Today Alphabet is announcing Tidal, an X division moonshot project with the goal of preserving the ocean’s ability to support life and help feed humanity sustainably. Tidal’s initial goal is to develop technologies that will give us a better understanding of what’s happening under water, with a focus on helping fish farmers to run and grow their operations in environmentally friendly ways.
”Humanity is pushing the ocean past its breaking point, but we can’t protect what we don’t understand,” writes Tidal General Manager Neil Davé in a blog post announcing the moonshot.
To achieve its early goal, Tidal has developed an underwater camera system coupled with computer vision and other AI techniques to track and monitor thousands of individual fish as they develop. The electrical components had to be developed to withstand the extreme cold and crushing pressures of the ocean’s unforgiving salt water environment. The system can also interpret behaviors not visible to farmers.
By logging eating behavior and environmental data like temperature and oxygen levels, the farmers can make smarter decisions about how to manage their pens, according to Davé. And healthy fish require fewer antibiotics, a concern amongst environmentalists.
The project has been operating for three years already, according to a report from the Financial Times, with Tidal cameras deployed in Europe and Asia to help track fish species like salmon and yellowtail. “There may be an opportunity there to relieve some pressure on wild fishing if we made aquaculture very compelling from an operational and environmental perspective,” says Davé.
”Fish have a low carbon footprint relative to other sources of animal protein and they play a critical role in feeding 3 billion people today,” continues Davé, “so helping fish farmers could prove critical both for humanity and for the health of the ocean.”
The upcoming iPhone 9 is widely speculated to be modeled after the iPhone 8 (pictured above), but with upgraded internals.
Eric Franklin/CNET
Apple is expected to launch a budget-friendly phone at the end of March, which could be the first of at least five iPhones anticipated to launch in 2020. This device is widely speculated to be a lower-cost phone called the iPhone 9 (or possibly the iPhone SE 2), which would be a long overdue update to 2016's iPhone SE. If the rumors are true, this would signal Apple's renewed commitment to low-cost phones as global smartphone sales continue to decline.
The announcement, supposedly slated for March 31, is understood to be happening despite widespread supply-chain disruptions caused by the coronavirus, which already forced Apple to lower its quarterly revenue guidance. Until the event takes place, however, we'll continue gather the most credible and compelling rumors that have been circulating to give you an idea of what to expect from Apple's spring launch.
iPhone 9 may launch at $399
Renowned Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicts the iPhone 9 will cost $399 (around £300 or AU$600). At this price, Apple may potentially lure budget-minded customers who aren't willing to splurge $1,000 or even $700 (on say, an iPhone 11 Pro or iPhone 11) into making an upgrade.
This isn't the first time Apple targeted the entry-level segment of the smartphone market. The original iPhone SE launched at $399. At the time it was hundreds of dollars cheaper than its contemporaries and ended up being a successful product for the company. As the global smartphone market shrinks and fewer consumers splurge on premium handsets, the importance of offering a low-cost but high-quality phone shouldn't be overlooked -- especially if Apple wants to make further inroads into massive, price-sensitive countries like China and India.
The phone may have A13 bionic chip, 3GB RAM
The upcoming iPhone 9, according to Kuo, is expected to be modeled after the iPhone 8, but with enhanced internals. It may have Apple's newest chipset, the A13 processor, which is the same one found in the iPhone 11 series. Kuo also expects the iPhone 9 to come with 3GB RAM.
The iPhone 9 may have a smallish display with Touch ID
It looks like the expected 4.7-inch screen of the iPhone 9 will be as small as Apple is willing to go for now. That's larger than the original SE, which had a 4-inch display. It's also rumored to have a physical home button that, along with a fingerprint reader, would enable Touch ID. That's as opposed to Face ID, which uses facial scanning and is featured in current iPhone models.
The device could have a single rear camera
Since the iPhone 9 is expected to be modeled after the iPhone 8, we also expect a single 12-megapixel setup on the rear in order to keep costs low. In addition, the phone is expected to come in three colors: space gray, red and silver.
