Thursday, 2 July 2020

OnePlus reveals what the ‘Nord’ name means

OnePlus Nord Logo

Credit: OnePlus
  • OnePlus has revealed what the “Nord” name means.
  • It comes from the concept of true north.

You probably know by now that the OnePlus Nord is not a singular phone but the name of a whole new series from OnePlus. The company has confirmed that it will launch affordable smartphones under the Nord line, starting with the first phone in the series which will be priced under $500.

But why the name OnePlus Nord? What’s the story behind it? Well, OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei has finally spilled the beans and it’s got nothing to do with Nordic countries or people.

According to Pei, the name Nord “comes from the concept of true north.

“This product line reminds us to always search for our true north, and we hope it will keep reminding you of yours,” he wrote in a tweet.

“True north” is basically a guiding principle and refers to the ideal direction in which someone or something should be headed. So for OnePlus, it could mean a return to its “Never Settle” mantra or its original strategy of offering premium yet affordable devices.

OnePlus’ flagships are still premium but they no longer come at head-turning prices like before. A new smartphone line will now give OnePlus the opportunity to dabble in the mid-range segment while keeping its flagship offerings separate. Let’s hope prices for phones in this new series don’t keep climbing up with each passing year as they have for OnePlus’ flagship phones.

Want to know more about the upcoming phone? Check out our dedicated OnePlus Nord rumor hub here.

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Senior Zoox engineers rush to work for Waymo a week after Amazon acquisition


Last week, Amazon bought self-driving startup Zoox for over $1billion. Now, two of Zoox’s longest serving engineers have left to work for Alphabet subsidiary and rival, Waymo. Last week, e-commerce giant Amazon bought self-driving startup Zoox with the intention of helping it “realize its dream.” But Amazon doesn’t really have any business in robotaxis, so it’s not immediately clear what the online retailer is wanting to get out of the deal. Some, including TNW, suggest that Amazon might eventually get Zoox to work on autonomous delivery robots. Whatever the case, though, things don’t seem to be off to a good…

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From animated stickers to QR codes, here’s what’s new in WhatsApp

WhatsApp is bringing animated stickers and more to the table.

Credit: Edgar Cervantes / Android Authority

We’ve known for a while now that WhatsApp was working on a couple of features like the ability to add someone via a QR code. Now, the company has made it official while also announcing a variety of other features and tweaks.

The QR code feature gives each user their own unique code, and others can scan this code from within WhatsApp to add you as a contact. Fortunately, you can also reset your code if you’re worried about privacy (such as your previous QR code getting posted online).

The second major feature announced by WhatsApp this week is animated stickers functionality (first spotted by WABetaInfo last month). The Facebook-owned company says these are more expressive than static stickers, as you’d expect.

WhatsApp's new features announced in July 2020, including animated stickers.

Credit:
WhatsApp

WhatsApp has also focused on improved group video calls, as it now lets you press and hold on a participant to maximize their video. This feature is restricted to group video calls of eight or fewer people. Another video call tweak is a new video chat shortcut button in groups of up to eight people, enabling the ability to start a video call with one tap.

Finally, the company is also bringing two key features to non-smartphone platforms, as it brings dark mode to WhatsApp Web and Desktop and WhatsApp Status to KaiOS users.

Not seeing these features yet? That’s okay, as WhatsApp confirmed that they’ll be rolling out over the next few weeks.

From animated stickers to QR code functionality, we’re glad to see these features come to WhatsApp. What would you like to see next from the team though? Let us know in the comments! Otherwise, you can check out more app coverage via the list below.



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Confirmed: Asus ROG Phone 3 will make its debut later this month

ROG Phone 2 Front shot of display on home screen

Credit: Ryan-Thomas Shaw / Android Authority
  • Asus confirmed the ROG Phone 3 will launch later this month.
  • The news corroborates earlier reports of a launch in July.
  • Asus is still holding the phone’s specs close to its chest.

When the Asus ROG Phone 2 launched late last year, we dubbed it one of the best gaming phones ever. It’s not without stiff competition either. It’s now confirmed that the Asus ROG Phone 3 will get its chance to challenge that title later this month.

According to an event countdown timer published by Asus, the “game changer” is set to debut July 22, at 11PM ET. This also corroborates earlier reports that the phone would launch sometime this month. Check out a screenshot of the timer below.

Asus ROG Phone 3 countdown

Credit:
Asus

As for features, the ROG Phone 3 could boast a bumper hardware list complete with a Snapdragon 865 Plus chipset, a 6,000mAh battery, and up to 16GB of RAM. There’s also the possibility of a 64MP primary camera, an in-display fingerprint sensor, and the return of the RGB logo at the rear.

There could be some annoyances for gamers too. A previous TENAA listing suggests the phone won’t have a 3.5mm headphone port, making for a departure from the outgoing ROG Phone 2.

We’ll have to wait for concrete confirmation of those specs and the price, but if the ROG Phone 2 is any indication, the ROG Phone 3 could be priced beyond $899. Need more gaming goodness? Then check out our coverage below.



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Wednesday, 1 July 2020

Google and Apple boot 59 banned Chinese apps in India from their app stores


Two days after India banned 59 Chinese apps over security and privacy concerns, these apps are removed from the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store. These apps included some major names such as TikTok, WeChat, UC Browser, and SHAREit. Just after the ban, Bytedance pulled out its apps, TikTok and Helo, from both stores and stopped these services to comply with the government’s order. pic.twitter.com/0DZQ3Ucqcl — TikTok India (@TikTok_IN) June 30, 2020 While Bytedance voluntarily pulled its apps, the latest removal of apps seems to have come from Google and Apple. We’ve asked these companies for more details,…

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