Month: February 2022

Samsung is introducing a range of new laptops and convertibles with prices starting at $900 for the new Galaxy Book2 360 13.3 inch convertible with an OLED display and 12th-gen Intel Core processor to $1250 for the Galaxy Book2 Pro 360 which… honestly has similar specs, but has a slimmer, lighter design, Intel Evo certification, and comes in two screen sizes.

First announced during Mobile World Congress in February, the new Galaxy Book2 line of computers are now available from Samsung for $900 and up.

Here’s an overview of Samsung’s Galaxy Book2 line of laptops.

Samsung Galaxy Book2 Pro 360

Samsung’s new flagship-class convertible comes in two sizes: there’s a 13.3 inch model that weighs 1.04 kg (2.3 pounds) and measures 11.5mm (0.45″) thick and a 15.6 inch model that’s 1.41 kg (3.1 pounds) and 11.9mm (0.47″).

Specs for both models are largely the same: they each have 500-nit, 1920 x 1080 pixel Super AMOLED displays with 120% DCI-P3 color gamut, support for Intel Core i5 or Core i7 Alder Lake processors, Thunderbolt 4, USB-C, 3.5mm audio and microSD card slots, and Samsung S-Pen support.

Both also have 1080p webcams and dual microphones, support for 8GB to 32GB of LPDDR5 memory and 256GB to 1TB of solid state storage. And both are available in silver, graphite, or burgundy color options.

Where they differ a bit is that the larger model has a 68 Wh battery while the smaller has a 63 Wh battery. They both have backlit keyboards, but only the 15.6 inch version has a number pad. And while they both have stereo speakers, the larger model has 5W speakers, while the 13.3 inch version tops out at 4 watts (which is still pretty good by laptop speaker standards).

The Samsung Galaxy Book2 Pro 360 will be available in April for $1250 and up, although pre-orders should open in mid-March.

​	Galaxy Book2 Pro 360​ 13.3”	Galaxy Book2 Pro 360 15.6”
Dimensions	302.5 x 202 x 11.5mm	354.85 x 227.97 x 11.9mm
Weight​	1.04kg	1.41kg
OS	Windows 11
Display​	13.3-inch FHD Super AMOLED (16:9 ratio), Up to 500nit (HDR), 120% Color Volume (DCI-P3), HDR 1,000,000:1 FHD (1920 x 1080)	15.6-inch FHD Super AMOLED (16:9 ratio), Up to 500nit (HDR), 120% Color Volume (DCI-P3), HDR 1,000,000:1 FHD (1920 x 1080)
CPU​ (Platform)	12th Gen Intel CoreProcessors (i7/i5) (Intel EV)
Graphic​	Intel Iris Xe Graphics
Connectivity (WLAN)	Wi-Fi 6E, 802.11 ax 2×2, Bluetooth v5.1
Color​	Silver, Graphite, Burgundy
Memory	8/16/32GB (LPDDR5)
Storage	256/512GB, 1TB SSD
Camera/Mic	FHD 1080p / Dual Array Mic
Audio (Speakers)	Stereo 2 x max 4W (Smart AMP), Sound by AKG, Dolby Atmos	Stereo 2 x max 5W (Smart AMP), Sound by AKG, Dolby Atmos
Keyboard	Island Type with Backlit	3-row Numeric, Island Type with Backlit
S Pen (Stylus)	In-box (8.2 x 7.7 x 144.84mm, 7.9g)
Battery​	63Wh (Typical)	68Wh (Typical)
Adaptor​ (Charging)	65W USB Type-C Adaptor
Authentication (Security)	Fingerprint​ on Power Key
Ports	Thunderbolt 4 (1), USB Type-C (2), Headphone/Mic, microSD
Solution	Private Share, Bixby, Quick Share, SmartThings, Galaxy Book Smart Switch, Second screen, Easy Bluetooth Connection, Samsung Notes & Gallery

Samsung Galaxy Book2 Pro

While these model lacks the 360-degree hinge and touchscreen displays of their slightly pricier counterparts, they’re also even thinner and lighter and the 15.6 inch model is available with an option for Intel Arc discrete graphics.

