Latest Tech News

Android 14 QPR1 Beta 1 has arrived on Pixel devices, introducing a variety of fresh features. Chief among them is the ability to turn your smartphone into a webcam.

It’s basically the Android version of Continuity Camera for iPhone although there are some key differences, according to 9To5Google’s breakdown. Most notably, and this may disappoint some, you need to connect your phone to your computer via a USB cable.  Continuity Camera, on the other hand, works wirelessly The good news is the tech isn’t restricted to specific hardware or an operating system. Any computer “that can handle a standard webcam can use [a Pixel] as one”. 

Setting up

The report details the process of setting up the mobile device. Upon connecting your Pixel, a new “Webcam” option will appear in the USB Preferences menu. Selecting it launches a notification titled “Device as Webcam”. Tapping said notification opens an app where you can preview the video feed and make tweaks to it.

The tech does seem to work with third-party software like Zoom and Google Meet. You should see “Android Camera” pop up on those apps. Clicking that connects the Pixel to the software.

There are some important restrictions regarding this feature. Industry insider Mishaal Rahman stated on X (formerly known as Twitter) that it only works with the Pixel 6 or Pixel 7 lines. Also, you can’t use the telephoto lens on the Pixel 7 Pro. It's not supported. Interestingly, Rahman claims this functionality will not be exclusive to Google Pixel as his sources state it will be a “part of Android 14’s source code”. 

Android 14 QPR1 lets you use your Pixel 6 or Pixel 7 series device as a USB webcam for your PC, as I first reported. This feature is NOT Pixel-exclusive, however.According to my sources, it'll be part of Android 14's source code, but the DeviceAsWebcam app is not included when… https://t.co/Hl0YiaSqd0 pic.twitter.com/FTizZmypoISeptember 21, 2023

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Notable inclusions

It’s unknown when Android 14 will launch. The prevailing theory currently is the date is set for sometime in October to coincide with the release of the Pixel 8. If you’re interested in trying out the webcam tool and more, you can head on over to the Android beta program on Google’s website, check if you have an eligible device, and then sign up.

Even if you don’t own a Pixel 6 or Pixel 7 model, that’s okay because there is more to the beta. For instance, you can try out the “new lock screen clock” sporting a “Metro” style. The App Pair saving tool from earlier this year is now fully functional. Additionally, the Pixel Launcher has an “Edit Home Screen” button letting you move widgets “without having to constantly reselect stuff”. 

Keep in mind everything here is still under development. Some things may not work as intended.

The Pixel Launcher is testing a new “edit home screen” button that lets you add/remove multiple items from your home screen without having to constantly reselect stuff.(It currently doesn't work properly, though.) pic.twitter.com/xzFMQlZpuXSeptember 20, 2023

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The beta is certainly an interesting update. However, we can’t help but feel a little disappointed. It feels like Android is simply trying to catch up to iOS. If you look at the rest of the features Android 14 is slated to get, many of them are already on iPhones like full support for passkeys and satellite communication. There’s nothing wrong with these, but we were hoping for more. Something that would give Android an edge.

If you want to know what Apple has been cooking, check out TechRadar’s breakdown of the best seven features on the iPhone 15. 

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Latest Tech News

YouTube has announced a whole bunch of AI-powered tools (on top of its existing bits and pieces) that are designed to make life easier for content creators on the platform.

As The Verge spotted, at the ‘Made on YouTube’ event which just took place, one of the big AI revelations made was something called ‘Dream Screen’, an image and video generation facility for YouTube Shorts.

get ready to make your wildest content dreams come true 💫 introducing brand new AI tools from YouTube. pic.twitter.com/PYjKaFggScSeptember 21, 2023

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This lets a video creator just type in something that they’d like for a background. Such as, for example, a panda drinking a cup of coffee – given that request, the AI will take the reins and produce such a video background for the clip (or image).

This is how the process will be implemented to begin with – you prompt the AI, and it makes something for you – but eventually, creators will be able to remix content to produce something new, we’re told.

YouTube Studio is also getting an infusion of AI tools that will suggest content that could be made by individual creators, generating topic ideas for videos that might suit them, based on what’s trending with viewers interested in the kind of content that creator normally deals in.

A system of AI-powered music recommendations will also come into play to furnish audio for any given video.

---

Analysis: Grab the shovel?

Is it us, or does this sound rather scary? Okay, so content creators may find it useful and convenient to be able to drop in AI generated video or image backgrounds really quickly, and have some music layered on top, and so on.

But isn’t this going to just ensure a whole heap of bland – and perhaps homogenous – content flooding onto YouTube? That seems the obvious danger, and maybe one compounded by the broader idea of suggested content that people want to see (according to the great YouTube algorithm) being provided to creators on YouTube.

Is YouTube set to become a video platform groaning under the collective weight of content that gets quickly put together, thanks to AI tools, and shoveled out by the half-ton?

While YouTube seems highly excited about all these new AI utilities and tools, we can’t help but think it’s the beginning of the end for the video site – at least when it comes to meaningful, not generic, content.

We hope we’re wrong, but this whole brave new direction fills us with trepidation more than anything else. A tidal wave of AI-generated this, that, and the other, eclipsing everything else is clearly a prospect that should be heavily guarded against.

