The enterprise AI company names a new CEO while taking a candid look at past sales challenges but cheering its market opportunity
C3.ai’s stock has fallen by half this year.
C3.ai Inc.’s stock has been “battered,” and that pressure was “well deserved,” according to the enterprise artificial-intelligence company’s outgoing chief executive.
But the company is trying to restore investor confidence by adding more stability to its leadership profile – with the appointment of a new CEO from the government and startup worlds.
Stephen Ehikian is taking over the CEO post after serving as the acting administrator of the U.S. General Services Administration and working to modernize the procurement process there, according to a statement. He previously built two artificial-intelligence companies that were purchased by Salesforce Inc.
Ehikian replaces Tom Siebel, an industry veteran who previously announced his intention to exit the CEO role as he deals with health challenges. But Siebel isn’t going far. As executive chairman, he’ll “remain engaged” at the company, helping Ehikian “as necessary” and focusing on “important partner and strategic customer relationships, with a continued eye on product strategy and direction.”
The company makes enterprise AI software offerings that help make use of data for the federal government as well as businesses in the manufacturing, financial-services and other industries.
C3.ai shares (AI) have tumbled more than 50% this year, and the company previously warned of disappointing results for the latest quarter. Its financial outlook issued Wednesday came up short of expectations as well, and the stock fell another 11% in after-hours action.
Read: C3.ai’s stock plunges, and some analysts worry business trends could get worse
Siebel took a candid approach to discussing the company’s past challenges, which he attributed in part to “dreadful” execution from the sales team in the fiscal first quarter that recently wrapped up. C3.ai had shaken up the sales leadership team with a new chief revenue officer and others, and that added confusion to the sales process, he said.
Plus, Siebel himself is usually quite active in customer engagement, but couldn’t participate to the usual extent due to his health issues. Some CEOs are more into strategy, while others are “very hands on in the sales process.” In retrospect, he said he realizes his participation was perhaps “a little bit more important than we thought.”
C3.ai forecasts $72 million to $80 million in revenue for the current quarter, which Siebel said reflects a spillover of the issues from last quarter. Because the company incurred a roughly $30 million revenue shortfall then relative to expectations, and customer engagements typically last three years on average, the missteps of the past are bound to have an effect on the present.
The FactSet consensus was for almost $100 million in revenue for the ongoing quarter.
But Siebel and Ehikian are upbeat about the company’s product and the opportunity in enterprise AI.
“There are no really competitive changes in the market, no secular changes in the market,” Siebel said. “The product is great. Customers are satisfied.”
Ehikian said his government work will lend well to the new C3.ai role. His efforts to modernize the federal government’s procurement processes could make it easier for agencies to buy C3.ai technologies, implement them and scale them, he said.
He plans to engage customers more and show them how to deploy AI for “mission-critical operations” in a practical sense, beyond what can be shown in demos.
-Emily Bary
This content was created by MarketWatch, which is operated by Dow Jones & Co. MarketWatch is published independently from Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal.
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — A suspected attack by Yemen’s Houthi rebels targeted a ship in the Red Sea on Thursday, officials said, as the militants increase their missile fire targeting Israel.
The attack off the coast of Hodeida follows an Israeli strike last week that killed the rebels’ prime minister along with several officials. The Houthis have been using cluster munitions in the missile attacks on Israel — which open up with smaller explosives that can be harder to intercept, raising the chances of strikes as Israel prepares for a new ground offensive in its war on Hamas that’s decimated the Gaza Strip.
The attack Thursday saw an “unknown projectile” land off the side of a vessel as electronic interference was particularly intense, the British military’s United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations center said. It added that the ship and crew were safe after the apparent assault.
The private maritime security firm Ambrey also acknowledged the apparent attack, as did the firm EOS Risk Group, which noted the Houthis have launched multiple missile attacks targeting Israel in recent days as well.
“The current tempo reflects a clear escalation, shifting from sporadic launches to multiple daily attempts,” said Martin Kelly of EOS Risk Group.
The Houthis did not immediately claim the apparent attack, though it can take hours or even days for them to acknowledge their assaults. The Houthis targeted at least one other ship in recent days as well.
From November 2023 to December 2024, the Houthis targeted more than 100 ships with missiles and drones over the Israel-Hamas war in the Gaza Strip. In their campaign so far, the Houthis have sunk four vessels and killed at least eight mariners.
The Iranian-backed Houthis stopped their attacks during a brief ceasefire in the war. They later became the target of an intense weekslong campaign of airstrikes ordered by U.S. President Donald Trump before he declared a ceasefire had been reached with the rebels. The Houthis sank two vessels in July, killing at least four on board with others believed to be held by the rebels.
The Houthis’ new attacks come as a new possible ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war remains in the balance. Meanwhile, the future of talks between the U.S. and Iran over Tehran’s battered nuclear program is in question after Israel launched a 12-day war against the Islamic Republic in which the Americans bombed three Iranian atomic sites.
Stock shoots 25% higher while analysts still worry about rising tariff costs and the retailer’s ability to avoid them
Sydney Sweeney in an American Eagle ad in New York’s Times Square.
American Eagle Outfitters Inc.’s advertising campaign featuring actress Sydney Sweeney, featuring the tagline “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans,” caused controversy this summer – with progressives claiming it amounted to an endorsement of eugenics, while conservatives, including President Donald Trump, defended the ad.
