Samsung‘s Galaxy S24 series introduced a suite of AI-powered features promising a more enhanced user experience. While these features are exclusive to the new phones, for now, there’s good news for owners of older flagships.
In an interview with TechRadar, Patrick Chomet, Samsung’s Head of Customer Experience, confirmed that select 2023 flagship device will receive the new Galaxy AI features.
The list of devices includes the Galaxy S23, S23 FE, Z Fold 5, Z Flip 5, and Tab S9. They will receive the new AI features via the One UI 6.1 update in the first half of 2024.
A surprising exception is the company’s 2022 devices including the Galaxy S22 series, despite being eligible for the One UI 6.1 update. Samsung remains tight-lipped on the reason for this omission.
However, when questioned, Chomet simply stated they’re “limiting” the initial rollout to last-gen devices “for now.” This leaves S22 owners in limbo, unsure if they’ll eventually experience the full potential of their devices.
Further adding to the confusion is that the Galaxy S23 FE, equipped with the same chipset as the S22 in some regions, is included in the rollout. While it’s possible that S22 owners may eventually get their hands on Galaxy AI, Samsung has offered no concrete timeline or guarantee.
Here’s a quick rundown of the Galaxy AI features coming to more Galaxy devices:
Circle to Search: Use your finger to draw a circle around an object or text on the screen to instantly learn more about it.
Live Translation: Translate spoken and written content in real-time, both on and offline. Chat with people in different languages, understand signs and menus abroad, and translate documents on the go.
Chat Assistant: Translate messages automatically while you chat, without switching between languages.
Note Assistant: Summarize and organize your notes, making them easier to review and find what you need.
Voice Recording Assistant: Turn your voice recordings into text with speaker identification. Get transcripts, translate recordings, and even summarize key points.
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Quite a bit earlier than usual, first looks at the Google Pixel 9 series are revealing the company’s plans for 2024 with a wild new design and, on the smaller phone, the use of three cameras for the first time.
Ever since the Tensor reboot of 2021, Google has split its flagship releases into two. A big, all-in “Pro” device and a smaller, slightly held-back device at a lower price. The differences between the two have generally been screen size, memory, and the addition of a telephoto camera exclusively on the larger Pro model.
It seems that’s set to change this year.
In new renders from @OnLeaks and 91Mobiles, we get a glimpse at the smaller Pixel 9 which has virtually the same new design as the Pixel 9 Pro that leaked yesterday, but with a smaller size. The device has dimensions of 152.8 x 71.9 x 8.5mm. Compared to the Pixel 8, which measured 150.5 x 70.8 x 8.9 mm, that’s a little bit bigger. The screen size, though, is still mentioned as around 6.2-inches.
The big news this time around is that the smaller Pixel 9 is apparently getting three cameras. The cameras show up in the exact same layout as the Pixel 9 Pro renders, and it’s pretty obvious that the third is a telephoto lens using a periscope design. That’s evidenced by the rectangular shape seen in the render. This is great news for those who prefer a smaller device but don’t want to give up a camera sensor.
Also notable here is that the cutout presumably used for the temperature sensor on Pixel 9 Pro is also on this smaller Pixel 9.
If these both pan out, it seems there will be far less separation between Google’s two devices this year compared to any of the other Tensor-powered releases.
Google is expected to launch the Pixel 9 series later on this year, in October if previous patterns hold true.
Apple released a new version of iOS yesterday with a handful of new features, such as collaborative playlists in Apple Music and a new Unity wallpaper for Black History Month. Another interesting new feature in iOS 17.3 is something called “stolen device protection.” It is disabled by default and I encourage iPhone users to turn it on when they have updated to iOS 17.3.
This feature is the result of an investigation from Joanna Stern and Nicole Nguyen for the Wall Street Journal. They found out that thieves have been stealing money and accessing sensitive data that is supposedly stored securely on an iPhone and the related iCloud account.
