In a recent response to the COVID-19 crisis, WhatsApp introduced more forward limits on the app to limit the spread of misinformation. Now, WhatsApp seems to be preparing yet another feature that would make it more useful during the ongoing pandemic.
Possibly prompted by the sudden rise in video calling, WhatsApp is reportedly looking to increase the group audio and video calling limit. The WhatsApp Beta watchers at WABetaInfoclaim to have discovered a revealing string of code in the messaging app’s Android beta version 2.2.128.
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How to block (and unblock) someone on WhatsApp
WhatsApp is the most popular chat app in the world, with more than two billion users worldwide. Unfortunately, this popularity has also made the app a prime target for spammers and scammers. If you don’t …
Currently, WhatsApp restricts group video and audio calls to a maximum of four participants. This limit is tiny in comparison to video chatting platforms like Skype and Zoom, which allow a much larger number of people to participate in group calls.
There is no word on WhatsApp’s new group calling limit, but if Messenger is anything to go by, then we could see a refreshed limit of as many as 50 participants. After all, both platforms are owned by Facebook.
How many people do you think WhatsApp should allow on group calls? Take our poll below and let us know your preference.
The OnePlus 8 series is coming in hot and leaks just don’t seem to be subsiding. The latest one is a series of images showing the alleged wireless charging dock, a screen protector, and a transparent bumper case for the OnePlus 8 flagships.
The leak comes courtesy of tipster Evan Blass who also previously outed images of official case variants for the OnePlus 8 line.
While images of the OnePlus 8 screen protector and transparent bumper case are pretty self explanatory, the wireless charging dock is something we’ve not seen from OnePlus before (see images above and below).
This is the first time OnePlus is incorporating wireless charging on its phones and as per previous rumors the OnePlus 8 Pro will feature 30W wireless charging. We still don’t know for sure if the same tech will also be incorporated on the standard OnePlus 8 variant, but rumored specs suggest otherwise.
What’s that at the back?
When seen from the front, the supposed OnePlus wireless charging dock seems to have a tiny LED indicator to show when the phone is on charge. A Warp Charge symbol with battery percentage is also seen on the display of the OnePlus 8 phone placed on the dock.
The back of the white colored dock shows something that looks like a speaker grille. However, it could very well be a cooling vent with an in-built fan to keep the phones cool.
Wireless charging usually tends to heat up phones more than wired charging and a cooling vent would make a lot of sense, especially if the phones are equipped with high-speed wireless charging.
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Wireless charging is finally beginning to live up to the hype
Wireless charging has been around for roughly a decade now, with Palm’s smartphones offering Touchstone charging back in 2009. It’s been almost a decade since then, and it’s now possible to find the tech on most …
On the other hand, a speaker at the back could make the OnePlus 8 phones function more like a smart display. It could allow users to have a better hand-free experience while taking calls or listening to music and other audio content.
Nevertheless, we’re just happy that OnePlus could finally be giving us wireless charging on a flagship. The company is now a part of the Wireless Power Consortium (WPC) which supports the Qi wireless charging standard. So it would be reasonable to assume that whichever OnePlus 8 phone gets wireless charging will also work with other third-party Qi wireless chargers.
Do you like this apparent OnePlus wireless charging dock? How much do you think the company should charge for it? Drop us a line in the comments section below.
The regular Samsung Galaxy S20 may not grab the same headlines as its Galaxy S20 Ultra and Galaxy S20 Plus relatives, but it’s still equipped with much of the same advanced mobile technology. Priced at a slightly more reasonable $ 999 than the $ 1,399 S20 Ultra, the Galaxy S20 is likely to be most consumer’s entry point to this year’s flagship series.
This makes the Galaxy S20 an even more important handset for Samsung than in previous years. It has to prove that the cheapest S20 isn’t an afterthought and can still provide a flagship experience — especially when even more affordable mid-tier 5G smartphones are chomping at Samsung’s heels.
