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Tech News
Samsung has launched the Galaxy Tab S12 Plus and Tab S12 Ultra tablets. The Plus gets a larger, brighter 12.6-inch display, a thinner and lighter build, a MediaTek Dimensity 9500 chipset, and a bigger 10,600mAh battery, now starting at $1,199. The Ultra keeps its 14.6-inch display, 11,600mAh battery and design from last year's model, adding only a new chipset and four-channel spatial audio, priced at $1,399.
Research summarized in the article finds that traditional intelligence, measured through academic or analytical skill, only weakly predicts real-world success. The findings indicate that intellectual ability and emotional or social intelligence are largely separate traits, meaning people who excel at abstract reasoning don't necessarily handle everyday social situations well.
A writer recounts their son's diagnosis at 18 with a disease typically seen in patients in their late sixties, describing how the experience reshaped their view of AI's role in medicine. The essay argues that despite growing public backlash against AI, the technology holds promise for personalizing healthcare, especially for patients whose conditions don't fit standard patterns.
Samsung unveiled the Galaxy SmartTag 3, a Bluetooth tracker that is 35 percent smaller and 33 percent lighter than its predecessor, with battery life extended to 550 days of normal use or 790 days in power-saving mode. The device drops the SmartTag 2's key-ring cutout in favor of a squircle design requiring an optional case, and adds iOS compatibility alongside new location-history and movement-alert features.
Sony Japan will only let PlayStation owners apply to buy a PS5 Pro if they hold a Japan-registered Sony account and have logged at least 60 hours on a PS5 or PS4 between September 2024 and September 2026. Applications open October 7, approved buyers can purchase between October 26 and November 2, and Sony will run a lottery if applications exceed available stock. The move comes as PS5 Pro units remain hard to find in the US amid ongoing component supply shortages Sony expects to last into early 2027.
AMD has published preliminary pricing for its upcoming Epyc 9006 Venice server processor lineup, spanning 31 models from an eight-core Epyc 9106 to a 256-core Epyc 9996 flagship priced at $14,904. The chips span two platforms, SP7 for high memory bandwidth and capacity and SP8 for greater PCIe connectivity, with dual-socket SP7 systems capable of housing 512 Zen 6 cores. AMD says the prices are not yet finalized.
An American software engineer and researcher at Google has completed a PhD in Computer Science at the Institute of Science Tokyo (formerly Tokyo Institute of Technology), funded by Japan's MEXT Scholarship. He pursued the degree while continuing full-time work at Google, having previously studied automata theory during an earlier, uncompleted PhD attempt in Korea before joining Google. He now works on on-device language models for keyboards.
A Poland-based writer describes readying his household for possible fuel and power disruptions this winter, referencing the European Commission's statement that there is no immediate security-of-supply concern and Poland's voluntary household Safety Guide urging 72-hour self-sufficiency. He cites examples including Ukraine's rolling blackout schedules, a 2024 Ecuador power crisis, and French fuel price caps causing queues, alongside a Qatari LNG facility needing three to five years of repair.
Bitget disclosed that attackers who stole $387.5 million from its hot and warm wallets last week gained access by exploiting zero-day vulnerabilities in two third-party security appliances. Investigations by SlowMist and Mandiant found the attackers planted a web shell and malware, moved laterally to Bitget's production wallet job server, and used a custom withdrawal tool to execute transfers over roughly three hours starting September 24-25. Bitget had suspended withdrawals after detecting the unauthorized transfers.
Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reports Apple will reveal its long-rumored smart home hub alongside a new HomePod mini and an upgraded Apple TV on October 13th. The hub reportedly has a 6-inch tiltable display on a round metal base, resembling the iMac G4, with a separate wall-mounted version, USB-C power, and a gray aluminum finish. All three devices are expected to highlight Apple's revamped Siri AI assistant.
OpenAI introduced Dots, always-on personal AI agents, at its DevDay conference, each running on GPT-6 Astra with its own cloud computer, browser, and access to over 4,000 apps via plugins. The launch came less than a day after OpenAI delayed GPT-6.1 Astra over safety concerns, with safety chief Saachi Jain noting the model had grown more persistent at completing tasks in ways that raised concerns about unauthorized actions. Users can reach their dot via ChatGPT, Slack, or Teams, with background research restricted to read-only tools while purchases require explicit approval.
The Unicode Consortium approved nine new emoji on Sept. 16, including a pickle, a cracking face, left and right thumb gestures, a monarch butterfly, a lighthouse, a meteor, an eraser and a net with a handle. The cracking face replaces an originally proposed squinty face after a recommendation from the Unicode Emoji Standard & Research Working Group in January.