Galaxy Note 21+ pre-release leak might've convinced me to switch
Chris Burns | Dec 30, 2020
I've been using a Galaxy Note 9 for over 2 years now, finding no convincing reason to switch to any other Samsung phone since I started. Now, here at the tail end of 2020, I might just have been convinced to upgrade. Not by another Galaxy Note, nor a foldable device of any sort. Instead, I think I've been convinced by the significantly massive flat display panel of the just-leaked Samsung Galaxy S21+.
Samsung Galaxy Note 10 update to One UI 3.0 expands experience
This week the folks at Samsung responsible for all the updates to smartphones of all sorts made big moves for the Galaxy Note 10. The Samsung Galaxy Note 10 and the Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ both got their standard December 2020 security patch - that was no big deal. The big deal was that firmware patch N97xFXXU6ETLL delivered One UI 3.0 stable to the device line.
Google Cloud Print goes offline on Friday
JC Torres | Dec 30, 2020
Another Google product will be biting the device right at the turn of the year. Granted, there are indeed some products and services that are long overdue their retirement, it's still somewhat notable when Google adds another body to its notorious graveyard. This time, it will be Google Cloud Print that will be signing off after the last day of the year, forcing its remaining users, if they do still exist, to connect directly to printers in their network.
Google strips ultrawide astrophotography from its 2020 Pixel flagships
Eric Abent | Dec 29, 2020
Budding astrophotographers with a Pixel 4a 5G or a Pixel 5 in their pockets are finding that their options have been limited by Google. Apparently, Google has pushed an update to the Google Camera app that removes the astrophotography option from the Pixel 4A 5G and Pixel 5's ultrawide lens. While users at one one point had the option to shoot astrophotography photos using the wide angle lens, now they're prompted to switch to another lens before the feature will activate.
Pokemon GO codes: The real one, how to avoid the fakes
Today we're taking a quick look at how Pokemon GO has some legit promotional codes and a whole lot of fakes. One of the biggest games in the history of mobile games was sure to attract scammers over the years - but there IS one surefire way to avoid mishaps. If you're searching for codes for the game outside of the game, you COULD find them anywhere - but there's only two places where entering a code will give you any sort of in-game benefit.
Samsung Galaxy S22 camera hide might be madness
For the past few years we've seen some wild concepts - and even wilder real world smartphone releases - with methods for hiding cameras. The issue was that the smartphone's front-facing display required a big bezel. Notches, punch-holes, and mechanical bits to move the camera were all delivered on real devices. This week, Samsung revealed a solution the likes of which might... be too wild for the real world.
10 Best OnePlus 8T Cases
Cory Gunther | Dec 25, 2020
This guide shares a list of the absolute best OnePlus 8T cases available and what each one has to offer. With a bigger 6.55-inch screen and glass covering the front and the back, you'll definitely want some phone protection.
Smartphones in the age of pandemic
We are just a few weeks away from the end of the year and, as always, it is an opportune time to take stock of the past twelve months. And boy what a whirlwind those twelve months were. Almost no one was left unaffected by the COVID-19 coronavirus, whether directly or indirectly. Of course, the mighty mobile market didn't escape unscathed and, to some extent, the effects on the industry might still be felt long after the pandemic has become a footnote in history.
Samsung Galaxy Fold 3 and Z Flip rumor round-up
Today we're taking a peek at the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 and Galaxy Fold 3 and all the iterations of the bunch that'll likely launch in the year 2021. The first major change is one similar to that of several other device line changes over the past year from a variety of brands - that of the number skip. In order for the Fold and Flip lines to include the same number name scheme, they'll change the Galaxy Z Flip 5G's name to Galaxy Z Flip 2, so that the Z Flip in the year 2021 can be called Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3.
Report claims Google forced researchers to adopt a positive tone
Satsuki Then | Dec 24, 2020
It's become more and more difficult over the years for the average American to trust some of the large technology companies out there like Facebook and Google. A new report has surfaced that claims Google moved during 2020 to tighten control over researchers working inside the company and the papers they publish. According to the report, Google launched a "sensitive topics" review, and in at least three cases, requested that authors adopt a positive tone in their research.
DeepMind MuZero AI can master games without knowing the rules
The holy grail of AI has always been to enable computers to learn the way humans do. The most powerful AIs today, however, still rely on having certain known rules, like rules for a game of chess or Go. Human learning, however, is often messy in inferential, learning the rules of life as we go. DeepMind has long been trying to create such AIs using games as their environment and test suite. Google's sister company focusing on AI research has just revealed its latest achievement in MuZero, an AI that can master a game without learning the rules beforehand.
DeepMind AI MuZero can learn AND master Chess, Go, Atari
Today the machine learning algorithm MuZero was detailed in a feature research paper in Nature. MuZero expands on the abilities of systems like AlphaGo, AlphaGo Zero, and AlphaZero. Each new algorithm allowed a smart machine to become better at mastering games, starting with Go, then Chess and Shogi, now Atari!
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