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OnePlus Nord pre-orders have sold out but there's going to be an online pop-up
Take your place in the digital queue
In recent years, OnePlus phone launches have usually been accompanied by pop-ups in several locations around the world that allow eager fans to purchase the latest and greatest handsets before anyone else, with a few goodies thrown in for good measure. That's obviously not possible right now, so the OnePlus Nord is going to have an online pop-up instead, just like the OnePlus 8 did back in April.
Vivo's gimbal camera-toting X50 Pro is coming to international markets
Along with the regular X50 model and TWS Neo true wireless earbuds
Vivo's impressive gimbal camera system was first announced with the Apex 2020 concept phone in March this year but made its way into a handset people can buy soon after. The flagship series unveiled in China last month consisted of an X50, X50 Pro, and X50 Pro+. The priciest Pro+ model is still only available in China, but the other two are set to come to global markets over the coming months.
Next stop for Google Fiber expansion is Millcreek, Utah
As Salt Lake City construction nears completion, Google is planning further growth in the state
Google had gone rather quiet about the expansion of its Fiber network until last week's announcement that it would come to West Des Moines in Iowa. Like buses, a second has arrived soon after — Google has shared plans to extend its high-speed internet service in Utah to the city of Millcreek.
OnePlus Buds will have 30 hours of total battery life for a 'burdenless' experience
Full unveiling July 21 along with the OnePlus Nord phone
OnePlus (sort of) announced its first pair of true wireless earbuds yesterday and has now released a few more details in a new blog post. A total of 30 hours of battery life is promised with 7 hours of continuous playback on a single charge. We can also see from the teaser image that the design will be similar to previous OnePlus earbuds with the red ring, although it sure looks like these are hard-tipped.
Realme's X50 5G arrives in the UK and Europe for just £299/€349
That's very little money for a Snapdragon 765G, 120Hz display, 30W charging, and liquid cooling
Former Oppo sub-brand Realme is the world's fastest-growing smartphone manufacturer with good reason — its phones offer insane specs for not a lot of money. The company first got into the 5G game in its homeland China back in January thanks to Qualcomm's new upper mid-range 5G mobile platform, the Snapdragon 765G, and it's now bringing the X50 5G to other markets. The standout feature is the bump up to a 120Hz display, something you rarely find in handsets this cheap.
Google Pixel Buds 2 are now available in Canada, the UK, and many more markets
The long, long wait is finally over
It was all the way back in October 2019 when the 2nd-generation Pixel Buds were revealed at Google's big annual hardware event, which seems like such a long, long time ago now. It wasn't until April this year that customers in the US could get their hands on a pair, and until today there's been no availability outside the States. If you live in Canada, the UK, or one of several other lucky countries, you should now be able to make an order.
Google's antitrust woes intensify as California opens new investigation
Mountain View now faces pressure from the DOJ and almost every state attorney
Google has been no stranger to antitrust cases in recent years with the European Commission going after it several times, but there's now mounting pressure in its own country, too. The United States Department of Justice could be about to open legal proceedings against Google, along with numerous state attorneys across the nation and the House Judiciary Committee. Google's home state of California had been reluctant to join but has reportedly opened its own investigation in recent days.
This is Google's upcoming Nest speaker, the successor to the original Google Home
The strange shape of things to come
The original air freshener-shaped Google Home speaker was announced a full four years ago, and we've long heard rumors of a successor with Nest branding in the same vein as other recent products. We're now getting what appears to be our first proper look at this new speaker, and boy does it have a weird shape.
RHA's latest true wireless earbuds sound better, last longer, and cost less than the originals
Touch controls are also on board the TrueConnect 2
Audio brand RHA has long made headphones of high repute, but we were a little disappointed with its first attempt at true wireless earbuds. The British company is back with a second offering, and the TrueConnect 2 outdo the originals in a number of key areas — including better battery life and enhanced sound — while also costing less.
Android 11 will let devs block network access in parts of their apps for better security
This could help prevent accidental data leaks
With every big new OS version there are countless under-the-hood upgrades that will go unnoticed by regular users but could have a positive impact on their experience. Android 11 will be no different, and we've spotted one such small but potentially important new feature in Google's developer documentation for the upcoming release. Starting in Android 11, apps will be able to grant per-process network access.
