One of the best Google apps isn’t available on Galaxy Watch 4 yet, and that’s sad

The Galaxy Watch 4 and Galaxy Watch 4 Classic have many great features, and one of the best things about them is that they have official Google apps courtesy of running Wear OS. Whether or not you like Samsung’s switch from Tizen to Wear OS, you can’t deny the fact that access to Google apps is a major advantage.

It’s an advantage that became clear to me soon after I started using the Galaxy Watch 4, but as I continue to use the watch, I am disappointed that it doesn’t have what’s arguably one of the best Google apps: Assistant.

The Galaxy Watch 4 and Watch 4 Classic went on sale in late August, and a full month later, Google Assistant is still not supported. The watches come preloaded with Bixby as the only virtual assistant, pretty much like Samsung’s Tizen-based smartwatches, and it’s strange that Google and Samsung didn’t work on making Google Assistant available at launch.

Hi Bixby, when will Google Assistant come to my Galaxy Watch 4?

It could be that Assistant for the Watch 4 wasn’t ready on time. The watch does have the option to change the default digital assistant app, but only Bixby is in there at the moment. It could also be deliberate, of course: Perhaps Samsung wants owners of the Watch 4 to first try Bixby in the hopes that they will stick with it before bringing Google Assistant support.

It’s sad either way. You can’t tout a change as big as an underlying OS switch without having one of its best features available right at launch. I can only hope we won’t have to wait too long before Google Assistant comes to the Galaxy Watch 4 and Galaxy Watch 4 Classic, because Bixby is just not worth the hassle unless you’re already using it over Google Assistant on your phone.

Do you miss Google Assistant on your Galaxy Watch 4 or Galaxy Watch 4 Classic, or are you using Bixby and intend on doing so even when Assistant becomes available?

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Your Galaxy phone could start asking you to keep your eyes on the road

Google’s Digital Wellbeing initiative has been around for the better part of three years, and the company has done a decent job of keeping it flush with new features. An upcoming Digital Wellbeing feature will make navigating through city streets with a smartphone in your hand a whole lot easier.

A new video on Android’s official YouTube channel showcases a feature called ‘Heads Up’. It essentially alerts you to look around when you’re outside, lest you inadvertently run into something or someone. Alternatively, you will also get an on-screen prompt asking you to pay attention to your surroundings should a nearby obstacle be detected.

The video also tells us that Heads Up uses data from your phone’s gyroscope, proximity sensor and location services to determine the location of an obstacle. It’ll be interesting to see if Heads Up works indoors. It will be a godsend for people who frequently stumble into furniture/walls while on their phones.

Google has stated that Heads Up will be available on all smartphones with the Digital Wellbeing app soon. The Google Pixel series of smartphones already got it earlier this year, and now it is being rolled out to other devices, though it could be a while before you see the toggle on your Samsung Galaxy smartphone.

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Amazon India could soon have a killer Galaxy Note 20 Ultra deal

Amazon is all set to offer a wide range of discounts on Samsung products on the occasion of the ‘Amazon Great India Festival’, which is expected to kick off on October 3. A wide range of Samsung products will be discounted, but we’ll limit this post to smartphones for brevity. While most of the discounts are shrouded by mystery, Twitter leaker Abhishek Yadav has stumbled upon a deal that will blow your mind.

Galaxy Note 20 Ultra and Note 20 will be cheapest they’ve ever been in India

Leaked promotional material from the sale tells us that the Galaxy Note 20 will cost Rs 44,999 ($611) in India, while the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra will set you back by Rs 69,999 ($950). To put things in perspective, the former now costs lesser than the Galaxy S20 FE 5G (Rs 50,999/$6982) in India. Similarly, the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra costs as much as the entry-level Galaxy S21 (Rs 69,999/$950). And, that isn’t even the best part.

Another minor detail that the poster lets slip is that both the Galaxy Note 20 and Galaxy Note 20 Ultra will be powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 865+ chipset, which is objectively better than the Exynos 990 that the phones shipped with at launch. Before we get too optimistic, the Snapdragon 865+ designation could likely be an error.

However, it is entirely possible that Samsung is trying to offload its unsold inventory left over from other regions which used Qualcomm silicon, or these are going to be third-party listings of imported units. Nonetheless, these prices are excellent for even Exynos 990-powered Galaxy Note 20 and Galaxy Note 20 Ultra variants and the objectively better Snapdragon 865+ would just be a cherry on top. The Galaxy Note 20 series sold quite poorly in India, and this sale could help remedy that.

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You could soon earn WhatsApp cashback on your Samsung phone

Facebook-owned WhatsApp may be the leading cross-platform messaging app but its feature set has left a lot to be desired. However, the company has been hard at work recently to improve the app’s functionality.

It already has some great features like WhatsApp Web, group video calls, the ability to make payments in select markets and more. Now, it appears that a WhatsApp cashback feature is being developed as well.

WhatsApp cashback may only be available in select markets

This discovery has been made by the folks at WABetaInfo. The WhatsApp cashback feature will apparently be available in markets where it’s possible to send payments through the app. Mobile P2P payments can be made via WhatsApp in Brazil and India currently.

The latest WhatsApp beta includes this feature which will provide users with a tiny fraction of the money that they send as cashback. Per the code in the beta version, this feature may be launched first in India. The value of the cashback will be 10 INR which is about $0.14.

It’s obviously not much but this might incentivize people to use WhatsApp’s P2P transfer feature. It’s entirely possible that the cashback might be provided on a promotional basis. Users could only get it once or it may only be provided to those who have yet to use WhatsApp’s money transfer feature.

The report mentions that users will see the cashback reflected in their accounts 48 hours after they make the initial transfer. It remains to be seen how quickly this feature makes the jump from beta. It usually takes a few weeks for beta features to go live.

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Samsung wants to reverse engineer human brain and replicate it on 3D chip

Samsung has announced a new way to reverse engineer the human brain and mimic it with semiconductor chips. The world’s biggest memory chip maker has collaborated with Harvard University researchers to share a new approach that takes the world one step closer to making neuromorphic chips.

Harvard scholars and Samsung engineers have published a new perspective paper titled ‘Neuromorphic electronics based on copying and pasting the brain’ on Nature Electronics.

The research paper is co-authored by:

1. Donhee Ham, Fellow of Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology (SAIT) and Professor of Harvard University
2. Professor Hongkun Park of Harvard University
3. Sungwoo Hwang, President and CEO of Samsung SDS and former Head of SAIT
4. Kinam Kim, Vice Chairman and CEO of Samsung Electronics

The essence of this paper is that the human brain’s neuronal connection map can be copied using a nanoelectrode array developed by Dr. Ham and Dr. Park. The map can then be pasted on a high-density 3D network of solid-state memories. Such a chip can replicate a brain’s unique computing traits, including adaptation to the environment, facile learning, low power, and even autonomy and cognition.

The brain has a large number of neurons, and their wiring map is responsible for all the computing power and memory. If that map can be reverse engineered, a lot can be achieved in mimicking the brain. The nanoelectrode array can enter a large number of neurons and record their electrical signals with high sensitivity. The recording of these intracellular connections informs where the neurons connect and how strong those signals are.

Such a map can be “pasted” on a network of non-volatile memory chips such as NAND flash that are used in SSDs or RRAM (Resistive RAM or Memristors). Each memory can be programmed so that its conductance represents the strength of each neuron connection in the human brain in the copied map.

The human brain has more than 100 billion neurons with 1000x more synaptic links. So to mimic it, the ultimate neuromorphic chip needs to have more than 100 trillion memories. Integrating so many memories can be done by 3D integration suggested by Samsung engineers and Harvard University researchers.

Samsung plans to continue research on such chips in the future for a breakthrough in artificial intelligence and semiconductor chips. Dr. Ham said, “The vision we present is highly ambitious, but working toward such a heroic goal will push the boundaries of machine intelligence, neuroscience, and semiconductor technology.”

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How to enable quick app switching on your Galaxy Watch 4

Android’s pretty great at multitasking, and on phones and tablets, you can quickly switch between the last two used apps by double pressing the Overview button (the same button that shows you all your recent apps when pressed a single time). And with Samsung adopting Wear OS for its smartwatches this year, the same quick app switching is now available on the Galaxy Watch 4 and Galaxy Watch 4 Classic.

On previous Galaxy watches that ran Tizen, you could only double press the home button to switch to the last used app from the watch face. On Samsung’s new watches, you can press the home button twice anywhere to switch to the previous app you had opened, and then double press it again to switch back to the first one. It basically works like it does on Android phones and tablets, and it’s very convenient.

How to enable app switching using home key on Galaxy Watch 4

Out of the box, the home key isn’t assigned to switching to the last used app on a double press, but it’s simple to change that.

First, open the Settings app on your Galaxy Watch 4/Watch 4 Classic by swiping down on the screen and tapping the cog icon. Scroll down to and tap Advanced features, then navigate to Customize keys. Here, just tap the Double press option under the Home key tab and select Go to most recent app.

Of course, if you want to assign the double press home key action to something else, you can choose from one of the many other options. You can also customize what pressing and holding the home/power key does, and even a regular press of the back button is re-assignable.

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Looks like Samsung is going to make a truckload of money this quarter

Business has been booming for Samsung Electronics. Even as some of its other divisions come under pressure, the semiconductor division has been raking in the cash. A variety of factors have contributed to its rising profits.

The global semiconductor shortage is one of them. As demand remains high, the average selling price of semiconductor products has steadily increased. This has enabled Samsung to increase its profits considerably. Market analysts expect Q3 2021 will be one of Samsung’s best quarters yet.

This could be one of Samsung’s best quarters yet

Analysts project that Samsung will report 16.3 trillion won or almost $13.8 billion in operating profit for the July-September 2021 period. This will represent a 31.9 percent jump compared to the same period last year.

Samsung is projected to post a 12.2 percent increase in sales to 75.1 trillion won or almost $70 billion in Q3 2021. Compared to Q2 2021, Samsung’s operating profit and revenues will be up an impressive 29.7 and 18 percent respectively.

Enhanced yield rates and the continued price increase for memory chips is likely what enabled Samsung to make a truckload of money this quarter. The chip business alone is expected to account for the vast majority of the operating profit.

Samsung recently took back the world’s biggest chip seller crown from Intel. Market analysts expect the company to retain the crown as it’s likely to have made $22.32 billion in semiconductor sales during Q3 2021.

The mobile division is also expected to have done well in this quarter. It may report better earnings than the previous quarter with an increase in shipments and average selling price due to the new foldable smartphones.

Samsung will announce its official Q3 2021 earnings guidance at some point in the coming week.

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