Verizon’s Nationwide 5G network expands to cover 24 million more customers

Verizon on Thursday announced that its Nationwide 5G network has expanded to an additional 24 million customers across the U.S., just in time for the holidays. In total, the carrier’s network now services more than 230 million customers in over 2,700 cities.

Initially launched alongside the iPhone 12, Verizon’s Nationwide 5G network offers sub-6GHz speeds and takes advantage of what’s known as Dynamic Spectrum Sharing (DSS). The technology allows carriers to shift existing 4G channels to 5G when they aren’t being used by 5G devices. As we previously explained, DSS is basically a stop-gap measure to reform existing 4G coverage for 5G.

Verizon’s Nationwide 5G has expanded to areas that include Central Texas, Tulsa, OK, Upstate New York, and the New England area. Meanwhile, Verizon said its 5G Ultra Wideband network has also expanded in parts of Tampa, St Petersburg, Albuquerque and Durham. The 5G Ultra Wideband is actually the network that offers the best speeds, but it features a much shorter range and its overall availability is relatively limited.

“The technology found in both our 5G Ultrawideband and our 5G Nationwide networks reflects a massive, mulit-year innovation effort that modernizes our entire network with cutting edge capabilities,” said Kyle Malady, Chief Technology Officer of Verizon. “We believe our customers deserve 5G built right, so as we have with technology innovation and advancements throughout our history, we are committed to providing the most advanced technology with the most capabilities that will support the new 5G ecosystem and developing solutions long into the future.”

Verizon said its 5G Ultra Wideband network is now available in 61 cities. While the rollout is slow, progress is being made. According to the carrier, its super fast network is capable of reaching 4 Gbps peak speeds in some locations, which is more than fast enough to download music, stream movies, and more.

As we said before, 5G is going to take a lot of public education before people fully understand the technology’s benefits. However, with more and more mainstream devices launching with 5G support, it’s a matter of time before the technology goes mainstream.

For a coverage map of Verizon’s 5G network, check out this page.

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OnePlus confirms upcoming smartwatch will run Wear OS

Back in November, a report claimed that the OnePlus smartwatch would not run Wear OS, which came as a shock considering OnePlus’ solid relationship with Google. Well, OnePlus has finally set the record straight, confirming its smartwatch will indeed run Google’s wearable platform.

In an interview with Input, OnePlus CEO Pete Lau said the reason why the company’s smartwatch has been on-again, off-again is due to Wear OS, which has floundered in recent years. But that’s where Lau sees an opportunity. OnePlus is working alongside Google to make Wear OS better for the company’s upcoming smartwatch.

“Wear OS definitely has room to improve,” Lau told Input. “What we’re trying to do is work with Google to try to improve the connectivity between the Wear OS ecosystem, Android TV, and Android smartphones to create this ability for better device interoperability across the ecosystems. This has been something looked at very positively from Google’s side as well, so this is the direction that we’re trying to develop, but we don’t have more than we can share on that right now.”

Even with Lau’s comments, it’s still unclear what will separate the OnePlus smartwatch from other Wear OS devices on the market. But the seamless interoperability across device ecosystems is a start. OnePlus offers a strong lineup of devices that includes smartphones, TVs, headphones, and more, and a wearable seems like the next logical step.

With Google recently gaining EU approval for its acquisition of Fitbit, the best days of Wear OS may be ahead. The search giant has already indicated it has plans to release exciting new wearable devices, and with Fitbit’s focus on fitness, there’s cause for optimism.

It’s nice to hear OnePlus is working with Google to provide consumers with a better product. OnePlus has been surgical with the new features it brings in major smartphone updates. Hopefully, we’ll see that level of precision when the OnePlus smartwatch is released, probably in 2021.

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Google’s Fitbit acquisition is cleared by EU with some conditions applied

Google and Fitbit are one step closer to final completion of their merger after the European Commission gave final approval following a four-month probe. Google bought the wearables pioneer back in November 2019 for a not-insubstantial $2.1bn but has been awaiting clearance from global regulators including in the European Union, with questions raised over whether the move would stifle competition, leading the Commission to launch a full investigation. However, following Google’s agreement to abide by a number of pledges, their concerns have been addressed and the merger approved.

