Tech Digest daily roundup: Could Samsung launch tri-fold phone?
Handsets like the Galaxy Z Fold 3 (above) and the Galaxy Z Flip 3 show that Samsung has mastered the art of making folding smartphones, and it now seems ready to add another fold to the mix, based on a recently published patent. As spotted by LetsGoDigital, the patent outlines a device with three separate display parts that combine to form one giant screen. The device folds up in Z shape, so when everything is closed up, one display panel is still visible as a screen. To make this work, Samsung is using two different hinges, as the documentation shows: one folds inwards, as on the Galaxy Z Fold 3, and one folds outwards, as we saw with the Huawei Mate X (where the main screen stays on the outside of the phone). Tech Radar
In the next 12 months, Britain is expected to make a remarkable aerospace breakthrough. For the first time, a satellite will be fired into orbit from a launch pad in the United Kingdom. It will be a historic moment – though exactly where this grand adventure will begin is not yet clear. A series of fledgling operations, backed by the UK Space Agency, are now competing to be the first to launch a satellite from British soil. One is based in Cornwall, where a Virgin Orbit jumbo jet is set to carry a LauncherOne rocket to a height of 35,000 feet, where it will then be fired to propel its satellite cargo into orbit. The first flight is scheduled for late summer. Guardian
For the first time, TikTok had surpassed Facebook and Google as the most popular destination on the internet, according to a technology firm that tracks online activity. In an analysis of web traffic this year, storage software company Cloudflare found that TikTok was the most visited website and most widely used social media platform. Cloudflare’s ranking is based on how much web traffic a site generated in 2021. Chinese startup ByteDance launched TikTok in 2016. CBS News
Suppliers to government contracts should show videos in standard definition rather than HD to help fight climate change, ministers have said. Guidance published by the Cabinet Office encourages suppliers to cut down on energy consumption by limiting their use of multimedia such as photos and videos, and using the leaner HTML file format rather than PDF documents when sharing information. It asks contractors to “choose multimedia formats that use less energy, such as standard definition rather than high definition videos”. The guidance was added as a new “sustainability” requirement to the Government’s Technology Code of Practice, which advises departments on how to purchase and use technology. BBC
Ferrari (RACE.MI) has signed a multi-year accord with Swiss technology firm Velas Network to create digital content for its fans, the luxury sports car maker said on Monday. From next season, Velas, a provider of digital products and services, will become a partner of Ferrari’s Formula 1 racing team. “In addition, Velas will be Title Sponsor of the Ferrari Esports Series, the online mono-brand series of the Prancing Horse, and of the Esports team that will compete in the F1 Esports Series, the official digital championship competed in by all teams participating in the FIA Formula 1 World Championship,” Ferrari said in a statement. Reuters
Amazon, Facebook and Twitter are among firms to announce that they will not send teams to the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), due to take place in Las Vegas in January. It comes as concerns grow about the spread of the Omicron variant of Covid-19. Attendees will need to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19, and the organisers recommend a test before departing for Las Vegas, as well as within 24 hours of entering one of the venues. BBC
