Software

Two computer programmers were arrested by the FBI this month on charges of procuring and distributing pirated content. The two programmers ran subscription-based websites that illegally streamed copyrighted content without the knowledge or consent of the copyright holders. One of the websites had more content available than Netflix, Amazon Prime, Hulu, and Vudu.

A new GameCube and Wii emulator has appeared for iOS. DolphiniOS, a project from developer Oatmeal Dome, can play some games at full speed, including Super Mario Sunshine and Super Mario Galaxy 2. The project is still in the early alpha stage of development, so it will only become more stable as development continues.

Chrome 79 for Android has a critical bug that can delete the locally saved data in other apps. The bug affects apps that rely on Chrome's WebView for webpage rendering. Google has paused the rollout of Chrome 79 for the time being until a fix is found.

Google announced on Friday that it has imaged over 10 million miles of roads and paths in Street View. Additionally, Google Earth has now imaged over 36 million square miles of the earth's surface, which covers 98% of the inhabited world.

According to Google's product manager for the Messages app, RCS (rich communication system) is now available for all Android users in the United States. This means that US users can send text messages using the RCS standard, as long as they are sent through Google Messages.

AT&T has announced that its 5G service is now live in 10 different American cities, Los Angeles and New York included. In fact, it claims to have 2 (authentic) flavors of this connectivity: 5G and 5G+, which are based on low-band and high-band forms of the new radios. They are available to personal and business customers.

Realme has recently updated its older 1 and U1 models. The new OTA adds a new feature in which the screen flashes for calls. More importantly, it also confers the latest security patch level on the 2 phones. It is also part of the 2019 3 Pro device's latest software update.

Google unveiled an updated Assistant with new features at its I/O event this year. It has only been available to the US market since then; now, however, it is being applied to others such as Ireland and Canada. Then again, it remains restricted to Pixel devices in these regions.

The Galaxy Note 10 and 10+ have started to exhibit updates to One UI 2.0 based on Android 10. This may be good news for owners of these premium phablets, particularly as this upgrade had reportedly been scheduled for 2020. On the other hand, the OTA may have reached a limited user-pool thus far.

Opera released a variant of its browser optimized for gaming earlier this year. Now, it has announced that the same app, known as GX, is compatible with macOS as well as Windows. Therefore, those using such systems can now use features such as Twitch support and network limiters in their browser.

In a teaser trailer released at The Game Awards, ZeniMax took the veil off the next chapter in the MMO The Elder Scrolls Online. The next major event in the massive multiplayer title will take place in Skyrim, home of the Nords.

A bug in iOS 13.3 allows users to easily circumvent the Communication Limits feature. While Communication Limits is supposed to block users (specifically children) from communicating with or adding unknown or unapproved numbers, simply setting up the phone to not sync to iCloud will bypass the feature and allow users to add new numbers without verification.

Microsoft recently announced that all Android handsets are now able to sync with the Windows 10 Your Phone app, which can now make and receive phone calls directly from the Windows desktop. However, the new feature is slowly rolling out to users.

The Redmi K20 may have now been superseded by the Redmi K30, but the former remains at the pinnacle of Xiaomi's software plans. Released in June on MIUI 10, the handset has started receiving Android 10 builds of MIUI 11 in China. A global upgrade to Google's latest OS likely in tow too.

The Samsung Galaxy S10 line is already receiving the Android 10-based One UI 2.0 OTA but the update so far is limited to Exynos-powered European models. Samsung's update roadmap says Snapdragon models won't get the update till January but a surprise is on the cards, as certain North American units will get theirs in a few days.

The Vivo X30 will be the first phone to launch with the Exynos 980, a processor that supports dual-mode 5G. It is also thought to have a 60x zoom in its main camera array and a Pro variant. The OEM has revealed that this event will take place on December 16, 2019.

On Twitter, Square Enix has announced that they are delaying the release of Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicle Remastered Edition for a second time. The title, which will be available on Android, iOS, the PS4, and the Nintendo Switch, will launch sometime in Summer 2020.

Huami is a wearables OEM that has made a name for itself largely through its Amazfit brand of smartwatches. However, it has revealed that it intends to push into additional product categories next year. The company has secured a CES 2020 booth, at which its new products may be revealed.