In order to get past the regulator, Google has agreed not to use health, fitness or location data from Fitbit devices for advertising purposes, inside the European Economic Area. This will be safeguarded by insisting that Google keep Fitbit data ‘siloed’ from other data. Users will have to explicitly consent to let Google apps ‘see’ the data collected by Fitbit. It has also pledged to maintain API access to the Fitbit platform for third parties, and simultaneously ensure there are no functionality limitations in the API for third-party smartwatches and fitness trackers when paired with an Android phone.

Announcing the decision, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission, Margrethe Vestager, said: “We can approve the proposed acquisition of Fitbit by Google because the commitments will ensure that the market for wearables and the nascent digital health space will remain open and competitive.”

Under the terms of the approval, Google will have to abide by the ruling for ten years, after which time it will be reviewed, with the Commission noting that it may well extend the rules regarding Fitbit data use in Google advertising for a further period. A trustee will be appointed to monitor if Google is sticking to its agreements, and will require Google to give that person or body access to relevant records, and if required, to personnel, facilities and technical data. The ruling will make it nigh-on impossible for Google to simply absorb Fitbit once the deal closes, assuring it will remain a separate brand in its own right. The entire deal was supposed to close by the end of 2020, but the US Department of Justice has yet to make its own ruling on the acquisition.

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Samsung Galaxy S21, Galaxy S21 Plus and Galaxy S21 Ultra leak in official renders

As we approach Samsung’s rumored January 14 Unpacked event, the frequency of leaks have really picked up. Just yesterday, we got our first press render of the front of the Galaxy S21. Today, even more press renders have been leaked, showcasing the redesigned camera module and the lineup’s different colors.

The latest renders were shared on Twitter by Ishan Agarwal, who said the new colors are called Phantom Violet, Phantom Pink, Phantom Grey, and Phantom White. It’s a really nice looking lineup of colors; the Phantom Violet stands out as my favorite, although it’s tough to beat the stealthy look of the Phantom Grey.

With these press renders out in the wild, nothing is really left to the imagination ahead of Samsung’s upcoming event. As we’ve seen from other leaked images, the Galaxy S21 series will feature a display with very minimal bezel, a hole-punch for the front-facing camera, and a camera module that’s been redesigned. It looks very high-end and improved over the Galaxy S20 series.

What these renders don’t show is whether or not the Galaxy S21 Ultra will feature S Pen support. While there have been conflicting reports about Samsung ditching the Note series, rumors suggest the company is bringing its stylus to its Galaxy S line for the first time in its history. That would be a major change and potentially give the Galaxy S21 Ultra an edge over the competition.

Shortly after images of the Galaxy S21 and Galaxy S21 Plus were leaked, WinFuture released a few press renders of the Galaxy S21 Ultra that reveal Samsung is going all out with the premium device. The camera module appears to feature four different lenses, highlighted by what is reportedly a 108MP sensor and a cutout for laser autofocus. Despite there being an array of sensors, the camera hump is elegantly integrated into the design, which supposedly comes in a Phantom Silver finish.

Samsung Galaxy S21 Series Forums

With Samsung rumored to hold an Unpacked event on January 14, it won’t be long before the Galaxy S21 series becomes official. But considering how frequent the leaks have been as of late, we will likely see a lot more of the lineup before that date hits.

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Facebook limits Messenger and Instagram functionality in Europe

Facebook has temporarily removed some functionality from its Messenger and Instagram offerings, for European users. The move is to give the company time to make changes in order to comply with changes to EU privacy regulations, which are currently being enforced by member nations.

Users firing up their apps in the region are being greeted with a pop-up warning “Some features not available – This is to respect new rules for messaging services in Europe. We’re working to bring them back”. The ‘new rules’ it refers to actually date back to 2002 – the Privacy and Electronic Communications Directive, or ePrivacy Directive, for short. From 21st December (Monday), over-the-top messaging services will fall under this legislation, not just those offered directly by telcos and broadband providers.

Both apps still function as basic messengers, but a lot of the ‘nice-to-have’ interactive stuff is on hold, such as creating polls and giving nicknames to your contact list. Some will continue to function in one-to-one conversations, but not in group chats. That’s just the tip of the iceberg, but Facebook has declined to give a definitive list, saying that there’s no need, as many will be turned back on imminently, once they’ve been soak tested for compliance. In a statement to the BBC, it adds: “We’re still determining the best way to bring these features back. It takes time to rebuild products in a way that work seamlessly for people and also comply with new regulations”.

