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Foldable smartphones will dominate next year

Three more brands will launch their own next year

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With two months left in 2018, next year’s smartphones are already gearing up for their respective launches. With a multitude of options, no one knows what tomorrow’s smartphones will look like. From truly bezel-less phones to fully integrated screens, the possibilities are endless. However, a new report is tipping the odds towards one specific form factor — the foldable phone.

For one, Samsung has already committed considerable assets towards its own take on the unique design. The South Korean company has leaked patents and software corresponding to the upcoming smartphone. Even now, the phone is rumored to debut next month. Afterwards, it will launch next year.

Besides Samsung, other companies are also preparing their own foldable phones. According to trusted leaker Ice Universe, at least three more brands will launch foldable models between CES and MWC in 2019.

Unfortunately, the leaker refuses to name which brands are involved in foldable screen development. Right now, it’s anyone’s guess.

However, Evan Blass, another renowned leaker, has confirmed LG’s plans to launch a foldable phone at CES next year. Given Blass’ reputation, this report is as good as gold.

Also, of note, a smaller Chinese company, Rouyu Technology, has unveiled the world’s first foldable smartphone. The 7.8-inch phone touts a Snapdragon 855, up to 8GB of RAM, and up to 512GB of internal storage. Further, the phone will feature a 20-megapixel plus 16-megapixel rear camera combination. Launched in its home turf, the Rouyu FlexiPai will retail for CNY 8,999.

However, Ice Universe asserts that the earlier releases “are not necessarily the best.” Of course, the leaker has notoriously focused on Samsung’s leaks more than any other brand’s reports. Take the account’s assertions of quality with a grain of salt.

At most, Ice Universe’s report offers a preview of the smartphone industry’s looks next year. However, the form factor’s performance is still up in the air. At the very least, we only have a little more than two months to wait.

SEE ALSO: Huawei will launch a foldable, 5G-ready smartphone

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Canva teams up with SB19 to turn A’TIN’s passion into creativity

Campaign lets fans access assets, editable templates, more

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Canva Philippines has joined forces with SB19 and Sony Music Entertainment to launch the “Kaya sa Canva” campaign.

This first-of-its-kind initiative is aimed at transforming the popular Filipino boy band’s fanbase into creators by giving them access to official design assets, exclusive templates, and powerful creative tools.

That’s of course as fans have a way of creating artwork, banners, and more outputs to honor their idols.

As such, the partnership enables the A’TIN (SB19’s fanbase) to access the Canva-exclusive SB19’s Creative Hub.

This dedicated space lets fans access assets, including SB19-inspired sticker packs, custom typography, and editable templates inspired by the group.

Fans around the world will initially have access to templates for photo-booth strips, wallpapers, posters, and videos.

The campaign will then expand with Canva-exclusive assets celebrating the group’s New Era, as well as their latest single, “Lawless”.

Meanwhile, the original song “KAYA” is accompanied with an upbeat music video, doubling as a love letter to A’TIN and a masterclass in Canva’s tools.

Every visual and animation is fan-inspired, a celebration of the creativity, passion, and dedication that’s defined in the community from day one.

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The iPhone 18 might sell out for an unexpected reason

The ongoing shortage might play a part in the phone selling out earlier than expected.

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An iPhone selling out is not news. Because of how popular the phones are, it’s within the realm of probability that Apple runs out of stock at some point. According to a new report, this year won’t be any different… but it’s for an entirely different reason.

First reported by analyst Tim Culpan, Apple is reportedly struggling to meet its demand for semiconductors for the iPhone 18 and the foldable iPhone. The ongoing memory shortage is cutting off Apple’s ability to deliver the required supply of smartphones in a timely fashion. The report even claims that TSMC, which helps produce the iPhone, is sitting on a shipment of processors, worth US$ 1 billion, that don’t have memory chips.

Now, Apple is still confident that it can weather the launch. However, if the shortage persists, the iPhone 18 generation will likely sell out much more quickly than expected.

It’s an interesting time for Apple to experience such a shortage. It’s been heavily rumored that the company will launch its very first foldable phone next month, creating a new market for the brand. Apple definitely wants this attempt to succeed after the tepid response to its last new product, the Vision Pro.

SEE ALSO: Did Tim Cook just confirm that iPhone prices are going up?

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These “smart” glasses just sold out in under a week

DuckDuckGo touts that these glasses have zero AI, zero cameras, and an infinite battery life.

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Smart glasses are in a weird place right now. While a chunk of the population views them as cool and innovative, another significant chunk sees them as a privacy nightmare. If you’re in the latter group but want to see what life is like on the former, DuckDuckGo has a new product: a pair of anti-surveillance glasses with no camera or AI, otherwise known as just normal sunglasses.

If it’s not obvious, yes, it’s a troll product. DuckDuckGo is a search engine famously known for pushing privacy as a priority, opposing Google’s penchant for advertising and AI. Now, the search engine is taking on the smart glasses market.

Partnering with Knockaround, DuckDuckGo released the Paso Robles, a pair of sunglasses touted as having zero cameras, an always-offline mode, and a battery life of infinity.

It’s a statement piece. The rims have a logo mark, similar to the Meta’s glasses. The packaging also states that the glasses are “designed to block the sun, not send data to the cloud.”

Now, if you want a pair, they cost only US$ 35, as opposed to Meta’s US$ 299 price tag, but they are already sold out.

Which says quite a bit about today’s sentiment against AI and for privacy. Of course, to be fair, DuckDuckGo’s supply is certainly less than Meta’s stock for their smart glasses. It does, however, prove that the sentiment is there.

As of now, the world is slowly realizing that unimpeded smart glasses aren’t such a good idea, leading to people concerned about their privacy. In fact, some states have already started banning the technology in certain public spaces.

SEE ALSO: New York becomes first state to ban smart glasses

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