Kalakshar US

Many smartphones these days offer artificial bokeh in their portrait photography modes, but with the help of a retractable camera, you can achieve true optical bokeh without missing any edges. Chinese brand Tecno is now bringing such a feature to its latest flagship device, the Phantom X2 Pro 5G, which packs a “world-first” pop-out portrait lens. This is just a little over two years after Xiaomi showed off a retractable 120mm-equivalent wide aperture lens, but it never left the prototype stage.

Tecno’s intriguing portrait camera has a 50-megapixel resolution with a relatively large 1/2.7-inch sensor and 1.28um pixel size. Optically, this 2.5x zoom lens offers an f/1.49 aperture, 65mm focal length and 18.9cm depth of field. When you switch to portrait mode in the camera app, you can see (and hear) the portrait lens physically pop out on the back of the phone. This is complemented with Tecno’s “self-developed” beautification mode with upgraded make-up settings — up to three faces are supported in each image. 

I had a chance to shoot some portraits with my Phantom X2 Pro 5G earlier today, and with the exception of the aggressive skin smoothing, my subjects were quite pleased with the natural bokeh, optimized brightness and virtually non-existent distortion.

There’s more on this amusingly large camera island. The 50-megapixel main shooter uses Samsung’s 1/1.3-inch GNV ISOCELL 3.0 sensor, which offers 1.2um pixel size and is supported with an f/1.85 aperture. You’ll also find a 13-megapixel ultra-wide angle camera nearby, as well as a 32-megapixel front camera on the other side of the phone — in the form of a punch-hole near the top of the curved 6.8-inch AMOLED screen (2,400 x 1,080 resolution, 120Hz refresh rate; Gorilla Glass Victus).

The Phantom X2 Pro 5G is powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 9000, which is a 4nm octa-core processor — similar to the faster Dimensity 9000+ found in ASUS’ ROG Phone 6D series. It also packs 12GB of LPDDR5X RAM and 256GB of UFS 3.1 storage, along with a generous 5,160mAh battery with 45W fast charging support. While this phone lacks an IP rating, a company rep claimed that the retractable portrait lens is waterproof and dustproof — the interior of the lens is apparently sealed, and likewise with the connection between the lens and the body. Still, it’s probably best to avoid the water when you’re carrying this device.

Tecno’s new phone runs on a customized Android 12 system dubbed HiOS 12, which features an AI gallery with face recognition and editing functions, along with some productivity tools (built-in translator, file scanner with text and PDF conversion etc.) and a connection speed optimization engine. Tecno added that its device passed TÜV Rheinland’s fluency test over a 36-month simulation, meaning its storage memory performance shouldn’t deteriorate much (read: fragmentation) during the same period in real life; but we’ll take this claim with a pinch of salt for now.

Tecno will initially be launching the Phantom X2 Pro 5G in markets including India, Nigeria, Kenya, Saudi Arabia, Colombia, Turkey, and the Philippines from the end of December, and it’ll reach over 60 markets globally later (we’re waiting for specific details on Western markets). The device will be available in “Stardust Grey” and “Mars Orange,” with the latter featuring an eco-friendly back cover composed of plastics recovered from the shores around the Indian Ocean. Tecno claims that this “Eco-Friendly Edition” reduces carbon emissions by approximately 38 percent when compared to virgin plastics, “with each individual cover producing an estimated 2.4g fewer emissions on average.” 

If you manage to come across a Phantom X2 Pro, the asking price is around $930 (based on the 3,499 Riyal price tag in Saudi Arabia), which is probably difficult to justify for just some natural bokeh. There’s also the Phantom X2 which is around $215 cheaper and looks very similar, but it only has 8GB of RAM and lacks a retractable portrait camera; you’ll instead get a 64-megapixel main camera and a 2-megapixel depth camera, along with the same 13-megapixel ultra-wide camera and 32-megapixel front camera as the Pro model. The orange option is also replaced by a “Moonlight White” design.

 

Apple Music has introduced a Sing feature, best described as a karaoke mode. Not only can you adjust the voice levels, but you can also use multiple lyric views if you’re looking to share a duet or even just wail harmonize in the background. Apple has tweaked existing lyric views, so they’re now cued to the beat and light up slowly.

