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jeudi 21 juillet 2022

Pixel 6a pre-orders go live in India, first sale on July 28

At its I/O developer conference in May, Google unveiled its latest affordable smartphone — the Pixel 6a. It’s a premium mid-ranger that brings some noteworthy features from the flagship Pixel 6 lineup within reach of more buyers. These include Google’s in-house Tensor SoC, Titan M2 security chip, and a host of premium software features. Although the device is yet to go on sale in most regions, Indian buyers can now pre-order the Pixel 6a on Flipkart.

Before you pre-order the Pixel 6a, here’s a brief overview of its specifications. The device features a 6.1-inch FHD+ AMOLED display that refreshes at 60Hz, Google’s flagship Tensor SoC, 6GB of RAM, 128GB of storage, and a 4,306mAh battery with 18W wired charging support.

Chalk Pixel 6a on white background. Charcoal Pixel 6a on white background.

On the camera front, the device packs a 12.2MP primary camera, a 12MP ultra-wide camera, and an 8MP selfie shooter. Other noteworthy features include Wi-Fi 6E, Bluetooth 5.2, an in-display fingerprint scanner, Google’s Titan M2 security chip, and stereo speakers.

As for the software, the Pixel 6a runs Android 12 out of the box with a host of Pixel-exclusive features, like Magic Eraser, Real Tone, and Face Unblur. If this package sounds enticing, you can pre-order the Pixel 6a on Flipkart by following the link below. If you don’t wish to pre-order the device, you can wait till the first sale on July 28.  The device will set you back ₹43,999 (~$550), but you can secure a ₹4,000 discount if you use Axis Bank cards for your purchase. The phone is available in two color options — Charcoal and Chalk.

Pre-order the Google Pixel 6a on Flipkart

Along with the Pixel 6a, Google has also launched its premium TWS earbuds — the Pixel Buds Pro — in India. The earbuds will go on sale via Flipkart on July 28 at a price of ₹19,999 (~$250).

Do you think the Pixel 6a is worth the ₹43,999 asking price in India? Will you pick it over other Android devices in the same price range? Let us know in the comments section below.

The post Pixel 6a pre-orders go live in India, first sale on July 28 appeared first on XDA.



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mercredi 20 juillet 2022

The Dell XPS 13 Plus is the first laptop certified for Ubuntu 22.04 LTS

Dell and Canonical have announced that the Dell XPS 13 Plus Developer Edition is the first laptop to be certified for Ubuntu 22.04 LTS (Long Term Support). This is the latest LTS release of Ubuntu, following version 20.04, which is what the Dell XPS 13 Plus Developer Edition currently ships with.

Starting in August, you’ll be able to buy the Dell XPS 13 Developer Edition with Ubuntu 22.04 LTS out of the box. If you’ve already bought a Dell XPS 13 Plus with Ubuntu 20.04, you can install the upgrade to 22.04 manually right now, and when the new optimized experience starts rolling out, you’ll get it automatically.

Ubuntu certification essentially means that devices have been tested and all of the features work as expected with Ubuntu. Certification is based on LTS releases, and that means you’ll get support for up to 10 years, as long as you stay on the same version of Ubuntu. While installing Ubuntu 22.04 right now should work fine, the hardware optimizations coming in August should make the experience a bit better.

As for what’s new in Ubuntu 22.04, you can expect a new version of GNOME 42, which includes improved desktop performance, better power management settings, more customization options, and more. There’s also a new display server called Wayland and an update audio server, PulseAudio, which improves support for Bluetooth audio devices. Ubuntu also now integrates with Azure Active Directory for use in the workplace, and it has the latest developer toolchains for things like Python, PHP, Ruby, and Rust.

The Dell XPS 13 Plus Developer Edition is one of the very best laptops you can buy right now, and that’s even more true among Linux laptops, since there aren’t that many. It has 12th-generation P-series processors with up to 14 cores and 20 threads, a 13.4-inch display with a 16:10 aspect ratio that’s fantastic for getting work done, and an ultra-modern design. You can buy it below if you want to get it right now, or wait until August to get the new experience optimized for Ubuntu 22.04 LTS.

    Dell XPS 13 Plus Developer Edition
    The Dell XPS 13 Plus is a modern and powerful laptop with 28W Intel processors. It can be configured with Ubuntu out of the box.

The post The Dell XPS 13 Plus is the first laptop certified for Ubuntu 22.04 LTS appeared first on XDA.



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The Dell XPS 13 Plus is the first laptop certified for Ubuntu 22.04 LTS

Dell and Canonical have announced that the Dell XPS 13 Plus Developer Edition is the first laptop to be certified for Ubuntu 22.04 LTS (Long Term Support). This is the latest LTS release of Ubuntu, following version 20.04, which is what the Dell XPS 13 Plus Developer Edition currently ships with.