The reason why the passcode is such a critical piece of information is that you can use it to unlock a phone and change some settings. Even when Face ID (or Touch ID) is turned on, you can still use the passcode as a fallback method to unlock a phone and change settings.
iPhone thieves have been taking advantage of that possibility to go to bars late at night and talk to strangers to get their passcodes from them.
For instance, an iPhone thief told Joanna Stern that he would tell his victims that he wanted to add them on Snapchat. As it’s often easier to enter your contact details directly on someone else’s phone instead of saying it out loud, the thief would say that he can type his username directly.
When the person would hand over the phone, the thief would lock the phone and say that the iPhone is locked. He then just asked for the passcode and remembered it for later.
After stealing a phone, the passcode can be used to unlock the device and change the Apple ID password in the phone settings. This way, Find My iPhone can be disabled, meaning that the target can’t remotely wipe their device.
Many iPhone users also store passwords, such as bank app passwords, in their iCloud Keychain as well as credit card details in their Safari autofill preferences. Thieves can also open encrypted notes in the Notes app to see if you’ve been storing your social security numbers in there.
They can also use Apple Pay directly. Once again, the passcode can be used if Face ID fails — thieves can also register their own face in Face ID if they have the device passcode.
Apple gives you an hour to remotely wipe your device
As a protection mechanism, Apple has introduced stolen device protection in iOS 17.3. When it’s turned on, some actions will require Face ID or Touch ID biometric authentication, such as accessing stored passwords and credit cards.
In addition to requiring Face ID or Touch ID authentication, changing your Apple ID password, changing your passcode and turning off stolen device protection also require a security delay. When you first try to perform this action, your iPhone tells you that you have to wait for at least an hour to make critical change.
This way, if someone steals your device, you have the opportunity to wipe your iPhone remotely using another device to make sure that your data remains secured. There’s one exception, though. If you’re in a familiar location, such as your home or your work, there’s no need to wait an hour to perform a critical change.
It’s not perfect, but Apple is trying to strike the right balance between security and convenience. You can head over to Settings > Face ID & Passcode > Stolen Device Protection to turn on this new security feature.
Apple released security updates to address this year's first zero-day vulnerability exploited in attacks that could impact iPhones, Macs, and Apple TVs.
The zero-day fixed today is tracked as CVE-2024-23222 [iOS, macOS, tvOS] and is a WebKit confusion issue that attackers could exploit to gain code execution on targeted devices.
Successful exploitation enables threat actors to execute arbitrary malicious code on devices running vulnerable iOS, macOS, and tvOS versions after opening a malicious web page.
"Processing maliciously crafted web content may lead to arbitrary code execution. Apple is aware of a report that this issue may have been exploited," Apple said today.
The company has yet to attribute the discovery of this security vulnerability to a security researcher. Although the company disclosed that it's aware of in-the-wild exploitation, it has yet to publish further details regarding these attacks.
Apple addressed CVE-2024-23222 with improved checks in iOS 16.7.5 and later, iPadOS 16.7.5 and later, and macOS Monterey 12.7.3 and higher, as well as on tvOS 17.3 and later.
The complete list of devices impacted by this WebKit zero-day is quite extensive, as the bug affects older and newer models, including:
iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus, iPhone X, iPad 5th generation, iPad Pro 9.7-inch, and iPad Pro 12.9-inch 1st generation
iPhone XS and later, iPad Pro 12.9-inch 2nd generation and later, iPad Pro 10.5-inch, iPad Pro 11-inch 1st generation and later, iPad Air 3rd generation and later, iPad 6th generation and later, and iPad mini 5th generation and later
Macs running macOS Monterey and later
Apple TV HD and Apple TV 4K (all models)
While this zero-day vulnerability was likely only used in targeted attacks, installing today's security updates as soon as possible is highly advised to block potential attack attempts.
Today, Apple also backported patches to older iPhone and iPad models for two other WebKit zero-days (CVE-2023-42916 and CVE-2023-42917) patched in November.
