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Posts published in “Technology”

Apple announced iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus with Dynamic Island, 48MP Main camera and USB-C

Apple today unveiled the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus, the company’s latest flagship smartphones. The new phones feature a number of improvements over their predecessors, including a new design, a more powerful A16 Bionic chip, and a better camera system.

The iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus have a similar design to the iPhone 14, but with a few key changes. The back glass is now color-infused with a stunning, textured matte finish, and a new contoured edge on the aluminum enclosure. The phones are also slightly thicker and heavier, which helps to improve their durability.

The iPhone 15 will be the smaller 6.1-inch, while the iPhone 15 Plus will feature a larger 6.7-inch display sizes. Both iPhone 15s will also feature the Dynamic Island, an innovative way to interact with important alerts and Live Activities. The Super Retina XDR display is great for watching content, streaming Apple Fitness+ workouts, and playing games.

Another big change that Apple made with the new iPhone 15 is the new USB-C connector. The switch to USB-C is being made in order to comply with a new European Union regulation that requires all new smartphones to have USB-C ports.

The new iPhone 15s uses the A16 Bionic chip, the most powerful chip ever used in an iPhone. With two high-performance cores that use 20 percent less power and four high-efficiency cores, the 6-core CPU is faster than the previous generation and the 5-core GPU now has 50% more memory bandwidth for smooth graphics for streaming videos and games.

The camera system on the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus has also been improved. Both models feature a powerful 48MP Main camera that enables super-high-resolution photos and a new 2x Telephoto option. This gives users a total of three optical zoom levels — 0.5x, 1x, 2x — for the first time on any iPhone dual-camera system, like having a third camera1. The ultrawide camera has also been upgraded to a 12-megapixel sensor. Both cameras now support Night mode, which allows you to take great photos in low-light conditions for a sharper and more detailed photos.

The iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus also introduce the next generation of portraits, making it easier to capture portraits with great detail and low-light performance. For the first time, users can take portraits without having to switch to Portrait mode. When there’s a person, dog, or cat in the frame, or when a user taps to focus, iPhone automatically captures depth information, so users can turn photos into stunning portraits later in the Photos app on iPhone, iPad, or Mac.

On the battery side, the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus now use even more recycled content, with 100 percent recycled cobalt in the battery. Up to 26 hours video playback and up to 100 hours in audio with magSafe wireless charging up to 15 Watts, Qi wireless charging up to 7.5 Watts. The battery also support fast-charge up to 50% charge in just 30 minutes with 20W adapter or higher.

You can find the full specs of the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus here.

The iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus will be available in black, blue, green, yellow, and pink. Price start at $699 for the 128 GB, $799 for 256 GB and $899 for the 512 GB variant. The phones will be available for pre-order on September 15 and will start shipping on September 22.

Source: Apple

Microsoft to remove WordPad in future release of Windows

Microsoft will soon remove WordPad in the coming release of Windows, this announcement was made by the software giant early this month after it published a “What’s New” article with a title – Deprecated features for Windows client.

In the article, Microsoft said that “Each version of Windows client adds new features and functionality. Occasionally, new versions also remove features and functionality, often because they’ve added a newer option. This article provides details about the features and functionalities that are no longer being developed in Windows client.”

The article further list at least 50 features and services available on Windows that will soon be removed in future update of the OS and one of them is the WordPad.

WordPad is no longer being updated and will be removed in a future release of Windows. We recommend Microsoft Word for rich text documents like .doc and .rtf and Windows Notepad for plain text documents like .txt.

WordPad was introduced 28 years ago, as a small windows application that can edit, read, format and print document files with Rich Text Format (RTF), it is basically the stripped down version of MS Word, which is why it is not surprising the Microsoft recommended Microsoft Word, its paid word processor.

It’s Official – Threads.net web version now available

As the the title goes, the web version of Threads.net is now available. The web/desktop version was already live last week, as reported by Yugatech but it was just today that it took effect here in Saudi Arabia.

This is the official announcement from Threads’ official account with addtional information on how to access or create your threads account and a features of the service in a post.

Post by @threads
View on Threads

Post by @threads
View on Threads

From my first hour in using the web app, it feels exactly like the app but since you have it on a separate tab on your browser, I find myself using the web version more than the app. It remains to be seen if it can surpass the daily and even the monthly active users of X/Twitter, now that the desktop web version is live.

Sony Announces PlayStation Portal Remote Player, a Dedicated Device for Streaming PS5 Games

Sony has announced the PlayStation Portal remote player, a dedicated handheld device that allows users to stream PS5 games to a different location in their home. The Portal features an 8-inch LCD screen with 1080p resolution and a refresh rate of 60fps, as well as two controllers that are similar to the DualSense controller.

The Portal connects to the PS5 via Wi-Fi and supports all PS5 games that are compatible with Remote Play. This includes both first-party and third-party games, as well as VR games. The Portal also includes a 3.5mm headphone jack for wired audio.

The PlayStation Portal remote player is scheduled to be released later this year for $199.99 or around . It will be available in black and white. Sony did not provide any details regarding the specs and other details of the remote player.

Aside from the PlayStation Portal remote player, Sony also announced the Pulse Elite wireless headset & Pulse Explore wireless earbuds.


Pulse Elite is our new wireless headset that offers lossless audio and comes with a retractable boom mic and AI-enhanced noise rejection capable of filtering background sounds. A charging hanger is also included with the product for a convenient charging and storage option. Pulse Elite will be available for $149.99 USD or around SAR 564.


Pulse Explore is our first set of wireless earbuds, providing a premium portable audio experience with dual microphones and AI-enhanced noise rejection capable of filtering background sounds. It also offers lossless audio and comes with a charging case. The Pulse Explore is the first device from Sony to provide wireless earbuds to the mass consumer market using planar magnetic driver technology. Pulse Explore will be available for $199.99 or around SAR 751.96. Sony will share more details such as specs, when pre-orders begin and launch dates.

