If Microsoft Edge is your browser of choice, you’re going to have an improved typing experience from now on, thanks to a new update. Microsoft has integrated its popular service — Microsoft Editor — right into the Edge browser now. If you’re unaware of Microsoft Editor, it’s an add-on that checks your content for misspelled words and grammatical errors. Although Microsoft Editor has been available as an extension on the Edge Add-ons site for a while, Microsoft has now announced that they’re integrating the service directly into the Edge browser to make the experience more seamless.
The feature is still under testing, so it’s currently available to Insiders in the US and only supports English. If you’re using either the Dev version or the Canary build of Edge on your Windows PC, you should be eligible for this update. Once you enable the feature, typing inside a text field will cause red squiggly lines to appear underneath misspelled words. If there’s a grammatical error or the Microsoft Editor thinks you can write a sentence in a better way, you will see a blue line instead.
If you wish to see the suggested improvements and corrections, click on the underlined items, and you will get an option to either accept the suggestion or ignore it. Microsoft says they’re working on expanding this feature to other languages and regions too. So if you want the feature to support your preferred language/region, head over to Menu > Help and feedback > Send feedback and let Microsoft know.
This is a good initiative by Microsoft, and it greatly benefits Edge users who type a lot of content (like me!) but don’t have access to third-party extensions to check for spelling and grammatical errors. If you type out a lot of e-mails too, you will certainly appreciate this feature.
It’s Cybersecurity Awareness Month, and companies are taking this opportunity to make their products safer for users. We’ve already seen Mozilla add password auto-fill support on Firefox for Android. Now, Google wants to make your online experience more secure by introducing critical improvements to how you sign in on different apps and services. The most notable of these changes is a feature that lets you easily access your saved passwords via the Google app on your smartphone.
In a recent announcement, Google revealed that you will now be able to access passwords saved in Google’s password manager more conveniently. If you’re an ardent Chrome user, you would already be familiar with the password manager built into the browser. It lets you store passwords whenever you sign up on a new website, allowing you to quickly log in the next time you visit that website.
The same password manager is also available on other products, including Android and the Google app. But it doesn’t allow you to access your saved passwords on these platforms. However, with an upcoming update, Google is adding the ability to let you access your saved passwords directly from the Google app.
Following the update, you will be able to access the password in a much simpler way by just opening the Google app on your smartphone. This is especially useful if you’ve used Chrome’s auto-fill feature to generate a complex password for a service you signed up for and you don’t remember it.
While accessing your saved passwords through Chrome isn’t all that complicated, the new update will make the process even simpler. Once it starts rolling out, you should see the Password Manager in the Google app menu. Currently, Google hasn’t shared a release timeline for the features. We’ll update this post as soon as we have more information.
In March this year, Google first announced a new Eco-friendly routes feature for Google Maps. The company once again highlighted this feature at I/O 2021 in May and also showcased a new Safer Routing feature. Google is now finally rolling it out to users, along with a host of other sustainability features for other services.
New sustainability features in Google Maps
In a recent blog post, Google has announced that it’s adding three new features to Google Maps that will help users reduce their carbon footprint while traveling. These include Eco-friendly routing, Lite navigation for cyclists, and Bike and scooter share information.
The Eco-friendly routing feature has started rolling out to users in the US. It shows users the most fuel-efficient route from point A to B, along with the fastest route in Google Maps. In addition, it highlights the relative fuel savings and ETA difference between the two routes. Google plans to release the feature in Europe and other regions next year.
Google has also highlighted a Lite navigation feature for cyclists. The feature is live on Android and will roll out on iOS in the coming months. It essentially provides essential navigation details to cyclists, thereby eliminating the need to keep the screen on or enter turn-by-turn navigation. Thanks to the feature, cyclists can get important information, like trip progress, ETA update in real-time, and the route’s elevation, with a glance.
Lastly, Google has revealed that it has rolled out the Bike and scooter share information to over 300 cities globally. The feature gives users easy access to nearby bike/scooter sharing stations. It even pinpoints how many vehicles are available at a given time in major locations across Berlin, New York, São Paulo, and Taipei.
Find flights with lower carbon emissions
To help you reduce your carbon footprint while traveling by air, Google Flights has introduced a new feature that shows carbon emission estimates for nearly every flight in the search results. The estimate appears right next to the price and duration of the flight, allowing environment-conscious users to factor in carbon emissions alongside the cost and timings while booking a flight.
The carbon emission estimates in Google Flights are both flight-specific and seat-specific, meaning that older aircraft will show a higher estimate than newer aircraft, and economy seats will show a lower estimate than first-class seats. To help users easily pick flights with significantly lower emissions, Google Flights will label them with a green badge and offer a filter to sort flights based on their emissions.
