In a Reddit post, the LineageOS team revealed that LineageOS 17.1, based on Android 10, has now reached retirement. That means new builds of LineageOS 17.1  won’t be developed moving forward. The team says they had to take this step because of the storage restrictions of their build servers.

Android 12 Custom ROM List: Unofficially update your Android smartphone!

As per the announcement, the following devices are being dropped from the LineageOS 17.1 build roaster:

If you’re running LineageOS 17.1 on any of the above-mentioned devices, you can continue to use the ROM as it is but note that there won’t be any new updates. That means you will miss out on important security patches and other improvements. Your best bet is to upgrade to LineageOS 18.1, assuming it’s available for your device, or switch to another custom ROM which is in active development.

At the time, LineageOS 17.1 builds are still listed on the LineageOS download page. The team notes that builds and recoveries will eventually be removed from the website.

As for the Android 12 release, the team says they have started testing build systems to support LineageOS 19.0. However, no exact timeline has been provided for when the new version is officially coming out.

Source

On the bright side, the official launch event has revealed important details such as price, availability. According to the company, the OnePlus Nord CE 2 5G will go on sale from February 22 in India. The smartphone will also make its debut in Europe. Users in Europe will be able to buy Nord CE 2 5G from March 10.

OnePlus Nord CE 2 5G starts at INR 23,999 and goes up to INR 24,999. You can see the specifications of the OnePlus Nord CE 2 5G below.

OnePlus Nord CE 2 5G specifications

OnePlus Nord CE 2 features a 6.4-inch FHD+ AMOLED display with a screen refresh ratio of 90 Hz. Powering the smartphone will be the MediaTek Dimensity 900 processor coupled with anywhere between 6GB and 8GB of RAM.

Rumor has it that Nord CE 2 5G has a triple rear camera setup. We’re talking about a 64MP (f/1.79) (Omnivision), an 8MP (f/2.25) (FOV – 119°) (EIS) Ultra-wide, and a 2MP (f/2.4) inside a rectangular camera bump at the back of the smartphone. The smartphone also features a 16MP (f/2.45) (EIS) (Sony IMX471) front camera. The selfie camera is located in the punch hole camera cut out.

The new OnePlus Nord 2 CE packs a 4,500 mAh battery and supports fast charging up to 65W. It comes with Android 12 out of the box. The smartphone will be available in two color options — Bahama Blue, Grey Mirror.

OnePlus Nord CE 2 makes its debut in India, and here is how much it costs

Samsung also confirms that the users in India will be able to pre-order the Galaxy S22 series from February 23. It’s also worth noting that all the models in the S22 series will be available for pre-orders.

As for the pricing, Samsung Galaxy S22 will start at Rs. 72,999(~$973), while the 256GB costs Rs. 76,999(~$1,026). Samsung Galaxy S22 Plus model starts at Rs. 84,999(~$1132) and go up to Rs. 88,999($1186). Meanwhile, the Galaxy S22 Ultra model set you back Rs. 1,09,999($1465) for the base model, while the 512GB model costs Rs. 1,18,999($1585).

SAMSUNG GALAXY S22 SPECIFICATIONS

The regular Samsung Galaxy S22 will feature a 6.1-inch display with support for 240Hz Touch Sampling Rate in Game mode and support for up to 120Hz refresh rate. The Galaxy S22 Plus model will also support a 120 Hz refresh rate and 240 Hz Sampling Rate in Gaming Mode, while the display size will be 6.6 inches.

Talking about the camera, they both feature a 12MP Ultra-wide camera, a 50MP Wide camera, and a 10MP Telephoto Camera with 3x Optical zoom. For selfies and video calling, Samsung Galaxy S22 and S22 Plus will use a 10MP camera.

The Galaxy S22 has a 3700 mAh battery with support for up to 25W fast charging, while the plus model has a 4,500 mAh battery with support for up to 45W fast charging.

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra, on the other hand, features a 6.8-inch QHD+ display with a refresh rate of up to 120Hz and a 240Hz Touch Sampling Rate in Game mode. The ‘Ultra’ model features a 12MP Wide camera, 108MP Wide camera, 10MP Telephoto Camera with 3x Optical Zoom, and 10MP Telephoto camera with 10x Optical camera. For selfies and video calling, Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra will use a 40MP camera. It will pack a non-removable 5000 mAh battery with support for up to 45W fast charging support.

Samsung launches Galaxy S22 series in India

Young says the rumored Pixel foldable is not canceled as many thought it was. In fact, the CEO of DSCC claims that the Google Pixel's foldable panel production will start from Q3 of 2022 with the official launch happening in Q4 of 2022. More specifically, the much-awaited Pixel foldable could see the proverbial daylight in October this year.

While replying to some of the queries related to the alleged Pixel foldable on Twitter, Young has also given us some tidbits about what we can expect from the new device. He confirms that the foldable phone will feature a display with a screen refresh rate of 120Hz, similar to what you get in Samsung's latest foldable phones.

Moreover, Young reveals that the outer display of Google's new foldable phone could be smaller than that of the current Galaxy Z Fold3. However, he has given us no other details related to the display beyond that.

Previously, Young had told that the purported foldable Google Pixel would cost higher than the Galaxy Z Fold3 in the US and Europe, and therefore, it would not be as competitive as Samsung's. He believes its lack of competitiveness was one of the reasons why Google didn't release it last year.

Rumor has it that the stable version of the new Android 12L operating system will be ready to roll out to the general public before the end of Q1'22. And if that happens, it's quite likely that the foldable Pixel will be based on Google's new operating system, which is designed specifically for tablets and other large-screen devices like foldable phones.

Google's foldable Pixel may not be dead after all

Android 13 preview shows how Pixel phones could stream apps to your PC

“We are thrilled by the consumer response to our new Galaxy Tab S8 lineup,” Samsung unsurprisingly told XDA Developers, who first spotted the pre-orders for the tablet being pulled,  as if immense demand would ever be a bad thing.

“Due to the overwhelming demand in the last 48 hours, we will be pausing preorders at Samsung.com for the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra and Galaxy Tab S8. We are working quickly to meet consumer excitement and demand. Please stay tuned for more updates,” a spokesperson for the company continued. 

It’s currently unclear just when the Galaxy Tab S8 preorders will open up once again, or whether customers in the US will be waiting until the launch of the tablet on the 25th of February. 

With many manufacturers still suffering from the effects of the global chip shortage, it’s hardly the biggest surprise that some companies are having to temper expectations and limit just how many devices they can sell, lest they overwhelm manufacturers and end up causing delays. 

With a brand new S Pen, a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor, and up to a 14.6″ Super AMOLED display in the Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra, Samsung has packed an impressive amount of tech into their latest line of tablets which are just 5.5mm thick, so it’s no wonder that people want them.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 preorders paused due to overwhelming demand

We recently reported that the new Moto Edge 30 Pro might give some tough competition to the Samsung Galaxy S22 series. And now, after hearing the details about the box price of the new Edge 30 Pro in India, there is no iota of doubt that it poses some serious threats to the S22.

According to industry sources close to MySmartPrice, the box price of the Moto Edge 30 Pro will be INR 55,999(~$740) in India. Usually, the box price is higher than the street price, so we can expect the effective asking price to be slightly less than what's quoted in the box.

Previous rumors suggested the Edge 30 Pro would come with a folio case where users will find a dedicated pen slot, much like how Samsung has added a dedicated pen slot to the S22 Ultra. Although not confirmed, the S22 Ultra would probably cost more than Rs. 100,000(~$1,321) in India. And since the Edge 30 Pro offers pen support and will cost almost half of the asking price of S22 Ultra in India, the Edge 30 Pro has the potential to emerge as the winner.

