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Without being a fireworks display, the brand new OnePlus 12 impresses with its performance, its large, bright screen and its battery life. Its small flaws: Despite the manufacturer's claims, the camera is not the best and it is not waterproof.

Published at 11:37 am.

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OnePlus has carved out an enviable place in North America after Apple and Samsung by offering devices with features worthy of high-end models at very competitive prices. The economy is still present here with the OnePlus 12, which sells from $1,199.99 for the model we tested with 16GB of RAM, making it cheaper than competitors like the Pixel 8 Pro or the Galaxy S24 Ultra.

First test: Calibration with Geekbench 6 to see what the OnePlus 12 has under the hood. Undoubtedly, it is one of the leading models and even offers a remarkable graphics processing capacity that makes it very efficient for gaming or video streaming.

Specifically, this gives us an ultra-fast phone that responds instantly, connects to our headphones almost instantly via Bluetooth, closes and opens apps in a jiffy and has no moments of interruption. Don't hesitate to start a video. Its Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor is the one that equips the best Android models and the management of its 5400 mAh battery is efficient. Over a full day of testing, the value dropped to 47% and it took us a second day to reach it.

It also accepts 80-watt fast charging (with an included charger, a rarity in 2024) and even 50-watt magnetic charging if you have such a charger.

At 80 watts in wired mode, we charged our phone from 0% in 31 minutes for testing.

Its larger-than-standard 6.8-inch screen is worth a detour. This model, called ProXDR 2K, offers a refresh rate of 1 to 120 Hz and reaches a maximum brightness of 4,500 nits, “the brightest screen ever on a smartphone,” says OnePlus, a claim we don't disagree with could. This screen is undoubtedly great, and the animations that OnePlus has added for the launch and the wallpaper make it stand out at all times.

A good mark also for the general design of the OnePlus 12, which has significantly more character than the often very generic previous models.

Let's talk about photos

OnePlus has gone bold with a series of lenses on the back grouped in a large glass circle, making for a very futuristic but highly visible look. The main lens is Sony's 50MP LYT-808 with an OV64B telephoto lens capable of 3x optical zoom and 64MP photos, as well as a 48MP ultra-wide angle.

The question now: What does this system, developed in collaboration with Hasselblad, bring? We compared it to an iPhone 15 Pro and a Pixel 8 Pro and got some expert opinions.

The good news for OnePlus: It handled low-light photos much better. However, all too often the result was washed out, boring colors. Here are two examples that illustrate its qualities and shortcomings. Due to the optimization of the photos for publication on LaPresse.ca, the differences here are less obvious than in the original formats.

The OnePlus 12 at its best

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  PHOTOS KARIM BENESSAIEH

  Low light scene captured with an iPhone 15 Pro.

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  PHOTO KARIM BENESSAIEH.

  Low light scene taken with a OnePlus 12, which turns out to be a winner here.

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  PHOTO KARIM BENESSAIEH

  Low light scene captured with a Pixel 8 Pro.

1/3

The updated OnePlus 12

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  PHOTO KARIM BENESSAIEH

  Photo taken with an iPhone 15 Pro on the Montreal subway. In our opinion, it is the best of the three devices tested.

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  PHOTO KARIM BENESSAIEH

  Photo taken with a OnePlus 12 in the Montreal metro. The colors are more washed out and the contrast is less pronounced.

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  PHOTO KARIM BENESSAIEH

  Photo taken with a Pixel 8 Pro.

1/3

The big winner in our tests is the iPhone 15 Pro. The Pixel 8 Pro and the OnePlus 12 were tied, which is still honorable for the OnePlus.

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The OnePlus 12 has an IP65 rating, which means it is protected from water jets and dust, but not completely submerged. However, in high-end models it has become a basic feature. The Pixel 8 Pro, for example, has a significantly higher protection class IP68.

OnePlus guarantees four years of updates for its Android-based operating system called OxygenOS and a fifth year of security updates. That's slightly less than competitors Google and Samsung, which offer up to seven years.

You buy ?

The OnePlus 12 is a good buy as it offers the best components of more expensive models at a competitive price. It doesn't have the aura of a Samsung Galaxy or an iPhone, its photos aren't stunning, but it does its job well and the efficiency of its processor is remarkable.

