Samsung Galaxy A8s debuts sans headphone jack

There are a bunch of firsts happening with the new midrange Samsung device the company just launched in China. It’s the first to feature the new 6.4-inch Infinity-O display with its distinctive “hole-punch” design for the phone’s 24-megapixel selfie camera located at the top left of the display. It is also the first Samsung phone to not have a headphone jack. With manufacturers dropping the headphone jack left and right, we forget that Samsung is one of the last remaining phone makers that still puts a headphone jack in their phones. But this might be the start of a change.

Samsung is trying out a new strategy of bringing new features into midrange devices first. The Galaxy A8s is a prime example for this. It runs on a Snapdragon 710 processor with either 6GB or 8GB of RAM and 128GB internal storage, which can be expanded up to 512GB via microSD. You get the same triple-camera setup as the Galaxy A7 in the back. Samsung will be offering pre-orders for this phone in China starting December 21^st. There is no word yet if the handset will be made available outside of said country. But we might be seeing this form factor in the upcoming Galaxy S10 (both the Infinity-O display and headphone jack-less state). Nothing is confirmed yet but we’ll update when we hear more.

Source: The Verge

Some indie games leave Steam for Epic Games Store

Aside from not launching its popular game Fortnite on Steam, Epic Games is now looking to compete directly against Steam. An attractive incentive that seems to be luring some developers to join them is a new revenue sharing model. Epic will just be taking 12 percent of the revenue as opposed to the industry standard of 30. And it seems this approach is paying off. A couple of indie game developers are following Epic to its new storefront. Coffee Stain Studios confirmed that its game Satisfactory will only be released through Epic. Another is the game Rebel Galaxy Outlaw. Its developer Double Damage is giving the Epic Store a 12-month window before it releases the game on Steam. We won’t be surprised if we hear more from other developers soon. If you want to check out the store, it’s now open with a free game coming every fortnight.

Source: The Next Web

'Stardew Valley's brings multiplayer mode to the Switch this week

It's not news that Stardew Valley is getting a multiplayer mode. It was announced at Nintendo Direct last year that it was coming to the Switch. But now, we get a release date. Eric "ConcernedApe" Barone announced it'll be coming to the Switch on December 12, Wednesday.

This cooperative online multiplayer mode will let up to four  players coexist on one farm. The host player will live in the farmhouse while the other players get cabins.The players get to work together and share the spoils of hard labour. While the world state and overall pool of cash are shared among all players, ConcernedApe reminds players in his latest blog post, "inventories, skills, achievements, collections, individual relationships, quests, and crafting/cooking recipes" are unique to individuals. The update brings with it a new voice chat and text-based communication tool. The update will come for free to all Switch players. Meanwhile, PS4 and Xbox One should expect the update soon.

Source: Eurogamer

Real stories show how the Apple Watch transcends fitness tracking and can save lives

Much has been made about the quantified life and how technology, sensors, and trackers can help people in their fitness and health goals by gathering real-time information. The Apple Watch has been more than this and aims to proactively keep users and their health providers and doctors aprised of any alarming changes in heart rate as well as has the ability to call emergency services or 911. The above video shows how Apple Watch has transcended its role as a tracker and timepiece and put life saving technology on people's wrists.