#EVIL BABY

iPhone 13 mini is the last “mini” iPhone as Apple will have no iPhone 14 mini next year, according to a tipster. Multiple reports in the past suggested that the Cupertino company did not receive a pleasing response from the sales of the iPhone 12 mini last year. It may, thus, have plans to have its new iPhone series in the works sans the iPhone 14 mini model. Apple introduced the iPhone 12 mini in its portfolio to offer the best of its flagship iPhone in a new, small form-factor that is easier to use over the default model. Tipster Jon Prosser has claimed that Apple will not launch the iPhone 14 mini next year and the iPhone 13 mini will be its last “mini” iPhone model. “So if you've been thinking about trying the mini, the 13 mini is your last chance,” he said in a tweet. When asked about how confident he is considering the fact that Apple introduced the mini form-factor in 2020, Prosser said that he was very sure about the development.In June, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo had also speculated that the 2022 iPhone family — which Apple would call the iPhone 14 series — would come with no iPhone mini model. It could be due to poor sales of the iPhone 12 mini, though the iPhone 13 mini is yet to show its market performance. Despite the absence of the iPhone 14 mini, Kuo predicted that Apple would bring four new iPhone models in 2022. Two of those models would be the high-end options and the remaining two options could be the low-end in the series. Both the high- and low-end versions are also expected to come in 6.1- and 6.7-inch design. In contrast, the iPhone 13 mini — just like the iPhone 12 mini — comes with a 5.4-inch Super Retina XDA display. The iPhone 13 mini also includes a smaller battery over the iPhone 13, though rest of its features are aligning with the regular model. These include the same dual rear camera setup as well as the same A15 Bionic chip.iPhone 13 mini price in India starts at Rs. 69,900 for the base 128GB storage variant. It also comes in 256GB and 512GB storage options that are priced at Rs. 79,900 and Rs. 99,900, respectively. This week on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast, we discuss iPhone 13, new iPad and iPad mini, and Apple Watch Series 7 — and what they mean to the Indian market. Orbital is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.

The new iOS 15 update is going down a treat with Apple iPhone owners, who are shouting their love for everything from scroll wheel clocks to 3D map affects. A quick glance through Twitter shows a number of glowing reviews from on-the-ground iPhone users, exploring the myriad of tweaks, changes and features that have landed with the latest iOS update. Alongside the kind of updates we press pundits tend to concern ourselves with – security features and the like – are a host of small, attentive changes that are already winning users over and reminding them why they fell in love with Apple's iOS platform in the first place. One of the most prominent additions is the ability to play background sounds alongside music – with multiple users taking to Twitter to shout about the excellent vibes that come with mixing rain sounds with their saddest Apple Music artists.So now you can play rain sounds while playing any song in the background? Nah this feature wins!! #iOS15 pic.twitter.com/f0FIBk6En8September 21, 2021 Other users are relieved at the return of the scroll wheel for selecting alarm times, which in iOS 14 had been replaced with a much-less-liked virtual keyboard. It's now back as default, as you can see below: iOS 15 brought back the scroll wheel thank the lord pic.twitter.com/3XiQPjCRuwSeptember 21, 2021Keyboard enthusiast @JonPorty isn't mourning the change, though, as he's too busy complimenting the ease of swiping between tabs and accessing the tweaked location of the address bar in Safari. (As others point out, there are now wallpapers to choose for Safari, too.) I have to say, I love Safari’s changes in iOS 15. Swiping between tabs? An address bar that actually sits where my thumbs are? All great changes, if a little disorientating at first.September 21, 2021Apple's built-in map app has also got a majorly 3D overhaul, with a full-bodied perspective that feels straight out of Pokémon Go. Anyone else go exploring in the new Apple Maps yet? Or are you normal? #iOS15 pic.twitter.com/UJgiUrcOLbSeptember 21, 2021Others are finding respite in the patter of rain in the Apple weather app, which now lands and bounces off sections of the UI, like the roof of a building or canopy – giving an additional sense of depth (we can't wait to see what it looks like with snow, either).Analysis: a refinement of the Apple formula While these small and largely cosmetic features may not be enough to swing a smartphone purchase either way, they do add up – and the amount of love shown on social media could well help Apple push its new iPhone 13, iPhone 13 Pro, iPhone 13 mini and iPhone 13 Max models to a wider audience. Daryl Baxter, TechRadar's Software & Downloads Writer, tells us that "This year Apple has focused on refining features rather than introducing revolutionary ones, such as Focus and LiveText. "iOS 15 is a release that requires users to scratch beneath the surface to discover the refinements, but once they do, they’ll wonder how they managed without them, as I’m discovering with Focus and even the new Weather app." If that's enough to entice you to update from an older iOS build, here's how to get iOS 15 on your phone now.

