Kamis, 30 November 2023

Google Messages reaches 1 billion RCS users, unleashes 7 new features to celebrate - GSMArena.com news - GSMArena.com

RCS is officially big. 1 billion monthly active users big, in fact. Google announced the milestone today, and to celebrate it's giving the Messages app 7 new features. These will apparently "help your personality shine through". They won't make RCS bubbles blue on iOS, however.

RCS, in case you've been living under a rock, is a new standard that's supposed to replace the antiquated SMS and MMS, Google says, although those are still used as backup, so not that much "replace" as "enhance". Anyway, the point is it's like iMessage but for Android phones.

Google Messages reaches 1 billion RCS users, unleashes 7 new features to celebrate

Google has been pushing it a lot - and we mean a lot - in recent years, and it seems like its efforts have not been in vain at all. RCS has typing indicators, read receipts, threaded replies, high quality media sharing, improved group chats, and better privacy.

Now let's get to the new features. First, Photomoji. As the name implies, this lets you make a photo into a reaction by using on-device Google AI. All of these creations are then saved in a special tab for when you want to reuse them. Also, your friends in group chats can use any Photomoji you sent as well.

Next up, Voice Moods. These are animated emoji superimposed over a voice message, in order to express, visually, how you're feeling in that moment. The voice message bitrate and sampling rate have also been increased for an improvement in perceived quality.

Screen Effects enable vibrant animations to take over the whole screen, when you type specific messages like "it's snowing" or "I love you", for example. There are more than 15 of these, but they're hidden, so Google wants us to discover them.

Next, Custom Bubbles - you'll never be able to do this on iMessage, that's for sure. You can customize the bubble color and background for any of your conversations. You can pick a different color for every chat if you want - Facebook Messenger themes say hi.

Reaction Effects inject "more life into your conversations", Google says. It works on the ten most popular emoji, and when you react with one of them, the reaction will animate over the message you're reacting to.

Animated Emoji are just that - visual effects for specific emoji, which trigger when you only send that specific emoji - WhatsApp has something similar, for example.

Finally, Google Messages now has Profiles. You can personalize your profile name and picture that will then accompany your phone number. This, the company says, "addresses the problem of receiving messages from phone numbers not saved in your contacts", and can be particularly useful in group chats so you know who all of the members are.

Google Messages reaches 1 billion RCS users, unleashes 7 new features to celebrate

And now for the bummer. These new features are first going to be made available in the beta version of Messages, and not even all of them at once. "Many" of these features, Google says, will be available in the beta channel today. We're not sure which, and the company hasn't clarified, so who knows. Hopefully it won't take long for them to trickle down into the stable channel.

Source

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2023-11-30 21:36:06Z
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Call of Duty Devs Finally Comment on Skill-Based Matchmaking Issues - IGN

Skill-Based Matchmaking in Call of Duty has long been the subject of scrutiny and debate within the community, only fueled by the launch of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III on Nov. 10. Now, though, the Call of Duty team has finally acknowledged it.

The news comes from ModernWarzone on X/Twitter, which notes (as we at IGN believe) that this is “possibly the first time they’ve spoken publicly about it." When reached by IGN, a spokesperson for Activision says it "stems from a live conversation from Call of Duty reps at an event, and accurately describes what was said. We will not be issuing anything further at the time."

See the lengthy statement below:

“We know there is a lot of interest in the matchmaking experience, especially around how skill contributes to how lobbies and matches are put together. Nothing is more important to us than the experience players have with the game, and matchmaking is a big part of that. We've been working on our matchmaking system for well over ten years, and we continue to spend a ton of time and energy on improving the matchmaking process. This involves people working at our Call of Duty studios, our backend services teams at Demonware, and other groups like our Player Insights team. It's a large effort that we've worked on for many years, and our approach combines latency, search time, and skill, along with many other factors, to try to find the best match experience for you. Talking about this topic in detail can be hard, and we haven't spent the time to pull together all of our work to share with you our insights and improvements over the many years. We're looking forward to doing that in the coming weeks after Season 1 launches, and we'll also make it a part of our ongoing discussions with the community.”

