Tech Nuggets with the Technology

Friday, September 4, 2020

Xiaomi Mi TV Horizon editions specifications leaked ahead of September 7 launch

Xiaomi is all set to launch its Mi TV Horizon Edition in India on September 7 and key specifications of the TV have leaked online. The information comes from known leakster Ishan Agarwal who has shared the information about the upcoming TV. According to the leak, we will see a 43-inch FHD TV running on the Android TV platform with Xiaomi’s PatchWall UI. Let’s take a look at the leaked specifications in detail.

Xiaomi Mi TV Horizon Edition leaked specifications

As per the leaks, we will see a 43-inch FHD TV launch on September 7. The TV will run on the Android TV 9 OS with Xiaomi’s PatchWall UI. Xiaomi has introduced a data saver feature in its TVs in the past and the feature is expected to return here as well. Since the TV runs on Android we can expect the standard slew of features like built-in Chromecast, access to the Google Play Store and popular streaming services.

It is possible that we could see some new additions to PatchWall as Xiaomi has steadily added new features to its UI, but that’s something we will only know on September 7. The Mi TV Horizon Edition is expected to have 20W of sound output and under the hood, the TV will have a Cortex A53 processor, 1GB RAM along with 8GB storage. For connectivity options, the TV is expected to have 3 HDMI ports, 2 USB ports, Ethernet port, and 3.5mm port.

While the features and specifications of the MI TV aren’t revolutionary, we do think this could be the time Xiaomi decides to revamp its TV lineup. Every year Xiaomi has steadily increased its portfolio of TVs offering TVs from 32-inches to 65-inches. They have a lineup of 4K and HDR TVs as well. But the thing is, the competition is catching up. We have seen TVs from brands like Kodak and Thomson get onto the Android TV bandwagon with support for 4K and HDR with higher peak brightness than the Mi TV. We’ve also seen the recent introduction of Hisense and Compaq bring TVs to India. It’s safe to say that the TV space is getting quite competitive.

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FAU-G game to launch by October-end, will include a level on Galwan Valley

An Indian firm is set to launch a battle royale mobile video game in partnership with Bollywood star Akshay Kumar, capitalising on the void left by a ban on Chinese tech firm Tencent's popular... https://ift.tt/2R376Vf

Gamers Left Reeling as India Pulls Plug on Tencent's PUBG

For tens of millions of gamers in India, Tencent's PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG) video game was a welcome distraction from the coronavirus pandemic. Then the government said it was pulling the... https://ift.tt/32YD9vp

In an attempt to open during the pandemic, many US universities are forcing students to download location-tracking apps, sometimes as a condition of enrollment (Zeynep Tufekci/The Atlantic)

Zeynep Tufekci / The Atlantic:
In an attempt to open during the pandemic, many US universities are forcing students to download location-tracking apps, sometimes as a condition of enrollment — Trying to do so is all but useless. — In Michigan, a small liberal-arts college is requiring students to install an app called Aura …

Uber and others have added $70M more to their California ballot campaign to keep gig workers as independent contractors, bringing total campaign funds to $181M (Carolyn Said/San Francisco Chronicle)

Carolyn Said / San Francisco Chronicle:
Uber and others have added $70M more to their California ballot campaign to keep gig workers as independent contractors, bringing total campaign funds to $181M — Gig companies have poured another $70 million into their ballot campaign to keep drivers and couriers as independent contractors …

Call of Duty: WWII is available at 67% off on Steam

Call of Duty: WWII is selling at 67% off on the Steam platform. The game, originally priced at Rs 3,999, is now available at Rs 1,399 after the price cut. The offer is on till September 6, that is, this Sunday. The Deluxe Edition of the game is also selling at 67%, which brings the price down to Rs 2,144 from Rs 6,499. https://ift.tt/358rQTO

After PUBG ban, nCore to launch a homegrown rival FAU:G

nCore's FAU:G aims to tap into Indian patriotism and 20% of its net revenues will be given to a state-backed trust that supports the families of soldiers who die on duty https://ift.tt/31XQPaG https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and 13 others adopt self-regulation code: IAMAI

Each signatory to the code has agreed to appoint an external advisor as part of the grievance redressal mechanism within 60 days from September 4 https://ift.tt/2EYw31K https://ift.tt/eA8V8J

Amid the pandemic, tech companies are moving workplace incentives out of the office, focusing more on time-off allowances for parents and mental health support (Arielle Pardes/Wired)

Arielle Pardes / Wired:
Amid the pandemic, tech companies are moving workplace incentives out of the office, focusing more on time-off allowances for parents and mental health support — Tech companies are swapping on-campus gourmet chefs for free snack deliveries, but they're also stepping up childcare support and mental health services.

Shenmue returns again—this time as a Crunchyroll, Adult Swim anime

<em>Shenmue</em>'s characters, atmosphere, and martial arts, without all the QTEs? Sure, we're interested.

Recent teasing and rumors about the Shenmue video game series came to fruition on Friday with a surprise announcement at the Virtual Crunchyroll Expo: The cult Sega game series will soon receive an anime adaptation, complete with series creator Yu Suzuki on board as an executive producer.

