News
Apple upgrades iPad Air with new M1 chip
Still the king of tablets
Apple flexes its dominance in the tablets space by introducing the new and improved iPad Air. It’s now powered by the M1 chip for a massive leap in performance.
Also coming to this upgraded iPad Air are the new Ultra Wide front camera with Center Stage, a USB-C port with up to 2x faster transfer speeds, and blazing-fast 5G on cellular models. Makes you wonder why Apple still refuses to go from lightning to USB-C on iPhones. Moving on though…
M(1)assive performance leap
Apple is bringing their tried and tested M1 chip to the iPad air. What does this mean for those eyeing this tablet? Up to 60 percent faster performance and up to 2x faster graphics performance compared to the previous iPad Air.
We’re sure that still feels a little too abstract. So, some of the things it’ll now let you do are edit multiple streams of 4K video, play graphics-intensive games (we can hear PC gamers LOL-ing), redesign a room in 3D, and deliver more realistic augmented reality (AR). Nice, right? It doesn’t stop there.
Centerstage
Video calling has been extra essential over the past two years of the pandemic. To address this, Apple introduced Centerstage. It automatically pans to keep users in view as they move around. When others join in, the camera detects them too, and smoothly zooms out to include them in the conversation. This feature is present on the iPad Air and its 12MP front-facing camera.
The 12MP Wide camera on the back of iPad Air lets users capture sharp photos and 4K video, scan documents, and enjoy amazing AR experiences. It’s an end-to-end solution for photo and video capture, editing, and sharing.
5G and advanced connectivity
The iPad Air will come in 5G models. With 5G, iPad Air can reach peak speeds of up to 3.5Gbps in ideal conditions. With eSIM and Wi-Fi 6 support, you get flexible ways of getting connected.
The USB-C port is now up to 2x faster than the previous generation, with data transfers up to 10Gbps, so importing large photos and videos is even quicker. The port connects iPad Air to a vast ecosystem of USB-C accessories, including cameras, external storage, and displays with up to 6K resolution.
Retina display and accessories
Any tablet won’t be enjoyable without a good display. That’s why Apple put a 10.9-inch Liquid Retina display on the iPad Air. Expect an immersive visual experience, with 3.8 million pixels and advanced technologies, including 500 nits of brightness, full lamination, a P3 wide color gamut, True Tone, and an anti-reflective screen coating.
The tablet is mightier with a pen. Or in this case, an Apple Pencil (2nd generation). It turns iPad Air into a digital journal and sketchbook users can take anywhere. It’s also compatible with the Magic Keyboard.
Price and availability
The new iPad Air is available to order beginning Friday, March 11, from apple.com/store, apple.com/sg/store and in the Apple Store app in 29 countries and regions, including the US, with availability beginning Friday, March 18.
In Singapore, the Wi-Fi models of iPad Air are available with a starting price of SG$ 879 and Wi-Fi + Cellular models start at SG$ 1,099. In the Philippines, a non-cellular model with a 64GB storage starts at ₱35,990 and ₱44,990 for the 256GB variant. The maxed out 5G + Wi-Fi model sells for ₱53,990.
Meanwhile in the US, the Wi-Fi models start at US$ 599 and the Cellular models start at US$ 749.
The new iPad Air, in 64GB and 256GB configurations, comes in space grey, starlight, pink, purple, and blue finishes.
News
Samsung teases anti-shoulder surfing privacy feature
A “new layer of privacy” coming to Galaxy phones soon
Samsung has teased a “new layer of privacy” to shield users’ phones primarily from shoulder surfing.
Although there haven’t been any specifics yet, this “new layer” could be quite literal, as in an added display technology on Samsung devices.
Samsung says users can customize it to raise their guard with specific apps, or when entering access details for more private areas of their phones.
Moreover, there are multiple settings for adjusting visibility. This way, users can limit what others can see based on the level of privacy protection they need.
