After launching in 2020, the Google TV app is now available to download on iOS. If you already have the company’s previous Google Play Movies and TV software installed on your phone, this app will replace it. As with its Android counterpart, the Google TV app allows you to use your smartphone as a remote for your Google TV or Android TV OS device, making it easier, among other things, to type the titles of movies and TV shows you want to watch.
You can also use the app to aggregate content recommendations from various streaming services. Not every platform is supported – Netflix is missing, for instance – but the fact you can create a single watchlist for every service you pay for is handy. Additionally, it’s possible to create watchlists around your favorite actors. And as you rate movies and shows, the app will refine its suggestions. You’ll also find personalized feeds with links to news, reviews and more. Lastly, there’s a dedicated section for content you’ve purchased and rented from Google.
You can see most of the functionality on display in the iPhone rendering Google shared – just don’t look too closely at the notch. Download the Google TV app from the App Store.
Google is about to simplify its communication services. The company announced today it plans to merge Duo and Meet, its two disparate video calling apps, into a single platform. Starting over the next few weeks, Google will begin adding Meet features to Duo. Once that happens, you’ll be able to use the app, which up to this point was primarily designed for personal video calling, to schedule meetings. Other features that will make their way to Duo include support for virtual backgrounds, live-sharing content and in-meeting text chat.
At the same time, Google promises features Duo users know and love, such as the ability to apply filters and effects to your calls, won’t be going anywhere. Additionally, your call history, contacts and messages won’t disappear from the app. It’s all part of Google’s pledge to “carefully” integrate the two platforms and ensure it supports as many users as possible.
Once that process is complete, Google will rename the mobile versions of both apps, with Duo becoming Meet and the current Meet becoming Meet Original. The company told The Verge it plans to deprecate the latter eventually. If all that sounds confusing, there’s a good reason for Google’s approach. The company said it built a lot of sophistication into the Duo mobile app, and it sounds like Google doesn’t want to abandon that work.
As for Google’s reason for merging the two apps, the company believes that doing so will ultimately benefit users. “Over the last few years, Duo and Meet have continued to grow with the evolving needs of video calls and meetings, and now the experiences will be better together as Google Meet,” a spokesperson for the company told Engadget. Of course, the tricky part for Google will be finding a way to integrate the two apps without making the resulting service feel overwhelming. Many people love Duo for its simplicity, and a sudden influx of new features and added complexity may make them look elsewhere.
If you watch YouTube on your TV, there's a good chance you're tracking down that video on your phone to leave a comment or drop a like. Now, though, you won't have to go to such great lengths. The company is rolling out a feature that lets you use your Android phone or iPhone as a second screen for YouTube's TV app. Tap "connect" in the mobile app and the video will be synced between the two devices — you can comment, donate, shop or otherwise interact with a video playing on the larger display.
You'll need to sign into the same YouTube account on both devices. The second screen feature isn't tied to specific TV platforms, though, so you shouldn't have to worry about using the 'wrong' set or media box.
The upgrade is a recognition that you often want to do more with a video than just watch it, and that you probably have your phone in hand while you're sitting on the couch. About 88 percent of people use a phone or tablet while they're watching TV, according to Nielsen data. YouTube is relatively late in that regard, but this is still a useful upgrade.
TweetDeck will soon no longer be available as a standalone Mac app. Twitter will shut down that version of its client for power users on July 1st. "We're saying goodbye to TweetDeck for the Mac app to focus on making TweetDeck even better and testing our new Preview," a tweet from the TweetDeck team reads. "July 1 is the last day it'll be available."
We're saying goodbye to TweetDeck for the Mac app to focus on making TweetDeck even better and testing our new Preview. July 1 is the last day it'll be available.
You can still use TweetDeck on web and more invites to try the Preview will be rolling out over the next few months!
Killing off the standalone app means Mac users may soon need to have the client open in a separate browser or juggle another tab if they want to keep using TweetDeck. As 9to5Mac notes, however, there are other options. You can turn web apps into native Mac apps using services such as Unite for macOS or Coherence X. Alternatively, you can switch to another app like Tweeten, which is based on TweetDeck.
There have been rumblings that Twitter plans to make TweetDeck a paid feature as part of Twitter Blue to prompt more people to sign up. Twitter's prospective new owner Elon Musk has ambitious revenue goals for the subscription service, so moving TweetDeck behind a paywall doesn't seem out of the question.
Twitter started testing a revamped version of TweetDeck last year. The new-look TweetDeck uses the same design language as Twitter's web app.
