ShinyShiny tech round up: Samsung launches Galaxy 4 watches
Samsung has officially unveiled the Galaxy Watch 4 and the Galaxy Watch 4 Classic, as it hits reset on its smartwatch range. It has replaced its own TizenOS operating system for Google’s Wear OS, and killed off the Active 2 range in favour of a singular smartwatch brand. It was revealed at an Unpacked event, alongside new Galaxy Z Fold3 and Flip3 foldable phones, and confirms a lot of the details that were revealed in a number of leaks over the last few months. As expected, there are two versions of the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4. The Watch 4 looks to be the natural successor to the Watch Active 2 and the Watch 4 Classic will replace the Galaxy Watch 3. Wearable
TikTok has announced a series of changes it says are designed to protect its teenage users’ wellbeing. Users aged 12-15 will not receive push notifications from 21:00 – and for 16- and 17-year-olds, from 22:00. This is to help them focus on work, study, relaxation and sleep, the video-sharing app says. It is also changing its default settings so 16- and 17-year-olds will have to opt in to receive direct messages. “We want to help our younger users, in particular, develop positive digital habits early on,” TikTok said. The announcement follows YouTube’s introduction of measures to protect children. A previous announcement from TikTok restricted direct messaging to over-16s only. BBC
They say every dog has its day, but for Spot, the oft-dancing robot canine from Boston Dynamics, that time may soon be up, thanks to a new rival joining the scene. Developed by the Chinese tech firm Xiaomi, ‘CyberDog’ boasts an economical price tag of just $1,540 (£1,115), compared to Spot’s whopping $74,500 (£53,774). The four-legged robot is also slightly smaller and much lighter, standing at just 15.7 inches and weighing only 31 lbs, compared to Spot’s 24 inch stature and 72 lb heft. This, combined with powerful servo motors, gives CyberDog a top speed of 7.2 mph — around twice that of Spot’s 3.5 mph — and even the ability to perform backflips. Daily Mail
Up to 1,000 jobs are at risk following the $8.6bn (£6.2bn) takeover of FTSE 100 cyber security company Avast by US rival NortonLifeLock. The two cybersecurity companies confirmed merger plans to markets on Tuesday night in a cash-and-shares deal that will see Avast delisted from the London Stock Exchange. The chief executives of Avast and Norton, Ondrej Vlcek and Vincent Pilette, said the deal would allow them to combine their cyber products and better take on the challenge posed by Big Tech rivals and increasingly sophisticated hackers. Telegraph
Instagram has been in the news this summer after Black soccer stars in England were bombarded with racist messages following their team’s Euro 2020 final loss. Today, the company’s trying to prevent some of that behavior from happening again with the introduction and expansion of three safety features. Among them is something called “limits.” Turning this on prevents anyone who doesn’t follow you, or who recently followed you, from commenting or sending a DM. The feature is available to everyone globally today, and Instagram points out that it’ll likely be most useful to businesses and creators who expect a flurry of responses. The Verge
The rollout of 5G networks across the world will see Fixed Wireless Access (FWA) become the fastest growing segment of the home broadband market over the next five years, according to ABI Research. In lieu of a physical connection to the Internet, such as fibre or cable, FWA uses a mobile network to power a router that provides a similar experience to fixed line connectivity. Although 4G has been used to power FWA, 5G is a significant boost to the technology because of the additional speed and capacity – enabled by high-band and long-range spectrum – that next-generation networks provide. Tech Radar
