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From Foldable Phones to Moon Missions: The Biggest Tech News Roundup (July 29–30, 2025)

From Foldable Phones to Moon Missions: The Biggest Tech News Roundup (July 29–30, 2025)

Samsung unveiled the Galaxy Z Fold7 and Galaxy Z Flip7, with the Fold7 starting at $1,999 and the Flip7 FE at $899, and the Fold7 being 26% thinner and 10% lighter than its predecessor, with a tri-foldable phone teased for year-end. Opera filed an antitrust complaint in Brazil against Microsoft, accusing Edge’s default pre-installation of hindering browser competition. Sony Interactive Entertainment sued Tencent over a “slavish clone” of Horizon Zero Dawn called Light of Motiram, seeking damages and an injunction. Figma raised its IPO price range to target an $18.8 billion valuation, expects about $1.2 billion in proceeds, and reports
30 July 2025
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AI’s 48-Hour Whirlwind: Tech Giants Launch Next-Gen Tools as Regulators Strike Back (July 29–30, 2025)

AI’s 48-Hour Whirlwind: Tech Giants Launch Next-Gen Tools as Regulators Strike Back (July 29–30, 2025)

OpenAI rolled out a new ChatGPT “study mode” on July 29, 2025, turning the chatbot into a personal tutor with step-by-step prompts, interactive quizzes, and tailored hints. Google DeepMind upgraded Google Search AI Mode on July 29, 2025, introducing Canvas to structure study guides from uploaded notes, with Live AI interactions via Google Lens and a forthcoming desktop “what’s on your screen” overview. Skild AI unveiled Skild Brain on July 29, 2025, a general-purpose robotics AI model designed to run on nearly any robot, trained from simulations and human demonstrations with built-in force safety limits. Anthropic launched Claude for Financial
30 July 2025
Austria’s 2025 Drone Laws: Strict Rules, No‑Fly Zones, and Steep Fines

Austria’s 2025 Drone Laws: Strict Rules, No‑Fly Zones, and Steep Fines

Austro Control is Austria’s aviation regulator for unmanned aircraft, enforcing EU drone rules under the Austrian Aviation Act, with policy aligned to the EU framework since 2021. Austria follows the EU Open, Specific, and Certified categories, with the Open category limited to drones under 25 kg flown in visual line of sight at up to 120 meters, and subdivided into A1, A2, and A3. Drone operator registration is mandatory through the Dronespace platform—costing about €31.20 and valid for three years—while drones under 250 g with no camera are exempt. Remote pilots must obtain a competency certificate through Austro Control’s Dronespace,
30 July 2025
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Inside the NSFW AI Revolution: How AI-Generated Porn Is Changing the Game and Courting Controversy

Inside the NSFW AI Revolution: How AI-Generated Porn Is Changing the Game and Courting Controversy

The Take It Down Act was passed in April 2025 and signed into law in May 2025, making it a federal crime to create or share nonconsensual AI-generated intimate imagery and requiring platforms to remove such content within 48 hours. In May 2025, Mr. Deepfakes shut down after a critical service provider withdrew support, effectively dismantling the central hub of the deepfake porn network. A landmark Sensity report found that 95–96% of online deepfakes were nonconsensual sexual imagery, highlighting the scale of this abuse. In May 2024, Google updated its policies to ban advertisements for platforms that create deepfake porn
30 July 2025
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Digital Zen: How VR Meditation Is Becoming the Next Big Stress-Relief Trend

Digital Zen: How VR Meditation Is Becoming the Next Big Stress-Relief Trend

In early 2024, Headspace launched its first VR experience, Headspace XR, on Meta’s Quest headset, developed with funding from Meta. In 2024, TRIPP announced an expansion to Apple’s Vision Pro, blending virtual meditation worldscapes with mixed reality. In its first two years, TRIPP users logged over 5.5 million meditation sessions. TRIPP acquired EvolVR, which had 40,000 participants in its online group meditations in 2020. A 2023 Texas A&M University study found VR-enhanced meditation reduced anxiety and depression more than traditional meditation, using Oculus Quest 2 headsets. A 2024 Mayo Clinic randomized trial with 100 open-heart surgery patients found VR meditation
30 July 2025
Can Tech Cure Insomnia? Exploring the Gadgets That Promise the Best Sleep of Your Life

Can Tech Cure Insomnia? Exploring the Gadgets That Promise the Best Sleep of Your Life

