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Amazon alleges some TV vendors are not partnering over fear of retaliation from Google • ZebethMedia

Amazon says over half a dozen hardware vendors have indicated that they cannot enter into a TV manufacturing relationship with the e-commerce group over fear of retaliation from Google. The revelation, officially shared for the first time by Amazon, was made by an Amazon India unit to the country’s antitrust watchdog as part of a years-long investigation into Google over claims that it abuses the dominant position in Android. The watchdog found that Google did abuse its dominant position in Android and slapped a $162 million fine on Thursday. As part of the investigation, the Competition Commission of India interviewed several industry players including Samsung, Microsoft and Mozilla. But nobody spoke quite so freely as Amazon, a quick analysis of the 293-page order showed. Here’s CCI sharing what Amazon told them: Amazon has explored working with mobile OEMs/ODMs/CMs who also manufacture non-mobile smart media devices, such as smart TVs, to enable those manufacturers to distribute non-mobile smart media devices (including smart TVs) running the Fire OS (e.g., Fire TV Edition (FTVE) for smart TVs). In these discussions with OEMs, at least seven OEMs have indicated that their ability to enter into a manufacturing relationship of this kind with Amazon is either blocked entirely or significantly limited (e.g., in terms of geographic scope) by their contractual commitments to Google and the concern that Google would retaliate against another of the OEM’s businesses that produce Android devices. Amazon told the competition regulator that in “several cases” the OEM has indicated that it cannot work with Amazon “despite a professed desire to do so in connection with smart TVs.” In some cases, Amazon said even if the manufacturers agreed to not work on Android-powered smart TVs, they still had concerns that by working with Amazon on Fire OS-powered TVs they might still be risking their GMS license from Google for other businesses. Additionally, firms including Foxconn and Panasonic tried and failed to obtain permission from Google to work with Amazon, the e-commerce giant said. “In others, the OEM has tried and failed to obtain ‘permission’ from Google. For example, such discussions occurred with Skyworth, TPV (with respect to the Philips brand), UMC (with respect to the Sharp brand), Foxconn (with respect to the Sharp brand), and Panasonic. Panasonic also shared concerns about possible retaliation by Google against its automotive and aviation businesses if it proceeded with FTVE installation on smart TVs,” the watchdog cited Amazon as saying. (More to follow)

Reliance launches JioBook, its maiden Android-powered laptop • ZebethMedia

Jio Platforms has quietly launched its first laptop, entering into a new product category as the Indian telecom giant aggressively expands its offerings. The laptop, called JioBook, runs JioOS, a custom Android-based OS that has been “optimized for superior performance” and local languages support. The laptop, manufactured in India, is selling at 15,799 Indian rupees, or $190. The JioBook, which also ships bundled with several Jio apps and Microsoft 365 services, has been in the works for at least two years. The company quietly demonstrated it at Indian Mobile Congress trade show event last month. JioBook’s specifications, as you would have guessed, are not very high-end. It sports a 11.6-inch HD display with a screen resolution of 1366 x 768. It is powered by Qualcomm’s 64-bit, 2GHz octa-core processor and 2GB of RAM. But the laptop ships with an embedded Jio sim card, enabling out of the box support for Jio 4G LTE connectivity. The firm says on its store page that the JioBook features up to 128GB of flash storage and can last up to eight hours on a single a charge. The laptop is the latest of a series of businesses Reliance, the Indian conglomerate and the parent firm of Jio Platforms, has entered in recent years. The firm, led by billionaire Mukesh Ambani, entered the telecom business six years ago and quickly became the top service provider in the country, thanks to the network’s cutrate data and voice tariffs. Jio Platforms, which secured over $20 billion in funding from over 10 investors in 2020 including Meta and Google, has also launched feature phones and smartphones in the past half decade. The company’s JioPhone Next smartphone went on sale last year. Jio Platforms has worked closely with Google to develop a custom Android operating system for the smartphone. The company appears to have ambitious plans with the JioBook. Reuters, which scooped the laptop’s imminent unveiling plan earlier this month, said Reliance plans to sell “hundreds of thousands” of units by March. Jio did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Smartphone woes continue as global market dips 9% • ZebethMedia

