BLACKBERRY RELEASES KEYONE TUTORIAL VIDEOS TO HELP CUSTOMERS BETTER UNDERSTAND THE SMARTPHONE

BlackBerry unveiled its KEYone handset during the MWC in February. The KEYone has released in the UK, but is currently available only in a single store in London.

The smartphone is poised to release in the United States on May 31 and BlackBerry is looking to familiarize consumers with the device's functionalities prior to the device's arrival.

Like Samsung uploaded Galaxy S8 tutorial videos for owners a few days ago, BlackBerry has also come up with its own set of videos for its KEYone smartphone. The list of 11 videos has been uploaded on BlackBerry's official YouTube channel.

BlackBerry KEYone Tutorial Videos

Out of the 11 tutorial videos uploaded, 10 deal with familiarizing users on how to perform specific activities using the KEYone.

The first video in the series shows how the SIM card needs to be inserted into the smartphone. The device comes with a SIM card ejector that can be used to access the SIM tray, which is located on the phone' side.

The next video details the file transfer system of the KEYone — how to transfer data from an old Android smartphone to the BlackBerry device. For this, users will need to install an app named "BlackBerry Content Transfer" on their older device. This will let users transfer older data to the Google Drive account. The same account when accessed using the new KEYone handset would allow users to re-download the data on the new handset.

Another tutorial video for the KEYone elaborates the camera's quick launch feature. The owners of the smartphone can double press the power button to instantly access the camera. This feature can be toggled on and off from the settings menu.

The data transfer from an Apple phone to the BlackBerry device follows almost the same steps that are listed for the transfer from Android devices. The video details that iOS users will need to install a "Content Transfer" app from developers Media Mushrooms on their older handset to initiate the transfer.

Adding Multiple Google Accounts

One of the videos showcases how owners can add multiple Google accounts to the BlackBerry KEYone and easily switch from one to the other. The video following this one reveals that holding down the power button and the volume down button together will result in a screenshot, which then gets saved in the "Photos" section.

The KEYone being a BlackBerry handset comes with a QWERTY keypad and a touchscreen. One of the videos details how a user can set their own keyboard shortcuts for different functionalities of the device. Users can also set up or change their email accounts from the BlackBerry Hub

Another video elaborates on how owners can customize apps connected to the "Convenience Key," which lets users instantly access an app by clicking the key located on the device's side.

The last video explains how lowering the screen brightness can improve the battery life of the KEYone substantially. Users can also turn on the "Boost Mode," which enhances the smartphone's battery life.

Three Dots Beneath The Icons

Any app which has the three dots beneath it signifies that widgets can be assigned to the same. To access the widgets for that app, users will have to swipe up on the icon and then modify widgets according to their preference.

VIN DIESEL AND DODGE FINALLY MAKE THE PARTNERSHIP OFFICIAL

Thanks to The Fast and the Furious franchise, actor Vin Diesel is nearly synonymous with muscle cars, in particular those from Dodge and SRT. The partnership is finally official, with Diesel appearing in a number of new ads for the automaker. Three new spots, titled "Rally Cry," "Monsters," and "Shepherd," showcase Dodge's entire product line, including the nearly forgotten Journey crossover. We can only assume it's taken the Viper's place in the automaker's lineup, as the soon departed coupe is nowhere to be seen.Another missing element is the recently revealed Dodge Demon. Presumably, Dodge felt three months of teasers and a good bit of New York Auto Show coverage were sufficient advertisement for the car. Plus, we can't count on the Demon to go around a corner the same way that some of the cars in this ad do. It's hard to turn with two wheels in the air.Advertisement or not, it's always great to hear a soundtrack of big, V8 muscle. Plus, this only further feeds into Vin Diesel v. The Rock, as the latter has been promoting Ford products for the past few years.

UBER NOW MAKES IT EASIER FOR YOU TO DELETE YOUR ACCOUNT

While ride-sharing service Uber was one of the poster boys of the whole new sharing economy that digital communicators love talking about, a certain sector of society has fallen out of love with the San Francisco-based company (well, at least in the US). Whether it’s the political side-projects of founder Travis Kalanick or the sexual harassment issues within the company, some people want to #DeleteUber. The process is apparently not that simple but the latest update to the app will supposedly make it better for those who want out.