As far as American Eagle’s business was concerned, some data last month revealed minimal sales impact, and even a possible dent to store traffic.
But on Wednesday, executives at the clothing retailer said to expect more from the campaign through the rest of the year, following what they characterized as strong demand and an outlook that sent the company’s shares (AEO) skyrocketing 25% higher after hours.
“‘Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans’ is not going anywhere,” American Eagle Chief Marketing Officer Craig Brommers said on the company’s earnings call. “Sydney will be part of our team as we get into the back half of the year, and we’ll be introducing new elements of the campaign as we continue forward.”
Sweeney’s signature jeans sold out within a week, executives said. While same-store sales at American Eagle were down 3% during the second quarter, which ran through July, demand picked up in August, and the company pointed to an overall uptick in fall-season demand. Helped as well by a limited-edition collaboration with NFL star Travis Kelce’s Tru Kolors sportswear and lifestyle clothing line, the retailer said it picked up new shoppers in “every single county in the U.S.” and posted its best Labor Day ever. Back-to-school demand also helped.
“The fall season is off to a positive start,” American Eagle Chief Executive Jay Schottenstein said in a statement. “Fueled by stronger product offerings and the success of recent marketing campaigns with Sydney Sweeney and Travis Kelce, we have seen an uptick in customer awareness, engagement and comparable sales.”
The remarks by American Eagle executives came as other brands continue to find themselves in the political crosshairs. Most recently, Cracker Barrel Old Country Store Inc. (CBRL) abandoned a new logo design last month after anger from conservatives, including prodding from Trump himself.
Looking forward, American Eagle on Wednesday said it expects “approximately flat” same-store sales for the full year. Wall Street analysts expected a 0.2% dip.
For the third and fourth quarters, the company forecast same-store sales to increase in the “low-single-digit” range. Wall Street expected same-store sales gains of 0.9% and 1.7%, respectively, for those two quarters.
The retailer said the outlook “includes estimated tariffs based on the latest trade policies.”
During the second quarter, American Eagle reported sales of $1.28 billion, down 1% year over year. Same-store sales decreased 1%, and the company earned 45 cents a share.
Analysts polled by FactSet expected second-quarter adjusted earnings of 20 cents a share on revenue of $1.24 billion, with same-store sales down 2.2%.
Still, as of the close of trading Wednesday, the stock was still down 18.3% so far this year. Analysts have been skeptical about American Eagle’s ability to navigate U.S. tariffs on imports, as well as the longer-term benefits of the collaboration with Sweeney.
“The retailer has little room to pass costs directly from tariffs to shoppers who are already highly price-conscious and will likely have to absorb some of the margin pressure,” Natasha Nair, an analyst at Third Bridge, said in emailed commentary.
“American Eagle also faces tough competition from brands like Zara and Shein, which target a similar set of price-conscious customers,” she added. “These brands can quickly follow the latest trends and offer lower prices, making it harder for American Eagle to stay competitive.”
Like other retailers dealing with tariffs, American Eagle said it would raise prices in some cases, but emphasized that is only one of multiple options. It said it would also negotiate with suppliers and shuffle around where it makes clothing and how it gets shipped. Executives said that American Eagle was relying less on China – expected to account for a single-digit percentage share of the company’s manufacturing this year – and moving some production out of Vietnam.
American Eagle said it expects tariffs to cost it around $20 million in the third quarter, and $40 million to $50 million in the fourth quarter.
But executives also noted Kelce’s Tru Kolors items were selling well at higher prices, helping to boost interest in American Eagle’s men’s sections. They said Kelce worked personally with American Eagle’s designers in selecting fabrics and helped recruit other athletes who are also promoting the collaboration.
“Travis is driving interest in fashion like never before,” Brommers said on the call.
-Bill Peters
This content was created by MarketWatch, which is operated by Dow Jones & Co. MarketWatch is published independently from Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal.
Mandy Sayer is already an award-winning memoirist, but her latest is clearly one from the heart: a love letter to her father. Gerry Sayer, a jazz musician, was singular in pursuit of his art. In the 1980s, father and daughter moved from Australia to the US where they busked without permits, he on drums and her tap-dancing along, and dodged debt collectors by moving between grotty hotels.
Decades later, Gerry was diagnosed with terminal cancer and Mandy became his carer. But this book is far from a descent into grief: it is full of humour and picaresque characters, Gerry among them. Kings Cross as it was, lurid and neon-lit, plays a starring role; Sayer’s habitat for decades. This is a writer at the height of her powers, telling a story she literally was born to write. – Susan Chenery
Fierceland by Omar Musa
Fiction, Penguin Random House, $34.99
Part poetry, part prose, spoken word poet, rapper and artist Omar Musa’s second novel weaves together worlds and legacies. Siblings Roz and Harun return to Malaysian Borneo for their father’s funeral, only to confront the ghosts of the past. Told across times and places, the story traces the cost of choices made for future generations: “We give our lives so that our children will live. But how will they live?”