The Galaxy Book2 Pro 13.3″ weighs just 870 grams (1.9) pounds) and measures 11.2mm (0.44″) thick, while the 15.6 inch model is 1.11kg (2.5 pounds) and 11.7mm (0.46″) with integrated graphics or 1.17 kg (2.6 pounds) and 13.2mm (0.52″) with a discrete GPU.

Both sizes are available with Intel Core i5 and Core i7 Alder Lake processor options, 1080p AMOLED displays, support for up to 32GB of LPDDR5 memory and 1TB of PCIe NVMe storage, and both have similar port, keyboard, speaker and battery configurations as their convertible counterparts.

The Samsung Galaxy Book2 Pro will be available in April for $1050 and up.

Galaxy Book2 Pro
​	Galaxy Book2 Pro 13.3”	Galaxy Book2 Pro 15.6”
Dimensions	304.4 x 199.8 x 11.2mm	355.4 x 225.8 x 11.7mm (Internal Graphic) 355.4 x 225.8 x 13.2mm (External Graphic)
Weight​	0.87kg	1.11kg (Internal Graphic) 1.17kg (External Graphic)
OS	Windows 11
Display​	AMOLED, FHD ​(1920 x 1080)
CPU (Platform)	12th Gen Intel Core Processors (i7/i5) (Intel EVO)
Graphic​	Intel Iris Xe Graphics	Intel Iris Xe Graphics Intel Arc Graphics
Connectivity	Wi-Fi 6E, 802.11 ax, 2×2, Bluetooth v5.1	5G, Wi-Fi 6E, 802.11 ax, 2×2, Bluetooth v5.1
Color​	Silver, Graphite
Memory	8/16/32GB (LPDDR5)
Storage	Up to 1TB (NVMe SSD)
Camera/Mic	FHD 1080p/Dual Array Mic
Audio	Stereo 2 x max 4W (Smart AMP), Sound by AKG, Dolby Atmos	Stereo 2 x max 5W (Smart AMP), Sound by AKG, Dolby Atmos
Keyboard	Island Type with Backlit	3-row Numeric, Island Type with Backlit
Battery​	63Wh (Typical)	68Wh​ (Typical)
Adaptor​	65W USB Type-C Adapter
Authentication	Fingerprint​ on Power Key
Ports	Thunderbolt 4 (1), USB Type-C (1), USB 3.2 (1), HDMI (1), 3.5pi Headphone/Mic, microSD	Thunderbolt 4 (1), USB Type-C (1), USB 3.2 (1), HDMI (1), 3.5pi Headphone/Mic, microSD, nano SIM (Optional) slot

Samsung Galaxy Book2 360

This model is exclusively available as a 13.3 inch convertible, and it’s the most affordable of the bunch, with a $900 starting price. It still features a 13.3 inch OLED touchscreen display, a backlit keyboard, a 65W USB-C power adapter, a fingerprint reader on the power button, and a Thunderbolt 4 port.

But other specs are slightly less impressive. While the Galaxy Book2 360 will be available with up to a 12th-gen Intel Core i7 processor and 1TB of solid state storage, it tops out at 16GB of LPDDR4x memory and entry-level configurations may have Intel Celeron, Pentium or Core i3 processors

The notebook has a 720p webcam rather than 1080p. The 61.1 Wh battery is a little smaller than the ones included with other models. And at 1.16 kg (2.56 pounds) and 12.9mm (0.51″) thick, the Galaxy Book2 360 is certainly a thin and light notebook. It’s just not as thin or light as its siblings.

Samsung Galaxy Book2 Business

Samsung has also introduced a new line of business-class 14 inch laptops that are expected to ship in April with optional support for features including a 4G LTE cellular modem, up to a 12th-gen Intel Core i7 vPro processor, up to 64GB of RAM, and optional support for NVIDIA MX570 graphics on some models.

