Quick Shots-211

Anker’s biggest battery pack ever is a 43-pound power station with impressive specs

When the power goes out or you’re visiting the great outdoors with gadgets in tow, you might carry a portable power station — and Anker might have just released the most advanced one yet. The new $1,400  offers 1500W of power and 1229Wh of capacity from a Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4) battery, which it promises is faster to charge, longer-lasting, and might even be safer than the lithium-ion battery packs you’ll typically find in the market.

LiFePO4 batteries aren’t anything new in the battery space. You’ll find them in some electric cars because they don’t need to be replaced as often and because they don’t turn into a raging inferno when hundreds or thousands of them are badly damaged in an accident. The downside is weight: most consumer electronics don’t use them because they’re far heavier than lithium-ion at the same capacity. The Anker 757 Powerhouse weighs 43.8 pounds, nearly twice as much  but with only around 20 percent more capacity. Jackery has a 1500Wh power station that weighs less, too.

From The Verge

New Apple Watch features coming in watchOS 9 just leaked

One of the more interesting things about the Apple Watch is how it evolved. Early on, the device was positioned as something of a lifestyle device, a luxury item with some nifty communication features. But before long, it became abundantly clear that physical activity and health monitoring were driving sales.

Over the past few years, we’ve seen dozens of stories involving people who credit the Apple Watch with saving their lives. Whether it’s detecting an abnormal heart rhythm or detecting a fall, the Apple Watch for some people is quite literally the difference between life and death.

In light of that, Apple has been angling to expand the range of Apple Watch health features. To this end, Bloomberg writes that Apple has been working on a high blood pressure sensor. The feature has reportedly been in the works for years but is still experiencing some technical hurdles. As it stands now, don’t expect a high blood pressure sensor to become an Apple Watch feature until 2024 at the absolute earliest.

The iPhone maker is running trials of its blood-pressure technology on employees. Its planned approach won’t tell users their specific systolic and diastolic readings — the numbers used to assess blood pressure — but would warn those wearing the watch that they may have hypertension, which is high-blood pressure, and should consult a doctor or use a standard blood pressure checker.

Incidentally, there have also been reports pointing to an Apple Watch feature capable of monitoring glucose levels. This rumor has been around for years. And while Apple has certainly researched the idea, the technical challenges involved with this type of sensor are beyond immense.

We can also expect to see some more modest additions to the Apple Watch feature set this year. Some of these new features might include temperature monitoring along with updates to existing workouts, “women’s health, sleep, fitness, and medication management features.

Other features that might be part of watchOS 9 include expanded watch face options and a revamped low-power mode.

From BGR

Oculus Quest Pro tipped to launch with face and eye tracking

Leaker Basti564 found two new permission categories in Oculus Quest 2 v38 firmware, which went out to all Quest 2 headsets in March 2022. Developers of the best Quest 2 games are able to use either of these categories to request access to eye tracking or face tracking sensors — neither of which the Quest 2 has — showing that Meta is already building Quest Pro features into the existing Quest operating system.

Zuckerberg has previously stated several times that a potential Quest Pro was in the works and would hopefully be filled to the brim with cutting-edge sensors like face and eye tracking. Sony’s upcoming PS VR2 has eye tracking and was thought to be the first consumer-level headset to launch with such a feature, but Meta could beat them to the punch if the Quest Pro comes out this Summer or Fall as is currently expected.

Back in February, Meta added full-body tracking to the Quest OS, showing that the company has consistently been working on new features for upcoming VR headsets. Having face, eye, and body tracking would certainly make the Quest Pro a force to be reckoned with.

A few days ago, we got the best look yet at the upcoming Quest Pro hardware, also known as Project Cambria. Those renders came by way of Brad Lynch, a YouTuber who specializes in VR research and analytics. Just yesterday, Brad revealed that the upcoming Quest Pro could feature a human eye resolution display thanks to T-REx super resolution lenses. If the Quest Pro does get released this year, there’s little doubt it’ll push the envelope for standalone VR headsets.

