You can now schedule Google Assistant commands for smart lights

At CES 2020 in January this year, Google announced a couple of new features for the Google Assistant. These included a new Scheduled Actions feature that would allow users to ask the Assistant to turn on/off or start/stop a compatible smart device at any time of their choosing. The feature has finally started rolling out to users, and you can now use the Google Assistant to schedule commands for your smart lights.

The feature was recently spotted by Reddit user u/robertococciolo (via Android Police), and it lets you turn on/off smart lights around your house at any specified time. To do so, you can use commands like: “OK Google, turn on [device name] at 10”, “OK Google, turn off [device name] at 5”, and “OK Google, turn on [device name] for 15 minutes”. You can also schedule an action for the next day by using commands like: “OK Google, turn on [device name] at 10 AM tomorrow” or “Hey Google, turn off [device name] at 9 PM on Wednesday”.

According to Google’s official documentation regarding Scheduled Actions, the feature currently only supports scheduling for the next seven-day period. However, Android Police claims that scheduling actions several days in advance doesn’t seem to work at the moment. The publication further reveals that you have to specify the exact time for the scheduled actions, or the Assistant acknowledges the command without asking for clarification.

However, the feature seems to work as intended if you ask the Assistant to turn on/off the light at sunrise or sunset, as it confirms the exact time before scheduling the action. Google’s documentation adds that the feature will also let you cancel scheduled actions by using commands like: “Hey Google, cancel my scheduled Actions” or “Hey Google, remove my [device name]’s schedule]. But these cancellation commands don’t seem to work at the moment.

It’s also worth noting that although Google’s documentation mentions other smart devices, currently the feature only works with smart lights. I tried scheduling an action for a smart plug and I got the following reply from the Assistant: “Sorry, I can’t schedule actions for devices configured as outlets.”

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OnePlus 8T update to OxygenOS 11.0.5.6 brings camera, fingerprint, and battery life improvements

Over the last month, OnePlus has rolled out a new OxygenOS 11 update for the OnePlus 8T every other week. Since its launch, the company has released a total of four updates for the device, which include a couple of new features, several performance optimizations, and a few bug fixes. In keeping with this new trend, OnePlus is now rolling out OxygenOS 11.0.5.6 for the device, which brings even more improvements and optimizations.

The latest OxygenOS 11 stable release for the OnePlus 8T, includes improvements for the fingerprint registration process, optimizations for system power consumption, some camera improvements, a few bug fixes, and more. Here’s the complete changelog for OxygenOS 11.0.5.6 for the OnePlus 8T:

• System
  • Increased the success rate when registering fingerprint and improved experience
  • Optimized the media file scanning feature to make searching faster
  • Further optimized system power consumption and increased battery life
  • Fixed the issue that the app cache has not been deleted corrected after app uninstalled
  • Fixed the issue that the screen may flash when using fingerprint unlock
  • Optimized system performance and improved stability
• Camera
  • Optimized camera white balance and improved imaging quality
• Network
  • Continuously optimize network connection stability and improved gaming experience
  • Improve the stability of video calls

As with all OnePlus updates, the latest OxygenOS 11 stable release for the OnePlus 8T will roll out to users in a staged fashion. Therefore, it might be a while before the update notification pops up on your device. In case you wish to skip the wait, you can download the recovery flashable .zip files from the link below and install the update manually.

OnePlus 8T XDA Forums

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Download: OxygenOS 11.0.5.6 for the OnePlus 8T

• India
  • Full OTA to 11.0.5.6
  • Incremental OTA from OxygenOS 11.0.4.5
• Europe
  • Full OTA to 11.0.5.6
  • Incremental OTA from OxygenOS 11.0.4.5

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Thanks to XDA Senior Member Some_Random_Username for the download links!

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Google starts testing Task Mate app in India, letting users earn money for simple tasks

Google has started testing a new paid crowdsourcing app, called Task Mate, in India. Much like the Google Opinion Rewards app, the new app rewards users for completing small tasks. But instead of Play Store credits, Task Mate promises to pay users in their local currency.

