Google Pixel 6a is up for pre-order in India, sale begins on July 28 alongside Pixel Buds Pro
Google fans in India can rejoice, as the company opened up pre-orders for the Pixel 6a.The smartphone is available through Flipkart and consumers have seven days to pre-order, before open sales begin on July 28. That’s when the company will also launch the Pixel Buds Pro.
The Google Pixel 6a borrows some features from its Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro flagship siblings, like the Google Tensor chipset and 12MP ultrawide-angle camera. There is also the pure Android 12 experience, and a reasonable 4,410 mAh battery albeit with limited 18W charging.
The Buds Pro are the first Pixel earphones to support Active Noise Cancellation. There’s also spatial audio control for select Pixel devices.
From Gsmarena
Nearly 10 million foldables shipped last year says Samsung Mobile President
The market for foldable phones is slowly but surely maturing and that’s reflected in the sales volumes. In a new blog post by TM Roh – President of Samsung Mobile shared that the foldable smartphone industry saw almost 10 million shipments in 2021. The figure is up 300% from 2020 and Roh believes this trend will continue in the years to come as “foldable devices are becoming widespread and staking a bigger claim in the overall smartphone market”. IDC previously published a report where it estimates a total of 7.1 million foldable shipments for 2021.
From Gsmarena
Canalys: smartphone shipments in India decline for third consequtive quarter
Based on the latest Canalys report, a total of 36.4 million smartphones were shipped in India during the April – June period. The figure represents a decline of five percentage points compared to the 38 million units shipped in Q1. This is the third consecutive quarter of falling shipments.
Chinese vendors amounted for 76% of all smartphone shipments in India for the period with Xiaomi leading the way with 7 million shipments and a 19% market share. Samsung shipped 6.7million devices and came in second in terms of the market share at 18%. The top three was rounded out by realme which managed 6.1 million shipments and a 17% market share. The two other brands in the top five were vivo (6 million shipments) and Oppo (5.5million) with 16% and 15% market shares respectively.
From Gsmarena
WhatsApp finally lets everyone transfer full chat history from Android to iPhone
WhatsApp has finally launched the chat migration tool that allows all Android users to transfer their chat history to iPhone. The move follows a limited beta test that made the Android-to-iOS chat history move possible and comes about a year after WhatsApp released the iPhone-to-Android chat migration tool.
Certain conditions still apply and Android users upgrading to iPhone need to ensure they follow their devices meet the requirements. Moreover, they have to follow the tutorial that WhatsApp provides closely.
From BGR
120fps GeForce Now cloud gaming comes to all compatible Android phones
Nvidia’s cloud gaming service, GeForce Now, now supports 120fps game streaming across all Android phones with high refresh rate displays, rather than being limited to specific preapproved models. The rollout was announced last month, 9to5Google reported at the time, but Nvidia spokesperson Stephenie Ngo confirmed to The Verge that it’s officially rolling out this week.
Support for 120fps gaming should result in games that look smoother and feel much more responsive compared to the 60fps cap that was previously in place for many devices. 120fps streaming has previously been available on a limited selection of Android handsets from Samsung, Google, OnePlus, Xiaomi, and Asus, but now it’s available on any Android handset with the correctly specced display. You’ll need to pay for Nvidia’s top-specced RTX 3080 tier for access to this maximum refresh rate, which costs $20 a month. The $10 / month Priority tier maxes out at 60fps.
From The Verge
Samsung confirms $1.3 billion plan for an EV battery factory in Malaysia
Several reports from earlier today suggest that Samsung is on an investment spree to expand its operations. Aside from the fact that the company plans to build nearly a dozen chip factories in the USA, Samsung just confirmed its new investment strategy for an EV battery manufacturing facility in Malaysia.
We heard about Samsung SDI possibly wanting to build a new factory in Malaysia last month. There were no details on the scope of the operation, but today, Samsung SDI confirmed the above and revealed that it wants to invest $1.3 billion in the new factory. (via Reuters)
Samsung will construct the $1.3 billion facility in the region of Seremban. The facility will manufacture cylindrical batteries for electric vehicles. Samsung SDI expects the factory to be completed in 2025, although it could begin production — presumably in a limited capacity — in 2024.
From Sammobile
Google Wallet is now available globally
In May, during its annual Google I/O conference, Google said it would combine Google Pay with several features scattered across other apps into a brand new app: Google Wallet.
Now, Google Wallet is officially live and available to download in 39 countries – though it will work a little differently in some markets.
Google Wallet combines payments with the ability to save vaccine cards, transit and event tickets, and boarding and loyalty passes. The features are similar to what Apple offers with its Wallet, but Google’s version has certain advantages, such as deep integration with other Google apps like Maps.
From Mashable
As Facebook Becomes TikTok, a New Feeds Tab Ditches the Algorithm
Have you visited your Facebook News Feed lately? If not, you’d be forgiven, and also in good company. The experience is overstuffed, a cornucopia of photos from vaguely familiar acquaintances and incongruous sponsored and suggested posts. It’s shuffled and served up by algorithms that Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen tied to all manner of societal ills. A new update is only going to muddy that experience even further, accelerating Facebook’s transition into something more like TikTok.
Facebok’s new Home tab, the default experience rolling out over the next few weeks, will ply you with videos and posts from strangers (along with accounts you actually follow) that ranking algorithms have decided you’ll engage with. In other words, a more TikTok-like experience that’s already played out to some extent on Instagram, which went through a similar transition this spring.
But Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced this morning that the Facebook app will also add a new tab called Feeds, which promises to show the most recent posts from friends, groups, and Pages that you follow. It was already possible to summon a reverse-chronological view on desktop by clicking Most Recent in the left-hand panel, or navigating to Menu and then Recent & favorites in the app. But placing this front and center, keeping it one tap away, and giving it a proper name all mark a shift in how Facebook presents itself to a world that’s increasingly looking in other directions.
From Wired
Engineer who put USB-C on an iPhone did the same with AirPods this time
We’ve covered two of Ken Pillonel’s viral modifications here on the site before. Back in November, Pillonel successfully modified and iPhone X with a fully functioning USB-C port. Then in April, Pillonel fitted a Samsung Galaxy A51 with a Lighting port. The projects show that products can indeed use universal connectors even if the company that made them doesn’t want them to.
From Gsmarena
Cyberattacks have nearly doubled since last year, report says
A recent analysis by fraud-buster and cybersecurity company Seon found that cyberattacks have nearly doubled since last year. Given that the number of people using the internet worldwide is creeping upward quite slowly by comparison, that means the odds that you’ll be affected are increasing rapidly. It’s time to double-check your security settings.
The most common cyberattacks reported were ransomware, phishing, and malware. Ransomware refers to software that threatens you with data loss or the sharing of personal information if a payment isn’t made. Malware is similar but takes direct action to gain unauthorized access to your data, storage, and computer-processing power.
From Digital Trends
