If you’re the type of person that still needs more storage, Apple might have answered your prayers.
According to 9to5Mac, there are indications that this year’s iPhone lineup—yes, we’re talking about the next one already—will have 1 TB storage. The outlet cited analysts at the investment firm Wedbush, which pointed to supply chain checks as evidence. Currently, the most storage offered on iPhones is 512 GB, so an iPhone 13 with 1 TB of storage would be a first for Apple.
This isn’t the first time this rumor has shown up in Appleland. Back in October, Apple leaker Jon Prosser—who, it should be noted, isn’t always right—also teased about this possibility. Prosser reiterated this prediction in January on Front Page Tech, saying that most of the iPhone 13 high-end prototypes do feature 1 TB of storage.
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“We’re in early stages of iPhone 13 right now and we kind of just have prototypes to go off of, which means that not much is actually final,” Prosser said in January. “But I will tell you that most of those prototypes, I’m being told, do feature a terabyte of storage. That is, prototypes for the pro models.”
If the rumor is true, Apple wouldn’t be the first company to make 1TB phones. Samsung and Asus started offering phones with 1TB storage capacity back in 2019.
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Other reliable chatter indicates that Apple’s newest lineup will maintain four models again this year. In other words, we’re likely looking at an iPhone 13 Mini, an iPhone 13, an iPhone 13 Pro, and an iPhone 13 Pro Max. The difference between them, which is something we all know by now, would be the cameras. And if this new rumor is true, it could also be storage—and more than we’ve ever seen on an iPhone before.
(Photo by Nicolas Liponne/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
When it comes to the great iOS vs. Android debate, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates knows which side he's on.
According to 9to5Google, Gates shared his preferences in a recently audio-only interview via the Clubhouse app. It may not come as a surprise that he's firmly team Android.
Gates told journalist Andrew Ross Sorkin and Clubhouse co-founder Paul Davidson that, after proclaiming he preferred Android in the past, nothing has changed. While he keeps an iPhone on hand in the event he wants to use it for any reason (like using the iPhone-only Clubhouse), he has a day-to-day Android device.
Clubhouse is an app that lets you drop in on audio-only conversations. The social network resembles something of a massive series of podcast-like conversations. Right now, it's currently invite-only and only iPhone users can participate.
Gates prefers the more open nature of the Android ecosystem, as it's more "flexible" about how software interfaces with the OS.
"I actually use an Android phone," Gates told Sorkin. "Because I want to keep track of everything, I’ll often play around with iPhones, but the one I carry around happens to be Android. Some of the Android manufacturers pre-install Microsoft software in a way that makes it easy for me. They’re more flexible about how the software connects up with the operating system. So that’s what I ended up getting used to. You know, a lot of my friends have iPhone, so there’s no purity."
In 2019, Gates admitted the way he handled Microsoft's own mobile phone division was his "greatest mistake." Microsoft ended up letting Google transform Android into the only true rival for iPhone. Microsoft missed out on a $400 billion market at the time, something Gates deeply regrets. In 2017, however, he went ahead and adopted an Android phone.
During the interview, Davidson indicated that an Android version of Clubhouse could be on its way. He called it a "top feature," which could mean the iPhone Clubhouse could soon dissipate.
Despite its relentless promotion of 5G phones and the fact that it spent more than $45 billion bidding on a new faster spectrum, Verizon support now is advising people on Twitter to turn off their phones’ 5G access to preserve battery life.
In a Sunday morning tweet, Verizon support helpfully suggested that “one way to help conserve battery life is to turn on LTE” if users found their batteries were “draining faster than normal.” That step would, of course, turn off 5G in a phone that has it available. It’s also worth pointing out that you don’t actually “turn on LTE” when doing this step — LTE is always enabled as a fallback for the 5G network. But Verizon is obviously being cautious so as not to actually tell its customers to “turn off 5G”.
Twitter users naturally pointed out that switching to LTE-only would mean turning off 5G (which is available in some newer phones), but the helpful support person said it was important to troubleshoot “steps to find the root cause of any issues with speed,” adding that Verizon is “quickly launching more 5G areas, and making updates constantly to improve speeds.” Verizon’s nationwide 5G network uses a technology called DSS, which in many instances is actually slower than the LTE network it’s trying to replace.
