OnePlus event announcement for Mar. 8 teases 'moonshot' photo

Source: OnePlus

OnePlus is all set to announce its new flagship next week on March 8. Expected to be called the OnePlus 9 series, the teaser site features a photo of the moon and the words "Something new is on the horizon." 

The Verge mentioned the picture looks quite similar to the famous Earthrise photograph of the Apollo 8 mission, which was shot with a Hasselblad camera. The significance of that is that OnePlus is reportedly working with the 180-year-old Swedish camera maker for its upcoming phones.

Click to read more ...

Google Pixel 4, 4 XL to get better AR capabilities with dual camera support

If you like playing around with Google's augmented reality animals in Search, these virtual creatures might look more realistic on Pixel 4 and 4 XL devices soon. The Google Play Services for AR app has been updated with "Dual camera stereo depth on supported devices." This app is instrumental for unlocking the AR experiences built with Google's ARCore SDK. The two Pixel devices are listed to get the dual camera support upgrade coming out in the next few weeks.

This update means that ARCore will get better depth perception with two cameras, meaning more realistic placements for the AR objects. Google hasn't mentioned when it will be coming to other devices.

Source: Engadget

Apple's Music Memos app is no more

Source: Apple

Apple has officially shut down its Music Memos app. The company announced back in December that it will retire the app after March 1. Music Memos was a quick way for musicians and songwriters to capture song ideas while they're on the move or away from any easier means to jot down ideas on the fly. The app is no longer available on the App Store, but those who've installed the app before March 2 can still re-download it from their App Store purchase history.

The company wanted users to export their Music Memos to Voice Memos to ensure they still had access. Apple focused on improving the latter to encourage more users to use Voice Memos. It says users can still quickly capture song ideas with Voice Memos, and then bring these recordings to GarageBand. 

Source: MacRumors

Instagram's Live Rooms allows up to four people at once to go live

Source: Instagram

Instagram is launching a new live streaming feature called Live Rooms. It will let four people at once on a live broadcast, which was previously only limited to two. According to the Facebook-owned company, it hopes the feature will encourage users to do things like start a talk show or podcast, collaborate with others, or hold "jam sessions."

Having more people on an Instagram Live can potentially grow its audience as the participants' followers can see if the Live is streaming. But The Verge pointed out that anyone blocked by the active participants won't be able to join the Live Rooms.

Click to read more ...