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UK data centers get permission to grow.

A study by data center specialists Onnec has revealed that local authorities in the UK’s 20 largest cities have overwhelmingly approved data center projects, with 89% of applications receiving planning permission over the past five years. Of the 88 applications reviewed, only three were rejected, five were withdrawn, and one remained undecided.

Onnec looked at 44 local councils and their planning applications for the report. The researchers found that data centers are generally approved, which shows local support for digital infrastructure. To provide computing power and data storage for AI deployment makes that support crucial. Only three applications in Sheffield were rejected. Local authorities looked into possible issues around the design and impact of the centers, along with whether they would fit the character of the surroundings or damage the Green Belt.

Data Center Spread

Notably, the British government has made data centers critical national infrastructure to emphasize their report. That said, the report urges a holistic approach to planning and a nationwide approach to achieve the best outcomes. The UK has pledged £6.3 billion in data center investment as part of its work to make the UK a hub for AI. The UK’s Department for Science, Innovation, and Technology (DSIT) is trying to reduce the friction in building data centers. It has looked into rejected projects to see where there is room for improvement.

“Data centers are critical for driving AI growth, and with the race for AI supremacy in full swing, the UK has recognized that to get ahead, the right infrastructure must be in place,” Matt Salter, Data Centre Director at Onnec. “Data centers can become the new oil for regions and cities, but only if they are planned holistically – this means considering every aspect of the data center instead of focusing solely on factors such as power and cooling. For example, thinking about the importance of cabling in providing the bandwidth needed to get the most from data center hardware.

London is the largest data center market in Europe, but the report suggests trying to up the availability of data centers elsewhere in the country. Relying solely on London means there is limited power availability along with problems around sustainability. Spreading data centers to other regions would also mean spreading the benefits to the people there. That means improved job opportunities not only for the data centers but for anywhere that the digital skills required for data centers are useful.

“Failing to take a holistic approach will result in sites that aren’t fit for purpose, don’t deliver on the UK’s needs, and degrade over time – poor planning could mean a new data center can feel five years old after the first year of operation, and in need of an expensive retrofit,” Salter said. “The UK risks losing ground in the race for AI supremacy if data centers aren’t built to last.”

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New update for Windows 11 24H2 adds polish to the taskbar, Start menu, File Explorer and more besides.

Windows 11 24H2 just got a new optional update (still in testing)It makes useful tweaks to the taskbar, Start menu, File Explorer and moreMicrosoft also provides fixes for a range of bugs in this preview release

Windows 11 24H2 has just received an optional update which comes with some useful tweaks to the interface.

This is patch KB5046740 and it’s in preview – so as ever, you might come across glitches if you install it – and the main changes on the desktop are applied to the taskbar and Start menu.

Beginning with the taskbar, Microsoft has streamlined the system tray – on the far right of the bar – with the date and time being displayed in a more compact fashion. The year is no longer shown (as, let’s face it, that’s pretty much redundant anyway), so you only see the day and month for the date, allowing for the time and date to be shown in a small square (instead of the longer rectangle needed to also fit the year in).

The overall effect is a more neatly-sized system tray, especially when you consider that Microsoft has also made it so that when ‘Do not disturb’ mode is on, the bell icon (for notifications) no longer appears in the tray. Again, that saves space and you can still open the notifications center by clicking on the date and time area.

On top of that, a taskbar bug has been fixed whereby if you have the bar set to ‘automatically hide,’ the search box turns into an icon.

As Windows Latest, which spotted all these changes, also points out, Microsoft has tinkered with the Start menu so that you can right click on pinned apps to produce a jump list.

If you’re not familiar with the jump list, it offers quick access to common functions used with the app in question, or files that’ve been recently opened by the app – it’s basically a handy bank of shortcuts.

Elsewhere, KB5046740 adds a fresh bit of functionality to File Explorer’s context menu, so when you right click on a file, there’s a new Phone link option – selecting this shares the file in question to your smartphone. Also with File Explorer, Microsoft has fixed a bug which caused some weirdness with too much spacing between the icons in the left panel.

In fact, a collection of bug fixes is applied here, including the cure for a Windows Update fail, and the resolution of a problem where the Windows clipboard history got deleted, leaving it blank.

