Best gaming laptops of 2021: ASUS ROG, Alienware, MSI and more

If you fancy yourself some gaming hardware, now is probably the best time to get some, thanks to a slew of launches in recent months. From the new Xbox Series X|S and Sony PlayStation 5 consoles, to NVIDIA and AMD’s new graphics cards under the RTX 30-series and Radeon 6000 series, respectively, the choices seem endless. However, we are facing a global chip shortage and the demand has never been greater, especially if you are a PC gamer. New GPUs are either out of stock, or are being scalped and sold at ridiculously high prices.

Probably the best way to get your hands on the new and improved hardware is by either going for a fully built system or investing in one of the newly launched gaming laptops. If you’re leaning towards the more portable route, we have listed some of the top gaming notebooks on the market right now. Check out all of our recommendations!

ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14

Rated as one of the best gaming laptops in 2020, ASUS did a commendable job with the ROG Zephyrus G14, a 14-inch compact, fairly lightweight gaming notebook that featured powerful CPU options from AMD along with entry-to-mid range GPUs from NVIDIA. It also came with a unique design, especially the perforations on the lid featuring customizable LEDs, which the company calls AniMe Matrix mini-LED display.

This year, the laptop has been upgraded to the new AMD Ryzen 5000 CPUs and the option of up to an RTX 3060 from NVIDIA. It also offers a 1080p 144Hz refresh rate panel, and a higher 1440p 165Hz refresh rate option. On top of that, the laptop should offer you up to 12-13 hours of battery life, as claimed by ASUS.

ASUS ROG Zephyrus G14

The updated ROG Zephyrus G14 comes with the same design as last year but with updated AMD Ryzen 5000 series CPU and NVIDIA's new GeForce RTX 3060 GPU.

Buy at Amazon

Alienware Area 51m

This power-packed laptop can replace your gaming desktop as it comes loaded with a desktop-grade CPU and GPU. The Alienware Area 51m is an ambitious machine from the company and is one of the only laptops on the market that lets you swap the storage, RAM, and even the processor and GPU using custom modules available exclusively from the company.

It doesn’t come cheap though, and since it is loaded with high-end hardware, it isn’t as portable as most gaming laptops out there. The latest model offers the option of up to a 10th-gen Intel Core i9-10900K, NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX 2080 Super, and a 17.3-inch 300Hz refresh display 100% sRGB color gamut.

Alienware Area 51m

This behemoth of a laptop has the power of a desktop PC as it packs a full-fledged Intel Core i9-10900K and an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2080 Super.

Buy at Amazon

MSI G66 Stealth

The newly updated MSI GS66 Stealth continues to feature a sleek and understated design that measures 20mm in thickness at its highest point. Yet, it can cram up to a 10th-gen Intel Core i9-10980HK processor with the new NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 graphics card. It also comes with up to a 300Hz full-HD display for your fast-paced FPS games.

The stealthy design makes it a great companion at the office and at the same time, it can eat AAA-game titles for breakfast. The laptop also offers a per-key RGB keyboard from Steelseries and a massive 99.9Whr battery, which is one of the largest we have seen on a laptop.

MSI GS66 Stealth

One of the slimmest gaming notebooks out there, the GS66 stealth has been upgraded with more powerful graphics performance thanks to the new NVIDIA RTX 30-series mobile GPUs and up to a 10th-gen Intel Core i9 processor.

Buy at Amazon

ASUS ROG Zephyrus G15

There is a reason why we have picked this as the best gaming laptop in our list of top laptops for 2021. Building on the foundations of the ROG Zephyrus G14, ASUS introduced a larger 15-inch version this year. It has the same design as the 14-inch version, sans the mini-LEDs inside the 8,279 perforations on the lid. Instead, ASUS is offering a metallic finish that makes the pattern shine. It looks really classy, and while it doesn’t scream out as a gaming notebook with fancy RGB lighting, it definitely has the power to drive the most demanding games.

You can pack it with up to an AMD Ryzen 9 5900HS processor and NVIDIA’s GeForce RTX 3080 mobile GPU. You also get a WQHD (2560 x 1440-pixels) 165Hz refresh rate display with 100% DCI-P3, Adaptive-Sync, and is Pantone Validated. Do note, just like the smaller model, this one doesn’t have a webcam either.