For those unaware, the Moto Edge 30 Pro is said to be a rebranded Moto Edge 30X, which debuted in China at the end of last year. So, there should be a lot of similarities between the two variants. Meanwhile, you can check out some of the key specifications of the smartphone below.

Moto Edge 30 Pro rumored specifications

The Edge 30 Pro is expected to be powered by Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 coupled with 8GB or 12GB of RAM. It's said to feature a 6.7-inch Full HD+ 10-bit POLED display with 2400 × 1080 pixel resolution, 144Hz refresh rate, and a 700nits peak brightness.

Talking about the camera, the smartphone is rumored to have a triple camera setup at the back, consisting of a 50MP main sensor with optical image stabilization, a 50MP ultra-wide-angle lens, and a 2MP depth lens. For selfies and video calling, it'll use a 60MP front camera.

The smartphone will pack a 5,000mAh battery with support for 60W fast charging. It'll run Android 12 out of the box. In all likelihood, users will get the Android 13 update when it becomes available.

The Moto Edge 30 Pro is all set to go global on February 24.

Moto Edge 30 Pro India pricing leaks ahead of its global launch

After Samsung officially retired its iconic “Galaxy Note” brand, the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra is now the unofficial new Note flagship device. All these premium devices ship with the Samsung Knox platform, which gets its own secure processor and memory. This secure platform could be of great interest to those who buy, trade, or invest, in cryptocurrencies.

All the devices that come under the Galaxy S22 series, ship with a brand-new Samsung Wallet pre-installed. Needless to add, this virtual pocket does everything that’s commonly expected from a digital wallet on a smartphone. Samsung confirmed the presence of the new Wallet in its presentation:

The section on Samsung Wallet was very brief but it offered confirmation about cryptocurrencies support.

Our all-new Samsung Wallet will carry your digital valuables in one convenient, and secure place. You will be able to store your IDs, credit cards, passwords, keys, and even your boarding passes.

So, you not only have to carry less, but you can access them anywhere. Samsung Wallet will also let you access and explore complex digital products, like cryptocurrency, with more ease too.

If all this sounds very familiar, it is because Apple already offers this functionality within the iPhone. Both the wallets can securely hold (and retrieve when needed), credit cards, boarding passes, transit cards, tickets, rewards/loyalty cards, digital keys, vaccination records, and digital IDs.

The Samsung Wallet, however, can store “Blockchain Keys”. The company has confirmed that the Samsung Knox security suite supports the function. As revealed in the presentation, Samsung will offer Galaxy S22 owners the ability to work with crypto tokens through the devices. But, there’s no official confirmation about the types of cryptocurrencies that could reside inside the Samsung Wallet.

Incidentally, Apple iPhone devices gained the ability to work with cryptocurrencies last year. Google, on the other hand, hasn’t officially delivered the kind of crypto token support that Samsung Wallet has, presumably, out of the box.

Source: BGR

Samsung Blockchain Wallet in Galaxy S22 hints at cryptocurrency management on-the-go

Lei Jun, Xiaomi's founder and chief executive, has said that the company will become the number one high-end smartphone brand in China in the next three years. In a direct challenge to Apple, Samsung, and other Chinese brands, the CEO also said that the company's strategic goal is to become the biggest smartphone brand in the same period of time.

"[We aim to] fully benchmark against Apple in [terms of] product and experience, and become China's biggest high-end brand in the next three years," Lei said in a post on the Chinese microblogging platform Weibo on Tuesday.

In what could be seen as a move to fill the void left by Huawei, other Chinese brands such as OPPO, OnePlus, and Xiaomi are trying to make a name for themselves in the flagship category. While both OnePlus and OPPO have seen some success with their efforts to rival Apple and Samsung in the flagship segment, Xiaomi's flagships are more of what can be described as "entry-level" like the Galaxy S21 FE.

According to a report published by Canalys, Apple overtook Samsung to be become the world's largest smartphone vendor in the fourth quarter of last year, thanks to strong demand for the iPhone 13 line. Another study by Counterpoint suggests that Apple dethroned Vivo in the fourth quarter to become China's top smartphone vendor after six years.

