Category: Technology News

It is no secret that Apple has had the most success in the tablet market with the iPad series. One of the iPad’s most significant advantages over its competitors is its operating system, which caters to the tablet form factor. It is noticeable when put alongside a typical Android tablet, where applications and games are usually scaled up to fit the larger screen real-estate. The iPad has evolved quite significantly from the moment it was introduced on the market, even though there is only so much you can innovate with that form factor. Therefore, Apple’s focus is on software adaptation and continuous improvement. When paired with the premium feel and design of the unibody construction, the iPad is the true trendsetter in this niche market.

IDC Reports Apple’s Major Success in iPad Sales

The latest IDC report indicates that the last quarter has been the iPad’s most successful period in the previous decade, outselling the nearest competitor Samsung by over 60%. According to the report, Apple has sold 13 million iPads compared to Samsung’s 8 million units sold. In the grand scale of things, this situation is a good indicator of just how crucial appropriate tailoring of software design is and how much it reflects on the customer base. Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S7 is a champion in hardware specifications, but it is held back with Android’s lack of adapted software design compared to the iPad’s ecosystem.

For general content consumption, a tablet (regardless of the make and model) offers a more comfortable and enjoyable experience for gaming especially. Enjoying a slow-paced classic casino game such as roulette is entirely different on a large, crisp screen like the one found on iPads. Slot machines are another excellent example of gaming on the tablet. There is little input required from the player while providing subtle thrills, all happening on that high-resolution display with responsive controls. The iGaming industry has never offered so many options for players to partake, especially when merging casino games with sportsbooks bets.

The Success of Tablet Market Indicates Consumer’s Habits

With the advancements of consumer technology we are currently experiencing, it is clear that consumers look for convenient, tastefully designed, and portable computing solutions for work and entertainment. The education industry is also adapting tablets to learn for children and adults, as the form factor goes right in the middle between a phone and a computer. An oddball in this bunch might be the Chromebook, which carries Google’s ChromeOS packed inside a compact portable computer housing. Lenovo is following the pace rather well, selling nearly 5 million units of Chromebooks and ChromeOS-powered tablets. The differences between the platform are pretty obvious, and there is not one that is better than the other in an absolute sense. Each type of device caters to a particular use case. Still, from the sales numbers, it is clear that consumers generally look for an Apple iPad for a casual portable computing experience.

Batteries are working hard these days, and they are often overlooked during the design process as they add mass, thickness, and heat to the final product. This oversight is especially apparent with Apple’s iPhones as one of the main selling points and appointed features is the slim, sleek design. Because of this, iPhones have always had a reputation of having iffy battery life at best, but Apple seems to be working on rejuvenating their take on batteries. This move might impact the entire industry, as Apple has a history of setting new trends for its competitors. However, since the battery technology we know of today is slowly reaching its peak in terms of theoretical efficiency, Apple might need to look elsewhere to improve upon it.

Improving Battery Capacity by Giving It More Room?

Since there is so much to improve relative battery capacity, it is possible to improve it in an absolute manner by simply allocating more space within the phone to the battery unit itself. However, this change would be another controversial topic since smartphones already get packed as tightly as humanly possible if it weren’t for the so-called IPD chips. These chips have been around for a while but were exclusive to specialty hardware such as medical equipment, hearing aids, wearable heart rate monitors, and similar, where saving space is the key priority. The acronym stands for Integrated Passive Device, and it is an upcoming concept that will enable peripheral chips to be significantly smaller overall, allowing room for the expansion of batteries.

With this approach, Apple might develop a solution for iPhone’s and iPad’s battery drain, which is notoriously strong, especially during gaming sessions. Timing for this move might be perfect as gaming on mobile devices becomes increasingly popular, especially with HTML5 allowing for even more choices with embedded online gaming and betting. A typical casino gaming website nowadays features a lot of content that can get accessed for free and at any point in time, so having that extra bit of battery oomph will undoubtedly come in handy.