From Android Central

Google Pixel 6a Spotted at FCC, Could Debut Next Month

Android users got the flagship phones they demanded from Google with the launch of the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro, but the wait for a more wallet-friendly value pick has stretched on for some time. Based on mysterious FCC filings, it appears the long-awaited device, the Pixel 6a, could arrive in the coming weeks

As Droid Life reports, four unknown models—numbered GX7AS, GB17L, G1AZG, and GB62Z—passed through the FCC recently and are likely to be Pixel 6 models, suggesting the phone’s imminent release. There isn’t much of note with the listings themselves, except that one of four models has mmWave support while the others rely on sub-6Ghz 5G. Also onboard are NFC and wifi 6E, the latest connectivity standard offering the faster theoretical home internet speeds.

These listings likely prove that the Pixel 6a is on the way, and with Google I/O set for May, there’s a solid chance we’ll see it then. We don’t have any firm dates to share, but we can extrapolate a timeline by looking at past releases: the Pixel 5a surfaced in FCC listing in July of last year before being announced a month later. Due to supply chain issues, the 5a arrived later than expected; if Google returns to an earlier release, the Pixel 6a could follow the lead of the Pixel 3a and Pixel 4a Plus, which debuted around Google I/O in May.

Much like the previous a-branded products, the Pixel 6a is expected to be a mid-range smartphone that offers premium features at a more agreeable price than the current flagship models. It will likely replace the current Pixel 5a 5G, a $449 handset that is widely regarded as the best budget phone on the market alongside the iPhone SE.

From Gizmodo

First images of Apple’s 35W dual USB-C charger leak online

Late last week, evidence of Apple’s first dual USB-C charger leaked online. Apple has yet to actually announce such a product, but 9to5Mac claims that a support document temporarily appeared on Apple’s website last Friday. The company did remove it quickly, but not before 9to5Mac shared its findings with the world. Now, just a few days later, another source has revealed leaked pictures of Apple’s unannounced 35W charger.

On Monday night, ChargerLAB shared three purported images of the upcoming Apple 35W Dual USB-C Port Power Adapter. The pictures show that, like some of Apple’s other adapters, the 35W charger has “foldable prongs” which flip back into the device. Apple also placed the two USB-C ports next to one another on the bottom of the charger. Typically, Apple puts the plug on the opposite side of the ports, but not for this product.

From BGR

Sony’s PlayStation VR2 headset may have been delayed to next year

Sony’s original PlayStation VR came out in late 2016 and is quite old at this point. This January the company finally announced plans to release version 2, revealing the design a month later. Sony never committed to a particular launch date, however, but the assumption was that it will come out this year.

That may be wrong, Ross Young (of Display Supply Chain Consultants) reports that the PlayStation VR2 is coming out next year. It’s not clear what caused the delay, not even if this is a delay – 2023 may have been the original target. However, missing the holiday season could affect sales.

From Gsmarena

How Samsung is addressing its biggest smartwatch concern

Smartwatches oftentimes feel like the frequently overlooked cousin of the smartphone. There are far fewer of them on the market and the major companies that do produce them only make a handful of lines when compared to the plethora of new phone series that are introduced and iterated on every few months.

Innovation has certainly taken place in smartwatches since their introduction to the scene, but due to the lack of industrywide support, progress has felt relatively slow. One complaint with the technology that’s been echoed for quite some time is that battery life for smartwatches across the board just isn’t where it needs to be yet.

Many users aren’t satisfied with that 24-hour battery life for a piece of technology so crucial to the lives of those who wear them.

In general, most devices will hold a charge for around 24-hours or so depending on how frequently they’re being used and how demanding the applications are. Unfortunately, many users aren’t satisfied with that 24-hour battery life for a piece of technology so crucial to the lives of those who wear them. 

