Sources: at an Activision townhall hosted by James Corden, Bobby Kotick discussed Microsoft, Elon Musk's Neuralink, hinted at a Guitar Hero revival, and more (Jez Corden/Windows Central)

Jez Corden / Windows Central:
Sources: at an Activision townhall hosted by James Corden, Bobby Kotick discussed Microsoft, Elon Musk's Neuralink, hinted at a Guitar Hero revival, and more  —  Kotick and Corden (not me) discuss the future of Activision.  —  What you need to know  — Sources familiar …

Apple spent $200M to $250M on Killers of the Flower Moon, debuting October 20, the first test of Apple's plans to spend $1B per year on movies for theaters (Bloomberg)

Bloomberg:
Apple spent $200M to $250M on Killers of the Flower Moon, debuting October 20, the first test of Apple's plans to spend $1B per year on movies for theaters  —  The tech giant is hoping the big screen will help sell little ones.  —  At the Cannes Film Festival, red carpets are unfurled to receive Hollywood's most important figures.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III PC open beta early access to start on October 12

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III will be released on November 10 and will feature Captain Price and Task Force 141 facing off against war criminal Vladimir Makarov. The game will include support for Nvidia DLSS 3 and Nvidia Reflex. PC gamers who have pre-purchased the game can start playing the beta version on October 12, which will include DLSS 2 and Nvidia Reflex. The beta version will be cross-play-enabled and will feature maps from Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. https://ift.tt/heY7wCj

A look at the stalled efforts to ban TikTok in the US as defense officials, who want an outright ban, clash with economic officials who back a compromise (Gavin Bade/Politico)

Gavin Bade / Politico:
A look at the stalled efforts to ban TikTok in the US as defense officials, who want an outright ban, clash with economic officials who back a compromise  —  The administration is throwing its weight behind a new bill after previous legislative and national security efforts faltered.

Vivo Y200 5G smartphone to launch in India soon, confirms company

Vivo is teasing the launch of its new Y-series smartphone, the Vivo Y200, in India. The company has posted a video featuring actress Sara Ali Khan on its official X account. The specifications of the Vivo Y200 have not been revealed yet, but leaked posters suggest it may have a 6.67-inch FHD+ AMOLED display, an in-display fingerprint sensor, a 64MP main camera, a 2MP depth sensor, a 16MP front camera, and a 4,800 mAh battery with 44W fast charging support. Vivo recently expanded its V-series with the launch of the Vivo V29 and V20 Pro. https://ift.tt/kgxUNXl

Sources: after stockpiling components for months, Huawei aims to ship 60M to 70M phones in 2024, doubling shipments in 2023 and 2022, despite the US crackdown (Cheng Ting-Fang/Nikkei Asia)

Cheng Ting-Fang / Nikkei Asia:
Sources: after stockpiling components for months, Huawei aims to ship 60M to 70M phones in 2024, doubling shipments in 2023 and 2022, despite the US crackdown  —  New export controls expected from U.S. could thwart ambitious comeback plans  —  Huawei's release of the 5G-capable Mate 60 Pro took markets and policymakers by surprise.

As the Israel-Hamas war escalates, a look at the role of hacktivism for both sides, supported by outside groups, including DDoSing Israeli government sites (Wired)

Wired:
As the Israel-Hamas war escalates, a look at the role of hacktivism for both sides, supported by outside groups, including DDoSing Israeli government sites  —  Hacktivism is increasingly a feature of modern kinetic warfare.  It's playing out with particular ferocity in the conflict between Israel and Hamas.

Xiaomi could replace MIUI with MiOS for smartphones

Chinese smartphone manufacturer Xiaomi is reportedly considering replacing its MIUI Android interface with a new operating system called MiOS. The company is planning changes for the upcoming version of its custom interface, with speculation that MIUI 15 may not be released. It is unclear whether MiOS will be a new operating system or just another Android-based skin. Xiaomi has a global user base of over 564 million monthly active users, and the new interface may be exclusive to users in China. However, Xiaomi is still testing MIUI 15 and plans to release it with its upcoming Xiaomi 14 smartphones. https://ift.tt/HadA41V

Zebronics launches a series of lifestyle laptops: All the details

Zebronics has introduced laptops under its Pro Series Y and Pro Series Z, including models with Dolby Atmos for immersive sound. The laptops, powered by Intel processors and running on Windows 11, offer up to 16GB of RAM and 1TB SSD storage. The Pro Series Y starts at Rs 27,990 ($375), while Pro Series Z starts at Rs 31,990 ($430). The laptops are available on Flipkart and Amazon. All models have a 15.6-inch FHD display and multiple connectivity options. https://ift.tt/GPmF8JY

An investigation details FTX staff's all-night race to stop a crypto heist as the exchange collapsed, ultimately losing $415M to $432M to unidentified hackers (Andy Greenberg/Wired)

Andy Greenberg / Wired:
An investigation details FTX staff's all-night race to stop a crypto heist as the exchange collapsed, ultimately losing $415M to $432M to unidentified hackers  —  The same chaotic day FTX declared bankruptcy, someone began stealing hundreds of millions of dollars from its coffers.

Investors and analysts: Intel, Nvidia, and others in Israel are set to fortify security and face disruptions after Hamas attacks; Nvidia cancels an AI summit (Reuters)

Reuters:
Investors and analysts: Intel, Nvidia, and others in Israel are set to fortify security and face disruptions after Hamas attacks; Nvidia cancels an AI summit  —  Tech companies operating in Israel are expected to fortify security as they could face disruptions, said investors and analysts …

A look at Discogs, a user-generated music database and marketplace for physical music media, as sellers complain about the website's old tech and increased fees (Natalie Weiner/The Verge)

Natalie Weiner / The Verge:
A look at Discogs, a user-generated music database and marketplace for physical music media, as sellers complain about the website's old tech and increased fees  —  A home for music diehards has been fractured by increased fees that are pushing sellers and shoppers to other platforms.

Fortnite maker vs Google: List of witnesses includes Google CEO Sundar Pichai and these top execs

Epic Games and Match Group, among others, have accused Google of antitrust violations in the Android app market. The list of witnesses to testify in the upcoming trial has been released, including top executives from both companies, such as Sundar Pichai and Tim Sweeney. Andy Rubin, a co-founder of the Android operating system, may also be called as a witness. Epic alleges that after being ousted from the Google Play Store, Google engaged in anti-competitive practices. Both Google and Apple removed Epic from their app stores for violating their rules. https://ift.tt/n51EqNP

LLMs trained on voice, text, and video chats can now detect and mimic emotions like empathy, which could impact fields like customer service, HR, mental health (Lisa Bannon/Wall Street Journal)

Lisa Bannon / Wall Street Journal:
LLMs trained on voice, text, and video chats can now detect and mimic emotions like empathy, which could impact fields like customer service, HR, mental health  —  Artificial Intelligence is getting smart enough to express and measure human empathy.  Here's how the new technology could change healthcare …

Q&A with Dr. Lloyd Minor, dean of the Stanford University School of Medicine, on generative AI in medicine, privacy risks, responsible deployment, and more (Jo Craven McGinty/Wall Street Journal)

Jo Craven McGinty / Wall Street Journal:
Q&A with Dr. Lloyd Minor, dean of the Stanford University School of Medicine, on generative AI in medicine, privacy risks, responsible deployment, and more  —  The dean of Stanford University's medical school thinks artificial intelligence will transform the medicines you take, the care you get and the training of doctors