Category: Tech

Apple Negotiating Deals With Publishers to Train Generative AI Systems on News Content: Report

Apple has opened negotiations in recent weeks with major news and publishing organisations, seeking permission to use their material in the company’s development of generative artificial intelligence systems, the New York Times reported on Friday.

The iPhone maker has floated multiyear deals worth at least $50 million (roughly Rs. 420 crore) to license the archives of news articles, according to the report, which cited people familiar with the discussions.

The news organisations contacted by Apple include Condé Nast, publisher of Vogue and the New Yorker; NBC News; and IAC, which owns People, the Daily Beast and Better Homes and Gardens, the New York Times said.

Some of the publishers contacted by Apple were lukewarm on the overture, according to the report.

Apple did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Big tech has been investing aggressively to integrate generative AI. On the other hand, Apple has used the technology to improve basic functions in its new gadgets.

Apple also introduced new MacBook Pro and iMac computers and three new chips to power them in October, highlighting that these can be used by artificial intelligence researchers, whose chatbots and other creations are often constrained by how much data can be held in the computer’s memory.

More Chinese agencies and state-backed companies across the country have asked their staff to not bring Apple iPhones and other foreign devices to work, Bloomberg News reported earlier this month, citing people familiar with the matter.

For over a decade, China has been seeking to reduce reliance on foreign technologies, asking state-affiliated firms such as banks to switch to local software and promoting domestic semiconductor chip manufacturing.

Multiple state firms and government departments across at least eight provinces have instructed employees in the past month or two to start carrying local brands, the Bloomberg News report said.

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Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra Could Sport 50-Megapixel Telephoto Camera; May Offer 5x Zoom like iPhone 15 Pro Max

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra will be equipped with an upgraded telephoto camera, according to details shared by a Chinese tipster. The South Korean tech conglomerate is expected to launch the successors to the Galaxy S23 series of smartphones, and the top-of-the-line Galaxy S24 Ultra is expected to feature an improved telephoto camera that offers up to 5x optical zoom. Earlier this year, Apple unveiled the iPhone 15 Pro Max, a smartphone with support for 5x optical zoom, using a tetraprism telephoto lens.

In a post on Weibo (via 91Mobiles), tipster Ice Universe has shared a screenshot of the EXIF (Exchangeable Image File Format) information of an image captured with the purported Galaxy S24 Ultra. The leaked image gives us a look at the camera specifications of the telephoto camera on the company’s rumoured flagship phone.

According to the screenshot uploaded by the tipster, the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra will be equipped with a 50-megapixel camera that can capture images with a resolution of 6,120×8,160 pixels while the file size of the captured image is 20.76MB. Readers might recall that the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra features a 10-megapixel telephoto camera. It should be noted that a higher megapixel count does not automatically translate into better image quality.

Photo Credit: Screenshot/ X (@chunvn8888)

 

Meanwhile, another X (formerly Twitter) user @chunvn8888 shared an image of the purported camera module for the Galaxy S24 Ultra and the image shows the model number SM-G928U, which is said to pertain to the upcoming flagship phone.

Tipster Evan Blass recently shared a teaser image for the Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2024 launch event, where the company is expected to launch the Galaxy S24 series of smartphones. As per the leaked teaser, the event will begin on January 18 at 1:00 AM KST (11:30 PM IST). Samsung is yet to announce a date for the arrival of its rumoured handsets, which have been leaked several times over past few weeks.

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OnePlus Ace 3 Specifications Tipped, May Debut Globally as OnePlus Nord 3 Successor

OnePlus Ace 3V specifications have leaked online, giving smartphone enthusiasts an idea of what to expect from the company’s upcoming handset. It is expected to arrive as the successor to the OnePlus Ace 2V that was unveiled in China earlier this year, with a MediaTek Dimensity 9000.chip paired with up to 16GB of RAM. A tipster with a good track record of leaking information about upcoming smartphones has now shared details of the purported OnePlus Ace 3V ahead of its debut.

Digital Chat Station (translated from Chinese) leaked details of the upcoming OnePlus Ace 3V via Weibo on Saturday, revealing that the handset will be equipped with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 chip and will sport a display with a 1.5K resolution. The tipster also responds in the affirmative to a user’s comment on his post speculating that the price of the phone won’t be under CMY 2,000 (roughly Rs. 23,400).

Photo Credit: Screenshot/ Weibo

 

The tipster claims that it will debut as a midrange handset and while the post doesn’t mention the exact name of the smartphone, it states that it is being developed under the company’s Ace branding, which suggests it will succeed the OnePlus Ace 2V, which is also a midrange phone.

