Gadgets 360

Despite appearing in several leaks, very little is known about the upcoming Oppo X7 Pro, a camera-centric flagship smartphone that is set to replace the Oppo Find X6 Pro. While the phone was recently expected to launch in China in November, a new launch timeline hints that it will be announced with several other products before the Spring Festival (which takes place early next year in the month of February). While earlier leaks have suggested interesting details about its rear camera's unique telephoto setup, there's now an alleged real-world image that shows the design of the camera itself.

A post on Chinese microblogging platform Weibo, shows an image of what has been reported as the Oppo Find X7 Pro, being used in public transit. The phone is seen with a rounded silver metal frame, but seems to have a soft finish (or faux leather) real panel.

What's unmissable is the colossal rear camera module that sees four cameras arranged into a hexagonal shaped layout. The camera module also protrudes quite a bit and appears quite chunky. The new hexagonal rear camera module seems to be a drastic shift in terms of appearance and design compared to the outgoing Find X6 Pro, which borrows a lot of its aesthetics from high-end Hasselblad cameras, a brand which is Oppo and OnePlus' current partner when it comes to cameras hardware and imaging.

A leaked photograph of the Oppo Find X7 Pro
Photo Credit: Moss (Weibo)

 

While the handset in question appears very much like a prototype, it's important to note the placement of the LED flash at the top left corner. This is a new design trend that was first seen with the launch of the Oppo Find N3 Flip, followed by the OnePlus Open, and more recently by the Oppo Find N3. All three models now have the LED flash placed outside their respective camera modules. So, while we would recommend that our readers take the above information with a pinch of salt, there is a good chance that the phone in the photograph may turn out to be a genuine design.

Other recently leaked details about the Oppo Find X7 Pro have to do with its unique telephoto cameras. Unlike most camera-centric flagships currently available, the Oppo Find X7 Pro, according to a recent report, will feature dual periscope telephoto cameras. One camera with a 50-megapixel sensor is said to offer 2.7X optical zoom while the other camera, another a 50-megapixel sensor, may feature 6X optical zoom. Samsung's Galaxy S23 Ultra also offers a dual telephoto camera setup, but with one periscope telephoto camera.

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Is the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 the best foldable phone you can buy in India right now? We discuss the company's new clamshell-style foldable handset on the latest episode of Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.

from Gadgets 360 https://ift.tt/sTW4wye

Despite appearing in several leaks, very little is known about the upcoming Oppo X7 Pro, a camera-centric flagship smartphone that is set to replace the Oppo Find X6 Pro. While the phone was recently expected to launch in China in November, a new launch timeline hints that it will be announced with several other products before the Spring Festival (which takes place early next year in the month of February). While earlier leaks have suggested interesting details about its rear camera's unique telephoto setup, there's now an alleged real-world image that shows the design of the camera itself.

A post on Chinese microblogging platform Weibo, shows an image of what has been reported as the Oppo Find X7 Pro, being used in public transit. The phone is seen with a rounded silver metal frame, but seems to have a soft finish (or faux leather) real panel.

What's unmissable is the colossal rear camera module that sees four cameras arranged into a hexagonal shaped layout. The camera module also protrudes quite a bit and appears quite chunky. The new hexagonal rear camera module seems to be a drastic shift in terms of appearance and design compared to the outgoing Find X6 Pro, which borrows a lot of its aesthetics from high-end Hasselblad cameras, a brand which is Oppo and OnePlus' current partner when it comes to cameras hardware and imaging.

A leaked photograph of the Oppo Find X7 Pro
Photo Credit: Moss (Weibo)

 

While the handset in question appears very much like a prototype, it's important to note the placement of the LED flash at the top left corner. This is a new design trend that was first seen with the launch of the Oppo Find N3 Flip, followed by the OnePlus Open, and more recently by the Oppo Find N3. All three models now have the LED flash placed outside their respective camera modules. So, while we would recommend that our readers take the above information with a pinch of salt, there is a good chance that the phone in the photograph may turn out to be a genuine design.

Other recently leaked details about the Oppo Find X7 Pro have to do with its unique telephoto cameras. Unlike most camera-centric flagships currently available, the Oppo Find X7 Pro, according to a recent report, will feature dual periscope telephoto cameras. One camera with a 50-megapixel sensor is said to offer 2.7X optical zoom while the other camera, another a 50-megapixel sensor, may feature 6X optical zoom. Samsung's Galaxy S23 Ultra also offers a dual telephoto camera setup, but with one periscope telephoto camera.

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Is the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 the best foldable phone you can buy in India right now? We discuss the company's new clamshell-style foldable handset on the latest episode of Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.

Gadgets 360

Samsung's FE series has always been a fan favourite since the first Samsung Galaxy S20 FE was released with almost flagship-level specs and a price that sits right between the highest-end A Series smartphone and the entry-level S Series smartphone. This year, Samsung launched two FE devices, the refreshed S21 FE with Qualcomm's Snapdragon 888 and the new Samsung Galaxy S23 FE with Exynos 2200 SoC and a lot of the features that might make the smartphone look like a flagship on paper. Does the highly anticipated Samsung Galaxy S23 FE deliver on the brand's promise when they introduced the first ‘Fan Edition' smartphone, and should you buy it at a starting price of Rs. 59,999? Let's find out in this detailed Samsung Galaxy S23 FE review.

Samsung Galaxy S23 FE price in India

I've been using the base variant for the Samsung Galaxy S23 FE with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage in the Mint colour option, which is priced at Rs. 59,999. The Samsung Galaxy S23 FE is available in a higher-end 256GB storage variant as well, with the same amount of RAM, that is 8GB for Rs. 64,999, which makes this smartphone come very close to the vanilla Samsung Galaxy S23 that comes equipped with Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC. The smartphone can be bought in two more colour options: Graphite and Purple. The brand has also launched two special edition colour options for this smartphone, Indigo and Tangerine, which can only be bought through their official website. The 256GB storage variant is a good addition, but a higher-end variant with more RAM would've been better and justified the price more.

Samsung Galaxy S23 FE Review: Design

The Samsung Galaxy S23 FE sports a design that might be familiar to many people. It uses the same design language as the Samsung Galaxy S23 and the Samsung Galaxy A54, with matte-finished aluminium side rails, volume rockers and a power key that is very responsive and tactile, as a flagship smartphone should. The smartphone uses a dual nano sim card slot with an option to either use one physical and an E-Sim or two physical SIM cards at the same time. It does not come with expandable storage, which is slightly disappointing. It comes equipped with a USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C port and stereo speakers that are decently loud. The smartphone comes equipped with Corning's Gorilla Glass 5 protection for the display and the back panel with a glossy finish instead of the matte finish that the Samsung Galaxy S23 sports.

The smartphone sports Gorilla Glass 5 on the front as well as on the back.

