Monthly Archives: January 2024

The Morning After: Is Call of Duty losing its grip on gamers?

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A Call of Duty game sells. That’s what it does. And it usually tops the sales charts, almost every year since 2009. However, last year was a bit different: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III landed in second place.

To convey the gravitational pull of CoD, when Microsoft was fighting to buy Activision Blizzard – makers of the game series — the Xbox maker had to make concessions and ensure the games would come to PlayStation and other platforms to make the purchase happen.

This time around, however, Hogwarts Legacy — a game not without its own controversies — beat it to the top spot. It did benefit from being the only Harry Potter game in a decade. In that time, there have been 11 Call of Duty releases. Headlines aside, the series will be fine. Another thing worth noting: 2022’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II still took the number seven spot.

— Mat Smith

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Instagram will start telling night owl teens to close the app and go to sleep

Younger users won’t be able to turn off the Nighttime Nudges.

Instagram’s latest mindfulness feature targets teens. When a younger user scrolls for more than 10 minutes in Reels or their DMs, the app will suggest they close the app and get to bed. Nighttime Nudges will automatically appear on teen accounts, and it won’t be possible to switch them off. Instagram didn’t specify whether the feature will be for all teenagers or just under 18s.

Could we get it for us over 18s too?

Continue reading.

Apple’s Vision Pro won’t have access to YouTube and Spotify apps at launch

Users will have to access them from a browser.

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Engadget

According to Bloomberg, Google’s YouTube and Spotify don’t have any plans to develop an application for Apple’s Vision Pro, at the moment. YouTube won’t make its iPad app available for download on the headset, either. For these apps — including Netflix — users will have to watch things through the web browser. In most cases, this will mean losing the ability to watch or listen to content offline. According to MacStories, Meta’s Instagram and Facebook might also be missing from the Vision Pro’s app store. Companies might be waiting to see whether it’s worth dedicating resources for the $3,500 headset — the Apple Watch took time to generate its own app library.

Continue reading.

The Rabbit R1 will offer up-to-date answers powered by Perplexity’s AI

No, I haven’t heard of Perplexity either.

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Rabbit

The Rabbit R1 launch left many questions unanswered, with some of us wary of it being the vaporware candidate from this year’s CES. Now, Rabbit has revealed which LLM (large language model) will power the device’s interaction: Perplexity. Fortunately, you won’t need to pay for a subscription. The first 100,000 R1 buyers will receive a year of Perplexity Pro, for free. This advanced service adds file upload support, a daily quota of over 300 complex queries. Perplexity is a San Francisco-based startup with investment from NVIDIA and Jeff Bezos.

Continue reading.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-is-call-of-duty-losing-its-grip-on-gamers-121526020.html?src=rss

Samsung Galaxy S24 vs S24 Plus vs S24 Ultra (Video)

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Samsung Galaxy S24

The new Samsung Galaxy S24 range of smartphones launched this week, there are three models in the range, the Galaxy S24, Galaxy S24 Plus and the Galaxy S24 Ultra, and now we get to find out more details about the three new handsets in a video from Tech Spurt. Samsung has raised the bar in […]

The post Samsung Galaxy S24 vs S24 Plus vs S24 Ultra (Video) appeared first on Geeky Gadgets.

Bentley Bespoke cars increase significantly in 2023

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Bentley Bespoke

Bentley has revealed that Bentley Bespoke models, which are customized based on exactly what their customers want have risen significantly in 2023, the luxury car maker increased sales of Bespoke models by 43 percent last year. There were a total of 13,560 Bentley car delivered last year, which was down slightly from the previous year, […]

The post Bentley Bespoke cars increase significantly in 2023 appeared first on Geeky Gadgets.

SMEG baby monitor concept shows off a cute, retro aesthetic

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Whenever I pass by the appliance sections of department stores, I am always drawn to the SMEG display, even though I know I will probably not be able to afford any of their stuff. I like the retro aesthetics of the brand that they are able to bring to all their kitchen appliances. I also have no need (and never will) for a baby monitor but this project that imagines what a SMEG baby monitor would look like is still pretty interesting.

Designer: Priyanshu Maiti

The designer studied the design aesthetics and applied it to this project that asked them to create a concept for a baby monitor. The target market is Western and European parents and caretakers belonging to the upper middle class, which is basically SMEG’s market for their kitchen appliances. In keeping with the retro theme, what he came up would fit right in with the other products in their line since his inspiration was their other appliances anyway like the mixer and coffee maker.

