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jeudi 28 juillet 2022

Latest PS5 Beta introduces 1440p support, new audio, and organization features

PS5 owners that use a 1440p gaming display will be pleased to hear about this latest Beta. Sony is pushing out the latest bits to “invited participants in selected countries” and support for 1440p resolutions is the headline feature. The PS5 already supports 4K displays and 1080p displays, the new option allows output at the step between.

1440p display output on the PS5

The key here is that your display has to support a 1440p output for it to work. In the case of a number of TVs, this won’t be the case, but gaming monitors will probably be more friendly towards it. Sony has included a new Test 1440p Output option in the Video Output settings menu that will help you figure out if it works for you.

Here’s Sony’s full breakdown of how it works:

  • The PS5 beta introduces support for 1440p HDMI video output, enabling players to choose an additional visual setting on compatible PC monitors and TVs.
  • If the game you’re playing supports 1440p rendering you can experience native 1440p output on your display.
  • Or, if you’re playing a game with a higher native resolution like 4K, then you may benefit from improved anti-aliasing through supersampling down to 1440p output.
  • You can check if your HDMI device is compatible by selecting “Test 1440p Output” under “Screen and Video” options within system settings.

What else is new in the PS5 Beta

PS5 gamelist feature

Next up is the new Gamelist feature which seems to be a little like the groups feature found on Xbox. It’s basically a way to group together games into easy-to-browse sections, versus going through your whole library.

Each Gamelist can house 100 games and each PS5 can handle up to 15 Gamelists. This is particularly useful because it also includes streaming titles from PlayStation Plus. These can be mixed together with games you own physically and digitally on the same Gamelist.

PS5 beta audio features

There’s also a new feature that allows you to compare stereo audio and 3D audio. It’s not a huge change, but 3D audio isn’t for everyone and Sony is going to make it easier to choose between the two.

The features list doesn’t stop there, though. Here’s a quick breakdown of what else can be found in the latest beta.

  • Easier access to in-progress activities.
  • Request party members to turn on Share Screen to watch their gameplay.
  • Joinable game notifications for party members.
  • View new friends’ profiles.
  • Sending voice notes and stickers in Game Base.

The supported countries for the latest beta are the U.S., Canada, Japan, the U.K., Germany, and France. If you’re in one of those locations and not already part of the program, hit the PS5 beta sign-up page for a chance to test out these features before anyone else.

    Sony PlayStation 5
    The PS5 is still hard to get hold of but it's undeniably one of the best ways to game right now. Sony's library continues to impress and has some big hitters on the way.

Source: Sony

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New Google Maps update will benefit tourists, cyclists, friends and family

Just in time for summer, Google Maps is getting a new update that will bring aerial views of the world’s most popular destinations, improved biking directions with enhanced details about routes, and a safer way to stay connected with friends and family.

Aerial View

Google Maps will now have close to 100 aerial views of popular landmark destinations. That means you’ll be able to check out Tokyo Tower ahead of your trip to Japan or even Lady Liberty before going to New York. While this looks good, Google has plans to make it even better with “immersion view,” but still has some work to do before it can reach that goal. If you want to check out the new aerial view, be sure to head to the photo section to see the detailed landmark.

Google Maps Summer Update

Aerial view, enhanced bike routing, and location sharing notifications.

Biking directions

In addition to popular landmarks, biking directions are getting upgraded, with Google Maps set to introduce more details like elevation, car traffic, stairs, and whether you’ll be biking on an incline or decline. The new update will also show you whether you will bike on a main or local road. Google has curated this data using AI, city data, trusted partners, and feedback from Google Maps users. This seems like perfect timing considering rising gas prices have forced some to commute using bikes. But be sure to check the air quality before heading out.

Share with people who care

The final update coming to Google Maps is notification settings for friends and family. By sharing your location, friends and family will now be able to see when you’ve arrived and when you’ve left a location. This feature will only be available to those who have shared a location with a specific user. The invited user will then be able to set check-in and check-out points. Users can choose to stop sharing their location whenever they choose. This is to ensure that privacy is still maintained.


