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Our 5 favorite camera features, and one is Space Zoom

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The Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra (left) with the S20 and S20 Plus.

 


Angela Lang/CNET

Samsung finally took the wraps off its latest flagship phones, the Galaxy S20, S20 Plus and the S20 Ultra. The Ultra is the hero of the bunch, with boosted specs and features that are not found on the others. Its cameras, in particular, contain some of the biggest upgrades and it’s not being subtle about it — the Ultra’s square camera bump is absolutely immense. And, weird though it might look, it does have some cool tricks up its sleeve.


Andrew Hoyle/CNET

100X Zoom

Much like its predecessor, there are three main cameras on the Galaxy S20 Ultra, a standard zoom lens, an ultra wide-angle lens, and a telephoto zoom lens. It’s that last zoom lens that has been seriously beefed up here. It sits at the bottom of the camera module next to the text “space zoom.”

When you look closely, the lens looks weird because it has new optics that give it a huge amount of zoom. With those optics and its 48-megapixel resolution, it can zoom in up to 100x. That’s an absolutely astonishing level of zoom that, as far as I’m concerned, makes this phone the lovechild of a Galaxy S10 and the Hubble telescope.

I was able to zoom in on a bottle all the way across the room and could just about read the label — pretty impressive considering that with my naked eye, I couldn’t even see there was a bottle in the first place. But don’t expect pin-sharp clarity; while I could somewhat make out the bottle’s logo, there was a huge amount of image noise and other artifacts. This meant the image wouldn’t end up printed and framed on a gallery wall. At 30x zoom, the quality looked a lot better.

Note that I was handling an early sample unit though and I was testing the zoom in a dim corner of our demo area. I’m keen to see how the zoom performs once Samsung’s optimized it a bit more and I’m using it outdoors in daylight.

The 100x zoom is a feature reserved only for the S20 Ultra. If you don’t feel the need to get up close on distant details then the regular S20 or S20 Plus may be your better options.


Andrew Hoyle/CNET

Night Mode

The main camera sensor has an astonishing 108-megapixel resolution, but it’s not just for needlessly-detailed images. It can combine nine pixels into one single pixel that, according to Samsung, captures a lot more light. The result is a 12-megapixel image that even in dark conditions should come out well-exposed.

It’s important to note that we haven’t been able to put this to the test yet. Night-time shooting skills have been a focus of various recent phones, and handsets like the iPhone 11 and Pixel 4 take amazing shots in really dark scenarios. With these new Galaxy specs, it’s going to be interesting to see how Samsung’s new technology can compete.

If you’re not into this pixel combining feature, you can always go into Settings and shoot at the full 108 megapixels if you want bigger, more detailed images. Having extra resolution gives you more scope for cropping into the image later on, although exactly how well these high-resolution images can look from a tiny phone camera sensor remains to be seen until we put this thing through its paces.


Andrew Hoyle/CNET

Single Capture

Single Capture is a new mode that shoots a 10-seconds video and then presents you with a whole variety of photos and smaller video clips, all shot with different zoom levels and some with different effects like black and white already applied.

The idea is that you shoot a little scene in front of you — say, someone blowing out candles on a cake — and instead of having to decide in advance to just take one image, Single Capture takes a whole bunch of different shots for you to choose from all at one go.

You can then select the shots you want to save as they are, or use the software to automatically combine them into a little highlight reel you can instantly share with your friends or family.

I wouldn’t say this is a killer feature, but it’s pretty fun and I can see it appealing to people with young families who want to quickly share the fun things their kids have been doing without having to fuss around with the different camera settings.


Andrew Hoyle/CNET

8K Video

Video skills have been a particular focus on the new phone. Just when we were all getting to grips with our phones shooting 4K, Samsung ups the numbers to a whopping 8K.

Why so many Ks? You can of course just shoot in the maximum resolution for bragging rights if you want. Though the display on the phone itself isn’t sharp enough to show the video off, you can upload it to YouTube, which supports 8K, and you can play it back on 8K TVs, if you happen to have spent the small fortune that they cost.

