Google finally announces the Pixel 4a for $349

And for some reason, Google also announced the “Pixel 4a 5G” and “Pixel 5”?

  • The Pixel 4a. It's finally here! [credit: Google ]

Remember the Pixel 4a? After months of delays, Google's midrange smartphone is finally coming to market. Google made the phone official with only a quiet blog post, instead of the hyped-up online launch most other phones have been getting in the COVID-19 era.

The main thing we didn't know from the seven months of leaks was the price, which Google confirmed today is $350. It really seems like Google is doing the bare minimum for a launch here—there is no XL model, and the phone only comes in one color. The Pixel 4a is up for pre-order right now, with a ship date of August 20.

For your $350, you get a 5.81-inch, 2340×1080 60Hz OLED display, a Snapdragon 730G SoC, 6GB of RAM, 128GB of UFS 2.1 storage, a 3140mAh battery, a single 12MP camera on the back and an 8MP camera on the front. There's a USB-C port and, surprisingly, a headphone jack.

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SpaceX now plans for 5 million Starlink customers in US, up from 1 million

SpaceX asks FCC for license expansion after 700,000 people register interest.

A SpaceX Starlink user terminal, also known as a satellite dish, seen against a city's skyline.

Enlarge / A SpaceX Starlink user terminal/satellite dish. (credit: SpaceX)

SpaceX has asked the US for permission to deploy up to 5 million user terminals for its Starlink satellite-broadband network in the US after nearly 700,000 people in the country registered interest in the service.

SpaceX in March received a Federal Communications Commission license for up to 1 million user terminals (i.e. satellite dishes) in the United States. That would allow for 1 million homes to receive the service, but SpaceX now wants to quintuple that number.

"SpaceX Services requests this increase in authorized units due to the extraordinary demand for access to the Starlink non-geostationary orbit satellite system," the company told the FCC in a license-change request on Friday. "Despite the fact that SpaceX has yet to formally advertise this system's services, nearly 700,000 individuals represented in all 50 states signed up over a matter of just days to register their interest in said services at www.starlink.com. To ensure that SpaceX is able to accommodate the apparent demand for its broadband Internet access service, SpaceX Services requests a substantial increase in the number of authorized units."

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Corona-Krise USA: Mit der Mistgabel in die Hamptons

Armut, Hunger und Wohnungsverlust: Größere Teile der US-Bevölkerung sind von einer wirtschaftlichen Katastrophe bedroht, Klassenunterschiede verschärfen sich

Armut, Hunger und Wohnungsverlust: Größere Teile der US-Bevölkerung sind von einer wirtschaftlichen Katastrophe bedroht, Klassenunterschiede verschärfen sich

Pixel 4a available for pre-order for $349, Pixel 4a (5G) and Pixel 5 coming this fall

Google’s follow-up to last year’s Pixel 3a is official. The Google Pixel 4a is a mid-range phone with some flagship-like features including an OLED display. Google’s excellent camera features, and guaranteed OS and security updates f…

Google’s follow-up to last year’s Pixel 3a is official. The Google Pixel 4a is a mid-range phone with some flagship-like features including an OLED display. Google’s excellent camera features, and guaranteed OS and security updates for at least three years. The Pixel 4a is available for pre-order now for $349 and ships August 20, 2020. But […]

The post Pixel 4a available for pre-order for $349, Pixel 4a (5G) and Pixel 5 coming this fall appeared first on Liliputing.

Pixel 4a im Test: Google macht das Pixel kleiner und noch günstiger

Google macht mit dem Pixel 4a einiges anders als beim 3a – und eine Menge richtig, unter anderem beim Preis. Im Herbst sollen eine 5G-Version und das Pixel 5 folgen. Ein Test von Tobias Költzsch (Google, Smartphone)

Google macht mit dem Pixel 4a einiges anders als beim 3a - und eine Menge richtig, unter anderem beim Preis. Im Herbst sollen eine 5G-Version und das Pixel 5 folgen. Ein Test von Tobias Költzsch (Google, Smartphone)

PS4 gamepads won’t work for PS5 games, Sony says

Contrast with Microsoft’s plan to bring Xbox One controllers forward for Series X.

  • The PlayStation 5's new gamepad is called DualSense and sports a bold two-toned design. Did Aperture Science make this? [credit: Sony / Aurich Lawson ]

You won't be able to use Sony's DualShock 4 or other third-party PS4 gamepads to play PlayStation 5 games, Sony confirmed in a blog post today.

Those older gamepads will still work with "supported PS4 games" running on the PS5, Sony said, and PS5 software will work with "specialty peripherals" designed for the PS4—including "officially licensed racing wheels, arcade sticks, and flight sticks." Those caveats highlight the fact that there's no technical limitation or communication protocol mismatch stopping the upcoming hardware from communicating with legacy controllers.

But Sony says it "believe[s] that PS5 games should take advantage of the new capabilities and features we’re bringing to the platform, including the features of DualSense wireless controller." Those features include what Sony is calling "haptic feedback and dynamic trigger effects" and a built-in microphone (last month, Geoff Keighley hosted what is, thus far, the only public hands-on impressions of these new controller features).

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Trump administration gives TikTok 45 days to sell to Microsoft or leave US [Updated]

Short-form video platform beloved by teens seen as a national security threat.

TikTok's US operations may soon be part of every cool teen's favorite code conglomerate, Microsoft.

Enlarge / TikTok's US operations may soon be part of every cool teen's favorite code conglomerate, Microsoft. (credit: SOPA Images | LightRocket | Getty Images)

After weeks of rumor and speculation, the Trump administration this weekend gave TikTok's parent company, Beijing-based ByteDance, 45 days to sell off the social media sensation or else stop operating in the United States—and Microsoft looks to be the buyer.

Microsoft on Sunday confirmed what several media outlets had been speculating since Friday, saying it is in talks to buy TikTok's operations in the US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand and may also invite other US investors to take minority stakes in the deal.

"Microsoft will move quickly to pursue discussions with TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, in a matter of weeks, and in any event completing these discussions no later than September 15, 2020," the company said in a corporate blog post. "During this process, Microsoft looks forward to continuing dialogue with the United States Government, including with the President."

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