Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5’s pursuit of refinement drubs Motorola’s Razr 40 Ultra | Canada News Media
Connect with us

Tech

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5’s pursuit of refinement drubs Motorola’s Razr 40 Ultra

Published

 on

A new hinge that folds the flat screen, a bigger cover display with more versatility and latest generation chips give Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip 5 an edge over Motorola’s Razr 40 Ultra

Conventional wisdom dictates any considerations to buy a foldable screen phone, lined with a willingness to gingerly accept this adoption, must find a flip form factor as a logical starting point. There are more choices too than 12 months ago. Motorola fired the first salvo with the Razr 40 Ultra and a decidedly more restrained Razr 40. Yet, for all the noise and effort, Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip 5 is the easiest recommendation among all Android flip phones.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5. (Vishal Mathur/ HT Photo)

One of the reasons for that is continuity. At first glance, you may struggle to identify visible differences between the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5, and its predecessor, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4. The focus is on refinement, headlined by a flat folding hinge that’s good news for longevity.

First the important discussion of the price, before we delve deeper into the specs and value proposition that’s thus generated. Samsung has priced the Galaxy Z Flip 5 at 99,999 for the 8GB RAM and 256GB storage option. For 512GB storage, the sticker price is 1,09,999. The logical choice is the latter. As is the case with Samsung’s phones, the price tag only tells half the tale. There are significant discounts on various payment methods, including cashbacks and exchange offer valuations.

Also read:Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 is all about polish, a new hinge and benchmark refresh

Motorola’s latest generation Razr family is meeker in terms of these cashbacks and exchange bonus offers. Therefore, while the final cart price of your Galaxy Z Flip 5 can tumble significantly, there’s limited scope to go much lower than the 89,999 price of the Razr 40 Ultra or the 59,999 valuation plastered on the comparatively moderately spec-ed Razr 40.

Also, there are some online-exclusive special edition colours on Samsung’s online store. Motorola doesn’t have those many options.

Samsung’s added an IPX8 layer for dust intrusion protection and water resistance up to 1.5mts of depth for a duration of 30 minutes. For a foldable phone, it either could mean the difference between being usable a few years down the line, or simply mimicking a paperweight. Motorola’s phones don’t carry any claims for dust, water or splash resistance ratings.

The Galaxy Z Flip 5, much like its larger sibling Galaxy Z Fold 5, folds flat. That’s because of the new hinge, and it eliminates the gap between the folded sides of the screen. Irrespective of the larger footprint of its sibling or the flip form factor in this case, closing that gap when the phone’s folded, goes a long way in protecting the screen from objects that may either slide through it or ones such as coins or keys that may get lodged (worse still, extricate themselves too, forcefully).

Samsung has kept the primary foldable screen size the same as in the previous generations. It is a bright, vivid 6.7-inch Foldable Dynamic AMOLED screen. Illumination top-line is now rated at 1750 nits, up from 1200 nits of the predecessor.

The big change is with the second screen, that’s the cover screen. That real estate is up from 1.9-inches to 3.4-inches. Motorola’s Razr 40 series has also taken a similar trajectory. From the outset, this is a utility focused screen, for widgets you’d be able to quickly glance at, or assimilate and contemplate replying to text messages. Samsung’s widgets are more flexible (read, more choice of the info you see, and how you see it) than Motorola’s.

That’s before Samsung deploys its party trick – an indicator of the work done on the software.

In Settings > Labs (this isn’t immediately apparent; it could’ve done with better placement), you can choose to enable an option that can even run some full-fledged apps on this cover screen. That is, for quite a few use cases, quite a game-changer. You may not find this relevant for running Netflix, but how about Google Maps on the cover screen? Or Android’s Messages app. Or WhatsApp? Negates a need to un-flip, and you hold something quite compact in your hand. Suddenly, a second screen which was perhaps limited to some widgets and cool wallpapers, as a companion for your personality, has adopted deeper meaning. And utility.