The Task Mate app was first spotted by Reddit user u/ppatra (via 9to5Google) on the Google Play Store. As you can see in the attached screenshots, the app is currently available in Early Access, and it’s “limited to selected testers” through a referral system. As per the Play Store description, the app will offer users nearby tasks that can be completed for money. Users will then be able to cash out their earnings by linking an e-wallet account to the app or by using the in-app payment partner.

The Task Mate app will offer two types of tasks — “Sitting” or “Field Tasks” — with the latter requiring users to walk to a nearby business. The app will offer a variety of Field Tasks, including ones in which users will have to go “to location shown in pin and take a photo of the shopfront once you’re there.”

The data collected by such tasks will help Google “improve mapping services and bring business in your local area online.” The Sitting Tasks, on the other hand, will include things like transcribing sentences or recording sentences shown on the app. While the listing doesn’t go into any further detail about the tasks, it reveals that the tasks will be “simple,” and they will originate from “businesses around the world.” This leads us to believe that the company may launch Task Mate in other regions in the future.

As mentioned earlier, the app currently requires users to enter an invitation code to register an account. But it doesn’t seem like Google has started rolling out invitation codes widely. In case you manage to get your hands on an invitation code, do share some screenshots of the tasks and payments interface in the comments below.

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Samsung Galaxy S21, Z Fold 3 to feature S Pen support as Note line reportedly discontinued

2020 was a strong year for Samsung, with its three main lineups — the Samsung Galaxy S20 series, the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 series, and the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold series — all drawing overall positive reactions. But look deeper and you will start to notice that some of the lines between these series have blurred, causing some overlap in their purpose. Samsung seems to have recognized some of the purpose-overlaps, as a new report suggests that the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and the Galaxy S21 Ultra will come with S Pen support, and the Galaxy Note series might consequently get the ax.

Rumors about the discontinuation of the Galaxy Note series had been around shortly after the launch of the Galaxy Note 20 series, but these were still rumors at the end of the day. Now, a report originating from South Korea cites a “confirmation” from a Samsung Group official towards some of these rumors. Firstly, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 (tentative name) is planned for a release in June 2021, and final samples for mass production have entered the development stage. Further, the premium foldable will come with an Under Display Camera (as other previous reports pointed out) and an S Pen. And even further, the foldable will come with a slot for the S Pen, integrating the same within its body in the same manner as the Galaxy Note series does right now.

S Pen support is also making its way to the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra (tentative name), but this phone/series is unlikely to have an integrated slot for the stylus. Instead, the S Pen will be sold separately, and some official cases could have a storage slot.

Consequently, with S Pen support making its way out of the Note series, there is very little purpose left for the Note lineup. The Samsung Galaxy Note 20 ended up being awkwardly placed, and while the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra was a definite flagship, its main highlight still remained the S Pen. Losing this exclusivity is akin to losing its entire identity, and we wouldn’t be surprised at all if everything from this report turns out to be true in the end.

With the Galaxy Z Fold 3, Samsung is said to have developed its second-generation of Ultra-Thin Glass that would allow it to place an in-screen digitizer for S Pen recognition and still provide good scratch protection against S Pen use. The Under Display Camera is also planned for the device for its front camera. But if the end results in terms of image quality are not good, it could be omitted from this generation.

We’ll have to see how Samsung’s 2021 flagship series pans out. For now, don’t hold your breath on a new Galaxy Note in 2021.

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Here’s our first look at the OnePlus 9 Pro

Rumors about OnePlus’ next flagship series started doing the rounds just a few days after the company unveiled the OnePlus 8T. The first rumor suggested that OnePlus would unveil the OnePlus 9 series in March next year, four weeks earlier than its usual release schedule. Then, XDA Senior Member Some_Random_Username spotted new strings in the third OxygenOS Open Beta release for the OnePlus 8 series, which suggested that the OEM was planning a return to Verizon with its upcoming flagships.

We then got our first look at the OnePlus 9 just a few days ago, thanks to leaked CAD renders shared by 91mobiles. Renowned leaker OnLeaks has now shared renders of the OnePlus 9 Pro, which give us our first look at OnePlus’ top-of-the-line smartphone for 2021.

