Quick Shots-230

Counterpoint: Smartwatch market in India grows 173% in Q1 2022

Counterpoint Research posted its latest IoT report, revealing an impressive growth of smartwatch users in India. According to the data, the market grew 173% yearly in Q1 2022, driven by multiple product launches and various discount offers.

Noise led the market with 23%, ahead of Fire-Boltt and boAt. The Realme brand Dizo came in fourth, while Samsung stuck to fifth thanks to its relatively expensive Galaxy Watch4 devices.

The price segment under INR5,000 (about $67) increased its share by 87%, while the particular segment of INR1,000-INR2,000 ($13-$27) reached its highest result of 14%, revealed Senior Research Analyst Anshika Jain.

According to the executive, many brands started to focus on this low price segment to attract first-time users and acquire the smart band user base. Brands also did their best to impress consumers with continuous efforts in marketing and promotions, both online and offline.

Research Analyst Harshit Rastogi said brands pushed for bigger displays, which drove the market forward. Now the greater part of the smartphone users has a device with a screen that’s at least 1.5”, a massive increase from just 11% last year. Also, some demanded features such as SpO2 measure are present at all price levels, as well as blood pressure monitoring and voice assistant.

Noise doubled its shipments yearly, with Colorfit Pulse being its best-selling device. Fire-Boltt climbed to second for the first time in the brand’s history, with 57% of its devices now having a Bluetooth calling function.

From Gsmarena

iQOO Neo6 SE becomes official with Snapdragon 870 chipset

iQOO’s Neo family has grown by one member today, with the official launch of the Neo6 SE in China, following weeks of leaks, rumors, and teasers. The iQOO Neo6 SE is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 870 SoC, and that’s literally the only difference between this and the iQOO Neo6 non-SE, which was unveiled and released last month.

Still, the rest of the package is nothing to scoff at. For people who aren’t after the best possible performance (which would be where the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset in the Neo6 would shine), the use of an older chip in the 870 comes with an a substantial price differential.

While the Neo6 starts at CNY 2,799 ($419) with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, the Neo6 SE with the same memory and storage amount goes for just CNY 1,999 ($299). The 8/256GB model is priced at CNY 2,299 ($344), compared to CNY 2,999 ($449) for the similarly specced Neo6, and the top of the line version with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage costs CNY 2,499 ($374) vs. CNY 3,299 ($494) for the Neo6.

To recap, the Neo6 SE, like the Neo6, has a 6.62-inch 1080×2400 AMOLED touchscreen with 120 Hz refresh rate and up to 1,300 nits of brightness, a triple rear camera system with a 64 MP main sensor with OIS, a 12 MP ultrawide, and a 2 MP portrait camera, a 16 MP selfie snapper, an in-display fingerprint sensor, and a 4,700 mAh battery with support for 80W fast charging.

It runs Android 12 with OriginOS Ocean on top. The iQOO Neo6 SE is available to order in China today in blue, orange, and gradient blue, and will be released on May 11. It’s unclear when or if it might be offered outside of China.

From Gsmarena

Android 13 Beta 1 for Google TV quietly released

Earlier this week, Google started beta testing Android 13 for Android TV. Similar to previous years, a system image is available for the ADT-3 Developer Kit.

The beta is an opportunity for you to test your apps and provide feedback on the latest release. Further customizations in Android to improve the experience and compatibility on TV will be introduced with the each release.

Given the different experiences, there are separate testing paths for Android TV and Google TV. You can install a Google TV Beta 1 system image on the ADT-3 Developer Kit today.

Meanwhile, both an Android TV 13 and Google TV beta testing experience is available via the Android Emulator for TV. Google has identified the following issues and it does not make for the most stable experience:

• When Bluetooth headphones are connected, AV playback on some apps does not work.
• In some cases when trying to pair Bluetooth devices, pressing the side button on the ADT-3 device does not activate a Bluetooth device search. If remote pairing is lost, you can work around this by using ADB commands to simulate remote input. Alternatively, you can reflash the unit.
• Remote control buttons can’t be reconfigured using the Remote & Accessories menu.
• The option to change HDMI-CEC control is currently missing from the Remote & Accessories menu.
• When casting to 4k TVs, only the top left quarter of the image is shown.
• In some cases when the ADT-3 device is connected to an LG TV, the remote control does not work.
• When using the Google Play Movies app, 4K playback is corrupted by a gray screen and noise.
• For iOS devices, the Google Home app fails to connect to the ADT-3 device. To work around this issue, use the Google Home app on an Android device or the ADT-3 remote control.

