ChromeOS 118 is now rolling out with a bunch of useful features

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ChromeOS 118 is now rolling out with a bunch of useful features
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Google is now preparing to roll out the ChromeOS 118 update to Chromebook users around the world. This update comes with a ton of features and improvements that users will find very useful as they go about their day-to-day activities. Some improvements and new features touch on security, usability, and productivity.

The first feature that Chromebook users should look out for with this update is the new set of password recovery measures. Next, those using touchscreen Chromebooks should also expect some text editing improvements on their devices. Lastly, Chromebook users should expect this new update to bring some new features to the device’s printing capabilities for extra productivity.

All three new features are impressive and will help improve how users interact with their Chromebooks. Over the past few months, Google has perfected these features, and now they are becoming available for usage via an update. Let’s now look at what these three new features bring to the table in terms of security, usability, and productivity.

All improvements coming with the ChromeOS 118 update that is now becoming available to users

With this new software update that is coming to ChromeOS devices, users can see improvements in overall security, usability, and productivity. In the security department, Google is letting forgetful users access some data on their Chromebooks if they forget their passwords. Most Chromebook users rely on cloud storage for most of their data and files, so they can access them on any device.

However, some Chromebook users still store data and files on their device’s local drive. So if these users forget their password, it might be hard for them to retrieve their data and files stored in the local drive. Well with this new update, Google is making it possible for users to access their files even when they forget their password.

To do this, an account recovery process will be initiated, preserving local files. For touchscreen Chromebooks, the update will bring better legibility and a new magnifier tool. With these new tools, users will be able to better position the cursor more accurately.

Lastly, productivity users are getting fresh tweaks for printers, making usage easier. Users will now be able to get setup instructions as well as an easier way to save. With these features, users will be able to be more productive at work or school when they need to quickly print out documents.

Google is currently rolling out to ChromeOS users around the world. Some devices might get this update before others, currently, ChromeOS version 117 is available on most Chromebooks. In the coming weeks, version 118 will become available to users packing the features mentioned in this article.


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Instagram will soon have the option to show only posts from Meta Verified people

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Instagram will soon have the option to show only posts from Meta Verified people
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Taking a page from Elon Musk’s book, Meta quickly implemented the option to pay to become a verified user. Now the company plans to introduce yet another feature that’s already available on X: verified-only feeds.

Instagram head Adam Mosseri said early this week that his company is now testing the option to show on someone’s feed only posts from people who pay for Meta Verified (via The Verge): We’re exploring this as a new control for people and a way for businesses and creators to get discovered.

According to the report, a new Meta Verified toggle under Following and Favorites will be available for users on Instagram, allowing them to switch between two types of feeds on the fly. It’s unclear where exactly the new feature is being tested, but Instagram’s official confirmed that the company is now working to bring verified-only feeds to the social app as soon as the tests end successfully.

Introduced early this year, Meta Verified is available for $11.99 on the web and $14.99 in app, a hefty amount considering that there aren’t too many perks subscribers get in return.

Perhaps the new feature where people will have the option to see only posts from those who are Meta Verified will increase the appeal of the service. We’ll be keeping our eyes peeled for more info on this one, so stay tuned if you’re interested in Instagram’s future development plans.

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Google Keep text formatting feature has finally been fixed

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Google Keep text formatting feature has finally been fixed
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Google rolled out a rather useful feature to Google Keep not long ago, and it now fixed it, via an update. Yes, that feature did not work as it should have, which is why this hotfix was necessary. What am I talking about? Well, the Google Keep text formatting feature.

Google Keep text formatting feature has finally been fixed

That feature started rolling out to Android at the very end of August, so almost two months ago. Why was the fix needed to begin with? Well, the feature only worked with new notes, not the ones already included in your Google Keep library.

Needless to say, this created some confusion for users, and was not supposed to happen, to be quite honest. Google has finally decided to fix that, reports 9to5Google. What we do not know, however, is if this update comes via a server-side update, or an actual app update.

The source did not mention anything about that. I’m on the latest version of Google Keep on several devices, and I do not see the new feature on any of them… well, on older notes, that is. So either the server-side update still didn’t reach my devices, or an actual update isn’t. Either way, it’s coming.

You’ll notice a new icon in the bottom toolbar

It’s possible you can already see the change, and make your older notes look better. If you’re wondering how will you recognize the feature, you’ll notice an underlined letter, which looks like this ‘A’, in the bottom toolbar.

I’m talking about an in-note toolbar, so you actually have to open one of your notes. It will be down there next to the plus icon, and the color palette icon. Once you tap it, you’ll see a bunch of formatting options.

As you can see in the image provided below, you’ll be able to use H1 or H2 headings, use bold, italic, and/or underline options, clear formatting, and more.

Google Keep text formatting image 2


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AMD said to be working on new high-end laptop Dragon Range CPUs

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AMD said to be working on new high-end laptop Dragon Range CPUs
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AMD may be setting up to release a new series of Dragon Range CPUs for high-end gaming laptops in the coming months. A new leak suggests that AMD is preparing to launch at least two new CPUs in the Ryzen 9 7000 series. Specifically the Ryzen 9 7840HX and the Ryzen 9 7940HX.

Both new CPUs will reportedly launch sometime in 2024 but are part of the Dragon Range lineup. Which in a way makes them part of the company’s 2023 lineup of CPUs. The main goal with these chips is apparently to offer a high-end CPU for high-end gaming laptops that can bring the cost down. The current Dragon Range flagship chip for example is fairly expensive and the cost only goes up when you have a laptop config that comes with a top-end GPU.

The issue there is that this results in a very expensive gaming laptop that most people either aren’t willing to spend the money on or aren’t able to afford. So by releasing a pair of new Dragon Range CPUs in the Ryzen 9 series, AMD seems to be trying to expand the list of options for manufacturers which thereby expands the list of laptop options for consumers.

New AMD Dragon Range CPUs will offer slightly lower clock speeds

The leak (which comes from Golden Pig Upgrade on bilibili via VideoCardz) doesn’t mention pricing specifics. But based on the details from VideoCardz these new chips will have the same amount of L3 cache and iGPUs as their counterparts. Specifically the Ryzen 9 7945HX and Ryzen 9 7845HX CPUs. This means the new 7940HX and 7840HX chips will likely see an L3 cache of 64MB and an R610M for the iGPU. Each will also potentially come with 16 and 12 Zen4 Cores respectively. Where the pricing on these chips may allow for a drop is with the clock speeds.

It’s unclear what these base and maximum clock speeds will be just yet. But if they’re lower than the 45 series chips, then it’s likely the base clock will be lower than 2.5GHz on the 7940HX and lower than 3.0GHz on the 7840HX. Meanwhile the max clock speeds should be lower than 5.4GHz and 5.2GHz respectively.

This change to less expensive but still high-end CPUs for laptops showcases AMD’s desire to be the market leader for gaming laptop CPUs. As lower pricing with comparable performance could lead to more manufacturers picking up the tech and using it in their own products.


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Not all apps can access data from the Pixel 8 Pro’s Thermometer

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Not all apps can access data from the Pixel 8 Pro’s Thermometer
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Before the Pixel 8 series launched, the leaks that the Pro model will have a thermometer hit the internet. At launch, netizens got to see this sensor on the Pro device, but now some apps are not able to access data from this sensor. This feature is a great addition to the Pixel 8 Pro, and it will be put to use for health and other reasons by users of this device.

However, Google sees areas where developers and bad actors can make moves to abuse this feature. To combat this possibility, Google is now locking access to data from this sensor to only a few apps and services. By doing this, Google is limiting access to this feature for developers and keeping a close eye on the apps that have access to this sensor to control the data they collect.

