ShinyShiny snippets: PlayStation VR2 tech specs revealed
Sony has revealed more about its next-generation virtual reality gaming system for the PS5 at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The announcement has been recognised as Sony offering a significant upgrade on the original PSVR which was released in 2016 and has since seen intense competition. Also announced is the first exclusive title for the PlayStation VR2: Horizon Call of the Mountain, which will be the latest instalment in the machine hunting action franchise. Although pictures of the headset itself remain elusive we now know that it includes haptic feedback, eye-tracking technology, and will connect to the PS5 with a single cable. Sky News
Samsung unveiled its new Galaxy S21 FE smartphone at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) that boasts similar technology of the Galaxy S21 smartphone family, but for $100 less – the new handset starts at $699. S21 FE, dubbed ‘Fan Edition,’ features a 6.4-inch AMOLED screen, the same processor as the flagship devices, a triple-lens camera and 5G capability. The Galaxy S21 FE also comes in a range of colors including olive, graphite, lavender and white and includes Samsung’s ‘fastest chip.’And handset’s battery can get a 50 percent charge after being plugged in for just 30 minutes. Samsung opened pre-orders for the Galaxy S21 FE on Monday and is set to start shipping the smartphones on January 11. Daily Mail
Garmin’s new Venu 2 Plus GPS smartwatch enables you to answer calls and send texts without delving into your jersey pocket. Garmin says its new device syncs with your smartphone’s voice assistant to reply to messages, and you can pick up calls by pressing a button. Starting at £399, the Venu 2 Plus costs almost twice as much as its predecessor, the Venu Sq smartwatch. Without navigation and route storage, the watch is equipped for day-to-day usage rather than adventures. The Venu 2 Plus is claimed to be compatible with both Apple and Android. And as you’d expect from the best cycling watches, the Venu 2 Plus has more than 25 indoor and outdoor activity modes. Bike Radar
The most intriguing rumor we’ve heard about the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max is that the phones might not have a notch, with a punch-hole used for the front-facing camera instead. However, the latest leak suggests that may not be the case. Mark Gurman, a journalist with a good track record for Apple leaks, has claimed in his latest Power On newsletter for Bloomberg that the iPhone 14 range will have “a hole-punch-sized notch.” So from the sounds of things that would mean a notch that’s the same sort of size as the aperture for a punch-hole camera. Tech Radar
The OnePlus 10 Pro smartphone is set to launch in China on January 11th before it becomes available in other countries. But OnePlus isn’t waiting until then to give us an idea of what to expect from the phone. OnePlus CEO Pete Lau kicked off a series of teasers yesterday with a picture showing the phone’s triple-camera system that was “co-developed with Hasselblad.” OnePlus followed up with a short video and some more images. And now Lau has unveiled many of the phone’s key specs. As expected, the next flagship phone from OnePlus will have a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 processor, a 120 Hz AMOLED display, and three cameras featuring what OnePlus calls a “second-generation Hasselblad Camera” system. Liliputing
China Mobile shares have risen as they started trading in Shanghai after raising $7.7bn (£5.7bn) in China’s biggest public offering in a decade. The shares opened 9.4% higher before easing back in morning trade. China Mobile’s smaller rivals, China Telecom and China Unicom, have already made the move to their home country. The three firms were delisted from the New York Stock Exchange after a Trump-era decision to restrict investment in Chinese technology companies. China Mobile’s Hong Kong-listed shares also rose in early trade after the company said it would press ahead with a plan to buy back up to 2.05 billion shares, worth nearly $13bn. BBC