Samsung Galaxy S20 review notes: I reviewed the European Samsung Galaxy S20 (SM-G980F) on the 4G Giffgaff network in the U.K. over the course of a week. On March 23, Samsung issued an update to version G980FXXU1ATCH, which improved the camera and general performance. All of the images in this review were taken post update. Android Authority purchased the Samsung Galaxy S20 unit used for this review.
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What’s in the box?
The Samsung Galaxy S20 comes with the predictable assortment of accessories. The handset ships with a 25W charging plug, UBS-C to USB-C cable, a SIM ejector tool, and a pair of AKG USB-C earbuds.
Sadly, there’s isn’t a screen protector or case included. That’s definitely something you’ll want to source yourself if you’re accident prone, given the phone’s glass back.
Shaking up a classic design
151.7 x 69.1 x 7.9mm
163g
IP68 water & dust protection
I’ve been quite critical of Samsung’s design change. The iconic waterfall display is now flattened and the camera housing has morphed into a rectangular blob. The S20’s looks aren’t going to please everyone, but I can’t say all my complaints apply to the more compact form factor of the standard Samsung Galaxy S20.
As far as the essentials go, the smaller Galaxy S20 is ideal. Featuring a classic combination of glass and metal trim, it’s light but sturdy, and actually grips much better without the curved waterfall display. The slippery nature of the glass back isn’t a problem when it’s easy to wrap your hand around the whole device. Single-handed use is effortless. The volume rocker and power buttons are located exactly where you want them to be.
Aesthetically, the Samsung Galaxy S20 is a decent looker. The rectangular camera module houses only three lenses, so it’s slimmer than the S20 Plus and Ultra models. Shaving off a few millimeters may be a small change, but it makes the handset look more slick than its bulky siblings.
I’m not entirely sold on Samsung’s choice of colors for this generation, although the Cloud Blue version I have is a vast improvement on the Cosmic Gray. The coating reflects a shimmery rainbow of colors in the right light, which helps brighten up the handset a bit.
The Galaxy S20 provides the perks of a big screen while still being sleek and lightweight.
The Galaxy S20 boasts an Infinity-O display panel. A single punch hole reveals the selfie camera. The big black dot doesn’t exactly gel with the whites and grays of Samsung’s UI, but you’ll eventually stop noticing it. Overall, I think I prefer it to a notch. Just about.
The camera offers rudimentary face unlock security; you won’t find any fancy infrared face scanning tech here. For the best security, you’ll probably want to use the ultrasonic fingerprint scanner embedded in the screen. From a users point of view it works just like a regular fingerprint scanner, you just need to press on the right spot on the screen. However, it’s powered by ultrasonic sound waves that bounce of your fingerprints rather than a capacitive touch sensor.
Samsung’s entire S20 range abandoned the 3.5mm headphone jack, including this smaller model. However, with consumers increasingly embracing Bluetooth audio, and a pair of USB-C AKG buds in the box, this isn’t quite the inconvenience it was a couple of years ago.
On the plus side, Samsung removed the Bixby button from the Galaxy S20 series. Instead, just hold down the power button to activate Bixby Voice. If you’re not a fan of Bixby, you can switch this long-press option to bring up the shutdown menu instead.
Overall, the Samsung Galaxy S20 just feels right, both in usability and aesthetics. The phone’s impressive screen-to-body ratio means I didn’t feel like I lost any screen real estate moving down from a bigger handset. The standard S20 certainly isn’t a compact smartphone, but it’s much more user-friendly than the gargantuan 6.9-inch Ultra version.
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My biggest problem with the Galaxy S20 Ultra isn’t the price, it’s the weight
Over the past week or so, I had been using the Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra as my daily driver. Although I have many smartphones on my desk, I was taking the Galaxy S20 Ultra with …
The best mobile display to date
6.2-inch Quad HD+ (3,200 x 1,400), 20:9 aspect ratio
Samsung Infinity-O Dynamic AMOLED
Corning Gorilla Glass 6
Every year Samsung produces a top tier display for its flagships and the Galaxy S20 is no different. The 6.2-inch panel features an optional 120Hz refresh rate for smoother scrolling and frame rates in supported games.
