⚡ Welcome again to The Weekly Authority, the Android Authority newsletter that breaks down the top Android and tech news from the week. The 163rd edition touching down in your inbox.

🧚🏼 I finally got around to watching Amazon Prime’s Carnival Row this week and Fall seems like the perfect time for this Victorian steampunk show. Can’t wait for season two next year!

This week’s hottest news coming up, with a nod to Captain Kirk in our Weekly Wonder...

Google:

• The Pixel 6 launch date is confirmed for October 19 @ 1PM ET, and a Pixel 6 Japanese TV ad dropped this week, with more price leaks too.
• Android 12 has sort-of launched, though it’s not available on any phones yet, and the delay is likely tied into the Pixel 6 launch, with Google promising it for Pixel phones first.
• Meanwhile, Google Pay’s promised bank account feature is dead.

Windows 11:

• Windows 11 landed on Monday, a day earlier than expected, but you’ll need to make sure your PC can run it.

Apple:

• Apple Watch 7 pre-orders start this week, and we saw what’s thought to be some real-life photos of that larger screen.
• Also this week, Apple reportedly canceled plans to release an updated iPad Air with OLED display in 2022 but will still release a mini-LED 11-inch iPad Pro.
• Meanwhile, Siri turned 10 this week — more on that in our Features section.
• Apple’s October event could see new MacBook Pros, Mac Mini, and third-generation AirPods, likely on October 19 or 26.
• And it was revealed Apple makes more profit on video games than Sony, Activision, Nintendo, and Microsoft’s gaming division combined, without making a single game.

Samsung:

• A new leak suggests the S22 could be delayed, with the S21 FE possibly taking its place in January.
• Meanwhile, Samsung’s new foldables are selling better than the S21 and Note 20 in Korea.
• The Galaxy Note 8 reached the end of its lifecycle, with no further updates planned.
• Samsung delayed its next-gen chip tech until 2022.
• Also this week, Samsung reported its highest profit in three years.

Twitch:

• Twitch got hacked in what will likely go down as one of the largest data leaks ever, though most interesting was leaked figures for the highest-earning streamers. Don’t forget to change your password and enable 2FA, if you haven’t already.

Elsewhere:

• OnePlus will launch the 9RT and Buds Z2 next week.
• Whatsapp, Facebook, Instagram, and Oculus suffered a massive outage on Monday, but the memes on Twitter were the best part.
• Bernardinelli-Bernstein, the largest comet ever discovered at 95 miles wide, is headed for the sun.
• Amazon rolled out a new feature for Prime subscribers in the US ahead of Black Friday, enabling them to send gifts with just the phone number or email address of the recipient – no mailing address required.
• The Pandora Papers leak revealed “offshore deals and assets of more than 100 billionaires, 30 world leaders, and 300 public officials.”
• Bizarrely, entrepreneur Dauren Musa wants to trade the Buran shuttle for the skull of the last Kazakh Khan.

Movies/TV:

• No Time to Die, Daniel Craig’s last outing as 007, hit US theaters on Friday.
• The first official teaser for Game of Thrones spin-off/prequel House of The Dragon landed.
• South Korean ISP SK Broadband is suing Netflix as too many people are watching Squid Game.
• In horror, Stephen King’s Salem’s Lot is getting a big-screen adaptation next year.
• Meanwhile, BlumFest 2021 fan event gave us lots to be excited about including a new featurette for the upcoming movie Halloween Kills, four more “Welcome to the Blumhouse” movies premiering on Amazon Prime, and the upcoming Mr. Harrigan’s Phone, based on the short story by Stephen King, coming to Netflix in 2022.

Gaming:

• Nintendo’s OLED Switch landed on Friday and reviews suggest it’s a gamechanger. 
• Far Cry 6 was released on Thursday and the reviews are already coming thick and fast, with gameplay trailers too.
• A new trailer for Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy game landed showing off all its graphics tricks, including up to 8k resolutions.
• The Steam Deck’s getting a rival with leaks of Lenovo’s Legion Play, but our readers have reservations.
• Amazon’s MMO New World is still struggling with server queues, with developers implementing new features to help players check if a world is full.
• Sony added a free game trial feature to PS5: only for UK players and currently only for Death Stranding Director’s Cut and Sackboy: A Big Adventure.
• And Google will give you free Stadia hardware if you buy a game.