Crunchyroll issued a formal announcement shortly after the Expo presentation, confirming that production is already underway at anime studio Telecom Animation Film with a single-season, 13-episode commitment. The episodes will air on Adult Swim's "Toonami" block in the United States, while Crunchyroll will carry its streaming rights through much of the world. No dates were attached to the news.

The announcement didn't confirm any hard details about what to expect plot-wise. Suzuki-san has gone on the record saying he wants to continue telling the series' story after the events of 2019's Shenmue III, but at least one insider, who teased the news at gaming forum ResetERA days before it was official, has suggested that the new series will be a retread:

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https://arstechnica.com

Facebook boots Patriot Prayer, a far-right group with a history of violence

Facebook removed accounts belonging to far-right group Patriot Prayer and its leader Joey Gibson on Friday, citing a new effort to eradicate “violent social militias” from the platform.

That effort emerged through a policy update in mid-August to the company’s rules around “Dangerous Individuals and Organizations.” Those changes resulted in the removal of a number of groups and pages linked to the pro-Trump conspiracy theory known as QAnon and some militia organizations, as well as groups and pages linked to Antifa, a decentralized left-leaning ideology that opposes fascism.

“… We have seen growing movements that, while not directly organizing violence, have celebrated violent acts, shown that they have weapons and suggest they will use them, or have individual followers with patterns of violent behavior,” Facebook wrote in a blog post addressing the push to remove potentially violent groups.

Patriot Prayer is a Vancouver, Washington-based far-right group known for staging confrontational events in left-leaning urban centers. Patriot Prayer’s events, which often result in violence and street fighting, have historically attracted individuals from other extremist groups, including the Proud Boys and the neo-Nazi group Identity Evropa.

Last year, Gibson pled not guilty to felony riot charges stemming from a street fight in Portland in which he “pushed a woman, taunted a number of people and physically threatened others,” according to court documents obtained by KOIN News.

The group attracted national attention this week when one of its supporters, Aaron “Jay” Danielson, was shot and killed on Saturday night after a caravan of armed Trump supporters drove into downtown Portland to clash with racial justice protesters who have been demonstrating in the city center for more than three months.

A suspect in Danielson’s death, Michael Reinoehl, was shot and killed Thursday night when a task force of federal agents and local law enforcement made an effort to apprehend him near Olympia, Washington. Reinoehl appears to have been a self-described anti-fascist and a regular attendee of Portland’s ongoing protests.

Screenshot via Facebook

TechCrunch reached out to YouTube and Twitter to see if those platforms have any plans to take action on Patriot Prayer’s accounts and will update this story if we learn more. The group has a Twitter account with more than 16,000 followers and the YouTube account “Joey Gibson Patriot Prayer USA” boasts more than 50,000 subscribers.

On Thursday, Gibson seemed to anticipate that the national attention might lead to his group being kicked off Facebook and encouraged Patriot Prayer supporters to follow him on the small conservative social network Parler.

“Facebook might ban me any minute,” Gibson wrote.

Facebook bans the Proud Boys, cutting the group off from its main recruitment platform

One more week to save on TC Sessions: Mobility

Mobility may be one of the fastest moving technologies going, but procrastination is an equal-opportunity affliction that can strike even the most dedicated founders and devotees. Fortunately, Saint Expeditus, patron saint of procrastinators great and small, called in a favor.

Early-bird pricing for passes to TC Sessions: Mobility 2020, which takes place October 4-6, remains in effect for one more week. Find out where your got-up-and-go got-up-and went and buy your pass before the new deadline — September 11 at 11:59 p.m. (PT). Boom! You just saved $100.

Now get ready to make the most of two programming-packed days. You’ll hear from the top leaders in mobility and transportation on a range of topics — from autonomous cars, AI and micromobility to investment trends, EV tech and navigating regulatory realities. Check out the agenda here.

How can attending TC Sessions: Mobility help your business? We could tell you, but why not listen to your contemporaries instead?

“People want to be around what’s interesting and learn what trends and issues they need to pay attention to. Even large companies like GM and Ford are there, because they’re starting to see the trend move toward mobility. They want to learn from the experts, and TC Sessions: Mobility has all the experts.” — Melika Jahangiri, vice president at Wunder Mobility.

“TC Sessions: Mobility isn’t just an educational opportunity, it’s a real networking opportunity. Everyone was passionate and open to creating pilot programs or other partnerships. That was the most exciting part. And now — thanks to a conference connection — we’re talking with Goodyear’s Innovation Lab.” — Karin Maake, senior director of communications at FlashParking

We’re mixing things up a bit this year (in addition to going all-virtual) by adding a pitch night competition. We’re looking for 10 outstanding early-stage mobility startups — from anywhere in the world — to deliver their best one-minute pitch on October 5. Five of them will go on to the finals and pitch from the main stage at Mobility 2020 in front of thousands of TC viewers — press, industry leaders and VCs. If you want to be considered, submit this application before September 15. Good luck!

Do not disappoint Saint Expeditus. Buy your TC Sessions: Mobility pass before September 11 at 11:59 p.m. (PT), save $100 and grab yourself a double handful of opportunity.

Is your company interested in sponsoring or exhibiting at TC Sessions: Mobility 2020? Contact our sponsorship sales team by filling out this form.