The other benefit is that you can take crop into your footage or take 33-megapixel still images from your video footage. The downside is that those 8K videos will quickly take up space on your phone. A 20-second 8K video came in at almost 200MB while a 20-second clip in full HD taken on the Samsung Galaxy Fold was less than a quarter of the size at only 42MB. If you’re planning to go this max res route, it’s best to go for the higher 512GB storage option.


Andrew Hoyle/CNET

Pro Video

Not just for still photos anymore, Samsung added a pro mode for video that gives you manual control over settings like ISO, shutter speed, focus and white balance. It does have a niche appeal, but if you want to create more cinematic-looking footage for your YouTube channel, you’ll get some use out of this mode. But bear in mind you can’t use the max 8K resolution in pro mode.

Samsung also boosted video stabilization with improved hardware and software. It seemed to do a decent job during my brief time with it, but it’s another feature I’m really looking forward to putting to the test in our full in-depth review.

In addition to all these rear camera features, the Galaxy S20 Ultra has a 40-megapixel front-facing camera (tucked into a little cut-out hole on the front), a whopping 6.9-inch display, up to 16GB of RAM and 5G connectivity for superfast data speeds. This, of course, will come in handy for uploading those massive 8K video files.

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Ottawa orders TikTok’s Canadian arm to be dissolved

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The federal government is ordering the dissolution of TikTok’s Canadian business after a national security review of the Chinese company behind the social media platform, but stopped short of ordering people to stay off the app.

Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne announced the government’s “wind up” demand Wednesday, saying it is meant to address “risks” related to ByteDance Ltd.’s establishment of TikTok Technology Canada Inc.

“The decision was based on the information and evidence collected over the course of the review and on the advice of Canada’s security and intelligence community and other government partners,” he said in a statement.

The announcement added that the government is not blocking Canadians’ access to the TikTok application or their ability to create content.

However, it urged people to “adopt good cybersecurity practices and assess the possible risks of using social media platforms and applications, including how their information is likely to be protected, managed, used and shared by foreign actors, as well as to be aware of which country’s laws apply.”

Champagne’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment seeking details about what evidence led to the government’s dissolution demand, how long ByteDance has to comply and why the app is not being banned.

A TikTok spokesperson said in a statement that the shutdown of its Canadian offices will mean the loss of hundreds of well-paying local jobs.

“We will challenge this order in court,” the spokesperson said.

“The TikTok platform will remain available for creators to find an audience, explore new interests and for businesses to thrive.”

The federal Liberals ordered a national security review of TikTok in September 2023, but it was not public knowledge until The Canadian Press reported in March that it was investigating the company.

At the time, it said the review was based on the expansion of a business, which it said constituted the establishment of a new Canadian entity. It declined to provide any further details about what expansion it was reviewing.

A government database showed a notification of new business from TikTok in June 2023. It said Network Sense Ventures Ltd. in Toronto and Vancouver would engage in “marketing, advertising, and content/creator development activities in relation to the use of the TikTok app in Canada.”

Even before the review, ByteDance and TikTok were lightning rod for privacy and safety concerns because Chinese national security laws compel organizations in the country to assist with intelligence gathering.

Such concerns led the U.S. House of Representatives to pass a bill in March designed to ban TikTok unless its China-based owner sells its stake in the business.

Champagne’s office has maintained Canada’s review was not related to the U.S. bill, which has yet to pass.

Canada’s review was carried out through the Investment Canada Act, which allows the government to investigate any foreign investment with potential to might harm national security.

While cabinet can make investors sell parts of the business or shares, Champagne has said the act doesn’t allow him to disclose details of the review.

Wednesday’s dissolution order was made in accordance with the act.

The federal government banned TikTok from its mobile devices in February 2023 following the launch of an investigation into the company by federal and provincial privacy commissioners.

— With files from Anja Karadeglija in Ottawa

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 6, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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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.

___

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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