News

LG Electronics invests US$ 740M to improve AI webOS capabilities

Expanding what the platform can offer

Published

on

LG Electronics made a significant investment as part of its strategic vision and future initiatives for its AI webOS ecosystem. These were shared last week at the webOS Summit 2024 in Incheon, South Korea.

The electronics giant mentioned an investment of KR₩ 1 trillion (US$ 740 million) to enhance the capabilities of its AI webOS platform, as well as related businesses.

AI webOS, of course, powers LG’s major offerings, including the company’s famed LG TVs. The cutting-edge platform currently supports over 4,000 apps, including those for entertainment, fitness, education, and gaming.

LG said to achieve its vision for the platform, it will continue to broaden the extensive selection of content and services accessible on AI webOS. For instance, it will reinforce AI webOS with about 4,500 games across popular cloud-based services like GeForce NOW and Amazon Luna.

Moreover, LG has teamed up with MediaTek and Razer. This is to utilizes Bluetooth Ultra-Low Latency (BT ULL) technology to reduce input lag when using a BT gaming controller. This particular technology was demonstrated at the webOS Summit 2024. The latency was reduced to as low as 1ms.

Furthermore, LG has introduced webOS Pay to make purchases more convenient and direct for users. The simple-to-use payment service contributes to the seamless, personalized shopping experience on the company’s intelligent platform.

At the summit, LG also showcased AI Concierge to visitors. This feature is currently present on LG TVs. It employs voice recognition, search history, and user data to provide customized app and viewing recommendations.

Thanks to its ability to recognize different voices, AI webOS can take each LG smart TV user straight to their own personalized Home Screen. This eliminates the need to manually select their profile.

News

Nothing Phone (4b) shows up online, spoils some specs

It’s a step below the Phone (4a) series.

Published

on

Yesterday, Nothing officially teased the Phone (4b), an all-new line positioned below the Phone (4a) series. At the time, the teaser revealed nothing but the design of the upcoming phone. However, ahead of its July 7 launch, the Phone (4b) suddenly appeared on Geekbench, spoiling a few of its mysterious specs.

According to the listing, the Phone (4b) will run the SM6650, more popularly known as the Snapdragon 6 Gen 4. It’s a modestly powered processor built for the budget to midrange segments of the performance spectrum. Having this processor does confirm that the phone belongs to the step below the Phone (4a), bringing affordability to a name other than CMF.

Besides the processor, the new phone will come with an Adreno 810 GPU and 8GB of RAM. Inside, it will ship with Android 16 out of the box, but this will likely be upgradeable to Android 17 later this year.

It’s already confirmed that the Phone (4b) will be quite the looker. The phone will slightly depart from the design philosophy of the Phone (4a) series. Though it will still have a sizable rear island, the camera setup will just be a small vertical strip on the top-left corner. Additionally, the lighting element typical of all Nothing phones will be a small horizontal strip on the bottom-right corner.

Thankfully, the wait for more specs won’t be long. Nothing has confirmed that the phone’s launch is set for July 7.

SEE ALSO: Nothing will launch the Phone (4b) next month

Continue Reading

News

Polaroid says, enjoy the beach before AI ruins it

“We know what we stand to lose if we don’t protect it.”

Published

on

Tongue-in-cheek marketing is a soothing balm for a world where false promises are more often advertised. But, what happens when those tongue-in-cheek jokes strike a nerve and make you think, “maybe this isn’t a joke anymore”? Polaroid, a huge proponent of analog technology, has put up such a billboard to enjoy the beach “before the data centers drink it all up.”

Right in front of Coney Island (and right in time for summer), Polaroid has a simple message: “Go jump in the water before the data centers drink it all up.”

Though funny by itself, the message plays on an ongoing fear that today’s data centers, built for AI, have such a high water requirement that each query takes up gallons every time. This is, of course, slightly hyperbolic, but data centers are indeed exerting a lot of pressure on their area’s resources. They take a lot of water for cooling and electricity to keep open.

In a statement, Polaroid says that they’re not anti-digital. Rather, “we know we have to live alongside it, but we’re deeply pro-human and know what humanity gives us. And we know what we stand to lose if we don’t protect it. That’s a fight worth fighting,” says Polaroid’s creative director Patricia Varella, via LBB.

Now, this isn’t a completely altruistic ad. It’s still advertising the new Go Generation 3. Still, if you’re looking for a product to go alongside today’s shifting sentiments against AI, a Polaroid might be it.

SEE ALSO: The Loop PH rebrands as lifestyle-tech destination

Continue Reading

News

PLDT Home, GCash partner to make Fiber Prepaid reloads more rewarding

Score exclusive perks and discounts when loading via GCash GLoad

Published

on

PLDT Home has joined forces with GCash to integrate Fiber Prepaid reloads directly into the GCash GLoad platform.

The partnership aims to make high-speed home connectivity significantly more accessible and budget-friendly for Filipino households. In the process, transactions come with exclusive rewards, app-based discounts, and more offers.

PLDT Home originally introduced its Fiber Prepaid lineup to cater to students, remote workers, and small business owners who require robust internet speeds but prefer to avoid rigid monthly lock-in contracts.

Integrating reloads via the GCash app gives users even more flexibility when it comes to payments, given a secure and cashless ecosystem.

The platform lets users tailor their internet usage to their actual budget. For instance, the entry-level PLDT Home Fiber Prepaid package starts at PhP 999.

This comes bundled with 30 days of unlimited internet at speeds of up to 50 Mbps. Beyond the base tier, customers can freely opt for flexible top-ups ranging from a single day up to a full 365-day package, with speeds topping out at a blazing 300 Mbps.

To start loading and claiming exclusive perks, users can simply head over to the GLoad section within their active GCash app.

Continue Reading

Trending