Last year, the company fixed a total of 20 zero-day flaws exploited in the wild, including:
The Diesel On Fadelite X Mad Dog Jones smartwatchAndy Boxall / DigitalTrends
“If you’re not in smartwatches today, especially as a traditional watch manufacturer, then we are the way that you get the right product for your customer.”
This is how Steve Prokup, co-founder of Mijo Connected, described the firm’s business, and it has me seriously intrigued and excited about the future of smartwatches. I spoke to Prokup over a video call during CES 2024, and although you probably haven’t heard of Mijo Connected, and it likely won’t be a name on an actual product you’ll buy in the future either, that does not mean you should ignore it. Here’s why.
Picking up where Fossil left off
Fossil / Fossil
Prokup has considerable experience in the world of wearables, having worked as head of hardware at Pebble before heading to Fossil, where he worked as vice president of engineering and senior vice president of connected devices. Mijo Connected’s other co-founder is Hai Nguyen, who also worked at Fossil on product management and research and development projects. It’s perhaps not a surprise that the company retains a connection with Fossil, as Prokup told me.
“We are not part of Fossil. But we are pursuing a similar path and do have access to some of the Fossil technology,” he said befoe adding that he was unable to expand further on exactly what that meant. It is, however, a strong sign of how seriously Mijo Connected takes smartwatches, as it makes complete sense to continue leveraging the experience of a longtime watch and smartwatch maker.
So, what is Mijo Connected, and why should you care? It plans to build a wearable device platform that some very familiar fashion and luxury brands will eventually put their names on, allowing them to bring out desirable, unique, and fashionable smartwatches that also have the right technology and software to back up the looks.
If that sounds like a familiar strategy, it’s not dissimilar to how Fossil launched smartwatches with partner brands like Diesel, Kate Spade, and Skagen. However, it has recently stepped back from such ventures, and Mijo Connected is primed to fill that space.
Smartwatches for fashion and luxury brands
The Montblanc Summit 3Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
“Our platform enables our customers to quickly launch completely differentiated products. So, for example, a brand wants to launch a smartwatch. They don’t want some generic app — it needs to be their name. It has to have their branding, their style. Same thing for the watch, right? It’s got to look like a watch from that particular company. That’s that’s what our platform does.” explained Prokup.
“The underlying platform has a completely unique ID, so the appearance of the watch, the watch case, the strap, everything is completely designed by [the brand] because they usually have very good design teams that know how to implement their brand’s style. The same thing with the app and even the data in the cloud.” he continued.
Mijo Connected will bring its industry expertise to brands that want to launch smartwatches (and, in the future, other connected mobile devices like wireless earbuds and smart speakers), but don’t want to invest in building partnerships with software companies, manufacturers, and then learning the hard way how to make a product that’s representative of the brand. Mijo Connected will do all this instead and will bring a huge amount of customization along with it, too, according to Prokup:
“We have a very similar approach to how traditional watches are manufactured, where the movement is wrapped in different designs and different watch cases. We can go to a premium titanium case, we can put pavé [a reference to jewels set into a bezel or case] on it, or go to stainless steel and other alloys, or to plastic. If somebody wants a lower price point plastic case with a silicone strap, that is also available from our platform,” he explained.
The extent of the customization and individualization provided has meant Mijo Connected is talking to both fashion and luxury brands about working together, including some luxury brands that have already released a smartwatch in the past. But what about the software that will run on these new smartwatches?
What about the software?
Google Pixel Watch 2Joe Maring / Digital Trends
At CES, Mijo Connected launched its smartwatch platform with software company MicroEJ (which is pronounced as Micro Edge) and revealed that it will use MicroEJ’s Vee Wear operating system in the future. While you may not immediately know the name, you may have already used MicroEJ’s platform on a wearable, as it has powered smartwatches made by Polar over the last few years.
