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Showing posts from May, 2021

AMD is bringing ray tracing to Samsung's phones later this year

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Ray tracing and variable rate shading are coming to Samsung phones. What you need to know AMD announced that it will bring its RDNA2 tech to the mobile segment for the first time. The tech will debut later in the year on Samsung's upcoming Exynos platform. AMD says it will deliver ray tracing and variable rate shading on phones. At Computex 2021, AMD CEO Lisa Su announced key details for its RDNA2 architecture. The graphics architecture forms the basis for AMD's RX 6000 GPUs and powers the latest gaming consoles — both the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X feature RDNA2 chips — and AMD is now bringing the platform to new form factors. AMD has announced that RDNA2 tech will be integrated into Tesla's Model X and Model S. Tesla's cars have an embedded Ryzen chipset already, and they will be getting a discrete RDNA2 GPU that unlocks AAA gaming — in your car. Su notes that the RDNA2 chip coming to Teslas will deliver up to 10TFLOPs of compute, which is on par wit...

Ready for Android 11? Here's when your phone will get the latest update!

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Android 11 is coming to more and more phones every day. The stable version of Android 11 was released a few months ago, and while it isn't the most revolutionary update we've ever seen, there are plenty of reasons to get excited about it. Whether you're looking forward to the new conversation notifications, chat bubbles for messaging apps, or the upgraded permission handling, it may be a while before you can actually start messing around with all of these software goodies. The update is available for the Pixels and select OnePlus phones, while the Galaxy S20 and Note 20 lineups have also received their One UI 3.0 update , which is based on Android 11. We've rounded up all of the current info to help give you a better idea of when Android 11 will arrive on your device. The timelines change based on manufacturer and region, but the list below should give you a broad overview of when to expect the Android 11 update on your phone. Jump to: Google Pixel Samsung ...

These 6 smart plugs are the best for tracking energy usage

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Now more than ever, it's important to use energy wisely, so we've compiled a list of the best energy monitoring smart plugs available right now. Smart plugs are the best and most convenient smart home accessories for controlling devices around your home. Most typically work with both Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa and can turn almost any lamp or small appliance into a smart device you can control with your phone or just your voice. We've highlighted the best smart plugs that go the extra mile and offer energy monitoring features that let you track how much energy your favorite devices and appliances draw so that you can make the best purchase decision for your household. It's all in the name TopGreener Heavy-Duty Smart Wi-Fi Plug Staff Pick This plug from TopGreener excels at what it does. It's a little chunkier than others on this list, meaning it will cover both outlets when plugged into a wall. However, it requires no hub for setup — just a 2.4Ghz Wi...

Android 12 will bring the end of third-party share menus

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Apps like Sharedr will no longer be able to replace the default share dialog. What you need to know Third-party apps will not be allowed to replace the Android share menu in Android 12. You will no longer be able to set apps like Sharedr as the default. Google says it never intended to allow third-party apps to replace the official Sharesheet. One of Android 12 's biggest highlights is the new Material You design language, which brings major changes to nearly every key UI component. Android 12 will also introduce a major change to the way users share links and photos, according to a report from XDA Developers . On Android 11 , Google allows third-party apps and OEMs to fully customize the Android Sharesheet, which is the reason why the share dialog differs from one app to another. It is even possible to completely bypass the official Android Sharesheet by setting an app like Sharedr as the default Sharesheet. In addition to providing a more consistent experience, Share...

The new Amazon Fire HD 10 is growing into a viable productivity tablet

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An already good entertainment device finally gets productive. Amazon has been busy churning out a whole host of new devices and upgrades to existing devices over the past several months. Earlier this year, I reviewed the excellent Echo Buds (2nd Gen) , and even the fantastic Echo Frames (2nd Gen), have since been updated to include options with sunglass and blue light filtering lenses . In early May, we also learned that Amazon was refreshing the Echo Show 5 and Echo Show 8 and that it was even rolling out its first Echo Show for kids . While newer and more novel products like the ones mentioned above often see a faster update cycle, more mature devices like Kindle e-readers and Fire tablets go longer between new versions. In fact, the last update to the Fire HD 10 line was back in 2019, so, understandably, Amazon was ready to reinvigorate its flagship tablet. Not only did it update the specs and colors on the Fire HD 10, but it also gave us a second version in the Fire HD 10 ...

Twitter’s misinformation labels are about to get a lot more useful

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Facebook-like emoji reactions are also coming to Twitter. What you need to know Twitter is working on a new feature to help further reduce misinformation on its platform. It could soon introduce three levels of misinformation warning labels. Twitter is also testing emoji reactions similar to Facebook. In March last year, Twitter introduced warning labels with an aim to fight misinformation on its platform. While the labels were initially limited to coronavirus misinformation, they were later expanded to misleading tweets about elections in the U.S. App sleuth Jane Manchun Wong has now discovered that Twitter is working on three levels of misinformation warning labels. Twitter is working on three levels of misinformation warning labels: “Get the latest”, “Stay Informed” and “Misleading” pic.twitter.com/0RdmMsRAEk — Jane Manchun Wong (@wongmjane) May 31, 2021 As per the screenshot shared by Wong, tweets that contain misinformation will be labeled as "Misleading...

Realme X7 Max 5G debuts in India, takes the fight to Xiaomi's Mi 11X

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It is a rebranded version of the Realme GT Neo launched in China earlier this year. What you need to know Realme has launched a new mid-range Android phone in India. The Realme X7 Max 5G features a 120Hz AMOLED display and a 6nm Dimensity 1200 chipset. It will go on sale in India from June 4 for a starting price of ₹26,999 ($370). Back in March, Realme unveiled its first Dimensity 1200 -powered phone in China, dubbed the GT Neo. The company has now launched the phone in India as the Realme X7 Max 5G to take on the best Android phones from OnePlus, Samsung, and Xiaomi in the mid-range segment. The Realme X7 Max 5G arrives with a 6.43-inch AMOLED display that offers an impressive 120Hz refresh rate and includes a hole-punch cutout for a 16MP selfie camera in the top-left corner. The display also covers 100% of the DCI-P3 color gamut and has a high 360Hz touch sampling rate. Realme has paired the Dimensity 1200 chipset inside the X7 Max 5G with up to 12GB of RAM and 256GB o...