Tuesday, August 25, 2020

Chrome 85 update brings tab-focused productivity features and more speed


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Final Cut Pro X Updated With Remote Workflow Improvements, New Social Media Editing Tools, and More

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Apple today announced that it is updating its video editing software Final Cut Pro X to version 10.4.9 with several new features designed to enhance remote workflows and speed up editing for social media content creators.


With more people working from home, Final Cut Pro X has received improvements to proxy workflows that make libraries more portable and streamline remote work with large, high-resolution files, according to Apple. Users can also now create proxies in either ProRes Proxy or H.264 in dimensions as small as 12.5 percent of the original.

New social media tools automate video cropping in square, vertical, and other custom sizes for popular social media platforms like Instagram, Snapchat, and Twitter. A new "Transform Overscan" feature reveals media outside the crop boundary when adjusting scale, rotation, and position, which allows storytellers to easily reposition the crop.

Final Cut Pro 10.4.9 will be available today as a free update for existing users, and remains $299.99 for new users on the Mac App Store.

Final Cut Pro's companion apps Motion and Compressor are also being updated today.

In the new version of Motion, Apple says creators can import third-party 3D models or choose from a built-in library of 3D models in the USDZ format for use in titles, generators, effects, and transitions. Motion is also receiving a new Stroke Filter, a tool that automatically outlines an object or text element using its alpha channel.

Compressor is gaining support for custom LUT effects, the ability to use Camera LUTs to convert log-encoded footage to SDR or HDR outputs, and other workflow enhancements.

Apple's free iMovie app for Mac also received a minor update today:
• Add a hand drawn look to your movies with 5 new filters: Comic, Comic Mono, Comic Vintage, Comic Sepia and Ink
• Import iMovie for iOS projects with support for Comic, Comic Mono and Ink filters
• Improves overall stability
Final Cut Pro 10.4.9 release notes:
Improved proxy workflows
• Generate proxy media in custom frame sizes of 1/8, 1/4, 1/2, or full resolution
• Choose to create proxy media in either ProRes Proxy or H.264
• Choose to display original or optimized media if proxy media is not available for some clips in your project
• Create a proxy-only copy of a library to reduce size for portability or performance
Social media tools
• Automatically transform projects for square or vertical delivery with Smart Conform
• Display media outside the Viewer boundary when adjusting scale, rotation, and position using Transform Overscan
• Add a Custom Overlay as an on-screen guide when placing text and graphics within a square or vertical frame
• Use the new Duplicate Project As command in combination with Smart Conform to quickly create a social media version of your existing project
Other new features
• Adjust ProRes RAW camera settings such as ISO, color temperature, and exposure offset using new controls in the inspector
• Crossfade audio on adjacent clips in one step using a menu command or keyboard shortcut
• Use Close Project command in a new drop-down menu above the timeline to clear project history
• Sort clips and projects by last modified date in list view
• Preview 360-degree stereoscopic 3D video in simultaneous left and right eye views with the 360° Viewer
• Easily stabilize 360-degree video with one-click tools in the inspector

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Fitbit Sense Debuts With Health Features Missing on Apple Watch, Including Stress, Skin Temperature, and Blood Oxygen Tracking

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Fitbit today introduced the Sense, its most advanced health smartwatch ever.

Following in the footsteps of the Apple Watch, the Sense is the first Fitbit with an ECG app that can detect an irregular heart rhythm known as atrial fibrillation. To receive a reading, users must hold their fingers on the corners of the stainless steel ring around the watch while holding still for 30 seconds. FDA clearance of the feature is still pending.


Going a step further, the Sense offers several health features that the Apple Watch does not yet have, including an electrodermal activity (EDA) sensor for stress management, a skin temperature sensor, and blood oxygen monitoring. (Apple Watch Series 6 models are rumored to support blood oxygen monitoring later this year.)

Fitbit shared details on how the new EDA sensor works:
Using the EDA Scan app, place your palm over the face of the device to detect small electrical changes in the sweat level of your skin. Measuring your EDA responses can help you understand your body's response to stressors and help you manage your stress. You can do a quick EDA Scan session on device to see your responses, or pair it with guided mindfulness sessions in the Fitbit app to see how your body responds during meditation or relaxation. At the end of your session, you will see an EDA response graph on-device and in the mobile app to gauge your progress over time and reflect on how you feel emotionally.
Based on its ongoing research study, Fitbit says the Sense can also track three metrics that could help with earlier detection of COVID-19, including average breathing rate, resting heart rate, and heart rate variability.

"Over 100,000 Fitbit users joined the study so far, and we've found that our algorithm can detect nearly 50 percent of COVID-19 cases a day before the onset of symptoms with 70 percent specificity," said Fitbit's co-founder and CTO Eric Friedman. "This research shows great promise to help us understand and detect COVID-19, but can also serve as a model for detecting other diseases and health conditions in the future."

