Amazon is offering numerous low prices on Apple Watch Series 10 devices today, including both GPS and cellular models at $100 off original prices.
Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a link and make a purchase, we may receive a small payment, which helps us keep the site running.
Amazon has the 42mm GPS Apple Watch Series 10 for $299.00, down from $399.00, as well as the 46mm GPS model for $329.00, down from $429.00. Both of these are solid second-best prices on the Apple Watch Series 10, and they’re available in numerous case colors and band styles, some of which you can find in the lists below.
42mm GPS Apple Watch Series 10
46mm GPS Apple Watch Series 10
42mm Cellular Apple Watch Series 10
46mm Cellular Apple Watch Series 10
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Tabi to Hibi, the latest feature from Japanese filmmaker Sho Miyake, has won the Pardo d’Oro, the Locarno Film Festival’s main competition award.
Miyake is the fourth Japanese winner of the top prize in the festival’s history after Masahiro Kobayashi’s The Rebirth (Ai no yokan)in2007, Akio Jissoji’s This Transient Life (Mujō), which was one of four films to share the prize in 1970, and Teinosuke Kinugasa’s classic Gate of Hell (Jigokumon) in 1954.
The festival’s awards were announced this afternoon. Tabi to Hibi is based on the manga Mr. Ben and His Igloo, A View of the Seaside by Yoshiharu Tsuge. The film was produced by Masayoshi Johnai. The official synopsis reads: In summer, Nagisa and Natsuo meet by the sea. Their vacant gazes reflect each other as they exchange awkward words and wade into the rain-drenched ocean. In winter, Li, a screenwriter, travels to a snow-covered village. There, she finds a guesthouse run by Benzo. Their conversations rarely connect, yet they set off on an unexpected adventure.
In Locarno’s parallel competition, Concorso Cineasti del Presente, Hair, Paper, Water…, a documentary co-directed by Truong Minh Quy and Nicolas Graux, won the top prize. Shot over three years on a vintage Bolex camera, the film is a rich portrait of an elderly, unnamed woman who, born in a cave more than 60 years ago, now lives in a village caring for her children and grandchildren. The film captures her daily life and the transmission of her fragile native language, Rục, to the younger generations, as she dreams of her deceased mother calling her home to her mountain cave.
Hair, Paper, Water… was produced by Thomas Hakim and Julien Graff of Petit Chaos, the company behind Payal Kapadia’s groundbreaking feature debut All We Imagine As Light, alongside Julie Freres. Italian-based sales company Lights On is handling the project.
Elsewhere, White Snail by Elsa Kremser and Levin Peter, which competed in the main Competition, won the Special Jury Prize, and Abbas Fahdel won Best Director for Tales Of The Wounded Landed.
Scroll down for the full list of this year’s winners in Locarno.
Discussing the crop of winning titles, Locarno head Giona A. Nazzaro described this year’s festival as an event that celebrated “the enduring and gentle power of cinema and its manifold ways of bringing communities together to share the wonderful gifts of peace.”
“We are grateful to all the directors who trusted the festival with their works. It allowed us to create a forward-looking edition, with its gaze firmly set in the future,” said in a statement. “We are certain these works will stand the test of time and become beacons of hope for young talents that are just starting to dream the films they want to make tomorrow. A festival is like building a better tomorrow. One film at the time”.
Full winners list:
Concorso Internazionale
Pardo d’Oro – Grand Prize of the Festival and City of Locarno
to TABI TO HIBI (TWO SEASONS, TWO STRANGERS) by Sho Miyake, Japan
Special Jury Prize – Cities of Ascona and Losone
to WHITE SNAILby Elsa Kremser and Levin Peter, Austria/Germany
Pardo for Best Direction – City and Region of Locarno
to Abbas Fahdel forTALES OF THE WOUNDED LAND, Lebanon
Pardo for Best Performance
to Manuela Martelli and Ana Marija Veselčić for BOG NEĆE POMOĆI (GOD WILL NOT HELP) by Hana Jušić, Croatia/Italy/Romania/Greece/France/Slovenia
Pardo for Best Performance
to Marya Imbro and Mikhail Senkov for WHITE SNAIL by Elsa Kremser and Levin Peter, Austria/Germany
Special Mention DRY LEAF by Alexandre Koberidze, Germany/Georgia
Concorso Cineasti del Presente
Pardo d’Oro – Concorso Cineasti del Presente
to TÓC, GIẤY VÀ NƯỚC… (HAIR, PAPER, WATER…) by Nicolas Graux and Trương Minh Quý, Belgium/France/Vietnam
Best Emerging Director Award – City and Region of Locarno
to Cecilia Kang forHIJO MAYOR, Argentina/France
Special Jury Prize CINÉ+
to GIOIA MIA (SWEETHEART) by Margherita Spampinato, Italy
Pardo for Best Performance
to Aurora Quattrocchi forGIOIA MIA(SWEETHEART) by Margherita Spampinato, Italy
Pardo for Best Performance
to Levan Gelbakhiani forDON’T LET THE SUNby Jacqueline Zünd, Switzerland/Italy
Pardi di Domani
Concorso Corti d’Autore
Pardino d’Oro WePresent by WeTransfer for the Best Auteur Short Film
toA VERY STRAIGHT NECKby Neo Sora, Japan/China
Concorso Internazionale
Pardino d’Oro Arts3 Foundation for the Best International Short Film
to HYENAby Altay Ulan Yang, USA
Pardino d’Argento Arts3 Foundation for the International Competition
to STILL PLAYINGby Mohamed Mesbah, France
Pardi di Domani Best Direction Award – BONALUMI Engineering
to PRIMERA ENSEÑANZA (PRIMARY EDUCATION) by Aria Sánchez and Marina Meira, Cuba/Spain/Brazil
Medien Patent Verwaltung AG Award
toFORCE TIMES DISPLACEMENTby Angel WU, Taiwan
Concorso Nazionale
Pardino d’Oro SRG SSR for the Best Swiss Short Film
to O RIO DE JANEIRO CONTINUA LINDO (RIO REMAINS BEAUTIFUL) by Felipe Casanova, Belgium/Brazil/Switzerland
Pardino d’Argento SRG SSR for the National Competition
to TUSEN TONERby Francesco Poloni, Switzerland
Best Swiss Newcomer Award
to L’AVANT-POSTE 21 by Camille Surdez, Switzerland
Locarno Film Festival Short Film Candidate – European Film Awards
O RIO DE JANEIRO CONTINUA LINDO (RIO REMAINS BEAUTIFUL) by Felipe Casanova, Belgium/Brazil/Switzerland
First Feature
Swatch First Feature Award
to BLUE HERON by Sophy Romvari, Canada/Hungary
Pardo Verde
Pardo Verde
toMARE’S NESTby Ben Rivers, United Kingdom/France/Canada
Special Mentions
TÓC, GIẤY VÀ NƯỚC… (HAIR, PAPER, WATER…) by Nicolas Graux and Trương Minh Quý, Belgium/France/Vietnam
UNE FENÊTRE PLEIN SUD (A SOUTH FACING WINDOW) by Lkhagvadulam Purev-Ochir, France/Mongolia
Two Seasons, Two Strangers by Sho Miyake (All the Long Nights, Small, Slow But Steady) is the winner of the 78th edition of the Locarno Film Festival’s international competition, which was honored with the Pardo d’Oro, or Golden Leopard, in the Swiss town on Saturday.
