You have to hand it to Ubisoft for launching titles that, given current situations, could almost be interpreted as social commentary. Of course, had Watch Dogs: Legion launched on time, it might have had less impact than when it launches during a time of more problematic security and privacy practices. Of course, the delay has also helped Ubisoft iron out … Continue reading
Home-centric devices have become more relevant and more useful these days, with everyone stuck at home most of the time. From laptops to mobile devices to smart speakers and smart displays, smart devices at home have experienced a surge in demand that some may have even had difficulty supplying. Google might be trying to take advantage of that rise in … Continue reading
Microsoft founder Bill Gates, a billionaire, said a good and right thing on Saturday. Gates called on leaders to make sure that future covid-19 drugs and vaccines to the people and countries that need them most, and not just to the highest bidders.
Google’s Chrome browser has been known to be something of a battery hog, especially on Mac computers where it seems to drain battery a lot faster compared to other browsers, like Apple’s Safari. However, the good news for Mac users is that it looks like Google will finally be doing something about it.
In a report from The Wall Street Journal, it seems that Google will be making some changes to Chrome under the hood that should improve battery life on Mac computers by a bit. This will come in the form of tab throttling where resources will Chrome will use resources more wisely, such as by focusing more on active tabs and limiting the amount of resources background tabs consume.
According to Max Christoff, director of Chrome browser engineering, “This is an ongoing investment in improvements to speed, performance and battery life.” Google is said to be testing these changes out on Mac laptops specifically, and based on early tests, they have found that the improvements they made have had a “dramatic impact” on battery life and performance.
These changes aren’t live yet, but according to the report, Google is planning on a stable release towards the end of August, so this is an update that Mac users will be able to look forward to.
Chrome For Mac Will Soon Stop Being Such A Battery Hog
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Google is set to launch their new smartphone, the Google Pixel 4a. Initially, there were rumors that the handset could be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 765 chipset instead of the Snapdragon 765G chipset, which meant that the phone would not support 5G. This was a bit disappointing.
However, according to some digging by 9to5Google, they have discovered that there could be a Pixel 4a handset with support for 5G, but this is where it gets a little strange. It would seem that Google could have two versions of the Pixel 4a, one of which has been given the codename “Sunfish” which will be the non-5G version, and there will also be a 5G version codenamed “Bramble”.
Then there is also reference to a device codenamed “Redfin” that is apparently the Pixel 5. Both Bramble and Redfin will apparently be powered by the Snapdragon 765G chipset, while Sunfish will use a lower-end chipset. Confused yet? We know we are. It is unclear at this point in time how Google will differentiate the Pixel 4a and the Pixel 5, especially if they are both to run the same hardware.
Also, does this mean there might not be a Pixel 5 XL that will use higher-end hardware like the Qualcomm Snapdragon 865? In any case, take it with a grain of salt for now, but hopefully Google will clear things up soon.
Pixel 4a Could Come In A 5G Variant After All
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One of the advantages of buying into the Apple ecosystem is that the company tightly integrates its products with one another. Take for example, with macOS and an iPad, users will be able to use a feature called Sidecar that allows the iPad to double as an external secondary display which can come in handy for various situations.
Now it looks like Lenovo could be planning something similar, where according to a tweet by Evan Blass, it seems that Lenovo could be working on a hybrid device of sorts that is both a tablet and an external monitor built into the same device. Expounding on that rumor is Till Kottmann, another leakster, who claims to have seen internal Lenovo documentation that provides additional details about the device.
Basically, this tablet can connect to a computer via mini HDMI. When it does so, it will lock the Android portion of the tablet and the device will now function as a secondary display. This means that in theory, you could connect it to a variety of devices like a laptop or console. While the Android portion might be locked, other features are still accessible like the speakers.
New post at Patreon: “Lenovo “Yoga X” Android Tablet/Aux Display Hybrid Wireframe [thx, @deletescape]” [https://t.co/QqFiylQE8N]
— Evan Blass (@evleaks) July 10, 2020
It is an interesting device, although Lenovo has yet to officially comment on it. We’re not sure if this device will ever see the light of day, but it could be an answer to Apple’s Sidecar feature, albeit a slightly more clunky version.
