Smart

People are uncomfortable with digital health tools used to control COVID-19

Most people in the United States don’t want their digital data used to control the spread of COVID-19, a new study found. More than half of the people in the study remained wary of sharing their data in different scenarios, including a smart thermometer company sharing information with public health officials, or using the Google… Read more

iPad Pro (2021) review: dream screen

If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement. How much do you care about having a great screen? That, really, is the only question that matters with the new 12.9-inch iPad Pro. It has a new kind of display so good I think it is… Read more

Deezer beats Spotify to Apple Watch offline listening

Music streaming service Deezer has revamped its Apple Watch app to let you listen to music without an internet connection, the company has announced. Previously Deezer’s Apple Watch app has only been able to control music playback on a paired iPhone, but now paid subscribers can download songs for offline listening when they’re away from… Read more

Google I/O 2021: the biggest announcements

Google just finished its live Google I/O 2021 keynote, where the company unveiled a huge number of announcements, including a new look coming to Android, a bunch of features coming to its Google Workspace productivity suite, and even a new AI that talked as if it were Pluto. Nilay Patel and Dieter Bohn followed the… Read more

Android 12 preview: first look at Google’s radical new design

There are new features, but it’s the biggest design update in years Google is announcing the latest beta for Android 12 today at Google I/O. It has an entirely new design based on a system called “Material You,” featuring big, bubbly buttons, shifting colors, and smoother animations. It is “the biggest design change in Android’s… Read more

Android introduces new privacy-friendly sandbox for machine learning data

At the I/O developer conference on Tuesday, Google announced a range of new privacy measures, including a new partition within Android to manage machine learning data more securely. Android’s new Private Compute Core will be a privileged space within the operating system, similar to the partitions used for passwords or sensitive biometric data. But instead… Read more

Apple Music lossless supported devices: what will (and won’t) play lossless and Spatial Audio, and why

Home Advice (Image credit: Apple Music) Apple Music is being upgraded in a big, big way. From June, the music streaming service will support CD-quality and hi-res lossless audio as well as Dolby Atmos-powered Spatial Audio, offering subscribers much higher quality, immersive playback. Both lossless and Spatial Audio will be available to Apple Music users… Read more

Amazon’s Echo Frames can now come with sunglass or blue light filtering lenses

Amazon is launching new lens options today for its Echo Frames smart audio glasses: two types of polarized sunglass lenses for use outside, and blue light-filtering lenses for staring at bright screens. The blue light and blue mirror sunglass options will ship on May 18th, and the “Classic” dark sunglass lenses will arrive later on… Read more

Amazon Echo Show 5 (2021) vs Echo Show 5 (2019): What’s the difference?

(Pocket-lint) – Amazon updated its Echo Show 5 and Echo Show 8 in 2021 with a couple of new features. There aren’t huge differences between the new Echo Show 5 and the older Echo Show 5, but if you’re wondering which to buy, you’ve come to the right place. If you’re looking at whether to… Read more

Hugo Barra is leaving Facebook

Facebook’s vice president of AR and VR Hugo Barra is leaving the company, he announced (where else) on Facebook Monday. “Today is my last day at Facebook Reality Labs, after 4 years working on projects that have been more exciting and more challenging than anything I’ve encountered in my career, with some of the brightest… Read more

Best Bluetooth speakers 2021: portable speakers for every budget

Home Best-buys Best Bluetooth speakers Buying Guide: Welcome to What Hi-Fi?’s round-up of the best Bluetooth speakers you can buy in 2021. Finding the best Bluetooth speaker for your particular needs isn’t the cake walk it might at first seem. It’s nothing to do with shortage of options – every online manufacturer from Apple to… Read more

Server glitch allowed Eufy owners to see through other homes’ cameras

Last night, a number of Eufy home security camera owners discovered they were able to access smart camera feeds and saved videos from users they had never met, due to an apparent security glitch. First reported by 9to5Mac, the issue came to light in an extended Reddit thread, in which users from around the world… Read more

Intel Optane Memory H20 M.2 NVMe SSD Review: Running Optane and Flash in Harmony

Our Verdict Blending Optane memory and QLC flash, Intel’s Optane Memory H20 is an innovative M.2 NVMe SSD that delivers a unique caching experience. It is ultra-responsive to most consumer workloads, especially repetitive tasks. For + Optane caching improves system responsiveness + Rivals high-end NVMe SSDs in light and mixed workloads Against – Low endurance… Read more

Epic Games sues AR company Nreal for sounding too much like ‘Unreal’

Epic Games has sued smart glasses maker Nreal for infringing on its Unreal Engine trademark. Epic, which filed the case late last week, claims it’s “no coincidence” that Nreal’s name “looks and sounds virtually identical” to Unreal’s branding. As Nreal plans a US launch later this year, Epic wants to recoup damages and scuttle its… Read more

New leak ahead of Google I/O claims Android 12 may include changes for widgets and notifications

Just ahead of Google I/O, which gets underway on Tuesday, a new leak purporting to be a preview of what’s coming during the annual developers’ conference gives some insight into what Android 12 might look like. A new video from Jon Prosser shows what appear to be slides from a presentation of Android 12. The… Read more