DigiTech Geeks

Chromebooks just got a video editor that takes all the hassle out of movie making Chromebook owners can now avail themselves of the ability to quickly and easily put together and edit movies thanks to Google Photos. As Android Police spotted, this new video editing functionality was revealed by Google last month, but it’s now rolling out to all Chromebook users. The way it works is that you can choose the option to create a movie in Google Photos , then pick a theme – the example Google shows is ‘friendship’ – then select relevant elements, in this case, the friends you want to star in the clip. The movie creator will then pull images and videos of those friends from Google Photos, automatically putting together some footage, and even intelligently picking sections out from longer video clips (cutting and trimming itself, basically). If you prefer, you can put together your own selection, and indeed add clips from local files on the Chromebook too. (Image credit: Googl...

Google accused of sabotaging Chromebooks by cutting updates A damning new report suggests Google has effectively sentenced old Chromebooks to death by ending support for them – a claim that the company has strenuously denied. As The Register explains , a report by U.S. PIRG titled Chromebook Churn , alleges that after a spike in sales, mainly spurned on by the COVID-19 pandemic, Chromebooks bought by schools are now beginning to “fail”, causes excess electronic waste and “saddling schools with additional costs.” According to the report, there are three main reasons why even the best Chromebooks are becoming unusable for schools: Manufacturers typically do not sell new spare parts or otherwise support repair. Computers have a built-in “death date,” after which software support ends. Design choices frustrate repair and reuse.  With points 1 and 3, the report criticises Chromebook manufacturers such as Asus, Acer and HP for creating Chromebook devices that are difficult to ...

Google Pixel Tablet could be more expensive than an iPad – but don't panic Any tablet brand is going to have a hard time competing with Apple’s iPad range, but one potential approach is to undercut Apple’s slates. It doesn’t seem like this will be Google’s approach with its forthcoming Pixel Tablet though, as a price leak suggests it will cost more than the iPad 10.9 (2022) , which is the cheapest iPad model Apple currently sells. According to Roland Quandt – a leaker with a good track record – the Google Pixel Tablet will retail for between €600 and €650 (around $660 / £530 / AU$980 to $715 / £575 / AU$1,060). That’s a mid-range price, but it’s higher than the €589 starting price of the iPad 10.9 (2022) in France. That said, you only get 64GB of storage with the iPad for that money, whereas the Pixel Tablet starts at 128GB, according to Quandt; with a 256GB model also apparently being made. Google Pixel Tablet: 128 or 256GB, "Porcelain" or "Haze", pric...

Apple iPad Pro could be thinner and slicker with new OLED screen Apple’s future iPad Pros could be thinner, lighter, and generally more premium, thanks to new OLED screen technology being developed by LG and Samsung. That's according to a report from The Elec , which claims both LG Display and Samsung are working on fancy new OLED etching tech which could one day be used in the best iPads . It's not yet clear when the iPad Pro will benefit from this development, but it could be as soon as next year. We've previously reported that iPad Pro models could get OLED displays in 2024, with both LG and Samsung said to be producing panels for Apple to use. These reportedly have a two-stack design, meaning there’s a pair of light-emitting layers in the screen, not just one. They're known as hybrid panels, and are a compromise between cheaper (standard) rigid panels and expensive flexible ones. These hybrid panels use a combination of a glass substrate (like a rigid screen, ...

MacBook Air 15-inch reportedly spotted in testing – but without M3 chip Apple’s MacBook Air 15-inch is looking ever more likely to arrive soon, but it may do so without the much-rumored new M3 chipset. This fresh leak comes from one of the better known sources for Apple gossip, Mark Gurman, who reports via Bloomberg that new Macs are being tested with macOS 14, and that one of those is a device that's “likely to be the 15-inch MacBook Air”. However, Gurman goes on to say that the mysterious new machine is equipped with a processor that’s “on par” with the current M2, and that has the same loadout of cores (8 for the CPU and 10 for the GPU). We’re further informed that the M3 SoC will be “coming later”, although not how much later. There's better news about the new machine's possibly display specs, with Gurman claiming that it could run with a display resolution of 3024 x 1964, as seen with the MacBook Pro 14-inch . Bear in mind, though, that with a slightly bigger pa...

Google's Pixel Tablet is looking increasingly like the smart displays it just killed A new Google Pixel Tablet leak appears to reveal that the incoming iPad rival will have a privacy switch, which means it could be as much a home smart display as it is a tablet. The new images, published by the leaker SnoopyTech on Twitter, show a switch on the edge of the tablet next to its camera, which hasn't been visible in the photos we've previously seen from Google. Given that the Pixel Tablet is expected to be a smart display that sits in its dock at home, this toggle is most likely a privacy switch like the ones we've previously seen on devices like the Google Nest Hub Max . Those switches let you quickly disable the microphone and camera when you're at home. Still not sure if this was the best design pic.twitter.com/o9e7iBBnR9 April 13, 2023 See more We already knew that the Pixel Tablet would be something of a successor to Google's smart displays, given ...

