Sony just released the PlayStation 5 a few months ago, but many people are still playing games on earlier consoles. However, Sony revealed today that it is shutting down part of the PlayStation Store on its pre-PS4 consoles, marking the end of full support for Sony’s long-discontinued platforms and the death of many digital games.
Earlier this month, reports started to circulate that Sony would close the digital stores for the PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, and PlayStation Potable later this year. It seems they were correct, as Sony confirmed today that the stores for all three platforms will be shut down over the next few months. The digital stores on the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable will be retired on July 2, 2021, while the PlayStation Vita’s storefront will be closed shortly afterward on August 27.
Sony noted that even after the shutdown, you’ll still be able to re-download digital games you’ve already purchased, and vouchers for downloadable content will continue to work. Re-downloading games claimed through PlayStation Plus will also work, as long as you remain subscribed. However, you won’t be able to purchase new games or DLC, even with PSN gift cards. If you have a store balance in your PlayStation account, you won’t get a refund unless you request it (though the amount can also be put towards PS4/PS5 games).
The move means countless digital-only games will become completely unavailable, a disappointing end for anyone interested in preserving video game history. The PlayStation Vita will also effectively lose its backward compatibility with PSP games since it only works with PSP titles purchased through the online store — the Vita lacks a UMD disc drive.
Progressive web apps (PWAs) will feel more like traditional apps on Android. The Chrome Developers Twitter account revealed it’s introducing a new installation dialog that provides users with a richer experience.
“Starting today on Android, some users will get a richer PWA installation dialog on Twitter,” the Chrome Developers account said on Twitter.
Starting today on Android, some users will get a richer PWA installation dialog on Twitter.
– Want the same for your PWA?
– Easy. Add the `description` and `screenshots` member to your manifest and you're done.
Going forward, developers can add the “description” and “screenshots” member to their manifest. As you can see in the screenshot shared by Chrome Developers, the installation dialog looks a lot more like installing a native app, with screenshots and a short description.
Twitter is the first to take advantage of the richer PWA installation dialog, but Android users should expect other services to offer improved web app prompts. The feature itself doesn’t change the behavior or performance of PWAs, but making it feel more native might encourage more installations from Android users.
According to Google, developers must follow specific criteria for the richer dialog prompt to properly display. For images, weight and height must be at least 320px and at most 3840px. Screenshots must also have the same aspect ratio, and only JPEG and PNG image formats are supported.
The description and screenshots properties are currently used only in Chrome for Android, and requires an experimental flag be enabled in Chrome 90.
Progressive Web Apps offer a more streamlined alternative to downloading a full app, while still providing users with instant access to the experience. For a service like Twitter, the differences between a native app and a PWA are minimal, as the company keeps its website and mobile apps pretty similar.
The only issue with these prompts is that if a user opts not to install a progressive web app for a site they frequently visit, they may have to constantly deal with the pop-up, which could get annoying fast.
Google released the second Developer Preview for Android 12 two weeks ago, with new permissions, visual changes, and important bug fixes. However, it introduced a new bug that caused some applications to crash constantly, which has now been fixed. Google published Android 12 Developer Preview 2.1 earlier today, which claims to fix WebView crashing issues.
There are countlessreports of Google, Gmail, and other apps that rely on WebView (the system component that displays web content in native Android apps) not working properly on the Android 12 Developer Previews, though some claim a recent update to the WebView through the Play Store fixed the bugs.
The Android 12 Developer Preview 2.1 update also fixes a few other problems that were frequently reported, including the back gesture not working, the clock widget breaking, and issues with NFC payments through Google Pay. The full release notes from Google is below.
Android 12 Developer Preview 2.1 release notes
Developer-reported issues
Fixed an issue that prevented the go back gesture from working in certain cases. (Issue #180932529)
Fixed issues that users were having when using contactless payments through Google Pay. (Issue #180725322)
Fixed an issue that caused text in the notification drawer to be difficult to read when rendering over the top of some apps. (Issue #180647015)
Fixed an issue that caused java.lang.Deprecated to be marked as deprecated. (Issue #180705308)
Fixed an issue that prevented apps that were targeting Android 12 from using version 2.7.0-alpha01 of WorkManager. The fix is included in version 2.7.0-alpha02. (Issue #180884673)
Other resolved issues
Fixed an issue with WebView that prevented developers from enabling or testing Schemeful Same-Site changes on Android 12.
Fixed an issue where upgrading to Android 12 from a production build without wiping data could lose HID controls for previously-paired Bluetooth devices.
Fixed an issue where videos that were shared from the Camera app could be sent using the wrong encoding.