The Japanese drama, based on the manga Mr. Ben and His Igloo, A View of the Seaside by Yoshiharu Tsuge, follows Lee, a scriptwriter who is processing what is happening in her life.
“We finally have Japan in the competition again,” Locarno artistic director Giona A. Nazzaro had told THR about the film marking Japan’s return to the competition lineup.
White Snail by Elsa Kremser and Levin Peter (Space Dogs), a romantic drama about a Belarusian model dreaming of a career in China who finds herself drawn to a mysterious loner who works the night shift at a morgue, won another top honor, receiving the special jury prize at Locarno.
Meanwhile, Abbas Fahdel was honored with the best director award for Tales of the Wounded Land.
The best performance awards in the competition went to Manuela Martelli and Ana Marija Veselčić for their roles in God Will Not Help by Hana Jušić, as well as to Marya Imbro and Mikhail Senkov for their work in White Snail.
And a special mention in the international competition lineup went to Dry Leaf by Alexandre Koberidze.
The international jury of Locarno78 was led by Cambodian auteur Rithy Panh and also included Mexican director, writer, and producer Carlos Reygadas (Heli, The Untamed), Nickel Boys co-writer and producer Joslyn Barnes, Swiss actress Ursina Lardi (The White Ribbon, Veni Vidi Vici) and Dutch actress Renée Soutendijk (Sweet Dreams).
Two Seasons, Two Strangers is Locarno’s forth Japanese winner of the top prize after Masahiro Kobayashi’s The Rebirth (Ai no yokan) in2007, Akio Jissoji’s This Transient Life (Mujō), one of four films to share the prize in 1970, and Teinosuke Kinugasa’s Gate of Hell (Jigokumon)in 1954.
Among other Locarno 2025 honors, the Golden Leopard in the Concorso Cineasti del Presente program, which puts the spotlight on first and second features, was awarded to Tóc, Giấy Và Nước… (Hair, Paper, Water…) by Nicolas Graux and Trương Minh Quý.
In the same section, Cecilia Kang won the best emerging director honor for Hijo Mayor, while the best performance Leopards were given out to Aurora Quattrocchi for Gioia Mia (Sweetheart) by Margherita Spampinato, as well as Levan Gelbakhiani for his role in Don’t Let the Sun by Jacqueline Zünd.
This year’s debut feature honor, known as the Swatch First Feature Award, was bestowed upon Blue Heron by Sophy Romvari.
Nazzaro lauded “a successful edition beyond our wildest expectations that celebrates the enduring and gentle power of cinema and its manifolded ways of bringing communities together to share the wonderful gifts of peace.” He concluded: “A festival is like building a better tomorrow. One film at the time.”
The fest’s closing night will take place in the picturesque Swiss town’s Piazza Grande on Saturday, with Kiss of the Spider Woman by Bill Condon as the closing film.
Locarno 2025 featured honors for the likes of Jackie Chan, who received a huge ovation, Iranian star Golshifteh Farahani, who received her honor from Zar Amir, Emma Thompson, and costume designer Milena Canonero.
Here are the full winners of the 78th Locarno Film Festival.
Concorso Internazionale (International Competition)
Pardo d’Oro – Grand Prize of the Festival and City of Locarno Tabi to Hibi (Two Seasons, Two Strangers) by Sho Miyake, Japan
Special Jury Prize – Cities of Ascona and Losone White Snail by Elsa Kremser and Levin Peter, Austria/Germany
Pardo for Best Direction – City and Region of Locarno Abbas Fahdel for Tales of the Wounded Land, Lebanon
Pardo for Best Performance Manuela Martelli and Ana Marija Veselčić for Bog Neće Pomoći (God Will Not Help) by Hana Jušić, Croatia/Italy/Romania/Greece/France/Slovenia and Marya Imbro and Mikhail Senkov for White Snail by Elsa Kremser and Levin Peter, Austria/Germany
Special Mention Dry Leaf by Alexandre Koberidze, Germany/Georgia
Concorso Cineasti del Presente (for first and second features)
Pardo d’Oro – Concorso Cineasti del Presente Tóc, Giấy Và Nước… (Hair, Paper, Water…) by Nicolas Graux and Trương Minh Quý, Belgium/France/Vietnam
Best Emerging Director Award – City and Region of Locarno Cecilia Kang for Hijo Mayor, Argentina/France
Special Jury Prize CINÉ+ Gioia Mia (Sweetheart) by Margherita Spampinato
Pardo for Best Performance Aurora Quattrocchi for Gioia Mia (Sweetheart) by Margherita Spampinato, Italy and Levan Gelbakhiani for Don’t Let the Sun by Jacqueline Zünd, Switzerland/Italy
Pardi di Domani (showcasing short and medium-length films focused on experimentation and innovative forms)
Concorso Corti d’Autore Pardino d’Oro WePresent by WeTransfer for the Best Auteur Short Film A Very Straight Neck by Neo Sora, Japan/China
Pardino d’Oro Arts3 Foundation for the Best International Short Film Hyena by Altay Ulan Yang, USA
Pardino d’Argento Arts3 Foundation for the International Competition Still Playing by Mohamed Mesbah, France
Pardi di Domani Best Direction Award – BONALUMI Engineering Primera Enseñanza (Primary Education) by Aria Sánchez and Marina Meira, Cuba/Spain/Brazil
Medien Patent Verwaltung AG Award Force Times Displacement by Angel Wu, Taiwan
Concorso Nazionale Pardino d’Oro SRG SSR for the Best Swiss Short Film O Rio De Janeiro Continua Lindo (Rio Remains Beautiful) by Felipe Casanova, Belgium/Brazil/Switzerland
Pardino d’Argento SRG SSR for the National Competition Tusen Toner by Francesco Poloni, Switzerland
Best Swiss Newcomer Award L’avant-Poste 21 by Camille Surdez, Switzerland
Locarno Film Festival Short Film Candidate – European Film Awards O Rio De Janeiro Continua Lindo (Rio Remains Beautiful) by Felipe Casanova, Belgium/Brazil/Switzerland
First Feature Swatch First Feature Award Blue Heron by Sophy Romvari, Canada/Hungary
Pardo Verde (the Green Leopard for films from directors with a vision “linked to a new conception of humanity on planet Earth”) supported by the Ente Regionale per lo Sviluppo del Locarnese e Vallemaggia Pardo Verde
