Category: 4. Technology

Today, Marvel Games and NetEase Games have unveiled full details for Season 4: Heart of the Dragon for Marvel Rivals, the award-winning and critically-acclaimed Super Hero Team-Based PVP Shooter that lets players assemble an ever-evolving all-star squad of Super Heroes and Super Villains across a dynamic lineup of destructible maps from across the Marvel Multiverse.

The game’s upcoming fourth season is set to kick off on September 12 and will introduce Angela as a playable hero along with a new Convergence Mode map set in K’un-Lun: Heart of Heaven. Season 4 will also introduce new features, modes, special events, plenty of quality-of-life updates as well as Team-Ups, and will be available on PS4 starting that same day.

The full features for Season 4 of Marvel Rivals are detailed below and in the latest episode of Dev Vision.

Marvel Rivals Season 4 Trailer

After three epic seasons, the storm at the center of the Timestream Entanglement has finally swept to the ancient East. The Capital Cities of Heaven, led by K’un-Lun, can no longer hide away in their pocket dimensions. The shifting currents of time have drawn these realms together, forming the Heart of Heaven. The Immortal Dragon, Shou-Lao, lies frozen in time, deep in slumber, creating the perfect opportunity for Doctor Doom to execute his sinister plans.

The Heart of Heaven’s convergence brings together story threads that have been weaving since Season 0, such as the mystery of the baby Iron Fist adopted. This baby has drawn her sister, the Hand of Heven, once Asgard’s Assassin, Angela, into the fold. Also unveiled is that the ruler of the Eighth City, Dizang, is none other than Daredevil, who sacrificed everything in the war between gods and demons to cleanse the souls of the lost and give humanity a fighting chance. With angels and devils locked in conflict, and Doom’s schemes brewing in the shadows, the fate of K’un-Lun rests on its guardians and whether they truly possess the “Heart of the Dragon.”

Marvel Rivals Dev Vision 08

Angela (Vanguard)

As a Vanguard and a formidable warrior, the one-winged angel can shape her Ichors, a type of liquid metal, into various weapons, wielding them with unparalleled skill! Angela can take the fight to the skies, transforming her Ichors into a razor-sharp spear, diving into enemy lines, and opening up opportunities for her team. In times of danger, she can morph her weapon into a shield to block incoming damage. And when the moment is right, she descends from above, transforming her spear into dual axes to crush foes and protect her allies!

Trying to boost the volume at your end-of-summer parties? The JBL Flip 7 (9/10, WIRED Recommends) is discounted by $20 on Amazon, bringing the price down to just $130. That might not sound like a huge discount, but it brings it more in line with its competitors, and temporarily erases the price bump from the previous version.

We’ve given high marks to several rounds of the JBL Flip series speakers, thanks to their great battery life, portable form factor, and impressive volume. JBL upgraded this generation of the Flip with some important upgrades, like a larger battery, improvements to the tweeter, and a detachable strap for when you’re on the move. It’s currently our editors’ favorite Bluetooth speaker, beating out a variety of other great options.

The audio quality is as great as ever, with surprisingly sharp detail for such a small and portable speaker. It’s punchy and bold, with a sound profile that’s designed to stand out even at a crowded backyard barbeque or pool party. While it gets a little distorted at max volume, our reviewer noted that it does get really loud, breaking 75 decibels a few feet away. There’s a mobile app too if you want to tweak the equalizer yourself, or use one of the presets.

It’s sturdy too, with an IP68 weather resistance rating, which should help it avoid any issues on your beach day with sand or splashing. There are some other minor changes that JBL says improves the shock rating for the speaker, which should help protect it from the bumps and scratches it’ll surely experience on your next adventure.

One downside here is that the JBL Flip 7 switched from the proprietary PartyBoost to the new Auracast system. The upside is better compatibility with other Bluetooth speakers, but it also means older models of the Flip aren’t available for multi-device listening. It’s a good future-proofing feature, but if you aren’t currently looking at a new phone or earbuds, it might not be that exciting.

For just $130, you could do a whole lot worse than the JBL Flip 7, with a great feature set, excellent audio, and all the portability features we’ve come to expect from a premium Bluetooth speaker.

