Energizer is best known as one of the world’s largest manufacturers of batteries, but it’s never too late to pivot in case things go south, and that’s why the company is introducing 26 new mobile phone models at Mobile World Congress 2019 in Barcelona. Available in Power Max, Ultimate, Energy, and Hardcase lines, at least one model will include an 18,000mAh battery, which is the largest battery ever in a phone, along with a pop-up camera and teardrop notch displays. Read more for pictures of two more models and additional information.
Google officially announced Monday that it would welcome the Year of the Pig with an artificial intelligence experiment using shadow art. This shadow play game of sorts utilizes front-facing cameras and users are taught how to create images of their Chinese zodiac sign using shadow puppetry. The Mountain View, California-based internet giant is betting on AI and machine learning-driven services in hopes of making such technologies ubiquitous, helpful and intuitive. Read more to see it in-action and for a link to try it out yourself.
Yes, even Google has their own Super Bowl commercial, and this year, they decided to showcase their Google Translate service. Called “100 Billion Words”, it features the Pixel 3 XL and how “more than 100 billion words are translated every day” with the search giant’s translation service. It also features people using the app on their smartphones to communicate across different languages as well the built-in camera translation feature (pictured) to translate signs. Read more to watch the video.
Harley-Davidson may be known for their motorcycles, but they brought a functional electric scooter prototype to Aspen, Colorado for the Winter X Games to let a few lucky attendees try out. This may not be the first, but its rugged design aims to separate itself from the hundreds of others that are already available, not to mention the brand recognition. Read more for a video of it in-action and additional information.
Photo credit: Steve Hayden via Business Insider
Before Apple even filmed the famous 1984 Super Bowl commercial, the company’s ad agency needed buy-in from Apple cofounder Steve Jobs and then-CEO John Sculley. The technology executives were shown a storyboard of a series of pictures that described what the ad would look like when it was actually being filmed. Fortunately, Steve Jobs loved the idea when they showed it to him.
Elon Musk has just Tweeted photos of the completed SpaceX Raptor engine for the Super Heavy rocket system, which is the successor of the Merlin engine that is the essential component of the Starship Super Heavy (SSH), a large passenger vessel and rocket system that will hopefully bring humans to and from Mars one day. The SSH will come equipped with 31 Raptor engines, and be capable of a thrust of 1,700 kilonewtons with a specific impulse of 330 seconds at sea level, rising to 356 seconds in a vacuum, and an exit diameter of 1.3 meters. Read more for another video, picture and additional information.
Photo credit: Blake J Photo
The Lamborghini Aventador SVJ may look like just another supercar to many, but the automaker plans on only building 900 examples, and this is the first one in Grigio Titans, a dark matte grey. The SVJ is a powerful, track-focused version of the Aventador S, powered by a 6.5L L539 V12 engine that has been tuned to produce 759 hp at 8,500 rpm and 531 lb⋅ft of torque at 6,750 rpm. It weighs in at just 3,362-pounds, thanks to the extensive use of carbon fiber and titanium in the exhaust system, giving it a power-to-weight ratio of 1.98 kg/hp, enabling the vehicle to hit 62 mph in just 2.8 seconds and achieve a top speed of over 217 mph. Read more for additional pictures of this stunning color and additional information.
Photo credit: CNET
TCL’s 55S405 55″ 4K Roku Smart LED TV will let you enjoy the next Super Bowl in ultra HD resolution, all for $349.99 shipped, today only, originally $599.99. The Roku TV Smart functionality offers access to over 4,000 streaming channels with more than 450,000 movies and TV episodes. The display pairs 4K Ultra HD picture clarity with the contrast, color, and detail of High Dynamic Range (HDR) for the most lifelike picture possible. Product page. Read more for another hands-on video and additional information.
Photo credit: Arcade-Museum
There are arcade machines, and then Street Fighter II x RepliCade, a palm-sized miniature replica of the original arcade game machine, scaled down to just one-sixth of the original size. Standing 12-inches tall, it features a 3.5-inch LCD screen, has fully playable controls, and is officially licensed by Capcom. It includes “Street Fighter II: Champion Edition” and “Super Street Fighter II Turbo”, with both allowing for one or two players to play using the USB mini fight stick, or by plugging in a USB game controller. Plus, the cabinet includes a small storage spot in the back for the fight stick. Read more for a hands-on video, additional pictures and information.
Photo credit: Reddit
Developed by Surrey NanoSystems in the United Kingdom, Vantablack is currently the darkest known material on Earth, absorbing up to 99.96% of visible light (at 663 nm if the light is perpendicular to the material). It’s composed of a forest of vertical tubes “grown” on a substrate using a modified chemical vapor deposition process (CVD), so when light strikes the material, instead of bouncing off from it, the beams become trapped and is continually deflected amongst the tubes, eventually becoming absorbed and dissipating into heat. This is what a basketball looks like when coated in Vantablack.