Valve’s Steam platform has typically existed only on PC, but with the company’s handheld gaming device Steam Deck launching soon, it will give gamers another way of playing their games that they purchase through its Steam platform.

So what happens if you want to move between devices, like when you’re playing on your Steam Deck and want to move back to your PC? What happens to your saved games? In this instance, Valve has announced a new Steam feature called Dynamic Cloud Sync. As the name implies, this is a way for users to sync up their saved games so they can pick up where they left off on any device.

According to Valve, the feature was launched in anticipation that most users will probably end up suspending their Steam Deck without exiting a game. On a PC, usually quitting a game without saving means you lose all progress, which is something that Dynamic Cloud Sync will be addressing.

The company describes the feature by saying, “With Dynamic Cloud Sync, Steam will automatically upload all modified save game data to the cloud prior to the device entering sleep mode. Users can then resume their game on any PC, laptop or other device. Steam will also automatically download any save game changes when users return to their Steam Deck and wake up the device.”

That being said, it should be noted that this feature won’t be automatically available for all games. Instead, it is an API that developers will need to include in their game, so it’s up to developers to choose if they want to support it.

Your debit and credit cards usually have a PIN so that when you purchase items, you can enter the PIN to verify your identity. However, depending on your settings, sometimes the requirement of entering the PIN is only for transactions valued over a certain amount, and that if you use contactless payments, sometimes a PIN isn’t even needed.

In those situations, it means that someone who stole your payment card could use it to buy items that are lower value to avoid using a PIN, and by then they might have already racked up a huge enough bill before you notice. That’s something that Samsung is hoping to change which is why the company has unveiled a new fingerprint sensor that can be used in payment cards.

According to Kenny Han, vice president of System LSI marketing at Samsung Electronics, “S3B512C combines a fingerprint sensor, Secure Element (SE) and Secure Processor, adding an extra layer of authentication and security in payment cards. The S3B512C is primarily designed for payment cards but can also be used in cards that require highly secured authentications such as student or employee identification, membership or building access.”

This means that instead of just verifying the card, it verifies the user at the same time which could be a better form of security. The company does not mention when we might be able to expect to see these sensors actually implemented in real life, but it sounds like a fantastic idea that we hope will become a reality one day.

As careful as you think you might be on the internet, there is still always a small chance that you could get hacked and lose access to your accounts. This is due to the fact that as a result of multiple data breaches we’ve heard about over the years, your email and some of your passwords could be floating out there.

This means that if you’re the type of person who reuses their passwords, hackers could potentially get into your accounts. To better safeguard its users on its desktop and web app, WhatsApp appears to be testing out a two-step verification system for the desktop and web version of its service.

This means that whenever you register your WhatsApp account, in addition to the PIN that is sent to your phone as a one-time password, you’ll also have to enter a personal PIN to verify that it is indeed you who is trying to access the account. This is meant to help fight against potential SIM swap attacks where a person has somehow cloned your SIM or stolen your SIM.

So even if they receive the one-time PIN, as long as they do not know your personal PIN, they won’t be able to access your WhatsApp account. This feature appears to be in testing so it isn’t available to everyone yet, so don’t be alarmed if you don’t see this option available for you.

It is clear that Microsoft is very interested in the mobile space, but the company has made some questionable choices over the years. The Surface Duo, which would be the first official Microsoft branded smartphone, was announced in 2019 but only released in late 2020 with hardware that was a year old.

Plus, it also launched with an older build of Android despite there being a newer version already available. The good news is that if you were one of the Surface Duo’s original adopters, you’ll be pleased to learn that Microsoft has since announced that they are releasing the Android 11 update for the phone.

Yes, you read that right, in 2022 where Android 12 is already available, Microsoft is only releasing an Android update that was originally launched back in 2020. We suppose it is better than nothing, but we have to wonder why Microsoft didn’t just jump straight to Android 12 given that it has been out for a while already and where other Android phones have gotten the update.

In any case, the update is still one that users can look forward to with changes like a revised app draw, better drag-and-drop support, and more. For more details about the update, you can head on over to Microsoft’s support page.

Apple’s AirTag accessory has been gaining a fair bit of negative press over the past few months after people have been reporting that it has been used for theft and stalking. While Apple has built-in some anti-stalking features, the way the AirTag works, users only discover the accessory hours later which could be too late.

