Month: May 2022

Schweben statt fahren: Mehr Luftseilbahnen in die Städte!

Immer öfter wird die Luftseilbahn als öffentliches Verkehrsmittel diskutiert. Denn die Kabinen überwinden mühelos Staus und andere Hindernisse

Immer öfter wird die Luftseilbahn als öffentliches Verkehrsmittel diskutiert. Denn die Kabinen überwinden mühelos Staus und andere Hindernisse

Glyphosat: Neuer Rückschlag für Bayer vor US-Gericht

Noch hofft der Konzern, der Supreme Court könnte seine Entscheidung kippen. Dank des Pestizid-Geschäftes fährt er auch während des Ukraine-Krieges hohe Gewinne ein

Noch hofft der Konzern, der Supreme Court könnte seine Entscheidung kippen. Dank des Pestizid-Geschäftes fährt er auch während des Ukraine-Krieges hohe Gewinne ein

Switch to Moderna booster after Pfizer shots better against omicron in 60+

The study is small but adds to data finding benefits of mix-and-match boosting.

The Comirnaty (Pfizer/BioNTech) and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines.

Enlarge / The Comirnaty (Pfizer/BioNTech) and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines. (credit: Getty | Marcos del Mazo)

People ages 60 and older who were initially vaccinated with two Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine doses were better protected from the omicron coronavirus variant after being boosted with a Moderna vaccine rather than another dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

Those results are according to interim data from a small but randomized, controlled clinical trial in Singapore and published this week in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases.

The study—involving 98 healthy adults—can't determine if the Moderna booster is simply superior to a Pfizer-BioNTech booster for older adults or if a mix-and-match booster strategy is inherently better. It also focused solely on antibody levels, which may or may not translate to significant differences in infection rates and other clinical differences. It also only followed people for 28 days after a booster, so it's unclear if the Moderna booster's edge will hold up over time.

Read 8 remaining paragraphs | Comments

A comprehensive overview of Windows 11 22H2, the OS’s first big yearly update

A look at the most significant features coming to the OS later this year.

Windows 11 22H2 is entering its next stage of development, according to rumors—and the OS itself.

Enlarge / Windows 11 22H2 is entering its next stage of development, according to rumors—and the OS itself. (credit: Andrew Cunningham)

Windows 11 has already changed quite a bit since the version we reviewed in October was released, and Microsoft has put out a steady stream of redesigned app updates, bug fixes, and user interface improvements.

But the company's big yearly Windows updates are still important. They're still where Microsoft makes the most significant changes to Windows 11's look and feel and under-the-hood features. This week, rumors suggested that Microsoft is wrapping up work on what will eventually be released as Windows 11 version 22H2, the OS's first yearly update. That build, currently available to the Windows Insider Beta channel as build number 22621.1, will serve as the foundation for the next year of Windows updates.

We cover new Windows Insider builds fairly frequently, depending on how noteworthy the changes are. But to save you the trouble of scrolling through months of articles, we've gathered together all the most significant differences between the current public build of Windows 11 21H2 (for the record, 22000.675) and the latest beta of version 22H2.

Read 29 remaining paragraphs | Comments

Lilbits: Windows on the Steam Deck gets better, iPhones might get USB-C ports in 2023

The Steam Deck handheld gaming PC ships with a Linux-based operating system called Steam OS that’s designed to put Valve’s Steam game client front and center, and which is optimized for PC gaming. But while many games available from Steam support Linux and Steam OS even allows you to play many Windows games that aren’t designed […]

The post Lilbits: Windows on the Steam Deck gets better, iPhones might get USB-C ports in 2023 appeared first on Liliputing.

The Steam Deck handheld gaming PC ships with a Linux-based operating system called Steam OS that’s designed to put Valve’s Steam game client front and center, and which is optimized for PC gaming.

But while many games available from Steam support Linux and Steam OS even allows you to play many Windows games that aren’t designed explicitly for Linux, there are still some games that are Windows-only and some gamers that want to run Windows on the Steam Deck for other reasons.

So a few months ago Valve released initial Windows drivers for folks that want to install the operating system on a Steam Deck. At the time there were two major features missing: support for the Steam Deck’s built-in audio hardware and support for dual booting Windows and Steam OS. Now Valve has released new audio and APU drivers that fix the first issue… although the second is still a work in progress (there unofficial methods though).

Windows on the Steam Deck (The Phawx)

Here’s a roundup of recent tech news from around the web.

