Smartphones News and Discussions

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Yuli Ban
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Smartphones News and Discussions

Post by Yuli Ban »

A thread to discuss the development and evolution of these real-life omnitools, these pocket supercomputers so indispensable to modern life


BlackBerry’s classic smartphone stops working today
The classic BlackBerry is being forced to retire.

A pioneer of on-the-go email and paragon of corporate connectedness, it reigned supreme in the days when physical keyboards had yet to yield to touch screens. But come Tuesday, the cellphone-turned-status symbol will become one more relic of a bygone era as the transition to 5G wireless technology grinds forward.

After its “end of life date,” as BlackBerry calls it, devices running on BlackBerry’s legacy operating systems and software “will no longer reliably function,” the company — which has since pivoted to enterprise software and cybersecurity — reminded users in a news release in late December. Old devices won’t be able to send a text message or dial 911, placing them firmly in the realm of the arcane, in the company of floppy disks and rotary phones. You might still be able to play Brick Breaker though.
And remember my friend, future events such as these will affect you in the future
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Yuli Ban
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Re: Smartphones News and Discussions

Post by Yuli Ban »

Seventeen-year-old Robin West is an anomaly among her peers - she doesn't have a smartphone.

Instead of scrolling through apps like TikTok and Instagram all day, she uses a so-called "dumbphone".

These are basic handsets, or feature phones, with very limited functionality compared to say an iPhone. You can typically only make and receive calls and SMS text messages. And, if you are lucky - listen to radio and take very basic photos, but definitely not connect to the internet or apps.

These devices are similar to some of the first handsets that people bought back in the late 1990s.
Ms West's decision to ditch her former smartphone two years ago was a spur of the moment thing. While looking for a replacement handset in a second-hand shop she was lured by the low price of a "brick phone".

Her current handset, from French firm MobiWire, cost her just £8. And because it has no smartphone functionality she doesn't have an expensive monthly data bill to worry about.
And remember my friend, future events such as these will affect you in the future
weatheriscool
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Re: Smartphones News and Discussions

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Your eyes can control your smartphone via new gaze-tracking tool
https://techxplore.com/news/2022-04-eye ... -tool.html
by Chris Quirk, Carnegie Mellon University


As more people watch movies, edit video, read the news and keep up with social media on their smartphones, these devices have grown to accommodate the bigger screens and higher processing power needed for more demanding activities.

The problem with unwieldy phones is they frequently require a second hand or voice commands to operate—which can be cumbersome and inconvenient.

In response, researchers in the Future Interfaces Group at Carnegie Mellon University's Human-Computer Interaction Institute (HCII) are developing a tool called EyeMU, which allows users to execute operations on a smartphone by combining gaze control and simple hand gestures.

"We asked the question, 'Is there a more natural mechanism to use to interact with the phone?' And the precursor for a lot of what we do is to look at something," said Karan Ahuja, a doctoral student in human-computer interaction.
Tadasuke
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Re: Smartphones News and Discussions

Post by Tadasuke »

Smartphones were supposed to have working eye-tracking in 2012. I remember reading that Galaxy S III has eye-tracking to control it (for example scroll through an article): https://www.itproportal.com/2012/04/20/ ... echnology/. But it didn't function as advertised and people didn't use it. Later models skipped advertising such functions.
Global economy doubles in product every 15-20 years. Computer performance at a constant price doubles nowadays every 4 years on average. Livestock-as-food will globally stop being a thing by ~2050 (precision fermentation and more). Human stupidity, pride and depravity are the biggest problems of our world.
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Re: Smartphones News and Discussions

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Google Officially Announces Pixel 7, Pixel 7 Pro, and Pixel Watch
https://www.extremetech.com/mobile/3400 ... ixel-watch
By Ryan Whitwam on October 6, 2022 at 12:44 pm
Google has finally unveiled its latest hardware products, including the Pixel 7, Pixel 7 Pro, and Pixel Watch. It didn’t even try to keep the basic details secret, and with the help of a few leaks, there were no major surprises. Google’s new family of devices is shaping up to be more cohesive than ever before, and most of them are available for pre-order now. The notable exception was the Pixel Tablet, and here, there were a few fun surprises.

