TCL has the QM9K, its latest flagship QD mini LED television series. The QM9Ks will be the first panels in the industry to feature Gemini on Google TV, a new feature that we at the start of this year.
Using the standard “Hey Google” voice prompt, viewers will be able to find a movie or TV show, ask questions using natural language about any topic and even control smart home products that are synced through Google Home. Google TV on the QM9K also supports the creation of custom AI screensavers based on descriptions or prompts provided by users.
The TVs will feature an mmWave sensor — a form of radar used to detect if a person is in front of the panel — that will wake the devices, allowing users to engage with Gemini completely hands-free. Users will have the option of customizing distance settings and hours of operation for the wake sensor.
Aside from breaking new ground in software, the QM9K series features a “Zero Border” edge-to-edge WHVA panel, which promises excellent color accuracy and a bezel-less design.The TVs have up to 6,000 precise dimming zones for deep contrast — up to 57 percent more than on the QM8K, the other contenders in TCL’s “Ultimate Series.” The QM9K is set to deliver up to 6,500 nits of peak brightness in HDR, a 30 percent increase over its predecessor. The panels run from , and audio by Bang & Olufsen rounds out the premium sets.
The TCL QM9K will be available at Best Buy and select regional retailers later this month.
BrainSpec is collaborating with the University of Minnesota’s Center for Magnetic Resonance Research (CMRR) to commercialize its AutoVOI system.
Developed by the spectroscopy division at CMRR, AutoVOI automates the process of selecting brain regions for MR spectroscopy. This helps reduce variation between scans and users, BrainSpec said. The company added that this automation allows for broader use of MR spectroscopy in research settings.
Through this exclusive license agreement — managed by University of Minnesota Technology Commercialization — BrainSpec plans to simplify MR spectroscopy by reducing the technical complexity and bringing the technology to a wider audience, according to the firm.
Google’s Circle to Search tool just got a bit more useful, as it can now continuously . Until now, people had to restart the process every time the content on the screen changed. The update ensures the will keep on ticking along.
Google says this is great for getting “more context for social posts from creators who speak a different language” or when browsing “menus when you’re booking restaurant reservations while traveling abroad.” Just tap the “Translate” icon and look for the menu option “scroll and translate.”
This update not only keeps the translation tool going as you scroll, but it even keeps working when switching to another app. Google says “there’s no interruption” in these cases, which sounds pretty darned useful to me.
The update is rolling out now to Android users, but Samsung Galaxy devices are getting it first. Everyone else will have to wait a little bit.
This is just the latest update for Circle to Search. The tool also now lets users on phone numbers, emails and URLs.
Nearly six decades after its invention, the design of the computer mouse has remained largely unchanged – with serious consequences for users.
A new study led by Jose Berengueres, Associate Professor at the School of Engineering and Digital Sciences of Nazarbayev University (NU), Kazakhstan, together with Tony Yu from the University of Melbourne, emphasizes the urgent need for ergonomic redesigns that better fit the human hand and prevent long-term injury.
Key findings: nearly 20% of users suffer from chronic disorders related to mouse use. Tests with students at KTH Royal Institute of Technology (Sweden) revealed high levels of discomfort, especially among gamers under 30.
Professor Berengueres tested two prototypes:
Fleximouse – a squeezable mesh-body device that encouraged a natural palmar grasp.
A-frame hinge mouse – developed with Tony Yu, University of Melbourne, offering vertical orientation, fewer moving parts, and lower production cost.
A critical insight emerged: fit matters. Even a 1 cm difference in hand size strongly affected comfort and usability.
With new tools such as 3D printing, flexible electronics, and advanced materials, researchers see an opportunity to finally re-engineer one of the most widely used digital tools.
The mouse is long overdue for reinvention. Done right, it could make computing healthier and more comfortable for millions.”
Jose Berengueres, Associate Professor, School of Engineering and Digital Sciences, Nazarbayev University (NU), Kazakhstan
Why it matters
Repetitive strain injuries are a growing concern worldwide, especially for young people who spend long hours at computers or gaming. Healthier device design could improve wellbeing, reduce medical costs, and boost productivity across industries.
What is next
With 3D printing, flexible electronics, and advanced materials, researchers see an opportunity to create customizable mice that adapt to hand size and movement.
“The mouse is long overdue for reinvention,” says Prof. Berengueres. “Done right, it could make computing healthier and more comfortable for millions.”
