Here’s when Samsung may launch Galaxy S24 smartphone series

Samsung is expected to launch its flagship smartphone series, the Galaxy S24, on January 18. The series will consist of three models: Galaxy S24, Galaxy S24+, and Galaxy S24 Ultra. The Galaxy S24 Ultra is rumored to feature a 6.8-inch QHD+ Dynamic AMOLED LTPO display with a 120Hz refresh rate. It may also come with a Titanium frame, a 200MP primary camera, Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset, and a 5000mAh battery with 45W charging. The phone will run on Android 14 with One UI 6. https://ift.tt/uqhw0UR

Lava launches Blaze Pro 5G: Price, specifications and more

Lava has introduced its new smartphone, the Blaze Pro 5G, which features a 5000mAh battery and a 50MP main camera. The device boasts a 6.78-inch display and claims to have a bloat-free operating system. It is priced at Rs 12,499 and will be available for purchase from October 3 with a one-year warranty. The Blaze Pro 5G comes with a 120Hz refresh rate, 1080x2460 resolution, and is powered by an octa-core MediaTek Dimensity 6020 processor. It also offers expandable storage, fast charging, and a free service at home for customers. https://ift.tt/LEgDGBI

Spotify partners with OpenAI to launch an AI-powered voice translation feature that reproduces podcasts in other languages using the podcaster's own voice (Amrita Khalid/The Verge)

Amrita Khalid / The Verge:
Spotify partners with OpenAI to launch an AI-powered voice translation feature that reproduces podcasts in other languages using the podcaster's own voice  —  What if podcasters could flip a switch and instantly speak another language?  That's the premise behind Spotify's …

OpenAI rolls out an update to let Plus and Enterprise users prompt ChatGPT using voice commands or by uploading an image, available for other users "soon after" (David Pierce/The Verge)

David Pierce / The Verge:
OpenAI rolls out an update to let Plus and Enterprise users prompt ChatGPT using voice commands or by uploading an image, available for other users “soon after”  —  Most of OpenAI's changes to ChatGPT involve what the AI-powered bot can do: questions it can answer, information it can access, improved underlying models.

EU blocks Booking.com's €1.63B acquisition of Etraveli, saying Booking failed to allay concerns that the deal bolsters its dominance in the hotel OTA market (Foo Yun Chee/Reuters)

Foo Yun Chee / Reuters:
EU blocks Booking.com's €1.63B acquisition of Etraveli, saying Booking failed to allay concerns that the deal bolsters its dominance in the hotel OTA market  —  Booking Holdings' (BKNG.O) proposed 1.63-billion-euro ($1.7 billion) purchase of Swedish peer ETraveli Group was blocked …

How to unfollow a WhatsApp Channel

WhatsApp has launched its Channels feature in India, allowing users to receive personalized updates. The feature serves as a broadcasting tool for administrators to share various content. WhatsApp is also developing a searchable directory for users to discover channels based on their interests. Users can join channels through invitation links and can unfollow them at any time to stop receiving notifications and updates. https://ift.tt/pbMe7Uj

A profile of Hank Asher, the "father of data fusion" who died in 2013 after initiating a vast shift in privacy norms through his data mining software companies (McKenzie Funk/New York Times)

McKenzie Funk / New York Times:
A profile of Hank Asher, the “father of data fusion” who died in 2013 after initiating a vast shift in privacy norms through his data mining software companies  —  Hank Asher was a drug smuggler with a head for numbers — until he figured out how to turn Americans' private information into a big business.

TRAI releases consultation paper on R&D in telecom, broadcasting and IT sectors

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has released a consultation paper on encouraging research and development (R&D) in the telecom, broadcasting, and IT sectors. The paper aims to develop a comprehensive ecosystem for enhancing R&D in the ICT sector, with a focus on generating a pool of R&D scientists/engineers and promoting innovation. R&D plays a crucial role in economic growth, improving people's lives, and ensuring self-reliance and security. While India has made progress in R&D and innovation, there is room for improvement in promoting R&D in the ICT sector. The paper analyzes issues in the existing R&D ecosystem and highlights the need for a robust R&D framework to capitalize on emerging trends in technology. https://ift.tt/I3OPS9N

Sources: Apple to increase its production in India over 5x to $40B in the next four to five years, and start making AirPods, in addition to iPhones, in 2024 (PTI)

PTI:
Sources: Apple to increase its production in India over 5x to $40B in the next four to five years, and start making AirPods, in addition to iPhones, in 2024  —  iPhone maker Apple has plans to scale up production in India by over five-fold to around $40 billion, or about Rs 3.32 lakh crore …

EV maker Nio launches the Nio Phone in China with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset and 30+ car-specific features, including automatic parking, starting at ~$890 (Chethan Rao/Android Police)

Chethan Rao / Android Police:
EV maker Nio launches the Nio Phone in China with a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset and 30+ car-specific features, including automatic parking, starting at ~$890  —  - Nio, an electric car manufacturer, has entered the Chinese smartphone market with the Nio Phone, targeting owners of its EVs …

Sources: Meta plans to release AI chatbots with personalities, internally called Gen AI Personas, across its apps at this week's Connect, to attract young users (Wall Street Journal)

Wall Street Journal:
Sources: Meta plans to release AI chatbots with personalities, internally called Gen AI Personas, across its apps at this week's Connect, to attract young users  —  Facebook parent is developing bots with personalities, including a ‘sassmaster general’ robot that answers questions

A look at the role of pro gaming in Tencent's long-term strategy as China hosts the Hangzhou Asian Games, the first event where esports are eligible for medals (Zheping Huang/Bloomberg)

Zheping Huang / Bloomberg:
A look at the role of pro gaming in Tencent's long-term strategy as China hosts the Hangzhou Asian Games, the first event where esports are eligible for medals  —  - Hundreds of pro players will compete at Hangzhou Asian Games  — Tencent places esports at the heart of its online media empire

California Governor Gavin Newsom vetoes a bill that requires a human safety operator in heavy-duty self-driving trucks on public roads (Abhirup Roy/Reuters)

Abhirup Roy / Reuters:
California Governor Gavin Newsom vetoes a bill that requires a human safety operator in heavy-duty self-driving trucks on public roads  —  California Governor Gavin Newsom late on Friday vetoed a bill to prevent heavy-duty driverless trucks from operating in the state, in a relief …

Sources: India will delay its import license requirement for laptops and tablets by a year and instead plans a simpler import registration process from November (Reuters)

Reuters:
Sources: India will delay its import license requirement for laptops and tablets by a year and instead plans a simpler import registration process from November  —  India will defer an import licence requirement for laptops and tablets, two government officials said, a policy U-turn …

A look at Scattered Spider, which experts say is a group of 17 to 22-year-old native English speakers likely behind the MGM and 52+ other hacks since March 2022 (Reuters)

Reuters:
A look at Scattered Spider, which experts say is a group of 17 to 22-year-old native English speakers likely behind the MGM and 52+ other hacks since March 2022  —  About a year ago, the U.S. security firm Palo Alto Networks began to hear from a flurry of companies that had been hacked in ways that weren't the norm for cybercriminals.