Aerial views and landmarks and location-sharing notifications are rolling out globally to Google Maps on iOS, Android, and PC. If your city currently has cycling directions, the improved cycling route update should roll out in the coming weeks.

Source: Google

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mercredi 27 juillet 2022

5G Spectrum auction in India: Supported 5G bands, expected rollout, and other things you need to know

The auction of the 5G spectrum in India is currently underway, meaning we’re now one step closer to finally putting our 5G smartphones to use. We already have a definitive guide explaining everything you need to know about 5G networks in detail. That’s the only explainer you need to read if you want to refresh your memory around 5G and get down to the nitty-gritty of spectrums, network bands, carriers, and more. In this article, we’re going to give you a low down of different spectrums and 5G bands that will be used by different carriers in India.

Which 5G spectrum bands are being auctioned in India?

A total of ten bands and over 72,000 MHz of the spectrum are up for grabs in the ongoing auction. The bands on auction are —  600 MHz, 700 MHz, 800 MHz, 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 2100 MHz, 2300 MHz, 2500 MHz, 3.3 GHz, and 26 GHz. It’s safe to say that most consumers in India will only experience sub-6GHz 5G i.e low and mid-band networks. These are ideal to cover a large distance with 5G service. Spectrum in the 1GHz to 6GHz range is considered mid-band, and it is considered ideal for most carriers as it can carry plenty of data over significant distances. As such, the n78 5G band (3300-3800MHz) will remain one of the crucial bands to be supported by smartphones to take advantage of the 5G network in most places.

The low band spectrum (<1GHz) is ideal to cover a large area with 5G service that ranges in speed between 30 to 250 megabits per second (Mbps). The millimeter wave falls under the third bucket of the spectrum. mmWave is very high on the spectrum chart with 24GHz band and higher frequency. The high-band tower delivers high-speed internet but the spectrum itself is quite limited, so signals can’t travel very far. In most cases, these signals travel less than a mile and are also susceptible to interference from buildings and trees, so you often end up needing a clear line of sight from your phone to the tower. The exact details of the bids aren’t out yet as the auction is still underway, but it appears that bidders have largely focused on the mid-band spectrum for optimal coverage.

The following table lists the specified frequency bands and the corresponding frequency range to be deployed in the country:

5G bands Frequency range
n1 2100MHz
n3 1800MHz
n5 800MHz
n8 900MHz
n28 700MHz
n40 2300MHz
n41 2500MHz
n71 600MHz
n77 3300-4200MHz
n78 3300-3800MHz
n257 26.5GHz-29.5GHz
n258 26GHz(24.25-27.5 GHz)
n260 37.0GHz-40.0GHz
n261 27.5GHz-28.35GHz

Will your smartphone connect to 5G in India?

We expect most carriers to rely on non-standalone (NSA) 5G mode as these networks are dependent on 4G base stations and 4G core networks. This, however, doesn’t affect smartphones and 5G devices as long as they support the corresponding 5G bands. A lot of the 5G phones sold in India support all the 5G bands that are being auctioned in the country right now. It remains to be seen which carriers have purchased spectrums in different circles, but all the mid-bands seem to be popular in key circles including Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Tamil Nadu, Haryana & UP, and more.

A lot of the modern 5G smartphones being sold in the country including the new Redmi K50i support both NSA and SA 5G bands including n1, n3, n5, n7, n8, n20, n28A, n38, n40, n41, n77, and n78. This also includes flagships like the iPhone 13 which supports n1, n2, n3, n5, n7, n8, n12, n20, n25, n28, n30, n38, n40, n41, n48, n66, n77, n78, and n79 bands. You may have some trouble using 5G on phones that are imported from other countries as the supported 5G bands tend to vary based on the region. It is recommended that you check the specifications sheet to see if your device supports the 5G bands that are being auctioned in the country.