The global sleep tech devices market was valued at over $21 billion in 2023 and is projected to grow rapidly. In 2024, major wearables such as the Samsung Galaxy Watch and Apple Watch gained FDA-approved sleep apnea detection capabilities. The latest Oura Ring Generation 4 includes research-grade sensors for blood oxygen and breathing disturbances to flag sleep apnea and related issues. Sleep Number 360 smart beds track heart rate, breathing, and movement, and automatically adjust firmness and can tilt or vibrate to reduce snoring. Eight Sleep’s Pod 3 Cover is a water-cooled or heated mattress topper that maintains temperature on
30 July 2025
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Connecting São Tomé and Príncipe: Internet Access in 2025 – Infrastructure, Challenges, and Opportunities

Connecting São Tomé and Príncipe: Internet Access in 2025 – Infrastructure, Challenges, and Opportunities

As of January 2025, internet penetration stands at 61.5% of the population (about 146,000 online) with around 170,000 active mobile connections. The Africa Coast to Europe (ACE) submarine cable landed in São Tomé in 2012–2013, with its final southern segment completed in 2021, increasing international bandwidth from about 50 Mbps to over 4,500 Mbps. CST accounts for about 95% of internet subscriptions, and Unitel STP entered the market in 2014 after a unified license granted in 2013 for $1.62 million. Unitel STP launched the first 4G LTE service in May 2023, and by 2025 4G is available in the capital
29 July 2025
Why Your Next TV Might Be a Projector: What You Need to Know Before You Buy

Why Your Next TV Might Be a Projector: What You Need to Know Before You Buy

In 2025, a midrange projector plus a screen can deliver a 120-inch image for about $2,000, cheaper than most 98-inch LED TVs. The Epson LS12000 uses a laser light engine with 3LCD imaging to produce a native 4K (3840×2160) picture with deep blacks and 1,500–3,000 lumens brightness. JVC’s DLA-NZ8 and NZ9 are native 4K (D-ILA) projectors famed for deep blacks, with some models offering 8K e-shift upscaling. No consumer projector has a native 8K chip in 2025; 8K is achieved via techniques like e-shift on high-end models, often costing around $25,000. The BenQ X3100i is a 4LED DLP projector that
29 July 2025
The Smart Kitchen Revolution: Top Devices, Brands & Trends in 2024–2025

The Smart Kitchen Revolution: Top Devices, Brands & Trends in 2024–2025

The global market for smart kitchen appliances is projected to reach $14.4 billion by 2030, up from $5.3 billion in 2023. Samsung’s 4-Door Flex Bespoke with AI Family Hub+ features AI Vision Inside cameras that can recognize over 30 food items and track inventory automatically. LG’s Signature InstaView French Door fridge uses a transparent T-OLED display on the door and internal AI cameras to recognize foods and suggest recipes via the ThinQ app. CES 2025 saw Hisense unveil the PureFlat 4-Door Smart Fridge with DishDesigner AI (Microsoft Azure) and a FreshVault vacuum-sealed drawer that keeps meat and seafood fresh up
29 July 2025
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Your Next Rooftop Will Be a Power Plant. Rooftop Energy Technologies: Present and Future Innovations.

Your Next Rooftop Will Be a Power Plant. Rooftop Energy Technologies: Present and Future Innovations.

Solar PV costs have fallen about 90% over the last decade. Modern home solar panels often exceed 20% efficiency, with typical residential systems of 5–10 kW. In the United States, over 4 million homes had solar panels by early 2024. Global rooftop PV adoption could reach about 100 million households by 2030. In the United States, the rooftop solar roofing market is projected to reach nearly $1 billion by 2025, as California mandates solar on almost all new homes starting in 2023. A Dutch startup unveiled the Blade X1 rooftop wind turbine at 1.4 meters tall, generating about 2,500–3,000 kWh
29 July 2025
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Beyond Lithium: The Future EV Batteries That Deliver 932 Miles of Range and Charge in Just 5 Minutes

Beyond Lithium: The Future EV Batteries That Deliver 932 Miles of Range and Charge in Just 5 Minutes

