Author: Guillermo Proupín

Creador de contenido y redactor en IGN. A veces digo cosas interesantes, otras me intereso por cosas. No te preocupes, que luego te las cuento.

Do you want to improve the autonomy of your Samsung Galaxy? You can do it

Samsung does a lot of things right. The Z Fold devices are getting better and better, and what we know about the Galaxy S24 looks very promising. However, you might not want to change your smartphone so quickly, or you might feel that your Samsung Galaxy phone doesn’t have the battery life it should. Nevertheless, there are ways to extend your battery life just by using the One UI settings, the Android interface used by Samsung devices. This interface includes numerous options within its settings so that it doesn’t do anything you don’t want it to, or at least, nothing you don’t need it to do.

Screen, lock, and system settings for better battery health

The first one, however, is something you don’t even need to have a Samsung phone for because all smartphones (or almost all) have this capability: use dark mode. Dark mode, especially in low brightness conditions, consumes much less power than brighter options. Similarly, you should look for the additional brightness option and turn it off, and if you’re not using the phone for gaming, lower the refresh rate to 60 Hz, which significantly consumes less power.

If you’ve ever thought that the clock that always shows up when you lock the screen is annoying… It probably is. It’s called ‘always on display,’ and you can either completely disable it or enable the tap to show option. After all, if you’re going to unlock the phone every time you want to check the time, you’ll end up consuming more power.

You should also uninstall anything you don’t use or won’t use anymore. Additionally, disable pre-installed apps that you can’t uninstall and don’t want running in the background. Similarly, go to Battery > Usage limits and enable the option to Suspend unused apps. This is crucial to prevent the phone from consuming power in the background.

There are many more options, but these are the main ones you should take care of to improve your device’s battery life.

This Xiaomi gadget removes almost any chemical from your food

If there’s something that distinguishes Xiaomi from the rest of the technology companies, especially the Chinese ones, it’s their total and absolute ambition: while others focus on mobile phones and creating tablets, Xiaomi constantly works to enter people’s homes through extraordinary gadgets like the incredible 3D printer that could sooner or later become a reality or, more recently, a kitchen device that serves to remove traces of chemicals from our food, particularly from our fruits and vegetables.

This almost magical device is called Mijia Fruits and Vegetables Cleaner, a name perhaps too long for marketing purposes but fits extremely well with the function it performs: the Mijia cleaner is specially designed to clean fruits and vegetables, although there’s nothing stopping you from using it for meats and fish, and it might even be advisable for the latter if their source is not entirely clear.

A much-needed product at an affordable price

The Mijia cleaner is currently being marketed exclusively through Xiaomi Youpin, the brand’s crowdfunding platform, so it’s not yet available in Europe. However, the price of this product is only 449 yuan, which translates to about 58 euros once converted. If it eventually becomes available, it doesn’t seem like an unreasonable price considering the service it offers and the help it can provide to users’ health.

The product’s operation seems to be simple: it has a main body where the controls and a display screen are located. From its sides, two heads unfold, connected to the main body via a cable. All you need to do is insert these heads into the container where the items to be cleaned are submerged, and they will start eliminating the chemicals present on the surface of the products. It does this by vibrating through a variable frequency motor and a water purifier based on chlorine oxides.

According to the technical specifications, the Mijia cleaner has the ability to eliminate 94.8% of the chemicals present in the treated foods, making them much less dangerous for consumption.

Twitter would plan to add new premium tiers

The social network formerly known as Twitter (now X) has been engulfed in turbulent times since it was acquired by the magnate Elon Musk in one of the most tumultuous acquisitions Wall Street has seen in decades. With the aim of monetizing his investment, changes have not stopped at any moment. This was evident in the questionable rebranding of the brand, including changes in color, logo, and nomenclature, transitioning from one already integrated into popular language to a more minimalist one, albeit associated with certain sectors of internet entertainment.

X (Twitter) DOWNLOAD

Another of Musk’s ideas, while this one seems to have proven beneficial for the strategy the CEO has defined for the company, has been to remove the verification system and, instead, turn it into a premium version proposal of the social network with a set of advantages grouped under the umbrella name Twitter Blue (now X Premium). Some of these advantages include reduced advertising, greater visibility on the timeline, and appearing at the top of comments, gaining more visibility once again. However, this could change very soon as new levels have been found in the application’s code.

