Software

Volkswagen has announced that its third-gen Tiguan will be available as a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) for the first time. The SUV will also make the switch to an automatic gearbox and options such as massaging seats and new headlights to also feature in the next Tuareg. The new Tiguan will also have a revamped interior, a new infotainment system with a ~15-inch display included.

The second major update to War Thunder, dubbed "La Royale" and released yesterday, comes with more than 50 new/updated vehicles, including 14 new ships for the French naval tree (in Closed Beta stage for now). There is also a first Indian tank (Vijayanta), two new locations, and much more.

Nothing has confirmed that it will launch its second-gen flagship smartphone with its second-gen skin for Android. Now, the OEM's CEO Carl Pei has confirmed that its inaugural mobile device will not be left behind, although its upgrade to stable Nothing OS 2.0 will come slightly later. The company has indicated that the update may make the Phone (1) look and behave very differently in the near future.

Google is now rolling out the June 2023 Feature Drop to the Pixel Watch. The major update enables the smartwatch's SpO2 sensor, among other changes. Also, the company has announced availability for official metal watch straps.

Samsung has revealed eligibility for its irregular heart rhythm notifications (IHRN) software. Starting in 13 countries, the software will ship in One UI 5 Watch, which will debut next month in the Galaxy Watch6 and Galaxy Watch6 Classic before reaching Galaxy Watch4 and Galaxy Watch5 series models later this year.

Google is now rolling out the June 2023 Feature Drop to eligible Pixel smartphones. The new update introduces plenty of useful features from the Pixel 4a 5G onwards, including new safety functionality and software that can turn regular photos into 3D wallpapers.

OPPO has reportedly divulged its Android 14 upgrade plans - and the list of eligible devices in question is markedly short. It also implies that smartphones released two years ago or less are being cut loose in terms of support. Then again, the leak pertain to one region only.

TCL is an OEM with a smart TV line-up boasting variants with up-to-date technologies such as QLED and mini-LED. Now, the company has indicated that the next wave of these screens will come with access to "thousands" of movies and TV shows for free out of the box - albeit with ads. They will be part of a new UI provided by Cineverse, a global name in ad-supporting streaming services.

Google has boasted of many refinements and improvements as Wear OS proceeds to its next major upgrade. Then again, the smartwatch UI has been observed to retain various little niggles and annoyances from its bad old days, the obligation to put a watch through a full factory reset in order to switch it between multiple smartphones included. However, according to a new leak, that bug has finally been squashed.

iQOO India has announced that its Neo line of Android smartphones is going Pro for the first time later in 2023. The brand has yet to tease the new 7-series flagship in terms of specs, although it is thought to launch with an ex-flagship Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 SoC. It also stands a good chance of rocking fast 120W charging and a 120Hz display.

OnePlus' Nord 3 launch event is now thought to be on the horizon, thanks to the arrival of a device with its specs as rumored on the Geekbench database. The leak purports to confirm the smartphone's premium mid-range Android nature, with specs such as 16GB of RAM and Android 13 out of the box.

A modder has released an unofficial patch for the popular Ubisoft game, Prince of Persia: The Two Thrones. The game suffered from nagging bugs, mouse deadzones, and all sorts of haphazard camera movements that Ubisoft hasn't fixed at all. The new patch fixes most of these issues and also enables DirectX 11, 4x MSAA, and support for 4K monitors.

Android 14 has now reached platform stability, courtesy of its third beta, ahead of its full release later this year. Beta 3 brings several new features to Android 14, as well as support for the Pixel 7a.

After months of teasing, Volvo has finally taken the wraps off its EX30, revealing an affordable electric compact crossover SUV that's barely larger than a VW Golf and packs a wallop off the line. An attractive starting price and startling 0–60 times are sure to make Volvo's smallest SUV to date a particularly attractive buy for a fair few prospective EV buyers.

Huawei is preparing to release the Watch 4 and Watch 4 Pro in Europe, following last month's global launch. In the meantime, Huawei has rolled out a significant day-one patch that adds plenty of features, including Health Glance functionality.

Adobe Stock is one of the biggest repository of non-royalty images online. It is also the only one accepting output from generative AI as such at the time of writing. A new analysis of the sale of and revenue from images available on the platform suggests that the latter has outdone 'real' media from photographers in some respects since 2022.

Fnatic has secured a long-term development partnership with Sony to provide input on next-gen INZONE products. The new collaboration is slated to result in new content from the brand as well as follow-ups to PlayStation-themed monitors such as the M9. Sony asserts that the e-sports team members' experience and feedback will lead to a revolution in its own-brand gaming gear in the near future.