This statement is quite a reversal from a little more than a week ago, when Modern Warfare 3 developer Sledgehammer Games held a wide-ranging AMA on Reddit covering just about everything players could want to know about Call of Duty in general and Modern Warfare 3 specifically... except, that is, Skill-Based Matchmaking.

The statement is vague, but any acknowledgement from the team is notable, considering how the systam has long been a point of contention among the Call of Duty community.

IGN's Twenty Questions - Guess the game!

Skill-Based Matchmaking (SBMM) is meant to match players with lobbies of similarly skilled players. The issue for many Call of Duty fans is that SBMM is used in both Call of Duty’s Ranked and Casual playlists, while many feel it should only be used for ranked games. Players have long said that the system makes it hard for solo players to find enjoyable matches, and that it makes it hard to find good games while queuing with friends of different skill levels. It’s not uncommon for more skilled players to lose games on purpose so they can be matched against players of lower skill, and SBMM often trends on X/Twitter whenever a new Call of Duty releases.

How much Call of Duty’s various developers choose to reveal about SBMM remains to be seen, but the fact that they’re willing to talk about it at all is substantial, particularly since Modern Warfare 3 is dealing with poor critical reception and a slew of problems that have included spawn issues, hard-to-see cosmetic skins, and movement exploits.

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2023-11-30 20:34:46Z
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WhatsApp’s new ‘secret codes’ add an extra layer of privacy for your locked chats - TechCrunch

WhatsApp is rolling out a new “secret codes” feature that adds another layer of privacy to your locked conversations on the messaging platform. The app launched locked chats earlier this year to help people hide sensitive conversations, and is now adding a way to further protect those chats and make them harder to find if someone has access to your phone.

Instead of having all of your locked chats displayed in a folder, you can now choose to hide them behind a password that is different from what you use to unlock your phone. Your secret code can include letters, numbers, special characters and emojis. If you hide the locked chats folder from your chatlist, they can then only be discovered by typing your secret code in the search bar. The idea behind the feature to prevent people who have access to your phone from even knowing you have a locked chats folder. 

“Rolling out secret code to Chat Lock on WhatsApp so you can protect your chats with a unique password,” Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced today on his WhatsApp Channel. “Now you can set your locked chats to only appear when you type the secret code in the search bar, so no one can ‘unintentionally’ discover your most private conversations.”

It’s worth noting that you don’t have to use a secret code, and can still choose to have your locked chats appear in your chatlist if you would like.

Secret codes start rolling out today, and will be available globally in the coming months.

WhatsApp rolled out Chat Lock back in May to let users lock chats and put them in their own folder that can only be accessed with your device password, face ID or fingerprint. At the time, Meta said it planned to allow users to create a custom password for their chats so they could use a unique password different from the one they use for their phone. Now, six months later, the company has fulfilled its promise.

The launch of the new feature comes a few weeks after WhatsApp rolled out a new Discord-like voice chat feature for large groups called “Voice Chats.” The new feature is designed to be less disruptive than a group call, which rings every member in a group. Voice chats are started quietly without any ringing involved with an in-chat bubble that you tap to join.

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2023-11-30 16:53:08Z
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Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Z Flip 6 could be in for a size upgrade - Android Authority

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 and Galaxy Z Fold 5 cover displays

Ryan Haines / Android Authority

TL;DR

  • The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 and Galaxy Z Fold 6 could feature bigger foldable and cover displays.
  • The Galaxy Z Flip 6 could feature a massive 3.9-inch display.

Samsung is reportedly increasing the display sizes on next year’s Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Galaxy Z Flip 6. According to display industry insider Ross Young, both upcoming foldable phones from Samsung will feature larger foldable and cover displays.

