Apple Set to Join Microsoft, Google, Facebook, in AI Research Group

Apple will take a significant step toward disclosing more of its artificial intelligence research this week by becoming a member of a non-profit AI research consortium founded by five of the tech industry’s biggest players.

Last September, Amazon, Facebook, Google, Microsoft, and IBM publicly announced The Partnership on AI, an organisation established “to study and formulate best practices, to advance the public’s understanding of AI, and to serve as an open platform for discussion and engagement about AI and its influences on people and society”.

As one of the biggest researchers in AI, Apple’s name was conspicuously absent, but that looks set to change in the coming days, following a Bloomberg report on Thursday that Cupertino is ready to add its name to The Partnership’s list of corporate heavyweights.

According to its website, the Partnership on AI intends to conduct research, organize discussions, share insights, provide thought leadership, consult with relevant third parties, respond to questions from the public and media, and create educational material that advance the understanding of AI technologies including machine perception, learning, and automated reasoning.

Apple’s imminent membership is just the latest indication that the company is prepared to reveal more of its work in areas of artificial intelligence. At an invitation-only AI conference held in Barcelona last month, where Apple employees discussed their work in various related fields, the company announced it would begin allowing its AI and machine learning researchers to publish and share their work in papers.

Two weeks later, the first paper was published, covering Apple’s work on intelligent image recognition. Cupertino is also known to be working on a range of other AI projects, including health and vital signs, LiDAR, neural networks, intelligent assistant and language modeling, and activity recognition.

While the Partnership’s founding members are committed to publishing a wide range of research under an open license, just how much of this work will be shared remains unclear, but we should know more soon. Apple is expected to announce its membership in the Partnership later this week.

Tag: artificial intelligence
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Top 8 things to know about the Xiaomi Redmi Note 4

Get to know all about the Redmi Note 4.

The Redmi Note 4 is one of the best phones you can currently buy for under ₹15,000 ($225). The phone made its debut in China last year with a MediaTek Helio X20 SoC, and Xiaomi introduced the handset in India earlier this month powered by a Snapdragon 625 processor.

Whether you’re looking to see what’s new with the phone or are interested in learning more about the features it offers, these are top eight things you need to know about the Redmi Note 4.

Premium design

The Redmi Note 4 has an all-metal chassis that belies its price tag. There aren’t any major changes when it comes to the design from the Redmi Note 3 — which also sported a metal body — but this time around, Xiaomi refined the design to make it look more premium.

The back of the phone now has gently curved sides that aren’t as pronounced as those on the Redmi Note 3, and the display offers 2.5D curved glass, making for better in-hand feel. For a phone sold in the budget segment, the Redmi Note 4 definitely looks premium.

Powered by a 14nm Snapdragon 625

The Indian variant of the Redmi Note 4 is powered by a Snapdragon 625. The 14nm node shrink allows for much better energy efficiency when compared to last year’s 28nm Snapdragon 650. To that effect, it eschews the two Cortex A72 cores on the Snapdragon 650, instead offering eight Cortex A53 cores clocked at 2.0GHz.

The SoC has an Adreno 506 GPU, which isn’t as performance-oriented as the Adreno 510 on the Snapdragon 650. That said, the Redmi Note 4 handles everyday tasks with ease, and you won’t notice any issues when playing visually-intensive games.

More memory and storage options

The Redmi Note 4 is available in three storage variants, offering up to 4GB of RAM and 64GB storage. Xiaomi understands the Indian market better than most Chinese vendors, and as a result, all three variants are very competitively priced. Best of all, the base variant comes with 32GB storage. Here’s the breakdown:

• 2GB RAM/32GB storage: ₹9,999 ($145)
• 3GB RAM/32GB storage: ₹10,999 ($160)
• 4GB RAM/64GB storage: ₹12,999 ($190)

Even if you’re on a limited budget, you’ll be able to walk away with a Redmi Note 4 that fits your needs.

Rear fingerprint sensor

Xiaomi has a decent track record with fingerprint scanners on its budget phones, and that holds true for the Redmi Note 4 as well. The rear sensor is quick to authenticate, and you don’t need to wake up the display for it to unlock the phone.

The placement at the back underneath the camera makes it easy to access the sensor with your index finger when using the phone one-handed, and you won’t find any difficulty in finding it as it’s recessed. The only issue arises if your fingers are wet — that party trick is still limited to the Qualcomm Sense ID-enabled sensor on the Mi 5s.

