Best Chrome apps to use with a stylus pen

Whether your doodling or writing up notes, the right app can make your pen experience so much better.

While styli are fun for doodling, there are also some serious productivity cases for using a pen on your gadget. You can draw diagrams, write out phone numbers, or just jot down a note, which may be faster or easier with a pen than it would with a keyboard. While not every Chromebook includes a pen or digitizer, there are plenty to choose from if you desire.

Here are the best Chrome apps to use with a pen!

• The keyboard
• Google Keep
• Squid
• Adobe Fill & Sign
• OneNote
• Infinite Painter
• Brain it On

The keyboard

The software keyboard on Chromebooks supports swipe typing, so you can swipe away with your pen and have the keyboard automatically correct your input. The keyboard isn’t officially the same Gboard as it is on Android (yet), but it’s close enough and swiping is just as accurate as it is on your phone. It won’t be as quick as typing on the keyboard, but it’s plenty fast enough if you want to stay in tablet mode.

Google Keep

Google Keep’s website and Android application both support pen input. You can doodle superhero logos, write phone numbers, or do anything you’d want to with a pen. Even on the website, writing is smooth and lag free. Because Keep synchronizes with your Google account, you’ll be able to open up your drawings on any of your Android or iOS devices, as well as opening the Keep website on another device.

Download: Google Keep (Free)

Squid

If you work with a lot of PDFs — or just want more note-taking features than Keep provides — Squid is the option for you. It existed on Android phones long before Android apps came to Chromebooks, and the Squid team worked closely with Google to optimize for the Chromebooks’ larger screens.

That hard work paid off: Squid runs wonderfully on Chrome OS, and if you’re a frequent pen user you’ll come to love it. It has a special trick that sets it apart from other note-taking apps: you can draw with the pen, and erase with your finger. You can also Cast a note to a Miracast- or Chromecast-compatible display. Finally, you can back your notes up to cloud storage so you never lose them. You get some basic features like Casting, local backups and more for free, but the premium tier is only $1 per month or $10 per year.

Download: Squid (free, in-app purchases)

Adobe Fill & Sign

For better or worse, Adobe pretty much owns the corporate market for filling out PDFs. If your enterprise has been using Adobe Reader forms forever, you’ll have a much easier time filling those forms out with an official Adobe application. Fill and Sign lets you do just that, and you can even take a picture of a paper form, fill that form out on your Chromebook, and email the completed form to wherever it needs to go. You get autocomplete as well to quickly fill in your name, address and other common details. Another great time-saving feature is that it saves your signature, so you don’t need to draw it out for each and every form.

Download: Adobe Fill & Sign (free)

OneNote

If you use more of Microsoft’s software than Google’s, that’s okay, we still love you. Microsoft still loves you too, since you can use almost all of its services on Android and Chrome OS. OneNote integrates right alongside the rest of your Office 365 applications, and notes you take are automatically backed up to your OneDrive storage. You can easily paste images into your notes, markup said images, or just create diagrams of your own. You can also share your notebook with anyone, and collaborate on the same note as someone else.

Download: OneNote (free)

Infinite Painter

Relaxation is a fundamental part of letting your mind rest when you’re not working, and drawing can be very therapeutic. While most of the other apps will let you draw, they aren’t really designed for complex pieces of artwork. For that, you’ll want something like Infinite Painter. You can import PSD layers from Photoshop, export as JPG, PNG, PSD or ZIP files, use over 80 preset brushes, create your own brushes, use built-in tools for filling, gradients, and more. Infinite Painter will look familiar to Pixelbook owners since it’s installed out of the box. If it’s excellent enough for Google to include in the flagship Chromebook, it’s excellent enough for you to take a look at. Infinite Painter is free for the first seven days, then a cool $5.99 afterward.