When can we expect 5G rollout in India?

With the 5G spectrum auctions underway, the carriers are expected to roll out the 5G services in the country later this year at the latest. According to Information technology minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, a total of four rounds of 5G auction has been completed in the country so far. He noted that the entire process is expected to be completed by August 14 and the 5G services in the country will start by September-October this year.

We’ll learn more about the supported 5G bands by each carrier in the country as we move closer to the official rollout of the 5G services. We’ll continue to update this space with more relevant info, so keep your eyes peeled.

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Google Stadia gets ready for Saints Row with August’s Pro titles

August is but days away and for Google Stadia fans that means a new slate of Pro games. Next month will see another six titles joining Stadia Pro, including Saints Row: The Third – Remastered. This is of course just weeks out from the hotly anticipated launch of the Saints Row reboot which will be launching day and date on Stadia.

It’s a pretty solid lineup for August’s Pro games, so here’s exactly what you’ll be getting.

This includes Calico, which launches on Stadia on August 1 and goes straight into Pro. It’s described as “a day-in-the-life community sim game where you are given an important and adorable task: rebuild the town’s cat café and fill it with cute and cuddly creatures!” It’s not quite Stray, but hey, it’s a fun game with cats, and who doesn’t love cats?

17 new click-to-play trials

Google Stadia click-to-play trials

In addition to the new Pro games, Stadia is also getting a new release on July 28 in the form of The Forgotten City. This mystery adventure game has won a number of awards, even being nominated for two BAFTAs. Set in an open world Ancient Roman world, fans of great storytelling won’t want to miss out on this one.

Stadia’s click-to-play trial catalog is getting a significant boost, too. 17 new titles have been added, taking the total now to over 100. It shows one of the strongest sides of cloud gaming, the ability to simply click a button in a web browser or an app and be playing a game in seconds. Added to the list this time round are a range of titles, including a three-hour trial of Farming Simulator 22.

It’s been a strong few weeks for Stadia. Besides all of this, the Saints Row reboot is set to launch in late August, FIFA 23 is on the way, and it’s a good time to be a cloud gamer.

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AMD launches AI-powered noise suppression with latest drivers

AMD has released the latest version of its AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition suite, which includes the latest drivers for its CPUs and GPUs. There are a few changes with version 22.7.1, but one of the most noteworthy is the launch of AMD Noise Suppression.

As the name indicates, this is a tool for cutting out background noise from your microphone, so you’re heard more clearly while streaming or during video calls and meetings. The feature uses a deep learning algorithm to determine what’s considered background noise and tries to eliminate it while allowing your voice to still be heard. This is very similar in nature to Nvidia’s RTX Voice tool, which later expanded into RTX Broadcast, including other AI-powered features for video and audio.

The most notable difference is that AMD Noise Suppression is included directly in the AMD Software suite, so you don’t need a separate app to enable it, you can just update to the latest version of the AMD drivers. You can find this in the settings section of the AMD Software suite, under the Audio & Video sub-category. The feature does have minimum requirements, though – you’ll need an AMD Ryzen 5000 series processor or newer, or Radeon RX 6000 series GPUs or newer.

Screenshot of AMD Noise Suppresion in AMD Software

Beyond the new Noise Suppression feature, the latest AMD drivers are the first to officially support Windows 11 version 22H2, the upcoming major update for Windows 11, which adds and brings back a lot of features. It also includes some updates to the Agility SDK and new Vulkan extensions.

There are also new optimizations for Radeon Boost, with support for Variable Rate Shading in games like Valorant and Elden Ring, resulting in better performance in those titles. Additionally, Radeon Super Resolution is now supported on discrete Radeon RX 5000 and 6000 series GPUs on laptops that also have AMD Ryzen processors with hybrid graphics. Radeon Super Resolution is an in-driver version of FidelityFX Super Resolution, and it allows almost any game to be rendered at a lower resolution and then upscaled to the native resolution of the display using machine learning algorithms, and until now, it was only available on systems that only have discrete graphics, or notebooks with a MUX switch that can turn off the integrated graphics entirely. Now, that’s no longer a requirement.