The company says “tens of millions” of tracks will get the feature in December on the new Apple TV 4K, as well as recent iPhones (iPhone 11 and later) and iPads (including last year’s ninth-generation model). Competitor Spotify already has a singing mode, but it’s more for rating your vocal skills. Apple told Engadget its feature doesn’t use microphones at all – so all you need to worry about is family members recording you during your rendition of Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep.”

– Mat Smith

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HBO Max returns to Prime Video Channels in the US

The move comes after a two-year fight.

The long-running squabble between Amazon and HBO appears to be over. Amazon and Warner Bros. Discovery have returned HBO Max to Prime Video Channels in the US. For $15 per month, you’ll have access to House of the Dragon and other HBO shows within Prime Video – and you won’t have to manage separate apps or subscriptions. This will also provide access to the unified HBO Max and Discovery+ service (possibly called Max) when it goes live in 2023.

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​​Apple’s Self Service Repair program comes to Europe

It will encompass ‘more than 200 individual parts and tools.’

Apple’s Self Service Repair program has arrived in eight European countries. Using it, you can perform many of the most common fixes on the iPhone 12 and iPhone 13 lineups, along with MacBooks with Apple silicon – that is, non-Intel models. If you’d rather not purchase a tool for a one-time repair, you can rent a kit for a week at £54.90 (€59.95). You can send back replaced parts for refurbishment and recycling and potentially receive a credit. A few examples of part prices include a battery module for £70.78 (€77.04) and a camera module for £168.55 (€192.76).

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Waze is getting its own dedicated app in Renault cars

It’s available in new Renault Austral Hybrids and Megane E-Tech EVs.

Waze is France’s most popular navigation app, to the point that it was recently updated with three regional accents (Toulouse, Provençal and Ch’ti). So it makes sense that Waze partnered with French automaker Renault to launch a new, dedicated version of the app for cars. Sure, you can use Waze on Android Auto by installing it as an app from your smartphone. What’s different is Renault drivers can now install the app directly to the infotainment system – and won’t need a phone to use it.

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Apple’s rumored electric car may not be fully self-driving after all

The project also might not be ready until 2026.

More car news as Bloomberg sources say Apple’s EV, codenamed Project Titan, is no longer a fully self-driving machine. It will reportedly have a conventional wheel and pedals and will ‘only’ drive itself on highways. The company has also pushed the launch back by a year to 2026, according to those sources. The vehicle may offer enough autonomy for you to play games or watch videos on the highway, but it’ll ask you to take control to drive on city streets or in adverse weather.

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‘Elden Ring’ update will add multiplayer colosseum brawls

New arenas and three vs. three battles arrive on December 7th.

Bandai Namco announced that a free multiplayer-focused update will go live later today. The Colosseum update will open up the titular arenas in Limgrave, Leyndell and Caelid, where players can battle it out in “duels, free-for-alls and team fights,” according to a YouTube video description. The colosseums have been in the game since launch, but were inaccessible. There aren’t a lot of details about the update, but having dedicated arenas for player-versus-player (PvP) battles should freshen things up for those who like to duke it out against other humans in Elden Ring. The trailer showed off some three vs. three combat as well. The video also includes text stating that players can “join forces to fight for the Elden Ring.” That suggests there will be more robust co-op options, too.

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Wordle topped Google’s Year in Search for 2022, beating even the biggest events in the world over the past few months. Searches for the five-letter word game peaked shortly after it was acquired byThe New York Times in February, perhaps when people had to look for its new address or when those who haven’t heard of it before wanted to see what the fuss was about. The second most searched term for 2022 is “India vs. England,” which pertains to the countries’ faceoff at the Cricket World Cup. Ukraine takes the third spot in the overall trending searches list, as well as the top of this year’s trending News topics. Most people looking into the war in Ukraine searched for liveblogs to get the latest happenings and for information on casualties, refugees, donations and armed conflicts. 