New 13MP camera with PDAF

The camera was one of the few limitations of the Redmi Note 3, and one of Xiaomi’s key focus areas for the Redmi Note 4. Thankfully, the included 13MP camera has larger pixels and a new sensor, and it does a much better job of taking images in both well-lit and low-light conditions.

Macro shots also come out looking great, with accurate colors and a lot of detail. If your primary consideration is camera quality, then you won’t be let down by the Redmi Note 4.

LTE with VoLTE

One of the reasons the Redmi Note 4 is so affordable is that it has limited LTE bands. The Indian variant with the Snapdragon 625 supports three LTE bands: 3 (1800MHz), 5 (850MHz), and 40 (2300MHz). This ensures that the phone works on all carriers in the country.

With Jio gaining momentum in the country, more and more phones are rolling out with VoLTE, including the Redmi Note 4. You’ll be able to make HD calls through the phone, and use Jio’s Wi-Fi calling features without any issues.

Marshmallow for now, Nougat coming soon

The Redmi Note 4 comes with MIUI 8 atop Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow. MIUI is one of the most customizable skins available today, and in its current iteration, it has picked up a slew of new features along with a visual refresh.

Among the new features include Dual Apps, which lets you run two apps at the same time, Second Space, through which you can use two separate profiles on the same device, and Quick Ball, a floating button that gives you easy access to commonly used shortcuts.

The Redmi Note 3 picked up Marshmallow in August 2016 — nearly a year after its release — and Xiaomi is thankfully tackling the update problem early on with the Redmi Note 4. The brand has already started offering a Nougat preview build for the phone, with a stable release making its way in the coming months.

If you’re interested in taking a look at the Nougat beta, you can flash the file from here. Do note that it is an early beta, and as such you’ll encounter bugs.

Huge battery, but no fast charging

The Redmi Note 3 had stellar battery life, and the Redmi Note 4 outdoes that thanks to an energy-efficient SoC and a slightly larger 4100mAh battery. You’ll easily get a day and a half’s worth of usage out of a full charge, and power users will not have to worry about the phone running out of juice before the end of the day.

MIUI 8’s memory management also plays a hand in maximizing battery life, and overall, you shouldn’t have any issues with battery life on the Redmi Note 4. That’s a good thing, because the lack of fast charging means that the phone takes nearly two hours to fully charge. The bundled charger tops out at 5V/2A, which is the maximum charge the phone can take. That is a drawback, but the great battery life makes up for the lack of fast charging.

Sky Q coming for those without a satellite dish, full service over broadband

Sky has announced that it will be bringing its full Sky Q television service to those who cannot or will not install a satellite dish.

The inability to have a satellite dish has been a barrier to getting Sky’s TV services since they started more than 25 years ago. Many homes are unable to have dishes due to being listed buildings or through council restrictions, which has prevented inhabitants from subscribing.

Sky’s new scheme will therefore expand its reach. It will deliver its Sky Q experience over broadband as well as the existing satellite transmission.

• What is Sky Q, how much does it cost and how can I get it?
• Sky Q review: 4K, multi-room support, apps and more
• Virgin TV V6 box vs Sky Q: What’s the difference?

Sky Q partly works through a broadband connection anyway, with boxes requiring internet to stream catch-up and on demand content, even populate the content and metadata rich menu systems. It makes sense that a version of the box will also stream live channels too.

Clearly, the company has learned much from its Now TV service, which is entirely fed over an internet connection.

Sadly, the Sky Q over broadband service won’t be available until 2018 and we don’t have any further details at present, including the internet bandwidth required to run it, but this is a significant step in getting paid-for TV services to as broad an audience as possible.

Sky also announced a new My Sky app for customers to keep up to date with their bills, broadband speeds and other account options.

Sony could go all out at MWC with five new smartphones

A report straight from Japan is claiming Sony will reveal five new smartphones at Mobile World Congress 2017. The five new models will encompass all price brackets, but it would be a surprising move, considering Sony’s smartphones can’t compete with the likes of Apple or Samsung in terms of sales.

• Next Xperia flagship: What’s the story so far?

