Samsung debuts Galaxy Ring wearable in 9 size options and 3 colour options

by Hansraj Agrawal | Jul 10, 2024 | Technology

3 min read Last Updated : Jul 10 2024 | 7:57 PM IST

Samsung on July 10 debuted the Galaxy Ring along with Galaxy Watch series at the Unpacked event in Paris, France. Featuring a small unobtrusive form, the health-and-fitness wearable is designed for round-the-clock health monitoring, said Samsung. The Ring has a lightweight form factor, varying from 2.3g to 3g – depending on the size. Speaking of size, the Galaxy Ring is offered in nine size options – all made from Grade 5 titanium and boast 10ATM water resistance. As for the colours, Samsung confirmed that the Ring will be available in Titanium Black, Titanium Silver and Titanium Gold options.

Detailing the Galaxy Ring features, Samsung claimed up to seven days on-battery life on a single charge on continuous usage. According to Samsung, the ring will ship in a specially designed charging case that features aesthetic LED lighting to indicate charging status. Like the 2024 Galaxy Watch series, the Galaxy Ring is supported by artificial intelligence features. Samsung said that all data and insights from the ring are integrated into Samsung Health platform for easy access that does not require any subscription.

Galaxy Ring: AI features

Samsung said the Galaxy AI is integrated into the Galaxy Ring to generate a detailed health report, which focuses on various health metrics. Detailing on the specific role of Galaxy AI, Samsung shared details on the new “Energy Score” feature – a Galaxy AI enabled feature to enhance users’ awareness of the ways health influences daily life. It essentially offers recommendations based on users’ current physical state so they can focus on their daily efforts on making improvements. Samsung said this score is calculated by evaluating users’ physical and mental conditions across four significant factors: Sleep, Activity, Sleeping Heart Rate and Sleeping Heart Rate Variability.

Galaxy Ring: Health and wellness features

As for the health tracking capabilities, Samsung focused on sleep and wellness features. It said that the Galaxy Ring features its best-in-class sleep analysis and a powerful sleep AI algorithm to help you easily understand your sleep patterns and build better habits – sleep score, snoring analysis, movement during sleep, sleep latency, and heart and respiratory rate. Through these metrics, Samsung said, the Galaxy Ring provides a detailed and accurate analysis of sleep quality. Moreover, the Ring supports the “Cycle Tracking” feature, which it said will allow women track menstrual cycles through overnight skin temperature monitoring.

Samsung said that the Galaxy Ring also supports broader everyday wellness monitoring, including metrics related to heart health with Heart Rate Alert. According to Samsung, this feature provides instant notifications regarding unusually high or low heart rates in real-time via the Samsung Health app. Users can gain additional details about their heart rate, including beats per minute, time start and time duration with Live Heart Rate Check, said Samsung.

Samsung said the Galaxy Ring will also help users maintain an active lifestyle and stay motivated with automatic walking and running tracking via Auto Workout Detection, and daily fitness reminders with Inactive Alert. In addition, you can easily take photos or dismiss your alarm on Galaxy smartphones with a double pinch via Gestures, and find the location of your Galaxy Ring via your Galaxy smartphone with Find My Ring on Samsung Find.

First Published: Jul 10 2024 | 7:49 PM IST

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Samsung brings more Galaxy AI features with 2024 foldable devices: Details

by Hansraj Agrawal | Jul 10, 2024 | Technology

3 min read Last Updated : Jul 10 2024 | 6:32 PM IST

Samsung on July 10 unveiled the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Galaxy Z Flip 6 at the Unpacked Event it held in Milan, Italy. The 2024 foldable devices from the South Korean electronics maker bring more Galaxy AI features, which leverage the unique form factor of these devices to deliver novel user experience. Important to note, the newly introduced Galaxy AI features are on top of the existing ones that it rolled out to the last generation model with the OneUI 6.1 update.

Galaxy AI: What’s new

Note Assist: This native Samsung app for note taking has been upgraded with a new transcript feature, which enables transcription, translation, and summarising of voice recordings within the app. These are in addition to the existing Galaxy AI features, which offers translation, summaries, and auto formatting.

Galaxy AI in PDFs: Samsung has integrated Galaxy AI in PDF files. This is integrated within the Notes app. With the Galaxy AI, text in PDFs can be translated and overlaid through PDF overlay – supports text in images and graphs.

