VLC is getting a new UI this year and possibly a new web version

Since being introduced 20 years ago, the free and open-source cross-platform media player VLC has been downloaded more than 3.5 billion times. To celebrate the incredible achievement, VLC developer and VideoLAN foundation President Jean-Baptiste Kempf revealed the popular media player is gearing up to release a major update in 2021 with a new UI.

In an interview with Protocol, Kempf revealed the new UI will be part of VLC 4.0, which is set to be released later this year. “We modified the interface to be a bit more modern,” Kempf told Protocol. Unfortunately, Kempf didn’t expound much more than that regarding the release’s design.

The overhaul will also include integration with more online content directly into the app, but in a very “VLC way,” according to Kempf. “Instead of giving everyone the same catalog of videos, VLC is getting extensions to pull in third-party content,” Protocol explained. “Still, Kempf left the door open to eventually also add ad-supported videos that could offer some financial support to the project.”

Additionally, Kempf revealed that VLC is also getting a new version for the web. The VideoLAN team is working on a version powered by WebAssembly and JavaScript. The app previously had a web plug-in that worked similarly to Flash and is no longer supported by most modern browsers anymore. Incidentally, Flash is also a product of a bygone era.

Finally, Kempf said that VideoLAN is working on a new initiative called Moviepedia Project, which is described as a “kind of IMDb competitor” and will include Wikipedia-style community editing.

It’s unclear when VLC 4.0 will be available or when Moviepedia Project will launch, but with Kempf sharing some details, hopefully, they’ll come out sooner rather than later.

The news of a major VLC update comes in a much larger, very fascinating look from Protocol at VLC’s history as one of the most popular open-source projects. Once more information is released, we’ll be sure to let you know.

VLC for Android (Free⁺, Google Play) →

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Xiaomi’s Mi 11 Ultra breaks cover with a 120X zoom camera and tiny secondary screen

Xiaomi’s Mi 11 Ultra has just unceremoniously leaked in full on YouTube. After launching the regular Mi 11 in Europe, Xiaomi is expected to add a few more devices to the series: the Mi 11 Lite, Mi 11 Pro, and Mi 11 Ultra. While we’ve heard tidbits here and there about the Pro and Ultra models, a Filipino YouTuber by the screen name Tech Buff PH has somehow gotten their hands on what seems to be the real Mi 11 Ultra.

While we can’t fully confirm this leak’s authenticity, it does seem convincing enough to be authentic. The model number shown on the back — M2102K1G — matches a Xiaomi device that recently got certified by India’s BIS and the EU’s EEC Cryptographic Device Database. Trusted Xiaomi tipster kacskrz confirmed that the in-development Xiaomi flagship code-named “star” will have a model name ending in “K1”. Thus, “K1G” may be the global variant of “star.”

Other details seem legit, such as the continuation of the 120X zoom camera as seen in its predecessor, the Mi 10 Ultra, as well as the supposed inclusion of 67W wireless charging, which we previously confirmed was in the works. Also, the fact that the YouTuber shows the alleged Mi 11 Ultra off at multiple angles in real-time, with what looks like a real MIUI 12.5 Global build installed, further lends credence to this leak. With that out of the way, here’s a summary of what Tech Buff PH showed off in his video.

Credits: Tech Buff PH

As you can see, he claims to have two Mi 11 Ultra units, one in black and another in white. Both units have massively raised camera bumps housing a triple camera array, which he says consists of a 50MP main sensor as well as a 48MP wide-angle and 48MP periscopic telephoto zoom lens. The text on the white model reads “120X Ultra Pixel AI Camera” while the text on the back model reads “120X, 12-120mm, 1:1.95-4.1” — we’re not sure why the text is different, but perhaps one (or both) of these devices is a prototype. In any case, we’re hoping that Xiaomi has upgraded the periscopic zoom lens from 5X optical (as seen on the Mi 10 Ultra) to 10X optical in order to match the impressive optics of the Galaxy S21 Ultra.

