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Google Pixel 7 series puts premium on photo, video

Pro version challenges other flagships

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We’ve seen what they look like and now they have officially been launched. The Google Pixel 7 series. featuring the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro, is ready to take on other flagships.

‘Most refined design’

Google says the Pixel 7 series has the “most refined design” of any Pixel phone to date. It has a smooth glass back with an aluminium frame. And of course, there’s the signature Camera Bar. The Pixel 7 Pro has a polished aluminium finish while the Pixel 7 is in matte. They are also made with recycled materials.

Both phones have an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance. And the displays are scratch resistant with Corning Gorilla Glass Victus.

Google Tensor G2, enhanced photo and video

Powering the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro is the Google Tensor G2 chip. It’s custom-built for Pixel and was made to take advantage of Google’s advanced machine learning and speech recognition.

Naturally, it also makes the phones run faster and smoother. It’s also responsible for the Pixel’s vaunted photography capabilities. But Google says it’s now extending to video too. It enables features like next-gen Super Res Zoom, twice faster Night Sight processing, Face Unblur, and Cinematic Blur.

The Pixel wants to remain king in low-light imaging. Its large main sensor lets more light in. Combined with computational photography, the Night Sight feature is promising to be better than ever. The Pixel 7 series can now also shoot 4K60fps videos.

Secure with more features

Equipped on both the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro is the Titan M2 security chip. Together with the Tensor G2 chip, it helps the Pixel be built with multiple layers of security. You also get the usual Face and Fingerprint unlocks. It’s also designed for prolonged use as Google promises up to five years of security updates.

Additional features include At a Glance which immediately displays the right information at the right time. Google cites the baggage claim at the airport as an example. But there’s also other appointments and meetings listed on your calendar. There’s also Assistant Voice typing that lets you type with your voice. It now supports Spanish, French, and Italian.

The Pixel 7 series also has the Adaptive Battery Feature. It learns your usage patterns and optimizes the phone to make sure it lasts for about 24 hours. It also supports 30W charging, promising a 50% charge in about 30 minutes.

Price and availability

In the US, the Pixel 7 starts at only US$ 599. And it’s available in Snow, Obsidian, andLemongrass. Meanwhile, the Pixel 7 Pro starts at US$ 899. And it’s available in Snow, Obsidian, and Hazel.

In Singapore, the Pixel 7 series is now available for pre-order and will arrive on store shelves on October 13.

The Pixel 7 with 128GB storage retails for SG$ 999 and is available in Snow, Lemongrass, and Obsidian. Meanwhile, the 256GB version is priced at SG$ 1,129 and comes in Obsidian.

The Pixel 7 Pro 128GB is priced at SG$ 1,299 and comes in Snow, Hazel, and Obsidian. The 256GB version is available only in Obsidian and retails for SG$ 1,449.

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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.

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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.

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Next iPhone might get rid of the Action Button

Both functions will be in one button instead.

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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.

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NVIDIA CEO admits to having an affair with alleged Chinese spy

The company is currently investigating the allegations.

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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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