Oct 05
The French government has been forced to step in to calm an increasingly anxious nation that will host the Paris games in just over nine months.
Oct 05
Amazon’s Kuiper satellites will soon make their debut in orbit. The company is gearing up to deploy its first two satellites, the KuiperSat-1 and the KuiperSat-2, for its Protoflight mission that’s scheduled to launch on October 6. Project Kuiper is Amazon’s answer to SpaceX’s Starlink service. At the moment, its plans entail launching 3,200 satellites over the next six years to form a constellation that can provide internet connectivity even to far-flung places traditional providers can’t reach.
The KuiperSat-1 and KuiperSat-2 are the first version of Amazon’s satellites and will provide the company with an important learning opportunity. They’ll allow the company to conduct a series of tests that would add valuable real-world data to information already collected from the lab. Project Kuiper’s ground team will also get the chance to observe how the network performs, since Protoflight will be testing the satellites’ connection to Kuiper’s ground-based network and to customer terminals. In addition, it will serve as a trial for the launch operations of subsequent satellites.
“We’ve done extensive testing here in our lab and have a high degree of confidence in our satellite design, but there’s no substitute for on-orbit testing,” said Rajeev Badyal, Project Kuiper’s vice president of technology, in a statement. “This is Amazon’s first time putting satellites into space, and we’re going to learn an incredible amount regardless of how the mission unfolds.”
Amazon previously announced its intention to send the first two Kuiper satellites to space on top of a ULA Vulcan Centaur rocket. However, ULA encountered delays with the new rocket’s development, and the satellites will be ferried to space on top of an Atlas V instead. ULA will deploy the satellites at an altitude of 311 miles, and then the Kuiper team will start testing the systems onboard and confirm all electronics are working, establish first contact and deploy the satellites’ solar arrays. After that, the team will send data back and forth to test the network. Amazon says both satellites will be deorbited by the end of the mission.
The company says it’s on track to deploy its first production satellites in the first half of 2024 and to start beta testing with commercial consumers later that year. Presumably, it could incorporate changes to its plans, depending on what it learns from this launch. ULA will be streaming the event live on October 6, with coverage starting at 2PM ET.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-first-two-amazon-kuiper-satellites-are-heading-to-space-on-october-6-054335694.html?src=rss
Oct 05
After weeks of rumors and leaks, Google’s Pixel 8 was officially revealed on Wednesday during the company’s Made by Google event. The phone brings upgrades up and down the spec sheet, along with a design that’s slightly more compact than before. The 6.2-inch screen is smaller than the display on last year’s Pixel 7 (which in turn was smaller than the Pixel 6 before that). However, the newest Pixel has the same 1,080 x 2,400 screen resolution. Google’s Actua OLED technology promises vivid color and details, at up to 1400 nits of brightness. That’s 40 percent brighter than last year’s Google flagship.
Last year’s Pixel 7 had a 90Hz screen, while Pixel 8 has a dynamic display with 60 to 120Hz refresh rates. Alongside a smaller display, this year’s Pixel 8 comes with a larger battery (minimum 4,485mAh), which together, should lead to improved battery life. It’ll also pack fast charging, which can top-up up to a 50-percent charge in around 30 minutes.
The look of the hardware hasn’t hugely changed. There’s still the blocky camera bar, but the edges and lines have been softened a little, with a polished glass back. Last year’s Pixel 7 had a matte finish, while the Pixel 7 Pro had a shiny look. This year, that’s been swapped: The front and back of the device will have some defense from scratches and cracks with Corning’s Gorilla Glass Victus.
The biggest upgrades are related to the rear camera. The Pixel 8 has the same primary sensor as the Pixel 8 Pro, with an upgraded 50-megapixel octa PD camera and f/1.68 aperture. It’ll be capable of 2x optical zoom, as well as up to 8x of digital zoom (what Google calls Super Res Zoom). The Pixel 8’s ultrawide camera will have built-in lens correction, as ultrawide cameras can often distort and stretch images at the edges. Google claims that you’ll see faster autofocus across the whole camera experience, especially in low light. Those cameras will be bolstered by Google’s best smartphone talent, camera software features. This includes the Magic Eraser, Photo Unblur, Night Sight, Top Shot and more.
Google’s new Tensor G3 should speed up those tools. Google claims the machine learning model on Pixel 8 is 10 times more complex than Pixel 6’s Tensor chip. The new silicon will also help power features like Call Screen and Audio Magic Eraser, which can be used to erase distracting sounds from your videos.