Grappling with the devastation wrought by palm-oil plantations, violence and family estrangement, Musa asks whether old wounds can be healed and whether amends can ever be made. Bold and lyrical from the first page, Fierceland is a work of art. – Seren Heyman-Griffiths
Desolation by Hossein Asgari
Fiction, Ultimo Press, $34.99
A dishevelled stranger approaches a writer in an Adelaide cafe. “I have a story for you,” declares the man, who calls himself Amin. The writer is reluctant, but quickly finds himself compelled by Amin’s story, which unfolds in the aftermath of the Iran-Iraq war.
This is the framing for Hossein Asgari’s second novel, Desolation, a bleak and urgent coming-of-age story that is narrated in a deceptively simple style. Teller and tale become entangled, the boundaries between truth and fiction erode, and bitter ironies abound. – Catriona Menzies-Pike
Fiction, Hachette Australia, $32.99
Suburban Brisbane, 1975. Twelve-year-old Andie Tanner lives with her mother, her father and their four racing greyhounds. Andie dreams of becoming a greyhound trainer one day, and she’s pretty sure she has the future figured out. But as her family and friendships start to crumble, she begins to understand the complexity of human life.
Tenderfoot captures the pain of growing up with intimacy and precision, and offers a poignant reflection on class and community. Told through alternating perspectives – adult and child – this is a gorgeous coming-of-age story about longing, loss and the persistence of childhood within us all. – Seren Heyman-Griffiths
Cannon by Lee Lai
Graphic novel, Giramondo Publishing, $39.95
When we meet Cannon, the titular protagonist of Lee Lai’s second graphic novel, she has just trashed the restaurant where she works. Shards of glass surround her, as do mysterious birds. Her longtime best friend Trish is the only person who witnesses the wreckage – a breakdown that has been a long time coming.
Lai’s 2021 debut graphic novel, Stone Fruit, traced the dying days of a queer relationship; similar themes continue here with her sparing monochrome style and emotionally hefty dialogue. Questions of ethics in art, filial responsibility and the shifting tides of friendship weave their way through this thoughtful, sensitive story, with flashes of red-hot anger piercing through. – Giselle Au-Nhien Nguyen
Inside Out by Kathleen Folbigg and Tracy Chapman
Biography, Penguin Random House, $36.99
When Kathleen Folbigg and Tracy Chapman met as children in Kotara public school, the pair were not to know what life had in store for them. That Folbigg would lose four babies. That she would be convicted of their murder and manslaughter. That she would spend 20 years in prison. That Chapman would never waver, and would stand by her side, advocating for Folbigg for decades when the rest of Australia regarded her friend as a baby killer.
Inside Out charts the course of the women’s lives, from childhood to conviction, imprisonment and ultimately exoneration. In chapters divided between Folbigg and Chapman, it tells a story of loyalty, justice and tremendous pain. – Celina Ribeiro
Secret Sauce by Rosheen Kaul
Cookbook, Murdoch Books, $39.99
A continent-hopping ode to condiments, Rosheen Kaul’s new recipe book includes 50 flavour-packed sauces, alongside 50 dishes that incorporate them. The award-winning author of Chinese-ish and former Etta chef is a wonderfully playful recipe writer, but the real innovation in this cookbook are not just the dishes, but the possibilities beyond them. Any of her sauces could be used to enliven an otherwise bland midweek meal, whether it be plain pasta, fried egg and rice, or meat and two vegetables.
Most of the sauces keep for several days at least, so the book is a particular gift to meal preppers, in a beautifully photographed package. – Alyx Gorman
Discipline by Randa Abdel-Fattah
Fiction, University of Queensland Press, $34.99
This book may be a work of fiction, but it speaks a truth many have come to know: that to talk about Palestine in the west requires discipline and sacrifice. Set in Sydney during Israel’s attacks on Gaza during Ramadan in 2021, Discipline centres on two characters – journalist and young mother Hannah and academic Ashraf – as they navigate censorship, prejudice and apathy in two of society’s most contested areas: newsrooms and university campuses.
With visceral detail, Randa Abdel-Fattah captures the pangs of survivor guilt and rage felt by first-generation Australians witnessing the destruction of their homelands while living in “the empire”, and the cost of speaking out against the status quo. – Nour Haydar
Nature’s Last Dance: Tales of Wonder in an Age of Extinction by Natalie Kyriacou
Nonfiction, Simon & Schuster, $36.99
Natalie Kyriacou’s ode to a natural world in decline is full of quirky stories, like the Great Emu Wars of the 1930s, the scientists exploring whale poo and Pablo Escobar’s menagerie. The environmentalist traverses the long, sad and weird arc of the history of humanity’s interactions with animals and the environment, to the point of mass extinction and collapse.
Kyriacou is keen to emphasise the beauty that remains in the world, a reflection of her belief that changing course “begins with curiosity”. This is a book which leans into curiosity and and hope, while also mourning the damage done. – Celina Ribeiro
The Farm by Jessica Mansour-Nahra
Fiction, Hachette Australia, $24.99
There is an admirably nasty streak in this debut gothic novel. When 37-year-old Leila has a miscarriage, then a devastating diagnosis, her boyfriend James encourages her to decamp with him to his family farm in O’Connell, New South Wales so she can recover. But the isolation is soon oppressive; Leila begins hearing noises and soon comes to suspect she is not the first woman James has brought to O’Connell.
