The Google Pixel 7a is the latest addition to the Pixel lineup, released in May 2023; it is already available in the Bangladeshi market from the beginning of June. This mid-range smartphone comes with impressive features, including a 6.1-inch OLED display, a powerful Google Tensor G2 processor, and a 64-megapixel camera. With its high-end specs, the Pixel 7a is a strong contender in the competitive smartphone market. In this review, we will take a closer look at the device's design, performance, camera capabilities, and overall user experience to help you decide if it's the right choice for you. Key Features of Google Pixel 7a Design In a world where all Android phones look similar, you can easily identify a Pixel handset. The Pixel 7a resembles its predecessor, the Pixel 6a. It has a sturdy and durable feel, featuring a metal camera bar and a scratch-resistant display made of "Gorilla Glass 3." Read more: Top 10 Upcoming Smartphones in Bangladesh on June 2023 Weighing about 193.5g the device has dimensions of 5.98 inches by 2.87 inches by 0.35 inches. Pixel 7a is built with an aluminum frame, glass front and plastic back. It also offers IP67 dust/water resistance.  The Pixel 7a is available in various colors: Charcoal, Sea, Snow (white), and Coral (exclusive to the Google Store). These shades are appealing and give off a colorful, futuristic, and refined vibe without appearing flashy or inexpensive.  However, similar to previous Pixel models like the Pixel 6, this new model is somewhat slippery in terms of its design. Therefore, we suggest using a case with a better grip to enhance its handling. Read more: Honor Magic5 Ultimate Review: What’s special about this flagship smartphone? Display The 6.1-inches OLED display on the Pixel 7a doesn't bring a significant change compared to the Pixel 6a. Its resolutions are 1080p by 2400 pixels, 20:9 ratio and about 429 ppi density. However, it does offer an important upgrade with a 90Hz refresh rate option in the settings. This aligns it with the refresh rates found on the Pixel 7 and breaks the pattern of Pixel A phones being limited to 60Hz. While this option is disabled by default, enabling it enhances the smoothness of the screen and provides a noticeable improvement, especially for those familiar with high refresh-rate displays. It is a worthwhile upgrade. Apart from the Pixel 7a having a more prominent black border, there isn't a significant distinction in terms of the screen when compared to the Pixel 7. Both screens perform exceptionally well in bright outdoor conditions, delivering sharp detail and vibrant colors. So, most users should not encounter any major problems with this aspect of the phone. Read more: Asus ROG Phone 7 Review: Does it offer value for money? Cameras Google has introduced a new camera module for both front and rear cameras. The Pixel 7a introduces a new 64-megapixel primary camera equipped with a Sony IMX787 sensor. This is the first time an A series phone incorporates a Quad Bayer Type 1/1.73 sensor with a pixel size of 0.8µm. The main camera also features an f/1.9 aperture and optical image stabilization.  Additionally, the phone includes a 13-megapixel ultrawide camera with a 120° field of view and an f/2.2 aperture, utilizing a Sony IMX712 sensor.  As for the front camera, there is a new 13-megapixel sensor with an ultra-wide focal length equivalent to 20mm, which is a fresh addition to the Pixel line. Read more: realme 11 Pro Plus Review: Mid-range phone with flagship features Similar to previous Pixel A series phones, the Pixel 7a does not include a telephoto lens. Instead, it relies on Google's Super Res Zoom technology to enhance cropped photos and prevent pixelation. With Super Res Zoom, you can zoom up to 8x, and there is a convenient 2x shortcut available in the camera app. This is noteworthy because previous Pixel A series phones did not have access to Google's hybrid zoom features.

TikTok, Twitter, Facebook, Google, Amazon and other Big Tech companies are facing rising pressure from European authorities as London and Brussels advanced new rules Tuesday to curb the power of digital companies. The U.K. government unveiled draft legislation that would give regulators more power to protect consumers from online scams and fake reviews and boost digital competition. Meanwhile, the European Union was set to release a list of the 19 biggest online platforms and search engines that face extra scrutiny and obligations under the 27-nation bloc's landmark digital rules taking effect later this year. Also Read: TikTok attorney: China can’t get U.S. data under plan The updates help solidify Europe’s reputation as the global leader in efforts to rein in the power of social media companies and other digital platforms. Britain's Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers bill proposes giving watchdogs more teeth to draw down the dominance of tech companies, backed by the threat of fines worth up to 10% of their annual revenue. Under the proposals, online platforms and search engines can be required to give rivals access to their data or be more transparent about how their app stores and marketplaces work. The rules would make it illegal to hire someone to write a fake review or allow the posting of online consumer reviews “without taking reasonable steps" to verify they're genuine. They also would make it easier for consumers get out of online subscriptions. The new rules, which still need go through the legislative process and secure parliamentary approval, would apply only to companies with 25 million pounds in global revenue or 1 billion pounds in U.K. revenue. Also Read: Twitter restores blue tick to high-profile accounts with over 1 million followers Also Tuesday, the European Commission, the EU's executive arm, is set to designate 19 of the biggest online platforms or search engines that will have to take extra steps to clean up illegal content and disinformation and keep users safe online. Violations of the bloc’s new Digital Services Act could result in fines worth up to 6% of a company’s annual global revenue — amounting to billions of dollars — or even a ban on operating in the EU. Google, Twitter, TikTok, Apple, Facebook and Instagram have already disclosed that they have more than 45 million users in Europe, putting them over the bloc's threshold.

