Google is once again modifying its services in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The company has confirmed to Reuters and Vice World News that it temporarily disabled some live traffic data in Ukraine, including the general live traffic layer as well as activity info for stores and other locations. The move is meant to protect the safety of locals and follows consultation with Ukranian authorities, according to Google. The data is still available during turn-by-turn navigation sessions.
While Google didn't outline the exact reasons for deactivating the features, it follows discoveries by Middlebury Institute professor Jeffrey Lewis and others that live traffic info reflected troop movements as civilians were stuck at roadblocks. While that could help pinpoint Russian incursions, as Lewis noticed, the Russians could potentially use the traffic info to spot Ukranian military actions or a fleeing population.
The initiative comes as other tech giants have taken a series of actions in response to the Russian invasion. Meta has restricted the Facebook accounts of Russian state media in Ukraine, while Twitter has temporarily halted ads in both Russia and Ukraine to curb the spread of misinformation. Russia has retaliated in some cases, such as limiting access to Facebook. The actions show how relatively innocuous internet services can pose serious risks during a conflict, whether it's to distort reality or provide military intelligence.
According @googlemaps, there is a "traffic jam" at 3:15 in the morning on the road from Belgorod, Russia to the Ukrainian border. It starts *exactly* where we saw a Russian formation of armor and IFV/APCs show up yesterday. Someone's on the move. pic.twitter.com/BYyc5YZsWL
Noise cancelling headphones can make all the difference if you're tired of working in a noisy environment or want your public-transit commute to be a bit more peaceful. Bose's QuietComfort 45 ANC headphones are some of the best out there right now, and they're back down to their Black Friday price on Amazon. You can pick up the cans in either black or white for $279, which is $50 off their normal price.
The QuietComfort lineup has been around for a long time, and Bose essentially took the "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" route with the QC45. These wireless headphones look much the same as the previous version — they don't have the slickest design, but they are super comfortable and they have handy onboard controls for playing/pausing music, adjusting volume and switching between ANC and ambient sound mode. They charge via USB-C and have an impressive 22.5-hour battery life, so you can wear them all day long without missing a beat.
The sound quality is what you'd expect from a pair of high-end Bose cans. The QC45 pump out clear and balanced audio, and the active noise cancellation is some of the best we've tried. Bose's ANC was already great to begin with, but the company improved on it here with a "proprietary digital chip" that helps detect and silence more mid-range frequencies.
There are a few downsides to these cans, including their somewhat antiquated design, but more importantly, the QC45 don't have automatic pausing. Also, their multi-device connectivity can be a bit finicky because they don't automatically reconnect to a second device after you take a call. If those features mean a lot to you, you'll want to consider Sony's WH-1000XM4. But otherwise, the QC45 are excellent ANC headphones that are even better when you can get them on sale like this.
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Apple continues to release findings from its ongoing Women's Health study, and is announcing updated results today ahead of International Women's Day (March 8th). The report, published on Harvard's website, reveals some insights on polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and cardiovascular health, based on data from more than 37,000 participants.
Apple and Harvard found that its participants who had received PCOS diagnoses tended to be diagnosed between ages 14 and 35, with the median age being 22 years old. They were also more likely to report a family history of the syndrome and have unpredictable menstrual cycles after their first periods.
According to the report, more than 70 percent of participants without PCOS diagnoses said their menstrual cycles became regular within four years of their first period, while just 43 percent of those with PCOS experienced the same. In fact, 49 percent of participants with PCOS diagnoses never had regular menstrual cycles or only got regularity after using hormones.
The study also looked at the health conditions related to PCOS. It reported that participants with PCOS diagnoses were four times more likely to have pre-diabetic conditions, three times more likely to have Type 2 diabetes and twice as likely to have high blood pressure and high cholesterol. It also said irregular heartbeats or arrhythmia was more common among participants with PCOS diagnoses than those without.
Apple Women’s Health Study - Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
Apple did caution that these were preliminary insights. Data was gleaned from medical history surveys completed by more than 37,000 participants enrolled from November 2019 through December 2021. Of those who completed the medical history surveys, about 30,000 also filled out reproductive history surveys and answered questions about their menstrual cycles over time.
