"Towards the back end of last season, we had a new manager bounce which really aided us in results. "We were also assisted in three young loanees from the EFL who are no longer here of course. "Searle’s recruitment in the summer was particularly poor, hence why we’ve made many mid season signings and have a huge squad size! "We’ve been left completely in the mire when it comes to team selection and the obvious one, we’re on our third manager of the season already! "Players aren’t settled in the slightest with constant changes in tactics and style. "There’s been no change since Searle left, Watling was just as poor. "There’s many issues, too many to list. "But the few key ones have been our style of play, we completely lack any identity as Harry Watling changed tactics and styles practically every game. "We’ve also been very defensively poor, we’ve already shipped 54 goals this season and that’s down mainly to pace at the back. "Previously mentioned, actions in the market, too many one month loanees, poor summer recruitment, which now leaves us with a big squad. "And more recently, the squad's been hit with some form of illness, that’s affected most if not all players, which again impacts selection heavily." Do you feel you have any chance of staying up? "Our chances are of course very slim, it’s Christmas and we’ve not even broken the double figure mark in points. "If we need any chance then we need to get the players fighting for the badge and for the club, as players have looked to not care at times. "There needs to be fight and passion and a willing to stay up, like there was last season. How are the fans meant to believe if the players don’t? "Wes has been inconsistent, he’s had a few good performances, one notably at Forest Green coming to mind. "He looks comfy on the ball and he’s got a bit of energy about him, but tends to go for very risky passes, costing us possession, he’s also not really shown much defensive determination or desire, again being costly when being on the back foot. "No suspensions to note, like I said there’s a bit of a virus going round, which players are affected is unclear, also unclear whether it’s passed or not. "Jack Wakely is injured, Lewis Page, Luke O’Neill and Ben Chapman are returning from injury and may be unlikely to feature."
NEW YORK (AP) — A ransomware attack that hit a major software provider last week caused disruptions for a handful of companies over recent days, from Starbucks to U.K. grocery giant Morrisons. Blue Yonder, which provides supply chain technology to a range of brands worldwide, said that it experienced disruptions to services it manages for customers on Thursday, which the third-party software supplier determined to be "the result of a ransomware incident.” Some systems went offline, impacting clients using Blue Yonder's software. A spokesperson for Starbucks, for example, said that the chain's ability to manage barista schedules and track hours was disrupted — meaning store leaders across North America are currently being instructed to use manual workarounds. Starbucks maintained that the outage is not impacting how customers are served and that ensuring workers get paid for all hours worked is a top priority. While the company continues to work towards full recovery, the spokesperson added that Starbucks was able to process payroll again as of Tuesday morning. Two of the U.K.'s biggest grocers, Morrisons and Sainsbury's, were also affected — with both telling CNN over the weekend that they had turned to contingency plans to keep operations flowing. A spokesperson for Morrisons confirmed to The Associated Press that the outage “impacted our warehouse management systems for fresh and produce” and that it was continuing to operate on back up systems Tuesday. Sainsbury's, meanwhile, said Tuesday that its service was restored. Blue Yonder declined to disclose how many of its customers were impacted by the hack. In a statement sent to the AP, a spokesperson maintained that it had notified “relevant customers” and would continue to communicate as needed. The spokesperson also maintained that recovery efforts were still underway — noting that Blue Yonder "has been working diligently together with external cybersecurity firms to make progress,” including the implementation of several defensive and forensic protocols. Blue Yonder's website touts an extensive global roster of customers — including Gap, Ford and Walgreens. Walgreens and Gap were not impacted following the ransomware attack, spokespeople for the companies said. Ford shared that it was investigating whether the incident affected its operations earlier this week, but had no further updates when reached Tuesday. Blue Yonder, based in Arizona, is a subsidiary of Japan’s Panasonic Corp. Panasonic acquired the supply chain software firm in September 2021.
NVIDIA’s Next-Gen Gaming Revolution The gaming world is buzzing with anticipation as NVIDIA prepares to unveil its next-generation GeForce RTX 50 “Blackwell” series at CES 2025. January 2025 will mark the beginning of this exciting launch, with the highly anticipated GeForce RTX 5080 leading the charge. Groundbreaking Performance Awaits In a bold move, NVIDIA is set to release the RTX 5080 with 16 GB of GDDR7 memory at blazing speeds of up to 32 Gbps right after its CES reveal. This strategic decision appears to be a response to the immense success of previous 80-tier GPUs. The RTX 4080, while overshadowed by its 4090 sibling, set a precedent that NVIDIA is keen to replicate, positioning the RTX 5080 as the first offering to hit retail shelves. Flagship RTX 5090 Close Behind Enthusiasts won’t have long to wait for the flagship RTX 5090 either. Expected to debut a few weeks after the RTX 5080, this powerhouse promises to elevate high-end PC gaming standards even further, aiming to set new performance benchmarks. Competition Heats Up While NVIDIA charges forward with its high-performance GPUs, AMD and Intel aim to capture the mainstream market. Intel’s Arc B580 already shows promising sales in the competitive $250 segment, signaling a fierce battle for market share. Stay tuned for more updates on NVIDIA’s game-changing products, as both Founders Edition and partner variants of these GPUs start surfacing online. The beginning of 2025 promises to be a thrilling time for tech enthusiasts worldwide. NVIDIA’s Next Gaming GPUs Lead the Tech Trends: Pros, Cons, and What to Expect As the gaming industry eagerly looks forward to the release of NVIDIA’s next-generation GeForce RTX 50 “Blackwell” series, anticipation builds around how these GPUs will transform the gaming landscape. Outlined below are insights, predictions, and features that gamers and tech enthusiasts might expect from these innovations, along with key points on competition, and sustainability efforts. NVIDIA’s upcoming RTX 5080 is set to revolutionize gaming performance with its cutting-edge specifications. Featuring 16 GB of GDDR7 memory and speeds reaching up to 32 Gbps, this GPU is poised to deliver unprecedented graphics capabilities. Pros: – Higher Memory Speeds: The introduction of GDDR7 memory is expected to substantially enhance data transfer rates, leading to smoother and more vibrant gaming experiences. – Advanced Computational Power: Increased computational efficiency is anticipated