Software

In September, Apple had problems with increased radiation exposure in an iPhone, which led to a sales stop of the affected smartphone in France. Apple has now spoken in more detail about the corresponding software update and clarified that the reduction of the transmission power could certainly cause problems.

The Galaxy A05s is one of the newest and also cheapest Android smartphones from Samsung around. Now, it is reportedly on the way to India with a launch event scheduled for later in October 2023. Its RAM options for this country have leaked out in advance, however, which explains the attractive feature mentioned in its first official poster for its new market.

DJI will unveil a third-gen hand-held mini camera later in October 2023, according to the latest leaked campaign assets. The official-looking branded posters are depicted as spilling the new Osmo-series tagline as well as the Pocket 3's main upgrades, special features and launch date. They include a new kind of inbuilt screen, a premium sensor and Stereo Recording for the upcoming vlogging gadget.

The Raspberry Pi Foundation has integrated Debian 12 Bookworm within Raspberry Pi OS. Not only should the change bring security improvements, but it should also result in performance uplifts, among other refinements.

Sharge has updated its Shargeek line of transparently stylish power banks with its most powerful variant yet. The new 170 also has a new "prism silhouette" design that puts 24,000mAh batteries to "mighty two-way fast charging" effect, being compatible with up to 140W USB-PD 3.1-capable devices and of powering itself back up by 50% in as little as 20 minutes. The Shargeek 170 also packs a new Smart Display and splash-proofing.

Yesterday's GeForce Game Ready Driver package arrived carrying the 537.58 version number. This time, Nvidia focused on optimizations for three major titles. The names of these games are Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III (PC multiplayer open beta), Forza Motorsport, and Lords of the Fallen.

Volkswagen has refreshed the ID.4 and ID.5 with a range of upgrades, the option of an enlarged cockpit display included. The electric cars' Pro models are also touted to come with improved range, torque and power, while their GTX versions are backed to get from 0 to 60 miles per hour in under six seconds.

Nothing has released Nothing OS 2.5 Beta for the Phone (2), its first Android 14-derived update. Not only does the first Nothing OS 2.5 Beta contain various features specific to Android 14, but it also includes some Nothing-specific changes that will be exclusive to the Phone (1) and Phone (2).

The HOVERAir X1 was known as the Hover X1 on Indiegogo, where it raised nearly US$2 million by the time its campaign ended. Now, the "pocket-sized flying camera" has gone to retail, albeit not at the same early-bird prices. Then again, it has a US$100 introductory discount on its new sales platform for a limited time.

OPPO has set the stage for the launch of the next major software upgrade for its Android smartphones during its Developers Conference of 2023. The event will also introduce the OEM's connected smart device ecosystem, not to mention its own generative AI model and latest development in health technology.

Rumours of Xiaomi abandoning MIUI for MiOS could be wide of the mark. While a well-known leaker has sparked rumours that this will be occurring soon, those familiar with MIUI have shown that Xiaomi continues to prepare MIUI 15 for release later this year.

Google may have brought manual camera controls to its stock camera app, but it limits their usage to just the Pixel 8 Pro. It turns out that this is nothing more than a software restriction, with the Pixel 6 Pro and Pixel 7 Pro also shown to be capable of offering manual ISO, shutter speed and focus options within the latest version of the Google Camera app.

Last week's agreement between Lenovo and Esper brings the latter's enterprise-grade Android and device management to a wide range of devices. The first one to run the custom Android-based OS is the third-generation Lenovo ThinkCentre M70a desktop, to be followed by a few others before the end of 2023.

OnePlus' inaugural Watch launched to limited critical acclaim on its launch. Nevertheless, a second generation is now projected to be on the way. It is believed to debut in 2024, and may be intended to accompany the OEM's next flagship smartphone, as it mirrors the 12's camera hump in terms of design language.

The Displace TV is touted as the world's first smart screen that works without cables of any kind, and also without a conventional wall-mount of any kind. Now, its OEM has gone into more detail on the "vacuum suction system" that keeps it up instead, and what happens if it or the integrity of the wall behind it were to fail. This involves the "ingenious" safeguards inside the TV rated to let it abseil down gently rather than shatter on the floor.

Funtouch OS 14, the latest version of the software for the global versions of Vivo and iQOO smartphones, has been declared ready for stable status today (October 7, 2023). It is, as the name suggests, based on Android 14, and is also rated to be more customizable, secure and performance-focused than ever before. It is slated to roll out, starting with two of the OEM's international flagship devices, soon.