Fitbit is making the Sense available today for pre-order for $329.95 on its website and online at select retailers, with broad worldwide availability to follow in late September. Some health features require a Fitbit Premium subscription for $9.99 per month or $79.99 per year, with a free six-month trial included with the Sense.
Tag: Fitbit

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‘Kaleidoscope’ for Chrome may become a single media hub for all your streaming services


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TSMC Details Potential iPhone 12 A14 Performance and Upcoming 3nm Process

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Apple chipmaker TSMC has set out the potential performance and power efficiency of the upcoming iPhone 12's A14 chip, according to a report by AnandTech.



The ‌iPhone 12‌ is expected to contain an A14 chip, based on TSMC's smaller 5nm manufacturing process. The iPhone 11's A13 chip used a 7nm process by comparison.

Manufacturing chips using this smaller process offers a number of advantages, including a reduction in power consumption of up to 30 percent, and up to 15 percent increased performance. This indicates what kind of improvements may come to the A14 chip in the ‌iPhone 12‌.

There is a tradeoff when selecting one or the other, but Apple tends to prioritize performance improvements over power consumption. When reducing the size of the manufacturing process, power consumption and performance improvements face a slight reduction.

Last year, TSMC announced a $25 billion investment in the new 5nm node technology in a bid to remain the exclusive supplier of Apple's processors. TSMC has reportedly been in mass production of chips using the 5nm process for several months now, and the process is also expected to be used for Apple Silicon chips coming to the Mac before the end of this year.

In addition to the 5nm process for 2020, TSMC outlined its plans for a 3nm process coming in late 2022. This would likely be used for a potential A16 chip and other future ‌Apple Silicon‌ if the company follows previous years, but it is understandably difficult to speculate on Apple's manufacturing plans so far ahead. The 3nm process yields similar 30 percent and 15 percent power consumption and performance improvements over the 5nm process.

It is worth noting that regardless of the performance of TSMC's chips, Apple usually optimizes its software for further performance improvements. It is also possible that Apple could significantly prioritize power consumption over performance for improved battery life. These decisions belong to Apple regardless of TSMC's manufacturing process, making the exact behavior of the A14 chip somewhat uncertain until official announcement.
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Anker's Eufy Brand Debuts Smart Lockbox With AI and Built-In Camera for Package Deliveries

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Eufy, Anker's home security brand, today announced the Smart Drop, a new smart outdoor mailbox that's equipped with a built-in camera and advanced facial recognition capabilities to make package deliveries more secure.


Made from carbon steel, the Smart Drop is a package dropbox that sits outside the home and provides a secure location for delivery people to place packages so they won't be stolen from the doorstep.

There's an included 1080p camera with a 160 degree field of view that also has night vision for around the clock surveillance. Face and motion detection let you know when deliveries arrive, and there are multiple ways to open the dropbox, including a PIN and remote opening with the Eufy app.


The camera is weatherproof with an IP65 water and dust resistance rating, and there's an inner drainage system. Video footage can be stored locally or in the cloud, and the Smart Drop can be fixed to the floor or the wall.

Eufy has no plans to add HomeKit support to the first generation of the Smart Drop, unfortunately, but it does work with both Alexa and Google Assistant. A removable battery pack provides three months of battery life before needing to be recharged, and there's no need to plug in the Smart Drop.


To help delivery and mail couriers use the box, there are voice and light prompts along with an instruction sticker. The Smart Drop measures in at 25.6 inches high, 17.7 inches long, and 15 inches wide with a 68L total capacity.

Eufy is offering the Smart Drop on Kickstarter, with pricing starting at $149 for the basic SmartDrop and $199 for the SmartDrop Pro that includes a eufy Security HomeBase 2 for local storage, Alexa/Google Assistant support, and rich notifications. Eufy plans to begin delivering the Smart Drop next year, with shipments set to begin in June 2021.
Tag: Anker

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Deals: Amazon Offering $50 Off Entire iPad Mini 5 Lineup, Starting at $349.99

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Amazon has introduced a few discounts on every version of Apple's iPad mini 5, starting with the 64GB Wi-Fi model at $349.99, down from $399.00. The 256GB Wi-Fi model is also on sale for $499.99, down from $549.00.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.

We've seen these models at slightly lower prices over the past year, but Amazon's current sale is among the best prices around online right now for the iPad mini 5. Apple introduced the fifth-generation iPad mini with an A12 Bionic chip, Apple Pencil support, and an upgraded display in March 2019.

$50 OFF
iPad Mini 5 for $349.99


If you're interested in cellular models, the 64GB cellular iPad mini 5 is on sale for $479.99, down from $529.00. The 256GB cellular tablet is on sale for $629.00, down from $679.00.

For even more iPad deals, head to our full Best Deals guide for iPad. In that guide we track the best discounts online for iPad, iPad mini, iPad Air, and iPad Pro. If you're on the hunt for more discounts, be sure to visit our Apple Deals roundup where we recap the best Apple-related bargains of the past week.
Related Roundup: Apple Deals

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