More doom and gloom for smartphone manufacturers, as global smartphone shipments experience the third consecutive decline this year. Per numbers from Canalys, shipments dropped a lowly 9% last quarter, marking the worst Q3 for the category since 2014. Apple is a rare bright spot among the numbers, with some positive growth as the rest of the top five posted declining numbers from the same time last year. Samsung remains in first place, with 22% if the overall market, while Apple, Xiaomi, Oppo and Vivo round out the top five. If you’ve followed the category with any regularity, none of this will come as any surprise, of course. Following years of explosive growth, numbers plateaued and began dropping off, due to aspects like pricing and market saturation. Things, naturally, were only accelerated by the pandemic, courtesy of lockdowns and economic struggles. Since then, supply chain shortages, inflation and the like have only served to exacerbate the situation. Image Credits: Canalys “The smartphone market is highly reactive to consumer demand and vendors are adjusting quickly to the harsh business conditions,” says Canalys Analyst Amber Liu. “For most vendors, the priority is to reduce the risk of inventory building up given deteriorating demand. Vendors had significant stockpiles going into July, but sell-through gradually improved from September owing to aggressive discounting and promotions.” For now, at least, the category shows no signs of future improvement.

Apple unveils new entry-level iPad that looks just like the iPad Pro • ZebethMedia

Apple released a new version of its entry-level iPad that Apple simply calls “the iPad.” It’s a dramatic refresh as Apple is swapping the familiar design with rounded edges and a home button. Instead, the iPad now looks more like the iPad Air and iPad Pro. But there are some compromises. The new iPad starts at $449, which is much more expensive than the previous version that costs $329. But you get a larger 10.9-inch display (2360×1640 resolution), better specs and compatibility with some new accessories. It comes in four different colors — blue, pink, yellow and silver. Let’s stat with specifications. Apple is updating the system-on-a-chip in the device and swapping the A13 with an A14 Bionic. It’s the same system-on-a-chip that you can find in the iPhone 12 lineup. There are two cameras on the device — the front-facing camera is a 12MP ultrawide camera and it is now integrated in the landscape edge of the iPad, which will make you look better when you make video calls in landscape mode. On the back of the device, there is another 12MP camera. This iPad still supports Touch ID. In order to use it, you have to rest your finger on the the top button. For the first time, the entry-level iPad is getting a USB-C port for charging and various accessories. This device still supports the first-generation Apple Pencil with its built-in Lightning connector. And that’s probably the biggest drawback of the new device. Yes, you will need an adapter to charge the Lightning pencil with your new iPad. If you never had an Apple Pencil, Apple now includes this adapter with newly sold first-generation Apple Pencils. But if you already have a Pencil, you’ll have to pay $9 to get a USB-C to Apple Pencil adapter. You plug the Pencil on one side and you plug a USB-C cable on the other side. And it looks like this: Image Credits: Apple On the connectivity front, the iPad supports Wi-Fi 6 and you can also get an iPad with cellular connectivity that supports 5G networks. When it comes to accessories, Apple has designed a new Magic Keyboard Folio with a trackpad. It features full-size keys with 1 mm of travel and a row of function keys to adjust the volume, control media and more. Interestingly, the Magic Keyboard Folio is a two-piece accessory. You can attach the keyboard at the bottom of the device. The back cover with a built-in stand is a separate piece that magnetically attaches to the back of the device. Users can also fold the keyboard behind the device when not in use. This keyboard is quite expensive as the Magic Keyboard Folio costs $249. There is also a keyboard-less version of the cover for $79. Orders for the new iPad starts today and the device will be available on October 26. Image Credits: Apple

Belkin’s $30 Continuity Camera accessory is now available for MagSafe iPhones • ZebethMedia

Continuity Camera was one of the odder additions that arrived in the last round of Apple operating system updates. It seemed like an awkward fix to a longstanding issue with Mac webcams, clipping your iPhone to the top of your laptop lid, but I’ve come to appreciate it in my recent travels. Today, Belkin announced the availability of the first official Continuity Camera solution, the memorably named Belkin iPhone Mount with MagSafe. This was the accessory Apple teased all the way back at WWDC this summer. It’s effectively a silicone circle with MagSafe magnets in the rear. Image Credits: Brian Heater That snaps onto the back of the iPhone, and the small retractable lip goes over the top of the screen. It’s intended to be used with the rear-facing cameras facing toward you — in fact, without that in place, you may have trouble firing up the feature at all. That big metal ring that looks like a soda can pop-top, on the other hand, isn’t actually connected to the feature. Instead, it’s intended for the rest of the time. The idea is you can keep it on the back of the phone and stick your finger through the loop for a better grip. The magnet certainly seems strong enough. There are two versions of the accessory, including a larger one designed specifically for desktops – that one is currently listed as “coming soon.” The difference owes to the thick of the larger displays. Unfortunately that means you won’t be able to use the models interchangeably. Image Credits: Brian Heater Belkin sent me a demo unit around the time of my first macOS Ventura writeup and the final model arrived just as I was leaving for Disrupt, so I plan to put it through its paces this week with all of the conference calls I’m going to have to jump on in the greenroom (sorry everyone else). The iPhone 14 Pro’s camera beats the latest Mac Air’s by a mile. Honestly, it isn’t even close. Obviously, best case scenario is just better webcams built into the systems themselves, but this certainly works in a pinch, especially when on the road. My biggest issue at the moment has less to do with accessory than the implementation of Continuity Camera. Specifically, the iPhone 14 Pro is heavy — and the Pro Plus even more so. The new MacBook Air’s hinge, meanwhile, doesn’t appear to have been specifically developed with this capability in mind. That means that, unless the lid is at or near a 90-degree angle, the screen has a tendency to start lowering under the weight. Something to keep in mind.