In addition to the devices that Sony announced, the company unveil the PlayStation Link, a proprietary wireless technology that will seamlessly connect the Pulse Elite and Pulse Explore to the PlayStation Portal remote player. The PlayStation Link offers low latency, lossless audio and easy switching between multiple PlayStation Link hosts such as PS5 with the USB adapter and PlayStation Portal. A PlayStation Link USB adapter will also be sold separately as a standalone item, and can be used on PC and Mac, and be able to connect Pulse Elite or Pulse Explore to non-PlayStation device.

Another advantage of the PlayStation Link is that Pulse Elite and Pulse Explore can simultaneously connect to a PlayStation Link supported device (PS5, PC, Mac, or PlayStation Portal) and a Bluetooth supported device. For example, Pulse Explore can be connected to PS5 (via the USB adapter) using PlayStation Link and also to a mobile phone through Bluetooth at the same time. While playing on PS5, gamers can instantly answer a call and hear it through the same Pulse Explore earbuds.

Google Play Pass Launches in the Philippines, Offering Access to Hundreds of Games and Apps

Google Play Pass, a subscription service that gives users access to hundreds of games and apps without ads or in-app purchases, has launched in the Philippines.

The service is available for a monthly price of PHP 109 or receive savings if you pay for the annual pricing of PHP 999. It includes a curated selection of games and apps from different genres, including action, adventure, puzzle, simulation, and more.

Some of the popular games included in Google Play Pass are Stardew Valley, Monument Valley, Terraria, and Sonic the Hedgehog Classic. There are also a number of productivity apps available, such as Evernote, Trello, and Pocket Casts.

To sign up for Google Play Pass, simply open the Google Play Store app on your Android device and search for “Play Pass.” You can then sign up for a monthly or annual subscription. This subscription service is compatible with any Android device running Android 4.4 and above; and Google Play Store version 16.6.25 and above.

Google Play Pass is the equivalent of Apple Arcade and Xbox Game Pass.

Source: Yugatech

Meta to launch a web version of Threads

Threads, the twitter-clone of Meta, will soon launch a web version of the service. As of this posting, when you go to Threads.net, you will just get a QR code that when scanned will direct you to your phone’s app store to download the Threads app.

The web version is planned to be launch “early this week” but this is not totally final and could still change. Threads’ web version, a much-requested feature that may be exactly what Meta needs for users engagement within the service. The web version of Threads is currently undergoing internal testing at Meta Platforms and the official rollout may happen as early as the end of the week (August 25, 2023).

A reply by Adam Mosseri to a comment, further confirmed that the company is indeed working on a web version of threads;

Post by @mosseri
View on Threads

Threads initially took the internet by storm and rapidly reached 100 million downloads, making it the fastest app to hit that milestone. However, user engagement has since declined, partly it’s believed due to the lack of a web version.

A web version of Threads is the next logical move by Meta to compete more effectively with platforms like X, formerly known as Twitter. It would be interesting to see whether these move will help Meta stop the ever-decreasing user engagement on Threads, which has gone done by approximately 85% since its peak shortly after launch.

Reactions to Potato Corner Job Posts

The reactions to Potato Corner job ads are gold!

Potato Corner may have been fast in deleting the job post and publishing a reply, this is the most appropriate way to handle this situation but as we all know the internet is much faster in reacting to the post and these are just a few of them.

In no particular order! 🙂












Jobberbase Install Guide for Apache

Just archiving this here, since I always use Jobberbase as a reference CMS for job board.

You can download the PDF version of the steps here and the typical errors here.

Jobberbase Install Guide for Apache
Contents
1 Requirements
2 Install Procedure
2.1 Download
2.2 Database setup
2.2.1 Single database hosting
2.2.2 Multiple database hosting
2.3 Environment and code setup
2.3.1 Directory structure and permissions
2.3.2 Translations
2.3.3 Config and environments
2.4 Testing the site
2.5 Admin

Requirements
Before proceeding, make sure you have PHP 5+ and MySQL 4.1+ installed on your server. Also, Apache modulemod_rewrite has to be enabled and overriding default settings with .htaccess needs to be allowed.
If you are 100% sure that your server meets the requirements then you can skip the following lines and go directly to the first step, else please read on.

To mak sure you have at least PHP 5 and mod_rewrite active, create a file called phpinfo.php and paste the following code into it:

<?php phpinfo(); ?>

Upload it to your server and access it like this http://www.yoursitesnamecomeshere.com/phpinfo.php (Note: the path could differ in your case, specially if you’ve uploaded it into a subfolder)

The PHP version should appear in the page’s header. Make sure that it’s at least version 5.

Also, to see that you have mod_rewrite active, search in the page for the string mod_rewrite. If you don’t find it, contact your hosting and ask them to activate this module.

Install Procedure
If the requirements are met, follow these steps:

Download
Download the latest version from http://www.jobberbase.com/download (if you haven’t already done this) and unzip it.

Database setup
Before setting up the database, there are some things that you should be aware of: some hosting companies don’t allow you to have more than one database (usually in case of low-end (very cheap or free) hosting plans). If that’s your situation, follow the next step (Single database hosting), otherwise jump to step “Multiple database hosting”.

Single database hosting
If you know that this is your case, then please follow these steps:

You must decide for a string (you can use jb_, for example) which will be prepended to every jobberbase table name. You will have to set this string in the DB_PREFIX field that is described in step 3.

Open jobberbase.sql in a text editor of your choice and use its find & replace feature, as follows (Hint: in the find & replace dialog, there’s usually a button (Replace All, in case of Notepad) for replacing all the occurrences at once):

Replace all occurrences of CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS ` (note the ` char ) with CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS `THE_STRING_THAT_YOU_DECIDED_ON (for example, CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS `jb_).

