Windows 10 Mobile-powered Funker W6.0 Pro 2 with Continuum support goes up for pre-order

Facebook Messenger gets a big update with a new design and a Home page

Facebook’s Messenger has become more or less ubiquitous, especially as the company is forcing users out of its main app and into its secondary offerings. And today Facebook Messenger is getting a big redesign, with a new UI and homepage.

Once you update to the latest version, you’ll be greeted by Messenger’s new Home page, which Facebook will populate with your favorite contacts, people online now, friends’ birthdays and a few other functions. On top of that, Facebook says:

We hope to show you other things happening on Messenger that you might be interested in, too. For example, with the Active Now section, you can see that a good friend or colleague is available in the moment. Maybe that will prompt you to say hi!

Facebook has been trying to push its apps and garner more users to its services. Recently it updated its Android app to be able to handle all our SMS needs, while also hiding a new soccer mini-gameinside of its platform. There’s no doubt the company will continue to add services and “modules” to its app going forward.

Nintendo executive: upcoming NX console 'is not about specs; not about teraflops'

Nintendo’s NX console has been highly anticipated among the company’s fans, and with E3 just having concluded, many were hoping to hear a few more tidbits about the upcoming game system. Unfortunately, Nintendo didn’t elaborate on its plans, though at least one executive let slip a few morsels – and the news isn’t good.

In an interview with Bloomberg, Reggie Fils-Aime, Nintendo America’s president reiterated some of what the company mentioned before: the Nintendo NX would be launching in the first part of 2017and that the console is entirely designed around gaming.

Sticking true to Nintendo’s modus operandi, Fils-Aime also mentioned that the Nintendo NX “is not about specs”. Two times now, Nintendo has put out underpowered consoles compared to its rivals, and it looks like this generation will follow suite. With both the Sony PlayStation Neo and the Xbox Scorpio, coming out next year and being geared towards powerful graphics, Nintendo fans may once again be left behind. Fils-Aime said:

For us, it's not about specs, it's not about teraflops, it's not about the horsepower of a particular system. For us, it's about the content. Nintendo is a content focused company, we create content that makes people smile.

So for us we're focused on bringing our best entertainment to both the Wii U as well as the NX in the future. So for us, whatever Microsoft and Sony are doing in terms of talking about new systems, that's for them to fight out in that red ocean.

The company has two previous experiences with putting out underpowered hardware: the Nintendo Wii sold incredibly well and was an instant hit, despite both the Xbox 360 and PS3 being more powerful; meanwhile the Nintendo Wii U floundered and was mostly ignored by the gaming community, which opted en masse for Sony’s PlayStation 4.

The original Wii, despite being underpowered, sold so well because it introduced a brand new mode of gaming, using motion controls to entice gamers. The Wii U failed precisely because it did not introduce any such element, instead having to compete on “classic” console traits. The upcomingNintendo NX is described as “an entirely new idea” so it’ll be interesting to see which way things will go this time around.

Another aspect worth mentioning, that Fils-Aime touched on, was VR support. Both Sony and Microsoft are banking heavily on the nascent field of VR with Playstation VR coming this October whileXbox Scorpio will also be supporting virtual reality. So how does Nintendo plan to integrate VR into the NX? It’s not at all clear that it will. Fils-Aime said:

We've been looking at the VR space since the days of the Virtual Boy. With us, we want to make sure our next content is going to be mainstream, mass-market approachable, and when something like VR is at that point, you can expect Nintendo to be there.

At best the company wants to say that it, with the NX, will be one to finally popularize VR, like it did with motion controls with the Wii. Either that or the company is looking to give virtual reality a skip with this generation of consoles.

In either case, we’re less than a year away until the Nintendo NX’s launch and we’re bound to find out more about the console until then.

Source: Bloomberg Via: TechRadar

My Slideshow

Windows Store now lets you choose install location for large games and apps

The Windows Store can be a very convenient way of downloading apps and games. But so far the Store has had a major issue when it comes to large apps, seeing as it would install everything by default into the Windows partition.

While users could change the default app location to a different drive, having some granularity and extra control over the way the Store downloads apps was very important. And luckily this feature has now quietly showed up for Windows Insiders.

As noticed by a Reddit user, the Store now asks a user which drive he or she would like to use when downloading large apps and games. A new dialog box pops up asking which of the installed drives the user prefers. It’s worth pointing out that this is limited to only choosing a drive and doesn’t offer more granularity than that. Meanwhile, smaller apps will still use the default location which you can set in PC Settings.

We’ve tested this feature both on build 14361 and 14366, with both of them working fine, so it’s not exactly clear when this showed up. Still, this is a very useful feature, especially for those of us with low-storage notebooks.

