Popular LumaFusion video editing app adds iPhone 15 Pro USB-C SSD Support

Oliver Haslam | Software & Apps | Nov 27, 2023 7:15 AM CST

When Apple announced the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max in September it also announced that the new phones would get support for USB 3 data transfer speeds via their USB-C ports which makes for much faster file transfers. As part of that, it was also confirmed that the new iPhones would allow creatives to record their videos directly to an external SSD to save space on the iPhone's internal storage. The catch was that individual apps would need to be updated to add support for such a feature but now one of the most popular has done exactly that, allowing content on an external SSD to be edited with ease.

Popular LumaFusion video editing app adds iPhone 15 Pro USB-C SSD Support

That app is of course LumaFusion from LumaTouch with an updated app now available for download from the App Store. It's version 4.1.1 and it's a free download for those who already have the app installed. In fact, those of you with automatic updates enabled might already have it without realizing it.

The new app update means that those who want to create longer videos are no longer limited by the amount of free storage space that they have on their iPhones. Simply connect a USB-C SSD to the iPhone 15 Pro or iPhone 15 Pro Max's USB-C port and new content will be available for editing there once the updated LumaFusion has been configured just so.

Continue reading: Popular LumaFusion video editing app adds iPhone 15 Pro USB-C SSD Support (full post)

Photomator now supports HDR and Smart HDR photo editing on the iPhone and Mac

Oliver Haslam | Software & Apps | Nov 27, 2023 7:00 AM CST

Editing photos on the iPhone, iPad, and Mac just changed completely after the popular Photomator app from Pixelmator got a new update that adds support for new HDR features. The new update is now available in the App Store on all platforms and those who have the automatic update function enabled likely already have it installed without even knowing it.

Photomator now supports HDR and Smart HDR photo editing on the iPhone and Mac

The update, which Pixelmator announced via a press release, adds full HDR support for the first time. From now on, the release notes, users can choose to always work with HDR photos in Photomator or continue to work with SDR photos instead. All the usual editing tools will continue to work, and they've all been upgraded to add HDR support. However, users will need to have iOS 17 or later installed on the iPhone, iPadOS 17 or later on the iPad, or macOS Sonoma or later on the Mac for any of the new HDR editing to work.

Pixelmator also announced Smart HDR, a new feature that allows people to convert standard SDR photos to HDR. The press release says that users can now click a single button and then instantly convert an SDR photo into an HDR one. Those photos can then be edited just like any other HDR photo, we're told.

Continue reading: Photomator now supports HDR and Smart HDR photo editing on the iPhone and Mac (full post)

WhatsApp is testing a new way to access AI-powered chats

Oliver Haslam | Software & Apps | Nov 27, 2023 6:45 AM CST

It sometimes feels like you can't take two steps in any direction without falling over a new AI feature right now and WhatsApp is no different. The popular Meta-owned instant messaging platform is reportedly testing a new feature that will make it easier for people to quickly access an AI-powered chat, although it's in very limited testing right now.

WhatsApp is testing a new way to access AI-powered chats

The new feature is only available to those who have the latest beta versions of the WhatsApp app installed on an iPhone or Android phone and even then, we're told your account needs to be enabled for you to see it. The number of people who fall into that category is a small one, so don't worry if you haven't seen this tweak yet.

The change was first reported by the WhatsApp beta watchers at WABetaInfo and apparently adds a new button to make it quicker to access a new AI-powered chat. The button is in the Chats tab which means that people can create a new chat with the help of AI without having to go through their chat list to find a previous AI chat.

Continue reading: WhatsApp is testing a new way to access AI-powered chats (full post)

Don't worry, Apple's Tim Cook says plans for his replacement are already underway

Oliver Haslam | Mobile Devices, Tablets & Phones | Nov 27, 2023 6:30 AM CST

Apparently keen to ensure that Apple doesn't turn into some sort of Succession spin-off, current CEO Tim Cook says that the company is already hard at work figuring out who will take his place when he calls time on his own career.