A new Arm deal means your next mobile device could use a next-gen Intel SoC Intel and Arm just struck a deal that could change the way future mobile devices are powered, not to mention a whole slew of digital devices in every category of use. While Intel has long made the best processors on the planet for PCs and laptops,  it hasn't been as involved in low-powered, lightweight semiconductors like those used in phones, tablets, and IoT devices like smart speakers. That looks to change with a new agreement between Intel Foundry Services and Arm Ltd. British semiconductor firm Arm has been licensing out its processor designs to major industry players like Apple and Qualcomm for use in mobile phones and tablets for many years now, thanks to Arm's emphasis on mobile energy efficiency over the raw performance normally seen in desktops. But Intel and Arm have  steered clear of each other, making today's joint announcement a major development in the semiconductor space. At the...

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 series could include two FE editions There have been a few rumblings about the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 in recent weeks, and it seems as though the Android tablet series could arrive with two cheaper FE (Fan Edition) models as part of the range – which would be something of a surprise. The team at SamMobile has been joining the dots and comparing the model numbers posting Geekbench benchmarks. Two of those models, SM-X516B and SM-X616B, could relate to budget-level versions of the Tab S9. Based on previous convention, the Tab S9, Tab S9 Plus and Tab S9 Ultra should have the model numbers SM-X716, SM-X816 and SM-X916 respectively. That means the two extra models that have turned up are something of a mystery. The FE returns You may remember that a Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 FE was launched in 2021, but we didn't get an FE tablet with the Galaxy Tab S8 the year after. The signs now are that the FE model might be making a comeback – as it might well for Sams...

Upcoming Google Pixel Tablet could copy a powerful iPad OS feature Google’s upcoming Pixel Tablet is set to arrive packing the latest connectivity tech, including ultra-wideband support (UWB), based on a regulatory listing spotted online. An FCC (US Federal Communications Commission) listing for a ‘Google-made hand-held device’ was spotted by 9to5Google , which speculates that UWB support could be used to enable features like digital handoff for audio; that is, tapping your phone to transfer the audio stream via a supported app or enabling it to tap into Google’s reported Find My network rival . For clarification, the listing doesn’t say that the device in question is a Pixel Tablet – rather it identifies a ‘Google-made hand-held device that doesn’t support cellular capabilities’. That’s either a hint that Google’s planning on building the next iPod, or it's the Pixel Tablet the company already announced a year ago which should be.  Building a rival ecosystem  More than ...

Google’s big Android app plans could change the way you use your Chromebook Google has made some big moves on the app front that might change how you use your Chromebook , with the introduction of app streaming from an Android smartphone , and also by killing off Chrome Apps to be replaced by better Progressive Web Apps (known as PWAs for short). So let’s look at that big streaming development first. As highlighted by Chrome Unboxed , the app streaming feature which allows you to use Android apps on the Chromebook desktop is now rolling out to some users in beta. Google is finally rolling out the "app streaming" feature they first announced at CES 2022!This feature uses new APIs in Android 13 to let you stream and control your Android apps from your Chromebook!This won't be a Pixel-exclusive feature, either! https://bit.ly/3zDNT2O pic.twitter.com/VrD0t1Rn1N April 4, 2023 See more This was first flagged up on Twitter by Mishaal Rahman (a freelance journo) who fo...

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra might have a useful feature the iPad Pro lacks Just a couple of days on from an extensive Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Plus leak , we’re now hearing about the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra, with a specs leak that reveals many of the key details. This comes from @UniverseIce , who has a fairly good track record, and claims that – among other things – the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra has an IP68 certification. That’s the same certification as most high-end phones, such as the Samsung Galaxy S23 and iPhone 13 , have, and it means the tablet would have significant water and dust resistance. Splash out on a high-end phone and this is an expected feature, but on tablets it’s rare unless you’re looking at models that are specifically designed to be rugged. None of the slates in the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 series have proper water resistance, and nor do any iPads. So if @UniverseIce is right, that could give the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra a selling point that rivals...

Kobo's newest Elipsa 2E ereader is ready to take down the Kindle Scribe The Kindle Scribe better watch out – there’s a new premium note-taking ereader on the market.   Available for preorder today – Wednesday, April 5 – the Kobo Elipsa 2E is the successor to the 10.3-inch Kobo Elipsa , the company’s first foray into a note-taking ereader. While there’s a lot of similarities between the two Kobo models, the Elipsa 2E comes with some notable and welcome upgrades from its predecessor. For starters, the Elipsa 2E continues Kobo's eco-friendly mission that kicked off with the 6-inch Kobo Clara 2E last August. Just like its smaller sibling, the Elipsa 2E is made with 85% recycled plastic, including 10% that was bound for the ocean. This environment-conscious twist helps the Kobo Elipsa 2E standout from its direct competitor, the 2022 Kindle Scribe , which instead has a full metal chassis. The comparisons don’t end there – just like the Kindle Scribe, the Kobo Elipsa 2E won’t a...

Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Plus renders and possible specs revealed in a detailed leak It’s been over a year since the Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 series launched, so we’re due new models, and now we’re seeing the clearest sign yet that the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 series could be landing soon. Reputable leaker @OnLeaks has shared details of the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Plus with WolfofTablet , and this leak includes not just specs, but also high-quality renders. From those renders (some of which you can see below), it appears that the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Plus will look a lot like the Galaxy Tab S8 Plus, with the main difference just being a slightly different camera design, that’s more in line with the Samsung Galaxy S23 series. Beyond that, this looks to be the same shape as the Tab S8 Plus, and apparently has almost identical dimensions of 285.4 x 185.4 x 5.64mm. It’s also shown to have a magnetic silo for the S Pen stylus on the back, just like its predecessor, and the same USB-C port and...