Apple Watch May Switch to Micro-LED Display in Mid 2017 or Later
Apple may switch to micro-LED displays for the Apple Watch in the second half of 2017 at the earliest, moving away from the current OLED technology used, according to supply chain sources for Taiwanese website DigiTimes.
The timeline suggests that the much-rumored Apple Watch 2 lineup expected to debut in the second half of 2016 will continue to have OLED displays, with the move towards micro-LED panels liking occurring in tandem with the tentatively named Apple Watch 3.
Micro-LED displays can be thinner and lighter and allow for improved color gamut, increased brightness, and higher resolutions. The panels do not require backlighting like traditional LCD displays, but they can be difficult and expensive to mass produce. Micro LEDs range in size from 1-micron to 100-micron.
Earlier this year, KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said the Apple Watch 2 will mainly feature internal improvements, with more significant form factor design changes not occurring until 2017. By then, the switch to micro-LED panels and other technological advances could allow for a thinner Apple Watch.
Apple acquired micro-LED display maker LuxVue Technology in 2014, and one of the company’s investors at the time said it had “a technical breakthrough in displays.” LuxVue holds multiple micro-LED-related patents and, in 2013, it raised $25.2 million in funding to pursue the technology.
Apple also opened a facility in northern Taiwan last year, where it is believed to be focusing on micro-LED technology.
The current Apple Watch is the only Apple product with an OLED display due to its small size. The company continues to use LCD technology based on a TFT manufacturing process for iPhones, but widespread rumors suggest Apple will release its first OLED-based iPhone as early as September 2017.
Related Roundups: Apple Watch, watchOS 2, watchOS 3
Tags: digitimes.com, OLED, Micro-LED
Buyer’s Guide: Apple Watch (Caution)
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Twitter Begins iOS Rollout of Location-Based Tweet Aggregating Feature
Twitter has confirmed to TechCrunch that all of its first party iOS app users will today begin to see a new location-based feature that aggregates tweets tagged to a specific geographic location. Called “Twitter Location Feeds,” the update lets users scroll through tweets and profiles surrounding locations like the headquarters of a business, sporting event, music festival, or an entire city.
Powered by Foursquare, users can jump into any Location Feed they want by first tapping on a tweet to check out more details, then tapping on the location tagged within to see a list of tweets compiled within the area. Once in the feed for any specific location, users can scroll through all tweets posted by users in the area, or specify a media-only category to stick with photos and videos.
Location feeds will unlock the ability for users anywhere to immerse themselves in a place. You could drop into a sporting event, see what people think about a museum, find the favorite dish from a restaurant, check the vibe at a local park, virtually visit a concert, or even become engulfed in a protest.
Instead of browsing a noisy hashtag with tweets from everywhere, you can discover what people on the ground are saying. This ability to immerse yourself in an unfiltered sea of information has always been one of the best parts of Twitter.
Due to its focus on navigation starting from tags in other users’ tweets, a lot of the functionality of Location Feeds rides on automatic location tagging, which many users might have turned off. As such, TechCrunch considers that an update with searchable geographic areas is “a sensible next step.”
Twitter said that Location Feeds will be rolling out to all iOS users starting today, and that more platforms are planned for the future, but didn’t give any specified information on which will be coming next. Today’s news follows an update to the social network earlier in the week that expanded its video lengths from 30 to 140 seconds.
Tag: Twitter
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Ford Fiesta ST200 first drive: Irresistible overboost fun
When Ford announced that it would not be making a Fiesta RS, drivers the world over sighed. But that soon changed to cheers when the Fiesta ST200 was revealed as an overboost-toting powerhouse.
Despite a four-cylinder 1.6-litre engine sounding meagre, the ST200 pushes out a respectable 197bhp. Plus the overboost, which delivers even more juice for a 20-second burst at 212bhp, kicks in when flooring the car in the middling gears. Fun times.