OnePlus typically rebrands its Ace smartphones when launching them outside China, and it appears that the OnePlus Ace 3V could also be launched globally, as part of OnePlus’ Nord lineup. Earlier this year, the OnePlus Ace 2V was brought to global markets — including India — as the OnePlus Nord 3.

Launched in India and other markets earlier this year, the OnePlus Nord 3 is powered by MediaTek’s Dimensity 9000 chip and up to 16GB of RAM. It features a 6.74-inch AMOLED display with a dynamic refresh rate that switches between 40Hz – 120Hz.

It is also equipped with a triple rear camera setup with a 50-megapixel primary camera. The phone has a 16-megapixel selfie camera for selfies and video chats. It is equipped with up to 256GB of UFS 3.1 storage and has an in-display fingerprint scanner for biometric authentication. The OnePlus Nord 3 packs a 5,000mAh battery with support for 80W SuperVOOC charging. It also has the company’s tri-state alert slider and an IP54 rating for dust and water resistance.

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IMD Tests Use of AI in Weather Forecasts Amid Rise in Floods, Droughts

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) is testing artificial intelligence (AI) to build climate models to improve weather forecasting as torrential rains, floods and droughts proliferate across the vast country, a top weather official said.

Global warming has triggered more intense clashes of weather systems in India in recent years, increasing extreme weather events, which the independent Centre for Science and Environment estimates have killed nearly 3,000 people this year.

Weather agencies around the world are focussing on AI, which can bring down cost and improve speed, and which Britain’s Met Office says could “revolutionise” weather forecasting, with a recent Google-funded model found to have outperformed conventional methods.

Accurate weather forecasting is particularly crucial in India, a country of 1.4 billion people, many impoverished, and the world’s second-largest producer of rice, wheat and sugar.

The IMD provides forecasts based on mathematical models using supercomputers. Using AI with an expanded observation network could help generate higher-quality forecast data at lower cost.

The department expects the AI-based climate models and advisories it is developing to help improve forecasts, K.S. Hosalikar, head of climate research and services at IMD, told Reuters.

The weather office has used AI to generate public alerts regarding heatwaves and such diseases as malaria, Hosalikar said. It plans to increase weather observatories, providing data down to village level, potentially offering higher-resolution data for forecasts, he said.

The government said on Thursday it wants to generate weather and climate forecasts by incorporating AI into traditional models, and has set up a centre to test the idea through workshops and conferences.

“An AI model doesn’t require the high cost involved in running a supercomputer – you can even run it out of a good quality desktop,” said Saurabh Rathore, an assistant professor at Indian Institute of Technology-Delhi.

Better data is also needed to make the most out of AI, experts say.

“Without having high-resolution data in space and time, no AI model for location-specific magnification of existing model forecasts is feasible,” said Parthasarathi Mukhopadhyay, a climate scientist at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology.

© Thomson Reuters 2023

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Beeper Says Its Efforts to Bring iMessage to Android Is ‘Unsustainable’ After Providing Jailbroken iPhone Fix

Beeper, the messaging platform that has fought hard to bring Apple’s iMessage to Android phones, seems to have released a final update for its service. After multiple attempts at making iMessage work on Android devices reliably, with workarounds that involved users accessing a Mac, Beeper has said its efforts to bring the popular messaging service on Android are “unsustainable.” The company announced its future plans hours after it said it had found a stable solution for iMessages to work on Android for Beeper Mini and Cloud users.

It its blog post published late Thursday, Beeper said it did not have any plans to revive its efforts if its latest iMessage fix was thwarted by Apple. “Each time that Beeper Mini goes ‘down’ or is made to be unreliable due to interference by Apple, Beeper’s credibility takes a hit,” the company said in its blog. “It’s unsustainable. As much as we want to fight for what we believe is a fantastic product that really should exist, the truth is that we can’t win a cat-and-mouse game with the largest company on earth.”

Beeper said that it expected Apple to tolerate its latest software release and that the iMessage connection software behind Beeper Mini and Beeper Cloud was being made open source. “Anyone who wants can use it or continue development,” Beeper said. The company will now focus on its long-term goal of building “the best chat app on Earth.”

In the blog, Beeper also responded to Apple’s claims that its app posed “significant risks to user security and privacy.” In its detailed rebuttal, the company said that Beeper Mini was not a malicious app and was secure, contrary to claims made by the iPhone maker.

Beeper’s latest update came soon after the company said that phone number registration on the Beeper Mini app was back, which would allow Android phone numbers to show up in blue colour in iMessage. Beeper users, however, would need to access an old jailbroken iPhone, a Mac computer, or find a friend with a Mac.