Download: Infinite Painter (free, in-app purchases)

Brain it On

Another great way to unwind is with some games. There aren’t too many pen-optimized games out there, but Brain it On works well. The basic premise is this: you draw shapes with your stylus (or finger, if you want to be a hater) to make pieces move and solve puzzles. It doesn’t take long to learn the game’s physics, and the game gets addicting quickly. It takes some creativity to solve some of these puzzles, so this would be a great game for your kids as well. The game itself is free with ads, but there’s an in-app purchase to remove the advertisements.

Download: Brain it On (free, in-app purchases)

What say you?

Which apps do you use with a pen on your Chromebook? Let us know down below!

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Nomad fixes Tesla 3’s obvious omission with wireless charging deck

Tesla may be the king of electric cars, but they forgot to put in a wireless charger. Nomad fixes that!

Nomad has just launched a fancy new wireless charging deck specifically designed for the Tesla. It’s called the Tesla Wireless Charger – Model 3 Edition and it’s a dock that connects to the Model 3’s two USB-A port so you can wirelessly charge your device while you’re on the road.

See at Nomad

It is designed to fit into the Tesla 3’s charging dash and has an internal 6000 mAh battery to send fast charging of 1A to 2A to supported devices.

The powerful dual-charging pad supports 7.5 w output and yes, it can juice up two devices at the same time. How is that possible? It connects to both of the Tesla 3’s USB-A ports to beef up its charging capabilities.

The anti-slip rubber mat, combined with raised support dividers, will keep your phone from sliding around while its tucked away in the charging compartment.

It’s also got some fancy LED status lights built right into it. If your phone is charging, the light will glow amber. If it’s fully charged, it’ll be white. You don’t have to wake your phone to see if it’s ready for use.

I don’t own a Tesla but if I did, I’d love to have a wireless charging deck designed to look like it came with the car.

Nomad’s Tesla Wireless Charger – Model 3 Edition is regularly priced at $149.95, but you can preorder one now with an estimated shipping date of September 1 for $20 off at $129.95.

See at Nomad

Verizon will launch 5G in Houston this year, looking to Google as live TV provider

5G is getting really real. The spec is complete, the phones are coming, and Verizon, the largest mobile provider in the U.S., has announced that in addition to Los Angeles and Sacramento, it will launch 5G residential broadband service in Houston by the end of 2018.

Verizon made the announcement as part of its second-quarter earnings, where it said it amassed 531,000 new subscribers, including 199,000 mobile phone users, and said that growth, profitability, and revenue were all solid and within expectations. Nothing too exciting.

What’s interesting here is twofold: unlike AT&T, which is moving heavily into a vertical integration model with its recent acquisition of Time-Warner, and Sprint/T-Mobile, which are in the middle of convincing the U.S. government to allow them to merge, Verizon seems to be focusing on building out network infrastructure. Specifically 5G network infrastructure. While it will launch 5G on internet sticks for laptops, and 5G hubs for homes, by the end of 2018, it is likely using its considerable mmWave stockpile to plan for mobile service by the middle of 2019, with a broader national rollout in 2020.

Verizon hasn’t had much success with content, as shown by the $900 million writedown for Go90, its failed over-the-air streaming service that was recently integrated into Oath, the merger of AOL and Yahoo!. As a result, Verizon is said to be looking to partner with a company that already has its own over-the-top TV streaming offering — specifically Google or Apple. Given that Apple has yet to actually launch a live TV product (though it’s been rumored for years), the likely candidate would be Google’s YouTube TV, which itself has reportedly been struggling to pick up enough subscribers to become profitable.

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Babylon’s Fall for PlayStation 4: Everything you need to know

History repeats itself in this tale about saving humanity.

The latest game from the successful tag team of Square Enix and PlatinumGames is known as Babylon’s Fall. The trailer we were treated to at E3 2018 seemed light on substance at first glance, but there were tons of details offered throughout once we sat down and really picked it apart.

So, what is Babylon’s Fall? Good question. The obvious answer is that it’s some sort of fantasy game set in what appears to be a much different version of Babylon than the one from mythologies of old. Keep reading to find out everything else you need to know about this exciting upcoming PlayStation 4 title.

