Realme GT teaser suggests it could be the cheapest Snapdragon 888 smartphone
A company executive from China says that the Realme GT will be priced under CNY 2,999, with the snapdragon 888, a 120Hz AMOLED display and more.
Apple, Google training their voice assistants to understand people with speech disabilities
According to National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders, approximately 7.5 million people in the U.S. have trouble using their voices. This group is at the risk of being left behind by voice-recognition technology. But we are in 2021 – the era to make technology more accessible to everyone. And, tech firms, including Apple and Google are working on improving their voice assistants to understand atypical speech. They are now trying to train voice assistants to understand everyone.
“For someone who has cerebral palsy and is in a wheelchair, being able to control their environment with their voice could be super useful to them,” said Ms. Cattiau. Google is collecting atypical speech data as part of an initiative to train its voice-recognition tools. Training the voice assistants like Siri and Google Assistant could improve the voice-recognition experience for a number of groups including senior with degenerative diseases.
Apple is working to help Siri automatically detect if someone speaks with a stutter
Apple debuted its Hold to Talk feature on hand-held devices in 2015. It gives users control over how long they want the voice assistant Siri to listen to them. The feature prevents the assistant from interrupting users that have a stutter before they have finished speaking. Now, Apple is working to help Siri automatically detect if someone speaks with a stutter. The company has built a bank of 28,000 audio clips from podcasts featuring stuttering to help its assistant recognize atypical speech.
Google’s Project Euphoria is the company’s initiative where it is testing a prototype app that lets people with atypical speech communicate with Google Assistant and smart Google Home products. It aims to train the software to understand unique speech patterns. The company hopes that these snippets will help train its artificial intelligence in the full spectrum of speech.
Amazon isn’t far off with its Alexa voice assistant. The company announced Alexa integration with Voiceitt, which lets people with speech impairments train an algorithm to recognize their own unique vocal patterns.
Source: WSJ
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14-inch MacBook Pro to arrive with mini-LED display and more?
Apple started to implement significant changes to its Mac lineup since the launch of its M1-powered devices. It included a brand-new Mac mini, a MacBook Air, and a 13-inch MacBook Pro. However, this was just the first step towards what seems to be a bright future. Now, we get rumors about the next step in Mac evolution, as a possible 14-inch MacBook Pro seems to be on the horizon, and more sources seem to agree on what’s coming in the package.
Earlier this week, we started receiving more details about the rumored 14-inch MacBook Pro by no other than Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. His information suggests that we will receive two new MacBook Pro models somewhere in the second half of 2021. He also went on to say that these new MacBooks would feature an SD card reader and an HDMI port, and what’s more important a brighter mini-LED display. Now, a new report from DigiTimes gives us more information about the new display.
“Apple is expected to unveil 14- and 16-inch miniLED-backlit MacBook Pro models in second-half 2021, with Radiant to be the exclusive supplier of BLUs and Quanta Computer to be an OEM, the sources noted.”
It seems that Apple has already chosen Opto-Electronics to be the exclusive supplier of Mini LED backlight units, while Quant Computer would be in charge of the final assembly of the new 14-inch MacBook Pro and the 16-inch MacBook Pro refresh. The report follows along the same lines as Ming-Chi Kuo’s recent report. It claims that the new MacBook Pros will launch in the latter half of 2021 with brighter mini-LED displays, Apple Silicon chip, and a new design with a flat-edged top and bottom. Further, we could also get MagSafe charging with a magnetic power cable and physical function keys to replace the Touch Bar.
It’s true that waiting until the second half of 2021 may look like a long time to see the launch of the new MacBook Pros, but at least we will get an idea of what’s coming thanks to the new 12.9-inch iPad Pro that’s expected to arrive next month with a mini-LED display.
Source DigiTimes
Via MacRumors
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Moto E7 Power goes on sale today: price, specs and availability
Moto E7 Power budget phone with a big battery will go on sale in India today on Flipkart.