to significantly boost gaming performance and support more realistic in-game physics and ray tracing effects. Cons: – Potential Heat Management Challenges: With higher speed memory modules, adequate cooling solutions will be crucial, possibly leading to higher costs or the need for specialized cooling systems. – Cost of Innovation: The advanced technology and performance improvements are expected to come with an increased price, potentially limiting accessibility for budget-conscious gamers. NVIDIA is not the only company pushing the envelope in the graphics card arena. Both AMD and Intel are ramping up their efforts to capture different market segments. Intel’s Arc B580 shows strong sales in the $250 market, demonstrating a keen interest in affordable yet powerful GPUs. This increased competition could spur innovation and potentially drive prices down over time. With global concerns over e-waste and energy consumption, there is growing interest in how companies like NVIDIA are addressing these issues. Possible sustainability strategies include enhanced energy efficiency within new GPU models and active participation in recycling programs for older hardware. Innovative Practices: – Implementing energy-efficient architectures to reduce the overall carbon footprint of their products. – Pursuing initiatives to reclaim and recycle rare materials used in previous GPU models. The future of high-performance gaming seems bright, with NVIDIA setting new benchmarks. Predictions suggest that VR and AR applications will benefit significantly from these advances, creating more immersive environments. Additionally, artificial intelligence integrations in gaming could be boosted with the increased processing power available. For more information and updates on NVIDIA’s latest products and innovations, visit NVIDIA . Stay informed as the tech landscape evolves, emphasizing not only enhanced graphics and performance but also sustainability and market adaptability. The developments expected in 2025 are likely to shape the next several years of PC gaming technology.TikTok's breakneck rise from niche video-sharing app to global social media behemoth has drawn intense scrutiny, particularly over its links to China. In Washington, the platform has been accused of espionage. The European Union suspects it was used to sway Romania's presidential election in favour of a far-right candidate. And now Albania has banned it for a year, Prime Minister Edi Rama calling it the "thug of the neigbourhood". Here are the main controversies surrounding the TikTok. Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama said Saturday the government would shut down social network TikTok for at least a year from 2025. The move came less than a month after a 14-year-old student was killed and another injured in a fight near a school in Tirana. The fight had developed from an online confrontation on social media. The EU is probing whether far-right presidential candidate Calin Georgescu's surprise victory in the first round of Romania's presidential election was aided by Russian meddling and "preferential treatment" by TikTok. It is the third investigation the commission has launched against TikTok, which risks fines of up to six percent of its global turnover. The platform said it had taken "robust actions" to tackle election-related misinformation. Russia has denied interfering in the vote. The United States in April passed a law obliging TikTok's Chinese owner ByteDance to sell off the platform by January 19 on the grounds it allowed China to access data on US users. If not, the platform would be banned in the United States denying TikTok its claimed 170 million users in the countries. TikTok admitted ByteDance employees in China had accessed Americans' data but it has denied giving data to the Chinese authorities. To protect data, the US government, the European Commission and Britain's government had already banned TikTok from their employees' work devices in 2023. TikTok was among the many platforms targeted by a landmark law passed in Australia in November banning under-16s from accessing social media. Social media firms that fail to comply with the law face fines of up to Aus$50 million for "systemic breaches". TikTok said it was "disappointed" by the Australian legislation, claiming it could push young people to the "darker corners of the internet". Nearly a third of TikTok users are between 10 and 19 years old, according to the Wallaroo agency. In August, the company, under pressure from EU regulators, was forced to ditch a feature in its TikTok Lite spinoff in France and Spain rewarding users for time spent in front of their screens. In that rewards programme, users aged 18 and over could earn points to exchange for goods like vouchers or gift cards by liking and watching videos. It was accused by the EU of potentially having "very addictive consequences". TikTok's editing features and powerful algorithm have kept it ahead of the game, attracting an army of creators and influencers as well as creating many of its own. TikTok and ByteDance employees also manually increase the number of views on certain content, according to a report in Forbes. TikTok has said manual promotion only affects a tiny fraction of recommended videos. The app is regularly accused of putting users in danger with the spread of hazardous "challenge" videos. Several children have reportedly died while trying to replicate the so-called blackout challenge, which involves users holding their breath until they pass out. And around one-fifth of videos on topical issues such as the Russian invasion of Ukraine were found to be fake or misleading in a study by misinformation group NewsGuard. AFP, along with more than a dozen fact-checking organisations, is paid by TikTok in several countries in Asia and Oceania, Europe, the Middle East and Spanish-speaking Latin America to verify for internal moderation videos that potentially contain false information. The videos are removed by TikTok if the information is shown to be false by AFP teams. jub-jj/giv GOOGLE Meta ORACLE BuzzFeed This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
Spain's monarch pays tribute to the victims of Valencia floods in his Christmas Eve speechBALTIMORE (AP) — Toby Nnadozie had 20 points in Coppin State's 68-60 victory against Navy on Saturday. Nnadozie added three steals for the Eagles (1-12). Jonathan Dunn scored 13 points while going 4 of 13 from the floor, including 1 for 3 from 3-point range, and 4 for 6 from the line and added eight rebounds. Julius Ellerbe had 11 points and shot 3 for 9 (1 for 4 from 3-point range) and 4 of 6 from the free-throw line. The Eagles snapped a 12-game skid. The Midshipmen (3-9) were led in scoring by Austin Benigni, who finished with 23 points. Jinwoo Kim added 13 points and three steals for Navy. Jordan Pennick finished with 10 points. Coppin State took the lead with 3:38 to go in the first half and never looked back. The score was 28-22 at halftime, with Dunn racking up eight points. Coppin State outscored Navy in the second half by two points, with Nnadozie scoring a team-high 13 points after halftime. Coppin State plays Saturday against Georgetown on the road, and Navy visits William & Mary on Sunday. The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar .
Autodesk: Fiscal Q3 Earnings SnapshotJimmy Carter, the 39th US president, has died at 100 ATLANTA (AP) — Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter has died. He was 100 years old and had spent roughly 22 months in hospice care. The Georgia peanut farmer served one turbulent term in the White House before building a reputation as a global humanitarian and champion of democracy. He defeated President Gerald Ford in 1976 promising to restore trust in government but lost to Ronald Reagan four years later amid soaring inflation, gas station lines and the Iran hostage crisis. He and his wife Rosalynn then formed The Carter Center, and he earned a Nobel Peace Prize while making himself the most internationally engaged of former presidents. The Carter Center said he died peacefully Sunday afternoon in Plains, Georgia, surrounded by his family. Jimmy Carter: Many evolutions for a centenarian ‘citizen of the world’ PLAINS, Ga. (AP) — The 39th and longest-lived U.S. president, James Earl Carter Jr., died Sunday at the age of 100. His life ended where it began, in Plains, Georgia. He left and returned to the tiny town many times as he climbed to the nation’s highest office and lost it after four tumultuous years. Carter spent the next 40 years setting new standards for what a former president can do. Carter wrote nearly a decade ago that he found all the phases of his life challenging but also successful and enjoyable. The Democrat's principled but pragmatic approach defied American political labels, especially the idea that one-term presidents are failures. The Latest: Former President Jimmy Carter is dead at age 100 Former President Jimmy Carter has died at the age of 100. The 39th president of the United States was a Georgia peanut farmer who sought to restore trust in government when he assumed the presidency in 1977 and then built a reputation for tireless work as a humanitarian. He earned a Nobel Peace Prize in 2002. He died Sunday, more than a year after entering hospice care, at his home in Plains, Georgia. Carter was sworn in as president on Jan. 20, 1977, after defeating President Gerald R. Ford in the 1976 general election. He left office on Jan. 20, 1981, following his 1980 general election loss to Ronald Reagan. Jimmy Carter: A brief bio Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter has died at his home in Plains, Georgia. His death comes more than a year after the former president entered hospice care. He was 100 years old. Jetliner skids off runway and bursts into flames while landing in South Korea, killing 179 SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A jetliner skidded off a runway, slammed into a concrete fence and burst into flames in South Korea after its landing gear apparently failed to deploy. Officials said all but two of the 181 people on board were killed Sunday in one of the country’s worst aviation disasters. The 737-800 operated by Jeju Air plane arrived from Bangkok and crashed while attempting to land in the town of Muan, about 290 kilometers (180 miles) south of Seoul. Footage of the crash aired by South Korean television channels showed the plane skidding across the airstrip at high speed, evidently with its landing gear still closed. Tornadoes in Texas and Mississippi kill 2 and injure 6 as severe weather system moves east HOUSTON (AP) — A strong storm system is threatening to whip up tornadoes in parts of the U.S. Southeast, a day after severe weather claimed at least two lives as twisters touched down in Texas and Mississippi. Strong storms moving eastward Sunday are expected to continue producing gusty, damaging winds, hail and tornadoes through Sunday. That is according to National Weather Service meteorologist Frank Pereira. So far, the line of severe weather has led to about 40 tornado reports from southeastern Texas to Alabama, Pereira said, but those reports remain unconfirmed until surveys of damage are completed. Israeli hospital says Netanyahu has undergone successful prostate surgery TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — An Israeli hospital says Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has undergone successful prostate surgery. Jerusalem’s Hadassah Medical Center said his prostate was removed late Sunday and that he was recovering. Netanyahu’s office had said Justice Minister Yariv Levin, a close ally, would serve as acting prime minister during the procedure. Doctors ordered the operation after detecting an infection last week. Netanyahu is expected to remain hospitalized for several days. With so much at stake, Netanyahu’s health in wartime is a concern for both Israelis and the wider world. Syria's de facto leader says it could take up to 4 years to hold elections BEIRUT (AP) — Syria’s de facto leader has said it could take up to four years to hold elections in Syria, and that he plans on dissolving his Islamist group that led the country’s insurgency at an anticipated national dialogue summit for the country. Ahmad al-Sharaa, who leads Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the group leading the new authority in Syria, made the remarks in an interview Sunday. That's according to the Saudi television network Al-Arabiyya. It comes almost a month after a lightning insurgency led by HTS overthrew President Bashar Assad’s decades-long rule, ending the country’s uprising-turned civil war that started back in 2011. A fourth infant dies of the winter cold in Gaza as families share blankets in seaside tents DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — A fourth infant has died of hypothermia in Gaza, where hundreds of thousands of Palestinians displaced by nearly 15 months of war are huddled in tents along the rainy, windswept coast as winter arrives. The baby's father says the 20-day-old child was found with his head as “cold as ice” Sunday morning in their tent. The baby’s twin brother was moved to the intensive care unit of Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital. Their father says the twins were born one month premature and spent just a day in hospital, which like other Gaza health centers has been overwhelmed and only partially functions. Musk causes uproar for backing Germany's far-right party ahead of key elections BERLIN (AP) — Tech entrepreneur Elon Musk has caused uproar after backing Germany’s far-right party in a major newspaper ahead of key parliamentary elections in the Western European country, leading to the resignation of the paper’s opinion editor in protest. Germany is to vote in an early election on Feb. 23 after Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s three-party governing coalition collapsed last month in a dispute over how to revitalize the country’s stagnant economy. Musk’s guest opinion piece for Welt am Sonntag, published in German over the weekend, was the second time this month he supported the Alternative for Germany, or AfD.
