For the second year in a row, the story of Samsungs new flagship Galaxy phones isnt about hardware changes. For better or worse, the Galaxy S25 features few material changes from its predecessor, and many of the most substantive enhancements come courtesy of new AI features Samsung has built into One UI.The highlight of those is something Samsung is calling the Personal Data Engine. Over time, One UI 7 will collect and analyze data about how you use your S25 to personalize the software experience. This customization will be most visible in two new features called Now Brief and Now Bar. The former will generate morning, midday and evening summaries of information that might be relevant to you. For instance, in a morning brief, you might see the days weather, a calendar of your upcoming meetings, and news stories that might interest you.The latter, on the other hand, is a new interface element you can access from both the S25s lock screen and just below the digital clock when the phone is unlocked. The Now Bar will automatically generate a Rolodex of reminders you can flip through throughout the day. One widget might include directions from Google Maps, while another could feature the 45-minute timer you set earlier in the day.Its all basic stuff, but Samsung is betting these features and the ones Im about to detail will save S25 users time by reducing the amount of jumping between apps they need to do. According to the company, any usage information the Personal Data Engine records is kept secure and private inside the S25s Knox Vault security enclave.Sam Rutherford for EngadgetThe Galaxy S25 also includes a series of interconnected features that broadly fall under a concept Samsung is calling AI agents. These agents are powered by multi-modal machine learning models, meaning they can parse images, videos, audio and text. Samsung has deployed these throughout One UI 7, though youre most likely to encounter them through the Samsung sidebar.The most interesting of the new agents is called AI Select. It builds on the Smart Select tool previous Galaxy phones featured. When evoked, AI Select will scan the screen and suggest actions based on what it sees. As mentioned, the model powering this feature is multi-modal, so its not limited to reading just text. For example, say you bring up AI Select while watching a YouTube video. In that context, the tool will offer to create a GIF for you. Again, the idea here is to simplify an action that previously may have required multiple apps and steps.At the same time, Samsung has polished existing AI tools to make them better. Most notably, Sketch to Image, now known as Drawing Assist, is more accurate and detailed and includes the option to import existing images.Separately, the Galaxy S25 series will ship with an improved version of Circle to Search. For the uninitiated, Circle to Search is a way to access Google Search from nearly anywhere on your phone without switching between apps. You activate the feature by long-pressing your phones Home button. Circle to Search arrived at the start of last year, with Galaxy S24 and Pixel 8 owners among the first to get access. The latest version of Circle to Search can recognize phone numbers, emails and URLs, allowing you to call, email or visit a website with a single tap. Additionally, Circle to Search now also includes integration with Googles AI Overviews.These enhancements arent limited to Samsung devices, and Google is in the process of rolling them out to all Android phones.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/smartphones/samsung-galaxy-ai-becomes-more-personal-and-cohesive-180029521.html?src=rss

AI giants promised perfect accuracy. Instead their models are endangering users. Can integrating humans help?

Looking for NYT Connections answers and hints? Here's all you need to know to solve today's game, plus my commentary on the puzzles.