If you’ve read anything in the gothic tradition – particularly Jane Eyre and Rebecca – you’ll be coming into this book forewarned about many of the beats it hits – but it is still compelling. – Sian Cain
Linger: Salads, Sweets and Stories to Savour, Together by Hetty Lui McKinnon
Cookbooks, Pan Macmillan Australia, $44.99
Can salads be main dishes? Hetty Lui McKinnon believes they can, and has created 100 unique vegetarian salads in her latest book to prove just that. With flavours ranging from Chinese to Spanish, these dishes are not only filling but made to be shared – all having been road-tested by McKinnon, who hosted monthly lunches over the course of a year to see how these recipes were received by her friends.
The book is broken up into 12 roughly seasonal menus that include not only the main-worthy salads but also little bites and sweet treats. Each menu also comes with a curated playlist – which can help set the atmosphere if you take on the mantle as host. – Isabella Lee
Buses and coaches represented 12% of all HDV sales in Q1–Q2 of 2025. Of the 19,000 buses sold, 4,100 were zero-emission vehicles, accounting for 22% of total sales, up from the 3,000 sales, or a 16% share, in Q1–Q2 2024. Battery electric city buses reached a new high, accounting for 60% of all city bus registrations in Q2, while ZE sales of minibuses (buses with a weight between 3.5 t and 7.5 t) reached 13%. The corresponding share for interurban buses and coaches was significantly lower, at just 3%.
The sale of ZE interurban buses and coaches was almost exclusively from the sale of Iveco’s Crossway, an interurban bus, of which 190 were sold in Q1–Q2 of 2025. Sales of ZE coaches have been nascent in the European Union so far.
Shares of ZE buses and coaches rose sharply in Belgium, from 17% in Q1–Q2 2024 to 62% in Q1–Q2 2025, and in Sweden, from 3% to 50% over the same period. For city buses, only ZE sales were recorded in Q1–Q2 2025 in Denmark, Finland, Lithuania, the Netherlands, and Romania, and the sales share was above 50% in Belgium, Ireland, Luxembourg, Poland, Portugal, Spain, and Sweden.
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OnePlus is holding yet another Back to School sales event for its flagship phone, the OnePlus 13. Right now, if you purchase either the 256GB or the 512GB OnePlus 13, you’ll receive a free OnePlus Watch 2 (normally $300) in either Radiant Steel (gray) or Black Steel — your choice. If you don’t want the wearable, you can instead receive a Wood Grain Magnetic Half-pack Case for free.
Be aware that the OnePlus Watch 2 gift has a strict 700-unit limit. Once all 700 smartwatches are gone, the company won’t be giving any more away during the current promotion. But you can still grab the case.
Also: As an Android user, this is the closest thing to AirTags for my wallet (and better in some ways)
Don’t worry if you miss out on the free smartwatch. A OnePlus representative told us that “once supplies run out,” shoppers can enter the code “BACK2COLLEGE” at checkout and receive a $100 discount on the OnePlus 13. Adding the code at the time of this writing will not lower the price.
Although the code won’t work, it is possible to discount the OnePlus 13 through the company’s trade-in program. You can trade in any device, in any condition, and receive a nice $100 discount. I should also mention that the deal applies to every color option for the OnePlus 13: Black Eclipse, Midnight Ocean (blue), and Arctic Dawn (white).
The OnePlus 13 is the company’s latest flagship smartphone, and it’s a top-notch device — earning ZDNET’s coveted Editors’ Choice Award for April 2025. We praised the model “because it nails all the fundamentals of a great smartphone experience while leading the market in some regards,” ZDNET’s Kerry Wan wrote in his review.
It features the powerful Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, a 6,000mAh Silicon NanoStack battery, 80W fast charging, and a high resistance rating of IP69. This means the phone is completely sealed against dust and can survive brief submersion underwater. At a glance, this seems excessive, but according to Wan, “it’s a benefit that users will appreciate when they least expect it”.
Kerry Wan/ZDNET
Photography is another area where the OnePlus 13 shines. Its triple-lens system captures bright, highly detailed images, although post-processing can create overly saturated pictures. I also can’t forget to mention the stylish design, which flaunts a vegan leather backing that makes the phone visually striking and comfortable.
How I rated this deal
As per ZDNET’s rating system, I give the base deal a score of 3/5. When I say “base deal,” I am only taking into account the free OnePlus Watch 2. Together, the phone and wearable cost $1,200, but this deal shaves off $300. However, if you take advantage of the “trade in any device, any condition” program, that score jumps up to a 4/5 since you’ll be saving $400 in total.
As per OnePlus, this deal will end on September 14.
Deals are subject to sell out or expire at any time, though ZDNET remains committed to finding, sharing, and updating the best product deals for you to score the best savings. Our team of experts regularly checks in on the deals we share to ensure they are still live and obtainable. We’re sorry if you’ve missed out on this deal, but don’t fret — we’re constantly finding new chances to score savings and sharing them with you at ZDNET.com.
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The All Blacks will cap their second centurion in as many weeks and 15th of all time, with loose forward Ardie Savea named to play his 100th Test match.
A debut is also likely at halfback, with Kyle Preston being named on the bench for the third round of the Lipovitan-D Rugby Championship against South Africa.
