Monday, August 15, 2022

Samsug Upacked 2022 August

 


Samsung announced new hardware at August Unpacked 2022 event. Samsung unveiled Galaxy Fold 4, Flip 4, Galaxy Watch 5, 5 Pro and new Galaxy Buds 2 Pro. Samsung's new fold phones are innovative, hardware-specs updated and with design improvements from last year's launch. 

Specs of Fold 4:



SoC: Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 (4 nm) cpu, Adreno 730 gpu

RAM:  12 GB

Storage: 256 GB 512 GB 1 TB GB

Display: AMOLED 2X, HDR10+, 1200 Nits( Max Brightness), 120 Hz, 7.6 Inch at 1812 x 2176                           resolution. 6.2 Inch at 904 x 2316, Corning Gorilla Glass Victus+

Main Camera: 

50 MP, f/1.8, 24mm (wide), 10 MP, f/2.4, 67mm (telephoto),12 MP, f/2.2, 12mm (ultrawide)

4K@60fps, 1080p@60/240fps (gyro-EIS), 720p@960fps (gyro-EIS), HDR10+ Video Recording

Selfie Camera: 

4 MP, f/1.8, 26mm (wide), 10 MP, f/2.2, 24mm (wide)
                          

4K@30fps, 1080p@30fps, gyro-EIS Video Recording

Battery:

Li-Po 4400 mAh, non-removable
Fast charging 25W, 50% in 30 min 
Reverse wireless charging 4.5W

OS:

Android 12 L, One UI 4.1.1

Colors:

Graygreen, Phantom Black, Beige, Burgundy

Check out the hands on video of Galaxy Fold 4 by CNET:



Specs of Flip 4:




SoC: Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 (4 nm) cpu, Adreno 730 gpu

RAM:  8 GB

Storage: 128 GB 256 GB 512 GB

Display: AMOLED 2X, HDR10+, 1200 Nits( Max Brightness), 120 Hz, 6.7 Inch at 1080 x 2640                           resolution. Super AMOLED 1.9 Inch at 260 x 512, Corning Gorilla Glass Victus+

Main Camera: 

12 MP, f/1.8, 24mm (wide), 12 MP, f/2.2, 123˚ (ultrawide)

4K@30/60fps, 1080p@60/240fps, 720p@30/60fps, HDR10+ Video Recording

Selfie Camera: 

10 MP, f/2.4, 26mm (wide),
                          

4K@30fps 1080p@60/240fps, 720p@30/60fps

Battery:

Li-Po 3700 mAh, non-removable
Fast charging 25W, 50% in 30 min 
Reverse wireless charging 4.5W

OS:

Android 12 L, One UI 4.1.1

Colors:

Bora Purple, Graphite, Pink Gold, Blue, Yellow, White, Navy, Khaki, Red

Check out the hands on video of Galaxy Flip 4 by CNET:




Specs of Galaxy Watch Pro 5:




SoC: Exynos W920 (5 nm) cpu, Mali G-68 gpu

RAM:  1.5 GB

Storage: 16 GB

Display: Super AMOLED 1.4 Inch at 450 x 450.

Battery:

Li-Po 590 mAh, non-removable

OS:

Android Wear OS 3.5, One UI Watch 4.5

Colors:

Black Titanium, Gray Titanium

Check out the hands on video of Galaxy Watch 5 and 5 Pro:



Check out the hands on video of Galaxy Buds 2 Pro by CNET:




In terms of Specs, Galaxy Fold 4 and Flip 4 looks impressive with Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 SoC, IPX8 certified Samsung's brightest ever Fold displays and Android 12L with improved One UI 4.1.1 integrated with the Flex apps support.  

