Tech News Roundup for June 28, 2022
Ads in Netflix? Are People Still using Windows 8.1? That and more among the stories I’ve found interesting in the last few days.
Netflix Confirms Ad Supported Tiers Are Coming
Netflix last week confirmed the rumours that it was going to introduce a new subscription tier that includes ads. While fairly uncommon in Canada, most streaming services in the US have lower cost tiers that do include ads, so Netflix will be far from the first video streaming provider to introduce ads.
The company did not specify how much an ad supported tier would cost, or what forms the ads would take. Netflix originals are not shot with ad breaks in mind like content produced for other channels. Ads could take the form of pre-show and post show ads, but it is likely those ads wouldn’t be enough to make up the difference in cost between an ad supported tier and the ad free experience. We also do not know if ad supported tiers will launch in all markets, or only select markets. But advertising in Netflix is coming.
Microsoft Will Begin Notifying Windows 8.1 Users Of Coming End Of Support
For the people out there running Windows 8.1 (people who apparently exist), the end is coming near. Windows 8.x launched 10 years ago, in 2012. Support for Windows 8.1 will end in January 2023. Beginning in July, Microsoft will start showing messages to users who are still running Windows 8.1 that the end of support is coming, and encouraging users to upgrade to a supported version of Windows, be it Windows 10 or 11. If you or someone you know is still running Windows 8.1 you should first ask them if they’re ok, and then help them get updated to at least Windows 10.
https://www.thurrott.com/windows/269124/microsoft-windows-8-1-end-of-support-notifications
ChromeOS 103 Brings Android Phone Integration Improvements
A curious thing with ChromeOS is that it doesn’t actually integrate all that well with Android Phones. A Phone Hub feature has existed for a couple years now but it had very little functionality, mostly limited to seeing phone battery life and signal strength and getting phone notifications on the laptop. Microsoft has actually integrated Android Phones into Windows much more cohesively with the Phone Link (formerly Your Phone) app than Google has with it’s own operating system.
Slowly that is beginning to change. ChromeOS 103 brings the ability to view the last few photos taken with your phone, as well as integrating the Nearby Share feature. Nearby Share functions similar to AirDrop in the Apple ecosystem, allowing direct transfer of files between devices.
Small, but welcome improvements.
Gmail On The Web Getting Material You Redesign
Google is finally starting to bring Material You design elements to its web applications, with an updated design for Gmail starting to roll out today. Material You is the design language Google began rolling out with Android 12 in 2021, and offers a cleaner, fresher look with color accents to apps and services that have been updated to the new look. Google is notoriously slow in updating all of its products to the new designs, and it is a bit surprising to see Gmail, the flagship product, wait almost a full year before seeing an update on the web. But, the update is here and will be rolling out “in the coming weeks”
https://9to5google.com/2022/06/28/gmail-web-material-you-classic/
Sony Now Makes PC Peripherals
Sony is continuing to dip its toes into the PC gaming market. More of the company’s first party games are seeing PC releases (albeit belatedly), and the company promises to bring more games to the PC platform in the future. Now we have hardware that is built for PC, as well as PlayStation. There are 3 models of headsets and two monitors under the new InZone brand. These do not feature PlayStation Logos on them, but look very much like PlayStation 5 peripherals. The headsets will, however work with both PlayStation 5 and PC’s (or any device with Bluetooth). The monitor, at least the higher end version, supports 4k and 120 FPS for the PS5, but also function as a PC monitor with those same specs and variable refresh rate and NVidia gsync. The monitor also features 96 local dimming zones for better black levels, up from the 12 or 16 dimming zones found in most comparable PC monitors. For the right consumer, these could be compelling products.
Steam Deck Shipments Doubling
Valve has committed to a big increase in the number of Steam Decks it can ship out, saying that it has increased production capacity sufficiently enough to double the number of consoles it ships every week. This is great news for those who have been (im)patiently waiting for Steam Deck orders to ship, and those currently with a Q4 ETA might just get theirs by the end of Q3. Maybe the supply chain issues really are starting to ease…
https://www.ign.com/articles/steam-deck-double-production-q3