Samsung opens pre-orders for iMac-esque Smart Monitor M8

Samsung has just opened pre-orders for its new Smart Monitor M8, which looks quite similar to the iMac sans the computer part. If you don't need what Apple's Studio Display offers, this could be an alternative. It's a 32-inch display with USB-C charging, AirPlay support, and even smart TV features. It houses a 4K UHD LCD display with 400 nits of brightness, a 60Hz refresh rate, 99% sRGB, HDR support, and adaptive picture technology to automatically adjust display brightness and colour temperature.

Its chassis is 11.4mm thin and comes with a flat back, slim bezels, and a height-adjustable stand with tilt functionality. For connectivity and ports, it has Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 4.2, a micro HDMI port, and two USB-C ports offering 65W charging output for a phone and laptop. The Smart Monitor M8 even has a high-sensitivity Far-Field Voice microphone, two 5W speakers, and a removable magnetic 1080p SlimFit webcam with Face Tracking and Auto Zoom (similar to Apple's Center Stage feature).

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Spotify can use own in-app payment option in new Android pilot

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Google and Spotify will be giving you options on what payment system to use. The search giant introduces this new pilot program to counter the concerns of app makers about its high fees and alleged anticompetitive behavior. So, when users download Spotify from the Play Store, they will get an option of either Spotify's payment system or Google Play Billing. This option will be available in some countries in the coming months. 

The pilot involves a small number of participating developers, beginning with Spotify. "This pilot will help us to increase our understanding of whether and how user choice billing works for users in different countries and for developers of different sizes and categories," Google said in a blog post. 

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Instagram reportedly testing voice message replies to Stories

Source: Alessandro Paluzzi

Instagram might be trying out a new way to reply to Stories. Developer Alessandro Paluzzi discovered a new feature that could let users send voice messages as replies to Stories. Paluzzi shared a screenshot of what the interface looks like. As with any potential feature tests, there's no guarantee these will be made public. But as Engadget pointed out, this seems to clash with the objective they set of decluttering people's inboxes through private Story likes.

Valve to hold summer Steam Next Fest in June

Source: Valve

Valve has recently concluded its spring Steam Next Fest, but we already have a date for the next event. The upcoming Steam Next Fest will take place from June 13 to 20, with a showcase scheduled at 1 PM ET. Valve is promising "hundreds" of demos that people can check out. There will also be developer live streams featuring games the company wants to highlight. We don't have a list of the demos yet, but there have been excellent games shown off before.

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