Now's the time to act if you've pined for a Galaxy Z Fold 4 but couldn't quite justify spending nearly two grand for more than 256GB of storage. Amazon is selling the 512GB foldable for $1,500, a very nice $420 below the official price. That's substantially less than you normally pay for the base model, and matches an offer on Samsung's website.
The Galaxy Z Fold 4 is ultimately a refinement of its predecessor, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Samsung has patched up some of the enthusiast phone's remaining weaknesses with better rear cameras, improved battery life and added design polish. This remains the device to get if you want a powerful phone that can double as a tablet, particularly if you like to juggle multiple apps.
The catches at this point are the same ones you've seen for past models, and to some degree foldables in general. The Galaxy Z Fold 4 is bulky compared to conventional smartphones, and you'll have to live with quirks like the display crease. The rear cameras won't beat what you get on the S22 Ultra, and the under-display selfie cam is mediocre (if better hidden). If you're an early adopter or are willing to pay for the biggest screen you can get, though, you'd be hard-pressed to find better hardware at this sale price.
Kim Kardashian will pay $1.26 million to settle charges from the Securities and Exchange Commission over a cryptocurrency ad she posted on Instagram Stories. The socialite and reality TV megastar received $250,000 to post about EthereumMax's EMAX tokens but didn't disclose that she was paid to do so, according to the agency.
The SEC determined that Kardashian violated the anti-touting provision of federal securities laws. She didn't admit or deny the charges, though agreed to pay a $1 million penalty and around $260,000 in disgorgement, which the SEC said covers the fee she received for the ad plus prejudgement interest. In addition, Kardashian pledged not to promote cryptocurrency assets for three years.
"This case is a reminder that, when celebrities or influencers endorse investment opportunities, including crypto asset securities, it doesn’t mean that those investment products are right for all investors," SEC chair Gary Gensler said. "We encourage investors to consider an investment’s potential risks and opportunities in light of their own financial goals."
Earlier this year, a class-action suit took aim at Kardashian and Floyd Mayweather for promoting EthereumMax tokens. It accused the defendants of participating in a pump and dump scheme, in which investors promote an asset and sell their interest in it after the value rises. The suit claimed the value of the token soared by 632 percent after Mayweather and former NBA player Paul Pierce (another defendant in the case) promoted it.
According to a survey, 19 percent of people who heard about an Instagram Story from Kardashian that mentioned the cryptocurrency invested in EthereumMax. The lawsuit asserts that the value of the token nosedived by 98 percent the day after Kardashian's post.
This is far from the first time that Kardashian has been accused of publishing sponsored posts without disclosing that they're ads. Federal Trade Commission guidelines suggest that those who are paid to endorse something on social media should include the #Ad hashtag or include terms like "Sponsored," "Promotion" or "Paid ad."
In an incredible case of serendipity, a new podcast narrated by Kardashian, who is studying to become a lawyer, premiered on Spotify on Monday. The System: The Case of Kevin Keith is a true-crime podcast.
You might soon need YouTube Premium for more than ditching ads, background playback and trying new features. As MacRumorsnotes, users on Reddit and Twitter have noticed that YouTube is asking some viewers to upgrade to Premium to watch videos in 4K resolution. It's not clear which countries, devices or videos are affected, but this won't be thrilling if you were hoping for better than 1440p on your computer or tablet.
It's not certain if this is a test or broader rollout. We've asked YouTube for comment, and will let you know if we hear back. Premium normally costs $12 per month, or $120 per year.
So, after testing up to 12 ads on YouTube for non-Premium users, now some users reported that they also have to get a Premium account just to watch videos in 4K. pic.twitter.com/jJodoAxeDp
A move like this wouldn't be unexpected. YouTube claimed a combined 50 million Premium and Music subscribers last September. That may sound like a lot of customers, but it's a modest amount compared to paid media services like Spotify Premium (188 million users as of the second quarter) and Netflix (220.7 million). In theory, locking 4K videos behind YouTube Premium could spur sign-ups and make it a larger revenue source for Google.
