Sony raises PlayStation 5 prices almost everywhere
| PS5 with Ultra HD Blu-ray disc drive | PS5 Digital Edition | |
| Europe | €549.99 €499.99 | €449.99 €399.99 |
| UK | £479.99 £449.99 | £389.99 £359.99 |
| Japan | ¥54,980 ¥49,980 | ¥44,980 ¥39,980 |
| China | ¥4,299 ¥3,899 | ¥3,499 ¥3,099 |
| Australia | AUD $799.95 AUD $749.95 | AUD $649.95 AUD $5999.95 |
| Mexico | MXN $14,999 MXN $13,999 | MXN $12,499 MXN $11,499 |
| Canada | CAD $649.99 CAD $629 | CAD $519.99 CAD $499 |
Sony just announced new, higher prices for the PlayStation 5 for Europe, the UK, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Canada. The price hike affects both versions of the console – the Digital Edition, and the PS5 with the Ultra HD Blu-ray disk drive.
Sony cites the challenging global economic environment, high inflation, and currency challenges as reasons for the price increase. The company says its top priority is to improve the PS5 supply situation, which has made the most popular gaming console hard for eager buyers to find.
From Gsmarena
First look review of the new HP Dragonfly Folio G3, the most innovative PC of 2022 (so far)
The design of the Dragonfly Folio G3 is just that: A folio-inspired laptop. It has a faux leather (polyurethane) cover on the top, and the bottom is made from recycled magnesium. The computer is taller at the back and nicely slopes down to the front making it wonderful to hold when carrying.
The beauty of the Dragonfly Folio G3’s design is the ability to use it in three modes:
1. Standard laptop
2. Media mode with the display brought forward while still leaving access to the touchpad
3. Creative mode where the display lays slightly angled for drawing or notetaking
It’s the best design for a 2-in-1 as you never have to lift the device off your lap. If you’re watching a movie, pull the screen forward for a more immersive experience, but unlike a Surface, Pro flipped around, you can still use the touchpad. The drawing mode (level 3) is also the best inking angle you can get as it resembles a drafting table.
From Windows Central
Galaxy A04 is now official with 50MP dual-camera and 5,000mAh battery
Just a couple of days ago, we came up with a report that revealed almost everything there was to know about the upcoming Samsung Galaxy A04 smartphone. Hardware details, official renders, and specifications details, everything were revealed in previous reports. Now, after months of leaks and reports, the Samsung Galaxy A04 is finally official, with not much buzz.
Yes, you read it right. The Samsung Galaxy A04 is officially launched with a 50MP dual camera, a 5,000 mAh battery, and all the other specs that were previously reported. As per the official spec list, the Galaxy A04 comes with a 6.5-inch HD+ Infinity-V display, which might make the Galaxy A04 look a bit dated since we are in the era of punch-hole smartphones. The successor to last year’s Galaxy A03 comes with a 5MP front camera and a whopping 50MP main camera with a 2MP depth camera.
From Sammobile
Corsair’s new gaming monitor bends into a curved display
Can’t decide between buying a flat or curved monitor? Corsair thinks it might have the solution to your (admittedly, niche) woes with the Xeneon Flex 45WQHD240: a flexible OLED gaming monitor that you can literally bend by hand to switch form factors.
The transforming display is possible thanks to a W-OLED panel from LG Display, which Corsair worked closely with to develop the Xeneon Flex. Interestingly, in contrast to a prototype LG Display showed off at CES last year which used motors to transform between flat and curved modes, Corsair has you manually bend its monitor into shape with a pair of handles that extend from the left and right sides of the display, as this video from YouTuber Bitwit explains. You can even adjust the curvature of the left and right sides of the monitor independently, which is fun, even it’s not entirely clear why you’d want to.
From The Verge
Huawei Mate 50 series certified by 3C with 66W fast charging, to feature Snapdragon 8 Gen 1
Soon after Huawei confirmed the Mate 50 series will launch on September 6, more Mate 50 news arrives including charging speeds, a camera feature, and the expected chipset.
The certification lists three unique Mate 50 models, purported to be the Huawei Mate 50, Mate 50 Pro, and Mate 50 RS Porsche Design. They are listed to support charging speeds of up to 66W (11V @ 6A) as well as 10W (5V @ 2A) and 40W (10V @ 4A).
