As our Twitter apps are updating to now be called “X,” you might long for the old blue bird logo. It harkens back to a similar time, when Twitter certainly had its issues, but at least it was not owned by Elon Musk. Thanks to the shortcuts app on iOS, we can kid ourselves into believing that Twitter is still being run by a different short-sighted billionaire, rather than this even shorter-sighted one. Lucky us!
Here’s how you can change your X icon back to Twitter again:
On your iPhone, navigate to the Shortcuts app. If you have a newer iPhone, this should be pre-installed, but if not, you can find it in the App Store. So long as your iPhone is running iOS 12.0 or higher, you’re good to go.
From the main Shortcuts screen on the Shortcuts app, you’re going to tap — you guessed it — “All Shortcuts.”
Image Credits: Screenshot by TechCrunch
Once you do that, hit the blue plus sign in the top-right corner of your screen to set up a new Shortcut.
Shortcuts can be used for a wholebunch of stuff, but we’re keeping it simple here. You should see a suggested action of “Open App” to build your new shortcut. Tap that.
Now, you’ll be prompted to set up a new “Open App” shortcut. Next to where it says “Open,” click on “App” to search for the X app. Select that.
Once you’ve selected the “X” app, tap the share icon on the navigation bar at the bottom of your screen. This will bring up another menu, where you can select “Add to Home Screen.”
At last, here is where you can customize the name and icon for your Shortcut. Go ahead and type in Twitter instead of “Open App.” Then, tap the small Shortcut icon next to where you typed in Twitter.
Here, you can upload an image of the Twitter logo. But unless if you’re a really specific kind of person, you probably don’t have that already saved to your phone. Just Google “Twitter icon.” You’ll find one pretty quickly — we used this one.
Image Credits: Screenshot by TechCrunch
And there you have it! You can now delude yourself that we are in a slightly less cursed timeline than the one in which Elon Musk has changed Twitter’s name to X, and the Twitter icon definitely doesn’t look like a porn app (which wouldn’t even get approved on the App Store, anyway!). Congratulations, y’all.
According to sources, Nintendo’s eyeing a Christmas 2024 release for a new console that can still load games from cartridges.
ByAsh Parrish, a reporter who has covered the business, culture, and communities of video games for seven years. Previously, she worked at Kotaku.
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
For the last six years, there have been only three things you can count on: death, taxes, and rumors of a new Nintendo console. Now, a new rumor from VGC suggests Nintendo’s eyeing a 2024 release for its next-gen console.
According to sources who spoke to VGC, the new console could feature a cheaper LCD screen instead of a higher-end display like the OLED Switch and continue to include a cartridge slot for loading games. Nintendo executives also hope that the 2024 release window will ensure the console won’t have inventory issues like the ones that plagued the launch of the Xbox Series S / X and PlayStation 5.
According to VGC sources, development kits for the new Nintendo console are already with developers, with Nikkei Asia reporting that development on the new console has been “progressing well,” but there’s no word on whether this console will include 4K resolution or any upgrades to storage space or processing power.
Though the new Nintendo console rumor mill spins reliably every year only for the console to fail to materialize, we really are due something new. 2023 makes seven years since the Switch’s launch, already longer than the six years between the Wii and the Wii U — and longer than the five years between the Wii U and the Switch.
Apple is preparing to unveil its next generation of devices this fall, and the high-end iPhone 15 models will reportedly feature some major changes.
The company has used its proprietary Lightning charger for iPhones since 2012, but the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus will be compatible with USB-C charging, according to a report from Bloomberg. The report said the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max models will feature titanium edges instead of stainless steel. That may help make those phones a bit lighter.
USB-C is used by most modern gadgets, from Android phones and tablets to most of Apple's iPads and some of Amazon's Kindle eReaders. It means you'll be able to carry one charger that will work with all of your devices.
Ministers from EU member states gave final approval to a common charger law late last year, which means that by 2024, electronic devices — including mobile phones and tablets — will need to support USB-C charging. In other words, Apple's Lightning charger will no longer cut it in some markets.
