According to our friends at BGR, the joke around many tech offices is that now that Apple has released the iPhone 10 (or “iPhone X”), the Samsung Galaxy 10 (or “Galaxy X,” which has a sort of cool sci-fi ring to it), can’t be far behind. Well, guess what? BGR says a “Samsung Galaxy X” phone model has been spotted on South Korea’s National Radio Research Agency’s database – and it appears to be a radical bendable smartphone.
Samsung has been working on bendable display technology for a while – as have other companies – as everyone looks for the Next Big Thing in smartphones after the current bezel-less display trend. But making a bendable phone – not just a bendable display – is a huge challenge, and Samsung may be taking steps to make it a reality. No details about the mysterious X-phone have surfaced quite yet, but we’ll be watching closely to see what turns up.
Peak experience?
If you’re an Apple laptop, iMac or Mac user, today’s a pretty big day: Apple will release the public version of the High Sierra MacOS operating system, which you can download for free. And while the “High Sierra” version may seem like just an update to the current “Sierra” OS, there’s actually a LOT of new stuff going on behind the scenes. Probably the biggest change will be the conversion of all your data to a new, more efficient file format.
Called the Apple File System or APFS, the new 64-bit storage scheme optimizes your data for faster reads and writes, especially if you’re using super-fast solid state drives… which will now be even more super fast. The Safari browser gets an overhaul as well and will keep auto-play videos from auto-playing, and the Photos app gets more horsepower to recognize faces and organize your pics. The update drops today and we’ve got a full review of High Sierra for your enjoyment.
“What if we added some tail fins…?”
Virtual and augmented reality technologies are still in their relative infancy, but more and more companies are finding the next wave of tech useful in designing products. One company pushing the envelope is American carmaker Ford, which is using the Microsoft Hololens augmented reality system to help in the design phase of new cars. Ford says using the tech can speed up the design process by projecting changes onto cars sitting right in front of them.
Designers can also record their 3D ideas and observations, including audio commentary, and pass on those files to team members and managers, speeding up feedback and problem solving. The Hololens system is barely a year old, and the way Ford is using it is a peek into the future of design, whether it’s cars, computers or toaster ovens. Check out the whole story and video at the link.
We’ve got more news on our Facebook page and YouTube channel, and be sure to tune in to this week’s DT podcasts: Close to the Metal (computers and such) on Tuesday, Trends with Benefits (general tech shenanigans) on Thursdays, and Between the Streams (movie and TV topics) every Friday.
