Articles by Derrek Lee

Is Samsung’s attempt to make foldables mainstream working?

This week, Samsung launched its latest foldable smartphones at its Galaxy Unpacked event. The Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Z Flip 3 come packed with upgrades and refinements that push Samsung’s foldable efforts closer to the “mainstream.” However, the company hasn’t been shy about its goals to get foldables into the hands of more consumers, which is why successors to the best foldable phones are launching at lower prices.

However, we want to know if this is enough to entice you to buy a foldable or if you’d prefer to stick to more traditional smartphone slabs.

Do either the Galaxy Z Fold 3 or Z Flip 3 make you want a foldable?

Analysts at Counterpoint Research predict that the foldable market is set to grow 3X this year compared to 2020, thanks mostly to Samsung, which could hold as much as 75% of the market until 2023. But more players are also expected to enter the foldable market within the next couple of years, making them mo…

It’ll take a little longer for Matter to get things together.

What you need to know

The Matter connectivity standard has been delayed.
The delay appears to be related to the SDK, which needs more time to be finalized to “get it right.”
Matter products are not likely to hit the market until the first half of 2022.

The new Matter connectivity standard, a joint smart home initiative involving some of the biggest tech companies, has apparently hit a snag. The standard is facing a delay, according to a press release from Tobin Richardson, president & CEO of the Connectivity Standard Alliance (CSA). The original timeline aimed for the first Matter devices to be certified by the end of 2021, but that has been pushed back to 2022.

The new connectivity standard is set to replace the existing and disparate standards that exist now with one solution that will be used by current and future smart home products. This will make it easier for consumers to buy items like the best smart ligh…

Facebook owning Giphy could reduce the quantity and quality of GIFs.

What you need to know

UK regulators have expressed concern over Facebook’s ownership of Giphy.
After an investigation, it was found that the merger could affect competition between social platforms.
Facebook may be required to give up ownership of Giphy.

For those that weren’t aware, Facebook owns the popular GIF platform, Giphy. But that may not be the case for much longer after UK regulators released their findings following a lengthy investigation of the merger.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) launched an investigation last year, following Facebook’s acquisition of Giphy. The findings were released on Thursday, which expressed concerns that the acquisition may harm competition.

As most major social media sites that compete with Facebook use Giphy GIFs, and there is only one other large provider of GIFs – Google’s Tenor – these platforms have very little choice.

The investigation led th…

A Nest Hub app store would be cool, too.

What you need to know

The Nest Hub Max has been shown with a new “app” launcher.
The launcher can be accessed with a swipe up from the main display.
It doesn’t appear to be widely available at the moment, even for those on the preview program.

The Google Nest Hub smart displays are pretty handy devices, but it can be a bit of a hassle swiping through tabs to get to a specific app Action. However, a Nest Hub Max owner on Reddit has come across what looks like a new Action launcher found on the smart display.

The video, spotted by 9to5Google, shows the user swiping up from the display, which would normally bring up the device settings bar. The video shows a row of “apps” above the bar, with a “see more” button that brings up a full-page tray of Actions to select from, not too unlike what you’d find on the best Android tablets.

The user in the video appeared to have some trouble getting the bar to appear from the bottom of the display, w…

That may not be the only Samsung part in the Pixel 6.

What you need to know

The Google Pixel 6 is tipped to have a Samsung camera sensor.
Code found in the latest Android 12 beta points to a 50MP GN1 sensor.
The Pixel 6 Tensor chip is said to be built by Samsung based on its 5nm process.

Hot on the heels of the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Z Flip 3 launch, more details of the Google Pixel 6 emerge, suggesting a Samsung-made camera sensor underneath the redesigned camera hump.

Well-known Google Camera modder cstark27 (via XDA-Developers) spotted a string of code in the latest Android 12 beta 4 update for Google Camera that reads gn1_wide_p21, hinting at the presence of Samsung’s GN1 sensor in Google’s upcoming flagship.

Do you see it? ?? pic.twitter.com/o7fLbw19Vb— cstark27 (@Cstark_27) August 11, 2021

When Google teased the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro, it did not provide many details for the cameras, only saying that there would be two sensors on the standard model and three on the Pr…

Another day, another complaint about Google’s app store.

