Tag: Computers

Activision Blizzard had a cheerful weekend, where they finally became a part of Microsoft after a 20-month regulatory battle. While gamers celebrated this acquisition, rejoining over the fact that the company’s game catalog will finally turn up on Xbox Game Pass, Activision had a different kind of festivity in mind. Regional Pricing disparity is something many regions like India, Argentina, and Brazil are aware of. Well, numerous regions are in for a rude awakening right after the acquisition, as Activision Blizzard increased the pricing of every existing game on Steam by up to 60%.

Activision Games Price Hike Perplexes Gamers

The price hike was first spotted by the Portuguese website Cromossomonerd, where they pointed out that multiple Activision Blizzard titles on Steam received a price hike. This included games as old as the first Call of Duty getting a price hike from R$ 34,90 to R$ 91,90, roughly a 55% price hike for a game that’s 20 years old. Similarly, recent titles like Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 (2019), among others, saw prices being hiked to triple their initial offering.

India also saw its fair share of price hikes, one which makes it difficult to digest. This was pointed out by Twitter User @MegaApple18, who has a habit of keeping an eye on price changes.

As per his tweets, nearly every title published by Activision Blizzard in India experienced a ~25% price hike on Steam. We double-checked the price changes on the SteamDB price tracker, confirming that the prices have indeed been increased. Some of the major price changes as of today are as follows:

• Call of Duty Modern Warfare (2020) – Rs 4997 from Rs 3999.
• Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice – Rs 4997 from Rs 3999
• Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War – Rs 4997 from Rs 3999.

Activision’s Price Hike Is Just Absurd

When Steam introduced the regional pricing system, it had one goal in mind — ensuring that everyone can purchase games based on their economy. This means that a person living in an emerging market like India can afford to pay the premium tag for a game like Call of Duty. Since the direct conversion from USD and EU pricing makes the games affordable, regional pricing helps gamers get in on the fun. Steam recently revised its system to fit the inflation pricing, which increased a sub-Rs 500 game to an average of Rs 800.

However, AAA game publishers over the years have ignored the set regional pricing for the most part, opting for direct dollar conversions. This means that games by well-known publishers have always cost more to purchase in various countries, where dollar conversion is high. Recent culprits include publishers like Bandai Namco, Koei Tecmo, SEGA, and EA, among others.

Publishers like Activision ignoring the regional pricing of their games hurts everyone in the long run. This MakoReactor write-up sheds light on why publishers prefer pricing their games high. However, it still doesn’t change the fact that some on-ground research and due diligence won’t hurt instead, it might only help increase the sales.

For now, the best course of action to combat this price hike by Activision is to either ignore buying existing or future games published by Activision for a while or wait for the eventual Xbox Game Pass release.

Smart home technologies are evolving at a rapid pace. And with fast growth, they are becoming more and more popular. But the thing is, building your own smart home involves buying multiple smart devices, some with reasonably high price tags. That might make you wonder if you really need it.

Well, smart home systems are not just for the techy millennials. As a matter of fact, its target audience isn’t even limited to the tech people. These systems bring home automation, which everyone can benefit from. But this isn’t the only reason that you should consider building one. There’s more! Let’s explore all of them to give you a better idea.

Smart Home Can Help to Lower Energy Bills

Even though energy rates tend to fluctuate a lot, the trend is generally upward. Over the past few years, energy bills have skyrocketed in some countries. And many are finding it hard to afford heating and lighting. But did you know that you can tackle hefty energy bills with smart home technology?

Yes! Aside from getting a better insight into your home’s energy consumption, you can benefit from a system that helps you save wherever possible. To be exact, it’s the smart thermostats that are playing a big role in this regard.

And before you ask, smart home thermostats aren’t just for controlling the temperature of your home. These advanced devices can also offer detailed analytics on how much electricity your home consumes. Most importantly, you get automated temperature adjustments based on the weather.

You also get full control over the adjustments. That is, smart home thermostats allow you to cool down or heat up rooms based on your preferences. This eventually allows you to cut a good portion of your electricity bill.