This decision by Google was made public by popular Android tipster Mishaal Rahman via his X page. There he listed out types of apps that’ll have access to data measured by the thermometer. Here is everything you need to know, just in case you own or are planning to purchase a Pixel 8 Pro and intend to use the thermometer.

Here are the types of apps that can access data from the Pixel 8 Pro thermometer

Aside from the concerns of abusing the thermometer sensor on the Google Pixel 8 Pro, there is another major concern. This has to do with the fact that the temperature sensor on the Pixel 8 Pro lacks FDA approval. A possible reason for this is that using it on human skin might produce inaccurate results.

For this reason, Google is now reducing access to this feature for developers. Only pre-installed Google apps and apps that need Google sign-in can access this feature. This helps Google to keep an eye on how this thermometer is put to use until it gets FDA approval.

A netizen by the name of Mika tried to forcefully gain access to the thermometer app but failed badly. After trying to access the app forcefully, the sensor failed to work and became unavailable to the device. This shows the level of restriction that Google places on this feature pending FDA approval.

The Pixel 8 Pro thermometer might be able to accurately read human temperature, but just lacks FDA approval. This sensor on the Pixel 8 Pro can’t replace an actual thermometer, but it can serve as a supplement in case there is no actual thermometer available. Users stand to benefit from its presence on the Google Pixel 8 Pro in so many ways.

But in the meantime, this sensor needs to go through FDA scrutiny before gaining approval. Once it gets its approval, Google will be able to make it available to developers whose services need access to the temperature sensor. More details on this feature will become available in the coming weeks.


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iPhone 15 Pro Max components are significantly more expensive

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iPhone 15 Pro Max components are significantly more expensive
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If you are planning to purchase the new iPhone 15 Pro Max but are on a slim budget, then you must be wondering about the cost of repair components. Well, a new Nikkei research reveals the estimated cost of building an iPhone 15 device. From this report, netizens learn the price of various components on the iPhone 15 series and the increase in comparison to the previous model.

Comparing the components in the new iPhones with those of the previous generation, you’ll see a 12% increase. This proves that owners of this new device will spend more to repair their new iPhone 15 device. The only component that doesn’t see any pricing change from last year is the NAND flash storage.

So if the issue on your device doesn’t have anything to do with the storage, then you can expect to pay a lot to fix it. However, the prices of just three components in the devices in this series are major drivers of cost. Majorly, this is a result of the upgrades in the various areas where these components can be found.

Repairing an iPhone 15 Pro Max will cost more thanks to more expensive components

There are a lot of upgrades that come with the new iPhone 15 Pro series. These upgrades include a new titanium frame, new screens with slimmer bezels, and a new camera system, just to mention a few. With these improvements comes a hike in the prices of components necessary to build this device.

In comparison with the iPhone 14 Pro series, the price increments on these new components are mind-blowing. For the new display, it costs 10% more than that of the iPhone 14 Pro series. The Apple A17 Bionic chip on this new device costs 27% more than on its predecessor.

Now that is quite an increase, but the party is just getting started over her. One of the major design upgrades on the iPhone 15 Pro series is the titanium frames cost 43% more than last year’s frames. Now for the final blow, the new 5x telephoto module costs 280% more than last year’s 3x telephoto module.

The total price to produce the new iPhone 15 Pro series is 12% more than the 14 Pro series. Nikkei estimates the production cost of this device to be $558, which is quite expensive. Apple, on their part, retails the base iPhone 15 Pro Max model for $1199, more than double the production cost.

Well, Apple can price their devices how they see fit after calculating their production and other costs. But the main issue for most users will be purchasing parts for their iPhone 15 Pro or Pro Max if it goes bad. Those on a slim budget might find it difficult to repair their devices as the price of repair components is through the roof.


