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<ul><li>The <keyword id="22511807" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Google-Pixel-9-Pro-XL" source="Orion">Google Pixel 9 Pro XL</keyword> is the latest flagship offering from Google.</li><li>The device is priced starting at ₹1,24,999 and is available in two variants.</li><li>Here’s my review of the Pixel 9 Pro XL that will help you decide if you should buy the device.</li></ul>Google launched the Pixel 9 series, consisting of the Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro and the Pixel 9 Pro XL, the company’s flagship smartphones a few months ago. This time around, Google launched three devices unlike last year Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro smartphones.<br /><br />The Pixel 9 Pro XL is the successor of the Pixel 8 Pro, offering a similar size and features. This year’s Pixel 9 Pro offers flagship hardware while offering a smaller display and battery. With the three devices, Google is offering a similar line-up to Samsung and Apple.<br /><br />I have been using the Pixel 9 Pro XL for a few weeks now, and here’s my detailed review of the latest smartphone from Google.<br /><br /><h2><keyword id="22405856" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Google-Pixel-9-Pro-XL-price" source="Orion">Google Pixel 9 Pro XL price</keyword> and availability</h2>The Pixel 8 Pro has been priced at ₹1,06,999 for the 128GB variant and ₹1,13,999 for the 256GB variant. It comes in Blue, Beige and Obsidian colour options and is available from Flipkart.<br /><br /><h2>In the box</h2><ul><li>Pixel 9 Pro XL smartphone</li><li>USB Type-C cable</li><li>SIM ejector tool</li><li>Documentation</li></ul><h2>Pixel 9 Pro XL specifications</h2><br /><table style="border-width: initial; border-style: none;"></colgroup><tbody><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.5008695000000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5008695000000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5008695000000001pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#000000;padding:0pt 5pt 0pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Particulars<br /><br /></td><td style="border-right:solid #000000 0.5008695000000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5008695000000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5008695000000001pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#000000;padding:0pt 5pt 0pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Specifications<br /><br /></td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.5008695000000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5008695000000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5008695000000001pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#d9d9d9;padding:0pt 5pt 0pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Display<br /><br /></td><td style="border-right:solid #000000 0.5008695000000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5008695000000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5008695000000001pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#d9d9d9;padding:0pt 5pt 0pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">6.8-inch Quad HD+ LTPO OLED<br /><br /></td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.5008695000000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5008695000000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5008695000000001pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:0pt 5pt 0pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Refresh rate<br /><br /></td><td style="border-right:solid #000000 0.5008695000000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5008695000000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5008695000000001pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:0pt 5pt 0pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">120Hz<br /><br /></td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.5008695000000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5008695000000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5008695000000001pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#d9d9d9;padding:0pt 5pt 0pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Protection<br /><br /></td><td style="border-right:solid #000000 0.5008695000000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5008695000000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5008695000000001pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#d9d9d9;padding:0pt 5pt 0pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2<br /><br /></td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.5008695000000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5008695000000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5008695000000001pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:0pt 5pt 0pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Chipset<br /><br /></td><td style="border-right:solid #000000 0.5008695000000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5008695000000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5008695000000001pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:0pt 5pt 0pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Google Tensor G4<br /><br /></td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.5008695000000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5008695000000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5008695000000001pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#d9d9d9;padding:0pt 5pt 0pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Variants<br /><br /></td><td style="border-right:solid #000000 0.5008695000000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5008695000000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5008695000000001pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#d9d9d9;padding:0pt 5pt 0pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">16GB + 256GB and 16GB + 512GB<br /><br /></td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.5008695000000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5008695000000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5008695000000001pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:0pt 5pt 0pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Rear camera<br /><br /></td><td style="border-right:solid #000000 0.5008695000000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5008695000000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5008695000000001pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:0pt 5pt 0pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">50MP + 48MP + 48MP<br /><br /></td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.5008695000000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5008695000000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5008695000000001pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#d9d9d9;padding:0pt 5pt 0pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Selfie camera<br /><br /></td><td style="border-right:solid #000000 0.5008695000000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5008695000000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5008695000000001pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#d9d9d9;padding:0pt 5pt 0pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">42MP<br /><br /></td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.5008695000000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5008695000000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5008695000000001pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:0pt 5pt 0pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Battery<br /><br /></td><td style="border-right:solid #000000 0.5008695000000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5008695000000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5008695000000001pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:0pt 5pt 0pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">5,060mAh<br /><br /></td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.5008695000000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5008695000000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5008695000000001pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#d9d9d9;padding:0pt 5pt 0pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Charging<br /><br /></td><td style="border-right:solid #000000 0.5008695000000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5008695000000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5008695000000001pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#d9d9d9;padding:0pt 5pt 0pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">37W<br /><br /></td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.5008695000000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5008695000000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5008695000000001pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:0pt 5pt 0pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Wireless charging<br /><br /></td><td style="border-right:solid #000000 0.5008695000000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5008695000000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5008695000000001pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:0pt 5pt 0pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">23W<br /><br /></td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.5008695000000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5008695000000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5008695000000001pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#d9d9d9;padding:0pt 5pt 0pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Fingerprint sensor<br /><br /></td><td style="border-right:solid #000000 0.5008695000000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5008695000000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5008695000000001pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#d9d9d9;padding:0pt 5pt 0pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">In-display fingerprint sensor<br /><br /></td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.5008695000000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5008695000000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5008695000000001pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:0pt 5pt 0pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Weight<br /><br /></td><td style="border-right:solid #000000 0.5008695000000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5008695000000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5008695000000001pt;vertical-align:bottom;padding:0pt 5pt 0pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">221 grams<br /><br /></td></tr><tr><td style="border-left:solid #000000 0.5008695000000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5008695000000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5008695000000001pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#d9d9d9;padding:0pt 5pt 0pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">Water resistance<br /><br /></td><td style="border-right:solid #000000 0.5008695000000001pt;border-bottom:solid #000000 0.5008695000000001pt;border-top:solid #000000 0.5008695000000001pt;vertical-align:bottom;background-color:#d9d9d9;padding:0pt 5pt 0pt 5pt;overflow:hidden;overflow-wrap:break-word;">IP68<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><h2>Pixel 9 Pro XL pros and cons</h2><h3>Pros</h3><ul><li>Software and performance<br /></li><li>Camera<br /></li></ul><h3>Cons</h3><ul><li>Price <br /></li></ul><h2>Design and display</h2>Google has overhauled the design of the Pixel 9 Pro XL, making major changes to the design when compared to the Pixel 8 Pro. The search giant has opted for a flat display, flat sides and a revamped camera module.