With these thermostats, you can pair the smart light bulbs, which offer remote control and automated operations. Thanks to this, you can save electricity even on the lighting.

But do note that smart home thermostats and lightbulbs won’t guarantee lower electricity bills. It will still largely depend on how you use the devices and the home’s energy demand. However, they will surely offer you some scope to save.

Improvement In Home Security

The thing is, locked doors and windows aren’t enough to keep the criminals off your home. And sometimes, even intruder alarms tend to be ineffective in keeping your home secure. But with smart home security devices, you can make your home borderline impenetrable.

At the current stage, the market offers multiple smart home security systems. That includes smart doorbells, motion detectors, locks, and surveillance devices. Among these, smart doorbells and smart locks are the most common.

With smart doorbells, it becomes easy to check who is at the front door without even opening your door. In addition, these smart home devices can record the space, letting you get caught up with things that you may have missed while you were away. Also, these devices come with two-way communication features. This lets you see and talk with the person at the door, even when you’re away.

On the other hand, with smart home locks, you get the extra peace of mind. These devices can not be unclocked with just a key. Instead, they require an additional layer of authentication. To illustrate, some smart locks need you to authenticate the entry through an app. Some may also require scanning a code from your phone or using biometric authentication.

Besides, some smart home locks come with a nifty feature called geofencing. This feature alerts the lock when you’re within a few feet of your home. After the lock gets the confirmation, it automatically unlocks.

Smart Home Can Enhance Your Productivity At Home

It doesn’t matter whether you’re carrying out a typical off-from-work day, cleaning the kitchen, or folding laundry. Staying productive at home can be challenging in some instances. Well, smart home systems can help.

For example, smart home speakers can help by reminding you to do the important things. They help easily make a to-do list and accomplish all the tasks. Besides, you get notifications regarding incoming calls and messages, making it easier to communicate with others.

And it’s not just smart home speakers that can play a role in this regard. Other systems, such as smart ovens and washing machines, also help to enhance productivity. For example, you can turn these devices on and off remotely, which saves you time and money.

Alongside that, you can ask smart assistants of these devices to perform a couple of tasks. To illustrate, Alexa on Amazon smart home devices can read the news, make purchases, and do many things.

Enhanced Home Control

Homes these days have tons of electrical devices running all the time. These can be hard to keep track of. Also, it’s very challenging to ensure that every device is running smoothly at home. Smart home tech can help in this regard. You can check whether something is running as it should with simple voice commands.

What’s more important is that you can automate the operation of all the electrical devices. This, for example, will eliminate the chances of the heater staying turned on while you’re taking a shower.

Better Home Surveillance

Monitoring your home isn’t all about security. For example, if you have a pet at home, you would want to ensure that they are fed and comfortable when you’re not around, right? Well, smart home devices make this easy. With smart home cameras, you can snoop in and check on your home from anywhere and everywhere.

Genshin Impact is a content-rich game and it keeps adding new content like characters, deep lore, and events, which constantly bring people back to the game. Characters are an important piece of the game for its revenue, the story, and players, and if you’ve been saving Primogems for a specific character but don’t know when it will be released, we have some good news for you. All the Genshin character banners from Version 4.2 until Version 4.4 have been leaked. If you’re at the end of your wits saving for a character, you may want to look at the leaks to retain that passion and start saving even more passionately for your upcoming favorite character.

Genshin Impact Character Banners Until 4.4

Version	Characters	Date of Release (Expected)
4.2 Phase 1	Furina and Baizhu	November 8 – November 29
4.2 Phase 2	Kamisato Ayato and Cyno	November 29 to December 20
4.3 Phase 1	Navia and Arataki Itto	December 20, 2023 – January 10, 2024
4.3 Phase 2	Albedo and Raiden Shogun	January 10 – January 31
4.4 Phase 1	Cloud Retainer and Xiao	January 31 – February 21
4.4 Phase 2	Ganyu and Shenhe	February 21 – March 13

We’ve already covered all the info about the second half of 4.1 which will commence in a couple of days, and 4.2 Phase 1 which will feature Furina alongside Baizhu. The second phase of Genshin Impact 4.2 will feature Kamisato Ayato and Cyno.

