Blog

macOS Big Sur preview: five things you should know before installing

[ad_1]

I generally find these changes pleasing enough, though obviously that’s a matter of personal taste. What’s been most jarring to me is probably that toolbar buttons are now just floating symbols, like you might find in iOS. There’s no “border” showing where to click, though when you hover your mouse over there’s a gray shadow showing what is selected. Most importantly, these visual changes don’t change the fundamental Mac experience.

Control Center is great, but Notification Center needs work

macOS Big Sur Control Center

Apple

That said, Control Center represents a fairly significant change in how you manage your Mac. Like its iOS counterpart, Control Center on macOS groups a bunch of commonly used settings (e.g., WiFi, Bluetooth, Do Not Disturb) in one place. To see everything, just click the small “sliders” icon in the menu bar, up near the clock. 

Previously, settings like Bluetooth and WiFi sat directly in the menu bar for easy access, but too many of these buttons made the menu bar feel cluttered very quickly. Now, you can pick items you want one-click access to and place them in the menu bar; the rest you can find in Control Center. This means that I only see what I want to see (like battery life and the clock), while settings I don’t adjust often (like WiFi and Bluetooth) remain hidden but still easily accessible.

Apple macOS Big Sur

Apple

Notification Center still sits in a pane that slides out from the right side of the screen, but now it’s one space for widgets and notifications. At first, it seemed like both things would get shortchanged. But if you have a lot of notifications to dig through, you can just hit the “show more” button and go through everything. The rest of the time, widgets are more accessible than they were before. As in iOS 14, Apple’s first-party widgets now come in multiple sizes too. No third-party widgets are enabled in the Big Sur beta (at least as of this writing), but I’m looking forward to seeing how other apps take advantage of the much-improved widget system.

Unfortunately, notifications themselves need some polish. That’s mostly because it’s not always obvious how to clear them. On some notifications, you can hover over them and get an X to remove them, but it’s buggy. Sometimes the X appears and disappears at random as you mouse over it, and sometimes it doesn’t show up at all. These are the kinds of bugs that’ll probably be ironed out before launch, but right now they’re a bit frustrating. 

Safari’s details on tracking protection are interesting, but not actionable

macOS Big Sur Safari Privacy Center

Apple

As usual, Apple is promising a variety of performance improvements and new features for Safari. I can’t quite judge yet if it’s as fast as they say, or if the battery life improvements are real. But one thing that I do very much appreciate is Privacy Report. Next to the URL bar is a small shield symbol that you can click to find out what web-browsing trackers Safari detected on the page. Safari has had built-in tracking protection for a few years now, but that info is a lot more visible now. 

The privacy-tracking drop-down can be expanded into a full view of everything tracker-related that Safari is blocking. It shows how many trackers it blocked in the last 30 days, the percentage of sites you visit using trackers, what the most contacted tracker is, and then the trackers on every site you’ve visited. It’s more information than most people probably need, but the transparency is pretty great, especially when this information is otherwise so hard to find. On the other hand, it isn’t terribly actionable information, it just pulls provides more granular information on what Safari does to protect your privacy online.

Messages should finally be on par with the iOS app, but it’s hard to tell just yet

Messages has become one of Apple’s killer apps and one of the best reasons for having multiple devices in Apple’s ecosystem. As such, Messages is probably one of the most important apps on the Mac for a lot of people, but it’s been lagging a bit behind its iOS counterpart for years. Between Big Sur and iOS 14, Messages is getting a handful of nice upgrades that should put the Mac and iOS versions at feature parity again. 

macOS Big Sur Messages app

Apple

That means that you’ll be able to send messages with effects like confetti and balloons, and you’ll have access to Memoji stickers and one-click GIF searches too. More useful are things like the ability to pin conversations to the top of the app, improved search, inline replies, and mentions. Unfortunately, a few of the most useful things like replies and mentions I haven’t been able to really test, because there aren’t many people I know out there running beta software to exchange messages with.  But there’s little doubt that the messaging situation on the Mac is getting better this year — pinned conversations, message reactions and easy GIF searches have already made using Messages on Big Sur better. 