New Climate Change page in Google Search
Along with the new features in Maps and Flights, Google will also add a dedicated page for Climate Change in Google Search (via 9to5Google) later this month. The page will give users access to relevant information about climate change, news, causes, effects, and more. The page also includes a “Take action” tab that lists things you can do to help limit climate change.
In addition, Google is also making it easier to find electric and other eco-friendly vehicles in Google Search. As you can see in the attached GIF, search results will now surface climate-conscious models and let users compare them while helping them understand the benefits of picking an EV. Search results for Electric and Hybrid plug-in vehicles will be marked with green tags and include a “Charging” tab with information about time to refuel, charging stations near you, and a tool to calculate the annual energy cost estimate.
Miscellaneous changes
Google will also show more cost-effect and sustainable alternatives in Google Shopping when you look up energy-intensive appliances in the US. Google Finance will also expand its sustainability score to your entire tracked portfolio to show your investments’ sustainability. Lastly, Google also shared some research on making traffic lights more efficient to reduce idling time. The company is piloting this effort in Rio de Janeiro, with plans to soon bring it to more locations.
After sharing a teaser for an upcoming tablet late last month, HMD Global has now unveiled the Nokia T20. It’s the company’s first Nokia-branded tablet, and it offers budget hardware at an affordable price. Read on to learn more about the new Nokia T20.
Nokia T20: Specifications
Specification
Nokia T20
Dimensions & Weight
247.6 x 157.5 x 7.8mm
470g (Wi-Fi+LTE)
465g (Wi-Fi only)
Display
10.4-inch LCD
1200 x 2000p
5:3 aspect ratio
400nits
Toughened glass
SGS low blue light certification
Brightness boost
SoC
UNISOC T610 octa-core
2x Cortex A75 @1.8GHz
6x Cortex A55 @1.8GHz
RAM & Storage
3GB + 32GB
4GB + 64GB
Expandable up to 512GB via microSD
Battery & Charging
8,200mAh
15W fast charging support
10W charger included
Security
Software-enabled Face Unlock
Rear Camera(s)
8MP AF
Front Camera(s)
5MP FF
Port(s)
USB Type-C
3.5mm headphone jack
Audio
Stereo speakers with power amplifier
Dual-mic
Connectivity
802.11 a/b/g/n/ac Wi-Fi
Bluetooth 5.0
GPS/A-GPS (LTE only)
LTE
Software
Android 11
Two years of OS upgrades
Three years of monthly security updates
Other Features
Google Kids Space
Google Entertainment Space
IP52 certification
The Nokia T20 features a minimal design with a sandblasted aluminum shell that curves around all edges. It features a 10.4-inch LCD with chunky bezels over on the front, a USB Type-C port, a 3.5mm headphone jack, stereo speakers, and a microSD card slot for expansion. The tablet packs the UNISOC T610 octa-core SoC, which features two Cortex A75 cores clocked at 1.8GHz and six Cortex A55 cores clocked at 1.8GHz. It’s paired with up to 4GB of RAM and 64GB of onboard storage.
The Nokia T20 comes in both LTE and Wi-Fi-only variants, with the LTE version featuring a single nano-SIM slot and GPS support. Both models pack an 8,200mAh battery that supports 15W wired fast charging. However, they come with a 10W charger in the box.
To help you click the occasional photo or make video calls, the Nokia T20 features an 8MP rear-facing camera and a 5MP selfie shooter. Other noteworthy features include IP52 certification, toughened glass on display, and FM radio. In terms of software, the Nokia T20 runs Android 11 out of the box. HMD Global has promised two years of OS upgrades and three years of monthly security updates for the tablet.
Pricing & Availability
The Nokia T20 will go on sale in the US starting November 17. It will be available in a single Ocean Blue colorway. The 4GB/64GB Wi-Fi configuration will set you back $249.99. HMD Global is yet to reveal the pricing information for the other variants.
The Nokia T20 joins a growing list of budget-friendly Android tablets launched recently. It will compete head-on with Motorola’s Moto Tab G20 and Realme’s Realme Pad.
Corsair has joined the long list of manufacturers throwing their hats into the DDR5 memory module ring. Today, the company has given us our first look at the next-gen Vengeance DDR5 memory kits. The Twitter post showing off the kits, however, doesn’t reveal any specifications.
