The 2016 Toyota Prius is here
The spy photos were right. The teaser images we saw of the new, fourth-gen Toyota Prius correctly previewed the model that was unveiled in Las Vegas tonight. Despite the overwhelmingly negative reactions from our readers, Toyota says the new look for the world’s best-selling hybrid has a “striking exterior design” and is “easy on the eyes.” To each their own.Slideshow-318163
When Toyota showed off the hydrogen-powered Mirai, it said that the design was meant to evoke, “the flowing shape of a droplet of water to express the vehicle’s characteristic of drawing in air and emitting water.” Toyota says the new Prius is a “sibling” to the Mirai, and the design claim is that the car was “Inspired by a runner in the starting blocks,” and that, “the sporty design conveys a feeling of forward motion.” Whatever the inspiration, the two vehicles look similar.
The new Prius is a bit bigger than the outgoing, third-gen version: 2.4 inches longer, 0.6 inches wider, and 0.8 inches lower, to be exact. This is the global vehicle built on Toyota’s New Global Architecture (TNGA). Toyota claims the new platform gives the Prius a lower center of gravity which, when combined with the new, responsive suspension package, will, “dial up the driving excitement.”
Inside we see the same center-mounted dash layout from previous Priuses. The glossy white plastic surrounding the gear selector is a bit reminiscent of the first-gen Chevy Volt, too. Overall, we like the clean, uncluttered layout. The exterior will come in seven colors, including the new Hypersonic Red.
Unfortunately, Toyota isn’t giving us specifics of the powertrain or fuel economy of the new Prius. Fortunately, the company is making the previously rumored 10-percent miles per gallon improvement over the third-gen model official. Since the current Prius gets 51 mpg city, 48 highway and 50 combined, we can look forward to something like 56/53/55 city/highway/combined fuel economy for the new Prius. Even more exciting for hypermilers, an available Eco trim “will achieve an even greater improvement.” Anyone want to bet if the Eco Prius will hit 60 mpg in the city?
Filed under:
Transportation
Source:
Toyota
Tags: 2016Prius, autoblog, EV, hybrid, official, partner, Prius, syndicated, toyota, video
TiVo sues Samsung before its money-making patents expire
TiVo is back in the litigation game with a new lawsuit against Samsung, according to its latest earnings report. The company has avoided such disputes since it settled with Dish Network, Verizon and other companies for over $1 billion. However, its Time Warp patent (which allows you to record one program while watching another) is what helped it win those sums, and it’s set to expire in 2018. As a result, CEO Tom Rogers said that TiVo will assert its newer IP. “People know that we have quite a track record when it comes to our litigation and they also know that we don’t pursue these things unless we believe there is significant damage opportunity.”
So what is TiVo going after Samsung for, exactly? It’s litigating three patents, including two related to Time Warp that have later expiration dates in 2023. The other, called “Trick Play,” allows video to be played smoothly at faster speeds. The company didn’t say how much it was asking for, but Rogers told Deadline Hollywood that it’s a “significant lawsuit… Samsung is a major DVR supplier to the cable industry.” The litigation was filed in the lawsuit-friendly confines of East Texas, and as before, we’d not be surprised if the parties settle before they ever get to court.
Filed under:
Home Entertainment
Source:
Tivo
Tags: ATT, DishNetwork, lawsuit, litigation, TimeWarner, TiVo, Verizon
ICYMI: Zero-G booze glass, exoskeleton walk of fame and more
Today on In Case You Missed It: The Open Space Agency designed a zero-G whiskey glass for Ballantine whiskey, aka enabling astronauts and other space travelers to swirl (but not sniff) with refinement no matter where their travels may take them. Raspberry Pi has a new touchscreen display that will let people make new uses for the credit card-sized programmable computer. A paralyzed man is walking around in an exoskeleton with ease after undergoing a spinal cord stimulation program at UCLA. He’s the first paralyzed person to regain enough feeling in his legs to walk confidently in an exoskeleton and we are all in awe.
