The Amazon Echo can be the center of your home entertainment. And that includes listening to podcasts as well as music or the audio from your Fire TV. Podcasts are a great alternative to digital radio stations and on the Amazon Echo, you have a number of options on where to get them from.
If you also use an iPhone or an iPad, you may already be invested in Apple Podcasts. The company has been at the forefront of providing podcasts since they became a thing, with a number of third-party clients using the Apple Podcasts library.
If you have an Amazon Echo you don’t need to worry about third-party clients or skills, you can listen to Apple Podcasts directly on your smart speaker. Here’s how to do it.
How to listen to Apple Podcasts on the Amazon Echo
Like with Apple Music, there is official support for Apple Podcasts on the Alexa platform that powers the Amazon Echo. Unlike Apple Music, however, the support isn’t baked in by default. To get your Apple Podcast fix you’ll need to spend a minute getting set up.
There are only two steps you need to follow, though.
In the Alexa app on your phone or tablet, search for the Apple Podcasts skill and enable it.
Authenticate the skill with your Apple ID to link it to your Alexa account.
You will now be able to listen to Apple Podcasts through any Amazon Echo your account is linked to. But there’s an additional step you should follow to make listening to podcasts more convenient.
Once enabled you’ll need to specify “on Apple Podcasts” to direct Alexa to the right service. If you set Apple Podcasts as your default podcasting platform you won’t need to do this.
Open the Alexa app on your phone or tablet.
Tap on More.
Open Settings.
Tap on the Music and Podcasts option.
Tap on Default Services and choose Apple Podcasts as your podcast provider.
Now you won’t need to specify “on Apple Podcasts” when you ask Alexa to play a podcast for you. It’s worth highlighting, also, that the Apple Podcasts skill is currently pretty basic. You can basically play podcasts and that’s it. If you ask for a particular show it will play the latest episode only then upon completion move through the older ones sequentially. You can’t, as yet, ask for specific episodes it seems.
What is nice is that since it syncs to your Apple ID, you can resume a podcast on the Echo you started on your phone, and vice-versa. So while it is basic, it’s an easy, hands-free way to enjoy your favorite podcasts around the home. With multiple devices, like an Echo Dot in every room, you can create a group and fill your entire home with the latest episodes from your favorite podcasters.
The Amazon Echo is the best all-around smart speaker for most people with a nice design, great sound and the immense power of the Alexa ecosystem at its disposal.
Google’s recent push to improve Android for large-screen devices has prompted several OEMs to enter the Android tablet space once again. But while some OEMs, like Samsung and Xiaomi, are focusing on the flagship and mid-range Android tablet segments, others like Realme are betting big on the entry-level tablet market. After launching the budget-friendly Realme Pad in several markets last year, Realme recently launched an even more affordable tablet — the Realme Pad Mini — in India.
The Realme Pad Mini is essentially a smaller version of the original Realme Pad, and it offers budget specs at an even more affordable price point. The tablet is equipped with a Unisoc T616 octa-core SoC, coupled with up to 4GB RAM, up to 64GB storage, an 8.7-inch 800p display, and a 6,400mAh battery. Although these specs sound unimpressive, the Realme Pad Mini is a decent buy for anyone looking for a secondary device for content consumption or some light schoolwork, as it comes at a starting price of under $150.
The Realme Pad Mini is currently available at a starting price of ₹10,999 (~$144) in India. It’s also available in the Phillippines.
Realme is offering both Wi-Fi only and LTE variants of the tablet, with the top-end 4GB RAM and 64GB storage model priced at ₹14,999 (~$197).
In India, the Realme Pad Mini is available through Realme’s website, Flipkart, and offline retail stores. The tablet is available in two RAM and storage configurations, both with and without LTE support. The variants are priced as follows:
Wi-Fi only:
3GB + 32GB: ₹10,999 (~$144)
4GB + 64GB: ₹12,999 (~$170)
LTE:
3GB + 32GB: ₹12,999 (~$170)
4GB + 64GB: 14,999 (~$197)
All four variants come in two colorways — Blue and Gray.
