The best Chromecast alternative is a streaming box many of us can’t buy

Credit: Walmart

Opinion post by

Rita El Khoury

For the first time in a while now, I find my consumerist self jealous of not living in the US. The reason? Walmart, and more specifically, the latest Walmart Google TV streaming box. The new onn 4K Pro box is, by far, one of the most exciting Google TV streamers launched in recent years and one of the best Chromecast alternatives out there. The only problem is that it’s available in the US, and… well, that’s it. We won’t be getting it in Europe or other countries either.

Walmart’s new onn box caught my eye ever since the first leaks started. Contrary to previous onn sticks and streaming devices, this one was clearly not aiming for the very low-end $20 market. Instead, it seemed packed to the brim with features and specs that just made me look sideways at my 4K Chromecast and sigh, “Why not you?”

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OpenAI could announce new multimodal assistant to directly take on Google

Credit: Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority

• On Monday, OpenAI is holding an event that could see an announcement about a new multimodal digital assistant.
• Being multimodal would allow the assistant to use images for prompts, such as identifying and translating a sign in the real world.
• This would be a direct threat against Google’s digital assistants, namely Google Assistant and the newer Gemini.

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Over the past few weeks, the rumor mill has been churning, suggesting that OpenAI — the company responsible for ChatGPT — could soon launch an AI-powered search engine, which would be a direct threat to Google’s core business. Given how prominent ChatGPT has become in such a short time, this would represent the first real threat to Google Search in decades.

However, it’s looking less likely that OpenAI has a search engine on the way (via The Information). Instead, new rumors suggest that OpenAI’s scheduled event on Monday could see the company announcing a multimodal digital assistant. While not a traditional search engine, it would still allow people to search for things using the power of AI, so it would still be a significant threat to Google.

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These are the best new streaming shows this week: Bodkin, Blood of Zeus, and more

We have an exciting list of shows for you, from supernatural Korean dramas and reality television revolving around strange houses to spooky true-crime dramas set in coastal Ireland. Get ready to explore brand-new shows and returning titles as we answer the question: What are the new streaming shows this week? And where can we watch them?

This list is updated every week, so you never run out of binge-worthy options for the weekend. 

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Xiaomi Mi Band 9 wishlist: All the features I want to see

The Xiaomi Mi Band 8 (a.k.a. the Xiaomi Smart Band 8 in Europe) has an incredibly long list of features considering it costs under $50, which we currently recommend for budget shoppers in our best fitness tracker guide. Every year the next Mi Band arrives bringing further refinements to the series, often delivering features previously reserved for much more expensive devices. Although we still have plenty of time before a new model, here’s my wishlist for what I’d like to see next year from the Xiaomi Mi Band 9.

A hardware back button

The Mi Band 8’s entire UI is navigated through touch, which can be a bit tricky with such a small display. I’d wager this is mostly about cutting costs, but it’s also likely at least a little bit about sticking with the Mi Band’s very barebones, minimalist philosophy. Still, a physical back button would make navigating the UI significantly easier, even if it might add a tiny bit of bulk over the current model and would clutter up the design slightly.

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The Pixel Watch’s battery full notification has mysteriously disappeared

Credit: Kaitlyn Cimino / Android Authority

• The Pixel Watch and Pixel Watch 2 send a notification to your phone once it is done charging.
• Users are reporting that they are no longer seeing this fully charged notification.
• Some are even saying that they never had the feature in the first place.

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Back in November 2023, Google quietly rolled out a feature to the Pixel Watch and Pixel Watch 2. The feature would tell an owner that their smartwatch was done charging via phone notification. It was a highly requested feature, which is why its seemingly sudden disappearance is so unfortunate.

Some Pixel Watch and Pixel Watch 2 owners have started to notice they are no longer receiving the battery full notification. One of our own writers also reports that they have not seen the notification in the last few weeks. If that wasn’t enough, there’s even an entire thread on Google’s community page full of owners who claim the same or report never seeing the notification in the first place.

