Ritwick Jaiswal, Author at Exhibit Tech

China Plans To Build A Kilometre-Long Starship

The Cold War space race, which has always involved countries like Russia and America, now have a new competitor. China is looking forward to building a spacecraft spanning nearly a kilometre in length.

Bill Nelson, President Biden’s new NASA administrator, has cast China as “a very aggressive competitor” that has big ambitions in Space and is challenging America’s leadership.

“Watch the Chinese,” he recently warned.

According to a report by Global Times, China has announced one of the most ambitious projects in human history – to build a kilometre long starship, which is at least ten times the length of the International Space Station (ISS).

As soon as the news came out, it took the Chinese internet by storm, especially among the space sci-fi fans. However, the experts say that there will be many challenges for China along the way, apart from the massive demand for manpower and resources, considering the size and complexity of the spacecraft.

Notably, this comes at a time when China has been achieving multiple milestones in space science. Earlier this year, China became the second nation to successfully land a rover on Mars and the first to land a mission that consisted of an orbiter, lander and rover. Two years ago, China became the first nation to land a robotic mission on the far side of the moon.

According to a project outline published by the Chinese Foundation, the spacecraft elements will be built on Earth and then launched individually to orbit to be assembled in Space. The spacecraft will be “a major strategic aerospace equipment for the future use of space resources, exploration of the mysteries of the universe and staying in long-term.”

During China’s sixth annual National Space Day, there were already speculations that the country is interested in pursuing a starship-like spacecraft and spaceplanes. Recently, China also announced plans to conduct a crewed mission to Mars by 2023 as a long-term plan to build a permanent base there.

Whatever the long-term goal might be, it is clear that with the pace that China is moving with its space plans, it can leave NASA and Roscosmos behind to become the world’s leading power in Space.

iPhone 13 Might Release On THIS Date! Check Out

September 2021 could also be named as Month of Apple as we can expect a lot of new Apple products to launch anytime this month. In this list, we have the Apple Watch 7, iPhone 13 and Airpods 3.

If we look back at Apple’s previous launch, we can make out that this release may be displayed on the 4th Friday of September. That would be September 24th, which states that the pre-orders could be starting on September 17th. However, keeping the COVID-19 pandemic in mind, the event will probably be completely virtual.

A survey of US iPhone owners suggests that 44% of the Apple owners are waiting to buy the new iPhone 13. Keeping in mind the high demand, Apple has reportedly hired more workers, and Apple suppliers are ready to raise bonuses to keep enough people working.

In such a situation, there are possibilities that the eagerness of those who are waiting for it can be lowered down if there’s a delay. According to the rumours, the new iPhone may have upgraded cameras and displays. It is also very strongly in whispers that the name of the new iPhone could not be iPhone 13 but iPhone 12s.

There has been a lot of changes in the looks and characteristics of the iPhone 12, which was released last year. So this time, the changes might not be very drastic. So expecting not too much could be better. Whatever the rumours might suggest, but the real picture will appear only after the official release of the iPhone 13.

There are a lot of other Apple products also expected to release this year, but for this one, it is best to say to wait till September ends.

Also read, Apple iPhone 13 to have satellite connectivity.

Study Shows Misinformation Dominates Facebook Engagement Than Real News

It’s the age of information, or should we say misinformation. It’s always the social media giants that come under the radar of spreading false information in the name of news. A new peer-reviewed study from researchers at New York University and the Université Grenoble Alpes in France shows that misinformation received six times more engagement on Facebook than real news.

The study, which looked at posts of more than 2500 new Facebook publishers between August 2020 and January 2021, found that the pages that post more misinformation regularly got more likes, shares, and comments. Unsurprisingly, the political spectrum had the increased engagement, with the right-wing having a much higher propensity to share misleading news than publishers in other political categories.

However, a Facebook spokesperson, in an attempt to defend the organization, pointed out the fact that the study looks at engagement and not “reach”- a term used by the company to describe how many people see a piece of content on Facebook regardless of whether they interact with it.

In August, it cut off a group of researchers access to data that would help them understand the problem of misinformation. Facebook cited that continuing to give third-party researchers access to the data could violate a settlement with the Federal Trade Commission that it entered into following the Cambridge Analytica scandal.

In August, the company released a ‘transparency report that laid out the most viewed post from April to June. Just days later, The New York Times revealed that Facebook had first scrapped plans to release a report in the first quarter because the most-viewed post was an article that wrongly linked the coronavirus vaccine to a Florida doctor’s death.

A recent survey also showed that Facebook users were less likely to be vaccinated against coronavirus than any other type of news consumer.

iPhone 13’s Satellite Connectivity Just For Emergencies

Yesterday, we reported how iPhone 13 could possibly have satellite connectivity to send phone calls and messages without cellular coverage. Industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo told investors last week that Apple’s new iPhone 13 would be able to tap into signals of low-Earth Orbit satellites.

Bloomberg has now reported that the new feature will be limited to emergencies only. The iPhone 13 would only use those signals to text emergency services, emergency contacts, or report a crisis.

Kuo informed that Globalstar could be the satellite communication company collaborating with Apple on the service.

One feature, called Emergency Message via Satellite, will let you text emergency services and emergency contacts when you don’t have a cell signal by harnessing a satellite network. These messages will also have a length limit and be represented as a grey bubble instead of the regular green and blue used for SMS and iMessage. While sending this message to an emergency contact, it will pop up on their screen even if the Do Not Disturb mode is on to ensure that your message is seen.

