Pokémon Go Debuts in France and Hong Kong as Nintendo Shares Dive

Nintendo shares took a beating on Monday after the company released a statement saying Pokémon Go would have limited impact on its quarterly earnings since it only owns 32 percent of the Pokémon Company, which has the licensing rights to the game.

The announcement by Nintendo appeared to take investors by surprise and had an immediate impact on its share price, with stock dropping 17 percent at one point, wiping around $6.4 billion off their value – their biggest decline since October 1990.

The news poured cold water on hopes of a stunning revival for the Kyoto-based game company, which said its earnings outlook would not be revised. Nintendo is due to reveal its Q1 report later this week.

Some observers remained optimistic however, noting that shares were still up some 60 percent compared with levels prior to the game’s July 6 launch, adding nearly $12 billion in market value. They argued upward revisions of the company’s profit targets so early after the game’s release were beyond reasonable expectations.

“The market has overreacted to the Nintendo statement,” said David Gibson, a senior analyst at Macquarie Securities Group who spoke to Reuters. Gibson noted the game in Japan had broken records with 10 million downloads in one day.

“I believe that Pokémon Go will be material in the company’s earnings given the current trends for the game.”

Global rollout of the game continued over the weekend, with Pokémon Go launching in App Stores in France and Hong Kong – the first Asian location outside Japan to gain access to the wildly successful title by U.S.-based developers Niantic.

CEO of Niantic John Hanke took to the stage Sunday at Comic-Con, where he revealed the new features coming to the game in the coming years, including new pokémon and a trading feature that will allow players to trade captured characters.

Niantic also revealed team leaders for Team Mystic, Team Valor, and Team Instinct, with each trainer set to communicate with players within the game world and offer them advice. Hanke promised fans the leaders would be making their way to the game soon.

Tag: Pokémon GO
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Prisma update lets you save photos directly

Much requested ‘save’ button added alongside bug fixes in first Android app update.

Just hours after it first landed on Android, popular AI-enabled photo filtering app Prisma has received its first update. The updated version of Prisma adds a “save” button — a much requested feature that lets you export directly to your gallery, as opposed to another app through Android share intents.

Everything works just as before, instead now you’ll find a “save” button to the left of the Instagram share button. Tapping it immediately saves the photo to the “Prisma” folder on your phone’s internal storage.

It’s worth remembering the app still doesn’t support incoming Android share intents, so to load a photo into Prisma in the first place you’ll always need to start the app and navigate to the image you want.

The Prisma team also says it’s squished a few bugs in this initial update for the app.

How are you liking Prisma on Android? Let us know how you’re getting on down in the comments!

Ford expands Android Auto to all 2017 vehicles

Ford announced earlier this year that it would bring Android Auto and Apple CarPlay to all of its 2017 models equipped with the Sync 3 infotainment system. The company has now confirmed that it will integrate Sync 3 in all 2017 cars, SUVs, light trucks and electrified vehicles. The 2017 Escape, Explorer, Fusion, and Mustang already include the new in-car entertainment system, and other models like the F-150, Focus, Edge and the 2017 Super Duty will pick up Sync 3 integration later this year.

From Jeffrey Hannah, Director of North America at automotive research firm SBD:

SYNC 3 is already a major leap forward in terms of functionality, simplicity, and user experience – Ford’s promise that every new model now ships ‘Smartphone-ready’ is huge.

Ford is not taking the traditional approach of introducing Apple CarPlay and Google Android Auto on a few piecemeal models or as an expensive option on luxury vehicles only. The guesswork for consumers is over – if you buy any 2017 Ford vehicle with SYNC 3, you drive off the lot with both of these innovative technologies ready to go.

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Pokemon Go future features revealed

Such has been Pokemon Go’s success, that it might have already reached its peak and started to go off the boil. The roll-out has also reached France and Hong Kong over the weekend.

However, there’s still more to come from Pokemon Go, parts of the game that weren’t ready at launch and elements to look forward to. Niantic Labs, the developers of the Pokemon Go game, took to the stage at Comic-Con in San Diego to reveal a little more about what the future holds for Pokemon Go.

Firstly, the leaders of the different teams – Valor, Mystic and Instinct – have been revealed, shared via a tweet and called Candela, Blanche and Spark respectively. According to John Hanke, CEO of Niantic Labs, these team leaders might pop-up in the game to offer advice.

Trading is something that was core to original Pokemon games and it has been mentioned in relation to Pokemon Go previously. Hanke has suggested that this is an interesting side of Pokemon and, according to IGN, Hanke said it was a “great social thing”, and something that Niantic Labs were working on bringing to Pokemon Go.