Lenovo Could Be Working On An Answer To Apple’s Sidecar
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Time machines are usually the stuff of science fiction, and whether or not this is something that humans will be able to achieve one day is really anyone’s guess. However, inventor Lucas has created a pretty awesome alternative, where through devices like Snap’s Spectacles, he has created a virtual time machine that lets him travel back in the time in a manner of speaking.
Basically what Lucas has done is while wearing the Snap Spectacles, he has recorded his life and using that recorded footage, it will let him revisit any moment in time that was recorded in virtual reality. Granted this only lets Lucas revisit what he’s recorded and it also doesn’t let him interact with his “past”, but it is still a pretty awesome and fun idea nonetheless.
It is a bit of an exaggeration to call it time travel, but you could think of it as being a more elaborate way of browsing your past photos and videos, but with the added advantage of being able to see it in a first-person perspective thanks to the Spectacles wearable. The downside to his current setup is that Spectacles only allows for recording up to a minute at a time, plus he also needed a bunch of hard drives just to preserve everything.
However, like we said, it’s still a pretty awesome project and if you have about 30 minutes or so to spare, you can check out his project in the video above.
Inventor Creates A Virtual Time Machine That Lets Him Travel Back In Time
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One of the features that Apple introduced in iOS 14 that improves on user privacy, is that the OS will notify users whenever their clipboard has been accessed by an app. This is make it a more transparent process so that users know which apps are accessing data on their devices, in case they weren’t aware before.
Thanks to this feature, a recent study has actually shown that there are more than 50 apps, some of them extremely popular, which were accessing clipboard data without the user’s knowledge. LinkedIn was one of those apps, and now it looks like the company has found themselves in a bit of legal trouble as a result.
A lawsuit has been filed against the company where the person filing the lawsuit, Adam Bauer, alleges that LinkedIn had accessed the clipboard on his iOS device without notifying him. While LinkedIn has yet to comment on the lawsuit, following the revelation that many apps had been accessing the iOS clipboard, LinkedIn (like many other companies) stated that they would be ending this practice.
While others have been caught doing the same thing, such as TikTok and Reddit, this is the first time we’re hearing about a lawsuit being filed as a result, and it looks like LinkedIn is the first target.
LinkedIn Hit With Lawsuit For Reading Apple Users’ Clipboard Data
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Our modern day devices are a bit too smart which is why when it comes to exams, schools typically only allow certain preapproved electronics like scientific/financial calculators. These calculators are smart in the sense that they can pull off a ton of calculations, but due to the fact that they are offline, it makes it rather difficult to cheat with it.
Or are they?
In a video (that has since been made private) uploaded to Neutrino’s YouTube page, it shows how the humble Casio scientific calculator that you will find in the hands of many students has been hacked to do more than it appears. For starters, the solar panel used to help charge the battery and power the calculator was removed and in its place is a tiny OLED screen.
Neutrino also went several steps further by cracking open the device and including a WiFi module that would allow the calculator to connect to the internet, where it will be able to pull pre-uploaded data from the Firebase mobile development platform. There is even a very basic chat feature that uses a clever combination of magnets and sensors that lets the user chat and navigate the menu.
The end result is that upon first glance, the calculator looks like nothing has changed, but under the hood, it is the ultimate cheating machine. This is by no means a simple hack that every student can pull off, but it is a fun and interesting one. Considering how innovative students can get when it comes to cheating in the exam, we wouldn’t be surprised if some were to take some inspiration from this to create their own.
This Hacked Calculator Is Every Students’ Dream Come True
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With people having more time indoors on their hands, many have resorted to dusting off their gaming collection or even expanding it with new purchases. Recent events have been a boon to the gaming industry but they have also put some companies and individuals under a microscope. It is against that backdrop that Ubisoft is announcing its latest flagship title’s … Continue reading
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