And if you’re into druids and magic and stuff (and if not, why are you here), you’ve got to see this video of the underground sonar discovery showing more than 100 huge stones, bigger than Stonehenge, roughly two miles away from that famed wonder.
If you come across any interesting videos, we’d love to see them. Just tweet us with the #ICYMI hashtag @engadget or @mskerryd.
Filed under:
Misc, Household, Peripherals, Robots, Transportation, Wearables, Science, Internet
Tags: engadget, engadgetdaily, engadgetdailyshow, engadgetvideo, exoskeleton, icymi, InCaseYouMissedIt, OpenSpaceAgency, OSA, Pi, Raspberry, RaspberryPi, Stonehenge, UCLA, video, whiskey, whiskeyglass, ZeroG, ZeroGwhiskeyglass
ASUS Zenfone Zoom hands-on
ASUS first introduced this camera-centric smartphone back during CES 2015, but it wasn’t quite ready for launch at that time. ASUS took the opportunity to showcase this multi-faceted device once again at the ongoing IFA event in Berlin, and we got to spend some time with it. We go hands-on with the ASUS Zenfone Zoom!
It’s obvious right off the bat that the focus of this device is on the camera, and from the back, the camera optics of this device actually makes it look like a typical point-and-shoot camera, and only when you switch over to the front is when you get the feel of a standard, everyday smartphone. The phone features a mix of metal and plastic construction, with the metal frame giving the device some rigidity, while plastic can be found everywhere else.
The plastic back cover is removable as well, which allows for access to the microSD card slot and the SIM card slot. Taking a look around the device, the headphone jack and the microUSB port are at the top and bottom respectively, and the right side houses not only the volume rocker and the power button, but also a dedicated two-stage camera shutter button and a video record button.
Many of the specifications of the Zenfone Zoom are similar to the Zenfone 2 that was also first launched back in January, including a 5.5-inch IPS LCD display with a 1080p resolution, protected by a Corning Gorilla Glass 4 panel. If the display is anything like its counterpart, there may be some issues with outdoor visibility, but it should get the job done very well otherwise.
Under the hood, the Zenfone Zoom is packing the same processing package as the high-end version of the Zenfone 2, with its quad-core 64-bit Intel Atom Z3580 processor, clocked at 2.3 GHz, and backed by the PowerVR G6430 GPU and 4 GB of RAM. The performance of the Zenfone 2 is fantastic, and that should continue to be the case with the Zenfone Zoom as well. 64 GB or 128 GB of internal storage can further expanded via microSD card by up to 64 GB, which will likely prove necessarily with the focus on taking a lot of pictures with this device. There is also a non-removable 3,000 mAh battery to be found, which should comfortably allow for a full day of use, if not more, assuming that ASUS has managed to fix some of the battery drain issues that plagued the Zenfone 2.
Of course, the big story here is the primary camera that the device packs. The Zenfone Zoom comes with a 13 MP rear shooter with a 3x optical zoom, with optical image stabilization, and a laser auto-focus system, all of which should allow for a great camera experience. The 10-element lens design also allows for 12x digital zoom. ASUS also claims that the Zenfone Zoom will offer a DSLR-like experience, courtesy of a new Super Resolution mode that can create shots up to 52 MP, along with a manual mode that allows for instant adjustment of the shutter speed, exposure, white balance, ISO, and many other Pro level grade settings. Whether it is good enough to replicate the quality of a DSLR however, remains to be seen.
While the camera unit does dominate the back, it isn’t as jarring as is the case with some other implementations out there, allowing for quite a good feel in the hand. ASUS is certainly quite proud of how thin they’ve managed to keep this phone, touting it as the world’s thinnest smartphone that features 3x optical zoom. All the zooming is done internally, so you won’t be seeing any physical movements on the outside either.
On the software side of things, the Zenfone Zoom is running Android 5.0.2 Lollipop, with ASUS’ Zen UI on top. You can expect to see a lot of the Zen UI features that were seen with the Zenfone 2 here as well, including a pretty solid amount of pre-installed applications that most people are going to consider bloatware.