Almost nothing is known about the new levels

Since they have been found in the code and have not been officially announced yet, not many details are known about these new levels. However, it is known that there are three in total, including the existing one, or excluding it. What is certain is that it is also unknown which Premium level the current one would correspond to, although based on the functioning of advertising, it can be inferred that it would be the standard premium tier. All this information comes from the findings shared by the Twitter user @aaronp613, who revealed their discovery on social media.

In this way there would be a basic Premium version with ads, a standard one with half (perhaps the current one) and a last level without any kind of advertising. It seems that including a more affordable version of Premium is a good measure if what you want is to force its massive use. However, how this will affect organizations and companies is so far unknown.

Galaxy Watch sleep apnea feature to reach its final stage very soon

Samsung seeks to remain at the forefront in the world of telephony, but also of electronics and gadgets. The Samsung Galaxy S24 will feature elements that were not expected until the iPhone 16, its foldable phones come stomping and increasingly its smartwatches are incorporating highly desired or useful functions in day to day, of which one of the most demanded by users is the sleep apnea function. No, this function does not cause sleep apnea to the Galaxy Watch, but will take advantage of the bioactive sensors of these watches to monitor the level of oxygen in the blood of sleeping people, so that the severity of this condition can be identified in those who suffer from it.

An interesting and peculiar operation

Sleep apnea is a difficult ailment to detect since diagnostic tests mainly require studying the person’s sleep habits. Thus the Samsung Galaxy Watch enters the field under the premise of serving as a diagnostic tool, detecting the change in blood oxygen flow levels during the night. Thus, the number of apneas or hypopneas (extreme slowing of breathing) that the person suffers during the night are taken in comparison to the AASM (American Academy of Sleep Medicine) guidelines to know the condition and severity of the problem.

Samsung has clarified that this measurement is simple: anyone suspected of suffering from this ailment only needs to activate the double tracking option for ten days to be able to approximate the severity of the symptoms. The company has also warned that in order to track this sleep, it must last more than four hours.

Unfortunately, at this stage of development, it will only be available in South Korea once the South Korean government has given its approval for the monitoring plan to be implemented. In any case, this may be an attempt to test the function before making the international leap.

Your Samsung phone will be able to store your driver’s license inside it

Samsung not only pursues to be at the forefront of technology ahead of the iPhone 16 in its Galaxy S24, but also aims to be at the forefront in useful applications for its users, as demonstrated in the new apnea application for the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 and 6, which will soon be able to tell people if they suffer from this sleep ailment. With this in mind and in a world where digitization is advancing every day to limits that many people could not even imagine, Samsung has proposed a complete digitization that goes through its Samsung Wallet application.

This application is, as its name suggests, a wallet. In it you can digitally store debit or credit cards, coupons, tickets, digital keys and a host of other things in a centralized way to greatly lighten the bulk of paperwork and, why not say it, people’s physical wallets. However, there are some things that Samsung cannot store, but everything indicates that the future is heading that way: users of the application will be able to use their digital wallet to store their driver’s license. Although for now it is not a widespread measure.

A breakthrough that comes a little late

At the recent Samsung Developer Conference in 2023 the South Korean company has assured that in 2024 users will be able to start using their driver’s license online through Samsung Wallet, something that actually comes a little late. Both Google and Apple offer these services in different states of the United States since 2022, and the State of California has its own digital driver’s license application. In any case it is a major breakthrough for Samsung users and, being a non-US company, it is likely that this model will be exported sooner rather than later to the rest of the world once the app trial has been completed and remains stable. However, it is not enough for the application to support these licenses; the country where they intend to implement this technology must also allow it.

Microsoft will not clarify whether it has suffered spyware attacks

Microsoft has recently released patches to fix vulnerabilities in two popular open-source libraries used in many of its products, such as Skype, Teams, and the Edge internet browser. These vulnerabilities could have been exploited by zero-day spyware to steal data from infected users. Although Microsoft has attempted to promptly cover any security loopholes, the company has not made any official statements or explanations regarding whether these vulnerabilities have been exploited. There has been no indication whether the company is aware of any instances where spyware might have entered any of the applications. Similarly, Sony has also refrained from making statements in this regard.