Savea debuted for the All Blacks in 2016 against Wales, having previously represented New Zealand in the Under 20s and Sevens sides. He has played against South Africa on 15 previous occasions, including as All Blacks Captain in the 100th Test against the Springboks in 2021.
Preston is set to become the All Blacks’ eighth debutant this year if he comes off the bench on Saturday night. It has been a rapid rise up the rugby ranks for the 25-year-old halfback, having made his Bunnings Warehouse NPC debut for Wellington in 2023 and becoming their top try scorer in 2024, then his Super Rugby debut for the Crusaders this year, scoring a hattrick of tries on debut.
All Blacks Head Coach Scott Robertson paid tribute to both players and said Savea and Preston are representative of the mix of experience and exciting new talent in the wider 23.
“Ardie embodies everything that makes an All Black. He brings an extraordinary level of passion, leadership, and mana every time he pulls on the jersey. We will honour his milestone with a performance that reflects not just his quality on the field, but the example he sets every day.
“Ardie is one of three centurions in the match day 23 to play South Africa, while Kyle Preston is joined by three other players who have debuted for the All Blacks this year. As with all of our debutants, we know that Kyle will rise to the challenge in the black jersey. He is a skilful player who has proven his ability to drive a game and make smart decisions in pressure moments.”
Preston takes the bench spot vacated by Finlay Christie, who will start at halfback on Saturday night (Cortez Ratima having been ruled out with a rib fracture). Wallace Sititi has also moved to the starting line-up to play at 8, while Simon Parker moves into 6.
Tupou Vaa’i shifts from loose forward to lock, moving Fabian Holland into an impact role. Also adding power to the reserves are Tyrel Lomax and Du’Plessis Kirifi, who re-join the 23 this week.
The only other change in the backs from the line-up that faced Argentina in Buenos Aires is Emoni Narawa coming on to the wing.
MATCH FACTS
This will be the 109th match between the All Blacks and Springboks, with the All Blacks having won 62, lost 42 and drawn 4.
The last three matches between these two sides have been decided by 6 points or less – an average winning margin of 3.7 points. Nine of the last 14 matches between the sides have had a winning margin of 6 points or less.
The last three New Zealand based fixtures have resulted in every outcome possible – an All Blacks win, a draw, a Springboks win.
The Springboks have won their last four matches against the All Blacks, which includes the World Cup final, and have held the All Blacks to 1 try or less in 3 of the last 4 encounters.
The All Blacks are unbeaten in their last 50 test matches at Eden Park – 48 wins and 2 draws (including the Springboks in 1994).
ARDIE SAVEA FACTS
Ardie Savea will become the 15th All Blacks Test centurion and the fourth loose forward to reach the milestone.
He has scored the most Test tries of any All Blacks forward in history, with 30.
Savea has 74 starts and 72 wins in 99 appearances, a 73% win ratio.
He has started 52 times in the 8 jersey, 17 times as a 7, and 5 times as a 6.
Durham University scientists have unveiled a major advance in drone swarm technology that could transform the way unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) are used in real-world missions.
Their newly developed system, known as T-STAR, allows swarms of drones to fly faster, safer, and with unprecedented coordination, even in highly complex and obstacle-filled environments.
Drone swarms have long been seen as the future of applications such as search and rescue operations, disaster response, forest fire monitoring, environmental exploration, and parcel delivery.
Yet until now, drones working in groups have struggled to combine speed with safety.
When navigating unpredictable surroundings, traditional systems often force drones to slow down drastically or risk collisions, limiting their effectiveness in urgent or large-scale missions.
The T-STAR system tackles these challenges by enabling drones to communicate and share information in real time, the system allows each drone to adjust its path instantly in response to changing conditions or the movements of nearby drones.
This prevents collisions, keeps formations intact, and ensures the swarm continues towards its goal with minimal delay.
Importantly, the technology achieves this without compromising speed. Tests have shown that swarms guided by T-STAR complete their missions faster and with smoother, more reliable flight paths than existing methods.
Lead author of the study, Dr Junyan Hu of Durham University, said: “T-STAR allows autonomous aerial vehicles to operate as a truly intelligent swarm, combining speed, safety, and coordination in ways that were previously impossible.
“This opens up new possibilities for using cooperative robotic swarms in complex scenarios, where every second counts.”
In practice, this means drones could one day be deployed more effectively to save lives during emergencies such as earthquakes or floods, to track and contain wildfires, or to deliver supplies in hard-to-reach areas.
The researchers also believe the technology has strong potential for everyday applications, from agriculture to logistics, where teams of autonomous flying robots could operate at a scale and efficiency previously thought impossible.
What makes T-STAR especially pioneering is its balance between agility and teamwork.
Each drone operates with a high degree of independence, yet remains part of a coordinated network, much like birds in a flock.
This approach gives the swarm both resilience and flexibility, ensuring it can adapt to challenges on the fly.
Extensive simulations and laboratory experiments have already demonstrated T-STAR’s superiority over existing systems, and the researchers are now looking towards real-world trials in larger outdoor environments.
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It’s been a few weeks since the Osmo 360 was released, and many creators have released video reviews already. Since those original videos, the camera firmware has been updated, as has the desktop software, and the product has matured.
