Category Archives: News

iOS, Mobile, News

iPhone 14 Crash Detection and Emergency SOS saves lives

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Apple’s Crash Detection and Emergency SOS via Satellite service has saved the life of an iPhone 14 user involved in a car crash in the USA.

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A potential life saver in your iPhone 14.
Image source: Apple

Intelligent crash detection and vital information sharing

According to a Twitter post by law enforcement and first responders, a vehicle with two passengers swerved off the Angeles Forest Highway and plummeted 300 feet into the canyon of in the Angeles National Forest. This fall was detected by the users iPhone 14 through the Crash Detection feature. This feature detects crashes with the help of the gyroscopes, accelerometer,barometer and even microphone to detect elements of the crash such as abrupt motion and the sound of glass breaking.

When a severe crash is detected, an alert will appear with a slider to make an emergency call. You can slide to call emergency services or dismiss this alert if not required. If no response is received in 10 seconds, a further 10-second countdown will start. At the end of it, emergency services will be contacted immediately. Siri will then read out the automated message “The owner of this ‌iPhone‌ was in a severe car crash and is not responding to their phone”. It will then relay your approximate location with latitude and longitude. It will also send a message to your emergency contacts after another 10 second countdown, if you have them set up.

Emergency SOS uses satellite when cellular

reception is unavailable

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Emergency SOS sends a text to Apple relay centers by satellite. Image source: MacRumors

However, during the car crash at Angeles Forest Highway, there was no cellular reception for Crash Detection to call emergency services. So, Apple’s Emergency SOS via Satellite feature came in to play. It sent an emergency text message to an Apple relay center via satellite. An employee then called the LA County Sheriff’s department to relay that information. With this, rescuers were able to locate both passengers and get them to a hospital for treatment. Apple’s features have definitely come in clutch to save the lives of at least these two people.

For more information on how to set up Crash Detection on your iPhone, visit the Crash Detection feature page on Apple’s official website. This feature is available on iPhone 14 and iPhone Pro, Apple Watch Series 8, Apple Watch SE (2nd generation), and Apple Watch Ultra.

Source: MacRumors, 9to5Mac

Gaming, News

OnePlus surprises with gaming monitor announcement

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OnePlus continues its foray into the gaming space with the announcement of two new gaming monitors.

OnePlus X27
OnePlus forays into gaming tech with two new monitors; The X27 and E24. Image source: SoyaCincau

A worthy gaming monitor entry; OnePlus X27

The two OnePlus gaming monitors announced are the high end X27 and the more budget friendly E24. The X27 is the premium offering, with a 27-inch 2560 x 1440 QHD resolution IPS panel with 165Hz refresh rate. Claims have been made for 1ms response time and support for VESA’s DisplayHDR 400, standard offerings of current gaming monitors. Rounding out the specs are support for AMD Freesync, 10-bit colour and coverage for 95% of the DCI-P3 colour gamut. The design of the X27 is more similar to modern productivity monitors with slim bezels. You won’t find any bold design decisions with the “gamer” aesthetic of funky back panel designs or color accents here.

There is, however, a good array of ports along the back panel. These include a high power 65W USB-C port that can charge your devices, even power your laptop. There is also an HDMI 2.1 port, a DisplayPort 1.4, two USB-A 3.0 ports and a 3.5mm headphone jack. It comes with a stand that is height adjustable with pivot, tilt and swivel functions. It can be mounted with a VESA 75mm mount. While looking pedestrian, the OnePlus X27 packs some decent specifications for a gaming monitor.

Gaming on a budget with the OnePlus E24

OnePlus E24
The E24 is more budget friendly but expect more modest specifications. Image source: SoyaCincau

The budget variant of OnePlus gaming monitors, the E24, packs understandably lesser specs than the X27. The 24-inch IPS panel supports a 1920 x 1080 FHD resolution and lower refresh rate of 75Hz. It does not carry neither AMD Freesync support nor VESA’s DisplayHDR 400 or colour coverage of the X27. The stand is only tilt adjustable and there are lesser ports; a 18W Power Delivery (PD) USB-C port, a HDMI 1.4 port, a VGA port and a 3.5mm headphone jack. With these harware concessions, will the price point be able to justify it?