Anker’s Laptop Power Bank came to the rescue of my laptop and smartphone during a recent power outage. They were on the verge of dying, but its pair of retractable USB-C cables powered up my devices so I could keep working remotely. Since then, I carry it with me wherever I go, and it’s bailed me out time and again. If you need a powerful, portable charger, you can buy it for $94.49 ($25 off) at Amazon, Best Buy, and directly from Anker with code WS7DV2RO9DEU, which is about $7 shy of its all-time low.

This power bank is equipped with three USB-C ports, each capable of delivering up to 100 watts of power when only one 100W-ready device is plugged in. It can provide up to 165W of power when two devices are plugged in via USB-C, or up to 130W when you’ve got up to four devices plugged in. Anker also includes a USB-A port, which is handy for those who own older devices. During the aforementioned power outage, it simultaneously powered my MacBook, smartphone, and even a USB-C-powered flashlight, bringing my tech back to life in just a couple of minutes.

What I also liked is that Anker includes a useful digital display that helps you keep tabs of remaining charge, battery health, and per-port power output. And, while the 25,000mAh / 90Wh power bank is a bit on the heavier side, it’s compliant with airline carry-on regulations, meaning you can safely take it to top up your gadgets during a flight. It’s a helpful gadget to have on hand, whether you’re working from a cafe, traveling, or stuck in the middle of a blackout.

A couple more ways to save

Google announced on Wednesday that it’s bringing a slew of new features to the Android ecosystem and Pixel devices. The tech giant is introducing Material 3 Expressive to Pixel phones, Adaptive Audio for the Pixel Buds Pro 2, on-wrist navigation for the Pixel Watch, new AI writing tools in Gboard, enhanced audio sharing capabilities, the ability to create custom Android bots, and more.

Starting Wednesday, Material 3 Expressive is coming to Pixel 6 and newer devices, as well as Pixel Tablet. Google says Material 3 Expressive will make your Pixel feel even more personal, as you can use Live effects to add animations to your lock screen’s wallpaper and create customized calling cards for contacts.

Later this month, Google is bringing Adaptive Audio to the Pixel Buds Pro 2, allowing the buds to adjust to your surroundings so you can remain alert while listening to your music. Plus, you’ll be able to use your buds to have clear talks with Gemini when you’re in a loud environment. You can also accept or dismiss an incoming call by nodding or shaking your head.

Additionally, Pixel Watch users can now start walking or biking navigation on their phone in Google Maps and then have it automatically displayed on their smartwatch.

As for the new AI writing tools in Gboard, you can now revise your tone to be more formal, expressive, or concise. You can also quickly fix your spelling and grammar. Google says all proofreading and rewriting happens on your device, which means your data remains private.

Google also announced that you can now pair two LE Audio Bluetooth headphones to your Android phone so you and another person can listen at the same time. With audio sharing, you can listen to a song at the same time or watch a movie together using your own headphones. The tech giant says this feature could be helpful in several different instances, like when you’re in a busy cafe or commuting on a train.

Plus, you can create a QR code to share audio with a group by starting a private broadcast that other people can join. The feature lets multiple people listen to the same playlist on their own headphones, which Google says could be used to do things like host a silent disco.

Google highlighted that the redesigned Quick Share feature on Android makes it easier to share and receive content, allowing you to instantly switch between sending and receiving, preview photos before sharing, and open received files immediately. Plus, there’s a new progress indicator that shows you live updates about what percentage of the file has been transferred.

Last, Google announced that it’s introducing Androidify, which is a way to build your own Android bot by uploading a selfie or writing a prompt. Androidify uses Gemini 2.5 Flash to caption the photo and Imagen to generate your custom Android bot. In some cases, it uses Veo 3, Google’s latest video generation model, to animate your bot.

This month’s Google Pixel drop includes a broader rollout of the company’s splashy UI revamp. Starting today, Google will bring its Material 3 Expressive design language to Pixel 6 devices and newer, in addition to the Pixel Tablet.

In addition to this rollout, Google is bringing a bunch of new features to the Pixel Buds Pro 2, which it previewed during its Made by Google event last month. That includes Adaptive Audio, a feature that automatically adjusts volume based on the sounds in your environment, as well as a new capability that automatically dampens sudden loud noises to protect your hearing. The update adds background noise reduction when interacting with Gemini as well, and the ability to accept or ignore calls by nodding or shaking your head.

Google will also start automatically displaying Maps on your Pixel Watch or WearOS device when you start walking or biking navigation on your phone, allowing you to easily see where you’re going without taking out your phone. These Pixel-specific updates are rolling out now, and “will continue over the next few weeks.”

