Google is updating its built-in password manager for Chrome and Android as it attempts to position it as an alternative to standalone services offered by 1Password and Bitwarden, the company announced today. Most significant is the ability to manually add passwords to the service, rather than simply relying on Chrome’s offer to save credentials when you use them. There had previously been signs of this feature on Chrome on desktop, but now Google says it’s making it available across “all platforms.”
The search giant also says it’s working to unify the design of the password manager between Chrome and Android with “a simplified and unified management experience” and says this includes a feature that will automatically group multiple passwords used on the same site. On Android, Google says a new “Touch-to-Login” feature lets users enter their credentials via an overlay at the bottom of the screen “to make logging in even quicker.”
Google’s password manager already includes the ability to check for weak and reused passwords (and automatically change them on Android) and autofill saved passwords across apps outside of Chrome on iOS. Google says it’s continuing to invest in its password manager to support emerging technologies like passwordless passkeys (which Apple also intends to bring to Safari).
Despite offering a feature set that’s increasingly comparable to standalone third-party password managers, Google seems reluctant to spin its password manager out into a standalone app. But, as of this month, 9to5Google reports that it’s possible to put a shortcut to Google’s password manager directly on your Android homescreen — a big improvement over having to dig through your Android settings to find it.
Cuphead: The Delicious Last Course comes with a bunch of secrets to discover, just as the base game did all those years ago. But the most prevalent and tricky one this time around is the Graveyard and the Broken Relic that unlocks its mysteries.
How to find and solve the Graveyard riddle
The Graveyard in question is located at the southernmost point of the DLC island, right above The Howling Aces boss fight location. You can’t miss it, but if by some chance you do, the detective ghost NPC that lurks next to it will be a dead giveaway.
To complete this strange secret puzzle, you will need to first acquire the Broken Relic, one of many new items added to the item shop that you can buy with Coins either from the main quest or through the DLC island.
When you have this item, make sure to equip it to your character. You then want to press the following gravestones in order: First, the middle top, then the bottom left, and finally the top right. Doing so will activate the middle grave with a beacon of light to show you have completed the puzzle.
For those wondering just how this is solved, there are a bunch of NPCs on podiums north of the island that give you hints as to which gravestones should be selected based on their dialogue. The one that is first on the podium says they are going “Top” as an example, whereas the second speaks the words “Left Downtown,” hinting at the bottom left grave.
The dialogue you receive will be different in each session, so you’ll need to pay attention to what the NPCs have to say. Their directions will affect which tombstones you’ll need to choose to solve the puzzle. If you’re just getting started with the puzzle, you can take notes of the dialogue to ensure you select the correct tombstones on your first try.
Completing this small puzzle will unlock a secret boss in-game when interacting with the middle tombstone. Beating the boss will then upgrade the Broken Relic to its actual form—the Cursed Relic.
With the launch just around the corner, the Noting phone (1) chipset has been confirmed by Carl Pei.
According to Pei, the phone (1) will be powered by the Snapdragon 778G+.
Pei suggests that the mid-range chipset is the "most balanced choice" in a recent tweet.
A black colorway has also been revealed in a set of images.
Nothing phone (1) is the most anticipated smartphone that is all set to launch on July 12. Over the past few weeks leading to the announcement, we have seen much of what to expect from the debutant smartphone. Nothing has already confirmed plenty of details, and Carl Pei has now confirmed the processor powering the device.
Pei told Input that the phone (1) would come with a Snapdragon 778G+ chipset. The 7-series octa-core processor from Qualcomm features a Kryo 670 CPU and an Adreno 642L GPU. The said SoC is an upgraded version of the existing Snapdragon 778G, featured in phones like Realme GT Master Edition 5G and Samsung Galaxy A73 5G, which translates to slight improvements in clock speeds.
Pei further explains the reason behind opting for a mid-range chipset instead of getting a flagship processor like the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. He believes choosing the new 778G+ chipset would ultimately reduce costs in favor of achieving good performance and power consumption. Pei further believes that mid-range phones have reached a point suitable enough to undergo day-to-day tasks with ease. He further adds that the power-hungry premium chips are bringing less than impressive returns despite their high pricing.
