The Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 “for Galaxy” may not remain exclusive to the Galaxy S23 phones for much longer. And no, it isn’t coming to another Samsung phone. Instead, the overclocked or faster version of the latest Qualcomm will soon be available to other brands. More precisely, some Chinese firms are said to be readying new devices with this chip, though we don’t have specifics about the devices in question.
Qualcomm reserved the best of Snapdragon for Samsung this year. It offered an exclusive overclocked version of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 to the Korean firm, which used the chip in its latest flagships. The chip has a faster CPU (3.36GHz vs. 3.2GHz) and GPU (719MHz vs. 680MHz) than the standard Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 available to other brands. It also reportedly boasts an improved AI processor.
It appeared that this overclocked Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, which has the suffix “for Galaxy” on its name, will remain exclusive to the Galaxy S23 series. But the latest word from the rumor mill is that Qualcomm will sell it to other brands as well. A reputed Weibo tipster who goes by the username Digital Chat Station recently claimed that the Samsung monopoly of this chip will end soon (via). Some Chinese brands will use the processor in their upcoming devices.
As said earlier, there’s no word on the brands or devices in question here. But ASUS, OnePlus, and Xiaomi could be among those readying new phones with the overclocked Snapdragon 8 Gen 2. All of these firms are expected to launch new flagship devices in the coming months. If this claim from Digital Chat Station turns out to be accurate, the rumor mill should soon give us more information about those products.
The overclocked Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 may substitute the “Plus” edition this year
In recent years, Qualcomm has been following up its latest flagship chips with “Plus” editions a few months later. These upgrades usually come in the middle of the year and bring a CPU and GPU boost. However, there are rumors that the company won’t launch a mid-year refresh of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 this year. It plans to go straight to the Snapdargon 8 Gen 3 later this year.
Considering all of the recent developments, it’s likely that the overclocked version of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 will substitute this year’s “Plus” edition. The company will remove the “for Galaxy” suffix from the name for obvious reasons. So we wouldn’t be surprised if it arrives as the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 2. Stay tuned and we will let you know as soon as we have more information.
It’s hard to believe, but Father’s Day is right around the corner. Even though it feels like 2023 just started. Father’s Day lands on June 18 this year, and we’re here to help you find the best gifts.
It might seem a bit early to start talking about gifts for Father’s Day, but with the many shortages in tech going on this year, it’s never to early to start planning. In this gift guide, we’re going to have the best Father’s Day gifts, from soundbars, to TVs to everything in between.
Best Father’s Day Gifts
Below, you’ll find all of the gifts in this list, and if you scroll further down you can learn more about each product. These range from just $50 all the way up to nearly $3,500. So there’s something here for everyone’s budget.
This is one of the best OLED TVs on the market today. Coming from Sony, you know this is going to provide an excellent picture. Why? Because Sony is also a movie studio, and they do want their movies to look amazing on their own TVs.
This TV is powered by Google TV, so you’re getting a ton of great apps available here. That includes Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video and much more. It is also great for the PS5, since it does have HDMI 2.1 support as well as VRR.
The Surface Laptop is a great option to grab for Dad this Father’s Day. It’s under a thousand bucks, and is a pretty powerful laptop. This is the AMD Ryzen version, which has a specific version of the Ryzen 7 for Surface. Which Microsoft says is about 70% faster than before. It also has 8GB of RAM and 256GB of SSD storage inside.
The iPad Air is another great option for Father’s Day. This is a pretty lightweight iPad, that’s how it got the name. It’s also the most recent version of the Air. Which has an M1 chipset inside. Making it a pretty powerful tablet. Don’t forget that because this is an iPad, it does have a ton of great apps available that were made for the bigger screen.
The eight-piece Ring Alarm Pro is a great idea for Father’s Day. This kit includes one Alarm Pro Base Station, one Keypad, four Contact Sensors for windows/doors, one Motion Detector for one hallway/room, and one Alarm Range Extender. Allowing you to protect your home with ease.