Unfortunately, Young has only disclosed the size of the Galaxy Flip 6’s cover screen, which is said to be approaching 3.9 inches. That would make it the biggest cover screen on any flip phone to date, even larger than the Motorola Razr Plus’ massive 3.6-inch external display.

Young says he’s mentioned the exact display sizes for the Fold 6 and Flip 6 in the latest foldable report from Display Supply Chain Consultants, but we don’t have access to it.

DSCC Ross Galaxy Z Flip 6 fold 6 display leak

Ross Young/X

We don’t know much about the Galaxy Fold 6 and Flip 6 just yet, but we previously heard from tipster Revegnus that the Galaxy Fold 6 would feature a new display aspect ratio. The reason for that could very well be the increase in the phone’s display size.

It was also previously reported that Samsung is “reverse engineering” the HUAWEI Mate X5 to slim down its next foldable’s body while increasing its battery capacity.

Meanwhile, a separate spec leak pointed out that the Galaxy Z Flip 6 could feature a 50MP primary camera, making it the first flip model from Samsung to ditch the 12MP sensor.

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2023-11-30 05:56:40Z
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Apple names the 14 best apps and games of 2023. Your next favorite app may be on the list - ZDNet

Apple App Store Logo
Sabrina Ortiz/ZDNET

Apple was the first to popularize the concept of mobile apps, launching the first App Store of its kind with less than 500 apps in 2008. Since then, millions of apps and developers have entered the scene, making the competition for the best apps more challenging than ever.

On Wednesday, Apple released its 2023 App Store Awards Winners, which were picked by the App Store's editorial team based on the criteria of whether the apps provide users with meaningful experiences and inspire cultural change. 

Last year's list: Apple names the 16 best apps and games of 2022, with BeReal taking top honors

"This year's winners represent the limitless potential of developers to bring their visions to life, creating apps and games with remarkable ingenuity, exceptional quality, and purpose-driven missions," said Apple CEO Tim Cook. 

The winning apps are all unique, tackling important topics such as meditating, reducing e-waste, helping non-verbal people communicate, connecting people with the outdoors, and more. 

I had the opportunity to go hands-on with all of the winning apps at an Apple media event for the media in NYC, and whether it was the apps' graphics, storylines, mission, or uniqueness, each app brought something different to the table that left me impressed -- and will likely impress you, too. 

Since there are so many apps on the market tasked with accomplishing very different purposes, Apple broke down the winners into different categories, organized by the device the app is meant for and making a distinction between regular apps and games. There is also a bonus category for apps that drive positive societal change and leave a cultural impact. 

For the full rundown of the winners and the chance of discovering your next favorite app, read on.

iPhone App of the Year: 

AllTrails from AllTrails, Inc.

AllTrails App
AllTrails/App Store
  • App Store rating: #36 in the Health and Fitness, 4.9-star rating, 842K ratings total
  • Finalists for this category: Duolingo and Flighty

If you have ever wanted to start an outdoor activity but didn't know what trail to go on or where to even start, this free app is for you. 

The AllTrails app helps connect people of all different athletic backgrounds and interests with outdoor trails that they can use to participate in activities such as running, hiking, biking, or walking. 

"We just want to get people outside, and we're just trying to tear down the barriers to entry as much as we can, and oftentimes, it starts with information and competence, and we can do both with the app," said Ron Schneidermann, CEO of AllTrails in an interview with ZDNET.

When searching for a trail, the app considers all your needs, including whether it has to be kid, stroller, dog, or wheelchair friendly. It also provides other specifics about trails, including user-generated trail reviews, different map views, trail previews, weather conditions, and GPS directions to help you pick the perfect trail. 

Then, once you select a route, it helps you stay on course with your planned course. The app also has fitness tracking and community-building elements to encourage meeting your fitness goals. 

iPad App of the Year

Prêt-à-Makeup from Prêt-à-Template

Pret-a-makeup app
Sabrina Ortiz/ZDNET
  • App Store rating: #147 in the Graphics and Design category, 4.5-star rating, 26.4K ratings total 
  • Finalists for this category: Concepts and DaVinci Resolve

Prêt-à-Makeup is a free app that provides users with digital face charts, like the ones that makeup artists use to plan their makeup looks. Using those face charts, users can use that template to create their own realistic makeup looks right from their devices. 