“Queen Elizabeth” came in fourth for 2022, with the UK and former British colonies being responsible for most of the searches after the Queen passed away in September. The fifth most popular search term is another Cricket World Cup game, this time between India and Saudi Arabia, followed by even more cricket matches and the iPhone 14. COVID-19 is no longer at the forefront from people’s minds, based on this year’s list: Monkeypox and Roe v. Wade were the most searched health-related topics instead. Some of the other entries in the trending news list are pretty sobering, specifically “Texas school shooting” and Hurricane Ian. 

When it comes to the most searched people of the year, users seemed to be especially curious about celebrity happenings. Johnny Depp topped this year’s list, followed by Will Smith and Amber Heard. Vladimir Putin also made it to the top five. Anna Sorokin and Simon Leviev, whose names blew up on the internet after Inventing Anna and Tinder Swindler came out, were among the most searched people, as well. 

Thor: Love and Thunder topped the list of most searched movies, but Google said “how to become a fighter pilot” trended thanks to Top Gun: Maverick. The tech giant also released the top image searches using Lens and the top song searches done by humming a tune. (Domestic short-haired cats and philodendrons seemed to have tickled most people’s curiosity this year, for those wondering.) The Buckingham Palace was 2022’s top cultural landmark, based on Google Maps searches, while the Dark Matter interactive installation in Berlin was the top exhibit. This year, Google also launched a local hub that can show interesting search trends across the US — New York City, for instance, had “rainbow mantis shrimp” as its top trending animal. 

You can see Google’s full Year in Search for 2022 right here.

 

GM has installed its first Level 2 charging stations in Wisconsin and Detroit as part of a community charging initiative unveiled last year. A dealership in Marshfield, Wisconsin put up stations at locations including parks, a library and a sports complex, while another installed them at a healthcare/wellness center in Owosso, Michigan. The aim is to help dealers install up to 40,000 chargers in community locations (including underserved rural and urban areas) across the US and Canada. 

“Nearly 90 percent of the U.S. population lives within 10 miles of a GM dealership. Our dealers are… well positioned to determine locations that expand access to EV charging, including at small businesses, entertainment venues, schools and other popular destinations,” said GM VP Hoss Hassani. 

GM originally said it would offer a mix of 11.5kW and 19.2kW chargers, but it now says it will give dealers up to ten 19.2kW chargers that deliver “the most power available to a Level 2 charger.” Those can be placed at “key locations” in neighborhoods, such as apartments, colleges and businesses. Crucially, the units won’t be limited to GM drivers, so EVs from other brands can use them as well.

GM selected Canadian manufacturer FLO as the charging station provider, with manufacturing to take place at FLO’s Auburn Hills, Michigan facility. While not nearly as quick as fast chargers, the 19.2kW 80-amp stations could get you from a 20 to 80 percent charge in under three hours — not bad if you’re spending time at a library or park, for instance. Last year, GM said the chargers would be available to buy through dealers for home use, but it didn’t mention that option in its latest press release.

Earlier this year, GM also unveiled plans for a coast-to-coast fast-charging network with 2,000 350kW chargers across 500 stations. It eventually plans to expand Ultium Charge 360 access to over 100,000 charge points across North America. Its current EV lineup includes the BrightDrop electric delivery vans, Cadillac Lyric and Celestiq, GMC Hummer and Sierra EVs, Chevrolet Blazer and Equinox EVs and the Bolt lineup. In an interesting twist, GM recently revealed that it has serviced over 11,000 Tesla EVs since last year. 

 

In late November, San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors has approved a proposal that would allow the city’s police force to use remote-controlled robots as a deadly force option when faced with violent or armed suspects. The supervisors voted 8-to-3 in favor of making it a new policy despite opposition by civil rights groups, but now they seem to have had a change of heart. During the second of two required votes before a policy can be sent to the mayor’s office for final approval, the board voted 8-to-3 to explicitly ban the use of lethal force by police robots. As San Francisco Chronicle notes, this about-face is pretty unusual, as the board’s second votes are typically just formalities that echo the first ones’ results.

The San Francisco Police Department made the proposal after a law came into effect requiring California officials to define the authorized uses of their military-grade equipment. It would have allowed cops to equip robots with explosives “to contact, incapacitate, or disorient violent, armed, or dangerous suspects.” Authorities could only use the robots for lethal force after they’ve exhausted all other possibilities, and a high-ranking official would have to approve their deployment. However, critics are concerned that the machines could be abused. 

