Software

The Fossil Group has finally announced Wear OS 3 availability for its smartwatches. Not only has the company confirmed which smartwatches will receive the update, but also when. Separately, Fossil Group has previewed the Gen 6 Wellness Edition, its first smartwatch launched with Wear OS 3.

Although it is only available in the Dev Channel, support for iCloud Photos in Windows 11's Photos app is an inspired move by Microsoft that promises to bring its ecosystem closer to Apple's. Even more, Apple TV and Apple Music will hit Windows 11 next year, while preview versions will show up in a few weeks.

Galaxy S22, Galaxy S22 Plus, and Galaxy S22 Ultra owners should soon expect to receive One UI 5.0. While Samsung has already confirmed some of the features in its upcoming OS update, the company has now revealed that public builds will be available later this month.

Samsung has started rolling out a new update for the Galaxy Watch4 series. Available as R8xxXXU1GVI3, the update is based on Wear OS 3.5 and still contains an Android security patch.

Google has updated its smartwatch strategy following the launch of the Pixel Watch. For the last few years, Google's decision-making has abandoned numerous OEM models, with the TicWatch Pro 3 and Fossil Gen 6 still yet to receive Wear OS 3.

The long-term strategic partnership inked by Google Cloud and Coinbase involves the ability of select Web3 customers to pay for their cloud services using select cryptocurrencies. The list of supported currencies has not been unveiled yet, but more information should surface in the near future.

In addition to what Nintendo labels as "general system stability improvements" and delivers with each system update, the firmware update 15.0.0 for the brand's portable gaming console also allows users to take screenshots when using the Nintendo Switch Online application. Sadly, there are no other major changes.

The iOS 16.0.3 update is now rolling out for all eligible devices. It is 1.21 GB in size and addresses issues such as slow camera app launch times and delayed notifications on the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max.

Mobvoi has announced a limited-time 2022 "Prime Fall Sale" with discounts on the new TicWatch E3 and its top-end Pro 3 GPS sibling, as well as that smartwatch's iterative Pro 3 Ultra GPS upgrade. They are available at up to 45% off, although the affordable TicWatch GTH might have one of the best deals of the lot among the OEM's wearables.

Google may have announced several new software features with the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro, but they may not remain exclusive for long. Soon, some of these new features will be making their way to the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro via a Feature Drop and even to older Pixel smartphones.

Toshiba TV has launched its latest M550K variant as a new 4K TV touted to go beyond "conventional LED" in terms of image reproduction, color-accuracy, depth and sharpness. The OEM asserts that the user will thus be able to "say goodbye to dull pictures and blurry screen images" with this upcoming big screen. It will ship with in-built REGZA Audio Power Pro speakers enhanced with Dolby Atmos for "heart-shaking sound".

The OnePlus 7, 7 Pro, 7T and 7T Pro Android smartphones are ex-flagships that are only around 3 years old. However, they have not seen a new stable software upgrade for more than a year now. The OEM has now amended this situation with a fresh OTA - then again, it updates the devices to Android 12, not the newer 13 version.

Compared to last year's Pixel 6 lineup, the Google Pixel 7 family comes with a few solid improvements, one of them being the introduction of 10-bit HDR video support. Snapchat and TikTok will both support this on the Pixel 7, thus becoming the first Android apps to do so, with others expected to follow.

Amazfit's wearables started out as fitness trackers with a purely in-house software ecosystem. However, the latest versions of their Zepp OS is playing nicer with more and more third-party apps that the user might want to connect or sync to their health-focused smartwatch. Adidas Running is an example of these that has just become compatible with the new GTR 4 and GTS 4 flagships.

Samsung has released One UI 5 Beta 4 to the Galaxy S22 series. Available as a 1.5 GB download in the US, the latest One UI 5 beta build focuses on bug fixes while removing the multi-user feature that earlier One UI 5 Betas contained.

The Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 25217 has just been delivered on the Dev Channel by Microsoft. This piece of code brings the ability to test third-party widgets to developers. However, these widgets are restricted to local use for now, but they should support for installation from the Microsoft Store soon.

Samsung has released the first public software update for the Galaxy Buds2 Pro. Arriving roughly six weeks after the earbuds' launch, R510XXU0AVI7 is available to download now through the Galaxy Wearable app.