Verizon announced its big 5G plans for 2021 last month, after formally launching its next-gen network in October 2020. One of its top priorities is expanding coverage of its ultra-fast mmWave coverage, which is currently restricted to parts of some cities in the US. It’s also heavily dependent on how close you are to a Verizon 5G site.
Both Verizon and AT&T spent big bucks in the FCC’s Auction 107, bidding on the C-band spectrum. Verizon spent $45.4 billion— twice as much as AT&T’s $23.4 billion. AT&T’s current nationwide 5G network also relies on DSS with speeds close to or lower than 4G LTE.
The new frequencies won’t become available until the end of the 2021 at the earliest, and will be available in limited locations first.
The 12.9-inch 2020 iPad Pro with the Smart Keyboard and Magic Trackpad peripherals.
Samuel Axon
The camera and sensor array on the 2020 iPad Pro includes two lenses and a lidar sensor.
It's still as thin as before, but that camera bump is a change.
The design hasn't changed at all beyond that camera bump.
Here's the back.
Rumor has it a new iPad Pro is around the corner, which means Apple is about to make another big pitch for the iPad as a productivity and content-creation device.
But while we've found in our iPadOS reviews that Apple has done a marvelous job with the big-picture changes to the OS aimed at making it real-work friendly, there are still a bunch of minor annoyances or "nope, you can't do that" limitations that sabotage Apple's intentions.
For that reason, it makes sense to preempt that upcoming marketing push with a few key caveats—especially since Apple likely won't announce a major iPadOS software update alongside new hardware in March. Significant new OS changes probably won't be discussed until the company's developer conference in June, and those updates probably won't reach the public until September or October.
Most of these are tiny problems, but they add up. iPads won't be a real laptop replacement for everyone until most of these issues are addressed.
Webcams and multitasking
It won't take you long in current computing use cases to notice this one: the front-facing camera on the iPad shuts off when you swipe away from whatever app is using it, Zoom included. Reviewers have brought this up again and again when reviewing recent iPads—us included. But 12 iPadOS updates later, it's still an issue.
Granted, some applications will show your camera view in a small, picture-in-picture window over other apps when you switch spaces. But you don't always want to see that—screen real estate is at a serious premium on iPads—and not every app does it.
Where third-party apps don't support the picture-in-picture view, Apple needs to find a way to incentivize them to do so. But better yet: allow users to enable background video capture on a per-app basis in Settings.
A lot of people are spending a great deal of time on video calls these days, for obvious reasons. It'd be great if Apple's flagship, mainstream, dedicated computing product actually did that well.
Audio-source management
Obviously, the iPad does support background audio. Apps like Apple Music or Spotify can play in the background, as can some (but not all) video apps. The problem is that it's all too easy for the currently active app to silence the one in the background, because two audio sources usually cannot play at the same time.
Apps like Twitch will keep playing video when you swipe over to another app, and they'll keep playing the audio, too.
Samuel Axon
You can minimize them to the side to get a better view while still listening to the audio, too.
Samuel Axon
So, for example, if you are watching a Twitch stream in the background but an autoplaying video with audio comes up on a webpage, your Twitch stream will stop. You'll have to stop the video on the Web, then go back to the Twitch app to start it up again. And sometimes, websites or apps take over your audio even if they aren't apparently making any sound at present.
At a minimum, the iPad should either not stop the first audio source when this happens or at least resume playing whatever was playing in the background once the new audio source starts. But the ideal situation would be a panel for managing multiple audio sources at once by app, including their levels.
External monitors
When Apple first announced that the iPad Pro would be able to work with external monitors via USB-C as part of an overall pitch of the Pro as a heavy-duty productivity and content-creation device, many users expected something very different from what they got.
Yes, you can hook your iPad Pro up to an external USB-C monitor. But typically, all it does is mirror the iPad's display. It doesn't give you more spaces for apps, and it doesn't even adopt the aspect ratio of the screen you're sending the image to.
There is a very small number of iPad apps, like iMovie, that let you use the external monitor a little differently. But the vast majority don't, making external monitor support essentially useless on Apple's tablet.
The limitations of the USB-C port
The move to USB-C from Lightning in recent iPads is a welcome one, even if it means some people had to buy some new cables. The ecosystem of USB-C accessories—like external storage devices, monitors, music production tools, and so on—is quite robust compared to what we get on Lightning.
Enlarge/ The iPad Pro has USB-C instead of Lightning as its one port.