The Japanese report doesn’t mention specific model names, but it does have codenames. Yoshino is expected to be the flagship device, with a 3840 x 2160 display, ideal for virtual reality, Snapdragon 835 processor, 4 or 6GB RAM and a Sony IMX 400 camera sensor. The BlancBright is expected to come sporting a 2560 x 1440 display, Snapdragon 835 or 653 processor with 4GB RAM and the same IMX 400 camera sensor. Out of the two, the Yoshino can be considered the flagship device, a possible successor to the Xperia XZ. However the BlancBright’s specs also put it in the running for that position, meaning the Yoshino could be introduced as a new Premium version.

Moving down the range is Keyaki, with a full HD 1920 x 1080 display, MediaTek Helio P20 processor with 4GB RAM, 64GB of internal storage, 23-megapixel rear-camera and 16MP front-facing camera. The Hinoki will get the same MediaTek processor, but will take a drop in screen resolution to 1280 x 720. It will receive 3GB RAM, 32GB internal storage, a 16MP rear camera and 8MP front camera. Finally, at the bottom of the range is the Mineo, although the only information about this device is a claimed $350 price tag, placing it in the lower mid-range category.

• Mobile World Congress 2017: Nokia, Sony, Huawei smartphones and more

There’s no word on when we can expect any of these phones. Even though Sony may unveil all five at once in Barcelona, the company may choose a staggered release for them throughout the year. Sony has planned a press conference for Monday 27 February, the first official day of MWC, so we’ll certainly hear the company’s plans for the year ahead then.

Garmin Forerunner 35 review: An affordable, effective running watch

We’ve almost reached the point where not owning a fitness tracker is as taboo as loudly answering your phone in a train’s quiet carriage or breaking out a selfie stick, well, anywhere. Without even a barebones bit of wrist tech, how else can you compare step counts and calories burned like you would chat about last night’s TV viewing or the latest box-set binge?

For those of us who want to move beyond the simple step-counting and get a better grip on improving fitness, however, dedicated running watches have tumbled in price and become easier to use as new entry-level options appear. This is where the £170 Garmin Forerunner 35 fits in.

A GPS running watch with an built-in heart-rate monitor, it’s a fitness fanatic’s friend that’s also adopted some smartwatch smarts with wrist-based notifications and call alerts thrown in.

We strapped the Forerunner 35 on and put it to the test to see if it’s an all-round win or a try-hard that falls short of the mark.

Garmin Forerunner 35 review: Design

• 35.5 x 40.7 x 13.3mm; 37.3g
• Available with black, lime, blue or white straps

Running watches aren’t always the nicest looking bits of kit. They’re often oversized and overly plastic. The Forerunner 35 falls into just one of those categories: while it’s not particularly big – it’s just 40.7mm tall and 13.3mm thick – it’s anything but a high-end looking bit of kit.

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Plastic is king here (whether you like it or not). No matter which of the four different strap options you go for – traditional black and white options are joined by more adventurous light blue and lime green colour schemes – the Forerunner’s body is the same dull, black plastic offering.

• Best smartwatches 2017: The smart wristwear available to buy today

Its looks are somewhat uninspired, therefore, with that plastic build and squat, boxy shape making it look like a far cheaper device than its near £170 asking price would suggest. Despite this Garmin’s looks, however, it’s well built, feeling strong and sturdy when strapped to your wrist.

Although its plastic body is great for chucking in your gym bag or for doing a bit of trail running – unlike devices such as the Misfit Phase or Apple Watch – you’re not going to want to wear it on a night out. It’s a watch that screams fitness fan, and will struggle to blend in with anything but your running kit or more casual clothing.

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It’s comfortable though, and waterproof too. Capable of being submerged in up to 50-metres of water without succumbing to a watery demise, its rubberised strap and metal buckle mean it can be tailored to fit your wrist and will remain secure and comfortable while walking to work or running a half marathon. It’s comfortable enough to sleep in, too, which is handy given the watch’s integrated sleep tracking skills.

Garmin Forerunner 35 review: Screen

• 1.3-inch square screen
• No colour panel option
• 128 x 128 pixel resolution

Sadly, the watch’s screen does nothing to boost its design credentials. Unlike many of the high-end running watches out there, Garmin’s not squeezed a touchscreen in here. Actually, there’s not even a colour display. Instead, there’s a 1.3-inch monochrome panel with a basic 128 x 128 pixel resolution. It’s basic and bland.

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No, it’s not going to win any beauty contests, or really fit with many of your outfits, but it’s a screen that’s detailed enough to get the job done. It’s also easy to view when running – which is what’s important.

