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The Galaxy Watch 4 could be Android's Apple Watch – Analyst – TrustedReviews

Published

2 years ago

August 16, 2021

Harry Miller

The team-up between Google and Samsung might be what finally knocks the Apple Watch Series off its throne.

Samsung has been busy recently, with the launch of the Galaxy Z Flip 3 and the Galaxy Z Fold 3, alongside other items like the Galaxy Air Buds 2, the company has been working hard on a lot of new projects.

Samsung’s latest wearable, the Galaxy Watch 4, comes from a team-up between Google and Samsung, bringing Wear OS to the Android smartwatch.

We asked some experts what they thought about the latest Galaxy Watch and how it could help Samsung and Google finally get a leg up on Apple’s wearable line.

Did Samsung and Google do enough to give Wear OS a fighting chance against the Apple Watch?

“It is too early to say. But it is a win-win situation for both Samsung and Google. Samsung’s smartwatches have struggled with developer and app support and Google has that in abundance. Google has struggled with hardware. A partnership gives Samsung the app support that comes with Google and gives Google the hardware expertise of Samsung,” Anisha Bhatia, Senior Analyst at GolbalData told Trusted Reviews.

“Collaboration also allows them access to non-Apple customers that was denied to them due to Android fragmentation. Volumes will bring in scale, cost efficiencies and more developers, which is what both Google and Samsung need to become viable competitors to Apple.”

Other experts agree that while it is too early to say for sure, the team-up between Samsung and Google should be a good thing for the future of the Galaxy Watch 4.

“If we look at the Apple Watch’s success, it’s built on seamless interoperability with the iPhone, giving users the knowledge that their smartwatch will just work with their phone, with no hassle. In contrast, Samsung and Google are trying to appeal to a wider base,” Leo Gebbie, principal analyst, Connected Devices at CCS Insight revealed to Trusted Reviews.

“For example, will using the Watch4 with a non-Samsung smartphone deliver a premium experience? Will people with other Android-powered smartphones – for instance, OnePlus – be aware of the benefits of a Wear OS device as opposed to a OnePlus watch?

“It’s a far trickier message for Google and Samsung to pitch to customers, and until Wear OS becomes more widespread and consistent, it will likely remain hard to communicate.”

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It is assumed that the team-up will also mean that the Galaxy Watch 4 could be the Apple equivalent but for Android.

“Regarding software, third-party apps have been a challenge for almost all smartwatch makers aside from Apple. Samsung is looking to have cracked this with the reignition of their partnership with Goggle, providing users with a wealth of familiar apps from Google Play,” Jack Hamlin, Global Client Manager at Kantar Worldpanel told Trusted Reviews.

“This development makes Samsung Galaxy Watch an extremely compelling choice for Android smartphone owners, in many ways making it the ‘Apple Watch’ of the Android world.”

How do you see Wear OS devices doing in the next year?

“We have seen increased sales and engagement in the wearables category following Covid. Wear OS devices’ sleek design and third-party app support will stand them in good stead for success in the coming year,” Hamlin continued to say.

“However competition is set to intensify, Google’s acquisition of Fitbit has sparked rumours of a possible Pixel watch, which would directly compete with the Wear OS series.”

While the experts agree Samsung’s newest wearable will do well, it will have to overcome strong competition from Apple’s wearables, such as the Apple Watch 6.

“This year, I expect the Galaxy Watch 4 to perform well. However, it’s very difficult to say how other Wear OS devices will perform, because we still don’t know exactly what devices will use it,” Gebbie went on to say.

“Google has confirmed that some Mobvoi TicWatch and Fossil watches will support the new software, but these are fairly small players in terms of shipments. I’m also expecting to see new Fitbit devices running Wear OS but little is known about these right now.

“Ultimately, I think it could take some time before we’ll have any indication of the level of success that the new Wear OS has achieved, but Google and Samsung have invested heavily and are certainly in it for the long haul.”

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Redmi Note 12 Turbo teaser images reveal even more specs

Published

6 hours ago

March 25, 2023

Harry Miller

We already know that the Redmi Note 12 Turbo is on its way with an expected announcement time of 7 PM on March 28. We also already know quite a bit about the phone thanks to Weibo leaks and a visit to AnTuTu. A new set of teaser images has now surfaced online alongside some additional device specs.

Teaser images

Apparently, the Redmi Note 12 Turbo’s display will be 12-bit, support HDR10+ and feature a 120Hz refresh rate, 1920Hz PWM Dimming and SGS Low Blue Light Certification. Previous rumors have indicated a display diagonal of 6.67 inches and an FHD+ resolution. The phone will boast pretty thin bezels, measuring just 1.95mm on top, and 1.42mm on the sides of the display, with a 2.22mm chin underneath it and a 93.45% screen-to-body ratio. The phone’s entire body will measure 7.9mm in thickness and weigh 181 grams.

The Redmi Note 12 Turbo is also rumored to offer a stereo speaker setup with Dolby ATMOS and Hi-Res Audio support alongside a 3.5mm audio jack. Also on board is an IR blaster. Confirming earlier rumors, the handset is expected to be among the first, if not the very first, to rock a Qualcomm Snapdragon 7+ Gen 2 chipset, alongside up to 16GB of LPDDR5 RAM and 1TB of UFS3.1 storage. As per the new teaser, the chip will be cooled by a 3725mm² vapor chamber cooler.