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Google just patched a zero-day Chrome exploit, update your browser asap

Credit: Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority

• A zero-day exploit was discovered in Chrome and has now been patched.
• The security vulnerability appears to be a “user after free” flaw.
• The fix is currently available for Windows, Mac, and Linux.

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If you’re someone who uses Google Chrome as your browser of choice, or a Chromium-based browser, you’ll want to make sure you’re running on the latest update. Google has just released a patch that fixes a serious zero-day vulnerability.

First reported by Bleeping Computer, Google has released a note about a stable channel update for Chrome. The note in question says that the company is “aware that an exploit for CVE-2024-4671 exists in the wild.” This vulnerability is a high-severity issue that has been classified as a “user after free” vulnerability.

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T-Mobile delays free internet loophole fix after running into a problem

Credit: Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority

• T-Mobile was planning to roll out address verification for existing Home Internet subscribers on May 8.
• The company has now delayed those plans for “later this year.”
• It has also delayed the launch of its new Away plan.

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After discovering that its customers were taking advantage of a loophole to access its Home Internet service while traveling, T-Mobile announced a fix would be coming. The fix was scheduled to roll out on May 8, but the company has now postponed it.

On May 8, it was expected that T-Mobile would send out notifications to Home Internet subscribers announcing a crackdown on using the service while on the go. Specifically, the crackdown would enforce address verification on gateways, so customers would no longer be able to take their 5G gateway with them on travel to access free internet without penalty. As an alternative, the company was planning to offer a new Away plan for those who are frequently on the road.

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The Pixel 8a will soon support display output over USB-C

• Out of the box, the Pixel 8a won’t support mirroring its display when you connect it to an external monitor.
• However, in the upcoming June update, Google will add support for display output over USB-C.
• This capability will also come to the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro soon.

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Since its inception, the Pixel lineup has omitted display output as a feature for reasons on which we can only speculate. However, Google finally changed gears with its Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro phones, which have hardware support for display output via their USB-C ports. Neither phone in the Pixel 8 series launched with display output enabled out of the box, though. Instead, Google quietly enabled display output on the Pixel 8 in an Android beta update. Similarly, Google’s brand new Pixel 8a smartphone doesn’t ship with display output enabled out of the box, but this feature will likely be coming in next month’s software update.

The Google Pixel 8a, like the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, is powered by Google’s Tensor G3 chipset. Thus, it’s no surprise that all three phones share a lot of internal components, such as their USB controller. Although Google wired up the USB-C port on all three phones at the factory to support sending a DisplayPort Alternate Mode signal over a connected USB-C cable, the company disabled this capability using a software flag. The system property persist.vendor.usb.displayport.enabled is read by the USB initialization file for all Tensor G3-series devices, and if the property is set to 0, then DisplayPort Alternate Mode is disabled.

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WhatsApp gets major makeover, introduces new colors, icons, and better dark mode

Credit: WhatsApp

• WhatsApp is introducing a new color palette and updated icons, illustrations, and chat background.
• The Android app is getting a bottom navigation bar.
• A new attachment layout is coming to iOS.

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WhatsApp has seen numerous adjustments to its design over the years, with the last major change occurring in 2021. The company has now refreshed the app once again. While some of the changes have already rolled out to the iOS and Android app, there are some new changes as well.

Today, WhatsApp announced it is updating the appearance of its platform to help keep it looking fresh, simple, and approachable. To do this, the firm has applied a variety of changes, one of the most notable being a new color palette. Along with having a more consistent green palette, WhatsApp says they have also increased the usage of neutral colors, which it claims allows it to be more selective about where and how the green is used throughout the app.

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Google is bringing a “Circle to Search” variation to Chrome for Desktop

Credit: Adamya Sharma / Android Authority

• Google Chrome is getting a visual upgrade to its Lens feature, with an animation that mirrors the Circle to Search experience.
• This change promises a more intuitive way to search for information on web pages.

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Google’s innovative Circle to Search feature has been a popular topic of discussion. This feature, which allows users to initiate searches by simply circling on-screen content, is already available on select Pixel and Galaxy devices. Now, it appears Google Chrome users will soon be able to enjoy a similar search experience.

