Apple offers one of the most widely used podcasting apps on the market, and a new report claims the company is looking to put more resources behind the medium.
According to The Information, Apple is in discussions to launch a premium podcast service that would feature access to original content for a monthly fee. The latest rumor builds on an earlier report from Bloomberg that claimed Apple is exploring ways to expand into original programming in podcasts.
Apparently, Apple’s goal is to use the service to complement Apple TV+. One possibility is for these original podcasts to be a spinoff of shows already on the video streaming platform. The other possibility is for these original podcasts to be written with the intent of eventually becoming a show or movie on Apple TV+.
Apple is also reportedly exploring original podcasts in an effort to compete against the likes of Spotify, which has built a strong lineup of exclusive podcast content, including The Joe Rogan Experience. Apple has allegedly approached production companies about collaborating on original content, although The Information warns that we may not ever see a finished product.
The Information suggests that Apple could try to entice creators by offering the opportunity to earn more money. Outside of these few details, the report doesn’t reveal when such a service might launch or how much it will cost, although it does mention the possibility of users paying for individual podcasts.
If that’s the case, Apple’s premium podcast service may not charge a monthly free. Rather, it might allow podcast creators to charge for individual episodes, or a series, at their discretion.
Apple already offers a variety of different services, including Music, TV+, News+, Fitness+, Arcade, and iCloud—all of which can be subscribed to individually or in a bundle. While adding premium podcasts to the mix seems like the logical next step, they better be extremely compelling in order to convince people to pay.
Google and Samsung have confirmed that the promised tighter integration between Google Nest and Samsung Smartthings has been launched, following its announcement at the end of last year. Although quietly announced alongside yesterday’s Samsung Unpacked launch, reports on Reddit suggest it actually went live at the start of the week, offering control for Nest cameras, thermostats and doorbells inside the Smartthings app, for the first time.
Even now, it’s not a complete integration. Nest Secure security systems and Nest Protect smoke alarms are excluded, as they use a different API, and most disappointingly, Google’s smart speakers are also missing from the list, although Google Nest Hub Max’s camera can be added to your Smartthings CCTV system.
As ever, devices, especially third-party devices are only as good as the developer implementation of the API, so it may be a while (if ever) before you start to see some of the outlying products appearing in the Google Home app. If you’re a developer involved in smart home products, you can find out more about what’s possible and how to implement it right here.
Google said in a statement: “We’re also working with Samsung to make it easier to manage smart home products from your device. You can control Nest devices, like Nest thermostats, cameras and doorbells, from the SmartThings app on Galaxy smartphones and tablets. See all your connected devices on one screen by tapping on “Devices” in the Quick Panel of the Galaxy S21.”
2021 looks to be a pivotal year for smart homes, and this is just the beginning. Google and Samsung are working to deepen integration between their products, including a simpler ongoing process. Later this year, we’re expecting to hear details of a much-needed common standard for smart home devices, launched by a consortium including Amazon, Google, Apple and the members of the Zigbee Alliance (of which Samsung is one) under the umbrella of “Project Connected Home Over IP”. When that launches, we can expect to see the smart home revolution accelerate at an even faster rate.
The Galaxy S21 Plus is finally official and alongside the regular Galaxy S21, and it comes in a few colors. If you’ve picked up the gorgeous Phantom Violet Galaxy S21, you’ll want to protect it while also ensuring you can show off the stunning Violet and Gold color scheme. After all, why buy this unique color if you can’t show it off, right? Clear cases are a great way to achieve this, but they provide varying levels of protection. Some are thin and cheap and provide only the most basic of protection, while others are thicker and provide more protection. Whatever your style of case, we’ve rounded up the Best Galaxy S21 Plus Clear case that you should buy below!
This is the most basic case that is available from Samsung officially. Since it is a first party case, the dimensions should all be exactly to fit your device with very little wiggle room.
This clear protective case is a step up from the base variant on sale from Samsung. It has also been drop-tested to MIL-STD-810G Transit Drop standards, and is available in two colors.
This is a standing version of the clear case, sold officially by Samsung. The company does charge a good premium over other standing cases, but you pay for the first-party nature and the brand.
If you want a case that is clear and shows off the beauty of your new phone, while also providing serious protection, look no further than SQMCase. Although this case doesn't have reviews yet, the company's other cases are very highly rated. This case also comes with a built-in ring holder which doubles as a kickstand for propping the phone up when you want to watch a movie!
If you want a solid kickstand and reinforced drop protection, look no further than ESR, who have been making cases for over 10 years. This flexible polymer case provides protection while showing off your phone, and the metal kickstand is perfect for those times you want to prop up your phone. The unique position of the kickstand means, unlike most cases with a kickstand, you can prop your phone up both horizontally and vertically.
