A couple of years ago, science was convinced that the blue light coming from our screens was not only harmful, but could keep us awake at night, too. The countermeasure to that was blue light filters that were widely adopted, but now it seems those filters are just as bad.
Nomad case for Pixel 3
The University of Manchester published a study (via the Guardian) that found blue light filters may actually trick our brains into thinking it’s daytime, exactly the thing they were designed to avoid.
Those blue light filters, like the Pixel’s “Night Light,” were designed to reduce a protein in your eye called melanopsin. That protein responds to the intensity of light, especially when that light is of a shorter wavelength, i.e. blue lights. When the screen is tinted yellow, the blue portion of RGB lights is lessened considerably.
The study found that warm, yellow light tricks your brain into thinking that it’s actually daytime. The warmer colors tell your body clock that it’s sunrise or sunset, in either case telling your body that it’s not quite time to go to sleep yet.
We show the common view that blue light has the strongest effect on the clock is misguided; in fact, the blue colors that are associated with twilight have a weaker effect than white or yellow light of equivalent brightness.
We argue that this is not the best approach, since the changes in color may oppose any benefits obtained from reducing the brightness signals detected by melanopsin. Our findings suggest that using dim, cooler lights in the evening and bright warmer lights in the day may be more beneficial.
At the end of the day (literally), it’s probably just better to stop using your phone instead of using tricks like this. You’ll sleep better.
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There’s a certain kind of joy that can only be achieved when you wallop a virtual dragon in the face with a Great Sword, and Nintendo Switch owners are getting another chance to feel it. Capcom confirmed today in a partner-focused Nintendo Direct that Monster Hunter Rise will launch on the Switch on March 26, 2021.
The “Rise” in the title refers partially to the games heightened sense of verticality — you’ll be able to run up cliff faces and zip through the air like a ninja, thanks to helpful new creatures called Wirebugs. (Players will able to carry multiple Wirebugs, so it seems likely they’ll be slowly meted out over the course of the game.) This time, your Palico is joined by a much bigger Palamute — it’s a big, Zacian-looking dog that can do damage on its own and serve as a much-needed mount. The extra movement speed it offers should come in especially handy since different areas of the game’s world are “seamlessly” connected, not broken into distinct zones that players have to watch load. And maybe best of all, Capcom is touting the return of full-on four-player co-op with multiple Switches.
Some of the Monster Hunter die-hards have probably already pre-ordered the game’s Deluxe Edition, which grants access to (among other things) costumes for your canine and feline hunting companions. If you’re looking for a real jewel for your shelf, though, there’s always the Collector’s Edition, which includes those previously mentioned goodies and throws in a sticker pack, an enamel pin and an Amiibo of Magnamalo, the game’s signature draconic enemy. If you’re going eagerly wait for the game, you might as well shell out for a tiny plastic dragon, right?
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While many waited for Apple to announce its newest iPhone during its event on Tuesday, it was clear the wait was going to be a little longer.
But for those looking to do more with their current iPhones, Apple did announce the release of iOS 14.
As of September 16, Apple’s new iOS brings its users a new home screen, new Translate app, and new ways to text your group chats.
“Together with iPhone, iOS is central to how we navigate our lives and stay connected, and we are making it even more powerful and easier to use in iOS 14, with the biggest update ever to the Home Screen,” said Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of Software Engineering.
“We are thrilled to see the incredible ways developers are taking advantage of widgets and App Clips to create new experiences that we think customers are going to love.”
So what’s new on iOS 14? Here’s a quick rundown of some of Apple’s new features:
Home Screen
You can now customize your Home screen. According to Apple, with redesigned widgets in iOS 14, you can see more information at a glance and surface just the right information when you need it.
Courtesy of Apple
And at the end of the Home Screen pages is the App Library, a space that organizes all the user’s apps into an easy-to-navigate view.
Courtesy of Apple
FaceTime and Messaging
Get ready for a new way to FaceTime, as Apple now enables users to be on other apps with its “picture to picture” feature. You can continue a call while watching a video, checking iMessages, or just reading the news. You will also be able to resize the photo by pinching on the video and dragging it.
Courtesy of Apple
And speaking of messages, you can now pin your favourite conversations in iMessage.
“With iOS 14, you can pin up to nine conversations that sync across iPad and Mac. And if a group conversation is pinned, you’ll see up to three participants circle around the pin where there are unread messages,” said Apple.
Not only that, you can direct message that one person in your group chat who doesn’t reply. By using the @ symbol and typing their name, you will be able to mention that person specifically in the chat. You can now also customize your group chats to only receive notifications when you are mentioned.
Courtesy of Apple
Along with these features, you can also send an inline reply in a group chat.
An additional feature is Siri can now send audio message. So when you want to be more expressive in your messages, you can easily send audio messages with Siri, said Apple.
Apple Maps
Enjoy the remainder of summer and fall around town on your bike with cycling directions in Apple Maps.
The new iOS 14 directs cyclists along bike lanes, bike paths, and bike-friendly roads, where available.
The new Maps will also soon have a feature to let you know when you’re approaching speed cameras and red-light cameras along your route and displays where individual cameras are located on the map.
