Gadgets And Technology Daily News | 28 Jun 2023
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Red Magic 8S Pro With 24GB RAM Scheduled to Launch on July 5: All Details
Red Magic 8S Pro is confirmed to launch in China on July 5. The phone is expected to succeed the Red Magic 7S Pro, which was released in July 2022. The preceding handset was equipped with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 SoC and a 5,000mAh battery with 65W fast charging support. The company also launched the Red Magic 8 Pro last year in January powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset and backed by a 6,000mAh battery. The company, on Tuesday, also announced the RAM and processor details of the upcoming Red Magic 8S Pro.
Red Magic revealed on its official Weibo page that the Red Magic 8S Pro will be released on July 5. The company also confirmed on the social media platform that the phone will be equipped with an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Leading Version SoC. In another post, the company revealed that the phone will come with a whopping 24GB of RAM, without including virtual RAM.
A recent report suggested that leading smartphone companies like Oppo, OnePlus, and Realme are working on handsets with 24GB of LPDDR5X RAM. The OnePlus Ace 2 Pro has also been tipped to launch in July or August with 24GB RAM smartphone.
According to a FoneArena report, the Red Magic 8S Pro is expected to launch with 1TB of UFS 4.0 of inbuilt storage. Notably, the Red Magic 8 Pro is already offered in a 16GB + 1TB option. The phone is expected to sport a 6.8-inch full-HD+ (2400 x 1080 pixels) OLED display with a refresh rate of 120Hz.
For optics, the triple rear camera unit of the Red Magic 8S Pro is likely to include a 50-megapixel Samsung GN5 sensor, an 8-megapixel sensor with an ultra-wide lens, and a 2-megapixel sensor with a macro camera lens. The front camera is expected to be equipped with a 16-megapixel sensor placed under the display.
The Obsidian version of the Nubia Red Magic 7S Pro with 12GB + 256GB was marked at $729 (roughly Rs. 59,000) at launch. Meanwhile, the Mercury and Supernova versions with 8GB + 512GB were listed at $899 (roughly Rs. 72,000).
Your Crypto Keys Could Soon Float Safely in Low-Earth Orbit via ‘Space Wallet’ Created by CryptoSat, Dfns
Cryptocurrencies, despite being an infamously volatile and unregulated industry, do make up for a trillion-dollar sector with millions of investors participating on a daily basis. In order to offer the next advanced safety solutions for digital assets, Cryptosat and Dfns have come together to create a ‘Space Wallet'. This service will have private keys of crypto wallets saved in the low-Earth orbit, making it inaccessible to malicious actors.
A team of Stanford University alumni formed Cryptosat, a startup that develops satellites which fuel and improve cryptographic, blockchain, and ledger applications. Dfns, on the other hand, is a computer and network security company that provides a wallet infrastructure for Web3.
Together, these two entities have designed the Space Wallet. To offer an improved security against financially damaging attacks, the Space Wallet will use an ‘innovative threshold signature scheme'.
Essentially, this means that for private key shares to be distributed between multiple signers, it must provide their approval for a transaction to be confirmed. In addition, the Space Wallet supporting Cryptosat satellite will also need to co-sign (approve) the transaction.
Cryptosat will also ensure that all transactions are fully auditable.
As per a report by Cryptowisser, in case a transaction is flagged suspicious or compromised via a ground-based infrastructure, the crypto satellite's special functionality will come into immediate effect.
The satellite's immutable transaction audit ledger will log the incident and provide data that can help law enforcement authorities track the attacker responsible.
“Cryptosat's satellites are located in low-Earth orbit and therefore remain completely inaccessible even to the most well-funded, state-sponsored hackers. The company also employs advanced monitoring techniques to ensure that any attempt to get close to its satellites will be detected,” the report quoted Cryptosat founder Dr. Yan Michalevsky as saying.
Christopher Grilhault des Fontaines, the CEO and Co-Founder of Dfns, posted about the development on Twitter.
Space Wallet marks the initial stride of a long journey in the evolution of wallet security. We say welcome to cryptographers, security experts, and protocol designers that want to join us in resolving the many business, regulatory & security challenges of the web3 wallet arena.
Last year was the worst on record for cryptocurrency heists, with hackers stealing as much as $3.8 billion (nearly Rs. 31,100 crore), led by attackers linked to North Korea who netted more than ever before, a Chainalysis report had claimed in February 2023.
A total of 24 crypto exploits were recorded by blockchain security firm in January this year. Collectively, these exploits amounted to loss of $8.8 million (roughly Rs. 72 crore).
