Batteries with silicon in them have appeared over the past few months in almost all Chinese flagship smartphones, and the new tech has enabled a much higher density compared to traditional Li-Ion batteries, which means we’re currently in the middle of an arms race for cramming as many mAh into a cell as possible without making devices overly thick. This will continue throughout this year, according to a new rumor from China. And, towards the end of the year, when Chinese companies release their next-generation flagships, those powered by the upcoming MediaTek Dimensity 9500 and the…

Read More

After releasing the stable One UI 7.0 (Android 15) update to the Galaxy S24 series in South Korea on April 7, Samsung has started rolling out the update in Europe, starting with Germany. The update should be released in othe European countries and global markets starting today. Galaxy S24 One UI 7.0 stable update now […]

The post Breaking: Galaxy S24 gets stable One UI 7.0 update in Europe appeared first on SamMobile.

Read More

Samsung kicked off the much-awaited stable One UI 7 update roll out earlier this week with South Korea being one of the first markets to get it. The firmware has only been sent out in a very limited number of markets so far, but that changes today. The company has now started rolling out the […]

The post One UI 7 is now rolling out in more markets across the globe appeared first on SamMobile.

Read More

Samsung has been using under-display cameras for a few generations of its Galaxy Z Fold line, placed under the folding screen, and let’s just say these cameras aren’t very good. Thus, you may be relieved to know that the Galaxy S26 Ultra won’t have such a camera, instead opting for the tried and tested hole-punch setup. This is according to a new rumor from Korea which contradicts a previous rumor stating the contrary back in February. Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra Samsung did allegedly intend to use an under-display camera in the S26 Ultra to give that seamless all-screen look, but…

Read More

The Google Pixel 9a is becoming available tomorrow, and ahead of that Verizon has today published its compelling offer for the device. You can get the Pixel 9a from Verizon for free if you add a new line on a myPlan subscription. Alternatively, you can pay $499.99 outright or $13.88 per month for three years. For some reason, the carrier will only have the Pixel 9a in Obsidian and Iris, two of the four colorways in which the device is available elsewhere. If that doesn’t faze you, then note that you’re also getting Google One AI Premium for $10 per month – that’s 50% off the price…

Read More

Google released the first beta of Android 16 ahead of its usual schedule in January, as this version of the OS will come out by the end of June, unlike its predecessors that all arrived in August or September or October. Today OnePlus is releasing the second beta of Android 16 for the OnePlus 13. The build is only intended for advanced users and developers. Thus, it’s not recommended if you have little or no experience with software development and are unfamiliar with flashing custom ROMs. It’s also not recommended to do this on your primary device, as things could break. There are…

Read More

This summer, Samsung plans to launch Ballie, an AI companion robot that it has been working on since 2020. Samsung showed off Ballie at CES in January 2020, demoing a robotic ball that could roll around, record video, respond to voice commands, and more.

Over the years, Ballie has gotten more capable, and now Samsung is partnering with Google to add AI features. Ballie is adopting Google Cloud’s generative AI technology, and Samsung says that it will be able to engage in natural, conversational interactions, providing help at home by anticipating personal needs.

Ballie will be able to adjust lighting and control smart home products, greet people at the door, learn personalized schedules, set reminders, and more. In an animated video showing off Ballie, the robot is depicted finding an entertaining video for a child to watch, offering styling advice, telling a man to wear a coat because it’s cold outside, and getting people off to work and school on time.

Using Google’s Gemini AI, Ballie will be able to interpret audio and voice, visual data from its camera, and sensor data from the environment, plus it will be able to provide recommendations to improve user health and wellbeing.

Samsung has not announced pricing for Ballie, nor a specific launch date, but the company says it is coming in the summer. Customers can pre-register to order Ballie on the Samsung website.

This article, "Samsung Launching AI-Powered 'Ballie' Robot This Summer" first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums

Read More

Smart home company Aqara today announced plans to further integrate Matter into its product offerings. Aqara is bringing its Advanced Matter Bridging feature to all Aqara Matter controllers and bridges, rather than limiting the functionality to just the Hub M3. With the change, users can more easily connect Aqara devices to third-party Matter platforms.

Advanced Matter Bridging can be used to convert Scenes and Signals created in the Aqara app to virtual plugs and sensors that can be shared to other platforms, which means that advanced Aqara features that used to be limited to the Aqara ecosystem can be used in HomeKit. Advanced Matter Bridging is available across all existing and upcoming Matter Controllers from Aqara with the 4.3.4 firmware.

The Aqara platform is also gaining support for over 50 unique types of Matter-enabled devices, including third-party Matter devices from other manufacturers. Aqara Home integrates with robot vacuums, dimmable plugs, smoke alarms, sensors of all kinds, air purifiers, refrigerators, washing machines, dryers, air conditioners and heat pumps, solar panels, electric vehicle chargers, water heaters, and more. Matter devices that are not yet supported by a platform like Apple Home can be added to Apple Home through Aqara’s platform.

Support for additional Matter device types is available in Aqara home version 5.1.9 and firmware version 4.3.5 for Matter Controllers, which is coming out later this month.

This article, "Aqara Expands Advanced Matter Bridging to Older Hubs, Adds Support for New Device Types" first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums

Read More

The iPhone 17 Pro series is expected to bring a redesigned camera island that’s rumored to span almost the entire width of the phone’s back. We’ve already seen renders and dummy units for all four iPhone 17 series models, and we now get our first look at cases for the iPhone 17 Pro. iPhone 17 Pro case The image was shared by Sonny Dickson and gives us a clear look at what’s to come from Apple’s Pro series iPhones – a much larger camera island that takes up a third of the phone’s back. If these rumors turn out to be true, then the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max will offer the first…

Read More

Instagram seems to be testing locked reels that require viewers to enter a keyword or a code to be able to see the hidden content. It’s a feature that creators could use to increase engagement or to share content with their most loyal fans.

TechCrunch noticed that the Instagram Design account recently shared a locked reel with a hint provided to unlock the reel. Entering the code displays an animated banner with the “coming soon” wording, which seems to reference the Instagram Design team’s announcement that it will soon have a Threads account.

As noted by TechCrunch, a creator could share a locked reel that requires a specific word to open, for example, providing a hint that only a follower would know such as a pet’s name, which would be a way to share exclusive videos.

Instagram already has a feature that allows users to share a hidden story that can be unlocked with a DM, but the locked reel option does not require direct engagement. Instagram has not commented on the locked reel feature, and it is not clear if and when it will roll out to users.

This article, "Instagram Tests Reels You Can Only Watch With a Secret Code" first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums

Read More