This makes the smartphone prone to fingerprints and smudges a lot. At 8.22mm thick, the smartphone feels a little thicker than your usual smartphone, and 209 grams of weight puts it on the heavier side. It is IP68 certified for dust and water resistance, which is a plus. I had the smartphone with me for a decent amount of time and used it without a case. After only a few days, I started noticing scuffs and scratches on the display glass, protected by Corning's Gorilla Glass 5. The smartphone is a little slippery without the case. Despite the thicker chassis and higher weight, the smartphone still carries the premium look and feel that Samsung flagships are known for.

Samsung Galaxy S23 FE Review: Display

Samsung Galaxy S23 FE sports a 6.4-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with a 1080 x 2340 pixels resolution. The display itself is impressive, no matter if I talk about the colours that it produces or the sharpness. I didn't have any complaints on that front, but the bezels are particularly thick for a smartphone that costs more than 50K and is marketed as an entry-level flagship by the manufacturer. I'd be lying if I said it disappears after you immerse yourself in content; it doesn't and stares right in your face.

Samsung Galaxy S23 FE features a flat display

It is HDR10+ certified and supports a peak brightness of up to 1450 nits, which feels super bright indoors and outdoors. I did not see much discolouration on the display while using the smartphone in harsh sunlight. The smartphone lets you choose between a standard 60Hz refresh or an adaptive refresh rate of 120Hz. It feels smooth across the board while scrolling through the UI and apps or gaming.

Samsung Galaxy S23 FE Review: Camera

It sports a triple-rear camera setup that includes the primary 50-megapixel camera with an f1.8 aperture with a 24mm focal range that comes equipped with OIS, an 8-megapixel telephoto camera that provides 3x optical zoom with f2.4 aperture and a 75mm focal range with OIS and lastly a 12-megapixel ultra-wide camera with f2.2 aperture.

Samsung Galaxy S23 FE features the signature Galaxy design language

The smartphone does a pretty good job when focusing on moving subjects, thanks to the inclusion of PDAF for the primary as well as the telephoto camera. Daylight shots from the primary camera came out pretty well; it produced plenty of sharp images from corner to corner and had good details in the shadows and the highlight.

Samsung Galaxy S23 FE daylight primary camera samples (tap to see full size)

Bokeh without the portrait mode looks very pleasing, and to my surprise, this Samsung smartphone didn't overdo with saturation levels. The telephoto camera also maintained the same saturation levels but produced slightly softer images.

Samsung Galaxy S23 FE daylight telephoto camera samples (tap to see full size)

This smartphone's ultrawide camera maintains the colour scheme like the two other rear cameras, but the images tend to distort a lot on the corners, which could be fixed with a future software update.

Samsung Galaxy S23 FE daylight ultra-wide camera samples (tap to see full size)

The smartphone has a 10-megapixel camera for selfies, which clicks pretty detailed images in daylight.

Samsung Galaxy S23 FE selfie camera samples (tap to see full size)

The Samsung Galaxy S23 FE also has a good camera system for nighttime shots. The images take longer to shoot, but OIS helps the user with it, and the shots you get look pretty good. I did notice some noise in the ultrawide shots.

Samsung Galaxy S23 FE nighttime camera samples (tap to see full size)

It uses a 10-megapixel camera with f2.4 for selfies that does an excellent job with daylight, nighttime and portrait shots. It maintains the colour scheme as the other cameras on board, and you will notice that there is some post-processing happening in the background after you click, as it takes a second to show the final image.

The smartphone can shoot up to 8K 24fps with the primary camera; this is a feature that you do not see very often on a smartphone in this price range. I shot multiple handheld 8K videos using this smartphone, and I was impressed with the results I got. The videos were stabilised, had plenty of details and had plenty of dynamic range to play around with if you ever want to edit these videos. It can shoot 4K 60fps videos as well. The front camera, too, can shoot videos at up to 4K 60fps, which is pretty good for content creators.

Samsung Galaxy S23 FE Review: Battery and Charging

The 4500mAh battery does a decent job for a light usage day, but as soon as you include gaming and video streaming, with a high refresh rate turned on, the smartphone does not last very long. The Samsung S23 FE lasted 16 hours and 25 minutes in our battery loop test. Considering Samsung does not provide a charger inside the retail package, support for charging would have been appreciated, as 25W charging support is way too slow for 2023. In our testing, the smartphone charged up to 25% in 30 minutes and 65% in an hour, which is way too slow compared to the competition in this price range.

Samsung Galaxy S23 FE Review: Performance

Samsung S23 FE uses Samsung's Exynos 2200 4nm SoC in India and not Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 that the consumers in the US are getting, which is a bummer, at least on paper. We ran all the required benchmarks on the Samsung Galaxy S23 FE, and the results were pretty good. It scored 1,174,800 on AnTuTu v.10.0.10, 1130 single core and 3232 for GeekBench 6. I played Call of Duty & Real Racing 3, which ran just fine with high graphic settings.

The smartphone features the 4nm Exynos 2200 SoC

The frames didn't drop a lot, and the gameplay was smooth. The smartphone did get a little warm after each gaming session. The Samsung Galaxy S23 FE runs OneUI 5.1 out of the box, which is based on Android 13, and it offers a pretty smooth user experience and does not have a lot of pre-installed apps.

Samsung Galaxy S23 FE Review: Verdict

The Samsung Galaxy S23 FE is a smartphone focused on consumers who wish to get the flagship experience but do not want to spend on something like a Samsung Galaxy S23 or S23+. This one lives up to the FE legacy with flagship-level cameras, a good display, decent battery life and a great processor for almost anything you want to do with this smartphone. All this combined does deliver a premium experience, only if you can live with thicker bezels on a smartphone that costs more than 50K in 2023. Considering this smartphone does not have expandable storage, the base 128GB storage variant might not be sufficient for most people and buying the 256GB variant puts this smartphone in the sub 65K price category, which is already very saturated with the likes of OnePlus 11 (Review) with better performance and modern looking curved display.

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Is the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 the best foldable phone you can buy in India right now? We discuss the company's new clamshell-style foldable handset on the latest episode of Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.

from Gadgets 360 https://ift.tt/95Nozyr

Samsung's FE series has always been a fan favourite since the first Samsung Galaxy S20 FE was released with almost flagship-level specs and a price that sits right between the highest-end A Series smartphone and the entry-level S Series smartphone. This year, Samsung launched two FE devices, the refreshed S21 FE with Qualcomm's Snapdragon 888 and the new Samsung Galaxy S23 FE with Exynos 2200 SoC and a lot of the features that might make the smartphone look like a flagship on paper. Does the highly anticipated Samsung Galaxy S23 FE deliver on the brand's promise when they introduced the first ‘Fan Edition' smartphone, and should you buy it at a starting price of Rs. 59,999? Let's find out in this detailed Samsung Galaxy S23 FE review.