𝐈𝐧𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐨́𝐧 𝐁𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐯𝟒.𝟏 𝐚 𝐯𝟒.𝟒 𝐅𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐞 (STC)

𝐯𝟒.𝟏 [✓]
Neuvillette ~ HuTao
Wriothesley ~ Venti

𝐯𝟒.𝟐
Furina/Focalors ~ Baizhu
Kamisato Ayato ~ Cyno

𝐯𝟒.𝟑
Navia ~ Arataki Itto
Albedo ~ Raiden Shogun

𝐯𝟒.𝟒
• Preservadora Nubes ~… pic.twitter.com/bHLDTKVKIA— ArthZERO (@arth_Z3R0) October 15, 2023

These leaks are the courtesy of a popular leaker Firmament and were posted on Twitter by @arth_Z3R0. Do note that this is very early info and is subject to change. However, if you’re looking for a rough idea about how it’s all going to pan out until 4.4, the above Genshin Banners leak gives you a sneak peek of what to expect.

Upcoming Genshin Impact Characters

Here’s everything we know about the upcoming characters Navia and Cloud Retainer. We’re already quite familiar with them from a lore standpoint, which also gave us lots of clues about their visions and the type of weapon they’ll be wielding.

• Navia (Geo, Claymore) (DPS (?))
• Cloud Retainer (Anemo, Polearm) (Support (?))

As for others, you can learn more about them from our Genshin Impact tier list. However, here’s a TL;DR about their types, visions, and weapons.

• Arataki Itto (Geo, Claymore, DPS)
• Albedo (Geo, Sword, Sub-DPS/Support)
• Raiden Shogun (Electro, Polearm, Sub-DPS/ Support)
• Xiao (Anemo, Polearm, DPS)
• Ganyu (Cryo, Bow, DPS)
• Shenhe (Cryo, Polearm, Support/Buff)

While we’re not very sure about the 4.3 re-runs, we do think Ganyu will be getting a re-run banner in 4.4 based on the previous leaks that there are new Ganyu, Xingqiu, and Zhongli outfits in development. The skins info coincides with the 4.4 re-run info as 4.4 is also the time when Lantern Rite is released. Given Ganyu’s importance as a character and to Liyue, it’s safe to say she’s coming in 4.4. Version 4.4 should also bring a new region called Chenyu Vale.

Since the Hydro Archon will be out in version 4.2 and most of the characters before 4.4 are getting re-runs, we should see characters such as Arlecchino, Clorinde, and Chiori (Leaked 5-star from Inazuma) in versions 4.5, 4.6 and 4.7. If you’ve lost count of the upcoming characters, you can always refer to our upcoming Fontaine characters list.

What are your thoughts on the Genshin banners leaks? What are some of the characters you’re saving for that are not on this list? Let us know in the comments section below.

Honor is getting ready to unveil the Honor Play 8T. Although, it likely won’t be a brand-new phone. If you can recall, the Honor Play 7T and Honor Play 40 Plus debuted last year in China. Both of the phones came with a different design, but the internals were pretty much the same.

And for those unaware, Honor has already debuted the Play 50 Plus. So, considering the past releases, it’s safe to say that the new Honor Play 8T will pack similar configurations on the inside. Also, according to the official poster, the new phone even appears to be the same as the Honor Play 50 Plus.

Confirmed Specifications of the Honor Play 8T

The official poster of the Honor Play 8T shared a good number of specs of the phone. As you can see from the poster image I’ve attached below, the phone will pack a 6000 mAh battery. This is a pretty large battery capacity, which means the device will offer a great overall battery life.

Other than that, the Play 8T is set to come with up to 12GB of RAM and 256GB of onboard storage. This configuration means that the device can handle most resource-intensive tasks such as games. Also, you won’t have to worry too much when storing large-sized files inside.

What’s more important is that the Honor Play 8T will feature a display with up to 850 NITS brightness. This is a great display spec, which enables the users to see images and texts easily, even in challenging lighting conditions.