Don't worry, Apple's Tim Cook says plans for his replacement are already underway

In a turn of events that we still can't quite get our heads around, Cook, CEO of one of the biggest companies on the planet, was being interviewed by singer Dua Lipa as part of a 45-minute chat for BBC Sounds. As you can imagine that chat covered a variety of things with Cook reflecting on his 25 years at the company. He then mentioned that Apple is a company that believes in working its succession plans to make sure that things are all set for when the time comes.

Predictably, Cook wouldn't say who was next in line for his job when he calls time on his career but he did say that Apple has plenty of options with several for the board to choose from. Cook also said that he really wanted the new CEO to come from within Apple, so that might give is an idea of who he might be thinking of. There are multiple options available, as Cook says, but we have to imagine that there are some that are higher up the pecking order than others.

Continue reading: Don't worry, Apple's Tim Cook says plans for his replacement are already underway (full post)

Apple's brain drain problem is to Google's advantage, report shows

Oliver Haslam | Mobile Devices, Tablets & Phones | Nov 27, 2023 6:16 AM CST

A new report based on the LinkedIn profiles of people working in the technology industry claims that the most likely place that former Apple employees will turn up is Google. That's news that will no doubt be music to the ears of those working in Mountain View, but those who ply their trade over in Cupertino will no doubt find the report less promising.

Apple's brain drain problem is to Google's advantage, report shows

The numbers were put together by Switch on Business and then picked up by 9to5Mac, with the research team searching how many employees currently worked at companies like Google, Amazon, Apple Meta, Microsoft, IBM, Tesla, Oracle, Netflix, NVIDIA, Salesforce, Adobe, Intel, and Uber. The work then saw them look at those companies as well as which companies they worked for previously. From there they calculated the count and percentage of current employees at each company that previously worked at the others.

The results show that Apple most likely gets its new hires from Intel, which would make sense given the company's buyout of its modem business in 2019 and a focus on producing its own chips. Microsoft and Amazon were the second and third most-sourced for Apple.

Continue reading: Apple's brain drain problem is to Google's advantage, report shows (full post)

AMD slash prices on Ryzen CPUs for Amazon Cyber Monday, deals up to 61% off

Jak Connor | Deals | Nov 27, 2023 4:31 AM CST

If you were considering picking up a new CPU, now is the time as Cyber Monday has hit Amazon, and AMD Ryzen CPUs are ridiculously cheap.

AMD slash prices on Ryzen CPUs for Amazon Cyber Monday, deals up to 61% off

Cyber Monday has arrived, and if you don't know what that means, it means discounts across almost every online store that wants to participate in the madness. Cyber Monday follows the crazy week of Black Friday sales and is the other half of the end-of-November sales leading into the holiday season. Cyber Monday is a day dedicated to online stores slashing prices, and Amazon, unsurprisingly, is leading the charge by slashing up to 61% off select AMD CPUs.

Gamers are able to pick up an AMD Ryzen 7 5800X 8-core, 16-Thread CPU for just $174 when its original listing price was $449. If you don't want to shell out that much for a new CPU, you can save some cash by picking up the AMD Ryzen 5 5600X 6-core, 12-Thread for $134.89, which has a discount of 56%.

Continue reading: AMD slash prices on Ryzen CPUs for Amazon Cyber Monday, deals up to 61% off (full post)

Amazon drop prices on Sony headphones for Cyber Monday with discounts of up to 34%

Jak Connor | Deals | Nov 27, 2023 4:10 AM CST

If your wallet isn't already hurting from the crazy Black Friday sales, prepare it for round two as Cyber Monday is here!

Amazon drop prices on Sony headphones for Cyber Monday with discounts of up to 34%

Amazon has kicked off Cyber Monday madness with some extremely hard to miss on deals across its entire online store, and if you are looking to get rid of those old headphones and move onto something a little newer and nicer - it may be time to pick up that pair of Sony headphones you have always been wanting. For Cyber Monday Amazon has slashed prices across Sony headphones, speakers and home theater equipment, and below you will find some of the best deals for Sony headphones.