Samsung Galaxy S23 FE price in India

I've been using the base variant for the Samsung Galaxy S23 FE with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage in the Mint colour option, which is priced at Rs. 59,999. The Samsung Galaxy S23 FE is available in a higher-end 256GB storage variant as well, with the same amount of RAM, that is 8GB for Rs. 64,999, which makes this smartphone come very close to the vanilla Samsung Galaxy S23 that comes equipped with Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC. The smartphone can be bought in two more colour options: Graphite and Purple. The brand has also launched two special edition colour options for this smartphone, Indigo and Tangerine, which can only be bought through their official website. The 256GB storage variant is a good addition, but a higher-end variant with more RAM would've been better and justified the price more.

Samsung Galaxy S23 FE Review: Design

The Samsung Galaxy S23 FE sports a design that might be familiar to many people. It uses the same design language as the Samsung Galaxy S23 and the Samsung Galaxy A54, with matte-finished aluminium side rails, volume rockers and a power key that is very responsive and tactile, as a flagship smartphone should. The smartphone uses a dual nano sim card slot with an option to either use one physical and an E-Sim or two physical SIM cards at the same time. It does not come with expandable storage, which is slightly disappointing. It comes equipped with a USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-C port and stereo speakers that are decently loud. The smartphone comes equipped with Corning's Gorilla Glass 5 protection for the display and the back panel with a glossy finish instead of the matte finish that the Samsung Galaxy S23 sports.

The smartphone sports Gorilla Glass 5 on the front as well as on the back.

This makes the smartphone prone to fingerprints and smudges a lot. At 8.22mm thick, the smartphone feels a little thicker than your usual smartphone, and 209 grams of weight puts it on the heavier side. It is IP68 certified for dust and water resistance, which is a plus. I had the smartphone with me for a decent amount of time and used it without a case. After only a few days, I started noticing scuffs and scratches on the display glass, protected by Corning's Gorilla Glass 5. The smartphone is a little slippery without the case. Despite the thicker chassis and higher weight, the smartphone still carries the premium look and feel that Samsung flagships are known for.

Samsung Galaxy S23 FE Review: Display

Samsung Galaxy S23 FE sports a 6.4-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with a 1080 x 2340 pixels resolution. The display itself is impressive, no matter if I talk about the colours that it produces or the sharpness. I didn't have any complaints on that front, but the bezels are particularly thick for a smartphone that costs more than 50K and is marketed as an entry-level flagship by the manufacturer. I'd be lying if I said it disappears after you immerse yourself in content; it doesn't and stares right in your face.

Samsung Galaxy S23 FE features a flat display

It is HDR10+ certified and supports a peak brightness of up to 1450 nits, which feels super bright indoors and outdoors. I did not see much discolouration on the display while using the smartphone in harsh sunlight. The smartphone lets you choose between a standard 60Hz refresh or an adaptive refresh rate of 120Hz. It feels smooth across the board while scrolling through the UI and apps or gaming.

Samsung Galaxy S23 FE Review: Camera

It sports a triple-rear camera setup that includes the primary 50-megapixel camera with an f1.8 aperture with a 24mm focal range that comes equipped with OIS, an 8-megapixel telephoto camera that provides 3x optical zoom with f2.4 aperture and a 75mm focal range with OIS and lastly a 12-megapixel ultra-wide camera with f2.2 aperture.

Samsung Galaxy S23 FE features the signature Galaxy design language

The smartphone does a pretty good job when focusing on moving subjects, thanks to the inclusion of PDAF for the primary as well as the telephoto camera. Daylight shots from the primary camera came out pretty well; it produced plenty of sharp images from corner to corner and had good details in the shadows and the highlight.

Samsung Galaxy S23 FE daylight primary camera samples (tap to see full size)

Bokeh without the portrait mode looks very pleasing, and to my surprise, this Samsung smartphone didn't overdo with saturation levels. The telephoto camera also maintained the same saturation levels but produced slightly softer images.

Samsung Galaxy S23 FE daylight telephoto camera samples (tap to see full size)

This smartphone's ultrawide camera maintains the colour scheme like the two other rear cameras, but the images tend to distort a lot on the corners, which could be fixed with a future software update.

Samsung Galaxy S23 FE daylight ultra-wide camera samples (tap to see full size)

The smartphone has a 10-megapixel camera for selfies, which clicks pretty detailed images in daylight.

Samsung Galaxy S23 FE selfie camera samples (tap to see full size)

The Samsung Galaxy S23 FE also has a good camera system for nighttime shots. The images take longer to shoot, but OIS helps the user with it, and the shots you get look pretty good. I did notice some noise in the ultrawide shots.

Samsung Galaxy S23 FE nighttime camera samples (tap to see full size)

It uses a 10-megapixel camera with f2.4 for selfies that does an excellent job with daylight, nighttime and portrait shots. It maintains the colour scheme as the other cameras on board, and you will notice that there is some post-processing happening in the background after you click, as it takes a second to show the final image.

The smartphone can shoot up to 8K 24fps with the primary camera; this is a feature that you do not see very often on a smartphone in this price range. I shot multiple handheld 8K videos using this smartphone, and I was impressed with the results I got. The videos were stabilised, had plenty of details and had plenty of dynamic range to play around with if you ever want to edit these videos. It can shoot 4K 60fps videos as well. The front camera, too, can shoot videos at up to 4K 60fps, which is pretty good for content creators.

Samsung Galaxy S23 FE Review: Battery and Charging

The 4500mAh battery does a decent job for a light usage day, but as soon as you include gaming and video streaming, with a high refresh rate turned on, the smartphone does not last very long. The Samsung S23 FE lasted 16 hours and 25 minutes in our battery loop test. Considering Samsung does not provide a charger inside the retail package, support for charging would have been appreciated, as 25W charging support is way too slow for 2023. In our testing, the smartphone charged up to 25% in 30 minutes and 65% in an hour, which is way too slow compared to the competition in this price range.

Samsung Galaxy S23 FE Review: Performance

Samsung S23 FE uses Samsung's Exynos 2200 4nm SoC in India and not Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 that the consumers in the US are getting, which is a bummer, at least on paper. We ran all the required benchmarks on the Samsung Galaxy S23 FE, and the results were pretty good. It scored 1,174,800 on AnTuTu v.10.0.10, 1130 single core and 3232 for GeekBench 6. I played Call of Duty & Real Racing 3, which ran just fine with high graphic settings.

The smartphone features the 4nm Exynos 2200 SoC

The frames didn't drop a lot, and the gameplay was smooth. The smartphone did get a little warm after each gaming session. The Samsung Galaxy S23 FE runs OneUI 5.1 out of the box, which is based on Android 13, and it offers a pretty smooth user experience and does not have a lot of pre-installed apps.

