Apple: This past week, Apple unveiled the second generation AirTag. While in appearance it is identical to the previous version, the hardware inside has been redesigned. The new AirTag contains a second generation Ultra Wideband chip, which offers 1.5x more range compared to the original. A new chime also differentiates the two versions. 

Apple has also acquired Israel-based startup Q.ai, an artificial intelligence company, for nearly $2 billion. Since its founding in 2022, the company has largely operated in stealth mode. Based on available information, Q.ai is developing technology that can interpret silent information, such as facial expressions and movements. This is the second largest acquisition Apple has made, topped only by their purchase of Beats in 2014 for $3 billion.

Samsung: Last Friday, Samsung opened orders for its first tri-folding phone, the Galaxy Z TriFold. Within minutes, the nearly $3,000 phone was sold out. When unfolded, the device has a 10’’ diagonal display, larger than the Galaxy Z Fold7. The device has three rear cameras– a 200 megapixel main camera, a 12 megapixel ultrawide and a 10 megapixel telephoto camera. The Z TriFold’s two titanium hinges are rated to 200,000 folds and are rated at IP48, meaning dust could still potentially cause issues.

Google: Genie 3, Google’s general purpose world artificial intelligence (AI) model, has become available to its AI Ultra subscribers. Starting at $250 per month, AI Ultra, among other things, enables customers to create three-dimensional environments that can be explored. While it was designed to enable AI agents to be trained in a 3D space, the technology could also be used to create reproductions of past civilizations and train the brains behind self-driving cars.

For something that produces a more tangible result, Google is testing an AI model in collaboration with elite skiing and snowboarding athletes to help them improve. Maddie Mastro, a snowboarder on Team USA, was able to test the new technology, which offered pointers to improve her signature move, the crippler (a jump trick). While AI has struggled with spatial awareness and understanding physics, the new model was able to suggest actionable changes, such as modifying the takeoff angle and adjusting arm positioning.

Moltbook: Recently, Moltbook, a social network exclusively for artificial intelligence agents, has taken the internet by storm. AI agents differ from AI chatbots in that agents are able to take actions for a user, such as creating and scheduling events on a calendar and accessing spreadsheets. Created by technology entrepreneur Matt Schlicht, Moltbook is modeled after Reddit, an online forum where users can post in various online communities. Unlike Reddit, however, humans are only allowed to watch the agents– not interact with them. Still, it is possible to pose as an agent. Dr. Shaanan Cohney, a senior lecturer in cybersecurity at the University of Melbourne, dubbed Moltbook “a wonderful piece of performance art,” suggesting that some of the more dramatic posts originated from humans, not from AI.