Last year, Lenovo showed the world in what looked like to be the first ever folding PC. This year at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, the computing giant recently unveiled its latest creation and truly the first ever folding laptop to the public; The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold.

That’s right! This is world’s first ever truly folding laptop. It also has spent four years in development and went through six major designs until now.

Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold can be best described as the perfect blend of a folding smartphone and a top-notch laptop. Renowned companies like Apple, Huawei, Samsung and Motorola have been experimenting with folding smartphones and failed many times before they came up with a durable final design and outcome.

But what Lenovo has shown proves the company’s worth in making top class futuristic gadgets, not for luxury but for everyone. What’s even more interesting is that the Chinese computing giant is more than happy to be experimenting with unusual yet interesting concepts, to bring to the world devices that were once perceived as impossible to produce.

Let us now have a deeper look at how Lenovo braved the odds in producing a technological masterpiece.

Challenges faced by Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold in its development

President of Lenovo’s Commercial PC and Smart Device Business Unit, Christian Teismann, said that the company has been looking for new product types and associated factors for years since the Yoga franchise began.

He further explained: “A PC is only usable for full productivity at a certain size, about 12 to 13 inches. We ultimately came back to something fundamental like a book form factor in business.”

One of the big challenges the company faced in developing a foldable PC was to ensure it lasted up to 5 years at least in its lifecycle as well as having the usability of a PC. Mr. Teismann said the first working sample was released around a year ago and further revealed the ThinkPad brand will evolve to a new level.

He further stated that the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold would be available for order early in this year’s second half with shipments commencing in the middle of the second half.

If such a release time is true, then Lenovo will be shipping the X1 Fold at almost the same time Microsoft debuts its Duo and Neo devices.

Features & Specifications of the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold

The Lenovo ThinkPad Fold X1 is the latest in a long line of foldable phones and computers. Numerous convertible dimensions attempted to bring the best of laptops and tablets together to create a device on a single overall dimension. It can also be safe to assume that Lenovo’s new Motorola Razr is the inspiration for its creation.

When unfolded, the ThinkPad Fold X1 has a 13.3-inch display which makes it quite compact. A magnetic Bluetooth keyboard (featured with it) that can sit on the device’s bottom half, creating a complete laptop effect. It can also be detached to be used with the unfolded screen.

A separate easel like stand can be used to hoist the device on it which then gives a sort of a desktop effect (it costs $24 & is not included with the product). When the laptop’s system is not in use, the keyboard sits in the middle and gets charged by wireless means. The best part is that it sits nicely when the laptop is folded.

The screen is pOLED (Plastic Organic Light-Emitting Diode) made in collaboration with LG. Lenovo revealed the extent of the screen’s durability tests to be quite extensive.

A carbon fiber plate reinforces the folding mechanism. The hinges used are quite powerful as they are not easily bent by human fingers.

The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold runs on Windows 10 Pro, and Lenovo brought its own solutions regarding its operability on the folding screen. The laptop is likely to have Windows 10X upon its launch.

The customizations it has are a taskbar icon bringing up a pop-up menu where users can switch between a single full-screen view or a dual-screen mode with an app displayed to each half of the screen. It is expected to be priced around $2,499.

The key points of the Lenovo ThinkPad Fold X1 are as under:

• It has multiple modes and can be opened as a completely flat 13.3-inch display.
• The product was co-engineered with Intel. It uses its Core series processors & Windows 10.
• An option for Windows 10X is coming later this year.
• 5G connectivity for the device is now an option.
• Lenovo said that it had developed a mode-switching software for Windows 10 which can accommodate multiple use cases & modes on ThinkPad X1 Fold (Windows 10 is known to be slow).
• The device weighs less than 2.2 pounds.
• A Bluetooth Mini Fold Keyboard and a leather case are available with the device.
• When the product is closed by folding, the keyboard can be stored and charged in it (wireless charging) and secured with magnets.
• A full-sized keyboard, mouse and a second display can connect with the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold via a USB Type-C cable and port.
• A ThinkPad X1 Fold Stand is also available. It can be used in either portrait or landscape mode. This helps the ThinkPad X1 Fold to be used as a desktop.

What makes the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold stand out?

Flexibility is the main advantage of the laptop’s design. The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold is something that is better than most small laptops; users can open the screen to its full size & prop it up with the built-in kickstand.

They can even use the wireless keyboard with ease which gives the experience of using both a desktop and a laptop. The easel like stand elevates it, making it look like the world’s smallest desktop.

Regarding its performance, the company stated that it runs on a new Intel platform using ‘hybrid technology.’ Battery life is stated to be up to 11 hours. Though skeptics see it as a machine having slow processing power, it would be wise to wait for its launch to see if it proves them wrong.

Conclusion

It is pricey when it comes to a laptop or tablet, but the ThinkPad X1 Fold is set to be the most innovative gadget made by Lenovo. The company has clearly put a lot of thinking in creating it.

This encourages experimental devices to hit the markets this year.

Hence, consumers will be looking forward to buying it and spending a lot of time on it as well.

Sonos Speaker company filed a lawsuit against Google for stealing their patented technology to manufacture its own line of products, says the New York Times report published this Tuesday. The company alleged the tech giant for taking five of its important patents and using them to create its own wireless technology. These speakers can be connected to the Internet and then can later be controlled by a mobile app. As a result, Sonos is forced to cut down its price and position in the market. 

The lawsuit document which was initially obtained by the Verge Google got hold of the patented technology from Sonos through a 2013 partnership program between the companies. And since 2015, Google has been found infringing Sonos patents for creating their own line of products. More than a dozen of Google’s product use Sonos patented technology including the Pixel phones and Google home devices. 

Sonos speaker company claims that Google has subsidized the prices of its products manufactured using patented technology and has flooded the market. In effect, Sonos’ business is getting hurt with these cheaper options. For instance, Google’s cheapest smart speaker the Google Home Mini starts at $49 and when it is on sale, the price cuts down up to $25 whereas Sono’s own speaker products cost around $179. 

The lawsuit filed by Sonos further claims that Google also has an upper hand in sales as it collects user information and utilizes it for target marketing by running different ad campaigns. Sonos doesn’t stop there, it also extends the lawsuit and claims that Amazon has also violated Sonos’ patents. For now, Sonos is only suing Google because the company is not in a position to combat two tech giants. 

Sonos speaker company are filing the lawsuit and suing Google in two courts. One lawsuit is filed at the federal district court while the other lawsuit is filed at the United States International Trade Commission. Sonos urge both the courts to seek undisclosed financial losses and place a ban on Google’s smartphones, laptops, speakers and other devices that are in infringement with the Sonos technology patents in the United States. 

Today, the smart speaker market is attractively growing with some of the major tech giants like Amazon, Apple, and Google all selling their own speaker designs. One of the reports released by The Consumer Technology Association further shed light that smart speakers alone are accountable for making almost $3 billion in revenue alone in 2019. The report published was a mid-year report. 

The CEO of Sonos, Patrick Spence has claimed that Sonos has warned Google countless times not violate since 2016 yet Google has persistently used Sonos patented technology for their own products.

Now they are left with no other option than to file a lawsuit against the firm. On one of the occasions, Spence declared, 

“Google is an important partner with whom we have collaborated successfully for years, However, Google has been blatantly and knowingly copying our patented technology in creating its audio products. Despite our repeated & extensive efforts over the last few years, Google has not shown any willingness to work with us on a mutually beneficial solution. We’re left with no choice but to litigate.”

In response to Spence’s declaration, Google spokesperson Jose Castaneda speaks out and says, 

“Google and Sonos have had talks regarding intellectual property rights but Google disputes these claims and will defend their stance vigorously.”

