Technology - Google News

Here's Why We Won't See Another Detailed 'Fortnite' Leak For Season 5
Google Pixel Wear OS smartwatch: rumored specs, price and release date
Kiwi might be the perfect mobile browser and I'm so jealous it's not on the iPhone

Here's Why We Won't See Another Detailed 'Fortnite' Leak For Season 5

Posted: 24 Jun 2018 07:19 AM PDT

There are two kinds of leaks when it comes to Fortnite. There’s the kind of stuff that’s datamined in the game files, new skins, new items and such, which is fair game for anyone who is good enough at snooping for that kind of info.

And then there’s a different kind. Flat-out inside information, which is what we saw at the end of season 3.

I didn’t actually know the whole story behind this until now, but it reveals that we almost certainly are not going to see a detailed, accurate leak about the contents of season 5 in Fortnite, or else the leaker may risk severe legal action.

Near the end of season 3, a redditor posted a few leaks that suggested that the comet was going to hit Dusty Depot, not Tilted Towers, the theme of season 4 was actually superheroes, not aliens or dinosaurs which many were predicting, and that Epic wanted to mix things up by altering the map on a weekly basis, not just in huge updates once a season.

As we know now, literally all of this came to pass. How did this person have such accurate information? Because they got it directly from a Fortnite QA tester, one that Epic is now suing for damages.

The tester, Thomas Hannah, told a third party, who is not being sued, information about the upcoming season 4. That third party is the person who posted the information on reddit in a now-deleted post with a now-deleted account, but that isn’t who Epic is coming after.

Hannah has recently posted a defense saying that he simply had a casual conversation with this other person, and told them the info with no indication they were planning on sharing it with the wider world. While he definitely broke his NDA by telling that person, that usually does not end with millions of people knowing the information, and his defense is that he had no idea this would happen.

Epic, meanwhile, doesn’t care, and are saying that the company “has suffered and is continuing to suffer irreparable injury” as a result of the leak. Hannah’s lawyers are trying to get the claims for damages and legal fees tossed.

It’s hard to know what to make of the legal aspects of this. The guy under the NDA broke it, clearly, but given that he wasn’t the person to post it online, I’m not sure if he deserves the hammer of Thor coming down on him like this. I also don’t really know how Epic can prove that it has suffered “irreparable injury” because of the season 5 leak. How exactly did the reveal of the comet strike location and the superhero theme cost them money or mortally wound them? Sure, it was a bit of a bummer to have a surprise ruined, but Fortnite revenues continue to skyrocket, and season 4 has been the most popular and profitable season yet, even if this leak was widely read and turned out to be accurate.

I suppose Epic wants to make an example out of Hannah to avoid anything like this happening again. And regardless of the end result, I imagine it’s going to work. Datamining is one thing, but if you have actual inside info and are under and NDA, you would probably think twice before leaking, lest you incur the wrath of a company that’s now earning $300 million a month from the game you’re spilling secrets about.

As such, I would be amazed if we saw any kind of ultra-detailed, accurate leak about what’s going to happen for season 5. Here in week 8, we haven’t seen anything like this yet. The best we’ve got are guesses about when the rocket is going to launch, but that’s about it.

This is fine with me, as I’d rather things be a surprise, but I do feel for the poor guy who presumably told a buddy about some things and now is being crucified by a huge company because that person wasn’t trustworthy and wanted some attention on reddit.

We’ll see how both the current lawsuit and season 5 itself shake out. Until then, take any leaks with a grain of salt, as you know what that leaker will be risking if it turns out to be accurate.

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Google Pixel Wear OS smartwatch: rumored specs, price and release date

Posted: 24 Jun 2018 04:00 AM PDT

Google's line of smartwatches formerly known as Android Wear, now known as Wear OS, have suffered from sameness and repetition. Lots of manufacturers, too much mediocrity, and none of them really good at all.

