Category: Tech

Oppo Reno 11, Reno 11 Pro With Triple Rear Cameras to Launch on November 23, Colour Options Teased

Oppo Reno 11 series launch date has been set for next week, the Chinese company confirmed on Wednesday (November 15). While Oppo has only mentioned the Oppo Reno 11 series, we can expect it to include the regular Oppo Reno 11 and Oppo Reno 11 Pro, successors to the Oppo Reno 10, and Oppo Reno 10 Pro, respectively. The upcoming lineup is claimed to capture SLR-grade portraits and will be offered in four different colour options.

The Oppo Reno 11 series will go official on November 23. The launch event will be held in China at 2:00pm local time (11:30am IST), as per teaser posters shared (in Chinese) by the company on Weibo. Oppo has also started accepting pre-reservations for the upcoming Oppo Reno 11 and Oppo Reno 11 Pro smartphones through its official website in China.

Oppo is also teasing the design and specifications of the Oppo Reno 11 series via a dedicated landing page on its website. It is claimed to deliver SLR-level portrait shots and is confirmed to come in Fluorite blue, Moonstone, Turquoise, and Obsidian black (translated from Chinese) colour options. They are seen with triple rear cameras as well.

As per past leaks, the Oppo Reno 11 Pro will have a 1.5K resolution display with 120Hz refresh rate, and 2160Hz PWM dimming. It is said to carry the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 SoC under the hood, coupled with LPDDR5X RAM and UFS 3.1 storage. The Pro model is said to pack a Sony IMX890 main camera, a Sony IMX355 ultra-wide camera, and a Sony IMX709 telephoto sensor with 2X optical zoom. It is likely to be backed by a 4,700mAh battery with 80W charging support.

The vanilla Oppo Reno 11, on the other hand, is tipped to come with a curved display and could run on a MediaTek Dimensity 8200 SoC. It might get a LYT600 main camera, a Sony IMX355 ultra-wide camera, and a Sony IMX709 telephoto camera with 2x optical zoom. It is tipped to house a 4800mAh battery with 67W charging support.

The newly launched Oppo Find N2 Flip is the first foldable from the company to debut in India. But does it have what it takes to compete with the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4? We discuss this on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.
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The Last of Us Season 2 Will Reportedly Begin Filming in January 2024

The Last of Us season 2 will reportedly begin filming in early 2024. As per the FTIA production list, the second chapter is slated to shoot from January 7, 2024, onwards. The shooting schedule was delayed due to the Hollywood actors’ and writers’ strikes — both of which have ended now. Considering the show was not mentioned in HBO’s 2024 slate, we can assume it will be out sometime in 2025 at the soonest. This is a bit off course from what lead Bella Ramsey — who played Ellie in season 1 — suggested, at a time when there were murmurs of a potential strike. It goes without saying that the series will adapt the events from the gory and polarising sequel, The Last of Us Part II, with plans for the arc from the video game to play out for longer than a season.

It didn’t take long for HBO to greenlight The Last of Us season 2, with the announcement dropping merely 2 episodes into the debut chapter. There’s clearly a large fanbase for it and given the length and the ambitious scope of the sequel game, the studio has enough material to adapt for multiple seasons. Lead writer Craig Mazin confirmed in an interview that the team had mapped out ‘all of season 2,’ in addition to sending in the episode 1 script to HBO just before the writers’ strike began. He helmed the show with Neil Druckmann, creator of the original 2013 game, who claimed that he had no plans of recasting Ramsey since he found her portrayal of Ellie to be the ideal one. The Last of Us Part II is a longer story that explores cyclical violence, futility of revenge, and forgiveness even when consumed by relentless rage.

Think of the Kansas City arc from The Last of Us season 1 but on a broader scale with no time to breathe. “There are going to be things that are going to be different, and there are things that are going to be identical. There are things that are going to be added and enriched,” Mazin said in an interview, further hinting that we might get to see more action-oriented scenes with fungus-crazed zombies in the upcoming sequel.

A report from earlier this month suggested that leading man Pedro Pascal — who played Joel — has got Ridley Scott’s Gladiator 2 as his top priority project, indicating that all other productions will have to work around that schedule. Any delays to that film could subsequently cause issues with filming The Last of Us season 2 — it’s not like The Mandalorian, where he can simply send in voiceovers while the physical performance can be taken over by someone else.

The Last of Us Part II also introduced a buff new character named Abby Anderson, who served as the antagonist for the game. Understandably, Mazin, Druckmann, and HBO have been hunting for an actress to portray the same, with an undisclosed pick made sometime in August. An InSneider report now claims that HBO is in talks with Kaitlyn Dever, best known for Booksmart and No One Will Save You, for the role. Earlier this week, The Last of Us season 1 was nominated for Best Adaptation in The Game Awards 2023, in addition to 24 Emmy nods, earlier this year.