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Latest Tech News

There were some big announcements at Amazon's big device event 2023. Among these was the launch of not one but two new Fire TV Sticks, which Amazon is currently calling the All-new Fire TV Stick 4K and the All-new Fire TV Stick 4K Max.

The Fire TV Stick 4K Max (2nd gen), which is what we'll probably stick with calling it, is the pricier and more feature-rich version of the two. It boasts more processing speed with support for Wi-Fi 6E, has twice the amount of storage than its predecessor at 16GB, offers access to Fire TV Ambient Experience and a whole suite of high-quality formats, including Dolby Vision, HDR10+ and Dolby Atmos. 

While the Fire TV Stick 4K Max costs $59.99 / £69.99, for $10 / £10 less you can pick up the new Fire TV Stick 4K. You don't lose out on too many features, although this model does have a less speedy wireless connection with just Wi-Fi 6. We rate last year's original Fire TV Stick 4K Max as one of the best streaming devices for your TV, so while it's still too early to say how these models compare, we do have high hopes that the new features will make them a standout replacement. 

And there are some great new features that have been packed into these two streaming devices, some of which will also be available on Fire TVs as part of a software update coming later this year.

The 'world's best video store clerk' 

(Image credit: Amazon)

Amazon has been working to upgrade Alexa with a brand-new generative AI language model that focuses on life-like conversation, real-world applications, personalization, personality, and trust. 

This new system is what's behind Fire TV's new Alexa-assisted search feature. Amazon is calling it "Fire TV AI-powered Search", and it works by combining generative AI with your Fire TV's library of movies and series from the best streaming services to enhance search results, how you browse, and what content is recommended to you. 

During the hardware presentation, there was a live demo of how this new feature works. Amazon showed off how you could discover new content through a conversation by asking questions such as "find some action movies for me" followed by "show me the ones I haven't seen yet" and then "which of these are okay for my teenagers to watch". 

By tapping into your watch history, account profile and using data from IMDb, this new search functionality can be much more personalized with what it recommends to watch. It sounds great, and while we were able to see it in action at the event, we weren't able to test it ourselves, so we can't wait to really put it through its paces.

A new way to see everything you're watching

Daniel Rausch at the Amazon hardware event 2023 (Image credit: Amazon)

Amazon also introduced a new Continue Watching row for the Fire TV that brings together lots of your streaming service subscriptions. This new menu feature brings the Fire TV interface more inline with what other streaming menus look like, including from the likes of the Apple TV app on Apple TV 4K (2022). 

It's a small design update, but one that's crucial in an age where you have so many different services. The new row makes it easier to quickly find the shows and movies you're watching without having to go into each app itself. It's also a useful way to quickly see what you're in the middle of watching. 

The new Continue Watching row will be available on both streaming sticks and will come to all Fire TVs via an over the air update later this year in the US, which means that anyone with an existing Fire TV will get the new look.

You can now make art with your TV

(Image credit: Amazon)

Another added feature that will be available on the Fire TV Stick 4K Max is Amazon's smart display mode, which it calls the Fire TV Ambient Experience. It basically turns your TV into a smart display, with helpful information such as a clock, calendar and reminders, as well as art and photos.

Amazon has also added hundred of new artworks to its already large library of 2,000 pieces, including some from the Musee d'Orsay. But the big headline feature that Amazon shouted about during the presentation was that the Fire TV Ambient Experience would enable customers to even create their own art using just their voice.

The new feature is called AI Art and works like any other AI image generator (think Midjourney). You'll be able to describe an image that the system then uses as prompts to create a unique artwork that you'll be able to use as a display. The feature won't be available until later this year in the US, and we don't know when it will roll out more widely.

The ultimate MGM Plus bundle 

(Image credit: Amazon)

Another exciting draw for potential buyers of the new Fire TV Sticks is a free content bundle that new US customers will get access to. If you purchase a new Fire TV streaming media player or TV from September 20, you'll get six months of MGM content for free. 

The six-month subscription gives customers access to "thousands" of movies in the studio's library, including including Top Gun: Maverick, No Time to Die, House of Gucci, Creed, Dog and more. You'll also get access to original series such as FROM, Godfather of Harlem and Billy the Kid.

If the new enhanced AI features weren't enough to get you to consider upgrading your Fire TV Stick 4K then this surely might be the clincher. After all, what better way to make the most of all these new updates then with a whole new suite of movies and series to watch.

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Samsung is gearing up to launch a successor to its highly popular portable SSD, the Samsung T7 SSD, more than three years after its launch.

This device is one of the best SSDs, let alone one of the best portable SSDs, we’ve ever reviewed. However, despite several new entrants into the T7 family, including the T7 Touch and the T7 Shield, in recent years, it’s clear Samsung feels it’s time for a hardware refresh.

It’s just as well, ahead of the annual Black Friday sales in November, TechRadar Pro has spotted a number of online retailers listing a 2TB version of the Samsung T9 SSD. This hasn’t officially launched, but may well be on the way imminently.