Corsair’s post isn’t turning many heads, and that’s mainly due to the fact they are a little late to the party. Other manufacturers have already shared a lot of details about their upcoming DDR5 memory kits. But we’re still excited to check out the Vengeance kits. Corsair has had a great run with their DDR4 memory kits, and its Dominator Platinum RGB, Vengeance RGB Pro SL, Vengeance LPX kits, etc. are some of the popular picks. And we expect no less from the company’s DDR5 memory kits.
Are you ready for DDR5?
Here’s a first look at what our VENGEANCE DDR5 kits will look like
We expect Corsair to share more information about the kits as we get closer to the Intel Alder Lake-S launch, the first desktop processor series to support this new memory standard. The DDR5 memory standard brings a lot of improvements over DDR4, making it a solid option for next-gen HEDT systems. Corsair’s memory kits will most likely crank up the speeds and operate at 1.1v. DDR5 memory also increases the single DIMM capacity — 128GB in a single stick, up from 32GB in DDR4.
As rightly pointed out by the folks over at Videocardz, we also expect Corsair to launch the Dominator DDR5 memory series. The company has been teasing the kits from that series on its official website for a while now. A lot of enthusiasts have been asking for non-RGB sticks too, so it will be nice to see Corsair show some love to those who prefer a minimal setup.
Corsair has revealed little to no information about the pricing and availability of its new DDR5 memory sticks. That being said, we recommend saving up for the drop. The upcoming DDR5 kits will likely be very expensive at least until they go mainstream down the line with the arrival of AMD’s Zen 4. But we will start seeing these memory kits in the market as soon as Intel announces its next-gen processors.
During WWDC 2021, Apple revealed iOS 15, iPadOS 15, watchOS 8, tvOS 15, and macOS 12 Monterey. Following the big unveil, the company also announced that it would roll out proper Find My support to the AirPods Pro and AirPods Max later this year.
For reference, AirPods have always had limited Find My support. You can use it to play a sound through the Find My app and view directions on the map to reach them. However, they would only show up when they’re actively connected to an Apple device. So if someone moves them around after they disconnect from your device, that wouldn’t get reflected on the Find My map. Apple has finally fixed that in the latest firmware update.
The firmware update is exclusive to newer Apple headsets, so the AirPods 1st Gen aren’t included. While only the AirPods Pro and AirPods Max support the new Find My features, other Apple headset models have also been updated. The latest version numbers for the respective models are:
9to5Mac reports that once your AirPods Pro or AirPods Max receive the update, you will be able to get notified when you leave them behind, like most other Apple devices. Additionally, you will be able to mark them as lost and leave a message or phone number to be contacted if another iOS user finds them. They will also participate in the Find My network, so their location will stay up to date on the Find My map, even if you’re not connected to them, as long as an Apple user is in the vicinity.
It’s worth noting that current AirPods models don’t have a U1 chip, so Find My isn’t as accurate as it is while locating an AirTag. The AirPods 3rd Gen, which will come out later this year, could potentially include the UWB chip to enable that feature.
There’s no clear way to force AirPods to update, but placing them in their case, connecting to power, and placing them near your paired device seems to be the most reliable method. To check the firmware version of your AirPods, go to the Settings app > Bluetooth > click on the (i) button on [Your Name]’s AirPods, and there you will find the current version number.
What do you think of this upgrade for the Find My functionality on AirPods? Let us know in the comments section below.
After launching a host of exciting new products late last month, Amazon has reportedly started working on another cool smart home device that will make your life easier. The eCommerce giant’s next project is a smart fridge that will track what’s in it and help you order replacements when you’re about to run out.
According to a recent report from Insider (via ArsTechnica), Amazon’s physical-stores unit is working on the upcoming smart fridge. This is the same team that created the technology powering Amazon Go cashier-less stores, so we can expect to see the fridge use a similar computer-vision solution to keep track of inventory.
The fridge, code-named Project Pulse, will reportedly be able to track your inventory and purchase habits, use AI to predict what you want, and help you have it delivered before you run out. It will also be able to notify you when a product is about to run out or nearing its expiration date. The fridge might also include Alexa support.
Sources familiar with the project have revealed that Amazon is also considering adding other features, like recipe suggestions, to the smart fridge. This will essentially allow the refrigerator to help users use the ingredients in the fridge if they’re nearing expiration. Furthermore, the sources said that Amazon itself wouldn’t manufacture the smart fridge. Instead, the company is looking to partner with a home-appliance manufacturer and has already held high-level talks with several brands.
Amazon’s physical-stores unit has been working on the smart fridge project for at least two years. But it’s unclear when the company plans to launch it. It’s also possible that Amazon might end up scrapping the project if it doesn’t manage to develop a viable product.
Would you be interested in purchasing such a smart fridge for your home? Let us know in the comments section below.
