Tag: feature

News

New iPad Pro Rumored to Feature Thinner Bezels Than Previous Models

Post author By miranda cosgrove
Post date March 20, 2024
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The next-generation iPad Pro models will feature thinner bezels around the screen compared to previous models, according to a rumor shared today by a previously-accurate leaker known as “Instant Digital” on Chinese social media platform Weibo.

M3 iPad Feature 3
The leaker claimed that the next 11-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro models will have 7.12mm and 7.08mm bezels, respectively, when excluding the metal edges of the devices. If these measurements are accurate, the bezels would be around 10% to 15% thinner than on previous iPad Pro models released between 2018 and 2022.

Other key new features rumored for the next iPad Pro models include Apple’s latest M3 chip, a thinner enclosure, a landscape front camera, rear camera design tweaks, and potentially MagSafe wireless charging. New accessories are also expected, including an updated Magic Keyboard with a partly-aluminum enclosure and an updated Apple Pencil.

“Instant Digital” has a mostly-accurate track record with Apple rumors over the past year. The account was correct about frosted rear glass on the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Plus, the yellow color option for the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus, and more, but it incorrectly said the iPad Air would receive a hardware update last year.

The new iPad Pro models should be announced in late March or early April, according to Ross Young, CEO of Display Supply Chain Consultants. Tuesday, March 26 has been specifically rumored as a potential iPad Pro announcement date.

Apple is also expected to update the 10.9-inch iPad Air, and release an all-new 12.9-inch iPad Air.

How to use iPhone’s awesome new text-to-speech feature

Post author By miranda cosgrove
Post date March 20, 2024
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Text-to-Speech From Your Phone — Your iPhone has a text-to-speech feature built-in. You don’t need to download an app.
*Image: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac*

In iOS 17, the iPhone got a built-in text-to-speech feature called Live Speech. You can even use Live Speech with a digital version of your own voice called Personal Voice.

Apple devised Personal Voice for users “at risk of losing their ability to speak — such as those with a recent diagnosis of ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) or other conditions that can progressively impact speaking ability.” It was the subject of a touching and heartfelt video Apple made called “The Lost Voice.”

Here’s how to set up and use it.

How to use the iPhone’s new text-to-speech feature

You can see this feature in action in this video, alongside other new iOS 17 accessibility features:

Time needed: 30 minutes

How to set up Live Speech and create your Personal Voice

Update to iOS 17
Live Speech and Personal Voice are both included in iOS 17, released in September 2023. If you haven’t updated your phone in a long time, go to Settings > General > Software Update to make sure you have it.
Turn on Live Speech in Accessibility settings
Go to Settings > Accessiblity > Live Speech (toward the bottom of the page). Enable “Live Speech” on top to turn it on.
Triple-click the iPhone side button for text-to-speech
To use Live Speech, triple-click the side button of your iPhone. (On an older iPhone, triple-click the Home button). If a menu of options appears, select Live Speech.
A keyboard will appear. Type whatever you want to say and hit Send. Your iPhone will play what you entered over the speakers. It’ll highlight word-by-word as it speaks it out.
Add favorite phrases for easy access
In Settings > Accessibility > Live Speech, tap Favorite Phrases. Tap the + icon in the top to add a new one. The phrases you add here will be easier to select; you won’t have to type them out every time.
For example, if you have a pet, it might be convenient to add phrases like “Scout, home here,” “Indy, lay down” or “Wookiee, stop eating my salad” for instant access.
To access your favorite phrases, activate Live Speech and tap Phrases in the popup menu. Tap any one of these to play it.
Record your Personal Voice
In Live Speech settings, you can choose a voice from any of the Siri (or classic Mac OS) voices.
But the real killer feature is creating a Personal Voice. This lets you digitize your voice so that iPhone text-to-speech sounds like it’s really coming from you.
Go back and tap Personal Voice > Create a Personal Voice. You should find a small, quiet room where you can speak uninterrupted for around 15 – 60 minutes.
Just follow the prompts on screen and read them aloud.
Wait
Plug in your iPhone and let it process. It needs to turn all your recordings into a dynamic digital model of your voice. It could take an hour or more.