At the moment, the OnePlus X27 is only available in India, retailing at INR 28000 (approx. RM1500) while there is no price or availability details on the E24. With many concessions in hardware, we do expect a significantly reduced price. With OnePlus already announcing a mechanical keyboard in the making, can we expect more gaming tech from OnePlus? Only time will tell

Source: SoyaCincau, Android Central

Android, Mobile, News

OPPO Goes Long with Four Major Updates and Security Update for Five Years

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Buying a new smartphone is not necessarily the biggest decision of your life. There is still a long list of considerations though when you want to invest in one. There is the basic problem of budget.

There is more at stake in choosing the right smartphone for than your budget though. You need to think about manufacturer support for your smartphone. That means you want to ensure that they have official presence in your region. You also want proven track record and consistency from the manufacturer of your chosen smartphone.

We are not necessarily talking about Apple or Samsung. We are pointing to OPPO really. While OPPO have not exactly been sitting in the same limelight as Samsung and Apple, they have a proven track record of making quality smartphones that are reliable and lasts forever. They can also be proud of the fact that they have been consistently making great smartphones in every market segment at an accessible price. In our opinion, their smartphones offer some of the best value for your money.

Recently OPPO has verified that they have delivered their ColorOS 13 update to 33 of their smartphone models universally. In the timeframe that ColorOS 13 existed, there are 3 times more device covered with ColorOS 13 than ColorOS 12 globally. For them, it is a big win – ColorOS 13 is their biggest and fastest distributed Operating System (OS) update they ever had.

The next thing to do is to extend their update policy and they might be able to compete with the best in the industry. That is what they are about to do 2023 onward.

They have just made a commitment to updating ColorOS for selected flagship models for up to four ColorOS iterations. That also means that you get at least three Android iterations for OPPO’s flagships that announced in 2023, most likely the next OPPO Find X model. At the same time, you can be assured that your smartphone will remain relevant for the next five years with up to five years of security update support.

Why is this important? Buying a flagship smartphone is not a small decision. A flagship smartphone in is not exactly the cheapest thing you can buy. You want to make sure that you get your money’s worth when you spend that much on a small slab of electronics you carry around in your life. In that case, you want to ensure that you can stretch your budget out as much and long as you can. That also means that you need to ensure that you can hold on to your smartphone for as long as you can. That also means consistent updates for as long as the smartphone manufacturer supports it. In this case, you can hold on to your next OPPO flagship for at least the next 5 years before it becomes obsolete, and that is a mighty good thing for your wallet.

iOS, Mobile, News

Apple’s Freeform helps you collaborate creatively

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Apple releases a brand-new app for creative brainstorming and collaboration called Freeform.

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Apple’s Freeform is a flexible canvas to share ideas in a creative way. Image source: Apple

Freeform is available now and comes included with iOS 16.2, iPadOS 16.2 and macOS Ventura 13.1. Apple describes the app as a “flexible canvas” with an emphasis for sharing and collaborating visually. Think of it as a digital whiteboard, where you can draw or write freely without being limited by things like layouts or page sizes.

Sketch and share with easy-to-use tools

To express your creativity on its blank canvas, Freeform comes with a variety of tools that are easy to pick up. Building on the canvas theme, the app comes with various brush styles and color options for freeform writing, enhanced with built-in gesture support. iPhone and iPad users can use their fingers for freeform sketching and support for Apple Pencil is a plus for iPad users in this regard.

The app supports a wide variety of files that can be used in your canvas. Apart from the expected photos, videos and audio, you cand add links to websites and map location, sticky notes, preset shapes and diagrams and even PDF files. Adding content is easy too with drag-and-drop support for Files app and Finder on macOS. You can even add photos or scanned documents directly with iPhone and iPad cameras.

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Collaborate easily with support for up to 100 people and built-in FaceTime and Messages features.
Image source: Apple

Work creatively and collaboratively

Apple’s vision is for Freeform to be a collaborative space and has added features to support this. The app supports up to 100 collaborators in a single board. Getting those other 99 people is made easier with the new collaboration features in Messages. You can invite others by dropping a board into a Messages thread to invite all the people in that thread. All changes made to the board will also be tracked in the same thread. If messaging is not enough, FaceTime is built-in with the app too. FaceTime calls to all collaborators can be started by tapping the collaboration button at the top right of the screen. You can also view edits by all collaborators in real-time via FaceTime call. Freeform also allows boards to be shared via email, exported as a PDF or even a screenshot.

Source: Apple

News

Mediatek Dimensity 8200 launch claims best power efficiency and smooth gaming

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Mediatek launches its latest platform, the Dimensity 8200, claiming best-in-class power efficiency for premium 5G smartphones and impressive gaming performance.

