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Samsung CES 2023 TV Announcement

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Samsung CES 2023 is officially underway, and Samsung is among the first brands to shed some light on the future of its TV lineup.

As is usually the case, product names, pricing, and specs have only partially been disclosed. But here’s a quick rundown of what we know, so far.

MicroLED CX

Last year at CES, Samsung unveiled a room-dominating 89-inch version of this TV to exist alongside its 99 and 110-inch MicroLED offerings. This week, Samsung officially announced a smaller, more consumer-friendly 76-inch option: the MicroLED CX.

But the CX is only “consumer-friendly” in the sense that its size is below 89 inches. In the past, these ultra-premium TVs have cost over $100,000 and required professional installation. The 76-inch CX will likely be more affordable, but still prohibitively pricey for most shoppers.

So, why all the hubbub? Well, MicroLED has long since been seen as the next big “thing” in the LED TV space. They feature modular blocks of tiny LEDs—even smaller than those found in a mini-LED TV. With millions of LEDs in play, the black levels of these TVs rival OLEDs, all the while getting as bright as some of the best LED TVs on the market.

A mind-bogglingly expensive, 76-inch TV may not seem like much to celebrate, but the CX is a marvel of engineering; it’s incredibly difficult to scale this technology down to commercial-friendly sizes like 55 or even 65 inches. The CX is the next step toward a possible future where MicroLED technology reigns supreme.

A brand new QD-OLED TV

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Samsung
The next generation of Samsung QD-OLED will be available in a 77-inch model.

Last year, the Samsung S95B blew us away by blending the benefits of a traditional OLED display with quantum dot technology. Its perfect black levels, dazzling color, and class-leading brightness amounted to one of the best pictures we’ve ever seen on a TV. This year, Samsung is bringing QD-OLED technology back with the S95C, and according to Samsung, it’s even brighter than last year’s QD-OLED TV.

Additionally, while last year’s model was limited to just two size options (55 and 65 inches), the S95C will be available in an additional 77-inch model. It’ll sport a 144Hz gaming refresh rate and AMD FreeSync Premium Pro certification, building on the gaming strengths of its predecessor.

Neo QLED TVs

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Samsung
The Samsung QN95C is the company’s 4K Neo QLED flagship for 2023.

Samsung described the 4K Neo QLED family of TVs as being the backbone of its TV lineup this year, as their performance makes them suitable for all lighting conditions. Historically, Samsung’s Neo QLED TVs have offered a tremendously bright, color picture capable of cutting through sunlight or intense ambient light. At CES, Samsung unveiled the next generation of Neo QLED offerings, including the QN95C, the QN800C, and the QN900C (the latter two being 8K sets).

Neo QLED combines mini-LED backlighting with brightness- and color-boosting quantum dots. The result is a searingly bright picture with excellent contrast control—two things we’re hoping to see from these new TVs.

Samsung Health Monitor

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Samsung
With Samsung Health Monitor, a slim camera connected to a supported TV will track various aspects of your health in real time.

One of the more surprising announcements from Samsung this year wasn’t a TV at all. Samsung’s Health Monitor is making its way to a selection of Samsung smart TVs in 2023, including the QN95C.

Health Monitor is an easy-to-use, in-home health management app that uses a TV-connected webcam to track heart rate, respiratory rate, oxygen saturation, and more—all while you’re watching TV. According to Samsung, the system uses something called remote photoplethysmography (rPPG), an “intelligent camera/computer vision technology that estimates vital signs by detecting changes in facial skin color caused by heartbeats.” It’s described as an easy, fuss-free way to monitor your health from home, and it’s entirely optional.

Samsung already confirmed that its 4K, Neo QLED flagship, the QN95C, will ship with the slim fit camera required to take advantage of Health Monitor. It’s not yet clear if any additional models will ship with a camera.


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Here is how to prepare your online accounts for when you die

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LONDON (AP) — Most people have accumulated a pile of data — selfies, emails, videos and more — on their social media and digital accounts over their lifetimes. What happens to it when we die?

It’s wise to draft a will spelling out who inherits your physical assets after you’re gone, but don’t forget to take care of your digital estate too. Friends and family might treasure files and posts you’ve left behind, but they could get lost in digital purgatory after you pass away unless you take some simple steps.

Here’s how you can prepare your digital life for your survivors:

Apple

The iPhone maker lets you nominate a “ legacy contact ” who can access your Apple account’s data after you die. The company says it’s a secure way to give trusted people access to photos, files and messages. To set it up you’ll need an Apple device with a fairly recent operating system — iPhones and iPads need iOS or iPadOS 15.2 and MacBooks needs macOS Monterey 12.1.

For iPhones, go to settings, tap Sign-in & Security and then Legacy Contact. You can name one or more people, and they don’t need an Apple ID or device.

You’ll have to share an access key with your contact. It can be a digital version sent electronically, or you can print a copy or save it as a screenshot or PDF.

Take note that there are some types of files you won’t be able to pass on — including digital rights-protected music, movies and passwords stored in Apple’s password manager. Legacy contacts can only access a deceased user’s account for three years before Apple deletes the account.

Google

Google takes a different approach with its Inactive Account Manager, which allows you to share your data with someone if it notices that you’ve stopped using your account.

When setting it up, you need to decide how long Google should wait — from three to 18 months — before considering your account inactive. Once that time is up, Google can notify up to 10 people.

You can write a message informing them you’ve stopped using the account, and, optionally, include a link to download your data. You can choose what types of data they can access — including emails, photos, calendar entries and YouTube videos.