OnePlus 12

• Manufacturer: OnePlus
• Price: $1199.99 (16GB RAM, 512GB storage, pre-sale and available February 6)

Rating: 8 out of 10

This oviraptorosaur belongs to a little-known family of dinosaurs, some members of which lived shortly before the crisis at the end of the Cretaceous period that caused the extinction of the dinosaurs.

Oviraptorosaurs, whose name means “egg-stealing lizard,” were feathered dinosaurs that lived in Asia and North America during the Late Cretaceous Period, 100 to 66 million years ago. Within this group, the caenagnathids bring together a dozen species, some of which are not precisely defined as they can be identified from partial fossils. In North America, the largest caenagnathid known on this continent was found in the Hell Creek Formation in 2014: Anzu Wyliei, also called “the chicken from hell” because of its alleged similarity to the Gallinaceae. With a length of 3.5 meters, a weight of 200 to 300 kilos and a height of 1.5 meters, it was indeed something to be afraid of!

A smaller species

In the same Hell Creek Formation, several smaller remains were recovered by Kyle L. Atkins-Weltman, a paleontologist at Oklahoma State University. The bones shared similarities with those of Anzu Wyliei, leading specialists to wonder whether they were in the presence of a juvenile. A hypothesis refuted in an article published in the journal Plos One, which led to the identification of a new species of caenagnathid: Eoneophron infernalis, which lived just over 66 million years ago.

“Although it is the size that sets these two dinosaurs apart, at first glance, when you look closely at the bones, you can see many other differences. For example, the head of the femur does not form the same angle with the diaphysis, the proximal “The knuckle bone is fused in Eoneophron, while it is absent in Anzu and most other caenagnathids,” explains Kyle Atkins.

Read more

Because the skeleton is incomplete, it is difficult to determine the size of Eoneophron infernalis. The authors assume that, with a length of less than two meters and a weight of around 80 kilos, it was significantly smaller than Anzu Wyliei.[…]

Read more on sciencesetavenir.fr

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This weekly column stops at nothing to satisfy its readers and dares to present five titles that, by virtue of their theme, material and illustrations, give twinks a place of honor.

As always, I tested the games listed below before recommending them to you. They are often easy to find in French in several specialty stores in Quebec.

The game MLEM: Space Agency (Rebel Studio)

MLEM: Space Agency

• 2 to 5 players | 8 years and older | Beginner-Intermediate
• 30 to 60 minutes | $45

I admit that the cat-astronaut theme and even the box art of MLEM: Space Agency left me skeptical at best and cold at worst. I quickly changed my mind when I discovered a fast, stimulating and fun dynamic in this Stop or Still game.

Each round you take one of your cat tokens onto a rocket that flies into the cosmos. By rolling the dice repeatedly, you try to make the dice travel as far as possible: to moons, to planets shaped like balls of yarn, etc. Will you be brave and aim for infinity, or be careful before you crash?

The game MLEM: Space Agency (Asmodee Canada)

It gave me childlike joy to try my luck at rolling dice to catapult my intrepid cats onto a long space carpet. If you like cats or games like The Charlatans of Belcastel, you might like this title of the same name. MLEM is my first favorite of 2024!

By the way, the word “mlem” comes from the Internet and means “the sound made by an animal sticking out its tongue to lick something”…

••••

The game “The Cat in the Box” (Bézier Games)

Cat in the box

• 2 to 5 players | 10 years and older | Intermediate
• 20 to 40 minutes | $40 (for the French version)

Cat in the Box takes the fun of trick or trick games (like Bridge and Joffre) to the next level. Through a scientific theme inspired by the Schrödinger's Cat thought experiment, we play with uncertainty in surprising ways.

In fact, no card has a defined color; they are all black. You decide the color when you place it on the table. So everyone plays their turn without knowing exactly what they have in their hand. A new and fascinating concept that will fascinate map lovers!