It’s pretty easy to setup and use. And with the Ring Alarm Pro, there’s a built-in eero router, which is going to help improve your home’s signal too.
This is the latest from Sony, and your dad deserves the latest and greatest. This is the X90K series of 4K TVs from Sony. It includes Google TV built-in, like all of Sony’s TVs have for a while now.
It does also include Dolby Vision HDR, as well as HDMI 2.1. So it’ll be great for playing the PlayStation 5 or the Xbox Series X. Though, Sony does tease that there are some other PS5 exclusive features available with this TV.
The Chromecast with Google TV is a really good option for those Dad’s that love to watch TV. Google released this in late 2020, and it’s a great way to cut the cord and watch plenty of great content.
One of the best features of Google TV, is being able to get recommendations on the home screen, from different genres, across all of the apps installed on your Chromecast. It also has live TV listings for YouTube TV, if you use that.
Of course, it runs on Android TV, so all of your favorite apps are available here. That includes Netflix, Hulu, Amazon Prime Video, YouTube, STARZ, Showtime and much more. And it’s just $50.
The Jabra Elite 85t are the latest version of one of the best pairs of truly wireless earbuds on the market. The Elite 85t offer up really incredible battery life. Coming in at about five and a half hours of continuous playback and around 25 hours with the included carrying case.
Jabra allows you to customize the sound of the Elite 85t with the MyControls app. So you can add some bass, or up the treble if you like. But by default, the sound on the Elite 85t is already really impressive. And Jabra also has six mics included on these earbuds, so you can get some crystal clear calls, without worrying about getting a lot of background noise.
The NVIDIA SHIELD TV is very similar to the Chromecast with Google TV, but a bit more powerful. It doesn’t yet have the Google TV interface, but it is coming.
The SHIELD TV does run on Android TV, giving you access to a slew of great apps including Netflix, YouTube, Hulu, Disney+ and more. It also has the ability to Cast, as well as Google Assistant included.
What makes the SHIELD TV different though, is that it can also be used as a gaming console. You can game through NVIDIA GeForce Now, and play all sorts of games on your TV. Which is great news since, buying a PS5 is still almost impossible.
Who wouldn’t love to get an Meta Quest 2? It’s the latest virtual reality headset from Meta. And it comes in either 64GB or 256GB models. The 256GB model is $399. We’d recommend getting the 256GB model, particularly if you’re going to play a lot of games.
It’s a standalone VR headset, so you don’t need to have it hooked up to a computer to play games and such. Which is definitely a good thing here. And makes it a lot more convenient.
If your Pops is into smart home products, then the Nest Cam Indoor is a great option. This will allow him to keep tabs on the house when he is not at home. It offers 1080p video feed, at a 130-degree field-of-view. Making it easy to see an entire room.
The Nest Cam Indoor does also work with Google Assistant. And you can even see your feed of your home on your smartphone or the Nest Hub (and Google TV/Android TV). Making it even easier to keep an eye on what’s going on.
The Rachio 3 Smart Sprinkler Controller is a rather unique gift to get this year. It’s exactly what it sounds like, a smart sprinkler, so you can control when your lawn is watered, and in which areas, from your smartphone.
It works with Amazon Alexa, Apple Siri and Homekit as well as Google Assistant and Nest. So you can also control it from your voice.
The eero Pro 6 is a great option, if your Dad is complaining about the internet being slow. Or if he has a lot of smart home products in his home. As the eero Pro 6 will help with both. We chose the Pro version over the regular eero 6, because it is more future-proof, supporting up to 1Gbps speeds.
This is the three-pack eero Pro 6, which is why it is $599. But that will cover up to 6,000 square-feet. Meaning that you can easily blanket your home in internet coverage.
