Here’s how Google Photos’ upcoming “Photo Stack” feature will reportedly work

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A new Google Photos feature called “Photo Stack” is currently in development, and it promises to make organizing your photos easier than ever before. Although we heard about this upcoming feature last month, we can now see how it actually works.
According to findings by TheSpAndroid after managing to enable the not yet rolled out feature, Photo Stack automatically groups similar photos together. This feature came about to help users keep their photo feed clutter-free and to be able to find photos more easily.
Once rolled out, Photo Stack will not be on by default, but rather will need to be enabled through Google Photos’ Settings > Preferences > Stack Similar Photos toggle. Once enabled, Google Photos will automatically start grouping similar photos together. Additionally, there will be an alternative way to enable Photo Stack from the main Photos tab, which can be done by tapping on the three dots icon in the top left corner and selecting “Stack Similar Photos.”
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When you tap on a stacked photo, a new page will open showing you the “Top Pick” photo and a bottom bar with all the other photos in the stack. You can change the Top Pick photo by opening any other photo from the stack and tapping on the three dots icon in the top right corner. From there, you can select “Set as Top Pick.”

You can also remove photos from a stack by tapping on the “Remove from Stack” option. If you want to keep one photo from the stack and delete the rest, you can tap on the “Keep This, Delete Rest” option.

Google has not yet officially announced a release date for Photo Stack, or if that will be the final name for the feature, but it will hopefully roll out to all users in the coming weeks judging by the advanced state of the functionality at this point. It also remains to be seen how helpful this feature will turn out to be, as it will introduce yet another way of organizing photos without users having to manually create albums.


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How to Cancel your Amazon Prime Membership

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Amazon Prime has become a pretty popular subscription that almost everyone in the US has already. It’s not cheap, but has loads of great benefits. It’s $139 per year, which works out to about $11.58 per month, which is more than some streaming services. But the good thing is, you get more than just a streaming service. Prime offers Prime Video, as well as unlimited two-day, next-day and same-day deliveries. As well as discounts at Whole Foods and much more. It’s well worth the cost, if you are using it to its full potential.

Some may find that it’s not worth the $139 per year. And in that case you can opt to cancel your Amazon Prime account, which we’re showing you how to do right here.

How to cancel Amazon Prime

To cancel your Amazon Prime account, login to Amazon on a desktop browser.

Then, highlight your name in the corner, and find “Prime Membership” and click on that.

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From there, Tap on “Membership”.

At the bottom of that menu, you’ll find “End Membership” click on that.

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Now, Amazon will walk you through canceling your Amazon Prime membership. It’ll ask you to make sure that you want to cancel, before you actually cancel.

Can I get a refund?

Amazon will refund you, but you likely aren’t eligible for one. You see, Amazon will only refund you if you have not used your Prime membership since your credit card was charged.

Basically, if you signed up for a free trial, and it lapsed. And a few months later you decide you don’t need Prime, you can still get the full price back. Which is pretty neat, but unfortunate that they do not prorate it for those that have used it, and want to cancel.

When can I get a new free trial?

You can get a new free trial in a year. Prime members are only eligible for a free trial once every 12 months. Which means that if you cancel your membership today, you can’t sign up for another free trial until next year. If it has been more than a year then you can sign up for another 30-day free trial.


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M3 Macs can detect liquid in USB-C ports, but only for diagnostics

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Apple released a slew of new Mac computers last week, and they bring a hidden new feature: the ability to detect liquids in their USB-C ports. The capabilities were first spotted by 9to5 Mac, who earlier reported that macOS Sonoma now includes a system daemon called “liquiddetectiond.” The daemon identifies when a Mac has been exposed to liquids through sensors within the computer. However, this identifier can now detect liquid in the USB-C ports of a Mac as well. This change might be limited to newer M3 Macs, as there could be some hardware requirement that enables liquid detection in a Mac’s USB-C ports.

These sensors could be used for a consumer-facing feature that lets users know when their USB-C ports are wet. Water in electronics is never good, but water paired with an electrical current does a lot more damage. As such, if a user’s Mac can let them know when their USB-C ports are wet, it can prevent them from plugging things in and causing more problems. The tool isn’t being used this way for now, though. Instead, the liquid detection on Mac USB-C ports will be used as a diagnostic tool. This could end up actually being bad news for consumers.

Liquid detection has been used by Apple for years as a way to deny repairs under warranty. “Damage to Mac computers and accessories due to liquid exposure is not covered by the Apple One (1) Year Limited Warranty or the AppleCare Protection Plan,” an Apple Support document notes. Apple is using liquid contact indicators to figure out whether a Mac has been exposed to water. These are essentially stickers that change color when they come in contact with liquids. This is notably different than liquid detection on Mac USB-C ports, which use electronic sensors.

Apple has used liquid detection features before

Though the feature is not available to users yet, the functionality resembles an iOS and iPadOS feature. Both iPhones and iPads not only detect liquids in their charging ports, but also inform users. These devices throw up warnings when liquid is detected so users can unplug their chargers. This implementation is far more useful than the one on the Mac, which is just for diagnostics.

The new feature means that users should be more careful with liquids around their Macs than ever. Apple now has a new way to determine whether a Mac has been exposed to liquid. That means if someone brings a liquid-damaged Mac in for repair, it’s likely they will have to pay a big out-of-warranty repair fee.


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Instagram’s Creator program just reached 1 million subscriptions

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There are plenty of ways for people to make money on the internet, and Instagram is one of them. The company has its Creator program that offers a way for Instagram users to monetize their content. According to a new report, the Instagram Creator program just reached 1 million paid subscriptions.

This program is now about a year old, it’s helped IG creators earn a living on the app. Instagram creators have historically earned money by promoting products via sponsored posts. However, the Creator program allows the followers to directly contribute to the creator.

The Instagram Creator program just reached 1 million paid subscriptions

Instagram is home to a myriad of different celebrities, creators, and influencers. These people have millions and tens of millions of followers, many of whom would gladly pay money to see exclusive content.

Well, after nearly a year of being on the market, the Instagram Creator program now boasts 1 million paid subscriptions. It’s a small number compared to the total monthly users, but we’re talking about spending money every month to view Instagram posts. With the way that prices are, nowadays, it’s hard getting people to part with money for anything other than the absolute essentials.

When you’re a part of the program, you can charge your users a set amount of money every month to view exclusive content. There are several creator tools that you can use to help you create content to keep your audience engaged (and spending money). If you want to know more about this program, you can view the Instagram Creator Page.

In other Instagram news

If you don’t like viewing ads on Instagram, then Meta has something for you. Well, it does if you live in Europe. The EU passed regulations banning personalized ads on social media platforms.

Because of this, Meta can’t serve algorithmically curated ads on Facebook or Instagram. Thus, Meta will deliver a subscription service that will get rid of ads across Facebook and Instagram. The service will cost €9.99/month, and it will roll out this month.


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DIRECTV Stream Boosts Prices, Monthly Plan Now Begins at $80!

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Just as the sun comes up, so does the prices of streaming services. This time around, it’s DIRECTV Stream’s turn to raise their prices. Prices are going up on all of their plans, by at least $5 per month. It’s cheapest plan now starts at $79.99 per month, which makes it the most expensive starting plan among the streaming Live TV services.

Here’s how the pricing breaks down: Entertainment plan is now $79.99 (was $74.99), Choice plan is now $108.99 (was $99.99), the Ultimate plan is now $119.99 (was $109.99), and finally the Premier plan is $164.99 (was $154.99).

This is actually the second price increase this year for DIRECTV Stream, after having gone up in January of this year by $10 across the board. When DIRECTV first launched its streaming Live TV service back in 2016, it cost only $35 per month. Since then, AT&T has changed its name a few times, going from DIRECTV Now to AT&T Now to AT&T TV and back to DIRECTV Stream. And in that time, prices have more than doubled. Of course, DIRECTV Stream is not alone there.

