Be kind to your wrist with this new Delux Vertical Mouse on Indiegogo

Why it matters to you

Spending hours sitting in front of a computer can be hard not only on your back and your eyes, but on your wrist, too. This wireless mouse wants to help.

When it comes to your workstation, we’ve paid plenty of heed to your back (with ergonomic chairs), to your eyes (with monitors that are growing ever larger), and even to your legs (with standing desks). But we haven’t paid all that much attention to your wrist. And given the sheer volume of work your wrist does for you on a daily basis — what with typing and moving a mouse around, it seems like high time we addressed this overlooked body part. And we can start with the Delux Vertical Mouse.

Now available on Indiegogo, this wireless device may not look like a mouse, but that could be because we’ve been thinking of mice all wrong for the last several years. Meant to reduce pain over the course of a long workday (or, let’s be honest, a long day of gaming), this vertical mouse features an interesting upright design that molds to the natural shape of your hand.

Completely wireless and promising an intuitive grip, the Delux also claims to connect quickly and easily to all your mobile devices, making it a sensible choice for your home, office, and going in between. The mouse features a 500Hz polling rate, and 4,000DPI (which will come in handy for gamers).

And although the design of the Delux may seem unfamiliar at first, its makers say that the mouse features all the same functions and features as more standard devices. “It’s hard to change your using habits, and we’d like to keep those [same] buttons for you,” the team notes on its Indiegogo page. You can still click left and right, scroll with a wheel, and go up or down on a page. The mouse also promises to track on virtually any surface, so you don’t have to bother with a mousepad (unless you just really want one).

You can pre-order a Delux Vertical Mouse now from Indiegogo for $56, with an estimated shipment sometime in August.

Instagram Live videos can now be saved for playback for 24 hours

Why it matters to you

The ephemerality of Instagram Live videos was once its differentiating factor, but now, Instagram is making these videos last a little longer.

Snapchat may have built an empire on ephemerality, but now that FOMO (which is to say, fear of missing out) is becoming more relevant every day, the concept of disappearing content may be … well, disappearing. At least, that appears to be Instagram’s strategy, now that it is giving users the option of saving public live broadcasts to your Instagram stories, where they can be viewed by your followers for 24 hours. That means that no longer will your followers have to worry about missing out on your content — instead, you can choose to share your live content even when it is no longer live.

While Instagram, for quite some time, appeared to be taking its cues from Snapchat, it now looks as though the photo-sharing platform is setting new precedents. This live video feature, after all, is not something that Snapchat has (yet) and it could help Instagram even further its lead over the rival social media app. Instagram Stories now boasts 250 million daily users, which represents a 50 million increase from its 200 million mark in April.

Snapchat, on the other hand, can only claim a total of 166 million daily users across its entire app — Instagram, for reference, has 700 million total users.

“From new creative tools to location stories, we’ve been focused on making it easier to share any moment and uncover stories from the accounts and interests that matter most to you,” Instagram told TechCrunch. “As a result, we are continuing to see strong growth both in the U.S. and internationally.”

And just maybe, this growth can be further bolstered by the change to Instagram Live videos.

The decision to make these videos accessible for longer periods of time could be a controversial one. After all, the instant disappearance of these videos one of the few truly differentiating factors for Instagram — Facebook Live and Twitter’s Periscope both allow for playbacks. That meant that Instagram Live videos were truly special, in a way.

But hey, at least now, your friends and families will not have to worry about missing out on any of your content. And isn’t that what matters most of all?

New ‘Orange is the New Black’ season leaked by hackers targeting Windows 7

Why it matters to you

If you are still running Windows 7, you may be at risk for a similar type of hack that led to the leak of episodes from the fifth season of Orange is the New Black.

If you were patiently waiting to revisit the inhabitants of Litchfield Penitentiary earlier this year, then it must have been a shock when 10 of the 13 episodes from the fifth season of the Netflix show Orange is the New Black were leaked online in April. According to the company that was hacked in order for the episodes to be liberated, the hack happened because it had a computer running Microsoft Windows 7.

Hacking group The Dark Overlord has claimed responsibility for leaking the new season more than a month before its scheduled release on Netflix. It breached the security of post-production company Larson Studios which worked on the new season. In an interview with Variety, it was revealed that Larson Studios’ security was breached because The Dark Overlord group was looking for computers running older versions of Windows, such as Windows 7, not perusing the internet to get the latest on Piper Chapman’s fictional life.