Fixed an issue that could cause the text for the clock widget on the Home screen to be cut off on some devices.
Fixed an issue where empty pages on the Home screen were sometimes not removed.
Fixed an issue that could sometimes prevent users from accessing the notification shade.
If you want to give the new Android 12 Developer Preview 2.1 release a try and you’re not on Android 12 already, you’ll need to manually download and flash the latest available build from the Android Developers website. Those of you already on Developer Preview 1 or 2 should get the new release as an Over-The-Air (OTA) update. The list of compatible devices remains the same — you’ll need a Pixel 3/3 XL, Pixel 3a/3a XL, Pixel 4/4 XL, Pixel 4a/4a 5G, or Pixel 5.
Xiaomi has been selling its Smart Compact Projector for a few years in the United States and other countries, complete with Android TV 9.0 and a height of only 5.9 inches. Today, the company revealed a new model, the Mi Smart Projector 2 Pro, with a slightly bulkier design and more features.
The Xiaomi Mi Smart Projector 2 is larger than the original model but can reach a much higher brightness of 1300 ANSI lumens, compared to the 500 ANSI lumens of its predecessor. It also has an output of 1920 x 1080 (Full HD) resolution, HDR10 support, and unidirectional auto-focus (using its built-in ToF sensor).
The sound system is also impressive (for the projector’s size), with dual 10W speakers and compatibility with DTS-HD and Dolby Audio. The projector can also be used as a standalone Bluetooth speaker, so when you’re not watching movies or TV shows, you can still enjoy music without the projection lamp wasting the battery.
Credit: Xiaomi
Like most other smart projectors, the Mi Smart Projector 2 runs on top of Android TV. It’s certified for use by Google, so the Google Play Store and other apps should work just as they do on other Android TV devices. This also means you can use Google Cast to beam content to it as the Chromecast receiver app should be available. You can also talk to Google Assistant, though Xiaomi didn’t specify if the microphone will be on the remote or on the projector itself. It’s also not clear what version of Android TV it will run out of the box.
Xiaomi says the Mi Smart Projector 2 will be available for €999 (with early pricing set at €899), which translates to about $1,177 in the United States or ₹85,554. That’s definitely on the expensive side, but there isn’t much competition in this space — most othersmartprojectors offer much lower brightness (200-500 ANSI lumens) while many others aren’t officially Android TV certified. The $799 Xgimi Halo with Android TV 9 comes close with its 800 ANSI lumen lamp, but most options brighter than that aren’t intended to be easily portable.
There’s no official release date yet, and Xiaomi has not said which regions the projector will be sold in (besides Europe, as indicated by the Euro pricing).
Google is now using “federated learning” on Android in an effort to reduce “Hey Google” misactivations and misses. Federated learning is a privacy-enhancing technique that allows Google to improve machine learning models without sending any raw data to Google servers.
Select users now have access (via 9to5Google) to a new setting in Google Assistant that allows them to improve the artificial intelligence. Google said it will save audio of those who opt in so Assistant can learn over time.
“When Google Assistant activates or nearly activates, federated learning temporarily stores short bits of voice recordings on your device,” Google said in a support document. “With federated learning, we use these recordings to learn how to adjust Google Assistant’s triggering logic.”
Audio recordings will stay on your device while a privacy-preserving technology combines information from you and many other participants to help Assistant learn over time and develop better smart features. Your device may store up to 20 recordings per day, including information about your phone configuration and how successful an interaction is.
Images via 9to5Google
Google said that with federated learning, its goal is to cut down on instances when Google Assistant randomly misactivates. It also wants to avoid scenarios when you say “Hey Google” and Assistant doesn’t trigger.
“Federated learning uses the voice recordings stored on users’ devices to refine models like ‘Hey Google,’” Google said. “It learns how to adjust the model from the voice data, and sends a summary of the model changes to Google servers. To provide a better model for everyone, these summaries are aggregated across users.”
According to Google, federated learning will perform computations on your device only when the device is idle, plugged in, and connected to WiFi. Recordings used to improve the “Hey Google” model are kept by Google for no longer than 63 days, unless you delete them before then.
If federated learning sounds familiar, that’s because Google has used the feature for its new Health Studies app.
We’re just days away from April, but Samsung is already rolling out security patches for next month. The Galaxy S21, Galaxy Z fold 2, and Note 10 are beginning to receive the April 2021 security patches in different parts of the world, so get those downloading fingers ready.