••••

The Calico Game (Randolph)

calico

• 1 to 4 players | 10 years and older | Intermediate
• 30 to 45 minutes | $55 (for the French version)

The excellent Calico invites players to embroider the most beautiful and inviting quilt of hexagonal tiles in various colors and patterns. The goal is to attract as many cats as possible to lounge around. Adorable, right?

In reality, this game is a massive puzzle that will – perhaps – tax your neurons! To maximize your points, you must assemble your randomly drawn tiles very precisely.

We love the seductive simplicity of Calico, whose decisions become increasingly painful as the game progresses. When our plan works, we feel like the most brilliant creature in the universe! Sophisticated but charming, with others or alone!

••••

The game Island of Cats: Explore & Draw (Randolph)

Cat Island: Explore and Draw

• 1 to 6 players | 8 years and older | Intermediate
• 30 to 45 minutes | $50 (for the French version)

If you liked the game Island of Cats (see below), you will surely also love its little brother Island of Cats: Explore & Draw. This latest version forgoes the cute cat-like polyominoes (pieces that fit together like parts of Tetris) of the original game and instead makes do with markers on a boat board. The fun of this puzzle is not lost, quite the opposite!

This makes Explore & Draw less cumbersome, less intimidating and less expensive than its more extensive predecessor, but offers much the same enjoyment. On the topic: Who wouldn't want to use their boat to rescue shipwrecked cats on an island? An excellent game that I recommend!

••••

The game Island of Cats (Randolph)

The Island of Cats

• 1 to 4 players | 8 years and older | Intermediate
• 60 to 90 minutes | $90 (for the French version)

If the Island of Cats is to be believed, there is an island somewhere populated by cats that are in danger of extinction. Your mission is to rescue these cats on board your boat. Of course, space is limited, but luckily these cats are capable of remarkable contortions!

We take great joy in imagining the thousand ways we can put our pieces together to find the optimal solution before time runs out. For a rich and addictive game, prefer this version. To try it out or pay less, choose the Explore & Draw version (see above).

••••

What is this “board games” section?

As I am passionate about board games, I will immerse myself in the gaming world with you, keeping in mind the perspective of the consumer who, like me, discovers and explores this pastime.

I test table, board, dice and card games for you in order to provide you with my recommendations and first impressions in the form of thematic rankings, suggestions for new products, meetings with creators, etc. And this by always giving a good place to the games offered in French stores in Quebec.

Every week visit the website lesoleil.com/vivre/passe-temps/jeux-de-societe and consult the Vivre section of the Soleil application.

••••

Note: Copies of some of these games were provided to us free of charge for testing by Asmodee Canada, ÎLO and Randolph, who were not granted or exercised any right to review the contents of this journalistic article.

The local final of Cégeps en spectacle will take place on January 31 at the Saint-Georges campus of Cégep Beauce-Appalaches.

The program includes ten daring and varied numbers, ranging from contemporary and urban dance to storytelling performances, slam and musical compositions, without forgetting unique and reimagined interpretations.

Performances include a contemporary dance duo, an urban breakdance solo, captivating storytelling, powerful slam performances, and musical performances ranging from pure instrumentals to original compositions.

“This unifying project brings together the forces of almost fifty passionate students who put their hearts on stage, in the work behind the scenes and in the organization to make this magnificent evening a success,” says Julie Beaudoin, the student’s life coach .

Show outside competition: Innu group Maten
The Innu Maten group, a musical group deeply rooted in indigenous culture and identity, will perform the non-competitive portion. Maten is an Innu group from Mani-utenam on the north coast of Quebec, anchored between the shores of the St. Lawrence River and the boreal forest. One of Maten's distinguishing features is her lyrics' commitment to her community, her language and her Innu roots. “This performance is part of Cégep Beauce-Appalaches’ desire to sensitize the younger generation to the reality of First Nations,” emphasizes Daniel Laflamme, associate director of studies and student life.

The services
Led by Harold Gilbert, the animation team provided a touch of humor for the transitions between numbers, mixing the local setting with the theme of “Beautiful Stories from the Neighbors Above.”

The performance will see Catherine Bégin and Chloé Racette dancing in a contemporary style, while Maxime Roy will offer choreography with breakdance inspiration. Albert Cliche and Justin Maheux will present a piano-guitar composition in which they can express their artistic vision through oratory.