(Image credit: Future)

Analysis: An option you should probably pass on

It’s worth noting that with those tweaks to the system tray in the taskbar, if you don’t like the new space-saving measures, you can turn them off and revert to normal (displaying the full date, with year) if you wish.

This update represents a solid polish of the Windows 11 interface, and also applies a raft of bug fixes which are handy, too. Speaking of bugs, however, we should remind you that this is a preview update, and as such, still in testing – so it could have glitches of its own (or said bug fixes may not work, or they could have unintended side effects).

For this reason, we generally recommend steering clear of preview updates, unless you’re really desperate to get the functionality therein. Just think of them as a glimpse of what you’re going to get soon, anyway, because this update will become the December patch for Windows 11 next month (in just over two weeks, on December 10, in fact).

If you follow Microsoft’s update schedule closely, like us, then you’ll likely recall that in December, the company takes a break for the holidays, so while there’s a main cumulative update issued (on December 10, as noted), there’s no preview or optional update for Windows 11 coming later in December. The next release will be the finished patch for January, which will likely be a minor affair.

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Arcane season 2 is almost over, but the award-winning Netflix show’s creators “can’t say” what they’re working on next – and it’s the internet’s fault.

Arcane‘s showrunners have suggested it’ll be a long time before their next project is releasedMultiple League of Legends (LoL) movies and TV shows are in development, but none are in full productionThe award-winning Netflix animated show’s creators will only make something they’re “really passionate about”

Arcane‘s creators have implied it’ll be a long time before their next League of Legends (LoL) movie or TV adaptation is released into the wild.

Speaking exclusively to TechRadar before Arcane season 2 made its initial Netflix debut on November 9, Christian Linke and Alex Yee warned fans not to expect another LoL project, animated or live-action, in the near future. Indeed, while multiple projects were in development, the pair were keen to stress that “we’re not in production on any of those”.

The disappointing update comes five months after it was announced that Arcane‘s second season would also be its last. Speaking on a pre-recorded video posted on Arcane‘s various social media accounts, though, Linke tempered fans’ sadness – mine included – by confirming more LoL adaptations were in the works. Even better, one of the best Netflix shows‘ co-creators said he hoped to have more news to share before the end of 2024.

With Arcane season 2’s final three episodes set to arrive tomorrow (November 23), viewers may be hoping for a reveal of some sort – either as a post-credits scene or a new project announcement on social media – before 2024 is over. The latter is certainly possible but, considering what Linke and Yee told me when I asked for a status update on what’s coming next, I wouldn’t bank on the former.

“That’s the fun part for us right now,” Linke replied when I asked which part of LoL champions and/or regions of Runeterra we’d see in Arcane‘s follow-up. “Really, we’re just focusing on what’s next.

“Look, we’ve played the game [League of Legends] forever and there are a lot of characters we’re passionate about,” Linke continued. “The way we’re exploring this is: ‘what are we really passionate about?’ and ‘what do we have that’ll be a great story that our audience will also be passionate about?’. We’re not in production on any of those yet. We’re really just developing stories and scripts right now, so I can’t say anything yet, unfortunately. I wish I could. I wish there was this maturity on the internet where everyone goes ‘it’s okay if it doesn’t work out’. Anything we say to you [Tom] is considered to be a hard commitment that’ll ends our lives if it doesn’t happen!”

“I think that if we were to say, at any point in Arcane‘s development, that we definitely knew what the end result of this show would be, we would’ve lied many times,” Yee added. “So yeah, I guess it’s good that we did the right thing [not say anything] and continue in that manner as we develop these things.

“A lot of the stories that’ll excite [LoL] players and Arcane fans are the same ones that excite us. So, the big message from us is, rest assured, we still have the hunger to tell these stories.”

I wish there was this maturity on the internet where everyone goes ‘it’s okay if it doesn’t work out’

Christian Linke, Arcane co-creator

Considering it took six years to make Arcane‘s first season and then over three years to make its sequel, it sounds like we’re all in for a long wait for another LoL adaptation to launch on Netflix, aka the world’s best streaming service. As I said, we won’t have another nine-episode installment of Arcane to tide us over in the interim, either, even though there were rumors that Arcane was initially supposed to last for five seasons. Despite reports to the contrary, Linke and Yee told me it was “never the plan” for Arcane to last more than two seasons. In short: while we wait for an official unveiling on its sequel show, you and I will just have to watch Arcane re-runs for many months and years to come.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves too much. Season 2’s third and final act will be with us imminently, so remind yourself what happened in the previous three chapters by reading my Arcane season 2 act 2 ending explained piece. Alternatively, check out Arcane season 2’s final trailer to see what it teases ahead of act 3’s release.

