Month: March 2022
Categories Technology

Top 10 Trends In Embedded Software Development

  • Estimated read time 5 min read
  • March 25, 2022

When you plan to fit microcontrollers in constrained situations where the hardware has very low processing capabilities, then you work towards building Embedded Systems. Embedded software is used everywhere today, from image…

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Android 13 is on the horizon. With the developer previews already available, Jack Wallen offers up what might be some of the better features coming to the platform.Android 12 was a major leap forward for the platform. With Material You, plenty of security additions, and an overall performance boost, it would be hard for Google to come out of the gate with the 13th iteration with anything major that could overshadow what came along with 12. In fact, I would predict that the upcoming release will be a bit of a letdown, given how the previous release reset the bar for expectations. That doesn’t mean Android 13 will be a half-hearted effort to improve the operating system. And although Android 13 is yet to hit beta status, a pretty good picture is forming as to what the upcoming release will look like. There should be four beta releases prior to the stable launch, sometime in August of this year (2022). That, of course, is not set in stone, so don’t be surprised if Google changes that date for the official release. Release aside, what kind of features should we expect to see in Android 13? Let’s dive in and find out. The subtle evolution of Material You According to the developer previews I’ve examined, Material You will get a few tweaks. The first will come by way of auto-theming icons. Now, before you get too excited, this feature will probably only be available to Pixel devices first. Eventually, however, the improved version of auto-theming icons should make its way to other devices. What are auto-theming icons? The feature was released with Android 12 but hasn’t been all that successful. Part of the problem was that many developers didn’t take advantage of the feature. With Android 13, users will be able to theme icons in the same way you theme the rest of the OS. It will be a subtle change, but one that should bring a more complete look to the whole. Other theming options that might come along with Android 13 include four new palettes that are related to specific shades and hues. Those palettes are named Expressive, Spritz, Tonal Spot and Vibrant, and should really make the look of your device pop. My guess is we’ll see other bits of subtle polish added to Material You, all of which will come together to make the look more cohesive and pulled together. But, again, don’t expect major shifts in the realm of Material You. Given how new the UI is, it’ll be a while before there are any major changes. Improved functionality in Android 13 The real hits for Android 13 will probably come by way of improved functionality. Here are some of the possible improvements we’ll experience. Improved QR Code scanning At the moment, QR Code scanning is less than intuitive. You have to open Google Lens, point it at the QR code, and then tap to interact. And the problem with some of the third-party QR Code scanners is that some of them have been found to house malicious code. With Android 13, a Quick Tile has been reported for a much-improved QR Code scanning experience. That means, when you need to scan a QR Code, you simply pull down the notification shade, and tap the Quick Tile to scan the code. Improvements for Bluetooth audio Android 13 will come with support for Bluetooth LE Audio as well as the Low Complexity Communications Codec. These two new features will combine to make it possible for Android to deal with audio streaming over Bluetooth Low Energy, which will significantly reduce power consumption, compared with the traditional BR/EDR audio systems. The improvements found in Bluetooth LE go far beyond just low energy consumption and will help improve the truly wireless earbud experience with Isochronous channels, multi-stream audio and personal and location-based audio sharing. Panlingual language settings For those who are multilingual, Google has a special treat in store for you. With the upcoming release, you’ll be able to set a specific language to be used for specific apps. For example, if the majority of clients you email with speak English, you can set that language for the email app and the rest of the apps in your native language. Fast Pair Another great functionality improvement will come by way of Fast Pair, which will allow you to quickly pair a device to accessories. You will no longer have to go through the process of opening Settings, go to Connected Devices, and then tap Pair New Device. When Android detects a new device it will automatically alert you and ask if you want to pair it. UWB support Ultra-Wideband is a brand new technology that will make it possible for your device to serve different functions, such as a car key, and will help you easily locate devices that also include UWB support. The Pixel 6 devices included the UWB antenna but didn’t support the feature in 12. Android 13 will bring that next evolution of mobile devices to fruition. Improved security and performance in Android 13 With every Android release, there are new security improvements to be found. Here are some of the security highlights that we might see in Android 13. Photo picker With Android 13, a new photo picker will be included that not only bakes in the ability to select photos from local and cloud sources easier, it’ll also make it more secure. Unlike the old photo picker, the new version will only allow access to the files you’ve selected. Nearby Wi-Fi In current versions of Android, if an app needs to locate nearby Wi-Fi devices, it requires location permission which, for many, is a security issue. Fortunately, in Android 13, Google is bringing into the mix a new runtime permission, called NEARBY_WIFI_DEVICES, which will give those applications the option to locate Wi-Fi devices without needing location permission. Notification permissions Android 13 is taking a nod from iOS and will make it such that applications must ask for permission before they can send notifications. The permissions prompt will appear on the first run of an application. TARE TARE stands for The Android Resource Economy and is a service that monitors how apps run in the background and which tasks they perform. TARE will be responsible for awarding and revoking credits from apps to limit their ability to schedule jobs in the future. Along with TARE, Android 13 will also have a built-in system to alert you when an app goes rogue and is draining your battery excessively. And there you have some of the more exciting new features coming to Android 13. Of course, much of this was based on the developer preview, so anything can change, and nothing is guaranteed at the moment.
Categories Android