Apple's rise to the top position in China after so many years appears to have rattled Xiaomi, the Chinese brand that described competition as "a war of life and death."

In an effort to attract more consumers, Xiaomi is planning to open 20,000 new retail stores in China over the next three years, taking the total number of stores to 30,000.

Sources: South China Morning Post and MacRumors

Xiaomi to spend over $15 billion to dethrone Apple as the world's biggest smartphone brand

Android 13 Preview 1 is out, with themed icons, privacy changes

Samsung has officially introduced the Galaxy Tab S8 series at its Unpacked 2022 event. The series includes three devices - the Galaxy Tab S8, Tab S8+, and the Tab S8 Ultra.

The Galaxy Tab S8 Ultra is the most expensive and feature-packed device in the lineup, similar to what Samsung has been doing with its phones. It includes a 14.6-inch super AMOLED display with a refresh rate of 120Hz and 240 pixels per inch. It has got up to 16GB of RAM, 512GB of storage and is powered by Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon Gen 1 chip, the same on the new Galaxy S22 lineup.

There are dual 12MP cameras at the front which are housed inside a notch and dual cameras at the rear as well. The Tab S8 Ultra also features three mics with support for noise cancellation and quad speakers that are sound tuned by AKG.

The Galaxy Tab S8 comes with an 11-inch display while the Tab S8 Plus has got a 12.4-inch one. Both the tablets have an LTPS display (which is basically Samsung's version of IPS) running at 120Hz refresh rates. The devices include quad speakers sound tuned by AKG as well, and have up to 12GB RAM and 256GB storage which are expandable up to 1TB with a microSD card.

All three tablets come with a glass-fronted and metal-backed design with strong and robust frames made from Samsung's Armor Aluminum. The Ultra is the thinnest of the three at a thickness of just 5.5mm, about 0.4mm thinner than the iPad Pro. The thin design unfortunately means Samsung has skipped the 3.5mm headphone jack across the lineup.

The Tab S8 series supports 45W charging with the Tab S8 coming with an 8,000mAh battery, Tab S8+ with a 10,090mAh one, and the Tab S8 Ultra with an 11,200mAh battery. Each of the devices ships with an S pen while accessory support includes the Book Cover Keyboard and Protecting Standing Cover.

The tablets start at a retail price of $699.99 for the Tab S8, $899.99 for the Tab S8 Plus while the Tab S8 Ultra will start at $1,099.99. Color options for the Tab S8 and the Tab S8+ include Graphite, Pink Gold, and Silver. The Tab S8 Ultra comes with just a single Graphite color option.

You can pre-order the devices starting today, February 9. In the US, you can get a Galaxy Buds Live when you pre-order the Tab S8 and S8+ while the Tab S8 Ultra will come with a free keyboard cover and portable 500GB SSD.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S8 series is now official

The Galaxy S22 series will offer three options to the users namely S22, S22 Plus and S22 Ultra. The devices are powered by Samsung's own Exynos 2200 SoC or Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 SoC. While the Snapdragon SoC comes with Adreno 730 GPU, the Exynos version with come with AMD's RDNA2-based Xclipse 920 GPU. Like with the previous Galaxy S-series devices, Samsung will be offering the Snapdragon variant in limited markets.

Apart from that, the phones will feature a 2340x1080 resolution 6.1 inches display on the S22 and 6.6 inches on the Plus variant. Apart from that, the S22 and S22 Plus will feature a 240Hz Touch Sampling Rate in Game mode and will support up to 120Hz refresh rate. Both the phones will feature a 12MP Ultra-wide camera, a 50MP Wide camera and a 10MP Telephoto camera with 3x Optical zoom on the back. On the front, Samsung has added a 10MP camera for selfies. Both the devices are equipped with 8GB of RAM and come with either 128 or 256GB of storage. To power things up, Samsung has equipped the S22 with a 3,700mAh battery while the S22 Plus comes with a 4,500mAh battery. Both the devices will support Wireless charging as well as Wireless PowerShare. However, the S22 will support up to 25W while the S22 Plus will support up to 45W wired charging.