Credits: Tech Buff PH

If this leak is true, then one of the most interesting aspects of the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra could be the tiny secondary display located on the back. We don’t know the specs of this display, but it seems to be able to open almost any app on your phone (though we have no idea why you’d want to do that.) We’re guessing this screen’s purpose is to help with taking selfies from the rear-facing cameras.

Credits: Tech Buff PH

As for the Mi 11 Ultra’s other specs, he mentions that it has a 6.8-inch quad-curved OLED display at WQHD+ resolution with a 120Hz adaptive refresh rate, a 20MP selfie camera contained within a hole-punch cutout, a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass Victus for protection, an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance, a 5,000mAh battery, speakers tuned by Harman/Kardon, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 888 chipset, and charging options including 67W fast wired, 67W fast wireless, and 10W reverse wireless. Many of these specs match the regular Mi 11, with the exceptions of the IP rating, larger battery, and faster wired/wireless charging.

Credits: Tech Buff PH

We’re shocked to see the Xiaomi Mi 11 Ultra pop up in the hands of a YouTuber so soon. We don’t expect the phone to launch this month, so we weren’t expecting to see a full hands-on leak for another couple of weeks. If a Filipino YouTuber already has one, though, then expect to see a lot more details leak shortly.

Update: Shortly after we published this article, Tech Buff PH’s YouTube video was set to private. You can find a mirror here. We can only guess why the video was taken offline, but we’ll update this article if we find out.

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Thanks to @D3ntheman for the tip!

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This app brings Google Assistant to your Windows, macOS, or Linux PC

Google Assistant lives on a lot of devices, from smartphones to displays to automobiles. Wouldn’t it be nice if there was a standalone app for your PC? Google has yet to release an Assistant app for desktop, but thanks to developer Melvin L. Abraham, we now have an unofficial desktop client.

Available via Github, the app brings Google Assistant to your Windows, macOS, or Linux PC. Melvin built the client on Electron, like Discord and Spotify, essentially making it a fancy web app. To be clear, this isn’t officially made by Google, so you should proceed at your own risk. But the reward of having Google Assistant right on your desktop might be worth it.

Because this isn’t an official app from Google, the setup process involves a bit of work. Fortunately, it’s well-documented and has step-by-step instructions with pictures. All you have to do is download the app for your OS from the GitHub page and then follow these authentication steps to use Google Assistant.

We were able to successfully set this up on a Surface Pro X, which runs Windows 10 on ARM (although there isn’t a client for Windows 10 on ARM, I’m running the x86 version through emulation). Since it’s authenticated to our Google Account, we were able to control Google Home devices right from a PC. Sure, we could just as easily do that from a phone or smart speaker, but it’s convenient to have right on the desktop.

Android Police notes that in order to use Melvin’s Google Assistant app, you’ll need to register for a Google Cloud account. You’re essentially registering your own project with Google so you can use the Assistant API, which Android Police warns might be against Google’s terms of use. That means the app could stop working at any moment.

Once successfully installed on your device, the Assistant client offers pretty robust functionality. And there are quite a few settings to tweak, including the ability to launch on startup and change the app’s theme. It’s not perfect, however, and doesn’t quite match what you’d get from something like a smart display . There’s no always-listening mode, for example, and Continued Conversation is inconsistent, according to Android Police. But it’s a pretty solid start.

It’s unlikely Melvin’s Assistant client for desktop will inspire Google to build something of its own. But one can dream. The closest we’ll probably get is Assistant on Chrome OS—something Google introduced back in 2019.

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New Tasker beta introduces native JSON and HTML reading

Tasker developer João Dias has announced a new beta that features a laundry list of changes. Among the changes are a Tick Event feature, Favorite Actions, and native JSON and HTML reading.

According to Dias, the new Tasker beta 5.12.0 makes JSON Reading as easy as reading a normal Tasker variable. You’ll be able to access fields using 2 modes: simple or full path. The former will allow you to directly access fields within objects no matter where the field with the name you’re looking for appears. On the other hand, the full path mode will let you get a specific value in any depth of a JSON object. Currently, JSON reading is restricted to local variables, though.

