Blog

Google’s Family Link parental controls now include per-app time limits

[ad_1]

The big new feature is per app time limits. Now parents can set time limits for individuals apps on their child’s device, letting them restrict games or video apps while allowing access to educational resources or communication apps, for example.

Another feature which kids will appreciate is bonus time. Parents can use the Family Link dashboard to grant extra time for their child to finish what they’re working on or finish the level of a game, which is a way to compromise with kids who ask for the universal “just five more minutes”.

Finally, Family Link is now more easily accessible. It can be found in device settings in Android 10, under “Digital wellbeing and parental controls”.

[ad_2]

Source link

BBC’s smart keyboard helps kids live healthy digital lives

[ad_1]

The app uses machine learning and can recognize when, for instance, a child is typing personal details. It will remind them to think twice about whether it’s safe to share. Or, if a child is typing a message that will upset the recipient, the app will ask if they really want to send it. Own It comes with a diary that lets kids record how they’re feeling and why, and it has features to limit screen time and promote general digital wellbeing. While the app will encourage users to have open, honest conversations with parents and trusted adults, it will not provide reports or feedback to parents.

The app was developed with input and support from The Duke of Cambridge’s Cyberbullying Taskforce, and it’s been in development since 2018. It’s available today, though unfortunately, you’ll have to be in the UK to access it.

[ad_2]

Source link

Xfinity internet-only customers now get the Flex streaming platform for free

[ad_1]

The service comes with access to popular apps like Netflix, Amazon Prime, YouTube and HBO, plus music streaming from Amazon Music, Pandora and iHeartRadio. Comcast recently added NBC Sports Gold packages, and since the service is relatively new, we’ll likely continue to see additions like this.

Xfinity Flex is a lot like Roku, Apple TV or Fire TV, but there’s no up-front cost for the streaming device, which also comes with a voice remote. That might appeal to new cord cutters who aren’t as experienced with managing their own internet TV experiences and are more comfortable with longstanding services like Comcast. For Comcast, providing Xfinity Flex to all of its internet-only customers boosts its subscription numbers, and it’s likely hoping that internet-only customers will like Xfinity Flex so much that they’ll upgrade to Xfinity TV on X1, which, conveniently, they can do from the Xfinity Flex guide.

[ad_2]

Source link

BioWare hopes to fix ‘Anthem’ by swapping acts for seasonal updates

[ad_1]

The previously announced “Acts” are being ditched in favour of seasonal updates, BioWare‘s Chad Robertson says in a new blog post. This will give the team the opportunity to give the game’s “core issues” a more thorough review, rather than a quick fix. “These events will deliver challenges and chases similar to what you’ve seen, and are built around some fun themes we’re bringing to the game,” he says.

Given the less-than-stellar press Anthem has had it seems unlikely that these changes — and indeed any others — will do a huge amount to bring new players on board, but for those that bought the game in the first place, they might be enough to entice them back. To BioWare’s credit, the company has been candid and transparent about the situation, and does seem determined to (eventually) deliver the gameplay fans had been hoping for.

[ad_2]

Source link

Starbucks Japan wants customers to pay for coffee with pens

[ad_1]

Starbucks Touch: The Pen — that’s the item’s official name — joins the other products in the line, including a small NFC-enabled purse called “The Hug” and a phone case. It’s coming out in Japan on September 25th and will set buyers back 4,000 yen (around US$40), which comes with a 1,000 yen consumable load. Kinda pricey when customers can always just pay with a card or a phone, but we imagine that the people getting Starbucks Touch products aren’t just buying them for their NFC capabilities.

[ad_2]

Source link

Huge leak spoils Huawei’s Mate 30 event

[ad_1]

Huawei Watch GT 2

According to Android Headlines, the Huawei Watch GT 2 will come in four color styles and two sizes: 42mm with a 1.2-inch AMOLED display, and 46mm with a 1.39-inch AMOLED display. It appears that the smaller version doesn’t come with a mic, which suggests no LTE either — perhaps this is intended to be a more entry-level device?

