Month: August 2026
Android 17-based Nothing OS 5 beta roll out
Nothing has announced Nothing OS 5.0, its latest major software update based on Android 17. The update brings a redesigned interface, more personalisation options and performance improvements, along with updates to Nothing’s Essential AI tools and new features from Android 17. According to the company, the update is designed to offer a smoother user experience
Ukraine awards Elon Musk high state honor
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has bestowed one of Ukraine’s top state honors on SpaceX owner Elon Musk as Kyiv seeks to expand use of the company’s Starlink terminals, which provide battlefield communications for Ukrainian forces. Under a presidential decree published on the presidential website on Wednesday, Musk was awarded the Order of Freedom.Musk agreed to turn
Chinese Humanoid Robots Beat Human Records At Beijing Robot Games
Chinese humanoid robots have achieved something that sounds like science fiction: they have beaten human athletic benchmarks in sprinting and high jumping. At the World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing, robots competed across events including running, football, table tennis and industrial challenges designed to test movement and autonomy. One Chinese humanoid robot reportedly completed the
WhatsApp rolls out security updates
WhatsApp is beefing up its security with new features and updates, including one that gives users more context before they answer calls from unknown numbers. The Meta-owned platform on Tuesday, August 25, announced an update to its existing two-step verification feature that helps prevent someone from hijacking users’ accounts even if they get a hold
Meta agrees to pay up to $17.1bn to settle social media case
Social media giant Meta has reached a settlement with US states and territories to resolve a court case related to child safety on Facebook and Instagram. The tech company will pay a maximum of $16.68bn (£12.26bn). The settlement requires Meta introduce certain rules for teenage users, including daily limits and night-time blocks.Meta denied wrongdoing in
Hypersonic Weapons Target Distant Aircraft
The Chinese military has developed hypersonic glide vehicles capable of launching air-to-air weapons against high-value aircraft operating thousands of miles away, Bloomberg reported, citing a person with direct knowledge of the matter.The new capability could pose a serious challenge to US air operations in a potential conflict with China, particularly aircraft that are designed to
Scientists built a tiny ‘rainbow on a chip’ for 6G networks
Scientists at Loughborough University and an international research team have built a tiny “rainbow on a chip” that can generate multiple precisely spaced frequencies of light at the same time. The microchip-based system could eventually help future 6G networks carry more signals simultaneously by converting the optical frequencies into millimetre waves. The researchers demonstrated a
Taiwan has indicted an Nvidia manager over servers routed to China
Export controls on advanced chips rest on an assumption that is rarely stated: that the companies selling the hardware are the ones enforcing the rules. An indictment filed in Taiwan on August 24 tests that assumption directly.The accused include a distribution manager surnamed Chang at Nvidia’s Taiwan office, two sales managers surnamed Lin and Wang
SpaceX will launch its first AI satellites with Nvidia chips in 2027
Elon Musk has announced that his SpaceX is inching closer to putting an AI-powered satellite in space. The tech mogul took to X and revealed that the company’s first AI satellites will be powered by Nvidia chips. Moreover, they are expected to launch in the fourth quarter of next year.These satellites will not simply provide
The humanoid robot ‘Olympics’
The World Humanoid Robot Games is back for a second year, and the bots are just as unsettling and impressive as they are ridiculous and unwieldy. On the first day of the Games, two humanoid robots beat Usain Bolt’s world record for the 100-meter dash—before crashing into a padded wall. Still, this five-day extravaganza showcases