"Obviously we'll have to comply," Greg Joswiak, Apple's senior vice president of worldwide marketing, said at The Wall Street Journal Tech Live conference in October.
Apple is also considering raising the price of its high-end iPhone Pros, according to Bloomberg. Since 2019, the company has sold a high-end iPhone Pro that starts in the U.S. at $999 and a Max model with a bigger screen that starts at $1,099.
Apple did not immediately respond to CNBC's request for comment.
Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 15 lineup in September. As usual, many new features have been rumored for the Pro and Pro Max models, including a USB-C port, A17 Bionic chip, titanium frame, Action button, and more.
Below, we have recapped 12 new features and changes rumored for the iPhone 15 Pro models.
A17 Bionic chip: iPhone 15 Pro models are expected to be equipped with Apple's next-generation A17 Bionic chip, manufactured based on TSMC's 3nm process for continued performance and efficiency improvements. The standard iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus are expected to have an A16 Bionic chip.
Titanium frame: Like the Apple Watch Ultra, the iPhone 15 Pro models are expected to have a titanium frame instead of stainless steel.
USB-C port: iPhone 15 Pro models will feature a USB-C port with support for at least USB 3.2 or Thunderbolt 3, according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, which would result in the devices having significantly faster data transfer speeds with a cable compared to existing iPhones with Lightning. Kuo said the USB-C port on standard iPhone 15 models will remain limited to USB 2.0 speeds like Lightning.
Wi-Fi 6E: Like the latest Macs and iPad Pro, the iPhone 15 Pro will support Wi-Fi 6E for faster wireless speeds, according to a leaked schematic.
Increased RAM: iPhone 15 Pro models will be equipped with an increased 8GB of RAM, according to Taiwanese research firm TrendForce, while the standard models will likely continue to have 6GB of RAM as they do currently. Additional RAM can allow apps like Safari to keep more content active in the background, preventing the app from reloading content when reopened.
Action button: iPhone 15 Pro models are rumored to be equipped with a customizable Action button like the Apple Watch Ultra. The button would replace the Ring/Silent switch that has been included on every iPhone model since 2007. Users would likely be able to assign the button to various system functions, such as Ring/Silent, Do Not Disturb, Flashlight, Low Power Mode, and more.
Increased optical zoom for iPhone 15 Pro Max: The iPhone 15 Pro Max will feature a periscope telephoto lens, according to Kuo. This could result in the device having up to 5x-6x optical zoom, compared to 3x on iPhone 14 Pro models.
Ultra Wideband improvements: iPhone 15 models will likely have an upgraded Ultra Wideband chip (currently called the U1 chip) for improved integration with Apple's upcoming Vision Pro headset, according to Kuo. The new chip could also offer improved performance or reduced power consumption for location-based functions such as AirDrop and Precision Finding in the Find My app.
LiDAR Scanner improvements: iPhone 15 Pro models will have a more power-efficient LiDAR Scanner supplied by Sony, which could improve 3D depth scanning performance for AR apps and Night mode photos, according to Kuo.
More repairable design: Following in the footsteps of the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus, the iPhone 15 Pro is expected to have a more repairable design.
eSIM-only in more countries: iPhone 15 Pro models could be compatible with eSIMs only in France and potentially other countries. Apple first removed the physical SIM card tray from iPhone 14 models in the U.S. last year.
With over a month to go until the iPhone 15 lineup is unveiled, additional features could be rumored, so keep tabs on our iPhone 15 Pro roundup.
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Sony released ‘Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart’ on Steam on July 26, peaking at only 8757 concurrent players.This charts well below other PlayStation PC ports.
Sony has continued to dominate the console wars with its direct competition of Microsoft’s Xbox which have both shared similar hardware, games and therefore customers.
Microsoft has recently acquired Activision Blizzard, further strengthening it’s overall gaming arsenal, such as console leader Call of Duty. This has ultimately put more pressure on Sony as Microsoft has historically always been more dominant when it comes to anything PC related.