There’s also an option to automatically delete your account after three months of inactivity, so your contacts will have to download any data before that deadline.

Facebook and Instagram

Some social media platforms can preserve accounts for people who have died so that friends and family can honor their memories.

When users of Facebook or Instagram die, parent company Meta says it can memorialize the account if it gets a “valid request” from a friend or family member. Requests can be submitted through an online form.

The social media company strongly recommends Facebook users add a legacy contact to look after their memorial accounts. Legacy contacts can do things like respond to new friend requests and update pinned posts, but they can’t read private messages or remove or alter previous posts. You can only choose one person, who also has to have a Facebook account.

You can also ask Facebook or Instagram to delete a deceased user’s account if you’re a close family member or an executor. You’ll need to send in documents like a death certificate.

TikTok

The video-sharing platform says that if a user has died, people can submit a request to memorialize the account through the settings menu. Go to the Report a Problem section, then Account and profile, then Manage account, where you can report a deceased user.

Once an account has been memorialized, it will be labeled “Remembering.” No one will be able to log into the account, which prevents anyone from editing the profile or using the account to post new content or send messages.

X

It’s not possible to nominate a legacy contact on Elon Musk’s social media site. But family members or an authorized person can submit a request to deactivate a deceased user’s account.

Passwords

Besides the major online services, you’ll probably have dozens if not hundreds of other digital accounts that your survivors might need to access. You could just write all your login credentials down in a notebook and put it somewhere safe. But making a physical copy presents its own vulnerabilities. What if you lose track of it? What if someone finds it?

Instead, consider a password manager that has an emergency access feature. Password managers are digital vaults that you can use to store all your credentials. Some, like Keeper,Bitwarden and NordPass, allow users to nominate one or more trusted contacts who can access their keys in case of an emergency such as a death.

But there are a few catches: Those contacts also need to use the same password manager and you might have to pay for the service.

___

Is there a tech challenge you need help figuring out? Write to us at onetechtip@ap.org with your questions.

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Google’s partnership with AI startup Anthropic faces a UK competition investigation

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LONDON (AP) — Britain’s competition watchdog said Thursday it’s opening a formal investigation into Google’s partnership with artificial intelligence startup Anthropic.

The Competition and Markets Authority said it has “sufficient information” to launch an initial probe after it sought input earlier this year on whether the deal would stifle competition.

The CMA has until Dec. 19 to decide whether to approve the deal or escalate its investigation.

“Google is committed to building the most open and innovative AI ecosystem in the world,” the company said. “Anthropic is free to use multiple cloud providers and does, and we don’t demand exclusive tech rights.”

San Francisco-based Anthropic was founded in 2021 by siblings Dario and Daniela Amodei, who previously worked at ChatGPT maker OpenAI. The company has focused on increasing the safety and reliability of AI models. Google reportedly agreed last year to make a multibillion-dollar investment in Anthropic, which has a popular chatbot named Claude.

Anthropic said it’s cooperating with the regulator and will provide “the complete picture about Google’s investment and our commercial collaboration.”

“We are an independent company and none of our strategic partnerships or investor relationships diminish the independence of our corporate governance or our freedom to partner with others,” it said in a statement.

The U.K. regulator has been scrutinizing a raft of AI deals as investment money floods into the industry to capitalize on the artificial intelligence boom. Last month it cleared Anthropic’s $4 billion deal with Amazon and it has also signed off on Microsoft’s deals with two other AI startups, Inflection and Mistral.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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Kuwait bans ‘Call of Duty: Black Ops 6’ video game, likely over it featuring Saddam Hussein in 1990s

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DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — The tiny Mideast nation of Kuwait has banned the release of the video game “Call of Duty: Black Ops 6,” which features the late Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein and is set in part in the 1990s Gulf War.

Kuwait has not publicly acknowledged banning the game, which is a tentpole product for the Microsoft-owned developer Activision and is set to be released on Friday worldwide. However, it comes as Kuwait still wrestles with the aftermath of the invasion and as video game makers more broadly deal with addressing historical and cultural issues in their work.

The video game, a first-person shooter, follows CIA operators fighting at times in the United States and also in the Middle East. Game-play trailers for the game show burning oilfields, a painful reminder for Kuwaitis who saw Iraqis set fire to the fields, causing vast ecological and economic damage. Iraqi troops damaged or set fire to over 700 wells.

There also are images of Saddam and Iraq’s old three-star flag in the footage released by developers ahead of the game’s launch. The game’s multiplayer section, a popular feature of the series, includes what appears to be a desert shootout in Kuwait called Scud after the Soviet missiles Saddam fired in the war. Another is called Babylon, after the ancient city in Iraq.

Activision acknowledged in a statement that the game “has not been approved for release in Kuwait,” but did not elaborate.

“All pre-orders in Kuwait will be cancelled and refunded to the original point of purchase,” the company said. “We remain hopeful that local authorities will reconsider, and allow players in Kuwait to enjoy this all-new experience in the Black Ops series.”

Kuwait’s Media Ministry did not respond to requests for comment from The Associated Press over the decision.

“Call of Duty,” which first began in 2003 as a first-person shooter set in World War II, has expanded into an empire worth billions of dollars now owned by Microsoft. But it also has been controversial as its gameplay entered the realm of geopolitics. China and Russia both banned chapters in the franchise. In 2009, an entry in the gaming franchise allowed players to take part in a militant attack at a Russian airport, killing civilians.

But there have been other games recently that won praise for their handling of the Mideast. Ubisoft’s “Assassin’s Creed: Mirage” published last year won praise for its portrayal of Baghdad during the Islamic Golden Age in the 9th century.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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