• What is Babylon’s Fall?
• Story
• Gameplay
• Release Date

What is Babylon’s Fall

Babylon’s Fall is the product of another rockstar collaboration between PlatinumGames and Square Enix. The duo created Nier: Automata, which was one of 2017’s most compelling games.

Unfortunately, we weren’t offered many details on what sort of game this would be. Knowing PlatinumGames, we’re likely getting some sort of action-focused game that may have RPG elements.

Story

While the announcement was light on details, the trailer packed enough of a backstory to start getting us interested in the world of Babylon’s Fall. The story begins in the Helos Empire during the year CE 5000, where the people of Albeland — keen on expanding their kingdom — discovered something called the Oversoul. The Oversoul is a mysterious energy source that seems to imbue its handlers with great power.

The earliest usage of Oversoul was by the Seers, who were using it to induce visions of the future to make predictions about things that may happen in the world. The Seers wrote these prophecies down in the Ephesian Book, which effectively makes it their version of the Bible.

Everything seemed well until one of the prophecies told of an apocalypse that would be brought down upon the lands by an “all-consuming darkness.” It prompted a man named Waland to travel south, with him believing that he was a beacon of hope for mankind.

It’s unclear what Waland’s exact mission is, but back home things have taken a turn for the worst. Commoners are rioting and protesting against the ruling class for their use of the Oversoul. Despite the backlash, the rulers of Babylon continued to use the Oversoul for their various needs, and the riots eventually developed into full-blown warring.

Things got so bad that divine forces had to step in and dole out punishment. That’s right — the prophecies were true and an apocalypse delivered by the Elder Gods wipes out much of humanity.

By CE 5205, a new goddess named Gaia is born, and her purpose is to help save humanity from extinction. She does so by instating a new world order designed to maintain peace. Peace did follow, and Gaia’s impact was so effective that a high priest named Darius formed the Scholars of Gaia to ensure people stayed on the right path.

The Scholars were no ordinary church, however. They had become a full-blown enforcement agency, executing the first non-believer in the year 5347. This event caused a great deal of tension among the masses, and the noblemen of Babylon once again looked to take back control. What followed was years of conflict and fighting.

The warring reached a peak around CE 5385 when the “Soul plague” fell over the world. The Scholars of Gaia — among other groups — looked to use the public’s fear of this plague to convert as many people to their creed as they could.

By now, the Ephesian Book had all but been forgotten, and even the Scholars were taking advantage of Gaia’s mercy. A Seer named Maria ended up finding the book in CE 5428 and took heed of the prophecies written in it. Fearing for the future, Maria established the New World Academy to try and get everyone back on the right path.

But it was too late. Gaia already made her mind up that humanity had failed, and her anger caused her to punish them on her day of judgment.

Following the cleanse, a race of people known as the Nomads were born within something called the Shrine of Souls, an event that is eventually known as The Awakening. We’re not sure where or what this shrine is, but the nomads were somehow born with the resolve and power to fight back against Gaia, and that’s exactly what they set out to do once they come of age in the year CE 5500.

And that’s presumably where Babylon’s Fall will pick up. The trailer hints that you may control one of these nomads in their mission to save their people.

As you can tell, PlatinumGames has already fleshed out a pretty deep backstory for the game. The company has never been one to fumble in the storytelling department, but we’ve never seen them set up a stage as deep as the one for Babylon’s Fall is. That tells us to expect a game full of rich lore and perhaps forms the basis of a new franchise that can be explored over multiple games or episodes of downloadable content.

Gameplay

As we mentioned before, PlatinumGames didn’t have anything to show or talk about in terms of Babylon’s Fall gameplay, with its trailer offering little more than concept art. For what it’s worth, studio head Atsushi Inaba said this game is “a new challenge” for his studio, suggesting there may be some new gameplay constructs in the works that we may not be used to from the studio.

