Articles by Carl Velasco
Sony Removes PlayStation Now Support For Vita, PS3, And More Devices To Focus On PC, PS4
If you’re subscribed to PlayStation Now and you don’t have either a PS4 or a PC, Sony has bad news for you. The game streaming service is ending for other devices by August 15 and on some platforms even earlier.
Huawei Reportedly Working On Its Own Voice Assistant, But Don’t Get Excited Yet
Huawei is cooking up its own voice assistant to rival Apple’s Siri, Amazon’s Alexa, and Google’s Assistant. However, the technology could only find its way to the Chinese market, reports suggest.
Amazon Echo And Google Home Could Soon Let You Make Calls: Will Smart Speakers Replace Telephones?
Google and Amazon are looking into adding phone call functionality for their respective smart speakers, Home and Echo. Looming privacy concerns associated with the functionality is reportedly stalling development, however.
Google Outs Cloud Spanner, Its Globally Distributed Database Service For Mission-Critical Applications
Google has now officially opened Cloud Spanner, after residing in its internal operations for the most part. Spanner offers both transactional capabilities of traditional relational databases and the scale-out architecture of NoSQL database services.
Caavo’s Set-Top Box Aims To Unify Your Video Streaming Apps In A Single TV Interface
A new set-top box is hoping to string all your streaming services together. Caavo, made by folks behind the Sling Box, will release a $399 device that can mesh eight video streaming services in one, universal switching and search included.
All Xfinity TV Subscribers To Get Comcast’s New Xfinity Stream App On Feb. 28
Comcast has given its Xfinity TV app replacement a release schedule. The new Xfinity Stream app will roll out Feb. 28 as a free download for all Xfinity TV subscribers.
Facebook Heads To TVs: Apps For Apple TV And Amazon Fire TV To Launch ‘Soon’
Facebook has announced a new TV app slated to arrive on Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, alongside other set-top boxes. The company said that its purpose is to provide Facebook users a way to consume content wherever they prefer.
Disney-Owned Maker Studios Drops PewDiePie Over Anti-Semitic Videos
Maker Studios has dropped PewDiePie over anti-Semitic content published on the YouTuber’s channel. PewDiePie, however, says that he was in no way espousing hateful attitudes.
Elon Musk Predicts Driverless Cars To Be The Norm In 10 Years
Elon Musk believes that in 10 years, every car from automaker will be built with full autonomous driving capabilities. The effect of such a change, however, will take time.
Apple Taps Samsung To Supply 160 Million OLED Screens For iPhone 8
Samsung will reportedly supply 160 million OLED panels for Apple’s forthcoming iPhone 8, further bolstering rumors of the next iPhone rocking the display. Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 8 this fall.
Magic Leap A Hostile Workplace Environment For Women, New Lawsuit By Former Executive Alleges
On top of criticisms over its inability to showcase a concrete product, Magic Leap, an augmented reality startup, is now being accused of workplace sexism. The lawsuit claims the company’s sexism is what hampered the development of its product.
Huawei Watch 2 Set To Launch At MWC, Huawei CEO Apparently Confirms
Huawei’s next flagship smartwatch is now believed to be unveiled at this year’s Mobile World Congress, as informed by a recent Weibo post by Huawei’s CEO. The device in question will reportedly feature calling, texting, and more, without a smartphone.
WATCH: Apple Debuts Teaser For ‘Carpool Karaoke’ Series During The Grammys, Coming Soon To Apple Music
Apple has unveiled the first teaser for 'Carpool Karaoke: The Series,' featuring stars Ariana Grande, John Legend, Blake Shelton and a handful more. The 16-episode series will stream exclusively on Apple Music soon.
Magic Leap CEO: Leaked Prototype Device ‘Not What You Think It Is’
Magic Leap’s CEO has now confirmed that there’s more to the recently leaked photo purportedly showing a prototype of its device than meets the eye. Turns out the device depicted in the photo is simply an R&D test rig.
February Security Patch Fixes Google Pixel Audio Issues, But Speaker Volume Reportedly Not As Loud
This month's security patch has been confirmed to fix the Pixel's and Pixel XL’s audio issues. Previously, owners of either handsets noticed a strange popping noise when the devices were set at maximum volume.