ASUS ROG Zephyrus G15

An all-rounder when it comes to high-end gaming and productivity, the Zephyrus G15 is our choice for the best gaming laptop.

Buy at Amazon

ASUS TUF Dash F15

Yes, another ASUS gaming laptop, but we have our reasons for choosing this one. First of all, this is one of the only gaming laptops that comes with the newly announced Intel 11th-gen processor made for thin and light gaming notebooks. It is also one of the more affordable options featuring the latest RTX 3060 and RTX 3070 GPUs from NVIDIA. The new TUF Dash F15 is unlike any of the laptops that we have seen in the past under this series. It takes a lot of design cues from the Zephyrus lineup and is slim, measuring just under 20mm and weighing at 2kgs.

To top it off, the laptop comes with Thunderbolt 4, and a large battery that is said to last over 10 hours. We are in the process of testing this notebook and as far as early impressions are concerned, it is a very solid mid-range gaming laptop, and probably the best that you can get for under $1,500.

ASUS TUF Dash F15

ASUS has a new mid-range champ with the TUF Dash F15. It packs the new 11th-gen Intel H35 Tiger Lake processor and up to an RTX 3070 GPU from NVIDIA along with a great battery life.

Buy at Amazon

Razer Blade Stealth 13

The Razer Blade Stealth 13 is the best 13-inch gaming laptop. While it will soon be replaced by the new ASUS ROG Flow X13, it still has some time to retain the crown before ASUS actually starts selling its new laptop. Having a sleek yet sturdy design, it comes with a fairly modest NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1650 Ti GPU, which isn’t groundbreaking, but at just 15.2-mm thickness you can’t really ask a lot.

It has been updated with the new Intel 11th-gen Core i7-1065G7 CPU and features Thunderbolt 4 as well, while display options include a 1080p 120Hz panel or an OLED panel with standard 60Hz.

Razer Blade Stealth 13

Tiny yet powerful, the Razer Blade Stealth 13 is the ultimate ultrabook that can offer an excellent performance package for casual or e-sports gaming enthusiast.

Buy at Amazon

Lenovo Legion 5

As my colleague Pranob mentions in his best cheap gaming laptops list, the Legion 5 should be your top pick if you are looking for a gaming laptop on a budget. It comes with AMD’s Ryzen 7 4800H processor, along with NVIDIA’s GeForce GTX 1660 Ti graphics card, 16GB of DDR4 RAM, and a 512GB M.2 NVMe SSD. It doesn’t have a premium build, but you do get RGB lighting on the keyboard, which in fact comes with a similar layout as some of the ThinkPad notebooks.

The GPU on this machine should be excellent for e-sports titles while some of the older AAA titles should be able to sustain 60 frames per second with all graphics settings maxed out. Notably, this laptop also comes with a respectable 80Whr battery, so expect it to last long when you are doing other tasks like web browsing or watching movies.

Lenovo Legion 5

A highly recommended gaming laptop if you are looking for the best performance at $1,000.

Buy at Amazon

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These are currently the best gaming laptops on the market today in our opinion. But there are always more options coming through the months, so make sure you visit this list as we will be updating it every month. Gaming laptops are becoming more powerful and at the same time getting slimmer with longer battery life. An interesting thing to note is that AMD seems to be taking over Intel and a majority of new gaming laptops are adopting the new Ryzen 5000 series mobile CPUs with the new Zen 3 architecture.

Speaking of which, make sure you check out our list of the best AMD Ryzen-powered laptops. Apart from new processors and GPUs, we are also expecting more laptops to come with faster 5G mobile connectivity this year. We have also curated a list of the best 5G laptops that you can check out too.

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GitHub rolls out long-awaited features to its desktop and mobile apps

GitHub is one of the most popular code-hosting platforms in the world, home to millions of software projects and websites. Even though many developers prefer to use the Git command-line application for uploading code and managing projects on GitHub, the company has its own desktop application that can make some tasks easier, and it’s now receiving an important update. The mobile app, which arrived on Android in 2020 and iOS in the year prior, is also gaining some features.