Google’s fall hardware event promises to be special this year. It not only marks the official debut of the Pixel 7, it will launch the company’s first self-branded smartwatch — the Pixel Watch. But what will those devices bring to the table, exactly? And will there be any surprises beyond that? We’re here to let you know what to expect when Google’s broadcast begins October 6th.
Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro
Google
The meat of the presentation will probably focus on Google’s latest phones, the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro. An official preview at this spring’s I/O conference revealed that they’ll largely iterate on the Pixel 6 line. You can expect an updated but familiar-looking design with a seamless aluminum frame that extends to the camera bar. There will also be a new Tensor G2 chip that promises improved performance for media, speech recognition and other tasks. They’ll run Android 13. The base model will have two rear cameras like the regular Pixel 6, while the Pro adds a third.
But what kind of performance improvements can you expect? Subtle ones, apparently. Prototype leaks hint the standard Pixel 7 will carry 8GB of RAM and start with 128GB of storage, much like its predecessor. A variety of pre-release scoops also suggest the Tensor G2 isn’t a dramatic leap forward, with slight improvements to graphics, power efficiency and clock speeds. Likewise, developer Kuba Wojciechowski claims the cameras will remain largely unchanged. There could be little reason to upgrade from a Pixel 6, then, although this year’s phone may be worth the investment if you’re coming from a Pixel 5 or earlier.
The biggest news might be what doesn’t change: the price. A rumor from Android Police founder Artem Russakovskii maintains that the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro will respectively start at the same $599 and $899 prices as last year’s phones. They’ll represent significant value for money if the report is true, particularly at a time when many device prices are creeping upwards.
It’s not certain just when the Pixel 7 range will reach customers. Pre-orders will start the day of the event, but Google hasn’t said when the phone will be available. WinFuture’s Roland Quant has heard the devices will start shipping October 18th, though, so you may only have to wait a couple of weeks before the hardware reaches your hands.
Pixel Watch
Google
The highlight for many, however, will be the Pixel Watch. It’s Google’s first official smartwatch, and promises to serve as a showcase for Wear OS 3. You can expect tight Fitbit integration that includes fitness, sleep and general health tracking. The company is taking some design cues from the Apple Watch with an upscale-looking case, a prominent crown and easily swapped (if proprietary) bands, but it’s using a circular display like many other Wear OS devices.
Google hasn’t shared much about what’s inside, but a prototype left in a restaurant points to heart rate, blood oxygen and ECG monitoring that might be borrowed from the Fitbit Charge 5. We wouldn’t be surprised to see tap-to-pay Wallet functionality, either. 9to5Googlesources believe the Pixel Watch might use a stock Samsung Exynos chip instead of a custom Tensor part, but that it might pack a large 2GB of RAM (even the Galaxy Watch has ‘just’ 1.5GB), 32GB of storage and a coprocessor that keeps battery life in check. Emulator code also points to the introduction of Google’s next-generation Assistant on Wear OS watches, although it’s not known just how the AI helper will evolve on your wrist.
As with the phones, Pixel Watch pre-orders should start October 6th. It’s not yet known if the hardware will ship at the same time as the Pixel 7, though, and established leaker Yogesh Brar warned of a possible “limited release” (that is, only in a few countries). You might have to pay a premium compared to other options, too. A 9to5Googleprice leak mentioned a $350 starting price, with a cellular version bumping the cost to $400. That’s significantly higher than the $280 Galaxy Watch 5, and not far behind the $399 Apple Watch Series 8. The Pixel is clearly pitched as Android’s answer to the Apple Watch, and might be priced accordingly.
