Facebook’s augmented reality efforts are pushing a little further into the territory of video calls. A deeper support for shared AR effects and games in video calls are being supported across Facebook’s mobile apps, including Messenger and Instagram, the company announced at its virtual F8 developer conference Wednesday. These shared effects aren’t new: Facebook’s dedicated …
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HBO Max gets that, for many HBO fans, the next best thing to zero ads is as few of them as possible. That’s why HBO Max With Ads — the cheaper, ad-supported tier of the streaming service that launched Wednesday — is aiming to serve fewer of them than anyone else: less than four minutes of ads per hour. “HBO has previously been …
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Google is losing one of its strongest champions of the web. Alex Russell, who has led the Fugu project to make web apps as powerful as those running on Google’s Android or Apple’s iOS software, is leaving the company on Wednesday. Russell announced his departure on Twitter. He’s not quitting in anger or being pushed out. But after 12 years …
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Get ready to talk into your Vizio TV remote. The company’s latest TVs include a clicker with press-to-talk functionality, allowing you to search for TV shows, change TV settings, launch apps and more using voice commands. The new features are part of Vizio’s updated SmartCast smart TV system, and the most affordable TV with a voice remote is a 43-inch …
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Apple’s App Store facilitated $643 billion in billings and sales during 2020, an increase of 24% over the previous year due in large part to the pandemic, according to an independent study from the Analysis Group released by Apple on Wednesday. Growth was not consistent across every app category during the pandemic: While sales of digital goods and services rose …
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The camera in your pocket is pretty amazing. Today’s smartphone cameras feel like they’re a million miles away from earlier photography tech, but digital cameras had to start somewhere. Back in the 20th century when cameras needed film, digital camera technology began as a sat-nav for astronauts. Since then, Kodak, Apple and many others have played important roles in developing …
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If you’re looking for amazing deals on mattresses, TVs, appliances, patio furniture, trendy water bottles or even meat, you might want to take a look at these online Memorial Day weekend specials before they expire. Below I’ve rounded up all the best Memorial Day sales and select items that caught my eye, including $400 off a 65-inch Vizio OLED TV, $150 …
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One of the coolest camera features on the iPhone is portrait mode. It makes your subject pop and can give your pictures a dramatic look. Basically, when you take a photo, it keeps the subject in focus while making the background of the picture look artistically out of focus. This popular effect replicates photos taken on a mirrorless or DSLR …
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USB-C just got a power upgrade to 240 watts that’ll let you plug in devices like gaming laptops, docking stations and 4K monitors. By more than doubling power from today’s 100-watt top capacity, the new USB-C standard could eventually let you toss a lot of proprietary chargers into your junk drawer. The USB Implementers Forum, the industry group that develops …
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Amazon struck a $8.45 billion deal Wednesday to buy MGM, the iconic Hollywood studio known for releasing movies in the James Bond and Rocky franchises. The deal sets a course to amp up Amazon Prime Video with new programming mined from MGM’s long history and to bolster Amazon’s existing original production arm, Amazon Studios. MGM’s beloved film and TV franchises, Amazon …
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