Samsung Galaxy S23 FE Review: Verdict

The Samsung Galaxy S23 FE is a smartphone focused on consumers who wish to get the flagship experience but do not want to spend on something like a Samsung Galaxy S23 or S23+. This one lives up to the FE legacy with flagship-level cameras, a good display, decent battery life and a great processor for almost anything you want to do with this smartphone. All this combined does deliver a premium experience, only if you can live with thicker bezels on a smartphone that costs more than 50K in 2023. Considering this smartphone does not have expandable storage, the base 128GB storage variant might not be sufficient for most people and buying the 256GB variant puts this smartphone in the sub 65K price category, which is already very saturated with the likes of OnePlus 11 (Review) with better performance and modern looking curved display.

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Is the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 the best foldable phone you can buy in India right now? We discuss the company's new clamshell-style foldable handset on the latest episode of Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.

Gadgets 360

Amazon.com on Tuesday announced a new artificial intelligence chip for its cloud computing service as competition with Microsoft to dominate the market for artificial intelligence heats up.

At a conference in Las Vegas, Amazon Web Services (AWS) Chief Executive Adam Selipsky announced Trainium2, the second generation of chip designed for training AI systems. Selipsky said the new version is four times as fast as its predecessor while being twice as energy efficient.

The AWS move comes weeks after Microsoft announced its own AI chip called Maia. The Trainium2 chip will also compete against AI chips from Alphabet's Google, which has offered its Tensor Processing Unit (TPU) to its cloud computing customers since 2018.

Selipsky said that AWS will start offering the new training chips next year. The proliferation of custom chips comes amid a scramble to find the computing power to develop technologies such as large language models that form the basis of services similar to ChatGPT.

The cloud computing firms are offering their chips as a complement to Nvidia, the market leader in AI chips whose products have been in short supply for the past year. AWS also on Tuesday said that it will offer Nvidia's newest chips on its cloud service.

Selipsky on Tuesday also announced Graviton4, the cloud firm's fourth custom central processor chip, which it said is 30 percent faster than its predecessor. The news comes weeks after Microsoft announced its own custom chip called Cobalt designed to compete with Amazon's Graviton series.

Both AWS and Microsoft are using technology from Arm in their chips, part of an ongoing trend away from chips made by Intel and Advanced Micro Devices in cloud computing. Oracle is using chips from startup Ampere Computing for its cloud service.

© Thomson Reuters 2023

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OnePlus Nord 3 brings some serious upgrades over its predecessor, including some flagship-grade specifications. We discuss this and more on the latest episode of Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.

from Gadgets 360 https://ift.tt/0JIDmoB

Amazon.com on Tuesday announced a new artificial intelligence chip for its cloud computing service as competition with Microsoft to dominate the market for artificial intelligence heats up.

At a conference in Las Vegas, Amazon Web Services (AWS) Chief Executive Adam Selipsky announced Trainium2, the second generation of chip designed for training AI systems. Selipsky said the new version is four times as fast as its predecessor while being twice as energy efficient.

The AWS move comes weeks after Microsoft announced its own AI chip called Maia. The Trainium2 chip will also compete against AI chips from Alphabet's Google, which has offered its Tensor Processing Unit (TPU) to its cloud computing customers since 2018.

Selipsky said that AWS will start offering the new training chips next year. The proliferation of custom chips comes amid a scramble to find the computing power to develop technologies such as large language models that form the basis of services similar to ChatGPT.

The cloud computing firms are offering their chips as a complement to Nvidia, the market leader in AI chips whose products have been in short supply for the past year. AWS also on Tuesday said that it will offer Nvidia's newest chips on its cloud service.

Selipsky on Tuesday also announced Graviton4, the cloud firm's fourth custom central processor chip, which it said is 30 percent faster than its predecessor. The news comes weeks after Microsoft announced its own custom chip called Cobalt designed to compete with Amazon's Graviton series.

Both AWS and Microsoft are using technology from Arm in their chips, part of an ongoing trend away from chips made by Intel and Advanced Micro Devices in cloud computing. Oracle is using chips from startup Ampere Computing for its cloud service.

© Thomson Reuters 2023

---

OnePlus Nord 3 brings some serious upgrades over its predecessor, including some flagship-grade specifications. We discuss this and more on the latest episode of Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.

Bengal LoP Suvendu Adhikari suspended for winter session after making objectionable remarks against Speaker

BJP MLA Suvendu Adhikari was suspended during a discussion on ‘Constitution Day’ in the West Bengal assembly

from mint - politics BJP MLA Suvendu Adhikari was suspended during a discussion on ‘Constitution Day’ in the West Bengal assembly

Gadgets 360

Samsung Galaxy A05 has been launched in India on Tuesday (November 28). The new budget smartphone runs on MediaTek Helio G85 SoC, coupled with a maximum 6GB of RAM and up to 128GB of onboard storage. With Samsung's RAM plus feature, the available memory can be expanded up to 6GB. The Galaxy A05 comes as a successor to last year's Galaxy A04 and runs on Android 13. Samsung has confirmed two generations of OS upgrades and four years of security updates for the phone. It flaunts a 50-megapixel dual rear camera setup and houses a 5,000mAh battery.

Samsung Galaxy A05 price in India, availability

Price of the Samsung Galaxy A05 in India is set at Rs. 9,999 for the base 4GB RAM + 64GB storage variant. The top-of-the-line 6GB RAM + 128GB storage model costs Rs. 12,499. It comes in Black, Light Green, and Silver colour options.

The new Samsung Galaxy A-series smartphone will be available for purchase via the company website, e-commerce websites, and other retail outlets across the country. As an introductory offer, Samsung is providing Rs. 1,000 cashback when you purchase the Galaxy A05 via SBI credit cards. EMI options start at Rs. 875 per month. Customers can avail no-cost EMI option using Samsung Finance+.

Samsung Galaxy A05 specifications

The dual-SIM (Nano) Galaxy A05 runs on Android 13-based One UI skin and Samsung is promising four years of security updates and two generations of OS upgrades for the handset. It features a 6.7-inch HD+ (720x1,600 pixels) PLS LCD display. The phone is powered by a MediaTek Helio G85 SoC, coupled with up to 6GB of RAM and up to 128GB of onboard storage. As mentioned, the available memory can be expanded further up to 6GB by using the additional unused storage to ensure smooth app operation and enhance multitasking capabilities.

Samsung Galaxy A05
Photo Credit: Samsung

 

For optics, the Galaxy A05 has a dual rear camera unit comprising a 50-megapixel primary camera with an f/1.8 aperture lens and a 2-megapixel camera with an f/2.4 aperture lens. For selfies and video chats, there is an 8-megapixel camera at the front. Further, it offers up to 128GB of inbuilt storage, expandable (up to 1TB) via a microSD card slot. 

