Poco M6 Pro 5G confirmed to feature Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 SoC

Poco has announced that its upcoming phone, the Poco M6 Pro 5G, will be equipped with the Snapdragon 4 Gen 2 SoC, using a 4nm process for improved performance. The phone is teased on Flipkart and set to launch in India on August 5. The phone's design has been revealed, featuring a 6.79-inch IPS LCD panel with a 90 Hz refresh rate and MIUI 14 based on Android 13. https://ift.tt/0Tei8Dv

Independence Day sale: Xiaomi offers deals and discounts on smartphones and other products

Xiaomi has announced an Independence Day sale from August 4 to 9, with hourly price drops on select products at 12 PM and 6 PM. The company's offers include deals and discounts on smartphones and AIoT gadgets. Xiaomi products may be purchased at discounted prices from the Mi Store app. Customers will also be able to get products at prices as low as Rs 77 daily at 4 PM. The sale will feature photo contests, with the winners receiving Xiaomi's latest flagship phone, the 13 Pro. https://ift.tt/UL6XImD

Background actors describe their worries over lack of control of their digital likenesses, which is one key issue in the SAG-AFTRA strike (Bobby Allyn/NPR)

Bobby Allyn / NPR:
Background actors describe their worries over lack of control of their digital likenesses, which is one key issue in the SAG-AFTRA strike  —  After four weeks of working as a background actor on the Disney+ series WandaVision during the pandemic, Alexandria Rubalcaba was told by the production crew to report to a tractor trailer.

Nothing Phone (1) starts receiving Android 14 Beta 3 update

Nothing Phone (1) has begun releasing the Android 14 Beta 3. It includes several new features and bug fixes, such as pre-installed apps – Nothing Launcher, Weather, Recorder. Additionally, it now provides support for API level 34 based on Android 14 Beta 3. However, some known issues still remain, such as face unlocking being unavailable, fingerprint registration being not possible, and no pre-installed Nothing Weather and Nothing X apps. Nothing Phone (1) is a smartphone with a dual-camera setup, powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 778G+ chipset. https://ift.tt/mglBMRI

Endor Labs, which offers code and pipeline governance tools, raised a $70M Series A led by Lightspeed, just 10 months after launching (Mike Wheatley/SiliconANGLE)

Mike Wheatley / SiliconANGLE:
Endor Labs, which offers code and pipeline governance tools, raised a $70M Series A led by Lightspeed, just 10 months after launching  —  Code and pipeline governance startup Endor Labs Inc. said today it has closed on a big funding round, reeling in $70 million in an early-stage round led by Lightspeed Venture Partners.

Apple is reportedly working on second-generation AirTag

Apple is gearing up for the launch of its next-generation iPhone 15 series. Now a new report has surfaced online revealing the launch timeline of another Apple product. According to popular Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, Apple is working on the successor of its famous Bluetooth tracker AirTag. https://ift.tt/IPElVXy

France's AFP sues X in Paris, saying the company refused to discuss potential content distribution payments under a 2019 law; Elon Musk calls the move "bizarre" (Shubham Kalia/Reuters)

Shubham Kalia / Reuters:
France's AFP sues X in Paris, saying the company refused to discuss potential content distribution payments under a 2019 law; Elon Musk calls the move “bizarre”  —  said on Wednesday it filed a lawsuit in Paris against Elon Musk's X social media platform, formerly known as Twitter …

India cutting off internet in Manipur state on May 4 after ethnic conflict broke out did not quell the violence and provided cover for murders, rapes, and arson (Parth M.N./Wired)

Parth M.N. / Wired:
India cutting off internet in Manipur state on May 4 after ethnic conflict broke out did not quell the violence and provided cover for murders, rapes, and arson  —  Since May 4, the Indian government has shut off the internet in Manipur, giving cover to murders, rapes, and arson.

Vivo V29 5G goes official in Europe, might release in India soon

Vivo has confirmed the upcoming launch of the Vivo V29 5G smartphone in Europe. The device features an AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, a Snapdragon 778G SoC, 8GB of RAM, and 50 MP cameras on the front and rear. The device will be available in Peaky Blue and Noble Black colors. The smartphone is expected to have a 3D curved screen with 1.5K resolution and 1.07 billion colors. The device will also feature Vivo's Ultra Large VC Bionic Cooling System, enabling better performance during gaming sessions. https://ift.tt/FTVv4I3

Galaxy S24+ may get ‘bigger’ battery than Galaxy S23: Report

Samsung is reportedly increasing the battery capacity of its Galaxy S24+ and S24 Ultra compared to the recently launched S23 series. Certificates issued by Dekra suggest the S24+ will have a battery capacity of 4755mAh, while the S24 Ultra will come with a 4855mAh capacity. That compares to a 4855mAh battery in the S23 Ultra and a reported 5000mAh typical battery in the S24 Ultra. It is not yet known whether the charging speed will be increased. The S24 range is expected to launch in January or February 2024. https://ift.tt/HYQIxW6

Amazon plans to roll out the biggest overhaul to its grocery business since buying Whole Foods in the coming weeks, including one cart for supermarket offerings (Matt Day/Bloomberg)

Matt Day / Bloomberg:
Amazon plans to roll out the biggest overhaul to its grocery business since buying Whole Foods in the coming weeks, including one cart for supermarket offerings  —  It's revamping stores, unifying online shopping carts and offering fresh-food delivery to customers who aren't Prime subscribers.

Microsoft rolls out spatial audio for Teams on Windows and macOS after a few months of testing; the audio of each person on a call now has a distinct position (Chris Welch/The Verge)

Chris Welch / The Verge:
Microsoft rolls out spatial audio for Teams on Windows and macOS after a few months of testing; the audio of each person on a call now has a distinct position  —  After a few months of testing the feature, Microsoft has widely rolled out spatial audio for its Teams desktop app on Windows and macOS.

X renames TweetDeck to XPro; the URL remains tweetdeck.twitter.com and much of the copy is unchanged, including the "Tweet like a pro" tagline (Abner Li/9to5Google)

Abner Li / 9to5Google:
X renames TweetDeck to XPro; the URL remains tweetdeck.twitter.com and much of the copy is unchanged, including the “Tweet like a pro” tagline  —  With the rename and rebrand complete on the web, Android, and iOS, X is now turning its attention to TweetDeck, which is now called “XPro.”

Internal Binance data and current and former employees say Chinese users traded ~$90B in crypto assets on the exchange in May 2023, despite China's crypto ban (Wall Street Journal)

Wall Street Journal:
Internal Binance data and current and former employees say Chinese users traded ~$90B in crypto assets on the exchange in May 2023, despite China's crypto ban  —  Retaining its Chinese footprint will be crucial for Binance as it faces a global regulatory crackdown

Google gives the Fitbit app a Material You makeover

The Fitbit app has been redesigned for simplicity, personalisation, and motivation, with Google giving it a Material You style makeover on Android and iOS. The redesign features three tabs: Today, Coach, and You, providing access to metrics, workout and mindfulness sessions, and achievement badges. Fitbit Premium subscribers will have access to more content, including dance cardio classes. The app still tracks steps and exercises on your phone without a wearable and is set to launch in the autumn, with select users being invited to participate in a closed beta test and provide feedback. https://ift.tt/dkVl0r9