Having been hugely impressed by the Garmin Venu 2, we're very much looking forward to what Garmin does next with this series – and it's looking increasingly likely that what will be coming next is the Venu 2 Plus.
Well-known and usually reliable tipster @evleaks has posted leaked images of the upcoming Garmin Venu 2 Plus smartwatch, images which look as though they're official device renders produced by Garmin itself.
You may remember that back in November an image supposedly showing the Venu 2 Plus appeared on Garmin's own support site. It was quickly taken down but it tipped us off to the idea that a follow-up to the Venu 2 was on the way.
As with the previous leak, there isn't much that's new in terms of design when it comes to the Venu 2 Plus. However, there does appear to be a third physical button on the side of the casing, which some have suggested could be used to launch a digital assistant.
The Venu 2 story so far
We don't know too much else about the Garmin Venu 2 Plus at this stage, but considering the nomenclature that Garmin is going with here, we're assuming that there isn't going to be a massive amount of difference from the original Venu 2.
The Garmin Venu 2 offers all the basics you would expect from a smartwatch, plus numerous advanced features to appeal to fitness enthusiasts and runners in particular – there's super-accurate GPS and the Garmin Coach app, for example.
As with most Garmin watches, the Venu 2 is available with a choice of strap colors and case sizes, and starts at $399.99 / £349.99 / AU$629. If a Venu 2 Plus is indeed on the horizon, expect those prices to jump up slightly.
Opinion: smartwatches deserve digital assistants
The Apple Watch 7.(Image credit: TechRadar)
As impressive as Garmin's wide range of smartwatches are, there's one key feature they lack: an on-board digital assistant. That puts them at something of a disadvantage compared with competing models like the Apple Watch 7 (with Siri) and the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 (with Google Assistant).
A third physical button on the casing for the Venu 2 Plus suggests that this might be about to change. It's possible that Garmin could add its own digital assistant to the watch – or at least enable voice commands for launching features on the device.
Smartwatches have relatively tiny screens, making them difficult to operate by hand. What's more, they're often being used while our hands are busy, whether that's lugging shopping around or trying to propel ourselves to a new personal best.
That's where voice commands come in: being able to stop and start run tracking, for example, or get a current heart rate reading using a voice command would make the Garmin Venu 2 Plus an appealing prospect (and the feature would then no doubt roll out to other Garmin smartwatches too).
Article From & Read More ( A Couple Of Hours With The First Big Five Nights At Freddy's Since Scott Cawthon's Retirement - Kotaku )
https://ift.tt/3slMhs6
Technology
In its bid to rival PC game distribution giant Steam, Epic isn’t holding anything back this year. The Epic Games Store has become synonymous with its weekly free game giveaways, making such notable titles as Grand Theft Auto V, Control, Alien: Isolation, and the Batman Arkham trilogy free at various points. This holiday season Epic is doubling down: In addition to 15 free games, one new title every day, the store is offering $10 coupons on each and every digital game priced $14.99 or higher.
That’s in addition to the usual end-of-year sale pricing on a ton of titles. There is no limit to the amount of times a user can take advantage of that $10 off promotion. If every single game in your Epic Games Store cart is over $14.99 (up to 50 items at once), then you save $500 off the total price. And you can turn around and load up on 50 more games if you’re so inclined.
Epic
Epic’s free games must be claimed in order to be enjoyed, so you have a reason to return to the store at 11 a.m. Eastern time daily to see what’s new. The first game posted on Thursday, December 16th (the usual weekly update) was Shenmue III, Sega’s long-awaited continuation of the noir crime adventure series that inspired modern titles like the Yakuza games. Day two features Neon Abyss, a pixelated side-scrolling shooter with roguelike elements.
Free games can be claimed from the main Epic Games Store app on Windows or MacOS, or by logging into the website. If you’re traveling for the holidays, it might be worth bookmarking the EGS main page to see if you’re interested in the new freebie over the next couple of weeks.
Related:
Video Games
Michael is a former graphic designer who's been building and tweaking desktop computers for longer than he cares to admit. His interests include folk music, football, science fiction, and salsa verde, in no particular order.
Article From & Read More ( Epic Games Store offers 15 free games, 'limitless' $10 off coupons in Holiday Sale - PCWorld )
https://ift.tt/3GVNVF2
Technology
Enlarge/ A man walks by the building entrance of Israeli cyber company NSO Group at one of its branches in the Arava Desert on November 11, 2021, in Sapir, Israel.
