Latest update for Fitbit Sense and Versa 3 brings audible Google responses

Owners of Fitbit Sense and Versa 3 are in for a treat. A new FitbitOS update is now rolling out to your device, packed with many new features and improvements. Among other things, the latest update makes it easier to access your SpO2 data, adds high and low heart rate notifications, enables audible Google responses, and more.

Both Fitbit Sense and Versa 3 come equipped with an SpO2 sensor that can track your blood oxygen levels. Right now, you can see your average nightly blood oxygen level and trends from the Health and Metrics Dashboard in the Fitbit app and the SpO2 clock face. With this update, you can now access these data right from the on-wrist Today Dashboard.

Next up, the new update is adding the high and low heart rate notifications. Fitbit Sense users already have this feature, and now it’s finally making its way to the Versa 3. If you have 24/7 heart rate tracking enabled, your Versa 3 can now detect and notify you if your heart rate is unusually low or high. Another nifty addition in this update is audible Google responses:

With this latest update you can now get audio responses from Google—if you ask to set an alarm, Google responds with: “Done. Your alarm’s set for tomorrow at 7am.” If you ask Google how you slept, Google responds with: “Since yesterday, you slept a total of 8 hr and 15 mins.”

The process of changing clock faces is now easier. You can swap clock faces right from the home screen. Just long-press on the current watch face, and it will open up the Clocks app with all available watch faces. Finally, the latest FitbitOS update also adds several new on-wrist celebrations, which will be shown on the display when you achieve your health and fitness goals to keep you inspired.

Aside from this update, Fitbit is also working on adding a new Snore & Noise Detect feature to the Fitbit companion app. This feature will use the microphone on your Fitbit device to tell you how much time you spent snoring during your sleep.

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Best external monitors for the 24-inch Apple iMac with M1: ASUS, LG, Samsung, and more!

Apple announced a refresh to its iMac range with a new model at its Spring Loaded event last month. The latest version comes in a variety of colors and is redesigned to have a very sleek-looking profile. It’s also powered by Apple’s in-house chipset, the M1 Silicon. If you’re planning to get your hands on the new 24-inch iMac, especially with a multi-monitor setup, we’ve got some notes for you.

First of all, the new iMac supports only one external monitor with up to 6K resolution and a 60Hz refresh rate. As explained by my colleague, if you attempt to use more than one external screen, the iMac will just start mirroring the display. The same applies if you’re trying to use an adapter or a dock. This essentially means that you’re limited to a dual-monitor setup. The iMac also comes with only two Thunderbolt ports, regardless of the model you choose (the higher variant has two more USB C ports that are just USB 3 and not Thunderbolt). This means that you’ll end up losing a Thunderbolt port if you plan on connecting a second display.

If you’re fine with just one additional display, then here are some of the best monitors for iMac 2021.

Apple Pro Display XDR

Most premium experience

Want to go all-out and get the best display experience possible on the new iMac? You need to get Apple’s Pro Display XDR. It costs a fortune, but with a 6K resolution, 1600-nits of peak brightness, and support for Dolby Vision, HDR10, and Hybrid-Log Gamma (HLG) playback, it doesn’t get better than this.

Buy from Amazon

ASUS ProArt Display PA279CV

Best for media creators

The ASUS ProArt PA279CV is a solid display if you plan on using your new iMac for creative tasks like photo or video editing. It comes with a 27-inch 4K resolution IPS panel that offers 100% sRGB coverage, factory calibrated for Delta E < 2 color accuracy and a USB-C port for seamless connectivity.

Buy from Amazon

LG 38WN95C-W

Best ultrawide experience

The 38-inch LG 38WN95C-W is one of the best ultra-wide monitors on the market. It features Thunderbolt 3 connectivity, so it's easy to hook up and the panel itself is pretty impressive with VESA DisplayHDR 600 certification, and 98% coverage of DCI-P3. It also comes with a 144Hz refresh rate with 1ms response time for a smooth experience.

Buy from Amazon

ASUS ZenScreen Portable Monitor (MB16AC)

Compact and affordable

The ZenScreen portable monitor from ASUS should be a great companion for the new iMac. Having a compact, portable design, it can be easily installed and moved away from your desk effortlessly. It offers a 15.6-inch IPS panel while a USB-C port ensures a single port connectivity solution.