Edouard Gagné will announce his slam demanding an end to the war, while Rachel Dallaire will tell the surprising legend of Caracasse in Casss. A duo from the Campus Sainte-Marie, made up of Marianne Felteau and Élizabeth Parent, will surprise with an original fusion of two well-known pieces by French-speaking artists, while the group Les indécis will perform a classic by Cowboys Fringants.

The group Septicémie, made up of seven artists, will delight the audience with their rock-metal creation. Océanne Lessard-Beaulieu will perform one of her texts in complete intimacy at the piano, while Alexis Proulx will perform two of his creations, with humor echoing with a touch of absurdity on his electric guitar.

In total, around twenty artists from Cégep will take part in the competition with the aim of qualifying for the regional finals. In addition to winning a $300 scholarship, the winning number of the Jury Prize will be awarded at the regional final on March 23 at the Cégep de Thetford. The national final will take place on April 27th at Cégep de Rimouski.

A Coup de Coeur Prize will also be awarded to the performance that most thrilled the audience. Tickets are available for $8 for students and $12 for adults through the online ticket office. They will also be available at the entrance on the evening of the event. For more information, call 418 228-8896, extension 2114.

The show starts at 7:30 p.m. in the Salle Alphonse-Desjardins.

Just over a year after ChatGPT launched, Google is starting to integrate its own artificial intelligence into Chrome. The company just announced three new features for Windows and macOS, two of which are already rolling out and the third will be announced next month.

This will also interest you

Google has just announced the integration of three new features in Chrome based on generative artificial intelligence. On the one hand, Google Chrome now integrates writing aids such as MicrosoftMicrosoft Copilot.

To use this feature, simply write a few words to specify the content of the text you want, then right-click on it and select “Help me write.” The browser uses artificial intelligence to rewrite the text, with the ability to choose the length and tone of the generated text. Writing support, announced next month, will be available for all text fields, whether forums, contact forms or replying to an ad. A similar feature, bearing the same name, was announced this summer for Gmail, Gmail on AndroidAndroid, and iOSiOS, but is still reserved for Google Workspace users.

Rearrange tabs and create topics

At the same time, Google announced two additional generative AI-based features that are now available in version 121 of Chrome. The first option lets you reorganize your tabs automatically by right-clicking on a tab (or using the drop-down menu to the left of the tab bar) and then selecting “Organize Similar Tabs.” Chrome will use AI to suggest groups based on the content of different pages opened.

Finally, the latter allows you to automatically generate new themes for Chrome, such as: B. the wallpapers present in Android 14 and Pixel 8. This functionality will be available in the side panel.

All of these new features require you to have previously enabled Experimental AI features in Chrome Settings. However, please note that these new features will initially only be available in the US…

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A crazy week in which we don't sleep much, but sometimes it saves a lot of time. For attendees at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, the results are positive. More than twenty start-ups from New…

A crazy week in which we don't sleep much, but sometimes it saves a lot of time. For attendees at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, the results are positive. More than twenty startups from Nouvelle-Aquitaine traveled to Nevada, sponsored by the region and its partners, including French Tech Bordeaux. Pierre Husson, co-founder of Rematch, returned to Bordeaux with stars in his eyes, ready to conquer the American market. “I have already had the opportunity to go to Vivatech in Paris or another trade fair in Lisbon, but this is really impressive,” he emphasizes. From 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. you have to be at your best. We only have two minutes to eat a sandwich and have to respond to the people crowding the stand. »

The CES enabled the three Rematch employees to get to know “soccer moms and dads,” the parents who support their children on the sidelines. “They sometimes spend thousands of euros to enable their children to practice their sport. They came to us to tell us that they were ready to film with Rematch. This is a market that is waiting for us. »

“The Good Actors”

Soufiane Ajana, founder of Retinov, an artificial intelligence-based tool for preventing age-related macular degeneration (AMD), made so many promising contacts that he stayed in the United States to make the most of your participation in the show. “I got to know the pensioners’ association,” he explains. That's the good thing about CES: we meet the right players. »

The young business leader received a visit at his stand in particular from the president of the world's leading manufacturer of retina cameras, a potential important partner for his activities. Soufiane Ajana also took advantage of his stay to start a clinical trial of his solution, essential for approval by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). And it continues its efforts to establish itself in the American market with a fundraising effort.