Does the Fiesta ST200 offer enough power and handling to be considered a worthy sportster? Is it at the sacrifice of comfort and in-car tech? And, as £22,745, is it priced well enough to be affordable to those that want it? We took the ST200 onto the wet British roads to find out.
Pocket-lint
Ford Fiesta ST200 preview: Build and design
The ST200 has been compared to a Ford factory equivalent of the Mountune performance kit, as seen on the Fiesta ST. So it looks sporty, despite its new grey suit.
However, at first glance you could be forgiven for mistaking the ST200 for any other Fiesta. But look a little longer and you’ll start to notice that front spoiler magnifying the aggressive grille and those large 17-inch matte black alloys with red brake calipers. The ST200 is a Fiesta to be taken more seriously.
That said, it is the right size and shape to blend in and do the job of a day-to-day car too. It should be easy to spot after leaving it in the Tesco car park as that Storm Grey paint job is the only colour it comes in.
Inside the sporty feel continues with deep Recaro bucket seats, red ST stitching and a red labeled gear stick. If all that didn’t make it clear enough then a big red ST is also bunged on the central console and steering wheel for good measure.
Pocket-lint
The car feels sporty enough to offer the controls and comforts you want at speed, with enough room for a would be boy-racer to hang onto this even after he’s become a man with a family. Alright, maybe that’s a stretch for a three door hot hatch.
Ford Fiesta ST200: Performance and handling
This ST200 can get you to 62mph in just 6.7-seconds. That’s seriously fast when considering the car’s size and engine. You can just imagine this surprising a few people at the lights as it dashes away. A new lower gearing ratio really is a great upgrade that makes every pull-away feel extra dramatic.
The action really kicks in around the 4,000rpm mark, where there’s not only more pull but an orchestra of engine noise swells to enhance the fun. On the wet roads we had a bit of wheel spin but it still pulled plenty fast. Overboost kicks in outside of these lower gears, yielding more from the turbo, making light work of speedy overtakes.
Pocket-lint
Handling is also respectably tight. Feedback through the wheel is confidence-inspiring and as Ford has stiffened the rear torsion beam compared to previous Fiestas it makes for a controlled experience. Now you might think this also means a harder ride, but the combination of soft springs and dampers means it’s comfy enough on bumps too, really making it a great all-rounder.
Those red caliper brakes aren’t just for show either. You can stop in a hurry or deliver a controlled dab as needed. This really does offer a taste of rally driving for the road. Above all else it’s a lot of fun – exactly what you’d expect from a car of this class. It gives even the most modest driver a feeling of confidence that allows limits to be pushed for genuine excitement.
Ford Fiesta ST200: Infotainment and smart tech
As you’d expect on a new Ford you get Ford Sync built-in. That means a very capable voice recognition system that will let you make and receive calls, play and control music, and more, using a steering wheel button and your voice alone.
Pocket-lint
As you can see from our pictures the included screen is small and there are a whole lot of buttons that look positively old school in design. Don’t expect this thing to blow you away but with nice extras like rear parking cameras it’s capable enough.
Ignoring the majority of buttons, the classic Ford four-button menu system makes it easy to jump between navigation, audio, sound and menu controls without getting lost. Crucially it also means ease of access even when taking advantage of that stiff steering, which demands keen attention.
First Impressions
The Ford Fiesta ST200 is a seriously fun car. While it’s primarily designed as a little powerhouse of performance and handling, it can be functional too.
Alright, most people aren’t going to spend that £22,745 for day-to-day shop runs, but it’s nice to know that a claimed 46.3mpg economy and interior comforts are part and parcel of the purchase.
That engine might be fairly small, but the noise from it is great and the added pep from overboost is ideal for speedy overtakes. It’s not a sound you’re likely to get bored of hearing.
Fast, capable, spacious, comfortable and not over-priced for all it offers: Ford is onto a winner with the Fiesta ST200.
