New features for Android and Wear OS For Next Week

For Android, Chromebooks, and Wear OS, Google has unveiled a plethora of new features that are intended to boost connectivity, productivity, and accessibility. The announcement was made on the first day of Mobile World Congress (MWC), which is currently beginning in Barcelona. New features include Google Keep shortcuts for your phone and smartwatch, forthcoming Quick Pair compatibility for Chromebooks, and new Wear OS accessibility options.

Quick Pair, according to the business, will soon enable quick pairing of new Bluetooth headphones with Chromebooks. A user's Chromebook will immediately connect to any headphones they have previously configured for their Android phone. Although Google did not specifically state when this update would go live, it did say that it would do so "soon."

The business also said that users would soon be able to simply boost the size of any content on Chrome by up to 300% while maintaining the page structure. This includes text, photos, and videos. To avoid having to change it every time they open the browser, users will be able to set their chosen content size as a default. The new version is now accessible in Chrome Beta and will shortly be made available to all users.

A Google Keep single note widget that users can access from their Home screen to manage their notes and cross things off of lists is also something the firm plans to make available. The widget syncs with your smartwatch and shows reminders, background colors, and images added to notes from the Keep app. Additionally, Google Keep will be releasing two new watch face shortcuts that allow users to quickly create notes and to-do lists.

A new productivity feature from Google will let users mark PDF files in the Google Drive app for Android using a stylus or just their fingers. To write notes or criticism, you can experiment with various ink techniques. You can also use the highlighter tool to capture essential information on your tablet or phone. Your annotated papers can then be hidden, deleted, undone, or a fresh copy can be saved. Now available in Google Drive for Android is freehand annotation.

Two new sound and display modes are also being added to Wear OS with the aim of enhancing watch accessibility. Users will soon have access to mono-audio option, which will lessen the disorientation split-audio causes. Grayscale and new color-correction modes will provide users more options for display.

A Gboard product called Emoji Kitchen, which enables users to transmit combined or remixed sticker versions of Google's emoji designs, is also getting new emoji combinations from the firm. Users can experiment with the new basketball team and spring selections before sharing them with others.

The imminent release of new tap-to-pay animations in Google Wallet to assist you validate your in-store purchases is another exciting new feature. Google made a suggestion that "cheerful penguins" and other characters will start to appear for users starting next week.

Xiaomi Wireless AR Glasses

Although augmented reality is an intriguing concept, it's unclear whether the globe has enough computer capacity to make such a fantastic vision a reality. Unfazed, Xiaomi has launched the Wireless AR Glass Exploration Edition, a small augmented reality headset that uses the same Snapdragon XR2 Gen 1 processor as the Quest Pro. The manufacturer claims that these enormous sunglasses provide a stylish method to combine the real and virtual worlds while, most importantly, removing the need for a physical connection to a smartphone.

Xiaomi built the hardware from carbon fiber and magnesium-titanium alloy components to make it lighter, weighing only 126g (4.4 ounces). Also, it features a specially developed silicon-oxygen anode battery, which Xiaomi claims would lessen the user's physical workload. (One user disagrees, saying from experience that anything pressing on your nose that weighs more than 100g is still too much to bear for prolonged periods of time.)

About the displays, the headgear is equipped with two microOLED screens that are connected to two "free-form, light-guiding" prisms that are so pixel-dense that your eyes won't be able to distinguish the squares. Also, the firm claims that you'll see less brightness loss compared with other close-up displays and that it has a 1,200 nit peak brightness.

Our hands might allegedly be utilized to engage with the digital world thanks to the superior hand-tracking technology. In a concept film, a wearer turns off a smart light by turning a virtual switch that is hovering above the actual object. Users will also be able to flick and tap their way through the internet (or video), much like in Minority Report, and possibly use these for productivity as well.

Additionally, Qualcomm has ambitions to use the development of these glasses to advance XR products by utilizing its Snapdragon Spaces platform. When used with a suitable device, such as the new Xiaomi 13, Xiaomi's hardware guarantees latency levels so low that you won't even notice the absence of a wire. Additionally, the business promises to "work closely with developers to expedite the arrival of AR," which is so important in the still-emerging field.

Given that this item is still very much in the concept stage, there is, regrettably, no information on price or availability. Hence, unless you're incredibly patient, we wouldn't advise opening a separate savings account to set money aside for one of these.

Most G20 nations condemn Russia for war

On February 25, 2023, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) governor Shaktikanta Das and Economic Affairs Secretary Ajay Seth observe as India's Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman speaks at a news conference following the Group of 20 Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors Meeting outside of Bengaluru, India. (Samuel Rajkumar for Reuters)

The heads of the world's leading economies' finance departments on Saturday sharply denounced Moscow for its war on Ukraine; only China and Russia itself declined to sign an united statement. India, which was hosting the summit in Bengaluru as chair of the Group of Twenty economies, was hesitant to bring up the war, but Western countries emphasized they could not support any decision that did not include a denunciation. India released a "chair's summary and outcome document" that only summarized the two days of negotiations and listed disputes due to the lack of agreement among G20 nations.

Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty, Rune Factory 3 Special

The most notable Japanese video game releases this week are Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC, as well as Rune Factory 3 Special for Switch.

Below is a list of every Japanese game released this week. It should be noted that Gematsu will gain a small commission from any purchases made using links from Play-Asia. With our single-use "GEMATSU23" or multiple-use "GEMATSUCOM" discount codes, you can also save 5%.

Physical and Digital

- The Switch game Dungeon of the Endless is already accessible everywhere.

- In North America, Metroid Prime Remastered is already available on the Switch.

American Version

- Pocket Color Selection Vol. 2 by NEOGEO (Switch)

Version in Asia

- Special Rune Factory 3 (Switch)

Limited Edition Dream Collection

Standard Edition of the Chinese version

Limited Release

Scars Above (PS5) is now available everywhere.

- Americanized version (PS5, Xbox Series)

- American Version (PS5, Xbox Series)

The Cosmic Break: SpongeBob SquarePants (PS4, Switch) is already out there.

Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty is now available on all platforms (PS5, PS4).

- The Limited Edition Treasure Box (PS5, PS4)

- Normal North American Version (PS5, PS4, Xbox One)

   SteelBook Edition for the PS5, PS4, Xbox One, and

   Version for Europe (PS5, PS4, Xbox One, and Xbox Series)

   Version Standard in Chinese (PS5, PS4)

   The Limited Edition Treasure Box (PS5, PS4)

Xiaomi provides a list of smartphones that will get MIUI 14 soon. 

The Xiaomi 13 series launch event at MWC 2023 came to a close with the firm announcing a list of 18 devices that would shortly receive MIUI 14 software. Even though Xiaomi refers to it as a "rollout schedule," no timeline was given. All we know is that the r

ollout will begin by the end of Q1, but it's likely that the majority of the phones on the list will have to wait much longer. In any event, the majority of the smartphones we see there are higher-end, coupled with a few midrange models that have the Redmi label.

It's crucial to remember that this is not a complete list, and more devices will eventually receive MIUI 14 servings. Also, the MIUI 14 version does not include Android 13 as well. Xiaomi often distributes its most recent MIUI updates to select devices that don't have the most recent Android version installed.