ICT news

• Qualcomm Processors Properly Licensed From Arm, US Jury Finds

  20-12-2024 23:50 via yro.slashdot.org
  
  Jurors delivered a mixed verdict on Friday, ruling that Qualcomm had properly licensed its central processor chips from Arm. This decision effectively concludes Arm's lawsuit against Qualcomm, which had the potential to disrupt the global smartphone and PC chip markets.The dispute stemmed from Qualcomm's $1.4 billion acquisition of chip startup Nuvia in 2021. Arm claimed Qualcomm breached contract terms by using Nuvia's designs without permission, while Qualcomm maintained its existing agreement
  
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• Arizona's Getting an Online Charter School Taught Entirely By AI

  20-12-2024 23:11 via news.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from TechCrunch: The newest online-only school greenlighted (PDF) by the Arizona State Board for Charter Schools comes with a twist: The academic curriculum will be taught entirely by AI. Charter schools -- independently operated but publicly funded -- typically get greater autonomy compared to traditional public schools when it comes to how subjects are taught. But Unbound Academy's application, which proposes an "AI-driven adaptive learning technology" that
  
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• CFPB Sues America's Largest Banks For 'Allowing Fraud To Fester' on Zelle

  20-12-2024 22:22 via slashdot.org
  
  The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau is suing America's three largest banks, accusing the institutions of failing to protect customers from fraud on Zelle, the payment platform they co-own. From a report: According to the suit, which also targets Early Warning Services LLC, Zelle's official operator, Zelle users have lost more than $870 million over the network's seven-year existence due to these alleged failures. "The nation's largest banks felt threatened by competing payment apps, so they
  
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• Apple Pulls Lightning-Equipped iPhones From Swiss Stores Ahead of EU USB-C Mandate

  20-12-2024 21:42 via apple.slashdot.org
  
  Apple has started pulling its iPhone SE and iPhone 14 models from sale in Switzerland, signaling broader discontinuation across the European Union ahead of new USB-C charging requirements taking effect December 28.
  The devices, which use Apple's proprietary Lightning port, disappeared from Swiss online stores today. Switzerland, while not an EU member, follows EU market rules. Apple-authorized resellers can continue selling existing stock until depleted. A new USB-C compatible iPhone SE is expec
  
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• Michael Dell Says Adoption of AI PCs is 'Definitely Delayed'

  20-12-2024 21:41 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  Dell CEO Michael Dell has acknowledged delays in corporate adoption of AI-enabled PCs but remains confident in their eventual widespread uptake, citing his four decades of industry experience with technology transitions.
  The PC maker's chief executive told Fortune that while the current refresh cycle is "definitely delayed," adoption is inevitable once sufficient features drive customer demand. Meanwhile, Dell's infrastructure division saw 80% revenue growth last quarter from AI-server sales. Th
  
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• We're About To Fly a Spacecraft Into the Sun For the First Time

  20-12-2024 21:01 via science.slashdot.org
  
  NASA's Parker Solar Probe will make its closest approach yet to the Sun on Christmas Eve, flying within 3.8 million miles of the solar surface and entering its atmosphere for the first time.
  The spacecraft, which travels at speeds up to 430,000 miles per hour, aims to study the origins of solar wind -- the stream of charged particles emanating from the Sun's corona. The probe's heat shield will endure temperatures exceeding 2,500-degree Fahrenheit during the flyby, requiring specialized material
  
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• Why Online Returns Are a Hassle Now

  20-12-2024 20:22 via slashdot.org
  
  U.S. retailers are cracking down on free returns as costs spiral out of control, The Atlantic reports. Return rates have more than doubled since 2019, with shoppers expected to send back nearly $900 billion in merchandise this year.
  Major chains like REI and JCPenney are now charging fees or requiring in-store drop-offs, abandoning years of customer-friendly policies. With each $100 return costing stores up to $30 to process, some retailers have given up entirely -- telling customers to keep che
  
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• OpenAI Unveils o3, a Smarter AI Model With Improved Reasoning Skills