I also spoke to Semir Haddad, chief product and strategy officer at MicroEJ, during CES 2024. He talked about the importance of complete customization on the software side too, so brands can make the device their own. He also revealed that one of the company’s strengths is in how its technology makes it easy to adapt Wear OS apps to run on a non-Wear OS smartwatch. It is working with a variety of different names already, plus it has struck a partnership with the Facer app to provide different watch faces.
Vee Wear has low power demands, but that doesn’t affect performance. Both of these are long-term issues on low-cost smartwatches that may have put some fashion brands off in the past. Vee Wear smartwatches will also work with both Android and iOS phones, providing more flexibility. Does this mean Mijo Connected won’t provide an option for a Wear OS smartwatch and is only working with MicroEJ?
“MicroEJ are a great partner,” said Prokup, “but we have a platform available for an RTOS watch, as well as a platform that we’re working on for Wear OS.” The choice of software options shows how it’s covering all smartwatch customization requirements outside of the physical design.
When are the watches coming?
The Apple Watch Series 9 (top) and Apple Watch Series 8Andy Boxall / Digital Trends
Smartwatches at the moment are really dominated by three main models — the Apple Watch Series 9, the Google Pixel Watch 2, and the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 — which are all excellent, but are not always what someone who likes traditional watches or fashion watches wants. Mijo Connected is exciting because it’s working to fill the gap in the market that was left somewhat open by Fossil, allowing brands that want to make a smartwatch to not have to go all-in and become a tech company.
The company may be new, but it brings considerable experience with it — and likely already has a good idea of what works and what doesn’t when making a branded smartwatch. That should give confidence to companies that may have avoided a connected product in the past.
So, when does Prokup expect the first models to arrive?
“We don’t have locked-down launch dates, but as you know, in this space, [the fourth quarter] is big for everybody,” Prokup hinted before adding: “We’re working on a large launch with a brand.”
Joe Maring / Digital Trends
Mijo Connected will mostly be the company behind the smartwatches and may not be a name you’ll hear unless you’re “in the know.” But Prokup also mentioned it may have a small product launch of its own, although not under the Mijo Connected name, at some point.
This would give us a great idea of what to expect from its smartwatches in the future and just how transformative they could be. This would also happen in an industry currently controlled by a select few tech brands that historically haven’t catered well to fashion and watchmakers. If all goes the way Mijo Connected is hoping, it could very well change the smartwatch market forever.
The Rabbit R1 can fit in the palm of your hand and will be able to answer questions, launch a Spotify playlist or call a taxi with the push of a button. Sounds familiar, right? The Rabbit R1 isn't a smartphone in the traditional sense. Instead, it promises to be a dedicated personal assistant powered by AI, and it ships in late March for $199.
Our phones are great at many things, like snapping vacation photos, entertaining us with an endless stream of bite-sized videos and acting as our personal planners. That's exactly the problem, according to Jesse Lyu, founder and CEO of AI tech startup Rabbit. He thinks the myriad apps and functions available on our phones have stripped away their simplicity, and he's trying to change that with the R1, which debuted at CES 2024.
Watch this: First Look at Rabbit R1 Mobile AI Device
You don't interact with the R1 by opening apps; instead, you press a physical push-to-talk button to ask a question or play a song on Spotify as if you were speaking into a walkie-talkie. The phone's software is powered by a large action model or an algorithm that can learn from how humans use apps and interfaces so that it can replicate and automate those processes. Lyu likens it to handing your phone to a friend to order takeout rather than doing so yourself.
There's no shortage of virtual assistants capable of doing almost exactly what Rabbit's R1 claims to do. Google and Amazon are also injecting their own virtual helpers with generative AI smarts to make them even better at handling complex requests more easily. Lyu sees the need for a purpose-built device for getting things done that's separate from your phone and therefore less distracting. He argues that just because your phone can do the same thing doesn't mean it's the superior experience.
That argument will take a lot of convincing, especially considering how glued to our phones we've become. A survey from Reviews.org found that 89% of Americans check their phone within the first 10 minutes of waking up, and 60% sleep with their phone at night. Still, the Rabbit R1, along with startup Humane's recently announced AI pin, is another sign that tech companies are increasingly looking to build new gadgets around AI. Many have already found Rabbit's promise to be enticing enough to order an R1. The company announced on Jan. 10 that it sold 10,000 units on its first day of preorders.