Set Live Speech to use your Personal Voice
Go back to Settings > Accessibility > Live Speech and you should see a new option to use your Personal Voice instead of the other canned voices. Tap the Play button to hear a quick preview; tap the name to set it.

More accessibility features

Once you’ve set up text-to-speech on your iPhone, be sure to check out more how-tos we’ve written on other great accessibility features:

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Tags Awesome, feature, iPhones, TexttoSpeech

News

iPhone 17 to Feature New Scratch Resistant Anti-Reflective Display

Post author By miranda cosgrove
Post date March 19, 2024
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Next year’s iPhone 17 will feature an anti-reflective display that is more scratch-resistant than Apple’s Ceramic Shield found on iPhone 15 models, according to a new rumor out of Asia.

iphone 15 galaxy s24 ultra corning glass

Anti-reflection properties of Galaxy S24 Ultra (bottom) vs. iPhone 15 (Image: IceUniverse)

Chinese Weibo leaker Instant Digital claimed on Tuesday that the outer glass on the iPhone 17 is set to have a “super-hard anti-reflective layer” that is “more scratch-resistant than you think.” The coating equipment has just been handed over to China’s supply chain, according to the leaker, but not in time for it to feature in this year’s upcoming iPhone 16 series.

“Ceramic Shield” is a marketing name for a glass-ceramic material developed by Corning in collaboration with Apple. Apple says the Ceramic Shield on the iPhone 15 is “tougher than any smartphone glass.” Introduced on iPhone 12 models in 2020, Apple advertised the ceramic-infused glass as increasing drop performance by 4x compared to the iPhone 11.

More recently, Samsung debuted its newest Galaxy S24 Ultra, which features a Gorilla Glass Armor display panel, also developed by Corning. According to Corning, the Armor panel cuts reflections by 75 percent compared to a typical glass surface, and is resistant to micro scratches that build up over time on competing glass panels. Corning also claims the panels offer over 4x more scratch resistance than competitive aluminosilicate cover glasses.

It’s not clear whether Apple is planning to adopt Gorilla Glass Armor for the iPhone 17, but the description matches the Chinese leaker’s claims. Corning could also be supplying Apple with an equivalent technology that will be branded under another name.

Corning has been a longtime Apple supplier, with Gorilla Glass used in devices across Apple’s product lineup. In 2021, Apple said it had invested a combined $495 million to support Corning’s ongoing research and development into “state-of-the-art glass processes,” which led to the creation of Ceramic Shield.

Next iPad Air Again Rumored to Feature Landscape Front Camera

Post author By miranda cosgrove
Post date March 18, 2024
No Comments on Next iPad Air Again Rumored to Feature Landscape Front Camera

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The next-generation iPad Air will be equipped with a landscape front camera, according to the leaker known as “ShrimpApplePro.”

iPad Air 5 Colors
If this information is accurate, the front camera on the next iPad Air would be located in the bezel to the right of the screen when the device is held upright. As a result, the front camera would be positioned at the top of the iPad when the device is in landscape orientation, making it centered with the user’s eyes during video calls. This change would be especially beneficial to those who use the iPad Air with a Magic Keyboard.

On the current iPad Air, the front camera is in the top bezel above the screen, resulting in it being off-center in landscape orientation.

The leaker does not expect the next iPad Air to have any other significant design changes. They also cast doubt on a larger 12.9-inch iPad Air, but that model has been widely rumored by multiple sources, so it would be surprising if it did not launch.

A landscape front camera had already been rumored for both the next iPad Pro and iPad Air, so it is becoming an increasingly likely design change. Apple already repositioned the front camera on the entry-level iPad 10 a few years ago, so it would make sense for the change to be expanded to the entire iPad lineup eventually.