  20-12-2024 19:36 via slashdot.org
  
  OpenAI has unveiled a new AI model that it says takes longer to solve problems but gets better results, following Google's similar announcement a day earlier. The model, called o3, replaces o1 from September and spends extra time working through questions that need step-by-step reasoning.
  It scores three times higher than o1 on ARC-AGI, a test measuring how well AI handles complex math and logic problems it hasn't seen before. "This is the beginning of the next phase of AI," CEO Sam Altman said
  
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• US Data-Center Power Use Could Nearly Triple By 2028, DOE-Backed Report Says

  20-12-2024 19:02 via hardware.slashdot.org
  
  U.S. data center power demand could nearly triple in the next three years, and consume as much as 12% of the country's electricity, as the industry undergoes an AI transformation, according to an unpublished Department of Energy-backed report seen by Reuters. The publication adds: The Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory report, which is expected to be released on Friday, comes as the U.S. power industry and government agencies attempt to understand how the sudden rise of Big Tech's data-center
  
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• FDA Sets Stricter Rules for 'Healthy' Food Labels

  20-12-2024 18:22 via news.slashdot.org
  
  The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has unveiled stricter criteria for food manufacturers to label their products as "healthy," marking the first major update to the definition in 30 years.
  The new rule requires products to meet specific thresholds for nutrients while limiting sodium, saturated fat and added sugars. Under the guidelines, foods must contain minimum amounts of nutrient-dense ingredients like fruits, vegetables, or whole grains. Saturated fats cannot exceed 5% of daily recommende
  
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• Academic Writing is Getting Harder To Read

  20-12-2024 17:42 via news.slashdot.org
  
  Academic writing has become significantly less readable over the past 80 years, particularly in humanities and social sciences, according to an analysis of 347,000 PhD abstracts by The Economist. Using the Flesch reading-ease test, researchers found that readability scores in humanities and social sciences plunged from 37 in the 1940s to 18 in the 2020s. The decline was observed across all disciplines, with humanities and social sciences becoming as complex as natural sciences by the 1990s. The
  
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• Japanese Firm's USB-C Cable Rotates 360 Degrees

  20-12-2024 17:02 via it.slashdot.org
  
  Japanese electronics manufacturer Sanwa Supply has launched a rotating USB-C cable capable of 240W power delivery but sadly USB 2.0 transfer speeds, Tom'sHardware reports. The $16 cable features a 360-degree rotating connector and is available in 1-meter and 1.8-meter lengths, with both USB-C to USB-C and USB-A to USB-C options, the report adds.Read more of this story at Slashdot.
  
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• Steam Gamers Spend Just 15% of Time on New Releases

  20-12-2024 16:22 via games.slashdot.org
  
  Steam users spent only 15% of their total gaming time on new releases in 2024, according to the platform's year-end review, an increase from 9% in 2023 but below 2022's 17%.
  Legacy titles dominated playtime, with 47% spent on games released in the past seven years and 37% on titles older than eight years. New online games like Helldivers 2 and Black Myth: Wukong helped drive 2024's modest uptick in new game engagement across Steam's library of over 200,000 titles, while established service games
  
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• Google Cuts Managers and VPs in Efficiency Drive

  20-12-2024 15:45 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  Google has reduced its senior management positions by 10% as part of an ongoing efficiency initiative, CEO Sundar Pichai announced during a company-wide meeting earlier this week.
  The restructuring affected managers, directors, and vice presidents, with some roles eliminated and others converted to non-management positions, a Google spokesperson told BusinessInsider. The move follows Google's January 2023 layoff of 12,000 employees and Pichai's September 2022 goal to improve company efficiency b
  
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• Senators Rip Into Automakers For Selling Customer Data and Blocking Right To Repair

  20-12-2024 15:07 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  A bipartisan group of senators is calling out the auto industry for its "hypocritical, profit-driven" opposition to national right-to-repair legislation, while also selling customer data to insurance companies and other third-party interests. From a report: In a letter sent to the CEOs of the top automakers, the trio of legislators -- Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), and Josh Hawley (R-MO) -- urge them to better protect customer privacy, while also dropping their opposition to
  
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• This VPN Lets Anyone Use Your Internet Connection. What Could Go Wrong?