Realme Pad Mini: Specifications
Specification
Realme Pad Mini
Build
Dimensions & Weight
211.84 x 124.48 x 7.6mm
372g
Display
8.7-inch LCD
1340 x 800 resolution
SoC
Unisoc T616 octa-core SoC
2x ARM Cortex-A75 @2GHz
6x ARM Cortex-A55 @1.8GHz
Mali G57 GPU
RAM & Storage
3GB RAM + 32GB storage
4GB + 64GB
Expandable up to 1TB
Battery & Charging
6,400mAh
18W fast charging support
Reverse wired charging support
Security
Software-enabled face unlock
Rear Camera(s)
8MP f/2
Front Camera(s)
5MP f/2.2
Port(s)
USB Type-C
3.5mm headphone jack
Audio
Dual speakers
Connectivity
LTE (dual SIM)
802.11 a/b/g/n/ac dual-band Wi-Fi
Bluetooth 5.0
Software
Realme UI for Pad based on Android 11
Colors
Blue
Gray
About this review: Realme India sent the Realme Pad Mini (4GB/64GB LTE) to us for the purposes of this review. Realme had no input into the contents of this article.
Realme Pad Mini: Design & Display
The Realme Pad Mini has an 8.7-inch LCD panel.
The tablet measures just 7.6mm thick, but it still features a 3.5mm headphone jack.
Although Realme has made some polarizing design choices with some of its recently released smartphones, the company has not taken the same approach with the Realme Pad Mini. Like its predecessor, the new budget-friendly tablet sports a minimal and premium-looking design. It has a slim metal chassis with square edges, a plain back panel with no hilarious slogans, and a rectangular camera island in the top left corner that houses the primary 8MP shooter.
Over on the front, the Realme Pad Mini sports an 8.7-inch display with chunky bezels on the top and bottom that make it easy to hold in landscape orientation without worrying about accidental touches. The LCD panel has a resolution of 1340 x 800 pixels, which is a bit low for a display of this size. This means that content (especially text) does not look as crisp as it does on a full-HD panel. But it’s decent enough for an entry-level device. Surprisingly, the display gets sufficiently bright, so you won’t face any visibility issues with a brightness dialed up to 100 percent.
The display on the Realme Pad Mini gets sufficiently bright, so you won't face any visibility issues while using the tablet outdoors.
As far as the tablet’s buttons and ports are concerned, the volume rocker and power button reside on the right edge, while the SIM card slot on the LTE variants is on the left edge. The 3.5mm headphone jack and USB Type-C port can be found on the top and bottom edges, respectively.
The Realme Pad Mini also packs a dual speaker setup, which can get quite loud at max volume and offers decent stereo separation when you hold the tablet in landscape orientation. The speaker setup is fine for content consumption, but you’d be better off using wired earphones if you plan on playing games on the tablet. Speaking of playing games, I wouldn’t do much of that if I were you — more on this in the performance section.
I have no qualms about the Realme Pad Mini when it comes to its design, but its display leaves a lot to be desired. The display’s shortcomings will be quite obvious to those of you who regularly use high-resolution, high refresh rate panels on a smartphone. But I wasn’t really disappointed with it, as I had low expectations from the get-go, given its price point.
Realme Pad Mini: Performance, Battery life, & Software
The Unisoc T616 SoC on the Realme Pad Mini is good enough for content consumption, web browsing, and some casual gaming. But you shouldn’t expect a great gaming experience in demanding titles.
The 6,400mAh battery will easily last you through a workday if you plan on using the Realme Pad Mini for web browsing and basic productivity tasks.
The Realme Pad Mini packs a Unisoc T616 octa-core SoC, paired with up to 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage. I’ve been using the 4GB/64GB LTE variant for a little over a week, and I did not experience any stutters or lags while browsing through the UI, watching videos, or reading an eBook.
That’s not the case with demanding workloads like gaming, though. I experienced frequent stuttering and frame drops while playing PUBG, even though the game runs at the medium frame rate setting and balanced graphic setting by default. Casual games like Clash of Clans run fine for the most part, but I noticed occasional frame drops when attacking high-level villages with many buildings. Based on this experience, it’s safe for me to say that the Realme Pad Mini will not serve well as a gaming tablet. But if you’re getting it for your kid to play some casual games, it’s serviceable. It’s worth mentioning that the Realme Pad Mini does get a bit warm during extended gaming sessions, but it never got hot enough to make it uncomfortable to hold.
For those of you interested in benchmark scores, the Realme Pad Mini manages to secure a measly 371 points in Geekbench 5’s single-core test and 1381 points in the multi-core test. You can check out the full results by following this link. In PC Mark’s Work 3.0 benchmark, the tablet scored 8301 points. As mentioned earlier, the tablet does not get hot during extended periods of use and, therefore, it does not thermal throttle enough to show any visible performance degradation. Even after multiple runs of the CPU Throttling Test app, the CPU only throttled to 91 percent of its peak performance, which is better than what I expected from the Unisoc T616.