According to co-principal investigator Dr. Shruthi Mahalingaiah, "The Apple Women’s Health Study is one of the first studies where we can look at the connection between menstrual health, polycystic ovary syndrome, and heart health at a population level.”
Mahalingaiah also said "Despite the association between PCOS and heart-related conditions, historically, research studies about heart health have not included information about menstrual cycles," adding that the study "is important for having a better understanding of PCOS and its health impacts, including for people with PCOS and those that might have PCOS, but do not know.”
Looking forward, Apple and Harvard want to "create a larger foundational data set on PCOS, with self-tracked variables, and its connection with heart health."
"Our hope is that by expanding the understanding of the public health burden of PCOS, we can create research models that can be applied to further scientific understanding of other health conditions and the burden of other diseases,” Mahalingaiah said.
Every now and then, a phone maker comes up with a new charging speed claim. The latest company to do so is Oppo, which unveiled its 150W SuperVOOC flash charge — a leap from the 80W version on the recently launched Find X5 Pro and OnePlus 10 Pro — at MWC. This will offer a mere 15-minute charge time for a 4,500mAh dual-cell battery, but a quick five-minute charge can already get you back up to 50 percent. If you like the sound of this, you may look forward to it on the next OnePlus flagship phone, which is due in Q2 2022. At the same conference, Oppo's sister brand Realme even announced that its upcoming GT Neo 3 will be the world's first phone to support 150W SuperVOOC, so chances are OnePlus' next phone will arrive after Realme's.
Oppo's 150W SuperVOOC is a tad faster than the current 120W offerings from the likes of Xiaomi and Vivo iQOO — ranging from 17 to 20 minutes, depending on the battery size. But it's not just about speed. This fast charge tech is supported by Oppo's "Battery Health Engine" (or "BHE" in short) which claims to double the battery lifespan, and this is already available on the recently launched Find X5 series. In a nutshell, "BHE" comprises of a dedicated battery management chip, smart battery health algorithm and some sort of battery healing tech — mainly by way of improving the cells' electrolyte formula.
Oppo
According to Oppo, the industry standard for conventional flash charge is 800 charge cycles before reaching the 80-percent battery health deterioration threshold. With the "BHE" enhancements, however, the battery lifespan can be prolonged to 1,600 cycles — or as long as four years for a phone with daily recharging. The company added that "BHE" will be a standard feature for all flagships from Oppo and OnePlus (and likely Realme as well) moving forward, irregardless of their charging speeds.
It's also worth noting that this new 150W SuperVOOC charger is almost just as compact as its 65W counterpart. The latter has been bundled with most flagship and mid-range phones from Oppo, OnePlus and Realme over the past two years.
With Oppo setting a new benchmark in terms of both charging speed and battery lifespan, it'll be interesting to see how its competitors respond. Xiaomi had already demonstrated 200W fast charging which achieved an eight-minute charge time for a (smaller) 4,000mAh battery, but as we've seen on its latestflagships, it has yet to offer anything beyond 120W to its users. To stay further ahead of the game, Oppo will be showing off a "200W+" SuperVOOC demo at its MWC booth, so stay tuned for more details on this.
Over the past few years, Qualcomm has announced 5G modems that have consistently pushed download speeds to new heights, culminating with the X65 in 2021, the company’s first 10-gigabit 5G modem. In 2022, the company is taking a different tack. The X70, its latest modem, is fast, but it’s also more consistent and power-efficient, and it’s all thanks to AI.
The X70 isn’t the first Qualcomm modem to use a machine learning algorithm to improve performance. Last year, the company leveraged the technology to make its X65 modem better at adapting its antenna tuning to changing hand grips. But what makes the X70 different is that includes a dedicated 5G AI processor – a first for a cellular modem, according to the company.
In addition to improving average speeds, Qualcomm claims the processor makes the X70 better at mmWave beam management, allowing it to establish a more robust link when using the notoriously finicky spectrum. It also utilizes that processor for network selection and antenna tuning, leading to better coverage and link strength. Qualcomm claims all of that makes the X70 capable of making the most of whatever spectrum resources a device has available to it at any one moment.