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Overall the company has struggled to gain any major success for PC games, such as when Rift Apart was released on PC. The critically acclaimed brand of Rachet & Clank has proven key for Sony for many years, with the latest PlayStation 5 release gaining huge critical acclaim and success.
Despite holding a ‘Very Positive’ 84% rating based on from 670 user reviews, Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart according to SteamDB has only peaked at 8757 active users on July 26, the day it launched. With figures dropping even further in the days following, the game has no signs of being revived and is the third-worst PC launch for PlayStation.
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See below from PlayStation Studios the top games by highest players at one time on Steam:
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God of War – 73,529K
Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered – 66,436K
Horizon Zero Dawn – 56,557K
The Last of Us Part I – 36,496K
Days Gone – 27,450K
Why are Sony’s games flopping on PC?
Sony’s highest active players do not even make the top 100 on Steam, whereby the 100th-ranked game ‘Tom Clany’s The Division’ has an all-time peak of 114,228 (via SteamDB).
Speculation regarding PlayStation’s failings mainly has revolved around the disastrous transferring of games made for consoles being ported over to PC. However, early reviews for Ratchet and Clank suggested this was not the case, with players praising the gameplay.
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Instead, the low sales figures have suggested it is more towards Sony’s strategies to win over new customers who are unfamiliar with PlayStation’s giant titles.
After a long successful history, the dominant console and game developer may have to rethink it’s PC launch strategy going forward if they plan to continue porting their exclusives to the platform.
Following in the footsteps of the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus, the upcoming iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max will have a redesigned chassis that makes the devices "easier to repair," according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
This change could result in the iPhone 15 Pro models having removable back glass. With the chassis redesign, the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus became the first iPhone models that can be opened from both the front and back sides of the device since the iPhone 4S in 2011. The internal redesign did not extend to the iPhone 14 Pro models, which can still only be opened from the display side, at least for authorized repairs.
Removable back glass would likely lead to significantly lower repair fees for iPhone 15 Pro models with cracked back glass for customers without AppleCare+ coverage. Apple's out-of-warranty fees for the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus with back glass damage range from $169 to $199, compared to $499 to $549 for iPhone 14 Pro models.
iFixit's Kyle Wiens last year said the iPhone 14 represented "the most substantial iPhone redesign" since the iPhone X given the increased repairability. He added that the changes were "such a big deal that it should have been Apple's big announcement—the iPhone has been redesigned from the inside out to make it easier to repair."
Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 15 lineup in September. Gurman reiterated that all of the devices will be equipped with a USB-C port and the Dynamic Island, while he expects the Pro models to feature a titanium frame, thinner bezels around the display, a faster chip manufactured with TSMC's 3nm process, a customizable Action button, and more. He believes price increases are possible in some countries, at least for the Pro models.
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Everyone owes Sony an apology. When the PS5 was announced and Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart was shown off as exclusive for the platform, there was a barrage of finger-pointing at Sony over the game’s next-gen exclusive status. The argument from Sony was that the game required the PS5’s world-class storage interface, and anything less simply wouldn’t work.
Now that the game is available on PC, I can see exactly what Sony was referencing. As you can see from Digital Foundry’s first look at the game, it simply doesn’t work on the PS4’s slow, 5,400RPM hard drive.
Our first look at Ratchet on PC! It has a few issues but it's overall in good shape! Infinitely better than TLOUP1 and Jedi Survivor at launch. The funniest bit is when Rich tried running the game off an actual PS4 hard drive on a machine just above min spec! https://t.co/Qt0qkYwzeupic.twitter.com/hgFrXKVGSG
But wait just a minute. On PC, Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart technically supports a spinning hard drive. The minimum system requirements recommend an SSD, but according to the developer, a spinning hard drive will work just fine.
It won’t, as I’ll get to later, but there’s a problem brewing in the world of PC gaming centered around storage, and it’s becoming too big of a deal to ignore.
