LG enters EV charging business with AppleMango acquisition

Source: LG

LG is entering the electric vehicle charging business with its newest acquisition. The company bought South Korean EV battery charger developer AppleMango. This acquisition will allow LG to create "fully-featured" charging stations with a user-friendly interface and real-time control and management. The company said it could leverage its "sturdy, dust- and water-proof" outdoor digital display tech.

This acquisition expands on LG's existing business around electric cars. It can marry the new charger capabilities with its existing in-house EV charging management systems. LG has plans to install an EV charger production line at the LG Digital Park in South Korea before the end of the year. It wants to supply different customers with custom EV charging solutions.

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Rumours claim a new Apple HomePod is coming

Source: MacRumors

Apple has already discontinued the original HomePod, but it might be launching a new version of it. According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, the new HomePod will feature a new display on top with touch support. Size and audio quality will reportedly be similar to the original, but it will be powered by the future Apple Watch Series 8 chip, the S8. This S8 processor will have the same specs as the S7 and S6 chips. But it will be an upgrade from the current HomePod mini, which runs on the S5 chip. Are you one of those people waiting for the HomePod to come back? 

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Apple iPhone 14 Pro tipped to get an always-on display

Source: Apple Insider

Apple might want to highlight the new lock screen widgets of iOS 16 by finally bringing an always-on display option to its iPhone lineup. In his Power On newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports that the iPhone 14 Pro will be the first device to get this option. Apple has reportedly developed the feature for years, but the lock screen changes prompted its release. This Pro model will show the same lock screen widgets as other members of the iPhone 14 range. But the screen will remain at low brightness and framerate, which could help it drain your battery less. There will also supposedly be a setting that prevents sensitive data from appearing on display.

Aside from the always-on display, the iPhone 14 Pro will reportedly get an updated front-facing camera, 48-megapixel rear camera system, an A16 processor, thinner bezels, and an update to the pill-shaped cut out and hole punch instead of the notch. The non-Pro models will supposedly feature more modest changes, with the phones retaining the A15 processor. But the 5.4-inch mini model will reportedly be replaced by a 6.7-inch version. All models will keep the Lightning port, but there are plans to shift to USB-C in 2023.

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An Amazon Alexa feature can mimic the voice of your dead relatives

Here's one Amazon Alexa feature I don't think I'll ever want to try. Amazon is experimenting with its AI assistant to let it mimic the voices of users' dead relatives. The company demoed it recently during its MARS conference, where they showed a video of a child asking Alexa to read a bedtime story in the voice of his dead grandmother.

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