Makan Dua Belas

Selasa, 02 Juli 2019

Sketchy report says Apple to launch iPhone without Face ID, may feature under-screen Touch ID instead - 9to5Mac

In a sketchy report published on several Chinese media sites yesterday, including Mashdigi, Apple is purportedly considering to make a new iPhone model for the Chinese market, as it faces stiff price competition from domestic manufacturers like Oppo and Huawei.

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Interestingly, the report pinpoints the Face ID sensor as a key area for cost-cutting. Instead, Apple would supposedly add back Touch ID to its flagship iPhone lines, either on the back of the phone or as an under-screen sensor.

Apple has made special accommodations for the Chinese market before, but never to this extent. For example, with iPhone XS and iPhone XR, Apple sells a physical dual-SIM card model whereas the rest of the world can only use dual SIM with the combination of eSIM and one physical SIM card.

We are treating this report as pretty sketchy. Whilst the idea of a Touch ID-under-screen device was flourishing in the rumor mill ahead of the radical 2017 redesign, Apple quashed the possibility by going all in on Face ID with iPhone X, and we haven’t really heard anything about Apple’s experimentation with Touch ID since.

If the purpose of removing Face ID is to lower the end-user sale price of the iPhone, it also seems a bit counterintuitive that the replacement would be an advanced form of under-screen fingerprint recognition, which is surely also an expensive component.

Assuming it can be effective, it would also be weird to limit this Touch ID new iPhone to China exclusively. Such a diversion in hardware would represent a big investment of Apple’s resources and the company would want to sell the model in more regions to maximise return on investment and profitability.

Finally, if you still want to believe this, there is almost no chance that this iPhone model is launching this year. Ming-Chi Kuo and other analysts have repeatedly stated that the 2019 iPhone lineup will consist of iterative updates to iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, and iPhone XR.

The 2019 iPhones will retain the Face ID sensor and accompanying notch. The big upgrades for this year are camera-focused changes; the iPhone 11 will feature a new triple-camera system sporting an ultrawide lens and a polarizing camera bump design.

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https://9to5mac.com/2019/07/02/iphone-no-face-id-china/

2019-07-02 10:02:00Z
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Samsung Galaxy Note 10 launch confirmed - with big camera tease - TechRadar

The Samsung Galaxy Note 10 release date is nearly with us, as the official launch of the new powerful handset from the South Korean brand has been confirmed for August 7 in New York.

The invite, which teases new intriguing selfie camera capabilities, shows the S Pen (Samsung's in-built stylus for the Note range) circling around a new sensor - and the link to the invite says that the launch will 'take the Galaxy's connected ecosystem to the next level'.

On Wednesday August 7, the new Galaxy Note 10 will appear on stage in Brooklyn at the Barclays Center (the same as the Note 9 launch).

This launch event will be later in the day locally for New York: 4pm EDT (1pm PDT, 9pm BST, 6am AEST).

This is hardly an unexpected leak, given we've been seeing rumors of a similar launch date for a few weeks now - and the Samsung CEO himself name-checked the phone to TechRadar at a recent media briefing.

What are we expecting from the Note 10 launch?

The Galaxy Note 10 is about to get some of the bezel-less Samsung Galaxy S10 treatment along with a punch-hole display, according to the latest Note 10 leaks.

However, the front-facing camera that fills that punch-hole is poised to be center-aligned, and there appears to be only one camera peering out of the display. The Galaxy 10 Plus has two front cameras in a wide oval-shaped hole and the S10 5G has three front cameras.

The rear cameras also appear to be shifted to the left side for a vertical triple-lens camera setup – the extra camera is likely for a depth-sensing "Time of Flight" camera.

And, of course, the S Pen is due to get more tricks in the 2019 model. We might see the RAM max out at 12GB in certain versions, and we're expecting the chipset to get a Snapdragon 855 in the regular and rumored 'Pro'/'Plus' higher-specced version.

Samsung smartthings ecossystem — The new Samsung SmartThings set. Image credit: Samsung.

What about that 'connected ecosystem'? Well, there's been a lot of chatter around Bixby being given ever-greater powers, as well as Samsung SmartThings smart home play getting a big upgrade - so it might not be just the new Note that lands at the event in August.

Samsung needs to go a long way to improve both Bixby (the voice assistant which launched to muted interest) and the smart home play, where it's already far behind the likes of Google and Amazon.

That said, the South Korean brand has a lot of users that it can leverage (in a similar way to Apple and its walled-garden ecosystem) - so perhaps the future will have another player in the connected home space.

