Honor teases new smartphone featuring pop-up ‘robotic’ camera, more details expected in 2026

 

“Honor teases new smartphone featuring pop-up ‘robotic’ camera, more details expected in 2026”

What’s known so far

• The teased device is being called “Robot Phone”.

• It looks like a regular smartphone at first, but the back has a camera module that can swing out on a robotic arm (similar to a gimbal) to reposition itself.

• The teaser video shows the camera in action — it swings out, moves, and adjusts its angle, possibly to track subjects or take shots from different perspectives.

• Honor claims the device is real (not just a concept) and says full details will be revealed at MWC 2026 in Barcelona.

• The phone is part of Honor’s “Alpha Plan,” aiming to evolve smartphone designs with robotics, AI, and more adaptive behaviors.

More info: https://indianexpress.com/article/technology/tech-news-technology/honor-teases-new-smartphone-featuring-pop-up-robotic-camera-more-details-expected-in-2026-10209664-10309664/?ref=technology_pg

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Nvidia’s AI empire: A look at its top startup investments

 

“Nvidia’s AI empire: A look at its top startup investments”

“Nvidia’s AI Empire: A Look at Its Top Startup Investments” — how Nvidia is using venture funding and strategic investments to build out its influence in the AI ecosystem, and who some of the major bets are. If you want, I can also pull up recent numbers / any updates beyond what's in the article.

What’s the Strategy

• Nvidia isn’t just selling GPUs; it’s investing in startups across the AI stack. The goal is to help build and expand the AI ecosystem — both in terms of infrastructure (cloud computing, data centres, chip interconnects etc.) and applications (LLMs, AI search, autonomous systems, etc.). Key Startups Nvidia Has Invested In
• Here are some of the top startups in which Nvidia has placed large bets (rounds > US$100M), grouped by magnitude and area of work:

 

Startup	What They Do / Domain	Round Size / Valuation / Notes
OpenAI	Foundational LLMs / Generative AI	Nvidia invested ~$100 million in a $6.6B round; valuation ~$157B.
xAI (Elon Musk’s AI startup)	Competing with OpenAI, with its chatbot and models	Nvidia participated in a ~$6B funding round.
Inflection AI	AI models / LLMs, deep learning researchers	~$1.3B round in 2023. Microsoft later acquired some of its tech/license.
Wayve	Autonomous driving, self-learning systems	Nvidia took part in a ~$1.05B round.
Scale AI	Data labeling and training infrastructure	$1B+ round, valued nearly $14B.
Mistral AI	LLM development, primarily in Europe / France	~$640M Series B, valuation ~$6B.
Cohere	Enterprise LLM applications / language AI	$500M round.
Perplexity	AI-powered search engine / assistant tools	Nvidia has invested in multiple rounds; one round valued the company at ~$9B.
CoreWeave	AI cloud infrastructure provider (renting Nvidia GPUs etc.)	Early investment ~$221M (2023); valuation jumped from ~$2B to ~$19B.
Lambda	Cloud platform for AI model training	~$480M Series D; business involves servers powered by Nvidia GPUs.
Figure AI, Crusoe, Waabi, Poolside, Imbue, Sakana AI	Various: robotics, data centers, autonomous trucking, AI co-coding tools, generative tools etc.	These are in the “hundreds of millions” rounds. Eg. Waabi raised ~$200M Series B.

• Its investments come from corporate VC activity (including NVentures) outside just making chips. By backing “game changers and market makers,” Nvidia both supports innovation and ensures there are customers for its hardware.
• The number of deals has increased sharply. In 2024, Nvidia participated in ~49 funding rounds involving AI firms, up from ~34 in 2023.

More info:Nvidia's AI empire: A look at its top startup investments | TechCrunch

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Microsoft Copilot can now connect to services such as Gmail, Google Drive, OneDrive, and more

 

“Microsoft Copilot can now connect to services such as Gmail, Google Drive, OneDrive, and more”

 

 

Microsoft Copilot is an AI-powered assistant developed by Microsoft that helps users work more efficiently across Microsoft products like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Teams.

It uses AI (based on OpenAI’s GPT technology) to understand your commands and assist with tasks such as:

• Writing and summarizing emails in Outlook
• Creating presentations in PowerPoint
• Analyzing data and generating formulas in Excel
• Writing and editing documents in Word
• Generating code in GitHub (GitHub Copilot)

Recently, Microsoft has expanded Copilot’s abilities — it can now connect to external services such as Gmail, Google Drive, and OneDrive.
This means Copilot can access your emails, files, and documents across these platforms to help you summarize information, search for files, or generate content — all from one place.

 

 

More info: Microsoft Copilot can now connect to services like Gmail, Google Drive, OneDrive and more | Technology News - The Indian Express

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Facebook updates its algorithm, allowing users more control over which videos appear in their feed

 

“Facebook updates its algorithm, allowing users more control over which videos appear in their feed.”

What’s new in Facebook’s algorithm update

Meta has rolled out changes aimed at giving users more control over which videos—especially Reels—they see. Key features:

Feature	What it does	Why it matters
“Not Interested” feedback	You can mark a Reel as “Not Interested” or flag comments you dislike. The algorithm uses that signal to show fewer similar videos.	Helps reduce unwanted or low-quality video content in your feed
Prioritize newer content	Facebook will show 50% more Reels that were uploaded on the same day you are browsing.	Keeps your feed fresh with more recent videos
Improved “Save” feature	The “Save” functionality has been enhanced to make it easier to collect and organize favorite Reels or posts.	Gives you more direct control over what content you want to revisit
AI-powered search suggestions	Under certain Reels, you’ll get suggestion bubbles prompting related topics or queries (think like TikTok’s gray suggestion prompts).	Helps you explore content you’re interested in more easily
Friend bubbles	Small bubbles showing which friends liked a given video. Tapping the bubble opens a chat with that friend.	Adds a social/discovery layer—see what friends enjoy and converse about it

 

More info: https://techcrunch.com/2025/10/07/facebook-updates-its-algorithm-to-give-users-more-control-over-which-videos-they-see/

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OpenAI integrates popular apps like Spotify and Canva directly into ChatGPT

 

“OpenAI integrates popular apps like Spotify and Canva directly into ChatGPT”

What this integration is

• The Apps SDK lets third-party developers embed their apps as components in ChatGPT — so instead of opening Spotify or Canva in a separate tab/app, you can call them from within your chat.

