Author: Mobile Syrup

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Someone got Apple’s macOS running on Valve’s Steam Deck

This is the latest edition of, just because you can, it doesn’t mean you should.

Following up news that Apple could plan to bring macOS to the iPad, it looks like someone was able to get Apple’s desktop operating system running on a Steam Deck.

Why would someone do this? I’m not entirely sure.

Reddit user Lampa182 posted several images of macOS Catalina running inside of a VirtualBox virtual machine on Valve’s handheld gaming device. To be clear, this isn’t macOS natively running off the Steamdeck and instead of a bit of operating system inception. Still, it’s interesting someone put the effort into making it happen.

According to Lampa183, macOS’ performance on the Steam Deck is mostly normal, but “some animations are laggy” and booting up the operating system (OS) “takes 2 to 4 minutes.” Further, the touchscreen is only “partially” working and “sound, GPU and (for some reason) security settings” still aren’t running on Valve’s portable.

With all of this in mind, it doesn’t seem like there’s a real purpose to getting macOS running on the Steamdeck beyond proving that it’s somethign you can do.

It’s possible to install Windows on Valve’s Steam deck, complete with official driver plugins supplied by Valve, thanks to SteamOS’ Arch Linux-based operation system. This opens the Steam Deck up to additional accessories and, more importantly, installing titles outside of the Steam ecosystem on the device from stores like the Epic Game Store and the Xbox Store.

For more on the Steam Deck, check out my in-depth story about the PC-like handheld.

Image credit: Reddit (Lampa182)

Source: Reddit (Lampa182) Via: DigitalTrends

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Apple Fitness+ wants you to workout at ‘Midnight’ with Taylor Swift

Along with dropping Apple Fitness+’s Apple Watch requirement and allowing those with an iPhone, iPad or Apple TV to use the service, the subscription platform is also launching new workouts that feature music from Taylor Swift.

As of October 24th, several of Taylor Swift’s more popular songs will be added to the service, including music from the artist’s new Midnights album. Apple says that these new workouts offering Swift’s music will feature darker lighting, playing off the name of her new record.

Other new Apple Fitness+ features include additional ‘Time to Walk’ audio workouts, with the first coming from Ted Lasso star Hannah Waddingham. Future episodes will feature singer Meghan Trainor and former astronaut Eileen M. Collins.

Apple Fitness+ costs $12.99 per month or $99.99 per year.

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Amazon lets you register for ‘Pixel 7a Family’ launch news

Google typically releases two sets of Pixel phones each year, the flagship Pixels in the fall and ‘a’ series mid-range Pixel phone(s) in the spring/summer. Next up on the docket for Google is the Pixel 7a — presumably, that will be the name — and it might be coming sooner than expected.

GSM Arena spotted an Amazon subscription listing for a “Google Pixel 7a Family Launch Announcement,” potentially hinting at an upcoming reveal of Google’s mid-range Pixel. You can find this by heading to Your account > email subscriptions > browse all subscriptions. However, it’s worth noting that the listing doesn’t appear on Amazon Canada (I had to use Amazon’s U.S. site to view it).

What stood out to me most about this listing was the “family” part. Google typically doesn’t release a “family” of A-series phones, but it has done so before. There was the Pixel 3a and 3a XL, and the Pixel 4a and 4a 5G. Could this be a hint at a Pixel 7a and 7a XL?

Also of note is the description attached to the subscription:

“Please subscribe to this list to receive notifications about the Google Pixel 7a and Watch launch.”

Watch… didn’t Google just release a Pixel Watch? Could this be hinting at a budget-friendly Pixel Watch A-series? Possibly, but I have my doubts. And I’m not alone.

Android Authority also raised some questions about the Amazon subscription, noting that Google only just released the Pixel 6a in July, writing it would be “an extremely early release for Google.” Moreover, it questions the mention of a watch, suggesting there could possibly be a typo and this was for the Pixel 7 and Watch that Google launched earlier this month.

However, Nikkei Asia published a report on October 6th that Google planned to produce four million units of a budget phone for early next year. That lends some credence to the Amazon subscription.

And of course, it’s worth acknowledging that this could simply be Amazon getting an extremely early jump on the Pixel 7a’s spring/summer 2023 launch. Even if that’s the case, I’d be skeptical of what’s mentioned and not read into things too much. There hasn’t been anything to corroborate multiple Pixel 7a devices or a Pixel Watch Series-A so far, and the latter seems extremely unlikely given the multiple Fitbit devices that technically fill that budget smartwatch role.