That being said, the double-edged nature of the accessory has actually been demonstrated in a report dating back in December 2021 by Fox 7 in Austin. According to the report, a man purchased a truck but was later notified on his iPhone that there was an unknown AirTag following him.

He reported the incident to the police where it was discovered that the truck he had bought was actually previously stolen. It was suggested by the police that the thieves who originally stole the truck might have planted the AirTag so they could track it and steal it again, but luckily the man’s iPhone alerted him to the tracker so he could do something about it.

The good news is that the truck has since been returned to its original owner, but the bad news is that the man who purchased the stolen truck is now out $800. Like we said, this story is actually a good example of how the AirTag can be used for good and bad purposes. This isn’t the first time we’ve heard about how it has been used to steal cars, but it also shows that Apple’s anti-stalking feature works (kind of).

For years, we’ve been hearing about Google’s potential plans to launch their own Pixel-branded smartwatch. The company has been actively developing its own smartwatch platform, which they revamped last year with the help of Samsung, but to date they have yet to actually launch anything.

However, according to a report from Jon Prosser, he tweets that he has heard that Google is planning on launching the device on the 26th of May, 2022. Given that Google usually hosts its I/O event towards the middle part of the year, with last year’s event taking place in May, this means that the smartwatch could be announced at I/O 2022.

Pixel Watch 👇

I’m hearing that Google is planning on launching it on Thursday, May 26th — over year since we leaked it.

This is the first we’ve seen a set date on the device behind the scenes.

Google is known for pushing back dates — but if they do, we’ll know 👀 pic.twitter.com/Kk0D4Bom6d

— Jon Prosser (@jon_prosser) January 21, 2022

Not much is known about the Pixel Watch for now, but it could be of interest to users who might prefer the Pixel brand over other brands of smartwatches. Google has so far dipped its toes into a variety of products with its Pixel branding, most notably its Pixel series of Android smartphones, Chromebook laptops, tablets, and even earbuds, so it’s actually kind of surprising that a Pixel-branded smartwatch was not launched sooner.

That being said, Prosser notes that Google is known for pushing back its launch dates so keep your expectations low for now and hopefully we’ll have more concrete details in the months leading up to I/O 2022.

There is a certain charm and aesthetic that comes with shooting on a film camera. The analog look is something that quite many photographers chase in their post-processing even when snapping digital photos, but if you’d rather not spend hours trying to fix your images in post, then this gadget could be of interest to you.

Dubbed the DIGI SWAP, this is an accessory that allows users to attach an iPhone to a film camera. Not much is known about it online, but from what we can tell, it looks like some kind of mount where your iPhone’s cameras are positioned in such a way that it can capture images through the lens of a film camera.

This means that if you happen to have several old film cameras around that are no longer in use, this could be a way to go about giving them a new lease on life without having to go through the effort of buying film and developing them later. Users can control the aperture and shutter speed on the camera itself, which are then synced on the accompanying iPhone app.

It looks like quite a bulky attachment and we’re not sure if there is going to be mass appeal for it, but like we said, if you have some film cameras at home and want to capture the film aesthetic with your iPhone without making too many edits, then the DIGI SWAP could be something to keep an eye out for.

Several years ago, Elon Musk announced a new venture called Neuralink. For those hearing about this for the first time, basically Neuralink is a company that hopes to create a brain-to-machine interface with the goal that will allow humans to communicate with machines using just their brains.

The idea is that it will help people who might be motor impaired due to brain or spinal injuries to use machines using their mind, instead of finding alternative methods of input which at times could be slower, even though it is functional.

For those who are interested in the progress of Neuralink, you might be interested to learn that the company has since announced that they are looking to start human trials. They are now recruiting a director to help run tests on humans. Prior to this, the company conducted trials on animals such as pigs and monkeys, where during the trial with the monkey, the primate managed to play video games on a computer called “Mind Pong”.

Musk had stated back in 2017 that he expects to see brain-to-machine interfaces in the next 4 years, so while we have since gone past the four year mark, it’s good to see that progress is still being made and that they are looking to start testing it out with human subjects now.

A while ago, Google launched a new app/service called Cameos on Google. Basically the idea is that this would allow celebrities or public figures to answer popular questions in a video format. It sounded like it had a lot of promise, especially since Reddit’s AMAs have done pretty well in the past.

However, it looks like it might have been a bust because Google has since started to send out emails to users informing them that come 17th of February, the service will be shutting down. The email informs users that they will be able to download their existing content until the 17th of March, a month after the service will no longer allow users to record new content.

As 9to5Google notes, Cameos by Google was only downloaded 50,000 times on the Play Store, but they believe that the number of actual users is much less. This is because the service required an invite in order to be used, meaning that it was a very exclusive club that probably ended up hindering its adoption rather than bolstering it.

That being said, many public figures and celebrities have been using alternative means to interact with fans and followers, whether it be through Twitter, Instagram Live or Q&A in Stories, YouTube, TikTok, Reddit, and so on, so Cameos really had its work cut out for it right from the get-go.

We have heard some rumors previously that Apple could be working on a new Mac mini refresh. Now according to leakster Dylandkt, that refresh could be happening in the next few months as apparently it will be launching in Apple’s Spring event which is expected to take place possibly around April.

The Spring event is expected to host several new Apple products, such as the iPhone SE 5G, a new iPad Air, and the rumored Mac mini refresh. We’re particularly excited about this one because it seems that Apple could be working to make the computer even more powerful by giving it M1 Pro and Max configurations.

Yep, a new design is coming.

— Dylan (@dylandkt) January 23, 2022

This means that if you wanted a powerful desktop computer but want to use your own display instead of an all-in-one like the iMac, then this refresh could be worth looking forward to. Dylandkt also corroborates claims that we heard previously that the Mac mini could actually be refreshed.

The current design of the Mac mini is rather understated and relatively nondescript, which isn’t a bad thing, but at the same time we wouldn’t mind seeing an updated design. Also, the addition of the M1 Pro and Max configurations should make it pretty powerful based on what we’ve seen in reviews of the new 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros.

The problem with having noise-canceling headphones is that when someone speaks to you, you can’t hear them. You could pause your music or tap on them (for some headphones) to temporarily activate transparency mode, but it would usually mean that the person needs to repeat what they just said to you.

Apple thinks that they might have found the solution to that problem by deactivating noise-cancellation when certain code words are spoken. This is according to a patent discovered by AppleInsider which reveals a potential feature for a future set of AirPods.

According to the patent, it suggests that in the future, AirPods could be on the lookout for specific code words that could temporarily deactivate noise-cancellation. So for example, that code word could be your name, but in order to avoid accidentally deactivating noise-cancellation for other people in the room who might share your name, Apple suggests trying to match it with a pre-authorized contact.

This means that if you put your parents as pre-authorized contacts, if the AirPods hear your name being called and the voice matches those of your parents, it would then pause noise-cancellation, but it will ignore those calls if it’s from someone else.

It’s actually a very interesting patent albeit a complicated one. It would be rather annoying having to record voice samples from everyone who may or may not interrupt you when your AirPods are on, wouldn’t it? Either way as with most patents, it’s hard to say if this will become an actual feature, but in the meantime what do you think about it?

In the past, we have heard stories of how smartphones when they first ship typically exhibit some kind of weird screen issue. For the most part, this tends to be an issue with the glue used to hold the displays in place and eventually it does go away. However, iPhone 13 users are experiencing something a little different.

According to posts in the Apple support forums, some iPhone 13 users are reporting that their displays have suddenly turned pink and that their devices are crashing as well. Some users claim that they have had some luck returning their devices to Apple and getting a new one, while others say that Apple support ran diagnostics and found that there was nothing wrong.

However, according to a report from My Drivers, it turns out that Apple did address the problem in a post on Weibo over the weekend. According to the post, “We didn’t notice relevant problems in the hardware of the devices because this situation [pink screen] is caused when the system is locked.”

As to the reason why it was posted on Weibo, it is because most of the complaints seem to have come from China. That being said, as 9to5Mac noticed, the latest iOS 15.3 RC does not seem to mention anything about the pink screen so we have to wonder if a fix is part of iOS 15.3 or if it will come later.

You remember when you were a kid and you’d go to a toy store and see those electric toy cars but your parents could never afford them? Yea, we remember those painful moments too, but in the case of YouTube channel ND – Woodworking Art, instead of simply buying his son one of those electric toy cars, he decided to build one completely from scratch using wood.

In the video above, it shows the YouTuber’s son admiring the electric cars that other kids are driving around in and crying because he wants one too. His dad then sits him in front of a computer showing him images of a Rolls Royce Boat Tail and decides to make one for him entirely out of wood (kind of).

