Google Stand Alone VR Headsets; Google Indoor Location VPS; Google Home gets Hands Free Calling, More; Galaxy Note 8 Will Sport Dual Cams

Posted: May 17, 2017 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Google is working on a standalone VR headset with HTC and Lenovo. 9to5google.com says the new system will be much easier to use, and will heighten the feeling of presence. Headsets should be out in the world and available later this year.

At I/O, Google has also revealed it is working on detailed indoor location positioning using its Tango 3D sensing computer vision tech. According to techcrunch.com, they call this Visual Positioning Service, or VPS. As an example, it could lead you directly to a certain item in a big box home improvement store. No word on when the system will be rolled out, but it will be a cool addition to the AR and VR systems Google and others are working on.

Speaking of indoors, Google Home is getting hands-free calling, proactive assistance, and Bluetooth streaming. Proactive assistance will be timely info like traffic alerts. The hands free calling can call any land line or mobile in the US or Canada with just a ‘Hey, Google call X. No setup is required, and it will default to private number, unless you want to have your number display. You can stream music from your Android of iPhone over Bluetooth, or use SoundCloud.

The Galaxy S8 and Plus didn’t get it, but it looks like the Note 8 will have dual rear cams. Bgr.com reports that there will be a 12Mp wide angle lens and a 13 Mp telephoto with a 3x optical zoom, leapfrogging Apple’s iPhone 7 Plus with the 2x optical zoom.

Samsung Will Make a Note 8; New Lenovo Gaming Notebooks; Synaptics Fingerprint & Facial Recognition ID System; 27 Inch Dell Ultrathin Monitor

Posted: January 3, 2017 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

For the many fans who very reluctantly gave up their Samsung Galaxy Note 7 phablets, happy news…there will be a Note 8! According to 9to5google.com, it will roll with a 4K display, and be Gear VR wearable. Presumably, it will have a less ‘explody’ battery, too!

Lenovo is dropping a new line of gaming laptops for CES. They are called Legion, and will optionally have a 4K anti-glare screen, Dolby Atmos sound, and have an Nvidia GeForce GTX 1060 GPU that will drive your VR headset. Arstechnica.com says they will rock Kaby Lake processors and up to a 2 TB hard drive.

Synaptics has announced a multi-factor biometric engine for smartphones, tablets, & PCs. Macrumors.com reports that they partnered with facial recognition firm KeyLemon, and the new engine will use both fingerprint and facial recognition. Apparently, the user can select either facial or fingerprint, or for the most secure two-factor apps like banking, require both. It has AI anti-spoof technology that can allegedly distinguish between fake and real fingers. The facial recognition engine detects blinking and head movement to weed out fakes, too.

Dell has unveiled a new 27 inch ultra thin monitor. 9to5mac.com says it has USB-C support and will hit the streets in March for $700. It isn’t 4 or 5K, but they claim it’s the world’s thinnest monitor, and it’s a lot less pricey than the LG UltraFine 5K Apple is using since it exited the monitor business.

Samsung May Still Make a Galaxy Note 8; New Emoji on the Way in 2017

Posted: November 11, 2016 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

As of now, Samsung may still make a Galaxy Note 8, even in the wake of the fiery demise of the Note 7 and related terrible publicity. Bgr.com says they could still kill it, but it’s on for now. The other two Galaxy S8 models will both have edge screens…Samsung is ditching the flat screen completely. If they do kill the note 8, it’s possible one of the S8 models will be larger to take its place without the branding.

Emoji….how we love ‘em. Years from now, archeologists will be trying to interpret them like they do now with Egyptian hieroglyphics! According to appleinsider.com, we can look forward to 51 additional ones in 2017, including a woman breastfeeding, T-Rex, a Zombie, and for some people after the latest election….a Shocked Face with Exploding Head.

Mac Rollout This Week; Crazy New iPhone 8 Rumor; The Planned Galaxy Note 8

Posted: October 24, 2016 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Apple is expected to roll out freshened MacBook Pros and a 13 inch MacBook on Thursday. Macrumors.com says the MacBook Pro will have the OLED touch bar and Touch ID sensor in both the 13 and 15 inch models, as previously leaked, USB C and Thunderbolt 3 connectors, but also will have an oxide panel screen for better display quality and energy efficiency, and get this…a TWO terabyte SSD available!

There have been rumors for most of the year about the iPhone 8 having glass panels front and back with either an aluminum or stainless steel bezel. Most think it will have an edge to edge glass screen with the fingerprint sensor and home button under the screen. Now, bgr.com reports that it may be more radical than originally thought. New rumors have the iPhone 8 as being a clear Gorilla Glass sandwich…with polycarbonates to help make it more shatter resistant…and with an OLED screen. According to some sources, you will be able to see straight through it, so it can be popped into an AR headset, and it allegedly will have a higher frame rate than a PC with an Nvidia 1080 card installed. It will have a next gen 3D sensor from Apple owned Primesense. Apple supposedly has 600 engineers in Israel working on the sensor alone. Buckle up, this could be youuuuge.

Samsung is officially planning a Galaxy Note 8 to replace the Note 7 after it’s flameout. According to Zdnet.com, they plan to offer buyers in Korea who traded their Note 7’s for S7 or S7 Edge models a 50% discount for the monthly upgrade program to keep them in the fold. No word yet if the deal will be extended to the US or other countries.

Samsung Kills Note 7; Amazon Considers Convenience Stores; Apple Patents Super Resolution Multi-Sensor Cam; Ridiculous Rich Kids App

Posted: October 11, 2016 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

After suspending production and halting sales, Samsung has killed production of the Galaxy Note 7. 9to5google.com notes that since a number of the allegedly ‘safe’ Notes also caught fire, and US carriers stopped selling it, there was really no way to save the handset. Samsung shares dropped 8% on the news, and as of this writing are down another 9.5%. The Galaxy Note 8 is due out in just a few months, and it remains to be seen if that can save face for Samsung.

Amazon, which has already caused great disruption to retail, is now thinking of adding brick and mortar convenience stores in addition to drive up grocery sites. Geekwire.com reports that they are scouting for locations. The outlets would carry perishables like milk, meat, and produce, and you could order other less perishable items for same day delivery with your phone or touch screens in the store. The stores would be open only to AmazonFresh customers.

On the heels of the new iPhone 7 Plus with the dual cameras and all, Apple has updated a patent from last year for ‘super resolution’ multi-sensor cameras with cube prisms. Yes, I know that sounds like I just rattled off some futuristic gadget from Star Trek. According to appleinsider.com, instead of filters, the system would split light into red, blue, and green that would be directed to different sensors. Smartphone cameras right now only use a single sensor. The prisms help jam the works into an iPhone….the whole rig would resemble a tiny periscope. No word when this super resolution cam might actually make it into an iPhone.

The running joke ‘there’s an app for that’ has maybe jumped the shark. Thenextweb.com says something of an ‘anti-Facebook’ app has launched. Instead of lots of friends, it’s the world’s most exclusive social network…Rich Kids. It costs $1000 a month to belong. An unintended punchline: you can sign up with your Facebook account! Apparently, regular folks can view the app, but just can’t post or share photos on it. Wanna check it out? Go ahead…I’m going to pass on this one.

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