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Sony unveils world's first 48-megapixel smartphone sensor
Is it best to have a high-resolution smartphone camera or a lower-resolution one with better light sensitivity? Sony says you can have both with its latest stacked CMOS image sensor. The IMX586 has the "industry's highest pixel count" with 48 megapixels, bettering high-end cameras like its own A7R III, all squeezed into a phone-sized 8.0 mm diagonal unit. At the same time, four adjacent pixels can be added together during low light shooting, yielding a 12-megapixel sensor that delivers "bright, low noise images," Sony said.
VW will build its electric microbus and crossover in the US
Volkswagen is pushing its EV strategy hard in Europe and China, and now intends to continue its momentum in the US, where it plans to produce its upcoming all-electric microbus and crossover SUV. Confirmed to Autocar this week, VW says it'll produce the I.D. BUZZ electric microbus and I.D. CROZZ Concept in the States, ready for launch in 2022. According to Hinrich Woebcken, head of VW in North America, "For strong product momentum, they need to be produced in the USA. It's not possible to come into a high-volume scenario with imported cars. We want to localize electric mobility in the US."
Google fined $5.04 billion for forcing its apps onto Android phones
Europe has imposed a record-setting €4.3 billion ($5 billion) fine on Google for antitrust violations around its Android smartphone operating system. In 2016, the EU Commission charged Google with forcing mobile network operators to install Chrome, search and other Google apps as the default or exclusive search service on most devices sold in Europe. With a market share of over 80 percent in many countries, that effectively locked others out of the search market, creating a near-monopoly for the search giant.
Samsung's new DRAM chip will make phones run faster and longer
Samsung has been busy improving its microSD range, introducing SSDs with faster write speeds, and opening the world's biggest mobile factory, but the electronics maker doesn't appear to be slowing down any time soon -- it's just completed tests on a 8Gb LPDDR5 DRAM prototype, a faster, low power RAM that will be used to power machine learning applications and AI in 5G phones.
Smart bandage can monitor chronic wounds and dispense drugs
Chronic or slow-healing wounds are an increasing problem around the world. That's why a team of researchers at Tufts University is working on a smart bandage that can keep track of what is going on with a wound and release treatments as necessary.
Samsung's Galaxy Note 9 pen will include Bluetooth
Samsung hasn't been shy about hinting that the Galaxy Note 9 launch will focus heavily on the S Pen. Now, however, we have a better idea of what that means. An FCC filing for the Note 9's S Pen has revealed that it'll include Bluetooth, suggesting remote control features. The documents unsurprisingly don't say what those features are, but leaker Ice Universe had previously claimed that the stylus could control music playback and timers. We wouldn't expect anything sophisticated (it's a one-button device without a screen), but it could provide value even if you only rarely intend to draw.
Spotify users request refunds after over-the-top Drake promotion
Last week, Drake smashed the single-day record for total number of album streams on Spotify with the release of his new record Scorpion, but the artist had some help in making that happen. Spotify placed Drake prominently on its playlists, effectively allowing the artist to "take over" the music service over the weekend. While Drake fans were likely pleased, others weren't exactly thrilled about this turn of events. Some premium subscribers even went as far to demand refunds from Spotify for the service's placement of advertisements on accounts that are supposed to be ad-free.
NASA will publicly test quiet supersonic technology in November
You won't have to wonder what NASA's quiet supersonic technology sounds like in person -- if you live in the right part of Texas, that is. The administration plans to conduct a series of public tests around the coastal city of Galveston in November. The F/A-18 Hornet aircraft at the heart of the tests will perform dive maneuvers that produce louder sonic booms out at sea, while quieter sonic "thumps" will take place over Galveston proper. After that, "at least" 500 local volunteers will provide feedback on what they heard, while audio sensors will provide more definitive noise readings.
The Olympics people are seriously considering eSports
The International Olympic Committee and the Global Association of International Sports Federations are hosting a forum. And it's not just any forum, but one to discuss the topic of eSports with the aim of building "joint understanding" between the sport sport and eSports worlds. Which sounds like a lot of marketing speak for the IOC and GAISF trying to work out if an eSports Olympics will make them any money.
Pornhub adds closed captions for viewers with hearing loss
Pornhub may always have one eye on an eye-catching publicity stunt, but it is at least trying to bring adult content to those with accessibility issues. From today, the site is adding closed captions to a section of its content library, geared towards those with hearing loss. Over 1,000 clips across a number of genres will offer "descriptive and interpretative text" for those who "are not able to hear the video's original audio."
