Quick Shots-71

Facebook Isn’t Facebook Anymore

I mean that both literally and figuratively. While the Facebook website will retain its name, the big company known as Facebook is now called Meta. This new name is a reference to the “Metaverse,” a poorly-defined concept of the future where Facebook-made VR and AR technologies drive real-world commerce, social interaction, work, and education.

This simple name change will not erase Facebook’s “mistakes,” as Zuckerberg calls them, nor will it shield the company from criticism or embarrassing congressional hearings. People will continue to call Meta by its original name, just as they say “Google” when referring to its respective parent company, Alphabet.

From Reviewgeek

India will get this $87 JioPhone Next

Google and Indian telecom company Jio Platforms finally unveiled their budget smartphone for India on Friday, the JioPhone Next. The phone is designed as an affordable 4G device to serve “the unique needs of the Indian consumer,” Android India engineering lead Ram Papatla said in a blog post.

India won’t be getting Google’s new Pixel 6 and 6 Pro, and those phones’ premium prices put them out of reach of many smartphone consumers in the country. But Google and Jio have designed this new device as a more affordable 4G option. It’s priced at 6499 Indian rupees, or $87, and is available at Jio Mart retailers in India or on Jio’s website. Google said users can also put a down payment of 1999 rupees and choose a payment plan through Jio.

The JioPhone runs Pragati OS, which Google says is an optimized version of Android, and can access apps in the Play Store. The device has read-aloud and language translation for on-screen text, a camera with India-centric Snapchat Lenses, and embedded voice-first features that support 10 different languages spoken in India.

“Among the many rich features of JioPhone Next, the one that has impressed me the most — and one that will empower common Indians the most and take their digital journeys to the next level — is its contribution to India’s linguistic integration. India’s unique strength is our linguistic diversity,” said Mukesh Ambani, chairman and managing director of Reliance Industries, which operates Jio Platforms. “Those Indians who might not be able to read content in English or in their language can get it translated, and even read out, in their own language on this smart device.”

From The Verge

The Redmi Note 11 Pro will likely come to India as the Xiaomi 11i

According to XDA Senior Member kacskrz, strings within MIUI ROMs suggests that Xiaomi will be rebranding the recently launched devices in China into a different avatar for India. The Chinese Redmi Note 11 Pro (device codename: pisarro) and Redmi Note 11 Pro+ (pisarropro) will likely be making their way to India, but will take on the name “Xiaomi 11i” (pisarroin) and “Xiaomi 11i HyperCharge” (pisarroproin) respectively.

There’s no official information from Xiaomi on global releases for any of these devices. But we reckon we wouldn’t have to wait long before we get to hear something. The Mi 10i launched in January 2021, so we expect to see a December 2021 or January 2022 launch for this.

From XDA

Realme Q3T extensively leaked by China Telecom

A new Realme smartphone was listed on China Telecom’s page for certified devices, and it is called Q3T. However, after further investigation, it appears to be the Realme Q3s with a new name, likely to sound exclusive to the carrier.

It has the same Snapdragon 778G chipset, 8/256 GB memory and even the same price tag of (the equivalent of) $250.

The Realme Q3T is pictured with three cameras on the back – the main one is 48MP, coupled with two 2 MP auxiliary shooters. The front hosts a 6.6” LCD of Full HD+ resolution and a punch hole in the left corner for the 16MP selfie camera.

The most definite confirmation that the Q3T and Q3s are identical is the exact same 199g weight and 164.4×75.8×8.5mm dimensions. The battery has 5,000mAh capacity and supports 33W fast charging. The phone is unlikely to be launched outside China, and even if it does, it is more likely to get yet another rebrand.

From Gsmarena

Apple posts record revenue in Q4: iPhone, iPad and services all up

Apple closed out its fiscal year with a record $83.4B in revenue and quarterly earnings per share of $1.24. Despite big success across all of Apple’s divisions, the maker missed Wall Street’s $85B expectation.

