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Note 9 users in the Samsung Beta Program can now test One UI. (Source: Android Authority)

One UI beta for the Samsung Galaxy Note 9 now available in some countries

The official Android 9.0 (Pie) beta ROM for the Galaxy Note 9 is now available. Not only does this software contain the latest OS update, it also replaces Experience with One UI, the revamped interface for Samsung mobile devices. ...

Deirdre O Donnell, 04 Dec 2018 19:24

A third-party file manager is no longer available on the Play Store as a result of this investigation. (Source: Amazon)

Two companies have had their apps removed from Play Store following "click fraud" allegations

Two separate app developers, Kika Tech and Cheetah Mobile, have had 1 app each blocked from Google's Play Store following a BuzzFeed article detailing an 'investigation' of fraudulent activity on the part of both companies. The si...

Deirdre O Donnell, 04 Dec 2018 18:48

OPPO also has an R15 capable of 5G transmissions. (Source: NDTV Gadgets)

OPPO claims to be world first to conduct 5G video call

OPPO has announced that it has been successful in a test involving using WeChat for a video call over 5G. It was made using a phone customized with 5G-compatible hardware. This breakthrough puts the Chinese OEM one step closer to ...

Deirdre O Donnell, 03 Dec 2018 17:31

Hangouts Chat is one new split-off from the original app. (Source: Product Hunt)

Google Hangouts to diversify rather than shut down

Scott Johnson, the Google manager in charge of the app Hangouts, has taken to Twitter in order to refute a report that the same app is to shut down shortly. Instead, Johnson asserts, its functions are to be split across two new se...

Deirdre O Donnell, 03 Dec 2018 14:06

Huawei may build its own OS. (Source: ETNews)

Huawei to launch proprietary OS for its smartphones

A new report from a Korean media outlet details Huawei's plans to introduce an in-house OS for its mobile devices. Should this prospect be realized, the Chinese company may drop its Android skin (EMUI) for completely separate soft...

Deirdre O Donnell, 03 Dec 2018 13:36

Epic Games has added a 60 FPS option to Fortnite for the iPhone XR, XS and XS Max with the game's latest update. (Source: Epic Games)

Epic Games brings 60 FPS Fortnite to the latest trio of iPhones

Epic Games has silently enabled 60 FPS for the iPhone XR, XS and XS Max in its latest update for Fortnite on iOS, according to the Senior PR Manager at the company. The update (v. 6.31) is live now on the App Store.

Alex Alderson, 02 Dec 2018 21:04

A diagram from the Google patent. (Source: USPTO)

Google's new patent could turn your arm into your smartwatch's keyboard

Google has filed a patent with the United States Patent and Trademarks Office (USPTO) that depicts motion sensors built into a smartwatch. They expand the wearable's range of user interface feedback to the device's immediate surro...

Deirdre O Donnell, 02 Dec 2018 15:27

It's something akin to this. (Source: Videoblocks)

There have been multiple reports of bootlooping LG G7 ThinQ units

Bootloops may as well be LG's calling card at this point, as the company has a long line of devices that have displayed that behavior at certain points. The G7 ThinQ may join that special group if recent reports are anything to go...

Ricci Rox, 02 Dec 2018 07:49

The Huawei P20 and P20 Pro will get gesture support after all with the final release of EMUI 9.0, starting now in China.

Huawei P20 and P20 Pro now to get full-screen gesture support

Huawei has announced that full-screen gesture controls shown on its Mate 20 Pro — and in beta on the Mate 10 Pro — are now coming to the Huawei P20 and Huawei P20 Pro with the full release of EMUI 9.0 in China.

Craig Ward, 02 Dec 2018 03:29

Apple Music users will have a new way to stream soon. (Source: Apple)

Amazon Alexa to start supporting Apple Music in December

Amazon Alexa is probably Google Assistant's most consistent competitor. The voice-powered software will add another feature to its set soon: Apple Music support. Amazon has announced that users will be able to play tracks associat...

Deirdre O Donnell, 01 Dec 2018 19:02

Port Royal promises to deliver "reasonable frame rates at 2560 × 1440 resolution," which has been a struggle for RTX cards in BFV. (Source: UL)

3DMark's new ray tracing benchmark is set to arrive in January

3DMark's long awaited ray tracing benchmark Port Royal is finally coming out in January of next year. After Battlefield V, it will be the world's second ray tracing compatible application that focuses on gaming and the world's fir...

Matthew Connatser, 30 Nov 2018 21:30

AWS may be able to compete better with its own line of cloud-powering CPUs. (Source: Tableau)

Amazon announces own-brand CPUs, but they're not for your PC

Amazon Web Services has announced the development of its own in-house CPUs to power the next generation of its cloud and deep learning services. These processors, called the Graviton and Inferentia respectively, were unveiled at t...