Source: Amazon Via: GSM Arena, Android Authority

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Microsoft testing PC Manager app that can clean up your storage

Microsoft is building a tool to boost computer performance by cleaning out old junk.

Dubbed ‘PC Manager,’ The Verge found a web page for the app’s public beta in China. The app appears to offer ways to clean up storage and end tasks, as well as control which apps start up with Windows.

It’s worth noting that there are plenty of third-party options that promise similar performance-boosting tools, like CCleaner, but those often have sketchy reputations. Having an option provided by Microsoft may be better for some, at least from the perspective that it will be more trustworthy.

Moreover, much of the app’s functionality already exists in Windows. The PC Manager app just pulls these tools into one convenient location.

The storage manager portion includes a tool for managing and removing apps that are rarely used. There’s also a cleanup scan that can highlight large files on your drives, and a process management feature that appears to be a simplified version of the Task Manager for killing off processes eating too much RAM.

The PC Manager app has a ‘boost’ button that users can click to clear temporary files and free up memory. There’s even a browser protection tool that includes an option to pick a default browser that’s easier than Windows’ existing default browser picker.

Considering the PC Manager app is available from an official Microsoft website in China, it’s possible the app is intended for a specific market. The Verge says the app seems designed for low-spec laptops and PCs. The website notes it supports Windows 10 and up.

You can check it out for yourself here.

Source: Microsoft Via: The Verge

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Apple might bring macOS to the M2-powered iPad Pro in 2023

Relatively reliable leaker Majin Bu says that Apple is working on a “smaller” version of macOS for the M2-powered iPad Pro. According to the report, this new version of macOS could launch at some point in 2022.

I never thought we’d see these rumours appear again, but here we are.

The project is reportedly internally codenamed “Mendocino” at Apple and will release alongside macOS 14 next year. Rumours regarding Apple making this switch with the iPad have been circulating for years, but they’ve mostly faded away, at least until now.

While iPadOS has become increasingly capable over the years, especially after the introduction of trackpad support, it still feels limited in several respects, particularly when it comes to layering windows and apps with the same feature set as their macOS counterparts.

It’s worth mentioning that rather than an entirely new version of macOS designed for the iPad, Apple could just be working on more Mac-like features for iPadOS, like a menu bar and taking windows beyond what is set to be available in macOS 16 through ‘Stage Manager.’ Rumours like this often have some accuracy to them, but they don’t always turn out to be entirely accurate.

It’s unclear if Apple will initially launch this new version of macOS on the M2-powered iPad before eventually bringing it to M1 iPads. That said, Majin Bu suggests that Mendocino won’t make its way to other iPad Pro generations and that it will be exclusive to M2-powered tablets.

If this rumour is accurate, it will mark a massive shift in the way Apple approaches the iPad. Despite complaints from users, for years, the tech giant has made an effort to maintain differentiation between its Mac and iPad devices.

Source: @MajinBuOfficial Via: Apple Insider

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Elon Musk plans to fire 75 percent of Twitter employees

Elon Musk is back in the news (is he ever not in the news?) over reports that he plans to cut some 75 percent of Twitter’s staff following the acquisition.

According to a report from The Washington Post , Musk told prospective investors in his deal to buy Twitter about his plans to cut staff. Currently, there are 7,500 employees at Twitter — the cuts would bring that down to around 2,000.

Job cuts were always on the table for Musk, although the latest numbers are far, far great than before. In June, a pitch deck hinted Musk aimed to cut around 900 jobs at Twitter. Moreover, the Post noted that Twitter management already had plans to cut the company’s payroll by about $800 million USD (roughly $1.1 billion CAD) by the end of next year, suggesting cuts were coming regardless of the Musk acquisition.

Beyond employees, Twitter reportedly planned to cut its infrastructure, including data centres, which help keep the website functioning for the over 200 million daily active users.

Still, Musk’s cuts are much bigger, and Twitter’s former head of spam and health metrics described them as “unimaginable” to The Post. Twitter users would likely notice the change right away, and that they would be at increased risk of hacks and exposure to offensive content.

Moreover, The Verge reported that several big names in private equity passed on Musk’s deal. That includes T. Rowe Price, TPG, and Warburg Pincus. LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman also passed, as did Peter Thiel’s venture firm Founders Fund. (Both Hoffman and Thiel worked at PayPal, as did Musk.