GitHub Desktop v2.7 is now rolling out to Windows and macOS (still no Linux support, sadly) with a long-awaited feature: cherry-picking commits. This allows developers to pick any commits from one branch, including more than one at the same time, and copy them to another branch. There’s also an undo function, as well as the same conflict resolution dialog you get with normal branch merges.

Cherry-picking commits in GitHub Desktop

The desktop application also now displays a warning icon if the email address on the current GitHub account doesn’t match the email in the global Git configuration. This should help prevent commits from being misattributed, which can easily happen with multiple GitHub accounts (or when using Git for both personal and work projects).

Meanwhile, the mobile GitHub apps can now send push notifications when you’re assigned a pull request or task, or when you’ve been requested to approve a deployment for a protected environment. Each notification category can be turned on or off through the app’s settings, and a new option has been added for muting all alerts at certain times or days. The mobile app is also gaining the desktop site’s ability to change how you’re alerted for a repository — you can get an alert for all changes, changes you’re tagged on/participating in, or no alerts at all.

Working Hours feature in GitHub mobile app

Finally, the GitHub app can now view any release from a project, and any files from the release can be downloaded. You probably won’t be able to do much with the files from just a phone or tablet, but it’s still a handy feature for backups or sharing files to another service.

GitHub (Free, Google Play) →

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ASUS launches the ZenBook 13 OLED and VivoBook range with AMD Ryzen 5000U CPUs in India

ASUS has launched a bunch of new mainstream laptops in India spearheaded by the new ZenBook 13 that features an OLED panel and AMD’s new Ryzen 5000U series processors. With that, ASUS is also refreshing its range of VivoBook laptops with similar processor upgrades. Notably, some of the VivoBooks that ASUS is introducing today are already available with the latest Intel 11th-gen processors.

Specifications	ASUS ZenBook 13 OLED	VivoBook S S14	VivoBook Ultra K14/K15	VivoBook Flip 14	ASUS VivoBook 15	VivoBook 17
Dimensions & Weight	304 x 203 x 13.9mm 1.1kgs	324.0 x 213.0 x 15.9mm 1.4kgs	Ultra K14 -324 x 213 x 17.3mm -1.4kgs Ultra K15 -359 x 235 x 18.6mm -1.8kgs	324 x 220 x 18.2mm 1.5kgs	360.2 x 234.9 x 19.9mm 1.8kgs	406 x 256 x 21.4mm 2.3kgs
Display	13.3-inch Full-HD (1920 x 1080) OLED 100% DCI-P3 color gamut TÜV Rheinland Eye Care certification Pantone validated 400-nits max brightness VESA DisplayHDR 500	14-inch Full-HD (1920 x 1080) IPS 250-nits brightness	14-inch/15.6 Full-HD (1920 x 1080) 250-nits brightness 45% NTSC coverage	14-inch Full-HD (1920 x 1080) touchscreen 45% NTSC coverage	15.6-inch Full-HD (1920 x 1080) 45% NTSC coverage	17.3-inch Full-HD (1920 x 1080) 45% NTSC coverage
Processor	AMD Ryzen 7 5700U AMD Ryzen 5 5500U	AMD Ryzen 5 5500U	AMD Ryzen 7 5700U AMD Ryzen 5 5500U	AMD Ryzen 3 5300U AMD Ryzen 5 5500U AMD Ryzen 7 5700U	AMD Ryzen 5 5500U	AMD Ryzen 5 5500U
GPU	AMD Radeon graphics	AMD Radeon RX Vega 7 integrated	AMD Radeon integrated graphics	AMD Radeon integrated graphics	AMD Radeon integrated graphics	AMD Radeon integrated graphics
RAM & Storage	16GB LPDDR4X 3733MHz 1TB PCIe 3.0 SSD	8GB DDR4 3200MHz 1TB PCIe 3.0 M.2 SSD Additional PCIe 3.0 M.2 SSD slot	8GB DDR4 3200MHz Up to 512GB PCIe M.2 SSD Up to 1TB SATA HDD	8GB DDR4 3200MHz 512GB PCIe M.2 SSD	8GB DDR4 3200MHz 512GB PCIe M.2 SSD (up to 1TB) 2.5-inch SATA HDD	16GB DDR4 3200MHz Up to 512GB PCIe M.2 SSD Up to 1TB SATA HDD
Battery & Charger	67Whr battery (16-hours claimed)	50Whr battery	42Wr battery	42Wr battery	37Whr battery	47Wr battery
I/O	2 x USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type -C (Display output and PD support) USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A HDMI 2.0b microSD card reader	USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A USB 2.0 HDMI 1.4 3.5mm combo audio jack SD card reader	USB 3.1 Gen1 Type-A USB 3.1 Gen1 Type-C 2 x USB 2.0 HDMI 1.4 3.5mm combo audio jack Micro SD Card reader	USB 3.2 Gen1 Type-A USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-C HDMI 1.4 3.5mm combo audio jack Micro SD Card reader	USB 3.1 Gen1 Type-A USB 3.1 Gen1 Type-C 2 x USB 2.0 HDMI 1.4 3.5mm combo audio jack Micro SD Card reader	USB 3.1 Gen1 Type-A USB 3.1 Gen1 Type-C 2 x USB 2.0 HDMI 1.4 3.5mm combo audio jack Micro SD Card reader
Connectivity	Dual-band Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) Bluetooth 5.0	Dual-band Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) Bluetooth 5.0	Dual-band Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) Bluetooth 5.0	Dual-band Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) Bluetooth 5.0	Dual-band Wi-Fi 5 Bluetooth 5.0	Dual-band Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) Bluetooth 5.0
OS	Windows 10 Home	Windows 10 Home	Windows 10 Home	Windows 10 Home	Windows 10 Home	Windows 10 Home
Other Features	Harman Kardon speakers 720p IR camera NumPad 2.0 Backlit keyboard	Harman Kardon speakers Backlit keyboard HD webcam	Harman Kardon speakers Backlit keyboard HD webcam	Harman Kardon speakers HD webcam	VGA webcam	HD webcam