Dean Preston, one of the supervisors who oppose the use of robots as a deadly force option, said the policy will “place Black and brown people in disproportionate danger of harm or death.” In a newer statement made after the board’s second vote, Preston said: “There have been more killings at the hands of police than any other year on record nationwide. We should be working on ways to decrease the use of force by local law enforcement, not giving them new tools to kill people.”

While the supervisors voted to ban the use of lethal force by police robots — for now, anyway — they also sent the original policy proposing the use of killer robots back for review. The board’s Rules Committee could now amend it further to have stricter rules for use of bomb-equipped robots, or it could scrap the old proposal altogether.

 

Microsoft vows to bring Call of Duty to Nintendo and to continue making it available on the latter’s consoles for 10 years if its Activision Blizzard acquisition pushes through. Phil Spencer, Microsoft Gaming’s CEO, has announced the company’s commitment on Twitter, adding that “Microsoft is committed to helping bring more games to more people — however they choose to play.” Spencer previously said during an interview that the company intends to treat Call of Duty like Minecraft that’s available across platforms and that he would “love to see [the game]” on the Switch. A 10-year commitment potentially means that the franchise will also be released for the current Switch’s successors. 

In addition, Spencer has announced on Twitter that Microsoft will continue to offer CoD on Steam, alongside the Xbox, after the deal is closed. As The New York Times says, this announcement could be a move to appease the Federal Trade Commission and to get regulators on their side. The publication says the FTC is expected to discuss the acquisition in a closed-door meeting on Thursday, where the agency will decide whether to take steps to block the deal. 

A recent report by Politico claimed that Microsoft failed to convince the FTC staff reviewing the acquisition with its arguments and that the commission will likely file an antitrust lawsuit to block it as soon as this month. The FTC is reportedly concerned the purchase would give Microsoft an unfair advantage and that it would reduce competition in the market. 

In an opinion piece written for The Wall Street Journal, Microsoft President Brad Smith defended the acquisition and argued that it’s good for gamers. FTC suing to block the deal “would be a huge mistake,” he said, and would hurt competition in the industry instead. Smith also said that Microsoft offered Sony, the loudest dissenting voice to the merger, a 10-year contract ensuring all new CoD releases would be available on the PlayStation the same day they go out for the Xbox. “We’re open to providing the same commitment to other platforms and making it legally enforceable by regulators in the US, UK and European Union,” he wrote. Whether these efforts are enough to assure regulators that the purchase wouldn’t be detrimental to the industry remains to be seen. 

 

You didn’t have to wait long for confirmation of Apple’s domestic chip plans. Company chief Tim Cook has revealed that Apple will buy chips made at TSMC’s upcoming factory in Phoenix, Arizona. While Cook didn’t say just how those chips will be used, the 4- and 3-nanometer parts are expected to find their way into next-generation iPhones, Macs and other key products. Apple is currently TSMC’s largest customer.

The Phoenix facility is expected to start production in 2024. A follow-up plant is expected in 2026 due to increased demand. Combined, they’ll make about 600,000 chip wafers per year. TSMC is spending $40 billion on the factories, but they’ll be partly subsidized by the government through the CHIPS and Science Act meant to incentivize US semiconductor manufacturing.

Intel is also building factories in Arizona and Ohio. It’s planning to serve as a foundry for other companies looking to outsource chip production, and has expressed interest in making Apple’s components. Whether or not that happens may depend on Intel’s ability to keep up with foundries like TSMC, which frequently leads the push towards next-generation chip manufacturing processes.

The output will represent just a tiny portion of TSMC’s total capabilities. CNBC notes the Taiwan firm made 12 million wafers in 2020 alone. The National Economic Council estimates that should be enough to fulfill US demand, though. That could alleviate chip shortages, create jobs and reduce American dependence on foreign production.

While the plants won’t come online for two years, news of the expansion comes at an appropriate time. Apple has warned of iPhone 14 Pro manufacturing setbacks due to China’s COVID-19 policies. In theory, American facilities would have reduced the impact of those restrictions. Although many parts could still be made overseas even after TSMC’s expansion, there could soon be a greater chance of Apple devices reaching your door in a timely fashion.

