Gadgets And Technology Daily News | 19 Jul 2023
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Xiaomi 14 Tipped to Get Snapdragon 8 Gen 3; Other Key Specifications Leaked
Xiaomi 14 is expected to launch as the successor to the Xiaomi 13, which was released in December 2022. The upcoming flagship smartphone from Xiaomi has now been tipped to launch with an unannounced Qualcomm Snapdragon SoC. A tipster hinted at a few other key specifications of the phone including camera and storage details. The Xiaomi 13 is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC and packs a 4,500mAh battery with 67W wired and 50W wireless fast charging support.
Tipster Digital Chat Station has claimed on Weibo that the Xiaomi 14 will be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC. The chipset hasn't yet been announced, but it is expected to be a big upgrade over the current Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. The tipster added that the phone may launch in 512GB and 1TB storage optoins.
Furthermore, the tipster suggests that the Xiaomi 14 is likely to include a 50-megapixel 1/1.28-inch primary sensor, which is larger than the 50-megapixel 1/1.49-inch sensor in the Xiaomi 13. The new sensor is expected to be accompanied by a medium-telephoto lens and an ultra-wide angle lens. Earlier reports suggest that the Xiaomi 14 is likely to launch with a periscope zoom lens with 5 times the optical zoom capacity with a focal length of 115mm.
An earlier leak by the same tipster suggested that the upcoming flagship handset will sport a familiar square camera island, but it will be divided up into four parts, to hold four camera units. There is no further information available on the fourth camera.
The Xiaomi 14 series has also previously been reported to come with larger batteries than its predecessor. The base Xiaomi 14 model is expected to pack a 4,860mAh battery with 90W fast wired and 50W wireless fast charging support.
Microsoft Said to Be in Talks With Activision to Extend Takeover Contract Amid Regulatory Hurdles
Microsoft is in talks about an extension of its acquisition contract with video game maker Activision Blizzard, which is set to expire on Tuesday, so the parties can overcome the remaining regulatory hurdles to their $69 billion (nearly Rs. 5,66,100 crore) deal, a person familiar with the matter said on Monday.
The expiration of the contract would not automatically lead to the collapse of the deal, as it simply affords either company the right to walk away from the transaction.
Nonetheless, Microsoft, which makes the Xbox gaming console, has been seeking the contract extension to ensure that Activision is not wooed by another potential acquirer or has a change of heart, the source said.
The terms of the extension under negotiation and whether it would come with more financially advantageous terms for Activision could not immediately be learned.
The companies will continue to negotiate the extension if they do not have an agreement by the end of Tuesday, according to the source, who requested anonymity because the matter is confidential.
Microsoft and Activision did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
An extension would give the companies more time to find a regulatory solution in Britain, the only major jurisdiction that stands in the way of them completing what would be the largest acquisition in the gaming sector.
Microsoft and Activision are negotiating potential remedies with the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) which they hope will appease its antitrust concerns.
The country's antitrust regulator has argued that Microsoft's commitment to offering access to Activision's multi-billion dollar "Call of Duty" franchise to rival cloud gaming platforms would not effectively protect competition in the market. The CMA has agreed to extend its probe to Aug. 29 to allow for more negotiations with the companies.
Last week, Microsoft signed a pact to keep "Call of Duty" on Sony Group's PlayStation console. Sony had been one of the deal's toughest critics, arguing that it could stifle consumer choice.
On Friday, a US appeals court rejected the US Federal Trade Commission's request to pause Microsoft's acquisition of "Call of Duty" maker Activision. The decision removed one of the last obstacles to the acquisition closing.
Activision's shares closed at $93.2 on Monday, a small discount to the $95-per-share deal price, indicating that most investors now viewed the completion of the deal as likely.
© Thomson Reuters 2023
Threads to Implement Rate Limits to Combat Spam Amid Drop in Active Users, DMs Feature Coming Soon: Reports
Threads — the popular microblogging platform launched by Facebook parent Meta earlier this month — will implement rate limits following an increase in spam attacks on the platform. Rate limits are an artificial ceiling on the number of times a user can interact with a platform within a certain period, and rival Twitter announced similar limits for the same purpose earlier this month. Meanwhile, the early excitement around the Threads app appears to have waned, as per a report that states that the number of daily active users on the app has dropped considerably as the app still lacks important features offered by other platforms.