<br /><br /><div type="image" title="Back 2" msid="115487059" hostid="261" sizebytes="64462" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Pixel 9 Pro XL rear design&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div><br />The device comes in Hazel, Porcelain, Rose Quartz, and Obsidian colour options. I tested the Rose Quartz colour variant of the device.<br /><br /><div type="image" title="right side" msid="115487089" hostid="261" sizebytes="52702" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Rounded corners on the Pixel 9 Pro XL&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div><br />The device comes with flat sides, with rounded corners for its aluminium frame, that give it a premium feel while holding. At first look, you may get an iPhone-like look, with people even mistaking it for an iPhone during my usage, but this clears up immediately after looking at the pill-shaped camera module.<br /><br />The aluminium frame comes with a glossy finish and is slightly slippery. The aluminium frame also attracts dust fingerprint smudges easily. For these reasons, it might be a good idea to use the device with a case.<br /><br /><div type="image" title="Camera" msid="115487108" hostid="261" sizebytes="28950" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;The pill-shaped camera module&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div><br />It comes with a large pill-shaped camera module that houses the triple camera setup, a temperature sensor and the LED flash. Apart from the camera module, the device comes with Google’s logo at the back.<br /><br /><div type="image" title="Right" msid="115487125" hostid="261" sizebytes="62716" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Power button and volume rockers on the right&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div><br />The power button and the volume rockers are placed on the right side. Unlike a lot of other devices, the Pixel 9 Pro XL continues to place the power button on top and the volume rockers below it.<br /><br /><div type="image" title="Bottom" msid="115487162" hostid="261" sizebytes="47264" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Ports at the bottom&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div><br />At the bottom, you get the speaker grille, a USB Type-C port, a microphone and the SIM tray.<br /><br /><div type="image" title="IMG20240818172922" msid="115487276" hostid="261" sizebytes="46502" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Pixel 9 Pro XL top&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div><br />At the top, you get the mmWave antenna cover and a microphone.<br /><br /><div type="image" title="Ch" msid="115487285" hostid="261" sizebytes="30756" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Made in China text on the Pixel 9 Pro XL&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div><br />On the left, apart from antenna lines, the device comes with “Made in China” written for some reason.<br /><br />Coming to the display, the Pixel 9 Pro XL comes equipped with a large 6.8-inch Quad HD+ LTPO OLED display with a 1-120Hz refresh rate, up to 3,000 nits brightness and Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 protection.<br /><br /><div type="image" title="Display" msid="115487313" hostid="261" sizebytes="72596" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Pixel 9 Pro XL display&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div><br />The device sports a good display, which offers accurate colours and offers good visibility, even in direct sunlight. The display is excellent, with the high refresh rate offering a good experience while gaming and watching content.<br /><br /><h2>Software and performance</h2>The Pixel 9 Pro XL runs on Android 14 out of the box and is promised to get seven years of Android updates and security patches. The software is the highlight of the Pixel lineup and the Pixel 9 Pro XL is no different. The device offers an Android experience as imagined by Google, the operating system maker.<br /><br />As expected, the device comes loaded with AI features in the form of Gemini. To enable users to make the most out of the AI features, Google is offering a one-year premium subscription to Pixel 9 Pro XL users, giving them access to Gemini Advanced, 2TB of Google Drive storage and more.<br /><br />The device comes pre-installed with Pixel Studio, a new GenAI image generation app from Google, allowing users to generate images easily on the go.<br /><br />You also get access to Gemini Live, a live-chat version of Gemini, which allows for voice-enabled interactions.<br /><br />In what might excite most photography enthusiasts like myself, the device also comes with a more powerful Magic Editor, giving access to a ton of new tools.<br /><br />Talking about AI and photography, the new Add Me feature is excellent, especially for those who often end up being the ones to take group pictures and regret not being in them. The new Add Me feature allows you to take a group picture and then hand your phone to your friend and then join the group for another picture, then using AI to blend them into one image to make the perfect group picture.<br /><br />I used this feature during one of my trips and found it to be quite useful. Once you get the hang of it and remember to stand in the correct place, it works quite well.<br /><br />The Pixel 9 Pro XL is powered by the Google Tensor G4 chipset built on Samsung’s 4nm process. It comes with 16GB of RAM and offers up to 512GB of internal storage.<br /><br />If you are hoping for a drastic performance improvement compared to the predecessor, you might be disappointed. It offers an incremental improvement in performance but can easily handle everything that you throw at it.<br /><br />One area the chipset and the device has improved a lot over the Pixel 8 Pro is thermal management and proper connectivity. These were some of my biggest issues with the last-gen devices and Google has made a significant improvement in this aspect.<br /><br />The Pixel 9 Pro XL is powered by a 5,060mAh battery with 37W wired and 23W wireless charging support. The device offers a day’s battery life with normal usage.<br /><br /><h2>Camera</h2>The camera is the strongest selling point of Pixel smartphones, and unsurprisingly, the Pixel 9 Pro XL excels in this regard.<br /><br /><div type="image" title="Rear cam" msid="115487382" hostid="261" sizebytes="53002" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Pixel 9 Pro XL rear camera&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div><br />Coming to the camera department, the Pixel 9 Pro XL features a triple camera setup at the back, consisting of a 50MP primary camera with Samsung GN2 sensor with OIS, a 48MP ultra-wide-angle camera with Sony IMX858 sensor and a 48MP 5X telephoto camera with Sony IMX858 sensor with up to 30x digital zoom.<br /><br /><div type="image" title="PXL_20240818_123753737" msid="115487547" hostid="261" sizebytes="186394" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Image captured while moving&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div><br />The smartphone supports zero shutter lag, which means it captures photos at the same moment you tap on the shutter button. This is very handy when trying to capture moving subjects, especially kids and pets.<br /><br /><div type="image" title="PXL_20240818_124521580" msid="115487564" hostid="261" sizebytes="84032" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Image captured in natural lighting&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div><br />The smartphone’s daylight camera performance was excellent, with accurate colour reproduction, dynamic range, and well-defined details. The portrait mode is excellent in both daylight and indoor conditions.<br /><br /><div type="image" title="n" msid="115487621" hostid="261" sizebytes="147076" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Image captured using night mode&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div><br />The Pixel 9 Pro XL also performs excellently in low-light and night conditions, capturing well-detailed, colour-accurate photos despite the challenging lighting conditions. The images turned out to be sharp and clear, with adequate details and minimal noise.<br /><br />On the front, the Pixel 9 Pro XL features a 42MP selfie camera. The front camera can easily capture good selfies in normal lighting and low light conditions.<br /><br /><h2>Verdict</h2>The Pixel 9 Pro XL is the best device in the current Pixel lineup and one of the best Android smartphones out there. The device offers an excellent user experience, a premium design and good cameras. It offers good performance and ample storage, ticking off a lot of the boxes.<br /><br />At the same time, the Pixel 9 Pro XL commands a premium price and while enthusiasts may like the stock Android experience, the lack of customisation may not be everyone’s cup of tea. If you are looking for a stock Android experience with powerful hardware and are willing to pay a premium, the Pixel 9 Pro XL is an excellent option.<br /><br /><em>Disclaimer: The content on this website is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as a purchasing guide or recommendation. We advise readers to do additional research, including hands-on usage of the device at a retail outlet, before making a decision.</em><br /><br /><strong>SEE ALSO:<br /><br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/samsung-galaxy-z-fold-6-review/articleshow/112497472.cms">Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 review – the complete package</a><br /><br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/oneplus-12-review/articleshow/108723955.cms">OnePlus 12 review: A feature-packed device with promising battery back-up</a><br /><br /></strong><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/asus-rog-zephyrus-g16-review/articleshow/115054981.cms"><strong>Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 gaming laptop review – With a big AI boost</strong></a><br />