Samsung has now shared the first beta for One UI 5 Watch and Wear OS 4. Rolling out now as a 1.5 GB download for the Galaxy Watch4, Galaxy Watch4 Classic, Galaxy Watch5 and Galaxy Watch5 Pro, the update is the first change to test Wear OS 4 outside of an emulator.

Fujitsu has announced that it has upgraded its Lifebook-series laptop and convertible tablet to 13th-gen Intel processors. The OEM also asserts that they are ideal for remote or hybrid work, especially with the option of a "palm vein sensor" as a biometric authentication feature. They are also equipped with 16:10 FHD displays that can be touch-responsive in either model.

Garmin is finalising its latest round of alpha and beta updates for the Fenix 6 series and its counterparts. While newer models have already started receiving new stable updates, the Fenix 6, Enduro, Marq, Quatix 6 and Tactix Delta series have received their first Release Candidate update. Rolling out as Beta Version 26.00, the update should reach all eligible smartwatches soon.

Garmin has started rolling out new stable updates to various smartwatches, including the Fenix ​​7 and Instinct 2 series. This month's round of patches introduces a number of new features, such as an obstacle course activity and wrist-based running dynamics tracking.

Apple has now revealed which devices are eligible for iPadOS 17, iOS 17, watchOS 10 and macOS Sonoma, OS upgrades that it announced as part of yesterday's WWDC 2023 keynote. Unfortunately, Apple has dropped some devices that it currently supports.

Sony has now outright confirmed that it has partnered with Square Enix to bring Final Fantasy XVI (FFXVI) to the PlayStation 5 (PS5). The latest instalment of the iconic game can be pre-ordered for that console (and only that console) through a number of channels from now. Sony has taken this opportunity to strongly hint that it is best played on a BRAVIA TV or INZONE monitor.

Mixed reality by Apple has finally made its long-awaited global debut at WWDC 2023. The Cupertino behemoth claims to have built a potentially definitive take on the technology from the ground up, resulting in a 3D experience now backed to impose macOS-like UI features on real life as much as possible. On that note, the headset is also rated to switch to completely immersion for entertainment purposes instead.

Topaz Labs recently released version 1.3.7 of its Photo AI image sharpening software. Topaz Photo is a one-click solution for upscaling, noise removal, and blur reduction for photographers. Topaz Labs has released v1.3.7 at a 20% discount until June 16, and for a perpetual licence no less.

Apple unveiled the next iteration of macOS, dubbed "Sonoma," at WWDC today. Sonoma brings desktop widgets, improvements to Safari and web apps, and a new "Game Mode," among others.

Sony touts its latest CFexpress Type-A cards as exceptionally high-capacity and frame-drop resistant, the better to deliver ultra-stable, reliable recording, even in 4K (even internally) or the RAW format. The CEA-M1920T and CEA-M960T are also backed for even the most rugged of shooting conditions thanks to their durable construction, with software support to guard against accidental deletions.

The new GEEKOM x Asus series of mini PCs officially has its second member, in the form of the new AS 5. It looks much like its immediate predecessor, although it swaps Ryzen 6000-series processors for the older 9 5900HX platform for a reduced starting price. Meanwhile, the line's flagship AS 6 has made it onto Amazon.

OPPO backs its first-gen MR headset as ready and able to take on anything else in the fast-growing mixed or extended reality (MR/XR) space with "advanced technology and unique innovations". They include the binocular video pass-through (VPT) feature tipped to become the next hot spec among headsets of that type, as well as the same rapid SuperVOOC charging as the OEM's smartphones. Then again, it has yet to become available to the public.

Apple Savings has reportedly attracted about US$100 million in deposits since launching in the US in April 2023. Now, however, some of its customers have gone public with claims that trying to get their money out of the accounts in question took weeks in some cases, while others claim that their balances never updated following such a transaction. Is the Cupertino giant's consumer 'financial wellness' drive all that healthy?

Google will finally release the Android equivalent of iOS' Battery Health screen for the first time. The facility is thought to land with the software's next major upgrade, although it might be accessed in its latest betas for the Mountain View's Pixel 7-series flagships. It is thought to yield useful information such as charging cycles and total capacity right from the system UI for the first time.

Motorola India has alerted its fans that it will "Flip the Script" for its next major product event. That is because it is now slated to unleash the OEM's latest foldable clamshell Android smartphone on another new market. It is backed to bring its enlarged cover display and all its new software tweaks with it to its new home.

Garmin has rolled out a new beta update for Fenix 6, Enduro, Marq, Quatix 6 and Tactix Delta smartwatches. Arriving as Beta Version 25.91, the update is available as an OTA or through Garmin's Connect Mobile and Express services.

Anycubic asserts that its latest Photon Mono-series 3D printer will retain every detail of its input thanks to a new, high-res monochrome LCD screen. The M5 also supports a mobile app for "one-touch" model selection and progress-tracing. It is available from now with up to US$50 off its pre-order price for a limited time.