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How the combination of XR and AI will continue to unlock new possibilities, driving innovation across a variety of industries.

Many popular technologies today are the product of several technological and economic factors converging at the right time. A recent example is the rise of generative AI, which rapidly transitioned from an emerging technology to mainstream phenomenon, sparking revolutionary changes across various industries and societies.

Similarly, extended reality (XR), which includes augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), and mixed reality (MR), has long been touted to transform immersive experiences on devices. While adoption among consumers is steadily increasing, the true impact of XR to date has been seen across a variety of business use cases, including training, manufacturing, communication, content creation and retail.

According to the PWC “Seeing is Believing Report”, the growing adoption of XR technologies across businesses could boost global GDP by US$1.5 trillion, which is nearly 2 percent of overall GDP. Through integrating XR into their processes, businesses will see significant productivity and efficiency improvements, along with substantial time and cost savings.

While challenges around wider XR adoption still exist, the tech industry is making great strides to address them, paving the way for XR to become a more mainstream technology, not just for businesses but for consumers too.

The XR challenges and how the industry is addressing them

One of the primary computing challenges with XR has always been meeting the power efficiency requirements of small wearable devices that need to be always-on. Some early XR wearable devices suffered from short battery life while untethered, limiting their practicality for extended use. The industry has responded by investing in advanced battery technologies and power management systems, leading to more efficient, longer-lasting XR wearables.

Early XR wearable devices also faced security and privacy challenges. Initially, businesses were hesitant to adopt the devices due to potential vulnerabilities in data handling and encryption. However, with the integration of enhanced encryption protocols and secure data management practices, XR devices are now far safer and more secure. The security improvements allow companies to integrate XR technologies into their operations with greater confidence, knowing that sensitive information is well-protected.

The final challenge was the lack of ecosystem support for XR technologies. Developing quality applications that met business expectations was both expensive and complex, hindering widespread adoption. Today, the industry is addressing this by creating more accessible development tools and platforms. These simplify the process of developing and deploying XR applications, enabling businesses to create tailored solutions that meet their specific needs.

Ongoing technological breakthroughs in XR

Beyond these challenges, companies are investing heavily in research and development to improve XR wearable devices and elevate the user experience. Hardware advancements, including touch screens and camera miniaturization, as well as software improvements in applications and operating systems, have created significant opportunities for XR wearable devices to become more mainstream.

AR smart glasses are one device type where there has been plenty of interesting technology innovation during the past year. For instance, Snap’s fifth-generation Spectacles, Meta’s next-generation Ray-Ban smart glasses, and Meta’s Orion smart glasses are all examples of how XR wearables are evolving to meet business and consumer needs, with features like advanced AR displays and real-time AI video processing. More specifically, Meta’s Orion glasses now offer lightweight, immersive hands-free AR, with future versions expected to add social awareness features.

Wider innovations in lightweight materials and better batteries are making XR wearable devices easier to use and wear. New AR smart glasses entering the market are now adopting ultra-thin silicon carbide waveguide technologies that not only enable high-definition displays, but also dramatically reducing the thickness and weight of the devices. This marks a significant breakthrough in AR technology. AI features are also enhancing the XR wearable device experience, making them more personalized and context aware.

How AI will transform XR Technology

In fact, new compact language models are becoming highly influential across XR wearable technologies. These models, designed to run efficiently on smaller devices, enable real-time natural language processing and interaction, allowing users to interact with XR applications using real-time voice commands. For example, in manufacturing, workers can use a voice command to get information about assembly instructions or safety protocols without taking off their XR headsets.

Compact language models are also transforming XR experiences for consumers, businesses and healthcare, making them more immersive and interactive. For consumers, this is enabling them to create and consume new types of content via XR wearables. Meanwhile for businesses, XR wearable devices are providing employees with highly interactive real-time feedback and guidance during training. This feedback helps improve training outcomes and reduce errors, especially in manufacturing and medical sectors, leading to higher levels of efficiency and safety. Finally, in healthcare, clinicians can use XR to augment different treatments during medical procedures, reviews and training, leading to improved patient outcomes.

