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Samsung's latest 8K TVs will include 4K over-the-air tuners

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Samsung's next wave of 8K TVs are likely to have numerous features to catch your eye, but one of the more important additions may be one of the simplest: an improvement to free broadcasts. The tech giant has revealed that its 2020 QLED 8K catalog wi…

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Whirlpool’s smart thermometer ensures your food is cooked properly

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This isn’t uncommon in existing connected thermometers like Meater, but it should get clever in the future. An update coming in late 2020 will integrate the thermometer with supporting Whirlpool ovens, letting the oven adjust the temperature based on the steps you’re in with a given Yummly recipe. You might not even have to think about adjusting the oven’s controls while dinner is in the works.

You should see the Smart Thermometer reach stores in early 2020 for $129. That’s more expensive than some options, but it might be easier to justify if you either thrive on Yummly or appreciate that oven tie-in.

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Das Keyboard’s notification service leaves IFTTT on January 10th

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We’ve asked Das Keyboard for comment.

If there isn’t a replacement, this leaves 4Q, 5Q and X50Q owners with a problem. IFTTT is vital to the keyboards’ light-up alert system. You only have to glance at a key to know if there’s a new Twitter post or Twitch stream. Without it, the keyboards lose some of the distinctiveness that helped them stand out from a sea of mechanical keyboards.

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Samsung will unveil its latest Galaxy phones on February 11th

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Samsung is obviously talking about the Galaxy S11 series (or Galaxy S20 series, depending on who you ask), but the language Samsung used in its newsroom post seems to suggest we’ll see more than just the usual flagship smartphones in California next month. Could that mean Samsung will offer us a first glimpse at its new, Razr-esque foldable phone? Very possibly: Some have speculated that the squarish box replacing the second “A” in the image above represents that very device when it’s closed. And if nothing else, such a reveal would give the Korean company a big wave of hype it can then ride into Mobile World Congress just weeks later.

Of course, when you consider just how much trouble the original Galaxy Fold gave Samsung, no one could blame the company for taking a little more time to perfect its approach this time. That might be especially true this time since the second-generation Galaxy Fold is said to use a durable — yet flexible — glass screen. Still, it’s possible the announcement’s nod to innovation could just be referring to some of the features found in the S11/S20, like an incredibly potent camera or, well, whatever Neon turns out to be. The questions vastly outnumber the answers for now, but at least we now know when Samsung will finally stop being so coy.



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Take a look at the ‘Portal’ prequel that never was

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The game revolved around a logic-breaking camera that could reproduce and modify any object you can capture in a photo. You could snap photos of boxes and resize them to climb to hard-to-reach areas, or photograph a ceiling fan to turn it into a jump pad. The goal, though, would remain familiar — you’d have to escape test rooms through any means at your disposal.

LunchHouse has promised more videos as part of the series. However, there don’t appear to be any intentions to release a public version of F-Stop despite access to the incomplete source code. This is a controlled look at what might have been, not a teaser for a playable copy.

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Samsung’s zero-bezel 8K TV is real

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It even has a “digital butler” that Samsung says will allow it to control other hardware via Bluetooth, WiFi, and even older non-internet connected devices. It can mirror content from a mobile devices with just a touch using “Tap View,” while picture-in-picture is back, with the ability to multitask on one screen. Naturally there’s also support for digital assistants, with Bixby, Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa onboard.

It also has Samsung’s AI ScaleNet technology built-in, that the company has claimed will allow 8K streaming on networks that only have enough bandwidth for 4K. It compresses an 8K source to 4K resolution, then streams over the internet, where the AI processor upscales it back to 4K, which its developers claim will provide a higher quality picture. Amazon Prime is named as using the technology, although we’ll have to see if it’s used to stream 8K-quality video right away. Separately, the TV supports AV1 for 8K YouTube videos.

The AI processor is also behind its audio capabilities, with Object Tracking Sound Plus tech that moves audio around based on what’s happening on-screen, providing a 5.1 surround effect with just the TV’s speakers. Meanwhile, a new Q-Symphony feature combines the TV’s speakers with compatible soundbars, which adds up to a potentially 9.1.4 speaker setup if you’re properly equipped.

We should find out more about this display and everything Samsung is bringing to CES over the next few days, including how well some of these features, like Tap View and ScaleNet streaming, work in practice.



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‘Fortnite’ made a historic $1.8 billion in 2019

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Overall the gaming industry did well for itself in 2019. Nielsen notes that the industry as a whole grossed $120 billion in sales, a four percent increase over its 2018 totals. A lion’s share of that total can be credited to mobile gaming with $64.4 billion in sales, followed by PC gaming with $29.4 billion, and consoles bringing in $15.4. VR/AR games and game-related videos constituted the remainder of the industry total for 2019.

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India ruling party accused of tricking Twitter users into backing a law

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It’s not certain that this is is a coordinated campaign, but the misleading tweets came soon after Home Minister Amit Shaw shared the number.

When asked for comment, Twitter’s Indian team directed TechCrunch to an article explaining Trending Topics, but the link didn’t address the question.

If accurate, this wouldn’t be the first instance of BJP manipulating Twitter to push an agenda. The party ran a coordinated campaign to get pro-BJP hashtags into Twitter’s top Indian trends in 2017. However, this would be particularly egregious — it’d represent outright deceit, not just promotion. And while other countries have been accused of deception, this would be both obvious and focused on delivering immediate, real-world results.



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LG’s G9 may pack four cameras while keeping the headphone jack

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The play-it-safe design would also involve the teardrop camera notch on the screen (though it may be smaller than before) and, crucially, the 3.5mm headphone jack. Samsung’s next Galaxy S may ditch the audio port, making the G9 a more viable option for those who hate dongles and Bluetooth headphones.

It’s not certain when the G9 might make its debut, although history suggests it could launch at Mobile World Congress in late February. Whether or not the cautious approach might help is another matter. It could work at a time when LG’s arch-rival Samsung is taking risks, but LG is still struggling in the mobile business. Samsung may thrive simply by wielding its status as a giant in the mobile world.

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New York offered to pay part of Amazon workers’ salaries in early HQ2 bid

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There were also alternatives to the Long Island City location, including ones near the World Trade Center or Penn Station as well as downtown Brooklyn Island. There was also a suggestion that Governors Island could serve as an “island retreat” for staff.

Empire State Development told the WSJ that the steeper initial offer was intended to bring Amazon into discussions before toning down the actual proposal. The incentives were also designed to help disadvantaged communities as well as worker from upstate.

Amazon has declined to comment.

While these early offers were ultimately bargaining chips, they illustrate just how far New York was willing to go to land HQ2, which it did — however briefly. At the same time, it also raises questions about the lengths governments are willing to go to court tech companies. Tax incentives and other breaks for those companies are supposed to eventually pay for themselves by stimulating the local economy, but there are concerns these may be diminishing returns. For that matter, Amazon was still willing to set up shop in Manhattan despite the HQ2 mess — this suggests that New York didn’t need to bend over backwards if it just wanted a larger Amazon presence.

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