Technology news

An enormous stone sphinx representing the pharaoh Ramses II has spent nearly a century in the Egypt Gallery of the Penn Museum in Philadelphia. But today (June 12) the sphinx was relocated in "a monumental move" that saw the colossal statue "floating" on so-called air dollies — a technology that uses high-powered air compression in a manner similar to hoverboards, museum representatives said in a statement . The sphinx's new location is in the museum's main entrance hall, where daylight will bathe the ancient statue for the first time since it arrived at the museum nearly a century ago. The sphinx is more than 3,000 years old and weighs nearly 13 tons (11.8 metric tons). So, although its new home is only 250 feet (76 meters) from the spot where it has rested since 1926, the move posed unique challenges, museum representatives reported. [ Photos: The Ram-Headed Sphinx of Gebel el-Silsila ] With its lion's body and human head, the red-granite sphinx represents the … [Read more...] about Massive Sphinx of Ramses II Sees Daylight for First Time in Nearly 100 Years

Ever wonder why the zombies in the film "World War Z" appear so lifelike? It's not just makeup — some of them were created with the aid of high-tech scanning technology. The company Artec, based in Luxembourg, develops handheld 3D scanners that have been used for everything from Hollywood special effects to the development of prosthetic limbs. The technology makes it possible to create a digital model of an object in the real world, which can then be manipulated with computer design software, said Leonid Volkov, chief business development officer at Artec Group. [ Gallery: 3D Scans in Hollywood and Hospitals ] If, for instance, a company such as Lucas Films, Disney or Pixar (all Artec customers) is working on new 3D animated movie, and the producers want a glass of water to appear in the animation, "you have just two choices — scan it or draw it from scratch, which is much more expensive and time consuming," Volkov told Live Science. The makers of " World … [Read more...] about Zombies and Prosthetic Limbs? The Many Uses of 3D Scanners

"The Healthy Geezer" answers questions about health and aging in his weekly column. Question: Can magnets relieve pain? Answer: Here's the official position of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which is the medical research agency of the federal government: "Preliminary scientific studies of magnets for pain have produced mixed results. Overall, there is no convincing scientific evidence to support claims that magnets can relieve pain of any type. Some studies, including a recent National Institutes of Health (NIH) clinical trial for back pain, suggest the possibility of a small benefit from using magnets for pain. However, the majority of rigorous studies have found no effect on pain. More research on magnets for pain is needed before reaching any firm conclusion." People have been using magnets to improve health for a long time. In the third century A.D., the Greeks were treating arthritis with magnets. Medieval doctors used magnets to treat gout, … [Read more...] about Can Magnets Relieve Pain?

OnePlus is all set to launch its latest Nord series smartphones in India next month. Now the smartphone maker has slashed the price of its last year launched OnePlus 10R smartphone. This is the second price cut witnessed by the smartphone. Last year OnePlus 10R received a price cut of Rs 4,000 and now again it has received a price drop of Rs 3,000. OnePlus 10R new price OnePlus launched the OnePlus 10R in three variants -- 8GB+128GB (80W), 12GB+256GB (80W) and 12GB+256GB (150W) priced at Rs 38,999, Rs 42,999 and Rs 43,999 respectively. After the first price cut, the 8GB+128GB (80W), 12GB+256GB (80W) and 12GB+256GB (150W) were available at Rs 34,999, Rs 38,999 and Rs 39,999 respectively. Now after the second price cut, customers can purchase the 8GB+128GB (80W), and 12GB+256GB (80W) variants at Rs 31,999 and Rs 35,999 respectively. On the other hand, the 12GB+256GB (150W) variant can be purchased at Rs 36,999. The smartphone can be purchased in Sierra Black and Forest … [Read more...] about This OnePlus smartphone with 150W charging support is now more affordable

OnePlus will launch its new Nord series smartphone in India next week. OnePlus has scheduled a launch event for April 4, where the company will launch its new OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite smartphone. Along with the smartphone, the Chinese smartphone maker will also launch the OnePlus Nord Buds 2 at the same event. Now the company president Kinder Liu has revealed some key specifications of the yet-to-launch smartphone. OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite confirmed specs In an interview given to Tech Radar, Liu confirmed that the upcoming OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite will feature a 6.72-inch display with 120Hz refresh rate. Along with this, Liu also revealed that the OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite will be powered by an octa-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 chipset. The smartphone will run the latest Android 13 operating system topped with the company's layer of OxygenOS 13.1. Apart from this, OnePlus has already confirmed that the OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite will sport a 108MP main camera and will be … [Read more...] about OnePlus Nord CE 3 Lite key specifications confirmed: Here’s what the smartphone will offer

Xiaomi launched two new Redmi smartphones -- Redmi Note 12 and Redmi 12C in India recently. Along with the two new smartphones, the Chinese smartphone maker also launched a new storage variant of the Redmi Note 12 5G smartphone. Xiaomi launched the Redmi Note 5G smartphone earlier this year. The smartphone already offers 4GB/6GB of RAM and 128GB internal storage. The Chinese smartphone maker has now launched the 8GB RAM and 256GB internal storage variant of the smartphone. Users can also install a microSD card of up to 1TB on the smartphone. Price and availability The Redmi Note 12 5G's 8GB RAM and 256GB internal storage variant is priced at Rs 21,999. The smartphone can be purchased online from Amazon.in and mi.com starting April6. As part of the launch offers, the company is offering a discount of Rs 1,000 on ICICI Bank cards and exchange bonus of Rs 1,500. Redmi Note 12 5G specifications The vanilla model of the Redmi Note 12 5G series shares … [Read more...] about Redmi Note 12 5G 8GB + 256GB variant launched in India: Price, offers and more

Roku Inc will lay off 6% of its workforce, or 200 employees, in its second round of job cuts , the U.S. streaming device maker said, sending its shares up nearly 3% before the bell on Thursday. In a bid to lower expenses, the company also decided to exit and sub-lease office facilities that it did not currently occupy. Roku had in November cut 200 jobs in the United States, where companies, led by technology giants such as Meta Platforms and Amazon.com Inc, are bracing for a potential economic downturn amid rising borrowing costs around the world. Job cuts in U.S. tech sector hit 63,000 in the first two months of the year, according to data from Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc. Roku, which had about 3,600 full-time employees as of Dec. 31, expects to incur charges of between $30 million and $35 million related to the restructuring. Majority of the restructuring charges will be incurred in the first quarter of fiscal 2023, while the job cuts will … [Read more...] about Streaming device maker Roku to cut 200 jobs in second round of layoffs

The hotly-anticipated OLED models of the MacBook Air could be closer than expected, with both Samsung and LG now roped in to develop new displays for Apple, according to Chinese tech news site The Elec (opens in new tab) . We’ve known for a while that an OLED MacBook has been on the cards for Apple, with multiple tipsters claiming in recent months that the tech giant is shooting for a potential 2024 release . The new information provided by The Elec has finally put some hard truths to these rumors, with evidence that Apple has specifically contracted Samsung to produce OLED panels for a new 13.3-inch MacBook Air. The ‘LiquidRetina’ mini-LED displays found in the current-generation M2 MacBook Air could finally be on the way out, with informers claiming that OLED’s power efficiency and brightness make it an attractive move for Apple. This move is likely to cause some heads to shake at Samsung’s rival company LG, which has historically been behind Apple’s … [Read more...] about Apple could launch OLED MacBook Air as soon as next year – thanks to Samsung

Microsoft has spent a lot of time and energy over the last few months adding generative AI features to all its products, particularly its long-standing, long-struggling Bing search engine. And now the company is working on fusing this fast-moving, sometimes unsettling new technology with some old headaches: ads. Further Reading The newest feature in the Microsoft Store is more ads In a blog post earlier this week , Microsoft VP Yusuf Mehdi said the company was "exploring placing ads in the chat experience," one of several things the company is doing "to share the ad revenue with partners whose content contributed to the chat response." The company is also looking into ways to let Bing Chat show sources for its work, sort of like the ways Google, Bing, and other search engines display a source link below snippets of information they think might answer the question you asked. Sharing ad revenue with partners is an attempt to address a looming supply-and-demand problem … [Read more...] about Ads are coming for the Bing AI chatbot, as they come for all Microsoft products

In surprising car news today, we've learned that General Motors is planning to drop support for both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto from new electric vehicles it plans to launch in the next few years. The decision won't affect any GM vehicles already on the market, nor will it apply to gasoline- or diesel-powered GM vehicles in the coming years—just EVs. "As we scale our EVs and launch our Ultifi software platform, we can do more than ever before with in-vehicle technologies and over-the-air updates. All of this is allowing us to constantly improve the customer experience we can offer across our brands," said Edward Kummer, GM's chief digital officer. GM told Ars that it's moving away from phone projection to offer customers a more integrated solution that sees Google Maps, Google Assistant, Audible, Spotify, and other applications run natively on its cars' infotainment systems. I must admit, I'm rather taken aback by this decision. For starters, Apple CarPlay is wildly … [Read more...] about GM confirms it’s dropping Apple CarPlay and Android Auto from 2024 EVs