Ever since Samsung announced its trio of Galaxy S20 phones, there’s been a lot of talk about these steep new four-figure price tags. It’s well-warranted; the baseline S20 runs $100 more than last year’s Galaxy S10 at launch, and that’s not even factoring in the cheaper and more compact S10e — for which there’s no sequel. This new pricing structure puts the S20 right in line with Apple’s iPhone 11 Pro, but pricier than most other Android options.
So what’s the rationale behind this price hike? And why should you buy the Galaxy S20, let alone the even more expensive S20+ or S20 Ultra, when you can get a phone like the OnePlus 7T (one of my favorite releases of 2019) for quite literally half the price?
5G is largely to blame. The Galaxy S20 series ships with Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 865 chipset, which features more powerful image processing, a new fifth-generation AI Engine, better power efficiency, basically everything you could ask for in a mobile processor — except a modem.
Mandatory 5G drives up the cost of the S20 and any other 865-powered phone.
Without an onboard modem on the 865, the Galaxy S20 doesn’t have a way of connecting to even 4G networks without the addition of the X55, Qualcomm’s first 5G-capable modem. This means that all Galaxy S20 models — save for some international variants that use Samsung’s own Exynos processors instead — are 5G-capable, whether you want it or not. That’s great if you live in one of the few cities where 5G is currently available (assuming your carrier and plan support it), but for everyone else it’s an unnecessary added expense.
Of course, 5G isn’t the only factor; the cameras undoubtedly also help drive the price up a bit. Each phone features considerably larger sensors than on the S10 lineup, and particularly with the S20 Ultra’s massive periscope-style telephoto camera, that requires quite a bit more material.
Without any kind of Galaxy S20e, the new lineup is certainly a harder sell than Samsung’s previous generations of phones, particularly because the majority of U.S. cities still don’t have an established 5G network for that to even part of the conversation. The camera improvements are great, but the S10 series already took perfectly good photos for most people’s needs — and with the recent update to Android 10 and Samsung’s One UI 2, the S10’s software is largely identical to that of the S20.
But that’s exactly what makes the S20’s pricing work. When Samsung announced the S20 series at its Unpacked event earlier this week, it also revealed new reduced pricing for last year’s S10 series, which the company will continue to sell, presumably until next year when the S20’s successor is available.
This has long been one of Apple’s most successful strategies with the iPhone, and it’s largely dependent on the kind of extended software support that notoriously escapes Android phones, particularly those made by companies other than Google. In the last year, though, we’ve seen Samsung ramp up the frequency at which it updates its phones, with every variant of the Galaxy S10 already running Android 10. Combined with hardware that still feels incredibly sleek and futuristic, the S10 feels every bit as new today as it did this time last year.
By keeping the Galaxy S10 alive, Samsung has effectively doubled its 2020 lineup.
In that way, the Galaxy S10 has become the cheaper S20 that Samsung is otherwise lacking. The S10e now starts at just $599, and you can even grab the Galaxy S10+ for just $849 — $150 shy of the baseline Galaxy S20. You won’t get 5G support or the newer cameras, but the experience is for all intents and purposes indistinguishable otherwise.
Here’s the thing: value is contextual, and compared to other $1000 phones, I think the Galaxy S20 has a lot to offer. The iPhone 11 Pro is priced identically, but doesn’t feature 5G support of any kind — to be clear, the $1000 S20 only supports sub-6 networks, while the S20+ and S20 Ultra also support mmWave. If Apple adds 5G support to its next iPhones, they’re only going to get more expensive; meanwhile, Samsung’s phones typically see a number of price reductions within even just the first year.
I’m not personally in the market for a 5G phone yet — especially since I just switched to Google Fi, which doesn’t have a 5G network in the first place — but it’s nice to know that the S20 already has support built in if I change my mind in the future. If you aren’t at all interested in 5G or 120Hz displays, or you understandably just don’t want to shell out $1000 for a phone, the S10 series is still absolutely worth buying.
If anything, I’d argue that this is the most complete lineup Samsung has ever had: there’s now a flagship-tier phone available at nearly every physical size and price point from $600 on up, and you can still get the most up-to-date Samsung experience without diving into 5G right away. Believe me, the S10 will still serve you just fine.
Built for the network of tomorrow, today.
The Galaxy S20 brings a new camera array and a snappy 120Hz display to Samsung’s flagship line. You also get 5G support, and the essentials are all still here; you get IP68 water resistance, 128GB of expandable storage, and modern Android 10 software.
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 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.
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.
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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