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<ul><li>Google now lets you find your pet’s doppelganger from a collection of various art pieces around the world.</li><li>It’s through this feature called “Pet Portraits” in its Arts &amp; Culture app.</li><li>You can use it to find if your pet matches an ancient painting or figurine.</li></ul>Google has launched a new feature called “Pet Portraits” in its Arts &amp; Culture app. Through this feature, you can find the doppelganger of your pet from popular art pieces around the world. So if you want to know if your pet dog, cat or bird has any resemblance to popular art in some corner of the world, you can now with <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/google-starts-enabling-2-step-verification-for-users/articleshow/87598039.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">Google's</a> Pet Portraits.<br /><br />The kind of art your pet can be matched with ranges from ancient Egyptian figurines, Mexican street art to Chinese watercolour paintings. And it’s not just limited to a cat or dog, you can even find look-alikes for your pet fish, bird, reptile, horse or rabbit. <br /><br /><strong>Here’s how to find your pet’s doppelganger.<br /></strong><br /><em>First, you’ll have to download the Google Arts &amp; Culture app on iOS or Android.<br /><br />Tap on the camera icon and select Pet Portraits.<br /><br />You can capture a picture of your pet or select one from your phone.<br /><br />Google will match your pet with the closest paintings or figurines available in the app’s library.</em><br /><br />While this may sound fun, the results may not be that exciting for everyone. We, unfortunately, did not have pets around to take pictures of but we did try it with two cats, and the results were very close to accurate. But we also ended up receiving the same results for both the cats. We also tried finding a lookalike for a dog but Google instead matched it with a toy tiger!<br /><br />  <div type="image" title="1636446088245 2021-11-09 13-51-28.245" msid="87603337" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Here&amp;#39;s Kitty matching with a Chalkware Cat figurine. &amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div><br />  <div type="image" title="1636446013228 2021-11-09 13-50-13.228" msid="87603359" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Here&amp;#39;s Caesar matching with a painting of Tommy.&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div><br />Google already has a library of artworks from different museums around the world. When you upload a picture of your pet, the app uses machine learning to scan the face of the pet and find the closest possible results from its collection. In some cases, you do get very close results like the same colour as your pet but others are simply the same animal as your pet without any distinct similarities. <br /><br />If you’re bored finding lookalikes of your pet, you can find one of yourself too. Google has another feature called “Art Selfie” that it introduced back in 2018. It works the same way as Pet Portraits and it lets you take a selfie and find your doppelganger from art history around the world. This feature too is available in the Google Arts &amp; Culture app.<br /><br /><strong>SEE ALSO:</strong><br /><br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/enterprise/news/netflix-to-launch-tiktok-like-short-video-feature-for-kids-content/articleshow/87601714.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">Netflix to launch TikTok-like short video feature for kids content</a><br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/android-12-to-roll-out-on-these-devices-heres-when-your-phone-may-get-the-update/articleshow/87598681.cms" data-type="tilCustomLink">Android 12 to roll-out on these devices: Here’s when your phone may get the update</a><br />

