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Google (sorta) Releases (a link to) Chrome on the Windows Store
Google Chrome Lands on the Microsoft Store As a Download Link - Thurrott.com:
The company today released the Google Chrome Installer on the Microsoft Store, which is a modern Windows 10 web wrapper app that loads the Google Chrome download page. From there, users follow the usual download link to download and install the browser
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"Ron's the handsome one" and Other Gems from a Computer Trying to Write a Chapter of Harry Potter
Botnik Studios ran the Harry Potter series through their machine learning keyboard and had it write a Harry Potter chapter of its own. The results are amazing.
"Ron's the handsome one," muttered Harry as he reluctantly reached for his. They cast a spell or two, and jets of green light shot
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2018 will Totally be the Year of Android Tablet Apps
Dieter Bohn has a great compilation of “Android tablets apps will be good soon” quotes. Here’s one:
Tablet-friendly apps are still few and far between — even the big Twitter web and app overhaul didn't include any optimizations for larger form factors — and it does seem like everyone's waiting for
Android
Google is Killing Project Tango
From 9to5Google:
Begining March 1st of 2018, Tango will no longer be supported, with the company pointing developers to embrace its latest AR initiative instead.
This makes sense as ARCore, Google’s new augmented reality platform for Android is almost as good as Tango in many ways and works on hardware you actually want to
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The Nintendo Switch on Pace to Outsell Wii U by March 2018
Business Insider has a look at Nintendo’s reveal that they just sold their 10 millionth Switch:
Demand has been so high, in fact, that Nintendo had to revise its sales projections for first-year sales of the Switch. The company initially expected to sell about 10 million units in year one — now, Nintendo expects
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AirPods and the Complexity Behind Simplicity
T3 has an extended interview with Schiller:
“At the surface level, it’s an incredibly simple product. But the reality is it’s actually an incredibly complex product to make. Each AirPod really is its own computer, running software and hardware. And those two computers need to deliver this very clear experience that you want,
Android
AR Stickers Come to the Pixel 2
The Pixel's AR Stickers are the most fun you can have with a camera | Android Central:
AR Stickers aren't a separate camera app on your Pixel. Instead, it lives right inside the Google Camera app. You access it just like you would Portrait Mode, by tapping the Menu button on the
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An Android User Falls in Love with the Taptic Engine
Android to iPhone, part two: What I've liked about switching to the iPhone X:
Apple’s Taptic Engine doesn’t just buzz - it clicks, it taps, it knocks. And it can do so with an incredible range of intensities and precision. If I had to analogize, it’s sort of like having used
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The OnePlus 5T Can't Currently Stream HD videos
Your shiny new OnePlus 5T can't stream HD videos | Android Central:
In order to stream videos in HD from the likes of Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Video, etc., phones need to support something called Widevine Level 1 DRM. As some users on OnePlus's forums have noted, the 5T only supports Widevine Level
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Apple Throttling iPhones with Degraded Batteries?
Apple's Alleged Throttling of Older iPhones With Degraded Batteries Causes Controversy - Mac Rumors:
A Reddit post over the weekend has drawn a flurry of interest after an iPhone 6s owner reported that a battery replacement significantly increased the device's performance running iOS 11. The ensuing discussion thread, also picked up by
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Apple Watch Expected to Grow by 20-30% in 2018
Apple Watch 3 shipment growth to benefit Taiwan IC packagers in 2018 - DigiTimes:
Shipments of Apple Watch 3 are expected to surge 20% on year to reach 23-25 million units in the coming year, which will greatly benefit Taiwan players in the supply, particularly backend packaging and testing service providers, according industry sources.
As
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Google Assistant lets you sync smart devices with your voice
Google Assistant adds command for syncing smart home devices - Android Police:
You can now say "sync my devices" to Google Assistant (on your phone, Google Home, etc) to refresh all of your smart home services. For example, if you have Philips Hue lights and WeMo outlets, Google will pull the full list of
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Homebridge: HomeKit support for the impatient
Homebridge: HomeKit support for the impatient:
Homebridge is a lightweight NodeJS server you can run on your home network that emulates the iOS HomeKit API. It supports Plugins, which are community-contributed modules that provide a basic bridge from HomeKit to various 3rd-party APIs provided by manufacturers of "smart home" devices.
I
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Portrait Mode's True Value
https://twitter.com/carreteronacho/status/939215505205886976
Some people will look at the above tweet and say "that's beautiful" and others will look at it and just scream "it looks so fake!" I think it looks pretty darn good, even if it's imperfect and you would certainly get
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Why I can’t dismiss smart speakers as just a mirage
Neil Cybart writing at Above Avalon:
Wearables contain a much more attractive long-term value proposition than stationary smart speakers that have to be connected to a wall outlet. In addition, the presence of a screen provides even more value as it has become very clear that voice-first or voice-only interfaces just aren&
ipad
Computers, iPads, and other computers
An interesting take by Matthias Breuer on what we call a “computer” these days:
[W]hat makes a device a “real computer” is not its day-to-day versatility. It is the ability to write your own apps and even extend, modify or replace the underlying operating system on the device itself - which requires a
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RSS Still has a Place
David Sparks on why he still uses RSS:
As social networks took off, a lot of my friends that were previously big RSS fans gave up on the technology and instead relied upon sources like Twitter and Facebook to get their news.
…and then…
That only works if you go into Twitter much more frequently