The Morning After: US Army demonstrates its HoloLens AR system in the field
And more cheap Pixel phone details.
Hi there!
Over the weekend, we reported more details of Google's cheaper Pixel phones, see how the US Army plans to use augmented reality in the field, and explained how the UK is investigating games companies, including Nintendo and Sony, over apparently unfair services. And it's only Monday morning!
Google's lower-cost Pixel 3a phones surface on official sites
Google's first mid-range Pixel phones may be close at hand. Both the company's store and the Google Play Developer Console's device catalog (which helps app developers allow or restrict device access) have made references to the Pixel 3a phone family. The device catalog appears to confirm some of the core details. The smaller Pixel 3a, Bonito, would have a 2160 x 1080 display, while its larger 3a XL counterpart (Sargo) appears to have a taller 2220 x 1080 screen.
US Army shows how it will use HoloLens in the field
When Microsoft employees balked at the company's $479 million HoloLens contract with the US Army, it raised a question: Just what would this system look like? You now have a better idea. The Army has given CNBC an early demo of its Integrated Visual Augmentation System, which uses a modified HoloLens 2 to provide both combat assistance and training. It reportedly feels like a "real-life game of Call of Duty" -- you can see your squad's positions on a map, a compass and even your weapon's reticle. Thermal imaging would help you see in the dark without as much of a telltale glow as existing night-vision headsets.
New York fails at first attempt at face recognition for drivers
New York's bid to identify terrorists through facial-recognition tech on the roads isn't going very smoothly. The Wall Street Journal has obtained a Metropolitan Transportation Authority email showing that a 2018 technology test on New York City's Robert F. Kennedy Bridge not only failed, but failed spectacularly -- it couldn't detect a single face "within acceptable parameters." Not great.
Netflix debuts Beyoncé Coachella documentary on April 17th
The streaming service has teased a documentary on Beyoncé's much-hyped performance at last year's Coachella festival -- conveniently, just ahead of the 2019 festival's second weekend.
But wait, there's more...
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