Musk told investors he plans to double Twitter’s revenue in three years but didn’t explain how that would happen. I’d also like to know how Musk plans to do this after gutting Twitter’s staff and risking disruptions to the service.

The Twitter deal is expected to close on October 28th, and sources familiar with it told The Post that it’s moving forward in good faith after months of fighting.

Source: The Washington Post Via: The Verge

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Intel previews the next-generation of Thunderbolt

Intel is targeting content creators and gamers with multi-monitor setups in its next-generation Thunderbolt preview.

The new Thunderbolt port will deliver 80Gbps of bandwidth, switching to 120Gbps for video-intensive usage. It will also include support for DisplayPort 2.1 and double the PCI Express data throughput for faster storage and external graphics. The next-generation Thunderbolt is also compatible with prior versions of Thunderbolt, USB and DisplayPort.

“We’re very excited to lead the industry forward with the next generation of Thunderbolt built on the USB4 v2 specification, advanced to this next generation by Intel and other USB Promoter Group members,” Jason Ziller, general manager of Intel’s client connectivity division, said.

Intel says it will share more details, including the next-generation Thunderbolt’s name, features, and capabilities, in 2023.

Image credit: Intel

Source: Intel

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Jony Ive’s successor Evans Hankey is reportedly already leaving Apple

Evans Hankey, the successor to Jony Ive, is leaving Apple, according to a new report from Bloomberg.

Following Ive’s departure from Apple in 2019, Hankey led Apple’s design team alongside software chief Alan Dye. Hankey reportedly told employees that he will remain with Apple for the next six months before leaving the company.

Apple has yet to name a replacement for Hankey.

Hankey worked under Jony Ive before eventually becoming the tech giant’s design team leader following Ive’s leaving the company.

The company shared the following statement with employees regarding Hankey’s departure:

“Apple’s design team brings together expert creatives from around the world and across many disciplines to imagine products that are undeniably Apple. The senior design team has strong leaders with decades of experience. Evans plans to stay on as we work through the transition, and we’d like to thank her for her leadership and contributions.”

More to come…

Source: Bloomberg

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Nintendo graces us with a rare $25 discount on Switch exclusives

Nintendo is offering $25 off select notable Switch titles at several retailers.

What’s a little different with this offer is that the sale is only running at certain retailers during specific time periods. From October 20th to the 26th, the offers are available at London Drugs, The Source and Walmart, and from October 21st to October 27th, the deal is available at Best Buy and GameStop. You can find a full breakdown on Nintendo’s website.

While a lot of these titles go on sale frequently, this is still a pretty good deal, especially if you’ve been waiting for a price drop on any of these games.

Below are all of the deals:

Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury: was $79.99, now $54.99

Nintendo Switch Sports: was $64.99, now $54.99

Yoshi’s Crafted World: was $79.99, now $54.99

New Pokémon Snap: was $79.99, now $54.99

The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD: was $79.99, now $54.99

Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity: was $79.99, now $54.99

Metroid Dread Amiibo 2-pack: was $39.99, was $34.99

Zelda & Loftwing Amiibo: was $29.99, now $24.99

Image credit: Nintendo

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Android QPR1 Beta 3 is now available and you can download it on your Pixel 7

Android 13 QPR1 Beta 3 is now available, and surprisingly, it’s also available on the Pixel 7 series.

Google’s patch notes don’t mention new features but detail bug fixes, including ones that deal with blank screens, unlock issues, full-screen video playback flickering and more.

Here are the notes:

Developer-reported and user-reported issues

  • Fixed an issue for some devices where the screen unlock UI was displayed over notifications and other lock-screen content. (Issue #254163754)
  • Fixed an issue that prevented the “Flip camera for selfie” gesture from working on some devices.
  • Fixed an issue that sometimes caused the screen to go blank while attempting to unlock a device.
  • Fixed an issue that sometimes prevented a device from being unlocked using either Face Unlock or Fingerprint Unlock when the device had been idle for multiple hours.
  • Fixed an issue that sometimes caused fullscreen video playback to flicker after enabling always-on-display features and locking the screen.

While the update notes don’t mention new features, 9to5Google has discovered that there’s a new ‘Clear calling’ menu. The menu features a switch with Google explaining that Clear calling depends on your Wi-Fi and mobile connection.  The squiggle line in the media player also had a slight change recently.

You can download the Android 13 QPR1 Beta 3 on the Pixel 4 series through the Pixel 7 series.

Source: Android Developer blog