BlackBerry KEY2 LE launches at IFA

BlackBerry is adding to its line of devices with a new KEY2 LE model which it debuted at IFA in Berlin. 

This newest addition to the BlackBerry KEY series smartphone lineup offers three colour variants - Slate, Champagne and Atomic - while keeping with the BlackBerry KEY2 design evolution.

The all-new BlackBerry KEY2 LE will be available for purchase beginning next month with the suggested retail price starting at $519 CAD for the 32GB storage and $599 CAD for the 64GB storage variant. This more affordable KEY @ has most of the key features of the more premium model. 4.5-inch screen with 1620 x 1080 resolution, a backlit 35-key physical keyboard with an integrated fingerprint sensor, an 8MP front camera, 802.11ac, Bluetooth 5.0, and broad but region-specific cellular support.

Essential Phone finally gets pinch-to-zoom support for YouTube

Today we get a case of better late than never with a new feature Essential has brought to the Essential PH-1. The smartphone finally supports YouTube’s pinch-to-zoom feature. Before users had to live with seeing black bars above and below 16:9 videos because the screen has the unusual 19:10 display ratio. Thankfully, the company finally listened to its users and it now supports this feature. It’s not showing up for all users yet but some commenters on Essential subreddit suggest uninstalling the app, updating it, and clearing cache to get the feature to work. Reddit user osikiri discovered the feature and says he’s using version 13.34.50 of the YouTube app and is running an Android 9 Pie device.

Source: XDA Developers

Apple’s latest acquisition suggests company is working on AR headset

Will this new acquisition benefit Apple ARKit or prepare us for an enitrely different product line?

Apple has yet to confirm or deny that it’s been developing an augmented reality headset but the newest startup it’s acquired might suggest that is in the works. Apple just bought Colorado-based Akonia Holographics, a company that develops lenses for augmented reality glasses. As usual, the company is keeping mum about what it plans to do with the company. Akonia though specializes in what it calls HoloMirror technology, which allows for the development of “thin, transparent smart glass lenses that display vibrant, full-color, wide field-of-view images.” The company also has 200 patents on holographic systems and materials.

As Reuters points out, Apple has bought smaller companies before to make use of the technologies for their devices. Perhaps this could appear in existing products—or as what’s being rumoured, it could appear in an AR-based product. Apple CEO Tim Cook has previously admitted that the company sees a future in AR. He said during a 2017 earnings call, “We are high on AR for the long run. We think there are great things for customers and a great commercial opportunity.”

YouTube competitor Facebook Watch launches globally

One year to the month since it officially launched in the US, Facebook is bringing its video-streaming service Watch to its users around the world. The service wants to make it easier for its users to find new videos to watch and keep them away from competition like Google’s YouTube. Facebook is bringing the attention to features like being able to easily discover and watch new videos that range from sports to news to entertainment. Watch will also be curated to match your interests. If you want to check out the new stuff, Watchlist section will show you recently-uploaded videos from creators you’ve chosen to follow. And like Facebook’s read later function for links, you can save videos for later viewing, too.

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