News
Fairphone 2 gets up to five years of software support
Android 9 Pie is the latest OS for the device
Picture this: you own an almost 6-year-old smartphone when you just heard the news that your device will get an official OS update. The smartphone in question is not an iOS device, though. It is an Android smartphone, but this seems too good to be true. Well, a small company from the Netherlands just proved that Android smartphones can receive software updates for longer.
Fairphone — which made headlines in recent years for building smartphones with modular parts — is sticking to its promise of longevity by officially updating the Fairphone 2 to Android 9 Pie. Fairphone 2 saw its release way back in 2015, launching with Android 5 Lollipop out of the box.
The device launched with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 801, which is pretty respectable during those times. Updating the device is no small feat mainly due to the limitations with the processor.
Qualcomm initially promised up to six years of support for other processors, yet the Snapdragon 801 was an exception. That processor received a total of two years of support so most phones equipped with it also got one to two years of Android updates. In the absence of official support, Fairphone marched on and released Android 7 Nougat in 2018.
Updates are no small feat
For Android 9, the company even underwent 477,000 Google tests to get certification for the update. It may not be the latest version, but the Mountain View company still supports it enough to be usable for many users.
With the release of Android 9, Fairphone fulfills its promise of supporting devices for at least five years. In the Android world, it is rare for manufacturers to support their devices beyond the usual two years. Samsung, for its part, changed course last year and began supporting its devices for a minimum of three years.
However, it remains to be seen if any Android manufacturer can match the support Apple gives to its iOS devices. The iPhone 6s, for example, is now in its sixth year of OS updates launching with iOS 9 in 2015 and still getting support for iOS 14 this 2021.
Source: Fairphone via XDA Developers
Apps
Canva teams up with SB19 to turn A’TIN’s passion into creativity
Campaign lets fans access assets, editable templates, more
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.
News
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.
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?
News
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.
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.
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