UK considering EU-style common charging cable

Apple introduced its own proprietary lightning connectors with the iPhone 5 in 2012.

But after more than a decade of use it was phased out and replaced with USB-C ports in more recent versions of its gadgets, starting with the iPhone 15 last September.

Consumer groups have frequently pointed to the amount of different cables needed and discarded based on the varying options for connectors on devices as a source of e-waste.

Materials Focus, a charity encouraging the reuse and recycling of electricals, has been encouraging people to recycle old cables to meet growing demand for their copper contents.

Research by its Recycle Your Electricals campaign suggested the UK had more than 600 million unused or discarded cables, external.

However, some have previously warned that the EU’s directive will lead to a rise in discarded lightning cables in years to come.

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Get up to £120 off Samsung’s new Galaxy Tab S10 series for today only

Samsung only launched new tablets in late September, but we haven’t had to wait long for some big savings. You’ll have to be quick, though – these prices are set to expire today!

At Argos, using the promo code ‘RED10‘, you can get a 10% discount on the newly released Galaxy Tab S10+ and S10 Ultra, which pack impressive features for professionals and tech enthusiasts alike.

Starting with the Galaxy Tab S10+, this 12.4-inch powerhouse is priced at £999, but with the discount, you’ll save £100, bringing the cost down to £899.

With a 256GB storage capacity, Wi-Fi capability, and an AI-powered S Pen included in the box, this tablet is a great choice for both productivity and creative tasks.

The slim, stylish design and high-end 12.4-inch display make it a fantastic choice for anyone who wants premium tech but doesn’t want to pay full price. However, it’s worth noting that the keyboard cover you see below is sold separately.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra hands on keyboard cover open

Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra hands on keyboard cover open

Foundry | Alex Walker-Todd

Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra hands on keyboard cover open

Foundry | Alex Walker-Todd

Foundry | Alex Walker-Todd

For those who crave even more screen real estate, the Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra offers a massive 14.6-inch display while retaining the same 256GB storage, S Pen and AI features.

Normally priced at £1,199, the £120 discount knocks the price down to £1,079, making this top-tier model more accessible.

With the Ultra, you’re getting a highly immersive AMOLED screen and top-tier performance, making it ideal for multitasking, entertainment, and advanced drawing or designing.

Both tablets are equipped with Samsung’s AI technology, delivering enhanced productivity through the smart S Pen for handwriting and notetaking, and seamless multitasking with features like split-screen.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra hands on front angled

Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra hands on front angled

Foundry | Alex Walker-Todd

Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 Ultra hands on front angled

Foundry | Alex Walker-Todd

Foundry | Alex Walker-Todd

With powerful processors and sleek designs, the Galaxy Tab S10 series should be up there with the very best Android tablets. Take advantage of these early deals to own a premium device for less.

Hurry though, as you only have until the end of today, 15 October 2024, to take advantage.

If you don’t make it or would prefer a new phone and watch, the free Galaxy Watch when you buy a Galaxy S24 FE promotion lasts until the end of the month.

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Microsoft’s AI research VP joins OpenAI amid fight for top AI talent

Sebastien Bubeck, Microsoft’s vice president of GenAI research, is leaving the company to join OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT.

Bubeck, a 10-year veteran at Microsoft, played a significant role in driving the company’s generative AI strategy, with a focus on designing more efficient small language models (SLMs) to rival OpenAI’s GPT systems.

His work culminated in the creation of the compact and cost-effective Phi models, which have since been incorporated into key Microsoft products like the Bing chatbot and Office 365 Copilot, gradually replacing OpenAI’s models in specific functions. His contributions helped enhance AI efficiency while reducing operational costs.

Microsoft confirmed the news but has not disclosed the exact role Bubeck will assume at the AI startup, Reuters reported.

“We appreciate the contributions Sebastian has made to Microsoft and look forward to continuing our relationship through his work with OpenAI,” Reuters reported quoting a Microsoft statement.  Most of Bubeck’s co-authors on Microsoft’s Phi LLM research are expected to remain at the company and continue advancing the technology.

Bubeck is expected to contribute his expertise toward OpenAI’s mission of developing AGI, which refers to autonomous systems capable of outperforming humans in most economically valuable tasks, the report added.

Bubeck’s move comes as OpenAI focuses on achieving artificial general intelligence (AGI), a key goal for the company. As per the report, while Microsoft has heavily invested in OpenAI, the company expressed no concerns about Bubeck’s departure.

