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Leaked Moto Z4 pics show it's keeping the headphone jack and Moto Mods
The next entry of Motorola's Z series has likely been revealed, as noted leaker Evan Blass tweeted out these shots of the Moto Z4. Matching specs and a smaller picture that leaked earlier, the Z4 shown here features a teardrop front-camera design, single-lens rear camera setup, with a headphone jack and no visible fingerprint sensor. It's also visibly ready for Moto Mods, which right now notably gives Moto Z3 owners the only way to have a 5G-capable smartphone in the US. The specs posted by 91Mobiles suggest that's because this phone will include an in-display fingerprint scanner, as well as a 48 MP rear-camera that uses Motorola's Quad Pixel tech to deliver a higher quality 12 MP image and Google Pixel Night Sight-ish "Night Vision" abilities. It also listed a Group Selfie mode for the 25 MP front camera, Qualcomm Snapdragon 675 CPU and 3,600mAh battery. It's not intended to keep up with a flagship phone like the Galaxy S10 family and will likely cost half of the price. but if it really does arrive with an older-generation CPU and single-lens rear camera that likely lacks tricks like OIS, we'll need to know exactly how much it costs to tell if it's competing with upper tier mid-range devices like the highly-anticipated OnePlus 7 series that we expect will feature triple lenses in the rear, a bigger built-in battery and a more powerful CPU
NASA was sold faulty rocket parts for almost 20 years
When the launch of NASA's Orbiting Carbon Observatory and Glory missions failed in 2009 and 2011, the agency said it was because their launch vehicle malfunctioned. The clamshell structure (called fairing) encapsulating the satellites as they traveled aboard Orbital ATK's Taurus XL rocket failed to separate on command. Now, a NASA Launch Services Program (LSP) investigation has revealed that the malfunction was caused by faulty aluminum materials. More importantly, the probe blew a 19-year fraud scheme perpetrated by Oregon aluminum extrusion manufacturer Sapa Profiles, Inc., which Orbital ATK fell victim to, wide open.
Energizer's giant battery phone reached just 1 percent of its funding goal
Remember the comically enormous phone that Avenir Telecom showed off under the Energizer brand at this year's Mobile World Congress? Its subsequent crowdfunding campaign has crashed and burned, as The Verge points out.
Samsung imagines a wraparound smartphone display
If that whole folding smartphone thing doesn't work out, Samsung has lot of other ideas cooking. It recently received patent approval for a continuous display that covers the front, while folding around the top and part of the rear of the phone, as spotted by Let's Go Digital. That would make for some interesting applications, like letting subjects see how they look before you take a photo or showing live language translations on the rear display.
'Mario Kart Tour' beta will arrive on phones next month
It's almost here! Today, Nintendo announced a "Closed Beta Test" for Mario Kart Tour, a long-delayed mobile spin-off that we currently know diddly-squat about. (Seriously, Nintendo hasn't released a single screenshot.) The sneak-preview will be available to Android users in the US and Japan between May 22nd and June 4th. (The final game, of course, will also be available on iOS devices.) If you're intrigued by the title, you can sign up using the QR code on the official Mario Kart Tour website. The long-delayed app is scheduled to come out in "summer 2019," the same time as Doctor Mario, a new game co-developed with messaging titan Line.
Pixel 3a leak shows Google's mid-range phone in full
Google is likely set to reveal mid-range Pixel 3a and 3a XL devices on May 7th, and now we know what they'll probably look like. A leak from Evan Blass, aka @evleaks, shows a notch-free device with a fairly basic design, single rear camera and a rear fingerprint reader. That's a bit out of step with other mid-level devices we've seen recently like Samsung's Galaxy A70, with rear multi-camera setups and nearly bezel free displays.
Teenager sues Apple for $1bn, claiming facial recognition led to false arrest (updated)
An 18-year-old from New York has filed a $1 billion lawsuit against Apple over a false arrest he says happened because of what he believes to be Apple's face recognition system. NYPD officers arrested Ousmane Bah on November 29th after he was falsely linked to a series of Apple Store thefts in Boston, New Jersey, Delaware and Manhattan. Apparently, the real perpetrator used a stolen ID that had his name, address and other personal information. However, since the ID didn't have a photo, the lawsuit claims Apple programmed its stores' face recognition system to associate the real thief's face with Bah's details. However, An Apple spokesperson told Engadget that the company does not use facial recognition in its stores.
Samsung officially delays Galaxy Fold launch
Those rumors of Samsung delaying the Galaxy Fold have quickly proven true. Samsung has issued a statement to Engadget saying it would "delay the release" of the Fold after reviewers' broken units showed how the device needed "further improvements." Impacts on the top and bottom exposed areas of the hinge appeared to create problems based on early data, the company said, while substances that got into the device also "affected performance." Samsung planned to strengthen the display protection and "enhance the guidance" on care for the display to prevent people from removing the vital top layer of the screen.
