The Montblanc Summit 3 could be the first Wear OS 3 smartwatch for iPhone users

If you’re in the market for a Wear OS 3 smartwatch, surprisingly, there aren’t many options available. For the past year or so, Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 4 series have been the only option. Thankfully, there are more options just on the horizon, with the Montblanc Summit 3 arriving at retail stores next month. Despite its hefty price tag, it looks like the smartwatch will have a distinct advantage over its Samsung counterparts, offering the ability to connect to both Android and iOS devices.

Although Montblanc did not directly confirm that its watch can be paired with iOS devices, speaking with Wareable, Qualcomm confirmed that the Summit 3 will be able to connect to Apple devices. Qualcomm states that the Snapdragon Wear 4100+ chipset, which powers the Montblanc Summit 3, doesn’t have restrictions, which should allow for iOS connectivity. One thing to note is that while Qualcomm does supply Montblanc and other smartwatch makers with chipsets, ultimately the finalization of the product is left in the hands of the brands.

The information comes from Qualcomm, but it will ultimately be up to Montblanc

If the connection to an iOS device is possible with the Summit 3, like Wear OS 2 devices, the experience might be compromised. What you can expect from a Wear OS 3 and iOS pairing is that you will receive notifications to your wrist and that’s pretty much it. You won’t be able to interact with the notification, but I guess it’s better than nothing. If the Montblanc Summit 3 can connect to Apple devices, it will become the first Wear OS 3 device to offer iOS compatibility. Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 4 series which also runs Wear OS 3 cannot connect to iOS devices.

The MontBlanc Summit 3 will be available for purchase starting on July 15 and will be priced at €1,250. Luckily, there are more affordable options coming soon, with Google’s Pixel Watch being one of the most anticipated Wear OS 3 watches set to arrive later this year.

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Source: Wareable

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Steam Deck internal memory mod could negatively impact the console

If you’ve been thinking about modifying the internal storage of your Steam Deck, it seems like you might not want to do that. Lawrence Yang, who is part of the Valve design team, commented on modifications popping up online and cautioned against this.

According to Yang, “the charger IC gets very hot” which is a great reason why heat dissipation elements should be kept in place. The problem comes from a PC Gamer article that showed off a mod being performed by Twitter user TheSmcelrea. The user proceeded to move thermal pads in order to fit a NVMe PCIe M.2 2242 card. Yang states that while it might appear to work, but the aforementioned M.2 drive isn’t meant to be used in the Steam Deck and that it draws more power. Because of this, it can also get much hotter than what the Steam Deck is meant to accommodate. All of this combined can shorten the life of the console.

A NVMe PCIe M.2 2242 card will fit, but it’s not meant for the Steam Deck

Of course, if you need more space, there are options. The easiest being to just pop in a microSD card into the Steam Deck. In various tests, it is shown that external cards work relatively well when it comes to read and write speeds. If you insist on upgrading the internal storage, you’ll want to try and find one that is compatible with the console’s NVMe PCIe M.2 2230 slot. These are not the fastest, but the are affordable and available through various retailers.

Recently, Valve announced that it would complete Q2 pre-orders of the Steam Deck and start shipping Q3 2022 orders. The firm also announced that it would be increasing shipments of the console in Q3, more than doubling the current weekly output. This is great news for anyone still waiting to get their hands on a Steam Deck console.

Source: Lawrence Yang (Twitter)

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Sony’s InZone brand delivers new headphones and monitors aimed at gamers

Today, Sony announced InZone, a new gaming brand that puts its focus into audio and visual products. Sony states that the main concept of the brand is “Immersion and Victory”. The firm announced a total of five products, two monitors and three headsets.

The InZone M9 and InZone M3 are both 27-inch monitors. The InZone M9 features 4K resolution with a refresh rate of 144Hz. It also features Full-Array Local Dimming, DisplayHDR 600 certification, Nvidia G-Sync compatibility, and more. The InZone M3 features 1080p resolution with a refresh rate of 240Hz. It also offers a 1ms response time and variable refresh rate. Both monitors feature the same shape and design, with lots of space under the monitor to setup a gaming space.

The InZone H9 is a wireless headphone, featuring noise-cancelling capabilities, 360 spatial audio, and a comfortable design thanks to its use of a wide head band and supple leather earpads. Sony has likened the product quality to its highly popular Sony WH-1000XM5. The InZone H7 are also wireless, while the InZone H3 are wired – both feature 360 spatial audio and nylon materials for its earpads. Each of the headphones features a design that offers low side pressure, which means that they can be worn for hours without fatigue.

For more details about each product, you can head to Sony’s InZone product page. Although Sony did not announce pricing or availability during its presentation, the products are now available directly from Sony for pre-order in the United States and the UK. The devices are expected to ship towards the beginning of July.