“Sebastien Bubeck leads the Machine Learning Foundations group at Microsoft Research Redmond. He joined MSR in 2014, after three years as an assistant professor at Princeton University,” reads the profile of Bubeck in the yet-to-be-removed “About” page of Microsoft.

Bubeck’s X profile still shows him as “VP AI and Distinguished Scientist, Microsoft.”

Queries to Microsoft, OpenAI, and Bubeck did not elicit any response.

The great migration at OpenAI

Sebastien Bubeck’s departure from Microsoft to join OpenAI adds to a growing list of high-profile executive shifts in the AI industry, underscoring the intense competition for top talent as tech giants race to develop artificial general intelligence (AGI). While talent mobility is common in the fast-evolving AI landscape, OpenAI has been hit particularly hard with several key figures leaving in recent months.

Of the 11 founding members of OpenAI, only CEO Sam Altman and Wojciech Zaremba, head of the Codex and Research team, remain with the company. In September, Mira Murati, OpenAI’s high-profile CTO, stepped down, followed by co-founder John Schulman, who left to join Anthropic—a public benefit corporation focused on ethical AI development. These exits came on the heels of the departure of another co-founder, Ilya Sutskever, who resigned earlier this year to start his own venture, Safe Superintelligence Inc (SSI), dedicated to developing responsible AI systems.

Earlier in the year, Jan Leike, another leading OpenAI researcher, also left to join Anthropic, publicly expressing concerns that OpenAI’s “safety culture and processes have taken a backseat.” This wave of exits has raised questions about the company’s internal dynamics as it navigates the highly competitive AI landscape.

Despite these setbacks, OpenAI and its key collaborator, Microsoft, remain steadfast in their pursuit of AGI. Microsoft, which has heavily invested in OpenAI, has integrated its AI technology into core products like Bing and Office 365, while OpenAI continues to push the boundaries of AGI development.

“Leaders at big tech companies have either explicitly stated or signaled that they are deliberately working towards AGI,” said Anil Vijayan, partner at Everest Group. “There’s clearly strong belief that it will end up in a winner-take-all scenario, which is heating up the race to be first to the post,”

The race to AGI has intensified the demand for top-tier AI talent, with larger companies having a clear advantage. “We will see these handful of executives move between the big tech companies that can afford to attract high-profile AI executives. Smaller organizations and startups will struggle to retain high-quality AI talent,” Vijayan said.

For executives, the allure of AGI goes beyond compensation. “Top-tier talent is likely to be attracted by alignment to vision, stated goals, and the chance to be part of history — whether that’s AGI or otherwise,” said Vijayan.

This explains why many top AI professionals gravitate toward companies like OpenAI and Anthropic, which push the boundaries of AI and AGI development.

As the AI landscape continues to evolve, the talent war will likely shape the future of AGI, with big tech companies remaining at the forefront of the race.

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“Into the easy evolution”: What EZVIZ revealed about smart homes at GITEX 2024

GITEX is one of the largest global tech events in the calendar, a forum for key experts and leaders from all industries to come together to share and analyse current trends and forecast future tech developments.

EZVIZ is among the attendees, representing the cutting-edge of smart home technology. Exploring the theme, “Into the Easy Evolution”, the brand is pointing the way towards the next stage of smart home development.

In the Middle East, 12.5% of homes feature smart home technology, and the $8.2 billion smart home market is projected to be worth $20.74 billion by 2029. In Europe, it’s currently worth a staggering $40 billion, with smart security products in a third of homes. Meanwhile, in the UK, adoption of smart devices in the UK has increased hugely over the past few years, with over 60% of UK households now possessing one or more smart devices.

But there’s still a perception among many that smart home technology is complicated, or that its use is limited to straightforward security requirements: monitoring, locking up and activating alarms in response to intruders.

At GITEX, EZVIZ is showcasing a connected ecosystem of smart home products that illustrates the ways in which smart technology can provide so much more. Beyond the baseline of home security, there’s a convenient, comfortable smart home waiting to be discovered.

These are the key EZVIZ devices to watch out for, as they exemplify new opportunities for smart home living that combine ease of installation and set-up with fresh functionality, for comfortable, simple living.