Replace all occurrences of INSERT INTO ` with INSERT INTO `THE_STRING_THAT_YOU_DECIDED_ON (for example, INSERT INTO `jb_).

Save your changes and then open phpmyadmin, select your database and then import your jobberbase.sql file.

Skip step “Multiple database hosting” and continue with “Environment Setup”.

Multiple database hosting
Create a new database and import db/jobberbase.sql into it (usually done from within phpmyadmin).

Note: PHPMyAdmin instructions: Create a new database (example: jobberbase) in the database window and no need to change any of the default settings. Click Go and the database is live. Now click import from the list of menu items in the top section and select the jobberbase.sql file from your local machine. After refesh you should see the list of example content tables on the left side panel. If any of these things did not work for you then you need read the manual that comes with PHPMyAdmin and try again).

Environment and code setup
In order to install jobberBase, you need FTP or SSH access, to upload all the files. jobberBase is software that you host on your server.

Directory structure and permissions
Upload the contents of the public folder to your server. Some users make the mistake that they upload the public folder, but instead you should only upload the files and folders contained in the public folder.

Make sure that the following folders have write permission:
/uploads (uploaded resumes are temporarily stored here)
/_templates//_cache (smarty cache) – by default, YourTheme is a folder called default
/admin/_templates/_cache (smarty cache)
Note: if you are testing it locally using wampserver or MAMP then do this: In windows machine go to folder options and un-check the ‘read only’ option to enable write access. In Mac OSX running MAMP local server first make sure you have administrator access then check to make sure you have full access for the files by clicking ‘get info’ in right click or command click pop up menu for each folder.

Translations
Translations are located under the theme folder, i.e. /_templates//_translations.

Translations for text elements in the site (except pages, job category names and others such as these) are located in an .ini file, in the translations folder, the default being translations_en.ini.

Email translations are stored in an xml file, under _translations/_emails, the default being emails_en.xml.

Config and environments
A single jobberBase instance/codebase can run under multiple hosting environments. The config system allows you to define environments (such as the one on your local/development machine, a staging environment and the live/production server).

These environments have to be manually defined in _config/config.envs.php, as PHP arrays. The default environment (suited for local hosting) looks like this:

$__instances['local'] = array(
// should be a unique part of the url (or the entire url if you wish)
'prefix' => 'localhost',
// mysql credentials
'db_host' => 'localhost',
'db_port' => 3306,
'db_user' => 'root',
'db_password' => '',
'db_name' => 'jobberbase',
'db_prefix' => '',
// your site's full url
'app_url' => 'http://localhost/jobberbase/trunk/public/',
// error reporting
'ini_error_reporting' => E_ALL,
'ini_display_errors' => 'On',
// environment setting 1 (use 'local' for localhost/testing OR 'online' for live, production environment)
'location' => 'local',
// environment setting 2 (use 'dev' together with 'local' in the previous setting OR 'prod' with 'online')
'environment' => 'dev',
//use 'apache_mod_rewrite' for Apache hosting or 'iis_url_rewrite', 'iis_isapi_rewrite' for IIS hosting
'rewrite_mode' => 'apache_mod_rewrite'
);

Each environment is defined as part of the $__instances array, with a unique key (e.g. local).

Note: Only change db_prefix if you’ve followed step 2.2.1 (single database hosting).

Note: some users are having trouble setting the db_host. To find out your database host, either ask your hosting company or login to phpmyadmin and you should have somewhere in the upper area the string Server and next to it an URL or IP. That’s what you should put as database host.

Testing the site
If you’ve went through all previous steps, you should be done.

Open up a browser and type in your site’s URL (e.g. http://www.yoursitesnamecomeshere.com/).

Admin
Assuming that your Jobberbase installation is located at http://www.yoursitesnamecomeshere.com/, you can access the administration panel by visiting http://www.yoursitesnamecomeshere.com/admin/.

This section is password protected, the username being admin and the default password admin.

After the first login, be sure to change your password!

In the administration panel you can:

change settings regarding site details, job pagination, mailing options, url options and lot more
view all the jobs, activate the new ones, delete jobs, edit jobs, post a new job
change the cities (add/edit/delete) that are included by default in Jobberbase
change the categories (add/edit/delete/reorder) that are included by default in Jobberbase
change the header/footer/sidebar links
view statistical information

Discord.io suffers data breached and will shutdown the service

Discord.io, a third-party service that enables owners of Discord servers to create customized, personal Discord invites, has announced that it would shut down until further notice following a “major data breach” from “unknown actors” on Monday evening.

The breach has affected 760,000 users and the stolen information could include your discord.io username and your Discord ID, your email-address, your billing address, and a salted and hashed password if you signed up in 2018 or earlier.

Payment details are said to be safe because all payments are processed through PayPal and Stripe and the company does not store any payment information on their servers, and this information was not leaked, the company said in an article posted on their website.

Discord.io has confirmed the authenticity of the breach, by an entity acting under the name “Akhirah.” It is important to know that Discord.com is not affiliated with discord.io, a spokesperson from Discord told Stackdiary, “Discord is not affiliated with Discord.io. We do not share any user information with Discord.io directly and we do not have access to or control of information in Discord.io’s custody.”

Discord has revoked the oauth authentication tokens for any Discord user that has used Discord.io, so that app can no longer perform actions on behalf of those users until they re-authenticate3. Affected Discord users should change their passwords and enable multi-factor authentication (MFA).

You can read the full statement of Discord.io on their website – Discord.io has suffered a data breach.

The website’s official twitter also encourages users to directly contact their support team, in connection of the breached.

