Yes, that’s correct, it is the middle of 2024 and less than 3 years after buying the Galaxy Z Fold 3, I’ve had three broken devices.  And perhaps most concerning, they all broke in different ways, and all in less than a year.

·        My original Z Fold 3 saw its folding screen crack all along the middle crease of it.  This was after needing to replace that screen protector on that inner display, as it was prone to lifting along that crease.  The screen protector was replaced on site once, but repairing the cracked internal screen required sending it into Samsung, which was covered under warrant.

·        My replacement Z Fold 3 started rebooting itself whenever I closed the phone.  I could use it as normal when it was unfoled, but as soon as I folded it in half, it would reboot.  This was diagnosed as a hardware issue, but unfortunately the device was now out of warranty.  I used some credit to purchase a Galaxy Z Fold 4, then the current model, to replace it.

·        My Galaxy Z Fold 4 stopped unfolding completely.  Instead of going to a flat 180 degrees, it would only unfold to about 150 degrees.  This appears to be caused by a known issue where a strip of small brushes in the hinge designed to keep dust out comes loose and gets stuck in the hinge.  After that first started, I noticed the loose adhesive strip for those brushes, and was able to pull the adhesive out of the phone.  But with no adhesive, the brushes became stuck.  This was repaired under warranty.

So while I’ve had three phones break, and two of them fixed and replaced under warranty, that is three phones broken in less than 3 years.  The first case was likely due to glass fatigue, and is a well known issue among all folding phones today.  Go to the Galaxy Fold subreddit and it is likely that you’ll find a post within the last few days of another phone’s inner display cracking.

The second case was the most unusual, and the exact cause is unknown.  This is a more general hardware failure that is probably caused in some way by the sheer number of moving parts.

The third case is a slightly amusing situation where a piece designed to keep things from getting into the hinge to prevent damage and jamming being the thing that got into the hinge causing damage and jamming it.

While the phone was in for repairs, I went back to using a “normal” phone, in this case a borrowed Pixel 7a.  I hadn’t used a normal phone as a primary phone in a couple of years, and what struck me the most was that…. I didn’t really miss the Z Fold.  Folding phones today are a series of compromises to achieve what is still a very futuristic feeling device.  The Z Fold  series is heavy, being about 30% heavier than a standard phone, and when folded it feels like a tall and narrow brick.  That was perhaps the most striking thing.  Using the Pixel 7a and it just felt light and balanced in a way that the Z Fold 3 and 4 did not.  Did I miss being able to open the phone to get a bigger screen? On occasion I did.  Especially when looking at photos. But it was just so much easier to hold that it made up for it.

Then there were the other compromises.  When I first reviewed the Z Fold 3 in 2021 I said the cameras were not as good as the best in the industry, being about the same as the 2020 era Galaxy S20 series of phones.  Those cameras were good, but not the best.  The Z fold 4 and today’s Z Fold 5 cameras received minor upgrades in cameras, but they have fallen farther behind.  And Samsung on the whole has not kept up camera quality compared to competitors.  My biggest frustration with Samsung cameras is how poorly they handle motion.  They can take good photos of still objects, but introduce any kind of motion into a frame and the cameras fall apart very quickly, with the foldable phones even worse at it.  The main camera on the Pixel 7a, which could be found for $400 on sale when I was testing it, absolutely blew away the camera on the Z Fold 4 which was over $2000 when new.  Part of this is because the folding phones, despite being larger, have less room for camera hardware in them, as the hinge does take up a good portion of the device, as do multiple screens and batteries. 

And oh, the battery.  The battery on the Z Fold 3, 4, and 5 are all 4400 mAh.  That is the same capacity as the Pixel 7a, and most modern high end Android phones have batteries in the 5000 mAh range.  Combine that with the fact that the Z Fold 4 has to power a 7.6” high resolution display, and the battery life when using the internal screen was bad.  I had no trouble getting the Pixel 7a through a day when I needed it to, and there was not a day with the Z Fold 3 or 4 where I didn’t need to charge it part way through.  This is a fairly obvious “bigger screen + smaller battery = less battery life” situation, but I got so used to the mediocre battery life I forgot what having a good battery on  a phone was like.

And lastly, the ergonomics and weight.  I already talked about it feeling like a brick.  I found trying to use the phone one handed difficult, as it was just too heavy to hold for longer periods of time.  And it was just too tall and narrow to use for longer periods of time.  Other phone manufactures do make shorter and wider folding phones, and I hope those feel better to use when folded, but the Z Fold design is looking very dated, and Samsung really needs to try something else there.

All of these issues are hard to ignore.  And considering that less than 3 years into using this kind of phone I’ve had to replace it three times, it is time for me to put it down.  I still have the repaired Galaxy Z Fold 4, but it is not my daily phone anymore.  These phones make great small tablets, that’s why I was sold on them to begin with, and the Z Fold 4 will be a small tablet that sits on my coffee table, while still getting to understand the benefits and drawbacks of a folding phone.

Yes, despite all the negativity here, there are still benefits.  There are certain things that truly do feel like the future.  When it works, the experience is great.  Looking at a photo on a smaller screen, unfolding it to look at that same photo on a much larger display.  Watching YouTube while reading a web page on a display big enough to actually do it comfortably.  Reading long form content and books is excellent.  My primary appeal of a folding phone was the idea that I didn’t have to carry a phone and tablet with me all of the time, and that was realized.  I had a number of situations where I found I had the benefit of having a tablet with me when I didn’t actually bring one. When these devices work and realize their potential, I see great things.

But I need my phone to be reliable.  And having one breaking every 8-10 months is just not something I’m willing to live with anymore.  So I waited for a sale on the Google Pixel 8 pro and in May a sale came.  I bought it, stuck my SIM card in the phone, and haven’t looked back.  And you know what, there’s something to be said for a “normal” phone that just works, has a truly excellent camera system, and something that I don’t have to constantly worry about whether or not it will break from normal use.  I’ll have a lot more to say about the Pixel line going forward.  But for now, It has completely replaced my Galaxy Z Fold 4, and I don’t feel like I’m missing a thing.

Google Unveils Pixel 7, Pixel 7 Pro, and Pixel Watch

Google’s fall event finally, officially announced the new Pixel phones and watch.  The Pixel 7 and 7 Pro build on last year’s overhaul of design that was the Pixel 6,  The phones look similar to the 6 and 6 Pro.  The camera housing has a different design, being aluminum with a cutout for the camera lenses instead of a glass bar across the whole phone with the Pixel 6.  Other wise, the design is very much the same, with some minor refinements.  As is always the case with the Pixel phones, Google pushes the software experience.  Google focused once again on the camera capabilites with updated sensors and software processing powered by the new Tensor G2 chip.  The Pixel 7 Pro also features a 5x optical zoom, an increase from the Pixel 6 Pro.  Both phones also offer face unlock, something the Pixel 6 lacked.  The Pixel 7 comes with 8GB of RAM and 128 or 256GB of storage.  The Pixel 7 Pro comes with 12GB of RAM and 128, 256, or 512GB of storage.

Perhaps the biggest feature of the Pixel 7 series is the price.  The Pixel 7 starts at $800 in Canada.  The comparable Samsung phone, the Galaxy S22 is $1100, though it can often be found on sale for less than $1000 since it is nearly a year old.  The iPhone 14 is also $1100.  So the Pixel 7 at $800 is a very good price compared to the leading phones from Samsung and Apple.  The Pixel 7 Pro starts at $1180 in Canada, which is also significantly less expensive than the Galaxy S22+ and Ultra, as well as the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max.  The Pixel 7 series offers good value.

What remains to be seen from me is if Google irons out the significant software and hardware issues found in the Pixel 6.  Google released extremely buggy updates to the Pixel 6 for the first 6 months of its life, having to pull an update entirely in one case.  For the company that actually makes Android, that is a bad look.  If Google can prove it can actually build phones  that don’t provide a buggy experience, these could be a no brainer at their prices.

https://www.androidpolice.com/google-pixel-7-pixel-7-pro-hands-on/

Next up is the Pixel Watch.  Somehow, this is the first time Google has made its own smartwatch, even though Wear OS has been around for 8 years.  The Pixel watch comes in a single 41mm size, has a round casing and screen, a rotating crown, side button and a proprietary watch strap system.  The display is covered by gorilla glass 5, which is a strange choice considering the design of the watch and leads to initial questions of durability.  The Pixel watch seems aimed less as a fitness device and more as a general lifestyle device.  While it’s fitness functionality is “powered by Fitbit”  It does not look especially durable as mentioned, and the estimated maximum battery life of 24 hours leaves much to be desired.

This device is something I am very interested to read reviews on.  I truly have no good read on if it will be good or not.

https://www.androidpolice.com/google-pixel-watch-hands-on/

Elon Musk Wants To Buy Twitter Again, And Cancel the Trial

Elon Musk seems to want to buy Twitter again, sending a letter to the SEC that he intends to acquire Twitter for $54.20 per share, the same price that was originally offered in April.  Musk has also filed to stay the trial that was scheduled to start on October 17 over Musk’s attempt to withdraw from the purchase.  Musk says the trial is no longer necessary because he intends to complete the purchase.  A judge has granted a delay until October 28th for Musk to complete the purchase before the trial begins.

I’m sure Musk’s offer to buy Twitter  again has nothing to do with evidence uncovered as the trial gets closer, and the potential of what could be revealed to the public.  Completely unrelated, right?  I’m guessing discovery and depositions did not go well for the Musk side.

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2022/10/why-musk-gave-up-hes-almost-certain-to-lose-twitter-case-law-professor-says/

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2022/10/musk-asks-judge-to-cancel-trial-claims-twitter-wont-take-yes-for-an-answer/

USB-IF Drops Superspeed Branding

The USB Iimplimenter’s forum, the people who brought us USB standards named USB 3.2 Gen 2x2, has decided that USB branding is terrible, and has half heartedly tried to fix that.  You see, in 2008, when USB 3.0 debuted with a speed of up to 5 gigabits per second (gbps), it was so much faster than USB 2.0’s 480 megabit per second (mbps) speeds, it was branded as Superspeed USB.  The USB-IF then folded the name into all versions of USB 3.0, 3.1, and 3.2, which was renamed versions of 3.0 and 3.1 using terms like Superspeed+.  Now, in 2022 when USB 4 has a speed of up to 40gbps, and USB 4 version 2 will hit 80gbps.  So calling USB 3 Superspeed USB seems silly.  Now USB cables and ports should be labelled with their speed capability, instead of being called superspeed USB.

Now, this whole thing is silly.  USB names and capabilities are still a mess, and this only marginally changes things.  USB 2, three different versions of USB 3.2, and USB 4 all exist, and could all be found independently on the same device.  But in the future, they should be labelled with how fast the  ports are, which should help a little bit.

Until we talk about power delivery.  That requires a separate label because you can have a USB 2.0 port or cable that can deliver 240W of power, or a USB 4 port or cable that can only deliver 30W of power?  Simple, right?

I long for idea of one port, that does all the things.  USB-C was supposed to be that, but somehow it is even more of a mess now than it used to be.

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2022/09/usb-if-says-goodbye-to-confusing-superspeed-usb-branding/

iPhone 14 Plus Reviews

For some reason the iPhone 14 Plus is releasing a month after the rest of the lineup, and reviews of that phone are out.  The iPhone 14 plus is an iPhone 14, but bigger.  And with extremely long battery life.  For those looking to get the maximum battery life out of an iPhone, this seems to be the winner.

https://www.engadget.com/i-phone-14-plus-review-bigger-screen-better-battery-life-040056936.html

iOS 16.0.2 Fixes Vibrating Camera And Copy/Paste Bugs

Apple originally said that the fix to the iPhone 14 Pro camera bug that caused the main camera to literally vibrate when being used in 3rd party apps would be released next week.  The company actually beat their own timeline for that, and 16.0.2 resolves that rather embarrassing and amusing bug.  Also fixed in this update was a bug that caused security prompts every time a user wanted to copy and paste some text.  At least they got resolved quickly.

https://mobilesyrup.com/2022/09/22/apples-ios-16-0-2-update-fixes-camera-shake-and-copy-and-paste-permission-issue/

Chromecast With Google TV HD Announced, Released

Google released the Chromecast with Google TV two years ago now, and that product has had mixed reviews over time, mostly about it being underpowered and with not enough storage.  However, unlike the original Chromeast devices, Chromecast with Google TV has a full Smart TV user interface and a remote, meaning users do not need a smartphone to control it.  Google’s new model is even less powerful, but aimed at 1080p TV’s and not 4k.  Perhaps that will allow it to perform better.  The Chromecast With Google TV HD is also inexpensive at just $40, which is a big advantage to those with older TV’s looking for a streaming device from Google with a remote.

https://mobilesyrup.com/2022/09/22/chromecast-hd-with-google-tv-available-now/

PlutoTV Coming To Canada in December

PlutoTV is another name in the Free, Ad Supported TV (FAST) model.  The idea behind FAST services is that there is no subscription fee, but there are ads in the videos, no unlike traditional TV.  There are a few examples of FAST services in Canada, like Samsung TV+ and Roku TV channels.  PlutoTV will be the next entry in Canada, launching on December 1st.  In Canada PlutoTV is partnering with Corus Entertainment (the owner of Global TV) to provide content, and is looks like much of the content on Pluto will come from properties that Corus Entertainment owns the rights to in Canada.

