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Android 13 prepares to streamline QR-code scanning If we can crown a single winner for the last two years, it’s the QR code. Once an inconvenience,the obnoxious little black and white squares have become indispensableand hygienic ways to access menus in these becovid times. With how much more we’re using them, it’s unsurprising that Google would be looking for ways to make that experience even simpler and more convenient, and it looks like that will happen withAndroid 13....

Google can’t seem to stop butting heads with its own AI researchers As development on machine learning reaches a critical stage where decisions made on current research may have vast, unchecked effects for lifetimes, Google finds itself under ethical fire after having dismissed a researcher from its Brain unit who wanted to challenge the findings of a paper that other Googlers authored on the benefits of A.I.-assisted chip design. The background to this story, asThe New York Timesreports from its sources, involvesan earlier paper on the same technologypublished in 2020....

Google is finally selling the Pixel Tablet without a dock Google’s next midrange phone,the Pixel 8a, is available for preorder right now. It looks impressive: for $500, it offers the same Tensor G3 chipset as thePixel 8and8 Pro, a 120Hz display, and seven years of software updates. But there’s another, slightly more surprising new Google offering up for grabs starting today: last year’sPixel Tablet, without its trademark Charging Speaker Dock, now available for preorder for $399....

How to Add a USB Device to VirtualBox on Windows VirtualBox is one of the most preferred virtualization software in the industry. It has come a long way from supporting just USB 1.0 devices to now even USB 3.0 devices. But if you take a quick glance at the File Explorer or Device Manager in a Windows VM, you will see that the USB devices like flash drives do not show up....

How to Organize Your HomeKit Home With Rooms And Zones Screenshot/Photo by Christopher Close – No attribution required If you have more than a handful of HomeKit accessories in your home, then you know how challenging it can be to find the right device at the right time in the Home app. Luckily, there is a simple fix—Rooms and Zones. With Rooms and Zones in the Home app, you’ll not only make it easier to track your accessories down, but you’ll also benefit from the ability to have more natural conversations with Siri....

How to Use Vana Portrait to Generate AI Self-Portraits Vana Portrait has made headlines as social media users flood news feeds with their AI-generated self-portraits. Vana stands out because it doesn’t just slap a cartoon effect on your selfies. Instead, it studies your selfies, weaves the visual data into a virtual DNA, and then uses it to generate masterpieces. Curious to try it out for yourself? Here’s how you can get personalized portraits from Vana Portrait too....

Interpreters and Compilers: What Are They and How Are They Different? The source code of high-level programming languages like PHP, Swift, and JavaScript looks a bit like natural language. You’ll see English words in such code and you’ll be able to understand some of its functionality, even if you don’t know the language itself. But such source code must be in a machine-readable format for the computer to run the final program....

Motorola might just give its next-gen folding Razr the flagship specs it deserves You know what they say: if at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. They also say the third time’s the charm, and Motorola is probably hoping both of those proverbs hold true in 2022. The company is working on a new Moto Razr, its third attempt at a folding phone to rival theGalaxy Z Flip3. But where Samsung managed to get both of its foldables on our list of the best phones you can buy right now,Motorola has struggled....

The Moto G Play (2021) is even more affordable this Prime Day at $135 If you are looking to buy a new smartphone for cheap,Prime Dayis a great time to pick one up. Motorola is known for its budget offerings, and for Prime Day, you can get theMoto G Play(2021) at its lowest price yet. The phone retails for $170, but Amazon has it discounted to just $135—translating into a saving of $35 after a sweet 18% discount....

What Are Sports NFTs, and What Are the 5 Most Popular Sports NFT Projects? Although it may not have seemed like the most seamless partnership in the Web3 landscape, NFTs and sports are proving to be a match made in heaven. To date, several sports-focused NFT projects have launched, with some resulting in the emergence of billion-dollar companies. How Sports NFTs Work Sports NFTsare a type of utility NFTthat offer fans a more flexible way of collecting cards and memorabilia....

What Is YouTube’s 1080p Premium Resolution, and How Do You Use It? YouTube started experimenting with the 1080p Premium early in 2023. It’s an enhanced bitrate version of 1080p that supposedly provides a better viewing experience overall. Unfortunately, not every video supports this quality. With that said, you can still find tons of videos that make use of 1080p Premium. If you’re a YouTube Premium subscriber, this is how you can use this new resolution....

Will AI Advancement Mean the End of Programming? Several new technologies have created a buzz around artificial intelligence (AI) and what it means for our future as a society. Each technology comes from different branches of AI and poses a unique set of advantages and concerns. Deepfakes and voice-cloning AIs make it difficult for you to trust anything you see or hear on the internet. Some say ChatGPT and similar deep learning AI systems are likely to create job redundancy in several fields....

Your Google Assistant will now shut up when you just tell it to ‘stop’ Google has been flirting with the concept of quick phrases — commands you can throw at the Assistant without saying “Hey Google” first — for a long time. At I/O 2019, the company showed off the ability tocancel an alarm by just saying “stop.“That was followed upby more quick phraseswith thePixel 6and6 Prolast year, letting you execute other rapid commands like “snooze,” “answer,” or “decline....