Samsung will be making both the devices available in Phantom Black, Phantom White, Green and Pink Gold. The Galaxy S22 starts at $799.99, with the S22 Plus priced at $999.99.

Moving onto the highlight of the show, the Galaxy S22 Ultra which takes design cues from the Galaxy Note series. The device will feature a 6.8-inch QHD+ display with a refresh rate of up to 120Hz and a 240Hz Touch Sampling Rate in Game mode. The device will come with a 12MP Wide camera, 108MP Wide camera, 10MP Telephoto camera with 3x Optical zoom and 10MP Telephoto camera with 10x Optical camera. On the front, the S22 Ultra will have a 40MP camera for selfies. The device will offer 8GB+128GB, 12GB+256GB, 12GB+512GB and 12GB+1TB options. Finally, the device will support up to 45W charging and will have a 5,000mAh battery. Moreover, the device will support 15W wireless charging and will also support Wireless PowerShare. Samsung is also adding the S-Pen to S22 Ultra and unlike last year, the S22 Ultra will have space to store the S-Pen without having to buy a separate case.

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra will be priced at $1199 and will come in Phantom Black, Phantom White, Green, and Burgundy

Samsung officially unveils the Galaxy S22 series

Google’s latest Pixel 6 update breaks things, again

Dismissed as gimmicks at first, gadgets with flexible screens are starting to feel truly mature.

Love Them or Hate Them, Folding Phones Are Sticking Around

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The February patch is also the first on-time release for the Pixel 6.

The February Android security patch is live, marking both the first on-time patch for the Pixel 6 and the last patch ever for the Pixel 3.

 

The Pixel 3 launched in October 2018 to lukewarm reviews, thanks to a giant camera notch on the XL model and a worrying dearth of RAM across the lineup. Google only offers three years of major OS updates (even on the Pixel 6), so the phone's last regular update was the Android 12 launch in October 2021. Pushing one of the biggest Android launches ever as the final update is a little scary (there are bound to be some bugs), so Google promised one last wrap-up update before it said goodbye to the Pixel 3. The device ended up with two more updates: one in January to patch that wild 911 bug and this final update. Google hasn't posted any release notes for the last Pixel 3 update, but the February update should cover all the security issues up to today, and from now on, you're out of date.

 

The Pixel 6's update plan is promoted by Google as "five years of Android security updates," but that still includes only three years of major Android version updates. The Pixel 6 will be obsolete in October 2024, but it will continue to get security updates until October 2026. We've long seen Android companies blame SoC vendors for the short support times compared to the iPhone's six years of updates, but with the Google Tensor, Google is its own SoC vendor now, so it could support the Pixel 6 for longer if it wanted.

 

The Pixel 6's Tensor SoC was built in collaboration with Samsung, marking a break from the Qualcomm-based Pixel 1-5 devices. Google's vendor switch and the rough holiday timeline for the Pixel 6 have resulted in a sloppy initial rollout, with the device missing the first few security patches while bugs get worked out. After getting a big patch in the middle of January, this is the first on-time security patch.

 

Besides a passing of the baton for Pixel devices, the security update fixes what sounds like a nasty remote escalation vulnerability, CVE-2021-39675. The bug is still undisclosed, but Google gave it a special shoutout in the security bulletin, calling it "a critical security vulnerability in the System component that could lead to remote escalation of privilege with no additional execution privileges needed. User interaction is not needed for exploitation." Google has only updated Android 12 to fix this bug, either because it does not affect older versions or because fixes for older versions are still in the works.

 

The updates should roll out to all users over the next few weeks, but if you know what you're doing, you can manually apply them from Google's developer site.

