Galaxy S10s Will Support Next Gen WiFi; iOS 12.2 Beta Update; Tesla Buys Maxwell; Hydrogen Trains May Come to Britain

The imminent Samsung Galaxy S10 phones will support next-generation WiFi. This, according to engadget.com, picked up from FCC filings. The rub? You will have to have WiFi 6 (802.11ax) routers at home or in the office to use the feature. The phones will also support not only wireless charging, but the ability to wirelessly charge accessories. The new Galaxy phones roll out this month.

On the topic of next generation, the hot one will be 5G for cellular systems….which when in place, and the devices that can use it also are out in the world, will give blazingly fast net connections. We’ve covered how AT&T is rebranding their ‘upgraded’ 4G LTE, and now it’s showed up in the iOS 12.2 Beta….the phones display ‘5G E’ when talking to the AT&T network! The fake 5G has already hit Android phones. In something actually useful…ok, fun at least…Apple has rolled out new Animoji in the same Beta. Now, you can rock a giraffe, shark, owl, or boar if you’re into that. If you’re a giant bore in real life, your face can be an animated boar on your phone! There are now 24 Animoji characters available that mimic you’re facial expressions.

Tesla has picked up an ultra capacitor and battery manufacturer, dropping $200 million in the deal. Electrek.co reports that the electric car maker has snapped up Maxwell. Besides its ultra capacitors, Maxwell also has been working with a dry electrode tech for batteries. The dry electrode manufacturing process could result in a 10 to 20% reduction in cost compared to making wet electrodes…and Maxwell claims extending battery life ‘up to a factor of 2.’

In Britain, they had been electrifying trains to cut down on carbon emissions, but ran into a snag…in some places, it was just too expensive to run the third rails and electric service. Now, thenextweb.com says they are turning to hydrogen to extend the routes. Hydrogen train cars with power packs will produce the electricity in locations where they haven’t run electric third rails or overhead wires. Germany has already been replacing diesel train engines with hydrogen electric ones. The hydrogen trains could be on the tracks in Britain by 2022. Hydrogen can carry more energy that the same weight of batteries, and they also take less time to refuel than electric battery packs.