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Samsung confirms it will soon be expanding One UI 8 beta to more phones, tablets, and watches

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Samsung is getting ready to open up its One UI 8 beta to a wider group of Galaxy devices. The software, which brings new AI-powered features and interface upgrades, will become available to more users starting August 11th.
The beta will originally be available for the Galaxy S24 series, Galaxy Z Fold 6, and Galaxy Z Flip 6 in the U.S., U.K., India, and South Korea. Over the next few weeks, Samsung will then open it up to more devices, like the Galaxy S23 lineup, the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Galaxy Z Flip 5, the Galaxy Tab S10 series, and two budget devices such as the Galaxy A36 5G and Galaxy A35 5G. As usual, those interested will be able to sign up through the Samsung Members app.

Samsung says this update is a big step toward making Galaxy devices more intelligent. The company is adding multimodal AI features that let people interact with their devices using a mix of voice, touch, images, and text. These tools are meant to make the phone feel more natural and helpful in everyday tasks.

Samsung also plans to bring the One UI 8 Watch software to more of its smartwatches later this year. The update, which is already available for the Galaxy Watch 8, includes design improvements and new health features. Specific models have not been named yet.
This time around, Samsung seems more comfortable pushing these beta updates early, unlike what we saw last year with the One UI 7 beta rollout. Google has also rolled out Android 16 betas for its Pixel phones until the final release, and continues to do so with its QPR (quarterly) updates. Apple is also pushing its iOS/iPadOS 26 betas on a timely basis, signaling that this might be a good year as fast as software updates across the board.

For Samsung, how successful the One UI 8 rollout turns out to be will come down to how useful users find its new features to be. Some may find them helpful, while others might ignore them. But the wider beta gives Galaxy fans a good chance to try it out and decide for themselves.

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#Samsung #confirms #expanding #beta #phones #tablets #watches

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Travel

I was charging my OnePlus 13 all wrong, and it was degrading my battery — here’s what you need to know

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Battery charging resumed at 95%

– My OnePlus 13, randomly

Fair enough. I mean, I have this option enabled, alongside other cool battery-adjacent features, such as “silent charging”. But what is this “battery limitation” thing? Essentially, when the phone gets fully charged, it will stop charging until the battery falls back to 95%, even if it remains plugged in. This is a beneficial feature, because it helps keep the battery’s health in check, instead of overcharging and overheating it. This is especially useful for users like me, who charge their phones overnight.

But here’s the twist: I was getting this notification randomly throughout the day. Sometimes I would get it an hour or two after I had gotten up, and other times, late in the afternoon. At those times, my phone was not plugged in and charging, which made the notification not only pointless, but fascinatingly weird.

After I did a bit of digging, I found out that I may be facing one of the following issues:

  • A temporary software glitch, caused by stuck cache or a faulty update
  • A dirty USB-C input port (or charger)
  • An issue with the phone’s battery capacity
  • A hardware issue, which meant I had to replace the phone

And since I severely dislike that last option, I opted to go through all the rest first, like any other rational human being would. After a quick inspection, my USB port and charger seemed just fine, but I cleaned them out with a cotton swab and canned air just in case (while being careful not to leave any unwanted bits in there). However, testing each potential fix one at a time would’ve taken forever, so I carried on with the next steps.

 
I uninstalled some apps I had forgotten about, made sure that everything was up-to-date, then deep cleaned my OnePlus 13’s cache and deleted all empty folders. After a quick restart, I was certain that if this was some sort of temporary glitch, I had taken care of it.

 
Last on the list was the battery capacity. To cross this one off the list, I had to drain the battery of the phone and recharge it as best I could. Then I remembered that OnePlus was one of the brands that had proprietary cable tech for a reason. So I dug deeper.

The cable conspiracy exists, and it’s good for you(r phone)

As it turns out, using a genuine OnePlus-branded cable when charging your OnePlus phone is essential. A legitimate brick is also recommended, but not mandatory if you’re someone like me.

 
But I wasn’t using either of those. When I bought my OnePlus 13, directly from OnePlus, I could pick a charging brick as a free bonus, but they were all out of those. I had to pick something else, and quick if I wanted to catch the discount I was aiming for.

 
I had already decided that I needed a new charging brick, but after comparing prices, I settled (hah!) for one from Verbatim. Why? Well, this thing has four ports:

  • One USB type-A port with 30W output
  • Two USB type-C port with 100W
  • One USB type-C port with 65W

And if you’re a techie, you already know why this is good. This would allow me to charge or power several of my smart-things all at once, while complying with their power demand. Given that the price difference between this and the official OnePlus charger wasn’t that big, I opted for this one for the sake of convenience.

But there was a true reason for me to consider the official OnePlus brick. It enables phones like the OnePlus 13 to do one hell of a trick: 100W SuperVOOC fast-charging. Even if your OnePlus phone supports 100W charging, you won’t be able to take advantage of it unless you have an official OnePlus charging brick, specifically labeled to support 100W charging.

