Google Pixel 5 price 'confirmed'

It's possibly just a matter of days before Google's first 5G-ready phones, the Pixel 5 and Pixel 4a (5G) are announced. The phones will reportedly be powered by the Snapdragon 765G and 128GB of storage, and they will have an identical dual camera array with a 12.2MP main sensor and a 16MP ultra wide-angle unit, and the same 8MP front camera. Pixel 4a (5G)'s price of $499 is already known, and the Pixel 5 was previously expected to be priced between $649 and $699. Leaker Jon Prosser, who doesn't exactly have a pristine track record, now claims that the phone will retail for $699. He is pretty confident about the scoop, and it is line with an alleged Google survey.

Pixel 5 5G 128Gb $699

100%

— Jon Prosser (@jon_prosser) September 24, 2020

This price tag could be a downer for several reasons. First off, the Pixel 5 will not be a lot different than the Pixel 4a (5G), if you count out dissimilarities such as the former's rumored 90Hz screen, 8GB of RAM as opposed to 6GB on the later, a slightly larger battery with support for wireless charging, Gorilla Glass 6, and IP68 certification. Will consumers be willing to pay a $200 premium for these add-ons? Let's not forget that Pixel sales were reportedly buoyed by the Pixel 3a in 2019, and not the Pixel 4, despite the fact that the later has all the makings of a premium phone. The pandemic has ravaged the economy, and this has affected consumer spending habits drastically. Other smartphone makers have adapted themselves accordingly. For instance, the newly revealed Samsung Galaxy S20 FE offers high-end specs for $699. The iPhone SE 2020, which has the same flagship chip as the iPhone 11, starts at $399. And unfortunately for Google, it's apparently about to get worse. The upcoming iPhone 12 may start at $699 or less, and the baseline OnePlus 8T could retail for €599 in Europe and $650-$700 in the US. The biggest draw of Pixel phones is the camera, and this could have worked in Pixel 5's favor if the upgraded camera array was exclusive to it. Now that it's expected to have the same camera specs as the Pixel 4a (5G), the phone will not just face competition from non-Google devices, but also the fellow midranger.

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Spotify Partners With Prod Co. Behind 'New Girl,' Epic Games, and Tile for Two Reasons--'Creating...

...Coalition for App Fairness' Against Apple and Turn Original Podcasts into Movies Spotify partners with Tile and Epic Games to create a new organization called the 'Coalition for App Fairness" to highlight developer issues with Apple. The industry-leading companies want to advocate fair competition and freedom of choice across the app ecosystem. The new organization is described as an independent nonprofit org. It aims to lead legal and regulatory changes regarding what the coalition, which is based in Washington D.C. and Brussels, says are three key issues. This includes a 30% app tax, no consumer freedom, and anti-competitive policies. The three companies set out a ten-point plan on the website to show the changes they want to see. The points state that every developer should always have access to app stores should always have the right to communicate directly with its users through its app, and no developer should be required to use an app store exclusively. Here are other changes the new coalition wants to see; -No developer should be required to pay unfair, unreasonable, or discriminatory fees or revenue shares. -No app store owner or its platform should engage in self-preferencing its own apps or services. Spotify partners with Chernin Entertainment to turn its exclusive podcasts into movies and TV shows Spotify clearly has many plans this year. Aside from partnering with Epic Games and Tile, the music platform will also collaborate with the production company behind popular movies such as New Girl, Hidden Figures, and Ford v Ferrari. The partnership's goal is to turn Spotify's original podcasts into movies and TV shows. The music provider said it currently has more than 250 original shows from which Chernin Entertainment could initially work off. "Spotify has one of the largest libraries of unattached IP that exists in the world today, and that library is being added to daily," said Chernin. "This treasure trove of content plus the acceleration of new voices and stories provides an enormous opportunity to transform these addictive stories and IP into content for the screen," added the company. For more news updates about the new coalition or Spotify's movies based on its podcasts, always keep your tabs open here at TechTimes.