Huawei Fitness Tracker

A new fitness tracker appears to be on the cards, although leaked details here are sparse. Last year’s Huawei event saw the Band 3 Pro and original Watch GT unveiled, so it’s likely to be an upgrade on that. Also on the agenda is a new TV, although again, Android Headlines hasn’t found much on this product, either. It does appear to mimic the Pro version of the Honor Vision TV, though, so it could well come with a pop-up camera, plus it appears to include a new sound bar, so we can probably expect improved audio.

Huawei TV

Finally, it seems that there will be tablets on show at the event. Huawei revealed the MediaPad M6 in June with limited availability, so it seems likely the event will see the announcement of wider, global availability. It’s not unusual for products to leak before an event, of course, but it’s rare for an entire product line up to drop ahead of time. If this information is correct, all Huawei will have left to announce is the specs, costs and launch dates — at least that will leave ample time for questions about its ongoing struggles with the US.

[ad_2]

Source link

Preparing for Google’s Pixel 4 event

[ad_1]

Get your expense account ready, prices start at $1,549.HP Elite Dragonfly hands-on: A really light business notebook

Last year, HP launched the Spectre Folio — the first laptop made of leather. It also trotted out the first 15-inch laptop with an AMOLED screen at CES this year and battled rival Dell to be the first to deliver a gaming notebook with a 240hz display.

Now we have its Elite Dragonfly, which is the “world’s lightest 13-inch business convertible.” Despite the caveats, that’s an impressive achievement as its magnesium frame comes in at under one kilo and still packs more impressive specs than Samsung’s Galaxy Book S. It has an eighth-gen Intel Core vPro CPU and can run for up to 16.5 hours on battery. It even has a top-mounted webcam (with sliding cover) that is Windows Hello-capable. Can your Dell XPS 15 do that? No, it can’t.

Also, there’s no Taco Bell in Russia.The US is suing Edward Snowden over his memoir ‘Permanent Record’

The DOJ isn’t trying to block Edward Snowden’s new book from release, but it is trying to recover any money he might make from it. The government’s argument is that the still-in-exile former contractor violated NDAs with the CIA and NSA. In a tweet, Snowden responded that after the lawsuit became public, “the very book the government does not want you to read just became the #1 best-selling book in the world.”

All the data you can use, plus 100GB of Google One cloud storage for backups.Google Fi now offers an unlimited plan

The Fi Unlimited plan offers unlimited calls (including some international calls), texts and data for multiple members of your family. The plan covers free calls from the US to 50 countries, as well as free data and SMS messages when you are traveling in 200 destinations. It’s $70 for an individual line, with discounts available if you add more numbers.

New hardware from Nest? A new Pixel laptop?What to expect at Google’s October 15th Pixel 4 event

On October 15th in New York City, the company will officially announce the Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL, as well as a host of other Made by Google devices. So let’s take a quick look at what we know, what we think we know and what we know we don’t know.

One week after Juul started selling its products in China, they’re gone.Chinese retailers abruptly stop selling Juul e-cigarettes

Bloomberg reports that retailers in China have pulled the company’s products just one week after they became available in the country. Citing a “person familiar with the matter,” the publication says Juul wasn’t told why its e-cigarettes and nicotine pods were removed from both physical and online stores, making it unclear whether the ongoing trade war between the US and China was a factor. Last week, the Trump administration announced it may ban the sale of most flavored e-cigarettes. Two states, New York and Michigan, have already enacted their own bans.

It works with anything on your TV, including games and movies.Philips’ new Hue Play box syncs your lights with your TV

Philips Hue Play HDMI Sync Box controls your array of smart lights based on what’s playing on your TV, whether it’s a game console, a Blu-ray player or a streaming media service — whatever’s plugged into the four HDMI ports. It’s automatic and reportedly lag free, and you can even dial down the intensity.

But wait, there’s more…

The Morning After is a new daily newsletter from Engadget designed to help you fight off FOMO. Who knows what you’ll miss if you don’t Subscribe.