I typically charge my devices overnight, so this isn’t really something I’m super-interested in, which is why I decided to go for the other charger. This way, it could power my smart lamp while providing charging for my phone and my smartwatch too. This setup even leaves me with one port to spare, which makes it perfect for travelling, as this way my wife won’t need to pack her charger at all.

While she won’t need to pack her cable, I’ll have to pack mine (the right one). See, OnePlus cables have a special chip inside, which helps to communicate the correct charging speed between the charging brick and the phone. Many people refer to this as a “handshake”. And in the case of SuperVOOC charging, for example, that even means two handshakes: one between the 100W-enabled charger and the official cable, then another between the cable and the compatible phone.

 
This is what I had been doing wrong all along: I was using a third-party, off-brand, but high quality cable. I really liked it, because it was braided, long and had this neat little screen which told me the exact power that was going through it. And you know us tech nerds: we love our screens.

But I’m going ahead of myself. Before charging, I’ll have to drain this beast of its battery.

Silicon-carbon batteries are heftier than you might think

Listen, your mileage will vary here. Our own Vic found the OnePlus 13’s battery to be lacking when compared to other modern flagships, but that’s because he’s much more of a power user than I am. As such, depending on your own habits, things might be different for you.

But in my case, the OnePlus 13 is a two-day phone in 99% of cases, and a 3-day one in 30% of them. I am absolutely comfortable with going on a two-day trip with 70% of battery on this phone, without packing a charger. That being said, I am a lite user: I prefer doing things not on my phone, I’m not big on social media and I don’t spend too much time on mobile games nowadays.

 
So yes: mileage may vary. But draining this phone from 80% to 0% was hard.

 
When I realized what I had to do, I immediately pumped up the brightness, turned on all possible toggles like Location, Bluetooth and even the flashlight. I then set a 3 hour, 4K video of the aurora borealis to play and left the phone.

Two hours later, it had lost only 18% of battery. I had to step it up.

I don’t play games as much, but I know some heavy hitters: Diablo Immortal and Final Fantasy VII Ever Crisis. I waited for updates (on max brightness still), then spent a bit of time in both games. Shockingly, Final Fantasy managed to knock down a notable chunk of my battery for the 40 minutes I took to complete my dailies (which I hadn’t done since I got the phone, funnily enough), but I just couldn’t take it anymore. I felt like I was wasting my time.

So I amped it up to the max: I downloaded 3D Mark’s ultimate benchmark test and ran it. And boy, does that baby drain battery (carbon or otherwise). It took one and a half runs before my battery hit 1%.

And that is the exact moment when I saw something, which I didn’t even know existed: OnePlus’s mandatory extreme battery saver. This phone really doesn’t want to leave you hanging, and I appreciate that.

 
In this mode, I was limited to only using basic apps. If an app required internet access – I had to confirm that I wanted that. Ultimately, the best I could do was run a timer and a stopwatch while keeping the brightness at max levels, and the flashlight on. It took 52 minutes before the phone finally gave up and turned off.

All I could do at this point was salute it. I left it to cool down a bit, because it was running quite hot at this point. Half an hour later, I was ready to charge.

 
But wait – oh, no! – I can’t do that. The cable that the phone came with is USB-A to USB-C. I have such a port on my charger, but that would leave me without a light. Furthermore: the port would be in the wrong wattage, which would mean I would be charging the battery wrong yet again, and that’s the very thing I was trying to avoid in the first place.

 

The nightmare that is shopping for OnePlus cables

I have to start with the real question here: why am I even getting a USB-A to USB-C cable with my phone in 2025? I thought we had all agreed that the new standard is C to C. I can’t be the only one who has upgraded their charging stuff to match this new requirement. As a PC user, it was especially annoying, because it meant changing my power outlets and swapping out to a box which can provide a USB-C port to begin with.

For a moment there, I felt like I was suffering the Mandela Effect, because I could’ve sworn that I’ve seen OnePlus 13 unboxing videos and reviews where the phone came with a charger and a USB-C to USB-C cable. The missing brick, in my case, was easy enough to explain: it was a freebie that I couldn’t take advantage of, so I assumed that all of these folks had done that in my stead.

But after checking around, I wasn’t remembering things wrong: the phone does ship with a USB-C to USB-C cable. In some regions.
 
Here’s the breakdown:

  • In North America and India, the OnePlus 13 comes with a 100W SuperVOOC brick and a C-to-C cable
  • In West Europe, the phone comes only with a USB-A to USB-C cable (for the record, I’m not living in this region, yet here we are)
  • In the rest of the EU, the phone comes with a C-to-C cable, but a 65W charger
This is incredibly confusing and weird. I’m not Tim Cook or anywhere near his level: I have no idea what black magic is behind things like supply-chains. But I believe that we can all agree that this is as anti-consumer as it gets.

