Steam has released an update that makes it easier to manage downloads and storage, move games from one drive to another and more. The tweaks have been available for months in beta, but are finally coming to all users in the stable release channel, the gaming service announced.
The downloads page has been cleaned up and now shows installation progress on top of download status. That fix will help you figure out when you can play a game after it has downloaded. You can also reorder the priority of downloads by dragging and dropping them when installing multiple titles. Finally, the rather undescriptive "View News" button has been renamed to Patch Notes so you can see what's changed in an update while it's downloading.
The storage manager has also been refreshed so you can more easily see how much space you have left in case you want to move a game to a less full or faster drive, for instance. It'll also let you remove empty library folders and mount library folders on read-only drives.
It also added minor tweaks and fixes to the Library, Friends List, Remote Play Together, Steam Cloud, Steam VR and other features. The new version should install itself automatically (barring any COVID-related delays), but you can check on the status via the menu bar. A full list of updates is available here.
Jabra has built quite a reputation for true wireless earbuds. Over the last few years, the company has continued to refine its mix of features and functionality, consistently creating some of the most reliable buds that do nearly everything well. The one item still left on the agenda was a low-cost model: a set of earbuds that gave users good sound, handy tools and solid battery life for under $100. With the Elite 3, the company does just that, and in the process it designed arguably its best true wireless product yet.
Design
Billy Steele/Engadget
With its three new Elite models, Jabra introduced an all-new design and made all of them smaller than its previous offerings. Until now, the Elite 75t was the company’s smallest set of earbuds. But the even more compact Elite 3 makes them more comfortable than the Elite 75t and the new shape, which Jabra is also using on the Elite 7 Pro and Elite 7 Active, better mimics the curves of your ear. Jabra says it used over 62,000 ear scans to create the shape by mapping the details of the average human ear. Instead of being more circular, the Elite 3 and its pricier siblings have a rounded triangular shell.
Previous Jabra earbud models, up through the Elite 85t, all had a circle button for the on-board controls. A small triangular elbow that pointed down towards your face housed microphones. With the Elite 3, the button is a triangle now and covers the entire outer surface. All of the microphones are around the edge — one close to your face and the other up top. The inside of the earbuds are still the nozzle-like design Jabra has used in the past. So like a lot of the competition, there’s a good portion of each bud resting in your ear canal.
Like previous Jabra models, the on-board controls are physical buttons as opposed to touch panels. This means you actually have to press them, but it also means they’re more reliable. On the right side, you can play/pause (single press), skip tracks forward (double press), skip tracks backwards (triple press) and turn the volume up (press and hold). On the left, the same actions cover turning ambient sound on/off (single), activating your voice assistant (double) and volume down (press and hold). There’s nothing assigned to the triple press on the left earbud. Android users can also opt for quick access to Spotify, but you’ll have to replace the ability to summon your assistant.
Billy Steele/Engadget
Everything that’s available as an on-board control is right on the buds already, so you don’t need to pick up your phone for the basics. And that means that during workouts, for which the Elite 3’s dust and water resistance is well-suited (IP55), you can quickly press a button and get right back to your exercise. The one key thing that is missing here is automatic pausing. It’s annoying, but lots of earbuds in this price range omit that feature so I wouldn’t consider it a dealbreaker.
The included charging case is almost identical to the one that came with the Elite 75t. It too is quite compact, easily tucking into a small pocket for transport. The Elite 3 case is noticeably lighter though and the materials used to make it feel a bit cheap. The lid in particular is a bit flimsy. Of course, if the case protects your earbuds and consistently keeps them charged, I’m willing to bet there won’t be many complaints.
Sound quality
Billy Steele/Engadget
When it comes to audio quality with sub-$100 earbuds, you typically get muted, muffled sound that lacks any kind of depth or bassy thump. Anker’s Soundcore line is an exception to this, and now you can add Jabra to that list as well. I was immediately impressed with the Elite 3’s sound quality. The tuning is well-balanced, but the low-end tone booms when it's needed. The kick drum is deep and dynamic across rock tracks, and beats are energetic with hip-hop and electronic styles. Songs that were recorded to sound open and airy, like CHVRCHES’s “How Not To Drown” or John Mayer’s “Last Train Home,” are just that. Even the best-tuned cheap earbuds can have sound that feels compressed, and that’s far from the case on the Elite 3.
Jabra’s sound profile here is also adept at highlighting details. On the aforementioned CHVRCHES track, you can easily hear finer touches like the rattle of the snare drum. Little things like string noise and gritty guitar distortion throughout Chris Stapelton’s Starting Over add another dimension to the album. Even though Jabra only gives you a few presets to adjust the EQ with, it doesn’t matter: the Elite 3 outshines pricier competition with sound quality thanks to a mix of balanced tuning, punchy bass, great clarity and inviting depth.