Samsung speaks up about broken Galaxy Fold review units
Even after extensive durability testing, reports surfaced yesterday that several Galaxy Fold reviewers had already suffered from broken devices. It appears they're experiencing more than one type of issue, mostly tied to the device's innovative folding display technology, and in a statement released tonight Samsung said it "will thoroughly inspect these units in person to determine the cause of the matter." According to Wall Street Journal reporter Joanna Stern, the Fold's planned April 26th launch is still on with no hint of a delay.
Boston Dynamics' SpotMini robots are strong enough to haul a box truck
How many SpotMini robots does it take to haul a big truck? Just 10, apparently. Boston Dynamics' new video shows 10 of its canine-inspired machines attached to a box truck like sled dogs, pulling it across the company's parking lot with a one-degree uphill slope. There was a driver behind the wheel during the demonstration, probably to prevent accidents, but the vehicle itself was in neutral.
Sony reveals first PlayStation 5 details
It's no secret that Sony is working on a new PlayStation console. Last October, for instance, company president Kenichiro Yoshida said it was "necessary" to have "next-generation hardware" after the PlayStation 4 Pro. Sony has been understandably hush-hush since then, shifting the spotlight toward its next batch of exclusive games, such as Days Gone, Dreams, and The Last of Us Part II. Today, however, we have some cold-hard facts about the PlayStation 5 -- or whatever Sony decides to call its new gaming box.
iOS 13 may include system-wide dark mode and undo gesture
With Apple's Worldwide Developer Conference less than two months away, more details about what iOS 13 might have in store are emerging. It could add a system-wide dark mode, deeper multitasking options, an undo gesture and updates for the likes of Safari and Mail, according to 9to5 Mac.
US charges Assange with conspiracy to commit computer hacking
The US Justice Department just officially charged Wikileaks co-founder Julian Assange, shortly after he was removed from the Ecuador embassy in London and arrested by local police. The charge is "conspiracy to commit computer intrusion" for agreeing to break a password to a classified US government computer. The Justice department also said it was in relation to "Assange's alleged role in one of the largest compromises of classified information in the history of the United States." It's the same allegation that was made in the Chelsea Manning trial in 2013, in which the former US Army private was found guilty of theft and espionage in relation to the release of classified government documents. But now that Assange has had his asylum revoked by the Ecuadorian government and has been arrested, he can finally be extradited to the US to face these charges.
This is the first real picture of a black hole
Yes, it happened. After years of relying on computer-generated imagery, scientists using the Event Horizon Telescope have captured the first real image of a black hole. The snapshot of the supermassive black hole in the Messier 87 galaxy (about 55 million light years away) shows the "shadow" created as the event horizon bends and sucks in light. It also confirms that the black hole is truly huge, with a mass 6.5 billion times that of the Sun. As you might imagine, taking this picture was tricky -- it required worldwide collaboration that wasn't possible until recently.
Huawei is ‘open’ to selling its 5G modems, but only to Apple
For years, Huawei has been developing its own high-powered processors and modems, all to power its big portfolio of mobile devices. And so far, the company has almost completely refused to sell any of those to its competitors. We've learned, however, that the company might be softening that stance. A source with knowledge of the situation has confirmed to Engadget that Huawei is now "open" to selling its 5G Balong 5000 chipsets, but only to one company: Apple.
Boston Dynamics' acquisition will help its robots see in 3D
While Boston Dynamics' robots make for fascinating -- sometimes disturbing -- internet videos, they haven't quite crossed into everyday life. That could change sooner rather than later. Boston Dynamics took a big step toward bringing its box-moving (and running, jumping, dishwashing) robots into the real world with its acquisition of Kinema Systems.
Nokia's X71 phone has a hole-punch display and a 48-megapixel camera
Nokia is the latest Android phone-maker to embrace the hole-punch display with the launch of the X71. Camera-centric phones have been par for the course for Nokia under both its previous owner Microsoft and current brand licensee HMD Global. The new handset, which touts a 48-megapixel triple-camera with Zeiss lenses, is no different.
A Russian drone hunts other drones with a shotgun
No, this isn't an April Fool's joke: A Russian defense contractor has patented a drone that uses a shotgun to blast other drones out of the sky. It comes from Almaz Antey, a Russian defense contractor that manufactures the S-400 Triumf surface-to-air missile that caused a rift between Turkey and the US. The tail-sitting drone takes off on the spot but flies like an airplane for greater efficiency, giving it a 40-minute range while packing a fully-automatic Vepr-12 shotgun with a 10-round magazine.
Watch Samsung bend the Galaxy Fold hundreds of times
Samsung is attempting to put to rest doubts over the Samsung Galaxy Fold's durability by revealing how each device is tested. The company released a video on Wednesday that shows its devices undergoing a factory stress-test, where a line-up of brand new Samsung Galaxy Folds fold, and then unfold, and then fold again.
MoviePass founder's next big idea: Free movie tickets for watching ads
Stacy Spikes just wants to get people to the movies. As the co-founder and CEO of MoviePass, he helped popularize the idea of cinema subscriptions. (This was before MoviePass brought in a new CEO and his ambitious -- but ultimately unsustainable -- $10 monthly plan.) As he pondered his next endeavor, he started noticing just how many ads we're subjected to in theaters, something that seems especially egregious as ticket prices keep climbing. And that's not counting the product placement we see in films.
