Archives for September 16, 2019

Motorola is making Android TVs too

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Its taking on OnePlus in India in partnership with e-commerce site FlipKart.

Shortly after smartphone company OnePlus launched a TV, rival Motorola has decided to do the same. In partnership with Indian e-commerce site FlipKart, Motorola India unveiled Motorola TV, a range of smart TVs with IPS technology in sizes ranging from 32 to 65 inches. The sets will pack in a lot of tech, including Dolby Vision and HDR 10, while running Android 9.0 and shipping with a wireless Android TV gamepad.

The lower range sets will feature 1080p screens, while 43-inch and higher screens will pack 4K tech. Motorola India pointed out that the TVs will be particularly bright and well-adapted for Bollywood films, with up to 178-degree viewing angles. For gaming and smart TV chores, they’ll have Mali 450 GPUs with 2.25 GB of RAM and 16GB of storage. As for sound, the Motorola TVs are equipped with built-in 30W soundbars with DTS Tru Sound and Dolby Audio.

It’s becoming a trend for smartphone brands to release TVs, as OnePlus, Xiaomi and now Motorola are doing it. OnePlus is due to unveil its own Smart TV this month, so Motorola effectively beat it to the punch.

There’s no word yet on whether Motorola’s TVs will come to other markets, but they’ll arrive to India on Flipkart on September 29th. The sets will start at RS 13,999 ($200) for the 32-inch model, and range up to RS 39,999 ($560) for the 55-inch model and 64,999 ($910) for the 65-inch set.

AI can gauge the risk of dying from heart conditions

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It just needs a 15-minute ECG reading.

AI’s ability to predict threats to your health could soon include deadly heart conditions. Researchers at MIT’s CSAIL have developed a machine learning system, RiskCardio, that can estimate the risk of death due to cardiovascular issues that block or reduce blood flow. All it needs is a 15-minute ECG reading — from there, it gauges the danger based on the sets of consecutive beats in the sample. If the data is captured within 15 minutes of an event, RiskCardio can determine whether or not someone will die within 30 days, or even up to a year later.

The approach is based on the notion that greater variability between heartbeats reflects greater risk. Scientists trained the machine learning system using historical data for patient outcomes. If a patient survived, their heartbeats were deemed relatively normal; if a patient died, their heart activity was considered risky. The ultimate risk score comes by averaging the prediction from each set of consecutive heartbeats.

There’s plenty of work to be done, including refining the training data to account for more ages, ethnic backgrounds and genders. It clearly needs to be accurate when mistakes could have dangerous consequences. If RiskCardio does enter service, though, it could prove vital to health care. Doctors could quickly assess a patient’s health and decide on an appropriate level of treatment. CSAIL also hopes it can help understand less-than-clear scenarios by running poorly-labeled data through the system.

Nissan envisions car-themed esports gaming chairs

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It even worked with FaZe and OpTic to design the seat concepts.

Nissan’s connection to gaming might extend beyond the occasional car in a racing sim. The automaker has joined with FaZe Clan and OpTic Gaming to design a trio of “esports gaming chairs” themed around (what else?) some of its more iconic cars. The GT-R Nismo is a “performance” chair with a thin carbon fiber shell, a racing seat shape, Nismo leather and an audio system built into the headset. The Armada chair echoes the SUV with extra-comfy lumbar support, posh leather and its own climate control. A Leaf chair, meanwhile, mimics the EV with “eco-friendly” materials and a USB charging port.

At the moment, Nissan doesn’t have plans to build the chairs. However, it’s gauging “public reaction” to the seats and recently ran a Twitter poll to see which furniture people would like the most. If that’s any indication of demand, the GT-R chair is the most popular concept by a long shot. If Nissan ever makes one of these models, that’s likely to be the one supporting your posterior during long gaming sessions.

Google may soon let you search with a screenshot

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“Smart Screenshots” would use Lens to figure out what you’ve captured.

Google might be about to do pair up two mobile screen-related features, “Edit & Share screenshots” and the AI-powered “What’s on my Screen,” according to some APK digging by 9 to 5 Google. A new feature called “Smart Screenshots,” tucked into the latest version of the Google 10.61 app, brings up an updated toolbar when you take a screenshot. As before, you get edit, share and the option to use your favorite app to send the shot, but there’s a new option with the latest version: Lens.

