Two bits of Samsung Galaxy Z news this morning. 

First is that there’s a report detailing the “Samsung Galaxy Z Fold Tab” : a mish-mash of Galaxy brand names for a brand new triple-folding tablet.

• The triple-fold is more or less a Z shape, a zigzag foldable that unfolds into a very large tablet screen, adding three widths of screen real estate instead of the doubling you get from the current Galaxy Z Fold 2. 
• The leaks suggested a Q1 2022 launch, and with features like a new S Pen and improved ultra-thin glass (UTG).
• TCL had a tri-fold design that seems to represent this Galaxy Z Fold Tab idea in case your mind has had trouble imagining this, and CNET had some hands on back in 2019 with the (non-functional) prototype:

Z Flip 3

And, while we’re here, a fresh rumor indicates the next phone in the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip line could be the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 3.

• Next in line for the series is Flip 2. 
• But in order to find naming parity across the Galaxy Z line, Samsung might skip the Flip 2 name.
• That would also be less confusing than it seems, because it would be the third Flip device: the first was the Galaxy Z Flip, the second the souped-up-but-sameish Galaxy Z Flip 5G.

Back to the tri-fold:

• The problem with the tri-fold design is that one screen curved edge will always be exposed.
• If you can even jam a three-thickness phone into your pocket, that curved edge might be the point at which the screen gets scratched or damaged, a weak point of the whole shebang.
• It’s possible there’s a solution to this but I can’t see an obvious one other than encouraging people to be very very careful with their, in all likelihood, $1,500-$2,000 device?

📱 The Russian arm of Sony seems to have spilled the beans on the new Xperia handset pricing: the Sony Xperia 1 III will cost 99,990 rubles (~$1,308), with a set of XM3s thrown in, and a scheduled launch date of July 20, 2021 (Android Authority).

🌍 Google Earth gets a massive update to become a 3D time machine, with zoomable timelapse video of Earth across 37 years. Soberingly, there’s a bunch of glacier melting timelapses (Android Authority).

🛫 DJI Air 2S drone announced: 20MP camera with a 1-inch sensor makes this guy probably the very best camera drone under $1,400 on the market, and it’s $999 (Android Authority).

🍎 Gurman: Apple’s ‘Spring Loaded’ event won’t feature anything ‘particularly innovative’ (MacRumors).

📉 Intel, Nvidia, TSMC execs agree: Chip shortage could last into 2023 (Ars Technica).

💸 Google deceived Australian Android users about collection of location data, in a world-first court finding. A fine in the millions is coming, though Google may appeal (ABC).

📦 In his final letter to company shareholders, Jeff Bezos says Amazon has to treat its employees better (Engadget).

🔋 Ferrari’s CEO promises an all-electric Ferrari in 2025 (Engadget). (Remember when Ferrari said it’d never make an EV? (Twitter).)

🔋 GM and LG Chem will reportedly announce Tennessee battery factory today (The Verge).

⬜ New: The whitest white paint ever reflects 98 percent of light and could cool homes (NewScientist).

🚗 Now there’s a rental car shortage, because fleets were sold to help rental companies survive (Jalopnik).

🤔 “ELI5: Is there a difference between being thirsty and dehydrated? Like scientifically, biologically – by the time you notice that you are thirsty, are you already dehydrated?” (r/explainlikeimfive)

Chess legend Garry Kasparov has a new venture, kasparovchess.com, a “community-first chess platform,” that you’ll need to pay for, unlike the free and open lichess.org and a little more like chess.com. 

Kasparovchess will invite subscribers for $14 per month or $120 per year.

What’s different about Kasparovchess? TechCrunch has the news:

• “Kasparov says his biggest differentiator will be a focus on community. The long-term goal of Kasparovchess is to connect global chess communities with each other, unearth prodigies that might not have access otherwise and give others access to his experiences. He thinks that remote education during the pandemic has shown the need to have more interactive solutions, beyond buzzy promises.
• “It’s time to actually switch from what we’re teaching to how students can apply it,” [Kasparov] said. “And that helps us indirectly because chess has been recognized for centuries as a nexus for intelligence and creativity.”
• “It’s not just about teaching the game, or playing the game, or debating the game,” he said. Instead, he hopes people who come to the platform focus on the culture of chess, its survival and its seemingly timeless power.

Love Garry Kasparov, love his ongoing fight for democracy and fairness…. genuinely unsure if even he can launch a new chess competitor, though?

Have a fun weekend,

Tristan Rayner, Senior Editor.