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Politics

The Impossible Return 8 explica su ausencia en Reckoning

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Erica Sloane, interpretada por Angela Bassett, finalmente está de regreso Misión: Imposible – El ajuste de cuentas finalSu aparición en el tráiler de la octava película explica finalmente su ausencia en el filme Misión Imposible – Dead Reckoning Parte 1. La presentación de Erica Sloane de Angela Bassett fue uno de los momentos más importantes de la película. Misión: Imposible – Fallouty la película la convierte en un actor importante en el futuro de la franquicia. A pesar de esto, Sloan estuvo completamente ausente de Misión Imposible – Dead Reckoning Parte 1que es algo de lo que bromeo Misión: Imposible – El ajuste de cuentas final Ya tratado.

Primer teaser de la película. Misión: Imposible – El ajuste de cuentas final Ahora lanzado con la octava y última parte. Misión: imposible La película está lista para poner fin a la serie de suspenso y espías de Tom Cruise con una explosión. El tráiler echa un vistazo a varios personajes que regresan de todo el mundo. Misión: imposible franquicia, con Ethan, Luther, Benjy, Grace y más siendo la presencia principal en el tráiler. pero, Una toma de Erica Sloan de Angela Bassett generó muchas preguntasy su personaje podría recibir una mejora importante Misión: Imposible – El ajuste de cuentas finalhistoria.

Erica Sloane de Angela Bassett parece ser la presidenta de los Estados Unidos en Misión: Imposible – Final Reckoning

¿El secretario Sloan es ahora el presidente Sloan?

Erica Sloane, interpretada por Angela Bassett, sólo hace una breve aparición en el tráiler de su película. Misión: Imposible – El ajuste de cuentas finalPero la posible explicación de su aparición tiene algunas implicaciones clave. Resulta que el tráiler sugiere que Erica Sloane podría ser la presidenta de los Estados Unidos en un mundo Misión: imposibleLo que significa que han pasado muchas cosas desde la última vez que se vio a su personaje. Su aparición en el avance muestra al personaje descendiendo del Air Force One a un enorme carro de bienvenida, aparentemente confirmando que ella es la nueva presidenta de los Estados Unidos.

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La conexión Misión: Imposible – Pata de Conejo en Final Reckoning es la revelación más emocionante hasta el momento

Se ha revelado que la pata de conejo de Mission: Impossible 3 existe en Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, lo que hace que la secuela sea aún más emocionante.

Se rumoreaba ampliamente que Erica Sloan sería ascendida a presidenta de los Estados Unidos antes de esa fecha. Misión: Imposible – El ajuste de cuentas final tráiler, por lo que es bueno ver que el primer avance ya lo ha confirmado. Aún no se sabe por qué la película decidió mejorar tanto el personaje de Angela Bassett. Sin embargo, el personaje sin duda tendrá un papel importante en la octava entrega. Misión: imposible La película, donde el ex presidente de los Estados Unidos no ha tenido un papel importante en la franquicia.

Sloane se convierte en presidenta de los Estados Unidos explica por qué no estuvo en Misión: Imposible – Dead Reckoning

Ha estado muy ocupada haciendo campaña.

Después de que finalmente se instaló Misión: Imposible – Fallout, Erica Sloan estuvo completamente ausente del partido Misión Imposible – Dead Reckoning Parte 1Lo cual fue un poco decepcionante para los fanáticos. De hecho, esto se debió a las restricciones de viaje por la pandemia de COVID-19 que impidieron que Angela Bassett regresara para la película. Sin embargo, ahora que la actriz está de regreso. Misión: Imposible – El ajuste de cuentas finalSu ascenso al cargo de Presidenta de los Estados Unidos proporciona una explicación perfecta de su ausencia.

La última vez que se vio a Sloan, acababa de ser ascendida de directora de la CIA a secretaria del Fondo Monetario Internacional, sucediendo a Alan Hunley de Alec Baldwin. Desde que se convirtió en presidenta fuera de la pantalla, es probable que el tiempo de Sloan haya estado lleno de campañas, ya que trabajó detrás de escena para ser elegida para su puesto. Sloan supuestamente trabajaba como secretario del Fondo Monetario Internacional durante los hechos. Misión Imposible – Dead Reckoning Parte 1Pero las revelaciones sobre su presidencia muestran que ha estado más ocupada de lo que pensábamos.

¿Qué significa el regreso de Sloan en el relato final de Misión: Imposible?

Las cosas están peor que nunca.