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Google Play Protect gets more powerful with enhanced real-time scanning

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Google Play Protect gets more powerful with enhanced real-time scanning
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Google Play Protect, the security feature that protects Android users from malicious and unwanted apps, is upgrading. It can now flag harmful apps that previously avoided detection using more thorough scanning. The update will make the Play Protect service far more effective and powerful.

Google Play Protect uses real-time Scanning for new threats

The Google Security blog notes that Google Play Protect scans billions of apps in the Google Play Store every day to protect users against unwanted or harmful apps. Even if you install an app outside of Google Play, Google Play Protect checks sideloaded apps against its database of known malicious apps. It even leverages your device’s resources to scan for harmful apps installed from external sources.

But cybercriminals are now using “polymorphic” viruses, which can sneak past Google’s defenses by altering their markers. That makes it harder to cross-check against an existing library of malware definitions. Even when Play Protect is always scanning for malware. The new update introduces real-time scans for apps that Google has never scanned or identified.

Google Play Protect can now immediately test newly installed apps on your Android for signs of viruses. “Today, we are making Google Play Protect’s security capabilities even more powerful with real-time scanning at the code level to combat novel malicious apps,” Google announced in a blog post.

The on-the-spot check looks inside the app’s code for threat signals and sends them to Google’s infrastructure for analysis. Google Play Protect will take some time to complete the scan and automatically block harmful apps. If, say, a sketchy app is using AI to change its identifying features, the scan will flag it.

Scanning app with Google Play Protect
Image credit: Google

The update will first roll out to Android users in India. It’s currently slated for release in limited regions. But in the next few months, the update will reach users worldwide. It’ll be automatically enabled on devices with Android 6.0 or later that have Google Play Services installed.

Ever-improving Threat Protection

The Play Protect defenses will continue to improve as it scans and analyzes more and more apps. Google no longer has to rely on pre-existing definitions to weed out potentially harmful or unwanted apps. The real-time scans will help it detect emerging threats before they can infect any users. Google also remarked that Google Play Protect is only one of its several lines of defense on Android. Ongoing security updates, app permissions, spam protection, and more help keep billions of Android users safe. And this multi-layered protection is constantly being upgraded to stay one step ahead of cybercriminals.


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Traffic data on Google Maps and Waze in Israel have been shut down

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Traffic data on Google Maps and Waze in Israel have been shut down
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In recent reports, netizens learned that traffic data on Google Maps and Waze have been shut down in Israel. This shutdown is to ensure the safety of those living in territories that might be under attack. The data those living in these areas can’t receive are relating to traffic alerts on both navigation platforms.

Ever since the start of this war, Google has put out efforts to ensure the safety of its Israeli employees. This new move, blocking traffic data on its navigation apps, will help to ensure the safety of its staff. Not only will this protect Google’s own, but it’ll also help protect citizens in various areas.

On Waze, these changes seem to be available to only areas around Gaza where the conflict is at its peak. However, on Google Maps, this restriction of access to traffic data is nationwide. You might be wondering how blocking access to traffic data in Israel will help keep citizens safe from the Hamas attacks in various regions.

Google and Waze are blocking access to traffic data on their platforms

Why is Google blocking access to traffic data in Israel during the Hamas conflict? Well, the aim is to keep users safe from possible attacks by Hamas on innocent civilians. With access to traffic data from Google Maps and Waze, Hamas can learn where there are many people at a given time and then launch an attack.

Without access to traffic data from these navigation apps, Hamas won’t be able to use it to cause harm. This isn’t the first time that Google is blocking access to traffic data in a crisis. During the start of the Russian-Ukraine conflict last year, Google didn’t permit access to traffic data in certain regions.

By doing this, Google was able to play its role in helping to keep innocent civilians safe. Now with the Israel-Hamas conflict, Google is again playing its part to keep innocent civilians safe. Users of the Google Maps and Waze apps in Israel will be able to access navigation features, but not live traffic updates.