The Sonos One (Gen 2) is another great option for Dad this Father’s Day, as far as gifts are concerned. This new second-generation model of the Sonos One has better microphones and also works with AirPlay 2 a bit better. The cool thing with Sonos, is that you can use either Amazon Alexa or Google Assistant. Instead of it being one or the other.
The audio quality on the Sonos One is also really good. For a pretty small speaker, it definitely packs a punch. And works really well with other Sonos speakers for a multi-room setup in your home.
This is perhaps the best Roku TV that you can buy right now. This is the 6-series from TCL, which is a QLED TV that runs on Roku.
With QLED, you’re going to get a really impressive looking picture here. The some deep blacks and really crisp colors. It also has support for HDR, HDR10, HLG and Dolby Vision. Finally, the TCL 6-Series also has THX Certified Gaming Mode, making it great for pairing with a PS5 or Xbox Series X.
A secret in professional kitchens for decades, sous vide works by circulating heated water in a pot at a very precise temperature according to the desired doneness of your food, holding it there for the duration of your cook for exceptional results. With just 3º making the difference between a rare and medium-rare steak, precision is key in the kitchen.
This simple and approachable technique eliminates overcooked, dried out food and ensures edge-to-edge perfection every time you cook!
This is a great gift for Dad’s that are also runners.
Forerunner 35 is slim and lightweight — perfect for daily runs, training and racing. It features built-in wrist-based heart rate as well as GPS that tracks your distance, pace, intervals and more. And since all these stats are captured by the watch, your watch is all you need — no phone, no chest strap. Just put on Forerunner 35 and go.
The Ninja Foodi Smart XL is a great gift, no matter the occasion. I own one of these myself, and absolutely love it.
The Ninja Foodi Smart XL is able to grill, air fry, roast, bake and much more, all in one appliance. It also has a thermometer that is included, so you can see when your food is ready.
It’s fairly large at about four quarts, and big enough for four to six steaks, depending on the size of the steak.
The DJI Air 2s features a 1-inch CMOS sensor, powerful autonomous functions, and a compact body weighing less than 21 oz., DJI Air 2S is the ultimate drone for creators on the move. Take this all-in-one aerial powerhouse along anywhere to experience and record your world in stunning detail.
This is a really great drone to pick up for done some content, especially if you’re looking to get started with YouTube and do some sweet shots.
The Sonos Arc has been pretty tough to find since it was released last year. So if you do plan to get this for Father’s Day as a gift, you’d better plan early. As shipments are about 2-3 weeks out right now.
Sonos Arc is one of the best soundbars on the planet right now. Of course, it works really well with the rest of the Sonos ecosystem, but it also has Dolby Atmos included, which can really make your home shake.
This is the second-generation Nest Hub from Google, and it works really well with a number of smart home products. It also works well on a desk playing music, showing YouTube and even asking Google Assistant all kinds of questions.
This would also work well in a bedroom, since there is no camera. Instead it uses other sensors to see what’s going on in the room. Including the ability to track your sleeping. Which is rather neat.
The Beats Studio Buds are probably the best pair of earbuds Apple has ever made. For one simple reason, it includes fast pairing for Android and iOS. Instead of just the typical iOS feature. Which makes it great for Android users. The sound signature has been dialed back on Beats lately too, so it’s not super bass-heavy anymore.
These are rated at IPX4 for sweat and water resistance. They also offer up to 8 hours of continuous playback, and up to 24 hours with the included carrying case.
This is probably the best TV that you can buy right now. The LG C2 is the latest model to come out of LG, and we all know that OLED reigns supreme still. This is a massive 77-inch TV, which Dad is going to love using to watch sports and other things while he sits in his recliner struggling to not fall asleep.
It runs webOS, and has all of your favorite apps available. Including Netflix, Hulu, YouTube TV, Sling TV and much more. Both Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa are included too.
This is the Razer Blade 14 (AMD edition), which is very powerful. And whether your Dad likes to play games, or get some work done, this is a great option. It has a 14-inch 165Hz display, which is going to look absolutely stunning, and super smooth.
