Technology News for Thursday 12th September 2024

1. Samsung launches Galaxy M05 budget smartphone in India at Rs 7999: Details

South Korean electronics maker Samsung expanded its M-series smartphone lineup in India on September 12 with the launch of the Galaxy M05. The budget smartphone features a dual-camera system, large display, big capacity battery, and a dedicated microSD ...

2. Bug Left Some Windows PCs Dangerously Unpatched

Microsoft Corp. today released updates to fix at least 79 security vulnerabilities in its Windows operating systems and related software, including multiple flaws that are already showing up in active attacks. Microsoft also corrected a critical bug ...

3. Microsoft to cut 650 jobs from its Xbox unit in third layoff this year

Xbox employees had been bracing for further reductions after Microsoft cut 1,900 jobs, many from Activision units and studios, in January. In May, the company announced the shuttering of four studios acquired as part of its $7.5 billion purchase of ZeniMax ...

4. Apple turning AirPods into hearing aids underscores effort to crack massive health market

Apple announced on Monday that its AirPods Pro 2 headphones will soon become an FDA-cleared hearing aid. Adults with mild or moderate hearing loss will be able to use their Apple earphones to amplify specific sounds that they want to hear better.

5. Microsoft lays off more gaming staff in new cuts

Xbox owner Microsoft is to cut about 650 staff from its gaming division in a new round of job losses after its $69bn (£54.3bn) merger deal. The software giant said staff working in "mostly corporate and supporting functions" worldwide would be affected ...

6. Google's new tool lets large language models fact-check their responses

As long as chatbots have been around, they have made things up. Such “hallucinations” are an inherent part of how AI models work. However, they're a big problem for companies betting big on AI, like Google, because they make the responses it generates ...

7. Apple announced its newest AirPods – what to know and how to order

Apple also made upgrades to the charging case for the AirPods Pro 2 and AirPods 4 with active noise cancelation. It's now 10% smaller and can be charged with a USB-C cable, which Apple updated it's newest phones to use, an Apple watch charger or a Qi- ...

8. Why more and more people believe in aliens

In the late 1990s, only 20% of people in the US believed UFO sightings were proof of alien life, said the magazine. That had risen to 34% by 2022, at which time 24% of 1,000 Americans polled also said they had seen a flying saucer.

9. Microsoft will cut another 650 gaming jobs, mostly at Activision Blizzard

Whereas that wave of layoffs included top personnel such as former Blizzard president Mike Ybarra, no executives will leave the company this time around. According to Spencer's memo, the brunt of these cuts will be borne by corporate and support roles.

10. Japan space firm to make 2nd attempt in Dec. to send rover to Moon

Japanese space startup ispace Inc. said Thursday its lunar lander carrying a rover and equipment for experiments will be launched in December at the earliest in its second attempt following a failure last year. Photo taken at the Japan Aerospace ...

11. Apple Watch Series 10 vs Apple Watch Series 9: Should you upgrade to the new Apple Watch

Key enhancements include a thinner design, larger display, faster charging, and new features like a water depth gauge and audio playback through the built-in speaker. Both models run watchOS 11 with comprehensive health and fitness tracking capabilities.

12. How one 90-year-old is celebrating his birthday by lacing up the skates

You're never too old to do what you love, even when it comes to hockey… 90-year-old Stan Halliwell is celebrating his birthday and being honoured for establishing the Saskatoon Sixty Plus Hockey League. For news impacting Canada and around the world, ...

13. Data Cruncher Moonlights as Headhunter for Video-Game Workers

(Bloomberg) -- More than 12,000 people have been laid off in the video-game business this year. Any one of them who Googles resources for industry jobs will see Amir Satvat's name at the top of their results. Satvat is the de facto video-game job ...

14. Are Apple AirPods also hearing aids? What you need to know about Apple's new groundbreaking health features

The free upgrade will happen via software update. That means existing Apple AirPods Pro 2 earbud owners will be able to take advantage of the new hearing aid and hearing protection features without needing to buy new headphones.

15. Critical Vulnerability in Adobe Acrobat Reader

Adobe has released security updates to address a critical vulnerability (CVE-2024-41869) affecting Adobe Acrobat Reader. The vulnerability has a Common Vulnerability Scoring System (CVSSv3) score of 9.8 out of 10. The vulnerability is a critical use ...

16. Google Debuts New Chrome Browser Security Features To Block Threats

Google announced a bunch of new security tweaks on Thursday that it says will boost protection and control of personal data while browsing the web. Here's what you need to know. The announcement by Andrew Kamau, a Chrome product manager at Google, ...

17. Billionaire completes first private spacewalk

A billionaire and an engineer have become the first non-professional crew to perform one of the riskiest manoeuvres in space - a spacewalk. Jared Isaacman and Sarah Gillis stepped out of the SpaceX spacecraft around 15 minutes apart, ...

18. GeForce NOW to Bring 'Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster' to the Cloud at Launch

More than just a remaster, this Deluxe Remaster is a full graphical overhaul of the first game in the zombie-slaughtering action series Dead Rising. The remaster has also been fully voiced, supports auto-saves and has various other quality-of-life features ...

19. Preventing Suicide and Self-Harm Content Spreading Online

We've worked with the Mental Health Coalition to establish Thrive, a new program that allows tech companies to share signals about violating suicide or self-harm content and stop it spreading across different platforms. We're providing the technical ...