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- Galaxy S20's rumored specs seem awesome. Here's what else I want from Samsung's new phone - CNET
- Facebook Backs Off Controversial Plan to Sell Ads in WhatsApp - Wall Street Journal
- Smash Bros. Ultimate Will Get Six More DLC Characters - GameSpot
| Galaxy S20's rumored specs seem awesome. Here's what else I want from Samsung's new phone - CNET Posted: 17 Jan 2020 07:15 AM PST  Samsung's Galaxy S10 could get a major overhaul in the Galaxy S20 -- unless it's called the S11. Andrew Hoyle/CNETIf the rumors are right, the Galaxy S20 -- formerly known as the Galaxy S11 -- could be a beast of a phone, with a bold design on the back and a suite of powerful features within. Leaks and reports predict that the unannounced phone will have up to four rear cameras (one of them with 108 megapixels) along with a large, sharp screen and a massive 5,000-mAh battery. This sounds impressive. I want it all, but I also want the little things that can take a phone from impressive to enjoyable. Consider the Galaxy Note 10 Plus that sits beside me as I write this. It's one of the best phones of the year -- I even gave the standard Note 10 an Editor's Choice Award for its balance of value, features and performance. Samsung has sold enough of them to firmly secure its place as the world's largest phone brand. Still, if I could pass a magic wand over both Note 10s, there are a few extra features I would add. They're the same things I want in the next flagship Galaxy phone. Every device has minor annoyances that keep you from fully loving it. I've heard them all. "I love this phone, but I wish it did this," or, "You know what I can't stand? It's that," and then the person I'm talking to launches into a detailed account of a tiny feature or design issue that's become the thorn in their side despite an otherwise good experience. So far, my wish list for the Galaxy S20's most important features -- 5G speeds, processing superpowers and camera advancements -- aligns with the rumors. Now I'll give you the smaller bonus details that could help take the Galaxy S20 over the top for me. Secure face unlockI'm not afraid to say it: I miss Samsung's iris-unlocking feature that was cut from the Galaxy S10. It wasn't perfect, and I complained about it, but it was a good alternative to the fingerprint reader and secure enough for mobile payments, which is important for everyone. I had hoped that the Galaxy S10 and Note 10's in-screen fingerprint reader would be more accurate than it has been, and that it wouldn't matter that iris scanning was gone. That's not the case. I've gotten used to repeated print-reading errors, and to eventually typing in my passcode after getting fed up with yet another failure. I barely think about it anymore. But compare this experience to Apple's steadily improving Face ID and the excellent face unlock on the Pixel 4, it's evident that Samsung has a chance to take its phones further. Even though I expect the Galaxy S20 could use Qualcomm's new and improved in-screen fingerprint reader, there's room for two biometric unlocking methods on the same phone.  The Pixel 4 gets face unlock right. Juan Garzon / CNETFix the problem with curved, edge-to-edge screensCurved screen phones look amazing. They're immersive and make images pop. But when you combine them with edge-to-edge displays, you wind up with a shrunken bezel, which gives your hand little to no buffer against accidentally touching the screen while simply shifting the phone in your hand. Samsung has software to fight accidental touches, but it can only go so far. I constantly press something I didn't mean to, just by holding the phone. With the screen's curve so close to the edge it also means you're tapping your cursor along a precarious bend where the screen drops off. If you're using the stylus, it's easy to run right off the edge of the waterfall. For Samsung, the curved display helps its Galaxy phones stand out, but we need a better solution now that bezels and borders are effectively a thing of the past. I hope the Galaxy S20 has one.  Don't get the Note 10's S Pen too close to the sides or you'll fall right off. Angela Lang/CNETReturn of the headphone jackFile this one under "definitely not happening." The dedicated headphone jack is gone, I know it's gone and I even understand why. Samsung gets more room to work with inside the Galaxy S20 this way, which it could use for more sensors or a bigger battery, and USB-C is the standard all the phone-makers have rallied behind. That said, I watch a lot of movies and shows with my wired headphones in, and while battery life is generally really good, there are times I need to recharge. That's usually when I'm watching a show, of course. I don't want to be forced to use wireless headphones (especially if I forget to charge them) and I'd rather not have to stop what I'm doing to charge back up. On the bright side, fast-charging on the Note 10 Plus never takes more than an hour to complete. Maybe it'll be longer on the Galaxy S20. It'd just be nice to charge and listen at the same time, no matter my headphone choice.  