Internally, there is the AMD Ryzen 9 5900HX processor running the show. With 16GB of RAM and 1TB of SSD space. And there’s the NVIDIA RTX 3080 inside for some great graphics. Making this among the best Father’s day gifts that you can grab this year.
Google Fi Wireless, which is Google Fi’s new name after the rebrand last month, has updated its mobile app with a redesign that makes it easier for customers to manage their family’s Fi subscription. The new app offers several new capabilities, including the option to check how much data each family member has used, set data limitations, and add new people to the plan.
The app redesign was also teased last month with a short animation showing off the new family-oriented features. These also include parental controls to protect any minors added to the plan.
As part of the redesign, a visible “Cycle ends” timer now appears on the top right of the app, alerting you when your plan resets. Right below that, you will see letter avatars representing each of the members that are part of the plan, which you can click on to check individually. Additionally, there is a “Group” avatar which is where you can check your plan highlights and any offers or deals that may be of interest to you.
If you’re not on an Unlimited plan, your manager account will show data consumption with Overall and Daily views. The top “Your safety features” or “Help protect” area shows the status of silencing unknown callers or selecting to only receive calls or texts from phone contacts. It also s hows the status of your Location sharing and any Data alerts. This family dashboard sports the familiar Material You UI and allows you to check all of your family members’ data consumption in one spot. This can be useful for tracking who is using how much data and ensuring that everyone is staying on track with their usage in the case that you don’t have an unlimited plan.
According to 9to5Google’s reporting, this redesign is rolling out with version 85 of the Google Fi Wireless app on Android, however, there is a server-side component that needs to be switched on before the changes can be seen. Fortunately, it appears that this switch has been flipped for more users in the past few days.
Google Home for Wear OS has finally received its long-awaited update, bringing a redesigned interface and functionality updates. The update is now available in version 2.66 of the app, and you can get it through the Wear OS Play Store.
A few weeks ago, some outlets reported that Google is finally preparing to launch its revamped Home app for Wear OS. The update has been out for a few months in an invite-only preview, but the company started a global rollout on May 11. The app is now split by Favorites, Automations, a list of connected devices, settings, and activity feed.
In the Favorites tab, you can see the same parameters you saved in Google Home for Android and iOS. There is a list of up to five devices with their automation/routines. You can expand the list by tapping on “View all.”
Google Home for Wear OS rolled out with a new interface
The Automations, Devices, and Settings appear at the bottom. The Devices tile is the same as the main feed, which lists groups of things by room. The new design gives users more control over adjusting lights and temperature as well as allows for switching modes.
You can also adjust the Temperature and Color by long pressing on a tile. The update still lets you turn on/off lights with a tap and adjust brightness with sliding.
The new Google Home app for Wear OS also gives users more control over the songs cast to the Nest Hub devices. For example, users can now see the casted song, pause it, or next/back to another song. Users previously could only adjust the volume. Moreover, the update lets users lock and unlock supported devices.
To get the animated camera notification previews, you also need to install version 1.4+ of Wear OS System UI. Nest Cams and Doorbells launched in 2021 onwards can get the update.
It’s no secret that this ongoing trade war between the United States and China has hindered many companies from conducting business. Now, the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) has imposed a ban on Chinese companies from purchasing chips from Micron, citing national security concerns. This move comes after the Chinese government launched a cybersecurity probe into the American memory chip giant and found that its products posed significant security risks to critical Chinese information infrastructure, including state-owned banks and telecom operators.
However, according to industry experts, this move comes as a retaliatory measure in response to actions taken by the United States against Chinese companies. These include the recent decision by the Biden administration to stop granting licenses that allowed American companies to export to Huawei, as well as the restrictions imposed on Nvidia, preventing the company from exporting its advanced GPU, known as H100, for generative AI training to China.
