Smartphones
Pantone’s SkinTone Validated is your next must-have benchmark test
Checks if your phone can depict skin colors accurately

As much as smartphone screens value image fidelity, most devices amplify or emphasize certain colors to make images pop. And images do pop, resulting in impressive smartphone screens. Unfortunately, enhanced images aren’t always welcome especially when depicting skin tones. Skin colors become oversaturated, dull, or just outright wrong. In a huge step towards inclusivity, Pantone has announced an official certification program for depicting skin tones called SkinTone Validated.
A giant of the color design world, Pantone is usually known for dictating what it thinks is the color of the year. The company goes beyond that, of course. It also has a SkinTone Guide which contains 110 distinct colors depicting skin tones from people of different ethnicities.
The SkinTone Validated program uses the SkinTone Guide to analyze if a smartphone can accurately depict different skin colors set forth by the guide. If a device passes the new benchmarking test, then the respective brand can attach a Pantone SkinTone Validated label to the phone, showcasing how accurate it is for skin colors.
Compared to more numerical benchmarking tests today, the SkinTone Validated program offers a standard that’s more tangible for users. Though it’s not a standard often checked by smartphone connoisseurs, assessing a device’s skin tone accuracy can make significant strides towards addressing inclusivity in smartphone photography. People of color are still maligned through technology especially in image recognition software.


In a few weeks, ASUS is unveiling the ROG Phone 6. The next generation of gaming smartphone promises stellar performance packed inside a sharp design. Naturally, the power inside the phone isn’t a gigantic surprise, given what’s already out in the market today. However, figuring out what it will look like is always a treat. Now, a short time before the official launch, the ROG Phone 6 makes a small debut elsewhere, revealing the phone’s drip.
Recently, the phone popped up on TENAA. As with most filings, the entry comes with a set of photos that reveal both the front and the rear of the coming device. While the new device does share some similarities with its past siblings, the ROG Phone 6 has its own unique appeal.
Like the ROG Phone 5 Ultimate, the new phone will have a secondary screen on its rear. However, while the former looks sleek and smooth, the latter has a more industrial charm, paired with a larger camera island. It looks like something from Guardians of the Galaxy, as opposed to the ROG Phone 5 Ultimate’s Iron-Man glam. That said, the new phone still looks interesting.
In terms of hardware, the phone is expected to launch with the Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1, 16GB of RAM, and 6000mAh of battery life. ASUS is launching the phone on July 5.
SEE ALSO: ROG Phone 6 will launch in July
News
ING to exit Philippine retail market by end of 2022
Customers urged to transfer funds to other accounts

In a statement made on June 24, 2022, ING Philippines has announced it will be leaving the Philippine retail market.
The bank was launched in 2018 in the country. However, the “uncertain global macro situation in the last few years” have prompted the bank to not expand their operations in the Philippines and other countries.
Still, the institution of Dutch origin assured Filipino clients that for now, they will still be able to access their accounts safely.
ING will also inform its customers of any changes that may impact their accounts.
While preparing for the bank’s eventual exit, customers are also urged to transfer their funds to another personal account using the app.
They can transfer up to PhP 1 million using InstaPay or PESONet (3 to 5 banking days) at a PhP 50,000 limit per transfer.

Recently, Apple unveiled new features coming to iOS 16. Among all the notable goodies coming to everyone’s favorite Apple devices, one standout feature is the ability to edit messages. Users will finally be able to edit embarrassing typos or unsend mistake messages. However, not everyone is getting the update. And unfortunately, not getting the update can spell problems when interacting with others that do have it.
As what happens with every update, Apple is cutting it off at a specific level. Older iPhones won’t get the update. Naturally, they won’t enjoy the coming features either. Besides not being able to use the features themselves, these devices won’t be able to interface with them as with newer devices, too.
As such, older phones won’t see the little “edited” sign in modified messages, as reported by 9to5Mac. Instead, they’ll be sent separate messages saying, “Edited to,” followed by what the new message is.
It’s even worse for unsending messages. Older iPhones won’t even try deleting the message. If you run an older device, you’ll still see any message that an iOS 16 user deleted, rendering the new feature absolutely useless.
While the light is shined on the disparity between old and new devices, an equally important focus is the interaction between Android and iOS. Android doesn’t have editing features or use the same messaging standard as iOS. Interactions might end up being the same.
Of course, we’re still some time away from the update’s official launch. Apple still has time to work on features. Additionally, they can also release minor updates after the grand launch.
iOS 16 is expected to launch later this year.
SEE ALSO: iOS 16 will let users skip CAPTCHA tests
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