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The redesigned Echo and everything else Amazon announced today

(CNN Business)At a virtual, media-only event on Thursday, Amazon announced its latest lineup of Echo devices, along with a new cloud gaming service and the latest from other Amazon-owned brands Ring and Eero. Every fall for the last few years, Amazon has announced a seemingly endless barrage of connected products, reflecting its latest vision for how it can become even more entangled in consumers' everyday lives. Last year, Amazon wanted to get all over your body, with earbuds, eyeglasses and a ring for your finger. This year, its announcements were more focused on the home, but the event wasn't without eyebrow-raisers. First up, Amazon announced the next generation of Echo devices, with striking new spherical designs. The Alexa voice assistant-enabled devices are the centerpiece of the company's device lineup, with Amazon (AMZN) claiming that 140,000 products now work with Alexa. The main Amazon Echo will be priced at $99.99 and comes in three colors. It features a faster processor, lower power consumption, and an LED display. The new, smaller Echo Dot, also spherical, costs $49.99, and it comes with an optional LED clock for $59.99. The latest Kids edition of the Echo Dot ($59.99) comes with cute animal face designs, with options including a panda and a tiger. In one new kid-friendly feature, a child can read out loud to Alexa, and when they make an error, Alexa can chime in to help correct the mistake. Amazon is also adding voice profiles for kids, so the voice assistant recognizes when the child is speaking and changes to kids mode. With competitors, regulators and consumers taking privacy more seriously, Amazon announced several new privacy-guarding features for Alexa, including one where you can say, "Alexa, delete everything I ever said" to wipe your entire history with the assistant. The new Echo Show 10 ($250) has a 10-inch display, with a 13-megapixel camera. It consists of a monitor attached to a rounded base, with a virtually silent motor that lets the device swivel to follow you around a room (though the company said it is not using facial-recognition software to do this). You can also say "Alexa, turn off motion" to stop the device from moving. It works with Skype, Zoom and other communication apps, and includes a group calling feature.

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Abortion: How do Trump and Biden's policies compare?

Abortion is arguably the most divisive issue in US politics and with a Supreme Court seat now vacant, the stakes have never been higher. With President Trump in the White House, and following the death of liberal Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, anti-abortion activists are energised. Republican-controlled states have tightened restrictions on abortion in recent years. And there is a brewing political battle over whether Mr Trump should seek to fill the Supreme Court vacancy with a conservative judge prior to the 3 November election. Activists are concerned it could put in peril the landmark 1973 ruling that legalised abortion nationwide. Yet public support for abortion rights is the highest in decades, according to the Pew Research Center. Let's compare where the presidential candidates stand on the issue. Mr Trump's key message: We are making it harder to get an abortion now, want to overturn federal protections and would support a near-total ban. We will also seek to fill the Supreme Court seat left vacant by Justice Ginsberg's death before the election. Mr Biden's key message: We will protect a woman's right to choose and fight to keep access to abortion legal. We will withdraw Mr Trump's Supreme Court nominee if we win the presidential election. While it might sound like an issue you're either for or against, it's important to understand the details. What do the candidates say on abortion being legal? Roe v Wade is the landmark Supreme Court ruling from 1973 which safeguarded the right to an abortion on the national level. It protects a woman's right to an abortion only until viability - the point at which a foetus is able to live outside the womb, generally by the start of the third trimester, 28 weeks into a pregnancy. Mr Trump had promised in 2016 to pick judges who would "automatically" overturn Roe. While that hasn't happened yet, he has installed hundreds of federal judges plus two conservative justices on the top court - and if the president wins re-election he could reshape the judiciary even further. He has said he will nominate a candidate prior to the election to fill the new vacancy at the Supreme Court. ...

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Epic, Spotify and other Apple critics form coalition to take on App Store rules

More than a dozen app makers and other companies have joined together to form the Coalition for App Fairness, a nonprofit group that's taking aim at Apple and its App Store rules. Among the founding members are Spotify, Epic Games and Match Group, all of which have been vocal critics of the fees Apple charges developers. "As enforcers, regulators, and legislators around the world investigate Apple for its anti-competitive behavior, The Coalition for App Fairness will be the voice of app and game developers in the effort to protect consumer choice and create a level playing field for all," said Horacio Gutierrez, head of global affairs at Spotify, in a release on Thursday. The coalition comes as Apple is locked in a public battle with Fortnite developer Epic Games. Fortnite was kicked off both the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store in August after Epic attempted to bypass the 30% fee Apple and Google charge developers. Epic countered by filing lawsuits against both companies. Apple earlier this month raised the stakes further by requesting monetary damages if it convinces a judge that it was within its rights to kick Fortnite off its more than 1.5 billion active iPhones and iPads. Apple didn't respond to a request for comment on the coalition. On Thursday, the company published several pages on its website highlighting the benefits of the App Store for users and developers. Apple says the pages provide context for its broader work to support its app store, which now counts more than 28 million developers worldwide, and 1.5 billion devices across 175 countries. The App Store helps developers "from start to finish -- to build, test, market, and distribute your products and grow your business," says Apple's site. ...