China’s efforts to become self-reliant
While the CAC claims that Micron’s products pose significant cybersecurity risks to the country’s information supply chain, specific details about these risks have not been disclosed by the government. Additionally, it’s worth noting that Micron had already acknowledged the challenges in China and the increased competition resulting from substantial investments made by the Chinese government in companies like Yangtze Memory Technologies and ChangXin Memory Technologies.
Therefore, this ban could also be a part of China’s efforts to become self-reliant, particularly in critical industries such as advanced semiconductors, where it has traditionally heavily relied on foreign suppliers.
“We are evaluating the conclusion and assessing our next steps. We look forward to continuing to engage in discussions with Chinese authorities,” said Micron.
This latest ban further escalates the ongoing feud over semiconductor technology between the US and China. In response, the US Department of Commerce has expressed its intentions to engage directly with Chinese authorities to communicate the US position. Additionally, the Commerce Department plans to collaborate with allies and partners to address the distortions in China’s memory market.
Sony makes some pretty incredible TVs. And it makes sense as to why. Sony is also a movie studio. So of course, they are going to put out some of the best TVs available, so you can watch their movies on the best screens. Having said that, sometimes, Sony’s TVs can be quite expensive compared to the competitors. However, a lot of the time, they are discounted quite a bit. Making it easier than ever to grab a new TV, without emptying your wallet.
When it comes to screen technology, Sony uses three different technologies, for the most part. That includes LED, OLED and Mini-LED. Obviously, LED is going to be the cheapest, with OLED behind that and Mini-LED being the most expensive. That is mostly because it is the newest.
For most people, Sony’s OLED TVs are going to be the best option. That’s because it’s going to give you a really great looking picture here, thanks to OLED being so great with color reproduction, as well as the inky blacks. Mini-LED is actually better than OLED. It basically has all of the same great features as OLED, but it is typically brighter. However, since Mini-LED is so new, it is quite a bit more expensive.
Best Sony TV Deals for May 2023
Sony has some great deals this month, across many different retailers. Including Amazon, Best Buy and Crutchfield. Below, we have rounded up all of the best deals on Sony TVs right now. So you can be sure to get a great deal and save some cash. Which is something we all appreciate.
Sony’s TVs start at about $498 right now, and run into the thousands – some being over $2,500. So there’s loads of options here. And without further ado, here are the best Sony TV deals for this month.
Carl Pei, Nothing’s founder and CEO, has confirmed that a former OnePlus exec will head the Nothing Phone (2) launch. Nothing is allegedly aggressively pouching former OnePlus staff these days, and Kyle Kaing is the latest addition to the team.
The Nothing Phone (2) launch will be handled by a former OnePlus exec
He has joined nothing as VP North America, according to Carl Pei, and “will be heading up the global Phone (2) launch”. As a side note, based on a report from Inverse, 70% of Nothing’s software team worked at OnePlus, and also 30% of its hardware team.
In any case, some of you may recall that the Nothing Phone (1) did not launch in the US. Well, the Nothing Phone (2) will. Nothing confirmed as much a while back, while it also confirmed that the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 will be included.
The Nothing Phone (2) will be an even more ambitious project than the Nothing Phone (1). The device is moving closer to the high-end segment, as the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 is still an immensely powerful chip.
Nothing started teasing the Phone (2)’s arrival
We still don’t know what will the phone look like exactly. Nothing did release a teaser image for the device, but it did not reveal much. It did, however, confirm that it will, once again, include a see-through backplate.
That was to be expected, of course. That was one of the Nothing Phone (1)’s main selling cards, along with its Glyph lights on the back. The Nothing Phone (2) will try to take that approach to a whole new level.
We’re also expecting improvements in other areas, such as the camera performance. The Nothing Phone (1) had good camera performance, but it’ll have to improve if it wants to compete with the best.
We still don’t know when will the phone launch exactly, but Nothing did confirm it’s coming this summer.