What you need to know

U.S. senators have proposed a new bill that targets Google and Apple’s app stores.
The senators behind the bill assert that Google and Apple stifle competition by maintaining tight control over their app stores and app distribution.
Google has been under increased scrutiny over its app store policies.

A new bill has just been introduced in the Senate, which targets the Google Play Store and Apple’s App Store.

The Open Apps Market Act, spearheaded by Senators Richard Blumenthal, Marsha Blackburn, and Amy Klobuchar aims to address the tight hold that Apple and Google have over their app stores and app distributions

A joint press release asserts that Google and Apple “have gatekeeper control of the two dominant mobile operating systems and their app stores that allow them to exclusively dictate the terms of the app market, inhibiting competition and restricting consumer choice.”

The bill outlines seve…

Right now, Galaxy Watch 4 owners will just have to deal with Bixby.

What you need to know

Google Assistant won’t be available on the Galaxy Watch 4 at launch.
Samsung has said that the AI assistant will arrive at a later date, although it did not specify when.
The Galaxy Watch 4 will have Bixby by default, similar to previous Samsung smartwatches.

With the Galaxy Watch 4 finally out of the bag, Samsung and Google have both highlighted how Wear OS 3 is bringing new app experiences to the platform. However, the companies have remained mostly mum on the subject of one pretty important experience: Google Assistant.

In our Galaxy Watch 4 hands on, Samsung told Android Central that Bixby would be the default on the smartwatch, at least initially. The company said that it would give Watch 4 owners the ability to choose between the two AI assistants, although it would not say when it would happen.

It may seem odd that Google Assistant isn’t present on a Wear OS device despite it being…

Free Spotify users will have some limitations, though.

What you need to know

Spotify is launching its Wear OS app update soon.
The update will allow Spotify users to download playlists and podcasts for offline listening.
The update will arrive on watches running Wear OS 2.0 and above, including the new Galaxy Watch 4.

Before Samsung launched the new Galaxy Watch 4, Spotify talked about launching an updated Wear OS app that will finally allow downloadable content for offline listening. Now that the Galaxy Watch 4 is official with Wear OS 3, Spotify is reaffirming its commitment to an improved app experience.

The company announced in a blog post on Wednesday that it was preparing to launch the updated app for Wear OS users. With the update, Spotify Premium listeners will be able to download playlists, albums, and podcasts to their watch to enjoy tunes without being tied to a Wi-Fi or LTE connection.

Free Spotify users will be more limited in their offline selection and can appar…

Samsung’s next Galaxy Unpacked is nearly upon us, and we’re expecting some pretty major updates to the company’s mobile hardware lineup. Many of the products and updates have been teased over the past few months, particularly since Google I/O back in May. Now, Samsung is finally set to make several announcements on Wednesday, and we’ve provided a link to watch the event below.

Following plenty of rumors, Samsung is expected to launch more than a few new products at the event. The biggest will likely be the new foldable smartphones that the company has already teased. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 and Z Flip 3 will be the latest in the company’s foldable lineup, offering updated specs and designs. At the time of writing, Samsung has yet to show off either of these devices, but the leaks show much more streamlined foldable smartphones.

Samsung is also expected to launch new S Pen devices that will work with its new foldables.

In addition to new smartphones, the Galaxy Watch 4 will m…

Amazon sellers are getting desperate.

What you need to know

Some Amazon sellers are reportedly emailing customers over bad reviews.
One customer details being contacted by a seller multiple times over her review, offering her incentives to delete it.
Amazon prohibits sellers from contacting customers outside of the website’s own messaging service.

Amazon has been cracking down on third-party sellers for influencing good reviews by bribing customers. However, the latest case highlights how sellers are also trying to get customers to delete their bad reviews.

As reported by The Wall Street Journal, a woman left a negative review for a product that she received, only to be emailed a week later and asked to take the review down by someone claiming to be a brand representative. She was told that she would receive a full refund for doing so.

To make matters worse, the email ended with a fairly creepy statement. “When we do not receive a response, we will assume that you did not see …