October, 2020 | CompuScoop.com

How to use the new ‘Back Tap’ feature in iOS 14

Dan Uff October 3, 2020 0

Not many people know this, but the iPhone has had a hidden feature built into the back of the phone for a while, but not until iOS 14 has Apple enabled the feature.

As the name suggests, this feature allows a user to double or triple tap on the back of the phone to enable certain features.

Here’s how to enable it:

Tap Settings.
Tap Accessibility.
Select “Back Tap.”
Select “Double Tap” or “Triple Tap” to select an option that will activate.
After that, go back to the Home Screen and try your new action.
That’s it.

‘The Snoopy Show’ coming to Apple TV+

Apple Inc October 2, 2020 0

Click below to watch a preview:

[su_youtube url="https://youtu.be/sjZBGKxqvMI" width="200" height="300"]

Apple pulls buggy macOS Mojave Security Update and Safari 14

Dan Uff October 2, 2020 2

According to Mr. Macintosh, some of the issues that users experienced include problems with memory, slow boot and high fan speeds, system sluggishness, and stalls in Finder, among other problems. Apple pulled both updates at around 5 p.m. Eastern on Sept. 30.

Complaints about the update started to surface shortly after it was released on Sept. 24, though the Safari 14 update for Mojave was released on Sept. 16. The exact update for macOS Mojave was Security Update 2020-005.

To read the rest of the article, click here.

Google announces the Pixel 4a (5G) and Pixel 5 with 5G Speeds

Dan Uff October 1, 2020 0

On Wednesday, Google announced the new Pixel 4a and Pixel 5 to its smartphone offerings. The below is the official press release:

Nest Audio, new Pixels, and Chromecast with Google TV bring together the best of Google to deliver helpful experiences to you.

Pixel 4a (5G) and Pixel 5 are here, packing more helpful Google features into phones backed by the power and speeds of 5G¹. From Google’s latest AI and Assistant features, to the biggest ever batteries we’ve put in a Pixel, to industry-leading camera features, Pixel 4a (5G) and Pixel 5 join our much loved Pixel 4a in providing more help at a more helpful price.

5G speeds at affordable prices

5G is the latest in mobile technology, bringing fast download and streaming speeds to users around the world. Whether you’re downloading the latest movie², listening to your favorite music on YouTube Music, catching up on podcasts with Google Podcasts or playing a game on Stadia, Pixel 4a (5G) and Pixel 5 will provide you with fast speeds¹.

YouTube, YouTube Music and Google Podcasts on Pixel 4a (5G) and Pixel 5 also give you access to the content you want when you don't have connectivity by pre-downloading content via 5G when you don’t have WiFi connectivity¹. For more information go to g.co/musicdownloads.

New camera, new lenses—same great photos

Ask any Pixel owner and they’ll tell you: Pixels take great photos. Pixel 4a (5G) and Pixel 5 are no exception. These phones bring Pixel’s industry-leading photography features to the next level.

Ultrawide lens for ultra awesome shots: With a new ultrawide lensalongside the standard rear camera, you’ll be able to capture the whole scene. And thanks to Google’s software magic, the latest Pixels still get our Super Res Zoom. So whether you’re zooming in or zooming out, you get sharp details and breathtaking images.
Better videos with Cinematic Pan: Pixel 4a (5G) and Pixel 5 come with Cinematic Pan, which gives your videos a professional look with ultrasmooth panning that’s inspired by the equipment Hollywood directors use.
Night Sight in Portrait Mode: Night Sight currently gives you the ability to capture amazing low-light photos—and even the Milky Way with astrophotography. Now, these phones bring the power of Night Sight into Portrait Mode to capture beautifully blurred backgrounds in Portraits even in extremely low light.
Portrait Light: Portrait Mode on the Pixel 4a (5G) and Pixel 5 lets you capture beautiful portraits that focus on your subject as the background fades into an artful blur. If the lighting isn’t right, your Pixel can drop in extra light to illuminate your subjects.
New editor in Google Photos: Even after you’ve captured your portrait, Google Photos can help you add studio-quality light to your portraits of people with Portrait Light, in the new, more helpful Google Photos editor.

Pixel has even more helpful features to save you time thanks to Google Assistant. Every month, Call Screen helps people with more than 25 million calls, saving people 2 million minutes, and Duplex helps users with a variety of phone tasks including reservations and getting business information.

