Tag: leak

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Photos of Dyson’s upcoming robot vacuum revealed in FCC filing

It looks like Dyson has a new robot vacuum incoming, according to pictures included in a filing with the FCC.

Spotted by The Verge, this new, unnamed Dyson robot vacuum sports the same striking blue colour as the company’s previous robot, the 360 Heurist (pictured above). The charging dock also sports the blue instead of the white colour with the Heurist. The top-mounted camera also returns — Dyson previously told me the camera allows the robot to navigate like a sailor looking at the stars.

Hopefully this unnamed Dyson robot does a better job at star-based navigation than the 360 Heurist did (RIP Stargazer).

Besides the colour and camera, the new Dyson robot is a significant departure from the 360 Heurist. For one, it’s not a circle like before and now features a squared-off edge with a larger cylindrical brush. The Verge describes the flat edge as the rear, but the pictures make it look more like the front of the robot — that would also be a significant change from the Heurist, which has the dust-bin at the front and the brush bar towards the back.

More importantly, the new robot appears shorter than the 360 Heurist. It’s hard to tell just from these FCC pictures, but if it is shorter, it could get under some furniture for a more thorough clean. The 360 Heurist was quite tall for a robot vacuum and often couldn’t go beneath some furniture.

Branding on the top of the unnamed robot indicates it features Dyson’s new ‘Hyperdymium’ motors, which the company also included in its latest stick vacuums.

The robot appears to have a removable section of tubing, which should be helpful in clearing any clogs.

All in all, the new Dyson robot looks like it could be a significant upgrade over the 360 Heurist. Still, it appears the new robot won’t be able to self-empty like several of iRobot’s Roomba robot vacuums. That’s unfortunate, since not having to empty the robot every few runs is a welcome benefit, in my opinion.

We’ll likely learn more about Dyson’s fancy new robot in the coming weeks.

Source: FCC Via: The Verge

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Mobile Syrup

Another Pixel 6 Pro benchmark score shows improved performance

Another rumoured Pixel 6 Pro benchmark score has surfaced on Geekbench with improved performance.

Google’s semi-announced Pixel 6 series previously showed up in Geekbench listings in September with a disappointing single-core score of 414 and multi-core score of 2,074. However, this new listing spotted by PhoneArena shows a score of 1,034 and 2,756 in single- and multi-core respectively. The listing also confirms there will be a 6 Pro configuration with 12GB of RAM. It backs up previous information that the Tensor chip will use two ARM Cortex-X1 cores at 2.80GHz, two intermediate cores at 2.25GHz and four power-efficient cores at 1.80GHz.

That’s a significant jump over the previous Pixel 6 Geekbench test, but still not as good as other Snapdragon 888 flagships. The Samsung Galaxy S21, for example, scored 1,112 and 3,378 in our tests. The Z Fold 3 scored 1,109 and 3,185. The OnePlus 9 Pro also sports a Snapdragon 888 and scored 1,071 and 3,282.

It’s also worth comparing the alleged Pixel 6 Pro scores to previous Pixel devices. If accurate, the Pixel 6 Pro outperforms the Pixel 5’s Snapdragon 765G (589 and 1,603) and the Pixel 4’s 855 (695 and 2,339). In other words, it looks like the Pixel 6 series may offer improved performance over older Pixels, so if you’re still holding onto a Pixel 4 or older, you’ll get a speed bump this time around.

Still, this all indicates Google’s customer Tensor chip may actually hold its own against Qualcomm’s venerable Snapdragon line. We also haven’t seen much in the way of machine learning or artificial intelligence performance, which is supposedly where Tensor will shine.

That being said, until the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro actually launch, it’s not worth putting much stock in benchmark numbers. For one, things can clearly change — the previously leaked benchmark scores are much lower than these new ones. The performance may even increase before these phones launch. But we won’t know until reviewers get hands-on with devices and put them through their paces.

And the second issue with benchmark scores is they often don’t reflect real-world use. Day-to-day performance using apps, making calls, sending texts can have a different impact. Plus, I regularly see ‘budget’ devices that score poorly on benchmarks operate without issue in real-world testing (for example, the Pixel 4a). So, don’t read too much into the benchmark scores.

Source: Geekbench Via: PhoneArena

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Mobile Syrup

Pixel 6 and 6 Pro European pricing leak hints at flagship pricetag

Details about Google’s upcoming Pixel 6 and 6 Pro pricing have leaked, giving us an idea of just how much the smartphone may cost.

The info comes from YouTuber Brandon Lee (This is Tech Today), who cited a source working for a cellular retailer in Europe. According to the source, the Pixel 6 will cost around €649, while the Pixel 6 Pro may cost €899 (roughly $960.37 and $1,330.31 CAD respectively). Lee also recently shared a video clip of a prototype Pixel 6 Pro.

However, it’s important to keep in mind that converting the cost of a phone in one currency to another isn’t usually accurate to how much a device will actually cost in a country. In other words, Google may charge less (or more!) than $960 for the Pixel 6 in Canada.