Currently, there’s no release window for The Last of Us season 2.

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Google Paid Billions to Make Play Store and Assistant Default Apps on Samsung Phones, Google Executive Says

Google paid Samsung billions of dollars in order to make the search giant’s app store, assistant, search engine, and other services the default options on smartphones made by the latter, according to information that has emerged during the ongoing Google vs Epic Games trial. On Monday, Google Vice President for Partnerships James Kolotouros revealed that the company signed deals with various smartphone manufacturers, including the South Korean tech conglomerate, to have the Google Play store installed out-of-the-box on Android phones.

Bloomberg reports that Kolotouros’ testimony during the ongoing Google vs Epic Games trial revealed that around half of Google’s Play Store revenue comes from customers who own Samsung devices. The executive also said that the company planned to create a system to split revenue from the Play Store with smartphone makers in exchange for having the firm’s apps preinstalled on their smartphones.

Under Google’s ‘Project Banyan’ initiative that began in 2019, the company planned to spend $200 million on a deal that would have Samsung distribute its Galaxy Store app via the Play Store, according to the report. While that deal did not work out, the company agreed to pay Samsung $8 billion (roughly Rs. 66,500 crore) over a period of four years to have the Play Store exist on Samsung phones alongside the smartphone maker’s app store.

On Tuesday, Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai also testified that the search giant pays Apple 36 percent of Safari search revenue in exchange for its service being the default on the company’s smartphones. Epic’s attorney reportedly asked Pichai if the amount paid by Google to Apple was higher than what it paid Samsung, and the CEO stated that it was possible but added that it was like comparing apples and oranges.

The ongoing Google vs Epic trial has seen the latter produce several pieces of evidence as it tries to build a case against the search giant’s app store. Epic alleges that Google made the deals to protect its Play Store operating profit that — estimated by the game publisher to be over $12 billion (roughly Rs. 99,700 crore) in 2021 — by preventing the spread of alternative, or third-party app stores.

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Samsung Denies Rumours of Affordable Foldable Smartphones: Report

Samsung’s 2024 lineup was recently speculated to include budget foldable smartphones. The first affordable foldable from the South Korean tech giant was said to cost around $400 to $500 (roughly Rs. 33,000 to Rs. 41,000), similar to a mid-range Galaxy A series smartphone. The company has now reportedly denied rumours of a mid-range Samsung foldable phone. Samsung was said to release Fan Edition versions of the foldable phone after the launch of the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Galaxy Z Flip 6 next year.

As per a report by Korea JoongAng Daily, a Samsung spokesperson confirmed that the company doesn’t have plans for a “mid-range” foldable. “We don’t plan to manufacture foldable smartphones that are priced in the midrange, and the latest rumours are groundless,” the report quotes the spokesperson as saying.

Samsung was also rumoured to launch a cheaper Galaxy Z foldable phone called the Galaxy Z FE (Fan Edition) after the launch of Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Galaxy Z Flip 6 and the spokesperson rejected the rumour saying, “there’s nothing decided on the matter”.

Recent rumours said that Samsung was developing a lower-cost foldable set to arrive in 2024. A report by market research firm TrendForce claimed that Samsung will introduce more competitively priced foldable phones to the mid-range market next year to help reduce price barriers and make foldable phones more accessible. Further, a tipster opined that the foldable could be priced as low as $400 to $500.

The South Korean brand has released five iterations of the Galaxy Z foldable flagships. The Galaxy Z Flip 5 and Galaxy Z Fold 5 were launched just a few months ago. The price of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 starts at $999(roughly Rs. 82,000), while the Galaxy Z Fold 5 has an initial price tag of $1,799 (roughly Rs. 1,47,000).

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 price in India starts at Rs. 1,54,999 for the base 12GB RAM + 256GB storage configuration and Galaxy Z Flip 5 starts at Rs. 99,999 for the 8GB RAM + 256GB storage model.

Both the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Galaxy Z Flip 5 are powered by Qualcomm’s custom Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Mobile Platform for Galaxy and feature a new Flex Hinge. They ship with One UI 5.1.1 based on Android 13 and have an IPX8 rated build for water resistance.

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Disney, Dapper Labs Team Up to Launch Digital Collectibles App, but Avoid the Term ‘NFT’

Disney has teamed up with Web3 gaming studio Dapper Labs to launch an app for fans to gather digital collectibles. The ‘Disney Pinnacle’ app is aimed at letting Disney fans digitise pin collections. Small and portable, Disney pins come in a variety of designs and represent popular Disney characters, movies, and theme park attractions. The initiative, however, has tried to keep away from the term ‘NFT’ — digital tokens infamous for their volatile nature in terms of value.

Disney Pinnacle will let fans purchase pins that are digital versions of those physical pins that remain popular at Disney amusement parks, AdAge said in a report on Tuesday.

