AC Weekly News
Weekly News is our column where we highlight and summarize some of the top stories of the week so you can catch up on the latest tech news.
This is Android Central’s News Weekly, your go-to source for a concise summary of the week’s biggest tech stories. This is where we dig into the top headlines providing the latest developments and innovations contributing to the digital landscape.
This week, Microsoft’s global services were disrupted due to an outage, we got our first look at the Pixel Pro 9 and Pro 9 Fold, OnePlus launched several devices, Amazon saw record-breaking Prime Days sales, and One UI 7 could radically change Galaxy devices.
Microsoft service outage paralyzes the world
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Several services including financial institutions, flights, media, retail, rail services and emergency response networks were disrupted by a major outage on Friday (July 19) morning.
An update from CrowdStrike (an American cybersecurity company) caused Windows servers and computers to get stuck in a reboot loop, resulting in the Blue Screen of Death appearing in many companies around the world. Microsoft acknowledged the ongoing outage and hoped for a quick fix; however, CrowdStrike needs to fully resolve the issue.
CrowdStrike President and CEO George Kurtz posted on X that CrowdStrike was working with customers affected by the outage and apologized for the disruption.
“We understand the severity of the situation and deeply regret the inconvenience and disruption. We are working with all affected customers to ensure that systems are back up and running and can provide the services their customers count on,” Kurtz said.
For now, the update has been pulled and the company has released a temporary fix for this outage, which will start Windows in Safe Mode or Windows Recovery Environment.
Pixel 9’s advancements urge you to ditch your old phone
A phone designed for the Gemini era. It can do so much, including easily stop using your old phone. Learn more and sign up for #MadeByGoogle updates: https://t.co/PUmAUi4YBe pic.twitter.com/I3EEXOkq3IJuly 18, 2024
On Thursday, July 18, Google surprised everyone by announcing not one, but two of its upcoming flagship phones. First, Google posted a short teaser of the X, which gave us a sneak peek of the Pixel 9 Pro In a champagne-like gold color, the device has a glossy look, with rounded edges and a matte finish on its back panel. The tweet claimed that the phone is “designed for the Gemini era,” emphasizing the fact that its new device will be enhanced with artificial intelligence.
Just hours after showing us what the Pro looked like, Google released a new video of the Pixel 9 Pro foldabledenying all the rumors and confirming the design and name of their next foldable android smartphoneThe company showed off the phone’s external display and its hinge mechanism when the phone is opened, and the rear camera module is housed in a unique rounded rectangular housing.
The teaser doesn’t show the rumored punch-hole front camera in the top right corner, which has left everyone speculating about where the phone’s selfie camera will be placed. The Pixel Pro Fold comes in a sleek porcelain finish, which could come in multiple color combinations.
We expect to see some surprise releases before the Made by Google event taking place on August 13 at 1:00 pm (US Eastern Time).
OnePlus Summer Launch
Read more about the Pad 2, Look 2Rand Nord Buds 3 Pro.
OnePlus introduced three new products earlier this week: the OnePlus Pad 2, Watch 2R, and Nord Buds 3 Pro, available in the US and Canada markets.
The OnePlus Pad 2 features a Snapdragon 8 3rd Gen The device packs a 12.1-inch rig with 3K resolution and six stereo speakers. The device comes equipped with the AI Toolbox, which helps users speed up their workflows. The device comes with a large 9510mAh battery and fast charging technology that recharges the device in 81 minutes. The sleek 6.49mm, 584g pad features an all-metal body in Nimbus Grey. It comes with additional accessories such as the OnePlus Stylo 2 and the OnePlus Pad 2 Smart Keyboard.
Now, as for the Watch 2R, it features an “ergonomic” design with two physical buttons on the side of its face, similar to the Look 2One button will quickly navigate to the user’s stored watch apps, while the other is an “action” button for fitness tracking. The two-tone design theme, with its bezels, gives the device a classic wristwatch appeal. Featuring a 500mAh battery, the wearable is said to offer up to 100 hours of charge with regular use and comes with a 7.5W VOOC fast charger, which fully charges the device in 60 minutes. The watch is priced at $229 and comes in Forest Green and Gunmetal Gray colorways.
Lastly, the company also launched the Nord Buds 3 Pro, which come with studio-quality audio with powerful bass tones and BassWave 2.0 technology. OnePlus claimed that the earbuds “come with scenario-based intelligent noise cancellation, which intelligently detects ambient sounds and selects the most suitable noise reduction mode in real-time to balance noise cancellation effectiveness and comfort.” These affordable Buds have triple microphones that promise clear and stable audio when making voice or video calls. The new earbuds come in a vertical, pebble-shaped case, which sports a matte finish with some metallic accents. They come in two colorways — Starry Black and Soft Jade.
Amazon boasts record sales on Prime Day
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The Great Amazon Prime Day Deals The Prime Day event has officially ended, and the company claims it was a “record-breaking event.” While Amazon hasn’t shared exact numbers yet, its official blog claims it sold more items during this two-day event than any other Prime Day event before it.
Amazon saying In their Prime Day roundup, members took advantage of deals from brands like Sol de Janeiro, Apple, Dyson, and Ring, as well as small businesses like TruSkin, ALOHA, Blueland, and Native Pet.
We had a glimpse of the sales figures, according to Reuters reported that shoppers in the U.S. alone spent $14.2 billion online during the two-day Amazon Prime Day event. The data comes from Adobe Analysiswhich said total online sales rose 11.7% this year compared with $12.7 billion in 2023 in two days.
The publication adds that major retailers, including Walmart and Target, appear to have launched their own deals ahead of Prime Day, which may have contributed to this year’s sales. People looking to upgrade their devices and purchase new technology for their homes helped boost online sales of the electronics category by 61%, Adobe Analytics added.
One UI 7 could change Galaxy devices
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While Samsung’s One UI 7 update is still a few months away, tipsters have started predicting what this could mean for devices.
Ice universe In X it was said that One UI 7 (based on Android 15) would be the “most modified” version of the software for Samsung Galaxy devices. The tipster went on to say that the company wants to “redesign” the app icons that users see when they swipe across the screen.
The company also appears to be planning to change the style of the icons and drop-down menu, potentially giving the user interface a new look. The OneCID suggests that Samsung could take some design cues from iOS 18, some of which appear to reference a completely revamped control center, similar to what Ice Universe alleged on Weibo.
In May, reports suggested that Samsung may have… Started doing internal testing Your Android 15 skin on the Galaxy S24However, it looked like there might be delays in the rollout of One UI 7 as the company was still dealing with the patch for the One UI 6.1.1 update.
Here are some of the top stories from this week. In the meantime, here are some other stories worth knowing: