Hasta La Gadget!

The filmmaker is blasting the beloved superhero characters ahead of the upcoming release of “Avatar: The Way of Water.”

Samsung has reported a record consolidated revenue of 76.78 trillion Korean won (US$54 billion) for the third quarter of 2022, but it has also posted a decline in profit from the previous quarter and year-over-year. The tech giant’s operating profit (KRW 10.85 trillion or US$7.6 billion) has declined 23 percent from the second quarter and around 31.4 percent from the same period last year. Samsung’s operating profit from July to September 2021 was KRW 15.82 trillion, which was 26 percent higher than the quarter prior to that. In its earnings report, the company said its various divisions have been grappling with weak demand in the midst of global economic instability. 

Weak demand for consumer products and customers’ inventory adjustments caused its Memory business’ earnings to shrink. Its LSI business’ earnings fell due to weak demand for phones and TVs, as well, though revenue from SoCs grew due to an increased portion of 5G. Samsung’s Visual Display Business was also affected by low demand and increased costs.

Samsung’s Mobile eXperience (MX) business was its bright spot last quarter. Together with the company’s Networks business, it posted KRW 32.21 trillion (US$22.6 billion) in consolidated revenue and KRW 3.24 trillion (US$2.27 billion) in operating profit, which are both higher than the previous quarter’s. The company attributes the MX business’ success to sales of the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Z Flip 4, both of which showed stronger growth than their predecessors. Further, the Galaxy S22 series was able to maintain “solid sales momentum.” 

The tech giant expects its mobile business to perform even better in the fourth quarter as demand for smartphones and wearables increases due to year-end seasonality. And since the smartphone and wearable markets are expected to grow as a whole next year, Samsung’s mobile business might continue bringing in solid profits. Another division that did well in the third quarter is the tech giant’s Foundry business, which delivered record earnings (KRW 23.02 trillion or US$16 billion in consolidated revenue and KRW 5.12 trillion or US$3.6 billion in operating profit) thanks to solid demand from global customers.

On the same day that it released its third quarter earnings, Samsung has also formally named Jay Y. Lee as its executive chairman. It’s mostly a symbolic move, seeing as Lee is the company’s de-facto leader anyway. But as Bloomberg notes, the title could help make things smoother for Lee as he closes deals with other companies around the world in an effort to expand Samsung’s semiconductor and biotechnology businesses. Lee, who was sentenced to five years in prison in 2017 after being found guilty of bribing public officials, received a presidential pardon in August so he could help South Korea overcome the economic crisis. 

If you’ve been thinking about adding cameras to your connected home setup, this is a great time to dive in. Amazon’s Blink Mini cameras are down to $30 for a pair, which is the usual price for just one camera. It’s an all-time low and matches the deep discount Amazon ran for October’s Prime Day. 

Buy Blink Mini 2-Pack at Amazon – $30

The cameras take clear and sharp 1080p video, which you can stream to your phone or a smart display like Amazon’s Echo Show. Since Amazon owns Blink, they work with Alexa, allowing voice control over the units from any compatible device. They also pair nicely with Blink’s doorbell, acting as a chime when someone rings it. 

The Minis are motion activated (as opposed to always-on) and can alert you when movement’s detected. With built-in speakers and a mic, you can both hear and talk to people (or pets) remotely using your phone or another Alexa-enabled smart device. The cameras will work without a subscription, but if you want to save video clips, you can opt for the Blink Subscription Plan (currently $30 per year for the basic plan). 

The only caveat is that Blink Minis are wired cameras, so you’ll need to set them up somewhere near an outlet — but you’ll never need to remember to change the batteries.

If you want cameras outside too, it’s worth mentioning that the Blink Outdoor cameras are back on sale as well. Single packs are down to $60, and the multi-camera bundles are discounted too, with the best deal on the three- and five-camera bundles (both 50 percent off). 

Blink Outdoor cams are our current favorite wireless security cameras, running on AA batteries, which will power a camera for about a year. They come with a mount and are, of course, weatherproof, so you don’t have to mount them under an eave or overhang, which lets you angle them at exactly what you want to see. And like the indoor version, these let you see, hear, and talk to whomever is in front of the camera, and it can all be controlled via Alexa, either with the app or your voice. 

