News

Honor Magic shows off beauty and brains

Published

December 17, 2016

Marvin Velasco

Magic is real — actually, make that the Honor Magic.

After numerous teasers and leaks, we now have a definitive look at the latest addition to Huawei’s sub-brand, and it was well worth the wait.

It’s an absolutely gorgeous device, from its curved 5-inch Quad HD AMOLED display to the rounded edges and slim 7.8mm profile. There are two colors to choose from: golden black and porcelain white.

And that’s just the start. What awaits inside the operating system better justifies the Magic name.

On top of its Android 6.0 Marshmallow OS, there’s something called Honor Magic Live, which is an intelligent system that can read your moves and predict what you’d need next. It’s a lot like Google Assistant, if you think about it, but there’s supposedly smarter predictions behind this implementation.

Instances include movie recommendations while bringing up the topic in an online conversation, automatic switching to driving mode when the phone notices you’re on the road, and providing useful information for a webpage after holding the home button.

Another interesting feature is WiseScreen. Using a combination of sensors on the phone’s frame and the infrared camera in front, the Honor Magic can detect when it’s in your hands and turn on automatically. The same applies to pocketing the handset, wherein it’ll go to sleep the moment it feels your pocket.

Even cooler is this function called FaceCode, which uses facial recognition to figure out who’s allowed to view message notifications. It sounds like more trouble than it’s worth, but we have to see some real-life tests before we can judge.

Powering all these features is Huawei’s in-house Kirin 950 processor — the same one found in the Honor 8 launched last July. The chipset is assisted by 4GB of memory and 64GB of storage.

In front, you’ll find a physical home button, but it’s unlike anything you’d find on most Androids. You can tap and swipe on it to navigate around the interface, effectively removing any need for the usual Back and Apps Overview buttons. It also doubles as a fingerprint scanner.

On the back you have a 12-megapixel dual-camera setup, just like the one found on the Honor 8. It works the same way: One camera utilizes a color sensor while the other is monochrome. Put together, outputs are a lot sharper, and colors much brighter.

Finally, the Honor Magic makes use of truly fast charging for its 2900mAh battery. It can go from zero to 40 percent in 10 minutes, up to 70 percent in 20 minutes, and as much as 90 percent in only 30 minutes.

Pretty cool, huh? Hold on, because there are a couple of drawbacks. The Honor Magic is only available in China for the time being, and it retails for CNY 3,699, which translates to a premium $530 price tag.

[irp posts=”7005″ name=”Honor 6X offers dual-camera setup for $150″]

Source: Android Authority

Apps

Twitter is working on a way to hide the blue checkmark

May or may not launch

Published

March 25, 2023

Luigi Leonardo

A year ago, Twitter’s blue checkmark was a coveted piece of online identity making. Now, the once-prestigious marker has grown into somewhat of a meme. The blue checkmark doesn’t mean the same as it did a year ago. Now, Twitter is reportedly developing a way to hide the checkmark from your profile.

Last year, Twitter announced a much easier way to get a blue checkmark for themselves. Soon after Elon Musk purchased the platform, Twitter Blue offered the badge with the monthly subscription price. Users who earned the old checkmark without paying for the subscription had their badges converted into yellow legacy checkmarks.

With the change, the value of a blue checkmark changed drastically. It become associated with a joke mocking users who paid for Twitter, an otherwise free-to-use platform.

#Twitter keeps working on the ability to control everything related to account verification and identity by adding the option to show or hide your blue checkmark on your profile 👀 pic.twitter.com/6uTjBON21N

— Alessandro Paluzzi (@alex193a) March 21, 2023

Now, as spotted by notable app engineer Alessandro Paluzzi, Twitter is developing a way to hide the blue checkmark altogether. Currently, the development is still just a leak. It remains possible that the app will not launch the feature after all.

That said, after several months reinventing verification, the platform is still struggling for the perfect way to blend the old with the new. Right around the same time the leak popped up, they also officially announced that it will retire legacy checkmarks starting April 1.

Apps

PayPal slowly rolls out passkey support for Android

Coming to the app soon

Published

March 25, 2023

Luigi Leonardo

Big Tech has been pushing for an end to the password. However, the password-less future is taking a while to get off the ground. Only a few platforms can support passkeys. A big name is lending its hand to the technology, though. PayPal has announced that it is working on implementing passkeys for Android users.

Starting today, the digital payment platform is slowly rolling out support for the new security measure. With a passkey, users will no longer need a password or two-factor authentication. Instead, PayPal will install a passkey onto your device. That passkey will be exclusive to your devices. If PayPal recognizes the device you’re trying to log in from, then the platform will allow you in.

It’s not a grand rollout yet, though. PayPal will introduce the feature for mobile browsers first, rather than the app outright. Android users will need Chrome to access the feature. App integration will come in the future. In the meantime, Android users will start getting the feature from now throughout the year.

Passkeys are moving slowly across the tech space. Some time ago, Apple, Google, and Microsoft mutually pledged to help usher in the future of passkeys as a more secure alternative to passwords. Today, only a few platforms can support the technology. In a time when cybersecurity is quickly becoming a priority for everyone, the arrival of passkeys can’t come sooner.

Gaming

LEGO 2K Drive to arrive on May 19

Build, explore, race

Published

March 24, 2023

GadgetMatch

2K and the LEGO Group has announced May 19 as the official worldwide release date of LEGO 2K Drive for multiple consoles.

The driving adventure game is developed by Visual Concept. It is the first title to be released as part of a multi-title partnership between 2K and the LEGO Group. They seek to evolve the LEGO experience in exciting new ways.

The game will feature a combination of open-world driving and competitive racing. Players can explore the vast world of Bricklandia, build any vehicle LEGO-style, drive anywhere, and become a racing legend.

The Sky Cup Trophy is the game’s coveted prize. Players will have to compete against a series of rivals across a broad range of tracks while taking advantage of unique power-ups that can guide them throughout a race.

LEGO 2K Drive also offers unique customization, with over 1,000 LEGO pieces available when building a vehicle. Color designs, stickers, flairs, and more are likewise customizable.

Players may also collaborate with others in a two-person split-screen mode or multiplayer mode.

There will be three editions for the upcoming game:

Standard Edition – US$ 59.99 on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, and Nintendo Switch; US$ 69.99 on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S (both physical and digital)

Awesome Edition – US$ 99.99; includes new vehicle, flair, in-game LEGO minifigure, Year 1 Drive Pass (covers four individual post-launch seasons of Drive pass content)