This camera mount said to belong to the Galaxy S20 is anything but subtle. XDA DevelopersA flush camera mount (yes, that likely means a thicker body)If the photo leaks and rumors are right, all of the Galaxy S20 models will have a wide, rectangular camera array. If it winds up looking like the iPhone 11 or Pixel 4, the cameras could stick out awkwardly. A protruding camera mount never looks good, and it puts the lenses at risk for fractures and cracks if the phone falls without a case on. A cracked lens can decrease the quality of your photos. I've learned this the hard way. If the Galaxy S20 does wind up having a chunky camera module, you'll pretty much automatically need a case just to help keep this area a little more flush with the rest of the phone. A slightly thicker phone body could potentially achieve the same effect. I'm reminded of the Motorola Moto Z family of phones with the snap-on backs. Without any sort of "case" on the back, the camera looked like a comically large eyeball and the edges were too sharp to comfortably hold for long. I just hope that Samsung has comfort and usability at the top of its list.  The Galaxy S10 Lite's camera mount could hint at designs to come in the Galaxy S20. Juan Garzon / CNETA stripped-down UI that's much closer to stock AndroidSamsung already has a new interface layer for Android, called One UI 2, which aims to simplify the company's software skin. Many phone-makers, including Samsung, prefer to have their own user interface to give their phones a distinct look and feel. Unfortunately, the more the UI strays from Android, the longer it takes to test with software updates, like Android 10, for example. That means Samsung phones like the Galaxy S20 could continue to get Google's software updates a lot later than its rivals. When you're grinding your teeth waiting for exciting new Android features like system-wide dark mode in Android 10, it's easy to lose patience. Motorola does a particularly good job keeping its OS close to Google's vision, while also adding some of its own features and look. Samsung's custom interface has a lot of great touches that I use and enjoy. I just wish updates came sooner.  Watch this: Galaxy S20 leaks continue, top mobile trends from CES... 1:25 Galaxy S20's top rumored specsHere are some of the S20's rumored features below, and here's our larger collection of all the best rumored Galaxy S20 features so far. Chime in with your own features wish list in the comments section below.
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| Facebook Backs Off Controversial Plan to Sell Ads in WhatsApp - Wall Street Journal Posted: 16 Jan 2020 02:36 PM PST  Facebook Inc. is backing away from efforts to sell ads in WhatsApp, in a retreat from a controversial plan that drove the creators of the popular messaging service to resign more than 18 months ago, according to people familiar with the matter. WhatsApp in recent months disbanded a team that had been established to find the best ways to integrate ads into the service, according to people familiar with the matter. The team's work was then deleted from WhatsApp's code, the people said. The shift marks a detour in the social-media giant's quest to monetize WhatsApp, which it bought in a blockbuster $22 billion acquisition in 2014 that has yet to pay financial dividends despite the service being used by more than 1.5 billion people globally. Created in 2009, WhatsApp made money initially from download fees and then a $0.99 annual subscription, but Facebook made the platform free after acquiring it. In 2018 Facebook unveiled plans to generate more revenue from the app that included selling ads. A year ago, WhatsApp's then-chief executive, Chris Daniels, called ads a "primary monetization mode" for the company. Facebook formally unveiled prototypes last May for ads in its Status feature, which allows ephemeral postings similar to Instagram's Stories. Those efforts are now on ice. The company plans at some point to introduce ads to Status, but for now the focus is on building out money-making features allowing businesses to communicate with customers and better manage those interactions, said one person familiar with the matter. A WhatsApp spokesman declined to comment. Facebook's push to sell ads in WhatsApp was a big factor in the decisions by Jan Koum and Brian Acton, who created the messaging service, to resign from the company, leaving on the table a combined $1.3 billion in deferred compensation, The Wall Street Journal previously reported. In 2016, the two changed WhatsApp's terms of service to explicitly forbid displaying ads in the app, and complicating any future efforts to do so, according to people familiar with the matter. The men saw their move as