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<p><em>Hello, and welcome to this week's edition of the Insider Tech <keyword id="621414" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Newsletter">newsletter</keyword>, where we break down the biggest news in tech, including:</em></p><ul><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tanium-wiz-lawsuit-court-texts-hindawi-cybersecurity-2021-7">Tanium's texting tech bros</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/silicon-valley-tech-workers-nda-culture-silence-2021-7">Silicon Valley's 'gag order for life'</a></li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/uber-board-meeting-attendee-tests-positive-covid-19-infects-others-2021-7">Uber's infectious board meeting</a></li></ul><h4><a href="http://newsletter.businessinsider.com/join/4np/insider-tech">Did someone forward this newsletter to you? Sign up here.</a></h4><h2>This week: Big Tech's monster profits and the backlash danger</h2><p>It's been an action packed week in tech, with earnings, IPOs and ongoing pandemic problems. </p><p><strong>In what may be a first, several tech companies posted financial results that were <em>too</em> good.</strong></p><ul><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-earnings-q2-2021-eps-profit-revenue-growth-warning-stock-2021-7">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/apple-earnings-q3-2021-revenue-iphone-eps-profit-analysis-2021-7">Apple</a> and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/google-alphabet-earnings-q2-2021-revenue-eps-profit-analysis-2021-7">Alphabet</a> all <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/apple-q3-earnings-reaction-wall-street-analysts-iphone-aapl-2021-7">blew past Wall Street targets</a>, earning a combined $39 billion in profits in Q2. But with critics arguing that Big Tech companies are powerful monopolies that need to be broken up, the super-sized results and <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/youtube-revenue-google-earnings-technology-2021-7">seemingly effortless growth </a>are not likely to help the tech counterargument.</li><li>The only Big Tech company that missed targets was <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/amazon-earnings-q2-2021-revenue-eps-profit-2021-7?utm_source=markets&amp;utm_medium=ingestgest">Amazon, whose $2 billion revenue shortfall</a> won't really hurt its business prospects, but at least keeps it out of the latest newscycle. </li></ul><p><strong><keyword id="1268253" type="PERSON" weightage="60" keywordseo="Robinhood">Robinhood</keyword> <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/robinhood-ipo-stock-offering-price-filing-hood-valuation-trading-debut-2021-7">had its long-awaited IPO this week.</a></strong></p><ul><li>The stock trading app, infamous for causing <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/robinhood-ceo-vlad-tenev-ipo-retail-investors-meme-stocks-reddit-2021-7">wild fluctuations in so-called meme-stocks,</a> experienced its own turbulent debut, with shares of <a href="https://markets.businessinsider.com/news/stocks/robinhood-stock-price-first-trades-volatile-ipo-trading-debut-hood-2021-7">HOOD climbing 6% and then tumbling 12%</a> on its first day out.</li></ul><p><strong>And the pandemic continues to upend the best laid plans for tech companies to bring their workers back to the office. </strong></p><ul><li><strong><keyword id="6354576" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="facebook">Facebook</keyword> and <keyword id="6355629" type="DEFINITION" weightage="60" keywordseo="google">Google</keyword></strong><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-google-netflix-tech-companies-require-vaccines-employees-office-return-2021-7"><strong> </strong>announced they will require employees to be vaccinated</a> if they want to work at the office.</li><li><strong>Uber,</strong> meanwhile, experienced the new challenges first-hand after <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/uber-board-meeting-attendee-tests-positive-covid-19-infects-others-2021-7">a person who attended a recent board meeting at its San Francisco headquarters tested positive for Covid</a> and later infected several other employees (all suffered only mild cases, thankfully).</li></ul><h2><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tanium-wiz-lawsuit-court-texts-hindawi-cybersecurity-2021-7">Tanium's Tech Bro Trial</a></h2><p>Cybersecurity company Tanium is in a bitter legal fight with another security startup called Wiz, which poached four of Tanium's top sales employees. Among the many interesting tidibits revealed in the case are text messages among the departing Tanium employees on their way out.</p><p><strong>Employee 1:</strong> He asked if any other reps were leaving...I said I don't know...going to be awkward when 4 guys leave for Wiz lol</p><p><strong>Employee 2: </strong>Hahaha  oh yes it is.</p><p>--------</p><p><strong>Employee 2:</strong> I wonder who else is going to leave that we don't know about</p><p><strong>Employee 1:</strong> Bro who would stay??</p><h3>Read the full story here:</h3><h3><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/tanium-wiz-lawsuit-court-texts-hindawi-cybersecurity-2021-7">Texts from former Tanium employees surface as the $9 billion startup sues them and the firm that poached them.</a></h3><h2>From the curious file:</h2><p><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-tunnels-boring-company-tesla-drivers-las-vegas-techcrunch-2021-7"><div type="image" title="Elon Musk" height="2007" width="2505" msid="84922725" hostid="261"></div></a></p><ul><li><strong><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-tunnels-boring-company-tesla-drivers-las-vegas-techcrunch-2021-7">Rules for talking about Elon Musk:</a></strong> A training manual for drivers piloting Teslas in Musk's Las Vegas tunnel provides instructions on how to answer passengers' questions about the boss. "Be as brief as possible and do your best to shut down such conversation." If a rider persists? Simple, reads the script:  "Yup, he's a great leader. He motivates us to do great work!" </li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/hydrofoiling-board-larry-page-mark-zuckerberg-watersport-google-facebook-2021-7"><strong>The sport of kings:</strong> </a>It may not be an Olympic sport yet, but hydrofoiling is all the rage among tech moguls, from Larry Page to Mark Zuckerberg. If you want to be like Zuck, hop on board (and don't forget to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mark-zuckerberg-sunscreen-surfing-photo-hide-from-paparazzi-facebook2021-4">lather on the sunscreen</a>).</li><li><strong><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/steak-umm-twitter-facebook-misinformation-media-literacy-science-public-2021-7">Thus spoke Steak-umm:</a> </strong>You know the world is in a bad place when Steak-umm, the maker of frozen, sliced sandwich meat, is the voice of reason. And yet there's something heartening in seeing the frozen aisle-fixture fulminate on the front lines of Twitter against the dangers of conspiracy theories and misinformation.<br /><br />To quote the packaged meat sage, it's imperative that we find "some semblance of mutually agreed upon information before we splinter into irreconcilable realities."</li></ul><h2>The Big Read</h2><h3><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/silicon-valley-tech-workers-nda-culture-silence-2021-7">How Silicon Valley turned employment agreements into 'gag orders for life'</a></h3><p><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/silicon-valley-tech-workers-nda-culture-silence-2021-7"><div type="image" title="Anonymous woman with a NDA-labeled duct tape over her mouth with Google, Apple, Pinterest, and Riot Games logos behind her on a red to black gradient background" height="1726" width="2300" msid="84922727" hostid="261"></div></a></p><p>If you work in tech, chances are you've signed a nondisclosure agreement. Maybe you've signed a non-disparagement agreement, as well. But do you know whether your agreement is likely legally enforceable? Or how it compares to your friends'?</p><p>To understand how these agreements became the foundation of Silicon Valley's vaunted culture of secrecy, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/silicon-valley-tech-workers-nda-culture-silence-2021-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Insider reviewed 36 NDA's from tech workers</a>, ranging from multi-billion dollar publicly traded firms that are household names to small <keyword id="6362513" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="startups">startups</keyword>. The result is the most comprehensive portrait yet of the scope and legality of NDAs, a subject of intense debate in the wake of the #MeToo movement and amid recent <a href="https://www.sfchronicle.com/business/article/Silicon-Valley-likes-to-use-NDAs-A-California-15934275.php">proposed legislative changes in employment law. </a></p><h3><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/silicon-valley-tech-workers-nda-culture-silence-2021-7">Click here to read the full story</a></h3><ul><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/read-nda-show-how-facebook-google-apple-enforce-worker-silence-2021-7">And if you really want to geek out, check out the actual NDAs Insider got ahold of</a></li></ul><h3><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mark-zuckerberg-facebook-building-metaverse-billionaire-space-raice-2021-7">Quote of the week:</a></h3><div type="image" title="mark zuckerberg" height="1349" width="1800" msid="84922730" hostid="261"></div><h3><em>"Within the metaverse, you can build a hang out, play games with friends, work, create and more. You're basically going to be able to do everything that you can on the Internet today, as well as some things that don't make sense on the Internet today like dancing."</em></h3><p><strong>- Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg,</strong> during Facebook's Q2 earnings call, discusses his plan for Facebook to evolve <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/mark-zuckerberg-facebook-building-metaverse-billionaire-space-raice-2021-7"> from being a social media company to a "metaverse" company. </a></p><h3>Recommended readings:</h3><p><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/cisco-permanent-remote-work-for-all-workers-productivity-cost-savings-2021-7">Here's how Cisco decided that none of its 75,000 employees ever have to return to the office</a></p><p><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-ends-deal-workday-hr-software-partnership-2021-7">Exclusive: Amazon's companywide deal to use Workday's HR software ended after about 3 years. Workday shares slump.</a></p><p><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/google-facebook-misinformation-moonshot-pitch-deck-7m-2021-7">This startup works with Facebook and Google to steer internet users away from misinformation. Get an exclusive look at the pitch deck it used to land $7 million from VCs.</a></p><p><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/apple-repair-workers-sweatshop-csat-solutions-2021-7">Your Apple laptop is probably repaired at a facility workers say is a 'sweatshop'</a></p><p><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/pet-dna-startup-embark-softbank-vc-masayoshi-son-vc-seriesb">How SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son's dog helped two brothers fetch $75 million for their pet DNA startup</a></p><h3>Not necessarily in tech:</h3><p><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/millenial-campaign-operatives-shaping-the-future-of-us-democratic-politics-2021-7">These 20 millennial Democratic campaign operatives are reshaping politics in the US</a></p><p>Thanks for reading, and if you like this newsletter,<strong> <a href="http://newsletter.businessinsider.com/join/4np/insider-tech">tell your friends and colleagues they can sign up here to receive it</a>.</strong></p><p>- Alexei</p>

