Tag: google

Samsung XR Headset ‘Infinite’ to Arrive in Second Half of 2024, Months After Apple Vision Pro: Report

Samsung is believed to be working on an extended reality (XR) headset to compete with the likes of Apple and Meta in the segment. The South Korean technology conglomerate had said earlier this year that it was collaborating with Google and Qualcomm to develop the wearable. Now, a new report says that Samsung’s XR headset could arrive in late 2024. Bear in mind that Apple’s mixed reality headset, the Vision Pro, is slated to go on sale sometime early next year. The Samsung XR headset could thus arrive a few months after its competitor.

According to a report from 9to5Google (via JoongAng), Samsung is planning to unveil its XR headset, codenamed “Infinite” in the second half of 2024. The original report states that Samsung Electronics’ Mobile Experience (MX) division is aiming headset production for December next year.

The product announcement will reportedly take place at an Unpacked event in the second half of 2024. This could align with the timeline for the 2024 Unpacked event where Samsung will launch its next generation of foldable phones. The Galaxy S24 series, on the other hand, is likely to arrive at a Galaxy Unpacked event in January 2024. According to the report, the company plans to ship 30,000 units of the XR headset initially. Samsung Display will reportedly develop the OLEDoS (OLED on Silicon) display for the headset.

Back in February, Samsung revealed that it was collaborating with Google and Qualcomm to develop a new extended reality (XR) headset. The company said its headset will run on a custom Qualcomm chipset and Google’s latest Wear OS. Samsung has not yet revealed any other details about its upcoming headset.

At the time, a report from The Washington Post had claimed that Samsung’s XR headset project would also include a service partnership with Meta and Microsoft — a sort of technological alliance against Apple.

The Apple Vision Pro was unveiled earlier this year
Photo Credit: Apple

The iPhone maker took the covers off the Vision Pro at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference in June. The mixed reality headset packs impressive technology and features, which include dual Micro OLED displays, eye tracking, infrared cameras, and a sophisticated sensor array, including LiDAR scanner and TrueDepth cameras. The headset will run on Apple’s M2 chip, as well as a new chip called R1. Apple’s premium headset has also set a high price of $3,499 (roughly Rs. 2,88,700). To compare, Meta’s latest Quest 3 headset starts at $499.99 (roughly Rs. 41,500).

The Meta Quest 3 was announced earlier this year in June. Meta, an early entrant in the headset market, revealed more details about the Quest 3 at its Meta Connect 2023 annual conference in September, with pre-orders going live at the event. The Meta Quest 3 runs on the Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 platform and comes with a 4K+ (2,064 x 2,208 pixels per eye) Infinite Display.

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Google Pixel Watch 3 Might Go Buttonless With Gesture Recognition Sensors, Suggests Patent

Google Pixel Watch 2 was launched last month during the company’s Made By Google event. The newly unveiled smart wearable, powered by a Qualcomm 5100 SoC is heading to more shelves across the globe, however, rumours about next year’s Pixel Watch 3 have already started surfacing on the Web. According to a new patent filing, the Pixel Watch 3 could debut with a new sensor technology that would allow users to control the wearable with mere gestures instead of buttons. 

Initially spotted by Wearable, Google has filed a new smartwatch-related patent titled “Gesture recognition on watch bezel using strain gauges” with the United States Patent Office. The patent discusses the possibilities of implementation of new sensors inside the next Pixel Watch that can detect gestures such as presses, taps, squeezes, and swipes. The debut of these sensors could explore new ways to use the smartwatch as they can perform multiple tasks like controlling music, accessing smart home devices, and viewing or managing heart rate data among others.

Deploying this new sensor technology would eliminate buttons from future Pixel Watches. Besides the detailed description, the patent includes some images to provide further references showing how gesture recognition controls would work. The images showcase a smartwatch with sensors arranged on the edge of the display and no crown. We can see a user swiping their finger along the display edge to turn the volume up or down in a music app. It also indicates squeezing the display on both ends of the wearable to pause a song or open a notification.