“They were basically just trolling around to see if they could find a computer that they could open,” said David Dondorf, Larson Studios chief engineer. “It wasn’t aimed at us.” The hackers stole and deleted all of the data on the company’s servers from numerous Hollywood studios that worked with Larson. The company first checked the servers and discovered the hack on Christmas Day 2016 after the company’s president, Rick Larson, and his wife, Jill, received an email from The Dark Overload threatening to leak everything it had from the company.

Larson Studios is working to make sure this never happens again by spending six figures to ramp up its security efforts. Some of those efforts involve keeping audio and video files separate, encrypting all data, and locking down all computers at Larson Studios. Larson claimed “a lot of what went on was ignorance,” in regard to Larson’s security efforts prior to the Orange is the New Black leak.

Windows 7 was released in 2009 and has been a hacker’s paradise as of late. Last year, Adobe systems running Windows 7 were among those targeted by hackers exploiting a vulnerability in its Flash player. Earlier this year, Microsoft stopped giving security updates to computers with the latest Intel or AMD processors running Windows 7.

Imperfect crystals may be perfect storage method for quantum computing

Why it matters to you

Scientists understand the basic principles of quantum computing better than ever, but a lot of work is required go beyond the limits of classical systems.

Quantum computing has come along in leaps and bounds over the past few years, but there are still plenty of practicalities that need to be figured out. The technology is completely distinct from classical computing, which means that many well-established practices need to be completely revamped.

For instance, consider the way that bits operate in a traditional computer. It’s possible to send one bit to multiple gates at the same time, or use a logical AND gate to combine two bits into one value. However, this isn’t the case when it comes to quantum bits, better known as qubits.

Qubits are very delicate, and altogether rather difficult to work with. Classical gates create a new bit based on the input they receive, but quantum gates can’t create a new qubit outright. Instead, qubits need to be initialized at the start of a computation, then stored safely until they are needed.

This is where a new paper published by a group of researchers from the University of Geneva comes in. It outlines a method of storing multiple qubits, which can be put in place at different times and still be accessible, utilizing the structure of an imperfect crystal.

A qubit is spread across all the atoms in a crystal, which makes it more difficult for its state to be disrupted, according to a report from Ars Technica. However, the drawback to this technique is that only one qubit can be stored at any given time, under normal circumstances.

Fortunately, the researchers have a solution — ions are applied to the crystal that shift it between three distinct states; the ground state, the storage state, and the excited state. Starting in the ground state, a photon (the qubit) is fired at the crystal and sends a single ion to the excited state.

However, the structure of the crystal means that all the ions have a chance of absorbing the photon, so it’s stored across the full gamut of ions. The ion that was in the excited state emits a slightly redder photon and enters the storage state, confirming that the qubit is in storage. To retrieve the information, a laser is applied to the crystal.

Here’s where the imperfect nature of a crystal’s structure comes into play. Ions are separated into several different populations that cycle between a maximum and minimum energy level near to that of the normal excited state. Different populations cycle at different rates, so with the proper timing, the laser can read one of several different qubits.

There is plenty more research to be done before this technique can be implemented in practice — but if it’s fruitful, this could be a real game changer for the field.

Heart disease treatment fights health problems with … photosynthesis?

Why it matters to you

Photosynthesis isn’t just for plants. Stanford researchers want to use it to save lives, too.

You are probably most familiar with photosynthesis as that thing you learned about in junior high school that explains how plants convert light energy into chemical energy in order to live. Over the years, there have been some interesting tech-related investigations into photosynthesis — ranging from “artificial leaves” capable of powering houses to potential methods of large-scale energy generation in a carbon-neutral manner.

Now researchers from Stanford University have a new use in mind: Utilizing photosynthesis and photosynthetic bacteria to help deliver oxygen around the body, in cases where blood flow temporarily stops due to blockages.

“We set out to try to think of different, out-of-the-box ways to approach heart disease,” Dr. Joseph Woo, chair of cardiothoracic surgery at Stanford and lead author on the study, told Digital Trends. “I wanted to know if there was any way of taking photosynthesis, this natural mechanism which exists every day in the world, and harnessing it to try and increase oxygen in an otherwise oxygen-starved heart.”

Woo’s team started out by grinding up spinach and kale to combine with heart cells in a dish, but found that the process was not stable enough. Next, they successfully used photosynthetic bacteria in the form of blue-green algae, which is more rugged due to living in the water. They found that it was able to survive with heart cells in a dish.