Keep up on the latest headlines by following Liliputing on Twitter and Facebook and follow @LinuxSmartphone on Twitter and Facebook for the latest news on open source mobile phones.

The post Lilbits: Windows on the Steam Deck gets better, iPhones might get USB-C ports in 2023 appeared first on Liliputing.

Xiaomi InkPalm 5.2″ eReader is available worldwide for around $110 and up

Xiaomi’s InkPalm 5 is a pocket-sized device with a 5.2 inch E Ink display and Android-based software. Basically it’s an eReader that’s small enough to fit in your pocket and versatile enough to use for more than just reading eBooks. When the InkPalm 5 launched last year, it was available exclusively in China for around […]

The post Xiaomi InkPalm 5.2″ eReader is available worldwide for around $110 and up appeared first on Liliputing.

Xiaomi’s InkPalm 5 is a pocket-sized device with a 5.2 inch E Ink display and Android-based software. Basically it’s an eReader that’s small enough to fit in your pocket and versatile enough to use for more than just reading eBooks.

When the InkPalm 5 launched last year, it was available exclusively in China for around $91 and up. But I recently noticed that multiple AliExpress sellers are offering to ship it to customers around the world, with some selling the little eReader for as little as $110.

There is one catch: since the InkPalm 5 is designed for the Chinese market, it ships with a Chinese-language version of Android featuring a custom launcher that’s also in Chinese. But some folks have helpfully put together instructions for changing the system language to English and installing an English-language launcher app with an E Ink-friendly home screen, settings, and app drawer.

Note that the instructions do involve downloading and running Google’s Android Debug Bridge tools from a Windows, Mac, or Linux computer, so I’d really recommend that folks who don’t speak (or read) Chinese only pick up an InkPalm 5 if they’re comfortable running command line utilities on a PC.

u/im513 via reddit’s /r/InkPalm5

It’s also worth keeping in mind that while the InkPalm 5 runs Android, it’s using a fairly old version of Google’s operating system (Android 8.1), so some newer apps may not work properly. The device’s limited 1GB of RAM and 32GB of storage may also limit which apps and games are compatible with the device.

There’s also no support for the Google Play Store, so if you want to use third-party apps, you may need to sideload them from a trusted source.

But if you’re primarily looking for an eReader, the InkPalm 5 is one of the more compact options around, weighing just 115 grams (4.1 ounces) and measuring just 143.5 x 76.6 x 6.9mm (5.65″ x 3.1″ x 0.27″), making it smaller than an entry-level Kindle.

The InkPalm 5 has a 5.2 inch, 1280 x 720 pixel greyscale touchscreen display with 284 pixels per inch, a 1,400 mAh battery, support for dual-band WiFi and Bluetooth 5.0, a USB Type-C port, and a power and volume buttons (the volume keys can also be used as page turn buttons when reading eBooks).

You can find more real-world user reviews and tips for using the eReader in the /r/InkPalm5 subreddit.

The post Xiaomi InkPalm 5.2″ eReader is available worldwide for around $110 and up appeared first on Liliputing.

The Pixel 6a is getting a new fingerprint sensor, wider 14-country rollout

Plus, after the two-country launch for the Pixel 5a, Google is back to normal.

The Pixel 6a.

Enlarge / The Pixel 6a. (credit: Google)

The Pixel 6a is shaping up to be one most promising smartphone releases of the year. With a flagship-class system on a chip and a $450 price tag, it looks like Google is taking a credible swing at the iPhone SE. Since Thursday's announcement, a few more details have come out that didn't make the keynote.

First off, the Pixel 6a will be Google's widest smartphone release ever, by a small margin. Remember, the Pixel 5a release was Google's smallest ever, launching in just two countries, the US and Japan. Google's device available support page was updated Thursday, and the Pixel 6a is back up to the usual 13 Pixel launch countries: Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Puerto Rico, Singapore, Spain, Taiwan, United Kingdom, and United States.

But wait! There's more: Google also says the Pixel 6a will be coming to India later this year, bringing it to 14 countries. That's a new record for Google's comparability small (Apple and Samsung ship in 100-plus countries) phone hardware operation. India is a strange choice since it's one of the most competitive global smartphone markets. Google will need to significantly drop the price of the Pixel 6a to be competitive there. We don't know the Indian price yet, but check out the replies to that tweet announcement, which is full of Indian consumers already dragging the phone for its assumed $450 price tag and being "only" 60Hz. It's going to be a tough battle.

Read 2 remaining paragraphs | Comments