Galaxy Fold 4 is Samsung's new flagship this year with the all-new taskbar improving multi-tasking and s-pen support. The new improved main camera is Samsung's take to utilize multi-cameras for Panoramic imaging, 30X Space Zoom and also night photography enhancements. The video recording is now supporting HDR10+ for 4K, FHD and HD along with Electronics Image stabilization to steady videos. The selfie camera is now a dual camera from previous generation's just 4 MPs with new features and EIS video recording. The battery is improved with faster charging and reverse charging features. Galaxy Fold 4 is Samsung's great specs spectra for Fold form factor. At $1799.99 price point, Galaxy Z Fold 4 is Samsung's most innovative smartphone-tablet experience product against competitors.

Galaxy Flip 4 is improved from previous generation with improved camera, higher resolution clam shell display and more color options.  Samsung is also launching Bespoke Flip 4 edition for customers to choose more color option from Bespoke customer care. There are also more flex mode options and integration with the 1.4 inch flip display. At $999.99, Flip 4 is Samsung's high end foldable shell form factor with premium specs.

Samsung also announced Galaxy Watch 5 and 5 Pro with impressive specs update of more RAM, brighter display, esim, faster SoC and more battery life. The new Watch 5 Pro is more rugged and shock proof and with more color option than last year. At $329 and $499, Watch 5 and 5 Pro are real competitors to Apple Watch and others. Samsung also launched Galaxy Watch 5 Golf edition Blutooth at $330 featuring two new bands, exclusive watch faces and new Caddie app.

Samsung also released its next Pro for audio fans, a new Galaxy Buds 2 Pro. The Galaxy Buds 2 Pro features impressive audio tech of 24 bit high fidelity audio codecs powered by Blutooth 5.3, bigger battery than previous generation of 515 mAh, ANC+ with 3 outer mics cancellations, new 360 audio and ambient sound mode. The IPX 7 water proof rating makes Buds 2 Pro go to option at outdoors for $229.99 best in-ear TWS for Android.



Monday, July 18, 2022

Nothing Phone 1 Review

Former CEO of One Plus, Carl Pei's new smartphone company Nothing is launching its first smartphone Nothing Phone 1 based on Android os. The Nothing phone 1 is priced in Apple's 3rd generation SE 2022, One Plus Nord 2T and Google's Pixel a with hardware specifications of mid range Android though with premium looks, modern-unique design and company's unique Glyph back cover lights for notifications and apps integrations.  




Specs and Design:



The Nothing Phone 1 is powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 778+G, which is more improved SoC with software updates than this year's Snapdragon 7th gen 1 in terms of performance and battery life. The RAM option is 8GB or 16 GB that is as same as One Plus Nord 2T and Samsung Galaxy A53 while storage is 256 GB out of box. The oled display is protected by Gorilla Glass 5 with full HD at 6.55 inch taller than iPhone SE 2022 and Pixel 6a. The display is also more brighter than competitors at 1200 nits max and with refresh rate of 120 Hz optimized for gaming and with HDR10+ support to recorded videos and movies. The front of Nothing Phone 1 is with high end smartphone like design with front camera of 16 Mps engraved into the glass and still optimized for one hand usages for apps and selfie captures for not into heavy-weights at 193 gms. There is also drop proof aluminium frame that makes Nothing Phone 1 outdoors choice along with IP53 support for water proof and dust proof usage. The phone is also with 5G support along with dual sim support.




The back of the phone is Nothing's first unique hardware and software integration to Android with Glyph led lights with customization options for notifications and third party apps support while featuring Sony's 100 Megapixels IMX766 sensor for 50 Mp f/1.9 PDAF OIS at 1.56 inch while Samsung's JN1 f/2.2 50 Mps at 2 inch ultra-wide sensor for Macro photography. The pixel size of 1 micrometer is also best for low light photography and HDR. The video recording is supported to 4K at 30 fps and full HD at 60 fps making Nothing Phone 1 really competitive against iPhone SE and others. The selfie camera is with f/2.5 and 3 inch sensor size for the best selfie experience.

The battery is 4500 mAh of fast charging 33 Watts that charges the phone to 50% in 30 mins while 15 Watts of wireless charging and 5 watts of reverse charging another Android smartphone. Qualcomm's Quick Charge 4.0 is also included. 