SSD required
Samsung
This year, we’ve finally seen developers require an SSD for games. Starfield received a load of pushback after it was revealed the game would require an SSD as a minimum spec. That’s despite the fact that Cyberpunk 2077 will require an SSD as part of its Phantom Liberty expansion, as well as Diablo 4 releasing with the minimum SSD spec.
PC gamers aren’t exactly great with change. Backward compatibility is a law, and user choice is everything, so it’s not surprising that game developers have held up to HDD support for as long as possible. It’s starting to become clear that high-speed storage doesn’t just lead to faster loading times, though. It’s a critical component in a next-gen ecosystem that can enable more vibrant and stable PC releases.
Case in point: RTX IO. I recently wrote about RTX IO in Portal: Prelude RTX, and it was clear that the storage tech vastly improved texture loading times and shrunk the install size of the game considerably. One part of RTX IO (as well as Microsoft’s DirectStorage) that isn’t being talked about as much is how it lowers CPU utilization, which can make games much more stable.
Here’s how Nyle Usmani, product manager at Nvidia, described it: “RTX IO alone cannot completely remove stutter, but it can be an aiding technology to help reduce stuttering. It can do so by scaling down the dependence on CPU compute when the need to load textures and geometries ‘faster’ is the cause of stuttering, and freeing up the CPU to work on other tasks.”
That can make a big difference, especially in games that suffer from traversal stutter. For example, Redfall and Star Wars Jedi: Survivor both primarily run on two CPU cores, and as we’ve learned from the developers of Hi-Fi Rush, it’s very easy for these cores to become overloaded with work. When they’re overloaded, stutters happen, and the only way around that is to spread out the work. That’s what high-speed storage, along with features like RTX IO and DirectStorage, can accomplish.
A next-gen storage ecosystem
Jacob Roach / Digital Trends
A lot of this is the beginning stages of the storage interface we’ve seen in the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 for nearly three years. Especially in games that are exclusive to next-gen consoles, such as Star Wars Jedi: Survivor and Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart, developers are taking advantage of that storage interface. There are much more PC gamers overall, but the most recent data shows that consoles are where the lion’s share of new games are sold. Naturally, developers are going to cater their games to those platforms and what they’re capable of.
This system of fast storage and next-gen features like RTX IO and DirectStorage works best with an SSD. If you’re familiar with DirectStorage, at least, you’ll know that it technically supports spinning hard drives. But that experience, at least based on the few games we’ve seen isn’t great.
That brings us back to Ratchet and Clank Rift Apart. It is, by most accounts, a resounding success of a PC port. The game performs well across a wide range of hardware, it’s fully supported on Steam Deck, and it includes a slew of features including RTX IO, Nvidia Deep Learning Super Sampling (DLSS), AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution (FSR), and ray tracing.
It’s just the storage that’s the problem. Sure, the game falls apart on a slow, dated PS4 hard drive, but it also doesn’t work on a standard 7,200RPM hard drive despite being technically supported. I experienced three crashes in the first 30 minutes of the game, a variety of stutters over every invisible loading zone, and the hilarious display of slow loading you can see below on a 7,200 RPM WD Black HDD.
There isn’t much reliable data to gauge how many PC gamers are still rocking an HDD. If you fit into that group, though, it’s time for an upgrade. Not only do SSDs deliver much faster loading times, as we’ve seen for years, they’re becoming a critical part of your PC that allows games to look better and run more stably. Faster texture streaming means less pop-in and reduced CPU load means less stuttering, both of which have been key issues with PC ports in 2023.
There’s not much of an excuse now, either. A 2TB WD Black SN850X SSD is $110 at the time of writing. That’s the latest, fastest NVMe option from this line, sporting PCIe 4.0. A 2TB WC Black 7,200RPM spinning hard drive costs $93. It’s true that spinning hard drives are much cheaper when you scale up to 4TB and above, but for everything under 2TB, you’re spending around the same price on an SSD, and sometimes even less when they go on sale. That’s especially true of slower 2.5-inch SATA SSDs.
