Alongside the Pixel 8 and Android 14, Google today launched the new Pixel Watch 2 — a $350 second-gen smartwatch featuring a faster processor, overhauled sensor array, and longer battery life. The Verge reports: At a glance, the main difference is that the screen sits flush with the digital crown, where the original had a slight cutout. Another change imperceptible to the naked eye: the body is now made of 100 percent recycled aluminum instead of stainless steel. The result is a slightly lighter watch, but not by much. The Pixel Watch weighed 36 grams, while the Pixel Watch 2 is 31g. That’s a bit disappointing, considering the Watch 2’s price remains the same as last year. We’re looking at the same 41mm case size and OLED display on top. But flip the watch over, and you’ll find a completely different sensor array. Instead of a single line of LEDs, there are now multiple LEDs and photodiodes to take measurements from several angles and positions. That then feeds into an algorithm that Fitbit CEO James Park says is 40 percent more accurate for vigorous activities.

This year, Google also added a skin temperature and continuous electrodermal activity (EDA) sensor. Both help enable proactive stress tracking, which Fitbit introduced with its Sense 2. The EDA sensor detects minuscule amounts of sweat, which can help determine bodily stress when combined with metrics like heart rate variability, heart rate, and skin temperature. As with the Sense 2, you’re supposed to get a slightly delayed notification when a stressful event has been detected. You’re then encouraged to log how that event made you feel. Battery life was a major pain point when the Pixel Watch first launched. Park acknowledges that you couldn’t use the always-on display on the first-gen watch if you wanted that 24-hour battery life. This time around, he says that the team has worked hard to make sure the Pixel Watch 2’s 306mAh battery can get 24 hours with the always-on display enabled. Users should also be able to get a 50 percent charge in 30 minutes and a full day’s worth in 75 minutes. Helping that should be Wear OS 4 — which Google says ought to extend battery life — and the new, more power-efficient Qualcomm Snapdragon W5 processor. (Speaking of Wear OS 4, Google says that, at first, it’ll be exclusive to Pixel Watch 2.) Other features include the ability to automatically record workouts and do heart rate zone training; a new Safety Check feature that will alert your loved ones of your location after a preset timer expires (e.g. taking an Uber across town or going on a late-night walk); and support for Google services like Gmail, Google Wallet, and Calendar.

You can learn more about the Pixel Watch 2 here.

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Source: Slashdot – The Pixel Watch 2 Adds New Sensors, Longer Battery Life, and Better Accuracy

Major fossil fuel companies have committed tens of millions of pounds in funding to UK universities since 2022, it can be revealed, despite many of these institutions having actively pledged to divest from oil and gas. From a report: According to freedom of information requests submitted by the climate journalism site DeSmog, more than $50m in research agreements, tuition fees, scholarships, grants and consultancy fees have been pledged to 44 UK universities by 32 oil, coal and gas companies since 2022. The largest contributors were Shell, the Malaysian state-owned oil company Petronas, and BP. These three companies account for more than 76% of the total figure awarded, having given $25.5m, $6.30m and $5.94m respectively.

A further 10 companies made up nearly 21% of the remaining contributions during this period: Sinopec, Equinor, BHP Group, Total Energies, Eni SPA, Saudi Aramco, ExxonMobil, Scottish Power, Kellas Midstream and Ithaca Energy. Previous reporting from openDemocracy and the Guardian found that between 2017 and December 2021, $108.1m in funding was given to UK universities by some of the world’s biggest fossil fuel companies. These partnerships have shown no sign of abating, and DeSmog’s research shows an additional $50m has been pledged since 2022, even after 102 higher education institutions promised to stop taking funding from the fossil fuel industry.

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Source: Slashdot – UK Universities Take Million in Fossil Fuel Funding Since 2022

A notorious group of hackers blamed for recent breaches on major casino companies is also suspected of being behind a recent cyberattack against Clorox that has led to a nationwide shortage of its cleaning products. Bloomberg News: Officials suspect that “Scattered Spider” is responsible for a breach that Clorox first disclosed in August, according to four people familiar with the situation, who asked not to be identified because the information isn’t public. The same group, known for its so-called social engineering tactics, was tied to attacks on Caesars Entertainment and MGM Resorts International in recent weeks, Bloomberg News previously reported.

Scattered Spider hackers specialize in targeting call centers and IT help desks, impersonating employees to trick support staff into coughing up information to gain access to accounts. The fallout from their recent attacks has been profound. At MGM properties, guests couldn’t charge purchases to their rooms, slot machines were shut down and reservation websites weren’t working. The impact on Clorox was arguably much worse. The company didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment. On Friday, Clorox indicated that it was still working to recover from the disruption. “We are ramping up production and working to restock trade inventories,” the company said in a statement. “We are focusing on maximizing shipments and restocking trade inventories.”

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Source: Slashdot – Clorox Security Breach Linked to Group Behind Casino Hacks

The Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded on Wednesday to Moungi G. Bawendi, Louis E. Brus and Alexei I. Ekimov for being pioneers of the nanoworld. The new laureates discovered and developed quantum dots, semiconductors made of particles squeezed so small that their electrons barely have room to breathe. From a report: “For a long time, nobody thought you could ever actually make such small particles,” Johan Aqvist, the chair of the Academy’s Nobel committee for chemistry, said at the news conference announcing the 2023 laureates. Presenting the topic with five colorful flasks lined up in front of him, which he said contained quantum dots in a liquid solution, he said: “But this year’s laureates succeeded.”

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Source: Slashdot – Nobel Prize in Chemistry Awarded To 3 Scientists for Exploring the Nanoworld