  20-12-2024 13:00 via yro.slashdot.org
  
  Teenagers using Meta's virtual reality headsets to cheat at the popular game Gorilla Tag are unknowingly selling access to their home internet connections to potential cybercriminals, cybersecurity researchers found. The players have been side-loading Big Mama VPN, a free Android app, onto their VR headsets to create lag that makes it easier to win the tag-based game. However, the app simultaneously operates as a residential proxy service, selling access to users' IP addresses on a marketplace f
  
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• Fortinet Releases Security Updates for FortiManager

  20-12-2024 13:00 via cisa.gov
  Fortinet released a security update to address a vulnerability in FortiManager. A remote cyber threat actor could exploit this vulnerability to take control of an affected system.
  Users and administrators are encouraged to review the following Fortinet Security Bulletin and apply the necessary updates:FG-IR-24-425
  
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• China's TCL Overtakes Samsung in Premium Market For Ultra-Large TVs

  20-12-2024 11:01 via entertainment.slashdot.org
  
  Chinese TVs, once dismissed as "cheap and low-quality," are making strides in the premium market, overtaking Samsung, the world's top TV manufacturer. From a report: TCL, a leading Chinese TV brand, surpassed Samsung in the 80-inch and larger TV market for the first time in the second quarter. Another Chinese electronics company, Hisense, is closely trailing Samsung in this market.
  TCL maintained the lead in the 80-inch and larger TV market in the third quarter with a 23% market share( based on
  
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• Russia Space Chief Says Country Will Fly On Space Station Until 2030

  20-12-2024 08:00 via science.slashdot.org
  
  Ars Technica's Eric Berger reports: In a wide-ranging interview with a Russian television station, the chief executive of Russia's main space corporation said the country is now planning to participate in the International Space Station project all the way to NASA's desired goal of 2030. "In coordination with our American colleagues, we plan to de-orbit the station sometime around the beginning of 2030," the country's chief space official, Yuri Borisov, said during the interview. "The final scen
  
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• Is There a Brain Microbiome?

  20-12-2024 04:30 via science.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes an opinion piece from The Guardian, written by Prof Mark Pallen and Dr Aimee Parker (Quadram Institute, Norwich), Prof Nick Loman (University of Birmingham), Prof Alan Walker (University of Aberdeen): Contrary to what is implied in [this article], the weight of expert opinion in medical microbiology rejects the existence of a "brain microbiome" in the sense of a resident microbial community in healthy human brains. While pathogenic microbes -- such as Borrelia burgdorf
  
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• Waymo's Driverless Cars Are Apparently an Insurance Company's Dream

  20-12-2024 01:50 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  A study by reinsurer Swiss Re found that Waymo's autonomous vehicles have demonstrated significantly fewer property damage and bodily injury claims compared to human-driven cars, with reductions of up to 92% in some metrics. Engadget reports: Swiss Re analyzed liability claims from collisions covering 25.3 million miles driven by Waymo's autonomous cars. The study also compared Waymo's liability claims to human driver baselines based on data from over 500,000 claims and over 200 billion driving
  
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• Home Assistant's New Voice Assistant Answers To 'Hey Jarvis'

  20-12-2024 01:10 via yro.slashdot.org
  
  Home Assistant (not to be confused with the Google Assistant on Google Home) has launched the Voice Preview Edition (Voice PE), its first dedicated voice assistant hardware for $59. The device offers a privacy-focused, locally controlled solution that supports over 50 languages and integrates seamlessly with the open-source smart home platform. As The Verge notes, Voice PE supports the wake words "Hey Jarvis" right out of the box. From the report: The Voice PE is a small white box, about the siz
  
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• Google Releases Its Own 'Reasoning' AI Model

  20-12-2024 00:30 via tech.slashdot.org
  
  An anonymous reader quotes a report from TechCrunch: Google has released what it's calling a new "reasoning" AI model -- but it's in the experimental stages, and from our brief testing, there's certainly room for improvement. The new model, called Gemini 2.0 Flash Thinking Experimental (a mouthful, to be sure), is available in AI Studio, Google's AI prototyping platform. A model card describes it as "best for multimodal understanding, reasoning, and coding," with the ability to "reason over the
  
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