iOS 11.2 to introduce faster wireless charging capabilities

Review: Apple iPhone X

The upcoming iOS update will be bringing good news to wireless charging fans. It’ll add support for faster wireless charging for Qi-compatible smartphones. It’ll support Qi wireless charging at a rate of 7.5 watts, which at the moment is limited to 5 watts. Of course this feature won’t work if you don’t pair it with a proper wireless charger. As Lifehacker points out, Apple is currently selling two third-party wireless charging pads that support 7.5-watt charging rate: Samsung’s 9-watt charging pad and RavPower’s 10-watt charging pad. Both are compatible with iPhone 8 and iPhone 10 because of Qi wireless charging standard. Apple is supposedly also working on its own wireless charging pad that can charge up to three devices at a time.

You can now broadcast messages to your Google Home speakers using Assistant

Find yourself at the grocery and want to ask your family what else you forgot to buy or even just want to call everyone for dinner? Google just updated its Assistant service to let you broadcast messages to Google Home speakers connected to your account. It works not just by speaking through the speaker but also through Google Assistant on your phone. You don’t even have to be on the same Wi-Fi network for this feature to work. All you need to say is “Ok Google, Broadcast (it’s) time to wake up…” or something to that effect. You can also broadcast custom messages. Here’s a list of the automated ones from Google.

Unfortunately it isn’t like Echo’s intercom-like system yet, where it lets users converse through the speaker and the Alexa app. But who knows if Google wouldn’t integrate that soon enough.

Source: The Next Web

You can now use your Gamevice controller with the Sphero SPRK+ and DJI Spark

iOS game controller maker Gamevice just made its accessories compatible with two new devices: the Sphero SPRK+ and DJI Spark. Now, when you use the Gamevice for iPhone and iPad and use it within the DJI Spark app, the physical buttons of the controller can now be used.  While DJI has its own controller, it’s sold as a separate accessory. So, if you have the Gamevice already, you don’t have to shell out the extra cash. Meanwhile, the SPRK+ is usually controlled via an on-screen joystick so having the physical buttons might help improve how you’re able to use the device.

Source: MacRumors

Facebook to merge Messenger Day with Stories

Facebook looks to be consolidating its Stories feature by folding into it the redundant Messenger Day feature. Stories, in case you aren’t familiar, is the feature that lets you post disappearing images or videos, similar to Snapchat (which is what Facebook blatantly copied down to the name). Now, if you post on Stories, it’ll appear on both Messenger and the main Facebook app. The camera filters remain separate, though. On top of this Facebook is also killing off the Direct messaging feature, which is where replies to your Stories used to go. Now, all the messages to Stories and Facebook Camera will head straight to Messenger.

The social network is also introducing collaborative Stories for events, which will let users collectively contribute to a single Story for an event. These submissions will then be moderated by the said event’s administrators. A new privacy setting will also be introduced that lets you limit who can see your posts. Those with access to the stripped-down Facebook Lite app will also be getting a version of Facebook Stories.

Source: The Verge