As you can see in the attached images, the upcoming OnePlus 9 Pro will feature the same rectangular camera island design that we saw in the leaked OnePlus 9 renders. However, it looks like the Pro variant will feature an additional camera sensor and a rectangular LED flash. Another major difference comes in the form of the display, with the OnePlus 9 Pro sporting a slightly larger 6.7-inch curved unit instead of the 6.55-inch flat panel on the OnePlus 9.

It’s worth noting that these CAD renders are based on a device that’s still in the prototyping stage. OnLeaks adds that while the “vast majority of the design is set in stone,“ OnePlus may change some small details or alter the rear camera layout before launch.

Along with these new CAD renders, 91mobiles has shared another post with what they allege is a live image of the regular OnePlus 9’s camera island (attached below). The publication has also shared some rumored specifications of the device, suggesting that it will feature a 48MP primary camera with a focal length of 6mm.

The primary sensor will be accompanied by a 48MP ultra-wide sensor and an unspecified third sensor. It’s also worth mentioning that while renowned leaker Max J (@MaxJmb) had previously expressed his doubts about the renders shared by the publication, he has now retracted his statement and claims that the renders are accurate.

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PlayStation Plus and PlayStation Now are discounted for Amazon’s Black Friday event

You might have heard that Amazon’s Black Friday sale has started early. With thousands of items on sale, it can be a little overwhelming to find something you want. Well, here is one deal you don’t need to search for–12-month subscriptions to PlayStation Plus and PlayStation Now are discounted! You can grab them for $45 dollars each.

Normally $60, this has you saving $15 per subscription. These sort of digital subscription codes don’t go on sale often on Amazon, so this is one of the few times you can pick it up from the online retailer and earn some cashback if you have the Prime Rewards Visa.

It’s important, however, to know the differences between these two subscriptions. PlayStation Plus is the more common subscription gamers will want to pick up, and offers most of the benefits you want for your PlayStation 4 or PlayStation 5 (if you happen to have one). PlayStation Plus is what gives you the ability to play online, so it’s important, but you get other benefits as well. You can get free PlayStation 4 and 5 games monthly, take advantage of a cloud backup for your saves, and get special PS+ only discounts on sales.

PlayStation Plus (12 months)

With PlayStation Plus, you get free games, sales, online multiplayer, and more. Save on the 12-month subscription at Amazon!

Buy at Amazon

PlayStation Now is Sony’s subscription service to stream and play games. As long as you have the subscription, you can play any of the games that are in PlayStation Now’s library on the PlayStation 5, PlayStation 5, and PC. This is similar to the Xbox Game Pass service!

PlayStation Now (12 months)

With PlayStation Now, you can stream any game on the service you want, anytime. Save on the 12-month subscription now on Amazon!

Buy at Amazon

Do you want to look at more Amazon Black Friday deals? They have a whole landing page for that! You can even save up to 75% on some popular PlayStation 4 titles… and you can play them upscaled on the PlayStation 5. But this is only a couple of the many, many seals Amazon has in store, so make sure to check out their deals for even more great stuff!

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Xbox Series X vs PlayStation 5: Specification Comparison

The Xbox Series X and the PlayStation 5 have finally begun selling around the world. Both gaming consoles are witnessing a huge demand with reports of running out rather quickly. Well, Black Friday is just a few days away and if you are one of those people who are still confused as to which one you should buy, then here’s a quick specifications comparison to give you some clarity.