The R1 has a simple look
John Kim/CNET
The R1's bright orange hue, relatively small screen and scroll wheel give it a nostalgic and almost retro look. It's incredibly lightweight and is literally half the size of your average smartphone, as you can see in the photo of the R1 sitting on top of my iPhone 15 below. In fact, its size and shape feel similar to using a flip phone like the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip or 2023 Motorola Razr when closed, although it's significantly lighter.
The Rabbit R1 is roughly half the size of an iPhone 15.
John Kim/CNET
The R1 physically shares some similarities with smartphones, such as a touchscreen display and a camera, but those parts are put to use in different ways.
The Rabbit R1 comes in a bright orange color.
John Kim/CNET
The R1 doesn't have a traditional phone operating system, for example, but instead uses that 2.88-inch screen to display cards in response to your requests. The camera isn't really meant for documenting your days on Instagram but rather is intended to assist with visual queries like snapping photos of what's in your fridge to generate recipe ideas.
Although it's not being positioned as a phone, you can certainly make phone calls with it since it has a SIM card slot along with Wi-Fi and cellular connectivity. It runs on a 2.3Ghz MediaTek Helios P35 processor and has 128GB of storage and 4GB of RAM.
It doesn't run apps, but it can connect to your apps
The Rabbit R1 will be able to use apps on your behalf.
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The R1 doesn't have apps in the traditional sense, but it connects to services to carry out requests. Playing a playlist on Spotify or calling an Uber requires you to link those apps to your Rabbit account through an online portal. That could end up being a cumbersome process, considering you'd have to manually connect any service you'd want Rabbit to factor into your usage. Rabbit says it doesn't store any login data and that authentication methods happen on the app's system.
The device uses Rabbit's proprietary large action model to execute tasks, along with OpenAI's GPT-4 model to understand your spoken requests. During my brief time trying it, I asked the Rabbit R1 to play music and answer basic knowledge-based questions. The ears on the animated rabbit icon shown on the screen adorably perked up when I held the side button to recite my command. I'll need to spend more time with it before knowing how well it works as a personal assistant for getting things done more quickly and efficiently than my phone.
AI at CES 2024: Take a Look at the Coolest Tech From the Show
With the R1, Rabbit is taking on an ambitious goal by trying to carve out a place for a new gadget in our lives in a world that's already overrun with screens and sensors. It's interesting nonetheless to see new hardware developed in response to the increased interest in AI we've seen over the past year. Still, Rabbit's software experience has to be compelling enough to convince you to buy a new device rather than continue to use ChatGPT, Google Bard and other AI helpers on the devices you already own.
Apple has published its Vision Pro repair/replacement costs for issues like cracked front glass as well as a full replacement due to other damage. Replacing the $3,500+ headset for “other damage” will run $2,399 without Apple’s extended warranty and the front glass alone is a $799 repair.
In the event you only break the Vision Pro glass once, the total cost is $798 with AppleCare (coverage + deductible) or $799 without.
However, AppleCare covers unlimited incidents and the entire headset plus accessories. If you have to replace the entire unit, you’re looking at $2,399 without AppleCare.
In that situation, you’d have savings of $1,601 with AppleCare vs going self-insured.
And here’s a look at the cracked glass estimate from Apple’s website:
What do you think about the repair costs? Seem fair? Or too expensive? Share your thoughts in the comments!
Alongside Samsung’s launch event today, Google announced a new way to search on Android phones dubbed “Circle to Search.” The feature will allow users to search from anywhere on their phone by using gestures like circling, highlighting, scribbling, or tapping. The addition, Google explains, is designed to make it more natural to engage with Google Search at any time a question arises — like when watching a video, viewing a photo inside a social app, or having a conversation with a friend over messaging, for example.