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https://www.techradar.com/news/samsung-galaxy-note-10-launch

2019-07-02 07:02:00Z
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Russia's hypersonic weapon is reportedly running short on carbon fiber - Engadget

Senin, 01 Juli 2019

Samsung CEO calls Galaxy Fold launch failure “embarrassing” - Ars Technica

You can see the book-like "spine" of the Fold here.

Samsung
And here's the Galaxy Fold unfolded. It was supposed to be so beautiful.

Samsung
Steve Kovach of CNBC had his Galaxy Fold die right along the display crease.

Steve Kovach
The Verge's Galaxy Fold review unit had something press against the back side of the screen, killing several rows of pixels.

The Verge
A tweet from Mark Gurman: "The screen on my Galaxy Fold review unit is completely broken and unusable just two days in. Hard to know if this is widespread or not."

Mark Gurman
From YouTuber Marques Brownlee: "PSA: There's a layer that appears to be a screen protector on the Galaxy Fold's display. It's NOT a screen protector. Do NOT remove it. I got this far peeling it off before the display spazzed and blacked out. Started over with a replacement."

Marques Brownlee
iFixit pointed out design flaws, like the exposed screen edge around the hinge.

iFixit
This thin plastic bezel is the only thing keeping the display on, but it stops around the hinge area.

iFixit
The hinge also contains a ton of ingress points.

iFixit
iFixit's theory is that the plethora of ingress points would allow debris to get under the display, which would press through the display and damage it.

The Verge
iFixit also asked: if this display protector shouldn't be removed, why doesn't it go under the display bezel, like the other display layers?

iFixit

According to Samsung, the Galaxy Fold was supposed to be revolutionary. The futuristic $2,000 phone was positioned as the first foldable smartphone from a major manufacturer, allowing Samsung to leverage its display leadership into a hybrid phone/tablet device that no one else could produce. The Galaxy Fold's early media-review period was a disaster, though, with social media quickly filling with photos of dead and dying Galaxy Folds. After several phones died in the hands of reviewers, Samsung was forced to cancel the launch, and many pre-orders were refunded.

That was all in April. Now it's July, and there's still no sign of the Galaxy Fold actually making it to market. Speaking to The Independent, Samsung Electronics CEO DJ Koh gave the press an update on the device, though there is still no firm re-launch date.

Speaking of the Galaxy Fold launch, Koh said, "It was embarrassing. I pushed it through before it was ready." For now, Koh says the company is "in the process of recovery" and doing lots of testing. "At the moment," Koh said, "more than 2,000 devices are being tested right now in all aspects. We defined all the issues. Some issues we didn't even think about, but thanks to our reviewers, mass volume testing is ongoing."

As for why the Galaxy Fold was rushed to market so quickly, there's a good chance that Samsung was caught off-guard by its competition and wanted to beat everyone else to the foldables market. Samsung probably didn't envision having to fight anyone for the first foldable-smartphone launch. Samsung is the undisputed leader in smartphone display technology, and the company spent six years and a $130 million dollars to make foldable displays a reality. Samsung alleges that its folding display technology was stolen, though, and sold to two unnamed Chinese companies.

Elsewhere in the market, two Chinese companies, Huawei and its display supplier BoE, have been the closest to beating Samsung to a foldables launch. The Huawei Mate X was announced just days after the Galaxy Fold, with a bigger screen and an even more futuristic design. With Samsung's foldable-display exclusivity evaporating, the theory is that the company chose to rush the Galaxy Fold out the door with inadequate testing.

Koh still sees a Galaxy Fold relaunch on the horizon, with The Independent quoting him as saying, "The last couple of weeks I think we defined all of the issues and all of the problems we couldn't find [before sending to reviewers]."

When asked when the Galaxy Fold would actually come out, Koh only said, "In due course. Give us a bit more time."

Listing image by Mark Gurman

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https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2019/07/samsung-ceo-calls-galaxy-fold-launch-failure-embarrassing/

2019-07-01 19:28:00Z
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OpTic CoD players revolt after LA franchise announcement - Dexerto

While the initial announcement that OpTic Gaming would be claiming the Los Angeles spot in the newly franchised Call of Duty League seemed to be a positive one, the reactions from members of the organization have painted a different picture.

When Immortals Gaming Club bought out OpTic Gaming’s parent company Infinite Esports, they made it clear that they would be holding onto the OpTic Gaming name in Call of Duty, but it appears that the members that make up that team will be much different than what fans have come to know and love.

After the announcement on July 1 that OpTic Gaming had secured one of the first seven city-based franchises in the new CWL structure, names that are near synonymous to the Greenwall brand reacted in disbelief, indicating that all is not what it seems with the announcement.