The 120Hz mode looks silky smooth flicking through menus and walls of text, though it’s definitely more of a quality of life improvement than an essential upgrade. The option to switch to Quad HD+ from the Full HD+ default resolution is a minimal difference visually, and it does suck down more juice. As such, I stuck with the Full HD+ 60Hz default setting for the majority of my time with the phone. I’d rather have the slightly longer battery life.
The simply sublime quality of the display is the real story here. The panel is punchy and crisp, providing excellent colors for a wide range of content. HDR10+ support is a nice bonus, too, and one that has a noticeable impact on quality when viewing supported content. Samsung’s latest display technology does not disappoint.
As you’d expect from a modern flagship smartphone, performance is excellent even when multitasking in and out of several apps at once. I have the Exynos model, which is a tad slower than the Snapdragon variant, but I certainly don’t have any complaints about day-to-day use.
Our benchmark results place the handset comfortably ahead of last year’s flagship phones, for both general app and gaming performance. Particularly, the Exynos 990’s Mongoose M5 monstrous single core score stands out. The Galaxy S20 handles everything you can throw at it, though if you’re after the best performing phone we’ve tested so far, it’s a fraction behind the Snapdragon 865 Galaxy S20 Ultra.
I did notice that our Exynos model became a little warm when put under strain, such as when downloading numerous apps in the background or when taking lots of pictures in quick succession. Heat certainly wasn’t an issue for everyday tasks.
Editor’s Pick
Samsung Galaxy S20 series is the new performance king
Another year, another batch of new phones boasting the finest in mobile processing technology. It comes as little surprise then that the Samsung Galaxy S20 series seizes the performance crown from last year’s flagship phones. …
All-day battery life
4,000mAh
25W fast charging with USB PD 3.0
15W wireless charging (9W reverse)
Without 5G technology on board chugging down power, our 4G-only Samsung Galaxy S20 pushed through a full day of heavy use with capacity to spare. I couldn’t wear the phone down with two and a half hours of Spotify, an hour of YouTube, two and a half hours of web browsing, messaging, and a decent camera session thrown in. Talk about impressive.
I calculated just over 6 hours of screen on time with the phone. Your mileage will vary depending on gaming habits, screen brightness, and the number of background apps you have running. Fresh installs always tend to run a bit longer after all. The phone’s standby time is also pretty good, losing less than 5% overnight.
The S20 survives a full day of heavy use with battery to spare.
From empty, a full charge takes about 1 hour 10 minutes.
Even if you somehow manage to run the phone’s battery down to zero, the 25W wired charging solution has you back on your feet in no time. It’s not the fastest charging brick out there, but the Galaxy S20 still manages a 41% charge in 20 minutes, 56% in 30 minutes, and a full charge in 71 minutes.
It’s virtually impossible to wear the battery down in a single day.
Overall I’m impressed with the Galaxy S20’s battery life. Be warned: the 5G model won’t perform quite this well.
A complete camera package
Main: 12MP f/1.76, 26mm
Tele: 3x optical 64MP f/1.72
Wide: 12MP f/2.2, 13mm
The Samsung Galaxy S20 features a simplified camera arrangement compared to its larger siblings. However, you still get a highly versatile package, comprising high resolution, wide angle, and telephoto cameras.
The main camera has a healthy sized 1/1.76-inch sensor that handles a wide range of shooting environments well. The ultra-wide angle camera has the same resolution, with a 13mm focal length and Super Steady video feature. The more interesting option is the telephoto camera, which offers a whopping 64MP resolution and 3x optical zoom. The camera only shoots at 12MP by default, but you can switch to 64MP for some extra crop factor. You might expect the 64MP sensor to bin to 16MP, which is surely the case, but Samsung’s compresses to a consistent 12MP output from all three cameras.
It was a little bit tricky to take a wide variety of shots while self isolating, but we gave it a go. The images below have been resized for bandwidth. You can view the originals here.