Instead of a touchscreen, the watch features four physical buttons. Again, these aren’t particularly pretty, but they work well. The top left control triggers the watch’s backlight while the bottom left button will take you back through the menus. On the right side, the upper button lets you make selections while the bottom control scrolls down through menus and options.

The Forerunner 35’s screen might not be the most visually impressive, but when out running its monochrome panel makes it a simplistic joy to view and read. Whether your taking your 10k at a steady pace through the woods or upping the tempo while pounding the pavement, the Forerunner’s screen and software offer plenty of glanceable data.

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During a run, when your arms are bouncing around, these slightly raised buttons also make scrolling through data screens a breeze.

Garmin Forerunner 35 review: Features & performance

• Integrated GPS tracking
• Built-in heart-rate sensor
• Wrist-based call and message alerts

Although capable of capturing cycling and cardio work, the Forerunner 35 is a true running watch at heart. Keeping tabs on all your daily movements, it will count your steps as you go on a training run, walk to the shops or simply float around your office trying to dodge actually doing work.

• The best fitness trackers 2017: The activity bands to buy today

If you’ve been inactive for too long, it will prompt you to get up and move around. Unlike most watches, simple standing or shuffling from sofa to fridge isn’t enough to clear the move bar. This is a watch that’ll get you fit, as such, you’ll have to make a notable effort, walking for a minute to clear the bar.

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This is just the tip of the activity-tracking iceberg, too. Gear up to go for a run, and the Garmin Forerunner 35 will track much more than your footfalls. It’s integrated heart-rate sensor will monitor how your body reacts to exercise – and how quickly it recovers – while the built-in GPS will map your route.

Thanks to this integrated GPS, we found the watch to be pinpoint accurate with its distance tracking. Running a known 10k loop, the watch was spot on.

Although accurate, it’s not the fastest to secure a signal, however. As the watch lacks GLONASS skills, its GPS will take the better part of a minute to prime itself. Set the watch to running mode and you’ll be able to get through your pre-run stretches before it’s connected and ready to go. Once a signal has been secured we had no issues with its connection during our runs.

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The Forerunner 35’s impressive features aren’t just limited to its run tracking, either. Although not as attractive as the Apple Watch, the Garmin features some similar smart skills, bringing call and message notifications directly to your wrist.

Although many activity trackers are capable of this, unlike some, the Forerunner 35 doesn’t just tell you you’ve got a text or WhatsApp, it lets you read the messages directly on your wrist, too. Yes, text is big and blocky, but with a few clicks of the down button you can quickly see how urgent a message is or not.

It’s not faultless though. As well as being able to keep tabs on your movements and fitness levels, this more entry-level Forerunner can also monitor your sleep for comprehensive 24/7 tracking. The trouble is that its sleep-tracking can be easily tricked. Take the watch off and place it on the side to have a shower or even if you go to bed and it’ll class this lack of movement as sleep, skewing the data enough to make it useless.

Garmin Forerunner 35 review: Software & app

• Garmin Connect app works with iOS and Android
• Data automatically syncs to app

The Forerunner 35 isn’t just about the hardware – a key ingredient is its supporting software and app, that not only turns all your running data into something meaningful, but which presents it in such a way that’ll help you improve.

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Fortunately, Garmin’s app is better looking than its watch, but just as impressive on the features front. Unlike devices such as the Huawei Fit or Misfit Phase, Garmin Connect takes your data and turns it into more than just a list of dates and numbers that show you little more than how far you’ve covered or the amount of calories you’ve burned.

Yes, all the usual step, distance and calorie counts are all here, but things run deeper too. You can track your progress on a series of graphs and graphics, with continual heart-rate tracking mapped out alongside your cadence and pace. All of this works together to paint a deep, rounded picture of your fitness and how its changing run to run.

Helping you keep pushing to improving fitness, the app can automatically adjust your targets based on your past activity and performances too. If it notices you’ve been cruising through your daily targets, it will slowly start to increase them, helping you edge up your activity. If it notices you’re struggling, they’ll be gradually reduced to stop you becoming demotivated.

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Using your GPS data to map out your run, the app combines this with your activity metrics to add more depth to your training. You can use the results to compare recent outings to see exactly where on your run you’re making up or losing time on your past personal best, with mile and km markers marked out with split times.