Source:
Journal reference:
Berengueres, J., & Yu, T. (2025). Flexible Ergonomics: Can a Flexible Mouse Fix That Wrist Pain. ACM Interactions. doi.org/10.1145/3759241
Powered by Generative AI, Vision AI Companion enables conversational experiences that takes personalized home entertainment to the next level
9/4/2025
Samsung today unveiled Vision AI Companion1 at IFA 2025, introducing the next evolution of AI-powered displays across Samsung TVs and monitors. With a smarter Bixby2 voice assistant, Vision AI Companion will deliver more natural and conversational interactions by integrating the most advanced Samsung AI features into a single, intuitive AI experience that effortlessly helps users discover content and get contextualized answers to any question.
With people around the world seeking devices that do more than just stream content, Vision AI Companion reflects the increasingly central nature of TVs in the connected home. By integrating AI into the heart of the viewing experience, Samsung is enabling personalized recommendations, smarter multi-device interactions and intuitive support for your daily life.
“At Samsung, we’re investing in technology that makes experiences more personal, more intuitive, and built for the future,” said Kevin Lee, Executive Vice President of the Customer Experience Team at the Visual Display Business of Samsung Electronics. “With Vision AI Companion, we are redefining what a TV can do, going beyond picture quality and sound to deliver an experience that understands you, interacts with you and evolves with you over time.”
Conversational and Visual Intelligence
What sets Vision AI Companion apart is its ability to answer questions and requests with intelligent responses through multiple AI agents by simply pressing the AI button on your remote control.
Powered by Generative AI, Vision AI Companion delivers a more natural and conversational experience. That understands context and follow-up questions, enabling more fluid interactions that feel like a real conversation – no commands, no menus, no typing.
Vision AI Companion enables users to ask their Samsung TV about anything that’s on the screen, such as film details, the name of a piece of artwork or travel destination recommendations. Getting answers from an AI companion has never been more visualized and comprehensive. Contextualized answers to all your questions with related video/image options to choose from makes your discovery richer and more immersive.
Vision AI Companion not only responds but also understands context and follow-up interactions, displaying all relevant information directly on the screen. Content and information spanning movies, dramas, art, food, sports and travel are presented in conversational form, creating a more fluid and natural interaction with the TV.
Vision AI Companion integrates key Samsung AI features3 into one experience, making them easier than ever for consumers to access:
Live Translate4 provides real-time translation for conversations and on-screen dialogue.
Generative Wallpaper5 offers dynamic visuals customized to the user’s preferences.
AI Picture, Active Voice Amplifier Pro and AI Upscaling Pro automatically adjust picture and sound to optimize the viewing environment across content sources.
AI Gaming Mode delivers responsive, immersive gameplay with AI-powered optimization
Copilot by Microsoft and Perplexity, available as standalone AI agent apps, enable task support and productivity directly from the TV to extend Vision AI Companion’s functionality.
By unifying these functions, Vision AI Companion eliminates the need to switch between multiple apps or menus, becoming a central hub for entertainment, productivity and connected experiences.
From Concept to Reality
The concept of Samsung’s Vision AI was first introduced at CES 2025, where Samsung outlined its ambition to enhance the home screen experience across TVs, monitors and other displays. At its core, Vision AI enhances display and audio quality, enables seamless communication between Samsung devices and delivers tailored content through advanced AI agents. Vision AI is backed by Samsung’s long-term commitment to consumers, offering seven years of free software upgrades6 through the One UI Tizen platform. This ensures that supported models will always have the latest updates and AI features as well as the latest security updates from Samsung Knox.
With the launch of Vision AI Companion, those ideas now take shape with a new level of personalization, device integration and user support. Vision AI Companion will begin rolling out as a software update in late September, starting in Korea, North America and select European markets, with additional regions to follow. To learn more, visit www.samsung.com
It’s easy to get developers excited to try Ruby on Rails, with its productivity, speed and efficiency … but, then comes the time it takes to set it up. “If you have a $5 a month droplet on Digital Ocean, it will probably take you 40 minutes to compile a new Ruby version from source for your droplet,” said André Arko, co-creator of Bundler for Ruby and author of The Ruby Way, third edition.
Arko added that downloads are only required at install and then when the language updates, but the download time is off-putting for new developers.
“Then they say, Wait, what?” Arko said. “It only happens once a month or once a quarter, but if you’re new to Ruby, that’s still your entire impression of the language, and that really sucks.”
Arko has developed RV, a new Rust-based tool that solves this problem.
The Problem With Dependencies
Arko first learned Ruby back in the early 2000s. He went on to create Bundler for Ruby on Rails. Until Bundler, there were no package managers. Python had Pip as a package installer; Perl had CPAN as the package installer to install Perl packages.
