Reviews of the Samsung Devices announced last week are trickling out, Rogers still has some explaining to do, so does Telus, and there is a new product being announced in 2022 with a MicroUSB port. That and few other stories that have interested me in the last couple days.
Galaxy Z Fold4 Review
The Verge has the first review of the Galaxy Z Fold4 published, and the review was largely what I expected. The camera system looks way better, the rest of the phone looks just a tiny bit better. The camera improvements alone are worth buying the Fold4 over a discounted Fold3, but at $2200 this very much remains a phone only for people who are really, really into gadgets.
https://www.theverge.com/23308459/samsung-galaxy-z-fold-4-review-screen-battery-camera-price
Galaxy Watch5 Reviews
Reviews for the Galaxy Watch5, not the pro version, have also hit. The watch looks like a good, if unspectacular update from last year’s Watch4. Some reviewers have not been kind about battery life, but battery life on smartwatches is extremely variable based on use case. This is not a big upgrade for those with a Watch4, but for anyone looking at a new android smartwatch, this will likely be the winner for most people.
https://www.theverge.com/23310395/samsung-galaxy-watch-5-review-smartwatch-wear-os-3
The Chip Shortage Has Turned Into The Chip Glut
As foundries struggled to increase production of semiconductors of every kind after unprecedented and unexpected demand during the first two years of the pandemic, the tables have suddenly turned. As record inflation slows buying, and demand for certain items falls off of a cliff as people have both purchased everything they need and started to return to more normal lives, chip production now seems to be outpacing demand. Certain kinds of semiconductors are still in high demand, but others are seeing production cut as the demand seems to be falling off.
This is why predicting the future is hard.
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2022/08/us-chipmakers-hit-by-sudden-downturn-after-pandemic-boom/
CRTC Asks Rogers To Provide Additional Information on Outage and Mitigation Plans As The Company Announces 13 Million Customers Were Affected
A quick two for one here. The CRTC is asking for more details on Rogers claim that it will cost the company $250 Million to execute a plan to separate wireless and wireline traffic. The company is also required to answer more questions about the economic impact of the outage as well as reports of prior issues and what happened to 911 services.
This comes as the company also announces that 13 million customers were affected by the outage. Presumable that represents the entirety of Rogers customer base.
https://mobilesyrup.com/news/crtc-asks-rogers-to-provide-more-information-regarding-july-8th-outage/
https://mobilesyrup.com/news/rogers-13-million-wireline-and-wireless-customers-impacted-by-outage/
CRTC Will Take 9 Weeks To Decide Whether Telus Can Charge 1.5% Credit Card Fee
Citing unprecedented amounts of feedback, the CRTC will be taking its time in deciding whether or not Telus will be allowed to charge customers a 1.5% fee if they pay for their bills with a credit card. The feedback appears to be nearly universally negative against the proposal, and the precedent will likely affect companies both inside and outside the wireless industry.
https://mobilesyrup.com/news/crtc-telus-credit-card-fee-response-45-days/
The Year Is 2022. The Ultimate Ears Wonderboom 3 Has A Micro USB Port.
Ultimate Ears, a Logitech company, makes competent Bluetooth speakers. The original UE Boom dates back to 2013 and I used it for many years. The Wonderboom 3, the third version of the company’s compact speaker, was announced this week. It still has a micro USB port. USB-C has been around since 2015, with the first devices with the port released then. There is no reason for a new product released in the second half of 2022 to come with a Micro USB port. No matter how good this speaker is, it should be a hard pass.
https://www.theverge.com/2022/8/17/23307765/ue-wonderboom-3-ultimate-ears-price-specs-date