Diablo Immortal is a massively multiplayer action roleplaying game (MMOARPG) that was released for Android and iOS on Wednesday, a day before its official release date. Blizzard has teamed up with Chinese developer NetEase to bring the latest addition to the Diablo series. General Manager of the Diablo franchise at Blizzard, Rod Fergusson, confirmed the early release stating that it was done to “give time to propagate through all the global stores.” The PC beta will arrive as announced on Thursday, June 2 at 10am PST / 10:30pm IST.
Diablo Immortal is a free-to-play MMOARPG with Player vs Enemy (PvE) and Player vs Player (PvP) modes. The game reportedly leans heavily towards the pay-to-win meta as such its release has been supposedly blocked in Belgium and the Netherlands. Both of these countries have strict laws against loot box mechanics in games. On the other hand, Diablo fans should breathe a sigh of relief as the PvE segment of the game is not restricted by a microtransaction wall. However, the PvP modes promote players to spend money to gain an in-game advantage against opponents.
Blizzard has included six character classes in the game — Barbarian, Crusader, Demon Hunter, Monk, Necromancer, and Wizard who have their unique sets of armours, weapons, and skills. During this adventure that is spread across eight zones, players take on The Skeleton King, Haunted Carriage, Countess, Fahir, Baal, and Glacial Colossus. There are challenges and live events as well. Blizzard has also promised free content updates every month. Diablo Immortal also features in-depth graphics settings that are usually not available in games intended for handheld devices. Apart from limiting the framerate, players can adjust, fog anti-aliasing, bloom and many more settings to get the best performance out of their devices.
Diablo Immortal is available to download on Google Play and App Store. The PC beta will arrive on Thursday, June 2 at 10am PST / 10:30pm IST. However, the Asia-Pacific region will not get the PC version until June 22.
Qubo Smart Dash Cam has been launched in India by Hero Electronix. The smart dash cam comes with a mobile app for both Android and iOS. It is equipped with a 1080p sensor that offers 30FPS video recording and live feed. The web cam has a built-in 6-axis G-sensor that can auto-detect a sudden shake or collision and stores the recording in the event file. This event file is accessible through the Qubo App on user’s phone. This is Qubo’s first product in the Auto Tech category.
Qubo Smart Dash Cam price, availability
Qubo, Hero Electronix’s consumer technology business, has entered the auto tech category with the launch of the Qubo Smart Dash Cam. The smart dash has been priced at Rs. 4,290 and the company claims it to be the first fully designed made in India dash cam. It will be available for purchase in India starting today through a network of dealers and e-commerce sites including Amazon and Quboworld.
Qubo Smart Dash Cam features
The smart dash cam comes equipped with a 1080p video camera for recording and live feed with 30fps support. Qubo’s dash cam also gets a mobile app that is available on both Android and iOS. It has a built-in 6-axis G-sensor that can auto-detect sudden shake and collisions. The G-sensor then locks the footage in the event file that can be accessed through the Qubo app on your phone.
Qubo Smart Dash Cam has the wide dynamic range (WDR) technology for better camera performance in strongly or poorly illuminated areas in the field of view (FOV). The dash cam also gets a wide-angle FOV for minimum blind spots and is claimed to offer coverage of over six lanes. The Qubo Smart Dash Cam can be mounted on a car’s dashboard to record videos while driving in event of an accident or a robbery.
Along with the Qubo Smart Dash Cam, the company has also announced that it is launching three sub-categories of products, dash cameras, small trackers, and smart accessories such as tire pressure inflators, in the Auto Tech category.
Call of Duty: Mobile Season 5: Tropical Vision has been announced with the first-ever female-led cast for Battle Pass and the new theme of “Lawless Jungles”. The new season also brings a new map, new themed event, and a new multiplayer mode. It also retains the earlier debuted Tournament Mode. The new season of Call of Duty: Mobile will go live in the first week of June in India. The game will also get a user interface update with new backgrounds and a face-lift for the in-game store.
The developers of Call of Duty: Mobile had announced the new season through a blog post. Season 5 of the game will go live in India on June 2 at 5:30am for both Android and iOS players.
Call of Duty: Mobile Season 5: Tropical Vision brings a map from the console and PC game Cold of Duty: Black Ops Cold War. The new multiplayer map called Apocalypse is set in jungles of Laos. It is a small-to-medium sized map designed for fights in forests and temples.
