Take a first look at the upcoming Galaxy Z Flip 5

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Following the official Galaxy Z Fold 5 promo image that surfaced, the Galaxy Z Flip 5 is now here too, giving us the very first look at its design. This image also comes from MySmartPrice, by the way.

The Galaxy Z Flip 5 appeared in a seemingly-official image, providing us with the very first look at its design

We’ve seen the phone already, in images created based on the phone’s design, but we haven’t actually seen an official image of it. This image is allegedly official, a part of Samsung’s promo arsenal.

We can see the phone semi-closed here, with the focus being on its cover display. That cover display will be one of its main attractions, as it’s considerably bigger than the one on the Galaxy Z Flip 4.

This display has a shape of a folder icon, kind of, and it takes up the vast majority of the phone’s front side (when folded). Unlike the display on the Motorola Razr+, however, this one doesn’t go around the phone’s cameras.

The sides of the phone will also be flat, even though we can’t really see them in the provided image. You can expect a rather boxy design here, as was the case with the Galaxy Z Flip 4.

This phone will fold flat, unlike its predecessor

The Galaxy Z Flip 5 is also said to fold flat, unlike its predecessor. Samsung will be using a new hinge on both the Fold 5 and Flip 5. That hinge will allow both phones to fold flat, like basically all of their competitors do these days.

The Galaxy Z Flip 5 will become official next month, along with the Galaxy Z Fold 5. The Galaxy Watch 6 will launch during the same event. That event will be hosted in Seoul, Korea, but it will be a global launch event.

All in all, there are two major differentiating points between the Flip 4 and this model. The first one is the cover display, and the second is the fact that Flip 5 will fold flat. If you’d like to know more about the Galaxy Z Flip 5, click here.


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Uber apps will now have video ads up to 90 seconds long

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Targeted ads have been around for a while, and scenes in movies like WALL-E, where everyone has their own tablet with constant ads in front of their eyes, don’t seem so unusual these days.

Starting this week, Uber is introducing video ads in its apps: Uber, Uber Eats, and Drizly. According to The Wall Street Journal, these ads will appear while you wait for your ride, during the ride itself, after placing an order on Uber Eats, and while browsing Drizly. Essentially, they will be displayed in almost all possible places.

Certain Uber cars will be equipped with tablets that show ads throughout the entire trip. The rollout of video ad products will initially take place in the USA, followed by later introductions in the UK, Australia, and France.

These ads can be as long as 90 seconds and will be customized for each Uber user by tracking their location and purchase history. For instance, if your ride passes by a particular restaurant, you may see an ad for it on the app or in the in-car tablet. You will have the option to disable the sharing of specific data, such as gender or ride history, but you can not choose to disable ads altogether.

One thing users can do while riding in a car with installed tablets is mute the sound of the ads, which is at least something. The ads on the apps will be muted by default. While this news might not be very appealing to users, Uber plans to continue expanding its retail media networks.

Retail media networks are consumer-oriented companies that offer advertising platforms that use their own customer information to assist brands in delivering targeted messages. Marketers now have various options for these platforms, including not only Uber but also Lyft, Walmart, Marriott, Kroger, and CVS Health.

Uber’s apps have previously featured static display ads, but with the introduction of video ads, the company aims to achieve its goal of $1 billion in ad revenue by 2024. In the last quarter of 2022, Uber had 315,000 merchants who purchased ads through its apps, and this number increased to 345,000 in the first quarter of 2023.


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WhatsApp is copying circular video messages from Telegram

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WhatsApp is adding support for video messages. It’s testing a new feature that lets you record and send short videos in real-time, similar to audio messages. The feature is currently available in the latest beta version of the app for Android and iOS, but only for select users. A wider rollout should follow in a few weeks.

This update improves the video messaging experience on WhatsApp

WhatsApp is the most-used instant messaging app globally. The Meta-owned platform has over two billion users and tops the local chart in several countries around the world. However, it still isn’t the most feature-rich option out there. As in, it’s missing some popular features found on other apps. Thankfully, WhatsApp seems to be ever-improving lately, frequently pushing updates with new features.

One of the upcoming updates will bring video messaging to the platform. Of course, you can already send videos through WhatsApp. It lets you send pre-recorded videos saved in the gallery or use the camera to record a video from within the app (with a size limit). However, these videos don’t evoke a sense of immediacy. Even if you record and send the video in real-time, it goes through as a regular video file.

