Samsung\u2019s 2024 flagship has landed. The S24 Ultra<\/a> has a new titanium frame, improved telephoto cameras and is jam-packed with new AI smarts and features. It\u2019s also more expensive than ever.<\/p>\n It\u2019s the AI features not hardware that mark this year\u2019s S23 series, though. AI tools range across text and translation, photography and search. A lot of these AI abilities are already available from other services, like ChatGPT and Bard, but this is crammed into the S24 series at the base level, so from the Notes app you can summarize, auto-format, spellcheck or translate your missives, on the go. (Transcription is also, apparently, very impressive, but that might be the journalist in me getting excited.)<\/p>\n Factor in a much faster chip, a brighter display and even longer battery life and the S24 Ultra makes a case for upgrading. It\u2019s just a pricey one.<\/p>\n \u2014 Mat Smith<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n \u200b\u200bYou can get these reports delivered daily direct to your inbox. <\/em>Subscribe right here!<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n Amazon and iRobot, maker of the Roomba vacuum line, just announced they are dropping their proposed merger. They announced the potential acquisition back in August 2022, and in November, the European Commission <\/a> over the potential impact on competition. The companies didn\u2019t mention the formal investigation in the announcement. Now the deal isn\u2019t going through, iRobot says it\u2019s laying off about 350 employees, which represents 31 percent of the company\u2019s workforce. Colin Angle, founder, CEO and chair of the iRobot board of directors is also stepping down as chair and CEO.<\/p>\n Continue reading.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Rocksteady\u2019s new third-person action shooter Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League<\/em> was pulled offline just one hour after launch after players encountered a bizarre bug that immediately beats the game. It locked players out of all story missions, including tutorials, in a race to reach the end credits. It also makes it impossible to receive trophies and achievements, but the biggest issue may be the inability to play any of the $70 game. The developer says it\u2019s working on a fix.<\/p>\n Continue reading.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Japan\u2019s lunar lander has regained power, nine days after it landed on the Moon\u2019s surface nearly upside down and switched off. JAXA (Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency) said a change in the sun\u2019s position allowed the solar panels to receive light and charge the probe\u2019s battery, so JAXA could reestablish communication. In any case, the mission was deemed a success, as the primary goal was a precision landing. It did just that, hitting a spot just 55 meters (180 feet) of its target. Just… the wrong way up.<\/p>\n Continue reading.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Back on Earth, and in 2022, Japan\u2019s Minister of Digital Affairs Taro Kono urged various branches of the government to stop requiring businesses to submit information on outdated forms of physical media. The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) is one of the first to make the switch. Kono\u2019s staff identified some 1,900 protocols across several government departments that still require floppy disks, CD-ROMs and even (!) MiniDiscs.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
The biggest stories you might have missed<\/h3>\n
It was due to the EU\u2019s anti-competitive concerns.<\/h3>\n
It was pulled offline an hour after launch.<\/h3>\n
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The solar panels recharged after the sun\u2019s orientation shifted.<\/h3>\n
Yes, it\u2019s 2024. Why do you ask?<\/h3>\n
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