HiSense made a color e-ink screen for smartphones that’s better suited elsewhere

At CES 2020, which just concluded last week, we saw a lot of breakthrough new technologies, devices, and developments. From smartphones to foldable devices to weird things such as human-like AI, it was definitely a unique event, which tells us a lot about how technology will look in 2020. Lots of experimental technology, such as the OnePlus Concept One‘s electrochromic camera glass, was also showcased during the event. HiSense also showcased some experimental technology of their own, such as a color e-ink display for smartphones.

E-ink displays are utilized mostly by eReaders such as the Amazon Kindle. They provide you with a display that’s capable of wide viewing angles with a really low power draw and exceptional daylight visibility. However, aside from their intended purpose—reading text—they’re not really good for anything else. They have really, really low refresh rates and latency, suffer from image ghosting, and are usually monochrome. E-ink works by moving electronic ink particles around the screen to form images, only drawing power when switching between images and not when actually displaying an image. LCD, on the other hand, is composed of small light-emitting crystals, using a combination of three colors (red, green and blue) to display all other colors, using a backlight to improve visibility. OLED, on the other hand, only lights up the screen in areas with non-black pixels. Hisense is trying to improve the e-ink technology for smartphone usage.

Hisense’s new display technology tries to fix the monochrome problem by bringing color capability to e-ink displays. According to the company, the panel can reproduce up to 4096 colors, which isn’t a lot—your average smartphone display with a DCI-P3 color space can display several million colors—but it’s better than monochrome. It can also last up to 4 days of use according to the company, which is similar to numbers currently achievable with black and white displays.

The problem with it, however, is that Hisense wants to use it in a smartphone, yet these kinds of displays are not really useful for smartphones in their current state. The low refresh rate and latency mean the display is not physically capable of even rendering most smartphone animations, and everything is just going to look like a slideshow. Other devices, such as the ThinkBook Plus or the Yotaphone, have featured such displays, but only as a secondary panel. Even while companies are trying to solve these issues, with all smartphones nowadays featuring wide color gamuts, e-ink just can’t provide an experience even remotely similar right now. Once the colors get better, though, this color e-ink display would be a very good fit for something like a smartwatch or a photo frame-sized device.

The post HiSense made a color e-ink screen for smartphones that’s better suited elsewhere appeared first on xda-developers.

from xda-developers https://ift.tt/35OJ5GD
via IFTTT

HiSense made a color e-ink screen for smartphones that’s better suited elsewhere

At CES 2020, which just concluded last week, we saw a lot of breakthrough new technologies, devices, and developments. From smartphones to foldable devices to weird things such as human-like AI, it was definitely a unique event, which tells us a lot about how technology will look in 2020. Lots of experimental technology, such as the OnePlus Concept One‘s electrochromic camera glass, was also showcased during the event. HiSense also showcased some experimental technology of their own, such as a color e-ink display for smartphones.

E-ink displays are utilized mostly by eReaders such as the Amazon Kindle. They provide you with a display that’s capable of wide viewing angles with a really low power draw and exceptional daylight visibility. However, aside from their intended purpose—reading text—they’re not really good for anything else. They have really, really low refresh rates and latency, suffer from image ghosting, and are usually monochrome. E-ink works by moving electronic ink particles around the screen to form images, only drawing power when switching between images and not when actually displaying an image. LCD, on the other hand, is composed of small light-emitting crystals, using a combination of three colors (red, green and blue) to display all other colors, using a backlight to improve visibility. OLED, on the other hand, only lights up the screen in areas with non-black pixels. Hisense is trying to improve the e-ink technology for smartphone usage.

Hisense’s new display technology tries to fix the monochrome problem by bringing color capability to e-ink displays. According to the company, the panel can reproduce up to 4096 colors, which isn’t a lot—your average smartphone display with a DCI-P3 color space can display several million colors—but it’s better than monochrome. It can also last up to 4 days of use according to the company, which is similar to numbers currently achievable with black and white displays.

The problem with it, however, is that Hisense wants to use it in a smartphone, yet these kinds of displays are not really useful for smartphones in their current state. The low refresh rate and latency mean the display is not physically capable of even rendering most smartphone animations, and everything is just going to look like a slideshow. Other devices, such as the ThinkBook Plus or the Yotaphone, have featured such displays, but only as a secondary panel. Even while companies are trying to solve these issues, with all smartphones nowadays featuring wide color gamuts, e-ink just can’t provide an experience even remotely similar right now. Once the colors get better, though, this color e-ink display would be a very good fit for something like a smartwatch or a photo frame-sized device.