While it is as easy as pie to set up an Uber account, getting out of it is another matter. Yes, deleting the app is quick, but erasing your profile and all other information from their servers takes a few more steps. You have to submit a request then you will be passed on to a customer service agent who will of course try to talk you out of it. If you stay strong and refuse to reconsider, then your account is finally removed forever.

But now it looks like it will be a much easier process through their “Dear John” (internal name) system. When you choose account deletion rather than just app deletion, you’ll receive a warning that it will be deactivated already. After 30 days, all your personal information will be permanently deleted and that includes records of your trips and other details that you don’t want to leave in their servers.

While Uber is still pretty popular, they are also trying to recover from the recent fallout by changing how it deals with privacy and also doing a bit of PR damage control. Time will tell if this is already the beginning of the end or if there will be a resurgence with this brand.

APPLE SIRI HARDWARE EXPECTED TO BE UNVEILED DURING WWDC 2017

Last week, known Apple leaker Sonny Dickson claimed that Apple is on the cusp of finalizing the design of a Siri/Airplay hardware. According to the said claim, this new device will be a direct competition to Amazon’s Echo device that uses the Alexa app. Now, renowned market analyst from KGI Securities, Ming-Chi Kuo, published a report saying Apple is indeed working on the said device.

He also speculated that the Siri hardware will be unveiled during the upcoming Worldwide Developers Conference in June. The said device will be sold at a much higher price thanks to its premium specs and superb audio quality. Kuo also added that the device in question will have a total of eight speakers, seven tweeters and a subwoofer.

While Kuo did not give any specific detail on how the device would look like, Dickson somehow had an idea on how it might turn out to be. According to Dickson, the Siri hardware will have similar design features as the Mac Pro or the UE Megaboom speaker.

Amazon Echo (via amazon.com)

On the subject of performance, Kuo stated that the upcoming device will sport the same processor that is current being used on an iPhone 6s. This means that the Siri device will probably be equipped with an Apple A9 chip. If not that, an A8X chip is also a possible candidate.

For now, Kuo did not mention anything about the supposed release of the device other than it will be more expensive than the Amazon Echo. However, there is a strong chance that consumers might be able to get their hands on the Siri speaker before the end of the year.

Finally, Kuo also claims that Apple is also considering another smaller device that will compete directly to the Amazon Echo Dot. This device, as he predicts, will be powered by the W1 chip; the same chip on the Apple AirPods wireless earbuds. For more tech updates, be sure to check us out at TheBitbag.

APPLE IPAD PRO 2 RELEASE DATE, UPDATE: IPAD PRO 2 ARRIVING AT WWDC EVENT IN THREE DIFFERENT SIZES

After a long time of waiting, the much rumored Apple iPad Pro 2 finally can be seen in May. Many people expect the Apple to release their upcoming iPad flagship at the WWDC event.

According to Tech Blorge, Apple iPad Pro 2 will take only a month to go before its formal launching at the Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) along with other devices of the Apple. The Apple iPad Pro 2 is rumored to launch three new iPad models such as the 12.9-inches, two 10.5-inches and a type of iPad Mini 5 with 9.7 inches display.

On the other hand, according to PCAdvisor, there are also speculations which say that Apple will launch a sequel of Apple Pencil with Apple iPad Pro 2. For the specs, the Apple's newer and faster A10X processor might be used in the iPad Pro 2. The camera will get some improvements also, like a 12mp quality and a True Tone flash. Apple iPad Pro 2 is also expected to have a 512GB lower capacity, and probably, it will be different in each variant.

Moreover, the Home button is said to be removed from the upcoming Apple iPad Pro 2, but such feature would be replaced with a better one like the wireless charging capability or an iOS 11 Operating System.