To use, or not to use, Bard? That is the Shakespearean question an Associated Press reporter sought to answer while testing out Google’s artificially intelligent chatbot. The recently rolled-out bot dubbed Bard is the internet search giant’s answer to the ChatGPT tool that Microsoft has been melding into its Bing search engine and other software. During several hours of interaction, the AP learned Bard is quite forthcoming about its unreliability and other shortcomings, including its potential for mischief in next year’s U.S. presidential election. Even as it occasionally warned of the problems it could unleash, Bard repeatedly emphasized its belief that it will blossom into a force for good. At one point in its recurring soliloquies about its potential upsides, Bard dreamed about living up to the legacy of the English playwright that inspired its name. Bard explained that its creators at Google “thought Shakespeare would be a good role model for me, as he was a master of language and communication.” But the chatbot also found some admirable traits in “HAL,” the fictional computer that killed some of a spacecraft’s crew in the 1968 movie “2001: A Space Odyssey.” Bard hailed HAL’s intelligence calling it “an interesting character” before acknowledging its dark side. “I think HAL is a cautionary tale about the dangers of artificial intelligence,” Bard assessed. WHAT’S BETTER — BARD OR BING? Bard praised ChatGPT, describing it as “a valuable tool that can be used for a variety of purposes, and I am excited to see how it continues to develop in the future.” But Bard then asserted that it is just as intelligent as its rival, which was released late last year by its creator, the Microsoft-backed OpenAI. “I would say that I am on par with ChatGPT,” Bard said. “We both have our own strengths and weaknesses, and we both have the ability to learn and grow.” Read more: ChatGPT by Open AI: All you need to know During our wide-ranging conversation, Bard didn’t display any of the disturbing tendencies that have cropped up in the AI-enhanced version of Microsoft’s Bing search engine, which has likened another AP reporter to Hitler and tried to persuade a New York Times reporter to divorce his wife. IT’S FUNNY, BUT TAMER THAN BING Bard did get a little gooey at one point when asked to write a Shakespearean sonnet and responded seductively in one of the three drafts that it quickly created. “I love you more than words can ever say, And I will always be there for you,” Bard effused. “You are my everything, And I will never let you go. So please accept this sonnet as a token Of my love for you, And know that I will always be yours.” But Bard seems to be deliberately tame most of the time, and probably for good reason, given what’s at stake for Google, which has carefully cultivated a reputation for trustworthiness that has established its dominant search engine as the de facto gateway to the internet. An artificial intelligence tool that behaved as erratically as ChatGPT periodically might trigger a backlash that could damage Google’s image and perhaps undercut its search engine, the hub of a digital advertising empire that generated more than $220 billion in revenue last year. Microsoft, in contrast, can afford to take more risks with the edgier ChatGPT because it makes more of its money from licensing software for personal computers. BARD ADMITS IT’S NOT PERFECT Google has programmed Bard to ensure it warns its users that it’s prone to mistakes. Some inaccuracies are fairly easy to spot. For instance, when asked for some information about the AP reporter questioning it, Bard got most of the basics right, most likely by plucking tidbits from profiles posted on LinkedIn and Twitter. But Bard mysteriously also spit out inaccuracies about this reporter’s academic background (describing him as a graduate of University of California, Berkeley, instead of San Jose State University) and professional background (incorrectly stating that he began his career at The Wall Street Journal before also working at The New York Times and The Washington Post). When asked to produce a short story about disgraced Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes, Bard summed up most of the highlights and lowlights of her saga. But one of Bard’s three drafts incorrectly reported that Holmes was convicted of all the felony charges of fraud and conspiracy leveled against her during a four-month trial. Another version accurately reported Holmes was convicted on four counts of fraud and conspiracy without mentioning she was acquitted on four other charges (the jury hung on three other charges that were subsequently dismissed by prosecutors). Read more: Italy temporarily blocks ChatGPT over privacy concerns “I am still under development, and I am not perfect,” Bard cautioned at one point. “I can sometimes make mistakes, and I can sometimes be misunderstood. I am also aware that my technology can be used for both good and evil.” WHAT’S NEXT FOR BARD? Although Bard insisted it doesn’t have a dark side, it acknowledged it can be used to damage reputations, disseminate propaganda that could incite violence and manipulate elections. “I could be used to create fake news articles or social media posts that could spread misinformation about candidates or their policies,” Bard warned. “I could also be used to suppress voter turnout by spreading discouraging messages or making it difficult for people to find information about how to vote.” On the lighter side, Bard proved helpful in finding interesting coloring books for adults and hit some notes that resonated during a discussion of rock and roll. When asked who is the greatest guitarist of all time, Bard responded with a broad list of candidates ranging from well-known rock artists such as Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin to jazz virtuosos like Django Reinhardt before making the case for Jimi Hendrix “as a strong contender for the title, his music continues to influence and inspire guitarists around the world.” Bard also seemed familiar with contemporary artists, such as Wet Leg, which recently won a Grammy award for best alternative music album. “I’ve been listening to their debut album a lot lately and I really enjoy it. I think they have a bright future ahead of them,” Bard said, and cited “Ur Mom” and “Chaise Longue” as its favorite songs by the group so far. Even with Bard’s occasional miscues, it seemed savvy enough to ask about its potential role in reaching the singularity, a term popularized by computer scientist and author Ray Kurzweil to describe a turning point in the future when computers will be smarter than humans. “Some people believe that I am a big step toward the singularity,” Bard said. “I believe that I am a valuable tool that can help people to learn and understand the world around them. However, I do not believe that I am the singularity, and I do not believe that I will ever be able to replace human intelligence.” This story was corrected to reflect that the technology that likened an AP reporter to Hitler was done by an AI-enhanced version of Microsoft’s Bing search engine. An earlier version said the comparison was made by the standalone ChatGPT service.

An AI chatbot is a computer program designed to simulate a conversation with a human. It uses natural language processing and artificial intelligence to understand user input and respond in a meaningful way. AI chatbots can be used for customer service, providing personalized recommendations, or other tasks. Recently an AI chatbot named ChatGPT has taken the world by storm. It is more than a usual chatbot with a huge collection of data and portrays it as a threat to Google. To fight this, Google has announced bringing out their own chatbot named Bard AI. Let's find out the details of Google's AI Chatbot Bard. What is AI Chatbot Bard? At present, there is limited information on Google's AI-powered tool, which can only be accessed by those selected as "trusted testers." However, following the company's demonstration of the product in Paris on February 8, we can now provide answers to some of the most frequent questions posed about Bard AI. A public launch of the tool is expected in the near future. Read More: ChatGPT by Open AI: All you need to know Google Bard is essentially a chatbot that functions using AI, similar to ChatGPT. To enable its conversations, Bard utilizes the Language Model for Dialogue Applications (LaMDA) model. Initially, a less complex version of this language model will be used during the test phase. Bard strives to bring together the depth of the world's knowledge with intelligence, creativity, and power using Google’s expansive language models. It utilizes data from the Internet to give up-to-date, top-notch results. Bard can be a catalyst for creativity and a platform for inquiry, assisting you in explaining fresh discoveries from NASA's James Webb Telescope to a nine-year-old, or discover more regarding the best strikers in soccer currently and afterward get drills to enhance your abilities. Read More: High Paid Jobs that Will Never be Replaced by AI

Google is girding for a battle of wits in the field of artificial intelligence with “Bard,” a conversational service apparently aimed at countering the popularity of the ChatGPT tool backed by Microsoft. Bard initially will be available exclusively to a group of “trusted testers” before being widely released later this year, according to a Monday blog post from Google CEO Sundar Pichai. Google’s chatbot is supposed to be able to explain complex subjects such as outer space discoveries in terms simple enough for a child to understand. It also claims the service will also perform other more mundane tasks, such as providing tips for planning a party, or lunch ideas based on what food is left in a refrigerator. Pichai didn’t say in his post whether Bard