So we're not knocking USB-C here. We're knocking how many USB-C ports there are. The iPad Pro only has one, and all too often, it doesn't play nicely with external USB-C hubs that you might normally use with a Mac. Users complain of constant disconnects and inconsistent behavior. Some hubs just don't work at all.
If Apple can't rely on other companies like CalDigit to do this well, and if it really must insist on not adding at least one more port, then it needs to release its own USB-C dock that is guaranteed to work smoothly with the iPad.
It certainly didn't help that Apple removed the headphone jack from recent iPads. Some of the advertising around the iPad Pro centered on music production, but good luck producing music when you can't easily connect both an instrument and headphones at the same time.
You'll need a dongle, which is expensive and a hassle, and a whole lot of them don't work well.
Pro app support
A computer is only as good as the apps it can run, of course. And while the iPad has many excellent apps for content consumption, productivity, and creativity, users of apps popular in certain professional contexts face a significant gap between iPadOS and either macOS or Windows.
And it's not just from third parties. Apple's own Final Cut, Logic, and Xcode are not available on the iPad. There aren't a ton of great options from other companies, either. Yes, Adobe has been working on fairly robust versions of both Photoshop and Illustrator for the iPad, but we haven't heard a word about Premiere, for example.
And numerous widely used pro apps from other companies also aren't available. There's no Maya, no Blender, no Unity, no Visual Studio. There is an AutoCAD app, but it's minimally functional compared to the desktop version.
If Apple is going to keep calling the iPad a device for professional content creators, it needs to convince these third parties to release more functional iPad apps. And at least as importantly, it needs to adapt its own software for the device.
How likely are we to see these changes?
For years, Apple has moved further away from the idea of more ports, large feature sets, and so on—particularly on mobile devices like the iPad. So in the past, we wouldn't have expected most of these things to actually happen.
However, the world of Apple devices looks noticeably different in the wake of reliable reports that new MacBook Pro laptops later this year will include SD cards or HDMI ports. Apple seems to be changing course to better court high-end and certain pro use-case customers. Well, at least as far as the Mac is concerned.
The company has also moved aggressively in other ways on the iPad front, at least in terms of software—just maybe not as fast as everyone would like. It seems plausible to us that multitasking issues (like those with webcams and audio sources) may be fixed in the future. And at this point, never say never to iPad versions of Logic or Final Cut.
We're less bullish on the idea of a multiport iPad Pro, though, and there's only so much Apple can do to attract third parties to make more robust apps for the platform.
Apple is expected to announce a new iPad Pro before the end of March, so we'll have a hint at what's to come soon enough.
When hearing about Bill Gates one invariably thinks about Microsoft and philanthropy and yet the world's fourth richest man is very much into farming. In recent years, his investment company Cascade has been buying land as if his life depended on it.
Bill Gates is the biggest owner of farmland in the United States. According to a Land Report, the Microsoft co-founder now has a whopping 242,000 acres across 18 states. This buying spree has left many people wondering what Gates' endgame is because he's never spoke about his love for cultivating crops and the "pleasant" scent of fresh manure.
According to the New York Post, Gates' interest in farmland is motivated by his desire to deal with the issue of climate change as well as to help poorer nations, where people suffer from hunger.
The tabloid writes that Gates' farmland empire is managed by Cottonwood Ag Management, which in turn is a member of Leading Harvest, a nonprofit organisation that helps farmers across the world to "adopt better practices now, so that we all can grow a healthier future for generations to come".
Reports previously suggested that agriculture, in particular beef production, contributes to CO2 emissions which traps heat radiated from the Sun and consequently leads to climate change.
Gates earlier said that without innovation the world won't be able to deal with climate change, which many scientists say will result in extreme temperatures, natural disasters, and the collapse of ecosystems.
To that end, Gates participates in environment projects and invests in different companies. One of them is Impossible Foods that produces beef substitutes.
Bruce Sherrick, a professor of agricultural economics at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, who is also on the board of Leading Harvest, says farms are not only part of the climate change problem, but can also become a solution.
Sherrick believes that the Microsoft co-founder will make a big difference if he manages to show that farming can be both profitable and sustainable.
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Crypto prices appear to have an unstoppable upward trajectory. With Bitcoin and Ethereum hitting all-time highs again this month, more people are investing their money in digital currencies. And they have a wealth of options to keep their investments safe.
