Google is adding four new Assistant features, aiming to streamline how its AI interacts with the smart home, helps with takeout orders, and even helps hunt down a lost device. A new “Hey Google, find my phone” feature works with all Nest smart speakers and smart displays – including the most recent Nest Hub 2nd Generation – to track iPhones and Android devices. After giving the command, you should hear the phone make a custom ringing sound. That’s even if you’ve got silent or Do Not Disturb mode enabled on the device, Google says. If you’re an Android user you’ll…
Author: Miley Selena
TCL plans to launch a commercial flexible smartphone this year, but until then it’s unveiled an even more unusual concept, with the TCL Fold ‘n’ Roll combining both folding and rolling mechanisms. Tapping the company’s own CSOT flexible OLED panel business and its homegrown hinge design, the Fold ‘n’ Roll does basically just what the name suggests: morphs from a regular smartphone form-factor to a 10-inch tablet. It’s certainly the most outlandish of the concepts TCL has produced, though the company hasn’t exactly been shy about discussing its flexible device efforts. Back in early 2020 it revealed a handful from…
Amazon today announced the second-generation Echo Buds, keeping much of the functionality from its predecessor while giving the Buds themselves a new design. While the new Echo Buds feature similar functionality to the old ones, that doesn’t mean there aren’t any new features. For instance, Amazon says that these new Echo Buds will offer improved call quality thanks to some souped-up microphones, while the earbuds should offer a better fit with more charging options. The marquee features of the originals – Active Noise Cancellation and baked-in Alexa support – are returning for this installment, though, just as one might expect.…
Sony unveiled a trio of new smartphones today, and one of the offerings is the Xperia 5 III. It’s almost identical in features to the Sony Xperia 1 III that we mentioned earlier this morning. One of the smartphone’s big highlight features is the variable telephoto lens paired with a dual PD sensor. The smartphone offers object tracking in photography mode. The smartphone has multiple camera modes, including an easy-to-use Basic Mode. It has a 6.1-inch CinemaWide HDR OLED with a 120 Hz refresh rate display. Sony fits the smartphone with 360 Spatial Sound that converts stereo tracks in real-time.…
Sony has revealed its latest Android flagship smartphone, and the Sony Xperia 1 III 5G continues the company’s push to make photography its biggest selling point. Tapping features previously only offered on Sony Alpha cameras, along with a 6.5-inch 120Hz 4K OLED 21:9 display, the Xperia 1 III also introduces the world’s first variable optical telephoto lens. It’s something Sony is particularly proud of, not to mention keen to distinguish between other periscope lenses we’ve already seen on high-end smartphones. In the case of the Xperia 1 III, the 12-megapixel Exmor RS for Mobile sensor can switch between 70mm and…
Facebook and Oculus are investing heavily in the Quest 2 VR system, pushing it as the pinnacle of the Oculus’ efforts and replacing all previous headsets, both standalone and PC-tethered like the discontinued Oculus Rift S. Its launch may have been tainted by some controversy over Facebook’s new requirements but, on a technical point of view, the Quest 2 is admittedly on the road to truly becoming the one headset to rule them all, especially with version 28 of the Oculus Quest system software that opens it up to new ways of enjoying VR worlds. While it can be used…
Budget smart home company Wyze has announced an expanded partnership with Noonlight that offers its customers 24/7 monitoring services. The new option, which comes with a small monthly fee, combines the DIY nature of Wyze’s smart home devices with Noonlight’s monitoring service, making the overall system a bit more useful for security-minded users. You may be aware of Noonlight’s mobile app that offers users safety features for when they’re out on the town, including the ability to get help if you feel like you’re in danger. The company also works to facilitate security monitoring for some IoT products, Wyze being…
Old-school webcams don’t cut it when you’re working from home in a job that requires frequent face-to-face communications. The latest company to get in on the smart webcam market is Anker with its newly announced AnkerWork-brand PowerConfC300 AI webcam and PowerConfS500 portable conference speaker. Among other things, users can expect smart video framing and three different FOV options. The AnkerWork PowerConf C300 webcam features a 1080p resolution that, the company claims, offers ‘unparalleled’ performance in low-light environments. The product’s key feature is its integrated AI chipset, enabling the camera to automatically frame the subject in the center of the screen…
Facebook’s New Product Experimentation (NPE) Team has quietly launched a new app for testing. Sparked, as it’s called, is a video-based speed-dating app for Facebook users, connecting strangers who get a few minutes to chat with each other before deciding to move on or continue their talk for a bit longer. You’ll need a Facebook account to use the service, though. The NPE Team’s new product can be found on the Sparked App website, where users must use their Facebook account to get access to the platform. The app is styled after old-school speed-dating services, though one you can do…
WhatsApp has been stewing in a pot of bad PR for the past few years but it seems that things have been heating up more recently. Despite that, the messaging service still enjoys millions of users that seem to be more at risk each day as new vulnerabilities and even corporate policies keep popping up. The latest may be one of the most worrisome because it could cause any user to lose access to their account forever even with all the security measures properly in place. Because tricking users into handing over the keys to their accounts has become almost…