Texting tech bros and the danger of earnings blowouts

Google has started rolling out manual tagging feature to its Photos app. The feature allows users to tag faces in pictures where Google’s algorithm could not tag the face. Earlier, <keyword id="1675717" type="PERSON" weightage="20" keywordseo="Google-photos">Google Photos</keyword> would automatically recognize faces and group them, allowing you to manage your library easily. However, the algorithm sometimes misses faces and now, users will have the ability to manually tag people. <br /><br />While this is a good feature, there’s a catch. Users will only be able to tag people if Google detects that there’s a face in the photo. This means that you can tag a photo when Google detects a face but doesn’t know who it is. If Google does not detect a face, due to a weird angle, you will not be able to tag it.<br /><br /><strong>How to manually tag a face in Google Photos<br /></strong><br /><ul><li>To begin, open Google Photos and select a picture with people or pets in it.</li><li>Swipe up or tap the overflow button at the top right corner.</li><li>If you have received the update, you will get a ‘People’ section with a ‘Pen’ icon at the right side.</li><li>Click on the ‘Pen’ icon and you will see a screen with the photo on top, a section for tagged people and below that, faces that are ‘Available to add’.</li><li>You can tap either on the images in the ‘Available to add’ section or tap on faces in the image itself.</li><li>You will now be asked to either choose from an existing person or pet or add a new person or pet.</li></ul><strong>How to edit an already tagged face<br /></strong><br />In addition to adding new faces, the update also allows you to edit already tagged faces. Users can now un-tag and re-tag faces easily.<br /><br /><ul><li>Open Google Photos and select a picture with people or pets in it.</li><li>Swipe up or tap the overflow button at the top right corner.</li><li>Click on the ‘Pen’ icon beside the People section.</li><li>To remove a tag, click on the remove icon on the thumbnail of the tag you wish to remove.</li><li>You can now add a new tag to the face by clicking on the image.</li></ul><strong>See also:<br /></strong><br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/google-photos-adds-stories-like-private-archive/articleshow/71108056.cms">Google Photos adds 'stories'-like private archive</a><br /><br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/news/you-can-add-portrait-mode-to-any-photo-with-this-new-google-photos-update/articleshow/72446927.cms">You can add portrait mode to any photo with this new Google Photos update</a><br /><br /><br />

How to manually tag pictures in Google Photos

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container float_right"><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div>A portrait of Eric Schmidt smiled back at me. Except Schmidt was made of feces, and was one of three done in a series of "shitheads" by the artist Katsu. </p><p>The other two? <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/mark-zuckerberg-portrait-made-by-katsu-from-feces-2015-1">Mark Zuckerberg</a> and Katsu's pet cocker spaniel, which qualified because it always barked, he said.</p><p>"They are the titans of the cloud. They may be worse than the worst oil tycoons," Katsu said. </p><p>It was Mark Zuckerberg (not made out of feces) that drew me into this exhibit. I was walking on Mission St. in the eponymous neighborhood of San Francisco when I noticed the poster marquees in front of the <a href="http://grayarea.org/">Gray Area Grand Theater</a> had Mark Zuckerberg's face surrounded by doves with a giant R.I.P. 1984-2015. </p><p>As much as the Mission neighborhood has made a stink over its new techie neighbors, portraits made of feces and Zuckerberg marquees are not its normal mode of protest.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>These were not the neighborhood's usual activists, as I realized when I entered the theater to find techies and artists taking photos in front of a giant backdrop of the National Security Agency's PRISM slides. </p><p>The theater is putting on the <a href="http://grayarea.org/event/f-a-t-gold-san-francisco/">last show</a> of an artist collective known as <a href="http://fffff.at/">Free Art and Technology Lab</a>, or FAT Lab, which once boasted Buzzfeed founder Jonah Peretti as a member. The New York-based group came to San Francisco to lament how technology has changed.</p><p><span><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><br /></span></span></p><p>"When I see cat videos, I don't see cats anymore," said Evan Roth, <span>who co-founded the lab in 2007 just as the viral internet and sites such as KnowYourMeme.com were taking off. </span>The open, viral culture of the internet changed, and now he views cat videos as Google tracking him with cookies and selling him to advertisers rather than the pure source of entertainment it once was.</p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Even Kim Kardashian is in on the act, as an art piece. </span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">In a back room, she cried clouds and the FAT Lab logo over the audience.</span></p><p><span><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div><br /></span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">Below her was a performance art piece from Katsu.</span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">He had gone to the Tenderloin neighborhood, a low-income part of San Francisco that's now home to Twitter, and purchased $250 of crack cocaine. A 3D printer spent the night replicating his score at a much larger scale for a message about gentrification.</span></p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>A Sepia-toned Eric Schmidt was flashing with neon lights nearby.</p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">As Katsu explained the art to me, someone went to up to his other work and tried to take a hit from it. </span></p><p><span style="line-height: 1.5em;">It was a hacked Star Wars toy that measures your brain waves. He'd set it up so that it heats up a bong. And in true San Francisco fashion, people were ignoring the signs and trying to smoke from it. </span></p><p>At least they were leaving their own weed behind.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"></div><p></p></div></div></p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/what-happens-after-black-widow-spider-bite-poison-2015-4">Here's what happens when you get bitten by a black widow</a></h3>        <div>            <div>        <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="5wdGFndDqN2zqp8TnWPghhDHfhDWYD_r" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>        </div>        </div>            </div>

We talked to the guy who made a painting of Google's Eric Schmidt out of poop to find out why

