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Samsung’s next Unpacked event is January 14

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Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. Samsung’s next flagship is set to debut January 14. The company just confirmed earlier rumors surrounding the date for its next Unpacked event (virtually, of course). This one sports the name, “Welcome to the Everyday Epic.”
“Over the past year, mobile technology has taken center stage in everyday life as people are working remotely and spending more time at home,” the company writes. “The accelerated transition to a mobile-first world brings with it the need for devices that can transform everyday life into an extraordinary experience.”
The event’s timing is an interesting artifact of 2021’s wacky show scheduling, with the COVID-19 pandemic still very much being front of mind. Past Unpackeds were generally timed around Mobile World Congress. That show has been delayed until the summer, however, in hopes of returning to an in-person event. So Samsung has opted to kickstart sales a month or so earlier this year.

In fact, the event is a mere days after CES. Gone are the days a gadget journalist could take a few days to decompress after the year’s biggest hardware show. It also, perhaps, doesn’t bode well for Samsung’s announcements during CES itself (though the electronics giant has more than enough divisions to keep its presence at the show interesting).

Another odd change this year is the fact that you can already reserve the S21, sight unseen. There’s little doubt it will be a solid phone, though there are plenty of questions around how the company will up the ante in the era of flagging smartphone sales. The leaks so far have been kind of underwhelming, though Samsung’s usually got a couple of fun surprises up its sleeve.
We’ve already seen enough of the Galaxy Buds Pro that they don’t qualify as a surprise, exactly. But the company has a solid enough track record with earbuds that there’s reason to be excited. The AirPods Pro competitors are are said to be priced at a reasonable $199.

Samsung hasn’t announced the Galaxy S21 yet, but you can already reserve one

Samsung’s next Unpacked event is January 14

OnePlus’ latest concept phone changes color to ‘breathe’ with the user

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Back in January, OnePlus showed off its first concept phone. The aptly (if plainly) named Concept One sported color-shifting glass, giving the effect of an “invisible camera” on the rear of the device. The concept wasn’t particularly useful — if anything it was a fun diversion from boring old phone updates.
From that standpoint, the OnePlus 8T Concept is more of the same. It’s not particularly useful as far as smartphone updates go — and more to the point, there’s absolutely zero guarantee this technology will ever make it onto an actual phone. Once again, the headlining technology has more to do with how the phone looks than how it actually functions.
The big thing here is something called ECMF, or Electronic Color, Material and Finish. Basically it’s a color-changing film that coats the phone. It has metal oxide, which activates when voltage is applied, changing the glass from dark blue to light silver.

Image Credits: OnePlus

OnePlus says, “Our designers took inspiration for these colors from the multi-hued flowing water in the hot springs of Pamukkale, Turkey. Nature has perfected many designs, and by drawing inspiration from Pamukkale and other natural elements, we can craft new interaction experiences that are more natural, intuitive, and effortless.”
As for the utility of such technologies, OnePlus suggests a coat that changes color to notify the user of incoming calls. Weirder still is a future that uses mmWave technology to capture a user’s breathing pattern, “enabling the color to change in sync and effectively making the phone a biofeedback device.”
As far as new phone features, this one is firmly in the “why not” column.

OnePlus’ latest concept phone changes color to ‘breathe’ with the user

2021 holds even more Samsung foldables

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The foldable category got off to a famously rocky start. Fifteen months after the release of the first Galaxy Fold, Samsung has had time to work out some of the issues with the original device, giving the world the better-received Galaxy Z Flip and Z Fold 2 this year.
Likely due to various stumbles from mobile manufacturers, the form factor has yet to redefine the industry in a meaningful way — but meaningful change takes time. And in case there was any doubt surrounding Samsung’s commitment to foldable displays, Mobile president TM Roh penned a letter on the company’s site, noting an expansion of the portfolio next year.
Whether that means an additional device or something more meaningful remains to be seen, though it does seem to suggest the arrival of at least one more affordable model. Price has certainly been a major hurdle for the adoption of these products. In the letter, Roh notes that he/the company will be “sharing more in January” — perhaps an allusion to CES or a standalone Samsung event. Roh adds:

True to our heritage of staying ahead of the curve with trailblazing mobile tech, we’ll be expanding our portfolio of foldables, so this groundbreaking category is more accessible to everyone. And while we’re already known for our revolutionary cameras, we’ll never stop trying to outdo ourselves — so be on the lookout for super-intelligent, pro-grade camera and video capabilities in 2021. We’ve also been paying attention to people’s favorite aspects of the Galaxy Note experience and are excited to add some of its most well-loved features to other devices in our lineup.
Nothing particularly earth-shattering. With the race to 5G devices in the rear-view, the focus is seemingly back on cameras, in addition to folding screens. More after the holidays, no doubt.

Samsung’s new Galaxy Fold arrives September 18 for $2,000

 

2021 holds even more Samsung foldables

Charge, please: Apple will pay $113M to settle 34-state ‘batterygate’ lawsuit

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Apple has agreed to pay $113 million to 34 states and the District of Columbia to settle allegations that it broke consumer protection laws when it systematically downplayed widespread iPhone battery problems in 2016. This is in addition to the half billion the company already paid to consumers over the issue earlier this year and numerous other fines around the world.
The issue, as we’ve reported over the years, was that a new version of iOS was causing older (but not that old) iPhones to shut down unexpectedly, and that an update “fixing” this issue surreptitiously throttled the performance of those devices.
Conspiracy-minded people, which we now know are quite numerous, suspected this was a deliberate degradation of performance in order to spur the purchase of a new phone. This was not the case, but Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich, who led the multistate investigation, showed that Apple was quite aware of the scale of the issue and the shortcomings of its solution.

Brnovich and his fellow AGs alleged that Apple violated various consumer protection laws, such as Arizona’s Consumer Fraud Act, by “misrepresenting and concealing information” regarding the iPhone battery problems and the irreversible negative consequences of the update it issued to fix them.

Apple agrees to settlement of up to $500 million from lawsuit alleging it throttled older phones

Apple agreed to a $113 million settlement that admits no wrongdoing, to be split among the states however they choose. This is not a fine, like the €25 million one from French authorities; if Apple had been liable for statutory penalties those might have reached much, much higher than the amount agreed to today. Arizona’s CFA provides for up to $10,000 per willful violation, and even a fraction of that would have added up very quickly given the amount of people affected.
In addition to the cash settlement, Apple must “provide truthful information to consumers about iPhone battery health, performance and power management” in various ways. The company already made changes to this effect years ago, but in settlements like this such requirements are included so they can’t just turn around and do it again, though some companies, like Facebook, do it anyway.

9 reasons the Facebook FTC settlement is a joke

Charge, please: Apple will pay $113M to settle 34-state ‘batterygate’ lawsuit

Apple will release macOS Big Sur on November 12

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Apple’s upcoming desktop and laptop operating system, macOS Big Sur, will be released on November 12, the company announced today.
MacOS Big Sur — which stays with the company’s California-themed naming scheme — will arrive with a new and refreshed user interface, new features and performance improvements.
Many of the features in iOS 14 are porting over — including improved Message threading and in-line replies and a redesigned Maps app. The new Apple software also comes with a new Control Center, with quick access to brightness, volume, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
Safari also gets a much-needed lick of paint. It comes with new privacy and security features, including an in-built intelligence tracking prevention that stops trackers following you across the web, and password monitoring to save you from using previously breached passwords.
If you’re wondering what macOS Big Sir is like to work on, TechCrunch’s Brian Heater took the new software for a spin in August.
MacOS Big Sur will be supported on Macs and MacBooks dating back to 2013.
Read more:

Apple is building its own processors for future Macs
What we expect from Apple’s ‘One More Thing’ Mac event
macOS 11.0 Big Sur preview
More from Apple’s November Mac Event

macOS 11.0 Big Sur preview

Apple will release macOS Big Sur on November 12