Amir Levy | Getty Images
The Israeli spyware developer NSO Group has shocked the global security community for years with aggressive and effectivehacking toolsthat can target both Android and iOS devices. The company's products have been so abused by its customers around the world that NSO Group now faces sanctions, high-profile lawsuits, and an uncertain future. But a new analysis of the spyware maker's ForcedEntry iOS exploit—deployed in a number of targeted attacks against activists, dissidents, and journalists this year—comes with an even more fundamental warning: Private businesses can produce hacking tools that have the technical ingenuity and sophistication of the most elite government-backed development groups.
Google's Project Zero bug-hunting group analyzed ForcedEntry using a sample provided by researchers at the University of Toronto's Citizen Lab, which published extensively this year about targeted attacks utilizing the exploit. Researchers from Amnesty International also conducted important research about the hacking tool this year. The exploit mounts a zero-click, or interactionless, attack, meaning that victims don't need to click a link or grant a permission for the hack to move forward. Project Zero found that ForcedEntry used a series of shrewd tactics to target Apple's iMessage platform, bypass protections the company added in recent years to make such attacks more difficult, and adroitly take over devices to install NSO's flagship spyware implant Pegasus.
Apple released a series of patches in September and October that mitigate the ForcedEntry attack and harden iMessage against future, similar attacks. But the Project Zero researchers write in their analysis that ForcedEntry is still “one of the most technically sophisticated exploits we've ever seen.” NSO Group has achieved a level of innovation and refinement, they say, that is generally assumed to be reserved for a small cadre of nation-state hackers.
“We haven't seen an in-the-wild exploit build an equivalent capability from such a limited starting point, no interaction with the attacker's server possible, no JavaScript or similar scripting engine loaded, etc.,” Project Zero's Ian Beer and Samuel Groß wrote in an email to WIRED. “There are many within the security community who consider this type of exploitation—single-shot remote code execution—a solved problem. They believe that the sheer weight of mitigations provided by mobile devices is too high for a reliable single-shot exploit to be built. This demonstrates that not only is it possible, it's being used in the wild reliably against people.”
Apple added an iMessage protection called BlastDoor in 2020’s iOS 14 on the heels of research from Project Zero about the threat of zero-click attacks. Beer and Groß say that BlastDoor does seem to have succeeded at making interactionless iMessage attacks much more difficult to deliver. “Making attackers work harder and take more risks is part of the plan to help make zero-day hard,” they told WIRED. But NSO Group ultimately found a way through.
ForcedEntry takes advantage of weaknesses in how iMessage accepted and interpreted files like GIFs to trick the platform into opening a malicious PDF without a victim doing anything at all. The attack exploited a vulnerability in a legacy compression tool used to process text in images from a physical scanner, enabling NSO Group customers to take over an iPhone completely. Essentially, 1990's algorithms used in photocopying and scanning compression are still lurking in modern communication software, with all of the flaws and baggage that come with them.
The sophistication doesn't end there. While many attacks require a so-called command-and-control server to send instructions to successfully placed malware, ForcedEntry sets up its own virtualized environment. The entire infrastructure of the attack can establish itself and run within a strange backwater of iMessage, making the attack even harder to detect. “It's pretty incredible and, at the same time, pretty terrifying,” the Project Zero researchers concluded in their analysis.
Project Zero's technical deep dive is significant not just because it explicates the details of how ForcedEntry works but because it reveals how impressive and dangerous privately developed malware can be, says John Scott-Railton, senior researcher at Citizen Lab.
“This is on par with serious nation-state capabilities,” he says. “It's really sophisticated stuff, and when it's wielded by an all-gas, no-brakes autocrat, it's totally terrifying. And it just makes you wonder what else is out there being used right now that is just waiting to be discovered. If this is the kind of threat civil society is facing, it is truly an emergency.”
After years of controversy, there may be growing political will to call out private spyware developers. For example, a group of 18 US congresspeople sent a letter to the Treasury and State Departments on Tuesday calling on the agencies to sanction NSO Group and three other international surveillance companies, as first reported by Reuters.
“This isn’t ‘NSO exceptionalism.’ There are many companies that provide similar services that likely do similar things,” Beer and Groß told WIRED. “It was just, this time, NSO was the company that was caught in the act."
While the inclusion of a display notch on the latest MacBook Pro was derided by many from its first appearance as a rumor ahead of the machine's unveiling, it's now a fact of life for those who have purchased Apple's latest pro notebook.
Various apps and wallpaper designs to hide the notch have popped up, but The Iconfactory has gone in the opposite direction, embracing the notch with a simple new app called "Notchmeister" that lets you add effects to the notch.
So what does Notchmeister do?
Think of it as a fun way to spruce up your notch. Or as a screen saver for something you can’t see. Or, maybe, just a useless waste of time.