In a Threads post on Monday, Instagram head Adam Mosseri said that spam attacks had "picked up" on the platform and that the service would have to "get tighter on things like rate limits. However, just like Twitter's recent implementation of rate limits, the decision could prevent active people from accessing the service. However, Mosseri added that users could provide feedback related to false positives, if the company's protections ended up limiting their activity.
After a blockbuster debut, it appears that Threads is seeing a drop in daily active users. From 49 million daily active users on July 7, the app had 23.6 million active users (on Android) a week later on July 14, according to details shared by SimilarWeb and corroborated by analytics platform Sensor Tower. In addition to the novelty of new apps wearing off, Meta's decision to block access to users from the EU using a VPN could have also cause a higher drop in active users.
Despite the reported drop in active users on Threads, the platform has already gained around one-fifth the weekly active userbase that rival Twitter has, according to details shared by Data.ai. The firm also revealed that demand for Threads was highest in India, which accounted for 33 percent of the global downloads for the app, followed by Brazil and the US.
Unlike other social media and microblogging services, Threads lacks a few important features that were missing when the service was launched earlier this month. These include direct messaging (DMs), the ability to search for text in posts, and a chronological timeline. While these features are still in development, a leaked memo seen by Business Insider reveals that messaging, improved search functionality, and the ability to see trends and topics will soon be making their way to the platform.
Facebook Gets New Video Tab; Brings Improvements to Video Editing, Uploads, More
Meta announced a host of upgrades for video features on Facebook, including refined editing tools, the ability to upload videos in HDR, and a replaced the older Watch tab with a Video tab. The new editing tools will allow users to add music, filters, and other effects to their videos. They will also be able to trim and cut their videos and add titles and captions. The ability to upload videos in HDR will allow users to share videos with more vibrant colours and contrast.
The new Video tab will make it easier for users to find and watch videos on Facebook. The company replaced the older Watch tab with this one and said that it will appear soon on the shortcut bar. Meta calls it “the one-stop shop for everything video on Facebook, including Reels, long-form videos, and Live content.” According to Meta, the "Video" option will be at the top of the Android app and at the bottom of the iOS version.
Users will have the option to browse vertically through a "personalised feed" of videos with a separate Reels section. The company added that it is bringing the Reels editing tools to the Facebook feed, which means users will be able to directly add audio, text, and music to their videos when uploading from the app. Meta is also adding new editing options, such as the ability to change the speed of a clip, reverse it, or replace it. Facebook is trying to make it easier to pick the proper audio track, remove noise, and record a voiceover over a video for audio.
Facebook is also receiving the ability to upload HDR videos from a user's phone, with Meta saying that it is the first of their endeavours to bring "true HDR video support" to all applications under the Meta banner. It is also reinforcing the links between its applications by allowing users to view and leave or reply to comments on Instagram Reels while accessing them on Facebook.
Meta has been diligently trying in recent months to make Reels a more popular video format on Facebook and Instagram. In March, Facebook increased the clip length limit for Reels from 60 seconds to 90 seconds.
Barbie Isn’t Exactly a Kids’ Movie, Despite the Brand Being Primarily Targeted Towards Kids
Barbie — out Friday in theatres — marks the first live-action adaptation of the beloved doll collection from Mattel, following a slew of animated ones that were distributed on VOD. While the main demographic for the titular dolls is girls between the ages of 3 and 12, Greta Gerwig's imagining is poised to contain some ‘suggesting references and brief language,' upping the age rating to a U/A in India. Don't be alarmed, as this wouldn't prevent kids from watching the movie, but rather suggests that the movie appeals to a wide range of audiences. The UK follows the same ruleset as India, where kids under the age of 12 must be accompanied by a parent, whereas in the US, the film's rating is set to PG-13 — a tad higher.