OnePlus Showoff New Screen to Solve Wet Touchscreen Problem

OnePlus, the Chinese smartphone maker, has unveiled a new screen technology that is designed to solve the wet touchscreen problem. The new technology, called “Rainwater Touch Control,” uses a combination of silicon and a custom algorithm to determine finger placement and work around the issues with water, which conducts electrical signals, like the human hand.

A video 55 seconds video was published on Weibo, showing the still unannounced OnePlus Ace 2 Pro device, equipped with Rainwater Touch technology, on with a side-to-side video comparison with an iPhone 14 Pro, while in an artificial rain and fog. We can assume Rainwater Touch technology should help with recently washed or sweaty hands.


Source: Weibo via dotGAG

Aside from the new screen technology, other details of OnePlus Ace 2 Pro that was leaked are;

  • 6.7-inch OLED curved display with a resolution of 1.5K pixels, a 120Hz refresh rate, and a 1,600 nits peak brightness
  • Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor
  • up to 24GB LPDDR5X RAM and 1TB UFS 4.0 storage technology
  • Aerospace-grade three-dimensional cooling system called the Tiangong cooling system
  • 5,000mAh battery with support for 150W fast charging

The Rainwater Touch Control technology is set to debut on the OnePlus Ace 2 Pro, which will be officially unveiled in China later this week. The Rainwater Touch Control technology will be introduced to other upcoming OnePlus releases, this includes the phones from its parent brand, Oppo.

Source: 9 to 5 Google

Disney+ and Hulu Subscription Price to Increase this October

Disney has announced that it will be increasing the prices of its streaming services, Disney+ and Hulu, in October. The ad-free version of Disney+ will increase from $10.99 to $13.99 per month, while the ad-supported version will remain at $7.99 per month. The ad-free version of Hulu will increase from $14.99 to $17.99 per month, while the ad-supported version will remain at $7.99 per month.

The price increase is effective for new subscribers starting on October 12, 2023, and for existing subscribers starting on November 1 2023.

Disney has cited rising content costs as the reason for the price increase. The company has been investing heavily in new content for its streaming services, including original series and movies, as well as live sports. The price increase is likely to be met with some resistance from subscribers, but it is not unexpected. Streaming services have been raising prices in recent years, as they compete for subscribers and content.

“The strong momentum of our ad-supported plans in the U.S. demonstrates the importance of providing consumers with choice, flexibility and value,” said Joe Earley, President, Direct-to-Consumer, Disney Entertainment. “We are excited to expand that offering in more markets across the globe, including in Europe and Canada, and to launch a new premium duo bundle of ad-free Disney+ and Hulu this Fall, as we take steps toward making extensive Hulu content available via Disney+ later this year for Bundle subscribers.”

Honor 90 and Honor 90 Lite announced in Middle East

Honor Arabia has officially announced the availability of Honor 90 and Honor 90 Lite in the Middle East region. Both the Honor 90 and Honor 90 Lite are now available for pre-order.

Honor 90 features a 6.7 inches AMOLED display with Quad-Curved Floating Screen, a 93.3% Screen-to-body Ratio and a 2664×1200 resolution. It will have an Octa-core Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 Accelerated Edition CPU and a Adreno 644 GPU. It will be running MagicOS 7.1 OS which is based on Android 13 and will be available in 8GB+256GB and 12GB+512GB variants.

As for the camera, the Honor 90 will have a triple rear camera setup; 200MP Ultra-Clear Camera (f/1.9), 12MP Ultra Wide and Macro Camera (f/2.2) and a 2MP Depth Camera (f/2.4). It supports up to 4K video resolution, 10x digital zoom and image capture of 16256×12192 pixels. Honor 90’s triple rear camera also include a single LED flash. As for the front shooter, it features a 50MP Camera(f/2.4) that can capture image at 8160×6112 pixels and up to 4k video resolution.

The Honor 90 will have 5000 mAh Lithium polymer battery that supports up to 11V/6A SuperCharge, compatible with 10V/4A,5V/2A. Just like with modern mobile phones, the Honor 90 support 5G, 4G LTE, 3G (WCDMA) and 2G (GSM). For wireless connectivity it supports WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax, 2×2 MIMO at 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequency. Honor 90 also supports Bluetooth 5.2, GPS /AGPS/GLONASS/BeiDou/Galileo.

Honor 90 will be available in 3 colors; Diamond Silver, Midnight Black and Emerald Green.

The Honor 90 Lite on the other hand will have a slightly different specs, it features a 6.7 inches LTPS LCD display with a 2388×1080 resolution. It will have an a slower MediaTek Dimensity 6020 CPU and a Mali-G57 MC2 GPU. Like with the Honor 90, it will also be running MagicOS 7.1 OS right out of the box. Unlike with its syblings, the Honor 90 Lite will come in 8GB+256GB variant.

As for the camera, the Honor 90 lite will also come with a triple rear camera setup; 100MP Main Camera(f/1.9), 5MP Ultra Wide and Depth Camera (f/2.2) and a 2MP Macro Camera(f/2.4). It will also feature up to 1080p video resolution, 10x digital zoom and up to up to 11584×8688 pixels image. The front shooter of the Honor 90 Lite is a 16MP (f/2.45) camera that supports up to 1920×1080 pixels for video capture and up to 4608×3456 pixels for image.

The Honor 90 lite will have smaller 4500mAh Li-ion Polymer Battery. The Honor 90 lite supports 5G, 4G LTE, 3G (WCDMA) and 2G (GSM). For wireless connectivity it supports WiFi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax, 2×2 MIMO at 2.4GHz and 5GHz frequency, Bluetooth 5.3 and GPS/AGPS/GLONASS/BeiDou/Galileo.

Honor 90 will be available in 3 colors; Cyan Lake,Titanium Silver and Midnight Black.