The latest version of macOS Catalina (10.15.2) brings a slew of minor updates and bug fixes. Interestingly, the update may have fixed the speaker snap, crackle, and pop issues reported by some Macbook and Macbook Pro users, though nothing official has been stated by Apple.

Fortnite received an update today that introduces local split-screen multiplayer for Duos and Squads. The feature is currently only available on the PS4 and Xbox One. A few other features have been added as well, including a change to the visual representation of remaining ammo and preparations for the upcoming Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker live event.

At least 60% or more of US consumers aged 55 years or more favor Fitbit when buying a wearable. This is due to the demand for smartwatches and fitness trackers in the relevant age ranges. However, Apple is more popular among those aged 18 to 24.

Have you received Android 9.0 builds of MIUI 11 on your Mi Max 3? Fear not, as Android 10 versions are incoming. You can already download an Android 10 build of MIUI 11 for the device too, although there are some caveats.

Several users have reported performance loss and/or loss of fan curve settings after installing the AMD Radeon Software Adrenalin 2020 drivers for AMD GPUs such as the Vega 64 and the RX 5700 XT. While the issue does not seem to be widespread at the moment, completely removing all traces of the previous driver using DDU and re-installing the new version looks to be a good workaround.

Get ready for what could be the most expensive cheesegrater in your life: the new Mac Pro is here. It is now available to pre-order from Apple.com and retailers such as B&H. This new PC has configurations that go from 4- to 6-figure USD prices.

Autodesk's Maya is one of the best-known applications in 3D animation. Its latest driver includes features that can be used by NVIDIA RTX graphics cards. This also extends to the latest version of Arnold, Maya's renderer.

In addition to the significant performance boost over its predecessor of up to 12 percent, the latest driver package for AMD Radeon video cards also comes with brand new features such as Radeon Boost, Integer Scaling, and a brand-new AMD Link app. AMD Radeon Software Adrenalin 2020 Edition also comes with a fully redesigned gaming application.

After sending out the stable Android10-based EMUI 10 update to its Kirin 980-powered flagship phones and the diminutive P Smart (2019), Huawei is now setting its sights towards providing the update to last-gen Honor flagships and the Kirin 810-powered Honor 9X phones.

Gimdow claims that its new smart lock is one that doesn't require the user to replace the existing one (or even parts of it). This may be ideal for those who want this kind of Bluetooth-enabled security, but can't risk damage to fittings while installing it. The new product has just launched as part of a crowdfunding campaign.

Sony announced a few new titles coming to the PlayStation 4 during its State of Play broadcast earlier today. A remake of Resident Evil 3 is coming to the console in April of 2020, a few existing titles are getting PS4 ports, and Kingdom Heart III is getting a DLC expansion in January.

Magewell is a company that makes the components that connect video and audio output with the applicable software. Its latest M.2 video capture card is of its 'Eco' line-up, and is capable of single-channel operation at up to 4096x2160 at 60 frames per second over 12G-SDI. It will be launched in 2020 at the ISE exhibition.

Epic, the developer of the smash hit arena shooter Fortnite, has reignited an argument with Google over the revenue share practices of the Play Store. Epic is reportedly hoping to bring Fortnite to the Play Store but has requested an exemption from the current 70/30 revenue split all other app developers are subject to on the Play Store. Google has offered a flat "No" in response.

OPPO's Inno Day 2019 event was mostly dominated by upcoming products such as its AR headset. However, it also teased new wearables that may launch soon as well. They are a new pair of truly wireless (TWS) earbuds, as well as a square-faced smartwatch.

The Mi 8 Lite is a beacon among a sea of Xiaomi handsets being upgraded to Android 9.0 Pie builds of MIUI 11. The Chinese company released the Snapdragon 660 powered handset in September 2018 running Android 8.1 Oreo and has since upgraded it to Android 9.0 Pie builds of MIUI 10.2. Xiaomi is not done with OS upgrades for the midrange device quite yet, though.

