Technology - Google News

Snapchat launches a real-time location sharing feature - CNN
Horizon Forbidden West Is Getting Review Bombed on PS5, PS4 for No Reason - Push Square
The Galaxy S22 seems to be shipping early for most, super late for a few others - Android Police

Snapchat launches a real-time location sharing feature - CNN

Posted: 19 Feb 2022 02:26 PM PST

New York (CNN)Snapchat on Friday announced a buddy system-like feature that allows its users to share their real-time location with friends for a period of time.

The safety feature is being rolled out as more people are returning to school campuses, traveling, going out on dates and otherwise resuming what they did before the pandemic, the company said. The feature, which is similar to Apple (AAPL)'s Find My app, allows users to share their real-time locations with a friend for 15 minutes, one hour or up to eight hours.

Snapchat partnered with It's On Us, a nonprofit founded in 2014 to combat sexual assault on campuses, in creating the feature.

Since 2017, Snapchat has allowed users to share their locations with friends on its Snap Map feature, which updates a location only when the user has the app open. The company said 250 million users utilize Snap Map each month.

Last May, Snapchat said it reached 500 million monthly active users. According to a survey conducted by the company, 78% of its US app users wouldn't hesitate to share their locations on Snap Map, and most do it as a safe way to connect to others.

Like the Snap Map, the new feature will remain off by default. Snapchatters can turn on their location "in an instant," the company said, but only with specific friends. To reduce the risk of stalking, the company has limited the amount of time and with whom Snapchatters can share their instant location.

Snapchatters can start using the feature by going to a friend's profile and tapping on a new option that allows for live sharing. The app provides an pop-up PSA that advises users that the feature should be shared only with trusted friends and family.

The company also announced this week that Snapchatters can change their usernames starting at the end of February -- a feature previously unavailable in the US.

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Horizon Forbidden West Is Getting Review Bombed on PS5, PS4 for No Reason - Push Square

Posted: 20 Feb 2022 05:45 AM PST

Horizon Forbidden West PS5 PlayStation 5 1 — *Image: Push Square*

It wouldn't be a major video game release without gamers exhibiting embarrassing behaviour. Horizon Forbidden West has been quietly racking up disproportionately negative reviews on Metacritic overnight, and while it's still holding a steady overall user score, the string of 0/10s are obviously beginning to look disingenuous. Many of you may recall The Last of Us: Part 2, amid an eye-rolling social media scandal, falling to a similar fate.

Of course, there's no targeted campaign against Aloy's sophomore outing this time – it's just people being silly. "Probably the biggest disappointment in a while," one user wrote of the 80 or so hour game, less than 24 hours after its release. "I had very high expectations. The story is bland and unimaginative, the gameplay is very boring. Even the lauded graphics are underwhelming. Really dropped the ball here."

After the aforementioned The Last of Us: Part 2 saga, Metacritic did pledge alterations to its user score system, with the goal being to prevent this from happening again. Unfortunately, it looks like two years later nothing has really changed. Of course, we all know that the user score on the website is a complete waste of time, but it may still influence less engaged players – and it looks like Horizon Forbidden West's rating is going to take a battering.

Of course, the title is not without criticism – the platforming is finicky and there's your usual open world jank – but we loved the title overall in our review: "Any minor quibbles we have melt away when the game's firing on all cylinders. It's a gorgeous, wildly fun action RPG, and there's nothing else quite like it." If you're just getting started this weekend, then be sure to check out our Horizon Forbidden West guide for any help.

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The Galaxy S22 seems to be shipping early for most, super late for a few others - Android Police

Posted: 19 Feb 2022 09:34 AM PST

The buildup to the launch of the Samsung Galaxy S22 series and Galaxy Tab S8 series on February 9 was nothing short of climactic. As expected, the pre-order gates were cast open, and the relentless barrage of purchases started pouring in (so much that the company had to temporarily halt pre-orders for the tablets). The announcement saw the official S22 release date pegged at February 25, by which time the first wave of pre-order shipments should have landed on consumers' doorsteps. As you'd expect, the devices are indeed arriving right on schedule, but not for everyone.

Making the rounds are anecdotes that some people are already getting their pre-orders while others are slated to arrive early. Our own Zachary Kew-Denniss got an email pushing his delivery forward by a whopping four days. Redditors on an S22 ordering megathread are reporting the same, with many people saying their new phone is estimated to arrive as early as the 21st or 22nd. If you've been pre-ordering phones, this shouldn't come as a surprise — aside from the bonuses and discounts, it offers a chance to get it as soon as possible.

The real bombshell is that the early deliveries seem to be for those who placed their pre-orders shortly after the announcement. Those who ordered a Galaxy S22 in the past few days are likely to have shipment dates in late March and early April, depending on color and storage options, as initial supply tightens. A few Redditors on the same thread are getting estimated delivery dates as late as March 28 and April 1st, more than a month after the retail release. In one rather eye-catching, anomalous comment, a person said their expected delivery date got pushed back to May 2nd.

Looking at the thread, the overwhelming majority seem to be getting their devices early, though the company's US pre-order page indicates that shipping could be delayed for select models due to exceptionally high demand. At this point, it's safe to say that if you haven't pre-ordered, your best bet to get your device early is to wait for the retail launch later this month — you'll miss out on those juicy pre-order offers, though.

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Haroun Adamu (101 Articles Published)

Haroun became an Android enthusiast in 2014 and has been avidly following the industry since then. Currently a medical student, he doubles as an SEO copywriter for small businesses. When not scouring the net for the latest tech news, you'll either find him nose-deep into his textbooks or working on Homeripped, his fitness website.