Tuesday
Sep102019

Apple brings a triple-camera system to the iPhone 11 Pro and Pro Max

The new iPhones are here. While the front looks familiar, we can't say the same for the back. It's hard to ignore the camera system packed into these phones. (They physically stand out, too.) And that's where a lot of the innovation is anyway.

The iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max are pretty much the successors to the iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max. There is the third iPhone 11, which we'll talk about in a separate post. We can lump these two together with the similarity in features. 

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Tuesday
Sep102019

Sony commemorates 40th anniversary of the Walkman with this limited edition device

 

It looks like the portable music player some of you (including me) grew up with. But it isn't exactly that. In honour of the 40th anniversary of the Sony Walkman, the company unveiled at IFA 2019 a limited edition Walkman. It's called the wordier NW-A100TPS, and it features the look of a classic Sony Walkman. Upon closer inspection, the tape seen on the NW-A100TPS is simply a graphic on a 3.6-inch display. This digital music player has 16GB of storage capable of holding thousands of songs. And this time you don't need to buy spare batteries, the built-in rechargeable one has 26-hour battery life.

The NW-A100TPS runs on Android and has the S-Master HX digital amplifier for high-resolution audio. For a bit more nostalgia, the device even comes with a vinyl processor. This processor allows tracks to sound like they're being spun on turntables. It's going on sale in November for around £400 (around CA$650).

Source: NME

Monday
Sep092019

Google teases arrival of Play Pass subscription service

It looks like Google is ready to launch its new subscription service. The company teased on its Google Play account on Twitter that "Google Play Pass is coming soon." The tweet shows a GIF of what looks like an admission ticket. At first glance, the service was assumed to take on Apple's Arcade game subscription service. But Google is including games as well as "hundreds of premium apps" like fitness trackers and music tools with Play Pass. The service will reportedly cost around US$5. The game Stardew Valley was spotted as part of the service during the testing period.

Once Play Pass officially launches, the Play Store will have a dedicated section to show which apps are part of Play Pass. Store listings will also have a purple banner underneath the buy button to indicate if it's part of the subscription service. We don't know at this time if Google plans to offer this service beyond the US, but we should know soon.

Source: 9to5Google

Monday
Sep092019

Apple Music finally gets web version of the app

Apple has given in to the demand of users looking for a web version of the Apple Music app. The company launched a beta web-based version of its music streaming service on Thursday, filling in a gap that its competitors already offered. Existing users can sign in using their Apple ID. And the site keeps a lot of the core features of the mobile app. You can search and play songs from the Apple Music catalogue or your library (if Sync Library is enabled) and access your playlists. All the main sections of the Apple Music app are included as well (Library, Search, For You, Browse, and Radio). Apple plans to add more features as they develop the site. The company will ask users for feedback to help streamline features and squash bugs.

In the meantime, new users will not be able to sign up from the site. You'll need to do that through the Apple Music app on iOS or Android, or you'll have to boot up the clunky iTunes app. Non-paying users who visit the Apple Music website can access a limited preview of specific playlists.

Source: TechCrunch