Courtesy of Apple
Translate App
Through the new Translate app, users will now be able to easily translate voice and text between 11 languages. According to Apple, just tap the single microphone button to speak, and automatic language detection transcribes the original and translated text on opposite sides of the screen, followed by the translated audio.
Courtesy of Apple
Other new features
The new Wind Down shortcut allows users to relax before bed, by either turning on a Home scene, or using a meditation app.
You can get notified when the sound of a fire alarm or doorbell is detected with Sound Recognition.
And finally, you can assign tasks to people in Reminders. “With iOS 14, you can assign reminders to people you share lists with and they will be reminded. It’s great for splitting up tasks and knowing who is responsible for what so nobody forgets,” said Apple.
On Tuesday, Apple unveiled its latest products including Apple Watch Series 6, Apple Watch SE, the iPad Air, and the new Apple One subscription service.
But before you install iOS 14 and iPad 14, there’s a bit of basic housekeeping you should do to make the update to your iPhone and iPad go as smoothly as possible. We lay out everything you need to know, including a checklist of how to get your phone or tablet ready.
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iOS 14 hands-on preview
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Which devices will support iOS 14 and iPadOS?
If you have a compatible device, you should be able to see you have an update available by going to Settings > General > Software Update. But, don’t tap Install Now quite yet.
Devices that will support iOS 14, iPadOS 14
Phone 11
iPad Pro 12.9-inch (4th generation)
iPhone 11 Pro
iPad Pro 11-inch (2nd generation)
iPhone 11 Pro Max
iPad Pro 12.9-inch (3rd generation)
iPhone XS
iPad Pro 11-inch (1st generation)
iPhone XS Max
iPad Pro 12.9-inch (2nd generation)
iPhone XR
iPad Pro 12.9-inch (1st generation)
iPhone X
iPad Pro 10.5-inch
iPhone 8
iPad Pro 9.7-inch
iPhone 8 Plus
iPad (7th generation)
iPhone 7
iPad (6th generation)
iPhone 7 Plus
iPad (5th generation)
iPhone 6s
iPad Mini (5th generation)
iPhone 6s Plus
iPad Mini 4
iPhone SE (1st generation)
iPad Air (3rd generation)
iPhone SE (2nd generation)
iPad Air 2
iPod Touch (7th generation)
Don’t skip this step: Clear out the clutter
When it comes time to update software or upgrade your phone, take a few minutes to go through and delete what photos and apps you don’t want or need from your camera roll and installed apps.
Our phones are a digital junk drawer of sorts, collecting random screenshots, photos, videos and single-use apps. Taking a few minutes to clear it out helps free up storage, shortens the amount of time you’ll spend waiting for it to backup, and even saves you some cash if you’re paying for extra iCloud storage just to keep it backed up.
Delete those apps you know you’ll never use again.
Jason Cipriani/CNET
Create a fresh backup, it’s important
If you can help it, you should never update your iPhone or iPad without a current backup. Updates aren’t a perfect process, and sometimes things go wrong. The last thing you want to happen is an update to fail, then you’re left setting up your phone as brand new. Nobody wants that.
It’s best to do this step right before you start the update process, that way the information stored in your backup is as current as possible.
You can backup your devices using iCloud, using Finder on Mac, or iTunes on a PC. iCloud is by far the easiest method, simply because it’s built into your device and only requires a Wi-Fi connection. That said, if you’re out of iCloud storage space or prefer to have more control over your device backup, then you can use your computer.
iCloud backup is the easiest method.
Screenshots by Jason Cipriani/CNET
Option 1: Use iCloud backup
If you have iCloud backup turned on, your device should be backing up each night while it’s charging and connected to Wi-Fi. However, you can force a backup at any time by going to Settings > tap on your name > iCloud > iCloud Backup > Back up now.
Speed up the process by plugging your phone or tablet in to a charger and connecting it to a Wi-Fi network to prevent mobile data use and killing your battery in the process.
Finder looks just like iTunes when your iOS device is connected.
Screenshot by Jason Cipriani/CNET
Option 2: Backup on a Mac
If it’s been awhile since you’ve backed up your device using a Mac, the process has changed. With the death of iTunes last year, you’ll now have to use Finder to create a backup.
It distills down to connecting your device to your Mac, opening it in Finder and then clicking a couple of boxes to start a backup.
Make sure to encrypt the backup to make the restoration process so much easier.
Screenshot by Jason Cipriani/CNET
Option 3: Backup on a PC
Use Windows? You can still use iTunes, just like you always have, to back up your mobile Apple devices.
Before you start, make sure you have the latest version of iTunes installed. The easiest way to do that is just to open it, and if you see a prompt to update it, then do follow the steps.
With that done, connect your device to iTunes using a Lightning or USB-C cable. The rest of the process consists of selecting your device in the iTunes interface and starting a backup. We have outlined all of the steps in this post, but let me make one more recommendation: Click the box that says you want to Encrypt your local backup. Doing so will backup all of your email accounts and app passwords, saving you from having to enter those whenever you have to restore your phone.
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