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AfterDawn: News

Sony shows off PlayStation 5

Written by James Delahunty @ 12 Jun 2020 12:08

Sony shows off PlayStation 5 Sony showed off the upcoming PlayStation 5 (PS5) console in an online launch event on Thursday.

It provided the first glimpse of the PS5 console itself after it had previously shown off the DualSense controller (which features haptic feedback). The reveal was online rather than a live event due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Resembling the controller, the PS5 console contains a black core and features two curved white sides sitting atop a black base (upright). It also features a blue glow. Some have likened its appearance to a large Wi-Fi router - you be the judge!

There will be two PS5 consoles available at launch, with the key difference being a basic console will feature a Blu-ray drive while an all-digital version will not.

During the roughly hour-long event, Sony showed off a variety of games that will catch the eye, among them the likes of Grand Turismo 7, Hitman 3, Horizon: Forbidden West, and Spider-Man: Miles Morales.

You can watch the hardware reveal at:

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AfterDawn: News

AfterDawn's 21st birthday

Written by Petteri Pyyny @ 10 Jun 2020 4:00

AfterDawn's 21st birthday Damn. It is once again time for me to look back and realize how old I am. And how long it has been when we originally launched this little project of ours, called AfterDawn. Exactly 21 years ago we launched our site - to the whopping userbase of appx. five people (our friends who we bombarded with links to our site via IRC).

To somehow put this time in some kind of a context: when our site was launched, the dominant search engine was called AltaVista and majority of our first year users were still using dial-up modems to connect to the Internet.

Technologies have changed - we started AfterDawn as a source of information for people interested in MP3 technology and software. Somehow we then pivoted to cover DVDs, video technologies and P2P. And then, online services. And then mobile phones. And, and.. Only thing that has been constant in this business, is the fact that everything changes. The way how people read news has changed dramatically, as have the technologies people use and we cover. We have simply adapted to the new realities. And will continue to do so, in order to stay relevant.

These past 21 years have been an incredible journey for me and my colleagues. To get some kind of an idea what this journey has involved, you might want to read my last year's coverage where I tried to summarize all the changes we've gone through over these past 21 years.

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AfterDawn: News

PS5 event delayed due to protests will be held Thursday

Written by Matti Robinson @ 09 Jun 2020 10:41

PS5 event delayed due to protests will be held Thursday Sony was meant to have a PlayStation 5 themed virtual conference of sorts last week but due to tragic death of George Floyd in police custody and the following protests, the company decided to reschedule.

Fortunately the postponing didn't move the event too far back, since they've already decided to share with us the new date.

Although around the world protests have still gathered tens of thousands to voice their opinions about race relations and police brutality, while some are turning to violence by attacking police officers, destroying property and looting stores, Sony has decided the atmosphere has calmed down enough.

Sony's event will be held this Thursday, two days from now on the 11th, and will include showcasing PS5 games played on the actual console. They've also announced that they hope viewers of the event are using headphones to get everything out of the audio experience they are going to demonstrate.

Sony has already introduced the new, improved, and much more futuristic PS5 controller, which in addition to new looks and features dropped the name DualShock for DualSense.

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AfterDawn: News

Apple to offer more interest-free payment plans on Apple Card

Written by Matti Robinson @ 08 Jun 2020 11:02

Apple to offer more interest-free payment plans on Apple Card Apple is planning on extending their Apple Card payment plan benefits. Previously iPhone buyers would get interest-free payment plans by using their Apple Card. Now other products are joining iPhone.

Last year the company introduced Apple Card to iPhone users. The credit card developed in cooperation with Goldman Sachs offers benefits like a three percent cash back and previously mentioned interest-free iPhone payment plan.

Bloomberg reports that Apple is going to extend the payment plans soon to include iPads, Macs and other Apple products.

The plan consists of either 6, 12 or 24 months of interest-free payments depending on the device. The program is going to include the likes of AirPods, HomePod, or Apple TV with 6-month plan and iPad, Mac, Apple Pencil or iPad keyboard with 12-month plan.

