Samsung seems to be back with a bang after the Galaxy Note 7 debacle. Following reports that the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ saw record pre-orders in Korea and the US, news comes that the pre-bookings of the two smartphones have reached 80,000 units within a week of their launch in India.
Meanwhile, Samsung has announced that updates to fix the red-tinted screens and patchy Wi-Fi connections will be rolled out this week. And as the device gets into the hands of more customers in the coming weeks, several teardowns have shown what to expect. One of the YouTube channels JerryRigEverything, states that the front camera can move inside the module, just like the one on the back. This indicates that Samsung may have been working on optical image stabilization (OIS) for the front camera but not shipping it. Samsung, for its part, declined to comment.
NASA’s Cassini spacecraft dives into the depths of Saturn. On the subject of galaxies and all things interstellar, Cassini, an uncrewed spacecraft, could give us a deeper look at Saturn. It is a 20-year mission between NASA, the European Space Agency, and the Italian Space Agency. The first 22 Cassini spacecraft deep dives between Saturn and its inner rings occurred on Wednesday at 2:30 p.m. IST. Communications with the spacecraft have failed, and it could make radio contact with Earth as early as 03:05 a.m. (12:35 a.m. IST) on April 27.
“Images and other data are expected to pour in shortly after communication is established,” NASA said.
Cassini, launched in 1997, has been orbiting Saturn since 2004. Now that the spacecraft is dangerously low on fuel, it will plunge into Saturn on September 15. At best, it could discover life on Saturn during its last flight. Or, worst case scenario, we’d have more pictures of Saturn’s beauty that would make suitable wallpapers for our smartphones and desktops.
Cassini spacecraft ready for final dive into Saturn’s atmosphere in Grand Finale
iPhone 8 concept shows off new features; Apple Watch 3 to use the micro-LED screen? Another day, another iPhone 8 leaked. Despite being months away from launch, today’s rumor comes in the form of an iPhone 8 concept video. There’s an edge-to-edge OLED display, a front camera almost hidden behind the display, a function bar at the base, and a fingerprint scanner embedded below the display. A white variant is shown with a ceramic back. Not glass like the pictures we’ve seen in the past. The iPhone 8 isn’t the only Cupertino device to get a controversial upgrade. If leaks are to be believed, the Apple Watch 3 (and later iPhones) could use a micro-LED screen. Which could mean that Samsung’s reliance on Samsung for OLED displays could be a temporary solution.
“Apple has partnered with LuxVue (which it acquired in 2014) to develop new micro-LED screen production in the two years since the technology began gaining public attention in 2015,” Apple Insider reported Wednesday, citing a report from Business Korea.
WhatsApp for Business will see India play a ‘critical role’ It is not new that WhatsApp is a big part of most people’s lives in India. The Facebook company is taking a leaf out of WeChat in China and looking for ways to let users communicate directly with businesses on WhatsApp. It claims that India will play a vital role in its quest for business solutions.
“…we’re building the product phase. So you’ll see different tests for small and large businesses over the year, and figuring out what’s a good experience for these businesses on WhatsApp,” WhatsApp spokesman Matt Matt Steinfeld said.
He said, “India will play a crucial role in that.”
Facebook Releases Comments For Facebook Lite, India-Specific Effects For Facebook Camera At an event in Delhi on Wednesday; Facebook revealed a few features specific to India. First, the Comments feature, claimed to have been used over 300 billion times on Facebook posts, will be rolled out to Facebook Lite. This is the company’s lightweight Android app for markets like India, where internet connectivity isn’t the best.
In an unrelated announcement, Facebook is getting Camera India-specific camera effects for India, such as Namaste, and geo-specific experiences for cities like Delhi, Goa, and other popular Indian locations.
In a statement, the company said: “India is a very important country for Facebook, and we are proud to have more than 184 million active people in India every month who use Facebook to connect with their friends and family and provide support. Build communities on and offline.”
Windows 10 Mobile Creators Update Rolled Out For those holding onto your Windows Phones, Microsoft has rolled out the Windows 10 Mobile Creators Update. Dubbed Windows 10 Mobile Redstone 2, it will be rolled out in phases, so don’t expect it on your device just yet.
Improvements include adding more call-to-action buttons, new system sounds, and using Continuum to lock and turn off the phone screen. Cortana gets a new user interface and access to more system features. Furthermore, Microsoft Edge gets the side-tab part on PC, a separate bookshelf section, and a “read-aloud” piece for the visually impaired.
Microsoft brings Windows 10 Mobile Redstone 2 update to 13 devices, namely HP Elite x3, Microsoft Lumia 550, Microsoft Lumia 640, Microsoft Lumia 640XL, Microsoft Lumia 650, Microsoft Lumia 950, Microsoft Lumia 950 XL, Alcatel Idol 4S, Alcatel OneTouch Fierce XL, Lenovo SoftBank 503LV, Vaio Phone Biz, MouseComputer Madosma Q601, and Trinity NuAns NEO.
Star Wars: Episode IX release date announced The Last Jedi may have gotten a trailer a few weeks ago, along with a December release date, but you won’t be waiting until late 2019 for the final chapter in the new Star Wars trilogy. Disney and Lucasfilm have announced that the third and final chapter of the new Star Wars trilogy, Star Wars: Episode IX, will be released on May 24, 2019. This means fans will finish this particular storyline sooner than expected. At the same time, this also affects the summer lineup, which has just gotten much busier for other movies.
Google Maps can now remember where you parked your car Google Maps has a new feature that allows you to save the location of your parked car. The new “save your parking space” location feature was part of the Google Maps beta last month and is now rolling out to all users on Android and iOS. Apart from saving your parking location, it provides details like level and parking space. And if you’re in an area with a paid parking meter, you can set the time before it expires and a reminder to alert you 15 minutes before the expiration date. Also, an image of the parking lot can be saved and sent to friends.
Refurbished Samsung Galaxy Note 7 to be sold in select markets Refurbished Samsung Galaxy Note 7 devices may be available in some markets by June. According to a report by South Korean publication ET News, South Korea will be one of the first to get these units.
About 300,000 of the three to four million recalled units will be available in South Korea and include a 3200mAh battery instead of the original’s 3500mAh battery. It will be called the Galaxy Note 7 R (SM-935) and could be priced at KRW 700,000 (approximately Rs. 39,700), which is nearly KRW 300,000 (roughly Rs. 17,000) less than the original unrefurbished Galaxy Note 7.
Lenovo may close its Zuk brand in a few weeks: report According to analyst Pan Jiutang, Lenovo’s Chinese sub-brand Zuk Mobile is set to close in the coming weeks. This is a post from Weibo user Old Cool stating that Lenovo would not launch the Zuk Z3, to which the analyst replied that the entire Zuk vertical would be shut down in the coming weeks.
If true, it would result in Zuk losing as little as 23 months after the company ex existed could also mean forming a new brand with Lenovo and Moto. Probably to leverage Moto’s legacy as much as possible. Currently, Lenovo is marketing Moto smartphones as is, and future phones will continue to use the Moto ‘bat wing’ logo.
Even if this happened, Zuk’s user interface would live on. This is because Lenovo’s Vice President Alex Chen Yu recently confirmed that upcoming Moto smartphones would use Zuk’s ZUI skin.