Buy Blink Outdoor Camera at Amazon – $60

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iCloud has been available on the web for a long time, but you might not have rushed to use it given a basic and sometimes clunky interface. You might have a reason to give it another look, though. Apple has introduced a beta iCloud web client that presents far more info at a glance, with a customizable tile layout that reflects your priorities. It’s easier to switch between apps thanks to launchers on the home page and menu bar, and you can quickly start tasks (such as writing email or adding calendar events) thanks to another menu option.

The revamp also improves access to iCloud+ features like custom email domains and Hide My Email. And if you’re panicking at the thought of lost info, a “Data Recovery” tool will help you reclaim bookmarks, calendars, contacts and iCloud Drive files deleted within the last 30 days. Except for iCloud Drive, you can restore from specific moments in time. Some features still need to be controlled through Apple hardware, including Family Sharing, HomeKit Secure Video and Private Relay.

Apple hasn’t said when the new iCloud web interface might leave beta testing. We’ve asked the company for comment and will let you know if we hear back. However, the tech firm pitches this as an upgrade for customers whose only Apple product might be an iPhone — you can more readily access content and manage services through your Windows PC’s browser.

This redesign probably won’t persuade Android users to switch, and the individual web apps haven’t changed much. The beta may encourage you to stick to the Apple ecosystem, though. Combined with web access to services like Music and TV+, it also shows that Apple is eager to court users who can’t (or just don’t want to) run dedicated apps on their platforms of choice.

Autonomous vehicle company Argo AI is shutting down. In an earnings report, Ford (a major investor in Argo AI) noted that the company is being wound down and that it will hire engineers from the startup to expand and speed up development of Level 2+ and Level 3 autonomous driving systems.

Ford says that it made a decision to refocus its self-driving capital spending from the Level 4 systems Argo was working on (where the vehicles handles most driving operations) to Level 2+ (advanced driver assistance) and Level 3 (conditional automation) tech it’s developing in-house. It noted that Argo AI wasn’t able to attract new investors and that it was taking a “$2.7 billion non-cash, pretax impairment on its investment” in the company, which led to it posting an $827 million net loss for Q3.

According to TechCrunch, which first reported on Argo AI’s closure, Volkswagen and Ford will snap up the company’s tech and other assets. It’s not clear how the automakers, which invested at least $3.6 billion into Argo AI between them, are divvying things up nor how many of Argo AI’s more than 2,000 workers they plan to make employment offers to. All Argo AI employees will receive bonuses as part of their severance package, with those who Ford and VW don’t keep on receiving additional payments and health insurance, according to the report.

“In coordination with our shareholders, the decision has been made that Argo AI will not continue on its mission as a company,” an Argo AI spokesperson told Engadget in a statement. “Many of the employees will receive an opportunity to continue work on automated driving technology with either Ford or Volkswagen, while employment for others will unfortunately come to an end.”

“We are incredibly grateful for the dedication of the Argo AI team, and so proud of our achievements together,” Argo AI co-founders CEO Bryan Salesky and president Dr. Peter Rander said. “The team consistently delivered above and beyond, and we expect to see success for everyone in whatever comes next, including the opportunities presented by Ford and VW to continue their work on automated driving technology.”

In 2017, Ford said it would invest $1 billion into Argo AI over five years. Two years later, VW committed $2.6 billion in capital and assets toward the startup. Around that time, Ford and VW said they would work on vehicles that harness Argo AI’s autonomous driving tech. Between them, the automakers held a “substantial majority” stake in Argo AI.

Argo AI had been testing its tech on public roads in the US and Germany. In May, it commenced driverless operations in Austin and Miami without a safety driver at the wheel. Lyft was among the companies that were looking at deploying Argo AI-powered vehicles. Just last month, Argo AI announced a number of tools and services designed to support autonomous delivery and robotaxi operations.

Creating a robust and safe self-driving system is not exactly an easy challenge. Full Level 5 autonomy is still at least several years away from becoming truly viable for the mass market. To that end, Ford said in its earnings report that “the auto industry’s large-scale profitable commercialization of Level 4 advanced driver assistance systems will be further out than originally anticipated.”