The researchers then injected the bacteria into the beating hearts of anesthetized rats with cardiac ischemia, one of the conditions caused coronary artery disease. They found that the heart function of rats whose hearts were subsequently exposed to light were considerably healthier than those kept in the dark. While the bacteria dissipated within 24 hours, the improved cardiac function in the rats continued for upwards of one month.

It is still early days for the research, but Woo said the discovery might one day be applied to humans. Since physically opening up humans suffering from heart attacks, so that their hearts can be exposed to light, is not an ideal course of action, his team is investigating alternative methods a similar photosynthetic effect could be achieved. One possible solution involves finding ways to insert micro light sources into the body, while another could utilize the different wavelengths of light to find a light source that is able to penetrate the body.

A paper describing the work was recently published in the journal Science Advances.

Microsoft Garage releases Dictate, letting you talk to your Office apps

Why it matters to you

You can now leverage Microsoft’s expertise in voice recognition to speak your words into Office apps.

Microsoft Windows 10 is chock full of ways to input information. There is the keyboard, of course, which comes in both physical and software versions. Then there’s Windows 10 Ink, which provides solid handwriting recognition to go along with its excellent drawing capabilities. Another important input mechanism, particularly for anyone with a physical challenge, is voice input. Speaking your words to a PC can be a liberating experience for some people, and while Windows has always had a form of dictation built in, Microsoft Garage has another option in Microsoft Dictate.

Dictate is built on the same voice-recognition technology that powers Microsoft Translator and other products and services build on Microsoft Cognitive Services. That means that it benefits from Microsoft’s industry-leading research into using artificial intelligence and machine learning to improve a computer’s ability to understand spoken languages.

Microsoft Dictate works just like a number of other voice-recognition solutions, such as Nuance’s Dragon Dictate. It is a little different from some in that it is specifically an Office add-in, meaning it works with the desktop version of Office. You need to download the right version, either 32-bit or 64-bit, and then run through the installation process.

Once you install the add-in, it will be available in Office apps including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook. You then have another menu option available dubbed “Dictation,” and selecting that lets you start and stop dictation. While dictation is running, you have access to a number of commands, including:

• New Line: Takes cursor to new line
• Delete: Removes the last line you dictated
• Stop Dictation: Terminates the dictation session
• Full stop or period: Types period character (.)
• Question mark: Types (?)
• Open Quote: Types (“)
• Close Quote: Types (”)
• Colon: Types (:)
• Comma: Types (,)

In addition, Dictate supports more than 20 languages for the dictation process itself and it can provide real-time translation between 60 languages. English language support includes both automatic and manual punctuation, and the system provides for real-time visual feedback showing that speech is being processed.

If you have been looking for a good way to speak to your Windows PC using your Office apps, then Dictate might be a great solution. Keep in mind that Microsoft Garage products don’t always last forever, however, and so it is entirely possible that Microsoft could kill the project.

First, Huawei wants AI to help you. Then it wants AI to be you.

Huawei is increasingly optimistic about the future of artificial intelligence. At CES Asia 2017, Chief Operating Officer Wan Biao spoke to Digital Trends about the technology’s growth, describing three key stages in AI’s evolution: “Enable me, Know me, Be me.” We’re already into the beginnings of the “know me” stage, Biao said. “Be me” is still some time away, but despite its potential, that may be a good thing.

Machines are already surpassing human intelligence, Biao said, and we’re edging even closer to the prospect of a smart society — where people and machines are one. This, combined with previous statements made by Huawei about artificial intelligence and the integration of machine learning into its smartphones, gives us a tantalizing glimpse of the smart future.

Enable Me, Know Me, Be Me

“‘Enable me’ typically means the control system and our voice are used to enhance the user experience,” Biao said. “In ‘Know me,’ artificial intelligence comes into the equation, to proactively know the requirements of users.”

For example, when a friend sends a message inviting you to dinner, it will likely include the address and location. “Know me” will automatically show this on the maps app. Over time, it will learn your daily behavior and activity, and get to know you personally.

The technology is unique to the platform, and couldn’t be implemented on a Qualcomm or other competing chipset.

Huawei’s user interface placed over Android — EMUI 5.0 and EMUI 5.1 — uses machine learning techniques to push resources directly to the apps you use most often, according to the company’s software engineering director, Christophe Coutelle. That way, it’s not warming up apps you almost never use, ensuring you don’t have to wait around or deal with lag when you open your favourite apps.