The app includes over 700 beauty products, 40 face templates in different styles, and different cosmetic textures and finishes that users can choose from to provide a realistic sketching experience. 

Once you apply the brush to the one-dimensional, blank face chart, the three-dimensional face automatically appears, making it easy for users of all artistic abilities to create a realistic face sketch. 

Another standout feature is that the sketch's lighting responds to the screen's movement, mimicking the effect of a moving face in front of a ring light. 

The app is free to download but requires a subscription fee of $8.99 per month or $63.99 per year for unlimited access. 

Mac App of the Year: 

Photomator from UAB Pixelmator Team

Photomator app
Sabrina Ortiz/ZDNET
  • App Store rating: 4.6-star rating, 429 ratings total. 
  • Finalists for this category: Linearity Curve and Portal

Photomator is an all-encompassing photo editing app for Mac that includes every tool you would need a photo editing app to have, including color adjusting, batch editing features, clone and repair tools, support for over 650 RAW image formats, presets, transforming images into HDR with one click, and more. 

The app also features generative AI editing features, which can help the user automate tasks such as removing camera noise, adjusting white balance, increasing color depth, cropping photos, and more. 

The app is free to download but requires a subscription of $4.99 per month or $29.99 yearly to use. If you are interested in trying the app out before subscribing, as a new user, you get three edits for free that you can use to test it out. 

Apple TV App of the Year: 

MUBI from MUBI, Inc.

MUBI app
Sabrina Ortiz/ZDNET
  • App Store rating: 4.7-star rating, 7.3K ratings total. 
  • Finalists for this category: Bugsnax and FitOn

MUBI is a streaming app that helps users experience cinema from the comfort of their homes. The app showcases hand-picked, "visionary" films from international artists and creators that would typically be difficult to access for an average consumer. 

The app is not just geared toward film fanatics (although a great fit for them, too) but also average consumers who enjoy watching a good quality film. The selection isn't just limited to niche arthouse films and includes mainstream titles as long as they reach a certain caliber.

"Because we're showcasing such a diversity of films, we have audiences who are interested in all sorts of things," said Daniel Kasman, Vice President of Content at MUBI, to ZDNET. 

Another standout feature from MUBI is that, unlike other popular streaming platforms, every movie on MUBI is handpicked by the team, ensuring that each movie presented to you on the app is a movie worth watching and elevating movies that the viewer may have otherwise missed. 

"It's just that these films often get lost in the shuffle of larger catalogs -- the film from a different country, the film from a few years ago, a festival film, these are films that streaming services don't pay attention to, but really are some of the best movies out there," said Kasman. 

The film selection is vast, ranging from rare indie films to classics. Although the app is free to download, a subscription fee starting at $12.99 a month is required to start streaming. If interested in trying the app, there is a seven-day free trial. 

Apple Watch App of the Year: 

SmartGym from Mateus Abras

SmartGym App
SmartGym/App Store
  • App Store rating: 4.6-star rating, 13K ratings total. 
  • Finalists for this category: Planny and Tide Guide

As the name suggests, the SmartGym app is meant to act as a workout companion that doubles as a "smart" trainer, leveraging AI to create personalized workouts, make suggestions, and track your progress. You can also share your workout results with your in-app community to build motivation. 

To further maximize Apple Watch users' workout experiences, the app for Apple Watch works completely standalone, with no need to bring the iPhone with you during your workouts. Furthermore, your session data counts towards your activity rings, further integrating the app into the Apple ecosystem. 

The app is free to download, but the free version only gets you access to two routines and measures and 10 histories. A user subscription to unlock the premium features starts at $6.99/month but increases in price depending on tier and plan. 

iPhone Game of the Year: 

Honkai: Star Rail from COGNOSPHERE PTE. LTD.