No hay duda de que la elección de Erica Sloane al cargo de Presidenta de los Estados Unidos significa mucho para la historia de la película. Misión: Imposible – El ajuste de cuentas final. Primero, porque anteriormente trabajó en el Fondo Monetario Internacional. Lo más probable es que ella apoye a la organización, Lo que significa que puede resultarles más fácil obtener la aprobación de arriba. Sin embargo, también es probable que no sea fanática de Ethan Hunt debido a sus diversas aventuras a lo largo de la franquicia.

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Misión: Imposible – El elenco definitivo de Reckoning y la guía de personajes

El primer tráiler de Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning ya está disponible y aquí están el elenco y los personajes principales de la octava película.

Además, el presidente se involucra en la historia de A. Misión: imposible La película da a entender que las cosas pueden estar peor que nunca. La entidad ya ha demostrado ser una fuerza a tener en cuenta, y si el presidente Sloan tiene que lidiar con ella, puede resultar difícil para el FMI. Misión: Imposible – El ajuste de cuentas final.

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Life Style

Will Lestat return on ‘Interview with the Vampire’?

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Lestat de Lioncourt has risen! Sort of. 

In the first episode of Season 2, titled “What Can the Damned Really Say to the Damned,” Sam Reid reprises his role to torment Lestat’s treacherous children. But not exactly as you might expect. He’s not flesh and blood — though he is bleeding profusely. In Interview with the Vampire: Part II, as the second season’s opening title card calls it, Lestat’s return to Louis begins as a delusion. 

How did we get here? For those in need of a refresher: At the end of Season 1 of AMC’s audacious adaptation of Interview with the Vampire, Lestat was ambushed by his vampire family, Louis de Pointe du Lac (Jacob Anderson) and Claudia (Bailey Bass), then left for dead in the swampy dumps of New Orleans. When human journalist Daniel Molloy (Eric Bogosian) interviews Louis decades later — with Claudia’s diaries in hand — he calls Louis out for knowing damn well that attack wouldn’t kill the vampire Lestat.

Could this be true? Will the real Lestat catch up with Louis and Claudia as they search for a coven that might be more cuddly than the Brat Prince? 

Let’s dig in. 

How does Lestat return in Interview with the Vampire? 

Sam Reid and Jacob Anderson return as Lestat and Louis in "Interview with the Vampire: Part II."

Sam Reid and Jacob Anderson return as Lestat and Louis in “Interview with the Vampire: Part II.”
Credit: Larry Horricks / AMC

In “What Can the Damned Really Say to the Damned,” Lestat resurrects from his shallow grave as a bad dream, a guilty conscience, or a delusion. Pick your poison. 

Guided by old-world legends, Louis and Claudia (now played by Delainey Hayles) have left the luxuries of New Orleans behind for battle-torn squalor in Europe during World War I. There, as Claudia scours for evidence of vampires and searches the pockets of dead soldiers for camping essentials, Lestat returns to Louis — a vision with a slit throat and a smile. 

“Bonjour, mon amour,” Lestat says, adding, “Do you miss me? I miss you — despite our recent unpleasantness.” What a cool, casual way to refer to your lover plotting to kill you, then fleeing the country! At this point it’s been “four years of grim wayfaring,” and Louis is mad with grief. Or as he puts it, “You’re not here, I’m just fucked in the head.” 

Lestat taunts him with playful banter that’s cut off by a live bat crawling out of his slit throat and flying into the night. But the maybe-slain sire will not accept apologies. “You ruin it with remorse,” Lestat scolds Louis, “You gave me a death of distinction.”

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Now, even if this Lestat is just Louis’ guilty conscience, this line suggests Louis believes Lestat is really dead. But then Lestat declares, “But in answer to your question: Yes. I’m going to fucking kill you.”

Louis argues in response that if Lestat were alive, he’d already have tracked them down and murdered them by now. Again, it’s been four years. To this Lestat says with a wicked grin, “Oh love, I’m merely waiting until you’re happy. So hurry up, mon cher!” 

Next, this vision of Lestat lovingly bites Louis’s neck, as Louis grimaces in a pain reflected in the voice-over: “I had taken 7,000 souls by then. But Lestat’s was the only one that felt like murder.” 

What does it mean that Lestat is back? 

Delainey Hayles and Jacob Anderson reach Paris as Claudia and Louis in "Interview with the Vampire: Part II."