Why are DIRECTV Stream prices going up?

DIRECTV Stream explained to The Streamable in October, prices are going up for all of its plans due to the “higher cost networks are charging”. And also mentioned that “like other distributors, we’re adjusting our pricing because of the higher cost networks charge to distribute national and local programming. We remain focused on delivering the best value.”

Prices have been going up across the board for streaming TV services. When it comes to live TV services, YouTube TV now costs $72.99 per month, Sling TV is now $40 per month for Sling Orange or Sling Blue and Fubo now starts at $74.99. So DIRECTV Stream is not alone here, but it does cost the most, to start. However, DIRECTV Stream is offering $25 off the “Entertainment”, “Choice” and “Ultimate” plans with the Sports pack for the first month (two months for the Entertainment plan). Which is great, but will that tempt people to switch is the real question.

Surprisingly, this is still cheaper than cable. I have compared this price increase to a comparable cable package from Comcast in my area. It would cost me $90, and that’s before taxes and fees. And that’s also for just one TV. Since you need a cable box for each TV, but with DIRECTV Stream, you can stream on virtually anything. So that “it’s more expensive than cable” argument is mute right now. Seeing as you can get more from DIRECTV Stream for $80 per month, for now at least.


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Google Launches Verification Badges for Security Tested VPN Apps

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The new feature is the latest in line with increasing security and precautionary measures by Google to keep malicious Android apps away from its Play Store.

Google Play has introduced a new feature to inform users looking for reliable VPN (virtual private network) apps if the apps have undergone an independent security review. The new feature will add an Independent Security Review badge at the top of the Google Play search results page when users search for VPN apps. 

This badge will ensure the app has been scanned through an independent security review. That’s not all! The banner will provide additional information under the Learn More option, which will redirect them to the App Validation Directory, providing technical assessment details so that users can make informed decisions when downloading VPNs.

The new feature will add an Independent Security Review badge at the top of the Google Play search results page when users search for VPN apps. 
Screenshot: Google

The certification can be checked in the app’s Data Safety section on Google Play Store. Its presence means the application has been tested against pre-determined security criteria, which Google has developed with several cybersecurity partners.

The badge will inform users that the app has been verified and validated by an independent third party and meets the minimum best practices standards of the industry’s mobile security and privacy guidelines. It will also indicate that the app’s developers will identify/mitigate vulnerabilities promptly.

For your information, in 2022, the App Defense Alliance (ADA) launched the Mobile App Security Assessment (MASA) to let developers evaluate their apps independently against a strict global security standard.

This serves as an assurance for users that app developers are following best practices for privacy and security. Successful validation will allow the developers to display the badge in their app’s Data Safety section. This addition will make it more challenging for cybercriminals to access users’ devices through compromised apps and improve the app’s quality.

Although adhering to “baseline security standards” won’t guarantee that the app will be vulnerability-free, the badge will serve as a “visual cue” for users that it has been scanned and validated.

The new feature has been rolled out for VPN apps and selected app categories as the company wants to secure sensitive apps initially. VPNs hold a substantial volume of data as they are primarily used for searching and accessing websites. In a blog post, Nataliya Stanetsky, Android Security and Privacy Team wrote that:

“VPN providers such as NordVPN, Google One, ExpressVPN, and others have already undergone independent security testing and publicly declared the badge showing their good standing with the MASA program. We encourage and anticipate additional VPN app developers to undergo independent security testing, bringing even more transparency to users.”

Google

This is a proactive move to enhance app security and protect user data, underscoring the company’s commitment to improving cybersecurity in the digital space. Users are generally unaware of the risks associated with VPN apps. Many of these apps can be designed to collect sensitive device or user data and may even inject malware onto their devices. 