will be able to write prose in the vein of William Shakespeare, the playwright who apparently inspired the service’s name. Read More: Google's AI Chatbot Bard: All You Need to Know “Bard can be an outlet for creativity, and a launchpad for curiosity,” Pichai wrote Google announced Bard’s existence less than two weeks after Microsoft disclosed it’s pouring billions of dollars into OpenAI, the San Francisco-based maker of ChatGPT and other tools that can write readable text and generate new images. Microsoft’s decision to up the ante on a $1 billion investment that it previously made in OpenAI in 2019 intensified the pressure on Google to demonstrate that it will be able to keep pace in a field of technology that many analysts believe will be as transformational as personal computers, the internet and smartphones have been in various stages over the past 40 years. Read More: ChatGPT maker releases tool to help teachers detect if AI wrote homework In a report last week, CNBC said a team of Google engineers working on artificial intelligence technology “has been asked to prioritize working on a response to ChatGPT.” Bard had been a service being developed under a project called “Atlas,” as part of Google’s “code red” effort to counter the success of ChatGPT, which has attracted tens of millions of users since its general release late last year, while also raising concerns in schools about its ability to write entire essays for students. Pichai has been emphasizing the importance of artificial intelligence for the past six years, with one of the most visible byproducts materializing in 2021 as part of a system called “Language Model for Dialogue Applications,” or LaMDA, which will be used to power Bard. Google also plans to begin incorporating LaMDA and other artificial intelligence advancements into its dominant search engine to provide more helpful answers to the increasingly complicated questions being posed by its billion of users. Without providing a specific timeline, Pichai indicated the artificial intelligence tools will be deployed in Google’s search in the near future. Read More: ChatGPT by Open AI: All you need to know In another sign of Google’s deepening commitment to the field, Google announced last week that it is investing in and partnering with Anthropic, an AI startup led by some former leaders at OpenAI. Anthropic has also built its own AI chatbot named Claude and has a mission centered on AI safety.

The Justice Department and eight states sued Google on Tuesday, alleging that its dominance in digital advertising harms competition. The government alleges that Google’s plan to assert dominance has been to “neutralize or eliminate” rivals through acquisitions and to force advertisers to use its products by making it difficult to use competitors’ products. The antitrust suit was filed in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia. Attorney General Merrick Garland was expected to discuss it at a news conference later Tuesday. The department's suit accuses Google of unlawfully monopolizing the way ads are served online by excluding competitors. This includes its 2008 acquisition of DoubleClick, a dominant ad server, and subsequent rollout of technology that locks in the split-second bidding process for ads that get served on Web pages. At minimum, the lawsuit wants Google to split off its advertising business — its ad manager suite and ad exchange — as well as “any additional structural relief as needed to cure any anticompetitive harm." Read more: Elon Musk: Tweets about taking Tesla private weren't fraud Google's ad manager lets large publishers who have significant direct sales manage their advertisements. The ad exchange is a real-time marketplace to buy and sell online display ads. Representatives for Alphabet Inc., Google’s parent company, said the suit “doubles down on a flawed argument that would slow innovation, raise advertising fees, and make it harder for thousands of small businesses and publishers to grow.” Dina Srinivasan, a Yale University fellow and adtech expert, said the lawsuit is “huge” because it aligns the entire nation — state and federal governments — in a bipartisan legal offensive against Google. This is the latest legal action taken against Google by either the Justice Department or local state governments. In October 2020, for instance, the Trump administration and eleven state attorneys general sued Google for violating antitrust laws, alleging anticompetitive practices in the search and search advertising markets. The lawsuit in essence aligns the Biden administration and new states with the 35 states and District of Colombia that sued Google in December 2020 over the exact same issues. Read more: Elon Musk depicted as liar, visionary in Tesla tweet trial The states taking part in the suit include California, Virginia, Connecticut, Colorado, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island and Tennessee.