This Beta 1 was released (h/t Android Police) on May 4, or just over a week after the Pixel version became available. Stay tuned as we dive into what’s new.

From 9to5Mac

Google Assistant can now auto-update breached passwords for more users

You can already check the security of passwords saved to your Google account and see which credentials need to be updated when a breach occurs, thanks to Google Chrome version 88, which arrived early last year. Google is now supercharging that feature with a Google Assistant capability that updates your compromised passwords for you.

The password auto-updater was first announced by Google at its I/O event last year, but it has since only been made available to a small number of Android users. According to leaker Max Weinbach, it is now rolling out to a broader group of Chrome users (via Android Police).

When you sign in to a website with a potentially compromised password, Assistant will now warn you about the risk and offer to update your password on your behalf. To take action, simply tap the blue button, and Google will redirect you to the specific website where your password needs to be updated.

You’ll have the option to let Chrome’s built-in password manager generate a new password for you, which comes in handy if you want to save time setting up a secure replacement. Otherwise, you can always take over this process if you want to create something else.

That said, the password auto-updater is not available on all websites for the time being. Only a handful of sites are supported, and in cases where Assistant is unable to update your password, you’ll be prompted to do so manually.

From Android Central

Intel Arc desktop GPUs could be about to arrive (but not the flagship)

Intel could have the first Arc Alchemist desktop graphics cards on shelves at the end of May, according to fresh rumors.

This comes from Wccftech which claims to have word from sources in Taiwan familiar with the latest chatter from Intel regarding the supply chain and incoming Arc GPU launch.

If this is true – and we should be very cautious around that, as ever – then the theory is that Intel has three Alchemist desktop cards coming out to begin with, two of which will launch initially, followed by a third model some ‘weeks’ later.

The flagship (A780) won’t be one of that trio, mind, with the first pair set to be the Arc A750 and A380 models – the peppier mid-range and budget offerings respectively – with the later arrival being the lower-end of the mid-range, the A580.

Apparently Intel hasn’t supplied firm launch dates for these products, but more vague timeframes, which are the end of May to early June for the debut of the A750 and A380 graphics cards, and July (tentatively) for the A580.

From Techradar

vivo T1 Pro goes on sale in India

The vivo T1 Pro unveiled a few days ago is now available for purchase in India through vivo’s official website, Flipkart, and retail stores across the country. The T1 Pro is offered in Turbo Cyan and Turbo Black colors and has two memory options – 6GB/128GB and 8GB/128, priced at INR23,999 ($310/€295) and INR24,999 ($325/€310), respectively.

The vivo T1 Pro is powered by the Snapdragon 778G SoC and runs Android 12-based Funtouch OS 12 out of the box. It packs a 6.44″ FullHD+ AMOLED screen having 1,300 nits peak brightness and HDR10+ certification.

The T1 Pro comes with a 16MP selfie camera sitting inside the notch and sports a 64MP primary camera on the rear joined by 8MP ultrawide and 2MP macro units.

The rest of the vivo T1 Pro’s highlights include 5G connectivity, an in-display fingerprint scanner, Hi-Res Audio certification, vapor chamber cooling, and a 4,700 mAh battery with 66W charging support.

From Gsmarena

Some users are getting ‘phantom’ AirTag alerts, but Apple has a fix

If you’re getting warnings on your iPhone about AirTags that aren’t actually there, you’re not alone: Apple has confirmed that “phantom AirTag alerts” are appearing for some users, notifying them about trackers that aren’t actually there.

This is as per an article from the Wall Street Journal, which says that the bug shows straight red lines radiating out from a user’s location – but then there’s no sign of the AirTag that’s been reported. It’s not clear how many people have seen it, but Apple has acknowledged that it’s happening.