On Waze, users get a prompt that reads “Due to the security situation other drivers, traffic jams, traffic reports, and other alerts will not be displayed.” However, users of Waze in other parts of the country are still able to access the full function of this app, including live traffic data. On the Google Maps app, however, regardless of the user’s location in the country, they won’t be able to access live traffic data.

Other reports also point out that Israel is blocking off or disrupting GPS in war zones. This action can affect the usage of apps that rely on GPS data to function properly. While netizens hope that this conflict comes to a peaceful end soon, Google and other big tech firms try to play their part to keep innocent civilians safe.


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The OnePlus 12 might see the return of 50W wireless charging

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The OnePlus 12 might see the return of 50W wireless charging
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The OnePlus 11 brought a lot of power to the table, but it excluded one feature that power users really enjoy. The company decided not to add wireless charging to this phone, and we were all confused as to why. Many flagships and mind-rangers come with this feature, so it’s odd that OnePlus left it out.

Still, without wireless charging, this phone was still one of the best of the year. It managed to redeem the company after it launched the OnePlus 10 Pro. Don’t believe that? Check out our OnePlus 11 Review.

The OnePlus 12 might see the return of wireless charging

Wireless charging is a pretty standard feature among phones nowadays. It’s to the point where a phone not featuring it raises some eyebrows. What made this news more surprising was the fact that OnePlus, aside from being known as the Flagship Killer company, is known for hooking their phones up with some glazing-fast charging. The $199 OnePlus Nord N300 had 33W charging for goodness’ sake.

Now, according to Ishan Agarwal (@ishanagarwal24 on X), the OnePlus 12 will bring back wireless charging along with some other features. That’s good news, and the rumor points to the company bringing it back with its 50W speed. 50W is extremely fast for wireless charging, as most phones don’t come out with wired charging as fast.

Along with this feature, the post also points to this phone coming out with an IR blaster, USB 3.2 Type-C port, and a “best-in-class custom display from BOE.”

Right now, we don’t know too much about this phone, but we will start getting more information about it as time goes on. We expect the company to launch the phone sometime in early 2024. This means that we’ll start getting more leaks and rumors about the device pretty soon.

While we don’t know too much about it, other rumors point to this phone pretty much sharing its design with the OnePlus 11. Also, the display might be able to reach 3,000 nits of brightness.


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Qualcomm to unveil Snapdragon X Elite platform aimed at PCs

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Qualcomm to unveil Snapdragon X Elite platform aimed at PCs
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Qualcomm is prepared to unveil a new platform aimed at the PC market called the Snapdragon X Elite. And it’s said the company plans to showcase this new technology at its upcoming Snapdragon Summit event. The 2023 Snapdragon Summit takes place on October 24 and begins at 12pm Pacific Standard Time. So there’s not much of a wait left before we know more specific details about Qualcomm’s plans for a reprised push into PC computing.

That being said there is some information already available about the new platform. Thanks to previous leaks. According to that information a big focus on the platform will be AI. Specifically generative AI models that will power a wide range of features for the devices that run on this platform. This includes 13 billion parameters happening on-device. This will enable a boost to things like productivity as well as allow for better entertainment and creativity. It’s also noted that devices running on this platform should be arriving to market by sometime in the middle of next year.

The Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite will provide better battery efficiency

A big improvement of this new platform is going to be the battery life with the Snapdragon Oryon CPU at the heart of the platform. The details (coming from Windows Report) don’t mention any specifics in terms of how much better the battery life will be. But improved battery life will mean longer usage times off the charger. Which means you’ll be able to be more portable with laptops that run on this new platform. And that could be a huge boon for anyone using these devices for work or school.

The platform is also supposed to provide better speeds compared to x86 chipsets. According to the included graphic the performance will have up to 2x faster CPU and GPU speeds. And paired with the improvements to battery life the Snapdragon X Elite platform can allow for matching peak performance while using just a 1/3 of the battery life of competing chipsets.

Snapdragon X Elite Summary


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