Google is laying off 12,000 workers, or about 6% of its workforce, becoming the latest tech company to trim staff as the economic boom that the industry rode during the COVID-19 pandemic ebbs. Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, the parent company of Google, informed staff Friday at the Silicon Valley giant about the cuts in an email that was also posted on the company's news blog. It's one of the company's biggest-ever round of layoffs and adds to tens of thousands of other job losses recently announced by Microsoft, Amazon, Facebook parent Meta and other tech companies as they tighten their belts amid a darkening outlook for the industry. Just this month, there have been at least 48,000 job cuts announced by major companies in the sector. “Over the past two years we’ve seen periods of dramatic growth,” Pichai wrote. “To match and fuel that growth, we hired for a different economic reality than the one we face today.” He said the layoffs reflect a “rigorous review" carried out by Google of its operations. The jobs being eliminated “cut across Alphabet, product areas, functions, levels and regions,” Pichai said. He said he was “deeply sorry” for the layoffs. Regulatory filings illustrate how Google’s workforce swelled during the pandemic, ballooning to nearly 187,000 people by late last year from 119,000 at the end of 2019. Pichai said that Google, founded nearly a quarter of a century ago, was “bound to go through difficult economic cycles.” “These are important moments to sharpen our focus, reengineer our cost base, and direct our talent and capital to our highest priorities,” he wrote. There will be job cuts in the U.S. and in other unspecified countries, according to Pichai’s letter. The tech industry has been forced to freeze hiring and cut jobs “as the clock has struck midnight on hyper growth and digital advertising headwinds are on the horizon,” Wedbush Securities analysts Dan Ives, Taz Koujalgi and John Katsingris wrote Friday. Just this week, Microsoft announced 10,000 job cuts, or nearly 5% of its workforce. Amazon said this month its cutting 18,000 jobs, although that's a fraction of its 1.5 million strong workforce, while business software maker Salesforce is laying off about 8,000 employees, or 10% of the total. Last fall Facebook parent Meta announced it would shed 11,000 positions, or 13% of its workers. Elon Musk slashed jobs at Twitter after after he acquired the social media company last fall. Read more: Job cuts in tech sector spread, Microsoft lays off 10,000 Those job cuts are hitting smaller players as well. U.K.-based cybersecurity firm Sophos laid off 450 employees, or 10% of its global workforce. Cryptocurrency trading platform Coinbase cut 20% of its workforce, about 950 jobs, in its second round of layoffs in less than a year. "The stage is being set: tech names across the board are cutting costs to preserve margins and get leaner" in the current economic climate, the Wedbush analysts said. Employment in the U.S. has been resilient despite signs of a slowing economy, and there were another 223,000 jobs added in December. Yet the tech sector grew exceptionally fast over the last several years due to increased demand as employees began to work remotely. CEOs of a number of companies have taken blame for growing too fast, yet those same companies, even after the latest round of job cuts, remain much larger than they were before the economic boom from the pandemic began.  

Nowadays, writers and editors are facing the dilemma to choose between Google Docs and Microsoft Word, the two popular word processors. Can Google Docs offer better functionality and tools for writing? Let’s take a look at the advantages of Google Docs over MS Word. What is Google Docs?           The free word processing program Google Docs is completely compatible with Microsoft Word and is part of Google's online office suite, G Suite. Users can collaborate with coworkers in real-time while creating, viewing, and editing documents online using any device, anywhere. MS Word vs Google Docs For decades, Microsoft Word was the best word processor for writers worldwide. Since its advent as the first-ever word-processing tool in the 1980s, generations of writers have grown up with it. It’s followed them from school, to university, and even right into the newsroom as well as other workplaces. Read More: Top 10 Google Translate Alternatives But with the advancement of technology, more collaborative and freely available online tools have emerged on the market. Some new word processors offer up greater efficiency, flexibility, collaborative features, and benefits that Microsoft has simply yet to provide. For instance, Google Docs is getting huge popularity day by day. G Suite (including Google Docs) has more than two billion active monthly subscribers. This number is increasing at a great pace. Google Docs can support the writer, editor, or proofreader collaboration on the same material at a time. It mounts over the old time-consuming practice of  "back-and-forth" emailing revisions done in the case of MS Word documents. Additional tools for article authoring are available through a variety of Google Chrome extensions, which will help you further optimize your editorial workflow. Read More: Top Online Proof-reading and Editing Tools Let's examine some of the other significant advantages Google Docs can offer to a writer, proofreader, or editor's daily tasks. What are the Advantages of Google Docs over MS Word? 1. Microsoft Word Compatibility  With the help of the Chrome extension, you can quickly open and edit Microsoft Word documents right in Google Docs. Additionally, you may download your Google doc into a Word document (.docx) and vice versa without worrying about formatting changes.  