Microsoft unveiled its Surface Duo device at the company’s hardware event back in October. The dual-screen device includes two 5.6-inch displays (1350 x 1800) that fold out into an 8.3-inch overall screen. While we saw a lot about the hardware back in October, Microsoft didn’t let anyone play around with the Android software and apps that power the Surface Duo. That’s all changing this week, thanks to Microsoft publishing its Android emulator for developers.
Zac Bowden managed to play around with the emulator and navigation gestures, and Jonas Daehnert — known as PhoneDesigner — has overlaid that footage onto the Surface Duo itself to give us a much better idea of how these dual screens will work in practice.
In the nearly two minute video you can see how apps and Android’s built-in settings will open on a single display fullscreen. Microsoft is making it a user choice to span the apps across both displays, and advising developers to start testing their apps and optimizing them.
While apps and settings menus open fullscreen, you can also see how Microsoft is reflowing how pinned apps on the Android home screen span across the two displays. Once an app is launched, the apps immediately flow onto the opposite display so you’ve always got access to open more. The Android task manager also only appears on one display, allowing Surface Duo users to drag and drop apps onto the second one.
Now that developers can start building Android apps that are optimized for both displays, it will be interested to see just how many really take advantage of having an extra screen. Android tablet apps have been notoriously bad in the past, but Microsoft’s approach means they’ll mostly just run on a single display fullscreen, so you can use them side-by-side. That should, by default, make the experience pretty manageable out of the box, but there are more complicated apps that you’d want to span across both displays that will require some work to avoid the seam in the middle.
Developers can download the new Android emulator from Microsoft and start getting apps ready. It’s optimized for the Surface Duo, and a similar emulator will be available for Windows 10X next month to get Windows developers ready for the bigger Surface Neo hardware. We’re also expecting Microsoft to detail more of its dual-screen plans during a developer webcast next month, and at the company’s Build conference in May.
Microsoft is making Bing the default search engine in Chrome -- for business users, that is. The tech giant has announced that when enterprise customers install Office 365 ProPlus Version 2002 or update the suite in February, they'll find that the "Microsoft Search in Bing" extension will also be installed for the Chrome browser. Microsoft says that making Bing the default search engine will allow users "to access relevant workplace information directly from the browser address bar."
As ZDNet notes, a lot of people aren't happy about the change. And Microsoft seems to have expected the negative feedback, because its announcement includes instructions on how to exclude the extension from the installation or the upgrade. The tech giant also clarified that users stop can using Bing as the default search engine by toggling it off or by completely uninstalling it from devices. Those whose companies use Office 365 ProPlus may want to take note in case they'd rather search via Google like always.
For now, Microsoft will only forcibly install the extension for customers in certain regions, namely Australia, Canada, France, Germany, India, the UK and the US. However, the company may add other locations over time.
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The new preorder date is exactly a month after the originally planned December 26th date, which Motorola changed due to demand for the foldable device being higher than it had anticipated.
Preorders will be available exclusively at Verizon, Walmart, and on Motorola’s website. The phone will also be available in stores starting on February 6th. However, it’s not clear how easy or difficult it’ll be to just walk in and buy one on the release date; the delay due to demand could suggest that there will be fewer units available.
The resurrected Razr was announced last year, making it Motorola’s first foldable smartphone. The design is inspired by the original Moto RAZR flip phone, but it has a flexible 6.2-inch display and modern Android specs. But the poor cameras and midrange Snapdragon 710 are less than ideal on a premium-priced device like this. As previously announced, the Razr will be sold exclusively on Verizon in the United States. (International carriers and details are still to come.)
The release timing is key for Motorola, given that it’s rumored to be getting some big competition in the clamshell-style foldable space in February in the form of Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip. If the rumors are true, Samsung’s next foldable could be announced on February 11th — just days after the Razr’s launch.
President Donald Trump, in a CNBC interview Wednesday, stepped up his pressure over Apple's refusal to unlock iPhones for authorities in criminal cases.
"Apple has to help us. And I'm very strong on it," Trump told "Squawk Box" co-host Joe Kernen from the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. "They have the keys to so many criminals and criminal minds, and we can do things."