Last night, at more than 1,600 restaurants in 325-plus cities around the globe, approximately 20,000 people gathered for dinner with complete strangers. Its what the creator of Timelefta French app that has been arranging impromptu dinner dates among strangers all over the world for the past year and a halfsees as a small but useful contribution to the fight against global loneliness.If you want to meet new people, Timeleft is the perfect way to do it, said cofounder and CEO Maxime Barbier, a 40-year-old French tech entrepreneur.Using technology to bring people together and facilitate friendships comes with a bit of irony, considering the role that technology (especially social media and all manner of delivery apps) has played in weakening social ties and impromptu interactions.But IRL social apps like Timeleft have seen considerable uptakeand investor interest. They include Partiful, the Eventbrite for Gen Z invitation app that raised $20 million in 2022; Posh, the self-proclaimed TikTok for events, which boasts 2 million users and $22 million in recent funding; and 222, which links up users for local events after they take an online personality quiz. In addition, more regional groups, like Californias Groundfloor and Englands Lonely Girls Club, have helped strangers connect in person.Maxime Barbier [Photo: Helene Marie Pambrun/courtesy Timeleft]The ultimate incentive for tech companies has been getting us hooked on the tech, saidErin Peavey, an architect and expert on loneliness and design for social connection. What I love about this suite of apps is this focus on getting people together off the app.[Photo: @lieselfrth/courtesy Timeleft]The evidence of our lack of connection, especially in the U.S., paints a fairly damning picture. One-third of adults over 50 report feeling lonely or isolated. Gen Z has been called the loneliest generation. Many men are in what one researcher calls a friendship recession and lack even a single close friend. Former Surgeon General Vivek Murthy told the nation in 2023 that it faces a loneliness epidemic.The deterioration of in-person interaction, decline in third places for socialization, and rise in loneliness explains in part why fitness groups, from Crossfit to the bevy of running clubs that grew out of the pandemic, became such key parts of many Americans social lives in recent years.Run groups, which started out organically, are now full-fledged, attracting thousands of people in certain cities, said Anthony Vennare of newsletter Fitt Insider. Its really, truly grassroots, organic hanging out.This current wave of social apps also fills that void. And perhaps more importantly, by arranging group events, it allows its users to avoid the feeling of rejection, common to dating apps, that can result from one-on-one interactions, said Peavey.[Photo: courtesy Timeleft]Apps and online networks that set out to cultivate real-world communities arent new. Meetup, a social media platform for hosting and organizing events that launched in 2002, rose to prominence in the early 2010s, hitting 25 million users at its peak, then gradually lost users before being sold to WeWork in 2017. Dating site Bumble launched its own BFF service in 2016 to connect users with friends of the same gender. And fitness apps have created ways for people to connect through physical exercise, like Strava for cyclists.What sets Timeleft, which has garnered significant media attention, and similar apps apart may be their simplicity. Barbier settled on the concept in Lisbon, Portugal, in May 2023 after other ideas for the app didnt pan out, like a way to share bucket lists among friends. The formula was simple: groups work, strangers work, and food is a common denominator. Eliminate pictures and swiping and just get people together.[Photo: @lieselfrth/courtesy Timeleft]Doing one thing well is key, he said; otherwise, even good tech struggles to bring together different people doing different activities at mutually convenient times. And hosting every Wednesday seemed like the right cadence; Barbier found the American idiom hump day amusing.I was talking to a competitor, who was discussing success in terms of daily active users, he said. I thought that was strange, because I dont talk about daily active users. I dont care if people use my app. My end goal is how many participants attend the dinner. The app is only a way to go to the offline thing.Diners purchase a ticket for dinner for $16 (subscriptions for multiple dates are available), then fill out an in-app survey that helps match them and create a group of six. Barbier said groups are arranged to be within 10 years of age and have a balanced mix of males and females, and introverts and extroverts. The algorithm, which last year ingested data from almost half a million diners, also avoids seating a group that all want to talk about politics.On the Tuesday before dinner, users get sent a brief introduction. On Wednesday, diners show up, order, socialize, and pay for their own food. If theyre enjoying the night, they can then move to a second bar location, where different Timeleft groups congregate.The app has received positive reviews from users across the globe, and domestically, from Los Angeles to D.C. Despite starting in Europe, Barbier says New York City is the biggest location for the app, with crowds of 300-plus showing up to the bar events. Now Timeleft boasts 70 full-time employees overseeing operations in 65 countries and 325 cities. One is the chief technology officer, who Barbier met at an early dinner. Roughly 60% of users come back for another dinner the next month.[Photo: @lieselfrth/courtesy Timeleft]People are craving to be seen, to be heard, Barbier said. When you go for a dinner with strangers, you can really talk about everything you want. Strangely enough, no ones gonna really judge you.The money, and social interest, in these apps has led to a number of different strategies for growth. Posh, an app that hosts events, works with event promoters and seeks to attract digital creators and podcasters to host their own events on the platform. Barbier believes Timeleft has space for continued expansiondinners open in India and Vietnam next month. In the coming weeks, it will roll out an in-app messaging tool so that people who hit it off at dinner can connect and arrange additional meetups.I believe Timeleft can make a dent, he said. Every trend, like AI and social media, is making [connection] so hard. But I do believe technology needs to be used to help solve loneliness, because people are so into technology. First, we need to catch them online.