To recall, last month the Apple Store had some issues and was down for a while right on the 21st of the month. It was shut down for maintenance, but people started rumoring that this had something to do with a special product Apple is preparing, which might be the Apple iPad Pro 2.

There's a higher chance of the possibility that Apple iPad Pro 2 would be released in May or June at the WWDC event. The three variants of the Apple iPad Pro 2 will have different prices. The 9.7-inch, 10.5-inch, and 12.9-inch are said to have $600, $700, and $800 USD cost respectively.

APPLE, TESLA ASK CALIFORNIA TO CHANGE PROPOSED SELF-DRIVING CAR TEST POLICY

In a letter made public last Friday, Apple suggested a series of changes to the draft policy that is under development and said it looks forward to working with California and others “so that rapid technology development may be realized while ensuring the safety of the traveling public.”

SAN FRANCISCO: Apple Inc urged California to toughen up its proposed policy on testing self-driving cars, a move that would result in more public data that could help Apple catch up to rivals in the self-driving space by giving it a better window into their strengths and weaknesses.

In a letter made public last Friday, Apple suggested a series of changes to the draft policy that is under development and said it looks forward to working with California and others “so that rapid technology development may be realized while ensuring the safety of the traveling public.”

Waymo, the self-driving car unit of Google parent company Alphabet Inc, Ford Motor Co, Uber Technologies Inc, Toyota Motor Corp, Tesla Motors Inc and others also filed comments suggesting changes.

California said on Tuesday it would review comments before deciding whether to make changes to the policy that aims to allow companies to test vehicles without traditional steering wheels and controls or human back-up drivers.

The state is at the forefront of a crowded race to develop self-driving vehicles and the proposed changes from automakers and technology companies help provide insight into current efforts.

In its letter, Apple said California should revise how companies report self-driving system “disengagements.”

California currently requires companies to report how many times the self-driving system was deactivated and control handed back to humans because of a system failure or a situation tied to traffic, weather or road conditions that required human intervention for safety reasons.

But Apple wants those rules to extend to humans stepping in to prevent even minor traffic violations.

Apple contends the reporting rules as written leave too much wiggle room for car makers and “caused public confusion and misunderstanding,” wrote Steve Kenner, Apple’s director of product integrity.

Apple also asked regulators to revisit language around the definition of an autonomous vehicle to clarify that permits are required in advanced systems even when a safety driver is present.

The exact wording around when permits are needed became a sticking point between Uber and state officials last year when the California Department of Motor Vehicles ordered Uber to cease its self-driving tests in San Francisco.

Apple also said the state’s rules for development vehicles used only in testing could “restrict both the design and equipment that can be used in test vehicles.”

A late entrant to the self-driving race, Apple secured a permit earlier this month to test autonomous vehicles in California.

Although it has never openly acknowledged it is looking into building a car, Apple has recruited dozens of auto experts.

The company declined to comment last Friday.

Tesla said California should not bar testing of autonomous vehicles that are 10,000 pounds (4,535 kg) or more, a move that Apple also joined. Tesla said such a move could “stifle innovation,” and bar a company from testing a heavy autonomous vehicle that might be used to haul parts on private property rather than on public roads, pushing developers in this sector out of the state.

Elon Musk, chief executive of Tesla, in 2016 announced plans for new electric vehicles, including a commercial truck called the Tesla Semi and a public transport bus. — Reuters

ACER PREDATOR 15: GAMING ON THE GO

Screen: 15.6″ Full HD (1920 x 1080) 16:9, G-Sync Monitor Support

Graphics: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 6 GB

Memory: 16 GB, DDR4 SDRAM

Storage: 1 TB HDD, 256 GB SSD

Normal

Faster

Turbo

I fell in love with Acer’s Predator brand when I recently experienced gaming on the Predator Z301c ultrawide monitor. It has a sharpness and quality to it that makes it the best monitor I’ve ever owned. The focus for any gaming monitor is always on the quality of picture for great gaming experiences, which it has, but it also boasted a stylish look that makes it awesome to see sitting on a desk. It has the full package deal.

