Tag: largely
Senators Are Largely United in Desire to Rewrite Section 230
During a combative Senate Judiciary Committee hearing Wednesday, Senate lawmakers from both sides of the political aisle doubled down on calls to gut major provisions of the internet’s most important legal liability shield. The senators slammed tech companies for allegedly putting profits over user safety and…
Disney’s largely forgotten wartime shorts, ranked
Where to find the gems in Make Mine Music, Fun and Fancy Free, Melody Time, and the rest of Disney’s ‘package films’
Apple TV 4K 2022 Reviews: Faster and More Affordable With HDR10+ Support and USB-C Remote, But Largely Unchanged
Key new features for the third-generation Apple TV 4K include the A15 Bionic chip, 4GB of memory, HDR10+ support, a USB-C charging port on the Siri Remote, and a slimmer, lighter, fanless design. The Apple TV 4K is now available with 64GB of storage for a lower starting price of $129, sitting below a 128GB model for $149 that also has an ethernet port and support for Thread networking. We have rounded up both written and video reviews of the new Apple TV 4K below.
Written Reviews
The Apple TV 4K’s performance improvements were somewhat noticeable to reviewers, particularly when switching apps, but they noted that there is little that can practically take advantage of it other than games. TechCrunch‘s Darrell Etherington:
If you have a 2021 Apple TV 4K, which I do, you probably aren’t feeling the pinch in terms of performance. In fact, I still have a first-generation Apple TV 4K in active use, and despite it now being six years old, I’d be hard-pressed to tell the difference between it and my 2021 Apple TV in a blind test.
That said, the 2022 Apple TV 4K does seem to generally make things snappier when it comes to navigating between the Home Screen and apps, and even potentially within apps as well. It also definitely offers a boost when it comes to using the Apple TV as a gaming device, helping it keep up with the most graphically-demanding Arcade and App Store titles available. With expanded controller support via the most recent tvOS update, the Apple TV is a better gaming console than ever combined with the A15’s performance prowess.
On the other hand, CNET‘s Eli Blumenthal found gaming on the Apple TV 4K underwhelming and noted that the A15 Bionic chip still does not help the Apple TV rival games consoles:
NBA 2K23 loaded quickly, and the game finally has commentary which brings some console-like quality that was lacking in earlier editions, but that’s where the similarity ends. In my few games, the title looks and feels a bit slower than the console version. Even with an Xbox controller paired to the Apple TV 4K, there is no direct passing and animations lack the fluidity and sharpness of the game on Xbox One, let alone Xbox Series S/X.
Face models are fine, but lack detail in players’ tattoos like D’Angelo Russell and Marcus Smart. Standard basketball game staples like instant replays and quick or batch substitutions also remain absent as do 2K23 game modes like The City.
Gameloft’s Asphalt 8 Plus similarly loaded quickly and played fine using the Apple TV’s included Siri Remote. But there isn’t ray-tracing or other modern graphical improvements that would make anyone confuse this title for a PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series S/X game.
All told, there doesn’t appear to be anything extra that the A15 Bionic brings to gaming on Apple TV 4K…
The Verge‘s Chris Welch said that while the USB-C charging port of the new Siri Remote is a welcome change, there is still much more that the remote could do:
Other than ditching Lightning for USB-C, the included Siri Remote is identical to the prior generation. This is largely positive: it’s ergonomic and easy to use, and once you get down the clickpad’s rotational gesture for quickly scrubbing through a movie or show, you’ll rarely bother with the old less efficient way of fast-forwarding and rewinding. I do badly wish that Apple had included a U1 chip in the new remote that would’ve made it easy to hunt down with precision using a nearby iPhone. Failing that, even a built-in speaker would’ve been nice for a “Siri, find my remote” command. This remote isn’t as easy to lose as the previous stupidly thin version, but it still happens to the best of us. You can add backlighting and a raised nub on the play / pause button (making it easier to find by feel) to my wish list for the next iteration of the Siri Remote.
Video Reviews and Unboxings
This article, “Apple TV 4K 2022 Reviews: Faster and More Affordable With HDR10+ Support and USB-C Remote, But Largely Unchanged” first appeared on MacRumors.com
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Samsung’s One UI 5 update is largely about personalization
Samsung has revealed more details about One UI 5, the updated user interface it will begin rolling out to devices later this month. Galaxy S22-series devices will be the first to get the update. The company is placing an even bigger focus on personalization, including on the lock screen. You’ll be able to select up to 15 photos and videos for the lock screen, with a different one appearing each time you turn on the display.
Alternatively, you can let Samsung handle the dynamic lock screen with a selection of curated images — you’ll see a different one each time. You can choose up to five image categories (such as dogs, cats, animals, landscapes and plants) and Samsung will refresh the collections every two weeks. You’ll also be able to tweak the wallpaper, clock style and notification pop-ups on the lock screen. Expect more color palette options to change the device-wide look of the UI and more customizable faces for Galaxy Watches.
Samsung says it has redesigned notifications to make them more intuitive and easier to parse with a glance. There’s the promise of improved widget stacking on the home screen too. One UI 5 will also have “more defined answer and decline buttons” when you see the pop-up call display.
