Taking inspiration from Samsung's DeX and Huawei's Easy Projection, Motorola has rolled out its own desktop-style interface for smartphones called Ready For, which is available now for US Verizon customers using the company's flagship Motorola Edge Plus.
Motorola's Ready For feature allows eligible users to connect their Motorola Edge Plus handset to an external monitor or television screen for use as a desktop-style computer or media center.
Ready For mode will launch immediately when a Motorola Edge Plus is connected to a larger display via USB-C cable or USB-C-to-HDMI adaptor (a dedicated Ready For dock is also planned for release). Users may then connect a Bluetooth mouse and keyboard to their handset to complete the desktop experience.
Motorola's new Ready For desktop mode.(Image credit: Motorola)
Ready for anything
In addition to a desktop-style interface, Motorola's Ready For mode takes full advantage of the Edge Plus' impressive camera setup, meaning the handset's 108MP main lens can be used for ultra-high resolution video conferences, along with its 16MP ultra-wide sensor.
Additionally, users can also pair a Bluetooth game controller to the Edge Plus, allowing for a console-like gaming experience when connected to a television. A built-in Media Launcher app also makes it easy to display the content on your phone on a larger screen.
At present, Motorola's Ready For mode is dependant on your network's rollout of the Android 11 update for Motorola Edge Plus handsets, which is why the feature is currently only available for Verizon customers in the US. That said, we imagine the update will be rolled out by more providers in the coming weeks.
Samsung Galaxy M12 will go on sale via Amazon India and Samsung.com. Launch offers include a Rs. 1,000 cashback on ICICI Bank credit card and EMI transactions. The sale will begin at 12pm (noon) IST.
Redmi Note 10 Pro Max was launched alongside the Redmi Note 10 and Redmi Note 10 Pro and will go on sale in India for the first time today, March 18, at 12pm (noon).
AWS has announced that the next generation of instances powered by its ARM-based Graviton2 processors are now generally available.
The cloud computing company's Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) X2gd instances utilize AWS Graviton2 processors to deliver up to 55 percent better price to performance when compared to current generation X86-based X1 instances. At the same time though, these new instances also offer increased memory per vCPU compared to other Graviton-based instances.
Thanks to the higher performance and additional memory of X2gd instances, customers can more efficiently run memory intensive workloads such as in-memory databases, relational databases, electronic design automation (EDA) workloads, real-time analytics and real-time caching servers.
VP of Amazon EC2 at AWS, David Brown provided further insight on the differences between current generation X1 instances and the company's new X2gd instances in a press release, saying:
“Graviton2 processors have proven incredibly popular with customers because they deliver a major improvement in performance while also significantly lowering costs for a wide variety of workloads. With up to 55% better price/performance than current generation X1 and double the memory per vCPU compared to the latest Graviton2 R6g instances, new X2gd instances provide the lowest cost per gigabyte of memory we have ever offered in EC2. X2gd instances give customers the ability to consolidate their memory-intensive workloads on instances with fewer vCPUs and realize game-changing performance benefits and cost savings.”
Amazon EC2 X2gd instances
The new X2gd instances join the growing portfolio of Amazon EC2 instances powered by AWS Graviton2 instances including M6g/M6gd, C6g/C6gd/C6gn, R6g/R6gd, and T4g instances.
These instances also benefit from using the AWS Nitro System which is a collection of hardware designed by AWS and software innovations that streamline the delivery of isolated mutli-tenancy, private networking and fast local storage.
Organizations interested in upgrading their current instances to X2gd instances will be able to purchase them as On-Demand, with Savings Plans, as Reserved Instances or as Spot Instances.
While X2gd instances will be available in additional regions later this year, AWS initially plans to make them available in US East (N. Virginia), US East (Ohio), US West (Oregon), and Europe (Ireland).
The third stimulus check has made its way to tens of millions of bank accounts and soon to mailboxes. Here's what we know about the new payment (and the previous check, if you're still waiting).
In 2019, Google showed off Live Caption as one of the star features of Android 10 before bringing it to its lineup of Pixel handsets, after which it was rolled out to all other Android devices.
Now, the incredible accessibility feature has made the jump to desktop, with an update being pushed out to Google Chrome 89 to include live captioning in the popular desktop browser.
Simply head to the Settings screen of your browser, and navigate to Accessibility under the Advanced dropdown. Here, you'll find a toggle to enable Live Caption as well as a shortcut to the general caption preferences for your device.
Once enabled, Chrome will briefly download some necessary files for speech recognition and the feature will then operate as intended.
While some programs and platforms already offer captions for their video and audio content, plenty don't. The ones that do often rely on whether or not the content creator has uploaded or enabled captions.
Google's Live Caption uses speech recognition algorithms to assess any audio being played in the browser and caption it live (yes, just like the feature's name said it would).
For those with accessibility needs, this can be hugely helpful, and others looking to consume media in silence can still do so thanks to Live Caption. Google also notes that the "audio and captions never leave your device", so for those with privacy concerns, you can be at ease knowing you're not sharing these transcriptions with anyone undesirable.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 didn't appear at the Galaxy S21 launch on January 14, nor at the Unpacked event unveiling the mid-range Galaxy A52 5G in March, but that doesn't mean it's not coming - we just might have to bide our time before Samsung's next big foldable phone is out.
We've been hearing rumors about the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 for a while now, so we suspect it’s in development and it's likely to be Samsung's next top-tier foldable phone.
The Fold 3 follows on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2, which was officially released in September 2020 and which crucially improved on the original Galaxy Fold’s durability issues and got a much bigger front screen. So what’s left to improve?
