Reuters Video: Actor Ben Stiller reveals past cancer diagnosis |
- Reuters Video: Actor Ben Stiller reveals past cancer diagnosis
- Behind the Pixel: Google’s first real threat to the iPhone (VIDEO)
- Chevy Chase to star in new screwball comedy ‘Federal Offense’
- Samsung Note 7 fires risk hurting demand for other products, analysts say
- Five European games to watch in World Cup qualifying
- Google releases its own smart home device to chase Amazon
| Reuters Video: Actor Ben Stiller reveals past cancer diagnosis Posted: 04 Oct 2016 06:43 PM PDT Duration: 00:56, Published 5 Oct 2016 Hollywood actor Ben Stiller opens up on social media about his battle with prostate cancer and how taking an early screening test saved his life. John Russell reports. — Reuters  |
| Behind the Pixel: Google’s first real threat to the iPhone (VIDEO) Posted: 04 Oct 2016 06:42 PM PDT SAN FRANCISO, Oct 5 — Google is embarking on a wholesale revamp of its mobile phone strategy, debuting a pair of slick and powerful handsets that for the first time will go head-to-head with Apple Inc's iconic iPhone. Alphabet Inc's Google yesterday unveiled the Pixel and larger Pixel XL, the first phones that were conceptualised, designed, engineered and tested in-house. The Pixel handsets feature a Siri-like virtual assistant, flashy camera features and are the first to boast Android's new Nougat 7.1 operating system. Their debut signals Google's push into the US$400 billion (RM1.6 trillion) smartphone hardware business and shows that the company is willing to risk alienating partners like Samsung Electronics Co and LG Electronics Inc that sell Android-based phones. "Google is now the seller of record of this phone," said Rick Osterloh, chief of the company's new hardware division. He notes that the company is now managing inventory, building relationships with carriers, sourcing components, making supply chain deals and managing distribution. Google is even making accessories, including cases and cables. Until now, Google had satisfied itself with dipping a toe into the smartphone hardware business with the six-year-old Nexus program, a co-branding effort that outsourced the vast majority of development to other smartphone makers. While well regarded, Nexus handsets were mostly a way for Google to experiment. But along the way, executives began to see the benefit of the Apple approach: a unified portfolio of consumer electronics products that show off its services better than partners can. A Home speaker device, a virtual reality headset, a Wi-Fi router system and an updated video streaming stick were also unveiled yesterday at an event in San Francisco. Getting into the hardware business is a big, risky financial and operational commitment. But Google needed its own handset to ensure distribution for its web services, and more complex offerings like virtual and augmented reality. So in the summer of 2015, Chief Executive Officer Sundar Pichai approved the Pixel project; development began last fall. "The difference with this device is that we started from the beginning," says Dave Burke, who runs Android engineering. By contrast, Google's contributions to Nexus phones typically didn't happen until they were 90 per cent done. Custom silicon When Osterloh, 44, came on board in mid-April, he brought Google's hardware groups into one division, shuttering projects he didn't see contributing to Google's future. Now the engineers and designers from Google Glass, Chromecast and Pixel all work together. Keeping them separate, he says, made it "hard to drive toward the goal of portfolio strategy and focus." Reflecting long-held ambitions to build an Apple-style supply chain, the hardware division now has a supply-management team, drawing on the expertise of the Nest smart-home unit acquired by Google nearly three years ago. Google declined to say how much it's spending on the effort. However, Jason Bremner, a former Qualcomm Inc executive who works on Google's hardware products, put it in context. "Part of being the seller of record means that inventory, that supply chain risk — you know, hundreds of millions of dollars on the line on any given day — that's on Google now," he said.
It's a very different setup from Osterloh's previous Google gig, when he ran the Motorola division. "While we were part of Google, we were very arm's-length," he says. Now his team gets early access to the company's advances in machine learning and innovations from the Assistant group. The Pixel phones will also be the first to run the next version of Android, Nougat 7.1, complete with Google tie-ins like pro camera effects, instant chat support, and a service that automatically frees up phone storage via the cloud. Still, Google has deliberately built a firewall between the hardware and Android divisions so other phone makers' proprietary technology doesn't leak. Hiroshi Lockheimer, who runs the Android unit and is a longtime Osterloh pal, says his group will treat the hardware team like any customer. "Samsung is a very important partner, as is LG, Huawei and so on," he says. "Rick is an important partner. Samsung tells us confidential information about their product line, their plans. We won't tell LG that, and vice versa. That continues. Everyone is treated the same, including Rick's team." Osterloh show When Osterloh demonstrated the Pixel phones at Google's Mountain View, California, headquarters recently, it was immediately clear the craftsmanship is light years ahead of the flimsy US$1,500 Google Glass headsets and plastic Chromecast media players of yore. With their metal frames and precisely honed bezels and edges, the Pixels (which come in silver, black and limited-edition blue) have more in common with the elegant gear from Nest. The phones feature cameras that can snap photos quicker than the blink of an eye, app speeds once reserved for laptops and battery life that bests last year's non-Google made Nexus phones. Osterloh proudly showed how one can twist the phone mid-air to activate the selfie-camera. "That's pretty cool," he says. Also notable is a fingerprint scanner that doubles as a trackpad (other Android phone makers will get to enable this, too) and software-enhanced gyroscopes that reduce shakiness in recorded video, stabilisation that Osterloh calls "out of this world good." The new phones are made up of off-the-shelf components from several suppliers, including a Snapdragon processor, and are assembled in Taiwan by HTC. But there is still custom work inside this first version, including wireless modem technology that has evolved from earlier experiments with Nexus. The Pixel also has chipsets optimised by Google that makes photo-taking and touchscreen response times much faster than any Android device yet built, Burke says. The Google Assistant was developed separately from Android and offers suggestions based on previous queries. For example, it can list San Francisco landmarks after being asked earlier about the local weather. While Google has contracted HTC to assemble the Pixel phones, Osterloh says the approach is no different than Apple's partnership with iPhone builder Foxconn. Flip the Pixel over and you'll see "Made by Google," another tip of the hat to Apple, which has long made much of the fact that its phones are "Designed by Apple in California." Osterloh says Google will never say the Pixel is co-engineered with anyone else. He proudly proclaims, "It's ours." — Bloomberg |
| Chevy Chase to star in new screwball comedy ‘Federal Offense’ Posted: 04 Oct 2016 06:37 PM PDT
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Chase has boarded the film Federal Offense, described as a screwball storyline centring on three friends who lose a drug kingpin's stash. Mayhem ensues, as they're chased by gangsters, bounty hunters and police after breaking their foul-mouthed grandfather out of the nursing home. Chase was most recently seen on the NBC show Community and also made appearances in Vacation and Hot Tub Time Machine 2. — AFP-Relaxnews |
| Samsung Note 7 fires risk hurting demand for other products, analysts say Posted: 04 Oct 2016 06:36 PM PDT
"Once betrayed, eight times avoided," says the tousle-haired salesman, invoking a local saying while leaning against the counter in a tiny shop for Well Go Telecom. "They've lost a lot of trust." Kong's experience suggests the debacle with Samsung Electronics Co's Note 7 battery fires may reverberate beyond a single product line and jeopardise a brand the South Korean company has spent billions to burnish. Investors will find out more about the fallout tomorrow, when Samsung reports earnings for the first time since the crisis began. Note 7 sales will undoubtedly fall short of original projections. Since the recall, six analysts surveyed by Bloomberg have cut estimates on Note 7 shipments this year by an average of 38 per cent to eight million units, from an original 13 million. Several said they were waiting to gauge the impact on Samsung's other products, from washing machines to the flagship Galaxy S7. Samsung has worked hard to limit the damage. The Suwon-based company moved quickly to recall more than 2.5 million Note 7s after the battery troubles emerged and has already begun shipping replacements to key markets, such as Korea and the US. Still, Samsung has lost momentum against key rivals such as Apple Inc and Huawei Technologies Co. The troubles appear particularly challenging in China where customers and government-owned media railed about the country's exclusion from the recall, which they saw as discriminatory. "The Note 7 impact will last for a while, especially in China where so many good phones are flooding out," said Lee Seung Woo, an analyst at IBK Securities Co. in Seoul. "Samsung may shed market share further in China and the Note 7 impact will possibly spill over to its other product line-ups on the mainland, considering the recent public uproar." Samsung got more competition yesterday as Alphabet Inc's Google unveiled its new Pixel smartphones. The devices will run on the Android operating system, the same software Google supplies to Samsung and others, and will compete with Samsung's phones at the high end of the market. Samsung shares slipped about 1 per cent in Seoul trading. Kong isn't alone in seeing a drop in sales. Four other stores in the same mall, traditionally a magnet for electronics shopping, reported sales of Samsung devices were down between 30 and 80 per cent. While two blamed a slowing Chinese economy for draining business, others said consumers had been spooked by the incessant media reports. I-Mobile salesman Ken Wong, 24, said he'd been knocking a few hundred Hong Kong dollars off the shelf price to move Note 7s. All were mostly bereft of customers on a Tuesday afternoon. The investment community is betting the crisis will blow over soon. Many Korean analysts credit Samsung with a swift response, though consumers complained about confusing policies in different markets. Phones make up just half its business: the company leads the world in memory chips and displays, prices for which have stabilized over past quarters and continue to drive growth. After losing more than $20 billion in market value over two days in early September, Samsung's stock was a mere 4 per cent below its August 23 record after yesterday's close. Still, the crisis means Samsung will probably post its slowest pace of quarterly profit in more than a year. Just over a month ago, the South Korean conglomerate was riding high on a wave of glowing reviews for its priciest phone, coming off its best quarterly operating profit in more than two years. But after rushing to get the jump on the iPhone 7, Samsung realized some of the millions of devices it pushed out housed overheating-prone batteries, prompting airlines and regulators to ban its use. "The global perception of Samsung's brand and quality has taken a slight knock," said Neil Mawston, executive director at Strategy Analytics Inc. The Korean company will release only preliminary operating earnings and revenue this week, steering clear of divisional breakdowns before a full report card in late October. Analysts however figure the Korean company must set aside upwards of US$1 billion (RM4.1 billion) to replace about 2.5 million phones across the world. Profit is expected to have inched 3 per cent higher to 7.6 trillion won in the third quarter, while sales probably dipped 1 per cent to 51 trillion won, according to estimates compiled by Bloomberg. But six analysts surveyed by Bloomberg News have already slashed their quarterly mobile profit expectations by more than one trillion won on average. Much hinges on whether revamped Note 7s now hitting the market manage to stay out of trouble. Samsung resumed selling a modified device over the weekend, and said last week that more than 60 per cent of phones with faulty batteries had been replaced in South Korea and the US. It's looking into reports from recent Chinese customers that new phones — thought to be fault-free because they use a different battery — had burst into flames. "If further cases are spotted, consumers' mistrust will spread to other Samsung products. And that will also determine the shares as well," said Song Myung-sup, a Seoul-based analyst at HI Investment & Securities Co. Kim Hak-soon, for one, is philosophical about the way everything's turned out. The 28-year-old manager of a KT Corp store in downtown Seoul's Jonggak Station, said sales so far haven't been as bad as he'd feared. "Some still worry about the potential exploding of the newly modified phones but everything's going smoothly so far." — Bloomberg |
| Five European games to watch in World Cup qualifying Posted: 04 Oct 2016 06:34 PM PDT
Southgate leads troubled England England turn their back on the brief Sam Allardyce era as caretaker manager Gareth Southgate leads the team in a double-header of Group F matches against minnows Malta at Wembley and away to Slovenia. Allardyce left his post last week after just 67 days at the helm, departing "by mutual consent" after being caught giving advice about how to circumvent transfer rules and mocking his predecessor, Roy Hodgson, in a newspaper sting. His one game in charge ended in a 1-0 win in Slovakia, secured by a late Adam Lallana goal. Southgate, the England Under-21s coach, has recalled Manchester United duo Marcus Rashford and Jesse Lingard and confirmed that Wayne Rooney will continue as captain, describing him as "the outstanding leader in the group." Burnley defender Michael Keane has also been called up to replace Stoke City's Glen Johnson, who was ruled out through injury. A slip-up against Malta, ranked 176th in the world, is unthinkable, but Slovenia could prove sticky opponents with a squad notably containing Atletico Madrid goalkeeper Jan Oblak. England needed a late Rooney goal to win in Ljubljana in Euro 2016 qualifying. Spain seek Italy revenge Italy and Spain meet in a heavyweight clash in Turin just over three months after the Azzurri knocked the reigning champions out of Euro 2016 in the last 16 at the Stade de France. Giorgio Chiellini and Graziano Pelle scored Italy's goals that day but much has changed in the short time since. For a start, both sides now have new coaches, with Giampiero Ventura replacing Chelsea-bound Antonio Conte at the helm of Italy and Julen Lopetegui taking over from Vicente del Bosque. "Spain will be in a new state of mind and will be looking to avenge their Euro 2016 defeat to us," said Italy defender Leonardo Bonucci. "They have the best players. All you need is a look at their squad list to tell you that." Italy won 3-1 in Israel in their Group G opener last month while Spain hammered Liechtenstein 8-0. After Tomorrow's game, Spain visit Albania on Sunday while Italy go to Macedonia. France look for kick-start Didier Deschamps' France return to the Stade de France when they play Bulgaria on Friday, their first match there since losing in extra time to Portugal in the Euro 2016 final. Since that agonising defeat, Les Bleus got off to something of a false start in their World Cup qualifying campaign, drawing 0-0 away to Belarus. They could really do with a win against Bulgaria before facing their main Group A rivals, the Netherlands, in Amsterdam next Monday. Bulgaria have a new coach in Petar Hubchev, who played when they last came to France in 1993. That night, a 2-1 Bulgarian win famously denied their hosts a place at the following year's World Cup in the USA. "I've heard it spoken about but I was eight, it is quite a long time ago," said France defender Laurent Koscielny. "It's in the past." There are two new faces in the French squad in defence in the shape of Athletic Bilbao stopper Aymeric Laporte and Presnel Kimpembe of Paris Saint-Germain. Kosovo play first 'home' game Kosovo's competitive debut last month ended in a creditable 1-1 draw away to Finland, with Valon Berisha scoring their maiden World Cup goal in the Group I encounter. It was a remarkable result given that FIFA only gave their approval for a host of players to represent the Balkan outfit on the day of the game. Now Albert Bunjaki's side play their first "home" game, although they will face Croatia in the Albanian city of Shkoder because the facilities in Pristina, the Kosovan capital, are not yet deemed up to the standards of FIFA. In an extremely tough group, they follow Tomorrow's match by playing Ukraine on Sunday. That match will be played in the Polish city of Krakow. Iceland, Turkey meet again Iceland's remarkable journey to the quarter-finals of Euro 2016 started with a 3-0 home win against a stunned Turkey in Reykjavik in their opening qualifier in September 2014. Now with Heimir Hallgrimsson in sole charge after Lars Lagerback departed following the Euros, Iceland host Turkey again in World Cup qualifying Group I. Both teams drew 1-1 in their opening matches, Iceland in Ukraine and Turkey in Croatia. — AFP |
| Google releases its own smart home device to chase Amazon Posted: 04 Oct 2016 06:30 PM PDT
Yesterday, the internet search giant introduced Google Home, a voice-controlled wireless speaker that looks and acts much like the Echo. The device comes packaged with Google's digital assistant technology, a conversational interface that is becoming increasingly critical to the company as its main business, Search, adjusts to a world without screens. The speaker is integrated with other smart-home devices from Philips, Samsung and Nest, a separate division of Google parent Alphabet Inc. Google Home and the assistant are rolling out nearly two years after the Amazon Echo and its equivalent virtual assistant, Alexa, came to market. Apple Inc. is also working on a speaker device integrated with its Siri voice technology. Google hopes its advanced search and artificial-intelligence capabilities will appeal to more consumers in the nascent market for smart home gadgets. Its new device comes out alongside other products that Google designed in-house — a departure for the company, which has historically worked with hardware partners. Google has tried its own devices before, the most successful being the Chromecast media streaming stick. Google is pricing Home relatively cheaply, a strategy that helped Chromecast's popularity. The new speakers will retail for US$129 (RM535) in the US Amazon's main Echo device sells for US$179.99, while a smaller Echo Dot speaker ships for US$49.99. In addition to Google Home, Google released an upgraded version of its flagship video streaming device. The new product, Chromecast Ultra, supports TVs that stream in 4K Ultra HD over Wi-Fi networks. Chromecast Ultra will cost US$69, more than twice the price of the regular Chromecast device. — Bloomberg |
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