If you want a case that's ultra-thin and provides basic protection, the Olixar Ultra Thin Clear Case for the Galaxy S21 is a great buy. This flexible silicone case is designed for those who want something thin and clear, and it's wireless charging compatible so you won't block you from charging without plugging a cable in. Keep in mind that this offers only some basic protection, so don't drop your phone too hard.
Spigen cases are one of our trusted recommendations from personal use, and this Ultra Hybrid line delivers on its goals. The back is made of durable polycarbonate, while the side is a TPU bumper all through. This case is available in two colors: Crystal Clear and Matte Black, so pick and choose depending on your taste for the bumper.
If you're looking beyond just a clear case, you can explore printed patterns on the clear case. For instance, this clear case has a printed floral pattern on the back, adding some more character to your device while also letting you show off the phone and protect it at the same time.
If you've got the Black (or even the silver) color, you might want to add a splash of color and customize your phone with a dbrand skin. Ok, so it's not a clear case we know, but it will make your phone shine through that new clear case of yours! This is also a great option if you're not a fan of Samsung's choice of Gold and Purple but want the gorgeous light purple color – just add a light skin to the camera area for just $2 and voila, you've got a really unique phone!
Clear case options can be overwhelming, and we do agree with you. For the vast majority, what you can purchase would be reliant on the budget you have leftover after the purchase of your device. If you have store credits leftover from a previous offer, you should definitely give the official Samsung ones a shot, for they are the ones that promise the best compatibility, but they also aren’t cheap by any means. If you want something cheaper, Spigen is a tried and trusted name, and we’ve used several of their products (including this lineup) on other phones to recommend them. You can also get some kickstand cases to make it easier to consume content when your phone is propped up on a table, and you don’t necessarily need to get Samsung’s version just to enjoy this functionality. If you are just looking for basic scratch protection and really dislike tacking on any bulk to your phone, then the Dbrand skins should be your top choice, even though they are not a clear case. Either way, we do recommend that you get a case, because Samsung will not be including one in the box. While you’re at it, grab a charger too.
The Samsung Galaxy S21 Plus is the middle child in the new 2021 flagship series, packing in a flagship SoC and a premium build, along with a decent display and camera setup.
If you’ve pre-ordered a brand new Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra, you’re probably going to want to protect it. One of the best ways to go about doing so is by picking up a rather bulky case, though that comes at the cost of hiding the beautiful design of your new smartphone. If you’re willing to compromise on protection in order to show off your new device, then you can’t go wrong by picking up a clear case instead. The Galaxy S21 Ultra has just come out, but there are already some options for Galaxy S21 Ultra clear cases that you can pick up!
If you’re going for a nice clear case to show off your smartphone’s design, then any of the above will do the job for the most part. Some are cheaper than others, while some are more protective than others. The bulkier the better for protection, so it’s up to you to decide which is the best for you. If you have Samsung store credits, you should definitely pick one up directly from Samsung, since those cases offer guaranteed compatibility with the phone with the tightest tolerance. These first-party cases are made by Samsung for the Galaxy S21 Ultra specifically, so there’s no way you can go wrong with them. But, admittedly, they are a bit expensive, and the options on Amazon are surprisingly cheaper. You can get options from Spigen and Ringke, both of whom are reputable by this point for their offerings across a variety of devices. The Spigen cases are the ones that we have personally used on a lot of different phones over the years, so we can attest to their quality. The Ringke case has a quite unique frosted matte finish, giving your phone a different spin with its look and finish. The other options are decent too, so pick one that suits your needs and budget!
The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra is the ultimate overkill in the new 2021 flagship series, packing in a flagship SoC, a premium build, a great display, and an amazing camera setup, as well as all the extras expected on a premium flagship.
So, you’re looking to buy a smartphone from the Samsung Galaxy S21 line. I don’t blame you, the new lineup does look awesome! But if you’re a frugal shopper, you may be wondering what bonuses you can get with a Galaxy S21 pre-order. We have you covered, as we’ve gathered the exclusive pre-order bonuses from around from world!
Don’t forget about the phone itself, either! Check out our Galaxy S21 deals and Galaxy S21 Ultra deals pages to see where you can pre-order the latest Samsung flagships in the US!
Samsung Store – United States
In the United States, a Galaxy S21 pre-order will get you the new GalaxyTag for free. One less item you’ll lose! You’ll also get some pre-order credit, depending on the phone you pre-order. It’s $100 for the standard S21, $150 for the S21 Plus, and $200 for the S21 Ultra.
In the US, you'll only get the free GalaxyTag, no Galaxy Buds Pro. However, depending on the phone you pre-order, you'll get preorder credit for your purchase.
The pre-orders for India will not be live until January 15, but you will get a SmartTag for free, as well as Samsung Shop Vouchers up to ₹10,000 if you are an HDFC Bank customer (₹5,000 for Samsung Upgrade customers). No Galaxy Buds Pro though, unfortunately!