Focusrite already makes some of the most popular audio interfaces on the market. If you’re a budding musician or bedroom producer, you’ve probably considered one of their Scarlett interfaces when building out your studio. They’re also great options for podcasters. But music producers and podcasters have different needs and priorities, so Focusrite is specifically targeting the latter with its new Vocaster One and Vocaster Two. These new interfaces have a handful of features aimed at making the lives of podcast hosts and streamers much easier.
The two interfaces are largely the same, it’s just that the Vocaster Two has two of everything, while the One has… you guessed it, one. There’s two mic inputs and two headphone outs on the Vocaster Two, and just one on the other. The ins and outs are also handily labeled as “host” and “guest” rather than simply “one” and “two.” That means you can probably set the host channel the way you want it and never worry about it again.
Terrence O'Brien / Engadget
Both Vocasters have large knobs on the top that make controlling mic gain and headphone levels easy. But there’s also an array of buttons below that offer quick access to extremely useful features. There’s a pair of mute buttons, an auto gain feature for setting mic levels automatically, and an Enhance button that applies compression, EQ and highpass filter to instantly improve the quality of your voice. While the button on the interface itself simply turns Enhance on and off, in the Vocaster Hub app there are a few different presets to select from. Radio and Clean are my two favorites, but Bright and Warm might work better for some depending on the tenor of their voice.
Terrence O'Brien / Engadget
You’ll definitely want to install the Vocaster Hub app. While the interfaces will work right out of the box with no additional software, there are advanced features hidden in the app and it just makes some tasks that much easier. For one, it’s the only way to manually set the level of both mic inputs independently on the Vocaster Two. While you can use the auto gain on both from the device itself, there’s only one gain knob and it controls both inputs simultaneously.
The app is also where you can control the levels for the two loopback channels and the aux input. The loopback makes it easy to pipe in theme music while the aux input is handy for having guests dial in. It is worth noting, though, that to take full advantage of that you’ll need a TRRS to TRRS cable, a regular audio cable won’t cut it. But this ensures that not only can you hear your guest, but they can hear you as well.
The more expensive Vocaster Two not only has an aux input, but also Bluetooth connectivity for bringing in guests wirelessly, but I’d be hesitant to trust that myself. There’s already enough things that can go wrong when doing remote interviews that I wouldn’t want to add Bluetooth to the mix.
Terrence O'Brien / Engadget
Both interfaces have left and right audio outs for connecting studio monitors, but the camera out is probably more useful for the intended audience. It’s really just a standard 3.5mm TRS stereo out, but if you connect it to a camera you can avoid having to sync up audio after the fact on a vlog, and instantly step up your streaming game. There’s 48v phantom power if your preference is for condenser mics.
In my brief testing both interfaces worked as advertised. For someone just getting started in podcasting, or who wants to be as mobile as possible, these would make a ton of sense. The Enhance feature works wonders and it does so with no fuss. It’s similar to the Air feature on the Scarlett line, but tuned much more specifically for the human voice.
Terrence O'Brien / Engadget
The auto gain also worked fairly well, quickly allowing me to swap microphones without spending a ton of time dialing in gain manually. It might be a tad conservative for some, but it’s easier to make things louder in post if necessary than it is to clean up a clipping mic.
The plain aesthetics and plastic build are nothing to write home about, though. The only flourishes are the LED ring around the gain knob and the red accents around the edges. But frankly, one of the least important things about an audio interface is how it looks. I might not toss these haphazardly in a bag, though. Some thoughtful cushioning is definitely necessary if you’re taking these on the road.
If you’re truly just getting started out, Focusrite also sells the Vocaster One and Two as bundles with headphones and a mic. Both packages include the same headphones, and they’re solid if unremarkable. The Vocaster One Studio comes with a DM1 microphone for $300, that’s probably most comparable to a Shure SM58. It’s no frills, but it gets the job done. While the Vocaster Two Studio includes the decidedly higher-end DM14v dynamic mic for $500.
Of course, if you’re just looking for an interface you can order both the Vocaster One and Vocaster Two now for $200 and $300, respectively.
After a leak yesterday spoiled the surprise, Microsoft has unveiled the Surface Laptop Go 2, a $600 starter laptop with premium looks. It looks very much like the original, has an near-identical 12.4-inch 1,536 x 1,024 touch display, anodized aluminum top and weight that's just a fraction more at 2.48 pounds. However, the new model is powered by an 11th-gen Intel Core i5 CPU with Iris Xe graphics, and runs Windows 11 instead of Windows 10.
The 11th-gen Intel CPU should give the Surface Laptop Go 2 a much-needed speed boost. And storage options are now 128GB or 256GB — a step up from the previous model, which offered just 64GB of sluggish eMMC storage on the base $550 model. However, other aspects of the new model haven't changed. It still offers from 4GB to 8GB of LPDDR4x RAM (or 16GB for commercial customers), a relatively low-resolution screen, and no backlight on the keyboard.