Connectivity options on the Galaxy A05 include 4G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, Glonass, Beidou, Galileo, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and a USB Type-C port. Sensors on board include an accelerometer, light sensor, and proximity sensor. Further, it supports face unlock feature for authentication. 

Samsung has packed a 5,000mAh battery on the new budget handset with support for 25W fast charging. It measures 168.8x78.2x8.8mm in size and weighs 195 grams.
 

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Is the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 the best foldable phone you can buy in India right now? We discuss the company's new clamshell-style foldable handset on the latest episode of Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.

from Gadgets 360 https://ift.tt/IPWRv68

Samsung Galaxy A05 has been launched in India on Tuesday (November 28). The new budget smartphone runs on MediaTek Helio G85 SoC, coupled with a maximum 6GB of RAM and up to 128GB of onboard storage. With Samsung's RAM plus feature, the available memory can be expanded up to 6GB. The Galaxy A05 comes as a successor to last year's Galaxy A04 and runs on Android 13. Samsung has confirmed two generations of OS upgrades and four years of security updates for the phone. It flaunts a 50-megapixel dual rear camera setup and houses a 5,000mAh battery.

Samsung Galaxy A05 price in India, availability

Price of the Samsung Galaxy A05 in India is set at Rs. 9,999 for the base 4GB RAM + 64GB storage variant. The top-of-the-line 6GB RAM + 128GB storage model costs Rs. 12,499. It comes in Black, Light Green, and Silver colour options.

The new Samsung Galaxy A-series smartphone will be available for purchase via the company website, e-commerce websites, and other retail outlets across the country. As an introductory offer, Samsung is providing Rs. 1,000 cashback when you purchase the Galaxy A05 via SBI credit cards. EMI options start at Rs. 875 per month. Customers can avail no-cost EMI option using Samsung Finance+.

Samsung Galaxy A05 specifications

The dual-SIM (Nano) Galaxy A05 runs on Android 13-based One UI skin and Samsung is promising four years of security updates and two generations of OS upgrades for the handset. It features a 6.7-inch HD+ (720x1,600 pixels) PLS LCD display. The phone is powered by a MediaTek Helio G85 SoC, coupled with up to 6GB of RAM and up to 128GB of onboard storage. As mentioned, the available memory can be expanded further up to 6GB by using the additional unused storage to ensure smooth app operation and enhance multitasking capabilities.

Samsung Galaxy A05
Photo Credit: Samsung

 

For optics, the Galaxy A05 has a dual rear camera unit comprising a 50-megapixel primary camera with an f/1.8 aperture lens and a 2-megapixel camera with an f/2.4 aperture lens. For selfies and video chats, there is an 8-megapixel camera at the front. Further, it offers up to 128GB of inbuilt storage, expandable (up to 1TB) via a microSD card slot. 

Connectivity options on the Galaxy A05 include 4G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS, Glonass, Beidou, Galileo, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and a USB Type-C port. Sensors on board include an accelerometer, light sensor, and proximity sensor. Further, it supports face unlock feature for authentication. 

Samsung has packed a 5,000mAh battery on the new budget handset with support for 25W fast charging. It measures 168.8x78.2x8.8mm in size and weighs 195 grams.
 

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Is the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 the best foldable phone you can buy in India right now? We discuss the company's new clamshell-style foldable handset on the latest episode of Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.

Gadgets 360

OnePlus 12 is set to launch in China on December 5. The launch has moved ahead a bit, since initially the phone was scheduled to be unveiled on December 4 during the company's 10-year anniversary celebration event. The OnePlus 12 is said to succeed OnePlus's current flagship model, the OnePlus 11 5G, which was launched in February this year. The company has already confirmed some key specifications of the upcoming OnePlus 12. Its design and colour options have also been revealed. Now, OnePlus may have accidently confirmed the global and India launch of the phone.

The official OnePlus sites in the UK, the US, and India have now the listed OnePlus 12. The listing does not confirm a launch date, but does promote a lottery to win the upcoming flagship phone for free. If you subscribe to the launch of the product using you email IDs, you will become eligible to win the phone through a lucky draw.

Noted under the terms and conditions of this contest is the window for this contest, which runs from November 27 to January 23, as detailed on the UK site. The details on the India site confirm that the contest will close a day before the launch of the OnePlus 12, but it no longer mentions the contest window. The India OnePlus website now mentions November 27 2023 to 2024, clearly proving that the company may have accidently leaked the launch date. However, we can assume that the phone will launch globally and in India on the same day, January 24, 2024.

The design of the OnePlus 12 was recently revealed by the company ahead of its China launch. It shares a similar design language to that of the preceding OnePlus 11. A large circular camera module placed in the top left corner of the back panel comes with the Hasselblad logo in the middle. It also has curved edges, slim bezels, and a centre-aligned hole-punch cutout at the top of the display to house the front camera. The phone has been teased to launch in three colour options - Pale Green, Rock Black, and White (translated from Chinese).

OnePlus 12 is confirmed to be powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC and sport a Sony LYTIA LYT808 primary rear camera sensor alongside a 64-megapixel periscope telephoto lens. The phone will run Android 14 with ColorOS 14 on top and feature a ProXDR display that comes with 2K resolution, a peak brightness of 2,600 nits, and DisplayMate's A+ certification.

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OnePlus Nord 3 brings some serious upgrades over its predecessor, including some flagship-grade specifications. We discuss this and more on the latest episode of Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.

from Gadgets 360 https://ift.tt/nVdNPQh

OnePlus 12 is set to launch in China on December 5. The launch has moved ahead a bit, since initially the phone was scheduled to be unveiled on December 4 during the company's 10-year anniversary celebration event. The OnePlus 12 is said to succeed OnePlus's current flagship model, the OnePlus 11 5G, which was launched in February this year. The company has already confirmed some key specifications of the upcoming OnePlus 12. Its design and colour options have also been revealed. Now, OnePlus may have accidently confirmed the global and India launch of the phone.

The official OnePlus sites in the UK, the US, and India have now the listed OnePlus 12. The listing does not confirm a launch date, but does promote a lottery to win the upcoming flagship phone for free. If you subscribe to the launch of the product using you email IDs, you will become eligible to win the phone through a lucky draw.

Noted under the terms and conditions of this contest is the window for this contest, which runs from November 27 to January 23, as detailed on the UK site. The details on the India site confirm that the contest will close a day before the launch of the OnePlus 12, but it no longer mentions the contest window. The India OnePlus website now mentions November 27 2023 to 2024, clearly proving that the company may have accidently leaked the launch date. However, we can assume that the phone will launch globally and in India on the same day, January 24, 2024.

