Technology

If you have more images in your Google Photos app than you know what to do with, why not put your phone to work displaying them? With a few simple steps, you can use your Android phone’s screen saver feature to turn your phone screen into a digital picture frame while it charges. This works especially well for phones with wireless charging (so you can see your photos with the phone propped up on a charger), but it will work with any kind of charging mode or if you connect your phone to a dock. It’s built right into the operating system, and it’s a neat, easy way to show off some of your favorite photos. I used a Motorola Moto G Stylus (2022) for the steps below, but the process is very similar on a Samsung or Pixel phone. You’ll need to have the photos you want to display in a Google Photo...

Sony and Nintendo are making changes to their gaming subscriptions in the UK after working with a regulator in the country (via Engadget). The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has raised concerns about how people may be charged for subscriptions indefinitely until they proactively end them, which could mean they’re paying for services they don’t use. For PlayStation Plus, “Sony has agreed to put in place measures to protect customers who haven’t used their memberships for a long time but are still paying,” the CMA said. “Sony will contact these customers to remind them how to stop payments and, if they continue not to use their memberships, Sony will ultimately stop taking further payments.” We’ve reached out to Sony to ask if these changes will apply only in the UK or will als...

Google has quietly released a free app for iOS to help you easily carry over data from an iPhone to an Android device, as reported by 9to5Google. The Switch To Android app works wirelessly, meaning you won’t have to worry about connecting the two phones with a cable. “The Switch to Android app from Google helps you quickly and securely move your most important data types — photos, videos, contacts, and calendar events — to a brand new Android device without fussy cables,” according to the app’s description on the App Store. That list does not include messages, so it appears the app won’t be able to transfer those, though it will walk you through how to turn off iMessage so “you don’t miss text messages from friends and family.” 9to5Google says this is an unlisted app, and that does appear ...

1Password released an early access version of 1Password 8 for iOS on Wednesday, which brings a redesigned interface and new backend to iPhone and iPad users. The new version of the app, which 1Password says will eventually make its way to all its supported platforms, has been available in early access mode for Mac since August, and was released for Windows in November. As a longtime user of 1Password 7, the redesign was immediately obvious when I opened the beta version of the app. As far as I can tell, almost every icon has been changed to be a little more fun and colorful, and the interface feels more modern now. <div class="c-imageslider" data-cid="apps/imageslider-1649901096_6742_112571" data-cdata="{"caption":"The settings screen shows the di...

A new free app called Staybl uses existing technologies in the iPad to make it easier to use for those dealing with involuntary hand tremors because of conditions like Parkinson’s disease. Global advertising company Havas Creative’s offices in New York and Germany created the app after two years of work with experts from the German Parkinson’s Association and Parkinson’s patients in Germany and the US. Their goal is to improve access to technology for those dealing with Parkinson’s disease and other health issues that cause tremors. While the app is currently only available for use on Apple’s iPad, its creators aim to bring it to other digital devices and platforms in the future. “We always talk about how technology should improve our lives, but we don’t naturally include everyone in those...

TikTok is testing a feature that allows users to dislike individual comments on videos, the company confirmed today. In a blog post on safety and community guidelines enforcement, TikTok says individuals can flag comments they find “irrelevant or inappropriate” without the dislike being visible to others. Some users spotted different versions of the option earlier this year. “This community feedback will add to the range of factors we already use to help keep the comment section consistently relevant and a place for genuine engagement,” TikTok says. TikTok users already can dislike videos to signal to the app that they aren’t interested in the content. The comment dislike button appears to be available in addition to the option to report a comment for community guideline violations. The co...

Mercedes-Benz announced that its electric concept car, the Vision EQXX, successfully completed a long-range test of over 1,000 km on a single battery charge. It was among the longest distances covered by an electric vehicle on a single charge. The trip took place across several European cities, starting in Germany, then on to Switzerland and Italy, and finally to its destination, the port town of Cassis near Marseille in the South of France. Temperatures ranged from 3 to 18 degrees Celsius (37 to 64 degrees Fahrenheit), and the vehicle traveled at an average speed of 54 mph. The distance covered was “over” 1,000 km, or about 621 miles. That is more than twice the typical range that most EVs on the road today can travel. According to Mercedes, the Vision EQXX’s state of charge on arrival wa...

Kia is bringing its refreshed electrified Niro compact SUV lineup to North America for 2023 with new exterior styling and more interior space. The company is debuting three new Niro models at the New York International Auto Show this week: the hybrid Niro HEV, the plug-in hybrid Niro PHEV, and the fully electric Niro EV. Kia plans to release them nationwide, including the fully electric Niro EV that previously could only be purchased in select states. The Niros all share dark-colored door cladding and an “aero blade” profile panel that combined give the car a swoosh-like appearance. New daytime running lights and a “tiger-nose” grille adorn the front, while the rear taillights are now boomerang-shaped and no longer intersect with the hatch. The changes enable a new low drag coefficient of ...

On Monday, Meta published a blog post detailing its plans to monetize the metaverse. The company said it’s currently testing out new tools for its VR game Horizon Worlds that will enable creators to derive an income from things they build in the game. For example, a creator could make and sell attachable fashion accessories. “The metaverse — by nature of its not being limited by physical space — will bring a new level of creativity and open up new opportunities for the next generation of creators and businesses to pursue their passions and create livelihoods,” Meta said in the blog post. Many people were shocked to discover, however, that Meta will be taking a 47.5% cut on each sale. A Meta spokesperson told CNBC, among other publications, that Meta will take an overall cut of up to 47.5% ...

After launching as “IMDb Freedive” back in 2019, IMDb TV quickly faded into the background of the ongoing streaming wars that parent company Amazon had already established a respectable foothold in. While that initial rebrand never quite managed to put the fledgling platform and its content on the map, Amazon’s just announced its plan to reintroduce the streamer yet again under new branding ahead of a massive content push. Going forward, IMDb TV will be known as “Amazon Freevee,” a name meant to emphasize that the ad-supported platform is free to viewers. In a press release detailing its vision for Freevee’s future, director Ashraf Alkarmi framed the service as a supplemental platform meant to appeal to consumers interested in watching “premium” series and films with significantly fewer co...

CD Projekt Red (CDPR) has once again delayed the release of its next-gen update for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. CDPR originally targeted a late-2021 release date for the free next-gen upgrade for the game, but the developer later pushed that to Q2 2022, and now, it’s unclear exactly when we might be able to play it. “We have decided to have our in-house development team conduct the remaining work on the next-gen version of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt,” CDPR said via the official The Witcher Twitter account. “We are currently evaluating the scope of work to be done and thus have to postpone Q2 release until further notice.” The change was made “based on recommendations from persons in charge of development,” according to a note for investors. We’ll update you as soon as we can. Thank you f...

The $400-plus Steam Deck gaming handheld does not support external graphics cards. Valve has been clear on this point for months — you can’t magically plug in a dock and run Cyberpunk or Elden Ring at 4K. But ever since the company revealed that the Steam Deck’s storage plugs into a (relatively) easily accessible M.2 PCI-Express x4 socket, the PC gaming community has speculated that an eGPU module could totally fit there instead. Now, YouTuber ETA Prime has actually done it, adding an AMD Radeon RX 6900 XT, one of the highest-end graphics cards on the market. It works, it runs, it plays games at 4K with maxed-out settings at framerates a vanilla Steam Deck could only dream of. But no, you probably shouldn’t do this at home! Not only does it kind of defeat the portable purpose to have a des...