PSOJ calls for action over Warmington’s racial remarks against GoldingThe Private Sector Organisation of Jamaica (PSOJ) says it vehemently condemns the recent racially charged remarks made by Government Member of Parliament Everald Warmington targeted at Opposition leader Mark Golding. During a political meeting at the Tivoli Gardens High School in Kingston, Warmington declared that "he would rather die than be led by a white, British man," referring to Golding. He further suggested that the Opposition leader should "seek office in Britain, where he believes he would be more comfortable." The PSOJ says these inflammatory remarks, delivered from a position of political authority and before an audience at an educational institution, represent a dangerous and deliberate attempt to inject racial division into Jamaica's political discourse. “These statements are particularly alarming as they threaten to resurrect one of the darkest chapters in Jamaica's political history,” said the organisation in a statement today. “The PSOJ must emphasise that such rhetoric eerily echoes the divisive political discourse in Jamaica's past which was marked by deep social upheaval, economic instability, and tragic political violence. We cannot and must not allow our nation to be dragged backwards into an era where political differences were inflamed by racial and class divisions, resulting in profound national trauma that took generations to heal,” it added. PSOJ renewed its call for Warmington to be held accountable for his conduct. “We especially condemn that these statements were made at the Tivoli Gardens High School, an educational institution where young minds are shaped. The corrosive effect of such rhetoric on our youth cannot be understated. This incident poses a serious risk of normalising discriminatory speech among our future generations, who deserve exemplary leadership from their elected officials rather than displays of divisive politics that harken back to our nation's darkest days.” The PSOJ says the Office of the Political Ombudsman, now operating within the Electoral Commission of Jamaica (ECJ), should urgently intervention in the situation. “The current situation demands a comprehensive review of enforcement mechanisms within the Political Code of Conduct, with the establishment of clear, enforceable consequences for breaches of this nature. “The integration of the political ombudsman's office into the ECJ framework makes this moment particularly crucial for demonstrating institutional effectiveness in addressing serious violations of political conduct. The PSOJ acknowledges this dual mandate but emphasises that this restructuring must not result in any diminishment of the office's authority to address such egregious breaches of proper political conduct.” The PSOJ says Jamaica's business community stands united in rejecting any attempt to reintroduce divisive racial politics into the national discourse, saying such behaviour not only undermines democratic principles and social cohesion but also threatens the stable business environment that is crucial for sustained economic growth and development. “Our international partners and potential investors closely monitor our political stability and social climate. The inflammatory rhetoric of this nature risks damaging Jamaica's reputation as a mature democracy and an attractive destination for investment.” Follow The Gleaner on X, formerly Twitter, and Instagram @JamaicaGleaner and on Facebook @GleanerJamaica. Send us a message on WhatsApp at 1-876-499-0169 or email us at onlinefeedback@gleanerjm.com or editors@gleanerjm.com .
OnePlus looks like it’s hit another one out of the park with this year’s OnePlus 13 . The enthusiast brand’s latest flagship launched in China in late October, and this week, the company officially announced it will be landing in North America on January 7, 2025 . As one of the first mainstream phones to be powered by Qualcomm’s bleeding-edge Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, it should bring significant improvements in the OnePlus 13’s performance, battery life, and photographic prowess compared to its predecessor. This also puts the OnePlus 13 first in line to challenge Apple’s 2024 flagship. This year, the iPhone 16 Pro has raised the bar with Apple’s A18 Pro chip that powers new Apple Intelligence features and turns the smartphone into a gaming powerhouse. There’s also a clever new Camera Control and studio-quality cinematography features. Does Qualcomm’s latest silicon give the OnePlus 13 enough of an edge, and has the smartphone maker put it to good use? Let’s dig in and find out how these two measure up to each other. OnePlus 13 vs. iPhone 16 Pro: specs OnePlus 13 vs. iPhone 16 Pro: design Although the OnePlus 13 preserves the iconic design language of its predecessors, this year’s entry modernizes things to match an aesthetic that’s now become the norm among flagship smartphone makers: flat sides. That’s a departure from the rounded curves of the OnePlus 12 and prior models , but this new phone is still unmistakably a OnePlus device. It preserves the elegant circular camera bump that’s become a hallmark of the lineup since its introduction on the OnePlus 11 , but also refines it in some interesting ways. For one, the camera ring now stands alone. Gone are the horizontal tangents connecting it to the phone’s side, and the outer ring is considerably more subtle than before. The LED flash has been moved inside the camera bump, and the Hasselblad logo, which went from a full wordmark to a stylized “H” on last year’s model, has been moved out to the edge, above a horizontal line that bisects the camera array. The OnePlus 12 was already a slick-looking smartphone, but the changes in the OnePlus 13 add a new level of class to the design. OnePlus is also making two big changes to its colors this year, departing from last year’s Flowy Emerald and years of green shades in favor of a new blue finish. That was released in China as “Blue Moments,” but it will be dubbed “Midnight Ocean” for the North American release. That’s joined by “Black Eclipse” as the more typical neutral shade (known as “Obsidian Secret Realm” in China). However, we’re getting the company’s third color here this year, with the ordinarily China-exclusive “White Dew Morning Dawn” coming to the U.S. as “Arctic Dawn.” However, there’s more to these than merely colors. Only Black Eclipse will sport the traditional OnePlus finish. Midnight Ocean will be coated in a micro-fiber