Ultimately, I found out that my Microsoft Surface tablet’s charger can give me 65W of power over USB-A, so I settled (wah-wah) on using this method. But I can’t bring this massive charger everywhere with me, and I certainly can’t replace the one on my nightstand with it.

 
If I wanted to charge my OnePlus 13 properly, I had to spend more, and get the right type of cable.

 
First I stumbled upon this really cute dongle, which was exactly what I was looking for: an officially licensed USB-A to USB-C converter. And after getting my order cancelled from three different retailers, I got the message: it wasn’t just out of stock, it was out of production.

On OnePlus’ official store, the only option for me to get a USB-C to USB-C cable was as part of a bundle with a SuperVOOC-enabled brick. But as previously established: I don’t really need such a brick. I could make use of it, but the bundle was quite costly, and the Verbatim brick wasn’t in any way cheap. I was after a quick, easy and cheap-ish solution to a problem, which I didn’t even know I had.
 
And let me tell you a bit about that: if charging the OnePlus 13 with its own proprietary cable was this important, why did the phone fail to tell me about that? Yes, there is a tooltip under the SuperVOOC charging option in the menu, which lets you know that you need an official brick and cable to take advantage of it, but that’s not the full story. You need the right cable to ensure that your OnePlus 13 isn’t getting overcharged in any other scenario, which could lead to battery degradation over time.

OnePlus, if your team is reading this: a tooltip would be handy here. But I digress.

After a lot more digging, I found a few other genuine OnePlus-branded C-toC cables, but those got me even more confused. See, those were from an era, when OnePlus phones were still using Warp Charging. Do you know if there is any difference between Warp and SuperVOOC? Yeah, me neither – and I work here.

Ultimately, after checking with some people online, the products turned out to be identical, as is the technology within. “Warp” was rebranded to “SuperVOOC” as part of the Oppo acquisition, as an attempt to further integrate the brands (very consumer friendly again, might I add).

 
But there’s another twist: even if I use a legitimate OnePlus cable with a 100W charger, I won’t be able to reach beyond 85W in terms of speed, because only SuperVOOC-enabled bricks allow for 100W fast-charging. I know that all these options are confusing: don’t worry, we’ll review the entire thing down the line. The important thing is that I decided that 85W is good enough for me, so I got a genuine OnePlus-branded Warp Charging C-to-C cable for about $15, and moved on.

One night later, I unplugged my OnePlus 13. It was waiting for me: turned on and everything. Wasn’t warm, felt fine: so far, so good. Then I was shocked.

It might be annoying, but it works

I don’t use my phone much in the morning, especially if it’s a work day. Typically, this means that I lose about 5% of battery passively from 9AM to 11AM. Around that time, I stop working to make myself a second cup of espresso, all the while I check my phone out of habit.

 
After charging my OnePlus 13 with a genuine OnePlus cable, about the time I picked up to check my phone while waiting for my coffee, my phone was still at 100%. And I can’t make this up. It’s a day just like any other, so I didn’t use it or ignore it more than I use to.

 
Typically, toward the end of a usual day, I’m at between 75% and 85% of battery. I checked my battery right now as I’m writing this, and I’m at 91%. Yes, I did my dailies in the one game that I play, I scrolled a bit of Instagram, I messaged my family: the typical stuff. The only thing missing was listening to music while working out, but that’s because I’m still yet to do that today. But I doubt that would drain more than another 2-3%. And that’s still a difference.

 
Is it a big deal? Not really. Is it notable enough? For sure. Because if not for anything else, I am now certain that I am not damaging a core component in a device, which I use daily, and have grown to love.

 

Here’s what you need to know about charging the OnePlus 13:

  • Always use a genuine cable from OnePlus: Unless you want to damage the phone’s battery, use OnePlus-branded cables. Topping up via third-party ones from time to time, or when travelling, won’t be a deal-breaker. But you should focus on using genuine ones regularly, because that ensures that the right required amount of power is going in your phone. If you’re okay with 65W or 85W charging, you can use any compatible charger, just make sure it’s manufactured by a legitimate company – but use it with a cable from OnePlus.
  • SuperVOOC requires the full kit: If you want to take advantage of SuperVOOC fast-charging — and I don’t blame you if you do, it’s awesome — you must use a OnePlus branded set of a SuperVOOC-enabled, 100W charging brick and cable. Just the one or the other won’t work: you need that double-handshake action. Keep in mind: some OnePlus phones can still use SuperVOOC, but at 85W or 120W, so make sure to take that into consideration. From what I can tell, even if your charger is 120W-compatible, you can still use SuperVOOC at 85W if that is all your phone supports. So, you can go lower, but obviously — not higher.
  • The Warp is your friend: When it comes to OnePlus cables: don’t worry about Warp charging and SuperVOOC marketing terms. They are the same thing. Warp-era cables are notably cheaper, at least where I shopped from, so maybe that can help you out to save a buck. There are some weird claims online that USB-A to USB-C cables can top up your phone faster, but that is nonsense, don’t fall for it.
  • Don’t repeat my mistakes: Research before you buy. Depending on where you live, if you buy a OnePlus 13, it may come with a charger, but it may also come with a cable you’re not prepared for. This piece of advice extends beyond the brand: some phones don’t have proprietary charging tech, but others do. I can think of at least one great resource online, where you can check (wink-wink, forums here).