The Elite 3 is equipped with ambient sound, or HearThrough as Jabra calls it, but the audio quality here isn’t as good as some more expensive sets. Don’t get me wrong, it does its job piping in the noises around you when you activate it. Things are muffled though, and the earbuds only pick up your voice when you’re on a call (sidetone). So for all the times you might want transparency, you still feel shouty when you’re having a quick chat IRL.
Call quality
Billy Steele/Engadget
Like a lot of headphones companies, Jabra promises “crystal-clear calls” with the Elite 3. And like much of the competition, that claim doesn’t pan out. These earbuds are perfectly serviceable for phone and video calls, but they’re far from “crystal clear.” You end up sounding like you’re on speakerphone, and there’s a dull roar in the background at all times. Does it get the job done? Yes. Do you sound great? No. Jabra does make up for its shortcomings with a few handy features, though.
First, the Elite 3 automatically switches to HearThrough mode on calls and you can enable sidetone to pipe in even more of your voice so you don’t feel the need to yell. There’s also a handy mute control on the earbuds, disabling the mics with a single press on either side. Lastly, Jabra has enabled a mono mode on this set, so you can use a single earbud at all times, even while the other is charging.
Software
The Elite 3 works with Jabra’s Sound+ app that supports a lot of its earbuds, headphones and headsets, but the options this time around are very limited. On the main screen, there’s the usual battery level percentage up top, a HearThrough (ambient sound) control and a collection of six audio presets. Unlike other Jabra models, there’s no manual EQ and obviously no noise cancellation control. HearThrough mode is also all or nothing, there’s no slider like there is for some of the company’s other earbuds.
If you dive further into the settings, the Elite 3 is compatible with Find My Jabra if you misplace an earbud and you can also activate sidetone during calls so you can monitor your own volume. When you’re on a call sidetone control will appear on the main screen for quick access. The on-board controls, however, are set and you can’t reconfigure them. Thankfully, Jabra covers the basics there, so you don’t really need to change anything. As I mentioned, you get a few additional options for the on-board controls with Android, but that’s the only difference from the iOS app. On Android devices, the Elite 3 also supports Google Fast Pair, which makes connecting to your phone a breeze.
Battery life
Jabra promises up to seven hours of battery life on the earbuds themselves with an additional three charges in the case. This is slightly better than a lot of the competition these days, where many of those options hover around the five-hour mark. The case isn’t equipped with wireless charging, but there is a fast-charge feature that gives you an hour of use in 10 minutes. During my tests, one of the Elite 3 buds died 15 minutes short of seven hours, while the other lasted 20 minutes past the stated time limit. If you’re docking these in the case a couple times, you should have no trouble getting a full workday and then some.
The competition
At $80, Jabra has undercut much of the big-name true wireless competition. The cheapest AirPods are $159, Samsung’s Galaxy Buds 2 will cost you $150 and Sony’s WF-XB700 is $130. Unless, of course, you can find any of those on sale. At full price though, affordable options from what I’d consider “the big three” are all more expensive than Jabra.
A worthy alternative to the Elite 3 is Anker’s Soundcore Spirit Dot 2. They’re the same price as Jabra’s latest in a tiny, comfy form factor with punchy bass, on-board controls and an IPX7 rating. The Spirit Dot 2 offers five and half hours of battery life, though I only managed about four and a half during my review. There’s also no on-board volume controls, which could be a dealbreaker for some. The good news is Anker has a literal ton of other affordable true wireless options, including the newer noise-cancelling Liberty Air 2 Pro with a more AirPod-like design.
Wrap-up
After covering the audio beat for years, it’s rare that I’m surprised by a set of earbuds. I typically have a good idea of what to expect before buds are in-hand and spec sheets rarely undersell products like these. With the Elite 3, I can honestly say Jabra exceeded my expectations. These are an incredible value for the price, mostly due to sound quality that is better than some of the competition that costs twice as much and an all-new design that’s both tiny and comfy.
Good morning, there. I’m a little tired this morning, having stayed awake for PlayStation’s big gaming showcase last night. A lot of us thought Sony might give us a pretty innocuous tour of the PlayStation 5’s incoming UI update — perhaps a closer look at games on the horizon, like Deathloop.
We were wrong. So wrong. We got early first-looks at a new God of War game, a Spider-Man sequel and, whoa, a Wolverine game made by the same studio responsible for the web-slinger’s latest adventures, Insomniac. We got a handful of remasters — with Uncharted 4 particularly looking lovely — and, unbelievably, an actual release date for Gran Turismo 7.