The next wave of digital transformation

Looking ahead, the combination of XR and AI will continue to unlock new possibilities, driving innovation across a variety of industries. With ongoing improvements in power efficiency, security and software support, and advancing technology capabilities, XR wearable devices are likely to see rising adoption among businesses and consumers. While we have yet to hit the XR tipping point, the journey ahead appears to be promising, as more consumers and businesses embark on the next wave of digital transformation.

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This article was produced as part of TechRadarPro’s Expert Insights channel where we feature the best and brightest minds in the technology industry today. The views expressed here are those of the author and are not necessarily those of TechRadarPro or Future plc. If you are interested in contributing find out more here: https://www.techradar.com/news/submit-your-story-to-techradar-pro

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Bluesky is the latest social media platform that cannot be used in Pakistan without a VPN. Yet, VPN usage is also a target.

Bluesky was just added to the list of blocked social media platforms in Pakistan as people worldwide flock to the X alternative.

The internet watchdog NetBlocks reported the outage on Thursday, November 20, 2024 (see tweet below).

X has been restricted since February, while Meta’s Facebook and Instagram were restricted in July 2024 and May 2023, respectively, according to Surfshark’s Internet Tracker.

The block comes at the same time that virtual private network (VPN) tools, the software you need to bypass this type of restriction, are also being targeted. Authorities set November 30 as the deadline for businesses and freelancers to register their VPNs and avoid further service disruptions.

It isn’t clear yet if commercial VPNs will be blocked, too. Last week, however, Pakistan’s religious chief said that using a VPN is against Islamic law and called for a ban. The Ministry of Interior also called to block all “illegal” VPNs, claiming that terrorists use these tools “to facilitate violent activities and financial transactions in Pakistan.”

While it’s still difficult to determine exactly how the new VPN rules will impact people in Pakistan, Gytis Malinauskas, Head of Legal at Surfshark, one of the best VPN providers on the market, told TechRadar: “This further contributes to a worrying trend of internet censorship and limitation of people’s digital rights in Pakistan.”

How to unblock Bluesky

Whether you live in Pakistan or are heading to the country soon, you’re probably looking for a way to bypass internet restrictions and access all your favorite social media apps as usual.

At the time of writing, a VPN – security software that both encrypts your internet connection and spoofs your real IP address location to grant access to blocked content – seems to still be a viable option to keep accessing Bluesky within the country.

At the beginning of the month, residents lamented issues accessing their VPN apps throughout the day in what looked like the beginning of the crackdown on “unregistered” VPNs. Authorities later confirmed this to be a “brief technical glitch” and normal service quickly resumed.

Malinauskas said that also Surfshark experienced service disruptions at that time. “Currently, our services are functioning without interruptions in the country but we are closely monitoring the situation,” he added.

Yet, this may change in a week as the registration deadline expires. I suggest checking out our best free VPN page to get all the most secure freebies out there without paying for them all. This will allow you to hop from one service to another in case of throttling.

Tools like the Tor Browser are also handy. Completely free to use and open-source, Tor is generally considered even safer than VPNs as it encrypts your data into at least three levels of encryption while spoofing your IP.

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Plex is set for a complete revamp, which should create a more seamless user experience.

Starting life as a humble personal media streamer, Plex has taken big strides in to the streaming game, attempting to firmly establish itself as one of the best free streaming services out there.

While recent changes have skewed toward promoting the wealth of free content available on the platform, it can be somewhat tricky to navigate. That’s about to change though as Plex has announced that it is testing a new interface that will eventually roll out to all users in early 2025, which should bring everything together into one seamless user experience. 

What is Plex?

Most digital library fans will be familiar with Plex Media Server, a free piece of software that allows users to create a client-server to stream all their personal media libraries locally and, on the premium tiers, remotely and with other users, with apps across all major platforms. In 2019, amid concerns of making piracy easier, Plex pivoted away from solely personal media, introducing ad-supported free streaming of 1000s of movies and TV shows plus free-to-stream live TV channels. 

In 2022, Plex added the ‘Discovery’ feature, informing users when content was available on other streaming platforms and in 2024 introduced a movie rental service. All the while, the OG Plex Media Server became increasingly difficult to navigate to from the app, with the other offerings front and centre. But now, Plex say, that’s set to change, with a streamlined overhaul making the app equally user friendly to all. You can take a look at the new UI being tested here:

So what’s new?