  1. Google Makes Passkeys Default for All Users
  2. Google offers Dark Web monitoring for US Gmail users
  3. Google Buys Cyber Security Firm Mandiant for $5.4 Billion
  4. Google Chrome to Mask User IP Addresses to Protect Privacy
  5. Google Introduces Bug Bounty Program for Open-Source Software
  6. Google Removes Swing VPN Android App Exposed as DDoS Botnet
  7. Google’s Latest Android Feature Drop: Dark Web Search for Gmail ID
  8. Essential Insights on Google Cloud Backup and Disaster Recovery Service

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Samsung’s next rugged tablet might be coming soon

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Samsung’s tablets are all well-built (as you can see in our Galaxy Tab S9 FE review), but the company makes a line of rugged tablets that are meant to survive the worst you can throw at them. The Galaxy Tab Active series saw its fourth entry last year with the Galaxy Tab Active4. Well, it looks like the Galaxy Tab Active5 might be around the corner.

You’ll want to take this news with a grain of salt. We’re talking about a leak of a future product. There’s no guarantee that the device is on its way. We’ll keep you updated on any future developments.

The Galaxy Tab Active5 might have gotten FCC certification

There are those tablets that are meant to stay inside for gaming and movie-watching. However, there are those devices that are meant to be taken on the job. These are tablets with heavy-duty chassis, crack-resistant screens, and resistance certifications. Tablets like these are found on the factory floor or on construction sites. They’re meant to take a ton of abuse without breaking, and the Galaxy Tab Active series is no different.

Thanks to a report from Galaxyclub (via Phone Arena), it looks like the next rugged Galaxy Tab is on its way. Firstly, the FCC posting was spotted on the tablet. The posting didn’t give the name of the device in question, however.

Samsung already launched its premium Galaxy Tab S9, mid-ranged Galaxy Tab S9 FE, and Galaxy Tab A9 tablets. So, we know that it’s not one of those tablets. The best guess is the Galaxy Tab Active5. Another thing hinting at this tablet is the image of a battery with the FCC listing. This Galaxy Tab Active series is the only line of Samsung tablets with removable batteries. The battery is pictured below.

If this is indeed the next Galaxy Tab Active, then it will be a breath of fresh air. The last iteration launched last year. As for when to expect this device, we’re unsure. The source points to this device coming sometime in January.


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Tablets & Chromebooks shipment continued to decline in Q3 2023

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According to IDC, the downfall of the tablets and Chromebook market continued in Q3 2023. Also, it does not seem that the upcoming holiday season can make a drastic change in the market. Experts are now worried that the decline could expand into 2024.

The tablet and Chromebook market surged in 2020 and 2021, and the reason is quite apparent. As people were locked in their houses, they needed devices for work, play, and school. However, the end of the pandemic and the opening of schools and workplaces turned the tablet and Chromebook market upside down. In 2022, the tablet segment experienced a decline of 3.3% year over year, and Chromebook shipments also declined by 24.3%.

For the third quarter of 2023, IDC reports that the tablet market saw a decline of 14.2% year over year, with a total shipment of 33.2 million units. IDF further added the market experienced an upsurge of 18% over the previous quarter due to seasonality.

Shipment of tablets and Chromebooks continue to fall in 2023

The Chromebook market is also declining. As per the report, 3.5 million Chromebook shipments in Q3 2023 represented a 20.8% decrease in shipments year over year. Chromebook producers hope that government plans for education and leftover budgets could increase demand for the product.

Apple, Samsung, and Lenovo are the top three rivals in the tablet market. Despite declining 15.1% year over year, Apple led the tablet market with shipments of 12.5 million units. In contrast to previous years, Apple has opted not to release new models in the third quarter, which usually leads to a boost in the second half of the year. Samsung also placed second in the quarter with 6 million devices shipped. The third and fourth positions belong to Lenovo and Huawei, with 2.6 million and 2.3 million units shipped, respectively.