Longevity will also likely be defined by the power these phones have. The more, the merrier for a scenario a few years down the line. Samsung’s got custom-made chips from Qualcomm, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, with specific boost for graphics performance. Both Motorola phones run older chips – the Razr 40 Ultra is powered by the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 while the Razr 40 has the Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 (now you know why we referenced this as moderately spec-ed).

The 3,700mAh battery just about gets through a day of moderate use, but use this extensively for navigation or photography, and there may be some anxiety as the late evening sunshine graces the view from your room’s window. The next generation of the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip should also get faster charging – here and now, 25-watt on wired and 15-watt on wireless just don’t seem enough. Mind you, Motorola’s flip phones make do with 30-watt wired charging and a miserable 5-watt wireless charging.

Samsung’s foldables don’t, and that’s the trend – get the latest camera hardware that the Galaxy S flagship phones do. You’ll still have to make do with a 12-megapixel wide camera and a 12-megapixel ultrawide camera, although there seem to be very clear improvements with the image processing algorithms which allow for better detailing to come through. That is, in good lighting scenarios.

You’ll miss a telephoto lens, and digital zoom’s utility is quite limited if details and clarity are what you wish for in resulting photos. For low-light photos too, it takes some effort to get the sort of detailing you’d expect from a flagship-esque priced phone. That may always not be the case.

If there is a part of you which would like to make the switch from a traditional slab-design smartphone to a flip form factor, your choices don’t get much better than the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5. It is incredibly usable even in the un-flipped state, since the 6.7-inch screen size (albeit with a narrow-er aspect ratio) retains a similar footprint. The cover screen is significantly improved now, with software smarts adding genuine utility.

For specific use cases too, the 90-degree positioning makes sense. Video calls being one, where you can keep the phone on the table and not have to hold it up. Or use the lower part of the screen for specific app functionality, such as controls for music streaming apps.

Unlike its bigger sibling, the Galaxy Z Fold 5’s pricing is less of a contemplation for the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5. Even more so, if you’re able to use the payment and exchange offers to the fullest.

 

Source link

Continue Reading

Tech

Slack researcher discusses the fear, loathing and excitement surrounding AI in the workplace

Published

 on

 

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Artificial intelligence‘s recent rise to the forefront of business has left most office workers wondering how often they should use the technology and whether a computer will eventually replace them.

Those were among the highlights of a recent study conducted by the workplace communications platform Slack. After conducting in-depth interviews with 5,000 desktop workers, Slack concluded there are five types of AI personalities in the workplace: “The Maximalist” who regularly uses AI on their jobs; “The Underground” who covertly uses AI; “The Rebel,” who abhors AI; “The Superfan” who is excited about AI but still hasn’t used it; and “The Observer” who is taking a wait-and-see approach.

Only 50% of the respondents fell under the Maximalist or Underground categories, posing a challenge for businesses that want their workers to embrace AI technology. The Associated Press recently discussed the excitement and tension surrounding AI at work with Christina Janzer, Slack’s senior vice president of research and analytics.

Q: What do you make about the wide range of perceptions about AI at work?

A: It shows people are experiencing AI in very different ways, so they have very different emotions about it. Understanding those emotions will help understand what is going to drive usage of AI. If people are feeling guilty or nervous about it, they are not going to use it. So we have to understand where people are, then point them toward learning to value this new technology.

Q: The Maximalist and The Underground both seem to be early adopters of AI at work, but what is different about their attitudes?

A: Maximalists are all in on AI. They are getting value out of it, they are excited about it, and they are actively sharing that they are using it, which is a really big driver for usage among others.

The Underground is the one that is really interesting to me because they are using it, but they are hiding it. There are different reasons for that. They are worried they are going to be seen as incompetent. They are worried that AI is going to be seen as cheating. And so with them, we have an opportunity to provide clear guidelines to help them know that AI usage is celebrated and encouraged. But right now they don’t have guidelines from their companies and they don’t feel particularly encouraged to use it.