To put it simply, a lot. Plex say “this overhaul is more than a facelift. We made the significant decision to rewrite our apps from the ground up and unify our codebase, creating a streamlined, consistent experience across platforms”. And it sounds like this isn’t just hyperbole either. The streamer has spent over two years working on this redesign, and from the preview you can see above, it shows. 

The navigation of the app has had a complete overhaul, with its three key features – ‘Libraries’, ‘Live TV’ and ‘On Demand’ – now given equal billing front and centre on dedicated tabs. That will be music to the ears of veteran Plex Media Server users who have, in recent years, found themselves trudging through menus to find their personal media content, something Plex seem sympathetic to, stating: “We’ve brought our core features to the forefront, saying goodbye to the days of hidden hamburger menus and making it easier to explore with one hand on your phone.” 

But for newcomers or those that don’t have their own libraries, the new design looks just as useful, making it a breeze to navigate to all the free movies and shows Plex offers, whether that’s live TV or on-demand. The new app also expands the use of artwork, making pages easier to navigate and adding “visual richness and greater depth to your experience”. All in all, this could well be the update Plex users have been waiting for.

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Kickstarter camera add-on can magnify 1200x

iMicro Q3p is a fingertip-sized microscope lensAttaches to your smartphone camera for 1200x magnificationIt’s now available to back on Kickstarter for as little as CA$55

Fitting a microscope in your pocket is generally a bit of a challenge, unless that microscope is the iMicro Q3p. The latest in a six-year line of fingertip microscopes funded on Kickstarter, the Q3p is a tiny lens that attaches to your smartphone’s camera, putting pro-grade magnification in your pocket.

Like the iMicro Q3 announced late last year, the Q3p is powerful enough to view objects at a sub-micron level – or less than one micron. For reference, the average human hair measures 70 microns, while a red blood cell measures eight. That makes the Q3p an incredibly powerful optical tool.

By combining optical magnification with the digital magnification of your smartphone’s display, it’s also capable of rendering objects at up to 1200x their actual size. That’s significantly more than you can achieve with one of the best macro lenses, or with the 40x microscopic sensor on the Realme GT 2 Pro.

What the Q3p crucially gains this time is a polarizer. As with the Q2p before it, this enhances the contrast and color of images viewed through it. It’s particularly effective when it comes to viewing the structures of crystals and minerals. Because these materials are birefringent, their visual properties depend on the direction that light travels across them. The polarizer lets you adjust for this.

By adding a low-profile polarizer to the most powerful iMicro to date, the Q3p becomes an even more versatile piece of imaging kit. Remarkably, it measures just half an inch, weighs less than 0.5g and costs just CA$55 (around $39 / £31) to back on Kickstarter. That makes it orders of magnitude more portable and less expensive than a professional desktop microscope.

Look closer

The applications for a fingertip microscope are many and various. From science classes to industrial settings, the ability to view and measure high-resolution polarized images at 1200x magnification has educational, research and commercial potential. The ability to do so with minimal expenditure – and using the smartphone that’s already in your pocket – democratizes that potential.

Like the original iMicro that launched back in 2018, the Q3p sticks to your smartphone using thousands of nano-sized suction cups, which act like a gecko’s foot. This means it can attach any of the best camera phones, regardless of make or model, without the need for additional mounts or casings. It can also be removed and reused, without leaving any residue, allowing multiple users to share the same Q3p lens.

Also available with the Q3p is a focusing stand. Created based on the feedback of previous backers, the stand offers more granular control when focusing on objects at high levels of magnification. It’s cleverly stored together with the Q3p in a tidy, card-sized package, making it properly portable and genuinely useful.

So, too, is the inclusion of a stage micrometer in the kit, which allows users to take accurate scale measurements of magnified objects when calibrated with the i-Seeing app. While it might not replace the desktop microscopes found in professional laboratories, with their high-end optics and precision controls, the Q3p unlocks similar performance at a much lower price point, with a form factor that’s a lot more convenient.

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Rethink cybersecurity: traditional methods fall short against advanced threats.