The new ZenBook 13 is one of the lightest laptops weighing just 1.1kgs, and it comes with an OLED display. It will be offered with either the Ryzen 7 5700U or the Ryzen 5 5500U processor. Meanwhile, the OLED panel comes with a full-HD resolution, 100% coverage of DCI-P3 color gamut, 400-nits max brightness, VESA DisplayHDR 500, and is Pantone Validated. ASUS claims that the ZenBook 13 can offer a battery life of up to 16-hours using its 67Whr battery. Notably, the notebook doesn’t come with a standard 3.5mm audio jack, so you’ll need to rely on USB Type-C for audio. This is similar to what we saw on the ZenBook Flip S.

Moving to the VivoBook series, the VivoBook S S14 will only be offered with the AMD Ryzen 5 5500U that comes with integrated AMD Radeon RX Vega 7 graphics, up to 8GB of RAM, and 1TB M.2 SSD with the provision of a secondary M.2 SSD drive.

The VivoBook Ultra K14/K15, as its name suggests, will be offered in 14-inch and 15-inch sizes, and both will be available with either the Ryzen 5 5500U or the Ryzen 7 5700U processors. These also come with up to 8GB of RAM and 512GB M.2 SSD with the option of a secondary SATA HDD.

Next is the VivoBook Flip 14, which is also available with either the Ryzen 5 5500U or the Ryzen 7 5700U processors, along with the lower-end Ryzen 3 5300U. ASUS claims that the 14-inch NanoEdge display has slim bezels, and overall, the laptop has a footprint that is similar to a 13-inch laptop. The touchscreen on the VivoBook Flip 14 also supports the ASUS Pen stylus, while the pen holder can stick onto the lid of the laptop.

Lastly, we have the VivoBook 15 and VivoBook 17 which offer similar features in different sizes. The 17-inch model notably comes with a bigger battery and more RAM.

All the new laptops will be available via offline stores across India except for the VivoBook 17 which will be available both offline and online via Flipkart.

Model	Price
ZenBook 13 OLED (UM325UA)	₹79,990
VivoBook S S14 (M433)	₹65,990
VivoBook Ultra K14/K15	₹58,990
VivoBook Flip 14 (TM420)	₹59,990
VivoBook 15 (M515)	₹54,990
VivoBook 17 (M712)	₹62,990

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ARM launches the ARMv9 architecture with SVE2 and new security features

Earlier today as part of its Vision Day event, ARM disclosed some details about its new ARMv9 architecture, which the company expects will be used in over 300 billion chips this decade.