Starting on the 15th, you can pre-order the Galaxy S21 in India and get the GalaxyTag for free. You won't get free Galaxy Buds Pro, but you can earn up to ₹10,000 in vouchers.
China, like India, will not have pre-orders live until January 15. In Hong Kong, pre-ordering the S21 Ultra will get you a free pair of Galaxy Buds Pro and the new GalaxyTag. If you’re grabbing any of the S21 line, you’ll also get discounts on the Galaxy Watch3, Galaxy Fit2, and cases for your new phone. In Mainland China, the deals are a little different — you can get a free screen replacement for the first six months, and you’ll also get 100¥ in credit.
Pre-ordering the S21 in Mainland China will get you a free screen replacement within the first six months of purchase. Also, you'll get 100¥ in Samsung credit.
Pre-orders are not live yet, but when they are, you can get the Galaxy Buds Pro for free with the purchase of the S21 Ultra. In addition, you'll get discounts on the Galaxy Watch3, Galaxy Fit2, and S21 covers.
In the UK, pre-ordering any of the Galaxy S21 line will get you two freebies–the new GalaxyTag, and the newest product of the Galaxy Buds line, the Galaxy Buds Pro. In addition, you can take advantage of pre-order deals to save even more.
In Germany, France, and Spain, you get the same pre-order bonuses as in the UK, with the free Galaxy Buds Pro and the new GalaxyTag. Just head to the right store page for your country and get to pre-ordering!
In Ireland? You don't miss out on pre-order bonuses! A Galaxy S21 purchase gets you a free pair of Galaxy Buds Pro, as well as the free GalaxyTag. For some reason the pre-order page doesn't mention the gifts, but they are there!
You can’t forget about Latin America! They have the same deals as Europe–the purchase of a Galaxy S21 phone news you a free pair of Galaxy Buds Pro, and a free GalaxyTag. That’s a nice little bundle!
You guessed it–if you’re in Russia, you’ll get a free pair of Galaxy Buds Pro, and the new GalaxyTag. Outside of the United States, India, and China, the pre-order bonuses are pretty uniform!
Data now plays a major role in every industry. For obvious reasons, people who know how to crunch the numbers are always in demand.The 2021 Business Intelligence & Data Science Super Bundlehelps you master this valuable skill set. It includes six in-depth courses, and you canget it today for just $39.99at the XDA Developers Depot.
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This bundle provides a complete education, with 64 hours of intensive training. Through hands-on video tutorials, you learn how to work with huge data sets and find meaningful insights.
Along the way, you discover how to utilize popular tools such as Microsoft Power BI. Advanced data structures and business analytics are also covered in depth.
You even get an introduction to machine learning — the technology behind smart recommendations and automated systems. The training actually shows you how to code your own machine learning algorithms using Python code.
The courses come from Skill Success, a training publisher featured by CNN and Entrepreneur. You can study on pretty much any device, and the bundle includes lifetime access to all the courses.
The Samsung Galaxy S21 smartphones have finally arrived, and they add to the Galaxy S lineup’s legacy of innovation. With the latest Galaxy S21 devices, we see major improvements in several areas, including performance — thanks to the Snapdragon 888 or the new Exynos 2100 chipset, security with the more efficient ultrasonic fingerprint scanner, improved software experience with One UI 3.1, UWB, and a lot more. The new Galaxy devices also get a host of new camera features — even though Samsung uses almost the same camera hardware as the previous generation.
In this article, we will discuss an entire lot of new software and hardware additions to the Galaxy S21, Galaxy S21 Plus, and the Galaxy S21 Ultra. Before we begin, he is an overview of the camera specifications of the latest Galaxy series:
Samsung Galaxy S21, S21 Plus, and S21 Ultra Photography Features
Single Take 2.0
Samsung introduced the Single Take feature last year with the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra. It allows users to capture fast-changing scenarios by recording a short video clip of up to 10 seconds instead of just one single photo and then letting them pick what fits the best according to their needs.
With the Galaxy S21 series, Samsung has announced Single Take 2.0 that now captures more frames each second. Now, the feature also records the section as a slow-motion video clip so you can share the most action-packed events with great detail and the added dramatic effect of slow-mo.
8K Video Snap
Just like the Single Take 2.0 mode, the Galaxy S21 devices can also capture a short 8K video clip to ensure that you don’t miss any crucial moment. This video clip can eventually render an image in 8K resolution (or approximately 32MP).
Enhanced Portrait Mode and DSLR-like Bokeh
Samsung claims to have greatly improved the portrait mode on the Galaxy S21 devices. The images now use AI to emulate a professional camera. The phones use AI for three-dimensional depth, sensing to achieve a more natural-looking background blur. Besides, the AI also enhances portraits to look like they were shot under studio lighting.