The free app offers a handful of effects you can apply to the area of your screen around the notch, including festive holiday lights dangling from the notch, a pop-up radar screen, and a glow effect that tracks your pointer when it moves behind the notch.
Apple's new iPhone 13 models that were released today feature an updated TrueDepth camera and a new design for the notch, which has been slimmed down. Apple said on stage that the notch is now 20 percent less wide than the notch used in prior models, but comparisons between the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 confirm that the new notch design is just a tad bit taller. In the overlay above, you...
Tuesday October 19, 2021 1:57 pm PDT by Sami Fathi
The new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros both feature a notch, a first for the Mac. Given we've never had a notch on a Mac, there are some questions over how macOS handles the notch, and more specifically, how the mouse pointer does. The predicament about how the mouse pointer handles the notch has been a question floated across Twitter and Reddit over the last 24 hours or so since the new...
Apple's redesigned MacBook Pro models could feature a notch containing the webcam, according to a sketchy last-minute rumor that is circulating online. MacRumors' render of a next-generation MacBook Pro with a notch. The rumor appears to have originated from a Weibo user in China, who stipulates that the redesigned MacBook Pro will feature a notch. It apparently has a size "similar to iPhone...
Last minute rumors that came out just days ago suggest that the MacBook Pro will feature a notch at the top for the 1080p webcam and ambient light sensor, but it turns out information about a notch was shared months ago by a Chinese leaker that may have been the source for several other rumors about the upcoming 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models. In a forum post shared in August, "ty98" ...
The notch has been a mainstay of the iPhone throughout four generations of the device, and the iPhone 13 will be no different, with the notch continuing to remain on the front of Apple's upcoming smartphones. In spite of this, Apple is believed to have one significant design change in store for the notch this year. As early as October of last year, proven leaker "Ice Universe" said that...
The new MacBook Pros, for the first time in a Mac, feature a notch. While some have been quick to criticize Apple's design choice, it turns out that the notch may not be entirely visible in day-to-day use when using apps in full screen, as when macOS apps are in full-screen mode, it essentially disappears. According to Apple's marketing material, when macOS apps are in full-screen mode,...
If you bought a new MacBook Pro and you're having a hard time acclimatizing to the notch at the top of the screen in the middle of the menu bar, there's an app for that. The inclusion of a display notch on the redesigned MacBook Pros was a surprise to most observers and was one of the few last-minute rumors that surfaced ahead of their unveiling. Some have since criticized Apple's design ...
Sunday October 24, 2021 12:35 pm PDT by Sami Fathi
The notch on the newly redesigned MacBook Pro offers a "smart way" to give users more room for their content and allowed Apple to make the bezels thinner and provide more screen real estate to customers, an Apple official has said during a recent media interview. The inclusion of a notch on the entirely revamped MacBook Pros was a surprise and was one of the few last-minute rumors that...
Wednesday December 15, 2021 12:18 pm PST by Juli Clover
We're still months away from the launch of the iPhone 14 models, which we're expecting in September 2022, but we've already heard enough rumors about the new devices that we have a clear picture of what to expect. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Rumors for upcoming products can sometimes be hard to follow, so we thought we'd do an at-a-glance rumor summary for the...
Apple employees are no longer going to be returning to corporate offices in February as planned due to the continued spread of COVID-19 and the newly emerging omicron variant, Apple CEO Tim Cook said in a memo sent out today. Back in November, Apple sent out a letter telling employees that Apple would expect them to start returning to the office on February 1, but that return date has now...
LG is developing three new standalone displays that may end up being for Apple, including one based on the current 24-inch iMac, one based on the upcoming 27-inch iMac, and a 32-inch model that may be a new Pro Display XDR with an Apple silicon chip, according to Twitter account @dylandkt, who has a mostly accurate track record with Apple-related rumors. In a Twitter thread, the leaker said...
As previously rumored, Apple is planning to release four iPhone 14 models in September 2022, including a 6.1-inch iPhone 14, 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Max, 6.1-inch iPhone 14 Pro, and 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Pro Max, according to analyst Jeff Pu. In a research note with Haitong International Securities, obtained by MacRumors, Pu said the two Pro models will be equipped with a triple-lens rear camera...
A year ago today, Apple's AirPods Max launched, marking the company's first push into the high-end over-ear headphones market under its own brand name. One year later, rumors about a successor are thin on the ground, but there have been some indications about what customers can expect from AirPods Max 2. A report from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said that AirPods Max, thought at the time to be...
It has once again been rumored that next year's iPhone 14 Pro models will feature an upgraded 48-megapixel primary camera (the "Wide" lens), compared to a 12-megapixel Wide lens on iPhone 13 Pro models, but it is not as simple as it might sound. In a research note earlier this year, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said iPhone 14 Pro models may support both 48-megapixel and 12-megapixel output, which...
Since the Thunderbolt Display was discontinued in 2016, Apple has not offered a consumer-oriented external display. Apple did release the Pro Display XDR in 2019, but it is aimed at professionals and costs a hefty $4,999. Fortunately, rumors suggest that Apple is developing two new lower-priced external displays that will be more suitable for everyday users. A new version of the Pro Display...
It's challenging to sum up in a few words the year of gaming in 2021. There was a familiar and comforting feeling as we saw games we'd anticipated for years finally launch. Yet this was also a year in which the pandemic's impact was keenly felt, with several AAA games being pushed well into 2022 and beyond. The upside is that games that might have been overlooked had a better chance to find an audience. And that's created a varied selection of excellent games that rose to the top throughout 2021.
Whether it was the coincidental release of several games all set within a time loop, the satisfying return of classic gaming franchises in peak form, or even the unexpected gems that have big things to say about the importance of mental health, the effect was the same. Gaming -- and the sense of escapism it offers -- had extra weight in 2021. In many ways, this was the year that video games, as the saying goes, just hit different.
So with that, these are the CNET's favorite video games of 2021, including honorable mentions and our Game of the Year -- as decided by the staff at CNET.
For reference, we've chosen a Game of the Year, a runner-up and eight additional, unranked, games to round out our top 10.
We also added three honorable mentions because 2021 was a very good year for video games. Let's start there...
Honorable mentions
Halo Infinite
Microsoft
Halo Infinite came out a little too late to make it into our Game of the Year discussions, but we'd be silly not to include it here.
Halo Infinite should have been a disaster. It suffered multiple delays, lost many of its key developers and by all accounts had a nightmarish development period. But as an end product, Halo Infinite is startlingly good. Its polished, endlessly engaging encounters work seamlessly in its new, gorgeously rendered open world. Better yet, it takes Halo back to its roots: strange and alien, but familiar. It's the Halo that exists in your imagination, and it rules.
Oh, and outside of weird Battle Pass issues, the multiplayer is awesome. -- Mark Serrels
Inscryption
Daniel Mullins Games / Devolver Digital
The less you know about Inscryption before playing it, the better your experience will be. Without spoiling anything, Inscription is an extremely stylized take on the familiar genre of turn-based card battle games. However, the game cleverly uses the conceit of a deck-building game as the backbone for its surprisingly unnerving and meta storyline, which truly goes places that you would least expect. Think Magic The Gathering crossed with the most unnerving elements of internet horror stories. Seeing it unfold is shocking, and it'll be hard to forget just how far down the rabbit hole this game goes by its completion.
Don't look up anything; just play it and really let yourself be taken by what this inventive and enigmatic game has to offer. -- Alessandro Fillari
Death's Door
Acid Nerve
Death's Door does everything right.
A top-down, combat-focused RPG, Death's Door is razor sharp in its combat, stripping everything else back to base elements. Imagine Link to the Past with dialed-in, layered combat systems and you're halfway there. Death's Door is a game that wears its influences on its sleeves, but ultimately becomes more than the sum of its parts. A must play. -- Mark Serrels
The top 10
Unpacking
Witch Beam / Humble Games
This cozy organizational puzzle game is easily one of the year's most unexpected hits. Over the course of various apartments and houses -- some big, some painfully small -- we witness a snippet of the protagonist's life at formative stages, telling a beautiful story of self, relationships and growth. With masterful sound design constructed with over 14,000 different audio files, the game feels comfortably familiar from the very first time you place an object. -- Steph Panecasio
Returnal
PlayStation
Returnal has so many layers to it. You think you're getting a gorgeous sci-fi shooter that could make for fun afternoon entertainment, but you end up with a game set in a cosmic time loop that has elements of psychological horror and intense action -- RPG gameplay, too. It also has an incredibly touching story about loss and grief with its protagonist, Selene. This is all amplified by the game's fantastic use of the PS5's DualSense and 3D Audio to enhance immersion, making it a stellar showpiece for the console. Returnal offered that "this is next-gen" moment I was waiting for ever since buying a PS5. Its handling of both an enigmatic story and slick shooting gameplay that pushes you to get better with each playthrough made it a standout in 2021. It's a must-have for PS5 owners. -- AlessandroFillari
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart
PlayStation
So you've got new hardware: What new wild things can you do with it? "Living in a movie" seems like a goal that video games shoot for every generation or so. But Rift Apart's completely seamless feel, vast effects and world-hopping manic energy make it such a wonderfully dynamic experience, it practically screams "next gen" all by itself. Insomniac Games leaned into the PS5's haptics, fast SSD capabilities and graphics to deliver this year's perfect living cartoon adventure. It's also a preview of what games could do next. -- ScottStein
It Takes Two
Hazelight / EA
Finally, a good reason to own a second controller. It Takes Two is a co-op adventure game with all the fun and emotional depth of a good Pixar film. You choose one of two characters, Cody or May, a married couple on the brink of divorce that somehow find themselves trapped inside the bodies of their daughter's dolls. The two must work together to solve puzzles and find a way out of their "Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves" inspired predicament. It Takes Two is truly at its best when enjoyed with a partner, preferably someone you know. It's fun, heartfelt and accessible to gamers of all different skill levels. -- LoganMoy
Resident Evil Village
Capcom
Following up the pure terror of Resident Evil 7 was a hefty task, but Resident Evil Village does so beautifully. Throwing hapless hero Ethan Winters into a series of spooky situations, it riffs on older games in the series to give this adventure plenty of variety in its scares and action. As the events in Village escalate, it can be difficult to know where the game will go next. But being chased around the castle by social media icon Lady Dimitrescu is pure survival horror bliss, and it never once lets up. -- SeanKeane
Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy
Marvel / Square Enix
A big-budget popcorn movie of a game, especially one tied into the Marvel juggernaut, is an odd choice to be my favorite game of the year. But this take on Guardians of the Galaxy far exceeded my expectations as an all-around piece of entertainment. The voice acting and writing are so good, and the narrative through line is so strong, it's the only 2021 game I kept going back to just to see what the characters would say and do next.
The game part is the least of it, basically a walking simulator with occasional boss fights. But it builds a surprisingly deep world, with plenty of nods for old-school comic fans. I'd be totally ok with ditching the movie cast in future MCU installments for the voice actors here. -- Dan Ackerman
Deathloop
Arkane Studios / Bethesda Game Studios
As I sit here writing this blurb, I'm listening to Deathloop's soundtrack on Spotify. I didn't line it up because I needed inspiration to sing the game's praises -- I've legitimately been listening to Deathloop's tunes over the past two weeks. The groovy-yet-atmospheric score is one of many features that makes Deathloop special. Creative multiplayer, a gripping story and compelling characters are a few others. Deathloop is an enigma: Even now, months after playing the game, I struggle to properly articulate precisely what makes Deathloop so remarkable. In a sea of technically outstanding games, it stands out as being more. It is, as the youth say, a vibe. -- Daniel Van Boom
Metroid Dread
Mercury Steam / Nintendo
Given that its the series' first brand-new sidescrolling entry since 2002's Metroid Fusion (not to mention its first designed for an HD console), anticipation was high for Metroid Dread, but the game managed to surpass even the loftiest expectations. Dread isn't a radical departure for the series, but rather a grand culmination: an expertly crafted adventure filled with secrets to uncover and formidable bosses to overcome. The core Metroid gameplay remains as enticing as ever thanks to the vast, intricately designed map, which gradually unfurls as Samus acquires new powers, while the bounty hunter herself feels more agile and satisfying to control thanks to her new slide and parry abilities. The end result is easily the slickest Metroid game to date, and a great reminder of why the series spawned an entire genre of imitators. - Kevin Knezevic
Runner-up
The Forgotten City
Modern Storyteller / Dear Villagers
In many ways, The Forgotten City is a small game. It takes place in a confined, ancient Roman city. It was primarily made by a team of only three developers, and it takes a mere handful of hours to play through. But this charming adventure game will loom large in my memory for a long time.
Forgotten City starts with a strange setup: You're stuck in a time loop trying to figure out which member of this ancient city is going to sin. If anyone does, everyone dies. From there, the game spins a delightful mystery filled with wonderful writing and surprisingly deep introspection about the meaning of sin and morality and our responsibility to each other. Forgotten City shows how good writing can elevate the genre and is a must play if you enjoy great stories in your gaming.-- Andrew Gebhart
Psychonauts 2
Double Fine Productions / Microsoft
In a year filled with excellent Game of the Year candidates, Psychonauts 2 accomplished what seemed impossible: It took a massive leap of faith when it launched as a crowdfunding campaign in late 2015, spent six years flipping and twisting like an acrobat in the air as it came together, and then stuck the landing. It's not easy to do that, especially being the sequel to Psychonauts, with the cult following and lofty expectations that entails. To have captured everything that was special about the original, while simultaneously expanding the Psychonauts universe and telling a more grownup story centered on the hubris of youth, the mental trauma our more selfish choices can inflict (both on ourselves and others), and the subsequent ripple effect across multiple generations? That's a delicate tightrope walk. And Raz, Psychonauts 2's acrobatic protagonist, was born for that kind of challenge… literally.
Double Fine's sequel to the first Psychonauts is everything a great platform-adventure game should be. Engaging in psychic combat and solving platforming puzzles across a variety of levels -- ranging from a hospital casino to a psychedelic exploration of human senses -- is both visually arresting and mechanically satisfying. It's also a completionist's dream, with figments of the imagination, combat mods and other collectibles to pick up. And the finishing touch is a large cast of lovable weirdos, each with their own idiosyncrasies, hopes and dreams. It'll definitely make you laugh -- you might even shed a tear or two when it's over. Psychonauts 2 basks in the glow of its whimsical weirdness; aside from its predecessor, there's nothing else like it. -- Ashley Esqueda
After what feels like years of stagnation, YouTube is finally polishing and cleaning up its Android app’s interface again. The streaming service only recently added some dynamic coloring experiments, new fullscreen features, and finally got rid of its ugly gray status bar. The latest test to join these is a channel page redesign.
As spotted by one of our tipsters, the new look moves a channel’s profile picture front and center, with its name right below it. The redesign retains the red subscribe link (or a gray subscribed) along with the current numbers of subscribers, both of which were already visible in the old variant.
Image Gallery (2 Images)
Old vs. new
There are a few more details coming to us with the new interface, though. It shows you the number of published videos and a truncated channel description. Tapping it takes you right to the About tab where you can read the full text and get a few more details about the channel. The Join link that allows you to become a paid channel member for exclusive content is more prominent in the redesign, too, being promoted to a proper button below the channel description.
With so many more details, the whole header grows bigger, but YouTube still manages to show you up to three recent videos. That's because the company only shows a small thumbnail of the newest video, as opposed to a big preview highlighting the latest clip.
We haven’t been able to see this redesign for ourselves on the latest version of YouTube (16.49.37) just yet, so it looks like it’s another one of Google’s infamous a/b tests that only rolls out to a few people while the company is gathering data on how people interact with it. It could either take a while until it’s available for everyone or be scrapped altogether for any reason. That said, it always makes sense to keep your YouTube app updated, which will give you a better shot at getting in on these experiments.
Manuel is a tech enthusiast and Android fan based in Berlin. When he's not writing articles for Android Police, he's probably out and about as a videographer.
Nintendo has expanded its Expansion Pack for the Switch, adding five new Sega Genesis titles to the most expensive tier of its online subscription service. Those titles are Altered Beast, ToeJam & Earl, Dynamite Headdy, Sword of Vermilion, and Thunder Force II.
The Expansion Pack subscription tier costs $49.99 annually for an individual subscription or $79.99 for a family membership (compared to $19.99 / $34.99 for a regular Switch Online subscription). For the extra cash, subscribers get access to larger back catalog of games. Both tiers include classic NES and Super NES titles like the The Legend of Zelda and Super Mario World while the Expansion Pack adds games from the Nintendo 64 (like Super Mario 64) and the Sega Genesis (known as the Sega Mega Drive outside of North America).
Other Sega Genesis titles available in the Expansion Pack include Golden Axe, Streets of Rage 2, Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master, Sonic The Hedgehog 2, Ecco The Dolphin, Phantasy Star IV, and Castlevania Bloodline.
Article From & Read More ( Nintendo adds five new Sega Genesis games to its Switch Online Expansion Pack - The Verge )
https://ift.tt/3DZmZlX
Technology
Sony has unveiled a new type of stacked CMOS sensor that uses "two-layer transistor pixels" to double the light gathering capability. Typical image sensors have the light-sensitive photodiodes and pixel transistors that control and amplify the signal on the same layer. However, the new design puts the photodiodes on top and the pixel transistors below, "approximately doubling saturation signal levels," Sony said.
Sony pioneered stacked sensors that put fast memory and other electronics directly under the sensor, allowing for faster readout speeds and thus rapid burst shooting and reduced rolling shutter (jello effect) on cameras and smartphones. This latest sensor uses a similar idea, but packs the pixel transistors onto a separate substrate underneath the photodiode layer.
Sony
That means each layer could be optimized, allowing Sony to double the sensor's light saturation (well depth), or the amount of charge each pixel can hold. That in turn allows for around double the light-capturing capability.
Sony notes that because the transistor pixels sit on a separate layer, it was able to boost the amplifier transistors in size. That allows for a bigger signal boost, reducing noise when shooting nighttime or other images in dark locations. The increased dynamic range will allow for "high-quality, low-noise images even in low-light," according to Sony.
Sony specifically stated that the tech will allow for higher-quality smartphone photography. With double the light gathering capability, it will allow for much improved light sensitivity even in relatively small, high-megapixel sensors. Sony has yet to say when this tech will make it to smartphone or cameras, but it plans to further improve the design for both large and small sensors.
Sony
All products recommended by Engadget are selected by our editorial team, independent of our parent company. Some of our stories include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.
LG is developing three new standalone displays that may end up being for Apple, including one based on the current 24-inch iMac, one based on the upcoming 27-inch iMac, and a 32-inch model that may be a new Pro Display XDR with an Apple silicon chip, according to Twitter account @dylandkt, who has a mostly accurate track record with Apple-related rumors.
In a Twitter thread, the leaker said the displays are currently encased in unbranded enclosures, but he believes the displays might be for Apple given that they have similar specifications as iMac and Pro Display XDR models.
🧵Thread 1/4: There are three LG made Displays encased in unbranded enclosures for usage as external monitors that are in early development. Two of which have the same specifications as the upcoming 27 inch and current 24 inch iMac displays. — Dylan (@dylandkt) December 15, 2021
The leaker added that the 27-inch and 32-inch displays seem to have mini-LED displays with a 120Hz variable refresh rate for ProMotion, and he said the 32-inch display appears to be equipped with an unspecified Apple silicon chip.
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman was first to report that Apple was working on a consumer-level standalone display that is more affordable than the $4,999 Pro Display XDR, and if today's information proves to be accurate, the display could be available in both 24-inch and 27-inch sizes. These would be the first Apple-branded consumer-level external displays since Apple stopped selling the Thunderbolt Display in 2016.
Most of the information shared by @dylandkt today lines up with previous rumors from display industry analyst Ross Young, who just this week said that Apple is planning to release a new 27-inch iMac with a mini-LED display in the first half of 2022. 9to5Mac also reported that Apple was working on a new Pro Display XDR with an A13 chip.
Related Stories
Apple is planning to introduce a new 27-inch iMac in early 2022, according to Display Supply Chain Consultants CEO Ross Young. This information comes from both Young's tweets and additional details that he shared with MacRumors. Young told MacRumors that the 27-inch display for the iMac will feature mini-LED backlighting, which likely means that it will have XDR branding. Young tweeted that...
After over a year of rumors about a larger, high-end iMac model with Apple silicon, it seems that the 27-inch iMac may not be disappearing in the way that some observers expected. Earlier this year, the reliable leaker known as "L0vetodream" said that the rumored high-end iMac model set to replace the current 27-inch model will feature a larger display. Apple already gave the entry-level...
Apple's next-generation larger-screened "iMac Pro" is expected to launch next spring, according to a forward looking article on Apple's upcoming devices penned by display analyst Ross Young. Young says that the new iMac is "expected in the spring," with spring in the Northern Hemisphere starting on March 20 and ending on June 21. Apple often holds an event in the spring, so we could perhaps...
Saturday October 30, 2021 10:27 am PDT by Sami Fathi
Apple has quietly discontinued the Intel-based 21.5-inch iMac, which had remained available as a low-end configuration suitable for educational institutions. This leaves customers with the 24-inch and 27-inch iMac models to choose from. A single 21.5-inch iMac configuration remained part of the iMac lineup following Apple's "Unleashed" event last week, but Apple has confirmed it is being...
Amid rumors about Apple's custom-designed modem for its 2023 iPhone lineup, a new report today suggested that the display panels destined for these models could put substantial pressure on LG Display's market share. According to research by UBI, seen by The Elec, BOE is converting three of its factories into facilities capable of manufacturing OLED panels for Apple. Until now, BOE has manufac...
The high-end iPhone 14 Pro models launching in 2022 are expected to have a hole-punch display, according to Korean website The Elec. The 6.1-inch iPhone 14 Pro and a 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Pro Max are expected to feature the upgraded display, which will do away with the notch used in the current iPhone models. The hole-punch cutout will allow Apple to provide a larger display area while still...
Users who have been eagerly anticipating the launch of a larger iMac with a powerful Apple silicon chip may be in for disappointment, as the machine now looks to be delayed into next year. The leaker known as "Dylandkt" has claimed that Apple's "high end iMac" will not be released in the fourth quarter of 2021 alongside Apple's "M1X Macs," a reference to Apple's redesigned MacBook Pro...
Apple will finally begin removing the notch from the iPhone starting in 2022 with the iPhone 14 Pro, according to recent reports. Last week, Korean website The Elec reported that the 6.1-inch iPhone 14 Pro and the 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Pro Max will feature a hole-punch display design, much like those seen on some high-end Android devices, instead of the notch. The notch, which Apple calls...