Lately I’ve been testing Acer’s Predator 15 laptop. Once again, much of the same can be said about the laptop of which I said about the monitor. It’s great for quality gaming performance, but it’s also one of the best-looking laptops I’ve ever seen. It looks as if it’s ready for some serious gaming, and it certainly is.

Let’s first start with the specs:

Processor: Intel® Core™ i7-6700HQ processor 2.60 GHz

The Acer Predator 15 laptop comes equipped with the 6GB GeForce GTX 1060, which is perfect for 1080p gaming. It features a 1080p monitor that runs at 60Hz with G-sync capabilities. The GTX 1060 can max out the graphical settings on most games for a 60+ frames per second average at 1080p. I’ve provided some random gameplay videos below from some of my favorite games that I’m currently playing.

But before I get into the gaming experience, I first want to speak more about the laptops sleek and glorious design. First of all, the material that covers the laptop and surrounds the keys and mouse pad is so incredibly smooth and remains cool to touch. It’s very comfortable to rest your hands on the laptop while using the keyboard to play games which is ideal for longer gaming sessions.

The keyboard is also backlit with customizable lights in four sections. You can see how that works in the Predator Sense performance video below. The W, A, S, D keys are outlined in red while the rest of the keyboard, outside of the arrow keys, are in black. I really love the overall design of the laptop, and the Predator symbol and red lighting makes it even better.

Gaming on the laptop has also been an ideal experience. While it did take a while to get used to the laptop’s 15-inch screen, I eventually forgot all about it and had a blast playing games like Battlefield 1, Bulletstorm: Full Clip Edition, Crysis 3, Rise of the Tomb Raider, F1 2016, and more.

To help maximize gaming performance by using Predator Sense owners can choose to increase the laptop’s performance by selecting two overclocking options. In its natural state the option is Normal, but there’s a Faster and Turbo option for increasing the performance of the GPU. Below are test results of all three settings using 3D Mark.

3D Mark Tests

One of the best things about the laptop is that while it does get warm, it remains a lot cooler than any laptop I’ve previously used for gaming. I also like that owners can replace the CD tray with an additional fan to provide extra cooling support. I had no idea about that upon receiving the laptop, but I really do appreciate that feature to provide additional cooling for it. The CPU does still get near 85 Celsius in some games, while the GPU typically average closer to 65.

The Acer Predator 15 laptop also features 5 customizable buttons on the top left of the keyboard. This is also easy to do within the Predator Sense application. One of the options owners can use is the ability to maximize the fan speed at any time with a click of a button.

The Acer Predator 15 weighs in at just over 8 pounds. It’s not too heavy, although I did carry it all around PAX East this year and did find my shoulders getting a little tired. I did have a sharp and useful Predator branded backpack with me though to carry it in which is a fantastic addition for anyone looking at getting the laptop. It features a ton of room to carry the laptop and additional gear such as keyboards, mice, headsets, controllers, and so on. Whatever you need for gaming, it’ll fit!

It’s been a great experience gaming on the Acer Predator 15 laptop. It’s by far the best gaming laptop I’ve ever used on a long-term basis at this point. Everything about it is nearly perfect. I may personally prefer the Predator laptop with the 17-inch monitor, but there’s absolutely nothing wrong with the 15 inch.

The majority of my gaming experience with the laptop was playing first person shooters while using the laptop’s keyboard and an attached mouse. That ended up being a great experience, even on the smaller screen. I also recently got my hands on a racing wheel and tested it only with the Predator 15 laptop. It worked out really well to set up the wheel directly in front of the laptop for some fantastic racing experiences.

Below you’ll find some gameplay footage from my experience with the Acer Predator 15 laptop. Most videos are of generic gameplay with max settings unless otherwise shown in the video. The first two videos I’m about to show you are performance based while playing Battlefield 1 and Crysis 3, while the rest are random gaming experiences.

The Acer Predator 15 laptop with the 6GB GeForce GTX 1060 is the ideal package for 1080p gaming on a laptop. It remains cool, looks sharp, and provides gamers with excellent gaming experiences. It’s definitely the best gaming laptop I’ve used to this point.