This developer typically sticks to action-based gameplay elements, with different buttons for light and heavy attacks, a dodge system, and sometimes quick-time events being used.

Evidence of the classic PlatinumGames gameplay was briefly shown at the end of the trailer, where a titan-looking creature was damaged by some sort of slashing attack. Many have drawn similarities between both the character and attack to something you might see in their previous games, notably Bayonetta and Nier: Automata. While that does nothing in the way of confirmation, it’s clear PlatinumGames will eventually do what it does best.

One last thing to mention: the trailer made it clear that there are multiple nomads. Four were shown, to be exact. There’s a chance we could eventually hear about some co-op elements, though we have little but conjecture and speculation to go on at this point.

Release Date

Babylon’s Fall doesn’t currently have a release date. PlatinumGames and Square Enix have mentioned that it’ll launch at some point in 2019. You’ll be able to play it on PlayStation 4 or PC.

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AR Emoji update improves facial tracking and custom options on the Galaxy S9

Is anyone still using these?

When Samsung announced the Galaxy S9 and S9+ earlier this year, one of the more whimsical new features demoed was AR Emoji, Samsung’s competitor to the iPhone X’s Animoji. In short, the app scans your face and quickly spits out an animated version of you, with facial tracking and customizable options for hair, clothing, and skin tone.

With the latest update to AR Emoji, those custom options are expanding to help you really fine-tune your cartoon self. Now, in addition to the options listed above, you can fill out your cheeks, square off your chin, adjust your eye shape, fill out your lips, and even shrink or expand your neck.

There are other new adjustable traits, too, from more in-depth customization of the hair to the ears, nose, and more — you’ll have to play around in the app yourself to really get the full gist.

In addition, AR Emoji is getting better facial tracking, with Samsung claiming 65% more ‘landmark detector’ points, as well as an unspecified increase in frame rates. That should all add up to a smoother, more … realistic look? Well, smoother, anyway.

As per usual, delivery of the update will vary depending on your location, but expect to find it in Samsung’s Galaxy Apps when it’s ready.

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Nomad Debuts New Tesla Wireless Charger Made to Fit Model 3 Vehicles

Nomad today announced the launch of a new wireless charging accessory that’s been designed specifically with new Tesla Model 3 vehicles in mind.

The Tesla Wireless Charger is a wireless charging dock developed for the iPhone X, iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, and future iPhones, which fits perfectly into the Tesla Model 3 dash and connects to the two USB-A ports in the car.

With the dual USB-A connection and a built-in 6,000mAh battery, the Tesla Wireless Charger offers 2A for faster 7.5W charging for Apple’s iPhones, with two wireless chargers built into the device. With the dual setup, you can wirelessly charge two devices at once. While designed for iPhone, this is a Qi wireless charging setup that will charge any Qi-based device.

An anti-slip rubber base is included to keep your devices in place while on the road, and for smaller phones, Nomad is including optional spacers. Built-in LEDs let you know if your phone is charging or fully charged at a glance.

Nomad is selling the Tesla Wireless Charger for $150, but a $20 discount is available for customers who pre-order the accessory from the Nomad website starting today. Shipments of the Tesla Wireless Charger will begin on September 1.

Tags: Tesla, Nomad
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Throttling in New i9 MacBook Pros Appears to be Due to Power Delivery Chip

A user posting on reddit and in the MacRumors forums has given a detailed account of their findings and attempts to circumvent the throttling previously discovered on the new MacBook Pro 15″ models featuring the six-core i9 Intel CPUs.

The user goes on to explain that one of the internal power limits set for the device may not be appropriate for the power draw of the CPU and identical to previous MacBook Pro models, causing the power delivery chip (known as a voltage regulation module, or VRM) to report an over power condition that forces the clock of the CPU down to scale back power. This sets up the same conditions to allow throttling to occur once again.

