Google has confirmed the Pixel Fold, its first foldable smartphone, with video teasers on YouTube and Twitter. The company was due to unveil the Pixel Fold at Google I/O next week, but leaks have ruined that surprise. The device features a vertical hinge that unfolds into a tablet-like 7.6-inch display. There is also an external screen that measures 5.8 inches.
Rumors suggest the price could be around $1,700, putting a premium well beyond Google’s flagship Pixel. However, I could be convinced – whether the foldable can deliver an alleged 24-hour battery life. On May 10th, which is next Wednesday, expect to hear everything you need to make up your mind.
– Mat Smith
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It has received approval to expand the Vegas Loop even further.
The Boring Company (TBC) is expanding its tunnel network under Las Vegas by 25 miles, adding 18 new stations to its original plan. According to TechCrunch, the commissioners voted 6-1 after TBC’s attorney Stephanie Allen assured them that the company, not taxpayers, will be fully funding the project. Currently, the Vegas Loop is only about 2 miles long and has five stops centered around the Las Vegas Convention Center.
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It’s hours before VP Harris meets with Silicon Valley executives on AI risk.
The Biden administration announced Thursday that it plans to pour $140 million into opening seven new AI R&D centers. It will be part of the National Science Foundation and will seek commitments from leading AI companies to participate in a “public assessment” of their AI systems. Vice President Kamala Harris also met with technology leaders at the White House yesterday to “have an open discussion about the risks we see in current and near-term AI development,” according to an official.
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It also adds rich media replies, conversation history, and more.
Three months after the debut of its revamped search engine, Microsoft announced it is now moving into open preview. You still have to sign in to Bing in the Edge browser (or the Bing mobile apps) to use the chatbot, but at least you don’t have to deal with a waiting list anymore. Microsoft is also introducing several new features to celebrate this new phase of Bing (powered by OpenAI’s GPT-4). It can go beyond just text responses and provide charts, graphs, and rich formatting. Its image generator also supports more than 100 languages.
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Some indie classics have joined the service, like “Limbo” and “Getting Over It”.
Apple has added another 20 new and classic titles to its arcade service. Additions include an exclusive co-op game, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. TMNT Splintered Fate is a roguelike brawler, so it will be different every time you play – you can even combine the turtles’ attacks with random power-ups. Also new is What The Car?, the latest title from What the Golf? and what the hell? studio triband. This time you control a car and take part in races. Expect some absurd twists. First of all: the car has legs.
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Earth will eventually meet the same end.
K.Miller/R. Injured (Caltech/IPAC)
This isn’t an epic End of Avengers CGI attack, but a star consuming one of its orbiting planets while transforming into a red giant. About 12,000 light-years distant, the star near the constellation Aquila brightened 100 times in 10 days. It is believed that Earth and other planets in the solar system’s interior face a similar demise when the sun dies – in about 5 billion years. Ah, happy Friday!
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