AC Information Weekly
Information Weekly is our column, the place we spotlight and summarize a few of the week’s prime tales so you’ll be able to make amends for the newest tech information.
That is Android Central’s Information Weekly, your go-to supply for a concise roundup of the week’s most vital tech tales. That is the place we delve into the highest headlines that present the newest developments and improvements contributing to the digital panorama.
This week, Motorola launched two inexpensive telephones, TikTok will get a final shot at staying within the U.S., Chrome ups its safety on phishing emails, the Galaxy S24 Plus is a shock hit, and Google Messages will get custom-colored chats.
Hi there Moto
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Earlier this week, Motorola launched its budget-friendly telephones, the Moto G 5G 2024 and the Moto G Energy 5G 2024. Each these telephones supply upgraded specs and run Android 14 out of the field with improved shows, cameras, and processors in comparison with its earlier fashions.
The Moto G 5G is smaller in measurement and has a 6.6-inch HD LCD show and a 5,000mAh battery that helps an 18W charger. It makes use of a Snapdragon 4 Gen 1 chip with a 2GHz octa-core CPU paired with 4GB RAM that may also be doubled to 8GB utilizing RAM Enhance. The system has a 50MP predominant digital camera, a secondary 2MP macro unit with no ultrawide angle, and an 8MP entrance digital camera. This 12 months’s system is cheaper at $199, a major drop from final 12 months’s $249 mannequin.
The Moto G Energy 5G, the marginally dearer mannequin, has a 6.7-inch FHD+ LCD show and a 5,000mAh battery that helps 30W wired charging and 15W wi-fi charging. The telephone is powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 7020 processor, which encompasses a 2.2 GHz octa-core CPU. It has 128GB of inner storage and helps a microSD enlargement of as much as 1TB. There are two rear cameras—a 50MP predominant digital camera with optical picture stabilization and an 8MP ultrawide lens with a 118-degree angle and macro help. On the entrance is a 16MP selfie digital camera. This 12 months’s system prices $299.
These telephones will likely be obtainable beginning March 21.
Time is ticking… Tik…Tok
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On Wednesday (Mar.13), the U.S. Congress handed a invoice that may have main implications for TikTok, an app utilized by at the very least 170 million Individuals.
The U.S. Home of Representatives voted in favor of the Defending Individuals from International Adversary Managed Functions Act. Though the invoice mentions TikTok, it’s relevant to any app managed by overseas advisories within the U.S.
TikTok has been given 180 days to make sure that its China-based mother or father firm ByteDance should promote TikTok throughout the U.S., or it is going to be banned within the nation. This implies it can change into unlawful for any app shops or net servers that host TikTok.
“We now have given TikTok a transparent selection,” stated Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash.
This transfer was taken after the U.S. authorities raised considerations about dangers to nationwide safety and the info of customers on the platform. A spokesperson from TikTok is looking this invoice a “ban” and hopes that the Senate will think about details earlier than taking any motion.
The invoice is at the moment being thought of by the Senate, and its destiny stays unsure till then.
Samsung’s S24 Plus successful
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The recognition of the most recent Galaxy S24 Plus mannequin has change into the speak of the city, and we aren’t stunned.
Samsung’s gross sales of the Galaxy S24 sequence are up when in comparison with the Galaxy S23 sequence, and the newest numbers present us why. Based on the newest knowledge from Counterpoint Analysis, gross sales of the Galaxy S24 sequence rose by 8% within the first three weeks when in comparison with final 12 months’s early gross sales numbers, and the S24 Plus is driving up these numbers
“And in Samsung’s greatest market – the US – we’re seeing YoY development within the mid-teens – stable numbers, particularly contemplating the powerful February. And contemplating we’re nonetheless actually originally phases of the approaching GenAI smartphone increase, there may be loads of runway for extra development,” stated Jeff Fieldhack, Counterpoint Analysis’s analysis director for North America.
Through the years, Samsung’s Plus mannequin has been seen as nothing greater than a bigger model of the bottom mannequin, full with a bigger battery and quicker charging. The system didn’t supply a lot distinction. Nonetheless, this 12 months’s model has QHD+ decision, provides higher image high quality, bumps in RAM to 12GB, and, let’s not neglect the magic of Galaxy AI.
You possibly can’t get Phished on Google Chrome
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Google introduced on March 15 that it’s going to improve the Normal safety mode in Chrome’s Protected Looking characteristic so that everybody will get real-time safety in opposition to phishing and malware assaults.
Google upgraded Chrome’s safety system, Protected Looking, final 12 months, including real-time safety to the combination.
This characteristic, which was beforehand solely obtainable in Protected Looking’s Enhanced Safety mode, retains a lookout for the URLs you are looking and immediately warns you in case you wander right into a sketchy a part of the web.
The replace is now up and operating for anybody utilizing Chrome on desktop or iOS. And Google additionally plans to carry it to Android customers later this month.
Google rolls out {custom} chat colours for RCS
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Google Messages is letting beta testers set {custom} colours for RCS chats.
Again in November, Google launched colour choices for chat bubbles, letting customers personalize their chat colours. Now, it looks like the replace is steadily rolling out to beta testers.
To discover the recent colour selections, simply faucet the three-dot menu button in any Google Messages thread and decide “Change colours” from the overflow menu. One other technique to do it’s to move to the overflow menu, faucet on Particulars or Group particulars, and search for the “Change colours” choice slightly below the photographs and movies part. A full-screen preview UI will pop up, providing 9 selections that embrace the default colour, blue, purple, inexperienced, orange, and pink, amongst different choices.
When you select a brand new colour for a thread, a message pops up on the backside of the display screen saying, “You modified the theme.”
These are a few of the greatest tales from this week. In the meantime, listed here are another tales which can be value catching up on: