Tech Talk

The Xiaomi 11i focuses too much on 120W fast charging while ignoring the basics. Xiaomi unveiled the Mi 10i in India back in January 2021, and the phone went to on to sell moderately well in the country. So the manufacturer did what it is known for and launched a lot of devices in the mid-range category. Between the Mi 11 Lite , 11 Lite NE 5G, Mi 11X , 11X Pro, and the POCO F3 GT , Xiaomi has more than enough options available. To kick things off in 2022, Xiaomi is introducing the Xiaomi 11i, and it is positioning 120W fast charging as the differentiator. Now, this isn't the first Xiaomi phone to offer 120W wired charging — that honor belongs to the Xiaomi 11T Pro . But the 11i aims to bring the feature to a more mainstream audience, much like the Mi 10i did with its 108MP camera last year. Xiaomi says the 11i takes just 15 minutes to fully charge its 4500mAh battery, and I'll be putting that to the test here. As you'd imagine from a Xiaomi phone, you get decent in

OPPO Find N vibes. What you need to know Android 12L Beta 2 may include additional hints about the Pixel Foldable. Animations in the build reveal animations of a nondescript foldable smartphone. The Pixel Foldable may feature a more tablet-like aspect ratio than the Galaxy Z Fold 3. News of the rumored Google Pixel foldable may have temporarily died down, but new tidbits about the foldable have seemingly emerged thanks to the latest Android 12L beta build. After digging into the code for Android 12L Beta 2, 9to5Google discovered references to the device, codenamed "Pipit." The references show up alongside animations depicting how to insert a SIM card into a foldable smartphone. The first animation shows a foldable in a closed state. The device appears to feature a wider aspect ratio than the Galaxy Z Fold 3 with what's clearly a hinge on the left side. The following image shows a similar animation, although with the device open this time. The foldable a

Most security cameras require a hefty monthly fee in order to get smarter notifications of who's outside. What you need to know Starting February 15, Wyze will offer Wyze Cam Plus Lite, a subscription that offers person detection and 12-second cloud storage clips. It's a pay-what-you-want (PWYW) system, so you can technically receive these features for free. 12-second storage was previously free, but you had to pay $15 per year per camera for AI detection. This feature will come to Wyze Cam v3 and v2, Wyze Cam Pan v1 and v2, and Wyze Cam Outdoor. It'll also come to Wyze Video Doorbells at a later date. Wyze has improved local storage firmware, allowing you to insert larger microSD cards than before. Wyze is making AI detection free — sort of — on its security cameras starting in mid-February. However many Wyze Cams you own, you'll pay whatever monthly fee you think is fair across all your cameras, including $0 for all of them. According to a Wyze blog post

Crush the competition at home or on the go. Named after the 2000 film Battle Royale, the battle royale genre started with players modding survival games but has since become the core concept of numerous hugely popular titles, including some of the best Android games . Players compete solo or as part of a small team to kill off the competition, usually on a rapidly shrinking map where they'll also scavenge for equipment and resources. So if you're looking to test your skills and want to test your skills anywhere, these are the best battle royale games on Android. Jump to: Call of Duty: Mobile FOG Garena Free Fire PUBG New State ZombsRoyale.io Call of Duty: Mobile The first-person shooter Call of Duty franchise got into battle royale by including the mode in Black Ops 4 in 2018, then made it a major part of its mobile game when it launched in 2019. One hundred players can compete on classic maps from the Black Ops and Modern Warfare games, either solo or as pa

Next-gen immersion in a hands-on fashion. The PS5 doesn't just bring in better graphics and higher framerates—it also gives players a new controller, the DualSense . This successor to the DualShock 4 features a higher-quality built-in microphone, a refined touchpad, an improved battery, and most importantly, haptic feedback and adaptive triggers . Those latter two features can be used by game developers in unique ways. For example, haptic feedback can give unique sensations, like the pattering of rain or a blast of energy, in a more focused and accurate way than rumble motors. Meanwhile, adaptive triggers can provide a variety of functions with different weapons due to the special physical functions implemented, essentially offering gameplay features that wouldn't be possible otherwise. To provide a couple of examples, adaptive triggers are being used in Arkane Studios' Deathloop so that if a gun jams, the trigger physically locks. Meanwhile, in Insomniac Games'

You won't be able to listen to lossless streams anytime soon with the delay of Spotify's HiFi tier. What you need to know Spotify has confirmed that it doesn't have "timing details" for the rollout of its HiFi tier. The lossless streaming feature was formally introduced early last year. Spotify promised that the HiFi tier would be available in 2021, but it is now behind schedule. After announcing the service early last year, Spotify has remained silent about the rollout of its much-anticipated HiFi tier for the rest of 2021. It promised to release the lossless tier later that year, but we're now a few weeks into 2022 and there's still no sign of Spotify HiFi. In a community forum post , the service finally admitted that the feature has been postponed indefinitely. A company representative confirmed that there is currently no timeline for its release, which may disappoint those who have been anticipating its arrival. "We know that HiFi qua

The FTC is good to go with its case against Meta. What you need to know A judge has ruled that the FTC's antitrust case against Meta can move forward. The FTC has sued Meta over its anti-competitive practices, including purchasing and squeezing out the competition. The amended suit was filed in October, which Meta made a motion to have dismissed. Meta's legal troubles continue as a judge has allowed the Federal Trade Commission's lawsuit against it to move forward. Tuesday's ruling follows a lengthy process for the FTC, which first filed in December 2020 . The Commission claims that Meta holds a monopoly which it maintains by acquiring companies it competes with or squeezing them out. The first attempt was dismissed by U.S. District Judge James E. Boasberg due to insufficient evidence, although the FTC was given a chance to amend its complaint to provide more details. That amendment was filed in October 2021 , which Meta immediately made a motion to dismi

The Galaxy S21 FE may be fashionably late to the party thanks to supply issues and all this nonsense (waves dismissively at 2021) , but it's here at last with a small price cut and a larger screen. Whether you're picking one up from Samsung or your carrier, your new phone deserves the best protection at the best price, which is why we've rounded up the best Samsung Galaxy S21 cases for you to choose from, whatever your style or budget. Vibrant grip Caseology Nano Pop Staff pick This case has the perfect blend of compact yet cushioned, flashy yet functional. Caseology's Nano Pop Series offers robust protection around the S21 FE's sweet, sweet cameras while staying slim and stylish. $17 at Amazon Ready to work Supcase Unicorn Beetle Pro Series This mil-spec rugged case uses its size to hold a wide, stable kickstand that works in both portrait and landscape mode. The built-in screen protector has a special circle of adhesive to ensure you still get cryst