[ad_2]

Source link

Samsung’s Galaxy Fit is 50 percent off at Best Buy

[ad_1]

The Galaxy Fit was a good bargain at $100, so it’s an even better fitness device now if you’re on a strict budget. It works on Android and iOS and it has Samsung’s colorful Tizen interface that’s easy to use. The display may be smaller than those on the Galaxy Watches, but that’s what you get with a band design. And the construction of the Galaxy Fit is a good one — the touchscreen is responsive, the entire thing is swim-proof and you can swap bands out as you please.

As most fitness trackers do, the Galaxy Fit monitors daily activity, including steps and workouts, in addition to heart rate, sleep and stress levels. It also has some auto-tracking capabilities, recognizing when you’re moving or starting a workout and monitoring accordingly. You’ll also receive smartphone alerts on the band and you can choose to install widgets that let you track things like nutrition more easily.

Based on what we know about the Galaxy Fit 2 right now, the biggest difference between it and this fitness tracker is battery life. While the Galaxy Fit lasts up to one week on a single charge, Samsung improved the Fit 2’s battery life to at least 15 days — and you can even extend it to up to 21 days if you change certain settings. Extra battery life is great, but you can expect the Fit 2 to cost at least $100 when it eventually comes out. If you can live without those improvements, the Galaxy Fit is a great fitness tracker that’s even more compelling at this $50 sale price.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.



[ad_2]

Source link

Podcast: Galaxy Z Fold 2, NVIDIA RTX 3000 and Intel’s 11th-gen CPUs

[ad_1]

As if Samsung unveiling the Z Fold 2 plus an NVIDIA event weren’t enough to keep us busy this week, we also got a slew of news from companies all over the consumer electronics industry thanks to IFA 2020. Cherlynn and Devindra are joined by senior mobile editor Chris Velazco to discuss his impressions of the Galaxy Z Fold 2 after spending a day and a half with it. Then, our hosts geek out over NVIDIA and Intel’s latest processors, before blazing through the plethora of IFA news from companies like TCL, Qualcomm, Lenovo and Samsung (again).

Listen below, or subscribe on your podcast app of choice. If you’ve got suggestions or topics you’d like covered on the show, be sure to email us or drop a note in the comments! And be sure to check out our other podcasts, the Morning After and Engadget News!

[ad_2]

Source link

Rocket Lab secretly launched its own satellite that may one day go to the Moon

[ad_1]

Normally, once the Kick Stage does its job, Rocket Lab de-orbits it to burn up in the atmosphere. However, this time it sent a command that switched it into Photon satellite mode to continue on a standalone mission called “First Light.” Intended as a demonstration, it’s equipped with solar panels and a camera that can snap images of itself and the Earth.

Eventually, customers will be able to choose a “launch-plus-spacecraft” mission with the Electron Rocket and Photon satellite, which “eliminate[s] the complexity, risk and delays associated with having to build their own satellite hardware and procure a separate launch,” said Rocket Lab CEO Peter Beck in a statement.

During a press conference, Beck said that the company launched Photon in secret to “make sure it’s all good and it works before announcing it.” Rocket Lab said that a high-energy version of Photon will eventually fly “lunar and interplanetary missions,” including NASA’s Capstone mission in early 2021. In that mission, Photon will fly as a “pathfinder” that will help the Artemis program’s Gateway spacecraft safely approach the Moon.

[ad_2]

Source link

Engadget The Morning After | Engadget

[ad_1]

Super Mario Bros. 35

Like the Tetris 99 battle royale game from last year, Super Mario Bros. 35 is free if you have a subscription to Nintendo’s Switch Online service. It launches October 1st and will run until March next year. 

— Mat

NVIDIA shows off ‘Doom Eternal’ running on the GeForce RTX 3080

It’s one of our earliest looks at the new GPU in action.

Doom Eternal RTX demo

It’s a tradition of sorts. Fancy new NVIDIA tech meets the latest (or older) version of Doom. This time around, to showcase its latest tech, the company released a gameplay video of Doom Eternal running on the new GeForce RTX 3080, which includes side-by-side comparisons with the 2080 Ti (a souped-up version of the 2080). There’s an fps counter in the top right corner all the way through, and it rarely dips below 100 fps despite all the gnarly, fast-paced action and all the graphical flourishes. The new GPU lands in a few weeks.
Continue reading.

Amazon’s new Blink cameras can run for up to four years

Well, as long as you splurge on the extended battery packs.

