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Tecno, a relatively unknown mobile brand on our side of the world, surprised us with a pop-out portrait lens on its Phantom X2 Pro flagship phone back in December. For its MWC event today, the Chinese company brought us the Phantom V Fold, which happens to be the first horizontally-folding phone to be powered by MediaTek’s Dimensity 9000+ processor (hello, Oppo Find N2 Flip!), rather than something from Qualcomm. This usually means a lower entry barrier, which is always a good thing.

Like Honor’s Magic VS and Xiaomi’s Mix Fold 2, the Phantom V Fold has opted for a body that’s wider than Samsung’s counterparts — just not as wide as Oppo’s. Tecno’s “virtually crease-free” foldable screen comes in at 7.85 inches with a 2,296 x 2,000 resolution, and on the other side, you’re greeted by a 6.42-inch 2,550 x 1,080 sub-screen. Both AMOLED panels feature a refresh rate of up to 120Hz. As far as durability goes, the claim here is that “the device is capable of 200,000 folds,” which matches that of Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 4, though that’s just half of what the Chinese competition has achieved lately.

The Phantom V Fold comes with a complete set of cameras, too. On the rear side, there’s a 50-megapixel main camera, a 50-megapixel telephoto camera (2x optical zoom) and a 13-megapixel ultra-wide camera. These are surrounded by an eco-friendly back cover — in black or white — composed of recycled plastics. Then you get two punch-hole selfie cameras: a 16-megapixel one on the foldable screen, and a 32-megapixel version on the outer screen. The latter is fine for video calls on that smaller screen, but you’d probably want to unfold the phone and use the main camera instead for better selfies.

Tecno didn’t cheap out on the battery here, either. The Phantom V Fold packs a 5,000mAh battery with 45W fast charge. This reaches 40-percent charge in 15 minutes, or 100-percent charge in 55 minutes. That’s a tad slower than the Chinese competition, but it still beats the Galaxy Z Fold 4 — assuming you don’t mind missing out on wireless charging.

On the software side, the Phantom V Fold runs on Tecno’s HiOS 13 Fold based on Android 13. The company claimed that it’s customized the folding experience on its device for the top 1,000 most downloaded apps globally, and 90 percent of which have also been optimized for split-screen and multi-window modes.

So how much more affordable is the Phantom V Fold? Well, not bad. The base model with 12GB of LPDDR5X RAM and 256GB of UFS 3.1 storage costs $1,099, whereas the 512GB variant is asking for $1,222. These are very competitive when compared to Samsung and even Honor outside of China, though prices will vary across countries — namely India, in this case, followed by various African and Latin American countries where Tecno is usually active in.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/tecno-phantom-v-fold-pricing-availability-mwc-2023-174526995.html?src=rss 

LG has detailed pricing of its 2023 OLED TVs just as they’re about to ship. The flagship G3 and mainstream C3 (pictured) models are now set to arrive in late March, with pre-orders available on March 6th. The C3 starts at $1,299 for a relatively compact 42-inch set, and scales up to $5,299 for the giant 83-inch version. The G3 begins at $2,499 for a 55-inch panel and climbs to $6,499 for the 83-inch edition.

The entry B3 series won’t be ready until April. It starts at $1,699 for a 55-inch TV and tops out at $3,299 for a 77-inch set. LG is promising pricing for the wireless M3 and transparent OLED T “at a later date.”

As we mentioned in January, the G3 receives the most upgrades this year. It delivers up to a 70 percent brighter picture through a booster feature, and its new zero-gap design helps with wall mounting. It also boasts a a9 Gen 6 processor with improved image rendering and audio processing, including support for harmonizing the built-in speakers’ output with recent LG soundbars.

The C3 shares the benefits of the a9 Gen 6 chip, but it’s otherwise a modest upgrade over last year’s C2. However, it may represent a better value than the B3, particularly at the middle “sweet spot” sizes. The $2,499 65-inch C3 costs just $100 more than a B3 equivalent with a worse processor (the a7 Gen 6) — you might as well spend the slight premium for a set that will last longer.