Several non-custodial wallet service providers recorded an exodus of users after back-to-back hacks. Failure of multiple crypto projects also posed grave threats to their financial stability.
Space wallets could become the next technological advancement, that could bring back users' trust for non-custodial wallet service providers.
As for Cryptosat, in January this year, a Falcon 9 rocket from Elon Musk's SpaceX released Crypto1 satellite from the Cryptosat team into the Earth's orbit. Like its predecessor, this satellite is aimed at powering cryptographic, blockchain and ledger applications.
The physical inaccessibility of satellites makes them a secure point-of-information storage, that guarantees the confidentiality of sensitive data and computations.
iPhone 15 Panel Orders for June Hint at Strong Demand for 2023 iPhone Pro models: DSCC
iPhone 15 series — comprising the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max — is expected to make its debut later this year as the successor to the iPhone 14 series of smartphones. While Apple is not likely to announce its next generation of handsets for another couple of months, a display supply chain analysis firm has suggested that Apple could see strong demand for the iPhone 15 series later this year. The new iPhone models will run on iOS 17, the next version of Apple's mobile operating system that was unveiled at WWDC 2023.
Compared to panel orders for the iPhone 14 in the same period in 2022, Display Supply Chain Consultants (DSCC) in a recently published research (via 9to5Mac), estimates that the orders for iPhone 15 panels are 100 percent higher. Meanwhile, the firm has also observed that in comparison to the iPhone 14 Pro series a year ago, a higher percentage of iPhone 15 Pro displays were ordered in June.
As per the report, the orders for iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro displays accounted for a 58 percent and 43 percent share of the panel shipments. This suggests that the Cupertino company is preparing for strong demand for the iPhone 15 Pro lineup. Last year, Apple witnessed high demand for the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max compared to the iPhone 14 and iPhone 14 Plus.
Apple is yet to officially reveal details of the iPhone 15 lineup, but the design and specifications of the smartphone series have previously leaked online. A tipster recently leaked images of covers for the purported iPhone 15 Pro, which hint at a new mute button that could replace the company's ubiquitous mute switch. It is also said to feature a much more advanced version of its ultra-wideband chip for better integration with the recently announced Apple Vision Pro mixed reality headset.
Earlier reports have suggested that the average selling price of the iPhone 15 series will rise to $925 (roughly Rs. 75,900). The company is expected to bring the 48-megapixel primary camera from the iPhone 14 Pro models to the iPhone15 and iPhone 15 Plus, while the top-of-the-line iPhone 15 Pro Max model is said to feature a new periscope lens for improved zoom performance. These hardware upgrades are yet to be confirmed by Apple, which means it is better to take them with a pinch of salt, months ahead of the expected debut of the smartphones.
Microsoft Explored Acquiring Sega, Bungie, Niantic to Strengthen Xbox Game Pass and Mobile Portfolio: Report
Microsoft was looking to acquire gaming giants such as Sega, Bungie, and Niantic in the past few years, court documents from the ongoing FTC trial over Xbox parent's Activision Blizzard acquisition revealed. The emails, as reviewed by The Verge, detailed that in November 2020, Xbox chief Phil Spencer wrote to Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and the company's CFO Amy Hood, requesting strategy approval to approach Sega Sammy — best known for Sonic the Hedgehog games — for a potential game studio acquisition. Microsoft is currently trying to convince the court that its $69 billion (about Rs. 5,65,845 crore) deal to acquire Call of Duty maker Activision Blizzard is beneficial for gaming. The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC), meanwhile, is trying to block it.
“We believe that Sega has built a well-balanced portfolio of games across segments with global geographic appeal, and will help us accelerate Xbox Game Pass both on and off-console,” the 2020 email from Spencer reads (via The Verge). He further added that since Sega is a publicly traded Japanese company, there are some ‘deal complexities,' albeit it's unclear whether Nadella matched his enthusiasm for the purchase. The company's presence in the mobile gaming segment in Asia was also a driving factor for Spencer to consider the acquisition. As mentioned before, Microsoft had other targets in sight as well, including Halo and Destiny maker Bungie and Niantic, the minds behind Pokémon GO — revealed in a 2021 internal merger review document.
Rumours from back in September 2020 suggested that Microsoft had been looking to acquire Bungie multiple times, but the deal fell through due to “high price.” At the time, Pete Parsons, the current CEO of Bungie disputed the reports, simply stating that they were false. It's possible they were just referring to the price aspect, though Bungie did split from Microsoft in 2007, and then became an independent company. The Destiny developer was acquired by Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) last year. The documents mentioned that Microsoft intended to secure the Destiny IP and its community, while integrating its live ops infrastructure into Xbox Game Studios. The game was also noted to have generated the ‘highest hours' of playtime on Game Pass. Hades developer Supergiant Games and the Hitman reboot creator IO Interactive were also mentioned in the documents.