Amazon Fire TV Live now integrates YouTube TV and Sling TV, with Hulu coming soon
Get all of your live TV services in one place
The experience of watching live TV on one of Amazon's Fire TV devices is getting a boost today with the addition of two big names in the digital live TV space. YouTube TV and Sling TV are fully integrated as of today, so you'll be able to see content from both services in the Live tab. Furthermore, Hulu + Live TV will be made available in the near future.
First live photos of Samsung Galaxy Note20 Ultra shared on Twitter
FCC certification also confirms a few specifications
We got our first proper look at the design of the Galaxy Note20 when Samsung itself accidentally (or otherwise) posted renders of a fetching bronze model on its Russian website last week. Now we're getting what is very likely our first glimpse of a real-life unit in photos posted to Twitter by @jimmyispromo.
OnePlus Nord launch event tipped for July 21
The online-only unveiling will include some sort of AR experience
Thanks to a since-deleted tweet by reliable leaker Ishan Agarwal, we now know when the OnePlus Nord will be unveiled. It's going to be a digital event with an AR experience appended to it and will apparently take play on July 21, a little later than previously rumored.
The OnePlus Nord will be 5G-enabled and cost less than $500
First round of pre-orders have already sold out, with more coming July 8
The drip-feeding of information about the next OnePlus phone continues apace, and we now know that the price of the upcoming Nord will be "below $500," or "€500 in Europe." The pricing was confirmed by the company to TechRadar after an exclusive interview with Carl Pei, Assistant Head of OnePlus Nord.
Spotify Premium Duo comes to the US and 54 more markets
The couples plan is now widely available across North America, Europe, and Asia
For couples who live together, the Spotify Family plan has been a good way to save a few pennies on your subscription, but the Premium Duo plan announced last year offered up the chance to save even more. Until now, it's only been available in select countries, but it's just arrived in the US as well as 54 other markets across the globe.
OnePlus confirms Nord as the name of its next smartphone
North America will only get limited quantities through a beta program
OnePlus has been teasing its next phone with various shenanigans on Instagram and now it's finally revealed the actual name. It's not the OnePlus 8 Lite or the OnePlus Z, but Nord, as had also been rumored previously. More than just a single smartphone OnePlus is referring to Nord as a new product line, so we could see a range of new trinkets with this new branding.
'Hey Google' Smart Home Summit to take place on July 8
The developer-focused event will cover new features coming to Google's smart home platform
Google has announced a Smart Home Virtual Summit on July 8 with a keynote, panel discussion, and various other developer sessions that would likely have been part of Google I/O last month had that event not been canceled. While it's only meant for developers building hardware and/or software that works with Google's smart home platform, we could also learn about some upcoming user-facing features, too.
The Samsung Galaxy Fold 2 will probably look like this
Consistent bezels and a punch-hole cutout in an interesting position
The biggest issue with notches and punch holes is that they take up valuable screen space and break up the aesthetics of smartphone displays. This is arguably even more true of punch-hole camera cutouts that sit on either side of the screen since symmetry is so pleasing to our eyes. Enter new information concerning Samsung's upcoming Galaxy Fold 2, which suggests it'll do away with the huge notch in favor of a slightly awkward-looking punch-hole.
Google Nest Hub and Nest Cam Indoor get permanent price drops in Europe
Now €89.99 and €139.99, respectively, in most regions
When Google rolled out its updated Nest Aware subscription pricing last month, it celebrated by giving two products permanent price drops in the US. Similar reductions are now live across Europe, too, so more people can grab a Nest Hub and/or Nest Cam Indoor for a new low price and upgrade their smart home security.
Mobvoi releases upgraded TicWatch C2+ with double the RAM and two included straps
But still with the same aging Wear 2100 chipset, unfortunately
The TicWatch C2 was announced all the way back in December 2018, but it remains the most attractive smartwatch Mobvoi has produced (if you ask me). An updated C2+ has just been launched with the same design and almost identical specs, except for the memory which has been doubled to a whole 1GB. It also comes with a pair of straps in the box, this time around — one silicone and one leather.Disappointingly, the C2+ is still saddled with Qualcomm's sluggish Wear 2100 processor, even though its successor, the Wear 3100, was available even before the launch of the original TicWatch C2. It also runs Google's Wear OS, which is a problem in itself. While the additional RAM is sure to help with performance, I wouldn't expect huge gains given the lack of other meaningful spec improvements. The C2+ has the same 1.3-inch AMOLED display (360 x 360p), Bluetooth 4.1, GPS + GLONASS + Beidou for location, and NFC for use with Google Pay.