The Morning After: Thursday, August 24th 2017
Galaxy Note comes back
Hey, good morning! You look fabulous.
The Galaxy Note 8 has arrived. Sure, we have the full breakdown below, but if you just want to relive the reveal event, we've cut a highlight video of the best 10 minutes to help you catch up quickly. Oh, and Elon Musk showed off a stylish new space suit. It's Thursday.
Fans of large phones have been waiting for Samsung's next Galaxy Note since the last one suffered a devastating recall last year. Now that the Note 8 is revealed, Chris Velazco says it's "a huge, beautifully made phone that just might be good enough to make people forget about its poorly designed predecessor." That includes the first dual-camera setup on a Note -- it's worth the wait -- a slightly smaller battery than the Note 7 (for reasons that should be obvious) and new software tweaks like shortcuts that launch two apps at once in split-screen mode. All of those features drive up its price, which will start north of $900, although Note 7 owners can expect a hefty discount.
Forget the preview, you're all about the specs, and here they are. We've got your comparisons ready, breaking down Samsung's new phablet vs. its predecessor as well as some large-screened competition (S8+, U11, iPhone 7 Plus).
Nikon's D850 blends speed and resolution
The newest DSLR from Nikon includes a massive 45.7-megapixel sensor, and it's capable of capturing full-res images at up to 9 fps. For video, it's capable of 4K at 60 fps, 1080p at up to 120 fps and 8K time-lapse clips. Spec-wise the D850 compares very well to competition like the 5DS or GFX 50S, and will cost $3,300 (body only) when it starts shipping next month.
HP's Omen X is a monstrous, customizable gaming laptop
While other gaming laptops are trending towards slim and portable, HP is showing off its hefty 10.8 lb Omen X. It's expandable, with the opportunity to upgrade RAM, storage and other parts. Plus, the cooling system is prepared for overclocking, and it has a mechanical keyboard. Look for this one in November with a price starting at $2,000.
Elon Musk shows off SpaceX's custom space suit on Instagram
According to the SpaceX and Tesla boss, this suit is no mere mockup, already tested to "double vacuum pressure." We're expecting more glamour shots over the coming days, so stay tuned.
Inside 'Carcraft,' Waymo's virtual world for testing self-driving car AI
Google's autonomous vehicle project has logged about three million real-world miles, but a report in The Atlantic opens up its virtual world where 25,000 simulated cars cover 2.5 billion miles every day.
Samsung will unveil its next Gear S smartwatch on Aug. 30th
After the Galaxy Note 8, Samsung's next big mobile debut is probably a wearable device. Executive DJ Koh says we can expect to see a new Gear S smartwatch at IFA, where Samsung will have a press event on August 30th. As far as features, it will probably have a renewed focus on health monitoring, while previous leaks hinted at the arrival of a water-resistant Gear Fit 2 Pro as well.
But wait, there's more...
The next phase of Apple's self-driving car project is an employee shuttle
'Star Wars Battlefront II' adds tactical weight to space combat
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