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News Tech

Samsung Exceeds Expectations with One UI

Android Pie has been available for some time and OEM updates are starting to surface. Samsung shed its previous UI in the form one a new One UI that takes the best out of Android Pie and delivers a remarkable experience.

From day one Samsung put a heavy focus on personalization, fitting its first smartphones with a user interface called TouchWiz. Samsung’s personalization layer started to become good with the introduction of Android 5.0 Lollipop on the S6.  Samsung Experience arrived on S7 and made things even better but it seems that the company wanted to mark the release of the S10 with the addition of a revolutionary UI.

Pros

One UI was designed from the ground up as a new interface with fresh colors, icons and overall looks. A subtle accent is placed on whites and greys, generating a tranquil feeling. It looks great, offering a modern and intuitive feeling that is very attractive. The remarkable use of soft-radius corners and negative space makes it even better.

Interaction points were shifted between the rows of apps, facilitating the use of the device with a single hand.  The free space may seem a bit unusual at first but the change is great. Samsung managed implement the new navigational gestures feature without issue and it feels really good.

The addition of a system-wide dark mode option will make many users happy. It may not be as optimized as the dark modes offered by OnePlus and Google but it’s better than using a third-party theme.

One UI offers a variety of handy tweaks that improve the daily experience, including revamped pre-loaded apps that aim to deliver a good experience.

Cons

This may sound a bit strange but the main flow of One UI is represented by the fact that it easy to tell that it was made by Samsung. Access to common features is still tied to the main Settings menu. A few folders that don’t seem to be on par with One UI are still present. Bugs that were present in Oreo made the transition untouched.

Conclusion

It may have some flaws but One UI is a great update and many users will be able to enjoy it.

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News Tech

A Basic iOS 12 Jailbreak Exploit is now Available

The jailbreak community was severely discouraged by the introduction of iOS 12. Apple was against jailbreak since day one and the company continues to boost the security of the OS with each major update.  The company argues that the act of jailbreaking a device will make it vulnerable to malicious attacks and users that opt to jailbreak their device will have their warranty revoked if they are caught.

The release of a developer-only jailbreak solution brought some much needed hope. Rootless JB tool is currently working on several iPhones but the solution comes with a variety of bug and is unfit for public use.

Tihmstar, a well-known contributor of the jailbreak community, has released its first iOS 12 vintex exploit.  The developer tested the jailbreak on an iPhone 6 that runs iOS 12.1.2 noting that some improvements can be made to the code. Those that wish to try it are free to do so but they should keep in mind that the solution was tested on a single device. Some developers have already tried to adapt the jailbreak for other iPhone models and it seems that there is a lot of work to be done until a stable version will be available.

Rootless JB is the only jailbreak tool that is currently compatible iOS 12 and able to run on a large selection of devices, starting with the iPhone 6S and up to the iPhone X.  As previously mentioned, this tool is aimed at developers and it is unable to grant root access or package manager functionality.

Some Apple fans condemn the use of jailbreak solution, accusing the jailbreaking community of piracy and ill-use of Apple’s intellectual property. Despite Apple’s protest jailbreak is legal, since the Library of Congress added an exemption to the DMCA which notes that iPhone owners are allowed to jailbreak their devices if they wish to do so. That exception was recently extended and now includes iPads.

It is likely that a stable jailbreak solution will surface in the following months.

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Games News

Final Fantasy 9 Is Available For Nintendo Switch, While Final Fantasy 7 Comes Out In March

Thanks to the Nintendo Direct, we’ve learned that three classic Final Fantasy titles are coming on Nintendo Switch. Accordingly, Final Fantasy 7 would come out on March 26th for Nintendo Switch (as well as for Xbox One) and Chocobo’s Mystery Dungeon: Every Buddy, a Final Fantasy spinoff, would also launch next month, on March 20th. The third title, however, Final Fantasy 9 is already available for Nintendo Switch on Switch eShop for $21.

Final Fantasy 9 Is Available For Nintendo Switch – Final Fantasy 7 To Come Out in March

Last year, Square Enix, the games studio behind the Final Fantasy franchise, announced its plans to bring a whole bunch of Final Fantasy classic game to Nintendo Switch in 2019, including Final Fantasy 9 and Final Fantasy 7. While Final Fantasy 7 received a new teaser saying that the game would come soon on Switch, Final Fantasy 9 already rolled out, and it is available on Switch eShop.

Final Fantasy 9 launched initially on PlayStation in 2000. Next, over time, the game also rolled out for other platforms, including Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Android, and iOS. Now, finally, Final Fantasy 9 is available on Nintendo Switch.

The title was well-received by both gamers and critics. Final Fantasy 9 obtained high rates at its time, such as 9.75 out of 10 from Gameinformer or 9.2 out of 10 from IGN.