But there wasn’t a dependency manager that would allow developers to list every package that a project needs, in one place. Arko once spent an entire week hunting down a bug that only appeared on one of three production servers. The issue was a single, different version of a dependency.
To solve this, Arko, Carl Lerche and Yehuda Katz created Bundler, a dependency manager that introduced the concept of a lock file. This file “locks down” the exact versions of all packages and their dependencies, guaranteeing that every developer and every server gets the same code.
“It’s like a manifest of the exact version of every package, guaranteeing that they all work together,” Arko explained.
The concept of a lock file is now a gold standard in modern software development, but Arko, who still maintains Bundler, started to notice new innovations emerging from other languages.
“When I was making Bundler, I was like, Oh, we are coming up with the new innovations,” he said. “And then, as I maintained Bundler over time, I was fixing bugs, and somebody else was off coming up with new innovations for Node or new innovations for Rust or new innovations for Python.”
RV’s Inspiration: Python’s UV
Around 2015, Arko had the idea of a language manager that would be a new kind of dependency manager — he didn’t have a name for it because there was only Astral’s UV as an example of what he meant.
“The specific things that it does is it combines what we usually call a version manager — which manages the language itself, Python, Ruby, Rust, whatever — and then it also folds in the dependency manager.”
He was particularly inspired by UV, a modern Python package and project manager written in Rust. What sets UV apart is its speed and its ability to combine two traditionally separate tools: a version manager (which manages the language itself) and a dependency manager.
“It only happens once a month or once a quarter, but if you’re new to Ruby, that’s still your entire impression of the language, and that really sucks.” – André Arko, creator of RV
For most languages, those tasks are managed by different tools. For instance, Rust has Rustup as the version manager and Cargo as the dependency manager. In Ruby, a developer needs one of three version managers (RVM, rbenv, or asdf) and a separate dependency manager (Bundler). UV’s innovation was to combine these functions into one tool, making the entire process faster and more streamlined.
“UV invented this breakthrough of ‘We’re going to jam both of them together,’ which is going to unlock new things that were never possible to do before, and we’re going to make it incredibly fast,’” he said.
The version of UV 0.3 that did this innovative combination first came out approximately one year ago, he noted. Arko used the tool with his Python project and then missed it when he worked on Ruby.
“It’s so fast and it’s so useful, that during the last year, every time I’ve come back to Ruby, which is still where I spend the majority of my time, I feel frustrated that I don’t have UV available to me,” he said. In the meantime, he waited for someone else to build a tool that would bring that function to Ruby.
The Problem With Ruby
The inspiration for a combined version and dependency manager for Ruby converged with a new professional opportunity. Arko and other open source maintainers formed a collective called Spinel.coop, a consultancy that helps companies with technical problems. They needed a project to showcase their expertise, and Arko realized he could build the tool he had been dreaming of for a decade.
“Basically, these two ideas came together for me at the same time,” he said. “Basically, with the inspiration of UV, I suddenly had a reason to build a version manager, to add to a dependency manager, to create this new category of tool.”
The idea further crystallized this past July when he attended RailsConf in Philadelphia.
“I hadn’t been sure that I was going to sit down and start working on it until I was talking to other developers at RailsConf,” he said. “I basically said, ‘What do you think about this idea?’”
What he learned is that developers consistently had the problem of convincing developers to try Ruby on Rails, but then when they find out they need to wait 10 to 40 minutes to download everything so it can compile and execute, they’re turned off by the language.
“All of the Ruby version management status quo today takes seven to 40 minutes to install a new Ruby version,” Arko said. “And every time I upgrade my Ruby, I get kind of sad and frustrated knowing that it could be faster than this.”
He started to build RV.
RV Installs Ruby in Seconds
RV is still very young but out of the gate with version 0.1.1, it solve the download barrier problem and that’s already garnering attentions, Arko said.
“… every time I upgrade my Ruby, I get kind of sad and frustrated knowing that it could be faster than this.” – André Arko
Previously, on a high-end development desktop workstation, that would have taken six or seven minutes and up to 40 minutes as a droplet on Digital Ocean. That’s because Ruby version managers have had to install a ‘tarball of source code,” Arko said, that is downloaded to your machine and then it literally starts compiling that source code from scratch.
“That is what takes so long, is that every developer in the entire world is rebuilding Ruby, just for their own personal machine every time there’s a new version,” Arko said.
But it’s possible to ask GitHub Actions, CircleCI or other CI/CD systems to build Ruby and provide the finished product. RV takes the finished product, then downloads the executable and installs it instead of that tarball of source code. RV act as an intermediary, so rather than asking every user to do it individually, RV does it once in advance, turning the source code into a binary. It then installs a functional Ruby interpreter on your Linux or Mac machine very quickly. Rust also gives it a boost.