We’ll see what kind of library we get in December.

https://mobilesyrup.com/2022/09/22/pluto-tv-coming-to-canada-in-december/

Logitech Thinks It Can Sell A Cloud Gaming Handheld for $400

Handheld Gaming Devices are all the rage, with the Valve Steam Deck making a true, cost effective handheld gaming PC.  There are other niche players as well, often charging much more than the $500 base cost of the Steam Deck.

Now Logitech has come to the table with a unique take on the idea.  The G Cloud Gaming Handheld is essentially a small android tablet with a 1080p display and a controller attached to it.  Instead of playing PC games, it is designed primarily to play games from cloud gaming services, with Xbox Cloud gaming and GeForce Now supported at launch.  The limited processing power of the Snapdragon 710 at it’s core means this will not be playing high end games, and is much less powerful than the new 5 year old Nintendo Switch.  This is only meant to play streaming games.

And it costs $400.  The device makes almost no sense at this price point.  For $100 more you can get an actual handheld PC in the steam deck that can use those streaming services…. And play games locally.

I like the idea of a handheld device for streaming games.  $400 ain’t it.

https://mobilesyrup.com/2022/09/21/logitech-g-cloud-gaming-handheld-october-launch/

Microsoft Plans Event On October 12th To Unveil New Surface Devices

Microsoft hasn’t updated any of it’s Surface lineup in a year, with some of the products in its catalog offering hardware that is two generations old.  So a refresh of most of the Surface line is desperately needed.  And it looks like that refresh is coming on October 12th.  Bring on the surfaces.

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2022/09/microsoft-plans-october-12-event-to-address-its-very-out-of-date-surface-lineup/

Apple Watch Ultra Reviews

The Apple Watch Ultra reviews have hit.  It seems like an interesting device, but very much not for everyone.  For anyone who likes big watches, it looks fine.  But as for its attempt to be a true rugged watch for the extreme uses cases, the reviews all find that to be a much more aspirational goal than a realistic one.  That really does seem like Apple’s M.O.  And that continues with this $1100 watch.

https://www.theverge.com/23363948/apple-watch-ultra-review-rugged-smartwatch-gps

Airpods Pro 2 Reviews

The last product from Apple’s September event is the AirPods Pro 2, and reviews generally praise the headphones for being solid upgrades from the original models, and worth buying for first time buyers, but not necessarily for those who already have the original model.

https://www.engadget.com/airpods-pro-review-second-generation-130048218.html

Windows 11 2022 Update Begins Rollout

Windows 11 22H2… sorry, the 2022 update, is now officially beginning to roll out.  This sounds like a big deal, and while it is the single big update to Windows 11 this year there is shockingly little that is new in the Windows 11 2022 update. 

The only features worth highlighting are improved snap layouts, focus sessions, and the inclusion of the Clipchamp video editor as part of the OS.  Snap layouts are a useful feature for using multiple windows.  Focus sessions are  very similar to focus mode on Apple devices.  These are good additions, but there isn’t much else worth talking about.

Microsoft also says that a Windows 10 2022 update is coming.  But there has been absolutely no public communication about what that update may or may not contain, or when it will be released.

https://www.thurrott.com/windows/273225/windows-11-2022-update-version-22h2-now-available

The iPhone 14 Pro Camera Vibrates When Using 3rd Party Apps

Did you get a shiny new iPhone 14 Pro and immediately want to start taking those perfect Instagram shots only to find the camera literally vibrating?  Well, you’re not alone.  Apparently a pretty hilarious bug in iOS 16 means that the image stabilization functionality in the main camera sensor loses its mind and starts vibrating to the point of becoming unusable.  The image on the screen literally vibrates, and there is an audible clicking sound.  This only affects 3rd party apps, and dos not affect the camera app on the phone.

Apple says that this is, in fact, a bug.  A software update will be released next week to address it.  That seems like a long time.

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2022/09/apple-plans-a-fix-for-grinding-vibrating-iphone-14-pro-max-cameras-next-week/

iPhone 14 Looks The Same On the Outside, But Is Completely Redesigned On The Inside

This is fascinating.  The iPhone 14 is one of the most boring updates to the iPhone in quite some time, which it being basically the same phone as the iPhone 13, with many recommendations to pick up the 13 for a cheaper price than the 14.

But the inside of the iPhone 14 is a different story.  Apple has completely redesigned the internal construction of the phone.  Previously, most of the components were attached to the glass back of the phone, making the repair or replacement of the back of the phone almost too expensive to be worth it.  With the iPhone 14, both the front and back of the devices are held in with only some adhesive and a couple screws.  There is a new aluminum frame in the middle of the phone that serves as the structural mount for the rest of the components.  This makes replacing the screen and the back much simpler, and much less expensive.  Apple still inexplicably disables features like FaceID if the glass back is replaced at a repair shop that is not “Apple Authorized” but at least the repairs are much easier now.

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2022/09/iphone-14-teardown-one-key-change-makes-it-much-easier-to-repair/

You’re About To See A Lot More Ads In YouTube Shorts

Because every app copies every other app, YouTube created Shorts well over a year ago.  YouTube Shorts are the company’s competitor to TikTok and Instagram reels.  With YouTube’s scale, and the fact that  shorts now appears as a tab on the YouTube app, even if it is not the most popular platform for that type of content, it has a huge potential audience.

And now… here come the ads.  YouTube has added Shorts to the YouTube partner program, meaning creators can get ad revenue from ads in Shorts.  You can expect to see a lot more ads in YouTube shorts, similar to how ads work in TikTok and Instagram Reels, with them appearing between videos.

Unless you pay for YouTube Premium.  Then you don’t see ads. It is a wonderful experience.

https://mobilesyrup.com/2022/09/20/youtube-is-adding-shorts-to-its-partner-program/

iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Pro reviews

Reviews of the iPhones have hit, and have gone about as expected.  The iPhone 14 seems like an *extremely* small upgrade to the iPhone 13, with only the fact that there is a larger size model instead of the mini being noteworthy.  There really isn’t much else to talk about.

The iPhone 14 Pro is where all the new stuff is, and where the focus is.  The Dynamic Island seems like an interesting idea but also somewhat unintuitive and lacking in what it can do.  Hopefully developers can fill in those gaps, and Apple can improve the core functionality.  One thing noted in most reviews was that interacting with notifications in the dynamic island seems backwards.  A simple tap on the notification opens the app, while users need to long press to get quick actions.  Most reviewers felt that should be reversed.

The other noteworthy feature of the iPhone 14  Pro is the always on display, and most reviews I’ve read have an interesting take on it, with one specifically saying that the always on display is a little too always on.  Apple’s take on an always on display leaves almost the entire display on, but very dark, and the implementation has not been well received.

That however does not spoil what is otherwise a solid phone.  We are definitely in a world where year over year upgrades are not generally enough to warrant the high price tag, but for those coming from an iPhone 11 and earlier will definitely see a much better device.  If you have an iPhone 12 or 13 and are happy with it, there might not be enough here to warrant it.

https://www.engadget.com/apple-iphone-14-pro-max-review-dynamic-island-useful-always-on-display-battery-life-camera-test-sample-pictures-130020449.html

https://www.engadget.com/iphone-14-review-camera-test-sample-pictures-notch-specs-battery-life-130022134.html

Apple Watch 8 and Apple Watch SE Reviews

Reviews have also hit for the Apple Watch Series 8 and Apple Watch SE 2022.  The reviews are pretty universal in two ways:  The Series 8 is not much of an upgrade, and if you’re happy with your current watch, keep your current watch.  The Apple Watch SE reviews are consistent in saying it makes a good first Apple Watch, especially for those not sure if they want to really jump into the ecosystem.  The Watch SE drops the always on display, and some of the advanced health metrics.  Those might matter to some, but it looks like a solid entry level watch.

https://www.engadget.com/apple-watch-series-8-real-world-test-130031046.html

https://www.engadget.com/apple-watch-se-real-world-impressions-test-battery-life-130014165.html

Bose QuietComfort Earbuds II

Bose has finally updated its noise cancelling wireless earbuds with the QuietComfort Earbuds II.  The original model from 2020 was comically large, looking more like the Bluetooth headsets of the early 2000’s.  The new Earbud II’s are smaller and look better, but only slightly.  These are still among the largest earbuds on the market, and will not suit some people.

The tradeoff for the size is that the noise cancelling is apparently excellent, and the sound quality is rated as very good.  Despite the large size the fit is regarded as excellent.  One reviewer commented they feel and look like airpods on steroids, which seems like an apt description.

But reviews mention sub par call quality, lack of wireless charging on the case, and the lack of multipoint connectivity as tough pills to swallow for the $380 price tag. I would definitely say that earbuds that cost almost $400 should have very good call quality, and that these appear to be lagging there is not great.

https://www.engadget.com/bose-quietcomfort-earbuds-2-review-130026306.html

GoPro Hero 11 Brings Subtle Upgrades And New Mini Model

GoPro’s yearly upgrade is here, with a twist.  The GoPro Hero 11 Black is a small upgrade from the Hero 10 Black of 2021.  The Hero 11 Black brings the same 5.3k maximum resolution, but this time features a taller sensor to allow for better image stabilization.  Otherwise the Hero 11 Black is mostly the same.

The Hero 11 Mini, however, is a new device.  Featuring the same sensor as it’s larger sibling, the Hero 11 Mini is 13% smaller, according to GoPro.  It is narrower, but slightly thicker and taller.  There are no displays on the 11 Mini aside from a small LCD strip on the top to display the recording mode.  This makes using a smartphone to connect wirelessly to adjust settings a near necessity.  The tradeoff is a smaller GoPro that the company says can fit into smaller places to allow for different recording angles.  To help facilitate that, there is an additional folding GoPro mount on the back of the 11 Mini along with the usual bottom mount.

Pricing looks to have taken a pretty big jump.  The Hero 11 Black is priced at $710 without GoPro’s subscription service, and $530 if you sign up for a year of the subscription service.  There is no Canadian pricing on the GoPro Hero 11 Mini, which does not launch until October 25th.  That camera will be $400 USD without a subscription and $300 with.  I would guess that would be $530 without a subscription and $400 with one in Canada.

As a reminder, the GoPro subscription service is $60/year and includes two free camera replacements in the event of damage per year, unlimited cloud backup of videos, more extensive editing tools, and 50% off of GoPro accessories purchased through the GoPro store.  For serious GoPro users the subscription seems like a no brainer and worth it just for the camera savings alone.

https://www.engadget.com/gopro-hero-11-review-125905853.html

DJi Osmo Action 3 Drops Modular Design

DJi didn’t want to miss out on the action camera party, and announced the Action 3 camera the same day GoPro announced the Hero 11.  The Osmo Action 3 ditches the modular design the Action 2 had for a more traditional look, one closer to the original Osmo Action.  The standout feature of the Action 3 looks to be the fact that it natively supports vertical video, with mechanisms to mount the camera vertically and take vertical video.

The DJi Osmo Action 3 does undercut the GoPro on price, coming in at $460 in Canada.  For those not willing to pay the GoPro premium, this looks like a solid option.

https://www.engadget.com/dji-osmo-action-3-far-more-battery-life-fast-charging-and-a-spiffy-new-mount-120035233.html

Logitech Webcam Is Here For Hybrid Work

Logitech has a new webcam for our Hybrid work life.  The Brio 500 is a 1080p webcam with some neat software features that allow it to follow users as they move around the frame, something usually found in much more expensive webcams.  The camera’s mount also rotates 90 degrees allowing a straight down shot, something targeted towards creators.  The Brio 500 also features a manual privacy shutter, blocking the camera by turning a knob on the right side of the camera.

https://www.zdnet.com/article/logitechs-new-brio-500-webcam-is-smarter-and-cheaper-than-the-competition/

Xbox PC App Update Includes Howlongtobeat Integration

This is only mildly interesting to me, but I think kind of cool.  The September update to the Xbox Windows App includes integration with a service called Howlongtobeat.  That service is essentially a crowdsourced database of how long it takes to finish a game.  This can be genuinely useful, and in a world where Xbox Game Pass is key, users may find information on how long it might take to finish a game useful in deciding what to play next.  I know I make use of it.

https://mobilesyrup.com/2022/09/14/xbox-pc-app-september-update-improved-performance-howlongtobeat/

The Verge’s New Design Proves Controversial

If you’ve been following this space for a while, you’ll know I often link to stories from The Verge.  One of the largest online technology news publications on the internet, The Verge often strikes what I’ve found to be a good balance of pure “gadget technology” news as well as branching off to cover news around technology, and how technology affects our lives.  The Verge launched in 2011 and it has been a daily staple for me since then.