After three years, Google ends Pixel 3 support with February patch

The company said that despite the app being pre-installed, it won’t force people to use the app and they are free to use other phone apps instead. By coming pre-installed the firm hopes to reach less tech-savvy people who would otherwise be uncomfortable downloading a third-party app like Truecaller. It’s these people that Truecaller could help most by flagging up possible scammers before they even answer the call.

Commenting on the news, Alan Mamedi, CEO and co-founder of Truecaller, said:

“Truecaller remains one of the most downloaded apps in several large countries. However, not every smartphone user is tech-savvy enough to download an app. Anecdotally, we often hear how first-time smartphone users in emerging markets take the help of shopkeepers or friends and family to download Truecaller. This move is in line with our global ambitions to make it available for everyone, but also aims to make Truecaller easier to use for millions of new users.”

Unfortunately, the company has not said which Android manufacturers it’s going to partner with over the coming years so hopefully, we’ll hear more on this front soon.

Truecaller will come pre-installed on 100 million devices by 2024

iOS 15.4 will add Universal Control and mask-friendly Face ID in March, too.

Report: Apple will introduce new iPhone, iPad on March 8

iOS 15.4 makes Shortcut automations way less annoying to use

Oppo’s next flagship phone leaks in full

According to Zac Bowden from Windows Central, Microsoft has plans to launch Surface Duo 3, but the company is unlikely to release it this year. Instead, the company is planning to launch the device sometime next year, though the exact date is unknown.

On the bright side, Microsoft is said to improve the overall user experience of the current Surface Duo and Duo 2. Microsoft may also add some new features to the Surface Duo devices, but Zac didn’t share the timeline of when we’ll see new features arriving for Microsoft’s dual-screen foldable phone.

While Microsoft releasing the Duo 3 next year will upset a lot of fans, it might be a good thing as the company will get more time to improve on a lot of things. For instacne, the company might get rid of the annoying camera bump, much like Samsung’s Galaxy S22 Ultra.

We haven’t heard anything about what improvements and new features the next-generation Surface Duo 3 will offer, but users will appreciate features such as support for wireless charging and thin bezels. We’re also expecting an improved software experience since the Surface Duo 3 will run Android 12L out of the box. Meanwhile, you’ll keep you posted about all the latest leaks and rumors about the new Duo 3, so stay tuned.

Microsoft may not release Surface Duo 3 this year

Google's best phone in years is also its best seller.

The Pixel 6 is a hit: Google touts “record sales” in Q4 2021

Back in 2005, Julian Vargas bought a Nokia 6620 from AT&T for about $100. The phone ran the Symbian operating system, and AT&T sent him a memory card loaded with TALKS software, which provided text-to-speech access to nearly all of the phone's features and functions—this at a time when most phones had only numeric keypads, except for expensive BlackBerrys and Palm Treos. The iPhone and Android didn't yet exist.

“Having that [Nokia] phone was a game-changer for me,” said Vargas, who has been legally blind his entire life. “That was something, to suddenly have a phone that spoke all kinds of things to me that I never had access to before, like my signal strength, my battery level...If I got a text message, it would read that message and, even more importantly, I could respond to the message.”

One of the best features for Vargas, and other blind users of those rudimentary Nokia smartphones, was that they could use the TALKS software to store numbers in a contact list. Until that point, Vargas had to memorize his contacts.

Smartphones have evolved by leaps and bounds since then. And Vargas, who is now 52 and lives in the San Fernando Valley near Los Angeles, has made something of a career out of training other blind people how to use smartphones, smart speakers, and all manner of digital technology—even microwave ovens.