• These embedded apps can (for example) show UI cards, full-screen views, interactive components like maps or design editors — but still remain part of the chat context, so the conversational flow remains.

• Users will typically authenticate/authorize their accounts (for Spotify, Canva, etc.) to allow the app inside ChatGPT to act on their behalf.

• Once connected, you can give prompts like “Spotify, make me a playlist for my morning run,” or “Canva, design a poster for my event,” and the apps will respond within ChatGPT. More apps are planned. Some that are already active include the ones above; upcoming ones include Uber, DoorDash, OpenTable, Target, etc.

 More link: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/tech/artificial-intelligence/chatgpt-now-hosts-spotify-canva-coursera-in-chat/articleshow/124358898.cms

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OpenAI just dropped Sora — a social app that lets you bring your friends into videos with AI magic!

 

“OpenAI just dropped Sora — a social app that lets you bring your friends into videos with AI magic!”

     OpenAI today unveiled Sora, a social video platform powered by its new Sora 2 model, which enables users to generate, remix, and share AI-generated short videos — and even insert themselves or their friends into those videos via an AI “cameo” feature.

 

What is Sora & what it can do

• The Sora app is currently available on iOS (invite-only) in the U.S. and Canada.
• It is built around the Sora 2 video generation model, which is designed to produce more physically consistent, realistic motion and synchronized audio than prior video models.
• In Sora, users can:

·       Start from a text prompt or upload an image to generate videos in different styles (cinematic, anime, surreal, photorealistic).

·       Use “cameos” that let you drop your own likeness (after a one-time video/audio capture) into AI scenes. You can also permit your friends to use your likeness.

·       Remix or re-generate videos created by others, creating collaborative and iterative content.

·  Browse a vertical “feed” much like TikTok, with algorithmic recommendations.

Why this matters — and potential opportunities

• With Sora, OpenAI is attempting to move AI video generation from a niche research demo into a social, interactive experience
• The cameo feature is novel in that it gives users control over their digital likeness — you can allow or revoke access to others who want to insert you into generated videos.
• By making the app invite-based and region-limited initially, OpenAI may be trying to slow-roll adoption and monitor moderation, misuse, and content quality.
• It positions Sora as a competitor to short-form video platforms (TikTok, Reels, Shorts), but with a twist: all content is AI-generated, not user-uploaded.

Risks, challenges & controversies

• Deepfake / misuse concerns: Because Sora allows insertion of likenesses (with consent), critics warn about potential misuse, identity abuse, or unauthorized deepfakes.
• Copyright & content sourcing: OpenAI has adopted a default “use unless opt-out” approach for copyrighted content in video generation, which has already drawn criticism from rights holders.
• Content moderation issues: Ensuring harmful, extremist, or illegal videos are blocked is a major challenge at scale
• Authenticity fatigue: As Sora’s content saturates feeds, the boundary between “real” and “AI-made” may blur, raising trust and misinformation concerns.
• Bias and representation: As with many generative models, Sora may reflect biases from training data (e.g. gender, race) in how it portrays people or scenarios.

 

More link: https://www.indiatoday.in/technology/news/story/openai-launches-new-social-app-sora-lets-you-add-friends-to-videos-using-ai-2796009-2025-10-01

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Arattai Messenger – India’s Own Chat App

 Arattai Messenger – India’s Own Chat App

 

In today’s digital era, messaging apps have become an inseparable part of our daily lives. While WhatsApp dominates the global market, India has also started building its own alternatives—one of the most notable being Arattai Messenger, developed by Zoho Corporation, a Chennai-based tech giant. The word “Arattai” means “chat” in Tamil, and the app has quickly gained attention as a homegrown messaging platform.

 

 

Benefits of Arattai Messenger

 

1. Made in India, for India – Unlike WhatsApp (owned by Meta, USA), Arattai is fully developed in India, which gives users a sense of trust and data security within Indian regulations.

2. Focus on Privacy – Arattai promises strong data privacy policies, claiming not to misuse user data or push unwanted ads.

3. Lightweight & Fast – The app is simple, consumes less storage space, and runs smoothly even on phones with limited hardware.

4. No Ads, No Distractions – Unlike many apps that push ads or promotions, Arattai focuses only on messaging.

5. HD Audio & Video Calls – Users can enjoy high-quality voice and video calling features.

6. Group Chats & File Sharing – Just like WhatsApp, you can create groups, share documents, images, and videos easily.

 

While WhatsApp continues to be the global leader, Arattai Messenger is carving its own niche* by offering an Indian-made, privacy-focused, and lightweight alternative. For those who prefer supporting homegrown tech and want more control over their data, Arattai is definitely worth trying.

 

At the end of the day, the choice between WhatsApp and Arattai depends on your priorities: if you value global connectivity, WhatsApp still wins. But if you want a secure, ad-free, Indian alternative with all essential messaging features, Arattai Messenger is the way forward.

More Info: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.aratai.chat 

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