White elephants in the mist: Google's upcoming Pixel 4A may ship without Soli motion recognition, per FCC filing

A new filing by the US Federal Communications Commission suggests the upcoming Google Pixel 4A phone will ditch the Soli gesture-recognition system that featured on its flagship predecessor. The FCC didn't explicitly name the Pixel 4A, though it's likely this was what "G025J" referred to. Approval from the regulatory body is …

[Julz]

So

How is it going to determine the difference between the one and two fingered salute?

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: So

Presumably with the camera

[Totally not a Cylon]

Gesture sense = bad

This ends up with President Zaphod having to sit perfectly still otherwise the radio changes channel......

[W.S.Gosset]

Re: Gesture sense = bad

Precisely.

Have you noticed a steady progression in UIs to requiring that the human not just adapt to the machine, but have it dominate them?

Boiling Frog syndrome.

[Anonymous Coward]

Battery life

The Pixel 4 has notoriously bad battery life and one wonders if this is why. 60GHz waves to sense hand motion does seem a somewhat over the top use of relatively exotic technology.

[Anonymous Coward]

"exotic technology"

It's main advantage is that it's right on the prime absorption frequency of oxygen, so it doesn't travel very far, especially at low powers (so no co-device interference).

[W.S.Gosset]

Re: "exotic technology"

Why on earth did you go Anon for that, you loon?

Major thumbs-up.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: "exotic technology"

Probably because the absorption is about 20dB per km. at sea level, which means that between two phones in the same room there is hardly any effect at all.

[John Brown (no body)]

Re: Battery life

"60GHz waves to sense hand motion does seem a somewhat over the top use of relatively exotic technology."

60G is also 12 TIMES MORE POWERFUL than 5G so it spread COVID-19 12 times FASTER!!!11!!1!One!!11

[ibmalone]

Telekinesis

Only slightly related, but I've observed an interesting behaviour with my phone (not a Pixel) at times, it responds (very infrequently) to near-tap that (not quite making contact). Since the touch sensitivity is usually capacitance-based I'm guessing it might be due to static electricity or similar, possibly depends on humidity.

[james 68]

Re: Telekinesis

Capacitive is pretty old hat nowadays, a lot of screens are actually resistive based now unless you've got a bargain basement blower.

[spudmasterflex]

Re: Telekinesis

Wrong way round

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Telekinesis

That would explain how you can use glass screen protectors.

[Snowy]

Why use the phrase "White elephants"

Consider a general move away from colour based phrases.

[Jason Hindle]

Re: Why use the phrase "White elephants"

Absolutely. Let's instead use "none descript elephant of neutral colour" (assuming the wording is not deemed, by those who deem stuff, discriminatory towards elephants, or that that the word elephant is not deemed, by the same deeming people, to conflate with persons of size).

[Warm Braw]

Re: Why use the phrase "White elephants"

Consider a general move away from colour based phrases.

Says "snowy", wielding a blue pencil...

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Why use the phrase "White elephants"

"White elephant" has nothing to do with colonialism or white supremacy.

It arose from rulers giving gifts of rare white elephants which were of no use other than decoration and were very expensive to feed, more specifically the King of Thailand giving them to unwanted courtiers to let them know that only trouble could be expected from hanging around. It may be an urban myth but it has absolutely no colour-based derogatory meaning.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Why use the phrase "White elephants"

whoosh

[Flywheel]

Re: Why use the phrase "White elephants"

Give it time ... they have obviously missed this one.

[John Brown (no body)]

Re: Why use the phrase "White elephants"

"Consider a general move away from colour based phrases."

Oh, FFS! Grow up. Not all mentions of "white" or "black" are racist. Try some education instead, It can work wonders! After all, I don't see anyone complaining about you being green with envy over the education the rest of us have. Admit it, you were wrong. Or are you too yellow? Maybe feeling a bit blue now? Or are so angry it's all just a red haze now?

[Fruit and Nutcase]

Re: Why use the phrase "White elephants"

Actually no one has spoken out about the humble "Black" Boards, now supplanted by hoards of "White" Boards in Education establishments and Offices the world over

[John Brown (no body)]

Re: Why use the phrase "White elephants"

And not forgetting that they went green before being replaced with white. The green ones were a nightmare due to the lack of contrast.

[I ain't Spartacus]

Re: Why use the phrase "White elephants"

John Brown,

Your derogatory remarks about boards of a green hue have been noted by the mighty Tharg the Merciless! When our Venusian invasion comes, you will be first to be sent to the recycling banks for protein harvesting.

Cower! Puny Earthlings!

[John Brown (no body)]

Re: Why use the phrase "White elephants"

I'll get my mates Dan and Digby to sort you out!

[Snowy]

Re: Why use the phrase "White elephants"

Have a look at the icon I used and have another think about it

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Why use the phrase "White elephants"

Edgar Allen Poe wants to have a word with you. Something about a law.

[Fruit and Nutcase]

Re: Why use the phrase "White elephants"

Looks like Disney are going to have their work cut out having to rework "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs"

[michael 87]

Re: Why use the phrase "White elephants"

I wonder what colour trolls are?

[Fruit and Nutcase]

Zits!

Blackheads and Whiteheads. Unloved by all.

[Anonymous Coward]

Pointless pretentious euphamisms.

As "People of colour" is the acceptable usage to describe coloured people, perhaps the PC term should be "elephants of whiteness".

Personally I am a pinky/orange person at the moment.

[Chris G]

Getting back to the phone

Under £400 is considered a budget phone?

For something that may last less than two years judging by many of the people I know, I consider that on the high side.

Under £200 is a budget phone but nonetheless there are a lot of excellent phones for under £200, even some with reasonable cameras.

[Chairman of the Bored]

Gesture recognition?

Combined with the inevitable security failures in complex phone software, I can see apps being developed that finally answer the question- 'Are the punters around us primarily wankers or tossers?'