It’s not time to kill off hard drives entirely. They’re still a cheap way to store a lot of data long-term, and they’re a great option for movies, photos, music, and other media so you can keep your SSD just for your games. It’s becoming harder and harder to justify installing any game on a spinning hard drive, though, and as Ratchet and Clank Rift Apart proves, it leads to a much worse gameplay experience.
Samsung’s new foldable smartphones are here, but Galaxy Z Flip 5 and Galaxy Z Fold 5 are just as expensive as they’ve always been. Here’s where to pre-order the Galaxy Z Flip 5 and Fold 5, and where you can get the best deal.
Table of contents
Galaxy Z Flip 5 and Fold 5 pre-orders
Samsung’s latest foldables are another iterative upgrade over what came before, but that just means that they’re the best foldables Samsung has released to date.
Galaxy Z Flip 5 introduces a new “Flex Window” cover display that’s nearly four times larger than the outer display on Flip 3 and Flip 4. Both devices also get a new hinge that makes Flip 5 and Fold 5 thinner, and Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 can be found under the hood. Flip 5 also now starts at 256GB for the same price, which is always a nice upgrade.
As usual, pre-orders are open immediately, both through Samsung directly as well as through many other retailers. Devices will start shipping August 11.
Pre-order Galaxy Z Flip 5
Pre-order Galaxy Z Fold 5
Where can I get the best deal?
With prices that aren’t getting any lower, good deals are what often make an upgrade or a first foldable worthwhile for many customers. Luckily, there’s no shortage of awesome Galaxy Z Flip 5 and Fold 5 deals.
Let’s break it all down.
Get $50 off using our links
For a limited time only, using our special links to Samsung.com will get you an additional $50 off any of Samsung’s new products. This $50 discount will apply during checkout, and you won’t be able to get this anywhere else.
Galaxy Z Flip 5 pre-order deals
Starting with the ever-popular Galaxy Z Flip 5, the best deals are at Samsung.com. There, the $999 foldable is eligible for up to $900 in trade-in credit. The Flip 4 is one of the devices eligible for that full $900, making for a $100 upgrade. Even better, Samsung is offering a further 10% discount to students, and a free storage upgrade that gives you the 512GB variant for the cost of the 256GB model.
Beyond that, Amazon and Best Buy have some great offers going. Amazon will give you the free storage upgrade, as well as a $150 gift card with your purchase. Best Buy will similarly offer the storage and a $100 gift card, and you can choose to activate with your carrier for an additional $120 off.
As far as carriers go, there are also some excellent deals to go around for Galaxy Z Flip 5 buyers.
Verizon is offering a free storage upgrade, a free Galaxy Z Flip 5 when opening a new Unlimited Plus plan and trading in “select” phones, up to $1,000 in trade-in value for existing customers, and free NFL Sunday Ticket on YouTube TV for anyone who upgrades. AT&T and T-Mobile will similarly offer the free storage upgrade and trade-in/new line deals will make the Flip free for some customers, too.
Xfinity Mobile is offering, you guessed it, the free storage upgrade, as well as up to $1,000 in trade-in value and a $300 discount for new customers (delivered over bill credits). US Cellular is also offering the storage upgrade and a $50 gift card for new customers, while Spectrum Mobile is offering up to $600 off with trades.
Galaxy Z Fold 5 pre-order deals
As for the $1,799 Galaxy Z Fold 5, there are also some great deals out there.
Samsung.com will offer up to $1,000 in trade-in credit, free doubled storage (512GB for the price of 256GB), and $150 off of the 1TB model. Students also get 15% off.
Amazon and Best Buy further have gift card offers as well as the free storage upgrade. At Amazon you’ll get a $200 gift card while Best Buy will give you a $100 gift card and additional $120 off when you activate with your carrier through the retailer.
Carrier deals on the Fold 5 largely match that of the Flip 5. All carriers are offering doubled storage, Verizon has up to $1,000 off for trade-ins and for new lines as well as NFL Sunday Ticket. T-Mobile and AT&T have up to $1,000 discounts with trades, and Xfinity Mobile, Spectrum Mobile, and US Cellular are offering the same.