In terms of the camera config, the Play 8T will come with two cameras on the back. The main sensor is a 50MP shooter, while the secondary is a 2MP depth sensor. All of these specs match with the Play 50 Plus that Honor launched recently. This confirms that Honor is continuing the different design but the same specs trend.

And in terms of pricing, the Honor Play 50 Plus launched at CNY1399, which is around $191. The pricing of the new device should be the same. More information about the device will land tomorrow when Honor debuts the Play 8T. We will keep you posted, so stay tuned.

As anticipated by many, Apple has today announced a new Apple Pencil to add to its existing lineup. After replacing the Lightning port in its latest iPhone 15 series with the universally accepted USB-C port, Apple has now added the USB-C port to the new Apple Pencil. Before you call it the Apple Pencil 3rd gen, it is important to note that the newly announced Apple Pencil does not bring any new features. Instead, it cuts down on some of the useful features that were offered in the Apple Pencil 2nd generation and offers a more affordable option for users to pick from. Check out what’s new in Apple Pencil (USB-C).

Apple Pencil (USB-C): Affordable Pricing, Less Features

Featuring the same matte finish and flat side design as its predecessor, the Apple Pencil (USB-C) starts at $79 as compared to the $129 price of the 2nd gen Apple Pencil. It borrows features like high precision, low latency, and tilt sensitivity from Apple Pencil 1st generation and Apple Pencil 2nd generation.

The highlighting feature is the hidden USB-C port which can be accessed by sliding the cap of the Pencil. The new and affordable Apple Pencil can be charged using all iPad models equipped with USB-C port i.e. the iPad 10th gen, iPad Air 4th and 5th gen, and iPad Pro models. The USB-C port is the only way to charge the Apple Pencil (USB-C) as it does not charge when attached to an iPad, unlike the Apple Pencil 2nd gen.

Attaching the new Apple Pencil to an iPad magnetically will simply put the stylus to sleep mode.

With USB-C ports available on iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro models, the new offering can also be charged using the latest iPhones.

The new Apple Pencil (USB-C) lacks features like pressure sensitivity, wireless pairing and charging, and double-tap feature which is used to change tools while working on creative apps. Surprisingly, Apple is not offering free engraving on the new Apple Pencil.

Seeing the dearth of features in the new Apple Pencil, it is safe to assume that the new Apple Pencil (USB-C) is meant for non-creative users and simply offers an affordable choice for those who want to try out the Apple Pencil experience with supported iPads.

Additionally, Apple has also announced a new USB-C to Apple Pencil adapter at $9 for Apple Pencil 1st gen users, which has a Lightning charging port.

Apple Pencil (USB-C) will be available starting in early November.

Global smartphone sales took an 8% dip in Q3 2023 when compared to the same period in the previous year, marking the ninth consecutive quarter of decline. Nevertheless, there was a glimmer of hope with a 2% growth compared to the previous quarter, as revealed by research from Counterpoint‘s Market Pulse service.

The slump in sales, compared to last year, was primarily a result of sluggish consumer demand recovery. However, the surge in sales throughout the quarter, particularly in September, despite a shorter sales window for new iPhones, suggests better days lie ahead.

Global Smartphone Sales Trends

In the global smartphone sales race for Q3 2023, the top five OEMs made their moves:

1. Samsung – Unsurprisingly, Samsung emerged as the leader in the global market, contributing a fifth of the sales for the quarter. The reception of their new foldable phones was a mixed bag, with the Flip 5 outselling its counterpart by nearly two-fold. The A-series models from Samsung dominated the mid-price segments.

2. Apple – Apple secured the second spot, with a 16% market share, despite limited availability of the iPhone 15, which was well-received.

3. Xiaomi, OPPO, and vivo – These three companies rounded out the top five, though they experienced year-over-year declines. They directed their efforts towards solidifying their positions in the vast markets of China and India while retreating from overseas expansion.

4. HONOR, Huawei, and Transsion Group – These brands managed to gain market share and achieve year-over-year growth in Q3. Huawei’s growth was largely driven by the Mate 60 series in China, while HONOR’s success came from strong overseas performance.

