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Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra Tipped for a Major Night Vision Camera Upgrade

When it comes to the Samsung Galaxy S23 series of phones launching soon, it seems that the Ultra model will once again have the biggest upgrades attached to it – and those upgrades apparently include “night vision” capabilities in terms of its cameras.

This comes via well-respected leaker Ice Universe(opens in new tab), who took to Twitter to “emphasize again that the S23 Ultra’s night camera is really ‘night vision'”. That sounds like seriously good low light photography capabilities to us.

What we don’t get here are any indications of what exactly the camera modules on the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra will include, but previous leaks have pointed to a quad-lens 108MP+12MP+12MP+2MP rear camera on this particular smartphone.

Get the picture
It would seem Ice Universe has got access to an early Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra unit, or been able to access images captured by it: the same source has previously posted a photo comparison between the Galaxy S23 Ultra and the Google Pixel 7 Pro.

In the past we’ve also heard Ice Universe talk about “greatly improved” low light capture capabilities for both photos and videos. This is clearly an upgrade that’s going to be noticeable, and should make the Ultra one of the best phones around for camera quality.

Photos and videos taken in daylight aren’t left out either, because there are rumored to be improvements here too. All will be revealed when the Galaxy S23 phones are launched, which should happen in the first few days of February.

Analysis: a key flagship feature
There’s no doubt that the Samsung Galaxy S23 phones are going to bring with them a host of improvements over their predecessors – including performance upgrades – otherwise Samsung might as well just keep the Galaxy S22 range of handsets on sale.

However, the low light photography capabilities of the Galaxy S23 phones are well worth paying attention to. Being able to snap photos and videos in difficult lighting conditions is one of the main ways that high-end flagship phones differ from budget devices that are going to cost you far less.

While the best cheap phones usually offer a lot of value for money, decent performance and very respectable camera setups, you’ll often find that it’s taking photos and videos in the dark where they start to struggle. If you need the very best night-time shots then you probably need a flagship smartphone.

It’s an area that handsets such as the Google Pixel series excel in, including the aforementioned Google Pixel 7 Pro. If the night vision capabilities of the Galaxy S23 Ultra are as good as that, we’re going to be impressed.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>SAMSUNG SMARTPHONE BATTERY

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Dyson’s Gen5 Detect Cordless Vacuum is so Powerful it Can Suck up Viruses

There are vacuum cleaners, and then there are *vacuum cleaners*. Dyson’s new cordless model, the Dyson Gen5 Detect, falls firmly into the latter camp.

The first vacuum to feature Dyson’s next-generation Hyperdymium motor – which spins at up to 135,000 rpm, some nine times faster than a modern-day Formula 1 engine – the Gen5 Detect is the brand’s smartest and most powerful sucker to date.

To go alongside that shiny new motor, the vacuum boasts a fully sealed, whole-machine HEPA filtration system and a new ‘Fluffy Optic’ cleaner head that supposedly reveals twice as much microscopic dust – using a suite of lights and sensors.

And the best part? The Gen5 Detect is engineered to capture 99.99% of particles down to 0.1 microns – that’s virus territory, people. In other words, Dyson’s latest cleaning creation is a shoo-in for a place atop our list of the best vacuum cleaners money can buy in 2022.

Dyson says its inventors built the vacuum’s new motor around a shorter shaft, combining multiple parts into one and wrapping everything in a single, precision-moulded frame to ensure maximum power efficiency.

This redesign certainty pays dividends on the endurance front. The Gen5 Detect promises 70 minutes of continued run time, which is around 10 minutes more than the already impressive equivalent figure boasted by the V15 Detect.

The Gen5 Detect does away with its predecessor’s trigger, too, opting instead for the same triggerless control as Dyson implemented on its V12 Detect vacuum.

As for the vacuum’s new cleaner head, it projects a blade of light – presumably in a manner akin to the spaceship from Close Encounters – to illuminate otherwise invisible particles on floors and in hard-to-reach areas of your home.

And finally, to make things even more science-fiction-movie-prop, the Gen5 Detect sports a brand new user interface (UI) that shows you – in real-time – when your room is clean. To do this, Dyson says the vacuum is equipped with a sensor that uses acoustics to count and categorize particle sizes, activating bars on an LCD screen that rise and fall according to the volume of particles being removed.

