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How test-time scaling unlocks hidden reasoning abilities in small language models (and allows them to outperform LLMs)

Join our daily and weekly newsletters for the latest updates and exclusive content on industry-leading AI coverage. Learn More Very small language models (SLMs) can outperform leading large language models (LLMs) in reasoning tasks, according to a new study by Shanghai AI Laboratory. The authors show that with the right tools and test-time scaling techniques, an SLM with 1 billion parameters can outperform a 405B LLM on complicated math benchmarks. The ability to deploy SLMs in complex reasoni

Inside Out 2 Just Got Dethroned as the Highest-Grossing Animated Movie Ever

Well, that didn’t take long. It hasn’t even been a year since Inside Out 2 took over Frozen 2‘s spot atop the list of highest-grossing animated movies of all time—en route to becoming 2024’s highest-grossing movie worldwide, full stop, though Deadpool & Wolverine did make a run for it. The top movie of 2025 is still to be decided, but that animated list has a new champ: China’s Ne Zha 2, which has racked up $1.7 billion to date. This stat comes from Deadline, which notes Ne Zha 2 is also rocket

Topics: ao grossing movie ne zha

61 US startups became unicorns in 2024: Here’s the full list

Despite the tight venture capital market, unicorns are still being created every month. Using data from Crunchbase, CB Insights, and PitchBook, TechCrunch tracked down the newly minted unicorns so far this year. The list includes Elon Musk’s xAI, which is already valued at a staggering $24 billion, as well as a good number of other AI startups. But cybersecurity, health tech, and fintech have also done well. This list will be updated throughout the year, so check back and see the powerhouses ra

Rivian will launch hands-off highway driver assist ‘in a few weeks’

Rivian said Thursday it plans to launch a hands-off version of its driver assistance system for highway driving “in a few weeks,” and an “eyes-off” version in 2026. The hands-off system will let Rivian compete with companies like Ford and General Motors, which have both launched similar systems in the past few years. (Ford has named its system BlueCruise, while GM has SuperCruise.) Tesla’s Full Self-Driving (supervised) system, which is not fully autonomous despite its name, requires users to k

Milliseconds to breach: How patch automation closes attackers’ fastest loophole

This article is part of VentureBeat’s special issue, “The cyber resilience playbook: Navigating the new era of threats.” Read more from this special issue here. Procrastinating about patching has killed more networks and damaged more companies than any zero-day exploit or advanced cyberattack. Complacency kills — and carries a high price. Down-rev (having old patches in place that are “down revision”) or no patching at all is how ransomware gets installed, data breaches occur and companies are

Medical training’s AI leap: How agentic RAG, open-weight LLMs and real-time case insights are shaping a new generation of doctors at NYU Langone

Join our daily and weekly newsletters for the latest updates and exclusive content on industry-leading AI coverage. Learn More Patient data records can be convoluted and sometimes incomplete, meaning doctors don’t always have all the information they need readily available. Added to this is the fact that medical professionals can’t possibly keep up with the barrage of case studies, research papers, trials and other cutting-edge developments coming out of the industry. New York City-based NYU L

Samsung’s 2025 Galaxy A mid-rangers are getting ready to make their debut

TL;DR Samsung is expected to introduce a 2025 refresh to its Galaxy A lineup of mid-range phones, including the Galaxy A56, Galaxy A36, and Galaxy A26. Renders have already revealed what these models are likely to look like, and some have started appearing in regulatory database. Now all three models have been spotted on a Samsung service page. What’s Samsung’s biggest selling smartphone? Last year, would that have been the Galaxy S24? Maybe the S24 Ultra? Sure, those can definitely make it i

What does the e stand for in iPhone 16e?

The rumors turned out to be correct, even if most were styling it with a capital E rather than a lower-case one: the iPhone SE 4 is officially named the iPhone 16e. One question is what the e stands for. Apple has often been vague about the meaning of suffices like S, R, and SE when appended to various iPhone models, but it did provide an answer this time … Majin Bu was correct Leaker Majin Bu was first to suggest the new name, at the beginning of January, and was correct with all the details

Apple’s most puzzling iPhone 16e decision is being corrected

A number of case makers are rising to the challenge and fixing Apple’s most baffling design decision for its latest iPhone. Apple removed an invisible iPhone feature Apple’s new iPhone 16e, which starts at $599, is a competitive product against the $799 iPhone 16 and $999 iPhone 16 Pro. Apple effectively reduced the entry cost for using Apple Intelligence by $200. Apple reached this price by using a less capable camera, less wifi and cellular performance, and dropping the Camera Control from

Why you really shouldn’t buy this iPhone

Apple remixed the 2025 iPhone lineup this week, outdating all existing buying advice until September. That’s when we expect the iPhone 17, iPhone 17 Pro, and new ultra-thin version likely called iPhone 17 Air. Between now and then, however, there’s one piece of buying advice everyone should hear first. Apple’s current iPhone lineup looks like this: There’s the iPhone 16 Pro from $999, the iPhone 16 from $799, the iPhone 16e from $599, and the iPhone 15 from $699. From most expensive to most af

Topics: 15 16e buy buying iphone

Google's Pixel 8a drops to $399 at Amazon

Engadget has been testing and reviewing consumer tech since 2004. Our stories may include affiliate links; if you buy something through a link, we may earn a commission. Read more about how we evaluate products . The Google Pixel 8a mid-tier smartphone is back on sale for $399 via Amazon. This is close to a record-low price and represents a discount of 20 percent. Even better? The sale applies to multiple colorways, including mint green, light blue and white. This deal is for the 128GB model.