5. Transsion Brands – The Transsion brands expanded, benefiting from the Middle East and Africa (MEA) market’s recovery.

Positive Signs in MEA Region

The Middle East and Africa (MEA) region emerged as the only area with year-over-year growth in Q3, thanks to improving macroeconomic indicators. In stark contrast, developed markets like North America, Western Europe, and South Korea faced significant declines. However, these developed markets are expected to bounce back in Q4, largely due to the delayed iPhone launch.

Market Expectations for Q4 2023

Counterpoint predicts that the momentum will continue through year-end. Factors contributing to this positive outlook include the full impact of the iPhone 15 series, the festive season in India, the 11.11 sales event in China, and end-of-year promotions. They foresee a halt in year-over-year declines in Q4 2023.

However, Counterpoint also foresees an overall market decline for the entire year of 2023. Possibly reaching its lowest point in a decade. This transformation is attributed to changing device replacement patterns, particularly in developed markets.

Counterpoint highlights the recovery of emerging markets and the growth of brands outside the top five as indicators of shifting dynamics and opportunities in the global smartphone market.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the smartphone market has experienced a rocky road in Q3 2023. With a drop in sales compared to the previous year, making it the ninth consecutive quarter of decline. However, the slight growth in the quarter, especially in September, provides a glimmer of optimism. The battle for dominance among top OEMs continues, with Samsung and Apple leading the charge. Counterpoint anticipates a positive Q4 driven by various factors, although the year as a whole may witness a decline. Signaling changing consumer patterns in developed markets. Despite the challenges, the recovery of emerging markets and the rise of alternative brands reflect the evolving landscape of the global smartphone industry.

You may have certain apps on your smartphone that give a glimpse of your private life. Obviously, you would not want your siblings, kids, or even friends to accidentally stumble upon them while you hand over your phone for a particular use. Of course, deleting them isn’t a suitable option. So, the viable solution is to hide apps on your iPhone and shield them from prying eyes. Although the iPhone lacks a solid, effective way to hide apps, there are some tricks to keep them under wraps. In this article, I’ll show you 6 ways to hide apps on an iPhone.

1. Remove the app from iPhone Home Screen

If you don’t want your apps to appear on the home screen, you can remove it from there and move it to the App Library. It’s one of the simple and best ways to hide apps on an iPhone without deleting them. You can use this method when you want to keep some apps off your sight and want them to appear only when you actually wish to access them. For instance, if your kid spends a lot of time watching YouTube videos or you tend to use a social media app just because you see it right there on the home screen, this method will do the trick.

Here’s how to remove an app from the home screen on your iPhone:

• Touch and hold the app you wish to hide on your iPhone.
• From the quick action menu, choose Remove App.
• Then, tap on Remove from Home Screen.

• This will move the app to the App Library.
• To access the hidden app on purpose, look for or search the app in the App Library.
• If you anytime wish to unhide the app, go to App Library and drag the app back to the home screen.

2. Hide an entire Home Screen page on iPhone

Many users don’t know about this, but you can actually hide multiple apps at once on an iPhone. If you want to hide all the apps that appear on a home screen page, you can hide the entire home page rather than individual apps. In case the page has some apps that you don’t want to hide, drag them to another page to make sure that the page only has the apps you want to hide.

• Move the apps you wish to hide on a separate home screen page. To create a new home screen page, drag an app to the right until you see a blank home screen page.
• Once you’ve all the apps, long-press the empty area on the screen until the icons start to jiggle.
• Tap on the three horizontal dots from the bottom of the screen. This will show you all the home screen pages on your iPhone.
• Tap on the checkmark below the home screen page that you wish to hide.
• Finally, tap on Done. This will hide multiple apps at once on your iPhone.

• If you wish to bring back the hidden home page, repeat the above steps, and checkmark the hidden homepage.

3. Hide an app from Search and Siri Suggestions

It’s worth knowing that even if you’ve removed an app from the home screen, it will still appear in search results and Siri suggestions. If you don’t want this to happen, here’s an add-on to previous methods that ensures you won’t see the hidden apps on your iPhone, even if you search for them. That said, the app will still appear in the App Library. Once you’ve removed an app from the home screen, follow the below steps to hide an app from Siri and Search.