Overall, there is more excitement about AI than not, so I think that’s great We just need to figure out how to harness that.

Q: What about the 19% of workers who fell under the Rebel description in Slack’s study?

A: Rebels tend to be women, which is really interesting. Three out of five rebels are women, which I obviously don’t like to see. Also, rebels tend to be older. At a high level, men are adopting the technology at higher rates than women.

Q: Why do you think more women than men are resisting AI?

A: Women are more likely to see AI as a threat, more likely to worry that AI is going to take over their jobs. To me, that points to women not feeling as trusted in the workplace as men do. If you feel trusted by your manager, you are more likely to experiment with AI. Women are reluctant to adopt a technology that might be seen as a replacement for them whereas men may have more confidence that isn’t going to happen because they feel more trusted.

Q: What are some of the things employers should be doing if they want their workers to embrace AI on the job?

A: We are seeing three out of five desk workers don’t even have clear guidelines with AI, because their companies just aren’t telling them anything, so that’s a huge opportunity.

Another opportunity to encourage AI usage in the open. If we can create a culture where it’s celebrated, where people can see the way people are using it, then they can know that it’s accepted and celebrated. Then they can be inspired.

The third thing is we have to create a culture of experimentation where people feel comfortable trying it out, testing it, getting comfortable with it because a lot of people just don’t know where to start. The reality is you can start small, you don’t have to completely change your job. Having AI write an email or summarize content is a great place to start so you can start to understand what this technology can do.

Q: Do you think the fears about people losing their jobs because of AI are warranted?

A: People with AI are going to replace people without AI.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

Source link

Continue Reading

Tech

Biden administration to provide $325 million for new Michigan semiconductor factory

Published

 on

 

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration said Tuesday that it would provide up to $325 million to Hemlock Semiconductor for a new factory, a move that could help give Democrats a political edge in the swing state of Michigan ahead of election day.

The funding would support 180 manufacturing jobs in Saginaw County, where Republicans and Democrats were neck-in-neck for the past two presidential elections. There would also be construction jobs tied to the factory that would produce hyper-pure polysilicon, a building block for electronics and solar panels, among other technologies.

Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said on a call with reporters that the funding came from the CHIPS and Science Act, which President Joe Biden signed into law in 2022. It’s part of a broader industrial strategy that the campaign of Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee, supports, while Republican nominee Donald Trump, the former president, sees tariff hikes and income tax cuts as better to support manufacturing.

“What we’ve been able to do with the CHIPS Act is not just build a few new factories, but fundamentally revitalize the semiconductor ecosystem in our country with American workers,” Raimondo said. “All of this is because of the vision of the Biden-Harris administration.”

A senior administration official said the timing of the announcement reflected the negotiating process for reaching terms on the grant, rather than any political considerations. The official insisted on anonymity to discuss the process.

After site work, Hemlock Semiconductor plans to begin construction in 2026 and then start production in 2028, the official said.

Running in 2016, Trump narrowly won Saginaw County and Michigan as a whole. But in 2020 against Biden, both Saginaw County and Michigan flipped to the Democrats.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

Source link

Continue Reading

News

The Internet is Littered in ‘Educated Guesses’ Without the ‘Education’

Published

 on

Although no one likes a know-it-all, they dominate the Internet.

The Internet began as a vast repository of information. It quickly became a breeding ground for self-proclaimed experts seeking what most people desire: recognition and money.

Today, anyone with an Internet connection and some typing skills can position themselves, regardless of their education or experience, as a subject matter expert (SME). From relationship advice, career coaching, and health and nutrition tips to citizen journalists practicing pseudo-journalism, the Internet is awash with individuals—Internet talking heads—sharing their “insights,” which are, in large part, essentially educated guesses without the education or experience.

The Internet has become a 24/7/365 sitcom where armchair experts think they’re the star.

Not long ago, years, sometimes decades, of dedicated work and acquiring education in one’s field was once required to be recognized as an expert. The knowledge and opinions of doctors, scientists, historians, et al. were respected due to their education and experience. Today, a social media account and a knack for hyperbole are all it takes to present oneself as an “expert” to achieve Internet fame that can be monetized.