By selecting Lens, you can perform a search, do optical character recognition (OCR) or find visually similar items. The current annotating, cropping and sharing editing tools will likely remain as they are. It’s not yet clear whether the new Lens function will work for all screenshots or just those taken in Google Search. However, it seems likely that it will eventually become a replacement for screen search, in much the same way that Lens has taken over from other Google Assistant functions.

Stocks to Watch: BlueLinx Holdings Inc. (NYSE:BXC)

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According to the most recent SEC filings, corporate insiders at BlueLinx Holdings Inc. (NYSE:BXC) have decreased their position in the stock by 36.94% over the past 6 months. Insiders now own 3.10% of total outstanding shares.

Looking at the current landscape of the equity market, investors may be doing some bargain hunting for stocks to add to the portfolio. Many sharp investors will welcome temporary market dips which may provide plenty of buying opportunities. Being prepared for these types of opportunities can help the investor make quick decisions in the midst of a downturn. As we move closer to the close of the year, investors will be closely watching the next round of company earnings reports. Even if the individual investor chooses to trade conservatively during earnings, they can still do the necessary research and have stocks lined up to purchase when the time is right.

BlueLinx Holdings Inc. (NYSE:BXC) stands 33.53% away from its 50-day simple moving average and also 28.76% away from the 200-day average. Recently, the equity stands -25.09% away from the 52-week high and 78.92% from the 52-week low. The RSI (Relative Strength Index), an indicator that shows price strength by comparing upward and downward close-to-close movements is 78.25.

The consensus analysts recommendation at this point stands at 2.00 for BlueLinx Holdings Inc.. This is based on a 1-5 scale where 1 indicates a Strong Buy and 5 a Strong Sell. Further, analysts have a 12 month target price of $28.00 on company shares. This is according to the analysts polled by Thomson Reuters which have recently published research reports on the firm.

New traders may face many challenges when entering the stock market. One of the bigger challenges involves not repeating mistakes. As with any new endeavor, there will be a learning curve. Paying attention to historical trades can help the trader figure out where they might have gone astray. Repeating the same mistakes over and over again can lead to the demise of the trader’s confidence and hard earned money. Traders who are able to move forward and learn from previous errors may find themselves making much better decisions in the future.

Stocks to Watch: Mallinckrodt plc

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As of the latest SEC filings, insiders at Mallinckrodt plc (NYSE:MNK) have decreased their position in the stock by 0.67% over the past 6 months..  Insiders now own 1.50% of total outstanding shares.

The direction of stock market moves in the short-term are highly unpredictable. Many investors will be tempted to ride the wave whether the trend is buying or selling. Fearful investors may make hasty decisions such as panic buying or selling. Investors may feel compelled to buy stocks after a major run higher. This can be related to the fear or missing out. On the other end, investors may be quick to sell quality stocks when the market is in the midst of a broad sell-off. This behavior often translates into falling into the trap of buying high and selling low. 

TECHNICAL INDICATORS

Mallinckrodt plc (NYSE:MNK) stands -40.65% away from its 50-day simple moving average and also -77.91% away from the 200-day average.  Recently, the equity stands -89.85% away from the 52-week high and 130.77% from the 52-week low.  The RSI (Relative Strength Index), an indicator that shows price strength by comparing upward and downward close-to-close movements is 44.15.

RECOMMENDATIONS

The consensus analysts recommendation at this point stands at 3.10 for Mallinckrodt plc.  This is based on a 1-5 scale where 1 indicates a Strong Buy and 5 a Strong Sell. Further, analysts have a 12 month target price of $5.56 on company shares.  This is according to the analysts polled by Thomson Reuters which have recently published research reports on the firm. 

One of the biggest mistakes that can plague the individual investor is not setting up an overall investment plan. Investors may want to start out be setting up an outline of overall goals. Having goals can eventually make the day to day investing decisions at little bit easier over time. Once a plan is in place, investors can then spend more time focusing on the proper stocks to add to the portfolio. Dedicating time for extensive stock research may not be easy, but it may put the investor in a better position. Some investors will go to greater lengths, such as making sure that they have a good reason behind every buy or sell decision. This process may seem unnecessary to some, but it may help the investor stay focused when the market gets choppy and tough decisions need to be made.