In UAE the Honor 90 Lite is available for pre-order for 899AED and Honor 90 will be available for 1599AED that includes free gifts worth 597AED, while in Saudi Arabia, you can pre-order the Honor 90 Lite for SAR 949 with free gifts worth SAR528 and price for the Honor 90 will announced once it is available for pre-order this 26th July.

Toyota Philippines launches all-new Wigo with new sporty design

Toyota Motor Philippines (TMP) has officially announced the latest major update of its best-selling hatchback, the All-New Toyota Wigo.TMP launched the new Wigo at the Trinoma Activity Center in Quezon City.

“This is a very exciting launch for us at Toyota Motor Philippines because we know that the Wigo is one of the favorite Toyota models of Filipinos. The Wigo has given many new car buyers their memorable first car experience. In fact, we have given thrill and joy to more than 149,000 Wigo owners since the model was introduced in the country in 2014,” said TMP President Atsuhiro Okamoto.

The updates on the all-new Wigo are mostly on the exterior side, most notably the sporty design to have that aggressive feel and look. It will feature a bigger and wider body at 3.76M X 1.655M x 1.515M. The new Wigo will be available in three variants; G, E and J variants that comes in new CVT. A manual transmission option is will also be available.

Photos;

The SRP for the new Wigo are;

WIGO G PHP 729,000.00
WIGO E PHP 684,000.00
WIGO J PHP 609,000.00

The all-new Wigo will be available 6 colors; Red Mica Metallic 2, Orange Metallic 3, Yellow SE, Silver Metallic 4, Gray Metallic and White 2 colors. The All-New Wigo’s retail sales starts on July 17, 2023 nationwide.

Apple launches online store on WeChat platform

Apple, the maker of the iPhones, reportedly opened a store on the WeChat platform, Tuesday, expanding the American company’s retail options in the second-largest economy in the world.

Users will be able to buy Apple products including iPhones, iPads, and Macs via the shop, according to an announcement made by WeChat, China’s most popular messaging app that also offers e-commerce, livestreaming, and payment services.

Apple’s move comes as Chinese consumers increasingly use social media sites like WeChat and ByteDance’s Douyin, the country’s version of TikTok, to shop online. Requests for additional comment from Apple and Tencent were not immediately fulfilled.

Apple currently runs a store on Alibaba Group’s Tmall online marketplace in addition to its own stores and website. In May, Apple attempted to advertise its products in China for the first time through a webcast of an hour-long performance. Together with the online stores, Apple have more than 40 retails stores in China.

Kobe Bryant to be featured on the cover of NBA 2K24

Laker Legend and NBA HoF Kobe Bryant will be featured on the cover of two editions of NBA 2K24; NBA 2K24: Kobe Bryant Edition and NBA 2K24: Black Mamba Edition. This is not the first time that Kobe Bryant graced the cover of NBA2k, he was the cover athlete for NBA 2K10, NBA 2K17 (Legend Edition) and NBA 2K21 (Mamba Forever Edition).

Cover of NBA 2K24: Kobe Bryant Edition

Cover of NBA 2K24: Black Mamba Edition

Kobe Bryant is a 5-time NBA championships, was an 18-time All-Star, a 15-time member of the All-NBA Team, a 12-time member of the All-Defensive Team, the 2008 NBA Most Valuable Player (MVP), and a two-time NBA Finals MVP. Bryant also led the NBA in scoring twice, and ranks fourth in league all-time regular season and postseason scoring. He was posthumously voted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2020 and named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team in 2021. Bryant’s name is often included in the GOAT debate with Michael Jordan, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Lebron James.

Both copies of the game are now available for pre-order and will be release September 8, 2023. NBA 2K24: Kobe Bryant Edition will retail for $69.99, while the NBA 2K24: Black Mamba Edition is priced at $99.99.

Source: NBA

Meta launches Threads, a twitter clone powered by Instagram

It’s finally here, Meta has officially launched Threads, the company’s version of twitter and will compete not only with twitter but with Bluesky, another twitter rival backed by Jack Dorsey, who is the co-founder and former CEO of Twitter.

Threads will use your Instagram account for login and will support posting up to 500-character text, photos, and up to 5 minutes videos. Threads is available on iOS and Android in 100 countries, except in EU, since the company needs to iron out the local data privacy regulations.

To signup for Threads, users must have an Instagram account, where their username and verification status will carry over. Threads users can then customized their profile independently.

Under the hood, while it is currently using Instagram infrastructure, Threads will soon offer support for ActivityPub — the same decentralized social networking protocol used by Mastodon and other federated apps. Once ActivityPub takes effect, Threads will be able to widen its reach, as Mastodon’s ecosystem engages 1.7 million active users.

Meta timed the launched of Threads, specially now that Twitter have imposed a number of restrictions including rate-limit and limiting access of twitter account on TweetDeck to verified users only.

This is not the first time that Meta/Facebook tried to copy twitter, in the early days of Facebook, the company took inspiration from twitter the hashtag, verified accounts, Vine, followers and real-time conversation, among others. It’s still too early to know if Threads will be successful in taking the air out of twitter’s space but if the Elon-led twitter continue to implode, Thread may become the twitter replacement.

Angat Buhay NGO officially launches website

It’s official, Angat Buhay NGO now has a website with the domain https://www.angatbuhay.ph. On the website, we can see an interactive maps of all the projects of the NGO, latest news and updates, the Angat Buhat Team members and volunteers. Supporters can also find ways on how be part of the NGO either as a Partner, donate or as a volunteer.

The website was developed by Pixel Zero Digital Solutions;

We are proud to have developed Angat Buhay’s website, a platform dedicated to uplifting Filipino communities through various programs and initiatives. Our team worked closely with Angat Buhay to create a user-friendly website that effectively showcases their mission, vision, and impact. Through our collaborative approach and attention to detail, we were able to bring their vision to life and help them reach a wider audience. We are committed to using our expertise in web development to support organizations like Angat Buhay that make a positive difference in our society.