Furthermore, the Galaxy S21 smartphones also receive various face-lighting effects in the portrait mode, similar to the stage lighting effects already popularized by the iPhones. The smartphones primarily feature three lighting modes as High-key mono, Low-key mono, and Backdrop for studio-like results.
Samsung ISOCELL HM3 108MP sensor on Galaxy S21 Ultra
With the Galaxy S21 series, Samsung announced its latest ISOCELL HM3 sensor which succeeds the recently announced ISOCELL HM2. The ISOCELL HM3 sensor is 1/1.33″ in size with pixels measuring 0.8μm — just like the ISOCELL HMX and HM1 sensors. With the help of 9-in-1 pixel binning, the sensor captures 12MP images by default with large resultant pixels measuring 2.4μm.
Although the ISOCELL HM3 resembles the HMX and HM1 sensors in terms of specifications, it comes with improved color and exposure perception. In addition to the ISOCELL Plus technology that improves the sensor’s efficiency, it supports 12-bit color recording and allows it to capture 64x more colors than the previous generations. Additionally, the Smart ISO Pro widens the range for HDR photography while the Super PD Plus feature allows for 50% more accurate autofocussing.
12-bit HDR and 12-bit RAW photography
The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra is also capable of capturing photos with HDR and RAW shots in 12-bit. This means that images in this mode will have about 68 million colors — or 64 times the colors in a 10-bit image. As you can expect, this allows for a finer transition between one color to another on a photograph, essentially eliminating color noise to a great degree. An average user may not detect the difference between 10-bit and 12-bit color, but the upgrade is of great importance to professional photographers.
Dual telephoto cameras and 100x Space Zoom
Samsung is reintroducing the 100x Space Zoom with the Galaxy S21 Ultra. But unlike the Galaxy S20 Ultra, which only features a 4x telephoto setup, the Galaxy S21 Ultra features a more advanced 10x periscope camera for crisper long-range images. Inarguably, this is among the most advanced telephoto cameras available on any handheld device.
To top it up, Samsung also offers a secondary telephoto camera set at 3x optical zoom. The company claims there is a seamless and automatic transition between the two telephoto cameras based on the level of the zoom or focal range at which you are attempting to shoot.
Zoom Lock
To ensure that the long focal range does not hamper users’ ability to pan and focus, the Galaxy S21 Ultra comes with AI-backed stabilization to improve OIS. The smartphone also features “Zoom Lock” that uses AI to add a slight delay while moving the smartphone to ensure the panning is smooth and non-jittery. Samsung also claims the Zoom Lock feature will provide tripod-like stabilization, which may actually be the case. Check out a demonstration of the feature in our Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra hands-on article or the video below:
Samsung Galaxy S21, S21 Plus, and S21 Ultra Video Features
Unlimited video recording
As Samsung made quite evident at the Galaxy Unpacked event, the Galaxy S21 smartphones are meant not to limit users in any way, especially when it comes to video recording. There is no automatic cut-off timer, and you can keep recording videos as long as you desire.
Director’s View
The Galaxy S21 series is a no-compromise device in terms of performance. This allows smartphones to have some truly amazing features, such as the Director’s View. This feature allows users to record a video using multiple cameras and from different viewpoints. Simultaneously, the feature also gives users the liberty to switch between any of the cameras mid-roll without having to stop or pause the video.
Vlogger View
The Vlogger View on Galaxy S21 smartphones allows users to use the front camera alongside the rear camera. This allows video content producers, especially vloggers — whom this mode is named after, to capture their reactions while also recording something from the rear camera.
Multi mic recording
With the Galaxy Note 20 series, Samsung launched the Video Pro mode. In that mode, users could switch among different microphone modes while recording a video. The Galaxy S21 series takes a step further with this feature that allows users to use multiple microphones to be used as simultaneous audio sources. Using this feature, you will be able to record audio with the microphones on the smartphone and the Buds Pro simultaneously.
4K recording at 60fps across all 5 cameras
All five cameras on the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra can record hyper-smooth 60fps videos at 4K resolution. Alongside the above-mentioned features, such as unlimited video recording and Director’s View, 4K@60fps video recording makes the Galaxy S21 Ultra a supreme device for video recording.
When will the Galaxy S20 series get these camera features?
Samsung has a kind heart when it comes to bringing new features to older smartphones, and the same can be true for some of these features — at least those that can easily run on older hardware. While Samsung does not categorically clarify the availability of these features on older flagships, make sure to check out the XDA News Portal for any updates.
The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra is the ultimate overkill in the new 2021 flagship series, packing in a flagship SoC, a premium build, a great display, and an amazing camera setup, as well as all the extras expected on a premium flagship.