The design of the OnePlus 12 was recently revealed by the company ahead of its China launch. It shares a similar design language to that of the preceding OnePlus 11. A large circular camera module placed in the top left corner of the back panel comes with the Hasselblad logo in the middle. It also has curved edges, slim bezels, and a centre-aligned hole-punch cutout at the top of the display to house the front camera. The phone has been teased to launch in three colour options - Pale Green, Rock Black, and White (translated from Chinese).

OnePlus 12 is confirmed to be powered by the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC and sport a Sony LYTIA LYT808 primary rear camera sensor alongside a 64-megapixel periscope telephoto lens. The phone will run Android 14 with ColorOS 14 on top and feature a ProXDR display that comes with 2K resolution, a peak brightness of 2,600 nits, and DisplayMate's A+ certification.

---

OnePlus Nord 3 brings some serious upgrades over its predecessor, including some flagship-grade specifications. We discuss this and more on the latest episode of Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.

Vice-President draws parallels between Mahatma Gandhi and PM Modi, says 'Mahapurush and yugpurush....'

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar compared Mahatma Gandhi and PM Modi, calling Gandhi the 'mahapurush' of the last century and Modi the 'yugpurush' of this century.

from mint - politics Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar compared Mahatma Gandhi and PM Modi, calling Gandhi the 'mahapurush' of the last century and Modi the 'yugpurush' of this century.

Gadgets 360

Samsung's Galaxy S series of smartphones has been quite popular since its inception. The anticipation for this year's Galaxy S24 Ultra is high, with the Galaxy S23 Ultra being one of the best Android smartphones of 2023 (Review). Most recently, we got our first look at the Galaxy S24 Ultra through leaked renders. Now, alleged hands-on images have surfaced online that appear to show a silver colour variant of the Galaxy S24 Ultra. It looks exactly like its predecessor but with a flat screen and back.

Tipster David Martin (@DavidMa05368498) posted alleged live images of the Galaxy S24 Ultra on X offering us a good look at what to expect from the flagship handset. It is seen with the flat back panel and a flat display. It appears to have a quad camera setup on the rear with all four cameras housed inside separate metal rings. The physical buttons are all located on the right-hand side of the handset, and there's also a center-hole punch selfie camera in the display. For the most part, it looks exactly like the Galaxy S23 Ultra. The S Pen is arranged at the bottom of the handset and protrudes slightly.

The Galaxy S24 Ultra recently appeared on the BIS website with model number SM-S928B/DS. It was also spotted on the Geekbench benchmarking platform with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC. Samsung is expected to use a tweaked version of the chip on the upcoming phone with overclocked GPU and CPU cores. It is said to come in 12GB RAM + 256GB and 8GB RAM + 128GB storage configurations.

Samsung is expected to pack a quad rear camera unit on the Galaxy S24 Ultra, comprising a 200-megapixel primary sensor, a 50-megapixel periscope camera, a 12-megapixel ultra wide-angle shooter, and a 10-megapixel telephoto sensor. It is likely to be backed by a 5,000mAh battery with support for 45W fast charging. The handset might also feature a titanium frame.

As per past leaks, Samsung's Galaxy Unpacked 2024 event will take place in San Jose, US on January 17, 2024. The brand will reportedly start taking pre-orders for the Galaxy S24, Galaxy S24+, and Galaxy S24 Ultra on the same day and general sales could begin on January 30.

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Is the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 the best foldable phone you can buy in India right now? We discuss the company's new clamshell-style foldable handset on the latest episode of Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.

from Gadgets 360 https://ift.tt/D9zfXp1

Samsung's Galaxy S series of smartphones has been quite popular since its inception. The anticipation for this year's Galaxy S24 Ultra is high, with the Galaxy S23 Ultra being one of the best Android smartphones of 2023 (Review). Most recently, we got our first look at the Galaxy S24 Ultra through leaked renders. Now, alleged hands-on images have surfaced online that appear to show a silver colour variant of the Galaxy S24 Ultra. It looks exactly like its predecessor but with a flat screen and back.

Tipster David Martin (@DavidMa05368498) posted alleged live images of the Galaxy S24 Ultra on X offering us a good look at what to expect from the flagship handset. It is seen with the flat back panel and a flat display. It appears to have a quad camera setup on the rear with all four cameras housed inside separate metal rings. The physical buttons are all located on the right-hand side of the handset, and there's also a center-hole punch selfie camera in the display. For the most part, it looks exactly like the Galaxy S23 Ultra. The S Pen is arranged at the bottom of the handset and protrudes slightly.

The Galaxy S24 Ultra recently appeared on the BIS website with model number SM-S928B/DS. It was also spotted on the Geekbench benchmarking platform with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC. Samsung is expected to use a tweaked version of the chip on the upcoming phone with overclocked GPU and CPU cores. It is said to come in 12GB RAM + 256GB and 8GB RAM + 128GB storage configurations.

Samsung is expected to pack a quad rear camera unit on the Galaxy S24 Ultra, comprising a 200-megapixel primary sensor, a 50-megapixel periscope camera, a 12-megapixel ultra wide-angle shooter, and a 10-megapixel telephoto sensor. It is likely to be backed by a 5,000mAh battery with support for 45W fast charging. The handset might also feature a titanium frame.

As per past leaks, Samsung's Galaxy Unpacked 2024 event will take place in San Jose, US on January 17, 2024. The brand will reportedly start taking pre-orders for the Galaxy S24, Galaxy S24+, and Galaxy S24 Ultra on the same day and general sales could begin on January 30.

---

Is the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 the best foldable phone you can buy in India right now? We discuss the company's new clamshell-style foldable handset on the latest episode of Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.

Ex-bureaucrat VK Pandian officially joins Odisha's Biju Janata Dal party today

VK Pandian was appointed as chairman of 5T and 'Nabin Odisha' in the rank of Cabinet Minister in the Odisha government.

from mint - politics VK Pandian was appointed as chairman of 5T and 'Nabin Odisha' in the rank of Cabinet Minister in the Odisha government.

Gadgets 360

Redmi 13C was launched globally earlier in November. The phone succeeds the Redmi 12C, which was unveiled in December 2022. The global variant of the Redmi 13C is powered by a 9nm MediaTek Helio G99 SoC. Xiaomi also packed a 5,000mAh battery with 18W wired fast charging support into the Redmi 13C. Now, a report has surfaced online that suggests that the phone may launch in India soon. Key specifications of the purported Indian variant of the handset have also leaked.

According to a 91Mobiles report, Xiaomi will introduce the Redmi 13C phone to the Indian market as a budget offering in December. Citing industry sources, the report says that the Indian variant of the Redmi 13C will likely be powered by the MediaTek Helio G85 SoC, similar to its global variant. The report adds that the Indian model will also carry other similar features to its global counterpart.

The Indian variant of the Redmi 13C could come with a 6.74-inch HD+ (1,080 x 2,460 pixels) LCD display, just like the global variant, with a refresh rate of 90Hz, according to the report. Its triple rear camera unit is said to include a 50-megapixel primary sensor, a 2-megapixel macro shooter, and an auxiliary lens. Even the front camera is expected to get an 8-megapixel sensor like the global model.

