News
Huawei’s Harmony OS is coming to smartphones in 2021
Worldwide release!
Last year, Huawei officially announced their first in-house operating system, Harmony OS. The upcoming operating system rose from the ashes of the still-ongoing trade war between China and the US. With the loss of Google Mobile Services (GMS), Huawei rushed to build its own replacement system. However, despite the announcement, the company has not announced when the system will finally come. Now, according to a report, Huawei’s Harmony OS is coming to smartphones in 2021.
According to a Chinese news outlet, Huawei’s Richard Yu himself confirmed the operating system’s launch date. Starting next year, Harmony OS 2.0 will launch for smartphones, PCs, smartwatches, and car products. (The first Harmony OS launched exclusively for smart TVs.
Further, Yu has also confirmed the system’s release worldwide. This time around, Harmony OS isn’t just a China-exclusive system.
Currently, Huawei’s non-GMS smartphones ship with Huawei Mobile Services (HMS). The open-source software provides a compromise for bringing the world’s most popular apps to current Huawei users. On the other hand, Huawei’s older, GMS-compatible smartphones are still receiving valuable security updates for the foreseeable users.
In the same report, Yu also confirms a new version of the software, Huawei Mobile Services 5.0. The new version will debut in a future smartphone. The company already has a separate branch dedicated to developing both HMS and Harmony OS into a cohesive ecosystem.
Besides software, Huawei is hunting down hardware alternatives, especially in the processor department. The upcoming Mate 40 series will mark the last time that Huawei can use high-end Kirin chipsets.
Apps
Honor, Xiaomi are working on their own Privacy Displays
Samsung’s Privacy Display is apparently very popular.
Normally, a smartphone brand’s blatant copying of another brand’s feature is not a good practice. Today, however, there is a new feature that we wish other brands would copy: Samsung’s Privacy Display. Thankfully, some brands, like Honor, have finally gotten the message and are working on version of the feature.
As reported by Digital Chat Station on Weibo, Honor is reportedly working on a privacy screen for its smartphones. Likewise, Xiaomi is working on the same thing, potentially launching the feature for the Xiaomi 18 Pro.
For the uninitiated, the Samsung Privacy Display is a built-in feature that blocks visibility of the screen at certain angles. If you’re not looking at the screen from the front, all you’ll see is a black void. It’s a built-in version of those protective screens that you can buy separately. Besides adding a nice layer of protection against scratches, it’s also meant to prevent snooping from your shoulder.
Samsung’s take was widely acclaimed for being insanely useful. When it arrives, this feature will be a godsend to more brands. Even better, users will no longer need to rely on third-party screen just to enjoy the privacy.
That said, there’s still no indication as to when these features will arrive on either Honor or Xiaomi.
SEE ALSO: LE SSERAFIM Chaewon flexes Galaxy S26 Ultra Privacy Display
Earlier this week, Nothing confirmed that CMF will no longer get a new smartphone later this year. However, the company also teased that a new model is still coming to Nothing itself. The initial tease did not include a model name or an image, thereby shrouding the new phone in mystery. Now, the mystery is gone as Nothing has definitively confirmed what’s coming: the Nothing (4b).
Nope, that’s not a typo. Nothing is following up the Phone (4a) series with the Phone (4b).
On X, Nothing teased the upcoming smartphone with a rough sketch of the model. Surrounded by designs from the Phone (4a) series, the Phone (4b)’s design shakes things up by introducing the usual wide camera island but affixing only a small vertical camera setup on the left side.
Meanwhile, a smaller pill-shaped cutout likely houses the phone’s LED flashes. Finally, a light strip on the lower right of the island will probably feature the model’s lighting element.
The Nothing (4b)’s launch is just over the horizon. The company has confirmed that the model will launch on July 7.
This is likely Nothing’s last ace up its sleeve this year. Earlier this year, Carl Pei already confirmed that the flagship-level Phone (4) will not arrive until next year.
Meta does not have the most stellar of reputations. Despite offering the world’s most popular social media platforms, the company, through its various experiments throughout the years, continuously proves that it has other priorities than just providing the best for its users. Today, another reported experiment wants to take Meta to a new market that its users might fall into: the prediction market.
If you haven’t heard of the prediction market, consider yourself lucky. These apps, such as Kalshi, are basically just gambling platforms without the glitz of playing cards or the rigor of the stock market. Users gamble on mundane circumstances like the weather and more serious ones like war.
Today, as reported by The New York Times, Mark Zuckerberg is reportedly asking Meta to develop a prediction app of its own. Interestingly, the experimental app, supposedly called Arena, will use virtual points, rather than real money. However, Meta has not ruled out real money — and hence, real gambling — in the future.
Meta is entering the industry at an extremely volatile time. The world is starting to crack down on prediction markets. Some users, for example, have been accused of using insider information to get easy wins on these platforms. Some markets have also accused these platforms of subverting anti-gambling laws.
SEE ALSO: Meta adds subscriptions for Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp
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