To start, daylight shots are as good as you would expect. Exposure and detail come out nicely virtually every time. The auto HDR feature is particularly impressive, avoiding over and under exposure in nearly all scenarios, although you do get the odd blurry image. My only criticism is that the color saturation is often dialed up too high, meaning results don’t always look perfectly realistic.
That said, the telephoto and wide-angle cameras aren’t as clean as the main camera. They’re more heavily processed and don’t deliver as much detail when cropping in. There’s also some distortion noticeable around the edges of the wide-angle lens, particularly chromatic aberration and purple fringing, though it’s not as bad as some other phones.
Samsung Galaxy S20 wide-angle lens
Samsung Galaxy S20 wide-angle lens
Samsung Galaxy S20 3x zoom
The Galaxy S20 features 3x optical zoom, which extends all the way up to a 30x Space Zoom (aka digital zoom). It’s passable up to about 10x, albeit with some loss of detail, and that’s more zoom than you’ll ever really need. The 20x and 30x options are basically useless.
Samsung Galaxy S20 0.5x zoom
Samsung Galaxy S20 1x zoom
Samsung Galaxy S20 3x zoom
Samsung Galaxy S20 10x zoom
Samsung Galaxy S20 20x zoom
Samsung Galaxy S20 30x zoom
The phone also includes some fun shooting options, such as Live Focus for bokeh and other effects. However, the Galaxy S20’s edge detection leaves a lot to be desired. You can easily spot foreground smudges and failed edges in the images below. This is where the time of flight sensor on the S20 Plus and Ultra would be nice to have.
The Single Take setting is rather more useful. Simply activate and point at your ongoing scene and Samsung’s software pulls out a range of shots and videos for you to prune through. It’s a great way to make sure you don’t miss any action.
The Galaxy S20 offers a camera for every scenario.
Low light performance is where we separate the wheat from the chaff. The Galaxy S20 is quite passable here, but does have its issues. Images aren’t the cleanest in very low light and you won’t find much detail in the pictures. Exposure and colors are pretty good, at least as far as the main camera goes. Sadly, the telephoto and wide-angle camera don’t perform anywhere near as well in low light and the results often come out underexposed.
Focusing in low light is a bigger problem for the handset. You’ll have to fight your way through a few blurry pictures before landing an in-focus shot. It’s an issue we’ve noted across all the Galaxy S20 models — and it still hasn’t been fixed with the latest update.
Night Mode OffNight Mode On
Night Mode OffNight Mode On
Night mode helps out in the darkest environments and can even make the wide angle camera take passable shots. Samsung’s technology seems every bit as competent as competing solutions in terms of improving exposure. However, the results tend to look a little too heavily processed, with over-sharpening artifacts quite noticeable around high contrast edges.
Finally, the selfie camera is better than most. It captures a fair amount of detail and handles exposure very well. The wide-angle option when two or more people are detected is a nice touch too. Again, though, the front camera doesn’t nail colors particularly well. My skin tone constantly came out far too pink in outdoor lighting and there’s a slight color tint towards the bottom of the photo.
On the whole, Samsung’s latest camera setup is competent but has some shortcomings. The consistent color over-saturation is far too heavy for my tastes, though it might suit those who want bold images without with the hassle of editing. The wide-angle and telephoto cameras look great at full frame, but rely heavily on sharpening to try to clean up the images.
The hit and miss nature of the bokeh portrait and low-light pictures hasn’t helped win me over either. While certainly versatile and capable of taking excellent snaps, there are more consistent camera packages out there. The most serious camera enthusiasts may want to check out the trusty Google Pixel 4 or the Huawei P40 series instead.
Samsung One UI is getting there
If you’re familiar with Samsung then you’ll know what to expect when it comes to One UI. Staple features like Edge Panels, Bixby, and quick access to your Smart Things devices are all present. The heavily customized look and overall style hasn’t changed since last year either.
The latest One UI 2.1 version improves Samsung’s recent formula. There’s a system-wide dark theme; Samsung Daily news aggregate marks an upgrade over Bixby Home; and there’s Samsung’s Good Lock app if you fancy more control over customization. Menus and animations are slick, and notifications aren’t overly intrusive. Day to day, One UI is a pleasure to use.