vegan leather finish — a first for OnePlus — while the Arctic Dawn will use a special coating on the glass to give it a silky smooth finish. We’ll have to wait and see what that last one means for grip and smudge resistance, but it sure sounds nice. Compared to what OnePlus has done this year, the iPhone 16 Pro seems considerably more pedestrian. That’s not to say it doesn’t have a great design, but little has changed on the iPhone front in the past four years. Apple led the way in the move to flat edges with the iPhone 12, and this seems to be the year where everyone else is catching up to that design. Apple switched from stainless steel to titanium for the iPhone 15 Pro lineup in 2023, which reduced the weight and smoothed the sides a bit, but it hasn’t made the same kind of bold design choices that OnePlus has. Even the phone’s colors have been relatively muted over the past two years, with the iPhone 16 Pro available in Natural Titanium, White Titanium, Black Titanium, and Desert Titanium. The first three are exactly what they sound like, while Desert Titanium leans more toward champagne than brown. The OnePlus 13 retains the alert slider in its left-side position after moving it there on last year’s model, while the iPhone 16 Pro similarly sticks with the Action button introduced on the iPhone 15 Pro and adds a new Camera Control button for quickly pulling up the camera and snapping pictures. Apple retains its standard IP68 dust and water resistance rating for immersion in up to 6 meters of water for up to 30 minutes, while OnePlus seriously upped its game this year by giving the OnePlus 13 both IP68 and IP69 ratings — a significant improvement over the relatively weak IP65 of its predecessor. For OnePlus, this IP68 rating means it can hold up in up to 1.5 meters of water for up to 30 minutes, so it’s not rated to go as deep as the iPhone 16 Pro. However, the additional IP69 rating gives it more protection in another area, certifying the OnePlus 13 to handle high-pressure and high-temperature water jets. This means you could power-wash your phone if you wanted to — though please don’t. With a classy look, unique finishes, and an IP69 rating, the OnePlus 13 is the clear winner for this round. Winner: OnePlus 13 OnePlus 13 vs. iPhone 16 Pro: display The OnePlus 13 display remains essentially the same as that of its predecessor. It’s still a 6.8-inch LTPO OLED panel with a 3168 x 1440-pixel resolution and an adaptive refresh rate ranging from 1Hz to 120Hz. That works out to a pixel density of 510 pixels per inch. The main change in this year’s OnePlus 13 display is a slight increase in brightness — 800 nits of typical brightness compared to 600 nits for the OnePlus 12. The peak brightness is still 4,500 nits, but that’s more than enough for anyone. Even though the specs remain the same, the switch to flat edges on the OnePlus 13 means the screen is also almost entirely flat, so you’ll end up with slightly more of it facing you. There’s technically a very subtle curve at the edges — by definition, it’s a 2.5D quad-curved screen — but don’t expect it to be anywhere near as curvy as the OnePlus 12. Apple’s iPhones never embraced curved screens, and the iPhone 16 Pro is no exception. This year’s model has grown over its predecessor, but the new 6.3-inch display is still smaller than that of the OnePlus 13 (you’ll have to go with the pricier iPhone 16 Pro Max to get something comparable in size) and offers a lower 2622 x 1206-pixel resolution at 460 ppi. That makes it slightly less crisp than OnePlus’ larger screen, but it does get brighter during everyday use, with 1,000 nits of typical brightness. It can also drop to a single nit on the low end, making it ideal when you want to use it in a darker room without overpowering your eyeballs. The iPhone 16 Pro maxes out at 2,000 nits of peak outdoor brightness, which is less than half of what the OnePlus 13 can do on paper, but it’s hard to see this as much more than a spec sheet difference, as we’ve never had any problem seeing the iPhone 16 Pro even in direct sunlight. The bottom line is that both phones offer bright and vivid displays, Full HDR and Dolby Vision support, fast 120Hz refresh rates for buttery smooth scrolling, gorgeous colors, and deep blacks. The primary differences come down to specs like peak brightness and pixel density, which most people won’t notice, and while the OnePlus 13 is larger, size isn’t everything; some folks prefer a more pocketable phone, so we’re calling this one even. Winner: Tie OnePlus 13 vs. iPhone 16 Pro: performance Over the past few years, top-of-the-line flagships have proven how much we’ve reached the point of diminishing returns in performance, and the OnePlus 13 and iPhone 16 Pro prove that even more this year. Both phones are powered by silicon with power far beyond what most folks will need, so the simple answer to which of the two performs better is that it won’t matter as you’re unlikely to push either to its limits. The OnePlus 13 is one of the first mainstream phones on the market to be powered by Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 8 Elite mobile platform. Apple develops its own chips; this year, it’s the latest A18 Pro inside the iPhone 16 Pro. We’ve done a more detailed comparison of the Snapdragon 8 Elite versus the Apple A18 Pro for those who want to delve into the details, but the differences have more to do with the platform than the performance. For instance, Apple has worked hard to court AAA game developers for the App Store. Last year’s iPhone 15 Pro lineup, powered by the A17 Pro chip, ushered in an era of console-quality games in your pocket, from Resident Evil Village to Assassin’s Creed Mirage . These played well on the A17 Pro chip thanks to Apple’s new GPU technology with hardware-accelerated ray tracing and Metal effect upscaling, and they run even better on the A18 Pro. However, Apple’s coup here wasn’t only in producing groundbreaking silicon, but in convincing game studios to embrace the iPhone . The Adreno GPUs in Qualcomm’s high-end Snapdragon chips can easily compete head-to-head with Apple’s A-series silicon, but you can’t find the same quality of games in the Play Store to prove it. That matters if you’re a hardcore mobile gamer, the iPhone 16 Pro wins, not because it has more capable specs, but because it has better developer support. That’s been Apple’s advantage for years, so it’s not too surprising. Winner: iPhone 16 Pro OnePlus 13 vs. iPhone 16 Pro: battery For non-gamers, the