Mobile Devices, Tablets & Phones News - Page 44

The latest and most important Mobile Devices, Tablets & Phones news - Page 44.

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This much-used Apple photo service is now dead and buried

Oliver Haslam | Jun 27, 2023 3:43 AM CDT

Long before Apple launched iCloud Photo Library and later iCloud Photos, there was something called 'My Photo Stream.' It was a simple syncing service that uploaded the last 30 days of photos and videos to iCloud over a maximum of 30 days, and it was great. It meant that your photos and videos were backed up to some degree and that they would become available on multiple devices instantly. But now it's going away.

This much-used Apple photo service is now dead and buried

The iCloud Photos service is lightyears ahead of My Photo Stream and Apple knows it. The iCloud option automatically syncs all of your photos and videos no matter how old they are, so you're always sure that your media is with you no matter when it was created or which device you're using. Because of that, Apple's turning off My Photo Stream on July 26 but to get ready it's stopped uploading new content as of June 26. Or yesterday, if you prefer.

That of course means that My Photo Stream users are now no longer sending their photos and videos to the cloud and that means that a solution is required. We'd absolutely suggest that iCloud Photos is the way to go, but you'll only get 5GB of free data storage. From there it's a case of paying for more storage, unfortunately.

Continue reading: This much-used Apple photo service is now dead and buried (full post)

Surprise! Samsung is making a Galaxy S24 lineup and here's what the phones are called

Oliver Haslam | Jun 23, 2023 8:58 AM CDT

Samsung is expected to announce its next lineup of flagship phones in the first few weeks of 2024 if the previous years are any indication, and now those phones have started to leak.

Surprise! Samsung is making a Galaxy S24 lineup and here's what the phones are called

We can of course expect Samsung to name the new phones under the Galaxy S24 nomenclature, with the Galaxy S24, Galaxy S24+, and Galaxy S24 Ultra likely to be announced. Those three phones will offer a version for most wallets and needs, and now a new report claims that Samsung is using the Muse codename internally while it's still developing things.

According to the Samsung watchers at SamMobile, Samsung is calling the Galaxy S24 Ultra Muse 3 internally which might suggest that the Galaxy S24 is Muse and the Galaxy S24+ is Muse 2, but that's yet to be confirmed.

Continue reading: Surprise! Samsung is making a Galaxy S24 lineup and here's what the phones are called (full post)

iOS 17 will finally open the iPhone's best video camera feature to all apps

Oliver Haslam | Jun 23, 2023 8:42 AM CDT

Apple's iOS 17 update will roll out to the world this fall after being announced at WWDC 2023 on June 5, and it's already shaping up to be a big improvement for a number of reasons. One of those has to do with the way third-party apps can record video, giving them the same controls as the official Apple Camera app.

iOS 17 will finally open the iPhone's best video camera feature to all apps

Those controls bring Cinematic mode to all third-party apps that want to access it, according to a new report. Developers are already able to download the beta and begin building their apps against the latest iOS 17 SDK, and it's likely that they're doing just that. As a result, we should expect to see new apps make use of Cinematic mode for the first time later this year.

Apple's Cinematic mode was announced as part of the iPhone 13 launch and only works on those phones and newer models. It's designed to mimic the rack focus technique used by videographers who manually switch focus from something in the foreground or background to create a depth-of-field effect.

Continue reading: iOS 17 will finally open the iPhone's best video camera feature to all apps (full post)

Apple's iOS 17 update will fix its Haptic Touch feature for those short on patience

Oliver Haslam | Jun 23, 2023 8:29 AM CDT

Apple's iOS 17 is going to make a small change to the iPhone's Haptic Touch feature that will actually make a big difference for people who actually use it. But you're going to have to wait until this September to enjoy it.

Apple's iOS 17 update will fix its Haptic Touch feature for those short on patience

Back in the day Apple's iPhones had something called 3D Touch, a feature that let you press firmly on the screen to interact with in-app elements. But that feature was replaced by Haptic Touch, a feature that simply has users tap and hold to interact in the same way. While there were two speed options for how long people had to hold to invoke Haptic Touch, some found them both to be too slow. Now, iOS 17 is getting ready to change that.

As noted by those who have installed the iOS 17 developer betas, there's a new 'Fast' option for those who don't want to wait around. Confusingly, the iOS 16 software has 'Fast' and 'Slow,' but iOS 17 renames the faster option to 'Default' and adds a new, even faster option. You can see the difference in the tweet above.

Continue reading: Apple's iOS 17 update will fix its Haptic Touch feature for those short on patience (full post)

LG is the first to bring Apple AirPlay to hotel room TVs

Oliver Haslam | Jun 23, 2023 8:18 AM CDT

When Apple announced iOS 17 and the rest of its software updates during its WWDC 2023 opening keynote on June 5 it shared a number of new features that iPhone users can look forward to taking advantage of. One of those features was support for AirPlay on televisions that are used in hotel rooms, and now one company has already announced that it is ready to support exactly that.

LG is the first to bring Apple AirPlay to hotel room TVs

In a press release published yesterday, LG announced that it would be the first to bring Apple AirPlay to hotel room TVs.

According to that press release LG and Apple have worked together to make it quick and easy for people to use AirPlay while in a hotel room. The press release says that people will be able to connect an iPhone or an iPad securely by simply scanning a QR code. There will be no logins or passwords required and users won't have to download any extra apps to get up and running. Once connected via AirPlay they'll be able to watch content and listen to music as usual, while screen mirroring is surely also supported although not specifically called out.