Performance-wise, the Realme Pad Mini offers what I expected when I first went through its spec sheet. It’s not bad for the money spent, but it’s not great either.
The Realme Pad Mini’s battery life, however, is surprisingly good, and the 6,400mAh battery will easily last you a full day of heavy use. With light workloads, you won’t feel the need to charge the tablet more than two or three times a week. The tablet comes with an 18W charger in the box, which takes a couple of hours to get the tablet from 0 to 100%. It’s not particularly fast, but it gets the job done. And since you probably won’t be using the tablet as your primary device, the slow charging speeds shouldn’t be a hindrance.
In the software department, the Realme Pad Mini runs Realme UI for Pad based on Android 11 out of the box. Although Realme’s name for its Android skin for tablets will lead you to believe that it features UI optimizations for large-screen devices, it does not. It’s a relatively barebones version of Realme UI with a couple of Google apps preinstalled, like Google Kids Space, Google TV, Google One, GPay, Play Books, etc. Realme UI for Pad doesn’t offer any feature to help you better utilize the extra screen real estate for multitasking. So just expect a giant smartphone experience for the most part.
Should you buy the Realme Pad Mini?
Based on your use case, the answer to this question can either be a resounding YES!, an undecisive maybe, or a strong no.
Are you purchasing the tablet for your kid to watch videos or play some casual games? I think you should get it right away. It’s a cheap tablet that gets this job done, and since the hardware is inherently basic, it works as advertised for these basic needs.
Do you currently binge Netflix on your phone and want to get the tablet for a better viewing experience? You can consider buying it, provided you’re OK with the low-resolution display. Again, the price of this tablet makes it easy to overlook several of its flaws.
Do you plan on playing demanding games like PUBG or getting some serious work done on the tablet? Your money would be better spent on a mid-range phone or a slightly more premium tablet like the original Realme Pad, the Nokia T20 Tab, or the Samsung Galaxy Tab A8. The Galaxy Tab A8 is a particularly good alternative in this price range, as One UI offers some great features for productivity. It even secured a spot on our list of the best Android tablets.
Buy the Realme Pad Mini if:
You want a budget-friendly secondary device for content consumption.
You want a cheap eBook reader that offers great battery life.
Do not buy the Realme Pad Mini if:
You plan on using it as your primary device.
You plan on playing games like PUBG.
You want an optimized software experience that utilizes the extra screen real estate for productivity.
The long-awaited Google Pixel Watch was finally unveiled at this year’s Google I/O, though the company was particularly cagey about its specifications. We didn’t actually get to hear a whole lot, aside from the fact that it was also going to be launching alongside the Pixel 7 series. Now, though, a new report from 9to5Google suggests that it’s going to pack the Exynos 9110, a chipset that launched four years ago.
While obviously it’s frustrating that Google isn’t packing the latest Exynos W920 chipset in its first smartwatch, there are likely reasons as to why. The most likely reason is that the Pixel Watch has been in development for a long, long, time. The company has been planning it since the very first Google Pixel smartphone, and rumors again picked up steam in 2018 ahead of the Pixel 3 series launch.
Given all of that, it’s very possible that this is being developed on older hardware because it’s technically an older device. As 9to5Google reports, the Pixel Watch began development on Android 9 Pie. If Google eventually switched to the Exynos W920, it could have delayed development even further.
It’s not all bad, though. The Exynos 9110 is built on a 10nm process, packing two Cortex-A53 cores. That means it’s more efficient than Qualcomm’s latest offering, and will hopefully pair nicely with the reported 300 mAh battery. For reference, Qualcomm’s latest wearable chip is the Snapdragon Wear 4100 Plus, produced on a 12nm process and packing four Cortex-A53 cores.
Really, the only issue in the case of the Pixel Watch is that it likely won’t be able to compete with the best of Samsung, with a Galaxy Watch 5 series expected to launch sometime before the Pixel Watch will. The Galaxy Watch 5 will likely pack, at minimum, an Exynos W920 which means that it’ll still beat the Exynos 9110, though probably not by a huge amount in real-world usage.