This morning The Verge rolled out a new design that, if the comments are to be believed, is not being received well.  There are two parts to the redesign, the actual nuts and bolts of the design, fonts, colours, style, and the design.  And then there’s the new content strategy.

The nuts and bolts of the design is where I have the biggest issue.  Like everything, I’m sure people will adjust, but this design will definitely take some getting used to and has some decisions that are, in my opinion, baffling.  The home page features white text on a black background, while the article pages feature black text on a white background.  That change is jarring, and Is hard on the eyes.  The home page features a disjointed scrolling experience on larger screens, with content on the left and right scrolling at different rates.  There are fewer, smaller images on the home page making it hard to easily tell what a story is quickly.  It can be hard to tell what is original reporting and what is a repost of other content.  This is of course a subjective opinion, but I think the home page is a mess.

The second piece is the actual content strategy.  In an interview with Axios, The Verge’s editor-in-chief Nilay Patel talks about the design and content.  I’ll link that below.  But The Verge is now betting on what it calls the storystream.  The idea is that writers on The Verge can post and link to content from other sources instead of writing an entire story about it, and that content can appear on The Verge homepage.  As an example; if Elon Musk tweets something, instead of writing an entire story about it a Verge writer can embed that tweet on the home page with a bit of context.

The strategy here is clear.  The Verge is trying to aggregate content in order to drive more people to its home page, where readers will consume more ads.  When users consume more ads, the company makes more money.  Patel says as much in the Axios article, saying The Verge’s competition is not Engadget, or Ars Technica.  The  competition is Twitter and Facebook.  This is 100% a play to get more people to visit The Verge more often, for a longer period of time, and consuming more content on The Verge, even if that content is embedded from a competitor of the company.

The strategy here is sound, and could work.  Shame about the overall design of the home page.  That could torpedo it.

https://www.axios.com/2022/09/13/verge-goes-after-twitter-new-redesign

Twitter Shareholders Approve Elon Musk Deal

The final results are not in, but Twitter says a majority of its shareholders have approved the deal struck with Elon Musk to buy the company.  But there remains the small matter that Elon Musk is trying to back out of the deal, and the sides are currently suing each other.  But this procedural hurdle has been cleared.

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2022/09/twitter-shareholders-approve-the-44b-merger-musk-is-trying-to-get-out-of/

iPhone 14 Battery Replacements Will Be $40 Higher

One thing that really helps the longevity of the iPhone, beyond Apple’s long support of the products, is that when the battery starts to die replacements have been relatively inexpensive.  While it cost $90 to replace the battery on the iPhone 13, the cost to replace the battery on the iPhone 14 line will be $130.  When compared to the overall price of iPhones that is still a small number, but increasing the price of battery replacements will make users a little less willing to simply get a new battery and instead buy a new device.  That is good for Apple, but not as good for the sustainability of the industry.

https://mobilesyrup.com/2022/09/12/iphone-14-series-battery-repairs-to-cost-40-more-than-the-iphone-13/

New Amazon Kindle Brings Better Screen, Longer Battery, USB-C

Amazon has finally given some love to its cheapest Kindle.  Last updated in 2019 the basic Kindle model sported the lowest resolution display at 167 pixels per inch (ppi), weakest backlight, and still charged via MicroUSB.  Today Amazon has updated the basic Kindle to feature a 300ppi display, the same as the Kindle Paperwhite though it remains at 6”.  The Kindle also sees a better backlight, something closer to the previous generation Kindle Paperwhite.  Lastly, the Kindle finally charges via USB-C.  Amazon says you won’t have to charge the Kindle very often as it claims the battery will last up to 6 weeks.

The basic kindle was not an easy device to recommend recently, as it lagged far behind the rest of the lineup.  The new model is much more capable, but at $130 it is just $20 cheaper than the excellent Kindle Paperwhite, and I still find it hard to recommend the basic model when the price difference is so small.

https://mobilesyrup.com/2022/09/13/amazon-new-kindle-with-six-week-battery/

iOS 16, tvOS 16, and WatchOS 9 Now Available

Lastly it is worth noting that Apple released iOS 16 and WatchOS 9 to the world.  iOS 16’s main feature is the new lock screen, and the update looks solid enough that most people should probably upgrade.

For those of us with iPads, iPadOS 16 has been delayed, so there is no update today.  iPadOS 16 will likely be coming in October.

Apple has released iOS 15.7 and iPadOS 15.7 that features security updates for those unable to update to iOS 16 or those who don’t want to update to iOS 16.  MacOS also got a similar security update with MacOS Ventura also not coming until October.

Apple Watch Series 8

The Apple Watch Series 8 is a small update to the Series 7. The standout hardware feature is the new temperature sensor on the underside of the watch, which Apple highlighted its use as a way for women to track ovulation.  Apple didn’t mention any other use cases for the sensor, so we’ll see if it is activated for other use cases.  Also in the Series 8 are new accelerometers and gyroscopes to facilitate the updated fall detection features.  But that is mostly it for hardware.  The screen is ever so slightly bigger, and ever so slightly brighter, and it still comes in 41 and 45mm case sizes.

The Apple Watch Series 8 is available to pre order now starting $530 for the 41mm model and $570 for the 45mm model and will hit shelves on September 16

Apple Watch SE (2nd Generation)

The awkwardly named Apple Watch SE (2nd Generation) – I’m not sure why it just wasn’t called the SE 2 – was also announced.  This update to 2020’s 1st generation SE brings the hardware specs up to par with the rest of the line.  The screen is slightly smaller, being the same style as the Series 4-6 displays, and it lacks the always on display, the temperature sensor, the ability to read blood oxygen, and the ECG app.  But it does have the rest of the sensors in it, including the new fall detection sensors.  This looks like a solid entry point for the Apple Watch, with significant savings for anyone who doesn’t need the always on display.  It comes in 40 and 44mm sizes, matching the case size of the Series 4-6.

The Apple Watch SE (2nd generation) is available to pre order now starting at $330 for the 40mm model and $370 for the 44mm model and will hit shelves on September 16.

Apple Watch Ultra

The Big Boy, both figuratively and literally.  The Apple Watch Ultra is a new model in the lineup and is marketed at a completely new audience.  This monster of a watch has a 49mm size, nearly 20% larger than the smaller Apple Watch SE.  Despite the relative light weight of its titanium case, it still weighs in at 61.3 grams.  The 45mm aluminum Series 8, by comparison, is 38.8 grams, and the 45mm Galaxy Watch 5 Pro, something most reviewers mentioned felt extremely heavy on a wrist, is only 46.5g.  The Apple Watch Ultra is a big, heavy watch.

Apple is positioning the Watch Ultra as the “ultimate sports watch” designed for marathon runners, divers, hikers, and other more “extreme” activities.  It is water resistant up to 100m, has a MIL-STD rugged rating, and the design even has the case covering the edges of the now completely flat screen, designed to keep it from getting damaged from bumps.

There is an additional action button, a larger digital crown with a button guard, dual speakers, and 3 microphones.  Every model features cellular connectivity, there is no Bluetooth only version.  Apple even touts the watch bands designed for the Watch Ultra as being specifically for more sport oriented use.

Battery life is one area where this watch could fall down.  Apple claims the Watch Ultra will get 36 hours of battery life, with that being able to extend to up to 60 hours with a new low power mode that will come to the watch via a software update later this fall.  While the Watch Ultra is actually competitive with Garmin adventure watches in terms of pricing, when it comes to battery life, the Watch Ultra is not competitive.  The Garmin epix watch claims up to 16 days of battery life as a smartwatch, including 6 days with an always on display.  Apple is marketing the Watch Ultra to people who want to go off the grid for days, but with a battery that needs to be charged every day.  Even the Galaxy Watch 5 Pro claims up to 80 hours of battery life, almost a full day longer than the Watch Ultra in low power mode.  The Watch Ultra seems like a good device that may get held back in the market by a weak battery.

The Apple Watch Ultra is available to pre order now at $1100 and will hit shelves on September 23rd.

iPhone 14 and 14 Plus

The iPhone 14 and 14 Plus are a different take from the iPhone 13 product line.  The mini model is gone this year, with the 6.1” iPhone 14 and 6.7” iPhone 14 Plus forming the portfolio for the year.  The mini versions of the iPhones 12 and 13 did not have the sales numbers to continue their existence, as more consumers opt for larger phones with larger batteries.  Speaking of larger batteries, the iPhone 14 Plus is marketed as having the longest battery life ever on an iPhone.  With the iPhone 14 lacking the Pro Motion high refresh rate  display of the Pro model phones, but having a similar size battery as the Pro Max, that claim is very believable.

The iPhone 14 is otherwise an extremely small update from the 13 hardware wise.  The main camera has a larger sensor, and…. That’s about it for external facing features.  The iPhone 14 doesn’t even get a processor upgrade, featuring the same A15 processor found in the iPhone 13 series.  Other updates coming to the iPhone 14 that are shared with the iPhone 14 Pro that we’ll get to in a second include limited satellite connectivity.  The satellite connectivity is not for general purpose use, but is designed instead for contacting emergency services via text through a satellite connection.  It cannot be used to send normal text messages, just emergency services.  And it is not as seamless as one would hope.  It requires using an app to point the iPhone in the right direction to reach a satellite, and there must be clear sky.  Messages also take roughly 15 seconds to send where the iPhone must be held still.

The last change to the iPhone 14 series could be a controversial one, but it isn’t clear if this will affect Canada.  US models of the iPhone 14 (and 14 Pro) will not come with a physical SIM card tray, and will only support eSIM.  eSIM’s are becoming increasingly common, with most phones released today supporting eSIM, but the iPhone 14 will be among the first phones to not support a SIM card at all.  eSIM’s are marketed as an easy alternative to to physical cards, with users able to “sign in” to their wireless account, for lack of a better term.  Customers can activate an eSIM tied to their accounts on multiple devices, though it can only be active on one at a time, mimicking physical SIM’s only being able to be used in one phone at a time.  In the US where customers don’t switch phones and carriers often, this may work, but in many parts of the world where some customers will have 3-4 phone accounts that they swap between, especially those who travel often, eSIM’s remain a hard sell.  eSIM technology will be the future of how we set up our smartphones, but it feels like Apple is a couple years too early ditching the SIM tray on US phones.

It does look like, based on the Apple Product page, that the model of iPhone 14 sold in Canada will support a SIM card tray, so the eSIM only models do seem limited to just the USA.

The iPhone 14 will be available to pre order on September 9 starting at $1100 for 128GB of storage.  The iPhone 14 Plus starts at $1250 for 128GB of storage.  The phones hit shelves on September 16.

iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max

Where the iPhone 14 is an extremely small update to the iPhone, the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max offer much bigger updates over last year’s models.

The biggest visual change comes from the display.  Gone is the giant notch for the FaceID cameras, replaced by a pill shaped cutout not unlike what is seen on some Android phones with multiple front cameras.  But this cutout is done the Apple way.  Apple calls it the Dynamic Island, which is an extremely hilarious name for a genuinely useful function.  Apple has redesigned the iphone status bar and notifications around the Dynamic Island.  So notifications appear to expand out of the empty space.  It is an elegant and brilliant way to handle the camera cutouts, something that we’ve not seen before.  I highly recommend checking out videos of the demonstration of how it works, it is slick.

The other big change display wise is that Apple is finally adding an always on display to the iPhone 14 Pro models.  Always on Displays have existed on phones in some manner for years, with Windows Phones supporting the feature in 2013.  Always On Displays allow phones to display limited information like the time and notification icons on an otherwise off display.  Apple’s implementation shows the clock and lock screen widgets, as well as a dimmed version of the phone wallpaper.

