Our phones can replace a lot of things we used to need on the regular — our wallets, our car keys and now even scanners. Thanks to your handset’s camera, the power to scan things is built into your iPhone. You can use it to scan documents, QR codes and more, allowing you to save IRL files in a pinch, pull up menus at restaurants and even check grocery prices on the fly. Here’s how to scan almost anything with your iPhone.

How to scan documents with an iPhone

The default way to scan a document with an iPhone lives within iOS’ native Notes app. Open it and open a new note. Tap the camera icon on the bottom menu bar, tap Scan Documents and then hold your phone to frame the document you want to scan.

The camera will scan the document automatically. But, just like taking a photo, you also have the option to do it manually by tapping the white button at the bottom of the screen or pressing the volume button.

If your document is more than one page, repeat the process for each page and hit the Save button at the bottom right corner when you’re done. If you need to redo or edit a scan, tap the stack icon at the bottom left corner. Once saved, all of the pages will be attached to the same note in your library.

Your iPhone also has the ability to scan the text in your document and make a note from it as well. Just tap and hold on text in your scanned document and highlight the portion you want to extract. You can then make a new note from that, or copy and paste the text into an existing note.

How to scan a QR code with an iPhone

Open the Camera and hold it up to the QR code. Tap the link that generates beneath the code and it will take you straight to your browser. You will automatically be sent to the site or PDF that the QR code links to.

Another way to scan a QR code is by using iOS’ built in Code Scanner. First, go to settings and tap Control Center. Then, tap the green plus icon next to Code Scanner to add it to your Control Center. Swipe down from the top right corner of your home screen and tap the Code Scanner. The icon is represented with a small QR code inside four corners framing it.

That option will take you to another form of your camera. This time, there’s no need to click a link: just frame the code in the four white corners and wait. Code Scanner will automatically show you what’s linked in your browser.

How to scan a barcode with an iPhone

Unfortunately, iPhones can’t handle barcodes on their own just yet, but there are third-party apps that can. Depending on the barcode, each app can help you do something different. If you are looking to keep track of books in your library, you can rely on Goodreads. If you just want to shop smart, ShopSavvy can help you find coupons on items you’re thinking of buying. And if you need a basic scanner, Barcode Scanner can look up anything and add it to your history, plus it even lets you make your own QR codes.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/how-to-scan-with-iphone-120030667.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – How to scan with an iPhone

An investigation into Microsoft’s potential antitrust practices is underway nearly three years after Slack first filed a complaint against the company. The European Commission has announced a probe into if Microsoft bundling Teams with its product suites violated EU competition rules. Slack filed its antitrust complaint in 2020, alleging that Microsoft’s decision to include Teams with Microsoft 365 or Office 365 is illegal and that the company blocked some users from removing the software. 

In April, Microsoft agreed to remove Teams from its Office suite in an attempt to prevent a probe, but said it was unclear how it would do so. The effort wasn’t enough to avoid concerns and make a deal. In its announcement opening the investigation, the European Commission said it “is concerned that Microsoft may grant Teams a distribution advantage by not giving customers a choice on whether or not to include access to that product when they subscribe to their productivity suites and may have limited the interoperability between its productivity suites and competing offerings.” 

A Microsoft spokesperson responded to the news: “We respect the European Commission’s work on this case and take our own responsibilities very seriously. We will continue to cooperate with the Commission and remain committed to finding solutions that will address its concerns.” 

This isn’t the first time Microsoft has found itself in hot water with the European Commission. In 2009, the company agreed to offer EU users different browser options instead of forcing them to use Internet Explorer in Windows. Four years later, the European Commission fined Microsoft €561 million ($625 million) after a “glitch” stopped the browser choice screen from consistently appearing. The current investigation has no decision deadline, so it might be some time before the European Commission announces Microsoft’s fate. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/microsoft-faces-an-eu-antitrust-probe-over-its-bundling-of-teams-114147712.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – Microsoft faces an EU antitrust probe over its bundling of Teams

Cruelly timed for just after The Morning After newsletter yesterday, Samsung’s latest Unpacked media event was a first for the company. It’s the first time the company has launched over five devices in a single day. Ah wait, no. Was it the first time K-Pop superstars BTS helped promote Samsung’s latest smartphone? Nope, that’s been done before, too. No, this July event was the first Unpacked in the company’s native South Korea, in Seoul.

