Yahoo Finance The Morning After: Intel recruits a former enemy in the Mac vs. PC battle
Also there are new iPad Pro rumors, a groundbreaking audio clip from Mars and an artificial uterus.
According to research firm Strategy Analytics, last year, three out of every four Samsung phones shipped globally was a Galaxy A model. Not a Galaxy S and definitely not a Galaxy Fold, Flip or Note.
That explains why Samsung held an Unpacked event dedicated to the mid-range Galaxy A series. Understandably, these phones aren’t as iconic, impressive or expensive as Samsung’s other device family — but they could be crucial for the company’s bottom line.
While we didn’t get prices for the Galaxy A52, Galaxy A52 5G, or Galaxy A72, Samsung did reveal UK pricing, so we can at least estimate how much they might cost. The Galaxy A52 5G will cost £399, roughly $465 before taxes, while the Galaxy A72 is £419 (around $490).
\The Galaxy A52 5G is ever-so-slightly larger than last year’s A51, with a bigger 6.5-inch screen and 4,500 mAh battery. There’s also a quad-camera system around back, up from three sensors on A51, which includes a 64-megapixel main sensor with optical image stabilization. The notable spec, though, is the phone’s 120Hz display. It’s an important upgrade that might help the A52 5G to stand out from the competition.
That competition will probably include the also-announced Galaxy A72, which shares a lot, both aesthetically and feature-wise, with its sibling. The main differences are slightly bigger 6.7-inch display and an 8-megapixel telephoto camera with a 3X optical zoom instead of a macro shooter.
This mid-range push is important for Samsung. It’s recently announced that chip shortages, the perennial pandemic tech story, are affecting its plans to launch a new Galaxy Note later this year. The company might have to sell an awful lot of A-series phones to make up for a flagship no-show.
-Mat Smith
Intel's new PC ads bring back the 'I'm a Mac' guy out of desperation
Remember Justin Long? He's now shilling for PCs.
Intel, eager to fight back against the overwhelmingly positive reaction to Apple's (very fast!) M1 chips, has unleashed a set of attack ads featuring Justin Long, the former star of Apple's 2002 "I'm a Mac" ads — a reference that will divide the public between the generation that remember the originals (and Long) and those that don’t.
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This mouse embryo grew in an artificial uterus
Scientists are using this process to study outside factors that affect the growth of a fetus.
In a study published on Wednesday in Nature, a team of researchers from the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel say they've successfully grown more than 1,000 mice embryos for six days using a process that involves a mechanical device.
It's a two-part system that consists of an incubator and ventilation system. Each of the embryos floats in a vial that's filled with a special nutrient-laden fluid. A wheel gently spins the mice so that they don't attach to the wall of their temporary home. This prevents the embryos from deforming and subsequently dying. Meanwhile, the attached ventilator provides the mice with oxygen while maintaining their environment's flow and pressure.
It takes about 20 days for a mouse to gestate to the point where it can survive outside the womb. So far, the mechanical womb can sustain the mice through 11 days of growth.
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EA Play hits Xbox Game Pass on PC tomorrow
'Star Wars: Squadrons' arrives on EA Play on the same day.
Xbox Game Pass subscribers will be able to play more than 60 additional games on PC at no extra cost starting today. Game Pass PC and Ultimate members will at last get access to EA Play on Windows 10. The free game lineup includes the likes of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, FIFA 20 and Need for Speed Heat. If you’re looking for more recent titles, Star Wars: Squadrons will also be available starting today.
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Amazon's Care telehealth service is coming to more companies
It's also expanding to Amazon workers around the US.
Amazon’s app-based telehealth service is expanding to more companies around Seattle starting today. with the online retailer planning further expansion across the US later this summer. It dovetails neatly with the launch of Amazon Pharmacy last fall.
In addition to the usual video or text-based diagnosis with nurses or doctors, Amazon Care differentiates itself with the ability to dispatch someone to your home for in-person support. They could, for example, administer vaccines, draw blood or offer a more accurate diagnosis. Care's in-person service is being expanded to Washington, D.C., Baltimore and other cities in the coming months.
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New iPad Pros may include Thunderbolt and Mini LED tech
Plus new updates for the standard iPad and iPad mini.
According to Bloomberg, the next additions to the iPad Pro series will benefit from a bunch of improvements and tweaks, including upgraded CPUs that are described as "on par" with the M1 ARM chip Apple is putting inside Macs. You might also get upgraded cameras, and Mini LED tech on at least one model to help improve its brightness and contrast ratios. Oh, and Thunderbolt connectivity (through USB-C), capable of faster data transmission.
If you’re waiting on cheaper iPad updates, the same report says that Apple will launch a thinner and lighter iPad aimed at students, as well as an iPad Mini with a screen that's larger than the current 7.9-inch display.
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But wait, there’s more...
Perseverance recording reveals what driving on Mars sounds like
AMD Radeon RX 6700 XT review: A curious return to mid-range GPUs
'Disco Elysium' arrives on PS4, PS5 and Stadia on March 30th
Utah considers bill that would install anti-porn filters on new phones
Apple wins first battle in French fight over iOS 14 privacy protections
Lucid Air will be the first car equipped with Dolby Atmos
Sony is giving away 'Horizon Zero Dawn' and nine other great games
FCC fines two Texas telemarketers $225 million for making 1 billion robocalls
Panasonic's S1 gains 6K video capability with a new firmware update