The official announcement from OpTic was quickly overshadowed by rumblings made by the likes of Hector ‘H3CZ’ Rodriguez, CoD team veteran Ian ‘Crimsix’ Porter, and Seth ‘Scump’ Abner.

The messages seems to indicate that while the OpTic brand is getting set for a new chapter in its CoD history, it could be without some key members of the organization.

Scump Twitter

H3CZ Twitter

Crimsix Twitter

How did it get to this point?

There’s been a massive cloud of confusion surrounding the legendary OpTic name as soon as IGC came into the picture.

A report had surfaced that H3CZ was in a bidding war for Infinite Esports, but was ultimately overcome by IGC. It was later revealed by an ESPN report that ICG had won the right to buy Infinite “for cash and equity worth $35 to $45 million.”

In fact, H3CZ later revealed that he “remains a shareholder” within OpTic, but hadn’t given a comment to the extent of involvement within the team after the buyout.

After the buyout, the new leadership in OpTic gave an encouraging message about the CoD team which isn’t sitting too well with fans at the moment.

“Clearly OpTic is a premier Call of Duty brand,” said Peter Levin, Managing Director of Griffin Gaming Partners and Chairman of the IGC Board of Directors. “We are excited to work with our partners at Activision Blizzard to ensure that OpTic continues to play that leading role in Call of Duty's future.”

Fans and org members alike have been battling to keep OpTic largely unchanged, but it looks like it’ll soon be all for naught with the latest reactions to franchising.

Such negative reactions from the biggest OpTic Gaming members seems to indicate that while Immortals will use the OpTic Gaming name for the 2020 Call of Duty League, they will not be holding on to the current roster.

Dexerto has reached out to OpTic members for further comment.

Disclaimer: Hector 'H3CZ' Rodriguez is a minority shareholder in Dexerto Ltd.

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https://www.dexerto.com/call-of-duty/optic-cod-revolt-la-franchise-announcement-765789

2019-07-01 18:36:00Z
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Apple offers free repairs for faulty 2018 MacBook Air logic boards - Engadget

Samsung launches Bixby Marketplace in the US, here is how it works - Phone Arena

Samsung is not giving up on Bixby, on the contrary, the South Korean giant is spending more resources to make it more user-friendly and customizable. Many of Samsung's smartphones launched recently come with a dedicated Bixby key, which will now come in handy for those living in the United States.

The Bixby Marketplace has just opened its virtual doors for users in the US and South Korea, an event meant to offer Bixby users rich customization options. Samsung's digital assistant has been designed to learn your habits while using your phone, and then suggest various actions and tasks that, in theory, will help you get things done faster.

The newly revealed Bixby Marketplace offers users access to a plethora of capsules that will help them customize their mobile experience. Among these so-called capsules, Samsung mentions Google Maps, Spotify, iHeartRatio, NPR, and Yelp, but there are more listed in the marketplace.

Now, if you have a Samsung smartphone with a Bixby dedicated key, click it to access Bixby Marketplace. Once the main page is launched, you can swipe left to get to the Bixby Marketplace and find whatever you're looking for.

These capsules are organized by categories like Business and Finance, Productivity, Shopping, Sports and so on, but you can search by name, developer or keyword. Simply tap on the capsule to add it to your phone and start using it. If you have more than one capsules installed for similar tasks, you can set a “preferred capsule” for certain types of requests.

Moreover, if you have a preferred service provider, you can set it as favorite and the capsule will only offer you options from your preferred service provider without you having to mention the capsule name.

Samsung is trying to compete with Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa, and Bixby Marketplace lays the foundation for a new ecosystem that the South Korean company plans to continue to expand in the coming months with the help of developers and users alike.

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https://www.phonearena.com/news/Samsung-Bixby-Marketplace-launch_id117189

2019-07-01 13:56:31Z
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Makan Dua Belas

Selasa, 02 Juli 2019

Sketchy report says Apple to launch iPhone without Face ID, may feature under-screen Touch ID instead - 9to5Mac

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Samsung Galaxy Note 10 launch confirmed - with big camera tease - TechRadar

What are we expecting from the Note 10 launch?

Russia's hypersonic weapon is reportedly running short on carbon fiber - Engadget

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Senin, 01 Juli 2019

Samsung CEO calls Galaxy Fold launch failure “embarrassing” - Ars Technica

OpTic CoD players revolt after LA franchise announcement - Dexerto

How did it get to this point?

Apple offers free repairs for faulty 2018 MacBook Air logic boards - Engadget

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Samsung launches Bixby Marketplace in the US, here is how it works - Phone Arena