So, there you have it for this quick look at the ASUS Zenfone Zoom! This device could well be the solution for anyone in the market for a smartphone that puts the camera at the forefront, and if ASUS continues to follow their great pricing strategy they used with the Zenfone 2, the Zoom may be quite affordable as well. Pricing information is still to be confirmed though, but as far as availability is concerned, the ASUS Zenfone Zoom will be coming to Europe by the end of the year, with the color options limited to black or ceramic white.
6GB RAM will soon be a reality in smartphones thanks to Samsung
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It was announced today that Samsung is going to start manufacturing “the industry’s first 12-gigabit (Gb) LPDDR4 (low power, double data rate 4) mobile DRAM, based on its advanced 20-nanometer (nm) process technology”. While that seems like a mouthful, what it really means is that 6GB RAM will soon be a reality in smartphones – using these new 12Gb chips, 20% less energy is consumed, “manufacturing productivity” has been increased by 50%, speed has increased by 30% and the size of the chips has been more than halved, meaning a 6GB package will be smaller than a current 3GB package.
This all sounds wonderful, and we’ll likely be seeing these chips in smartphones, tablets and even some PCs and smart appliances in the not too distant future. Samsung’s always been at the forefront of chip manufacturing, and it’s small wonder that the chip business moves as quickly as it does with Samsung dictating the breakneck speed. In the words of Joo Sun Choi, Samsung executive vice president of Memory Sales and Marketing:
“By initiating mass production of 12Gb LPDDR4 mobile DRAM in an extremely timely manner, we now are not only helping OEMs to accelerate their moves to the next generation of mobile devices, but also providing functionality that will give mobile consumers greatly enhanced user experiences”
What do you think about the fact 6GB RAM will soon be a reality in smartphones? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: Business Wire via Phone Arena
The post 6GB RAM will soon be a reality in smartphones thanks to Samsung appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
Samsung exec discusses initial Samsung Pay results
Samsung Pay may only have gone live in South Korea last month, but the service is already apparently off to a strong start. Samsung Executive Vice President Injong Rhee has been sharing a little about the mobile payment system’s early results and what the company has planned for its future.
Since its launch on August 20th, Samsung claims a registration average of 25,000 Samsung Pay customers each day, which suggests that around half a million people are already signed up to make transactions. In terms of transactions, Samsung boasts an average of KRW 750 million ($0.63 million) passing through its system each day.
“The strongest point of Samsung Pay is that it will be able to allow users to make payments with credit cards, rewards cards, gift cards, department store cards and store-brand cards with a single mobile device, rather than a stuffed wallet, thanks to MST technology.”
Furthermore, the company estimates that around 80 to 90 percent of all Samsung Pay users so far have made more than one transaction with the system, which suggests that customers are happy to use the system again after a first test. As reported earlier, the Galaxy Note 5 is leading the way with Samsung Pay adoption, as the majority of owners are apparently using the service in South Korea.
“Samsung Pay is provided to users, banks and credit card companies without charge so there is no profit generated from the service itself, as of now… We can certainly offer more value-added services in the future if they are proven to provide greater value to users.”
Looking to the future, Samsung is still on track to launch its mobile payment technology in the US on September 28th. Beta tests in Spain and the UK are also planned and Samsung says that it will be looking at countries with high credit card usage as the best places to launch its payment service.
See also: Video demo: here’s how Samsung Pay will work in stores
The company is also planning to introduce an online payment solution that links directly to Samsung Pay. This will allow consumers to shop online using their fingerprint to verify transactions, rather than typical account passwords. Samsung says that it is preparing a transport card function as well.
Further down the line, Samsung may also launch a service to offer customers a Samsung Pay card number without the need to own a physical card. Whether or not Samsung would do this on behalf of its payment partners or is looking to enter the financial business itself is not clear, but such a move could certainly drive further adoption.
You can read the full interview at the source link below.