This camera gets a lot right, and gives you many great ways to record an image from a unique perspective. I’ve been using the camera since soon after launch, and while I’ve enjoyed using it a lot, I didn’t expect to like the single-lens modes as much as I do.
Compared to previous 360 cameras, it’s got a larger sensor, higher resolution, and it does a few things differently — can it improve on the Insta360 options? Time to dig in.
The Osmo 360, on the end of a 2.5m Extended Carbon Fiber Selfie Stick with the tilting magnetic adapter
The basics
Rather than the tall form factor that most Insta360 cameras use, the Osmo 360 returns to a more squat shape with a wide screen rather than a tall one. A squarer form factor was used on the GoPro Max, and on my first 360 camera, the Xiaomi Mijia Mi Sphere, but Insta360’s cameras have always been vertical, and they’ve been dominant for some time — so it’s nostalgic to see a return to this shape. If you prefer landscape delivery to portrait, being able to see a more accurate widescreen preview of the finished image is a clear win, and a major difference from the taller screen that Insta360 cameras have used.
While there’s a microSD slot in the battery compartment, it’s effectively optional, as there’s just over 100GB of free space built in to the camera. This is enough for a day of occasional shooting, and a great safety net should you leave the microSD card back at the office.
With lenses on both sides, more adventurous shooters sometimes worry about scratches, but I haven’t had any problems yet with damaged lenses. Two protective options come with the camera: the neoprene storage bag, or a harder rubber lens cover. Either seems to do the job, but I prefer the bag myself.
Since you’ll sometimes put down the camera and walk away, it’s handy to be able to control it in a few different ways. For stills, you can set a delay before the photo is taken. For video, you can use the DJI Mimo mobile app to control the camera, or use gesture control (an open palm to stop or start recording) or use voice control, simply saying “start recording” or “stop recording”. A firmware update just introduced another option: Twist Shot, where you twist the selfie stick twice to start recording. At time of writing, it’s not possible to control the camera using a connected Apple Watch, but the other options have been good enough.
The screen uses a tapping and swiping-from-the-edges interface which will feel familiar if you’ve used any DJI or Insta360 camera in the last several years. The camera’s UI is snappy, it’s quick to start up, and it’s easy to switch between settings.
If you tap on the icon showing the active mode in the lower left you can choose another mode, and if you tap in the lower center you can change settings in the current mode. The 360° options include several special shooting modes, including timelapse, still image, video, and slow motion, while the single-lens modes include still images (at a lower resolution), Video, and a wide-angle Boost Video mode. I would love to see a Timelapse/Hyperlapse mode added to the single-lens side of things, as well as a high-resolution single-lens still option.
Each of these modes has several resolution and frame rate combinations to choose from, topping out at 8K 50fps in 360° video mode, 5K 60fps in single lens video mode, or 120MP (a colossal 15520x7760px) for 360° stills. Resolution has always been an issue for 360° cameras, because you’re spreading a limited pixel budget across a wider field of view than regular cameras do, but this camera has better specs than anything else near its price.
The fact that a tiny consumer camera can capture 15.5K across is pretty great, and viewing it in my Apple Vision Pro (in a third party app like Kandao XR) shows off more detail than any 360° shots I’ve seen before.Even better: the camera stitches these shots in-camera, so there’s no need to post-process them before viewing. Affinity Photo can open equirectangular shots (Layer > Live Projection > Equirectangular Projection) and correct them, so it’s easy to view these shots on a Mac or PC too.
Want to peep some pixels? Click for the full size 120MP JPEG, straight out of the camera
Unfortunately, JPEG is the only option for 120MP stills; no RAW and no bracketing — a problem for virtual tours. In tests against my older Insta360 RS 1-inch 360 edition camera, the dynamic range was very similar, but the Osmo clearly won on detail.
Insta360 RS 1-inch 360 edition on the left in RAW, Osmo 360 on the right in JPEG, both set to 120° FOV in a 4K timeline in FCP (click for full size)
This 360°/single-lens switch is at the heart of the camera, and this transition can only be made through the touch screen. While the power button can be held to power or or off, or tapped briefly to switch between different modes, you can’t switch between 360° or single lens modes this way. In some ways it’s a shame that the options aren’t more unified, because my favorite ways to use this camera are for 360° stills and single-lens regular video, but I’m probably not a typical user.
Why those two modes? Because neither of these modes require any kind of post-processing. While all the 360° video modes require a pass through DJI Studio, the 360° stills don’t, and the single-lens video modes don’t either. It’s really important to realize that this isn’t only a 360° camera, but could easily replace (or better) an action camera like the DJI Action or Insta360 Ace Pro. If you do want this camera to potentially be used as an action camera, think carefully about which bundle you go for, and what accessories you choose to go with it.
Bundles and Accessories
The base camera is available in the Standard Combo or the Adventure Combo. Both include a basic selfie stick and a battery, while the Adventure Combo also includes a tilting adapter mount, two extra batteries and a charging case. To use the Osmo 360 as an action camera, you’ll want the tilting mount.