Dias said that the new Tasker beta will allow users to access any elements in a piece of HTML code by specifying its CSS query. In addition, you can also access any attribute of an HTML element. Similar to JSON Reading, HTML reading is also restricted to local variables for now.

Dias also said the new Tasker beta includes a Tick Event feature. This will be helpful if you need to trigger a Task more than once every 2 minutes. Now, you can trigger a Task once however many milliseconds you set every 100 milliseconds.

The new Tasker beta also includes a feature called Favorite Actions. You’ll find this helpful if you find yourself adding certain Actions to Tasks over and over again.

Dias’ post on Reddit is worth checking out for a more thorough explanation of the new features. The developer has been busy adding new features to Tasker over the last few months, including a feature that allows users to reject a call before their phone even starts ringing.

Here’s the full changelog for Tasker beta 5.12.0 below:

• Added native JSON and HTML reading with the dot or square brackets notation
• Added new “Tick” event which will automatically trigger a profile in a set interval. Intervals can be between 100 milliseconds and 2 minutes
• Added “Favorite Commands” option when long-clicking the “Add” button when editing a Task
• Added option to “Get Location v2” to force high accuracy, meaning it’ll ONLY use GPS satellites to get your location and nothing else
• Added %gl_satellites variable to “Get Location v2” which will have the number of satellites that were used to get your high accuracy location
• Added “Calendar” and “Calendar Entry” options in the “Pick Input Dialog” action
• Made the “Off” text that appears when Tasker is disabled more evident
• Made the sound quality of recordings done with the “Record Audio” action much better when the MP4 format is selected
• Made “Ping” action always time out after 10 seconds if no response is gotten
• Removed the “Codec” option from the “Record Audio” action. It is now automatically selected based on the “Format”
• Allow using spaces and new lines as the splitter in the “Array Set” action
• Allow multi-line input in the “Array Push” action in the “Value” field
• Don’t show alerts for errors in the “Record Audio” action if “Continue Task After Error” is selected
• Fixed “Received Text” event when the SIM is selected and both the SIMs on the phone have the same name
• Fixed referencing apps by name in some situations in actions where apps can be selected (“Launch App”, “Media Control”, etc)
• Fixed using Profile/Project variables in some situations
• Fixed copying files to SD Card in some situations
• Fixed backup dialog not pre-filling in the folder and file name of the backup in some situations
• Fixed easy service commands for the “Shell Command” action
• Removed the “Enabled” option from the “Device Idle” state since it wasn’t doing anything
• Added info dialog saying that “Tick” event can be used when trying to use the “Repeat” option in a time profile
• Fixed some small crashes

Tasker ($3.49, Google Play) →

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The Apple AirPods Pro are currently $180, one of their lowest prices yet at Amazon!

Look, the Apple AirPods Pro are great. They’re fantastic little earbuds, hands down, and unlike many Apple products, they work outside their ecosystem with Android devices. It’s pretty awesome. These super nice earbuds have regularly discounted to $190, but today Amazon has the popular earbuds down to $180.

If you’re here, you probably don’t need an article explaining why the Apple AirPods Pro are so good and you want to get to buying. So here’s the Amazon link!

Apple Airpods Pro for $180

Barring Black Friday, this is the lowest price for the Apple AirPods Pro on Amazon yet! Get a pair before they sell out.

Buy at Amazon

If you’re still here, though, you may notice that while this is $10 less than the Apple earbuds’ average sales price, this is not the lowest price we’ve ever seen them at. During Black Friday, the Airpods Pro fell to $170 by clipping a coupon on Amazon’s page. But, well… that was Black Friday, one of the biggest sales days of 2020. Incredible discounts like that only come by once or twice a year. $180 is the lowest price for the Airpods Pro this year, at least new on Amazon. So unless you want to try and wait and see what’s happening on Prime Day 2021, you’ll want to take advantage of this deal!

It’s also important to note that at the time of writing, the Airpods Pro will be in stock on March 4. You can still order them, but they won’t ship out from Amazon until they get more. It’s only a few weeks, but it’s important to keep in mind. If you’re in urgent need of replacement earbuds, you’d have to go with Best Buy. But, you’ll have to pay for that urgency, as they’re only $50 at the retailer. It all depends on what you need, though!