The company hasn’t announced how much this new 14 inch notebook will cost, and notes that it will only be available “in select markets.” Those details should be available closer to launch, but a spec sheet is already available:

Galaxy Book2 Business
Dimensions	326.4 x 213.8 x 19.92mm
Weight*	1.51kg
OS	Windows 11 Pro
Display*	14-inch, FHD, Anti-Glare
CPU*	Intel vPro with 12th Gen Intel Core i5 or i7 processors /12th Gen Intel Core i3 or i5 or i7 processor
Graphic*	Intel UHD GraphicsIntel Iris X Graphics NVIDIA GeForce MX570 A
Connectivity	4G LTEWi-Fi 6E
Color	Graphite
Memory	8GB, up to 64GB (2 Slot)
Storage	256GB, up to 1TB
Camera/Mic	FHD 1080p + IR / Dual MIC
Audio	Stereo Speaker, Dolby ATMOS
Battery	51.5Wh (typical)
Adaptor	USB-C 65W
Authentication	IR Camera, Fingerprint Power Key
Ports	USB-C (1), USB-A (2), Thunderbolt 4, HDMI 2.0, RJ45, Headphone / Mic, uSD, Kensington Lock

via Samsung (1)(2)(3)

This article was originally published February 27, 2022 and most recently updated April 1, 2022.

The post Samsung Galaxy Book2 series notebooks now available for $900 and up appeared first on Liliputing.

Der Technikchef von Telefónica Deutschland spricht nicht nur auf einer Veranstaltung seines Ausrüsters Huawei, er findet auch realistische Worte für sein Netz. (Telefónica, Huawei)

Mit unter 900 Gramm könnte man bei Samsungs Galaxy Book 2 Pro fast vergessen, dass man es eingesteckt hat. Die verbaute Technik ist auf gehobenem Niveau. Ein Hands-on von Tobias Költzsch (MWC2022, Notebook)

Huawei’s latest MatePad tablet features a 10.4 inch, 2000 x 1200 pixel LCD display, a Kirin 820 processor, 4GB of RAM, and optional support for accessories including a pressure-sensitive pen and a detachable keyboard.

It’ll be available soon with prices starting at €279 ($315).

That puts the tablet squarely in the mid-range space. It costs twice as much as an Amazon Fire HD 10 ($150), for example, but not nearly as much as a Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 ($700).

But Huwei’s tablet does have a few things that help set it apart from cheaper devices. For example, it has four speakers and 3 microphones. The optional Huawei M-Pen provides 4096 levels of pressure sensitivity, allowing you to write or draw on the screen. And the tablet supports Huawei’s new Super Device platform, which allows you to pair the tablet with a PC for use as a second screen or to quickly transfer files between devices, among other things.

Unlike some recent Huawei devices, the new MatePad ships with Android…  but it comes with the aging Android 10.0 operating system and Huawei’s EMUI 10.1 user interface rather than a more recent build of Google’s software. But there are some nifty add-ons like support for viewing up to four apps at once thanks to a split-screen mode that puts two apps side-by-side and lets you view two more in smaller floating windows.

The tablet’s Kirin 820 processor is an 8-core chip with:

• 1 x Cortex-A76 CPU core @ 2.36 GHz
• 3 x Cortex-A76 CPU cores @ 2.22 GHz
• 4 x Cortex-A55 CPU cores @ 1.84 GHz
• ARM Mali-G57 graphics

The MatePad has an IPS LCD display with up to 470 nits brightness, 8MP front and rear cameras, a 7250 mAh battery and 10V/2.25A charger, a USB 2.0 Type-C port, a microSD card reader, and support for WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1. It does not have a headphone jack, but the tablet comes with a USB-C to 3.5mm audio adapter.

The tablet measures 245.2 x 155 x 7.5mm (9.7″ x 6.1″ x 0.29″) and weighs 460 grams (1 pound). It will be available in three pricing/configuration options:

• 4GB/64GB for €279 ($315)
• 4GB/128GB for €319 ($360)
• 4GB/128GB + keyboard & pen for €379 ($430)

The post Huawei’s launches a new mid-range MatePad tablet for €279 and up appeared first on Liliputing.