Stay tuned as we will soon be publishing more interesting news on how things develop between Google & Sonos. Who do you think stands affirm at their claim? Sonos speaker company or Google. Comment below. 

Everyone has been left impressed with the Samsung Galaxy S10. But, the recent leaks and rumors (as well as speculative predictions) about the Galaxy S11 are rising.  Not only is the phone rumored to catch up (and even go beyond) the iPhone 11, but also, we will check out how it will fare in the coming year.

The leaks and rumors of the Galaxy S11 haven’t rested during the holiday season. Today, we have assembled them all to see what picture the rumors make of the official lineup. Let us all have a look at the price, the potential setup of the cameras, the design and the specifications (battery, hardware, RAM etc.).

What is so special about the Samsung Galaxy S11 (as per the leaks)?

The Galaxy S11 is the company’s next premium device. It is set to woo to a wider audience, apart from tech enthusiasts looking to equip themselves with the most cutting-edge smartphone handset.

The Galaxy S11 phone line is the company’s first-ever mainstream device helping bring 5G to a lot of users and customers alike on the planet. Samsung also initiated a start with 5G earlier in 2019 with the S10 5G, Note 10 Plus 5G, Galaxy A90 5G and the Galaxy Fold (only in South Korea and the UK).

However, most of these phones are not targeting everyday users and are variants of 4G devices already in existence. Yet, Samsung is in a strong position as compared to that of last year. Samsung often follows past patterns & current trends in releasing its phones and the Galaxy S11 is known to be loaded with brilliantly extravagant specifications.

The launch date of the Samsung Galaxy S11

According to the latest updates, The Galaxy S11’s launch date is February 18, 2020. It is probable because it coincides with the previous launch dates of Samsung’s smartphones. This would become the South Korean electronics giant’s sixth flagship phone to make a February debut.

That’s right! The Galaxy S10, S10 Plus, and S10E were all launched on February 20, 2019. Suppose if the Galaxy S11 does arrive in February, it would make a lot of sense thus giving the Galaxy S10 phones a 12-month period on sale.

But there have been rumors about the S10 lite arriving first and this puts the spotlight position of the Galaxy S11 in doubt.

Last year, the prices for Galaxy S10 started at $749 for the S10E, $899 for the S10 and $999 for the S10 Plus. The launch price of the Galaxy S11 will likely hover around in this range, but customers and enthusiasts alike will have to play the wait & see the game to see Samsung’s pricing.

The specifications

Models and screen sizes

It is rumored that Samsung Galaxy S11 will have three models. Another rumor has it that the models will be named as the S11E, S11 and S11 Plus.

Recent leaks from frequent and renown Twitter leaker Evan Blass suggest the names as S11, S11 Plus, and S11 Pro, which resembles Apple’s naming strategy with the iPhone 11 (the base model for this line). All Galaxy S11 smartphones could have curved sides, unlike its predecessor which had a flat display.

The leak from Evan Blass’s account regarding Samsung Galaxy S11 | Source: Twitter

The following are the rumored screen sizes of the Samsung Galaxy S11:

• The Galaxy S11: Around 6.2 or 6.4 inches.
• The Galaxy S11 Plus: Around 6.7 inches.
• The Galaxy S11 Pro: Around 6.9 inches.

It supports 5G!

The Samsung Galaxy S11 will use 5G and will be equipped with Qualcomm Snapdragon 865 processor. Also, Qualcomm will not be giving this processor to phone making brands without the 5G modem. Hence, users get a phone with the Snapdragon 865 processor which will also be 5G ready.

The same also goes for those regions that will have the Galaxy S11 equipped with Samsung’s in-house created Exynos 990 5G processor (Asia especially). It also happens in South Korea, though it is being heard that the company is determined to use Snapdragon 865 for South Korean handset models.

However, there is a catch. The Galaxy S11 may be 5G-ready but not every phone will be able to access 5G. Countries that have not adopted 5G will have 4G ready handsets. Hence, in some regions, the phone will be working on 4G.

Anyone would be surprised if Samsung used a chip other than the Snapdragon 865. The Galaxy S Series is its mainstream flagship and Samsung ranks among the largest phone-makers in the world. It will create a milestone by delivering to the world the phone with the best chip.

The Camera

One of the biggest plus points of the Galaxy S11 is its Camera. Recent leaks and renders predict a square camera array having four cameras on the backside.

Samsung will be equipping the phone with a 108-megapixel main camera sensor. It sounds like fiction, but Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi has already beaten Samsung in this with the Mi CC9 Pro (which uses a 108-megapixel camera).

The Snapdragon 865 chipset can support a 200-megapixel camera. Users may not be using all the 108 megapixels all the time, but the extra resolution present is helpful for zooming in and cropping the pictures.

Here are additional features of the Galaxy S11’s camera:

• 108-megapixel main camera.
• Ultrawide-angle camera.
• An approximately 48 Megapixels Telephoto ‘periscope’ lens having a 5x zoom.
• ‘Time of flight’ sensor (in Galaxy S11 Pro).
• Front camera shaped like a single-punch hole.

A 120Hz AMOLED display screen

The 120Hz refresh rate on Galaxy S11’s screen will make animations and scrolling much smoother in comparison to the standard refresh rate of 60Hz of older smartphones.

A refresh rate of 120Hz is great for gaming and other quick transitions but it will drain the battery. The Galaxy S11 could somehow allow users to choose the refresh rate to be 60Hz if they wish to preserve the battery. They can also choose the 120Hz option if they want top-notch animations.

In short, it gives users flexibility in choosing the refresh rate between 60 & 120 Hz. The phone will have such a refresh rate as both Snapdragon 865 and Exynos 990 5G processors support 210Hz screens.

It’s True – The Galaxy S11 has a 5000-mAh battery

Phones of different sizes often get batteries of different sizes too. Ice Universe reveals that the Samsung Galaxy S11 ‘Plus’ will have a battery of power 5000 mAh.

Customers should know that the term ‘Plus’ could also mean ‘Pro’ (i.e. the highest-end model of the phone) and it makes sense. The middle phone of the Galaxy S11 trio might get a battery of power 4300 mAh, which is still pretty outstanding. Hence, the 5000 mAh battery fits the expectations of most.

In-screen fingerprint scanner

The concept of an in-screen fingerprint scanner is lovable. Since it was positively received in the Galaxy S10, users will welcome this feature in the Samsung Galaxy S11 too.

Customers are more likely to favor a secure facial scan unlocking feature combined with the in-screen scanner for Galaxy S11. Now, Google has added improvements to it with Pixel 4’s gesture tracking giving it good help.

Customers and users alike can at least use a more robust form of the scanner, if the company wishes to take advantage of Snapdragon 865s support for scanning two-fingers over one. This technological advancement can significantly improve the device’s security on all sides.

Android 10 and Samsung One UI 2 combined

Comparison of One UI and One UI 2 | Source: Samsung

There was little doubt about Samsung’s phones running on Android 10 in 2020. Also, the company’s own One UI 2 (announced in October last year) is now available in beta.

The best thing about Android 10 is the introduction of systemwide dark mode to phones, gesture-based navigation, impressive live captioning and updated privacy settings. One UI 2 aims to move icons and screen controls towards the phone’s bottom so they can be easily reached with one hand.

The Price

The price depends on the model customers wish to buy because it will break the $1000 mark. The Samsung Galaxy S10 Plus costs $999 and Galaxy S10 5G costs $1300. 5G costs phone makers more in purchase & integration so hence, the price will rise.

If the largest version (Pro or Plus) is in line with the pricing of the S10 plus, then it will start at $1000. Add the 5G component and advanced camera tech, then the price of Galaxy S11 is likely to be $1100 (which matches the price of the Galaxy Note 10 Plus today).