Speaking of calls, there’s a new feature called Bixby Text Call. You’ll be able to answer a call by typing a message and Bixby can read this to the caller. The voice assistant can convert what the caller says into text as well. This could come in handy if you’re in a noisy environment and wouldn’t be able to hear what the other person is saying. Bixby Text Call became available in Korean as part of One UI 4.1.1. An English version will arrive in early 2023.
One UI 5 will place an onus on modes and routines too. With routines, you can trigger several actions on your device based on your activities (such as starting a certain playlist when you leave home). In addition, you can have modes with custom settings for certain situations, such as when you’re sleeping, relaxing or working out. In relax mode, you might mute notifications so you can focus on watching a video or playing a game. And when it’s time for bed, perhaps turning off all sounds and reducing the screen brightness will do the trick.
At the Samsung Developer Conference keynote, Sally Hyesoon Jeong said that your device will ask a series of simple questions to help you set modes up as you see fit. The company plans to launch modes on more devices (namely watches and tablets) in the near future
Elsewhere, Samsung is merging the “biometrics and security” and “privacy” settings from One UI 4 into a single security and privacy menu. You’ll be alerted to potential security issues and see possible solutions all on one screen.
You’ll see a new warning on the share panel if your phone believes you’re about to share an image that includes sensitive information, such as a photo of your credit card, driver’s license, Social Security card or passport. When it comes to IDs, Samsung noted that availability may vary depending on the language. At least for now, this feature will only be available when you set your system language to English (US) or Korean.
On the health front, Samsung worked with Google on a platform called Health Connect, a single set of APIs that should enable Android developers to create “richer health experiences,” Jeong said. There will be centralized privacy controls that will still enable you to sync data between various health and fitness apps.
As a result of Samsung’s partnership with Microsoft, when you set up a new Windows PC, you can use a QR code to link it to your phone. This will automatically add your mobile hotspot to your PC WiFi options. Jeong suggested that One UI 5 will deliver improved continuity across apps. You can switch from PowerPoint on phones to the desktop app and continue from where you left off, for instance. There are plans to enable similar features for non-Microsoft apps soon. Also on the productivity front, the Z Fold 4’s redesigned taskbar is coming to other Z Fold and Tab S8 devices as part of the Android 12L update. Moreover, you’ll be able to copy text from images and paste it elsewhere.
A new connected devices menu will include interoperability options for the likes of Quick Share, Smart View and Samsung DeX. Finally, you can expect easier access to a menu that will help you switch your Galaxy Buds from one device to another.
REITs largely in red again this week, hotel REITs see green
Mozilla: YouTube’s Dislike Button Largely Fails To Stop Unwanted Recommendations
This is especially troubling because Mozilla’s past research shows that YouTube recommends videos that violate its very own community guidelines, like misinformation, violent content, hate speech, and spam. For example, one user in this most recent research asked YouTube to stop recommending war footage from Ukraine — but shortly after was recommended even more grisly content from the region. The study, titled “Does This Button Work? Investigating YouTube’s ineffective user controls” is the culmination of months of rigorous qualitative and quantitative research. The study was made possible by the data of more than 20,000 participants who used Mozilla’s RegretsReporter browser extension, and by data about more than 500 million YouTube videos. These are the top findings, as highlighted in the report:
People don’t trust YouTube’s user controls. More than a third (39.3%) of people surveyed felt YouTube’s user controls did not impact their recommendations at all, and 23% felt the controls had a mixed response. Said one interviewee: “Nothing changed. Sometimes I would report things as misleading and spam and the next day it was back in […] Even when you block certain sources they eventually return.”
People take matters into their own hands. Our study found that people did not always understand how YouTube’s controls affect their recommendations, and so took a jury rigged approach instead. People will log out, create new accounts, or use privacy tools just to manage their YouTube recommendations. Said one user: “When the Superbowl came around … if someone recommended a particular commercial, I used to log out of YouTube, watch the commercial, and then log back in.”
The data confirms people are right. The most “effective” user control was “Don’t recommend channel,” but compared to users who do not make use of YouTube’s user controls, only 43% of unwanted recommendations are prevented — and recommendations from the unwanted channel sometimes persist. Other controls were even less effective: The “Not Interested” tool prevented only 11% of unwanted recommendations.
YouTube can fix this problem. YouTube has the power to confront this issue and do a better job at enabling people to control their recommendations. Our research outlines several concrete suggestions to put people back into the driver’s seat, like making YouTube’s controls more proactive, allowing users to shape their own experience; and giving researchers increased access to YouTube’s API and other tools. Further reading: YouTube Targets TikTok With Revenue Sharing For Shorts, Partner Program Expansion
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
US judge largely rejects Elon Musk’s ‘absurdly broad’ Twitter data requests
Musk’s attorneys also brought up the claims of Twitter whistleblower Peiter Zatko in a Delaware court.
Read more: US judge largely rejects Elon Musk’s ‘absurdly broad’ Twitter data requests