Whether or not LG’s roster fares well against the Samsung S95C isn’t clear. Samsung’s set is slightly brighter than LG’s latest and offers a gaming-friendly 144Hz refresh rate. Only the 77-inch S95C is available at the moment, though, and LG has both Dolby Vision HDR support (Samsung is still sticking to HDR10+) as well as a wider variety of sizes and performance tiers.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/lgs-2023-oled-tvs-arrive-in-late-march-starting-at-1299-175513466.html?src=rss 

Never mind eSIMs — your next phone might have a more advanced way of connecting to your carrier. Qualcomm and Thales have confirmed the certification of the first user-ready Integrated SIM, or “iSIM.” It promises the same card-free digital sign-ups and security as eSIMs, but is built directly into a phone’s main processor. Your phone doesn’t need a dedicated chip, saving space and (hopefully) money.

The companies don’t say which phones will be the first to use iSIMs. The technology supports the same remote provisioning standard as eSIMs, however. Your provider won’t necessarily need to update its systems to support iSIM-based devices.

There’s no guarantee phone makers will pass any savings along to you. The reduced footprint could make room for slightly larger batteries and other components, though. More importantly, this might encourage more manufacturers to use digital SIMs by making the tech easier to implement. With that said, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 is a high-end platform. You may not see wider adoption until more affordable chips (and thus lower-priced phones) offer iSIM support.

The timing is convenient, at least. Many phones now include eSIM support, while American iPhone 14 and 14 Pro models don’t have physical SIM trays. The conventional SIM card is on the decline, and iSIM could hasten that transition by making its virtual counterpart more commonplace.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/snapdragon-8-gen-2-isim-support-150031144.html?src=rss 

Luminous Productions, the studio behind Forspoken, will soon close shop. Its team will be folded back into parent company Square Enix and tasked with working on other projects. The publisher set up the studio, which included the developers behind Final Fantasy XV, in 2018 to work on new franchises, but Forspoken was its only game as a standalone studio.

In a statement, Luminous said that its team will move back directly under Square Enix’s umbrella starting on May 1st. In the meantime, the developers will continue to work on an update to address Forspoken‘s performance issues, as well as an expansion that’s slated to arrive this summer.

“When we established Luminous Productions in 2018, our vision was to make AAA games that fused technology and artistry to deliver completely new play experiences,” Luminous wrote on Twitter. “Having the chance to do just that has been a dream come true.”

In a statement of its own, Square Enix said it’s absorbing the Luminous team as “part of the company’s efforts to further bolster the competitive prowess of the group’s development studios, a goal set forth under its current medium-term business strategy.” It added that Luminous is “equipped not only with AAA title development capabilities but also technical expertise in areas such as game engine development. Combining the two entities will further enhance the Group’s ability to develop HD games.”

This is hardly the first time that Square Enix has taken swift action against its studios after projects failed to meet expectations. Last year, it sold off three Western studios — Crystal Dynamics, Eidos-Montréal and Square Enix Montréal — as well as franchises like Tomb Raider and Deus Ex to Embracer Group for a relatively small price of $300 million. The move came after the likes of Marvel’s Avengers and Guardians of the Galaxy (which didn’t sell well enough despite strong reviews) didn’t sell as well as Square Enix hoped.

Forspoken is one of the highest-profile games of the year to date. However, Square Enix released it in January to a so-so reception from critics. It’s not yet clear how well the game has performed commercially. 

Steam data indicated that Hi-Fi Rush, a game from Ghostwire: Tokyo studio Tango Gameworks that was announced and released on the same day, outperformed Forspoken in their first week of release on the platform. That’s despite Hi-Fi Rush being available on Game Pass and costing $30 versus the $70 Square Enix charged for Forspoken. In fairness, the data only takes into account sales on Steam from the same week, not preorders or purchases from Steam key sellers.

In any case, that’s not a great look for Luminous or Forspoken. Square Enix gobbling up the team spells disappointing news for any fans of Forspoken who were hoping for a sequel. Meanwhile, Luminous used a proprietary engine to create Final Fantasy XV and Forspoken. It’s not clear what the future holds for the Luminous Engine after the merger either. Whatever happens, here’s hoping the folks from Luminous aren’t stuck working on Square Enix’s NFT nonsense.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/forspoken-studio-luminous-productions-will-be-folded-into-square-enix-153805323.html?src=rss 

Federal law enforcement is once again dealing with a cybersecurity breach. The US Marshals Service (USMS) reports that it suffered a serious ransomware attack on February 17th. The perpetrators compromised sensitive data on a stand-alone system, including personally identifiable info for some USMS employees, third parties and the targets of investigations.

