Information Weekly
Information Weekly is our column the place we spotlight and summarize a few of the week’s prime tales so you may make amends for the most recent tech information.
That is Android Central’s Information Weekly, your go-to supply for a concise roundup of the week’s most important tech tales. That is the place we delve into the highest headlines that present the most recent developments and improvements contributing to the digital panorama.
This week, the OnePlus 13 could get an thrilling new charging function, Amazon Prime Video picks up Apple TV Plus, Parallels for Chromebooks could possibly be killed, specs of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 are leaked, and Garmin might deliver MicroLED shows to its watches.
OnePlus could take a web page from Apple’s MagSafe playbook
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Magnetic charging hasn’t been a factor on Android, with the preferred manufacturers, corresponding to Google and Samsung, seemingly content material to disregard it. Now, the OnePlus 13 is teased to have some type of magnetic charging related to it, which appears like an thrilling growth after main flagships snubbed the function in 2024.
OnePlus President and COO Kinder Liu lately shared a screenshot of a chat by way of Weibo, seemingly confirming that the cellphone will function a “magnetic suction operate.” It isn’t clear if this will likely be based mostly on the Qi2 normal, which is barely current on one Android cellphone, however it would not be too shocking given what we have seen from OnePlus sister firm, OPPO. The corporate confirmed off magnetic charging on the Discover X8, with equipment that can apparently work with the iPhone.
We have been ready to see Qi2 come to extra Android telephones, and this could possibly be the beginning of a serious shift in Android charging. The OnePlus 13 is anticipated to launch later this yr.
You will quickly be capable to watch Apple TV Plus out of your Android cellphone
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Amazon introduced this week that it is bringing Apple TV Plus to its platform, which means anybody subscribed to the streaming service will be capable to view content material by way of the Prime Video app.
It is a massive deal as a result of whereas Apple Music is out there on Android, Apple TV Plus just isn’t, which means Android customers should depend on different means to look at reveals like “Basis” and “Severance.” Bringing Apple TV content material to Prime Video ought to little doubt be the simplest solution to watch on Android units, wanting Apple launching an official app.
Amazon didn’t announce a particular date when the service will likely be obtainable, however it ought to launch later this month, becoming a member of loads of different streaming companies obtainable by means of Prime Video. For now, it seems like it can launch within the U.S. solely, though it can ultimately broaden to extra areas.
Customers can subscribe to Apple TV Plus by way of Prime Video for $9.99 per 30 days.
Chromebooks might quickly lose Home windows
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Parallels is a useful software that enables working techniques like MacOS to run Home windows in a digital setting. Nevertheless, this software, which helps customers get the perfect of each worlds, could quickly drop assist for Chromebooks.
In accordance with studies, the software program has been largely ignored for a while, not receiving an replace in about 18 months. The software program is reportedly set to be killed by the tip of 2024, with customers left to seek out different technique of operating Home windows on their Chromebooks.
It isn’t clear why that is taking place, however it could possibly be a lift for Cameyo, which makes use of Digital App Supply (VAD) to deliver Home windows and Linux apps to ChromeOS. Google introduced earlier this yr that the Cameyo crew was becoming a member of the corporate, which is probably a giant motive why Parallels assist could also be ending.
For now, we’ll be looking out for any updates on the standing of Parallels for ChromeOS.
The subsequent Snapdragon seems fairly snappy
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The Snapdragon Summit is quick approaching, with the occasion happening later this month. Qualcomm is ready to launch its new Snapdragon chip for Android telephones, which would be the first to include Oryon cores for an enormous enhance in efficiency, like what we have seen with Home windows PCs. Forward of the launch, leaked specs reveal a lot of what we are able to count on from the chip.
The leaked doc appeared on Baidu, with mentions that the chip will assist show resolutions of three,840×2,560 with as much as a 144Hz refresh price. There may also be UFS 4.0 and assist for the “older” LPDDR5X RAM, versus the newer LPDDR6.
The paperwork additionally reveal AI options the chip will assist in addition to digicam upgrades, like video recording at 4K 240fps or 8K 60fps, double that of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3.
In accordance with the leak, the chip can have two variants, one paired with the most recent 5G modem (sub-6 and mmWave) and the opposite Wi-Fi-only. That is seemingly in order that OEMs should purchase a modem individually, which might result in some financial savings in the event that they select an older modem.
Garmin could beat Apple and Samsung to the punch
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MicroLED is a powerful show tech that would overtake OLED sooner or later, and Garmin appears fairly enthusiastic about incorporating it into its wearables. In accordance with current screenshots and leaks, Garmin could also be getting ready to launch a “Fenix 8 MicroLED,” which, because the identify implied, would function a MicroLED show.
MicroLED intends to duplicate how OLED shows work however through the use of microscopic LEDs that may be managed on the pixel degree. This could present deep, inky blacks whereas additionally enhancing brightness and longevity since these don’t use natural supplies. Nevertheless, the tech continues to be fairly costly, and we principally solely see it in high-end TVs for now, though firms like Samsung want to deliver it to smaller units.
Given how costly the recently-launched Fenix 8 is, a MicroLED variant can be fairly pricey, seemingly effectively over $1000. In reality, one developer claims to have seen and held a prototype, saying that it does not look any totally different however that the watch is outwardly “prohibitively costly” to supply, which is smart. It is usually stated to be a “future undertaking,” so we could not see the watch any time quickly.
These are a few of the largest tales from this week. In the meantime, listed below are another tales which are value catching up on:
