Month: October 2024
The Exception That Proves the Rule: the Walmart M1 MacBook Air Still Has Just 8 GB RAM
While it’s true that after this week’s Mac announcements, every new Mac Apple sells now comes with at least 16 GB of RAM, Nick Heer reminds us that there remains a new Mac available with just 8 GB: the rather remarkable Walmart-exclusive $650 M1 MacBook Air.
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While it’s true that after this week’s Mac announcements, every new Mac Apple sells now comes with at least 16 GB of RAM, Nick Heer reminds us that there remains a new Mac available with just 8 GB: the rather remarkable Walmart-exclusive $650 M1 MacBook Air.
Buddy.ai, first AI tutor for kids under 12, closes $11 million in seed funding
To achieve the fourth Sustainable Development Goal of universal basic education, the world faces the challenge of addressing a critical shortage of 40 million primary and secondary teachers by 2030. Limited personnel and funding resources make this a daunting goal,
The post Buddy.ai, first AI tutor for kids under 12, closes $11 million in seed funding first appeared on Tech Startups.
To achieve the fourth Sustainable Development Goal of universal basic education, the world faces the challenge of addressing a critical shortage of 40 million primary and secondary teachers by 2030. Limited personnel and funding resources make this a daunting goal, […]
The post Buddy.ai, first AI tutor for kids under 12, closes $11 million in seed funding first appeared on Tech Startups.
Android 16 Will Launch Earlier Than Usual
Google is advancing the release timeline for Android 16, shifting it to the second quarter of 2025 to better align with new device launches and accelerate access to its latest AI and machine learning resources. It should also “enable app creators and phone companies to prepare their products for the new software more quickly,” reports CNET. From the report: [I]n a big-picture sense, the change could help facilitate a new wave of apps with more AI integration, considering developers will get access to Google’s latest machine learning and AI resources even sooner. “We’re in a once-in-a-generation moment to completely reimagine what our smartphones can do and how we interact with them,” Google’s Seang Chau, who took on the role of vice president and general manager of the Android Platform earlier this year, said in an interview with CNET. “It’s a really exciting time for smartphones, and we’ve been putting a lot of thought into what we want to do next with them.”
In addition to moving up the major release, Google will roll out a minor update in the fourth quarter of 2025 with feature updates, optimizations and bug fixes. It’s a notable switch from Google’s usual release timeline, but it’s just one of several changes the company has made to the way it distributes Android updates in an effort to add features more frequently. […] “Things are moving quite fast in the AI world right now,” Chau said. “So we want to make sure that we get those developer [application programming interfaces], especially around machine learning and AI, available to our developers so they can build these capabilities faster and get them out to our users faster.”
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Google is advancing the release timeline for Android 16, shifting it to the second quarter of 2025 to better align with new device launches and accelerate access to its latest AI and machine learning resources. It should also “enable app creators and phone companies to prepare their products for the new software more quickly,” reports CNET. From the report: [I]n a big-picture sense, the change could help facilitate a new wave of apps with more AI integration, considering developers will get access to Google’s latest machine learning and AI resources even sooner. “We’re in a once-in-a-generation moment to completely reimagine what our smartphones can do and how we interact with them,” Google’s Seang Chau, who took on the role of vice president and general manager of the Android Platform earlier this year, said in an interview with CNET. “It’s a really exciting time for smartphones, and we’ve been putting a lot of thought into what we want to do next with them.”
In addition to moving up the major release, Google will roll out a minor update in the fourth quarter of 2025 with feature updates, optimizations and bug fixes. It’s a notable switch from Google’s usual release timeline, but it’s just one of several changes the company has made to the way it distributes Android updates in an effort to add features more frequently. […] “Things are moving quite fast in the AI world right now,” Chau said. “So we want to make sure that we get those developer [application programming interfaces], especially around machine learning and AI, available to our developers so they can build these capabilities faster and get them out to our users faster.”
Read more of this story at Slashdot.
The iPhone 17 might use Apple’s own Wi-Fi chips
Hardware is hard. | Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge
Apple’s journey to making its own wireless chips has been a long one, but the end might be in sight. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo posted on X that Apple’s switch to its own in-house Wi-Fi / Bluetooth chips will start with the iPhone 17 in the second half of next year.
Kuo also agrees with 9to5Mac’s report that the iPhone SE 4, expected in spring of 2025, will be the first device to use Apple’s own homemade 5G modem. He says that the SE will continue using a third-party Wi-Fi chip made by Broadcom, and that the iPhone 17 will be the first device to use both an Apple-made modem and Wi-Fi chip.
Modems are hard, apparently. Apple has been trying to get away from using Qualcomm’s RF modems since at least 2019, when it bought Intel’s modem division. That’s because Apple famously likes to control its own destiny, and also, Qualcomm and Apple hate each other’s guts. According to reports, the iPhone 15 was supposed to be the first Apple phone with the new modem, but that proved to be an unrealistic target. The modem wasn’t ready for this year’s iPhones either.
The budget-friendly iPhone SE series is due for a serious upgrade, and it looks like Apple intends to add a lot more than just a new custom modem. Rumors suggest it will come with an OLED screen for the first time, Face ID, and will support Apple Intelligence. But those aren’t the only upgrades it might see: a higher price tag could be in the cards, too.
Hardware is hard. | Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge
Apple’s journey to making its own wireless chips has been a long one, but the end might be in sight. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo posted on X that Apple’s switch to its own in-house Wi-Fi / Bluetooth chips will start with the iPhone 17 in the second half of next year.
Kuo also agrees with 9to5Mac’s report that the iPhone SE 4, expected in spring of 2025, will be the first device to use Apple’s own homemade 5G modem. He says that the SE will continue using a third-party Wi-Fi chip made by Broadcom, and that the iPhone 17 will be the first device to use both an Apple-made modem and Wi-Fi chip.
Modems are hard, apparently. Apple has been trying to get away from using Qualcomm’s RF modems since at least 2019, when it bought Intel’s modem division. That’s because Apple famously likes to control its own destiny, and also, Qualcomm and Apple hate each other’s guts. According to reports, the iPhone 15 was supposed to be the first Apple phone with the new modem, but that proved to be an unrealistic target. The modem wasn’t ready for this year’s iPhones either.
The budget-friendly iPhone SE series is due for a serious upgrade, and it looks like Apple intends to add a lot more than just a new custom modem. Rumors suggest it will come with an OLED screen for the first time, Face ID, and will support Apple Intelligence. But those aren’t the only upgrades it might see: a higher price tag could be in the cards, too.
Amazon corporate headcount drops year-over-year as tech giant aims for efficiency
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San Francisco to Tokyo in 3 hours? This turboelectric jet engine could make it real.
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Skipping the New MacBook Pro? Here Are Two Bigger Changes Rumored
While the new MacBook Pro lineup features faster M4 chip options, Thunderbolt 5 support for higher-end configurations, a nano-texture display option, and more, most of the previous MacBook Pro models with Apple silicon chips still offer the latest overall design, and fast performance, which might lead you to avoid upgrading this year.
If you are planning to skip the new MacBook Pro, here are two bigger changes that are rumored to come to the laptop in a few years from now.
First is an OLED display. Previous rumors have claimed the MacBook Pro will switch to OLED display technology as early as 2026. In the meantime, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo and display industry analyst Ross Young both recently predicted that the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro will continue to have mini-LED displays in 2025.
Compared to current MacBook Pro models with mini-LED screens, benefits of OLED technology would include increased brightness, higher contrast ratio with deeper blacks, improved power efficiency for longer battery life, and more. The switch to OLED displays could also contribute to future MacBook Pro models having a thinner design.
Second is the just-mentioned thinner design. Earlier this year, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman said Apple was working to make the MacBook Pro thinner over the “next couple of years.” He said that Apple is aiming to create a class of devices that “should be the thinnest and lightest products in their categories across the whole tech industry.”
A more vivid OLED display and a much thinner design would be more compelling upgrades that might finally drive existing Apple silicon MacBook Pro users to upgrade.Related Roundup: MacBook ProBuyer’s Guide: 14″ & 16″ MacBook Pro (Buy Now)Related Forum: MacBook ProThis article, “Skipping the New MacBook Pro? Here Are Two Bigger Changes Rumored” first appeared on MacRumors.comDiscuss this article in our forums
While the new MacBook Pro lineup features faster M4 chip options, Thunderbolt 5 support for higher-end configurations, a nano-texture display option, and more, most of the previous MacBook Pro models with Apple silicon chips still offer the latest overall design, and fast performance, which might lead you to avoid upgrading this year.
If you are planning to skip the new MacBook Pro, here are two bigger changes that are rumored to come to the laptop in a few years from now.
First is an OLED display. Previous rumors have claimed the MacBook Pro will switch to OLED display technology as early as 2026. In the meantime, Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo and display industry analyst Ross Young both recently predicted that the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro will continue to have mini-LED displays in 2025.
Compared to current MacBook Pro models with mini-LED screens, benefits of OLED technology would include increased brightness, higher contrast ratio with deeper blacks, improved power efficiency for longer battery life, and more. The switch to OLED displays could also contribute to future MacBook Pro models having a thinner design.
Second is the just-mentioned thinner design. Earlier this year, Bloomberg‘s Mark Gurman said Apple was working to make the MacBook Pro thinner over the “next couple of years.” He said that Apple is aiming to create a class of devices that “should be the thinnest and lightest products in their categories across the whole tech industry.”
A more vivid OLED display and a much thinner design would be more compelling upgrades that might finally drive existing Apple silicon MacBook Pro users to upgrade.
This article, “Skipping the New MacBook Pro? Here Are Two Bigger Changes Rumored” first appeared on MacRumors.com
Discuss this article in our forums
You could start smelling the roses from far away using AI
AI can conduct scent teleportation without human help.