• iPhone 13 Pro Max review: Minimal effort, maximum reward — It “remains a tough handset to beat.”
• Apple iPhone 13 review: Powerful pocket pal — “The iPhone 13 is for people who want to make the safe choice.”
• Sony Xperia 5 III review: Small yet sumptuous — Premium-tier performance, but a few too many compromises to be a smash hit.
• OnePlus 9 Pro revisited: The good and the bad, six months later — Still a killer phone with flagships specs and a great camera.
• Xiaomi Mi TV 55X 55-inch review: Another quality budget 4K TV — A quality TV from Xiaomi, for those on a budget.

Features

• Windows 11 is now out: Here’s everything you need to know — New features, new design, widgets, and more.
• Alias 20th anniversary: 5 reasons you should go back and watch on Amazon Prime — A fresh premise, constant reinvention, and huge names both in front of and behind the camera.
• Dune foresaw — and influenced — half a century of global conflict: How Frank Herbert’s 1965 novel anticipated and shaped warfare (Wired).
• X-Ray Technology Reveals Marie Antoinette’s Censored Secret Correspondence: “By blacking over words and entire lines with dark ink someone meant to hide them forever from history and they succeeded for two centuries — until now.” (The Smithsonian).
• Hey, Siri, What Happened? Siri turned 10 this week but still hasn’t got it all figured out… (The Verge).
• 9 of the best Korean dramas on Netflix: Something to watch once you’ve finished Squid Game (Mashable).

The original Captain Kirk, actor William Shatner, will become the oldest person to go to space on October 12.

• He’s jetting off with Blue Origin at 9.30AM EDT (1.30PM GMT) from Launch Site One in West Texas.
• Shatner will break the record set by 82-year-old Wally Funk, who flew on Blue Origin’s debut flight in July.
• He’ll be traveling alongside Audrey Powers, Blue Origin’s vice president of mission and flight operations, Chris Boshuizen, co-founder of Planet, and Glen de Vries, co-founder of Medidata Solutions (who’s also a private pilot).

We’re all hoping he’ll say his iconic line: “To boldly go where no man has gone before.” But Captain Kirk has had plenty of wise words for us all. Here are just a few of his most famous speeches and moments on Star Trek: The Original Series.

To Boldly Go 

Risk is our Business

The Omega Glory

Spock’s Kal-if-fee

To finish up, here are some facts you (probably) never knew about William Shatner:

• He made his acting debut in 1951, in The Butler’s Night Off, playing the part of “A Cook.”
• His dad didn’t approve of his son’s acting career and instead wanted him to join the men’s clothing industry.
• He worked with George Lucas in 1965 when he appeared in the short film The Soldier. Lucas was working on set as an assistant cameraman while attending the University of Southern California.
• His birthday is on March 22, 1931.
• He often stole Leonard Nimoy’s (Spock) bicycle on the Star Trek set, and is known as a bit of a prankster.
• In the 1970s he did some stand-up as Captain Kirk, the idea behind the sketch being that Kirk fancied himself a comedian, but would tell purposefully unfunny jokes. The meta-humor, unfortunately, went over the heads of the audience.

We can’t wait to watch Captain Kirk go to space, the final frontier, for real this time.

See live launch coverage at T-90 minutes, with liftoff targeted for 8.30AM CDT / 1.30PM UTC.

A little something extra:

If it’s grey and cold where you are, check out this beautiful Sunday afternoon in Paris, shot by the Lumiere brothers in 1900 (colorized).

• October 12: Back 4 Blood release date (PS4, PS5, Xbox One, XSX, PC).
• October 13: OnePlus 9RT and Buds Z2 launch.
• October 19: Pixel 6 release date @ 1PM ET.
• October 19 or 26: Apple event? Possibly new MacBook Pros, Mac Mini, AirPods 3?
• October 21: Huawei event in Vienna, possibly P50 series launch.
• October 22: Dune lands in US theaters and on HBO Max.
• October 27-28: 2021 Android Dev Summit.

Tech Tweet of the Week

Have an out-of-this-world week!

Paula Beaton, Copy Editor