	Xbox Series X	Sony PlayStation 5
CPU	Octa-core AMD Zen 2, 3.8GHz (3.6GHz with SMT)	Octa-core AMD Zen 2, 3.5GHz clock speed
GPU	1.825GHz clock speed, 12 TFLOPS, 52 compute units	2.23GHz clock speed (variable frequency), 36 compute units, 10.28 TFLOPs
Memory	16GB GDDR6 320-bit	16GB GDDR6 256-bit
Resolution support	4K at 120Hz, up to 8K	4K at 120Hz, up to 8K
Internal storage	1TB NVMe SSD	825GB SSD
Storage expansion	1TB expansion card	NVMe SSD slot
External storage	USB 3.2 external HDD support	USB HDD support
Optical disc	4K UHD Blu-Ray Drive	4K UHD Blu-Ray Drive
Ports	3x USB Type-A Ports External SSD Slot (Proprietary), Ethernet HDMI 2.1	3x USB Type-A Ports USB Type-C Port Ethernet HDMI
Dimensions	301mm x 151mm x 151mm	390mm x 104mm x 260mm
Weight	4.45kg	4.5kg
Price	$499	$499 $399 for the Digital Edition

On paper, both the Xbox Series X and the Sony PlayStation 5 (PS5) sound impressive for their price. The Xbox Series X gets a custom CPU built by AMD which is based on its 7nm Zen 2 architecture. It includes eight-cores and 16 threads with a base speed of 3.6GHz. It also comes with the ability to reach peak speeds of 3.8GHz by switching off simultaneous multithreading. The GPU on the console comes with a fixed clock speed of 1.825GHz. It features 3328-shaders and 52-compute units that combine to deliver 12-teraflops of computing performance. As for the memory, you get 16GB of GDDR6 RAM, a solid upgrade over the 12GB GDDR5 on the Xbox One X.

Storage is handled by a fast 1TB NVMe SSD and the console can also utilize it as virtual RAM. The storage is user expandable but with a caveat — you need to rely on the proprietary NVMe based SSD expansion card from the company itself. The Xbox Series X has the ability to deliver a 4K resolution, 120Hz gaming experience which can go even further to 8K at relatively lower refresh rates. This essentially means that it also brings HDMI 2.1 to the table. Thanks to the next-gen protocol, the console also brings an Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM), Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) as well as the ability to lower down the resolution to 1440p in case you fancy a monitor over a TV.

The PlayStation 5 is also powered by a similar custom-made AMD chipset with Zen 2 architecture, having an octa-core configuration with a CPU clock speed of 3.5GHz. The GPU comes with 16GB of DDR6 memory, 36-compute units, and a claimed 10.28-teraflops of computing power. Now that is less than the Xbox, but the GPU is clocked higher at 2.23GHz. Most of the other features are similar to the Xbox Series X, including support for ray tracing, up to 8K resolution gaming alongside 4K 120Hz, HDMI 2.1. Sony did stress on the SSD storage of the PlayStation 5 which is a custom-built 825GB SSD with claims of up to 5.5GB/s throughput resulting in super-fast load times when loading games. Sony also says that it will offer the option of adding an additional NVMe based SSD to the console in the near future — the hardware already has space for it, and software support will come soon. Though, keep in mind that you may need to get a decently fast SSD, and possibly Sony-certified, for optimal performance.

Both the Xbox Series X and the PlayStation 5 offer backward compatibility with their respective previous generation consoles. Microsoft claims that customers can expect the Xbox Series X console to run Xbox One games, as well as over 600 Xbox 360 and original Xbox titles via the Game Pass. Additionally, older games will also run better than before with double the frame rates and HDR support on certain titles.

As for the PlayStation 5, the company did not clarify on backward compatibility but has assured that the console would be able to play 99% of the entire catalog of PlayStation 4 games. There are also rumors that Sony might make an effort to bring PlayStation 1, PlayStation 2, and PlayStation 3 titles to the PlayStation 5 via virtual machine emulation; but we need to wait to hear more on this from Sony.

Both the new consoles are priced similarly at $499, but if we look at the specifications, it seems that the Xbox has a slight edge over the PlayStation 5. Having said that, it does not mean that Microsoft has a better console. You get great features on both for the price you pay. For that matter, one can even go for the Digital Edition of the PlayStation 5 that saves you $100 without compromising on the performance. Sony also has a reputation for first-party exclusives and you get games like Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales, God of War: Ragnarok, Gran Turismo 7, Sackboy: A Big Adventure, and more. On the other hand, the Xbox Series X is going to appeal to those who care more about their existing lineup of Xbox games along with a more accessible and easy to use service.

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