more significant advantage to this year’s chips comes not from raw performance, but from power efficiency. The new 3-nanometer (3nm) manufacturing process used by both Qualcomm and Apple should translate to longer run times between charges. We’ll have to wait and see what this means for the OnePlus 13, but the iPhone 16 Pro disappointed us by barely getting through a day of use. We expect the OnePlus 13 to do much better thanks to its 6,000mAh cell, and it’s probably more fair to compare it to the larger iPhone 16 Pro Max, which we found has fantastic battery life , in this one area. Battery life is still the biggest price one pays for having a smaller phone. Unsurprisingly, OnePlus continues to run circles around Apple — and nearly everyone else — when it comes to charging speeds. The OnePlus 13 supports wired charging speeds up to 100 watts and wireless charging up to 50W. You’ll need to buy OnePlus’ proprietary chargers to take advantage of these speeds, and if past trends continue, we’ll probably “only” get 80W charging in the North American models, but that’s several times faster than what the iPhone 16 Pro officially offers. Apple’s specs say you can recharge an iPhone 16 Pro to 50% in about 30 minutes using a 20W charger. Tests have revealed that a 30W charger shaves about five minutes off that. However, if last year’s OnePlus 12 is anything to go by, 80W charging speeds should get you to 50% in 12 minutes and leave you fully charged in half an hour. Again, you need to use the SuperVOOC charger, but OnePlus includes one in the box. For wireless charging, OnePlus supports standard 15W Qi charging or 50W charging if you opt for its AirVOOC charger. Those speeds are twice as fast as the iPhone 16 Pro, which can reach only 25W with Apple’s proprietary MagSafe charger. You’re stuck at 7.5W with a standard Qi charger, although the iPhone 16 Pro also supports Qi2 for magnetic attachment and 15W charging speeds — something that most Android devices have sadly failed to embrace. While it would have been nice to see Qi2 in the OnePlus 13, even for nothing more than the magnetic attachment features, that’s a minor omission for a phone we can charge up in the time it takes to make a good coffee. Winner: OnePlus 13 OnePlus 13 vs. iPhone 16 Pro: cameras Thanks to its partnership with Hasselblad, OnePlus has delivered impressive cameras on its flagship phones over the past few years. The OnePlus 11 and OnePlus 12 take great photos, and there’s no reason to believe the OnePlus 13 will be any different. If anything, this year’s model should see some improvements in the image pipeline thanks to the Snapdragon 8 Elite and its AI-powered image signal processor. OnePlus hasn’t leaned into AI and computational photography the way its rivals have, but that doesn’t mean it can’t use what’s already there. We’ll have to wait and see what kind of photos the OnePlus 13 produces, but between the hardware and Hasselblad’s color-tuning algorithms, we’re very optimistic. In terms of raw specs, you’re getting a trio of 50-megapixel (MP) shooters, and while the telephoto lens drops from the 64MP of its predecessor, we think the new sensors OnePlus is using this year will make up for that. The telephoto camera has the same 3x optical zoom, although the ultrawide lens gains an increased 120-degree field of view. We expect the new sensors, combined with Qualcomm’s latest ISP, to deliver better lowlight performance. OnePlus also seems to be taking advantage of the new 480 frames-per-second (fps) slow-motion video capabilities of the Snapdragon 8 Elite. The iPhone 16 Pro is a much more known quantity. It follows Apple’s typical playbook of providing three lenses with year-over-year sensor improvements. However, this time around, the ultrawide camera gets a boost to 48MP, and the iPhone 16 Pro gains the 5x optical zoom that was exclusive to the larger iPhone 15 Pro Max last year. While the ultrawide lens is the one you’ll likely use the least often to take actual photos, Apple’s computational photography engine collects data from that sensor, and more megapixels means more data for it to work with. The ultrawide lens also kicks in for macro shots, and there’s a noticeable improvement there. The iPhone 16 Pro also has a few more tricks up its sleeve. Apple’s new Photographic Styles let you apply a broad collection of advanced filters to your photos, but the best part is that these are entirely nondestructive. In other words, you can switch them up later or remove them entirely if you don’t like them. You can also shoot images in the Apple ProRAW format for advanced editing controls, and the built-in lidar Sensor lets you take depth-mapped night mode portraits. On the video side, the iPhone 16 Pro can also handle 4K Dolby Vision recording at 120 fps, which produces Cinematic Slow Motion playback when pulled down to 24 fps. Lossless ProRes, Log, and the Academy Color Encoding System (ACES) formats support professional work, and there’s a four-mic studio array that powers a new AI-powered Audio Mix feature that can separate background and foreground audio (think of it as a portrait mode for sound). Winner: iPhone 16 Pro OnePlus 13 vs. iPhone 16 Pro: software and updates The OnePlus 13 will ship globally with Android 15 and OxygenOS 15 layered on top (the China version uses Oppo’s ColorOS). OxygenOS has been somewhat controversial over the years, but it’s been steadily improving, and we’ve been pleasantly surprised by OxygenOS 15 . It’s turned out to be less of an iOS clone than Oppo’s ColorOS 15, although it still veers closer to Apple’s side of the fence. It still doesn’t feel as smooth as other platforms, but it’s definitely gotten better. The iPhone 16 Pro comes with iOS 18 out of the box, which will be readily familiar to anyone who has used an iPhone in the past few years. As usual, iOS 18 refines the experience rather than rewriting it. This year’s most significant addition is Apple Intelligence — Apple’s suite of AI tools. While these are rolling out gradually over the course of the iOS 18 life cycle, as of the most recent December iOS 18.2 update, there’s built-in support for AI writing tools, image generation, and even direct integration with ChatGPT to help Siri answer questions it can’t handle on its own. As for updates, OnePlus is now committing to four major Android updates and five years of security updates, which should keep the OnePlus 13 current until at least 2028 or when Android 19 ships. Apple doesn’t make such promises, but it’s never