Calls for better battery life in smartwatches have been made since their debut, but there hasn’t been much tangible change made by manufacturers on that front. That is, until now. Samsung seems to be working on a new Galaxy Watch, not a new iteration of its current offerings, but a new device to add to its lineup. One of the first noticeable differences in the rumored “Galaxy Watch Pro” as it’s being called is a massively increased battery size when compared to Samsung’s other models.

From BGR

Intel Pledges to Cut Greenhouse Gas Emissions to Zero by 2040

Intel said on Wednesday it will cut its overall greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2040, the latest pledge by a Silicon Valley giant to address climate change.

The chipmaker’s plan means a $300 million investment in energy conservation measures like facility upgrades to reduce power consumption. It also requires changes so chip manufacturing won’t release as much carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases that trap heat from the sun in the Earth’s atmosphere.

Intel details its carbon emissions in annual corporate responsibility reports. In its most recent, it estimated its emissions for 2020 to be the equivalent of 3 million metric tons of carbon dioxide. That’s equivalent to the emissions produced by more than 646,000 cars each year.

“We are committing to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions across our operations by 2040,” CEO Pat Gelsinger said in a video message about the plan. The emissions reduction will come despite Intel’s dramatically expanding operations, including two new “megafab” manufacturing sites the company is building in Ohio and Germany, he said.

From Cnet

Meta Plans to Take a Nearly 50% Commission on Purchases Made Inside the ‘Metaverse’ Despite Complaining About Apple’s 30% App Store Cut

Meta, better known as Facebook, plans to take a nearly 50% commission on digital asset purchases made inside the “metaverse,” the company has revealed, months after it had complained about the maximum 30% cut that Apple takes for purchases through the App Store.
This week, Meta announced new ways it’s allowing creators to monetize and earn money from the “metaverse.” One way it’s enabling that is through letting creators sell NFTs, or non-fungible tokens, through its Horizon Worlds platform. In the post, Meta declined to specify how much of a cut it would take for those purchases, but a company spokesperson told CNBC it would be 47.5% commission, inclusive of a 30% hardware fee and a 17.5% platform charge:

A Meta spokesperson confirmed to CNBC Wednesday that Meta will take an overall cut of up to 47.5% on each transaction. That includes a “hardware platform fee” of 30% for sales made through the Meta Quest Store, where it sells apps and games for its virtual reality headsets. On top of that, Horizon Worlds, will charge a 17.5% fee.

Meta’s vice president of Horizons, Vivek Sharma, told The Verge that the nearly 50% commission is “a pretty competitive rate in the market,” adding “we believe in the other platforms being able to have their share.”

Ironically, Meta itself, including company CEO Mark Zuckerberg, has been vocal about Apple’s 15% to 30% cut from the ‌App Store‌. In June, Zuckerberg wrote on Facebook that Meta would be keeping paid online events, subscriptions, badges, and other products free for creators until 2023, and after that, Meta would announce a commission that is “less than the 30% that Apple and others take.”

From Macrumors

Twitter investor sues Elon Musk for failure to promptly disclose his shares

A Twitter shareholder is suing Elon Musk for failing to disclose that he had bought a substantial stake in the company, affecting share prices.

The Tesla CEO revealed on 4 April that he had acquired a 9.2% stake in Twitter. Shares of the social media company soared, as investors viewed the move as a vote of confidence from the richest man in the world.

However, federal trade laws require that investors notify the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) after surpassing a 5% stake in a company within 10 days. Musk acquired his shares on 14 March but did not make that public until 4 April.

In the time between passing the 5% threshold and publicly reporting, Musk was able to buy up additional shares at a deflated price, the new lawsuit alleges. Experts estimate that delay may have illegally netted Musk $156m.

Filed in a New York federal court on Tuesday, the suit seeks class action status on behalf of investors who sold Twitter stock during that time and lost out on gains they would have realized had Musk disclosed his stake earlier.

After Musk disclosed his stake, Twitter shares rose 27% – from $39.31 to $49.97. The plaintiff in the suit sold 35 Twitter shares for $1,373, or an average price of $39.23, before Musk revealed his investments.

From The Guardian