Here are a few of the stories I’ve found interesting over the last few days.
Samsung Device Reviews
Reviews for the Galaxy Watch 4 and Z Flip 3 have hit, and they are mostly positive, especially for the Flip 3. These are important devices in the Android ecosystem, so they will be highly scrutinized. The Flip 3 has received mostly high praise, with reviewers saying that it feels like a phone worth buying on the merits of being a good phone, never mind the fact that it folds in half.
Reviews of the Galaxy Watch 4 were less positive. The Watch 4 is described as a phone still best enjoyed by users with Samsung phones, and Samsung’s One UI on the watch meaning some Google Services that should be available, like Google Assistant, aren’t there. That’s fairly disappointing.
Reviews for the Z Fold 3 haven’t hit yet, and I’ll be publishing my own review of the device in early September.
https://www.theverge.com/22631125/samsung-galaxy-z-flip-3-review
https://www.theverge.com/22629459/galaxy-watch-4-classic-review-bixby-google-wearos
Samsung Says it Will Stop Putting Ads in First Party Apps
For as good as Samsung’s phones are, one thing that has been a big problem for several years is the sheer number of ads in Samsung services on their phones. Users can pay well over $1500 for a high end Samsung phoen and be served ads in apps like Samsung Health and Samung Weather, and it cheapens the experience. The company has finally felt the pressure from both customers and employees and has announced that later this year it will remove ads from its first party apps and services. This needed to happen years ago, so it is good that it is finally happening now.
Crave Finally Begins Rolling out 4k Content
Bell’s streaming service, Crave, has been notorious for low quality video since launch, and as other streaming providers have brought higher quality, higher resolution video, Crave stayed on 720p for a long time, taking much longer than competitors to reach 1080p HD, never mind 4k. Bell originally promised 4k content back in 2018, and we are just now getting the first 4k content from Crave. The selection is very limited, but at least it is coming… finally.
https://mobilesyrup.com/2021/08/17/crave-4k-rollout-androidtv-fire-tv-chromecast/
Intel Alder Lake CPU’s Detailed
Intel has given some detail on its upcoming Alder Lake CPU architecture, which will be the company’s second generation of x86 processor featuring high power and efficiency cores, much like ARM processors found in mobile devices. Alder Lake CPU’s will feature up to 8 traditional high power CPU cores and up to 8 low power efficiency cores, even on desktop computers. While the company is not yet talking specifics on performance, it promises that the new designs will be much more power efficient, while still being more powerful than the previous generation of Intel processors.
We should see the first Alder Lake processors before the end of the year, with a wider release coming in Q1 2022.
https://www.pcworld.com/article/3629502/intels-alder-lake-what-you-need-to-know.html
Nvidia Warns That GPU Shortage Will Likely Last Well into 2022
As part of their earnings call, Nvidia has warned that the product shortages affecting the Graphics Card maker will likely last most of 2022, as unprecedented demand is expected to continue, and there is no huge increase in production capacity coming any time soon.
https://www.pcmag.com/news/nvidia-gpu-supplies-to-remain-constrained-for-vast-majority-of-2022
Nvidia Says that its ARM Acquisition May Take Longer Than Expected
When Nvidia announced its intention to buy ARM Holdings, the company responsible for the ARM processor designs in virtually every device that’s not a Windows computer in the world, it said it expected that the process would take 18 months due to the level of scrutiny the deal would likely face from regulators. Now, Nvidia is warning that the process will likely take longer than 18 months as it has perhaps received more anti-trust scrutiny than it expected. This deal is far from done, and it is entirely possible that it falls apart.
Apple Podcasts Subscription Launch has Been Rocky
The Verge has a huge piece about how poorly received Apple’s Subscription Podcast Platform has been. It’s worth a read.
https://www.theverge.com/2021/8/18/22630517/apple-podcasts-subscriptions-launch-dashboard