The company responsible for almost the entirety of AMD's processors and graphics cards, and both next-gen consoles, TSMC, has outlined a plan to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2050. It's no secret that manufacturing semiconductors uses a lot of energy and resources. You'd think power, for one, but water too is required in huge amounts during the chipmaking process. That's why it's especially important, as we all try and cut our carbon footprint, that major manufacturers are following suit. And we're starting to see that now, such as TSMC's latest sustainability promise: "TSMC is deeply aware that climate change has a severe impact on the environment and humanity. As a world-leading semiconductor company, TSMC must shoulder its corporate responsibility to face the challenge of climate change," Dr. Mark Liu, chairman of TSMC, says. "In addition to becoming the world’s first semiconductor company to join RE100, this year we have answered the call to action on net zero and published our TCFD report, aiming to broaden our green influence and drive the industry towards low-carbon sustainability."TSMC says it will aim to cut its emissions growth by 2025, reduce emissions to 2020 levels by 2030, and then hit net zero by 2050. There's a long way to go before the actual chipmaking process can be considered eco-friendly, so we're likely to see a mix of tactics used by the silicon spinning giant to live up to its promise. It says these include mitigation measures, more green innovations, and more renewable energy usage. Energy consumption accounts for 62% of TSMC's emissions, The Guardian reports, so a big part of this promise will be diving into more renewable energy sources. It also says TSMC recently purchased unfettered access to a new Ørsted wind farm in the Taiwan Strait, near to where most of the companies' major operations are located.But will TSMC's 2050 promise be enough or come quick enough? Those are good questions to ask not only for Earth's sake but even TSMC's long list of clients. Large tech companies are beginning to ramp up their own sustainability pledges, and, as 9-to-5 Mac cleverly points out, TSMC is actually caught up in one of them. Apple, one of TSMC's largest clients today, aims to have a net zero emissions supply chain by 2030, which is some 20 years ahead of TSMC's pledge. So those two will be discussing what their options are at some point in the near-future. Of course, it's not just TSMC or Apple with the burden of the responsibility here. Every tech company has a large part to play in reducing C02 emissions worldwide, and at least TSMC's pledge goes to show there's really no excuse for not taking sustainability seriously. If semiconductor manufacturers can cut emissions, so can just about anyone. Speaking of being more eco-friendly with your electronics, let's talk about e-waste and what to do with it.

Call of Duty Warzone's new limited-time Numbers event, which harkens back to the story of the original Black Ops with new points of interest and rewards, is live starting today until October 6. Players can progress in the event by playing either Warzone or Call of Duty: Black Ops – Cold War. Nine listening stations have been added to Warzone's Verdansk map. Players can activate these listening stations, which are big trucks with huge antennas that broadcast strings of creepy numbers Manchurian Candidate-style, by walking near them and experiencing hallucinations of numbers flashing in your vision. Activating each listening station will earn you in-game cash and various rewards; mostly charms, calling cards, and a new watch. Check out the clip below for a look at the listening stations in action.The Numbers event is an obvious callback to the story of Call of Duty: Black Ops, wherein Mason (the protagonist) is brainwashed by fellow prisoner of war Viktor Reznov with one of these numbered codes. Reznov died in the ensuing escape from a gulag, but his mani[CENSORED]tion ensured that Mason would carry out his vengeance against traitors who used nerve gas on Reznov's men. The Numbers event has also added a new sai melee weapon as an ultimate reward for completing all nine challenges within Warzone or Cold War. There's also a new reactive skin, which paints Adler's outfit with red flashing numbers matching the event. The event ends on October 5 at 9 PM PT in Cold War and 9 PM PT on October 6 in Warzone. You can read the full patch notes here. In the meantime, check out everything we know about Warzone's new map.

Old Member of the project, + Active member

@RiZ3R!