The final render shows a baby monitor with a sophisticated but simple and playful look. The design looks like a toy rocket with pastel colors which will make it attractive to kids even though they’re not the target audience for this. When it comes to the features, it has the usual ones that you would need from a baby monitor like the camera, charging port, SD card slot, control buttons. They didn’t really expound much on the features since this is more for the design and aesthetics of the product.

As I said, I really don’t need a baby monitor. But this would be useful for those who need something aesthetic and at the same time something that would help keep their mind at ease when it comes to their children’s safety. Well, at least, we have an idea of what it will look like if ever SMEG does venture into products outside of their kitchen appliances.

The post SMEG baby monitor concept shows off a cute, retro aesthetic first appeared on Yanko Design.

Xbox Developer Direct 2024 Xbox Series X|S, PC and Game Pass games showcase

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Xbox Developer Direct 2024

The gaming world was abuzz with excitement as the Xbox Developer_Direct 2024 event unfolded, showcasing the latest advancements set to enhance the Xbox gaming experience. As a gamer, you might have been on the edge of your seat, eager to discover what’s next for your favorite console. The event did not disappoint, offering a glimpse […]

The post Xbox Developer Direct 2024 Xbox Series X|S, PC and Game Pass games showcase appeared first on Geeky Gadgets.

Another look at watchOS 10.3 (Video)

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watchOS 10.3

Apple released watchOS 10.3 Release Candidate this week, the final version of the software is coming next week along with iOS 17.3, iPadOS 17.3, and macOS Sonoma 14.3, and now we get to find out more details about the latest version of Apple’s watchOS. The video below from Zollotech gives us a look at the […]

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10 ChatGPT custom GPTs from the GPT Store worth checking out

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custom GPTs from the ChatGPT GPT Store

In the fast-paced world of technology especially with the explosion of artificial intelligence (AI)  over the last 12 months, staying ahead of the curve is crucial for anyone looking to enhance their productivity and creativity. With the advent of Generative Pre-trained Transformers, commonly known as GPTs, professionals across various industries are finding innovative ways to […]

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X introduces audio and video calls for Android users

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X (formerly Twitter) rolled out audio and video calling for iOS users back in October 2023. Now, the feature is coming to Android, with an engineer at X, @enriquebrgn, sharing the news in a post: "Audio and video calls on X slowly rolling out for Android users today! Update your app and call your mother." 

Linda Yaccarino, X's CEO, first announced video chat on the platform last August as part of her and owner Elon Musk's plan to create an "everything" app. Of course, the perks that come along with their grand plan, including placing audio and video calls, are primarily available only to premium subscribers. However, any users can receive calls, whether or not they help fund Musk's dreams (which will cost you $8 per month or $84 annually). 

If WhatsApp, Zoom, Teams and more are enough for you, it's easy to turn calls off on X. Go into settings and click privacy and safety, then direct messages. There, you'll see an option that says enable audio and video calling, which you can make sure is switched off. Alternatively, you can control who can call you on X. Limits include people in your address book, verified users and people you follow. These restrictions can be helpful to avoid unwanted calls, as the person on the other end of the line doesn't need your phone number to contact you. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/x-introduces-audio-and-video-calls-for-android-users-104015500.html?src=rss

X introduces audio and video calls for Android users

Posted on by

X (formerly Twitter) rolled out audio and video calling for iOS users back in October 2023. Now, the feature is coming to Android, with an engineer at X, @enriquebrgn, sharing the news in a post: "Audio and video calls on X slowly rolling out for Android users today! Update your app and call your mother." 

Linda Yaccarino, X's CEO, first announced video chat on the platform last August as part of her and owner Elon Musk's plan to create an "everything" app. Of course, the perks that come along with their grand plan, including placing audio and video calls, are primarily available only to premium subscribers. However, any users can receive calls, whether or not they help fund Musk's dreams (which will cost you $8 per month or $84 annually). 

If WhatsApp, Zoom, Teams and more are enough for you, it's easy to turn calls off on X. Go into settings and click privacy and safety, then direct messages. There, you'll see an option that says enable audio and video calling, which you can make sure is switched off. Alternatively, you can control who can call you on X. Limits include people in your address book, verified users and people you follow. These restrictions can be helpful to avoid unwanted calls, as the person on the other end of the line doesn't need your phone number to contact you. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/x-introduces-audio-and-video-calls-for-android-users-104015500.html?src=rss

Raspberry Pi 5 vs N100 PC performance comparison running Ubuntu 23.10

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Raspberry Pi 5 vs N100 PC

When it comes to selecting a compact computer, the market offers a variety of options, each with its own set of strengths. Among these, the Raspberry Pi 5 and the N100 PC stand out as two notable choices. These systems are designed to cater to different user needs, and understanding their capabilities is crucial for […]

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