Another feature will let users report emergencies. “The phone will ask what kind of emergency is happening, such as whether it involves a car, boat, plane or fire,” Bloomberg reports.

However, Bloomberg’s new report does throw cold water on Apple’s satellite offerings at its launch. An unidentified person told Bloomberg that while the iPhone could have the necessary hardware for satellite communications at launch, we shouldn’t expect to see it in action before next year.

A source tells Bloomberg that the new features probably won’t be ready before next year, discarding the idea that you might be able to use them as soon as you buy the next iPhone. Plus, the feature is still in flux and could be changed or discarded entirely before release.

Apple Acquires Classical Music Streaming Service Primephonic

Apple today announced that it has acquired Primephonic, an Amsterdam-based classical musical streaming service. Primephonic, which was launched in 2014, is now being acquired by Apple in a bid to focus on a music genre that’s been lacking in Apple Music’s generalized approach to streaming.

On September 7, Primephonic will officially shut down, paving the way for Apple to launch the classical music app based on its streaming service in 2022.

“Artists love the Primephonic service and what we’ve done in classical, and now we have the ability to join with Apple to deliver the absolute best experience to millions of listeners,” Primephonic co-founder and CEO Thomas Steffens said in a release issued by Apple. “We get to bring classical music to the mainstream and connect a new generation of musicians with the next generation of audience.”

According to Primephonic’s CTO, the service has been launched in over 150 countries. It also appears to have an older demographic than more generalized streaming services.

“Most of our users are age 55 plus and are highly educated and relatively well off,” Henrique Boregio told Mixpanel in 2020. “We joke in the office that we don’t know whether you start liking classical music and then you become wealthy, or if it’s the other way around.”

Apple notes of the upcoming offering, “Apple Music Classical fans will get a dedicated experience with the best features of Primephonic, including better browsing and search capabilities by composer and by repertoire, detailed displays of classical music metadata, plus new features and benefits.”

The company is offering an olive branch to existing Primephonic users in the form of six free months of Apple Music.

Since launching Apple Music in 2015, Apple has made a few acquisitions to bolster the service. It bought Shazam, a music recognition app, in 2018, letting customers identify songs and add them to their playlists. But Apple has faced fierce competition from Spotify in streaming music around the world.

New iPhone 13 Could Possibly Have Satellite Connectivity

To what length can a smartphone company go to stand out from their competitors? Of course, they wouldn’t reach out to the stars for their users, or will they?

We have a fun iPhone rumour! Apple is reportedly planning to launch a new iPhone 13 lineup next month, and the news reports suggest that the upcoming models will feature Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite communication connectivity.

According to MacRumors, noted Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo is claiming that iPhone 13 could have the ability to make satellite calls. The LEO connectivity allows you to make calls and send messages in areas without cellular coverage, all thanks to a customized Qualcomm X60 baseband chip.

LEO satellites are probably best known as the backbone of Elon Musk’s Starlink internet service, which relies on satellites in a lower orbit to beam internet down to customers and avoid some of the common pitfalls of satellite internet, including high latency and common blackouts.

Immarsat, a direct competitor to Starlink, announced a new constellation intended to blend with terrestrial 5G networks for a more global solution. iPhone recently witnessed its stock skyrocket when Qualcomm announced its upcoming X65 chip would support Globalstar’s Band n53 tech.

“Qualcomm’s support of Band n53 represents a significant milestone in our efforts to commercialize our spectrum in the US and all other countries where we have or expect to obtain terrestrial authority,” Kyle Pickens, vice president, strategy, at GlobalStar, said in an investor note at the time.

However, satellite connectivity wouldn’t be available in every country. Apple will also have to seek additional clearances from governments and meet standards, which may differ from one country to the next.

According to a survey, many iPhone users want the upcoming iPhone model to be named ‘iPhone 2021’ instead of ‘iPhone 13’. Around 26 per cent thought that the “iPhone 13” was the best name, and only 13 per cent said that they would like to see the devices called the “iPhone 12S”. The remaining wanted the name to be iPhone ‘2021’.

Pokemon Go To Make Post-Pandemic Changes Permanent

Pokemon GO announced on its Twitter account today that it is bringing back the pandemic era Pokemon distance of 80 metres globally. The gameplay changes will be permanent and will remain as such for the rest of the game’s lifespan.

At the start of August, Niantic reverted the game interaction distance to the pre-pandemic 40-metres in the US and New Zealand, which brought about disappointment to the fans who previously appreciated the added accessibility benefits and COVID-19 safety the change offered.

The players have become accustomed to the game’s double interaction radius since it was first introduced 18 months ago. The move of reverting back the changes is a positive sign from Niantic that the company is willing to adapt to the needs of its players.

Niantic formed an internal task force to address player issues and the threat of a boycott. You can expect to know more about the findings of the task force by September 1st.

The game’s community had called on players to stop playing or spending money in the game as a mark of protest, with many of Pokemon Go’s most famous YouTubers joining in.

“Trainers – we’re looking forward to sharing our plans as a result of the task force on September 1, but one thing does not have to wait! From now on, 80 meters will be the base interaction radius for PokéStops and Gyms globally,” Niantic wrote last night. “Thank you to everyone who made your voices heard. We’ve heard you and understand that this has been a welcome benefit to many players. We’ll share more next week.”

Some people had already suggested that the changes should stay even after the pandemic since it will get people to become more active and to travel rather than being couch potatoes. Looks like the prayers have finally been answered!