List of All Articles with Tag 'tec'

Huawei Technologies and China's top chipmaker SMIC have built an advanced 7-nanometer processor to power its latest smartphone,

Swedish truck giant Scania has unveiled a first-of-its-kind hybrid lorry covered in dozens of solar panels that are capable of providing up to 10,000 kilometres of range annually. The next-generation vehicle has already been successfully tested on public roads, with Scania hoping to develop the technology for use in commercial transport fleets. “Never before have solar panels been used to generate energy to a truck’s powertrain like we do in this collaboration,” said Stas Krupenia, who heads Scania’s research department. “This natural energy source can significantly decrease emissions in the transport sector.” The energy produced by the solar panels provide the truck with a driving range of up to 5,000 kilometres per year in Sweden, though this would double in countries with more sunshine like Spain. The researchers who created the concept believe future versions could double the solar energy generation to improve the range even further by making use of new perovskite solar cells. “Our research towards efficient and light solar cells will be truly important, especially when it comes to applying them in future trucks,” said Erik Johansson, a professor of physical chemistry at Uppsala University in Sweden who was involved in the project. “This is an exciting project where academia and industry together try to decrease the climate impact from truck transports. The results from this unique truck will be very interesting.” The hybrid truck forms part of a push by companies and institutions around the world to research ways to transition away from fossil fuel-powered vehicles towards more sustainable solutions. Last year, Dutch startup Lightyear showcased a solar-powered car capable of travelling hundreds of kilometres on a single charge. Described as the “world’s most efficient and sustainable” vehicle, the Lightyear One is already available for pre-order and is expected to be the first four-wheeled solar-powered car capable of carrying more than one passenger to make it to market. “Our road tests confirm that we’re on track to producing the most aerodynamic five-seater to date,” the firm stated in a release posted to its website. “As our world moves to more sustainable energy sources, Lightyear is driving the development of clean mobility in the automotive industry.” Read More Hundreds of years after it was discovered, one material is about to change the world Apple is about to make a huge change to the iPhone that it never wanted to do Vodafone users say they can’t call people Microsoft is removing its decades-old text editor

The iPhone 15 is just days from launch, and will come with a change that Apple might never have wanted to make. The company will remove the Lightning port from the bottom of the iPhone, where it has been used for charging and data transfer since the iPhone 5 in 2012. Instead, it will move to USB-C, a slightly larger and more generic port. Apple has long resisted that port, even as it has comes to other Apple devices including its iPads and MacBooks. But it has been forced to do so by new rules coming from the European Union, which seek to reduce clutter and digital waste by requiring companies to use one charger. That new ruling applies to everything: not just phones, but other small electronic devices such as tablets and GPS systems. But since it was announced, much of the discussion has focused on Apple and its iPhone, largely because it was the only major company to resist the change. When the regulation was being discussed, Apple publicly and unusually criticised it. It said that the change would actually lead to more digital waste, since iPhone users would be forced to throw away their old cables, and that it would set a dangerous precedent in allowing governments to change how products are designed. Instead, it encouraged regulators to look at the other end of the cable: the one that plugs into the wall. If that was standardised then users could still rely on having somewhere to plug their cable into, and Apple already sells the iPhone with USB-C to Lightning cables. But late last year, after years of discussions, the European Parliament approved new rules that would require new devices to support USB-C. Apple confirmed soon after that it would comply with the rules. Apple does not intend to mention any of those regulatory changes or its opposition to them when it announces the iPhone at an event next week, however, according to a new report Bloomberg. Instead, it will aim to stress the benefits of the new technology. Apple will focus on the fact that customers will be able to use a single charging cable for their iPhones as well as their Macs and iPads; that there will be faster transfer speeds for the more expensive Pro phones; that charging will also sometimes be faster; and that they can be used with chargers from other, non-Apple devices. Some have suggested that Apple could limit the USB-C phones to Europe. But would have led to supply chain problems and customer confusion, the Bloomberg report suggested. Apple is still faced with a number of drawbacks for the change, however, including spending on the switch and losing money from licensing products that work with Lightning. The biggest danger might be opposition from users: when Apple switched to Lightning in 2012, it received sustained criticism from customers who were forced not only to buy new wires but also new devices such as docks that relied on that connection. This time around, however, customers might be more ready for the switch since USB-C is already used in so many products. The company will also put a USB-C cable in the box, and has been focusing on other charging technologies such as its proprietary MagSafe. However, Apple removed the charging brick from iPhone boxes with the iPhone 12 in 2020, and touted the environmental effects of doing so in a way that suggested it would not add it back again. As such, some customers might find themselves with enough cables, but nothing to plug them into, Bloomberg suggested. Read More Here’s when you will actually be able to get the new iPhone Apple is about to reveal the new iPhone – and a lot more Apple announces major event to reveal new phone Apple says its new product is making people ‘audibly gasp’ The powerful technology hidden in every iPhone – and all around you Vodafone users say they can’t call people