OS:




Nothing is launching its first smartphone with Nothing OS, a lite version of Android 12, made for smoothness and integrated Glyph user interface experience. Nothing OS is made for minimalist user experience of Bespoke effects making smartphone more retro stylish with dot matrix blend of analog and digital across in-house apps. There is also Nothing's branded widgets and wallpaper support with Glyph interface support.

Glyph interface is integrated to Nothing OS with company's 12 unique ringtones that display cool effects of led lights that are customized to user settings. There is also option for contacts of phone to show Glyph led patterns receiving incoming phone call. Users can also create their own ringtones with Glyph customized light settings.  

Camera performance:

The camera performance of rear and main is solid at mid range price point as tested by mainstream bloggers. The main camera's 12 Mps images are crisper in details and there is a lot of details with vivid colors. The camera app is easy to use with standard features like HDR, Portrait mode, Expert mode and time lapse mode. The OIS is also great hardware feature at such price point for delivering descent night photography and smooth video recording. There is also Glyph interface integration for customized led video recording lights effects.

Check out camera samples below:



Checkout the through Camera review by Androwide:


Gaming and apps:

The Nothing Phone 1 is also a well optimized smartphone for gaming as 120 Hz display and 8GB RAM on a software updated Snapdragon 778+G SoC . The popular gaming titles run smooth on Nothing OS with less lag and more fluidness.

Battery Life:

The Nothing Phone 1 delivers impressive battery life one and half day as reported by mainstream bloggers so far that positions Nothing Phone 1 as top option against same price point devices. The battery life is slightly affected by Glyph interface set on for apps like Camera app, Ringtones and some third party apps against notifications.

Durability:

The Nothing Phone 1 is durable to water splashes and other liquids thanks to IP 53 ratings with also sealed off design to sand and dust free. Checkout the video by JerryRiggEveryhing YT.




Nothing OS 1.1.2:


The new os update 1.1.2 is released on end of July, that adds a option to show fingerprint icon by moving the phone when display is turned off. There is also an updated night mode with always on display switched off to save battery as users need to switch off always on from setting mode. Nothing has also improved Blutooth codec to resolve issues with aptX HD audio and accessories/devices pairing along with new ui optimizations. Nothing has now opened Nothing Phone 1 to third party chargers and also improved quick charge experience. 

The camera is also improved with low light imaging to higher dynamic range and more clarity for ultra wide sensor. Glyph light fill is now also available on portrait mode.There are also overall improvements in battery life, stability of Nothing OS and animation updates.

Nothing OS 1.1.3:

Nothing has launched an another update for system ux improvements for camera, battery life and faster app performance.

There is a new option for turning on Google adaptive battery for saving on battery life while pausing background unwanted apps and avoiding heavy usage apps in background. Camera app is now updated with faster night mode and hdr mode. The dynamic range and sharpness is more improved than the 1.1.2 update. Glyph mode lights are optimized for better color and saturation. Saturation is more improved using ultrawide camera mode. Noise is improved for camera zoom mode. Lockscreen issues are resolved for fingerprint sensor.

Apart from the release of update 1.1.3, Nothing has announced the delay for Android 13 because of time needed for Glyph interface optimization as the launch is delayed for 2023.

Conclusion:

Nothing's Nothing Phone 1 is a retro-stylish smartphone with Glyph interface that redefines mid range smartphone as your normal phone. The aluminium frame design, Glyph back and modern Nothing OS at $476 price point is a great buy for Android users looking into stylish upgrade and cool apps making a standing out of crowd moments for more often.






 

Friday, July 8, 2022

Apple is testing Lockdown mode for iPhones on iOS 16

 




Apple have released a new security Lockdown mode for iOS 16 beta iPhone users. The Lockdown mode is advanced security for enterprise users to not get targeted by Spywares or Banking Trojans with customized settings that do not share data to vulnerability use case scenarios with the apps. The Lockdown mode also limits the device functionality for following features:



Messages: Most message attachment types other than images are blocked. Some features, like link previews, are disabled.