Naturally, the X70 is fast too. It’s capable of theoretical download speeds of 10Gbps. That said, you’re unlikely to see X70-equipped devices achieve those kinds of speeds in real-world use. A lot of that will depend on your carrier and the state of their 5G network.
Qualcomm expects to start providing Snapdragon X70 samples to commercial customers in the second half of 2022. The company didn’t name customers but did note it expects X70-equipped devices to launch by late 2022, suggesting its Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 successor could integrate the modem. Once it becomes available, devices that come with the X70 will carry the company’s new Snapdragon Connect branding, a badge that indicates the product you’re about to buy comes with its latest and greatest connectivity technologies.
Catch up on all of the news from MWC 2022 right here!
Honor is today announcing its latest flagship smartphone, the Magic4, which refines the general template laid down by its predecessor, the Magic 3. Not that you could actually buy the Magic 3, because despite the promise of a global rollout, the handset never officially left China. This, the company says, was down to the growing pains associated with escaping Huawei’s shadow after their sanctions-mandated divorce. This year, however, we’re told that things are going to be better and we might actually see these handsets here in the West.
The Magic 4 and the Magic 4 Pro are being positioned as equivalent handsets to Samsung’s Galaxy S22. Honor is hoping that you’ll appreciate the shopping cart’s-worth of features that the company has piled onto these devices in the hope of making you switch. And the Pro model has the sort of spec list that, on paper at least, would make you think twice about where you put your cash.
Both devices come with a 6.81-inch LTPO (Gen 3) display with a 120Hz adaptive refresh rate, although the Magic4’s 1,224 x 2,664 (430 ppi) screen looks inadequate compared to the Pro’s 1,312 x 2,848 (460 ppi) equivalent. Both are offering a backlit brightness of 1,000 nits, with 1,920Hz Pulse-Width Modulation dimming, HDR10+ and 100 percent DCI-P3 color. The company says that the benefits of LTPO over OLED include more efficient power usage, better refresh rate control and a reduction in eye strain.
Honor is also dumping a bucket-load of sensors into its “Eye of Muse”-branded camera setup, with both handsets getting two 50-megapixel cameras. An f/1.8 wide lens is sat across from a f/2.2 ultra-wide lens with a 122-degree field of vision. But while the vanilla edition gets an 8-megapixel periscope telephoto lens, the Pro is packing a 64-megapixel beast with a 3.5x optical zoom and 100x digital zoom. The more expensive unit also gets an 8x8 Direct Time of Flight (dTOF) sensor to help with focusing and improving image quality.
But, in all honesty, the company would much rather talk about its work harnessing “Multi-Camera Fusion” computational photography to blend together snaps from each of these lenses for sharper, better pictures. For instance, a shot taken between 0.6x and 1x zoom will likely be a composite of shots taken with those 50MP wide and ultra-wide lenses. Between 1x and 2x zoom will be the wide camera on its own, while anything after that will use the telephoto as well. Once you get to 3.5x and beyond, you’ll get “Multi-Frame Fusion,” mashing all of the lens inputs for, it’s hoped, far better zoomed images.
In terms of video, please forgive me for not wanting to repeat a chunk of what I wrote last year about the Magic3. Last year, Honor made a capital-B big deal about that model’s ability to shoot cinema-quality video in a custom, mobile-friendly version of (pro film standard) Log: MagicLog. This year, Honor says that MagicLog will crank out 10-bit 4K video running at 60 fps, which if accurate, would make this phone one hell of a tool for hobbyist filmmakers. The company adds that stills taken while recording video will be of far better quality than previous generations of handsets.
Both handsets are toting Snapdragon’s 8 Gen 1 SoC, the same 4nm 5G chip that you’ll find inside the Galaxy S22. Both come with an Adreno 730 GPU and the option of either 8GB or 12GB RAM, while storage options include 128GB, 256GB or 512GB on the Magic 4 and 256GB or 512GB storage on the Pro. There’s also a custom “dedicated security chip” designed to hold biometrics, passwords and payment data, although it’s not clear what security this offers over what Qualcomm already promises.