The Battery Case 2, part of the Adventure Bundle, showing quickly which batteries are fully charged and which one needs a charge
A simple switch below the camera on the opposite side allows movement between straight up (good for 360° use) and a single tilted angle (68°) that makes hand-holding much more comfortable for selfie shoots or looking out — depending on which lens you’re using. Though it may initially seem that a single tilt angle isn’t enough, in fact it’s just fine, and impossible to position incorrectly. You can’t even put the camera on backwards, because the magnets will stop you. Be sure to set the angle straight for 360° use or the selfie stick will become visible.
The button on the back of the adapter switches between 0° and 68°; release the camera by pressing both side latches
Importantly, if selfie mode is your main focus, you should consider the Battery Extension Rod, which is excellent. Including a built-in tilting adapter, three control buttons and a large internal battery, if you buy this you may not need to purchase the Adventure Combo.
Osmo 360 with the Battery Extension Rod
Through electronic connections on the mount which interface with the camera, the buttons can start and stop recording or take stills, switch between different modes, and switch between the two lenses in single lens mode. It’s also possible to add a tripod below with the built-in 1/4-20 socket. If you want to document your travels, it’s a great option, but if your focus is more on 360° shooting, there’s another selfie stick to consider.
The DJI Osmo 2.5m Extended Carbon Fiber Selfie Stick doesn’t include a long battery or a tilting adapter, but its huge reach does let you put the camera in otherwise unreachable places. If you’ve ever seen a 360° camera used like a drone, but in a place where a drone would be unsafe or illegal, it was probably a very long selfie stick like this. You’ll probably want to use this mostly in 360° mode, so the tilting aspect of the adapter is less critical, but it’s still useful to be able to magnetically attach the camera. Here’s a 360° shot I took with this monster selfie stick:
Battery life in the camera alone is good, but if you want to be able to film all day, I’d recommend grab the Adventure Combo or the Battery Extension Rod. To tempt you further, if you’re already in the DJI ecosystem, the batteries are compatible with other DJI cameras, the magnetic tilting mounts are compatible with DJI Action cameras, and DJI Mics work throughout the range too. As anyone with a range of Apple gear knows, ecosystems can be powerful.
OK. Let’s dive into some details.
Specs
Several features will be attractive to post-production professionals. First, all the modes here are 10-bit, so you won’t see banding in skies even after correction, and grading is more forgiving. Second, D-Log M is available to help you retain more dynamic range — important with wide shots outdoors. Third, in “Pro” mode, which you’ll surely switch to almost straight away, you can control the Texture (aka sharpening) and Noise Reduction for each mode, and importantly, each mode remembers its own setting.
If you turn Texture down to -2 for single-lens video but prefer 0 for 360° video, that’s totally fine, and up to you. I prefer the look with Texture at -1 or -2, and Noise Reduction at -2, but run your own tests to discover where your preferences sit. In general, it’s better to sharpen less at capture time and more in post production, but you may prefer to sharpen in camera for a quicker workflow.
When working in 360° mode, you can turn the resolution down to shoot at higher frame rates, but 50fps at 8K hits a sweet spot for most, enabling some slow motion without compromising image quality.
While you’re obviously recording everything around the camera in the 360° modes, In the single-lens modes, you’ll helpfully be told the approximate equivalent field of view of each mode as you choose it.
Use Boost Video mode for the highest frame rates (up to 120fps) and largest field of view (6mm equivalent) with the warped edges of a traditional action camera. Regular Video mode offers higher resolutions (up to 5K) with lower frame rates (up to 60fps) and a narrower view. In Video mode, you have three field of view options. Use the “Standard (Dewarp)” option for a fully rectilinear view (15mm equivalent) or use Wide or Ultra Wide (12mm equivalent) if you’re happy with slightly warped edges.
North Gorge at Point Lookout, North Stradbroke Island, Queensland, Australia. A sample frame from 5K 16:9 video, with the D-Log M LUT applied and nothing else (click for full size)
Note that the dewarping does bring a little softness to the edges of the frame, but it’s not too objectionable, and the 5K resolution means you have room to zoom in if you want to. Both Boost Video and Video modes give you control over stabilization, but you’ll want it on unless you’re mounted on something solid. You’ll notice a slightly increased field of view if you turn stabilization off.
Data rate can be set to Standard or High, and you’ll probably want to choose High to avoid potential compression artifacts. Interestingly, the 5K 16:9 mode has a higher bit rate (5120×2880 @ ~120Mbps) than the higher resolution 5K 4:3 mode (5120x 3840 @ ~100Mbps). These data rates are still on the lower side for professional production, so you may prefer to shoot 16:9 over 4:3 to minimize any potential quality loss. On the other hand, that 4:3 aspect ratio is spectacularly useful if you need to deliver to landscape and portrait from a single shot, simplifying workflows considerably.
Speaking of post-production, let’s take a look at the software.
Software
DJI Mimo is a mobile app which lets you monitor the camera’s view, see details like the current ISO, shutter speed and exposure, and it can also process clips for quick sharing — like a tiny planet-style photo. Most video pros will end up using DJI Studio (the desktop app) that’s similar to the very good Insta360 Studio, with a few features missing.
One feature not current present is the ability to simply batch transcode all clips to equirectangular. The only way to convert is to make a project, with a timeline, then add the original clips and choose the output format you want, but that involves setting a new name for the timeline and getting a single clip out. If you want a simple 1:1 mapping between source clips and equirectangular clips, because you want to choose your angles and field of view in your NLE, or because you’re delivering in 360°, you simply can’t do it. There’s a plug-in for Premiere Pro which does let you work with the native clips, but you’ll need to pre-process your clips for FCP or Resolve.
