Unlocked Galaxy Z Flip3 and Fold3 get October 2021 security patch in the US, international S20 units get it too

Samsung released the October 2021 Android security patch for the Galaxy Z Flip3 and Galaxy Z Fold3 last month in South Korea, which is now rolling out for the unlocked units of the two phones in the US. The new updates for the Galaxy Z Flip3 and Galaxy Fold3 come with version F711U1UES2AUI5 and F926U1UES1AUI5, respectively. And while we don't have their changelogs yet, the new builds might bring the virtual RAM feature to both smartphones in addition to the privacy and security-related fixes. Galaxy Z Fold3 with Galaxy Z Flip3 In addition to the Galaxy Z smartphones, Samsung also...

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Google starts to roll out "Quick Phrases", talk to Assistant without saying "Hey Google"

Soon, Google Assistant will respond to certain phrases without requiring that you say the wake phrase "Hey, Google". As per XDA-Developers, "Quick Phrases" is now rolling out to a Google Pixel 3 XL that was running the Android 12 Beta. It's not known whether Android 12 is a requirement for Quick Phrases. It's worth noting this was also the Google App version 12.39.17.29. Source: XDA-Developers Quick Phrases needs to be activated from the Google Assistant settings. Once enabled, Google Assistant will listen for certain phrases depending on the context. For example, if an alarm...

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Xiaomi Mi Mix Fold refresh said to be in the works with minor improvements

Xiaomi's first foldable smartphone, the aptly named Mi Mix Fold, was released in the Chinese market back in April and has so far stayed exclusive to the maker's own country. While we have no news about any Xiaomi foldable launching internationally just yet, today a new rumor from China claims the company is in fact working on a slight refresh of the original Mix Fold. This won't be a Mix Fold 2 per se, as it's basically the same device as the first one, just with a few tweaks. One of those tweaks has to do with the screens, and their refresh rates - this improved version will have 90 Hz on...

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Google Pixel 6 promotion leaks from German retailer, reiterates €649 price

Google is ready to announce the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro on Tuesday October 19 as confirmed this week by the company. As we approach the launch of the new Pixels, a German retailer's promotional flyer reveals that the price of the Pixel 6 in Germany will be €649. Seems like the German Retailer "Mediamarkt" spilled the beans on the Pixel 6 and confirms the 649 Price.Source: https://t.co/H2wXIX8Lz4 pic.twitter.com/SvZMZiYIdL— Nils Ahrensmeier (@NilsAhrDE) October 6, 2021 The promotional materials for German retailer Saturn outline a pre-order promotion for the Pixel 6. If the device is...

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Halide 2.5 update brings macro mode to all iPhones

Popular iPhone and iPad camera app Halide today released version 2.5, which come with a major new feature that enables macro mode for all iPhone models. Called Neural Macro, this mode can be accessed in the app through the manual focus mode. Once enabled, the app will automatically select the lens on your iPhone that has the closest focusing distance. To get a closer crop of the subject, Neural Macro in Halide automatically applies a 2x digital zoom. Since this would normally result in loss in image quality, Halide uses the neural engine on iPhone 8 and above to run its trained...

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Valve posts disassembly video of its handheld Steam Deck PC

Valve has just posted a video to its YouTube channel of its upcoming Steam Deck being partially disassembled. Valve is the company behind Steam, a popular online PC game store. The Steam Deck is a handheld PC designed to mimic the form factor of the Nintendo Switch so that PC games from Steam can be played portably. The Steam Deck that appears in the video is still a prototype and the host notes that the final layout of the internal components and design may change. Valve starts off by saying that while the Steam Deck could be taken apart by anyone, it really does not recommend that...

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Caviar encases a PS5, iPad mini, AirPods Pro and an iPhone 13 Pro in solid gold, offers a cheaper gold-plated version

Gold has been a status symbol for thousands of years and is still a popular choice. Caviar is one of the companies that breaks out of the usual mold of gold watches and gold earrings and offers stuff like gold game consoles and gold headphones. The latest collection is named “Prime” and features includes Sony’s PlayStation 5 as well as Apple’s iPhone 13 Pro Max, iPad mini (2021) and the AirPods Max. They are available in “gold” and “gold-plated” with massive differences in the amount of gold used and, naturally, the price. The PlayStation 5 Gold is encased in solid 18K yellow god with...