Oculus claims exclusive games are good for the VR industry
Many have argued — including our own Sean Buckley — that the steady stream of platform-exclusive virtual reality games is a bad thing. Oculus has been by the far the most aggressive in pursuing such deals, but its head of content Jason Rubin claims that this is a good thing for the industry.
In an interview with gamesindustry.biz, Rubin made an argument focused on the growth of the industry. He compared the VR industry to PC gaming in the ’80s, noting that the market is similar in size. The problem, he asserted, is one of expectation. “The average gamer is now aware of $100 million games. And while we certainly cannot build a $100 million game that takes four years, in the year we’ve had dev kits, we can try to get closer to that by funding significant leaps beyond the financial certainty that a developer would need to have to do it on their own.”
VR needs these big-budget games now, not in two years when there’s the market to sustain them. By investing heavily in big games with larger budgets, Oculus is likely to make a loss on its gamble in the immediate future, but that investment will attract more people to virtual reality. Luckily, Oculus is owned by Facebook, which can definitely afford to pump money in on a gamble. With the industry growing, when it comes to the second or third game they create for VR, developers will be able to put in the money required without worrying about whether they’ll see a return, Rubin said.
This is apparently a short-term policy for the long-term health of the industry. “In no case are we asking to have control of the intellectual property in the long-term,” Rubin added. Exclusive games like Crytek’s The Climb, might only come to Oculus, but Crytek still owns that title, and its sequel, and any other games it makes, can “come out on any console, any PC, any anything, anywhere. We don’t own that.”
For smaller titles, such as Superhot, Oculus has helped fund porting to VR, and has often managed to secure a timed exclusive in return. Rubin said there are also indie games the company has put money into that are sold through Steam and not the Oculus store, “so the idea that we’re not doing good for the industry I find completely failing.”
Rubin’s arguments, whether you agree with them or not, are nuanced, and difficult to disregard offhand. There will still be, of course, those that feel that exclusives are never good for gamers, especially in a nascent industry.
The full interview with Rubin — which covers a lot more than exclusive games — is available at gamesindustry.biz.
Source: GamesIndustry.biz
ICYMI: Saving the ocean and ghosting on love interests
Today on In Case You Missed It: The Burner chatbot would let a machine ghost on acquaintances you’d rather not text with anymore. So that’s point one for the endtimes, zero for humanity. But this Dutch inventor should more than switch that around with a small prototype of the ocean fence that is designed to collect ocean trash passively, allowing currents to push plastic and other stuff that doesn’t belong in the water into a collection fence. If it all works out, a huge, 60-mile long version of his invention will grace the Pacific Ocean within a few years and hopefully be a solution to solving the Great Pacific garbage patch.
If you’re into Nerf guns, you must watch this video. As always, please share any interesting tech or science videos you find by using the #ICYMI hashtag on Twitter for @mskerryd.
‘CivilizationEDU’ takes the strategy franchise to school
Minecraft isn’t the only game headed to the classroom these days. Next fall, CivilizationEDU takes the storied strategy franchise to schools, too. The game “will provide students with the opportunity to think critically and create historical events, consider and evaluate the geographical ramifications of their economic and technological decisions, and to engage in systems thinking and experiment with the causal/correlative relationships between military, technology, political and socioeconomic development,” according to a press release.
More than just defeating the Huns instead of reading about them, the game will offer stat tracking and measure students’ proficiency at problem solving. Teachers will have access to an online portal replete with ways of tracking student progress that equate their play with their mastery of the concepts presented. That’s in addition to lesson plans “aligned to academic and 21st century standards.” So no, this won’t just be pillaging the fields of your enemies while you’re supposed to be learning about the Ming Dynasty. That’s for after the final bell rings.