“Because Rust is very fast at downloading and installing things, it takes about one second,” he said.
What’s Next for RV
RV is a work in progress, Arko cautioned.
“We have not delivered on the overarching promises of UV yet,” Arko said. “We have released the very first possible version of RV, which to be completely clear is actually just a stripped down version manager — all that we have actually shipped so far is the version management portion of the tool.”
But in the roadmap is the dependency management portion of the tool and the higher-level combination tool that will merge version management with dependency management — a tool he doesn’t yet have a name for — are on the roadmap.
“To be clear, this is imaginary because we haven’t written it yet, but conceptually, you can say RV run Rails new, and you don’t even need to have Ruby installed. RV will install the Ruby that you need in one second, and then RV will install the Rails that you need in another second, … and one or two seconds later, Rails is now running, and that was all you needed to do,” he said.
In the meantime, he’d love to get developer feedback about that goal.
“I would just like to make using Ruby easy and straightforward and great and awesome from the company perspective,” he said. “I would love to talk to companies who want all of their developers to be faster at using Ruby and more efficient and know what they’re doing and solve their problems.”
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Loraine Lawson is a veteran technology reporter who has covered technology issues from data integration to security for 25 years. Before joining The New Stack, she served as the editor of the banking technology site Bank Automation News. She has…
Just when you thought the foldable phone market was starting to settle down, Huawei is out here living in the future. The company just announced the Mate XTs, its second-generation trifold phone, which is already available to order in China. Yes, you read that right—their second, while most companies are still trying to perfect their first flip or fold.So, what’s new with this next-gen behemoth? Honestly, not a ton. This is more of a refinement than a revolution. The biggest upgrade is the addition of stylus support for its massive 10.2-inch display, which makes a lot of sense for a screen that size. The display itself, which folds down into 7.9-inch and 6.4-inch configurations, remains largely the same. Under the hood, you get a new Kirin 9020 chipset and an improved 40-megapixel ultrawide camera. It also comes in a couple of new colors—white and purple—to go along with the returning red and black options.
Images credit — Yanko Design & Gizmochina
Now, let’s talk about the price. The Mate XTs starts at 17,999 yuan, which is about $2,520 in USD. While that’s an eye-watering amount of money for a phone, it’s actually cheaper than the original Mate XT, which launched at 19,999 yuan (about $2,800). It’s progress, I guess?
Here’s where it gets interesting. Huawei is lapping the competition in this niche category. Samsung, the undisputed king of the current foldable market, is rumored to be releasing its first trifold soon, but Huawei is already on version two. However, Samsung’s entry is the one everyone is really waiting for, as they have the global reach and mature software ecosystem to potentially take this niche form factor and make it feel more mainstream.
But here’s the thing: as exciting as this is, the trifold market is still a solution in search of a problem for most people. The technology is undeniably impressive, but the price is a massive barrier, and Huawei’s ongoing software limitations outside of China make it a tough sell. The Mate XTs is a fantastic glimpse into what’s next, but for now, it remains a futuristic gadget for those with very deep pockets.
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Meta is adding a new feature to let you add a bunch of extra text to Threads posts — no screenshots of text blocks required. Starting today, Meta is rolling out a tool that lets you attach up to 10,000 characters of text to Threads posts, giving you a way to build upon the 500-character text limit already available when making a post. It’s kind of a Threads-y take on X’s Articles feature.
You can add a text attachment to a post by tapping on a new rounded rectangle icon with some lines on it. After tapping that, a word editor opens up where you can type away, and you can format your text with bold, italics, underlines, and strikethroughs.
On your feed, a text attachment appears as a small block below your main post. When you tap that block, it will expand to show the full attachment for you to read. If you include a link in your main Threads post, that link will also be shown in the expanded text attachment, meaning the tool could be a useful way to share a preview of an article or a blog post and then direct readers to the full thing.
BERLIN, Sept. 4, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Innovative AI-driven technology brand TECNO announced the launch of the “TECNO MEGAPAD Pro” at IFA 2025, a cutting-edge tablet designed as the “Essential AI Tablet”. TECNO MEGAPAD Pro delivers an AI-powered tablet experience with a 12-inch 2K eye-care display, Dolby-enhanced audio, and 8-hour battery long usage. The device is uniquely designed for students, professionals, and family users by featuring an instant-access AI tools via Ella Voice Assistant to apply image-based Q&A and content summarization to boost productivity and learning efficiency.