Some other tweaks are coming to a wider range of Android devices, too, including the ability to share Bluetooth audio with friends, access AI-powered writing suggestions in Gboard, and favorite your creations in Emoji Kitchen. There’s a redesigned Quick Share menu that lets you toggle between sending and receiving files, and a new Androidify app that uses AI to create your own Android bot using a selfie and a prompt.

Pixel phones will now be able to stream audio to multiple headphones at once thanks to expanded Bluetooth LE Audio and Auracast support. If you have a Pixel 8 or newer, you’ll now be able to pair two headphones at a time. That means you can make your friend listen to the new Nourished by Time single with you on the bus, or catch up on Alien Earth with your significant other on a plane.

You’ll be able to create a private broadcast and share it to multiple headphones with a QR code or using Fast Pair — perfect for those times when you’re insisting to a room full of people that they absolutely have to listen to Disintegration Loops on headphones to appreciate it.

Of course, if you want to host a depressing silent disco, your friends will need headphones that also support LE Audio. Google is expanding Android support to multiple Sony models, including the LinkBuds S, WF-1000XM5, InZone Buds, LinkBuds Open, LinkBuds Fit, WH-1000XM6, and InZone H9 II. That’s in addition to existing support for hearing aids, Samsung’s Galaxy phones, and certain Xiaomi devices.

In addition to LE Audio support, Google is also updating the Pixel Buds Pro 2 with Adaptive Audio. That means you can take advantage of active noise cancellation, but still stay aware of your surroundings. So, you won’t hear the constant din of traffic while out for a walk, but if someone honks their horn as you’re about to step out into the street, it’ll cut through. It will also include Loud Noise Protection, which will save your precious eardrums in case a firetruck goes screaming by, sirens blaring.

Google is rolling out a bundle of updates Wednesday across Android and Pixel that aim to make sharing files and listening together feel more seamless. 

The two headliners are a redesigned Quick Share that pares back taps and confusion, and a new Audio sharing feature that lets two people (or more) listen to the same thing from one phone on their own headphones. Beyond sharing, the update includes AI writing tools in Gboard, a revived Androidify with generative smarts and a Pixel Drop bringing theming, audio and on-wrist navigation to the Pixel Phone, Pixel Tablet, Pixel Watch and Wear OS devices.

Quick Share gets simpler to use

Quick Share, Android’s built-in way to send files, photos and links between nearby devices, gets a clean coat of paint and a simpler flow. 

The new interface makes one choice impossible to miss — are you sending or receiving? A prominent toggle helps you switch modes without having to traverse through menus, and once a transfer starts, live progress indicators show what’s happening in real time.

It’s the kind of quality-of-life tweak you only notice when it isn’t there: fewer failed sends in a crowded room, clearer feedback when you’re helping a friend grab a video and a little less “did it go through?” small talk.

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Two listeners, one phone

Audio sharing is the other new update, turning one phone into a mini transmitter for group listening. 

Using LE Audio, two people can pair their compatible Bluetooth headphones to a single phone and listen to a playlist, podcast or movie together without splitters or earbud swapping. There’s also a private broadcast option: start a session on your phone, generate a QR code and let nearby friends join the stream on their own compatible headphones. 

Google says LE Audio capabilities are expanding to Sony headphones, and Auracast support is coming to compatible Pixel phones, adding to existing support on select Samsung Galaxy and Xiaomi devices. 

For long flights, gym sessions or a “you have to watch this” moment, the pitch is simple: synchronized sound, separate earbuds.

Other new features rolling out

Gboard adds AI writing tools to polish what you’ve already typed. You can adjust tone, proofread and fix errors, and get caption help. Meme generation and caption suggestions are built in, so you can draft and post without switching apps. The Emoji Keyboard adds a browse view for faster sticker hunting, plus new remix combos.

Androidify, the discontinued Android Bot avatar creator, returns with AI that can caption, generate and even animate your bot. Upload a selfie or type a prompt and Google’s models — Gemini 2.5 Flash, Imagen and Veo 3 — build a personalized Android figure.

On the Pixel side, the latest Drop focuses on personalization, audio smarts and glanceable navigation. Material 3 Expressive theming lands on the Pixel 6 (and newer phones) and Pixel Tablet. Pixel Buds Pro 2 get Adaptive Audio and Loud Noise Protection. And Google Maps now auto-launches on Pixel Watch and other Wear OS devices when you start walking or biking navigation on your phone.