We’ve asked the USMS for comment. The agency tells CNBC that it disconnected the affected system from the network after discovering the attack, and that the Justice Department has launched an investigation. Senior officials briefed on the ransomware determined it was a “major” event on February 22nd.

The service hasn’t identified potential culprits or named any impacted divisions or programs. A CNBC source claims the ransomware didn’t touch the Witness Security Program. The USMS has reportedly created a workaround to maintain its activities, including hunting fugitives.

Word of the breach comes just over a week after the FBI said it “contained” a security incident on its network. Ransomware has also been problematic for various levels of government and public institutions in the past several months. The city of Oakland went so far as to declare a state of emergency in February following an incursion, while Los Angeles’ Unified School District also reeled from a digital heist last fall.

The US government has escalated its fight against ransomware in the past two years. It brought 30 countries together to address ransomware in 2021, and recently succeeded in disrupting a major ransomware group that stole hundreds of millions of dollars from victims. However, the USMS breach suggests that the battle is far from over.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/us-marshals-service-ransomware-attack-155923238.html?src=rss 

Realme, a sister brand of Oppo, is finally bringing its 240W SuperVOOC fast charging tech to the international market by way of a familiar-looking device. Freshly announced at MWC, the Realme GT3 is identical to the Chinese GT Neo5 model, meaning it benefits from the same rapid charging speeds: a quick 80-second connection with the custom 12A cable will replenish the 4,600mAh battery to 20 percent, and a 9.5-minute session will get it fully charged.

To cope with the extra heat from the higher charging power, the GT3’s battery is covered with a massive vapor chamber liquid cooling system, and this is complemented with various safety sensors plus a fireproof design. The battery will apparently maintain at least 80-percent health after 1,600 charging cycles (at 240W) — doubling that of the industry standard.

Realme threw in a small C-shaped RGB lighting ring — dubbed “Pulse Interface System” — sandwiched between an NFC ring and a Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 icon on the back (yep, no love for the newer Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 here). These are all housed inside a translucent window next to the camera module, with the customizable light ring indicating the battery level, incoming calls, notifications and camera countdown. See? RGB isn’t just for showing off.

As with the GT Neo5, the GT3 packs a 50-megapixel main camera (featuring a Sony IMX890 sensor and optical stabilization), an 8-megapixel ultra-wide camera and a 2-megapixel macro camera. Flip to the other side, you’ll find a 6.74-inch 2,772 x 1,240 AMOLED screen with a 144Hz refresh rate, an under-display fingerprint reader and a 16-megapixel punch-hole selfie camera. The infrared remote blaster at the top is here to stay, and likewise with the Dolby Atmos stereo speakers.

The Realme GT3’s charging speed may not match Xiaomi’s five-minute record claim from earlier today, but at least it is already available in the market. Starting at $649, this Android 13 device comes in four flavors, with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage being the base model, and maxing out with 16GB RAM plus 1TB of storage for the special variant. You’ll be able to pick one up across Europe and Asia soon.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/realme-gt3-240w-pricing-availability-mwc-2023-160035911.html?src=rss 

Flipboard is the latest service to embrace Mastodon as Twitter becomes increasingly chaotic under Elon Musk. The news reading app, whose founder was once on Twitter’s board of directors, is now going all in on the Fediverse.

The company announced that it’s integrating Mastodon into its main app, so that users can browse their feeds much the way they can “flip” through their Twitter timelines. Flipboard is also starting up its own Mastodon instance in an effort to encourage broader adoption among its user base.

According to Flipboard CEO Mike McCue, the two updates are the first “very initial steps” of a broader plan to embrace the decentralized social networking protocols that have been popularized by Mastodon over the last year. Instead of relying on the “proprietary social graphs” of services like Twitter and Facebook — both of which have become increasingly hostile to outside developers — Flipboard could instead be centered around ActivityPub, the open source protocol that powers Mastodon and the rest of the decentralized services that make up the “Fediverse.”

