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Everything We Expect at Samsung Unpacked, From Galaxy Z Fold 4 to Galaxy Watch 5 – CNET

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Samsung’s next Galaxy Unpacked event is scheduled for Wednesday, Aug. 10. We expect to see several new versions of the company’s flagship foldable phones and smartwatches to be revealed — but there’s always a chance for surprise launches of new devices.

The event invitation seen above, showing a Z Flip foldable phone, suggests we’ll see new versions of Samsung’s foldables. That fits with a previous leak from tipster Evan Blass predicting new versions of the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 and the clamshell Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3, which came out in August 2021. 


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Don’t expect too many big advances with Samsung’s next foldables. Rumors suggest the tablet-size Samsung Galaxy Fold 4 may have a new hinge and slimmer build, but the leaker jury is out on whether it will include an S Pen slot like the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra. Other rumors predict that the foldable will pack the faster Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 Plus chipset, as well as a larger outer display that requires its own under-display camera to complement the one on the inner screen.  

The makeup compact-looking Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 could get a larger cover display, according to other rumors, which could make it far more useful for reading notifications and previewing selfie photos. 

Even if the new foldables have only incremental spec upgrades, the biggest improvement could be price. The Galaxy Fold 3 was cheaper than its predecessor at $1,800 (£1,599, AU$2,499) to start, which is still around twice as expensive as most premium smartphones. The Galaxy Z Flip 3 shockingly came in at $1,000 (£949, AU$1,499), or around the price of an iPhone 13 Pro, making it the most affordable foldable yet and a viable alternative to standard flat smartphones. 

But the upcoming Z Fold 4 and Z Flip 4 could be even cheaper, predicts analyst Ross Young, CEO of Display Supply Chain Consultants, who tweeted that Samsung ramped up production to churn out twice as many of the new foldables as last year’s models, suggesting a possible price cut. 

Read more: Here’s One Feature Samsung Could Use to One-Up Apple

In any case, we expect the new foldables to sell well, since the Z Fold 3 and Z Flip 3 sold more units in their launch month than were sold in all of 2020. With 88% of the more than 7 million foldables sold in 2021, Samsung is in a strong position to continue dominating the niche foldable market, which is expected to grow to over 27 million sold in 2025.

Samsung could launch other products to accompany the foldables, and the most likely is the Samsung Galaxy Watch 5. Rumors predict the next version of the premium smartwatch line could get a body temperature sensor and better battery life, as well as an updated design. Hopefully, it will also fix a glaring flaw in the Galaxy Watch 4 — no support for iPhones — as well as better integration of Wear OS 3, as we felt last year’s watch pulled between Google and Samsung’s ecosystems

There are other things Samsung could show off, like successors to the Galaxy Buds 2 earbud, tablets or laptops, but we haven’t heard many rumors suggesting any of those are likely to arrive. Still, we could easily be surprised with all eyes on the awaited foldables.

To encourage customers to reserve their phones early, from July 19 until August 10, Samsung is offering an extensive list of discounts based on different bundles, from a maximum of $200 off for those reserving a Galaxy phone, watch, and buds down to a minimum of $30 off for just reserving Galaxy buds. While this could be a hint at what’s coming at Unpacked, the savings could apply to older Galaxy Watch or Galaxy Buds models.

The event is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. ET / 6 a.m. PT. CNET will be watching and covering the reveals.

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Here is how to prepare your online accounts for when you die

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LONDON (AP) — Most people have accumulated a pile of data — selfies, emails, videos and more — on their social media and digital accounts over their lifetimes. What happens to it when we die?

It’s wise to draft a will spelling out who inherits your physical assets after you’re gone, but don’t forget to take care of your digital estate too. Friends and family might treasure files and posts you’ve left behind, but they could get lost in digital purgatory after you pass away unless you take some simple steps.

Here’s how you can prepare your digital life for your survivors:

Apple

The iPhone maker lets you nominate a “ legacy contact ” who can access your Apple account’s data after you die. The company says it’s a secure way to give trusted people access to photos, files and messages. To set it up you’ll need an Apple device with a fairly recent operating system — iPhones and iPads need iOS or iPadOS 15.2 and MacBooks needs macOS Monterey 12.1.

For iPhones, go to settings, tap Sign-in & Security and then Legacy Contact. You can name one or more people, and they don’t need an Apple ID or device.

You’ll have to share an access key with your contact. It can be a digital version sent electronically, or you can print a copy or save it as a screenshot or PDF.

Take note that there are some types of files you won’t be able to pass on — including digital rights-protected music, movies and passwords stored in Apple’s password manager. Legacy contacts can only access a deceased user’s account for three years before Apple deletes the account.

Google

Google takes a different approach with its Inactive Account Manager, which allows you to share your data with someone if it notices that you’ve stopped using your account.

When setting it up, you need to decide how long Google should wait — from three to 18 months — before considering your account inactive. Once that time is up, Google can notify up to 10 people.

You can write a message informing them you’ve stopped using the account, and, optionally, include a link to download your data. You can choose what types of data they can access — including emails, photos, calendar entries and YouTube videos.

There’s also an option to automatically delete your account after three months of inactivity, so your contacts will have to download any data before that deadline.

Facebook and Instagram

Some social media platforms can preserve accounts for people who have died so that friends and family can honor their memories.