Conclusion

A refined design, heavy-duty battery and improved cameras are among the features of the Samsung Galaxy S11. The 5000 mAh battery indicates that the company will be making a huge stride for the year 2020.

The punch hole notch on the front might not be present because the phone will be having a delightful full-screen display. Samsung always takes pride in the quality of displays it gives and the year 2020 will see a full-screen Galaxy S11.

There will be the usual bumps in power and performance, and some AI material has been added on the phone too. By the time the Samsung Galaxy S11 will be launched, it should be coming on board with Android Q.

Facebook is stepping up its efforts in the video game world. The gaming industry has announced the acquisition of PlayGiga, which is developing its own cloud gaming solution.

The year subscription has just arrived on Apple Arcade. This saves around 10 euros.

Instagram has the habit of copying other apps and this time it has copied its parent firm Facebook.

Earlier this afternoon Google declared that Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin would abandon their respective roles as CEO and President of Alphabet. Current Google CEO Sundar Pichai will now become CEO of Alphabet as well.

Atari VCS is finally releasing in March 2020. After so many delays, this gaming console has finally gotten a release date.

The American pickup truck market is something that is a hard nut to crack. It’s a lucrative market that relies solely on the strength, sturdiness, toughness and dependability of the pickup truck, capable of surviving al weather conditions imaginable. In short, Americans prefer them to be like the good old pickup trucks.

Entering this tough segment through all electric pickup trucks was impossible some time ago. This time however, Tesla may have made the difference.

Throughout these years, we have all seen what Tesla has been doing; it makes a repetitious update on an existing design and makes it look exciting through a flashy press event. But this time, Tesla did it differently than others.

It was just 2 days ago that Tesla CEO Elon Musk revealed a pickup truck which is futuristic in design. But that very design is absurd and brutalist in sense. This is one of the best electric pickup trucks that have ever been released.

Presenting to the world, the new Tesla Cybertruck!

Tesla revealed the new Cybertruck at a press event, hosted at SpaceX headquarters in Hawthorne, California. The truck’s price starts from $40,000 and is poised to make it big in the already existing, tough and robust pickup truck market in the United States.

Having a look at Tesla Cybertruck’s design evokes some serious thoughts about funkiness, outer space and the future. Yet, the pickup’s design is also polarizing. If customers accept the fact that there is more than what meets the eye, they should know that it will go into production late in the year 2021.

This is one of the first all-electric pickup trucks ever launched in the United States. It also comes in with some remarkable features.

• It can seat six people with relative ease.
• The company claims it is bulletproof (both the body and the glass).
• It has an adjustable ride height.
• The loading bed is known as the vault (due to its retractable cover). It is 6.5 feet long.
• An on-board air compressor is present.
• An outlet allowing users in running power tools & charging their gadgets. It draws power from an in-built battery pack.

Measurements and Performance of the Tesla Cybertruck

The Tesla Cybertruck promises to bring a new class of speed, adaptability, versatility and of course, strength. This is the only truck of its kind making all of these possible on an all-electric design and specifications.

The powerful drivetrain and low center of gravity gives exceptional traction control & torque, which helps the truck obtain acceleration from 0-60 miles per hour (mph) in just 2.9 seconds and up to 500 miles of range.

The Tesla Cybertruck is 231.7 inches (19.31 feet) long, 79.8 inches (6.65 feet) wide and 75 inches (6.25 feet) tall. It has a seating for a total of six individuals. That’s right, six individuals so talk about the truck being roomy.

Comparing these measurements to that of the Ford F-150, it measures between 209 and 250 inches (17.43 and 20.83 feet) long, 80 and 86 inches (6.67 and 7.16 feet) wide, and between 75 & 78.5 inches (6.25 and 6.54 feet) tall. This does make them both pretty much the same in size.

When it comes to performance, they sound too good to be true because Elon Musk claims that the Tesla Cybertruck will be able to reach 60 miles per hour in 2.9 seconds. That will be before it continues through the quarter-mile marker in just under 11 seconds.

Its off-road statistics are praiseworthy. It offers an approach angle of 35 degrees, a departure angle of 28 degrees and a ground clearance of up to 16 inches (1.3 feet). At the moment, three ranges (models) will be offered, with 250 plus miles at the low end and the top end having an amazing 500 plus miles.

When it came to the towing aspect, the Tesla Cybertruck will be capable of towing around 14,000 pounds (6,350 Kilograms). On the launch event, a video was played and according to it; the Cybertruck beat the Ford F-150 in a tug of war.

It should be noted that all of the tech industry’s big names and minds have tried pulling off a ‘Steve Jobs’ thing by means of so-called innovations which have often flopped badly.

But here, Elon Musk has pretty much delivered what he said. At the launch event, Elon Musk revealed that an ATV can fit in the truck and even charge in its loading bed. It may sit in awkwardly, but it is also worth noting that it charges there too.

The Tesla Cybertruck’s body and Looks – Where did it come from?

When General Motors launched Saturn in 1985, it had faced a lot of laughter because innovative designs back then were fantasy.

The design of the Tesla Cybertruck brings to mind something from the funky universe of cyberpunks. Instead of fitting aluminum panels over an existing skeletal frame, Tesla used an exoskeleton made of cold rolled stainless steel. That is a pretty strong material and a pretty strong body frame.

At the launch event, the body was tested with blows from a sledgehammer. All it did was just slightly dent the Cybertruck’s finish. Musk claims the stainless-steel alloy used on the Tesla Cybertruck is strong and this is the case.

Apart from the sledgehammer, he claims it can also withstand firing from certain types of small arms. It does prove that the stainless-steel exterior body of the truck is something huge when it comes to engineering pickup trucks.

If all of this is real without any doubt, then the Tesla Cybertruck is a vehicle no one would want to crash into.

The Cybertruck is quite big and roomy. The outside may look polarizing, but the inside is quite spacious. For such a design, it seemed impossible to have a spacious interior and it does look like Tesla pulled off a magic trick in this regard.

Somehow, the pickup’s look is quite hideous. The Blade Runner inspired design on the pickup is currently a prototype at the moment. Customers will now be hoping that when it is formally launched, it will look better than its architype version.

Bulletproof glass – Is it really bulletproof?

Tesla claims that the Cybertruck is fitted with Ultra-strong glass and polymer-layered composite. It can absorb and redirect impactful force which not only tolerates damage but also helps deliver improved performance as well.

On the launch event, Tesla’s employees tested Tesla’s armored glass by having a giant steel ball thrown at it from various heights. It was done separately which wooed the audience. It did seem to be bulletproof at first when the special demonstration was carried out.

Instead of Tesla moving on to another demonstration, Elon Musk urged Tesla’s design head Franz von Holzhausen to throw a heavy steel ball at the driver’s window of the truck. Surprisingly, the so-called bulletproof armored glass shattered.

Elon Musk remarked: “Well, maybe that was a little too hard. It didn’t go through, that’s a plus sign.”

When Franz von Holzhausen threw the steel ball on the rear side window, it shattered too. Consequently, Musk Remarked: “Room for improvement.”

The audience did have chuckles and laughs at this one. This made the Tesla Cybertruck look like an old prop from the movie Blade Runner that spent a night parked on a street in San Francisco.

This certainly raises eyebrows because having Tesla’s CEO and design head appear at ease after defacing their new vehicle at a launch even makes it look like something that has seriously gone off the hook and off the track too.

Tesla Cybertruck’s specifications

Now let’s get down to its specifications.

How many orders of the Tesla Cybertruck have been booked so far? and what are the prices for its 3 models?

Regardless of its different looks, the potential Tesla Cybertruck has is something which is phenomenal. Tesla revealed that it has around 200,000 orders for it already, with 17% of customers paying for the entry model, 42% paying for dual motor one and 41% want the speedy tri-motor model.

Also, the prices for each version are as under:

• Single motor rear wheel drive costs $39,900.
• Dual motor all-wheel drive costs $49,900.
• Tri motor all-wheel drives costs $69,900.

It should be kept in mind that these are just reservations and not absolute commitments in the purchase of the Cybertruck.

Conclusion

The American pickup truck market is a $100 billion market comprising of 89% male owners, a robust brand loyalty in comparison to other segments and does not care about sales pitches of environment friendly engines.

In short, they prefer a metal beast that runs on fossil fuels and capable of lasting longer than others.

Tesla is already reeling from the nightmare of its solar panels catching fire and the consequent lawsuits. This matter is further compounded by another lawsuit related to a fatal autopilot crash.

The Cybertruck does have innovative features. It does look powerful and futuristic but in the end, it is a prototype.

So, the question remains; Could this be the golden feather in Tesla’s cap? Or will it flop like another tech product? Dearest readers, Stay tuned to find out.

Google Stadia has announced that two new games join its free “Pro” selection in December: Tomb Raider and Farming Simulator 19. Those who have already purchased will be entitled to a refund.

After confirming a launch in 2020 and a consequent line-up for its xCloud streaming video game platform, Microsoft took advantage of its X019 conference to unveil the presence of 50 new titles on the Xbox Game Pass.

So many new titles that promise to attract new subscribers before the arrival of a wave of new content expected in 2020 promises Microsoft.

As a reminder, the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate service allows, for a subscription of € 9.99 / month to enjoy a catalog games consequent on Xbox One console and PC.

Games already available:

• Tracks (Xbox One and PC)
• The Talos Principle (Xbox One and PC)
• Age of Empire II Definitive Edition (PC)
• Remnant: From the Ashes (Xbox One)
• RAGE 2 (Xbox One)
• Age of Wonders: Planetfall (Xbox One)
• Hearts of Iron IV (PC)
• LEGO Ninjago (Xbox One)

By the end of the year and in 2020:

• Carrion (Xbox One and PC)
• Cris Tales (Xbox One and PC)
• Cyber ​​Shadow (Xbox One and PC)
• Darksiders III (Xbox One and PC)
• Double Kick Heroes (Xbox One and PC)
• Drake Hollow (Xbox One and PC)
• Edge of Eternity (Xbox One and PC)
• Final Fantasy VII (Xbox One and PC)
• Final Fantasy VIII Remastered (Xbox One and PC)
• Final Fantasy IX (Xbox One and PC)
• Final Fantasy HD X Remastered (Xbox One and PC)
• Final Fantasy X-2 HD Remastered (Xbox One and PC)
• Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age (Xbox One and PC)
• Final Fantasy XIII (Xbox One and PC)
• Final Fantasy XIII-2 (Xbox One and PC)
• Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII (Xbox One and PC)
• Final Fantasy XV (Xbox One and PC)
• Drill (Xbox One and PC)
• Haven (Xbox One and PC)
• It Lurks Below (Xbox One and PC)
• Levelhead (Xbox One and PC)
• Life is strange 2 (Xbox One)
• My friend Pedro (Xbox One and PC)
• Pandemic (PC)
• PHOGS (Xbox One and PC)
• She dreams Elsewhere (Xbox One and PC)
• Skatebird (Xbox One and PC)
• Streets of Rage 4 (Xbox One and PC)
• Scourge Bringer (Xbox One and PC)
• Supraland (Xbox One)
• Tekken 7 (Xbox One)
• The Escapists 2 (Xbox One)
• Touhou Luna Nights (Xbox One and PC)
• The Red Lantern (Xbox One)
• The Red String Club (Xbox One)
• The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (Xbox One)
• Vambrace: Cold Soul (Xbox One and PC)
• West of Dead (Xbox One and PC)
• Yakuza 0 (Xbox One and PC)
• Yakuza Kiwami (Xbox One and PC)
• Yakuza Kiwami 2 (Xbox One and PC)
• Bleeding Edge (Xbox One and PC)
• Grounded (Xbox One and PC)
• Microsoft Flight Simulator (PC)
• Minecraft Dungeons (Xbox One and PC)
• Ori and the Will of the Wisps (Xbox One and PC)
• Tell me Why (Xbox One and PC)
• Wasteland 3 (Xbox One and PC)

Who could have anticipated its return after all those years, yet here it is. The New Motorola Razr has made a fabulous comeback as an Android smartphone that can be folded in half (akin to its iconic flip predecessor). The 2019 Razr may look pretty much like the ones still stamped on our minds, but it replaced the old T9 keypad and the small LCD with a 6.2-inch plastic foldable OLED panel. Its camera is a double duty one with 16 megapixels.

Instead of Android 10, it runs on Android 9 Pie. Upon its launch in January 2020, it is expected to cost USD$ 1500 (equivalent to GBP 1170 and AUD$ 2200).

Why is the new Razr fundamentally different from the other foldable phones present at the moment? It turned a typical sized smartphone into something that is compact and easy to carry around. When the Razr is folded in half, it softly snaps shut from top to bottom. One side lays snuggled on top of the other, without a visible gap between both halves of the screen.

Because of this, Motorola has solved the world’s biggest design puzzle which has left other foldable smartphones (including the Samsung Galaxy Fold) in a conundrum. Not only is the phone pocketable, it reeks of nostalgia yet is streamlined to weather the future.

What sets the new Motorola Razr apart from its predecessors and other phones?

The original Razr was one of the world’s bestselling phones which helped it earn an iconic status. Motorola updated it into a newer version which is wider, heavier, and replete with new features. The foldable Razr gives Motorola a unique opportunity to steal the show.

This phone comes at a time when foldable smartphones are teetering precariously on the edge between reality and fantasy. It was only last year when foldable phones were pegged as a revolution in the smartphone design, and made the dream of a large-screen device being portable a reality.

However, what went wrong were the issues with screens and massive delays in launch, especially from major players, including Samsung and Huawei. It is now Motorola’s turn to bask in the spotlight. If Motorola comes out successful, it will herald a new era for the fold-able phone industry.

What’s it like using the new Motorola Razr?

In terms of the screen, it is a 6.2-inch P-OLED screen that is foldable. Motorola worked together with Lenovo’s laptop team on this design. The screen is like a thin film that curls in the shape of a teardrop when the screen is being folded.

The New Motorola Razr’s patented hinge design has an open cavity covering the looped part of the screen. Most plastic screens do not fold completely flat without a crease appearing in the middle. The thin layer of air gap is hardly conspicuous. When the screen curls like a teardrop, it creates a gap of 0.2mm between the hinge and the display.

The front screen might look tall but it is narrow with a ration of 21:9. It also has a resolution of 2142 x 876 pixels. Most of the apps are located on the bottom side of the screen along with the controls. This makes it easy for users to reach and use them with just their thumb. It also works better than other phones with one hand only.

On the outside, users can see an 2.7-inch OLED external screen. It is a quick view display that shows essentials such as time, notifications, alerts, signals and battery life. Users cannot type on it but can respond through recorded messages or their voices. In fact, users can use it to check what they look like in selfies.

Google Pay and Google Assistant can be used on the quick view display, as well as for controlling music. The useful yet addictive Motorola gestures are present too. Move the phone in a twister pattern to turn on the camera and shake it sideways to turn on the flashlight.

You can hardly feel the hinge tension, when opening and closing the phone because the movement is smooth and gradual. The hinge’s gears are visible, and magnets hold their sides together. This mechanism prevents the creases from forming on the screen.