Wildcards: More Pixel device previews and Nest hardware
Google
There haven’t been solid rumors of additional hardware at the event. Nonetheless, we wouldn’t rule it out. Few would have expected Google to preview the Pixel Tablet long before its 2023 release — it’s no longer out of the question that you might see a teaser for more products. But what, exactly? Besides more details for the tablet, there are longstanding murmurs of a foldable Pixel phone that might get an early peek. With that said, there’s no tangible evidence either Pixel product will make a cameo.
We also wouldn’t count on more Nest devices. Apart from a dearth of leaks, there are only so many things Google can do to upgrade some of its offerings, such as the audio-only Nest Mini and Nest Audio. That said, Google hasn’t touched some of its lineup for two or three years. The company may have an incentive to keep things fresh when Amazon just overhauled its smart home gear.
If there are any surprises, they’re most likely to involve AI-related features. At last year’s event, Google unveiled Pixel-first software tricks that included on-screen call center menus and as-you-type translation. A repeat wouldn’t be surprising this time around, even if some of those extras won’t require a Pixel in the future. Google used AI as a major selling point for the Pixel 6, and the sequel could easily get similar treatment.
Yahoo has launched its latest Mail app with a number of updates designed to help users track receipts, shipments, gift cards and "free trial" subscriptions that need to be cancelled by a certain date. A new design also aims to make navigation easier, with "top-of-inbox" contextual filters, one-tap unsubscribe, attachment organization and more.
If you're one to sign up for free trials, the free trial tracker could help. It puts reminders at the top of your inbox to let you know when a free trial ends, so you can decide whether to keep or cancel it without panicking about the date. It also offers updated package tracking alerts to inform where your package is or if it's ready to be picked up.
Another new view lets you see receipts of all your orders in one place, helping you track spend or easily make returns. And finally, the gift card view shows all your unused gift cards in one place, so you can use them before they expire.
Mail also get some new design features, particularly the updated top-of-inbox navigation that lets you toggle between inbox, attachments, starred and productivity reminders. It also now includes one-tap unsubscribe, group by sender and "email to myself" message you've sent as reminders. Finally, there's a new "attachments" filter that lets you display and filter all your attachments by type (PDFs, docs, photos) so you don't have to search every email.
While it doesn't get the attention of a Gmail or Outlook, Yahoo Mail is just behind those two services in popularity with around 225 million users as of 2020. The update is now rolling out to iOS and Android today, though it may take awhile to reach you
Wisk Aero has unveiled its 6th-generation semi-autonomous air taxi, calling it the "first-ever candidate for type certification by the FAA of an autonomous eVTOL." The design looks like a substantially updated version of the "Cora" air taxi we first saw fly and hover in New Zealand back in 2018. However, the company didn't show any flight or detail the certification progress.
According to Wisk, the four-seat aircraft can cruise between 110 and 120 knots (138 MPH) at a height of 2,500 to 4,000 feet above ground level. It's a VTOL (vertical takeoff and landing) aircraft with a 12-propeller design, featuring tilting propulsion units in front and fixed units aft for lift. It offers up to 90 miles of range and has improved control and efficient energy management over previous versions, according to the press release.
The promotional video (above) shows passengers buckling in with shoulder harness-style seatbelts and going through a safety procedure demonstration using touchscreens. Wisk says there are "fewer moving parts, no hydraulics, no oil and no fuel," promising a safer flying experience. It also notes that it's "designed to exceed today’s rigorous aviation safety standards of a one-in-a-billion chance of an accident."
The company emphasized the autonomous technology, saying they believe that it's the "key" to air mobility. To that end, they aim to have improved sensors to detect and avoid obstacles, along with "multi-vehicle supervisors that provide human oversight of every flight," and can take control if needed.
Wick said the new vehicle is a candidate for FAA certification that would allow it to fly passengers in the US. However, getting that coveted piece of paper is an arduous chore even for established airplane manufactures like Boeing using standard aircraft designs — let alone a new company with a brand new type of aircraft that's never flown passengers before.
