Google is done with tablets, cancels two unreleased products

Google Pixel Slate

If you were expecting a Google Pixel Slate 2, unfortunately, you’re waiting for nothing. Google’s lead for its hardware business Rick Osterloh confirmed in a tweet that the company will be focusing its Chrome OS hardware efforts on traditional laptops like the Pixelbook. Meanwhile, the existing Pixel Slate will still be supported and get software and security updates in the foreseeable future.

Google initially had plans to release two more tablets, but it’s being rumoured that the teams behind these are being moved to other areas of the company—most of them are part of the Pixelbook team supposedly. These were both smaller in size than the Pixel Slate and were supposed to come out “sometime after 2019.” But it’s said that disappointing quality assurance testing results led to Google dropping the devices. What we might see before the year ends is a Pixelbook 2. A Google spokesperson who talked to Computer World said it’s “very likely” to see this laptop make a comeback this year.

Source: The Verge

Twitter takes out precise geotagging for tweets

Embed from Getty Images

No one was using its precise geotagging feature so Twitter decides it’s time to axe the feature. What will remain is the ability to tag precise locations for photos. And if you use services like FourSquare and Yelp with Twitter, you can still add your location to your tweets. Twitter introduced geotagging back in 2009 in hopes that people would start browsing location-based tweets to look things up like local events. But people used hashtags and trending topics more. Plus, there’s a privacy risk associated with sharing exact locations. And since people weren’t taking advantage of the feature, it thought it best to get rid of it.

Source: The Verge

Universal Music Group and YouTube are remastering iconic music videos in HD

Expect to see music videos from the likes of Janet Jackson, Lionel Richie, and Lady Gaga to get a visual quality bump over at YouTube. Universal Music Group and YouTube have partnered to bring up to 1,000 videos from standard definition to HD by the end of 2020. The HD videos will take the place of the original versions both on YouTube and YouTube Music. These will maintain the same URLs, view counts, and likes as before. One way to know if the video has been remastered is you’ll see a #Remastered label or “Remastered in HD!” in the description. A lot of these videos weren’t shot in HD, but remastering will make these videos noticeably clearer.

As The Verge points out, let’s hope other labels follow suit and help preserve their archives. A recent New York Times report detailed how the 2008 Universal fire burned through original master tapes of classic albums.

Amazon releases new Kindle Oasis with adjustable warm light for night reading

Amazon updates the Kindle Oasis to bring one feature some users might need—adjustable warm light. This lets you tweak the color tone of the screen to make it easier to read at night. With an upgraded E Ink technology, the pages also load quicker now. The battery is slightly bigger as well at 1,130mAh (it was previously 1,000mAh). Otherwise, the e-reader is the same. It has a 7-inch 300ppi E Ink display, IPX8 waterproofing, 8GB/32GB of storage, and it comes in Graphite or Gold. The Kindle Oasis is available for pre-order now, and it will be delivered on July 24^th. The 8GB model retails for CA$329.99, while the 32GB Wi-Fi model goes for CA$359.99. If you want cellular connectivity, the 32GB model has that option as well and this goes for CA$429.99.

Source: Tech Radar