These conditions may be presenting themselves due to the new six-core design of the i9 CPU featured here. While Intel increased the core count of the CPU, they did not increase the thermal design power (TDP), or the amount of dissipated power manufacturers should plan to have to cool for a proper CPU design. This is an issue because this number usually reflects normal usage, and does not account for turbo modes. It’s also likely it can exceed the draw of previous four core CPUs given the similarity of clock speeds and process nodes they are featured on.

A method for tuning this limit is provided in the post, but it requires executing a command manually or via script each time the computer boots, and would likely void the warranty if Apple technicians discovered it. Still, the user posts results of benchmarks showing successive runs with no throttling. Manufacturers will always quote likely reduced component lifetimes if used outside of their specifications, but the results appear stable, and there is no thermal throttling of the CPU, the original suspected cause of this issue.

This fix will not address total system power draw becoming excessive, such as long sustained loads from the CPU and GPU, but it is possible Apple could issue a fix similar to the one outlined in the reddit post that is stable.

As for whether this issue is related to the hardware design of the MacBook Pro, that is possible as well. While iFixit’s complete teardown of the current 15-inch MacBook Pro is not yet available, the previous teardown reveals significant differences in the VRM chips that power the GPU and CPU of the device.

GPU power components
The GPU power components seen above are on the top side of the logic board near the GPU die, and thermal grease can be seen on the components, indicating that they interface with the heatsink in the device. This is in contrast to the same components for the CPU, which are featured on the rear side of the logic board with no thermal interface to the top of the package, as seen below.

CPU power components
Additionally, the publicly available data sheets for these parts indicate more differences that suggest their thermal profiles will be different. The International Rectifier part for the GPU features a lower thermal resistance, meaning it can better dissipate its heat to the surrounding areas (board, air, heatsink) than the Intersil part for the CPU. Additionally, it boasts a higher power efficiency, meaning it dissipates less power itself to deliver the same amount of power as the Intersil part.

Along with the heatsink path provided for the IR parts, it’s clear they will not be capable of driving the same amount of load in any sustained mode. This makes sense given GPUs can see high loads for longer periods, but this could be an area of improvement for future MacBook Pro models from Apple, especially since it has typically chosen GPUs with very similar thermal design power limits (TDPs) to the CPUs in its MacBook Pro line.

Related Roundup: MacBook ProTag: IntelBuyer’s Guide: MacBook Pro (Buy Now)
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Lander’s New ‘Torrey’ ThermoLine Heat and Cold Resistant iPhone Cases Now Available Exclusively From Apple

Apple retail stores and the online Apple Store are now offering an iPhone case from Lander that’s designed to be used in extreme weather conditions, protecting the iPhone from both hot and cold with an insulated lining.

The new Torrey Case , available for all of Apple’s recent iPhones, is equipped with a layer of ThermoLine, which regulates and insulates against harsh temperatures.

Apple’s iPhones list an operating temperature of 32°F to 95° F and can become non-functional in temperatures outside of those parameters, rendering a device inoperable or less functional in extremely hot or extremely cold weather. In cold weather, the screen can become unresponsive and the iPhone can shut off when the battery inside drops to a certain temperature, and in hot weather, the processor can overheat leading to the same issues.

The ThermoLine interior of Lander’s Torrey Case has been tested to help protect the iPhone against the effects of climates ranging from 0°F to 120°F.

We were able to go hands-on with the new Torrey Case ahead of its launch, and while we couldn’t adequately test its thermal capabilities here in balmy Northern California, we can speak to its design.

The ThermoLine lining inside of the case is built into the back, with the rest of the accessory constructed from a flexible TPU material that also offers protection from drops and damage.

The case wraps all the way around the iPhone and covers up the volume and side buttons, while leaving the mute switch, Lightning port, and speakers uncovered. There’s also a camera cutout, and a raised lip protects the display when the iPhone is face down.

Lander’s Torrey isn’t a case that’s designed to offer full protection from snow, mud, water, and other elements like an Otterbox – it’s strictly for thermal protection. The soft, rubbery material definitely offers cushion against drops, though. Lander says it will protect against drops up to 10 feet.

