Last Minute Apple Rumors; Ford’s Electric Crossover; AT&T Adding 5 Cities to 5G Coverage
Posted: September 10, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: 5G, Apple, AT&T, Crossover e-SUV, EKG, Ford, iPad Pro, iPhone, Macbook, Mach 1, Mustang, Touch Bar, TouchID, Watch Leave a comment
Noted analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, known for pretty reliable Apple rumors, has dropped a few today, ahead of the Apple rollout Wednesday. According to macrumors.com, Kuo says Cupertino will replace Lightning with a USB-C port on the upcoming iPad Pro. The new iPhones will have 5W power adapters…not the rumored higher wattage ones. The new, cheaper MacBook will have TouchID but won’t have a Touch Bar, and the Watch 4 will all have a ceramic back and support EKG in addition to a thinner bezel and bigger face. As for the iPhones, Kuo thinks the new 6.1” one (which will ship late September or early October) will account for 65-70% of the new iPhone models shipped.
We’ve been hearing that Ford is aiming to drop all sedans save the Mustang, and focus primarily on SUVs and pickups as they move to electric vehicles. Now, that automaker has teased an electric performance crossover SUV codenamed the ‘Mach 1.’ Theverge.com reports that Ford has increased its investment in EV tech to $11 billion. Note that in the teaser image, the tail lights mimic those on the original Mustang.
AT&T has announced they are adding 5 more cities to their 5G network by the end of the year. Houston, Jacksonville, Louisville, New Orleans, and San Antonio will join the 7 cities already announced: Atlanta, Charlotte, Dallas, Indianapolis, Oklahoma City, Raleigh and Waco. Waiting to get the faster service until early 2019: Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Nashville, Orlando, San Diego, San Francisco and San Jose. The carrier is also working on its Project AirGig, which is designed to cover rural populations that don’t have access to high speed internet. They will apparently roll out cheaper plastic antennas that can be mounted on existing poles, buildings, etc to increase coverage.
Samsung Foldable Smartphone 2018; Xiaomi May Drop 1st 5G Phone; Mercedes Shows e-SUV; New Snap Spectacles 2 Frames
Posted: September 5, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: ' Folding smartphone, 5G smartphone, e-SUV, EQC, Mercedes, Samsung, Snap, Spectacles 2, Xiaomi Leave a comment
2020 Mercedes-Benz EQC
Long rumored…really long rumored, the folding smartphone will finally roll out in 2018…at least that’s what DJ Koh, CEO of Samsung Mobile is saying. Macrumors.com reports that Samsung plans to drop a model of Galaxy Note that folds by the end of the year. It will have a giant screen made of the two sides inside, and a third screen when folded on the outside. The phablet is rumored to be 7 inches diagonally, but can be folded in half much like a wallet. Samsung may show it off at their developer conference in November.
Xiaomi plans to beat every other smartphone maker to the punch, releasing the first 5G smartphone in the Mi Mix 3 later this year. 5G is going to be stunning…with download speeds 10 times that of 4G. Mashable.com notes that right now, only Verizon has any 5G, and that’s just in 3 cities and only at fixed locations…so not really mobile. 5G is expected to be more widely available in 2019 and 2020, and look for many handset makers to debut 5G phones by then. For this year, though, if you want to be first on your block with 5G capability, it’s going to be Xiaomi!
Mercedes has finally given a real look at their EQC e-SUV, which was first teased as a concept car at the Paris Auto Show two years ago. According to arstechnica.com, it goes into production in 2019, and will be on sale in 2020. Mercedes is touting 402 horsepower and up to 200 miles of range on a charge. The e-SUV will roll on the same wheelbase as the hybrid or fueled GLC, but is a little tighter…a bit shorter, thinner, and sporting a bit lower profile. It will run a pair of motors…one for each axle. Mercedes says it will charge from 10% up to 80% in 40 minutes.
Snap is showing off a couple new styles of frames for its Spectacles 2 video glasses. Thee frames are still oversized, but aren’t the total round, uber-nerd shape of the originals. Engadget.com says they are on sale at Snap’s website for $199. The frames are dubbed ‘Nico’ and Veronica,’ although Snap showed both on female models!