 
I’ll admit: I thought it was all marketing gimmicks to make me buy first party chargers and cables. Nowadays, this is a common tactic, which we’re so accustomed to, that it’s become harder to judge when someone is being genuine about such claims. 

But I also have a bit of blame to put on OnePlus: in all of my months of experience with the OnePlus 13, the phone never bothered to tell me that it’s not happy about the way it’s being charged. I would’ve liked to know, I think you’d like to know such things too. 

 
And I can’t believe what I’m saying, but there’s a punchline to all of this. I got that weird notification again, so despite the entire journey described above, my core issue remains unresolved. It was one heck of a learning opportunity, but I’m happy to have shared it with you.

So, after all that, I’m almost right back where I started: with a fantastic, now properly-charged phone… That sends me ghost notifications. If any of you have leads for me – I’ll be haunting the comments in the next couple of days.

 

#charging #OnePlus #wrong #degrading #battery #heres

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Microsoft releases emergency fix for Sharepoint after cyberattacks

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Microsoft issued an emergency fix to close off a vulnerability in its SharePoint software that hackers have exploited to carry out widespread attacks on businesses and at least some federal agencies.

The software giant on Saturday said it was aware of “active attacks” that exploited vulnerabilities in the program, a product that allows companies and other businesses to create websites. 

The hackers breached U.S. federal and state agencies as well as universities and energy companies through the vulnerability, according to The Washington Post.

On Sunday, Microsoft updated its guidance with instructions to fix the problem for SharePoint Server 2019 and SharePoint Server Subscription Edition. Engineers were still working on a fix for the older SharePoint Server 2016 software.

The attack was a so-called “zero-day” exploit, or when hackers take advantage of a previously unknown vulnerability, often to steal sensitive data and passwords. The vulnerability also could allow hackers to access services connected to SharePoint, including OneDrive and Teams.

“Once inside, they can access all SharePoint content, system files, and configurations and move laterally across the Windows Domain,” noted Netherlands-based research company Eye Security in a research note about the breach.

It added, “Because SharePoint often connects to core services like Outlook, Teams, and OneDrive, a breach can quickly lead to data theft, password harvesting, and lateral movement across the network.”

Microsoft said in its blog post that it discovered at least dozens of systems were compromised around the world. Security engineers stated the attacks occurred in waves on July 18 and 19.

Although the scope of the attack is still being assessed, the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) warned that the impact could be widespread and recommended that any servers impacted by the exploit should be disconnected from the internet until they are patched.

#Microsoft #releases #emergency #fix #Sharepoint #cyberattacks

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World’s largest foundry is attacked from within

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When you’re the top foundry in the world, you are obviously doing something right compared to the competition. Actually, you might look at this situation and ask, “What competition?” After all, TSMC’s market share of approximately 67% is well above the share belonging to the second-place contract chip manufacturer, which is Samsung Foundry. The latter has only a 7.7% market share.

TSMC has a client list (no, not THAT client list) that includes many of the top names in tech, including Apple, Nvidia, MediaTek, Qualcomm, and AMD. The foundry is about to embark on the next generation of chip production using its 2nm process node, which is the cutting-edge in advanced chip manufacturing. The foundry plans to start mass production at the 2nm node later this year.

Prosecutors had to search the homes of some TSMC staff

Picture of a clean room inside a fab.Picture of a clean room inside a fab.

Inside a fab where chips are manufactured. | Image credit-TSMC

Prosecutors were able to nab the six following searches conducted of homes belonging to some TSMC staff between July 25th and July 28th. The investigation now seeks to discover whether the stolen information has been released to other parties. Investigators in Taiwan searched the Taiwanese offices belonging to Tokyo Electron Ltd., a supplier based in Japan.

Today, in a related story, Japan’s Nikkei reported that TSMC fired several employees who were working at the foundry while trying to obtain critical and proprietary information about TSMC’s 2nm chip development. TSMC told the Nikkei that recently it “detected unauthorized activities during routine monitoring, leading to the discovery of potential trade secret leaks.” The foundry also stated that it took “strict disciplinary actions against the personnel involved and has initiated legal proceedings.”

TSMC says that it was on to the plot early thanks to an internal investigation it conducted. The information purloined from TSMC is important because Chinese foundry SMIC, the largest in the country, is limited to producing chips using a 7nm node. But this is mostly due to restrictions placed on the sale of advanced lithography equipment that keeps this gear out of the hands of Chinese companies.

