Fitbit debuts new health- and fitness-focused Sense 2, Versa 4 smartwatches

Source: Fitbit

It feels like it's been a while since we've heard from Fitbit, but now the Google-owned company is back with a few new devices and accessories. Two of these are refreshes to its Versa and Sense line. While the Fitbit Versa 4 focuses on fitness, the Sense 2 takes a deeper dive into your overall wellness. 

These aren't running on Wear OS yet, but the Fitbit OS versions on them do have touches of Google infused in them. They have Google Assistant support and will get Google Wallet is coming "soon." These watches get a version of Wear OS Tiles, which lets you add customizable widgets to the side of the clock face. But these are limited to first-party apps, so that's mostly fitness information. The app drawer also looks a bit more like what's on Wear OS 3. Google Maps and turn-by-turn navigation support is coming, but there's no date yet for its arrival.

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'Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic' remake reportedly gets a new developer

Source: Sony

Embracer Group has reportedly moved development of the upcoming Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic remakes for the PlayStation 5 and PC from Aspyr Media to a Saber Interactive studio in Eastern Europe. Development on the remake was reportedly paused after a demo of the game was shown to Lucasfilm and Sony. Aspyr, known for its ports of KOTOR and KOTOR II, was being helped by Saber with the development. But a cryptic statement in Embracer's earnings report last week suggested that Saber could be taking over.

“One of the Group’s AAA projects has transitioned to another studio within the Group,” Embracer wrote. “This was done to ensure the quality bar is where we need it to be for the title.” In the same report, Embracer said they aren't expecting "any material delays for the title based on this transiton." But the company hasn't revealed any public release dates for the game. It also hasn't responded to a request for comment on these rumours.

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Instagram latest experiment copies BeReal's features

Source: Alessandro Paluzzi

Unsurprisingly, a new feature Instagram is testing out copies another buzzy social media app. Just as it paterned its Stories feature from Snapchat's Stories, the Meta-owned app is now setting its sights on BeReal, an app that prompts you to take photos from the front and rear camera within two minutes of clicking the notification. Instagram is testing its take on this feature through its copied Stories feature.

The company is calling it "IG Candid Challenges." According to leaker and reverse engineer Alessandro Paluzzi, the feature lives within Instagram's Stories section and is an opt-in feature. You'll get prompted to post a story at different times a day within two minutes. It will use the Dual feature Instagram introduced for Stories in July. While it is being tested there is no guarantee that Instagram will roll this out to users. But with the buzz BeReal is getting, we wouldn't be surprised if the company pushes through with it.

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Check out the new 'Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power' trailer

I didn't realize I felt starved for new Lord of the Rings content until now. Amazon Studios dropped a new trailer for its big-budget series, The Lord of the Rings: The Ring of Power. This series takes place during the Second Age of Middle-Earth, a thousand years before the events of Lord of the Rings. It takes inspiration from J.R.R. Tolkien's Silmarillion but features characters and a completely original plot.

It will chronicle the rise of Sauron and the forging of the rings. Galadriel (played by Morfydd Clark) tries to convince elvish people that evil is still lurking on Middle-Earth. And she takes it upon herself to do something about it when people don't listen to her. Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power will debut on September 2 on Prime Video.

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