Business Articles

The Grok AI image generator available on X generated controversial images showing politicians and celebrities in unflattering situations. Elon Musk has not yet commented on this. However, the image generator has now been restricted.

Microsoft has detailed a critical Windows security vulnerability that allows attackers full control over IPv6 in the CVE-2024-38063 threat. Users of affected Windows OSs should apply the August patches now or disable IPv6 in the network adapter settings.

A man whose wife suffered an allergic reaction while eating at a restaurant in Disney Springs is seemingly unable to sue due to a clause in the terms of service for Disney Plus. The document features a forced arbitration clause. The company is also citing the terms of their website, which was used to purchase tickets to Epcot.

The Loft Dynamics H125 has become the first-ever VR flight simulator in the US to receive FAA qualification for use in helicopter pilot training and certification. The simulator combines a Varjo Aero VR headset for a 360° virtual cockpit view with realistic replicas of all flight controls and a motion platform capable of six degrees of motion.

In August of 2024, one of the largest data breaches in history took place, exposing roughly 2.7 billion personal records. The set reportedly contains data on citizens of the United States, Canada, and the United Kingdom.

The NIST has finalized three post-quantum cryptography standards after nearly a decade of work to better protect the Internet, cryptocurrency, and communications. This move is in preparation for the ability of emerging quantum computers to crack public-key cryptosystem technologies such as RSA.

Although genetically modified wood has been around for a while, the latest poplar trees that were tweaked by a team of researchers with the University of Maryland are taking it all to the next level. Their genetically modified poplar trees deliver high-quality structural wood that can be engineered without the use of chemicals.

Small laptops were once very popular, but by now, the category has become sort of a niche. In times when even 16-inch laptops sometimes weigh less than 1.5 kg, the compact subnotebooks have maybe lost their single most important advantage - mobility.

Apple has reportedly forced Patreon into implementing iOS' in-app payment system within the Patreon app. Following the change, new memberships after November 4 will be charged a 30% App Store fee. Unsurprisingly, people, including Epic Game's Tim Sweeney and Elon Musk, hasn't taken the announcement well.

Vuzix has debuted the Android-powered M400 Xtreme smart glasses kit with the Xtreme Weather power bank for harsh environment use. The glasses and power bank are rated for -4° F to 113° F (-20° C to 45° C) temperatures and IP67-rated for water and dust exposure. The 13 MP camera enables video calls and barcode scanning.

AMD's latest Ryzen 9000 CPUs based on the Zen 5 architecture officially went on sale on August 8. However, according to sales data reported by TechEpiphany, the processors have failed to garner a strong response from the community. The Ryzen 5 9600X, for instance, has only sold a handful of units.

Although NASA intends to discontinue the VIPER program, the agency is now reaching out to American companies and institutions that are willing to use the moon rover to conduct a mission with minimal or no expense for the US government. Interested parties can apply until September 2nd, 11:59 p.m. EDT.

After discounting the Starlink Standard Kit by $100, which made it cheaper than the Starlink Mini, SpaceX is now shaving another $200 off the Standard Kit price.

As announced by Reddit CEO Steve Huffman, Reddit is planning to introduce various monetization options for users later this year.

Logitech has seemingly killed its 'forever mouse' project which had sparked widespread controversy by suggesting users pay a regular fee to get some kind of updates for their mice, required for said mice to remain usable. The Swiss company now claims via a statement that it never seriously considered releasing such a product; that it was merely an internal exploration of future possibilities.

The rise of the foldable smartphone with an even bigger main screen due to being able to fold into thirds rather than just in half is about to begin after all, according to a reputable leaker. It may or may not be ready to launch alongside the next generation of its manufacturer's best-known 'business-class' conventional candy-bar device, yet be even more expensive than its current foldable flagship.

China firms, including state-affiliated institutes, have been getting a steady supply of Nvidia’s AI chips the sale of which have been banned by the United States. A whole economy surrounding the procurement of Nvidia chips has reportedly sprung up in China with smugglers and private companies sourcing Nvidia chips for Chinese buyers.

Lucid Group has just announced a whopping $1.5 billion investment from an affiliate of Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund (PIF). The funding comes as Lucid is starting production for its highly anticipated Gravity SUV and looks to strengthen its financial position amid ongoing challenges. With this investment, Lucid expects to maintain sufficient liquidity through the fourth quarter of 2025.

The Lenovo ThinkPad P16s Gen 2 is well-suited for multimedia users as it features a colorful OLED screen with 400 nits of brightness as well as a powerful AMD CPU and a decent amount of memory and SSD storage.

According to CPU and motherboard sales data from a German retailer shared on X, Intel is having a difficult time attracting consumers. In week 31 of 2024, AMD reportedly led Intel in both CPU and motherboard sales by a wide margin on Mindfactory with Team Red enjoying more than 80% sales volume for both processors and mainboards.

Chinese memory maker CXMT has reportedly begun mass-producing HBM2 memory, a crucial component for AI and HPC processors. This sudden development puts CXMT ahead of schedule in the race for technological self-sufficiency. However, challenges remain as global competitors are already moving towards more advanced memory technologies.

A insider report appearing in Korean media claims that Samsung Electronics Chairman Jae-yong Lee has expressed anger over the recently launched Galaxy Buds 3 series' and Galaxy Watch Ultra's controversial Apple-inspired designs, as well as quality issues and software bugs. It's also said that action has been taken against some of the senior management at Samsung's mobile division.

According to well-known industry insider Jez Corden, Activision Bilzzard is forming a new team to develop AA titles based on Bilzzard franchises such as Warcraft and Diablo.