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Apple releases iOS 14.0.1 with bug fixes for widgets, default app settings, more

Following last week’s release of iOS 14 to the general public, Apple released a bug fix update today in the form of iOS 14.0.1. Today’s update brings fixes for iOS 14 home screen widgets, default app settings, and more. Apple has also released iPadOS 14.0.1, watchOS 7.0.1, macOS Catalina 10.15.7, and tvOS 14.0.1. Last week, 9to5Mac highlighted an apparent bug in iOS 14 that caused your default browser or mail app setting to reset to Mail or Safari when your iPhone or iPad rebooted. Today’s update to iOS 14.0.1 resolves that issue, ensuring that you only have to set your default app preferences once. Apple also says that today’s release of iOS 14.0.1 includes a fix for the Apple News widget that caused images from appearing, as well as bug fixes related to WiFi connectivity and email sending with some mail providers. For iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus users, there’s a fix for an issue that could have affected camera previews. Here are the full release notes for today’s iOS 14.0.1 update: Fixes an issue that could cause default browser and mail settings to reset after restarting your iPhone Addresses an issue that could prevent camera previews from displaying on iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus Fixes an issue that could prevent your iPhone from connecting to Wi-Fi networks Resolves an issue that could prevent sending email with some mail providers Addresses an issue that could prevent images from appearing in the News widget Apple says that watchOS 7.0.1 “fixes an issue where some payment cards in Wallet were disabled for some users.” iOS 14.0.1 is rolling out today to all iPhone users, and you’ll be able to update by heading to the Settings app and choosing “Software Update.” Note that if you don’t see the update immediately, keep checking as it may take a few minutes to hit your device. ...

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Watch Tesla’s new Model S tri-motor Plaid prototype run lap faster than McLaren P1

The driver behind the wheel of Tesla’s new Model S tri-motor Plaid prototype released a video of the new record lap at Laguna Seca. At Battery Day earlier this week, Tesla officially launched the Model S Plaid, the new top performance version of the Model S. Tesla used the vehicle as an example of what its new battery cell enabled in terms of high performance. The automaker confirmed the following specs on its website: Quickest 0-60 mph and quarter-mile acceleration of any production car ever Acceleration from 0-60 mph: <2.0 s Quarter mile: <9.0 s Tri-Motor All-Wheel Drive These specs are basically what Tesla originally announced for the new Roadster but at half the price and in a bigger form factor. Now, Sebastian Vittel — an experienced performance driver, not to be confused with Formula One driver Sebastian Vettel — has released a video of a record lap with the latest Tesla Model S Plaid prototype driven by Johannes Van Overbeek. at Laguna Seca: Last year, Tesla completed a lap in 1:36.55 with the prototype Model S Plaid. Earlier this month, Lucid beat the time with the prototype of its own top performance version of its electric sedan with a 1:33 time. Tesla is now taking back the lead. With the latest version of the Model S Plaid prototype, Johannes Van Overbeek. has achieved a 1:30.3 lap time. This is no small achievement. This is a faster time than a McLaren P1 driven by no other than Randy Pobst. It’s also almost as fast as $1 million supercars like the Porsche 918 Spyder and the McLaren Senna (P15). Some suggested that Tesla used a stripped-down interior to achieve the time, but Vittel revealed that they only changed the seat for a bucket seat for safety. As for the tires, they are apparently the ones that Tesla will use for the production version. Vittel said about the tires: “Michelin sport cup 2 with specific gum that will be available when car will be released. Very similar to Cup 2 R tire.” CEO Elon Musk also believes that Tesla can shave another three seconds off of that time with refinements leading to production, which would make the Model S Plaid the fastest production car ever. The Tesla Model S Plaid starts at $139,990, and deliveries are going to start in 2021.

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Trump again casts doubt on whether he'll accept election result in latest unfounded attack on voting

Washington (CNN)President Donald Trump said Thursday that he's not sure November's election will be "honest" because of the use of unsolicited ballots, extending his baseless assertion that widespread mail-in voting is rife with fraud and again casting doubt on if he will accept the results of the election. "We have to be very careful with the ballots, the ballots, that's a whole big scam," Trump falsely told reporters before departing the White House on Thursday, referring to unsolicited mail-in ballots that only nine states and Washington, DC, provide. The November contest, he said, needs to be "honest," adding that, "I'm not sure that it can be, I don't know that it can be with this whole situation, unsolicited ballots, they're unsolicited, millions being sent to everybody." The President's comments come as he continues to lean into a conspiratorial message around the US voting process and build on his pointed refusal Wednesday to commit to providing a peaceful transition of power after Election Day. "Well, we're going to have to see what happens," Trump said when asked whether he'd commit to a peaceful transition, one of the cornerstones of American democracy. He has previously refused to say whether he would accept the election results, echoing his sentiments from 2016 that he'll "have to see." And Trump has joked -- he says -- about staying in office well past the constitutionally bound two terms. But the President's refusal to guarantee a violence-free transition went further and is likely to alarm his opponents, who are already on edge given his deployment of federal law enforcement to quell protests in American cities. Earlier Thursday, White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany did not explicitly say the President would accept the results of the election, only saying Trump would "accept the results of a free and fair election." However, the President himself continues to cast doubt on whether he will view this election as "free and fair." While rare instances of voter fraud from mail-in ballots do occur, it is nowhere near a widespread problem in the US election system. Mail ballot fraud is exceedingly rare in part because states have systems and processes in place to prevent forgery, theft and voter fraud. These systems would apply to both absentee ballots and mail-in ballots for in-state voters. Additionally, the President's distinction between mail-in voting and absentee voting has baffled experts who say those voting systems are essentially the same thing. "No-excuse mail voting or absentee voting -- whatever you call it -- is essentially the same thing," David Becker, founder of the nonpartisan Center for Election Innovation and Research, previously told CNN. "You request a ballot, you get a ballot, you vote, you send it in, and there are protections in place. It doesn't matter whether you call it mail voting or absentee voting. It's the same thing." ...

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How Hoop hit #2 with its Tinder for Snapchat

Snapchat’s developer platform is blowing up as a gateway to teen social app users. Hoop is the latest Snap Kit blockbuster, rocketing to No. 2 on the overall App Store charts this month with its Tinder -esque swiping interface for discovering people and asking to message with them over Snapchat. Within a week of going viral, unfunded French startup Dazz saw Hoop score 2.5 million downloads. The fact that such a dumbfoundingly simple and already ubiquitous style of app was able to climb the charts so fast demonstrates the potential of Snap Kit to drive user lock-in for Snapchat. Because the developer platform lets other apps piggyback on its login system and Bitmoji avatars, it creates new reasons for users to set up a Snapchat account and keep using it. It’s the same strategy that made Facebook an entrenched part of the internet, but this time it’s for a younger crowd. In the first-ever interview about Hoop, Dazz’s 26-year-old co-founders Lucas Gervais and Alexi Pourret reveal that the idea came from watching user patterns in their previous experiment on the Snap Kit platform. They built an app called Dazz in 2018 that let users create polls and get anonymous answers from friends, but they noticed their 250,000 users “always ended up adding each other on Snap. So we decided to create Hoop, the app to make new Snap friends,” Gervais tells me. Gervais and Pourret have been friends since age two, growing up in small town in France. They met their two developers in high school, and are now marketing students at university. With Hoop, they say the goal was to “meet everyone’s needs, from connecting people from different cultures to helping lonely people to feel better to simply growing your Snapchat community.” ...

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Nvidia GeForce Now Finally on Beta; What Makes it Stand Out Over Stadia?