Honkai: Star Rail App
Sabrina Ortiz/ZDNET
  • App Store rating: #27 in Adventure, 4.6-star rating, 22.3K ratings total. 
  • Finalists for this category: Afterplace and Vampire Survivors

Honkai: Star Rail is a free-to-download space fantasy role-play gaming app, in which users can explore different worlds and civilizations while riding the Astral Express across the galaxy. 

One of the biggest standouts of this app is the immersive role-playing experience that combines high-quality cinematics with top-tier voice actors to help immerse users in the adventure. 

Even if -- like me -- you are not big into gaming, the app is so intuitive to use that upon picking it up, I found myself quickly understanding what to do and was even able to win a battle with an opponent. The graphics on the game are so impressive that once immersed, you may not want to put it down. 

iPad Game of the Year: 

Lost in Play, from Snapbreak Games

Lost in Play App
Sabrina Ortiz/ZDNET
  • App Store rating: #110 in Adventure, 4.9-star rating, 2.3K ratings total. 
  • Finalists for this category: Eggy Party and Pocket City 2

Lost in Play is a free game following the storyline of a brother and sister on an adventure trying to find their way home and encountering different challenges along the way, such as an enchanted forest, a horned beast, a goblin village, and more.

While playing, users will help them get home by solving unique puzzles and mini-games. The hand-crafted cartoon style of the gameplay, similar to animated shows from childhood, makes it a game for people of all ages, invoking nostalgia for adults and entertainment for children. 

Mac Game of the Year: 

Lies of P, from NEOWIZ

Lies of P App
Sabrina Ortiz/ZDNET

Lies of P is a roleplaying game in which the user plays a puppet created by Gepetto. The puppet is caught in a web of lies and must battle his way out of the cruel and dark world he lives in. Within the gameplay, users can develop unique combat styles and weapon combinations to fight vicious enemies. 

Apple originally spotlighted Lies of P for the game's smooth gameplay and the storyline's dark, alternative twist on the classic childhood tale The Adventures of Pinocchio. To play the game, you have to pay the full game cost upfront of $59.99. 

Apple Arcade Game of the Year: 

Hello Kitty Island Adventure, from Sunblink

Hello Kitty Island Adventure
Screenshot by Sabrina Ortiz/ZDNET
  • App Store rating: 4.7-star rating, 145 ratings total. 
  • Finalists for this category: stitch. and Cityscapes

Hello Kitty is a household character lots of people know and love, and with this game, users can embark on an adventure with Hello Kitty and her friends to restore an abandoned island to its former glory. 

Throughout the gameplay, players will be able to explore a gorgeous world with adorable characters, a magical underwater world, delicious meals, cabins, puzzles, wardrobes, and more. 

The game is free to download if you have an Apple Arcade subscription, which costs $6.99 monthly and grants unlimited access to over 200 games. 

Cultural Impact Winners

Pok Pok from Pok Pok

Pok Pok app
Sabrina Ortiz/ZDNET

The Pok Pok app provides children from the ages of two to seven with a digital playroom that mimics the experience they would have while exploring toys on a living room floor. The digital playroom has Montessori-inspired educational toys and creative activities meant to help children learn and experiment through playing games. 

"I would say that they [children using the app] are going to experience the diversity of the real playroom they probably have in their home just digitally in a really calm, sensory-friendly way, so they'll be very empowered to follow their nose to explore and experiment," said Pok Pok co-founder and CEO Melissa Cash to ZDNET. 

The idea for the app originated when Pok Pok co-founder and Chief Creative Officer Esther Hubregh couldn't find an app for her child that didn't require constant monitoring, was educational without being overly academic, wasn't overly gamified, addictive, or stimulating. Since Hubregh and her husband both had a background in animation, they decided to start a little project, evolving into what the app is today.

To ease parents' other concerns, the app doesn't have any paywalls or advertisements, so no accidents can happen, and children can just enjoy a seamless playing experience like they would playing with their toys in their own homes. 

