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The Morning After: Samsung revealed the Note 20 and Galaxy Z Fold 2 – Engadget

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Can anyone figure out the foldable? Samsung hopes the third time’s the charm. Alongside its new Note 20 series, the company revealed the Galaxy Z Fold 2, with more screen on both the folding surface and the secondary outer display. The latter was a weak point on the original Galaxy Fold, a tiny mediocre screen that was hard to use. 

Samsung

The Fold 2 also appears thinner than the original, partly thanks to shorter fiber brushes between the hinge parts, meant to clean out trapped dust and particles. The company has also reengineered the display layers for improved durability — a question that still lingers around foldables. 

As the line between the flagship Galaxy S and Galaxy Note series blurs — they’re all big phones now — foldables could be the new Note. Maybe.

For now, Samsung’s third folding phone still doesn’t appear to be reinventing what smartphones can offer. Expect more details (and a hefty price) on September 1st.

— Mat

What you need to know about the new Galaxy Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra

Do you want premium or ‘premium’ premium?

Engadget

Samsung has officially revealed the Galaxy Note 20 ($999) and Note 20 Ultra ($1,299), and the more expensive model comes with some major differences. The Note 20 Ultra has a 6.9-inch screen, though it has a narrower, taller build, making it easier to handle than you might think. The Note 20 is a little smaller at 6.7 inches, but that still makes for a pretty big phone. It also has a lower resolution and the typical 60Hz refresh rate. Meanwhile, the Note 20 Ultra gets an ultra-smooth 120Hz screen. Camera specs, similarly, separate the two, making the Note 20 a harder device to recommend, at least going on spec sheets. Take a look for yourself.
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Samsung’s Galaxy Buds Live offer ‘open’ ANC and hands-free access to Bixby

They go on sale today for $170.

Samsung

They’re weird looking, but Samsung’s next-generation wireless buds are here. Their curved bean shape is apparently meant to mimic the crevices of your ear, and they sit flat on the outside of your ear canal without a tip that goes inside. Instead, a pair of speakers on the underside of the Buds Live beam sound in on each side. This allows for “open” active noise cancellation (ANC) tech. Rather than piping outside noise in with an ambient sound mode, the Buds Live has vents that let you hear what’s going on around you. The ANC focuses on low-frequency noise.
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A quick read that you’ll finish before your first cup of coffee.

Disney has no idea what it’s doing with ‘Mulan’

A $200 million Hail Mary.

Disney

Is Disney’s direct-to-streaming release of Mulan a calculated shot to kill movie theaters, a dastardly plot to eliminate movie ownership in favor of leases that keep customers hooked on Disney+ or something else? Devindra Hardawar explains the factors that make this look more like a salvage operation than strategic attack, and why fumbling the rollout could upset “premium VOD” possibilities in the future.
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Zoom adds silly filters and more noise suppression options

Reclaim that wacky office worker crown.

Zoom

Zoom’s upgraded its video conferencing app with a bunch of social media-inspired filters and overlays, as well as settings sliders to improve the brightness and fidelity of your video stream. (So they can better see your janky pirate eye-patch?)

Looking at the more buttoned-down features, background noise suppression will soon have four options — auto, low, medium and high — so you can fine tune your audio levels on calls.
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But wait, there’s more…

Nintendo Switch hardware and software sales exploded in the spring

Riot Games gives its employees a week off to recharge

Why Trump views TikTok as a threat

Facebook, Twitter remove Trump video for ‘harmful COVID misinformation’

Watch the first trailer for Ridley Scott’s creepy android series on HBO Max

Audi lowers the E-Tron SUV’s starting price by $9,000 for 2021

The first US COVID-19 app built on Apple and Google tracking tech is here

Google’s PIN-encrypted Android ‘Safe Folder’ protects crucial documents

Instagram ‘bug’ heavily favored Trump content over Biden for months

Samsung’s Galaxy Tab S7 and S7+ are the first 5G tablets in the US

Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 3 adds Apple Watch-like features 

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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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