Deirdre O Donnell, 29 Nov 2018 19:51

Sea of Thieves "Shrouded Spoils" free update now available (Source: Xbox Wire)

Sea of Thieves gets a new free update called "Shrouded Spoils"

The fourth major update for Microsoft's Sea of Thieves arrives under the "Shrouded Spoils" banner and includes new Merchant Alliance items, six new skeleton forts (in addition to the three existing ones), improved skeleton ships, ...

Codrut Nistor, 29 Nov 2018 15:53

TIDAL music streaming app now available in the Microsoft Store (Source: own)

The Microsoft Store for Windows 10 gets 60 million songs thanks to Tidal

Although the TIDAL music streaming app is now freely available for Windows 10 users via the Microsoft Store, to access the entire library of over 60 million tracks and 244,000 music videos, a paid membership is required. The two c...

Codrut Nistor, 29 Nov 2018 11:50

Eurocom "Tune Up" program will make your laptop feel like new again regardless of brand

Launching for users in North America only for now, the Eurocom service promises to update your laptop software, BIOS, anti-virus, operating system, and more for a small fee. A "deep cleaning" of the fans, hinges, and motherboard i...

Allen Ngo, 29 Nov 2018 09:00

Stock Android Pie beta for the Nokia 8 leaked

It seems HMD has an internal Android Pie beta for the Nokia 8, presumably in the process of working on a stable version for the 2017 flagship. However, this build is now out there for the public to download, thanks to an XDA leake...

Deirdre O Donnell, 28 Nov 2018 23:48

Nokia 7.1 gets Android Pie software update

Android Pie now available for the Nokia 7.1

The Qualcomm Snapdragon 636-powered Nokia 7.1 has been around for only a few weeks, but it arrived with Android Oreo onboard. Now, this Android One device is already receiving the Android Pie treatment as promised, and the units l...

Codrut Nistor, 28 Nov 2018 23:08

The Red Magic Mars' new camo finish. (Source: Nubia)

Nubia launches Red Magic Mars gaming smartphone

Nubia has released the second generation of its Red Magic gaming phone, the 'Mars'. The device is as expected based on several leaks and rumors: it is powered by the Snapdragon 845 chipset, runs Android Pie and has a 10GB RAM vari...

Deirdre O Donnell, 28 Nov 2018 18:40

iCloud for Windows 10 October Update issues fixed

Among the Windows 10 October update's many bugs, Apple's iCloud stopped working and could not be installed on the build. Microsoft and Apple had announced that they would collaborate to resolve this bug. With iCloud's newest updat...

Deirdre O Donnell, 28 Nov 2018 18:19

YouTube Music and YouTube Premium student plans now available in the US

Students can now enjoy special YouTube Music and YouTube Premium plans

Just in time for their winter break, students can enjoy YouTube Music and YouTube Premium at affordable prices. The special plans come for US$4.99 a month for YouTube Music Premium and US$6.99 for YouTube Premium, but those who si...

Codrut Nistor, 28 Nov 2018 13:22

Messaging apps and services are increasingly powerful conduits between brands and consumers

E-converse: 97% more US consumers messaged with brands this Black Friday weekend compared to last year's

Engaging in conversations over media such as SMS with corporations is an increasingly popular and effective method of driving brand engagement and sales in the US. This behavior increased by over 400% in some instances on 2018's B...

Deirdre O Donnell, 28 Nov 2018 00:16

The Antlion ModMic Wireless. (Source: Antlion)

Antlion Audio wants you to turn any set of headphones into a gaming headset with its ModMic Wireless

Antlion Audio claims that its ModMic Wireless attachment adds mic capabilities to any kind of headphone. It has the aptX low-energy Bluetooth codec, 16-bit 48khz audio and a USB type A receiver. The ModMic Wireless also has a pate...

Deirdre O Donnell, 27 Nov 2018 19:50

The Honor 8X receives the Android Pie beta

Huawei's Honor 8X mid-range phone is currently receiving the Android Pie-based EMUI 9 beta update in China. The Honor 8X has been confirmed for a US launch, and we expect a late December event.

Ricci Rox, 27 Nov 2018 07:57

The North American PlayStation Classic will use PAL version of some titles

In a blog post released earlier today, Sony revealed that it would be using the PAL version of nine titles on the PlayStation Classic. The PAL versions will be included in the North American PlayStation Classic as well. Considerin...

Sam Medley, 27 Nov 2018 07:44

Two weeks ahead of release, a full copy of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate has been leaked

A group known for Nintendo Switch piracy has obtained and distributed a full file dump of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, set to release in two weeks on December 7th. While early game leaks are not uncommon, a leak this far in advance...