Composer: Another Notes app related feature, Composer is a tool to generate text based on keywords. It supports both long form text generation, for example emails, and short form, for example taglines for social media posts. Moreover, the Composer has a built-in option to set tone for the text.

Sketch to Image: The Galaxy AI is now capable of generating images based on rough sketches that you draw. On the Fold 6, which supports SPen, Sketch to Image allows you to create graphics using sketch or drawing saved in the Notes screen. On the Flip, you can draw on existing images and generate a new image.

Gemini app: Google Gemini is now offered as default assistant on both the foldable models.

Circle to Search: Google’s Circle to Search has been enhanced with two new features – live translate and homework. Live translate enables users to translate text on screen even if the texts are in more than one language. Homework is for solving math problems.

Interpreter: This has been upgraded to support the unique form factor of the foldable devices. Among the new features added to this for foldable functions are conversation mode and listen mode. In conversation mode, you can talk to the phone that translates it in real-time and show the translation on the cover display for the person on the other side to make sense of what you are saying. Listening mode is designed for one-way translation, so you can translate in real time, particularly useful during lectures or any other type of presentation.

Live Translate: Samsung is expanding this feature beyond its own native calling app to a selection of popular third-party apps.

Portrait Studio: Samsung now offers different ways to be creative with you regular portraits. The portrait studio has built-in styles, such as 3D cartoon and watercolour, to add zing to your portrait images.

First Published: Jul 10 2024 | 6:31 PM IST

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Instagram to prioritise short-form content to connect users with friends

by Hansraj Agrawal | Jul 10, 2024 | Technology

2 min read Last Updated : Jul 10 2024 | 6:09 PM IST

Meta-owned social media platform Instagram will focus on short-form content over long videos, according to Adam Mosseri, Head of Instagram. Instagram will not be focusing on long-form video as it might “undermine” the platform’s “core identity to connect people with friends.”

Adam Mosseri, who handles Instagram and Meta’s text based social media app threads, in a video posted on Instagram, answered the question if Instagram would focus more on long-form video anytime soon. His answer was no, and he explained the reason. He said that two main jobs of Instagram are to help users connect with friends and to help explore interests through short form video. He also said that those two jobs are “symbiotic” because you might send a video that you like to a friend who might also like it.

“You see an amazing video that makes you laugh out loud from a comedian doing a bit, and you send it to someone who you know is going to laugh just as loud as you did. Or for me, I see a highlight of an amazing soccer goal or trick, and I send it to someone who I know loves soccer as much as I do. So these things are about connecting with friends over your interests.” he said.

According to Adam Mosseri, long-form videos are “less symbiotic”, and as a result, Instagram will not be going after that format. He added that focus on short-form content aligns with Instagram’s “core identity” of connecting users with friends.

As of now, Instagram allows users to post videos of up to one hour duration. Instagram tried to promote long-form content with IGTV which launched in 2018. It allowed users to post an hour-long video on the platform for the first time. IGTV was shut down in 2022 as a result of Instagram shifting focus to Reels. Meanwhile, video-hosting service TikTok is investing in long-form content by testing hour-long videos.

First Published: Jul 10 2024 | 6:09 PM IST

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Microsoft hikes prices for Xbox Game Pass subscription: Check India pricing

by Hansraj Agrawal | Jul 10, 2024 | Technology

2 min read Last Updated : Jul 10 2024 | 5:56 PM IST

Microsoft is hiking the prices of Xbox Game Pass subscription plans globally, including subscription to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, Game Pass Core and PC Game Pass. According to the update to the Xbox Game Pass support page, the updated prices take effect from July 10 for new memberships, while existing members could continue with their recurring charges based on the current price until September 12.

In addition to the change in subscription prices, Microsoft is also discontinuing Game Pass for Console plan and introducing a new Xbox Game Pass Standard plan that would not offer new games from the day of launch. Existing subscribers to Game Pass for Console who have automatic payment renewal enabled will be able to continue thor membership for now.