The upcoming feature, meanwhile, gives video messaging a welcome twist. You will be able to record videos up to one minute long direct from the chat screen. The microphone button that sits to the right of the compose box in WhatsApp will double up as a video button. It will switch between the two with every tap. If you want to record an audio or video, you can press and hold the button (check whether it’s in the audio or video state). The existing function of swiping up to lock the recording will work for videos as well.

Moreover, videos recorded using this feature are circular. They feel like part of the conversation and not a separate video file. Recipients will be able to tell that the video is recorded in real-time during the conversation. While it’s unclear at the moment, WhatsApp probably won’t save the video to the gallery. So you can’t send the same recording to someone else. Recipients also can’t forward those videos to others. That’s not the case with the current state of video messaging in WhatsApp. Even videos recorded from within the app are saved in the gallery.

WhatsApp is playing catch-up to other apps, again

WhatsApp isn’t the first messaging app to introduce a video messaging feature. Telegram already offers the same experience. It’s available in a few other apps as well. Meta is playing catch-up here and is still testing the feature in a small group of beta users. It may take a while before the feature reaches everyone globally.

As pointed out by WABetaInfo, which first reported this update, video messages can’t be sent as “view once,” at least not just yet. But WhatsApp may change a few things before the public rollout. Meanwhile, if you want to try this feature early, you can join WhatsApp’s beta program for Android here and see if you’re lucky enough to get it. Video messages are available with WhatsApp beta version 2.23.13.4 for Android and 23.12.0.71 for iOS.

WhatsApp video messages testing


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The generative AI is disrupting the most important industries

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Generative AI has made a significant impact in various industries, including sales, marketing, programming, and copywriting.

Sales & Marketing

Generative AI has revolutionized sales by enabling personalized product recommendations and sales forecasting. AI-powered recommendation systems analyze customer data to suggest relevant products, increasing sales conversion rates. Furthermore, predictive analytics models leverage generative AI to forecast sales trends, enabling businesses to optimize their strategies and inventory management.

Similarly to sales, the generative AI has transformed marketing. AI algorithms can generate compelling ad copy, social media posts and email campaigns through content creation, ad optimization, and customer segmentation.

In some businesses like ecommerce, financial services and casinos, the content is one of the most important parts of the business. For the latter, on top of deposit bonuses and spins, the key factor to attract players is properly conducted copy.

This way the time and effort required for content creation is significantly reduced. Additionally, AI-powered tools can analyze customer behavior and demographics to create targeted marketing campaigns, enhancing customer engagement and conversion rates.

Creative work

Generative AI has had a significant impact on copywriting by automating the generation of marketing content. AI-powered language models can produce blog posts, product descriptions, and social media captions, saving time and resources for businesses. These models are trained on vast amounts of data and can mimic human-like writing styles, generating high-quality content at scale.

Generative AI has also disrupted more technical aspects of website creation such as programming. Certain aspects of software development can be easily automated and AI models like GPT-3 can generate code snippets, providing developers with helpful suggestions and accelerating the coding process. Moreover, AI can assist in bug detection and code optimization, enhancing the overall efficiency and quality of software development.

More practical implementations

On top of it all, with help of generative AI there are whole communities taking advantage of its benefits. For example, in the country of India which is well-known for its social struggles, an AI trial was launched to help some of the poorest communities.

The idea is to see and test how artificial intelligence can help people learn about government aid without getting lost in bureaucracy and corruption.

Future projection

As for the future projection of generative AI, the possibilities are vast. Next, we will see some of the potential developments.

Enhanced creativity

Generative AI is expected to become more proficient in creative tasks like art, music, and storytelling. AI-generated artwork, compositions, and narratives could find applications in various creative industries, pushing the boundaries of human-machine collaboration.

Natural language understanding

Future generative AI models may possess a deeper understanding of human language and context. This would enable more sophisticated interactions and provide more accurate and contextually relevant responses.

Improved personalization

Generative AI will likely enhance personalization in various domains, such as customer experience, healthcare, and education. AI algorithms will be able to better understand individual preferences and tailor recommendations and services accordingly.

Ethical considerations

As generative AI becomes more advanced, ethical considerations surrounding bias, fairness, and privacy will become increasingly important. Efforts will be made to ensure that AI systems are transparent, accountable, and aligned with human values.

