Software

The new Chromium-based Edge is coming January 15th, per Microsoft's blog. In addition to a snazzy new logo, the updated Edge will be based on Chromium to improve website compatibility and security. Bing is also getting a few tweaks for business clients to make searching for people in a corporation easier, among other improvements.

The November 2019 security updates for Android are now available for the Pixel 2, Pixel 2 XL, Pixel 3, Pixel 3 XL, Pixel 3a, Pixel 3a XL, Pixel 4, Pixel 4 XL, and the Essential Phone. Noticeably absent from this list are the original Pixel and Pixel XL, which are no longer supported by Google. This security update includes several feature improvements, including at least part of the promised fix for the Pixel 4's 90 Hz display woes.

Google introduced a new kind of Recorder app with the Pixel 4 series. It is not merely capable of capturing audio, but of transcribing it in real time and making the resulting text searchable with the help of AI. A Mountain View representative has confirmed that it is coming to older phones of the same line soon.

Xiaomi's official Polish-language fan forum has leaked a photo that, on analysis, turns out to have been taken by the Mi Note 10 Pro. Its resolution was found to be a whopping 12032x9024, meaning that it was probably shot using the upcoming device's ground-breaking 108MP sensor. Its general series is to be launched tomorrow (November 5, 2019).

Although the launch date of the next Dragon Age game is not set in stone yet, BioWare has recently published a teaser on Twitter that labels December 4 as "Dragon 4ge Day" so at least some kind of Dragon Age 4-related official announcement is definitely in the pipeline. Sadly, this highly-anticipated title might launch in 2022.

Last week, Asus sent out the Android 10 beta update to last year's Zenfone 5Z. Asus's current flagship, the Zenfone 6, however, is now receiving the stable Android 10 update, with users in the US confirming receipt of the OTA.

Some new leaks may be evidence that Nokia is preparing a smartphone called the 2.3 for release soon. It may have up to 3 variants, at least 1 of which could be single- and dual-SIM respectively. Not much else is known about this potential new device, besides its possible Bluetooth 5 status.

The latest LG G Pad has been revealed on the OEM's domestic website. It is a 4GB device with 32GB of internal storage, a 10.1-inch FHD display and an 8MP rear camera. These unprepossessing specs are topped off by the Snapdragon 821 processor.

Two weeks ago, OnePlus released the Android 10 beta update to the OnePlus 6 and 6T. Both devices are now receiving the stable Android 10 OTA, however. The OnePlus 5 and 5T are expected to follow suit next year.

Riot Games has announced that League of Legends is finally getting a version for phones and tablets. This new form of the title is to be called Wild Rift, and is billed as completely optimized and refreshed for its new platform. It will start rolling out in 2020, with Android phones getting first whack at its installation.

Xiaomi has been dropping more spec-related hints as to what the Mi TV 5 will be capable of in the run-up to its launch. According to the OEM, it will be 4K and have 108% of the NTSC color gamut. It will also have a faster processor, as well as more RAM and storage compared to the average Android TV.

WhatsApp has been working on fingerprint-based authentication for its Android app. Now, an update has added this ability to its stable version. However, a user will still be able to answer calls through the service even if the new locking mechanism is active.

LG V50 ThinQ, V40 ThinQ and G7 ThinQ owners will need to wait until next year to see Android 10 running on their devices. LG will only be updating the G8 ThinQ to Google's latest OS before the year is out, while some other handsets should see Android 9.0 Pie this quarter too.

Google has released a statement on its agreement to buy the wearables company Fitbit at a price of US$2.1 billion. The Mountain View may intend to use this acquisition to boost Wear OS. This deal may see the 2 companies collaborate on various aspects of these devices in the future.

Orbita, a company that makes a personal assistant-like AI platform focused on healthcare, has published the results of a study that shows this is what the US adults recruited to it want from their voice-controlled searches. It apparently concludes that 7.5% of this group has used services such as Alexa for this purpose, whereas over 50% would like to.

Evan Blass has posted an image of a new tablet with a punch-hole display and a constant, minimal bezel. As this device is shown with what appears to be an M-Pen, it may pertain to a high-end successor to the Huawei MediaPad M6. The leaker has compounded this idea by calling it a "MatePad Pro".