They can likewise choose to protect specific parts of the experience, such as notification pop-ups. In a way, it’s a tailored approach that lets users fine-tune or switch off entirely, rather than a blanket one.
It also eliminates the need to go through apps one by one and adjust settings, as in the case of notifications.
Samsung adds that the process took five years of engineering, testing, and refining, hence the careful and deliberate roll-out instead of a sudden one.
This process included studying how individuals use their phones, what they consider private, and how security should feel in everyday life.
The result, Samsung says, is a fusion of hardware and software expertly calibrated to protect users while on their phones.
This latest development is part of a series of Galaxy innovations to keep users safe. Samsung has been introducing topnotch mobile protection with Knox Vault, Knox Matrix, and more features.
News
Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold reveals US$ 2,899 price tag
It’s still cheaper than the Huawei Mate XT.
Late last year, Samsung finally revealed the Galaxy Z TriFold, its official entry into the three-paneled market. Even only from its initial announcement, the Galaxy Z TriFold already looks mighty good, more so than its Android-less counterpart from Huawei. But, as with everything, it still depends on the price. How much will Samsung’s trifold phone cost? Now, we have an idea.
Today in the United States, Samsung has announced that the Galaxy Z TriFold will already be available in the country starting this week. From January 30, users can start trying out the phone for themselves in Samsung Experience Stores. They can also grab the device through Samsung.com.
Because the phone is already available, the price tag is out as well. In the United States, the Galaxy Z TriFold will set you back by at least US$ 2,899.
Despite how eye-watering that price is, it’s still a step below the Huawei Mate XT when that launched last year. (For reference, the Android-less Mate XT launched for a miserable EUR 3,499.)
Still, spending almost three thousand dollars on a phone might not be the most appealing decision for a lot of people. This price is also almost a full thousand dollars more than the Galaxy Z Fold7, which starts at US$ 1,999. On the bright side, the Galaxy Z TriFold is taking a big step in “democratizing” the trifold market before it takes over the industry.
If you’re interested in adding this to your cart, the Galaxy Z TriFold has a huge 10-inch screen, a custom Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, 16GB of RAM, and up to 1TB of storage. It also has a 200-megapixel main camera and a 5600mAh battery.
All that in mind, is US$ 2,899 a justifiable price for the Galaxy Z TriFold?
Entertainment
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie trailer shows first look at Yoshi
The premiere was also moved up by a few days.
As a fan of the Super Mario games, I’m still waiting patiently for the next 3D Mario title. In the meantime, we’ve got Mario in 3D to stave off the hunger. The Super Mario Galaxy Movie will premiere on April 1, and it just got a new trailer.
The Super Mario Galaxy Movie was announced quite some time ago, if the first film’s stinger wasn’t enough of a confirmation for you. As in that post-credits scene, Yoshi is set to make his debut. Now, the new trailer reveals the green dinosaur for the first time.
In the trailer, Mario and Luigi head to the Sand Kingdom to investigate a strange disturbance inside a pyramid. The disturbance turns out to be a scared Yoshi. What follows is a short montage of scenes from the movie but doesn’t reveal much of the connection between Yoshi and the movie’s story.
From the previous trailer, Bowser Jr. wants to claim the throne as the universe’s big baddie. It’s still unknown how Yoshi (and even Rosalina) connects to the overall plot.
Still, the trailer has a bunch of Easter eggs for fans of the franchise. For one, the Sand Kingdom is an area from the latest 3D Mario game, Super Mario Odyssey. Heading into the pyramid, you might also hear a subdued version of the “Underground Theme”. Then, when Yoshi finally appears, you’ll hear Super Mario World’s “Overworld Theme”.
The trailer also shows a peek at Birdo.
From the new trailer, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie will premiere a few days earlier on April 1. Previously, it was set to premiere on April 3.
SEE ALSO: Nintendo’s latest toy is Super Mario Wonder’s Talking Flower
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