This works locally in the background, along with smart resource allocation algorithms — which constantly shift the processor power, along with the phone’s RAM and GPU resources — to where they’re needed at the time. The result is 20 percent faster app launch time, and a 40 percent decrease in wait time when you first turn on the phone. How effective is Huawei’s machine learning system on predicting your behaviour? In EMUI 5.0 — introduced with the Huawei P9 and Mate 9 — its accuracy was measured at 85 percent. For EMUI 5.1 on the Huawei P10, Huawei said the predictive accuracy is up to 90 percent.

Best of all, this is Huawei’s own technology, and it’s made possible by its Kirin 960 processor. It utilises one of its cores for storing and managing apps, rather than constantly killing them off. The technology is unique to the platform, and couldn’t be implemented on a Qualcomm or other competing chipset. It also means other companies need to come up with their own version should they want to follow along.

“Kirin is the future for our smartphones, and Huawei intends to continue investing in it,” Biao said, adding that in the future, “all smart devices will have these functions.”

This type of AI smarts is already available on other smartphones such as the HTC U11, as well as through other services such as chatbots in messaging apps such as Facebook Messenger.

It’s all useful, but what about “Be me?” The very phrase is evocative. Do we want software and machines to be us? Biao’s not shy in painting a picture of a techno future more suited as a plot for a Terminator-esque movie.

“Man and machine will be integrated together for proactive thinking,” he said, when asked to describe what “Be me” will be like. “The brain is made of neural cells, it makes full use of the information stored, and is like a super computer. In the future, the machine will also store and acquire information from the outside world. The simultaneous calculations will be far stronger than the human brain.”

He cited the recent advances made by AlphaGo, Google’s now-retired AI computer program that’s purpose was to master and beat top Go players.

“Man and machine will be integrated together for proactive thinking”

“In the 90s, [computer program] Deep Blue beat a chess champion, as Go has done now,” he said. “Computers are already stronger. Einstein had an IQ of 160, and in some cases, AlphaGo has an IQ of 10,000. I believe AI and data processing will be far stronger than the human brain, and the world will become a smart society.”

The concept of a smart society, and man and machine becoming one, is likely to be a terrifying thought to many people. But Biao is optimistic that we’ll remain in complete control over this new wave of hyper-intelligent machines.

“In the end, machines will be controlled by people,” he said. “They’re powered by energy, and if the power is cut, they’ll stop working.” Let’s hope machines don’t control the power source.

The power of collective wisdom

This is not the first time Huawei has gazed into the AI future and given us its predictions. Richard Yu, Huawei’s president, also talked about the impact artificial intelligence will have on our lives during his 2017 CES keynote speech. He said over the next five to 10 years, there will be an, “intelligent revolution,” where all things will be connected, and be able to sense their environment. Our phones, he said, will be more like robots, and move past being simply smart phones, to become intelligent phones. The Kirin processor will continue to be instrumental in making this happen, with future versions having dedicated cores specifically for artificial intelligence and machine learning.

Huawei’s obviously convinced that artificial intelligence will play a big part in our smart devices over the coming years, and the company is making sure it’s in at the start. It reinvests 10 percent of its revenue into research and development each year, a figure that matches Google, and 79,000 of Huawei’s 180,000-strong workforce works in R&D. There’s no doubt it’s serious.

But so is everyone else. Samsung’s very keen on artificial intelligence, but isn’t off to the best start with its stalled Bixby virtual assistant — despite its acquisition of AI experts Viv Labs. Apple revealed more about its improvements to Siri during its WWDC 2017 keynote, including news of extensive machine learning tools being made available to developers inside iOS 11. It’s also likely to install a lot of these skills into its HomePod smart home device which launches later this year.

Huawei is the world’s number three smartphone manufacturer, behind Apple and Samsung respectively. Its goal is to be number one, and we were told of an important company mantra it considers key to reaching the top: A belief in “the power of collective wisdom.”  There’s a clear parallel between this, and the AI research described here. Let’s see if this can become more than just a fortuitous coincidence.

These tips will help keep your camera lens squeaky clean

No matter what you shoot or where you do it, it’s inevitable your camera lens will, at some point, become dirty enough to warrant a cleaning. To ensure your lenses stay in tip-top shape, we’re going to run through the various steps you should take to clean your camera lenses with the attention to detail they deserve. After all, a well-maintained lens could last a lifetime.