Beeper left detailed instructions to get iMessage working reliably on Android in a separate blog post announcing the jailbroken iPhone fix for phone number registration. For Beeper Mini users on mobile devices, an old jailbroken iPhone (6/6s/SE1/7/8/X) would do the trick.

Earlier this week, Beeper released an iMessage fix on Android devices that would require users to access a Mac computer for the service to work reliably. A Mac registration would allow Android users to send blue bubble text messages on iMessage. Users must have continued access to a Mac computer, however, for the messaging service to work.

While Beeper has been working on various fixes and workarounds to get iMessage to work on Android devices, Apple has continued to block the service citing privacy and security concerns. In a statement to The Verge, Apple said that the company had taken steps to block Beeper Mini’s access to iMessage as it exploited “fake credentials.” The company said that it took steps to protect its users as Beeper’s techniques “posed significant risks to user security and privacy.”

Apple launched the iPad Pro (2022) and the iPad (2022) alongside the new Apple TV this week. We discuss the company’s latest products, along with our review of the iPhone 14 Pro on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.
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Oppo Find X7, Find X7 Ultra Complete Specifications Leaked Hinting at Imminent Launch

Oppo Find X7 series is expected to launch soon — details of the three purported models in the series have been surfacing online. Design renders and live images of the handsets have also been leaked. The lineup was previously said to include three models – a base Oppo Find X7 along with a Pro and Ultra model. A new leak suggests that the series will instead comprise the Oppo Find X7, Find X7 Ultra and a Find X7 Ultra ‘Satellite Communication’ model — which indicates there could be no Pro model this year. 

Weibo user “The Director of the Factory is Guan” (translated from Chinese) leaked a detailed specifications sheet of the purported Oppo Find X7 series. It indicates the lineup will include a base, an Ultra and another Ultra model but with a Satellite Communication connectivity option. Design schematics shared in the leak show all three models with a circular rear camera module.

Photo Credit: Screenshot/ Weibo

 

The vanilla Oppo Find X7 is expected to be powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 9300 SoC, while the Ultra models of the series will likely come with Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipsets, according to the tipster. These phones are said to support LPDDR5X RAM. They are also expected to ship with Android 14-based ColorOS 14.

The leak suggests that the Ultra models of the Oppo Find X7 will get 6.82-inch 2K screens, while the base model will sport a 6.78-inch 1.5K display with BOE 8T OLED LTPO panels, 120Hz refresh rate and 2,160Hz PWM dimming rate.

For optics, the Oppo Find X7 is likely to include a 50-megapixel LYT-808 primary rear sensor with optical image stabilisation (OIS), a 50-megapixel Samsung JN1 sensor with an ultrawide lens, and a 64-megapixel Omnivision OV64B periscope telephoto shooter with 3x zoom and OIS support.

On the other hand, the Oppo Find X7 Ultra and Oppo Find X7 Ultra Satellite Communication models are expected to carry a 50-megapixel LYT-900 main sensor with OIS, a 50-megapixel LYT800 sensor with an ultrawide lens, an OIS-supported 50-megapixel IMX890 sensor with telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom and a 50-megapixel OIS-supported IMX858 sensor with telephoto lens with 6x optical zoom.

The Chinese smartphone maker is expected to equip the phones with UFS 4.0 onboard storage. They will all feature a 5,000mAh battery, with 100W wired fast charging support. According to this leak, both Ultra models are likely to be similar other than their Satellite Communication connectivity support. Notably, the leak has not suggested any price ranges for the rumoured handsets.

Samsung launched the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Galaxy Z Flip 5 alongside the Galaxy Tab S9 series and Galaxy Watch 6 series at its first Galaxy Unpacked event in South Korea. We discuss the company’s new devices and more on the latest episode of Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.
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Honor Tablet 9 With 12.1-inch Display, Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 SoC Launched: Price, Specifications

Honor Tablet 9 was launched in China on Thursday alongside the Honor 90 GT smartphone. The latest tablet from the former Huawei subsidiary comes in three colour options with a 12.1-inch 2.5K screen. The Honor Tablet 9 runs on Android 13-based MagicOS 7.2 and is powered by an octa-core Snapdragon 6 Gen 1, paired with 12GB of RAM and 512GB of onboard storage. The tablet includes eight speakers and is backed by an 8,300mAh battery with 35W fast charging support.

