Tech Round Up Week 4 July 2020: Galaxy Book S To Use New Intel Chips, IG’s TikTok-esque App an

Samsung’s latest Galaxy Book S is the first laptop to offer Intel’s new “Core processors with Intel Hybrid Technology.” Previously, all Galaxy Book S models ran on the Qualcomm Snapdragon platform.

The new Intel processors are designed to power ultralight devices, with two 7W Lakefield chips, the Core i5-L16G7 and the Core i3-L13G4, being their debut products. The Galaxy Book S comes with the i5, weighs just over two pounds and measures 0.7 inches at its thickest point. It is now available for sale starting at USD $949.99.

Popular mandopop singer JJ Lin has entered the Singapore gaming scene with a local team signed to his e-sports organisation, Team SMG, to compete in the new first-person shooter game, Valorant.

JJ Lin games as a pastime, and that has evolved into a passion and global vision for e-sports. He founded Team SMG in 2017 with former Dota 2 player and coach, Kenchi Yap. The seven-member Team SMG Valorant is making its competitive debut on July 27 against Southeast Asian teams in Rise of Legion: Valorant July 2020.

Snapchat rolls out its new mini-applications along with other new features. In an initiative to help support the mental health and emotional wellbeing of Snapchatters, Headspace Mini features tools from the meditation app, Headspace.

A new Snapchat research survey shows that feelings of anxiety, depression, stress, and other mental health challenges are high among its users, and it found that users usually want to turn to their friends first when dealing with these feelings.

Snapchat hopes that the new feature will provide a safe space for friends to practice mindfulness, and send encouraging messages to positively boost friends in need. The Headspace Mini has six meditation sessions, each lasts about three to four minutes long.

Facebook is testing a new design for Facebook Pages. Features like removing the “Like” count as well as offering a cleaner and more readable layout were originally tested on only some public figures on the mobile app including actors, authors, creators. Now, these features are expanding to a broader group of Pages.

In an initiative to make Pages less complex for users, the new Pages will have a Follow button and follower count. For page owners, they are now able to more clearly assign and manage admin access permissions based on specific tasks through an ‘Edit Access Page”.

Facebook Messenger launches new privacy and security features for its users. The new App Lock uses users’ privacy settings like fingerprint or face authentication to unlock the Messenger app, and your touch or face ID is not transmitted to or stored by Facebook. Facebook is also working on new controls for users to protect their privacy and safety when someone you don’t know sends you a message. The app lock feature is now available on iPhone and iPad and will come to Android in the near future.

Instagram has confirmed that they will be launching a TikTok competitor, Reels, in the U.S. This launch comes shortly after Reels’ arrival in India this month, following a ban of TikTok in that market. Reels has also been tested in Brazil, France, and Germany. Reels allows users to create and post short, 15-second videos set to music or other audio, similar to TikTok. Additionally, a set of editing tools will be available in the app to make it easier to record creative content.