Samsung packs a lot into One UI, arguably too much.
However, navigating menus to tweak your desired setting is still arduous. Figuring out how to disable Bixby, for example, requires navigating to the “advanced features” menu. Your best bet is to stick with the search function rather than try to guess where everything is.
For someone who isn’t a Samsung regular and not invested in the company’s larger ecosystem, the sheer range of features and options feels overwhelming. I know I won’t ever use the vast majority, and it leaves One UI feeling more bloated than some other Android skins.
Samsung Galaxy S20 review: Specs
Samsung Galaxy S20
Display
6.2-inch Dynamic AMOLED 3,200 x 1,440 20:9 ratio 120Hz refresh rate at 1080p 60Hz refresh rate at 1440p HDR10+ certified
3x hybrid optical/digital zoom, Super Resolution Zoom up to 30x
Front: – 10MP, ƒ/2.2, 1.22µm, AF
Connectivity
4G LTE support 5G (sub-6GHz, DSS, TDD/FDD, SA and NSA, no mmWave)
Operating System
One UI 2.0 Android 10
Water resistance
IP68
Security
Ultrasonic fingerprint sensor, face unlock
Color
Cosmic Grey, Cloud Blue, Cloud Pink
Dimensions and weight
69.1×151.7×7.9mm 163g
Value for money
It’s hard to talk about value for money at the $ 1,000 price point. You’d rightly expect all the latest bells and whistles for that kind of money. The Samsung Galaxy S20 covers all the flagship essentials, but doesn’t pack in the company’s best camera tech such as a time-of-flight or 108MP sensor. With other models in the range pushing $ 1,400, however, we need to keep some perspective.
With 5G and some new tech on board, you can probably justify the $ 100 price increase from last year’s Galaxy S10. However, the 4G-only model (only available in some countries) is a much more competitive prospect.
Samsung Galaxy S20The latest and greatest from Samsung
The Samsung Galaxy S20, Galaxy S20 Plus, and Galaxy S20 Ultra are super-premium 5G smartphones from the South Korean company. No matter what you’re looking for, the Galaxy S20 line likely has something to suit your needs.
The 4G Samsung Galaxy S20 we tested costs £799/€899 (~$ 918), a full £100/€100 cheaper than the 5G model. Compared to the more expensive entries in the S20 series, the 4G S20 model retains most of the best features at some welcome savings. You get a lot of bang for your buck, especially if you’re not planning to upgrade to 5G for a couple of years.
Apple has a more affordable flagship entry point with last year’s $ 699 iPhone 11. Although, to be fair, the $ 999 iPhone 11 Pro is the Galaxy S20’s true competition. Compared to other 5G Android flagships, the Galaxy S20 is more expensive than the LG V60 and last year’s OnePlus 7 Pro 5G. If you’re not yet ready to make the jump to 5G, the Google Pixel 4 is regularly discounted for even bigger savings. 2019 handsets are still great for 4G networks , so it’s well worth considering your actual needs before taking the plunge on more expensive 5G flagship models.
Should you buy the Samsung Galaxy S20?
The Samsung Galaxy S20 is every bit a flagship phone as the Plus and Ultra models, and one of the best phones available right now. $ 999 is a lot of money for any smartphone, but the Galaxy S20 justifies that price pretty well. It’s jam packed with the latest tech and is only missing a few minor features found in its more expensive counterparts.
The Samsung Galaxy S20 is one of the best smartphones you can buy right now.
Unless you really need a humongous display and more zoom from your camera, it’s quite hard to justify spending hundreds more dollars on the broader Galaxy S20 range. The Galaxy S20 Plus justifies its $ 1,199 price tag, but I think the Galaxy S20 is the better deal for $ 200 or $ 300 less.
The Samsung Galaxy S20 doesn’t have the absolute best camera, but it packs in everything else. Whether you’re a power user or social media butterfly, this phone won’t leave you wanting for anything. If you’re on board with this year’s redesign, the Samsung Galaxy S20 is one of the best smartphones you can buy right now.