Always On Apple Watch; Twitter Boss Kept White Supremicists; Audi Starts Building 1st e-SUV; Nanobots Swarm For Medical Procedures
Posted: September 4, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Always-on, Apple, Audi, e-SUV, Nanobots, OLED display, trolls, Twitter Leave a commentIt may not be out by the models next week, but Apple is working on an always-on Apple watch display. Bgr.com says the trick is to minimize burn on OLED screens, which an always-on condition causes. Apple is toiling on a method of artificially adjusting the brightness and colors of particular areas of the screen, which would minimize burn. People have been clamoring for an always on time display at the least (raising hand here), so lets hope this happens. The Apple Watch 3 can make it (barely) 3 days on a charge, and it may be that the new model coming out on the 12th can even improve on that.
Lots of sets of eyeballs, not to mention bots and trolls, must be pretty critical to Twitter. Gizmodo.com reports that Jack Dorsey overruled staff to keep Alex Jones and White Supremacist Richard Spencer on the platform. The Twitter CEO is apparently terrified of infuriating a loud, angry extreme conservative movement, so he caved on banning high profile accounts like conspiracy master Alex Jones. The Wall Street Journal reported extensively on this, but Twitter is officially denying it.
Audi ramped up production on its first all-electric SUV last week, according to techcrunch.com. The company plans to show the e-tron SUV September 17th in San Francisco. Audi had been working on an e-tron quattro for several years. The electric SUV is being built in Brussels, Belgium where the company also has its own battery production line. the e-SUV is supposed to have fast charging capability and a range of about 250 miles. It should go on sale by the end of the year.
New research from Chinese University/Hong Kong indicates that a magnetic field can be used to control movement of swarms of nanobots, and implement swarm behaviors. Cnet.com says this could be used by surgeons to perform complex medical tasks. By using swarms of nanobots, surgeons may be able to target drug delivery, cancer therapies, and do eye surgeries. A university team has already begun animal tests on the nano-swarms.
Apple Buys Smartglasses Lens Maker; Dyson Working on EV; Twitter Testing Unfollow Suggestions
Posted: August 30, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Akonia Holographics, Apple, AR glasses, Dyson, Electric vehicle, Twitter, Unfollow Leave a commentApple has acquired a Colorado start up that specializes in making ‘vibrant’ lenses for Augmented Reality glasses. According to 9to5mac.com, Akonia Holographics was started in 2012, and initially was working on ‘holographic data storage.’ They soon focused on creating displays for AR glasses, and have over 200 patents for that kind of tech. Apple has been thought to be working on AR glasses, and may release some type of AR headset or glasses next year or in 2020.
Dyson, which disrupted the vacuum business a few years ago, and has made further forays into fans, heaters, and even a hair dryer using improved tech, is pressing ahead on an electric vehicle. Emgadget.com reports that they have proposed a development facility at Hullavington Airfield that includes 10 miles of test tracks…you don’t need that to test out vacuums! The already have $110 million invested, and look to more than double that amount towards the project. if things go to plan, Dyson would like to roll out an electric vehicle by 2020-2021.
If you are on Twitter at all, you know you get their suggestions on who to follow. Now, mashable.com says the social network is testing out suggestions for people to unfollow…mainly ones you do’t engage with on a regular basis. Twitter says the feature would give users a more relevant Twitter timeline. Considering the firehose that Twitter is, a lot of us barely notice the accounts we don’t engage with anyway. Twitter may or may not make the feature permanent, depending on how the testing works out.
Fall iPhone Sales Expected to Be Highest in Years; Dell Rolls out New Convertible Chromebook; Sign In to Windows 10 With Google Account
Posted: August 29, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: 3rd Party credentials, Apple, Chromebook, Convertible, Dell, Google, Inspiron, iPhone, Supercycle, Windows 10 Leave a commentThe iPhone X last year ended up selling better than some expected, but wasn’t the explosive ‘super cycle’ some thought it might be. Now, macrumors.com says DigiTimes is predicting something approaching that super cycle…the biggest iPhone selling season since the iPhone 6 in 2014. One key reason: the expected cheaper 6.1 inch LCD screen handset. As previously reported, the cheaper phone is expected to be $600-$700, while the replacement 5.8 inch OLED model will be $800-$900, with the new bigger 6.5 inch near-phablet starting at $1000. Suppliers are estimating 70-75 million phones will ship by the end of 2018 with this lineup. As we reported, it looks like the rollout will be September 12th, with preorders starting Friday September 14th.
Dell has announced the new Inspiron Chromebook 14. The rig is a two in one, a Chrome OS convertible on steroids. Arstechnica.com reports that it has the look and feel…and even power…of Dell’s Windows based Inspiron machines. It has a metal body, and comes with a pen to use with the 14 inch touch screen. The convertible starts at $599, and has an Intel Core i3 processor, 4 gigs or RAM, and either 64 or 128 gigs of storage. Battery should last 10 hours on a charge.
