Honor unveils phone that doubles as purse, VW to launch electric GTI
Never have enough space to fit a phone in your handbag? Your troubles may be soon over thanks to a new invention by Chinese tech firm Honor. It has unveiled a foldable smartphone that doubles up as a purse, with a shoulder strap and customizable designs that can be changed at the click of a button. The design is aimed at giving both fashion brands, such as Prada and Luis Vuitton, as well as rival tech giants Apple and Samsung a run for their money. Honor revealed the concept device – called the Honor V Purse – during its keynote speech titled ‘Unfold Tomorrow’ at the technology show IFA 2023 in Berlin. Daily Mail
Senior officials at the Home Office secretly lobbied the UK’s independent privacy regulator to act “favourably” towards a private firm keen to roll out controversial facial recognition technology across the country, according to internal government emails seen by the Observer. Correspondence reveals that the Home Office wrote to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) warning that policing minister, Chris Philp, would “write to your commissioner” if the regulator’s investigation into Facewatch… was not positive towards the firm. The Guardian
O2 will be the exclusive network provider for the Sony Xperia 5 V in the UK. The carrier hasn’t revealed details about contracts yet – that will happen as the phone launches on September 28 – but for reference the SIM-free price is £850. O2 offers split contracts, i.e. after you pay off the phone, your monthly bill will be reduced to cover only your voice/data plan. Speaking of data plans, they will include up to 25GB for roaming in the EU. GSM Arena
After years of arguing against EU’s push for a common phone charger, Apple will finally make the switch to USB-C this year. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman predicts that the September 12 event will present the change with a smile, focusing on the benefits to consumers that this brings – but there is some worry behind the scenes too. The obvious things are losing the revenue from MFi licenses and apparently Apple execs are worried about another backlash from fans like when they first introduced the Lightning port (and removed the established 30-pin connector). GSM Arena
A military takeover of Taiwan is likely, according to one of many Chinese government-approved artificial intelligence chatbots that seem to toe the ruling Communist Party’s official line. The island nation has been a self-governing democracy since its separation from the mainland following a civil war in 1949, but China has claimed it as part of its national territory. The chatbots have dubbed Taiwan an inseparable part of China. Independent
Volkswagen has previewed a feisty, affordable performance variant of the upcoming ID 2 with the new ID GTI concept – a car that unashamedly harks back to the original Golf GTI, both in spirit and styling. A headliner at the 2023 Munich motor show, the compact front-wheel-drive hot hatch is earmarked to head Volkswagen’s new entry-level electric car line-up with a front-mounted electric motor, specially tuned sport suspension, traditional GTI design elements and a price tag expected to start at around €30,000 (£26,000). Autocar
Efforts by Conservative MPs to block the development of solar farms on agricultural land could cost bill payers £5bn, new analysis has found. An amendment to the Energy Bill, currently passing through Parliament, by Alicia Kearns, the MP for Rutland and Melton, aims to stop solar farms from being built on high-quality agricultural land. Analysis by the ECIU, a climate think tank, found that if successful, the effort would add between £3bn and £5bn to consumer bills, around £180 per household. inews