Blink cameras

While most of us are holed-up at home for longer, let’s stay secure. That’s Amazon’s pitch, again, for its latest security cameras. It’s revealed a pair of new Blink cameras: the $80 Blink Indoor and the $100 Blink Outdoor. The latter is the hardier of the two models — water-resistant and rated to work in environments as cold as -4°F and as toasty as 113°F. Both offer a 1080p stream of everything happening within a 110° field of view. 

Both the Indoor and Outdoor run on two AA batteries, which Amazon says is enough to power them for a full two years. For this year, and if you’re really not interested in replacing batteries so very often, Amazon will start selling an extended battery pack for Blink cameras that can house four AA batteries instead of the usual two.
Continue reading.

Sponsored by StackCommerce

StackCommerce

Google Maps is improving travel ETAs with DeepMind AI

Now it can predict traffic jams before they start.

Google Maps AI processing

Still using Google Maps? Whenever you have somewhere to go, you’ll be happy to know that it’s touting a 50 percent increase in ETA accuracy for many areas, thanks to the application of machine learning tech. Specifically, it’s using DeepMind AI, most famously used to master the game of Go. Google has also adjusted its approach to traffic predictions in the COVID-19 era, by prioritizing historical traffic patterns from the last two to four weeks and deprioritizing older patterns.
Continue reading.

If ‘Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 and 2’ is a feast, local multiplayer is dessert

The remastered games ‘look 1,000 times better’ now.

Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 1 + 2

Two decades later, the first two Tony Hawk games are back and available on a console or PC near you, in lovingly remastered form. The only problem: Your thumbstick skills from 1999 have not been similarly preserved. Still, if you have a partner to play with, Jessica Conditt explains you may have a future in failing together while you re-learn the game’s tricks.
Continue reading.

Apple pushes iOS 14’s updated ad anti-tracking feature to 2021

Facebook is already warning those in its ad network about the change.

App Privacy

With iOS 14 and iPadOS 14, apps will need to ask for permission before collecting your phone or tablet’s unique Identification for Advertisers device code. This identifier, also known as IDFA, is one way advertisers can, for example, find out that you’ve installed an app through a Facebook ad. It was intended to take effect at the same time iOS 14 launches, but in a message to developers, Apple said it won’t kick in until next year, to give them more time for preparation.
Continue reading.

But wait, there’s more…

TCL’s new paper-like display can also play videos

Windows 10 test adds GIF search to the built-in keyboard

Tell us what you think of your classic Nokia 3310

Vava 4K short-throw projector review: Home theater on a relative budget

SpaceX sends its Starship on a second 150m test flight

Ford’s electric Mustang dragster covers a quarter-mile in 8.27 seconds

DOJ may present its antitrust case against Google later this month

Alphabet’s Loon balloons are helping scientists study gravity waves

[ad_2]

Source link

Honor says its new rugged smartwatch has a 25-day battery life

[ad_1]

For me, the biggest plus maybe the GS Pro’s claimed battery life, which is 25 days in normal mode, with 48 hours using GPS. You’ll get 100 hours in “outdoor workout mode” and the battery takes just two hours to charge. That’s the sort of battery life that, unless you already own a Garmin, will make you go weak at the knees. 

Naturally, the watch comes with a number of modes designed to support outdoorsy exercise types. That includes hiking, biking, mountain climbing and running, as well as a snowsports mode to help you track how you’re doing on the powder. Honor also said that the watch will keep a GPS breadcrumb trail on the watch to help you retrace your steps should you get lost. 

The watch offers 24/7 heart-rate tracking which, again, makes that battery life claim look even more impressive. There’s also a built-in SpO2 monitor for blood oxygenation monitoring as well as sleep and stress monitoring, not to mention live coaching for when you’re running. Rounding out the package is storage space for around 500 songs, automatic weather updates and the ability to use the watch as a remote trigger for your (compatible) smartphone’s camera.

Honor Watch ES

Honor

At the same time, the company revealed the Honor Watch ES, which aims to split the difference between a fitness tracker and a smartwatch. It packs a 1.64-inch, 456 x 280 (326 ppi) always-on AMOLED display and is designed to be a personal trainer on your wrist. Despite the battery-taxing screen, Honor claims that the ES will last for up to 10 days on a charge, which if true is very impressive.

At first blush, I’m instantly reminded of 2017-era fitness bands that tried to add on full-size AMOLED screens into that vertical body. You might recall the Samsung Gear Fit 2 Pro and Polar’s A370, where everything was crammed into a rectangle that sat across your wrist. It’s a lot lighter and thinner than those units, though, weighing just 21 grams without the strap and 10.7mm thick. 