Rounding out the important news is at least one quality-of-life tweak for the Magic 4 Pro called AI Privacy Call. This, as the name doesn’t entirely suggest, is designed to dynamically adjust the volume of a call depending on the ambient noise. If you’re in a busy, noisy environment, it’ll boost the volume of the loudspeaker to help you hear what’s going on. If you’re in a pin-drop quiet elevator and would rather your fellow passengers not hear your most intimate conversations, it’ll dial it down.
Honor
Another feature reserved for the 4 Pro exclusively is 100W SuperCharging which, if you have the right charger, will rejuice that 4,600mAh battery up to 90 percent in just half an hour using wired or wireless charging. The Magic4’s 4,800mAh battery, meanwhile, will accept up to 66W charging through the correct Honor SuperCharge equipment.
As part of its split from Huawei, Honor pledged to produce its own range of hardware products to mirror its former parent’s strategy. This time around, the company is releasing a new pair of earbuds and a new watch, but promises that we can expect routers, displays and smart TVs to pop up at points further down the line.
Honor
The Honor Earbuds 3 Pro come with quick charging and a total playback time of 24 hours. They are also equipped with active noise cancellation and body temperature monitoring to help you keep an eye on your overall health. The Watch GS3, meanwhile, looks like Honor went all-in on making it look a little less agricultural than its predecessor. An eight-channel “Heart Rate AI Engine” is the headline feature, which the company promises will offer far more in-depth analysis of your ticker.
Sadly, we don't know yet the Magic 4 series, earbuds and watch will be available, but the company has released initial European prices for all of them. The Magic 4 Pro, with 8GB RAM and 256GB storage will cost €1,099 ($1,230) on that side of the pond. Similarly, the Magic 4 with 8GB/256GB will cost €899 ($1,006), while the Watch GS3 will start at €229 ($256) in midnight black and €249 ($278) in blue or gold. Finally, the earbuds will be priced at €199 ($222).
Catch up on all of the news from MWC 2022 right here!
Those who keep an eye on the machinations of the Chinese phone market might remember that Poco used to be the budget division of Xiaomi. Since the latter decided to spin out the former, Poco has been standing on its own two feet and bulking out the range of affordable handsets it offers to consumers. Today at MWC, the company is showing off a new flagship X4 Pro 5G, as well as a non-5G version of the M4 Pro.
The X4 Pro 5G is packing a 6.67-inch, FHD+ display with a 120Hz refresh rate and a backlit capable of pumping up to 700 nits into your eyeballs. Poco is hoping to lure new customers in with the promise of a 108-megapixel, f/1.9 primary camera flanked by an 8-megapixel ultra-wide shooter and a 2-megapixel macro lens. Up front, meanwhile, is a 16-megapixel f/1.4 punch hole camera that gets little more than a nod in Poco’s press materials.
Lurking inside, however, is the “premium midrange” Snapdragon 695 5G nestled alongside either 6GB RAM and 128GB storage, or 8GB RAM/256GB. Support for 1TB additional storage is offered, as well as a 67W charger which comes in the box — useful, since the 5,000mAh battery supports 67W fast charging. You may forgive the side-button fingerprint sensor if you’re an audiophile, too, since it is both hi-res audio certified and also still comes with the rare and beautiful treat of a 3.5mm headphone jack.
Poco
If you’re looking for something a little gentler on your wallet, then Poco is today revealing a non-5G version of its M4 Pro. It’s packing a 6.43-inch FHD+ AMOLED display with a 90Hz refresh rate, a 64-megapixel, f/1.8 rear camera and 5,000mAh battery with support for 33W charging. Powering the unit is a MediaTek Helio G96, which comes with a choice of 6GB RAM 128GB storage, or 8GB of the former and 256GB of the latter.
As for right now, however, we don’t quite know if either of these handsets will be available to buy in the US and Europe, or how much they’ll cost. That said, a cached Amazon France listing suggests that the X4 Pro will at least reach that nation, priced at €350 (around $392).
Catch up on all of the news from MWC 2022 right here!
It feels like only last week that Samsung was taking the covers off its Galaxy S22 series of devices, but that's because it was literally only a few weeks ago. Of course, the company isn't stopping there and is using MWC 2022 to reveal the latest iterations of its Galaxy Book laptops.
