Spotify is testing in-app audio reactions that can be published as podcasts

Spotify is considered one of the largest music streaming services available. For the better part of two years, the company has pushed its way into new territories, building out its podcast library by signing on top talent. A new report shows that the company is testing a new feature, an in-app audio recorder that can upload content on its platform as a podcast.

A user posted screenshots to Reddit, giving us a glimpse of the feature in action. The feature is apparently being tested in Vietnam and will prompt users to record a reaction to music that was previously listened to. After listening to a playlist, a prompt was displayed on the screen, asking the user their opinion on the music. The screen hosts a button that can be pressed to record audio. Once the audio is recorded, it can be lightly edited, and background music can even be added. When complete, it can be published to Spotify, and it will be added to the platform as a podcast episode. While this is intriguing, it will be interesting to see how many will participate in this once and if it ever goes live.

Spotify is known for its experimentation, often willing to try new things that might not always succeed. While the experimentation is welcome, some in the Spotify community have voiced their frustration with the service, as it has missed deadlines to bring new features to the platform. Perhaps the most wanted feature, its HiFi service, has yet to come to the platform. More recently, the service has added new ways for users to listen to music, like its Friends Mix feature and it has even improved its UI for Premium subscribers. But the big question still remains, when will Spotify unveil its most wanted anticipated HiFi music service?

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Source: Reddit
Via: TechCrunch

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Alienware announces new gaming monitors with up to 360Hz refresh rate

Dell’s Alienware brand has announced a pair of new gaming monitors, the Alienware 25 and Alienware 27. Of the two, the Alienware 27 is more aimed toward higher-end gaming, while the Alienware 25 is a bit more mainstream while focusing on competitive e-sports gaming. Neither of these is extremely high-end, though, like the 480Hz display Alienware is using on some laptops now.

In addition to the sharp Quad HD resolution, the Alienware 27 comes with a 240Hz refresh rate by default, though it can be overclocked to 280Hz. It supports AMD FreeSync Premium Pro and it’s Nvidia G-Sync compatible, in addition to also officially supporting VESA Adaptive Sync. It’s a Nano IPS panel with a 1ms response time, and it also comes with 95% coverage of DCI-P3, making it suitable for content creation as well as gaming. There’s even a Creator Mode in the monitor’s OSD, which you can enable to get better color accuracy and uniformity for content creation. Beyond that, the display supports DisplayHDR 600 as well.

Aside from the panel itself, the monitor comes with Alienware’s Legend 2.0 design language, featuring 360-degree ventilation, improved cable management, and RGB lighting. The stand support tilt, swivel, height, and pivot adjustments, too.

As for the Alienware 25, it’s more of a mid-range offering, with Full HD resolution and a 360Hz refresh rate. It comes with AMD FreeSync Premium support and VESA Adaptive Sync certification, plus it has a response time as low as 0.5ms, so it’s ideal for competitive fast-paced titles. The monitor covers 99% of the sRGB color gamut as well.

Design-wise, the Alienware 25 has a different, hexagonal stand that takes up less desk space, and while it lacks RGB lighting, it still has a similar design language to the Alienware 27. It also supports tilt, height, swivel, and pivot adjustment, so you’re not missing out on those. There’s a retractable headphone stand, too, which the Alienware 27 also has.

Of the two monitors, the Alienware 25 will launch first in the US, with a release date set for September 7th for $449.99 USD (or $569.99 CAD in Canada). The Alienware 27 is set to launch on October 6th for $649.99 USD ($829.99 CAD).

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Do you need to buy Ring Protect for your doorbells and cameras?

If you’re looking to beef up your home security, Amazon’s Ring brand offers a solid range of smart security cameras, video doorbells, and security systems. However, to get the most out of your Ring products, you’ll need to get Ring Protect, a subscription plan that unlocks extra features and capabilities for your security cameras and video doorbells.

Buying a Ring Protect plan isn’t a requirement for using your Ring products. Rather it’s an optional upgrade that provides extra protection and perks for a fixed monthly or yearly fee. If you’re wondering whether you really need to buy a Ring Protect plan, here’s everything you need to know.

What benefits do you get with Ring Protect?

As mentioned above, you can use your Ring security camera or video doorbell without any subscription. Without Ring Protect, you can still view video footage with Live View, motion-activated notifications, two-way talk, and Theft Protection. However, you won’t be able to record videos or access old history. For that, you’ll need a Ring Protect plan.

There are three plans you can choose from:

• Ring Protect Basic: This is the cheapest plan and unlocks all essential features, including a video recording history of the last 180 days, the ability to download and share recorded videos, custom motion notifications, and Snapshot Capture. The Basic plan only covers one device and costs $3.99 monthly or $39.99 yearly. You can buy an individual subscription for two devices and still pay less than the Plus plan.
• Ring Protect Plus: You should consider the Plus plan if you have more than three Ring devices. It covers all Ring devices in your household, and there’s no upper cap on how many devices you can enroll. You can pay $10 monthly or $100 for the annual subscription. The benefits are the same as the Basic plan. You get access to video recordings, Person Alert, Snapshot Capture, etc. The only extra perk the Plus plan adds that’s missing on the Basic tier is extended warranties for your devices. But it’s still much better value if you have a lot of Ring devices.
• Ring Protect Pro: This is the most comprehensive plan for those who are deeply invested in the Ring ecosystem and want the best protection. In addition to all benefits that the Plus plan provides, Ring Protect Pro adds features like 24/7 professional monitoring for your Ring Alarm security system, backup cellular internet to keep your devices online in the event of a Wi-Fi outage, Alexa Guard Plus, and the ability to locally process videos and Smart Alerts and store them on a microSD card. The Pro plan is a bit more expensive at $20 a month or $200 a year.

Bottom line

Ring Video Doorbell

The Ring Video Doorbell offers 1080p video streaming, motion-detected real-time notifications, night vision, and a built-in rechargable battery.

Buy from Amazon

To summarize, you don’t need Ring Protect to use your Ring devices. But considering Ring’s affordable pricing and the extra protection you get, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t get a Ring Protect plan. Even if you don’t care for features like Snapshot Capture and Person Alert, the protection plan is worth it alone for video recording. In case of a break-in or burglary, you can hand the video recording as hard evidence to police and authorities and help them with the investigation. Ring has no option for local storage, so it’s almost an essential feature to have.

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You can create a note on your locked iPad with a single Apple Pencil tap. Here’s how!

The Apple Pencil 2 is the perfect stylus for digital illustrators using one of the great iPads as their canvas. It packs plenty of smart features that dumb styli miss out on. These include pressure sensitivity, shading support, a double-tap shortcut, and much more! What plenty of users don’t know, though, is that you can create a new note on a compatible iPad while it’s locked. Thanks to a single Apple Pencil tap, you can bring up the new note while the iPad display is still asleep. The feature is perfect for those who want to write something down in a sudden situation. Instead of manually launching the Apple Notes app, you just tap on the screen. Here’s how to enable this feature.

How to create a note with an Apple Pencil tap

• Your iPad must support the Apple Pencil 2. An obvious indicator is the lack of a physical Home button.

• Launch the Settings app.

• Scroll down until you find the Notes section. Select it.

• In the Notes section, scroll down to the bottom of the list. There you will find an Access Notes from Lock Screen option. Select it.

• Choose between Always Create New Note and Resume Last Note, depending on your personal preference.

• Voila! Now every time you tap on the Lock Screen with your Apple Pencil 2, a note will pop up — depending on which option you’ve selected in the previous step. The feature works even if the display off. Just tap the Apple Pencil tip on the screen, and your iPad will wake up, displaying a note.

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This feature is a neat way to quickly jot down information in a time-sensitive environment. If you’re worried about people accessing your last note, you can always choose the option that always creates a new one instead.

Apple iPad Air 5

The 5th-generation iPad Air (2022) is powered by the Apple M1 chip. It supports 5G for the first time, and it comes in an array of beautiful colors.

View on Best Buy

Apple Pencil 2

The Apple Pencil 2 pairs to compatible iPads magnetically and charges wirelessly through the same mechanism.

View on Best Buy

What will you be using this feature for? Let us know in the comments section below.

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What satellite navigation systems does the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 support?

The Galaxy Z Flip 4 represents the best of what Samsung has to offer in the clamshell-style foldable space. For $1,000, you essentially get a phone that’s more refined than last year’s Galaxy Z Flip 3 in more ways than one. Not only do you get better internals, but Samsung has also made some improvements when it comes to durability. There’s a lot to like about this particular phone and we definitely think it deserves a spot in our collection of the best foldable phones. If you plan on getting your hands on the Galaxy Z Flip 4, you must be wondering — what GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite Systems) does it support? Well, you’ve come to the right place, and here’s everything you need to know about the Galaxy Z Flip 4 GPS support.

GPS support on the Galaxy Z Flip 4

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 supports the following GNSS technologies:  A-GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, and BeiDou. GPS, for the uninitiated, stands for Global Positioning System which locates your phone’s coordinates on the map. And we all know how important digital maps these days are thanks to the advent of popular apps and services. As you may or may not know, a lot of the popular apps and services that you use on a day-to-day basis use GPS to locate one’s device on the map. We’re talking about apps like Google Maps, Uber, Lyft, delivery apps, and others. A lot of them would seize to exist without GPS.