Google states the buttons, bezels, and crown make the manufacturing process and waterproofing more complex. “Content on such a small screen is easily obscured when touching the device, making it difficult to precisely select and scroll because the user cannot see what they are selecting or scrolling,” Google says in the filing. The tech giant acknowledges that dials, rotating crowns, and more are efficient and convenient options, but they have flaws. Therefore adding the sensors within the watch would keep the control methods within the housing itself, leading to a cleaner design. This would also allow the processors to communicate with the sensors directly.

Google has not revealed any details about the adoption of gesture recognition sensors on Pixel Watch. The patented technology could just be used for testing and it is expected to change before the launch of the next iteration of Pixel wearables.

The Pixel Watch 2 was launched in October during the Made By Google launch event. It is priced at Rs. 39,900 in India. The smartwatch runs on Qualcomm 5100 SoC, paired with 2GB of RAM, and 32GB of inbuilt storage. It ships with Wear OS 4.0 and is backed by a 306mAh battery.

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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Google Expands Pixel’s Car Crash Detection to India: Here’s How to Enable the Feature

Google Pixel phones have included Car Crash Detection since 2019, but the safety feature had been available in select regions only. Now, the search engine giant is expanding the feature to more countries, including India. Google has added India and four more nations to its list of supported regions for the Car crash detection feature on Pixel phones. The feature first launched on Pixel phones in the US in 2019, two years before Apple introduced its own crash detection feature on its devices.

First noticed by Android Central, Google’s support page for Pixel phones now lists five new countries where car crash detection feature is supported. These include India, Austria, Belgium, Portugal, and Switzerland. The feature, however, is not yet available in Indian languages. Do note that crash detection is only supported on Pixel 4a and later devices. The phone must also have a SIM for the feature to work.

To set up Car crash detection on your Pixel handset, head to the phone’s Personal Safety app. In the app, tap Features and scroll to “Car crash detection.” Then tap set up to activate the feature on your phone. You’d also need to give permissions for location, physical activity, and microphone sharing for the feature to work.

The Car crash detection, as the name suggests, will detect when Pixel users are in a severe car accident, alert emergency services automatically and share their location. Pixel 4a and later phones from Google, including its first foldable handset launched earlier this year, the Pixel Fold, utilise information like the phone’s location, motion sensors, and nearby sounds to detect a car crash. In the event of a car crash, you Pixel phone should vibrate, sound and alarm at maximum value and ask if you need any help. Upon confirmation or in the case of no response, the phone will attempt to contact 112 — the pan-India emergency services number — with your location and car crash data.

Bear in mind, however, that a Pixel phone might not be able to detect all kinds of car accidents and a high-impact activity — for example a roller coaster ride — could also trigger the crash detection feature. It’s also worth noting that Pixel phones must be connected to a stable mobile network for successfully alerting emergency services.

Last month, Google launched its latest Pixel phones, the Pixel 8 and the Pixel 8 Pro, at its Made by Google event. The new Pixel handsets run on the company’s newest Tensor G3 chip and bring a host of new AI-backed features and camera improvements. Pixel 8 is priced in India at Rs. 75,999 and will be available in a single 128GB storage model. The Pixel 8 Pro, on the other hand, comes in at Rs. 1,06,999 for the same storage size.

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Google Announces Plan to Manufacture Pixel Phones in India, Starting With Pixel 8

Google on Thursday announced that it plans to start manufacturing Pixel smartphones in India. The search giant will produce the Pixel 8 in India and the first units are expected to be available in 2024. The Pixel 8 was launched by the company in India and global markets earlier this month, alongside the more premium Pixel 8 Pro model. The handset is powered by a custom Google Tensor G3 chip and a Titan M2 security chip. The phone has a dual rear camera setup and is claimed to offer up to 72 hours of battery life with the Extreme Battery Saver mode.

Seven years after the launch of its first Pixel-branded smartphone, the company announced at its Google for India 2023 event that it plans to manufacture its smartphones in India. The company will start by assembling the Pixel 8 in India, and says that it will work with both local and foreign manufacturers.

The production of the Pixel 8 — and presumably Google’s subsequent Pixel smartphones — in India is expected to commence in 2024, according to the company. Customers can expect to see Pixel 8 units manufactured in India by next year.

The announcement makes Google the latest smartphone brand to start manufacturing its handsets in India. Rivals Samsung and Apple also assemble some of their smartphones in the country. However, it is currently unclear whether the pricing of Google’s Pixel handsets will drop once more units are manufactured in the country.