Samsung is building chips that will give smartphones 6GB of memory
Your next smartphone or tablet could have double the memory and run much faster thanks to new chips from Samsung. The company just revealed that it’s mass-producing 12Gb (1.5GB) DDR4 RAM modules for mobile devices from its 20nm fab plant. The chips take up the same space as the company’s 6Gb modules, meaning that companies can double a device’s memory in the same space — or make smaller phones that still have 3GB of RAM.
The modules are also 30 percent quicker than Samsung’s 8Gb chips (used in many 4GB devices), which will result in better-performing smartphones and tablets. Samsung added that they’re twice as fast as the (new) DDR4 RAM in PCs. Most critically, they use 20 percent less energy, which should have a notable impact on device battery life. Samsung’s now building and stocking the chips, so your next handheld device may actually have more RAM than your laptop.
Filed under:
Cellphones, Samsung
Source:
Samsung
Tags: 12Gb, 6GB, chips, memory, RAM, samsung, Smartphone
NFL returns to the BBC with Wembley matches and the Super Bowl
With a licence fee freeze weighing heavy on its back, the BBC has had to pick and choose what it spends public money on. It’s meant that the Beeb has had to pass up exclusive TV rights to major sporting events like the Olympics, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t adding more coverage to its already strong lineup. The broadcaster announced today that it’s struck a new deal with the NFL that will let it show all three International Series games from Wembley later this year, as well its banner event: the Super Bowl.
Sky had already secured rights to the UK internationals, but will allow the BBC to exclusively show the first game between New York Jets and Miami Dolphins on October 4th. The BBC will follow that with coverage of Jacksonville Jaguars vs Buffalo Bills on October 25th (both will be broadcast live on BBC Two). When the Detroit Lions meet the Kansas City Chiefs, however, football fans will need to either access it via the Red Button or the BBC Sport website.
The Super Bowl was first shown live on BBC television in 2008, but the broadcaster has faced competition from Sky and Channel 4 in recent years. While it won’t show live matches during the regular season, the deal does include a weekly highlights show called The Road To The Super Bowl, which will air from the final Wembley game in November until the season ends in February.
[Image credit: Steve Parkinson, Flickr]
Filed under:
Home Entertainment, HD
Source:
BBC
Tags: americanfootball, bbc, hdpostcross, nfl, rights, sky, tv, wembley
Samsung denies that it is about to layoff workers, says it’s only “relocations”
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Yesterday, it was alleged that Samsung was about to cut 10% of its workforce at its Korean headquarters, however Samsung denies that it is about to layoff workers at all. In a report by Yonhap News, a Samsung executive is quoted as saying “it will only be relocations of workers”, whatever that means – Samsung went through something similar last year with management support teams ending up in the consumer electronics divisions of Samsung.
In case you needed a reminder of just how tough things are at the Korean manufacturer, its second quarter of 2015 saw a drop of 37.5% to 2.76 trillion won for its mobile business alone. This in turn made Samsung freeze salaries this year, meaning that nobody will be getting payrises. It’s good news that Samsung isn’t going to cut jobs – its workforce in Korea is just under 100,000 – however the company will likely need to tighten its belt and come up with some killer devices if it hopes to regain its former glory.
What do you think about Samsung’s situation at the moment? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: Yonhap News
The post Samsung denies that it is about to layoff workers, says it’s only “relocations” appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
Apple Store Goes Down Ahead of Today’s ‘Hey Siri’ Media Event
The online Apple Store has been taken offline this morning less than six hours prior to Apple’s highly-anticipated “Hey Siri” media event in San Francisco, where the company is expected to unveil further details about the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, iPad Pro, iPad mini 4, fourth-generation Apple TV and new Apple Watch bands and finishes. alongside other potential announcements. If history repeats itself, the storefront should remain down until shortly after the conclusion of Apple’s keynote.
Apple’s media event starts at 10 AM Pacific with a live stream available on Mac, iPad, iPhone, Apple TV and PC. MacRumors will also have full coverage of the event, with a live blog on our front page and updates going out on our @MacRumorsLive Twitter account. We’ll also have specific coverage of today’s announcements in separate news stories, and our forums are a great place for readers to discuss the announcements before, during and after the event.
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