Image Credits: Google
Circle to Search is something of a misnomer for the new Android capability, as it’s more about interacting with the text or image on the screen to kick off the search…and not always via a “circling” gesture.
The circling gesture is just one option you can use to initiate a search — such as when you want to identify something in a video or photo. For example, if you’re watching a food video featuring a Korean corn dog, you could ask “Why are these so popular?” after circling the item.
Image Credits: Google
Image Credits: Google
The feature can be engaged through other gestures, as well. If you’re chatting in a messaging app with a friend about a restaurant, you could simply tap on the name of the restaurant to see more details about it. Or you could swipe across a series of words to turn that string into a search, the company explains, like the term “thrift flip” that appears when watching a YouTube Shorts video about thrifting, another example shows.
When interested in something visual on your screen, you can circle or scribble across the item. For instance, Google suggests that you could circle the sunglasses a creator wore in their video or scribble on their boots to look up related items on Google without needing to switch between different apps. The scribble gesture can be used on both images and words, Google also notes.
The search results users will see will differ based on their query and the Google Labs products they opt into. For a simple text search, you may see traditional search results while a query that combines an image and text — or “multisearch” as Google calls it — uses generative AI. And if the user is participating in Google’s Search Generative Experience (SGE) experiment offered via Google Labs, they’ll be offered AI-powered answers, as with other SGE queries.
Image Credits: Google
The company believes the ability to access search from any app will be meaningful, as users will no longer have to stop what they’re doing to start a search or take a screenshot as a reminder to search for something later.
However, the feature is also arriving at a time when Google Search’s influence is waning. The web has been taken over by SEO-optimized pages and spam, making it more difficult to find answers via search. At the same time, generative AI chatbots are now being used to augment or even supplant traditional searches. The latter could negatively impact Google’s core advertising business if more people begin to get their answers elsewhere.
Image Credits: Google
Turning the entire Android phone platform into a surface for search, then, is more than just a “meaningful” change for consumers — it’s something of an admission that Google’s Search business needs shoring up by deeper integration with the smartphone OS itself.
Circle to Search will launch on January 31 on the new Galaxy S24 Series smartphones, announced today at the Samsung event, as well as on premium Android smartphones, including the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro. It will be available in all languages and locations where the phones are available. Over time, more Android smartphones will support the feature, Google says.
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Market research firm IDC has released some stunning smartphone market share numbers for 2023. The number one smartphone OEM is now Apple. The IDC says Apple hit an "all-time high market share" number for 2023 and that Apple has "the number 1 spot annually for the first time ever." The analyst group says this represents "a sort of shifting of power" in the smartphone market.
That all-time high market share puts Apple at 20.1 percent for 2023, a 3.7 percent growth over 2022. Nearly everyone on Team Android is way down, with Samsung now in second place after losing 13.6 percent in 2023 for 19.4 percent market share on the year. Chinese firm Xiaomi is down 4.7 percent for 12.5 percent market share, and Oppo (the parent company of OnePlus) dropped 9.9 percent and is fourth, with 8.8 percent of the market. Next up is "Transsion," a company that is definitely not a household name but is big in emerging markets like Africa. Transsion is a big winner, with 30 percent growth from 2022 to 2023. With 8.1 percent market share, it takes the fifth spot.
Apple is usually not first in sales because the average iPhone purchase is much more expensive than an average Android phone. Samsung's cheapest phones can be had for about $50, and while you can get a wildly expensive foldable that costs a lot more than an iPhone, Samsung's bestselling models are often the midrange "A" series, which are in the $200–$450 range. Other Android manufacturers are in the same boat, with low-volume halo products and high-volume cheap devices.