According to XDA Developers, the Android 11 power menu could soon include a new Quick controls section, featuring a tweaked UI and custom app shortcuts. XDA first caught wind of the potential addition in the Android 11 DP1 code, but it wasn’t able to get it working at all until Android 11 DP2.
The below screenshots come from XDA forums member Quinny899. He was able to develop an application that utilizes the new in-development API after analyzing the developer preview’s framework.
The new Android 11 power menu reveals a rearranged UI with the Emergency, Power off, Restart, and Screenshot buttons moved to the top, leaving the majority of the menu available for the Quick controls. There’s also a menu button that opens an Add controls activity menu. This should allow the user to select which shortcuts to add to the Quick controls menu, though we don’t know for sure which apps would be able to take advantage of this yet.
XDA believes Google will reserve this area for home automation shortcuts, thanks to a list of “valid device types” it found in the code. The list features devices like fans, coffee makers, AC units, curtains, and more, so the outlet’s theory makes sense, though it’s unverified at this time.
So far, there is no sign of the Quick Access Wallet functionality that Google introduced in the second Pixel feature drop. There’s plenty of space at the bottom of the power menu for Android 11 to implement this feature, but it’s not present in the screenshots.
ADB (Android Debug Bridge) functionality is one of the most important features for developers and enthusiasts, allowing you to communicate with your Android phone via PC.
ADB traditionally requires a wired connection from your phone to the computer, but XDA-Developers has spotted AOSP commits showing that Google is working on wireless ADB functionality.
It seems like users will be able to toggle a “wireless debugging” switch in developer options, then create the connection by scanning a QR code or entering a six-digit code. It’s unclear when we’ll see this feature in Android, but Android 11 seems to be a likely candidate.
Editor’s Pick
When should you expect to receive Android 10? (Updated October 25)
Officially called Android 10, the next major version of Android launched September 3, 2019. The Android 10 update began rolling out to all Pixel phones, including the original Pixel and Pixel XL, Pixel 2, Pixel …
Editor’s Pick
When should you expect to receive Android 10? (Updated October 25)
Officially called Android 10, the next major version of Android launched September 3, 2019. The Android 10 update began rolling out to all Pixel phones, including the original Pixel and Pixel XL, Pixel 2, Pixel …
XDA notes that there are a couple of ways to create a wireless ADB connection, but they aren’t well-known or suffer from security issues. So this new solution would certainly be a welcome addition.
This might be a handy feature for people using computers without full-sized USB ports, or if you lost your phone’s USB cable. It could also be convenient for people who simply don’t want to deal with wires in the first place.
Do you use ADB functionality? What do you think of this solution? Let us know in the comments!
HTC has gradually been building up the hype for its next flagship smartphone, with a few teasers here and there, and a launch anticipated for some time in early April. In a bid to change things up a little, it also looks like HTC is preparing to drop the “One M” name from its new phone. Perhaps this is a sign of bigger changes heading our way.
According to Evan Blass (aka @evleaks), the next flagship smartphone from the Taiwanese manufacturer will simply be known as the HTC 10. This isn’t the first time that a rumor about a possible name change has popped up either. Furthermore, @OnLeaks has seemingly confirmed the latest rumor, after uploading a screen shot presumably captured from the HTC 10.
If true, the company would be abandoning the naming scheme that it has used for its past three generations of flagship smartphones, as well as moving away from its general One branding that it used for the more mid-tier A9 later last year.
It seems unanimous that HTC needs to switch up its mobile hardware to claw back some of the manufacturer’s previous glory, especially after the One M9 failed to lift the company’s languishing handset sales. With rumors pointing to a redesigned look, top of the line specifications, and a “very, very compelling camera” setup, we are certainly hoping that the HTC 10 can deliver. But what do you think about the new name?
