Author: Mobile Syrup

Categories
Mobile Syrup

Netflix renews That ’90s Show for Season 2

Netflix has already renewed That ’90s Show for a 16-episode second season according to Deadline.

The spin-off to That ’70s Show premiered with a 10-episode season on January 19th and had more than 41 million hours viewed, according to Netflix.

The spin-off stars Red Forman (Kurtwood Smith) and Kitty Forman (Debra Jo Rupp) and briefly features Wilmer Valderrama (Fez), Laura Prepon (Donna Pinciotti), Michael Kelso (Ashton Kutcher) and Jackie Burkhart (Mila Kunis). That ’90s Show even brought back Leo (Tommy Chung), a recurring character from the main series.

The revival also features new characters like Leia Forman (Callie Haverda), the daughter of Donna and Eric and the granddaughter of Kitty and Red Forman, as well as the actors Reyn Doi, Sam Morelos, Maxwell Acee Donovan, Ashley Aufderheide, and Mace Coronel, who plays Jay Kelso, son of Jackie and Michael Kelso.

It’s unclear when the new season will air.

Image credit: Netflix

Source: Deadline

Categories
Mobile Syrup

Meta’s upcoming Meta Quest 3 to cost between $400 to $670

Meta’s $2,299 Meta Quest Pro is lending one of its key features to an upcoming, comparatively affordable, consumer-focused Meta headset, as shared by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg in the company’s Q4, 2022 earnings call.

“Later this year, we’re going to launch our next generation consumer headset, which will feature Meta Reality as well, and I expect that this is going to establish this technology as the baseline for all headsets going forward, and eventually of course for AR glasses as well,” said Zuckerberg.

MR, or, Meta Reality, is a currently Quest Pro-exclusive feature that allows the VR (Virtual Reality) headset to double as an AR (Augmented Reality) headset, resulting in what Meta describes as a Mixed Reality experience where users can interact with their live environment with a VR filter over it.

According to reports from last year, the upcoming, comparatively affordable headset will be called Meta Quest 3, and it will release late in 2023. It will reportedly cost between $300 and $500 USD (roughly $400 CAD to $670 CAD), making it roughly three to five times cheaper than the Quest Pro.

The Quest Pro utilizes two camera views to produce a 3D view of your surroundings and lets people see the world around them with overlaid coloured graphics. The Quest 2 also has this feature, but it’s limited to black and white. It would be interesting to see how Meta implements the feature in a three to five-times cheaper headset, and what physical form the new headset will take.

It’s important to note that the Meta Reality feature has received mixed reviews, with The Verge finding that the colour passthrough on the headset lacks resemblance to the real world, and the video footage is “fuzzy,” and “murky in low light, washed-out or flickery in bright light, and sometimes luridly saturated in between.”

A report from UploadVR suggests that the upcoming Quest 3 could feature a depth sensor to render the space around you and allow for hand-tracking capabilities. The same report also suggests that the Quest 3 will make use of pancake lenses for a more compact design, alongside a more powerful Qualcomm processor.

Source: Meta Q4, 2022 Earnings Call Via: The Verge, UploadVR

Categories
Mobile Syrup

The Last of Us PC port delayed to March 28th

In the remake, character models have been significantly improved over the original game.

Naughty Dog is delaying The Last of Us Part 1 (TLOU) for PC’s release until March 28th. This is only a slight pushback from its initial March 3rd release date.

The developer says that it needs an additional few weeks to make this version of TLOU live up to the developer’s standards.

The Last of Us TV show is now streaming on Crave in Canada. While the critically acclaimed TV show follows portions of the video game closely (at least so far), certain aspects have been adapted for television, providing more background to specific characters.

Source: @Naughty_Dog

Categories
Mobile Syrup

Apple now has 2 billion active devices worldwide

Apple’s recent earnings report revealed less than stellar financial results, but on a more positive note for the company, the tech giant confirmed that it now has more than 2 billion active devices across iPhone, Mac, Apple Watch and its other products.

This is an increase from the 1.8 billion active devices number Apple revealed in January 2022.

“During the December quarter we achieved a major milestone and are excited to report that we now have more than 2 billion active devices as part of our growing installed base,” said Apple CEO Tim Cook during the earnings call.

Cook said that the tech giant’s recent device growth is related to first-time Apple Watch buyers and those switching from Android and PC to the iPhone and Mac devices. The CEO did not reveal specific numbers related to these statements.

In its Q1 2023 earnings report, Apple revealed that its sales during the typically lucrative holiday quarter were five percent lower than last year. For example, iPhone revenue fell to $65.78 billion USD (roughly $87.6 billion CAD) vs. $68.29 billion USD (approximately $90.9 CAD) estimated, down 8.17 percent year-over-year.

For an in-depth look at Apple’s Q1 2023 earnings, follow this link.

Categories
Mobile Syrup

Some games warn Twitter API changes could lock players out

If you use Twitter to log into any important services, games, or other stuff, you may want to set up alternate login methods. Twitter’s upcoming API changes may break your ability to log in with Twitter.

At least, that’s the warning from two popular online games. Genshin Impact and Arknights (spotted by The Verge) both shared warnings on Twitter that gamers should change their logins just in case.

Genshin Impact tweeted that it’s ” in the process of confirming the impact of the Twitter API adjustments on game account login” and suggested in a follow-up that customers link their email address to their HoYoverse account to avoid login problems.

Similarly, Arknights tweeted that players should bind their game accounts to a Yostar account in case of issues stemming from Twitter’s API change. (I particularly enjoyed the perplexing image tweeted in response to the warning).