IPD’s Impact on the Industry

Apple’s IPD implementation into the manufacturing of iPhones and iPads will provide another level to design optimization which aligns with the current market’s demands. By pinpointing the issue itself, lackluster battery life, Apple will make the iPhone nearly perfect if the concept reaches their expectations. Since the IPD technology has been around for some time, other manufacturers might take the hint and take the same route. However, repairability scores might take hits as IPDs are tailor-made to fit that specific device. There is a strong case that a peripheral component that would otherwise be compatible between two machines might no longer be compatible. A possible outcome would be higher prices for peripheral parts that are linked with a single device exclusively. Still, when considering the final product in its respect, the benefits certainly outweigh the cons.

Nintendo fans waited impatiently for the E3 Nintendo Direct presentation, and one of the anticipated announcements was about the new Switch gaming console. Unfortunately, the company didn’t deliver on that wish, but it did have some great news and games for fans. We did find out more about the Breath of the Wild sequel and got a presentation for games that are now out there or will be later this year.  

Metroid Dread Shooting Platformer 

The story continues after the events in the Metroid Fusion; again, you play as intergalactic bounty hunter Samus Aran. She came to the remote planet ZDR investigating a mysterious message sent to the Galactic Federation.  

Unfortunately, the planet is in the hands of evil aliens and mechanical monsters known as The Extraplanetary Multiform Mobile Identifiers. Agile and with solid armour, Samus must run away. The game is the first 2D Metroid title in 19 years, and developers added new actions in a platformer-style shooter game available on October 8. 

DLC that made the list   

Nintendo Direct introduced some of the third-party developer updates, and one of the pivotal moments was the DLC for Bethesda’s Doom Eternal. The Ancient Gods is the first campaign expansion for one of the best FPS ports to the console. The original game had few known issues, almost no Nintendo Switch Error Codes, and life-like visuals so that Doom fans will get all this in this expansion. The Ancient Gods Part One expansion akes you through dimensions, and you must fight your way back to Urdak. Part Two of the expansion set will come out at the end of the year.  

Nintendo 64 Boards Coming Back With Mario Party Superstars 

While Metroid Dread brings out a new concept to a storied franchise, the newly announced Party game brings back well-known content from Nintendo 64 and the GameCube era. But, for now, it’s confirmed that we’ll see Peach’s Birthday Cake and Space Land among five Party boards. 

There is also a massive collection of 100 minigames, all remastered and ready to play on Joy-Cons or Switch Pro controller. In addition, you can try playboards and minigames with up to four players on local and online multiplayer. The game got a release date of October 29. 

BOTW2 Teaser 

A cloud of expectation hovers over The Legends of Zelda: Breath of the Wild sequel. We saw the first glimpse into a much-anticipated game in 2019, and now Nintendo showed the second trailer. At the end of the video, there was a confirmation that we will see a new Zelda open-world game in 2022.  

Besides the new dungeon design we witnessed in the first trailer, we now know that the game will have the Floating Cities we saw in Skyward Sword. In addition, we can expect larger maps and Link jumping and paragliding from cities in the sky in the kingdom of Hyrule. 

Other notable games introduced on E3 include WarioWare: Get it Together, Shin Megami Tensei V, Strange Brigade and The Advance Wars 1+3 Re-Boot Camp that is coming to the Switch system. This news is not the last from the company this year, and the most significant announcement we could expect is about the successor to the Nintendo Switch console.

https://theinvader.com/ is entering its 19th year of existence as of today. Which is nothing short of amazing, to be honest. Especially given how this group of veteran video games enthusiasts continues chugging along and covering the gaming industry on an everyday basis in a pleasantly consistent fashion.

And most will agree how few practices build a loyal following as efficiently as such a consistent track record of reporting does; at least as far as traditional news coverage on the Internet is concerned. Interestingly enough, The Invader’s staff does not see its 18 years’ worth of reporting as that big of a deal, though it acknowledges how it never would have expected the site to still be live and regularly updated as of 2020.