“As we embrace ActivityPub at Flipboard, we’ll effectively allow anyone who’s on Mastodon to follow a user on Flipboard, and to follow a Flipboard magazine, and vice versa,” McCue says in an interview. “What ActivityPub enables is a common, open social graph.” This means that services like Flipboard and Mastodon could eventually be interoperable with other platforms that have pledged to adopt ActivityPub, like Tumblr.

The shift is especially notable for Flipboard given its once deep ties to Twitter. McCue served on Twitter’s board of directors between 2010 and 2012, and Twitter once reportedly considered buying the app. But now, McCue says the current state of Twitter “is quite sad for a lot of people who were advocates and participants in the whole Twitter ecosystem.”

And, with Twitter set to end its free API, it’s not clear how much longer Flipboard will be able to maintain any kind of functionality with the service. “It’s total chaos over there,” McCue says, referring to Twitter since Musk took over the company. “The writing on the wall is that I don’t see [Flipboard’s] Twitter integration lasting much longer.”

But McCue describes Mastodon and the Fediverse as a kind of antidote to the Musk-induced chaos. “We need to get out of this world where one person can basically dictate how these communities of people are interacting with each other,” he says.

Of course, there are still questions about whether Mastodon will ever be more than a relatively niche Twitter alternative. The platform has seen explosive growth since last spring when Musk announced his takeover bid for Twitter, but the growth has since leveled off. And the decentralized nature of the platform isn’t necessarily intuitive for newcomers. McCue acknowledges that the Fediverse is still waiting for its “Netscape moment” (he was an executive at the browser company in the late ‘90s at the peak of the Web 1.0 era), but he predicts that other mainstream services may start looking at Mastodon more strategically as well.

“I think you’re going to see, in the coming months, companies like us start to integrate ActivityPub and advocate to publishers and content creators that they should build a presence in the Fediverse,” he predicts. “Once that starts to reach critical mass … then I think you’re gonna get that Netscape moment.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/flipboard-is-leaning-into-mastodon-and-away-from-twitter-160036103.html?src=rss 

GravaStar, known for science-fiction-inspired speakers with surprisingly solid sound, introduced a new model today. In addition to playing music, the Supernova Bluetooth speaker doubles as a lantern — while resembling something that belongs in the Star Wars prequels. The company pitches it as a camping companion that ticks the boxes for music, lighting and oddball novelty.

The speaker has a metallic body made from a zinc alloy. Its lantern-like design can produce customizable lighting effects while changing color to the music’s rhythm. On the audio front, it has 25 watts of power and a rating of 90db with a three-inch full-range speaker and half-inch high-frequency tweeter. It also supports stereo pairing if you buy two of them.

The speaker weighs 2.2 lbs and has a handle with collapsible legs. GravaStar estimates up to seven hours of battery life and a Bluetooth distance of up to 20 meters. The Supernova speaker / lantern is available to order today for $180. The company tells Engadget that it will ship by the end of March.

GravaStar is also launching a 65W charger that looks like a cross between a mech and a prop from a B-grade 20th-century sci-fi film. The Alpha65 charger has one USB-A and two USB-C ports. In addition, it uses GaN (gallium nitride) tech, which should make it faster and more energy-efficient than standard silicon chargers. Finally, it includes a synchronous rectification chip to help reduce power loss when converting AC to DC. The Alpha65 charger costs $60 and is available to order starting today.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gravastars-latest-speaker-looks-like-a-tiny-crawling-robot-140001000.html?src=rss 

Microsoft is taking its first steps towards bringing iPhone syncing to Windows 11. The company announced today that the Insider preview of Phone Link would support iPhones starting this week. The feature (which has undergone several name changes) has worked with Android phones since as far back as 2015.

The initial preview will only sync calls, messages and contacts from your iPhone to a Windows 11 PC. (It will show them like regular Windows notifications.) However, there are some limits: You won’t be able to reply to group messages, and sending media in messages is also unsupported. Still, it’s a big step in the right direction for a feature that has thus far excluded the countless people who use both iPhones and Windows PCs.

Microsoft says Phone Link for iPhones will only roll out to “a small percentage” of Windows Insiders this week; it explicitly states that not all Insiders will initially see the option. Instead, the company will expand the preview to more Insiders as it gathers feedback from the first batch of testers. Further, access is cloud-based, so there won’t be a specific version of the Phone Link app that instantly lets you use the preview.