Smart devices from the EZVIZ GITEX stand

Smart devices from the EZVIZ GITEX stand

EZVIZ

Smart devices from the EZVIZ GITEX stand

EZVIZ

EZVIZ

Next-gen smart security cameras

EZVIZ has made a number of advancements in sharper, smarter home security. Its market-first security cameras provide a hugely improved experience over most commonly available models. One advancement is the brand’s innovative dual-lens technology, which is the foundation for several smart video features, including interlinked co-detection from two motorised lenses. Another is EZVIZ’s ColorFULL ultra-low light monitoring, which is supported by integrated image processing so there’s no need for spotlights. 

The co-detection cameras include indoor (H7c Dual) and outdoor (H9c Dual) models. They give users, whether they are business owners, landlords or homeowners, a view of their home or premises that’s at once more detailed and wider ranging than traditional security cameras can provide, eliminating blind spots across even large or complex properties.  

Within the smart security industry, there’s been a shift to battery cameras. EZVIZ has addressed customer pain points with these devices in two key areas: power and the restrictions of Wi-Fi connectivity. 

Both the CB5 4K and the EB5 4K feature integral, high efficiency 1.4W solar panels, which charge in two hours of direct sunlight for a whole day’s use. This contemporary mode of charging is matched by the cameras’ sleek, modern design. Green power has never looked so good.

Meanwhile, EZVIZ’s range of 4G cameras, including the EB3 4G, use 4G LTE to stay connected for live feeds and notifications, making them ideal for spots where wired installation is challenging.

Characteristically, battery camera functionality is limited by battery life and cameras usually only record when triggered. In response to this problem, EZVIZ has developed the breakthrough monitoring tech, Always-On Video (AOV), which provides all-day recording while greatly saving on power and storage space. In AOV mode, the 4K solar and 4G battery series will wake at set intervals to detect, record and store footage within the monitoring area. Even when no motion is detected, the AOV cameras will automatically produce time-lapse videos to keep users better informed.

EZVIZ AOV tech explainer

EZVIZ AOV tech explainer

EZVIZ

EZVIZ AOV tech explainer

EZVIZ

EZVIZ

Smart entry devices

EZVIZ has created a collection of smart entry products that can be installed by doors or gates as part of a smart security ecosystem, levelling up the entrance to a home or property with multi-purpose features for enhanced security and convenience.  

While video doorbells have tended to be chunky, one-size-fits-all devices, not optimised for all types of home, EZVIZ’s collection of smart entry products – ranging from the DL05 smart fingerprint lock, which can entirely replace keys, to the HP7 video doorphone, which can be used at the entrance to a larger property – allow consumers to choose the perfect device to complete their individual home security system.  

The DL05 in use

The DL05 in use

EZVIZ

The DL05 in use

EZVIZ

EZVIZ

The DL05 combines powerful safety systems with multiple unlocking methods. It can be opened with a fingerprint, passcode or proximity card, or remotely, using the app. Homeowners can create temporary passcodes for couriers, dog walkers or visitors. Meanwhile, the sophisticated HP7 allows homeowners to remotely control entry to their property via the display, smart RFID tags or the EZVIZ app.

Robot cleaning

The ideal robot cleaning experience is a hands-free one, in which cleaning is genuinely automated. This requires a robot that can distinguish between a variety of flooring types and react accordingly, empty itself and perform its own cleaning and maintenance routines without user intervention.

EZVIZ’s flagship RS20 Pro comes with its own charging station, which takes on these jobs, and features a range of innovative features that come together to take the dirty work of cleaning out of users’ hands. The result is a seamless, high-quality cleaning experience that protects expensive carpets and even marble flooring.

For the outdoors, a further innovation can be expected in the form of a robotic lawnmower, the RM600, which EZVIZ is debuting at GITEX for feedback. The RM600 offers a packaged lawn-care solution, mowing more than 600 m2 of lawn per day, which is three times as efficient as some traditional models.   

GITEX is hosted at Dubai World Trade Center from 14-18 October. You can find EZVIZ’s booth at Stand C80, in Hall 26. Find out more about the products on display at EZVIZ’s online GITEX booth, or browse the full range of EZVIZ products on its website.

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Killer new Windows feature: How to use your phone as a webcam

If I made webcams for a living, I’d be worried! A new feature in Windows 11 2024 Update (24H2) allows you to use your smartphone as your PC’s webcam, and it’s a powerful tool.

