Professor Hiroshi Ishiguro makes robots in Osaka. His latest robot, Ibuki, is one for the nightmare catalog: it’s a robotic 10-year-old boy that can move on little tank treads and has soft, rubbery face and hands.
The robot has complete vision routes that can scan for faces and it has a sort of half-track system for moving around. It has “involuntary” motions like blinking and little head bobs but is little more than a proof-of-concept right now, especially considering its weird robo-skull is transparent.
“An Intelligent Robot Infrastructure is an interaction-based infrastructure. By interacting with robots, people can establish nonverbal communications with the artificial systems. That is, the purpose of a robot is to exist as a partner and to have valuable interactions with people,” wrote Ishiguro. “Our objective is to develop technologies for the new generation information infrastructures based on Computer Vision, Robotics and Artificial Intelligence.”
Ishiguro is a roboticist who plays on the borders of humanity. He made a literal copy of himself in 2010. His current robots are even more realistic and Ibuki’s questing face and delicate hands are really very cool. That said, expect those soft rubber hands to one day close around your throat when the robots rise up to take back what is theirs. Good luck, humans!
Samsung this morning showed of a new version of its Bixby voice assistant, which is now more conversational and is able to continue your conversation when you ask a follow-up question. For example, if you first ask the assistant about concerts over Labor Day weekend, as was demoed on stage at a Samsung press conference today, you can then follow-up by asking about another date without having to repeat the entire question. Other new features were also demoed, including support for making reservations, and the ability to tap into apps like Yelp, Uber, Ticketmaster, Fandango, OpenTable, and Google Maps.
The app integration allows Bixby to answer questions without opening the apps directly. Even if you don’t have those apps installed, Bixby will be able to use them for results, the company said.
Samsung also noted it was working with these partners so you could more easily take actions. For instance, instead of saying ‘buy a ticket on Ticketmaster” you could just say “buy a ticket.” With Google, the integrations will allow for things like routing, navigation and points-of-interest.
Bixby will also get smarter in time, as it will learn what you’ve done in the past to inform its responses.
One example Samsung showed off was with reservations – it will fill in the number of people in your party and the time, based on your prior bookings.
Bixby learns what your favorite foods are and will recommend those kinds of restaurants first when you ask for suggestions. And when asking to make a reservation, it already fills in the number of people in the party and the time based on prior bookings. @Samsung#unpacked2018pic.twitter.com/GSKxInqZXf
The announcement was made at PromCon, the project’s dedicated conference being held in Munich this week. According to Chris Aniszczyk, CTO and COO at CNCF, a graduated project reflects the overall maturity where it has reached a tipping point in terms of diversity of contribution, community and adoption.
For Prometheus that means 20 active maintainers, more than 1,000 contributors and more than 13,000 commits. Its contributors include the likes of DigitalOcean, Weaveworks, ShowMax and Uber.
CNCF projects start in the sandbox, move onto incubation and finally to graduation. To achieve graduation level, they need to adopt the CNCF Code of Conduct, have passed an independent security audit and defined a community governance structure. Finally it needs to show an “ongoing commitment to code quality and security best practices,” according to the organization.
Aniszczyk says the tool consists of a time series database combined with a query language that lets developers search for issues or anomalies in their system and get analytics back based on their queries. Not surprisingly, it is especially well suited to containers.
Like Kubernetes, the project that became Prometheus has its roots inside Google. Google was one of the first companies to work with containers and developed Borg (the Kubernetes predecessor) and Borgmon (the Prometheus predecessor). While Borg’s job was to manage container orchestration, Borgmon’s job was to monitor the process and give engineers feedback and insight into what was happening to the containers as they moved through their lifecycle.
While its roots go back to Borgmon, Prometheus as we know it today was developed by a couple of former Google engineers at SoundCloud in 2012. It joined Kubernetes as the second CNCF project in May 2016, and appropriately is the second graduate.
The Cloud Native Computing Foundation’s role in all of this to help promote cloud native computing, the notion that you can manage your infrastructure wherever it lives in a common way, greatly reducing the complexity of managing on-prem and cloud resources. It is part of the Linux Foundation and boasts some of the biggest names in tech as members.