The Pixel 8 is available to pre-order today and comes in three color options: Obsidian (black), Rose (a soft pink) and Hazel (a light green), with prices starting at $699. It will go on sale on October 12.
Check out our early impressions of both the new Pixel phones right here.
Follow all of the news live from Google’s 2023 Pixel event right here.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/google-pixel-8-release-date-pricing-specs-143012657.html?src=rss
Oct 05
On Wednesday at its Made by Google event, Google announced its next flagship phone: the Pixel 8 Pro. Starting at $999, it costs $100 more than its predecessor, so to make up for that increased price Google added a number of enhanced photo and video features, a new temperature sensor and seven years of software support.
Available in three colors (Bay, Porcelain and Obsidian), the Pixel 8 Pro sports a very similar design to last year’s model with a large camera bar in back and polished metal sides. That said, Google has made some smaller changes, including adding a matte texture on the phone’s Gorilla Glass Victus 2 rear panel. The display is flatter as well, and has less rounded edges. And, just like before, the phone packs an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance, allowing it to withstand submersion in up to 5.5 feet of water for 30 minutes.
Google
The Pixel 8 Pro comes with a 6.7-inch Super Actua display that’s based on an LTPO OLED panel with a 120Hz variable refresh rate. Additionally, it offers peak brightness of 2,400 nits. Google says its Super Actua branding is meant to call attention to the screen’s colors and tuning, which have been engineered to be as accurate and realistic as possible. And, unlike the standard Pixel 8, the Pro also has a new 10.5-megapixel selfie camera with dual phase detection autofocus. Google also says that the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro’s face unlock employs a new algorithm alongside upgraded hardware to provide more precise facial recognition.
However, between its upgraded sensors (a 50MP main, 48MP ultra-wide and 48MP telephoto with a 5x optical zoom) and a range of improved photo and video features, it’s the Pixel 8 Pro’s cameras that are making the biggest leap. For the first time on a Pixel phone, users will be able to use Google’s Night Sight Mode when recording videos. Meanwhile, the new Best Take feature makes it possible to choose the best reactions among a series of images so that every person in the shot is smiling. Also, by leveraging AI the Pixel’s Magic Editor can better tweak things like lighting, the framing of a photo and more, while the new Audio Magic Eraser tool gives you the ability to remove distracting sounds and noise in your clips.
Google
But perhaps the biggest upgrade for photo enthusiasts is the addition of pro camera controls so you can adjust settings like shutter speed, ISO, white balance and more. There are even options for capturing images using the sensor’s full 50 megapixels in either JPEG, RAW or RAW+JPEG modes. If you need even more help making clips look good, the new Video Boost feature can send recordings to the cloud so that Google’s servers can apply more powerful computational algorithms to your footage. That said, it’s important to note that this process can take multiple hours.
On the inside, the Pixel 8 Pro is powered by Google’s Tensor G3 chip along with 12GB of RAM and up to 1TB of storage. Google claims the G3’s improved performance helps support new abilities like enhanced spam filtering for the Pixel’s Call Screener feature, Audio Magic Eraser and better image processing. In everyday situations, Google also is trying to improve the Pixel 8’s ease of use with new software like the ability to read websites aloud while translating them, a proofreading tool in Gboard, Assistant voice typing in multiple languages and a magnifier app for increased accessibility.
Google
Finally, the more expensive Pixel 8 Pro is the only one with a temperature sensor located in the camera bar. Initially, you can use it to measure how hot or cold a nearby object is. However, Google says it’s in talks with the FDA so that in the future you’ll also be able use it as a thermometer for people. And just like the standard Pixel 8, Google is upping the length of the Pixel 8 Pro’s software support (which includes both regular security patches and Android updates) to seven years. This is poised to be the longest commitment for any Android smartphone aside from the Fairphone 5.
The Pixel 8 Pro starts at $999 and goes on sale October 12, though you can pre-order it starting today.
Follow all of the news live from Google’s 2023 Pixel event right here.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/google-leans-into-high-end-camera-features-for-the-999-pixel-8-pro-143040260.html?src=rss
Oct 05
Biden’s Dog Commander No Longer At White House After *Another* Biting Incident
Posted in: Today's ChiliPresident Joe Biden’s dog, Commander, is “not presently on the White House campus” following a series of biting incidents.
Oct 05
Designer Spacesuits: Axiom Space Partners With Prada for Upcoming Lunar Mission Fits
Posted in: Today's Chili
Astronauts traveling to the Moon as part of NASA’s Artemis program will go there in style as Axiom Space taps luxury brand Prada to assist in the design of its spacesuit.