Huawei’s new Super Device platform brings cross-device features that let you use the company’s PCs, mobile, and wearable devices together.

For example, pair a phone with your PC and you can mirror your phone’s display or open up to three mobile app windows on your computer, allowing you to watch videos or engage in chat without leaving your desktop. Or pair a Huawei MatePad tablet with your Windows PC and you can use the tablet as an external display for additional desktop space.

You can also choose to mirror your desktop rather than extending it… which has the added benefit of allowing you to use your tablet’s screen as an input device. This allows you to use a pressure-sensitive pen, for example, to take handwritten notes or draw pictures.

Pairing a phone or tablet also allows you to drag and drop files between devices.

And since the cross-device features extend to Huawei’s new MatePad Paper with an ePaper display, that makes it extraordinarily easy to transfer documents to an ePaper tablet for reading.

Huawei says Super Device also simplifies pairing of Huawei-branded peripherals including true wireless earbuds, Bluetooth speakers, and wireless mice and keyboards.

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TCL is unveiling three new tablets at Mobile World Congress, including the TCL NXTPAPER Max 10 with what the company describes as a paper-like display, a 4G-capable version of the TCL Tab 10 HD which the company unveiled at CES in January, and the TCL Tab 10s 5G, which is poised to be one of the most affordable 5G tablets to date, with a starting price of €349 (about $395).

The TCL Tab 10 HD 4G is available in Europe now, while the other tablets should hit the streets in the second quarter of 2022. TCL is also teasing an upcoming TCL Tab Pro 12 5G, which will be the company’s largest, highest-spec tablet yet, but we’ll have to wait until closer to launch for full details about that model.

TCL Tab 10s 5G

This 10.1 inch tablets features a 1920 x 1200 pixel display, 4GB of RAM, 64GB of storage, and a microSD card reader with support for cards up to 256GB.

It’s powered by a MediaTek MT8771 processor, which is an octa-core chip featuring:

• 2 x ARM Cortex-A78 CPU cores @ 2.4 GHz
• 2 x ARM Cortex-A55 CPU cores @ 2 GHz
• Mali-G57 MC2 graphics

The tablet has stereo speakers, an 8MP rear camera and a 5MP front-facing camera plus an 8,000 mAh battery and 9V/2A USB-C charger

The TCL Tab 10s 5G supports 5G sub-6 GHz network bands as well as 4G, 3G, and 2G networks, GPS, WiFi 6, and Bluetooth 5.1. The tablet will ship with Android 12 software.

Optional accessories include a TCL A-Pen for writing or drawing, a flip-case, and a keyboard.

All told, it’s not exactly a premium tablet. But it should offer decent performance for a little work or play on the go thanks to its always

TCL NXTPAPER Max 10

The latest in TCL’s line of NXTPAPER tablets has an anti-glare screen with low blue light emission that the company says “looks and feels like paper.” But unlike most E Ink or ePaper displays, the screen is an IPS LCD with support for full color and a a refresh rate suitable for full-motion video or games.

TCL says the tablet will be available in Asia in the middle of Q2, 2022 for €269 (305) and up, and the tablet’s specs include:

• 10.36 inch, 2000 x 1200 pixel display
• MediaTek MT8788 processor (4 x ARM Cortex-A73 @ 2 GHz, 4 x ARM Cortex-A53 @ 2 GHz)
• Mali-G76 MP3 graphics
• 4GB RAM
• 64GB storage + microSD card reader (up to 256GB)
• 13MP rear camera
• 8MP front camera
• Stereo speakers
• Dual microphones
• WiFi-only or WiFi + 4G LTE
• WiFi 5
• Bluetooth 5.0
• USB 2.0 Type-C
• 9V/2A charger
• Android 11

Optional accessories include a flip case, keyboard case, and T-Pen active pen for pressure-sensitive writing or drawing.

TCL says the tablet’s 8,000 mAh battery should be able to provide up to 1250 hours (52 days) of standby time thanks to the tablet’s low-power specs, although I’d expect substantially less during active use. It takes about 4 hours to fully charge the battery though.

