The funding for the network would come from part of the nearly $1.3 billion budget devoted to the National Quantum Initiative.
There’s already some progress toward these goals. The Wall Street Journalnoted that Argonne National Laboratory and the University of Chicago built a 52-mile quantum network through unused fiber, and it should expand to 80 miles once the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory connects to the system.
The US has numerous incentives to build a countrywide quantum network, most notably security. By its very nature, a quantum network is extremely secure — you disrupt the data just by observing it, making it virtually impossible to intercept. It can also transmit large amounts of data, and might help with extremely sensitive quantum sensor networks that could better detect earthquakes or even medical conditions.
It’s still very early days for the prototype network. And much like ARPANET, the precursor to the modern internet, this would be a government research project rather than something you could use for everyday communication. However, it does hint at a future where quantum computing is a crucial part of daily life.
The screenshots also indicate that the Buds Live will have Active Noise Cancelling that can be toggled in the app, a Find My Earbuds feature and customizable touch controls. Not only can you decide what a single tap, double tap or long press does, but you can also disable touch controls altogether.
This isn’t the first time Samsung has spilled its own beans in exactly this same way. In February, the company did the same thing with the then-unannounced Galaxy Buds+, which begs the question: Why hasn’t it learned from its mistakes?
Though, it’s not as if the company is trying to keep all this fully under wraps. Samsung did already publicly disclose it will be showing off five new devices at its virtual Unpacked event on August 5th. Plus, these earbuds have been leaked to no end, with pictures and videos already showing up all over the internet. With these app screenshots though, we now have an even clearer idea of what they can do — all we need now is official word from Samsung on price and availability. Stay tuned to find out that information on August 5th (or before, if online leaksters have their way).
Unlike other sci-fi shows, which tend to dwell in somber and foreboding tones, Upload has taken a more upbeat approach. In fact, Daniels has described the series as a “philosophical romantic comedy science fiction murder mystery.” And though that sounds like potential for a huge mess, Upload manages to use its premise to explore a multitude of questions about the consequences of a digital afterlife without becoming unwieldy.
Amazon Studios, Prime Video
The show, which launched in May, revolves around programmer bro Nathan Brown (Robbie Amell), who gets uploaded into luxurious digital afterlife Lakeview owned by Horizen (which sounds very similar to Engadget parent company Verizon). There, he meets Nora Antony (Andy Allo), his customer service rep, also known as an “Angel,” and residents like Luke Crossley (Kevin Bigly), and develops friendships with them. Brown’s entire digital afterlife is financed by his wealthy girlfriend Ingrid (Allegra Edwards), so he’s pretty much entirely dependent on her, which makes things awkward when he wants to break up. It’s a tricky situation, because him and Nora start to have feelings for each other.
In one scene, Brown and Antony visit a lower level of Lakeview where the less-privileged 2-gig residents live. These are people who can’t or can no longer afford the unlimited plan, and aren’t given things like clothes, toys or even, in some cases, genitalia. They don’t even have complete books to read — just the free sample of a few pages.
Moved to frustration, Brown exclaims “It’s just code!” In that moment alone, Upload forces the viewer to ask several questions. Would you risk handing so much power over to a “digital afterlife” provider who you might not eventually be able to fight against in real life? Who should be allowed to “upload”? Is Brown himself aware that when he says a book “is just code” that he himself is also just a product of programming?
We ask this and several more questions of Daniels and the cast relating to the show’s realistic portrayal of tech in the future. You can watch it above, on Comic Con’s official site or Amazon’s Virtual Con.
An Amazon delivery might not be that exciting for you, but your cat is probably thrilled to be getting a new cardboard home. Amazon has made that sentiment official with new eco-friendly boxes that can be recycled into cat condos, forts and even a putt-putt golf windmill. It’s all part of the company’s “less packaging, more smiles” program aimed at reducing cardboard consumption.
Amazon noted that over the years, it has reduced packaging weight by 33 percent, eliminating the equivalent of about 1.5 billion boxes and reducing its carbon footprint. “Inventing and innovating in new types of packaging is one of the many actions we are taking as part of the climate pledge — our commitment to become net-zero carbon by 2040 — 10 years ahead of the Paris Agreement,” Amazon VP Kim Houchens told USA Today.
