Technologies

Samsung Wants to Turn Your iPhone Into a Foldable Phone… Sort Of

It’s Samsung’s latest marketing ploy to lure iPhone users over to its Galaxy devices.

Just about every major smartphone company has released a foldable phone, or has announced plans to do so.

Except Apple.

Samsung is well aware of that fact, and it’s using the iPhone maker’s absence in an attempt to win over Apple loyalists. The South Korean tech giant just released an update for its Try Galaxy app that lets users simulate the experience of using Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold device by placing two iPhones side by side. The feature is available on Android phones too, but Samsung just expanded the Try Galaxy app to work on iPhones.

The update comes after Samsung launched its latest foldable phones, the Galaxy Z Flip 5 and Galaxy Z Fold 5, at a high-profile event in Seoul last month with appearances from celebrities such as BTS’ Suga and Euphoria star Sydney Sweeney. Samsung’s app may be a marketing ploy, but it’s also another sign that it sees foldables as being a key part of its strategy in competing with Apple, its biggest rival in the global smartphone market.

Using the app on your iPhone involves scanning a QR code from Samsung, which is available in the company’s press release. Doing so will allow you to add a shortcut to Samsung’s Try Galaxy app to an iPhone’s home screen. Launching the shortcut pulls up a simulation of Samsung’s One UI Android software. But those who have two iPhones handy can use them together to imitate how the software would look on Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold.

There are a couple of short demos available to try in this mode, such as an air hockey game and an animated video of an ocean scene showing a whale and other aquatic creatures swimming across screens. These demos aren’t very reflective of what it’s like to actually use the Galaxy Z Fold, but Samsung is clearly trying to illustrate what apps can look like when spread across two displays.

An air hockey video game being shown on two iPhones.

Still, using the Galaxy Z Fold feels notably different. I’ve tried several generations of the Galaxy Z Fold, and its biggest advantage is the way regular apps, like Netflix, Chrome and YouTube, are displayed on a much larger screen. Putting two phones together doesn’t accurately re-create that experience.

An animated video showing a fish and coral underwater across two iPhones.

But Samsung’s demo does show how apps work in split-screen mode, which can be helpful for those considering switching to a foldable device. In this demo, you are prompted to open the messages app on one iPhone and the photo gallery app on the other. From there, a prompt instructs the user to drag and drop photos from one iPhone into the messages app displayed on its companion iPhone. It provides a relatively realistic representation of what it’s like to use Samsung’s multitasking features. However, it’s worth remembering that the Z Fold’s shape is different from that of a regular phone, so apps in split-screen mode won’t look exactly like using two phones side by side.

Since the Try Galaxy app is a limited demo, I couldn’t re-create the exact experience on my Galaxy Z Fold 4. But the image below shows how three split-screen apps look on the Galaxy Z Fold 4 compared to Samsung’s app.

Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 4 (left) and Samsung's Try Galaxy app running on two iPhones (right).

Samsung certainly has incentive to promote its foldable devices. It’s facing more competition than ever from new entrants like Google and OnePlus and existing rivals like Motorola and Oppo, all of which have released or are planning to launch new foldable phones this year.

Worldwide shipments of foldable phones are also expected to grow more than 50% in 2023, according to market research firm International Data Corporation, giving Samsung and others more motivation to invest in the space. IDC’s report also refers to foldables as the «one positive talking point» in the smartphone industry, considering the market declined more than 11% last year.

Apple hasn’t mentioned any plans to release a foldable iPhone. But the company is rumored to be working on a foldable device that could arrive in 2025, according to TF International Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who is known for his Apple product predictions. He believes Apple could release a «foldable iPad» or an iPhone-iPad hybrid, as he posted on Twitter (now called X) in April 2022.

Still, it’s unclear if or when Apple will ever launch a foldable device. And Samsung is sure to keep reminding users of that until we hear from Apple.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 Flexes Its Foldable Beauty

A photo of the Galaxy Z Fold 5 taking a photo

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Technologies

Apple Launches Creator Studio Package as $13 a Month Subscription

Mac users can still buy the apps individually, but subscribers get access to Final Cut Pro and other Studio tools.

Apple is bundling its pro filmmaking and audio tools including Final Cut Pro with its productivity apps Keynote, Pages and Numbers into a subscription software suite called Apple Creator Studio.