Media reports are calling the crime committed by the insiders an attack on national security. The Intellectual Property Branch of the High Prosecutors Office of Taiwan is conducting its investigation under the National Security Act of 2022. This Act is designed to prevent sensitive technology, especially tech related to semiconductors, from falling into the hands of foreign adversaries.

“TSMC maintains a zero-tolerance policy toward any actions that compromise the protection of trade secrets or harm the company’s interests. Such violations are dealt with strictly and pursued to the fullest extent of the law.”

                           -TSMC

The Taiwan government has created a list of what it calls “National Core Critical Technologies,” which includes technology used to produce integrated circuits (ICs) more advanced than 14nm. Obviously, equipment and technology used to produce 2nm ICs would be on this list. Reproducing, disclosing, and using trade secrets related to the list without authorization is a violation of the National Security Act. This is the first case involving semiconductors to be prosecuted under the Act.

TSMC wants to protect its “competitive advantage”

While TSMC has taken actions to protect its trade secrets, TSMC Chairman and CEO C.C. Wei has said that his foundry’s technologies are difficult to duplicate. The company added that it will continue to strengthen its monitoring systems and it will continue to work with the relevant regulatory agencies “to protect our competitive advantage and operational stability.”

A statement from the prosecutors office released today confirmed that said that TSMC had conducted an internal investigation and that “TSMC discovered that its national core technology trade secrets had been allegedly illicitly obtained by a former employee in collusion with current employees.”

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#Worlds #largest #foundry #attacked

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AI under scrutiny after ChatGPT exchange linked to user’s mental health crisis

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A 30-year-old man on the autism spectrum was hospitalized after ChatGPT appeared to validate his delusions, according to a new Wall Street Journal report. OpenAI says it’s working to reduce unintentional harm. For more, “CBS Mornings Plus” is joined by Nick Thompson, CEO of The Atlantic, which has a content-licensing partnership with OpenAI.

#scrutiny #ChatGPT #exchange #linked #users #mental #health #crisis

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OpenAI has finally released open-weight language models

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“The vast majority of our [enterprise and startup] customers are already using a lot of open models,” said Casey Dvorak, a research program manager at OpenAI, in a media briefing about the model release. “Because there is no [competitive] open model from OpenAI, we wanted to plug that gap and actually allow them to use our technology across the board.”

The new models come in two different sizes, the smaller of which can theoretically run on 16 GB of RAM—the minimum amount that Apple currently offers on its computers. The larger model requires a high-end laptop or specialized hardware.

Open models have a few key use cases. Some organizations may want to customize models for their own purposes or save money by running models on their own equipment, though that equipment comes at a substantial upfront cost. Others—such hospitals, law firms, and governments—might need models that they can run locally for data security reasons. 

OpenAI has facilitated such activity by releasing its open models under a permissive Apache 2.0 license, which allows the models to be used for commercial purposes. Nathan Lambert, post-training lead at the Allen Institute for AI, says that this choice is commendable: Such licenses are typical for Chinese open-model releases, but Meta released its Llama models under a bespoke, more restrictive license. “It’s a very good thing for the open community,” he says.

Researchers who study how LLMs work also need open models, so that they can examine and manipulate those models in detail. “In part, this is about reasserting OpenAI’s dominance in the research ecosystem,” says Peter Henderson, an assistant professor at Princeton University who has worked extensively with open models. If researchers do adopt gpt-oss as new workhorses, OpenAI could see some concrete benefits, Henderson says—it might adopt innovations discovered by other researchers into its own model ecosystem.

More broadly, Lambert says, releasing an open model now could help OpenAI reestablish its status in an increasingly crowded AI environment. “It kind of goes back to years ago, where they were seen as the AI company,” he says. Users who want to use open models will now have the option to meet all their needs with OpenAI products, rather than turning to Meta’s Llama or Alibaba’s Qwen when they need to run something locally.

The rise of Chinese open models like Qwen over the past year may have been a particularly salient factor in OpenAI’s calculus. An employee from OpenAI emphasized at the media briefing that the company doesn’t see these open models as a response to actions taken by any other AI company, but OpenAI is clearly attuned to the geopolitical implications of China’s open-model dominance. “Broad access to these capable‬‭ open-weights models created in the US helps expand democratic AI rails,” the company wrote in a blog post announcing the models’ release. 

#OpenAI #finally #released #openweight #language #models

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The global tablet market is booming again, but not thanks to Apple or Samsung

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While global smartphone shipments continue to fluctuate from quarter to quarter due to many different reasons ranging from complex macroeconomic issues to tariff volatility and the industry’s general lack of innovation over the last few years, the tablet market is amazingly posting year-on-year growth for the sixth quarter in a row.

Of course, worldwide tablet sales aren’t exactly doubling from year to year, but a 9 percent increase in the market’s Q2 numbers compared to the same period of 2024 is certainly nothing to sneeze at either.