Buy from Amazon

LG Ultragear 27GN650-B

Best 1080p monitor with HDR

For its price, the 27-inch LG Ultragear 27GN650-B is a winner if you're looking for the best 1080p performance. The monitor comes with an IPS panel with support for basic HDR, 144Hz refresh rate, and support for FreeSync and G-SYNC.

Buy from Amazon

Samsung Business SH850

QHD on a budget

Samsung’s latest Business series monitors are actually pretty good for the asking price. The SH850 has a 24-inch panel which makes it symmetrical to the display on the iMac, and while it cannot match up to the resolution, it is still one of the best QHD monitors at this budget. As a bonus, it comes with USB-C connectivity and a 3-year warranty.

Buy from Amazon

The Apple Pro Display XDR is going to be the premier choice with the new iMac but it is also one of the more expensive options. If you are a content creator, you would be served decently with the ASUS ProArt Display as well. If you just need to a secondary display to throw some chat apps on, then the Samsung Business series will also get the job done.

If you are planning on adding an external monitor to your new iMac, we suggest that you use a Thunderbolt dock so you don’t lose out on a precious Thunderbolt port. We recently listed some of the best Thunderbolt docks on the market today. Additionally, if you’re interested, we also have a list of some of the best Thunderbolt 3 laptops.

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Chrome OS 91 adds Nearby Share for file transfer between Chromebooks and Android

In June last year, we first learned that Android’s Nearby Share feature would make its way to several other platforms, including Chrome OS, Windows, macOS, and Linux. We were able to try the feature on Chrome OS soon thereafter by enabling a couple of experimental flags. Now, almost a year after we first spotted the feature, it has finally started rolling out to users with Chrome OS 91.

In a recent blog post, Google announced that it has started rolling out Chrome OS 91 to supported devices. The update brings several new features to the platform, with Nearby Share support being the most significant addition. Once you receive the update on your Chromebook, you’ll be able to use the feature to easily share files with an Android device or other supported Chromebooks. Much like the Android version, Nearby Share on Chrome OS can send files over Bluetooth, Bluetooth LE, WebRTC, and peer-to-peer Wi-Fi, so you’ll be able to transfer files to a connected device even without an internet connection.

Notification badge support in Chrome OS

Along with Nearby Share, the latest Chrome OS update brings support for Android-style notification badges. These notification badges will appear on app icons to notify you when the app has an active notification or something new for you to view. Furthermore, the update includes a host of new wallpapers and account images for Chromebooks by artist Leo Natsume.

Offline access for Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides files

On top of that, Chrome OS 91 also brings offline access support for Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides files from the Files app. As you can see in the GIF attached above, this feature will let you easily open and edit Docs, Sheets, and Slides files even when you’re not connected to the internet. Unlike the other features mentioned above, offline file access support isn’t live at the moment. Google will roll it out to users later this month.

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Apple may finally equip future iPads with OLED screens

Apple’s newly launched iPad Pro 2021 comes with a mini-LED display. But it looks like the smaller models in the lineup, such as the iPad Air, will come with an OLED display, a new report has revealed.

The Korean publication ETNews, citing industry sources, says that Apple has decided to switch to using OLED panels for some iPad models launching in 2022. Samsung and LG, who provide OLED panels for iPhones, are belived to be the suppliers, the report notes.

Apple has made an agreement on production and supplying with Korean OLED manufacturers for the next iPad’s OLED display. Starting 2022, Apple will feature OLED displays in select iPad models. Samsung Display and LG Display is expected to work with Apple.https://t.co/qDBt5QpClu

— Tron ❂ (@FrontTron) May 31, 2021

Known Apple analyst Min-Chi-Kuo was the first to reveal this change back in March. At the time, Kuo said that the upcoming iPad Pro 2021 would feature a mini-LED display while some iPad models would switch to OLED panels starting next year.