Late last week, Microsoft claimed that the next generation of gaming consoles — the Xbox Series S/X successor and PlayStation 6 — should be out in 2028. Xbox continues arguing that it is willing to come to a 10-year agreement that would ensure that Activision's biggest franchise Call of Duty is released in parity on PlayStation consoles. Sony has refused to respond to that offer, though if agreed upon, the period exceeds the 2028 release window, allowing COD to flourish on the PS6 as well. Team Green also admitted that it has basically given up competing in the current console wars and will instead focus on delivering quality software and pushing Xbox Game Pass to more gamers.
Samsung Galaxy S23 Series to Get One UI 6.0 Beta in Third Week of July: Report
Samsung Galaxy S23 series with Android 13-based One UI 5.1 skin was released during the Galaxy Unpacked event in February this year. Now, the Suwon headquartered smartphone brand is reportedly gearing up to release its One UI 6.0 beta for the Galaxy S23 series in the third week of July. The latest version of One UI is anticipated to reach other compatible Samsung smartphones and tablets "soon thereafter." The One UI 6.0 update is said to be based on Android 14. The Android 14 Beta 3, the latest testing version of Google's operating system, was expanded to more users this month.
As reported by SamMobile, Samsung is planning to release the first beta build of its custom skin —One UI 6.0 —based on Android 14 for the Galaxy S23 series in the third week of July. The One UI 6.0 beta would be rolled out to other eligible devices "soon thereafter." If past updates by Samsung are any indication, the public release of the latest One UI skin can be expected before the end of this year.
The Samsung Galaxy S23, Galaxy S23+, and Galaxy S23 Ulta are currently running One UI 5.1 based on Android 13. Besides the latest iteration of the Galaxy S series, last year's Galaxy S22 flagships and Galaxy S21 series as well as the Galaxy S21 FE handsets could be eligible to receive the One UI 6.0 update. Meanwhile, the older Galaxy S20 series, Galaxy S20 FE, Galaxy S10 Lite, and a few other phones will not get the next major OS update and will only be eligible for security updates.
The One UI 6.0 update is expected to bring many significant upgrades over the existing One UI 5.0. These might include, seamless updates, more options for personalisation, and connectivity features with tablets and Galaxy wearables. Google previewed the Android 14 update at Google I/O last month and it has been available to public beta testers for a while now. Android 14 Beta 3 for Pixel phones is now available.
Alpine F1 Team Secures Funding From Investor Group Backed by Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney
Alpine F1 team has secured a cash investment of EUR 200 million (approximately Rs. 1,800 crore) from a group of investors, which includes actors Ryan Reynolds (Deadpool) and Rob McElhenney (It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia). The group, comprising of Otro Capital, RedBird Capital Partners, and Maximum Effort Investments, has acquired a stake of 24 percent in the Alpine F1 team, which as per Alpine, values the Formula 1 team majority-owned by the Renault Group at EUR 900 million (approximately Rs. 8,060 crore).
The investment is said to be only related to the Formula 1 team, while Renault's engine division - which supplies engines for the F1 team - is not a part of the deal and will remain under the control of Renault. The France-based Renault Group remains the majority owner and operator of the Alpine F1 team, named after its niche Alpine sports car brand which currently has only one car model in production — the Alpine A110.
Alpine will hope to capitalise on the star power, as well as the media and marketing capabilities of the investor group, particularly Ryan Reynolds who has acted in films such as Deadpool, Red Notice, and Free Guy. The investor group has also worked closely with NFL team Dallas Cowboys, French football club Toulouse FC, and Welsh football club Wrexham AFC.
Reynolds and McElhenney are also the co-owners of Wrexham AFC, a Welsh football club which has recently seen considerable success both on and off the football field, thanks to the investment and attention that has come through its celebrity owners.
The acquisition of Wrexham AFC and subsequent turnaround has been featured in docu-series Welcome to Wrexham, which is credited for much of the success of the football club which recently earned promotion to the English Football League system (EFL League Two) after 15 years in the lower semi-professional National League. The series prominently features both Reynolds and McElhenney, and it's likely that Alpine F1 will utilise the actors in a similar capacity for marketing.
Alpine is currently placed at fifth in the Constructors' Championship for the 2023 F1 season, one below where it finished in 2022. The team has struggled for competitiveness against the top teams, although driver Esteban Ocon did secure a surprising but well-earned third place finish at the Monaco Grand Prix this season.
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