Mark Zuckerberg introduces Meta Quest 3 Headset with a starting price of $499

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has officially announce the Meta Quest 3, a standalone mixed and virtual reality headset powered by Qualcomm chipset and claim to be 2x faster and 10x more pixels in Passthrough than the Quest 2. Mark made the announcement 5 days before Apple’s WWDC, where they are expected to announce their own AR-VR headset.

Image: Insides of the Meta Quest 3.

“Ultimately, our vision is to enable you to move through all realities in a way that’s intuitive and delightful,” says Mark Rabkin, VP of VR, “going beyond the rigid classifications of ‘virtual reality’ and ‘mixed reality’ to deliver truly next-gen experiences that let you effortlessly blend the physical and virtual worlds. Meta Reality gives you both the deep, immersive magic of VR and the freedom and delight of making your physical world more fun and useful with MR. We’re excited to see what developers and creators can build on the Quest Platform when the possibilities are limitless.”

Image: Meta Quest 3’s Touch Plus controllers with TruTouch haptics

The Meta Quest 3 will have a 40% slimmer profile, and its Touch Plus controllers was redesigned ditching the outer tracking rings for a more comfort, it also features TruTouch haptics that was introduced first in the company’s Quest Pro. The 128GB model of the Quest 3 headset starts at $499.99 USD, and the company will provide more details at the company’ Connect conference on September 27.

You can now edit your WhatsApp Messages

In the coming weeks, you will be able to edit the messages that you send on WhatsApp. To edit messages, all you need to do is to long-press on a sent message and choose ‘Edit’ from the menu for up to fifteen minutes after. Once done, the word ‘edited’ alongside your modified messages to inform the recipient are aware of the correction without showing edit history.

The edit message feature has started rolling out to users globally and will be available to everyone in the coming weeks.

Video: Watch Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 gameplay

Sony just reveal the game play of their upcoming Marvel’s Spider-man 2 for Playstation 5. Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is the follow-up to Sony’s Marvel’s Spider-Man franchise.

This is the description in the video;

Kraven’s Hunters are in pursuit of Dr. Curt Connors, AKA The Lizard, and Spider-Men, Peter Parker and Miles Morales, need to stop them.

Launching Fall 2023, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is the next game in PlayStation’s critically acclaimed Marvel’s Spider-Man franchise. Developed by Insomniac Games in collaboration with Marvel Games and PlayStation for the PlayStation 5 console.

In the game, Peter Parker and Miles Morales will the playable character with villains like Dr. Curt Connors / The Lizard and the introduction of Kraven the Hunter.

Your playable Spider-men will have a Symbiote Black Suit, web wings to fly or glide and use new abilities like the Thunder Burst.

Sony mentioned that the game will be available in Fall 2023.

Sony unveil details of their Project Q device and Wireless Earbuds

At the Sony PlayStation Showcase Event, Sony has announced the details for ‘Project Q.’ The PlayStation Project Q is a handheld gaming device that will play games installed on your PS5 and streamed over WiFi. It features 8-inch LCD screen capable of up to 1080p resolution at 60fps, that is placed in between PS5 controller that’s been cut in half.

Also announced at the event is PlayStation’s first-ever official wireless earbuds. The earbuds will be compatible with PC, Playstations and Smartphones via bluetooth connectivity.

No official name and pricing have been announce for both Project Q and the earbuds, Sony will surely provide more details about the two devices once its officially available later this year.

Apple opens online store in Vietnam

Apple just announced that the Apple Online Store is now available in Vietnam.

Vietnam’s Apple Online Store will offers a wide range of Apple products and accessories, with shopping assistance from Apple’s team of experts, no-contact delivery, trade-in program, build-to-order Mac options, and up to 24 months of financing for your Apple device. The Apple Online Store will also offer students a special pricing for their Mac or iPad, and receive discounts on accessories as well as AppleCare+.

The store is available in both Vietnamese and English, allowing customers to order a wide range of Apple products on the web.

Google officially announce Pixel Fold

It appears that the leaks are true, since Google has officially announced the Pixel Fold – the first foldable phone engineered by the company.

Beyond the 8 seconds teaser video (below), Google did not provide any other details like the specs, availability and price. The company also said that they talk more about the Pixel Fold at Google I/O this May 10th.

It was previously leaked that the Pixel Fold will be a 5.8-inch phone that unfolds into a 7.6-inch tablet, with a Tensor G2 processor that Google developed and a battery that Google claims to last for 24 hours on a single charge, and “the most durable hinge on a foldable.

Gmail to introduce verified accounts for FREE!

Google has announced that it will start verifying or adding a “blue checkmark” to business users using Brand Indicators for Message Identification (BIMI) in Gmail. This new feature will help users identify messages from legitimate senders versus impersonators.

Google further explains that “strong email authentication helps users and email security systems identify and stop spam, and also enables senders to leverage their brand trust. This increases confidence in email sources and gives readers an immersive experience, creating a better email ecosystem for everyone.

The new verified Gmail account will be free of charge and available to all Google Workspace customers, as well as legacy G Suite Basic and Business customers, and to users with personal Google Accounts.

You can now login your WhatsApp account to multiple devices

In a blogpost, WhatsApp will now allow you to login your account to multiple devices. The company emphasis that they will maintain the same level of privacy and security.

WhatApp further explained that one account can be used sign-on to up to four additional devices, the same as when you link with WhatsApp on web browsers, tablets and desktops. personal messages, media, and calls are end-to-end encrypted, and if your primary device is inactive for a long period, we automatically log you out of all companion devices. Each linked phone connects to WhatsApp independently, ensuring that your personal messages, media, and calls are end-to-end encrypted, and if your primary device is inactive for a long period, we automatically log you out of all companion devices.