Continue reading: LG is the first to bring Apple AirPlay to hotel room TVs (full post)

The Google Pixel Tablet might still get its stylus and keyboard despite missing launch

Oliver Haslam | Jun 22, 2023 11:37 AM CDT

The Google Pixel Tablet is the latest attempt by Google to make an iPad competitor and it will no doubt also hope that its launch can kickstart the Android tablet world. But it doesn't currently have a first-party keyboard or stylus, something that is a surprise to some. Now, it's thought that Google might have plans to change that in the future.

The Google Pixel Tablet might still get its stylus and keyboard despite missing launch

We'd already seen some leaks that had suggested that Google did have designs on launching its own accessories, but now there is another leak that seems to confirm that was the case and in fact, it still might be.

A new Android Authority report cites developer Pratyush as having found an indication that the stylus and keyboard exist. That's based on a URL that leads to the latest version of the tablet's Retail Demo app which was released on May 21. According to that app and the strings found inside it, a Keyboard for Pixel Tablet and Pen for Pixel Tablet were indeed planned enough to have found their way into that app.

Continue reading: The Google Pixel Tablet might still get its stylus and keyboard despite missing launch (full post)

The Nothing Phone (2) could be more expensive than you thought

Oliver Haslam | Jun 22, 2023 11:02 AM CDT

The Nothing Phone (2) is set to be officially unveiled properly during an event in London on July 11, and expectations are high for a phone that will signal the beginning of the company's smartphone presence in the United States. But anyone hoping for a budget option is set to be left disappointed.

The Nothing Phone (2) could be more expensive than you thought

That's because a new leak suggests that the Nnothing Phone (2) will sell for €729 (~$802) if you go for the base model with 256GB of storage. Upgrade that to the 512GB model and you'll pay €849 (~$934). That's according to a leak by French outlet Dealabs that was picked up by Android Authority, at least.

Interstingly, Nothing founder Carl Pei has tweeted about the leak, and he isn't happy. Asking "who leaked this?" and leaving it at that, Pei has left people in something of a quandary. Is Pei upset because the leak has outed his pricing plans a couple of weeks early? Or, just as likely, is the price nothing like the ones that we have seen today and he's simply venting his frustration at the fact that incorrect information is now being reported?

Continue reading: The Nothing Phone (2) could be more expensive than you thought (full post)

Android phones are accidentally calling emergency services and it needs to stop

Oliver Haslam | Jun 22, 2023 10:45 AM CDT

Owners of Android phones updated to Android 12 are finding themselves in hot water thanks to a new emergency SOS feature that has a habit of misfiring.

Android phones are accidentally calling emergency services and it needs to stop

According to reports by multiple authorities in the United Kingdom, emergency services around the country are experiencing unusually high numbers of accidental calls and it's thought that Android's latest emergency feature is to blame.

The feature was introduced in 2021 and is designed to help people more quickly and easily contact emergency services when they need them. That's done by pressing the power button five times in a row. Once the fifth button press is complete, the call to emergency services is placed. And it's that lack of any confirmation action that's tripping people up. Some phones are accidentally calling after being banged around in a bag or a pocket, it seems.

Continue reading: Android phones are accidentally calling emergency services and it needs to stop (full post)

ASUS roll out update to ROG Ally that actually reduces overall gaming performance

Jak Connor | Jun 21, 2023 12:45 AM CDT

A new BIOS update is available to download for ASUS ROG Ally gamers, and while the update may solve some issues, it also introduces some brand new ones, such as regression in gaming performance.

ASUS roll out update to ROG Ally that actually reduces overall gaming performance

The ASUS ROG Ally was released some time ago, and since then, the portable gaming device has grown in popularity as mobile gamers look to the Ally as a potentially better option than Valve's Steam Deck. The Ally, which runs Windows 11, comes with the "fastest" AMD APU and is built on a custom 4nm process with Zen 4 and RDNA 3 architecture, 16GB of LPDDR5 memory, and a 512GB M.2-2230 PCIe Gen4 SSD. All of the aforementioned specifications make the Ally twice as powerful as the Steam Deck.

While the Ally can pack a punch, reports indicate that ASUS has rolled out a new BIOS update that reduces total gaming performance. Testing from The Phawx indicates that BIOS update 319 introduces a performance regression. ASUS has recognized this and has cautioned Ally gamers from immediately updating their portable console. Suppose you have already updated your Ally and want to roll back your BIOS to regain performance. In that case, you can manually downgrade the BIOS by using the ASUS EZ Flash utility.

Continue reading: ASUS roll out update to ROG Ally that actually reduces overall gaming performance (full post)

The old-fashioned iPhone SE is here to stay until 2025, analysts say

Oliver Haslam | Jun 20, 2023 11:16 AM CDT

The iPhone SE that you can buy today for $429 is looking a little long in the tooth, to say the least. That's thanks to the Home button and huge chin and forehead, but those who had hoped for a refresh are set to wait for a long time, it seems.

The old-fashioned iPhone SE is here to stay until 2025, analysts say

That's because two analysts claim that after multiple conversations with Apple's supply chain, they don't believe that Apple will launch an updated iPhone SE in 2024. That would mean that the current iPhone SE will have to see Apple through to 2025 at the earliest, a point at which it will look even more old-fashioned.

This is all according to Barclays analysts Blayne Curtis and Tom O'Malley who, in a research note seen by MacRumors, say that Apple is "unlikely to launch" a refreshed version of its budget iPhone in 2024.

Continue reading: The old-fashioned iPhone SE is here to stay until 2025, analysts say (full post)