<p>Hello, welcome back to <keyword id="11596326" type="UNKNOWN" weightage="60" keywordseo="insider-advertising">Insider Advertising</keyword>, your weekly look at the biggest stories and trends affecting Madison Avenue and beyond. I'm Lara O'Reilly, Insider's media and <keyword id="35666" type="COMPANY" weightage="100" keywordseo="advertising">advertising</keyword> editor. <a href="http://newsletter.businessinsider.com/join/4np/insider-advertising"><strong><em>If this was forwarded to you, sign up here.</em></strong></a></p><p>As always, my inbox is open for your thoughts, tips, and perfectly shot pet portraits (more on those later). You can find me at <a href="mailto:loreilly@insider.com">loreilly@insider.com</a>.</p><p>Let's take you straight to the news:</p><ul><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/google-alphabet-earnings-q2-2021-revenue-eps-profit-analysis-2021-7">Google and Facebook went from strength to strength in Q2</a> ...</li><li>... <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-earnings-q2-2021-eps-profit-revenue-growth-warning-stock-2021-7">but get ready to see the impact of Apple's tracking changes next quarter</a></li><li><a href="https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/nbcuniversal-tokyo-olympics-make-goods-advertising-1235028563/">Advertisers enter 'make goods' negotiations with the Olympic broadcaster NBCU</a></li></ul><h3>Ain't no stopping us now</h3>We're deep into earnings season, and it was a solid second quarter for the digital advertising giants.<p>A year after reporting its first-ever revenue decline, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/google-alphabet-earnings-q2-2021-revenue-eps-profit-analysis-2021-7">Google's parent, Alphabet, rebounded with its best-ever quarter</a>. Ad revenue grew 69% year-over-year to $50.4 billion, driven largely by Google search ads and retail advertisers.</p><p><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/youtube-revenue-google-earnings-technology-2021-7">YouTube's ad business jumped 84% to $7 billion</a>. And it looks as if next quarter will be strong for the video property, too. Ad-industry sources told Insider that YouTube's sales representatives had a barnstorming US upfront this year. (The NewFronts presentations ran in May.) Of course, it's a fairly easy narrative to sell: Traditional TV viewership continues to fall, while YouTube use continues to climb.</p><p>Still, some of the volume commitments that YouTube secured were fairly eye-popping. Sources said in some of the sales talks, particularly for tentpole sports, YouTube was pushing for - and in some cases able to secure - 30% price hikes. When contacted for comment, a Google representative didn't respond specifically to the company's NewFronts performance but pointed toward company <a href="https://blog.google/products/ads-commerce/youtube-streaming-trends-2021/">blog</a> <a href="https://blog.youtube/news-and-events/youtube-main-stream-highlights-10th-annual-brandcast-delivered/">posts</a> from earlier in the year highlighting how many people watched YouTube on their main TV screens.</p><p>Google's duopoly buddy, <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-earnings-q2-2021-eps-profit-revenue-growth-warning-stock-2021-7">Facebook, also had a strong quarter</a>, reporting $29.1 billion in revenue versus the $27.9 billion analysts had expected. Facebook's chief operating officer, Sheryl Sandberg, said on the earnings call that its strongest verticals were those that performed well during the coronavirus pandemic: e-commerce, retail, and CPG.</p><p><strong>Elsewhere: </strong><a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2021/07/22/twitter-twtr-earnings-q2-2021.html">Twitter</a> and <a href="https://variety.com/2021/digital/news/snap-q2-2021-earnings-1235025874/">Snap</a> also reported earnings beats in Q2. And, for all you "triopoly" fans: Amazon is due to report earnings after today's market close.</p><h3>Track to the Future: Part II</h3><div type="image" title="A chart showing App Tracking Transparency opt-in rates by country." height="953" width="1667" msid="84854730" hostid="261"></div><p>Hold on a minute, wasn't the sky meant to be falling for digital ads hawkers this quarter after Apple rolled out its App Tracking Transparency privacy update in April?</p><p>The simple, boring, and noncommittal answer is that it's too early to tell how it'll shake out. Yes, the ATT change immediately <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/apple-ios-145-privacy-changes-spark-low-opt-in-rates-and-falling-ad-prices-2021-5">made it more tricky for many advertisers</a> to precision-target and measure the effectiveness of their mobile ads. And there's some data showing that some advertisers have even <a href="https://digiday.com/marketing/as-att-hits-critical-mass-media-spending-see-saw-from-ios-to-android-continues/">upped their spend on Android</a>, which hasn't yet rolled out a similar anti-tracking measure for apps.</p><p>But in spite of all of this, the big trends favoring digital ad platforms - the rise in digital content consumption and spending on e-commerce - were so buoyant that they cushioned any early underlying turbulence.</p><p>"While some were expecting major fireworks when App Tracking Transparency went into effect, ATT was never going to dramatically hurt the walled gardens in the short term," said Alex Bauer, the head of product marketing at the mobile measurement platform Branch.</p><p>"Longer term, the full impact is still to be seen: Walled gardens have a huge trove of incredibly valuable first-party data, but ATT means Apple is planning to enforce an equal playing field for everyone," he added.</p><p>So, there may be trouble ahead. Facebook's CFO, Dave Wehner, warned investors of a significant slowdown in growth and said the company expected "increasing ad-targeting headwinds in 2021" from regulatory and platform changes, which it expects to have "a more significant impact in the third quarter." Alphabet, too, faces several antitrust investigations, both in Europe and stateside, and it <a href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnkoetsier/2021/01/22/apple-privacy-change-may-cost-facebook-google-25-billion-over-next-12-months/?sh=5074e1505695">isn't immune to Apple's tracking changes</a>, either. Plus, Alphabet in particular will have <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/google-alphabet-earnings-q3-2020-advertising-cloud-youtube-other-bets-2020-10">tougher comparable year-ago quarter</a>.</p><h3>There's light at the end of the funnel</h3><div type="image" title="Simone Biles" height="1667" width="2500" msid="84854733" hostid="261"></div>Ad agencies are already having the awkward "make goods" talk with the Olympic broadcaster NBCUniversal, <a href="https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/nbcuniversal-tokyo-olympics-make-goods-advertising-1235028563/">Variety's Brian Steinberg reports</a>. The negotiations come amid shaky ratings and advertiser anxiety following the decision of <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/why-simone-biles-getting-the-twisties-was-so-terrifying-and-what-recovery-could-look-like-2021-7">the star US gymnast Simone Biles to pull out of her first two events at the games</a>. Elsewhere, the <a href="https://www.insider.com/naomi-osaka-olympics-loss-sucks-more-representing-host-nation-japan-2021-7">tennis champ Naomi Osaka</a> also exited early.<p>"Don't worry, it's all under control," is essentially the narrative coming out of NBCU, where execs are trying to convince impatient ad buyers that events like the Olympics often deliver results over a longer period of time.</p><p>Ultimately the real test for NBCU won't be its ability to peddle multi-mix modeling reports and charts demonstrating "top of the funnel" awareness but its ability to spin up compelling storylines for viewers - against the odds.</p><p>There's precedent for it. As told by Disney's executive chairman, Bob Iger, in his book, "The Ride of a Lifetime," the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, Alberta, were a mess on the face of it too. High winds, fog, and warm weather meant many of the alpine events had to be called off.</p><p>ABC, the broadcaster for those games, pivoted to human-interest stories: the Jamaican bobsled team and the unlikely British ski-jump hopeful, Eddie "The Eagle" Edwards.</p><p>"Somehow it all worked," wrote Iger, who was ABC's senior vice president of programming at the time. "The ratings were historically high."</p><h3>Recommended reading</h3><p>WPP's GroupM pulled out of Facebook's media agency review. People familiar with the matter pointed toward Facebook's request for strict contractual terms as one of the reasons - <a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/wpp-pulls-out-of-facebooks-media-agency-review-11626986747">WSJ</a></p><p>The TV seller Vizio is cutting off some adtech companies from ad targeting data as it tries to build a TV ad business to compete with the likes of Roku and Samsung - <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/vizio-stops-renewing-adtech-contracts-to-compete-with-roku-2021-7">Insider</a></p><p>Brands including Nike, AB InBev, and Red Bull have set up or are building in-house teams for esports and gaming - <a href="https://digiday.com/marketing/no-ones-going-in-blind-brands-are-bringing-gaming-and-esports-in-house/">Digiday</a></p><p>Kuaishou, a Tencent-backed Chinese TikTok competitor, is on a US hiring spree as it prepares a big marketing push to launch "a new global brand" - <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/kuaishou-grows-us-marketing-team-prepares-global-brand-launch-2021-7">Insider</a></p><p>The basketball star Kyrie Irving alleged on social media that Nike was set to release a "trash" sneaker collaboration carrying his name without his permission. Nike hasn't responded - <a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-07-28/kyrie-irving-blasts-his-own-nike-shoe-says-these-are-trash">Bloomberg</a></p><p>Weddings are back! But this time it's different. Brands like Zola and David's Bridal are trying to cash in with new ad campaigns, digital services, and perks - <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/wedding-advertising-is-coming-back-davids-zola-tiffany-2021-7">Insider</a></p><p>And finally: Apple's long-running "Shot on iPhone" ad series is back, and this time it's teaching us how to take the sorts of portraits of our pets that Annie Leibovitz would be proud of. It is your duty as Insider Advertising subscribers to send me your results: <a href="mailto:loreilly@insider.com">loreilly@insider.com</a> - <a href="https://www.adweek.com/creativity/apples-new-shot-on-iphone-ads-want-you-to-take-pet-portraits-like-a-pro/">Adweek</a></p><p>That's all for this week. See you next Thursday. - Lara</p>