Anuroopa Nataraj, senior research analyst with IDC, said, “The first three quarters of 2023 recorded some of the largest contractions in the tablet market. He added the downfall is expected to continue into 2024 due to no dramatic improvements in macroeconomic conditions.

To stoke more interest in the Chromebooks, Google and other manufacturers have launched the Chromebook Plus lineup with upgraded hardware and enhanced software experience. It remains to be seen if this new tier could save the Chromebook market. Acer, HP, Dell, Lenovo, and Asus are the top five Chromebook companies globally. Samsung might soon join the list with a budget Chromebook.


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Putting some Color into Night Vision

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The Ring Stick Up Cam is one of the company’s most popular security cameras that it sells. And it’s finally been upgraded with a more high-end version, with plenty more features. Which also means the price has gone up, and it’s now a “Pro” model. The Ring Stick Up Cam Pro is not cheap, with a starting price of $179. However, the cool thing here is that the wired and battery versions are both the same price. Typically, the battery version would be more expensive. So this is really good to see from Ring.

Ring does also sell a solar version which comes with a solar panel for $209. Which is also not bad for adding solar to your camera. And now you’ll never need to change out the batteries.

With that out of the way, the real question is whether or not the Ring Stick Up Cam Pro is worth buying? Well, spoiler alert, since you’ve already seen that we gave it five stars, it is. But let’s go over the full review.

Ring Stick Up Cam Pro Review: Design and Hardware

Somewhat surprisingly, the Ring Stick Up Cam Pro is actually pretty bulky. It’s a lot thicker than the regular Ring Stick Up Cam. And that is likely due to the added hardware in this model. Like the radar sensor that’s used for Birds-Eye View. It does still look a lot like the regular Ring Stick Up Cam, but you can definitely tell that this is the Pro model.

It also stands out from the competition, since the front of the camera is flat. Whereas a lot of the competition is using a cylinder look. On the front of the camera, there’s the camera front-and-center, with a grille below it for the speaker. You can also see the radar right above the camera. Ring does offer this in black and white, we have the white version here, which looks pretty nice, but the camera would likely blend in better with the black version.

On the bottom of the camera is the base that you can twist off to get to the battery on the battery model. On the plug-in model, it does still twist off. So that you can choose to use the stand on the bottom or the back of the camera. With Ring’s new quick release batteries, it’s so much easier to swap out the batteries. Compared to some of the competition where you need a screwdriver just to charge the battery. Ring also allows you to buy additional batteries. Right now, I have a couple extra, so I’m able to quickly pop out the batteries on my doorbell and cameras and put in new, charged batteries with ease.

Set-up is quite easy

As you’d expect from Ring, the setup process here is actually really simple. Now, I did have a bit of trouble at first. As the app was not recognizing my camera. I’m going to chop that up to Amazon sending this camera out before it was actually available. A quick email to Amazon and everything was fixed. Then I could scan the QR code on the back and add it to my home. It took just a couple of minutes to set up. It actually took longer to decide where I wanted to put.

I decided to put it on my patio. So it’s facing my front-door, allowing me to see when packages are delivered. Since my Ring Video Doorbell doesn’t quite show me the ground in front of the door. So, I screwed the base into the fence and we were off and running. It’s pretty simple to install. And of course, if you are placing it indoors, you can just place it anywhere, and move it whenever you want.

Amazon says that the Ring Stick Up Cam Pro is actually waterproof and weatherproof. It’s now November in Michigan and we’re expecting our first snow in the next week or so. And that will give us a good indication of how weatherproof this camera really is.

Inside the box, Ring includes the Ring Stick Up Cam Pro of course. Along with a battery in our particular model since we have the battery version. If you picked up the plug-in model, it’ll have a cable for power, or a solar panel if you grabbed the solar version. It also includes a few screws and drywall anchors. Basically giving you everything you need to install the camera, except for the screwdriver.

