Monday, 9 March 2020

Is this the Google Pixel 4a? Alleged real-life images leaked

google pixel 4a leak renders 491Mobiles

The Pixel 4a — Google’s rumored upcoming mid-range phone — may have appeared in a new set of leaks. Alleged photos of the smartphone matching previous renders were posted on Twitter and Reddit over the weekend.

The images show a phone with a punch-hole on the top-left corner of the display, a first for Google phones. One of the pictures also shows the Settings page of the phone, seemingly confirming the Pixel 4a name.

Google Pixel 4a leak showing display and settings Google Pixel 4a leak showing display

Looks like the square-shaped camera bump on the back of the phone has only a single lens accompanied by a flash. Another notable design element is a stark white lock button. The alleged Pixel 4a pictured in these photos appears to be black in color and the white lock button matches the design philosophy of the Just Black Pixel 4 which also had a contrasting orange button.

Google Pixel 4a leak showing fabric cover with Google logo Google Pixel 4a leak showing cover and punch hole camera

In two of the photos, we see the phone encased in what looks like an official Google fabric cover for the Pixel 4a. There seems to be a cut-out on the top-left corner of the cover, possibly to accommodate a 3.5mm headphone jack. The back also features two cutouts: one for the camera and the other for a fingerprint sensor.

As observed by folks over at 9to5Google, this fabric cover is unlike any we’ve seen from Google before. The cover appears to be a mix of red and blue and we can confirm Google doesn’t sell a fabric case in this color as of now.

Are these Pixel 4a images legit?

While these leaked Google Pixel 4a images are as close as we’ve ever come to seeing the actual phone, we’re not fully convinced that they are a 100% legit. Why? because if you look closely, there’s no visible speaker grille at the top of the phone to hear phone calls. While this does raise a red flag, it’s also quite possible that we just can’t see the speaker grille because it’s too thin and these images aren’t of the best quality.

Another missing visual element is the clock in the status bar of the phone. Most photos in the leak don’t show the clock where it’s supposed to be, casting another shadow of doubt on the legitimacy of the images. Then again, it’s possible that Google’s firmware isn’t updated properly to support the punch-hole display, hence the missing clock.

Related: Is the Google Pixel 4a a 4G or 5G phone? Evidence points to both

Apparently, the photos originally appeared in a Facebook group of Google Pixel fans (as noted on Reddit and 9to5Google) before being posted on other platforms. Random Facebook groups are usually not the best source of leaks and because of the other aforementioned reasons, we’d like you to take these images with not a grain, but a large helping of salt. These might as well be fake just like previously leaked photos that turned out to be photoshopped.

When will Google launch the Pixel 4a?

We don’t have an official launch date for the Pixel 4a just yet. The smartphone was expected to be announced at Google I/O in May, but the in-person event has since been cancelled because of the coronavirus outbreak. Will Google still hold an online launch event for the new mid-ranger? Well, it’s possible, but again, Google hasn’t confirmed anything.

Meanwhile, if you’re keen on knowing everything about the upcoming Google Pixel 4a, you can head to our rumor roundup here.

More posts about Google



from Android Authority https://ift.tt/2TDhm9b

Is Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra as durable as you expect a $1,400 phone to be?

The Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra offers an impressive spec sheet, but it definitely comes at a price. At $1,400, it sets new standards for traditional smartphone pricing.

Spending that much money for a smartphone isn’t a trivial matter, so you’d expect the device to withstand life’s everyday happenings. Fortunately, that seems to be the case according to the latest JerryRigEverything video (seen above).

The video shows the Galaxy S20 Ultra being subjected to all sorts of torture as part of a durability test, starting with a scratch test. The test sees the phone display subjected to picks based on the Mohs hardness scale. And we start seeing scratches at level six, which is par for the course for a traditional flagship phone featuring Gorilla Glass 6. It’s also much better than the Galaxy Z Flip, which started scratching at level two and could be scratched with a fingernail.

A tank of a smartphone?

The Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra durability test.JerryRigEverything

Another JerryRigEverything staple is the lighter test, as the host held a flame to the screen for roughly 30 seconds. But he noted that any ill effects “eventually” disappeared.

The host then scratched the area above the ultrasonic in-display fingerprint sensor, but found that it was still able to read fingerprints. This is likely due to the phone’s sensor using ultrasonic waves rather than being reliant on optical scanning (i.e. seeing the finger).