Mare’s Nest by Ben Rivers, United Kingdom/France/Canada
Special Mentions Tóc, Giấy Và Nước… (Hair, Paper, Water…) by Nicolas Graux and Trương Minh Quý, Belgium/France/Vietnam and Une Fenêtre Plein Sud (A South Facing Window) by Lkhagvadulam PurevOchir, France/Mongolia
INDEPENDENT JURIES AND AWARDS
Ecumenical Prize Solomamma by Janicke Askevold, Norway/Latvia/Lithuania/Denmark/Finland
Special Mention Le Lac by Fabrice Aragno, Switzerland
FIPRESCI Prize With Hasan in Gaza by Kamal Aljafari, Palestine/Germany/France/Qatar
Junior Jury Awards First Prize Le Lac by Fabrice Aragno, Switzerland Second Prize Dracula by Radu Jude, Romania/Austria/Luxembourg/Brazil Third Prize Mektoub, My Love: Canto Due by Abdellatif Kechiche, France “The environment is quality of life” Prize offered by the Ticino Department of Internal Affairs: Tabi to Hibi (Two Seasons, Two Strangers) by Sho Miyake, Japan Special Mention Le Bambine (Mosquitoes) by Valentina Bertani and Nicole Bertani, Italy
The second Junior Jury assigned a prize to the best film shown in the section Concorso Cineasti del Presente: Un Balcon à Limoges (A Balcony in Limoges) by Jérôme Reybaud, France Special Mentions Blue Heron by Sophy Romvari, Canada/Hungary and Folichonneries (Follies) by Eric K. Boulianne, Canada
Pardi di Domani Concorso Internazionale Blind, Ins Auge (Blind, Into the Eye) by Atefeh Kheirabadi and Mehrad Sepahnia, Germany/Iran
Concorso Nazionale Noirs Matins (Black Mornings) by David Gonseth, Switzerland
Concorso Corti d’Autore Une Fenêtre Plein Sud (A South Facing Window) by Lkhagvadulam PurevOchir, France/Mongolia
Special Mention – for the Concorso Internazionale Una Vez En Un Cuerpo (Once in a Body) by María Cristina Pérez González, Colombia/USA
Open Doors Screenings “The environment is quality of life” Prize L’Envoyée De Dieu by Amina Abdoulaye Mamani, Niger/Burkina Faso/Rwanda
Semaine de la Critique (Critics/Week) Grand Prix Semaine de la Critique – Prix SRG SSR Útóipe Cheilteach (Celtic Utopia) by Dennis Harvey and Lars Lovén, Sweden/Ireland
Marco Zucchi Award Nella Colonia Penale (In the Penal Colony) by Gaetano Crivaro, Silvia Perra, Ferruccio Goia, and Alberto Diana, Italy
ABU DHABI,UAE, Aug. 16, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI) has welcomed its largest cohort for its Fall 2025 intake, enrolling 403 new students. This includes its inaugural undergraduate class, new graduate cohorts in existing programmes in Computer Science, Computer Vision, Machine Learning, Natural Language Processing, and Robotics, and the first intakes into the Master of Science in Statistics & Data Science and Master in Applied Artificial Intelligence.
Students arrive at MBZUAI in Abu Dhabi as the university begins the 2025 academic year with its largest-ever class of 400+ students
This semester received more than 8,000 applications across the university’s Bachelor and graduate programmes, yielding an acceptance rate of 5 per cent, and reinforcing the university’s prestigious position and ability to attract the best talent in the UAE and from around the world.
Timothy Baldwin, MBZUAI Provost and Professor of Natural Language Processing, said: “This year, MBZUAI welcomes our largest cohort of graduate students alongside our inaugural undergraduate class. Artificial intelligence is transforming the world at a pace that vastly outstrips traditional education models. To realise its full global potential, MBZUAI invests heavily in reviewing and updating our programmes to reflect modern AI research methodology and workflows, based on our bleeding-edge AI research credentials and grounded in societal and industrial needs. As a young institution, MBZUAI has already earned a place among the world’s top 10 AI universities based on our research credentials. With the introduction of our undergraduate and Master’s in Applied AI programmes, we continue to build world-leading programmes aligned with the UAE’s National Strategy for AI 2031 and supporting Abu Dhabi’s rapidly growing AI ecosystem.”
The newly launched Bachelor of Science in Artificial Intelligence programme offers two streams, AI for Business and AI for Engineering, combining technical rigor with leadership, hands-on entrepreneurship, and in-situ industry experience. The first class consists of 115 undergraduate students from more than 25 countries, over 25 per cent of which are UAE Nationals.
Professor Baldwin said: “The jobs of tomorrow are being shaped by AI today and we must ensure that future generations are equipped with the tools and skills to navigate that shift. Our extraordinarily talented students don’t just learn about AI, but learn with it, through it, and for it. This is an extraordinary value proposition across all our programmes, but especially for our undergraduate students, who will be studying towards a bachelor’s degree in AI that I believe sets a new global benchmark in terms of technical depth, real-world relevance, and the high-end AI job-readiness of the students.”
The key highlights for the Fall 2025 intake includes MBZUAI’s total student body totaling more than 700, representing over 47 nationalities.
Nationalities represented in the undergraduate programmes are Bulgaria, China, Egypt, Georgia, Greece, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, the UAE and the UK. Postgraduate programmes bring together students from Canada, China, Egypt, France, India, Italy, Kazakhstan, Serbia, UAE, UK, USA and Vietnam.
MBZUAI continues to attract exceptional students, with 151 of the incoming graduate students (27.5 per cent) holding degrees from the world’s top 100 computer science universities (CSRankings), including Cornell University, Tsinghua University, the University of Edinburgh, and the University of California, San Diego.