Nvidia's big game-streaming competitor to Google Stadia and Microsoft Project xCloud, GeForce Now, is officially out of beta today and is available for users in Europe and North America. GeForce Now lets you play PC video games, with minimum fuss, on any PC, MacOS, or Android device. Want to play Overwatch to your Samsung cellphone or Red Dead Redemption 2 for your MacBook Air? The idea is, you log in and go. GeForce Now vs. Competitors: What's the Difference? Some people ask this question: What makes GeForce Now stand out from its other game-streaming competitors? GeForce Now is a service that connects into your existing game stores accounts such as Blizzard, Epic, GoG, and Steam. So, if the service ever dies, you'll still have your games kept-though you could lose saves in case you don't have cloud saves enabled for every respective carrier. This updated service now feels more stable compared to Stadia and Project xCloud, which both have a fewer game selection and require specific controllers. Nvidia's GeForce Now has a significantly more massive games library than Google's Stadia. Microsoft's Project xCloud game streaming app could also make the same claim. ALSO READ: All Xbox Games Will Be Playable On xCloud Streaming Service - Yes, All Generations Of Xbox Brief History of Ndivia's GeForce Now However, GeForce Now has been "a little inconsistent." A similar provider called GeForce Now allowed you to play a selection of video games offered by using Nvidia or streamed without delay out of your PC. The service was launched as Nvidia Grid lower back in 2013. The game-streaming application turned into rebranded GeForce Now in 2015, and the beta became available on Nvidia's Android set-top box, the Nvidia Shield. A new provider was released into beta in 2017 with an identical name. The users could play any game they have in other PC gaming stores instead of playing a small selection of games offered by Nvidia. GeForce Now Allows Cross-Playing with PC, Mac, Chromebooks, Android Smartphones, Nvidia shield. The GeForce Now has progressed over the years as the current version no longer has connectivity issues. You could smoothly play with your games through GeForce Now by log in to your account. You will be able to play games on a wide variety of devices - including mobile devices, the Nvidia Shield media streaming device for TVs, Macs, and PCs. However, Nvidia has not mentioned whether GeForce Now will work with Apple iPhones. GeForce Now gamers, unlike other game streaming applications, are not limited to other players who are also playing games on GeForce Now. For example, the users could be playing a game on GeForce Now while playing against someone running a game locally on their PC. ...

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Tesla CEO Elon Musk teases possible new Texas gigafactory

Tesla has been on a tear lately, and it looks like CEO Elon Musk is trying to think of new ways to spend some money. Tonight he dropped a hint that, in addition to current gigafactory projects in China and Germany, Tesla is considering one in Texas. Tesla’s Shanghai gigafactory is already up and running with a current capacity of 150,000 vehicles per year. Tesla plans to expand it more this year, including adding local Model Y production for the China market. And the purchase contract has been signed on Tesla’s gigafactory in Germany, with construction beginning on access roads, despite some local protests. Tesla has also announced plans to open design centers in both Germany and China. Tesla’s current design center is in Hawthorne, California. Finally, Tesla has another factory in Buffalo, New York. This factory is mainly focused on “Tesla Energy” products, and was part of Tesla’s SolarCity merger. The original gigafactory got that name to denote its massive size. “Giga” is the metric prefix for “billion,” and it seemed that Tesla wanted to signify that their battery factory would reach the capacity to produce a billion cells. Tesla’s first gigafactory in Nevada is one of the largest buildings in the world by floor area and footprint. The gigafactory name took off, and now Tesla is just calling everything a gigafactory, whether it be for batteries or otherwise. For a while Tesla named all these factories sequentially — gigafactory 1, 2, 3, 4. But that started to get confusing as Tesla added more factories, so Tesla is now using the naming convention “Giga (area).” So these have been renamed Giga Nevada, Giga New York, Giga Shanghai, and Giga Berlin. Now those four might get another addition in Giga Texas. Tesla CEO Elon Musk put up a poll today, asking simply, “Giga Texas?” As of press time, people seem pretty excited about the idea: Texas has been in Musk’s thoughts recently. On Monday, he announced an AI hackathon amid a recruiting effort for Tesla’s autopilot team, stating that Tesla is also looking for “world-class” chip designers to join Tesla’s team in Palo Alto, California, or Austin. The Texas capital has become quite a tech hub recently, attracting a lot of young tech talent who are looking for somewhere to get away from Silicon Valley’s insanely high cost of living. While Musk didn’t specify where Giga Texas would be, we could imagine that somewhere near Austin would work well, to take advantage of the growing tech industry there. Musk also did not specify what products would be made in Texas (beyond the note about chip designers), so we’ll have to wait for more news on that. That said, Texas also currently bans Tesla from selling their cars in the state, and even recently tried to stop the company from even servicing cars in-state. That effort thankfully failed, but Texas has not yet rolled out the welcome mat for Tesla. We’ll see if that changes with this talk of a possible factory.