Meanwhile, Google also announced that it plans to expand coverage of its service network to more cities and locations across the country — the company currently offers support in 28 service centres located in 27 cities that are operated by F1 Info Solutions.

“This is an early step in a long journey of expanding our device production capacity and helping meet the country’s growing demand for Pixel smartphones,” Senior VP for Devices and Services Rick Osterloh said on Thursday. 

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Google Pixel 8 Series to Get Lossless Audio Support With Future Update

Google Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro debuted earlier this month during the Made by Google event with an impressive mix of premium features. Now, the tech giant is bringing an audio quality upgrade for the latest flagship Pixel lineup. Google has confirmed that lossless USB audio will come to the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro in a future update, allowing music fans to experience their favourite tracks without alteration and any loss of quality. Besides the Pixel 8 series, phones from other manufacturers running on Android 14 will also gain this functionality and app developers will have to adopt the new API (application programming interface) for lossless audio to take advantage of the feature.

In a Reddit Ask Me Anything session for Android 14, Dave Burke, Google’s Vice President of Engineering, confirmed that lossless USB audio is coming to the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro. He notes that this feature will “ensure bit perfect audio” allowing audio to bypass the audio mixer and any processing effects among others. “Pixel 8 and other OEMs are expected to support this mode in their hardware abstraction layer (HAL) implementations in later releases. App developers will need to adopt the new API for lossless audio to take advantage of it.” he said.

The lossless USB audio will be available on the Pixel 8 series and other Android phones in a future release. With this development, music lovers can soon listen to their favourite songs in their purest form with all subtle details, without any processing effects over compatible USB-wired headsets. Music streaming apps like Amazon Music, Apple Music, and Tidal already offer lossless audio. 

Google is also expected to support display output over the USB Type-C port and could enable this feature in the future through an update. This would allow the handset to drive an attached monitor. The company is yet to confirm the development, though known tipster MishaalRahman (@MishaalRahman) has reported it works and even suggested a method for enabling DisplayPort Alt Mode aka video output over USB Type-C port on Pixel 8 series smartphones. Now, an X user @mile_freak07 has revealed that he was able to get video output over the USB Type-C port working on a Pixel 8 Pro using this method. He also posted a Magisk module on the Xda-developers forum that can enable this quickly on other rooted Pixel 8 handsets.

Both Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro are currently up for sale in India via Flipkart. The vanilla model’s price starts at Rs. 75,999 for the 8GB RAM + 128GB storage model, while the Pixel 8 Pro is priced at Rs. 1,06,999 for the 12GB RAM + 128GB storage model.

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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CERT-In Warns of Over 50 Security Flaws Affecting Android Smartphones: All You Need to Know

CERT-In — or Indian Computer Emergency Response Team — has warned of several security vulnerabilities affecting multiple versions of Android. These security flaws, if exploited by a malicious user, could be used to execute dangerous code, collect sensitive data, and launch a denial-of-service (DoS) attack on a victim. The security vulnerabilities affect three major versions of Android, across various parts of Google’s operating system (OS) — from the framework to components from Arm, MediaTek, Qualcomm, Unisoc, and others, according to the cybersecurity agency.

In a vulnerability note issued earlier this week, CERT-In lists out 51 security flaws affecting the Android OS. The nodal agency responsible for dealing with cybersecurity issues and threats has issued a critical severity rating for the vulnerability note. All the entries listed by CERT-In have been assigned a Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) number.

According to CERT-In, these vulnerabilities affect Android 13, Android 12, Android 12L, and Android 11. It is currently unclear whether Android 14 is also affected as the source code for Android 14 was published a few days before the advisory was issued.

The 51 security flaws listed by CERT-In affect various parts of the Android operating system from the Android framework, the Android system, and Google Play system updates. Meanwhile, software for components not directly controlled by Google, including those from Arm, MediaTek, Unisoc, and Qualcomm, are also affected by these vulnerabilities.

Attackers who exploit these flaws could potentially elevate their privileges on a target’s smartphone, execute arbitrary (and malicious) code, extract sensitive information, and even perform a denial-of-service (DoS) attack, according to CERT-In.