Apple CEO Tim Cook has been credited with being able to work with the president and his administration in a way other Silicon Valley companies have stumbled. In November, Cook toured Apple's Austin campus with Trump.
Trump told CNBC he's helped Apple a lot.
"I've given them waivers, because it's a great company, but it made a big difference." The president was referring to waivers from tariffs put on Chinese-made imports in the trade war between Washington and Beijing.
Last week, Trump slammed Apple for declining the government's request to unlock password-protected iPhones used by the shooter who killed three people in December at the Pensacola, Florida, Naval Air Station before being fatally shot.
In a statement, Apple said it provided gigabytes of information to law enforcement related to the Pensacola case but that it would not build a "backdoor" or specialized software to give law enforcement elevated access.
Trump told CNBC on Wednesday: "They could have given us that information. It would have been very helpful."
The president said he's not concerned about his relationship with Cook or Apple because the stakes are so high.
"You're dealing with drug lords and you're dealing with terrorists, and if you're dealing with murderers, I don't care," Trump said.
The January 2020 security patch is now rolling out for the Samsung Galaxy S8, S8+ and the Galaxy Note 9.
For those with the Galaxy Note 9, it’s worth noting that this update is the second Android 10-based update to head to the former flagship since the full OS upgrade (via SamMobile). It has already started rolling out in Europe, with reports from Germany confirming that firmware version N960FXXS4DTA1 is now available.
[Update 01/22]: Now its the turn of the Galaxy S9 and S9+ to get the January security patch update action after confirmations in our own comment section below and via some over on Reddit. For those with the S9 or S9+, expect to see firmware version G965FXXS7CTA2 rollout over the coming days. At 112MB, it’s not the biggest update either but we’re seeing it available for unlocked devices in Brazil, Germany, Ireland, Canada, and more.
We’re still pretty sure that the Galaxy S8 and S8+ won’t be getting the Android 10 update but it’s still in line to get regular security patches — including the January 2020 patch. The January update for the Galaxy S8 and S8+ comes in the form of firmware version G950*XXS6DTA1. This update does appear to have a wider rollout than the January patch for the Note 9, as it’s heading out in a few European countries including France, Hungary, Poland, and the Netherlands.
All patches fix five critical vulnerabilities within the Android system, while it also protects against 17 vulnerabilities that only affect Samsung Galaxy devices. We’re expecting the update to have a wider rollout over the coming days and weeks. If you have the Galaxy S8, S8+ or Note 9, it may be worthwhile heading to your system Settings > Software update panel and checking manually for the January patch.
Alternatively, if you have seen the update on your device, be sure to let us know where you’re based down in the comments section below. We’d expect a slightly longer wait for North America as localizations and Exynos-to-Snapdragon optimizations are made.
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Apple might launch a new low-cost iPhone very, very soon. According to Bloomberg, the tech giant's suppliers will start assembling an affordable iPhone model, the company's first since the iPhone SE, as soon as February. Further, Apple will reportedly unveil the device in March. Reports, rumors and predictions about a low-cost iPhone model started coming out last year, some of them from analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who has a solid track record when it comes to Apple predictions.
Kuo and Bloomberg previously reported that the upcoming affordable model will look like the iPhone 8 and will have a 4.7-inch screen. It will also reportedly be powered by Apple's A13 chip, which also powers the iPhone 11. A separate Bloomberg report says the company recently asked its partners to increase their A-series processor output due to "higher-than-anticipated" demand for the iPhone 11. It could also be because a low-cost model will start mass production soon.
In addition to mentioning the device's possible size and processor, Bloomberg also said that the device will have Touch ID built into the home button and won't feature Apple's Face ID. It's not yet clear if it will be known as the iPhone SE 2, but any low-cost device could help boost Apple's presence in developing nations where affordable Android devices are more common.
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I couldn't be more excited to see Samsung's next foldable phone. At its Unpacked event on Feb. 11, the world's largest phone maker is expected to show a design that flips up like the Motorola Razr instead of opening into a small tablet like the previous Galaxy Fold. Rumor says it'll be commercially called the Galaxy Z Flip. Internal code-name, Galaxy Bloom.
