🌞 Good morning, Daily Authority readers. Tomorrow is my birthday, and I’m thinking of gifting myself a new laptop. My eyes are on the new MacBook Pro with the M2 Pro processor since I’ve been a macOS user for a while now. Here’s hoping I can convince myself to spend a bomb on the thing. Are you also looking to upgrade your machine? Here’s a list of some of the best laptops you can buy right now. Without further ado, here’s what’s brewing in the tech world right now.

The Google Pixel’s photography weakness

There’s no denying that Google makes some pretty great phones. The Pixels are especially adept at photography thanks to Google’s excellent computational tune-ups owing to its vast experience in AI and machine learning. But there’s one area where we feel the Pixel phones are lacking when it comes to taking pictures, and it’s got nothing to do with the cameras.

• The Pixel 6 and Pixel 7 are some of the best camera phones out there right now. The range upped the ante with a large 50MP main camera, an impressive periscope lens on the Pro models, and a host of neat features.
• However, there’s one notable flaw with Google’s Pixel line-up, and that’s the accessory ecosystem.
• Despite having a reputation for a top-notch camera experience, there are relatively few camera-related accessories out there for Pixel phones.
• There are a couple of options, like Moment’s (M)Force cases, allowing you to use MagSafe accessories on your Pixel, but that’s the extent of the third-party camera accessory ecosystem for Google’s phones.
• Needless to say, Pixel-specific add-ons are in short supply.

Lessons from the past

• This is a far cry from camera-related accessories for smartphones in the past.
• 2013’s Nokia Lumia 1020 and 2016’s LG G5 both offered camera grips. HUAWEI released snorkel cases for 2018’s Mate 20 Pro and later. Third-party brand Kraken has released universal dive cases over the last few years too.
• We’ve even seen Essential offering a detachable 360 camera module for the ill-fated Essential Phone.
• Meanwhile, Motorola’s Moto Z series of smartphones offered several camera-related Moto Mod add-ons.
• There’s definitely scope for Pixel camera accessories for enthusiasts or for specific situations.
• We’d love to see Google and its partners release exclusive accessories to take advantage of the excellent Pixel cameras.
• Do you agree? Take our poll here and have your say.

Roundup

📱 OnePlus is launching a second 11 series phone apart from the OnePlus 11 on February 7 (Android Authority).

💰 On to the other February launch: The Samsung Galaxy S23 might be more expensive everywhere else except the US (Android Authority).

🌃 Meanwhile, these leaked S23 Ultra night mode shots suggest a big improvement (Android Authority).

🔗 Google may roll out new Fast Pair feature when the Galaxy S23 launches (Android Authority).

🙏 Waiting for the next big foldable phone instead? Here’s what the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 might bring to the table (Android Authority).

🤫 Here’s how Flip To Shhh could work on Google’s upcoming foldable phone — the Pixel Fold (9to5Google, Android Authority).

🎮 Both hardware and software sales are lagging for the Xbox (Microsoft).

🍎 If you own an older iPhone, you need to install this update NOW to patch a dangerous flaw (PhoneArena).

💊 Amazon has launched a $5 monthly subscription for unlimited prescription medications (Amazon).

🚘 Lyft will now charge you if you make the driver wait for more than two minutes (TechCrunch).

💻 Perfectly good MacBooks from 2020 are being sold for scrap because of Activation Lock (Vice).

😵‍💫 A startup has come up with an app that lets you hypnotize yourself (TechCrunch).

🎓 ChatGPT passes MBA exam given by a Wharton professor (NBC).

Wacky Wednesdays

Imagine being an Ivy League professor and getting random messages from prisoners. Well, it’s happening to this Harvard professor who says he gets thank-you notes from inmates, some of whom are secretly using smartphones to take his free computer-science class.

• An inmate in Georgia told The Marshall Project he uses a contraband phone to teach other prisoners.
• He said he runs a group message of 300 prisoners, teaching them computer science using Harvard’s CS50 online course.
• The group message also includes prisoners in other states.
• In addition to inmates taking online classes like the man in Georgia, some pose as regular students in online classes, something that online learning through Zoom allows.
• David Malan, the Harvard professor who teaches the course, says he’s received thank-you notes from prisoners who took the class.
• Malan encourages incarcerated students to reach out to him if they have trouble accessing the course.
• It’s good to know not all illegal phones used in prison are meant for notorious activities. It’s also one helluva initiative by the prisoner who made the group message.

Have a nice day!

Adamya Sharma, Editor.