Pei notes the chipset is more power-efficient, which translates to battery life on the phone (1). The SoC is said to bring up to 30% improvement in performance, heat dissipation, and energy-saving abilities when compared to its predecessor.
The 778G+ processor also brings other enhancements to the phone (1). It enables wireless and reverse wireless charging capabilities on the phone (1), features usually seen in flagship SoC(s) from the chipset maker.
As a follow-up, Pei tweeted a photo implying the Snapdragon 778G+ SoC is the "most balanced choice." That said, phone (1) is not the first phone to choose the Snapdragon 778G+ processor, which has already been found in phones like the Motorola Edge 30 and Xiaomi Civil 1S.
With the new Qualcomm chipset confirmation from Carl Pei, it appears the first phone from Nothing won't quite take on the top Android phones like the OnePlus 10 Pro or the Galaxy S22 Ultra, for that matter. However, based on what we know of the Nothing phone (1), the expected price is likely under $500; therefore, we should be anticipating an all-around performance from the mid-range device with the new 7-series chipset from Qualcomm.
Aside from the SoC, the phone (1) includes a translucent design similar to ear (1) — the first product announced last year by the company. One impressive feature to look forward to on the phone (1) is the Glyph interface, backed by several LED lights (around 900, to be precise) on the rear of the transparent phone, which are meant to give new life to notification lights.
While we've seen plenty of images of the phone (1) in white, a recent tweet from Roland Quandt of WinFuture reveals a new black colorway that appears more striking with the contrasting LEDs.
Nothing Phone (1): Here's your full gallery of retail marketing images for Carl Pei's new device: https://t.co/yREmtK83lr pic.twitter.com/8zUrsQ1JdLJune 29, 2022
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While the exciting new features are building up anticipation on the phone (1) ahead of the launch, it is sad to see that it won't be coming to the U.S. The company is planning to launch the smartphone in select markets like the U.K., Europe, and India.
Following the April announcement, Google’s partnership to make Pixel repair parts officially available on iFixit is now live.
Google this morning said iFixit now offers genuine parts for the Pixel 2 through 6 in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, and EU countries where the phone is available. At launch, it’s targeting the most common parts: screens, batteries, charging ports, adhesives, and rear cameras. Pixel 6a parts will be available this fall after the July launch.
But we’re not stopping there. We will support newer phones as soon as possible after they come out: This fall, we will have a full selection of Pixel 6a parts plus a full set of repair guides. For Pixel models 2 and later, we will continue to add more types of parts to our catalog.
At ifixit.com/google, you can see available components by phone, with even the original Pixel and Nexus listed. You can buy the Pixel 6 Pro’s rear camera for $169.99 with a “Genuine Part” label on the listing. For $7, you can get a “Fix Kit” with the needed tools:
Pixel 6 Pro Display Adhesive, iOpener, iFixit Opening Picks (Set of 6), Spudger, iFixit Opening Tool, Suction Handle, Angled Tweezers, Blunt Tweezers, Alcohol Pad, Precision Bit Driver, 4 mm Precision Bits (Phillips #00, Torx T3, Torx T5)
There are similar kits for the 6 Pro screen ($199.99) and battery ($49.99). This website links to step-by-step repair guides with high-resolution imagery created by iFixit. They are similar to their teardowns but optimized for a specific part. The Pixel 6 Pro currently covers battery, earpiece speaker, fingerprint reader, front camera, rear camera, and screen replacement.
Meanwhile, iFixit noted Google’s progress in repairable design:
Since we’ve been working with the Google Pixel team, they’ve made some serious repairability gains. Google has made more components modular and worked to prioritize battery and display repairs. Since the Pixel 3, which earned a 4 out of 10 on our repairability scale, no Pixel has scored lower than a respectable 6 out of 10.
Bowers & Wilkins first introduced the Px7 noise-canceling headphones in 2019, effectively replacing the PX in its personal audio line. Now the British company that's perhaps best know for its high-end home speakers has returned with a new version of the over-ear model. With the Px7 S2, Bowers & Wilkins has completely overhauled the Px7, from the design to the sound and the active noise cancellation (ANC). What's more, the company offers all of the upgrades with the same $399 price tag.