This has been a gadget-and-gaming heavy week for Team Engadget, and it’s right in our comfort zone. As Devindra was busy hosting Engadget’s Xbox livestream event, Cherlynn is joined by UK Bureau Chief Mat Smith. They dive into the OnePlus Nord, which was launched this week, and has been hyped up by the company and its fans. The Nord is a return to good affordable phones for OnePlus, and Mat shares his impressions after playing with it for a bit. Our hosts also go over the OnePlus Buds, Xiaomi’s Mi Smart Band 5 (and other products), the ASUS ROG Phone 3 and other gaming phones. And since we’re talking to someone in the UK, we also discuss the differences in attitude towards Chinese-made gadgets in America and Europe.
Listen below, or subscribe on your podcast app of choice. If you’ve got suggestions or topics you’d like covered on the show, be sure to let us know on our form or drop a note in the comments! And be sure to check out our other podcasts, the Morning After and Engadget News!
It was Microsoft’s chance to sell console shoppers on the incoming Series X — price still TBC — and the reception was… mixed. We got a true glimpse of Halo Infinite gameplay and a barrage of announcements from nine of Microsoft’s game studios, including five new games.
343 Studios
A lot of them, however, were either expansions or sequels of existing game franchises. Off the top of my head, State of Decay 3, Phantasy Star 2, Hellblade 2, Psychonauts 2 and Tetris Effect Connected — oh, and HaloInfinite.
Halo Infinite was meant to be the… Halo title for Series X, but it left many (I mean me) cold. It looked like a Halo game; it seems to play like one. The scale of everything has been ramped up, and it appears to run incredibly smoothly, but I wasn’t left impressed or excited.
Xbox Game Pass is still an incredibly big deal. It’s a shame these games aren’t.
— Mat
‘Tenet’ won’t skip theaters for a VOD or streaming premiere
AT&T CEO John Stankey said the movie won’t debut on HBO Max.
Patti Perret / Orion Pictures
Christopher Nolan’s sci-fi/spy movie Tenet has been delayed several times due to the impact of COVID-19 on movie theaters. A new release date has yet to be confirmed, but don’t expect Warner Bros. to simply throw up its hands and send the blockbuster straight to HBO Max or video on demand. AT&T CEO John Stankey confirmed yesterday that wouldn’t be happening.
Several other big movies have skipped theaters for a streaming release in recent months, including Disney’s Artemis Fowl and Hamilton. Some other studios have adopted the approach of releasing films in cinemas and on home rental on the same day. It just emerged, for instance, that Bill & Ted Face the Music will have a simultaneous digital and theatrical release on September 1st. Continue reading.
Cinema in 2021 and beyond
‘Avatar 2’ was originally scheduled to come out in 2014.
Paramount Pictures
When it comes to movies scheduled for a theatrical release, they have the same question — when? Disney revealed new dates for a series of upcoming Star Wars flicks that pushes each one back a full year from its previously scheduled premiere. That means the first one, which will apparently be directed by Taika Waititi, has gone from a 2022 release to December 2023.
That also goes for Avatar, as Avatar 2 has suddenly jumped from December 2021 into 2022. Finally, there’s one flick that isn’t delayed but is new on the schedule.Sonic the Hedgehog 2 will follow up this year’s surprise blockbuster when it comes to theaters in April 2022 — assuming they’re open by then. Continue reading.
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Intel’s 7nm processors are delayed until at least 2022
But NVIDIA and AMD already have ‘em.
Walden Kirsch/Intel Corporation
Intel’s processor plans have slipped again, delaying its scheduled 7nm chips by a further six months, according to its investor call. In its stead, it’s ramping up production of its 10nm wares.
It’s not great for Intel. Competitors like AMD and NVIDIA already take advantage of 7nm tech to build more efficient processors — and Apple very publicly ditched Intel for its future PC processors. Continue reading.