The Galaxy Z Flip 4 supports almost all the major GNSS technologies just like a lot of other popular flagships on the market do. It can take advantage of all those technologies to help you navigate and share your precise location with apps and services provided you’ve granted the necessary permissions.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 supports A-GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, and BeiDou GNSS technologies.

See at Samsung

The Galaxy Z Flip 4, as we mentioned earlier, is a great clamshell foldable phone, and there’s a lot to like about it. If you’re interested in buying it then be sure to select the link mentioned inside the box above to get the best price for it online. Alternatively, you also check out our round-up of the best Galaxy Z Flip 4 deals to see if you can save some money on your purchase to buy the best chargers or other accessories for it.

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YouTube could offer video streaming subscriptions by the end of the year

YouTube has been working on a new streaming strategy codenamed the “channel store.” According to sources, the “channel store” will be an online store for streaming services. The firm has been working on the project for at least 18 months and has contacted entertainment companies to gauge interest in participation. If everything goes to plan, the new store could launch sometime this fall.

Currently, YouTube has its Premium service and also YouTube TV. The latter offers users access to live TV channels and the ability to record shows. It also offers the ability to add on services like HBO Max, Starz, Epix, and more. How the new service would differ from YouTube TV’s current offering is that YouTube users would be able to purchase and watch services directly through the YouTube app. Naturally, this would involve revenue sharing amongst companies, but it could be a good move to gain more subscribers even though it means giving a small percentage to YouTube. While this might be a weird option for larger established services, it makes sense considering that YouTube has a massive user base, with over two billion monthly logged-in users.

Another added benefit is that YouTube could push ads, trailers, and free movies to users, and if they want to subscribe, they can pay for the service through YouTube. This strategy is nothing new, with many companies offering their services on other platforms. But the partnership can be hit or miss. For example, HBO Max made its service available on Amazon Prime. HBO Max decided to pull its service, even if it meant losing nearly five million subscribers. Despite disagreements, partnerships can be powerful.

While bundling through a competing service is one way, some companies have also started to bundle their own services. Disney is a prime example, offering Disney Plus, ESPN Plus, and Hulu as a bundle. The company recently announced plans to raise prices starting in August. Disney will also release a new ad-supported tier later this year. HBO Max and Discovery Plus announced plans to combine and form a new streaming service, which will debut next year. These kinds of joint services help to keep customers longer and make it less likely that they will leave. If YouTube can pull this off, it will become the ultimate hub for entertainment.

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Source: The Wall Street Journal 

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Reservations are now open for Samsung’s 55-inch Odyssey Ark display

Samsung first announced the Odyssey Ark back in January during CES 2022. The massive display offered an experience like no other, mainly due to its 55-inch size paired with a 1000R curvature. The display can now be reserved through Samsung’s website before its eventual release sometime in September.

The 55-inch 4K display has a resolution of 3,840 x 2,160, a response time of 1ms with support for AMD FreeSync Premium Pro, and an impressive 165Hz refresh rate. The Odyssey Ark uses Samsung’s Quantum Matrix Mini LED Technology and offers support for HDR. As you might expect from a display of this caliber, the picture quality is top-end and can even take lower resolution sources, process them with AI, and upscale them to crispy 4K. To provide the best possible viewing experience, the company also leverages its Matte Display technology, which offers anti-glare and anti-reflective properties.

The display also packs great sound, thanks to Samsung’s Sound Dome Tech featuring AI Sound Booster and Dolby Atmos. The sound is pumped through four speakers, one located at each corner, providing good separation and can also provide deep bass with its two central woofers. The new 55-inch display is a monster but is also quite nimble thanks to its ability to go into “Cockpit Mode.” The screen can rotate vertically and horizontally with its height adjustable stand and can even tilt and pivot for the best viewing experience.

Of course, the Odyssey Ark also supports Samsung Gaming Hub, giving users access to multiple game streaming services. Samsung Gaming Hub has partnered with several services, including Xbox, Nvidia, Google, Utomik, and more recently, Amazon Luna. The Odyssey Ark also comes with a controller, giving users the best way to customize their experience. The Ark Dial is a solar-powered remote that will never have to be charged. The remote offers easy access to a variety of settings.

Samsung 55-inch Odyssey Ark 4K UHD Quantum Curved Gaming Screen

Purchase from Samsung

As you might expect, this technology doesn’t come cheap, with the Samsung Odyssey Ark coming in at $3,499.99. Those that reserve the display can receive a $100 discount, with pre-orders getting an additional $200 0ff, for a total of $300 off when it is released. If interested, take advantage of the early discount by reserving using the link.

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Source: Samsung

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