News

Experiment exposes truth about Samsung’s moon photos

Is it real or fake?

Published

March 14, 2023

Luigi Leonardo

How much do you value moon photography in your smartphone? For a few brands, touting a super-zoom camera that can take photos of the moon is the name of the game. However, an experiment last weekend revealed some truths about Samsung and its Space Zoom.

For a few years, Samsung has touted its incredibly capable camera. Named the Space Zoom, the camera can take unbelievably clear photos of the moon. Though the moon isn’t always a priority for users, a tremendous zoom is always a must for smartphone cameras.

If you think a zoom that can capture the moon is too good to be true, it is… a bit. Soon after the introduction of the feature, pundits (and Samsung itself) has confirmed that the feature is using some AI magic to make the moon as clear as it looks on Galaxy phones.

Over the weekend, the conversation was rekindled once again. A Reddit thread, created by u/ibreakphotos, experimented with the feature even more. Rather than taking photos of the moon directly, the experiment took photos of a screen showing artificially blurred photos of the moon. By using Gaussian blur, the user eliminated most of the detail and, therefore, taking out anything that the camera might recover.

Image source: Reddit

Regardless of the quality of the photo, the Galaxy device still put out an incredibly clear shot of the moon, producing it from seemingly nowhere. It’s clear that the AI is doing a lot of heavy lifting.

To hammer this point further, the user eliminated more detail by erasing craters and partially cropping parts of the moon. This threw the AI for a loop. Despite what it did previously, the photo remained blurred in the final output.

Since the moon looks the same everywhere, it’s easy for the AI to upscale even the blurriest of photos. However, tricking it is easy by obscuring the more telling details of the moon.

Now, knowing about this shouldn’t knock Samsung down drastically. After all, the brand already advertises its AI as a primary force for its camera. Plus, the zoom is impressive in its own right, upscaling powers aside. The main takeaway should be how AI remains important to today’s technology.

Accessories

Apple reportedly working on AirPods with USB-C

For release later this year

Published

March 28, 2023

Luigi Leonardo

Apple’s USB-C adoption is going roughly. Forced by world governments to adopt the standard, Apple is finding ways to delay the adoption or bypass the spirit of the law entirely. However, one lineup is getting an important boost to USB-C adoption. The company is reportedly releasing a USB-C version of the AirPods Pro.

Recently, a Twitter leaker going by @aaronp613 discovered references to an upcoming model of the AirPods lineup. Though the model numbers don’t reveal anything about the device, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo had a clearer idea of what the devices might be.

I think this is likely the USB-C version of the AirPods Pro 2, with mass shipments expected in 2Q23-3Q23. By the way, Apple currently appears to have no plans for USB-C versions of the AirPods 2 & 3.

我覺得這應該是AirPods Pro… https://t.co/aWKJvGh1lW

— 郭明錤 (Ming-Chi Kuo) (@mingchikuo) March 24, 2023

According to the analyst, the unannounced device refers to an updated model of the 2^nd-generation AirPods Pro with a USB-C charging case. Currently, the AirPods Pro only has cases that come with the proprietary Lightning cable. The device will reportedly start shipping between the second and third quarters this year.

Unfortunately, it’s unclear whether the device is a new model or just a separate purchase for users. The latter will delay a wider adoption of the charging standard but will test demand for Apple products with USB-C baked in.

Over the past few months, the company has reportedly started developing solutions to a forced USB-C adoption, especially in Europe. One of those reported solutions is a proprietary version of USB-C, allowing Apple to limit performance for third-party cables.

Gaming

Nintendo is shutting down Wii U and 3DS stores today

Shutdown imminent

Published

March 28, 2023

Luigi Leonardo

Image source: Nintendo

Every device and digital service reaches an inevitable point when maintaining support becomes untenable. Basically, everything dies. Today, two beloved stores are coming to an end. Starting today, Nintendo is closing the online stores of the Wii U and the 3DS for good.

Last year, Nintendo warned users of the impending shutdown of the two stores. As the company dives deeper into the Switch generation, its older devices are getting tucked into the archive. Throughout last year, the company slowly cut off support by preventing users from infusing their accounts with more funds.

Now, the shutdown is all but complete. Specifically at 8PM ET (or a few hours after the publication of this article), users will no longer be able to buy games or DLC from the eShops of either console.

For now, users who bought anything prior to the closing will still be able to redownload any content they purchased over the years. Nintendo has not announced whether there are plans to cut off access to those as well.

Though most gamers have already moved on to the Switch, shutting down the stores of both consoles isn’t meeting a lot of fanfare. A good chunk of games, especially big ones, still have their physical releases. However, a larger chunk of titles are available only digitally. Getting these titles is now impossible, except for those who bought them already.

Apps

Twitter just had its source code leaked

Taken down now

Published

March 28, 2023

Luigi Leonardo

Before Elon Musk acquired Twitter, he promised better transparency to show how the platform operated. Whatever Musk’s plan for this is, he probably wasn’t expecting someone else to do it for him. Over the weekend, a GitHub user reportedly leaked a significant portion of Twitter’s source code for public viewing.

A website’s source code is its biggest asset. Inside, users can delve into what makes a website tick, including portions that the developers don’t usually want others to see. For cybersecurity enthusiasts and hackers, gaining access can expose vulnerabilities to patch or exploit. For a competing website, it can provide a needed advantage. Needless to say, Twitter is worried about the recent leak.

Over the weekend, a GitHub repository published Twitter’s source code, exposing the inner workings of the platform for all to see. Right now, the company has already issued a takedown notice and shut down the repository, but not before others have seen and potentially downloaded the code.

Twitter itself has confirmed the authenticity by starting an investigation into the leak. The company is trying to figure out where the leak came from. Additionally, it is requesting GitHub to hand over the information — including real names and addresses — of any user who downloaded the code for themselves.

For Musk’s part, the Twitter owner remains committed to releasing bits of the platform’s code. The platform is scheduled to release the code for its recommendation algorithm soon — a welcome release but a far cry from what the leak revealed.