While it lacks the crazy 108-megapixel camera of Samsung’s Galaxy S20 Ultra, the S20+ has the other main features and is lighter and less expensive to boot. Key features include a smooth 120Hz display, a triple-camera setup with a 64-megapixel main shooter and Snapdragon 865 processor with no less than 12GB of RAM. You can even shoot video at up to 8K resolution.
In addition, the Galaxy S20+ has 5G support, unlike rival iPhones, though it doesn’t support mmWave like the Galaxy S20 Ultra. Still, 5G compatibility ensures a relatively future-proof investment — which is important, given the price.
In fact, the regular $1,200 price is one of the main negatives of the Galaxy S20+. That’s why Amazon’s $250 discount is notable, as the S20+ is rarely discounted below $1,000. If you’ve been thinking of buying, however, you’ll need to act soon as the sale is on for today only.
Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.
The telescope itself consists of an 8.4-foot wide dish antenna along with mirrors, lenses and detectors designed to capture far-infrared light. Because far-infrared telescopes need to be kept cold, it will also carry a cryocooler that keeps the detectors close to -451.3 degrees Fahrenheit, just a shade above absolute zero.
NASA, ESA, N. Smith (University of California, Berkeley) et al., the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)
The telescope will observe four targets, including star-forming Carina Nebula (above) in the Milky Way. It will measure the motion, speed and density of gases surrounding newly formed stars and check for the presence of certain types of nitrogen ions. “These nitrogen ions can reveal places where winds from massive stars and supernova explosions have reshaped the gas clouds within these star-forming regions,” NASA wrote.
Those outbursts create something called stellar feedback that can either prevent or accelerate star formation. By learning more about the process, “the team hopes to gain insight into how stellar feedback works and to provide new information to refine computer simulations of galaxy evolution.”
ASTHROS is designed to make two or three loops around the South Pole over three to four weeks, carried by stratospheric prevailing winds. At the end of that time, operators will send a command to separate the balloon from the gondola, which will float back to Earth on a parachute for eventual reuse. The tentative launch date is December, 2023 from Antarctica.
Officially, Cosmos 2543’s purpose is to monitor the condition of other Russian spacecraft in orbit, and the country’s authorities insist that’s all there is to it. The Russian Defense ministry told Interfax news agency (via Wall Street Journal): “One of the domestically produced satellites was examined from a close distance by specialized equipment of a small spacecraft during trials of state-of-the-art items.” But Space Command said it fired a projectile after moving near another Russian satellite, reportedly to test its capability to attack one.
Jonathan McDowell, an astronomer for the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, said an analysis of publicly available satellite orbit data showed that Cosmos 2543 birthed another object at a relative velocity of over 400 mph. That’s consistent with a projectile being fired. It also closely resembled Russia’s activity back in February 2017, wherein it also used a satellite to launch a projectile in space.
While there’s no evidence of any spacecraft being destroyed, US Space Command chief and US Space Force Chief of Space Operations Gen. John W. “Jay” Raymond condemned the activity. He said in a statement:
“The Russian satellite system used to conduct this on-orbit weapons test is the same satellite system that we raised concerns about earlier this year, when Russia maneuvered near a US government satellite. This is further evidence of Russia’s continuing efforts to develop and test space-based systems, and consistent with the Kremlin’s published military doctrine to employ weapons that hold US and allied space assets at risk.
The United States, in coordination with our allies, is ready and committed to deterring aggression and defending the Nation, our allies and vital US interests from hostile acts in space.”
UK space directorate Air Vice Marshal Harvey Smyth also urged Russia to be responsible and to “avoid any further such testing.” He explained that “[a]ctions like this threaten the peaceful use of space and risk causing debris that could pose a threat to satellites and the space systems on which the world depends.”
After an awkward development period that went from a CG re-do to a record-breaking debut, the Sonic the Hedgehog movie was a pleasant surprise. Now a sequel is not only officially in the works, it has a release date. While other film franchises are getting delayed, Paramount plans to release Sonic the Hedgehog 2 on April 8th, 2022.
The voice of Sonic Ben Schwartz tweeted about the new date, while director Jeff Fowler celebrated the game’s 29th anniversary by posting that “We’ve got exciting plans for you bud!.”