Redmi 13C is also likely to run Android 13-based MIUI 14 out-of-the-box in India, like in all other markets. The Indian variant is said to pack a 5,000mAh battery with 18W wired fast charging support. The report has not confirmed any other details of the Indian variant of the phone. It has also not mentioned a specific launch date.

Notably, the global variant of the Redmi 13C is offered in Clover Green, Glacier White, Midnight Black, and Navy Blue colourways. The 4GB + 128GB variant is priced at $139.99 (roughly Rs. 11,700), while the 6GB + 128GB and 8GB + 256GB options are listed at $159.99 (roughly Rs. 13,300) and $164.99 (roughly Rs. 13,800), respectively.

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Samsung launched the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Galaxy Z Flip 5 alongside the Galaxy Tab S9 series and Galaxy Watch 6 series at its first Galaxy Unpacked event in South Korea. We discuss the company's new devices and more on the latest episode of Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.

from Gadgets 360 https://ift.tt/9LjHGqY

Redmi 13C was launched globally earlier in November. The phone succeeds the Redmi 12C, which was unveiled in December 2022. The global variant of the Redmi 13C is powered by a 9nm MediaTek Helio G99 SoC. Xiaomi also packed a 5,000mAh battery with 18W wired fast charging support into the Redmi 13C. Now, a report has surfaced online that suggests that the phone may launch in India soon. Key specifications of the purported Indian variant of the handset have also leaked.

According to a 91Mobiles report, Xiaomi will introduce the Redmi 13C phone to the Indian market as a budget offering in December. Citing industry sources, the report says that the Indian variant of the Redmi 13C will likely be powered by the MediaTek Helio G85 SoC, similar to its global variant. The report adds that the Indian model will also carry other similar features to its global counterpart.

The Indian variant of the Redmi 13C could come with a 6.74-inch HD+ (1,080 x 2,460 pixels) LCD display, just like the global variant, with a refresh rate of 90Hz, according to the report. Its triple rear camera unit is said to include a 50-megapixel primary sensor, a 2-megapixel macro shooter, and an auxiliary lens. Even the front camera is expected to get an 8-megapixel sensor like the global model.

Redmi 13C is also likely to run Android 13-based MIUI 14 out-of-the-box in India, like in all other markets. The Indian variant is said to pack a 5,000mAh battery with 18W wired fast charging support. The report has not confirmed any other details of the Indian variant of the phone. It has also not mentioned a specific launch date.

Notably, the global variant of the Redmi 13C is offered in Clover Green, Glacier White, Midnight Black, and Navy Blue colourways. The 4GB + 128GB variant is priced at $139.99 (roughly Rs. 11,700), while the 6GB + 128GB and 8GB + 256GB options are listed at $159.99 (roughly Rs. 13,300) and $164.99 (roughly Rs. 13,800), respectively.

---

Samsung launched the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Galaxy Z Flip 5 alongside the Galaxy Tab S9 series and Galaxy Watch 6 series at its first Galaxy Unpacked event in South Korea. We discuss the company's new devices and more on the latest episode of Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.

Winter session of Parliament will be held from 3-22 December

Parliament's winter session: An all-party meeting has been called on December 2.

from mint - politics Parliament's winter session: An all-party meeting has been called on December 2.

Telangana Polls 2023: 'Rahul Gandhi ke do pyaar hai', AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi takes swipe at Congress leader

The AIMIM president further said Rahul Gandhi should get married as having someone at home could benefit him as he turned 50.

from mint - politics The AIMIM president further said Rahul Gandhi should get married as having someone at home could benefit him as he turned 50.

BJP seeks suspension of Rahul Gandhi's account on X platform for violating model code of conduct amid Rajasthan polls

BJP accuses Rahul Gandhi of flouting 48-hour silence zone limit on social media platform X during Rajasthan Assembly election.

from mint - politics BJP accuses Rahul Gandhi of flouting 48-hour silence zone limit on social media platform X during Rajasthan Assembly election.

Gadgets 360

Apple announced its brand new Journal app during WWDC in June this year. The app is said to help users to write down their thoughts, keep a daily log, and as Apple says, a “new way to reflect on and relive special moments”. It can also give you suggestions on what to write about, and that's done by using data from your phone. Now, that sounds scary, but it's actually not. The Journal app is currently available in iOS 17.2 Public beta 2 and will be available to all compatible iPhone users when iOS 17.2 is released.

I've been using Apple's Journal app for a couple of weeks now, and here's what I think of it.

Journal app features

I've never been one to write down my thoughts, but the Journal app made me want to. It has been proven that journaling or writing down your thoughts is good for your mental health. To me, writing things down was and is mostly associated with remembering things. And I've mostly used the good old Notes app for all note-taking endeavors. I've got notes going all the way back to my iPhone 4, which is when I first started using the Notes app.

Journaling is different though, and if you're looking to start, but don't want to use a pen and notebook, you could give the Journal app a try. You will have it with you almost all the time, since it's on your phone, and all you need to do is pick up your phone and type. But why not just use the Notes app, and why Journal?

The Journal app has a simple user interface that shows your entries and suggestions

Well, Apple's Journal app, apart from being a simple journaling app, also features some AI and machine-learning tech that make it a little bit smarter than the Notes app. When you first open the app, there's not much happening. In fact, you'll only see a ‘+' button at the bottom of the app. Tap on this button and you have three options here. You can start writing a new journal by tapping ‘New Entry' or you can choose to write using a topic suggested by Apple. These suggestions are sorted under ‘Recommended' and ‘Recent'.

Apple lets you add photos, videos, voice memos, and location tags to an entry. There's a filter that lets you choose between all your entries, entries with photos, or bookmarked entries. And that's about it.

Journal app Suggestions

Let's talk about the Suggestions feature in Journal because this is what makes it different from all the other journaling apps. When you want to write a new entry, Suggestions can help you. Your iPhone comes up with these suggestions using on-device machine learning. It uses your photos, videos, music, health data from your Apple Watch, and more to offer journaling ideas.

In ‘Recommended', you'll see some suggestions for what you can write about, along with something called ‘Reflections'. This lets you reflect on your day or life and includes questions such as ‘Write about something great in your life that you don't always think about'.

On the other hand, the ‘Recent' section, as the name suggests, simply shows you your recent activities, which may include a visit to a park nearby or a walk that you went on recently.

There's also something called Moments, which Apple says your iPhone can learn to recognise over time. After using the Journal app for a while, you will be shown these special moments or memories from your life. It will include photos or videos from one of those romantic dates, a fun outing with friends, a bike ride, a marathon, a family get-together, and so on.

