Spiritual successor to Essential Phone is up for preorder, ships in early 2023
You may remember that back in December 2021, a company called OSOM, made up of former employees at the now-defunct Essential, announced plans for the OSOM OV1 smartphone. Since then, there hasn’t been much in the way of news for this upcoming handset. That changed today with the announcement of the Saga phone from Solana Mobile, a subsidiary of Solana Labs. Saga is the new name for the OV1, and OSOM has now partnered with Solana Mobile for the launch of the phone.
Along with the new name, there are some more changes for the rebranded Saga phone. Solana Mobile has launched the Solana Mobile Stack for the Saga. These software libraries will allow developers to make apps that will work to create apps for secure digital transactions. It will allow those apps to also connect to the Solana blockchain for the secure and easy transfer of digital assets including NFTs. Developers can access the Solana Mobile Stack SDK right now.
From Android Central
Xiaomi 12 Ultra tipped to launch on July 5
Xiaomi is expected to bring the 12 Ultra flagship soon, and the latest report says the launch date will be July 5. According to Tech Going, promos and teasers will begin a week earlier – June 28.
The source doesn’t have an established track record, so don’t get your hopes up just yet. Still, it’s not a long wait now so the accuracy of the info should be confirmed next week.
Asus will also announce the ROG Phone 6 on July 5, and it will also feature Qualcomm’s latest chipset – Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1.
The Xiaomi 12 Ultra itself has been in the rumor mill since the beginning of 2022, and we expect to see a mighty camera setup with the Leica logo next to it. The company is likely to ditch the small rear screen from the 11 Ultra, though.
From Gsmarena
Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 could be the most colorful and customizable phone yet
If you don’t like being limited to a few color options for your smartphone then the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 could be the handset for you, as a new leak has revealed some possible colors, and there’s a wide selection of choices.
According to Ross Young – a leaker with a solid track record – the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 will be available in a choice of gold, gray, light blue or purple – which is a selection of shades we’ve heard before from another source, so this may well be accurate.
But that’s just the beginning because according to Young you’ll also be able to get the Galaxy Z Flip 4 in versions that have different sections in various colors.
From Techradar
Pixel 7 Pro’s display will be brighter than the 6 Pro panel, source code reveals
Leaks have been tracking Google’s work on adopting a new display panel for the Pixel 7 Pro – the new S6E3HC4 panel will have the same 3,120 x 1,440px resolution and same 10-120Hz refresh rate, so what has actually changed from the S6E3HC3 of the Pixel 6 Pro? That question is partially answered by source code that is part of the Android 13 betas.
The new display panel will be brighter. Based on the code shown below, the Pixel 7 Pro will let the user go up to 600 nits in Manual mode, 100 nits higher than the 6 Pro offered.
In Auto mode, the display will top out at 1,000 nits, up from 800 nits. Note that these values are for 100% APL, i.e. an all-white display. At lower APL (which is a much more common case), the brightness could probably hit 1,200 nits.
From Gsmarena
Pixel 6a inches toward launch, as it goes live at Best Buy
Live as of this week, the Pixel 6a is now available through Best Buy on a listing that says the device is “coming soon.” Of course, we know when the phone is going to be available for pre-orders, and that’s on July 21, with formal sales set to arrive not long after.
The Pixel 6a at Best Buy is the same phone sold through the Google Store, but buyers have the option to purchase with their carrier in mind, and often getting a discount in that process. Alternatively, the unlocked version is also for sale through the retailer.
Notably, Pixel 6a is available in all three colors; Sage, Charcoal, and Chalk.
Pricing also remains the same, and Best Buy’s financing offers the $449 cost for $37.42 per month for 12 months.
From 9to5Google
Apple’s AR headset again tipped to arrive within months–but will it?
After a rare bit of candor from Tim Cook in an interview this week, we have more reason to believe Apple’s long-awaited Apple AR headset will arrive sooner than later.
Ming-Chi Kuo, in a note to investors seen by 9to5Mac, predicted that Apple’s entry to the AR hardware space will arrive at the start of 2023. “The vast potential demand in the Chinese market and Apple AR/MR, which will likely release in January 2023, will also favor the continued rapid growth of the headset sector,” he wrote.
A January launch would obviously require an event, which Apple doesn’t typically hold until March or April. The last time it launched a major product in January was in 2010 when Steve Jobs showed off the iPad. Previously the iPhone made its debut at Macworld San Francisco in January 2007.
The mixed-reality headset, which is expected to combine elements of AR (augmented reality) and VR (virtual reality), has been rumored for some time, and it’s important to note that Kuo has offered predictions about the launch, and been demonstrably wrong. For example, back in March 2019 he said it would be released in 2020. And in 2021, Kuo said the headset would arrive in 2022, which now seems unlikely.
From Macworld
Here’s what the Asus ROG Phone 6 looks like
Yesterday, the Asus ROG Phone 6 surfaced on Geekbench, and TENAA, revealing a lot of its specs, but not its design. Today, TENAA added images to its listing, filling that gap.
The ROG Phone DNA is clearly intact, but there’s a distinct difference in the camera island on the back of the phone. It’s bigger to start, and one of the cameras, we’re guessing the ultrawide unit, has a Blue accent. There appears to be a third camera lens, as well.
There’s also a second screen on the back, not unlike the Asus ROG Phone 5 Ultimate, but it too looks bigger.
From Gsmarena
Fossil Gen 6 Hybrid launched: A new generation of undercover smarts
For a wearable that packs high-tech features into a traditional aesthetic, a hybrid smartwatch is hard to beat. Today, Fossil announced a new option heading to the market, the new Gen 6 Hybrid. Like all Fossil smartwatches, the new generation takes design cues from the company’s classic analog lineup and packs it with features.
The Fossil Gen 6 Hybrid lineup will feature two designs — the Machine and the Stella. The Machine case size measures 45mm with a textured bezel suggestive of, you guessed it, machinery. It is available in Black, Silver, or Smoke. The Stella features a smaller 40.5mm case with a beveled design and optional rings of bling. It is available in Rose Gold, Silver, and Two-tone colorways. Both models utilize interchangeable bands (24mm and 18mm, respectively) with bracelet options in mesh or three-link metallics and classic band options in leather and silicone.
From Android Authority
Twitter closed captions button now available to all in iOS and Android apps
As we’ve previously noted, Twitter doesn’t have the best track-record when it comes to accessibility features.
When Twitter introduced features like voice tweets and even Spaces, the company was widely criticized for not thinking about accessibility since both features didn’t have captions at first.
The company later added captions for its live audio feature, Spaces, and followed up with automatically generated captions for all videos.
Captions weren’t that… accessible in the past. At one point, the option was buried within accessibility settings, so you had to know it was there. Engadget notes that things didn’t improve greatly from there.
In the past, you’ll only see the CC button on the web and for subtitles on mobile if your sound is turned off. Further, captions automatically disappear when you expand a video, since doing so enables sound playback
From 9to5Mac