4th-gen Echo, and more accessories to pimp out your home office are on sale right now
We have found some incredible deals on smart speakers and other accessories that will help you want to spend more time in your home office. First, we see that the latest Amazon Echo is getting a $20 discount, which leaves this smart speaker available for just $80 in any of its four color options. However, if you want to have better sound and don’t really care about having a smart assistant, you can also go for the Sony SSCS5 3-way 3-driver bookshelf speaker system currently getting a $71.99 discount, which leaves them up for grabs at $148. And if you also want the possibility of taking your speaker with you, you can get the JBL Charge 3 Waterproof Portable Bluetooth Speaker for $120, after a $29 discount.
Now, if you’d rather get a pair of wireless headphones, you can get the Beats Studio3 Wireless with Apple’s W1 chip and up to 22 hours of listening time for $215 after a $134.96 discount in Mate Black or grab the Shadow Gray color option for $211.41. The more affordable Beats Solo3 are also on sale, and you can grab yours for $132.18 with $67.77 savings. They also feature Apple’s W1 headphone chip, and they will give you up to 40 hours of non-stop music playback.
You can also brighten up your workspace with a new LED Desk Lamp that will be even better when it comes with an integrated Wireless Charger. This option comes in two color options, a wireless charger, a USB charging port, 5 Lighting Modes,5 Brightness Levels, and sensitivity control for $40 after a $10 discount. If you don’t really care about wireless chargers, you can also grab a Hansang Vintage Desk Lamp that features 2 USB ports and a glass shade. The best part is that you can easily replace your LED bulb whenever it dies out. It comes with a $6 discount, meaning that you can get yours for just $38.
You can also give your desk, monitor, or just about anything RGB lighting with the Govee 23.8ft LED Strip Lights. These are currently selling for $32 after an $8 discount, and the best part is that you can also control the colors through your phone, and they will also change colors or follow the rhythm of your favorite beats.
Finally, for those Marvel fans, you can also get new decorations for your home office, as several collectibles are also on sale. First, the Hasbro Marvel Legends Series Avengers Falcon And Winter Soldier Captain America Premium Role Play Shield is currently getting a $15 discount, which means you can get yours for $100. The Avengers Marvel Endgame Marvel Legends Stormbreaker Axe is $20 off, so you can grab one for $140, and War Machine’s Premium Collector Electronic Helmet is selling for $79.11 after a $20.88 discount on Amazon. Now you only need to get your wife’s permission to get one.
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Why wait for the official launch? Redmi Note 10 is already retailing in India
A hands-on video of the upcoming Redmi Note 10 has given us a sneak peek of Redmi Note 10's specifications and confirmed the design as well.
Final Fantasy 7: Ever Crisis and Final Fantasy 7: The First Soldier mobile games revealed
Square Enix had a busy day today during February’s PlayStation State of Play event. First, the studio announced that Final Fantasy 7 Remake will make its way to PlayStation 5 as Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade on June 10. This was followed by a surprise, as Square Enix announced not one, but two mobile games set in the Final Fantasy VII universe namely Final Fantasy 7: The First Soldier and Final Fantasy 7: Ever Crisis. Both the games will be free-to-play with in-app purchases.
Final Fantasy VII: The First Soldier
A Final Fantasy battle royale game is a divisive idea though
As you can see in the trailer above, Final Fantasy VII: The First Soldier will offer some familiar elements from the core franchise such as summons and a few classic enemies as well. Even though it is a battle royale, there is a healthy dose of one-on-one combat as well. No further details are available as of now, but the game will be released later this year for Android and iOS platforms. Here’s the official synopsis of Square Enix’s upcoming game:
| “FINAL FANTASY VII THE FIRST SOLDIER is a battle royal action game set in Midgar before the events of FINAL FANTASY VII. As a SOLDIER candidate, the player will make full use of their magic and abilities in a battle for their survival.” |
More details will be shared soon, for which you can bookmark the game’s official website.
Final Fantasy VII: Ever Crisis
The second mobile game announced by Square Enix today is Final Fantasy VII: Ever Crisis. It is being called an episodic return to the world of Final Fantasy VII with a nostalgic visual twist, and is said to be an entire compilation of FF VII (Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children, Final Fantasy VII: Before Crisis, Final Fantasy VII: Crisis Core, and Final Fantasy VII: Dirge of Cerberus) and more.