The iPhone sales for Q4 accounted for $38.9B – up from the $26.4B in Q4 of 2020. The Mac achieved an all-time fourth-quarter record with $9.2B in sales. The iPad generated $8.3B – a 21% increase YoY, while Services and Wearables, Home and Accessories scored $8.8B each – a 26% and 11% YoY increase, respectively.

From Gsmarena

Galaxy S22 preorders tipped to start in February to make way for the S21 FE

pparently, the Galaxy S21 FE is still on. According to the latest from SamMobile, the device is still set to be launched, although it may arrive later than expected, which could affect the Galaxy S22 launch.

SamMobile says that the Galaxy S21 FE could launch in January, meaning it’ll miss the holiday season, a crucial time for companies to promote and sell their best Android phones.

This would be around the time the Galaxy S22 series was expected to launch, which would likely conflict. Instead of following the Galaxy S21 series with a January launch, Samsung could then delay the S22 series to February to give the S21 FE some breathing room.

From Android Central

Newly independent Honor is now bigger than Xiaomi in its home market

According to data from research firm Canalys, Honor is now the third biggest smartphone maker in China, ranking ahead of Apple, Xiaomi, and its former owner.

Honor shipped 14.2 million devices in Q3 2021, a 25% year-over-year increase and a 105% increase over the previous quarter. The company now holds 18% of the market share in China. Canalys attributed Honor’s growth to legacy Huawei users upgrading to new Honor devices. The research firm also highlighted Honor’s mid-range success with the Play 20 and X20 and the Honor 50 series. As the latter only recently launched in Europe, we’ll have to wait and see if it finds similar success in western markets, too.

From Android Authority

Samsung Q3 earnings report confirms record-breaking profits

As expected Samsung’s Q3 earnings report brought record-breaking profits with KRW 73.9 trillion ($63 billion) in revenue and KRW 15.8 trillion ($13.4 billion) in operating profits – the highest in the past three years and second highest in Samsung history. Revenues rose 10% on a yearly basis while profits increased by 26% compared to Q3 2020.

As expected, Samsung’s semiconductor business propelled profits with extended demand for data centers and cloud servers. Total sales in the semiconductor department totaled KRW 26.4 trillion ($22.5 billion) which is a 16% improvement compared to last year.

The memory and display panel businesses also saw major increases in demand and profits. The mobile communications business which includes smartphone sales saw strong demand for foldables, entry-level and mid-range phones, tablets and wearables though sales declines by 8% to KRW 27.34 trillion ($23.33 billion).

From Gsmarena

Facebook’s Smartwatch Just Leaked, and It Has a Notch That’s Watching You

Earlier this year, the company formerly known as Facebook was rumored to be working on a camera smartwatch with a slated release for 2022. Now, a leaked render gives us a first glimpse of what this inevitable nightmare watch might look like.

The render comes courtesy of Bloomberg, which in turn received it from developer Steve Moser. Moser purportedly found the image “casually” left in the code of the Facebook View app. The View app is the companion app for the Ray-Ban Stories smart sunglasses that Facebook, I mean Meta, launched last month. Moser tweeted that the smartwatch is codenamed “Milan” and as you can see from the image… it’s got a lil punch-hole notch for a front-facing camera.

From Gizmodo

Toyota’s first battery EV has 280-mile range and a solar roof option

Toyota will offer the bZ4X in front-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive variants. The former will feature a single 150 kW capable of accelerating the car from zero to 100 kilometers per hour in 8.4 seconds. Per the WLTC standard, the automaker claims the FWD model’s 71.4 kWh battery will allow it to travel approximately 500 kilometers or 310 miles on a single charge. Expect that estimate to decrease once the EPA tests the car. It’s also worth noting these measurements come from the Japanese model, which may end up featuring different specifications to whatever model(s) Toyota releases in the US.

From Engadget