Surprisingly enough, this latest healthy progress is not primarily owed to the largest vendor out there… or even the industry’s second-biggest player. Instead, it’s the companies ranked third, fourth, and fifth between April and June 2025 that shined brightest in terms of year-on-year growth.

Yes, Huawei managed to jump from 2.5 million unit shipments in Q2 2024 to a little over 3.2 million now, extending its previously very fragile lead over Lenovo and consolidating its place on the podium with an 8.3 percent slice of the global pie (up from 7 percent).
Lenovo’s 24.7 percent rise from under 2.5 million unit shipments to more than 3 million is also not too shabby, keeping the China-based brand in fourth place for yet another quarter, but Xiaomi is closing in on both Lenovo and Huawei fast after improving its Q2 tally by no less than 42.3 percent between 2024 and 2025.

It pretty much goes without saying that the flourishing numbers of all three of these vendors are derived mainly from China, which means that one of the key reasons why Apple and Samsung are unable to keep up with those scores right now might be their weak presence in Huawei, Lenovo, and Xiaomi’s huge domestic market.

At the end of the day, however, Apple is still the global tablet market’s top dog, with more than 14 million unit shipments and 36.1 percent share in Q2 2025. One of those numbers is actually (slightly) higher than how the company ended Q2 2024, which is not what we can say about Samsung.

The industry’s silver medalist remains miles ahead of Huawei, but both its quarterly shipments and market share are down from last year’s April to June timeframe, which can’t be viewed as a positive thing for the world’s number one smartphone vendor.

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Adrian, a mobile technology enthusiast since the Nokia 3310 era, has been a dynamic presence in the tech journalism field, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Trends, and Pocketnow before joining PhoneArena in 2018. His expertise spans across various platforms, with a particular fondness for the diversity of the Android ecosystem. Despite the challenges of balancing full-time parenthood with his work, Adrian’s passion for tech trends, running, and movies keeps him energized. His commitment to mid-range smartphones has led to an eclectic collection of devices, saved from personal bankruptcy by his preference for ‘adequate’ over ‘overpriced’.

Read the latest from Adrian Diaconescu

#global #tablet #market #booming #Apple #Samsung

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Humans triumph over AI at annual math Olympiad, but the machines are catching up

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Sydney — Humans beat generative AI models made by Google and OpenAI at a top international mathematics competition, but the programs reached gold-level scores for the first time, and the rate at which they are improving may be cause for some human introspection.

Neither of the AI models scored full marks — unlike five young people at the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO), a prestigious annual competition where participants must be under 20 years old.

Google said Monday that an advanced version of its Gemini chatbot had solved five out of the six math problems set at the IMO, held in Australia’s Queensland this month.

“We can confirm that Google DeepMind has reached the much-desired milestone, earning 35 out of a possible 42 points – a gold medal score,” the U.S. tech giant cited IMO president Gregor Dolinar as saying. “Their solutions were astonishing in many respects. IMO graders found them to be clear, precise and most of them easy to follow.”

Around 10% of human contestants won gold-level medals, and five received perfect scores of 42 points.

U.S. ChatGPT maker OpenAI said its experimental reasoning model had also scored a gold-level 35 points on the test.

The result “achieved a longstanding grand challenge in AI” at “the world’s most prestigious math competition,” OpenAI researcher Alexander Wei said in a social media post.

“We evaluated our models on the 2025 IMO problems under the same rules as human contestants,” he said. “For each problem, three former IMO medalists independently graded the model’s submitted proof.”

Google achieved a silver-medal score at last year’s IMO in the city of Bath, in southwest England, solving four of the six problems.

That took two to three days of computation — far longer than this year, when its Gemini model solved the problems within the 4.5-hour time limit, it said.

The IMO said tech companies had “privately tested closed-source AI models on this year’s problems,” the same ones faced by 641 competing students from 112 countries.

“It is very exciting to see progress in the mathematical capabilities of AI models,” said IMO president Dolinar.

Contest organizers could not verify how much computing power had been used by the AI models or whether there had been human involvement, he noted.

In an interview with CBS’ 60 Minutes earlier this year, one of Google’s leading AI researchers predicted that within just five to 10 years, computers would be made that have human-level cognitive abilities — a landmark known as “artificial general intelligence.”

Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis predicted that AI technology was on track to understand the world in nuanced ways, and to not only solve important problems, but even to develop a sense of imagination, within a decade, thanks to an increase in investment. 

“It’s moving incredibly fast,” Hassabis said. “I think we are on some kind of exponential curve of improvement. Of course, the success of the field in the last few years has attracted even more attention, more resources, more talent. So that’s adding to the, to this exponential progress.”