The Galaxy Book 2 Pro series was the major announcement this year, encompassing three new laptops. There's the convertible Galaxy Book 2 360, the clamshell Galaxy Book 2 Pro and the Galaxy Book 2 Pro 360, a high-end 2-in-1. They all sport 13-inch screens, with the Pro and Pro 360 also getting 15-inch versions.
While there's no phone news, these laptops will have cross-device support for your other Galaxy devices, as well as further Bixby voice assistant features. Dive into all the full details in our highlight reel below.
Catch up on all of the news from MWC 2022 right here!
Facebook has pulled a network of fake accounts attempting to spread Russian disinformation in Ukraine. The company said it had removed about 40 accounts, pages and groups from Facebook and Instagram that were detected over the last 48 hours.
Meanwhile, Russia has been restricting Twitter access for its citizens since early Saturday morning. According to internet monitor NetBlocks, there was a nearly complete blackout of the platform across all major domestic telecom providers. On Friday, the country’s telecom regulator, Roskomnadzor, began partially restricting access to Facebook after the social network refused to stop fact checking and labeling content from Russia’s state-owned news organizations.
Valve's first portable isn’t a mobile device to take on your everyday commute. It's more like a Steam Controller and a Steam Machine in one hefty package, and it isn’t all that comfortable to play for hours on end. But while it's hard for Senior Editor Jessica Conditt to recommend the Steam Deck as an introduction to PC gaming, it's a great second device for the millions of existing Steam users around the world, one that opens up new places to play around the house.
The Pokémon Company just surprised most of us. It revealed Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, two new Pokémon games, are set to launch sometime in late 2022. Building on the recently released Pokémon Legends: Arceus, developer Game Freak said the games would offer an "open-world adventure" for players to discover. Perhaps it’ll strike a balance between the newest Pokémon game and the mainline series.
A lot of us are obsessed with e-ink devices. The latest addition is a substantially sized e-ink tablet from Huawei. The MatePad Paper has a 10.3-inch grayscale screen with an anti-glare, reflective display to aid low-light use. The Paper can reproduce 256 shades of greyscale to display text and images — and even video. Not only does it have surprisingly tiny bezels, with an 86.3% screen-to-body ratio, but it’s also is compatible with Huawei’s M-Pencil, its second-generation stylus.
But getting the screen to work is staggeringly difficult.
TCL seems to love showing off its prototypes, and it’s doing the same for MWC 2022. Alongside an array of new phones and tablets, the company just debuted a concept device tentatively called the Ultra Flex — a phone with a 360-degree rotating hinge and a flexible display that bends with it. This thing can fold in on itself as well as outwards. However, it’s a little… no, very, delicate.
Microsoft's Xbox Series S is a bestseller for a reason: it's a solid next-generation console that is almost always in stock and often enjoys the odd discount between retailers. If you've been waiting for one such price drop, Woot has come in clutch with one of the best deals we've seen. Today, the Xbox Series S is on sale for just $250, which is $50 or almost 17 percent off the regular $300 price. The only catch is that you must be an Amazon Prime member to get the deal.
While the Series S has been more easy to find over the past year or so than both the Xbox Series X and Playstation 5, it hasn't received any notable discounts since its launch in 2020. The matte white console comes with 512GB of onboard storage and ships with a slightly tweaked version of the Xbox controller most know and love. It also has a variety of ports, including an Ethernet connector, an HDMI 2.1 port and two for USB 3.1 ports.
The key thing to remember about the Series S is its lack of disk drive. This shouldn't be too much of an issue if you get most of your games from Xbox Game Pass, but it's good to keep in mind as you decide how to use the console's built-in storage. If you want to expand it, you'll need a compatible card like this one from Seagate. For backwards-compatible titles, of which there are plenty for the Series S, you can save those on an external HDD.
Given the Xbox Series S is smaller and cheaper than the Series X, it lacks some of the advanced features of the latter console. Aside from the lack of disc drive, key among them are no support for 4K game and less storage overall. But if you can live with those trade-offs, Woot's deal for Prime members is the best for the new console.
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