Square Enix Plans To Launch More Final Fantasy Titles on Nintendo Switch

In 2019, Square Enix also plans to roll out even more Final Fantasy title for Nintendo Switch and Xbox One, as well. More specifically, Final Fantasy X, X-2, and Final Fantasy 12: The Zodiac Age would come out for the two before-mentioned consoles later this year.

Apparently, Final Fantasy X and X-2 would come out on April 16th, while Final Fantasy 12 would launch on April 30th. Also, Square Enix announced that there would be a PS4 and Nintendo Switch port of Final Fantasy: The Crystal Chronicles, but the studio offered no release date for that title.

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Games News

Pokemon Go Community Day of February 2019 Features Swinub, Bonuses, and More

We’re only one day away from a new Pokemon Go Community Day. This month’s event would feature Swinub, a Ground/Ice-type monster introduced initially in Pokemon Gold and Silver, some special bonuses, and more.

The Pokemon Go Community Day of February 2019 would start tomorrow, February 16th, following the next schedule for all regions:

  • The Americas and Greenland
    • 11 AM – 2 PM PT
    • 2 PM – 5 PM ET
  • Europe, Middle East, and Africa
    • 10 AM – 1 PM UTC
  • Asia-Pacific
    • 12 PM – 3 PM JST (February 17)

Pokemon Go Community Day of February 2019 Features Swinub

During Community Day event in Pokemon Go, Niantic is usually designating one rare Pokemon that would spawn more frequently in the wild, while the players would also have the opportunity to capture it in its Shiny form. For this month’s Community Day, Niantic features Swinub, a Ground/Ice-type monster that appeared for the first time in Pokemon Gold and Silver.

Also, if gamers manage to evolve Swinub into is evolution form, Mamoswine, within one hour after the event ends, Mamoswine would come with the Rock-type attack Ancient Power as its special move. However, to evolve Swinub, you would need Sinnoh Stones, a new evolutionary item which, in Pokemon Go, players can obtain in PvP Trainer Battles.

During February 2019 Pokemon Go Community Day, Niantic made it easier for us to get Sinnoh Stones, offering up to five Sinnoh Stones from Trainer Battles.

This Month’s Pokemon Go Community Day Also Comes With Special Bonuses

Besides featuring one rare Pokemon, each Community Day comes with special bonuses. This Pokemon Go Community Day of February 2019 brings gamers the opportunity to win up to three times the usual amount of Stardust for catching Pokemon monsters. In addition to that, every Lure Modules you’ll activate would remain as such for three hours instead of the standard 30 minutes.

Undoubtedly, this month’s Pokemon Go Community Day will be very exciting, as always.

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News Tech

LG G8 ThinQ To Come Out With In-Display Speaker – Crystal Sound OLED

The South Korean tech giant already announced that its upcoming LG G8 ThinQ would come out with in-display speaker, a technology known as Crystal Sound OLED. As the name implies, this tech turns the whole screen into one big speaker.

“Developed in-house by LG, CSO repurposes the OLED display as a diaphragm, vibrating the entire surface to produce sound with impressive volume. And because LG’s unique technology takes advantage of the entire display, CSO also improves clarity, making voices easier to discern and subtle musical notes more noticeable,” LG said via an official press release.

“Our commitment to driving smartphone audio to new heights is on clear display in LG G8 ThinQ. By developing new technologies as well as working closely in partnership with the audio industry’s best partners, LG will continue to deliver the quality of sound that consumers demand and deserve,” added Chang Ma, Senior VP and head of product strategy at LG Electronics Mobile Communications Company.

LG G8 ThinQ To Come Out With Crystal Sound OLED, In-Display Speaker

While this technology is just emerging on smartphones, LG has already implemented it on its last year’s TV sets. In the case of TVs, the so-called Crystal Sound OLED works excellent, changing the way the sound is delivered.

More specifically, thanks to this in-display speaker technology and the larger screen of LG TV sets, the audio can be directed from localized parts of the display, meaning that the dialogues on the screen would sound like coming out from the mouths of the characters. As for the LG G8 ThinQ, we don’t know yet if the same would apply since a smartphone’s screen size might not allow for this feature to exists at such an accuracy similar to that on TV sets.

However, LG G8 ThinQ would feature Crystal Sound OLED (in-display speaker) and other features such as:

  • DTS:X 3D Surround Sound that emulates a 7.1-channel system with or without earphones, a first for LG
  • Hi-Fi Quad DAC that elevates the listening experience by reproducing sound with exceptional fidelity and the added ability to up-sample most audio files for increased clarity and depth
  • Master Quality Authenticated (MQA) that supports high-quality audio streaming even without an unlimited data plan
  • Boombox Speaker that takes advantage of the internal space of the phone as a resonance chamber to generate amazing bass and more volume
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