Google Chrome’s current integration with Google Lens empowers users to find more information about text or images on web pages and discover visually similar images elsewhere online. It seems like Google is working on an upgrade that promises to streamline this experience further.

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Google Messages is getting a new gallery picker UI

Credit: Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority

• Google appears to be working on a new gallery picker for the Messages app.
• The latest beta adds a camera icon that opens up access to your gallery when starting a new message to a group.
• After picking an image, you can then select the recipients.

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Google has been working on quite a few new features for the Messages app as of late. A few weeks ago, it was discovered Google could let users turn off expressive animations. More recently, however, we spotted a redesigned Selfie GIF feature. Now we have found that Google could make a change to the UI to introduce a new gallery picker for group messages.

In the latest beta for Google Messages (messages.android_20240506_01_RC00.phone_samsung_openbeta_dynamic), we have uncovered a change to the app’s UI. When you tap the new camera icon on the main page (which the stable channel of Messages doesn’t have yet), it takes the user directly to their photo gallery before starting a new group message.

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Apple’s M4 chip brings the power of AI and console-quality graphics to the iPad Pro

Credit: Apple

• Apple announced the M4 chip that’s powering its latest iPad Pro lineup.
• The chip features a powerful new CPU with up to 10 cores and Apple’s fastest Neural Engine to date.
• It comes with a 10-core GPU and hardware-accelerated graphics features, such as ray tracing.

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Today, Apple announced its newest chip, the M4, powering the latest iPad Pro models. The M4 is built using second-generation 3-nanometer technology and promises significant gains in performance and power efficiency compared to Apple’s previous chips.

The M4‘s CPU features a new configuration of up to 10 cores, promising up to 1.5x faster processing speeds compared to the M2 chip used in the previous iPad Pro generation.

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PS5 Pro rumors and leaks: What we know so far about Sony’s next gaming console

Credit: Dhruv Bhutani / Android Authority

Update, May 6, 2024 (4:27 PM ET): We’ve updated this PlayStation 5 Pro rumor hub with details about improvements made to the GPU.

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Original article: On November 15, 2013, Sony launched the PlayStation 4. Three years later, almost to the day, Sony launched an upgraded version known as the PlayStation 4 Pro. Meanwhile, the PlayStation 5 launched on November 12, 2020. If you do the math, that means it’s been over three years since we saw the PS5 console launch. Does that mean we can expect a Sony PS5 Pro to launch soon?

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PlayStation 5 Pro GPU details surface, promising major performance leap

Credit: Dhruv Bhutani / Android Authority

• Fresh leaks indicate some exciting new specifications about the PS5 Pro’s GPU.
• Real-world gaming performance is expected to see a roughly 45% boost over PS5.
• The PS5 Pro is currently projected to launch in time for the 2024 holiday season.

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With Sony’s mid-cycle refresh of the PlayStation 5 seemingly around the corner, leaks detailing the console’s enhanced hardware capabilities continue to emerge. The latest leak sheds some info on the new GPU that will drive the PS5 Pro, promising performance boosts and advanced features for demanding gamers.

The folks over at Digital Foundry have uncovered information indicating the PS5 Pro’s GPU will boast a base clock speed of 2.18GHz, with boost speeds of up to 2.35GHz for maximum performance. Additionally, crucial cache components — the L1 and L0 caches — have been doubled in size to streamline demanding processes like ray tracing, which should further enhance visual fidelity in supported games.

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Apple’s foldables could come as soon as 2025, report says

Credit: Robert Triggs / Android Authority

• Apple’s foldable devices will reportedly go into mass production in 2025 or 2026.
• The company’s first foldable device may be an iPad or MacBook.
• A foldable iPhone is said to be scheduled for mass production in 2026.

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While plenty of foldable Android phones have entered the market, we’re still waiting on Apple’s take on the form factor. A new report suggests we may have to keep waiting for at least another year or two.