Trading should mean that if you haven’t managed to catch ’em all, you’ll be able to swap with someone who has spares you might not yet have encountered.

There’s also been the suggestion that PokeStops could be customised. There’s certainly plenty that can be done with PokeStops, with the suggestion that you could collect an item to change a PokeStop’s function.

With the launch of Pokemon Go in Japan, we’ve also seen the first commercial pairing with McDonald’s, leading to 3000 restaurants becoming sponsored Gyms. We would expect to see further moves like this in other territories.

Hanke also mentioned that more Pokemon characters could appear in the future, expanding beyond the set of original Pokemon that are in the game, and that there are still hidden features in the game to be discovered.

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Jaguar demos new technology to assist future drivers

Jaguar has demoed a number of new technologies at its HQ in Gaydon, UK, that will help assist your driving in the future.

The new tech won’t be available for a number of years, but will look to support the drivers of the future. Previewing the new tech to Pocket-lint, Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) stressed that its focus wasn’t on replacing the driver, but in aiding the driver as much as possible.

Take its new twist on Adaptive Cruise Control, for example. Rather than using radar detection that can take a few seconds to respond to a car braking in front, the company is trialling a technology it calls Co-Operative Adaptive Cruise Control (A-ACC). The prototype system allows cars to be directly connected together wirelessly so they can react quickly to sudden changes in speed or braking.

JLR

Instead of being some 50 metres apart, cars can be just a few metres away from each other braking or speeding up at the same time because of a temporary direct connection between them.  

That, says JLR, means that in future you could use roads a lot more efficiently than you can today. On the motorway it would allow more cars on the same stretch of road, better fuel efficiency through improved drag resistance and hopefully less accidents because cars would know when other cars were braking or speeding up.

The system, as we experienced ourselves, works really well. As soon as you change lanes the connection is broken, while any braking performed by the car in front is automatically relayed to the car behind. At the moment the system is only based on two vehicles, but the system could be expanded to considerably more cars in the future, we were told.

Then there is the over the horizon, hazard ahead, and emergency vehicle warning systems. These three different technologies work independently of each other, but all have the same core values: to inform the driver of things going on in their surroundings.

The technology has been designed to alert drivers to hazards like broken down cars, approaching ambulances or emergency vehicles, and general information via road signs to alert drivers that something is coming up. Although JRL is a working to develop this technology, and it is yet to be standardised, the company is just one of 16 manufacturers working to allow cars to talk to each other.

When it comes to roadworks, Jaguar Land Rover has a solution here too, mainly to stop you hitting traffic cones. The idea of Roadwork Assistance is that the more you try to steer into road traffic cones, the more the steering wheel will fight against you to stop you.

JLR

Trying the brand new tech at JLR’s HQ, the car applies more resistance to the steering wheel the closer you get to the cones. The system works because a sensor created by Bosch has detected they are there and relays that information to the car as it is driving along.

If the steering wheel resistance isn’t enough and you get too close, the car will even try and jolt you out of the way so you avoid hitting them.

The technology, which is still in early, stages isn’t perfect: we still managed to hit the cones, but it shows what could be possible in the future.

And for those who forget they’ve got a top box or bikes on the roof rack, Jaguar is working on a solution here too.

Called Overhead Clearance Assist, the feature measures the height of obstructions in the way and then informs you whether you’ll make it, or if your roof load is likely to hit it.

JLR

It’s a clever idea and one that we can see many benefiting from, especially if you go to multi-storey car parks or parking slots that have height barriers to enter. You still have to approach slowly, but at least you won’t lose the kid’s bikes.

The final tech demonstrated was something called Safe Pullaway. This technology is designed to stop drivers crashing into the vehicle in front when in traffic jams or pulling away from a roundabout.

The system uses a forward-facing stereo camera to monitor the area immediately in front of the vehicle. If objects such as vehicles or walls are detected and the system receives signals from throttle pedal activation or from gear selection that could lead to a collision, the vehicle brakes automatically and the driver receives an audible warning.  

JLR say we can expect all of these research projects to appear in its cars in the years to come.

Pokémon Go team leaders revealed, new pokémon and trading feature incoming!

At Comic-Con, CEO of Niantic John Hanke talked about the initial rollout of Pokémon Go and new features that will be making their debut in the coming years, including the addition of new pokémon and a trading feature that will allow players to trade pokémon. Niantic revealed the team leaders for Team Mystic, Team Valor, and Team Instinct, with Hanke saying that each leader will offer players advice.