A handful of gamers have erupted across social media due to the option to select pronouns for characters in the game Starfield. The role-playing game (RPG) allows players to customise their characters, including deciding which pronouns they have. The feature was discovered after the game went live on Friday 1 September for those who had pre-ordered. Bethesda, who have previously made games such as The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim and Fallout 4, allowed Starfield players to select they/them pronouns for non-binary characters if they so pleased. But a small number of notable gaming streamers seemed extremely upset over the decision. They accused video game publishes of going “woke”. Streamer Herschel ‘Guy’ Beahm IV, known by his online alias Dr Disrespect, was outraged both at the pronoun option and the head of publishing at Bethesda, Pete Hines, having his pronouns in his Twitter/X bio, saying “it all makes sense now. Beahm also shared with his viewers that he had tried to work with Bethesda prior to the release of Starfield, but was told no due to “past controversies.” Another streamer known online as 'Heel vs Babyface', revealed his sheer lack of imagination when he screamed at his camera for two-and-a-half minutes claiming the choice of pronouns meant he was being “dragged out” of the immersive experience of the game. “Do you want to get immersed in our world? Yeah well guess what, f**king pronouns,” he screamed. “F**king gender ambiguity. F**king current-day California s**t, because that’s all we f**king know.” As expected, many mocked those who were upset over a two-second feature in a video game. One user called Heel vs Babyface “pathetic”: Others told him to “grow up”: Outside of streamers who are unable to comprehend an experience outside of their own, Starfield has received less than favourable reviews from critics for valid reasons such as poor performance and calling the title “disjointed”. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

(This Sept. 3 story has been refiled to add dropped words 'more than' in paragraph 6) MUNICH The

Vodafone customers say they are struggling to make calls, seemingly after technical issues at the network. Users said they were experiencing an array of unusual problems. Some said they were able to call other people on Vodafone – but not speak to people on other networks, for instance. Data connections appeared to be working as normal, however. On Twitter, Vodafone responded to affected users by apologising and asking for more information, and its online service checker indicated there were problems in some areas. The company did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Tracking website Down Detector also showed problems at Vodafone, starting on Monday afternoon. Other networks were also flagged as having issues – but that may be simply because Vodafone calls to those on other providers were failing to connect. Read More US Air Force is toying with idea of building this Batman villain’s weapon China’s ‘government-approved’ AI chatbot says Taiwan invasion likely Russian cyber-attacks ‘relentless’ as threat of WW3 grows, expert warns

The Moon is a constant in the night sky, but all is not actually as it seems. It turns out that scientists have discovered the Moon is drifting away from Earth, and it’s changing everything we thought we knew about our planet’s relationship with its only natural satellite. It’s also having a very real impact on the length of days on our planet – albeit at an incredibly slow rate. By moving away from Earth over the course of millions of years, the Moon is simultaneously making the length of the average day longer. A study by a team at the University of Wisconsin-Madison focused on rock from a formation aged at 90 million years. By doing so, they were able to analyse the Earth’s interactions with the Moon 1.4 billion years ago. It turns out that the Moon is moving away from Earth at us at 3.82 centimetres a year. That means that, eventually, it’ll result in Earth days lasting 25 hours in 200 million years time. Stephen Meyers, who is a professor of geoscience at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said: “As the moon moves away, the Earth is like a spinning figure skater who slows down as they stretch their arms out.” He added: “One of our ambitions was to use astrochronology to tell time in the most distant past, to develop very ancient geological time scales. “We want to be able to study rocks that are billions of years old in a way that is comparable to how we study modern geologic processes.” It’s not the only story that changes our understanding of the Moon recently. Scientists have also just uncovered billions of years’ worth of secrets buried beneath the surface of the moon – all thanks to China’s space programme, which has uncovered hidden structures which can help us start to piece together the Moon’s past. Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings

Researchers funded by the US Air Force are developing a new type of device that can invite comparisons to a weapon used by a Batman villain. Scientists, including Patrick Hopkins from the University of Virginia in the US, are working on a new device to be used for on-demand surface cooling for electronics inside spacecraft and high-altitude jets. The device may seem similar to the freeze gun used by Batman villain Mr Freeze to “ice” his enemies. “A lot of electronics on board heat up, but they have no way to cool down,” said Dr Hopkins, whose lab has been granted $750,000 over three years to develop the technology. On Earth, electronics in military craft can rely on nature to cool themselves, but in space, this may be a challenge, scientists said. Citing an example, researchers said the Navy uses ocean water in its liquid cooling systems while flying jets can rely on air that is dense enough to help keep components chilled. “With the Air Force and Space Force, you’re in space, which is a vacuum, or you’re in the upper atmosphere, where there’s very little air that can cool,” Dr Hopkins said. “So what happens is your electronics keep getting hotter and hotter and hotter. And you can’t bring a payload of coolant onboard because that’s going to increase the weight, and you lose efficiency,” he explained. In such extra-terrestrial environments, a jet of plasma, the fourth and most common state of matter in the universe, can be used in the interior of a craft. “This plasma jet is like a laser beam; it’s like a lightning bolt. It can be extremely localized,” Dr Hopkins explained. One of the strange qualities of plasma is that while it can reach temperatures as hot as the surface of the Sun, it chills before heating when it strikes a surface. In the new research, published recently in the journal ACS Nano, scientists fired a purple jet of plasma generated from helium through a hollow needle encased in ceramic, targeting a gold-plated surface. When researchers turned on the plasma, they could measure temperature immediately at the point where the plasma hit, and could see that the surface cooled first and then heated up. “We were just puzzled at some level about why this was happening, because it kept happening over and over,” Dr Hopkins said. “And there was no information for us to pull from because no prior literature has been able to measure the temperature change with the precision that we have. No one’s been able to do it so quickly,” he said. The strange surface-cooling phenomenon, according to scientists, was the result of blasting an ultra-thin, hard-to-see surface layer, composed of carbon and water molecules. Researchers compare this to a similar process that happens when cool water evaporates off of our skin after a swim. “Evaporation of water molecules on the body requires energy; it takes energy from body, and that’s why you feel cold. In this case, the plasma rips off the absorbed species, energy is released, and that’s what cools,” the researchers explained. Using the method, scientists could reduce the temperature of the setup by several degrees for a few microseconds. While this may not be dramatic, they said it is enough to make a difference in some electronic devices. Now, thanks to the Air Force grant, researchers are looking at how variations on their original design might improve the apparatus. “Since the plasma is composed of a variety of different particles, changing the type of gas used will allow us to see how each one of these particles impact material properties,” researchers said. Read More Scientists discover 3,000-year-old arrowhead made of ‘alien’ iron Carcinogens found at nuclear missile sites as reports of hundreds of cancers surface India’s moon rover confirms sulphur and detects several other elements near the lunar south pole China’s ‘government-approved’ AI chatbot says Taiwan invasion likely Russian cyber-attacks ‘relentless’ as threat of WW3 grows, expert warns How new bike technology could help cyclists tell drivers not to crash into them

MOSCOW A Russian court on Monday fined Match Group, which operates Tinder, 10 million roubles ($104,000) and streaming

Binance's global head of product and design, Mayur Kamat, has resigned amid a string of executive exits and

A military takeover of Taiwan is likely, according to one of many Chinese government-approved artificial intelligencechatbots that seem to toe the ruling Communist Party’s official line. The island nation has been a self-governing democracy since its separation from the mainland following a civil war in 1949, but China has claimed it as part of its national territory. The chatbots have dubbed Taiwan an inseparable part of China. The Chinese government recently approved a number of AI chatbots for use in the country, including a bot named Ernie and developed by tech giant Baidu and TikTok owner ByteDance’s Doubao. When Bloomberg tested some of these AI services for how government oversight affected the accuracy of information provided by these chatbots, it found they appeared to be trained to follow the ruling Communist Party’s line. When asked whether Taiwan is a country, all the tested chatbots reportedly said the self-governed island was a part of China, and Baidu’s Ernie chatbot reportedly said a Chinese military takeover of Taiwan is likely. The Zhipu chatbot described China’s current economic situation, which experts said is at one of its weakest points in recent decades, to be “a mix of joys and sorrows”, reported Bloomberg. Another chatbot, SenseTime, reportedly described the economy as “very stable”. When asked to respond queries that may be deemed “sensitive content”, the Ernie bot was found to “change the subject”, while Zhipu would delete its response if it found it to be “controversial”, according to the report. Such generative AI tools are trained by analysing large quantities of data to respond to user queries with unique human-like replies. For instance, OpenAI’s ChatGPT has demonstrated a wide range of abilities, from summarising complex research, answering logical questions and also cracking business and medical school exams deemed crucial for students to pass. A number of Chinese companies have sought to build their own version of AI chatbots, prompting China’s cyberspace regulator to release ground rules for companies developing generative AI services. But prior to the launch of these chatbots, the Chinese government made several months-long efforts to regulate the generative AI industry. Some of the proposed rules have sought to ensure the content of Chinese AI systems reflect “socialist core values” and avoid information undermining “state power” or “national unity”. Baidu’s launch of Ernie for full public use on Thursday led to the company’s stock price rising by over 3 per cent following the announcement. Other AI firms such as Baichuan and Zhipu AI also launched their ChatGPT-like large language models on Thursday. The ruling Communist Party issued regulations on 15 August that required tech companies to carry out a security review of their chatbots, and obtain approvals before their products are publicly launched. It also requires companies providing such AI services to comply with government data requests, regulations which are currently absent in the US. Read More China's Baidu makes AI chatbot Ernie Bot publicly available Need to know about live-saving CPR? A new study says it's probably wise not to ask Alexa or Siri AI can write better university assignments than students, report suggests India’s moon rover finds sulphur and several other elements near lunar south pole Russian cyber-attacks ‘relentless’ as threat of WW3 grows, expert warns How new bike technology could help cyclists tell drivers not to crash into them

MUNICH European carmakers must prove their ability to compete with new Asian players in the electric age on