Google’s product announcements often emulate Apple these days, so we didn’t get much in the way of speeds and feeds. The phones have an aluminum camera bar rather than the glass and plastic of last year, and it merges seamlessly into the rest of the frame. All the metal is made from recycled material, too.
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Re: Smartphones News and Discussions

Post by wjfox »

Nokia launches DIY repairable budget Android phone

Sat 25 Feb 2023 14.00 GMT

Nokia has announced one of the first budget Android smartphones designed to be repaired at home allowing users to swap out the battery in under five minutes in partnership with iFixit.

Launched before Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on Saturday, the Nokia G22 has a removable back and internal design that allows components to be easily unscrewed and swapped out including the battery, screen and charging port.

Nokia phones manufacturer HMD Global will make “quick fix” repair guides and genuine parts available for five years via specialists iFixit, in addition to affordable professional repair options.

“People value long-lasting, quality devices and they shouldn’t have to compromise on price to get them. The new Nokia G22 is purposefully built with a repairable design so you can keep it even longer,” said Adam Ferguson, head of product marketing for HMD Global.

The G22 is partially made of recycled plastic and has a 6.53in screen, large-capacity battery, 50-megapixel camera and a fingerprint scanner. It runs Android 12 and will be supported for three years of monthly security updates and two major Android version upgrades.

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/ ... roid-phone


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Credit: Nokia
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Re: Smartphones News and Discussions

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Yuli Ban wrote: Wed Jan 05, 2022 11:33 am A thread to discuss the development and evolution of these real-life omnitools, these pocket supercomputers so indispensable to modern life


BlackBerry’s classic smartphone stops working today
The classic BlackBerry is being forced to retire.
They still work outside of North America generally! Any of the 4g ones do and even in some countries the 3g ones too. Blackberry services don't work anymore but their core functions and any installed apps still work. I still use mine as an alarm clock, if I were in the EU I'd use it in general. The passport was the best phone of the 2010s. Nothing compares to that full HD square screen and physical keyboard. It's still really powerful too, quad core 2.4ghz processor and 3gb of ram. There are still laptops being sold with less powerful processors than that.
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ººº
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erowind wrote: Mon Feb 27, 2023 10:41 pm There are still laptops being sold with less powerful processors than that.
Can confirm.
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Re: Smartphones News and Discussions

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Samsung's Next Flip Phone Could Have a Huge External Screen
A new render shows a Cover Screen that occupies almost all the available surface area.
By Ryan Whitwam April 3, 2023
https://www.extremetech.com/mobile/sams ... nal-screen

Samsung's next foldable flip phone is expected to get more screen real estate. Rumors have pointed to a larger external screen on the upcoming Galaxy Z Flip 5, and now we have an alleged mockup to consider. The supposed design of the Z Flip 5 includes a giant Cover Screen that covers almost the entire front of the device, which would open up a world of user experience possibilities.

The new render comes from SamMobile, which claims to have used the "actual design" of the phone as a guide. It shows the Cover Screen dominating half of the phone's body, save for a small cutout in one corner. This design, which resembles the internal screen on the first Galaxy Z Fold, most likely leaves room for the primary camera array.

The first Z Flip foldable has a 1.1-inch ticker-style Cover that could only show the time and a bit of notification text. Since the second-generation Z Flip, Samsung has employed a larger 1.9-inch screen that can show more data. You can use it as a camera viewfinder, select NFC payment cards, and even use it as a camera viewfinder. The Cover Screen on the Z Flip 5 will reportedly measure between 3 and 4 inches diagonal.
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weatheriscool
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Re: Smartphones News and Discussions

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Google will announce the Pixel Fold at I/O and beat Samsung on battery / CNBC says it’s seen Google’s launch plans for its long-awaited foldable, including a May reveal and June availability.
https://www.theverge.com/2023/4/18/2368 ... lease-date
By Sean Hollister
Apr 18, 2023, 3:26 PM PDT|
When will we finally see Google’s first foldable phone? The smart money is now on May 10th, with availability in June. CNBC says it got hold of internal marketing materials showing Google will launch the repeatedly reportedly delayed smartphone at Google I/O.

Most of CNBC’s report corroborates what leakers like Roland Quandt and OnLeaks have already told us. You should expect a closed-book 5.8-inch phone that folds out into a 7.6-inch tablet, powered by Google’s Tensor G2 processor, starting at north of $1,700 — making it a direct competitor to Samsung’s $1,800 Galaxy Z Fold 4.
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