The new in the world of technology

It’s been a busy day for Apple, as the company has just announced the Apple Watch 6, Apple Watch SE, iPad 2020, iPad Air 4, and more, and in among that flurry of announcements it also confirmed that iOS 14 is landing tomorrow (September 16). That’s not all, you’ll also be able to grab iPadOS 14, watchOS 7, and tvOS 14 from then, so even if you’re not planning on pre-ordering any of Apple’s new hardware, you’ll at least be able to enjoy some new software. But some users are getting access to the software already – so check in Settings > General to see if your device is able to upgrade right now. We've gotten sneak peeks and hands-ons with the software, and you have may have, too: while the finished versions of these operating system updates are about to land, they were announced a while ago, and have gone through a number of beta versions. New features and lots of improvements As such we already had a good idea of what to expect. For iPhones, the update means home screen widg

Just yesterday, Epic said that as soon as Friday, Apple would no longer let people use its single sign-on solution, “Sign In with Apple,” to access their Epic Games account. That would mean that anyone who relied on their Apple credentials to log in to Epic services like Fortnite and the Epic Games Store would lose access when Apple pulled the plug, unless they changed their account first. But the game studio is now saying Apple has given Epic an “indefinite extension” on supporting “Sign In with Apple” for Epic Games accounts. Epic is still recommending that users “prepare your accounts” for a potential removal of “Sign In with Apple,” however, and continues to promote an explainer on its site showing how to change your login credentials. When reached for comment about yesterday’s news, Apple told The Verge that it was not doing anything to stop “Sign In with Apple” accounts from working with Epic Games. So there’s some kind of discrepancy in who is telling the truth, as Epic is ma

The new Motorola Razr 2020 refines key shortcomings of its predecessor, crucially eliminating the worrisome gap when the phone was folded closed. The new Razr (known as the Motorola Razr 5G everywhere apart from in the US) folds flush, and even has a sleeker look thanks to design tweaks shaving down the chin. But is it enough to finally convince consumers to flock to the clamshell foldable? Aside from the design refinements, the phone differs from its predecessor in a few other ways: its Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G chipset enables 5G connectivity, storage and RAM have improved, the rear camera has been boosted to 48MP, and the external QuickView mini-screen has new photo preview features to show subjects what you're capturing – or a cartoon face for kids to focus on while you’re photographing them. The battery is even a bit bigger, too. But other parts of the phone are the same, like the 6.2-inch POLED (plastic OLED) display. It's unclear if the folding parts of the phone hav

Whenever people discuss digital voice assistants, the conversation usually ends with the Google Assistant triumphing over Apple's Siri. I haven't owned an iOS device since I sold my childhood iPod Touch, but earlier this summer, I took the plunge and bought an iPhone 11 to see what I'd been missing — and to check out Siri's smarts for myself. It's much better than I expected, and in fact, there is at least one area where Siri makes the Google Assistant look like an off-key cover band: music. I'm a big music listener. Whether it's jamming out to the latest twee pop tunes during a brisk morning walk or turning on a classic Springsteen album while making dinner, music is a constant companion. Testing Siri's abilities when it came to the Apple Music experience was one of my first priorities. To my mild surprise, it blows the Google Assistant's integration with YouTube Music out of the water. Let's begin with the basics. Both assistants will play

The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt is getting a graphical upgrade for next-generation hardware, and current owners of the game on PC, Playstation, and Xbox will get the update for free. Developers CD Projekt Red announced the news today, saying the updated game will be available on the PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC, featuring a “range of visual and technical improvements.” These include faster loading times and ray tracing graphics. The upgrades will apply to the base game, says Projekt Red, as well as to both of its expansions (Hearts of Stone and Blood and Wine) and all other “extra content.” The appeal of this news is testament to The Witcher 3’s lasting greatness. This is a game that came out five years ago but remains incredibly well-regarded and an appealing title for many to pick up and play through all over again. It still regularly appears in the top Steam charts on PC, too. In this case, the free upgrade to the next-gen version also looks pretty generous. It’s not clear if there are a

The original Game Boy from 1989 was an iconic handheld console but, as anyone who owned one will tell you, it required a steady stream of batteries to keep running. Now, a team of researchers at Northwestern University and Delft University of Technology have developed a new take on the classic console, replacing its array of four AA batteries with a set of five rows of solar panels and buttons that harvest power as you play. The Engage, as the team have called their device, is theoretically capable of being used to play any game made for the original Game Boy, and it’s even got a slot on its back if you want to insert an original game cartridge. It’s about the size of a paperback book, but as CNET reports, it only weighs half as much as the original handheld. It also comes with a host of limitations. It doesn’t have sound for one thing, and its LCD screen is absolutely tiny. Oh, and it also tends to shut off every 10 seconds or so. It’s difficult to harvest enough power to stay on con

Apple and Google are launching a new auto-generated software framework to help states deploy their own contact tracing apps. Developed as an extension of the earlier exposure notification framework, the new system allows public health authorities to avoid the broader development work of launching a standalone app, simply configuring the basic framework to their state’s needs. Existing applications won’t be affected by the new framework, and adopting the framework won’t prevent states from launching more involved apps in the future. “As the next step in our work with public health authorities on Exposure Notifications, we are making it easier and faster for them to use the Exposure Notifications System without the need for them to build and maintain an app,” Apple and Google said in a statement. “Exposure Notifications Express provides another option for public health authorities to supplement their existing contact tracing operations with technology without compromising on the project