Two of these flaws — CVE-2023-4863 and CVE-2023-4211 — could be actively exploited by attackers, and users should apply security patches “urgently”, according to the agency. These flaws relate to the Chromium engine that powers Google’s browser, and GPU memory processing operations on Android, respectively.

Users running on Pixel smartphones can install the latest update that includes the October security patches. Unfortunately, users who own smartphones from other manufacturers will have to wait until a security update is released along with fixes for these security flaws. 

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Google Pixel 8, Pixel 8 Pro Go on Sale in India for the First Time Today: Price, Launch Offers

Google Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro will go on sale in India for the first time today (October 12). The latest Pixel series smartphones were unveiled last week during the Made by Google 2023 event alongside the Pixel Watch 2 and updated Pixel Buds Pro. Both the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro run on Google’s Tensor G3 processor and pack up to 256GB of storage. They ship with Android 14 and have hole punch style displays with 120Hz refresh rate. The Pixel 8 packs a 4,575mAh battery with support for 27W charging, while the Pixel 8 Pro has a 5,050mAh battery with 30W fast charging support.

Google Pixel 8, Pixel 8 Pro price in India, launch offers

Price of Pixel 8 in India is set at Rs. 75,999 for the 8GB RAM + 128GB storage model, while the variant with 256GB storage costs Rs. 82,999. It is offered in Hazel, Obsidian, and Rose colour options. The Pixel 8 Pro, on the other hand, is priced at Rs. 1,06,999 for the 12GB RAM + 128GB storage model. It is available in Bay, Obsidian, and Porcelain colour options.

New Pixel handsets will be available for purchase in the country via Flipkart starting today. As an introductory offer, the e-commerce company is providing an instant discount of up to Rs. 8,000 for Pixel 8 purchases made using ICICI, Kotak Mahindra, and Axis Bank cards. In addition to this, customers can avail of Rs. 3,000 discount while exchanging their old phone.

Meanwhile, Pixel 8 Pro buyers can get up to Rs. 9,000 discount on orders placed through select bank cards. In addition to this, there is a Rs. 4,000 exchange bonus as well. These special bank offers and exchange discounts will bring down the price of the Pixel 8 to Rs. 64,999 and the Pixel 8 Pro’s price to Rs. 93,999.

Customers purchasing the Pixel 8 series smartphones are also eligible to buy the new Pixel Watch 2 for a discounted price of Rs. 19,999, instead of Rs. 39,900, or the Pixel Buds Pro for Rs. 8,999, down from Rs. 9,999.

Google Pixel 8, Pixel 8 Pro specifications

The Google Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro run on Android 14 out-of-the-box. The regular model sports a 6.2-inch full-HD+ (1,080×2,400 pixels) OLED screen with a 120Hz refresh rate, while the Pixel 8 Pro has a 6.7-inch Quad-HD (1,344×2,992 pixels) resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate. They are powered by Google’s Tensor G3 chipset and the Titan M2 security chip. The Pixel 8 packs 8GB of RAM while the Pixel 8 Pro features 12GB of RAM.

For optics, the vanilla Pixel 8 has a dual rear camera unit, comprising a 50-megapixel Samsung GN2 sensor and a 12-megapixel ultra wide-angle camera. The Pixel 8 Pro features a triple rear camera setup, including a 50-megapixel main sensor, and two 48-megapixel sensors. Both models carry a 10.5-megapixel front camera.

Connectivity options on the handsets include Wi-Fi 6E, 5G, 4G LTE, Bluetooth 5.3, GPS, NFC, and a USB Type-C port. Sensors on board include an accelerometer, barometer, gyroscope, magnetometer, and proximity sensor. Further, there is an in-display fingerprint scanner for biometric authentication.

The Pixel 8 is equipped with a 4,575mAh battery with support for 27W wired charging. The Pixel 8 Pro, in contrast, has a 5050mAh battery with support for 30W wired charging. Both models also support wireless charging.