The package, which includes apps for Mac, iPad and iPhone, includes Logic Pro, Pixelmator Pro, Motion, Compressor, MainStage and the whiteboard app Freeform. Creator Studio will be available starting Jan. 28 at a cost of $13 per month or $129 per year, or $3 per month or $30 per year for students and educators. Mac users will still have the option to purchase software like Final Cut Pro for a one-time free. The current price for Final Cut Pro in the Mac App Store is $300.

While apps such as Keynote and Pages are already free on Apple platforms, it appears that new versions of those apps will receive access to beta features that will roll out first to Creator Studio subscribers. The announcement by Apple alludes to «new AI features and premium content» in some of the apps it otherwise makes available to use for free.

What the Creator Studio bundle comes with

The star of the show in Creator Studio is Final Cut Pro, the video editing software that will now include Transcript Search on both Mac and iPad. There is also a new Beat Detection feature Apple says uses an AI model to analyze a music track and display a beat grid, making it easier to cut video to music rhythms. The software also will include a new Montage Maker on iPad for quick social video creation.

Motion, the 2D and 3D graphics tool, and Compressor also integrate with Final Cut Pro. Apple touted Motion’s Magnetic Mask feature for isolating objects or people without the need for a green screen.

Logic Pro has new features for musicians, including a Synth Player addition to AI Session Players. Chord ID, a new AI feature, can create chord progressions from audio or MIDI recordings. A new Sound Library will have hundreds of royalty-free clips, samples and loops.

A revamped MainStage app gives subscribers access to instrument, voice-professing and guitar rig tools. Pixelmator Pro arrives with new tools and filters, and there will be an iPad version in addition to the Mac tool.

Freeform in the Creator Studio package will add premium content, including curated photos, graphics and illustrations. It will also get new AI features that include image creation.

Technologies

Reddit Outage Resolved: Here’s What Happened

Did you have trouble reading your favorite subreddits today? You weren’t alone.

If you had trouble accessing the news and discussion forum Reddit on Tuesday, you weren’t the only one. However, as of 10:15 a.m. PT, the site appears to be back up and running normally. Reddit’s status monitoring page, RedditStatus.com, notes that «all systems (are) operational» after the brief outage.

But earlier, at 9:30 a.m. PT, RedditStatus.com said the company was «investigating elevated errors across reddit.com and native apps.» RedditStatus.com reported degraded site performance for both desktop web use and native mobile apps.

Earlier on Tuesday, the site-monitoring service DownDetector also reported issues at Reddit, providing additional details. At one point on Tuesday, DownDetector received over 100,000 reports that the site was having problems. At 10:25 am PT, the report numbers fell to under 600. (Disclosure: Downdetector is owned by the same parent company as CNET, Ziff Davis.)

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«Reddit is currently experiencing a significant internal outage causing widespread service disruptions,» the site said earlier Tuesday. «The impact is categorized as Very High, primarily affecting mobile app access (55%) and website connectivity (39%). While reports are heavily concentrated in major hubs like New York City and Chicago, the lack of ISP correlation suggests a broad, nationwide issue stemming from Reddit’s internal servers rather than external network providers.»

A representative for Reddit did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Another social media site, X, formerly Twitter, also showed problems on Tuesday, according to DownDetector. Those problems seemed to spike around 6:30 a.m. PT and improve after.

Technologies

This 3-in-1 Charger Is a Must-Have for Travelers, and It Just Hit a Record-Low of $95

Snag it for $45 off and charge your iPhone, AirPods and Apple Watch at the same time.

If you’re a frequent traveler, then you know that outlets are a precious commodity in places like airports and coffee shops. So why waste one on a single device when you can charge up to three at once? Right now, you can grab this seriously sleek Ugreen Magflow three-in-one foldable charger for just $95 at Amazon. That’s a $45 discount and the all-time lowest price we’ve seen. Just don’t wait too long, as this deal could expire at any time.

At just 7.4 ounces, this compact charging station is designed to be taken on the go. But despite its size, it still supports 25-watt MagSafe charging for iPhones, as well as 5-watt wireless charging for AirPods and Apple Watches. The charging stand also tilts up to double as a stand, and it’s equipped with 16 magnets to keep your phone aligned and securely in place. Plus, it’s got built-in protections against overheating, overcharging, short-circuiting and more to prevent damage to your devices.

Why this deal matters

This folding Ugreen charger is great for juicing up your devices on the go, and it’s never been more affordable. Plus, Ugreen makes some of the best MagSafe chargers on the market right now, so don’t miss your chance to grab one at a record-low price.