According to Omdia's top-10 model sales list for 2023, Apple's bestselling phone—and the bestselling phone model in the world—was the $1,100 iPhone 14 Pro Max. The world's second bestselling phone is the $1,000 iPhone 14 Pro. Third is the iPhone 14, which cost $800 for most of 2023. Apple's cheapest phone is the iPhone SE at $429, but that model doesn't sell well. The point is that Android manufacturers usually win these market share charts by selling cheap and midrange phones, but Apple was able to take the top spot while existing only in the mid-to-premium phone space. The industry lingo for this is "average sell price" (ASP), and for Q2 2023, the IDC has the average Android phone at $250, while the average iPhone costs $949.
In 2020, Apple was fourth in market share behind Samsung, Huawei, and Xiaomi, which made sense given Apple's more expensive product line. In 2023, Apple beat all these Android OEMs while selling dramatically more expensive products. The IDC's Nabila Popal wraps up the numbers by saying, "Apple's ongoing success and resilience is in large part due to the increasing trend of premium devices, which now represent over 20% of the market, fueled by aggressive trade-in offers and interest-free financing plans."
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You gotta hand it to leakers. While Samsung may be of the view that tipsters are hell-bent on spoiling the Galaxy S24 Unpacked event, we think they drum up interest and keep the excitement alive through the days leading up to the unveiling day. An X user by the name of tasty orange has posted short Galaxy S24 Ultra unboxing videos, showcasing three color variants.
A TikTok user apparently got their hands on Titanium Yellow, Titanium Violet, and Titanium GreyGalaxy S24 Ultra models and tasty orange posted them on X. The packaging is the same as that of the Galaxy S23 Ultra and the maker of video only shows us what the start-up screen looks like. At this point, we'll take whatever we can get though.
unboxing of 3 different colours of the S24 Ultra has leaked.
We do get a good look at the design, with the videos seemingly confirming for the umpteenth time that Samsung is done with curved screens and has equipped the Galaxy S24 Ultra with a flat display.
The videos also align with rumors that said the Galaxy S24 Ultra's speaker grill would be one milled cut. For reference, the Galaxy S23 Ultra's bottom speaker has six holes.
Another change that we can spot in one of the videos is that the S Pen's bottom will be flat instead of round.
According to earlier reports, the Galaxy S24 Ultra will be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 no matter where in the world you buy it and it will feature a new 50MP telephoto camera with 5x optical zoom and a new design which may give it an edge over the current top camera phones.
AI will be integrated into everything from the keyboard to the camera but Samsung may charge you for some of the novel features down the line. The phone may also receive seven years of software updates.
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Microsoft (MSFT) on Monday announced that it is launching a paid version of its generative AI-powered Copilot platform for consumers. The option, called Copilot Pro, will cost $20 per month per user, and give users access to a number of additional capabilities including access to the latest AI models and improved AI image generation via Image Creator from Designer.
Microsoft says Copilot Pro was developed for individual users who want to get priority access models, including GPT-4 Turbo, OpenAI’s latest offering, during peak usage hours for improved overall performance, as well as the ability to access Copilot across Microsoft’s Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and OneNote apps.
Microsoft and its OEM partners are adding a new Copilot button to Windows laptop and desktop keyboards as the AI PC generation kicks off. (Image: Microsoft) (Microsoft)
The company says that Copilot Pro will provide a single experience on the PC, web, apps, as well as iOS and Android. Microsoft says Copilot Pro will also include access to its Image Creator and the option to customize your own Copilot GPTs for certain topics, whether that’s for working out, cooking, or any other interest you might have.
In addition to Copilot Pro, Microsoft has also announced that it’s dropping the minimum user limit for Copilot for Microsoft 365. Microsoft previously limited the offering to companies purchasing licenses for 300 seats or more. The change opens up the software to small and medium businesses.
Copilot for Microsoft 365 brings Copilot to the company’s suite of productivity apps including Word, Excel, OneNote, Teams, and more. The enterprise edition of the software also allows companies to expand Copilot to their internal data, giving them the ability to search for and summarize their own content, not just data from the web. Access to the service is priced at $30 per user per month.