Features include animated workout coaching designed to help you take advantage of “time fragments.” These are, according to Honor, bursts of three minutes while you wait for meetings to start or buses to arrive, into which you can cram in a super-short workout. The device has 44 individual animations to teach you proper form, as well as 95 different workout modes covering everything from running to open-water swimming. Plus, if you begin running, walking, rowing or using the elliptical, the watch will automatically recognize what you’re doing. 

As well as the usual activity tracking, the Watch ES offers 24/7 heart-rate and blood oxygenation tracking paired with stress and sleep monitoring. It’ll also offer menstrual cycle tracking, albeit only for people who use an Android phone with their new timepiece. 

The Honor Watch GS Pro is available in three colors: Black, White and Camo Blue, while the Watch ES ships in Black, Pink and White. The devices will be available in Europe on September 7th, with the GS Pro priced at €250 and the Watch ES setting you back €100.

[ad_2]

Source link

Mustang Mach E pre-delivery app lets you set up the car before it arrives

[ad_1]

Ford has unveiled a new app feature for its upcoming Mustang Mach-E that will save you the hassle of setting up navigation, climate control, charging stations and other personal settings once it’s delivered. “Remote Vehicle Setup,” will instead let you pre-configure vehicle settings from home and save them in the cloud, then apply them once the car arrives.

According to a video supplied by Ford, you first enter the FordPass app and create a profile with your address. From there, it finds charging stations nearby and lets you select them from a map, or you can program one manually if it doesn’t appear. Then you can set times and days that you usually depart, program your ideal cabin temperature (cool, medium or warm) and select the type of drive performance (“engage,” “unbridled” or “whisper”).

[ad_2]

Source link

SpaceX sends its Starship on a second 150m test flight

[ad_1]

About a month ago, SpaceX pulled off a first hop test for one of its Starship prototypes, and now it has repeated the feat. SN6 looks a lot like its predecessor SN5, with both missing a nose cone and fins, which makes them resemble a rocket-powered silo rising about 500 feet above the ground. In a tweet Elon Musk — who called a previous prototype a flying water tower — tweeted “Turns out you can make anything fly haha.”

Video of the event in Boca Chica, TX has been captured both by outside observers and SpaceX itself, which also provides some camera angles captured from the vehicle itself. After some short hops, Musk has said the next step will be to apply the missing flaps and attempt high altitude tests. The plan is for its Starship to eventually be capable of multiple flights in a day, possibly launching from spaceports at sea, but we’re not quite there yet.



[ad_2]

Source link

A new NHTSA tool will show you where self-driving cars are in testing

[ad_1]

You can now see ongoing driverless testing programs across the US, thanks to a new tool from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The agency has launched the public-facing platform as part of its Automated Vehicle Transparency and Engagement for Safe Testing Initiative, which aims to improve transparency in the self-driving industry. If you’ll recall, the NHTSA unveiled the initiative back in June, shortly after the Partners for Automated Vehicle Education (PAVE) published a study that says most Americans still don’t trust automated vehicle technologies.

PAVE surveyed 1,200 people, and 48 percent of them said they would never get into a self-driving taxi. A total of 20 percent think the technology will never be safe. NHTSA promised to share information from partner states and companies, including Uber and Waymo, as well as from the government as part of the initiative. This particular tool, Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao said, “gives the public online access to data about the on-road testing of automated driving systems so the public can understand more about” them.

[ad_2]

Source link

Ford’s electric Mustang dragster covers a quarter-mile in 8.27 seconds

[ad_1]

Just the other day we saw Lucid Motors put its EV on the drag strip, and now Ford has released video of its purpose-built electric Mustang. It claims that the Mustang Cobra Jet 1400 prototype raced down the quarter-mile in just 8.27 seconds at 168 miles per hour. The company plans to run the car in public this weekend at the U.S. Nationals, going head to head in a demo against a gas-powered Mustang Cobra Jet.

According to Ford Performance Motorsports global director Mark Rushbrook, “Since revealing the car, we’ve continued to fine-tune it and now know we’re just scratching the surface of what we may be able to achieve with this much electric horsepower in a drag racing setting.” In a statement, the team claimed this Mustang hit a peak 1,502HP at the wheels during private testing.

[ad_2]

Source link