Via: Reddit, Microsoft Insider

Samsung might replace the notification LED with 'Smart Glow'

Samsung might be ditching the notification LED found on many of today’s devices, in favor of a notification ring, which the company is dubbing Smart Glow.

The feature was spotted in some reportedly leaked materials from Samsung, which describe Smart Glow as “an alternative to the notification LED”, which sits on the back of the device around the camera lens. Smart Glow can be configured by users to display priority notifications of different colors, based on the type of notification: phone call, e-mail, text message etc.

Another Smart Glow feature is the so called selfie assist. This lets users take selfies with the more powerful camera on the back of the device, which until now has been tricky.

Sony executive expects PlayStation VR shortages, details thoughts on 'Neo'

While Sony didn't show off the upgraded PlayStation 4 - code-named "Neo" - at its E3 2016 briefing as expected, the company did unveil the PlayStation VR (PSVR) headset. Now, in an interview with CNBC, PlayStation executive Andrew House has shared his thoughts on the upcoming PSVR headset and Neo.

House stated that Sony expects PSVR shortages, mainly due to virtual reality still being relatively less developed as a medium of entertainment, with sales difficult to predict. He went on to say that:

We have growing confidence that we'll be supply constrained with this product, but we'll do our very best to meet demand. Virtual reality is a medium that's in its infancy. With such a nascent, very new form of storytelling, it's difficult to predict what user uptake is going to be.

We're obviously very excited about the overall future potential for virtual reality and we think it's the right opportunity to start to build a market. But we need to keep reminding ourselves that you're requiring a very different user engagement than we have seen previously. [...] The experiences we are delivering are truly transformative for gaming and that will inspire a certain audience. How large that audience is remains to be seen.

House also claimed that most gaming titles for the PSVR will be priced between $20 and $40, however, there will be some games which will be priced slightly higher or lower. He said that with new games which tout virtual reality such as Batman: Arkham, Resident Evil 7 biohazard, Final Fantasy XV,Here They Lie, Farpoint, and others, the company is looking to tap into the interests of the VR audience.

With regards to the PlayStation Neo, House claimed that the upcoming console is not the beginning of the next generation, but a "high-end version" of the PlayStation 4. He further said that:

We will absolutely have a single community of players. All of the games releasing within this life cycle [of consoles] will absolutely be playable on the standard PS4. […] This just offers the consumer another option. If you are looking for the highest graphics performance, if you recent bought a 4K TV and you're looking for content, then Neo is going to be great option for you. But it is that – an option – rather than saying the cycle has moved on.

With that being said, he declined to shed details on the pricing and availability on Sony's upcoming console, refusing to comment on whether it would debut this year or the next. However, he did say that the company is looking for a timeframe to launch the console such that the user base doesn't feel too rushed or the opposite. He went on to say that:

People invest in a console and they want to have that investment validated over a decent period of time. That being said, with iterations like Neo we are, to some degree as an industry, acknowledging the pace of iteration has shifted. […] People have become attuned to a slightly different cadence of innovation. The critical thing is to give the consumer options, rather than dictate the future for them.

While most details regarding Sony's Neo are unknown as of yet, the company has stated that the PSVR will launch on October 13, 2016, starting at $399. The headset is expected to receive 50 gaming titles including Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Remastered and Star Wars.

Source: CNBC

Apple kicks Flash while it's down by turning it off by default in Safari 10

Apple is stabbing another knife into Flash’s back as the old media plug-in, which once ruled the internet, slowly dies at the hands of some of its early adopters. The company has announced that going forward, Safari will turn off Flash by default.

The news came via a post from an Apple software engineer, who explained that with Safari 10, that’scoming as part of Mac OS Sierra, Flash, and other legacy plugins like Silverlight and Java will be turned off by default. When a user visits a website, Safari 10 will behave as if Flash wasn’t installed and instruct the website to fall back to HTML5. HTML5 is the new open standard for the web, that supports video playing and many of the other features that have traditionally been handled by Flash.

But what happens when a website fails to provide an HTML5 fallback? The user will be greeted by the traditional “Get Flash link” at which point Safari will pop-up a notification asking whether the user would like to run Flash “once” or “every time”.

Apple explains that relying on HTML5 and other such standards, while simultaneously ditching older plugins, especially Flash and Java, results in better battery life and performance. And even more importantly, it provides the user with a safer web browsing experiencing, seeing how Java and Flash have had horrible security vulnerabilities in the past.

Of course, Apple’s move with Safari will barely impact the market, due to the browser’s almost non-existent users. But a much more significant move comes from Google’s Chrome, the most popular browser in the world, which has proposed similar plans, which would see Chrome turn off Flash by default by year’s end. Meanwhile, Firefox has already started this practice almost a year ago.

