Samsung partners with LG and Vestel to enable seamless control of smart appliances across brands

Samsung has partnered with LG electronics and Vestel to allow consumers to control third-party smart appliances using their preferred app. This collaboration will enable Cloud-to-Cloud interoperability between home appliances and HVAC systems, bringing benefits such as energy savings. The functionality will be available in eight countries, including the UK, US, and Germany. Users can control their smart appliances through apps like SmartThings, LG's ThinQ, and Vestel's VeeZy by updating their mobile app. Samsung believes this partnership will help the smart home market achieve new levels of scale and provide consumers with enhanced digital services. https://ift.tt/hpqSdeC

UK's National Air Traffic Services is experiencing network-wide computer failure, as hundreds of flights in and out of the country have been delayed (Gwyn Topham/The Guardian)

Gwyn Topham / The Guardian:
UK's National Air Traffic Services is experiencing network-wide computer failure, as hundreds of flights in and out of the country have been delayed  —  Some regional routes operating but few planes took off from Heathrow and inbound flights have been held  —  Hundreds of flights …

Nothing Phone (1) receiving NothingOS 2.0 update: All the details

Nothing is rolling out the Android 13-based Nothing OS 2.0.2 update for the Nothing Phone 1. The update includes features like lock screen and home screen widgets, App Lock, Cloned Apps, and an updated home screen customization. Additionally, Nothing has collaborated with Swedish House Mafia to create an exclusive sound pack for both Phone 1 and Phone 2 users, which can be customized using the Glyph Composer app. Users can also download House Mafia custom ringtones for their phones. https://ift.tt/Ckya5i2

Chinese EV giant BYD's electronics unit strikes a deal with US-based Jabil to buy the key Apple supplier's manufacturing business in China for ~$2.2B (Bloomberg)

Bloomberg:
Chinese EV giant BYD's electronics unit strikes a deal with US-based Jabil to buy the key Apple supplier's manufacturing business in China for ~$2.2B  —  - US firm Jabil joins tech companies reducing exposure to China  —  The electronics arm of electric-vehicle maker BYD Co. agreed …

UPS launches its first technology center in India

UPS has opened its first technology centre in Chennai, India, with a focus on innovation to improve customer experience. The centre was inaugurated by Tamil Nadu's Chief Minister, M.K. Stalin, and is led by Dr. Subramani Ramakrishan. UPS has already hired 100 professionals in Chennai and plans to hire up to 1,000 by 2025 across India. The company aims to leverage advanced technologies such as AI, automation, and robotics to enhance its logistics capabilities in the fast-growing Indian market. https://ift.tt/l2E4MrX

Foxconn founder Terry Gou plans to run in Taiwan's 2024 presidential election as an independent candidate, after an unsuccessful bid in 2019 (Chun Han Wong/Wall Street Journal)

Chun Han Wong / Wall Street Journal:
Foxconn founder Terry Gou plans to run in Taiwan's 2024 presidential election as an independent candidate, after an unsuccessful bid in 2019  —  Terry Gou's independent candidacy could split opposition vote and boost the ruling party, which seeks closer U.S. ties amid Chinese pressure

US Judge dismisses lawsuit accusing Google’s spam filters of biasses

A US federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit filed by the Republican National Committee (RNC) against Google over allegations of biased spam filters on Gmail. The judge cited Section 230 of US law and stated that the RNC had not provided enough evidence to prove that Google had acted in bad faith. The RNC claimed that Gmail marked Republican emails as spam more often, but the study they referenced was criticized for cherry-picking findings. The court ruled that the RNC could amend the lawsuit to establish a lack of good faith. https://ift.tt/op2YR9i

A look at the US Air Force's efforts to build an AI-based air combat system, including drones for as little as $3M apiece that serve pilots as a "loyal wingman" (Eric Lipton/New York Times)

Eric Lipton / New York Times:
A look at the US Air Force's efforts to build an AI-based air combat system, including drones for as little as $3M apiece that serve pilots as a “loyal wingman”  —  An Air Force program shows how the Pentagon is starting to embrace the potential of a rapidly emerging technology …

Laptop import restrictions: US has a 'problem' with licence mandate

The Indian government has added laptops, tablets, and personal computers to the list of restricted imports, requiring a license from the DGFT. The US trade chief, Katherine Tai, has expressed concerns over the new rule, fearing it could impact exports from companies like Apple and Dell. The Indian government stated that the restrictions are in place to safeguard citizen security and will only allow imports from trusted sources. Exemptions have been provided for personal baggage, personal imports through online platforms, and limited items for research purposes. The new licensing regime will take effect on November 1. https://ift.tt/QPgdx2F

Didi says it has agreed to sell its smart car development arm to Xpeng, one of China's largest EV makers, for ~$744M (Bloomberg)

Bloomberg:
Didi says it has agreed to sell its smart car development arm to Xpeng, one of China's largest EV makers, for ~$744M  —  Didi Global Inc. has agreed to sell its smart car development arm to Xpeng Inc. for HK$5.84 billion ($744 million), exiting a promising business in the world's largest electric vehicle market.

How LLMs are transforming computational humor, an AI subfield that uses computers to create jokes, as some artists begin using AI chatbots for improv comedy (Gillian Tett/Financial Times)

Gillian Tett / Financial Times:
How LLMs are transforming computational humor, an AI subfield that uses computers to create jokes, as some artists begin using AI chatbots for improv comedy  —  Machines are getting better at making us laugh — and challenging our notions of humanity in the process

A look at the ethical and legal issues around generative AI, as it makes practical at a massive scale things that were previously only possible on a small scale (Benedict Evans)

Benedict Evans:
A look at the ethical and legal issues around generative AI, as it makes practical at a massive scale things that were previously only possible on a small scale  —  We've been talking about intellectual property in one way or another for at least the last five hundred years …

Sources: Apple's new iPad Pro, due in 2024, will get its first major overhaul since 2018, including an M3 chip, OLED displays, and a revamped Magic Keyboard (Mark Gurman/Bloomberg)

Mark Gurman / Bloomberg:
Sources: Apple's new iPad Pro, due in 2024, will get its first major overhaul since 2018, including an M3 chip, OLED displays, and a revamped Magic Keyboard  —  Apple is working on a revamped iPad Pro for next year, aiming to shake up a tablet market that's deep in the doldrums.

A look at Smart Answers, an AI chatbot trained only on Macworld, PCWorld, Tech Advisor, and TechHive content, and offered to the outlets' readers on August 1 (Mia Sato/The Verge)

Mia Sato / The Verge:
A look at Smart Answers, an AI chatbot trained only on Macworld, PCWorld, Tech Advisor, and TechHive content, and offered to the outlets' readers on August 1  —  By and large, the goal has been: can we make more pages for ads without paying more writers?  —  Now, a group of tech outlets …

A look at the UK's new DARPA-inspired Advanced Research and Invention Agency (ARIA), which has a four-year £800M budget to invest in breakthrough tech like AI (Clive Cookson/Financial Times)

Clive Cookson / Financial Times:
A look at the UK's new DARPA-inspired Advanced Research and Invention Agency (ARIA), which has a four-year £800M budget to invest in breakthrough tech like AI  —  Head of Advanced Research and Invention Agency tells FT it has appointed directors charged with selecting projects