The last major revision to ARM’s ISA was v8, which was introduced in October of 2011 with the 64-bit AArch64 instruction set. However, ARM has extended ARMv8 over the years with new features such as Memory Tagging in ARMv8.5. With ARMv9, the company is continuing to use AArch64 as the baseline instruction set but has extended it with new features aimed to improve security and performance.

According to ARM, here are the major new features of the ARMv9-A architecture:

• SVE2: extending the benefit of scalable vectors to many more use cases
• Realm Management Extension (RME): extending Confidential Compute on Arm platforms to all developers.
• BRBE: providing profiling information, such as Auto FDO
• Embedded Trace Extension (ETE) and Trace Buffer Extension (TRBE): enhanced trace capabilities for Armv9
• TME: hardware transactional memory support for the Arm architecture

Source: ARM. Via: AnandTech.

For a deeper dive into the high-level changes coming with ARMv9, I recommend reading Andrei Frumusanu’s reporting over at AnandTech, but I’ll be providing a summary of the key changes that you should be aware of.

NEON succeeded by SVE2

NEON is an advanced single instruction multiple data (SIMD) architecture extension. SIMD here refers to a single instruction operating on multiple data items in parallel. These data items are organized into registers that hold vectors of bits.

Scalable Vector Extensions, or SVE, is an extension to ARMv8.2 or later that extends the vector processing capability of AArch64 to address the computing requirements of high performance computing (HPC) tasks and machine learning. Importantly, it also allows for vector register lengths between 128 to 2048 bits. From a software development standpoint, the benefit of a variable vector register length is that code only needs to be compiled once to take full advantage of future CPUs with longer vector registers. Similarly, that code can also be run on CPUs with fewer SIMD execution pipelines, such as those in IoT devices.

As SVE was aimed more at HPC workloads and was also not as versatile an instruction set as NEON, ARM introduced SVE2 in early 2019 to address these issues. SVE2 added new instructions targeting DSP workloads that still rely on NEON. Now with ARMv9, SVE2 is succeeding NEON as a baseline feature of ARMv9 CPUs.

Machine learning improvements

ARM sees machine learning workloads becoming more and more popular in the next decade, which is why previous revisions to ARMv8 introduced new matrix multiplication instructions. These will be baseline features of ARMv9 CPUs, enabling smaller scope ML workloads to run directly on the CPU rather than dedicated accelerators. Obviously, running ML workloads on dedicated accelerators is desired when one prefers fast performance or power efficiency, but it is not always possible to do so on all hardware.

Source: ARM. Via: AnandTech.

ARMv9’s Confidential Compute Architecture

In an effort to improve security, ARMv9 introduces a new Confidential Compute Architecture (CCA). As AnandTech explains, ARM’s CCA is a shift away from the current software stack situation wherein secure applications running on a device have to trust the OS and hypervisor they’re running on. The current model of security is built upon the fact that more privileged tiers of software can monitor the execution of less privileged software tiers, which can be problematic when the OS or hypervisor are compromised.

How CCA fixes this problem is by dynamically creating “realms”, which are secure, containerized execution environments that are opaque to the OS or hypervisor. Apps within “realms” can attest their trustworthiness to a “realm manager”, code that’s a fraction of the size of a hypervisor, which is now solely responsible for resource allocation and scheduling. The benefit of using “realms” is that the chain of trust is reduced, allowing for secure applications to be run on any device regardless of the underlying OS which will be transparent to security issues.

Source: ARM. Via: AnandTech.

According to AnandTech, ARM didn’t detail exactly how “realms” are separated from the OS and hypervisor, but they speculate that this separation stems from hardware-backed address spaces that can’t interact with each other.

Future ARM CPU and GPU designs

Although it isn’t directly related to ARMv9, ARM shared its projected performance expectations for future v9-based CPU designs. Over the next two generations of mobile IP core designs, ARM expects an aggregate of 30% gains in IPC performance. That means the actual generational increase in performance amounts to around 14%, as AnandTech explains. Clearly, the rate of improvement has slowed down somewhat compared to previous years.