Will Google Assistant Arrive On Your Non-Pixel Android Phone? New Google App Alpha Release Hints Yes
Google Assistant may soon head to non-Pixel devices, as informed by an alpha release of the Google app. It also appears that you won’t even need Nougat to have it.
Nintendo Switch: Free ‘Splatoon 2’ Demo To Go Live March 24, But It Won’t Last Long
Nintendo has confirmed that a 'Splatoon 2' global demo will go live late March, allowing players to test the game ahead of its release. Additionally, Spectator and LAN mode have also been confirmed for the game.
First Photo Of Magic Leap’s AR Tech Prototype Leaks, Shows It Needs More Work
Magic Leap’s first prototype for its secretive AR tech has just been leaked, showing a very rough version of the device. The steeply valued company, apart from the recent leak, has had very little to show about its promised products.
Xiaomi Reportedly Developing Its Own Chips Dubbed ‘Pinecone’ For Future Top-Tier Flagships
Xiaomi is reportedly planning to create its own chips moving forward, breaking free from Qualcomm chips conventionally found on its smartphones. What’s more, this new chip is rumored to be what’ll power the forthcoming Mi 6.
Samsung Chromebook Pro Review Roundup: An Affordable MacBook Alternative?
The Samsung Chromebook Pro is being heralded as the evolution of Chromebooks from secondary devices to laptops in their own right. See what else the critics are saying about the forthcoming hybrid laptop.
Valve Chief Gabe Newell Confirms 3 Full-Fledged VR Games In Development
Valve has confirmed that it’s currently developing three virtual reality titles, although laconic when pressed what these games might be. However, Gabe Newell has confirmed that none will be based around 'Half-Life' or 'Team Fortress.'
Valve Ditches Steam Greenlight, Introduces ‘Steam Direct,’ An Easier Way To Publish Games
Steam has officially yanked the life support of its Greenlight system, a community-decided program for helping developers bring their games onto the platform. It will be replaced with Steam Direct, which employs a more straightforward process.
Meet ‘Sapio,’ The Dating App That Finds You A Match Based On Intelligence Level
Tired of Tinder? Try Sapio, the new dating app that can match partners based on mutual intelligence. The app features a 300-item questionnaire for a more complex and nuanced system of matching.
WhatsApp Finally Pushes 2-Step Authentication Out Of Beta: Here’s How To Enable It Now
One of the most popular messaging apps just got more secure. WhatsApp has now officially rolled out a two-step verification feature for all its users, which was first introduced last fall but only for beta builds.
Google Brings VR To Chrome: Here’s How To Browse VR-Ready Sites On Your Phone
Google has outfitted the latest version of chrome with WebVR, which supports VR content natively inside the browser. Those at home with a Daydream View Headset may now try it using the Chrome app.
Sony Continues Android Nougat Rollout For Xperia Z5, Z3+, And Z4 Tablet
Sony has now resumed rolling out Android Nougat to some Xperia devices, including the Z5, Z3+, and the Z4 Tablet. The new firmware is expected to fix bugs that caused the initial rollout to be halted.
Amazon Tap Is Now Hands-Free: No Need To Push Any Buttons, Just Say ‘Alexa’
Amazon has confirmed that Tap, its only smart speaker without an always-on feature, will receive an update that gains it such a functionality. This means Tap owners won’t need to push a button anymore to activate Alexa.
Looking For A Full-Fledged Weather App? Look No Further Than Facebook
Weather reports will now be accessible right inside the Facebook app, under the 'More' section. The company said it has already rolled the feature out to 95 percent of its user base.
New Bundle Deal Nets You Spotify Premium If You Pay For A New York Times Subscription
The New York Times has announced a new subscription tier that comes with Spotify Premium. Available for U.S. residents, the bundle costs $5 a week, removes the site’s paywall, and grants unlimited Spotify access.
E3 Opens To The Public For The First Time, Early Bird Passes Cost $150
For the first time in its history, E3 has confirmed that it’s inviting the public to attend the conference, but for a steep price, of course. Early bird passes will cost $150, then $250 for the remainder of the tickets.