Aviation company Kittyhawk founded by Google co-founder Larry Page recently announced that it was shutting down, a strong indication of the challenges in this sector. Wick essentially sprang from that company, after Kittyhawk partnered with Boeing on the 5th-generation Cora aircraft.
Wick isn't the only company determined to see this air taxi thing through. Joby received FAA authorization for its air taxi services earlier this year, allowing it to operate commercially. However, that only allows it start testing its services — it still needs FAA certification for its prototype aircraft before it can actually transport people.
The University of Illinois (UIUC) has partnered with Amazon, Apple, Google, Meta, Microsoft and nonprofits on the Speech Accessibility Project. The aim is to improve voice recognition for communities with disabilities and diverse speech patterns often not considered by AI algorithms. That includes people with Lou Gehrig's disease (ALS), Parkinson's, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome and other diseases that affect speech.
“Speech interfaces should be available to everybody, and that includes people with disabilities," UIUC professor Mark Hasegawa-Johnson said. "This task has been difficult because it requires a lot of infrastructure, ideally the kind that can be supported by leading technology companies, so we’ve created a uniquely interdisciplinary team with expertise in linguistics, speech, AI, security and privacy."
To include communities of people with disabilities like Parkinson's, The Speech Accessibility Project will collect speech samples from individuals representing a diversity of speech patterns. The UIUC will recruit paid volunteers to contribute voice samples and help create a "private, de-identified" dataset that can be used to train machine learning models. The group will focus on American English at the start.
The Davis Phinney Foundation (Parkinson's) and Team Gleason (ALS) have pledged support for the project. "Parkinson’s affects motor symptoms, making typing difficult, so speech recognition is a critical tool for communication and expression," said The Davis Phinney Foundation's executive director, Polly Dawkins. "Part of [our] commitment includes ensuring people with Parkinson’s have access to the tools, technologies, and resources needed to live their best lives."
Based on a successful feature on TikTok's sister app in China, Douyin, the social network is reportedly planning to launch a live shopping TikTok Shop in the US later this year. According to the Financial Times, Douyin hosts nine million live shopping broadcasts a month and sold over 10 billion products in a single year, from May 2021 to May 2022. That’s triple what it sold the previous year. The technology will supposedly be provided by the US company TalkShopLive and support livestreams hosted by influencers and brands. The agreements are still under discussion, however.
The report comes just a day after Facebook announced it was abandoning its own Live Shopping feature. Facebook is now suggesting merchants showcase products via Reels. TikTok has had mixed success with the method already. Last year, it launched in the UK – the only country with availability outside Asia. TikTok Shop hasn't fared especially well so far, and TikTok postponed plans to expand elsewhere in Europe.
This time: band designs, watch faces and Fitbit integration.
It seems an Amazon listing for the Pixel Watch went live early in Germany. The smartwatch is due to go on sale just after Google's October 6th event. There will be several colors in at least four band designs, including silicon, braided and leather. The Amazon listing, which has been removed, suggested users will receive six months free Fitbit Premium access, including deeper fitness metrics and other exercise goodies.
Getting rid of certain names may not make a huge difference.
The group that oversees USB wants to make it easier for you to understand what various cables and ports actually do. The USB Implementers Forum (USB-IF) wants cable makers to use “USB 10Gbps” instead of “SuperSpeed USB 10Gbps” and “USB 20Gbps” instead of “USB4 20Gbps." USB-C cables certified by the USB-IF will need to list both data transfer speeds and charging wattage. Knowing which cable you need is already complicated enough. Thunderbolt 3 and Thunderbolt 4 connectors and ports look exactly the same as USB-C ones, for instance. The updated guidelines don't clarify whether a cable supports DisplayPort or certain fast-charging standards, either.
After pandemic-related disruptions in Q2, Tesla ramped up its manufacturing capacity again last quarter, leading the company to make a record number of deliveries between July 1st and September 30th. The company built 365,923 electric vehicles during that period. That marks a year-over-year production increase of nearly 54 percent.