Correcting a misspelling or changing the message completely to provide extra context can now be done via a simple long-press on the sent message. You’ll have to choose the Edit option from the menu, which will only be available for up to 15 minutes.
Despite the fact that it comes with one limitation, more often than not we notice a misspelling or change our mind regarding a WhatsApp message soon after it’s been sent. As expected, all edited messages will display “edited” alongside them, which will allow recipients to see the correction without showing edit history.
According to WhatsApp, all edited messages, just like personal messages, media and calls, are protected by end-to-end encryption. Although the rollout of the new feature has already begun, WhatsApp states that it will be available to everyone “in the coming weeks,” so be patient if you don’t see the option to Edit messages right away.
While it was already announced that Peacock would have an exclusive playoff game this NFL season, now NBCUniversal is announcing that it also has a regular season game that will be exclusive to Peacock.
The regular season game will be the Buffalo Bills versus the Los Angeles Chargers, which will be a primetime matchup on Saturday, December 23. The game will start at 8:30PM and will follow a SNF game on Saturday afternoon between the Cincinnati Bengals and Pittsburgh Steelers on NBC.
The regular season game and playoff exclusive games will be broadcast on NBC stations in the two competing teams cities, and also available on mobile devices using NFL+. Which is a bit odd, since it’s not really “exclusive” to Peacock then.
This is a big move for the NFL
This is pretty big for the NFL, giving two games to a streamer as an exclusive for the first time. Of course, you can be rest assured that NBCUniversal paid handsomely for these two games from the NFL. Let’s just hope that the regular season game does better than the Thursday Night games did on Prime Video last season. It wasn’t so much that Prime Video couldn’t handle it, but that most of the games were pretty terrible.
Peacock will also stream all NBC Sunday Night Football games this season. That includes the playoffs as well as the Football Night in America studio show. So there will be plenty of NFL content on Peacock this year.
If this little experiment with the NFL and NBCUniversal goes well, we could see more games going to streamers exclusively. Now since FOX doesn’t really have a streaming service, the only other options would be CBS’ Paramount+ and ESPN+. Since ESPN does do the Monday Night games. And half of the games for the entire season are on CBS. It’s unclear how many of these games the NFL would want on streaming, since having them on “free” TV channels available OTA means a lot more people watching them.
It comes as no surprise that the launch of ChatGPT and its integration into various Microsoft services has prompted many companies to intensify their efforts in generative AI development. Now, according to a new report from TechCrunch, Apple is ramping up its efforts in artificial intelligence and hiring for 88 new positions, specifically targeting experts in generative AI and machine learning.
This move comes just days after OpenAI finally released an iOS app, and although Apple regularly hires new talent, the fact that the job postings specifically mention “generative AI” means that the company is concerned about the recent advancements in the field.
At present, there are a total of 88 open artificial intelligence jobs at Apple, with over a third of them appearing this month. These openings span various areas, such as Integrated System Experience, Input Experience NLP, Machine Learning R&D, and the Technology Development Group. However, it is important to note that most of these positions are primarily located in San Diego, the Bay Area, and Seattle.
“Are you excited about Generative AI? Are you excited about how the latest advances in this field could transform the way people communicate, create, connect and consume media? Now imagine working to make this vision a reality on beloved mobile platforms used by billions. This is an opportunity to join a dedicated core group in the Intelligent System Experience organization at Apple, a group that will shape the way generative ai technologies transform Apple’s mobile computing platforms,” reads Apple’s job description.
Apple’s endgame
Although Apple’s CEO, Tim Cook, has not provided explicit details about the company’s next-generation AI projects, during the Q2 earnings call earlier this month, he expressed a keen interest in generative artificial intelligence and acknowledged its immense potential. Additionally, he also emphasized that Apple sees AI as a transformative force and will continue investing in related technologies to further enhance its product offerings.
Moreover, with WWDC just around the corner and reports of Apple testing new natural-language features for Siri, it is possible that the company might announce its new ventures into generative AI at the event.
