The camera on the smartphone is one of the main selling points; some people even ask a question about whether we buy a phone or a camera. The rear camera of the smartphone is very competitive since flagship phones of 2024 are equipped with more than one camera and most of them have the ultra-wide angle lens. However, the selfie camera on the smartphone is another story. There aren’t a lot of smartphones in 2024 equipped with an ultra-wide angle front camera for a selfie that allows you to have a selfie with a group of people and still see a landscape in the background. Google has already started the trend with its Google Pixel 3 / 3 XL equipped with a 97° field of view (FoV) front camera in 2018 and it is one of the widest selfie cameras. With the latest release of Google Pixel 9 Pro / Pixel 9 Pro XL in 2024, Google set a new record again for ultra-wide angle selfie camera by having Google Pixel 9 Pro / Pixel 9 Pro XL equipped with a 103° FoV with 42 MP front camera with an autofocus. Additionally, Google Pixel 8a is equipped with a 96.5 FoV front camera and Google Pixel 9 / Pixel 8 Pro is equipped with a 95° FoV front camera with an autofocus. In 2024, apart from using the front camera, there are foldable phones with a super ultra-wide angle rear camera that can be used to take a selfie like Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5, and Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5.

Playa Vista is a planned community in Los Angeles county, California. Because tech companies are located in the area, Playa Vista is dubbed as ‘Silicon Beach’.

I worked as a software engineer at Demand Media before I became a product & optimization manager at Beachbody. As part of my transition, I worked on various projects at work that I tried to involve with the product aspect of it and studied the product management online course. Also, the M.S. in Informatics that I had received from UC Irvine before joining Demand Media as a software engineer helped me preparing for the product role.

There is no precise definition of a product manager that can fit the product manager’s role in every company since the role of a product manager is so diverse in each company. However, at a high level, a product manager is the person who manages, maintains, and improves the product for the users and to meet the business’ goal.