Incredibly dangerous vulnerabilities

Both vulnerabilities were discovered about a month ago and were exploited through spyware programs, as explained by researchers from Google and Citizen Lab. These vulnerabilities exist in the webp and libvpx libraries, both integrated into browsers, applications, and smartphones to process various multimedia files. Due to their widespread use, these vulnerabilities compromised the security of multiple applications almost entirely. A warning was quickly issued, urging all potential targets to update their products and enhance security measures.

In a brief statement on October 2nd, Microsoft publicly announced that the zero-day vulnerabilities had been fixed and that a security layer had been integrated into all their products. Microsoft acknowledged that these vulnerabilities were indeed present in both libraries. However, when asked if these vulnerabilities had been exploited and if any systems had been attacked, the Microsoft representative declined to answer the question. To some extent, this decision makes sense, as alarming users at this point might not be helpful. However, on the other hand, it is crucial for the affected individuals (if any) to know the extent to which their security or sensitive information has been compromised.

What’s coming for Apex Legends in its version 2.34?

Apex Legends is one of the most popular games in recent years, with thousands of players connecting daily to spend time in its servers. Several articles have been dedicated to providing tips for players in this digital realm. This high level of engagement from the player base raises the bar for Respawn Entertainment, its development team. Consequently, updates to bring new content or fix bugs are a regular occurrence. On this occasion, a set of corrections has been introduced, most likely to be appreciated by the community, as they address issues caused by the last event held at the end of September.

A series of unexpected problems

With the latest Apex Legends Collection Event, Omens, which ended a few days ago, players noticed the introduction of a new limited-time mode, an altered version of World’s End, and a plethora of exclusive collection items and skins. However, despite the event bringing some balance adjustments and bug fixes, the community is experiencing new bugs. This is actually quite common in this type of game, so ongoing maintenance is necessary.

The latest update addresses bug fixes that players have encountered in recent weeks. One of the most noticeable issues was on the Nintendo Switch, where blurry graphics appeared after the 18.1.0 update. Another problem was related to missing text associated with some buttons, even though the buttons were still functional. Additionally, the replay systems could cause the game to crash, which was a more serious issue.

These are just three of the most reported issues, but there are several more awaiting a solution, such as stuttering when playing at over 165 frames per second or a crash under the code FS_CheckAsyncRequest during map loading. However, with a bit of luck, all of these issues will be resolved very soon.

What new features does the Pixel 8 bring? Everything about Google’s new smartphone

When Google chose to create a new brand of smartphones, it never intended to settle in the highest segment of the high-end market, even though its integration with Android is almost perfect, and the performance of its devices achieves a highly optimized quality-to-price ratio. The Google Pixel 7 was one of the most popular smartphones of last year, but the Pixel 8 has all the potential to surpass it, thanks to its new technical specifications and a myriad of enhanced features due to the integration of artificial intelligence.

Better in all aspects

Both in its base and Pro versions, the Google Pixel 8 has more compact dimensions than its predecessor, yet manages to have a slightly larger and 42% brighter screen. Similarly, the standard version comes in rose, hazelnut gray, and obsidian colors, while the Pro version offers porcelain, bay blue, and obsidian, which serves as the flagship color this year.

The cameras located in the distinctive rear band of the Pixels have been upgraded with better sensors, more suitable for low-light conditions without producing as much noise. In the case of the Google Pixel 8 Pro, with a 50-megapixel sensor, the revamped photo application has a series of controls that are not available in the standard version, catering to the most demanding users. These controls include AI-powered edits that can change elements such as the sky or people’s expressions in photos.

The Pixel 8 also features a system called Audio Magic Eraser, which acts as a noise reduction tool, eliminating distracting sounds. Additionally, the Tensor 3 processor (the updated chips will take a bit longer) will soon, through an update, have access to databases to offer automatic editing through AI.

In addition to this, Pixel offers a myriad of features to better manage your time and 7 years of updates to keep user information completely safe.

The Google Pixel 8 will be available in its standard and Pro versions on October 12th, with an estimated price of 700 and 1000 euros respectively.