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WATCH | This is How 99 Phones Could Change Traffic Flow in Google Maps

Google Maps has modified how people navigate the world. However, Google's influence is merely going beyond just locating and navigating. A whole flood of latest businesses, experiences, and ideas have grown up around the ability to zoom and pan around only a virtual version of a map. However, with incredible power comes great responsibility. One "hack" showed how clear it turned into play Google's system and altered the flow. Although a few would possibly argue that Waze, which is also owned by way of Google now, does a higher job at navigating roads and displaying traffic information, Google Maps has, over time, incorporating a number of those into its very own app. The innovation enables human beings to catch up without having to switch between apps for specific information. German used 99 mobile phones to hack Google Maps Simon Weckert currently took gain of the opportunity with a "hack" - as he calls it - for Google Maps. To accomplish this, he loaded 99 smartphones right into a wagon and turned all of them onto Maps navigation. As he walks down an avenue, Google acknowledges the high awareness of "users" and the slow-moving "site visitors" and marks that street as having bad site visitors. Somewhat hilariously, this would virtually cause other drivers in the place using Maps to be rerouted to avoid the "visitors" resulting from this otherwise innocent prank. Weckert even took the collection of smartphones proper outside of Google's Berlin places of work to create the virtual visitors' jam.

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Hands-On With Salt's Apple TV Remote Replacement

The Apple TV 4K is a fantastic little set-top box that has an easy-to-use interface, an App Store, and options to watch all kinds of content, but there's one major flaw with the device - the Siri Remote. Apple unveiled its ¿Siri¿ (or ¿Apple TV¿) Remote with touch surface in 2015 alongside the fourth-generation ¿Apple TV¿, and it's never been a particularly popular accessory. With that in mind, Swiss company Salt created an alternative ¿Apple TV¿ Remote, which we managed to get our hands on. Salt is a Swiss telecommunications company that offers the ¿Apple TV¿ 4K in a broadband TV bundle for its customers. There's no way to order this remote in the United States or countries other than Switzerland - it's designed only for Salt customers. According to Salt, the Salt Remote was designed in close collaboration with Apple after the Salt TV customer base complained about the poor usability of the default remote that comes with the ¿Apple TV¿. Available for just under 20 Swiss francs, the Salt Remote looks more like a traditional remote than Apple's version, and it's made from a simple black plastic with buttons for controlling multiple functions. It is designed to connect to the ¿Apple TV¿ out of the box and requires no pairing to set up. It's both wider and longer than the ¿Siri¿ Remote, so it's harder to lose, which is probably a good thing for most people given how easy it is to misplace the ¿Siri¿ Remote. ...

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Pokémon GO Buddy Adventure: How to Increase Buddy Levels and Unlock Other Perks

In a December blog post, Niantic introduced an all-new feature on their hit AR video game: the Pokémon GO Buddy Adventure. Set to roll out worldwide in 2020, the Buddy Adventure feature lets Trainers explore the Pokémon GO universe side by side with their Buddy Pokémon like never before. "Since launching Pokémon GO, this might be the most collaborative feature we have had with The Pokémon Company," said Ryuta Hiroi, Niantic's lead product manager on the project. "Even with your phone in your pocket, you'll feel like your buddy is right beside you!" Lena Verstappen, their tech artist on the project, shared that they created each Pokémon in a "deeply respectful way." "It's almost as if each Pokémon were a family member!" she said. "How they eat, how they walk, and even where the Best Buddy Ribbon should be placed on each Pokémon's body-all of this and more was taken into account when crafting an as-immersive-as-possible experience." Buddy Adventure in a Nutshell In a press release published by the Pokémon GO Team, Buddy Adventure is an elevated bonding experience where Trainers and their chosen buddies can explore the world and grow side by side as they journey in a richer Pokémon world. Watch the promo video below: The Buddy Levels Here are the Buddy Levels you can unlock: Good Buddy: On this level, you'll see your buddy on the map following right behind you. Great Buddy: On this level, you'll be able to tap your buddy for help, like bringing your items in Pokémon encounters. Ultra Buddy: On this level, your buddy can point you to interesting places nearby and bring you Souvenirs. Best Buddy: On this level, you and your buddy will have a Best Buddy Ribbon. Your Best Buddy can get a CP boost in combat as long as they're assigned as your Buddy Pokémon. How to Increase Buddy Levels For starters, Trainers have to feed their buddies Berries to increase their Buddy Level to Good Buddy. You can increase your Buddy Level by doing the following: Playing With Your Buddy Pokémon Feeding Your Buddy Pokémon Treats Battling and Exploring With Your Buddy Pokémon How to Unlock Other Buddy Adventure Perks Your buddy has various moods. When you reach the highest mood (excited), you as a Trainer can unlock the following Perks: Cut the Distance It Takes for Your Buddy to Find Candy Double the Number of Hearts Earned per Action Earn Bonus Hearts Buddy Adventure Playing Tips Feed Your Buddy - To feed and interact with your buddy, click the Play button on the new buddy profile page. Play With Your Buddy - Apart from feeding them, you can also play with your buddies. Turn on your AR+ feature to see what your buddy does when you interact with it. Each Pokémon has its own quirks and ways to express itself, so watch closely to get acquainted with their expressions and movements. ...