Bryan Bassett, research director for enterprise mobility at research firm IDC, assures us: “As frontline workforce mobilization efforts increase, demand for robust mobile deployments will increase. Enterprises need durable, powerful, purpose-built mobile devices to enable frontline workers to participate in this second wave of digital transformation, and rugged devices will play a critical role in this effort. » According to him, “despite the challenges, the future of rugged mobility is secured.” Rugged devices enable tasks that consumer devices cannot handle and they excel in certain business processes. As more companies look to increase the productivity of their teams, field staff represent a huge growth factor. »

Rugged mobile players rated by IDC. In addition to Samsung, Zebra Technologies, Getac, Honeywell and Dell are also among the market leaders in this rugged mobile device market.

Hardened products effectively meet the needs of many industries, including industrial, healthcare, commercial, public service, transportation and logistics. Currently, the growth of the rugged mobile device market shows no signs of slowing down. The manufacturers have understood this and are bringing their models onto the market, completing them or renewing them. Samsung has just introduced a smartphone and a tablet, the Galaxy XCover7 (6.6-inch screen) and the Galaxy Tab Active5 (8-inch screen), with military standards and equipped with 5G connectivity.

“The Galaxy This device is powerful and versatile, at the same time durable and secure, perfect for professionals who need to stay connected in any situation,” assures Jerry Park, Executive VP who leads the Global Mobile B2B team in the MX space at Samsung Electronics.
Both devices and the S Pen included in the Tab Active5 have an IP68 rating for water and dust resistance, an essential level of protection for intense environments on construction sites or warehouses. The Galaxy was developed according to the military standard MIL-STD-810H1

These two new products feature Corning Gorilla Glass Victus+ for the Galaxy XCover7 and Corning® Gorilla Glass 5 for the Galaxy Tab Active5 to ensure greater durability and long life. The touch sensitivity can also be adjusted so that operation is possible without any problems even when wearing gloves. Finally, Samasun says they have been extensively tested to withstand cleaning with disinfectant solutions.

In terms of connectivity, the Galaxy XCover7 has been updated to offer more “reliable” 5G and Wifi 5 connectivity, while the Galaxy Tab Active5 has 5G and Wifi 6.

A first for Samsung rugged products, the Galaxy XCover7 and Galaxy Tab Active5 are compatible with Samsung Knox Vault, which protects the most important data on these devices, including PINs, passwords and lock patterns.

2 more robust mobile products

Panasonic, Zebra, Getac and Dell are also present in this rugged mobile device market. In December, Dell released the Latitude Rugged Extreme 10-inch tablet, which it claims is “the lightest on the market.” With hot-swappable batteries, it is said to be the ideal companion for working in extreme environments, be it on or under an oil rig, in a factory or on a snow-covered mountain.

The tablet complies with IP-65 and MIL-STD 810 standards, meaning it can withstand the most extreme conditions. It has been tested at temperatures from -28 to 62°C and subjected to a one meter drop test according to military specifications. On the cybersecurity side, the TPM 2.0 ControlVault tool offers a built-in encryption system. An infrared camera for facial recognition based on Microsoft Windows Hello, a fingerprint reader, privacy protection for the camera and a contact or contactless smart card reader round off the security functions.

The 7030 Rugged Extreme Tablet features a 12th Gen Intel Core i7 processor, integrated Iris Xe graphics in i5 and i7 configurations, and up to 32GB of LPDDR5 memory for powerful performance. It also has an NVMe SSD hard drive of up to 2TB.

Last September, Getac announced the launch of its S410 semi-rugged laptop, which comes standard with a 13th-generation Intel Core i5/i7 processor, an Intel Iris Xe graphics processor, and an optional dedicated GPS chip. When it comes to connectivity, the S410 offers Wifi 6 and Bluetooth 5.3, as well as optional 4G LTE and/or 5G Sub-6 with built-in GPS, allowing users to stay connected even in the most remote locations.