And just for some tiny bit of extra context, we are talking about an outlet that started reporting on the video games industry back when titles such as GTA: Vice City, Age of Mythology, and 007: Nightfire were battling for every minute of our spare time. As well as one in which many cult classics and full-fledged masterpieces in the vein of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and the original 3D remake of Jordan Mechner’s Prince of Persia have not even been completed just yet. Let alone produced, boxed, released, and celebrated en masse.

The Invader has been bringing us news coverage before we have even learned about the first Call of Duty. Therefore, it also predates the most legendary MMORPG of them all, seeing how it started operating nearly two full years prior to Club Penguin’s worldwide release (rest in peace, sweet prince).

And it is somehow still going strong. In this sense, The Invader is still as much of a passion project as it always was. Since it would appear that not even almost two decades of tiring media work did anything but deepened its staff’s infatuation with interactive entertainment. Making us excited to see what’s next for them.

Upcoming Google’s Android-based smartphones will come with Android 12 pre-installed, powered by the new Tensor SoC chip. This SoC is turning many heads as it was in development by Google since 2016, making its debut in the new Pixel 6 smartphones. Google believes that this SoC will make it possible for users of Pixel 6 smartphones to experience ultimate AI technology and advanced machine learning through the usage of their phones. All of this would indicate that some more advanced functions within Android 12 are to get introduced to the market, along with better personalization and security measures. What about the phones themselves?

Google Pixel 6 and Google Pixel 6 Pro Technical Specifications

Both Pixels feature a refreshed design, which, at least judging by the renders popping up, will remain subtle but premium. Hardware specification-wise, the Pixel 6 is expected to have a 6,4 inches AMOLED display, 8GB of RAM, 128/256GB of onboard storage, 50MP and 12MP cameras on the back, and a single 8MP front-facing camera. Pixel 6 Pro, as one would expect, bumps up the specs a notch, featuring a slightly larger screen at 6,7 inches, 12GB of RAM, 128/256/512GB onboard storage options, 50MP, 48MP, and 12MP cameras on the back with a single 12MP camera unit on the front. In terms of batteries, the Pixel 6 should have a 4,614mAh capacity, while the Pro variant should have a 5,000mAh battery.

With such an impressive spec sheet, both Pixel phones will impose to be an excellent choice for mobile gaming and gaming on the cloud in general. In addition, Pixel phones were always highly rated in terms of web content compatibility, so for anyone looking into playing browser-based casino games such as Blackjack, Baccarat, Roulette, or slot machines, this platform will be a good choice. Modern casino web-based games build upon the proved and tested technology behind embedding games into websites such as HTML5 and often include sports betting sections on the site, expanding the entertainment portfolio significantly.

The Pixel 6 Series Release Date and MSRP

After plenty of suggestions from the Internet’s rumour mill, the release date is somewhere in the Fall of 2021, which is all we officially know so far. With that said, this means that Pixel 6 might arrive in September, which follows the usual Google trend of releasing their flagship Pixel phones by the end of the yea. Still, we might see a slightly postponed release with troubles related to chip manufacturing and the global shortage of components.

Price-wise, things are a bit more challenging to assess, as the Pixel series has moved between ranges a bit throughout its existence in the last couple of years. However, based on the Pixel 5 series MSRP pricing of US$699, it is possible and expected for the Pixel 6 smartphone to follow the same trend. On the other hand, Rick Osterloh, Google’s hardware executive, has mentioned several times that the Pixel 6 aims to be a mainstream premium product, which might indicate a slightly beefier price tag.

In addition to its collection of gaming and technology websites, Damage Media Group is now adding a travel and tourism site to its resume. SummerHeadlines.com is expected to launch this summer, just in time for the 2022 tourist season. The site will inform readers about the attractions, gastronomy, and history of ten diverse vacation destinations in Europe, as well as provide them with itineraries and suggestions for road trips.