It was an impressive showing for PlayStation — especially after a year of mostly limp gaming events (do you even remember the all-digital E3, Microsoft’s last Xbox showcase?)
Sony, so far, is holding its position of power for this generation of consoles. For now. Will Microsoft’s big cloud gaming push rain on its parade?
We’ve got two stories on Facebook’s collaboration on smart glasses with Ray-Ban, and our two writers draw similar conclusions. The glasses look stylish and the camera seems to take relatively decent video footage, but that Facebook connection….
You’ll need your phone nearby to do anything with the video and photos you capture, and there’s a small white LED that lights up when the glasses are recording. Yes, they are a bit heavier, and the cameras are noticeable up close, but from a distance, they could easily pass as any other pair of WayFarers. That’s the crux of these — they’re certainly a Facebook product, but it’s trying to hide that. There’s no Facebook logo on the frames, though there is some on the packaging, and this is because, well, a lot of us don’t have much love for the social network.
There’s a lot (a lot!) of similarities with Snapchat’s Spectacles, but Ray-Ban’s Stories do offer audio capabilities built into each arm. However, it’s still hard to disconnect love for the gadget with the company responsible for it.
Cameras keep getting better, but arguably, the pace of improvement has slowed. You can look at photos on decades-old DSLRs, and they look pretty good! While in some tests, sensors seem to have barely changed, there have been big advancements in noise reduction, dynamic range and how fast sensors can be read. Chris Schodt explains it all.
SpaceX previously accused Amazon of delaying its Starlink proposals.
Amazon's response to SpaceX's FCC filing, which accused the e-commerce giant of trying to delay proposals for its Starlink internet service on purpose, is just as scathing. In an FCC filing of its own, Amazon told the regulator that SpaceX chief Elon Musk tends to ignore rules and government-imposed regulations. The company also said SpaceX often accuses any company "that dares point out its flouting of laws and regulations" as "anticompetitive."
This is the latest development in a lengthy battle with the FCC in the middle. The Jeff Bezos-owned Blue Origin also filed a complaint against NASA with the US Court of Federal Claims over the lunar lander contract it awarded to SpaceX.
Proving the collaboration so far must be a success, Lego and Nintendo have unveiled a new Lego Super Mario 64 block set with microscale levels including Peach's Castle along with several micro figures. The companies describe it as a "unique way for fans to rediscover the magic of Super Mario 64." The price of said magic? $170.
Google and Jio, India's largest mobile network, were supposed to launch their first joint product today. It's a low-cost 4G smartphone called JioPhone Next that's designed to give more people in the mobile-first country access to the carrier's high-speed network. The companies have just announced, however, that they're pushing back the smartphone's launch by a couple of months.
According to the announcement, they've made "considerable progress" with the phone and are currently testing it with a limited number of users. They'll make "further refinement[s]" as needed based on testers' feedback and are working towards launching it in time for the Diwali festival scheduled for early November this year.
While the companies didn't talk about the reason behind the delay at length, they did say that the additional time will "help mitigate the current industry-wide, global semiconductor shortages." The global chip shortage caused mainly by factories closing due to the COVID-19 pandemic has greatly affected tech and auto companies around the world. Automakers such as Ford, BMW, Honda and GM had to cut and suspend production due to the crisis. It's also the reason why Sony still can't manufacture the PS5 in bigger quantities and why iPhone 12 shipments were delayed by a few weeks.
When Google purchased a $4.5 billion stake in Jio last year in hopes of expanding its presence in India, the companies revealed that they're planning to develop low-cost phones together. The JioPhone Next will have the capability to automatically read aloud and translate any onscreen text, such as text from messages, web pages, apps and photos. It'll also apparently feature a better camera than other similar low-cost phones, one with HDR support and with the capability to capture low-light images. Further, Snapchat augmented reality lenses, including India-centric filters, will be integrated into the camera. Finally, users will be able to ask Google Assistant to play music via Jio's streaming service Saavn or to check their balance on Jio's payments app.
Epic has asked Apple to restore its access to its developer tools so it can make Fortnite available on iOS again — in South Korea, at least. The developer has revealed asking Apple to reinstate its App Store account on the official Fortnite Twitter, where it also said that it intends to offer "both Epic payment and Apple payment side-by-side in compliance with the new Korean law."
Epic has asked Apple to restore our Fortnite developer account. Epic intends to re-release Fortnite on iOS in Korea offering both Epic payment and Apple payment side-by-side in compliance with the new Korean law.
