Google Pixel 4: What we know so far

With the Pixel 4 series launch likely taking place next month, rumors and leaks about the flagship series are arriving at record pace.

It’s been nearly a year since Google launched the Pixel 3 flagship smartphone series, which means that the next generation’s reveal is imminent. Not only have rumors been circulating about the anticipated devices, but leaked images and videos allegedly of the official handsets have also emerged. The following is a collection of the most recent speculations about Google’s upcoming Pixel 4 series.

On Wednesday, the YouTube channels AnhEm TV and Rabbit TV offered us the most comprehensive looks of what is alleged to be the Pixel 4 lineup yet by posting videos 6.5 and 14 minutes long, respectively, of the largest model in the series, the Pixel 4 XL.

Late last week, 9to5Google and XDA Developers revealed information about the series’ purported camera capabilities. The former spoke with sources that claimed a new Motion Mode will help owners take clearer action shots and an improved Night Mode will improve on the already impressive shots taken in low lighting. XDA Developers, on the other hand, reported that the Pixel 4 camera with be able to zoom 8x.


Also last week, 9to5Google separately reported that the “Google Assistant on Pixel 4 will be able to step in for you while you’re on hold during a phone call.” Though the precise functioning was not outlined by the source, they did state that Google will let you know when a human being is back on the line.

A few days earlier, MySmartPrice spotted an FCC listing revealing that four Pixel 4 devices are in the works; while three are expected to be follow-up models of the 3, 3XL, and budget-friendly 3a, the fourth one is unknown. The media suspects that it is a second successor to the Pixel 3a.


If the rumors and leaks continue to flourish like they did ahead of the Pixel 3 series launch, the entire lineup and its respective model specs could be completely revealed in no time. JB

source: technology.inquirer.net

Leaked video purports to reveal Samsung Galaxy Note 9 design

New video and images, claimed to be factory leaks, along with speculations, are starting to offer a picture of what to expect from the Samsung Galaxy Note 9, believed to be set for an August reveal. So far, the exterior appears to be a clone of the Galaxy Note 8, while tech fans are analyzing the clues to figure out what will be found under the hood.

A set of 3D renders of what is supposedly the new model were published Thursday on 91mobiles, along with a 360-degree video, confirming Bloomberg’s report that the Note 9 “will look similar to last year’s model.” Almost a month ago, noted leakster @UniverseIce tweeted two images of devices side by side, one being the likely version that will be unveiled, a Note 8 lookalike, the other a slightly wider version with less top and bottom bezel captioned, “Samsung can achieve this design…But still gives us such a design” (on the lookalike model). The poster hypothesized that such a similar design “may be to save manufacturing costs.” Another tweet projected that if “lucky, you will see 8GB RAM and 512GB ROM Galaxy Note 9.”

The dimensions of the upcoming model are thought to be 161.9 x 76.3 x 8.8 mm, “around 6.3-inches,” which means it’s slightly shorter, wider, and thicker than the Note 8,” as reported by 91mobile, who have partnered with @OnLeaks, another industry tipster, to glean “concrete info about the Note 9.”



The Note 9 might arrive with a slightly thinner bezel, Infinity Display and supposedly the same buttons and ports as seen before: volume and power buttons on the left, dedicated Bixby button on the right. Users not ready to lose their wired headphones will be happy to see that the 3.5mm jack port is likely to stay on the base, alongside the microphone, USB Type C port, speaker and silo for the ejectable S Pen.

The back is where the design seems to have been reworked. Note 9 may have its fingerprint scanner below the camera module, which suggests that there won’t be an under-display fingerprint scanner.

As for other expected specs, nothing has been confirmed although multiple tech blogs are expecting the device to be powered by the latest Samsung Exynos 9810 or upgraded Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 SoC, depending upon the region. As for the cameras, chances are that the Galaxy S9 will lend its latest rear-camera setup to the Note 9, offering better low-light performance and the ability to record slow-motion video at up to 960 frames per second (at 720p resolution).

Unless more puzzle pieces are leaked in the next coming weeks, to see the full list of specs Samsung fans will probably have to wait until Aug. 9, the date tipped by Bloomberg as the unveiling. JB

source: technology.inquirer.net

Apple warns employees to stop leaking information on future products

Apple issued a warning to all its employees to avoid information leaks on future products.

A lengthy memo put out on the company’s internal blog talked about the business repercussions of leaked information and the legal actions that can be taken to punish leakers, as reported by Bloomberg.

The memo stated the company “caught 29 leakers” in 2017 and 12 of those were arrested. Apple also warned that those who get terminated may find difficulty in finding new employment.

Apple product marketing executive Greg Joswiak said on the memo, “We want the chance to tell our customers why the product is great, and not have that done poorly by someone else.”

“The impact of a leak goes far beyond the people who work on a project,” the memo stated.

Several instances of leaks were cited on the memo. One of these referred to information about a software package which revealed details on the then-unreleased iPhone X and new Apple Watch.

A meeting with software engineer head Craig Federighi earlier this year was also leaked to the media. Federighi told staff who attended the meeting that some planned iPhone software were getting delayed.

Apple’s stand to remain secretive about plans and future products is yet to be tested. Whether the internal memo will prove effective in preventing leaks before they happen remains to be seen. Alfred Bayle/JB

source: technology.inquirer.net

iPhone 8 latest leaks may have actually come from Apple

A lot of speculations from various sources have come out over the past few months concerning Apple’s upcoming iPhone 8. A latest information leak confirms a good number of persistent assumptions, as it came directly from Apple, and quite accidentally.

Guilherme Rambo, a developer for a Brazilian e-commerce company, stumbled upon a firmware update for the Apple HomePod, tagged as beta iOS 11.0.2. According to a report by Wired, he found this occurrence as strange, because this device is still scheduled for release in December later this year, making a firmware update irrelevant.

Digging through the firmware’s code, with his curiosity piqued, he eventually uncovered clue after clue that pointed him to information regarding the upcoming iPhone. These clues included code for a Biometric system that involves face recognition and vector data for the device’s physical design.

When rendered, the vector data painted an image very similar to what previous leaks reported about: a smartphone with thin bezels and the absence of a home button.

An apple developer by the name of Steven Troughton-Smith confirmed Rambo’s findings. He stated that the information Rambo found was supposed to be for internal use only. He also assumed that the HomePod firmware was released by accident before all sensitive information and references were removed.

“It’s a process Apple goes through every year, to make sure developers can still access the upcoming iOS without revealing too much about the unannounced iPhone that will come upon the final release,” Troughton-Smith said in the report.

Rambo also uncovered references to an iPhone 9.9 and iPhone Pro or iPhone 10, the internal codename of which was D22.

“This is a rough situation for Apple,” added Troughton-Smith. “For them to be the source of the only concrete leaks about it and its design is going to upset a lot of people internally.”

With this new piece of information, and directly from an internal Apple document no less, it may be safe to assume that what will be unveiled in September is almost exactly as previous leaks described. Alfred Bayle/JB

source: technology.inquirer.net