While Google hasn’t given any exact timeframe for the switch, nor finalized its plans, it’s clear that Flash, alongside Java, Silverlight and other plugins have their days numbered.

Source: Webkit.org Via: PCWorld

Apple File System to debut as technical preview in macOS Sierra, will replace HFS+

Among the many announcements at Apple's WWDC event yesterday, the company also announced that it will be replacing the aging HFS+ file system with Apple File System (APFS), coming as a preview now with an eventual wide release in 2017. The new file system is now available as a technical preview with the developer preview of macOS 10.12 Sierra.

Apple hails the new system as "a new, modern file system for iOS, OS X, tvOS and watchOS. It is optimized for Flash/SSD storage and features strong encryption, copy-on-write metadata, space sharing, cloning for files and directories, snapshots, fast directory sizing, atomic safe-save primitives, and improved file system fundamentals."

However, the preview does come with some documented limitations, with the following not available for use within it:

• Startup Disk: APFS volumes cannot currently be used as a startup disk.
• Case Sensitivity: Filenames are currently case-sensitive only.
• Time Machine: Time Machine backups are not currently supported.
• FileVault: APFS volumes cannot currently be encrypted using FileVault.
• Fusion Drive: Fusion Drives cannot currently use APFS.

In terms of encryption capabilities for the new system, Apple says:

"APFS supports encryption natively. You can choose one of the following encryption models for each volume in a container: no encryption, single-key encryption, or multi-key encryption with per-file keys for file data and a separate key for sensitive metadata. APFS encryption uses AES-XTS or AES-CBC, depending on hardware. Multi-key encryption ensures the integrity of user data even when its physical security is compromised."

More information on APHS can be found in the official documentation here. APHS will ship as a technical preview along with macOS Sierra later this year, and is expected to replace HFS+ fully sometime in 2017. For more information on the developer preview of macOS 10.12 and download instructions, go here.

Source: Apple via Phoronix

Final Fantasy XV trailer reveals 'VR experience' allowing you to play as Prompto

Fans of the Final Fantasy franchise have plenty to look forward to already. Come September 30, Final Fantasy XV will be available for play on Playstation 4 and Xbox One. Sometime in the next year or so, the highly-anticipated Final Fantasy VII remaster will also be making its debut. Now, if you've always wanted to fully immerse yourself in the Final Fantasy universe, you're going to get your chance.

Announced on the back-end of another Final Fantasy XV gameplay trailer at E3, Square Enix surprised many with the announcement that Final Fantasy XV will also be accompanied by a Final Fantasy XV VR Experience launch as well. Using the upcoming Playstation VR headset, gamers will be able to play as the game's Prompto character and see everything from a first person perspective, even the intense cinematic combat sequences Final Fantasy has popularized in recent titles.

Whether or not this VR version of Final Fantasy XV is a separate creation or just another way to play the full game is not yet clear. This is the first mention of any VR support for Final Fantasy XV and it would seem that, given the release date of the game, this "VR Experience" will be some kind of standalone version.

Here's the full list of iPhones, iPads and iPods that can be upgraded to iOS 10 [Update]

Apple is hosting its Worldwide Developer Conference this week, where it unveiled OS X macOS Sierra,watchOS 3, a major update for tvOS, and iOS 10. The company says that iOS 10 is its biggest release ever, and indeed, it includes a wide range of improvements and new features that it hopes will please developers and users alike.

The new version of its mobile OS is coming this fall - but it won't be coming to every device that got the iOS 9 upgrade.

Here's the full list of devices that will be upgraded:

iPhone

• iPhone 5
• iPhone 5c
• iPhone 5s
• iPhone 6
• iPhone 6 Plus
• iPhone 6s
• iPhone 6s Plus
• iPhone SE

iPad

• iPad 4th-gen
• iPad Air
• iPad Air 2
• iPad Pro (both sizes)
• iPad mini 2
• iPad mini 3
• iPad mini 4

iPod

• iPod touch 6th-gen

Notably, the iPhone 4S, first-generation iPad mini, iPad 2, third-generation iPad, and fifth-generation iPod - which were all eligible to upgrade to iOS 9 - are absent from this list. All of these devices are equipped with Apple's A5 (A5X in the third-generation iPad) processor, but the company evidently feels that the time has come to move things along, and drop support for the ageing SoC with its latest OS update.

Editor's note: As some of our readers have pointed out, Apple's iOS 10 preview site show a larger list of devices, which includes the 5th-gen iPod touch, iPad 2 and others. However, the list published in our article above is the full list of devices that Apple showed on stage during its keynote, which it said would be eligible to upgrade to iOS 10 this fall.