The move speaks to the confidence Samsung has about its newest smartphones, which includes its fourth-generation foldables. For me, those devices are the exciting part, even though the company is bringing back the bezel to its wearables and has made its premium tablets water resistant.

The Galaxy Z Flip 4 ($999) gets the most evolutionary treatment this year, with a far more expansive external display, new widgets and features. At this point, it has to match what we saw on Motorola’s Razr+, but it initially doesn’t seem as versatile as Moto’s take on the secondary screen. Expect our review to put those new features through their paces.

The Galaxy Z Fold 4 ($1,800, yikes), meanwhile, is slightly slimmer, slightly more powerful and a little too similar to last year’s Fold 3 at first blush. Samsung’s new Flex Hinge – said to have a more streamlined design while still boasting IPX8 water resistance – erases that jarring gap between the screen halves while decreasing its overall thickness to 13.5mm. (Note: That’s still thicker than its rival foldable, the Pixel Fold.)

I’ve corralled the other highlights from Samsung – is this the year you’ll buy a foldable?

– Mat Smith

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Samsung Unpacked July 2023 highlights

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 hands-on: A larger external display holds promise

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 hands-on: Is Samsung squandering its head start?

Galaxy Z Flip 5 vs Moto Razr+: A clamshell comparison

Galaxy Z Fold 5 vs Pixel Fold: Did Samsung rise to Google’s challenge?

Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 hands-on: The spinning bezel’s triumphant return

Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Ultra hands-on: A premium tablet with water protection

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 pre-orders on Amazon include a $200 gift card

The other biggest stories you might have missed

The $9,995 Fuell Fllow electric motorcycle is available for pre-order today

August’s PlayStation Plus monthly games include ‘Death’s Door’ and ‘Dreams’

Xbox home screen revamp provides quicker access to games

The best wireless headphones for 2023

Meta had its best quarter since 2021 despite losing more money on the metaverse

Meta is ‘fully committed’ to the metaverse.

Meta just had its best quarter since 2021, even as it continues to lose massive amounts of money on the metaverse. In fact, the company said it expects to lose even more money on its efforts in the year to come. I mean, the company changed its name – it’s not going to give up so easily.

Reality Labs, the Meta division overseeing its virtual and augmented reality projects, lost $3.7 billion during the second quarter of 2023 and generated just $276 million in revenue, according to the company’s latest earnings report. Aside from the metaverse, it was an otherwise strong quarter for Meta, which reported $32 billion in revenue, an 11 percent increase from last year.

Continue reading.

Amazon Prime members can now get pre-approved for new Boost Infinite cellular plans

There’s a storefront selling Boost Infinite’s SIM kits.

Amazon has teamed up with Boost Infinite, a wireless carrier owned by Dish Wireless, and has launched a storefront to make the latter’s SIM kits more accessible. While Amazon sells SIM cards from a variety of providers, this is a genuine tie-up that automatically pre-qualifies Prime members for the carrier’s $25-per-month postpaid wireless plan. Subscribers can purchase Boost Infinite’s Unlimited $25 SIM kit from the Amazon store with a 20 percent discount. It’s not quite the free cellular service rumors we’ve heard about, but a discount is a discount…

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X threatens to drop verification status for advertisers spending under $1,000 per month

Musk says it’s to prevent scammers from creating millions of accounts.