In welcoming the new students, MBZUAI has begun its immersive Orientation Week, introducing new students to the university’s culture of academic excellence, AI-driven innovation, and community engagement. The programme combines academic sessions, mentorship activities, and cultural programming celebrating UAE heritage and life in Abu Dhabi. Highlights include the Orientation Mini Fair, where internal and external partners showcase resources for academic success, career development, and student life.
Orientation Week is designed to foster a strong sense of belonging and connection, laying the foundation for academic success and life-changing university experiences.
For more information, visit www.mbzuai.ac.ae
Media Contact: Noorul Tharola [email protected] +971567436637
SOURCE Mohamed bin Zayed University of Artificial Intelligence (MBZUAI)
The slides are an increasingly popular attraction on many of the mega vessels operated by cruise lines.
Like many cruise ships, Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas features water slides as one of its prime attractions.
Should you think twice about taking a ride down that water slide on your next cruise?
That’s what some may be asking in light of the news that a passenger was injured on a slide aboard Royal Caribbean’s Icon of the Seas ship earlier in August. The aftermath of the scene was captured on video, with fellow passengers reacting in horror as water gushed out of a hole in the attraction. “Stop the slide,” yelled one.
According to reports and a statement from Royal Caribbean (RCL), the passenger did not fall through the hole, but was nevertheless injured when a piece of acrylic glass broke off from the slide. Icon of the Seas, which can hold up to 7,600 passengers plus crew, was dubbed the largest cruise ship in the world when it launched in 2024.
But the Icon of the Seas incident is far from the only one to have happened on cruise-ship slides, which have become increasingly common features on many of the mega-sized vessels operated by numerous lines. Attorneys whose firms have represented clients in cases against cruise lines say the slides are often not designed ideally for the ships, given the relatively tight spaces they have to fit into versus land-based water slides.
And that’s on top of the fact a ship is constantly moving, which can put additional stress on the slides, they say.
“There’s really a degradation of materials at a much faster pace,” said Jason Margulies, a personal-injury lawyer with Lipcon, Margulies & Winkleman, P.A., a Florida-based firm that specializes in maritime and cruise ship cases.
Margulies’ firm is representing the unnamed passenger involved in the Icon of the Seas incident. In a statement, Alex Perez, another attorney with the firm, said: “Cruise ships have a responsibility to ensure that the attractions they open and encourage passengers to use are safe…Our client and his family are dealing with the catastrophic injuries suffered in this preventable incident, and have requested privacy in order to heal.”
Royal Caribbean said it does not comment on pending legal matters. Shortly after the Icon of the Seas incident, the company said, “The guest is being treated for his injuries. The water slide is closed for the remainder of the sailing pending an investigation.”
Other incidents involving cruise-ship slides include a 2015 one aboard the Carnival Cruise Line (CCL) Ecstasy ship that resulted in a lawsuit filed by Margulies and another attorney. In the filing, they wrote that the passenger involved was severely injured due to a variety of issues, including the cruise line failing to “properly configure the waterslide,” failing to have “sufficient assistance for passengers to safely exit the waterslide” and failing to have “sufficient water pressure on the waterslide.”
According to court records, the case went to mediation and was settled. In a statement about the incident, Carnival said: “We have a dedicated engineering and maintenance team that works closely on the design, construction and upkeep of our water slides and other such recreational structures, including training for our onboard teams as they conduct frequent inspections and routine maintenance, and consulting with other shoreside attractions operators on best practices.”
“I’m looking at this and going, ‘Where was the preventative maintenance?’”Royce D’Orazio, a former amusement-park ride technician
A 2022 incident aboard a Norwegian Cruise Line (NCLH) ship involved a passenger getting stuck on a slide, as captured on a TikTok video that received hundreds of thousands of views as well as numerous comments. “I’m having a panic attack just watching this,” one commenter said.
The passenger was able to eventually exit the slide, according to a report. Norwegian Cruise Line did not respond to a MarketWatch request for comment about the incident.
Failures with slides are likely not only a result of the aforementioned issues, according to Royce D’Orazio, a former amusement-park ride technician who’s now a content creator. He says the incidents often speak to an upkeep problem.
“I’m looking at this and going, ‘Where was the preventative maintenance?’” he said of the recent Royal Caribbean incident in particular.
D’Orazio also says operational issues can contribute to a slide breakdown. For example, a slide might have a weight restriction for individuals to ensure it isn’t tested beyond its structural limits. But staff has to be mindful of that matter and not let certain individuals go through it.
Of course, incidents with water slides can occur at land-based water parks – and sometimes do, including ones that result in death.
Still, D’Orazio and others point out that land-based water parks in the U.S. are typically subject to state regulations that require regular inspection of attractions.
When it comes to cruise ships – at least those that travel in U.S. waters – the U.S. Coast Guard has authority to ensure safety compliance. But a Coast Guard spokesperson said the agency is “not responsible for water slide or other entertainment equipment inspections on cruise ships.”
That means the issue is often left to the cruise lines, says Jason Turchin, a Florida attorney who has also handled cases involving ships. “The burden lies solely with the lines to make sure rides are up to the standards of the manufacturer,” he said.
Not that any of this may deter the vast majority of cruise-ship passengers, who readily enjoy the ever-increasing array of amenities that are offered onboard these days without injury. The industry is seeing high demand of late, with 34.6 million passengers boarding ships in 2024 – an increase of 9.3% over the prior year, according to Cruise Lines International Association (CLIA), a trade group.
CLIA didn’t respond to a MarketWatch request for comment about issues regarding water slides.
Melissa Newman, a regular cruise-ship passenger who also shares content about her travels online, says she isn’t overly worried about safety issues when it comes to onboard attractions and rides. There’s too much at stake for the ship operators to take the matter lightly, she observes.
“I’m not terribly concerned because I know that their fear of massive reputational damage from even one tragedy is enough to keep cruise lines vigilant, even without the stricter oversight they’d face on land,” Newman said.
-Charles Passy
This content was created by MarketWatch, which is operated by Dow Jones & Co. MarketWatch is published independently from Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal.
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Mountains have always affected how people live. At high altitudes, the body changes to adapt, such as developing stronger lungs or showing slower growth in babies. Now, scientists think living higher up might also help prevent obesity in children.
As obesity rates keep increasing around the world, especially in young kids, researchers are studying more closely how the environment and the human body work together.
High altitude and childhood obesity
Living high up in the mountains may help protect children from becoming obese. A study looking at more than 4 million Colombian children found that those living at higher altitudes were less likely to have obesity compared to children living closer to sea level.