Delainey Hayles and Jacob Anderson reach Paris as Claudia and Louis in “Interview with the Vampire: Part II.”
Credit: Larry Horricks / AMC

Well, for one thing, it means showrunner Rolin Jones knows what his audience wants.

In season 1, Anderson and Reid had a passion so hot it threatened to burn viewers down in their awe and longing. It wasn’t just that Jones gave explicit sex scenes between the two where Rice had not. It was also that the chemistry between these actors was explosive, and the toxic romance between Louis and Lestat as chaotic as it was compelling. 

This first chapter back is alive with twisted turns, including revenants, Romanian superstition, and an ancient vampire choosing a fiery exit over a new lease on undead life. But amid the unrelenting muck and grays of this grisly chapter, Jones smartly laid in a bit of tried and true (and entertaining) toxicity, as only Lestat can give it.

While Louis tries to keep these delusions to himself, his regret — and lingering love for Lestat — is a gulf widening between him and Claudia. He asks her when they can go home, and in doing so refuses to see that New Orleans is not home to her; home is what she is seeking as she digs for other vampires. Her diaries reflect her ire, and Louis weeps remembering more clearly who she was — even if that means more sharply understanding how she had come to loathe him. 

In the flashbacks of their time in Romania, Claudia snarls at Louis, “I forgave you for fucking up my plan. I did not forgive you for bringing him with you.” Louis argues that sure, he didn’t set Lestat on fire as Claudia wanted — but their bad dad is in a landfill a continent away. “In here,” she responds, prodding at Louis’s chest. “You carry him in here.” It’s a sin Louis cannot deny, a fate he cannot escape.  

Later, after the two have seen more deaths that hang on them like an anchor, Louis offers a pep talk to Claudia, spurring her to hope. “As long as you walk the earth, I’ll never taste the fire,” he declares, promising never to leave her. “You understand? We’re going to find others like us.” Violin music plays in the background, frenzied and hopeful. “If you were the last vampire on earth,” he says softly, “it would be enough.” 

In the shot, he’s looking dead into Claudia’s mournful eyes. But then the camera shifts to the right, revealing Lestat, throat still slit, eyes sharp, pouty lips in a slight smile. So, who is Louis really talking to? “Me and you. You and me.” He repeats it over and over, perhaps willing himself to believe he means him and Claudia. Perhaps he says this to chase away the memory of Lestat. But as this tormented family arrives in Paris at episode’s end, book readers know the real Lestat’s return is drawing ever nearer. 

How to watch: Interview with the Vampire: Part II airs Sundays on AMC and AMC+.



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Bisnis Industri

Fancy Dance trailer heralds return of Oscar winner Lily Gladstone

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Academy Award winner Lily Gladstone will follow up Killers of the Flower Moon with a powerful new family drama on Apple TV+, if the trailer the streamer dropped Wednesday for Fancy Dance is any indication.

Fancy Dance premieres in select theaters June 21 and streams on Apple TV+ June 28.

Fancy Dance trailer brings emotional dramatic role for Oscar winner Lily Gladstone

Apple Original Films release Fancy Dance became a Sundance Film Festival selection. And it’s the second movie on Apple TV+ to star Lily Gladstone. She won a Best Actress Oscar for Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon. And the new drama represents the directorial debut of Erica Tremblay, who also co-wrote and produced the film.

Gladstone plays Jax, who cares for her niece Roki (Isabel Deroy-Olson) after the girl’s mother, Jax’s sister, goes missing from an Oklahoma Indian reservation. The trailer brings tense drama. It shows the search for the missing woman unfold in a chaotic and challenging environment. For one thing, Jax and Roki must prepare for a powwow. Most likely, that’s where the film’s title comes from.

Here’s how Apple describes the plot, the film’s complex societal shading and its cast:

Since her sister’s disappearance, Jax has cared for her niece Roki by scraping by on the Seneca-Cayuga reservation in Oklahoma. Every spare minute goes into finding her missing sister while also helping Roki prepare for an upcoming powwow. At the risk of Jax losing custody to Roki’s grandfather, Frank (Shea Whigham), the pair hit the road and scour the backcountry to track down Roki’s mother in time for the powwow.

What begins as a search gradually turns into a far deeper investigation into the complexities and contradictions of Indigenous women moving through a colonized world while at the mercy of a failed justice system. Gladstone stars alongside Deroy-Olson, Ryan Begay, Crystle Lightning, with Audrey Wasilewski and Whigham.