Ever send a picture of yourself trying on clothes to a friend to see what they think of how you look? Now, imagine doing the same from the perfume and cologne counter. AI could make that happen in the not-too-distant future after a breakthrough in ‘Scent Teleportation.’ Osmo, which bills itself as a “digital olfaction” company, has succeeded in using AI to analyze a scent in one location and reproduce it elsewhere without human intervention.
Scent teleportation uses sensors to collect and analyze a scent with a Gas Chromatograph Mass Spectrometer (GC/MS). The data is then transmitted to a specialized molecular printer, which can synthesize and combine the chemicals necessary to exactly reproduce the scent. Osmo has previously performed scent teleportation, but only with humans helping the process at every step.
That’s no longer necessary. Osmo has successfully used AI to map the processed scent onto its Principal Odor Map (POM), a database that predicts how specific combinations of molecules correspond to particular smells. AI models can then communicate the molecular profile of the scent to a robotic system to create and mix a replica of the aroma. The video demonstration by Osmo CEO Alex Wiltschko below shows how it works.
Smells like AI
“Well, we actually did it. We digitized scent. A fresh summer plum was the first fruit and scent to be fully digitized and reprinted with no human intervention. It smells great. Holy moly, I’m still processing the magnitude of what we’ve done. And yet, it feels like as we cross this finish line we are instantly at a new starting line,” Wiltschko shared on X. “I don’t know if this is embarrassing, but I carry the plum scent with me a lot of places and smell it constantly. It makes me smile.”
AI makes it possible for Osmo to better process huge amounts of data about a scent, making it more accurate and streamlining the process significantly, even when there are very subtle odor components. Osmo claims to have the largest AI-compatible scent data bank, which in turn helps train the AI to understand and reproduce scents. Scent teleportation isn’t Osmo’s only AI project. The company has also used AI to design entirely new scents, offering them to the fragrance industry.
Inhale the future
While it may seem a bizarre application of AI, scent teleportation could be an enormous boon to multiple industries. Imagine putting on a VR helmet and not only seeing the virtual environment but smelling it, too. Maybe it’s not ideal for some games, but watching a VR cooking show would be much more immersive with some olfactory assistance. Osmo also points to the potential health implications of scent recreation in therapy for conditions like anosmia (loss of smell) or as a way of diagnosing conditions where changes in your sense of smell are a symptom.
As for the sharing of perfumes to get a distant friend’s opinion, companies might look askance at the idea of you replicating their proprietary scents. But you could certainly enhance a romantic message with a picture of a flower the recipient can actually smell. Then again, the most popular suggestion for how to use AI-assisted scent teleportation might turn you off to the whole idea.
Guys if you keep asking me to use our cutting edge scent teleportation technology to send farts I freaking will and then who’s laughingOctober 30, 2024
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ChromeOS gets a big update with Quick Insert, Focus mode, and new AI features
The Quick Insert button is on the Galaxy Chromebook Plus and is coming to future 2025 Chromebooks. | Image: Google
Starting today, Google’s ChromeOS 130 update with Quick Insert, Focus Mode, Welcome Recap, and other features is rolling out. Chromebook Plus models with NPU also get exclusive special features in 130, such as the new recorder app with AI, enhanced mic, camera effects, and Gemini AI tools like “help me read” summaries.
There’s a long list of changes in 130, but here are some highlights. Quick Insert is a way to add emoji, GIFs, or links to recently visited sites and access AI features from a menu. On most devices, that means using the launcher or Google button plus f on your keyboard. The Samsung Galaxy Chromebook Plus is the first Chromebook to replace the launcher key with a new button that activates Quick Insert with a single press, but more devices launching next year will have it, too.
Focus Mode lets you activate do not disturb and schedule time to reduce distractions while you work, while Welcome Recap is an opt-in feature that summarizes whatever you were doing last so you can reopen apps and tabs to get back to work quickly.
Image: Google
Welcome Recap.
The Quick Insert button is on the Galaxy Chromebook Plus and is coming to future 2025 Chromebooks. | Image: Google
Starting today, Google’s ChromeOS 130 update with Quick Insert, Focus Mode, Welcome Recap, and other features is rolling out. Chromebook Plus models with NPU also get exclusive special features in 130, such as the new recorder app with AI, enhanced mic, camera effects, and Gemini AI tools like “help me read” summaries.
There’s a long list of changes in 130, but here are some highlights. Quick Insert is a way to add emoji, GIFs, or links to recently visited sites and access AI features from a menu. On most devices, that means using the launcher or Google button plus f on your keyboard. The Samsung Galaxy Chromebook Plus is the first Chromebook to replace the launcher key with a new button that activates Quick Insert with a single press, but more devices launching next year will have it, too.
Focus Mode lets you activate do not disturb and schedule time to reduce distractions while you work, while Welcome Recap is an opt-in feature that summarizes whatever you were doing last so you can reopen apps and tabs to get back to work quickly.
Image: Google
Welcome Recap.