Android 13: The best features to expect

  • Estimated read time 6 min read
  • March 22, 2022

Android 13 is on the horizon. With the developer previews already available, Jack Wallen offers up what might be some of the better features coming to the platform.Android 12 was a major leap…

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New Lineup Offers Best-In-Class Picture Quality with OLED evo, Large Range of Screen Sizes, Customizable Viewing Experience ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J., March 21, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- LG Electronics USA announced pricing and availability of its highly anticipated 2022 OLED TV lineup. Widely praised for their outstanding picture quality, enhanced performance and sleek designs, LG's latest OLED TVs – the LG OLED evo G2 Gallery Edition, and LG OLED evo C2 Series are available now at LG.com and at LG-authorized retailers nationwide in April. A pioneer and global leader in OLED technology, LG has been constantly perfecting and elevating the technology, securing its position as the world's #1 OLED TV brand for nine consecutive years.1 Featuring the company's critically-acclaimed self-lit OLED technology, LG 2022 OLED TVs leverage precise pixel-level control to deliver the deepest blacks, incredibly realistic colors, and an infinite contrast ratio. Moreover, the new models have even more smart features for a personalized viewing experience. LG OLED evo Featuring LG's most advanced OLED panel and the new α (Alpha) 9 Gen 5 intelligent processor, including brightness booster technology, LG's evo technology is built into the 2022 G2 series (LG OLED evo Gallery Edition) and C2 series, taking the home entertainment experience to new heights. Models from both series have been recognized with CES 2022 Innovation Awards for raising the bar with their excellent performance.2 LG OLED evo technology, offers higher brightness, clarity and detail, for lifelike images that almost jump off the screen. Brightness is enhanced even further by the new Brightness Booster Max (G2 series) and Brightness Booster (C2 series) features, which are enabled by the increased processing power of the α9 Gen 5.3 Widest Range of Screen Sizes Ever LG's 2022 OLED TV lineup also welcomes new screen sizes and stylish designs to give consumers more choice. In addition to the world's first 97-inch OLED TV and a new 83-inch model, the G2 series provides 77-, 65- and 55-inch options, ensuring the right size for practically any space in the home. The G2 series' refined Gallery Design lets users mount the TVs flush to the wall for a seamless, sophisticated look and better spatial integration in the viewing environment. LG's C2 series offers the most screen sizes of the 2022 lineup with a total of six. Ideal as a smaller room TV or for those who enjoy console and PC gaming, the first-ever 42-inch OLED TV adds to the C2 series' broad range of 83-, 77-, 65-, 55- and 48-inch models. New for this year, the upgraded C2 series features thinner bezels that help deliver more immersive viewing experiences and an elegantly slender design. LG α9 Gen 5 Intelligent Processor The new and improved LG α9 Gen 5 intelligent processor employs a deep-learning algorithm to enhance the upscaling performance of the latest OLEDs, giving images a more three-dimensional quality by making onscreen elements more distinct from one another. Equipped in G2, C2 and Z2 (8K) series models, the α9 Gen 5 also boasts the new Dynamic Tone-mapping Pro Algorithm, which individually processes over 5,000 areas on the screen, enhancing each to produce a more vivid and detailed image, in both brighter and darker parts of the picture. LG's latest processor also boosts audio quality via the AI Sound Pro feature, enabling the TVs' built-in speakers to produce virtual 7.1.2 surround. Completing the 2022 OLED TV U.S. line-up are B2 OLED TV series in three screen sizes (77-inch, 65-inch, 55-inch) and A2 series in two screen sizes 65-inch, 55-inch), both powered by the company's self-lit technology, α7 Gen 5 processor with Dynamic Tone-mapping, AI Sound Pro and virtual 5.1.2 surround sound. Upgraded UX LG's 2022 OLED TVs come with webOS 22, the newest version of LG's innovative Smart TV platform. webOS 22 offers a number of new personalization options, including customizable user profiles that allow each member of the household to tailor their viewing experience and enjoy easier access to their preferred channels, apps and content services. webOS22 also provides exceptional convenience with