Xbox Game Pass revised pricing (India)

Xbox Game Pass Ultimate:

Current price: Rs 549 per month

New Price: Rs 829 per month

Xbox Game Pass Core:

Current price (12 months): Rs 1,999

New price (12 months): Rs 3,349

Current price (6 months): Rs 749

New price (6 months): Rs 1,799

Xbox Game Pass PC:

Current price: Rs 349 per month

New Price: Rs 449 per month

Xbox Game Pass Standard: Details

Microsoft is discontinuing the Xbox Game Pass for Console plan for new customers and introducing a new Xbox Game Pass Standard plan in its place. While the new plan is not offering access to day one releases and option for cloud gaming on multiple devices like the Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription, it does offer access to more console games than the Xbox Game Pass Core membership. Additionally, the new plan will also offer support for online console multiplayer that the Xbox Game Pass for Console plan did not have.

Microsoft said that the Xbox Game Pass Standard plan will be available in the coming months for $14.999. India-specific pricing for the new subscription plan would be revealed upon availability.

First Published: Jul 10 2024 | 5:56 PM IST

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Notepad on Windows 11 is getting Spellcheck and Autocorrect feature: Report

by Hansraj Agrawal | Jul 10, 2024 | Technology

2 min read Last Updated : Jul 10 2024 | 4:07 PM IST

Microsoft has reportedly added new features and improvements to the Notepad on its Windows platform. According to a report by The Verge, the Notepad app on Windows 11 is now getting Microsoft Word-like Spellcheck and Autocorrect functionality. The feature has been in testing since March this year but has reportedly started rolling out to the consumer front on Windows 11 operating system.

According to the report, the Spellcheck feature works similar to how it does on other microsoft apps like Word. The feature, when enabled, underlines the misspelt word in red, however, right-clicking on the highlighted section does not automatically open the menu to suggest the correct spelling, rather the user has to click again to see the list of suggested words. Microsoft has also reportedly added the auto correct functionality to Notepad app. This feature automatically corrects the wrong spelling when Spellcheck is enabled. Similar to Spellcheck, Autocorrect can also be disabled from Notepad’s settings menu.

Microsoft also allows users to selectively disable Spellcheck on certain file types, according to the report. While the new feature is automatically disabled for log files and other similar file types that are associated with coding, the user can also choose to disable it for other file types such as .txt, .md, .srt, .lrc, .lic and more.

Although Microsoft has not officially confirmed the availability of Autocorrect and Spellcheck features on the Notepad, it has started to roll-out on select devices running on Windows 11 OS. The feature is expected to be more widely available in the coming days.

Spellcheck and Autocorrect feature joins the list of other new features that Microsoft has been adding to the Notepad app recently. Some of these features include Dark mode, New tabs, Copilot AI integration and more. According to the report, Microsoft has been improving the Notepad on Windows as it will be shutting down the built-in WordPad app from Windows 11 later this year.

First Published: Jul 10 2024 | 4:06 PM IST

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Google Maps is finally adding speedometer, speed limits to iPhone, CarPlay

by Hansraj Agrawal | Jul 10, 2024 | Technology

2 min read Last Updated : Jul 10 2024 | 3:46 PM IST

Google Maps is rolling out a live speedometer and speed limit display to iOS devices and CarPlay. Google has confirmed the news to TechCrunch, an American global online newspaper. Google Maps has already introduced the feature for Android devices a decade earlier.

To access this feature, the users will have to open the Google Maps app on their iphone, tap on their profile picture, select Settings and then Navigation. Then they will have to select ‘Driving options’, which will lead them to speedometer\speed limit toggles. After the users enable these settings, the speedometer will be displayed as a circular floating icon in the bottom-left corner of the navigation screen while driving. While driving, users will be able to see real-time speed data and change of colour if the speed exceeds the local limit.

A shortcut will let the user turn off the speedometer on or off by tapping Speed Limit. To disable the speedometer, the users will have to go to Maps Settings and then Navigation and select Map Display after that and select ‘Show Speedometer.’

The feature can be spotted in Google Maps for iOS with version 6.123.0. Server-side updates have been rolling out in recent weeks.

Google has also clarified that the in-app speedometer is intended for informational purposes only and that external factors may result in a difference between app’s reading and the actual speed of the vehicle. Therefore, users should rely on the speedometer of their vehicle for accurate speed data. The Google Support page also says that if the speed limit feature is available at your location, you can turn off the speedometer on or off by tapping the Speed Limit icon during navigation.

This feature was launched for Android in 2019. Speedometer is not available on Android Auto.

First Published: Jul 10 2024 | 3:46 PM IST

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