Technology - Google News

Ubisoft Announces Project Q, a 'Team Battle Arena' Game That Isn't a Battle Royale - IGN
Google is banning third-party call recording apps from the Play Store - Engadget
Asus drops two OLED Zenbooks and a new logo - The Verge

Ubisoft Announces Project Q, a 'Team Battle Arena' Game That Isn't a Battle Royale - IGN

Posted: 23 Apr 2022 09:57 AM PDT

Update (4/23/22) - Ubisoft has also confirmed that it has no plans to add NFTs to Project Q.

After various leaks, Ubisoft has officially announced Project Q, a "team battle arena letting players truly own the experience" that is not a Battle Royale.

Ubisoft announced the news on Twitter, saying "the game is in early development and we will keep testing, so for now all you can do is register for upcoming tests." Alongside sharing the first concept art for the game, Ubisoft added that it is not a Battle Royale and will instead "feature a variety of PvP modes with one single goal in mind: FUN!"

The image shows four characters in what very well may be Central Park in New York City. While it is only concept art, it looks to give hints as to some of their abilities. The character on the left is using a handheld rocket of sorts and has what appears to be dynamite on her.

Another character has a lightning bolt in their hair and yellow attire, teasing they may have lightning abilities or could be very fast. There is also an older character holding a shovel that looks to have the ability to fly or glide. Lastly, a character with glasses is standing on the bridge taking it all in.

As reported by VGC, leaked gameplay of Project Q had begun leaking online after Ubisoft invited players to test this new game. It has a look similar to Fortnite but, as Ubisoft states, it is not a Battle Royale.

Every Ubisoft Game in Development

It was said to have two game modes in a Battle Royale called Showdown and a control-style mode called Battle Zone, but Ubisoft's statements could mean Showdown is a different type of mode. The game also said to have heroes with unique weapons, abilities, and skills and something called "Wonders."

Weapons are said to be different than your traditional offerings and include a "deck of cards, fireworks, hammers, sticks, and paintguns."

Project Q is another game that was part of the GeForce Now database leak that also included a PC version of Final Fantasy VII Remake and God of War, a remaster of Chrono Cross.

Have a tip for us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to newstips@ign.com.

Adam Bankhurst is a news writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter @AdamBankhurst and on Twitch.

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Google is banning third-party call recording apps from the Play Store - Engadget

Posted: 22 Apr 2022 02:35 AM PDT

Google is introducing a new Play Store policy that will effectively block third-party call recording apps from the Play Store by May 11th, according to a Reddit post seen by 9to5Google. Such apps currently use the Accessibility API (designed for people with disabilities) to gain access to the audio functions on Android devices.

"Apps with a core functionality intended to directly support people with disabilities are eligible to use the IsAccessibilityTool," the policy states. "Apps not eligible for IsAccessibilityTool may not use the flag and must meet prominent disclosure and consent requirements. The Accessibility API is not designed and cannot be requested for remote call audio recording. "

Google has gradually been trying to eliminate call recording on Android, mainly due to privacy concerns. It was largely blocked on Android 6, and the use of the microphone for call recording was eliminated in Android 10. The last resort for call recording apps was to use the Accessibility API.

Google addressed the issue in a webinar video, saying that "remote in this context refers to call audio recording where the person on the other end is unaware of the recording is taking place." It added that dialer apps like Google Phone and Mi Dialer with native call recording functionality will be unaffected by the change.

"If the app is the default dialer on the phone and also pre-loaded, accessibility capability is not required to get access to the incoming audio stream," said Google content global operations lead Moun Choi. "Hence would not be in violation. Since this is a clarification to an existing policy, the new language will apply to all apps starting on May 11th." It's not clear if the new policy means existing call recorder apps will be pulled from the Play Store.

All products recommended by Engadget are selected by our editorial team, independent of our parent company. Some of our stories include affiliate links. If you buy something through one of these links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

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Asus drops two OLED Zenbooks and a new logo - The Verge

Posted: 21 Apr 2022 12:37 PM PDT

Asus has quietly announced two additions to its Zenbook line that are all about the screens. The new AMD-powered Zenbook 13 S joins a limited, but slowly growing lineup of 13-inch OLED laptops for folks seeking the benefits of OLED technology for a consumer-accessible price. But Asus isn't leaving Intel behind — the company has also unveiled a new Zenbook Pro 15 Flip OLED convertible powered by 12th-Gen Core processors and Arc GPUs.

The Zenbook 13 S OLED doesn't look too different from 13-inch Zenbooks we've seen before. It weighs 2.2 pounds and is just over half an inch thick. It's available in some fun colors: Ponder Blue, Aqua Celadon, Refined White, and Vestige Beige. But the most interesting thing is that the word "Asus," famously prominent on Zenbook lids, has been replaced with a new arrow-shaped logo. This looks much nicer to me and more like something I wouldn't mind having in a coffee shop all day.

About the screen: it's a 2.8K 16:10 touchscreen with a 0.2ms response time and a claimed 550 nits of peak brightness. The 13-inch OLED Zenbook we reviewed last year delivered a vivid and bright experience, and such a screen could be a good option for multimedia viewing. In terms of connectivity, there's an audio jack (which has been missing from some recent Zenbooks), and there are three USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C ports that support DisplayPort and Power Delivery. There does not appear to be USB-A, which makes me sad.

The 13 S is powered by AMD's Ryzen 6000 processors, including a Ryzen 5 6600U or a Ryzen 7 6800U. It can be configured with up to 32GB of RAM (LPDDR5) and 1TB of storage. We haven't gotten to do a ton of testing with these processors yet, but we expect them to be more than capable of handling entertainment, office work, and other tasks generally done on 13-inch laptops.

Asus has not given us a price or release date for this device, but a 13.9-inch Zenbook S (with no OLED) is currently going for $1,699.98.

On the Intel side, Zenbook Pro 15 Flip OLED is more of a workstation device. It's powered by 12th-Gen processors up to a Core i7-12700H and Arc GPUs up to an A370M. Its 15.6-inch screen has 2880 x 1620 resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate (thumbs up) with a 16:9 aspect ratio (thumbs down). You get up to 1TB of storage, and up to 16GB of memory (which is odd since the 13-incher goes up to 32GB). Previous Zenbook 15 Flip models (with Nvidia GPUs rather than Intel ones) are currently goi ng for as much as $1,499.

We hope to update this information with prices and release dates as soon as those are available.

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