Other big upgrades for the iPhone 14 Pro include the camara, with the new main camera sensor bumped all the way up to 48 megapixels.  That sensor is then binned down to 12 megapixels for most images, allowing for sharper pictures and more  light, something many Android phones have been doing for years.  The 3x telephoto and ultrawide cameras have received smaller updates, but should produce better images as well.  The phone features the A16 processor, which focuses on power efficiency and camera features this year.

All in all, the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max look like really good upgrades to the iPhone 13 Pro lineup.  I really want to see that Dynamic Island in action.

The iPhone 14 Pro will be available to pre order on September 9 starting at $1400 for 128GB of storage.  The iPhone 14 Pro Max starts at $1550.  Both phones hit shelves on September 16.

AirPods Pro (2nd Generation)

Lastly we have the second generation of the AirPods Pro.  The new model looks exactly like the first generation, with slightly better battery life (6 hours instead of 5), new touch controls on the stem (instead of only tap controls), and a charging case that features a lanyard hole, a speaker (for charging indication, as well as Apple Find My functionality), and the ability to charge the AirPods case with magsafe or an Apple Watch charger in addition to the Lightning connector.  Yes, the AirPods Pro, along with all the iPhones today, still charge via Lightning.

The new AirPods Pro also feature a new “H2” chip designed to make Noise Cancelling and transparency mode better.

The AirPods Pro (2nd Generation) will be available for perorder on September 9th for $330, and will hit shelves on September 23

ARM Sues Qualcomm… One Of Its Biggest Customers

This one sounds weird on the surface, but gets slightly less weird with some context.  As a reminder, ARM as a company does not actually make any of the processors it designs.  It instead licenses its design, technology, and instruction sets to other companies to build products.  Perhaps the two most famous customers are Apple and Qualcomm, who together make the processors that run virtually every mobile phone and tablet on the planet.

Qualcomm recently completed the purchase of a company called Nuvia, which was designing ARM based processors for datacenters.  ARM is alleging that Qualcomm’s purchase of Nuvia violated Nuvia’s license agreement to use ARM technologies, and Qualcomm cancelled the licenses upon purchase.  ARM also alleges that Qualcomm is continuing to leverage those Nuvia developed products in violation of what are supposedly cancelled contracts.

I’m not a lawyer, nor do I play one on TV, but this one screams to me that the eventual endgame here is a settlement where Qualcomm agrees to pay ARM more money to make this go away.  From ARM’s side, losing a customer in Nuvia represents a significant revenue hit that it will try to recoup by getting more money out of Qualcomm. But hey, it makes for a fun headline.

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2022/09/arm-sues-qualcomm-over-its-1-4-billion-nuvia-acquisition/

Snap Lays Off 20% of Workforce

Snap, Inc, the company we all know of as Snapchat, is laying off 20% of it’s workforce.  That represents a little over 1,200 people losing their jobs.  Snap is cancelling many in development projects, including shuttering the hardware division responsible for the Spectacles glasses and the recently released drone built for Snapchat.  Other projects being cancelled include original programming and in-app games.  The company says it will focus on community growth, revenue growth, and augmented reality. 

https://www.theverge.com/2022/8/31/23330123/snap-layoffs-announced-original-shows-canceled-games-mini-apps

Twitter Begins Testing Edit Button

Twitter is finally starting to test the promised Edit button.  Certain users, likely mostly limited to higher profile users at this point, are getting the functionality enabled on their accounts.  Twitter says that later in September it will begin testing with a wider range of users.  That wider range will be subscribers to the $6.50/month Twitter Blue service.  Twitter has said that the subscription service will get new features first, and this seems to be the case for the edit button.

The process of editing a tweet seems fairly straightforward.  Users can edit a tweet “a few times” up to 30 minutes after it is posted, with a note that the tweet is edited under the text.  That is a clickable link that lets anyone see the edit history of that tweet, and see what it originally said.  After 30 minutes, the tweet is no longer editable.  Being able to see the edit history as well as time limiting the edit functionality seems like a reasonable solution, allowing users to correct typos or clarify a tweet shortly after it is written, while protecting against a tweet being completely re-written to a different context after the fact.  Hopefully this rolls out widely sooner rather than later.

https://mobilesyrup.com/2022/09/01/twitter-finally-getting-edit-button-coming-to-canada-first/

Lenovo’s New X1 Fold Improves The Folding Windows Computer

Folding phones are starting to become mainstream, but computers with folding screens have been few and far between.  Part of that is scaling up the screen technology in phones to a laptop sized display is difficult, and expensive.  The ultra thin glass found on Samsung Z series phones, for example, is not practical at the size of a large tablet or laptop screen.

But, technology always moves on.  The new X1 Fold aims to overcome the first model’s shortcomings.  It features a gigantic 16.3” display, a 12th generation Intel processor, and Windows 11.  The screen is supposed to be more durable, and the larger size makes for a larger keyboard accessory that looks much more usable than the model on the first X1 Fold.

The X1 Fold can be used unfoled with a kickstand to take full advantage of of the big display, folded at a 90 degree angle using either the lower half of the touchscreen as a keyboard, or placing the Bluetooth keyboard accessory right on the device, turning it into a small laptop, or as a standalone tablet, albeit a big one.

And the price is also big.  When it releases later this year it will start at $2500 USD, so this is definitely not for everyone. 

But I want it.

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2022/09/hands-on-lenovos-second-foldable-pc-addresses-the-firsts-biggest-problems/

Phillips Hue’s New Lightbulbs Look Great, Cost A Lot

Phillips is getting further into the fancy light bulb game with its new line of Lightguide filament bulbs.  Designed for open fixtures, these look vaguely like Edison bulbs, just much more fancy, and have the ability to change colours, like many Hue products.  The bulbs do not come cheap, however, starting at $90 in Canada for a single bulb.  For $90, I will continue to appreciate them from afar.

Phillips also announced the Hue Play gradient light strip, designed to be mounted to the back of a monitor for a slick looking desktop setup.  The Hue Play starts at $200 in Canada

The last product are some low profile pot lights designed for low  ceilings, not as exciting as the other products, but functional.  But still expensive at $80 per light.

All of these products will be available in Q4.

https://mobilesyrup.com/2022/09/01/philips-hue-announces-new-filament-bulbs-gamer-gradient-lightstrips/

GameSir X2 Pro Controller Announced

The Gamesir X2 controllers for mobile devices have been around for a bit, I reviewed the Bluetooth version last year.  GameSir recently released the X3, which features analog triggers and a massive fan that needs its own power connection.  The design of the X3 made it much less portable.

Well, there’s a new version of the older X2 controller out, and it is actually a Microsoft licensed product.  The X2 Pro has the same formfactor as the X2 line, but also features the analog triggers from the X3.  Being Xbox branded there is an Xbox button as the home button, and it is designed to work with Xbox Cloud Gaming.  People who purchase this $80 USD controller even get a free month of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate to try out the cloud gaming functionality.

The X2 Pro will also work with any game that supports controller input on Android.  The X2 Pro is limited to Android phones that will fit into the grip while plugging into the USB C port.  Most phones should work, but iPhone owners will need to look elsewhere.

https://www.androidpolice.com/gamesir-x2-pro-hands-on/

Jabra Launches Elite 5 Wireless Headphones

Jabra has filled the middle of its wireless headphone lineup with the Elite 5s.  The new model will sit between the Elite 3 and Elite 7 in the lineup.  While the Elite 5’s do not have all the bells and whisles of the more expensive Elite 7, they do feature active noise cancelling, something the Elite 3’s lack.  These look like a solid middle of the road option with good features for the price, though the Elite 7 has notoriously bad microphone quality, so that aspect remains to be seen.

The Elite 5’s launch soon for $200 CAD.  To compare, the Elite 3’s are $100, and the Elite 7 Pro is $260.

https://www.androidpolice.com/jabra-elite-5-announcement/

A mix of fun and less fun stuff today.  We have new processors from AMD, a set of wireless earbuds that has a touchscreen on the case, more Rogers outage news, more about Elon Musk and Twitter, and a couple other stories I’ve found interesting over the last several days.

AMD Announces Ryzen 7000 Series Processors

The big boys are here.  The first of AMD’s new Zen 4 desktop processors have been announced.  The Ryzen 7000 series are the first new high end desktop CPU’s announced by AMD in 2 years, with the previous generation Ryzen 5000 series being announced in late 2020.  The four products announced this week are the 6 core Ryzen 5 7600X at $300 USD, the 8 core Ryzen 7 7700X at $400 USD, the 12 core Ryzen 9 7900X at $550 USD, and the 16 core Ryzen 9 7950X at $700 USD.  It should be noted that that while the lower end 7600X is priced the same as the equivalent 5600X was at launch, the 7950X is actually $100 less than the 5950X was at launch.

The core count of the Ryzen 7000 series remains the same as the the Ryzen 5000, but AMD is boasting both faster clock speed AND more efficient instructions per clock (IPC).  A better IPC means that the processor can do more at a given clock speed than an older processor at the same clock speed.  The clockspeeds are up significantly, with the 7600X boasting clockspeeds up to 5.3GHz and the 7950X boasting clockspeeds as high as a mind boggling 5.7GHz.  These products should be very fast.

All 4 processors will be available on September 27th, along with a slew of new socket AM5 motherboards to support them.  I don’t have Canadian pricing at this time but the price ranges will likely be between $400 and $1000 for the various models. 

https://pcper.com/2022/08/amd-announces-ryzen-7000-specs-and-pricing/

Canada’s Competition Tribunal Rules Rogers Outage Relevant To Shaw Takeover Talks

Rogers bid to buy Shaw might hit another roadblock, as the competition bureau has ruled that the July 8th outage that affected 13 million Rogers customers is relevant to the decision on whether or not Rogers will be allowed to buy Shaw.  There is no indication either way as to exactly what that means for the various agencies that need to greenlight the deal before it is allowed to go through, but it is hard to imagine it paints the deal in a better light.

https://mobilesyrup.com/2022/08/29/questions-relating-to-rogers-july-8th-outage-applicable-to-shaw-merger-hearings/

Meta Settles Cambridge Analytica Lawsuit, Avoids Zuckerberg Testifying Under Oath

Meta has agreed to settle a class action lawsuit brought by a group of users impacted by the Cambridge Analytica scandal.  It is hard to believe but it has been 4 years since it was revealed that Facebook allowed Cambridge Analytica to collect and sell the personal data of an estimated 87 million Facebook users, mainly to political organizations.  This data collection occurred even if a user had set all of their data to “private” on the Facebook platform.  The class action lawsuit had proceeded far enough that Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg was due to testify under oath in September.  One wonders if keeping Zuckerberg away from a sworn testimony was a motivating factor for Meta to settle.  The two sides have submitted a plan to the judge overseeing the case to have a written settlement completed within 60 days.  Only then will we learn what Meta agrees to pay in damages on top of the Billions of dollars it has already paid to the US Federal Trade Comission in fines.

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2022/08/zuckerberg-avoids-cambridge-analytica-deposition-as-facebook-agrees-to-settle/

Elon Musk Officially Subpoena’s Twitter Whistleblower

Elon Musk’s legal team has issued a subpoena to Peiter Zatko, the former head of cybersecurity at Twitter who says the company has misrepresented the number of bots on the platform, among other more serious allegations.  The number of legitimate accounts on the platform is a key argument for Musk as he tries to back out of his deal to buy Twitter.  His legal team indicates that Zatko’s information, if proven to be correct, will be the centerpiece of their legal argument.

This story is the gift that won’t stop giving.

https://www.engadget.com/elon-musk-twitter-whistleblower-subpoena-170929677.html?src=rss

Samsung Releases Android 12L for Galaxy Tab 8 Series

Just a few weeks after Android 13 was officially released, Samsung is updating the Tab S8 series….. to Android 12L.  Android 12L was the midcycle update to Android 12 designed for large screens, brining multitasking improvements, as well as better support for apps on larger displays.  While it may be funny to see Samsung release an Android 12 version after Android 13 hits, this update was in development for some time, and is also the basis for the software on the Galaxy Z Fold4.  The improvements should be meaningful on the larger tablets.

https://www.androidcentral.com/tablets/samsung-galaxy-tab-s8-android-12l-update

JBL Has Released Wireless Earbuds With a Display For Some Reason

The JBL Tour Pro 2 headphones are mostly unremarkable wireless earbuds, featuring active noise cancellation, ambient sound, 6 hours of battery life, 4 charges in the battery case, and an otherwise uninspiring design.

Oh, and there’s a touchscreen on the earbud case.  For some reason, JBL thinks putting a touchscreen here makes sense.  Users can control headphone functions, play/pause music, and even answer calls by tapping buttons on the earbud case.