On the Internet, nearly every piece of content is self-serving in some way.

The line between actual expertise and self-professed knowledge has become blurry as an out-of-focus selfie. Inadvertently, social media platforms have created an informal degree program where likes and shares are equivalent to degrees. After reading selective articles, they’ve found via and watching some TikTok videos, a person can post a video claiming they’re an herbal medicine expert. Their new “knowledge,” which their followers will absorb, claims that Panda dung tea—one of the most expensive teas in the world and isn’t what its name implies—cures everything from hypertension to existential crisis. Meanwhile, registered dietitians are shaking their heads, wondering how to compete against all the misinformation their clients are exposed to.

More disturbing are individuals obsessed with evangelizing their beliefs or conspiracy theories. These people write in-depth blog posts, such as Elvis Is Alive and the Moon Landings Were Staged, with links to obscure YouTube videos, websites, social media accounts, and blogs. Regardless of your beliefs, someone or a group on the Internet shares them, thus confirming your beliefs.

Misinformation is the Internet’s currency used to get likes, shares, and engagement; thus, it often spreads like a cosmic joke. Consider the prevalence of clickbait headlines:

  • You Won’t Believe What Taylor Swift Says About Climate Change!
  • This Bedtime Drink Melts Belly Fat While You Sleep!
  • In One Week, I Turned $10 Into $1 Million!

Titles that make outrageous claims are how the content creator gets reads and views, which generates revenue via affiliate marketing, product placement, and pay-per-click (PPC) ads. Clickbait headlines are how you end up watching a TikTok video by a purported nutrition expert adamantly asserting you can lose belly fat while you sleep by drinking, for 14 consecutive days, a concoction of raw eggs, cinnamon, and apple cider vinegar 15 minutes before going to bed.

Our constant search for answers that’ll explain our convoluted world and our desire for shortcuts to success is how Internet talking heads achieve influencer status. Because we tend to seek low-hanging fruits, we listen to those with little experience or knowledge of the topics they discuss yet are astute enough to know what most people want to hear.

There’s a trend, more disturbing than spreading misinformation, that needs to be called out: individuals who’ve never achieved significant wealth or traded stocks giving how-to-make-easy-money advice, the appeal of which is undeniable. Several people I know have lost substantial money by following the “advice” of Internet talking heads.

Anyone on social media claiming to have a foolproof money-making strategy is lying. They wouldn’t be peddling their money-making strategy if they could make easy money.

Successful people tend to be secretive.

Social media companies design their respective algorithms to serve their advertisers—their source of revenue—interest; hence, content from Internet talking heads appears most prominent in your feeds. When a video of a self-professed expert goes viral, likely because it pressed an emotional button, the more people see it, the more engagement it receives, such as likes, shares and comments, creating a cycle akin to a tornado.

Imagine scrolling through your TikTok feed and stumbling upon a “scientist” who claims they can predict the weather using only aluminum foil, copper wire, sea salt and baking soda. You chuckle, but you notice his video got over 7,000 likes, has been shared over 600 times and received over 400 comments. You think to yourself, “Maybe this guy is onto something.” What started as a quest to achieve Internet fame evolved into an Internet-wide belief that weather forecasting can be as easy as DIY crafts.

Since anyone can call themselves “an expert,” you must cultivate critical thinking skills to distinguish genuine expertise from self-professed experts’ self-promoting nonsense. While the absurdity of the Internet can be entertaining, misinformation has serious consequences. The next time you read a headline that sounds too good to be true, it’s probably an Internet talking head making an educated guess; without the education seeking Internet fame, they can monetize.

______________________________________________________________

 

Nick Kossovan, a self-described connoisseur of human psychology, writes about what’s

on his mind from Toronto. You can follow Nick on Twitter and Instagram @NKossovan.

 

Continue Reading

Trending

Exit mobile version