Galaxy S11 Feature Leak; Apple AR Headset & Glasses; Applecard Accused of Discrimination; Honda Punts Hydrogen & Diesel for EVs; YouTube Deletes ‘No Longer Commercially Viable’ Accounts

In a few months, Samsung will roll out its next iteration of their flagship, thought to be called the Galaxy S11. 9to5google.com reports that some credible leaks point to some cool details. First, the camera array is supposed to include a 108 MP sensor. This would give pics more detail, and allow users to zoom in on shots. It would be quite a jump from the 12MP sensor Samsung has used in the top line Galaxy phones for a while now. Expect the S11 to have 4 cameras. The S11 will come in 3 sizes, all bigger. The smallest will be either 6.2 or 6.4 inches in screen size, with a larger phone having 6.7, and the biggest 6.9. The mid-sized one will be available in both LTE and 5G versions. The top phone is expected to just have 5G. It is expected that the screens will have a hole punch in the middle of the screen for the cam, instead of off to the right as the present ones do. We should know by February when the phones will roll out.

Apple is reportedly shooting to drop an AR headset with 3D scanning by 2022, followed by sleeker glasses in 2023. According to macrumors.com, this timeline was shared with Apple execs and some employees at Apple Park in October. The meeting apparently filled the Steve Jobs Theatre, which holds 1,000, so Apple must have a pretty large team working on the AR project. The headset is said to have ‘advanced human detection’ in addition to 3D scanning. It may resemble Facebook’s Oculus Quest, but apparently Apple plans to ‘make heavy use of fabrics and lightweight materials’ to ensure that it is comfortable to wear for extended periods of time. It is said to have a high res display and cameras that will let users ‘read small type’ and ‘see other people standing in front of and behind’ virtual objects. The AR glasses apparently resemble high priced sunglasses and have ‘thick frames that house the battery and chips.’ Since it’s Apple, expect them to make the finished product as sleek as technology will allow.

Late last week, a story went viral about a couple claiming Apple Card offered a significantly lower line of credit to a wife than the husband had received. Appleinsider.com says an investigation has been launched, but now Goldman Sachs…which issues the Apple Card…denies the allegations, and says all credit scores are individually determined. The initial claim came from a David Hansson, creator or Ruby on Rails. Later, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak reported having a similar situation with his partner. Goldman notes, that credit decisions are based on previous debt, current income, and similar data. In a statement Tweeted by Goldman, the bank said “it is possible for two family members to receive significantly different credit decisions. In all cases, we have not and will not make decisions based on factors like gender”.

Honda has pulled working on its hydrogen vehicle program and has killed off diesel, and is going all-in on EVs. Electrek.co notes that Honda is a bit later than most to the electric vehicle party, but now plans to start ‘electrifying’ the entire line. This includes hybrids…right now they aren’t going to dump internal combustion entirely. Honda will roll out the small Honda E in Europe next year, and another EV in 2022. They will concentrate on battery only EVs in Europe before bringing them to the US. The Honda E will sell for $33,00 in US dollars, and only has about 125 miles of range. In addition to EVs, Honda is looking at powering solutions…like an experimental vending machine that provides swappable 1 Kw-hour batteries. The mobile batteries are about the size of a milk jug, and would allow EV drivers to drop one off, buy another, and roll on without stopping so long to charge.

YouTube’s new terms of service states “YouTube may terminate your access, or your Google account’s access to all or part of the Service if YouTube believes, in its sole discretion, that provision of the Service to you is no longer commercially viable.” Mashable.com reports that it means if they aren’t making a buck off your account, they can (and will) delete it. I know someone in IT who knows several people who have been deleted under this. Fortunately, they were able to move to Twitch or other platforms.