WhatsApps multiple login feature started to rolling-out to all users globally and will be available to all users in the coming weeks.

PinoyExchange.Com to shutdown on April 15th

PinoyExchange, more commonly called PEx, just announced that the website will shutdown on 15th of April. PinoyExchange.Com is one of the first and oldest website in the Philippines, the domain was registered in 1999 and the website have been running for 24 years.

PinoyExchange.com is the virtual home of many Filipinos here and abroad, you can could say that it is the first website in the country that offer UGC (user-generated content). The announcement did not provide any reason or explanation as to why the website is closing.

Here’s a short history of PinoyExchange.com as posted on the website;

During the early days of internet in the Philippines in the late 1990s, an idea emerged to create an online message board because at that time, the only way to communicate online were via chat sites and chat rooms.

On July 12, 1999, PinoyExchange was born founded by Michael Nolledo, Nix Nolledo and Jude Turcuato (Kaboom!) and later on joined by Michael Palacios (Mikoid) as a lead designer and technical consultant. Some early PEx members also became moderators to help out in managing content and discussions.

The website gained popularity through its exposure via televised UAAP basketball games where Jude (Kaboom!) was a commentator. During halftime, viewers were asked to express their views regarding the ongoing basketball games by posting comments on PEx. Thousands of students and alumni from UAAP member schools visited the site and created discussions revolving around the UAAP games.

PEx reached the 2,000 member mark before the turn of the century. This was at a time when the Philippine internet penetration was less than 2%.

Today, PEx has over 1.5M monthly users and has evolved to become an online forum where users from all over the world can connect and converse on a wide variety of topics.

iOS 16.4 and iPadOS 16.4 now available with new Emoji, Safari Web Push Notifications, Beta Changes, etc.

Apple just released the iOS 16.4 and iPadOS 16.4, the update is available to all users of iPhone 8 and later, iPad Pro (all models), iPad Air 3rd generation and later, iPad 5th generation and later, and iPad mini 5th generation and later models.

Aside from the usual “feature enhancements and bug fixes” the iOS 16.4 will include 21 New Emoji, Safari Web Push Notifications, Beta Changes, Voice Isolation for Calls and more.

You can read Apple’s full notes for the update are below:

This update includes the following enhancements and bug fixes:

– 21 new emoji including animals, hand gestures, and objects are now available in emoji keyboard
– Notifications for web apps added to the Home Screen
– Voice Isolation for cellular calls prioritizes your voice and blocks out ambient noise around you
– Duplicates album in Photos expands support to detect duplicate photos and videos in an iCloud Shared Photo Library
– VoiceOver support for maps in the Weather app
– Accessibility setting to automatically dim video when flashes of light or strobe effects are detected
– Fixes an issue where Ask to Buy requests from children may fail to appear on the parent’s device
– Addresses issues where Matter-compatible thermostats could become unresponsive when paired to Apple Home
– Crash Detection optimizations on iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro models

If you like to dig more into the update, you can visit https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT213676.

To update your iPhone and/or iPad, just go to Settings > General > Software Update.

vivo Philippines launches 3 new V27 Series 5G smartphones

vivo Philippines has officially launch the newest members to their vivo V27 Series 5G of smartphones; the vivo V27 Pro, vivo V27 and the vivo V27e.

The vivo V27 Pro which we can consider as the high end among the three is powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 8200 Soc, while the vivo V27 is using MediaTek Dimensity 7200 and the vivo V27e is powered by MediaTek Helio G99.

As for the display; the vivo V27e have the upper hand in this category, even though its 0.16-inch smaller that the 6.78-inch AMOLED display of the V27 Pro and V27, V27e screen supports 120 Hz refresh rate, which is ideal for mobile gaming.

All three phones shares a number of components to each other and depending on your usage, we cannot boxed any of the phone into the high-end, mid or low end phones. But one thing is for sure, vivo made sure that the cameras of all three devices are top notched.

vivo V27e

The triple camera system of the V27 Pro and V27 are composed of a 50 MP OIS f/1.88 for its main camera; a 8 MP wide-angle and a 2 MP macro camera. It also features the Rear Aura Light (Portrait Mode) which detects low light environment and it automatically adds brightness for radiant, delicate complexions. vivo uses Sony IMX766V Sensor with OIS that captures more light to better and sharper images. The front camera for the two smartphones is a 50 MP with autofocus and f/2.45 aperture.

The rear camera of the vivo V27e on the other hand is composed of a 64 MP OIS f/1.79 (main), 2MP bokeh f/2.4 and a 2 MP macro f/2.4, while the front shooter is a 32 MP Fixed focus with f/2.0 aperture.

You can now order your own vivo V27e with a retail price of ₱16,999 on Shopee and online, while the vivo V27 is available for pre-order and is priced at ₱24,999. No word yet on the price and availability of vivo V27 Pro.