Honor Tablet 9 price

Honor Tablet 9 price is set at CNY 1,599 (roughly Rs. 18,500) for the 8GB RAM + 128GB storage model. Honor is providing a CNY 100 discount for this model as an introductory offer. The 8GB + 256GB model is priced at CNY 1,699 (roughly Rs. 20,500), while the 12GB + 256GB model costs CNY 1,999 (roughly Rs. 23,500).

The top-end model with 12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage is priced at CNY 2,199 (roughly Rs. 26,200). It is offered in Muguang White, Sky Blue, Starry Sky Gray (translated from Chinese) colour options. 

Honor Tablet 9 specifications

The Honor Tablet 9 runs on MagicOS 7.2 based on Android 13 and features a 12.1-inch 2.5K (1,600×2,560 pixels) IPS display with 120Hz refresh rate, 249ppi pixel density, 88 percent screen-to-body ratio and 16:10 aspect ratio. The display is rated to deliver up to 500 nits of peak brightness and offers TÜV Rheinland certification as well. The tablet is powered by a 4nm Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 SoC, coupled with up to 12GB of RAM and 512GB of onboard storage.

For optics, the Honor Tablet 9 features a 13-megapixel rear camera sensor with f/2.0 aperture and autofocus. On the front, it features an 8-megapixel sensor with f/2.2 aperture and front focus for video calling and selfies.

Connectivity options on the tablet include dual band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.1, and a USB Type-C port with OTG support. Sensors on board include an accelerometer and ambient light sensor. It includes two microphones and eight speakers with Honor’s Histen sound effects.

The Honor Tablet 9 houses an 8,300mAh battery with 35W fast charging support. The battery is rated to deliver up to 8 hours of video playback time on a single charge. It measures 278.27×180.11×6.96mm and weighs around 559g.

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GTA VI Hacker Gets Indefinite Hospital Sentence: Report

The hacker responsible for leaking in-development videos of Grand Theft Auto VI last year has been reportedly confined to a secure hospital — for an indefinite period. As per BBC News, an 18-year-old individual named Arion Kurtaj, who was part of the notorious cybercrime group Lapsus$, was deemed unfit to stand trial due to acute autism diagnosis. So, based on a mental assessment, the jury was asked to decide whether the heinous act was committed with criminal intent — resulting in the claim that the individual was ‘highly motivated’ to return to crime. As such, he has been sentenced to life in hospital indefinitely until he’s deemed as no longer dangerous to people.

Kurtaj was arrested back in September 2022 on suspicion of the Rockstar Games hack, during which he pled not guilty and faced trial for the crimes his cybercrime group committed against Nvidia and Uber. “The jury was told that while he was on bail for hacking Nvidia and BT/EE and in police protection at a Travelodge hotel, he continued hacking and carried out his most infamous hack,” the report states. The hack was seemingly carried out in a hotel room, which he performed using an Amazon Firestick, a television, and a smartphone. (His laptop was allegedly confiscated from a previous breach attack.) Having gained access to the company’s Slack group, he boldly threatened to release the GTA 6 source code within the next 24 hours unless Rockstar negotiated with him over the Telegram messaging app.

While not explicitly mentioned, Rockstar might have declined his requests, leading to Kurtaj releasing over 90 clips from the highly anticipated video game into the wilds, in what could be called one of the biggest leaks in gaming history. Earlier this month, the company dropped the first trailer for GTA VI, showing off some in-engine footage and a glimpse at our two leads, Lucia and Jason. That video garnered 62 million views within just 13 hours of release, causing Kurtaj’s defence team to argue that the leaks barely put a dent in the game’s success and that no serious harm was caused. However, Rockstar argued that the leak spoiled thousands of hours put into development and affected the team morale, causing $5 million worth of damage for recovery. In addition to Kurtaj, another unnamed 17-year-old male was convicted of partaking in the cyberattack on Nvidia and stealing cryptocurrency.

More recently, another AAA game studio Insomniac Games fell victim to a ransomware attack, with the responsible cybercrime group releasing 1.67TB of confidential data into the wild, including a fully functioning build of the upcoming Wolverine game, emails between employees and their personal information, presentations on future release slate, sales figures, and more. Game developers around the world have united to shower love and support to the affected and denounced hacks which could endanger people’s lives.

Grand Theft Auto 6 will launch on the current-gen PS5 and Xbox Series S/X sometime in 2025.

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Realme 12 Pro, Realme 12 Pro+ Allegedly Spotted on TDRA Website, Launch Could Be Imminent

Realme 12 series launch could be around the corner, if recent reports are any indication. While details for the upcoming Realme 12 Pro and Realme 12 Pro+ are yet to be officially announced, the phones have purportedly been spotted on the Telecommunications and Digital Government Regulatory Authority (TDRA) website, hinting at their imminent arrival. The listing indicates 5G connectivity in the Realme 12 series. Both Realme 12 Pro and Realme 12 Pro+ are tipped to run on Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 SoC. The handsets recently surfaced on the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) website, too.