Magic Leap has started selling Magic Leap 2 in 19 countries, including the US, UK and EU nations. The glasses are still for developers and pros, with a design 50 percent smaller and 20 percent lighter than the original. This should ensure they're more comfortable to wear over long periods. Magic Leap also promises better visibility for AR in bright light (think a well-lit office) thanks to dynamic dimming, which makes virtual content appear more solid. The Magic Leap 2 Base model costs $3,299, and developers who want extra tools will have to pay $4,099 for the Developer Pro edition.
NASA and SpaceX have signed an agreement to study the possibility of using a Dragon spacecraft to lift the Hubble telescope to a higher orbit. The Hubble telescope's orbit decays over time due to atmospheric drag, and boosting it to a more stable one could add years to its life.
The Pixel 7 is being unveiled this week, but if you're looking for a new but more budget focused phone, Amazon has an excellent deal on the Pixel 6a. You pick one up at just $349 for a savings of $100 (22 percent off) — $21 cheaper than the lowest price to date. That's a significant savings on a smartphone that only came out a couple of months ago.
If you're in the market for a mid-range smartphone, the Pixel 6a is a top pick. It offers the same Tensor chip as the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro, while giving you the purest Android experience possible. At the same time, you get excellent camera quality for the price, thanks to the two 12-megapixel rear cameras and 8-MP front sensor delivering bright, colorful pictures and video. It also comes with a distinctive design, sharp 6.1-inch OLED screen covered with Gorilla Glass 3, long-lasting battery, IP67 water/dust protection and more.
You don't get everything available in the flagships, of course. The 60Hz refresh rate isn't as smooth as the higher-end Pixels or Samsung's A53. Storage is limited to 128GB, there's no wireless charging and Google dropped the headphone jack we loved on the Pixel 5a — so you'll need a dongle for wired audio. Still, at this new low price, there aren't many other phones that can match it.
Maserati has finally revealed its electric GranTurismo in earnest, and the most interesting part may be what you don't notice. The GranTurismo Folgore coupe offers plenty of power with a tri-motor 760HP system, but it's also as low-slung as the gas versions (the Modena and Trofeo) with a 53.3-inch height. This is the lowest-sitting EV on the market, Maserati claims, with the improved agility to match. If it weren't for the aerodynamic wheels and the lack of exhaust pipes, you might not know it was an EV — even Porsche can't quite manage that.
The Italian brand hasn't detailed range, but the electrified GranTurismo includes a 92.5kWh battery with an 800V architecture that allows up to 270kW charging. You can get 62 miles of range in five minutes, Maserati says. The two-door also beats its combustion engine counterparts' performance with a claimed 0-62MPH time of 2.7 seconds (versus 3.5 for the Trofeo and 3.9 for the Modena) and the same 198.9MPH top speed as the Trofeo.
Stellantis
As with the Grecale Folgore SUV, the GranTurismo's cabin tech represents as much of an upgrade over previous models. You'll find a 12.2-inch digital dash, a 12.3-inch central infotainment screen and an 8.8-inch "comfort display." A heads-up display keeps your eyes on the road, and a digital rear-view mirror can use the back camera to help with tricky parking maneuvers. Alexa, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are available. And while this is a sports car, you'l find driver aids like active lane assist, a 3D road view (including nearby vehicles) and a 360-degree view to help navigate tight spots.
Maserati didn't mention pricing or exact availability, although it's safe to presume the GranTurismo Folgore will be expensive. Not that the company necessarily minds. In some ways, this is a shot across the bow of local sports car rivals like Ferrari and Lamborghini. While both those brands have offered hybrids like the SF90 Stradale and Sian, they've been reluctant to embrace full EVs. Maserati is effectively the only option if you want an Italian exotic without the massive emissions and equally large fuel bills.