Apple's future AirPods may offer noise cancellation and greater range
Apple might have larger plans in store for future AirPods beyond water resistance. Bloomberg sources claim that a higher-end version of the totally wireless earbuds could arrive "as early as" 2019 with noise cancellation and longer wireless range in addition to protection against rain and sweat. There's no mention of whether or not there would be an audio quality boost at the same time, but you at least wouldn't have to endure unwanted noises from the outside world. It's safe to presume they'd cost more than the existing $159.
IBM’s Project Debater is an AI that's ready to argue
A large group of journalists and IBM employees sit quietly while a black monolith (yes, like the one found in 2001: A Space Odyssey) with a display shows three animated blue balls floating in front and behind each other. The assembled humans are waiting for Project Debater to state its rebuttal. It's arguing for government-subsidized space exploration. It's parsing the four-minute opening remarks of 2016 Israeli national debate champion Noa Ovadia. It's thinking, and its reply is impressive but not always natural.
After two years, 'Pokémon Go' is finally letting you trade monsters
It's been almost two years since Nintendo and Niantic released the mobile hit Pokémon Go. While the game's (very) slow feature rollout has whittled down the userbase to diehard fans, interaction with the upcoming Switch games make it a good time to get back in the game. But today, the game announced it's ready to roll out a Poké-critical function that's been missing since launch day: Trading your little beasties with anyone and everyone.
Amazon's Fire TV Cube squeezes an Echo into its set-top box
It's been almost four years since Amazon first introduced the Echo smart speaker and its virtual assistant Alexa. It's also been just over four years since the the company first released its Fire TV set-top video box. Now, the two products are converging in a way they haven't before, in the form of the Amazon Fire TV Cube. As you might expect, it's a cube-shaped box you plug in to your TV; it runs the expected suite of apps like Netflix, Hulu, PlayStation Vue, HBO Go, Sling and Amazon's Prime Video service. And like the current Fire TV Stick and Fire TV box, you can talk to Alexa to search for movies and shows as well as access thousands of third-party "skills." But the Fire TV Cube is essentially a full-featured Echo, as well. It's always listening for the Alexa wake word, and you can talk to it even when your TV is off. The new box has eight microphones built in, similar to existing Echo hardware, which means you can speak to Alexa whenever you want as well as navigate the Fire TV Cube's interface with your voice.
'Pokémon: Let's Go' will connect 'Pokémon Go' and Switch this fall
A new series of Pokémon games coming to the Switch this fall will link the "classic RPG experience" with 2016's augmented reality hit Pokémon Go. Pokémon: Let's Go Pikachu! and Pokémon: Let's Go Evee! will also support multiplayer, and there's a Poké Ball Plus accessory that works to throw Poké Balls in-game as a motion controller and works as a Pokémon Go Plus when you're away from home.
'PUBG' creators sue Epic Games over 'Fortnite' battle royale mode
The developers of PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds haven't been shy about accusing Epic Games of riding their bandwagon with Fortnite, and now they're taking legal action. Bluehole's PUBG Corp has confirmed that it sued Epic in South Korea this January for allegedly violating the studio's copyright with Fortnite's Battle Royale mode, particularly its interface and in-game items. Epic has declined to comment, but it's safe to say the situation is... complicated.
Pornhub made a VPN
Arguably the biggest adult video website on the planet, Pornhub is responsible for plenty of folks getting their rocks off each day. But, as regulations on the internet trend rightward, access to adult content is becoming a problem. That's why the site is launching VPNhub, a Pornhub owned-and-operated VPN that will theoretically keep your browsing activity free from the prying eyes of snoopers and censors.
Sony says it’s the beginning of the end for PS4
The PS4 era is entering its final stages. Speaking to investors, PlayStation boss John Kodera outlined the company's three-year roadmap and it seems console sales are not expected to be a major source of revenue going forward. This is largely due to declining sales which is, Kodera notes, typical of the usual profit- and life-cycle of consoles. It does also suggest a new console might be on its way -- likely the PS5 -- but Kodera didn't give away any specifics.
RED is building an 8K 3D camera for its holographic phone
RED is partnering with a company called Lucid on an 8K, 3D prosumer camera that will work with its incoming Hydrogen One smartphone, Lucid announced. The device -- shown above in prototype form at RED's Hydrogen One party -- has two synced 4K cameras that capture and convert video and images to 8K 4V (.h4v) files. Those can then be displayed in 3D on the Hydrogen One's "holographic" display, and later uploaded to YouTube, Facebook and RED's own content hub.
Graphene 'stimulation' could selectively kill off cancer cells
A chance lab discovery is opening up the possibility for wide-scale improvements in drug screening, application of selective painkillers, and selectively nuking cancer cells. The mystery material? Graphene, a semi-metal that's composed of a single layer of carbon atoms. It's already being used to make flexible OLED displays and reduce the energy costs of desalination, but its potential benefits for the medical field look promising too.