People have been asking about the presence of a thick plastic chin on the bottom of the New Motorola Razr. Such is because it reminds us all of its original design so hence it gets a good score for nostalgia. It also houses the optical fingerprint reader, the antennas, vibrating motor, GPS & Wi-Fi units. Most importantly, it is like a handle for users to hold on to when they are watching a video.

To make a call, the phone has to be opened but when on a call, the phone can be closed and the conversation can continue as long as you are using the speakerphone, connected via Bluetooth or are on a video call. However, it closes out most apps with the music player being an exception (the quick view screen helps control music tracks).

The 21:9 screen is termed by Motorola as its Cinemavision display. Small black bars will be bordering the sides when videos are being watched.

Beneath the exterior display is a 16-megapixel camera that is used to take photos and selfies. The five-megapixel camera that is visible when the Razr is unfolded is used mainly for video calls. However, telephoto and wide-angle lens won’t be available. But a software aided portrait and night vision mode are available.

The phone is available in 4G and not in 5G. It does have quite a decent amount of memory but has no SD card slot. The phone also lacks a SIM slot so there are pretty much quite some tradeoffs for those looking to buy the new Motorola Razr.

Specifications of the New Motorola Razr

Specifications of the phone are as under:

• Snapdragon 710 processor.
• 6GB RAM.
• 128 GB of internal storage.
• Snapdragon 710 processor.
• 2.7-inch Quick View display (800×600).
• 6.2-inch foldable pOLED display (2142×876).
• 16 megapixels front-facing camera focal point 1.7 with night vision mode).
• 5 megapixels internal camera.
• USB-C port present.
• eSIM.
• Fingerprint reader.
• Android 9 pie.

What do users get in the box?

When prospective buyers think of buying and unboxing the Motorola Razr, their experience is most likely to be memorable. Motorola has created a unique and eye-catching box with sharp corners which will have a tinted, transparent top with a speaker grill.

This way, users can play music from their Razr phones through the box when they slot the phone in the box in an upright position.

The phone comes with:

• Wired USB-C earbuds.
• An accessory case for sunglasses.
• 15-watt TurboPower charger.
• USB-C cable.
• Headset adaptor.

Conclusion

While the phone comes equipped with some pretty good features but with a hefty price tag of USD$ 1500, we wonder if its worth the buck. It runs on Android 9 instead of 10 (for which Motorola promised timely updates) and the battery power is 2,500 mAh, which is 10 percent less than what Google’s Pixel 4 currently offers.

With the phone being launched in collaboration with its exclusive telecom partner Verizon, users may need to go to competitors with the compatible ECM format if they wish to switch their carriers. Other than that, the processor will be 2 years old at the time of the launch.

Still, the new Motorola Razr is primed to be a hit among customers when it goes into official launch. For its price tag, this phone is truly going to be unique among the many present in the ever competent smartphone market. It is truly a comeback sign from Motorola and its answer to the Samsung Galaxy Fold and Huawei Mate X.

If there is one game that stands a head and shoulders above the rest of the best tactical strategy console games, then it is none other but the ultimate Fire Emblem series from the Nintendo. 

The title brings a unique mixture of tactical gameplay with deep character interactions. It is a world where characters can have a vested interest in how they build up their characters to earn success. 

The saddest part about the game is that once your character is defeated in a battle, you will lose it permanently. And that simply breaks the heart of the player because of all that he’s invested in it. 

This option has, however, changed in the casual game mode, but the classic mode still features this option encouraging players to think heavily on every decision they make or consequence they face. 

The Fire Emblem series is pretty much the same as the Final Fantasy series. There are plenty of sequels, but most of them are set in a unique universe with a fresh storyline, new characters, etc.

So today I am going to discuss the best Fire Emblem game series that one must add in his GBA games to play list. A good enough overview can help players to gain command and move forward. 

Radiant Dawn

The Radiant Dawn is one of the sequels which was debuted on the Nintendo Wii Console in 2007.

This game has earned its position as one of the top games in the Emblem games series. It is a hardcore strategy game and is definitely one of the toughest nuts to crack. In this grid-based tactical strategy, I believe Radiant dawn is a game where one can find a whole lot of things to get used to. 

The story behind the game is subdivided into four parts where each part gives a different perspective to the ongoing events within the game. There are four different factions that are constantly battling in order to gain control of the continent known as Tellius. If you’re a hardcore strategy player, this game can offer you a remarkable experience, but if you’re a casual strategy player then put it for later play. 

Blazing Blade

If you are playing the game outside Japan, then Blazing Blade is one of the introductory Fire Emblem games in the series. This game was released on GBA in the United States featuring 3 main characters. 

You start the game with Eliwood, Hector and Lyn who play as the main protagonist in the game. Lyn is fairly new but Eliwood and Hector have a significant connection with the previous Fire Emblem game.

The game is subdivided into two storylines. The first focuses on Lyn and her quest to save her grandfather. The second focuses on the trio battling against the sorcerer Nergal. 

As a player, you are able to switch between characters and play secondary roles on the go.

Shadow of Valentia

It is the fifteenth game in the Fire Emblem series, but it is a complete remake of the one published in 1992. It combines the dungeon crawling aspect with the turn-based tactical strategy killing gameplay. 

The game comes in two difficulty settings; there is a classical mode and a casual mode. Both of these game modes were initially introduced in the Fire Emblem: Awakening. 

The Classic game mode feature is a lot more challenging because it brings the permadeath feature whereas the casual mode only sends your character out of the battle but he/she doesn’t completely die. These modes make the game remarkably enjoyable for strategy fans and make game enjoyable. 

Here, you can focus on the tactical side of your mind and play challenging levels in a new way. 

Conquest

Launched in 2015, Conquest and Birthright are both part of the Fire Emblem Fates series. For the first time, it is a single game that features two different series with different stories in Fire Emblem game. 

If you’re a casual gamer, then you can begin playing with Birthright as it is aimed at giving you a remarkable gaming experience in the casual gaming space. However, if you are the type of gamer who likes to face challenges and is more of a hardcore Fire Emblem fan, then Conquest is your way in.

In Conquest, the enemies are relatively stronger than the enemies in Birthright and are designed for special conditioning of the individuals. It polishes up your skill on tactical strategy so you can win. 

If you want to have a challenging experience, then this particular series can give players a one.

Birthright

Birthright is the second series in the Fire Emblem Fates game. Both the series are set on the same continent; however, you play in both the games from different sides of the conflict. However, with Birthright, you don’t have to face much of a tough time as your enemies are fairly easy to take down. 

It is very important that you play both the games within the respective series if you want to have the full experience. If you’re a casual strategy fan, then Birthright is the best place to begin Fire Emblem. 

As you gradually move up the levels, you get more skilled at taking down remarkable kills. As a casual strategy fan, I believe you can simply fall in love with the game and will never have to look elsewhere. 

This is a game specifically designed for hardcore tactical players. 

Sacred Stones

The third game in the Fire Emblem series featuring the old retro-styled gameplay, Sacred Stones is a great starting point for all those who are planning to begin with the Fire Emblem series on GBA. 

The game typically features almost the same mechanics which are observed in the Blazing Blade. However, the gameplay takes place in an entirely different continent where Players get the chance to explore new plots, focus on new enemies and investigate new cases taking place within the nation.

If you want to start someplace in the Fire Emblem series, then might I suggest you start here. 

So there you go, here are some of the Fire Emblem games which I believe are not just quite remarkable but are exceptionally favored by the common individuals who still play games on the GBA. 

Are you a Fire Emblem fan yourself? If that’s the case then might I ask which sequel you prefer? 