The post HiSense made a color e-ink screen for smartphones that’s better suited elsewhere appeared first on xda-developers.

from xda-developers https://ift.tt/35OJ5GD
via IFTTT

OPPO smartphones could feature Pixelworks’ visual processor as companies sign multi-year collaboration agreement

If you have been following tech closely over the past year, you may have heard of Pixelworks. Pixelworks’ Iris 5 visual processor made the news at MWC 2019 for bringing along several key technologies like HDR10+ support, TrueClarity Smart Motion Processing for removing artifacts, multi-adaptive display for optimal viewing in varied lighting, and importantly, real-time SDR to HDR conversion. Pixelworks has now announced that it has signed a multi-year collaboration agreement with OPPO to develop advanced display systems for its smartphones and to integrate the latest Pixelworks’ visual processor and software solutions.

Pixelworks Iris 5 visual processor can be found in devices like the Black Shark 2 Pro, the ROG Phone II, and the Nokia 7.2 and Nokia 6.2. The Iris 5 visual processor is credited for a fair few features, such as the ability to playback video in higher refresh rates using MEMC (Motion Estimation and Motion Compensation), as found on the Black Shark 2 Pro; or to dynamically adjust the brightness and tone of the display to match the ambient lighting, as on the Nokia 7.2 and Nokia 6.2. The Iris chip is also credited for being good at handling SDR to HDR conversion. This process takes a source video in SDR and maps its colors to HDR, providing a more vibrant video experience. We had the opportunity to witness this SDR to HDR conversion at Pixelwork’s CES 2020 booth — an SDR video played back on the Nokia 7.2 had better colors than on the iPhone 11, thanks to this HDR conversion.

Pixelworks collaboration agreement with OPPO calls on the companies to “closely cooperate in a wide range of activities related to display and visual processing, including integration and technical support, content optimization with cloud partners as well as long-term product roadmap collaboration.” The press release goes on to mention that the first phone with this collaboration in place will launch in the first half of 2020, indicating that a future OPPO smartphone could feature an Iris visual processor. OPPO’s upcoming Find X2 flagship is slated for launch in H1 2020, and it is claimed to have a heavy emphasis on display quality, which ties in well with this collaboration with Pixelworks. We hope to learn more on this end soon.

---

Source: Global Newswire

The post OPPO smartphones could feature Pixelworks’ visual processor as companies sign multi-year collaboration agreement appeared first on xda-developers.

from xda-developers https://ift.tt/3a5AvGR
via IFTTT

OPPO smartphones could feature Pixelworks’ visual processor as companies sign multi-year collaboration agreement

If you have been following tech closely over the past year, you may have heard of Pixelworks. Pixelworks’ Iris 5 visual processor made the news at MWC 2019 for bringing along several key technologies like HDR10+ support, TrueClarity Smart Motion Processing for removing artifacts, multi-adaptive display for optimal viewing in varied lighting, and importantly, real-time SDR to HDR conversion. Pixelworks has now announced that it has signed a multi-year collaboration agreement with OPPO to develop advanced display systems for its smartphones and to integrate the latest Pixelworks’ visual processor and software solutions.

Pixelworks Iris 5 visual processor can be found in devices like the Black Shark 2 Pro, the ROG Phone II, and the Nokia 7.2 and Nokia 6.2. The Iris 5 visual processor is credited for a fair few features, such as the ability to playback video in higher refresh rates using MEMC (Motion Estimation and Motion Compensation), as found on the Black Shark 2 Pro; or to dynamically adjust the brightness and tone of the display to match the ambient lighting, as on the Nokia 7.2 and Nokia 6.2. The Iris chip is also credited for being good at handling SDR to HDR conversion. This process takes a source video in SDR and maps its colors to HDR, providing a more vibrant video experience. We had the opportunity to witness this SDR to HDR conversion at Pixelwork’s CES 2020 booth — an SDR video played back on the Nokia 7.2 had better colors than on the iPhone 11, thanks to this HDR conversion.

Pixelworks collaboration agreement with OPPO calls on the companies to “closely cooperate in a wide range of activities related to display and visual processing, including integration and technical support, content optimization with cloud partners as well as long-term product roadmap collaboration.” The press release goes on to mention that the first phone with this collaboration in place will launch in the first half of 2020, indicating that a future OPPO smartphone could feature an Iris visual processor. OPPO’s upcoming Find X2 flagship is slated for launch in H1 2020, and it is claimed to have a heavy emphasis on display quality, which ties in well with this collaboration with Pixelworks. We hope to learn more on this end soon.

---

Source: Global Newswire

The post OPPO smartphones could feature Pixelworks’ visual processor as companies sign multi-year collaboration agreement appeared first on xda-developers.

from xda-developers https://ift.tt/3a5AvGR
via IFTTT

Explore Machine Learning and Data Science With This $35 Training Bundle

Looking forward into the next decade, machines are likely to become much smarter. In the meantime, they need to start learning by analyzing vast amounts of data. The Machine Learning & Data Science Certification Training Bundle helps you explore this exciting field, with eight in-depth courses. You even learn how to build your own intelligent apps. You can get the bundle now for just $35 at the XDA Developers Depot.