It was just a matter of time, right? We knew Samsung had to be working on a Bixby-based Amazon Echo/Google Home competitor. Welp, the Galaxy Home was announced at today’s big Note 9 event, and the device is going right after Apple’s HomePod with a premium design and what looks to be some high-end hardware.
The device has a cloth covering and a tripod stand, which would make it just as at home on the floor as it would on a desktop. There’s a built-in subwoofer and eight-microphones designed for a similar far-field communication as other smart speakers. Like the HomePod launch, there’s not really a lot of information at the launch — not even pricing or timing. Instead, the product is currently listed as “coming soon.”
Given the design and Samsung’s device history, I’d expect the thing to cost an arm and a leg — or, at the very least, something similar to the HomePod. At very least, some working reference units in the world. Dozens of the devices were present at the event, partially powering the sound system for today’s keynote.
Naturally, the company’s smart assistant is the key to the product, which is, well, a mixed bag at best. Bixby got off to a major rough start here in the space and still doesn’t offer much to differentiate it from Alexa/Assistant/Siri and the like. Instead, the company is no doubt hoping to making existing Galaxy users the base here.
Given that Samsung has failed to offer a decent music streaming service of its own, the company found a natural partner in fellow Apple competitor, Spotify. The popular music service will serve as the basis for the smart speaker’s music playback. That in and of itself may be enough to cause users to give it a second look. Though the Google Home Max, notably, also lets users make Spotify the default choice.
As with the rest of the competition, smart home functionality is also key, with Samsung’s SmartHome service as the the basis of that experience.
Few investors have as deep a knowledge of the U.S. and Chinese markets as Hans Tung.
For over a decade the prodigious investor (now with GGV Capital) has been racking up the miles on flights between San Francisco, Shanghai, Los Angeles, Beijing and New York in search of startups that can span the Pacific divide as readily as he does.
Over time, that’s led to a portfolio that includes Sino-American sweetheart deals in companies like the multi-billion-dollar retailer, Wish; the recently acquired social media sensation musical.ly; and the Shanghai social and recommendation service Xiaohongshu; along with U.S.-centric investments like OfferUp and Poshmark.
Onstage at Disrupt, Tung will be joined by Yi Wang, the founder of the artificial intelligence-powered education Chinese education dynamo, LingoChamp (Liulishuo), to discuss the technologies and techniques that continue to power a cross-border technology revolution even in tumultuous times.
There could be no better pairing to lead us along the path that winds from the glass and steel campuses of Silicon Valley to the glass and steel office towers of Beijing’s technology parks.
Join us to hear how artificial intelligence is drawing investment dollars on both sides of the Pacific, and how companies are bridging the political divide with compelling new technologies.
It’s sure to be one helluva conversation.
The full agenda is here. You can purchase tickets here.
Note 9 rumors have been a bit of a free-for-all in the lead up to today’s big event. Samsung did manage, however, to do a slightly better job keep today’s big wearable news under wraps. We’d heard a few rumors up to this point, but the details have been pretty sketchy. As rumored, the new device is, indeed, the Galaxy Watch, bucking the Gear naming convention.
On the face of it, the new device features most of the same features as the Gear, including the circular bezel, which doubles as a control — one of the primary features the line has going for it versus Apple’s offering. The Galaxy Watch also comes in two different sizes, a decided improvement over early Samsung watches, which were entirely too large for many wrists.
No specifics yet on battery size, though the company says the new wearable should get “several days on a single charge,” an impressive claim, if true, and certainly of of the major pitfalls in the smartwatch world. For those times when you do need to refill, there’s that new Wireless Charging Duo, which can handle a Galaxy mobile device and watch at the same time.
Unlike previous rumors, the Galaxy Watch appears to still be running Tizen, rather than Android Wear.
Update: Samsung says the Watch will be available in the United States on August 24 before launching in additional markets over the following weeks. The 42 millimeter version of the Watch will be available for $329.99, while the 46 millimeter version will be available for $349.99.
Also, Samsung’s announcement confirms that the Watch will still be running Tizen.
Remember those rumors that Samsung would be working to keep costs of its new flagships at reasonable levels? Yeah, no such luck, bucko. The Samsung Galaxy Note 9 starts at $999.95. That will get you the base-level model, with an admittedly generous 128GB of storage and 6GB of RAM.