There is a widening gap between the sophistication of cyber attacks and the traditional methods employed by many organizations to detect and neutralize these threats. The industry is at a critical juncture, requiring a shift from outdated paradigms to innovative approaches that can effectively combat evolving threats. The opportunity lies in recognizing and addressing this gap in thinking.

The Industry’s Struggle with Detection

Currently, organizations are predominantly focused on three main strategies for threat detection: deploying firewalls, leveraging Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) systems, and utilizing deterministic decision-making tools. Firewalls and EDRs are designed to identify and block malicious software by relying on known signatures and patterns of attack. Deterministic tools, on the other hand, aim to differentiate harmful activities from benign ones by analyzing data and making binary decisions about what constitutes a threat.

However, this traditional approach is proving increasingly inadequate in the face of sophisticated tactics like “living off the land” (LotL) attacks. LotL attacks are particularly challenging because they use legitimate tools and processes within a target’s environment to conduct malicious activities, thereby evading traditional detection mechanisms. There is no malware to flag, no signatures used to detect, and no obvious indicators of compromise for traditional tools to catch. This is where the crux of the problem lies: the existing tools are not equipped to handle such nuanced and covert threats.

The Gap in Industry Thinking

The main gap in the industry’s approach to cyber is the reliance on deterministic tools that are inherently limited in dealing with advanced persistent threats (APTs) and LotL techniques. Companies often believe that their current arsenal of cybersecurity tools is sufficient, failing to realize that these tools were not designed to counter the subtle and sophisticated methods used by modern attackers.

One significant oversight is the lack of temporal awareness in threat detection. Companies tend to think in terms of detecting threats based on current activities (using TTPs—tools, techniques, and procedures) but fail to consider the historical context of an attack. This short-sightedness is problematic because sophisticated attackers can dwell in a network for extended periods, waiting for the right moment to strike. Without the ability to look back in time and analyze past activities, organizations can misidentifying long-term intrusions that have already infiltrated their systems.

Embracing a New Approach

To bridge this gap, a new way forward involves three key shifts in thinking:

1. Adopting Retrospective Analysis: Organizations must incorporate solutions that enable retrospective analysis, allowing them to look back in time and investigate past activities for signs of an undetected intrusion. This approach requires retaining and analyzing historical data, huge amounts of data, which can reveal patterns and anomalies that are not apparent in real-time analysis.

2. Leveraging Behavioral Analytics: Instead of relying solely on deterministic tools, companies should adopt behavioral analytics that can detect deviations from normal behavior. This involves creating baseline profiles of typical activities and identifying outliers that could indicate a security breach. Behavioral analytics, such as for example a camera with an IP address that is exfiltrating files, are particularly effective in spotting LotL attacks, where traditional signature-based detection fails.

3. Learning from Elite Defenders: The practices of elite defenders such as top-tier financial institutions and government agencies provide valuable insights. These organizations do not rely on traditional methods alone but use advanced threat-hunting techniques and continuous monitoring to stay ahead of attackers. Companies should take cues from these progressive approaches and integrate them into their own cybersecurity strategies.

Moving ahead

In conversations with customers, the “aha” moment often comes when they realize the limitations of their current tools and understand the importance of historical data in detecting sophisticated threats. By illustrating real-world examples, such as the prolonged dwell times of attackers in high-profile breaches, cybersecurity professionals can underscore the necessity of adopting a more comprehensive and proactive approach.

Ultimately, bridging the cybersecurity gap requires acknowledging that the traditional tools and methods are no longer sufficient. Embracing retrospective analysis, behavioural analytics, and learning from elite defenders will equip organizations to detect and neutralize even the most sophisticated threats. By closing this gap in thinking, companies can enhance their security posture and better protect their critical assets in an increasingly complex threat landscape.

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This article was produced as part of TechRadarPro’s Expert Insights channel where we feature the best and brightest minds in the technology industry today. The views expressed here are those of the author and are not necessarily those of TechRadarPro or Future plc. If you are interested in contributing find out more here: https://www.techradar.com/news/submit-your-story-to-techradar-pro

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Samsung debuts Gauss 2 AI model.

Samsung’s AI ambitions have taken a big step forward as the company introduced the Gauss 2 AI model at this year’s Samsung Developer Conference. Gauss 2 builds upon its predecessor by offering improved performance and efficiency, with applications spanning smartphones, tablets, laptops, and home appliances.