Aside from curiosity, there are many good reasons to study machine learning and data science. Knowledge of these topics can unlock exciting career opportunities, particularly in tech and finance.

This bundle provides the ideal starting point, with 48 hours of hands-on tutorials and explanations. Along the way, you discover how to create data analysis tools using Python and R coding. You also learn about TensorFlow, a framework for machine learning created by Google, and Keras, a library for building neural networks with Python.

You should come away with a deep understanding of artificial intelligence data models. In addition, each course offers a certificate of completion — great for catching the eye of recruiters.

These courses are worth $1,600 combined, but you can grab the bundle now for only $35 with this deal.

 

Machine Learning & Data Science Certification Training Bundle – $35

See Deal

Prices subject to change

You can’t beat free! Get $70+ worth of premium Mac apps for free today!

The post Explore Machine Learning and Data Science With This $35 Training Bundle appeared first on xda-developers.

from xda-developers https://ift.tt/2Th7ge2
via IFTTT

Explore Machine Learning and Data Science With This $35 Training Bundle

Looking forward into the next decade, machines are likely to become much smarter. In the meantime, they need to start learning by analyzing vast amounts of data. The Machine Learning & Data Science Certification Training Bundle helps you explore this exciting field, with eight in-depth courses. You even learn how to build your own intelligent apps. You can get the bundle now for just $35 at the XDA Developers Depot.

Aside from curiosity, there are many good reasons to study machine learning and data science. Knowledge of these topics can unlock exciting career opportunities, particularly in tech and finance.

This bundle provides the ideal starting point, with 48 hours of hands-on tutorials and explanations. Along the way, you discover how to create data analysis tools using Python and R coding. You also learn about TensorFlow, a framework for machine learning created by Google, and Keras, a library for building neural networks with Python.

You should come away with a deep understanding of artificial intelligence data models. In addition, each course offers a certificate of completion — great for catching the eye of recruiters.

These courses are worth $1,600 combined, but you can grab the bundle now for only $35 with this deal.

 

Machine Learning & Data Science Certification Training Bundle – $35

See Deal

Prices subject to change

You can’t beat free! Get $70+ worth of premium Mac apps for free today!

The post Explore Machine Learning and Data Science With This $35 Training Bundle appeared first on xda-developers.

from xda-developers https://ift.tt/2Th7ge2
via IFTTT

Fast Share, Google’s upcoming AirDrop-like service, gets renamed to Nearby Sharing ahead of release

One of the things that “just works” within Apple’s ecosystem is AirDrop, the file-sharing solution available on iOS and macOS, allowing users to quickly share files with each other without needing to rely on any third-party apps. Android had an NFC-based solution in the form of Android Beam, but the feature was deprecated entirely in Android 10/Q. The absence of a true Airdrop competitor on Android prompted Xiaomi, Oppo, and Vivo to come together to announce their own cross-device file transfer solution. On the other hand, Google is also working on its own solution in the form of Fast Share, which was originally spotted back in June 2019. Now, Google has rebranded the service into Nearby Sharing.

An APK teardown can often predict features that may arrive in a future update of an application, but it is possible that any of the features we mention here may not make it in a future release. This is because these features are currently unimplemented in the live build and may be pulled at any time by the developers in a future build.

Nearby Sharing (aka Fast Share) uses Bluetooth to initiate a handshake between devices, and then subsequently transfer files over a direct Wi-Fi connection. This will allow for larger files to be transferred much more quickly than Android Beam. Google has yet to announce or release this feature, but it has been in development for quite some time now. After it was first spotted, the feature received a revamp to its Share Sheet and its position within the Settings menu, spotted in September 2019. Then, in November 2019, Mishaal found that the feature received some UI changes along with a new icon.

And now, with Google Play Services v20.1.03, the Fast Share service has been rebranded to Nearby Sharing. One new tidbit that we have also learned is that both the devices have to be placed within 1 foot of each other in order to share, according to the text at the bottom of the share sheet.

It is currently unknown when exactly Google plans to release Nearby Sharing. Because of the rebranding from Fast Share and the new icon, we predict that the service is likely nearing launch.

---

Thanks to PNF Software for providing us a license to use JEB Decompiler, a professional-grade reverse engineering tool for Android applications.

The post Fast Share, Google’s upcoming AirDrop-like service, gets renamed to Nearby Sharing ahead of release appeared first on xda-developers.

from xda-developers https://ift.tt/2TlD0yK
via IFTTT