The Px7 S2 features an "all-new construction" that Bowers & Wilkins says will keeps things comfy during longer listening sessions. More specifically, the company has opted for a slimmer shape and better cushioning in the earpads while trimming the overall weight. This new model is also available in three new color options: grey, blue and black. Physical controls are still available on the headphones, with buttons for power, volume, track controls and calls on the right side. A customizable button on the left earcup gives you quick access to noise canceling settings or a voice assistant.
Inside, the company says it has built a new acoustic platform that powers 40mm drivers. Bowers & Wilkins further explains that the speakers were specifically built with "ultra-fast response" that's capable of hitting "every nuance" of the music you're listening to. The drivers are also angled to kepp "consistent distance" from your ear for a more natural soundstage. The company has developed its own digital signal processing (DSP) that can handle 24-bit streaming from your go-to music services with support for aptX Adaptive, aptX HD, aptX, AAC and SBC codecs.
In terms of ANC, the Px7 uses four microphones: two that measure the driver output and two that monitor ambient sound. The company says it has revised the noise-canceling algorithm as well for better performance. When it comes to calls, Bowers & Wilkins has changed both the microphone position and tweaked the digital signal processing to compete with noisy venues. ANC settings and transparency mode can also be activated in the company's Music App for the first time on its headphones, along with the ability to adjust the EQ as you see fit. Soon, the software will also allow you to stream music via an in-app player with an upcoming update.
Bowers & Wilkins says the Px7 S2 will last up to 30 hours on a charge, though it doesn't specify if that's with ANC on or off. The company did explain that it upgraded the quick-charge feature from the previous model, giving you seven hours of listening time in 15 minutes. That's two more hours than before, in the same amount of time.
Lastly, Bowers & Wilkins has teased its upcoming flagship headphone model, the Px8. Details are scarce for now, but the company says you can expect "reference-level" sound and "luxurious materials" for $549 later this year. If you can't wait for a new set of cans, the Px7 S2 is available starting today from the company's website and select retailers.
Gallery: Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2 | 45 Photos
Gallery: Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2 | 45 Photos
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There is no denying that smartphone cameras have come a long, long way and while the companies like Samsung are always pushing the boundaries by releasing camera sensors with up to the 200-megapixel sensor, the sensor size, for the most part, has remained smaller. However, Sony, a master in imaging and cameras has decided to beat Samsung and became the first firm to launch a 1-inch smartphone camera sensor, the IMX989.
The Sony IMX989 Claims why Sony is the Best in Camera Industry
The Sony IMX989 is going to debut in the Xiaomi 12S Ultra, the device is going to launch alongside the Xiaomi 12S and the Xiaomi 12S Pro on July 4, 2022. You are looking at a 50-megapixel sensor with a native pixel size of 1.5”m, which should result in exceptional low-light performance.
However, it is with noting that some Sony smartphones actually use a 1-inch sensor, but that is a cropped version of the sensor that Sony uses in its digital cameras. This makes the IMX989 the first 1-inch sensor that is made explicitly for smartphones. Sony is also rumored to be working on a mid-range sensor.
At the time of writing, the ISOCELL GN2 is the biggest sensor that Samsung offers; you are looking at a 1/1.12-inch sensor with a native pixel size of 1.4”m. This means that the Sony IMX989 should offer much better video and image quality than what Samsung is offering. However, it is important to know that a lot of aspects of mobile photography also depend on processing algorithms, so it would be best if you leave this on the phones that implement this camera.
Considering how the smartphone cameras have come so far, do you think that the Sony IMX989 has what it takes to take the smartphone photography to the next level? Let us know in the comments below.
Apple's (AAPL) efforts to replace Qualcomm (QCOM) as a supplier of 5G modem chips for its iPhone have hit a developmental snag, a prominent Apple stock analyst said Tuesday. Qualcomm stock rose on the news.
X
In a Twitter thread, TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said Apple appears to have "failed" in its internal development of a 5G modem chip. That means Qualcomm will remain the exclusive supplier of 5G iPhone modem chips through the second half of 2023, he said. Qualcomm had previously estimated that it would supply just 20% of those iPhone chips in late 2023.
Apple did not respond to a request for comment on the report.
"I believe Apple will continue to develop its own 5G chips," Kuo said. "But by the time Apple succeeds and can replace Qualcomm, Qualcomm's other new businesses should have grown enough to significantly offset the negative impacts caused by the order loss of iPhone 5G chips."