We’ve seen how CPU implementations by companies like Qualcomm, Samsung, and Huawei don’t reach the expected performance projections of new ARM core designs, a fact that ARM points out in a slide that details how CPU performance can be improved by improving the memory path, caches, or frequencies.

Source: ARM. Via: AnandTech.

Still, ARMv9 promises to bring welcome improvements to performance, security, and machine learning when new CPUs based on the ISA ship in commercial devices in early 2022.

As for future Mali GPUs, ARM has disclosed that it is working on technologies such as variable rate shading (VRS) and ray tracing. These features have become popular among high-end PC GPU hardware and the ninth-generation of video game consoles such as Sony’s PlayStation 5 and Microsoft’s Xbox Series X/S.

Source: ARM. Via: AnandTech.

Featured image credits: ARM via AnandTech

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Spotify and LinkedIn also working on Clubhouse-style audio room features

The sudden popularity of Clubhouse, a social media app where people can create voice rooms or listen to existing ones, has caused several other apps to duplicate its functionality. Now it seems the next apps to get Clubhouse-style audio rooms might be Spotify and LinkedIn.

Spotify announced today that it has acquired Betty Labs, developers of live audio app Locker Room, an iOS-exclusive platform primarily designed for sports fans. It already functions much like Clubhouse, and Spotify has plans to expand its reach and features.

“In the coming months,” the company said in a blog post, “Spotify will evolve and expand Locker Room into an enhanced live audio experience for a wider range of creators and fans. Through this new live experience, Spotify will offer a range of sports, music, and cultural programming, as well as a host of interactive features that enable creators to connect with audiences in real time. We’ll give professional athletes, writers, musicians, songwriters, podcasters, and other global voices opportunities to host real-time discussions, debates, ask me anything (AMA) sessions, and more.”

Everyone’s favorite social media network, LinkedIn, is also planning to implement audio rooms. Alessandro Paluzzi, an app developer, found evidence in LinkedIn’s code that the service is working on the feature. Audio rooms aren’t functional yet, but the current design looks similar to Clubhouse — select people have speaking roles, while others can join the room as listeners (and later request to join the speakers).

To clarify, in this UI the profile picture of the logged in user is automatically loaded as an avatar for all fake users within it.
They didn’t use a white man as a placeholder

— Alessandro Paluzzi (@alex193a) March 30, 2021

Shortly after Paluzzi tweeted these screenshots, a Senior Director of Product at LinkedIn replied to the tweet teasing the upcoming feature.

Several other applications and platforms are currently working on Clubhouse-like features, including Slack, Discord, Facebook, and Telegram. It’s likely only a matter of time before audio rooms become just as popular as Stories (which Spotify and LinkedIn already have).

Spotify: Listen to podcasts & find music you love (Free, Google Play) →

LinkedIn: Jobs, Business News & Social Networking (Free⁺, Google Play) →

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Google Maps gets a ton of new features including indoor AR navigation

People are traveling less due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but when the industry gets back on its feet, Google Maps will be ready with a really cool feature, which will make it easy to navigate indoors.

Google on Tuesday announced Maps users will be able to take advantage of Live View in certain indoor locations, including airports, transit stations, and malls. Previously, Live View was used for navigating outdoors.

Image via Google

“If you’re catching a plane or train, Live View can help you find the nearest elevator and escalators, your gate, platform, baggage claim, check-in counters, ticket office, restrooms, ATMs and more,” Google said in a blog post. “Arrows and accompanying directions will point you the right way. And if you need to pick something up from the mall, use Live View to see what floor a store is on and how to get there so you can get in and out in a snap.”

The indoor Live View feature in Google Maps is available now on Android and iOS, and can be used in malls in Chicago, Long Island, Los Angeles, Newark, San Francisco, San Jose, and Seattle. The feature will roll out in the coming months to select airports, malls, and transit stations in Tokyo and Zurich, with more cities to come.

Image via Google

In addition to indoor Live View, Google Maps is introducing other features, too. There’s a new weather layer that will allow users to quickly see current and forecasted conditions. If it’s going to rain, knowing the upcoming forecast might determine how you plan to travel to a certain event. Instead of biking, maybe it will be better to drive. There’s also an air quality layer that will show you how healthy or unhealthy the air is.

Google Maps will also show more eco-friendly options to get around.