A more expensive sibling could be in the works: The iPhone SE 2 Plus
Even though the iPhone 9 or iPhone SE 2 hasn't been announced, in the Apple universe it seems as if it's never too early to talk about upcoming iPhones. There is already buzz of a more expensive sibling set for launch in 2021, but it will still be positioned as a lower-cost phone. According to MacRumors, it'll be called the iPhone SE 2 Plus and will feature a 5.5- or 6.1-inch LCD display. It apparently will also have an updated form of Touch ID that would be integrated into the power button.
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Why Apple needs the iPhone 9, aka SE 2
Riot has finally revealed its first major non-League of Legends game: Valorant. The company’s new game is a major departure from its MOBA past, and doesn’t even draw on similar strategy games like Legends of Runeterra or Teamfight Tactics. To help give you a better idea of what Riot’s new game is all about, we’re going to answer every question you might have about Valorant.
Wasn’t this game called Project A?
Yes, it was. Riot announced Valorant as Project A during its League of Legends 10-year anniversary stream in October. All we knew about the game then was that it was a “character-based tactical shooter.” Now we know a whole lot more, including the fact that its real name is Valorant.
What kind of game is Valorant?
Valorant is a free-to-play team-based tactical shooter with a five-on-five setup. Each match has 25 total rounds; the first team to win 13 rounds wins the match. At the start of each match, players pick characters called Agents. Agents have special abilities like dashing quickly, creating pools of smoke, building walls, or even calling down airstrikes.
The game’s closest comparison is Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, with a little bit of Rainbow Six Siege mixed in.
Image: Riot Games
What is the main game mode in Valorant?
The main mode is just like Counter-Strike’s Defuse game mode. There are two teams, one attacking and one defending. The attacking team has a bomb (called the Spike) that they need to plant on one of several different sites. If the attacking team plants the Spike and protects it until it explodes, they win. The defending team has to stop them by waiting out the clock each round. Each player has one life per round, so if one team’s members are all eliminated, that counts as a win for their opponents.
What is Valorant’s setting?
Valorant takes place in our world, albeit a near-future version of it. A cataclysmic event occurs sometime in our future, reshaping the world and its governments. Alongside its geopolitical effects, the event also gives certain hypernatural powers to special individuals. This is how Agents first got their abilities, and how the in-game organization Valorant came to be.
Will there be a story?
Valorant will have story elements, and they’ll be told within and outside the game through media like animated shorts. The events of these shorts will also be reflected in-game via dialogue, changes in the Agents’ look, or environmental elements.
Is Valorant free?
Yes, Valorant will be free-to-play.
When can I play Valorant?
Riot is planning on hosting a closed beta, but there’s no word on when that will be. The good news is that the game is scheduled to launch in summer 2020, so even if you don’t get into the beta, it won’t be long until you can jump in.
Is Valorant a competitive game?
Everything about Valorant is designed with competition in mind. In the version we saw, there was a Casual mode and a Ranked mode, but either way, the game is all about competition.
If this is a tactical shooter, why are there different characters?
While most tactical shooters like Counter-Strike don’t have characters, it isn’t unheard of. Rainbow Six Siege fits within the genre and also features characters, but Valorant’sgameplay is much quicker than that of Siege. As in both Counter-Strike and Siege, players die very quickly in Valorant — so you’ll have to be careful at all times.
Can I change my character during a match?
Nope. Unlike in Overwatch, you won’t be able to switch your character at any point in a match of Valorant. This means that if you pick an Agent that’s especially good on defense, you’ll need to remember that you might be putting your team at a disadvantage on offense.
Image: Riot Games
What are the character abilities like?
Abilities in Valorant cover a wide range of effects. Some are simple, like the ability to create smoke screens to obscure certain small areas from view or temporarily blind other players.
Other Agents have powers that let them do things like heal or even revive allies, but those are difficult to use because of how fast everyone in Valorant dies. Some Agents can make walls appear out of thin air, scout out enemy positions with a special arrow, or perform a short-range dash in a specific direction.
Will there be new characters added to the game?
Yes, the release of new Agents is definitely part of Riot’s plan. But the studio isn’t committing to a schedule until it sees how Valorant’s initial cast lands with players.