“During ‌Face ID‌ setup, iPad needs to be in landscape with the camera at the top of the screen,” read hidden code in iPadOS 17.4.

Apple is expected to unveil new iPads in late March or in April.

“ShrimpApplePro” has a mixed track record with Apple rumors over the past few years. The leaker accurately revealed details about devices like the iPhone 15 Pro and Apple Watch Series 9, but they were incorrect about the Apple Watch Ultra 2 being available in a Space Black finish and the iPad mini being updated in 2023.

Google Wallet gets overdue feature to help fix iPhone ticket-sharing headaches

Post author By lisa nichols
Post date March 18, 2024
No Comments on Google Wallet gets overdue feature to help fix iPhone ticket-sharing headaches

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Google Wallet looks set to become much more useful by supporting Apple Wallet files, it’ll finally be able to open and use tickets and passes created/saved in Apple’s proprietary .pkpass file format.

Android tipster Mishaal Rahman reported that the feature has been rolling out to some of his followers with several replies confirming they have access right now. However, the feature doesn’t seem to be available to everyone yet, which could mean the rollout is limited to certain regions.

In the past, some tickets and passes have only included an Apple Wallet link, which will only work with iPhones, leaving Android users out in the cold.

The improved compatibility would save Google Wallet users from needing to go through the difficulty of finding trustworthy third-party apps to convert the Apple passes. It could also prevent users from completely giving up on using digital passes altogether and having to dig through emails to find ticket confirmation or go back to the hassle of printing paper tickets.

Google Wallet may soon be able to import digital passes saved in Apple’s .pkpass format!One user on Telegram tells me that Google Wallet is now able to import .pkpass files. This doesn’t work for me yet, though. Let me know if this works for you!(Thanks to Cob on Telegram for… https://t.co/jjAL3o2mbA pic.twitter.com/O69NHNRs6LMarch 15, 2024

The post features a recording from a user credited as Cob that shows the process of adding a work ID .pkpass file to Google Wallet. Using a file manager app the user opens the .pkpass file and is presented with several app options to use to open the file.

After selecting Google Wallet the user is prompted for permission with a screen explaining that Google may keep a record of passes for reference, while a continue button appears at the bottom of the screen.

Once the user proceeds, another permission request about Google’s use of data appears. After this is agreed to, the pass is added to the digital wallet and we can see a QR code and that all the data has been copied over correctly including job titles, staff number contact details, and an expiry date.

Digital Wallets have become a more integral part of our lives due to our move away from physical currency and how ubiquitous phones, smartwatches, and NFC payments have become. However, due to the popularity of Apple’s iPhone Apple Wallet seems to be slightly widely accepted with Google catching up.

This is the second recent big change to Google Wallet, which is replacing the previous app Google Pay that’s due to be discontinued on June 4, 2024 in the U.S. It appears Google is streamlining its payment apps which could allow it to better compete with Apple.

Both Google and Apple Wallet apps have advantages and disadvantages but are considered the best payment apps with Google Pay being released back in 2011, which later became Google Wallet. And Apple Passbook was announced in 2012 and became Apple Wallet.

This rugged smartphone has the biggest phone battery ever but that’s not its most interesting feature – TANK3 PRO has a DLP projector, a 200-megapixel camera and a camping light

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The 8849 TANK3 PRO is a rugged smartphone sporting a massive 23,800mAh battery, which means you won’t have to worry about running out of juice while on the go.

While the battery should be the main highlight, as the phone also supports 120W super-fast charging, the TANK3 PRO boasts several other unexpected standout features.

Marketed as the ‘Ultimate 5G Projection Rugged Smartphone,’ the IP68 waterproof rated TANK3 PRO comes equipped with a DLP projector, a 200-megapixel camera, and a camping torch.