Volkswagen has officially unleashed its all-electric minibus on the North American market with the announcement of its "long wheelbase" (or LWB) variant. This version of the ID. Buzz also has a heat pump to go with its enlarged battery and extra cubic capacity. It also has an increased top speed thanks to a more powerful electric drive motor - especially in its forthcoming GTX model.

Meta continues to offer improvements to the Quest 2, even after announcing the Quest 3. Later this year, the company will introduce a major upgrade for its three-year-old VR headset, along with a price cut to position the Quest 2 as a cheaper alternative to the new Quest 3.

Google has announced several new features for Pixel devices that it will start rolling out later this month. Available for the Pixel Watch too, the June Feature Drop arrives just before Google starts shipping the Pixel Fold and Pixel Tablet.

CheckUp Mozilla puts the user into the driver's seat by letting them download literally any Firefox release that was ever made. The organization keeps a freely accessible archive of its products at ftp.mozilla.org to be unlike most other browser-making companies that only offer the latest builds.

Arriving less than a week after its predecessor, the Nvidia GeForce Game Ready Driver 535.98 software package brings day-1 support for DLSS 3 and Reflex in Diablo IV, as well as DLSS 2 optimizations for the Unreal Engine 4-based remake of System Shock. However, there are no other changes mentioned.

NVIDIA's share price has finally propelled it into the US$1 trillion market cap club today (May 30, 2023). Its meteoric valuation is attributed to its (abundantly clear) focus on AI hardware and services. The company's new status has also been seen to buoy up the stock of other tech companies, AMD included.

The well-known Bloomberg correspondent Mark Gurman claims to have been able to test the upcoming third-gen Quest headset from Meta ahead of its launch. Its apparently mixed reality (MR) -focused build is described as updated in some areas compared to its predecessor, although it may fall short of its rumored impending Apple rival in some respects.

Garmin has rolled out a new beta update for Fenix 6 series smartwatches and its counterparts. Curiously, Beta Version 25.89 contains fewer changes than its predecessor, with Garmin removing 17 bug fixes that it included in Beta Version 25.88.

Microsoft has released a preview version of a dedicated backup app for Windows 11. Currently, the app can perform an almost complete backup of all apps, settings and user data. Theoretically, the new app should simplify the process of restoring an installation or moving to a new Windows computer.

Acer has announced a potentially significant expansion of the SpatialLabs Developer tool-kit for the creation of new "3D stereoscopic experiences" today (May 26, 2023). The OEM has unveiled its own SteamVR Bridge driver, as well as a certification for OpenXR Runtime. SpatialLabs Pro Devices are also now rated to support the Unity plug-in, which is popular among professional creators of various disciplines.

Acer has unveiled the new Connect Vero W6m as a new way to bring Wi-Fi 6E to a home or workspace in an "eco-conscious" package. The mesh system's units are finished with recycled post-consumer plastics, and are also shipped using recycled paper. Nevertheless, they are rated to deliver transfers of up to 7.8 gigabits per second (Gb/s) over tri-band Wi-Fi.

ZeroZero touts its new Hover X1 as the smallest, most light-weight camera drone in the world - or on Indiegogo, at least. It has debuted on the crowdfunding platform today (May 25, 2023), and has accrued over eight times its original goal already. It is rated to "take your footage to the next level" with pre-programmed aerial shot modes for its up-to-2.7K video.

The new driver package released by Nvidia yesterday delivers full support for the new GeForce RTX 4060 Ti GPU alongside DLSS 3, Reflex, ray tracing, and other optimizations for The Lord of the Rings: Gollum, a title that launches today. There is also support for 2 new G-Sync Compatible gaming monitors and 7 Optimal Settings presets.

Mobvoi has made its latest premium smartwatch official today (May 24, 2023). The TicWatch 5 Pro is a brand first in that it has a Snapdragon W5+ Gen 1 chipset and a physical crown. It is rated for up to 80 hours of battery life thanks to an "ultra-low-power" dual-layer display set-up. The Pro 5 also supports 100 or more "professional" work-out modes within its Wear OS 3-based UI.

At its annual Build conference, Microsoft announced several new AI features coming to Windows 11. First of these is Windows Copilot, which is a ChatGPT interface right on the desktop to help with productivity. Other developer-focused features include a dedicated Dev Home dashboard with support for creating virtual Dev Drives, an AI Hub in the Microsoft Store, and RGB Dynamic Lighting integration in Windows Settings.

AMD touts its new Ryzen 7040 series as the best processors to make the 'AI-enhanced' laptops of the near future. Now, Windows developers can work on their potential for "unique experiences" with early access to the software rated to offer optimal support and accelerator integration. It is available for "select" Ryzen AI-enabled processors from now.