The next SKU up will really make the eyeballs pop out of your head like a Tex Avery cartoon, however. At launch, the company’s offering up two models — the premium version gets you 8GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, which, as the company notes, is “1TB ready,” via expandable storage.
After all, 512GB microSD cards are out there. Granted, that’ll run you $350, but it seems safe to assume that you’re made of money if you’re speccing out a 1TB Galaxy Note. As for the phone itself, that costs a mere $1,249.99. The premium isn’t really a huge shocker, however — SSD is pricey.
That specific SKU will only be available from a select number of retailers — probably not a surprise given that it’s destined to be a niche item. It also will be available directly from Samsung, along with select carriers, including AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon and U.S. Cellular,
Remember AirPower? Apple had big plans for the charging mat when it was launched nearly a year ago. Since then, however, the iPhone/Apple Watch/AirPod accessory has been MIA for reasons no one outside of the Cupertino spaceship is entirely sure of.
Today’s at the big Note 9 event in Brooklyn, Samsung unveiled its own take on the tech. Granted, it’s perhaps less ambitious than Apple’s place it anywhere approach to charging, but at very least, there seems the very real possibility that it may still launch ahead of the competition.
The Wireless Charging Duo has two distinct surfaces: one for Galaxy handsets and the other for the company’s smartwatch. The upright design on the former means users can stand it up next to a bedside and use it as an alarm. It’s a slightly healthier habit than actually sleeping with the phone (writes the guy who woke up this morning on top of his own phone as the alarm was going off).
Of course, we know that the Note 9 is making its debut on-stage today (along with practically ever other piece of information about the thing), but the device may also pave the way for the anticipated release of the Galaxy Watch. The new mystery wearable could either launch today, or at IFA in a few weeks, which has traditionally been the stage for the company’s smartwatch announcements.
Everything you thought you knew about the Galaxy Note 9… well, it’s pretty spot on, honestly.
Between the images, promo videos, teasers and that image of Samsung CEO DJ Koh using the damn phone out in public, it’s hard to shake the feeling that the company simply embraced the leaks in hopes of generating a little extra excitement ahead of launch during these (excruciatingly hot) dog days of summer.
As expected, little has changed aesthetically this time out — and that’s just fine. There are a couple of new colors, a shifted fingerprint sensor and a screen that’s larger by a fraction of an inch, which is perhaps why the aforementioned C-level executive thought he’d be able to go unnoticed. That’s all perfectly fine, of course — it’s probably too much to expect some radical design departure with each subsequent generation by the time you’re on number nine or so.
Really, like the S9 before it, the new Note isn’t a radical departure in any respect. The latest version of the industry-defining phablet is more focused on the fundamentals. It’s honestly a welcome change from a company like Samsung that often feels entirely focused on the bells and whistles. More storage, a better camera, an improved S-Pen and a considerably larger battery are all on-board this time out.
Which isn’t to say there aren’t any new whistles or bells, of course. This is Samsung, of course.
In a briefing, Samsung referred to the Note line as “our innovation brand,” a nod to the fact that it’s regularly been the first device to receive many now standard Galaxy features — see: the Edge display (curving screen), S-Pen, giant screen, dual-camera. If there’s one new feature that stands out, however, it’s actually that larger battery, which now measures 4,000mAh hours — that’s a 700mAh jump over its predecessor.
That’s great news, of course. Samsung doesn’t have any official hour estimates to share at the moment, and is instead still calling it an “all day” battery — though the vast majority of users should be able to squeeze out more than that with standard usage. The real significance of all of this likely won’t be lost on anyone who’s been paying even the slightest bit of attention to the mobile industry over the past couple of years.
The Note 9 marks the first significant battery capacity increase since the Note 7’s exploding lithium-ion led to two separate recalls for the company. Naturally, Samsung’s on the offensive about this one, noting the eight-point safety check the company instituted when the literal and figurative smoke cleared with the Note 7. The company subjected the phone to external scrutiny from UL.
“What we want to do is a tempered approach to innovation any time,” Samsung’s director of Product Strategy and Marketing told TechCrunch, “so this was the right time to increase the battery to meet consumer needs.”
Of course, the company had to consider both the pragmatic concerns over battery combustion, along with the optics of rushing too quickly to push the bounds of capacity. There was, after all, a general notion that the company had flown too close to the sun on this one. As such, battery life has stagnated on the last several Galaxy phones.