The iPhone remains as the one with 24-month payment plan that is de facto practice in the smartphone business.

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AfterDawn: News

Premier League games will be streamed by Amazon for free

Written by James Delahunty @ 04 Jun 2020 11:32

Premier League games will be streamed by Amazon for free Amazon will stream a few Premier League matches for free when the English top division of football returns later this month.

The Premier League has been on hold for several months as a protective measure during the COVID-19 pandemic. Premier League matches are attended by tens of thousands every weekend and broadcast around the world to millions of football fans. Of course, games are also streamed by broadcasters and services around the world.

In the UK, Amazon first started to stream Premier League matches on its Prime service last year. Sky Sports and BT Sport typically dominate the rights to broadcast the Premier League in its home country, but services like Amazon are looking to break into the business in gradual steps over the coming seasons.

Amazon has announced that when the Premier League returns from June 17, it will be streaming an additional four matches. Those additional four matches will be available to view for free, and the viewer will not require an Amazon Prime membership to watch.

Amazon is not alone in showing games for free either, with 33 being free to view across a variety of services from the 92 remaining matches of the season. BBC Sport will also be showing some matches for free, making it the first time the national broadcaster in the UK will air games from the Premier League live.

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AfterDawn: News

Apple Store looters faced with iPhone displaying "you are being tracked"

Written by Matti Robinson @ 03 Jun 2020 12:01

Apple Store looters faced with iPhone displaying "you are being tracked" The death of George Floyd in police custody in Minneapolis, Minnesota, has sparked protests around the nation's largest cities against police brutality and racial justice.

Peaceful protests have often turned violent as the sun goes down, and the riots have resulted in both private and public property damage as well as loss of life on the side of the police and protesters.

Perhaps the most often seen image of the riots are police cars on fire and stores being looted. Needless to say that many entrepreneurs and companies have suffered tremendously from looting.

Some companies are, however, better equipped against stealing of their products. One the more targeted brands is Apple but they are also the ones that are prepared for people stealing their very expensive iPhones.

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AfterDawn: News

Google hit with $5 billion 'private mode' lawsuit

Written by James Delahunty @ 03 Jun 2020 8:42

Google hit with $5 billion 'private mode' lawsuit A lawsuit is targeting Google over the collection of data while users are browsing in 'private' mode.

Google's Chrome browser has provided Incognito Mode for users for several years now. When browsing in Incognito Mode, a user's visited websites and other information is not saved to the web browser itself, or to the device that the software is installed on.

Surfing in 'Incognito Mode' does not prevent third-party websites from tracking users' activities however, including running Google Analytics code.

The lawsuit alleges that Google engages in the "covert and unauthorized data collection from virtually every American with a computer or phone." However, Google has denied the charge and says that it is very clear about the implications of browsing in Incognito Mode.

"As we clearly state each time you open a new incognito tab, websites might be able to collect information about your browsing activity," said Google spokesman Jose Castaneda, reports the BBC.

Indeed, a look at a new Incognito Tab does spell out the limits of Incognito Mode browsing.

Now you can browse privately, and other people who use this device won't see your activity. However, downloads and bookmarks will be saved.
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AfterDawn: News

'Remove China Apps' kicked from Play Store

Written by James Delahunty @ 03 Jun 2020 8:33

'Remove China Apps' kicked from Play Store Google has targeted an application that would check a device for installed software from China and aid in its removal.

Developed by One Touch AppLabs, which is based in India, the app specifically targeted "Chinese software" on mobile devices. It was available on the Play Store for ten days in which time it clocked up more than a million downloads. Its popularity was strongest in India, which is currently in an ongoing period of tension over Himalayan borders with China.

According to the developers, Google has removed the app from the Play Store, but did not elaborate on the exact reason why. It thanked its users for all their support while the app was online.

The app did cast quite a wide net in software it flagged as Chinese. For example, it highlighted the Zoom video conferencing software, which is actually developed in the United States. The fact that its founder was born in China seemed enough to lump it in with other Chinese apps.

Another popular app targeted was TikTok, which is owned by Bytedance, based in Beijing.

'Remove China Apps' gained popularity amid calls for boycotts against China following the movement of Chinese military personnel into a territory India claims as its own in the Kashmir region.




AfterDawn: News

Sony postpones PS5 event due to protests in the US

Written by Matti Robinson @ 02 Jun 2020 10:09

Sony postpones PS5 event due to protests in the US Sony's upcoming fifth-generation PlayStation gaming console is on the way but current situation in the United States has made the Japanese company second guess the release schedule.

In fact, Sony has decided to postpone a PS5 event date scheduled for June 5th due to the political situation in America. According to their statement they don't want to celebrate in these times and have decided to give room for "more important voices to be heard."

The statement itself doesn't say how much they are intending to postpone the event, we'll probably hear back from them after the situation has calmed down.

The event is still likely hold demos of upcoming PS5 games on the actual console. The launch, which is scheduled later this year, is likely not affected at all by the delayed event.

The suspected killing of George Floyd in police custody sparked protests around the country that have in many cities turned into violent rioting.




AfterDawn: News

Samsung has a new subscription service for smartphones

Written by Matti Robinson @ 01 Jun 2020 10:38

Samsung has a new subscription service for smartphones Samsung's has an upgrade program for smartphones, incidentally just like the one Apple has, for a while now. However, the company seems to have wanted a more comprehensive hold on their customers, and they've now introduces a new Access program.

Uncovered by the good folks at xda-developers, Samsung seems to have quietly added a new type of subscription service to their portfolio.

Samsung Access is a subscription service that allows you to every now and then switch to a new smartphone without having to pay for it separately. The service works similarly to Samsung Upgrade Program but has some new additions that might tempt you in.

It comes with Microsoft 365 subscription and 1 TB of cloud storage. This means that you can access Microsoft's wide variety of apps in Office Suite, including the likes of Outlook, Word, Excel, Powerpoint, and Teams. Another benefit is Samsung Premium Care, which allows the user to replace a broken phone for a $99 deductible up to three times a year.

Currently Samsung Access seems to be available only for the S20 family and starts at $37 a month for regular S20 and climbs up to $48 for the Ultra.

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AfterDawn: News

HP announced their next-gen VR headset: Reverb G2

Written by Matti Robinson @ 01 Jun 2020 9:36

HP announced their next-gen VR headset: Reverb G2 While HP isn't the one name you come up with when discussing VR, the company has been challenging more committed VR companies for some time now.

Their initial claim for VR fame was HP WMR that was released in 2017 but they stepped it up last year by introducing Reverb headset with visuals and features.

Now the company has come out with their newest VR headset. The second-gen Reverb, the Reverb G2. The company claims it offers the best resolution in a VR headset of this type, although it doesn't improve upon the predecessor.

Reverb G2 provides 2K resolution for both eyes like the originals Reverb, but they've improved upon the lenses which should provide much clearer picture.

It's been developed in cooperation with both Valve and Microsoft to seemlessly integrate with VR systems, including SteamVR and Windows Mixed Reality. This should make it a better fit for both platforms.

The size of the displays are 2.89 inches with a resolution of 2160 x 2160 and a refresh rate of 90 hz. The headset, also like it's predecessor, supports six degrees of freedom but is now tracked with four cameras mounted on the headset instead of two.

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AfterDawn: News

Microsoft rolls out new Windows 10 update with cloud reinstall and tons of improvements

Written by Matti Robinson @ 28 May 2020 11:34

Microsoft rolls out new Windows 10 update with cloud reinstall and tons of improvements Microsoft has yesterday announced that its long-awaited Windows 10 v2004 update has been given the green light.

While the May update, as they like to call it, includes numerous improvements, new features, and security buffs, one of the most anticipated upgrades is definitely the ability reset the operating system without using a local media.

