News
Samsung will unveil its Wear OS experience at MWC next week
It better be good…
Samsung will unveil its Wear OS-based smartwatch software at this year’s Mobile World Congress (MWC), scheduled for June 28. The brand has teased via a tweet saying it plans to debut the new ‘Galaxy Experience’ virtually. The hint is accompanied by a picture that looks like the Galaxy Watch 4.
Google and the South Korean giant revealed at Google I/O that they’ve teamed up to make the next iteration of Wear OS in May. The two companies have tried to develop native software, but the appeal was nowhere close to Apple’s watchOS. After years of trying, the two have decided to join forces.
Wear OS shall be merged with Samsung’s Tizen. While Google has deep knowledge about the software, Samsung can focus on hardware optimization. Apple enjoyed an edge since its entire technology stack is in-house, including the processors.
Ready to learn how the Galaxy Experience can empower you?
Tune in to the virtual Samsung Galaxy session at the Mobile World Congress #MWC21 on Monday, 28 June: https://t.co/a5dH36ojEN pic.twitter.com/4pZRGCLP4B— Samsung Mobile (@SamsungMobile) June 21, 2021
Why did Samsung and Google team up?
The expectations are pretty high, as Wear OS has lagged in the smartwatch race. Google has received valuable inputs via its acquisition of Fitbit, a veteran in health tracking. Fitbit tried to deliver a smartwatch experience but couldn’t leap across the fine line that differentiates a smartwatch and a tracker. Interestingly, Fitbit had previously acquired Pebble, a smaller watchmaker that rose to fame after a series of successful crowdfunding campaigns.
“We’re seeing apps start up to 30% faster, and the performance is allowing us to add animations and transitions that are super smooth that we didn’t have before, all of this powered on the latest chipsets,” Bjorn Kilburn, director of product management for Google Wear, told CNET.
Along with a new watch experience, Samsung will also share details about its latest security enhancements for the Galaxy ecosystem. But given that this isn’t an Unpacked event, there’s no telling whether the company will unveil any new devices.
News
St. Peter reunited people with their deceased loved ones through tech
The new “If Heaven Could Write” campaign generates letters from the imagined perspectives of loved ones.
Grieving can take many forms. Sometimes, it manifests through a desire to hear a loved one again. We look at their old clothing, a gust of wind, or a butterfly, and imagine them talking to us one more time. This year, St. Peter, through the power of technology, gave 11,000 people that chance through its new “If Heaven Could Write” campaign.
During St. Peter Deathcare Week, which ran from October 27 through November 2, the deathcare provider started the “If Heaven Could Write” campaign, an interactive digital experience that offered participants a chance to reunite with their deceased loved ones. It was available in 37 St. Peter Chapels and 76 cemeteries nationwide.
Upon scanning a QR code which took them to a portal, participants answered questions about their loved ones. Then, the portal generates a personal letter from the imagined perspective of the participant’s loved one, giving them one more chance to converse.
Of course, an imagined letter can’t replace someone who passed away. Still, the experience affords us a way to grieve and process the loss. No, the letter isn’t really from your loved one, but you can imagine what they would have said while reading through it. And sometimes, that’s all we need.
Though St. Peter Deathcare Week has already come and gone for the year, those interested can still participate in the campaign through its link.
In a world with a love-hate relationship with extra buttons on a phone, Apple has gone to the deeper end and included two buttons in the latest iPhones: the Action Button and the Camera Control. Next year, Apple might consolidate the two buttons into one, ridding itself of the Action Button.
According to a Weibo leak from Instant Digital, Apple will merge the two buttons starting with next year’s iPhones. Though technically a new button in itself, the merged version will, based on the leak, retain more Camera Control than the Action Button.
Of course, both functions can coexist in the same button. The Camera Control activates with a single press, while the Action Button needs a longer press. In the merged button, a single press can still open the camera and a longer press can activate whatever the user sets it to.
Both buttons have had a storied past. The Action Button came in 2023, replacing the Ring/Silent Switch. Meanwhile, the Camera Control debuted a year later, offering control over the camera with a capacitive button. The current iterations retain both buttons on the same phone.
Personally, as someone used to creating content, the Camera Control button is ultimately a boon to get those shots quickly while in the moment. Retaining that functionality is definitely worthwhile.
Enterprise
NVIDIA CEO admits to having an affair with alleged Chinese spy
The company is currently investigating the allegations.
In one of the craziest headlines this year, NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang has admitted to having an affair with an alleged Chinese spy.
Over the weekend, a heavy allegation claimed that the NVIDIA CEO had a relationship with a person actively involved in Chinese intelligence. Since Huang is involved in business globally, the accusation isn’t a light one. In fact, it’s serious enough that Huang admitted to the affair late this past Sunday.
In an internal letter reported by Associated Press, the CEO acknowledged the existence of the affair with a business executive. Of note, Huang did not confirm the executive’s ties to Chinese intelligence. NVIDIA, however, will conduct its own investigations regarding the allegations. Despite the allegations, Huang will remain as the company’s CEO. The company is also confident that the alleged spy did not compromise NVIDIA’s secrets.
According to The New York Times, the executive, Alice Huang, was reportedly feeding information back to Beijing, despite being an executive of the Singapore-based Megaspeed, which is already a serious customer of NVIDIA.
Now, NVIDIA is currently in a prime position when it comes to the industry today. Formerly a huge proponent of gaming peripherals, the company is now one of the biggest names in AI hardware, allotting a lot of its products for data centers. Huang’s allegations come at an interesting time.
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