Chrome on Android to load videos faster while using less battery

A new version of Chrome on Android is promising faster loading times for videos while using up less of your battery. With Chrome 52, you should see videos playing sooner on the mobile browser instead of having it pause briefly before loading as you can see in the demo video above. At the same time, it’ll supposedly make your battery last longer. If you use Data Saver Mode, videos also work there, too. It’ll save you as much as 50 percent on data by what Google says is using a lightweight version of the video. You are supposed to see the differences in short videos, which makes up a lot of online content. But we can’t say how short is short.

Stop snoring with Nora

Nope, Nora isn’t a person that comes in to prevent you from snoring too loudly and waking up whomever you’re in the room with. Nora is a smart snoring solution that promises to stop snoring before it wakes up the person you share a bed with. Nora is designed to work with whatever pillow you use and in whatever sleeping position you are in. It’s built to detect the early sounds of snoring and will gently move your pillow to stop you from snoring without waking you up. It can be customized to your sleeping preferences and your sensitivity to noise.

A compatible iOS app helps you track your sleep and snoring patterns so you can see the effect of using Nora over time as well as offer you tips to improve your quality of sleep. Nora is rechargeable and if you use it at home, it won’t need to be recharged for at least two weeks. But if you take it traveling with you, it can be used entirely on battery for three nights. Nora is up for pre-order for US$259 (about CA$330) and has a 30-day satisfaction guarantee and one-year limited warranty.

Instagram copies Snapchat’s Stories, names it the same thing

In the world of social media, the me-too mentality thrives. Facebook was a complete copy of Friendster and now Instagram (which is also owned by Facebook) is taking a play from its mother company and outright copying the competition. Instagram is introducing a new feature called Stories. And yes, it shares the same name as the Snapchat feature it’s gotten its inspiration from.

For those unfamiliar with how Snapchat works, the users can upload photos and videos that stay up on the service for 24 hours for your followers to see. Basically, it shows your adventure or “story,” if you will. What Instagram is doing is almost exactly the same thing. You can share photos and video clips that are up to 10 seconds long and draw or add stickers to these photos and videos, too. And yes, after 24 hours they’re off Instagram as well.

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Microsoft Windows 10 Anniversary Update is now up for download

Microsoft has finally released to the public the Windows 10 Anniversary Update following tests that started back in December. Now, you can have access to a lot of new UI improvements and features. One of the new features includes Windows Ink, which is a dedicated hub for 2-in-1 devices that will let you doodle or write on screenshots using just your fingers. Extension support comes to Microsoft Edge with apps like LastPass, AdBlock, Evernote, and 1Password getting extensions on the browser in the coming months. Cortana now also works even on the lock screen. And there are new UI changes to things like the Start menu, notification center, and taskbar. The update should show up on Windows Update so if you’ve been waiting for this, keep an eye out for that.

Source: The Verge