Cryptocurrencies are stored in what's called a wallet, which has a private key associated with it, similar to a password. The easiest way to get your coins in a wallet is on the cryptocurrency exchange you used to buy your currency (think Coinbase or Gemini). But more mainstream companies, like PayPal and Robinhood, have also added options to buy, sell and store crypto.
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Crypto owners who want complete control over their investments can also rely on digital wallets managed by software locally on a user's own device. For an extra layer of security, you may consider using what's known as a cold wallet, which is essentially a local device like a hard drive that's not connected to the internet.
Companies like Trezor and Ledger make special drives specifically for cryptocurrency wallets. The companies say sensitive information isn't exposed even when the devices are plugged into your computer (just don't lose the device, or the key needed to access the data on it). Check out the video above for an in-depth look at how all these options work.
Samsung’s latest Chrome OS laptop, the Galaxy Chromebook 2, is now available for purchase at Best Buy. The Chromebook 2 was first announced at CES in January and features a new QLED display, 360-degree hinge, and a striking red paint job. It starts at $549.99 for a Celeron model and goes up to $699.99 for a Core i3 version, putting it at the higher end of Chromebooks.
That price is the most significant thing about the Chromebook 2 because it’s considerably less than the Galaxy Chromebook that debuted a year ago. The older Chromebook had an 4K OLED screen and came with a stylus — neither of which you’ll fine with the new model — but it also cost just under $1,000 when it came out. In our review, we found despite the gorgeous screen and striking paint job, the original Galaxy Chromebook didn’t justify its cost, particularly thanks to abysmal battery life.
We’ve yet to put the new Chromebook 2 through its paces, but we did get to see the machine in person back in January and it certainly seems like it will be competent. The QLED screen isn’t quite up to the marks of the OLED panel, but you’d be hard-pressed to notice without putting them side-by-side, and the rest of the Chromebook 2’s fit and finish are appropriate for the price Samsung is asking. Importantly, it still comes in that amazing red color, as well. You might notice the extra weight — the Chromebook 2 is about half a pound heavier — but it still falls under three pounds total and should be easily portable.
We will have a full review of the Chromebook 2 in the near future, but if you don’t want to wait and grab one yourself, you might be able to find one in stock at your local Best Buy right now. Let’s just hope Samsung improved the battery life over last time.
As 343 Industries and Microsoft continue to develop Halo Infinite, teasers of their progress surfaced, offering a glimpse of the kind of visuals fans can expect.
The two companies shared a handful of screenshots that show the progress of the game’s development, and the graphics are looking quite detailed. Fans don’t get to see much of any character, but the screenshots do show a much more realistic world — Zeta Halo — that should be expected in a next-gen title. Halo Infinite is being described as a “spiritual reboot” with the aim of bringing back a similar gaming experience as early Halo titles. To achieve this, much of the visuals will reflect earlier designs, while, of course, pushing forward improved, more refined graphics.
There isn’t a clear release date for Halo Infinite, but sources are suggesting it will land sometime in the fall.
You should switch to Google Messages if you don't already use it.
Sarah Tew/CNET
Have you ever forgotten to send a happy birthday text message to a friend? Or had an idea in the middle of the night that you desperately wanted to share with a coworker but didn't want to wake them? The next time that happens, use Google Messages' new scheduling tool to pick the exact time and date you want to send a message.
Get the latest news, how-to and reviews on Google-powered devices in CNET's Google Report newsletter.
Before you can schedule a message, you'll need to have the latest version of Google Messages installed on your phone. Note that this feature will not work with your phone's default text message app, only Google Messages. If you don't know how to change your default messaging app, don't worry -- the first time you open Google Messages you'll be asked if you want to make the switch. The easiest way make sure you've got the latest version of Messages is to open the Play Store app go to My Apps and check for updates. (I have the new feature with Messages version 7.4.050.)
Below I'll show you how to schedule a text message, including picking a custom send time and how to edit the message if you want to change anything.
Scheduling a message is easy peasy.
Screenshots by Jason Cipriani/CNET
How to schedule a text with the Google Messages app
The first time you launch the Google Messages app and open a conversation after updating to the latest version, you'll see a small pop-up window appear over the Send button letting you know you can schedule messages. This is similar to what you see with scheduling an email in Gmail.
To schedule a text, start typing your message then long-press the Send button. I recommend picking the scheduled time before you fully compose your message, so you don't write out the message and accidentally send it.