Microsoft is investing $10 billion over 10 years in OpenAI as a means of expanding its position in the enterprise productivity market and with the hope that it can simultaneously steal market share away from rival Google (GOOG, GOOGL) in the search market via its AI-powered Bing chat and Edge browser.
It’s difficult to imagine the average consumer subscribing to Copilot Pro, especially for $20 per month, but users who want to dive deeper into using generative AI or need quick access to high-powered AI models could find the service extremely useful.
More importantly, for Microsoft, the addition of Copilot Pro and opening up Copilot for Microsoft 365 to a larger number of business users will bring in more revenue for its AI efforts, providing Wall Street with further proof that the company is monetizing its investments.
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Microsoft is moving quickly to push AI as one of its main product offerings. In addition to its Copilot platforms, the company recently debuted a Copilot key for Windows laptop and desktop keyboards. The first new key for the Windows keyboard since the introduction of the Windows key itself, the Copilot key provides instant access to the Copilot app on users’ PCs.
Elevating Copilot to such a position shows how much Microsoft is set on showing that AI is an enormously important part of its future on a par with cloud computing. But Microsoft isn’t the only company working to seize the AI moment. Google is also selling access to its enterprise-grade productivity suite with its Duet AI platform, while Amazon (AMZN), Salesforce (CRM), and others look to gain more traction as well.
Daniel Howleyis the tech editor at Yahoo Finance. He's been covering the tech industry since 2011. You can follow him on Twitter@DanielHowley.
Article From & Read More ( Microsoft sets price for premium version of Copilot AI software for consumers at $20 per user - Yahoo Finance )
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The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra just got shown off the day before we expect it to be confirmed in a new pre-announcement unboxing video.
The video was posted in a now-removed X/Twitter post from tasty orange, and a similarly disappeared TikTok video from syhtele_Samsung. Fortunately screenshots taken by Phone Arena and a re-upload of the video by Zahar Mobile Review have meant we can still check out the clips, and hopefully you can too unless Samsung takes these down as well.
We see three total Galaxy S24 Ultras, in what the video labels as Titanium Gray, Titanium Yellow and Titanium Violet colorways. There should also be a Titanium Black model from what previous leaks have told us, but that's nowhere to be seen.
The Titanium part of the color names is likely indicative of the Galaxy S24 Ultra using a titanium frame for the first time, as the rumor mill has told us. We can also see a yellow Galaxy S24 and a purple Galaxy S24 Plus in the background, although these are expected to stick with Samsung's usual aluminum frames.
More upgrades than meet the eye
We don't get much of a look at the display other than seeing the Samsung Galaxy splash screen pop up. However, the leaks up to now say that the Galaxy S24 Ultra should still be using a 6.8-inch OLED panel with a QHD resolution and adaptive 120Hz refresh rate. But there will be other tweaks to look out for, like a flatter display, narrower bezels, a new toughened glass called Gorilla Glass Armor and a higher peak brightness than before too.
The four cameras on the back of the S24 Ultra handsets look the same as the Galaxy S23 Ultra, but we should be seeing the S24 Ultra swap out the 10MP 10x camera for a 50MP 5x one. That's a lower optical zoom but hopefully with its higher resolution, Samsung will be able to make up the difference with lossless digital zoom.
Galaxy Unpacked is tomorrow, if you want to hear about all the new features from Samsung itself. But you'll find basically all the key details in our Galaxy S24 and Galaxy S24 Ultra hubs already, courtesy of several months' worth of leaks, if you're impatient. That includes important S24 features like the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset that should be running everything, and the new phones' AI-powered software features like live translation and one-tap photo editing.
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Richard is based in London, covering news, reviews and how-tos for phones, tablets, gaming, and whatever else people need advice on. Following on from his MA in Magazine Journalism at the University of Sheffield, he's also written for WIRED U.K., The Register and Creative Bloq. When not at work, he's likely thinking about how to brew the perfect cup of specialty coffee.
Article From & Read More ( Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra hands-on video appears a day before Galaxy Unpacked — here's what it shows - Tom's Guide )
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