Samsung's new 50-megapixel camera sensor packs in faster autofocus

Samsung has a new 50-megapixel camera sensor, and its primary focus is, well, its autofocus—and high resolution, of course. The Samsung ISOCELL GN1, which has entered mass production this month, is its first camera sensor that includes both dual-pixel autofocus and Tetracell pixel-binning. This means that smartphones that come with this sensor should offer fast performance and decent low-light image quality.

With a pixel size of 1.2μm, you get a sensor that's more typical to phone camera sensors that then high-resolution sensors we've seen lately. By default, the ISOCELL GN1 can take 12.5-megapixel photos with four pixels binned into one. And with dual-pixel phase-detection autofocus, we're expecting to see improved autofocus performance with this sensor. Samsung also equipped this chip with Smart-ISO, real-time HDR, and electronic image stabilization. If it delivers on these points, the Samsung ISOCELL GN1 gives users better smartphone camera options.

Source: The Verge + GSMArena

IFA 2020 will be an invite-only event observing strict attendee limits

Photo courtesy of IFA

IFA 2020 in Berlin will be the first tech conference to take place after the COVID-19 pandemic put to a halt any large in-person gatherings. The event will take place from September 3 to 5. In April, the organizers teased a conference that would take on an "innovative new concept" as the government of the city of Berlin banned events with over 5,000 participants until at least October 24. And so, IFA 2020 will be closed to the public. It'll be invite-only and split into four smaller events, with no more than 1,000 attendees allowed for each experience every day. 

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Samsung offers Galaxy S20+ in Aura Blue in the Netherlands

Samsung is offering an exclusive colourway for the Galaxy S20+ in the Netherlands. The shade Aura Blue is now a colour option in the country, with a more expensive price tag. This premium option costs €1,349 (around CA$2,054), which is €249 (around CA$379) more than the other colour options of the phone available in the country. It's also available through T-Mobile and Tele2 over there. But there isn't any news if the phone will be offered in other countries, or whether its price will eventually be adjusted to match with the different variants. And if it does make its way here, will you be willing to spend the extra money for the unique colour option?

Source: GSMArena

Netflix's 'The Umbrella Academy' is coming back for Season 2 on July 31

Netflix has an official release date for the second season of its comic-based superhero series The Umbrella Academy. And the show gives an update in an amusing sign of the times sort of way. The show's main cast members appear in a quarantine videoconference teaser dancing to Tiffany's 1987 rendition of "I Think We're Alone Now," which is a nod to a fan-favourite scene in the series' first episode. At the end of the video, it's shown that season 2 will drop on July 31, 2020, worldwide. 

The Umbrella Academy is an adaptation of the Dark Horse Comics' series with the same name created and written by Gerard Way and illustrated by Gabriel Bá. The show gives us a look into the lives of the six of the 43 infants born on the same day in October 1989 to unconnected women that showed no signs of pregnancy the day before. These six children were adopted by Reginald Hargreeves and trained to save the world. These six "siblings" include Vanya/The White Violin (Ellen Page), Luther/Spaceboy (Tom Hopper), Diego/The Kraken (David Castañeda), Allison/The Rumor (Emmy Raver-Lampman), Klaus/The Séance (Robert Sheehan) and Number Five/The Boy (Aidan Gallagher).

Source: Variety