#Humans #triumph #annual #math #Olympiad #machines #catching

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I broke a Pixel Watch 2, but the Galaxy Watch 8 might have survived me

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Samsung's new smartwatch might eventually grow on me, but it will take some time (Image by PhoneArena) - I broke a Pixel Watch 2, but the Galaxy Watch 8 might have survived meSamsung's new smartwatch might eventually grow on me, but it will take some time (Image by PhoneArena) - I broke a Pixel Watch 2, but the Galaxy Watch 8 might have survived me

Samsung’s new smartwatch might eventually grow on me, but it will take some time (Image by PhoneArena)

I must admit I wasn’t a particularly big fan of the Galaxy Watch 8 redesign. At first, I was quick to declare it nothing but proverbial sand in the eyes of Samsung’s devoted smartwatch fans, who expected a different set of upgrades (like better battery life). 

Instead, we got this redesigned squircle-shaped smartwatch that seemed a little too odd and unsmartwatch-like, but definitely reminded us of its close kinship with last year’s Galaxy Watch Ultra. On top of it all, the older Galaxy Watch 7 left the impression of being more compact than the newly redesigned Galaxy Watch 8 despite real-life specs telling us otherwise. 

I can’t say the new uniform design language has grown on me; it hasn’t. It will probably take a couple of generations before I would be able to feel at home with this latest redesign. 

But one aspect of the new Galaxy Watch 8 exterior might turn out to be an unexpectedly great boon for clumsy people like yours truly. When it comes to resilience and sturdiness, Samsung is killing it with the new Galaxy Watch 8, which comes with both IP68 and MIL-STD 810H certifications, but it’s the design itself that hints at superior endurance. 

But first, let me tell you a story of a domestic disaster that was totally preventable. 

Curved screens betray me yet again

Okay, normally you can’t waterboard such information out of me, but I have to finally admit it was I who cracked the screen of our resident Pixel Watch 2. 

I should probably be pleading the Fifth, but in my defense, I was dealing with an emergency at the house and had to reach into a particularly tight alcove to turn off the water mains before Poseidon himself emerged from underneath the floorboards. The Pixel Watch sadly had to take one for the team when it met a rough concrete wall face first. 

Honestly, I’d offload the blame onto Google here: who in their right mind designs a wearable with a curved screen that welcomes danger glass-first?

That’s a nonfunctional design choice that Google deliberately made, and yet it’s just one of the minor issues with the Pixel Watch 2. The worst part here is that Google’s Pixel Watches aren’t very repairable, so once you crack the screen or damage the wearable in any other serious way, the only way to fix things is to, well, get a replacement. 

But I digress.

Galaxy Watch 8 is a tough nut to crack

Now, I imagine that if I had the Galaxy Watch 8 on my hand, the potential damage wouldn’t have cracked the screen, because the exaggerated case of the smartwatch would have protected the display up top. 

Sure, that’s my anecdotal thinking here, totally in the spirit of the “would’ve, could’ve, should’ve” mantra, but the more practical design of the Galaxy Watch 8 might actually spare klutzes like me from such totally avoidable accidents. 

The Galaxy Watch 8 definitely looks more dependable in terms of durability (Image by PhoneArena) - I broke a Pixel Watch 2, but the Galaxy Watch 8 might have survived meThe Galaxy Watch 8 definitely looks more dependable in terms of durability (Image by PhoneArena) - I broke a Pixel Watch 2, but the Galaxy Watch 8 might have survived me

The Galaxy Watch 8 definitely looks more dependable in terms of durability (Image by PhoneArena)

I’m not a person who chooses wearables for their looks, which might be contrary to what most other people do. Appearances don’t really matter to my inner grandpa; give me a functional smartwatch with a sturdy design and great battery life, and I’ll be more loyal than a labrador with separation anxiety. 

An even better choice for those like me would be a newer version of Samsung’s one-off Galaxy Watch 5 Pro from a couple of years back, which was one of the first decent rugged Wear OS smartwatches. I really do hope that Samsung hasn’t forgotten this smartwatch offshoot after following Apple down the “Ultra” rabbit hole.

Should you buy the Galaxy Watch 8?

Well, honestly, I probably wouldn’t. It’s a nice smartwatch with many features that pairs excellently with Galaxy phones, but I still can’t imagine buying a smartwatch that only lasts a full day and requires constant charging. 

I simply can’t force myself to be a slave to such watches, which is why I can’t recommend the regular Apple Watches either. 

Either give me a week-long battery life (which is something the OnePlus Watch 3 does beautifully), or I’ll continue checking the time on my microwave. 

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#broke #Pixel #Watch #Galaxy #Watch #survived

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White House unveils U.S. strategic plan on AI. Here’s what it includes.

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The Trump administration on Wednesday unveiled an AI Action Plan aimed at maintaining U.S. dominance in the rapidly emerging artificial intelligence field. The initiative is part of an ongoing effort the White House began earlier this year with an executive order removing AI guardrails imposed by the Biden administration.