 

When Dead Island 2 remerged earlier this year after a lengthy absence, publisher Deep Silver announced it would be the first title to support Amazon’s Alexa Game Control, a feature that allows you to use your voice to play a game. On Tuesday, the company shared a trailer showcasing the functionality, albeit one that offers a staged view of things.

The trailer opens with a group of zombie apocalypse survivors finding a playable build of Dead Island 2. “What a weird coincidence,” says one of the characters, commenting on the meta-narrative. “What’s Alexa Game Control?” asks the leader of the group. As one of their friends goes outside for a smoke, the video shows how certain voice commands will trigger actions within the game. “Hey zombie,” for example, draws the attention of the nearest undead. You can also say, “get me my ax” to cause your character to, well, switch to their ax.

Not every voice command that’s in the game is shown off in the trailer. An Amazon spokesperson told The Verge you’ll be able to use your voice to do things like set waypoints and greet other characters. Alexa Voice Control doesn’t require an Echo device. All you need is a headset with a microphone. We’ll get a chance to see how well the voice commands work when Dead Island 2, after nearly a decade of development, finally arrives on April 28th.

 

Apple is expanding developers’ options for pricing their App Store apps. The company announced 700 new price points and tools today in what it describes as the App Store’s biggest pricing upgrade in its 14-year history. Additionally, devs can now set regional costs automatically in response to exchange rates.

The App Store’s new structure lets developers choose from 900 price points for their apps, nearly 10 times what was previously available. Pricing now starts at $0.29 and can go as high as $10,000 upon request. (If you’re old enough to remember the I Am Rich app, you can imagine that developer salivating over this higher cap.) Additionally, app prices can now go up incrementally across different ranges. For example, they can now increase every $0.10 up to $10, every $0.50 between $10 and $50 and so on.

Apple is also adding different pricing conventions for all 175 regional storefronts. Deves can now use two repeating digits (like ₩110,000) and rounded dollar amounts ($10.00 instead of $9.99).

The update also makes it easier for devs to deal with global exchange rates. Apple uses the example of a Japanese game developer who gets most of their business from Japanese customers. Now they can set their price for the Japan storefront and see global pricing change automatically based on exchange and tax rates. Previously, developers had to do that manually.

Apple says the new pricing structure is available today for apps offering auto-renewable subscriptions. They will arrive for all other apps and in-app purchases in the spring of 2023.

 

A little over a month after it arrived on Xbox consoles, the addictive roguelike shoot ‘em up Vampire Survivors will get its first DLC. The $2 Legacy of Moonspell expansion launches on PC via Steam and Xbox on December 15th.

The new content includes a new map that developer poncle describes as the game’s “biggest stage yet.” The new level, Mt. Moonspell, adds an abandoned castle, a snow-covered mountain and a Yokai-infested village. Additionally, the DLC adds over a dozen new weapons, including an ancestral wind force, orbs that unleash the power of seasons, a dark summoning weapon and an enchanted kimono. It also adds eight extra playable characters and six music tracks.

“In eastern lands, a clan has fallen,” the DLC’s story description reads. “The Moonspell, once vigilant guardians of a sorcerous valley nestled in the mountains, have been overrun by hordes of yokai and oni. Though treacherous, this hive of spectral activity may provide some clue as to the location of a vampire. If not, at least it’ll be entertaining to defeat thousands of wayward spirits in the process.”

Vampire Survivors is a casual game that, over time, reveals more complexity than you’d expect from its simple 2D character sprites. Your character auto-fires weapons, leaving you to control their movement and loadout while dodging fire and snagging enemy drops. The goal is to stay ahead of the curve: As wave after wave of enemies approach, it may remind you as much of tower defense as the roguelike games from which it draws inspiration. Once you get the hang of it, it can become an almost meditative experience, which helps explain its standing as the most-played Steam Deck game month after month.

The base Vampire Survivors game is available for $5 on Steam and Xbox Series X/S; it’s also available via Game Pass for PCs and consoles.