As previously rumored, Apple is planning to release four iPhone 14 models in September 2022, including a 6.1-inch iPhone 14, 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Max, 6.1-inch iPhone 14 Pro, and 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Pro Max, according to analyst Jeff Pu. In a research note with Haitong International Securities, obtained by MacRumors, Pu said the two Pro models will be equipped with a triple-lens rear camera...
Apple today released macOS Monterey 12.1, the first major update to the macOS Monterey update that initially launched in October. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. The macOS Monterey update can be downloaded on all eligible Macs using the Software Update section of System Preferences. Apple has also released a macOS Big Sur 11.6.2 update for those still...
Apple today released tvOS 15.2, the second major update to the tvOS operating system that first launched in September 2021. tvOS 15.2 comes more than a month after the launch of tvOS 15.1, an update that introduced SharePlay support. tvOS 15.2 can be downloaded over the air on the Apple TV through the Settings app by going to System > Software Update. Apple TV owners...
It has once again been rumored that next year's iPhone 14 Pro models will feature an upgraded 48-megapixel primary camera (the "Wide" lens), compared to a 12-megapixel Wide lens on iPhone 13 Pro models, but it is not as simple as it might sound. In a research note earlier this year, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said iPhone 14 Pro models may support both 48-megapixel and 12-megapixel output, which...
Apple today released a new "Tracker Detect" app on the Google Play Store, with the app designed to allow Android users to locate AirTags that might be nearby. According to the app's description, Tracker Detect looks for item trackers that are separated from their owner and that are compatible with the Find My Network, so it will locate AirTags and other Find My-enabled devices like the...
Apple is not expected to introduce a foldable iPhone until 2023 at the earliest, with 2024 being the more likely target date, according to display analyst Ross Young. Rumors about a foldable iPhone have died down in recent months, but there continues to be evidence that Apple is at least working on prototypes of foldable devices. In September 2020, it was suggested that Samsung had provided f...
Article From & Read More ( LG Possibly Developing Three New Apple Displays, Including Pro Display XDR With Apple Silicon Chip - MacRumors )
https://ift.tt/3IWlcl2
Technology
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chernobyl is one of the bigger releases of 2022, and for better or worse, it’s going to feature one of the biggest tech trends going into next year: non-fungible tokens (or NFTs).
GSC Game World, which is developing the game, has announced the “S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Metaverse,” which will “use blockchain technology to let the community own a piece of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2.” That includes the opportunity to become the “first-ever metahuman,” which GSC Game World appears to define as a non-player character rendered in very high detail. (Though a spokesperson confirmed a metahuman won’t be made with Epic Games’ MetaHumanCreator tool). GSC Game World is partnering with NFT platform DMarket on the new items.
To become a “metahuman,” players will be able to bid for an NFT offering that prize as part of an auction taking place in January 2022. Whoever “owns” the NFT to become an NPC in the game will be able to buy and sell it up until a specific claim date after the auction.
For whoever does end up with the NFT, here’s how the process of becoming an NPC in the game will work, GSC Game World CEO Evgeniy Grygorovych told me in an emailed statement:
The idea of the related NFT is to give the right to recreate its owner’s identity within the game through one of the NPCs. The person will need to come to our studio for a detailed scanning procedure and after that, we will have everything to make this person appear in the game world as one of the characters.
(You can get a brief look at how GSC Game World scans people into the game in this video.)
GSC Game World also plans to release other NFTs in addition to the metahuman one, though the company declined to specify what they might be when we asked. Its NFT drops “won’t influence the gameplay itself or give in-game advantages over other players,” according to a press release.
Despite trepidation from many about NFTs (including Keanu Reeves), game makers are beginning to explore the concept in earnest. The announcement of S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 NFTs arrives just over a week after the widely panned news that Ubisoft would be bringing NFT gear to Ghost Recon: Breakpoint. (Some Ubisoft developers have raised questions internally about the company’s NFT initiative, Kotaku reports.) And Peter Molyneux, known for his work on games like Populous,Black And White, and Fable, is making a business simulator where players buy an NFT and try to earn a new digital currency called LegacyCoin.
Article From & Read More ( S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 is getting NFTs, including one that lets you become an in-game ‘metahuman’ - The Verge )
https://ift.tt/3dZTntP
Technology
Check out the latest Apple deals available at Best Buy, where you will find up to $800 savings on select MacBook Pro models and more Apple devices on sale
According to inside sources, Samsung might not be able to produce enough chipsets of the new Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, and Qualcomm might want TSMC to step in and help out to meet demand