Given that the type of functionality that has been suspended should have no direct correlation with the new rules, it seems that, for once, Facebook is erring on the side of caution. The ePrivacy Directive simply bans the collection of message content and associated metadata, without the permission of the sender. In other words – for example, scanning your messages in order to tailor advertisements to you. Given that, unless Facebook knows something that we don’t, an oversized smiley sticker shouldn’t break the rules, this looks like a case of Facebook using an abundance of caution against a notoriously litigious European Union.

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Amazon’s Deal of the Day will make sure you never lose your data again

It doesn’t matter what you do or how you do it, you need a way to keep your data safe. There is nothing worse than losing something important because a hard drive or flash drive died. Cloud services exist now, but what if something happens to your account, or the data is too sensitive to put on the cloud? It also doesn’t help that companies like Google are making more data count towards storage limits too! So today, Amazon is having a sale on all sorts of data storage devices, so you can make sure everything stays safe.

Really, today’s sale has practically every sort of backup storage device you might need at a great discount. Take the multiple microSDs on sale, for example. Whether you need a data storage device for your Nintendo Switch, smartphone, camera, or anything else, these microSDs will get the backup storage you need. Both the Sandisk Ultra and Sandisk Extreme microSD cards are on a deep discount, with the 512GB models being 67% and 60% off, respectively. Yes, the Amazon store page says up to 30% off, but apparently, they meant up to double that off.

If you need a flash drive, there’s a deal for it as well! The HP 128GB flash drive is just $14, down from $17. No, it wasn’t expensive in the first place, but who can argue against savings either way? 21% off, this USB 3.0 flash drive will save your important data in a format that’s easy to carry around. Perfect for data you need to get somewhere else, but is too sensitive for something like Google Drive.

MicroSDs and flash drives not enough data storage space? Don’t worry, as extra SSDs are also on sale! The Crucial X8 500GB SSD is on sale, to be exact. Down to $80, this is the perfect device for backing up all the data on your desktop (which is definitely something you should do regularly). It can also work with any device that accepts external storage devices, like say… the PlayStation 4? Those never shipping with enough storage space…

Since this is Amazon’s Deal of the Day, you only have today to grab these data storage deals. If there’s something you need, don’t wait!

Amazon Data Storage Sale

No matter what kind of storage device you need, you can save today with Amazon's Deal of the Day! Whether you're looking for a MicroSD or an external SSD, you can find something to suit your needs here.

View the Deals at Amazon

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OPPO Reno 4 5G is getting the ColorOS 11 stable update with Android 11

OPPO ships their smartphones with ColorOS, a custom Android skin that emphasizes on minimal UI and flat icons. The latest iteration of ColorOS, ColorOS 11, is based on Android 11 and it packs in features such as dark mode customizability, three-finger translation with Google Lens, Super Power Saving Mode, and a revamped Quick Settings design. The update is already available on a number of OPPO phones via stable channel, and the company had promised to add more devices to the roster in December. Making good on its promise, the Chinese OEM has now begun rolling out the much-awaited update to the OPPO Reno 4 5G.

OPPO Reno 4 and Reno 4 Pro 5G XDA Forums

The initial stable Android 11 build for the OPPO Reno 4 5G is tagged as CPH2091_11_C.01, and it is currently available for download in Australia. Those running ColorOS 7 based CPH2091_11_A.31 or a higher build should be able to download the update by visiting Settings > Software Updates and clicking on Trial Version from the gear menu. Despite saying “Trial Version”, the option now leads to the stable build, thus existing beta users can seamlessly perform the transition.

As with the previous ColorOS 11 releases for other devices, this will be a phased rollout with only a small batch of devices initially receiving the OTA. If no critical issues crop up in the first phase and everything looks smooth, the rollout will gradually be expanded to more devices over the coming days.

If you own the “Pro” variant of the OPPO Reno 4 5G and are wondering if you’ll get the update, here’s a list of countries where the official version of ColorOS 11 is available at this moment. Note that the company has yet to start a full-fledged OTA rollout for the Pro model, hence you need to manually submit a request to download the build.

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Source: ColorOS Community

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