We’ve been hearing a lot as of late about 5G technology and its upcoming tests in the U.K., U.S., and beyond. But what exactly does all of it mean? Sure, we know that it’ll be a step above 4G, but now we have a better sense of just how much better the network of the future will be. According to new guidelines released by the International Telcommunication Union (ITU), the United Nations specialized agency for information and communication technologies, a single 5G cell must have a download capacity of no fewer than 20Gbps. For comparison, the peak rate for today’s LTE cells stands at about 1Gbps. So get excited, friends. The 5G future is looking supremely fast.
As per the ITU’s draft report released earlier this week, the 5G standard will need to support up to a million connected devices in a square kilometer, and carriers must have at least 100Mhz of free spectrum, and where possible, up to 1Ghz. This will allow for the continuing proliferation of the Internet of Things — after all, as more and more of our devices become connected, we’re going to need more bandwidth to support all that functionality.
The draft 5G specs also specify how base stations will need to support networks in different environments. That means that whether you’re on a train, in the middle of a city, or out in the country, you ought to be able to access your network. Moreover, the ITU calls for 5G to be quit energy efficient. For example, when their radio interfaces are not in use, they ought to downgrade into low energy mode almost immediately. In fact, a 5G radio ought to adjust from full-speed to battery-efficient statuses in just 10ms.
While these specifications are currently only in draft form, it seems as though we’ll have a final version by November. By then, service providers will be seriously working on building out 5G capabilities, so hopefully, we’ll be able to enjoy all these benefits sooner rather than later.
Two new highly requested iCloud plugins just got added to ChatGPT, giving people who rely on Apple’s Mail and Calendar services a way to search emails, check appointments, and manage their schedules directly through the chatbot.
The integration is rolling out to all ChatGPT plans, including the free tier. You can access it on the web, desktop, and iOS.
Google Play is borrowing one of the Nintendo Switch’s most useful little tricks. A new Sidekick tool called Playbacks captures a short clip after something interesting has already happened, sparing players from running a screen recorder throughout an entire game.
Playbacks is part of Google Play Store v53.8 and keeps saved clips on the phone. Google first announced it earlier this month, but the new Play Store update marks its arrival for players. Anyone who has watched a perfect win vanish because the record button came too late already understands the appeal.
Samsung’s scandal over its Game Optimizing Service, or GOS, has returned with a bill attached. South Korea’s Fair Trade Commission has tentatively fined the company 20.1 billion won, or about $15.1 million, over gaming claims made for the Galaxy S21, Galaxy S22, and Tab S8.
The regulator says Samsung promoted the devices as gaming powerhouses without disclosing that GOS placed preset CPU and GPU limits on certain demanding games. Samsung disputes that conclusion, calling GOS a legitimate way to manage heat.