As an example, the Pixel 5 costs $799 in Canada (although it’s currently not available on the Google Store). In Europe, the Pixel 5 costs €629, or about $930.78 CAD.

The bigger takeaway from this leak is that Google will likely price the Pixel 6 slightly higher than the Pixel 5, which is pretty great news considering the Pixel 6 is supposed to be a more flagship device.

As for the Pixel 6 Pro, it seems priced accordingly for a higher-end flagship, although it remains to be seen how the phone will stack up against other similarly priced handsets. Assuming the pricing information is accurate, and the 6 Pro retails for around $1,300 in Canada, that would put it in the same price range as Samsung’s Galaxy S21+ and the iPhone 13 Pro.

Of course, that assumes the pricing is correct. Given how leaks and rumours have panned out so far this year, I wouldn’t put a lot of confidence in this information — things could change before Google launches the phone.

Along with the pricing, Lee’s source also noted that the Pixel 6’s black and green colours were labelled ‘carbon’ and ‘fog’ in the retailer’s system. It’s not clear if those are the actual colour names Google has for the phone, but both names would fall in line with the search giant’s naming convention for its other products. However, the Pixel line, historically, has had cheeky names like ‘Clearly White’ and ‘Just Black.’ We may see the same with the Pixel 6 series — ‘Certainly Carbon’ and ‘Frankly Fog,’ anyone?

Source: Brandon Lee Via: 9to5Google

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Mobile Syrup

Google Pixel 6 and 6 Pro could sport significantly improved camera hardware

It looks like Google will finally offer improved camera hardware in a smartphone with the upcoming Pixel 6 and 6 Pro.

Don’t get me wrong — Pixel phones have always had great cameras. But Google has used the same 12.2-megapixel IMX363 sensor since the Pixel 3. As good as Google’s software wizardry is, that sensor has started to show its age.

However, according to details from XDA Developers, the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro could bring a significant camera hardware improvement. The publication obtained an unreleased version of Google’s Camera app and details about the new Pixel camera system.

Starting with the main camera, the hardware will leap significantly to Samsung’s ISOCELL GN1 50-megapixel sensor. The ultra-wide camera will use a 12-megapixel IMX386 sensor, while the 4x optical telephoto camera on the 6 Pro will use a 48-megapixel IMX586 sensor. The phone will reportedly support up to 20x zoom in photos and videos (except 4K, where zoom is capped at 7x) and 4K/60fps video recording.

Although certainly some exciting hardware, it wouldn’t be a Pixel camera without software enhancements to match.

The Pixel 6 cameras will reportedly allow for manual white balance, giving photographers more control over how their images look. There’s also a ‘magic eraser’ feature, which sounds like it could be a tool for removing objects from an image. Android Police points out that this could be a version of the object removal promised (but never delivered) for Google Photos.

XDA highlights a few other possible camera features, including a ‘face deblur’ feature already confirmed by Google. It works to deblur faces in HDR images by capturing multiple photos with the main and ultra-wide sensors and combining the information to fix faces.

Finally, there were mentions of ‘motion blur,’ ‘portrait spotlight,’ ‘nima aesthetic’ and ‘baby mode,’ which might work as follows (based on the limited information we have so far):

  • Motion blur: in-development feature will add “creative blur effects to your photos.”
  • Portrait spotlight: Not entirely clear what it is, but XDA notes the feature is enable in Pixel 6 and 5a configuration files.
  • Nima aesthetic: Appears to be related to existing ‘Top Shot‘ feature, but unclear what it does.
  • Baby mode: Possibly a feature meant to detect babies and capture photos of them, but unclear.

All in all, it sounds like the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro could have really powerful camera hardware and software, a welcome change for the Pixel line. Of course, it’s essential to keep in mind that these are leaks, and some of the information may be inaccurate or could change in the future.

Source: XDA Developers Via: Android Police

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Mobile Syrup

Short hands-on clip shows off pre-production Pixel 6 Pro

Google’s upcoming Pixel 6 Pro has turned up in a hands-on video posted online, giving viewers a good look at the back of the device and what appears to be a refreshed set-up screen.

Spotted by a Discord user and uploaded to Twitter by Brandon Lee (@thisistechtoday), the video shows what appears to be a pre-production Pixel 6 Pro. In the brief clip, the person holding the device shows the screen, rotates the phone to show the back glass, then flips it back to the screen.

While showing the screen, you can make out the centred hole-punch camera at the top of the display. The screen is black with colourful shape outlines moving around on the panel. There’s a message towards the bottom that says “Welcome to your Pixel,” along with typical first-set-up options like picking your language.

As the phone flips over, viewers can briefly see how the display curves over the edge. Additionally, you can kind of see how large the camera bump is.

Once the Pixel 6 Pro is flipped over, you can see the two-tone grey back panel. Thanks to the lighting in the video, it’s very clear that the Pixel 6 Pro sports a glossy back panel (lame). You can also see what appears to be a messed-up Google ‘G’ logo — 9to5Google notes that pre-production Pixel devices often sport a similar logo.

