Month: November 2020

Pixel 5 review: Google spends its bill-of-materials budget unwisely

Wasting money on things like mmWave means the Pixel 5 offers little over the Pixel 4a.

  • The Pixel 5, which looks pretty good. [credit: Ron Amadeo ]

Google's flagship smartphone for 2020, the Pixel 5, is definitely a departure from previous releases. The company has opted out of the ultrapremium flagship wars that have led to smartphone prices rocketing past the $1,000 price point, and instead, it's turning in a midrange, $700 Snapdragon 765 phone as its highest-end device. On one hand, I appreciate the pushback on the $1,000 smartphone price tag, especially in the middle of a pandemic depressed economy. On the other hand, Google has always had trouble competing with the rest of the market when it comes to value for your dollar, and that's just as true in the upper-midrange market as it was in the flagship market—there are better deals out there.

Some history

As we've said in previous Pixel reviews, it's hard to know what exactly Google's goal is supposed to be with the Pixel line, and it doesn't seem like Google is sticking with too much of a long-term plan, either. After the death of the value-oriented Nexus line and a ho-hum Pixel 1 launch, Google Hardware SVP Rick Osterloh told the world "Pixel stays premium" in 2017, indicating a return to cheaper phones wouldn't happen. In 2019, the company went back on that and released the Pixel 3a, a midrange $400 phone. Now, in 2020, even the most expensive Pixel isn't premium anymore. The Pixel 5 is also a midrange smartphone, and that means it doesn't feel all that much different from the Pixel 4a.

Originally, the Pixel was a premium phone because it was supposed to be Google's iPhone killer, so what is it now? The move downmarket seems like an admission the company can't—or doesn't want to—compete in the cutthroat premium-smartphone market. Other than Apple, the rest of the Pixel's competitors are also Google's Android customer base. Google has never shown an interest in playing hardball with them, and so the Pixel line has only ever looked like a small "hobby" side project. This conflict of interest has meant the Pixel phones have almost always been "good software with hardware that isn't quite competitive," and that remains just as true in the upper midrange market as it was in the premium-smartphone market. Moving downmarket a bit doesn't put Google any closer to the competition. The Pixel line used to be aspirational, but there's nothing unique about the phone this year in terms of new features. So more than anything, the Pixel 5 feels like Google is taking the year off.

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Oneplus N10 5G im Test: Oneplus’ merkwürdiger zweiter Versuch in der Mittelklasse

Mit dem N10 5G vergrößert Oneplus sein Mittelklasseangebot. Angesichts der Unterschiede zum Oneplus Nord und dem nur etwas geringeren Preis fragen wir uns im Test allerdings, warum jemand das Smartphone kaufen sollte. Ein Test von Tobias Költzsch (Onep…

Mit dem N10 5G vergrößert Oneplus sein Mittelklasseangebot. Angesichts der Unterschiede zum Oneplus Nord und dem nur etwas geringeren Preis fragen wir uns im Test allerdings, warum jemand das Smartphone kaufen sollte. Ein Test von Tobias Költzsch (Oneplus, Smartphone)

Pirate Streaming Sites Raided By Thai Police For Streaming Hollywood Movies

Thailand’s Department of Special Investigation has raided and shut down three pirate streaming services after they provided access to content owned by the MPA and local companies. The platforms were previously targeted as part of an earlier series of raids but had relocated to new domain names to continue serving customers.

From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.

IPTVA recent survey commission by the Asia Video Industry Association’s Coalition Against Piracy (CAP) and conducted by YouGov revealed that around 53% of online consumers in Thailand use illegal streaming platforms or torrent sites to access otherwise premium content.

The survey also found that of those who admitted using such platforms, around 66% claimed to have canceled some or even all of their legal subscriptions as a result. This and other similar reports helped sound alarm bells in the country so, last month, authorities carried out a series of actions to shut down pirate sites.

Raids During October, Resurrected Sites Hit Again in November

On October 22, the Department of Special Investigation carried out raids targeting a number of illegal sites, shutting several down while seizing computer equipment. Among them were Kingiptv.cc, Doohdbox.com, and Hdplay.tv but it appears that the operators of these platforms weren’t immediately ready to throw in the towel.

According to local media reports, the three sites switched to new domains – Kingiptv.cc to Kingiptv.info, doohdbox.com to skyhdbox.com, and hdplay.tv to hdlive.site. This prompted further action by the authorities.

doohdbox

Lieutenant Colonel Wichai Suwanprasert, head of the DSI’s Bureau of Technology and Cyber Crime, says that his unit traced the whereabouts of the resurrected sites and subsequently raided four locations in Bangkok, Nakhon Pathom, and two areas in the central province of Samut Prakan.

In addition to shutting down the four streaming platforms, which together generated an alleged seven million baht per month (US$229,357), officers also seized computer hardware, mobile phones, bank books and ATM cards.

“These websites were streaming copyright material belonging to True Visions Group Co and the Motion Picture Association without permission,” said Police Lieutenant Col Wichai.

Earlier Collaboration Between the MPA and DSI

TrueVisions is a cable and satellite television operator in Thailand and as the group representing the major Hollywood studios and Netflix, the Motion Picture Association needs little introduction.

The MPA and DSI already have an operational relationship. Following an MPA request late 2019, the DSI shut down streaming portal Movie2free.com, arresting a 22-year-old man.

At the time, Movie2free.com was Thailand’s most popular pirate site and one of the most popular on the Internet, period. It had previously appeared in the MPA’s overview of “notorious pirate sites”, which was submitted to the United States Trade Representative.

Site-Blocking in Thailand

Back in August, the Department of Intellectual Property (DIP), the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society (DES), and the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) announced new site-blocking provisions to deal more efficiently with the threat posed by pirate sites.

After a court hands down a blocking injunction, Internet service providers now have just 15 days to block domains, including new domains that are used by pirate site operators to circumvent blocking orders. Failing to do so so means an ISP can be fined under the Computer Crimes Act.

From: TF, for the latest news on copyright battles, piracy and more.

Mediendämmerung nach Trump?

Das Murdoch-Medienimperium scheint sich mit Bidens Wahlgewinn umzuorientieren, aber auch CNN, Washington Post, NYT etc. haben ihren Feind verloren

Das Murdoch-Medienimperium scheint sich mit Bidens Wahlgewinn umzuorientieren, aber auch CNN, Washington Post, NYT etc. haben ihren Feind verloren

Assassin’s Creed im Test: Axtschwingen in Englaland

Sümpfe und Wälder statt Mittelmeer: Assassin’s Creed Valhalla schickt uns nach England – für das die Wikinger einen alten Namen verwenden. Von Peter Steinlechner (Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, Spieletest)

Sümpfe und Wälder statt Mittelmeer: Assassin's Creed Valhalla schickt uns nach England - für das die Wikinger einen alten Namen verwenden. Von Peter Steinlechner (Assassin's Creed Valhalla, Spieletest)