Huawei will reportedly lay off hundreds of employees at its US R&D facilities

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The implications of the US blacklisting on Huawei’s business is reportedly affecting the jobs it offers in the country. According to a Wall Street Journal report, the company will be laying off hundreds of employees at Futurewei Technologies, its U.S. research and development lab. The company has begun informing some staff from its offices in Texas, Silicon Valley, and Washington State that they are letting people go. Some of their Chinese employees are being given the option to return home and stay with the company. Other layoffs are also reportedly planned in the future.

Source: The Verge

Google Pixel 4 gets spotted out in the wild

There seems to be a pattern of Google Pixel phones being spotted out in public transport. This time around, a 9to5Google reader made out the phone while riding the London Underground. The phone is hidden under a generic case, but the camera sensor arrangement gives it away. What we know about the sensors so far came from a leaked version of the Google Camera app. It has one main sensor, a suspected 16-megapixel telephoto lens, a spectral sensor for sensing gestures, and a flash. Google made the unusual move of showing us official renders of the phone way ahead of its release. The consensus is the phone will be coming out in October, but it wouldn’t come as a surprise if Google decides to release it earlier.

Jon Favreau says he’s working on ‘The Mandalorian’ Season 2

Disney

While the Star Wars show The Mandalorian isn’t debuting on Disney+’s streaming service until November 12^th, the show is already greenlit for another season. The show’s creator Jon Favreau said he’s working on pre-production for season two, including writing and preparation for special effects shots. Starting work on special effects now will help save them time as well as produce quality effects for the TV show. It also shows that Disney has confidence in the first season, and they are willing to bet people will want more. The Mandalorian takes place five years after the events of Return of the Jedi, and it’s set in the outer reaches of the galaxy.

Source: Collider

Amazon’s home surveillance robot Vesta isn’t ready for primetime yet

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Amazon is reportedly working on a household surveillance robot called Vesta. It was supposed to be released to the public around this time. But according to reports, it isn’t ready for mass production just yet. The robot is said to be waist high, and it will have the Alexa voice assistant. It’ll be voice-controlled, and it can move around the house on its own with the help of its built-in cameras. Amazon’s goal is to give its customers access to Alexa no matter where they are at home. Vesta will also help keep an eye out for any intruders in the home while homeowners are away.

Source: MSPowerUser