Garmin Forerunner 35 review: Battery life

• Up to nine days battery life
• Circa 13 hours GPS-tracking per charge
• Crocodile clip-style bespoke charger

Unlike devices such as the Apple Watch Nike+ and Moto 360 Sport – watches that need charging every day or two – the Garmin Forerunner 35 features a seriously impressive battery life. We’re talking a week between charges, and that’s if you hit it hard with the GPS-enhanced run tracking.

Take things a little easier – just a couple of 5ks a week – and the Forerunner will cruise past the week marker without recharging. Garmin claims you can get nine days out of it before needing a trip to the mains, and in our tests this rang true.

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It’s a good job that the battery life is impressive, because charging the watch is a bit of a faff. Like most smartwatches, the Forerunner 35 comes with its own proprietary charging dock. Unlike the masses, however, this isn’t some simple, elegant magnetic cradle that closely and snugly hugs the watch. Instead, Garmin’s effort uses a weird crocodile clip-style charging dock that clasps to the side of the watch, making it a bit awkward to prop up while charging.

Verdict

If you’re looking for an entry into the world of running watches then the Garmin Forerunner 35 is a watch that attunes itself brilliantly to the riggers and requirements of a dedicated running watch. Its fitness tracking is faultless and it’s easy to read and control while running.

It’s hard to escape that design though. If you want to track your activity 24/7, you’re going to want a better looking bit of kit.

If, however, you’re after a gadget that will accompany you to the gym or on your marathon training sessions before being dropped in a gym bag, it’s a great option. It’s not ridiculously expensive either.

It’s £170 asking price puts it in the same bracket as the Misfit Phase and Withings Activité Steel HR, two devices that although easier on the eye don’t pack-in the same degree of fitness-tracking skills.

Garmin Forerunner 35: The alternatives to consider

Fitbit Charge 2

Pocket-lint

• £130

A lack of GPS is the only downside of this otherwise brilliant and versatile fitness tracker.

Withings Activité Steel

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• £140

Lacking GPS, the run and activity tracking here isn’t as on-point, but with an elegant design that’ll take you from office to evening out, it’s a solid alternative (the HR version, while more expensive, is also forthcoming).

D-Wave has its first customer for a $15 million quantum computer

The last time we reported on Canadian quantum computing company D-Wave, it’d extended a contract for its 500-qubit D-Wave Two machine. Now, the firm has announced a major step forward: commercial availability of the D-Wave 2000Q, which it says has 2,000 qubits and costs a whopping $15 million. More than that, D-Wave has its first customer lined up for the pricey machine. “Cutting-edge cyber security firm” Temporal Defense Systems. There, the computer will be used for chipping away at problems that are for more complex than previously thought solvable.

“Using benchmark problems that are both challenging and relevant to real-world applications, the D-Wave 2000Q system outperformed highly specialized algorithms run on state-of-the-art classical servers by factors of 1,000 to 10,000 times,” the press release says. Said benchmarks even included machine learning applications — which could prove to be the most consumer-facing application for the machines. A group of scientists is also looking at the machine for solving how planetary rovers can manage time and schedules autonomously.

As Nature notes, however, these systems work great with problems designed to run on them. Anything not tailored to the systems’ strengths can be another matter entirely. “So although scientists now agree that D-Wave devices do use quantum phenomena in their calculations,” the journal writes, “some doubt that they can ever be used to solve real-world problems exponentially faster than classical computers — however many qubits are clubbed together, and whatever their configuration.”

D-Wave isn’t stopping with the D-2000Q, of course, with SVP of Systems Jeremy Hilton saying that the next machine would once again follow the path of doubling performance and making easier-to-use and more efficient software.

Via: ExtremeTech

Source: D-Wave

‘MLB: The Show 17’ makes pitching a cinch in Retro Mode

Unlike how EA Sports has handled its monopoly on NFL games with Madden, Sony’s venerable MLB: The Show series tries keeping things fresh, and most importantly fun, each season. One of the cooler aspects of this year’s incarnation is Retro Mode. As the name suggests, it hearkens back to a simpler time when taking the virtual mound didn’t require an in-depth knowledge of ball physics and batting styles to strike someone out — just a little luck. A post on the PlayStation Blog says that it’s “pretty much a one-button mode.” Sign me up.