Both games will be free-to-play with in-app purchases
The trailer doesn’t give much in terms of the storyline or combat mechanics, but visuals and graphics look promising for a mobile game. Final Fantasy VII: Ever Crisis will be released in 2020 on Android and iOS as a free-to-play title with in-app purchases. You can check out more details about the game as and when they’re shared on its website, while the official description is as follows:
| “FINAL FANTASY VII EVER CRISIS is a chapter-structured single player experience which will cover the whole of the FFVII timeline, including the events of the original game along with all the FFVII compilation titles, as well as new story elements, penned by FINAL FANTASY VII REMAKE story and scenario writer Kazushige Nojima, surrounding the origins of SOLDIER.” |
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Want Final Fantasy 7 on your phone? A mobile remake of sorts is coming in 2022
Two FF7 mobile games are coming to give you your final fantasy fix while waiting for the next chapter of FF7 Remake.
Amazon Music arrives on Google TV and Android TV
It’s been almost two years since the official YouTube app made its way back to Amazon’s Fire TV platform, and a pledge was made to bring the Prime Video app to Chromecast and Android TV as well. Of course, it was the YouTube ( and YouTube TV) vs Prime Video rivalry that kept the two platforms away from Amazon and Google’s hardware, with the average consumer losing from the tussle between the two titans. Well, it took two years for the ‘cordial relations’ between the two companies to get warm enough that they can turn their attention to audio after warring over video. Today, the Amazon Music app was finally made available on Google TV and Android TV.
Available in US, UK, Canada, Brazil, Mexico, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, India, Japan, and Australia
Starting today, if you own Google’s latest Chromecast with Google TV or an Android TV machine, you can download the Amazon Music app on it. Amazon Music’s services are available both across free and paid tiers. The free, ad-supported tier will give access to a select few playlists and thousands of stations, while a Prime subscription removes ads and gives you access to a library of 2 million songs. There is also an Amazon Music Unlimited subscription tier, which offers access to a much larger library of 70 million songs.
If you’re a Prime subscriber, Amazon Music Unlimited will cost you $7.99 per month, while non-Prime members will have to shell out $9.99 for the service on a monthly basis. However, if you’re not particularly a fan of Amazon’s music service, you can always switch to Spotify or Tidal apps on your Android TV and Google TV. And if you got a YouTube Premium subscription, you can reap the benefit of YouTube Music, which also has its own app optimized for Android TV.
There are both free (ad-supported) and paid tiers of the music streaming service
For now, users based in the US, UK, Canada, Brazil, Mexico, Germany, France, Italy, Spain, India, Japan, and Australia will be able to blast music via Amazon Music on their Android TV or Google TV device, or through set-top boxes, game consoles and speakers connected to it. Google’s TV platform landed another high-profile service earlier this month in the form of Apple TV+.
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Apple’s new iMacs, Chromebooks and more devices are also on sale
We have just come across several deals that may interest anyone looking for a new PC or laptop. First, you can get a new iMac with up to $150 discounts, depending on the display size and the specs you choose. The 21.5-inch that comes with 8GB RAM and 256GB storage and an Intel Core i5 processor can be yours for $1,349 with $150 savings. However, you can get the same storage and RAM with an Intel Core i3 processor for $1,210, thanks to an $89 discount.
The 27-inch version is also getting a $150 discount if you get the version that comes with 8GB RAM, 512GB storage, and a 3.3GHz Intel Core i5 processor, which means you can get one for $1,849. You can also get one for $1,675 if you can survive with half the storage space and a 3.1GHz Intel Core i5 processor, which will also get you $124 savings. And since you may want to place your new iMac or whatever display to optimal viewing height, you may want to get a new Twelve South HiRise Pro for iMac that’s currently getting a $61 discount, leaving it at just $108.50. while you’re at it, you may also want to consider getting a new Kensington Docking Station or a RAVPower 65W 4-Port Desktop USB Charging Station that are now selling for $160 and $43 with $40 and $17 savings, respectively.
Now, there’s no need to get a powerful PC. You can also get a new Chromebook for a fraction of the price of a Mac. For example, you can get a new Dell Chromebook 11 3000 with an 11.6-inch display, a Celeron N4020 processor, 4GB RAM, and 16GB flash memory for $215 with $135 savings. The HP Chromebook 14-inch HD Laptop is getting a $49 discount, which means you can get yours for $212, and it comes with 4GB RAM, 32GB storage space, and an Intel Celeron N400 processor. And if you want to spend a bit more, you can get the Acer Chromebook Spin 311 Convertible Laptop that’s now selling for $270 after a huge $229 discount.