Why Q3 will be a big test for the digital ad duopoly

<p class="source"><span>Rolls-Royce</span></p><p class="caption">A custom Rolls-Royce Phantom.</p><ul class="summary-list"><li>Rolls-Royce has a new app, and it's exclusively for those who buy a new car from the company.</li><li>The app lets users connect with other Rolls-Royce owners, executives, and members of its board, as well as see previews of products before they're public.</li><li>There's also the opportunity to buy "luxury offerings" like pet portraits and individualized handbags, personalized racetracks, private musical performances, and custom Monopoly sets.</li><li>The app is currently available in the UK, Europe, the Middle East and the US.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories</a>.</li></ul><p>Rolls-Royce Motor Cars has a new mobile app, but it's not in the same realm as what most of us have on our smartphones. </p><p>No, this app is a "digital gateway to a fascinating world beyond" exclusively for Rolls-Royce buyers, where they can commune with people of the same stature, read thought pieces specifically chosen for them, and, most importantly, buy stuff - stuff ranging in size from personalized alcohol to personalized racetracks, all by virtue of a smartphone. </p><p>Rolls-Royce <a href="https://www.press.rolls-roycemotorcars.com/rolls-royce-motor-cars-pressclub/article/detail/T0305941EN/rolls-royce-whispers:-a-digital-world-of-curated-luxury">announced</a> the new app, called Whispers, on Tuesday, describing it as a place "where the exceptional and the extraordinary come together" with offerings tailored to fit its "eclectic and highly valued community of clients." The app was selectively rolled out for testing two years ago, and has now been fully launched in the UK, Europe, the Middle East, and the US. </p><p class="source"><span>Rolls-Royce</span></p><p class="caption">The Rolls-Royce Whispers app.</p><p>Only those who buy its cars new, whom Rolls-Royce describes as "individuals untethered by common constraints such as time and money," are allowed on the app, where they can connect with other Rolls-Royce owners, company executives, and members of its board to share ideas, networks, and business opportunities. Downloading the app requires a login as proof of purchase, and those who can prove it will also get exclusive previews of Rolls-Royce products before they're public knowledge.</p><p>Then, there are the "luxury offerings" that can be found on the app - customized pet portraits and handbags, private orchestra performances, truffles, caviar, expeditions to Antarctica, African safaris, as well as backstage and VIP access to all of the world-class events worthy of name dropping, like the Olympics and Grammys.</p><p>Users can even commission a custom Monopoly set "incorporating one's own properties and assets," which likely include the person's multiple vacation residences - if this weren't an invitation-only app, after all, some of us might have to resort to using household appliances on our different squares. (Who would've thought it would come in handy to procrastinate digging up that dead tree in the backyard? That'll be $200 in Monopoly money, thanks.)</p><p>In other words, Whispers beats the grocery-store app you only downloaded for the purposes of a $5 coupon that one time.</p><p>But the cost of entry means Whispers is reserved for the Park Place members of society, not the ones paying rent just to step foot on it. The rest of us will just have to wait on that custom Monopoly board, or do things the hard way: by Googling where to find one elsewhere.</p>            <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/how-teslas-model-3-compares-to-volkswagens-new-ev-ide-2020-2">How Tesla's Model 3 compares to Volkswagen's new EV</a></h3>

Rolls-Royce's new app lets clients do just about anything, from building personalized racetracks to commissioning Monopoly boards modeled after their own assets