Topics: 8a mid phone range sale

Dune: Awakening will spice things up on May 20

Engadget has been testing and reviewing consumer tech since 2004. Our stories may include affiliate links; if you buy something through a link, we may earn a commission. Read more about how we evaluate products . A day after it was reported that Denis Villeneuve's third Dune movie starts shooting this summer, developer Funcom announced that its open-world MMO Dune: Awakening arrives on May 20 for PC. You can even get a jump on your journey through Arrakis with a character creator that's availab

Amazon is shutting down its third-party Android app store

The Amazon Appstore will no longer be available on Android as of August 20, 2025. After that date, apps from the digital storefront "are not guaranteed to operate" on Android hardware; however, they can continue to be used on devices like the Fire TV and Fire Tablets. The Coins program, Amazon's virtual currency for some Appstore app and in-app purchases, will also end on that same date. Coins will no longer be available for purchase beginning today. The Appstore was Amazon's effort to get in o

Switching to LED lightbulbs saved me hundreds of dollars - but there are 5 other reasons to do it

Vladimir Sukhachev/Getty Images As a kid, I was inspired by the decorative lighting in my grandparents' finished basement. They had festooned the place with multicolored C9 string lights (aka old-school Christmas lights) from wall to wall, beneath the built-in wet bar, around hanging mirrors, and anywhere else they could add an ambient accent for the parties they hosted down there year-round. Since then, I've festooned every home I've lived in with decorative lighting, whether in a sequestered

I changed these 11 iPhone settings and improved its battery life dramatically

Kerry Wan/ZDNET With the way we use our iPhones these days, it can be hard to make it through a single day on a full charge. A few FaceTime calls, some text messaging, and opening Maps a few times, and you could already be 25% down. If you've experienced this problem, you're not alone. These phones can be very power-hungry -- even the more affordable iPhone SE 4 has battery issues. The problem is made worse by all the different apps, features, and settings vying for battery life. And the kicke

You can’t build a moat with AI (redux)

Last spring, we wrote an article called You can’t build a moat with AI. That post argued that prompt engineering, while important, would be difficult to defend over time given how easy it is to experiment with LLMs. As a result, you have to focus on the quality of data your application has access to and your use of that data to differentiate yourself. Everything we said in that post has held true, but the release of models like DeepSeek R1 and o3-mini have brought the concerns about AI applicat

Microsoft Says It's Made a Major Quantum Computing Breakthrough With New Chip

The race to shape the future of computing is heating up among tech companies, with Microsoft saying on Wednesday it has made a major breakthrough in quantum computing, potentially paving the way for the technology to address complex scientific and societal challenges. Scientists at the tech giant have spent 17 years developing a new material and framework for quantum computing to help power its new Majorana 1 processor. Microsoft is calling the advancement the world's first quantum processor po

Can Music Really Help You Sleep? Here's How to Build a Playlist for Deeper Slumber

Music fuels my life. Whether I'm writing, reading, working, running, driving or sitting around the house, music is usually flooding my ears or playing softly in the background. Choosing a song or playlist is the first thing I do in the morning, and if I have my AirPods in, you can count on Spotify playing my favorite podcasts. To me, music is a form of love. It boosts moods, soothes heartache and reaches audiences across language barriers. Music can also help you sleep at night, easing anxiety

SpaceX engineers brought on at FAA after probationary employees were fired

Engineers who work for Elon Musk’s SpaceX have been brought on as senior advisers to the acting administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), sources tell WIRED. On Sunday, Sean Duffy, secretary of the Department of Transportation, which oversees the FAA, announced in a post on X that SpaceX engineers would be visiting the Air Traffic Control System Command Center in Virginia to take what he positioned as a tour. “The safety of air travel is a nonpartisan matter,” Musk replied. “S

The Watergate-Inspired Law That’s Being Used to Fight DOGE

Katie Drummond: And ironically, as you mentioned earlier, that's part of what makes these lawsuits so challenging to see through because a judge is assessing risk based on hypothetical harms to American citizens as opposed to actual harm or actual injury. Is that right? Andrew Couts: I mean it depends on exactly what the lawsuit is alleging or what it's attempting to achieve, what kind of legal standards they're going to apply. But typically judges, if they're looking for actual or potential im