Microsoft has added Nvidia and AMD GPU options to its Windows 365 Cloud PC offerings. The desktop-as-a-service enables companies anywhere in the world to provide staff with a virtual PC configured with all necessary work software and settings. Windows 365 can be accessed online from personal computers, tablets, or smartphones.

Intel will fire 15,000 employees by year-end to help the company achieve a $10 billion cost savings that includes suspension of stock dividends. This move follows a drop in second-quarter earnings with a negative stock EPS. Negatively performing segments include Data Center and AI, Network and Edge, Altera, and Mobileye.

Yum! Brands will expand the rollout of its Voice AI for faster, more accurate drive-thru orders to more Taco Bell locations this year. The AI relieves human staff from the mundane task of order taking so they can focus on delivering hot, fresh food quickly. The system also allows for a reduced staff count to help increase restaurant profitability.

BYD is preparing to enter the Canadian electric vehicle market, which could significantly impact the sector and attract federal scrutiny due to potential tariffs on Chinese EV imports. Lobbyists for BYD have registered with federal and Ontario governments to advise on market entry and tariff issues. Although the launch details remain unclear, BYD has been meeting with Canadian dealers and plans to introduce passenger EVs in Canada soon.

As Logitech CEO Hanneke Faber announced in an interview, the company is currently testing a particularly durable mouse that will receive permanent updates and could be financed via a subscription model.

Qualcomm wants to revolutionize the laptop market with the Snapdragon X Elite. Our reviews of the Lenovo ThinkPad T14s Gen 6 shows us that Qualcomm puts too much emphasis on performance in tryping to do so.

Over 1.8 million Tesla cars in the United States are said to be incapable of detecting whether the front hood is snapped into place fully or not, posing a safety risk. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) disclosed this information on Tuesday, July 30 highlighting the importance of installing the software update that fixes the issue ASAP.

Zoom has announced Zoom Workplace with Zoom AI Companion for more productive online meetings and document collaboration. AI features include automated meeting summaries, event content generation, clip descriptions, and virtual background creation.

Tesla has posted a render of the future Semi Factory along with a photo of the current stage of the construction of this cutting-edge facility. The company had previously stated an intention to start mass production of the Semi electric truck in 2025.

Kyocera is offering a free digital detox starter pack with every DuraXA Equip or DuraXV Extreme+ rugged flip phone purchase. Excessive social media and smartphone use leading to mental health issues has popularized use of ‘dumbphones’. Flip phones also remain popular with businesses that want staff to stay focused while improving business network security.

When personal electronics OEM Xiaomi launched its first ever electric car, it conservatively predicted that it would be able to ship 100,000 of them by the end of 2024. Now, the company is said to believe that it will hit that target far earlier than it imagined, even though it has just taken one of its vehicular production lines offline.

Vivo has announced that it has partnered with Rokid to make the X100 Ultra capable of 3D photography. The new feature is backed to turn users of the top-end flagship Android smartphone into aspiring extended or augmented reality (XR/AR) content creators using the Ultra's Zeiss-tuned cameras. Vivo has also now hinted that it will release its first ever headset soon.

Apple is projected to launch a new SE version of the iPhone in 2025. Now, the device is also believed to be the first of its series to launch with mobile data powered by an in-house chipset rather than one from Qualcomm as usual. The alleged Slim version of the iPhone 17 is expected to follow in its footsteps shortly thereafter.

California tech giant, Apple and its first U.S. retail union, IAM CORE, have reached a tentative agreement. The deal, covering employees at a Maryland store, comes after over a year of challenging negotiations. The agreement includes unspecified improvements to wages, benefits, and working conditions. The outcome of the upcoming ratification vote on August 6th is the next important thing to look out for.

WazirX has outlined a strategy to address a recent cyberattack that resulted in the loss of over $230 million in crypto assets. The crypto exchange has implemented a two-tiered recovery plan, allowing users to choose between prioritized asset recovery with limited access or immediate access with delayed recovery. To mitigate losses, WazirX will distribute recovered funds among affected users through a “balanced crypto basket” approach.

Epic Games is introducing the Epic Games Store on both iOS and Android within the European Union. The store will offer developers more favorable terms compared to traditional app stores, including a lower 12% store fee. Fortnite will also return to the iOS App Store in the EU. To further challenge app store monopolies, Epic plans to distribute its games on other third-party mobile stores.

According to reports, skins in Cod MW3 have been designed by AI. This not only poses a risk to generic content, but could also threaten the jobs of game designers. The community is not happy about this.

As Elon Musk announced on X, the Optimus robot will be used in Tesla factories as early as next year and could go into mass production as early as 2026.

The games publisher Humble Games has announced in a press release that it intends to carry out a restructuring, which will also result in redundancies. However, an ex-employee claims that Humble Games will be closed down completely and that all employees will have to leave.

Boasting a team of former Lyft, Apple, Google, and Facebook engineers with experience in autonomous technology projects, Vayu Robotics has just introduced the world's first on-road delivery robot that takes advantage of AI foundation models with affordable passive sensors instead of a LIDAR system.

Sharp unveiled the M Series projectors, their second collaboration with NEC. Designed for budget-conscious buyers, the M Series have a laser light source and DLP tech for minimal maintenance and long life. Sustainability is a major focus here, with a compact design, ECO Mode, and reduced packaging waste. The M Series claims to provide a user-friendly experience for the consumer.

Spotify CEO talked about a "deluxe" version of Spotify today during an earnings call. The premium tier with Hi-Fi audio, which is still in the works, is expected to cost around $18 and offer features like advanced library management and AI-powered playlists. This comes after delays to the initial "Spotify HiFi" plan and a shift in strategy to compete with rivals like Apple Music. While the exact features are unknown, the rollout is still reportedly happening later in 2024.