After two years of relative early access obscurity, Halo-with-portals arena FPS Splitgate became wildly po[CENSORED]r over the summer—enough that investors are willing to spend $100 million to see where developer 1047 Games can take it next. Splitgate's sudden po[CENSORED]rity might have briefly overloaded the game's servers, but it's also blown open the potential scope for the shooter. Speaking to TechCrunch, 1047 co-founder and CEO Ian Proulx now reckons Splitgate could be the studio's own League of Legends. "There’s so much we couldn’t think about because we were a tiny team with a tiny budget, but now everything is on the table," said Proulx. "We’re focusing on the long term—I look at the game as being 25% done. We don’t need to be Fortnite tomorrow, but now it really is about building the next Riot Games, the next big games business."While set to launch in 1.0 over the summer, 1047 chose to keep the game in open beta indefinitely following the recent surge. That new-found fame coincided somewhat with the game's console release, but Proulx also reckons that in a space dominated by battle royale and hardcore options, there's sizeable demand for a good old fashioned arena shooter that sites somewhere in the middle. "People grew up playing these games, and the reason [the market] is dead is not because they stopped loving them,” he said. “No one has moved the needle because there hasn’t been a lot of innovation, and there hasn’t been something that’s accessible to the masses. Quake Arena is great, but it’s extremely difficult. No 12-year-old Fortnite kid is gonna play it. We really do fill this void." Apparently, Splitgate is now eyeing up a Halo-style in-game map editor, after a pointed jab at Halo Infinite's lack of Forge at launch.

Oppo A54 and Oppo F19 prices in India have been increased by Rs. 1,000. The latest revision comes just days after Oppo rivals Realme and Xiaomi hiked the prices of their respective smartphones in the country. Both Oppo A54 and Oppo F19 were launched in the Indian market in April. The phones come with triple rear cameras and hole-punch displays. Oppo F19 comes with a full-HD+ AMOLED display and 48-megapixel primary camera. OnePlus A54, on the other hand, comes with an HD+ LCD panel and a 13-megapixel primary snapper. Oppo A54, Oppo F19 price in India (revised) The Oppo A54 price in India has been hiked to Rs. 14,990 from Rs. 13,990 for the 4GB + 64GB storage variant. The phone was launched in the country at Rs. 13,490 for the base variant, while its 4GB + 128GB and 6GB + 128GB storage options were priced at Rs. 14,490 and Rs. 15,990, respectively. E-commerce marketplaces, including Flipkart and Oppo's online store, are yet to show the revision. However, offline retailers have started selling the phone with the revised pricing. Oppo India confirmed to Gadgets 360 about the revision on Monday.In addition to Oppo A54, Oppo F19 price in India has been increased to Rs. 19,990 from Rs. 18,990 for the 6GB + 128GB storage option. The phone was launched in the single storage configuration earlier this year. Amazon, Flipkart, and Oppo's online store in the country were reflecting the price hike at the time of writing. The price revision of Oppo A54 and Oppo F19 was initially reported by tipster Abhishek Yadav on Twitter.Earlier this month, Realme hiked the prices of Realme 8, Realme 8 5G, Realme C11 (2021), Realme C21, and Realme C25s by up to Rs. 1,500. The company cited the increase in component prices as the reason for the update. Shortly after Realme, Xiaomi also silently revised the pricing of Redmi 9, Redmi 9 Power, Redmi 9 Prime, Redmi 9i, Redmi Note 10T 5G, and Redmi Note 10S by up to Rs. 500. Oppo A54 specifications Oppo A54 comes with ColorOS 7.2, based on Android 10. It sports a 6.51-inch HD+ (720x1,600 pixels) LCD with a 20:9 aspect ratio. The phone is powered by an octa-core MediaTek Helio P35 (MT6765V) SoC, along with up to 6GB of RAM. It carries triple rear cameras that include the 13-megapixel primary sensor, along with a 2-megapixel macro shooter and a 2-megapixel depth sensor. For selfies and videos, Oppo A54 has a 16-megapixel selfie camera at the front.Oppo A54 has up to 128GB of onboard storage. It includes a side-mounted fingerprint sensor and connectivity options such as 4G, Wi-Fi, USB Type-C, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. The phone packs a 5,000mAh battery with 15W charging support. Oppo F19 specifications Oppo F19 runs on Android 11 with ColorOS 11.1 on top. It features a 6.43-inch full-HD+ (1,080x2,400 pixels) AMOLED display with a 20:9 aspect ratio. It includes an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 662 SoC, along with 6GB of RAM. The phone comes with a triple rear camera setup that includes a 48-megapixel primary sensor, coupled with a 2-megapixel depth sensor and a 2-megapixel macro shooter. There is also a 16-megapixel selfie camera at the front. The company has provided 128GB of internal storage on the Oppo F19. The phone also includes an in-display fingerprint sensor and regular connectivity options including 4G LTE, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, USB Type-C, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. Besides, it packs a 5,000mAh battery with 33W fast charging support.What is the best phone under Rs. 15,000 in India right now? We discussed this on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Later (starting at 27:54), we speak to OK Computer creators Neil Pagedar and Pooja Shetty. Orbital is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you get your podcasts.

