Snap has marked the six-month anniversary of its fifth generation Spectacles by showcasing new geo-location features that developers can start using now, and previewing what an all-day AR experience might be like, though that capability is not here yet. The latest Spectacles — introduced September 2024 and described as “still very much a developer kit” — have only 45 minutes of standalone battery power. But Snap has made immediately available for developers a swathe of geo-location data for better outdoor AR experiences, showcasing the integrations with gear from Utopia Labs. Continue reading Snap Updates Geo Data for Spectacles, Previews All-Day AR

Apple’s iOS 18 update added Rich Communication Services (RCS), which meant better integration with Android users, including media sharing and chat. Now the GSMA has added end-to-end encryption (E2EE), which Apple will implement to allow iPhone users to share E2EE files and messages with Android users. The new specs make RCS the first mainstream messaging service to support interoperable E2EE between different providers, according to the GSMA. Coupled with SIM-based authentication, “E2EE will provide RCS users with the highest level of privacy and security for protection” from fraud and threats, GSMA adds. Continue reading End-to-End Encryption Bridges Gap Between iOS and Android

Meta Platforms has reportedly begun “a small deployment” of its first in-house chip designed for AI training. The accelerator chip is engineered around the open-standard RISC-V architecture. TSMC produced the working samples now being tested. The goal is to create purpose-specific chips that are more efficient than Nvidia’s general purpose GPUs, enjoying the cost-savings that would come with wide use and reducing reliance on outside chip suppliers in a tight market. If the tests go well, Meta plans to scale up production for expanded use by 2026. Details of the new chip’s specifications remain unknown at this time. Continue reading Meta Tests New AI Accelerator Chip Designed with Broadcom

Taiwan’s Foxconn, the contract manufacturer that assembles Apple’s iPhones, has built its own AI. Called FoxBrain, the company says the large language model was trained in just four weeks with help from Nvidia, using 120 of that company’s H100 chips. FoxBrain has reasoning and mathematical skills and can analyze data and generate code. Initially built for in-house use, Foxconn says it intends to open source the model and hopes it will become a collaborative tool for its partners and enable advancements in manufacturing techniques and supply-chain management. Continue reading Foxconn AI Trained in Four Weeks, Suggesting Industry Shift

Rivalry between World Network, also known as OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s “other company,” and Elon Musk’s X is heating up in an escalating race to be first out with an “everything app.” World Network is trying to accelerate adoption of a log-in system that relies on “ocular verification” — mapping the unique pattern of the iris — for “anonymous proof-of-human” validation. World already has a free app for iOS and Android, and recently launched a “mini app store” within it, including functions such as chat, transferring cryptocurrency and shopping for microloans. Continue reading Altman’s World Takes on Musk’s X in Race to Everything App

Samsung shook things up at Mobile World Congress 2025 with a display of its Project Moohan XR headset, which CNBC confirms will be released this year. While the MWC display was just a teaser, and Samsung remained tight-lipped about its specs, the mirrored goggles generated a lot of coverage, including speculation that Samsung may deploy Sony’s 4K Micro OLEDs in the new device, increasing Mohan’s resolution over the Apple Vision Pro by nearly 2 million pixels per eye and offering superior color, too. Samsung worked with Qualcomm and Google to develop Moohan, which will use the new Android XR operating system. Continue reading New Samsung XR Headset Could Use Sony 4K Micro OLEDs

Flora is a new software interface built by AI creatives for creative AI applications. Much like Apple reinvented the personal computer UI to make it feel natural for people who were not IT specialists, Flora aims to reframe the way designers and artists interact with generative AI. “AI tools make it easy to create, but lack creative control,” the startup’s founder Weber Wong says, opining that such tools have proven “great for making AI slop, but not for doing great creative work.” Wong’s goal is to make an AI interface everyone will find comfortable and intuitive, simplifying use and curating “the best text, image, and video models.” Continue reading Flora Is a New AI Interface Geared Toward Helping Creatives

Taiwan semiconductor firm TSMC, the world’s largest chipmaker, has vowed to add another $100 billion to its existing $65 billion plan to expand its U.S. manufacturing base. The total allocation — $165 billion over the next four years — sees TSMC further building out its advanced semiconductor fabrication complex in Phoenix, Arizona, which has been producing at volume since late 2024. The expansion plays a key role in strengthening the U.S. computer ecosystem by increasing U.S. production of advanced semiconductors, TSMC says, adding that it will “complete the domestic AI supply chain” with advanced packaging investments. Continue reading TSMC Will Boost Its Factory Build-Out in U.S. by $100 Billion