According to MacRumors, analyst Jeff Pu said in a note to investors that “foldable devices are increasingly visible in Apple’s supply chain” and that progress on them is “accelerating.” The first of these devices will reportedly be a large-screen iPad or MacBook, eventually followed by a foldable iPhone.

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Surface Pro 10 rumors: The Business model is here, but what about the consumer variants?

The Surface Pro 10 is finally here, at least for business users. The company fully took the veil off the Surface 10 on March 21, revealing a device that’s not too different from its predecessor both on paper and off. Of course, the consumer version has yet to hit and there’s a possibility it could have a few minor surprises in store for us. With that in mind, here’s everything we know about the Surface Pro 10 and what we’d like to see from the commercial version.

Keyword: At a glance

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YouTube’s AI-powered ‘Jump Ahead’ feature rolling out widely to Premium users

Credit: Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority

• YouTube Premium members in the US can now try out the new “Jump Ahead” feature on the platform.
• It uses AI to let you jump to parts of a video where most viewers typically skip ahead.
• The feature only works on the YouTube Android app and is available only for select English-language videos.

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YouTube is now rolling out its new AI-powered “Jump Ahead” feature more widely. The platform started testing the feature back in March, and it’s now available as a perk for YouTube Premium subscribers.

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Google’s working on a way to speed-up data transfers when setting up a new phone: APK Teardown

Credit: Robert Triggs / Android Authority

• Google is working on new ways to transfer and restore data between devices.
• It will soon be possible to do a device-to-device data transfer using both Wi-Fi and a cable simultaneously to speed things up.
• There’s also a new “Restore Anytime” feature in the works.

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When you’re setting up a new phone, you have three options for moving your data from your old Android device to your new Android device. You can either copy your apps and data by connecting the two Android devices via a compatible cable, use a wireless Wi-Fi connection, or restore data from a Google One backup. Looks like Google is merging two of these options to give you a faster data transfer/restore experience.

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Apple’s May 7 event could be the start of iPad’s transformation into a true laptop replacement

Credit: Oliver Cragg / Android Authority

• Apple is expected to unveil new iPad Air and iPad Pro models at its “Let Loose” event.
• The iPad Air may adopt a dual-screen-size strategy similar to the MacBook Air.
• The iPad Pro might receive OLED displays, a redesigned Magic Keyboard, and a larger trackpad.

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Apple’s highly anticipated “Let Loose” event on Tuesday promises to usher in a transformative era for the iPad. While we expect updates to the iPad Pros and iPad Airs, industry insider Mark Gurman has provided key insights into the post-event iPad lineup configuration and its ambitious convergence with the MacBook experience.

Gurman proposes that the 35-minute presentation will streamline the current iPad lineup and solidify the iPad Pro’s position as a powerful alternative to traditional laptops. Initially, the new iPad Pros were expected to get upgraded to the M3 chip. However, Gurman seems convinced that they would instead launch with the yet-announced M4 chip.

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A new patent about a folding iPhone has surfaced, but is it a good idea?

Credit: Aamir Siddiqui / Android Authority

• A recently surfaced Apple patent reveals the company is exploring a foldable device with an innovative hinge mechanism.
• Details in the patent suggest a flip-style clamshell foldable with a hinge that could potentially fold both inwards and outwards.
• While an Apple foldable would generate massive interest, the company’s reputation for seamless user experiences raises the stakes and makes a flawless debut crucial.

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While rivals like Samsung, Motorola, and others have embraced foldable phones, Apple remains a notable holdout. Despite waves of rumors and leaks suggesting a foldable iPhone is in development, nothing concrete has materialized. However, a recently published patent application discovered by Patently Apple gives us fresh insights into Apple’s explorations of folding devices. (h/t: PhoneArena)

Apple’s patent, filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) last October, describes a novel hinge design for folding display devices. The images used align with a flip-style clamshell foldable. However, Apple’s patent implies a greater range of motion. The hinge could potentially allow the device to fold both inwards and outwards, which could be a first for a mass-market product.

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