No US or UK release date or pricing has been revealed for the Dyson Gen5 Detect just yet – but rest assured, it’s set to be eye-wateringly expensive. The new vacuum is already on sale(opens in new tab) in Australia for a whopping $AU1,499 (equivalent to around $940 / £830), so we’re inclined to recommend that you begin saving your pennies now if you’re keen to upgrade your current vacuum to Dyson’s latest piece of cleaning kit.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>VACUUM CLEANER BATTERY

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Pixel Watch Hands On: Google’s First Smartwatch Shows Promise

Google software has been on countless smartwatches at this point, first in the form of Android Wear and more recently as Wear OS. The Pixel Watch, though, is the first smartwatch hardware designed by Google, making it substantially more interesting than so many of those similar third-party watches on the market. Announced alongside the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro.

However you want to look at it, the Pixel Watch is a fresh entry in a market crowded with everything from low-cost fitness trackers that also show your incoming phone calls, to the $799 Apple Watch Ultra that does basically everything your iPhone can, including international roaming so you can get cellular service no matter where you are in the world. The Pixel Watch lands squarely in the middle of the market at $349 for the GPS model and $399 for the cellular model.

Let’s start with the basics. The Pixel Watch is round, which some people greatly prefer to Apple’s squarish approach. It’s a small circle, but a slightly thick one. The Gorilla Glass covering the display has a distinct domed shape to it. I’m a fan.

The watch measures 41mm and the chassis is made from stainless steel. It comes in Champagne Gold, Matte Black, or Polished Silver. All three finishes have their own appeal, though I prefer the look of the Polished Silver.

The circular display looks really nice. It’s an AMOLED panel with 320 pixels per inch. It looks clean and free of pixelated edges, and that’s what’s important. Brightness also seems good. The watch was easy to read in the event space, though I didn’t get a chance to look at it outside under the sun.

A round Digital Crown graces the right side of the watch. It’s large enough to be easily found, and the rotating action felt good after a few test spins. There aren’t any other buttons or controls. The Crown spins the user interface up and down with speed.

A number of watch straps are available, including metal, leather, silicone, and woven nylon. The metal bands come in several different styles, as do the leather and nylon options. I put my hands on all the options and they each have their own appeal. I didn’t care for the feel of the silicone, though the leather was very nice.

Oddly, Google is going with a fairly old Exynos 9110 processor for the Pixel Watch. This four-year-old chip is paired with several other custom components to accomplish Google’s battery life and performance goals. Despite its age, the Watch’s user interface appears to run fluidly and smoothly. We’ll see how the performance bears out over time with testing.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>SMART WATCH BATTERY

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Acer Unveils World’s Lightest 16-Inch OLED Laptop

Acer today revealed the Swift Edge(Opens in a new window), which counts as the world’s lightest 16-inch OLED laptop.

The Switch Edge weighs just 2.58lbs (1.17kg), but hasn’t skimped on features to achieve it. The base model ships with Windows 11 Home and uses an AMD Ryzen 7 6800U octa-core processor running at 2.7GHz, AMD Radeon Graphics, 16GB of LPDDR5 RAM, and a 1TB PCIe SSD.

The 16:10 aspect ratio 4K OLED display has a resolution of 3,840-by-2,400 and a 60Hz refresh rate. Acer says the response time is as low as 0.2ms, the panel includes support for DisplayHDR True Black 500, and offers a 92% screen-to-body ratio.

The size of the battery hasn’t been divulged yet, but Acer claims 7.5 hours before a recharge is required using the included 65W charger (USB charging is also supported). In terms of connectivity, the laptop includes a single HDMI port, two USB 3.2 Gen 1 Type-A ports, two Type-C ports, and an Ethernet port. For wireless, up to 802.11ax is supported for Wi-Fi, as it Bluetooth 5.2. We can also thank Acer for deciding to use a backlit keyboard.

Security is offered by way of a fingerprint reader, Windows Hello support, and a Microsoft Pluton security processor(Opens in a new window), which includes “hardware-based root of trust, secure identity, secure attestation, and cryptographic services.” This means the Swift Edge classes as a Windows 11 Secured-Core PC(Opens in a new window).

If you’re wondering where the weight saving is being made, it seems to be from the casing. Acer says the alloy it used is 20% lighter and twice as strong as normal aluminum. If that, combined with the specs is enough to tempt you into a purchase, then the Swift Edge will be available before the end of October for $1,499(Opens in a new window).

