Month: September 2019

APPLE has finally launched its feverishly-anticipated iOS 13 update. The release date, which was announced during the iPhone 11 launch last week, brings a bevy of new features and faster speeds to your iPhone. Here’s all you need to know about this new operating system.

iPhone fans are in for a treat as Apple has now officially released its blockbuster iOS 13 software update across the world.

The free upgrade was first announced earlier this year at Apple’s WWDC Developers Conference in San Joe, California. iOS 13 not only includes new features, but also a number of improvements under the bonnet to boost performance, especially on older iPhone models. Unfortunately, not every iPhone capable of running iOS 12 is able to upgrade to iOS 13, so you’ll want to check which iPhone models are compatible with iOS 13.

If you’re one of the lucky ones, you’ll need to do a few things to make sure your iPhone is ready for iOS 13 before the update comes available. Apple has confirmed iOS 13 will launch today, but exactly when iOS 13 will be available is a little unsure. Based on last year, our best guess is that UK iPhone owners will be waiting until the end of the work day to get the all-new features.

WHEN WILL iOS 13 LAUNCH?

Apple has now released iOS 13 with users needing to head to their settings to download the 2.2GB update.

WILL MY iPHONE BE COMPATIBLE?

All of the latest devices will be compatible with iOS 13 but it’s worth noting that not everyone will be able to download it.

Anyone with an iPhone 6 or older will be left without access and will need to upgrade their device to access the new features.

Here’s a full list of devices that can access iOS 13:

iPhone 11 • iPhone 11 Pro • iPhone 11 Pro Max • iPhone XS • iPhone XS Max • iPhone XR • iPhone X • iPhone 8 • iPhone 8 Plus • iPhone 7 • iPhone 7 Plus • iPhone 6s • iPhone 6s Plus • iPhone SE • iPod touch (7th generation)

That means iPhone 6, iPhone 6 Plus, and iPhone 5S are no longer getting the latest mobile operating system upgrades from Apple and will be stuck on iOS 12 forever.

WHAT NEW FEATURES ARE COMING TO MY iPHONE?

Here’s an idea of some of the extras you’ll see right now.

NEW DARK MODE

The new Dark Mode in iOS 13 is one of the most striking changes with it completely changing the on-screen look of your device.

Once iOS 13 is installed, users will be able to turn on Dark Mode as the default setting or have it switch over to the darker look at certain times of the day.

Apple says its Dark Mode will deliver a great viewing experience, especially in low-light environments.

All of Apple’s suite of apps will get access to this new appearance with the firm also opening up this option to developers.

There could be one finally bonus of Dark Mode and that’s the possibility of extra battery life.

SIGN IN WITH APPLE

Along with looking better, iOS 13 also looks set to boost the security of your iPhone.

During its WWDC event earlier this year, Apple revealed a clever new update called “Sign in with Apple”.

Currently, when you launch a new app or website there’s often the ability to sign in using social media accounts such as Facebook.

However, doing so can leave you open to being tracked with your personal data being used to target advertising.

Now Apple users will soon be able to use their Apple ID to authenticate and Apple will protect users’ privacy by providing developers with a unique random ID.

Even in cases where developers choose to ask for a name and email address, users have the option to keep their email address private and share a unique random email address instead.

YOUR IPHONE GETS FASTER

Once you install iOS 13 you may find your iPhone feels a little faster.

That’s because it’s not just new features that are coming in iOS 13 as Apple is boasting that performance will also be vastly improved.

This new OS should make the entire system more responsive with faster Face ID unlock, and a new way to package iPhone apps on the App Store that reduces app download sizes by up to 50 per cent.

This makes app updates over 60 per cent smaller and results in apps launching up to twice as fast.

IMPROVED PHOTOS

If you love snapping photos on your iPhone then there’s good news.

iOS 13 features on-device machine learning which can curate the entire image library to highlight the best photos, automatically hiding clutter and similar pictures to showcase significant events from the past day, month or year.

Photos and videos are then intelligently organised, making it easier to browse and discover favourite memories.

Photo editing also much more comprehensive and intuitive with new tools that are easier to apply, adjust and review at a glance.

With just a swipe, effects can be increased or decreased to create the perfect look, providing photographers with more creative possibilities and control over their images.

And in iOS 13, most photo editing tools are now available for video editing, making it possible to rotate, crop or apply filters right within the Photos app.

BEST OF THE REST

There’s a number of other upgrades coming to iOS 13 including some changes to Messages.

This update automatically shares a user’s name and photo or customised Memoji or Animoji, to easily identify who is in the Messages thread.

The popular Memoji characters are also automatically made into sticker packs built into the iOS keyboard, so they can be used in Messages, Mail and other apps.

And these Memoji also now feature new hairstyles, headwear, makeup, piercings and accessories.

Another new extra is something called QuickPath.

This new keyboard update brings easy one-hand typing by continuously swiping through the letters of a word.