The Tropical Vision Battle Pass features, for the first time, a female-led cast. It also includes free and premium items like new operators, a new functional weapon, weapon blueprints, calling cards, charms, and COD Points (CP).
The new season also includes a new multiplayer game mode called Guns Blazing Encore. The new mode in Call of Duty: Mobile Season 5 allows eight players to play free-for-all. In this mode, after each elimination, players will generate Fury. Once it is full, Fury will transform into a super soldier with the capability of shooting a barrage of rounds into enemies. The mode will be available from June 3 till June 9. The Tournament Mode that was recently added in Call of Duty: Mobile has been retained for Season 5 as well.
The Battle Pass free tiers offers Echo – Tiki Troops shotgun at Tier 26, Oden Assault Rifle at Tier 21, and Echo Grenade at Tier 50 in Call of Duty: Mobile Season 5. The premium tiers will offer a chance to players to earn all of the content available in the Tropical Vision stream.
Call of Duty: Mobile Season 5: Tropical Vision also introduces user interface update. The multiplayer lobby is getting a new background as well. The visibility of the Clan Wars main lobby is also being enhanced. The in-game store is being face-lifted with updated user interface for crates and bundles along with the introduction of animated backgrounds for Legendary Operators.
Call of Duty: Mobile Season 4: Wild Dogs was announced with the desert theme on April 22.
WhatsApp has reportedly started rolling out a beta update that lets users request their account information on WhatsApp desktop. The feature was initially introduced on Android and iOS to comply with EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The Request Account Info feature is said to only be available after updating your WhatsApp desktop to the latest beta version. The feature seems to be rolling out slowly, and is said to currently only available to beta testers. WhatsApp earlier this week also began introducing free cloud-based API services in a push to get more businesses using the app. A recent report had also indicated that WhatsApp Premium, a subscription-based model, is being tested for WhatsApp Business.
As per a recent report by WhatsApp features tracker WABetaInfo, the social media app has started rolling out a beta update that lets users Request Account Info on WhatsApp desktop. The feature was limited to WhatsApp on Android and iOS till now. Users will be able to access the “Request Account Info on Desktop” feature only after updating their WhatsApp desktop beta to the latest – it has currently been spotted in v2.2219.3 beta, but was initially spotted in development in the v2.2204.1 beta version – though at time, it was not visible to testers. Even now, the report mentions that the feature may only be available to certain beta users.
The WhatsApp Request Account Info feature was introduced for Android and iOS in 2018 as a part the company’s compliance with the EU’s GDPR rules. When users request a report from WhatsApp, it gets ready in three days. However, users may have to wait for some more time before they are able to download it. The report will encompass details including all activity information, contacts device details, or privacy settings.
In other news, WhatsApp this week announced it is also introducing free cloud-based API services in a push to get more businesses using the app. WhatsApp already has an API, or type of software interface, for businesses to connect their systems and engage in customer service chats on the service, which generates revenue for Meta.
A recent report had also indicated that WhatsApp Premium, a subscription-based model, is being tested for WhatsApp Business. Under this model, business accounts may choose to pay a certain sum for various features and capabilities. Reportedly, WhatsApp Business profile owners can also opt out of WhatsApp Premium and continue using the current version. The first mention of a subscription plan was in April when it was reported that the feature will allow businesses to link up to 10 devices after they subscribe to a plan.
Google has unveiled the Protected by Android branding for security and privacy on Android. First seen last week in screenshots at Google I/O, the Android YouTube channel has now uploaded a short video that features the branding, on how Android is keeping your information safe. Some platform and ecosystem features of Android were also highlighted in the video including Verified by Play Protect, monthly security updates, and location access permissions. The video also provides the link to the website of Protected by Android. Google recently introduced Privacy Guide, which is a step-by-step guided tour of some existing privacy and security controls in Chrome.
Protected by Android appears to be the latest branding by Google for privacy and security on Android. The Protected by Android video was uploaded on the Android YouTube channel by the tech giant earlier today. The video description says, “Android is all about keeping you and your information safe so you can focus on what matters most. From detecting and defeating bad apps to helping you control your personal information, you’re always protected by Android.”
The 50-second-long video starts with an animation of the green Android transforming into a green shield with a checkmark. The rest of the video is a compilation of images of people on their smartphones along with captions. The first caption says that “Whatever you’re up to, you’ve got peace of mind when you’re protected by Android.”