Google appears to be working on a way to let users log into Windows 10 machines using their Google accounts. 9to5google.com says the system takes advantage of Windows’ ability to use 3rd party credential providers. Without getting into the weeds, you would just use your Google account email and password to log in. It does look like users will need to have Chrome installed to take advantage of this. No date on when it might be available, but much more detail is available at Bleeping Computer.
Huawei Passes Apple to be the Avis of Smartphones; Facebook-100% Renewable Energy by 2020; Oculus Studies VR in Classrooms; Toyota Invests in Uber; Trump- Google is RIGGED
Posted: August 28, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Apple, CNN, Education, Facebook, Fake Media, Google, Huawei, libraries, Museums, Oculus, Renewable energy, Samsung, Schools, Smartphones, Toyota, Trump, Uber Leave a commentChinese smartphone maker Huawei has slipped past Apple to grab the #2 spot in smartphone sales. TechCrunch.com reports that a Gartner figure puts Huawei ahead in sales for the 2nd quarter. Huawei came in at 13.3%, up from 9.8% in the prior year, while Apple got 11.9%, off slightly from the 12.1% they had in 2017’s Q2. Samsung still stands tall as #1, at 19.3% this year, and 22.6% in 2017.
Facebook has announced they will cut greenhouse gas emissions by 75% and be running on 100% renewable energy by the end of 2020. According to theverge.com, Facebook has signed contracts for more than 3 gigawatts of new solar and wind energy since 2013. Those projects are all on the same grids as Facebook data centers in Oregon, Virginia, New Mexico, and Sweden. Samsung has also pledged to be on 100% renewable by 2020 in the US, Europe, and China. Apple and Google have also purchased enough renewable energy to offset their global energy consumption since April.
Oculus is getting ready to study how virtual reality can be used in education. Cnet.com says they have kicked off a pilot program called Oculus Education, which will distribute Oculus Go and Rift headsets to schools, libraries, and museums in Taiwan, Japan, and Seattle. The first phase will center around training teachers and other instructors in the use of VR and gathering feedback, and how VR can fill unique needs in those institutions. In conjunction with the headset program, Oculus is releasing 3 new VR experiences centered around history, science, and culture. They are all available at the Oculus store.
Toyota is pumping $500 million into Uber as part of a self-driving car partnership. Businessinsider.com reports that Toyota had previously invested in Uber a couple years ago as part of an auto leasing deal. Uber is reportedly selling self-driving tech to Toyota, while Toyota is promising to collaborate with Uber in moving self-driving tech forward. We may be seeing a Toyota self-driving Prius Hybrid sooner, not later.
Donald Trump fired off another angry Tweet from the White House…this time accusing Google of rigging search results against conservatives. According to gizmodo.com, the Chief Executive Tweeted “Google search results for ‘Trump News’ shows only the viewing/reporting of Fake New Media. In other words, they have it RIGGED, for me & others, so that almost all stories & news is BAD. Fake CNN is prominent. Republican/Conservative & Fair Media is shut out. Illegal?” He is claiming that ’96% of the results on ‘Trump News’ are from National Left-Wing Media, very dangerous.’ He went on to rail that it was a very serious situation and it will be addressed. It might help if he adjusted his view of ‘Fake News.’
Mercedes Teases Production e-SUV; Smart Speaker Sales Climb; Pixel 3 Rollout; iPhone Xs-or Whatever
Posted: August 27, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Amazon, Apple, e-SUV, Google, iPhone X, iPhone Xs, Mercedes, Pixel 3, Pixel Watch, PixelBook, Smart speakers Leave a comment
Their company slogan for over 100 years, a personal motto of Gottlieb Daimler, has been ‘The best…or nothing.’ Now, Mercedes is going to reveal their first production electric SUV on September 4th. According to engadget.com, a very brief video clip dropped of the vehicle over the weekend. It does have a grill…unnecessary in an e-vehicle, but perhaps necessary from a branding standpoint…making it clear that it’s unmistakably a Mercedes. Interestingly, except for the tiny script on the crest on the hood, Mercedes-Benz has never put their actual name on a vehicle in the past 70 years…only the iconic 3 pointed star! The e-SUV will roll with a 400HP motor system and 70kWh battery pack. It will boast 0-62mph in under 5 seconds and a 310 mile maximum range. It should hit the roadways in 2019.