While it would be nice to have the latest and greatest chipset in Google’s first premiere smartwatch outing, processors aren’t everything. We learned as much with the Google Pixel 6 series and how Google Tensor remained competitive against the current generation of chipsets thanks to Google’s optimisations, despite being based on a theoretically weaker Exynos chipset. We’ll be waiting to see if the rumors are true, and if so, what Google can pull off with an older chip.
While OnePlus is busy shaping up Android 13 through its Developer Preview program, the company is also reminding users that it hasn’t forgotten about the OnePlus Nord by releasing an update through its Open Beta program. It may take several more rounds of Open Beta releases before we see the final stable OxygenOS 12 build lands on this device, but the OEM is making steady progress in that direction. The third OxygenOS Open Beta based on Android 12 is now available for the OnePlus Nord.
As expected, Open Beta 3 is mostly a bug-fixing update, and we’re not seeing any major shuffle in terms of new features or UI changes. Fixes have been deployed for the boot animation and Google Assistant voice activation, for instance. The build also addresses the issue of the glitchy touch sounds. Finally, the Android security patch level has been bumped to April 2022.
The full update changelog for the OnePlus Nord’s Open Beta 3 release can be found below:
Security
[Updated] Android security patch to 2022.04
System
[Fixed] the issue of abnormal Touch sounds
[Fixed] the issue of abnormal boot animation
Voice
[Fixed] the occasional issue that unable to start “OK Google” with voice
Download OxygenOS 12 Open Beta 3 for the OnePlus Nord
Users already on the OxygenOS beta path will receive this update as an incremental OTA if they are stock unrooted, and as a complete update if they are rooted. On the other hand, people who are not enrolled to the beta program need to download and manually flash the ROM.
Although installing the Open Beta on top of a stable channel build won’t erase your data, it’s advised that you still take a full backup of your important data before switching the update track. You can flash the rollback package if you wish to revert to the stable channel.
Thanks to XDA Recognized Developer mlgmxyysd for the download link!
In Windows 11, just like previous versions of Windows before it, you can have different user accounts on the same PC. Some of these accounts can be administrator accounts, and others might just be regular accounts. That’s because some apps – particularly ones that can change important system files – sometimes require administrator permission to run or to make specific changes. Even if you have an administrator account, many times Windows 11 apps won’t run with administrator permissions by default, so as to prevent apps from making potentially harmful changes to your PC without your consent.
For example, the Windows Terminal can run without administrator permissions, and some features can be used that way, but many of the things you can do with it do require you to run it as an administrator. Otherwise, they just won’t work. If you want to run an app as an administrator, here’s how you can do it.
Running an app as an administrator once
If you just want to run a specific app as an administrator occasionally, you can specifically ask it to run as an administrator whenever you need to. Doing this is very simple:
On the Start menu, desktop, or File Explorer, right-click the app you want to run. Then, click Run as administrator (in the All apps list on the Start menu, this option is hidden behind the More dropdown menu).
On the desktop and File Explorer, you can also press Ctrl + Shift while clicking an app to run it as an administrator.
Click Yes in the User Account Control prompt. If you’re not using an administrator account, you’ll need to provide a password for one of the administrator accounts on the PC.
Do note, however, that not every app will give you the option to run as an administrator. Particularly, apps built on the Universal Windows Platform (UWP) or WinRT don’t offer this option. These apps are designed to work in a more limited scope for security reasons, so they don’t even have the option. These are mostly apps you’ll find in the Microsoft Store, so if you downloaded something using your web browser, you should be able to run it as an administrator just fine.
Always run an app in administrator mode
For some apps, you may want to always run them as administrator, so it can get tedious to do the process above every time. If you want a specific app to always run as an administrator, you can make that happen, at least, for some apps. Here’s how:
Find the app you want on the desktop or using File Explorer. If the app you want is on the Start menu, right-click it and choose Open file location. If you can’t see the option, you may not be able to run the app as an administrator.
For some apps that don’t show the Open file location option on the Start menu, another option is to use the Task Manager. While the app is running, open the Task Manager and locate the app there. You can then right-click the process and choose Open file location there to find where the app is. This won’t work for every app, however.
Right-click the app and choose Properties in the context menu.
In the Properties window, switch to the Compatibility tab at the top.
Here, toggle the option that says Run this program as an administrator.
Click OK to save your changes and close the Properties window.
If the app is currently running, you’ll need to close it and re-launch it for it to run with administrator permissions.
