginning the full stable rollout to those phones, including the Mi 9, Mi 10, Redmi K30, and the rest of the gang.

Available — as usual — in MATE, Cinnamon, and Xfce editions, Linux Mint 20 "Ulyana" is a long-term support release that will be updated until 2025. The list of noticeable changes includes the dropping of 32-bit versions, the removal of Snapd, as well as the replacement of VLC and Xplayer by Celluloid.

The first indications of an RDNA3-based Navi 31 GPU have surfaced in the macOS 11 Big Sur Developer Beta 1 driver code. The driver also contains references to upcoming AMD APUs such as Van Gogh and Cezanne along with HPC accelerators such as the MI100 and M200. With the MI200, AMD could be looking at a multi-chip module (MCM) approach and that could trickle down to Navi 31 as well.

The Nintendo Switch may be the console for the Covid-19 era; however, a start-up has decided that it also needs the edge conferred by the nostalgia for retro arcade gaming. To this end, it has created the Switch Fighter, a dock-like device that turns the tablet into a portable version of the same when slotted into it.

Xiaomi has officially commenced the public rollout of the MIUI 12 stable update for a number of Redmi-branded smartphones. The first devices to receive the MIUI 12 update were the Redmi K30 Pro Zoom Edition and the Redmi K30 Pro. Smartphones in both the Redmi K30 and K20 lineups have been included in the public rollout.

The OnePlus 5 and OnePlus 5T finally received the stable Android 10 update weeks ago—the third major OS update the phones have received. Sadly, though, the update seems to have broken an important feature on the phone, and owners aren't too thrilled about it.

Pixys has made a custom ROM based on Android 10 available for the Redmi Note 8 and Redmi Note 8T. Owners of these smartphones have endured a rollercoaster ride in regard to the eagerly awaited operating system update, with the official software from Google now being delayed by Xiaomi because of major bugs.

Xiaomi has announced that MIUI 12 will be hitting a wave of Redmi smartphones from tomorrow. Possibly marking the start of Round 2 of its MIUI 12 release schedule, some of the devices eligible for the OS upgrade include the Redmi Note 7, Redmi Note 7 Pro and Redmi Note 8 Pro.

A recent edition to the Moto E series of affordable smartphones exhibited several discrepancies in our review, not the least of which was launching with Android 9.0 (Pie) in 2019. However, a new Geekbench 5 listing suggests that this issue, at least, may be resolved soon. It shows that a phone with the E6 Plus' specs, but running an updated OS.

Vive X is a group set up by HTC's Vive in order to invest in augmented (AR) or virtual (VR) reality-based products and services. It has announced that it has achieved a return of nearly twice the funding it has awarded since its inception in 2016. It has mostly been conferred on commercial-grade VR/AR companies.

New research of broadband internet provision and its adoption in the US found that consumers spend about US$60 on them per month at the end of 2019, compared to about $44 in 2012. This new study also concluded that these customers prioritize speed over any other aspect of the service in question. However, following the impact of the Covid-19 pandemics, this may change somewhat.

Huawei is now sending out the EMUI 10 update to P20 Pro and Mate 10 Pro around the world. The update is rolling out to owners in the UK, rest of Europe, and South America. This means that all Mate 10 Pro and P20 Pro models should be receiving the update. Bar, of course, the North American Mate 10 Pro, BLA-A09.