CATL’s Shenxing fast-charge battery can add 520 km of range in 5 minutes on a 1.3 MW charger, enabled by a 12C charging rate. CATL’s automotive-grade sodium-ion battery “Naxtra” delivers 175 Wh/kg energy density and 10,000+ cycles, with mass production slated for end-2025, plus safety tests showing no fires under cutting, crushing, or puncturing and cold-weather performance retaining about 90% capacity at -30°C with 30–80% charging in 30 minutes. CATL’s “Freevoy” dual-chemistry pack combines two cell chemistries to achieve over 1,500 km (932 miles) of range in testing. A lithium-sulfur prototype with a platinum catalyst demonstrated 92% capacity retention after
29 July 2025
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AI Won’t Steal Your Job – It Will Supercharge Your Career in 2025 🚀

AI Won’t Steal Your Job – It Will Supercharge Your Career in 2025 🚀

The World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2025 projects that 44% of worker skills will change by 2027 due to AI and related trends. In 2025 more than 80,000 job ads mentioned generative AI expertise, up from 3,700 in 2010. AI-related job listings grew roughly 29% annually over the past 15 years, with over 50% of AI-skilled postings in non-tech fields in 2024. AI skills are associated with about 28% higher salaries on average versus similar roles without AI requirements. Candidates optimizing resumes with AI-driven keyword suggestions report landing 3× as many interviews. GitHub Copilot helps developers complete tasks
29 July 2025
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Is Your Job Safe from AI? Careers and Skills That Will Survive the Machine Revolution

Is Your Job Safe from AI? Careers and Skills That Will Survive the Machine Revolution

Estimates suggest up to 300 million jobs worldwide—about 25% of all work activities—could be disrupted by AI in the coming years. AI-resistant careers include healthcare roles such as registered nurses, nurse practitioners, mental health counselors, physician assistants, and paramedics, due to human empathy and clinical judgment. Skilled trades like plumbers, electricians, carpenters, HVAC technicians, and auto mechanics remain relatively safe because on-site problem-solving and manual dexterity are hard to automate. Creative arts and design are relatively safe because AI struggles to replicate genuine creativity and emotional resonance in fields like writers, artists, musicians, and choreographers. Education and training roles such
29 July 2025
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The Sci‑Fi See‑Through TV Revolution – Transparent TVs of 2025 and Futuristic Models Coming in 2026

The Sci‑Fi See‑Through TV Revolution – Transparent TVs of 2025 and Futuristic Models Coming in 2026

LG SIGNATURE OLED T is a 77-inch 4K transparent OLED TV unveiled at CES and released in late 2024, with wireless 4K/120 Hz video via a Zero Connect box and about 40% transparency in see-through mode. Xiaomi Mi TV LUX Transparent Edition is a 55-inch transparent OLED released in August 2020 with 1080p resolution, 120 Hz, 1 ms response, 93% DCI-P3, and electronics housed in the base (no opaque option). Samsung revealed transparent MicroLED prototypes around 50–55 inches at CES 2024 First Look, featuring frameless, modular panels with two‑sided visibility and very high brightness, but no confirmed release date. LG
29 July 2025
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Rings of the Future: Top Smart Rings of 2025 (and What’s Coming in 2026)

Rings of the Future: Top Smart Rings of 2025 (and What’s Coming in 2026)

Oura Ring 4 (2023) costs $349 plus $5.99/mo, offers about 6–8 days of battery life, and includes PPG heart rate, SpO2, and skin temperature sensors with best-in-class sleep and recovery tracking. Samsung Galaxy Ring (2024) is priced at $399 with no subscription, lasts ~5–7 days per charge, includes PPG heart rate, skin temperature, and accelerometer, and provides AI-powered Energy Score and sleep coaching while lacking ECG, blood pressure, or body composition sensors and is Android-only. Ultrahuman Ring Air (2023) costs $349 with no subscription, offers ~4–6 days of battery, tracks heart rate, HRV, sleep, activity, skin temperature, SpO2, and has
29 July 2025
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Beyond ChatGPT: The Next Wave of AI Can See, Hear, and Create Worlds

Beyond ChatGPT: The Next Wave of AI Can See, Hear, and Create Worlds

OpenAI released GPT-4o in May 2024 as a natively multimodal model that accepts text, audio, image, and video input and can generate text, audio, or images, delivering GPT-4-level performance at roughly 50% lower cost and faster speed. Google DeepMind Gemini, unveiled in December 2023, ships as Gemini 1.0 Ultra, Pro, and Nano and has exceeded state-of-the-art on 30 of 32 academic tasks, including 90% on the MMLU benchmark. Meta’s AudioCraft, announced in 2023, includes MusicGen for music and AudioGen for sound effects and was open-sourced, while MovieGen, released by late 2024, can generate short videos with audio up to 16
29 July 2025
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AI Just Diagnosed You—Now What? The Rise of Superhuman Doctors Made of Code

AI Just Diagnosed You—Now What? The Rise of Superhuman Doctors Made of Code

A boy in the United States with three years of chronic pain was diagnosed by an AI chatbot with spina bifida occulta, later confirmed by a specialist. Microsoft’s AI Diagnostic Orchestrator (MAI-DxO) achieved an 85% correct diagnosis rate on nearly 300 challenging NEJM case studies, compared with 20% for 21 experienced physicians, while ordering 20% fewer tests. Google’s conversational diagnostic AI prototype outperformed physicians on hypothetical primary care cases, scoring about 59% accuracy versus 33% for human doctors. PathAI announced a major 2024 partnership with Quest Diagnostics, with Quest acquiring PathAI’s laboratory and integrating AI across its pathology labs. IDx-DR
29 July 2025
I Replaced Google Search with AI for a Week — Here’s What Really Happened

I Replaced Google Search with AI for a Week — Here’s What Really Happened

Over seven days, the author replaced Google with AI as the sole search tool, using ChatGPT with built-in web search, plus Bing Chat and Perplexity, and banned Google queries. AI search delivers a single conversational answer with citations and no ads, instead of Google’s cluttered list of blue links. The AI maintained conversation context, enabling multi-step tasks like planning a dinner date by combining restaurant suggestions and showtimes in one thread. In terms of speed, AI often saved time on straightforward queries—for example, a 45-pound child’s car seat weight was answered in about 15 seconds. For real-time updates, AI lagged
29 July 2025
This New Solar Panel Tech Works Even at Night

This New Solar Panel Tech Works Even at Night

Thermoradiative energy generation, nicknamed night-time solar, produces electricity by emitting infrared radiation to the cold night sky when the device is warmer than its surroundings. Unlike conventional solar cells that absorb sunlight, thermoradiative devices emit photons to space, effectively running as a solar cell in reverse and using the Earth–space temperature difference at night. In 2020, Jeremy Munday and colleagues proposed an anti-solar cell that could theoretically produce up to about 50 W/m² at night under ideal conditions. In 2022, UNSW Sydney demonstrated the first unambiguous lab power from a thermoradiative diode using mercury cadmium telluride (HgCdTe), generating nanowatts and
29 July 2025
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Kuala Lumpur Real Estate 2025: Surprising Trends, Price Shifts & Bold Outlook

Kuala Lumpur Real Estate 2025: Surprising Trends, Price Shifts & Bold Outlook

Malaysia’s GDP grew about 5.3% in 2024 and is forecast around 4.5–5% in 2025. In the first nine months of 2024, total property deals nationwide rose 6.2% year-on-year with values up 14.4%. The Tun Razak Exchange (TRX) financial district and the Merdeka 118 mega-tower have reinforced Greater Kuala Lumpur’s status as an economic hub. Knight Frank’s KL prime residences index rose 0.2% year-on-year in Q1 2025, signaling stabilization after volatility. KL average home value was around RM794,000 (about US$180,000) as of end-2024, the highest in Malaysia. KL housing completions surged 42.5% in 2024 to 10,712 units, with over 18,900 new
29 July 2025
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Stock Market Today

CapitaLand Investment share price jumps into earnings week as 9CI closes at S$3.12

CapitaLand Investment share price jumps into earnings week as 9CI closes at S$3.12

8 February 2026
CapitaLand Investment shares closed up 1.3% at S$3.12 on Friday, outperforming the STI, which fell 0.83%. CapitaLand Integrated Commercial Trust reported a 16.4% rise in second-half distributable income to S$449 million and a 9.4% increase in distribution per unit. Full-year results for CapitaLand Investment are due Feb. 11. Markets are closed for the weekend.
Hongkong Land (SGX:H78) slides 4% despite fresh buyback as March results loom

Hongkong Land (SGX:H78) slides 4% despite fresh buyback as March results loom

8 February 2026
Hongkong Land shares fell 4.2% to $8.18 Friday, reversing earlier gains after hitting a decade high of $9.12 on Feb. 4. The company disclosed repurchases of 170,000 shares for cancellation at average prices above Friday’s close. Investors await March 5 annual results and details on an expanded $650 million buyback program. Trading volume stayed high.
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