ScripTalk

Today, Vargas spends relatively little time on his computer. It’s mostly apps on his smartphones that get him through his day. He’s very keen on Microsoft’s Seeing AI app, which he describes as the Swiss Army knife of blind tools. It speaks text as soon as it appears in front of the smartphone’s camera, can read some handwritten text, and identifies different denominations of currency. Vargas also uses an app that works with En-Vision America's ScripTalk, the free program whereby pharmacies will put an RFID tag about the size of a quarter on the bottom of prescription bottles. Using the app or a small standalone piece of hardware, all the info on the prescription label will be read aloud. Sometimes, Vargas needs another set of eyes to help him. At those moments he is likely to turn to Be My Eyes, an app in which a sighted volunteer on a live video call describes for the blind user what the camera on their smartphone shows. He also maintains a list of other iOS resources on his website.

“I feel that God gave each one of us a certain talent, a certain ability,” said Vargas. “And I don’t think it was intended for us to keep it to ourselves.”

A Long Road

Vargas and his younger brother were raised in an observant Catholic family in New York City. Both were born with a rare genetic condition known as Leber Congenital Amaurosis (LCA). Somewhere around 2003, at the age of 33, Vargas’ already-limited vision began to decline. He knew that time would come because LCA is a degenerative disease with no cure or treatment. Not long afterward, he resolved to begin the transition from using magnification software for his Windows computer to an application that did both magnification and screen reading. His goal was to get to the point where he could just use a JAWS screen reader and no magnification to do whatever he needed to do on his PC.

“The more you increase the magnification, the less screen real estate you get,” Vargas explained. “When you get up to four, five, or six times magnification, you have so little screen real estate, it becomes impractical to use the magnifier and you realize it’s time to go to a screen reader.”

Though Vargas never went to college, he took computer courses in the late 1990s at a vocational center in California. He describes himself as an autodidact who realized that he had a knack for figuring out how to use all sorts of electronic devices. His career as a paid trainer for blind tech users began after a period of helping his friends without charge. That was followed by a series of presentations at blind service organizations, including the Braille Institute, the Council of Citizens with Low Vision International, and the National Federation of the Blind (NFB). Word of his tech chops spread to the point where Vargas’ presentations at his San Fernando Valley NFB chapter drew people who normally didn’t go to meetings.

“I don’t want to make people dependent on me,” said Vargas. “I tell people from the start that my goal is to make it so that I don’t have to hear from them after a while.”

Vargas soon became a regular at the annual Assistive Technology Conference organized by California State University, Northridge (CSUN). The CSUN gathering, which features gear and software to help blind, deaf, and others with disabilities, has been referred to as the "CES of assistive technology." In 2009, after the conference’s location moved south to San Diego, a mini version of the gathering called Best In Tech began in the San Fernando Valley. At the last one where Vargas spoke, close to 500 people attended.

Another way Vargas kept abreast of tech developments was listening to radio and cable television shows that focused on the topic—particularly "The Tech Guy," the nationally syndicated weekend call-in show emanating from the influential Southern California news/talk station KFI-AM. In 2004, a new host named Leo Laporte took over the show. Over the years, Vargas evolved from being one of the listeners calling in for help to someone Laporte regarded as an authority on accessibility, who would help answer questions from blind listeners struggling with their computers and mobile devices. Radio has long been an important source of information for blind people, and Laporte has noticed that he gets a lot of calls from blind listeners or family members calling on their behalf.

Nokia 6620

Vargas remembers calling in the show when he got his Nokia 6620 and how Laporte was genuinely interested in learning what it was like for a blind person to use it. The radio host subsequently allowed Vargas to promote the Best In Tech gathering on the air. Eventually, Laporte encouraged Vargas to give out his phone number, email address, and website (www.techjv.com).

“Julian’s very generous of his time,” said Laporte. “He’s a really good guy.”

The respect is mutual.

“Leo doesn’t shy away from taking calls from blind listeners," said Vargas, who also listens to Laporte’s tech podcast network, TWIT.tv. "He embraces people like me being involved in the show."

Laporte said he can feel the frustration of his blind radio listeners when they call in to The Tech Guy. He tries to imagine the challenge of using a smartphone or computer— or living without them— in this modern world.