“In an effort to simplify the batter vs. pitcher battle, we’ve taken all the pitching attributes out and boiled them down to velocity, break and control,” Sony San Diego’s Ramone Russell writes. From there, you can throw a fastball or changeup with the X button and pushing the DualShock 4’s left analog stick in a given direction. To put a slider across the plate, you move the analog stick after the pitch is thrown.

Once again, the development team will be doing weekly Twitch streams going deep on individual features. Expect more info on Retro Mode in the form of a vlog on February 7th, and a deep dive via Twitch two days later. Not a fan of a pixelated interface (seen below at the one-minute mark) and simpler controls? Well, there’s always Road to the Show and Franchise modes for all your simulation cravings.

Source: PlayStation Blog

Sky Q will be available without a satellite dish from 2018

For almost thirty years, Sky has operated first and foremost as a satellite television provider. Sure, the company has expanded its empire to include phone, broadband and, more recently, mobile services, but many of its customers have at some point had to wait home while an engineer fixes a receiver dish to the side of their house. Soon, that won’t be the case, at least for Sky Q subscribers, after the provider confirmed it’s ditching satellites for some customers in favour of an internet-connected service.

Sky is remaining tight-lipped over its plans, but 2018 will be when the quad-play provider finally begins providing customers with real choice between online and over-the-air broadcasts (that isn’t Now TV). The company says it’ll benefit “millions of homes currently unable to install a satellite dish,” but will obviously rely on homeowners having a solid broadband connection (which Sky is also keen to provide).

To coincide with today’s announcement, and a future switchover, Sky also announced the launch of My Sky, a new loyalty app that will reward customers with “exclusive experiences and benefits” based on how many services they subscribe to and long they’ve been with the company.

In a financial report released today, the provider said it saw an 18 percent drop in profits over the last six months or 2016 due to Premier League TV costs and a rising number of customers leaving. With BT, Virgin Media and TalkTalk all poised to strike, Sky’s new reward programme could help balance subscriber numbers.

Currently, there are over one million Sky Q boxes in approximately 600,000 homes. With over 20 million subscribers, Sky will be keen to migrate existing TV customers away from their Sky HD boxes and onto a service that is ultimately built for streaming. The company has said that the online-only box will be slightly different to its existing Q hardware, but hasn’t shared whether the experience will be pared down in order to deliver everything over fibre.

Source: Sky

Pentax’s new KP DSLR shoots in incredibly low light

Pentax has released the KP, weatherproof, compact DSLR with five-axis body stabilization, extreme low-light-sensitivity and a pretty off-beat design. The standout feature is a ridiculously high 819,000 ISO, a setting that would let you shoot with almost no light. That puts it ahead of every other camera, except perhaps Sony’s Alpha A7II S. In fact, the Pentax KP, like most other cameras nowadays, likely uses a new Sony sensor — so don’t be surprised to see other new APS-C models with that kind of capability soon.

The Pentax KP is also the Ricoh-owned company’s first APS-C camera with five-axis body stabilization (borrowed from the full-frame K-1) bringing it up to par with Sony, Fujifilm and other rivals. As with other Pentax models, it uses “pixel shift resolution,” giving you more resolution and color accuracy as long as your subject doesn’t move around much.

Other features include a 3-inch, vertical-tilt screen, AA-filter-free design, a removable and replaceable grip via an Allen key and customizable buttons. The new body is dustproof and weather resistant, with a very compact design that’s smaller and lighter than the K-3. Apparently some weight was sacrificed for the battery, though, as it can only do 390 shots compared to 560 for the K-3.

There are a few things still holding the camera back for consideration by serious shooters, unfortunately. Unlike contemporary models from Sony, Nikon and others, it doesn’t shoot 4K video, settling for a tepid 1080, 30p max setting. It’s also got the same, older 27-point autofocus system of the K-3 (giving it 7fps shooting), which doesn’t come close to matching newer Sony and Olympus mirrorless models. It’s also saddled with an old USB 2.0 port and weirdly, has no HDMI port, forcing you to buy a dongle instead. Finally, and this is subjective of course, it’s got a pretty homely design compared to drop-dead beautiful models like Fujifilm’s new X-T20 and X-100F.

Still, it might be a hit for Pentax fans looking for very low-light capability. Though the top 819,000 ISO setting is probably very noisy, dialing it down to a lower, but still very high setting should produce usable shots. Once we start to see sample shots at those settings, we’ll know for sure. The KP is scheduled to ship on February 23rd for $1,099 in the US and £1099 in the UK.