• Opera is now the first major web browser with AI-based agentic browsing
    www.zdnet.com
    If you've been waiting for a better conjunction of web browser and AI, the wait is almost over, thanks to Opera.
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  • Effective Ways To Build A Healthy, Innovative Tech Team Culture
    www.forbes.com
    A culture that maximizes both individual strengths and community efforts will likely lead to enhanced productivity, an ownership mentality and increased job satisfaction.
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  • Apple Confirms New Air Product Launch Date Will Be This Week In Latest Tease
    www.forbes.com
    The latest Apple product is coming this week, CEO Tim Cook confirmed today on X with the words, This week, something is in the AIR. Well, that narrows it down, even if it isnt quite clear whats coming.Apple teases a new product.AppleThe first, and most likely, option is a new MacBook Air. Several commentators have said that the thin and light laptop is due to be updated. Bloombergs Mark Gurman said in his most recent Power On newsletter that it is coming. The M4 MacBook Air unveiling is imminent. In line with the details I reported in the last Power On, Apple is preparing to make a Mac-related announcement as early as this coming week, Im told, he said.That post makes clear that the main update to the current MacBook Air is likely to be a processor change, to put the latest M4 chip into the Air which currently has the M2 chip in one configuration of the 13-inch laptop and M3 chips in the 15-inch and other 13-inch versions.Which means that we may see the M3 chip relegated to just the 13-inch model and M4 everywhere else.Its not expected that there will be design changes to the Air, though the uprating of the processor could see a rethinking of the current range of colors: currently there are four to choose from.Theres something else to bear in mind: Cook didnt actually say he was referring to a MacBook Air. Could it be something else? It could, though that post on X has a graphic which looks like a product thats hinged, such as a laptop. Or maybe an iPad in a keyboard case?Several reports have said theres a new iPad Air on the way, though Gurman is insistent that wont come just yet. The laptop will come first.Thats realistically the only other optionthe much-rumored iPhone 17 Air couldnt possibly arrive before the fall because thats when the rest of the iPhone 17 range will launch and anyway, as youll remember, theres already been a new iPhone, the iPhone 16e in the last few daysit went on sale on Friday, Feb. 28.So, when will we find out?I think the most likely possibility is that Apple will reveal its new product either on Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday this week.Personally, Id guess it could be as soon as tomorrow: the Mobile World Congress trade show is in full swing in Barcelona and Apple does like to draw attention away from such shows. If not, then Wednesday, I think.Stay tuned.
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  • Microsoft Shuts Down Skype, Pushes Users to Teams
    techreport.com
    Key TakeawaysOnce a pioneering video calling app with hundreds of millions of monthly users, Skype is officially being retired by Microsoft.Microsoft is urging users to transition to Microsoft Teams, its very own collaboration platform. To ease the switch, users can migrate their contacts, chats, and call logs seamlessly using Microsofts migration services.Users have until May 5 to export their Skype data before the app shuts down permanently.Skype, an app that was once synonymous with video calling, is officially going to be phased out. This marks an end of what the millennials would consider an era.The video calling app has been around for over 20 years and had a few hundred million people using it every single month at its prime. Whether it was corporate or leisure, Skype was one of the first apps to offer internet video calling. It even disrupted the telephone industry soon after its launch.However, the underlying technology of the app soon became obsolete when competitors like WhatsApp and Zoom introduced more user-friendly and advanced features, and users started switching to alternatives.Skype was bought by Microsoft in 2011 for $8.5 billion, but that didnt quite positively impact its growth either. Being unable to keep up with its growing competitors, Skype saw a gradual decrease in its number of users over the years.On the other hand, Microsoft Teams, introduced in 2017, is a similar app that has seen substantial growth post-COVID and continues to be a leading collaboration tool, especially in the corporate space.While announcing the retirement of Skype, Microsoft urged the users to try out Teams and move their data to the app while theres still time. Users have until May 5 to figure out what they want to do with their existing chats and data on Skype before theyre gone for good.Microsofts Attempt to Move Users from Skype to Microsoft TeamsA highly possible intention behind shutting down Skype is to shift the focus to Microsoft Teams.Microsoft is providing several perks to make the transition smooth. As mentioned earlier, users will be able to export and move data easily from Skype to Teams with Microsofts migration services. You can even use your Skype login credentials for Teams.Moreover, youll be able to preserve everything from your Skypes chat histories to call logs within the Teams environment. Teams, by the way, provides almost all the features that Skype does, except for the option to video call contacts or phone numbers, which was one of the core reasons why Skype gained popularity.Some of the common features between Teams and Skype include one-on-one and group calls, messaging, and file sharing. Teams also has some additional features, like the ability to manage calendars and join communities, that can come in handy for business networking.Users who do not wish to switch to Microsoft Teams can choose to export all their data from Skype.Add Techreport to Your Google News Feed Get the latest updates, trends, and insights delivered straight to your fingertips. Subscribe now! Subscribe now Alpa is a senior editor with a wealth of experience in alternative finance, fintech, cryptocurrency, app security software, and the medical industry. She's currently an in-house managing editor with the Techreport team.Alpa is passionate about breaking down complex topics and sharing informative content that provides value. View all articles by Alpa Somaiya Our editorial processThe Tech Reporteditorial policyis centered on providing helpful, accurate content that offers real value to our readers. We only work with experienced writers who have specific knowledge in the topics they cover, including latest developments in technology, online privacy, cryptocurrencies, software, and more. Our editorial policy ensures that each topic is researched and curated by our in-house editors. We maintain rigorous journalistic standards, and every article is 100% written byreal authors.
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  • Scientists develop battery that converts nuclear energy into electricity via light emission
    www.techspot.com
    Forward-looking: Researchers have developed a battery that converts nuclear energy into electricity using light emission. Led by a team from Ohio State University, the technology could revolutionize how we harness and repurpose nuclear waste. A study published in Optical Materials: X outlines how ambient gamma radiation can be harvested to generate electricity for microelectronics. The prototype battery, measuring just four cubic centimeters, achieves this by combining scintillator crystals with solar cells.The battery's design utilizes high-density scintillator crystals that emit light when exposed to radiation, which is then converted into electricity by solar cells. Researchers tested its effectiveness using two major fission products from spent nuclear fuel: cesium-137 and cobalt-60.Experiments at Ohio State's nuclear reactor laboratory yielded promising results. With cesium-137, the battery produced 288 nanowatts, while the more potent cobalt-60 increased output to 1.5 microwatts enough to power a tiny sensor.Lead author Raymond Cao, a professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering at Ohio State, suggests that with an appropriate power source, these devices could be scaled up to generate watts of electricity, expanding their potential applications.The researchers envision these batteries being deployed near nuclear waste production sites, such as storage pools or in nuclear systems for space and deep-sea exploration. Notably, while the battery harnesses gamma radiation nearly a hundred times more penetrating than a standard X-ray it does not contain radioactive materials, making it safe to handle.The technology offers a potential breakthrough in repurposing nuclear waste, traditionally viewed as hazardous, into a valuable energy source. "We're harvesting something considered as waste and by nature, trying to turn it into treasure," Cao said. // Related StoriesThe study also found that the shape and size of the scintillator crystals significantly influence electrical output. A larger volume enables greater radiation absorption and energy conversion, while an increased surface area enhances the solar cell's power generation capacity.Ibrahim Oksuz, co-author of the study and research associate at Ohio State, described the results as a major step forward in power output. He emphasized that while the two-step process is still in its early stages, the next phase will focus on generating higher wattage through scaled-up designs.Despite promising results, scaling up the technology presents challenges, primarily related to manufacturing costs. Cao noted that further research is needed to evaluate the batteries' long-term viability, efficiency, and durability in real-world applications.Still, Oksuz remains optimistic about the future of nuclear-powered batteries. "The nuclear battery concept is very promising. There's still lots of room for improvement, but I believe in the future, this approach will carve an important space for itself in both the energy production and sensors industry."
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  • Samsung's MWC 2025 lineup features a foldable gaming handheld, 500Hz OLED monitor, and 240Hz laptop
    www.techspot.com
    What just happened? Mobile World Congress has started in Barcelona, meaning companies are now showing off and previewing their new products at the expo. One of these is Samsung Display, which has just revealed some of its new tech. It includes a 7.2-inch foldable OLED handheld gaming console, a 500Hz QD-OLED monitor, a 240Hz OLED laptop, and more. The handheld device, called the Flex Gaming, is a concept that is essentially a Steam Deck-like handheld that folds in the middle, much like Samsung's own Galaxy Z Fold and Z Flip phones.The Flex Gaming features a pair of joysticks and a d-pad. There are recesses on each side of the OLED screen for the joysticks to sit inside when the device is folded. There's also a button with an N marked on it and a USB-C port on the bottom. It's still very much in the concept stage, so there were no technical specs revealed.Samsung did show off a Flex Gaming handheld concept at CES 2023, though it had a flip-open lid rather than being foldable.Also on show will be what Samsung calls the "world's first 27-inch 500Hz QD-OLED monitor." Featuring a 1440p resolution, reports about this monitor first emerged last November. No word yet on a release date.In addition to the blistering fast OLED monitor, Samsung is showcasing its 240Hz OLED laptop. In 2022, Razer announced the world's first 240Hz OLED laptop display in its Blade 15, combining the stunning image quality of OLED with incredibly fast refresh rates in a portable PC.Samsung says that a highlight of its MWC exhibition will be the Seamless Color Studio concept, where OLED technology is seamlessly integrated into devices, such as smartphones, tablets, laptops and TVs. The company talks about watching a show on a smartphone and seamlessly transitioning to a TV or browsing products on a laptop and completing the purchase on a smartphone, with all the devices uniformly displaying seamless color consistency across different screens.Also being showcased is the OLED Tile demonstration, which features full-screen technology with ultra-thin bezels to create the appearance of a bezel-less, massive single display. Samsung said a breakthrough in bezel-less technology has resulted in a bezel that is 40% thinner on all sides compared to the average bezel width of products currently on the market.Expect to learn more details about Samsung Display's MWC products over the coming days.
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  • The Beats Studio Pro headphones have a $150 discount today
    www.digitaltrends.com
    Noise-canceling headphones and earbuds are some of the most popular consumer tech items on the market. Thanks to advanced audio engineering, these in-ear and over-ear devices make it easy to rock out to your favorite tunes while tuning out the distracting parts of the world.We were looking through Beats headphone deals a little while ago and came across this fantastic offer: For a limited time, you can purchase the Beats Studio Pro Wireless at Best Buy for only $200. The full MSRP on this model is $350.We tested these cans back in 2023, and reviewer Simon Cohen said, You still pay a premium for the Beats brand, but the Studio Pro are worth it.RelatedThe Beats Studio Pro are a fantastic pair of noise-canceling headphones that delivers an ANC experience thats hard to beat. Say goodbye to the hum of HVAC systems and other distracting sounds! These headphones can also be folded up for simple portability and should last up to 24 hours on a full charge (it takes close to two hours to recharge from zero).As far as sound quality goes, the Beats Studio Pro deliver a rich sound profile with plenty of bass and solid treble and midrange performance. Youll also be able to use the USB-C port for wired playback. Other noteworthy features include One-Touch Pairing for iOS devices and Google Fast Pair support.Were not sure how long these headphones are going to be on sale, but we wouldnt wait too long if youre interested in nabbing them for this price. Save $150 when you purchase the Beats Studio Pro Wireless at Best Buy, and be sure to take a look at our roundups of the best headphone deals and top Best Buy deals for even more discounts on top tech!Editors Recommendations
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  • Your future phone could change colors throughout the day
    www.digitaltrends.com
    You have an Ultramarine iPhone 16 and are tired of the color; what do you do? You most likely wait until you upgrade (perhaps to an iPhone 17) and get one in another color. But what if you grow tired of your phones color every day? This is where Infinixs new E-Color Shift 2.0 technology comes into play. Announced at MWC 2025, this innovative technology could allow you to customize your future smartphones aesthetics continuously.With E-Color Shift 2.0, you can personalize your devices appearance using dynamic, interactive color transitions based on your selected preferences and external stimuli. The technology allows you to choose from six patterns and six color palettes, resulting in 30 unique combinations.Recommended VideosYou can also utilize the AI-Recognize Mode of E-Color Shift, which employs AI-powered modules to automatically adjust the color of your phones back cover based on various factors such as weather conditions, wallpapers, and your surroundings. This creates a seamless and evolving aesthetic experience.Android AuthorityAs Liang Zhang, Deputy General Manager at Infinix Mobility, explains: We are exploring further customization possibilities through a software application, enabling up to 60 customizable areas on the hardware with each area supporting various colors. Users can also personalize their phones back cover by displaying time, mood, and other features in a matrix arrangement. This approach allows users to express their individuality and convey distinctive information through unique phone designs, transcending basic color changes. This gives their device a fresh look and feel,Please enable Javascript to view this contentWhile it is unlikely that future phones like the Samsung Galaxy S26 or Apple iPhone 17 will feature E-Color Shift, this technology could eventually be included in new smartphones in the coming years. The main question remains: How much battery power will it consume? If the power requirements are reasonable, E-Color Shift 2.0 could be a game changer.In the meantime, think very carefully when buying your next phone. Its color is one youre going to have to live with for a year or more, depending on how often you upgrade phones.Editors Recommendations
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  • The Narrative Brain Review: The Sense in a Story
    www.wsj.com
    The Narrative Brain Review: The Sense in a StoryNarratives bring order to the world and entice us with emotional rewards. They also help people bond and recover after times of crisis. By Matthew Hutson If humans were fish, our water would be narratives. We never experience reality unmediated. Light and sound filter through our senses and we impose meaning and order, building our familiar perceptual world of trees, people and buildings. At a higher level, we string events together into stories, ranging from brief encounters to autobiographical arcs to historical epochs and beyond. We use narratives to understand the causal influences in our lives; these unseen forces, manufactured by our minds, become what we know of reality. Grab a Copy The Narrative Brain: The Stories Our Neurons Tell By Fritz Alwin Breithaupt Yale University Press 296 pages We may earn a commission when you buy products through the links on our site. Buy Book In The Narrative Brain, Fritz Breithaupt attempts to deconstruct these processes and reveal how they work, going between high abstraction and specific cases. Real-world stories include Elizabeth Holmess Theranos fraud, the attacks of 9/11, Covid-19 and the murder of the authors father; made-up ones include Game of Thrones and The Giving Tree.The first question is what defines a narrative. An important aspect is the segmentation of time. Every story has a beginning and end. Exactly how the human brain segments time is murky, and different people do it differently. Some segmentation cues are concrete; walking through a doorway, as researchers have shown, mutes our memory of what happened immediately before.Mr. Breithaupt, a professor of Germanic studies and cognitive science at Indiana University, draws on Aristotle and the 19th-century German writer Gustav Freytag to argue that, in a narrative, a protagonist typically turns from active to passive or vice versa, as when a worker in a dead-end job decides to rebel. Mr. Breithaupt ignores Kurt Vonneguts delineation of other story shapes, like man in hole, where a characters prospects turn from good to bad to good. Elsewhere, the author defines narratives as strings of events, and events as things that bring about important, lasting, and irreversible changes that were not clearly recognizable in advance.Copyright 2025 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved. 87990cbe856818d5eddac44c7b1cdeb8VideosMost Popular NewsMost PopularOPINIONFurther ReadingAdvertisement
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  • The 2025 Genesis GV80 Coupe proves to be a real crowd-pleaser
    arstechnica.com
    good seats The 2025 Genesis GV80 Coupe proves to be a real crowd-pleaser The Korean automaker has come a long way in 10 years. Jonathan M. Gitlin Mar 3, 2025 12:37 pm | 7 This SUV drew more compliments than most of the cars we've tested recently. Credit: Jonathan Gitlin This SUV drew more compliments than most of the cars we've tested recently. Credit: Jonathan Gitlin Story textSizeSmallStandardLargeWidth *StandardWideLinksStandardOrange* Subscribers only Learn moreWatching Genesis' cars evolve and mature over the years has been interesting. Originally part of Hyundai's lineup, Genesis stood up as a brand in its own right at the end of 2015. Those early Hyundai-badged Genesises (Geneses?) were impressive considering the H on the nose, the dealerships they were found in, and the price out the door. The soft bigotry of low expectations, perhaps.As Genesis has become its own thing, its vehicles no longer get that kind of benefit of the doubt. They have to stand against competitors from established luxury brands, the old-timers from Europe and now-middle-aged Japanese competitors. Recruiting the people associated with many of Bentley and Audi's more memorable designs was a good move in that regard.This GV80 Coupe's design proved to be a hit with neighbors and the general publicfew cars we've tested in the past couple of years have garnered as many compliments. The coupe was a relatively recent addition to the normal GV80 SUV, sacrificing a little volume at the back for a rakish ducktail rear end. All four corners are wrapped in what's now Genesis' light signature, a pair of thin horizontal stripes with microlens arrays supplying the brightness at the front. Modern lighting technology allows for the twin line light signature. Jonathan Gitlin Modern lighting technology allows for the twin line light signature. Jonathan Gitlin At the rear, a cute ducktail spoiler. Jonathan Gitlin At the rear, a cute ducktail spoiler. Jonathan Gitlin Modern lighting technology allows for the twin line light signature. Jonathan Gitlin At the rear, a cute ducktail spoiler. Jonathan Gitlin As much as everyone else liked the exterior, I think it's the interior that shows how far Genesis has come. That includes seemingly minor stuff, including the size of the typefaces or the amount of visual noise. It's been with this final few percent that previous cars from Genesis haven't quite matched up to the best in class, but that's a much harder argument to make about this one. It feels a bit more cohesive and less cluttered than previous Genesis designs.The 27-inch OLED screen combines the main instrument display and an infotainment screen. It's a big improvement on what you'll find in older GV80s (and G80sand GV70s), and the native system is by no means unpleasant to use. Although with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, most drivers will probably just cast their phones. That will require a wirewhile there is a Qi wireless charging pad, I was not able to wirelessly cast my iPhone using CarPlay; I had to plug into the USB-C port. (The press specs say it should have wireless CarPlay and Android Auto, for what it's worth.)Having a jog dial to interact with the infotainment is a plus in terms of driver distraction, but that's immediately negated by having to use a touchscreen for the climate controls.Beyond those gripes, the dark leather and contrast stitching look and feel good, and I appreciate the way the driver's seat side bolsters hug you a little tighter when you switch into Sport mode or accelerate hard in one of the other modes. Our week with the Genesis GV80 coincided with some below-freezing weather, and I was glad to find that the seat heaters got warm very quicklywithin a block of leaving the house, in fact. The interior is a big tech upgrade over last year's GV80, but it's not perfect. Genesis The interior is a big tech upgrade over last year's GV80, but it's not perfect. Genesis This carbon fiber trim is rather attractive. Genesis This carbon fiber trim is rather attractive. Genesis The interior is a big tech upgrade over last year's GV80, but it's not perfect. Genesis This carbon fiber trim is rather attractive. Genesis I was also grateful for the fact that the center console armrest warms up when you turn on your seat heaterI'm not sure I've come across that feature in a car until now.Tempting the former boss of BMW's M division, Albert Biermann, away to set up Genesis' vehicle dynamics department was also a good move. Biermann has been retired for a while now, but he evidently passed on some skills before that happened. The GV80 Coupe is particularly well-damped and won't bounce you around in your seat over low-speed obstacles like potholes or speed bumps that, in other SUVs, can result in the occupants being shaken from side to side in their seats.With 409 hp (305 kW) and 405 lb-ft (550 Nm) from the 3.5 L V6, you could probably generate enough lateral Gs on a skidpad to keep everyone pinned to their seats instead. The engine uses a pair of turbochargers, plus a 48 V electric supercharger. The supercharger operates below 1,750 rpm, boosting torque before there are sufficient exhaust gasses for the turbochargers to be effective. You won't hear the traditional engine-driven supercharger whine from under the hood, though.There's also a 48 V mild hybrid starter/generator that can add some torque fill, but in the cold weather, I wasn't able to average better than a not-great 18 mpg (13 L/100 km) compared to the 20 mpg (11.8 L/100 km) on the sticker. Sadly, there's no hybrid or EV version of the GV80 coupeGenesis has put its very good EV powertrain in the smaller GV70 SUV, as well as the G80 sedan, so there's probably no technical reason that it couldn't go in one of these GV80 Coupes, too. I'm too short to tell you if rear headroom is compromised by the more rakish roofline. Genesis I'm too short to tell you if rear headroom is compromised by the more rakish roofline. Genesis How about an electric version? Jonathan Gitlin How about an electric version? Jonathan Gitlin I'm too short to tell you if rear headroom is compromised by the more rakish roofline. Genesis How about an electric version? Jonathan Gitlin On the other hand, the added weight of a lithium-ion battery would do deleterious things to the curb weight and asking price. For this turbo- and supercharged V6, the MSRP is an already-hefty $85,750, although a less-powerful V6 version that doesn't use the electric supercharger is $5,800 cheaper and comes with almost the same equipment, bar slightly smaller wheels and without the rather handsome carbon fiber trim.Jonathan M. GitlinAutomotive EditorJonathan M. GitlinAutomotive Editor Jonathan is the Automotive Editor at Ars Technica. He has a BSc and PhD in Pharmacology. In 2014 he decided to indulge his lifelong passion for the car by leaving the National Human Genome Research Institute and launching Ars Technica's automotive coverage. He lives in Washington, DC. 7 Comments
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