Sam Medley, 27 Nov 2018 05:24

Microsoft Launcher 5.1 beta comes with new features such as digital wellbeing, to do, sticky notes (Source: WinCentral)

Microsoft Launcher 5.1 sports To-Do, Sticky Notes, and digital wellbeing

The upcoming refresh — which will bring Microsoft's Android launcher to version 5.1 — already looks impressive. The Beta build shows To-Do integration, Sticky Notes, as well as a set of features that are Microsoft's answer to Goog...

Codrut Nistor, 26 Nov 2018 20:39

Apple heads to U.S. Supreme Court to argue against App Store monopoly lawsuit

Apple will appear before the U.S. Supreme Court today to argue that a lawsuit brought against it is invalid. Apple claims that the lawsuit, which alleges that the iOS App Store creates a monopoly for the company, could only be bro...

Sam Medley, 26 Nov 2018 18:24

Kingdom Rush Vengeance now available on Google Play (Source: Google Play)

Kingdom Rush Vengeance hits iOS and Android

This franchise that has been around since 2011 — when the first Kingdom Rush title was introduced as a free flash browser game — is back to Android and iOS as Kingdom Rush Vengeance. This new fantasy tower defense title involves f...

Codrut Nistor, 26 Nov 2018 14:50

The Google Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL. [Source: Daily Express]

Update | Two new Google Pixels are on the way and no, we're not talking about the Pixel 4

Google's newly launched Pixel 3 phones are mostly incremental upgrades over their predecessors. Google could very well make a comeback with some exciting devices next year, as word of two more devices surface in the wild.

Ricci Rox, 25 Nov 2018 08:21

You can now play Pokemon: Let's Go via emulation if you don't mind readable text, consistent framerates, and clear audio. (Image via YouTube)

Pokémon: Let's Go runs on Yuzu Nintendo Switch emulator... sort of

Some innovative gamers have gotten Pokémon: Let's Go to boot and run on the Nintendo Switch emulator Yuzu. Despite the game only being a week old, it is somewhat playable, although there are numerous glitches and oddities. The fra...

Sam Medley, 25 Nov 2018 07:26

AMD commits to better support for Ryzen Mobile graphics drivers in 2019, hands off responsibility to OEMs

AMD posted a response to a common complaint from Ryzen-based laptop users on Reddit earlier this week, stating that the company would better support graphics drivers for Ryzen laptops starting in 2019. However, AMD plans to work w...

Sam Medley, 25 Nov 2018 06:00

Kodi 18 "Leia" release candidate now available for download

Kodi 18 has been in development for two years, and the first release candidate (RC 1) is finally available. Although it is still technically a beta version, RC 1 will be reflective of the final release. There are several new featu...

Sam Medley, 24 Nov 2018 05:57

Beleaguered Windows 10 1809 update breaks audio playback for some Intel display drivers

The latest issue in the growing string of problems with the Windows 10 1809 update affects devices using certain versions of Intel's display drivers. The Windows 10 October update breaks audio playback through monitors or TVs conn...

Sam Medley, 23 Nov 2018 21:22

Image via Huawei and Google Fuchsia OS (w/ edits)

Google is using the Honor Play to test Fuchsia OS

A commit posted to Fuchsia's source code management hub last night showed that a Huawei engineer was able to boot the Fuchsia kernel (Zircon) on the Honor Play. This commit hints at many things, mainly that Fuchsia development is ...

Sam Medley, 23 Nov 2018 20:12

Win7 SP1 is old, but some people still like it. (Source: YouTube)

Devices that run legacy Windows versions and support SHA-1 will be blocked from updating in 2019

Microsoft has announced that only Secure Hash Algorithm 2 (SHA-2) code-signing will be used to update legacy versions of Windows (namely Windows Server 2008 SP2, Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 and Windows 7 SP1). Machines that only su...

Deirdre O Donnell, 23 Nov 2018 16:37

Windows Media Player first appeared in 1991. (Source: Microsoft Community)

Microsoft Windows 10 update affected by Media Player bug

Microsoft has acknowledged that there is a known issue with its latest Windows 10 update. Some users have reported that the seek bar in Media Player has become inoperable after downloading the new patches. The issue corresponds to...

Daniel R Deakin, 22 Nov 2018 22:15

LG G7 ThinQ gets Pie, but only as a beta and in Korea

The LG G7 ThinQ is still currently on Android Oreo, with no upgrade in sight. However, reports of a new Pie-based beta available to users in South Korea may give new hope to owners worldwide of a stable version of this OS soon.

Deirdre O Donnell, 22 Nov 2018 18:53

If you own a Pixel 3, Duplex could be coming to your phone soon. (Source: TechnoRhythms)

Google is starting to roll its Duplex feature out to some Pixels

Remember Duplex, the software that could make appointments by itself at Google I/O 2018? Well, it is to be seen in the wild soon on Pixel phones. The AI-powered feature will initially only be functional in some US cities; however,...

