There’s no scarcity of tablets on this planet, from the ever-dominant iPad to an assortment of Android choices and Fire tabs to the area of interest weirdos just like the E-ink and stylus Kindle Scribe. Now, OnePlus, a Chinese producer recognized for its speedy, strong smartphones, is throwing its personal Android pill onto the desk. The firm introduced the OnePlus Pad this week, together with the second era of its Buds Pro bluetooth earbuds, and an all new mechanical keyboard.

The aluminum-bodied pill appears to be like to be a modern addition to the customarily clunky world of Android tablets. Most notable is its 11.6-inch display with a facet ratio of seven:5. That’s odd for a pill; most iPad screens are 4:3, which is similar as a traditional tv set. When you maintain the OnePlus Pad in panorama mode, the pill’s display ought to be just a little taller than you could be used to on a pill. 

Also notable is the matching keyboard that attaches magnetically, and the stylus for pen enter. Both are bought individually. OnePlus claims the battery life is sweet for over 12 hours of steady video playback; you possibly can watch Seven Samurai thrice plus a pair episodes of The Office earlier than recharging. It is on the market in a single shade (inexperienced) and can be out there for preorder in April for an undetermined worth. Hovering ominously within the background right here is the notion that Google is anticipated to debut its newest Android tablet later this yr, presumably in May.

Here are another tales from the world of client tech.

Notflix

Last week, Netflix by accident leaked the information that it’ll crack down on password sharing. Then it unexpectedly walked that again after a public outcry. But now Netflix has officially announced it’s implementing guidelines that stop individuals who don’t stay in the identical house from sharing a single Netflix account. The unfortunate first victims of this coverage are subscribers in Canada, New Zealand, Spain, and Portugal.

In its announcement, Netflix detailed its plans for limiting account sharing. Now, anybody not dwelling in the identical family because the account holder can be prompted to switch their profiles to a brand new paid account or be minimize off. Netflix says the restrictions will roll out extra broadly inside months. It additionally mentioned the service would “refine these new features based on member feedback.” As you may think, that suggestions has been not nice.

The streaming service has been building to this for some time now, testing out these restrictions in nations with a smaller buyer base. The crackdown hasn’t come for the US yet, however that it’ll appears about as probably as Netflix canceling certainly one of its exhibits after a single season. (Which is to say, very likely.)

Apple Tests Buy Now, Pay Later

Buy-now, pay-later plans are all the craze, permitting prospects to pay for stuff in interest-free installments relatively than one bank-breaking chunk. Financial providers like Klarna and Affirm have grow to be very fashionable amongst cash-strapped shoppers, who’ve even used them to purchase meals and vacation items. Of course, they’ve acquired some problems. (Who doesn’t love the concept of not paying full worth after which probably getting wracked by debt months later?)

Apple is raring to get in on the BNPL sport below its own proprietary system, in fact. Apple first introduced the characteristic at its 2022 Worldwide Developers Conference, nevertheless it has but to make its solution to the general public. Recently, Apple expanded its testing of the plan to employees at its retail stores, a transfer that has usually preceded different Apple service bulletins. That appears to point that the broader rollout of its BNPL plan is imminent.

The Crypto Keeper

Back within the day, all of the cool child criminals used crypto. Blockchain-based currencies like Bitcoin have been hailed as an nameless, untraceable technique of fee. Aspiring lawbreakers may use crypto to purchase even the darkest of darkish internet contraband with impunity, their identities shrouded within the thriller assured by their technique of fee. Or so many individuals thought.

Turns out, Bitcoin and different cryptocurrencies are in truth completely traceable. You simply need to know the place to look. And sadly for some crypto-carrying criminals, federal legislation enforcement officers knew precisely how one can monitor them down.