Is China pulling ahead in AI video synthesis? We put Minimax to the test

October 9, 2024

If 2022 was the year AI image generators went mainstream, 2024 has arguably been the year that AI video synthesis models exploded in capability. These models, while not yet perfect, can generate new videos from text descriptions called prompts, still images, or existing videos. After OpenAI made waves with Sora in February, two major AI models emerged from China: Kuaishou Technology’s Kling and Minimax’s video-01. Both Chinese models have already powered…

Read More >>

Thunderbird Android client is K-9 Mail reborn, and it’s in solid beta

Thunderbird’s Android app, which is actually the K-9 Mail project reborn, is almost out. You can check it out a bit early in a beta that will feel pretty robust to most users. Thunderbird, maintained by the Mozilla Foundation subsidiary MZLA, acquired the source code and naming rights to K-9 Mail, as announced in June 2022. The group also brought K-9 maintainer Christian Ketterer (or “cketti”) onto the project. Their…

October 9, 2024
Read More >>

Apple brings years-old features to iCloud web interface

In a rare event, Apple has rolled out substantial updates to the web-based iCloud interface meant to allow users to access Apple services like Mail and Photos when they’re away from a Mac, iPad, or iPhone. The flagship addition is dark mode; it “will automatically match your device settings with a Light Mode or Dark Mode color scheme,” Apple explains as part of the update. There is also now a…

October 8, 2024
Read More >>

Samsung quits updating Galaxy Z Fold 2 that came out in 2020 for $2,000

Samsung is no longer providing software or security updates for the Galaxy Z Fold 2 foldable smartphone that it released in September 2020. Highly anticipated ahead of its full unveiling, the Z Fold 2 released with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 865+, 12GB of RAM, 256GB of UFS 3.1 storage, and a 4500 mAh battery. The phone’s hallmark is, of course, a foldable 7.6-inch OLED screen with 2208×1768 pixels running at a…

October 8, 2024
Read More >>

In stunning Nobel win, AI researchers Hopfield and Hinton take 2024 Physics Prize

On Tuesday, the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences awarded the 2024 Nobel Prize in Physics to John J. Hopfield of Princeton University and Geoffrey E. Hinton of the University of Toronto for their foundational work in machine learning with artificial neural networks. Hinton notably captured headlines in 2023 for warning about the threat that AI superintelligence may pose to humanity. The win came as a surprise to many, including Hinton…

October 8, 2024
Read More >>

Report: First wave of M4 Macs, including smaller Mac mini, coming November 1

Reliable rumors have suggested that M4 Macs are right around the corner, and now Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman is forecasting a specific launch date: November 1, following a late-October announcement that mirrors last year’s Halloween-themed reveal for the first M3 Macs. This date could be subject to change, and not all the products announced in October would necessarily launch on November 1—lower-end Macs are more likely to launch early, and higher-end…

October 7, 2024
Read More >>

Smart TVs are like “a digital Trojan Horse” in people’s homes

The companies behind the streaming industry, including smart TV and streaming stick manufacturers and streaming service providers, have developed a “surveillance system” that has “long undermined privacy and consumer protection,” according to a report from the Center for Digital Democracy (CDD) published today and sent to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). Unprecedented tracking techniques aimed at pleasing advertisers have resulted in connected TVs (CTVs) being a “privacy nightmare,” according to…

October 7, 2024
Read More >>

Neo-Nazis head to encrypted SimpleX Chat app, bail on Telegram

October 5, 2024

Dozens of neo-Nazis are fleeing Telegram and moving to a relatively unknown secret chat app that has received funding from Twitter founder Jack Dorsey. In a report from the Institute for Strategic Dialogue published on Friday morning, researchers found that in the wake of the arrest of Telegram founder Pavel Durov and charges against leaders of the so-called Terrorgram Collective, dozens of extremist groups have moved to the app SimpleX…

Read More >>

No more bricked iPads: Apple fixes several bugs in iOS, iPadOS, macOS updates

On Thursday, Apple released the first software updates for its devices since last month’s rollout of iOS 18 and macOS Sequoia. Those who’ve been following along know that several key features that didn’t make it into the initial release of iOS 18 are expected in iOS 18.1, but that’s not the update we got on Thursday. Rather, Apple pushed out a series of smaller updates that fixed several bugs but…

October 4, 2024
Read More >>

OpenAI’s Canvas can translate code between languages with a click

On Thursday, OpenAI unveiled Canvas, a new interface for ChatGPT designed to enhance collaboration on writing and coding projects. The feature bears similarities to a feature called Artifacts in Anthropic’s Claude AI assistant, introduced in June. Canvas displays content in a separate window alongside the AI chat history, allowing users to keep an eye on working document drafts or programming code while collaborating with the AI assistant. OpenAI began rolling…

October 4, 2024
Read More >>