Still, as much as I despise glossy glass back panels, the Pixel 6 Pro looks pretty great. This new hands-on leak is just further building on my excitement for the Pixel 6 line.

Source: @thisistechtoday Via: 9to5Google

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Mobile Syrup

Unsurprisingly, the iPhone 13 doesn’t have satellite

Perhaps one of the most interesting things to come out of the September Apple event was how wrong everyone was.

The lead-up to the September 14th Apple event, like so many other anticipated announcements, was full of leaks and rumours about all the new things Apple would announce. To leakers’ credit, some things were bang on. Unfortunately, so many other rumours were very, very off. That’s the game you play with leaks.

What was particularly surprising, however, was that some very prominent figures were incredibly wrong about one big rumour: satellite iPhone capabilities. Although I wouldn’t call myself a prominent figure, I was also quite wrong.

As a quick refresher, the satellite iPhone rumour started when analyst Ming-chi Kuo reported that the iPhone 13’s modem would support band n53, a ground-based chunk of spectrum largely owned by satellite operator Globalstar. Several publications picked up the news and it seemed that ‘iPhone 13 will support band n53’ became ‘iPhone 13 will support Globalstar.’ That, in turn, became ‘iPhone 13 will have satellite capabilities.’

PC Mag‘s Sascha Segan initially offered the explanation that this was all about band n53 support and the satellite portion of the rumour was, well, a bit of broken telephone. However, Bloomberg’s reliable Mark Gurman later reported that Apple was considering satellite features. Gurman published a detailed look at the satellite capabilities but stressed that they likely would arrive in a later iPhone.

Now that Apple has revealed its iPhone 13 and 13 Pro models, it’s clear that these rumours were even more wrong than previously thought. Segan pointed out in a new article about the rumour mill that the iPhone 13 doesn’t even support band n53, which kicked off this whole saga.

Again, that’s the danger of playing the rumour game. Sometimes, the rumours are wrong — the more you buy into them, the more it hurts when things don’t turn out as expected. However, the number of people who got it wrong going into the iPhone 13 launch remains surprising and has me wondering if there isn’t more going on here.

Perhaps Apple shared false information to root out leaks. That may sound farfetched, but back in August a report indicated Apple had a double agent in the iPhone leaks and jailbreak community for over a year — it’s not that hard to believe the company would purposely disseminate false information to catch leakers. Segan also suggested that there could be a darker side to the saga, potentially in the form of a ‘pump-and-dump’ scheme. Globalstar’s stock did jump significantly following the initial report.

Either way, perhaps this will be a lesson of sorts to reporters, fans and everyone else that leaks can get things wrong.

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Mobile Syrup

Apple fired Ashley Gjøvik for allegedly leaking information

Apple fired senior engineering program manager Ashley Gjøvik, alleging she violated the company’s rules against leaking confidential information.

However, the firing comes after Gjøvik spent months tweeting about allegations of harassment, surveillance and workplace safety. Gjøvik says she began raising concerns in March 2021 and faced “retaliation and intimidation” from Apple.

“I’m disappointed that a company I have loved since I was a little girl would treat their employees this way,” Gjøvik told The Verge.

Gjøvik started by raising concerns about her office, located in an Apple building on a superfund site. That means it requires special oversight due to historical waste contamination. When Gjøvik raised those safety concerns, she said she faced harassment and bullying from her manager and other team members.

Recently, Gjøvik began raising concerns about Apple’s policies on how it can search and surveil employees’ work phones. That included an accusation that Apple previously forced her to hand over all her text messages, including “fully personal” items such as nude pictures. Gjøvik said that Apple stored those pictures in its “permanent evidence locker.”

Apple placed Gjøvik on administrative leave in early August while it investigated her concerns. Gjøvik says she requested leave only as a last resort.

The saga culminated on September 9th when a member of Apple’s employee relations team reached out to Gjøvik. The team member was looking into a sensitive intellectual property matter, according to The Verge, and wanted to speak with Gjøvik within the hour.

Gjøvik said she wanted to keep all communications in writing and noted she was forwarding the correspondence to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). Gjøvik had recently filed a charge with the NLRB, citing harassment by a manager, reduced responsibilities and increased unfavourable work.

However, Apple’s employee relations team responded, saying that because Gjøvik had chosen not to participate in the discussion, they would move forward with the information they had. Further, Gjøvik’s access to Apple systems was suspended “given the seriousness of these allegations.”

Within hours, Gjøvik received an email informing her that Apple had terminated her employment.

Those curious can read through the entire saga on Gjøvik’s website, where she has extensively documented emails and communications with Apple alongside her own tweets about what was going on.

Apple, however, maintains that it takes concerns seriously, telling The Verge in a statement:

“We are and have always been deeply committed to creating and maintaining a positive and inclusive workplace. We take all concerns seriously and we thoroughly investigate whenever a concern is raised and, out of respect for the privacy of any individuals involved, we do not discuss specific employee matters.”

Source: Ashley Gjøvik Via: The Verge