It is free to download; however, it requires a subscription after the seven-day trial ends. The subscription cost is $6.99 per month or $45.99 a year. 

Proloquo from AssistiveWare 

Proloquo app
Sabrina Ortiz/ZDNET

The Proloquo app is an Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) app, meant to help meet the needs of non-speaking people so that they can communicate. The app has an intuitive design that allows users, from children to adults, to start communicating right away once the app is downloaded. 

The app is free to download but requires a subscription once the one-month free trial expires. The cost of the subscription is $9.99 a month or $99.99 a year and includes access to Proloquo Coach, which helps families and educators support the student's learning with tools and in-app support. 

Another perk of the subscription is that it only has to be paid once for the user and accessible to their network. Family members, educators, Speech Pathologists, and other active members of the users' lives can sync to the app at no extra cost. 

Too Good To Go from Too Good To Go

Too Good to Go App
Sabrina Ortiz/ZDNET

If you have ever worked in the food industry, you know that at the end of the night, the leftover food that didn't get sold finds its way to the garbage pale despite being a perfectly fulfilling meal. The app Too Good to Go attempts to tackle that food waste issue by providing restaurants with an alternative. 

Also: This app wants to tackle the food waste crisis - and get you a cheap dinner, too

Instead of throwing away the leftovers, with the app, restaurants, bakeries, and supermarkets can now sell them to customers at discounted prices, which they can pick up upon store closing. 

Since businesses can't exactly predict what will be left over, the goods are sold and packaged in surprise bags that guarantee a bunch of goodies for the person picking them up. The app is free, easy to use, and ultimately a great way to discover new establishments and treats near you.

Too Good to Go CEO Mette Lykke shared that there are other wins for consumers using this platform. 

"So first is the aspect of doing good, feels good, when you know you save that food from going to waste, then there's a great deal since typically they sell at a discount, and then last, it's fun, because there's this aspect of treasure hunt, you don't know exactly what you're going to get," said Lykke to ZDNET. 

Unpacking from Humble Bundle

Unpacking app
Sabrina Ortiz/ZDNET

The Unpacking app lets users participate in a virtual home in which all they are tasked with doing is unpacking boxes and placing the possessions into their proper place in the new home. As you unpack, you learn more and more about the character whose life you are unpacking. 

The repetitive task of repeatedly taking out things from boxes is meant to be meditative in nature. To further lean into that relaxed, zen state, the app has no timers, scores, or meters. 

"I think the thing that catches you off guard is it allows you to relax into the experience. You're just going to get quickly into this moment where you're just putting your stuff away and thinking about your choices, but you're also reflecting on the stuff you're pulling out of the box, and that's where you just really zone out -- that's kind of the zen moment," said Oliver Teckert, VP of Production at Humble Games to ZDNET. 

While playing the game, I enjoyed that there was no real task to accomplish. Instead, I could just leisurely take items out of the box, place them wherever I wished, and just keep going through the motions. 

You have to pay a one-time $9.99 charge to download the app, and once downloaded, you are set to start unpacking. 

Finding Hannah from Fein Games GmbH

Finding Hannah app
Sabrina Ortiz/ZDNET

Finding Hannah is an app with a gameplay storyline that features three generations of women, a grandmother, mother, and daughter, who are navigating life while Hannah, the daughter, is on a journey of self-discovery. 

While moving through the storyline, the player will have to deal with family drama, find hidden objects, get to know the diverse cast of characters, unlock new scenes, and more. The animation is visually engaging, with fun and vibrant colors that captivate the player.

"On the surface, it's a hidden object game combined with a merge mechanic, and it's just really juicy to play," said Lea Schônfelder, co-founder and co-CEO of Fein Games to ZDNET. "If you dive into the story of it, it actually raises some deeper questions, like 'What am I doing with my life?', these sorts of things."