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Twitter plans Facebook-like communities, Safe Mode for auto-blocking abusive accounts
As part of its analyst day presentation, Twitter has shared plans of new tools destined to arrive on its platform soon. One of them is a Super Follow tool that will allow creators to charge for their content, while their followers get perks such as access to exclusive material, badges, etc. However, the company is working on two other ideas that might go live soon – a Communities feature and a Safety Mode tool for auto-blocking abusive accounts.
Communities will be able to draft their own guidelines and code of conduct
Starting with Communities, the fundamental premise appears similar to Facebook’s Community Pages. Product lead at Twitter, Kayvon Beykpour, mentioned that communities will be able to set their own guidelines regarding participation rules in a group, and the general code of conduct for engaging with the other members. However, the company has not revealed when this feature will be rolled out widely.
“We’re working to create a product experience that makes it easier for people to form, discover, and participate in conversations that are more targeted to the relevant communities or geographies they’re interested in,” Twitter wrote in its slide. Essentially, it appears to be building on the idea of Lists, but instead of following certain handles, Communities will allow users to converge around a shared topic of interest that can be anything from a social movement to a particular type of music, TV show fandom, or animals.
Safety mode is coming to Twitter
The social media giant also gave us a glimpse of another upcoming feature called Safety mode, which has been created to curb hateful or abusive behavior on its platform. If your tweet is attracting some negative or vile responses, Twitter will inform you about the same via a notification. More importantly, Twitter will automatically block accounts that break its rule regarding hate speech and abusive language, once you enable Safety mode.
Abusive accounts will also be prohibited from engaging with users for a week
Additionally, Twitter will reduce the visibility of such abusive replies by showing them to a lesser number of people. In the past, Twitter has reduced the reach and visibility of posts that disseminate misleading content, with the latest example being those related to the US elections and COVID-19 vaccine, and has even deleted some of them for violating its content policies.
“When you’re in Safety mode, we detect accounts that might be acting abusive or spammy and we limit the ability of those accounts to engage with you for 7 days.” Unfortunately, there is no official information regarding a wider release of this feature, but it sure is a move in the right direction.
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The OnePlus 8 series, Microsoft laptops and more are on sale today
It's only fair to share...
We start today’s deals with some excellent savings over at OnePlus.com, where you can find the OnePlus 8 series for as low as $499 when you get a Glacial Green Unlocked variant with 8GB RAM and 128GB storage space. However, you can get the 12GB RAM and 256GB storage space version in Interstellar Glow for $559. Both devices come unlocked, and they will also get you a $200 discount.
Now, if you want to go Pro, you can get the OnePlus 8 Pro for $799, with the same $200 savings. This unlocked device also features 12GB RAM and 256GB storage space, and if saving $200 wasn’t already good enough, you will also score a new pair of OnePlus Z Steven Harrington Edition for free.
You can also choose to go for the OnePlus 7T T-Mobile edition phone that’s also getting a $200 discount, which leaves it available for $399 with 8GB RAM and 128GB storage, or save $300 and go for the McLaren Edition that comes with 12GB RAM and 256GB storage space.
Now, if you’re looking for a new laptop, you can head over to Amazon or B&H, where you can find the Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 with a 13.5-inch touch-screen, an Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB RAM, and 128GB SSD storage for $769 after a $230 discount. You can save more if you go for the maxed-out version that features 16GB RAM, 512GB SSD storage space, and an Intel Core i7 chip. This variant gets you $605 savings, but you will also have to get ready to pay $1,394. And if you want the larger 15-inch display, you can get it with 16GB RAM and 512GB storage, but you get an AMD Ryzen Surface Edition processor under the hood for $1,600 with $499 savings.
Still, if I were the one about to make such a huge investment, I think that I would rather go for a new M1 MacBook Pro that’s selling for $1,219 in its 8GB RAM/256GB version with $80 savings, or the 8GB RAM/512GB option that’s available for $1399 after a $100 discount on both Amazon and B&H.
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It's only fair to share...