There's something about foldable phones that still feels magical to me, a sensation that's hard to come by after nearly 14 years working with phones. I thought I'd seen it all: phones that flip up, kick out, flex, even phones shaped like a circle. But a screen that's both thin and strong enough to bend in half without breaking feels like the future come to life.
For Samsung, the Z Flip will give the company a dramatic lead in the foldable space, with a large premium device (the Galaxy Fold) followed by a simpler phone with a smaller screen. That's two pathways for Samsung to secure interest from early adopters.
For the rest of us, there are several practical reasons to train our eyes on the Galaxy Z Flip (or whatever it winds up being called) that go way beyond the novelty of a foldable phone.
An artistic render of how the Galaxy Z Flip could look.
Giuseppe Spinelli/LetsGoDigital
The first foldable phone with a glass screen?
One rumor suggests that the Galaxy Z Flip will be the first foldable design to use an ultrathin glass screen. That's momentous if true. The first generation of foldables use plastic displays, which are much more susceptible to damage.
It'd be interesting to see how completely a glass screen would bend. Could the two sides really fold flat? I'd also love to test firsthand the screen's ability to keep the electronic display underneath safe from pressure, scratches, drops, dust and water damage.
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The bendable glass that’s shaping up to cover foldable...
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Foldable phones are still a proof of concept
Right now, foldable phones inhabit a zone of uncertainty. They're expensive, fragile and few. At this point it's hard to believe that they could replace the large-screen rectangles we carry today, but there are hints it just might work.
The more foldable phones exist -- both in design and in total number of units made -- the more we can see if they'll actually take off. Or if they're just fun, expensive toys. The Z Flip will be one more effort that helps determine the fate of the category.
The variety we see already in early foldable designs is crucial. We've seen commercial devices and prototypes for small foldables like the Razr, which can slip into a pocket, all the way up to a 10-inch tablet that folds into three parts.
It will be through real-time trial and error that the industry determines which designs work best, how to fix common weaknesses and what it is that people actually want in a foldable phone. Only then can companies collectively begin to perfect them.
This is Samsung's chance to prove it can make a sturdy foldable
An embarrassment for Samsung, the Galaxy Fold's early screen flaws overshadowed its historic debut. Samsung delayed the initial sale date for months, redesigned the phone, scaled back production and dropped two colors. Now with the rumored Galaxy Z Flip, Samsung gets a second chance.
Choosing a radically different design -- the Galaxy Z Flip should be a vertical flip phone with a smaller screen than the 7.3-inch Galaxy Fold -- gives Samsung an opportunity to apply the lessons it learned from the Fold's early mistakes.
Tight seals between the display and the folding mechanism, tamper-proof cover material and a reinforced OLED display will go a long way toward reestablishing its reputation in the foldable space. It should also have fewer cameras and a cheaper price tag than the Fold's $1,980 starting price.
Finding the limits of a small outer screen
Like the Galaxy Fold and the Motorola Razr, the Galaxy Z Flip should have an external display, and I'm interested to see how Samsung will design it. On both the Fold and the Razr, the screen was relatively small, making it fine for viewing alerts and initiating quick tasks, but less ideal to actually use.
If the Galaxy Z Flip goes even smaller than the Galaxy Fold's 4.6-inch exterior screen, I'll have a few questions. Will you still be able to use every app on the outer display and open it to reveal the app inside, or will your actions and activities be more limited?
I'll have to wait for its debut to find out.
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Motorola Razr is futuristic and familiar
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Lower prices will make foldable phones more accessible
With the Galaxy Fold priced at $1,980, the foldable Z Flip is expected to cost significantly less.
Samsung was clear about calling the Galaxy Fold a luxury handset, which somewhat cushioned the news that it would cost nearly $2,000. The messaging was this: It's worth it for a futuristic device that's big enough to replace a tablet.
The Galaxy Z Flip is sure to be another case entirely. One rumor suggested it could cost around $850, which is half the price of the Motorola Razr and more than half the price of the Galaxy Fold.
We'll see what happens, but one thing is clear: the more affordable they are, the more Samsung and its competitors will snag more real-world buyers (or "testers"). And the more people who use these early foldable phones, the faster we'll know where their future truly lies -- in pockets and purses all over the globe, or in a museum of futuristic tech that never panned out.