The smart speaker market is exploding, but no one knows how much longer it will sustain such growth. Geekwire.com reports that an analysis by Canalys estimates that in the second quarter of this year, the market grew 187% worldwide year over year, with shipments of 16.8 million smart speaker devices. Amazon still commands half the market, Google now has a quarter, and the final quarter is divided up amongst Chinese players and Apple. Canalys sees Google shipping more than Amazon in Q2, 32.3% to 24.5%, but others disagree. Futuresource and Strategy Analytics say Amazon is still on top. The latter gave amazon 41% and Google 27.6% in 2nd quarter, so we’ll have to stay tuned to see who actually comes out on top when the smoke all clear.
Google will roll out the Pixel 3 at an event in New York City on October 9th, according to a couple Bloomberg sources, in a story picked up by 9to5google.com. In addition to the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL, we should also see a 2nd generation Pixelbook, a new set of Pixel Bud earphones, and a Pixel Watch running the Wear OS.
We are pretty certain Apple will roll out its 3 new iPhone models on September 12th, but no one is certain about the name. Macrumors.com says Apple has considered ’S’ since this would ordinarily be an ’S’ year for them…they may have more significant changes next year….BUT is waffling on naming the OLED models that. Maybe that’s due to how it sounds. Although the ‘X’ model was supposed to be TEN, most people called it X. An Xs model could bring snark and ridicule…say it fast…Xs….excess! Well, a lot of people feel that way about Apple’s prices! Anyway, whatever it is should roll out September 12th.
Aussies Ban 5G Tech From ZTE & Huawei; Androids Phone Home WAY More; Solid Guess- iPhone Rollout Day
Posted: August 23, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: 5G, ads, Android, Apple, Australia, Google, Huawei, iOS, iPhone, Pinging, ZTE Leave a commentThe faster 5G networks will be showing up next year, but there won’t be any equipment from Huawei or ZTE used in Australia’s 5G networks. Techcrunch.com reports that the Australian government has banned use of equipment from those companies due to risks to national security. The US banned most Huawei and ZTE tech use by government agencies and contractors earlier this year.
ET may have phoned home, and all smartphones also do…but Android handsets do it a lot more. According to mashable.com, a Vanderbilt University professor named Douglas Schmidt did a study, and Android units ping Google nearly 10 times more than Apple’s iOS touches base. Most of Google’s data collection happens when the user isn’t directly engaged with any of it’s products, and according to Schmidt’s study, Google is able to de-anonymize such data. Hey, gotta target those ads somehow!
When will the new iPhones be shown, and when can you order one? Bgr.com is betting the rollout will be on September 12th, and the preorders will start on the 14th. This is also the date reliable Apple tout Ming-Chi Kuo sees, but now BGR says they have further indications. Apparently a number of Apple partners and 3rd party accessory makers have sent them pitches with embargoes of September 12th.
Xiaomi F1- Cheap Flagship Power; Huawei Caught Cheating on Cam Photos-Again; VW-Huge Electric Truck Order; Verizon Throttled Firefighter Data
Posted: August 22, 2018 Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: Ambev, Brazil, Electric trucks, F1, Firefighters, Huawei, Pocophone, Snapdragon 845, Throttling, Verizon, VW, Xiaomi Leave a commentChinese smartphone maker Xiaomi has announced a new sub brand called Pocophone, and released a new model F1 smartphone in India. The interesting thing about it is that the phone sells for $300, but has the power of a Qualcomm Snapdragon 845…the present top line processor used in flagship Android phones. Not only that, the phone has 6 gigs of RAM, 64 GB of storage, and a 6.18 inch LCD screen at HD+. What about the battery? 4,000mAh. Right now, there are no plans to bring it to the US, unfortunately. A lot of people would love flagship phone power for $300 instead of $800-$1000!
In a repeat of earlier cheating for ad photos, Huawei has been caught using a pro DSLR camera’s pics and passing them off as being from their Nova 3 smartphone. Arstechnica.com reports that one of the actors in the shots posted some behind the scenes photos from a shoot to Instagram, and you can see the DSLR on a tripod shooting the actual shots.
VW has gotten an order for 1600 electric trucks from Ambev’s Brazilian brewery division. According to electrek.co, the beer maker will convert a third of their fleet to electric by 2023. The vehicles will start being delivered in 2020.
Verizon throttled firefighters, and has been sued. Santa Clara County fire says the throttling had a significant impact on their ability to provide crisis response and essential emergency services during recent fires. Arstechnica.com says the fire department’s declaration was added to a brief filed by 22 state attorneys general in the ongoing lawsuit over the FCC net neutrality rules overturn. Stay tuned.
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