Steam Deck Docking Station delayed due to parts shortage

Valve announced that it would have to delay its docking station due to part shortages and COVID closures at its manufacturing facilities. The firm stated that it was working to improve the situation, but did not have anything more to say beyond that. Luckily, the delay does not seem to impact the Steam Deck console, as it is being produced in a different factory.

The Valve Steam Deck has been a popular item, with pre-order fulfillments now being promised for sometime after October 2022. Unfortunately, there is now a delay with the Steam Deck Docking Station accessory. Originally slated to make its retail debut at the end of Spring 2022, now it has been postponed indefinitely.

As a bit of silver lining, Valve quietly updated the Docking Station in late April, bringing a number of improvements to the unreleased dock. Originally, the unit had one USB-A 3.1 port, two USB-A 2.0 ports, and an Ethernet port. With the update, the new model will offer three USB-A 3.1 ports and an upgrade to a Gigabit Ethernet port. Valve also stated that it will be making improvements to the dock and its compatibility with USB-C hubs and external displays.

While this might seem like bad news, the company has had a run of good news prior to this announcement. Valve announced the official release of Windows 10 and Windows 11 audio drivers. It also launched its partnership with iFixit, making replacement parts and repair guides available for the console. Finally, a stable release of SteamOS 3.2 made its way to consoles, giving users the ability to lower the console’s refresh rate to 40Hz, along with better fan control through the OS itself.

As of now, a new timeline for the release of the Docking Station is unknown. Furthermore, Valve has yet to commit to a price on the device. Hopefully, we will get an update in the coming months, giving Steam Deck owners a bit more clarity on the accessory’s future.

Source: Steam

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New Spotify beta runs natively on Arm64-based Windows PCs

Spotify is the latest major app to support Arm64-based Windows PCs with the launch of a native Arm version of its desktop app, as spotted by Reddit user Matze19999. While it’s only available in beta right now, an app compiled to run natively on Arm64 processors, such as the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8cx, is bound to run a lot faster and smoother than the existing version.

Performance has been one of the biggest issues with Arm64-based Windows PCs since they debuted, and it’s not because the processors themselves are necessarily slow. Windows has been built around the x86 architecture for years, and Arm64 processors can only run x86 apps via emulation, thus resulting in less than stellar performance. Over the years, more apps have been compiled for Arm64, but there’s still a lot that’s missing.

Spotify is probably one of the biggest names to start catering to Arm64 Windows devices, such as Microsoft’s own Surface Pro X. The current version is only available in beta and that means there are bound to be some issues. Specifically, Spotify says you may be unable to play certain video podcasts, but for now, you can work around this by using the Share button to copy a link to the episode and watching it on the web instead.

If you’re already running Spotify, you’ll need to delete the current version of the app from your PC before installing the Arm64 version. If you’re ready to make the switch, you can download the Spotify beta here.

It’s been a few years since Microsoft brought Windows 10 to Arm processors, and the ecosystem hasn’t grown as quickly as one might have hoped. However, it seems like Microsoft is finally taking it seriously, as just last week it announced some big news for Arm development, including a full native Arm toolchain and Project Volterra, a new system for developing and testing apps for Arm64 Windows devices. Hopefully, that means we’ll see a lot more apps ported to Arm64 in the coming months.

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Source: Spotify Community
Via: Matze19999 (Reddit)

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Google Chrome may soon add a tabbed mode for Progressive Web Apps

Progressive Web Apps are web pages that are designed to function like native apps. They’re increasingly gaining traction on the web, with Google reporting a whopping 270% rise in web app installations last year. PWAs, as convenient as they are, have a lot of room to grow. One major limitation of web apps is that they don’t support a tabbed experience. In other words, a web app can’t open multiple pages in a single window. But that may change soon.

According to a recent update on Chrome Platform Status, Google is working on adding a tab strip for web app windows. The proposed tabbed mode will allow web apps to open links and pages in tabs in the same window. Currently, when you click on a link in a web app, it opens in the web browser, with the web app fading into the background. This will change with the tabbed mode.

Currently, PWAs in a standalone window can only have one page open at a time. Some apps expect users to have many pages open at once. Tabbed mode adds a tab strip to standalone web apps that allows multiple tabs to be open at once.

A screenshot shared by a Chrome team member showcases what the tabbed experience will look like. Note that the feature is still in development, so the UI may not be finalized. Google also notes that they’re only building this feature for the desktop for now. There’s currently no plan for Android support.

As you can see in the screenshot, the tabs look a lot like browser tabs, except that all tabs belong to a single web app.

Google says users will be able to test the feature by enabling a new flag, “enable-desktop-pwas-tab-strip.” However, there’s no word on when it will go live in Chrome.