Share about the best fire emblem games that you’ve recently played. 

It all dates back to where the gaming initiated. 

Gameboy Advance and Gameboy is where it all began, the story of handheld gaming experiences. Apparently, GBA became one of the high demand consoles on the planet Earth since the time of its inception. And gradually, it’s massive gaming library exceeded a total of 900+ games over time. 

Even today there are so many individuals who just simply loves to carry a gameboy advance around. It is one of the highly recommended gaming consoles & one of the best devices for retro-style gaming.

Are you eager to learn which of the gba games are one of the best games on the market? 

So if you still want to experience that retro style gaming all over again, here are some of the best. 

Final Fantasy Tactics Advance

Are you a fan of DOTA, and you want to experience DOTA gameplay in retro style? Then look no further than the Final Fantasy Tactics Advance. It is one of the best RPG games on the market for GBA players. It features rigorous combat styles, insane puzzles, some magical spells & dangerous swords. 

Tactics Ogre: The Knight of Lodis

How about having a chunk of military styled story based game? Well, if you’re a fan of such retros then Tactical Ogre is your thing. The idea behind the game design is what makes it one of the favored games. There are some deep concentration levels can in fact, make you a very subtle critical thinker.

Harvest Moon: Friends of Mineral Town

Like to play farmville games? Harvest Moon is an interesting farm building game which allows you to reap and earn great rewards. You can breed your favorite animals, you water your plants and harvest them, and you can complete your timely missions. It’s a fun gameplay with a traditional storyline. 

Mario vs Donkey Kong

In this game, Mario has to face over a 100 levels which usually throws different challenges such as complex puzzles and hardwired obstacles. By completing the challenges Mario earn keys and collects all the toys which has been stolen by Donkey Kong. It has some crazy animations and a fun gameplay. 

Super Mario Advance

As reviews term it, Super Mario Advance is one of the best Super Mario games in the Super Mario series. Just like previous mario games, your task is to defeat the evil using different powers and weapons. Every version of the game has some additional missions, interesting features and weapons. 

Mario & Luigi Superstar

The brotherhood is back at it again! Because with Mario & Luigi Superstar, Mario Bros can team up to save the beautiful princess who’s gotten abducted by the evil forces. The game is interesting because it is a sequel based game with a lot of interesting dialogues & some real thrilling challenges to play. 

Mario Kart Super Circuit

So the developers thought it would be a great idea to put Mario in a Kart and let him race around circuits! Who knew it would turn out to be a total blast. Mario Kart Super Circuit has become one of the quite popular titles with some action packed kicking and thrashing. It has over 40 tracks to play. 

Kirby Nightmare & Dreamland

Ever thought of playing a game where you get trapped in your own imaginations? Well, if that’s the case with you then you and Kirby are on the same page. A very popular play-to title on the GBA block is Kirby’s nightmare which challenges your cognitive ability to find Dedede within the dreamlands. 

Car Battler Joe

Car Battler Joe is a full time action packed RPG style game with fully loaded warfare cars. Do you remember the animated movie Red Line? Well, Car Battler Joe is pretty much the same. Your protagonists is an enthusiastic shout-out loud on the battlefield kind of a driver so you can have fun. 

Astro Boy Omega Factor

Want an amazing Astro icon boy experience, where you can fly around the city and visualize your master’s stolen assets? Well look no further than the world class GBA astro boy. The game features 10 levels of action packed adventure where you are challenged with defeating classic enemies.

The Legend of Zelda

Legend of Zelda has lived up to expectations because it is simply a fantastic game with immense power play. The sequel features two versions of the game which are quite remarkably amazing. You are tasked with the protection of the kingdom backed by Minish Cap by combatting tough opponents. 

Ninja Five O

Want to feature yourself in a game where you can be the ninja and at the same time be a cop as well? Arm your ninja cop with some power packed magical weapons designed to combat bad guys. It is a small game with hardly 6 stages and a bad-ass ninja with a great adventurous storyline to play. 

Sonic Advance

The blue hedgehog running around at an ultrasonic speed has always been fans favorite. And the experience is quite interactive and one of a kind as you can run around the map looking like a speedball and gathering electric charge overtime collecting rings and defeating dangerous foes.

Tumblr is launching a group chat so people can chat and apply for blogging on famous blogs by the use of it.

The first Red Dead Redemption game to release on PC, Red Dead Redemption 2 benefits from a whole series of graphic and technical improvements, in order to tell even more in detail the history of Arthur Morgan and the band of Dutch van der Linde, and their setbacks with authorities from one end of the United States to the end of the nineteenth century.

Today we will talk about all the latest gaming releasing in November 2019. These games are worthly looking at.

At this year’s Surface conference, Microsoft created a system called “Windows 10X” for the flip-screen notebook Surface Neo. Although its core is Windows 10, Microsoft has also adjusted the interface in response to different folding screen flipping patterns.

Apple Arcade is like Xbox Game Pass and PlayStation now allowing you to play games on Apple Devices, we at Tech Wire Hub, collected the Best games to play on Apple Arcade.

As Yahoo continues to rebrand its website and launched a few latest apps for Android and iOS but there is bad news!

Google Stadia Gaming Platform will be formally released on November 19th. Google’s cloud gaming support, Stadia, eventually has its official launch date.

Google Chrome is known for consuming the RAM resources of PCs using it. A new feature available on Canary wants to stem this phenomenon.

With Android 10, Google has finally reviewed its navigation gestures after a troubling first version on Android 9 Pie. It tries to impose on all manufacturers, who are doomed to hide their solutions in the depths of the parameters.

That said, many manufacturers have been working on developing their own version to cover this first mistake. While Google seeks to make the experience of its OS as close as possible between all mobiles, it discreetly imposes its version of navigation by gestures.

Google forces the use of its navigation by gestures

9to5Google makes us know that with Android 10 and the latest version of Google Mobile Services, manufacturers simply no longer have the option to offer their own navigation during the process of first booting a device. Only two options are allowed by Google: classic buttons, or navigation gestures.

Essentially, alternative navigation methods are allowed but must remain hidden. Only the most experienced users will have the curiosity to look for all this in the depths of the parameters. At least, it contributes to greater consistency between devices, and the disappearance of this ugly pill navigation.

Red Dead Redemption 2 will be available on PC on November 5th, with many special bonuses for those who have pre-purchased the game via the Rockstar Games Launcher from October 9th.

Red Dead Redemption 2 will benefit from a series of graphic and technical improvements on PC. You’ll also find access to the world of Red Dead Online, including all the content enhancements and updates released to date, including Western Careers and the bounty hunter, merchant and collector roles, which unlock rewards.

Available pre-purchase exclusively on  the Rockstar Games Launcher until October 22, pre-buy Red Dead Redemption 2 between October 9 from 17:00 (French time) and this date to take advantage of the limited-time offer to receive two free Rockstar Games games on PC from the following games:

Playstation announces a price reduction for PS Now, its video game subscription service, which goes from 14.99 euros per month to 9.99 euros per month. It’s also an opportunity to add four iconic Playstation 4 titles: God of War, Grand Theft Auto V, inFAMOUS Second Son, and Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End.

As Stadia’s launch gets closer, Playstation does not sit idle and just announced a price cut for PS Now, its subscription service to access more than 700 games in unlimited thanks to cloud gaming.

Playstation aligns with Google Stadia

It is a nice drop in price that awaits us, with nearly 33% savings, enough to convince skeptics to be tempted by the subscription of Sony. Thus, the monthly fee drops to 9.99 euros instead of 14.99 euros , but we will also be able to pay 24.99 euros for three months, and finally 59.99 euros a year. These new rates are valid from 1 October 2019.