Twitter, now X, is reportedly hardballing advertisers to increase its bottom line. Reports earlier this month suggested X’s revenue had dropped by a staggering 50 percent. The company’s latest strategy, according to The Wall Street Journal, is asking brands to spend at least $1,000 per month on ads to maintain their verified status on the platform. Musk says the “moderately high” cost is a preventative measure to help reduce the number of scammers creating “millions of accounts” on the platform. Millions!

Continue reading.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-morning-after-everything-announced-at-samsungs-summer-unpacked-2023-event-111543940.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – The Morning After: Everything announced at Samsung’s Summer Unpacked 2023 event

If you want to keep track of your luggage or if you have items you need to protect from theft or loss, Apple’s AirTags are the answer. You can now pick up a four-pack at Amazon and Walmart for $85 (14 percent off) — just slightly higher than the lowest price we’ve ever seen. The deal is ideal if you have multiple items to keep safe.

If you’re in Apple’s ecosystem, AirTags give you some big advantages over rival trackers from Tile and others. The ultra-wideband functionality offers precise tracking with iPhone 11 (and up) devices when you get close, so you can tell whether your missing object is under a couch cushion or behind a chair, for example. Meanwhile, the AirTag network enabled by all Apple device users allows you to find a missing bag that might be a longer distance away.

The coin-sized design is nice and simple and you’ll get a seamless experience thanks to the Find My App. You can also force the AirTag to emit a chime to help you more easily locate your item if you’re close to it. However, it doesn’t have a built-in keyring like rival devices, so you’ll need to buy additional accessories — luckily, Engadget just released a buyer’s guide for AirTag keyrings, straps and more. 

The main drawback is that it only works with Apple devices, so Android users will have to look elsewhere, and battery life is also limited. Still, Apple users can now grab a four pack at one of the lowest prices we’ve seen.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apple-airtag-4-pack-falls-back-to-85-075538136.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – Apple AirTag 4-pack falls back to

Samsung has reported KRW 0.67 trillion ($527 million) in operating profit for the second quarter of 2023, which is just slightly higher than last quarter’s, thanks to its memory business posting a narrower loss. That figure is also, however, much, much smaller than the KRW 14.1 trillion ($10.8 billion) operating profit it posted in July 2022. In its latest earnings report, the tech giant also revealed a consolidated revenue of KRW 60.01 trillion ($47 billion), which represents a 6 percent decline from the previous quarter’s and a far cry from last year’s record-breaking KRW 77.2 trillion ($59.4 billion).

The company blames the drop in revenue mostly to a decline in smartphone shipments “as the effect of the Galaxy S23 launch” in the first quarter faded. If you’ll recall, Samsung’s mobile division performed well the previous earning period due to the strong sales of the Galaxy S23 series, specifically the Galaxy S23 Ultra. Now, the division’s consolidated revenue has slipped from KRW 31.82 trillion ($23.7 billion) to KRW 25.55 trillion ($20 billion), while its operating profit dropped by $500 billion. 

Samsung expects the overall smartphone market to pick back up in the second half of the year, especially in the premium market. Unsurprisingly, it plans to focus its efforts on the newly launched Galaxy Z Flip 5 and Galaxy Z Fold 5 series. The Galaxy Z Flip 5 boasts a 3.6-inch external display — the previous model had a 1.9-inch one — while the Galaxy Z Fold 5 has a new hinge that gets rid of the gap between the two screen halves. 

Meanwhile, Samsung’s DS Division or memory business experienced a slight recovery in revenue from KRW 13.73 trillion ($10.2 billion) in Q1 to KRW 14.73 trillion ($11.53 billion). Its operating loss, while still massive at KRW 4.58 trillion ($3.4 billion), is at least a bit smaller at KRW 4.36 trillion ($3.4 billion). Going forward, the company plans to focus on the sale of what it calls “high-value-added products,” such as DDR5 and LPDDR5x components.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/samsung-blames-q3s-drop-in-revenue-to-decline-in-smartphone-shipments-055356695.html?src=rss

Source: Engadget – Samsung blames Q3’s drop in revenue to decline in smartphone shipments