Google Night Sight

Two years ago, Google’s release of the first Pixel

smartphone radically raised the bar for the image

quality we could expect from mobile cameras. Today,

even as everyone else struggles to catch up, Google

is extending its lead with the introduction of an equally

revolutionary new camera. It’s called Night Sight, and

it effectively lets your phone camera see in the dark.

Only it doesn’t require any additional hardware or cost:

Night Sight is a new camera mode for Pixel phones.

By now, you may have seen my testing with a pre-

release version of Night Sight that was uncovered by

the Android enthusiast community. The things that beta

software could do were truly unprecedented and awe-

inspiring, and the proper Night Sight release that Google

is serving up to all Pixel models today keeps that high

quality while providing an easier way to access the mode.

This week, I spoke with Google’s Yael Pritch, lead

researcher on Night Sight, about how the company built

its new night mode and the constant improvements it is

Implementing.

Night Sight is momentous because it’s a software change

that delivers a leap in performance that previously only new

hardware could bring.

Xbox One - Almost a PC

After years of unfulfilled promises and a few weeks of

build-up, the Xbox One family finally supports keyboards

and mice. Alright, so it's still a feature reserved for

members of the beta-esque Xbox Insider Program and

few games actually work with the different control scheme,

but it's here nevertheless. Keyboards, mice and consoles

aren't an abnormal pairing. I remember playing Unreal

Tournament on the Dreamcast with keys and clicks, and the

PS4 has supported the alternative peripherals for years, even

if developers have largely ignored them. It's a slightly bigger

deal on Xbox One, though. After all, it technically runs Windows

10, the OS of choice for PC gamers, albeit with the clunky Xbox

UI on top. The line between console and computer, then,

becomes ever blurrier.

In the immediate future, the impact of keyboard and mouse

support on Xbox One is negligible. Games that work with the

control option on day one or within the next few weeks include

Bomber Crew, Children of Morta, Deep Rock Galactic, Minion

Master, Moonlighter, Strange Brigade, Vigor, War Thunder,

Warface, Warframe, Wargroove, Warhammer: Vermintide 2and

X-Morph Defense. I know little to nothing about any of these titles.

DayZ on the other hand, I am familiar with, but that's been a

dead game for a while now.

Adapters that trick the Xbox One into accepting keyboard and

mouse inputs have existed since the console launched, but

official support is something different. There's going to be a

special Designed for Xbox program for approved peripherals

that include an Xbox home button, for instance -- the first product

of which is likely to come from well-known gamer brand Razer

early next year. More importantly, developers will have to actually

consider the control scheme when creating or updating games,

rather than simply translating inputs into pad-speak as adapters do.

Amazon Speaker News

Amazon’s Alexa-powered Echo smart speaker was the

shopping site’s biggest-selling item during the 2017 holiday

season, and a few months ago data suggested Echo smart

speakers are now selling in greater numbers than similar

devices made by Google and Apple.

Aiming to build on its success with Alexa and Echo, and to

make further advances with artificial intelligence technology,

Amazon has built a team of 10,000 employees — that’s ten

thousand — dedicated to developing the platform.

The revelation came on Tuesday, November 13 via Dave

Limp, senior vice president of Amazon devices, during an

event at a Wall Street Journal tech event in California.

Just as remarkable is the speed at which the team has

gro

wn, doubling in size in the space of only 12 months as

Amazon ramps up efforts to increase Alexa’s smarts and

design better speakers.

In the last year, Amazon has launched a number of new

Echo speakers, as well as the Echo Auto device that puts

the digital assistant inside cars. It also recently unveiled the

AmazonBasics Microwave that lets Alexa take care of your

cooking (Echo speaker required).

Touch Screen from Sony?

According to a patent application continuation filed in

2017 and published recently, Sony may have tentative

plans to build out a touchscreen-equipped PlayStation

Controller.

Whether the value added from having a touchscreen

right on the controller will be worth the added cost is not

yet clear.

Right now, PlayStation controllers have a touch-enabled

center button that allows users to navigate through

menus and other activities with a touch-based interface.

The center button also lets gamers access more information,

such as game stats, when clicked.

This patent application also leaves us wondering what

type of content might be displayed on the touchscreen.

As you can imagine, controller content could include in-

game information that is usually shown on a heads-up

display on the main screen.

However, it’s far more likely that a touchscreen-equipped

PlayStation controller would offer a new interface for console-

based information and actions, such as sharing a video

broadcast or dealing with incoming invites and friend

Requests.

Interestingly, Nintendo’s own experiment with a touchscreen-

enabled controller failed miserably. Remember the Wii U?

Nintendo eventually corrected the mistake with the launch

of the Switch, which has found its place among casual

gamers as a sort of hybrid console and sold more than 20

million units since launch.

An Expensive Phone from Samsung

A report from the Yonhap News Agency in South Korea

today has suggested a name, release date, and price for

the foldable device Samsung teased last week at its

developer conference. Set to be known as the Galaxy F,

the foldable is expected to be properly unveiled in March

of next year, a little later than the launch of Samsung’s

next flagship Galaxy S phone. Unlike the mass-market

Galaxy S, the alleged Galaxy F will be an exclusive

device that may command a price as high as $1,770.

Yonhap’s information suggests Samsung hasn’t settled on

the final price yet, though we already know from Samsung

chief DJ Koh that the company plans to ship a million

foldable devices in 2019.

Citing industry sources, Yonhap News claims Samsung

intends to add 5G support to its Galaxy S10, which it will

launch in February, most likely at the Mobile World Congress

in Barcelona at the end of that month. The much more niche

Galaxy F will then follow in March, though without any 5G

support of its own, according to the report.

Official Veteran's Day

Our offices are closed today for the official Monday holiday celebrating Veteran's Day.

We'll be back tomorrow.

Happy Birthday

Today is THE Birthday, the Marine Corps was founded at Tun Tavern on this day many, many years ago.

Semper Fi!!