really needed to as it has a proven track record; iPhones were getting four or even five years of software updates in the days when it was rare for most Android phones to see one or two. This makes it a safe bet that the iPhone 16 Pro will make it to at least iOS 22, and possibly even one or two releases beyond that. Winner: Tie OnePlus 13 vs. iPhone 16 Pro: special features After holding out longer than most other big players, Apple and OnePlus are delving more into AI features this year. However, Apple is going all-in with Apple Intelligence while OnePlus is still taking a more measured approach focused predominantly on photography. In OxygenOS 15, the OnePlus 13 gains a suite of AI photo-editing tools, including an AI Eraser, AI Detail Boost, AI Reflection Erase, and AI Unblur. These work much like you’d expect, although they have some work to do before they catch up with Google’s Magic Eraser and Magic Editor. However, these aren’t exclusively OnePlus 13 features; they’re also coming to the OnePlus 12 in the OxygenOS 15 update. On the other hand, Google Gemini support and a new Intelligence Search feature will be limited to the OnePlus 13. Apple Intelligence is a much bolder AI initiative overall. While the photo features are limited to a Magic Eraser-like Clean Up tool, the broader AI features include tools to help you compose and refine text, reply to emails, summarize audio recordings and call transcripts, generate images, and even create custom “Genmoji.” Apple has also partnered with ChatGPT to integrate it into iOS. This includes letting you call it up to help you write emails and other blocks of text to making voice requests via Siri. This also ties into the iPhone 16 Pro’s marquee feature: the Camera Control. As the name suggests, this new button on the lower-right side of the iPhone can be used to call up the camera app, but it also doubles as a sophisticated control system thanks to a two-stage capacitive sensor. A light press will lock autofocus and autoexposure, similar to a DSLR; you then press all the way down to take the picture. You can also slide your finger along the control to adjust parameters such as zoom, exposure, shooting mode, and more. Apple Intelligence comes into the picture through a new Visual Intelligence feature that lets you quickly perform Google Lens-like searches on real-world objects. Hold down the Camera Control and point your iPhone 16 Pro at something like an animal, a plant, a movie poster, a landmark, or even a product, and you can send it off to Google or ChatGPT to get more information about it. The concept isn’t exactly novel, as there have been apps doing this for this for years, but having it built in and only a button press away makes it much more useful. Winner: iPhone 16 Pro OnePlus 13 vs. iPhone 16 Pro: price and availability Following a typical first launch in China on October 31, the OnePlus 13 will be released globally on January 7, 2025 . OnePlus has confirmed that we’ll get the same three colors as the China version with different names: Midnight Ocean, Black Eclipse, and Arctic Dawn. There’s no official word on pricing or storage capacities, but there’s a good chance they’ll be close to last year’s OnePlus 12, which started at $800. The OnePlus 13 sells in three capacities in China: 256GB storage with 12GB of RAM, 512GB with 16GB, and 1TB with 24GB, but a November leak suggests we may not see the largest 1TB/24GB version stateside. That would be in line with the OnePlus 12, which was sold in the same three capacities in China, with only the lower two available internationally. However, OnePlus could surprise us this year as it did with the color options. OnePlus’ white finishes, such as the Glacial White OnePlus 12 , have been primarily exclusive to China. Seeing a global launch of Arctic Dawn is a pretty big deal, which means the 1TB/24GB model may not be far behind. The iPhone 16 Pro launched globally in September. Apple’s smaller Pro model didn’t get the storage bump many were hoping for; it still starts at $999 for 128GB, with 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB versions available for $1,099, $1,299, and $1,499, respectively. RAM is standard at 8GB across all capacities, and it’s available in Desert Titanium, Natural Titanium, White Titanium, and Black Titanium. OnePlus 13 vs. iPhone 16 Pro: verdict Like many smartphone comparisons involving Apple, measuring the OnePlus 13 directly against the iPhone 16 Pro is tough. The two phones live in fundamentally different worlds, so it’s an apples-to-oranges comparison (no pun intended). For many folks, the decision between the OnePlus 13 and iPhone 16 Pro was made long ago based on the platform they’ve already invested in. However, if you’re on the fence or looking for a change, these phones each offer something that might tempt you to see how the other side lives. The iPhone 16 Pro is ahead of the pack with a more mature platform and an app ecosystem that takes full advantage of its gaming capabilities. The cameras take excellent pictures, the 5x zoom lets you get up close and personal, and the videography features are unrivaled. Apple’s AI features aren’t everyone’s cup of tea, but they’re well ahead of what OnePlus offers. Apple Intelligence is also complemented by the general fit and finish and smooth performance of iOS. Nevertheless, the OnePlus 13 offers a gorgeous and elegant design that’s even more refined than before, plus fun colors with unique finishes. If previous models are anything to go on, the Hasselblad-tuned camera system is sure to be excellent. The Snapdragon 8 Elite chip offers performance to spare with new photographic capabilities, and few smartphones can charge up as quickly as anything that OnePlus makes. OxygenOS 15 may not be quite as refined as we’d like yet, but there’s a lot to like here and it’s more ready for prime time than ever before.DALLAS — Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic’s home was burglarized late Friday and jewelry valued at about $30,000 was stolen, according to an internal police report obtained by The Dallas Morning News. Dallas police received a report that an unknown person broke the master bathroom window of Doncic’s Dallas home and took the jewelry between 5 p.m. and 9 p.m., according to the internal report. Two law enforcement officials with knowledge of the offense confirmed the theft. “No one was home at the time, and thankfully Luka and his family are safe. Luka has filed a police report and an investigation is ongoing,” Lara