• Open the Settings app on your iPhone and go to Siri & Search section.
• Then, scroll down until you find the app you want to hide.
• Tap on the app and turn off the toggles for Show App in Search, Show on Home Screen, and Suggest App.

• Once you’ve done this, the app won’t appear in Siri suggestions or the search results.

4. Hide Purchased Apps in App Store

While it isn’t common that someone will see your purchase history on the App Store, things might turn around if you’ve enabled Family Sharing on your device. In case you use Family Sharing, your family members can see your purchases or redownload them. If you don’t want anyone to see your App Store purchase history, you can hide an app in the App Store.

It’s worth knowing that this method won’t hide apps from the home screen, search results, Siri suggestions, or anywhere else on your device. It will only hide it from the list of purchases so none of your family members can see it through Family Sharing.

Here’s how to hide apps from your App Store purchase history:

• Open the App Store and tap on your profile picture or initials from the top-right corner.
• Tap on Purchased. This will show you a list of free and paid apps on your iPhone.
• Now, swipe left the app you wish to hide on your iPhone.
• Hit the Hide button. Repeat this for other apps you wish to hide.
• Tap on Done and you’re sorted.

If you want to unhide app purchases on your iPhone or want to view them, here’s how to do it:

• Go to App Store and tap on your profile.
• Next tap on your Apple ID present at the top.
• Here, tap on Hidden Purchases and unhide the app.

5. Hide Apps on iPhone using Screen Time

Another way to hide apps on an iPhone is to enable Screen Time settings. Yes, Screen Time offers built-in parental controls that let you manage or conceal all downloaded apps on your iPhone. This trick helps you keep certain iOS apps out of sight from your nosy friend or a clever kid who often has your phone in his hand. Let me show you how to do it:

• Open Settings on your iPhone and navigate to the Screen Time section.
• Here, tap on Content & Privacy Restrictions. Make sure the toggle for Content & Privacy Restrictions is turned On.

• Then, tap on Allowed Apps. This will show you stock iOS apps like Mail, Camera, FaceTime, and more.
• To hide a stock app on your iPhone, simply turn off the toggle for that app.
• To get it back, repeat the above steps and turn the toggle ON.

Well, this method is useful only when you want to hide a pre-installed or stock app on an iPhone. What if you want to hide a third-party app? Luckily, you can do that as well. That said, bear in mind that you can’t hide individual apps using Screen Time. Rather, you can conceal apps based on age ratings. For instance, you can hide iPhone apps with 17+ age ratings.

• Head to Settings -> Screen Time -> Content Restrictions.
• Again, double-check that the toggle for Content & Privacy Restrictions is enabled.
• Tap on Content Restrictions and choose Apps.
• Then, you can choose to hide apps based on the age ratings.

• If you want to hide all the downloaded apps on your iPhone, choose Don’t Allow. We recommend going for this option only in situations where you aggressively want to shield all apps on your iPhone. It will hide all iOS apps, leaving you with only the essentials like Phone, Settings, and others.

6. Hide iPhone Apps using a Folder

Lastly, we have an old-school method to hide apps on an iPhone without deleting them, and that is using iPhone folders. You can organize your apps in folders to remove them from your immediate view. While it doesn’t hide your iOS apps, it ensures that you don’t see an app easily. It’s quite handy in situations when you want your kid to believe that you don’t have a certain app on your iPhone. Also, when an app is buried deep inside a folder, you will automatically tend to use it less.

To hide an iPhone app inside a folder, simply long-press an app, and drag & drop it over to another app. The two apps will merge into a folder. To make sure you don’t see the app, drag it to another page inside the folder. Don’t forget to name the folder in such a way that it doesn’t remind you of the hidden app.

That was all from our side on how to hide iPhone apps on an iPhone. We hope these methods will help you shield your iOS apps and let your naughty kid or cleaver sibling guess. How did you hide your iPhone apps? We would love to hear from you in the comments below.