Samsung’s newest patent application is for a folding smartphone
You didn’t think that Samsung was closing down, now did you? No, Samsung is very much alive, thank you, and applying for all sorts of new patents. The newest (that we’ve seen) is for a folding phone, a concept that is very 2001 if you’re thinking of hinges and other mechanical bits. But if you’re Samsung then the idea is just to take the phone and… fold it. The idea is to create a folding screen, which can be “…folded or unfolded semi automatically”, along with a secondary screen that would kick in once the device has been bend in half. Samsung has long been on the trail of a foldable smartphone display and this is probably just another step on that journey. As this is a patent application and not a granted patent (though they’ll likely get this one), don’t expect to see the concept in the flesh for a while.
Source: via The Verge
A company called EnGoPlanet has installed lights powered by ‘kinetic tiles’ in Vegas
Las Vegas has probably got the largest electricity bill in the world, if you’re not counting all of those underground government black sites around the world sucking up power for nefarious purposes. Putting up four lights in the face of wall-to-wall neon probably doesn’t sound like much but EnGoPlanet, the company behind the four lights, has made their quartet unique. That’s because these lights are powered by solar panels as well as something called ‘kinetic tiles’. The solar we understand but the tiles below the lights generate power by having people walk on them. The 4 to 8 watts of power created by pedestrian traffic is stored for later use. It’s a great idea, if having greener (in the environmental sense) lights are your aim, but they also come equipped with a range of sensors that could be used to monitor surroundings. Bit of a privacy worry, that.
Source: Ars Technica
Amazon’s Echo just got better for gearheads with the Clarkson alarm
Jeremy Clarkson fans are gearing up for the irreverent trio of motoring nutcases to return on Amazon’s video service and, to celebrate, Amazon has launched an alarm for the Amazon Echo (which, sadly, still isn’t wholly functional this side of the world) that utilises the voices of Jeremy Clarkson, James May, and Richard Hammond. Coming across as a soundbite from the show itself, it quickly devolves into Clarkson yelling at you to get the heck out of bed. That way, you can get up early enough to watch The Grand Tour on time.
Source: The Next Web
Here is the full live-action Ghost in the Shell trailer. That is all.
Some of you are reading this because you’re familiar with the original Ghost in the Shell, either the manga or the 1995 film (or the GitS: SAC series or… you get the idea). Some of you are here because this is a chance to watch Scarlett Johansson running around kicking large amounts of buttock while clothed (mostly) in something skin-tight. What both of you are going to get is a 90s cyperpunk aesthetic and a whole lot of action, overlaid with a remake of a Depeche Mode track. Look for Ghost in the Shell from 31 March 2017. Happy Monday.
Source: Paramount (YouTube)