We will be able to find God of War, Grand Theft Auto V, inFAMOUS Second Son , but also Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End from today on Sony’s subscription service until January 2, 2020.

Apple has spotted a new bug that includes third-party keyboards are sharing the data without permission from iOS 13 and iPad OS.

Apple is currently working on a fix to kill this bug and has told the users to be careful.

According to the company, it is working hard to fix it and will soon roll out upcoming software updates to iOS and iPadOS.

In the upcoming software update. iOS 13.2 has entered beta testing and Apple is working to eliminate the error. Third-party keyboards, including Google’s Gboard, Microsoft-owned SwiftKey and Grammarly, play a vital role in Internet data sharing. …

Now WhatsApp users will be able to share the Whatsapp Stories updates directly to the Facebook story. Whatsapp is rolling out the new feature for WhatsApp users to share the story updates to Facebook Stories.

Call of duty mobile is set to release to compete against PUBG in October 2019 with a battle royale mode.

Snapchat has launched a new feature called 3D Selfie, it will allow you to take snaps in 3D. Sooner or later all Snapchat users will get this new 3D camera feature.

The 3D mode adds dept to the photos.

Snapchat 3D Selfie Camera

This new photo feature will allow users to move their camera here and there to give more details to the photo.

Sadly, this feature is only available for Iphone users as of now and those androids which supports 3D photo capture.

Designedly, the iPhone 11 comes with a 6.1-inch Liquid Retina HD screen. The real difference is on the back of the phone.

The huge camera module and the logo moved to the middle became the business card that it was recognized at a glance.

In addition, iPhone 11 also offers 6 new colors of red, black, green, purple, yellow and white, of which green and purple are the new color matching this update.

The iPhone 11 Pro and iPhone 11 Pro Max continue the dual-camera route, with screen sizes of 5.8 inches and 6.5 inches, but upgraded to a Super Retina XDR (OLED) screen that saves 15% in power consumption, with a maximum display brightness of 1200 special.

According to Apple, the iPhone 11’s battery life will be one hour longer than the iPhone XR, making it the longest iPhone for Apple; the iPhone 11 Pro series is 4-5 hours longer than the iPhone XS series.

Apple has finally officialized the arrival on the market of its new devices. Tonight, we were able to discover the Apple Watch Series 5 or the new iPad.

But what has obviously unleashed the crowds was none other than the new iPhone 11, which supplants the iPhone Xr, plus the iPhone 11 Pro and 11 Pro Max. These will come out directly under iOS 13, which we already know the new features.

Here is the list of iPhone that will benefit from this new major update:

• iPhone 11
• iPhone 11 Pro
• iPhone 11 Pro Max
• iPhone XR
• iPhone Xs
• iPhone Xs Max
• iPhone X
• iPhone 8
• iPhone 8 Plus
• iPhone 7
• iPhone 7 Plus
• iPhone 6S
• iPhone 6S Plus
• iPhone SE
• iPod Touch (7th generation)

If you say “Okay Googe, Send Whatsapp message” or if you say “Okay Google, Make a WhatsApp call” it will make a call for you.

In an attempt to stem the never-ending race at Like, which we find endlessly behind every publication, Facebook has decided to take an example on Instagram by considering, too, to remove its counter from posts.

This is information that we owe to the engineer Jane Manchun Wong, and that could mark the end of the race to Like on Facebook. Note that just like on Instagram, which already tests the tool successfully in several countries including Canada and Brazil, the number of Like would still be accessible to the author of the post, even in case of general deployment of the functionality.

Asked by the site TechCrunch, Facebook has confirmed his desire to test sustainably the removal of the counter of Like, but without giving further details on the subject. While the likes have long been the main engine of interactions on Mark Zuckerberg’s social network, the platform seems to have been detaching itself for some months – at least in part from its historical system, by curbing the pressure of counting Like and the ill-being that the latter can sometimes generate in the user.

For Instagram, the company had justified its choice by explaining the goal “that your friends focus on the photos and videos you share, not the number of likes they get.”

After a long delay due to last moment discovery of embarrassing flaws, Samsung is now releasing its first fold-able phone. The launch of the Samsung Galaxy Fold is finally near and is just a few days away.

People began registering for the USD 2000 foldable smartphone recently in China. Samsung is to release the phone on September 6, 2019, which coincides with the opening day of the 2019 IFA consumer electronics trade show in Berlin.

What a day to launch the new phone!

When was the release date chosen?

Yonhap News Agency reports Samsung and other mobile operators are discussing the launch date to be September 6 in South Korea itself. Samsung will use the event to showcase the revised model at the 2019 IFA electronics fair in Berlin.

At the moment, it seems as Samsung is quite confident to bring the release period earlier than anticipated. Earlier reports indicated the phone’s launch to be later in September.

The initial shipment of the Samsung Galaxy Fold for South Korean consumers numbers between 20,000 to 30,000 units. Its price in South Korea will be 2.3 million equal per unit (equal to USD$ 1902). Samsung is expected to launch the folding smartphone in China & the United States in September 2019 but at later dates.

Any corrections made in the Galaxy Fold?

Samsung has revealed a few corrections it made to the Galaxy Fold, including:

• tucking in the protective screen layer,
• addition of further metal layers beneath the screen to reinforce it
• reduction of space between the body & the hinge.

The corrections to the model were made after reviewers reported major issues with the review units of the Galaxy Fold, such as broken, bulging & flickering screens. The reviewers also peeled off the protective screen layer by mistake, assuming that it was a screen protector. But it later turned out to be a key component of the phone’s display.

This is what caused the phone’s launch to be delayed.

Brief overview of the price and features of the Galaxy Fold

The current handset of the Samsung Galaxy Fold is priced at USD$ 2,000, an amount most consumers are not willing to pay. Currently, it is not available to a larger segment of the population.

Samsung is planning to use an affordable design to reduce its price with an internal storage of just 256 GB. That is half of what the current Galaxy Fold offers (i.e. 512 GB).

Further specifications of the phone are:

• A 7.3-inch primary flexible AMOLED display.
• An operating system of Android 9.0 with one UI.
• Uses a CPU of Snapdragon 855.
• 12 GB RAM.
• External display (which is closed) is 4.6 inches with HD+ display.
• Main display is of 7.3 inches (QXGA +).
• Rear Camera of 12 megapixel wide-angle (f1.5 to f/2.4), 12-megapixel telephoto (f/2.4) and 16 megapixel ultra-wide (f/2.2).
• Closed front camera of 12 megapixel (f/2.2).
• Open front camera of 10-megapixel selfie (f/2.2), with 8-megapixel RGB depth (f/1.9).
• Fingerprint sensing power button.

It is currently available in the colors: Space Silver, Cosmos Black, Martian Green and Astro Blue.

Smartphones and other gadgets that are rivalling the Samsung Galaxy Fold

At the moment, Huawei’s Foldable smartphone Mate X was also scheduled to arrive in September. But, Huawei reported that it is unlikely to release any earlier than November. The only other competing gadget to the Samsung Galaxy fold is Apple’s foldable iPad.

Will Samsung capitalize on the smartphone market with the new & improved Galaxy Fold?

Samsung has fixed the problems in the hinge and in the screen with reinforcements & extra layers. It will hopefully survive thousands of folds it will endure without showing any signs of wear. It is confident that the Galaxy Fold will have a better life span as compared to the normal smartphone.

If the Galaxy Fold succeeds after the launch, then the phone will definitely be able to succeed and thrive in the market and win billions of hearts too.

According to Counterpoint Research, Nokia is currently number one in security updates, currently, 96% of all Nokia phones are running Android Pie.

Data was collected by Counterpoint Research and their main focus was to maintain security and Android stability.