We’re partnering with @GlassLabGames to bring #CivilizationEDU to high schools in North America next year! pic.twitter.com/MPzpYQ56Pg
— Civilization VI (@CivGame) June 23, 2016
Source: Business Wire
Uber Update Spotlights ‘Upfront Fares’ While Burying Surge Pricing Notifications
Ride hailing app Uber has begun testing a version of its app in six United States cities, with a new UI that makes periods of surge pricing more subtle to discover for users. Surge pricing is a term dedicated to windows when riders greatly exceed drivers, resulting in heightened fare prices due to the increased demand.
When this would happen prior to Uber’s new test, anyone signing into the app would get a pop-up notification that surge pricing was in effect, along with a general multiplier that they would have to add into their driving fare to figure out its total cost.
The update nixes both features, simultaneously making it harder to know when surge pricing is in effect without notifications, but also benefitting users thanks to an “upfront fare” with “no complicated math and no surprises,” according to Uber.
Upfront fares are calculated using the expected time and distance of the trip and local traffic, as well as how many riders and nearby drivers are using Uber at that moment. And when fares go up due to increased demand, instead of surge lightning bolts and pop-up screens, riders are given the actual fare before they request their ride. There’s no complicated math and no surprises: passengers can just sit back and enjoy the ride.
Now, when users want to know when surge pricing is in effect, a faint line of text references “increased demand” beneath their fare. The company is testing the upfront fare system in New York City, Miami, San Diego, Philadelphia, Seattle, and some parts of New Jersey, in addition to five cities in India: New Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Hyderabad, and Chennai. The surge pricing update is expected to hit the rest of Uber’s markets around the world “in the next few months.”
Previous Coverage: Uber Attempts to Address Driver Concerns With New App Update
Tag: Uber
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KFC India’s ‘Watt-A-Box’ will charge your phone while you eat
KFC India has come out with a brilliant promotion to advertise its 5-in-1 meal box. Dubbed “Watt-A-Box,” the meal is packaged in a box that contains a portable battery along with micro-USB, USB, and Lightning connectors, allowing you to plug in your and charge your phone as you eat.
The promotion is currently live in Delhi and Mumbai, although KFC isn’t handing these meal boxes out to everyone. The restaurant chain is randomly handing out boxes to customers ordering from its stores, and is giving them away on Facebook.
You’re not going to be able to fully charge your phone from the meal box, but it is a novel way to quickly top up your phone while getting some grub. Who wants one?
See at KFC India
The Galaxy S7 edge Olympic Edition breaks cover
Earlier this year, it was reported that Samsung would be coming out with a special variant of the Galaxy S7 edge for the 2016 Olympics. Thanks to Evan Blass, we now have an idea as to how the Galaxy S7 edge Olympic Edition will look like:
From the image, the phone will have gold accents around the earpiece and home button, with the power button decked out in red and the volume rockers coated green. At the back, the camera sensor sees blue accents, with the Olympic rings located at the bottom.
No information on when the Galaxy S7 edge Olympic Edition will be made available, but it should be debuting in time for the Olympics, which kick off on August 5. Who’s interested?
Netflix may enable offline viewing by the end of the year
It looks like Netflix may offer an option to download and watch videos offline, much like Amazon’s Prime Video. According to LightReading (via PhoneArena), the ability to save videos for offline viewing should make its debut by the end of the year.
The publication is citing the Penthera, a software company that facilitates delivery of TV shows on mobile devices. From its COO Dan Taitz:
We know from our sources within the industry that Netflix is going to launch this product. My expectation is that by the end of the year Netflix will be launching download-to-go as an option for their customers.
A Frost & Sullivan Principal Analyst Dan Rayburn also corroborated the claim:
It’s a natural progression for Netflix to want to have some of their content available for consumers to watch offline, and we’ve been hearing for months now that they are in fact going to roll something out soon.
Netflix hasn’t said much on the subject, with spokesperson Anne Marie Squeo remaining noncommittal on the issue:
While our focus remains on delivering a great streaming experience, we are always exploring ways to make the service better. We don’t have anything to add at this time.
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