Microsoft
Battery life is up a touch from 13 to 13.5 hours under normal usage, good enough for a day's worth of computing. And you can charge it to 80 percent power in under an hour thanks to the 39-watt charger. Other features include WiFi 802.11ax, one USB-C port, one USB-A port, a 3.5mm headphone jack and a Surface Connect power port.
The Surface Laptop Go 2 is still the cheapest Surface laptop, but we weren't completely sold on the original. Designed to take on Chromebooks, it offered more premium look for a bit more money. However, the mediocre performance made it a tough sell against rivals like the Dell XPS 13, which cost about the same in an 8GB configuration. Hopefully, the new model addresses those performance concerns — it's now available on pre-order at Microsoft.com or BestBuy.com starting at $600.
Loupedeck, a company that makes control pads for creators, is back with a device it's positioning as more of a direct competitor to Elgato's Stream Deck than its previous products. It says the Loupedeck Live S is designed "specifically for streamers and gamers that are looking for a simple and affordable way to control their streams."
The Live S has a touch panel with 15 customizable buttons. You'll be able to create up to 14 screens that you can swipe between, meaning you can have swift access to dozens of buttons that can trigger complex actions with a single press.
Alternatively, you could set up screens for specific scenes, depending on the type of stream you're hosting. For instance, variety streamers might want access to different actions when they're running an ASMR stream or taking part in a group discussion versus playing a first-person shooter.
The device also has dials, which Loupedeck says helps the Live S stand out from competitors. Streamers can turn the dial to make fine adjustments to things like lighting or volume or use it as a physical button to change a setting (such as muting the microphone). You can use the device as an audio mixer too.
Loupedeck
The Loupedeck Live S has native integration with software and services such as Twitch, Streamlabs, OBS and Voicemod. Plugins for creative suites like Final Cut Pro and Adobe Lightroom can be installed too. Other plugins, custom profiles and additional ways to customize the Live S will be available from the Loupedeck Marketplace.
Loupedeck is running an Indiegogo campaign for the Live S. Those who get in at the super early bird level can snag one for around $106, though there will only be 99 units available at this tier. There are 199 available on the early bird tier (approximately $128) and 599 for those who hop in at the last chance level (roughly $138).
If you miss out on any of those, you'll still be able to secure a Live S for around $149, which Loupedeck says is 23 percent off the retail price. The pledge amounts may fluctuate as the figures are converted to USD from Euros.
The campaign features Indiegogo's Trust-Proven badge, which the platform uses to highlight creators that ran successful projects in the past, including delivery of perks to backers. Loupedeck ran a campaign in 2016 for an eponymous product designed for Lightroom. This time, the company says it's using Indiegogo more to announce it to an audience that will likely be interested in the Live S rather than to specifically raise money for the project.
The Stream Deck also has 15 customizable keys and typically costs $150. That means, at the regular retail price, Loupedeck will be more expensive than the Stream Deck, but it offers fine control with the dials and option to access more controls by swiping to other screens.
If you've been keeping an eye out for discounts on the Apple AirPods Pro, now's your chance to grab a pair. The wireless earbuds are currently listed for $180 at Amazon — not quite an all-time low, but still $69 less than its usual retail price of $249. Unlike the basic AirPods, the AirPods Pro come with silicon tips that enable a more comfortable fit and give them the seal necessary for effective noise cancellation. We gave the earbuds a score of 87 in our review, praising them for having better audio than previous models due to their built-in amplifiers and the ability to automatically tune low- and mid-range frequencies to each user's ear. In addition, we praised the earbuds for giving users hands-free access to Siri voice assistant and having IPX4 water resistance.
That said, Apple's second-gen AirPods are also on sale for $100 right now. In case you're looking for something cheaper and don't mind that the model doesn't have silicon tips, you can still get a pair for $100 or $59 off its retail price of $159. They aren't quite that different from the first iteration of the earbuds, but they're better at seamlessly connecting with your devices, thanks to the H1 wireless chipset.
But if you're on the lookout for over-ear headsets, then head over to Amazon to see the website's deal on the Apple AirPods Max. You can get the AirPods Max in Space Gray or Silver for $450, or $99 off its retail price. In our review, we discussed how the headphones have an excellent balanced sound quality, solid active noice cancellation and a lengthy battery life.