<ul><li>Xiaomi unveiled its latest smartphone in the popular <keyword id="2351029" type="General" weightage="100" keywordseo="redmi-note" source="Orion">Redmi Note</keyword> series earlier this month.</li><li>The Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G is priced starting at ₹20,999, making it the most expensive Redmi Note device so far.</li><li>If you are in the market for an upgrade, read our review of the Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G to help you decide if you should buy the device or not.</li></ul>Xiaomi launched the <a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/redmi-note-11-pro-redmi-note-11-pro-and-redmi-watch-2-lite-launched-in-india/articleshow/90096594.cms">Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G</a>, the company’s latest offering in the Redmi Note series earlier this month. The company also launched a more affordable Redmi Note 11 Pro and the Redmi Watch 2 Lite at the event.<br /><br />The feature-packed device from Xiaomi is the premium offering in the Redmi Note series and continues the company’s formula of offering certain higher end features coupled with other mid-range hardware at a price that seems competitive at first sight.<br /><br />The highlights of the Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G – as mouthful as the name is – include a 120Hz AMOLED display, 108MP rear camera and a 5,000mAh battery with 67W fast charging support.<br /><br />I’ve been using the Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G for a couple of weeks now and here’s my full review of the latest mid-range smartphone from Xiaomi.<br /><cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G – Price and availability" comment="subhead" text="Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G – Price and availability"><span data-til="noop">Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G – Price and availability</span></cmsannotation><br />The Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G is priced at ₹20,999 for the 6GB RAM and 128GB storage variant, ₹22,999 for the 8GB RAM and 128GB storage variant and ₹24,999 for the 8GB RAM and 256GB internal storage variant.<br /><br />It is available in Mirage Blue, Stealth Black and Phantom White colour options from Amazon India, Xiaomi online store and the company’s offline stores across the country.<br /><br />As part of the launch offer, buyers can avail an instant discount of ₹1,000 using HDFC Bank debit and credit cards.<br /><cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G – Design" comment="subhead" text="Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G – Design"><span data-til="noop">Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G – Design</span></cmsannotation><br /><br />    <div type="image" title="Back" msid="90533619" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div><br />The Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G features a glass back, a flat plastic frame and squared-off edges that give it an iPhone 13-like look. The device features a frosted glass back design that gives it a premium look and protects it from fingerprint smudges.<br /><br />    <div type="image" title="Ports" msid="90533666" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G bottom&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div><br />The device sports the 3.5mm headphone jack and the speaker grille on the top. It features a second speaker grille, USB Type-C port and the SIM tray on the bottom.<br /><br />    <div type="image" title="Side" msid="90533683" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div><br />On the right side, the device has the volume rocker and the power button, which doubles up as a fingerprint sensor. While the power button has a good, tactile feel to it, the volume buttons aren’t as clicky. However, I realised it’s possible to get used to it.<br /><br />Overall, the flat finish – both on the front as well as the back – makes the Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G seem a little boxy. The edges aren’t as sharp, though, so that helps in gripping the device.<br /><cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G – Display" comment="subhead" text="Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G – Display"><span data-til="noop">Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G – Display</span></cmsannotation><br /><br />    <div type="image" title="Display" msid="90533636" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G display&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div><br />The Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G features a 6.67-inch Full HD+ AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate and Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection. The display comes with a punch-hole notch that houses the selfie camera.<br /><br />I found the display to be vivid, with excellent colour reproduction and adequate brightness. The contents are easily visible even under direct sunlight, with the phone hitting the 700 nits level thanks to a feature called sunlight boost.<br /><br />The phone supports two refresh rates – 60Hz and 120Hz. I set the phone at 120Hz throughout my testing, and the overall experience was smooth across apps.<br /><cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G – Performance and battery" comment="subhead" text="Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G – Performance and battery"><span data-til="noop">Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G – Performance and battery</span></cmsannotation><br />The Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G is equipped with the Snapdragon 695 chipset coupled with up to 8GB LPDDR4X RAM and 256GB of UFS 2.2 internal storage. While the memory and storage are fast, the chipset might seem slow – however, in day-to-day usage, it is pretty fast, even with a 120Hz refresh rate display.<br /><br />One of the two areas where the chipset shows its weakness is in games – while titles like Battlegrounds Mobile India play well enough for the most part, there were some noticeable stutters at times. The other is the fact that the Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G does not support HDR10 videos, nor can it record 1080p videos at 60 frames per second (fps).<br /><br />Moving on to power efficiency, the Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G is powered by a 5,000mAh battery with 67W fast charge support. The device can be fully charged from 0 to 100% in just 42 minutes, according to the company. My real-world experience was close enough at 47 minutes.<br /><br />In regular usage, with over an hour of calling – voice and video, plenty of texting, multitasking, a few pictures and streaming videos, the phone lasted me an entire day comfortably.<br /><br />The Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G also supports seven 5G bands, so in terms of future-proofing, this phone is well-equipped. Even though 5G is not live in India yet, the government has revealed it intends to auction 5G spectrum some time this year.<br /><cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="MIUI 13 is a refreshing update" comment="subhead" text="MIUI 13 is a refreshing update"><span data-til="noop">MIUI 13 is a refreshing update</span></cmsannotation><br />The Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G comes with MIUI 13 and Android 11 out of the box. Although Xiaomi missed the bus on launching the phone with Android 12, it might not be that big of a deal considering the fact that this update has been relatively buggy on other Android phones.<br /><br />That brings me to MIUI 13 – it is the latest version of Xiaomi’s custom skin, and as a fan of minimal Android skins like Google’s flavour for Pixel phones, or OnePlus’ OxygenOS, MIUI 13 looked and felt surprisingly fresh.<br /><br />Xiaomi has been known for offering a wide range of customisation options with its MIUI custom skin, but optimisation and refinement were two areas where the company had its task cut out. A lot of work has gone into those aspects with MIUI 13 and the result is surprisingly good.<br /><br />MIUI 13 addresses some of my pet peeves with Xiaomi phones in the past, which includes the recent apps screen. You can finally choose between the card layout or grid, and get rid of the memory information if you want an even cleaner experience.<br /><br />In my experience, Xiaomi seems to have also scaled back significantly in regards to notifications and advertisements – while I did come across a random app notification occasionally, I have not seen ads in system apps yet.<br /><br />Overall, MIUI 13 is refined and while there’s still some scope for improvement, Xiaomi has done a good job in enhancing the user experience.<br /><cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="MIUI 13 is a refreshing update" comment="subhead" text="Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G – Camera"><span data-til="noop">Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G – Camera</span></cmsannotation><br /><br />    <div type="image" title="Camera" msid="90533728" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G rear camera&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div><br />Coming to the camera department, the Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G features a triple camera setup at the back consisting of a 108MP primary camera, an 8MP ultra-wide-angle camera and a 2MP macro camera.<br /><br />    <div type="image" title="Daylight" msid="90533771" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G daylight image&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div><br />The Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G performs well in daylight conditions, even with challenging sources of light. Colours are slightly punchy, but well within balance at default settings. The portrait mode results were also very good, with good edge detection.<br /><br />    <div type="image" title="Night mode" msid="90533784" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G night images&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div><br />The phone struggles a bit when it comes to low light conditions, though, with noise fairly noticeable, with both the primary 108MP camera as well as the 8MP ultrawide angle snapper.<br /><br />    <div type="image" title="0.6x 1x 2x" msid="90533810" hostid="261" caption="&amp;lt;p&amp;gt;0.6x, 1x and 2x images&amp;lt;/p&amp;gt;"></div><br />The 2MP macro camera is serviceable, but Xiaomi could have opted for a telephoto sensor instead. You need really steady hands to snap a usable photo when using the macro mode.<br /><br />On the front, the device sports a 16MP selfie camera. It does its job well, but just like the primary cameras, it tends to be a little noisy in challenging lighting conditions.<br /><cmsannotation type="cmsannotation" annotationid="Wrapping up" comment="subhead" text="Wrapping up"><span data-til="noop">Wrapping up</span></cmsannotation><br />The Redmi Note 11 Pro+ 5G finds itself in a more challenging spot when compared to the Redmi Note 10 Pro Max last year. The ₹20,000 price segment is more crowded and competitive than ever before, and features like the slightly weaker chipset make things a little difficult for the smartphone.<br /><br />With that said, though, there are hardly any phones that offer a premium design and a high quality 120Hz Super AMOLED display in this price range. Overall, this is a good package, with room for improvement in gaming and video recording. However, if your current phone is from last year, you might want to wait for now.<br /><strong>SEE ALSO:<br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/samsung-galaxy-s21-fe-5g-review-fan-edition-round-two-still-affordable/articleshow/89614788.cms">Samsung Galaxy S21 FE 5G review – Fan edition, round two, still affordable</a><br /><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/realme-9-pro-plus-smartphone-review/articleshow/89631293.cms">Realme 9 Pro+ 5G review — Decent all-round performance</a><br /></strong><a href="https://www.businessinsider.in/tech/mobile/news/oppo-reno-7-pro-smartphone-first-impressions-attractive-and-powerful-mid-range-mobile/articleshow/89425700.cms"><strong>Oppo Reno 7 Pro first impressions – an attractive and powerful mid-range offering</strong></a><br />

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You Searched For "google pet portraits" and got 11 results

Google Pixel 9 Pro XL review – the best Android experience

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