How do you get guns and abilities in Valorant?
Guns have to be bought at the beginning of each round in Valorant, unless you survive the previous round, in which case your loadout will carry over. The game’s guns should be familiar to anyone who has played a modern military game. There are assault rifles, sniper rifles, shotguns, submachine guns, and light machine guns. Most of the weapons in the game, especially the rifles, are capable of one-shot kills with a well-placed headshot.
Abilities also need to be purchased before rounds as single-use items, but they’ll carry over if you die before getting a chance to use one.
Do I have to use abilities, or can I just shoot?
You can absolutely be successful in Valorant without ever using an ability, but you can’t be great. In order to reach the game’s highest level, you’ll need to master both gunplay and ability use. You can get away with just shooting for a while, though, since it’s still the game’s most important mechanic.
Image: Riot Games
Can I only use abilities if I’m not very good at shooting?
No. You might still find that you’re somewhat useful to your team, but you won’t be doing much good overall if you can’t win a gunfight. There are Agents with easier skills to master, but there aren’t any characters that will make the shooting easier.
Will there be balance updates? How often will they be released?
Riot has proven itself as one of the most adept developers in the world when it comes to balance, thanks to a decade of successful patches to League of Legends, and it’s bringing that same philosophy to Valorant. While the studio isn’t ready to commit to a specific schedule for patches just yet, one developer mentioned League’s current one-patch-every-two-weeks cycle as a possible model for Valorant — though he said that the patches would likely come down to how often the game needs them.
What are Valorant’s maps like?
Valorant’s maps are similar to what tactical shooter fans know from Counter-Strike. There are bomb sites, spawns for both teams, and points of interest spread throughout that make for great callouts. The settings for the various maps are related to the game’s story, with locations all around the world.
Each of the two Valorant maps we’ve played so far has had unique twists. For instance, one of them has three bomb sites, while another has no middle area and instead has two one-way teleporters that make a loud noise every time someone passes through them.
While they probably aren’t the only two maps in the game, it’s unclear exactly how many there will be.
Image: Riot Games
Will there be new maps added to Valorant?
There will be new maps, but Riot doesn’t have definitive time frames for updates. One Rioter mentioned something like a new map every six months to a year, but that was just a vague idea and not a guarantee.
Are there any skins in the game?
Valorant currently has gun skins, which change the way the game’s weapons look. There are no character skins in the game, nor are there specific plans to add them. The development team said that they’re a possibility in the future, but for now, the focus is on gun skins.
Are there loot boxes?
Valorant will not have loot boxes. Players will be able to directly purchase the skins they want from the store. The skins themselves are each for specific, individual weapons, though there are skin packs that bundle a few weapon skins together based on their theme.
Is there a Valorant battle pass?
Yes. Riot didn’t give many details about it, but there is a battle pass-like system in Valorant that gives players new cosmetic rewards the more they play. It’s unclear if there will be a new pass every season, like many other games have used, or how often the rewards will be refreshed.
What are Valorant’s PC hardware specs?
According to a sheet provided to Polygon by Riot, Valorant will run at the lowest possible specs at 30 frames per second on an Intel Core i3-370M CPU with an Intel HD 3000 integrated GPU. Or put more simply, for the less tech-minded: You can play it on a fairly old laptop.
Apple CEO Tim Cook discusses coronavirus’ impact on Apple and the evolving educational demands of US jobs.
Tim Cook admits he and President Trump have differences, but the CEO who succeeded founder Steve Jobs at Apple emphasized that they agree on how to address some of the country's biggest challenges.
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"I care a lot about creating jobs, and I think the president does, as well," Cook said in an interview with FOX Business' Susan Li in Alabama, where he was helping launch an initiative with Birmingham City Schools to train underserved communities in digital coding. "I care a lot about training the workforce for the future, and I think the administration is really focused on this, as well. I think one of the U.S.'s major challenges is to solve this issue."
Their goals intersect in other areas, too: The Trump administration recently worked with Apple to bring its first retail store to India, something it was unable to do previously because the country had demanded that the iPhone maker take on an Indian partner first.