Not satisfied with trying to replace “WiFi” with “l’access sans fil à internet” (which didn’t work),l'Académie française set its sights on gaming terms in 2017. It’s now gained traction with the government, and France’s Ministry of Culture has announced it’ll ban terms including "streamer" and "esports," according to AFP. Going forward, government communications must use terms like“joueur-animateur en direct” (for “streamer”) and “jeu video en nuage” (for “cloud gaming”).
The Ministry of Culture told the AFP it's concerned that English terms could become a "barrier to understanding" for non-gamers. Which is fair. But at least make the terms a little pithier.
NASA has shared video of Ingenuity's milestone 25th flight on April 8th, when it broke duration and speed records. The robotic helicopter flew at 12MPH for just over two minutes and 41 seconds, providing footage of the Red Planet's rippling sands as part of the 2,310-foot journey. Don’t worry: The footage has been sped up.
It gets the most important things right, including sound quality.
Sonos? Doing affordable soundbars? Are they any good? The Ray may be Sonos’ most affordable soundbar, but don’t consider it a budget device. For $279, you get the excellent sound quality Sonos is known for along with multi-room audio features in all Sonos speakers.
It’s not the loudest soundbar out there, and the compact design means its soundstage isn’t as wide as you’ll get from bigger speakers. But if you have a smaller living room, the Ray is a huge upgrade over built-in TV speakers. Read on for the full review.
They’re looking into the capability to destroy the satellites.
China must develop capabilities to disable and maybe even destroy Starlink internet satellites, the country's military researchers said in Chinese journal Modern Defense Technology. The authors highlighted the possibility of Starlink being used for military purposes that could aid other countries and threaten China's national security. According to South China Morning Post, the scientists are calling for the development of anti-satellite capabilities, including both hard (missiles, or even lasers) and soft kill methods that target satellite software.
It appears Microsoft will soon reveal its next-gen Surface Laptop Go. The successor to the would-be Chromebook competitor popped up in a Korean retailer listing that appears to have gone live a little too early. The Surface Laptop Go 2 will shift from a 10th-gen Intel Core CPU to an 11th-gen Intel processor, with support for up to 8GB of RAM and as much as 256GB of storage, according to the listing. The listing also suggests pre-orders will open on June 2nd.
The company would rather cut off access than change the game's business model.
Don't expect to play Diablo Immortal in Belgium or the Netherlands when it launches this week. GamesIndustry.biz and Tweakers have learned Blizzard won't release the free-to-play game in both countries due to their "gambling restrictions" — that is, their legislation banning loot boxes.
Retro console maker Evercade has just announced its latest device, a new handheld called the EXP. If you’re not familiar with Evercade, its products are a bit different from your standard retro fare. Instead of purchasing a device with a limited library of preloaded games, Evercade sells cartridges with a selection of games. The EXP also has a Tate mode, which makes the handheld a better fit for playing games designed around vertical scrolling, like classic shmups.
China must develop capabilities to disable and maybe even destroy Starlink internet satellites, the country's military researchers said in a paper published by the Chinese journal Modern Defense Technology. The authors highlighted the possibility of Starlink being used for military purposes that could aid other countries and threaten China's national security. According to South China Morning Post, the scientists are calling for the development of anti-satellite capabilities, including both hard and soft kill methods. The former is used to physically destroy satellites, such as the use of missiles, while a soft kill method targets a satellite's software and operating system.
In addition, the researchers are suggesting the development of a surveillance system with the ability to track each and every Starlink satellite. That would address one of their concerns, which is the possibility of launching military payloads along with a bunch of satellites for the constellation. David Cowhig's Translation Blog posted an English version of the paper, along with another article from state-sponsored website China Military Online that warned about the dangers of the satellite internet service.
"While Starlink claims to be a civilian program that provides high-speed internet services, it has a strong military background," it said. Its launch sites are built within military bases, it continued, and SpaceX previously received funds from the US Air Force to study how Starlink satellites can connect to military aircraft under encryption. The Chinese scientists warned Starlink could boost the communication speeds of fighter jets and drones by over 100 times.
The author warned:
"When completed, Starlink satellites can be mounted with reconnaissance, navigation and meteorological devices to further enhance the US military’s combat capability in such areas as reconnaissance remote sensing, communications relay, navigation and positioning, attack and collision, and space sheltering."
Between hard and soft kill, the researchers favor the latter, since physically destroying satellites would produce space debris that could interfere with China's activities. The country previously filed a complaint with the United Nations about the Tiangong space station's near-collision with Starlink satellites. Apparently, the station had to perform evasive maneuvers twice in 2021 to minimize the chances of collision. Destroying a few satellites also wouldn't completely take out the Starlink constellation, seeing as SpaceX has already launched over 2,500 satellites at this point in time.