Samsung’s bundle offers
Over at Samsung.com there’s another pre-order deal for Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Galaxy Z Flip 5, and that’s by bundling.
If you also buy Galaxy Watch 6, Watch 6 Classic, Tab S9, or Galaxy Buds 2 Pro you can get some solid discounts as follows:
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Technology
Google is giving Maps a big speed boost when it comes to voice commands by migrating it over to the Google Assistant. Previously, the navigation app used Google’s Speech Services, which has been around since 2013 and is really showing its age.
As pointed out by the Google News Telegram channel, implementing Assistant into Maps will make the whole experience quicker and easier when you’re trying to talk to it. Although Google Maps beats out Waze or Apple Maps for most people, many users may not bother with voice commands because of the clunky implementation.
The change has been made on the server side, which means there’s no big app update that users will notice. However, when you tap the microphone button in the search bar while using Maps, the upgrade becomes apparent.
A new Google Assistant card will pop up, along with a suggestion carousel, informing you that Maps has a new, faster way to search by voice.
Tom’s Guide tested out the feature and can confirm it’s up and running already and text is noticeably faster to appear once you’ve started speaking. Ultimately, this is another way to save time when you’re loading up your navigation for a big trip and will help you get on the road faster.
(Image credit: Tom's Guide)
Last year, Google Maps changed up the way it calculates routes to take into account real-time traffic conditions as well as eco-friendly options designed to save you money on fuel. Because the Google Assistant is bursting with AI algorithms, you can simply tell it what kind of trip you want to have.
For example, you could specify to avoid the highway or simply take the fastest option. I live in the U.K and asked the Assistant to plot a navigation to the Lake District National Park along the fastest route. It correctly suggested I take the M6 motorway and noted there are tolls along the way. And the whole experience seemed snappier and more accurate than any previous time I’ve tried to talk to the app.
Jeff is UK Editor-in-Chief for Tom’s Guide looking after the day-to-day output of the site’s British contingent. Rising early and heading straight for the coffee machine, Jeff loves nothing more than dialing into the zeitgeist of the day’s tech news.
A tech journalist for over a decade, he’s traveled around the world testing any gadget he can get his hands on. Jeff has a keen interest in fitness and wearables as well as the latest tablets and laptops.
A lapsed gamer, he fondly remembers the days when problems were solved by taking out the cartridge and blowing away the dust.
Today, Square Enix announced that its successful MMORPG, Final Fantasy XIV, is on its way to Xbox consoles after years of being a PlayStation console exclusive. And to hear the CEO of Square Enix tell it, it sounds like Xbox has successfully ensured that even more Square Enix games will end up on its consoles in the coming years.
During the Final Fantasy Fan Fest 2023, Final Fantasy XIV game director Naoki Yoshida (Yoshi-P) welcomed Xbox head Phil Spencer onto the stage alongside Square Enix CEO Takashi Kiryu to celebrate the Xbox release announcement. While onstage, Kiryu made the following statement:
"And one more thing: as CEO of Square Enix, we want to continue to deliver fabulous games to fans across the world. And of course, we want to welcome the Xbox community as well. And starting with today's announcement of Final Fantasy XIV coming in spring 2024, and whenever possible, we are planning to bring our games to Xbox for players around the world to enjoy. We're really looking forward to working closely with Phil and the Xbox team to make this possible."
In response, Spencer said the following:
"Thank you Kiryu-san. we deeply respect the rich legacy of Square Enix, and we look forward to building on the relationship that we've established in bringing Final Fantasy XIV to the Xbox, and partnering closely with you and the Square Enix team on future games."
On its face, the idea that Square Enix wants its games on Xbox consoles might not seem that strange, but there's a lot of fascinating context surrounding this statement that makes it a bit extraordinary. Square Enix has long been the subject of exclusivity deals with both Xbox and PlayStation over the years that have pushed its games toward one console or another for the duration of their launch periods, or even permanently. Most recently, Final Fantasy XVI launched exclusive to PlayStation consoles, and there's been no word yet on an Xbox release.
