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Googles Pixel 4a has long been considered a great smartphone for those on a budget, but it just received a software update that calls that into question. The update lowers the reported battery life. This isnt a side-effect of some new software. This is the actual intent of the refresh. Wait, what? Google says the automatic software update to Android 13 will reduce your battery's runtime and charging performance but that its necessary to improve the stability of each device. Thats the only explanation the company offered. We reached out to Google to ask for a specific reason as to why this was necessary. Any other Google Pixel 4a users get an email about a battery update with Android 13 that may affect your phone's battery? I'm reading this and like...what Alexis Collins (@Lexiscee) January 7, 2025 Theres a silver lining here for current Pixel 4a owners. While every Pixel 4a will receive the automatic update, only certain devices will see a reduction in battery life and charging performance. Theres no information as to what designates which handsets will suffer as a result of the update, but owners of so-called impacted devices will have a few appeasement options to choose from. Folks can send the phone in for a free battery replacement, but that will require the owner to go without a handset while Google performs the replacement. If thats not viable, the company will send impacted owners $50 or give them a $100 credit toward a new Pixel phone from the Google Store. Pixel 4a owners have one year to choose one of these options. Its likely theres nothing nefarious going on and that Pixel 4a batteries are simply getting old, being as how the phone was released in 2020. This means they may not provide all of the power demanded by the current OS. The software update could be intended to prevent unexpected behavior or shutdowns and the reduction in battery life is an unfortunate side effect. This whole thing sounds suspiciously similar to when Apple started slowing down older iPhones in 2017. However, Apple wasnt forthright with consumers during that whole fiasco, leading to court cases and the like. At least Google seems to be getting ahead of things here, even if it could stand to be a bit more transparent.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/google-pixel-4as-update-kills-its-battery-life-on-purpose-164532917.html?src=rss
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Marketing and Advertising
The CES keynote will never be the same. This is my 12th CES, so there aren't many things that surprise me at this point, at least in terms of press conferences. All of the big companies used to try to one-up each other (celebrity appearances were the main method, although it's not as common now). However, the venue itself has now become the battleground for CES addresses. This week, Delta was the first company to host a CES press conference, or as the emcee called it, "a show," at the Sphere in Las Vegas. You've likely heard about the high-tech venue at this point, which usually hosts immersive concerts rather than trade show events. Debuting in 2023, the "multi-sensory experience" is known for having both the interior and exterior draped in LED displays and offering 4D effects like wind and smells. Three different credentials were required to attend the event in the venue which holds 18,600 people, one of which required a special trip to obtain. Once inside, Delta had various installations to celebrate its 100th anniversary and lines for the company's merchandise were absurdly long. People even skipped the Lenny Kravitz performance at the end to queue up for those goods. You could hear every realistic boom and pop.Billy Steele for Engadget There was also food that may have been similar to what the airline serves in-flight, and snacks that you'd expect on a Delta trip, like Biscoff cookies. Of course, the company stacked the audience with employees and guests, plus it trotted out a couple of celebrities Viola Davis and Tom Brady which I saw as a throwback to the CES keynote days of old. Then there was the full-blown concert at the end: Lenny Kravitz with a full band. This gave the attendees the experience of coming to a concert at Sphere, where U2, Dead & Company, Phish and more have performed in the past. But, as you might expect, the most interesting aspect of the whole thing is how Delta took advantage of the Sphere's 4D capabilities. Video of each speaker was projected on the interior of the venue set on various backdrops that transformed the hall into spaces ranging from a dome to an observation deck and an airplane cabin. Several times during CEO Ed Bastian's address there were interactions with planes where the seats rumbled and blown air provided a sense of flying, complete with directional, immersive audio. There was also a cameo by Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi where an Uber Eats delivery arrived at the stage with a hazelnut-flavored