DJI’s RS 4 Mini camera stabilizer can now track moving people

is a senior reporter who’s been covering and reviewing the latest gadgets and tech since 2011, but has loved all things electronic since he was a kid. DJI has announced a new version of the smallest camera stabilizer in its Ronin series. Like last year’s RS 3 Mini, the upgraded RS 4 Mini is a more compact, lighter, and cheaper alternative to DJI’s RS 4 and RS 4 Pro stabilizers, but designed for smaller mirrorless cameras and smartphones. Although it’s slightly heavier than its predecessor, the

Topics: dji mini new rs tracking

Nickelodeon’s next Avatar animated series is finally coming together

is a reporter focusing on film, TV, and pop culture. Before The Verge, he wrote about comic books, labor, race, and more at io9 and Gizmodo for almost five years. Rumours about the next mainline Avatar series have been circulating ever since Nickelodeon announced that Michael DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko were returning to lead Avatar Studios. But now, we finally know a bit more about where the franchise is heading after The Legend of Korra. Today, Nickelodeon announced that the Avatar saga (w

CEO of Clearview AI, a controversial facial recognition startup, has resigned

The CEO of Clearview AI, the controversial facial recognition startup that created a searchable database of 30 billion photos by scraping the internet, has resigned, according to a statement he supplied to TechCrunch. The CEO, Hoan Ton-That, said “it is time for the next chapter in my life” and that he would remain on as a board member of Clearview AI. He declined to comment when asked for more details on what specifically sparked his resignation. The news was first reported by Forbes. Clearvi

This powerful "spy camera" can capture facial details from over 60 miles away

Serving tech enthusiasts for over 25 years.TechSpot means tech analysis and advice you can trust Forward-looking: Researchers in China have developed an exceptionally powerful synthetic aperture lidar system that could enable the nation to scrutinize foreign assets – particularly military spy satellites – with unprecedented precision. They have already demonstrated its ability to capture highly detailed images from more than 60 miles away. Worse still, if this technology were deployed in low E

Topics: away china km laser range

Children routinely using social media, Australian regulator says

Children routinely using social media, Australian regulator says 1 hour ago Graham Fraser Technology Reporter Getty Images More than 80% of Australian children aged eight to 12 use social media or messaging services that are only meant to be for over-13s, according to new research. It comes as Australia plans to implement a total social media ban for under-16s that is expected by the end of this year. The country's internet regulator, eSafety, found YouTube, TikTok and Snapchat were the most

Nvidia helps launch AI platform for teaching American Sign Language

Join our daily and weekly newsletters for the latest updates and exclusive content on industry-leading AI coverage. Learn More Nvidia has unveiled a new AI platform for teaching people how to use American Sign Language to help bridge communication gaps. The Signs platform is creating a validated dataset for sign language learners and developers of ASL-based AI applications. It so happens that American Sign Language is the third most prevalent language in the United States — but there are vas

Voltron Data just partnered with Accenture to solve one of AI’s biggest headaches

Join our daily and weekly newsletters for the latest updates and exclusive content on industry-leading AI coverage. Learn More As artificial intelligence drives unprecedented demand for data processing, a Mountain View startup is offering a solution to one of AI’s least discussed but most critical challenges: moving and transforming massive datasets quickly enough to keep up. Voltron Data, which announced a strategic partnership with Accenture today, has developed a GPU-accelerated analytics e

Vanguard Exiles launches on March 11 as next game from Magic creator Richard Garfield

Vanguard Exiles, the next game by Magic: The Gathering creator Richard Garfield, will launch into early access on Steam on March 11. The digital board game comes from Australian game developer The Tea Division, and it’s designed in association with Garfield. The title is an innovative auto battler with a redefined take on the genre. The devs say to prepare yourself for a competitive strategy gameplay experience unlike any other, offering new scenarios in each round ensuring no two turns are eve

Ring beefs up the image quality on its new Outdoor Cam Plus

Engadget has been testing and reviewing consumer tech since 2004. Our stories may include affiliate links; if you buy something through a link, we may earn a commission. Read more about how we evaluate products . If there’s one downside to the sheer number of security cameras Ring makes, it’s the sheer darn volume of them. Joining the mob today is the Outdoor Cam Plus, packing a new high-quality lens and 2K imaging sensor promising “a clear, colorful view even in near dark conditions.” It’s cla

Topics: cam new plus ring stick

Ring just made outdoor security more affordable with its new $100 2K camera

Ring Ring is a staple in the smart home security world, but it's also notoriously not among the most affordable. The new Ring Outdoor Cam Plus option for entry-level and seasoned users may change that. New outdoor camera Ring just announced the new outdoor camera, which is now available for pre-order and will begin shipping on March 26. The camera supports 2K resolution and boasts "brilliant image quality, even in low-light conditions." Also: I tested this 2-in-1 smart lock with no subscript