Google has now confirmed that the Pixel Watch will receive Wear OS 4 before the year is out. Unfortunately, new smartphone mirroring options appear to be Pixel Watch 2 exclusives for one reason or another.

The Garmin Beta 16.10 software is now available for the Venu 2, Venu 2S and Venu 2 Plus smartwatches. This is the first update from the 16.xx series, with the 15.xx round ending several weeks ago. The changelog for v16.10 is relatively small, with bug fixes and a Text Language update.

AnkerMake has just added two online tools to its ‘Make It Real’ 3D model repository website. 3D Paint converts a 2D image into a 3D printable model by rendering different colours in relief against the background. CityPrint allows users to select a portion from one of 7 city maps and print it as a 3D model.

Garmin has pushed another beta update for the Fenix 7 series and its equivalents. The new update is rolling out as Beta Version 14.68 and is designed to resolve various outstanding bugs, including those that could cause system crashes and synchronisation issues.

Realme has released an updated copy of its Android 14 Early Access program schedule, and the GT Neo 3 is next on the list. The smartphone's 80W and 150W variants are the only ones slated to upgrade via this channel in October 2023, with others such as the Neo 3T and the newer 11 Pro series to follow in November. The news is not so good for devices such as the Narzo N53, which have been left until 2024.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is estimated to affect about one billion people worldwide, and is currently associated with the risk of developing severe cardiovascular and neurological disease. Samsung has announced that its Galaxy Watch series is now officially approved to detect symptoms of the disorder in users, thereby possibly increasing their chances of early diagnosis.

Xiaomi has confirmed that it has now started updating some of its product stack to Android 14. The company's Android 14 rollout begins with the Xiaomi 12T, Xiaomi 13 and Xiaomi 13 Pro, which were all previously on its MIUI beta program.

Google has become the first Android OEM to offer Android 14 across its entire product stack. Android 14 should be available to download now globally, starting with the Pixel 4a 5G and Pixel 5. The release of stable Android 14 builds coincides with the October 2023 Feature Drop, which is also rolling out.

Hisense asserts that its L5H 4K Smart Laser TV is the best gateway to the "big-screen experience" as delivered by a high-end short-throw projector with Dolby Vision HDR and Dolby Atmos. For those with even more of a big home cinema budget, there is the L9H with the OEM's hallmark TriChroma technology. Both Laser TVs also support Google TV and NEXTGEN TV, and come bundled with large ALR screens in the US.

Google asserts that its computational photo and video upgrades for the Pixel 8 series are as powerful as those of its camera hardware upgrades. The Redmond giant has unveiled new editing tweaks that work on the vanilla 8 as well as the 8 Pro such as Audio Magic Eraser; then again, the new Video Boost with Night Sight and new Pro mode are only available on the higher-end model.

Apple has issued a new software update designed to address overheating issues that some have experienced on their iPhone 15 series handsets. Available as iOS 17.0.3, the update also fixes two major security issues that had remained unpatched until now.

It seems that Google is finally ready to take on Apple's industry-leading software support for its smartphones. Until now, no Android OEM has got close to matching the six years of support that iPhones receive. All that changes with the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro though, which will still receive Feature Drops when 2030 rolls around.

Google has re-released its flagship TWS earbuds in new colorways to mark its latest major product event. The Pixel Buds Pro will also soon upgrade to the Redmond giant's Clear Calling feature, and will also start optimizing latency in gaming soon. Then again, these new features are compatible with the new Pixel 8 and 8 Pro smartphones.

CheckMag Music lockers have always been curious creatures. Amazon, Google and Apple promised they would bring legacy music collections forward into the cloud age – but all three pivoted to streaming services as they saw the way the wind was blowing, leaving only a few of these rare beasts still surviving today.

Acer Chromebooks have gone Plus for the first time with the series' latest 514 and 515 variants. The former has a 14-inch WUXGA display driven by a Ryzen 5 7000-series platform, whereas the latter has either 12th- or 13th-gen Intel processors for the potential to 2x the average Chrome OS productivity experience. The OEM asserts that they will deliver a workload capacity enhanced with "AI-powered Google and Adobe features".

After arriving as a beta piece of code back on May 23, Vivaldi for iOS and iPadOS is now finally available in a stable release that can be downloaded via Apple's App Store. Its highlights include desktop-style tabs, speed dials, the built-in Notes functionality, an integrated ad blocker, and more.

ASUS has announced a new series of updates for the ROG Ally. Not only has the company confirmed plans to push a BIOS update to the gaming handheld, but it has finalised Armoury Crate SE and MCU improvements that it will roll out separately.

