A Pixel Fold clue has been spotted in Google’s own camera software
Rumors around the Google Pixel Fold – a foldable phone with Google branding – have been swirling for several years at this point, but a new development makes us think that a launch might now be imminent.
As spotted by Android Police, the latest 8.6 update to the Google Camera app includes a hidden icon that looks very much like a foldable phone. Hardly conclusive evidence then, but nevertheless a sign that Google is getting its own apps ready for such a device.
While the button doesn’t really do much at the moment, it’s possible that it enables the user to switch between the various cameras on the Pixel Fold. If it follows the lead of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3, there will be three separate camera modules.
From Techradar
OnePlus 10T’s battery size confirmed, will charge faster than 10 Pro
The OnePlus 10T is launching next week, and OnePlus has already revealed its design and key specs, including the SoC, cameras, RAM, storage, and screen refresh rate. Now just a few days ahead of the unveiling, OnePlus has detailed the 10T’s battery.
OnePlus has announced that the 10T will pack a 4,800 mAh battery, which is 200 mAh smaller than the 10 Pro’s cell but supports faster charging. The OnePlus 10 Pro supports 65W charging in North America and goes up to 80W in other regions, but the 10T will support 150W charging, which, OnePlus says, will juice up the 4,800 mAh cell from 1-100% in just 19 minutes.
From Gsmarena
Qualcomm’s W5 chips could save Wear OS from its newfound Samsung dominance
Qualcomm wants us to believe it’s cooked up the answer to wearable battery anxiety in its upcoming W5 Gen 1 and W5+ Gen 1 chipsets. Qualcomm’s been teasing new silicon for smartwatches and it looks seriously impressive. Compared to its formerly top-of-the-line Wear 4100+ CPU, the W5+ is about 30 percent smaller. This means greater efficiency and more room to stuff a smartwatch chassis with a battery.
Qualcomm also claims that the W5+ is both “50% better” at power management and twice as fast as the 4100+ was. These are claims we have to take with a grain of salt until we can test them ourselves. However, if they’re even remotely accurate, the high-end Wear OS watches of the near future should be in an entirely different league from the ones we’re seeing out of most major players today. And if these new chips are as good as the company says, we could be in for a very competitive smartwatch market in the near future, and that’s exciting.
From Android Police
Leaked Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 renders show the wearable off from all angles
We’ve already heard plenty about the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 and the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro – enough for us to be eagerly awaiting the arrival of the next-gen wearables – and today we’ve got some more leaked renders to flip through.
Courtesy of 91mobiles, the renders show off both smartwatches and a total of five different colors, ahead of the grand unveiling of the Galaxy Watch 5 and the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro (expected to be on August 10).
The leak matches up with images that we’ve previously seen on the web, while adding a few more angles for us to take a look at. While the designs aren’t changing much from their predecessors, they have been slightly refined in places.
From Techradar
Xiaomi 12S Ultra’s main camera sensor gets measured on video
Xiaomi’s 12S Ultra rocked the mobile world this year bringing the biggest sensor ever put into a smartphone to the table. And so a lot of people may have heard the phrase “1-inch sensor” for the first time, and naturally assumed that means what you’d think it means.
Unfortunately, the camera space is a weird one, and so it turns out one inch doesn’t always mean one inch in a literal fashion. We’ve explained this at length in our comprehensive review of the Xiaomi 12S Ultra, but that doesn’t mean everyone now knows – or that everyone will be able to refrain from making a certain type of joke about an inch not being an inch.
Cue JerryRigEverything, the YouTube channel that usually brings us smartphone teardowns. We get that too this time around, but also a sensor measuring contest. Armed with a couple of one inch pieces of paper, Zack made it his mission to boldly go inside the 12S Ultra, tearing it down in order to find out something that we already told you a couple of weeks ago in our review, which counts as general knowledge in the camera world: “1 inch” can be a shorthand way of saying “1 inch type” which does not mean it measures precisely one inch on any side or diagonally.
From Gsmarena
iPhone 14 Pro always-on display seemingly confirmed by iOS 16 beta
The iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max will support always-on display functionality. At least, that’s what rumors say. And the latest iOS 16 beta release indicates a new behavior for wallpapers that back up reports of always-on display functionality for the iPhone 14 Pro models.
This nifty feature has been available for years on Android devices. And Apple added always-on display functionality to the Apple Watch when it introduced screens with variable refresh rates. The same thing will happen with iPhone 14 Pro displays, which should feature ProMotion screens like their predecessors. But the refresh rate should drop to 1Hz on the 2022 iPhones, compared to 10Hz for the iPhone 13 Pro models.
At 1Hz, Apple can implement always-on display features without too big a sacrifice to battery life.
From BGR
Google Play Store is blocking full-screen ads, VPN hijacking
Google has announced new Play Store policies for Android developers in an effort to crack down on full-screen ads, VPNs, and fake apps impersonating genuine software.
Coming into effect from September 30, 2022, the Play Store will require developers to stop showing “Full-screen interstitial ads,” for example those that show during gameplay or during an app’s loading screen. Additionally, full-screen ads that cannot be closed after 15 seconds shall be banned.
The new policy will not include rewarded ads, such as in-app popups that users can opt into in order to unlock in-app content, which will continue to be permitted.
From Techradar
New test lets you ‘try Twitter’ without creating an account
Twitter is working on a new experiment that lets people follow users and read tweets without creating an account, effectively letting users “Try Twitter” before committing.
The test was spotted by security researcher Jane Manchun Wong on Twitter, showcasing this new experience is about. The splash screen shared by Wong displays a new login page with the new “Try Twitter” button, while a typical “Sign up or log in” link can be found at the bottom.
From Android Central
Samsung boasts record quarter amid weaker smartphone sales
Samsung released its Q2 financial earnings this week, reporting a record second-quarter revenue of KRW 77.2 trillion ($59.2 billion). While smartphones make up a large part of Samsung’s business, revenue was primarily driven by the company’s memory chips and record profits from its semiconductor business.
It’s a surprising turn of events given the ongoing chip shortage that has hindered several industries. However, it also highlights the dependence on the cloud as companies drive higher demand for chips to power their servers.
That said, it wasn’t all rosy for Samsung’s Q2, as the company reported a quarterly decline in its MX Business, responsible for smartphone sales.
“Overall market demand declined from the previous quarter amid geopolitical issues and concerns over inflation on top of continued weak seasonality. Profitability decreased from the previous quarter at some degree due to rising costs of components and logistics as well as negative effects of foreign exchange movements.”
Year-over-year smartphone revenue increased thanks to its latest Galaxy S22 and Galaxy Tab S8 flagship models. However, the company expects smartphone sales in the second half of the year to remain similar to 2021, even with the upcoming foldables launch, citing “prolonged geopolitical issues and economic uncertainties.”
From Android Central
Scientists are considering a crazy plan to dim the sun and slow climate change
A few years ago, scientists proposed a ludicrous idea to help cut down on global temperature changes. The idea was to take planes and spew reflective particles into the Earth’s atmosphere yearly. These particles would then reflect solar light, effectively dimming the Sun. Some think it could help cut down on climate change a lot. But others aren’t quite as convinced.
From BGR