If true, this will be the first time that the Cupertino giant will use an OLED panel on an iPad. Although Apple has been using OLED panels on its iPhones since 2017, it has continued to use LCDs on the iPad lineup. The new iPad Pro 2021 uses mini LED, but the underlying technology is still based on LCD.

iPad Pro 2021 Review: Apple’s M1 is too powerful for “just” an iPad

While OLED panels have become commonplace on smartphones, it’s still a rarety in the tablet space. Except for a handful of tablets such as Galaxy Tab S7 Plus, Lenovo Pad Pro, and Galaxy Tab S6, most tablets on the market, including iPads, come with an LCD. A properly calibrated OLED can provide many benefits over an LCD, including richer colors, deeper contrasts, and lower power draw. At the same time, OLED panels are also prone to issues like screen burn-in.

Switching to OLED will likely happen in a phased manner. According to Kuo, the iPad Air will be the first to adopt an OLED panel.

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Featured image: iPad Pro (2021)

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Dolby Vision, Atmos could come to PS5 and Switch as they aren’t Xbox exclusive

Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos could come to the Sony PlayStation 5 and the Nintendo Switch as Microsoft has confirmed that it doesn’t have an exclusivity deal with Dolby. The confirmation came shortly after Microsoft’s Xbox France team erroneously shared a blog post claiming that the company had signed a two-year console exclusivity deal with Dolby.

For the unaware, the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S are the first consoles to feature Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos support. While the consoles came with Dolby Atmos support at launch, Dolby recently confirmed that it was rolling out Dolby Vision support to Xbox Insiders part of the Preview Alpha ring. Shortly after the announcement, Xbox Wire France shared a blog post claiming that Microsoft had signed a two-year console exclusivity deal for Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos.

Microsoft has now removed the post and issued a clarification, which states (via Engadget):

“A blog post was mistakenly published by a local Xbox team that included inaccurate information regarding exclusivity of Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision on Xbox Series X|S. There is no exclusivity agreement of either tech on Xbox. We are proud to partner with Dolby to offer Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision to gamers on Xbox and will have more to share about the general availability of Dolby Vision on Xbox Series X|S soon.”

Thanks to this clarification, you can now expect Sony and Nintendo to offer Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos support on the PlayStation 5 and the upcoming Switch upgrade. At the moment, the companies haven’t shared any information on the matter. But as the technologies gain more traction and developers release more games with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos support, Sony and Nintendo will likely update their consoles to support the new technologies. We’ll let you know as soon as we receive an official confirmation from Sony or Nintendo.

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Realme confirms its flagship Realme GT is coming to Europe

Realme launched the flagship Realme GT in its home country China back in March. At the time, the company didn’t reveal any plans to bring the phone to international markets. But it looks like Realme is all set to launch its Snapdragon 888-powered flagship globally. The Realme GT recently received certification from the Dutch testing company Telefication, hinting at an imminent launch. And now we have the official confirmation from the company.

Realme has officially confirmed to XDA that the company will soon launch the Realmed GT flagship in Europe. There’s no launch date set in the stone yet, but when the phone launches, it will go on sale from Realme’s online store as well as AliExpress. Although we don’t have any official confirmation regarding pricing at this point, the known tipster Sudhanshu has it the phone could be priced around €400 for the base model.

Some details about realme GT 5G, as per source

•Will debut in Europe in this month.
•Will be available in Blue (Glass) and Yellow (Vegan Leather) color options.
•Storage options & Prices (may vary by +/- €20)
-8GB+128GB: €400
-12GB+256GB: €450 pic.twitter.com/kOjdbaRhlW

— Sudhanshu (@Sudhanshu1414) June 1, 2021

As a refresher, the Realme GT is an affordable Snapdragon 888-powered flagship. It packs a 6.43-inch Super AMOLED FHD+ display with a 120Hz refresh rate, 8GB/12GB RAM, triple rear cameras headlined by a 64MP Sony IMX682 primary shooter, a 4,500mAh battery with 65 SuperDart fast charging support, stainless steel VC cooling system, an in-display fingerprint scanner from Goodix. The phone runs Android 11 out of the box, and the company has also promised to release an Android 12 beta soon.