Not everybody has an older smartphone lying around, but many do. With the big investments that smartphone makers are putting into their phone cameras, it’s pretty clear that you’ll look better with either your phone’s selfie, or front-facing, camera than on many webcams, even the best webcams you can buy. You know how some streamers use DSLR cameras to make themselves pop on camera? You can do pretty much the same thing with your smartphone.

For right now, this feature, known as Connected Camera, works only on Android phones. It doesn’t appear to be a feature that requires a Copilot+ PC with an NPU, either, though I haven’t extensively tested it. So far, I’ve only tried it with the Surface Laptop (7th Edition) that shipped preloaded with Windows 11 24H2.

To get started, you’ll need an Android phone running Android 8.0 or later and a PC equipped with Bluetooth, running Windows 11 24H2. (At least for now, this doesn’t work with iPhones.)

Actually finding this feature is sort of a pain. Within the Windows settings menu, search for “Open mobile device settings.” The search function is very specific, and I couldn’t find an obvious way to navigate to the page via the Bluetooth page within Windows 11’s Settings.

Windows 11 Bluetooth settings menu mobile devices
You’ll need to navigate to this page on the Windows 11 2024 Update to get started.

Windows 11 Bluetooth settings menu mobile devices
You’ll need to navigate to this page on the Windows 11 2024 Update to get started.

Mark Hachman / IDG

Windows 11 Bluetooth settings menu mobile devices
You’ll need to navigate to this page on the Windows 11 2024 Update to get started.

Mark Hachman / IDG

Mark Hachman / IDG

If you haven’t paired your phone with Windows yet, you’ll need to do so. For years, the most well-known way to do this involved setting up the phone with Phone Link, the app that connects your Android phone or iPhone, and allows Windows to view texts, see photos, and so on. Our older Phone Link / Your Phone tutorial will get you started down that road, if you’re interested. But it’s not necessary.

(One more note: Phone Link can connect to iPhones; Manage Mobile Devices and Connected Camera can not, at least for now. Microsoft’s Phone Link also competes with Intel Unison, which some might argue is a better app. Unison works with iPhones, too.)

Phone Link example screen
I don’t think connecting your phone to Phone Link is necessary to use your phone as a webcam, but it’s a nice feature that Windows 11 offers, nevertheless.

Phone Link example screen
I don’t think connecting your phone to Phone Link is necessary to use your phone as a webcam, but it’s a nice feature that Windows 11 offers, nevertheless.

Mark Hachman / IDG

Phone Link example screen
I don’t think connecting your phone to Phone Link is necessary to use your phone as a webcam, but it’s a nice feature that Windows 11 offers, nevertheless.

Mark Hachman / IDG

Mark Hachman / IDG

The Manage Mobile Devices controls and Phone Link start off the same way, but then diverge. Basically both procedures ask you to scan an HTML glyph with your phone, and then agree to certain permissions on your phone to get started. Your phone and your PC will also need to be on the same Wi-Fi network. You’re allowing Windows permission to access your camera, of course.

If you have Phone Link already set up, the process is straighforward: You should already see your available phones as options on the Manage Mobile Devices.

Windows 11 link mobile device
You’ll need to scan a code to link your phone to your PC.

Windows 11 link mobile device
You’ll need to scan a code to link your phone to your PC.

Mark Hachman / IDG

Windows 11 link mobile device
You’ll need to scan a code to link your phone to your PC.

Mark Hachman / IDG

Mark Hachman / IDG

From here, the process is thankfully rather simple. The Manage Mobile Devices screen has toggles to do two things: send a notification to your PC when your phone captures a photo, and to use your phone’s camera as a connected camera. The latter makes your phone a “camera” to those apps that require a webcam. It’s interesting that as powerful a feature as this is, there’s really no brand name associated with it. Connected Camera will have to do!

All you’ll need to do now is to open an app, like Zoom or Microsoft Teams, that can take advantage of that phone’s webcam. I used the Windows Camera app for demonstration purposes. (The screenshots used my smartphone camera to generate them. You think selfies are a challenge to look good? Try synchronizing two cameras!)

Manage mobile devices
Once your cameras are connected to your PC, you can start using your smartphone camera as a webcam.

Manage mobile devices
Once your cameras are connected to your PC, you can start using your smartphone camera as a webcam.

Mark Hachman / IDG

Manage mobile devices
Once your cameras are connected to your PC, you can start using your smartphone camera as a webcam.