Mr. Trump spoke about the new plan during a keynote address at an AI summit in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, after which he signed executive orders to help fast-track AI development. 

“Around the globe, everyone is talking about artificial intelligence,” Mr. Trump said Wednesday. “I find that too, ‘artificial’ — I can’t stand it. I don’t even like the name. I don’t like anything that’s artificial, so could we straighten that out, please? We should change the name. I actually mean that. I don’t like the name artificial anything. Because it’s not artificial, it’s genius. It’s pure genius.”

Mr. Trump said AI has the potential to “transform every type of endeavor and domain of human knowledge, from medicine to manufacturing to warfare and national defense.”

“Whether we like it or not, we’re suddenly engaged in a fast-paced competition to build and define this groundbreaking technology that will determine so much about the future of civilization itself,” he said. 

The Trump administration’s plan, which includes more than 90 federal policy actions, broadly will:

  • Support the buildout of data centers, semiconductor fabrication plants and the nation’s electric grid;
  • Create rules for government contractors in an attempt to eliminate “ideological bias” in chatbots;
  • Withhold funding from states that have “burdensome” AI regulations;
  • Compel federal agencies to review their rules and repeal any that obstruct AI development;
  • Establish a program to deliver AI export packages — including hardware, large language models, software, applications and standards — to U.S. allies.

Mr. Trump said “a lot of very brilliant people” tell him AI will dominate virtually every industry, although he said he doesn’t know if that’s true. The president said AI brings the possibility of peril, as well as progress. 

“The daunting power of AI is really, it’s not going to be a reason for retreat from this new frontier,” Mr. Trump said. “On the contrary, it is the more reason we must ensure it is pioneered first and best.”

AI is like a “beautiful baby that’s born,” he said of the technology’s current state.

“We have to grow that baby and let that baby thrive,” the president said. That means allowing some regulation, but also cutting red tape, he said. 

The president thanked companies present at the summit for investing in data centers and other projects, saying they’ll create thousands of jobs. 

The Wednesday announcement is co-hosted by the bipartisan Hill and Valley Forum and the All-In Podcast, a business and technology show hosted by four technology investors and entrepreneurs who include Mr. Trump’s AI and crypto czar David Sacks.

“The goal here is for the United States to win the AI race,” Sacks said during a press call with reporters Wednesday morning. 

The plan is backed by the Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and will be carried out over the next six months to a year, according to Michael Kratsios, policy director of the OSTP.

“This is a watershed day for Trump to lay out the AI vision and make sure the U.S. stays ahead of China despite all the trade deal turmoil,” Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives said in an email to CBS MoneyWatch. 

What is the AI Action Plan?

The AI Action Plan focuses on accelerating AI innovation and building out AI infrastructure to ensure the U.S. leads in international “AI diplomacy,” according to Sacks, who laid out the plan’s major pillars during Wednesday’s call.

That includes expediting the construction of large-scale data centers, which house servers, networking gear and other technology used to power artificial intelligence. 

Thousands of data centers are scattered around the U.S. Most are connected to the nation’s power grid and rely on massive amounts of electricity to operate. The proliferation of AI data centers has been cited as one of the drivers of burgeoning energy costs.

The number of data centers is only expected to grow as technology companies — including Amazon, Meta, Microsoft, OpenAI and xAI — ramp up construction to meet the nation’s growing energy demand stemming from the emergence of AI.

In addition to investments in data centers, the new White House plan also focuses on “expediting and modernizing programs” for semiconductor fabrication plants, or fabs, and updating the nation’s electric grid to support the enormous energy demands of AI supercomputing, Kratsios said. 

Another focus will be on reining in what White House officials have called an “ideological bias” in chatbots. This is something Sacks, a former PayPal executive, has highlighted after a 2024 incident in which Google’s AI image generator created pictures of Black, Asian and Native American men when asked to show one of the countries Founding Fathers.

“We believe that AI systems should be free of ideological bias and not be designed to pursue socially engineered agendas,” Sacks said on Wednesday. “And so we have a number of proposals there on how to make sure that AI remains truth-seeking and trustworthy.”

To that end, Kratsios said the plan will update federal procurement guidelines to ensure the government only contracts with AI developers whose systems “allow free speech expression to flourish.”

The plan also seeks to maintain the U.S.’ edge in the global race for AI dominance as it competes with countries like China, which has moved quickly to expand its AI capabilities. A senior White House official said the report supports export controls to make sure “that our most advanced technology doesn’t get into the hands of [other] countries.”

As part of its efforts, the White House also seeks to remove what it refers to as  “onerous regulation” that the Trump administration says is hindering AI innovation. The official added that the plan calls for the removal of diversity, equity and inclusion and climate funding requirements from the Biden administration’s CHIPS Act.

DEI regulations within the Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors (CHIPS) for America Act “burden the industry” and “slow down the delivery of critical projects,” they said. 

#White #House #unveils #U.S #strategic #plan #Heres #includes

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