The body of the car itself is made from wood, which was painstakingly cut, carved, sanded, and oiled. However, it’s more than just a wooden replica. He even included a motor and electronic parts that lets the user drive the car and open up the iconic boat tail! According to the title, apparently this DIY project took about 68 days and the end result is nothing short of stunning.

Judging from the other videos in the channel, it is clearly not his first time making replica cars out of wood. He has created tanks, bicycles, and even guns out of wood. It’s really cool so if you have some time to spare, you definitely want to check it out.

Did you know that there are different versions of Wi-Fi? For those unfamiliar, yes, there are different versions of WiFi, so just because a device has Wi-Fi support does not mean it is the same Wi-Fi you might find on another device. Newer versions, such as Wi-Fi 6, tend to offer faster speeds compared to older versions.

That being said, it seems that the next-generation of Wi-Fi could be something to look forward to, also known as Wi-Fi 7. This is according to a recent demonstration conducted by MediaTek in which they showed off the potential of the newer version which according to the Wi-Fi Alliance, could have the potential to reach speeds of up to 40Gbps!

For a bit of context, the current Wi-Fi 6 is able to go up to 9.6Gbps, which is admittedly plenty fast, but if the potential to hit 40Gbps is truly there, it could open up a lot more doors. This is because 40Gbps is pretty much on par with wired connections such as Thunderbolt 3, so if Wi-Fi 7 could reach those speeds, we could be looking at a lot more wireless peripherals that could function just as well as their wired counterparts without any perceivable lag.

According to MediaTek, they say that they expect Wi-Fi 7 productions to arrive in 2023, although how widely adopted it will be remains to be seen. Keep in mind that connectivity speeds can be affected by other things, so if your internet plan is capped at a 1Gbps connection, it won’t magically jump to 40Gbps.

According to a recent report from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, he had earlier claimed that Apple could announce a new iPad Pro later this year. That is on par for the course since Apple typically refreshes its tablets on an annual basis, but now leakster Dylandkt has come forward with additional details.

The tweet corroborates Gurman’s claims about an iPad Pro coming this fall, and Dylandkt adds that it will most likely come with the M2 chipset. Apple refreshed the iPad Pro last year with the M1 chipset, so it makes sense that this year they might give it the M2, but what exactly are the changes between the M1 and M2 is unclear at this point in time.

The M2 iPad Pro is coming in the Fall. I have heard nothing but concerns from multiple sources with regards to its Wireless Charging/MagSafe capabilities. All iPad Pro models will have a MiniLED display. AirPods Pro 2 are also on track for a Fall release.

— Dylan (@dylandkt) January 23, 2022

However, his tweet suggests that maybe Apple might not include MagSafe charging for the tablet. According to Dylandkt, apparently there are a lot of concerns about the implementation of MagSafe into the iPad Pro. We had heard rumors earlier this month that Apple could introduce MagSafe to the iPad Pro refresh where it would see Apple use a glass back for the iPad Pro and the use of stronger magnets to prevent accidents.

The tweets do not say what the problem could be that could cause Apple to reconsider the use of MagSafe, so for now, maybe temper your expectations and don’t get your hopes up just yet. That being said, the iPad has never supported wireless charging so to be honest, we don’t really feel that it’s too much of a missed opportunity, but we wouldn’t complain if it had it.

If the rumors are to be believed, Apple is finally planning on updating its 27-inch iMac later this year except that it could be known as the iMac Pro. Now according to a tweet by leakster Dylandkt, some details about the upcoming computer’s chipset of choice has been revealed.

According to the tweet, the leakster claims that the computer could use a chipset that goes “beyond” the M1 Max and that it could end up featuring 12-cores. For those unfamiliar, Apple’s base M1 features a 7-8 core CPU, while the higher-end M1 Pro has 8-10 core options. The M1 Max has 10-cores but features support for more memory and also a GPU with more cores compared to the Pro.

I have received confirmation that there will be an additional configuration for the upcoming iMac Pro beyond M1 Max. A 12 Core CPU configuration was tied to a snippet of code referencing the iMac. The internal naming candidate is iMac Pro for a reason. It is targeted towards pros

— Dylan (@dylandkt) January 23, 2022

This means that the iMac Pro could end up being a variant of the M1 Max with support for additional cores, making it a potentially even more powerful machine. This seems to be similar to a report we heard back in November 2021, where it was suggested that the upcoming Mac Pro refresh could also feature hardware based on the M1 Max rather than the M2, which is also expected to debut this year.