“With insights from the U.s. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Lab, we’re building a new routing model that optimizes for lower fuel consumption based on factors like road incline and traffic congestion,” Google said.

Image via Google

When navigating, Google Maps will default to the route with the lowest carbon footprint when it has roughly the same ETA as the fastest route. Google said you can still default to the fastest route, but you’ll now get info to compare the relative CO2 impact between routes. Maps will also tell you if you’re entering a low emission zone, like in Amsterdam or Jakarta. The low emission zone alerts will launch this June in Germany, the Netherlands, France, Spain, and UK, with more countries coming soon.

Finally, Maps is bringing shopping information to Business Profiles and Search, including delivery providers, pickup and delivery windows, fees, and order minimums. The feature will first roll out on mobile Search with Instacart and Alberstons stores in the U.S.

The indoor Live View feature is available now on iOS and Android. The other features, including weather and air quality layers, will come to iOS and Android in the coming months.

Google Maps - Navigate & Explore (Free, Google Play) →

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Five Useful APIs for Startups

Using an API that can help you or your users access massive amounts of data, can be an easy way to add powerful tools to a website, app, or your business. This is especially true for people with Startups. There are many APIs that will allow you to implement tools that make collecting or searching information very easy. apilayer is a company that makes all sorts of useful APIs for projects of any scale. Here are five APIs that you might find useful for your startup.

Fixer

Fixer is a foreign exchange rates and currency conversion JSON API. This simple and lightweight API will help you search current and historical foreign exchange rates. Thousands of developers use this tool every day. The service has great sources for their data, and six years of experience. The data sources are updated in real-time, every 60 seconds. This makes sure that your data is always up-to-date with the latest information. The available searchable data dates back to 1999.

Fixer Pricing Options

Detailed API documentation makes this tool very developer-friendly. You’ll have scalable volume options that can handle any amount of requests. Use code examples to enable quick implementation at any level. Aside from live data, Fixer also comes with separate endpoints for single currency conversion and Time-Series data.

mailboxlayer

This is an email validation & verification JSON API for developers. mailboxlayer’s simple REST API will help you measure email deliverability and quality. Anyone who manages large lists of email addresses knows that it can be difficult to keep track of low-quality addresses and real users. This tool will help you sort this all out. Verify email addresses as they come into your system and make sure you only send email to real customers and high-value contacts. Verify the existence, validity, and quality of any email address simply by passing it into the request URL.

This API is particularly affordable with the pricing plans. You can even get started with a free plan that offers 250 monthly requests. Subscription plans start at $9.99 per month.

vatlayer

vatlayer is a free, instant VAT number validation & EU VAT rates API. Use the HTTPS secured JSON API for developers & businesses. If your business requires a large amount of VAT number validations, this API offers a simple way to instantly access this information. Requests are processed through a system of reliable data sources, including the EU Commission itself. Ensure secure and encrypted datastreams by connecting to the API via industry-standard HTTPS.

You can get started immediately using the free plan, which hosts a full set of API features. When you’re ready to upgrade, you can get a subscription plan starting at $9.99.

numverify

Use this global phone number validation & lookup JSON API. You can get a real-time REST API that supports 232 countries. This tool is for companies that track and call leads using phone numbers. The quality of a phone number can be determined after searching using the lookup tool. This helps you to fight fraud, and keep only the high-quality numbers in your system. Requested using an easy-to-integrate URL structure, delivered in lightweight JSON format, and secured via 256-bit HTTPS encryption.

The free plan will help you get started and see if this is the right API for your business. You will be able to search 250 numbers per month on the free plan. Once you’re ready to scale up, you can subscribe to a larger plan starting at $19.99 per month.

userstack

userstack can detect any browser, device & OS in real-Time. Use this for instant, secure user-agent string lookup using the JSON API. Don’t let screen sizes get in the way of your conversions. Bring user experience to perfection and identify any device, browser, and operating system by parsing User-Agent strings in real-time.

From a few hundred API requests a month, all the way to several million a day — the scalable cloud infrastructure can adapt to your project at any stage. The free plan can get you going with 10,000 user-agent requests per month. When you’re ready to expand, you can subscribe starting at $9.99 a month. It’s a very affordable solution for startups.

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