DJI Studio with several keyframes on a clip
Most users shooting 360° will therefore be spending a bit of time in DJI Studio, pre-editing, sorting out transitions, cutting and framing for eventual 2D delivery, and for that it works well. DJI Studio offers a variety of projection modes, tracking, and the ability to smoothly transition between various views — but I’d really like to see a batch processing option for those pursuing a full 360° workflow. Faster processing would also be welcome, but given the speed and frequency of updates — firmware and DJI Studio have both been updated more than once since releaase — I’m pretty hopeful.
If you do want to work with 360° footage in regular rectangular projects in Final Cut Pro, here’s a sneaky trick for you. Add your equirectanglar clips to a regular timeline, but rather than using a Normal projection, choose Tiny Planet. Reduce the Field of View, then set tilt to 90°, and you’ll be able to achieve a wider view than is normally possible. Of course, the wider the field of view, the more source pixels you’ll be using, and the higher your image quality will be.
A sneaky Tiny Planet trick in FCP which works well on outdoor shots
Quality
Does the image look good? Yes. I’ve shot a lot of footage with the Osmo 360, spanning many different modes, aspect ratios and frame rates, and I’ve been pleasantly surprised at how “normal” the footage looks — it’s not over-sharpened. Most smaller cameras and phones compensate for a lack of pixels with over-processing and excessive noise reduction, but this camera allows you to turn all those options down. There does seem to be some auto-exposure correction around skylines, but in general, the image is clean and pleasant.
From comparisons online, the Insta360 X5 looks a little more processed, but there’s not a huge amount in it unless you pixel peep. Still, if you have an older 360° camera and are looking to update, the Osmo is probably the better choice if you’re fussy about image quality. All the single-lens options are very good for an action camera, where 10-bit Log is far from common, and the stabilization is great too. Audio is surprisingly clear, with multiple wind cancellation options, and you can connect a DJI Mic directly to the camera without needing a receiver if you want to. Happily, you can lock down ISO ranges and white balance for more predictable results.
Curtis Falls walk at Mt Tamborine, Queensland, Australia. A 5K 4:3 sample frame, with the D-Log M LUT applied and nothing else (click for full size)
Now that I’ve been able to quickly switch between front-facing and selfie cameras with a camera on a pole, I don’t really want to see the world through a phone screen, and an action camera doesn’t have the same flexibility. Note that in higher bitrate modes (which you’ll want to use) you can’t switch from front to back lenses seamlessly, and you also can’t record a dewarped image with both lenses at the same time. Instead, you’ll have to stop and restart recording with a brief pause between. Still, with dedicated hardware buttons to swap lenses and to start or stop recording (on the camera and the Battery Extension Rod) that’s a compromise I can live with.
The main reason to use a 360° camera is usually because you can’t be sure where the action will be, or you know it’s all around you. That’s when a long selfie stick shines. But since single-lens mode is so capable, this camera can getthe job done even when you do know where to point it, and because it’s light and small, you can pop it in action-camera-sized spaces. You won’t, of course, get mirrorless camera quality from an action cam, but we’re getting closer, and 5K gives you room to zoom even when delivering 4K.
Conclusion
This camera lets you capture unique perspectives with fewer compromises than other action cameras or 360° cameras. If you want a regular view, you can record in single-lens mode, monitor your image or not, and you’ll be able to capture a good image that can take a bit of manipulation. If you want to capture everything, shoot in 360° mode, then process it. The Insta360 X5 is the closest competitor, but it can’t match the resolutions available in single-lens mode, nor the 50fps frame rate available in 360° video mode, nor the 120MP 360° still resolution.
The Osmo 360, on the Battery Extension Rod, ready for single lens recording
The Osmo 360 with a Battery Extension Rod is my new favorite travel camera. Quality in single lens mode is very good, stability is great, and I can capture what I’m seeing without staring at a screen all day. If I want to capture a detailed snap of everything around the camera, I’ll shoot a 360° still for viewing on my Apple Vision Pro. If I want to quickly capture video in either direction, I’ll use the single lens mode for stable 5K video from a low or high perspective. And if I want to capture the action all around, of course I’ll switch into 360° video mode and process it later.
Early reviews dinged the Osmo for not having user-replaceable lenses, but the situation has changed somewhat since launch. Though you can’t order spare lenses in advance and replace them yourself, it’s even cheaper to swap out broken lenses if you can send your camera in to DJI. If you absolutely need instantly replaceable lenses, consider the Insta360 X5 or the upcoming GoPro Max 2.
The only other potential issue with this camera is availability in the US. Though you can pre-order it now, there’s currrently no firm release date. Fingers crossed this is fixed soon, but the rest of the world can enjoy it now. If you already have a recent 360° camera then this may not surpass it quite enough to tempt you, but for anyone else? It’s a great choice. The Osmo 360 is a solid option for anyone looking for a 360° camera or an action camera — recommended.
PS
It’s possible to film with two Osmo 360s side-by-side for excellent stereoscopic 3D video. More on that in a future article.