Otherwise, the Galaxy S20 Ultra’s durability was also tested by bending it, and it did give way ever so slightly. Thankfully, this didn’t result in any cracks or other similar ill effects at first glance.

What about drop testing?

This wasn’t the only Galaxy S20 Ultra durability test seen on YouTube, as PhoneBuff conducted a drop test versus the iPhone 11 Pro Max (h/t: Engadget). Dropping the phones back-first onto concrete resulted in a shattered iPhone back, while the S20 Ultra emerged unscathed (albeit with scuffs on the camera bump).

The second round of drop testing saw the phones dropped corner-first, with both phones being scuffed as a result. But the iPhone was declared the winner due to suffering fewer scratches on its stainless steel frame versus the Galaxy S20 Ultra’s frame.

Finally, a face-down drop saw the iPhone’s screen crack, with spiderwebbing extending across the display. Meanwhile, Samsung’s display only cracked on the left curved edge. Needless to say, the Galaxy S20 Ultra earned the win here.

Either way, both of these videos might not be representative of real-world experience. But it’s still good to know that you don’t have to be 100% gentle with your $1,400 flagship phone.

More posts about Samsung



from Android Authority https://ift.tt/2PZJrVF

Trump’s retweet with doctored Biden video earns Twitter’s first ‘manipulated media’ label


Last month, Twitter released a set of rules to identify and label tweets with manipulated media, as a way of battling misinformation on its platform. Last night, it tagged the first tweet with “manipulated media” — a doctored Joe Biden video retweeted by the US President Donald Trump. The edited video, originally tweeted by White House social media director Dan Scavino on Saturday, shows Biden talking about re-electing Trump in at an event in Missouri.  Sleepy Joe💤in St. Louis, Missouri today: “We can only re-elect @realDonaldTrump.”#KAG2020LandslideVictory🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/FT4q2MWfcD — Dan Scavino (@DanScavino) March 8, 2020 However, the tag wasn’t visible to all…

This story continues at The Next Web

Or just read more coverage about: Twitter


from The Next Web https://ift.tt/2TQ5mjq

Sunday, 8 March 2020

ARM Processors with Mac Pro Level Performance Possible Today

Former Apple executive and Be, Inc founder Jean-Louis Gassée explores the possibility of Apple's move to ARM-based Macs in the near future.


The speculation comes amidst of increasing rumors that Apple will be launching ARM-based Macs as early as 2021.

Gassée explains he was previously skeptical about the ability for ARM-based processors to achieve performance parity with current Intel offerings, but now says he was "wrong". Gassée points to a startup called Ampere Computing that offers high-power ARM-based processors that compete head-to-head with high end Intel chips:
Ampere top of the line chips consume less power, about 210 watts, than a competing Xeon CPU needing as much as 400 wats, for about the same amount of computing power — hence investors' interest in a device that could progressively supplant Intel products in tens of millions of servers around the world. Ampere shows us that the ARM architecture can yield the class of chips a Mac Pro would need.
Apple, of course, designs their own custom ARM processors, but it seems at least one other company is pushing the limits of performance with the ARM architecture. Apple's custom processors have quickly ramped up in performance that is comparable to their recent Mac laptops powered by Intel processors.

Serious rumors about Apple replacing Intel chips with ARM chips in their Macs started in 2018 with a detailed report from Bloomberg. The most recent rumor has placed the transition at stating in early 2021.

Related Roundup: Mac Pro
Tags: ARM, Arm Macs
Buyer's Guide: Mac Pro (Buy Now)

This article, "ARM Processors with Mac Pro Level Performance Possible Today" first appeared on MacRumors.com

Discuss this article in our forums



from MacRumors: Mac News and Rumors - All Stories https://ift.tt/39AZUri

Focus on the client-side to protect your company from Magecart attacks


Magecart refers to a cyber-crime syndicate that specializes in cyber-attacks involving digital credit card theft by skimming online payment forms. Gaining mainstream media attention over the last year or so, their most recent high profile attack was on photography retailer, Focus Camera. Their website got hacked by Magecart attackers who injected malicious code that stole customer payment card details – the script loaded at checkout to capture billing information and send it to the attacker’s server. Focus Camera just added their name to the growing list of well-known organizations that have fallen victim to similar attacks (British Airways, Newegg, Macy’s)…

This story continues at The Next Web


from The Next Web https://ift.tt/2TTt6D4