Wednesday
Aug072019

Samsung Galaxy Note10's camera can 'zoom-in' on sounds

Chris Velazco/Engadget

One of the biggest features of the Note10 is its "state of the art" camera system. Samsung overhauled its video tools for this phone. And one of the cooler features is its "Zoom-In Mic," which can amplify audio and focus on the sound happening in the frame. At the same time, it pushes out background noise, which will be useful for concerts or small gigs.

This audio feature is part of Samsung's new suite of "Premium Video Technology" or what can be called the company's "pro-grade video" editing tools. Some of the other new video tools include Live Focus Video, which lets you blur the background and draw focus on the video's primary subject; and Super Steady stabilization feature, which is available when filming in Hyperlapse mode.

Source: Engadget

Wednesday
Aug072019

Samsung supersizes Note10 series, launches 2 models

Samsung officially unveiled the newest iteration of the Galaxy Note series. The Galaxy Note10 now comes in two models: the Note10 and the Note10+. The latter is its biggest yet, with a 6.8-inch QHD screen. It's also the first Note to get two variants. The regular size isn't such a small device either, with its 6.3-inch Full HD display. Like the Note devices that came before it, both have S Pen stylus, which can now convert handwriting to digital text and supports up to six gestures to let you control the phone using the stylus.

Both devices run on either Qualcomm's Snapdragon 855 or Exynos 9825 chipsets. Different regions get different chipsets. Both come with 256GB storage as standard and with 512GB version available. The Note10 has 8GB of RAM as a standard and 12GB in its 5G version (which won't be available here), while the Note10+ gets 12GB of RAM as its standard.

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Tuesday
Aug062019

Google shuts down its Trips mobile app

Google's Trips mobile app is going away, but that doesn't mean you can't use the search giant's other apps and features to help you plan upcoming trips. Google is bringing many of its features to Maps and Search. As long as you're signed in to your Google account, you can head to google.com/travel and head to the Explore tab. Or you can just simply search for things on Google. Google's Travel site will let you browse past and upcoming reservations. You can edit details over there as well. A shortcut would be to search for "My trips" on Google. You'll also be able to find saved attractions, flights, and soon hotels for your upcoming and past trips. Another feature you can look forward to is being able to add and edit your notes from Google Trips into the Travel site.

In Maps, if you're looking for a destination or specific iconic places, guide lists, events, or restaurants, you can head to the Explore tab to find these. If you tap the menu icon, you can find saved places under the Your Places section. And soon Maps will include upcoming reservations organized by your trips and those will be automatically available offline, so you don't need to manually download them.

Tuesday
Aug062019

Netflix cancels 'The OA'

Brit Marling stars as Prairie Johnson in The OA. She also co-created and co-produced the show. (Nicola Goode/Netflix)

Mystery/sci-fi drama series The OA is the latest Netflix show to get axed. Just months after the second season of the show was released, the streaming service has decided to cancel the show. While the show has been generally received well by critics and viewers, it seems the show wasn't getting the viewer count Netflix was hoping for. The show's creator Brit Marling confirmed the cancellation in a statement she released on Instagram. Brandon Perea, who plays French on the show, says on Twitter that the story was supposed to wrap in five seasons. Fans are already asking the show's creators to shop it around to other services and networks. While that isn't an unusual move, we can't say if this will happen.