After you long-press on Send, you'll see a pop-up with preselected dates and times. You can go with one of those suggestions, or tap Pick date and time. That will open Android's date and time picker that lets you customize when the message will be sent, to the minute. (Handy if you want to wish someone happy birthday at the exact minute they were born.)
Once you're done setting the time, tap Save.
You can then finish writing out your message. You're not limited to scheduling only text messages, but you can also add pictures and videos. When you're done, tap the Send button, which should now have a small clock icon on top of the paper airplane.
You can always edit a message.
Screenshots by Jason Cipriani/CNET
How to view, edit or delete a scheduled text message
A scheduled message will appear in your conversation thread, however, it will have a clock next to it and a note that says Scheduled message underneath it. You can hide the message with a tap on Scheduled message if you prefer.
To edit the message or the scheduled delivery time, tap the clock icon. A menu with three options will show up. Those options are update message, send now or delete message.
Update message will let you edit the text or pick a different time. Send now will immediately send the message. Delete message will discard the text.
Being able to schedule a message is a feature that's sure to be useful, especially if you often remember to send a message at an inconvenient time and then end up forgetting.
One of the most unexpected bugs in Android Auto was discovered earlier this year, and it caused Pixel phones to automatically reboot whenever they were plugged into the head unit to launch the app.
1 photo
In other words, the moment you connected the USB-C cable to launch Android Auto, the smartphone automatically restarted, and users explained this happened every single time.
“If I leave the cable plugged in, the phone will reboot then once I swipe up to unlock it will show the Google logo and reboot again repeatedly until I disconnect my phone from the cable. I have tried to boot into safe mode, which sort of works, I can connect my phone to the cable and use the phone still, but Android Auto never connects to the head unit at all,” one user explains.
Google has confirmed earlier this week that it managed to determine the cause of the problem, and as it turns out, Android Auto wasn’t the only one to blame for the whole thing.
Google Chrome, the browser that comes pre-loaded with Android devices, came with a rare bug which alongside an issue in Android Auto caused a combined glitch forcing Pixel phones to automatically reboot on connect.
“A fix has been applied for Android Auto app version 6.1 (currently rolling out in Google Play) and Chrome app version 88.0.4324.181 or higher (available in Google Play for everyone). A configuration change to the Chrome app unrelated to Android Auto caused an unexpected combination of bugs in some head units and the Android operating system,” a member of the Android Auto team confirmed this week.
So there you go, if your Pixel reboots when connected to the head unit in an attempt to launch Android Auto, what you have to do is to install the latest app updates on the device. The issue apparently affected Pixel phones exclusively, so if you run Android Auto with a Samsung device, the rebooting glitch shouldn’t normally occur.
The World Health Organization will soon publish the findings of its official investigation into the origins of COVID-19.
Investigators spoke with the man currently believed to be the first person who was infected by the novel coronavirus, discovering that the virus may have jumped to humans at a food market in Wuhan.
The person believed to be the COVID-19 patient zero fell ill on December 8th, 2019, and had no travel history.
The first official World Health Organization (WHO) coronavirus investigation wrapped up a few weeks ago, and the early conclusions did not provide a better explanation for the origins of COVID-19. After several months of controversial planning, the researchers found that the likeliest explanation for the COVID-19 pandemic is an animal-to-human transmission. It’s unclear which animals might have spread the virus or when the jump to humans might have happened. In the process, WHO scientists spoke to a potential patient zero. If he was the first person to contract COVID-19, the location of the first covid case would shift to a food market in Wuhan rather than the infamous Huanan market. His story also indicates that COVID-19 transmission might have started well before late December 2019, when the first cases were announced to the world.
WHO officials met the presumed patient zero while visiting Wuhan, The Wall Street Journal reports. The man, an office worker in his 40s, is believed to have been infected on December 8th. He works for a private company and had no recent travel history.
“He has a very, in a way, dull and normal life—no hiking-in-the-mountains type of things,” Dr. Peter Ben Embarek told The Journal. The man’s main hobby was surfing the internet, Dr. Peter Daszak said. Both officials were on the ground in Wuhan during the infection, with Ben Embarek leading the WHO team. Patient zero told WHO investigators that his parents had visited another local community food market, not the one in Wuhan that was associated with the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. China said months ago that the Wuhan market wasn’t the source of COVID-19.