Beth Seager, Doncic’s business manager, told The News on Saturday. DPD’s crime scene team was alerted, according to the report. Private security was monitoring Doncic’s home, the report said. It’s unclear if only one person or multiple people are suspected. The Mavericks left Dallas on Thursday for a four-game West Coast road trip, including stops in Phoenix, Portland, Sacramento and Houston. The team isn’t scheduled to return to North Texas until after their game against the Houston Rockets on New Year’s Day. Doncic is not playing because of an injury to his left leg. He will be sidelined for at least the next month with a left calf strain. He left American Airlines Center on crutches following Wednesday’s loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. He was not with the team for Friday’s controversial win over the Phoenix Suns. The break-in is another chapter in a roller coaster season for Doncic, who’s missed nine games because of six separate injuries. He’s averaging 28.1 points, 8.3 rebounds and 7.8 assists through 22 games. Doncic becomes the latest NBA star to have his home burglarized. The league sent a memo to team officials in November urging players to take additional precautions in securing their homes. According to The Associated Press, the NBA revealed that the FBI connected some burglaries to “transnational South American Theft Groups.” The NBA’s memo was sent out after the homes of Milwaukee forward Bobby Portis and Minnesota guard Mike Conley Jr. were burglarized. The NFL issued a similar alert after the homes of Kansas City stars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce were burglarized in November. Cincinnati quarterback Joe Burrow’s home was broken into during a Monday night football game against the Cowboys in December. Dallas Stars’ Tyler Seguin’s home in Dallas was broken into last month, a person familiar with the situation confirmed Saturday. The break-in occurred before the Stars announced that Seguin would miss four-to-six months due to hip surgery. The team is hopeful he can return by the playoffs. Seguin is the highest-paid player on the Stars this year, signing an eight-year, $78.8 million contract in 2018. The 32-year-old forward will make $9.85 million in the 2024-25 season. Seguin is in his 12th season with the Dallas Stars and 15th in the NHL. He joined the Stars ahead of the 2013-14 season and has recorded 808 points in 988 career NHL games.Chinese and Pakistani academic achievements in resistant rootstocks for economic forests and grafted and fodder plants were exchanged at the just finished 4th China-Pakistan Tropical Arid Non-Wood Forest Science & Technology Exchange Conference. Over 500 professionals from China and Pakistan attended the conference simultaneously in Zhengzhou and Gwadar, China Economic Net (CEN) reported on Saturday. Starting from 2021, in the Belt and Road Engineering Research Center for Tropical Arid Non-wood Forest, professionals from the Chinese Society of Forestry, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, China Overseas Ports Holding Company Limited, Yulin Holding Company Limited, University of Karachi, University of Agriculture Faisalabad, and Indus University, etc. are working together on germplasm resource collection and new variety breeding, improved variety seedling propagation, cultivation and demonstration of drought-tolerant and infertile-tolerant economic plants, and technical training. Supported by the center, a tissue culture laboratory and a seedling nursery have been built in Gwadar, integrating China’s advanced economic forestry technology with Pakistan’s local conditions. At the conference, Chinese and Pakistani researchers shared their latest findings on various topics, including grafting and cutting propagation of improved varieties of Eucommia ulmoides, the potential for transforming timber and non-timber forest products in arid regions of Pakistan with a special focus on the propagation of medicinal and oilseed plants, efficient heterologous biosynthesis of plant natural products, and a digital intelligent precision water and fertilizer control system for chestnut.
Walmart's $100 Birkin bag lookalike is selling out—Here’s why everyone wants one
Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker remained out of practice Friday, earning a doubtful designation for Sunday’s game against the Packers. Walker, who leads Seattle with 542 yards rushing this season, has a calf injury. Zach Charbonnet has 400 yards and is tied with Walker for the team lead with seven touchdowns after rushing for 134 yards and two touchdowns Sunday. Wide receiver DK Metcalf (shoulder) has no injury designation after a full practice Friday. The Seahawks ruled out cornerback Tre Brown (hamstring), free safety Jerrick Reed (quad), tight end Brady Russell (foot), offensive tackle Stone Forsythe (hand) and strong safety K’Von Wallace (ankle). Cornerback Artie Burns (toe) is doubtful.— BIRTH NAME: James Earl Carter, Jr. — BORN: Oct. 1, 1924, at the Wise Clinic in Plains, Georgia, the first U.S. president born in a hospital. He would become the first president to live for an entire century . — EDUCATION: Plains High School, Plains, Georgia, 1939-1941; Georgia Southwestern College, Americus, Georgia, 1941-1942; Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, 1942-1943; U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, Maryland, 1943-1946 (class of 1947); Union College, Schenectady, New York, 1952-1953. — PRESIDENCY: Sworn-in as 39th president of the United States at the age of 52 years, 3 months and 20 days on Jan. 20, 1977, after defeating President Gerald R. Ford in the 1976 general election. Left office on Jan. 20, 1981, following 1980 general election loss to Ronald Reagan. — POST-PRESIDENCY: Launched The Carter Center in 1982. Began volunteering at Habitat for Humanity in 1984. Awarded Nobel Peace Prize in 2002. Taught for 37 years at Emory University, where he was granted tenure in 2019, at age 94. — OTHER ELECTED OFFICES: Georgia state senator, 1963-1967; Georgia governor, 1971-1975. — OTHER OCCUPATIONS: Served in U.S. Navy, achieved rank of lieutenant, 1946-53; Farmer, warehouseman, Plains, Georgia, 1953-77. — FAMILY: Wife, Rosalynn Smith Carter , married July 7, 1946 until her death Nov. 19, 2023. They had three sons, John William (Jack), James Earl III (Chip), Donnel Jeffrey (Jeff); a daughter, Amy Lynn; and 11 living grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren. Source: Jimmy Carter Library & Museum