Scientists think this could be because the air at high altitudes has less oxygen. With less oxygen, the body works harder and uses more energy, which may help keep weight lower.
Most earlier studies on altitude and obesity focused only on adults, like mountaineers or people living in highland areas. This new research is important because it shows the same link in children.
Since childhood is a key time for health and growth, the findings suggest that where a child lives – whether in the mountains or lowlands – can influence their risk of obesity in the future.
Focus of the study
Fernando Lizcano Losada from the University of La Sabana and colleagues analyzed data from 4.16 million children under five years old.
The data, collected by the Colombian Institute of Family Welfare, covered 1,123 municipalities.
The researchers categorized children into four groups based on altitude: up to 1,000 meters, 1,001-2,000 meters, 2,001-3,000 meters, and above 3,000 meters.
Obesity drops at altitude
At the lowest altitudes, about 80 in every 10,000 children had obesity. Between 2, 001 and 3,000 meters, prevalence dropped sharply to 40 in 10,000.
Interestingly, rates rose again above 3,000 meters, reaching 86 in 10,000. The researchers caution that this may reflect limited data from only seven municipalities, with just over 11,000 participants.
“That’s a fair comment,” said David Stensel at Loughborough University in the UK. He noted the absence of a clear dose-response pattern, which would have strengthened the findings.
Stensel emphasized that the study is observational, meaning it cannot prove altitude directly prevents obesity.
“They have tried to make sure that they have adjusted for the potential confounding factors,” such as poverty and deprivation. Still, “you can’t account for everything.”
Broader evidence from Latin America
According to the researchers, similar results have appeared in other high-altitude regions. In Peru, living above 2500 meters was linked with far lower obesity prevalence compared to lowlands.
Studies in Bolivia and Argentina showed children at higher elevations tended to be thinner, though growth restriction was sometimes observed.
In Ecuador, children in highland regions displayed lower weight but also higher stunting rates compared to coastal children.
Lizcano Losada suggests faster metabolism at high altitudes could explain the lower rates. Stensel agrees this is possible.
“There’s a few studies that have shown resting metabolic rate, or basal metabolic rate, increases when you’re at high altitude,” he noted.
An earlier 1984 study found mountaineers lost weight at high elevations, partly because fat was burned or excreted rather than stored.
Hormones and hypoxia
The researchers explained that high-altitude hypoxia can influence hormones like leptin and ghrelin, which regulate appetite.
Cold temperatures common in mountainous regions may also increase energy expenditure through thermogenesis. Together, these mechanisms may reduce obesity risk.
Poverty shapes outcomes
Not all outcomes are purely biological. The research emphasizes how poverty interacts with altitude.
Municipalities with moderate poverty often saw higher obesity rates, possibly due to reliance on cheap, ultra-processed food.
In contrast, extreme poverty sometimes correlated with undernutrition rather than obesity. This pattern reflects the “double burden of malnutrition” seen in many low- and middle-income countries.
Future research applications
Even if altitude helps reduce obesity risk, practical uses remain unclear. “They show us a relationship, and you then need to really design a bespoke study to investigate that hypothesis on its own,” said Stensel.
Lizcano Losada argues that environmental influences vary by region, suggesting that tailored public health advice may prove more effective in addressing childhood obesity.
The research also supports geographically specific strategies that integrate both biological and social factors for better outcomes.
The study is published in medRxiv.
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In this section, the results of each sustainability metric are individually analysed to examine the dynamics of battery performance, PV power generation, and load behavior. Finally, the holistic metric is evaluated to provide a comprehensive overview of the cases studied and their overall resilience.
Battery sustainability index (BSI)
In this study, the BSI was designed to provide a computationally tractable representation of battery health by quantifying SOC excursions and cycling frequency via weightings supported by degradation trends in the literature12,20. While this formulation captures the operational stress imposed on batteries, it does not include detailed electrochemical models such as Rainflow Counting or calendar aging estimation. For example, in Berlin, the BSI highlighted more frequent low-SOC events—reflecting deeper discharge cycles—which are known to accelerate degradation in both NMC and LFP batteries. These findings are consistent with trends reported in experimental investigations on hybrid energy storage, such as in24, where lithium-ion battery degradation was significantly affected by real-world fluctuations in renewable energy output. The incorporation of such empirical modelling approaches and hybrid storage configurations will be a natural extension of this work, particularly to bridge the gap between operational patterns and electrochemical wear.
The SOC is maintained above the minimum threshold of 20% for most of the operational hours, as set by HOMER. However, the frequency and duration of excursions below the safe operating range vary significantly across locations (see Fig. 3). The SOCSI is calculated for all the study cases, as shown in Table 2.
For Cairo (a), the SOC profile indicates that the battery spends most of the year at or near full capacity (100% SOC). This suggests an oversized energy storage system, where PV generation consistently exceeds demand. The frequent operation at full SOC may indicate underutilization of the system’s capacity and potential for optimization to reduce oversizing.
For Berlin (b), the SOC profile shows more variation, with periods of SOC decreasing closer to the 20% threshold. However, the battery generally maintains the SOC within the safe range for a significant portion of the year. The balanced performance reflects a system that is reasonably well sized, although there may still be occasional mismatches between PV generation and demand.
For Riyadh (c), the SOC profile demonstrates the most consistent behavior, with the SOC remaining stable and within the safe range for most of the operational hours. The battery rarely exists at critical levels, which reflects effective PV generation and proper system sizing suited to Riyadh’s high solar irradiance.
The evaluation of the BSI and SOCSI over the three years (2017–2019) reveals significant differences in battery performance due to regional variations in solar energy availability, operational dynamics, and battery sizing, as shown in Table 3.
Table 3 Battery sustainability Indices.
Fig. 3
Comparison of state-of-charge (SOC) behavior across Cairo, Berlin, and Riyadh for 2017, illustrating the temporal dynamics and variability influenced by regional solar conditions and battery management.
Table 4 SOC quantitative indicators.
Although Fig. 3 provides insight into the SOC behavior over time, the SOC pattern is highly dynamic and influenced by several interdependent variables, including load demand fluctuations, solar radiation variability, and autonomy configuration. As such, determining the long-term sustainability or degradation risk of a battery on the basis of SOC plots or average values alone may lead to ambiguous conclusions. This complexity highlights the necessity of developing a comprehensive metric that encapsulates not only SOC trends but also their implications for battery longevity and system resilience.
