Entries by Nicole Batac (11829)

Wednesday
Dec232020

Samsung takes down social media post mocking Apple's charger removal

There have been murmurs that Samsung would follow in Apple's footsteps by taking out the charger in its upcoming flagship. The company seems to indirectly acknowledge this by deleting a Facebook post it had up that made fun of Apple's decision to take out the charge in the iPhone 12 series. You can see a screenshot of the post above. It went live the day Apple announced the new iPhones.

Apple attributes the decision to help reduce its e-waste. And it can certainly be helpful if other OEMs follow suit. Apple still includes a USB-C to Lightning cable in the box, so we could hope that Samsung will keep a USB-C to USB-C cable in the Galaxy S21 series. 

Source: 9to5Google

Wednesday
Dec232020

OnePlus CEO teases smartwatch launch, coming 'early next year'

Embed from Getty Images 

We know OnePlus is working on a smartwatch. We also recently learned that it's working with Google to develop Wear OS. Now, the company's CEO, Pete Lau, teased on Twitter that it is coming "early next year." He didn't really mention anything else in his tweet. OnePlus usually launches a new smartphone in the spring, so we might see the smartwatch introduced then. OnePlus 9 series are expected to launch in March 2021.

If the OnePlus smartwatch makes its way here, will you get one? What features do you want to see?

Source: Engadget

Wednesday
Dec232020

FCC listing confirms S Pen support for the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra

Source: WinFuture

A recent FCC listing all but confirms that the S Pen is coming to the Samsung Galaxy S21series—the Galaxy S21 Ultra in particular. A test report for model number SMG998B explicitly stated that the Equipment Under Test (EUT) device is usable with an S Pen in hover and click modes. The report said, "The EUT can also used [SIC] with a stylus device (S Pen). The EUT operates with the S Pen in two different inductive coupling modes of S Pen motion detection (Hover and Click) operating in the range of 0.53 –0.6MHz."

The listing also mentions wireless power transfer, allowing it to charge things like the rumoured Galaxy Buds Pro; and support for Wi-Fi 6E and UWB. According to Samsung Mobile President TM Roh, the company plans to utilize ultra-wideband more in 2021 with partners' assistance, including using UWB to locate objects or pets, open doors, or personalize car experiences. We should hear more about the Galaxy S21 series in January. The rumoured launch is on January 14, 2021.

Source: The Verge

Wednesday
Dec232020

KFConsole is a game console and chicken warmer in one

Source: KFC

KFC—yes, that KFC—has a game console. And from the looks of it, it can rival the new Sony and Microsoft consoles while keeping your fried chicken warm. KFC partnered with PC hardware manufacturer Cooler Master to develop the KFConsole. It was first teased in June and garnered tons of interest, which is unsurprising because it's an unusual move from the popular fast-food chain.

The KFConsole has a custom-built cooling system that extracts system heat through the outside of the chicken chamber, which will keep the hardware cool and the chicken warm. The specs aren't available yet, but it promises to have a top-end Intel CPU, ASUS hot-swappable mini-GPU, and two Seagate NVMe 1TB SSD cards. So, yes, it can play more demanding games, too. It seems like the most 2020 thing to come out, and we love that. There is no release date or price yet, but it does have a website. Maybe it will come out. We do wonder, though, if it will pass health and safety regulations.

Source: TechRadar