Ring Stick Up Cam Pro Review: Software and Features

With the Ring Stick Up Cam Pro you’re getting some of the most advanced camera features on the market. This includes Audio+ echo cancelation, it also gives you high-quality two-way audio. So that you can speak to whoever is in or outside of your home and they will no issues hearing you, and vice-versa.

Ring has also included 5GHz dual-band WiFi connectivity, which is often times not included in these smart home products. A big reason for this is because these products need the range of 2.4GHz over the speed of 5GHz. But it is great to see it available here, especially with the better quality video you’re getting on the Ring Stick Up Cam Pro. As I mentioned earlier in this review, I have this camera set up on my patio, and I have not had any issues with the connection at all. It has worked as expected, and it’s even quicker to get into the live video feature, compared to the other cameras that I have around my home.

The Ring Stick Up Cam Pro is not only a huge upgrade on the audio and connectivity front, but also in the video department. Which we’ll talk more about in a minute. But the company also makes it super simple to share your cameras with other people. If there’s multiple people in your home, you can share your cameras and doorbells with them pretty easily. Ring even lets you share individual cameras and doorbells, instead of just a blanket share across all of the products in your home. Which puts Ring above the rest, in my opinion.

Of course, Ring is owned by Amazon, so as expected it does work really well with Alexa. You’ll get notifications on your Echo Show 8 or Fire TV Stick 4K Max when someone is in the sight of the camera. You can also interact with people from these screens. So you don’t always need to use your phone to see who’s doing what. You can also use different commands like “Alexa, show the patio camera” to bring up a live video feed. There’s not as much functionality here as there’d be with a Ring Video Doorbell with Alexa, but it is a nice feature to have available. Unfortunately, because Amazon does own Ring, that means there’s no support for Google Assistant. And it’s the same for the Nest cameras, they also don’t work with Amazon Alexa.

Battery life is decent, but not incredibly long

The battery life on the Ring Stick Up Cam Pro is really going to depend on how you use the camera, how many people or things it sees everyday, and what your settings are. For me, with my settings, it lasted about two and a half weeks before I got the “battery low” notification, which is around 20%. So it would probably last about 3-4 weeks on a charge. Since this is in my patio, it does record quite often with taking my dog out several times a day, getting all sorts of packages during Techtober, etc. Also expect it to be lower on battery during the winter, as batteries don’t like the cold weather and don’t perform as well.

My recommendation for this camera is to either pick up a few extra Ring Quick Release batteries and the charger which will run you about $89.99 (the charger is $29.99 by itself). Or to get the Solar version of the Ring Stick Up Cam Pro. That will cost you another $30 ($209 total) and it’s even better than the extra batteries, since you’ll never really need to worry about charging your batteries again. Remember, this doesn’t use a whole lot of power each day, so even if you are only getting a few hours of light in the winter, it’s still enough to keep it charged up.

Some features are stuck behind a paywall

Ring has a subscription service called Ring Protect. It’s pretty cheap, to be quite honest. For a single camera, it’s $3.99 per month or $39.99 for the whole year. But the real money saver is for the “Plus” plan which gives you unlimited cameras and doorbells for $10/month or $100 for the whole year. And it gives you the ability to save your recordings for up to 180 days. Without Ring Protect, you can only see this in real-time, unfortunately.

Ring also includes person alerts, and rich notifications with the Protect plan. And finally Home and Away modes are included in Protect. These are all pretty basic features, and it sucks that it is behind a paywall, however, if you’re like me and have multiple cameras and doorbells around your home then the $10 per month makes loads of sense.

Ring Stick Up Cam Pro AM AH 08

Ring Stick Up Cam Pro Review: Video quality

With the Ring Stick Up Cam Pro, the company has added quite a few upgrades to the video quality. This includes 1080p HDR video and color night vision. Both of these are huge upgrades compared to the Ring Stick Up Cam I’ve been using outside my backdoor for the past couple of years. The video quality from this camera looks really incredible. Every time I pull up the Ring app and take a look, I’m shocked at how good it actually looks. The color night vision is also quite good. It’s almost like it’s not dark outside, with the quality of this footage.