Currently, pricing from the Sony UK site is as follows:

• The InZone H3 is priced at £89
• The InZone H7 is priced at £199
• The InZone H9 is priced at £269
• The InZone M3 is unavailable
• The InZone M9 is priced at £999

Currently, pricing from the Sony US site is as follows:

• The InZone H3 is priced at $99
• The InZone H7 is priced at $229
• The InZone H9 is priced at $299
• The InZone M3 is unavailable
• The InZone M9 is unavailable

Source: Sony (YouTube)

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How to set up the MacBook Air M2 (2022) for working from home

Apple revealed the MacBook Air M2 (2022), along with macOS Ventura, during the main keynote of WWDC22. This lightweight notebook comes with a completely redesigned chassis and upgraded internals. Available in four mesmerizing finishes to choose from, the MacBook Air (2022) is packs the all-new Apple M2 chip. It’s mighty, efficient, and reimagines what a MacBook Air can be. Furthermore, it reintroduces the beloved MagSafe 3 port — which conveniently charges your powerful Mac and safely disconnects if you trip over it. It truly is the epitome of design and performance excellence that has gradually matured over the years. What’s so great about this notebook is that it features a fanless structure. So you won’t be hearing any noise coming from it when you’re focused on a task. Here’s how to set up the Apple MacBook Air M2 (2022) for working from home.

Set up the MacBook Air for working from home

Download the essentials

Depending on the company you work for, you will find yourself needing to install a certain set of productivity apps. These could include downloading Chrome on your Mac, in addition to Slack, Microsoft Office, Adobe products, Zoom, etc. It really depends on your work field and workplace, plus the tools they expect you to use. You might find some of them on the Apple App Store, and you can download the rest from their respective websites. It’s also a good idea to take a look at the best apps for Apple silicon. That’s because your new MacBook Air packs the M2 chip and these applications will be working smoothly on it.

Set up Focus

Focus is Apple’s Do Not Disturb (DND) 2.0. Through Focus modes you get to create your own work (or play) environment, in which you filter out distractions of your choice. If you’re not sure how to use it, we’ve prepared a guide on how to use Focus. The process is straightforward — yet powerful enough to make a difference when it comes to your productivity. You can silence notifications from everyone excluding your coworkers, and you can mute apps that aren’t related to work. This way you decide what comes through and what doesn’t.

Use your iPhone as a webcam

If you’re running macOS Ventura and iOS 16, you can use your compatible iPhone as a wireless webcam for your notebook. Working on a MacBook Air means attending plenty of meetings. This gives you the flexibility of moving your camera around and use advanced camera features like Desk View or Center Stage. If you’re not sure how to use the Continuity Camera feature, we also have a guide to get you started.

Make it grow a limb or two

The MacBook Air (2022) harnesses the power of Apple’s M2 chip to execute its tasks. However, it’s very lacking when it comes to port variety. You get a headphone jack, two Thunderbolt 4 ports, and a MagSafe 3 charging port. That’s not a lot. To further utilize the M2’s might, you might want to buy a dock or two. This way, you get a wider variety of ports at your disposal. So whether your work requires you to connect cameras, SD card, microphones, or an external display — you will have a compatible port for it, through the dock.

Take advantage of Universal Control

Universal Control allows you to control your iPad or another Mac through the main MacBook’s keyboard and trackpad. It’s perfect for the multitaskers who want to work on several tasks simultaneously. If Universal Control isn’t what you’re looking for, there’s also Sidecar. This feature allows you to mirror your MacBook Air’s display to the iPad — which acts as a wireless external display (and supports the Apple Pencil).

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The MacBook Air M2 (2022) is a great device for working from home. It’s light, portable, powerful, and reasonably priced. In fact, I personally use a MacBook Air to do my job — and it’s undoubtedly excellent!

Apple MacBook Air (2022)

The 2022 MacBook Air offers the M2 chip and a redesigned chassis with MagSafe support. Best Buy can notify you when it's available.

View on Best Buy

Do you prefer working from home or at an office, and why? Let us know in the comments section below.

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Asus ROG Phone 6 launches next week, here’s what we know about the gaming smartphone

Asus will unveil its latest ROG Phone next week and, in the days leading up to the launch, the company has already started teasing the device. In a recent string of tweets, Asus has revealed that the ROG Phone 6 will be the world’s first IPX4-rated gaming phone. In addition, the company has confirmed that the device will feature 360-degree cooling for the CPU to “drastically reduce thermal throttling in games.”

World’s 1st IPX4 gaming phone.
Coming Soon.

Tune in on July 5 to know more https://t.co/G3oahMoh4Y#ROGPhone6 pic.twitter.com/LOsmA4Z22C

— ROG Global (@ASUS_ROG) June 24, 2022

Although Asus hasn’t shared any other details about the ROG Phone 6, recent leaks give us a good look at the device and highlight some of its specifications. The leaks reveal that the ROG Phone 6 will sport a 6.78-inch 165Hz AMOLED display and pack Qualcomm’s flagship Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 SoC. Furthermore, we’ve learned that the device will feature up to 18GB of LPDDR5 RAM, a 5,850mAh battery with 65W fast charging support, and a triple camera setup with a 64MP primary shooter.