Cleaning the front and rear elements

First, you want to clean the front and rear elements of the lenses. For obvious reasons, these two optical elements are the most likely to get dirty when shooting day-to-day, the front element in particular. Before opting for a traditional cleaning cloth, however, what you’ll want to do is use a blower bulb. We suggest the Giotto Rocket Blaster, as it’s an age-old tool used by photographers around the world for decades. Using a blower bulb helps to gently remove any dust or dirt on your lens that would otherwise be ground into the glass when wiping it with a cloth.

Once you’ve finished blowing off the element, you’re going to want to obtain a microfiber cloth and cleaning solution. Microfiber cloths vary in terms of texture and quality, so be sure to find one that doesn’t leave behind any unwanted fuzzies. Also, when using the cleaning solution in conjunction with the cloth, avoid spraying the solution directly on the optical elements. Instead, spray the solution on the cloth and wipe accordingly. If there are streaks left behind, use a dry section of the microfiber cloth to ensure a clean surface.

Cleaning the outside of lens

You might not find yourself cleaning the outside of your lens often, but when you do, you’ll want to make sure you’re doing it right. A microfiber cloth works wonders for getting dust and dirt off the outside of the lens, and for those times when you want to give your lens a deeper cleaning, a toothbrush is your best friend.

Specifically, get a soft-bristled toothbrush and, without any sort of liquid cleaner, brush across the surfaces and inside the crevices of your lens. The bristles on the brush should dislodge any dirt that might’ve built up between the focus and zoom rings.

Although many lenses claim to be “waterproof” or “weatherproof,” the truth is, no lens is completely protected from liquids. Because of this, we suggest you avoid using liquid cleaners on the barrel of your lens. If you do find it absolutely necessary to do so, remember to place the cleaning solution on the microfiber cloth — not on the lens directly.

Lens contacts

Newer lenses have electronic contacts on the lens mount that drive the focusing motor, the image stabilization setup (if present), and help transfer information about the image and lens to the camera body. For the most part, you should never have to worry about these contacts. In fact, it’s best to avoid cleaning them as much as possible, since they’re often made of sensitive metals.

But, in the event you’re getting a constant error code regarding the connection between the lens and the camera, your safest bet is to clean the camera with a standard pencil eraser. Make sure the eraser you’re using is made of a soft rubber, as certain erasers may contain abrasives that could scratch the contacts. Furthermore, ensure the lens is facing down so that shavings don’t find their way into the internal components of the lens. Again, only do this as a last-ditch effort.

Leave it to the pros

auremar/123RF

If you aren’t much of a do-it-yourselfer or you aren’t comfortable doing the steps mentioned above, then it’s possible you could accidentally damage a lens. In this instance, you should leave it to the professionals. Yes, it will cost you out of pocket, but if lens cleaning is something you do once in a while, then the money spent could be a sound investment.

Many specialty camera retailers will offer in-store lens cleaning. Even Best Buy offers such a service through its Geek Squad division. You can also check with your camera manufacturer’s customer service, which could direct you to the appropriate place for lens cleaning. If you live near one of Canon’s service centers, such as the one in Lyndhurst, New Jersey, you could even drop off a lens and have a Canon technician not only clean it, but diagnose it for possible problems.

Wrapping it up

Overall, keeping your lens working like a well-oiled machine shouldn’t take too much work once you have the required tools on hand. This is especially if you properly attach and remove it from your camera, adding both the front and rear lens caps.

If your lens has more profound problems than those mentioned in this article, or has a build up of dirt on the internal optical elements, your best bet is to contact your camera manufacturer about getting it professionally cleaned. Whether talking a manufacturer’s in-house service or that of a third party, taking care of gear is what these people do. And, trust us, it’s better to spend a couple hundred dollars having your shooter professionally cleaned than to try and do it yourself only to ruin an expensive lens.

Mozilla brings Firefox Focus, its privacy-conscious web browser, to Android

Why it matters to you

If you’re search for a simple web browser with a focus on privacy, look no further than Firefox Focus.

When Mozilla launched Firefox Focus last year, its take on a modern iPhone web browser, it doubled down on privacy. Now, nearly half a year later, Mozilla is bringing the same security-conscious experience to devices running Android, Google’s smartphone operating system.

“For the times when you don’t want to leave a record on your phone. You may be looking for information that in certain situations is sensitive — searches for engagement rings, flights to Las Vegas or expensive cigars, for example,” Mozilla wrote in a blog post. “And sometimes you just want a super simple, super-fast Web experience — no tabs, no menus, no pop-ups. Firefox Focus gives you just that.”