Table 4 presents quantitative indicators of battery SOC behavior across three distinct locations (Cairo, Berlin, and Riyadh) over three years, including the average SOC, standard deviation, and cumulative time the battery operated outside the optimal SOC window. The results reveal significant spatial and temporal variations in battery operating patterns. For example, Cairo presented relatively high average SOC values (72.3–82.7%) with decreasing standard deviations over time (32.1–11.9%), reflecting tighter SOC control but frequent exposure to high SOC levels that risk accelerated degradation. Conversely, Berlin’s SOC remained generally lower (56.4–63.4%), yet with consistently high variability (approximately 34%), indicating less consistent SOC management. Riyadh displayed a stable average SOC (approximately 70%) and moderate standard deviation (≈ 20%), suggesting relatively balanced operation.
The SOCSI results reveal significant differences in battery performance across the studied locations, highlighting the importance of optimizing battery autonomy on the basis of regional solar conditions. In Cairo, an oversized PV system designed to provide one full day of autonomy consistently results in lower SOCSI values. This is because the system generates more power than the load demand does, causing the battery to remain near its maximum SOC for most of the year. While this setup reduces deep discharges, it limits the battery’s cycling within the optimal SOC range, resulting in less dynamic operation and higher degradation risks. Therefore, despite ensuring a reliable energy supply, Cairo’s battery system operates suboptimally in terms of long-term viability, with the BSI reflecting this imbalance between autonomy and SOC management.
However, these conventional statistical measures (mean and standard deviation) fail to capture critical aspects of battery sustainability. For example, both Berlin 2017 and Cairo 2017 show similar standard deviations (33.8% vs. 32.1%), yet the time spent outside the safe SOC range differs drastically (3461 h vs. 5408 h). This illustrates that traditional statistics provide limited insight into the actual stress imposed on a battery. The unsafe time metric highlights these hidden risks, emphasizing the need for a composite index such as the BSI, which integrates both the frequency and severity of SOC deviations alongside cycling behavior. The BSI thus offers a more meaningful and actionable indicator of battery health, supporting informed decisions about system operation and maintenance planning.
In contrast, Berlin experiences higher SOCSI values due to limited solar energy, which requires the battery to operate within a narrow SOC range. The battery spends much of the year at the lower SOC limit of 20%, especially in colder climates. However, the system’s ability to maintain this low SOC range leads to better resilience in terms of cycle life. Berlin’s higher BSI indicates a more favourable balance between cycling frequency and SOC management than does Cairo, where the oversized system limits cycling dynamics.
Riyadh benefits from consistently high solar availability, leading to more balanced and dynamic battery operation. The battery in Riyadh operates within the optimal SOC range more frequently, which promotes both longevity and reduced degradation. Riyadh’s high BSI values underscore its more sustainable battery performance, attributed to its optimal balance between SOC stability and efficient cycling.
The results emphasize the need for location-specific battery operation strategies. In Cairo, the oversized PV system should be optimized to avoid excessive SOC levels, as one day of autonomy is excessive for such sustainable high solar radiation. Conversely, in Berlin and Riyadh, one day of autonomy is more appropriate given the limited solar availability and consistent solar conditions, respectively. These findings highlight that autonomy should be carefully adjusted to local solar power performance, optimizing both battery performance and long-term viability across diverse environmental contexts.
To assess how different degradation mechanisms or battery chemistries influence the BSI, a sensitivity study was conducted where the weights were varied as follows:
Scenario A SOC-dominant scenario (ω₁ = 0.7, ω₂ = 0.3).
Scenario B Base case (ω₁ = 0.6, ω₂ = 0.4).
Scenario C Equal contribution (ω₁ = 0.5, ω₂ = 0.5).
Scenario D Cycle dominant (ω₁ = 0.4, ω₂ = 0.6).
Table 5 BSI values under each scenario.
As shown in Table 5, the analysis demonstrates that BSI is responsive to changes in degradation emphasis. For example, in Cairo in 2017, the BSI increased by more than 30% between the SOC-dominant (0.556) and cycle-dominant (0.730) scenarios. This variability highlights the importance of selecting appropriate weights to reflect the actual degradation mechanisms relevant to battery technology and the usage profile.
Lithium-ion chemistries such as NMC, which are widely used in advanced systems, are highly sensitive to SOC-related degradation, justifying higher SOCSI weightings (e.g., ω₁ = 0.6–0.7). In contrast, chemistries such as LFP or future solid-state batteries, which exhibit greater tolerance to high SOC, may benefit from recalibrated weights with greater emphasis on cycling. Similarly, systems with high-frequency shallow cycling may prioritize the cycle term to better capture wear patterns.
This flexibility enhances the applicability of BSI across diverse technologies and operating conditions. The sensitivity results also reinforce the need for careful, data-driven selection of weights rather than arbitrary choices, ensuring that the index meaningfully reflects the sustainability of the battery system.
PV power behavior
Figure 4 shows the daily ratio of served load to PV energy for three cities, i.e., Cairo, Berlin, and Riyadh, over 2017. Cairo consistently has a stable ratio below 1, indicating that PV energy production generally exceeds the load throughout the year. This pattern reflects the effective sizing of the PV system and favourable solar conditions, which minimize seasonal variability and ensure consistent energy availability. Berlin, in contrast, demonstrated significant fluctuations in the ratio, with multiple peaks exceeding 1. These spikes indicate periods where the served load surpasses PV energy production, particularly during winter months with lower solar irradiance. This variability highlights the challenges of relying solely on PV systems in regions with significant seasonal changes in solar availability, necessitating greater reliance on storage. Riyadh displays a pattern similar to that of Cairo, with ratios below 1 for most of the year, although it experiences slightly more variability. Occasional peaks suggest short-term mismatches between PV energy generation and load, but the overall stability reflects Riyadh’s high solar irradiance and well-sized PV system.
Fig. 4
Comparison of the daily ratio of served load to PV energy across Cairo, Berlin, and Riyadh for 2017, showing regional differences in PV system performance and load matching.
Table 6 summarizes the ERE values for the three locations over three years. The ERE evaluates the PV system’s reliability in delivering energy to meet load demands by calculating the average fraction of daily PV-generated energy utilized effectively. Cairo’s ERE values, ranging from 0.55 to 0.63, indicate a consistent and reliable energy supply where PV production typically exceeds load requirements. This reflects a surplus of PV energy, which is effectively utilized to serve the load, minimizing reliance on storage.
Although Berlin has the lowest solar irradiance among the three locations, it presented the highest ERE value in 2017 (0.878). This outcome is attributed not to higher energy availability but to better alignment between the PV system output and the local load profile, resulting in more efficient utilization of the available PV energy. The relatively moderate and consistent load demand in Berlin allows a larger portion of the PV-generated energy to be consumed directly, thereby increasing the ERE despite limited solar resources.
