Technology

Customizing your iPhone’s homescreen took off last year when iOS 14 introduced widgets and the ability to hide default app icons in favor of your own cool, customized ones. But iOS 15 opens up a new dimension to homescreen customization, thanks to Focus modes — which give a quick and easy way to hide and reveal groups of homescreens with just a single tap. Here’s how to do it: Focus modes are ostensibly an extension of Apple’s Do Not Disturb mode — the intended idea behind the feature is that you can tie specific homescreens to different use cases, like having a work homescreen with your calendar and email widgets that automatically pop up when you’re in the office, and a regular homescreen with social media apps and music widgets for when you’re off the clock. But since Focus modes let yo...

With the rise of NFT artwork over the past year, many artists have floated my way through the Twitter content rivers. One of those people was Defaced, whose colorful, geometric designs always transport me to an alternate dimension and draw me in with characters that I can’t help but feel for. Defaced, like many digital artists, got his start in graphic design, initially developing his skills making branding packages for Call of Duty streamers and eventually getting a job out of high school for a small tech company. He quickly realized that if he wanted his time sitting behind a computer to mean something, he’d have to make a change. After a quick stint back in school, he jumped into the world of freelance design. A bet that paid off, as within the year he’d be working for the likes of Appl...

Apple has reportedly overcome the production issues it’s been having with its unreleased smartwatch, the Apple Watch Series 7, and will now begin mass manufacturing the device in mid-September, according to a report from analyst Ming-Chi Kuo seen by MacRumors. The news comes as Apple gears up for a major launch event on September 14th. The fall event will presumably be focused on its latest iPhone models with the new Apple Watch also expected to make an appearance. Late last month Nikkei and Bloomberg reported that Apple had temporarily halted production of its latest smartwatch while it fixed the problems. The issues were thought to be related to the Series 7’s revamped design, which is said to consist of “a flatter display and edges” than seen on previous models. The new design has repor...

Google is starting to roll out its new Material You design system to Gmail, Calendar, Docs, and more on Android. The new look will include changes to navigation bars, improved action buttons, and Google’s Sans text for better readability. It’s part of the bigger Android 12 redesign that includes big, bubbly buttons, shifting colors, smoother animations, and some overhauls to built-in apps. The design changes mean Pixel devices with Android 12 or newer will be able to match the colors inside apps like Gmail, Google Meet, and Google Drive with their wallpapers for what Google calls a “more dynamic, personalized look.” Existing color schemes and color-coded file types and folders will remain unchanged within the apps, though. The subtle changes to the Gmail app design.Image: Google Google is ...

Drake‘s new album Certified Lover Boy has garnered a lot of attention in the past week, and it’s arguable that the album cover alone has received a great deal of interest. The cover art caused divisive public opinions, leaving some unsure of how they feel about the work of British artist Damien Hirst. The 12-emoji album cover has become a viral hit, with many sharing their own renditions of the artwork in recent weeks. Now, Canadian software engineer Niko Draca has created a free-to-use Certified Lover Boy Emoji Generator that allows anyone to join in on the viral phenomenon. The microsite takes any Unicode Emoji character and alters them to appear pregnant, whether male or female in a wide range of skin tones and various shirt colours. Draca recently commented on how he was inspired ...

LG has introduced a sleek new XBoom 360 Lantern speaker sporting a smooth matted metal exterior, metal handle and an adjustable mood light. The speaker features a titanium tweeter and elastic glass fiber woofer distributing even omnidirectional sound. Its defining mood light features three settings: Ambient Mode, which produces calm indirect lighting, Nature Mode which emits organic tones, and Party Mode which lights up to match the beat of music. A dedicated LG XBOOM app allows users to adjust lighting patterns, colors, and brightness. The app also allows users to shift between audio modes —Classic, Jazz, User EQ, Pop, Bass Blast, etc.— and perform basic DJ functions such as loop, scratch, FX, pad, auto DJ, sample creator and more. Connectivity options include Aux, USB, and Bluetooth, and...

Following rumors from various outlets last week that e-commerce and tech giant Amazon was preparing to launch its own branded televisions, the company has now officially unveiled its latest creations. Coming in the form of two separate lineups, the Amazon Fire TV Omni Series will be its more premium collection the Amazon Fire TV 4 Series will offer more accessible models. The former will carry sizes in 43 inches, 50 inches, 55 inches, 65 inches, and 75 inches with HDR10, hybrid log gamma HDR as well as Dolby Digital Plus and Dolby Vision, while the latter will come in 43-inch, 50-inch and 55-inch options, all also equipped with HDR10 and HLG. As you’d expect, both lines are powered by Amazon’s very own Alexa. Aside from its own branded TVs, Amazon also announced a series of other new devic...

Following in the footsteps of Facebook, Twitter is now testing a new emoji reaction feature for tweets. Similar to the one long been offered by Mark Zuckerberg‘s platform, the feature on Twitter will allow users to move beyond simply liking a tweet but express more through a range of selected emojis, which currently include a thinking face, a sad face, a laughing crying face, clapping hands and a heart. Twitter will first be testing out the feature in Turkey before looking at its response and expanding it to users in the rest of the globe. The latest emoji reacts come amid a flurry of new tests from Jack Dorsey‘s social media platform. Just this past week, Twitter also announced that it’ll be testing out its new “Communities” feature — which brings together those tweeting about a certain t...

Apple has fired senior engineering program manager Ashley Gjøvik for allegedly violating the company’s rules against leaking confidential information. For months, Gjøvik has been tweeting openly about allegations of harassment, surveillance, and workplace safety. “When I began raising workplace safety concerns in March, and nearly immediately faced retaliation and intimidation, I started preparing myself for something exactly like this to happen,” she says. “I’m disappointed that a company I have loved since I was a little girl would treat their employees this way.” Gjøvik has raised concerns that her office is in an Apple building located on a superfund site, meaning it requires special oversight due to historical waste contamination. She also says that she faced harassment and bullying f...

Vivo has announced the X70 series, its latest line of flagship phones. It sees the company further extend its camera partnership with renowned lens company Zeiss while refining the blueprint laid down by the X50 and X60 phones from the past year-plus. The X70 Pro Plus is the top-of-the-line device, featuring a Snapdragon 888 Plus processor, a 6.783-inch (yes that’s the stated spec) 1440p OLED screen, and a 4,500mAh battery that uses Vivo’s 55W FlashCharge technology. More importantly, it has 50W wireless fast charging that also works with Qi. This is Vivo’s first ever phone to support wireless charging, which should make it a more viable switching option for anyone who’s already put Qi chargers all over their house. The X70 Pro Plus’ Zeiss-branded camera array includes a 50-megapixel main ...

Apple says it won’t let Epic Games back in the App Store until they agree to “play by the same rules as everyone else.” Earlier today Epic asked Apple to reinstate its developer account so that it could re-release the iOS version of Fortnite in South Korea, which recently passed a bill forcing Apple and Google to allow alternate in-app payment systems. Apple, however, maintains it’s under no obligation to let Epic in the App Store at all. “As we’ve said all along, we would welcome Epic’s return to the App Store if they agree to play by the same rules as everyone else,” an Apple spokesperson says in a statement to The Verge. “Epic has admitted to breach of contract and as of now, there’s no legitimate basis for the reinstatement of their developer account.” The South Korean legislation has ...