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Mediatek makes bold claims for the Dimensity 8200 with power efficiency and gaming performance.
Image source: 9to5Google

4nm process brings power efficiency while retaining performance

Mediatek’s new chipset targets the bracket of smartphones just below the flagship range and succeeds the Dimensity 8100 and 8000 launched early this year. The Dimensity 8200 improves upon its predecessors with a 4nm process, instead of a 5nm process. Apart from that, the new chipset shares many hardware similarities with its predecessors, with some tuning to improve its performance. This brings improved performance at a reduced rate of power consumption. It is an octa-core CPU with four ARM Cortex A78 cores, with one at 3.1 GHz and three at 3.0 GHz clock speeds respectively. Following suit with connectivity, it supports dual 5G connectivity like its predecessor, WiFi 6E and Bluetooth 5.3 as seen previously.

Mediatek HyperEngine 6.0 features improves gaming performance

Gaming has also been a focus of the Dimensity 8200. It retains the ARM Mali G610 graphics platform as seen before, with some performance improvements expected over the Dimensity 8100. To further enhance the GPU, Mediatek is also featuring the HyperEngine 6.0 Gaming Technologies. The biggest upgrade that comes with this feature is support for ray tracing thanks to Vulkan SDK. Better framerates are also expected with the Frame Rate Smoother 2.0 and AI-enhanced Variable Rate Shading technology (AI-VRS). With MediaTek Intelligent Display Sync 2.0, the display refresh rates adjust according to gaming or conventional use, to help preserve battery during regular use.

Improved camera and video recording features

Camera improvements are also touted with the MediaTek Imagiq 785 Camera. The main shooter is now a 320MP camera, up from 200MP of its predecessors. There is now support for recording HDR video on up to three cameras simultaneously with its 14-bit HDR-ISP. It also supports cinematic video by double camera capture and up to 3 additional 32MP sensors.

Overall, the Mediatek Dimensity 8200 remains a strong contender for flagship-like performance at an affordable price, a worthy successor to its predecessors. We expect to see more devices bearing it soon, with the first one already announced in the iQOO Neo7 SE.

Sources: 9to5Google, GSMArena

News

Home Mesh Networks to be supercharged with Qualcomm’s WiFi 7 chips

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Qualcomm announces new WiFi 7 chipsets with the aim to revolutionize home networking with faster speeds and enhanced performance.

Qualcomm IHP features
Faster speeds and performance at home with Qualcomm’s Wi-Fi 7 platforms. Image source: Qualcomm

Qualcomm launches the chipsets as part of its “WiFi 7 Immersive Home Platform” and will be found in routers and mesh WiFi devices in the latter half of 2023. In its launch announcement, Qualcomm believes the new platform will deliver increased performance in a “…compact, power-efficient, cost-effective network chipset architecture”. There are two new chipsets announced, the Qualcomm 3210 platform that offers 20Gbps peak network capacity and the 236 platform with 10Gbps peak capacity.

The new chipsets also bring a host of new features, with the Qualcomm Multi-Link Mesh being a central one. This is Qualcomm’s own built-in mesh networking technology that offers to reduce real-time latency by 75%. It does this by automatically switching between the 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz and 6 GHz spectrums based on network conditions. It also leverages avoidance algorithms to reduce other interference from other networks.

Qualcomm IHP specs
Expect higher mesh network capacities and better performance in congested environments.
Image source: Qualcomm

Being a WiFi 7 chipset, the new platforms leverage the formats whole suite of features for your home mesh network. These include an enhanced 6 GHz spectrum performance with 320 MHz spectrum, offering 40% higher capacity than WiFi 6E. There is support for WiFi 7 Multi-Link and Adaptive Interference Puncturing to further improve performance in congested environments. And last but not least, better single device connectivity with peak speeds up to 5.8 Gbps.

For more information on Qualcomm’s new WiFi 7 chipsets, visit the “Immersive Home Platform” website.

Sources: The Verge, ZDNet

Computers, Consumer Electronics, Lifestyle, Mobile, News

Amazon Brings 17 Different Echo Devices to Matter

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What is Matter? At least we think that is what some of you might be asking before anything else. It is an Internet of Things (IoT) thing. It is, in our opinion from our research, the future of connected devices.

There are plenty of in-depth explanations out there about what Matter is and why it will be a good thing for universal connected devices. We are not going in-depth, but we do need to explain Matter a little bit.