The update that was supposed to add a few high-tier dual-barreled tanks to the Russian tech tree sadly fails to do so, leaving the Anonymizer feature as the only big change for World of Tanks 1.7. However, Crew Directives — previously available for bonds — can now be purchased only for credits.

Huawei had planned to release its Mate 30 Pro and Watch GT 2 to the Taiwanese market soon. However, this jurisdiction's NCC regulator has withdrawn its approval to sell these devices. The abrupt decision is related to an old dispute that affects the country.

OnePlus released its first smart TV series (the Q1 and Q1 Pro) this year. Now, it has unveiled a new accessory for it: an alternate remote control with a Netflix-branded button. However, existing customers can get it for free.

Two new devices, apparently made by OPPO, have shown up on the Geekbench 4 website. Given the similarities in their specs and model numbers, they may be 2 variants of the same phone. Oddly, however, they are listed with the MediaTek Helio P70 SoC, as are some of this OEM's existing phones.

We unpack the rumour that the PlayStation 5's launch titles will be exclusive to Sony's next-generation console. We were sceptical, and you should be too.

The panel-maker Vizio has reported that it "exceeded expectations" over the Black Friday/Cyber Monday period just gone, having sold 500,000 or more units of its smart TVs between these days in 2019. For example, it sold 87% more premium 4K UHD big-screens year-on-year (YoY) compared to the same event in 2018.

Nokia has launched a 2nd generation of its ultra-cheap 2.2 smartphone. This iteration has a novel "Nano-Textured" polymer rear panel, AI for battery conservation and the certainty of Android updates for 2 years. The new 2.3 has been launched at €109 (about $121).

Many may have casually wondered how the speed of the Android 10 rollout compares to those of older versions of the OS. It almost feels like OEMs are sending out the OS update faster this time around. Does hard data agree with that notion? Yes, yes, it does.

Facebook appears to be preparing a screen-sharing feature for its Messenger app. The latest beta version of this app on Android is reportedly flashing up a new option to "Share your Screen Together" in its video-calling section. To date, there is no mention of the possibility of interaction with a caller's screen.

Windows on ARM is the popular Microsoft OS running on Snapdragon processors. As a relatively new platform, it does not have every feature of its "full" normal PC equivalent yet. However, this may be addressed when it gains the ability to run Project xCloud, as well as Microsoft Zoom Video, soon.

MIUI 11 has landed on the Xiaomi Redmi 8, but perhaps not the version for which some people had hoped. The 681 MB update is rolling out globally now, but its file size should hint at what version of Android on which this version of MIUI 11 is based.

Garmin has launched its Venu wearable in the Indian market. It has a smartwatch form factor, with a round 1.2-inch AMOLED display, but also has modes to track over 20 fitness-related activities and an inbuilt coaching interface for workouts. It will go for 37490 INR (or about US$525) when it is released to Amazon.in on December 15, 2019.

Android 10 for Nokia's most premium phone has been on the cards since the leak of an internal test build for this OS was detected back in November 2019. Now, the OEM is pushing a major upgrade of the same out to users worldwide. It contains new features such as a dark theme, smart responses for messaging and the latest style of navigation.

Samsung has successfully registered a phone called the SM-A515F with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). This phone is most likely the Galaxy A51, which may also be officially unveiled soon. Its regulatory filings include multiple real-life images, which indicate a lack of notch or pop-up camera, and also show a headphone jack at its bottom edge.

While some newer Samsung flagships have already started receiving Android 10, Galaxy S9 series owners must wait a while longer to try One UI 2.0 on their devices. If you fancy a taste of Android 10 sooner than next year, then Samsung is planning to deliver a second beta build next week.

Xiaomi obviously took plenty of inspiration from Apple when designing its Mi Watch. While the Apple Watch clone initially only supported Android, the Chinese company has now updated it to make it compatible with iOS. In short, iPhones owners now have a new cheaper alternative to the Apple Watch. Xiaomi will launch the Mi Watch in Europe in the new year.

The Galaxy A11 is currently believed to be one of Samsung's phones up for release in the new year. A device with what may be its model number has appeared on Geekbench 4. This new leak points to 2GB of RAM, a rather elderly Snapdragon SoC and Android 10.