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Samsung Galaxy A13 5G appears in Geekbench listing with Dimensity 700 SoC

There’s been talk of a Samsung Galaxy A13 in the works – a budget 5G phone with a 50MP main cam and a 5,000 mAh battery. Now the same device was spotted on Geekbench bearing the SM-A136U model number. Samsung Galaxy A13 5G scorecard The scorecard reveals A13 5G managed 465 single-core points and 1,106 points in the multi-core department. It is powered by the ARM MT6833V aka MediaTek Dimensity 700 chipset with 4GB RAM and boots Android 11. The A13 5G will reportedly utilize Samsung’s own ISOCELL JN1 50MP sensor on its main cam. Not much else is known about the device though we’ve...

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Reuters: the EU will charge Apple over anti-competitive practices with Apple Pay

The European Commission has put Apple’s business practices under a microscope recently. Earlier this year it found Apple App Store tax policy to be in breach with EU’s competition laws. Now Apple Pay is also facing regulatory action. According to a report by Reuters, the Commission is preparing to charge Cupertino with anti-competitive practices over how the NFC chip on Apple Devices works, specifically that only Apple Pay is allowed to use it. The statement of objection is expected to be sent to Apple next year. Depending on how things shake out, third-party mobile payment systems...

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Motorola Moto E40 teased ahead of launch

Motorola India is gearing up to release a new budget offering in its E-series dubbed Moto E40. The device was teased in a new tweet from the brand hinting at a launch date in the near future. Fuel your imagination with the #PerfectEntertainer and color the world with your ideas! Can you guess what we're talking about? pic.twitter.com/NZXAr5QLkh— Motorola India (@motorolaindia) October 6, 2021 Previous Moto E40 leaks have shown us its design and key specs which include a 6.5-inch HD+ display with a 90Hz refresh rate, Unisoc T700 chipset and triple camera setup with a 48MP main sensor...

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The Huawei MateBook 14s features a 90Hz 14.2" touchscreen, 11th gen Intel CPU

Huawei unveiled a small powerhouse of a laptop – the MateBook 14s features an Intel 11th gen (Tiger Lake) processor with up to 54W TDP, accessible via the Fn+P shortcut. Fn+R triggers its other key selling point, the 90Hz refresh rate. The laptop has an aluminum-alloy body that weighs 1.43kg (3.15 lbs) and measures 16.7mm thick (0.66”). Even so it can keep the powerful processor cool with its two shark fin fans and two heat pipes. The hinge inlet design promises 25% better air intake than traditional designs. You can choose between an Intel Core i5-11300H and an i7-11370H, both...

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The new One UI 4.0 beta for the Galaxy S21 series reaches the UK

The new One UI 4.0 beta for the Galaxy S21, S21+ and S21 Ultra is expanding. The first users to receive it were in South Korea with reports coming out of Germany too. Less than a day later the update went live in India and now it has reached UK shores. This update adds RAM Plus, Material You themes and other new features. It is based on Android 12, you can read our Android 12 review for a brand-agnostic view of the new OS. The new One UI 4.0 beta has reached the UK Brits who want to test the new software early can sign up using the Samsung Members app (it should be in the...

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Visa and Apple in talks to cut on transaction fees with Apple Card

According to people familiar with the matter, some US-based banks are rather unhappy with the transaction fees imposed by Apple on its Apple Card. The list of banks include JPMorgan Chase, Capital One and Bank of America. Reportedly, they've already contacted Visa and asked them to change the way they handle some Apple Card transactions. As of now, Apple is charging the banks a small fee on each transaction that uses Apple Card via Apple Pay. The fee varies from country to country and for instance, in the US, Apple asks 0.15% of each credit card transaction and 0.5 cents for debit card...

