Report claims Samsung and ASUS looking to build Pixelbook competitors

Looks like two tech companies don’t want Google to monopolize the high-end Chromebook space. Rumour has it both Samsung and ASUS are looking to upgrade their Samsung Chromebook Pro and ASUS C302CA to match up against Google’s Pixelbook. At the moment, both are powered by the Intel Core m3 processor with 4GB of RAM. The rumoured upgrades might see RAM pushed up to 16GB and the processor changed to an Intel Core m7 one.

In terms of pricing, we don’t a figure yet, which makes sense as the products themselves are rumours at the moment. But it’s expected these two devices might undercut Google’s Pixelbook with a price tag of at least US$800. The Pixelbook’s price starts at US$999. When it comes to the official launch, speculation is it might come by the end of the year or just in time for CES 2018.

Source: ChromeUnboxed | Via: Android Authority

YouTube brings zoom-to-fill mode to the Pixel 2 XL

With more smartphones coming out with 18:9 displays, developers have to work around the new display aspect to get the most out of their apps. Google is helping out Pixel 2 XL users with a new YouTube mode just for them. The streaming app now has a zoom-to-fill mode. By default, the video will fit inside the screen but you can do the zoom in gesture to fill the entire display. To revert to the default size, all you need to do is make the zoom out gesture. This feature comes to the Pixel 2 XL via version 12.40 of the YouTube app.

Source: Android Police

Delta to swap out Microsoft devices for Apple gadgets

If you’re taking a Delta flight in the near future, you’ll soon see the company’s employees using iPhones and iPads instead of Nokia phones and Surface tablets. The airline plans to switch to iOS devices in 2018. The news about this move came from an email that was obtained by MacOSKen from two different sources; however, Delta hasn’t publicly announced the news just yet. The iPhone 7 Plus will be taking the place of the Nokia phones they use, while the iPad Pro will be replacing the Microsoft Surface tablets. These mobile devices have been used for things like in-flight customer service and sales as well as electronic flight bag. The change will affect over 23,000 flight attendants and 14,000 pilots. Delta says it plans to maintain its partnership with Microsoft but the entire suit of tools used by the pilots and flight crew will be powered by iOS. Delta is joining other Joint Venture partners like Aeromexico, Air France, KLM, and Virgin Atlantic in adopting iOS as its platform of choice. 

Source: Cult of Mac

Paid music streaming services to have bigger impact on Billboard charts in 2018

With paid streaming services changing the music landscape, it’s not surprising to us that Billboard is changing its ranking system to reflect this new reality. The streams from paid subscription services like Amazon Music and Apple Music as well as those hybrid paid/ad-supported services like Spotify and SoundCloud will have a bigger influence on Billboard’s charts in 2018.

According to a post on Billboard’s site, “Beginning in 2018, plays occurring on paid subscription-based services (such as Amazon Music and Apple Music) or on the paid subscription tiers of hybrid paid/ad-supported platforms (such as SoundCloud and Spotify) will be given more weight in chart calculations than those plays on pure ad-supported services (such as YouTube) or on the non-paid tiers of hybrid paid/ad-supported services.”