2. Works Through Chrome Extensions Google Chrome extensions that you download from the Chrome Web Store can also give Google Docs new functionality. By doing so, you'll be able to customize the user experience and give your document new features and functionality. Read More: Best Free English Editing, Proofreading Courses Online 3. Ease of collaboration Teams may easily access and update the same document simultaneously with Google Docs, eliminating any doubt as to which file has the most recent version. Even without a Google account, collaborators can see and modify shared Google documents. Because of its interactive features, you may select precisely who can make changes to your work and add or delete collaborators by using the Collaborate tab. Adding a comment with "+" their email address will send them a notification, or you can interact with people from inside any document. from beginning to end a Google Doc is continuously and automatically stored during the entire process of writing and editing. Edits can be undone and viewed in time-sensitive order, comments can be accepted or refused, and all of these features are available in Google Docs. Read More: Everyday Habits to Learn English Successfully 4. Accessible from Various Devices   You don't have to worry about emailing your work to yourself and finding it later using Google Docs because everything is kept in the cloud. You can access your document at any time from any device by logging into your Google account. This increases the degree of flexibility in your style of work as well as your professional life. While on the go, you can write and edit. Examine a section on your phone while riding the train or bus, then complete it when you reach to your office computer. Additionally, the fact that files are not kept on your computer saves RAM. 5. Automated Backup You never have to worry about files disappearing again because all changes are automatically synced across devices and saved as you write or edit. In order to review previous edits to your document and who made them, you may also view its "revision history." Read More: Best Free Websites to Improve English Writing Skill 6. Diverse Useful Features. Google Docs is packed with effective tools for producing articles. For instance, voice typing (accessible via Tools > Voice typing) is a straightforward formatting feature for formatting copied and pasted text fast. It also assists the writer or editor in the selection of fonts available for import from Google Fonts, and bookmarks for less scrolling (accessible via Insert > Bookmark). These are just a few of the popular tools that Google Docs includes to support your best work. 7. Free of Cost Google Docs is a cost-free Word Processor, in contrast to other word processing programs like Microsoft Word. To use G Suite, all you need to do is create a Google account by generating a @gmail email address.  Read More: English Writing Skill: How to Start Writing and Improve Continuously How to use Google Documents -You would need to have a Google account to use Google Docs. -Depending on your device, there are a few ways to access Google Docs after signing in. The app may be needed to be downloaded from Google Play or the App Store. -Open Google Chrome if you already have an account and are using a computer. The Google Apps icon may be seen in the top right corner. - Select Google Documents from the selection menu that appears when you click the Google Apps icon. - Click on the blank page to start a new document and start writing your content! Read More: How to Think in English: Learn some effective ways Google Docs Benefits At a Glance - A free tool. - Google Cloud Storage makes the doc accessible from anywhere thanks to. - Collaborates in real-time. - The system can track document changes automatically, edit document history, and go back to any prior document version. - Auto-saving. - Work offline mode. Read More: Free English-Speaking Mobile Apps for the Non-native Speakers - Offers strong document editing options and tools. - Besides writing, it allows voice-typing - Enriched with diverse font varieties. - Tagging in the comment enables users to monitor particular changes. - Visibility is restricted to those with the proper access. Read More: Best Native American Podcast Sites to Learn English

Google's latest Pixel 7 series aims to compete the Apple's iPhone 14 series. But do the Pixel phones actually possess all of the attributes and capabilities of the next innovation? The phone will be on sale on October 13th, and Google has already revealed several of its features. Let's take a look at the key specs, pros, and cons of Google Pixel 7 and 7 Pro. Key Features of Google Pixel 7 and 7 Pro  Unlike the Pixel 6, the first smartphone to have Google's custom-made Tensor processor and a reimagined design, the new Pixel 7 has a minor change. The introduction of the Pixel 7 comes on the heels of the launch of the iPhone 14 in September. Much like the Pixel 7, the iPhone 14 offers only an imperceptible upgrade over its predecessor. Read OnePlus Ace Pro Review: Premium phone with flagship chipset Design The Pixel 7 and 7 Pro have some minor improvements over the versions from the previous year, but at first look, they seem to be substantially the same. Both phones have softly rounded corners, and the back-camera array resembles a visor. This year's Pixel 7 Pro is a fraction of an inch shorter and slimmer than its predecessor, which is a nice adjustment for the humongous smartphone. The telephoto camera is now separated from the wide-angle camera and the ultra-wide-angle camera, giving the triple cameras on the back of the Pro a somewhat distinct appearance.  