Kalakshar US

After launching it in China earlier, DJI has unveiled its flagship smartphone gimbal, the Osmo Mobile 8. The new model looks much like the Osmo Mobile 7P and has the same Multifunctional tracking module with a built-in light. However, it adds a bunch of useful new functionality including Apple DockKit support, 360-degree panning and pet tracking. 

The lack of Apple DockKit support was an issue with the Osmo Mobile 7P, as it made tracking yourself trickier with some apps. It also put DJI behind Insta360’s Flow 2 Pro, which does support DockKit. That’s no longer an issue with the Osmo Mobile 8, though. You can now do subject tracking within the native iPhone camera app or any of the 200-plus iOS applications compatible with DockKit.

At the same time, full tracking is available via the Multifunctional Module. That attaches to the side of its updated, more secure magnetic phone mount, letting you track yourself or other subjects automatically with any camera app. It includes a surprisingly powerful LED fill light and works as a receiver for DJI’s wireless microphones, including the Mic Mini, Mic 2 and Mic 3. On top of humans, the module now supports dog and cat tracking as well. As before, it also supports gesture control. 

Another key feature is a pan axis that supports 360 degree horizontal rotation that no longer hits a stop as before. That means when you lock onto moving subjects with intelligent tracking, it’ll keep following them even if they go all the way around the camera. The updated, more comfortable grip (and 0.8 pound weight) also makes it easier to take low angle shots, something that that will be handy when trying to follow your cat around. 

When using DJI’s Mimo app, you also get access to DJI’s advanced ActiveTrack 7.0.1 tracking tech. It comes with a feature called Dual Lens Boost 2 that uses your phones wide-angle and telephoto lenses to make sure a subject isn’t lost, even if they move quickly or within a crowded scene. Another feature, Smart Capture, makes it easy to switch between subjects, even in complex environments, according to DJI. 

The OM8 uses DJI’s latest three-axis stabilization tech to smooth even jarring movements without hurting quality like a smartphone can do. Other features include an integrated tripod, easy switching between front and rear cameras (along with the ability to flip the camera 180 degrees for rear camera selfies), an integrated tripod and a built-in extension rod. DJI’s Osmo Mobile 8 gimbal is now available in Europe for 159 euros, with US pricing and availability to be announced shortly.  

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cameras/djis-osmo-mobile-8-gimbal-adds-pet-tracking-and-apple-dockkit-support-120032512.html?src=rss 

Putting AI in space may sound like a sci-fi nightmare, but Google is thinking about the idea with a research endeavor called Project Suncatcher. The idea is to put power-hungry data centers into orbit on solar-powered satellites, so they can be powered by unlimited, clean energy available 24 hours a day. That would mitigate the nastiest aspects of AI cloud computing, like the use of power plants that spew huge amounts of CO2 into the atmosphere. 

Project Suncatcher is a literal moonshot of the type that Google used to do more often. The search giant wants to put its AI chips, called Tensor Processing Units (TPUs), into orbit aboard solar panel-equipped satellites. “In the future, space may be the best place to scale AI compute,” wrote Google senior director Travis Beals. “In the right orbit, a solar panel can be up to 8 times more productive than on Earth, and produce power nearly continuously, reducing the need for batteries.”

Suffice to say, the idea poses numerous challenges. That proximity to the sun would expose the TPUs to high levels of radiation that can rapidly degrade electronic components. However, Google has tested its current chips for radiation tolerance and said they’d be able to survive a five year mission without suffering permanent failures.  

Google’s Tensor Processing Unit

Another challenge is the high-speed data links of “tens of terabits per second” and low latency required between satellites. Those speeds would be hard to achieve in space, as transmitting data at long distances requires exponentially more power than on Earth. To achieve that, Google said it may need to maneuver TPU-equipped satellites into tight formations, possibly within “kilometers or less” of each other. That would have the added benefit of reducing “station keeping” thrust maneuvers needed to keep the satellites in the right position. 

The determining factor, though, is money. Launching TPUs into space may not seem cost-efficient, but Google’s analysis shows that doing so could be “roughly comparable” to data centers on Earth (in terms of power efficiency) by around the mid-2030s. 

While it’s currently only a preliminary research paper, Google is planning to put Project Suncatcher through some initial trials. It has teamed with a company called Planet on a “learning mission” to launch a pair of prototype satellites into orbit by 2027. “This experiment will test how our models and TPU hardware operate in space and validate the use of optical inter-satellite links for distributed ML [machine learning] tasks,” Google wrote. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/google-contemplates-putting-giant-ai-installations-in-low-earth-orbit-123025256.html?src=rss 

Motorola just announced the Edge 70 smartphone, which is an ultra-thin handset that could rival the recently-launched Apple iPhone Air. It’s a bit thicker than the Air, at 5.9mm compared to 5.6mm, but the camera bump is less noticeable.

As for that camera bump, the Edge 70 features a trio of 50MP camera sensors. The main camera can capture 4K video and there’s also a front camera, an ultrawide with a macro lens and a dedicated light sensor. Like most modern smartphones, there are AI tools available for photo editing.

The frame is made from “aircraft-grade aluminum,” which is a good thing because my uncoordinated fingers will absolutely be dropping this thing within three days of owning one. Other durability features include Corning Gorilla Glass 7i and IP69 water protection.

