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Sony showcases new concept car with tech for autonomous driving

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Sony has showcased a number of new technologies at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show, and one of them was a concept car packed with the company’s sensors and other components that provide a package that supports autonomous driving.

Kenichiro Yoshida, Sony president and CEO, says: “It’s not an exaggeration to say that mobile (communication) has been the mega-trend of the last decade. I believe the next mega-trend will be mobility.”

Yoshida formally unveiled the prototype vehicle, which incorporates imaging and sensing technologies that Sony says “contribute to safer and more reliable autonomous driving”. [Read more…] about Sony showcases new concept car with tech for autonomous driving

Top 25 AI chip companies: A macro step change inferred from the micro scale

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One of the effects of the ongoing trade war between the US and China is likely to be the accelerated development of what are being called “artificial intelligence chips”, or AI chips for short, also sometimes referred to as AI accelerators. 

AI chips could play a critical role in economic growth going forward because they will inevitably feature in cars, which are becoming increasingly autonomous; smart homes, where electronic devices are becoming more intelligent; robotics, obviously; and many other technologies.

AI chips, as the term suggests, refers to a new generation of microprocessors which are specifically designed to process artificial intelligence tasks faster, using less power. [Read more…] about Top 25 AI chip companies: A macro step change inferred from the micro scale

Foxconn boss reiterates commitment to build factory in Wisconsin

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Foxconn boss Terry Gou has reiterated his commitment to building a multi-million-dollar factory in Mount Pleasant, in the US state of Wisconsin.

The chairman of Foxconn, which is better known as Hon Hai Precision in its native Taiwan, met with US President Donald Trump at the White House earlier this week.

After the meeting, media reports suggested that Foxconn will make additional investments in the Wisconsin facility.

Read moreCNBC

Samsung shows off robot that tests Galaxy Fold smartphone

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Samsung has been showing off the robot the company uses to test the new Galaxy Fold smartphone. (See video below.)

The Galaxy Fold is a new type of smartphone – the main feature being the foldable screen.

The Galaxy Fold was scheduled for release a few days ago, but early reviews suggested that the foldable screen broke after a day’s use.

[Read more…] about Samsung shows off robot that tests Galaxy Fold smartphone

Beam me up, Scotty. Or send me a foldable smartphone

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If you’re among the millions of people who watched the sci-fi TV show Westworld and saw the folding smartphones used by some of the characters, you probably immediately thought, “I want one of those.”

That’s what we thought anyway.

And whereas the old, 1960s Star Trek showed off tablet computers and other technologies many decades before they were beamed into our collective – and possibly holographic – reality, nowadays, things happen slightly faster.

[Read more…] about Beam me up, Scotty. Or send me a foldable smartphone

Apple’s recycling robot hungry for more defunct devices

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Apple’s recycling robots are hungry for more defunct devices, as tech giant announces a “major expansion” of its recycling programmes.

The company says it is quadrupling the number of locations US customers can send their iPhone to be disassembled by Daisy, its recycling robot.

Daisy will disassemble and recycle select used iPhones returned to Best Buy stores throughout the US and KPN retailers in the Netherlands.

[Read more…] about Apple’s recycling robot hungry for more defunct devices

New iPad Air and iPad mini ‘deliver dramatic power and capability’

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Tech giant Apple says its new iPad Air and iPad mini tablet computers “deliver dramatic power and capability”.

Apple has introduced the “all-new” iPad Air in an ultra-thin 10.5-inch design, offering the latest innovations including Apple Pencil support and high-end performance at a “breakthrough price”.

With the A12 Bionic chip with Apple’s Neural Engine, the new iPad Air delivers a 70 percent boost in performance and twice the graphics capability, and the advanced Retina display with True Tone technology is nearly 20 percent larger with over half a million more pixels.  [Read more…] about New iPad Air and iPad mini ‘deliver dramatic power and capability’

Apple releases new version of iMac with twice as much power

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Apple has updated its iMac line with up to 8-core Intel 9th-generation processors for the first time and powerful Vega graphics options, delivering dramatic increases in both compute and graphics performance.

The company says that both consumer and professional users will notice their iMac is faster for everyday tasks all the way up to the most demanding pro workloads.

This boost in performance, combined with its Retina display, sleek all-in-one design, quiet operation, fast storage and memory, modern connectivity and macOS Mojave, makes iMac “the world’s best desktop”, says Apple.  [Read more…] about Apple releases new version of iMac with twice as much power

Apple introduces iPhone XR with A12 bionic chip

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Apple has launched iPhone XR, integrating breakthrough technologies from iPhone XS in an all-screen glass and aluminium design with the most advanced LCD in a smartphone featuring a 6.1-inch Liquid Retina display and six finishes.

iPhone XR brings the powerful A12 Bionic chip with next-generation Neural Engine, the TrueDepth camera system, Face ID and an advanced camera system that creates portraits using a single camera lens.

iPhone XR will be available to pre-order beginning Friday, October 19 and in shops from Friday, October 26.

[Read more…] about Apple introduces iPhone XR with A12 bionic chip