creating a potential public-relations problem that Facebook would have to deal with if it tried later to change users' terms of service, those people said. While Facebook and its platforms haven't shied away from changing terms of service in the past, introducing ads on the platform as planned would have required a thorough and formal notification of users. WhatsApp is among the quartet of popular Facebook services, along with Instagram, Messenger and the core Facebook platform, that attract a combined 2.8 billion monthly users. Though Facebook's eponymous social network is its biggest moneymaker, analysts believe that product is growing more slowly than Instagram and WhatsApp. The decision to focus WhatsApp on commercial interactions reflects the way the service is used by most of its users around the world. In the U.S. and many European countries, WhatsApp is used largely for interpersonal communication. But many users in developing nations—who are the majority of WhatsApp's users—have also adapted the platform to commerce and customer service, and the company has sought to accommodate them. In addition to helping businesses respond to simple customer-service requests, WhatsApp's tools allow for sorting and responding automatically to customer service queries. They also let businesses display in-app product catalogs. Advertisers on Facebook and Instagram can choose to shuttle users who click or tap on ads in those platforms directly into chats in WhatsApp. WhatsApp also has said it is testing projects related to payments in India, where the service is hugely popular. Facebook and WhatsApp were strange bedfellows from the beginning. Messrs. Koum and Acton are known as privacy advocates and showed open disdain for the commercial applications of the service. In a 2012 blog post, they called ads "insults to your intelligence." Meanwhile, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg became one of the world's richest people largely by selling opportunities to advertise to those who came to the social network to connect with friends and family. Advertising accounted for about 98% of Facebook's revenue in the third quarter. At the time of the WhatsApp deal, Mr. Zuckerberg said he agreed with Mr. Koum that ads weren't a good fit for messaging services. After Facebook changed its position on the matter, the WhatsApp founders clashed with Mr. Zuckerberg and Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg, leading them to resign. Facebook's underlying business has remained healthy and a favorite of investors even as it continues to face sharp criticism for its handling of user privacy, misinformation and other matters. Over the past 12 months, Facebook shares are up more than 50%, almost doubling the gains of the S&P 500. Write to Jeff Horwitz at Jeff.Horwitz@wsj.com and Kirsten Grind at kirsten.grind@wsj.com Tech NewsletterA weekly digest of tech reviews, headlines, columns and your questions answered by WSJ's Personal Tech gurus. Sign up. Copyright ©2019 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8 |
| Smash Bros. Ultimate Will Get Six More DLC Characters - GameSpot Posted: 17 Jan 2020 07:30 AM PST  Super Smash Bros. Ultimate's fifth and final Fighters Pass character is Byleth from Fire Emblem: Three Houses, but there's still more DLC on the horizon. During today's big reveal stream, game director Masahiro Sakurai reconfirmed that another wave of DLC fighters are already in development for the title. Six more characters in total will be released for Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Sakurai revealed--one more than the first wave of DLC. All six will arrive by December 31, 2021. According to Sakurai, the fighters have already been chosen, although he hasn't shared any hints as to who they'll be. The new DLC characters will be bundled in Fighters Pass Vol. 2. The pass will cost $30 USD and be available for pre-purchase beginning January 28--the same day that Byleth and the next wave of Mii Fighter costumes arrive. If you do purchase the Fighters Pass, you'll get a bonus Mii Fighter costume based on the Ancient Soldier gear from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Releasing alongside Byleth is a new stage: Garreg Mach Monastery. Like other DLC fighters, Byleth also comes with an assortment of new Spirits to unlock, as well as 11 additional music tracks taken from Fire Emblem: Three Houses. If you don't have the first Fighters Pass, you can pick up the Byleth challenger pack individually for $6 USD. The Mii Fighter costumes, meanwhile, each run for $0.75. Among the new additions is a Mii Gunner costume based on Cuphead, which also comes with a music track taken from that game. The other new Mii Fighter costumes include Assassin's Creed's Altair (Swordfighter), a Rabbids hat, and Mega Man X and MegaMan.exe (Gunner). GameSpot may get a commission from retail offers. |
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