“As a sighted user, my experience of accessibility technology is never going to be the same as somebody who cannot see what’s going on,” Laporte explained. “I’m sympathetic how hard it is and I want to help, but I can’t really represent that audience, so it’s really important that people who are helping blind people with accessibility are blind themselves because only they can really understand the issues.”

Laporte and Vargas have both embraced smart speakers at home in a big way. While Vargas has several flavors of the Amazon Echo and one Google Home in his house, Laporte has Amazon, Google, and Apple smart speakers in practically every room of his home. But as far as Laporte is concerned, voice-enabled devices have not lived up to his expectations of what he thought would be a transformational technology.

“I don’t think Siri or Amazon’s Echo or the Google Assistant are as good as they could be or ought to be,” said Laporte. “And they’re not improving at the speed I thought they might.”

Paying It Forward

In addition to calling in "The Tech Guy" radio show and doing live tech presentations before blind groups, Vargas has spread the word on podcasts. He has served as co-host of a podcast called "All About Smartphones," available on the website of the Audio Internet Reading Service of Los Angeles (AIRSLA), a group he founded in 2012 to discuss everything from high tech to no tech used to meet in person until the pandemic. Since March 2021, Breaking Blindness Barriers gathers on Zoom and AIRSLA turns its meetings into a podcast.

Smart speakers are one of the things Vargas helps his blind clients learn to use. So is GPS. He taught Bob Acosta, a long-time client, how to follow travel directions spoken aloud on his iPhone by taking a walk with him around the block.

Acosta is a retired high school history teacher in Chatsworth, CA who has been blind from birth. He has paid Vargas for dozens of two-hour sessions to help with his own tech needs and those of his wife Ruth Ann, who is also blind. Now, 82, Acosta uses his iPhone to listen to text messages and audiobooks, as well as stream games of his favorite sports teams. And thanks to Vargas, he learned how to pair his hearing aids with his phone.

VoiceOver on the iPhone

Acosta got his first iPhone in 2013 but initially gave up on mastering the device, then gave it to his grandson.

“I don’t think a blind guy can learn this,” he said at the time.

But then a blind friend introduced him to Vargas, who told him, “You can do it.”

Acosta records the lessons with Vargas so he can go over the material, should he need to brush up on things. He said he likes the fact that Vargas never tells him that using tech is easy and that there are no dumb questions during the training sessions.

Acosta can call Vargas for remote guidance, which comes with no charge for clients who pay for lessons. Occasionally, a client who pays for just one lesson will behave as if there are unlimited follow-up calls afterward. It doesn’t work that way.

“People think they can call you at 2:00 in the morning,” Vargas complained.

Acosta had been blind his entire life when he started working with Vargas. But most of Vargas’ clients are newly blind and grappling with depression and bitterness. The requests for help have slowed down during the pandemic, due in part because of the necessity of doing the first training session in person. Vargas says that once a blind person has the basics of using a smartphone down, he can do subsequent sessions remotely.

“I don’t want to make people dependent on me,” said Vargas. “I tell people from the start that my goal is to make it so that I don’t have to hear from them after a while.”

Source

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Broken down, $700 million of the total will be used as an equity investment in Bharti Airtel at a price per share of INR 734 while the remaining $300 million will go towards implementing commercial agreements. Despite the companies having agreed between themselves on the terms of the deal, it will still be subject to scrutiny from the country’s regulators.

Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google and Alphabet, said:

“Airtel is a leading pioneer shaping India’s digital future, and we are proud to partner on a shared vision for expanding connectivity and ensuring equitable access to the Internet for more Indians. Our commercial and equity investment in Airtel is a continuation of our Google for India Digitization Fund's efforts to increase access to smartphones, enhance connectivity to support new business models, and help companies on their digital transformation journey.”

Fundamentally, both companies will benefit from this deal. The lower cost of devices will help Bharti Airtel get more customers who will go on to top up their phones each month and Google will benefit as more people will be online to interact with its services and ads.

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