News
iOS 17 adds NameDrop, Journal, more
More personal and intuitive
Just when you thought iOS couldn’t get any better, Apple goes out of their way to add things you perhaps didn’t immediately know you needed. Such is the case with iOS 17.
The new features range from calls and contacts upgrades, all the way to stuff for your mental health. Here are the most notable ones.
Contact Posters
Users can customize how they appear, bringing a completely new look to incoming calls. Emoji, photos, different fonts and colors are all in play. Go wild. And they will also be available for third-party calling apps.
Live Voicemail
See real-time transcription as someone leaves a voicemail. And you can still pick-up the call as they are leaving their message. Spam calls won’t appear as Live Voicemail, and will instead be instantly declined.
FaceTime Audio and Video Messages
FaceTime now supports audio and video messages. When users call someone who is not available, they can share a message that can be enjoyed later.
FaceTime Reactions
Be more expressive during FaceTime calls with hearts, balloons, fireworks, laser beams, rain, and more. The new effects can be activated through simple gestures. Also works with third-party video calling apps.
FaceTime on TV
FaceTime now extends to the biggest screen in the home. Powered by Continuity Camera, users can initiate a video call directly from Apple TV, or start the call on iPhone and then hand it off to Apple TV, to see friends and family on their television.
Live Stickers
Lift subjects from photos and add effects that bring them to life. A new drawer in the keyboard puts all of a user’s stickers in one place for easier access across iOS.
New Messages
An expandable menu that can be accessed with a simple tap to display iMessage apps gives Messages a sleeker look. Search gets more powerful and precise with search filters. A new catch-up arrow indicates where the user last left off in the conversation, and replying inline is as simple as swiping on a text bubble. If a user shares their location, it will update in real time right in the conversation.
Check In
For when a user wants to notify a family member or friend that they have made it to their destination safely. After a user initiates a Check In, their friend or family member will automatically be notified as soon as the user arrives. Device location, battery level, and cell service status will be shared with selected contact if user appears to not be moving.
NameDrop
Bring iPhones together or bring an iPhone and Apple Watch together to easily share contact information.
With the same gesture, users can also share content or start SharePlay to listen to music, watch a movie, or play a game while in close proximity between iPhone devices.
StandBy
Gives users a full-screen experience with glanceable information designed to be viewed from a distance when iPhone is on its side and charging.
Journal
A new app that helps iPhone users reflect and practice gratitude through journaling. It uses on-device machine learning for personalized suggestions for the user’s journal entry. Suggestions are intelligently curated from recent activity, including photos, people, places, workouts, and more. It is built to protect a user’s privacy and ensure no one — including Apple — can access a user’s entries.
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?
-
News2 weeks agoInfinix NOTE Edge debuts: High-end features for accessible pricing
-
Reviews2 weeks agoRedmi Note 15 Pro+ 5G review: The midrange fashion piece
-
Features2 weeks agoCan the REDMI Note 15 Pro+ 5G Survive?
-
Reviews1 week agoHONOR X9d 5G review: Tougher, more long-lasting and optimized
-
Gaming2 weeks agoCivilization VII coming to Apple Arcade this February 5th
-
Automotive1 week agoBYD expands PH presence with entry of DENZA luxury EVs
-
News1 week agoHONOR slaps the iPhone Air with the all-new Magic8 Pro Air
-
News1 week agoBeyond the Box, Digital Walker turn over Tesla Model Y to iPhone 17 raffle winner