Deirdre O Donnell, 22 Nov 2018 18:31

Alienware Command Center as of late November 2018 (Source: Alienware on Twitter)

Alienware's new Command Center comes with CPU, GPU and memory overclocking options

The latest Command Center software by Alienware finally brings CPU, GPU, and memory overclocking capabilities to the "current-gen platforms with compatible components," so those using older Alienware hardware might not be able to ...

Codrut Nistor, 22 Nov 2018 14:35

The OnePlus 6. (Source: Android Central)

Latest Open Beta for OnePlus 6 introduces new service: OnePlus Roaming

Open Beta 7, the latest in a series of in-testing stock ROMs available to owners of the OnePlus 6 to test out, contains an interesting new feature. It is OnePlus Roaming, a SIM-independent form of access to the internet that can b...

Deirdre O Donnell, 21 Nov 2018 14:03

Samsung's 2019 triple cameras could also include 3D TOF. (Source: GizGuide)

Samsung Galaxy S10 could come with 3D TOF sensors

A Korean IT news outlet claims that Samsung is developing three-dimensional time-of-flight (3D TOF) modules for next year's phones. 3D TOF is linked to improved depth-sensing and AR capabilities. The Galaxy S10 line may be in line...

Deirdre O Donnell, 21 Nov 2018 13:40

Samsung Galaxy F foldable phone to launch with Bixby 3.0 (Source: The Verge)

Bixby 3.0 confirmed to launch with the Samsung Galaxy F

A key Samsung executive has just confirmed that the upcoming Galaxy F foldable handset will ship with Bixby 2.0's successor. However, he also added that the company has not decided yet if the next-gen virtual assistant will be bra...

Codrut Nistor, 21 Nov 2018 10:49

Tumblr kicked out from the App Store due to child pornography

Tumblr's disappearance from Apple's App Store finally has an official reason: what was first simply described as "an issue" was, in fact, child pornography that slipped through the filters — enough of it to make the app vanish. Th...

Codrut Nistor, 20 Nov 2018 20:16

On-foot data collecting for Apple Maps officially confirmed (Source: AppleInsider)

Apple Maps returns to the basics via on-foot data collection

Since Apple Maps often gives the same directions to pedestrians and drivers, the company's pedestrian recon teams are now back on the streets of the United States. The individuals who are part of these teams are wearing backpacks ...

Codrut Nistor, 20 Nov 2018 16:55

FSLogix website homepage showing the news about joining Microsoft

Microsoft buys FSLogix to improve Office 365 virtualization

FSLogix is a next-gen app-provisioning platform that optimizes the ingredients — hardware resources, time, and human resources — needed to offer virtualization support when deploying and scaling Windows and Office on Azure. As usu...

Codrut Nistor, 20 Nov 2018 09:22

IBM's Watson explores its inner artist by writing a commercial for Lexus

Another industry may soon be replaced by robots - IBM's Watson AI scripted a 60-second commercial for luxury car brand Lexus. Watson was fed 15 years worth of award-winning commercials and was able to outline and script the basis ...

Sam Medley, 20 Nov 2018 06:22

Skype calls can now be made using Amazon's Alexa speakers

Skype calls can now be made using Alexa speakers

Many Microsoft users will soon be able to make Skype calls over their Alexa-powered smart speakers. This feature is only available in select countries, however. Those living in them may be able to find the new function in the spe...

Deirdre O Donnell, 20 Nov 2018 00:20

Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016) Android handset gets Oreo update

Android 8.1 Oreo now available for the Galaxy J7 (2016)

The Samsung Galaxy J7 (2016) has just become the first Galaxy J series handset to receive two major upgrades for the operating system. In some markets, this handset has received Android 8.1 Oreo, but it is not clear yet if the Gal...

Codrut Nistor, 19 Nov 2018 21:17

Motorola One and One Power get Android Pie (Source: Motorola)

Motorola One and One Power get Android 9.0 Pie in some markets

Finally launched in the United States earlier this month, the Motorola One is already receiving Android 9.0 Pie. In addition to the Motorola One, Android Pie is now reaching the Motorola One Power as well. Both these two handsets ...

Codrut Nistor, 19 Nov 2018 20:02

The original Red Magic. (Source: giztechreview)

New Red Magic Mars leak hints at multiple RAM SKUs and Pie for the device

The Red Magic may represent a novel alternative in a gaming-phone space dominated by a small number of brands. This phone, marketed by the ZTE sub-brand Nubia, is reportedly getting a second generation. A new leak shows a Geekbenc...

Deirdre O Donnell, 19 Nov 2018 19:51