But there are big changes coming this year. Google's confirmed there will be a revamp of Wear OS watches, starting with at least one product arriving this fall, maybe even up to three. Will it be Google's own Pixel watch to join the Pixel 3 phone and Google's growing line of self-made products like Google Home, Daydream View, Google Clips and the Pixelbook? Or, will it be made by others, like Google tends to do with some products? (For example: the Mirage Solo and VR180 cameras, both made by Lenovo.)

Here's what we know about Google's biggest shot at challenging the Apple Watch 4 expected this fall.

android-wear-group-shot-2017-02 — There are too many not-great Android Wear smartwatches, but none of them are Google-made.
Sarah Tew/CNET

Google may finally make its own watch, at last...

Every previous Android Wear watch was produced by another company, from LG to Samsung to Huawei to Fossil. Google's own Pixel-branded watch has been reported by some pretty reputable sources, most notably by blogger Evan Blass.

Besides the Pixel 3, Pixel 3 XL, and second-gen Pixel Buds, a reliable source tells me -- with high confidence -- that Google's fall hardware event will also introduce a Pixel-branded watch. Have a great summer!
— Evan Blass (@evleaks) May 10, 2018

A Google-designed watch would join Google Home, Google Pixel Buds, the Pixel phones and Daydream View VR headsets in Google's expanding hardware lineup. And it could mean totally unique features Google wants to debut in its flagship device.

...or will there be three Google watches?

A report in May indicated that there are three Google smartwatches on the way, not one. But that could be easily explained by variants in feature sets. The Apple Watch Series 3 comes with and without cellular, and Google's Pixel watch could be the same. Maybe one watch variant is another size.

huawei-watch-2-classic-9736-007 — Pictured: the Huawei Watch 2 (2017).
Josh Miller/CNET

A whole new Qualcomm chipset will give it better battery life.

Qualcomm has confirmed it's designing a new wearable chipset with Google which will be the engine to power next-gen watches better. Qualcomm's Pankaj Kedia, senior director of Qualcomm's Smart Wearables Segment, told CNET that "Our focus is, how do we significantly enhance user experiences, how Google Assistant works and how it presents itself. More visually appealing, but less power."

The watch will likely have added power modes, too. Says Kedia, "Today, you have different modes: interactive mode, then the ambient mode and low battery. Of course the new architecture will enhance all of the above. Exactly how it does it, I'm dying to tell you."

Wear OS software is already focusing on better battery life, but some features have been removed from developer builds, perhaps indicating a wait until new chips arrive in the fall.

Now Playing: Watch this: Google's smartwatches get a smarter Assistant

1:29

Expect an always-on Google Assistant on your wrist...

I talked with both Qualcomm's Kedia and new head of Wear OS product director Dennis Troper earlier this year, and both repeatedly mentioned Google Assistant as a key feature in the next watch. Wear OS' on-watch Assistant update already improves things with added Actions and on-screen contextual follow-up suggestions, but Qualcomm's new chips will allow for more continuous always-on listening, instead of just activating at a wrist-raise.

...And more fitness coaching.

Google's Troper also says that more on-watch Assistant-driven guidance will be fitness insight-driven. That could mean more automatic awareness of recent workouts, suggested exercises or the types of insights that are generally absent from fitness trackers, but pop up occasionally on the Apple Watch and Fitbit trackers.

GPS, VoLTE and improved heart rate with stress sensing?

The same German report that claimed there will be three Google smartwatches detailed some possible specs: GPS, LTE and VoLTE support, and some (or all) will have heart rate sensing along with the ability to detect stress levels. Some of these features already exist on other smartwatches, but many Wear OS watches have tended to leave cellular, GPS and heart rate off the table as of late. The chipset could be called Snapdragon Wear 3100.

lg-watch-sport-caracteristicas — The 2017 LG Watch Sport was huge. Let's hope a Pixel watch is smaller.
CNET

A new design?