Watch the trailer for Fancy Dance

Produced by Confluential Films and Significant Productions/AUM Group, Fancy Dance introduces director Tremblay. She also serves as screenwriter alongside Miciana Alise. Producers include Deidre Backs, Tremblay, Heather Rae, Nina Yang Bongiovi and Tommy Oliver. Executive producers are Bird Runningwater, Gladstone, Forest Whitaker and Charlotte Koh.

Watch dramas on Apple TV+

Fancy Dance lands alongside other dramatic films and shows on Apple TV+ June 28. The service is available by subscription for $9.99 with a seven-day free trial. You can also get it via any tier of the Apple One subscription bundle. For a limited time, customers who purchase and activate a new iPhone, iPad, Apple TV, Mac or iPod touch can enjoy three months of Apple TV+ for free.

After launching in November 2019, “Apple TV+ became the first all-original streaming service to launch around the world, and has premiered more original hits and received more award recognitions faster than any other streaming service. To date, Apple Original films, documentaries and series have been honored with 471 wins and 2,090 award nominations and counting,” the service said.

In addition to award-winning movies and TV shows (including breakout soccer comedy Ted Lasso), Apple TV+ offers a variety of documentaries, dramas, comedies, kids shows and more.

Watch on Apple TV

Source: Apple TV+



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Featured

The Boys season 4 trailer reveals ties to Gen V and a battle for America’s soul ahead of hit Amazon show’s return

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Amazon has unveiled a new trailer for The Boys season 4 – and, I don’t know about you, but I didn’t have superpowered, violent farm animals on my bingo card for the show’s next installment.

Revealed yesterday (May 3) during The Boys season 4 panel at Mexico Comic-Con – and released online immediately after its world premiere – the series’ latest trailer teases another blood-soaked entry on Prime Video. Not only that, though, it also confirms that key storylines from companion show Gen V will carry over into the main series. Oh, and that all-out war between the titular vigilantes and the Seven, the most-famous superhero team in The Boys universe, is about to erupt. And yes, those are Compound V-injected, Supe-d up farm animals – including an Alien-like, chest bursting flock of chickens and a group of flying sheep.



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Featured

Fallout season 2: everything we know about the hit Prime Video show’s return

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Fallout season 2: key information

– Announced in mid-April
– No release date revealed yet
– Unsurprisingly, a trailer is yet to be unveiled
– Cast and plot details are thin on the ground
– Main cast members are expected to return
– Should pick up right after the season 1 finale
– Season 3 hasn’t been greenlit, but discussions about future installments have taken place

Fallout season 2 is officially in development. That’s right, the hit Amazon series has been renewed for a second season after the *ahem* rad reception season 1 was met with. So, gear up for more outlandishly funny moments, bizarre retrofuturistic adventuring, captivating melodrama, and a smorgasbord of Easter eggs from Bethesda’s iconic video game universe (which the TV show is also set in).

With the popular Prime Video show’s next entry still in early development, it’ll be some time before we learn anything official about its release date, get news about its cast and plot, and see any footage. Still, based on what happened in season 1 of Amazon’s Fallout TV show, we can speculate on all of the above and more in this guide.



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Fallout TV show creator hints at ‘really cool’ season 2 plans as rumors swirl over Prime Video series return

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Fallout TV show creator Jonathan Nolan says that “really cool conversations” have taken place about a possible second season amid reports that a follow-up is already in development.

Speaking exclusively to TechRadar, Nolan – who also directed the Amazon series’ first three episodes – suggested that Prime Video’s Fallout TV show wouldn’t end after a single season. However, when I pressed him for more details on what a second season could be about, Nolan was hesitant to confirm anything official, choosing instead to tentatively tease that more stories might be in the pipeline.

The forthcoming Prime Video series is set in the same universe as the Fallout games developed by Bethesda. Each title in the studio’s ever-expanding dystopian action-RPG franchise is based in a different location, with new characters to interact with, monsters to fight, settlements to visit, and missions to complete. In that sense, Fallout is an anthology-style game series that puts players in the shoes of a new protagonist with each new release.

The Ghoul sits slumped in a chair with his cowboy hat lowered over his face in the Fallout TV show

Sitting around waiting for that Fallout season 2 renewal like… (Image credit: Amazon Studios)

Fallout‘s TV adaptation, then, seems tailormade to adopt a compendium-like form of seasonal storytelling akin to Bethesda’s ‘new game, new location’ mantra. And, with popular and award-winning duo Fargo (one of the best Hulu shows) and True Detective (one of the best Max shows) recently leading the anthology TV show charge, there’s clearly a market for this kind of TV-based narrative format. So, is that a creative path that Nolan would look to walk? Or would he prefer to continue the journeys of season 1’s protagonists?