Finally, Siri has a new, more natural voice, and Siri Shortcuts now supports Suggested Automations that provide personalised routines for things like heading to work or going to the gym.

Since Chrome for Android launched in 2012, the core experience of using the browser has fundamentally stayed the same. Google this fall is rolling out the biggest set of usability changes to date that make Chrome more powerful on mobile.

Chrome tab grid layout

Chrome has been visually redesigned over the years, with the Google Material Theme coming last September. However, navigation within the browser has remained just a top bar with address field, tab button, and overflow menu. The tab switcher consists of vertically-arranged cards that overlap in an interface reminiscent of Android’s old multitasking menu.

This fall, Chrome for Android is switching to a grid layout where open tabs are represented by small rectangular cards. The top-right corner of each features a close button, but a swipe will perform the same action. As a result of this layout, Incognito pages are no longer shown next to the list of regular tabs. Instead, there’s a simple switcher up top to access another grid view.

There are two tabs to a row and about six fit your screen. Users are getting a reduced thumbnail and page name, but an overall better preview.

Chrome tab grouping

This revamped arrangement coincides with a new tab grouping feature that allows you to personally organize related sites. Form the grid, you can drag and drop one tab on top of another to create a group. It’s ideal if you’re planning a trip or want to seperate personal and work sites.

Within a tab group, there’s a new bottom bar switcher where each page is represented by a favicon. Tapping the left chevron opens a mini grid layout for that space while a New Tab button is at the very right.

Since Chrome 77 launched earlier this month, “Send a tab” has been rolled out to more users, with Google making the device-to-device sharing functionality official today. Meanwhile, answers to queries about sports, weather, and translations will now directly appear in Chrome’s Omnibox. This saves users from having to conduct a full search.

Chrome for Android’s new tab grid layout and tab grouping are officially rolling out over the next few weeks.

The next-generation Microsoft Surface Pen, expected to be announced alongside a range of new Surface products next month, is likely to boast wireless charging capabilities.

An FCC filing published earlier this week, Microsoft details a new stylus that includes its own charging coil, which could be used for wireless charging capabilities .

Currently, the accessory is charged using a AAAA battery so, either way ,the presence of a coil means wired or wireless charging. Given recent trends, we’d expect the charging coil to be for wireless replenishment.

For example, the Apple Pencil 2 can be juiced by magnetically connecting to the iPad Pro. The S Pen is also replenished when holstered to a recent Samsung Galaxy Note smartphone.

It’s likely that Microsoft will take the existing ability for the Surface Pen to attach to the Surface devices for safe keeping and add wireless charging to the mix in order to keep it replenished when not in use.

That would likely require some additional hardware engineering on the new Surface Pro itself, on top of the new coil within the Surface Pen. However, that feat shouldn’t cause too much strife for the Windows 10-maker.

With a new Surface Pro widely expected to launch at Microsoft’s October 2 event in New York City, it won’t be long until we find out the company’s concrete plans. We’re expecting the Surface Pro 7 to arrive with the new generation Ice Lake Intel Core (up to i7) processors with up to 16GB of RAM and a 1TB SDD.

Elsewhere, October 2 might bring new Surface Laptop devices, with the possibility of a new Surface Go tablet. The new hardware is also likely to coincide with the launch of the bi-annual Windows 10 update.

Naturally, we’ll be following all the action as Microsoft unveils the latest Surface devices in the popular range. October is now shaping up to be an intriguing month with the Google Pixel event and new iPad Pro models possibly on the way.

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You might want to wait before emptying your wallet for an RTX 2060-equipped gaming laptop. Notebook Check reported on Sunday that Nvidia’s latest entry-level mobile GPU performs worse than expected–anywhere from 20% to 25%–when compared to its desktop counterpart.

Nvidia previously made it clear whether a GPU was made specifically for a laptop or not. It no longer does so, however, opting instead to use the same name for different parts. Someone could theoretically buy an RTX 2060-equipped laptop without realizing it’s not going to offer the same performance that an RTX 2060 desktop graphics card would offer. Consumers have to investigate the matter for themselves.

That’s a little problematic when there are slight discrepancies between a GPU’s mobile and desktop versions. But according to Notebook Check, the RTX lineup’s performance gap is fairly large. The mobile RTX 2070 is 14% to 18% slower than its desktop counterpart; the mobile RTX 2080 narrows the gap to a difference of just 8% to 10%. That at least means the products get closer to parity as they rise in price.

It’s unclear how much of this may be a difference may also be due to the difference in thermals from a laptop to a desktop or other circumstances .

Notebook Check said this performance gap means the RTX 2060’s performance is just 5% better on average than a mobile GTX 1660 Ti. Although RTX 2060-equipped laptops offer other features besides beefy graphics cards, that difference makes it hard to justify paying more for such a slight performance bump, so thrifty gaming laptop shoppers might be better off settling for a laptop equipped with a mobile GTX 1660 Ti if they want the most bang for their buck.

We’ve reached out to Nvidia for comment on Notebook Check’s claims and will update this post when the company responds.