The purveyor of Unreal Engine and Fortnite has apparently just realized that it is "spending too much money", and has decided to take steps to address this situation. Epic Games will cut SuperAwesome loose, and rid itself of Bandcamp, in order to achieve its goals. Nevertheless, it has managed to prepare severance packages for the ~900 employees also laid off as a result of its determination.

Heybike has previewed its "Fall has Fallen" event for the launch of its next bike: a 2.0 version of its Mars all-terrain e-vehicle. The new model will debut with an increased top speed due to its a upgraded, high-torque motor. It will also have a chunky "enhanced" rear rack touted to hold all a user's biking luggage and accessories.

Although the Xiaomi Pad 5, Pad 5 Pro 5G, and Pad 5 Pro WiFi will all receive MIUI 15, there is also a bit of a problem with this future update. According to the Chinese OEM, these slates will only get Android 13-based MIUI 15 updates, and there are no plans for releasing firmware based on Android 14 for them.

Bambu Lab has opened its MakerWorld 3D model repository in the open beta stage. Its .3mf print profiles and cloud-slicing enable many convenience and safety oriented features. Using the Bambu Handy mobile app, users can browse 3D models and select one of several print profiles for direct printing. Users can also use the website which connects to the Bambu Studio desktop software.

With a launch date announced less than two weeks ago, macOS 14 will arrive tomorrow for sure. Codenamed "Sonoma," this new Mac operating system will bring various visual improvements and new features, such as interactive desktop widgets or the Game mode, as well as multiple under-the-hood tweaks.

Huawei has formally unveiled its latest FreeBuds Pro-series TWS earbuds as part of its major Autumn 2023 product event in China. The in-house Kirin A2 chip is touted to confer industry-first "super-CD-level lossless transmission" on the accessories. The Pro 3s are also rated to support LDAC as well as Huawei's own L2HC codec for around US$200.

Released just a few days after iOS 17 and iPadOS 17, the 17.0.1 updates arrive to take care of three vulnerabilities. Launched two months after macOS 13.5, macOS 13.6 also patches two of the three vulnerabilities targeted by the updates for Apple's mobile operating systems.

ColorOS is a custom version of Android officially developed by OPPO - however, that might not stop the OEM becoming more like iOS 17 in its upcoming major upgrade. Its latest betas are now said to have integrated Dynamic Island-style animations, even though its selfie cameras are of a different style. That may not be the only iPhone-like software tweak within the ColorOS 14 UI.

OnePlus has announced a new version of its flagship TWS earbuds for the European market. The 2Rs have most of the same specs as their premium counterparts, which include wide-band active noise cancellation (ANC), LHDC codec support and up to 39 hours of battery life. Then again, OnePlus might have factored the discounts that make the original Buds Pro 2 a better deal into their pricing.

Launched the same day as Cyberpunk 2077 2.0, the Nvidia GeForce Game Ready Driver 537.42 carries multiple highlights, but the essential one is DLSS 3.5. The new software package for GeForce GPUs also comes with DLSS and Nvidia Reflex support for Party Animals, Warhaven, and Witchfire.

Soundcore asserts that its latest portable Bluetooth speakers are tough enough to be thrown into a bag and accompany the user at a barbeque or bonfire. One might indeed be inclined to keep the Motion 100 or 300 around at all times due to their support of the LDAC codec, not to mention "wireless Hi-Res audio". They also boast at least 12 hours of maximum battery life and a "premium" appearance.

NIO has confirmed that it has made its own smartphone for fans of its premium automotive experience. The inaugural Phone is equipped with some high-end features to match those from the Samsung Galaxy S series and even the newest iPhones, although they are geared for close integration with first-party cars in this case.

CheckMag Whale by Naver is like a breath of fresh air in the crowded Web browser market. The browser hails from Korea; it looks great, it has additional features that are actually useful, like screen recording in GIF format, and it is compatible with extensions found in the Chrome web store.

Thanks to the use of a custom-made large language model specifically aimed at voice interaction, the new Alexa AI can carry on even more natural conversations with its users than before. The update allows Amazon's virtual assistant to understand and fulfill more complex questions and requests.

While the Hungarian ground vehicles and helicopters join the Italian tech trees, bluewater naval battles get rank VI ships, War Thunder's "Sons of Attila" update also comes with new military hardware for most nations in the game. The game receives multiple visual improvements, a new map, and more.

Xiaomi has quietly begun pushing Android 14 updates to some of its current flagship smartphones globally. First in line are the Xiaomi 13 and Xiaomi 13 Pro, which are now eligible via MIUI 14 Stable Beta builds, the final step before the company begins a full software rollout.