It will be interesting to see what kind of performance gains we can look forward to from the new iMac Pro and Mac Pros, all of which have been rumored to make their debut later this fall, so if you do need to upgrade your Mac, you might want to hold off until then if possible.

If you were hoping that a specific Apple product you’ve been eyeing will get a refresh this year, you could be in luck. According to Mark Gurman’s latest Power On newsletter, he claims that Apple is expected to launch its “widest array” of new products this coming fall, meaning that there should almost be something for everyone.

According to Gurman, “To that end, I’m told that Apple is readying the widest array of new hardware products in its history this fall. That makes sense: My back-of-the-envelope list includes four new iPhones, a low-end MacBook Pro, an updated iMac, the new Mac Pro, a revamped MacBook Air, an AirPods Pro upgrade, three Apple Watches, a low-end iPad and iPad Pros.”

New iPhones are pretty much a given considering that Apple launches new models every year along with iPads, but what’s exciting about the report is that Gurman confirms that we will be getting a new iMac and a new Mac Pro. To date, the 27-inch iMac and Mac Pro have yet to be updated to use the Apple Silicon, so it is more than likely that this is the year we’ll be getting them.

This is on the heels of a previous report which claimed that Apple will apparently fully complete their transition to Apple Silicon by the end of 2022. There is no mention of the Mac mini, which is a bit disappointing since we have been hearing rumors that Apple could be planning a “Pro” version of it, but who knows, maybe it could still be in the cards so we’ll just have to wait and see.

If the rumors are to be believed, something that we can look forward to by the end of 2022 would be Apple announcing their very own mixed reality headset. The company has been rumored to be working towards a pair of AR glasses that could potentially replace the iPhone one day, so this mixed reality headset is said to be the start of things.

However, it seems that Apple could find some competition from Google. This is according to a report from The Verge who has heard from sources that the company is apparently developing their own AR headset, codenamed “Project Iris”.

The report claims that prototypes are currently being tested right now at a Google facility in the San Francisco Bay Area, and that right now in its current form, it resembles a pair of ski goggles and apparently it will not require a tethered connection. If this is true, it wouldn’t be Google’s first attempt at a headset.

The company made waves years ago when they launched the Google Glass, but it ultimately did not pan out. Google attempted to dip their toes in the VR space as well with Google Cardboard, but that was also kind of met with a lukewarm reception. We’re not sure Google or Apple will have much luck with AR glasses now, but perhaps society in general could be ready for the tech now than they did 6-7 years ago, so we’ll just have to wait and see.

Yesterday, we reported that Apple had closed off the loophole for its education discount. Basically, prior to this, Apple customers who wanted to buy a product using the education discount could do so as Apple did not really verify if users are a student or a teacher (or staff of an educational institute).

However, Apple changed this as they implemented a verification system using UniDays that would check your credentials to see if you are really a student or staff member, but now according to reports, it looks like that verification system has disappeared. It is unclear if this rollback is temporary or if Apple has ultimately decided against it.

However, what it means is that if you do wish to take advantage of Apple’s education discount, you can do so while the loophole is open. Do keep in mind that there are some limitations to this discount where users can only order one product per year, presumably to prevent it from being abused by resellers who might take the discount and resell it at full price.

Apple does still rely on UniDays for verification for users who want to take part in the Apple Music discounted student plan, so it’s not as if the company has gotten rid of the system for good.

Samsung recently announced a Galaxy Unpacked event which we speculate could be for the Galaxy S22’s launch. The company has not mentioned any dates yet, but for those who are pretty much 100% certain that they will be getting the phone, it appears that reservations for the handset are already open.

If you head on over to Samsung’s website, you can actually make a reservation for the phone. Samsung does not explicitly mention the Galaxy S22, but rather they refer to it as the “next Galaxy”. Keep in mind that you’re not actually buying the phone right now, but simply placing your name on a waiting list so that when the phone is live, you’ll be able to guarantee yourself a spot if you don’t want to potentially miss out on the first wave.

Samsung’s website also notes that customers who reserve the phone will also be getting $50 in credit towards other Samsung Galaxy products, so this isn’t really a discount, but more like credit so if you wanted to buy some accessories or earbuds, you can use this $50 credit and save yourself some money.

According to the rumors, the handset is expected to be announced on the 8th or 9th of February, so it shouldn’t be too long until we have all the official details.