Apple’s new M2 iPad Pro arrives October 26 • ZebethMedia

Seems we may not be getting a surprise October Apple event, after all. The company just dropped what will, no doubt, be one of its last major hardware updates for the calendar year. The iPad Pro is getting a spec refresh revolving around an upgrade for the M1 to M2 chip. The new chip sports eight CPU cores, with a performance bump of around 15%, according to Apple. The GPU is 10 cores, with a stated 35% performance boost per the company. Apple is clearly pushing the latest version of the Pro as something more akin to a laptop aimed at creative professionals, pushing enhancements to the sorts of content creation that could be managed by tablets as recently as a few years ago. It notes, The performance of M2 turbocharges even the most demanding workflows, from photographers editing massive photo libraries and designers manipulating complex 3D objects, to healthcare professionals taking advanced imaging and analysis, to gamers enjoying graphics-intensive games. The power of M2 also extends to the new media engine and the image signal processor, which combined with the advanced cameras, enable users to capture ProRes video for the first time and transcode ProRes footage up to 3x faster. This means content creators can capture, edit, and publish cinema-grade video from a single device out in the field. The high-end tablet comes in both 11- and 12.9-inch versions, available with 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB and 2TB of storage, coupled with 16GB of RAM. Both versions will be available in WiFI and 5G options. Connectivity gets a refresh here, with support for WiFi 6E. In terms of the its sustainability push, Apple notes that the Pro features 100% recycled gold for the circuit board, along with recycled aluminum, tin and various rare earth elements. The new iPad Pro arrives alongside a new (2nd gen) Apple Pencil, which can be detected further from the display (12mm), offering up a preview of sketches before committing stylus to tablet. Developing…

The Shure MV7 is a nearly perfect USB microphone • ZebethMedia

Around late-September/early-October each year, I get a Slack message from Greg asking whether I’m interested in writing a gift guide (or two). “Sure,” I say, never anticipating just how much of a slog the next two months are going to be for hardware news/reviews. Putting together a roundup like that has the decided benefit of forgetting what a pain the whole thing can be. I used to write a “Best Gifts for Travelers” each year. And then this global pandemic thing happened, at which point I shifted to “Best Gifts for Working from Home.” Fittingly, this year I’ve committed myself to both, as myself and others semi-cautiously reenter the world. My process for putting these together is getting in whatever potential products I can get my hands on. It’s easier said than done sometimes, but an important part of recommending products is actually trying them yourself. I know it sounds straightforward, but you’d be surprised. The past few years have been a bit of a quiet revolution for teleconferencing. Some folks are perfectly content using their computers’ built-in camera and microphone, be it for the sake of simplicity or price. Honestly, that’s fine for like 99% of the people 99% of the time. I had my hand forced on both of these things for two reasons. First, I review gadgets for a living. Second, I’ve been hosting a podcast for just under 10 years and the pandemic required a shift from in-person to remote. For a variety of reasons, I haven’t gone back. I’ve written about my in-person mobile podcasting setup in these pages a number of times. It was the result of several years of refinement through trial and error. Putting together my at-home setup hasn’t been all that different, honestly. In particular, I’ve gone through a number of different USB mics. If I had more money and time, I’d probably have a more professional auto interface with a proper XLR microphone. My level of commitment has, instead, been seeking out my platonic ideal USB microphone. Up to now, I’ve been happily recommending the Audio Technica ATR2100-USB. It’s a great-sounding, directional stick mic, with both a USB-C and XLR input that’s not dissimilar from the sort I used for face-to-face interviews. I’m partial to directional microphones for a number of reasons, and have long thought they ought to be the industry standard, particularly for beginners. Here’s the dirty little secret in all of those: You can get pretty good sound from most USB mics over $100 (and several below), but the interface is almost intentionally difficult. Many of these microphones feature three, four or five directional settings. Beginners will almost invariably choose the wrong one, accidentally turn the gain up full force and wind up sounding worse than they would have with a pair of earbuds or a default system microphone. The ATR2100-USB fixed that with simple, out of the box setup. But the Shure MV7 takes things even further. The design looks like a more compact version of the legendary studio/podcasting SM78. I’m not going to say it sounds as good as a proper studio mic with a proper studio interface, but I will say I doubt most people would be able to pick out the difference. The MV7’s sound is rich, full and warm — everything you want out of a vocal mic. Like the ATR2100-USB, it sports both an XLR and USB-C output. Given how good it sounds, however, I don’t feel any need to switch to the former. Also like the Audio Technica system, it just works. Plug it in, make sure your software is accessing it and you should be good. Better still, there’s a touch panel with green lights that lets you adjust the volume on the fly. There’s also a headphone input if you want to monitor your voice in real time through the mic. A few downsides. First is price. At $250, you can get a good mic at half the price. This, however, is a great mic. If sound is important to you, splurge a little. Second has more to do with the directional design. If you absentmindedly shift a lot in your seat while speaking, this might not be the mic for you. I do that sometimes, and I’m just trying to force myself to be more mindful of those movements. Third, it’s fairly heavy. If it’s just going to live on your home desk, no biggie. It mounts on either a mic stand (I have a small one I use) or an arm. For an additional $20, the company will toss in a mini tripod. If you plan to take it on the road, it could be a bit more of an issue, but it’s far from a dealbreaker, especially given the small size (just remember to pack a stand). I’ve been recording episodes of my podcast exclusively on the MV7 and haven’t looked back since.

