Today we explore all the top tech stories yesterday to keep you updated about everything in the industry.
OnWardMobility to release another BlackBerry-branded device
BlackBerry, the company that popularized the qwerty button smartphone back in the early 2000s is back at it again with the new smartphone despite not being originally from the BlackBerry Limited as the brand’s mobile division had been licensed to numerous companies among which is a new security startup OnWardMobility which announced it’s plan to release a new 5G BlackBerry smartphone while retaining the iconic qwerty keyboards which could arrive by the first half of the year 2021.
While BlackBerry devices might had nose-dived since the likes of Samsung and Apple had dominated the mobile market, there might still be a chance for the brand numerous companies which had given BlackBerry a trial ended up dropping it off such as TCL which stopped it’s own BlackBerry branded devices back in February.
OnWardMobility might just want to give it a trial to see if the brand can still make it in the over-crowded smartphone market today.
OnwardMobility CEO Peter Franklin says the newest Blackberry will be both sleek and secure. The company plans to work closely with BlackBerry and FIH Mobile Limited, a subsidiary of Foxconn Technology Group.
“BlackBerry is thrilled OnwardMobility will deliver a BlackBerry 5G smartphone device with physical keyboard leveraging our high standards of trust and security synonymous with our brand,” BlackBerry CEO John Chen said in a statement.
Google Mps to the rescue in detecting Wildfire
There was a serious wildfire in some part of the state of California and Colorado but the search giant Google had developed a new tool which will help people to stay informed and safe. The company released a system that will help people that search queries for information about the fires to show them the fire boundaries.
The Google Maps system will now be able to show wildfire boundaries to those who are attempting to enjoy the summer near places that might be too close to the wildfire as it will be providing them with warnings and ambient alerts as soon as anyone approaches those areas.
But here’s the most important part: That crucial fire map information is being updated hourly. To make sure people get the most accurate view possible, Google has been using its Google Earth Engine’s analytics tools to monitor imagery provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s four GOES satellites. Those satellites can’t directly “see” the flames, but they can see the prodigious plumes of smoke those flames produce, along with the sizable thermal hotspots that signify areas of intense fire activity.
Stimulus check of about US$1200 could still be possible
Both the Democrats and Republican government officials in the US had both agreed that on some conditions, the stimulus check should be paid to Americans for the COVID-19 relief.
“Federal support is crucial,” Michael Gapen, the lead US economist for Barclays, told New York Times. “The longer negotiations stall, the more likely there will be a hiccup in spending.” Gapen added that it will be “okay” if a deal can be finalized by September.
“If the economy has to wait until to the end of September, it will come to a virtual standstill between now and then, and [be] vulnerable to anything else that goes wrong,” Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Analytics, told Bloomberg. “And given that we are in the middle of a pandemic, there is a lot that can go wrong.”
But a final agreement need to be reached between both the Reps and Dems in order to determine how soon you could get the stimulus check. But there are some factors that will affect how soon you could get this or if you’ll be entitled at all to it.
NASA working to track ISS air leak
Homo sapien Astronauts orbiting the earth in the International Space Station (ISS) are facing a persistent air leak on the space station but NASA are said to be on the look out to detect what it is and stop the leak.
While an air leak in space sounds worrisome, NASA isn’t fretting it. “The leak is still within segment specifications and presents no immediate danger to the crew or the space station,” NASA said in a statement on Thursday.
At least we’ll be glad if they resolve this as soon as possible in order to keep everyone’s mind at rest after all. Experts believes that a little bit of air leakage can be normal and won’t need to be freaked out on. “In September 2019, NASA and its international partners first saw indications of a slight increase above the standard cabin air leak rate,” the agency said. A further increase in that rate has triggered new measures to hunt down the source so it can potentially be repaired.