We've also checked Apple's developer site, where the company has only published iOS 10 images for the devices that it listed during the keynote. It appears that the list published on the preview site may therefore be erroneous - but if the company confirms that those additional devices will indeed be eligible to upgrade to iOS 10, we'll keep you posted.

---

UPDATE: As Tero Alhonen spotted today, Apple has now updated the published list of iOS 10-compatible devices to reflect the version that it showed during its keynote.

Scientists studying anomaly near Jupiter are transported to alien world... in Farpoint

Sony showed off a short gameplay trailer at its E3 press conference for the PlayStation VR exclusive game Farpoint, developed by Impulse Gear. The demo opens with a man and woman exploring a planet that "isn't even on the star charts." However, trouble quickly ensues, showing off some quick shots of VR gunplay.

Sony's official page for Farpoint describes the game as "an unnerving VR space adventure set on a hostile alien planet. On a mission to pick up scientists studying an anomaly near Jupiter, a rupture from the anomaly transports the player and scientists to an unknown alien world."

You can view the official game trailer above; at present the game's release date is still to be determined.

• SONY
• E3 2

Microsoft will be offering a $10 credit to some users for revoking free Fallout 4 licenses

Yesterday, for a brief period of time, the Fallout 4 Deluxe Edition Bundle was listed for $0.00 instead of its usual $109.00 price. Some users were able to grab the game from the Xbox Store for free, but Microsoft later revoked these licenses. Now the company has begun notifying some of these users that their Xbox account would be credited with $10 as compensation.

According to Windows Central, the following message is being sent to Xbox Live users who had downloaded the game for free:

"Our pricing error on Fallout 4 has been fixed and your free download will no longer work. For the inconvenience we will deposit $10 by the end of June in your Microsoft Account. This expires one year from the time it was deposited."

Although the incident was a gaffe, Xbox support staff had assured users that the game was indeed being provided for free as part of a promotional offer to all gamers.

Via: Windows Central

LG's 'Hi-Fi Plus' Friend may not play nice with your G5 if in the US

LG has touted their 'Friends' modular accessory line for the G5 since MWC. Currently, there are a total of four available modules - but one may not work with your G5 if it was purchased in the United States.

While more testing still needs to be conducted, in our initial findings, LG's Hi-Fi Plus with B&O PLAY does not work with T-Mobile's LG G5 (model: H850). So what happens when you try to use an unsupported module? After swapping the battery to the Hi-Fi Plus and sliding into the G5, you'll be greeted by the message "insert a supported module to turn on the phone", and that's pretty much it.

As mentioned previously, we will need to conduct more testing by trying the Hi-Fi Plus module on different U.S. models (AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, etc) of the G5. While it is disappointing and a bit perplexing that such an accessory would be region locked, it should be noted that LG's U.S. site does not list or show the Hi-Fi Plus, and this lock could possibly be removed with a future software update.

Microsoft to release Wallet 2.0 with Tap to Pay feature for Windows 10 Mobile

At present, it seems that everybody else except Microsoft has their finger in the pie when it comes to offering tap to pay functionality on mobile devices. Apple Pay and Android Pay have had a head start in various parts of the world, while Samsung Pay is trying to make up lost ground with a scheduled launch in Australia this coming week.

Frustratingly, for owners of Windows 10 Mobile devices, such functionality has failed to materialize. In March 2015, Microsoft covered plans for NFC payment technology using Host Card Emulation (HCE) at its WinHEC conference in China, bringing it into alignment with Visa, MasterCard and American Express. Later, in October 2015, Joe Belfiore confirmed that Windows 10 would have a concept of a wallet but when pressed for timings, all he committed to was "soon".

According to a new report from Daniel Rubino at Windows Central, NFC Tap to Pay will debut as part of the Wallet 2.0 app, included as part of the Windows 10 Mobile Anniversary Update. Daniel was able to obtain an internal build of the updated Wallet app and setup Tap to Pay with his Bank of America debit card. Notably, credit cards issued by Bank of America failed the setup procedure, but this is also currently the case with Apply Pay.

A test transaction using a Lumia 950 to procure a Double Quarter Pounder at McDonald's verified that NFC payments did in fact work. As such, one should theoretically be able to use Microsoft's mobile payment implementation at any location equipped with NFC payment terminals.

At this stage, it is unclear as to which countries will have access to this new functionality outside the US. Pending an actual announcement of the capability, we can only hope that Microsoft wastes no time getting on with the deployment once formalities have been covered off.

Source and images: Windows Central