Web browsing: Certain complex web technologies, like just-in-time (JIT) JavaScript compilation, are disabled unless the user excludes a trusted site from Lockdown Mode.

Apple services: Incoming invitations and service requests, including FaceTime calls, are blocked if the user has not previously sent the initiator a call or request.

FaceTime: Incoming FaceTime calls from people you have not previously called are blocked.

Shared Albums: Shared albums will be removed from the Photos app, and new Shared albums invitations will be blocked.

Wired connections: with a computer or accessory are blocked when iPhone is locked.

Configuration profiles: It cannot be installed, and the device cannot enroll into mobile device management (MDM), while Lockdown Mode is turned on.

Apple is looking for collaboration and feedback from researchers and others in the security community. To help with that goal, the company has created a new category in the Apple Security Bounty Program to reward those who find Lockdown Mode bypasses and help strengthen the feature.The bounties will be doubled for qualified Lockdown Mode discoveries, up to a maximum of $2,000,000, the highest maximum bounty payout in the industry.

Monday, July 4, 2022

Private Access Tokens by Apple as Captcha alternative


 At WWDC 2022, Apple presented a new technology alternative to Captcha that's used by web developers for protecting key features or information within a web page against bots or spammers. 

Apple is also improving data privacy that doesn't store device data or usage patterns with private acces tokens. Apple is reinventing HTTP authentication with PrivateToken that is an server that verifies using cryptography for a value stored on iCloud. There is also Rate-limit that checks Apple device for identifying pattern whether it is repetitive by the device or a click farming.

Apple also presented Cloudflare's Token security that doesn't gather information about Apple device's usage patterns and user interactions. Apple is launching Private Access Tokens support for devices with iOS 16 or Mac os Ventura.

Apple is going to put efforts to more partnerships for PATs as a new web standard. 

  


Friday, June 10, 2022

WWDC 2022 Day 1, 2, 3 and 4 Part 2

 Apple WWDC 2022 event at Steve Jobs theater unveiled updates to Watch OS, iPad OS, CarPlay, Maps, X Code cloud, new Gaming with Metal 3 and Swift UI.

Day 1 Part 2

WatchOS 9:




"watchOS 9 introduces enhanced and modernized complications on some of the most classic watch faces, such as Utility, Simple, and Activity Analog, along with background colour editing for Modular, Modular Compact, and X-Large for additional personalisation. 

The Workout app, one of the most popular apps on Apple Watch, has been updated to provide richer metrics for measuring performance, as well as new training experiences to help users reach fitness goals.

Focus now allows users to select an Apple Watch face to automatically appear when they start a specific Focus on iPhone, such as the Photos face during a Personal Focus, helping users stay in the moment.

Swimmers can now track their efficiency with a SWOLF score — a stroke count combined with the time, in seconds, it takes to swim one length of the pool.

Fitness+ subscribers without Apple TV can now use AirPlay to stream workouts and meditations with on-screen metrics to compatible third-party TVs and devices, allowing them to train anywhere, anytime.

Sleep tracking in watchOS 9 provides even more insights with the introduction of sleep stages. Using signals from the accelerometer and heart rate sensor, Apple Watch can detect when users are in REM, Core, or Deep sleep. Users will see sleep stage data on Apple Watch in the Sleep app and can view more detailed information, like time asleep, alongside additional metrics, like heart rate and respiratory rate.

The new Medications experience on Apple Watch and iPhone helps users manage and track their medications, vitamins, and supplements, allowing them to create a medications list, set up schedules and reminders, and view information on their medications in the Health app."

watchos 9 is updated with innovative new features that even Android's wearos lack off with analytics positioned fitness matrices for swimmers, new sleep tracking, better control over medications tracking and finally AirPlay streaming integration to Fitness+. Another new feature is Apple Watch Mirroring for using AirPlay integration to more out of fitness matrices.

iPad os 16:




"Taking advantage of the power of the M1 chip, Stage Manager brings a new way to multitask with multiple overlapping windows and full external display support. Collaboration is easier than ever with new ways to start working with others in apps across the system using Messages, and the new Freeform app provides a flexible canvas to brainstorm on together. New tools in Mail help users be more productive, Safari adds shared Tab Groups to browse the web with others, and the browsing experience gets even more secure with passkeys. The new Weather app takes full advantage of the stunning iPad display, and Live Text now interacts with text in video. New pro features — including Reference Mode and Display Zoom — make iPad an even more powerful mobile studio."

iPad os 16 brings multitasking and focused productivity features with a new feature Stage Manager, free-form collaboration and external display support. Apple also introduced iCloud Photo Library for smarter photo storage and viewing experience. Apple also unveiled iOS' Live Text for translating text off videos and images and there is also Visual Look up that erases subjects off images or videos for creating a new image.

Day 2

Swift UI upgrade, Xcode Cloud and Xcode 14 improvements:

"Built into Xcode, Xcode Cloud is a continuous integration and delivery cloud service designed specifically for Apple developers. It enables developers and teams of all sizes to build, test, and deliver high-quality apps even more efficiently by automatically building apps in the cloud to free up their Mac for other tasks.

Xcode 14 features new enhancements to further improve developer productivity. Project builds are up to 25 percent faster, thanks to improved parallelism, and the Xcode application is now 30 percent smaller to download, with downloadable simulator runtimes for watchOS and tvOS. The new multi-platform target creates a single SwiftUI interface for use across iOS, iPadOS, macOS, and tvOS. Developer code is easier to maintain yet highly customization to take advantage of each platform’s unique capabilities. SwiftUI live previews are now interactive by default in Xcode, so changes are immediately live, and developers can create variants of each preview without writing any code, altering the colour scheme, text size, device orientation, or accessibility modes."

Apple launched Xcode Cloud that is more secure and easy to host Xcode 14 apps for build, test and deploy. Apart from Metal 3, Apple also announced new unity plugin Core Haptics for building games in 3D with Apple frameworks. Apple announced SwiftUI live previews for previewing projects live in Xcode.

Day 3

ARKIT 6 and APP Shortcuts:

"Geometry is updated, the anchor rotation is updated as well to reflect the new orientation of the plane. With iOS 16, we introduce a cleaner separation between plane anchors and their plane geometry.

Updated with details on 4K video, expanded video and capture capabilities with support for HDR video and high-resolution background image capture, Motion Capture improvements, and Location Anchors in new cities.

Developers can now use App Intents to enable their apps to be used with Siri and Shortcuts, with no user setup required."

ARKIT 6 is an incremental update with new ground breaking feature of 4K video capture support for HDR video and image capture of AR content. Apps shortcuts are updated with Siri integration without extra programming. 

Day 4

Vision Enhancements:

"What is great about this Quick Look Preview support is that we've removed the need for you to write a variety of utility functions to visualize the results. They can be overlaid directly on your images in the debugger or in an Xcode Playground.

Vision is updated with enhancements for better detection update for imaging sensors along with new introduction of Quick Look Preview that launches fast debug without writing utility functions. 

Tuesday, June 7, 2022

WWDC 2022 Apple Event Day 1 Part 1

 Apple announced a new hardware Macbook Air 13.6 with all new M2 SoC and also Macbook Pro 13 inch with M2 at WWDC 2022 day 1 aimed for developers for both online and after event meet-ups to journalists and tech bloggers. Apart from new hardware, Apple introduced iOS 16 with new features of Maps app finally adding multiple journey points, homescreen customization and more. Apple also announced new iPad os 16, Carplay update, Spatial Sound update and brand new Mac os Ventura.