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>ACER LAPTOP BATTERY

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Google Shows Off Pixel Tablet, But It Doesn’t Arrive Until 2023

The new Pixel phones and Pixel Watch were the biggest news at Google’s event on Thursday, but we also got a glimpse of a new product for next year: the Pixel Tablet.

Google finally unveiled(Opens in a new window) its newest Android tablet, but unlike the phones and smartwatch you won’t be able to get your hands on the Pixel Tablet until 2023.

Aesthetically, the Pixel Tablet looks like a modern tablet (read: iPad Air) from the front, with rounded corners and a thin black frame that has no button or fingerprint sensor. As for what the body of the tablet is made of and what colors it will come in, Google has only stated that it’s designed with “premium materials and finishes.” The few promotional pictures and video indicate white and gray models.

There also appears to be a single rear-facing camera on the back, but no sign of a front-facing camera. There certainly is a selfie camera somewhere on the tablet for video calls, but the few views available don’t clearly show where it is.

Internally, the Pixel Tablet uses the Tensor G2, just like the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro. Again few details beyond the chip are available, but Google states that it will give the Pixel Tablet “all your favorite Pixel phone features,” including video calling and hands-free Google Assistant. Presumably the tablet will also have the same Titan M2 security coprocessor as the Pixels.

Besides those details, Google really only revealed that the Pixel Tablet will be getting an optional accessory in the Charging Speaker Dock. The dock looks to be exactly what it sounds like, and holds the Pixel Tablet in place with magnets while it charges.

While docked, the Pixel Tablet appears to function like a Nest Hub smart display, with the aforementioned hands-free Google Assistant, smart home controls, and a photo frame function. We’ve seen this on Amazon’s Fire tablets with their Show Mode, which lets them behave like an Echo Show, but this is the first purely Google version of the feature.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>GOOGLE SMARTPHONE BATTERY

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Intel’s Arc A310 Gets Official, Might be The Cheapest Graphics Card Around

Intel’s Arc graphics cards are finally here, or at least they will be in a bit. The company announced that its flagship model, the $329 Arc A770, will be hitting the market next month, quite a while after the low-end A380 made it over here from China. But if even $140 for a GPU is beyond your budget, Intel has made an even cheaper one official: the Arc A310.

With just six Xe cores running at 2000MHz and 4GB of GDDR6 memory, the Arc A310 will probably be outmatched by some of AMD Ryzen’s impressive integrated RDNA 2 graphics. For the sake of comparison the A770, which competes with the likes of the RTX 3060, has 32 Xe cores and 8-16GB of memory. The bottom-rung card is rocking a 64-bit memory bus and 124GB/s bandwidth, both considerably less than the already-low-end A380.

The Intel Arc A310 does support up to four external displays with compatibility up to HDMI 2.1 and DisplayPort 2.0 (though the number of physical outputs on the card might be variable), which is fairly impressive for something in this tier. The card doesn’t have an official price or release date beyond “Q3” (which is almost over), but I’d guess it’s slated for somewhere in the $100-120 range. The new entry on Intel’s site was spotted and analyzed by VideoCardz.com. There isn’t even an official image of the specific A310 — just the generic “Arc 3 series” promo image above.

But the A310 probably isn’t intended to show up on actual retail shelves, either physical or digital. You might see one or two of Intel’s partners make a variant for the home system builder on a shoestring budget. I’d guess you’ll see the A310 show up as an unbranded part in budget pre-built desktops, especially small form factor designs, to give their graphics some much-needed punch in comparison to Intel’s integrated Xe and UHD graphics systems.

Sure, it won’t compete with even the cheapest cards from AMD or Nvidia, but it will have just enough juice for companies like Acer or Lenovo to put some 3D game screenshots on the marketing material without technically lying.

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Lenovo’s Radical ThinkPad X1 Fold Nabs a Much Larger OLED Screen

Today, Lenovo unveiled the latest version of the ThinkPad X1 Fold. Unlike previous iterations of the device, this model has a much bigger screen at 16.3-inches. According to the laptop manufacturer, it’s about 22 percent larger. That’s a good size for productivity tasks, as it makes scrolling through multiple documents much easier. It’s also a key upgrade for a radical device like this.

Essentially, the ThinkPad X1 Fold is a foldable PC with no keyboard (that’s an additional purchase). It’s all display, with the bottom half converting to a touchscreen keyboard when used in laptop mode. The frame is made of lightweight aluminum and the back cover consists of recycled woven fabric. For a PC that folds in half and weighs just under three pounds, it seems surprisingly rugged and durable given the materials it’s comprised of. In fact, the laptop itself weighs a little under three pounds, making it a capable travel companion. But let’s fast forward to the more important part: the guts.