Foldables are in their early days, and they’re still working out the issues of folding displays, battery life, and multi-screen software. Given how bulky they are, future foldables might be slimmer, lighter, and less cumbersome to use one-handed.
Samsung could be making many of these general improvements, but the rumor mill has suggested several more specific upgrades the Z Fold 3 could implement – including, at long last, an S Pen stylus. Given we’re also expecting a Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3, more productivity-focused features make sense for the Z Fold 3, especially since we're hearing more rumors that Samsung won't release a Note phone in 2021.
Here’s all the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 leaks and rumors we’ve heard, along with what we want to see out of Samsung’s next flagship foldable.
Latest News
The color options for the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 have purportedly leaked, and we'll apparently have the choice between two hues: traditional black and green.
Cut to the chase
What is it? Samsung's next big folding phone
When is it out? Probably 2021
What will it cost? Expect $1,999 / £1,799 / AU$2,999 and up
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 release date and price
(Image credit: Future)
One report suggests the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 release date will be in June, which is surprisingly early given that the Z Fold 2 only came out in September 2020. As such, we'd take this with a pinch of salt, especially as another leak suggests a launch in the second half of the year.
Elsewhere a leaker claimed in early February that we might be waiting five months for the phone, meaning a launch in or around July, so the second half of the year is looking the most likely.
We've also heard that the Galaxy Z Fold 3 could run One UI 3.5 - software which itself is unlikely to land until the second half of the year.
The Z Fold 3 may not even be the next Samsung foldable though, as we could see the clamshell Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3 launch first, given their alternating release schedules. With a rumored late-2021 release date for that, though, it's anyone's guess which foldable comes out first.
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 2 cost a whopping $1,999 / £1,799 / AU$2,999, so expect a similar price for the Z Fold 3. We don't yet have any rumors about the price, but we'd expect it to be around this.
(Image credit: LetsGoDigital/Samsung)
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 rumors and leaks
We’ve heard several rumors about the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 that point to some potentially different features and capabilities.
First among these is the S Pen – the same stylus in the Samsung Galaxy Note 20 family and the Samsung Galaxy Tab S7 Plus – that a patent suggests is coming in a future Samsung foldable phone, which could refer to the Z Fold 3.
Another report supports the reasoning that an S Pen may come to the Z Fold 3, while also suggesting some display changes that may need to be made to get stylus functionality. First, Samsung may switch screen technologies from electromagnetic resonance (EMR) to active electrostatic solution (AES) to better register stylus input; and second, that the ultra thin glass (UTG) may be twice as thick as on the Z Fold 2, from 30 micrometers to 60 micrometers.
There’s also a rumor that the Z Fold series will combine with the Note series to make a single productivity-focused phone line, ultimately condensing Samsung’s annual flagships to just the S- series and the stylus-packing foldable Z Fold line. A Samsung official has reportedly said similar, saying that the Z Fold 3 will get a stylus while the Note range will be discontinued.
This would be sad news for Note fans – though the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra has launched with stylus support anyway for folks who won’t want to wait for a foldable.
We've also heard that - unsurprisingly - the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 3 could have at least 256GB of storage and run Android 11 overlaid with Samsung's One UI 3.5.
And rounding out the rumors is a fun one: a patent suggests a future foldable phone will get a light strip on its hinge. Inscribed hinges are so Galaxy Z Fold 2, we want RGB on our Z Fold 3.
What we want to see
What do we want to see Samsung bring to its next big foldable phone? We've put together a few improvements we'd like to see Samsung introduce on the Galaxy Z Fold 3.
(Image credit: Future)
1. More onboard storage
The Z Fold 2 is a powerful phone with the best specs on the market – aside from its storage. With a maximum 256GB and no tray for a microSD card to expand its space, users had no choice but to deal with it.
Even giving the option for a 512GB or 1TB storage option would be acceptable, with a microSD slot ideal, but 256GB feels criminal for a device that’s supposed to be so central to your personal and professional lives.
(Image credit: Future)
2. Easier one-handed use
The Z Fold 2 is an impressive phone, but they really need two hands to use properly – even when closed and using the 6.2-inch external screen, its 16.8mm thickness, about twice that of most other phones, is tough to use one-handed.
Unfolded is a whole different story, of course, since it’s even more difficult to manhandle a 7.6-inch display with one hand. But it would be nice to have an easier way to pry open the device without needing both hands.
(Image credit: Future)
3. Better cameras
The Z Fold 2 has a decent spread of cameras, but it misses out on the powerful shooters on Samsung’s other phones. The trio of rear 12MP cameras (main, ultra-wide, telephoto) don’t measure up to the Samsung S20 Ultra’s 108MP main and 48MP 4x optical telephoto lenses, which combine for their stunning 100x Space Zoom capability. More of that in the Z Fold 3, please.
(Image credit: TechRadar)
4. Better multi-screen capabilities
If there’s one thing we’ve seen with 2020’s wilder phones, it’s inspiring new features. The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip, for instance, let you keep the phone open at an angle to, say, voice chat without needing to prop the phone up. Or the LG Wing 5G, which allows you to record video from the front and rear cameras at the same time.
We’d love to see some inventive uses of both the display and the six (!) cameras in the Z Fold 2, especially if the Z Fold 3 ends up packing more shooters.
(Image credit: Future)
5. Longer battery life
Despite being around twice the size of a typical smartphone, the Z Fold 2 has a 4,500mAh battery, which has been surpassed by even budget phones like the Moto G8 Power and its 5,000mAh battery.
With the extra screen and 5G connectivity, a bigger battery would certainly be welcome, or at the very least, faster charging times than the 25W max in the Z Fold 2.