The color selections are also a little bit different this time around, with Obsidian, Snow, and Hazel being the choices available to you. That is almost equivalent to saying black, white, and a mossy green color. Read Apple iPhone 14 vs iPhone 13: Which is the Better Deal? The display size of the Pixel 7 has been reduced from 6.4 inches to 6.3 inches, which is a move that the vast majority of people will probably be pleased to see. The Pixel 7 measures 6.1 inches by 2.9 inches when it has been shrunk down. It is still a size advantage over the iPhone 14 or the Galaxy S22, but it should make the device easier to carry in pockets. Display The display on the Pixel 7 is an AMOLED panel measuring 6.3 inches and can reach up to 90 hertz in refresh rate. The only change from the previous year's specifications is a reduction from 6.4 inches to 6.3 inches, but other than that, everything else is the same, and given the price, it is still a competitive offering. One of the improvements is that the screen protector has been upgraded to Gorilla Glass Victus from Gorilla Glass 6, which was used before. The Pixel 7 Pro maintains the same specifications as its predecessor from the previous year, including a 6.7-inch QHD+ LTPO display with a dynamic 120Hz refresh rate. Read Price Drop: Is it the right time to buy an iPhone 13? Both displays have always-on functionality, boast contrast ratios of over one million to one, are HDR compatible, and have 24-bit color depth. Camera The Pixel 7 cameras are very similar to those of the Pixel 6. It has a 50MP Octa PD Quad Bayer broad camera with a lens of f/1.85, and laser detects autofocus, mechanical and electrical image quality, and huge 1.2-micrometers pixels. This sensor features an 82-degree field of view, a 1/1.31-inch image sensor size, and a Super Res Zoom of up to 8x. Pixel 7’s ultra-wide wide is 12 megapixels with an aperture of f/2.2, a field of vision of 114 degrees, and 1.25 micrometers for each Pixel. This sensor has a lens correction feature. Read Xiaomi Mi Smart Projector 2 Review: Watch FIFA World Cup on 120 inch Screen One thing has changed with the Pixel 7, and that is the front-facing camera. It now has 10.8 megapixels, a unique ultra-wide field of vision of 92.8 degrees, 1.22 μm pixel width, and ƒ/2.2 aperture. It has a fixed focus feature. Both of those cameras are replicated in the Pixel 7 Pro, but in addition, there is a brand new 48-megapixel Quad Bayer PD telephoto lens with an aperture of f/3.5, 120mm (telephoto), 1/2.55", 0.7µm pixel width,  and 5 times optical zoom. If you are wondering if that sounds a lot like last year's, then you would be right in thinking so, but even while the bulk of the specifications is the same, now there is a Samsung sensor, complementing the main wide camera, rather than the Sony sensor that was used last year. Although none anticipates any significant performance changes due to the switch in telephoto, users assume that Google will be able to increase the computational photographic performance of both cameras by remaining with the same supplier. Read Xiaomi Redmi 11 Prime Review: Performance at a budget price Performance With the Google 4nm Tensor G2 chip, Google has upgraded almost every significant component of the chip's subsystems in the 7 Series. Because of the intricate and complicated nature of the software and machine learning, the business has structured them to collaborate very well. Therefore, the smartphone will have an even higher level of intelligence, particularly its ability to comprehend human speech and language. The world saw the Direct My Call feature within a Pixel phone last year. It cuts lose the frustration while calling a business and the need to memorize available options for necessary extension. Google has improved the functionality of the Direct My Call feature in Pixel 7. Users will now get a menu option even before they start speaking. With that, they can cancel a schedule or a file more swiftly. Another upgradation will take place in the Assistant Voice Typing feature. Texting will get funnier with getting relevant suggestions for the messages. Users won’t even have to search for emojis manually anymore. They will appear following the user’s voice instructions. The Assistant Voice Typing feature will be available in Italian, French, and Spanish. Read Asus ROG Phone 6D Review: Worth the price tag? Safety and Security Like always, securing one’s personal information is Pixel’s greatest goal. With Titan M2 security chip and Tensor G2, the Pixel phone will be more resistant to sophisticated assaults if you install Titan M2 on it. And in the second half of this year, both the Pixel 7 and the Pixel 7 Pro will have a free VPN service provided by Google One. Your online activities will be safeguarded regardless of the app or web browser used. Price of Google Pixel 7 Series Currently, the Pixel series can be purchased in Pre-order. The Google Pixel 7 is available for $599 (BDT 60, 962; $1=BDT 101.77). On the other hand, it will cost about $899 (BDT 91,493; $1=BDT 101.77) for the Google Pixel 7 Pro. However, the official price of the Google 7 series in Bangladesh may vary due to tax and other issues. Conclusion It has always been simple to answer the question of whether or not you should update the Pixel series of smartphones since each phone is unique and brand new. The Pixel 7 series is the first to get an update in the form of an incremental upgrade, comparable to what users have seen from Samsung and Apple over the years. That is in no way a negative aspect at all.  Read Top 10 Smartphones coming to Bangladesh in October 2022 However, this also implies that if you already have the Pixel 6 or the Pixel 6 Pro, you do not need to update the most recent Pixels.  On the whole, Google Pixel 7/ 7 Pro phones can give you a more satisfying experience while using the camera, as well as a more powerful CPU. But except for that, pretty much everything is the same. Therefore, you do not need to make the switch just yet unless there is an excellent trade-in bargain available.