Amazon has finally brought its Android App Store to the redesigned Microsoft Store in Windows 11, but don’t get too excited, as it’s not accessible just yet. Microsoft made sure to showcase the redesigned store when Windows 11 was announced in June, however, Amazon’s App Store has been noticeably absent from the test builds of Windows 11, with Microsoft confirming that it wouldn’t see an appearance until 2022. But there are signs that it could be coming to the Insider Channels soon, allowing some users to test it out.When could Amazon’s App Store be live? From Windows 11 Build 22000, you’ll be able to see Amazon’s App Store displayed in the new Microsoft Store, but selecting it will bring you to a dead link. However, Amazon is also planning on launching a separate app for the Store once Windows 11 launches on October 5, so it could give users two different ways to access Android apps in Windows 11. While this partnership was confirmed back in June, the subsequent Insider Builds have been showcasing the redesigned Microsoft Store with fixes and new features, but Amazon’s App Store had been missing in action.While Microsoft confirmed that this would be appearing in 2022, it looks as though the next major update for Windows 11 will indeed include apps from Amazon. Analysis: the desktop App Store wars are just beginning Since 2012, Apple has had an App Store just for the Mac, allowing users to buy and update apps for their Mac desktops and laptops. But with the change to Apple Silicon from Intel chips, you can now use iOS apps on macOS. In comparison, Microsoft has had it rough with the Windows Store, with subpar search features and an app library that was mostly junk, resulting in users downloading and updating their apps through the web or the apps themselves, and bypassing the store. But the redesigned Microsoft Store in Windows 11 is the first sign that the company is going all in with making sure that it’s a storefront that looks good, but also works well for both users and developers.Having Amazon apps available and ready to be used on laptops, desktops and Surface Pro devices could help entice more customers to upgrade to Windows 11, while being able to use Android apps from Amazon that they’ve been using on their smartphones for years. While we spoke of this move being something of a masterstroke, time will tell whether the combined efforts of the new Microsoft Store and Amazon’s App Store will be a tempting feature for users.

If you're looking to spend as little as possible on a gaming laptop with a discrete GPU, it does not get much cheaper than this Evoo configuration that's on clearance at Walmart. It sports an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1650 and is on sale for $549, which is a $250 discount over its regular $799 price. How does that compare to other laptops with similar specs? To find out, I sorted Best Buy's laptop section by models that have the same GPU, and the cheapest one that is stock is a Lenovo IdeaPad for $779.99. Even the out-of-stock models go for more, the cheapest being an Acer Nitro with the same specs that was recently on clearance for $611.99 (down from $719.99).The GTX 1650 is based on Nvidia's previous generation Turing GPU architecture. It lacks RTX amenities (dedicated RT cores for real-time ray tracing and Tensor cores for DLSS), so obviously the experience is not going to be the same compared to an RTX 3000 series mobile GPU. But in this case, it's also only $549. As to how it performs, I'll point you to Notebookcheck's vast assortment of benchmarks to get an idea. There are actually instances where a GTX 1650 can crack triple-digit framerates at 1080p (this laptop's native resolution), such as F1 2021, Monster Hunter 2, and some others. In a game like Deathloop, you're generally looking at under 60 fps, though it's still playable. Evoo pairs the GTX 1650 with an Intel Core i5 10300H Comet Lake CPU (4C/8T, 2.5GHz to 4.5GHz, 8MB of L3 cache), 8GB of RAM, and a 256GB SSD. None of the specs are anything to salivate over, but they're definitely serviceable for a cheap gaming laptop. And they're upgradeable (it's not too difficult to add more RAM and/or storage). Other specs include an HD webcam, RGB backlit keyboard, THX audio, and a decent assortment of ports (2x USB 3.1, 1x USB 2.0, 1x USB Type-C, 1x Kensington Lock, 1x microSD, 1x LAN, 1x HDMI, 2x mini DisplayPort).