Chrome tests feature that may extend battery life by up to 2 hours

There is an experimental feature in early Chrome 86 builds that will help address a common issue that laptop users face. It could save you up to two hours of battery life on a browser known as a battery hog. It'll reduce energy use by closing unnecessary JavaScript timers and trackers when a tab is open in the background. It's being reported that it can save two hours of battery life in a test with 36 background tabs and one black foreground tab open. That might seem like an extreme case, but some people do have that many tabs open.

As expected, the gains aren't quite that extreme if you're streaming a YouTube video there. The feature will reportedly be available both on the desktop and mobile. But it isn't known if it'll be ready by the time the new Chrome version is out. Or Google might scrap the feature. We'll keep you posted for any updates.

Source: TheWindowsClub, Via: Engadget

Spotify tests redesign of desktop app, looks similar to web player

Spotify might be thinking to unify its desktop app and web player. App researcher Jane Manchun Wong spotted the potential redesign, which she noted looks almost the same as the web player. Controls are more or less the same, but this means it could be less confusing to jump from the web app to the desktop app. 

Some users have already reported getting the new interface, but are complaining about things like not being able to sort playlists by name, song date, etc.; search for songs within playlists; or receive a warning if you're adding a duplicate song to the playlist. But again, this is still a test, and we hope Spotify improves usability. It isn't clear yet if more users will be getting the new version. Wong also mentions that lyrics are coming to the desktop, too.

'Horizon Zero Dawn' comes to Steam, Epic Games on August 7

Horizon Zero Dawn ends its PlayStation 4 exclusivity soon. Sony announced that the game will be making its way to the PC through Steam and the Epic Games Store starting August 7. This PC version of the game will arrive with Frozen Wilds DLC and visual updates, like unlocked framerates and ultra-wide display support. It'll show better reflections and foliage, access to benchmarking tools, and different graphic options.

Source: Engadget

Captain America comes to 'Fortnite'

While Captain America's shield has appeared on the game before, now Fortnite is bringing Cap into the game. His character arrives just in time for the Fourth of July weekend in the US, which is also his birthday. The Captain America skin costs 2,000 V-bucks (around $27), which also comes with his iconic shield. The game will let you wear it on your back like Cap or use it as a pickaxe. Fortnite also introduced a Captain America-themed fireworks emote, which costs around 300 V-bucks. 

Source: The Verge