Yes, Microsoft has officially released the cloud reinstall feature that it has been teasing us about. Reset this PC now has two options one of which is cloud download alongside local reinstall.

Obviously this requires an internet connection, and for the sake of it not taking longer than the same process in the nineties it should be fairly fast.

Windows reinstall was a meme before memes were even cool, and although Microsoft have reduced the pain of having to reset your computer over the years, this new feature can't come fast enough.

The update also includes an improved Windows Hello, new and improved Microsoft Edge browser, Cortana search with text, new DirectX features, WSL 2 for developers, and much more.

Windows 10 v2004 roll-out has begun but it might take days of even weeks for it to land on your device. You can check whether you are the lucky recipient by going to your Windows Update section and hitting Check for updates.




AfterDawn: News

Trump threatens social media with regulation after tweet fact check, Zuckerberg and Dorsey respond

Written by Matti Robinson @ 28 May 2020 10:28

Trump threatens social media with regulation after tweet fact check, Zuckerberg and Dorsey respond The United States President has attacked the social media after Twitter added the first fact check link to his tweet. President Trump threatened to regulate or even close social media if there isn't action to make them a better home for conservatives.

This comes after Trump tweeted about mail-in ballots being a hotbed for fraud. This was the first tweet by the president that was marked by Twitter for fact check link.

This linked to a custom Twitter page which highlighted opposing views to Trump's, headlined by the likes of CNN and other sources Trump probably considers "fake news."

Regulations on social media have been a hot topic for years now. Even the social media themselves don't know what to think. Many times they've welcomed regulation since it would make it easier for them to do business.

Facebook and Twitter often come on different sides of this issue, and this case was no different. Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg made a statement that they wouldn't have acted in the way Twitter did.

Facebook CEO told Fox News that he doesn't think social media companies, or more specifically platforms, should not act as an arbiter of truth.

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AfterDawn: News

OnePlus is returning to its roots with upcoming affordable smartphone

Written by Matti Robinson @ 27 May 2020 11:10

OnePlus is returning to its roots with upcoming affordable smartphone OnePlus has become one of the larger smartphone manufacturer, and for its size it has managed to gain significant momentum in the Android space. However, it all started in 2014 with an aggressive campaign that promised flagship killer specs for less than half the price.

Now years later, things are very different. Biannual price hikes mean that the current OnePlus flagship costs around $900, three times as much as the OnePlus One (pictured). However, the company has promised it hasn't forgotten where it initially started from.

In an interview with Fast Company, OnePlus CEO Pete Lau has confirmed that they are working on a more affordable smartphone to accompany this years OnePlus 8 and 8 Pro. Not many details are shared about the product, but it should arrive soon in India and later this year in Europe and the United States.

This will be the first time since OnePlus has taken the approach since OnePlus X in 2015, when even their flagships were still very cheap. According to the rumors, the new affordable phone will be called OnePlus Z, which would make it seem definitely like a successor to the first cheaper OnePlus phone.

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AfterDawn: News

In an odd move, Netflix starts canceling inactive accounts

Written by Matti Robinson @ 27 May 2020 10:29

In an odd move, Netflix starts canceling inactive accounts As subscription services have become a mainstay in everything from music, movies, games and more, providers are trying to tempt everyone to join their monthly billed services.

Most companies offer some sort of starter perk, usually a free or discounted membership for months, others, namely Netflix, are promising to kick you off the service is you are too inactive. Wait, what?!

Yes, you read that right. Netflix has announced that it will start contacting inactive users whether they'd like to cancel their service, and if they don't answer, they'll just go ahead, kick them off the platform and say goodbye to their income.

The company's product innovations director Eddy Wu has announced in a press release that they will start asking members that haven't watched anything for a year whether they'd like to cancel their subscription.

Nice approach from Netflix, who acknowledge according to the press release that nobody wants to pay for a service they don't use. According to Wu, these account represent around half a percentage of total subscribers and are "already factored into our financial guidance."

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