Only a few days ago, an anti-stalking update was issued for these portable tracking devices, but this issue seems to predate that: the WSJ says the phantom AirTag bug has been affecting users in “recent weeks”.

From Techradar

Rare Apple 1 Computer Goes Up For Auction at $250,000

The Apple 1 (sometimes spelled as Apple-1 or Apple I) was the first computer built by the company know best known for the Mac and iPhone. There aren’t many Apple 1 boards left in existence, but one has now gone up for auction.

Goldin Auctions has listed an original Apple 1 computer for bidding, which claims the computer was produced in Apple’s first batch. The site says, “this offering, standing at number seven on the Apple-1 Registry, is the only first batch example that has been up for auction in a number of years and is the first Apple-1 ever offered with an authenticated serial number (“01-0050″) handwritten by Steve Jobs. The computer has been verified in working condition by Daniel Kottke, who was one of the first employees to work at Apple when the Apple-1 was being produced.”

Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak hand-built each Apple 1, including this model, but the computer only consisted of the motherboard — you had to build (or buy from someone else) a display, power supply, and keyboard. The complete package up for auction includes a Sanyo VM-4509 monitor and a Datanetics keyboard, as well as a modern cassette interface (for loading data and programs) and a reproduction of the original manual signed by Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne.

The Apple 1 was an 8-bit microcomputer first released in 1976, designed by Steve Wozniak (who went on to develop most of the Apple II and other products). It was built around the MOS 6502 CPU, which was also used in devices like the Commodore 64 and Nintendo Entertainment System, with 4 KB of RAM standard and 40×24 text mode graphics. Only around 175 of the computers are believed to have been sold, and the Apple 1 was discontinued after the Apple II was released in 1977, which established Apple as a household name.

This is the second Apple 1 to show up for auction within the past few months. Another model was sold for $500,000 back in November, which had an even rarer wooden case constructed from Hawaiian koa wood.

From Howtogeek

Apple announces iCloud Documents and Data is finally part of iCloud Drive

Introduced in 2014, iCloud Documents and Data was a system that automatically synchronized data from different apps and made them available across a wide array of devices. Now, Apple has announced that this service was discontinued and it’s now part of iCloud Drive.

On a support page (via MacRumors), the company explains that iCloud Documents and Data no longer exists:

iCloud Documents and Data, our legacy document syncing service, has been discontinued and replaced by iCloud Drive. If you used iCloud Documents and Data, your account has been migrated to iCloud Drive.

Apple had previously announced that it would discontinue the service and now iCloud Drive is the go-to place for all your documents and data.

As the company explains, “iCloud Drive allows you to easily store, access, and share files with friends and family. Documents that you store in iCloud Drive stay up to date across all of your devices, and you can access them from your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac, or PC.”

This change comes just a month before Apple kicks off WWDC 2022. While the company announced a handful of new features during the iOS 15 cycle, Apple could be readying even more iCloud news.

One thing users wouldn’t mind if Apple announces is a slightly better free plan since the company only offers 5GB of cloud storage without cost. In addition, there’s a giant gap between the 50GB, 200GB, and 1TB plans. Whether Apple could make it less expensive or offer more in-between options.

From 9to5Mac

Amazon Kindle book purchases are the next Google Play billing casualty

Following up on its earlier move to pull Audible audiobook purchases from its Play Store app, Amazon is also turning off Kindle digital book purchases on Android. The Google Play purchasing crackdown is to blame, of course. Starting on June 1, Google will require all Play Store apps to use Google Play billing for digital purchases or face removal from the marketplace. Google Play billing technically has been in the rules for a while, but Google is ending a hands-off enforcement policy that effectively allowed companies to run their own billing systems.

When you visit the Amazon app, you can still buy physical books, but digital purchases now show a “Why can’t I buy on the app?” link instead of a purchase button. Amazon’s link shows a popup that says, “To remain in compliance with the Google Play Store policies, you will no longer be able to buy new content from the app. You can build a reading list on the app and buy on [the] Amazon website from your browser.”

From Arstechnica