Qualcomm's Kedia suggested to CNET that the next watch revamp will be aimed at looking better: "What do watch companies and fitness companies and sports companies want? To look beautiful, more visually appealing." That could also mean a slimmed-down look: current Android Wear/Wear OS watches tend to be pretty bulky to accommodate large batteries.

How many other watches will join Wear OS?

Of course, there won't just be one next-gen Wear OS watch. (And as I mentioned above, Google might even make several of its own.) The most surprising rumor points to Samsung making its next Gear S4 watch run on Wear OS instead of Tizen. Samsung's been down the Android Wear road before with the Samsung Gear Live back at Android Wear's launch in 2014, so it's not impossible that Samsung might even have two varieties of watches planned.

An October debut, alongside the Pixel 3?

Google's next Pixel 3 phone will probably come out in October, because... the Pixel and Pixel 2 arrived in October 2016 and 2017, too. Patterns can be interrupted, of course, but the October release strategy seems to have been working out well for Google so far, and steers clear of a direct iPhone/Apple Watch showdown since Apple usually launches those products in September.

Price: most likely, Apple Watch-range

The Apple Watch Series 3 starts at $329, £329 and AU$459. A full-featured Pixel watch would probably cost at least as much. Last year's premium Android Wear watch with cellular phone calls and GPS, the LG Watch Sport, cost $350 and £350 (roughly equivalent to AU$568).

CNET Magazine: Check out a sampling of the stories you'll find in CNET's newsstand edition.

Smart home compatibility tool: Find out what smart home platforms work with your existing kit and vice versa.

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Kiwi might be the perfect mobile browser and I'm so jealous it's not on the iPhone

Posted: 23 Jun 2018 11:12 AM PDT

Since almost the dawn of on-device app stores, a theme has emerged: third-party app developers tend to focus more on iOS than on Android. The discrepancy began in the very early days of this mobile platform generation and has persisted even today. Despite the fact that Android has a much larger share of the global smartphone market, developers in general seem much more focused on Apple’s iOS platform than on Android. Maybe iPhone users spend money more freely, or perhaps Apple’s developer tools are more attractive. Whatever the case, we always seem to be talking about an iOS application when discussing a new app that’s only available on one platform.

Well, not today.

Like most third-party web browsers available for Android devices, Kiwi is based on Google’s Chrome browser. The foundation of the Chrome browser is an open source Google project called Chromium, so app developers often use it as a base when creating their own browsers. Many third-party offerings are quite similar as a result, but a relatively new browser called Kiwi shines a bit brighter than the rest.

Kiwi was created by a developer who goes by “arnaud42,” and he releases apps under the name Geometry OU. He’s a member of the team at the popular site xda-developers. The Kiwi browser is similar in a lot of ways to other third-party Android browsers out there, but it has a few special features that set it apart.

Some of the app’s notable features include a built-in pop-up ad blocker, background play for sites like YouTube so you can use it to listen to music, and an integrated crypto-mining blocker. Another feature people will undoubtedly love is the available “Night mode” option, which activates a dark mode in Kiwi.

As you can see above, Kiwi’s Night mode uses a dark background and different shades of gray for text, the address bar, and other UI elements. It can be activated from the main drop-down menu, and people are going to love it. And speaking of the address bar, there’s another feature on the way that people are going to love. As confirmed in a thread on Reddit, the developer is working on an optional feature that will let users move the address bar to the bottom of the screen. This way it’s easy and comfortable to reach, which is terrific considering how big many smartphones are these days.

Those are all great features, but my favorite thing about the Kiwi web browser is speed. It’s soooooo fast. Pages that seem to take forever to load in Safari on my iPhone load in the blink of an eye using Kiwi on a OnePlus 6. It’s also much faster than Google’s Chrome browser for Android running on the same phone.

Kiwi is a free download in the Play store, and you can learn more about it in this post on the xda-developers site.

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