Gadgets And Technology Daily News | 12 Jul 2023
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Apple MacBook With a Foldable Display Could Launch in 2026: Report
Apple is reportedly gearing up to unveil a foldable MacBook in about two to three years. The displays for the upcoming laptop could be sourced from the display divisions of Samsung and LG. A report claims a vague timeline for the launch and sale of Apple's first foldable laptop in 2026. Companies including Asus and Lenovo are currently offering laptops with foldable displays. Meanwhile, Apple is expected to launch its foldable smartphone around 2025. The Cupertino-based tech giant is also said to be in talks to release a foldable iPad next year widening the company's product portfolio.
As per a report by BusinessKorea, Apple could launch a foldable laptop as soon as 2026. The report, citing industry sources, claims that Apple is in talks with suppliers like Samsung and LG to unveil new foldable MacBook models. The first MacBook model with a foldable display could be unveiled in 2025 and could go on sale later in 2026.
Apple's entry into the foldable display laptop market is expected to revive the sluggish display industry. As per the report, Korean companies are coordinating development and manufacturing plans for foldable OLED panels for laptops in line with the opening of the foldable panel market for IT devices. Samsung Display has reportedly announced a significant investment of KRW 4.1 trillion (roughly Rs. 25,539 crore) in the production of 8.6-generation OLED display panels from 2025 and 2026. LG Display, on the other hand, is reportedly investing in the production of mid-size OLED displays, including those intended for tablets and PCs.
Asus and Lenovo are currently leading the market for laptops with foldable screens. However, Apple is yet to reveal plans to unveil a foldable MacBook. Therefore, this information should be considered with a pinch of salt.
Apple is also expected to introduce a foldable smartphone around 2025. In March this year, the company filed a patent for a new technology that would protect iPhone and iPad models with flexible screens from getting damaged even when dropped from a height. With this latest technology, devices would be able to detect while they're falling and immediately fold up on the way to the ground to reduce damage.
Bitcoin Value Could Reach $50,000 Mark This Year, $120,000 by End of 2024, Says Standard Chartered
The value of top cryptocurrency bitcoin could reach $50,000 (roughly Rs. 41,19,200) this year and $120,000 (roughly Rs. 98,85,800) by the end of 2024 Standard Chartered said on Monday, predicting the recent jump in its price could encourage bitcoin "miners" to hoard more of the supply.
Standard Chartered published a $100,000 (roughly Rs. 82,38,000) end-2024 forecast for bitcoin back in April on the view the so-called "crypto winter" was over, but one of the bank's top FX analysts, Geoff Kendrick, said there was now 20 percent "upside" to that call.
"Increased miner profitability per BTC (bitcoin) mined means they can sell less while maintaining cash inflows, reducing net BTC supply and pushing BTC prices higher," Kendrick said in a report.
Bitcoin's price has leapt 80 percent since the start of the year but its current level of just over $30,200 (roughly Rs. 24,87,900) is still less than half the $69,000 (roughly Rs. 56,84,000) it peaked back in November 2021.
Trillions of dollars were wiped from the crypto sector in 2022, as central banks hiked rates and a string of crypto firms, such as the FTX exchange, imploded. This year's collapse of a number of traditional-style banks though has fed the rebound.
Standard Chartered said the rationale for its predicted price rise was that miners who mint the 900 new bitcoins produced each day around the world would soon need to sell fewer to cover their costs - mostly electricity to power supercomputers.
Kendrick estimated that miners have recently been selling 100 percent of their new coins. If the price hits $50,000 (roughly Rs. 41,19,000) though, they would probably only sell 20-30 percent.
"It is the equivalent of miners reducing the amount of bitcoins they sell per day to just 180-270 from 900 currently."
"Over a year, that would reduce miner selling from 328,500 to a range of 65,700-98,550 – a reduction in net BTC supply of roughly 250,000 bitcoins a year."
Next April or May the total number of bitcoins able to be mined each day is also set to halve due to an inbuilt supply and issuance mechanism that gradually limits supply to maintain its appeal.
Predictions of sky-high valuations have been commonplace during bitcoin's past rallies. A Citi analyst said in November 2020 that bitcoin could climb as high as $318,000 (roughly Rs. 2.6 crore) by the end of 2022. It closed last year down about 65 percent at $16,500 (roughly Rs. 13,59,200 crore).
© Thomson Reuters 2023
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Apple Sets Up Online Store on China’s Social Media Platform WeChat
Tencent's WeChat said on Tuesday that iPhone maker Apple had opened a store on its social media platform, marking an expansion of the U.S. firm's retail channels in the world's second-largest economy.