Memories are what we humans live for, but to go back isn't realistically possible unless someone invents a time machine. The Journal app can give you a look back at those memories or moments and even let you write down things related to the memory. Using all the data that you allow Apple's Journal app to tap into, it can figure out memories by itself and help you write them down.

Apple is also making this available to third-party journaling apps in the form of Suggestions API. Third-party apps can also tap into the API and show you suggestions, but they only get access to what you agree to share. The processing and machine learning will happen on your phone, which means that your data will be safe. Your Journals are only uploaded to iCloud for backup, but that is also end-to-end encrypted.

You can also share from other apps currently and write in Journal. For example, I was listening to a song on Apple Music, and I wanted to write down something related to the song. I simply opened the Share sheet and was able to add the track as an entry in the Journal app. I was also able to share a web page from Safari and add it as an entry in the app.

Journal app Settings

Since the Journal app has access to all your data, it may be concerning to some. What if it suggests you write about something that you don't want to write about? Well, there are plenty of Settings that can help the app avoid such instances.

Journal app offers users plenty of control over their data

To access all the settings, you'll need to open the Settings app and scroll down to Journal. Here, you can choose what Photos the app can access and whether to include Location and Captions. You have the option to Lock the app using Face ID, which is recommended, and you can also have the app help you keep a schedule. In Journaling Suggestions, you can choose what data can be accessed by the Journal app. There are toggles for Activity, Media, Contacts, Photos, and Locations. You can turn off all these, but I wish Apple had given even more granular control over things here.

Journal app - Should you use it?

Yes, if you're someone who already keeps a journal. The Journal app lets you add media to your moments, and that's great. If you're new to journaling, you should still give the Journal app a try. The suggestions feature is really powerful, the app is easy to use thanks to the simple user interface, your data is safe, and you can protect everything with Face ID. However, it's currently only available on the iPhone and on the iOS 17.2 Public beta 2. Apple did not mention if it's coming to iPad or Mac, but who knows, it might. There's also no search option to find an entry.

Overall though, I'd totally recommend using the Journal app on your iPhone app to journal. It's been great!

from Gadgets 360 https://ift.tt/cAoNXgF

Apple announced its brand new Journal app during WWDC in June this year. The app is said to help users to write down their thoughts, keep a daily log, and as Apple says, a “new way to reflect on and relive special moments”. It can also give you suggestions on what to write about, and that's done by using data from your phone. Now, that sounds scary, but it's actually not. The Journal app is currently available in iOS 17.2 Public beta 2 and will be available to all compatible iPhone users when iOS 17.2 is released.

I've been using Apple's Journal app for a couple of weeks now, and here's what I think of it.

Journal app features

I've never been one to write down my thoughts, but the Journal app made me want to. It has been proven that journaling or writing down your thoughts is good for your mental health. To me, writing things down was and is mostly associated with remembering things. And I've mostly used the good old Notes app for all note-taking endeavors. I've got notes going all the way back to my iPhone 4, which is when I first started using the Notes app.

Journaling is different though, and if you're looking to start, but don't want to use a pen and notebook, you could give the Journal app a try. You will have it with you almost all the time, since it's on your phone, and all you need to do is pick up your phone and type. But why not just use the Notes app, and why Journal?

The Journal app has a simple user interface that shows your entries and suggestions

Well, Apple's Journal app, apart from being a simple journaling app, also features some AI and machine-learning tech that make it a little bit smarter than the Notes app. When you first open the app, there's not much happening. In fact, you'll only see a ‘+' button at the bottom of the app. Tap on this button and you have three options here. You can start writing a new journal by tapping ‘New Entry' or you can choose to write using a topic suggested by Apple. These suggestions are sorted under ‘Recommended' and ‘Recent'.

Apple lets you add photos, videos, voice memos, and location tags to an entry. There's a filter that lets you choose between all your entries, entries with photos, or bookmarked entries. And that's about it.

Journal app Suggestions

Let's talk about the Suggestions feature in Journal because this is what makes it different from all the other journaling apps. When you want to write a new entry, Suggestions can help you. Your iPhone comes up with these suggestions using on-device machine learning. It uses your photos, videos, music, health data from your Apple Watch, and more to offer journaling ideas.

In ‘Recommended', you'll see some suggestions for what you can write about, along with something called ‘Reflections'. This lets you reflect on your day or life and includes questions such as ‘Write about something great in your life that you don't always think about'.

On the other hand, the ‘Recent' section, as the name suggests, simply shows you your recent activities, which may include a visit to a park nearby or a walk that you went on recently.

There's also something called Moments, which Apple says your iPhone can learn to recognise over time. After using the Journal app for a while, you will be shown these special moments or memories from your life. It will include photos or videos from one of those romantic dates, a fun outing with friends, a bike ride, a marathon, a family get-together, and so on.

Memories are what we humans live for, but to go back isn't realistically possible unless someone invents a time machine. The Journal app can give you a look back at those memories or moments and even let you write down things related to the memory. Using all the data that you allow Apple's Journal app to tap into, it can figure out memories by itself and help you write them down.

Apple is also making this available to third-party journaling apps in the form of Suggestions API. Third-party apps can also tap into the API and show you suggestions, but they only get access to what you agree to share. The processing and machine learning will happen on your phone, which means that your data will be safe. Your Journals are only uploaded to iCloud for backup, but that is also end-to-end encrypted.

You can also share from other apps currently and write in Journal. For example, I was listening to a song on Apple Music, and I wanted to write down something related to the song. I simply opened the Share sheet and was able to add the track as an entry in the Journal app. I was also able to share a web page from Safari and add it as an entry in the app.

Journal app Settings

Since the Journal app has access to all your data, it may be concerning to some. What if it suggests you write about something that you don't want to write about? Well, there are plenty of Settings that can help the app avoid such instances.

Journal app offers users plenty of control over their data

To access all the settings, you'll need to open the Settings app and scroll down to Journal. Here, you can choose what Photos the app can access and whether to include Location and Captions. You have the option to Lock the app using Face ID, which is recommended, and you can also have the app help you keep a schedule. In Journaling Suggestions, you can choose what data can be accessed by the Journal app. There are toggles for Activity, Media, Contacts, Photos, and Locations. You can turn off all these, but I wish Apple had given even more granular control over things here.

Journal app - Should you use it?

Yes, if you're someone who already keeps a journal. The Journal app lets you add media to your moments, and that's great. If you're new to journaling, you should still give the Journal app a try. The suggestions feature is really powerful, the app is easy to use thanks to the simple user interface, your data is safe, and you can protect everything with Face ID. However, it's currently only available on the iPhone and on the iOS 17.2 Public beta 2. Apple did not mention if it's coming to iPad or Mac, but who knows, it might. There's also no search option to find an entry.

Overall though, I'd totally recommend using the Journal app on your iPhone app to journal. It's been great!