October 13, 2023

IN THIS ISSUE

⌚️ Polar unveils powerful Vantage V3 smartwatch

🌆 Google adds AI image creation to Search

📱 How good is the iPhone 15 Pro Max camera?

UP FIRST

Polar's new smartwatch could be a Fitbit and Garmin killer

Aimed at athletes as well as everyday users, the new watch looks set to stand out among rival devices

Polar has unveiled the Vantage V3 smartwatch in the device’s first refresh in three years.

Features of the new smartwatch include advanced biosensing technology, called Polar Elixir, which measures cardiovascular activity, bloody oxygen, and body temperature variations, translating it into digital data and insights using science-backed algorithms.

The new watch uses a high-resolution AMOLED touchscreen that’s been brought closer to the edges, offering a 35% increased viewable area over its predecessor.

It also includes dual-frequency GPS for more precise location tracking and, for the first time, offline maps, ideal for runners who like to hit the trails.

The Vantage V3 is available for preorder for $600 in three colors: night black, sky blue, and sunrise apricot. It can also be purchased together with Polar’s H10 heart rate monitor for $650 ...

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

Google brings AI-powered image generation to Search

For now, you need to sign up via Google Search Labs to use the feature

Google had already been hard at work folding in some of its generative AI features into Search, and its latest update enables you to create original images from text prompts.

There are already services that let you create images simply by typing in a description of what you want, but by adding the feature to Search, Google makes the process a whole lot more convenient – and it means you’re more likely to stay on its site.

The tool could come in useful when you’re looking for a specific image but can’t find exactly what you have in mind, according to Google, or when you have an idea that you need help visualizing.

As you’d expect, Google's AI image generator is very creative. The image above shows what appears if you pop a prompt into the search box such as: “Draw a picture of a capybara wearing a chef’s hat and cooking breakfast.”

SMARTPHONE CAMERAS

Is the iPhone 15 Pro Max camera as good as Apple says?

As usual, Apple claims its latest iPhone camera is better than ever, but how does it compare to the one on last year's model?

Apple made much of the camera system on the iPhone 15 Pro Max when it launched the handset last month.

Of course, if you fork out $1,199 for the new iPhone, the camera had better be good, and hopefully a marked improvement on the one it replaces.

One notable addition is the periscope lens that offers a more powerful optical telephoto zoom, a first for an iPhone, and a feature that Apple reserved for the Max model only.

But there’s way more to examine when it comes to finding out just how good the camera is on Apple’s priciest phone.

Digital Trends went hands-on with the iPhone 15 Pro Max to thoroughly test the camera to see how it performs against last year's Pro model.

Read on to find out where the new camera’s strengths lie, and whether it sometimes falls short ...

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