OPPO debuts its under-screen camera

OPPO

The race to develop phones with nearly 100% screen-to-body ratio continues to heat up. We already know that the Chinese company OPPO has been developing an in-screen camera to make this happen. But at this week’s MWC Shanghai 2019, we finally get our first look at how the company is bringing its USC (under-screen camera) to life. OPPO claims it was able to achieve this by using a camera with a wider-than-average aperture and greater pixel size. To combat haze and quality issues, the company relies on algorithms. It also uses algorithms to boost HDR and white balance.

Click to read more ...

Google starts rolling out Android Auto’s new interface

The goal for the new look of Android Auto is to “help you get on the road faster, show more useful information at a glance, and simplify common tasks while driving.” And you’ll finally be able to check if this is possible as Google rolls out the revamped version of Android Auto. This time, Android Auto will automatically continue playing your media when you turn on your vehicle. It’ll also immediately launch your navigation app of choice, which will let you tap on a suggested destination or issue a voice command. Android Auto’s navigation bar has been simplified so you can control apps with fewer taps. Dark mode is also now available with this version of Android Auto, fonts are easier to read, and you get more colorful accents for better visibility. With the new notification center, it is easier to manage calls, messages, and alerts as well. It has been optimized to show you more information on wider displays.

Source: Tech Radar

Samsung is reportedly working on a folding clamshell phone

The upcoming Moto Razr isn’t the only folding clamshell smartphone coming to market, at least according to this report from the Economic Times of Korea. Samsung is reportedly working on a new clamshell phone that unfolds into a 6.7-inch smartphone. Unlike the Galaxy Fold that expands into a bigger tablet-like device, this new form factor aims to emphasize portability. It’ll have a smaller 1-inch screen on the outside for things like notifications. As for when this product will hit the market, the Economic Times claims it could come in the first quarter of 2020.

Click to read more ...

Apple acquires self-driving car startup Drive.ai

Kaveh Waddell/Axios

Apple’s latest purchase can be considered more as an acqui-hire. The company just bought Mountain View-based autonomous driving startup Drive.ai. They’ve hired dozens of the company’s engineers and Drive.ai has ceased all operations throughout the last few weeks. Rumours of Apple buying Drive.ai was going around earlier this month, suggesting that the company wanted to boost the development of its own self-driving vehicle system. And from the looks of it, Apple is looking at the company so it could bring in its employees.

Drive.ai was founded back in 2015 by a group of Stanford University students who wanted to introduce a self-driving shuttle service in select cities in Texas. But the company ran into problems and sought out a buyer, which we now know is Apple. Axios didn’t say how much Apple bought Drive.ai for, but the company took on the new hires into its engineering and product design divisions. The move confirms that Apple is still working on its Apple Car project, despite laying off 190 employees from its self-driving car division as part of a restructuring effort.