But…. Why?

https://www.theverge.com/2022/8/30/23328582/jbl-touchscreen-tour-pro-2-charging-case-one-m2-features

Twitter Whistleblower Accuses Company Of Willful Ignorance Around Cybersecurity

This is a big one that broke too late on Tuesday for me to really dig into.  Pieter Zatko, a man known as a hacker who later turned into a cybersecurity expert, says that Twitter does not take user and data security seriously, and that he was fired earlier this year for what he says is a refusal to stay quiet about the company’s vulnerabilities.

Zatko alleges that up to 5,000 employees have access to user data on the platform, which is a staggering number. He says that there are also “thousands” of laptops with complete copies of Twitter’s source code on it.  He also claims that the company lies to government regulators about protecting customer information.  He also says the company lise about the number of bots on the platform, because active user count is a metric for executive bonuses.

Those are just some of the accusations made by Zatko, and even if only a few are true, paint a fairly damning picture of the company and its internal policies.  This could have a severe material impact on the court case with Elon Musk over his desire to pull out of his purchase of the company, and could put the company in legal trouble for allegedly misleading the FTC over a previous 2010 settlement.

Zatko is now set to testify before a congressional committee in September. That should be ufn.

https://www.theverge.com/2022/8/23/23317857/twitter-whistleblower-zatko-security-spam-safety

Google Announces New Fitbit Versa 4, Sense 3, Inspire 3

The new Fitbits are here.  The Fitbit Versa 4 and Sense 2 look very much like their predecessors, though they both bring back the physical back button instead of the capacitive touch one found in the Versa 3 and Sense.  Otherwise, these are strangely iterative updates for the Fitbit products, especially since they are the first smartwatches released since Google bought Fitibit.  They run the same Fitbit OS, and don’t even have services like Google Wallet and Google Maps at launch, with the company saying those are coming in the future.  Otherwise, these have the same experience as the previous devices.  There are more workouts to track, the health sensors are more robust (the blood oxygen sensor is able to work all the time now, instead of only during sleep, for example).  Perhaps the biggest advantage to the Fitbit devices are that because their functionality is still slightly limited compared to a WearOS smartwatch, they can get up to 6 days of battery life.  It goes without saying that that is a big advantage over a watch like the Galaxy Watch 5 which can get maybe 2 days.  The trade is battery life or capability, and it looks like Fitbit branded devices will continue to favour battery life over a full smartwatch feature set.  But for those with an iPhone that don’t want an Apple Watch, or those on Android who prefer the square design, these look fairly compelling.

The Fitbit Versa 4 starts at $300, and the Sense 2 starts at $400.

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2022/08/fitbit-announces-new-sense-2-versa-4-and-inspire-3-fitness-trackers/

Sony Raises PlayStation 5 Price in Canada

Well, here’s something you don’t see every day. Usually the price of video game consoles go down over time as components become cheaper.  But with the PlayStation 5, the price is going up in every region except the USA.  In Canada the price of the all digital edition without the disc drive has gone from $500 to $520, while the more expensive version with the disc drive has gone from $600 to $650.

For what its worth, Microsoft confirmed later in the day that it does not plan on raising the price of the Xbox Series consoles.

https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2022/08/sony-raises-playstation-5-console-prices-in-many-regions-effective-immediately/

Google Tells Users To Wait 15 Minutes Before Setting Up Google Assistant On The Galaxy Watch 5

This one is just amusing to me. Users who have gotten the Galaxy Watch 5 early have been reporting that they are unable to activate Google Assistant when first setting up the watch. Google’s official statement on the matter is to wait 15 minutes and try again. I’m sure it’s just a weird technical bug on needing time for the watch to register on a Google Account before Assistant will activate, and that 15 minutes lets it happen, but it is still quite amusing to me.

https://www.androidpolice.com/google-wants-wait-15-minutes-setting-up-assistant-galaxy-watch-5/

Twitter Is Turning Spaces Into a Podcast Platform For Some Reason

Twitter Spaces is an interesting way for people to broadcast live audio to their followers.  It also allows the broadcaster to let listeners talk to them, turning into a two way conversation. The feature has been around for a while now, and now Twitter is morphing it into a full on podcast platform.

Twitter’s twist here is that the spaces tab will play curated playlists of various podcasts based on what it thinks your interests are.  This looks to be an attempt to resolve the discoverability issue that podcasts and podcast platforms still grapple with to this day.  Will this attempt work?  The idea is sound but I’m not sure if Twitter is the place where someone is going to go to try to discover new podcasts.

https://www.theverge.com/2022/8/25/23321940/twitter-podcast-spaces-spotify-apple

Galaxy Book Go – Hardware

First let’s talk about the actual laptop itself.  The Galaxy Book Go is a low cost 14” laptop.  It retails normally for $470, can often be found on sale for $300, and my specific unit is a refurbished model I found for well under $200.  That refurbished unit is the only reason I have one, as I absolutely do not think this laptop is worth $300, never mind almost $500.  The aggressive sales seen now are likely due to the fact that the Galaxy Book Go was released in 2021, and is now a year-old product.

Spec wise, the Galaxy Book Go runs a Qualcomm Snapdragon 7c Gen 2 processor, has 4GB of ram, and has 128GB of eUFS storage.  That 7c Gen 2 processor is similar to midrange phone processors released in 2021.  It has two USB-C ports, one standard USB-a port, and a headphone jack.  Included in the box is a 25W charger that is the exact same 25W charger Samsung sells for phones, which is a good reminder that this is a midrange phone stuck into a laptop chassis.  The display is a truly terrible 14” 1080p screen. Even for the price this is a bad display, with the colors shifting significantly if you are not looking directly at it.

Battery life was one of the original selling points of Windows on ARM laptops, and battery life is good here.  Under light use I have been getting between 14 and 16 hours of battery life, something an Intel or AMD laptop could only dream of.  When pushing the computer to its limit, which I did often because the computer was so underpowered, battery life was closer to 8 hours.  In reality the average battery life number is probably closer to 12 hours.  That is more than you see from the average Intel or AMD laptop, but not so good that it is worth the performance penalty.

Otherwise, it has Wifi 5, Bluetooth 5.1, a terrible 720p webcam, and an all-plastic build that is creaky, flexible in ways it shouldn’t be, and definitely feels like a laptop that I paid less than $200 for.  My favorite part is that if I pick it up from the lower right corner when the laptop is on, the plastic flexes so much that it actually clicks the trackpad.

Samsung clearly cut a lot of corners on this laptop to hit a price point.  I definitely would not recommend this laptop to anyone, even if it ran on an intel processor.  You can do better even this this price range. This display alone is enough of a deterrent. This is not a good computer.

However, I did not pick up the Galaxy Book Go for the hardware.  This laptop serves as one of the only affordable platforms running Windows on ARM and that’s what I’m really here to talk about.

Windows on ARM – Not quite an ARM and a Leg

Windows 11 on ARM is the 3rd ARM based operating system Microsoft has released.  The original release was the disastrous Windows RT, the version of Windows 8 that looked like Windows but didn’t run Windows apps, and Windows 10 on ARM, which saw its first version in 2017.  Microsoft doesn’t actually even call the products Windows on ARM, or Windows 11 ARM version, or anything like that.  Inside the operating system it is only referred to as Windows 11, with the only indication that it is Windows on ARM by looking at the processor in system info.  That, and all the apps that don’t run, but we’ll get to that.

Microsoft’s clear goal with Windows on ARM is to build a version of Windows that users and just use and not have to worry about.  It is something that Apple has mostly accomplished with the M series processors in their Mac lineup.  Where Windows RT couldn’t run x86 Windows apps at all, and Windows 10 on ARM could only emulate (most) 32-bit x86 Windows applications, Windows 11 on ARM can emulate (some) 64 bit applications, allowing most, if not all Windows applications to run on Windows on ARM.

This app compatibility is a big deal, because there is not a big ecosystem of apps written for the ARM version of Windows.  Windows RT proved that a version of Windows that can’t run Windows apps would fail, and Windows 10 was only a half step.  The promise of Windows 11’s ARM version was to take that last half step and allow users to run nearly any app they want.

So how does Windows on ARM run today?  My semi-professional opinion is….. I’m not sure.  Testing Windows on ARM on lower power, limited hardware seen in the Galaxy Book Go makes it hard to determine whether any issues are related to Windows on ARM, or the low powered hardware.  Running emulated apps carries a performance penalty, with apps taking a long time to launch.  Affinity Photo, a 64 bit only x86 app takes almost 90 seconds to launch on the Galaxy Book Go.  Once it gets running, it works well enough, if a bit slow.  But that slowness can also be attributed to the limited 4GB of RAM on the Galaxy Book Go, something not generally good enough for a big photo editor.  Google Chrome is also much slower to start than it would be on a laptop with an Intel or AMD processor, but runs fine once it gets going, until running into that 4GB RAM issue.

Using apps with ARM versions, like the Edge web Browser and most of the built-in apps, the laptop performs much like I would expect from a $300-$500 Windows laptop.  Edge launches fast enough, runs well enough… until that 4GB RAM limit.

So, while running ARM optimized apps remains a solid enough experience, the fact remains that there just aren’t enough of them.  Microsoft itself is strangely complicit in this.  Not all of the built in Windows applications run with native ARM versions.  Until recently the App Store app was an emulated app, certain built-in apps like Notepad, Paint, and more remain x86 apps that run in emulation.  How can developers be expected to take Windows on ARM seriously when 5 years after its introduction not even all of Microsoft’s apps built into Windows have ARM versions.

The conundrum here is the hardware I’m running Windows 11 on ARM on. 4GB of RAM is not enough on a modern PC in 2022, and it shows.  Even when running Microsoft Edge, opening more than 2 or 3 tabs slows the computer to a near crawl because the system runs out of RAM.  Because of those limits it’s nearly impossible to judge the true performance of ARM optimized apps.  I believe the experience would be fine on a system with 8GB or more of RAM, but I’m not willing to spend $1200 on a higher end Windows on ARM laptop to find out.

That price structure remains the problem.  Windows on ARM still can’t run every Windows app, and a version of Windows that can’t run every Windows app isn’t a version of Windows worth getting.  And some of the advantages that Windows on ARM had have nearly been eliminated.  Battery life was a huge selling point of the original version of Windows 10 on ARM, with laptops getting up to 18  hours of battery life.  But after getting the laptops to users, it became clear that while those claims were mostly true, if everything takes twice as long to run on an ARM laptop, does the battery life even matter?  And Intel and AMD laptops have closed the gap.  The average laptop got between 6-8 hours of battery life when Windows on ARM debuted.  Now 10-12 hours is not uncommon among the best Windows laptops.  And if given the choice between 11 hours on an Intel laptop or 14 hours on an ARM laptop, I would take the Intel laptop every time.

The frustrating part of this is that it is easy to look across the virtual street and see what Apple has done with the M series Mac line.  The M1 Macbook Air and MacBook Pros launched in 2020, 3 years after the first Windows on ARM computers. The M1 MacBooks run nearly every Mac App and run them just as fast or faster than the previous Intel Macs.  And they have the battery life to go with it.  I used a 13” M1 MacBook Pro as a work computer for nearly a year and I could get almost two full workdays out of the battery on that computer, all while being the fastest laptop I had ever used.

Windows on ARM, by comparison, feels slow, can’t run all the apps, and doesn’t reach those battery life levels.  Not all of this is Microsoft’s fault, of course.  The Snapdragon processors in ARM laptops, especially the midrange 7c in the Galaxy Book Go, is not up to the task of heavier Windows apps.  I would really like to see what Windows 11’s ARM version could do running on a system as powerful as the M1 MacBook Pro.  Then it would be a better test.  Alas, Microsoft can only put Windows on the available hardware, and until that hardware catches up, we won’t know the true potential.  Even then, if it can’t run all the apps, what’s the point?

Windows on ARM laptops might have their moment in the sun. But that moment is not today. Do yourself a favor and avoid them at all costs until the situation improves, if it ever does.

Microsoft Will Now Show Ads To Outlook Mobile Users On Free Accounts

You know the drill.  If you don’t pay for the product you are the product.  Microsoft has shown ads on outlook.com to free users for a long time, but the mobile app had  not shown ads.  Now, users with free outlook.com email accounts will see ads in the Outlook Mobile app for Android and iOS as well.  Users signing into work or school accounts, or users paying for Microsoft 365 Personal or Premium will not see ads in Outlook on the web or in the app.