If you ever doubted the “console wars” were over, here’s a new piece of data to consider: Helldivers 2, formerly console exclusive to Sony’s PS5, is currently the best-selling title on Xbox. In fact, it’s the first and third best-selling game, if you count its more premium edition, and it’s currently the ninth-most played game on the platform — mostly beaten by free-to-play games like Fortnite and Roblox but also Minecraft and GTA V.

No, what’s surprising is that we now live in an era where companies like Sony and Microsoft no longer entirely see their hit games as a way to get players to buy their own consoles, and instead just want to sell as many copies of these games as they can. Back in May, we wrote about how the top three games on PlayStation came from Microsoft, and now it’s reciprocal!

Here’s where some of you will no doubt point out: is Helldivers 2 actually a PlayStation game? Since PlayStation is merely the publisher and doesn’t own its developer Arrowhead Game Studios, is it really such a big deal?

I would say yes, because Sony has been the one in control, the one making the strategic decisions over when and where and how much PlayStation goodness to share. When players balked at how Helldivers 2 originally required you to log in with a PlayStation account on PC, it was out of Arrowhead’s hands. When players wanted an Xbox version, Arrowhead said it was entirely up to Sony.

Microsoft doesn’t have to cut such publishing deals to bring Xbox’s biggest games to PlayStation, though. When it chose to bring Indiana Jones and Hellblade 2 to PS5, it could do so because it owns both giant publisher / developer Bethesda and developer Ninja Theory itself.

Mophie has announced a new wireless charger for Apple’s AirPods Max called the Max Headphones Charging Stand. The AirPods Max don’t support wireless charging, so Mophie’s new stand relies on a small dongle that stays connected to the headphones’ USB-C port at all times. When docked in the stand, the dongle magnetically aligns and connects to charging pins that deliver power to the battery while additional magnets in the cradle put the headphones into sleep mode.

The Max Headphones Charging Stand is available now through Mophie’s online store for $150, and includes a dongle compatible with the USB-C version of the AirPods Max that Apple introduced a year ago. The company currently has no plans to introduce a Lightning connector version of the dongle that would make the stand compatible with older versions of the AirPods Max.

The stand features a weighted base made from anodized aluminum, while the cradle that supports the AirPods Max earcups is made from soft-touch silicone so it won’t scratch the headphones’ finish.

Although it’s a more convenient way to keep the AirPods Max charged when not in use (they only go into their battery-saving sleep mode when placed in their case) the stand is another accessory demanding precious desktop real estate. To help further justify the splurge, Mophie includes a second Qi-compatible pad on the base for wirelessly charging your AirPods earbuds or a smartphone, but there’s no mention of Qi2.2 or even Qi2 support, so don’t expect fast charging speeds or the convenience of magnets there.

Google’s AI note-taking and research assistant NotebookLM now lets users customize the tone of their Audio Overviews, which are podcasts with AI virtual hosts that summarize and discuss documents shared with NotebookLM, such as course readings or legal briefs.

When generating an Audio Overview, users can now choose whether they want their AI podcasts to be formatted as a “Deep Dive,” “Brief,” “Critique,” or “Debate.”

A Deep Dive features conversational dialogues where two AI hosts unpack the topic with depth and questions. A Brief is a bite-sized overview that’s designed to help you quickly grasp the core ideas from your sources.

A Critique features a review of your sources and constructive feedback to help you improve, while a Debate includes two AI hosts offering different perspectives on your sources.

Each of the different formats lets you customize how long or short you want the AI podcast to be.

In addition to customizable tones, Google is also bringing a highly requested feature to NotebookLM, which is the addition of new voices for the AI podcasts.

The launch comes as Google has been building out NotebookLM over the past few months. A few weeks ago, the tech giant rolled out Video Overviews, which allow users to turn dense multimedia, such as raw notes, PDFs, and images, into digestible visual presentations.

NotebookLM recently also got access to a series of featured notebooks from various authors, publications, researchers, and nonprofits that allow users to explore a wide array of topics. And in May, Google officially rolled out standalone NotebookLM apps for Android and iOS.

The new formats for NotebookLM are launching in all languages and should be available to all users this week, Google says.