News
Google is killing the Pixel 4 just nine months after launch
Making way for the Pixel 5
Google’s flagship Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL are now discontinued. The announcement is shocking because the phones were launched just nine months ago and the company just recently announced its younger sibling — the Pixel 4a.
It’s worth noting that Google usually followed an 18-month sale cycle with its previous offerings. Going off course from the usual trend, Google has already confirmed the imminent arrival of Pixel 5 along with the Pixel 4a 5G.
“Google Store has sold through its inventory and completed sales of Pixel 4 and 4XL,” Google said in a statement to Business Insider. However, some variants are still said to be available in other regions for the time being. If you’re lucky, you can still search for pending stock with an offline seller or even marketplaces like Amazon.
The Pixel 4 series wasn’t able to take-off and meet expectations because its sale was limited to a few regions. It’s the first phone to feature radar and backed with Project Soli, it could offer the fastest secure face unlock on a smartphone. It further helped enable motion gestures on the phone, something no other phone has been able to so far.
But, its unique selling point also became the biggest hurdle to its sale. Markets like India do not have any regulation around civilian radar usage and the phone couldn’t compete in such price-sensitive environments.
Even in developed countries, Apple and Samsung continued to dominate the premium segment. The phone is an excellent piece of hardware that churns out pictures that are often comparable to a DSLR. But, poor battery, marketing, and brand recognition just couldn’t make the phone an ideal iPhone competitor.
Computers
3D printing made accessible: Bambu Lab enters Philippine market
Empowering consumers to create tangible objects
China-based brand Bambu Lab has officially entered the Philippine market in a bid to reshape how consumers perceive and use 3D printing technology.
Established in Shenzhen, China in 2020, Bambu Lab aims to make 3D printing more accessible, practical, and relevant to daily life through printers and other supplies.
The goal is to support practical home use, creative hobbies, product design, and even specialized tools, while putting emphasis on ease of use.
With such optics, Bambu Lab is trying to make consumers feel that there is less deep technical knowledge required and that they can actually create physical objects with 3D printing.
One of their products is the entry-level Bambu Lab A1 mini, which is compact enough to fit on a small desk.
The brand also has more advanced models which are capable of printing multiple colors and materials on a single run.
To complement the hardware ecosystem, Bambu Lab’s open platform MakerWorld lets users browse, select, and print from an extensive library of shared 3D designs directly from their own desktops.
The platform features a wide variety of objects across multiple categories. There’s household items, DIY tools, children’s toys, props, and educational materials.
In the Philippines, Bambu Lab will open its first concept store at One Ayala, Makati City. The concept corner will give mallgoers the opportunity to see the range of 3D printers and consumables firsthand.
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?
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