From now on, that program will always run as an administrator. You’ll have to accept the User Account Control prompt every time you run the app, you can’t work around that.
Certain apps, such as the Windows Terminal we mentioned above, can’t be located in the File Explorer normally, but you can still set them to run as administrator from within the app itself. Many apps offer this option in their settings, but that will look different for each app.
And that’s all you need to know about running Windows 11 apps as an administrator. As we’ve mentioned, this can enable certain features in some apps. but you’ll need an administrator account to do so. Speaking of things that require an administrator account, why not check out how to enable God Mode on Windows 11 to gain quick access to various system settings?
And while we’re on the topic of accounts, we also have a guide on how to set up a child account on Windows 11. This can be very helpful if you have a PC you share with the rest of your family.
Lenovo’s ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 7 is one of the best business laptops you can buy in 2022. It’s packing the latest hardware from Intel, it has a nice display with a new 4K ultra HD+ OLED configuration option, and the webcam has been upgraded to a 1080p sensor across the board, giving you much better quality for video calls and meetings. To keep the whole thing running, the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga has a 57Whr battery, and that battery is charged with the included 65W charger.
But what happens if you lose that charger or if it stops working for some reason? Thankfully, there’s no shortage of options if you need a new charger for your laptop, and we’ve rounded up some of the best ones you can buy right now. Some of them are fairly basic chargers, but others have some more interesting capabilities that you might also appreciate. Let’s get into it.
There's no better way to charge a Lenovo laptop than a Lenovo charger, right? Lenovo sells this compact 65W charger that uses gallium nitride to stay cool, and thus it's much smaller than a typical laptop charger.
Want something that can charge your phone, too? This 65W Baseus charger has three ports so you can plug in more devices. However, your laptop will charge slower if other devices are plugged in at the same time.
If you want to get the fastest charging speeds possible, the Spigen Arcstation Pro is hard to beat delivering up. It does have two ports, each one giving you 45W of power if you use both at once.
If you happen to lose your charging cables easily, this charger is a good option. It's a very cheap and compact charger, but since it delivers 65W of power, it's still a good match for the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga.
Many of the chargers we see today have all their guts built right into the plug, but for some people. having the power adapter separated from the plug may be better. This is a cheap 65W charger that does exactly that.
Want to charge all your devices from the same brick? This 108W charger from Belkin can provide up to 96W to your laptop, and even when the other ports are being used, the main port still delivers 65W.
Need to keep your laptop juiced up during a trip? The Omni 20c+ is a large power bank that supports 60W power delivery over USB-C. However, you can get faster charging using the wall outlet plug that's also built into the power bank.
Charging your laptop is useful enough, but what about something that adds capabilities to your laptop? This Kensington dock adds more USB Type-A ports and three Thunderbolt downstream ports for things like monitors.
If you're planning to be away from an outlet for a few days, a big portable power station like this might be what you need. It has two wall outlets and a USB-C port that can deliver 60W of power. Plus, it's big enough to keep you going for a couple of days.
And those are all the charger options we’d recommend for the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 7. We got a little crazy with more out-there options towards the end, but they might be useful for people with specific needs. Of course, the basic options will do just as well if all you need is a charger to replace the one that comes in the box. But we also don’t expect most users to need to replace their existing charger already considering the laptop is still very recent.
If you haven’t yet, you can buy the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 7 below. This is one of the best laptops of the year, especially if you want a reliable and classic-looking laptop for work. It has high-end performance, a versatile convertible design, and the iconic elements that make ThinkPads stand out, like the red TrackPoint and the duplicate mouse buttons above the touchpad.
The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Yoga Gen 7 is a powerful convertible with 12th-gen Intel processors and up to an Ultra HD+ OLED display. Plus, you can get it with a Full HD webcam.
Today, HP is announcing all new products from its Z lineup, including some ZBooks, some monitors, and even the HP Thunderbolt Dock G4. Specifically, the two new laptops are the ZBook Studio G9 and the ZBook Fury G9.
“Creative professionals want personalized hardware and software experiences that provide them the freedom to pursue their passions and create without their technology or location holding them back,” said Jim Nottingham, general manager and global head, Advanced Compute and Solutions, HP Inc. “Today’s Z by HP announcement blends cutting-edge technology with the versatility of a combined ecosystem to make every creative idea a reality.”