Ring has also included 3D radar-based motion detection with a feature called Bird’s Eye View. This feature allows the camera to plot someone’s path on a satellite-style view. So you can see where they walked both on video as well as with radar data. This also helps with the false notifications about someone or something being in view of the camera. This is because leaves blowing across your yard won’t trigger the motion alert now. That’s always great to see. Since I do get a lot of false triggers on my old Ring Stick Up Cam.

Should you buy the Ring Stick Up Cam Pro?

Whether you should buy the Ring Stick Up Cam Pro or not really depends on what features you want and/or need from the camera. Are you okay with the black and white night vision from other Ring cameras? If you really want color night vision, then it might be worth upgrading. Do you want the improved audio features and 5GHz connectivity? These aren’t necessarily must-haves, but for some, this might be worth spending $179 for.

It’s a good camera, but it’s also a fairly expensive one, at $179. So you really need to weigh the features here to tell if this is something you should buy or not. If you are going to buy the Ring Stick Up Cam Pro, and put it outside, I’d recommend the Solar version. For just $30 more, you won’t ever need to worry about the battery depleting and needing to be replaced. That sounds like a really good trade off to me.


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Samsung projects Galaxy S24 shipments to increase 10% over S23

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Samsung‘s Galaxy S23 phones have been selling well since their launch in February. The latest flagships have outsold the 2022 lineup by about 22 percent. The company now expects next year’s Galaxy S24 series to do even better. It is expecting the 2024 flagships to record a ten percent increase in shipments over the Galaxy S23.

Samsung expects the Galaxy S24 to outsell the Galaxy S23

2023 has been a dull year for Samsung’s chip division, which registered its first losses in 14 years. However, the smartphone division has enjoyed success this year, helping the company post some profit. The Galaxy S23 series, which debuted in February, has reportedly shipped 23 million units in the first eight months. The firm is projecting the annual shipments of the phones to cross 31 million.

This is already impressive as neither the Galaxy S22 nor Galaxy S21 shipped more than 30 million units. However, Samsung isn’t content yet. It has reportedly set up a strategy to increase flagship sales next year. The Korean behemoth plans to ship at least 35 million Galaxy S24 phones. “There may be some adjustments depending on the market situation, but the business strategy has been confirmed in the larger framework,” an industry insider said.

Samsung’s strategy likely includes functional improvements with a focus on generative AI. The company also plans to capitalize on the growing demand for premium smartphones. Three-fourths (75 percent) of all Galaxy sales currently come from low-cost models. Its average selling price (ASP) is less than $300, The Korea Daily reports. On the other hand, Apple’s ASP is over three times higher ($988).

Apple leads the premium segment in most markets. Samsung plans to improve its share in this segment with the Galaxy S24 series. It remains to be seen whether the company can do that. If not, Apple may end up snatching Samsung’s crown as the world’s largest smartphone company, which it has held for several years. The 2024 Galaxy flagships are expected to go official on January 17.

It may be a close battle between Apple and Samsung next year

Even if Samsung manages to hold onto its title in 2024, it may be a close battle. According to industry estimates, the Korean firm’s total smartphone shipments may reach 220-230 million units this year, with Apple reaching 200-210 million iPhone shipments, Next year, Samsung expects its shipments to increase to 253 million. Apple, on the other hand, may close 2024 with 240-250 million shipments.

The projected gap between the two companies is the smallest we have seen at the top in years. If Samsung fails to hit its target in 2024, Apple may leapfrog it to the top spot. Along with the Galaxy S24 series, the Korean firm also needs its foldables to see a sustained demand. The Z-series phones have seen a drop in demand after the entry of multiple rivals this year. Time will tell what the smartphone industry has in store next year.


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