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Business Industry

Samsung Galaxy A55 review: A long-awaited return to form!

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The Galaxy A55 is Samsung’s latest mid-range phone to promise a flagship-like experience without a flagship-like price, and in some ways, it really is the most premium mid-ranger from the Korean giant yet.

From a design that includes Gorilla Glass Victus+ and a metal frame to a new Exynos chip that has a GPU based on the same AMD architecture as Samsung’s high-end Exynos chips (though the A55 lacks ray tracing support) and up to 12GB of RAM, the A55 feels more of an upgrade than the A54 did compared to the A53.

Testing has revealed that the Galaxy A55 even brings some improvements that aren’t being highlighted by Samsung. For example, while the A55 has a marketed maximum display brightness of 1000 nits like the A54, it can reach upwards of 1600 nits in high brightness mode, 200 nits more than the A54 and around 150 nits higher than even the Galaxy S23 FE!

Better yet is the fact that the Galaxy A55 is cheaper than the Galaxy A54 in some markets for the entry-level variant. Even in other markets, like India, the starting price is not all that higher than its predecessor, and the difference can be negated by taking advantage of Samsung’s deals and discounts.

So should you buy the Galaxy A55? Is the user experience it provides across various metrics, such as display, camera, performance, battery life, and software, worth your hard-earned money?

Design

Galaxy A55 review

The Galaxy A55’s flagship inspirations are nowhere as apparent as in its design. Samsung has gotten rid of plastic entirely for the A55’s construction. The frame is an aluminium one, and the front and rear are covered by Gorilla Glass Victus+.

Compared to Gorilla Glass 5, used on the A54, Victus+ provides around two times better scratch and drop protection. This is the first time Samsung has equipped a mid-range phone with a version of Gorilla Glass Victus – even the Galaxy S23 FE has Gorilla Glass 5 on both sides.

Samsung Galaxy A55 review
Like the Galaxy S24 and S24+, the metal frame on the Galaxy A55 is completely flat, with no curves on the edges of the display or the rear panel. But there are no rough edges to be seen or felt, and you won’t feel any discomfort in either one-handed or two-handed use.

The Galaxy A55 feels incredible in the hand and during use

The Galaxy A55 also has what Samsung calls Key Island. As the name suggests, it helps the area around the volume and power buttons stand out from the rest of the frame, which it does by slightly raising the frame. However, it just seems like a way for Samsung to separate the design of its mid-range phones from its flagship devices.

The buttons on Samsung’s phones have never felt hard to reach or use. The Key Island may be useful on devices with recessed fingerprint sensors built into the power button, but that’s it. Samsung has also opted for a textured finish for the entire frame excluding the Key Island area, which shines more than we would have liked when light hits it directly.

But, overall, the Galaxy A55 feels incredible in the hand and during use. It is water and dust resistant as well, and there’s nothing here that you can really fault. Well, except for the bezels around the display, which are as huge here as they were on the Galaxy A54. They look ugly, and since Samsung has increased the display size, the bezels just serve to make the phone larger than it has to be.

Display, audio

Samsung Galaxy A55 review

The Galaxy A54 had a 6.4-inch display, slightly smaller than the 6.5-inch display on phones that came before it, but for the Galaxy A55, Samsung has gone the opposite way. It has a 6.6-inch display, and since Samsund did nothing to reduce the bezel size, the A55’s dimensions are larger than previous devices.

The viewing experience the Galaxy A55 provides is excellent

Except for size, the A55 has the same display specs as the A54. It’s a Super AMOLED panel with a rated max brightness of 1000 nits, a 120Hz refresh rate, a resolution of 1080 x 2340 pixels, and HDR10+ support.

The viewing experience the Galaxy A55 provides is excellent, with mostly natural color reproduction (which you can change in the display settings) and wide viewing angles. The screen gets plenty bright, both indoors and outdoors, and is great for watching both SDR and HDR videos.

Samsung Galaxy A55 review

However, the auto brightness algorithm needs some work. Indoors, it is a little conservative and makes the display dimmer than expected. It’s something we noticed on the Galaxy S24 series as well, so Samsung may be deliberately tuning the algorithm this way on all 2024 smartphones.

The auto brightness algorithm needs some work indoors

The A55 has an optical fingerprint reader embeded in the display, and it performs the same as it did on the Galaxy A54. It has good accuracy and is pretty quick, but not as quick as the ultrasonic sensors on flagship Galaxy phones.