HP ZBook Studio G9 and ZBook Fury G9
HP’s ZBook mobile workstations are meant to be able to handle the most complex workloads. Both the ZBook Studio and ZBook Fury G9 come with Intel’s new 12th-gen processors. The ZBook Studio comes with up to a Core i9 vPro CPU and an NVIDIA RTX A5500 or a GeForce RTX 3080 Ti depending on your needs.
HP ZBook Fury G9
The ZBook Fury G9 is even more powerful. It has Intel new 55W HX-series processors, and either an NVIDIA RTX A5500 GPU ot AMD Radeon Pro GPUs. With these new processors, HP is promising desktop-class performance, as they come closer to a standard S-series CPU from Intel.
Both the ZBook Fury and ZBook Studio will be available in June, with pricing to be announced later.
Monitors and a new dock
HP has two new monitors to announce today, the Z24m G3 QHD Conferencing Display and the Z24q G3 QHD Display.
HP Z24 monitors
If you’re looking for a 23.8-inch monitor with QHD resolution, HP has you covered here, especially since these come with a 90Hz refresh rate. They’re factory calibrated for sRGB and P3, and they have VESA DisplayHDR 400. The big difference between the two is that the Z24m G2 QHD Conferencing Display has a tiltable 5MP webcam.
The HP Z24m G3 QHD Conferencing Display is coming in July, with pricing to be announced later. The Z24q is coming in May, starting at $374.
HP Thunderbolt Dock G4
HP’s new Thunderbolt Dock G4 adds an array of ports like dual DisplayPort, HDMI, several USB Type-A, and more. What makes it really interesting is that it comes in 120W and 280W variants, so it can charge your laptop faster if you need it. The Thunderbolt Dock G4 is coming in May, at $329 for the 120W model and $439 for the 280W model.
Google I/O is the company’s yearly conference for developers, and it goes live in just a few hours! Last year, Google gave us a better look at Android 12 during I/O 2021. This year during I/O 2022, we will likely get an extensive preview of Android 13 — which is already in the beta testing phase. The company could also potentially reveal some new hardware during the event, such as the rumored Pixel 6A phone and all-new Pixel Watch. Ultimately, we won’t need to speculate later today, as Google will make all of the details official during the main keynote. Now you must be wondering — how and when can I watch Google I/O 2022? Here’s everything you need to know.
What time is the Google I/O 2022 event?
The Google I/O event goes live later today at:
West Coast: 10 AM PT
East Coast: 1 PM ET
UK: 6 PM GMT
India: 10:30 PM IST
How to watch the Google event
Main Keynote
The first and main keynote of Google I/O tends to be viewers’ favorite. The company’s CEO — Sundar Pichai — will likely reveal the major announcements and changes Google has been working on in this department. You can watch it through the company’s official YouTube live stream or on the Google I/O website.
Developer Keynote
The Developer Keynote follows the main one on the first day. It is mostly aimed at developers to learn about the latest APIs and under-the-hood changes in Google’s operating systems. You can also watch it through the company’s official YouTube live stream and the Google I/O website.
The rest of Google I/O Day 1 and Day 2
Following the main and developer keynotes, Google will then hold other sessions throughout the first and second I/O days. These include a deeper dive into what’s new in Android, in addition to updates to Firebase, AR, and other Google apps. You can see the full schedule of days 1 and 2 on the Google I/O website, as well.
What’s your wishlist for Google I/O 2022? Let us know in the comments section below.
Over the last few weeks, we’ve seen multiple leaks about Samsung’s fourth-gen foldables — the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and the Galaxy Z Flip 4. While the leaks revealed a couple of design and hardware details about the upcoming devices, they have not showcased what they might actually look like upon release. That changes today, thanks to renowned leaker OnLeaks.
OnLeaks has shared leaked renders (via Smartprix) of Samsung’s upcoming flagship foldable — the Galaxy Z Fold 4. As you can see in the attached images, the device looks a lot like its predecessor, the Galaxy Z Fold 3, except for some minor tweaks to the camera island and aspect ratio. The device drops the pill-shaped camera island in favor of a more minimal design, like the one found on Samsung’s flagship Galaxy S22 Ultra.
The Galaxy Z Fold 4 also seems to be flatter than the Galaxy Z Fold 3, and a bit wider, giving it a boxier look. This falls in line with a recent leak claiming that Samsung has tweaked the aspect ratio of both the external and main displays. Other noteworthy design elements spotted in the renders include speaker grilles on the top and bottom edges, a USB Type-C port, and a side-mounted fingerprint scanner.