Google has announced that the Pixel Watch will be able to use its own first-party Home UI in advance. The full mobile device version of the same app also has a new UI now, intended to streamline access to a user's domestic accessories and equipment. It also has a dedicated automation tab intended to help make a home as smart on its own as possible.

Google has somewhat quietly added a new version of its Nest Doorbell to its Store. This refreshed version runs on wired power, and is rated to send the telemetry from its inbuilt to the user in a 4:3 aspect-ratio, rated for improved vigilance over things such as packages. It can also record video for up to 10 days on end; however, this feature requires an additional Nest subscription.

Amazfit's allegedly upcoming premium smartwatch will launch as the first-gen Falcon, according to a new leak. A tech blog claims to have laid hands on a promotional video, as well as an unboxing clip, for the new wearable said to aim at the high-end market on its launch - which is, apparently, imminent.

While most processors on the market are faster when disabling security tweaks/patches for certain bugs such as Spectre or Meltdown, it was recently discovered that the AMD Ryzen 7000 family does better when the Spectre V2 mitigations are enabled in the Linux kernel. The tests were first ran on the Ryzen 9 7950X, and then on the Ryzen 5 7600X.

Multiple users have taken to Twitter to complain about the Instagram app not working on their iPhones. The only workaround is to uninstall and reinstall the app and keep it running in the background until Meta issues an official fix.

The popular YouTuber with a focus on electric cars claims that Volkswagen is letting its drivers down because of the many annoying software bugs and issues in the VW ID.4 have not been resolved with an update nearly two years after the EV's official launch.

Carl Pei's new tech OEM Nothing has announced that its long-hyped Ear (stick) TWS earbuds later in October 2022. The brand patently aims for style with this new product, although it asserts that they will deliver its "most advanced sound experience yet". They are also backed to support prolonged wear times and to have a more portable case than their ear (1) predecessors.

Google has released the October update for Pixel smartphones, including the recent Pixel 6a. While it has reached the Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL, it appears to be the pair's last guaranteed update, three years on from their release.

Already featuring a few raytracing options and DirectX 12 support, World of Warcraft is now getting ready for the Dragonflight update and its system requirements for PC gamers have been pushed up. The SSD and a DX12 video card are now mandatory, while the amount of required system memory has doubled.

According to multiple owner reports, Fitbit's latest update for the Versa 2 has rendered some units practically useless. Believed to be a bug missed during testing, the issue leads to touchscreens no longer working in affected Versa 2 smartwatches.

Twitter has confirmed that Twitter Blue subscribers in Canada, Australia and New Zealand will soon be able to edit their Tweets for up to thirty minutes after posting them. Subscribers in the United States should get the feature "soon".

Samsung has rolled out new updates for its older flagship smartwatches. Available on the Galaxy Watch Active2 and the Galaxy Watch3, the update brings a few new features to both smartwatches, such as two watch faces.

OnePlus has announced its ColorOS update schedule for October 2022. This list of smartphones eligible for either public beta or stable builds of the Android skin's latest 13 version during that month shows that there are just 2 devices in the latter category. It might only apply to units sold in China, yet could influence how soon international 9-series users will see stable OxygenOS 13.

A new iPadOS 16 beta build has confirmed that Apple is moving away from making Stage Manager an M1-exclusive feature. Instead, the multitasking feature has been opened up to iPads with A12X Bionic and A12Z Bionic chipsets.

Previously available for Samsung's more recent flagships like the Galaxy S22 series, Galaxy Z Fold 3, and the Galaxy Z Fold 4, the Expert RAW photography app is now gaining full support for more devices. The trio that joins the list consists of Galaxy S20 Ultra, Note 20 Ultra, and Galaxy Z Fold 2.

After testing up to 10 unskippable ads before videos, YouTube is now apparently investigating another way to increase revenue. In the future, 4K videos could only be available for YouTube Premium users. Google declined to comment so far, so we can only hope this is just another experiment that will stay that way.

Edifier asserts that its latest bookshelf-type speaker is high-end in terms of its specs and features, yet set at an cost-effective price-point. The WiFi/Bluetooth/OPT/COX/AUX-capable S1000W has aluminum bass drivers and a titanium dome tweeter rated to deliver "Hi-Res audio", and can pair to at least 1 additional unit for seamless music playback throughout the home.