Qualcomm Stock Jumps
The development is likely to drive Qualcomm revenue and earnings estimates higher for 2023 and early 2024, Kuo said.
On the stock market today, Qualcomm stock rose 3.5% to close at 131.60. Apple stock dropped 3% to 137.44 in an overall down day for stocks.
Qualcomm is shifting its business from making wireless chips mostly for smartphones to making them for a host of devices for the Internet of Things. That includes chips for automobiles, Arm-based PCs, and virtual reality and augmented reality headsets.
Qualcomm stock ranks fifth out of 33 stocks in IBD's fabless semiconductor industry group, according to IBD Stock Checkup. It has an IBD Composite Rating of 72 out of 99. IBD's Composite Rating combines five separate proprietary ratings into one easy-to-use rating. The best growth stocks have a Composite Rating of 90 or better.
Follow Patrick Seitz on Twitter at @IBD_PSeitz for more stories on consumer technology, software and semiconductor stocks.
Google announced today that Material You is coming to Gmail on the web in a redesign that also addresses complaints about the integrated view overhaul from earlier this year by introducing a “Gmail-only” view.
Material You redesign
This redesign primarily involves the default white background being replaced by a faint/light blue of which there are several shades. For example, the left navigation menu is slightly darker, while read emails are blue and unread ones remain white.
The Compose button in the top-left corner drops the pill-shaped container for a rectangle with rounded corners, just like on the Android client, while the list of emails is more pronounced.
This is the most significant expansion of the company’s latest Material You design language to the web yet after Material.io and the Google Search Console. It comes as Gmail for Android got its MY redesign in September of 2021. Google has yet to bring Material You to its first-party iPhone or iPad apps.
‘Gmail-only’ view
Update: Google has clarified that “Classic Gmail” refers to the previous, years-old design before the integrated view. As part of today’s launch, the new design will automatically be enabled for some users, but the option to revert back will remain available. It was previously an opt-in launch (“Try it now”), but the default is now changing.
What’s new is how the Material You web redesign supports a “Gmail-only” interface that removes the combined Chat, Spaces, and Meet layout that Google pitched as letting you:
…easily switch between your inbox, important conversations, and join meetings without having to switch between tabs or open a new window. We hope this new experience makes it easier for you to stay on top of what’s important and get work done faster in a single, focused location.
The left bar is gone and you just get a list of default folders and labels at the left. The top search field spans more of the screen since the Chat status indicator has been removed. There’s still a side panel with Calendar Keep, Voice (if eligible), and Tasks at the right.
That said, you can just have Google Chat (with Spaces) or Meet appear from a new customization window.
This Material You web redesign with the Gmail-only view is rolling out starting today and will be:
Available to Google Workspace Business Starter, Business Standard, Business Plus, Enterprise Essentials, Enterprise Standard, Enterprise Plus, Education Fundamentals, Education Plus, Frontline, and Nonprofits, as well as G Suite Basic and Business customers
Also available to users with personal Google accounts, as well as Google Workspace Individual users.
Not available to Google Workspace Essentials customers [which does not include Gmail]
Android 13’s third patch is out today, and there are fewer user-facing changes than in the last release. That said, Beta 3.3 does bring the Android 13 easter egg.
In mid-June, Beta 3.2 quizzically introduced half of the new platform logo with a “3” and a shape that features 13 points to replace the circle used by Android 12.
Android 13 Beta 3.3 today makes it so that we have the full “13” and the easter egg is now activated by pointing the hour and minute hands to 1 o’clock, or 13:00 in military time. The Dynamic Color bubbles are unchanged, but the real fun starts when you hold down on them.
The circles change into emoji, and you can keep long-pressing to cycle through fourteen thematic character sets. This easter egg selects a few emoji from a set for each refresh.
One particular delight is the beloved turtle emoji paired with stars and crowns — the king, truly. There are various moon configurations, while the melting face emoji feels particularly appropriate.
Meanwhile, the status bar currently still shows the wallpaper instead of applying a solid background color. There’s also no change to the Paint chips homescreen widget that reveals the current Dynamic Color palette and can be tapped through for quick sharing.