200MP main camera

The built-in 100 Lumens 120Hz DLP projector allows users to project content onto any surface, making it suitable for presentations or movie viewing – indoors or outdoors – and it features an adjustable focus. The large LED camping light not only illuminates your path at night but can also emit red or blue light for those moments when, 8849 suggests, you want to add “more fun to your life” (perhaps by pretending to be a police car).

The phone features a 6.79-inch FHD screen and is powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 8200 processor. It has 5G, Wi-Fi 6, and Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity.

TANK3 PRO comes with 16/18GB of memory, which can be increased to 32/36GB, and 512GB of storage space. In addition, the device supports up to 2TB memory cards for expanded storage.

For photography, the phone is equipped with a 200MP AI main camera, 64MP night vision shooter and 50MP selfie camera.

The TANK3 PRO is currently available for pre-order at the official AliExpress 8849 store. A $50 off promotional offer running at the moment means the price comes in at around $600.

Google trying to copy Samsung’s lock screen note-taking feature

Post author By miranda cosgrove
Post date March 17, 2024
No Comments on Google trying to copy Samsung’s lock screen note-taking feature

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Last updated: March 17th, 2024 at 14:23 UTC+01:00

Google is working on equipping Android with the ability to assign a default note-taking app, which will give also you an option to add a shortcut for taking notes on the lock screen, and this feature will support input from a stylus as well. At the same time, the company is also working on making Google Keep compatible with the upcoming feature, allowing it to become a default note-taking app and take notes from the lock screen.

So far, when you enabled the upcoming feature in Android through developer options, set Google Keep as the default note-taking app, and then accessed the note-taking shortcut from the lock screen, Google Keep notified you that you had to update the app to use the functionality. Well, there’s been some change to that.

According to a new report from 9To5Google, when you update Google Keep to version 5.24 or later and access the note-taking option on the lock screen, the app now says “coming soon.” It hints that Google could very soon enable the functionality allowing Google Keep to take notes directly from the lock screen. The upcoming feature in Android and Google Keep could be very convenient for people who take notes frequently.

Now, here’s something very interesting. Samsung Galaxy Note series and S2X Ultra (from S21 Ultra) smartphones have been offering this feature for a long time. Samsung had to build a custom system to make that happen. Once Google brings the default note-taking option, Android will have a central API for it, and third-party developers and phone manufacturers can use it to offer the same functionality as Samsung’s phones.

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Tags Copy, feature, Google, Lock, notetaking, Samsungs, Screen

Featured

Tor has a new HTTPS-esque feature to help beat censorship

Post author By lisa nichols
Post date March 13, 2024
No Comments on Tor has a new HTTPS-esque feature to help beat censorship

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The Tor Project has released a new bridge called WebTunnel, aimed at those trying to access the internet in regions with heavy censorship.

In its blog post, the organization says, “the development of different types of bridges are crucial for making Tor more resilient against censorship and stay ahead of adversaries in the highly dynamic and ever-changing censorship landscape.”

The announcement comes at a crucial time, as many elections will be taking place around the world this year, which means that many countries will look to restrict access to the public internet in an attempt to silence any dissenting voices.

WebTunnel

The Tor Project describes WebTunnel as a “censorship-resistant pluggable transport designed to mimic encrypted web traffic (HTTPS).” This means that to observers, it looks like an ordinary HTTPS connection, so that it seems as if the user in question is merely browsing in an ordinary way.

The similarities are so strong that Tor claims that “WebTunnel… can coexist with a website on the same network endpoint, meaning the same domain, IP address, and port.”

It also says that unlike obfs4 bridges, WebTunnel’s ability to mimic regular web traffic means it is “more effective in scenarios where there is a protocol allow list and a deny-by-default network environment.”

Tor compares network censorship methods to a coin sorting machine, with the coins themselves representing the flow of web traffic. The machine checks to see if the coins are the right shape to fit through the slot, and lets them through if they are. In the case of fully encrypted web traffic, the coins don’t fit, so they are blocked.

