Technology

There is a lot to appreciate in terms of modern day infotainment systems. Some come with large touchscreen displays, some support a variety of apps like mapping and music apps, and so on. However, being more advanced also means that it can be vulnerable to bugs which is what some Mazda owners found out.

According to a report from GeekWire, it seems that some Mazda drivers in Seattle were discovering that their infotainment units had been bricked after tuning into local NPR radio station KUOW.

This is especially true for Call of Duty which is available on both Xbox and PlayStation. The good news is that Microsoft has stated that they plan to keep Call of Duty on the PlayStation.

According to Microsoft, “To be clear, Microsoft will continue to make Call of Duty and other popular Activision Blizzard titles available on PlayStation through the term of any existing agreement with Activision. And we have committed to Sony that we will also make them available on PlayStation beyond the existing agreement and into the future so that Sony fans can continue to enjoy the games they love.”

It has been quite a while since we last saw a new Mario Kart game. This is because even when Nintendo launched the Switch, the version of Mario Kart that they brought to the console was simply an upgraded version of Mario Kart 8 that was originally released on the Wii U.

Honestly, we can’t say that we mind because at the end of the day, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is still a pretty fun game to play, but the good news is that if you’re hankering for some new content, you’re in luck as Nintendo has officially announced new DLC that they will be releasing for the game.

It’s probably safe to say that it was largely thanks to Facebook that “reactions” became a popular feature. Instead of simply “liking” a post, users could “react” to it by using laughing emojis, a sad face emoji, heart emojis, and so on. So it’s not surprising that the company is now bringing those features to WhatsApp.

According to a post by WABetaInfo on Twitter, it looks like WhatsApp is getting ready to launch reactions on its messaging platform. From what we can see, it will be similar in concept to what’s already available on Facebook.

One of the features that Apple has built into iMessage are message reactions. These are similar in concept to Facebook’s reactions where instead of replying a “haha” or “ok”, you can simply react to the message instead. This might be better than one-worded replies, which we know some people do not like.

However, these reactions had a problem in which they did not display properly when viewed on an Android device. Back in the past, reacting to a message and viewing the reaction on Android would display a description of the reaction which was a bit silly, but the good news is that Android Messages will now display those reactions properly.

Now in what seems like a rather ironic move, Sony has announced that they will be acquiring Bungie who will now be brought into the PlayStation family. According to the announcement, Bungie is expected to remain an independent subsidiary of Sony, at least for now, and that the company will retain the option to self-publish their own games and reach players regardless of their platform.

This essentially means that unlike back in the Halo days, Bungie will be able to develop games for non-PlayStation platforms if they choose to, which is smart on Sony’s end as the company usually profits more from games rather than from the sales of its consoles. The deal is said to be worth $3.6 billion.

Following Microsoft’s announcement that they will be acquiring Activision Blizzard, many have wondered what this will mean for future Activision Blizzard titles and if they will continue to be available for non-Microsoft platforms.

As far as the Call of Duty franchise is concerned, Xbox boss Phil Spencer had previously stated that they will be keeping Call of Duty on the PlayStation, but it wasn’t clear if this is a temporary thing or if after one title Microsoft will make it an exclusive. Fans of Call of Duty can rest assured that this won’t be the case for the foreseeable future.

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.

Want to buy an iPhone but don’t want to pay full price? We get it, which is why some of you might be aware of Apple’s trade-in program where you can trade-in older iPhones or even Android phones and use that value towards buying a brand new iPhone.

However, if you’re coming over from the Android ecosystem, it seems that it will now be less worth it to trade-in your old Android device for an iPhone. This is because according to a report from MacRumors, it appears that Apple has reduced the trade-in value for a bunch of Android smartphones.

A few days ago, Microsoft announced their intentions to acquire Activision Blizzard. This has raised many questions and some concerns, namely how Microsoft will approach titles that are available on other consoles like the Nintendo Switch or Sony’s PlayStation.

There is cause for some concern because when Microsoft acquired Bethesda, the company suggested that not all games would necessarily be available for non-Xbox/PC devices, such as the upcoming Elder Scrolls 6 which was reported to be an Xbox exclusive.

When Microsoft announced Windows 11, one of the features that users could look forward to was being able to use Android apps on Windows via Amazon’s Appstore. However, if you don’t use Amazon’s Appstore but still want some Android access on your Windows PC, then you’re in luck, sort of.

This is because Google has announced that they are launching Google Play Games on Windows. This is a standalone application developed by Google that will let users play Android games on their Windows PCs. This would kind of be like Google’s response to Microsoft and Amazon working together to bring Android apps to Windows.

These days, pretty much all cameras come with the ability to record video, with the higher-end cameras supporting resolution like 4K at 60fps. However, for the most part, a lot of these cameras were designed with photography in mind, meaning that videographers would probably need a dedicated video camera if they wanted to get the most out of their shots.

However, it appears that Canon is trying to streamline that process as the company has announced the EOS RC. This is a full frame mirrorless camera that combines features and functionality of a cinema camera along with a stills camera, meaning that on paper, you should be able to get the best of both worlds.

It has been a long time since we saw a new Mario Kart title. The last major title was Mario Kart 8 which was originally released for the Nintendo Wii U in 2014, and then an enhanced Deluxe version was then released for the Nintendo Switch back in 2017, so we’re not sure if we can really count that.

That being said, for those who are looking forward to seeing a new major title released in the series, you could be in luck. According to analyst Dr. Serkan Toto, he wrote a prediction for Gamesindustry.biz in which he claimed that Mario Kart 9 is apparently in development, and that Nintendo could actually tease the game later this year.

Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us was originally released back in 2013 for the Sony PS3 console, but later found its way onto the PS4. Given that it’s been almost 10 years since the original release, and how much gaming tech has advanced, some might argue that bringing it onto the PS5 would make it seem kind of dated.

The good news is that if you enjoyed the game but would love to play it on the PS5, you might be interested to learn that according to a tweet by tipster Tom Henderson, he claims that based on his sources, the remake of the game is nearly finished and could possibly launch in the second half of 2022.