While, Samsung was able to rank second, as well as Xiaomi was on the third rank. Huawei was able to secure fourth place.

Now the question arises that which smartphone brand is taking less time in launching the Android Pie

Until September 10, anyone who wants it will be able to experience a queue feature on YouTube.

Until today, YouTube did not offer a video queue. To watch several videos of his choice, he had to create a playlist. Or get carried away by the suggestions of the service with its “  to follow  ” feature. This era of System D should soon be over. YouTube has announced the test of a real queue with its users.

Everyone can benefit from the test until September 10th. You need to go to youtube.com/new, which lists the experimental features offered by the platform, and press the ” try  ” button  in the “  create a queue  ”. From now on, when hovering over the thumbnail of a video, a small list icon titled “  add to queue  ” appears in the corner, just below the ” watch ” icon.  later  .

First, it was Walmart whose shops caught fire due to Tesla solar panels and that resulted in Walmart suing the electric car maker. Now, Amazon has also experienced a fire that stems from Tesla’s solar panels, as reported by CNBC.

Amazon also revealed that it has no further plans to install any more solar panel systems following the incident. However, Tesla claims that incident is isolated.

Somehow, Tesla’s claims of Amazon’s incident being isolated are dumbfounded. In the past week, Walmart has filed a lawsuit against Tesla. Walmart alleges that the fires at sever of its stores were due to the solar panel systems, and the company had Tesla install them on more than 200 of its stores across the states.

What Happened at Amazon’s Redland, California Warehouse?

Amazon discloses Tesla solar panels on the roof of one of its warehouses caused a fire last year. Such adds to the scrutiny of Tesla’s solar panel business following Walmart’s lawsuit filed against Tesla last week which has condemned the electric car giant’s solar business to the bottom of the barrel.

Amazon revealed to Bloomberg in an email on Friday that one of Tesla’s installed solar energy systems installed at its Redlands, California warehouse caught fire in June 2018. Representatives from the e-commerce giant declined to comment in public regarding the incident but have somehow confirmed that the company will no longer be working with Tesla anymore.

Following the news of Walmart suing Tesla, both companies released statements that they are in talks to resolve the issue. However, the issue has become serious since Walmart has suffered damages at 7 of its stores which also resulted in these stores getting closed temporarily.

The Amazon warehouse incident somehow looks to be a small-scale incident and the e-commerce behemoth revealed that it has a relatively smaller number of solar panel systems installed in comparison to Walmart.

Walmart installed Tesla’s solar panel systems from its subsidiary SolarCity some time ago and Tesla acquired the solar energy company in 2016, aiming to create a one-stop shop for everything solar.

However, things are not rosy for Tesla as its acquisition of SolarCity back then for USD$ 26 billion is marred by controversy that still goes on today. Elon Musk’s first cousins Peter Rive and Lyndon Rive were the brains behind SolarCity and Musk held 1/5^th of the company’s shares valued around USD$ 575 million at the end of the year 2015.

Such does not spare either Tesla or its subsidiary SolarCity. The operations of SolarCity are not going well as its parent Tesla had hoped. It faced issues in production due to technical challenges a year ago. A recent report says that Tesla has been exporting most of the solar cells it has produced made at its Gigafactory in New York, instead of using them for Solar Roof installations.

A representative from Tesla communicates the following to Business Insider:

“All 11 Amazon sites with solar from Tesla are generating energy and are proactively monitored and maintained. Last year, there was an isolated event that occurred in an inverter at one of the Amazon sites. Tesla worked collaboratively with Amazon to root cause the event and remediate. We also performed inspections at other sites, which confirmed the integrity of the systems. As with all our commercial solar installations, we continue to proactively monitor the systems to ensure they operate safely and reliably.”

How Much Does Walmart’s Lawsuit Add to Tesla’s Woes?

Walmart filed a lawsuit against Tesla claiming its solar panels were responsible for fires at seven of its stores. Such has forced the retail giant to take off solar panels from all of its 240 stores where they were installed by Tesla.

Walmart released the following statement in its complaint against Tesla:

“To this day, Tesla has not provided Walmart with the complete set of final ‘root cause’ analyses needed to identify the precise defects in its systems that caused all the fires. The number of defects, however, is overwhelming and plainly indicative of systemic, widespread failures by Tesla to meet the standard of care, as set forth in the governing contracts, as to the solar systems installed at Walmart’s stores.”

Tesla is yet to respond to Walmart’s complaint.

Will Tesla Survive the Onslaught Through Its Latest Tactics?

Last summer, Tesla started ‘Project Titan’ which is known be an attempt in quietly replacing defective solar-panel parts across the United States, as per documents seen by Business Insider.

However, Tesla’s solar business has been hit by a sharp drop in sales. CEO Elon Musk is yet to tweet about the complaints. Instead, he announced a refurbished pricing plan as a way to boost the slowdown in the solar business.

Somehow, no one seems to be convinced by Elon Musk’s statement.

Who would have thought that Facebook would be developing another new messaging app? And this time, it is doing so to rival Snapchat. This app will be named ‘Threads’.

Facebook is reported to be developing Threads as a new messaging app. It is aimed at helping users share more information more often with their close friends. Those close friends will be picked up from the close friends’ list users have on Instagram and Facebook.

What is the functionality of Threads?

Threads is created to automatically share close details, such as location, internet speed, battery life and the like. The app also shares typical social media posts such as text and pictures. Threads is intended to work with the ‘close friends list’ of users listed on Instagram.

Threads will act as a companion to Instagram. Currently it is in testing at Facebook

Threads is engineered as Instagram’s ‘sister’ app and invites users to share close details with their close friends using Instagram’s creative tools. The app includes an opt-in ‘automatic sharing’ feature allowing people on the app user’s close friends list receiving regular updates, about where the person is, and vice versa.

Threads also allows users to update their respective statuses manually, with those statuses being shown in the main feed along with the messages. The app will show online users with a green dot, allows users to quickly read stories shared by friends and also includes its own camera function.

It is the latest in apps automating status sharing through mobile phone sensors & one-tap status sharing. In 2014, a similar app called ‘Status’ tried doing the same thing as Threads, and in 2015, Danny Trinh’s free app took another yet similar approach.

Why are Facebook & Instagram developing Threads?

After facing years of sustained & rising criticism in its negative role in the promotion of political propaganda, false news, false information, spam content, failure to stop large-scale data breaches & verbatim genocide, Facebook signaled major changes which are currently in progress.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced this year that his company would be improving Facebook’s privacy.

Facebook has also started a project aimed at merging the services of WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook. Such will allow users to send messages instantly across these apps without the need for switching between the apps. The apps will remain separate, but their messaging functionalities will now be under one umbrella.

Could this be an attempt by Facebook to mask its numerous failures? It is becoming highly probable that Facebook is doing so by making an impression in the general public that it is moving on from being an open public forum to a close one shielding users’ information.

The concluding point – Will Thread survive or face another rollback?

There are doubts among the general populace about the survival of threads after its inception. Such became evident when the social media giant ended its support for Direct, which was a camera-first app that not only resembled but mimicked Snapchat.

Direct was unveiled in 2017 and was tested in Chile, Israel, Italy, Portugal, Turkey & Uruguay. However, the launch of direct was canceled before a global release was to occur. There is ambiguity in whether Threads will be launched or not.

There is a likelihood that Facebook might end the development of the app before giving it to the general public (as it did with Direct). However, Facebook’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg asserted back in March that he sees private messaging as the company’s future.

Threads appears to be part of the efforts of Facebook’s latest vision of making private messaging become a reality.

Will Facebook succeed this time? Or will it falter with just another failed launch?