Saturday
Nov142020

PS5 remote comes with dedicated Spotify button

Spotify wants you to know there are different ways to use the streaming service with Sony's new PlayStation 5 console. One of the quicker ways to access the app is the new PS5 media remote, including a Spotify button. It's sold separately for $39.99.

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Saturday
Nov142020

Google is working on Nest Audio and Chromecast integration

Source: Google

One significant feature missing from the Nest Audio is its inability to serve as a speaker for TVs that use Chromecast. Its competitors—Apple and Amazon—allow their new smart speakers to work with their set-top boxes/media players to turn them into home theatre speakers. But now, Google confirms it is working on Nest Audio and Chromecast integration. The feature was already hinted at by the company in unused marketing material. 

Google hasn't revealed anything beyond that. And there are some unknowns regarding the feature. We don't know yet if you can use it with more than one Nest Audio at the same time. Or whether it'll support older Google speakers and older versions of Chromecast. We also don't know when it might arrive. The marketing material was supposed to be for the September 30th Launch Night In event, but it was pulled at the last minute, suggesting the feature wasn't and isn't ready yet.

Source: 9to5Google

Friday
Nov132020

Instagram adds Reels, Shop tabs on homescreen

Source: Instagram

Instagram's first major redesign in years shows us what the social network's priorities are. The Reels and Shop features are getting tabs on the home screen, while the Likes tab and Create tab are relegated to the top right-hand corner of the app next to the direct messages inbox.

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Friday
Nov132020

Apple releases Mac OS Big Sur, a total revamp of its desktop operating system

Despite a long gestation period and a botched launch day yesterday, Apple's biggest revamp to its mac OS "Big Sur" is now available for download. Weighing in at over 12 GB, this is a hefty visual and functional upgrade to compatible mac desktops and laptops. A lot of the look and feel is reminiscent of iOS 14, and this is no surprise since Big Sur has been optimized for Apple Silicon which Apple is transitioning to by way of new hardware. 

Notable updates are the return of the startup chime, additoonal controls and the return of widgets that help push information forward without needing to open apps. The Safari browser is also faster, safer, and more privacy-oriented and now feels faster than Google Chrome, which is a resource hog on Macs. The spit and polish extends to Apple's native apps like Mail, Maps, Messages, and Notes offer new features and better integration. The big benefit of Big Sur on Apple Silicon macs is that they will be able to run iOS apps, while this sounds great in theory, mac OS still does not offer multi-touch control, so while having access to these apps is a cool feature, they will not be running in an optimized environment. 

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