"We didn't want to do that. We want to maintain control over our brand," Cook said. "The administration worked on this with the Indian government, and that change has been made, so we are very, very positive about entering in online this year and retail next year."
Back in the U.S., Cook said, he's keenly aware that the rapidly evolving tech industry is disrupting the workforce even as it creates opportunities.
The country has to "make sure education is preparing people for the disruption and the creation," he said. "If we do that, we can flourish in this environment, but if we don't, we leave a lot of people behind, and that should be unacceptable for all of us."
Both job creation and education should be nonpartisan, he added.
"We're very focused on policy, not politics," Cook said.
In a Saturday press conference, Trump twice referenced Cook's comments in his first-ever Fox interview about China making progress fighting the coronavirus.
"If you read, Tim Cook of Apple said that they're now in full operation again in China," the president said.
The Birmingham program that Cook was helping to launch is part of the Community Education Initiative, an extension of Apple's ConnectED education program, started in 2014. The initiative is active in cities from Austin to Houston, Boise, Columbus, Chicago and Nashville.
In Birmingham, it's known as Education Farm, or Ed Farm, an Apple spokesperson told FOX Business.
"As our society continues to evolve and advance, more and more job opportunities of the future will require digital skills, and helping our communities prepare for that is our priority," Ed Farm Program Director Chris McCauley said in a Thursday statement. "We are thrilled at this initiative’s potential as it continues to move forward."
During his visit, Cook participated in a coding demo on an iPad for students and educators and planned to stop by a fourth-grade classroom using iPads.
Apple has pledged $100 million to its ConnectED program to bring innovative digital learning techniques to 114 underserved schools, where every student is equipped with an iPad, every teacher is equipped with a Mac computer and iPad, and every classroom is equipped with an Apple TV, according to the company.
"It’s heartwarming to see students take to products and accelerate their learning cycles," Cook told Li. "You saw these kids down here -- they’re already doing podcasts and other kinds of things that bring out communication skills and a whole variety of other skills."
Samsung’s Galaxy S20 lineup is loaded with features not found on the iPhone 11 and 11 Pro, like 5G connectivity and an in-screen fingerprint sensor.
But there are several areas where Apple has Samsung beat as well, particularly when it comes to certain camera features and screen quality.
The discrepancies also illustrate the different approaches Apple and Samsung take to the smartphone market. While Samsung is focused on offering flashy new cutting-edge features like 5G connectivity and a 108-megapixel camera, Apple’s advantages largely lie in its iOS ecosystem.
Samsung’s new Galaxy S20 smartphones, which launch on March 6, have plenty of features and capabilities that Apple’s iPhones lack. They support 5G connectivity, for example, and have an in-screen fingerprint sensor and higher-resolution cameras among other extras. The most expensive model even has a whopping 108-megapixel camera.
But Apple’s iPhone 11 lineup, which includes some models that are cheaper than Samsung’s, also have a few capabilities not found on the Galaxy S20 family. Some of these features are software-based and involve the iPhone’s camera, while others have to do with the display on Apple’s smartphones. And certain qualities are centered on Apple’s iOS ecosystem and the advantages it leverages over Google’s more fragmented Android.
You’ll also notice that while Samsung’s advantages focus on flashy hardware-oriented features, like camera sensors and biometric scanners, Apple’s assets are a bit more subtle and are woven into the operating system.
Samsung’s recently-announced Galaxy S20 starts at $1,000, while the Galaxy S20 Plus begins at $1,200 and the high-end Galaxy S20 Ultra costs at least $1,400. The iPhone 11, by comparison, starts at $700, while the iPhone 11 Pro begins at $1,000 and the iPhone 11 Pro Max starts at $1,100.
Here’s a closer look at some of the features available on Apple’s iPhone 11 and 11 Pro that you can’t get on Samsung’s Galaxy S20 devices.
A display that can adjust its color to match the ambient light of your surroundings.