coffee for Bastian and those aromas were wafted into the audience. Perhaps the most dazzling aspect of the whole "show" was the end, where cockpit video of a plane landing was projected on the interior of the Sphere. And when the plane landed, everyone's seats rumbled just liked they do when you hit the tarmac in real life. This was quickly followed by my first indoor fireworks show, designed to cap off Delta's 100th anniversary. I will say the immersive audio of the Sphere really enhanced this, and I doubt I'll experience anything like it again. I feel confident I'll never see indoor fireworks unless I return to this very venue. Seats rumbled just like they would in real life.Billy Steele for Engadget Of course, there was news. It wouldn't be a CES press event without some. Delta announced its AI Concierge, an assistant inside the Fly Delta app that the company built to relieve travel stress. The airline first announced the concierge concept at CES 2020, but now it's working to make it a real thing that anticipates travel needs. Beginning this year, customers will be able to interact with Delta Concierge via text or voice. Eventually, the platform will be able to do things like hail a Joby VTOL aircraft to drop you off at the airport to avoid traffic. The AI tech can recognize both departure and arrival needs, including arranging a rideshare pickup for transport to a hotel. At the airport, you won't have to go through a TSA checkpoint, you just keep walking to your gate thanks to PreCheck Touchless ID. If you're wearing AR glasses during your trip, wayfinding then becomes a breeze with the travel assistant lighting your path. And once you're on the plane, the Delta Concierge will eventually automatically connect you to Delta Sync Wi-Fi and the seatback entertainment system to display customized info and content recs just for you. Delta's event was easily the most impressive CES presentation I've attended. And I've been to press events where each person had a PC and a VR headset at their seat. I don't know that any other company will invest what the airline did in the hosting and production this week, but it was immediately apparent that the bar had been raised, and that a ballroom at Mandalay Bay or The Venetian will no longer suffice if you're looking to make a lasting impression. Lenny Kravitz closed the show, and he'll close this post. Billy Steele for Engadget This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/delta-changed-the-game-for-ces-press-conferences-162401293.html?src=rss
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Marketing and Advertising
I don't want or need 99 percent of the stuff on display at CES don't get me wrong, most of what we're seeing this week is impressive in one way or another, but nothing had seemed like a necessary addition to my life until I happened upon the Copper Charlie, a battery-equipped induction range that plugs directly into a standard 120V outlet. Yes, among the robots, future cars, bionic exoskeletons and AI everything, the thing that's exited me most is a stove (OK, the fluffball robot is pretty great). Up until a few years ago, I had no idea natural gas cooktops were bad for your health, not to mention the environment. Unfortunately, if your home is set up on gas, it's not easy or cheap to switch up to electric. Nearly all full-sized induction stoves require a dedicated 240V outlet and if you don't have one where the stove goes, a call to a electrician is likely in your future. Charlie is a full-sized oven and range that packs a ceramic glass cooktop, a 4.5 cubic-foot oven and an integrated 5 kWh battery. That battery allows the stove to run off a standard plug by storing up a charge that can bump up the power output when it's time to cook (it can also cook three to five meals during a power outage). Amy Skorheim / Engadget In person, the range looks properly high-end with a large LCD display, wooden dials and handle, stainless steel finish and clean lines. It also has a high-end price tag at $6,000. It should qualify for a 30-percent tax credit as part of the Inflation Reduction Act, so it could end up costing around $4,200 instead. A rewiring job for a 240V outlet shouldn't run you more than $500 for the average house, though if you're dealing with an older home with tricky wiring, that price could go up. And if you're in an apartment, that may not be an option at all. Still, after rebates and deducting the cost of an outlet conversion, you're still paying around $3,500 for Charlie. That's cheaper than some induction ranges, more expensive than others but none of those models have a back-up battery that'll let you make mac and cheese when the power goes out. The Charlie from Copper is expected to ship in April of this year and is open for pre-orders. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/home/someone-please-buy-me-this-battery-powered-plug-in-induction-range-from-ces-160250464.html?src=rss
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