Teaser images

In a rather conflicting report, the new source now claims that the Redmi Note 12 Turbo will feature a side-mounted fingerprint reader instead of an in-display one. Also on the list of expected specs is a large 5,000 mAh battery with 67W charging. The phone is expected to have a 64MP main camera with OIS, 8MP ultrawide and a 2MP macro shooter. It is also said to run Android 13 with MIUI 14 on top.

There is still no word on pricing and availability. Though, it is worth noting that the Redmi Note 12 Turbo is expected to launch under the Poco F5 branding in India on April 5.

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Why can’t I sync blocked numbers to a new Android phone?

Published

7 hours ago

March 25, 2023

Harry Miller

Rita El Khoury / Android Authority

I don’t switch phones often, but when I do, I dread every single part of the process. Although Google has smoothed out some of the steps thanks to a more robust Android backup system and a new Fast Pair phone setup, a lot of tedious bits and pieces remain. It’s painful to re-pair wearables and Bluetooth accessories, adjust smart home gadgets to follow the new phone for geolocation automations, and sign into and re-customize apps to my liking. It can take a day and do all of that manually; what I can’t do, though, is transfer or sync my blocked numbers on my Android phone to a new phone.

And this little issue has been annoying me for a couple of years now. It baffles me that it hasn’t been fixed yet.

I trust Google to identify some spam numbers on its own and stop them from disrupting me, but I also make an effort to report as spam and block any other spammers and unwanted numbers that slip through. Still, every year or so, I find myself answering calls and looking at messages from these same unwanted numbers just because the blocklist didn’t carry over when I switched to a new phone.

My blocked numbers list doesn’t carry over when I switch phones. I end up answering calls and reading messages from the same unwanted numbers.

Spam and phishing are massive problems in some countries like the US and India. In my experience, they’ve been less of an issue in France, but they were a major annoyance in Lebanon where GDPR and privacy rules don’t exist. Since I was a practicing pharmacist, my number was registered with the union and was shared, without my consent, with hundreds of pharmaceutical and not-so-pharmaceutical companies. Even two years after shutting down my practice, I still get dozens of unwanted messages every week on my Lebanese number.

With spam being such an annoying everyday occurrence, you’d think that all the tools would be at your disposal to fight it. And yet, Google is fighting it with Assistant call screening and massive data collection from millions of users to identify spam before it annoys you, but it’s forgetting one very simple trick that could save everyone extra headache: Just sync my list of blocked numbers on Android across phones.

Spam, phishing, and abuse are massive issues. I should only have to block a number once, but Google is trying to solve the problem differently.

Beyond spam, the issue gets worse when you imagine that an ex or an abusive person from your past keeps calling you or messaging you. You block them and think you’re done with that crap, only to see their number pop up again when you switch to a new phone. If we’re intentionally choosing to block a number or mark it as spam, we don’t want to find ourselves looking at that same number again, ever.

Here are three ways this problem can be fixed, from simple and manual, to complex and automatic:

Add a manual export and import button to the blocked numbers list in the Google Phone and Messages apps.
Treat the blocked numbers list like the call history and make sure it backs up and restores when users switch phones.
Synchronize the blocked numbers list with my Google account (maybe as a part of Google Contacts?) so that it’s always updated across all my devices.

Apple does the latter with iCloud. You block a number on your iPhone and it’ll be synced to your iPad, iMac, and every other device you use. Google could and should do it the same way. Sure, this isn’t as sexy as Assistant call screening, but no one wants to keep blocking the same numbers again and again.

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New film by Calgary’s Tank Standing Buffalo streams on HBO

Published

13 hours ago

March 25, 2023

Harry Miller

A Calgary animator’s newest cartoon started streaming Thursday night on HBO Max.

Tank Standing Buffalo’s MONSTR was one of eight animated shorts chosen from more than 1,200 submissions to be part of the HBO Max series Only You: An Animated Shorts Collection.

MONSTR deals with Standing Buffalo’s fight with inner demons while apprenticing with a northwest totem carver following the death of his wife Marsha.

“My partner Marsha died suddenly in my arms of a brain aneurysm,” Standing Buffalo said in a release. “One moment she was there, the next she was gone. Without her, I was lost.

“I left Calgary to walk the west coast until I couldn’t walk, and ended up on carver Phil Ashbee’s doorstep. He saw I was in trouble, and took me in. I began a tough year-and -a-half apprenticeship, learning from him and another carver. The teachings were harsh, but helped me to heal.

Tank Standing Buffalo’s next project MONSTR is part of an HBO Max program for animators

“MONSTR takes place during my time with Phil, and brings to life how I confronted the grief of Marsha’s passing. It is my story, one only I can tell.”

Standing Buffalo worked with co-writer Xstine Coo, producer Amanda Miller and composers Cara Adu-Darko and Brandon Smith on the film, which features music by Walter MacDonald White Bear.

The film features the voices of Corey Feldman and Tristan Risk.

It’s Standing Buffalo’s third animated short, following RKLSS (2020), which screened at TIFF, and SAVJ (2021), which is currently being screened at a variety of film festivals.

HBO flew Standing Buffalo to Los Angeles for the Hollywood premiere of MONSTR Tuesday night.

Scene from MONSTR by Tank Standing Buffalo

In his artist statement, Standing Buffalo said art has literally saved his life – and his emergence as a rising animation star was launched by a scholarship he received to attend a Calgary animation workshop.

“I came to love animation six years ago when I received a scholarship through Quickdraw Animation Society in Calgary,” he said. “I am a person who thrives on routine and discipline. I appreciate the meditative repetition required to create animation.

“Through making my first two autobiographical shorts with monster and fantasy elements, I’ve found telling my story through animation is a form of time travel; my art is healing the person who I was in the past.”

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