Google Pixel 4a gets official launch, Canadian pricing and availability

The Google Pixel 4a is finally here. At least, it'll be available on September 10 for $479. There will be no Pixel 4a XL this time, which was part of Google's plan to help keep its price down. This single Pixel 4a unit runs on a Qualcomm Snapdragon 730G processor paired with 128GB storage and 6GB of RAM. It doesn't offer storage expansion. It sports a 5.81-inch OLED panel with a tall 19.5:9 aspect ratio and 2,340 x 1,080 resolution. The only interruption on the screen is a punch-hole cutout for the 8-megapixel selfie camera with an f/2.0 aperture and 1.12µm pixels, which is a first for the Pixel. The rear camera is a single 12.2-megapixel 1/2.55-inch sensor with large 1.4µm pixels and speedy f/1.7 optics. The camera has optical image stabilization to keep your videos shake-free, and it supports Pixel 4's known features like Night Sight, Top Shot, and Portrait Mode.

It packs in a smaller 3,140mAh battery that can be charged over Power Delivery 2.0 standard at up to 18W. If you're looking for a headphone jack, the Pixel 4a still has one. There are no brightly coloured variants of this phone. Google is only offering the Pixel 4a in Just Black.

Source: GSMArena + Engadget + Android Authority

Update on Wednesday, August 5, 2020 at 5:01AM by Nicole Batac

Aside from the Google Pixel 4a, buyers can expect the 5G-ready Google Pixel 4a and Pixel 5 smartphones before the year ends.

YouTube Music gets new features, including Google Assistant recommendations on Nest speakers

Google is integrating YouTube Music more into its ecosystem. Now, the streaming app gains new features for Google Assistant, Android TV, and Google Maps.

Google Assistant on newer Nest speakers can now recommend music. All you need to say is, "Hey Google, play recommended music from YouTube Music." It will then offer personalized music suggestions, like favourite artists and genres, based on your listening history. The same feature won't work on Google Home devices, though.

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Renders of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 leak once more ahead of Aug. 5 launch

We're a day away from Samsung's Unpacked 2020, but that doesn't mean the leaks have stopped. Evan Blass shared higher resolution renders of the Galaxy Z Fold 2 in its new rose gold colour. 

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New Google Chrome extension displays detailed ad-tracking data

Google has released a new Chrome extension that shows you how advertisers are targeting you. Ads Transparency Spotlight displays the number of ads loading on a page, what advertisers and ad tech companies are present, and what personal data is being used to serve advertisements (like demographics, remarketing, interests, location, etc.). It also shows links to the privacy policy of companies and services present on the page, how each collects and stores data, and why the ads are displayed on a page. According to Engadget, the extension might work differently in regions outside of the US. Some European users can see the advertisers and number of ads, but not the personal tracking info.

This early version of the extension only shows the information on Google-served ads that used Google's Ad Disclosure Scheme. It's designed to help advertisers share how they're using your data. This new extension is part of Google's push to improve its ad transparency and avoid additional privacy-oriented legislation (like the European Union's GDPR laws).

Source: 9to5Google