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Samsung, LG promise to launch better midrange phones this year

Relying on flagships just doesn’t work anymore

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Have you noticed the sheer abundance of smartphone models out in the market lately? Of course, the market has always featured a wide variety. However, brands have now diversified greatly to accommodate more markets.

Headlined by Samsung and Apple, the phone market has traditionally offered a catch-all flagship and droves of forgettable others for the budget spenders. Throughout the years, over-saturation has caused this strategy to falter.

According to Strategy Analytics, the balance of power is shifting. As of this year’s first quarter, Samsung’s grip on the world’s top spot has weakened by 2.5 percent. From 80.2 million units sold in 2017’s first quarter, Samsung shipped only 78.2 million units this year.

On the other hand, Apple has increased their numbers to 52.2 million units sold from just 50.8 million units last year. Likewise, Chinese companies Huawei and Xiaomi enjoyed huge gains, growing by 114 percent and 225 percent, respectively.

With the threat of loss in mind, Korean companies Samsung and LG have since adopted a “shotgun approach” with their releases this year. Instead of putting their eggs in one basket, they are releasing as much diversity as they can.

Since its ascension to the top, Samsung has always launched various lines catering to the midrange and budget markets. However, until recently, these models never offered much advantage in these segments. Additionally, they were shipped almost exclusively to developing markets, such as key countries in the Southeast Asian region. Meanwhile, LG has a decidedly weaker midrange lineup.

In fact, both companies rely heavily on their flagship and premium models to draw in sales.

To fight this, Samsung and LG are trying a strategy that works for Huawei and Xiaomi (which, incidentally, grew this year). The strategy involves outing midrange and budget phones that can competitively go one-on-one with flagship features.

Both Huawei and Xiaomi have a wider variety of options for users. In fact, Huawei even has its own sister brand dedicated to the market — Honor. With Xiaomi potentially launching their own sister brand, the brands’ successes speak more for themselves.

Whether this translates into a more competitive Galaxy J or LG Q series, only time will tell. Currently, both companies have already launched eight to nine models this year, compared to their eleven models in total apiece last year.

SEE ALSO: Samsung Galaxy J7+ hands-on review

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St. Peter reunited people with their deceased loved ones through tech

The new “If Heaven Could Write” campaign generates letters from the imagined perspectives of loved ones.

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Grieving can take many forms. Sometimes, it manifests through a desire to hear a loved one again. We look at their old clothing, a gust of wind, or a butterfly, and imagine them talking to us one more time. This year, St. Peter, through the power of technology, gave 11,000 people that chance through its new “If Heaven Could Write” campaign.

During St. Peter Deathcare Week, which ran from October 27 through November 2, the deathcare provider started the “If Heaven Could Write” campaign, an interactive digital experience that offered participants a chance to reunite with their deceased loved ones. It was available in 37 St. Peter Chapels and 76 cemeteries nationwide.

Upon scanning a QR code which took them to a portal, participants answered questions about their loved ones. Then, the portal generates a personal letter from the imagined perspective of the participant’s loved one, giving them one more chance to converse.

Of course, an imagined letter can’t replace someone who passed away. Still, the experience affords us a way to grieve and process the loss. No, the letter isn’t really from your loved one, but you can imagine what they would have said while reading through it. And sometimes, that’s all we need.

Though St. Peter Deathcare Week has already come and gone for the year, those interested can still participate in the campaign through its link.

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Next iPhone might get rid of the Action Button

Both functions will be in one button instead.

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In a world with a love-hate relationship with extra buttons on a phone, Apple has gone to the deeper end and included two buttons in the latest iPhones: the Action Button and the Camera Control. Next year, Apple might consolidate the two buttons into one, ridding itself of the Action Button.

According to a Weibo leak from Instant Digital, Apple will merge the two buttons starting with next year’s iPhones. Though technically a new button in itself, the merged version will, based on the leak, retain more Camera Control than the Action Button.

Of course, both functions can coexist in the same button. The Camera Control activates with a single press, while the Action Button needs a longer press. In the merged button, a single press can still open the camera and a longer press can activate whatever the user sets it to.

Both buttons have had a storied past. The Action Button came in 2023, replacing the Ring/Silent Switch. Meanwhile, the Camera Control debuted a year later, offering control over the camera with a capacitive button. The current iterations retain both buttons on the same phone.

Personally, as someone used to creating content, the Camera Control button is ultimately a boon to get those shots quickly while in the moment. Retaining that functionality is definitely worthwhile.

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NVIDIA CEO admits to having an affair with alleged Chinese spy

The company is currently investigating the allegations.

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In one of the craziest headlines this year, NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang has admitted to having an affair with an alleged Chinese spy.

Over the weekend, a heavy allegation claimed that the NVIDIA CEO had a relationship with a person actively involved in Chinese intelligence. Since Huang is involved in business globally, the accusation isn’t a light one. In fact, it’s serious enough that Huang admitted to the affair late this past Sunday.

In an internal letter reported by Associated Press, the CEO acknowledged the existence of the affair with a business executive. Of note, Huang did not confirm the executive’s ties to Chinese intelligence. NVIDIA, however, will conduct its own investigations regarding the allegations. Despite the allegations, Huang will remain as the company’s CEO. The company is also confident that the alleged spy did not compromise NVIDIA’s secrets.

According to The New York Times, the executive, Alice Huang, was reportedly feeding information back to Beijing, despite being an executive of the Singapore-based Megaspeed, which is already a serious customer of NVIDIA.

Now, NVIDIA is currently in a prime position when it comes to the industry today. Formerly a huge proponent of gaming peripherals, the company is now one of the biggest names in AI hardware, allotting a lot of its products for data centers. Huang’s allegations come at an interesting time.

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