If you’re one of the lucky few accepted, you’ll see an option to link your iPhone in the Phone Link app. After choosing it, it will guide you through the steps to pair your phone and PC over Bluetooth (including scanning a QR code). You’ll also need to confirm a code and grant permissions on both the Windows and iOS sides to ensure everything syncs up.

The feature follows Intel’s Unison app, which supports calls, messages, notifications and file transfers between phones (including iPhones) and Intel PCs. Several third-party apps like AirDroid have offered similar functionality for years.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/windows-11-phone-link-supports-limited-iphone-syncing-in-preview-140005285.html?src=rss 

Three weeks after introducing the new AI-infused Bing, Microsoft is ready to shove it into Windows 11 with an update coming today. If you’re in the Bing AI preview, you’ll be able to access all of its new features from the search box in the Windows 11 taskbar. Just imagine a slightly more streamlined version of what we saw with the Bing AI on Edge: In addition to general web searching, you can ask Bing natural language queries and its intelligent chatbot will reply conversationally. If you don’t have access to the new Bing yet, you can still sign up for access on Microsoft’s waitlist.

The impetus here is pretty clear. Now that people are finally talking about Bing in a less derogatory way, Microsoft is aiming to infuse it into the very core of Windows 11. No need to open up Edge or switch your primary web browser. Last week, the company also rolled out the Bing AI preview on its mobile apps and Skype. More so than the expanding access, though, we’ll be keeping a close eye on how Microsoft is improving Bing’s capabilities, while also trying to limit some of its bad behavior. Remember folks, chatbots are just very good predictive text generators, not arbiters of truth.

If you don’t give a lick about Bing AI, this latest Windows 11 update is still packed with plenty of intriguing new features. For one, Windows Insiders will be able to test out Phone Link for iPhones, which will let you make calls and send texts from within Windows. (This follows Microsoft’s recent iCloud integration in Windows 11’s Photos app.) Android users with Samsung phones, who have had access to Phone Link for a while now, will also be able to easily turn on their Wi-Fi hotspots and transfer their browser sessions. It’ll be interesting to see how Microsoft’s solution compares to Intel’s Unison app, which supports calls, texts and file syncing between iPhones and select Windows 11 PCs.

Microsoft is also diving deeper into “touch” experiences with this update. If you’ve got a detachable or convertible PC, the taskbar will automatically shrink down to give you more screen real estate. A swipe up will let you use the taskbar as you normally would. For some users, this may be easier to deal with than having the taskbar hide itself entirely.

The new minimized Windows 11 taskbar for detached touchscreen PCs.

Windows 11 is also expanding support for more braille displays, including three “Designed for Surface” devices from HumanWare. Microsoft this will make it easier to flip between its built-in Narrator screen reader and alternatives. Additionally, Windows’ voice commands are coming out of preview, allowing you to have complete control of your PC without a mouse or keyboard. Microsoft expanded that functionality in its 2022 Windows 11 update — now it appears to be even more robust.

Here’s a quick rundown of a few other features you’ll find in today’s Windows 11 update, which will roll out to users over the next few weeks. (As always, you can check for its availability in the Windows Update app.)

NotePad is officially getting tabs — it’s no longer limited to Windows Insiders.

Windows Studio Effects, which includes AI-driven features like background blurring and eye contact during video chats, are now accessible through the taskbar’s quick settings.

You’ll be able to quickly preview your video from the taskbar’s Team’s video chat button.

The Quick Assist app is faster, and you’ll also be able to quickly switch between screen sharing and full control of another users PC. (Troubleshooting your parent’s PC just got a bit easier.)

There are more widgets coming, including Xbox Game Pass, Phone Link, as well as some from third parties like Meta and Spotify. (In the two years since Windows 11’s release, I’ve yet to see anyone actually use its widgets regularly.)

The Snippet Tool can now record your screen.

Enhanced energy recommendations will help you save a bit more power.

The Windows 365 app is now in the Microsoft Store, giving you quick access to Cloud PCs.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/microsoft-bing-ai-windows-11-taskbar-140056212.html?src=rss