SamMobile said Samsung’s update for the Galaxy S21 series not only includes the April 2021 security patch, but new camera features. The software (G99xxXXU2AUC8) is reportedly over 1GB, and allows Galaxy S21 series owners to use the regular camera to capture portraits. Before, you could only use the telephoto and ultrawide cameras with portrait mode.
The update has apparently been spotted in India, but should begin rolling out to other regions in the coming days and weeks.
Samsung is also rolling out camera improvements to the Galaxy Z Fold 2 along with the April 2021 security patch. Unfortunately, Samsung is a little more cryptic with this update, only saying “camera improvements” in its release notes without elaborating. SamMobile said it’s digging deeper into the update in an effort to figure out what’s new. For now, just expect the experience to feel a little more refined, which isn’t a bad thing. The update version number is F916BXXU1DUCE, and has been spotted in Germany and Russia.
Finally, Samsung has also released an update for the Galaxy Note 10 series, which is rolling out in Germany. As you might have guessed, the update includes the April 2021 security patch. Other details about the release remain unclear, but it’s possible new features will be discovered as more people get their hands on the update. The newest update includes version number N97xFXXU6FUCD.
These updates are rolling out now and should arrive in your respective device soon. You can always check to see if the update is available on your device by going to Settings > Software update.
I seem to be in the minority among my peers and colleagues in the tech media scene, but I actually like curved screen phones. Curved screens not only look visually appealing to me — especially with the way visuals seem to spill off the edges like an infinity pool — but also make for a more comfortable in-hand feel. Flat panels by and large don’t feel as premium to me. But Xiaomi’s new Mi 11 Lite is the exception — it’s a flat panel that feels good.
Here’s why I usually dislike flat screens: the corners where the display ends and the chassis begins can result in a sharp edge, which is the case with the Galaxy S20 FE, Realme 8 Pro, and more than a few Redmi devices. If that chassis is too thick like on an iPhone 12, then the whole phone feels angular and blocky.
But the Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite is a flat panel done right. The screen itself doesn’t curve, but the edges are chamfered just enough, and the chassis rounded, to make for a device that doesn’t have sharp sides. It feels like the Google Pixel 5 — another flat screen phone that I actually think feels great in the hand.
It’s also very light and thin at just 159g (0.3lbs) and 6.8mm, providing a welcome reprieve from the big, heavy phones I’ve been testing like the Galaxy S21 Ultra.
The Xiaomi Mi 11 Lite comes in two versions: a 4G model that is powered by a Snapdragon 732G and a 5G model running on the brand-new Snapdragon 780G. The latter SoC features Kryo 670 CPU cores clocked at up to 2.4GHz frequency and a triple ISP.
I have the Mi 11 Lite 5G model. Unfortunately, because the device is an early review unit, all the popular benchmark apps from Geekbench 5 to PCMark have been blocked, so I can’t test the phone yet in terms of benchmark performance. I also haven’t had the phone long enough to give definitive impressions about performance and battery life.
But as I said at the beginning of the article, the Mi 11 Lite feels very good in the hand. It’s a typical glass sandwich design, with a 6.55-inch AMOLED panel that refreshes at 90Hz. The back panel has a matte-frosted coating that is grippy yet doesn’t attract fingerprints — but it’s just standard glass, not Gorilla Glass.
Despite the device’s 6.8mm thinness, Xiaomi managed to cram a 4,250 mAh battery inside the Mi 11 Lite, as well as very loud stereo speakers. There’s a triple camera array headlined by a 64MP camera and flanked by an 8MP ultra-wide and 5MP macro lens, as well as a 16MP selfie camera.
I haven’t had much time to test the cameras much, but it seems to be on par with Xiaomi’s more entry-level offerings. What the Mi 11 Lite lacks in hardware prowess, though, the software makes up for.
The cinematic shooting modes that Xiaomi introduced with the Mi 11 are available here too, as is the clone photo/video feature, which has been very fun to play with.
Xiaomi is selling the Mi 11 Lite 5G for ¥2599 in China and €369 in Europe. At these aggressively low prices, Xiaomi obviously had to compromise somewhere, which is why the Mi 11 Lite lacks wireless charging, an IP water resistance rating, or an in-display fingerprint sensor. Instead, the phone comes with a 33W wired charger and uses a side-mounted fingerprint scanner. The latter may not actually be a bad thing, as it’s easier to find by touch and very fast to respond.
This is just my first impression of the device. We’ll be back with more in-depth testing, so keep an eye out for future content on not just the Mi 11 Lite but also the Mi 11 Ultra as well!
Xiaomi's Mi 11 Lite 5G is the first phone with Qualcomm's Snapdragon 780G. It's a great mid-range phone on paper and is priced very aggressively in Europe.