Were you losing hope that LG would ever deliver Android 9.0 Pie to the V20? Well, while being a quarter late, the South Korean company has started rolling out the OS upgrade to handsets. The switch to Android 9.0 Pie may not be a smooth one for LG's former flagship, though.

Contrary to speculation claiming that the device would be left on Android Oreo, ASUS has confirmed that the ROG Phone will still receive Android 9.0 Pie. The company has stated when it will bring the OS upgrade to the ZS600KL too, although the ZenFone 4 has not been given such a reprieve.

The latest update, labeled 2.9.1705.31, is now available with multiple enhancements to the Vivaldi Menu, the ability to set global default preferences for requests based on sound, geolocation, camera, microphone, motion sensors, Bluetooth devices, and pop-ups, as well as multiple tweaks and fixes.

The Your Phone app in Windows 10 has acted to effectively mimic iPhone syncing on Mac, but for Android devices. It has also allowed users with these devices to mirror their phone screens on PCs via Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE). However, this has come to an end in the latest Insiders' build.

Google and SiriusXM have partnered in order to enable streaming of the latter on smart speakers from the former. In addition, the content provider's subscribers will be able to activate and control their channels by asking the Assistant on their phones to do so. This update will start rolling out shortly in the US and Canada.

Not a fan of ColorOS but like the Realme X? Well, Realme has been actively encouraging community developers to build custom kernels and ROMs for the device. The project has borne fruit after just a month, with there now being many Realme X custom ROMs and an AOSP-compatible kernel.

Sony’s Chief Financial Officer, Hiroki Totoki, has been revealing tidbits of information about the company’s PlayStation 5 console. The executive mentioned that software development by Sony’s partners was “progressing smoothly” and that the PS5’s scheduled release will “strengthen the platform”. Two more titles have joined the list of rumored games connected to the next-generation console.

Nokia has reportedly hired nearly 400 new staff members to build its latest 5G-focused team. These employees are to be based in the company's native Finland. 240 of them will start on equipment pitched at carriers, whereas some of the rest are SoC engineers.

A recent publication has reported that 52% of all US households with high-speed internet would rather not buy into the smart-home concept. 25% of this group nominated worries about data security and privacy as their reasons to remain out of this market. This research also found that 71% of households who did the opposite worry about cybersecurity.

In addition to the iconic Kamov Ka-50 single-seat attack helicopter — surnamed "Black Shark" — War Thunder 1.93 comes with the first three Swedish planes, a new Abrams tank, the first Italian helicopter, a new location, the first rank V ship in the game, as well as the usual pack of minor tweaks and fixes.

The new NVIDIA SHIELD TV and TV Pro have been released, and they come with an interestingly-shaped new remote. The manufacturer has partnered with Netflix to include a button that summons this app directly on it. However, Reddit users have found that it can also be turned to other uses.

The Android Debug Bridge (ADB) is an almost mandatory tool for developers, as well as those who simply like to modify their non-Apple phones in any kind of advanced way. It is traditionally dependent on wired connections, however. A new commit on the OS' Google Source website hints at the development of a wireless alternative.

The CC9 Pro is Xiaomi's upcoming penta-camera phone to be launched in November 2019. The device includes a number of impressive attributes in this extensive image-sensor collection. The OEM has showcased one of them - 50x digital zoom - in a new video.

The Xiaomi Pocophone F1 is one of the first smartphones to receive MIUI 11, but owners may be slightly confused over the version that they have received. While flagship handsets like the Mi 8, Mi Mix 2s and Mi Mix 3 are receiving an Android 10 update in Phase 1 of the MIUI rollout, the Pocophone F1 is stuck on Android 9.0 Pie builds instead.

It seems Essential Products truly has no plans to go away yet. A recent patent apparently filed in this company's name has been discovered. This claim is for its take on the under-display selfie camera.

Qualcomm has announced the 9205 LTE modem, a new component destined for internet-of-things (IoT) devices that will connect using this kind of mobile data. However, it will not require a conventional SIM to do so. The OEM has integrated Deutsche Telekom's novel nuSIM platform instead, which goes directly on a chipset to save on device footprint and circuitry.

Do not install iOS 13.2. If you have a HomePod and have installed iOS 13.2, DO NOT RESET YOUR HOMEPOD. Multiple users are reporting that iOS 13.2, released yesterday, bricked their HomePod smart speakers. Apple has since pulled the update.