Mark Hachman / IDG

Mark Hachman / IDG

The implementation is surprisingly sophisticated. On the phone, you’ll have the option of using the front or rear camera. If you rotate the camera vertically, the camera will send vertical video. If you hold it horizontally, the camera will broadcast in landscape mode.

What’s extremely interesting is that Windows will apply Windows Studio Effects to your phone’s camera, too, if your laptop supports them: applying background blur, AI framing, and more. You should look great! Your phone’s sensor is far more sophisticated than what your laptop and webcam can provide, and my guess is that the difference will be night and day.

On your laptop, however, you may experience a gotcha of sorts. Using my Surface Laptop’s native webcam, the camera captured me in 1080p resolution, at 30Hz. But my smartphone’s camera output was only captured at 720p, 30Hz. Of course, it looked great on my screen, but your viewers might not experience you, in your best light. The light balance, color, and other aspects will almost certainly be superior, but the resolution itself might be a bit grainy unless Microsoft solves this.

Windows 11 use phone as webcam vertical
Not that you’d necessarily want this, but portrait video is possible with a smartphone, too.

Windows 11 use phone as webcam vertical
Not that you’d necessarily want this, but portrait video is possible with a smartphone, too.

Mark Hachman / IDG

Windows 11 use phone as webcam vertical
Not that you’d necessarily want this, but portrait video is possible with a smartphone, too.

Mark Hachman / IDG

Mark Hachman / IDG

I’m not sure why this is, and it may be that this will be a feature that can be tweaked to deliver “full” resolution in the future. In any case, the connected camera feature inside Manage Mobile Devices has incredible potential, and I hope Microsoft absolutely nails this in the future, even if it puts its own superior Surface webcams at risk.

The one thing you’ll surely notice, however, is that you’ll need to position your phone so that the camera focuses on you. If you’d like to use your phone as a webcam, you’ll need some sort of a stand. If this takes off, however, I’d expect some enterprising Shenzhen developer to pump out either stands or phone mounts for your laptop. Poof! A new industry is born.

In certain moments you can see history be written right before your eyes. Do you remember when Google debuted its free Maps app, complete with on-device GPS? An entire industry of standalone GPS devices became irrelevant almost overnight. I’m not rooting for webcams to disappear. But Microsoft’s new Windows feature could certainly hasten their demise.

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MacBook Pro, Mac mini and iMac models are disappearing off the shelves, another sign that Apple’s M4 Mac launch is imminent

Apple appears to be running down stock levels of MacBook Pro, Mac mini and iMac models ahead of the launch of new M4 refreshes of these devices.

Leaker Mark Gurman posted on X to let us know that “retail inventory for iMacs, MacBook Pros, Mac minis, iPad minis, iPad mini accessories continues to dwindle.”

Retail inventory for iMacs, MacBook Pros, Mac minis, iPad minis, iPad mini accessories continues to dwindle. Not seeing the same for entry iPad, for those wondering.October 14, 2024

So, this is a fairly hefty hint that we could soon be seeing a new MacBook Pro, Mac mini and iMac with the M4 chip, which is what’s been rumored for quite some time now.

It is, of course, common practice to slim down the stock levels of a current generation of hardware, before the next-gen arrives for obvious reasons.

As Gurman notes, the same is true for the iPad mini which is due an M4 refresh, and purportedly all this hardware is set to be launched by Apple later in October, ahead of an on-sale date of November 1.


MacBook Pro 14 M3 Max (2023) being held in a hand

(Image credit: Future / Lance Ulanoff)

Analysis: A much-needed boost for Apple’s Mac range

The rumors around the launch timeframe have been a little inconsistent of late, but the mentioned dates fall in line with Apple’s past history and what we’d expect, so all of this feels very believable. We only have a short while before we find out for sure, anyway, as if there is a late October reveal planned for all these M4 Macs (and iPad mini), invites for the press event should be imminent (maybe pitching up in the next couple of days, in fact).

Apple needs a new generation of Macs, it would seem, certainly if current sales figures are anything to go by. Recent figures from an analyst firm show that in Q3 of 2024, Mac shipments plunged by 17.5% year-on-year, which is a pretty worrying drop for Apple.

Tim Cook will certainly be hoping that a raft of new M4 computers can help to revive those numbers somewhat, and turn the tide in the other direction – the way in which the rest of the PC industry is flowing (where modest levels of growth have been observed earlier this year, or at least sales are staying flat).

Via Wccftech

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