#PokemonGO Team Leaders revealed! Team Valor: Candela. Team Mystic: Blanche. Team Instinct: Spark. pic.twitter.com/j05H5K0tfY

— Pokémon GO (@PokemonGoApp) July 24, 2016

Hanke revealed that new pokémon will be showing up in the game:

There are a certain set of pokémon in the game right now. There are some rare ones that haven’t showed up yet that will be showing up. And there are some other ones in the universe, it’s something we’re excited about continuing with in the coming years.

Without giving a specific timeline, Hanke said that the trading feature will make its way to the game eventually:

Trading is not in Pokémon GO today, but it’s something we’re working on bringing to the product. Don’t get too excited – we need to make sure we can keep the servers up first!

The executive also said that updates to training is at the top of the priority list, and talked about making PokéStops customizable:

That’s a pretty cool idea that you can acquire an object that changes the function of a PokéStop and gives it a new ability.

Excited about the upcoming features? Let us know what you’re looking forward to in the comments.

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Roadmap says transistors will stop shrinking in 5 years

Whether or not Moore’s Law on complexity has always held true, you’ve had one constant in the semiconductor world: chip makers would always find a way to shrink transistors and create more powerful chips without increasing size or power consumption. However, even that one hint of predictability might soon disappear. The Semiconductor Industry Association (which includes the likes of IBM and Intel) has published a roadmap which expects transistors to stop shrinking after 2021. Simply speaking, it might not be financial practical to keep reducing transistor sizes — companies might not recoup the costs. Instead, they may focus on 3D chips an other technologies that make better use of available space.

There is some evidence to support the prediction. The number of companies that can afford to compete in chip manufacturing is getting very small. Intel, GlobalFoundries (AMD’s former manufacturing wing), Samsung and TSMC are the only big players left, and there’s no guarantee that all of them will stick around. Intel’s slower development pace is largely a reflection of how difficult it is to shrink transistors without introducing problems like excessive power leaks.

This doesn’t mean that Moore’s Law will be dead in 5 years. The use of 3D and other tricks may continue to double the complexity of chips for a while yet. And it’s important to stress that this is a roadmap, not a guarantee. How many times have pundits predicted the end of progress in chip design, only to be proven wrong as a discovery keeps hope alive for a while longer? The biggest concern is that semiconductor giants may have to change how they increase the complexity and power of their products, not that they’ll hit a wall.

Via: IEEE Spectrum

Source: Semiconductor Industry Association

CarPlay Now Available in All 2017 Ford Vehicles Equipped With SYNC 3

Ford has announced that its SYNC 3 infotainment system, which includes CarPlay and Android Auto, is now available across its entire 2017 lineup of cars, SUVs, light trucks, and electric vehicles in the United States.

The expansion brings CarPlay to already-released 2017 models such as the Fusion, Mustang, and Explorer, while other models like the 2017 F-150, Focus, Edge, and Super Duty will arrive at U.S. dealerships later this year.

Ford confirmed in January that it would be adding CarPlay and Android Auto to all of its 2017 vehicles in North America equipped with BlackBerry’s QNX-based SYNC 3 platform, starting with the 2017 Escape in May.

Ford has also added Spotify, Pandora, Ford PASS, AccuWeather, and AAA member services to SYNC AppLink.

In December, Ford retroactively added Siri Eyes Free support to 5 million 2011-2016 vehicles through a SYNC 3.8 software update. The automaker says more than 15 million SYNC-equipped vehicles are on the road worldwide today, although that figure likely includes older SYNC platforms incompatible with CarPlay and Android Auto.

Ford is also adding CarPlay and Android Auto to its 2016 vehicles equipped with SYNC 3 as an over-the-air software update.

CarPlay brings Maps, Phone, Messages, Music, Podcasts, and a number of third-party apps, such as Spotify, to a vehicle’s dashboard. Apple’s in-car software platform can be controlled with Siri and your vehicle’s built-in controls for convenient access to common iPhone features. It is compatible with iPhone 5 and later models.

CarPlay widely launched in the second half of 2015, and the rollout has extended to several large automakers this year, including Chrysler, Dodge, and Jeep; BMW and Nissan; and Hyundai and Kia. CarPlay is now available in over 100 new 2016 and 2017 models, while two notable holdouts include Toyota and Mazda.

Related Roundup: CarPlay
Tags: Android Auto, Ford, Ford SYNC
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