The man’s claim that his parents had visited another market dropped at the end with the WHO interview. The scientists were not able to ascertain other details or identify the market. Daszak told CNN that the man’s parents had tested negative, but Chinese authorities should still trace their contacts at the market.
It’s unclear when the man’s parents were tested or what sort of test they received. There were no COVID-19 tests in early December 2019 since nobody was looking for this particular illness. Antibody tests can determine whether a person survived COVID-19 or not, but antibodies often start disappearing from the bloodstream several months after the infection.
The report notes that the WHO team wants to identify the market and see what sort of animals were sold there. They also want to see if any of the 174 cases confirmed from December 2019 — a figure that is higher than initial estimates — had connections to that market. Wuhan has some 400 food markets that serve a population of 400 million.
The WHO investigators said they found at least two types of animals that could carry the coronavirus at the Huanan market, including ferret badgers and rabbits.
The researchers also noted that the virus was spreading widely throughout the city within days of the first known cases from the market. This indicates the outbreak could have begun somewhere else. “There is clear evidence of simultaneous transmission of the virus in other places outside the market,” Thea Fischer told reporters in Wuhan. “It seems less likely that the market is the source of the virus epidemic.” Fisher is a Danish epidemiologist and a member of the WHO team.
This particular 40-year-old man might not actually be patient zero. Some researchers say that an older man fell sick on December 1st, 2019. A doctor who treated him said the man had other chronic illnesses and couldn’t speak. His relatives estimated the date when symptoms first appeared. The WHO will publish a summary report in the coming days that will recommend more studies to determine the pandemic’s origin.
Chris Smith started writing about gadgets as a hobby, and before he knew it he was sharing his views on tech stuff with readers around the world. Whenever he's not writing about gadgets he miserably fails to stay away from them, although he desperately tries. But that's not necessarily a bad thing.
An outage of Sony’s PlayStation Network that began Friday afternoon appeared to be persisting on Saturday morning. According to an update on the status page timestamped 6:33PM (not clear what time zone that is) on February 26th, the affected platforms are PS Vita, PS3, PS4, and PS5.
“You might have difficulty launching games, apps, or network features. We’re working to resolve the issue as soon as possible. Thank you for your patience,” the update reads.
Engadget reported that the outage may be affecting some games but not others; Fortnite appeared to be accessible but Minecraft and Call of Duty: Warzone were not.
We’ve reached out to Sony for details about what’s causing the outage, how widespread it is, and when it may be resolved, and will update when we learn more.
Earlier this month, following a very public spat with Google, Terraria studio Re-Logic announced it was ceasing development of the game's Stadia version. However, it's now decided to reverse that decision and development will proceed.
Events came to a head at the start of February, when Re-Logic founder Andrew Spinks railed against Google on Twitter after his account had been disabled for three weeks with no explanation - preventing access to his Google Play app library, Google Drive data, and YouTube channel. "The worst of all," he wrote, "is losing access to my Gmail address of over 15 years."
"I absolutely have not done anything to violate your terms of service, so I can take this no other way than you deciding to burn this bridge," he added. "Consider it burned. Terraria for Google Stadia is cancelled. My company will no longer support any of your platforms moving forward."
Terraria: Journey's End trailer.
In a new update posted to the Terraria forum, however, Re-Logic has announced the Stadia version will go ahead after all. "As you may have noticed, we had a ton of issues to kick off the year stemming from the locking-down of Redigit's entire Google account in early January," the company wrote. "After a month of pushing (and with the immense support of our fans), Google finally reached out and was able to provide a lot of transparency around the situation and to restore access to all of our accounts."
"Due to the hard work the Stadia team has put in - as well as our partners at 505 Games - we have decided that we will allow the upcoming launch [of] Terraria on Google Stadia to proceed," the statement continued. "The Terraria Stadia build is based on the DR Studios 1.4.0.5 (latest) build, and is currently at Google for certification review."
There's no word on when Terraria for Stadia might launch, but it's encouraging to see the issue resolved with relative speed. Stadia, of course, recently ceased all internal game development, meaning it's now absolutely critical for it to shore up relationships with external studios.
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The PR describes how the Nintendo DS originals have been faithfully reproduced. There are also a number of updates, including easy-to-understand and player-friendly conveniences.
All of this has got fans wondering if the content from the third version, Pokémon Platinum, will feature. According to a Twitter user known as 'voltimer', there's a good chance it will, based on the reveal trailer:
As can be seen above, there's apparently an extra NPC in the Platinum version of Floaroma Town that also features in the Switch version. This character gives you Gracidea if you have Shaymin on hand.