With its versatile performance and intelligent features, TECNO MEGAPAD Pro empowers students to efficiently organize study materials, complete assignments, and collaborate with peers, while enabling professionals to handle emails, presentations, and productivity apps seamlessly. The device also offers a balanced entertainment experience for families with its immersive display, parental controls, and long-lasting battery life. Designed to enhance productivity across multiple roles, the MEGAPAD Pro adapts effortlessly to diverse user needs, making it an indispensable tool for learning, working, and connecting.
Eye-Caring Large Display for Sustained Efficiency
TECNO MEGAPAD Pro features a stunning 12-inch 2K Ultra Sensory Display that is not only visually captivating but also prioritizes eye health with low blue light certification. This immersive display provides up to 450 nits of brightness, combined with a 90Hz refresh rate and an impressive 86% screen-to-body ratio, creates an engaging environment for students to dive deep into their studies. Additionally, it features a surround sound experience with four Dolby speakers, perfect for movies, music, online classes, and video conferences scenarios. The MEGAPAD Pro is beneficial for the workplace and freelancers, easily handling office needs and providing efficient meeting experiences as an on-the-go mini laptop with a optional TECNO keyboard. Users can smoothly finish documents and conduct video conferences anywhere while also enjoying entertainment like watching short videos by split screen. While seamless performance and high-quality audio-visual effects is supported, a 10,000mAh battery also allows for up to 8 hours of usage.
TECNO AI Driven Productivity: The More You Use, the Smarter It Gets
Empowered by TECNO AI, the MEGAPAD Pro is packed with powerful AI features. A light press on the AI key, TECNO Ella Assistant responds instantly, enabling efficient collaboration and problem-solving through multimodal interaction scenarios: from AI writing, socializing, to video meeting. The AI Drawing Board transforms notebook sketches into smart images, making note easier taking. Smart Scanner handles document scanning and AR measurements in a flash; Users can also double-tap to activate Smart Text Recognition for quick info extraction. For students, these AI functionalities support efficient task management, helping them streamline study processes, enhance note-taking practices, organize information seamlessly, and stay focused on studies. For light business professionals, who face challenges like cumbersome equipment, language barriers, and fragmented workflows, the MEGAPAD Pro’s capabilities shine. Its ultra – slim design eases travel burdens, and real time translation in over 50 languages breaks down communication barriers and AI Noise Cancellation filters out background noise during calls; Coupled with instant file sharing, this tablet revolutionizes cross-border collaboration for professionals, ensuring seamless connectivity in any meeting scenario.
Ecosystem Connectivity with TECNO Devices Switching
One of the standout features of the MEGAPAD Pro is its ability to collaborate effortlessly with TECNO smartphones and PCs via TECNO OneLeap. At IFA 2025,TECNO has presented the latest AI Ecosystem products with showing the interconnection workflow via TECNO Slim, TECNO MEGABOOK S14 and MEGAPAD Pro. Users can quickly share files, use the tablet as a secondary screen, and control multiple devices simultaneously. This functionality is essential for light business professionals who rely on efficient cross-device collaboration and multi-tasking in their mobile work environments. Users can share files instantly and utilize the tablet as a secondary screen, ensuring that meetings and presentations are conducted smoothly. Moreover, “Tablet & Phone Mirroring”, featured with Clipboard Sharing to mirror your phone to the tablet for seamless message handling and real-time syncing. Stream videos on manage files on the tablet with gesture or keyboard controls for an immersive big-screen experience.
With its versatile performance and smart features, the MEGAPAD Pro empowers students to efficiently organize study materials, complete assignments, and collaborate with peers, while enabling professionals to handle emails, presentations, and productivity apps seamlessly. The device also offers a balanced entertainment experience for families with its immersive display, parental controls, and long-lasting battery life. Designed to enhance productivity across multiple roles, the MEGAPAD Pro adapts effortlessly to diverse user needs, making it an indispensable tool for learning, working, and connecting.
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About TECNO
TECNO is an innovative, AI-driven technology brand with a presence in over 70 markets across five continents. Committed to transforming the digital experience in global emerging markets, TECNO relentlessly pursues the perfect integration of contemporary aesthetic design with the latest technologies and artificial intelligence. Today, TECNO offers a comprehensive ecosystem of AI-powered products, including smartphones, smart wearables, laptops, tablets, smart gaming devices, the HiOS operating system, and smart home products. Guided by its brand essence of “Stop At Nothing,” TECNO continues to pioneer the adoption of cutting-edge technologies and AI-driven experiences for forward-looking individuals, inspiring them to never stop pursuing their best selves and brightest futures. For more information, please visit TECNO’s official site: www.tecno-mobile.com.
