Technology - Google News

Unofficial iPhone Xs intro video shows us what to expect from Apple's big event
Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 3100 Unveiled: Here's How It Will Make Wear OS Smartwatches Better
Fortnite Content Update 5.40: Suppressed Assault Rifle Added, Drum Gun Vaulted

Unofficial iPhone Xs intro video shows us what to expect from Apple's big event

Posted: 11 Sep 2018 05:37 AM PDT

Is there anything left for Apple to surprise us with when the company finally unveils its next-generation iPhone Xs, iPhone Xs Max, and iPhone Xc/Xr/9/whatevertheheckit’scalled on Wednesday? It doesn’t even seem possible at this point considering how much we already likely know. We know the iPhone Xs will look exactly like its predecessor, the current-generation iPhone X. It’ll feature the same design and the same 5.8-inch OLED screen along with upgraded internal components and a better camera. We also know the new iPhone Xs Max will be a bigger version of the exact same phone, and the “Phone Xr” will be in between the two in size but stripped down as far as specs go.

Of course knowing and seeing are two different things, and so a well-known YouTube channel put together an unofficial iPhone Xs introduction video based on all the leaks and everything we’ve seen so far. It obviously doesn’t come directly from Apple, but the odds are pretty good that it’ll end up being an eerie likeness of the official iPhone Xs video Apple shows off on stage during its big press conference on Wednesday.

Leaks are always common ahead of Apple’s new product launches, but this year it seems like they have been even more plentiful than normal. Most leaks come from top Apple insider Ming-Chi Kuo or from Apple’s component suppliers and manufacturing partners, but this time Apple even got in on the action itself. Some files accidentally made public for a brief time when Apple sent out invitations to its press conference last week revealed official images of the new iPhone Xs, iPhone Xs Max, and Apple Watch Series 4. It was a big slip up, and it confirmed one of the biggest changes between last year’s iPhone X and this year’s iPhone Xs aside from better performance and an even worse name: A shiny new gold color.

Image Source: ConceptsiPhone, YouTube

That’s right, Apple has used colors in the past to help differentiate between new “S” model iPhones and the prior year’s models. In 2018, the new iPhone Xs and iPhone Xs Max will feature a new gold color in addition to the current space gray and silver options. It’s unclear exactly what material Apple used to achieve a shiny gold finish on top of the iPhone Xs’ stainless steel frame since it’s obviously not real gold. We can only hope whatever plating Apple used is nice and sturdy so we don’t have a “Goldgate” on our hands.

In any event, we can expect the new gold hue to be a big focus of Apple’s presentation and of all the marketing materials Apple puts together for its new iPhones. That obviously includes the initial introduction video Apple will play during the course of its presentation on Saturday, and graphic designer Gunho Lee took a crack at imagining what that video might be like. Below, you’ll find the unofficial iPhone Xs and iPhone Xs Max introduction video that he created for YouTube channel ConceptsiPhone.

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Apple’s iPhone Xs and iPhone Xs Max will be unveiled tomorrow, September 12th, alongside the third new 2018 iPhone model with a 6.1-inch LCD screen. Also expected at the event are new AirPods, a new MacBook laptop, new iPad Pro models, and perhaps the most exciting new Apple product of the year, the Apple Watch Series 4. The new Apple Watch models will feature Apple’s first big redesign since the original Apple Watch debuted. While the overall size will remain about the same, the watch’s OLED display will occupy more of the Apple Watch’s face and it’ll have narrower bezels, similar to what Apple did with the iPhone X as compared to earlier iPhone models.

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Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 3100 Unveiled: Here's How It Will Make Wear OS Smartwatches Better

Posted: 11 Sep 2018 06:10 AM PDT

More than two years after it released a smartwatch chip, Qualcomm finally broke its silence after it unveiled the "Wear 3100". The Wear 3100 can also be integrated with Google Wear OS. ( Qualcomm | Twitter )

The Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear 3100 will bring flavor into Wear OS smartwatches, thanks to its three innovative modes that were designed to maximize battery life.

The SnapDragon Wear 3100, which features four A7 CPUs, a digital signal processor, and an ultra-low power co-processor, will be the successor of the Wear 2100. Qualcomm mentioned that the first watches with a Wear 3100 chip will be distributed before the end of the year.

Pankaj Kedia, the leader of Qualcomm's wearable department, said that the SnapDragon Wear 3100 will be featuring popular functions such as telling time, GPS tracking, and a music player. It added that the Snapdragon Wear 3100 will likewise come with a 15-hour heart-rate tracking capability.

"The 95 percent of the time when you're not actually interacting with [your watch], you are in ambient mode or always-sensing mode. So the co-processor, that's where you are 95 percent of the time ... we are doing less and less things in the main [processor]," Kedia revealed.

While it is built with a co-processor, The Verge noted that both Snapdragon Wear 2100 and 3100 share the same main processor, which means that the latter won't likely come with major speed gains. Nonetheless, the Snapdragon Wear 3100 will also exhibit an integrated NFC feature and a 4G connectivity.

Traditional Mode Feature Will Extend Battery Usage

Meanwhile, the "traditional watch mode" component will allow devices to last one week, with just a 20 percent charge. In addition, 9to5 Google projected that the Snapdragon Wear 3100 should have an extended four to 12 hours of enhanced battery life in normal usage compared to its predecessor.

Other than the traditional watch mode, the SnapDragon Wear 3100 will also be mobilized with an "Enhanced Ambient Mode", which has the potentiality to enable users to initiate always-on watch face for live updating complications and adaptive brightness. Qualcomm added that the modern co-processor of the Snapdragon Wear 3100 is capable of animating a watch's second hand with 20 times less power.

On a related news, Montblanc has also revealed that its Summit 2 will be the first smartwatch that will feature a Snapdragon Wear 3100 chip. Gizmodo reports that the Summit 2 will likely cost around $900 and should be released sometime in October. Just last year, Montblanc unwrapped a Wear OS device.

Apart from Montblanc, renowned companies such as Louis Vuitton and the Fossil Group will also release SnapDragon Wear 3100 models. On the other hand, Google will be a no-show this year after stating that it won't release of the rumored Pixel Watch.

See Now: 30 Gadgets And Tech Gifts For Father's Day 2018 That Dad Will Think Are Rad

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Fortnite Content Update 5.40: Suppressed Assault Rifle Added, Drum Gun Vaulted

Posted: 11 Sep 2018 05:13 AM PDT

Epic Games has released the patch notes for Fortnite's 5.40 content update, confirming everything that is being tweaked, changed, and added to the game's Battle Royale and Save the World modes on PS4, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch, and mobile. The most notable part of the update is the introduction of the Suppressed Assault Rifle.

The new Suppressed Assault Rifle will let Battle Royale players take out enemies quietly. On Epic's official Fortnite website, the weapon is said to reward precision over rapid fire. It can be found in Vending Machines, floor loot, Treasure Chests, and Supply Drops, and is also available in Epic and Legendary variants. If you manage to score one of these versions, you'll do 32/33 damage per shot.

To make way for the Suppressed Assault Rifle, the Drum Gun has been vaulted, which means it is no longer available to use.

In Save the World, meanwhile, Field Agent Rio joins the battle, and there's also a new set of Weekly Horde Challenges. For these, shields are considerably less useful as Husks are more aggressive. You can see the full patch notes for Save the World here and take a look at the Battle Royale notes below.

LTM: The Getaway

Bug Fixes

Players in the Getaway LTM can no longer land on the van without building.
Reduced the Victory music at the end of a match.
Jewel will no longer appear in inventory hotbar after being put in the Down-But-Not-Out state.
Player models will no longer get stuck under the van after winning a match.
Player models and items will no longer fall to the ground after winning a match.
Enforcer Outfit no longer appears distorted to other clients from certain distances.

Weapons And Items

Suppressed Assault Rifle Added.
- Sneaky weapon that rewards trigger discipline with precision.
- Can be found in Vending Machines, floor loot, Treasure Chests, and Supply Drops.
  - Available in Epic and Legendary Variants.
    - 32/33 damage per shot.
Vaulted Drum Gun

Performance

Sub-Region Matchmaking added for Southeast Asia.

Earlier today Epic launched a separate client update for Fortnite which addressed a number of unspecified issues. The downtime started at 11 PM PT (2 AM ET / 7 AM BST on September 11) and finished an hour later, providing minimal disruption for players.

This week will also see the launch of Fortnite's Week 10 challenges, barring any unforeseen delays. This will be the last batch of weekly challenges for Season 5, so if you haven't done previous week's challenges, you don't have much longer left to complete them. To speed things up, you can use our guides in our complete Fortnite Season 5 challenge roundup.

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