It’s important to note that these projections are speculative and subject to ongoing research and development. The field of generative AI is evolving rapidly, and its future impact will depend on various factors, including technological advancements, regulatory frameworks, and societal acceptance.


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Instagram broadcast channels feature to start its global rollout

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Instagram is now rolling its broadcast channels feature globally after the feature has spent some time being limited to select creators, reports Engadget. Meta’s CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, announced that the feature will now be starting its global rollout.

Instagram broadcast channels feature starts rolling out globally


This new feature allows users to send messages to their followers which they can react to and vote in polls. However, followers are unable to respond directly to the message. For example, Zuckerberg’s channel is used to share announcements and updates. The feature was announced back in February for select creators.Of course, you don’t need to only send text updates to your followers using this feature. You can also share images, videos, and audio clips. On top of that, you can also invite others to join your channel as a collaborator, so it seems like a pretty useful feature for content creators.

Reportedly, you will be able to go to the DM section and see the “Suggested channels” section to look for channels you can join.


WhatsApp got channels last week, and currently, the feature is available for a few organizations for now (with broader access coming in the next months). Meta also plans to bring the feature to Facebook and Messenger. On the other hand, Meta’s been working on a Twitter-like app recently, according to reports. It could be a standalone service, however, you’ll be able to log in with your Instagram account.

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Meta makes creating and monetizing your content easier

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Aside from other things, Meta is a social media empire. It owns Facebook and Instagram among other platforms. If you’re a content creator for any of those platforms, then there’s good news. Meta made creating and monetizing content much easier on these platforms.

Facebook and Instagram are two of the most popular social media platforms in the world, but that doesn’t mean that other platforms can’t swoop in and cause trouble for Meta.

TikTok has been a thorn in Facebook’s/Meta’s side since it hosted its first dance video. It revolutionized the short-form video market, and Meta has been trying to keep up.

Well, Meta is making it easier to create and monetize content

Meta has been focusing more on video content with it pushing Reels into more corners of its services. Thus, this is an area where we see the company making changes.

For starters, the company is making it easier to create Reels. When creating a Reel, you’ll see a new editor screen that will let you edit the video, audio, and text all in one screen. This makes it look more like a traditional video editor.

Next, following in the footsteps of YouTube, Meta will take clips from your longer-form videos and live streams and edit them into Reels. This will distribute your content into the stream of other Reels. That way, more people will be able to discover your content.

When you enable Pro Mode on your account, it will provide you with tips and resources to increase your engagement. You’ll have insight into your overall reach and it’ll give you tools to create content on your profile. Also, Pro Mode users could also be promoted on the “Creator To Follow” feed so more people can see what they create.

Monetization

The subject of monetization is one of the biggest when it comes to content creation. Thankfully, Meta gave us some good news on that front. The company lowered the bar for creators to monetize their content.

Before, you needed to have gained 1,000 followers over the past 60 days. Well, that was reduced to 500 followers, but there’s one thing to notice. You will need to have gained these followers over the past 30 days rather than the past 60 days. If you want to read more about the changes, you can view the blog post right here.


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New EU law says smartphone batteries should be easily replaceable

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The EU is approving a new law that would make batteries in smartphones easily replaceable again. You know, like they used to be back in the days of yore. The law, which gained 587 votes in favor of the change, says that batteries in all gadgets in the EU should be easily replaceable, and this includes smartphones. The law states that consumers “shouldn’t need special tools” to swap out a battery. Which would mean manufacturers would have to change the way they design phones. This way consumers could get to the batteries without needing tools that are currently required to take phones apart.

These days, if you want to replace a smartphone battery, you need a few things. The battery, for one. But beyond that, you need some proper tools to get the pieces of the phone apart in addition to some free time. Because it’s not a simple process that takes less than 10 seconds.

Think back to the days of the Galaxy S5. If you needed to replace your battery, you could simply pop off the back and swap it out. This was useful for numerous reasons. You could keep spare batteries charged up and ready to go if the one in your phone needed a recharge. It also made things easy if the battery just needed to be replaced completely. None of that is possible now without extra time and equipment.

The EU law for easily replaceable batteries in smartphones could have a global impact

While this law is only going into effect in the EU, it’s unlikely that this won’t have a more far-reaching impact. Smartphone manufacturers would be wasting time and resources to create devices for the EU that meet the requirements of this law while making separate versions for the rest of the world that have batteries sealed up.