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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Google Pixel 8 Pro Survives Drop and Scratch Tests, Outlives iPhone 15 Pro Max, Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra

Google Pixel 8 Pro was launched last week as the search giant’s latest flagship smartphone, alongside the standard model. The phone has a metal frame with glass on both sides. Days before the smartphones go on sale in India and global markets, YouTube users have been testing the smartphone’s durability through “drop” and “scratch” tests. While these tests are not a definitive indicator of the ability of these phones to survive real world damage, the Pixel 8 Pro appears to beat the iPhone 15 Pro Max on the durability front.

In a recent YouTube video by PBKReviews, the Pixel 8 Pro was first dropped by a person holding Google’s new flagship phone at the waist level. The phone’s screen was aimed at the ground but the concrete appeared to do no damage to the Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 protected display, aside from some scuff marks on the edges of the phone. The phone picks up some scratches on the corners of the metallic frame, when dropped from the same level as the person’s head, but the glass on the front and rear panel remains intact.

When dropped from waist height with the rear panel facing the concrete, the Pixel 8 Pro gets scratches on the rear panel and the horizontal metallic camera module. The next test involves dropping the phone from the person’s waist, but on its side. The impact to the frame does affect the smartphone — there’s some damage to the display in the top left corner, but it continues to function normally.

During the video, the Pixel 8 Pro is also subjected to a scratch test that involves placing the phone inside a Ziploc bag with sand, and moving the smartphone’s display around on the surface of the sand. The Pixel 8 Pro picks up very small scratches on the display, but does not seem to be affected by the scratch test.

The YouTube user mentions that the Pixel 8 Pro survived the channel’s drop test unlike the Galaxy S23 Ultra, which cracked during the drop test. Similarly, it is also claimed that Google’s Pixel 8 Pro phone fares better in these tests than the iPhone 15 Pro Max.

While the Pixel 8 Pro has not been put through Zack Nelson’s (JerryRigEverything) bend test on YouTube, these early indications of durability are a good sign. Not only is the Pixel 8 Pro expensive — it costs more than Rs. 1 lakh in India — but Google has also promised to provide 7 years of OS, feature and security updates for the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro — strong build quality of these handsets could go a long way in ensuring their longevity.

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Google Pixel 8a With Curved Edges, Dual Rear Cameras Spotted in Leaked Renders

Google Pixel 8a has been spotted in a set of renders that have leaked online, days after the company announced its flagship phones for the year, the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro. The leaked renders suggest the handset will be powered by a 6.1-inch flat display. The handset is also shown to feature the same raised horizontal camera bar found on Google’s current-generation Pixel models. The size of the Pixel 8a is likely to be larger than that of the Pixel 8, according to information that has surfaced online.

Detailed renders of the Pixel 8a have been leaked by tipster Steve Hemmerstoffer (X: @OnLeaks) in collaboration with Smartprix. The leaked renders show the Pixel 8a in a colourway that looks quite similar to the Rose colour found on the Pixel 8 that made its debut at the company’s Made by Google 2023 hardware launch event last week. Both the front and rear sides of the phone also have a similar appearance to the standard model, but the bezels on the Pixel 8a appear slightly larger.

Photo Credit: Smartprix/ @OnLeaks

 

According to the details leaked by the tipster, the Pixel 8a will measure 152.1 x 72.6 x 8.9mm. This suggests that the height, width and thickness of the purported successor to the Pixel 7a will be dropped by 0.1mm, 0.3mm, and 0.1mm, respectively. Unlike the Pixel 7a, next year’s midrange model could feature more rounded corners, according to the leaked images.

The rear panel on the Pixel 8a is equipped with a raised camera module that appears to be nearly identical to the one on the Pixel 8. It is shown to feature two rear cameras aligned to the left, while an LED flash is located on the right side. The rear panel also includes the Google logo in the middle.

The tipster has also shared 360-degree renders of the purported Pixel 8a that show the handset with a USB Type-C port at the bottom of the display flanked by speaker grilles. On the front of the handset is a centre-aligned hole punch cutout that houses the selfie camera, and the top of the display houses a slim ear speaker for calls.

The top edge of the phone has an antenna line that could be used for cellular connectivity or — as the publication points out — for ultra-wideband (UWB) support. Sales of Google’s Pixel 8 series of smartphones in India are yet to begin and the company hasn’t announced plans to launch a midrange version of its flagship smartphones, but we can expect to learn more about the Pixel 8a in months leading up to its expected launch next year.

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