Adam Chandler is a journalist. He was formerly a staff writer atThe Atlanticand his work has appeared in TheNew York Times,The Wall Street Journal,The Washington Post,WIRED, andVox, among many other publications. He is a recurring guest on The History ChannelsThe Food That Built Americaand regularly appears across television and radio, such as on CBS and NPR.Whats the big idea?American work standards are damaging the well-being of employees, as well as the success of companies. Myths about achievement, productivity, and equality are clouding our collective reasoning about what leads to a long and fulfilling life. Fixing job culture has the power to fix Americas social crisis.Below, Adam shares five key insights from his new book,99% Perspiration: A New Working History of the American Way of Life.Listen to the audio versionread by Adam himselfin the Next Big Idea App.1. The American AbracadabraThe Bootstraps Myththe belief that anyone can succeed with hard work and a little moxieis a core tenet of American life. Its visible in culture, policy, and civics. But theres a dark side to this ideal. If you fail to get ahead, it means that you didnt try hard enough. I call this The American Abracadabra.The danger of the abracadabra is that it turns success or failure into a matter of individual character, rather than prompting us to collectively confront the obstacles that have made achieving success so much harder in recent years. To understand what prevents Americans from a prosperous and stable life, we might examine the costs of housing, healthcare, childcare, and college in the U.S. A recent study by the Brookings Institution revealed that an astonishing 44% of Americans hold jobs that qualify as low-wage.2. Everyone benefits from time off,especiallyemployersGenerous time-off policies in the U.S. have long been looked upon with suspicion by bottom-line-minded employers, particularly when compared to Americas peer nations. One result is that American workers log more work hours than nearly all other industrialized countries. They also tend to eschew the breaks to which theyre entitled. According to Pew, roughly half of all U.S. workers avoid using their allotted time off out of fear of seeming disloyal, replaceable, or burdening their coworkers. Interestingly, its higher earners in particular who are the most reluctant to use all their paid time off. Studies have found that at companies with unlimited time-off policies, workers take even fewer days off.Employees who take time off are not only happier and healthier, but also more productive, more creative, and more loyal.Theres a strong case for employers to encourage workers to step away from their desks and take time off. Employees who take time off are not only happier and healthier, but also more productive, more creative, and more loyal. Another big piece of this equation is the high cost of turnover for companies in training and replacing workers, as well as in lost morale. Using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics in 2019, Gallup put a conservative price tag of $1 trillion on the replacement cost of employees who leave their jobs in the U.S. each year, estimating that The cost of replacing an individual employee can range from one-half to two times the employees annual salary.3. The American work obsession is a civic and social crisisAmericans disproportionately define themselves by their jobs. In a recent Pew survey, an astounding 71% of Americans listed having a job or career they enjoyed as the top measure of what makes for a fulfilling life, more than close friendships, having children, or marriage.Even as we put more of ourselves into workwhether its how we spend our time, construct social circles, or identify ourselveswork does not love us back. A 2023 economic opportunity poll by Gallup found that 39% of Americans believed that they were failing to get ahead despite working hard. That figure was 23% in 2002. Works failure to get us where we want to be is driving resentment, distrust of institutions, xenophobia, and extremism.4. Immigration is critical to the strength and durability of the American economyIn recent years, immigration, legal or otherwise, has been the focus of populist ire and the centerpiece of political campaigns. What they often leave out is that immigrants are 80% more likely to start a business than native-born Americans, whether its a mom-and-pop outfit like a restaurant or gas station, or a huge company like Google, Zoom, or Duolingo. On average, immigrant-founded businesses hire more workers than others.Immigrants are 80% more likely to start a business than native-born Americans.When it comes to government benefits, immigrants pay $1.38 in taxes for every dollar of government benefits they use. Lastly, undocumented immigrants paid $96.7 billion in federal, state, and local taxes in 2022, far more than many loophole-savvy billionaires or companies on the Fortune 500.5. American income inequality isnt just about moneyIncome inequality has reached dangerous levels. The effect of these disparities has had strange consequences. Between 1970 and 2009, Stanford researchers estimated that the share of families living in middle-income neighborhoods dropped from 65% to 44%. In other words, higher-income households wended their way to wealthier neighborhoods while low-income households went to poorer ones. Back in 1980, you could live in a city with a high level of income inequality, and it didnt necessarily map geographically. The kid of a doctor and the kid of a dockworker were more likely to play ball in the same street and go to the same school.But thats no longer the case. These divergences influence everything in a neighborhood, from crime rate, school quality, social mobility, and its stock of good-paying jobs to the presence of environmental hazards, the likelihood of developing chronic health conditions, and the life expectancies of both old and young. Fortunately, countless people at every level of society are working on bold initiatives to make communities stronger, safer, healthier, and happier.Thisarticleoriginally appeared in Next Big Idea Club magazine and is reprinted with permission.