It’s also worth noting that the law in the EU doesn’t just apply to phones. It specifically refers to batteries and waste batteries. But nowhere is it mentioned that the law is limited to smartphones. Which means all future gadgets. That being said, the law isn’t immediate.

It doesn’t go into effect until early 2027. So companies have a few years to get things in order and comply with it.


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Is Spotify too quiet? Here’s how to make it louder

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There are times when you need to play music, and then there are times when you need to BLAST it. What’s unfortunate is that the music coming through your speakers can be rather quiet sometimes. Thankfully, if you’re using Spotify, there’s a solution to this problem. You’re able to adjust the volume of the music you’re listening to on Spotify.

This is a useful feature, but how do you do it? Before you go and DJ your next wedding, you might want to know how to adjust the volume. Not only that, but we’ll also explain some other cool things that you can do with Spotify that you would want to know.

Before we start, a simple solution

This might sound extremely simple, but this is something that could help. Before you adjust the volume in Spotify, you’ll want to check the volume of your device. Check and see if all of the volume knobs aren’t turned low. That could be the reason that your music is low. It sounds elementary, but you never know if that’s actually the problem.

If you’re using a Bluetooth speaker or headphones, make sure you check their volume level along with the other device. Sometimes, your computer will be at full volume, but your Bluetooth device will be low. Be sure that all devices have full volume.

Lastly, make sure that you adjusted the volume slider in the Spotify player. That’s really easy to overlook. While your music is playing, look at the bottom right of the screen next to the speaker icon. You’ll see how loud you have the volume. Click on it to adjust the volume. There’s a chance that it could be turned lower than you want. These things happen.

How to adjust the volume in Spotify

So, you’ve adjusted the volume on your devices, and your music still sounds like a murmur. This is where you take it up with the Spotify platform. There are a few things you need to know before you try and change the volume.

In order to do this, you’ll need to download the Spotify application to your PC or Mac computer. You can’t do it from the browser version. Also, you can change the volume using the mobile app, but that functionality requires Spotify Premium.

On the Spotify application, go to your profile picture in the top right corner of your home screen. You’ll see a dropdown menu with some options. Click on the Settings button near the bottom. Then, scroll down to the Audio quality section.

There, look for the Audio level option. Next to it, you’ll see a little dropdown menu with some options. The options are Loud, Normal, and Quiet. The setting should automatically be set to normal by default. So, you’ll want to select the Loud option. When you do that, all of the audio coming from the app will be noticeably louder.

A word of caution

After you change the volume level, you’ll want to lower the volume of your computer, especially if you have headphones connected to it. Do it before you start playing the music because you don’t know how much louder the music will be.

You don’t want to start playing music only to find that it’s too loud. Music that’s too loud can damage your ears. Either that or you’ll give yourself one heck of a scare when you play your music. Start at a lower volume and slowly work your way up to a louder one.

Now you can adjust the volume in Spotify. What else can you do?

Now that you know to adjust the volume in your Spotify player, you’ll probably want to carry on with your day. However, if you want to know some other things that you can do with Spotify, here are a few. There are some things that you might not know about.

Auto-download podcast episodes

If you’re an avid podcast listener, and Spotify is your main podcast platform, then you’ll want to know about this feature. Spotify can automatically download podcast episodes so that you can access them offline.

A lot of the time, you can’t anticipate when you’re going to lose your internet connection. You’ll at least want to have some entertainment while you ride it out.

This is where automatic downloads come in. You can set Spotify to automatically download and retain a designated number of podcast episodes in the background. The app will download the episodes as soon as they drop.

To do this, go to the podcast that you want to download episodes from and tap on the Settings icon. You’ll see a simple settings UI with the top option being the auto-download toggle.

When you flip it on, the app will start downloading the three most recent episodes. If you want to make changes, tap on the Manage download settings button. This will allow you to choose which podcasts you want to download episodes from and how many episodes you want to be downloaded at a time (Click here for the full article).

Pair with your Discord account

You’re able to connect your Discord and your Spotify accounts to create a fun experience. You’re able to keep your friends up to date about what you’re listening to and even have everyone along to listen to what you’re listening to.

In order to connect these accounts, you should go to your Discord settings and go to the Connections section. There, you’ll see your connected accounts. On the resulting page, you’ll see the list of available accounts you can connect.

