December 12, 2024 | View in browser

IN THIS ISSUE

🕶️ Meta’s Orion is years away, so check out these alternatives
📍 Your Google Maps app is about to look different
🎶 Apple Music just added three new radio stations
🍿 Kraven the Hunter arrives this weekend to poor reviews

🕹️ Pokémon is partnering with animator Aardman

⭐️ Giveaway: Win the ultimate gaming monitor

Image: Tracey Truly / Digital Trends

COMPUTING

Meta’s Orion is years away, so check out these advanced alternatives

Advanced smart glasses feature heads-up displays for notifications, navigation, and more so that you don't have to hold your phone

In his ongoing quest to find the perfect pair of smart glasses, Digital Trends’ writer Alan Truly has tried on four more pairs to see how they fare. First up, he went for the RayNeo X2 smart specs, which function as a standalone solution capable of running apps, connecting to Wi-Fi, taking photos, and more. They even include built-in AI with an anime avatar that appears in front of you while you chat. But at $849, Truly finds them hard to recommend.

Read on to find out more about RayNeo’s X2 smart glasses, as well as what Truly made of the Z100 from Vuzix, the Even G1 from Even Realities, and the Lawk One from Lawaken Technology ...

High-Tech Home Gift Guide

There’s never been a better time to build a home theater. In fact, with the latest cutting-edge display from Samsung, you’re basically halfway there. Here, we’ve got everything you’ll need to transform a living room — either yours or a loved one’s — into a cinematic oasis ...

Learn More

Image: Joe Maring / Digital Trends

MOBILE

Your Google Maps app is about to look different

Another design change is coming to Android version of popular app

The popular Google Maps app is adopting a new interface color scheme, which could make navigation and interaction feel fresher, 9to5Google reported. The Android version of the app is expected to change its signature blue accent for buttons and other user interface elements to a dark shade of teal.

But that’s not all. Text labels within the app will transition from blue to a black hue, a change that will hopefully enhance readability across all lighting conditions and help users to focus more on the content without the distraction of vibrant colors. Blue will also be removed from the app’s floating action button, which links to important features like starting navigation or adding a location ...

Image: Simon Cohen / Digital Trends

AUDIO / VIDEO

Apple Music adds three new radio stations for Latin, club, and chill fans

You don't even need an Apple Music subscription to listen to them

Apple Music now has six live hosted radio stations after adding Apple Música Uno, Apple Music Club, and Apple Music Chill, Digital Trends reported. Apple Música Uno, as the name suggests, is a dedicated station for global Latin music, while Apple Music Club offers dance and electronic music, as well as news from the world of club culture. Finally, Apple Music Chill features "a continuous flow of chill highlights across genres, interspersed with mindful moments meant to remind listeners to make the time to find center and calm."

The new stations join the existing radio lineup that includes the flagship Apple Music 1, Apple Music Country, and Apple Music Hits, and you can listen to them now from anywhere in the world ...

ENTERTAINMENT

Kraven the Hunter's poor reviews dampen expectations for debut

Polygon called it 'the dull death knell for Sony’s Spider-Man spinoffs'

Moana 2 and Wicked are likely to chart first and second, respectively, at the North American box office this weekend, while Kraven the Hunter looks set to debut in third place. Forecasts suggest that the sixth film in Sony’s Spider-Man Universe will earn around $20 million this weekend, a disappointing sum for a movie that reportedly cost more than $100 million to make.

Early reviews have been less than stellar, too, with Rotten Tomatoes' Tomatometer showing just 16% after 43 reviews. Collider noted the movie’s “glaring technical issues,” claiming that they likely resulted from the movie’s delays and reshoots, while the Guardian, in its 2/5 review, at least enjoyed Russell Crowe’s performance ...

GAMING

Pokémon is partnering with Aardman on a 2027 project

Pokémon fans are 'in for a treat,' though they'll need to be patient

Aardman — creators of stop-motion animation favorites such as Wallace and Gromit and Chicken Run — is partnering with The Pokémon Company on a special project to be released in 2027, Digital Trends reported.

A teaser (above) that landed on YouTube on Wednesday features two balls of clay — one red and one white — rolling and smushing together to become the iconic shape of a Pokéball. The Pokémon logo appears, alongside the Aardman logo, and the caption below the video says simply: "Pokémon x Aardman. Coming in 2027!" Sean Clarke, managing director of Aardman, said: "Bringing together Pokémon, the world’s biggest entertainment brand, together with our love of craft, character, and comedic storytelling, feels incredibly exciting" ...

GIVEAWAY

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