Nestlé, Unilever, and other big advertisers are experimenting with using generative AI ads, but many remain wary of the security, copyright, and data bias risks (Reuters)

Reuters:
Nestlé, Unilever, and other big advertisers are experimenting with using generative AI ads, but many remain wary of the security, copyright, and data bias risks  —  Some of the world's biggest advertisers, from food giant Nestle (NESN.S) to consumer goods multinational Unilever (ULVR.L) …

Byju's fired 100 employees following a performance review

Ed-tech start-up Byju's has let go of around 100 employees from the mentoring and product expert teams due to poor performance. The move comes as the company tries to negotiate the conditions of its $1.2bn term loan with its creditors, after failing to meet an initial deadline in early August. The company's additional challenges include postponed financial reporting and the departure of previous auditor Deloitte. Over the past year, Byju's has previously laid off more than 3,000 workers. https://ift.tt/2UuOY93

ReFit D2C platform for refurbished smartphones launched

Delhi-based re-ecommerce platform, ReFit, is entering the direct-to-consumer (D2C) segment with a diverse selection of smartphones, including Apple, Xiaomi, Oppo, and vivo. The company is also offering a wide range of electronic products, such as televisions, laptops, and appliances. The CEO stated that they have built a strong network of partners and aim to create an unprecedented community. The company has effectively refurbished and sold around 1.5 million phones and witnessed remarkable growth through its network of retail and distribution presence to 50K retailers, with revenue reaching INR 200 crore in 2022. https://ift.tt/OYtkLmR

Netflix partners with Jio Platforms, India's largest telecom operator, to bundle its streaming service with two pay-as-you-go carrier plans (Manish Singh/TechCrunch)

Manish Singh / TechCrunch:
Netflix partners with Jio Platforms, India's largest telecom operator, to bundle its streaming service with two pay-as-you-go carrier plans  —  Netflix has inked a “first-of-its-kind” deal with Jio Platforms, India's largest telecom operator, to bundle the streaming service with two pay …

iPhone 15 may support faster charging speeds up to 35W

The upcoming iPhone 15 series is reported to support up to 35W fast charging. At least some of the models will have this capability, an improvement from the iPhone 14 Pro models’ 27W and the regular iPhone 14's 20W. Apple's 35W Dual USB-C charger will fully support the new iPhones, but it shouldn't be connected to any other device. Furthermore, the charging port is rumoured to change, with the latest report supporting the expectation that it will be replaced with a USB-C port. The report did not indicate which iPhone 15 models would support this feature. https://ift.tt/O5mDbsT

Portronics launches Resound 2 portable speakers: Price, specs and more

Portronics has added Resound 2 wireless speaker to its product range. Priced at INR 2,149, the 15W speaker features IPX5 splash resistance, hands-free calling, and RGB lights that synchronise with its beats. It includes an in-built 2000mAh battery that runs for five hours on a single charge. The speaker can be paired with another Resound 2 in TWS mode for a more immersive stereo experience of up to 30 watts of audio that is compatible with smartphones, laptops, tablets or other devices. The device also has an IPX5 certificate that makes it water-resistant. https://ift.tt/QCyU5ER

How to send HD photos on WhatsApp

Instant messaging platform WhatsApp has launched HD photo sharing with end-to-end encryption. The feature comes with two options: standard (1600x1052) and high definition (4096x2692), offering up to 18 megapixels. To opt for the latter, select the HD button above the camera to choose between standard and high quality. Senders are initially set to send in standard quality, but media sent in high definition can be recognised by a small 'HD' badge. However, the HD quality mode must be turned on each time media is sent. https://ift.tt/NSKz1p0

Apple may produce fewer iPhone 15 series smartphones in 2023: Report

Apple is anticipating a production reduction in the iPhone 15 series due to supply issues faced during the mass production of certain components such as the phone's display, Sony's camera sensors, and the new titanium frame for the Pro models. Analyst Jeff Pu said Apple is likely to build 77 million iPhone 15 units by the end of 2023 compared to the projected 83 million units. https://ift.tt/h0WwVTG

Solidus Labs: between mid-July and August, developers deployed 500+ scam tokens on Coinbase's Base blockchain; around 300 let the creators mint unlimited tokens (Olga Kharif/Bloomberg)

Olga Kharif / Bloomberg:
Solidus Labs: between mid-July and August, developers deployed 500+ scam tokens on Coinbase's Base blockchain; around 300 let the creators mint unlimited tokens  —  - More than 500 scam tokens were deployed on blockchain  — Solidus Labs says scammers pocketed about $2 million in profit

This is how scientists recreated a popular song from listeners' brain scans

Scientists have used stimulus reconstruction to recreate Pink Floyd's hit, \"Another Brick in the Wall (Part 1),” by training a computer to analyse brain activity while listening to the song and using that data to recreate it. For the study, 29 participants had surgical implantation of intracranial grids or strips of electrodes. The participants listened to the song while researchers recorded brain activity across multiple auditory regions processing various aspects of music. The study shows that different parts of the brain are active when listening to music and speech, which may explain why stroke patients can sing sentences more clearly than speak them. https://ift.tt/khiD4US

Sources: Chinese regulators met with Walmart, PayPal, and other foreign companies to help navigate China's new data security rules, hoping to ease some fears (Sarah Zheng/Bloomberg)

Sarah Zheng / Bloomberg:
Sources: Chinese regulators met with Walmart, PayPal, and other foreign companies to help navigate China's new data security rules, hoping to ease some fears  —  - Walmart, PayPal among foreign firms that met CAC last week  — They discussed fast-tracking some data transfers abroad

OnePlus Ace 2 Pro with Snapdragon 8 Gen 2, 24GB RAM, and 15oW charging launched: All the details

OnePlus has launched the Ace 2 Pro in China, an upgrade to its Ace 2. The smartphone features a BOE Q9+ OLED screen, with a 120Hz refresh rate, Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset, up to 24GB RAM, 1TB storage and a Tiangong cooling system made from aerospace-grade materials. The phone has a 50MP rear camera and 16MP Samsung S5K3P9 front camera, plus a 5000mAh battery that charge fully in 17 minutes using the SuperVOOC S management chip. It is available in Aurora Green and Titanium Grey colours, with the top-tied version priced at CNY 3,999 (approx. $594). https://ift.tt/1WgPl5v

Apple backtracks and moves the "end call" button back to the middle of the screen, from the bottom-right corner, in the latest iOS 17 beta (Kif Leswing/CNBC)

Kif Leswing / CNBC:
Apple backtracks and moves the “end call” button back to the middle of the screen, from the bottom-right corner, in the latest iOS 17 beta  —  - Apple has moved the end call button back to the middle of the screen in the the newest developer version of iOS 17 released on Tuesday.

Coinbase says the exchange received regulatory approval from the CFTC-backed National Futures Association to offer futures trading services to eligible US users (Timmy Shen/The Block)

Timmy Shen / The Block:
Coinbase says the exchange received regulatory approval from the CFTC-backed National Futures Association to offer futures trading services to eligible US users  —  - Coinbase is now allowed to operate as a futures commission merchant and offer eligible U.S. customers access to crypto futures from its platforms, the company said.

Tencent reports Q2 revenue up 11% YoY to ~$20.5B, below ~$20.8B est., and operating profit up 37% YoY to ~$6.9B, as cost-cutting helps boost its core units (Arjun Kharpal/CNBC)

Arjun Kharpal / CNBC:
Tencent reports Q2 revenue up 11% YoY to ~$20.5B, below ~$20.8B est., and operating profit up 37% YoY to ~$6.9B, as cost-cutting helps boost its core units  —  - Tencent on Wednesday reported a surge in profit for the second quarter, but missed expectations.