You would be hard-pressed to tell the difference between Focus for Android and its iPhone counterpart. The app retains the stripped-down, simple interface of its iOS cousin, down to the incredibly basic browsing experience and Yahoo search toolbar. You cannot favorite web pages or open multiple tabs in Focus — instead, you are expected to perform quick searches and visit web pages directly.

The distinct lack of bells and whistle works in Focus’s favor, though. Mozilla claims that its ad-blocking and anti-tracking tech speeds up web browsing sessions and decreases page load times.

“[Trackers] are notoriously known for slowing down your mobile experience,” Firefox mobile product manager Barbara Bermes wrote in a blog post announcing the Android launch. “Why do we block these ad trackers? Because they not only track your behavior without your knowledge, [but] also slow down the web on your mobile device,”

To commemorate the debut of Focus for Android, Mozilla introduced the key new features first to Google’s platform. You can switch off the web browser’s built-in tracker blocker so that you can view sites that do not load properly with it enabled, or view the ad tracker counter to see how many analytics are being actively blocked on a given page. And you will now get push notification reminders to erase your browser history.

“For Android users, [we] made Focus a great default browser experience,” Bermes wrote. “Since we support both custom tabs and the ability to disable the ad blocking as needed, it works great with apps like Facebook when you just want to read an article without being tracked.”

Firefox Focus is available for free from the Google Play Store. The iOS version, which is slated for an update in the “coming weeks,” is on the iTunes App Store.

Sprint and Samsung team up for speedy MIMO 5G cellular network

Why it matters to you

Sprint’s new MIMO technology, which it’s developing in partnership with Samsung, might dramatically boost the range and speed of its prototypical 5G network.

The next generation of cellular connectivity is nearly upon us, and there’s every indication it will perform leaps and bounds better than its predecessor. So it’s no real surprise that carriers like Sprint are already prototyping next-gen networks ahead of broader rollouts. On Tuesday in Suwon, South Korea, the Now Network teamed up with Samsung to prototype massive MIMO technology.

Massive MIMO (short for multiple input, multiple output) is a radio technique that uses multiple antennas to boost signal speed. It’s not exclusive to 5G, per say — some high-end phones and Wi-Fi routers already support it — but it’s critical in urban environments, where hundreds (and even thousands) of tightly packed subscribers compete for high-speed data. Using a technique called beamforming, which focuses and transmits cell signals to targeted locations, MIMO-enabled radios are able to deliver relatively consistent quality of service to all devices on a given network.

Entire industries stand to benefit — at least in theory. Cars, Internet of Things (IoT) products, and even virtual and augmented reality headsets enabled with 5G will deliver faster, more reliable experiences than the 4G devices of today. And cloud-powered storage like iCloud and Google Drive could become speedy enough to replace physical hard drives.

Sprint’s brand of MIMO consists of eight transmitting antennas and eight receiving antennas for a total of 16, a configuration it calls 8T8R. In its collaboration with Samsung, it compared the performance of 8T8R, which it’s deployed across its network, to Samsung’s massive MIMO radios. During field testing in Suwon, technicians measured speeds of 330Mbps per channel — about four times the capacity and three times the cell edge performance compared to current radios.

Going forward, Sprint plans to deploy upgraded 64T64R (64 transmit, 64 receive) antennas across its network, which the carrier expects will achieve speeds “well beyond” 1Gbps. In addition, it will partner with Samsung on massive MIMO network infrastructure, network design, operation, data collection, and processing.

“The testing in South Korea is an important step towards deploying massive MIMO in our U.S. network where it will be a key element of LTE Plus as well as 5G,” Günther Ottendorfer, Sprint’s chief operating officer, said in a statement. “Massive MIMO is a tremendous differentiator for Sprint because it is easily deployed […]  This makes massive MIMO an important tool.”

Sprint’s MIMO partnership with Samsung follows on the heels of its pledge to roll out 5G by “late 2019.” In May, the carrier said that it would deploy spectrum in the 2.5GHz band, using the new standard developed by the 3rd Generation Partnership Project — a key working group overseeing the development of 5G technologies.

The competition isn’t standing idly by. In February, Verizon launched “pre-commercial” 5G service for homes and offices in 11 cities, following a partnership with Samsung, Qualcomm, and others that saw 5G routers installed in homes.

AT&T, another rival, said it will begin streaming DirecTV service over 5G to some residential customers. And more recently, it announced “5G Evolution,’”a series of high-speed connectivity trials in 20 major cities.