RCS is the next-generation text messaging standard that's designed to make traditional texting a bit more like dedicated messaging platforms, with features like multi-person chats and read receipts. Adoption of the Google-backed standard has been slow in the US, but it's making a big step forward with T-Mobile now rolling out RCS Universal Profiles to select Android users.
It's been a few years since we've heard from Light, the camera company that made headlines with the L16, a point-and-shoot sized camera featuring a whopping 16 lenses, allowing it to capture DSLR-quality images. The L16 finally entered production over a year ago, but now there's word that Light is working on bringing its multi-lens tech to a smartphone.
After weeks of excitement across its huge player base, Fortnite's one-time only missile launch event finally took place this weekend. The launch took place within the game on all platforms at the same time, meaning everyone logged into the massively popular Battle Royale mode could look to the sky to see it happen. And that's exactly what happened, with almost every player putting down their weapons, taking a break from killing one another, and enjoying the event together.
July is literally less than a day away now, which means Xbox Live Gold subscribers are about to have several new games to add to their collection for free. Microsoft has just announced the lineup of titles included in the Games with Gold program for July 2018, consisting of two Xbox One games and two Xbox 360 games, as usual, with the latter two titles also playable on the Xbox One hardware thanks to backwards compatibility.
Google Maps has long been the definitive mapping and directions app on both Android and iOS. One recent challenger to that standard has been Waze, which features crowd-sourced data on driving conditions to keep its information accurate and up-to-date. Waze was such a stand-out service that Google actually acquired it about five years ago. While Waze has never been absolved into Google Maps, like many expected, one of its best features might finally be making the jump.
Multi-platform messaging app WhatsApp has announced a new option that essentially allows group chat admins to create one-way broadcast channels, a feature seen on other social services like Telegram and Discord. On the surface it's a way for the Facebook-owned WhatsApp to give group admins more control, but it's also a big step towards letting users turn the app into a way of receiving announcements or breaking news.
In case you haven't already heard, Nintendo released new shipments of the NES Classic Edition this week, the first since the mini console's debut in 2016. If you managed to place an order in time, or were lucky enough to grab one over a year ago, there's a new controller you should know about. The makers of the best wireless controller for the NES Classic, 8BitDo, have announced a new version that's both cheaper and significantly improved.
It's been just over two years since the Electric GT series was announced: similar to Formula E, it's an all-electric racing series, but one that uses a modified version of the consumer Tesla Model S. With the series' first season finally kicking off in November, Electric GT Holdings unveiled its race-spec Model S this week in Barcelona, and it's clear it's a Tesla ready for the track.
Qualcomm is gradually making its push into the PC processor market, namely with its latest Snapdragon 850, aimed at notebooks. That chip, however, is just a higher-clocked version of the Snapdragon 845, a processor originally designed for smartphones, which means the 850 still doesn't make the cut in keeping up with Intel's CPUs. The much rumored Snapdragon 1000, however, is expected to be a different story.
When the Apple Watch was first introduced in 2015, it featured several fancy watch band options, like the magnet-based Milanese Loop, or the Modern Buckle, which resembled a traditional buckle-style band but actually used a clasp to close. It appears Apple has unceremoniously killed off the latter, however, as the Modern Buckle has been removed from online stores in the US.
If you're in the market for a new plug-in hybrid vehicle, you can safely cross Mercedes off your list. The German carmaker has discontinued production on their PHEV models of the C-Class, E-Class, S-Class, and GLE. For the time being, anyway. Mercedes isn't giving up on the plug-in market altogether, but instead making room for next year's debut of their new generation of hybrids under the EQ branding.
A small but significant change was made to the Play Store this week, and it affects all Android apps. Google is now adding a "small" string of security metadata to all Android APKs, which is designed to ensure the apps are authentic and have come from the Play Store or other approved source. In other words, it's DRM (digital rights management), but Google's intent is to improve the security of the Android platform by making it harder for fraudulent apps or those with malicious code to be installed.