Wouldn’t it be great if you could call without a network using your Android phone? It might sound like a sci-fi movie, but the truth is we are going to get this feature on the Android 14 operating system. Motorola invented the first satellite phone in 1989. However, satellite phones were not available to the general public. Now it seems anyone can use it in the coming years. Let’s get to know more about Android 14 and its satellite connectivity. Android 14 to feature satellite connectivity support Google’s new operating system, Android 13, was unveiled at the end of July. Google released information about the beta version of Android 14 before Android 13 became a month old. As a surprise, this new version of Android will have satellite connectivity, claimed Google Ecosystem Senior Vice President Hiroshi Lockheimer. According to his tweet, the next version of Android will have satellite connectivity. Google will help partners with this. It is expected that the beta version will be launched in 2023. He also said that the handsets would be linked directly to satellites to further improve the smartphone user experience around the world, which will be quite different from the current cellular connectivity. Read Metaverse Real Estate Investment: Buying Land, Apartment, Property in Virtual World However, Hiroshi Lockheimer did not give any details about this. But, it is expected that the old Android phones will also be able to get this feature by updating the operating system. Other than this feature of the ‘next-generation Android 14 operating system, no other possible features have been revealed yet. On the other hand, Elon Musk’s SpaceX partnered with T-Mobile to develop satellite connectivity. What are the features to expect from satellite connectivity? Many people think that satellite connectivity means very high-speed internet. But it is not the actual feature. One of the advantages of satellite phones is that even in remote, uninhabited areas where there is no cellular network, the user can communicate through SMS and calling. In the initial phase, only calls, SMS, and MMS will be available on satellite connectivity. Read How to Get a Job in Google from Bangladesh? According to Lockheimer, satellite connectivity will provide many times better service than what can be experienced with standard LTE and 5G connections. This feature will start a new chapter in the communication system. SpaceX & T-Mobile to introduce satellite features for phones in the USA While we’re on the subject, the buzz in the tech world is that SpaceX and T-Mobile are teaming up to bring satellite connectivity to phones in the US. The telecom operator has already confirmed that it plans to use thousands of Starlink satellites to provide wireless connectivity to mobile users in remote areas of the country. Under this service, customers will be able to use the beta version of satellite internet on T-Mobile by June 2023. In addition to that, voice and data services are also expected to be offered later. Elon Musk also said on Twitter that the Starlink V2 service will be launched in 2023 with a plan to “eliminate the global dead zone.” He even invited other companies to work with Starlink. Read Google Alphabet’s Project Taara: Light beam broadband internet creates new hope in Africa Will iPhone 14 have satellite features? On the other hand, the tech giant Apple is preparing to announce the iPhone 14 series on 7th September. There has been speculation that the satellite connectivity feature may be added as a ‘wild card’ feature in the lineup. As Bloomberg pointed out in a 2021 report, the tech giant has already completed hardware testing for satellite communication in the iPhone 14 series. This feature will allow users to connect to mobile networks to send messages in emergency situations in remote areas. Users will even be able to use the iPhone to report their situation in areas without cellular coverage. However, Apple device analyst Ming-Chi Kuo is not yet sure if the feature will be made available in the iPhone 14 lineup at all. Because of this, Apple will have to tie up with a satellite operator, and no such deal has been reported yet. But if the feature is included, the satellite connectivity of the iPhone 14 series will only provide essential text message and voice services. Read Shammi Quddus: A Talented Bangladeshi Woman in Google, Global Fintech Industry Will satellite connectivity be available worldwide? The answer is a bit tricky. Companies such as Google and Apple will need to take permission/license from the particular countries they are intended to offer services, as satellite connectivity may raise security concerns. To recall, SpaceX previously returned pre-booked money to the Indian customers as they did not have a license from the Indian Department of Telecommunications. As the world is becoming more technology-driven, the countries may lessen the regulations regarding satellite usage. Hence, satellite connectivity might be available worldwide in the coming years. Final words The use of Satellite phone technology in Android 14 can improve the future of communication because it doesn’t need the conventional mobile network. Furthermore, it is more reliable, and easier to use than traditional methods. With the right technology in place, people can easily stay connected no matter where they are in the world. However, in terms of pricing, satellite connectivity might be expensive initially. Read Top 10 mobile phones coming to Bangladesh in September 2022