The gravitation of Square Enix toward PlayStation has been a serious concern for Xbox, though, as we saw during the recent FTC v. Microsoft trial. One evidence document revealed that Xbox had seriously considered buying Square Enix in 2019, though we did not learn from that document why the deal never occurred. Square Enix also came up repeatedly during the trial, with Final Fantasy XVI used as an example of the kinds of games PlayStation was buying exclusivity rights to in a frustrating but acknowledged part of games market competition. From the trial, we learned how critical it has become to Xbox to stuff its library full of content, and to ensure it isn't missing out on major games like FFXVI.
In light of that, it's no surprise that Spencer has been courting Square Enix for franchises like Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts, Nier, Just Cause, and many more. While neither Kiryu nor Spencer elaborated on specifics, their willingness to take the stage together today perhaps hints at a future with fewer PlayStation exclusivity deals for Square Enix content, and more Square Enix content on GamePass.
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Technology
When Samsung announced the Galaxy Z Fold 5 at its Galaxy Unpacked event, it highlighted a handful of changes to the phone's design. The Z Fold 5 has a new hinge that lets the phone close completely shut; Samsung calls it the Flex Hinge and claims it helps make the foldable phone more durable. Another improvement is Z Fold 5's folding screen, which is brighter than the one on last year's Galaxy Z Fold 4. However, there is one obvious aspect to the new Z Fold that remains relatively unchanged, and that's what comes in the box.
Watch this: Galaxy Z Fold 5 Unboxing and First Impressions
The Z Fold 5's thin square box is nearly identical to the ones for the Z Fold 3 and Z Fold 4. The top of the Z Fold 5's box is adorned with a colored mini graphic of the phone. I'm testing a cream colored Z Fold 5 for CNET, and the box's graphic is similarly cream colored. Previous Z Fold boxes were plastered in two-tone black and and dark gray squares like a '90s ska album.
And if you're expecting the $1,800 Z Fold 5 to come with an S Pen or a case, you're going to be disappointed. The truth is that the brand-new foldable comes with exactly the same things that the Z Fold 3 and Z Fold 4 did, which isn't much.
This is what's included in the Galaxy Z Fold 5's box:
Rewind, a personal data recording startup backed by Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), has launched an iPhone app that privately records your activity on Safari so you can ask questions based on your web browsing history later. By default, the app doesn’t record anything when you are browsing in incognito mode.
Last year, the company generated some buzz when it launched a Mac app that records on the system in a compressed video format everything you do during the day — the app only works on Macs with Apple Silicon. Later, users can ask very specific questions, such as who said something in particular during a Zoom meeting. Rewind can also be used to find a website you visited on Chrome based on the content of the page. The startup said that it processes everything locally on the system.
Now, Rewind is going down a similar path with its iOS app. However, it currently records activity just on Safari. You also can go to settings and ask the app to not record anything on specific pages. The company said that if you want to add stuff from other apps, you have to take a screenshot, as Rewind imports screenshots automatically.
đ Browse & search for anything you’ve seen (including screenshots)
Rewind automatically captures what you read in Safari and imports your screenshots.
You can now preserve & search anything you’ve seen on your iPhone.
Rewind uses text recognition so you can search for specific terms to find screenshots or whatever you browsed on Safari. The app also has a GPT-4 integration, so you can ask questions like “Who mentioned Twitter last week?” or remind yourself about how you know someone.
The app uses the same compression algorithm that it uses on the Mac to compress raw video recording data up to 3,750x. That means the data takes up little space on the phone.
When a user asked about how Rewind, an app that constantly records activity, eats up the battery, the company’s co-founder Dan Siroker posted a screenshot showing the app had consumed 4% of battery in the last 24 hours on his device. However, the app might behave differently for people using Safari more on older iPhones.
