Smartphones that open up into mini-tablets are on the way, thanks to several companies gearing up to expand the traditional rectangular slab into new form factors. Samsung had a big event to introduce its bendy Galaxy X, even though a smaller company called Royole jumped out in front of the pack with its own FlexiPai device a few weeks ago. El Kaiser and J.D. discuss this new look for phones, as well as East Coast expansion efforts by Google and Amazon, and other news of the week. J.D. also explains what those “waterproof” and “water-resistant” ratings for mobile devices really mean. Press the Play button to unfold Episode 292 of Pop Tech Jam!
Links to Stories Discussed on This Week’s Show
- This is Samsung’s foldable smartphone (The Verge)
- SDC 2018: Samsung Reveals Breakthroughs in Intelligence, IoT and Mobile UX (Samsung)
- Comcast making video-streaming box for broadband-only customers (CNBC)
- Why the Google Walkout Was a Watershed Moment in Tech (The New York Times)
- Google Overhauls Sexual Misconduct Policy After Employee Walkout (The New York Times)
- Google Plans Large New York City Expansion (The Wall Street Journal)
- Amazon Plans to Split HQ2 Between Long Island City, N.Y., and Arlington, Va. (The New York Times)
- Amazon HQ2 in Long Island City, Queens: What the neighborhood is like (CNBC)
- Ford buys electric scooter startup Spin (TechCrunch)
- Why Children’s Fondness for YouTube Puts the Company at Risk (The Wall Street Journal)
- Facebook Had a Good Election Day. But It Can’t Let Up Now (The New York Times)
- Amazon begins mailing printed holiday toy catalog (CNBC)
Just How “Waterproof” Is Your Phone?
- The Swim Test for Smartphones (The New York Times)
- International Electrotechnical Commission
- Guide to Ingress Protection Ratings (Element Materials Technology)
- Are Galaxy devices waterproof? (Samsung)
- Help prevent water damage to your Pixel phone (Google)
- About splash, water, and dust resistance of iPhone 7 and later (Apple)