Now, with a preview of Hold for Me on Pixel 4a (5G) and Pixel 5 in the U.S., Google Assistant can wait on the line for you whenever you call a toll-free number and a business puts you on hold. Built on the smarts of Duplex and Call Screen, this new feature lets you go back to enjoying the things that matter to you, and Google Assistant will notify you once someone is on the line and ready to talk. And Hold for Me works on your device, so the entire call is private to you. Goodbye endless hold music, hello more free time.

Stay connected and entertained with Duo

To make it easier and more enjoyable to stay connected to the most important people in your life, the new HD screen sharing in Duo video calls lets you and a friend watch the same video, cheer on your favorite teams together and even plan activities—all while being thousands of miles apart. And coming soon with Duo Family HD mode, you’ll be able to keep kids entertained and engaged with new interactive tools, like coloring over backgrounds, while you video chat.

A smarter way to record and share audio

Last year, Recorder made audio recording smarter, with real-time transcriptions and the power of search. Now, Recorder makes it even easier to share your favorite audio moments. Since Recorder automatically transcribes every recording, now you can use those transcripts to edit the audio too. Just highlight a sentence to crop or remove its corresponding audio.

Once you have something you want others to hear—say a quote from an interview or a new song idea—you can generate a video clip to make sharing your audio easier. To improve searching through your transcripts, smart scrolling will automatically mark important words in longer transcripts so you can quickly jump to the sections you’re looking for as you scroll. But most helpful of all? Recorder still works without an internet connection, so you can transcribe, search and edit from anywhere, anytime.

The biggest Pixel batteries ever

Pixel 4a (5G) and Pixel 5 also have all-day batteries that can last up to 48 hours with Extreme Battery Saver³. This mode automatically limits active apps to just the essentials and lets you choose additional apps you want to keep on.

And now, the specs

Like all Pixel devices, security and safety are paramount in Pixel 4a (5G) and Pixel 5. Both devices come with our Titan^TM M security chip to help keep your on-device data safe and secure, and both phones will get three years of software and security updates. Pixel's security features received a perfect score on a recent analyst scorecard⁴.

Plus, Pixel 5 is designed with the environment in mind; we used 100 percent recycled aluminum in the back housing enclosure to reduce its carbon footprint

When you purchase a Pixel 4a (5G) or Pixel 5, you’ll also get Stadia and YouTube Premium trial for three months, 100 GB of storage with Google One for three months and Google Play Pass and Gold/Silver Status on Play Points. See g.co/pixel/4a5Goffers or g.co/pixel/5offers, as applicable, for more details.

Pixel 4a (5G) will be available in Japan on Oct. 15 and eight other countriesstarting in November. Pixel 5 will be available in eight countries starting Oct. 15, and in the U.S. and Canada starting Oct. 29.

Looking for the Pixel that’s right for you? Head to the Google Store now.

^{1 Requires a 5G data plan (sold separately). 5G service and roaming not available on all carrier networks or in all areas. Contact carrier for details about current 5G network performance, compatibility and availability. Phone connects to 5G networks but 5G service, speed and performance depend on many factors including, but not limited to, carrier network capabilities, device configuration and capabilities, network traffic, location, signal strength and signal obstruction. Actual results may vary. Some features not available in all areas. Data rates may apply. See g.co/pixel/networkinfo for info.}

^{2 Download speed claims based on testing videos from three streaming platforms. Average download time was less than 60 seconds. File sizes varied between 449MB and 1.3GB. Download speed depends upon many factors, such as file size, content provider and network connection. Testing conducted in an internal 5G network lab and on pre-production hardware in California in July/August 2020. Actual download speeds may be slower.}

^{3 For “all day”: Maximum battery life based on testing using a mix of talk, data, standby and use of other features. Testing conducted on two major carrier networks using Sub-6 GHz non-standalone 5G (ENDC) connectivity. For “Up to 48 hours”: Maximum battery life based on testing using a mix of talk, data, standby and use of limited other features that are default in Extreme Battery Saver mode (which disables various features including 5G connectivity). Testing conducted on two major carrier networks. For both claims: Pixel 4a (5G) and Pixel 5 battery testing conducted by a third party in California in mid-2020 on pre-production hardware and software using default settings, except that, for the “up to 48 hour claim” only, Extreme Battery Saver mode was enabled. Battery life depends upon many factors and usage of certain features will decrease battery life. Actual battery life may be lower.}

^{4 Based on 2020 analyst research funded by Google LLC.}