Samsung might unpack the Fold and Flip 6 on 10 July
Samsung is a creature of habit. January or February are usually reserved to allow the company’s flagships time to bask in the glow and soak up as much money as possible before it dips back into hibernation before July rolls around. That’s when Samsung emerges from the shadows to unveil its latest foldables and whatever it’s been cooking up on the side. That’s according to SamMobile, which reckons Samsung is eyeing up a 10 July date for the next Unpacked event.
SamMobile has been spouting that gospel since February, before confirming the story at the backend of April. It will reportedly take place in Paris, France, which ties in with Samsung’s sponsorship of the 2024 Olympic Games, pencilled in for a 26 July start date. Just thinking about how much advertising Samsung could squeeze into one venue is almost enough to convince us the story is true.
As for what Samsung’s got under the hood, it’s almost guaranteed that the Galaxy Flip and Fold 6 are waiting in the wings. It seems an open secret that July’s Unpacked will also give us our first proper look at the Galaxy Ring device that was teased back in January. Also expected to debut are the next generations of the Watch and Buds in Samsung’s catalogue. Only time will tell, however, so take these rumours with the pinch of salt they deserve.
Boeing’s Starliner mission put on ice (again)
Boeing isn’t having a great time, is it? After two of its employees mysteriously went belly up recently (after blatantly, um, lying about the company’s safety precautions to the public), the company’s Space division is finding it difficult to get its crewed Starliner mission off the ground. We mean that literally, with Boeing noting a series of faults in both the rocket and spacecraft preventing the mission from taking off.
The latest in the long line of mishaps to befall the Starliner spacecraft was when Boeing and NASA discovered a helium leak somewhere in the body, prompting the two to call off yet another launch. Since then, two more launch dates have gone by while it attempts to fix the issue. Now, however, another launch date has been tentatively scheduled for this Saturday, 1 June at 12:25 Eastern time, translating to an 18:25 launch in SA.
“There has been a great deal of exceptional analysis and testing over the last two weeks by the joint NASA, Boeing, and ULA teams to replace the Centaur Self Regulating Valve and troubleshoot the Starliner Service Module helium manifold leak,” said Steve Stich, manager, NASA Commercial Crew Programme.
Should the Starliner mission prove successful, it will see its first astronauts aboard the spacecraft — Bob Wilmore and Suni Williams — offering NASA a working backup plan should SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft prove incapable of liftoff in the future.
Meet the TinyPod, a new home for your Apple Watch
Watches, traditionally, are worn on the wrist. It’s generally frowned upon to stick them anywhere that isn’t a wrist, but a new company wants to challenge that notion. Meet the tinyPod, an enclosure for a strapless Apple Watch that turns the device into more of an iPod than a simple time-telling step counter.
The company says more news, as well as the product itself, is coming ‘this Summer’ after dropping a new trailer offering up a decent look at the device, complete with a scroll wheel akin to that of the original iPod. The trailer’s tagline — ‘your phone away from phone’ — is certainly an interesting one, inviting the idea of the tinyPod being a decent alternative to your actual phone.
Considering that the Apple Watch is already packed with most of the features necessary to call it a ‘phone’, it makes sense. The Apple Watch can already make calls, send messages, store and play music, so we’re keen to see how the tinyPod’s life goes. It’s arriving this Summer (Winter for South Africa), though no pricing or exact dates have been announced just yet.
Honey, grab the DOOM
If June’s Summer Games Fest turns out to be a dud (i.e. Silksong is a no-show), there’s still the Xbox Game Showcase to look forward to just two days later. There’s no promise Silksong will be there either, but according to a new leak, we can be sure of at least one entry: a new Doom, going by the name ‘The Dark Ages’.
There have been rumblings of a new Doom game since 2021, and now leaker NateTheHate is corroborating the news put forth by Insider Gaming that a new Doom will appear at the upcoming Xbox Games Showcase. It’s said to feature a medieval setting, and most importantly, will also launch on the PS5 — something that was in contention after Microsoft’s buyout of ZeniMax Media, parent of iD Software, in 2020.
This shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone. Xbox has spent the better part of 2024 handing out PS5 and Switch ports of some of its previously exclusive first-party titles such as Grounded, Hi-Fi Rush and Sea of Thieves. Now, it looks as though Xbox has extended that courtesy to some of its more popular AAA titles from day one.