Matter is a standard for IoT hardware developed by Connectivity Standards Alliance. The Alliance is a sort of collaboration and standardized guidelines to all things IoT, connected, and smart home. Collaborators include Google, Samsung, Apple, and Amazon. In short, they aim to make all IoT and connected devices universally available to every person no matter what device they own. For example, you should be able to connect to a Samsung washing machine even if you do not have Smart Things on your Apple iPhone or Google Pixel. Your Samsung TV should also be able to control that new Amazon light bulb you just bought for your smart home ecosystem.

Matter is rather new though, and not every device is compatible with it yet. While there are new smart home products that comes with Matter compatibility, it is the older stuff that needs some attention. For example, Amazon’s various Echo devices.

A month after Amazon announced that they have committed to add Matter compatibility to their Alexa compatible devices, they delivered with 17 of their existing products including their plugs, switches, and bulbs. This is only Amazon’s first wave of Matter compatibility update though, and they are bringing the update to their most popular devices first. They added that they will roll out Matter update to other devices later.

There is a small caveat with the new Matter compatibility from Amazon though. While it now works with Matter, you still must have an Android smartphone and you can only connect to the devices via WiFi. That also means that if you have an Apple iPhone and an Amazon Echo device, you still might not be able to access Alexa via your iPhone. The Echo devices that works with Matter now are the 3rd, 4th, and 5th Generation Echo Dots, the Echo Show 8 (2021), Echo Show 10 (3rd Generation), Echo Show 5 (2021), Echo Show 15, v3 Echo, Echo Input, and Echo Fex. More information on Amazon’s Alexa ready Matter compatible devices can be found on their developer blog.

Android, Mobile, News

Sony’s Android 13 roll out for Xperia smartphones begins

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Android 13 will be available soon to Sony smartphones according to a leak from Reddit.

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Android 13 rollout begins for Sony Xperia devices. Image source: Sony

A post on r/SonyXperia has named at least five flagship Sony devices to be receiving Android 13 thought no dates have been specified. The devices are Xperia 1 IV, Xperia 1 III, Xperia 5 IV, Xperia 5 III and Xperia Pro-I. The availability of these updates for the devices are also confirmed on update tracker website Xpericheck.com. No specific dates on availability have been mentioned yet. As pointed out by 9to5Google, these updates are region-limited by Sony, so expect different varying arrival periods.

New features for Xperia with Android 13

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A new Quick Panel feature improves management of apps and functions. Image source: Sony

Sony themselves have announced the release of Android 13, highlighting some of the new features it brings. The update features a new Quick Settings panel is to manage running apps, helping to improve efficiency and battery life. There is also a dedicated button on the panel to access the QR code scanner. Customization is also diversified with color theming now available to change your icon colors to match your wallpaper.

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Use your Xperia as a viewfinder and now stream with it on the External Monitor app. Image source: Sony

A new livestreaming feature is now available to the External monitor app too, allowing you to share live video from your compatible Sony camera. With the Bluetooth LE Audio feature, you can share audio wirelessly to multiple compatible headphones and receive audio from another Bluetooth LE enabled device. Language settings have also been simplified with a unified language settings option that applies immediately to all Xperia apps. No more changing the language individually for each app. While not as feature packed as expected, the new Android 13 update brings good quality of life improvements for Xperia devices.

Sources: 9to5Google, Android Central

Accessories, Computers, Mobile, News

No Proper Mic? That is Okay, Adobe’s Got You with Enhance Speech.

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Content creators that deal with videos and audio know the struggle. The struggle to get good audio is universal for almost any modern content creator. In most cases, while most might not realise it, bad audio can break your immersion or a good video. Think about it, imagine watching The Conjuring on mute. You will find that it is way less scary than it is.

Good audio is not just limited to the music, or sound effects though. In the world of radio, YouTube personalities, and podcasts, great audio usually means great vocals. We understand that struggle because we produce our very own podcast (available on Spotify, coming back in 2023). We had to spend a little bit of money to get a set of gears for the office and home ready and going for our Podcast series, Tech & Tonic, just to get that crisp and smooth radio voice.

Thing is, we do have to spend a bit of our own money to get better audio even at home. Getting at least a dedicated USB mic was the only way to get quality audio for our podcasts during the pandemic. But what if you do not or do not have that money to spend on a mic? What if your regular built-in mic on your laptop or headphone is enough to create your own podcasts? It is possible today with Adobe’s latest free tool.

Adobe, as one of the most widely used content creation suite, has been researching on ways to improve creative workflow using AI for years. Their AI tool has helped make Photoshop, Illustrator, Lightroom, Premiere Pro, and even Rush even more efficient and way cleverer than before. They have also been messing about with AI in audio processing with Project Sasha, recently rebranded to Adobe Podcast.

As part of the project, they came up with something called Enhance Speech. The tool is free at this time, only requiring you to have an Adobe account to begin with, even without any subscription plans. The tool also works best with a desktop web browser, so you do want to get on at least a Chromebook to get it working. MP3 and WAV file format works best with the tool currently and the upload limit is 1GB.

Once you do that, the tool uses some form of deep learning algorithm to transform your audio from a slightly noisy recording to sounding like its recorded in an isolated professional studio. There have been reports that the tool does not work too well in extremely noisy scenarios though, so you do want to ensure that you are still doing as much as you can to keep your recording environment as quiet as possible. Of course, description only goes so far. You ought to experience the tool yourself, since it is free.

Our sample is a voice recording using the Samsung Galaxy Note9, one recorded with the mic right up near the mouth, and one placed on the table. We did not make too much effort in isolating the recording environment. We have some traffic noise, construction nearby, and even the MRT going about in our recording environment.

https://techent.tv/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Enhance-Speech-1.mp3
Original Mic Close to Mouth
https://techent.tv/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Enhance-Speech-1-enhanced.wav
Enhance Mic Close to Mouth
https://techent.tv/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Enhance-Speech-2-Far.mp3
Original Mic on Table
https://techent.tv/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/Enhance-Speech-2-Far-enhanced.wav
Enhance Mic on Table

You can hear that a lot of the pop peaks have been cancelled out. While there is not much in terms of noise, the resulting audio sounds much cleaner and contains some of those radio like quality in the voice. Wind noise and echo is reduced to the point where you do not hear them too. If you are looking to start a podcast or improve your audio without spending extra money, you might want to give this tool a whirl on their website.

News

Crypto and NFTs outlawed on GTA Online servers

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Cryptocurrencies and NFTs have been banned from the unlikeliest of trading grounds – the role-playing servers of Grand Theft Auto (GTA) Online.

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Crypto and NFTs now a crime on everyone’s favorite crime simulator. Image source: Rockstar via Kotaku.

New regulations bar trading of crypto, virtual currency and loot boxes

An update on developer Rockstar support page outlined new regulations on their role-playing servers, aligning with publisher Take-Two’s legal enforcement policy. Rockstar specifically mentions enforcement actions against “commercial exploitation”, which include sale of loot boxes or virtual currencies, generation of revenue via corporate sponsorships and use of cryptocurrency and crypto assets e.g. NFTs. This regulation, in line with existing rules for single player mods, will apply to all facets of Grand Theft Auto across all platforms. It will also extend to Rockstar’s other albeit less popular online game, Red Dead online.

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All dealings in hard-earned virtual cash only. Image source: Rockstar

So, what does this new set of rules mean for the game? Rockstar has assured that the existing experience of role-play servers will not be affected, including third party servers. Unlike the typical story-driven missions of a GTA game, the role-playing servers focus more on community-driven experiences. These are living and breathing worlds with all members having their own careers and personal lives. As you would expect in any online world, there is a thriving trading community. Unfortunately, some members have taken to selling some “less than savory” things to the developer’s distaste. These include licensed music and sponsorship deals, in-game currency to the much-maligned loot boxes.

Only recently, an online server started by rapper Lil Durk called “The Trenches” was shutdown by Rockstar for just this reason. As reported by Ars Technica, the role-playing server actively integrated real word gaming brands and a “Trenches Pass” NFT drop to access specific on-server content. Less than 3 months since its launch, the server was instructed to be shutdown by both Rockstar and TakeTwo. This event appeared to be the precursor of the new crackdown on crypto.

Safety of the community and the experience first

steam gta security
Safety of the community and their bank accounts first. Image source: Steam Workshop

The new regulations also mention enforcement actions against misuse of Rockstar Games trademarks or game intellectual property (IP), importation of these IP or trademarks and interference with online multiplayer and online servers of both GTA and Red Dead. It appears Rockstar and Take-Two intend to safeguard their assets from misuse and the community experience in role-playing servers. The barring of loot boxes and the barely predictable cryptocurrencies and crypto assets safeguard finances too.

However, a final regulation also specifies enforcement actions on “making new games, stories, missions, or maps”. Although not elaborated on, both developer and publisher assure the existence of third-party role-playing servers are not affected. Will there be an impact on server content or community creativity? That remains to be seen.

Sources: Kotaku, ArsTechnica