Apple terminated Epic's App Store account back in August 2020 shortly after the developer offered discounts on Fortnite's V-bucks currency and other cash purchases if players bypassed the App Store. The tech giant quickly removed the battle royale game from its store after that update went up, and Epic responded by suing Apple over its policies. Epic also tried to get the court to stop Apple from pulling its developer tools to no avail, and Fortnite hasn't been available to download on iOS ever since.
By the end of August this year, though, South Korea passed a bill requiring major app stores to allow alternative payment methods other than their own. As TechCrunch notes, the legislation is not yet in effect, but even if it already is, Korean authorities can't force Apple to reinstate or approve developer accounts under the law. The tech giant told the publication in a statement:
"As we've said all along, we would welcome Epic’s return to the App Store if they agree to play by the same rules as everyone else. Epic has admitted to breach of contract and as of now, there’s no legitimate basis for the reinstatement of their developer account."
Apple recently changed its App Store policies to allow some developers to add external links to their applications for payments. The change only covers apps for digital magazines, newspapers, books, audio, music and video, though, such as Spotify and Netflix.
The Vivo brand may not immediately ring a bell in the West, but its recent mobile photography ambitions are worth paying attention to. The company's latest flagship, the X70 Pro+, is the world's first smartphone to feature optical image stabilization (OIS) across all four of its rear cameras. Like the previous model, these all have Zeiss optics and Zeiss T* lens coating, but the main camera is further enhanced by an SLR-grade high-transmittance glass lens to reduce chromatic aberration.
Vivo
Vivo continues to offer one of the more versatile sets of cameras I've seen lately. The X70 Pro+ comes with a 48-megapixel f/2.2 ultra-wide camera, which is further stabilized by Vivo's now-signature micro gimbal; a 50-megapixel f/1.57 main camera powered by a large Samsung GN1 sensor (as featured on the X50 Pro+); a 12-megapixel f/1.6 portrait camera with the much newer Sony IMX663; and an 8-megapixel f/3.4 5x zoom periscopic camera.
All four rear cameras support electronic stabilization for video shooting, and if you really want to, the main camera can film at up to 8K resolution. The X70 Pro+ also packs Vivo's very own "V1" AI imaging chip for better noise reduction in low-light video recording, as well as more efficient motion smoothing in video playback and gaming.
I don't usually spend much time in the camera filter section, but Vivo's selection of bokeh effects look fun, as they were apparently meant to mimic classic Zeiss lenses. The X60 series already introduced the "swirly" Biotar filter, and with the new X70 series, you also get the "anamorphic" Distagon, the "genuine" Planar and the "creamy" Sonnar. Apparently Zeiss took part in developing these bokeh effects, so that should speak for their faithfulness.
On the other side of the X70 Pro+, you get a 32-megapixel f/2.45 punch-hole selfie camera at the top of a 6.78-inch screen. This 3,200 x 1,400 AMOLED panel offers better colors (10-bit or 1 billion colors) and brightness than before, thanks to Samsung's latest E5 LTPO tech. It also delivers a refresh rate of up to 120Hz and a touch sampling rate of up to 300Hz, which should deliver some silky smooth scrolling and gaming.
Vivo
The Android 11-based X70 Pro+ comes with many other flagship elements, namely a Qualcomm Snapdragon 888+ processor, fast LPDDR5 RAM, IP68 dustproofing and waterproofing, stereo speakers and a dedicated Hi-Fi chip. There's even an infrared remote feature to let you control home appliances the old-fashioned way.
As for charging, the 4,500mAh battery here supports Vivo's 55W FlashCharge and 50W Wireless FlashCharge. The latter requires a special charging stand, which packs two coils to handle both portrait and landscape orientations. You can also use any Qi pad, with the trade-off being a slower charging rate, obviously. The phone itself does 10W reverse wireless charging, should you need to revive other phones, smartwatches or wireless earbuds.
Vivo
The X70 series includes two other models: the quad-cam X70 Pro and the tri-cam X70. Both models are powered by MediaTek's Dimensity 1200-vivo chipset, and their smaller 6.56-inch AMOLED screens (2,376 x 1,080, 120Hz) translate to smaller batteries as well. But hey, you still get an infrared remote on either model.
While the X70 Pro and X70 also receive the Zeiss treatment, they baked the micro gimbal into their main cameras (50 and 40 megapixels, respectively) instead of their 12-megapixel ultra-wide cameras. It's also worth mentioning that their 12-megapixel portrait cameras lack OIS. Given their missing V1 imaging chip, it'll be interesting to compare their low-light shots with the X70 Pro+.
Vivo X60 Pro and X60 Pro+.
Vivo
For what it's worth, the version of the X70 Pro sold in China will be powered by a Samsung Exynos 1080, and it also includes a V1 chip.