Anker's eufy home-security brand has launched a third-gen outdoor camera kit powered by its OEM's new BionicMind AI. It can be "taught" to recognize specific faces as friendly, and can even learn to "perceive" certain human behaviors as potentially suspicious. The new features are touted to make camera activation, user notification and footage storage within the eufyCam 3 system more selective, powerful and effective than ever.

After less than a decade since its release for iOS, which took place in September 2014, the Microsoft-owned virtual keyboard app SwiftKey (originally developed by TouchType) will be removed from the Apple App Store on October 5. This move comes after over a year without updates, but there is no official reason yet.

The recently released free update for Microsoft Flight Simulator introduces the world's second-largest country to the players. This update's list of highlights includes 12 urban regions enhanced with the latest photogrammetry data, nine missions, and no less than 87 hand-crafted points of interest.

Ulefone asserts that its latest IP68/69K/MIL-STD-810G-rated mobile device, the Power Armor 16 Pro, is now the "world's loudest rugged phone". It has launched with a disproportionately large speaker that shoulders the conventional camera hump aside in an effort to live up to this "122 decibel" spec. The 16 Pro debuts with its OEM's inaugural TWS earbuds as a free gift.

LG has unveiled the latest addition to its MAGNIT series of TVs for high-end home media rooms at CEDIA Expo 2022. This new 4K variant will add a 136-inch form-factor to its line of super-sized micro-LED panels, and is rated to pack the processing power and AI rated to tailor its output to the type or genre of media to be displayed, from movies to NFTs.

The C3W Pro is the latest security camera from EZVIZ, of the Wi-Fi-capable form-factor intended to be installed outside. As such, it packs the OEM's latest color night-vision features, including automatic activation in response to movement. Its 1080p resolution and 2MP streaming mode allow it to hit a potentially attractive price-point.

A few months after its announcement, the PlayStation Stars loyalty program for PlayStation users is now rolling out. Japan gets it today (alongside the rest of Asia), the Americas will follow on October 5, while Europe and Australia are scheduled to gain access on October 13 (local time, in all cases).

The Motorola Moto G72 is officially backed to launch as the first Android smartphone to bring a "billion-color" OLED display to its 4G/LTE tier of the Indian market. This screen will be driven by one of the latest MediaTek Helio-series processors available to it, both of which will be sustained by a 5,000mAh battery with 33W charging.

OPPO's Reno8 is currently 2022's only smartphone in the top 3 of DxOMark's charts in terms of battery performance. It has outscored others such as the iPhone 13 Pro Max thanks to its apparently impressive efficiency and lengthy screen-on time, especially on standby. Its up-to-date 80W charging speed didn't hurt either, of course.

Xiaomi has started rolling out Android 12 to the Pad 5 outside China by way of MIUI 13.1. Available as V13.1.2.0.SKXEUXM, V13.1.1.0.SKXMIXM and V13.1.1.0.SKXINXM, the update is over a 3 GB download and carries the September 2022 set of security patches, among other changes.

The Fiido X may be one of the most successful e-bikes that started out on a crowd-funding website. Nevertheless, the OEM has announced that it will be releasing a new version for 2022. It is rated to offer a new zero-power mode, as well as improved security features, a new handlebar with a new screen and other new, possibly quality-enhancing, tweaks.

Skullcandy has just expanded its line of headphones with new sets specifically aimed at gamers. They include the new wireless PLYR headset and the wired SLYR PRO, with battery power that partially acts to power a feature rated to test the user's hearing to optimize their output. The accessories are joined by the more affordable new SLYR option with a core selection of its series' specs.

The corrupted (water damage, cracks, various distortions) old images noticed by many Google Photos users lately are only the result of a bug which, fortunately, doesn't alter the original photos. Google has just acknowledged this problem, also revealing that a fix is in the making and it should roll out soon.

This week's feature update for Windows 11 reveals what might come soon to Windows 10 as well. Scheduled to arrive next month, Windows 10 22H2 will pack a rich set of tweaks and fixes, as well as printing-focused features, an improved focus mode, and more. Accurate information should surface in the coming weeks.

Xiaomi has claimed that it can have its first electric car on the market by 2024. Now, one of its latest patents hint at the latest step in achieving this goal. The OEM's dedicated EV division has invented what could be its answer to systems such as Tesla's Supercharger facilities.