Smartphone displays are one of the biggest drainers of our precious battery life but a new breakthrough invention being developed by Bodle Technologies could dramatically cut the amount of juice required by future displays in a wide range of gadgets. Rather than an LCD or OLED based displays, this new reflective display makes use of phase changing materials to reproduce vivid colors while consuming very little power.
The idea is based on the technology used in rewritable DVDs and works by using electronic pulses to change the color of the display’s materials. The material itself doesn’t consume any power, only requiring a brief charge to change its state and color, meaning that the energy needed to power a display in a smartphone or wearable could be cut quite substantially.
“You have to charge smartwatches every night, which is slowing adoption. But if you had a smartwatch or smart glass that didn’t need much power, you could recharge it just once a week.” – Dr Peiman Hosseini, founder of Bodle Technologies
Bodle Technologies is said to be in talks with a number of the world’s largest consumer electronics corporations, although none have been named for legal reasons. The company has also secured a “significant” amount of finance from the Oxford Sciences Innovation fund to boost further development.
“This technology is capable of providing vivid colour displays which appear similar to paper, yet with very high resolution. It is also capable of rendering extremely high-resolution videos that can be seen in bright sunlight.” – Dr Hosseini
As well as smartphones and wearables, this innovation is also thought to be useful for the emerging smart glass market, which is estimated to be worth approximately $ 2 billion by the year 2017. Such technology could be used to block infrared waves to help keep buildings cooler without the need for air-conditioning.
We are still quite a way off from the technology hitting any consumer level products, but it’s another promising innovation that could open up an entire new market for gadgets and beyond.
A couple of weeks ago, we covered a story on Samsung’s rumored Project Valley, a purported foldable device rumored to be in development behind closed doors. As the rumor went, the project was not a sure-fire candidate for release, and may be scrapped at any time. Today, we have a new patent filing with the USPTO and the schematic looks surprisingly like what one might expect from such a device, apparently a Galaxy Note variant given other pictures’ inclusion of a stylus.
The device described in the patent has two screens and a body that folds in half, and comes across as a design not unlike that which Toshiba used for its final/most-recent Libretto, NEC used for its Medius W, and Sony experimented with for the Tablet P.
It’s important to note that a patent filing doesn’t mean anything more than a desire to protect an idea or design that has been created. There is no guarantee this will end up in stores, of even behind the scenes. At the same time, given the rumor from last week, it would certainly seem possible that Samsung is working on a foldable tablet of sorts, at least behind the scenes, and this design more or less represents that.
Would you be interested in the prospects of such a device? Does it actually add anything unique that hasn’t been done before?
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According to reports and new court filings, an end to the long running legal battles between Apple and Google, along with various Android handset manufacturers, is finally within reach, just over a year since the mobile patent war escalated.
A federal judge involved in the disputes has agreed to stay a series of lawsuits involving Google, Android manufacturers and the patent consortium named Rockstar, of which Apple is the majority partner. Instead, a final settlement could be agreed upon by the parties as early as December 29th, although neither Apple, Google, nor the court has disclosed the terms or figures proposed in the settlement.
While the courts cannot provide much insight, intellectual property magazine IAM understands that at least five of the companies involved in the Rockstar group are looking for an exit from the cycle of disputes. Reportedly, Rockstar’s management had attempted a well-funded buyout of the dissatisfied parties, but this was rejected as some shareholders did not want to appear to be profiting from the group. As a result, the Rockstar group could instead be wound down, rather than risk being sold to a potential NPE (non-practicing entity or “patent troll”).
The exact cause for the group’s decision remain unclear for now. However, Apple has only scored partial success in its recent lawsuits against Cisco and Time Warner, had a case dismissed against Google last year in the US, came to a truce with Samsung earlier in the year, and now seems to be contradicting itself when lambasting patent trolls. Perhaps the momentum behind these lawsuits is finally running out.
Apple’s shift in patent policy comes as good news for both the industry and consumers, with fewer resources wasted on drawn out court cases and an end to indirect costs being passed on to consumers. Hopefully 2015 will become a year of closer cooperation between the big smartphone businesses and not just between a small selection of Android manufacturers.
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