Frankly, it surprised me that there weren’t ads in the mobile app before this.  But here we are.

https://www.thurrott.com/cloud/271168/outlook-mobile-now-show-ads-to-all-free-users

Apple Delays iPadOS 16

After weeks of rumours that troubles with the new Stage Manager feature in iPadOS 16, Apple has officially confirmed that the new iPad OS version will not be released at the same time as iOS 16 for iPhones.  Apple has released iPadOS 16.1 to developers, and it appears the “final” version of iPadOS shipping to customers will be 16.1, coming in October.

https://9to5mac.com/2022/08/23/apple-delay-ipados-16-1-beta-now-available/

Sony’s New DualSense Edge Conrtoller Totally Doesn’t Copy the Xbox Elite Controller

Sony unveiled a new premium controller at the Gamescom conference this week.  The DualSense Edge Controller (since Elite was taken) is a controller that features removable, customizable joysticks, just like the Xbox Elite Controller. It features back paddles, just like the Xbox Elite Controller (albeit 2 instead of 4). It features button mapping with three programmable presets, just like the Xbox Elite Controller. It also has adjustable trigger locks for the R2 and L2 triggers, just like the Xbox Elite Controller.

Sony did not announce a price or release date for the Xbox Elite Controller DualSense Edge Controller but I’m going to guess it’ll be priced somewhere around $230 in Canada…. Just like the Xbox Elite Controller.

https://www.theverge.com/2022/8/23/23318564/sony-dualsense-edge-wireless-controller-features

Steelseries Acrtis Nova 7 Headset Finally Brings Cross Compatibility

Steelseries has updated it’s Acrtis headset line, with the new high end Arctis 7 featuring cross device compatibility thanks to a wireless USB-C receiver along with Bluetooth support.  Thanks to both connectibity options it supports PC, Xbox, Playstation, and Nintendo Switch, along with being able to connect to any Bluetooth device. Mercifuly, it also charges via USB-C.  Previous versions of Steelseries headsets still charged via the outdated Micro-USB standard.  When I was shopping for a new headset earlier this year the Steelseries lineup was a nonstarter for those reasons, and this makes it much more competitive.  The lower cost Arctis Nova 3 and Nova 1 headsets were also announced, both f eaturing wired connections.

The Arctis Nova 7 is available for $230 in Canada

https://www.theverge.com/2022/8/23/23317108/steelseries-arctis-nova-wireless-7-3-1-price-features-gaming-headset-wireless

YouTube Has A Podcast Page For Some Reason

For some reason, if you go to youtube.com/podcasts, you may see a new page that highlights video podcasts on YouTube.  Google already has a podcast platform called Google Podcasts, so I’m not sure why this exists, but here we are.

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2022/08/youtubes-podcasting-push-begins-with-youtube-com-podcasts-landing-page/

GameSir X3 Reviews

Last year I revewed the GameSir X2 Bluetooth controller and liked it a fair bit, even with a couple shortcomings.  The X3 is an…. Interesting product.  This version is not Bluetooth, and features a USB-C connection to connect to phones. It also includes a fan that is supposed to help cool the attached phone to make gaming sessions better.

The downside to this is that the fan needs to be powered, so there is a separate USB-C port just for it, and for the fan to work it has to be plugged in.  The controller still works without the fan active, but it is much larger and bulkier because of it, and it has to be tethered to power to work.

Weird product.

https://www.androidpolice.com/gamesir-x3-hands-on/

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

Google Releases Android 13

Android 13 unexpectedly dropped on Monday of this week.  Google has usually released Android versions later in August or in September, so this release is a couple weeks ahead of time.  The first phones with Android 13 available are Google’s Pixel phones, with the Pixel 4 being the oldest phone to get the update.

Android 13 is about minor refinements, with few big notable features.  Perhaps the most noteworthy feature of Android 13 is that apps now have to ask permission before they are allowed to send notifications to users.  Hopefully this cuts down on notification overload, especially from certain games that are notoriously bad.  While Android has already managed notifications very well, it usually requires users to turn off notifications once an app is installed, which is something some users will either forget to do, or not do.  This is a good way to help users mange notifications, and I can’t wait.

When will phones other than Pixels get Android 13?  If you own a recent Samsung Galaxy S or Z series phone, likely within 3 months.  Galaxy A series phones within 6 months.  But for the rest of the Android ecosystem, it really depends on the phone maker.  Check you rlocal listings.

https://www.androidpolice.com/android-13-review/

Pixel 6 Phones Upgraded To Android 13 Cannot Roll Back To Android 12

With the release of Android 13, Google quietly posted a note on its Pixel support page that once Pixel 6 phones upgrade to Android 13, they will not be able to go back to Android 12.  This is a departure for Google, as the company has traditionally been open and flexible with its devices dating back to the Nexus days.  Pixel phones are often used for software development and the ability to install different versions of Android on the phones have been useful.

Google does have a reason for this restriction, however.  The company says that a security vulnerability was found in the Pixel 6 bootloader, and that the Android 13 upgrade fixes that vulnerability.  However as a consequence of that Google is not letting users downgrade the bootloader back to the vulnerable version that would allow Android 12 to be installed.

This should also serve as a reminder that while we think of Google as the company that makes Arndoid, The Pixel phones are just another Android phone.

https://www.androidpolice.com/pixel-6-6a-no-android-13-downgrade-why/

Apple Looks To Increase Revenue With More Ads In iOS

Apple, the company that doesn’t make enough money, is going to be inserting more ads into iOS, including more ads in the App Store, and ads in the Maps app.  There are also rumours of ads coming to other Apple apps and services, though those are unconfirmed.

It is clear that Apple is looking for ways to keep the cash cow going, and services and ads have served companies like Google well. Now Apple seems poised to join the biggest companies in the world by blasting even more ads in our faces.

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2022/08/report-apple-is-exploring-in-app-ads-for-maps-podcasts-books-and-beyond/

Samsung’s New Odyssey Ark Monitor Is Ridiculous And Expensive And I Kind Of Want It

A 55 inch computer monitor seems nuts.  My TV is 55 inches. But the Odyssey Ark might just be crazy enough to work.  This curved monster of a monitor has more than size up its sleeve.  Featuring 4 inputs it allos for multiple devices to be connected, making the monitor multi purpose.  The monitor can even be rotated to a portrait orientation which looks hilarious.  In portrait mode it almost looks like the top part of the monitor curves over a person’s head.  But the neat thing here is that the size is the equivalent to three 27 inch monitors stacked vertically, and the monitor can actualy output 3 signals from three different devices at the same time.  It is a neat trick, and actually could have some practical uses.

The monitor is also so big that the controls are also on a separate remote, since you probably should sit far enough away from it to not be able to reach it.

Now, am I spending $3500 USD on this hilarious device?  Nope.  But I do hope I get to see one one day.

https://www.theverge.com/23292407/samsung-odyssey-ark-gaming-monitor-55-inch-hands-on-demo-experience

Galaxy Z Fold4 5G

The big boy is the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 5G.  why the product name has no space between Fold and the number is beyond me, so that’s the only time I’ll use it.  The Fold 4 is a very iterative update from last year’s Fold 3.  The phone looks identical to the Fold 3, though the dimensions are ever so slightly different, with the Fold 4 being just a little shorter and wider, a difference you won’t see unless the two phones are side by side.

Samsung says the redesigned hinge on the Fold 4 is smaller, and in images it does appear to stick out from the side of the phone less.  Samsung removed the gears from the mechanism, and it now uses a linear sliding mechanism.  The company says that it is stronger and thinner, time will tell.

The screen is also apparently 46% stronger while also being thinner and lighter.  This is achieved by a stronger ultra thin glass layer, a reinforced digitizer layer, and the removal of the metal backing layer.

While Samsung says the displays are very reliable and durable, that seems to be extremely variable.  These folding displays aren’t perfect, my own Fold 3 had to go in to have the screen replaced a little over a month ago as it was developing cracks along the seam.  I intended to write more about a year with the Z Fold 3…. But it is in for repair a second time as the outer screen died on me after the first repair.  I’ll have more to say once I get it back.

Back to the Fold 4 now, the biggest update looks to be in the cameras.  The Fold 3 cameras are good, not great, especially in low light situations, and the Fold 4 seems to have gotten a significant, while still not class leading update.  The camera system now matches what is found n the Galaxy S22 and S22+, with a 50 megapixel main camera, a 12 megapixel ultrawide, and a 10 megapixel zoom lens that is a 3x lens instead of 2x on the Fold 3.  If these are the same cameras found in the S22 they should be a good step up from the triple 12 megapixel cameras on the Fold 3, while still being not quite as good as the best in class Galaxy S22 Ultra.  The cameras on the Fold 3 are one of the most disappointing things for me, so improvement here is welcome.

The under display camera in the Fold 4 has also received an upgrade.  The initial impressions of the photo quality are that they are still not good photos, but at the camera is supposed to be more hidden and less apparent behind the screen.

Software wise it looks like the phone is running on the Android 12L update which is designed for larger screens.  With the display open the phone shows a dock not dissimilar from what is seen in Windows or MacOS, and that should help with multitasking.

Otherwise the phone is very similar to last year’s model.  It does feature the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 processor, 12GB of RAM 256GB, 512GB, or an eye watering 1TB of storage.  The battery is the exast same 4400mAh size at the Fold 3, which is a small size for a a big display, but without some big advancements that seems to be the biggest Samsung can squeeze in.

The Fold 4 starts at $2270 in Canada.  Those who pre-order get a free upgrade from 256 to 512GB of storage, a free year of Samsung Care+, which is their accidental damage program, and buyers can get up to $961 in trade in credit on old phones.  That potentially brings the price down to just over $1300 for those who have a 512GB Fold 3 to trade in.

I won’t be upgrading to the Fold 4, but it does look like a solid upgrade for those with an older phone who want a folding phone.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip4 5G

The Flip 4 also got a minor update, but probably a slightly more meaningful one.  While most of the phone remains the same the smaller hinge that is also present in the Flip 4 did allow for a the battery to grow from 3300mAh in the Flip 3 to 3700 in the Flip 4.  Considering battery life is one of the weakest points of folding phones, this is a welcome increase and should help the Flip 4 have more endurance.  The external display also gains more functionality, allowing users to do certain quick actions that should keep from needing to open the phone as much, which should also save battery.

Otherwise this is also a small update.  The cameras remain the same, with dual 12 megapixel cameras, the same 128GB or 256GB storage options, and the same 8GB of ram.  There is a 512GB model this year, however.  The same pre-order deal applies with buyers getting a free upgrade from 128GB to 256GB of storage and a free year of Samsung Care+.  The Flip 3 starts at $1260.

The Flip 4 is not for me, but it is arguably the more mainstream phone, and the more interesting one to the most people.  The Flip 3 apparently sold very well, especially when discounts started, hopefully the Flip 4 can continue that.

Galaxy Watch5

Next up is the watches.  Last year’s Watch 4 and Watch 4 Classic brought WearOS to Samsung Watches, and the 44mm Watch 4 that is currently on my wrist has been a solid product.  The Watch 5 offers another small update, with some quality of life improvements.  The battery life estimate has gone from 40 hours to 50 hours, which doesn’t seem significant but breaking the two day mark is a big deal.  The Watch 5 also charges faster, with the new USB-C based charging puck allowing the watch to go from 0 to 45% in just 30 minutes, which should be good for about a day of use.  It can also get about 8 hours of charge in 8 minutes.  Faster charging speeds are welcome on a device that’s meant to be worn all the time.

The Watch 5 also features sapphire crystal instead of Gorilla glass on the display.  The sapphire is what is found on traditional watches and should be much more scratch resistant that the glass display on the Watch 4.

Other changes are even more minor.  The case has been slightly redesigned so more of the bottom of the watch makes contact with the wearer’s wrist, good for the health sensors, and there is a new body temperature sensor.  But overall, this is a very similar device, featuring the same aluminum case,Samsung W920 processor, 16GB of storage, and 1.5GB of memory.

The Watch 5 is $350 for the 40mm sise and $390 for the 44mm size.  Those who order via the Samsung website get many more customization options than I the past.  Previously the watches came with a sport band of a color that matches the case, and a corresponding size band to the watch.  The larger band that came with my 44mm Watch 4 did not fit my wrist well, and I had to buy other bands.  Now with the Watch 5 not only can I get it with the smaller band, I can pick the band colour, or pick other styles of band as well.  These customization options are very welcome.

Galaxy Watch5 Pro

The Watch 5 Pro is the big watch this year, both metaphorically and physically.  The Watch 5 Pro looks big.  At 45mm the case is a bit smaller than the biggest watch Samsung has ever produced (a title that goes to the 46mm Galaxy Watch and Galaxy Watch 3).  It is significantly thicker than the Watch 5.  The watch features a battery rated for up to 80 hours inside a stronger titanium case.  That titanium case features a slightly recessed screen, which protects it even more.