The first part of the Android 13 Easter egg could be finalized today with the new 13:00 activation and emoji, but it remains to be seen whether there’s a second part on the level of the widget introduced last year. Since the one introduced with Android 12 is a useful tool for developers and end users alike, that homescreen object will presumably stick around.
June 29, 2007: A big day for the iPhone and the Schmick family
By Joanna Stern
On June 29, 2007, the first iPhone went on sale. On that same day, a boy named Noah Schmick was born. Over the next 15 years, the iPhone grew…and so did Noah. Through interviews with current and former Apple executives, WSJ’s Joanna Stern traces how Apple’s invention matured and changed all of us—perhaps the youngest generation most of all.
The iPhone Baby: How 15 Years Shaped a Generation
Through exclusive interviews with current and former Apple executives, WSJ’s Joanna Stern traces how Apple’s invention evolved over the next 15 years and changed a generation.
Arm is announcing its new flagship Immortalis GPU today, its first to include hardware-based ray tracing on mobile. As PCs and the latest Xbox Series X and PS5 consoles are all gradually moving toward impressive ray-traced visuals, Immortalis-G715 is designed to be the Arm’s first GPU to deliver the same on Android phones and tablets.
Built on top of Mali, a GPU that’s used by the likes of MediaTek and Samsung, Immortalis is designed with 10–16 cores in mind and promises a boost of 15 percent over the previous generation premium Mali GPUs. Arm sees Immortalis as the start of a transition to ray tracing on mobile following its success with the 8 billion Mali GPUs that have shipped to date.
“The challenge is that Ray Tracing techniques can use significant power, energy, and area across the mobile system-on-a-chip (SoC),” explains Andy Craigen, director of product management at Arm. “However, Ray Tracing on Immortalis-G715 only uses 4 percent of the shader core area, while delivering more than 300 percent performance improvements through the hardware acceleration.” It’s not clear if a 3x speedup over software-based ray tracing will be enough to tempt game developers, but when Nvidia introduced hardware accelerated ray tracing in its RTX 2080, it advertised a 2x-3x boost at the time. “It’s the right performance point for now to get this technology into the market,” says Arm’s Paul Williamson, adding that it may also come in handy in augmented reality applications where RT could be used to match virtual lighting to the real-world environment around you.
Arm is already delivering software-based ray tracing in last year’s Mali-G710, but the promise of hardware support means we will start to see flagship smartphones with this chip at the beginning of 2023. Samsung also announced its Exynos 2200 chip with hardware-based ray tracing earlier this year, so manufacturers are getting ready for the games to arrive.
“We decided to introduce hardware-based Ray Tracing support now on Immortalis-G715 because our partners are ready, the hardware is ready, and the developer ecosystem is (about to get) ready,” says Craigen. Arm is only providing a couple of examples of ray tracing on its mobile GPUs today, and there’s no clear commitment from any game developers just yet. “We believe this technology has a strong place, but it’ll take time,” says Williamson, hinting that we should see “some interesting experiences on mobile over the next year or so.”
Arm also has an update to its main Mali line with the Mali-G715. This GPU includes variable rate shading (VRS) to boost gaming performance and energy savings on mobile. VRS essentially renders the parts of a scene in a game that require more detail, so details in the background don’t need as much rendering power. “When enabling Variable Rate Shading on gaming content, we have seen improvements of up to 40 percent on frames per second,” claims Craigen. Other improvements mean these latest Arm GPUs will see a 15 percent energy efficiency improvement over its previous Mali-G710 GPU that was introduced last year. Arm wouldn’t say how much more expensive an Immortalis device might be compared to a Mali-based one.
Arm’s move to support hardware-based ray tracing on its GPUs is a significant step for mobile Android gaming. Ray tracing is currently limited to powerful GPUs that are typically found in gaming PCs or the latest Xbox Series X and PS5 consoles. Nvidia has previously demonstrated ray tracing in conjunction with Arm last year, but it was an RTX 3060 GPU paired with a MediaTek Kompanio 1200 Arm processor. That effort is focused on PCs and likely Chromebook-like laptops, but Arm’s new Immortalis is focused squarely on Android.
Arm also shared a chunk of its roadmap, which you can view above, suggesting it’ll follow up Immortalis with a flagship “Titan” GPU in 2023 and “Krake” in 2024. Arm declined to tell us if Titan or Krake will expand ray tracing support, though.