The Disney-Dapper duo have opened a waitlist programme for interested people to register for an early access to the Disney Pinnacle mobile app.

“As the technology gets better we can sort of abstract it out more, so the word ‘NFT’ doesn’t show up anywhere in the product. The open nature of Web3 platforms is why we can have the full authenticity, and guaranteed tradability, and full ownership, and all of these features, that set these products apart from stickers in WhatsApp or whatever it might be,” Roham Gharegozlou, CEO of Dapper Labs, was quoted as commenting on the development.

Instead of NFTs, these digital Disney pins will be referred to as ‘digital collectibles.’ The duo’s decision to maintain a distance from the NFT tag could likely be an attempt to stay away from the uncertainty and suspicion surrounding NFTs. A recent dappGambl report claimed that most NFTs had lost their values in the backdrop of a shaky Web3 market.

All the digital pins that will be made available through this programme, meanwhile, will be based on Disney’s original intellectual property and will be minted on the Flow blockchain. Collectors will be given a platform, via the app, to buy and trade pins with others. They will be required to register themselves onto the Dapper wallet ecosystem that will be accessible from within the app.

Disney has been trying to test the Web3 waters for a while now. In February last year, the entertainment conglomerate had hired new executives to chalk out profitable metaverse strategies. The company was also looking to onboard corporate lawyers to tackle legal work around emerging technologies like NFTs and the metaverse.

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Nothing Chats App Lets Users Send iMessage From Android Smartphone

Nothing Chats, a new app introduced by the UK-based tech company today, will now blur the lines between iMessage and Android SMS with a blue bubble for text messages. Nothing has shared that it has added iMessage compatibility to Nothing Phone 2, letting the users of the smartphone to send messages that will be displayed in iMessage-like blue bubbles. The app is powered by the messaging platform Sunbird. Nothing Chats app is currently in its beta phase. It will be initially available to users in select countries only. 

In an announcement on today, Nothing announced its new app — Nothing Chats. So far, any text message sent from an Android smartphone to an iPhone is displayed in a green bubble, while messages sent from iPhone or iPads to another iOS devices are shown in a blue bubble. With Nothing Chats, messages that will be sent from Nothing Phone 2, the company’s latest smartphone, to an iOS device will now be displayed in a blue bubble, similar to iMessage. 

Apart from the colour of the bubble, Nothing has also onboarded several other features of the iMessage service. These include group messaging, live typing indicators, media sharing at full resolution, read receipts as well as responding with reactions. 

As per Nothing, the app will be initially available to only Phone 2 users in the US, Canada, UK, and EU, starting November 17. However, it may gradually be made available to other regions of the world. The company has also mentioned of the future improvements and updates in the coming time. 

To use the Nothing Chats app, users can download it from the Google Play Store and log in using an existing Apple ID username or sign up with a new account. The company has also assured that all the messages will be end-to-end encrypted considering the safety and security of user data. 

Will the Nothing Phone 2 serve as the successor to the Phone 1, or will the two co-exist? We discuss the company’s recently launched handset 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.
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HarmonyOS Next Without Android App Support Nearly Ready to Roll Out to Huawei Smartphones: Report

HarmonyOS Next — the next-generation operating system for Huawei devices — is nearly ready and could be rolled out to users soon. According to a report, the native application for the upcoming HarmonyOS Next update have already been prepared for release. Instead of using Google’s Android Open Source Project (AOSP) code, HarmonyOS Next is reportedly built around the company’s kernel and system — which also means that Android apps won’t be supported on the operating system.

Huawei showed off HarmonyOS Next while it was in development earlier this year, after the number of HarmonyOS 4 installations crossed the 60 million mark. At the time, it was reported that the company had unveiled HarmonyOS Next as a “pure” version of the company’s mobile operating system that would not include Google’s Android libraries.

Ever since HarmonyOS was unveiled in August 2019, the company offered support for Android apps, thanks to the weak app ecosystem at the time. However, the Pandaily report claims that the company is finally set to drop support for Android apps.

As a result, not only will users be unable to install Android apps from official sources, but sideloading of apps in the popular Android package (APK) file format will also not work. Instead of APKs, HarmonyOS Next will support the company’s own HAP format, according to the report.

When HarmonyOS Next update arrives on eligible smartphones, users will no longer be able to run Android apps. The South China Morning Post reports that, Chinese firms like Meituan, NetEase, JD.com, and other Big Tech firms have been hiring HarmonyOS app developers via Liepin.com and Maimai — to build apps for Huawei smartphones. A developer preview of HarmonyOS Next is expected to arrive in the first quarter of 2024

While Huawei is yet to provide a launch timeline for HarmonyOS Next, it’s evident that Android apps will no longer be supported on the operating system and companies in China are already working on supporting the company’s new app packaging format. We can expect to hear more about the operating system update when the developer preview arrives next year.