It's also considered as "more concrete evidence" than the appearance of Porygon-Z in the Switch trailer - which appears in Diamond and Pearl's post-game.
What do you make of all this? Think it's a sign of Platinum Version content in the remakes? Leave a comment down below.
During a recent interview on the invite-only audio conversation app Clubhouse, Bill Gates revealed why he still prefers to use an Android phone over the iPhone. What it boils down to, Gates explained, is that Android manufacturers are “more flexible” with software integration.
As our colleagues over at 9to5Google reported, Gates joined Andrew Ross Sorkin for an interview in the Clubhouse app this week. Clubhouse, which is gaining quickly in popularity, is currently an iPhone-only app, but an Android version is on the way.
Gates has talked about his use of Android in the past, so Sorkin was curious if his preference might have changed, given that he was speaking through a service that’s only available on iOS.
In response, the Microsoft founder explained that he still prefers an Android, but that he keeps an iPhone around to try out — and apparently for joining Clubhouse rooms. Gates’ reasoning for using Android is because manufacturers often pre-install Microsoft software:
I actually use an Android phone. Because I want to keep track of everything, I’ll often play around with iPhones, but the one I carry around happens to be Android. Some of the Android manufacturers pre-install Microsoft software in a way that makes it easy for me. They’re more flexible about how the software connects up with the operating system. So that’s what I ended up getting used to. You know, a lot of my friends have iPhone, so there’s no purity.
The reasoning here is a bit odd because you can download Microsoft apps from the App Store on iPhone, and even now adjust your default browser and email apps with iOS 14, so it’s not clear what Gates is referring to.
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From understanding the map, earning bonus points, using vehicles to your advantage to run down hordes, and even completing side activities such as the Dragon Relic, we have you covered in our complete guide to succeeding in the latest Zombies mode, Outbreak.
Quick Tips and Tricks
Look for the Star icon on your map as this indicates your main objective - which can be one of five possible objectives. Without completing the main objective, you will not be able to move onto the next region.
It's easy to get caught off guard in Outbreak, so make full use of your available Field Upgrades. While there are a bunch of these special abilities available on offer, we found the Healing Aura Tier III - especially as you upgrade its different tiers - will be an essential ability to your team. Not only will it revive any downed teammates, but it'll also heal you up as well.
Low on ammunition? Look for the bullet icons that appear on your mini-map to find ammo crates around the map.
Don't be afraid to spice things up! Teams with varying loadouts have been proven to be much more successful than others that use the same weapons, loadouts, and field upgrades.
Don't underestimate any straggler zombies, as more often than not, that one zombie that you chose to leave alive while you continue to explore nearby buildings or while using the likes of the Pack-a-Punch or Arsenal Machine will end up being the death of you. As these singular zombies manage to link back up with a herd, you'll be surprised at just how easy it is to get caught off guard and quickly swarmed.
Melee Zombies During Early Difficulty Levels for Bonus Points
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Much like the standard Zombies mode, Outbreak offers additional points for meleeing Zombies; while it isn't a massive bonus, any additional points when you're first starting out will help you unlock upgrades faster.
Do keep in mind that knifing Zombies isn't necessarily an effective strategy past difficulty two unless you have managed to earn enough points to justify pack-a-punching a green rarity combat knife or higher. While you will manage to one-shot most enemies with the upgrade, you'll struggle against the Elite and Special Zombies, which become much more frequent.
Alternatively, if you have to use a weapon, try aiming for headshots as these will earn you additional points as well.
Teamwork Makes the Dream Work
Success in Outbreak all comes down to teamwork. Without communication, your team will quickly become overrun, and completing objectives will become significantly more difficult than they need to be.
So, if you're playing with a random team or even a group of friends, be sure to speak up and start making coordinated calls that include asking for help, calling loot chests, side activities, and more.
If you're struggling to succeed with random teams when your friends aren't online, we recommend sticking with the dedicated Outbreak solo playlist. Not only will this allow you to get some much-needed practice, but it will make your overall Outbreak experience much easier.
Loot Everything Possible
Don't go rushing throughout the different worlds, as you'll be heavily benefitted sticking around and looting the different areas that each map has to offer. This will become abundantly clear as you start to explore each map, as you will begin finding hidden loot chests within buildings and other random locations that contain everything from rare weapons, salvage, ammo, armor, and even consumables.