For audio, there is no 3.5 mm headphone port, but the stereo loudspeaker setup is sufficient for the occasional bout of gaming and watching movies, though it’s a little light on the bass and sometimes sounds like it’s almost at the brink of distortion at the highest volume.

Camera

The Galaxy A55 has the same camera hardware as the Galaxy A54 (a 50MP primary rear camera, a 12MP ultra-wide camera, a 5MP macro camera, and a 32MP front-facing camera), so the improvements Samsung is touting, such as better night photos and video stabilization, come through changes made to the camera algorithms.

But it appears that most of it is marketing speak, as the only improvement we noticed was better night and low-light performance. To achieve that, Samsung has tuned noise reduction to be more aggressive, and it works wonders as far as removing noise from photos is concerned. That also has the effect of making pictures a tad soft in Night mode, though that’s more of an observation than a complaint.

Unlike previous phones in the lineup, the Galaxy A55 supports electronic stabilization in 4K@30fps video recording, which has garnered some attention from those who love capturing videos while on the move. Unfortunately, the results are not impressive, with videos showing a lot of jitter, particularly at night.

Overall, performance of the primary camera is perfectly fine. Pictures have good detail and dynamic range during the day, while nighttime pictures are cleaner thanks to the aggressive noise reduction that we mentioned earlier.

Check out a bunch of photos from the Galaxy A55’s primary camera in the gallery below.

The A55 has a tendency to not automatically turn on Night mode in every situation where it would be beneficial, and we recommend switching to Night mode manually in these instances. The camera also struggles with bokeh in Portrait mode when the separation between the subject and background isn’t as clear, which wasn’t an issue on the Galaxy A54 or A53.

Here are some portrait/bokeh photos:

Samsung also continues to use what are clearly outdated ultra-wide and macro cameras on the A5x lineup. The ultra-wide camera does an okay job during the day but is a soft, noisy mess in low-light and nighttime conditions.

In the gallery below, you can see ultra-wide captures next to the same scenes shot with the primary camera.

The macro camera, meanwhile, is hamstrung by the low resolution and the lack of any sort of stabilization, which makes it hard to take non-shaky photos unless your elbows have something to rest on. It’s embarrassing that Samsung still doesn’t provide zoom cameras in the mid-range segment. The Galaxy A73 had a 3x camera two years back, and while the A55 is similarly priced, it doesn’t have one.

The selfie camera has not seen an upgrade in four years either, but it does an admirable job for the most part. It gives you shaky photos in low-light conditions, especially when it uses the screen flash and automatic Night mode, but selfie quality during the day and in well-lit indoor settings is more than decent.

Check out selfies captured normally and in portrait mode in the gallery below.

There are lots of camera modes available on the Galaxy A55, including a Pro mode for videos and photos, super and standard slow motion, hyperlapse, Single Take, Food, and panorama. Dual Rec mode lets you record videos from the front and rear camera at the same time, and the Fun mode gives you access to Snapchat filters in Samsung’s Camera app. You also have a number of AR modes, with the option to create AR stickers, doodling in real-time while recording videos of a person, and more.

Performance


Performance-wise, the Galaxy A55 took us by surprise. We have been disappointed many times by Samsung’s Exynos-powered mid-range phones that sound powerful on paper but are an unoptimized mess in practice, an issue that was most apparent on last year’s Galaxy A54.

But the Galaxy A55 doesn’t have those issues. We know the Exynos 1480 that sits inside this phone has some powerful specs, including a new GPU that uses AMD’s RDNA graphics architecture, but it also seems like Samsung has begun taking software optimization seriously this year.

The Galaxy A55 offers a smooth and snappy experience in general use

Whatever the reason, the Galaxy A55 offers a smooth and snappy user experience. There are some instances where the UI animations are a bit choppy, like when opening an app or switching between two apps. But when everything is running fine, the A55 can feel as smooth as a Galaxy S23 or Galaxy S24.

Our review unit had 12GB of RAM, but we have heard from our peers that the variant with 8GB of RAM works just as well. That’s good, as the 12GB variant (which features 256GB of expandable storage) isn’t available in all countries.

Our only major gripe is with the performance in the camera app. Switching modes can take a second or two, and we also noticed lag when switching zoom levels during video recording. This has long been an issue on mid-range Galaxy phones, and the A55 does nothing to change it.