Given the trailers we've seen leading up to Barbie's release, this shouldn't entirely come as a surprise, with the titular character getting sexually harassed at one point. With the age rating as a guide, it is up to the parents/ guardians to decide whether they believe the film is suitable for their children. Back in April, Warner Bros. released a ‘beach off' scene between two Kens — Ryan Gosling and Simu Liu — where the former repeatedly says variations of “I would beach you off,” even commenting on Liu not being able to beach himself off. It's ironic coming from either of them since Barbie dolls don't have genitalia. This is supported by another scene where Kate McKinnon's Weird Barbie does the splits, seemingly trying to look under Margot Robbie's Barbie's dress. McKinnon plays the test subject version of Barbie that is usually discarded — in a sense — where girls would cut their hair in punkish fashion, burn their toes, and put on weird crayon makeup.
Maybe that's why she's aware of the harshness of the real world, which goes inline with the film's premise where she sends Robbie's Barbie out of Barbie Land. Upon reaching the real world with Ken, they're ridiculed for their outrageous outfits, are treated badly, and even end up getting arrested — all of which Barbie hates, but Ken loves. Adding fuel to it is Will Ferrell as the fictional CEO of Mattel, wanting to lock the pair back inside their cardboard boxes. Speaking to The Wall Street Journal, Ferrell called the film a great satire and that it was a comment on the male patriarchy. In summary, in all three countries, the Barbie movie is targeted at audience members that are outside the core age range.
The marketing, however, has been covering the entire Barbie brand, be it Robbie showing up to premieres in iconic outfits worn by the doll herself, poster filters for fans to edit themselves into, and the toys themselves. In contrast, Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer is rightfully lacking in that level of promotion, despite releasing on the same day. Analysts predict that Barbie is projected to perform better than Oppenheimer at the box office, thanks in part to the memes surrounding their contrasting themes.
Then, of course, there's the floating theory that Warner Bros. is deliberately trying to sabotage Nolan's film out of spite for him severing his ties with the studio. Recent reports, however, dispute this rumour with WB confirming that they've been trying to mend their broken relationship with Nolan, so he can resume making movies with the studio.
Barbie releases July 21 in theatres worldwide, alongside Oppenheimer. Tickets for both movies are now live on BookMyShow and PayTM.
Oppo K11 5G Launch Date Set for July 25; Price, Key Specifications, Colour Options Teased
Oppo K11 5G is set to launch in China on July 25 as a successor to the Oppo K10 5G, which was unveiled in April 2022. The Oppo K10 5G comes with a MediaTek Dimensity 810 SoC paired with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of inbuilt storage and a 5,000mAh battery with 33W wired SuperVOOC fast charging technology support. Ahead of the launch, the company has teased the price and certain key specifications of the Oppo K11 5G. Meanwhile, other specifications of the upcoming handset have been leaked by a tipster.
Bobee Liu, Oppo China President, stated in a Weibo post that the upcoming Oppo K11 5G will be priced around CNY 2,000 (roughly Rs. 22,900) and teased the company will offer a flagship-level camera in the handset. The phone is confirmed to come with a 50-megapixel Sony IMX890 sensor. It will launch in Glacier Blue and Moon Shadow Gray (translated from Chinese) colour options. It is speculated that the phone aims to compete with the Honor X50, which starts at CNY 1,399 (roughly Rs. 15,900) for the base 8GB + 128GB storage variant.
The company also revealed the colour options and design of the Opoo K11 5G handset. The phone is seen with a flat display and a 2.8D curved back with rounded edges. Two slightly raised circular cutouts are placed in the upper left corner of the back panel that houses the triple rear camera units alongside an LED flash unit beside those. The volume rocker and the power button are seen on the right edge. The handset is confirmed to measure 8.23mm in thickness and weigh 184 grams.
For optics, the triple camera setup is expected to include a 50-megapixel Sony IMX890 primary sensor alongside an 8-megapixel and a 2-megapixel sensor. The selfie camera on the Oppo K11 5G is said to be equipped with a 16-megapixel sensor, according to tipster Abhishek Yadav (@yabhishekhd). The tipster also suggests that the phone will pack a Snapdragon 782G SoC, a 6.7" full-HD+ OLED display with 120Hz refresh rate, and offer LPDDR4x RAM with UFS 3.1 storage.
Oppo's K11 5G is expected to pack a 5,000mAh battery with 80W wired fast charging support. For security, it is likely to come with an in-display fingerprint sensor. It is also likely to support NFC connectivity and be equipped with an X-axis haptic motor, an IR blaster and dual speakers.
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