Apple Airpods Pro at Best Buy

If you can't wait until March for the Apple AirPods Pro, you can grab a pair at best Buy instead. However, you'll need to pay $20 more.

$200 at Best Buy

If you’re not convinced, make sure to check out our Apple AirPods Pro vs. Huawei FreeBuds Pro comparison review. The short version of it–they’re both pretty great!

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Android Auto adds wallpapers and clever Assistant shortcut feature

Android Auto has evolved beautifully over the last few years, with Google adding everything from a dark mode to a dynamic persistent navigation bar at the bottom of the user interface. One area the platform has been lacking, however, is in the wallpaper department. Thankfully, that’s changing starting today.

After seeing evidence that Google was gearing up to introduce wallpapers in Android Auto, several reports now claim the feature is rolling out. The wallpapers appear to be part of Android Auto v6.1, with several different options available. Unfortunately, the updated customization options don’t allow users to pick an image from their camera roll. Perhaps Google will let users add their own wallpapers in a future update.

Image: Reddit user knraki1989

Many of the wallpapers are dark and moody, with some featuring landscapes and others detailed shots of leather interiors. They convey a nice abstract aesthetic that goes well with Android Auto’s design. To change your wallpaper, go to the Settings app on the Android Auto home screen, then scroll down until you see the “Choose wallpaper” option. Apple’s CarPlay previously introduced wallpapers, so it’s no surprise to see Google follow suit.

Image: Reddit user Haroldbt

Google is also introducing a new feature to Android Auto that will allow users to add a shortcut to launch a Google Assistant query. That includes quickly calling a contact or triggering an Assistant action, like opening your garage or navigating home. It adds a bit of convenience and makes Android Auto feel more like an extension of your smartphone, rather than a separate system entirely.

Google hasn’t published a blog post or Tweeted about the new Android Auto features, so their arrival seems to be low key. Our advice would be to update to the latest version of the app and simply check to see if the new wallpapers are available. If you don’t see the update right away, it will probably be available soon.

Featured image via Reddit user Ric_M

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The Microsoft Surface Duo gets a massive price cut as it prepares for its European launch

I really like the design of the Microsoft Surface Duo. I like the concept of foldable phones mostly because the design means that the screen won’t get scratched up. While I’m careful of my smartphones, I’m also just a clumsy person, so I’m bound to drop my devices sooner rather than later. While the Surface Duo isn’t a proper foldable device as the screen itself doesn’t fold, but the design philosophy is in a similar vein as the Galaxy Z Fold 2 and Galaxy Z Flip. As Microsoft prepares for the Surface Duo launch in Europe, they’ve decided to cut the price of their device by a lot–$400, in fact.

The Microsoft Surface Duo’s dual-screen setup is pretty unique among smartphones, and our Surface Duo review calls it a multitasker’s dream. While it hasn’t gotten the best reception everywhere, Microsoft has been updating the Microsoft Launcher to help with Duo’s functionality, and it appears to be paying off.

Granted, the original MSRP of $1,400 still made the Surface Duo a hard sell. With high-end flagship smartphones being less money and generally working without a hitch, it can be hard to drop so much money on something new like the dual-screen Duo. However, with the updates and the $400 price drop down to $999, the device becomes a lot more enticing.

You can pick up the Surface Duo at Best Buy, Amazon, or direct from Microsoft at this lowered price. I’d personally recommend Best Buy, as if you activate today, you’ll get an extra $50 off the price, and who doesn’t love more savings?

Surface Duo (128 GB)

Save $450 at Best Buy

Microsoft Surface Duo (128 GB)

View at Amazon

Surface Duo (128 GB)

Save $400 at Microsoft

Surface Duo (256 GB)

Save $450 at Best Buy

Microsoft Surface Duo (256 GB)

View at Amazon

Surface Duo (256 GB)

Save $400 at Microsoft

While the European market launch is next week, this price drop is only applying to the US market, and the new markets will still have to pay their currency’s equivalent of the full market price. It’s a bit of a strange situation, but let’s hope the EU gets a similar price cut soon.

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