iPhone 14 Pro Max vs XS Max - SPEED TEST
iPhone 14 Pro vs 6 Plus - Speed test
How to Backup your iPhone to iCloud in 2023
STOP! Don’t buy AirPods.. (right now)
iOS 16.4 Adds Voice Isolation for Cellular Phone Calls
The iOS 16.4 update that is set to be released to the public in the near future includes voice isolation for cellular calls, according to notes that Apple shared today.
Apple says that Voice Isolation will prioritize your voice and block out the ambient noise around you, making for clearer phone calls where you can better hear the person you're chatting with and vice versa.
Voice Isolation has been available for VoIP calls that use FaceTime, WhatsApp, and other apps on devices running iOS 15 or macOS Monterey or later, and it is designed to significantly improve microphone quality when on calls by cutting down on background noise. Until now, it was not available for cellular conversations, with Apple offering no way to improve call quality.
On a FaceTime call, Voice Isolation can be enabled by activating the control center, tapping on the Mic Mode option, and choosing the Voice Isolation option, so the feature may be able to be activated in a similar way for voice calls.
Other iOS 16.4 features include new emojis, Push Notifications for web apps, bug fixes for HomeKit, Crash Detection optimizations, and more.
Apple Working on Beats Studio Buds+ Earphones
Apple is developing a new version of the Beats Studio Buds called the Beats Studio Buds+, signs of which were discovered in the iOS 16.4 release candidate today by 9to5Mac.
The Beats Studio Buds+ look similar to the Beats Studio Buds that were initially introduced in 2021. 9to5Mac has suggested that the earbuds will be upgraded to an H1 or W1 chip, but MacRumors has learned that the Beats Studio Buds will continue to feature a Beats chip rather than the H1/W1.
New Beats Studio Buds coming soon. To be called "Buds+" per @9to5mac pic.twitter.com/NGV6TmrkmO — iSoftware Updates (@iSWUpdates) March 21, 2023
Apple is planning to add improved Active Noise Cancellation and Transparency to the Beats Studio Buds+, which still have some time to go before they see a public launch.
The original Beats Studio Buds were introduced in 2021 and were positioned as a cheaper alternative to the AirPods. The Beats Studio Buds are priced at $150, and the new model is likely to have a similar price tag.
Google Opens Up Access to Bard AI Chatbot
Google today began allowing users to sign up to use Bard, its AI-powered chatbot that rivals Microsoft's Bing chatbot. First announced back in February, Bard is an experimental conversational AI service for Google Search.
Those interested in Bard can join Google's waitlist to get access, and some users have reported getting invitation emails just hours after signing up. There is a long list of sample functions that Google says Bard can perform:
- Explain why lightning might strike in the same place twice
- Help you write your first novel
- Draft a packing list for your weekend trip
- Outline a blog post about your summer mocktail recipes
- Explain why large language models might make mistakes
- Generate an art studio tagline
- Suggest high-protein options to add to a vegan diet
Bard beta access is limited to the United States and the UK at the current time, and there is an unknown wait time. Google does not allow Google Workspace accounts to request an invitation.
According to Google, Bard is using a "lightweight and optimized version of LaMDA," so the chatbot will offer a different experience than the OpenAI-powered Bing chat interface.
Bard is not designed to replace Google Search, and Google instead says it is "complementary." Google warns that Bard learns from a wide range of information that includes real-world biases and stereotypes, so the chatbot can provide inaccurate, misleading, or false information. It will improve over time based on feedback, and Google plans to add capabilities like coding and more languages in the future.