Black Friday and Cyber Monday provide opportunities to lock down early Christmas presents for lucky people in your life, while also picking up some personal items at a really low price. Below you will find some of our favorite Sony deals for 2023's Cyber Monday.

Continue reading: Amazon drop prices on Sony headphones for Cyber Monday with discounts of up to 34% (full post)

Students are using AI to make 'terrifyingly' realistic nude images of other students

Jak Connor | Artificial Intelligence | Nov 27, 2023 3:47 AM CST

Experts on child abuse have warned of the increasing number of instances where children in schools have used AI-powered image generators to create indecent images of fellow students.

Students are using AI to make 'terrifyingly' realistic nude images of other students

The warning has come from UK Safer Internet Center (UKSIC) director Emma Hardy, who said that there is a number of schools reporting students being caught using various AI-powered tools to create images of children that would fall under child sexual abuse material. What was most disturbing is how realistic these images were. According to Hardy, the images students were generating of other students were "terrifying" realistic, and the quality of these images was "comparable to professional photos taken annually of children up[ and down the country".

The body of experts calls on schools to enforce better blocking technology to prevent students from accessing these AI-powered tools on school premises. Additionally, UKSIC director David Wright said these reports are hardly a surprise as when new technologies such as AI generators become accessible to the public, you should anticipate people using them for bad behavior.

Continue reading: Students are using AI to make 'terrifyingly' realistic nude images of other students (full post)

Scientists discover element in Apollo lunar sample that may revolutionize living on the moon

Jak Connor | Science, Space, Health & Robotics | Nov 27, 2023 3:29 AM CST

A team of researchers analyzing lunar samples acquired during the Apollo missions has discovered a key ingredient that may lead to an altering of the general understanding of the Moon's composition.

Scientists discover element in Apollo lunar sample that may revolutionize living on the moon

The research comes from the US Naval Research Laboratory, which NASA gave lunar samples to for an updated analysis of their composition. According to the study that was published in the scientific journal Nature, the team discovered traces of hydrogen within lunar soil sample 79221. Why is this important? Firstly, researchers know the Moon has a large presence of ice at its poles, and this ice can be broken down into its two components, hydrogen and oxygen.

These two molecules can be used by astronauts living on the lunar surface for oxygen, and also for rocket fuel to conduct trips back to Earth, or beyond the Moon. Essentially, discovering water ice on the surface of the Moon is discovering resources that, if utilized correctly and efficiently, will enable astronauts to have a sustained flow of transportation and oxygen while exploring the surface of the Moon.

Continue reading: Scientists discover element in Apollo lunar sample that may revolutionize living on the moon (full post)

Starfield players now don't have to stare into NPC eyeballs when talking to them

Jak Connor | Gaming | Nov 27, 2023 3:04 AM CST

Starfield players have been enduring the snap-zoom-in camera movement when speaking to NPCs since the game was released, but thanks to a new mod, they no longer have to experience it.

Starfield players now don't have to stare into NPC eyeballs when talking to them

Starfield would have reminded you a lot of Bethesda's The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, a 2006 game that made the iconic snap-zoom-in camera movement a thing some gamers just can't forget. This camera movement occurs when a player engages in dialogue with an NPC, and in the case of Oblivion, most of the time, it was a city guard sprinting toward your character, asking you to "stop right there!".

Bethesda's newest release, Starfield, has adopted this same camera movement, and while it is certainly nostalgic, it can get a little annoying as players are forced to stare into the lifeless eyes of every NPC they have dialogue options with. Thanks to Antonix35, players can now download "Disable Dialogue Camera", which enables conversations in the third and first-person while also removing the abrupt zoom-in effect.

Continue reading: Starfield players now don't have to stare into NPC eyeballs when talking to them (full post)