TCL Tab 10 HD 4G

This budget tablet is now available in Europe for €179 ($200), and a full HD version will be available in Asia starting in late March for €199 ($225).

Both are 10.1 inch tablets with 4G LTE support, Mediatek MT6762 processors (4 x ARM Cortex-A53 cores @ 2 GHz, 4 Cortex-A53 cores @ 1.5 GHz), PowerVR GFE8320 graphics, 5MP front and rear cameras, 5,500 mAh batteries, and 5V/2A USB-C chargers.

But it seems like you’ll get a lot more bang for the buck with the FHD model. Not only does it have a 1920 x 1200 pixel display, but that model also has 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage and ships with Android 11 software, while the Tab HD has a 1280 x 800 pixel screen, just 2GB of RAM, and Android 11 Go Edition software.

Both tablets do have microSD card readers and one feature you won’t find in TCL’s pricier tablets: a headphone jack.

TCL Tab Pro 12 5G

TCL isn’t ready to say much about this upcoming tablet, but we already know it will be the company’s largest Android tablet and it has at least some big specs to match its big screen size, including quad speakers, a 2-in-1 design that allows you to use it with a detachable keyboard, and, as the name suggests, 5G support.

The company says it will reveal more about the Tab Pro 12 5G in the coming weeks.

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Smartphones and laptops with foldable screens have been around for a few years at this point, but most bend the same way: you can fold a device in half so the inside screen is covered and it’s easier to slide into a pocket (and there’s typically a second screen on the cover).

But TCL is introducing a new Ultra Flex display concept that folds up to 360 degrees, meaning you can fold it inward and outward. It’s just one of several new foldable display concepts TCL is showcasing at Mobile World Congress this week.

Ultra Flex

This 360-degree folding screen allows for a single device that can be held in three ways:

• Tablet: The screen is unfolded so it’s flat for use as a tablet.
• Phone: Fold the screen so that it wraps around the display, allowing you to view and interact with the half of the display that’s facing you.
• Closed: Fold the device so that the screen is entirely covered and protected as if you had slipped it into a protective case.

The upside of this sort of setup is that there’s no need for a cover screen. The down side is that TCL says it had to not only make a flexible screen, but also engineer a hinge that could fold both ways without allowing dust to get under the screen.

While the company is demonstrating the Ultra Flex concept in a phone/tablet-sized package, TCL says the design could be scaled up and down to different sized devices.

Surround Display

This concept only folds in one direction, but it also eliminates the need for a secondary cover display because the primary screen wraps around the phone, covering nearly half of the back cover.

This allows you to fold the device so that it’s closed and still have a full-sized, phone-shaped screen to interact with. The area at the side of the phone where the screen wraps around could also be used for notifications or other information when the phone is closed.

Unfold the screen and you’ve got a tablet-shaped device.

Fold ‘n’ Roll

In case the name didn’t give it away, the TCL Fold ‘n’ Roll concept is a screen that not only bends at the middle, allowing you to unfold a phone-like device to view a larger tablet-sized screen, but part of the screen is actually hidden inside the phone’s body. When you unfold the screen you can also unroll the hidden display to provide even more screen space.

This is an update to a concept TCL first unveiled a year ago. At the time it was just a concept that was only visible in rendered images, but TCL says it’s now ready to show off a working prototype at Mobile World Congress.

The display is 6.7 inches when unfolded, and 8.8 inches when also unrolled.

TCL says this was the most complex display of the bunch to develop, as it presents additional challenges when designing a scratch-resistant flexible plastic screen while trying to prevent dirt and dust from getting behind the display where they could cause damage.

For now all three of these display types are just concepts: there’s no word on if or when you’ll be able to buy a phone or other device featuring the technology. But TCL is showing off physical prototypes at Mobile World Congress, and Engadget went hands-on (and found that the prototypes to be impressive, but a little rough around the edge):

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Huawei’s MateBook X Pro has earned a reputation as one of the best thin and light laptops around since the company launched its first model in 2018. This year Huawei is kicking things up a few notches with a new model sporting a high-resolution display with a 90 Hz refresh rate, a 3:2 aspect ratio, slim bezels, and other premium features including six speakers (including four woofers).