The Fold features up to an Intel Core i7 processor, 32GB of RAM, and 1TB of PCIe Gen 4 SSD storage. That’s ferocious power for a variety of tasks such as photo editing, working on spreadsheets, browsing the web, and so on. It’ll also come with Intel Iris Xe integrated graphics and a 48 watt-hour battery. While the specs are no doubt important, the real star of the show is the OLED screen. It’s all screen, baby. In its unfolded state, the display measures 16.3-inches, looking more like an elongated tablet than anything. It measures 12-inches when folded and sits like a traditional clamshell laptop. It has a resolution of 2024×2560 and is touch-enabled. In other words, this is a fantastic screen for either content creation or productivity work.

The ThinkPad X1 Fold has a starting price of $2,499 and will become available in November 2022. There’s a full-sized backlit keyboard with a large haptic touchpad that can magnetically connect to the lower portion of the Fold. However, this peripheral is an optional purchase.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>LENOVO LAPTOP BATTERY

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Microsoft is Finally Making Windows 11 Search Better

This week’s Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22572 brings plenty of quality of life fixes to the Dev Channel, all of which are detailed on the official Windows blog.

These upcoming features were spotted by Windows Central and the most prominent is Microsoft Family and Clipchamp both becoming inbox apps, meaning they’ll be pre-loaded on Windows 11 machines moving forward. The former allows users to set a wide variety of parental controls, as well as digital activity reporting and parental controls. The latter is a video editing program that’s been streamlined for more intuitive use.

Also in the new update is a much-needed improvement to Windows 11 search. A new feature called ‘search highlights’ will be rolling out to the Insider’s program. It’ll be located in the taskbar and will allow you to see “what’s trending online, in the world, and in your organization”. Maybe this will justify Microsoft requiring everyone to be online when they install Windows 11.

The update won’t be available to all Insiders at first, but should roll out soon – Microsoft is just waiting for user feedback before launching a wider distribution. There will be other changes to features such as Print Queue, Quick Assist, and plenty of other bug fixes and QOL improvements.

It’s not clear when these updates will be making their way to users that aren’t in the Microsoft Insider program, but it’ll likely be in the next major seasonal Windows 11 update, 22H2, which is shaping up to be an important one.

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MacBook Air 2022 was Missing in Action at Apple’s Event, but Leaker Promises it’s Not Dead

We didn’t see a MacBook 2022 turn up at the big Apple Event that just happened, to our surprise, but those keen to see a new laptop from Apple shouldn’t despair – the rumor mill is still sending strong signals that the redesigned MacBook Air remains incoming for 2022.

The latest from reliable Apple leaker Ming-Chi Kuo is that we can expect the MacBook Air revamp to enter mass production late in Q2 or in Q3, so at any point from June through to September. The launch would presumably come shortly thereafter.

The MacBook Air will sport a completely new design, as the rumor mill has contended for a while now, and an “all-new form factor” with “more color options” to be had. Again, the latter assertion about colors has been floating around for some time, with the expectation that the Air will adopt an iMac-like color palette of options.

Analysis: Going with the M1 – really? But what kind of M1?
Of course, design aside, the juiciest and most surprising assertion here is that the M1 SoC will power the incoming MacBook Air. The most recent chatter from the grapevine indicated that the M2 would be the chip of choice for the new Air, but it seems that may not be the case.

Maybe the use of the M1, and lack of any Mini-LED, could point towards Apple looking to keep the price tag of the Air more wallet-friendly, perhaps? Or is this some kind of typo from Kuo, who meant to write M2 but didn’t, maybe? The latter seems unlikely, of course. In fact, the former idea doesn’t seem too convincing either.

What Kuo doesn’t say is what kind of M1 chip might be used. So, it’s possible that a peppier spin, let’s call it the M1X, to pick another name that’s been floating around in the past (and could still theoretically be employed) might be destined to be the engine of the new MacBook Air.

Whatever the case, we’d expect a new MacBook Air launch to come equipped with a meaningfully more powerful CPU, and we can only hope on the pricing front (or that the current model could be maintained as a budget option, if nothing else).

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Apple Laptop Battery Replacement

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Apple Watch 7 Release Date, Price, Features, Specs and News

After a day using the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3, I’m in love. It’s the best clamshell foldable we’ve seen yet, and it’s affordable enough compared to other foldables to actually recommend to consumers.