Realme GT: Specifications

Specification	Realme GT
Dimensions and Weight	Vegan Leather edition: 158.5mm x 73.3mm x 9.1mm 186.5g Glass model: 158.5mm x 73.3mm x 8.4mm 186g
Display	6.43″ Super AMOLED 2400 x 1080 (Full HD+) 120Hz refresh rate 98% NTSC 100% P3 Hole-punch
SoC	Qualcomm Snapdragon 888: 1x Kryo 680 Prime Core @ 2.84GHz 3x Kryo 680 Performance Cores @ 2.4GHz 4x Kryo 680 Efficiency Cores @ 1.8GHz Adreno 660
RAM and Storage	8GB/12GB LPDDR5 RAM @ 3200MHz 128GB/256GB UFS 3.1 flash storage
Battery & Charging	4,500mAh (2x2250mAh) 65W Super Dart fast charging VOOC 3.0: 20W QC 2.0: 18W PD 3.0: 18W Reverse charging (5V/1.3A)
Rear Camera	Primary: 64MP, f/1.8, Sony IMX682 Secondary: 8MP, f/2.3, ultra-wide Tertiary: 2MP, f/2.4, macro
Front Camera	16MP, f/2.5
Ports	USB Type-C port 3.5mm audio jack
Audio	Dual speakers Hi-Res certified Dolby Panorama Dolby Atmos Tactile Engine Motor Goodix’s Voice and Audio solutions, AudioCapture, and VoiceExperience software
Security	Optical under-display fingerprint scanner by Goodix
Connectivity	5G NR: SA：n77/78/79/38/40/41(2496-2690MHz)/1/3/5/7/8/20/28 NSA：n77/78/79/38/40/41(2496-2690MHz)/1/3/5/7/8/20/28 4G LTE FDD: B1/B2/B3/B4/B5/B7/B8/B12/B13/B17/B18/B19/B20/B25/B26/B28/B32/B66 TD-LTE: B34/B38/B39/B40/B41(2496-2690MHz)/B42 3G WCDMA: B1/B2/B4/B5/B6/B8/B19 2G GSM: 850/900/1800/1900 5G DSDS NFC Bluetooth 5.2 WiFi 802.11.b/g/n/ac (2.4GHz + 5GHz), WiFi 6E 2×2 MIMO antenna Dual SIM
Software	Android 11 with Realme UI 2.0

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UK approves £31B merger between Virgin Media and mobile network O2

Following a lengthy and in-depth investigation by the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) starting in May of 2020, the merger between Virgin Media and O2 has been approved. Virgin Media CEO Lutz Schüler will take the role of CEO at Virgin Media O2, while O2’s CFO, Patricia Cobian, will also take on the role of CFO. The two companies combined will have 47 million subscribers across broadband, mobile, TV, and home phone.

Martin Coleman, CMA panel inquiry chair, said: “O2 and Virgin are important suppliers of services to other companies who serve millions of consumers. It was important to make sure that this merger would not leave these people worse off. That’s why we conducted an in-depth investigation.”

“After looking closely at the deal, we are reassured that competition amongst mobile communications providers will remain strong and it is therefore unlikely that the merger would lead to higher prices or lower quality services.”

Previously, Virgin Media operated as a broadband provider, TV provider, and as a Mobile Virtual Network Operator, or an MVNO. This means that they use another company’s network infrastructure to provide its services. In Virgin Media’s case, it signed a 5-year deal with Vodafone to provide its mobile services, ending a decades-long partnership with the BT-owned EE at the time. It is unknown whether or not Virgin Media will continue to fulfill its Vodafone partnership.

If you already use O2’s or Virgin Media’s services, then you’re unlikely to notice any differences in the immediate future. However, going forward, it’s likely that there will be all-inclusive deals that the company will roll out to customers.

“While there is no change to existing services today, plans are well underway to offer seamless broadband, entertainment and mobile services all in one place, under one roof, later this year,” the company said in a statement.

“Through a dedicated function, business and public sector customers are set to benefit from a richer suite of products and collective expertise from Virgin Media O2 Business. This includes a variety of managed connectivity services and flexible working capabilities, security, data insight, 5G private networks and cloud solutions, as well as wholesale services to other operators and partners.”

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