First announced in China a few months ago, Huawei is using Mobile World Congress as a global coming out party for the MateBook X Pro (2022). The laptop should be available soon in select markets – but it has a premium price to match its premium specs. It’s expected to sell for €1,899 (~$2140).

The laptop has plenty of features to help justify that price, including a 14.2 inch, 3120 x 2080 pixel touchscreen display, bezels slim enough for a 92.5% screen-to-body ratio, 500 nits brightness, and a 720p webcam above the display.

It also features 16GB of LPDDR4x memory, a 1TB M.2 SSD, four microphones, a fingerprint sensor in the power button, four USB Type-C ports, a headset jack, and support for WiFi 6 and Bluetooth 5.1.

All of that’s crammed into a compact design with the laptop sporting an aluminum alloy chassis measuring just 0.61 inches thick and weighing just 3.1 pounds, despite an improved cooling system with dual fans and three air intakes, which Huawei says brings 60 percent more airflow.

The notebook also comes with a 90W GaN USB-C fast charger that weighs just 180 grams (about 6 ounces).

Unfortunately the laptop has one potential Achilles’ Heel: it’s powered by an Intel Core i7-1195G7 processor. While that’s probably the best processor from Intel’s 11th-gen Core U lineup, it’s one of last year’s best chips rather than one of this year’s. Huawei says it will offer models with 12th-gen Intel Core chips later this year, but it feels a little late in the game to launch a $2000+ notebook powered by a previous-gen processor when this year’s chips are expected to bring significant performance gains.

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For online media consumers, things have improved significantly over the years. More content is made available globally than ever before.

In today’s on-demand society this is particularly important for new content. A geographical delay of a few days can be sufficient to drive some people to pirate sites.

“Friends” Pirates

Availability is not only important for new releases though as iconic movies and TV shows always stay in high demand. This also applies to the iconic sitcom “Friends,” which originally appeared on NBC between 1994 and 2004.

The series became a hit around the world and with the help of streaming services such as Netflix, it continues to entertain generations both old and new. That is, as long as they still have access.

Due to rights issues, streaming platforms occasionally have to pull content. In the Netherlands, this was also the case for “Friends” which left the streaming platform on December 30th of last year.

No Alternative

Adding to the trouble is the fact that there are no legal streaming alternatives to watch the series on-demand. At least not legally. The only option people have is to use pirate sites. And according to data gathered by TorrentFreak, many people do so.

Today most pirates use unauthorized streaming sites to watch content illegally. This traffic can’t be measured publicly, so we decided to focus on BitTorrent downloads instead, assuming that this is a good proxy for the overall interest on pirate sites.

Our data sample includes torrent piracy activity in the Netherlands for “Friends” starting on December 1, 2021 and ending on January 31, 2022.

In addition to the estimated downloads, we also added the numbers from the neighboring country Belgium as a control group. In Belgium, “Friends” remained available on Netflix for the entire period.

Dutch Piracy Spike

The graph below shows the daily download numbers over time. The absolute numbers in our sample are relatively modest, a few hundred downloads per day, but you can clearly see that the piracy numbers more than quadrupled when “Friends” left Netflix in the Netherlands.

Friends downloads (torrents)

Full-season releases are counted as one download so the number of downloaded episodes is much higher. Also, BitTorrent traffic is only a small fraction of the total piracy ecosystem, and we expect that thousands of others turned to pirate streaming sites to watch Friends.

This basic research confirms the impact that availability has on people’s motivation to pirate. That’s not just limited to new releases, but it equally applies to evergreen content.

While Hollywood might not immediately panic over a few thousand Friends downloads, this problem should not be disregarded. After all, some of these people may have used pirate sites for the first time. And once they know how it works…

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

Die Regierungserklärung des Bundeskanzlers dürfte vor allem eine Branche gefreut haben. Bundestag stimmt unter anderem Entsendung weiterer Soldaten nach Litauen zu