Craving even more? Like us on Facebook or Follow us on Twitter.

Have a suggestion on how we can improve The Morning After? Send us a note.



[ad_2]

Source link

Intrigue at the Nurburgring as Tesla unofficially beats Porsche’s fastest lap

[ad_1]

To ensure a good time, Tesla put a modified version of the Model S with “fender flares, wider wheels and tires, a rear spoiler, an expanded front grills, and seriously sticky tires,” according to Engadget’s sister site, Autoblog. That’s what was visible on the outside, and Tesla has yet to say what, if any, modifications it did to the suspension, motor, battery and other internal parts.

If Tesla put a stock version of its most powerful Model S on the Nurburgring track, it likely wouldn’t beat the Taycan Turbo’s run. The EV’s tires wouldn’t be up to the task, for one thing, and and the motor, brakes and/or battery could possibly overheat. Porsche’s Taycan Turbo, on the other hand, was reportedly a detuned version of the production Taycan Turbo S with stock summer tires.

With the modifications, the Model S managed a stellar time of 7 minutes and 23 seconds around Nurburgring, according to a very unofficial timing done by Autoblog‘s spy. Again, that beats the Taycan Turbo by 19 seconds, and when Tesla does an officially timed lap — possibly later this week — it may be able to do even better.

While this is not a production vehicle, Tesla announced that something similar may wind up in production as a “Plaid” variant of the Model S. The company first showed off this potential option at Laguna Seca, where it set a lap time record of 1 minute and 36.5 seconds.

Porsche hinted to Car and Driver that it could do better by fielding a Taycan Turbo S, which has 90 more horsepower than the Taycan Turbo in short bursts. As for Tesla, this is still a non-stock Model S, so it wouldn’t likely knock Porsche’s Taycan off its record perch no matter what time it hits at Nurburgring. Either way, it’s a canny marketing push for the upcoming Plaid model.

[ad_2]

Source link

The iPhone 11 Pro Max has 23 percent more battery capacity than the Pro

[ad_1]

That’s over 1,000 mAh bigger than the iPhone XR’s, 1,311 mAh bigger than the iPhone XS battery and almost 800 mAh larger than the iPhone XS Max’s. It’s also 859 mAh larger than the basic iPhone 11’s, which the filing says has a 3,110 mAh battery and 4GB of RAM. Meanwhile, the iPhone 11 Pro comes with the same amount of RAM and a 3,046 mAh battery. That explains why Apple claims that the Pro Max model can last up to 5 hours longer than the iPhone XS Max, while the Pro model can last up to 4 hours longer than the iPhone XS.

We’ll find out for sure when teardown reports from websites like iFixit come out, but we can confirm that the new phones have fantastic battery life. During our tests, we found that the iPhone 11 Pro lasted 12 hours on a single charge, while the larger Pro Max would mostly last between 13 and 14 hours. The XS, on the other hand, lasted 9 to 9.5 hours on a single charge when we tested it last year.

[ad_2]

Source link

Pinterest’s latest Lens update makes it easier to buy items in your photos

[ad_1]

Basically, users can snap a photo or upload a screenshot on the Pinterest app, and its Lens feature will identify similar products they can buy online. Google last year unveiled something similar for its own Lens feature.

Pinterest

The site says that its updated Lens feature can identify 2.5 billion objects across home and fashion pins. “Now, when you use Lens within a fashion or home Pin to hone in on a specific product or object, you’ll see shoppable Product Pins (Pins with the current price and a direct link to checkout on the retailer’s site) along with visually similar ideas to try or buy,” wrote Pinterest on its blog.

In the case of Pinterest — which most users already use to catalog fashion and homeware finds — the addition of visual search will be an especially useful tool. Lens, which first launched back in 2017, has already become a vital feature for Pinterest’s highly-visual user base. The tool contributes to around 600 million visual searches every month on the platform. Fine-tuning the AI-based feature to make it easier for Pinterest users to shop is a surefire way to make sure they keep returning to the app.

[ad_2]

Source link