This is a thin case that adds surprisingly little bulk to the iPhone given its capabilities, and it’s just a bit thicker and bulkier than one of Apple’s own silicone iPhone cases. It comes in Mauve, Blue, Taupe, and Black (we tested black) and there’s an included strap that can attach to the back for when you’re using your iPhone for vigorous activities.

The addition of the strap is useful for times when you might want to use your iPhone in dangerous conditions where dropping it is a possibility, and the strap itself is both sturdy and easily removable for times when you don’t want it attached.

Design wise, the case has a stylish speckled look with soft, rounded corners that nicely complement the iPhone X. All in all, it’s an attractive case on its own even without the thermal protection features.

The Lander Torrey Case is available for iPhone X, iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone 7 Plus, iPhone 8, and iPhone 7. It can be purchased from the Apple online store or at Apple retail locations for $39.95. It can also be purchased directly from Lander’s website.

Tag: Apple retail
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eBay to Begin Accepting Apple Pay on iPhone and iPad Later This Year

eBay, the popular online marketplace, today announced it will begin accepting Apple Pay as a payment method later this year.

iPhone and iPad users will be able to use Apple Pay to purchase items from sellers participating in the initial phase of the rollout in the United States beginning in the fall, through both eBay’s app and mobile website.

Earlier this year, eBay announced it will manage end-to-end payments on its platform, and the introduction of Apple Pay is part of that change. Amsterdam-based Adyen will replace PayPal as eBay’s primary payments processor.

eBay plans to continue to expand its payments initiative in 2019, and expects to have transitioned a majority of its customers to the new experience by 2021. Over that time, Apple Pay will expand to more items and regions.

Related Roundup: Apple PayTag: eBay
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Foxconn Begins Seasonal Hiring Spree Ahead of 2018 iPhones

Apple supplier Foxconn is gearing up to hire more workers for its plants in Zhengzhou, China by offering bonuses to workers who help assemble Apple’s 2018 iPhones. According to a new report by the Economic Daily News, the supplier is offering one-off bonuses of up to CNY 2,000 (US $295) to workers who renew their contracts at this time (via DigiTimes), and the hiring campaign is expected to last through November 2018.

Suppliers typically begin their hiring sprees in the summer months in preparation for the annual fall iPhone launches, with Foxconn and Pegatron initiating hiring campaigns as early as May in 2016 and June in 2014.

Renders of the three iPhones expected to launch this fall
The report also points back to the “weaker-than-expected” profits that Foxconn received in the fourth quarter of 2017 following the November launch of the iPhone X, believed to be due to the high pre-production costs of the smartphone. In an effort to prevent this from happening again in 2018, the supplier is applying “stricter cost management” to its iPhone production process.

Foxconn is expected to assemble the majority of Apple’s three iPhone models coming out later this year, including all of the second-generation iPhone X, 90 percent of the “iPhone X Plus,” and 75 percent of the lower-priced 6.1-inch iPhone. This news came in a report by the Taipei Times last month, which claimed that the rest of the 2018 iPhone orders will be fulfilled by Taiwanese manufacturer Pegatron.

News surrounding the ramp-up of iPhone production usually begins around this time of year, with the majority of reports typically hitting in August and focusing on iPhones entering volume production and the supply chain facing shortages. Other Apple suppliers have also been at the center of production ramp-up stories, including TSMC about a month ago when DigiTimes reported that the company has begun commercial production of chips manufactured using its 7-nanometer process, including Apple’s A12 processor.

Suppliers are getting ready for what is expected to be a global launch of the 2018 iPhone models this September, following Apple’s annual iPhone reveal event. Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo believes Apple will release all three new iPhones in September with an aggressive pricing strategy: the 6.5-inch OLED iPhone will be priced at $900 to $1,000, the 5.8-inch OLED second-generation iPhone X will be priced at $800 to $900, and the 6.1-inch LCD iPhone will be priced at $600 to $700.

Tag: Foxconn
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