Foto: Source: Hollis Johnson/Business Insider
Apple’s recent iPhones have a feature called True Tone, which tailors the color temperature of the device’s screen to match the lighting in your environment. In other words, it’s the feature that makes your iPhone’s display look warmer and eliminates that blueish tint found on the screens of many electronics.
It’s not just the iPhone 11 lineup that offers True Tone. Older iPhones, including the iPhone 8 and later, have TrueTone, as well as the iPad Pro and iPad Air.
Samsung doesn’t offer this feature, but phones like the Galaxy S20 do have a blue light filter. This feature, however, doesn’t take the lighting in your environment into account and gives the screen an orange-ish tinge.
Lighting effects for your Portrait Mode photos.
Foto: Source: Apple
Samsung’s Galaxy phones and Apple’s iPhones have each offered the ability to take bokeh-style portrait shots for years.
But in 2017, Apple introduced Portrait Lighting, which as its name implies makes it so that you can add specific lighting effects to photos taken in Portrait Mode. Such effects include natural light, which creates a soft look, and contour light, which adds shadows to contour the face, among other effects.
Although the iPhone 8 Plus and later offer Portrait Lighting, the number of effects available depend on the model. The iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X, for example, have five portrait lighting effects, while the iPhone XR has three and the iPhone XS, XS Max, 11, 11 Pro, and 11 Pro Max have six.
Samsung’s Galaxy S20 does offer some effects for Live Focus, its alternative to Apple’s Portrait Mode, but doesn’t have filters that let you tweak the lighting style.
A full-featured texting app with end-to-end encryption.
Foto: If your messages won’t send on iPhone try troubleshooting before taking it into the Apple store. Source: Prykhodov/Getty Images
Thanks to Google’s recent decision to bring Rich Communication Services technology (RCS) to its messaging app, Android devices like Samsung’s latest Galaxy phones are getting features that Apple has long offered through iMessage that Android has lacked. Such capabilities include messaging over Wi-Fi, delivery and read receipts, and the ability to name group threads.
But RCS doesn’t offer end-to-end encryption like Apple’s iMessage platform does. End-to-end encryption, as its name implies, makes messages indecipherable by anyone other than the sender and recipient. End-to-end encryption ensures that any data being sent through an app can’t be deciphered if intercepted – not even by the company operating the messaging platform.
A phone app that can send unknown callers to voicemail.
Foto: How to use the iPhone’s spam-call-blocking feature Source: Clancy Morgan
With Apple’s iOS 13 update that debuted last fall, you no longer have to deal with screening unwanted callers. Those using an iPhone can turn on a feature called „Silence Unknown Callers,“ which sends calls from phone numbers that are unfamiliar to you straight to your voicemail. That means it will only screen calls from numbers that aren’t found in apps like Contacts, Messages, and Mail.
Samsung’s phones are capable of detecting and flagging spam callers, but they don’t send calls straight to your voicemail like the iPhone does.
The newest operating system updates as soon as they’re released.
Foto: Source: Apple
One big advantage Apple’s iOS ecosystem has over Android is that the newest operating system version is pushed to all supported iPhones at the same time. Since Apple operates both the software and the hardware, it’s in complete control of when updates are deployed.
That’s not the case for Android. Since Google’s Android software runs on many types of devices made by different companies, there’s much more variation when it comes to launch timing. Google’s Pixel phones usually get the updates first, but if you own a smartphone made by another Android device maker like Samsung, LG, or Motorola, the timing can vary.
And it shows in the numbers: Apple says 70% of all iPhones use iOS 13, citing data from the App Store. Google’s Android developer dashboard doesn’t include Android 10, but it does say that 10.4% of devices were running the older Android 9 as of May 7, 2019.
All told, the advantages and disadvantages offered by both Apple and Samsung illustrate their different approaches when it comes to smartphone strategy.
Foto: Source: REUTERS/Dado Ruvic
Apple doesn’t necessarily care about being first when it comes to new technologies like 5G or curved displays, but it does pay a lot of attention to software-oriented details. And while the list of things Samsung’s new phones can do that Apple’s can’t may be longer, it’s still susceptible to some of the issues that impact Android more broadly, like slower software updates.