The computer interface of NASA's 1960s Apollo spacecraft is meticulously replicated in miniature in the DSKY Moonwatch, a multifunctional timepiece created by British start-up Apollo Instruments.The DSKY Moonwatch recreates the instruments of the Apollo DSKY, the computer interface used by astronauts on NASA's moon missions to guide and navigate the spacecraft.Made of ceramic-coated stainless steel, the watch includes a micro-LED screen with green digits and a mini annunciator panel the light-up display in an aircraft that indicates the status of various equipment or systems.The DSKY Moonwatch recreates the computer interface from the Apollo spacecraftBelow them is a tiny keypad with numbers and commands such as "noun" and "verb", which are used to request various functions.The original DSKY was developed by the MIT Instrumentation Laboratory and continues to be highly regarded, especially for its simple, calculator-like design that gave astronauts without extensive computing know-how a straightforward way to interact with Apollo's advanced onboard computer.Its name is an abbreviation of the words "Display and Keyboard" and is usually pronounced "diss-key". Apollo Instruments aimed to satisfy the DSKY's enduring fan base with an object that is made of high-grade materials and accurately represents even the system's smallest details, such as colour and font.Wearers can request functions using the keypad"We are driven to commemorate the legacy of the Apollo space programme and the courage of its astronauts through a tribute that genuinely celebrates the remarkable achievements and sacrifices they made to present to the world mankind's greatest adventure," Apollo Instruments founder and CEO Mark Clayton told Dezeen."A significant amount of time was invested researching the original NASA and MIT archives to ensure the most authentic and aesthetically accurate reproduction was achieved. To this end, our DSKY Moonwatch is an accurate 4.6:1 scale homage to the original Apollo DSKY."Read: Space architects are preparing for humanity's return to the moonTo interact with the DSKY Moonwatch, wearers use the same system used by the Apollo astronauts, inputting simplified noun-verb combinations in place of words. The verb defines the action to be performed for instance, display, monitor or update and the noun specifies the data to be operated on.Each word corresponds to a number that the user inputs into the keypad to issue a command. The computer's operations are shown on the LED display on the right-hand side of the watch face, which features the program number that is currently running, the verb and noun numbers being entered, and a trio of open five-digit numeric fields.Out of the box, the DSKY Moonwatch can display information including the time and date, GPS navigation, an alarm and stopwatch. There is also the option to run a range of original DSKY operations, such as a GPS-driven landing routine and a lights and display test.The annunciator panel is located on the top left-hand side of the watch faceIn the long run, Apollo Instruments hopes to grow this list of functions with its own software updates, as well as through programming contributions from its user community.On the left-hand side of the watch face is the DSKY's distinctive annunciator panel, with 12 different light-up warning indicators under abbreviations such as UPLINK ACTY, indicating that data is being received from the ground, and PROG, indicating that the astronaut should input more information to complete a programme.This is one area where Apollo Instruments, which did all of the DSKY Moonwatch design in-house, paid particular attention to detail, matching the original Gorton font on the indicators and working with lighting filter company Rosco to achieve authentic colouration.The strap is made of Nappa leatherAccording to Clayton, to produce the desired level of light fill, each segment of the annunciator panel incorporates three micro LEDs, which match the three incandescent bulbs found in each segment of the original Apollo DSKY.It was also a challenge to create the fine lettering that appears across the annunciator panel and keypad. The company tried digital printing and screen printing, but both methods failed to deliver the precision the designers sought."Ultimately, we adopted pad printing, a technique first employed in watchmaking during the late 19th century," said Clayton. "The chemically etched plates enabled us to reproduce the exceptionally fine detail necessary for the miniature lettering on the DSKY Moonwatch.""This experience effectively illustrated how we often mistakenly assume that contemporary digital solutions are superior, whilst demonstrating that this assumption isn't universally true and that the traditional analogue methods developed by our ancestors deserve careful consideration."Read: Prada and Axiom Space reveal spacesuits for next lunar landingClayton, who worked in computer science and electronics before founding Apollo Instruments, said that orders for the watch have already come in from Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, alongside current and former NASA personnel.The DSKY watch is made in England from machined 316L grade stainless steel, a material often used in high-end watches, and finished with a ceramic coating that Apollo Instruments says is military grade.Among the other high-end details are scratch-proof display glass, a Nappa leather strap with a flexible GPS aerial built-in, and a keypad with individual mechanical switches rather than a membrane for tactile feedback.The DSKY Moonwatch could be paired with other moon mission-inspired clothing, such as Heron Preston's streetwear collection created in collaoration with NASA and Tom Sachs' Nike Mars Yard trainers, which are modelled on the boots of spacesuits.The post DSKY Moonwatch brings mini Apollo space computer to people's wrists appeared first on Dezeen.

Just like turntables, instant cameras have become quite the trend in recent years. Seeing a photo you may or may not have perfectly taken printed out immediately brings a kind of joy that was lost with digital cameras, smartphones, and the social Web. Those joys dont always last long, however, as the limitations of these analog media, though delightful, eventually become chains that drag peoples creativity.Thankfully, you can have the best of both worlds, and Fujifilm is more than happy to prove it. By combining the flexibility of a digital camera and the immediacy of a smartphone printer, the Instax WIDE Evo offers the simple joys of an instant camera when you want it, but also provides filters and effects when you want them. Best of all, it still comes wrapped in a premium analog aesthetic that makes the modern instant camera still unmistakably retro in spirit.Designer: FujifilmAlthough instant cameras already have their own visual flavor, sometimes that isnt enough for the budding photographer or content creator. Filters and effects are all the rage these days, but such results are only possible with smartphones or digital cameras and only seen on social media. Thats the kind of variety and creativity that the Instax WIDE Evo tries to offer without complicating the experience with menus and apps.You have, in practice, 10 lens effects and 10 film effects that can drastically change the way your photos look. Plus you get to choose the degree of the lens effect, opening the door to dozens of possible combinations. The best part is that you control these using analog dials and buttons that match the retro theme of the instant camera. For example, you twist the camera lens to change the degree of the effect, and you turn a dial to cycle through the different film effects.The retro nostalgia doesnt end there. Instead of a button, the shutter comes in the form of a lever that gives a satisfying click for every shot you take. And yes, you can still half-press the lever to lock the focus first. Want to take in more of the view? Switching to a wider angle doesnt involve tapping on a screen (which you cant do anyway) and instead requires pushing a manual switch. You even have to turn a crank to print a photo These analog controls perfectly match the black and gray motif of the camera, making it look like you squashed a DSLR into a square.The Instax WIDE Evo definitely has plenty of other modern amenities to delight shutterbugs and creators, like a 3.5-inch LCD screen that lets you see the final result even before it gets printed. Theres also a Bluetooth connection with a paired smartphone to get the most out of the companion app, which lets you not only see what others have taken but even copy the combination of effects they used. And, of course, you get a printout as soon as you want, using Fujifilms special wide film format, allowing you to instantly share your masterpieces as many times as you need.The post Instax WIDE Evo Hybrid Instant Camera Brings adds modern conveniences to a retro experience first appeared on Yanko Design.

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Organized violence is set to growbut the social media-powered mechanisms that expose would-be extremists to threats can also be used to help empathy flourish.