Samsung is marketing the Watch 5 Pro as a more rugged phone, designed for those who want to take it outdoors and track more workouts.  In a way it is being marketed towards someone looking at a garmin smartwatch, which is meant as a more focused fitness watch.

The Watch 5 pro is not for me, it is likely going to be way too big for what I would want.  But for those who want the biggest and best watch, it will start at $550.

Galaxy Buds2 Pro

The last product announced today are the Buds2 Pro.  The successor to the Buds Pro that were launche din January 2021, the Buds 2 Pro offer a 15% smaller size and a slightly redesigned shape that Samsung say should be more comfortable for users.  I documented my struggles with the Buds Pro, eventually having to put them away since I could never find a good, comfortable fit with them.  Hopefully the Buds 2 Pro solves that.

Aside from the smaller size, they feature better air vents for improved comfort and transparency mode.  Functionally they are about the same, with the same 5 hours of battery life with noise cancellng on, 8 off, and 18 hours with the charging case.  That noise cancelling is supposed to be better, but that remains to be seen.

A solid update, and something I might be interested in if not for their $290 price tag.  I’m not ready to spend that much money after my experience with the Buds Pro.  But I hope these are a good product.

RCMP Admits To Using Surveillance Technology On Canadian Cell Phones

I will begin by saying I won’t do this the full justice it deserves in a paragraph or two. This week the RCMP admitted to a House of Commons Committee that it has been using tools to break encryption in criminal investigations since 2002, and continues to do so to this day.

The RCMP says that these tools are only used with the approval of a judge, and are targeted, time limited, and only used in extremely specific circumstances.  The RCMP has said it has used technology to spy on cell phones 32 times since 2027.  Considering the sheer volume of criminal investigations undertaken by police in this country every year, 32 is a very small number.

This is igniting a debate over breaking encryption, which has been a tug of war between law enforcement and the general public for years.  Police say they need these tools to keep ahead of criminals that use them, while privacy advocates say it risks intruding on innocent people.  Certain governments around the world want companies build tools into their services specifically for law enforcement to break into encryption, but if those tools are built in, anyone can figure out a way to beat the encryption, making that encryption useless.

This is an issue with valid arguments on both sides, and no easy answer.  The web page you are currently reading is encrypted.  Encryption has become standard on the internet not just for privacy reasons, but to help keep bad actors from intercepting the traffic and putting malware, spyware, and viruses into the web page.  Encryption is used in communication, both by the average person, and military.  If we break encryption for the average person, what happens to military communication?

I’m glad I’m not the one who has to make the policy decisions here.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/rcmp-spyware-privacy-commissioner-1.6544839

https://globalnews.ca/news/9044296/rcmp-cellphone-hacking-privacy/

https://globalnews.ca/news/9047721/former-privacy-watchdog-surprised-rcmp-spyware-program/

Telus Wants to Start Charging Credit Card Processing Fee

In the continuing quest to squeeze every last cent from the consumer, Telus has put an application into the CRTC to begin charging a 1.5% processing fee on all bills paid via credit card.  Apparently Telus doesn’t make quite enough money, so they need to squeeze a few more dollars from their customers.

If the CRTC approves this request, expect Bell and Rogers to follow suit shortly.

https://mobilesyrup.com/2022/08/09/telus-crtc-request-credit-card-processing-fee/

Twitter Thinks Its Subscription Service Is Worth $6.50 Per Month

Twitter Blue was already a bit of a tough sell.  The subscription service, previously priced at $3.50/month in Canada, has a small number of features like the ability to undo a tweet that basically only means it’ll delay sending it for about 10 seconds.  Other features include the ability to read twitter threads in one long string, ad free articles from certain participating outlets, and the ability to change the Twitter app icon.  There are a couple other features but they’re even more inconsequential.  It doesn’t remove ads from Twitter, and ads no real important functionality.

And now, the price has nearly doubled.  Twitter Blue now costs $6.50/month in Canada.  That works out ot $78/year for a service that, frankly, has nothing worth paying for.  I get enough value out of Twitter that if a subscription service was actually compelling, I’d spend the money.  But Twitter Blue in its current state is frankly insulting to the user base.

https://www.theverge.com/2022/7/28/23283166/twitter-blue-subscription-price-hike-4-99

Samsung Continues To Support Android Features Better Than Google Does

This is a relatively small thing, but does show a trend with Google.  A couple years ago Google introduce Camera2 and CameraX API’s for Android.  Camera2 and CameraX allow 3rd party apps to have full access to all the features of a phone’s camera hardware.  Without Camera2 and CameraX, apps like Instagram and Snapchat can’t use all the camera’s functions, and as a result images captured directly from those apps will not be as good as images taken from the built in camera app.

While Camera2 and CameraX are available to phone manufacturers, it is not a requirement for them to be implemented on phones.  Samsung’s recent flagship phones all support Camera2 and CameraX, while Google’s Pixel 6, 6 Pro, and the new 6a…. do not support Camera2 and CameraX.  Despite Google building Camera2 and CameraX, the company chooses not to support it in their own phones.

Like I said, it doesn’t seem like much, but between this, and other factors like Samsung actually providing longer support for its phones than Google does, and suddenly Google is firmly in second place in supporting Android on its own devices…. Even though Google is the company that makes Android.

https://www.androidpolice.com/samsung-doing-better-job-than-google-supporting-google-camera-standards/

Google Sues Sonos Because Google Hates Its Customers

Google keeps losing lawsuits against Sonos, and instead of simply paying Sonos to license technology, it has removed functionality from its products like the Nest Audio speakers.  And Sonos does not support Android as well as it supports iOS, with the experience of using a Sonos Speaker significantly better for Apple users.  It is a spat that has been going on for years and only harms the consumer.

Now Google, after losing several court cases, has sued Sonos over Sonos’ voice assistant it is building into its speakers, claiming that the company violated Google Patents.

I like Sonos equipment. I would buy more of it if Sonos and Google could just figure this out.

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2022/08/google-hits-back-at-sonos-with-voice-command-patent-lawsuit/

Instagram Walks Back Changes After Backlash

Instagram’s extremely bad week has come full circle, with the Meta owned company walking back some of the changes that had been rolling out, at least temporarily.  In an interesting admission, Instagram says that not only was the perception that the new “recommended” posts in people’s feeds and the full screen feed poor, that the actual usage data showed that people did not like the changes.  Usually we see internet backlash against change by a big company, but very rarely do we get an admission that that change was actually received poorly by the user base.

Instagram says it still intends to show more recommended posts (and the advertising that comes with that) and focus more on video content, but that it is pausing the changes to re-evaulate how the company will go about it.

Hopefully it re-evaluates quite a bit.

https://www.platformer.news/p/-instagram-walks-back-its-changes

Samsung’s New Repair Mode is Brilliant

I can’t believe no one thought of this before.  Leaving your phone with a strange to repair, a phone that likely has most of your most important data on it, seems strange, right?  Well, Samsung has an answer to that called repair mode.  This new feature, first hitting the Galaxy S21 series via a software update and coming to other phones at a later date, allows the owner of the phone to put it into repair mode with disables access to everything except basic applications.  Photos, downloaded apps, and other personal data are not accessible.  Repair mode can only be disabled with the device passcode.

This is a great idea, and it is actually shocking that it hadn’t been thought of before.  This obviously won’t work for every situation.  A full phone replacement obviously makes the point moot, for example.  But for something like a battery or screen replacement, this makes a ton of sense.

https://www.androidpolice.com/samsung-repair-mode/

Google Delays 3rd Party Cookie Phase Out To 2024

The saga continues.  Google has been trying to come up with an alternative to 3rd party tracking cookies in web browsers for a couple of years now.  3rd party cookies are commonly used by advertisers to track a user’s behaviour in order to better target ads.  Cookies have many other uses, like saving website logins and settings, but that advertising implications are what get the headlines.  Google has tried showing off alternative advertising systems that would allow for targeted ads without 3rd party tracking cookies, but those faced their own backlash.  Faced with no good alternatives, Google says it will continue to support 3rd party cookies in Chrome until at least 2024.

Cookies remain a necessary evil on the internet and getting rid of them is proving to be much harder than Google anticipated. 

https://mobilesyrup.com/2022/07/27/google-chrome-third-party-cookies-privacy-sandbox/

New Anker Chargers Provide More Power In A Smaller Package

Anker is out with a bunch of new USB-C chargers.  Anker products are expensive, but usually high quality.  The flagship model is the 747 charger that has 3 USB-C ports and 1 USB-A port, and can output up to 150W.  Previous USB-C chargers topped out at 100W.  The 747 charger is also smaller than Apple’s 140W MacBook charger and has more ports.  The 747 charger will cost approximately $140 in Canada.  Expensive, but for someone who may have a need for a single charger to charge multiple high wattage devices, there is value there.

The interesting thing about these chargers is that they also don’t operate on fixed wattages.  On most chargers with multiple ports, the wattage on each port is fixed if more than one device is connected.  The 747 (and the rest of the 7xx series) will auto negotiate how much power to deliver to each device, and it will check that every 3 minutes to ensure the most efficient charging for every device.

There are other models in the 7xx line, including a 65W charger, a 120W charger, and a model that has 65W of USB charging and two AC power plugs.

Anker says that the products are becoming available now, but not all models are currently available on the Candian website.  I expect we’ll see them become available as more stock enters the channel.

https://www.engadget.com/anker-third-generation-gan-chargers-ganprime-163056106.html

Bell’s New Fibe TV Update Runs on Android TV

Bell is revamping its TV service with a new set top box that runs on Android TV.  The new TV box will let Bell customers watch TV, but being based on Android TV means that the box will also have access to every streaming service supported on the android platform.  This is a very interesting play.  For those who still subscribe to TV, this could allow the Bell Fibe TV box to be a single device that can run all content, from TV to Netflix to Disney+.  The box should also support future streaming services, as all they need to do is support Android TV.  This is a great idea.

https://mobilesyrup.com/2022/07/26/bell-unveils-new-fibe-tv-update/

Rogers Responds To CRTC, Testifies To Government Committee

Much news on the Rogers front.  On Friday, the documentation that the CRTC mandated Rogers provide detailing what led to the outage from earlier in July was posted.  The public version is heavily redacted, but the company did confirm that the outages were caused by a a maintenance update that went very badly, causing their core network to far exceed capacity and fail, essentially disconnecting Rogers from the wider internet.

The company says it is working with the other wireless carriers to come to an agreement to allow 911 calls to work even when there is an outage.  Under a yet to be developed system a Rogers outage would offload 911 calls to Bell, Telus, or Freedom Mobile.  Making this work for only 911 calls will likely take some time to develop, but the CRTC is mandating it so it will get done.

Rogers has also committed to separating it’s wireless (i.e. cellular) traffic from its wired home internet traffic.  This would ensure that an outage at scale on one network wouldn’t take the other down.  This is a significant undertaking, with Rogers estimating the cost at $250 million to implement.  It will likely also lead to higher costs to Rogers to maintain, which will likely eventually be passed on to the customer in the form of higher prices.  The scale of separating wireless and wired traffic is significant, and will not be complete until 2024.

https://mobilesyrup.com/2022/07/23/rogers-crtc-questions-outage-split-network/

https://mobilesyrup.com/2022/07/25/rogers-making-progress-on-agreement-for-carriers-to-switch-911-calls-during-outage-ceo/

Instagram Forgets What Instagram Is

Meta’s Instagram is having a week.  Last week the company announced a test that would turn all videos into Reels, and appears to have rolled out changes to the feed to a wider audience that makes reels even more prominent, puts content from accounts you don’t follow into your main feed, and de-emphasizes photos.

This is becoming a mess.  In a bid to chase every last cent Instagram has moved so far away from it’s core function, a photo sharing service, that it is now near unrecognizable.  The best part is that Instagram’s CEO says that the change to emphasize video is because it is what more users are doing, and the company is just going where the users are.  What wasn’t said is that over the last year Instagram has changed the algorithm to push more video content, and changed the advertising program to emphasize video.  Content creators found that the only way to make money on Instagram was to post videos and reels.  So Instagram forced it’s users to post more videos, and then feigns ignorance as to why users are posting more videos and reels.

The Facebookification of Instagram is well underway. It was only a matter of time.  Chasing the last cent failed Facebook, and it will fail Instagram too.

https://www.theverge.com/2022/7/26/23279815/instagram-feed-kardashians-criticism-fuck-it-im-out

Meta Raises Price Of 2 Year Old VR Headset

Meta is continuing its bid to piss off the internet this week by announcing a price increase of its VR headset, the artist formerly known as the Oculus Quest 2.  The Meta Quest 2 as it is now known was released almost two years ago, and instead of seeing prices fall as is normal, the price is going up by $100 in the USA, from $300 to $400 for the base model.  To try to soften the blow slightly Meta will include a copy of Beat Saber, a $30 game, with all new Meta Quest 2 purchases until the end of the year.

