AirSlim, Samsung Galaxy A8, Oppo F5, iPhone Production Improvement

AirSim: Microsoft's open-source AI simulator now available for self-driving vehicles

Microsoft's "AirSim" (Aerial Informatics and Robotics) Artificial Intelligence-based research project now includes car simulation which will further help advance the research and development of self-driving vehicles.

Earlier this year, Microsoft open-sourced "AirSim", a high-fidelity system, for testing the safety of artificial intelligence systems.

AirSim provides realistic environments, vehicle dynamics and sensing for research into how autonomous vehicles that use AI that can operate safely in the open world.

"The updated version of AirSim also includes additional tools for testing airborne vehicles.

We have made it easier for people to simulate flying drones by adding a built-in flight controller, called simple_flight, that simplifies the setup process," Shital Shah, Principal Research Software Engineer at Microsoft, posted.

"This allows rapid experimentation with control and state estimation algorithms without requiring expensive debugging and development in the embedded world," she added.

According to Ashish Kapoor, Principal Researcher at Microsoft, the latest AirSim version is available now on GitHub as an open-source, cross-platform offering.

"The new version of AirSim includes car simulations, new environments, APIs to ease programming and ready-to-run scripts to jump start your research," Kapoor posted.

AirSim comes with a detailed 3D urban environment that includes a variety of diverse conditions, including traffic lights, parks, lakes and construction sites. Users can test their systems in several types of neighbourhoods, including downtown, semi-urban, vegetation and industrial environments.

The simulation contains more than 12 kms of drivable roads spanning more than 20 city blocks. AirSim has been developed as a plugin for "Unreal Engine", a popular tool for game development.

It means that the car simulation is decoupled from the environment it runs in.

"You can create an environment for your specific needs, such as a city or rural road, or choose from a variety of environments available online, and then simply drop in the AirSim plugin to test your self-driving algorithms in that environment," Shah informed.

AirSim extensibility also allows researchers and developers to incorporate new sensors, vehicles or even use different physics engines. In future releases, Microsoft aims to add new sensors, better vehicle physics, weather modeling and even more detailed realistic environments.

Samsung Galaxy A8 (2018) front panel images leaked, reveal bezel-less design with dual front camera setup

Leaked front panel images of Samsung's alleged Galaxy A8 (2018) smartphone suggests that it will sport a bezel-less design, similar to the Galaxy S8 series. GizChina posted the images which also reveal that the smartphone will come with a dual front-facing camera setup. Samsung launched the Galaxy A8 smartphone back in 2015 but the company didn't refresh the lineup in subsequent years.

Samsung is also expected to launch the Galaxy A series smartphones early next year. The Galaxy A5 (2018) and the Galaxy A7 (2018) smartphones are also expected to launch next year. The devices are expected to sport larger displays with a taller 18:9 aspect ratio.

The devices are tipped to sport a 5.5-inch and 6-inch Full HD displays respectively, which is larger than the current 5.2-inch and 5.7-inch display on the devices. The smartphones are expected to support Always on Display feature.

Both the Galaxy A5 (2018) and the Galaxy A7 (2018) smartphones are rumoured to be launched in two chipset variants. They could be powered by the Samsung Exynos 7885 chipset for some markets and could come with the Snapdragon 660 SoC for some others. Similar to the galaxy A8 , the Galaxy A5 and Galaxy A7 mobile phones are expected to come with a dual selfie camera setup and rear placed fingerprint sensors.

A previous report also reiterates the rumour that the Samsung Galaxy A (2018) series will adopt the infinity display design of Samsung's Galaxy S8. The report showed leaked case images of the Samsung Galaxy A5 (2018) smartphone which suggests that the company will include a dedicated Bixby button on the left side of the device. The smartphone has been reported to have already received FCC certification.

OPPO F5 With AI Selfie Technology In India At Rs 24,990

Chinese handset maker OPPO on Monday unveiled its flagship smartphone F5 in India at Rs 24,990 that comes with Artificial Intelligence(AI)-enabled selfie technology.

Available in red and black, this is the first phone to come with 6GB RAM in this price segment, the company said in a statement.

"We are excited to announce this collaboration with Vogue on their 10th anniversary for the OPPO F5 6GB 'Red Edition' for all the fashion divas who love taking selfies and capture precious moments," said Will Yang, Brand Director, OPPO India.

The device sports technology which is designed to personalise beautification of subjects while taking a selfie.

With over 200 facial recognition spots, F5 6GB variant can distinguish users' facial features from skin tone and type, gender and age.

The device has 6-inch FHD full-screen display with 18:9 aspect ratio that offers an immersive viewing expeience.

iPhone X production improving rapidly, will arrive in markets sooner than expected

AfterApple launched iPhone X earlier this year, it was widely reported that there would be a delay in the shipment of iPhone X units due to some production issue. Some analysts even predicted that Apple wouldn't be able to meet demands well into 2018. But Apple has turned to accelerating the production of the iPhone X.

If you're eagerly waiting to buy Apple's iPhone X, but annoyed with the Apple's shipment delays, here's some good news. KGI's Ming-Chi Kuo comes with an interesting report about the iPhone demand and supply.

According to the repor, Apple's supply chain has stepped up its strategy for iPhone X production.

Foxconn's iPhone X factories are reportedly working hard to produce 450,000-550,000 units daily, instead of the 50,000- 150,000 units from just a few months ago.

Parts suppliers are also ramping up production, with Career's LTE antenna seeing 100 percent month-on-month growth and the Dot projection module from Sharp and LG hitting 80-90 percent production yield.

As per Mac Rumors, in the fourth calendar quarter, the iPhone X is expected to see 10-20 percent higher shipments due to improved production rates. Kuo is predicting that iPhone X shipments in the first quarter of 2018 will be flat or slightly lower compared to the fourth quarter.

Meanwhile, analysts from Morgan Stanley say Apple in 2018 could sell upwards of 262 million iPhones, a significant jump from the current record which is 231.2 million units in 2015.

This means if you order the iPhone X from Apple's Online Store, you will receive it within one or two weeks, down from five or six weeks of delay seen immediately after pre-orders began.

Moreover, Apple stores will continue to get regular shipments, so it's easier to get your hands on the device in the crucial holiday shopping season.