Three platform and ecosystem features are particularly highlighted in the video. They include Verified by Play Protect with the caption, “You’re safe from malware and harmful apps”, monthly security updates with the quote, “Defended by non-stop security”, and location access permissions along with the caption, “And in control of your personal information”.
The video ends by saying, ”Android has you covered so you can focus on what matters along with the check-marked shield morphing back into the green Android. The description of the video gives you the link to protectedbyandroid.com, which redirects you to android.com/safety.
Google last week at I/O 2022 had revealed the upcoming unified Security & Privacy settings page of Android 13 will feature the Protected by Android branding, which can be seen beneath the Scan device button and under the Uninstall harmful app button.
Photo Credit: Google Security Blog
Google recently introduced Privacy Guide, which is a step-by-step guided tour of some existing privacy and security controls in Chrome. The Privacy Guide is meant to enable users to easily understand what happens when a particular setting is on or off.
Need for Speed Mobile might be on its way. The popular racing video game franchise is expected to drop a new title for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series S/X this year, and while Criterion Games works on the upcoming title that is said to bring “some astounding visual leaps”, alleged footage of a new Need for Speed mobile game has been spotted online. The leaked video suggests that a new NFS racing title, with maps resembling the ones found on Need for Speed Heat, could be in development by Tencent for Android and iOS smartphones. However, there’s no word from Electronic Arts or Tencent about plans for an upcoming mobile racing title.
Leaked footage claimed to be from an upcoming Need for Speed game for smartphones was shared by Reddit user u/Clxbsport on Wednesday. The post is titled “Need for Speed Mobile 2022 (Tencent) Gameplay Leaked” suggesting that the mobile game could be developed by the Chinese giant, which has worked on Call of Duty: Mobile, Honor of Kings, and Pokémon Unite.
The NFS Mobile video shared on Reddit shows off 47 seconds of gameplay with two vehicles, and gives gamers an idea of what the game could look like during the day and at night. According to a comment from user u/NFSLYY on the post, there are currently three cars in the game — the McLaren F1, the Lamborghini Aventador SVJR, and the Lamborghini Gallardo. Parts of the game’s on-screen text appears to be in Chinese.
The Redditor also states that the upcoming Need for Speed game for smartphones is created with Unreal Engine 4, and offers similar handling to the cancelled Need for Speed: Edge, with similar drift boost effects. Meanwhile, the map is said to resemble the one found on Need for Speed Heat — this could change over the course of the game’s development. At the moment, the game doesn’t feature a story or cops, according to the Reddit user.
As previously mentioned, neither EA Games nor Tencent have revealed any information regarding an upcoming title for smartphones. However, EA and Criterion are confirmed to be working on a new Need for Speed title for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series S/X, that was announced during an earnings call in November 2020. It was supposed to release in late 2021, but likely thanks to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and other internal challenges, the as-yet untitled NFS game is expected to be available later this year.
Google at the I/O 2022 consumer keynote on Wednesday announced a series of updates aiming at Wear OS and Android tablets that are designed to upgrade user experiences across devices — not just limited to phones. One of the most important updates coming to Wear OS is the quick access to Emergency SOS. Google is also bringing Google Assistant support to smartwatches. Additionally, tablets based on Android are getting updated Google apps. Google separately introduced updated Google Wallet on Android to support things such as payment cards, transit and event tickets, and even student IDs.
By bringing Emergency SOS to Wear OS, Google has started allowing its users instantly contact their trusted family member or call an emergency service directly from their smartwatch. The Mountain View, California-headquartered company said that it is working with various partners to enable the new feature.
Wear OS devices are getting the Emergency SOS alert feature Photo Credit: Google
Google also talked about the Emergency Location Services (ELS) feature that is designed to help first responders to locate you when you call for help in case of a medical emergency or natural disaster. It was launched in markets including Bulgaria, Paraguay, Saudi Arabia, and Spain earlier this year and is now available to more than one billion people worldwide, the company said.
In addition to ELS, Google has Early Earthquake Warnings in 25 countries that it is set to expand to “many of the remaining high-risk regions” around the world.
Further on Wear OS, Google said at the I/O 2022 that it is bringing Google Assistant to Samsung Galaxy watches. It will soon be available on the Galaxy Watch 4 series to begin with. The Google Assistant experience on Wear OS can be used for natural voice interactions and accessing features such as voice-controlled navigation or setting reminders.