As far as GPU performance is concerned, the Galaxy A55 brings up to a 40% improvement over the Galaxy A54 thanks to the AMD-powered Xclipse 530 GPU, at least in benchmarks. Thanks to a 70% larger cooling system compared to the A54, the A55 is impressive at keeping temperatures in check even when you run intensive benchmarks on a loop, and heating in day-to-day use is practically non-existent.

The Exynos 1480 is a new chip so demanding games like Call of Duty limit you to low or medium graphics

However, we were unable to test the A55 to its limits in games. The Exynos 1480 is a new chip so demanding games, like Call of Duty, limit you to low or medium graphics out of the box. Based on benchmark performance, the A55 will probably do well in all kinds of games, but this is something we will have to revisit in a few weeks when popular games have been updated with official support for the phone’s Exynos chip.

The Galaxy A55 has a full suite of connectivity features, incluing Wi-Fi 6 and 5G. The phone has a hybrid SIM tray, which can take either two physical SIMs or one SIM and one microSD card. Thankfully, the phone supports eSIM in many markets, so you can still get away with using two mobile networks and external storage at the same time.

Software

If you were expecting the Galaxy A55 to offer software features similar to the Galaxy S24, you will be disappointed. While it runs One UI 6.1, based on Android 14, like the Galaxy S24 series, not a lot is different than what you get with One UI 6.0 on a Galaxy A54 or A53.

There is no Galaxy AI functionality here, not even something as basic as generative wallpapers, and the A55 also lacks features like wallpaper support on Always On Display. Furthermore, the A55 will receive four major OS upgrades like its predecessors, not seven.

Of course, it’s not surprising Samsung wants to keep some things exclusive to its flagships, and in that context, the Galaxy A55 offers a mostly fully-featured One UI experience. One UI is arguably the best custom user interface in the Android landscape, and while it is known to stutter and lag on mid-range devices, that’s not the case on the Galaxy A55.

The Galaxy A55 is also the first Samsung device to support seamless updates. Installing updates no longer locks you out of the device for a few minutes. Updates are now installed in the background, which means you can continue using the phone and can start using the updated software after a 1-2 minute reboot.

For more details on the Galaxy A55’s software, you can check out the videos above and below.

Battery life

Battery life on the Galaxy A55 is simply fantastic. It has the same 5,000 mAh battery as the Galaxy A54, but it’s far more efficient, likely thanks to the new Exynos chip and optimization on the software side of things.

Battery life on the Galaxy A55 is simply fantastic…

With regular use, including 3-4 hours of watching videos and an hour or two of gaming at high brightness levels, with a mix of Wi-Fi and 5G connectivity, the phone can last a full day off the charger. With light use, and with features like Always On Display turned off, you can get away with only charging it every two days.

Just don’t expect super fast charging, even if Samsung uses those exact words to describe the 25W charging speeds its phones support. You can achieve nearly 40% battery charge in 30 minutes and somewhere between 65-70% in an hour, but a full charge takes nearly 85 minutes.

…just don’t expect super fast charging

That’s fast if you live in a market where Samsung doesn’t face much competition, but here in India, where our device was tested, there are plenty of Chinese phones that cost less and take less time to charge.

To add insult to injury, that 25W charger is a separate purchase if you don’t already own one that works with Samsung devices. Other manufacturers are making the charger a separate purchase as well, but at least you get charging that actually feels super fast.

Verdict

The Galaxy A55 is a true return to form, especially when it comes to device performance. For what seems like the first time, we have a mid-range Galaxy phone with an Exynos chip that is optimized out of the box and will not need months of updates to perform like any phone in its segment should.

Battery life is excellent out of the box as well, unlike the Galaxy A54, which had underwhelming endurance at launch. It also addresses complaints some Samsung fans have had for years about its phones not feeling as premium as less costly Chinese devices, with a metal frame and high-quality Gorilla Glass Victus+ surrounding the entire device.

It’s only the camera setup that feels a little out of place here considering the Galaxy A55’s price point. That macro camera needs to die, the ultra-wide and selfie cameras are due for an upgrade, and we wouldn’t say no to a newer, better sensor for the primary camera.

Samsung is clearly keeping some things for later, such as slimmer bezels and improved cameras, and we get it. The company cannot afford to bring huge upgrades to its devices every year, not without affecting the asking price.

We’re pleased with everything the Galaxy A55 does offer and can recommend it to anyone in the market for a new mid-range phone. It’s also the first phone we can recommend as an upgrade for Galaxy A52, A52 5G, and Galaxy A52s owners.