Adobe has released a Photoshop mobile app that includes several design, editing and generative AI tools found useful in the desktop version of the popular graphics software. Initially being released globally to iOS users, Adobe says an Android version will be available later this year and that a revamped web app is also in the works. The mobile app includes features like layering, masking and Firefly’s AI-powered generative fill, which has proven popular with users. The iPhone app also ties into the full-featured, Adobe Cloud-based Photoshop so creators can access projects across multiple devices. Continue reading Adobe Introduces a Powerful, Free Photoshop App for Mobile

Apple unveiled a big “made in the USA” initiative, with plans to spend more than $500 billion on U.S. factories over the next four years. The company will upgrade operations in California, Arizona, Nevada, Washington, Oregon, Iowa, Michigan, North Carolina and Texas, adding a new server facility in Houston. The move comes as U.S. international relations enter a period of flux. Apple’s plans include opening “a manufacturing academy” and accelerated investments in educating stateside workers in AI and silicon engineering. “We are bullish on the future of American innovation, and we’re proud to build on our long-standing U.S. investments,” Apple CEO Tim Cook said. Continue reading Apple Will Invest $500B in U.S. Manufacturing and Education

A year after the commercial release of the Vision Pro mixed reality headset, Apple is making progress adding Apple Intelligence, with visionOS 2.4, available now in developer beta in English with consumer release scheduled for April. The AI boost adds Writing Tools, which allows text composition “from scratch using ChatGPT,” as well as Image Playground and the custom emoji app Genmoji. It also integrates Spatial Gallery, a new Vision Pro app for the iPhone that includes a discovery mechanism for curated 3D movies and a remote-viewable Guest Mode for mobile. Additional features and languages will be added throughout the year. Continue reading Apple Intelligence, Guest Mode Coming to Vision Pro in April

Apple has debuted a new smartphone for budget-conscious shoppers. The iPhone 16e has been dubbed “the SE killer” since it succeeds the previous bottom-line entry, which came out in 2022. Pricing begins at $599, with preorders starting Friday followed by general availability on February 28. The iPhone 16e features Apple’s speedy A18 chip, with 6-core CPU and 4-core GPU. It also includes Apple Intelligence and a 48MP 2-in-1 camera system. With increasing global competition in the low-priced phone space, this latest entry intends to get the upscale Apple brand back into the game. Continue reading Apple Touts Affordability, AI with Feature-Packed iPhone 16e

The long-awaited Apple TV app for Android mobile devices has officially launched on the Google Play Store, providing Android users access to original series and movies on Apple TV+ (currently offered as a seven-day free trial), in addition to MLS Season Pass (in time for Major League Soccer’s 2025 season that begins the weekend of February 22). Apple TV+ also offers a Major League Baseball double-header on Fridays with no local broadcast restrictions. Subscriptions to Apple TV+ and MLS Season Pass are available through Google Play accounts for Android mobile and Google TV devices. The Apple TV+ subscription presently runs $9.99 per month. Continue reading Apple TV App Is Available via Google Play for Android Devices

Apple Invites is a new app that helps iPhone users create and share custom invitations, send RSVPs, and add information to calendars. The app also facilitates contributions to shared photo albums and Apple Music playlists. Users can download Apple Invites from the App Store or access it on the web through icloud.com/invites. An iCloud+ premium subscription is necessary to create and send invitations, but anyone can RSVP and share in group activities, regardless of whether they have an Apple account or use iOS or Android. Additionally, the Invites app integrates with Apple Intelligence. Continue reading Apple’s ‘Invites’ App Does More Than Build Custom Invitations

Vodafone announced it has made the world’s first video call from an area of no coverage using a commercial satellite connection and standard mobile phone. The call was touted as the “first space to land gateway in Europe,” connecting satellites with Vodafone’s terrestrial network. Call participants Margherita Della Valle, CEO of Vodafone Group, in a remote area of Wales, and British astronaut Tim Peake, in Newbury, UK, experienced “a full mobile broadband experience” during the groundbreaking connection. Vodafone is working with Starlink rival AST SpaceMobile to bring a commercial satellite-to-mobile broadband service to Europe, possibly this year. Continue reading Vodafone and AST to Launch Euro Satellite Video Call Service