Rewind told TechCrunch that it only captures info that changes from frame to frame. Plus, it has built algorithms for Apple devices to reduce power usage.
The company said that all user data is private and is not sold or used to train AI models. In a tweet, Siroker emphasized that all recordings are stored on the device and no one else has access to them. Despite these claims, a lot depends on how the startup proves itself by maintaining user privacy at the highest level. Especially, when it is asking users to allow the app to record their activity.
Rewind has raised $10 million at a $75 million valuation from investors like a16z and First Round Capital. Initially, the company’s Mac app was free, but now it has capped free usage to 50 Rewinds and introduced paid plans for more access. The company counts one session of traversing through history or searching as one “Rewind.” One question asked through GPT-4 also counts as a “Rewind.” The startup said that at the moment it wants to keep the iOS app free “for as long as possible.”
Voice messages on WhatsApp changed the way people communicate by providing a quick and secure way to share your voice. We’re excited to build on this feature with new instant video messages. Now you can record and share short personal videos directly in the chat.
Video messages are a real-time way to respond to chats with whatever you want to say and show in 60 seconds. We think these will be a fun way to share moments with all the emotion that comes from video, whether it’s wishing someone a happy birthday, laughing at a joke, or bringing good news.
Sending a video message is as simple as sending a voice message. Just tap to switch to video mode, and hold to record the video. You can also swipe up to lock and record the video hands-free. Videos will play automatically on mute when opened in a chat, and tapping on the video will start the sound. Video messages are protected with end-to-end encryption to keep your messages secure.
Video messages have begun rolling out and will be available to everyone in the coming weeks.
Select Google Chrome users can now access Microsoft’s Bing AI chat and AI-powered search results on desktop browsers.
In an emailed statement, Caitlin Roulston, Director of Communications at Microsoft noted:
“We are flighting access to Bing Chat in Safari and Chrome to select users as part of our testing on other browsers. We are excited to expand access to even more users once our standard testing procedures are complete.”
Screenshot from Bing/Google Chrome, July 2023
Only users logged into Microsoft accounts could access the AI chat interface via the Bing app or Microsoft Edge browser for months.
Bing AI Chat In Google Chrome
Now, select users can chat with Bing AI in a browser other than Edge after accepting the terms of service and acknowledging the privacy statement for the AI chatbot.
Screenshot from Bing/Google Chrome, July 2023
Unfortunately, the Bing AI chatbot only accepts 2,000 input characters on Chrome, while it accepts twice the amount of input in the Edge browser.
Bing Copilot AI Search Results In Google Chrome
Some logged-in users may also have access to Bing’s AI-powered copilot in search results in Google Chrome.
Screenshot from Bing/Google Chrome, July 2023
Look under the menu for Labs to see if you can access AI chat responses in Bing search results on Chrome.
Screenshot from Bing/Google Chrome, July 2023
Initial reports by Windows Latest also show that some users can enable dark mode on Bing AI.
Screenshot from Windows Latest, July 2023
Users of desktop browsers like Safari and DuckDuckGo may still be limited to the Microsoft Edge browser like mobile users are to the Bing app to access Bing AI features. However, the initial report notes that some users can access Bing AI on Safari.
The following shows Bing AI on an iPhone in Chrome, Google, and Safari apps.
Screenshot from Bing in Chrome/Google/Safari, July 2023
Expanding The Reach Of Microsoft’s AI Capabilities
The expansion of Bing AI to the top web browser marks a notable shift in Microsoft’s approach, embracing a broader platform reach for their AI capabilities.
While users should expect limitations in functionality compared to its performance on Edge, Bing AI still provides an enriched search experience.
The tech giant’s foray into multi-platform support suggests a promising future for AI, even if it comes with certain restrictions for now.
What the implications could be for Google Bard and Search Generative Experience as Chrome users start adopting Bing AI features is yet to be seen.
Screenshot from StatCounter, July 2023
In the meantime, SEO professionals should consider Bing AI as an additional tool in their digital strategies, particularly when optimizing for search results across various platforms.
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