These warnings come after Twitter announced plans to remove the free tier of its API and start charging for access. It remains unclear if the adjustment will impact login services like this, but given how Elon Musk’s previous rash changes impacted Twitter, better safe than sorry.

Source: Genshin Impact, Arknights Via: The Verge

Categories
Mobile Syrup

Google might be gunning for Continuity Camera in Android 14

Using your smartphone as a webcam has become increasingly popular over the last few years. While iPhone users can enjoy built-in features like Continuity Camera to turn their iPhone into a webcam for their Mac, Android users have had to rely on third-party apps so far. That might change in Android 14.

As detailed by Esper senior technical editor Mishaal Rahman on Twitter (via 9to5Google), a work-in-progress project called ‘DeviceAsWebcam’ aims to let users plug their Android phone into a device and use it as a webcam.

It appears Google will use the ‘USB Video Class’ (UVC) standard, which should enable the feature to work across a variety of devices, unlike Continuity Camera, which only works for Apple devices. However, it does look like users would need to plug in their Android phone, which is a fairly significant difference from Continuity Camera.

Moreover, Google’s work on the feature so far is only as a ‘service’ to provide video data through USB. There would also need to be a system app on your phone to put the camera video data into the right spot to transmit over USB. That means Google would have to make a generic, Android-ready app, or manufacturers would need to create their own.

Of course, we’re also still a ways out from Android 14, so it’s likely things could change before then. It’ll be interesting to track this feature through the Android 14 developer previews — if it makes it into the preview.

Source: Mishaal Rahman Via: 9to5Google

Categories
Mobile Syrup

ISP Start.ca reportedly joins Telus banner

Telus appears to have acquired internet service provider (ISP), Start.ca.

Peter Nowak, an executive at ISP TekSavvy, shared the news on Twitter. Nowak didn’t share how he confirmed the acquisition.

It’s unclear how many customers the acquisition impacts and if it went through regulatory approval.

Additionally, Nowak states the telecom giant has also overtaken a second ISP, Altima.

MobileSyrup cannot independently confirm the news but will provide an update once available.

This isn’t the first time Altima’s name has been associated with Telus. Flanker brand Koodo partnered with the ISP in December to offer discounted internet services.

Both Altima and Start.ca serve Ontario residents.

Image credit: Shutterstock 

Categories
Mobile Syrup

Google working on lock screen customization, shortcuts for Android 13

Google appears to be working on improving the lock screen customization options for Pixel phones.

Mishaal Rahman, senior technical editor for Esper, shared several glimpses of the work-in-progress changes in a recent tweet thread (via Android Police). Rahman was able to find most of the details in the third Android 13 QPR2 beta.

First up, Rahman detailed a new preview user interface (UI) for picking a wallpaper and style. This includes a new fullscreen preview and some other tweaks. However, Rahman notes it appears unfinished (he suspects Google is making room for several upcoming customization options like custom clocks and lock screen shortcuts).

Rahman then shared a look at the lock screen shortcuts feature, which lets users assign functions to a left and right button. Some of the functions visible in the screenshots include turning on the flashlight, do not disturb, and smart home device controls. There’s also an option to pick a custom lock screen clock, and Rahman points to a Twitter thread he made in mid-January about the new clock options.

To activate the new lock screen shortcuts, Rahman says you have to long-press them instead of simply tapping them, which should help reduce accidental activations.

Overall, it looks like a future Android update will enable a ton of customization options on Pixel phones, bringing them more in line with Samsung and Apple — both companies offer ways to customize your lock screen.

Android Police suggests the features will arrive with the next Pixel Feature Drop, which should release in March 2023.

Source: @MishaalRahman Via: Android Police

Categories
Mobile Syrup

Instagram reportedly working on Twitter-like paid verification

Following in Elon Musk-owned Twitter’s footsteps, it looks like Instagram is working on a paid verification feature, making it easier for users to get the ‘coveted’ blue tick mark on their profiles.

Alessandro Paluzzi (@alex193a), a mobile developer and reverse engineer, found code in the Instagram app that explicitly references “paid blue badge,” alongside a new subscription model. As shared by TechCrunch, the same references also appear in Facebook’s latest build, indicating that the subscription or the paid verification might be a wider product that would roll out across Meta-owned platforms.

Paluzzi’s has a track record of spotting new Instagram features before they launch, including features like in-app scheduling, and the ability to share posts, Reels and locations through QR codes. Regarding paid verification, Paluzzi shared in-app screenshots of the code he found with TechCrunch, and it clearly contains code referencing “IG_NME_PAID_BLUE_BADGE_IDV” and “FB_NME_PAID_BLUE_BADGE_IDV.”

Paluzzi also notes that other than the subtle code references, there is nothing else in the latest builds of Instagram and Facebook that might indicate an upcoming paid verification feature. Currently, the blue badge is only given to high-profile individuals, celebrities, and global brands or entities, which has led to a multimillion-dollar market for verification through nefarious means.

Twitter’s initial rollout of its paid verification system didn’t come without problems, most importantly, impersonation issues. It would be interesting to see how Instagram manages to roll out its paid verification, and if users would want to pay for it.

Image credit: @alex193a, Via: TechCrunch

Source: @alex193a

Categories
Mobile Syrup

Twitter to share ad revenue with creators

Twitter will now share revenue it makes from ads with creators.

In a tweet, CEO Elon Musk said the revenue will apply “for ads that appear in their reply threads.”

The specifics on how much creators can make remains unclear. All we know is that creators must be part of Twitter Blue.

The news comes as Twitter announced it will start charging developers to access its once free API, likely ending free access to some of the best Twitter adjacent apps on the market.