Samsung Unpacked-Note 20 Series, Galaxy Fold 2; Instagram Launches Reels; Musk- Smaller Cybertruck ‘Likely’; Zynga Posts Record Revenue, Still Has Net Loss

As anticipated, Samsung rolled out new Galaxy Note 20 phones today, as well as a freshened Galaxy Fold Z at their Unpacked event. Theverge.com reports that The Note 20 Ultra is pretty similar to the Galaxy S20 Ultra. The cam is unchanged with the 108MP sensor, and it retains the 6.9 inch screen. The Note 20 has a 6.7 inch screen, and a 12MP primary camera. the Note 20 starts at $999, and the Ultra at $1299. Both are available from Samsung.com and retailers. Both have Mystic Bronze, but the Ultra also comes in Black or White. the Note 20 offers Gray and Green.

The Galaxy Z Fold 2 now has a full-size 6.2 inch outside screen that covers the entire front of the phone…a vast improvement over the last model’s small outside screen. the Main display inside has grown to 7.6 inches. There is no longer the odd, notched corner…just a hole punch cam in the screen. The biggest question is durability…will the new model hold up better long the actual fold. The original was delayed months after review units sent to media members failed almost immediately. Not cool on a phone that runs $1980. The Z Fold 2 will be out in Mystic Black and Mystic Bronze, but Samsung didn’t give us a release date or a price as yet. They are promising both in September.

In a direct shot at trying to steal users from the insanely popular TikTok, Facebook’s Instagram has launched Reels. According to engadget.com, the launch is going live now in 50 countries, including the US, UK, France, Australia, and Japan. Facebook has been down this path before, but it may be with Reels, they will have a real shot. Instagram already skews younger for Facebook, and that’s the users that TikTok has and Facebook wants. The app feature lets you record a series of clips from Instagram’s in-app camera, including music and AR effects. Facebook claims much more sophisticated editing tools than it has in Stories on the main app. Once you upload, the Reels pile is automatically shared to the new Reels section of Explore. They hope this will ape TikTok’s ForYou page, and get viral use going.

If you are one who likes the unusual…to say the least…Tesla Cybertruck, but it’s just too big for your use, you’re in luck. Elon Musk has said (in Tweets) that a smaller version is ‘Highly likely down the road.’ Mashable.com notes that, when asked about one with less width…which would be better suited to cities and European roads, Musk replied it was true that a narrow track would be better for those uses, intimating that a smaller truck would also be less wide. The full-sized Cybertruck is supposed to go on sale in 2021. As for ‘down the road’ for a smaller one, that could be several years away.

Zynga has posted the highest revenue figure ever…$452 million, a 47% increase over last year. According to The Hollywood Reporter, this came largely due to better results for the match-3 puzzle and RPG crossover game Empires & Puzzles. Even with the revenue boost, Zynga had a net income loss of $150 million…partly offset by an increase in contingent consideration expenses on the heels of acquiring Small Giant Games and Small Gram Games.