However, we would also suggest checking prices for the Galaxy S23 FE. In some markets, like India, it’s available at prices similar to the Galaxy A55 on third-party retailers like Amazon. The S23 FE came out six months earlier with an older version of Android and One UI, but overall, it’s easily the superior device.

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OpenAI officially announces return of Sam Altman as CEO

OpenAI officially announces return of Sam Altman as CEO

After the fiasco over the last few weeks OpenAI is undergoing significant leadership changes, with Sam Altman resuming his role as CEO, Mira Murati returning as CTO, and Greg Brockman coming back as President. These leadership shifts, along with the formation of a new initial board, signal a new era for OpenAI, as they refocus their efforts on advancing research, improving and deploying products, and enhancing their governance structure.

Sam Altman, who had previously been let go from the company, is now back at the helm of OpenAI as CEO. His return to the organization is marked by gratitude towards the team and partners who have supported the company during the transition period. Altman underscored the resilience and spirit of the company, indicating his readiness to lead OpenAI into its next phase.

Sam Altman returns as OpenAI CEO

Alongside Altman, Mira Murati will be resuming her role as CTO and Greg Brockman will be returning as President. Their collective return to OpenAI’s leadership signifies a reunification of the original team, which is expected to bring renewed energy and direction to the organization.

The leadership changes extend beyond the executive roles, with a new initial board being formed. This board will consist of Bret Taylor as Chair, Larry Summers, and Adam D’Angelo. Notably absent from the new board is former member Ilya, although discussions are ongoing about how he can continue contributing to OpenAI. Here are some other articles you may find of interest on the subject of OpenAI :

Bret Taylor, the new board chair, has expressed his gratitude to the OpenAI community and emphasized the board’s focus on strengthening OpenAI’s corporate governance. He acknowledges the significant impact of OpenAI’s ChatGPT, which has brought AI into the daily lives of hundreds of millions of people, and emphasizes the company’s central role in the development and safety of new technologies.

The new board plans to stabilize the organization, build a diverse board, and enhance the governance structure to ensure trust among all stakeholders. These steps indicate a clear focus on improving the transparency and accountability of OpenAI, which are key to building trust with stakeholders and the wider public.

Altman has highlighted the importance of advancing the company’s research plan, improving and deploying products, and building a diverse board with an improved governance structure. These are set to be OpenAI’s immediate priorities as they navigate the leadership changes and look towards the future.

In addition to these priorities, OpenAI will continue its cooperation with Microsoft. This partnership has been instrumental in OpenAI’s growth and success, and its continuation suggests a commitment to leveraging the strengths of both organizations to further the development of AI technologies.

The leadership changes at OpenAI, including Sam Altman’s return as CEO, signal a new direction for the organization. With a focus on advancing research, improving and deploying products, and strengthening governance, OpenAI is poised to continue its mission of ensuring artificial general intelligence benefits all of humanity. The formation of a new board and the continued partnership with Microsoft further reinforce this commitment, marking a promising new chapter for OpenAI.

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Logitech G Return of the Jedi themed Mouse and Mousepad

Logitech G Return of the Jedi

Logitech has announced that it is launching some new Logitech G Return of the Jedi-themed devices, including the G502 X PLUS Millennium Falcon™ Edition Gaming Mouse and G840 XL Cloth Gaming Mouse Pad in Darth Vader and Battle of Endor Editions.

The new G502 X PLUS Millennium Falcon™ Edition Gaming Mouse comes with a range of features and it is designed to offer high response speeds when gaming, more details are below.

Redesigned for the perfect fit and ultimate gaming experience, the G502 X PLUS includes HERO 25K sensors for incredible precision and high-performance accuracy. A DPI shift button enables you to remove and reverse to bring it closer to your thumb, and a dual-mode scroll wheel lets you switch between hyper-fast spin or a more precise ratcheting mode. Tilt left and right for two additional personalizable controls. 

Complete your desktop with the Logitech G840 XL Cloth Gaming Mouse Pad, featuring officially licensed Darth Vader or Battle of Endor-inspired designs. The extra-large mouse pad is designed with consistent height across your desktop, enabling you to position your station however you like—without getting in the way of your Millennium Falcon -inspired gaming mouse.

You can find out more details about the new Logitech G G502 X PLUS Millennium Falcon™ Edition Gaming Mouse and G840 XL Cloth Gaming Mouse Pad over at Logitech at the link below.

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