Twitter announces a Super Follow feature to let creators charge for their content
Earlier this month, it was reported that Twitter is testing a slew of new features, one of which was a tipping model that would allow creators to charge their followers for exclusive content. Today, Twitter gave us our first official of the upcoming feature and it will be called a Super Follow.
Super Follow will likely adopt a subscription-based model
Announced during the Twitter Analyst Day 2021 presentation, the Super Follow feature will allow users (read: influential personalities and creators) to charge for their content, be it tweets, videos, pictures, or whatever it is that they post on the platform. Those who pay to access someone’s content will be called Super Followers.
| “We’re rethinking incentives and exploring solutions to provide monetary incentive models for Creators and Publishers to be directly supported by their audience.” |
As per the slide shared by Twitter, a Super Follower will get access to perks such as a supporter badge, paid newsletters, exclusive content (videos, photos, etc.), deals and discounts as well as access to a specific community. Followers will pay on a monthly basis (options for annual or weekly subscription may also be added down the road), and can be canceled at any given time, just like a regular subscription service.
Twitter might initially limit the feature to verified or influential users with a certain follower count
However, things are still in the early stages, and the perks and format of this paid Super Follow solution might change down the road. Twitter hasn’t revealed when it plans to roll out this feature, or what commission will it charge to creators who are taking advantage of this money-making tool.
Unfortunately, Twitter hasn’t revealed any further details on how it will proceed with the Super Follow feature. However, it is quite likely that the company will only offer it to influential personalities or content creators with a certain number of followers, just like a host of other platforms do with their creator partnership programs.
Super Follow will boost the newsletter ambitions of Twitter
However, this new tipping feature will almost certainly work hand-in-hand with Twitter’s newsletter ambitions following its acquisition of Revue earlier this year. And the company actually hinted about it in the announcement post almost a month ago. Here’s what Product Lead Kavyan Beykpour wrote back then about Twitter’s plans for Revue:
| “We’re imagining a lot of ways to do this, from allowing people to sign up for newsletters from their favorite follows on Twitter, to new settings for writers to host conversations with their subscribers. It will all work seamlessly within Twitter.” |
And with Twitter’s own mockup slide showcasing newsletter as a specific perk for Super Followers, the company’s plans of offering monetization opportunities to its creators suddenly become a tad too clear. But Twitter won’t be alone in the game, as Facebook is reportedly experimenting with the idea as well, in its bid to challenge the rise of established names like Substack.
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See the Oppo X 2021 rollable phone in action as you’ll probably never be able to buy it
The Oppo X 2021 concept was unveiled as the brand's first rollable smartphone. Here's our first look at it.
Zoom is making its automatic closed captioning feature free for all users
Zoom has today announced that it is extending the platform’s Live Transcription capability to all users, both free and paid. The company – which recorded a massive boost in its user base as work and education shifted to a remote collaboration format in the pandemic era – has announced that Live Transcriptions will be rolled out for all users on its free service tier in the fall season.
Coming in the fall season, but you can request an early preview
However, if you want to try the feature prior to its wider rollout, you can request early access to the service by filling out a form. To recall, Live Transcription has so far been exclusive to the paid Pro, Business, Education, and Enterprise accounts, as well as approved K-12 accounts on both its desktop and mobile clients. However, it appears that the accessibility feature in question is limited to supporting the English language only at the moment.
Additionally, Zoom has also highlighted a few pre-requisites for the Live Transcription feature to work properly. The company says that the performance of its real-time automatic transcription feature depends on factors such as the level of background noise, how loud and clear the speaker’s voice is, and if the speaker is proficient in the English language. Additionally, dialects and words limited to a particular region might prove to be limiting as well.
Factors such as background noise and how good an English speaker you are, will affect the performance
And in case the Live Transcription feature is not proving to be particularly useful due to any of the aforementioned limitations, Zoom already offers a manual captioning feature to all users. A meeting’s host can either take the responsibility of closed captioning the ongoing interaction on himself, or he can assign the duty to an attendee of his choice. Moreover, Zoom also allows users to rely on a third-party closed captioning service as well.
Zoom itself recommends a manual captioner for a higher degree of accuracy instead of its AI-based solution whose efficiency is dependent on a variety of external factors. The Live Transcription feature is currently available on v5.0.2 (or later version) of Zoom for Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS.
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