Not everyone can afford the Z Flip 3’s $999 / £949 / AU$1,499 price tag, and it’s easy to imagine that if consumers are going to pay so much, they might want more functionality from a different (non-folding) phone – for the same price, you can get the Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus’ 30x ‘Space Zoom’ telephoto capability, or the iPhone 12 Pro’s processing power and iOS interface, or the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra’s stylus functionality.

With updated specs (Snapdragon 888, 8GB RAM, 128GB storage to start) and a 1.9-inch external display, the Z Flip 3 is a better version of the original Samsung Galaxy Z Flip (which had a tiny 1.1-inch outer screen that could show a single line of text). Here’s what it’s like to use.

What’s it like to roll out with a flip?
I was one of the first media to see the original Motorola Razr at an event in November 2019 just before it launched, and I still appreciate its design flourishes, like the satisfying ‘snap’ when folding it close. And the 2.6-inch exterior screen is still the best among clamshell foldables (a category of just the Razr and Z Flip phones at present, to be fair), especially with the exterior screen app functionality that was expanded in the Motorola Razr 2020.

That’s still true. The Z Flip 3’s 1.9-inch outer screen is four times larger than its predecessor’s, but aside from adding more room for notifications, the app functionality is pretty limited to audio controls, weather, and a few other first-party controls – I can’t, for example, reply to a Twitter DM or Slack message. On the other hand, the screen is large enough to preview your selfies, which is great.

One of the first things anyone should do with a Z Flip 3 is something you can only do with a Samsung foldable: unfold the phone 90º and mess around with different apps, which split into top-and-bottom sections thanks to Flex Mode. Deployed this way, the Z Flip 3 looks like a makeup compact, but it’s a great way to take relaxed selfies with friends (no awkward angles required) and listen to media.

Yes, watching media this way on the top half of the 6.7-inch Full HD Plus AMOLED display doesn’t fit how videos are formatted these days (for wide, not square, screens), so the picture is going to be small with big black bars on top and bottom. If you want to watch something, you’re going to have a bad time. But if you want to listen – say, to your favorite YouTuber or Twitch stream – and don’t need constant video, it’s great to just prop the Z Flip 3 up and listen while you fold laundry or play games.

Sure, you can unfold the phone to watch video in a widescreen format, but you either have to prop it up on something like a normal candybar (flat) phone or hold it – and in the latter case, your hand might cover the bottom-firing speaker. There’s a slightly janky workaround: just bend the phone a bit until it stays upright on its side. Even though that leaves the picture a bit bent in turn, it’s at least an option.

The pocketable half-size flagship phone
Being able to fold the Z Flip 3 up and slip it into a pant or bag pocket is great, full stop. While I’d hope the glass back and outer screen doesn’t get scratched up when I throw the phone in with my keys, wallet, and other things, at least I don’t have to worry about the inner display getting damaged.

This makes the Z Flip 3 a great phone to take on a workout. Whether that’s running with the phone (yes, I carry my phone in hand when jogging, and I have no defense) or toting it around the gym, I don’t have to worry as much about it as I do a ‘flat’ phone, which I have to place face-up or face-down with its display exposed.

While I haven’t physically tested the Z Flip 3’s ruggedness (Samsung claims its hinge is 10% more durable than its predecessor), it is nice to know the phone has the same IPX8 water resistance as the Z Fold 3, allowing it to be submerged in hip-deep (1.5 meter) water for half an hour without coming to harm – though I’ll be sure to avoid dropping it in salt water or pool water, as recommended. The phone also isn’t dust-resistant (hence ‘IPX8’ instead of ‘IP68’ rating in other phones), as the hinge is still a vector of entry for physical particles to potentially muck up the foldable.

In other words, my first 24 hours with the Z Flip 3 has been filled with, well, pretty mundane activities: watching media, carrying the phone around, and figuring out how to fit it into my lifestyle. I’ve only taken a few photos, more to try out Flex Mode than measure the Flip 3’s photo capabilities against the other heavy hitters at its price point. I also haven’t tested the battery, which already feels as limited as the battery in its predecessors – it took just under 1.5 hours to charge 80% of the Z Flip 3’s 3,300mAh battery, and that was using a 60W charger.

In any case, there’s a lot left to discover about the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3, and we’re eager to give it a full review – but after 24 hours, we’re excited to see what it can teach us about using phones differently.

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