As per a report by MySmartPrice, Realme 12 Pro and Realme 12 Pro+ have appeared on the TDRA website with model numbers RMX3842 and RMX3840, respectively. The listing confirms the exact monikers and indicates 5G connectivity on the handset. These model numbers were spotted on the BIS website previously. However, the TDRA listing does not reveal any further details about the two phones.

A recent leak by Chinese tipster Digital Chat Station claimed that the Realme 12 series will run on the Snapdragon 7 Gen 3 SoC. It is expected to debut in the mid-range smartphone segment priced around CNY 2,000 (roughly Rs. 23,000). The Realme 12 Pro+ is tipped to come with a 64-megapixel OmniVision OV64B periscope telephoto camera that could offer 3x optical zoom. The Realme 12 Pro is said to get a Sony IMX709 sensor with 2x optical zoom.

The Realme 11 series with Realme 11, Realme 11 Pro, and Realme 11 Pro+ were unveiled in China in May. The Pro and the Pro+ models made their India debut in June with initial price tags of Rs. 23,999 and Rs. 27,999, respectively. The vanilla model was launched in the country later in August with a starting price tag of Rs. 18,999.

The Realme 11 series phones run on Android 13-based Realme UI 4.0 custom skin and carry 5,000mAh battery. The vanilla Realme 11 and Realme 11 Pro have dual rear cameras, while the Realme 11 Pro+ flaunts a 200-megapixel triple rear camera setup. The Realme 11 is powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 6020 5G SoC. The top-end Realme 11 Pro and Realme 11 Pro+ have a MediaTek Dimensity 7050 SoC under the hood.

The Motorola Edge 40 recently made its debut in the country as the successor to the Edge 30 that was launched last year. Should you buy this phone instead of the Nothing Phone 1 or the Realme Pro+? We discuss this and more on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.
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Poco M6 5G With MediaTek Dimensity 6100+ SoC, 5,000mAh Battery Launched in India: Price, Specifications

Poco M6 5G was launched in India on Friday. It claims to be the “most affordable 5G phone ever.” The phone is powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 6100+ SoC paired with up to 8GB of RAM and up to 256GB of onboard storage. It ships with Android 13-based MIUI 14. The handset is also backed by a 5,000mAh battery with 18W wired charging support. It will be available for purchase later this month in two colour options and three RAM and storage configurations.

Poco M6 5G price in India, availability

Offered in Galactic Black and Orion Blue colourways, the Poco M6 5G is priced at Rs. 10,499 for the base 4GB + 128GB RAM and storage configuration, while the 6GB + 128GB and 8GB + 256GB variants cost Rs. 11,499 and Rs. 13,499, respectively.

The Poco M6 5G will be available for purchase exclusively via Flipkart starting December 26 at 12pm (noon) IST. The company states that buyers will be eligible for a Rs. 1,000 cashback offer by using ICICI Bank credit and debit cards at the time of purchase. 

Poco M6 5G specifications, features

The Poco M6 5G features a 6.74-inch HD+ (1,600 x 720 pixels) display with a refresh rate of 90Hz, pixel density of 260ppi, a peak brightness level of 600 nits, a touch sampling rate of 180Hz alongside Corning Gorilla Glass 3 protection and TÜV low blue light and flicker-free certification.

Powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 6100+ chipset, the Poco M6 5G also comes with a Mali-G57 MC2 GPU, up to 8GB of LPDDR4X RAM and up to 256GB of UFS 2.2 inbuilt storage. The RAM is expandable up to an additional 8GB, while the storage can be extended up to 1TB via a microSD card. The handset boots Android 13-based MIUI 14 out-of-the-box.

In the camera department, the Poco M6 5G carries a 50-megapixel AI-backed primary and an unspecified secondary sensor at the back. The front camera is equipped with a 5-megapixel sensor and is placed in a centred waterdrop notch at the top of the display.

The Poco M6 5G packs a 5,000mAh battery with 18W wired charging support. For security, it has a side-mounted fingerprint scanner. The phone also has a 3.5mm audio jack. It supports 5G, 4G LTE, Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5.3, GPS, and USB Type-C connectivity. The handset measures 168mm x 77.91mm x 8.19mm and weighs 195g.

Will the Nothing Phone 2 serve as the successor to the Phone 1, or will the two co-exist? We discuss the company’s recently launched handset and more on the latest episode of Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.
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