Outside of China, Vivo's X70 series will initially roll out in markets like India, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Taiwan and the United Arab Emirates, among others. There's no word on a European launch just yet, but Vivo might want to plan one soon to keep up with the likes of Oppo and Xiaomi. Meanwhile, stay tuned for our upcoming X70 Pro+ hands-on.
Nearly a decade after its initial release on the seventh generation of consoles, Grand Theft Auto V will come out on PlayStation 5 in March 2022. Rockstar first announced GTA V was making its way to Sony's latest console at the company's previous PlayStation 5 showcase last summer. The enhanced and expanded port was originally supposed to come out in the second half of 2021.
The new trailer Rockstar shared during Sony's promised the game will feature improved graphics, gameplay enhancements and seamless character switching between its three protagonists. It will also come with the game's immensely popular GTA Online multiplayer component.
Houseparty's video chat may have been a popular choice in the early days of the pandemic, but that hasn't won it much favor with its owner Epic Games. Houseparty is shutting down its app sometime in October. Fortnite's Houseparty integration will vanish around the same time, the developers said. The app has already disappeared from stores.
The team explained the move as a matter of focus. Houseparty is crafting "meaningful and authentic" new socialization features that would be useful at a metaverse level across Epic Games titles, according to the creators. The company didn't provide any clues as to what would come next.
It's a slightly odd decision. Epic bought Houseparty in 2019, and the app bloomed in 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic forced many people to socialize online. There were over 17 million downloads in March 2020 alone, Sensor Tower said. The Fortnite tie-in also gave the younger crowd a way to hang out in a favorite game. While the pandemic is (hopefully) winding down, Epic is effectively cutting off Houseparty near its peak.
That shift toward the metaverse may be difficult to ignore, however. Epic has increasingly turned Fortnite into a social space between pop star concerts, virtual museums and non-competitive modes like Party Royale. The more work Epic can devote to that space, the greater its chances of attracting (and keeping) users who aren't always ready fight intense last-one-standing battles.
As promised, Sony is ready to offer a peek at the PS5's future. The company is livestreaming PlayStation Showcase 2021 at 4PM Eastern, and you can watch the whole event below. It won't be a short presentation — Sony said the Showcase will clock in at about 40 minutes, with an after-show providing updates from featured studios.
The stream will officially focus on upcoming PS5 games (including for the holidays) from both PlayStation Studios as well as third-party developers. However, we also wouldn't be surprised if Sony devotes some time to system updates for the console. The company has teased a number of significant OS improvements as part of the beta program, including the option to add SSD storage. This is Sony's big chance to set its agenda for the next year, and it might not limit that agenda to the console's game lineup.
The COVID-19 pandemic caused a huge shift toward remote working, though many people are still eager to return to the office. As such, the future of work may be a hybrid environment. To help account for that, Microsoft Teams is getting a bunch of features to bolster hybrid meetings.
Among these is the Cameo feature for presentations in PowerPoint Live. You'll be able to add your Teams camera feed to your deck, and you can choose how and where you want to appear in slides. Microsoft plans to roll out this tool early next year.
Microsoft
Also arriving in early 2022 is an AI-powered feature called speaker coach, which listens to your speech and offers tips on your pace and when to check in with the attendees, as well as offering a reminder when you interrupt someone.
Microsoft will add an automatic lighting correction tool in the coming months. In the same timeframe, it will update companion mode in Teams mobile. The latter will let in-person attendees have easy access to features such as chat and live reactions, as well as controls for the meeting and connected devices, such as cameras.
Speaking of which, Microsoft Teams will soon support intelligent cameras from the likes of Jabra, Neat, Poly, and Yealink. AI-powered active speaker tracking will use visual cues as well as audio to help determine who is speaking and focus on them. Multiple video streams will place meeting participants who are in the same physical space into their own video pane. The people recognition tool, meanwhile, can identify meeting participants and display their profile name below their video pane.
Manufacturers will have access to those features in the coming months. Microsoft expects the tools to roll out as updates over the next year. They could play a key role in putting all hybrid meeting participants on a level playing field, whether they're at home or in a conference room.
Elsewhere, an Outlook RSVP feature that'll arrive in early 2022 will let you flag whether you're attending a meeting in person or remotely to help organizers prepare (Google Calendar added a similar feature in July). You'll be able to mark when and where you're working in your working hours too. You may also be able to reserve shared workspaces through Outlook or Teams.
Meanwhile, Apple CarPlay will get audio-only support for Teams starting later this month. So, if you get stuck in traffic when a meeting starts, you can still join in via Siri.