Macbook Air and Macbook Pro:



"With an all-new, strikingly thin design and even more performance, MacBook Air also features a larger 13.6-inch Liquid Retina display, a 1080p FaceTime HD camera, four-speaker sound system, up to 18 hours of battery life,1 and MagSafe charging. It is now available in four finishes — silver, space gray, midnight, and starlight. M2 also comes to the 13-inch MacBook Pro, the world’s second best-selling laptop — delivering incredible performance, up to 24GB of unified memory, ProRes acceleration, and up to 20 hours of battery life,2 all in a compact design. "

After new M1 Pro and M1 Max options for Macbook lineups unveiled at first quarter of first Apple hardware event, Apple launches new groundbreaking M2 SoC powered Macbook Air 13.6 inch that offers 5-nanometer technology powering an 18 percent faster CPU, a 35 percent more powerful GPU, and a 40 percent faster Neural Engine while 50 percent more memory bandwidth compared to M1, and up to 24GB of fast unified memory. Apple also updated FaceTIme to full HD camera, four speaker sound system derived from M1 Max Macbooks and also improved battery life, all new 35W charging option with two USB-C ports for 2 devices charging and also 67W charging with 50 percent charging in just 30 minutes. 




Macbook Pro 13 inch with M2 offers similar features with more battery life and compact design.

macOS Ventura:




"macOS Ventura includes powerful features and new innovations that help make the Mac experience even better. New tools like Stage Manager make focusing on tasks and moving between apps and windows easier and faster than ever, and Continuity Camera brings new videoconferencing features to any Mac, including Desk View, Studio Light, and more,” said Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of Software Engineering. “With helpful new features in Messages, state-of-the-art search technologies in Mail, and an updated design for Spotlight, Ventura has so much to offer and enriches many of the ways customers use their Macs.”

Apple's latest macOS Ventura is an incremental update to Monterey os for multitasking innovated to new tools of Stage Manager for focused productivity experiences, updated Contiunity that upgrades video conference to imaging effects with Studio light and a new Desk view and also updated Spotlight for easy searches and discovery.

iOS 16: 




“iOS 16 is a big release with updates that will change the way you experience iPhone,” said Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of Software Engineering. “We have reimagined how the Lock Screen looks and works with exciting new features that make it more personal and helpful, introduced iCloud Shared Photo Library for families, streamlined communication through new capabilities in Messages and Mail, and harnessed enhanced intelligence with updates to Live Text and Visual Look Up.”

iOS 16 is also unveiled with brand new features like Live activities for more smarter homescreen, link focus for Homescreen more user friendly to user moods. The big updates also arrive for Safari with shared Group Tabs for productivity based websites grouping and a ground breaking Passkeys that stores on a device for an unhackable Safari browsing experience. Siri adds the ability to run shortcuts as soon as an app is downloaded without requiring upfront setup. Users can add emoji when sending a message, choose to send messages automatically — skipping the confirmation step — and hang up phone and FaceTime calls completely hands-free by simply saying “Hey Siri, hang up.”

Apple News introduces a new My Sports section to easily follow favorite teams and leagues; receive stories from hundreds of top publishers. Personalized Spatial Audio enables an even more precise and immersive listening experience. Listeners can use the True Depth camera on iPhone to create a personal profile for Spatial Audio that delivers a listening experience tuned just for them.


Tuesday, April 26, 2022

Elon Musk acquires Twitter for $44 Bn as private company

 


After just two weeks of news and rumor rounds, Tesla ceo Elon Musk delivers Twitter purchase with $44 Bn at $54.20 per share value. Elon Musk has been promoter of free speech and supporter of Twitter with millions of followers supporting Elon on his views about Space,tech and Automobile industries. Elon Musk hinted about his interested in acquiring Twitter at recent TED 2022 conference with acknowledgement to content moderation by saying “I think it’s very important for there to be an inclusive arena for free speech,”

Twitter acquisition is still a big surprise for Silicon valley after Twitter just few months ago announced Indian oriin Parag Agrawal as ceo. Parag Agrawal after Elon Musk's announcement said, “Twitter has a purpose and relevance that impacts the entire world. Deeply proud of our teams and inspired by the work that has never been more important.”

Elon Musk also announced his eagerness to improve Twitter with focus towards better algorithms to more transparent communication and content for users while the promise of less spams and spam bots.