Repairable laptop firm Framework introduces refurbished program • ZebethMedia

Framework is at the vanguard of a growing movement to make electronics more repair-friendly. Some have done so by choice and others have been…nudged in that direction by looming right to repair legislation across the globe. Framework, like Fairphone, is making that a core principle of its technology, without sacrificing the final project (check Devin’s review here). Today the company announced another step in the process of reusing consumer waste with the addition of a refurbished program that will make its laptops and components available for a secondhand discount. The program launches today with the Laptop DIY additions, three Intel processors and an expansion card pack. Those are all currently available to customers in the U.S. and Canada. Additional parts will be added to the list, down the road. The company notes: Refurbished laptops and modules typically start from the small number of returns we get from our 30-day return guarantee. They then go through an extensive testing and cleaning process at our service center in New Jersey, where any parts that don’t meet our specifications are replaced. We also have service centers in Europe and Australia capable of performing refurbishment at the same level of quality, but we’ve received so few returns that we haven’t been able to build refurbished inventory for sale just yet. Per the company, the refurbed parts are covered by the same warranty as those purchased new.

Google’s Pixel Watch delivers nice hardware, but fails to answer the ‘why’ • ZebethMedia

It took some evasive maneuvering to get us here — the building out of a small-scale hardware ecosystem, coupled with a couple big-ticket acquisitions and a partnership with one of its largest potential competitors. But suddenly, Google emerging as competitive in the smartwatch space doesn’t seem an altogether outlandish proposition. One can make a compelling argument that the software giant learned some hard lessons from past smartwatch and earbud struggles. Entering an already mature hardware category isn’t easy for anyone; spending in excess of $2 billion is a pretty good shortcut if your pockets are deep enough. While devices are reasonably far along in this world, things aren’t that cut and dry. For one thing, Google’s partnership with Samsung meant an overnight increase in Wear OS market share. Both companies were staring at Apple’s first place lead from a distance, so why not join forces? At the very least, it’s been a swift kick in the pants for a wearable operating system that has languished for the better part of a decade. Image Credits: Brian Heater Even more central to the deal are a pair of big purchases. The $2.1 billion Fitbit deal was obviously the highest-profile move there — and understandably so. It’s not every day a household name gets acquired. Like the Samsung move, that deal immediately buys Google more market share, and from the looks of things, it will work out similarly to the Apple/Beats deal: Google gets immediately built-in sales and keeps the brand name around, as it uses Fitbit’s software as a foundation for its first-party play. The bit that gets lost in a lot of this is the company’s 2019 purchase of $40 million in Fossil IP. The deal mostly revolved around an unseen prototype that may well have served as the architecture for the new Pixel Watch hardware. Certainly the product looks like nothing Fitbit has ever given us before. It’s worth noting that Google didn’t just buy Fitbit and a piece of Fossil. There’s a sense in which it acquired the many companies they themselves acquired. It’s difficult to point to, but there are likely pieces of OG wearable Pebble, Vector, Twine and Coin (Fitbit), along with Misfit (Fossil) living in this small device currently sitting on my wrist. Add in the company’s work with Samsung, and you’ve got a kind of secret history of the smartwatch universe sitting in front of you. Image Credits: Brian Heater That’s an incredible cocktail of smartwatch DNA. Is it enough to catapult the Pixel Watch to the top of the rankings? Well, no. Obviously not. But it’s enough to compete. Apple remains the insurmountable mountain for the moment — and let’s be honest, the company effectively sits alone in the world of iPhone compatibility. Google’s competition sits much closer to home. Specifically, the company is up against Samsung, Fitbit and a number of companies like Xiaomi, which are duking it out for the lower end of the market. Garmin, meanwhile, is off in its own outdoor