Ensuring your ROG Phone stays cool in all situations is our #1 commitment.

And we found a way to drastically reduce thermal throttling in games.

Don’t miss the coolest reveal for the coolest phone on July 5.
Save the date https://t.co/G3oahMFSty#ROGPhone6 pic.twitter.com/3vIUEBi9Qh

— ROG Global (@ASUS_ROG) June 27, 2022

Leaked renders of the device from Evan Blass (via 91mobiles) confirm that the ROG Phone 6 will feature a familiar design with a hexagonal camera island and gamer-y graphics on the back panel. In addition, the device looks to have two USB Type-C ports, air triggers, and a secondary display.

The AeroActive Cooler for the ROG Phone 6 looks a bit more chunky than its predecessor and appears to have two additional buttons. Lastly, we get a look at the Devilcase Guardian Lite Plus case for the device, which features cutouts for the camera island, rear display, and air triggers.

What do you think of the ROG Phone 6’s design and rumored specifications? Let us know in the comments section below.

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Via: 91mobiles

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Xiaomi’s Leica partnership will bear fruit in form of the new Xiaomi 12S series early next month

We first heard rumors about Xiaomi’s Leica partnership in March of this year. At the time, new strings in the Chinese version of MIUI‘s Gallery Editor app revealed that an upcoming Xiaomi device would feature Leica-branded filters. A few months later, Xiaomi officially confirmed the Leica partnership and announced that the first phones developed in collaboration with the camera maker would hit the shelves in July. As expected, Xiaomi has now announced that it will host a launch event on July 4 to unveil the new Xiaomi 12S series featuring Leica-branded cameras.

Xiaomi’s founder and CEO Lei Jun announced the launch event in a recent tweet stating, “After so much hard work, we can finally share our latest innovation, Xiaomi smartphones co-engineered with Leica, ushering in a new era in imagery technology.”

After so much hard work, we can finally share our latest innovation, Xiaomi smartphones co-engineered with Leica, ushering in a new era in imagery technology. Looking forward to sharing more at the #Xiaomi12SSeriesLaunch on July 4, 19:00 GMT+8! pic.twitter.com/YHe5Zvqjdb

— leijun (@leijun) June 28, 2022

Jun also shared an announcement poster for the event, which gives us a glimpse of the camera module on the upcoming Xiaomi 12S series and confirms that the launch event will kick off at 7 p.m. GMT+8 on July 4. Alvin Tse, GM of Xiaomi Indonesia, further revealed that the company would translate the event into six languages in real-time, so it should be easy to follow for Xiaomi fans worldwide.

Currently, Xiaomi hasn’t shared any other information about the upcoming Xiaomi 12S series. However, recent leaks suggest that the devices could feature Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 chip, up to 12GB RAM and 256GB storage, 120Hz refresh rate displays, and 120W fast charging support. The Xiaomi 12S series will likely launch with MIUI 13 based on Android 12 out of the box.

Are you looking forward to the Xiaomi 12S series? What upgrades do you wish to see on the upcoming devices? Let us know in the comments section below.

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Apple readies M2 Ultra and M2 Extreme, will rely on M2 for mixed reality headset

Apple is preparing a slew of new devices and it looks like a majority will be powered by more powerful variants of the recently announced M2 processor. While this is kind of a given at this point, one other interesting thing to note is that Apple is also relying on the M2 SoC for its upcoming mixed reality headset.

According to Bloomberg, there will be more M2 products coming down the pipeline soon. As far as laptops go, we can expect a new MacBook Pro 14 and MacBook Pro 16. These models will be powered by the unannounced M2 Pro and M2 Max. At some point, Apple will also announce two new models of the Mac Mini and two models of the Mac Pro. The latter will feature M2 Ultra and M2 Extreme chips.

It comes as no surprise that the M2 processor will be finding its way into other Apple computing products. It also isn’t much of a surprise that Apple will utilize this SoC whenever possible. According to new information, the current iteration of Apple’s rumored mixed reality headset currently features an M2 SoC and 16GB RAM. Of course, the device is not retail-ready and things could change before its release. Nonetheless, this is an encouraging sign that this headset will pack quite a punch.

Despite the M2 still being quite fresh, Apple is already hard at work on its next generation of products, with the expectation that they will be powered by Apple’s M3 processor. The firm could also introduce a new laptop to its lineup with the release of a 15-inch MacBook Air. Furthermore, there are also reports that a smaller 12-inch MacBook is also in development. Luckily, we won’t have to wait too much longer for Apple’s next set of products, with the expected unveiling of new iPhones and Apple Watches coming this fall.

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Source: Bloomberg

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