News

Nokia’s new 3310 and smartphones come to the Philippines

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Ever since their launch at MWC 2017, the new Nokia handsets under license holder HMD Global have been gradually rolling out throughout the world. Europe got access to the revived 3310 recently, followed by India and a few Asian countries. The Philippines is the next stop, and the entire lineup came for the trip.

We’re talking about the Android-powered Nokia 6, Nokia 5, and Nokia 3 smartphones, along with the 3310 feature phone. All four handsets are set to be available for purchase by the end of June 2017 — yes, at the end of this month.

The Nokia 6, which will retail for PhP 11,990, is the current flagship of the new company. It has a 5.5-inch Full HD display; Snapdragon 430 processor with 3GB of memory and 32GB of storage (expandable via a 128GB microSD card); and most importantly, a full-metal body made out of a single slab of aluminum.

Next is the Nokia 5, a smaller and slightly slower version of the Nokia 6. It goes for a 5.2-inch HD display with the same processor as the Nokia 6’s, but with only 2GB of memory and 16GB of storage(expandable via a 128GB microSD card). It’ll also be more reasonably priced at PhP 9,990.

And for the lower spectrum of the smartphone lineup, the Nokia 3 will retail for only PhP 6,990, but it isn’t nearly as well equipped as its two larger siblings. It settles for a lower-end MediaTek processor and 2GB of memory, along with 5-inch HD display and 16GB of storage you can expand using a microSD card.

Finally, we have the Nokia 3310 which we already experienced in full a couple of months ago. While we knew everything there was to know about it, the price has been a mystery in most parts of the world. We now have it, and it’s valued at PhP 2,490. That’s practically the same price as the INR 3,310 tag of India, although the latter has a much more memorable number.

SEE ALSO: Possible Nokia 9 and 8 appear in leaked video

[irp posts=”14166″ name=”Possible Nokia 9 and 8 appear in leaked video”]

Apps

Bard is now available to try for Google One users

Join the waitlist now

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The race for artificial intelligence is a hot trail. Amid the unbridled popularity of ChatGPT, several companies have started pushing their own language models out the gate. Google, eager to compete in the emerging industry, has now opened Bard to users.

Today, Google has started issuing invitations to Google One subscribers for a chance to try the new chatbot. Subscribers can enter a waitlist to test the technology for themselves.

In essence, Bard acts the same as ChatGPT. Users can talk to the bot conversationally, and it will respond perfectly, as if you were talking to another human being. It’s a language learning model. By talking to so many users, the model can learn the best way to reply to certain prompts.

Although Google has access to its search engine, Bard is currently meant to complement it. The company warns users that the chatbot is still prone to occasional mistakes. As an example, it gave the wrong scientific name for a plant. While this example is innocuous, there can be more nefarious errors that the developers are still trying to fix. With a wider test now open to the public, Google hopes to fix more egregious mistakes ahead of a wider launch.

For now, if you subscribe to Google’s premium subscription service, you can wait in line to try out the new technology.

SEE ALSO: Google is working on a ChatGPT competitor called Bard

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Gaming

EA is delisting classic Battlefield games

And Mirror’s Edge

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EA is a mixed bag nowadays. Formerly one of the biggest names in gaming, the company’s public reception is more varied these days. However, no one can argue against the studio’s earlier eras with more notable titles. Unfortunately, that era is coming to a more definitive close. EA is officially delisting a few notable Battlefield titles and the original Mirror’s Edge from digital stores.

In an official statement from the company, EA has announced the retirement of four online titles this year. Starting April 28, users will no longer be able to buy Battlefield 1943, Battlefield: Bad Company, Battlefield: Bad Company 2, and Mirror’s Edge online. Additionally, the online services for these games will cease on December 8.

Still going strong today, the Battlefield franchise is EA’s answer to the Call of Duty franchise. While the latter focuses on more arcade-like shooting, Battlefield tries to infuse more strategic gameplay into historical and modern-day shooting.

On the other hand, Mirror’s Edge is a classic first-person parkour adventure. At the time, the title was notable for its fluid movement and easy-to-read visuals. It even spawned a sequel, Mirror’s Edge Catalyst.

Anyone who owns these titles can still play through them after April. However, come December, players can only go through the offline single-player campaigns of these games.

SEE ALSO: Blumhouse is getting into gaming

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Apps

TikTok enlists users’ help to fight against ban

Ahead of a hearing this week

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TikTok is in for another fight. Recently, the American government upped its efforts to ban the video-sharing platform from the country. The company is preparing to fight back. Ahead of a potential ban, it is enlisting the help of its most precious resource: TikTok users.

Today, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew shared a video to update the entire community about his impending congressional hearing later this week. In the video, the CEO thanks the American userbase in helping the platform grow, enumerating important numbers ahead of the hearing. For example, TikTok now has 150 million users — which, Chew notes, is half of the population of the United States — and 7,000 employees in the country.

The video then goes on to share the government’s plans to ban TikTok, potentially taking the app away from the big numbers that Chew mentioned. Further, the CEO is asking all these users to share what they love about the app in the comments of the video.

@tiktok

Our CEO, Shou Chew, shares a special message on behalf of the entire TikTok team to thank our community of 150 million Americans ahead of his congressional hearing later this week.

♬ original sound – TikTok

For years, the American government has hounded the app over its Chinese ownership. The company — especially parent company ByteDance — has the potential to act as a conduit for Chinese surveillance, the government argues. The company has tried to counter these claims by increasing its employees in the country.

Now, the fight is coming to a head with several government bodies and other countries banning the app outright. It’s unknown how Chew is planning to attack the incoming congressional hearing. However, it’s likely that the company will leverage user feedback to buoy the app as an essential part of the current American landscape.

SEE ALSO: UK starts banning TikTok

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