The Website

SummerHeadlines.com will operate on the latest version of WordPress, which provides the site with Google-friendly coding that makes the site render beautifully across all devices. It will use a modified Soledad Magazine theme, giving it a polished, web magazine feel, and it will retain high speeds even under heavy traffic loads due to its A2 hosting.

The Future of Travel

The future of travel looks bright in 2022. Experts agree that this summer will see a huge increase in tourism as a result of restrictions being lifted across the globe. Most countries in Europe are now relaxing their entry requirements, making it easier than ever for fully-vaccinated travelers to go on both domestic and international holidays.

SummerHeadlines.com Content

The travel site will focus on ten of the most-visited countries in Europe, and will provide readers with information about entry requirements, tips for what to do and where to go, and a look at the best time to visit. Each country will have its own pillar article, with several smaller articles branching off to describe specific cities within that country. The guide to Cyprus, for instance, describes the local museums, monasteries, and national parks one can visit, as well as the country’s world-famous wine, Commandaria.

Six countries have been profiled on SummerHeadlines.com so far, as the site is still under construction. The full launch of the project is set for summer 2023. For the latest news, you can follow DMG on their Linkedin page.

About Damage Media Group

An independent digital publishing group based in Tallinn, Estonia, DMG specializes in creating content-driven experiences for technology, travel, and gaming enthusiasts. Since it was established in late 2020, the company has been paving its way into the publishing sector by acquiring existing websites that operate within their markets of interest. It then improves upon those websites via its own network of journalists, editors and contributors from the tech and gaming sectors. The latest news about the company can be found on their LinkedIn Page.

YouTube Premium has been around for a while now, nearly seven years. This unique subscription model is for purchase to make your YouTube video content consumption much better, as it rids the user from ads. In addition to removing ads, the YouTube application on smartphones enables background playback, which means one can listen to some podcasts or music hosted using YouTube itself even when the application gets minimized. Furthermore, the user can also download content off YouTube for offline viewing later within the application with the Premium subscription. At the moment of writing, the regular YouTube Premium subscription goes for US$11.99 monthly.

Enter YouTube Premium Lite

It is hard to disagree that the US$11.99 premium for ad-free YouTube videos seems like a bit of a stretch, but it looks like a more affordable option is also in the workings. The Premium Lite subscription plan is currently being tested in some regions of Europe (Nordic lands and Benelux) to note how the market responds. The new subscription plan gets offered for $US6.99 per month, and it only provides ad-free YouTube videos with no other regular Premium features.

While everyone waits for the market feedback and whether or not Premium Lite becomes a permanent subscription model, it is essential to note that unmonetized channels will still work typically. This practice gets followed by online gaming industries such as casino and sportsbooks websites with dedicated YouTube channels used for game reviews and new content to their game portfolios. In that sense, casino websites use their official media to get the latest news, trailers, and anything else that might interest users who haven’t played a game like Roulette or Blackjack online. The best thing about this is that no premium subscription is needed to enjoy this content without ads.

There Might Be Multiple YouTube Premium Variants

The currently tested Premium Lite is in no way a completed, public version. The variant described above acts as a testing ground for YouTube to push the limits and market demands. Over time, we expect YouTube to carry multiple subscription plans for their users, which could impact YouTube’s ad monetization policies for creators, for better or worse. The paid subscriptions impact the end user’s experience, and there is a strong demand for such features, so it is all about determining the correct price ranges. For example, Netflix has three available subscription models, with differentiating features being the resolution of the movies and shows and the number of users who can simultaneously get logged in watching content. An excellent example of a simple but good enough model accepted well in the market.

It is more probable to see modified family subscriptions for YouTube Premium, as this makes more sense for shared YouTube accounts or accounts owned by people living in the same household. In addition, judging by the feedback YouTube Premium has received during its existence so far, we believe there is a high demand for YouTube without ads. In contrast, the rest of the features included in the Premium subscription might cater to a more delicate customer base.