Oct 05
Google has committed to providing seven full years of software support for it’s Pixel 8 phones, the company announced Wednesday during its Made by Google event. That might not be all that exciting to shoppers, at least compared to new hardware or OS features, but it puts Google well ahead of the competition — and may ultimately be a boon for both consumers and the environment.
Previously, Google’s policy on updates to support its phones was five years (at least for the Pixel 6 and later), which in itself was nothing to scoff at. Not only will an extra two years potentially save consumers from shelling out for a brand new handset, but it may save some aging Pixels from ending up in a landfill quite as quickly. An estimated five billion phones were tossed in the trash in 2022 alone, potentially leading to toxic chemicals leeching into groundwater, among other associated hazards. It’s impossible to say how many consumers will take full advantage of the increased shelf life of their Pixels, either because they’re itching for a new-and-better model, or because (like most smartphones these days) repairability still leaves something to be desired.
Regardless, Google is obviously stepping in the right direction, and hopefully putting pressure on some of its competitors too. Apple has not made a hard commitment to lengthening its software support, but its phones typically see five to six years of updates. On the Android side of things, support can be significantly more grim: an exhaustive list of manufacturer update policies by Android Authority revealed that most brands only offer about two years of support, with many refusing to commit to any length of time, period. One of the few exceptions is Samsung, which in February of 2022 announced it would provide four generations of Android updates and five years of security patches to many of its models.
Follow all of the news live from Google’s 2023 Pixel event right here.
Correction, October 4, 2023, 3:09 PM ET: This post has been update to specify that while the prior phones retain the five-year support timeline, the new seven-year commitment is applicable only to the Pixel 8 series.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/google-extends-software-support-for-pixel-phones-to-a-full-seven-years-143043262.html?src=rss
Oct 05
Letitia James Says The ‘Trump Show Is Over,’ Calls His Attacks On Her ‘Race-Baiting’
Posted in: Today's Chili“I will not sit idly by and allow anyone to subvert the law,” the New York attorney general told reporters.
Oct 05
NASA is gearing up to start a crucial series of tests on the updated RS-25 engine, which will power the Space Launch System (SLS) rocket for upcoming Artemis missions to the Moon.
Oct 05
Google's Tensor G3 chip is focused on speeding up AI for the Pixel 8 phones
Posted in: Today's ChiliAnother Pixel phone, another Tensor system-on-a-chip from Google. That’s basically where we’re at this year: The company officially announced the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro at its Made by Google event on Wednesday, and unsurprisingly they’re sporting a new Tensor G3 SoC. The Tensor hardware made a big splash when it arrived with the Pixel 6, and now the company appears to be focusing on AI performance even more.
Google claims the Tensor G3 allows the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro to run over twice as many machine learnings on device, compared to the Pixel 8. Similarly, the largest machine learning model on the Pixel 8 is said to be 10 times more complex than what was on the Pixel 6. Those leaps are a testament both to Google’s engineering capabilities and how much tech companies are racing to become AI leaders.
The Tensor G3 chip is faster than the G2, as you’d expect, but honestly that’s never been the highlight of Google’s SoCs. What’s more important are the new features it’ll deliver. This year, that includes better Call Screen functionality for weeding out spam calls. Google also claims that Tensor G3 will enable better audio and video quality, especially for the Pixel’s Clear Calling feature. You can also use the “Audio Magic Eraser” to remove annoying sounds from your videos, similar to the way the original Magic Eraser feature can clean up the backgrounds of photos.
Google can also bring screen reading to every corner of the Pixel 8 experience thanks to the Tensor G3. A long press on the power button automatically triggers screen reading, which is useful if you want to read a long article on the go. You’ll also get playback controls for speed, as well as the ability to change the playback language.
Google hasn’t revealed many technical details behind the Tensor G3 yet, but according to a recent benchmark leak, it’s built around a 9-core CPU with a Cortex-X3 core running at 2.91GHz. (That Arm core is also found in the recent Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, so Google is in good company.) The G3 also features 12GB of RAM and a Mali-G715 GPU. It should be far more efficient than the Tensor G2 as well, since it’s built on Samsung’s newer 4nm process.
To its credit, Google initially launched the Pixel phones with a focus on AI, which helped power groundbreaking features like Night Sight. Now with the Tensor G3 on the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, Google can push its AI lead even further.
Follow all of the news live from Google’s 2023 Pixel event right here.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/google-tensor-g3-soc-pixel-8-pro-143052356.html?src=rss
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