Starting in August, you’ll be able to buy the Dell XPS 13 Developer Edition with Ubuntu 22.04 LTS out of the box. If you’ve already bought a Dell XPS 13 Plus with Ubuntu 20.04, you can install the upgrade to 22.04 manually right now, and when the new optimized experience starts rolling out, you’ll get it automatically.

Ubuntu certification essentially means that devices have been tested and all of the features work as expected with Ubuntu. Certification is based on LTS releases, and that means you’ll get support for up to 10 years, as long as you stay on the same version of Ubuntu. While installing Ubuntu 22.04 right now should work fine, the hardware optimizations coming in August should make the experience a bit better.

As for what’s new in Ubuntu 22.04, you can expect a new version of GNOME 42, which includes improved desktop performance, better power management settings, more customization options, and more. There’s also a new display server called Wayland and an update audio server, PulseAudio, which improves support for Bluetooth audio devices. Ubuntu also now integrates with Azure Active Directory for use in the workplace, and it has the latest developer toolchains for things like Python, PHP, Ruby, and Rust.

The Dell XPS 13 Plus Developer Edition is one of the very best laptops you can buy right now, and that’s even more true among Linux laptops, since there aren’t that many. It has 12th-generation P-series processors with up to 14 cores and 20 threads, a 13.4-inch display with a 16:10 aspect ratio that’s fantastic for getting work done, and an ultra-modern design. You can buy it below if you want to get it right now, or wait until August to get the new experience optimized for Ubuntu 22.04 LTS.

    Dell XPS 13 Plus Developer Edition
    The Dell XPS 13 Plus is a modern and powerful laptop with 28W Intel processors. It can be configured with Ubuntu out of the box.

The post The Dell XPS 13 Plus is the first laptop certified for Ubuntu 22.04 LTS appeared first on XDA.



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Samsung details the future of its foldables ahead of Galaxy Z Fold 4 launch

Samsung was the first major manufacturer to release a foldable smartphone. Despite the launch being less than ideal, the company continued to pursue the technology, making iterative improvements with its yearly releases. This year could be its best yet, as Dr. TM Roh, President & Head of MX Business, has claimed that “the mainstream moment for foldable smartphones is here.”

Last year, Samsung dominated the foldable smartphones category, bringing the technology to the masses with its aggressive pricing, financing plans, and trade-in deals. Samsung says that last year, 10 million foldable devices were sold, which is triple that of the year before. Samsung states that it has “made advancements” this year with its foldable product lineup, which should expand the experience for its users. The company says that some of these things wouldn’t be possible without its partnerships with the likes of Google, Microsoft, and others.

Samsung said that seventy percent of foldable Galaxy phones sold were the Galaxy Z Flip 3, meaning that the other 30% was the Galaxy Z Fold 3. This is an important insight, because it goes to show the ratio in sales between those Flip-style foldables and the Fold-style devices.

Almost time to unpack

Samsung recently started its marketing campaign for its next foldable smartphones, releasing a cryptic tweet and then revealing that its next line of foldable phones, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Galaxy Z Flip 4, would be revealed on August 10. The virtual Galaxy Unpacked event should be interesting, as there have been rumors of slightly tweaked designs and improvements in the screen technology. The main star of the event will be smartphones, but Samsung should also have some accessories to show off.

Currently, Samsung has opened its Galaxy Phone reservation page, and like in prior years, there are plenty of deals to be had and incentives that could total up to $200 in credit. While it’s hard sometimes to get excited about something we haven’t seen yet, it’s a good idea to register, as it is non-commital and only takes a name and email address to claim these early registration promotions. The promotional period closes on August 10.

Source: Samsung

The post Samsung details the future of its foldables ahead of Galaxy Z Fold 4 launch appeared first on XDA.



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Samsung details the future of its foldables ahead of Galaxy Z Fold 4 launch

Samsung was the first major manufacturer to release a foldable smartphone. Despite the launch being less than ideal, the company continued to pursue the technology, making iterative improvements with its yearly releases. This year could be its best yet, as Dr. TM Roh, President & Head of MX Business, has claimed that “the mainstream moment for foldable smartphones is here.”

Last year, Samsung dominated the foldable smartphones category, bringing the technology to the masses with its aggressive pricing, financing plans, and trade-in deals. Samsung says that last year, 10 million foldable devices were sold, which is triple that of the year before. Samsung states that it has “made advancements” this year with its foldable product lineup, which should expand the experience for its users. The company says that some of these things wouldn’t be possible without its partnerships with the likes of Google, Microsoft, and others.

Samsung said that seventy percent of foldable Galaxy phones sold were the Galaxy Z Flip 3, meaning that the other 30% was the Galaxy Z Fold 3. This is an important insight, because it goes to show the ratio in sales between those Flip-style foldables and the Fold-style devices.

