The Pixel 4 may be the main attraction at today's Google event, but before we get to that, Google pulled the veil back on a new Pixelbook. Dubbed the Pixelbook Go, this new Chromebook has seemingly been designed with portability in mind - Google says that the entire package is 13mm thick, with a total weight that clocks in at "barely two pounds."
With a heavy focus on technology these days, kids that get exposed to related subjects at an early age get a distinct advantage over their peers. In the Society 5.0 future that Japan envisions, such subjects may, in fact, become a necessity. Educators, schools, and companies have long been pushing the STEM (now STEAM) category to acclimate kids better to sciences and maths. And what better way to capture kids' attention than by bringing the millennia-old benefits of play to combine toys and technology in the one thing that best mixes them both: robots.
CEATEC 2019 is underway in Japan and more than just the usual tech trade show, the event has an underlying theme that promotes a rather idyllic and ambitious vision of the future. That is what Japan's Society 5.0 is trying to push, a society that harmonizes cyberspace and real space for the enrichment not just of individuals but of the entire society as well. That future relies heavily on technologies like the cloud and AI and, unsurprisingly, Microsoft is making a big push for its Intelligent Cloud and Intelligent Edge to power the future IoT-centric world.
You may have already heard of optical mice, which have been around for decades. You may have even heard of optical keyboards, which have also been around for quite a while, at least on desktops. Razer, however, claims to have one-upped its rivals and, by extension, allows its users to gain an "unfair" advantage over their competition. It has just announced what it bills is the world's first optical laptop keyboard which can be yours provided you're willing to buy the only laptop it is available on.
You've heard of Web 2.0 and perhaps even the Web 3.0 that browser maker Opera loves talking about. But have you ever heard of Society 5.0, much less the previous versions that came before it? No, it's not a hot new piece of software but Japan's trendy label for what historians often refer to as "ages". With Society 5.0, the Japanese government and companies are working together to put developments in technology, especially in AI and automation, at the service of improving human society and evolving civilization as a whole.
This is the way to do it. Microsoft has been hard at work this year, unveiling a long list of new products, including a pair of folding devices: the Surface Neo and Surface Duo. Both these devices have two screens connected with a hinge that can fold a full 360 degrees. The Surface Neo is a folding tablet that Microsoft envisions as its evolution of a laptop. It has two screens and runs Windows 10X, a new version optimised for folding screens. And the smaller one, the Surface Duo, has two 5.6-inch screens bolted together and runs on Android.
The Surace Pro tablets and especially the Surface Studio are advertised as creatives' tools and yet few apps actually take advantage of their true nature. Of course, there's always the full-blown Photoshop but few if not none that were designed primarily for touch and pen the way Procreate on iOS is. That target is what a new Microsoft Garage named SketchPal is trying to hit and, in trying to find its voice, it may have found a home in the upcoming dual-screen Surface Neo.
As the last major Android phone to launch this year, the Pixel 4 will arguably end 2019 with a blast. It won't be alone on stage next week, however, and it will be joined by what could be the most divisive Chromebook in the history of Chromebooks. Because while Google is going back to the basics to focus on the essentials and offer a more portable Chromebook. But as this most complete leak of the Pixelbook Go proves, Google's design decisions may not sit well with all Chromebook fans.
This year might end up being unkind to Apple's software if the past few days continue their trend. iOS 13, one of Apple's most monumental releases for its mobile platform, has had three emergency releases in just a week to quickly patch up critical security bugs. macOS Catalina, an equally big release, was pushed back later than initially promised. The latest macOS update has finally rolled out and, fortunately, it isn't as bug-ridden as iOS 13. Unfortunately, it has its own share of controversy that is leaving some users and developers out in the cold.
It sounds like Apple is going to have a big 2020 ahead of it, if analyst Ming-Chi Kuo's predictions are anything to go on. The analyst today predicted three new devices from Apple in the new year, including an iPad Pro with a souped up camera and, at long last, a new entry in the iPhone SE line. Those two devices could be joined by a MacBook refresh, so if Kuo is right, Apple will be covering a lot of different product lines with new releases in 2020.
Intel's oddball Kaby Lake-G chip collaboration with AMD is being axed, with the combo CPU and Radeon GPU product failing to catch the attention of laptop-makers. Announced back in late 2017, Kaby Lake-G came as an unexpected surprise: an 8th Gen Core processor from Intel, paired with custom AMD Radeon graphics, all in a single chip.
The Web may be filled with information, some of which we may have wished never came to light, but it has also become a scarier place as well. Never mind the "dark web" and hackers and spies, even companies seem to be out to get you, or at least your information. Web browser makers like Google and Mozilla are stepping up in this game of cat and mouse, blocking ads and cookies that don't play nice. Opera is joining the chorus with an addition to its arsenal of privacy tools which it is only too happy to remind users comes built into the desktop browser and, better yet, available for free.