As the initial invites for today’s event suggested, the S-Pen also gets a lot of love this time out, featuring the most significant upgrades since the stylus was announced all the way back in 2011. The most obvious difference: the striking new colors. The image on the invite was, indeed, a closeup of a neon yellow stylus. There’s a purple one, too — each writing on the off-screen memos in a color that matches their design.
The real differentiator here, however, is the inclusion of Bluetooth low energy inside the S-Pen, which allows it to function as a remote. That, of course, requires a battery, so the stylus now includes a super capacitor so it charges when it’s in the slot. Samsung says it should get around 30 minutes of standby time with 40 seconds of charging. Mileage will vary, of course, but given the fact that it will effectively be charging whenever it’s not in use, that shouldn’t be an issue.
The new S-Pen can be used to control things like the camera, slideshows and music playback. In Spotify and Google Music, one click of the button does Play/Pause and two clicks advance the trick. There’s no back, but there’s really only so much one can do with a single button. In photo mode, it can be used as a shutter, with a double-click flipping the camera around for a selfie.
The functionality will only be available for a select number of apps at launch, but the company’s going to be opening up the SDK for developers. There also will be some level of customization available in the settings, so users can designate different functions.
Here’s what you’re working with as far as camera hardware:
Rear: Dual Camera with Dual OIS (Optical Image Stabilization)
Wide-angle: Super Speed Dual Pixel 12MP AF, F1.5/F2.4, OIS
Telephoto: 12MP AF, F2.4, OIS
2X optical zoom, up to 10X digital zoom
Front: 8MP AF, F1.7
The biggest change on the imaging side is software, however. Scene Optimizer is similar to technologies we’ve seen on recent flagships from companies like HTC. The system uses an on-board AI process (no cloud connection required) to determine what you’re taking a photo of. There are 20 categories, all told, including Night, Snow, Street Scene, Birds, Indoors, Text, Food, Pets, Flowers and Sunset. Once the system has decided what it’s shooting, it adjusts the white balance, color and saturation accordingly.
I was only able to try it on a limited number of objects during a brief hands-on, but it worked well with things like flowers and a plate of food, really highlighting colors in the process. You can’t actually manually override the system to choose one of the aforementioned 20 scenes, but if you’re getting a false positive, you can just shut the thing off.
Even more compelling is Flaw Detection, which points out when you’ve messed up. The system will notify you if a shot is blurry, if there’s a smudge on the screen, if the subject blinked or if backlighting is making everything look crappy.
Spec-wise, we’re talking a 2960×1440 (516ppi) display, Octa-core Snapdragon 845 and 6 or 8GB of RAM, running Android Oreo.
Oh, and then there’s storage. The Note 9 comes with beefy 128GB, standard. If you really want to go all-in, there’s also a 512GB version, which, as Samsung notes, makes the device “1TB ready,” when you factor in the expandable 512GB microSD that exists for the the price of a mid-tier smartphone (PNY’s is $350 right now). Oh, and speaking of money.
Take a deep breath.
Samsung had suggested early on that it was going to attempt to rein in the cost on this one. Maybe next generation. The 128GB model runs $999.99. The 512GB version will set you back $1,249.99. Both are available starting August 24, with pre-order starting August 10. The latter will be limited to “select retail locations and carrier sites, including AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon and U.S. Cellular.
The Note 9 comes in Ocean Blue and Lavender Purple, which ship with a purple and yellow stylus, respectively. And yes, there’s a headphone jack.
Samsung’s new S-Pen isn’t just a multi-colored stylus anymore.
With the upgrade to the new Samsung Galaxy Note 9, the S-Pen gets its own reboot, and now functions as a remote control for Samsung’s latest offering.
With the inclusion of Bluetooth low energy inside the S-Pen, users can now untether themselves from the phone. With a click of the pen, folks can take pictures, advance slideshows or pause and play music.
The stylus includes a super capacitor to charge when it’s not being used in the slot. The company thinks the stylus should get 30 minutes of standby time with 40 seconds of charging.
Aesthetically, things are changing with the S-Pen now, as well. There are some new colors, with neon-yellow and purple styluses on offer, which write on off-screen memos in the color that matches their design.
Developers also can incorporate the BLE functionality into their apps later this year, the company said.