 When nominated as a finalist for the category, Apple gave special recognition to the app's ability to connect women across generations through gameplay. The game is free to download but requires a $3.99 in-app purchase to unlock it. 

Bonus: Trend of the year 

This year, Apple included a Trend of the Year, and unsurprisingly, it was generative AI. Whether you are a tech enthusiast or just a casual consumer, you have probably noticed the explosion of interest in generative AI since ChatGPT was unveiled one year ago. 

That interest made its way over to apps, where developers quickly started working on integrations of generative AI into their own existing or new projects. 

Although Apple acknowledges that many of those AI features are still in their infancy, the company shares that they gave users an opportunity to see the technology in action for themselves and come to their own conclusions about the positives and the negatives.

To highlight the trend of the year, App Store Editors highlighted a collection of generative AI apps that exemplify the Trend of the Year, which can be found in the App Store. 

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2023-11-30 04:00:00Z
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Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Z Flip 6 could be in for a size upgrade - Android Authority

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 and Galaxy Z Fold 5 cover displays

Ryan Haines / Android Authority

TL;DR

  • The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 and Galaxy Z Fold 6 could feature bigger foldable and cover displays.
  • The Galaxy Z Flip 6 could feature a massive 3.9-inch display.

Samsung is reportedly increasing the display sizes on next year’s Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Galaxy Z Flip 6. According to display industry insider Ross Young, both upcoming foldable phones from Samsung will feature larger foldable and cover displays.

Unfortunately, Young has only disclosed the size of the Galaxy Flip 6’s cover screen, which is said to be approaching 3.9 inches. That would make it the biggest cover screen on any flip phone to date, even larger than the Motorola Razr Plus’ massive 3.6-inch external display.

Young says he’s mentioned the exact display sizes for the Fold 6 and Flip 6 in the latest foldable report from Display Supply Chain Consultants, but we don’t have access to it.

DSCC Ross Galaxy Z Flip 6 fold 6 display leak

Ross Young/X

We don’t know much about the Galaxy Fold 6 and Flip 6 just yet, but we previously heard from tipster Revegnus that the Galaxy Fold 6 would feature a new display aspect ratio. The reason for that could very well be the increase in the phone’s display size.

It was also previously reported that Samsung is “reverse engineering” the HUAWEI Mate X5 to slim down its next foldable’s body while increasing its battery capacity.

Meanwhile, a separate spec leak pointed out that the Galaxy Z Flip 6 could feature a 50MP primary camera, making it the first flip model from Samsung to ditch the 12MP sensor.

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2023-11-30 05:56:37Z
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Microsoft Paint adds DALL-E-powered text-to-image generator in Windows 11 - The Verge

A picture of a pixelated cat generated by Paint Cocreator based on a user’s description.
Why draw the pixel cat in MS Paint when Cocreator can just make it for you?
Image: Microsoft

Microsoft is officially launching its Cocreator image-generating AI feature within the Paint app for Windows 11, as reported by Windows Latest. The new integrated text-to-image generator, powered by OpenAI’s DALL-E 3 model, was previously available only to Windows Insiders. As Windows Central points out, the new Cocreator button in Microsoft Paint has now been widely released, giving all users the ability to enter a description of something they’re visualizing and get three generated images to choose between.

While the image generator is a new addition to Microsoft Paint, the company has already sprinkled the DALL-E 3 text-to-image-making capability into its other services. Microsoft’s Bing search chatbot was where users initially punched in image requests, but that’s now folded into the overarching Copilot generative AI assistant. OpenAI provides its paid ChatGPT app users access to DALL-E 3 as well.

As powerful and capable as Copilot is, it’s also kind of overwhelming. Microsoft has pushed Copilot onto countless offerings, from Windows 10 to Microsoft 365 services, and it’s starting to feel like an AI Kool-Aid Man bursting onto the scene. But Cocreator and Paint feel deliberate and like they intuitively belong together, another step toward a future where image generators are the new clip art.

Update November 29th, 6:25PM ET: Added links to the Paint app on the Microsoft Store and to Windows Latest’s report on the new feature.