Furthermore, OnLeaks has revealed that the Galaxy Z Fold 4 will feature a 6.2-inch cover display and a 7.6-inch main display. It will measure 155 x 130 x 7.1mm when unfolded. In contrast, the Galaxy Z Fold 3 measured 67.1 x 158.2 x 14.4mm when folded and 128.1 x 158.2 x 6.4mm unfolded. This means that while the device will offer the same screen sizes as its predecessor, it will be a bit thicker overall.
While the latest leak doesn’t shed any light on the Galaxy Z Fold 4’s hardware, previous leaks suggest that it will pack a 4,400mAh battery, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chip, and the same telephoto lens as the Galaxy S22 Ultra. The device will reportedly come in three color options — Beige, Black, and Gray.
Google released the first Android 13 Beta back in April, enabling not just developers but also curious users to fiddle with the upcoming version of Android. Although the beta release is currently limited to Google’s own lineup of Pixel smartphones, many other OEMs are likely to follow in the footsteps and release Android 13 betas for their devices. Now, OnePlus is pleased to announce that the OnePlus 10 Pro is eligible to get an early taste of Android 13.
OnePlus is releasing its first Android 13 Beta as part of its Developer Preview Program. This allows app developers and early adopters to get started on creating software for the next version of Android and, ultimately, OxygenOS 13. OnePlus reiterates that this build is best suited for “developers and other advanced users,” as it’s still in early development. Don’t flash this on your daily driver unless you’re prepared to deal with a truckload of bugs.
Here is the list of known issues with Android 13 on the OnePlus 10 Pro:
All data will be cleared while flashing the build or rolling to Android 12
Some issues with system stability and performance
Unable to access Shelf
Unable to move the documents in My Files
Some apps may not function as expected
Unable to record voice to active Voice awake on Start-up navigation page
Some features of ORoaming may not function as expected
OnePlus cautions that there is a risk of bricking your phone when flashing this build. Hence, read the instructions very carefully before proceeding. Keep in mind that this build is only for the carrier unlocked OnePlus 10 Pro variants. Do not try to cross-flash this onto the OnePlus 9/9 Pro or other OnePlus models. Make sure your battery is at least above 30% and there is a minimum of 4GB of free space available before installing.
Download: Android 13 Developer Preview 1 for the OnePlus 10 Pro
You can find the download links of the region-specific update packages below. Note that the OnePlus 10 Pro from T-Mobile and Verizon are not compatible with the developer preview release. Make sure to backup your personal data before flashing.
In order to install the Developer Preview release, do the following:
After downloading the appropriate update ZIP file, copy it to the phone storage.
Go to Settings -> About device -> Version -> Click the Build number 7 times and enter the password to unlock the Developer options.
Now we can apply the update.
For European and Indian models, go back Settings -> About device -> Up to date -> click the top right button -> Local install -> locate the update package -> Extract -> Upgrade -> wait to finish the installation.
For the global model, download and install this APK. Next, open the app -> tap the top-right gear icon -> find the update package and tap it -> wait to finish the installation.
After the upgrade is complete, click Restart.
The phone should boot to Android 13 Developer Preview.
Sony has long given up on the idea of competing against big smartphone OEMs in every market at every possible price bracket. Instead of trying to appeal to mainstream buyers, the company has embraced its identity as a niche player and seems content with catering to a small but dedicated audience. The company’s Xperia 1 line has always stood out from the crowd for its unique characteristics and promoting features that have long disappeared from the mainstream flagships. Today, the Japanese smartphone maker unveiled the next iteration of its flagship, dubbed the Xperia I IV.
20fps AF/AE tracking burst with noise reduction (all lenses)
60fps continuous AF/AE calculations
Real-time Eye AF (all lenses)
AI super resolution zoom
Optical SteadyShot with FlawlessEye
Cinema Pro 4K 120fps recording with up to 5x slow motion
Front Camera
12MP
Ports
USB Type-C port
3.5mm headphone jack
Connectivity
5G (Sub-6Hz)
Bluetooth 5.x
802.11 a/b/g/n/ac dual-band WiFi
NFC
GPS, GLONASS, Galileo
Other features
Full range front-firing stereo speakers
Dolby Atmos
Hi-Res Audio
360 Reality Audio (through speakers)
360 Spatial Sound (over headphones)
IP68 water and dust resistance
Dedicated camera shutter button
Software
Android 12 out of the box
By and large, the Xperia I IV is an incremental upgrade, but it does bring some notable improvements to the table, including a brighter display, better telephoto and selfie cameras, new photography features, and a bigger battery.