world with little competition outside the likes of the Apple Watch Ultra. So, really, that leaves Samsung as the Pixel Watch’s one immediate competitor. The Galaxy Watch has maintained the No. 2 spot for some time, so that’s still some stiff competition. Image Credits: Brian Heater The Pixel Watch is a looker. I really dig the design here. It’s about as minimal as one can get — a big change from the Apple Watch Ultra I’d been wearing previously. It’s a watch distilled down to its essence — glossy curved glass, with a haptic crown on the side. It’s also quite small. The case is 41mm, the smaller of the two standard Apple Watch models. The display is even smaller, at 1.2 inches, to the 41mm Series 8’s 1.53 inches. We’re very much dealing with screen sizes where a fraction of an inch can make a world of difference. Google’s device isn’t helped much by some sizable bezels on the sides. You mostly won’t notice them, due to all of the watch faces being black. With a lighter-colored face, the space would be much more noticeable. Ultimately what that means, however, is that there’s less surface area for a touch display. When it comes to wearables, I’ve long been of the opinion that the more size options, the better. Human bodies are like that, you know? Given the option, however, I’d say smaller is ultimately better. It’s a lot easier to wear a watch case that’s too small, instead of one that’s too large. The 41mm case felt and looked small on my wrist, but the screen size is enough for most things, assuming you’re not planning to do a lot of typing. Still, I would be shocked if the Pixel Watch 2 doesn’t arrive in at least two sizes next year. Image Credits: Brian Heater The bands snap on and off with a press of a button and a slide. It’s a little tricky the first time, so much so the company guides you through taking it on and off during setup. The connector is proprietary, and at present only Google makes compatible bands. There’s a decent selection of both materials and price points, and the company has plans to open it up to third parties. The Pixel Watch launches with an always-on display, though it was off by default. When enabled, it effectively presents a lower res and slightly dimmed version of your watch face. The battery was a bit disappointing in my trials, so you may want to keep it off, depending on how long you’re looking to eke out. With it on, getting to a full 24 hours can be tricky. So if you’re planning to do some sleep tracking, maybe budget in some quick charging time. One thing Google managed to avoid by way of its late entry was the years’ long search for meaning among smartwatch makers. Notifications were pitched as the thing in those early days. Eventually, however, health tracking became

Samsung and Google partner to speed up Matter-enable smart home setups • ZebethMedia

Samsung and Google announced a new partnership today that will allow easier setup for Matter-enabled devices on both Samsung SmartThings and Google Home systems. At the Samsung Developer Conference held in San Fransisco, the Korean tech giant said that it will update its SmartThings app in the coming months so that users can onboard Matter-enabled devices even if they are set up in Google’s ecosystem and vice versa. For the uninitiated, Matter is an Internet of Things standard that’s being developed by companies like Apple, Google, Amazon and Samsung to ensure smart home devices from different companies work across ecosystems. Last week the Connectivity Standards Alliance, the consortium behind Matter, officially approved the first set of specifications so developers can apply for certification for their solutions. Samsung said it’s using Matter’s multi-admin capabilities to make compatible devices easy to find and control across different apps. Once the company updates the SmartThings apps, users can see Matter-enabled devices that were set up under Google’s ecosystem and then import them into Samsung’s ecosystem and vice versa. This way, users will be able to control these devices from either the Samsung SmartThings app or the Google Home app. “As the largest Android developer, Samsung values its strong partnership with Google. Providing users with greater flexibility through this new multi-admin feature is a natural progression in our evolution as partners, allowing us to better support our massive existing and potential user base with both Samsung and Google products,” Jaeyeon Jung, Corporate VP and Head of SmartThings at Samsung said in a statement.

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