While these loot chests aren't marked on your mini-map, they can be found by listening for a jingle-like noise, followed by a childish laugh. If you're able to hear this noise, it will indicate that a loot chest can be found somewhere nearby.
These chests come in different rarity tiers, though, so don't be surprised if you need to a little bit of searching before you come across the rarer tier chests.
Purchase Armor As Soon As Possible
As you start opening more and more loot boxes, you'll quickly start racking up a rather impressive collection of salvage. You will want to make full use of this scrap by purchasing armor from the Arsenal machines that can be found throughout the map.
These machines are red and grey in color and feature a standing mannequin that's wearing armor. As you progress throughout the waves and different regions, the game will start noticeably increasing in difficulty, and armor will be a must if you plan on surviving.
Armor isn't the only upgrade that you can purchase, as you can also purchase weapon damage, which we have found to be more powerful than Pack-a-Punching your weapons. While armor should always be your top priority, we would definitely recommend upgrading your weapon damage once you've got enough points to spare.
Vehicles Aren't Just For Traveling From Point A to Point B
While vehicles such as the Sedan and Light Truck will make exploring the large maps of Outbreak just that much easier, they are also extremely useful for running down hordes of Zombies. Although they will eventually become damaged over time, finding a new vehicle for you and your team shouldn't be too big of a hassle as we've found that they quite frequently spawn throughout the different maps.
Additionally, if you're to take down at least 100 Zombies with your vehicle, you'll complete a Dark Ops challenge. If you complete all nine challenges, you'll unlock a unique "Grey Matter" Epic Sniper Rifle Blueprint.
For more details on how to unlock each of the 9 Dark Ops Challenges in Outbreak, check out our complete guide below:
Looking for more Outbreak content? Check out our Outbreak Hub to find even more How-To Guides.
Article From & Read More ( 10 Tips and Tricks for Getting Started in Outbreak Mode - Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Wiki Guide - IGN )
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Technology
We now know that there's quite a wait yet for Halo Infinite to arrive this autumn, but 343 Industries have committed to filling that time with regular blog post chats from developers. This month they've rounded up a crew to talk about what makes Infinite a "spiritual reboot" of earlier Halo games. They've also snuck in a cheeky defense of the grappleshot.
In this month's Inside Infinite, campaign art lead Justin Dinges says that 343's art direction is focused on themes of "legacy" and "simplicity".
"We really want players to feel like they are experiencing a game that they remember fondly (Halo: Combat Evolved), but with modernized graphics of course," Dinges says. "Another good example is how we have taken the visual design of the Jackals and Grunts back closer to their appearance in Halo 3 and previous titles. We want players to feel a nostalgic familiarity with these designs, like meeting up with an old friend, as they experience all that Halo Infinite has to offer."
On the subject of simplicity, Dinges says the team's takeaway from Halo 5 was to steer away from "noisy" designs and head towards an artistic interpretation of the world rather than photo realism.
Gameplay director Troy Mashburn explains that "spiritual reboot" is also a concept that 343 have used to guide inclusion of new things like the grappleshot.
I've not done any serious Spartan-ing since Halo 3, and even I couldn't help thinking "really? why?" when the grappleshot was revealed. We're just going to have to trust 343 on this one, it sounds, because all three of this month's participants showed up to sing its praises.
"If you are a fan of using melee, like I am, you are going to love grappling towards enemies to land that powerful knockout blow. Sooo satisfying," Mashburn says. It will also let you reach all sorts of locations you wouldn't have been able to in past games, Dinges adds, which will open up neat vantage points. World design lead John Mulkey says that the grappleshot itself is fun, and so is combining it with other pieces of equipment that have their own functions. "I cannot wait to see the YouTube videos people share showing off moves we never even imagined."
Alright, fine. I'll reserve judgement on the grappleshot a bit longer.
As they approach launch this autumn, Dinges and Mashburn say that their teams are focusing on bug fixing, polish, and addressing user feedback from internal playtesting.
As ever, this month's Inside Infinite is pretty chunky, so there's plenty more from all three developers if you're in the mood for a read.
Article From & Read More ( Halo Infinite developers call it a "spiritual reboot" with familiar visuals - Rock Paper Shotgun )
https://ift.tt/3uBNZEE
Technology
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