Thoughts Unboxed

Samsung is gearing up for the second part of its highly-anticipated bi-annual Unpacked event, scheduled for July 27th at 7AM ET. The first part of this event took place back in February when Samsung unveiled its impressive S23 lineup alongside the Galaxy Book series, including the flagship Galaxy Book3 Ultra. However, the absence of the Galaxy Tab S9 series left fans eager for more. The upcoming event has been teased with the tagline "Join the Flip Side" in Samsung's marketing material, heavily hinting at the launch of the next generation of foldables, which includes the Galaxy Flip5 and Galaxy Fold5.    How to Watch the Event? The Galaxy Unpacked event will be live-streamed on Samsung's official website , as well as their YouTube account . For your convenience, we have included a direct link to the live stream in this post, so you can easily tune in and catch all the action. Here is the timings for various regions: 7:00 AM Eastern Time (ET) 4:00 AM Pacific T

According to information from undisclosed insiders, Microsoft has ceased production of the Surface Duo 2, as reported by Windows Central. Although a limited number of devices might still be available at select retailers, no new units will be manufactured. While the phone is slated to receive Android security updates until at least October 2024, prospects for further Android OS updates, specifically beyond 12L, appear highly doubtful. Windows Central's attempts to obtain comments from Microsoft regarding their intentions to update the phone to Android 13 or the subsequent Android 14 have been unsuccessful. In addition to this, Windows Central's report suggests that a "majority" of the software team for the Surface Duo 2 has been reassigned to work on the Android version of Teams Rooms. Earlier this year, online reports claimed that Microsoft had abandoned plans to make the Surface Duo 3, and had instead decided to work on a true foldable phone. However, there has been

Magenta carrier T-Mobile has recently implemented several changes to its service offerings, affecting various aspects of its accounts. One area that has been impacted is the auto-pay discount available to users. This discount provides credits for each line when users set up automatic bill payments. While the change was announced some time ago, it is now gradually rolling out to more users. Change Details Many users have begun receiving texts and emails requesting them to update their auto-pay method or risk losing their auto-pay discounts. Please refer to the attached screenshot for an example of the email notification.      New Requirements Moving forward, T-Mobile will only consider debit cards and bank accounts as valid payment methods for receiving auto-pay discounts. Any other payment method will void the auto-pay discount.  Concerns While T-Mobile claims that this change is intended to benefit customers, some speculate that it might be primarily aimed at avoid

The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals today denied the Federal Trade Commission's petition seeking injunctive relief against Microsoft. This ruling paves the way for Microsoft to proceed with its acquisition of Activision Blizzard in the near future. Microsoft's President Brad Smith welcomed the swift decision. He said in a statement: We appreciate the Ninth Circuit’s swift response denying the FTC’s motion to further delay the deal. This brings us another step closer to the finish line in this marathon of global regulatory reviews. While the court's ruling is a significant victory for Microsoft, a major obstacle remains in the form of the United Kingdom's Competitions and Markets Authority (CMA), which has already rejected the proposed merger. Citing concerns over potential unfair advantage in the emerging cloud gaming sector, the CMA has been engaged in negotiations with Microsoft to explore alternative terms for the merger. With a deadline of

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) was unsuccessful in its attempt to obtain a temporary injunction blocking Microsoft's acquisition of Activision-Blizzard. Federal judge Jacqueline Scott Corley denied the petition earlier this week , allowing Microsoft to proceed with the acquisition by July 18th. There was speculation that the FTC might drop its lawsuit entirely, but surprisingly enough, the FTC is appealing the federal judge's decision and has filed an opposition to the judge's ruling . The FTC has lodged its appeal in the Ninth Circuit Court and is once again seeking to halt the deal. In its appeal, the FTC has claimed the judge made several judgemental mistakes. Various objections raised by the FTC can be summarized as: Aplying an incorrect legal standard to the FTC's request for a preliminary injunction. Making a legal mistake by finding that Microsoft was likely to impede competition in the market for multi-game subscription library servic

  The Competition and Market Authority (CMA) of the UK may be changing its position on Microsoft's acquisition of Activision-Blizzard. The authority has expressed openness to reconsidering its decision to block the merger if Microsoft can address the concerns raised in CMA's final report. CMA was the first antitrust authority to block the merger, citing concerns about the potential impact on the future of cloud gaming. Microsoft has challenged this decision, and a hearing is scheduled for July 28. However, Microsoft, Activision, and CMA have agreed to pause the litigation in the UK. This pause will allow the three parties to work on a satisfactory restructuring of the transaction. CMA's change in stance follows the FTC's loss of a motion for a preliminary injunction against Microsoft's acquisition of Activision-Blizzard. Brad Smith, Microsoft's representative, responded to the decision, saying: After today's court decision in the U.S., our focus now turns ba

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has lost its motion for a preliminary injunction to halt Microsoft's acquisition of Activision-Blizzard. The case involved presentations from both parties over a span of five days, with the federal judge tasked with deciding whether to grant the FTC's request for an emergency injunction to prevent the deal from closing. While the FTC still has the option to file an appeal with the federal appellate court, it remains to be seen whether they will pursue that route or drop the lawsuit entirely. In her decision , Federal Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley stated: This Court’s responsibility in this case is narrow. It is to decide if, notwithstanding these current circumstances, the merger should be halted—perhaps even terminated—pending resolution of the FTC administrative action. For the reasons explained, the Court finds the FTC has not shown a likelihood it will prevail on its claim this particular vertical merger i

Twitter has been facing challenges and declining user engagement for years. Recent developments, including its takeover by Elon Musk, have added to the woes of the embattled micro-blogging platform. Amidst this backdrop, new competitors are vying to seize a piece of Twitter's pie, with Meta's Instagram Threads emerging as a potential instant threat.   According to Apple's App Store Listing, Instagram Threads is set to launch on July 6th. An early listing on Google's Play Store was also discovered over the weekend. Interestingly, Meta has taken a cautious marketing approach, presenting the app as "Instagram Threads" rather than "Meta Threads," likely aiming to leverage Instagram's popularity while avoiding Facebook's negative publicity. A web portal, threads.net, displays a countdown timer for the app launch, scheduled for 9 AM CST on July 6th.   Instagram Threads could gain substantial traction given Twitter's ongoin

Sony's fierce opposition to Microsoft's proposed acquisition of Activision-Blizzard has been no secret since the announcement last year. The gaming giant has been lobbying extensively against the deal's approval. In an attempt to assuage Sony, Microsoft offered a guarantee of Call of Duty's availability on Sony's PlayStation platform. Recent developments have shed light on a twist in the tale. According to a Twitter post, Sony's CEO, Jim Ryan, purportedly made a counteroffer to Xbox Boss, Phil Spencer, as a condition to green-light the deal. The counterproposal laid out several demands, as follows: Ensure that all existing and future Activision Blizzard games are still available on PlayStation & have parity with Xbox. Don't make PlayStation Activision Blizzard games more expensive than Xbox. Treat all Activision Blizzard games equally on subscription services of Xbox and Playstation. Upon comp