Lenovo's foldable PC is back, Pixel 5 later today, plus more tech news!

Your tech news digest, by way of the DGiT Daily tech newsletter, for Wednesday, 30 September 2020. Don’t forget to check out Google’s big Pixel 5 and Pixel 4a 5G launch later today… 11am PT, sharp!

1. The foldable PC is back

A long long time ago, in a galaxy far far away of May 2019, the Lenovo Thinkpad X1 Fold, the first foldable PC was unveiled.

• Lenovo said then it had been working on the concept for three years.
• Later showings at CES 2020 and hands on thoughts showed that it would emerge as more than just a concept some time later in 2020.

That time is now!

Lenovo’s foldable PC, the Thinkpad X1 Fold, is available for pre-order starting at $2,499, although it won’t be shipping until mid-November from what I can tell.

• Not much has changed now that it’s been closer to five years Lenovo has worked on this. It’s a 13.3-inch OLED display, made by LG, with 2K resolution and a 4:3 aspect ratio.
• It runs an Intel Core i5-L16G7 processor, 8GB of RAM, up to 1TB PCIe M.2 SSD storage, optional 5G, and Lenovo says it should get 8.5 hours of battery life or more.
• That Intel chip we’ve also seen in the Galaxy Book S Intel model, and it is dubbed a hybrid processor. It’s not hugely powerful, but the foldable PC here looks low on extra cooling so it’s all about tradeoffs.
• There’s a Bluetooth Mini Fold Keyboard that Lenovo has made to go with the device, and cleverly, the X1 Fold can wirelessly charge the keyboard while it’s tucked away inside.
• There’s also more bits like a pen (Lenovo Mod Pen) and an Easel Stand.
• It ranges from the $2,499 price for no keyboard, no pen, and 256GB storage, and $3,099 for pen, keyboard, and 1TB storage.
• Which is insanely pricey given the way the Fold 2 stacks up against this at $2,000. But it’s a PC, which means Windows, PC programs and apps, a regular keyboard…
• In any case, you all know the mantra: don’t buy first-gen products, at least until the detailed reviews are out.

2. Hands-on with the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE, including video (Android Authority).

3. LG Wing gets a price ($1,000) and pre-order date (October 1) and release date (October 15) at Verizon (Android Authority).

4. Google extends unlimited Meet calls for Gmail users through March 2021 (Android Authority).

5. Apple iPhone 12 production now at full-tilt: 24H operation, mandatory overtime, no holidays, but some bonus pay on offer too: iPhone 12 mini, iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 12 Pro Max are the suggested four on offer (9to5Mac).

6. Also, Cyberpunk 2077 dev breaks promise, will force employees to work six days a week in last rush before next month’s launch (The Verge).

7. Apple v. Epic hearing previews a long, hard-fought trial to come (Ars Technica).

8. Sonos sues Google (again) for allegedly infringing five more wireless audio patents (The Verge).

9. SpaceX found surprising heat-shield wear after the recent NASA mission. Although Bob and Doug weren’t in danger, SpaceX has updated the heat-shield for the next crewed launch scheduled for October 31 (Business Insider).

10. You can follow an account on Twitter that tweets when a high-energy neutrino is detected in ice below the surface of the South Pole (Twitter).

11. A new approach for detecting deepfakes looks for an invisible pulse (Gizmodo).

12. NASA finally tracks down air leak on ISS, but it’s not fixed yet (CNET).

13. Watch a UK pilot demo a paramedic jet suit, with video (BBC)

14. “What is the ‘one’ YouTube video you always come back to whenever you need a laugh or smile?” (r/askreddit).

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