This week had everything from PS5 gamepads to an unprecedented team-up by Apple and Google on Bluetooth tracking tech. However, the fiercest tech rivalry is between video conferencing platforms, and Microsoft Teams hit back at Zoom — now the ‘Facebook of video apps’ — by adding its own version of custom backgrounds. Your move, Google Hangouts / Chat / Meet / whatever it’s called this week.
— Richard Lawler
The Engadget Podcast
Quibi and a chat with ‘Devs’ creator Alex Garland
Engadget
This week, Devindra chats with TechCrunch’s Anthony Ha about Quibi, the mobile video startup from Hollywood producer Jeffrey Katzenberg. Is it any good? (Spoiler: Not really.) And what does it mean for the future of mobile only video? Also, Devindra interviews Alex Garland, the director of Annihilation and Ex Machina, about his new FX series Devs, a trippy exploration of free will in the quantum computing era.
Listen on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Spotify, Pocket Casts or Stitcher.
Continue reading.
‘Final Fantasy 7 Remake’ is a gamble that paid off
The new story twists help change things up just enough.
Square Enix
Decades in the making, Square Enix’s refreshed vision of Final Fantasy VII is here. Mat Smith had some doubts about the project, but now he says “it delivers.”
Continue reading.
LG V60 5G ThinQ review
‘A compromised phone I like anyway.’
Engadget
LG is still trying to make its version of dual-screen mobile devices happen, with two screens linked by a case instead of one foldable display. The V60’s software isn’t exactly up to par with other flagships, but LG’s hardware decisions make it easier to use than many other top of the line phones and — perhaps most importantly — a lot cheaper. Let Chris Velazco explain why this might be the two-screen device to choose right now.
Continue reading.