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2023-11-29 21:02:33Z
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Rabu, 29 November 2023

The 10.9-inch iPad is on sale for a fantastic price and arrives in time for Christmas - TechRadar

2022 Apple iPad on pink background
(Image credit: Future)

If you missed the Black Friday deals and the Cyber Monday deals, and thus didn’t manage to grab a cut-price iPad, I have good news for you: the 10th-gen iPad is on sale for $399 at Amazon right now. In the UK, Amazon has cut the iPad to £459. That’s a saving of $50 and £40 respectively. 

That’s not the cheapest I’ve seen this iPad drop, but it’s still a good price, especially in the US where the standard iPad is priced well for what it offers in terms of design and performance. Released in 2022, the iPad 10.2-inch model ushered in a new design that’s reminiscent of the iPad Air. It got access to the A14 Bionic chipset, which isn’t the most modern slice of silicon designed by the folks at Cupertino but it’s more than capable enough for everyday iPad tasks. 

As you’ll see in our iPad 10.9 (2022) review, the refreshed look makes for a more grown-up tablet. It’s ideal for everything from content consumption, gaming – especially with Apple Arcade – note taking, web browsing and creating digital art; with the only caveat that it only supports the first-generation Apple Pencil. 

This iPad deal is well worth consideration. It makes for a great first iPad or as a rather generous Christmas gift idea for a loved one.

Not in the US or UK? Scroll down for the best iPad deals in your location.

Pre-Christmas iPad deal

If this iPad deal doesn't do it for you then check out our roundup of the best iPad deals. For other deals you can get right now, take a look at our collection of the best Christmas sales available today.  

Follow TechRadar on TikTok for news, reviews, unboxings, and hot deals!

Managing Editor, Mobile Computing

Roland Moore-Colyer a Managing Editor at TechRadar with a focus on phones and tablets, but a general interest in all things tech, especially things with a good story behind them. He can also be found writing about games, computers, and cars when the occasion arrives. And he also supports with the day-to-day running of TechRadar. When not at his desk Roland can be found wandering around London, often with a look of curiosity on his face and a nose for food markets. 

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2023-11-29 19:34:07Z
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Selasa, 28 November 2023

Anger as some Google cloud customers locked out of files - BBC

The Google Drive logoGetty Images

Google Drive users have reacted angrily to a glitch leaving some unable to access files from the last six months.

Google said it was investigating the issue which is affecting some users of its hugely popular cloud storage service.

The problem was first reported on 22 November by a user who said their Drive had reset to a May 2023 version.

It is not known how many customers are affected, but people in multiple countries have reported problems.

Drive is part of Google Workspace, a suite of applications which has more than three billion users worldwide.

Users reacted angrily on Google's support site, with one calling it "very devastating", adding "the files are very important to me".

Others said they had lost files from recent months - and wrote of the stress it was causing them.

"This is crazy and not a dependable cloud service," one commented. "In a panic!" they added.

Another posted: "I pay for this service every month and will pursue legal action if needed. Unacceptable and highly aggravating."

More updates

The original poster, who was using Drive for Desktop on Windows, says none of the fixes suggested by Google so far have worked.

In their post on the forum, Google said they were investigating the reports and would "follow up with more updates".

They suggest that people do not disconnect their account in the Drive for desktop app, and do not delete or move the app data folder.

They also recommend making a copy of the folder, if users are able to.

Enza Ianopollo, a data privacy expert at analyst firm Forrester, said the situation was a "big deal" for Google.

She said it was "very, very necessary" for the tech giant to give users a full explanation of what had happened.

"Not just in terms of 'wait, your data will appear back,' but really understanding what happened to the data", she told the BBC.

Ms Ianopollo said business customers in particular would need to know exactly when and if their files had been accessed or altered - because it would be them rather than Google who would be liable for any data loss.

The BBC has contacted Google for comment.

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2023-11-28 16:25:06Z
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