Galaxy Fold Launches the 27th; Pixel 4 Leak-$$$; Snap Dossier Tracked Facebook Copying; TiVo-PreRoll Ads for All

After the misfire this Spring, Samsung will finally release the Galaxy Fold on the 27th. 9to5google.com reports that it will be less widely available…but still as pricey as originally announced…$1980. The Fold will bow with an AT&T version in AT&T stores, online, and at Best Buy. There will also be an unlocked version at Best Buy. No T-Mobile version and the phone won’t be available on Samsung’s website, either. The Fold is more robust, but still a pretty fragile device. It does come with Premier Service, Samsung’s special care service that includes one-on-one access to Samsung experts for device support.

Google will be showing its Pixel 4 at their event on October 15th. A leak indicates it may sell for more than the new iPhone 11, which Apple bowed at $50 less than last year’s iPhone XR. According to bgr.com, the Pixel 4 may be 820 Euros, which puts it at $903. European pricing usually includes the VAT tax, so if it is 15%, that would be $768. Last year’s Pixel 3 was $50 more than the iPhone XR…this one would be more than $70 higher after Apple’s price reduction for the 11. Colors are rumored to be Just Black, Clearly White, and Oh So Orange. We’ll know all for sure on October 15!

Facebook has never been shy about stealing features and concepts from competitors. Now, engadget.com says Snap has kept a dossier it named ‘Project Voldemort’ that has detailed all the alleged anti-competitive moves by Facebook it has observed. Copying stories, preventing people from linking to Snapchat profiles, and even intentionally suppressing Snapchat related content are all detailed. According to a Wall Street Journal piece, when Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg met with Snap’s Evan Spiegel, he allegedly told the Snap CEO to either accept an acquisition at a set price or deal with Facebook copying Snapchat’s features. The FTC has previously been reported as looking into Facebook’s anti-competitive practices. With info from this dossier, the government may well end up fining facebook or even might unwind some of its previous acquisitions.

It was passed off as an early, experimental test. Now, TiVo has announced that pre-roll ads will be tacked on to all DVR recordings for all customers…including those with the lifetime subscription plan. Theverge.com reports that the ads will be showing up on all ‘eligible retail devices within 90 days.’ Eligible means boxes running TiVo Experience 4…the latest software iteration. TiVo says you will still be able to skip past the ad as soon as it starts to roll.