Software
Jolla’s Sailfish wins in face of Android and Tizen, at least for Yotaphone
Russian smartphone manufacturer Yota, who are behind the Yotaphone and Yotaphone 2 (the one with the secondary e-ink display on the back panel of the device) have announced a break with Google’s Android mobile operating system. Indeed, the Russian firm decided that the best course of action for their future phones would be a switch between operating systems, and they’ve chosen Sailfish instead of Android or Samsung’s Tizen. The company did not clarify whether the Yotaphone 2 would benefit from the Sailfish treatment, but it did provide confirmation that all future devices (at least for the foreseeable future) will run on Sailfish.
Sailfish is the brainchild of a bunch of former Nokia developers and employees working at Jolla. Jolla’s Sailfish is an alternative mobile operating system which is more popular in Asian regions. With the Yotaphone partnership, however, Sailfish is going to have a stronger pull on the international market. The entirely alternative operating system Sailfish can run most apps that run on Android, so the benefit of being able to side-load Google apps would be well appreciated by fans. Nonetheless, a Play Store in the app drawer would also be neat, but hey, Sailfish is not Android.
How would the Yotaphone 2 be with Sailfish on board?
Sailfish has been praised for its simplicity and stability, which is why Yota chose the OS in the face of Samsung’s rising Tizen platform and Google’s dominant Android OS. Sailfish is a Meego-successor, which means that it is based off the original Finnish Nokia operating system which was scraped for Windows Phone when the Nokia Lumia phones were gaining popularity on the international market. Yota and its choice of Sailfish do foreshadow a steady break from the mainstream when it comes to smartphone manufacturers.
Other companies are also looking for OS alternatives, and while most of them are not looking at Sailfish, but looking to develop and create their own proprietary operating systems, they do suggest that people around the world are demanding novelty and new ideas, and developers are ready to comply. Mozilla and others are also developing their own mobile operating systems, and major manufacturers like Samsung and Huawei are also readying their own versions of how a smartphone and its software should interact.
Sailfish is still considered a fledgling OS, even though its popularity is expanding. The Linux- and Mer-based mobile OS is getting a lot of attention from Linux and Mac users, who see the potential in the OS for future convertible devices and hybrid tablets. Jolla is already planning its tablet line-up, while the adoption of Sailfish confirmed by Yota only adds to the popularity of the OS. The main feature of Sailfish its open source nature and the feedback system it has in place, in which devs and users alike can propose mods and tweaks that can be incorporated into the OS. Whether the break from Android as a major operating system is just beginning or is just a fad, only time will tell.
Geek Culture
Activision Blizzard and the US Justice Department reach a settlement over accusations of esports wage suppression
The U.S. Justice Department filed a complaint against Activision Blizzard on Monday in the District of Columbia, accusing the company of underpaying esports athletes, a claim that has apparently already been resolved.
Activision Blizzard was accused by the Justice Department of enacting a “competitive balance tax” in order to reduce competition for professional Call of Duty and Overwatch players in esports leagues. This would act as a salary cap by penalizing a team if player compensations went over a certain limit (established by Activision Blizzard).
Activision Blizzard’s representative issued the following in a statement: “We have always held the opinion that the Competitive Balance Tax was legitimate and had no negative effects on player pay. We still hold this opinion today. The leagues voluntarily removed the tax from our rules in 2021 because it was never imposed.”
Activision Blizzard has reiterated its commitment to “leading the esports industry and fostering opportunities for players to earn fair pay and benefits,” as well as to refrain from enacting the competitive balance tax or any other kind of ceilings or restrictions on the pay of esports players in the future.
In other Activision Blizzard news, UK authorities no longer worry that the ongoing acquisition narrative would have a significant influence on console competition, so it appears to be nearing to some sort of conclusion.
Google has recently used CES as a platform to present its philosophy of “Better Together,” the notion that all devices should get along with one another. Typically, this entails making announcements regarding new Cast compatibility and features like Fast Pair. The business revealed that it is collaborating with Spotify to incorporate the Connect streaming capability into the Android UI at CES 2023. Additionally, it showed a sneak peek at an audio handoff tool that would recommend various devices to shift your music to based on your preferences and location.
However, CES is a significant vehicle event, and Google also sells items for cars. Additionally, it said today that the Polestar 3 would receive its higher-resolution maps, and it debuted the most recent Android Auto user interface for the first time since it was revealed at I/O 2022.
Two vehicles, a Volvo EX90 with Google preinstalled and a BMW i7 with the new Android Auto experience, were at the Google stand in the trailer lot of the Las Vegas Convention Center. We had never seen the Volvo before, and we’ll be posting a separate hands-on on that experience shortly. The new Android Auto is the main topic of this article and video.
The redesigned interface will support larger screen sizes and have a split screen layout, as we discovered at I/O. Google has eliminated the status bar and inserted a row of shortcut keys below it, along with some indication icons in a small area to the top left. When we were in the car, the Spotify app was located on the left panel, and we could access a list of suggested playlists by swiping in from the right side.
Alerts that you won’t have time to respond to while driving are likewise stored in this left pane. For instance, you can swipe right on a notification to move it to the dock, where it will wait until you’re ready to deal with it.
Check out the video up top for more of our experience with the updated Android Auto in the BMW i7! And be sure to pay attention this week as there will be a ton of news at CES 2023.
iOS
Apple Mini-LED Display Supplier Reports Decreasing Demand As Rumors Suggest a Switch to OLED in the Next Few Years
One of Apple’s top mini-LED suppliers claims that while the company plans to switch to OLED displays for its iPad and MacBook line in the upcoming years, demand for displays in consumer products is declining while demand for mini-LED in other applications is increasing.
According to a recent report from DigiTimes, the demand for mini-LED displays for consumer electronics devices is declining, but it is anticipated that demand for mini-LED displays for dashboards and vehicle displays will increase in 2023. Epistar, which has been supplying mini-LED displays to Apple for some time, is one company that has made this claim.
The creation of particular kinds of OLED screens that Apple intends to utilize in next iPad Pro models, according to a report published last week, is now Samsung’s top priority. The first iPad Pro with an OLED panel, which Apple is rumored to introduce in 2024, has prompted mini-LED vendors to consider alternate applications for their screens, according to DigiTimes.
In 2024, Apple is also expected to release a 13-inch MacBook Air with an OLED display in addition to an OLED iPad Pro. According to reputable display analyst Ross Young, Apple is exploring adopting an OLED panel in a planned update to the iPhone SE but is torn between employing an LCD or OLED display.
- Gadgets8 years ago
Why the Nexus 7 is still a good tablet in 2015
- Mobile Devices8 years ago
Samsung Galaxy Note 4 vs Galaxy Note 5: is there room for improvement?
- Editorials8 years ago
Samsung Galaxy Note 4 – How bad updates prevent people from enjoying their phones
- Mobile Devices8 years ago
Nexus 5 2015 and Android M born to be together
- Gaming8 years ago
New Teaser For Five Nights At Freddy’s 4
- Mobile Devices8 years ago
Google not releasing Android M to Nexus 7
- Gadgets8 years ago
Moto G Android 5.0.2 Lollipop still has a memory leak bug
- Mobile Devices8 years ago
Nexus 7 2015: Huawei and Google changing the game