When users of Facebook or Instagram die, parent company Meta says it can memorialize the account if it gets a “valid request” from a friend or family member. Requests can be submitted through an online form.

The social media company strongly recommends Facebook users add a legacy contact to look after their memorial accounts. Legacy contacts can do things like respond to new friend requests and update pinned posts, but they can’t read private messages or remove or alter previous posts. You can only choose one person, who also has to have a Facebook account.

You can also ask Facebook or Instagram to delete a deceased user’s account if you’re a close family member or an executor. You’ll need to send in documents like a death certificate.

TikTok

The video-sharing platform says that if a user has died, people can submit a request to memorialize the account through the settings menu. Go to the Report a Problem section, then Account and profile, then Manage account, where you can report a deceased user.

Once an account has been memorialized, it will be labeled “Remembering.” No one will be able to log into the account, which prevents anyone from editing the profile or using the account to post new content or send messages.

X

It’s not possible to nominate a legacy contact on Elon Musk’s social media site. But family members or an authorized person can submit a request to deactivate a deceased user’s account.

Passwords

Besides the major online services, you’ll probably have dozens if not hundreds of other digital accounts that your survivors might need to access. You could just write all your login credentials down in a notebook and put it somewhere safe. But making a physical copy presents its own vulnerabilities. What if you lose track of it? What if someone finds it?

Instead, consider a password manager that has an emergency access feature. Password managers are digital vaults that you can use to store all your credentials. Some, like Keeper,Bitwarden and NordPass, allow users to nominate one or more trusted contacts who can access their keys in case of an emergency such as a death.

But there are a few catches: Those contacts also need to use the same password manager and you might have to pay for the service.

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Is there a tech challenge you need help figuring out? Write to us at onetechtip@ap.org with your questions.

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Google’s partnership with AI startup Anthropic faces a UK competition investigation

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LONDON (AP) — Britain’s competition watchdog said Thursday it’s opening a formal investigation into Google’s partnership with artificial intelligence startup Anthropic.

The Competition and Markets Authority said it has “sufficient information” to launch an initial probe after it sought input earlier this year on whether the deal would stifle competition.

The CMA has until Dec. 19 to decide whether to approve the deal or escalate its investigation.

“Google is committed to building the most open and innovative AI ecosystem in the world,” the company said. “Anthropic is free to use multiple cloud providers and does, and we don’t demand exclusive tech rights.”

San Francisco-based Anthropic was founded in 2021 by siblings Dario and Daniela Amodei, who previously worked at ChatGPT maker OpenAI. The company has focused on increasing the safety and reliability of AI models. Google reportedly agreed last year to make a multibillion-dollar investment in Anthropic, which has a popular chatbot named Claude.

Anthropic said it’s cooperating with the regulator and will provide “the complete picture about Google’s investment and our commercial collaboration.”

“We are an independent company and none of our strategic partnerships or investor relationships diminish the independence of our corporate governance or our freedom to partner with others,” it said in a statement.

The U.K. regulator has been scrutinizing a raft of AI deals as investment money floods into the industry to capitalize on the artificial intelligence boom. Last month it cleared Anthropic’s $4 billion deal with Amazon and it has also signed off on Microsoft’s deals with two other AI startups, Inflection and Mistral.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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Kuwait bans ‘Call of Duty: Black Ops 6’ video game, likely over it featuring Saddam Hussein in 1990s

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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The tiny Mideast nation of Kuwait has banned the release of the video game “Call of Duty: Black Ops 6,” which features the late Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein and is set in part in the 1990s Gulf War.

Kuwait has not publicly acknowledged banning the game, which is a tentpole product for the Microsoft-owned developer Activision and is set to be released on Friday worldwide. However, it comes as Kuwait still wrestles with the aftermath of the invasion and as video game makers more broadly deal with addressing historical and cultural issues in their work.

The video game, a first-person shooter, follows CIA operators fighting at times in the United States and also in the Middle East. Game-play trailers for the game show burning oilfields, a painful reminder for Kuwaitis who saw Iraqis set fire to the fields, causing vast ecological and economic damage. Iraqi troops damaged or set fire to over 700 wells.

There also are images of Saddam and Iraq’s old three-star flag in the footage released by developers ahead of the game’s launch. The game’s multiplayer section, a popular feature of the series, includes what appears to be a desert shootout in Kuwait called Scud after the Soviet missiles Saddam fired in the war. Another is called Babylon, after the ancient city in Iraq.

Activision acknowledged in a statement that the game “has not been approved for release in Kuwait,” but did not elaborate.

“All pre-orders in Kuwait will be cancelled and refunded to the original point of purchase,” the company said. “We remain hopeful that local authorities will reconsider, and allow players in Kuwait to enjoy this all-new experience in the Black Ops series.”

Kuwait’s Media Ministry did not respond to requests for comment from The Associated Press over the decision.

“Call of Duty,” which first began in 2003 as a first-person shooter set in World War II, has expanded into an empire worth billions of dollars now owned by Microsoft. But it also has been controversial as its gameplay entered the realm of geopolitics. China and Russia both banned chapters in the franchise. In 2009, an entry in the gaming franchise allowed players to take part in a militant attack at a Russian airport, killing civilians.

But there have been other games recently that won praise for their handling of the Mideast. Ubisoft’s “Assassin’s Creed: Mirage” published last year won praise for its portrayal of Baghdad during the Islamic Golden Age in the 9th century.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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