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Daily Authority: š Google's "Grogu" tracker
š„¶ Good morning, and welcome to Tuesdayās Daily Authority! Yesterday was Blue Monday, officially the most depressing day of the year ā and we had snow in Scotland which still hasnāt melted. Luckily todayās a bit cheerier as itās Terrific Tuesday (ok, so thatās not official, but Iām going with it).
Googleās āGroguā AirTag competitor
A leak suggests Google could be working on a tracker to rival Appleās AirTag:
- According to leaker Kuba Wojciechowski, the codename for this product is āGroguā ā the real name of āBaby Yodaā from The Mandalorian. Cute!
- The purported tracker would supposedly include a speaker and come in multiple colors.
- It may even pack support for Bluetooth LE and ultra-wideband (UWB).
Googleās included UWB tech in its phones since the Pixel 6 series but hasnāt really utilized the tech properly to date.
- This tracker could be Googleās opportunity to use the tech to provide owners with ultra-specific location data for their tracker (and anything itās attached to).
- Thereās no word yet on the real product name or when it could launch, but weāre assuming Google could announce it at Google I/O in the Spring, launching it in October at its annual hardware event.
- Weāll have to wait and see!
Pixel Fold dummy reveals dimensions and more
- Weāve already seen leaked renders, but this dummyās supposedly made for case manufacturers
- Though the model doesnāt contain any hardware, its dimensions are allegedly accurate.
- That means the hinge design, bezels, camera positioning, and so on, are the same on the model as on the actual Pixel Fold.
What else do we know?
- The model suggests a super thin Pixel Fold that measures just 5.7mm. Thatās slimmer than an unfolded Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 4, for context.
- The two halves of the Pixel Fold appear to shut flush, without a gap.
- That likely means Googleās using a droplet-style hinge, like that of the Motorola Razr 2022 or OPPO Find N2, and Dave2D was told the deviceās hinge will be similar to OPPOās foldable.
- Onto that screen: Mock-ups show that when folded, itās seemingly wider than the Galaxy Z Fold 4.
- It also appears to have thicker bezels at the top and bottom when unfolded, with the camera resting on the top bezel, so it doesnāt interfere with the inner display.
- Stereo soundās on the cards too, as the speakers are placed on the phoneās top left and bottom right.
Roundup
š² Samsung accidentally confirms One UI 5.1, which phones will get it (Android Authority).
š And hereās your first look at official Galaxy S23 cases, including silicone cases, clear cases, and more (Android Authority).
š· In other Samsung news, the company details what could be the Galaxy S23 Ultraās 200MP camera sensor (Android Authority).
š Also, you can experience the Galaxy S23 before anyone else at these global locations (Android Authority).
š Google Discover prepares for the Pixel Tablet with new three-column layout (XDA Developers).
š Pixelās Security & privacy showing erroneous āAdd a screen lockā alert (9to5Google).
š„ A Galaxy S22 Ultra shot this short film from Oscar-winning filmmaker Charlie Kaufman (Android Authority).
š§āāļø Enjoying The Last of Us on HBO? Thereās an official companion podcast with Troy Baker (who played Joel in the games) and co-creators Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann, going behind the scenes of the show (h/t Mashable).
š® In the market for a new gaming phone? This could be one of the cheapest Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 phones around (Android Authority).
š¢ Xiaomi is taking away home security camera features you paid for (Android Authority).
š¦Twitter may have deliberately cut off third-party clients like Tweetbot (Engadget).
ā” Calm in the chaos: Lasers used to guide lightning strikes to a safe target (Ars Technica).
Tuesday thing
If your January has been all positivity and resolutions so far, why not mix things up a bit with a good old curse?
- On Japanās leading flea market site, Mercari, you can order damnation direct to your doorstep, with great deals on curses.
- Business is apparently booming, with the deals trending on Twitter.
- Seller Jujutsushi Mukuro (āDark Arts Master Corpseā) offers a wide range of options, from cursing those whoāve wronged you to bouncing back from money woes or even wooing a crush in time for Valentineās Day.
- Just tell the seller the names of the people involved and what youād like done, and youāll receive an āofuda,ā or sacred paper talisman, in the mail a couple of days after the ritual is complete.
- Other spooky items for sale include Cursed Black Salt, which supposedly causes the target to feel as though theyāre being watched while they sleep, and āWara Ningyoā, the Japanese version of voodoo dolls.
- Hopefully, your Januaryās going well enough that you donāt need to resort to such extreme measures, and the site also sells āCurse Returnsā in case you think somebody has cast an evil eye on you.
- Then again, if you think that, maybe you just need to get better sleepā¦
Have a great day!
Paula Beaton, Copy Editor.