The fluctuation in Berlin’s ERE values across the years, particularly the noticeable drop in 2018 (0.732), can be attributed to seasonal variations in irradiance, which affect the degree of mismatch between generation and load. Unlike Cairo, where PV generation often exceeds load requirements year-round, Berlin’s performance is more sensitive to annual solar variability. These differences highlight the importance of system design and regional climate in determining the effective utilization of PV energy.
Riyadh has an ERE of approximately 0.74, indicating a well-balanced system where PV energy production and load demands align effectively. The consistency of these values highlights Riyadh’s stable solar resources and effective system sizing, which ensures high reliability in energy delivery across all three years. These observations emphasize the importance of tailoring PV systems and energy management strategies to specific regional conditions to optimize reliability and performance.
Table 6 Energy reliability efficiency.
These year-over-year trends underscore the importance of location-specific PV system design and energy management. While Cairo and Riyadh show consistent reliability, Berlin’s variability suggests the need for more robust storage or adaptive load management in regions with less predictable solar patterns.
Load behavior
The weighting factor was set to 3 during peak demand hours (08:00–16:00), where the load reached 200 kW, and 1 during other hours. This reflects periods of highest grid stress and system vulnerability, ensuring that the PDM metric prioritizes demand-matching performance during operationally critical times.
Cairo consistently has high weighted PDM values throughout the study period, with most values remaining above 0.6, as shown in Fig. 5-a. This indicates a well-balanced energy supply and demand, particularly during both peak and off-peak hours. The solar resource availability in Cairo, coupled with an effective EMS, supports stable performance.
Berlin shows a more volatile weighted PDM profile with frequent dips below 0.5 (see Fig. 5-b). This suggests challenges in meeting energy demand, particularly during peak load periods. The lower solar irradiance in Berlin likely impacts the PV performance, and the peak load weight (ω = 3) accentuates this mismatch during high-demand periods.
Riyadh’s weighted PDM values are relatively stable, remaining consistently above 0.5, with fewer extreme dips than those in Berlin. The region benefits from strong solar resources, enabling good performance, as shown in Fig. 5-c. However, occasional drops indicate periods of higher unmet loads, possibly during peak load periods or extreme weather conditions. Table 4 provides further insight into the long-term performance of the metric.
Cairo achieves the highest average PDM across all years. This reflects effective solar PV and EMS practices that ensure a balance between load demand and energy supply. Berlin consistently has the lowest PDM values, highlighting the impact of reduced solar resource availability. Seasonal fluctuations and the higher weight assigned to peak loads exacerbate the challenges in matching energy demand. Riyadh exhibits strong performance, with PDM values close to those of Cairo, as shown in Table 7. Its stable solar irradiance supports effective load balancing, although minor dips indicate areas for improvement in peak load management.
Fig. 5
Comparison of the weighted peak demand matching (PDM) metric across Cairo, Berlin, and Riyadh for 2017, reflecting system performance under variable load weighting during peak and off-peak hours.
Holistic sustainability index
Fig. 6
Comparison of BSI, ERE, and PDM metrics for Cairo, Berlin, and Riyadh, illustrating differences in battery sustainability, energy reliability, and demand matching performance across the cities.
The radar chart, shown in Fig. 6, effectively highlights the comparative sustainability performance of Cairo, Berlin, and Riyadh across average values of three key metrics: BSI, ERE, and PDM. Riyadh has the strongest overall sustainability profile, leading to both BSI (0.81) and ERE (0.75), indicating robust battery longevity and efficient energy reliability (see Figure y). Cairo has a relatively high PDM score (0.78), reflecting excellent load matching performance, although its lower BSI (0.66) and ERE (0.60) suggest potential oversizing issues and opportunities for optimizing battery cycling and system efficiency. Berlin, while exhibiting the highest ERE (0.80), has the lowest PDM (0.53), indicating challenges in demand matching, likely due to variable solar availability and seasonal load fluctuations. The intermediate BSI value (0.72) for Berlin indicates moderate battery performance but suggests that system flexibility improvements, such as hybrid storage or renewable diversification, could further enhance sustainability. Overall, the radar chart underscores the distinct trade-offs in system design and operational efficiency among cities, emphasizing the need for tailored strategies to improve sustainability metrics on the basis of regional characteristics.
The final HM values for the three locations, i.e., Cairo, Berlin, and Riyadh, over three years are presented in Table 8.
Table 8 Holistic sustainability results.
The results of the HM analysis provide insights into the performance of the locations studied over three years. Riyadh achieves the highest HM values across all years, reflecting its optimal balance between battery performance, energy utilization, and load-matching efficiency. Its high solar availability ensures that the battery operates within the optimal SOC range more frequently, promoting longevity while maintaining efficient energy conversion and demand matching.
Berlin has moderate HM values because of its efficient cycling dynamics and relatively strong energy utilization ERE. However, its limited solar availability requires the battery to operate near the lower SOC range for extended periods, increasing stress and degradation risks. While Berlin’s energy management strategy effectively maximizes energy utilization under constrained conditions, improving battery stress management could enhance its overall performance.
Cairo, despite benefiting from an oversized PV system that ensures a reliable energy supply, records comparatively lower HM values. The oversized system results in prolonged periods of high SOC, reducing cycling dynamics and leading to inefficiencies in energy utilization and load matching. Adjusting the system design to better align with local demand patterns and solar availability could significantly improve the performance of Cairo’s HM.
The contrasting system behaviors observed in Cairo and Berlin highlight the need for region-specific optimization strategies. Cairo’s oversized PV system ensures high reliability but leads to suboptimal battery cycling, which lowers the overall HM by underutilizing the battery and potentially reducing its lifespan. Conversely, Berlin’s smaller PV capacity results in greater battery stress due to increased cycling but achieves a higher ERE because of more effective energy utilization. To improve system performance, it is recommended that Cairo’s battery capacity be optimized to increase battery cycling and extend battery longevity. For Berlin, integrating hybrid renewable energy systems, such as combining wind power with PV, could reduce battery stress while maintaining energy reliability. Future work will explore these hybrid configurations to further enhance system flexibility, resilience, and sustainability across diverse climatic regions.