The Sony Xperia 1 IV sticks to the same squared-off design that we have seen on the previous Xperia 1 models. You get a large 6.5-inch notch-less 4K OLED display on the front with a 120Hz refresh rate and 21:9 aspect ratio. While the size and resolution are unchanged, the new panel is now up to 50% brighter than the last year.
Cameras are once again the main focus here. Sony hasn’t fallen for the megapixel race, choosing to use the good old 12MP resolution sensor for all three cameras. The main shooter has an f/1.7 aperture with 24mm equivalent focal length, optical image stabilization, and 1.8-micron pixels. The 12MP f/2.2 ultra-wide shooter is the same as the last year.
The telephoto sensor is where we see an upgrade. Sony has used a variable periscope zoom lens that can seamlessly switch between different focal lengths between 85mm and 125mm. That means you can now shoot at 90mm, 100mm, or any other focal length between the 85mm-125mm range without degrading the resolution. This wasn’t possible on the Xperia 1 III, which could only switch between two focal lengths: 70mm and 105mm.
Xperia 1 IV with Galaxy S22 Ultra (left) and iPhone 13 Pro Max (right)
All three lenses offer 120fps read-out speeds, Real-time Eye AF, 20fps burst shooting with HDR, and 60fps continuous autofocus and auto-exposure calculations. Other noteworthy camera features include 4K 120fps video recording, Videography Pro with Live streaming support, and improved HDR video recording. Over on the front, the selfie camera has been upgraded from 8MP to 12MP.
Under the hood, the Xperia 1 IV is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, paired with 12GB RAM and 256GB/512GB storage. The phone packs a large 5,000mAh battery — a step up from the 4,500mAh cell on the Xperia 1 III — and supports fast wired, wireless, and reverse wireless charging.
Sony is one of the few OEMs that pays close attention to the audio experience, and the new Xperia 1 IV is a testament to that. The phone comes equipped with a 3.5mm audio jack, full-range dual stereo speakers, Dolby Atmos support, 360 Reality Audio, and Hi-Res Audio support. The on-device speakers are now much louder thanks to the addition of an extra booster unit, improving the low-range sound.
On the software side, the Xperia I IV runs a near-stock version of Android 12 out of the box. Other noteworthy highlights include a side-mounted fingerprint reader, IP68 water and dust protection, Wi-Fi 6, NFC, a microSD card slot, and dual SIM.
Pricing & Availability
The Sony Xperia 1 IV is priced at $1,600 and will go on sale in September 2022. It’s available for pre-order starting today from Sony’s website in black and purple colors.
Streaming giant Netflix recently reported a loss of subscribers for the first time in ten years. Unfortunately, that loss of nearly 200,000 subscribers looks to be just the tip of the iceberg. The company has also forecasted that things could get much worse, leading to even more user hemorrhaging somewhere in the millions in Q2. Because of this, it looks like Netflix will add a lower-priced ad-supported tier to its streaming service.
For many years, Netflix CEO Reed Hastings has talked about why Netflix doesn’t need to compromise its service with an ad-supported tier. However, last month, he changed his tune, and now reports are popping up that say the process to bring this new tier to the struggling service has accelerated. According to sources, this new ad-supported tier of Netflix could arrive by year’s end. The goal would be to launch it sometime in the final three months of 2022. This would be an excellent time to introduce the service tier, as the holiday season does see a massive bump in viewership when compared to the rest of the year.
The goal would be to launch it sometime in the final three months of 2022
While its rivals offer ad-supported tiers, Netflix has been stubborn, choosing to continuously bump up its prices. Most recently, the service increased its monthly subscriptions in March 2022. At the moment, its Premium plan will cost $19.99 a month, while its Standard plan will cost $15.49, and its Basic plan comes in at $9.99. These prices don’t bode well when looking toward the competition. The company’s prices have steadily increased over the years and are in stark contrast to the original prices that were introduced in 2014. This doesn’t even put into consideration how much more crowded the streaming services scene has become, with consumers having an overwhelming number of choices.
Regardless of what path Netflix takes, it is sure to alter its customers’ experience. Netflix is in dire need of a new strategy, but will the ad-support tier be too little too late?