If you’re interested in the noise suppression feature or any of the other improvements, you can read the full release notes and download the latest version of AMD Software from this page.


Source: AMD

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mardi 26 juillet 2022

Pixel 7 series and Pixel Tablet camera specifications revealed in new leak

While Google typically doesn’t showcase new hardware at its I/O developer conference, the company didn’t stick to the norm this year. During this year’s I/O keynote, Google announced the Pixel 6a and Pixel Buds Pro, and gave us our first look at the Pixel 7 series, Pixel Watch, and Pixel Tablet. While Google did not reveal much about the upcoming devices at the time, a new leak has revealed the camera specifications for the Pixel 7 series and the Pixel tablet.

Developer Kuba Wojciechowski spotted the camera hardware configurations for the Pixel 7, Pixel 7 Pro, and the Pixel Tablet while digging through the GS101 Camera Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL) from Android 13 Beta 4. Although Google had obfuscated the sensor names in the code, Wojciechowski managed to match the sensor IDs in the code to actual camera hardware using various resources.

As a result, we now know that the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro will feature a 50MP Samsung ISOCELL GN1 primary sensor and a 12MP Sony IMX381 ultra-wide sensor, like the Pixel 6 series. Both phones will also pack an 11MP Samsung ISOCELL 3J1 sensor over on the front with Dual Pixel autofocus.

In addition, Wojciechowski reveals that the Pixel 7 Pro will sport a 48MP Samsung ISOCELL GM1 telephoto sensor instead of the 48MP Sony IMX586 sensor found on the Pixel 6 Pro. While this change seems strange, Wojciechowski speculates that Google might have opted for Samsung’s ISOCELL GM1 sensor over the Sony IMX586 because “sensor image processing is vastly different between vendors and might lead to less consistent results, if mixed.”

Along with the Pixel 7 series, Wojciechowski also spotted camera hardware configurations for the upcoming Pixel Tablet. According to the code, the tablet will feature two 8MP Sony IMX355 sensors. For the unaware, the selfie camera on the Pixel 6 utilizes the same sensor.

What do you think of the camera hardware on the Pixel 7, Pixel 7 Pro, and Pixel Tablet? Let us know in the comments section below.

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Pixel 6a’s fingerprint scanner seems to have a major issue

Shortly after Google launched the Pixel 6 series last year, we saw reports about users facing issues with the fingerprint scanner on both models. While some claimed that the fingerprint scanner on the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro felt sluggish compared to other flagships, others said that it just refused to work sometimes. Google tried to address the issue with various software updates for the devices, but it achieved limited success. The company seems to have made some changes to avoid this issue on the recently released Pixel 6a, but new reports suggest that the Pixel 6a’s fingerprint scanner has another major problem.

In our review of the Pixel 6a, we found that the in-display fingerprint scanner on the device wasn’t much faster than the one on the flagship models. But that doesn’t seem to be the only fingerprint scanner issue on the affordable handset. Recent videos from Geekyranjit and Beebom (via Android Police) highlight that the Pixel 6a can be unlocked with an unregistered fingerprint. The former shows the device unlocking with an unregistered thumb, while the latter presents evidence of multiple users unlocking the device without registering their fingerprints.

This new issue is far more concerning than the slow fingerprint scanner on Google’s flagship models. But, since the Pixel 6a is yet to make its way to users, we haven’t seen many reports about the issue. Google has not released a statement on the matter so far, but we expect the company to release a software update with a fix before the Pixel 6a reaches early buyers.

Note that we were not able to replicate the issue on our Pixel 6a review unit and the folks at Android Police did not face the issue either. This leads us to believe that the problem could be limited to regional variants of the device. However, we can’t confirm that at the moment.


Source: Geekyranjit, Beebom
Via: Android Police

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