Your Samsung Galaxy S24 FE may not use it for its AI features, but the device you buy in a few years might use Gauss 2 to help you out, including the rumored automated adjustments that make the Settings menu obsolete.

Gauss 2 is multimodal, so the AI can simultaneously process images, text, and computer code. That makes it better at incorporating AI-driven features on devices. In fact, there are three versions of the new model, differing in size and ability: Compact, Balanced, and Supreme.

The Compact model is aimed at performing on a device without the internet. In contrast, the Balanced model sometimes needs online resources to process data but is still supposed to be fast and efficient. Lastly, the Supreme version of the model pulls in resources and algorithm variations as needed to offer the best performance.

Depending on the version, Samsung says that Gauss 2 can communicate in up to 14 languages and 1.5 to three times faster than its earlier iteration.

Gauss gassed

“Samsung Electronics is committed to developing cutting-edge software, including AI and data analytics, to enhance user experiences,” said President and CTO of Samsung’s Device eXperience (DX) Division and the head of Samsung Research Paul Kyungwhoon Cheun. “With three distinct models, Samsung Gauss2 is already boosting our internal productivity, and we plan to integrate it into products to deliver higher levels of convenience and personalization.”

Samsung said it has already deployed Gauss 2 internally. More than 60% of Samsung’s DX division developers use Gauss 2 to help them code or get it to help translate text, write emails, and summarize documents. The AI is also used in call centers to categorize and summarize customer interactions.

You might not see Gauss 2 doing anything spectacular immediately on your devices, even when it’s added to future models. But, it will be key to popular features like real-time translation, suggestions of music or movies that you might like, and ways to edit your photos.

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AI music platform Suno debuts v4 with new features,

AI song creator Suno has opened the doors to a new virtual studio, releasing the Suno v4 platform for music creation. The much-teased upgrade lets users make better, longer, more creative songs and is looking to attract professional artists and producers interested in incorporating AI into music-making.

“When we launched v3 earlier this year, it opened up new possibilities for music creation. Post v3 launch, we’ve refined what worked and added more where it mattered most,” Suno wrote in a blog post. “The result is v4—a major update that takes music creation to the next level. v4 delivers cleaner audio, sharper lyrics, and more dynamic song structures.”

The change is obvious just by hearing how synthetic voices sound on Suno v4. The improved vocal clarity and tone are no longer stuck in the audio uncanny valley. They sound like real people. And, if you made a song with the older versions of the platform, you can use the new Remaster tool to enhance the track to match the new level of quality while keeping all of the elements you like.

Suno v4 also has new user tools that will likely encourage extended use. The Personas feature takes those new, improved voices and makes them part of your library. Essentially, you can apply an AI voice you like to any song you create. The consistent singing style across multiple tracks means you could theoretically create whole albums starring a single voice you like, as though the artificial voice were a singer you had under contract.

@sunomusic

Remaster your songs with v4 ✨ Thank you for all of your incredible excitement about v4 and our new Remaster feature, which enhances tracks you made with older models! A big thanks especially to our Pro & Premier subscribers for helping us shape our models with your feedback. Please continue to 👍 and 👎 songs – this helps improve your own music experience, and also helps us make the best v4 experience possible! ❤️ Team Suno

♬ original sound – Suno

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Furthermore, you’ll have better lyrics for your virtual client to perform with the new lyric model called ReMi, which is available in the custom creation mode. ReMi gets a little quirkier than the usual lyrics, pushing creativity over adherence to more conventional songwriting. It definitely makes for more unpredictable songs, which may or may not be ideal for producing the song you want.

The upgrade also takes the Covers feature out of beta. Covers is a tool that reinterprets your songs in new genres. So, if you generated a fun pop song but wanted to hear it performed like an old Scottish folk song or maybe sung to a dubstep beat, you can hear how that sounds.

Suno v4’s appeal to both casual music lovers and professional musicians makes sense. This kind of technical wizardry may be crucial as Suno faces many rivals, including Tad.AI, Udio, and Boomy. Suno’s mobile app and features like Scenes, which writes songs based on uploaded visuals instead of written prompts, will be necessary to stand out.

You can try Suno v4 now, though whether it will survive the ongoing lawsuits Suno and other AI music platforms face from major music labels for copyright infringement is still unclear.

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