features such as NFC Magic Tap which allows for a simple way to mirror screen from mobile to TV,4 Room To Room Share, which allows for cable or satellite content mirroring via Wi-Fi from one TV to another in the home, so there's no need for an additional set-top-box on the second TV,5 and Always Ready which turns an LG TV into a media display when not in use. LG's webOS22 platform will also feature an updated LG Channels experience with over 350 FREE ad-supported channels including the NCAA Channel, exclusive to LG Channels featuring up to 50 NCAA Fall, Winter and Spring championships, both live and on-demand. Acclaimed Picture Quality LG OLED TVs continue to set the standard for picture quality. The panels used in this year's lineup have again been certified by Intertek for providing 100 percent color fidelity and 100 percent color volume – indicating that 2022 LG OLED TVs deliver accurate color reproduction, and can express every single tone and hue of the original source no matter how bright or dark the onscreen action.6 Additionally, all 2022 models are certified flicker-free by UL. Dolby Vision IQ with Precision Detail LG's latest OLEDs are the first TVs to adopt Dolby Vision IQ with Precision Detail.7 This new technology unlocks even more from Dolby Vision content, revealing detail in both bright and dark areas that were not perceivable before. And for equally immersive audio, LG's new OLED TVs deliver Dolby Atmos® spatial sound through their speaker system. Optimized for Gaming In a class of their own where PC and console gaming are concerned, LG OLED TVs offer a 0.1 millisecond response time (GtG), low input lag and up to four HDMI ports supporting multiple HDMI 2.1 features. Seamless cloud gaming is also available on LG OLED via built-in support for Google Stadia and GeForce NOW. With the Game Optimizer menu on LG OLED, users will enjoy being able to quickly select or switch between specialized gaming features and presets. The new Dark Room Mode, which adjusts screen brightness for a better gaming experience with the lights off, can also be selected via Game Optimizer, as can settings for G-SYNC® Compatible, FreeSync™ Premium and variable refresh rate (VRR). New for 2022, LG's display presets for various game genres adds a sports mode, joining the previously available options of first-person shooter, role-playing, and real-time strategy. For more information on LG's 2022 OLED TVs, visit LG.com. 1 Units shipped in the 9-year period, 2013-2021 (Source: Omdia). 2 2022 CES Innovation Awards Honorees include models 97-inch G2, 83-inch G2, 42-inch C2, 48-inch C2 and 83-inch C2. 3 Brightness Booster applies for large sized models 83-inch C2, 77-inch C2, 65-inch C2 and 55-inch C2. 4 NFT Screen mirroring supported in Z2, G2 and C2 series, on compatible Android and iOS devices. Functionality varies per country. 5 Room To Room Share supports content from set-top boxes and terrestrial broadcasts only. Main TV (Content Sender): Z2, G2, C2 series. Receiver TV (Content Receiver): all 2022 new models. 6 LG OLED panel certified by Intertek for 100 percent color fidelity measured to CIE DE2000 with 125 color patterns. Certified by Intertek, LG's OLED TVs can express 100 percent of the DCI-P3 spectrum across a 3D color space that covers the TVs' full luminance range, according to IDMS 1.1 (cl. 5.32). 7Available with Z2, G2, C2 series. About LG Electronics USA LG Electronics USA, Inc., based in Englewood Cliffs, N.J., is the North American subsidiary of LG Electronics, Inc., a $63 billion global innovator in technology and manufacturing. In the United States, LG sells a wide range of innovative home appliances, home entertainment products, commercial displays, air conditioning systems, solar energy solutions and vehicle components. LG is a seven-time ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year. The company's commitment to environmental sustainability and its "Life's Good" marketing theme encompass how LG is dedicated to people's happiness by exceeding expectations today and tomorrow. www.LG.com.
Categories Television

LG BEGINS U.S. ROLLOUT OF 2022 OLED TV LINEUP

  • Estimated read time 7 min read
  • March 22, 2022

New Lineup Offers Best-In-Class Picture Quality with OLED evo, Large Range of Screen Sizes, Customizable Viewing Experience ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J., March 21, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — LG Electronics USA announced pricing and availability of its highly anticipated…

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