Epic Games is putting its support behind Immortalis with its Unreal Engine, alongside MediaTek and Unity. This is the type of industry support you’d expect for a new mobile GPU like this, but the real test will be how many mobile game developers start implementing ray tracing. (Arm says its ray tracing will use the Vulkan API.) It’s still incredibly rare to see ray tracing on console games, so it’s unlikely we’ll see a flood of mobile games moving to ray tracing anytime soon.
Additional reporting by Sean Hollister.
Correction, June 28th 11:50AM ET: Article updated with more details on Immortalis, and to make it clear this is Arm’s first hardware-based ray tracing chip, not an industry first.
Samsung has published a user manual for the Galaxy Xcover 6 Pro.
The manual confirms that the phone has a removable battery.
This could make it the most powerful phone with a removable battery.
Samsung announced a July 13 launch event for the Galaxy Xcover 6 Pro rugged smartphone and the Galaxy Tab Active 4 Pro. We’ve already seen a few details leak for the former device, and now more details have emerged online.
The Galaxy Xcover 6 Pro user manual has been posted online by the Korean brand, bearing the phone’s SM-G736B model number (h/t: SamMobile). The biggest takeaway? Well, it confirms that the upcoming Samsung phone has a removable battery, complete with instructions and images showing how to install and remove it. Check out these images below.
It’s a pretty special release then, albeit not purely because it has a removable battery. A recent Google Play Console listing points to the Galaxy Xcover 6 Pro also packing an upper mid-range Snapdragon 778G processor, which means this will be the most powerful smartphone with a removable battery. The Fairphone 4 seems to have been the previous top dog in this regard, packing a Snapdragon 750G chipset.
Other notable hardware features shown in the user manual include two customizable hardware buttons (an Xcover key on the left and a “top” key), a 3.5mm port, a power button with a side fingerprint scanner, microSD card support, and an ultrawide rear camera.
The manual also mentions features like Single Take mode, Super Steady video recording, and Samsung Dex functionality.
We’ll need to wait until July 13 to get a full look at the Galaxy Xcover 6 Pro, but it’s clear that fans of phones with removable batteries should keep an eye on this one.
It hasn’t released a competitive flagship device in years, but HTC’s smartphone division isn’t throwing in the towel just yet. Today it announced the HTC Desire 22 Pro, a follow-up to last year’s HTC Desire 21 Pro, and the company’s big attempt at capitalizing on the so-called metaverse. In the UK, it’s listed at £399 and will ship on August 1st.
There are a couple of different aspects to the phone’s metaverse functionality. To start with, it’s designed to be the “perfect companion” to HTC’s recently announced Vive Flow VR headset and used to access Viverse, HTC’s take on the metaverse. The headset is designed to work with any Android phone, though, so it’s not entirely clear what the Desire 22 Pro offers that isn’t available elsewhere.
There’s also some NFT functionality here, with HTC’s Taiwanese site advertising that the phone includes a digital wallet to manage crypto assets, and comes with a free NFT. This appears to vary by market, however, since similar language is not present in the marketing materials on its UK site.
Elsewhere, the Desire 22 Pro’s specs are thoroughly midrange. It’s got a 6.6-inch 1080p display with a high 120Hz refresh rate, and a hole-punch notch in its top left containing a 32-megapixel selfie camera. Around back there are three rear cameras, a 64-megapixel main camera, a 13-megapixel ultrawide, and a 5-megapixel depth sensor.
Internally it’s powered by a Snapdragon 695 processor, with 8GB of RAM, 128GB of storage and a 4,520mAh battery. It supports wireless and reverse wireless charging, runs Android 12, and has an IP67 rating for dust and water resistance. The Desire 22 Pro comes in either black or gold.
The approach is very reminiscent of HTC’s previous blockchain-powered smartphone, the Exodus 1, which it released in 2018, and followed up with the more affordable Exodus 1S the following year. But neither phone appears to have reversed HTC’s smartphone fortunes. The company’s market share reportedly plummeted to less than half a percent in 2018, the same year it sold much of its smartphone talent to Google. Nowadays, HTC sells so few smartphones that it doesn’t register on public smartphonemarketshare trackers.