The HM advances beyond traditional reliability-based indices such as the LMI by incorporating a multidimensional assessment of PV-battery system performance. Unlike the LMI, which primarily evaluates how well the load demand is met, the HM integrates the BSI, ERE, and PDM into a unified framework. This integration allows the HM to capture operational inefficiencies and long-term degradation risks that the LMI tends to overlook. A clear example is observed in the Cairo case, where the LMI indicated acceptable reliability performance due to high load coverage, yet the HM revealed a lower score of 0.66, indicating an oversizing issue and excessive battery cycling. This demonstrates HM’s ability to detect subtle but critical design flaws, offering a more insightful evaluation tool for system designers aiming to balance performance, longevity, and reliability.
These findings reinforce the importance of adopting a holistic approach to sustainability assessment, as the interaction between battery performance, energy utilization, and load matching varies significantly across locations. The proposed HM framework effectively captures these interactions, offering actionable insights for optimizing system design and operation to maximize resilience across diverse environmental and operational contexts.
Economic assessment of PV-battery systems
To enhance the practical relevance of the proposed HM, this section presents a basic economic analysis focused on the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) and battery replacement scheduling. The analysis links sustainability indicators, such as the BSI, to cost performance, highlighting the economic benefits of improved system design (Table 9).
where Ct is the cost in year t (capital, replacement, O&M), Et is the energy delivered to load in year, r is the discount rate (6%) and T is the project lifetime (25 years).
The battery replacement time
The battery replacement time in this study was estimated by linking the BSI results, which reflect the combined effects of SOC stability and cycle usage, to the expected consumption of the battery’s rated cycle life. To link the proposed BSI to battery economic life, we assume a linear relationship between the BSI and the replacement time. This is based on the premise that optimal SOC management and reduced cycling stress, reflected in higher BSI values, enable the battery to approach its maximum potential lifespan. For lithium-ion batteries, a typical maximum calendar life of 15 years is assumed under ideal operating conditions. Thus, the battery replacement time is estimated as:
$$T_{{replace}} = 15 times BSI$$
When this method is applied, the estimated battery replacement times for Cairo, Berlin, and Riyadh are approximately 9, 13, and 14 years, respectively. These estimates align with practical expectations for lithium-ion battery deployments in well-managed off-grid systems. This approach integrates the technical sustainability analysis with economic planning by translating the BSI into an expected replacement timeline. The economic analysis conservatively assumes a minimum of one replacement during a standard 25-year system lifetime to reflect calendar aging and real-world degradation mechanisms. This integration of sustainability results with replacement scheduling ensures that the proposed metric not only assesses technical health but also informs practical cost planning.
Table 10 Economic analysis results.
As shown in Table 10, this basic cost analysis reveals that systems with better battery sustainability (high BSI) not only perform better technically but also reduce long-term costs. In particular,
By linking HM to LCOE and the replacement frequency, this study provides a comprehensive view of both the technical and economic performance.
Besides a slew of bug fixes, Android 16 QPR1 Beta 3.1 makes one change to the Location Quick Settings Tile.
In Android 16 (and earlier versions of the OS), Quick Settings used a pin icon for the Location Tile. This is also what appears in the status bar when location services are in use. The inspiration is clearly the Google Maps icon.
The QPR1 Betas tried a cursor-esque arrow icon for the QS Tile, but did not change the pin that appeared in the status bar.
Beta 3 vs. Beta 3.1
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With Beta 3.1, Quick Settings has reverted to the pin icon for a consistent look. This appears to be the only interface change in this patch (which is still on the July 2025 security level), while there are 24 bug fixes:
Device instability or reboots related to Wi-Fi by improving how the system processes network statistics. (Issue #433037402, Issue #432867183, Issue #433418936, Issue #432795362, Issue #432770117, Issue #432699126, Issue #435489862, Issue #435011484)
The Context Hub, a low-power sensor component, would crash due to excessive use of main memory, causing device instability; resolved by optimizing memory allocation and preventing memory leaks. ( Issue #420999948, Issue #426316038)
The home screen sometimes lost its bottom row of pinned apps and the search bar, making them inaccessible; this was fixed by adjusting how these elements reappear after screen transitions. (Issue #428088033, Issue #428405658, Issue #429817851)
Notifications would overlap in the shade, hindering readability, by refining the notification display and dismissal animation logic. (Issue #421792538, Issue #422749237, Issue #420418750, Issue #428896474)
An issue that caused unexpected device restarts. (Issue #427676713)
The Quick Settings UI on unfolded foldable devices appeared clipped or misaligned due to incorrect padding caused by double-counting the camera cutout. (Issue #419184923, Issue #421879049, Issue #421810067, Issue #423172198, Issue #422560004, Issue #424116279)
An issue that caused devices to unexpectedly reboot. (Issue #408888279, Issue #409949346, Issue #409960197, Issue #410624610, Issue #407373090, Issue #430095518)
The status bar appearing in the Quick Settings shade was sometimes misaligned with the standard status bar, causing a visual inconsistency. (Issue #419573315, Issue #419134909, Issue #432794874)
Addressed a system hang or crash, particularly during unlock, caused by the camera’s Ambient Light Sensor (ALS) read getting stuck, by implementing a non-blocking method for sensor data retrieval. (Issue #421870862, Issue #420725698)
The media player on the lock screen would sometimes disappear or become unresponsive. (Issue #420517884)
An issue where the notification shade displayed a large, growing gap, obscuring notifications, by correcting how notification animations were clipped. (Issue #421366916)
An issue where the media player notification could appear clipped or disappear during device rotation, by improving how its display area is sized and updated in UI transitions. (Issue #433040374)
Video calls initiated from voice calls no longer experience muted audio; a system audio fix now correctly manages sound output during call type transitions. (Issue #434139133, Issue #427060263, Issue #438414975)
An issue where black translucent bars appeared at the top and bottom of the home screen after exiting full-screen apps by correcting how transient system bar states were cleared. (Issue #425407737, Issue #433929827)
An issue that caused the device to unexpectedly crash and restart during an OTA update.
An issue causing occasional device restarts after system updates.
Widgets on the home screen sometimes failed to load due to looking for outdated app files.
Typing occasionally stopped working in apps because internal input system processes could race.
Device crashes caused by the Context Hub running out of memory.
Bluetooth crashes and instability caused by an “Unimplemented Packet Type” error have been resolved.
An issue that could cause phone disconnections or system crashes during calls by resolving a memory corruption bug in audio data buffer handling related to audio playback speed changes.
A brief screen flicker happened when launching apps from the notification shade.
A system crash that could occur when using your device’s media features, especially when connected to a computer for media transfer, by improving the internal handling of media connection resources.
This should be the absolute final beta before the consumer launch that presumably comes in early September for existing Pixel devices.
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