The announcement by WeChat, China's dominant messaging app which also provides e-commerce, livestreaming and payment services, said users would be able to buy Apple products including iPhones, iPads and Macs from the store.
Apple and Tencent did not immediately respond to requests for further comment.
The move by Apple comes as Chinese consumers increasingly turn to social media platforms such as WeChat and ByteDance's Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, to shop.
Besides its own stores and website, Apple already operates a shop on Alibaba Group's Tmall online marketplace. Apple also tried marketing its products on a live stream in China for the first time in May with an hour-long show.
China's smartphone sales in the first quarter fell 5 percent year on year, marking the lowest first-quarter sales figure for the country since 2014, according to data from Counterpoint Research.
However, during the quarter Apple recorded a 19.9 percent share of the Chinese smartphone market - its biggest since 2014 - as it increased sales by 6 percent year-on-year in a declining market, the research firm said.
© Thomson Reuters 2023
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
WhatsApp's Phone Number Privacy Feature for Communities Reportedly Rolling Out to Android, iOS Beta Testers
WhatsApp is reportedly rolling out a new privacy-focused feature for community members. The new functionality previously said to be in testing would let users hide their phone numbers while joining a community. The feature called “phone number privacy”, is reportedly available to all Android and iOS beta testers. With this, users can participate in conversations and show their reactions to messages by hiding their names and phone numbers from other members of the community. The Meta-owned instant messaging app has not officially revealed when it intends to make the phone number privacy feature live for all users.
As per a report by WhatsApp features tracker WABetainfo, WhatsApp has released a phone number privacy feature for communities for all Android and iOS beta testers. It is said to be available for all Android and iOS beta testers with WhatsApp beta for Android version 2.23.14.19 and iOS 23.14.0.70 beta version for iOS respectively.
With this feature, the phone number of the user can be hidden from all members while joining a community. At present, the community participants list is already hidden in the community announcement group, but if a user interacts with messages through reactions, their phone number would be revealed. The new phone number privacy feature will ensure that your contact number will remain out of sight of other participants in the Community even while adding reactions to a message.
The report also includes a screenshot showing the phone number privacy feature for communities, giving users an idea of what it might look like when it starts widely rolling out. It can be accessed from the 'Community announcement group info'. While turning on this feature, WhatsApp alerts users that their number will stay hidden from other participants except for the community admin and the members who have already saved their contact numbers. This new privacy feature is only applicable to community members as the community admin's phone number is always visible. Users will also have the option to share it with specific community participants later as per preference.
However, WhatsApp has not yet officially announced the rollout of the phone number privacy feature. It might change before the final release. In case you are curious to try the new security feature, you can download the latest build of WhatsApp from Google Play, Apple Store and the TestFlight app.
Nothing Phone 2 With Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 SoC, 50-Megapixel Rear Cameras Debuts in India: Price, Specifications
Nothing Phone 2 was launched on Tuesday as the second smartphone from the UK-based startup led by OnePlus Co-Founder Carl Pei. Unlike its predecessor, the Phone 2 is powered by a flagship-grade Snapdragon chipset and packs a larger battery. The smartphone sports a tweaked Glyph interface that also supports third party apps like Uber and Zomato. It is equipped with a dual rear camera setup with two 50-megapixel sensors. Nothing has promised three years of Android OS updates and four years of security patches every two months for the newly launched handset.
Nothing Phone 2 price in India is set at Rs. 44,999 for the base 8GB + 128GB RAM and storage configuration. The phone is also available in 12GB + 256GB and 12GB + 512GB variants, priced at Rs. 49,999 and Rs. 54,999, respectively. It is available in Dark Gray and White colour options and will go on sale via Flipkart and select retail outlets on July 21.
Pre-order pass holders can place orders for the phone starting today, while availing of an instant discount of Rs. 3,000 on Axis Bank and HDFC Bank debit and credit card transactions, as well as discounts on official accessories for the Nothing Phone 2.
Customers can also purchase the Nothing Phone 2 via the company's 'Nothing Drops' pop-up stores in various cities, starting with Bengaluru on July 14 at 7pm IST.
The dual-SIM (Nano) Nothing Phone 2 runs on Android 13-based Nothing OS 2.0 out-of-the-box. The handset sports a 6.7-inch full-HD+ (1,080x2,412 pixels) LTPO OLED display with an adaptive refresh rate that can range between 1Hz and 120Hz, a 240Hz touch sampling rate, along with SGS Low Blue Light and HDR10+ certifications.
