Sony Japan has announced that it will release a SIM-free version of the Xperia 1 II, which will come with a boost in specs versus the international model. Up until now, the Xperia 1 II was available only through two carriers in Japan (NTT docomo and au by KDDI). The new variant with model number XQ-AT42 is expected to arrive on 30 October 2020 at a cost of 124,000 yen (£892, €987, $1168).
In the past few months, we’ve seen how various camera makes such as Fujifilm, Canon, and Olympus release software for computers that easily turns their cameras into webcams without the need for third-party software or capture cards. Sony was missing from that list, but not anymore.
Sony has since released the Imaging Edge Webcam software that will turn compatible Sony cameras into webcams quickly and easily. All you need to do is download the software from Sony’s website, connect it to your computers, and you’re good to go! For now, the software only supports Windows 10, and we’re not sure if there are plans to eventually support macOS as well, but we wouldn’t be surprised if the version of macOS were to arrive later.
Sony has picked up an EISA 2020-21 Multimedia Smartphone award for the Xperia 1 II (Mark 2), a well-deserved win given the phones' all round performance. The handset boasts a number of features that helped it to win including its 4K OLED display, Dolby Atmos sound, support for PlayStation DUALSHOCK4 controllers, and of course the return of the 3.5mm headphone jack.
The beauty of Android over iOS is that Android usually lets users choose their default apps, while iOS pretty much limits users to the default apps. However, the bad news is that come Android 11, Google seems to be clamping down on allowing users to pick their default camera within apps.
Basically, with certain apps, the developers can make it so that users can choose to use a different camera app apart from the default one it is bundled with. This is because some apps aren’t designed to be photography apps, and as such, they might not necessarily take the best photos or give users more control.
The company has announced that they will be “raising the bar” with their Android update support where a bunch of Samsung handsets and tablets will now be eligible for at least three generations worth of updates. This means that depending on the device, your handset or tablet could receive major Android updates up to 2021 or some even going into 2022.
The support devices include Samsung’s Galaxy S series starting with the Galaxy S10 Lite and newer; the Note series which starts from the Note 10 Lite and newer; Samsung’s entire foldable lineup; the Galaxy A series which starts with the A51 and newer; and the Galaxy Tab S6 Lite and newer.
As far as Zelda games on the Nintendo Switch are concerned, there are several titles that we know of. There is The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, the Breath of the Wild sequel, and The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening. However, it seems that we might soon be able to add one more title to that list.
According to an Amazon UK listing, it appears that Nintendo could also be planning on launching The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword on the Switch as well. For those who are unfamiliar, Skyward Sword is not a new Zelda game, but rather it was originally designed for the Wii and Wii U consoles.
The argument that the US government is using in their bid to ban TikTok is that they claim that the app collects data on US citizens, which they believe poses a risk to national security. It seems that whatever excuses TikTok is making to defend itself might be moot, especially with a recent discovery.
According to a report from The Wall Street Journal, it appears that towards the end of 2019, TikTok had actually been collecting data on Android users in the form of the user’s MAC addresses. Unlike cookies that can be easily deleted, MAC addresses are unique identifiers that are used especially in digital advertising to identify devices.
When it comes to mobile chipsets, Qualcomm is undoubtedly king. This isn’t to say that they are necessarily the best, but they do have a massive chunk of the chipset market. Samsung is producing chipsets of their own, although benchmarks have shown in the past that the company’s Exynos chipsets simply aren’t up to scratch compared to Qualcomm’s Snapdragon series.
However, that could change soon because according to a report from Business Korea, it seems that Samsung could be looking to take things up a notch by partnering with the likes of ARM and AMD. For those unfamiliar, ARM is the company that developed the architecture that many companies like Qualcomm, Samsung, Apple, and Huawei use for their own chipsets.
Microsoft is set to release Project xCloud on Android devices next month, but the good news is that if you can’t wait to try it out, you’ll be very pleased to learn that Microsoft has actually released the beta version of the service today where if you’re interested, you’ll actually be able to take it for a spin ahead of the public launch.
It should be noted that since this is a beta, Microsoft does warn that there could be some quirks with the service, but for the most part it should still be largely playable. Also, instead of offering over 100 titles, the beta will only give gamers access to about 30 of the launch times, but that should still be more than enough to tide you over until the service goes live for everyone.
There are many laptop makers in the market today, but it looks like we can now take Toshiba off that list as the company has quietly announced that they are exiting the laptop business. The company has revealed that they have since transferred all of their remaining stake in its personal computing business over to Sharp.
Toshiba’s exit shouldn’t really come as a surprise if you have been following the news. Back in 2018, the company had actually sold 80.1% of its personal computer business to Sharp, and now it looks like Sharp will pretty much own all of it while Toshiba will stop selling laptops completely.
Sony reported its fiscal first quarter results last week covering the three months to 30 June 2020. The actual performance for Sony's mobile business was not that interesting – Sony shipped 0.8 million smartphones, a slight decline from the 0.9 million units sold in the same period last year. Sony's latest flagship, the Xperia 1 II only launched in select regions towards the end of this quarter, so it wouldn't have impacted the results in any significant way.
Fujifilm is known for their high-end mirrorless cameras like the X-Pro3, X-T4, and the X-H1. However, these cameras aren’t cheap and if you are a fan of Fujifilm but don’t want to break the bank, you might be interested to learn that the company could actually have a new mid-range camera in the works.
Apart from the cameras we mentioned above, the company does have some mid-range cameras like the X-T30 and the X-E3, but according to a report from Fuji Rumors, they have heard from their sources that apparently Fujifilm has two new mid-range cameras in the works, and that at least one of those cameras will be part of a brand new lineup.
It used to be that when it came to noise cancelling headphones, Bose would be the default choice for many. However, these days Sony is absolutely killing it and its WH1000 series has become a new fan favorite. In fact, if you’re looking for a new pair of noise cancelling headphones, Sony has unveiled their new headphones – the WH1000XM4.
These are the latest noise cancelling headphones from the company that carries on the tradition of their WH1000 lineup. While the design of the headphones looks like its predecessor, the changes made are mostly under the hood. According to Sony, some of the upgrades they’ve made includes a new Bluetooth audio system on a chip that apparently analyzes music and surrounding noise at a rate of 700 times per second.
Want to get a full frame mirrorless camera? Unfortunately, full frame mirrorless cameras aren’t exactly cheap and Sony’s A7 is probably the cheapest you can expect from the company. However, that might not necessarily be the case in the future, at least according to Sony Alpha Rumors.
The publication is claiming that come September, Sony is expected to announce an entry-level full frame mirrorless camera that will be part of its mirrorless lineup. The naming of this camera is unclear, but it has been speculated to be called either the A5 or the A6, which kind of makes sense given that Sony’s mirrorless lineup consists of the A7 and A9 series.