Everything we know about the Samsung T9 SSD

Samsung has published a bare-bones list of the T9 SSD with the product number MU-PG2T0B, which retailers including PC12.fr and Grosbill Pro are using.

We also spotted a version listed with the Australian retailer Microboss, but this has been taken down at the time of writing.

We haven’t seen any technical information yet, but it does seem the SSD will be available in a 2TB size. Microboss, however, went further to say it boats read and write speeds of up to 2GB/s – making it twice as fast as its predecessor and one of the fastest portable SSDs out there if true.

The Samsung T7 SSD launched in 500GB, 1TB, and 2TB models, suggesting we may see the same with the T9 at launch. Then, in the future, Samsung may expand its size to 4TB, or even beyond, as it did with the T7 Shield.

There’s also every chance it could be cheaper at launch than the T7, with PC12.fr retailing the T9 SSD for €236.52 including VAT (roughly $250) and Gosbill Pro retailing the device for just €199 (roughly $215) – though it’s unclear if this is inclusive of taxes.

The 2TB version of the T7, by contrast, was first available for $370. This was sold alongside the 1TB version at $200 and the base 500GB edition at $110.

A successor to the popular T7 would be welcome, considering this device wasn’t even fitted with Thunderbolt 3 at launch. With Thunderbolt 4 now found in some of the fastest SSDs, it’s possible Samsung may include the standard in its forthcoming T9, although at this stage it's pure speculation.

We don't know when Samsung will release the T9 SSD either but, if we were to hazard a guess, it'll certainly be out in advance of Black Friday, which falls on 24 November this year.

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"Denuvo is no longer in Payday 3". Those are the words of developer Starbreeze's SBZ_Almir, who stopped by Steam just long enough to welcome heisters to New York City and confirm that – despite prior plans – the third instalment of the fan-favorite shooter would no longer use the troublesome Denuvo DRM system.

As noted by PC Gamer, the change of heart likely comes in the wake of a heated thread on the franchise's subreddit, which saw hundreds of fans share their dismay that the anti-piracy software – so often associated with poor PC performance – would be included.

Although neither Starbreeze nor publisher Deep Silver responded to the thread at the time, it certainly seems that someone noted it, as all mentions of Denuvo have since been scrubbed from the game's Steam storefront.

Payday 3 is set to release on PC (Steam/EGS), PS5, and Xbox Series X/S on September 21. Xbox Game Pass subscribers will be able to play from day one, too.

Developer Starbreeze also recently confirmed a jam-packed calendar of seasonal DLC content, outlining its plans for the next 12 months that will keep players of the co-op action game well-fed for much of 2024. 

A total of four DLCs have been planned, kicking off with Syntax Error DLC, which will drop later this year. Boy in Blue, The Land of the Free, and Fear and Greed DLCs will all come out throughout 2024. There's also additional content planned, such as new playable characters, skill trees, enemies, weapons, features, and quality-of-life updates. What we don't know yet is how much this additional content will cost, as players who don't opt for the Payday 3 Gold Edition will have to buy these DLC packs separately.

Starbreeze Studios also announced that Unreal Engine 5 updates will also be planned in conjunction with the seasonal DLC content. 

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AMD may scrap the high-end options of its next generation of Radeon gaming GPUs to divert scarce resources into building GPUs for AI and high-performance computing (HPC) instead – a segment that’s undergoing something of a boom.

When AMD launches its RDNA 4 family of GPUs, possibly next year, there won’t be an AMD Radeon RX 8800 or 8900, according to TechSpot. This will give its rival Nvidia a clear run at manufacturing the best GPUs to meet the high-end gaming market, but could also serve to constrain supply and spike prices.

The line-up will resemble the RDNA 1 family of AMD GPUs, according to sources speaking to the publication, where the most powerful entry was the RX 5700 XT GPU. Subsequent generations included higher-end units such as 6800, 6900, and 6950 in RDNA 2, and 7800 and 7900 in last year’s RDNA 3 series.

AMD wants in on the AI boom

This rationale is simple. There’s a rush for hardware and components to service generative AI workloads – alongside a limited supply of resources and manufacturing capacity – and AMD wants to get in on the action.

Indeed, this is a segment in which there’s currently a shortage, with chipmaking giant TSMC lacking the capacity to ramp up production from vendors like Nvidia to meet industry demand.

Nvidia’s A100 and H100 chips, incidentally, currently lead the way in an AI servers market that’s reportedly set to surge to $150 billion by 2027, with AMD hoping to be a part of it. The main reason is Nvidia is enjoying profit margins of 823%, according to sister site Tom’s Hardware, on its H100 GPUs.

Rather than diverting semiconductors into its high-end consumer GPUs, the firm will focus on field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) and general-purpose graphics processing units (GPGPUs). This is according to Brits and Chips - Eng.

The circuitry of the former is highly suited to machine learning and deep learning, while the latter are GPUs that also handle computational workloads normally undertaken by the best CPUs. They’re both ideal to meet the rising demand for GPUs for AI.

With constrained supply, however, does does mean we may see a return to the shortages and spiking prices for GPUs that we last saw in 2020. With fewer options, gamers may find themselves paying above the odds when building PCs, for example.

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