The phone will also have access to the company’s proprietary moto ai2 chatbot. This can do all of the usual stuff like create images and answer queries. However, Motorola also boasts that the AI can understand what’s on the screen and can point users to the correct course of action. We’ll have to wait and see how that works in real life.

This skinny handset somehow includes a massive 4800mAh battery that allows up to 50 hours of continuous use. That’s over two full days of doomscrolling without ever heading to the power outlet. As a comparison, the iPhone Air lasts anywhere from 22 to 27 hours

The Edge 70 ships with a magnetic case that can handle wireless charging and includes a Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 Mobile chipset. Motorola promises active software support and security upgrades all the way until 2031.

Given the form factor and specs, the price is actually fairly reasonable. The Edge 70 starts at £700, which breaks down to around $910 USD. It’s available for purchase right now, but there’s a spot of bad news. It’s launching in the UK and there’s no current information as to when it’ll cross the pond.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/the-motorola-edge-70-is-another-ridiculously-thin-smartphone-080009244.html?src=rss 

It can be challenging for us humans to wrap our brains around really massive numbers. Even the scale of a million or billion is pretty hard for most people to really comprehend. So prepare yourself to think big, because scientists have recorded the largest and most distant black hole flare to date, and the numbers around it are pretty staggering. 

The event occurred at an active galactic nucleus, also known as an accreting or feeding black hole, that they predict is 500 million times more massive than our sun and is located 10 billion light years away. The researchers suspect that this flare was caused by a tidal disruption event, where the gravity of the AGN may have pulled a nearby star closer and consumed it. The team estimates that the star eaten by the black hole had a mass 30 times that of our system’s own sun. And according to the layperson blog post from Caltech about the event, “at its brightest, the flare shined with the light of 10 trillion suns.”

“This is unlike any AGN we’ve ever seen,” said Matthew Graham, who was a co-principal investigator on the study as well as a research professor of astronomy at Caltech and project scientist for the Zwicky Transient Facility, which first observed the black hole in question in 2018 along with the Catalina Real-Time Transient Survey. The research about the AGN and its bonkers flare appeared in the journal Nature Astronomy.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/space/scientists-observed-a-black-hole-flare-that-shined-with-the-light-of-10-trillion-suns-235414438.html?src=rss 

Valve is bringing a helpful update to the Steam Deck, adding an option for downloading content while the screen is off. The company is calling it a display-off low-power mode. It will be enabled by default when the Steam Deck is plugged in. The handheld’s power settings can also allow it to be active while on battery power, although it will automatically revert to full sleep mode if the battery drops below 20 percent. If a user hits the power button while the Steam Deck is downloading content, a dialogue prompt will appear asking if the download should continue with the display off. A Steam Deck that reaches an idle timeout will also automatically go into the display-off low-power mode. 

In practice, this is similar to the rest mode modern consoles have that allows for downloads while the machine isn’t being actively used. This feature can be really useful if you’re playing an online competitive game and don’t want a big download infringing on your bandwidth. (I speak from experience here.) Nice for the Steam Deck to offer a similar convenience to its players.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/steam-deck-adds-a-standby-mode-for-screen-off-downloads-230334579.html?src=rss 

In a case of deja vu, Stellantis is once again recalling two models of its Jeep brand plug-in hybrid SUVs. The company has recalled at least 320,000 of its Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe and Jeep Wrangler 4xe cars in the US over concerns of fire risks while driving and while parked. Stellantis is also recalling 20,753 of the Jeep vehicles in Canada, 2,653 in Mexico, and 32,238 outside of North America. A statement from Stellantis said an internal investigation discovered 19 fires.

Jeep also recalled these same two 4xe models in October 2024. The issue then and now was with the EV batteries produced by Samsung SDI. Stellantis has been unable to address the fire risks with software updates and is expected to notify drivers when a remedy for the issue is ready. Until then, the owners of Grand Cherokee 4xe models from 2022 to 2026 and Wrangler 4xe models from 2020 to 2025 are being encouraged to park outside away from buildings and not to plug in their vehicles. So basically these cars are relegated to being very large sculptures until Stellanis can fix the battery problems.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/stellantis-recalls-more-than-375000-jeep-hybrid-suvs-for-fire-risk-215341226.html?src=rss 

Reddit won’t escape Australia’s child social media ban. The Guardian reports that Communications Minister Anika Wells announced Reddit’s addition on Wednesday. The nation’s law, which blocks children under 16 from major social media sites, is scheduled to go into effect on December 10.

Alongside Reddit, Wells said Australian streaming site Kick would also be included. They join the previously announced Facebook, X, Snapchat, TikTok, YouTube and Instagram. Australia considers the list to be a starting point for the ban and won’t rule out adding more. Other companies under consideration are Discord, Twitch, GitHub and Roblox.

YouTube was initially excluded because it was considered an educational tool. But after protests from other companies on the list, Australia ultimately added it.

The ban passed in late 2024. The legislation puts the onus on the platforms, rather than parents, to police underage use. Companies that don’t take reasonable steps to prevent under-16 users from accessing their platforms can face penalties of up to AU$49.5 million (around $32 million).

“There’s a time and place for social media in Australia, but there’s not a place for predatory algorithms, harmful content and toxic popularity [meters] manipulating Australian children,” Wells said. “Online platforms can target children with chilling control. We are mandating they use that sophisticated technology to protect them.”

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/reddit-will-be-included-in-australias-looming-under-16-social-media-ban-213052856.html?src=rss