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Source: Chrome Platform Status, Google Groups

Via: Windows Latest 

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How to install Google Assistant on the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 series

After what seemed like an eternity, Google Assistant is finally here for the Galaxy Watch 4. This was the only major missing from Samsung’s otherwise great Wear OS smartwatch, which also happens to be the only watch on the market to run Wear OS 3 out of the box. If you still haven’t installed Google Assistant on your Galaxy Watch 4 and bid farewell to Bixby, now is the right time. We’ll show you in simple steps how to get Google Assistant up and running on your Galaxy Watch 4 or Galaxy Watch 4 Classic. Assistant support is officially only available in 10 markets, but this guide will also show you how to bypass that restriction and get the feature in any country.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 4

The Galaxy Watch 4 is one of the best Wear OS watch on the market, featuring Google Assistant support and advanced health features.

Buy from Samsung

How to install Google Assistant on your Galaxy Watch 4

Before you proceed, make sure your smartphone is nearby and connected to your Galaxy Watch 4.

• Swipe up on your Galaxy Watch 4 to open the app drawer.

• Open the Google Play Store app and scroll down to “My Apps.” You should see a pending update for Assistant. If you don’t see an update there, use Play Store’s search bar to search “Google Assistant.”

• Tap “Update” or “Install” to download the app.

• Once downloaded, tap open to get started. Alternatively, you can also find the Assistant app in the app drawer.

 

• Click “Get started” and then “Open on phone to active” to initiate the setup on your phone.
• Follow on-screen instructions on your phone to activate Google Assistant.

That’s it. You can now use the “Hey Google” hotword to summon Assistant on your watch.

How to sideload Google Assistant on the Galaxy Watch 4

According to Samsung’s website, Google Assistant support on the Galaxy Watch 4 is only available in ten markets: Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Taiwan, Korea, The UK, and the US. However, it’s possible to get Assistant up and running on your Galaxy Watch 4 even if it’s not officially available in your market. Here’s how.

• On your smartphone, download Google Assistant wearable APK from APKMirror and install it.
• Next, you’ll need to install Easy Fire Tools from the Play Store on your phone.

Easy Fire Tools (Free, Google Play) →

• Pick up your watch and navigate to Settings > About Watch > Software > Software Version.

• Keep tapping “Software Version” until you see a toast message “Developer mode turned on.”
• Now return to the main settings page, and you’ll see “Developer options” just above “Software update.”

• Go to Developer options and turn on “ADB debugging.”

• Note down the IP address [192.168.XXX.XX] that appears under “Debug over Wi-Fi.” Ignore 5555 at the end.
• Open Easy Fire Tools on your phone. Click on the hamburger menu and navigate to Settings > IP Address.

• Remove the existing address and enter the IP address you noted down from your watch. Tap OK to save and return to the main screen.
• From there, tap on the Plug icon located in the top right corner to establish the ADB connection with the watch. Make sure the watch and phone are connected to the same Wi-Fi network.

• When prompted, grant the debugging request on your watch.
• From the Installed Apps list, select Assistant APK and tap “Yes” to sideload.

• Wait for the transfer and installation to complete, which may take a while.
• After successful installation, you should see the Assistant app in the app drawer.

How to remap the home button to launch Google Assistant

The home button on your Galaxy Watch 4 is set to launch Bixby by default. Here’s how to remap it to Google Assistant:

• Swipe up on your Galaxy Watch 4 to open the app drawer.

• Tap on the Settings app and scroll down to Advanced features.

• Then go to “Customize keys.”

• Choose “Press and hold” action and select Assistant.

And that’s it. You should now have Assistant mapped to the side button.

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Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 Classic

The Galaxy Watch 4 Classic is one of the best Wear OS watch on the market, featuring Google Assistant support and advanced health features.

Buy from Samsung

There’s practically no reason you should be using Samsung’s Bixby when a superior alternative exists in the form of Google Assistant. Assistant blows Bixby out of the water in almost everything, offering faster response times and wider compatibility with smart home devices. Looking to customize and protect your Galaxy Watch 4? Check out the best Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 bands and cases.

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OnePlus could launch only one other flagship phone this year: the OnePlus 10T 5G

After sticking to a regular launch cycle for its flagship smartphones over the last few years, OnePlus shook things up in H2 2021. The company first announced that it wouldn’t launch the usual ‘T’ series incremental updates for its flagships last year. Then, earlier this year, the company unveiled its next-gen flagship, the OnePlus 10 Pro, several months ahead of its usual launch schedule, but only in the Chinese market.

A few months down the line, the company brought the device to international markets. However, it didn’t launch a vanilla OnePlus 10 along with it, even though the device was spotted in various leaks. The company never confirmed nor denied the existence of the vanilla variant. A new report suggests that OnePlus has had a change of heart once again, and it now plans to skip the OnePlus 10 in favor of a new device called the OnePlus 10T 5G.