Powered by Qualcomm's 4nm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 SoC with an Adreno 730 GPU, the Nothing Phone 2 is equipped with up to 12GB of RAM along with up to 512GB of inbuilt storage. It is equipped with three high-definition microphones and a dual stereo speaker setup.
In order to capture images and videos, the Nothing Phone 2 has a dual rear camera setup comprising a 50-megapixel primary camera with a 1/1.56-inch Sony IMX890 sensor with an f/1.88 aperture and optical image stabilisation (OIS) and electronic image stabilisation (EIS), and a 50-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera with a 1/2.76-inch Samsung JN1 sensor with EIS, a 114-degree field of view and an f/2.2 aperture. The latter also doubles as a macro camera (4cm), according to the company.
Supported video modes on the Nothing Phone 2 include 4K at 60fps, 1080p at 30 or 60fps, and live HDR at 4K and 30fps. You can also record videos in slow motion at 480fps and time lapses videos at 4K resolution. On the front is a 32-megapixel camera with a 1/2.74-inch Sony IMX615 sensor with an f/2.45 aperture for clicking selfies and making video calls.
Just like the Nothing Phone 1, the new handset features the company's unique Glyph Interface, which comprises LED strips located on the rear panel of the smartphone. According to the company, the slightly tweaked design of the interface now includes 33 individually addressable zones, and the phone will support 10 new ringtones and notification sounds. You can also see progress bars from system apps for things like timers or battery charging, or you can check your delivery and pick up progress with third-party apps like Uber and Zomato, with support for more apps is expected soon.
Connectivity options on the Nothing Phone 2 include WiFi 6, 5G, 4G LTE, Bluetooth 5.3, NFC, GPS/A-GPS, NavIC, and a USB Type-C port. Sensors on board include an accelerometer, two ambient light sensors (front and rear), e-compass, gyroscope, proximity sensor, and an in-display fingerprint scanner for biometric authentication. The phone is also claimed to support face unlocking, including when the owners face is covered.
The Nothing Phone 2 packs a 4,700mAh battery, which is larger than its predecessor. It has an IP54 rating for dust and splash resistance. The handset supports 45W PPS wired charging (charging brick sold separately) and the company claims the handset can be fully charged in 55 minutes. The phone can also be charged without cables in 130 minutes with 15W Qi wireless charging. The Nothing Phone 2 also supports reverse wireless charging at 5W, according to the company. It measures 162.1x76.4x8.6mm and weighs 201.2g.
Honor X6a Specifications, Price Leaked; Renders Show Dual Rear Cameras, Colour Options: Report
Honor is likely to launch the Honor X6a smartphone soon in the European market. While the company hasn't revealed any specifications of the phone, the handset's display and a few other key details including colour options have emerged online, along with the expected price. The phone is tipped to pack 6GB of RAM and 128GB of inbuilt storage. The phone also surfaced on the TDRA certification website in the UAE with the model number WDY-LX2. Recently, the company introduced the Honor X50 in China.
According to a report shared by Appuals, leaked renders show that the purported Honor X6a is likely to launch in two colour options — Green and Black. The smartphone's leaked design suggests a dual camera setup and an LED flash housed in two circular camera modules. The phone will also have an Honor branding on the back panel. The power and the volume button could be positioned on the right edge of the smartphone with a side-mounted fingerprint sensor, the renders show.
Additionally, the report also revealed some of the key specifications for the upcoming Honor handset, including up to 6GB of RAM and 128GB storage under the hood. The smartphone is tipped to come with an LCD display with a v-shaped waterdrop notch housing the selfie camera. Apart from these, the Honor X6a is said to be priced at EUR 169 (roughly Rs. 15,300) in Europe.
Earlier this month, Honor launched the Honor X50 in China. The phone comes equipped with Qualcomm's Snapdragon 6 SoC paired with Adreno 710 GPU, up to 16GB of RAM, and up to 512GB of inbuilt storage. The handset sports a 6.78-inch 1.5K (2,652 x 1,200 pixels) OLED curved display with a refresh rate of up to 120Hz. It also offers a peak brightness of up to 1,200 nits and an instant touch sampling rate of 1,000Hz. The new Honor X50 comes preloaded with Android 13-based Magic UI 7.1.1 out-of-the-box.
For optics, the rear camera unit of the Honor X50 packs a 108-megapixel Samsung HM6 primary sensor and a 2-megapixel sensor. There is also an 8-megapixel front camera sensor housed in a center-aligned hole-punch slot at the top of the display. The handset is equipped with a large 5,800mAh battery with 35W fast charging support.
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