Oura has made a gold-laced Gucci smart ring, and it’s ludicrously expensive
Oura has teamed up with Gucci to produce the Gucci x Oura Ring, a special-edition version of the Oura Ring that’s painted black, laced with 18 karat gold, and priced at $950 (about AU$1,300) and £820 in the UK.
Oura says the Gucci x Oura Ring is set to “deliver all of Oura’s research-grade technology, personalized guidance, and insights in a new ring design, exquisitely crafted with Gucci’s legendary style”. In other words, it’s got all the functionalities of the Oura Generation 3 in a shiny new design, including its seven temperature sensors which measure biometric data 24 hours a day, and its sophisticated sleep tracking capabilities.
It doesn’t bring any new smart features or functionality; this is is simply a blinged-up version of the fitness tracker ring, which is usually priced at $299 (if you’re in the UK or Australia it’ll cost you around £229 or AU$420, plus shipping, to get one).
The Gucci x Oura Ring is based on the black Generation 3 smart ring, embellished with 18 karat gold trim and an embossed gold logo of Gucci’s signature interlocking Gs. The final finishing touch is the addition of $650 to the price tag.
That eyewatering price tag does at least include Oura membership, which gives you access to Oura’s full suite of health-monitoring features. All Oura Rings come with six months of membership for free, after which you have to pay $6.99 each month.
However, it’s been reported that the membership included with the Gucci X Oura Ring is a lifetime membership; Oura has yet to confirm this, but if that is the case then if you hang on to your ring for a decade or so then you’re practically saving money.
The Gucci x Oura Ring is on sale now.
From Techradar
Xiaomi Mi Band 7 Pro may be unveiled in July with the Xiaomi 12 Ultra
Xiaomi announced the Mi Band 7 last week and among the upgrades is a larger display with 25% more viewable area, according to the company. The display also has an Always On mode. One rumored upgrade that didn’t arrive was built-in GPS. The related Redmi Smart Band Pro already had the AOD mode, an even larger display and it does have GPS.
Should you pick up the Redmi band? Maybe wait a little. Xiaomi will reportedly unveil a Mi Band 7 Pro alongside the Xiaomi 12 Ultra, according to one leakster. Such a device also leaked through the Mi Door Lock app before the regular Band 7 was announced.
From Gsmarena
iPhone to get revamped, always-on lock screen with iOS 16 update
The unveiling of iOS 16, Apple’s new iPhone operating system for 2022, is just a week away, and we’re starting to get a clear idea of what to expect.
The widely respected leaker Mark Gurman, in his regular newsletter for Bloomberg, has predicted that the iOS 16 update will include a comprehensive revamp of the iPhone lock screen, the interface that appears when the device lights up but hasn’t yet been unlocked. At present this shows just the date and time, quick-access buttons for the flashlight and camera and (if relevant) now-playing media controls. But Gurman expects “major enhancements for the lock screen, including wallpapers that have widget-like capabilities.”
Widgets are the interactive blocks that sit in the Today View or (ever since the launch of iOS 14) the iPhone’s home screens and provide instant access to basic app or system functionality. The Batteries widget shows the power levels of connected devices, for example, while the Find My widget shows the location of selected contacts or items. Gurman doesn’t specify how a wallpaper would have this sort of functionality, but however it looks, it will be simple: the bare details of the day’s engagements in Calendar, perhaps, or minimal information about the weather.
From Macworld
Kuo: TSMC will manufacture A16 Bionic chip on 5nm process for 2022 iPhone 14 series
TSMC published its roadmap, and analyst Ming-Chi Kuo spotted that this year the Taiwanese company will stick to 5nm process technology.
This comes as an indication the new A16 Bionic chip for this year’s iPhones will be manufactured on the same fab process as the A15, bringing minor improvements.
The aligns well with rumors that the vanilla iPhone 14 will use the A15 chip, without the slight efficiency gains expected to come with the A16, reserved for the Pro series.
The analyst also stated the next-gen MacBook Air will stick to the M1 chip as the successor M2 will not be available until next year. However, Apple might deliver a similar SoC and slap a new name on it for marketing purposes, which isn’t unheard of in the world of mobile technology (Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1, cough, cough).
From Gsmarena
Apple’s RealityOS for rumored headset appears in trademark application
RealityOS — the name Apple is reportedly using for the operating system running on its rumored virtual and augmented reality headset — has appeared in a trademark filing spotted by Parker Ortolani. Bloomberg News was first to report the “reality operating system” branding back in 2017, and references to the name have appeared in Apple’s software.
The trademark application hasn’t officially been filed by Apple, but it’s common practice for large companies to apply for trademarks under one-off company names — like Realityo Systems LLC, in this case — in the state of Delaware for the sole purpose of maintaining anonymity.