Almost time to unpack

Samsung recently started its marketing campaign for its next foldable smartphones, releasing a cryptic tweet and then revealing that its next line of foldable phones, the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Galaxy Z Flip 4, would be revealed on August 10. The virtual Galaxy Unpacked event should be interesting, as there have been rumors of slightly tweaked designs and improvements in the screen technology. The main star of the event will be smartphones, but Samsung should also have some accessories to show off.

Currently, Samsung has opened its Galaxy Phone reservation page, and like in prior years, there are plenty of deals to be had and incentives that could total up to $200 in credit. While it’s hard sometimes to get excited about something we haven’t seen yet, it’s a good idea to register, as it is non-commital and only takes a name and email address to claim these early registration promotions. The promotional period closes on August 10.

Source: Samsung

The post Samsung details the future of its foldables ahead of Galaxy Z Fold 4 launch appeared first on XDA.



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mardi 19 juillet 2022

Netflix to charge some users in Latin America more for sharing their passwords

Netflix launched over a decade ago, and it’s one of the most popular TV streaming services out there. It has evolved and attempted to adapt to the changing times — through different strategies and offerings. What started as a DVD rental platform now has its own catalogue of original content, which it offers digitally. Recently, though, Netflix started losing subscribers for the first time in over ten years. That could be due to various factors — such as viewers losing interest in the content it’s producing, competitors launching their own rivaling services, etc. Netflix partially blames password sharing for this decline in subscriber count. Since then, it has been coming up with new strategies to combat this depression.

Over the last 15 years, we’ve worked hard to build a streaming service that’s easy to use, including for people who travel or live together. It’s great that our members love Netflix movies and TV shows so much they want to share them more broadly. But today’s widespread account sharing between households undermines our long term ability to invest in and improve our service.

In its latest attempt to increase its revenue stream, Netflix will start charging select users more for sharing their passwords. Starting next month, subscribers in Argentina, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras will have to pay an additional $2.99 per month to add a new household. The number of houses a user can add to their account varies — depending on the plan they’re paying for.

Earlier this year, the company tested an add an extra member paid feature in Chile, Costa Rica, and Peru. This addition is quite similar — as it pushes users to pay more when sharing their account passwords with friends. Those who aren’t willing to pay the additional sharing fee can simply ask their friends to migrate to independent, paid accounts. It’s yet to be seen whether this strategy will increase Netflix’s revenue or tempt users to resort to piracy instead.

Would this additional fee push you to cancel your Netflix subscription? Let us know in the comments section below.


Source: Netflix

The post Netflix to charge some users in Latin America more for sharing their passwords appeared first on XDA.



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Fitbit Charge 5 receives ‘Find Phone’ feature with latest update

Fitbit is rolling out a new software update for its affordable fitness tracker — the Fitbit Charge 5. The update brings a new ‘Find Phone’ feature to the fitness tracker, making it easy for users to find connected phones.

According to 9to5Google, the software update (v1.171.50) has started rolling out to Charge 5 users widely. While Fitbit hasn’t published a detailed changelog for the update, the publication notes that it brings the ‘Find Phone’ feature. The feature, which was previously limited to certain premium Fitbit smartwatches, lets you locate your misplaced phone with just a tap. It appears between Screen Wake and Water Lock when you swipe down from the clock face, and it presents you with just one ‘Find Phone’ button.

Screenshot of Fitbit Charge 5 update. Screenshot of Fitbit Charge 5 Find Phone feature. Screenshot of Fitbit Charge 5 Find Phone feature.

Screenshots via 9to5Google

When you tap on the button, your paired smartphone will play a loud tone, and the fitness tracker will replace the ‘Find Phone’ button with a ‘Cancel’ button. Once you locate your phone, you can tap on the button to stop playing the tone. Although Fitbit hasn’t specified the requirements for this feature to work as intended on the Charge 5, on the Fitbit Sense, the requirements include:

  • Your watch must be connected (“paired”) to the phone you want to locate.
  • Your phone must have Bluetooth turned on and be within 30 feet (10m) of your Fitbit device.
  • The Fitbit app must be running in the background on your phone.
  • Your phone must be turned on.

The feature comes months after Fitbit released the ECG app for the Charge 5, introduced Daily Readiness Score, and added irregular heart rhythm notifications. At the moment, we don’t have any info on the other changes included in the latest update for the Fitbit Charge 5. We’ll update this post with the detailed changelog as soon as it goes live.

Have you received the latest software update on your Fitbit Charge 5? Let us know in the comments section below.


Via: 9to5Google

The post Fitbit Charge 5 receives ‘Find Phone’ feature with latest update appeared first on XDA.



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