V27 Pro 5G Specs;

Display 6.78-inch AMOLED (FHD+) 2400 × 1080, Capacitive multi-touch
Processor MediaTek Dimensity 8200
RAM and Storage 8 GB + 128 GB
8 GB + 256 GB
12 GB + 256 GB
Operating System Funtouch OS 13 Global (based on Android 12)
Rear camera 50 MP OIS f/1.88 + 8 MP wide-angle f/2.2 + 2 MP macro f/2.4
Flash Rear flash / Rear Aura Light (Portrait Mode)
Front camera 50 MP AF  f/2.45
Connectivity Wi-Fi 2.4 GHz – 5 GHz, Bluetooth 5.2, USB type-C, GPS, OTG, NFC
Network 2 nano SIMs, Dual SIM Dual Standby (DSDS), 2G GSM/3G WCDMA/4G LTE/5G
Sensors Accelerometer, Ambient light, Proximity, E-compass, In-display fingerprint scanner, Gyroscope
Location GPS, BEIDOU, GLONASS, GALILEO, QZSS, NavIC (V27 Pro and V27 only)
Dimension 164.1 × 74.8 × 7.36 mm
Weight 182g
Battery 4600 mAh with support for 66W FlashCharge
Color Noble Black, Magic Blue
Price ***

V27 5G Specs;

Display 6.78-inch AMOLED (FHD+) 2400 × 1080, Capacitive multi-touch
Processor MediaTek Dimensity 7200
RAM and Storage 8 GB + 128 GB
8 GB + 256 GB
12 GB + 256 GB
Operating System Funtouch OS 13 Global (based on Android 12)
Rear camera 50 MP OIS f/1.88 + 8 MP wide-angle f/2.2 + 2 MP macro f/2.4
Flash Rear flash / Rear Aura Light (Portrait Mode)
Front camera 50 MP AF  f/2.45
Connectivity Wi-Fi 2.4 GHz – 5 GHz, Bluetooth 5.2, USB type-C, GPS, OTG, NFC
Network 2 nano SIMs, Dual SIM Dual Standby (DSDS), 2G GSM/3G WCDMA/4G LTE/5G
Sensors Accelerometer, Ambient light, Proximity, E-compass, In-display fingerprint scanner, Gyroscope
Location GPS, BEIDOU, GLONASS, GALILEO, QZSS, NavIC (V27 Pro and V27 only)
Dimension 164.1 × 74.8 × 7.36 mm
Weight 180g
Battery 4600 mAh with support for 66W FlashCharge
Color Noble Black, Magic Blue, Flowing Gold, Emerald Green
Price ₱24,999.00

V27e 5G Specs;

Display 6.62-inch AMOLED (FHD+) 2400 × 1080, Capacitive multi-touch at 120 Hzr efresh rate
Processor MediaTek Helio G99
RAM and Storage 8 GB + 128 GB
8 GB + 256 GB
12 GB + 256 GB
Operating System Funtouch OS 13 Global (based on Android 12)
Rear camera 64 MP OIS f/1.79 + 2 MP bokeh f/2.4 + 2 MP macro f/2.4
Flash Triple rear flash with single color temperature
Front camera 32 MP FF  f/2.0
Connectivity Wi-Fi 2.4 GHz – 5 GHz, Bluetooth 5.2, USB type-C, GPS, OTG, NFC
Network 2 nano SIMs, Dual SIM Dual Standby (DSDS), 2G GSM/3G WCDMA/4G LTE/5G
Sensors Accelerometer, Ambient light, Proximity, E-compass, In-display fingerprint scanner, Gyroscope
Location GPS, BEIDOU, GLONASS, GALILEO, QZSS, NavIC (V27 Pro and V27 only)
Dimension 162.51 × 75.81 × 7.70 mm
Weight 185g
Battery 4600 mAh with support for 66W FlashCharge
Color Lavender Purple, Lively Green, Glory Black
Price ₱16,999

Samsung announces Galaxy A54 5G, preorder in the U.S. on March 30th

Samsung has officially announced the latest addition to the Galaxy A series, Galaxy A54 5G. The phone is a powerful, stylish and affordable smartphone that delivers a premium experience in a sleek design.

The Galaxy A54 5G features 6.4-inch FHD+ Super AMOLED Display, powered by an octa core Mediatek MT6877V chip and an 6GB Memory with 128GB Storage that is expandable up to 1 TB using the optional microSD card. As for the camera, Samsung is calling the triple rear camera a “pro-grade camera” that’s compose of a 12MP Ultra-Wide Camera, 50MP Main Camera and a 5MP Macro Camera. The front shooter is a 32MP camera a F2.2. The Samsung said that the Galaxy A54 5G is capable of capturing clear images in low light conditions, using Samsung Galaxy’s Nightography and AI features.

Galaxy A54 5G will have a 5,000mAh battery and will be available in Awesome Violet and Awesome Graphite colors, and will receive with up to four generations of OS upgrades and five years of security updates. Galaxy A54 5G will be available for preorder in the U.S. on March 30, with full retail availability for carrier versions starting April 6 for as low as $449.99. No announcement yet if the Samsung Galaxy A54 5G will be available globally.

Here are the specs of the Samsung Galaxy A54 5G;

Galaxy A54 5G
Display 6.4-inch FHD+
Super AMOLED Display
120Hz refresh rate
Vision booster
* Measured diagonally, the screen size is 6.4-inch in the full rectangle and 6.3-inch accounting for the rounded corners. The actual viewable area is less due to the rounded corners and camera hole.
Dimensions & Weight 158.2 x 76.7 x 8.2mm, 202g
Camera 12MP Ultra-Wide Camera
• F2.2, FF
50MP Main Camera
• F1.8, AF, OIS
5MP Macro Camera
• F2.4, FF
32MP Front Camera
• F2.2
AP Octa-core
Memory 6GB Memory + 128GB Storage
Expandable storage by up to 1 TB with an optional microSD card
*Actual storage capacity available is subject to preloaded software.
*Memory option may vary by market.
*MicroSD card sold separately. Availability of detailed features (such as Memory and Processor) may vary by market and carrier.
Battery 5,000mAh (typical)
*Typical value tested under third-party laboratory condition. Typical value is the estimated average value considering the deviation in battery capacity among the battery samples tested under IEC 61960 standard. Rated (minimum) capacity is 4,905mAh. Actual battery life may vary depending on network environment, usage patterns and other factors.
OS Android 13
One UI 5.1
* Availability of One UI features, apps and services may vary depending on OS version.
Security Samsung Knox