The trademark application is the latest evidence that Apple is on the cusp of announcing its long-rumored headset. It follows the news earlier this month that the company’s board of directors reportedly tried out the wearable device, which is common practice ahead of a public launch. In January, Bloomberg News reported that the headset was originally planned for release in late 2022 after an announcement at the company’s developer conference, but that could be delayed due to development challenges. The headset’s release could now happen in 2023, according to Bloomberg.
From The Verge
Realme GT Neo 3T launching on June 7
Realme is set to unveil its GT Neo 3T in Indonesia on June 7. We got official confirmation from the brand and the event will also feature the GT Neo 3 for that market. Those interested in the launch will be able to tune in to the launch live stream via YouTube and Twitter from 8:30 AM Jakarta time (UTC 1:30 AM).
Realme GT Neo 3T is expected to launch with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 870 and a 6.5-inch AMOLED display with a punch hole cutout in the left corner instead of the centered cutout on the regular Neo 3. It remains to be seen what charging speeds are like on the Neo 3T. We’ll make sure to update you on any new specs details heading into the event.
From Gsmarena
Rumor: Galaxy Z Fold4 to improve cameras, bring iterative upgrades to the rest of the phone
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold4 is expected to bring important upgrades to the main camera trio and iterative improvements to everything else. We’ve been seeing leaks about this or that detail in recent weeks, now leakster Yogesh Brar has posted an overview of the expected specifications.
The star of the show – the foldable display inside – will allegedly remain at 7.6”. Samsung is said to be working on reducing the crease. Part of the effort to improve this display includes using tougher Super UTG. The internal display and the external 6.2” displays will still use 120Hz AMOLED panels with resolutions remaining in the same ballpark, though with slightly different aspect ratios.
From Gsmarena
Galaxy Watch 4 facing battery drain, disconnection issues after installing Google Assistant
After months of delays, the Galaxy Watch 4 finally received access to Google Assistant last week. However, the rollout has been anything but smooth. First, users could not install and activate Google Assistant on their smartwatch. Now that they have, they are facing a lot of stability and reliability issues.
Multiple users have now started complaining about battery drain issues on their Galaxy Watch 4 after installing Google Assistant. Users also claim that the “OK, Google” hotword detection is pretty much hit-or-miss. Moreover, some users claim that their Galaxy Watch 4 is disconnecting from their phone, and attempts to re-pair them have been unsuccessful as neither device is able to recoginze the other.
From Sammobile
Robot orders increase 40% in first quarter as desperate employers seek relief from labor shortages, report says
As employers around the country seek ways to fill labor gaps, many are increasingly turning to the assistance of automated technology and robots.
While pivoting to automation is certainly not a new phenomenon, it’s become a salve for companies struggling to meet demand in a recent tight market, the Wall Street Journal reported. Robot orders increased 40% in the first quarter of 2022, and were up 21% overall in 2021, according to the Association for Advancing Automation, driving the industry to an estimated value of $1.6 billion.
“People want to remove labor,” Ametek Inc. CEO David A. Zapico told Bloomberg in November, noting that the automatic equipment company had been “firing on all cylinders” to meet demand.
Robots are providing at least a temporary solution for businesses confronted by difficulty hiring in the tightest job market since World War II, marred by the pandemic, record-high quitting rates, and vast economic turmoil.
In March, US job openings reached a record high of 11.5 million, and some experts have predicted the labor crisis may last for several years. The shortages have already had significant impact on everything from air travel to retail, as companies are forced to reduce output with less resources.
Advanced technology, however, is allowing machines to assist a growing number of industry sectors, while at the same time becoming more accessible.
“The robots are becoming easier to use,” Michael Cicco, chief executive officer of industrial robot provider Fanuc America, told the Wall Street Journal. “Companies used to think that automation was too hard or too expensive to implement.”
But as robot usage climbs, some have expressed concern about the machines displacing human workers as the labor crisis eventually eases.
“Automation, if it goes very fast, can destroy a lot of jobs,” Daron Acemoglu, an economics professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, told the Journal. “The labor shortage is not going to last. This is temporary.”
From MSN
Exascale is here: AMD-powered Frontier supercomputer obliterates world record
The US-based Frontier supercomputer has broken the record for world’s most powerful system, new performance data shows.
According to the latest edition of the Top500 list, which ranks supercomputers by their HPL benchmark scores, Frontier achieves more than double the performance of the previous record-holder, Fugaku.
With a score of 1.102 exaflops, Frontier also becomes the first machine to officially surpass the exascale barrier.
From Techradar