Tor explains that since obfs4 traffic matches no recognizable shape for censorship authorities, it gets blocked. But because WebTunnel traffic looks like HTTPS traffic, it gets passed.

WebTunnel bridges can be found on the Tor bridges website, under the Advanced Options section. They require the latest versions of the Tor Browser to work, which are available for desktop and Android devices.

Google’s presentation software has a new Gemini AI powered feature that is basically magic

Post author By lisa nichols
Post date March 12, 2024
No Comments on Google’s presentation software has a new Gemini AI powered feature that is basically magic

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Google may have just shown off the power of its Gemini AI platform in an intriguing way that could save slideshow fans hours of stress.

The company has revealed it will be utilizing its flagship AI offering within Google Slides to help users with formatting in a very particular way that might seem like magic to some of us older users.

Namely, Google Slides users will now be able to remove the background from images added to a presentation with just a click.

Google Slides image backgrounds

Now this might not sound particularly impressive, but for those of us raised making presentations or slides in ClipArt or similar, who know the pain of image formatting and ruining a Microsoft Word or PowerPoint file simply by daring to move an image *slightly*, Google’s update is frankly brilliant.

In order to use the tool, users simply have to select an image on your slide > right-click and select “Remove background” or select the “Remove background” button in the toolbar.

Google Slides background remove Gemini AI

(Image credit: Google Workspace)

The feature won’t be available to all users, at least for now, with Google limiting it to Slides users with either of the Gemini Enterprise and Gemini Business add-ons, and to users on personal accounts through Google One AI Premium.

Covering the majority of the company’s artificial intelligence tricks and treats, Google One AI Premium is available to buy now and will cost you $19.99 / £18.99 / AU$32.99 a month, and includes 2TB of storage to use across your Google services: Gmail, Google Drive, and Google Photos, as well as access to Gemini Advanced, listed as the “most capable” version, including support for longer and more complicated queries.

The news is the latest upgrade for Google Slides users, coming shortly after the company revealed new recording functionalities that will allow presenters to record a small bubble of themselves talking overlaid over their slides.

iOS 18 and macOS 15 to Include Updated Freeform App With ‘Scenes’ Feature

Post author By miranda cosgrove
Post date March 11, 2024
No Comments on iOS 18 and macOS 15 to Include Updated Freeform App With ‘Scenes’ Feature

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With iOS 18 and macOS 15, Apple intends to introduce a plethora of new features and enhancements affecting system applications and settings. Through industry sources, MacRumors has received details about the updated version of the Freeform app, which is set to include an interesting addition.

Known as “Freeform Scenes,” the new feature will give users the option to select specific sections or “Scenes” within their boards for easier navigation. Once selected and named, users will have the ability to easily return to them after viewing other areas of the board. Users will have the option to edit scenes after the fact as well, and will even be able to collaborate with others in doing so. Our sources claim that Freeform Scenes will be compatible with iCloud, allowing for easier sharing and editing.

The controls for the Freeform Scenes UI will be located near the zoom controls, towards the bottom left area within the app. Users will see a new sandwich-bar type icon with three vertical lines, and tapping or clicking the icon will show the Scenes UI. The Scenes UI includes a bar with individual arrow icons for easier navigation between Scenes, along with a square icon between the two arrows. Clicking or tapping the square icon will present the user with additional options to select or navigate between scenes.

Apple has also developed the following keyboard shortcuts for Freeform Scenes:

Save – Shift + Command + S
Next Scene – Option + Command + ]
Previous Scene – Option + Command + [

Although this feature is in testing, it is worth noting that not all features make it to release, and Apple also sometimes delays new additions until a later version of iOS. While Freeform Scenes is in development for ‌iOS 18‌ and macOS 18, it could be pulled or introduced at a later date.

For more details on what to expect with Apple’s upcoming operating systems, check out our rumor roundup page for iOS 18.

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