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Watch Ford F-250 Diesel 4x4 In Tug Of War Battle Against Tesla Model X

Can the diesel Ford-250 Super Duty out tug the Model X? While we wait for the official rematch between the Ford F-150 and Tesla Cybertruck, this tug of war challenge shows the Model X against Ford's F-250 four-wheel-drive diesel truck. The switch to a 250 instead of a 150 comes after news of the Cybertuck being classified as medium-duty surfaced. When Tesla debuted its Cybertruck, it released a video showing it beating a Ford F-150 in a tug-of-war contest. The challenge was not without controversy though and Tesla CEO Elon Musk agreed to repeat the test at a later time. Ford even chimed in and then the automaker backed down from the challenge. The official rematch has not taken place yet and perhaps it won't, but there's been no shortage of attempted retakes at pitting a Tesla against a Ford truck in some form or another. The video (skip forward to 3:30 for the tug of war action to begin) clearly shows us that this is indeed a four-wheel-drive Ford F-250 diesel truck. Perhaps even more importantly, the truck is put into 4-wheel-drive low, which provides it with the best chance of beating the Model X. Two tug-of-war challenges are shown in the video and each one has a different result. In the first tug off, the Model X, with its instant torque, wins the matchup. To make the second attempt a bit more fair (or unfair, as some will say), the diesel truck is revved up while holding the brake down. This puts the truck in its powerband. At go, the brakes are released and the F-250 easily takes the win. One win for the Tesla and one for the Ford. After watching the video it seems safe to conclude that the Cybertruck would likely beat the F-250 due to the fact that it should weigh considerably more than the Model X. At least that's how we see it, but let us know your thoughts in comments.

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Microsoft’s next Xbox is Xbox Series X, coming holiday 2020

Microsoft’s next-generation Xbox is officially called Xbox Series X. Microsoft revealed the name and console design on stage at the Game Awards today. The console itself looks far more like a PC than we’ve seen from previous Xbox consoles, and Microsoft’s trailer provides a brief glimpse at the new design. The console itself is designed to be used in both vertical and horizontal orientations, and Microsoft’s Xbox chief, Phil Spencer, promises that it will “deliver four times the processing power of Xbox One X in the most quiet and efficient way.” Microsoft used the Xbox Series X to showcase Hellbade 2, a new game from Ninja Theory that is being developed for its next Xbox console. While Microsoft has revealed the design here, the company isn’t revealing exact specs beyond what has been discussed previously. The Xbox Series X will include a custom-designed CPU based on AMD’s Zen 2 and Radeon RDNA architecture. Microsoft is also using an SSD on Xbox Series X, which promises to boost load times. Xbox Series X will also support 8K gaming, frame rates of up to 120 fps in games, ray tracing, and variable refresh rate support. Microsoft also revealed a new Xbox Wireless Controller today. “Its size and shape have been refined to accommodate an even wider range of people, and it also features a new Share button to make capturing screenshots and game clips simple,” explains Spencer. This updated controller will work with existing Xbox One consoles and Windows 10 PCs, and will ship with every Xbox Series X.

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