In another report from Digital Chat Station via Weibo, there’s word of a fourth Huawei Mate 50E model that is to be powered by the Snapdragon 778G. Meanwhile, the Huawei Mate 50 and Mate 50 Pro are said to employ the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1. As per My Drivers’ supply chain sources, the Mate 50 series will use 4G-only solutions. The Mate 50 Pro and Mate 50 RS are said to use notched displays.
In the camera department, the Huawei Mate 50 Pro is expected to use a variable aperture assembly on its main camera. We’ve seen a similar implementation with the Samsung Galaxy S9 and Galaxy S10 series where the camera could choose either a f.1.7 aperture or adjust to f/2.4. Samsung would only implement variable aperture on two generations of Galaxy S and Galaxy Note flagships. The optimal aperture is selected depending on the shooting conditions.
From Gsmarena
Xiaomi Redmi phones to ship without chargers too
Xiaomi announced its Redmi Note 11SE in India yesterday and while most of the coverage is centered around the phone’s specs, Xiaomi India’s official page confirms the phone will ship without a charger. Xiaomi stopped bundling chargers with its phones starting with the Mi 11 last year but this would mark the first time a Redmi phone ships without a charger.
We can see the package contents for the Note 11 SE include the phone, a USB-C cable, SIM ejector tool, protective case, quick start guide and warranty card. All other Redmi phones sold via Xiaomi India’s website have the bundled charger so it remains to be seen if the Note 11 SE is an outlier or if future Redmi phones will also ship without a power adaptor.
From Gsmarena
Google Play Games opens its beta to let more users play Android games on PC
Starting today, Google Play Games for PC will enter open beta and be available for Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand, and Australia.
Back in late 2021, Google announced that it was working on bringing Android games to PC through its Google Play Games app. After launching a beta, the app was only available for certain regions — Hong Kong, Korea, and Taiwan — and you had to join a waitlist to gain access.
While the beta is still only available in certain regions, Google eventually expanded access to Thailand and Australia. Now, Google is taking its next step toward full release by getting rid of the limits on how many players can use the service in these areas.
If you live in Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Thailand, or Australia, you can download the app from the Google Play Games landing page.
From Android Authority
Ericsson, Nokia and Google make 5G breakthrough on Android 13
Google has successfully completed trials of technology that will allow a single Android device to switch between network slices and connect to multiple network slices at the same time.
Network slicing is viewed by operators as one of the biggest revenue opportunities of standalone 5G (5G SA) networks which use an entirely virtualised, cloud-based core network and effectively allows them to section of certain parts of the network for certain applications.
Slices can be customised to guarantee a certain speed or latency, and to cover a particular location, enabling industrial, broadcast, healthcare, and public service use cases. For example, one network slice could carry video traffic at a stadium, while another slice is reserved for safety officials.
From Techradar
Apple Collects the Least Amount of User Data Out of Major Tech Companies, Study Suggests
A new analysis has found that out of major tech giants, Apple collects the least amount of private user data from its users, with Google, Twitter, Amazon, and Facebook collecting much more data from its users than the iPhone maker.
The study measured how many data points each company collects from its users. The study found that Google topped the list, collecting a total of 39 data points for each of its users. Twitter and Amazon follow by collecting 24 and 23 data points for each user, respectively.
Possibly surprising to some, Facebook, known to be in favor of user tracking, comes close to Apple by only collecting 14 data points for each user. Apple is at the bottom of the list and only collects 12 data points for each user, according to the study. Apple, unlike Google, relies much more heavily on on-device machine learning and algorithms to dictate personalization features, such as personalized music recommendations for Apple Music and curated photos in Photos.
While Apple collects the least amount of user data from its users, it’s making it harder for other companies, such as Google and Facebook, to collect data from iPhone users. In 2020, Apple launched App Tracking Transparency (ATT), a prompt that offers users the choice of whether they wish to be tracked across apps and websites owned by other companies. Facebook has vehemently spoken out against ATT, and details last year revealed the prompt change could have cost social media companies $10 billion in revenue for 2021.
From Macrumors
Samsung to make major increase in QD-OLED production this year
Samsung Display’s impressive QD-OLED panels have taken the world by storm ever since Samsung launched products featuring the next-gen display technology. As demand for these products picks up, the conglomerate’s display affiliate is now looking to make a major production increase.
A new report out of South Korea highlights that Samsung Display will be increasing its QD-OLED production capacity by 30% before the end of this year. The company will be able to quickly bring the equipment online that it needs to ramp up production.
From Sammobile