Meta says that the price is going up due to increase costs of the components that go into the Quest 2.  This is a very bad look for the company to raise prices by as much as 33% on a two year old product.

https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2022/07/meta-quest-2-vr-headset-price-jumps-100-to-399-gets-zero-new-features/

Google Remembers Tablets Exist, Makes Apps Work Better

Google’s love/hate relationship with tablets is well documented, with the company basically ignoring the formfactor for years.  Now it says it is going to refocus on tablets, partly due to the emergence of folding phones turning into small tablets.  Google is updating the Google Drive, Docs, and Sheets apps for Android to work better on larger screens, including a better layout, the ability to run two instances side by side, and copy and paste and drag and drop between them.  Small steps, but at least some signs that Google is starting to remember that Tablets exist.

https://www.androidpolice.com/google-drive-workspace-big-screen-improvements/

Google Play Store Gets New Logo, Not New Brand

This isn’t a huge story by itself.  The Google Play Store brand turned 10 years old a few months ago, and now Google is giving the Android App Store a tweaked logo, with colours that better match Google’s current design language.  Again, not a big story.

But what’s interesting here is the state of the Google Play branding.  When Google rebranded the Android Market (the original name for Android’s App Store) to the Google Play Store, it also rebranded all of it’s content services to Google Play.  There was Google Play Music, Google Play Movies & TV, Google Play Books, Google Play Newsstand and Google Play Games, among others.  Most of those services have been retired or de-emphasized.  Google Play Moves & TV is now known as Google TV.  Google Play Music is now YouTube Music.  Google Play Books remains, though it has changed several times over the years, absorbing the content of Google Play Newsstand.

Considering the reduced emphasis on the Google Play brand, it is surprising to see Google continue with the Google Play Store brand for its app store.  As part of a suite of services the branding made sense, but by itself, it seems out of place as the name of an app store.

https://www.androidpolice.com/google-play-new-logo/

Rogers Fires CTO, Plans to Split Networks

Two stories in one!  Last week Rogers committed to separating wireless traffic onto a separate network from its wireline traffic.  This would mean that in the event of another catastrophic outage like the one that hit a couple weeks ago, it is nearly impossible for both cellular and wired internet services to fail at the same time.  Running both networks through the same infrastructure is cost efficient, but as was demonstrated by the outage, carries risk.  There is no information on whether Bell and Telus operate their networks the same way, but I’d be very interested to find out.

Rogers also this week announced that it has replaced its Chief Technology Officer.  Someone had to take the blame, and it looks like that person was all the way at the top.

https://mobilesyrup.com/2022/07/21/rogers-leadership-change-wont-impact-plans-separate-wireless-wireline-traffic/

Google Removes App Permission List From Play Store, Then Brings It Back Immediately

As part of Google’s efforts to make apps and developers more transparent on what permissions and access their apps need on people’s devices, Google mandated developers add a new section to the Play Store where developers were to explain to users why apps need the permissions they need.  When the new section in the Play Store rolled out, users noticed that the section that actually lists the specific permissions the app needs, an automatically generated list, was gone.  This was apparently intentional, with Google intending to do away with the auto generated list in favor of developers explaining their app permissions.  However, deverlopers aren’t required to list the permissions their apps need, only explain what the apps do, which leaves much room for ambiguity.  A developer could, for example, say in this description that their app lets you message your friends.  But the actual permission it needs to do so is full access to a user’s contact list, which is very different.

The feedback on removing the full permission list was so severe that Google has backtracked after less than a week, and will bring back the full auto generated permission list in the Play Store, which will be alongside the developer description.  Common sense wins out.

https://www.androidpolice.com/google-backtracks-on-play-store-permissions-change/

Google Brings Photo Printing Service To Canada

Google has provided a service to users in the US since 2019 that allowed them to get photos stored in Google Photos printed via a 3rd party and shipped to their homes.  This was to be a convenient and easy method of getting physical copies of photos printed.  Now that service is launching in Canada and Europe.  Pricing isn’t clear at this time, but in the US an 8x8 print was a staggering $25, so this service will likely be too expensive to recommend to anyone.  Hopefully the prices come down over time.

https://www.androidpolice.com/google-photos-canvas-printing-canada-europe/

Google Pay Is Dead. Long Live Google Wallet

Time is a flat circle.  Google’s first attempt at a mobile payment solution was called Google Wallet.  Google then renamed that service to Google Pay, and that is where tap to pay services have lived.  Google Pay also included other functionality like storage of loyalty program cards, event tickets, airline passes and more.  But telling users to store their Air Miles card in something called Google Pay never made much sense.  Now, the circle of life is complete and Google Pay has been renamed back to Google Wallet.  Google Wallet includes the Google Pay functionality with tap to pay, but is much more sensibly named since it can hold other types of documents as it did before.  Once again, common sense prevails.

https://www.theverge.com/2022/7/20/23270301/google-wallet-return-android-payment-cards-keys-id

Google Pixel 6a Reviews

To coincide with the launch of Google Pixel 6a pre-orders going live, reviews of the device have hit.  The Pixel 6a appears to be a good midrange phone, though one with much more competition at a similar price point compared to what existed when Google first launched the Pixel “A” series with the 3a.  In Canada, for example, the Samsung Galaxy A53 5G is $10 less, and offers a better experience in all aspects except the camera.  The Pixel 6a looks like a good phone, but is far from a home run product.

https://www.engadget.com/google-pixel-6a-review-battery-life-camera-samples-170025138.html

Automatic Audio Switching Coming To Android

Announced at Google I/O, Google is rolling out automatic audio device switching in Android.  The Google Pixel Buds Pro will be the first devices to support the feature, which works very much like how AirPods can seamlessly switch between Apple Devices.  We will see how well the functionality works once devices are in people’s hands.

Google also says that headphones from other manufacturers like Sony and JBL will support the feature, those a list of supported models is not available at this time.

https://www.engadget.com/android-audio-switching-pixel-buds-pro-170024929.html

Ford To Increase EV Production Using Lithium-Phosphate Battery Technology

Ford says that it will hit 600,000 EV’s produced per year by the end of 2023 in part by using new Lithium-Phosphate battery technology for some of its vehicle production. The Lithium-Phosphate batteries are supposedly cheaper to manufacture while offering similar performance to batteries using materials like Nickel, which are more expensive and scarce.  Battery production capacity remains one of the biggest obstacles to rapid expansion of EV production, and automakers are making significant investments to improve that.

https://www.engadget.com/ford-ev-manufacturing-rate-lithium-iron-phosphate-battery-131424727.html

Not every piece of technology is exciting. Heck, in 2022 most aren’t.  And one of the most boring pieces of technology are e-readers. Built on their black and white e-ink screens, e-readers are for reading books, and nothing more.  The last time I bought an e-reader was in 2012, making my original Kindle Paperwhite 10 years old.  I finally replaced it with the 2021 model of the Kindle Paperwhite, not because the old one stopped working, but mostly because the battery doesn’t really hold a charge anymore.  Charge it from dead to full, and the battery will be dead again in a couple days, not ideal for a device meant to be picked up and read on a whim.

So, what’s the point of a dedicated e-reader in 2022 when we can read books on phones and tablets with bigger, higher resolution, and colour screens?  Why did I buy a new Kindle? Is it worth getting?  Let’s dig in.

Hardware and Unboxing: It’s a Kindle

The 2021 release of the Kindle Paperwhite is about as iterative an update as you can get.  The 5th version of the Paperwhite which is annoyingly marketed as the 11th generation of Kindle doesn’t change much from its predecessor, nor does it need to.  The screen size is now 6.8” up from 6”.  That screen maintains the 300 pixels per inch density for clear, sharp text.  There are 17 LED’s for the backlight up from 5 in the previous Kindle Paperwhite and those LED’s now feature colour temperature adjustment, a nice feature previously found in the more expensive Kindle Oasis.  The device is water resistant so beach and pool goers can be worry free.  And the Paperwhite 5 now includes a USB-C port instead of the increasingly ancient MicroUSB port.  While there is no fast charging here at least the cable is now the same one most people have for the phones, tablets, and even most laptops.  Not that you’ll have to charge it much.  Battery life is marketed as up to 10 weeks, and in casual use I’ve only had to chare it once in a couple of months.  Avid readers will likely still see more than a month of battery life on this Kindle.

There are two versions of the Paperwhite 5, the standard model is $150 and comes with 8GB of storage.  The Signature Edition for $210 that has 32GB of storage, an ambient light sensor to automatically change the colour temperature of the backlight, and qi wireless charging.  I don’t think any of the features of the Signature Edition were worth the premium, so I went with the standard model.

One thing that has been dropped from the Kindle Paperwhite is the model with cellular connectivity.  The cellular model has been on at least one model of the Kindle Paperwhite for the first 4 versions, and allowed users to buy and download books, and sync reading progress over a cellular connection without needing wifi, all provided for free.  I used this extensively on my original Kindle Paperwhite, with it being extremely valuable for those who travel.  Nowadays, with more plentiful wifi connectivity it is less of an issue, but it is missed.  For those who must have the cellular connectivity, only the more expensive Kindle Oasis now offers that, with the top end model featuring the cellular connectivity at a price of $400.  I can’t justify that cost for what is a single purpose device, even if I do plan to use it for years to come.  I would have gladly paid for the Signature edition of the Paperwhite had it come with the optional cellular connection, but was not given the option.

Reading Experience: It’s a Kindle

Actually using the Kindle to read books is… well, it’s a Kindle.  Coming from the first Kindle Paperwhite it actually does feel much faster.  The text is noticeably sharper, and the backlight is significantly better.  For someone with a 10 year old Kindle it is a worth upgrade.  If you have a newer Kindle, it isn’t worth the upgrade, but if you have a 10 year old Kindle like I did it is probably time to consider a new one.  It can hold every book I’ll ever want to read, and I can buy books directly from the Kindle while on Wi-Fi.  And the battery life is excellent.  Amazon says it can get up to “10 weeks” of battery life using the new power saving mode that is  on by default.  And that seems to be true.  In over 2 months owning the Paperwhite 5 I’ve only had to charge it once.

A short description perhaps doesn’t do justice to the experience with the Kindle.  I’ve always preferred to read books on an e-ink display compared to an LCD or OLED display on a phone or tablet.  It feels more like an actual paper reading surface, and is less hard on the eyes.  The softer backlight on a kindle is much easier to look at than a tablet screen, and reading at night is a much more pleasant experience to me.  e-readers are, to me, the definitive way to read e-books.  The Kindle provides a very good reading experience without distraction.

Single Purpose: It’s a Kindle

And distraction is exactly why I decided to buy a new Kindle.  Reading on a phone or tablet screen is a more than good enough experience, some people do prefer reading on an iPad for the sheer size of the display.  But the single purpose nature of the Kindle is what drew me back to it.  I found I wasn’t reading nearly as much as I did years ago because there are 100 other things to do on my phone or tablet.  It was too easy to read for 5 minutes, then go check notifications and/or get lost doom scrolling Twitter.  I have found that I have read significantly more, and more consistently, since I got a device that allowed me to put down my phone and let me read on a device that doesn’t do anything else, just reading.

The Kindle e-readers aren’t perfect.  The black and white screen means it isn’t good for content with colour, things like comic books or magazines, or other periodicals.  The slightly larger size of the Paperwhite 5 with the 6.8” screen makes it just a little harder for me to hold on to laying on my back in bed, the slight added weight doesn’t help there either.  The fact that it only (easily) supports content purchased from the Amazon Kindle store, and getting other content onto the device is hard, if not impossible for the average user locks you into a walled garden.  In Canada, the lack of library book support also stings, especially since that functionality exists in the US.  If you want to read eBooks from the library on an e-reader, the Kindle is a non starter in Canada, and that is very frustrating.  That fact almost had me purchasing a Kobo e-reader, since that does support borrowing library books, but a 10 year history of buying books on Kindle and those books not being readable on Kobo e-readers ultimately kept me to a Kindle.

Conclusion: It's a Kindle

And that really is the core of it.  If you’re already in the Kindle ecosystem, it is hard to look at another device.  A Kind of some kind is the default, and only choice unless you want to throw away your purchase history.  Someone looking for their first e-reader would do well to shop around and pick the device that suits them best.  But for someone with an old Kindle looking to upgrade, the Paperwhite is likely the best option.  The walled garden is distraction free in the Amazon Kindle world.