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Realme will bring the 8i to Europe this month

A month ago, Realme introduced the Realme 8i and 8s in India and the former is finally making its way to European shores. The VP of Realme, Madhav Sheth, confirmed the upcoming launch in a Tweet. The handset will arrive on October 14 and will be the first handset on the continent to run on the MediaTek Helio G96 chipset and promises 120Hz at an extremely low price. We already reviewed the phone and found a lot to like about it so if the pricing is right, it really has the potential to win over a large number of buyers. Currently, the device is starting at INR 13,999 in India,...

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Huawei Matebook 16 review

Huawei is going strong in the world of laptops, and the company just launched the very intriguing Matebook 16 with a 16" 3:2 screen, massive battery and super-fast charger. It is offered with two AMD APUs, and we got the mightier version with Ryzen 7 5800H. The laptop ships with Windows 10 Home, but it's eligible for a Windows 11 update now that Microsoft has released the latest version of its OS. As the name suggests, the Matebook 16 comes with a 16" screen - it is an IPS LCD with an aspect ratio of 3:2. The resolution is 2,520 x 1,680 pixels and the laptop claims each display is...

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Plot twist: the Samsung Galaxy S21 FE is going to be released in January, S22 series delayed

Rumors of Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G’s death may have been greatly exaggerated – the phone will launch alongside the S22 series at the end of December or in January, says Ice Universe. Another leakster, Roland Quandt, says that Samsung is doing its usual pre-launch preparations so the S21 FE is definitely on the way. You know how Samsung removed mentions of the phone on its support pages? Those are still missing, but the UK site is advertising a free mystery gift with the purchase of an S21 FE or other devices. In the Netherlands you can score 4 months of YouTube Premium for free with an S21...

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Realme UI 3.0 first look details widgets and redesigned quick settings toggles

Realme UI 3.0 based on Android 12 is expected to arrive as an OTA update to Realme GT 5G from October 13 onwards. Prior to that users in China got a closed beta for their devices and now tipster Digital Chat Station managed to procure some more screenshots of the new UI. Realme UI 3.0 first look (images: Weibo) The interface looks inspired by ColorOS 12 with the widgets in particular looking identical to those shown in the ColorOS 12 beta. ColorOS 12 beta widgets This is no surprise as previous versions of Realme UI were also based on ColorOS. The icons appear to be...

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Nokia T20 10.4" tablet unveiled in Wi-Fi and 4G flavors

Everything you’d expect from a Nokia phone but in a tablet form. That’s the elevator pitch of the new T-series. Why introduce a tablet series now? Well, due to the current situation tablet shipments last year grew for the first time since 2014. This year started strong for tablets too. And it’s exactly this new situation that formed the plan of action for the Nokia T20 tablet. It has to have a long battery life and fast charging to handle all-day work/study from home, it has to handle video calls, has to offer Kids Space and parental controls for the little ones and (last but not least) it...

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Samsung One UI 4.0 beta with Android 12 now live in India

A day after releasing its second Android 12 beta with One UI 4.0 on top, Samsung has now expanded the firmware update’s availability to India. Owners of the Galaxy S21 series can now register for the beta program via the Samsung Members app. Once enrolled an OTA software update prompt will pop up and the big update (build version ZUJ1) will commence. Samsung One UI 4.0 beta changelog (images: SamMobile) The update changelog specifies a 2.3GB install and the latest October security patch in tow. One UI 4.0 brings Google’s Material You theming engine and new widgets for a visual...

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Motorola Moto E40 listed on retailer's website with specs, price, and images

Motorola unveiled the Moto E20 last month, but we know the company is gearing up to launch the Moto E40 since its specs and official-looking images leaked online. While Motorola is yet to divulge anything about the Moto E40, the smartphone has been listed on Romanian retailer eMAG's website, which corroborates previously leaked images and specs, and reveals the price. The Moto E40 is priced at RON779.99 ($180/€160) and has two color options - Pink and Gray. The retailer says it's powered by an octa-core processor without sharing more details, but we know the smartphone will have a Unisoc...

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