The latest leaked information comes from noted OnePlus leaker Max Jambor. In a recent tweet, Jambor claims that OnePlus will launch only one other flagship smartphone this year — the OnePlus 10T 5G. When asked about the previously leaked OnePlus 10 Ultra, Jambor says that there is no ‘Ultra’ model in the pipeline.

Final name of the next and only flagship phone coming this year: OnePlus 10T 5G

— Max Jambor (@MaxJmb) June 1, 2022

Given that several sources have previously highlighted the existence of an ‘Ultra’ model in the OnePlus 10 lineup, we suspect that the aforementioned OnePlus 10T 5G might just be a rebranded version of the device spotted in previous leaks. If that’s the case, the OnePlus 10T 5G will likely feature Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 chip and 150W wired fast charging support. At the moment, we don’t have any further information about the upcoming OnePlus flagship. We’ll make sure to let you know as soon as we have more details.

What do you think about OnePlus’ updated strategy? Do you feel the company’s unnecessarily complicating things like a few other Chinese OEMs? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.

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WhatsApp may soon let you edit sent text messages

WhatsApp users may soon be able to fix typos and errors in sent text messages. Users have been requesting WhatsApp to add the ability to edit text messages for years, and it looks like the feature may soon become a reality.

According to WABetainfo, WhatsApp is working on an edit button that will let users make changes to messages after they have been sent. In the absence of an edit button, WhatsApp users have long used the asterisk to signify spelling corrections, while the other option being deleting a message altogether. But users might soon have a more efficient way to correct spelling errors. You can see the edit button and the process of editing a message in action in the screenshot below.

To edit a message, users will have to long-press on the sent message and click on the three-dot menu. After selecting the edit option, users will be able to make necessary changes to the original message and resend it. It’s unclear if there’ll be a time window for editing messages.

WhatsApp’s plan to add an edit button dates back to 2017. The first evidence of the edit feature was found in the WhatsApp beta for Android version 2.17.26. However, the feature never made it to end users. It’s worth noting that WhatsApp’s rival Telegram has allowed users to edit messages for years.

The edit button is still in development and hasn’t been rolled out to WhatsApp users. As with all WhatsApp experiments, the feature will likely arrive first on the beta channel. If you want to be the first to try it out, you can sign up for the beta program here.

In other news, WhatsApp Messages Reactions have widely rolled out to users. The feature allows users to add quick emoji reactions to text messages, similar to iMessage and Instagram.

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Source: WABetainfo

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Google’s Pixel Watch will reportedly have single-day battery life

The long-awaited Google Pixel Watch was finally unveiled at this year’s Google I/O, though the company was particularly cagey about its specifications. There’s been a drip-feed of Pixel Watch leaks over the past while since then, kick-started by a device reportedly being found in a restaurant right before its I/O debut. We’ve heard that it’ll pack an older Exynos chipset for starters, and we’ve also heard that it may have a 300 mAh battery and LTE connectivity support. Now we’re hearing that the Pixel Watch may have single-day battery life, an estimate that Google is said to have made internally.

The report comes from 9to5Google, citing sources from within the company. They were unable to ascertain under what conditions those estimates are, with the biggest question being as to whether or not an always-on display was enabled. It also doesn’t mention whether or not that day includes a night of sleep tracking or not. Plenty of Wear OS watches have poor battery life, but they’ll last you a day, a night of sleep tracking, and then expect you to charge it up in the morning while you get ready. Sometimes, you can stretch them out until the following evening.

As a result, a day of battery life isn’t too unreasonable for a Wear OS smartwatch, as other smartwatches often manage to tout about the same. It’s only devices from the likes of Huawei, Amazfit, OPPO, and more with their own proprietary operating systems that can pull much longer battery life from their watches.

However, the problem may become particularly ugly when it comes to charging. According to the report, the Google Pixel Watch will not offer fast charging with its USB-C to the magnetic dock charging cradle. It’s “nowhere near” as fast as the Apple Watch 7 which charges to full in 75 minutes, or up to 75% in 45 minutes. That’s the worst part, as while a watch with single-day battery life isn’t great, having to wait a long time for it to charge may mean it’s out of the running for anyone looking to pick up Google’s first smartwatch offering. 9to5Google says it reportedly takes up to 110 minutes to charge to full, which is an insanely long time.

Think about it this way: let’s say that usage time includes using your watch for the day, sleeping, then needing to charge it. That means to charge your watch fully for the day (and to use it for sleep tracking that night), you’ll need to charge it for just shy of two whole hours in the morning when you wake up. That’s just not feasible for a lot of people.

We’ll be waiting to see if these estimates from Google come to fruition, or if the company was just being conservative in its guesses. It’s definitely not a good sign for the Pixel Watch, though.

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Source: 9to5Google

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