Click on the Spotify icon and you’ll be taken to a page to log in to your Spotify account. When you sign in, you’ll be taken back to Discord. Congratulations, your accounts are linked.

In order to disconnect your accounts, go back to your Connections page. There, you’ll see a box with your Spotify account and some toggles. On the top right of the box, you’ll see an “X”. Click on it and confirm that you want to disconnect the accounts (Click here for the full article).


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The ROG Phone 7 is finally available in the US

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After a few months, the ASUS ROG Phone 7 is finally available in the US for consumers to buy. This is the latest gaming smartphone from ASUS, featuring next-gen advancements in mobile gaming hardware.

The ROG Phone 7 series was officially announced back in mid-April. But ASUS didn’t mention when it would be available for purchase in the US. Only suggesting that it would be sometime later this year. Turns out that time is today. Consumers interested in a gaming smartphone have a handful of options, however none measure up to what ASUS offers.

In our review we called the ROG Phone 7 Ultimate a “mobile gaming powerhouse.” And that’s exactly what it is. Featuring 16GB of RAM, a 6,000mAh battery, and the latest mobile chipset platform from Qualcomm. It also has features that have been a staple on the device series since the early days. Like the AirTriggers. For a smartphone, there’s a lot of tech packed into a small package. And if you take your mobile gaming seriously, you’d be hard-pressed to find a better option. All of that comes at a price though.

The ROG Phone 7 starts at $999 in the US

ASUS has always charged quite a lot for its flagship gaming devices. Its mobile phones are no different. The phone comes in two different models. The standard and the ultimate model. The standard model also has two configurations. One with 12GB of RAM and another with 16GB. The 12GB RAM model will start at $999 which is no small sum for a smartphone.

If you want more RAM, you can bump up to the 16GB option for $1,099. This model also goes from 256GB of storage to 512GB. So you get a little more room for games and other stuff. If you want the flagship, then go for the ultimate which will cost you $1,299. Feature-wise, there’s nothing different between this model and the 16GB standard model except for the display on the back. It does also come bundled with the latest AeroActive Cooler though. Whereas you need to buy this separately with all standard models of the phone.

The ROG Phone 7 and ROG Phone 7 Ultimate can be picked up from Amazon via pre-order starting today. You can also buy them directly from ASUS with no pre-order wait times.


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Samsung is developing a private generative AI tool

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A Samsung executive has confirmed rumors that the company is developing a ChatGPT-like generative AI tool. The confirmation came from co-CEO Kyung Kye-hyun during a recent internal meeting, anonymous industry sources told the Korean publication The Investor. Kyung oversees the tech giant’s chip business.

Samsung will keep its generative AI private

Unlike ChatGPT and Google Bard, Samsung’s generative AI service will be private to the company. The general public can’t access it. The Korean firm will only allow some of its employees to access the AI tool, which doesn’t yet have a name. The idea is to use AI to improve and speed up business processes wherever possible.

According to the new report, Samsung sees AI helping its business in nine key areas. Those include data analysis and information sourcing for chip production, translation of documents and meetings, transcribing audio files or meeting voices, cost management, and automated responses for product purchases.

Samsung previously tried to use ChatGPT to help its semiconductor division in business growth. However, it didn’t work out as intended. Employees inadvertently ended up leaking critical company information through the OpenAI-made tool. The Korean biggie has since banned the use of all external AI tools on official devices and internal networks.

However, Samsung does plan to incorporate ChatGPT in its products or services in some way next year. During a separate event at Yonsei University last Friday, Hyung described the tool as the “best intellect” in this space currently. He didn’t share further plans, though. The company is reportedly exploring new ways to contribute to the growing AI ecosystem beyond its internal goals.

“Depending on how we use generative AI, there can be tremendous innovation in what we do,” said Kyung. “We’re promoting the introduction of customized AI through a local specialized firm”. The Samsung co-CEO suggested potential applications of AI solutions in “wide bandwidth, high power efficiency and integration architecture from smartphones to data centers.”

Samsung’s new AI tool is still months away

It was rumored last week that Samsung could complete the work on the initial version of its new LLM (Large Language Model) as early as next month. However, the AI tool may not be ready for prime time until next year. The new report states that the company is aiming to launch the “basic service” in December this year. It may fully integrate the tool with its systems by February 2024.


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