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Google Pixel 8, Pixel 8 Pro Gain Adobe RAW Support for Lightroom, Photoshop



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Google Pixel 8, Pixel 8 Pro Gain Adobe RAW Support for Lightroom, Photoshop

Google’s Pixel 8 series was launched earlier this year in October at the company’s Made by Google 2023 event. The Pixel 8 and 8 Pro already launched with the ability to shoot RAW photos. Adobe RAW compatibility has now been incorporated into Google’s Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, improving the photographic experience. Compared to JPEGs, RAW image files are richer in data, allowing users greater editing options. The new Adobe RAW support is set to be helpful for heavy image editing.

A support page, first spotted by 9to5Google, confirms that Adobe’s Lightroom and Photoshop apps now recognise Pixel 8 RAW files in Digital Negative Image (DNG) format. This compatibility covers files from the base Pixel 8’s primary sensor, wide-angle lens, and the front camera. Meanwhile, RAW support for photos taken with the telephoto lens is also available for the Pixel 8 Pro.

Pixel 8 series owners must have plug-in version 16.0.1 (at least) in order to use Adobe RAW support, according to the company’s support page. For best compatibility, it is best to confirm that Lightroom and Photoshop are updated to the most recent version. Other phones listed to offer Adobe RAW support include the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, Xiaomi 14, and Xiaomi 14 Pro.

Pricing for the Pixel 8 starts in India at Rs. 75,999 for the 8GB + 128GB option, while the Pixel 8 Pro is listed at Rs. 1,06,999 for the 12GB + 128GB variant. The base model is offered in Hazel, Obsidian, and Rose colour options. The high-end Pro model comes in Bay, Obsidian, and Porcelain shades.

The phones are powered by Google’s in-house Tensor G3 chip and Titan M2 security chip. They ship with Android 14 and supports Wi-Fi 6E, 5G, 4G LTE, Bluetooth 5.3, GPS, NFC, and a USB Type-C connectivity. The dual rear camera unit of the Pixel 8 includes a 50-megapixel Samsung GN2 sensor and a 12-megapixel ultra wide-angle camera. The Pixel 8 Pro, on the other hand, sports a 50-megapixel primary sensor, and two 48-megapixel sensors. Both phones are equipped with a 10.5-megapixel selfie camera.

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Google’s Black Friday Deals Include Discounts on Pixel 8 Series, Pixel Fold and More

Google is gearing up for its Black Friday deals in the US, bringing lucrative discounts to its wide lineup of products. Black Friday falls on November 24 this year, kicking off the holiday shopping season in the US. Most brands offer deep discounts on their products around this time and Google has already announced its Black Friday deals on its store, with a timer counting down to when users can avail them. Deals on the Google Store will go live on November 16, according to the company. The search giant is providing sizable discounts on its latest Pixel 8 series, the Pixel Tablet, and its first foldable smartphone, the Pixel Fold.

The Pixel Fold, which launched earlier this year in May, gets a $400 discount to sell at $1,399, down from its retail price of $1,799, during the Black Friday sale. The Pixel Fold is powered by Google’s Tensor G2 chip and features a 5.8-inch full-HD+ (1,080×2,092 pixels) OLED outer display that pairs with a 7.6-inch inner display (1,840 x 2,208 pixels).

The recently launched Pixel 8 series also gets discounted on Black Friday. The $699 base Pixel 8 gets a $150 price drop, selling at $549 on Google Store. Meanwhile, the Pixel 8 Pro gets a $200 discount to sell at $799. The older Pixel 7a, which came out in May, receives a discount as well, selling at $374 during Black Friday.

In addition to Google’s handsets, the Pixel Tablet also receives a $100 discount to sell at $399. Launched earlier this year at the Google I/O event, the Pixel Tablet sports a 10.95-inch WQXGA (2,560 x 1,600 pixels) screen.

Google is also selling its wearables and audio devices at reduced prices as part of its Black Friday deals. The Pixel Watch and the Pixel Buds Pro both get a price cut of $80, selling at $199.99 and $119.99, respectively. The Pixel Buds A series, which usually sells at $99, can be bought for $59 on the Google Store, starting November 16.

Aside from its smartphones and wearables, a host of other Google devices like the Chromecast with Google TV, Nest Hub, and Nest Wi-Fi Pro, among others, will be sold at reduced prices as part of the company’s Black Friday deals on its store. The offers go live on November 16 and users in the US can sign up for email updates and get an additional $10 discount on their next purchase. It’s worth noting that these deals are only available on the Google Store to customers in the US.

Google I/O 2023 saw the search giant repeatedly tell us that it cares about AI, alongside the launch of its first foldable phone and Pixel-branded tablet. This year, the company is going to supercharge its apps, services, and Android operating system with AI technology. We discuss this and more on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.
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