A leak from earlier in 2019 suggested that the next processor designed for Wear OS devices would be based on the Snapdragon 429, an SoC that features in low-end phones and tablets. It was hypothesized to be called the Wear 2700. However, code recently added to a Qualcomm kernel source code database suggests that it is in fact to be known as the 3300 instead.

The Rich Communications Service (RCS) standard has been touted as the ultimate messaging platform for some time. Unfortunately, its implementation and adoption worldwide could be described as sluggish at best. Therefore, Verizon, Sprint, AT&T and T-Mobile have collaborated on the Cross Carrier Messaging Initiative (CCMI), which aims to bring it to their customers by 2020.

Apple launched iOS 13.2 and iPadOS 13.2 today. The update brings 60 new emoji, the ability to opt-out of sharing Siri interactions with Apple, and Apple's Deep Fusion image processing technology for the iPhone 11 family of smartphones. However, given prior iOS 13 updates, it may be wise to wait on this one.

If you're a user of the Sprint model LG V40 who's been expecting the Pie update...well, look away; today's just not your day. A new OTA update is now rolling out to the last-gen flagship but therein lies disappointment, despair, and misery.

The Realme 5 Pro is a cost-effective Android phone released in 2019. Its latest software update adds the ability to shoot video in wide-angle mode. This upgrade also raises the 5 Pro's security patch level to 5 October 2019, although the phone remains on Android Pie (9.0).

NVIDIA now stocks the new Pro and non-Pro variants of the SHIELD TV on its official site. As projected, the latter is a 4K streaming stick with HDR 10. Both new Android 9.0 devices support Dolby Audio, can access GeForce NOW and have Google Assistant built in.

The "Mi Watch" is the likely name of Xiaomi's next wearable. The OEM has indicated that it is to be released on November 5, 2019, alongside the Mi TV 5 and Mi CC9 Pro. This new product is also projected to be a Wear OS device.

Earlier today, Kojima Productions announced that its hotly anticipated title Death Stranding will come to PC in the early summer of 2020. The game is slated for a PS4 release on November 8th of this year. Considering the impressive motion capture and model details in the game, it's likely the title will require high-end hardware to run at full settings.

Although it can also be used on iOS-powered devices, Google Play Music has just hit an impressive milestone with the help of its Android users alone — no less than five billion downloads. This music streaming service is available in 63 countries and will probably be replaced by YouTube Music in the long run.

The latest software update for the Galaxy S10 series comes with slow-motion video capabilities for the front camera, improved fingerprint recognition, Auto Hotspot, and a few minor changes. In China, these handsets have already started to receive the Android 10-based One UI 2.0 update (in a Beta testing stage).

Apple's AirPods are currently projected to gain a Pro version soon, thanks to a recent slew of leaks and rumors. The latest of these may indicate that they will finally launch in colors besides white for a change. Furthermore, it is even vaguely possible that they will match those of the iPhone 11 Pros.

Artem Russakovskii of Android Police has posted a video showing his Pixel 4 XL taking ages to open the Settings and Spotify apps. Video recording on the phones also appears to be less than stellar, with obvious stutters at the start of the video. So much for being the smoothest Android device.

The consumer-grade security development group Nok Nok Labs has unveiled its new SDK. It asserts that it is the first such app software capable of conferring FIDO-based authentication on smartwatches. This, then, may help users depend more on their wearable for more functions typically carried out on a phone.

The Canon RF lens series has now added its 9th and 10th members, in the form of the 70-200mm F2.8L IS USM and 85mm F1.2L USM DS products respectively. The former is described as the most compact device in its class, whereas the latter debuts the novel feature of Defocus Smoothing. The OEM asserts that either would be an asset to those with EOS R or RP cameras.

The Xiaomi Mi A1 was released back in 2017 and has already received two major OS updates: Oreo and Pie. Owners of the phone have been curious about their chances of getting the Android 10 and, well, there's bad news for them.

Another artbook-related leak has added fuel to the fire that Blizzard Entertainment is finally preparing to reveal Diablo 4 to expectant gamers. A single page about a character that is expected to appear in the dungeon crawler has been shared on Twitter, and it seems the Daughter of Hatred herself has good news for Diablo fans.

Asus had included the Zenfone 4 in its plans to update older phones to Android Pie (9.0). However, this device has just been excluded from this schedule. The OEM claims that this will conserve the 4's system integrity and general function, however.