The upcoming iPhone 9 is widely speculated to be modeled after the iPhone 8 (pictured above), but with upgraded internals.
Eric Franklin/CNET
Apple is expected to launch a budget-friendly phone at the end of March, which could be the first of at least five iPhones anticipated to launch in 2020. This device is widely speculated to be a lower-cost phone called the iPhone 9 (or possibly the iPhone SE 2), which would be a long overdue update to 2016's iPhone SE. If the rumors are true, this would signal Apple's renewed commitment to low-cost phones as global smartphone sales continue to decline.
The announcement, supposedly slated for March 31, is understood to be happening despite widespread supply-chain disruptions caused by the coronavirus, which already forced Apple to lower its quarterly revenue guidance. Until the event takes place, however, we'll continue gather the most credible and compelling rumors that have been circulating to give you an idea of what to expect from Apple's spring launch.
iPhone 9 may launch at $399
Renowned Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicts the iPhone 9 will cost $399 (around £300 or AU$600). At this price, Apple may potentially lure budget-minded customers who aren't willing to splurge $1,000 or even $700 (on say, an iPhone 11 Pro or iPhone 11) into making an upgrade.
This isn't the first time Apple targeted the entry-level segment of the smartphone market. The original iPhone SE launched at $399. At the time it was hundreds of dollars cheaper than its contemporaries and ended up being a successful product for the company. As the global smartphone market shrinks and fewer consumers splurge on premium handsets, the importance of offering a low-cost but high-quality phone shouldn't be overlooked -- especially if Apple wants to make further inroads into massive, price-sensitive countries like China and India.
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Why Apple needs the iPhone 9, aka SE 2
5:37
The phone may have A13 bionic chip, 3GB RAM
The upcoming iPhone 9, according to Kuo, is expected to be modeled after the iPhone 8, but with enhanced internals. It may have Apple's newest chipset, the A13 processor, which is the same one found in the iPhone 11 series. Kuo also expects the iPhone 9 to come with 3GB RAM.
The iPhone 9 may have a smallish display with Touch ID
It looks like the expected 4.7-inch screen of the iPhone 9 will be as small as Apple is willing to go for now. That's larger than the original SE, which had a 4-inch display. It's also rumored to have a physical home button that, along with a fingerprint reader, would enable Touch ID. That's as opposed to Face ID, which uses facial scanning and is featured in current iPhone models.
The device could have a single rear camera
Since the iPhone 9 is expected to be modeled after the iPhone 8, we also expect a single 12-megapixel setup on the rear in order to keep costs low. In addition, the phone is expected to come in three colors: space gray, red and silver.
A more expensive sibling could be in the works: The iPhone SE 2 Plus
Even though the iPhone 9 or iPhone SE 2 hasn't been announced, in the Apple universe it seems as if it's never too early to talk about upcoming iPhones. There is already buzz of a more expensive sibling set for launch in 2021, but it will still be positioned as a lower-cost phone. According to MacRumors, it'll be called the iPhone SE 2 Plus and will feature a 5.5- or 6.1-inch LCD display. It apparently will also have an updated form of Touch ID that would be integrated into the power button.
Volkswagen's ID.3 rollout might have hit a snag. Germany's Manager Magazinsources claim the EV's underlying software has been rushed and rife with bugs, including dropouts and other issues. Test drivers are supposedly finding up to 300 errors per day. The magazine even claims that the software problems are dire enough that they could lead VW to miss its summer 2020 launch window.
The same outlet had claimed in December that cars rolling off the line wouldn't have a full software stack.
Not surprisingly, VW objects to any talk of delays. A spokesman told Automotive News Europe that the ID.3 was still on track to debut this summer, although he didn't confirm or deny the number of bugs.
Whether or not the report is accurate, a lot is riding on the ID.3's success. It's VW's first ground-up electric car design, and should be relatively affordable compared to luxury models from its sibling brands Audi and Porsche. The MEB platform and the software will also be crucial to VW's future -- they'll form the underpinnings for the US-bound ID.4 and a total of 27 VW group models by the end of 2022. If there are any major setbacks, they could create problems for the company's entire electrification strategy.
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