At last year’s I/O keynote in May, Google announced its partnership with Samsung under which Tizen is combining with Wear OS. The company showed positivity of that move by saying that there are now three times as many active Wear OS devices as there were last year. However, exact number of active Wear OS users have not yet been revealed.
Google also revealed that new Wear OS devices are coming from Samsung, Fossil Group, Montblanc, and Mobvoi, among other players, later this year.
For tablets, Google at the I/O 2022 keynote announced that it is updating more than 20 Google apps over the next few weeks to take “full advantage” of the additional screen space. These will include YouTube Music, Google Maps, and Messages, among others.
Google also said that it was working with other apps including TikTok, Zoom, and Facebook to improve their experiences for users on Android tablets.
TikTok is getting optimised for Android tablets Photo Credit: Google
Additionally, users will be able to copy a URL or picture from their phones and paste them on your tablet.
On Android in general, Google is launching virtual cards that will be available on Chrome and at the system level to help users easily make payments, without requiring them to manually enter card details such as the CVV when checking out.
Google is also expanding Fast Pair support to more devices to let users easily set up and pair their devices. The expansion was originally limited to earbuds and recently reached Bluetooth headphones, Chromebooks, and smart TVs.
The Google Wallet app on Android is also becoming a unified platform to help people access their payment cards, transit and event tickets, boarding and loyalty passes, and student IDs. It will also be able to save virtual car keys and vaccine records as well as digital driver’s licence and official IDs. Google is essentially making its Wallet app on Android similar to Apple’s Wallet.
However, in addition to adding the new features to the Wallet app, the Android maker is working on updating its integrations with other Google apps and services. This will, for instance, allow users to view their transit card balance in Google Maps when search for directions once the card is added to the Wallet. Users will also be able to add fare to their transit card from Google Maps by tapping the card information.
Google Maps is getting a Google Wallet integration to let you add fare to your transit card seamlessly Photo Credit: Google
Google Wallet is also coming on Wear OS, with initial support for payment cards.
Alongside the Wallet updates, Google announced that it is updating Rich Communication Services (RCS) messaging experience by bringing encryption to group conversations. It will be rolled out in an open beta later this year, the company said.
Google additionally announced extension of casting capabilities to devices including Chromebook and Android Auto in-car systems.
Apex Legends Mobile — after months of spending time in the rumour mill — gets a global launch date of May 17. It will be available on both Android and iOS. Electronic Arts’ popular battle royale game is finally getting a mobile port, over a year after pre-registration was opened for Android devices. According to Respawn, Apex Legends Mobile has been specifically designed for smartphones, and the game is said to have smartphone-friendly controls as well as optimisations which is said to make it one of the most advanced battle royale combat games available for a tablet or phone.
EA also shared a trailer for Apex Legends Mobile that features legends such as Wraith, Mirage, Caustic, and others. The Apex Legend Mobile trailer also gives us a quick look at the control layouts that have been optimised for mobile devices. Game modes such as ‘Mini-Royale’ and ‘Team Deathmatch’ can also be accessed. Apex Legends Mobile will also feature mobile-first legends that will have their own storylines.
Apex Legends Mobile requirements
Alongside, EA has shared minimum hardware requirements for both Android and iOS.
Apex Legends Mobile Android requirements
OS: Android 6.0 (Marshmallow) or newer
Processor: Snapdragon 435, HiSilicon Kirin 650, MediaTek Helio P20, or Exynos 7420
Memory: 2GB RAM
Storage: 4GB free space
Notes: OpenGL 3.1 support
Apex Legends Mobile iOS requirements
OS: iOS 11 or newer
Device: iPhone 6S (A9 chip) or later
Memory: 2GB RAM
Storage: 4GB free space
Just as on PC, PS4, and Xbox One, Apex Legends will be a free-to-play title on mobile and will include in-game purchases. Apex Legends Mobile will not feature crossplay for console or PC versions of the game — giving it a smartphone-only launch similar to BGMI and New State Mobile — though players on Android and iOS can play with each other.
According to EA’s official website, Apex Legends Mobile will feature mobile-first adaptations and innovations with new legends, maps, and gameplay, modes, progressions, and live events that constantly expand the gameplay variety to keep the experience fresh and new every season. It also mentions that you will get to choose from a growing cast of beloved legends with unique abilities and personalities to fit an array of play styles.
Legends change the game. But they can’t do it without you. Pre-register and be ready to drop in… later this month!
— Apex Legends Mobile (@PlayApexMobile) May 2, 2022
Apex Legends Mobile will reward players that have pre-registered for the game. These include the Teeth Cutter – Epic R99 Skin, Molten Earth-Epic Skin for Bloodhound, Fateful Games-Banner Frame, and On Target-Banner Pose. EA has also opened up more pre-registration rewards which include a ‘’Become Legendary Holospray” and a ‘’Sunfire Initiate – Legendary skin” for Pathfinder at 15 million and 25 million users, respectively. At the time of writing, the count was at 14 million users.
In other news, Apex Legends season 13 “Saviors” for PC and gaming consoles will kick off on Tuesday, May 10. The upcoming season will introduce a new legend, Newcastle, who is Bangalore’s long presumed dead brother. Season 13 will also give Storm Point its first-ever update. Legendary skins for Fuse and Bloodhound have also been added to the Battle Pass.
Apex Legends Mobile, meanwhile, is out May 17 on Android and iOS.
Pinterest TV Studio app has been silently launched and is available for select creators on its platform. The new app is currently available on both Android and iOS. The Pinterest TV Studio app is said to make it easier for creators to livestream. It will allow creators to start a livestream with improved streaming setup, editing tools, and multiple camera capabilities. However, the company has not officially announced anything about this app yet, perhaps because it is currently only available to select creators.
As per a report by TechCrunch, during the first launch of the Pinterest TV Studio app, creators will have to enter a code or scan a barcode that Pinterest provides in order to gain access to the live streaming tools the app provides. The addition of this dedicated livestreaming app to Pinterest’ platform seems to be an indication that its trying to broaden its social media landscape.
In a statement to TechCrunch, a Pinterest spokesperson confirmed that the app had been launched, but didn’t share much more beyond a that, “With more Creators developing innovative programming with Pinterest TV on the Platform, we’re continuously experimenting with new ways to help Creators bring their ideas to life.” The app is listed for Android and iOS on the Google Play store and App Store.
TikTok has seen a lot of growth in the past few years and has already pushed other social media platforms to expand their functions while offering more features for creating video content. Major social platforms nowadays, including Instagram, YouTube and Snapchat have a short video feature available for the users, just like TikTok. And now, Pinterest is also moving toward the same fundamental by quietly adding the Pinterest TV Studio live streaming app to its platform.
The Pinterest TV Studio app has been reportedly available to select users on both Android and iOS since May 2. Despite no official announcement, the app is said to be available in several regions outside the US, including Australia, Canada, Germany, and the UK, which could mean a global expansion is on the horizon.
Besides this, Pinterest had also announced a feature last year for brands to promote products and ideas to users as part of an effort to grow online shopping on its site. Through this feature, brands can upload their product catalogues for advertisements and the company will automatically pull items into a slideshow advertisement that will be tailored to users based on their interests.
Google Play system updates for the month of May have been released, and one of the changes include the addition of self-sharing to the Nearby Share feature, apart from a redesign of the Google Help app. Google system updates include the Android operating system, Google Play store, and Google Play Services. Every month, Google shares the latest updates about the changes it makes with the system update, to what it calls the “Google System” for Android. Usually, the changelog seems pretty much the same for every month, but this time it lists some changes and improvements.
According to a report by 9to5Google, Google is bringing self-sharing to Nearby Share, which offers an experience similar to AirDrop on Apple devices, with the latest Google Play May 2022 update. Nearby Share is also compatible with Chromebook and Windows PCs.
With the new feature, users will be able to share files, links, and text from one of their own devices to another without needing to approve every file they share, says the report. To recall, the self-share option in Nearby Share was spotted in development last month, and first spotted in January.
To get these latest features and improvements on one’s Android device, users will have to update Google Play Services version 22.15 and Play Store version 30.3. Both these versions have begun rolling out as of May 2.
Also, users can directly head to Google Play to update Google Play Services, if an update is available. Meanwhile, Google Play system updates can also be found through the Settings app, under About phone > Android version > Google Play system update on the phone.
Moreover, the new Google Play system update also brings a redesign to the Google Help app. Although the changelog doesn’t mention any specific details regarding the design change, it’s possible that Google may bring its “Material You” design theme to the app.
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