¿Qué se viene para Apex Legends en su versión 2.34?

Apex Legends es uno de los juegos más populares de los últimos años, al que miles de jugadores se conectan diariamente para pasar el rato en sus servidores y en este digital se le ha dedicado algún que otro artículo para dar consejos a los jugadores. Esto hace que el nivel de exigencia de Respawn Entertainment, su equipo de desarrollo, sea extremadamente elevado. Es por ello que las actualizaciones para traer nuevo contenido o solventar bugs están a la orden del día y en esta ocasión se ha venido unas correcciones que muy probablemente se agradezcan desde el mismo corazón de la comunidad al solventar una serie de problemas ocasionados por el último evento, realizado a lo finales de septiembre.

Una serie de problemas inesperados

Con el último evento de colección de Apex Legends, Presagios, que terminó hace unos días, los jugadores pudieron notar la llegada de una nueva moda de tiempo limitado, una versión alterada del Fin del Mundo y un sinfín de objetos y skins exclusivos de la colección para poder hacerse con ellos. Sin embargo, y aunque el evento trajo consigo algunos ajustes de balanceo y reparación de bugs, la comunidad está experimentando nuevos bugs. Esto, en realidad, es bastante común y habitual en este tipo de juegos, por lo que su mantenimiento debe ser constante.

La última actualización responde a una corrección de bugs que los jugadores han experimentado en las últimas semanas. Uno de los más llamativos venía de mano de Nintendo Switch, que desde la actualización 18.1.0 sufría de gráficos borrosos; otro era el texto asociado a algunos botones, que había desaparecido a pesar de que los botones aún estaban en funcionamiento. También los sistemas de repetición de tiradas podía ocasionar el crasheo del juego, lo cual era bastante más grave.

En realidad estos son solo tres de los más notificados, pero hay unos cuantos más que están esperando solución cuanto antes como el stuttering al jugar a más de 165 frames por segundo o un crasheo bajo el código FS_CheckAsyncRequest durante el cargado de mapas. No obstante, con un poco de suerte todos ellos se solucionarán en muy poco tiempo.

¿Qué se viene para Apex Legends en su versión 2.34?

Apex Legends es uno de los juegos más populares de los últimos años, al que miles de jugadores se conectan diariamente para pasar el rato en sus servidores y en este digital se le ha dedicado algún que otro artículo para dar consejos a los jugadores. Esto hace que el nivel de exigencia de Respawn Entertainment, su equipo de desarrollo, sea extremadamente elevado. Es por ello que las actualizaciones para traer nuevo contenido o solventar bugs están a la orden del día y en esta ocasión se ha venido unas correcciones que muy probablemente se agradezcan desde el mismo corazón de la comunidad al solventar una serie de problemas ocasionados por el último evento, realizado a lo finales de septiembre.

Una serie de problemas inesperados

Con el último evento de colección de Apex Legends, Presagios, que terminó hace unos días, los jugadores pudieron notar la llegada de una nueva moda de tiempo limitado, una versión alterada del Fin del Mundo y un sinfín de objetos y skins exclusivos de la colección para poder hacerse con ellos. Sin embargo, y aunque el evento trajo consigo algunos ajustes de balanceo y reparación de bugs, la comunidad está experimentando nuevos bugs. Esto, en realidad, es bastante común y habitual en este tipo de juegos, por lo que su mantenimiento debe ser constante.

La última actualización responde a una corrección de bugs que los jugadores han experimentado en las últimas semanas. Uno de los más llamativos venía de mano de Nintendo Switch, que desde la actualización 18.1.0 sufría de gráficos borrosos; otro era el texto asociado a algunos botones, que había desaparecido a pesar de que los botones aún estaban en funcionamiento. También los sistemas de repetición de tiradas podía ocasionar el crasheo del juego, lo cual era bastante más grave.

En realidad estos son solo tres de los más notificados, pero hay unos cuantos más que están esperando solución cuanto antes como el stuttering al jugar a más de 165 frames por segundo o un crasheo bajo el código FS_CheckAsyncRequest durante el cargado de mapas. No obstante, con un poco de suerte todos ellos se solucionarán en muy poco tiempo.