Category: 4. Technology

Having covered Amazon Prime Day for as long as we have, we know what to expect. One thing that’s almost always certain — Amazon is going to wait as long as possible to drop prices on their Kindle e-readers. The longest Prime Day ever is coming July 8 through 11, and we expect to finally see price drops on Amazon’s e-readers when the sale officially starts. So until then, the best deals are going to be on Kindle bundles.

Amazon’s Kindle bundles include a case and power adaptor, to complete the e-reader experience. However, the deals aren’t blowing us away. Right now, you can find some moderate savings — around 10% off — on Kindle bundles. If you want some bigger savings, we say hold out. But if you’re ready to shop, here are the best deals on Kindles ahead of Prime Day.

Best Kindle Deal

Why we like it

The Amazon Kindle Scribe is the brand’s only e-reader that offers note-taking abilities. So if you’re an annotator, this is certainly the right e-reader. With a 10.2-inch screen, it has plenty of space for taking notes in the margins in both PDFs and e-books. Plus, the notebook feature allows you to write out pages and pages of writing that convert from handwritten notes to text.

However, keep in mind that among the Kindles we’ve tested, this is Amazon’s slowest performing device.

The Amazon Kindle Scribe is also the most expensive Kindle in Amazon’s line-up. But ahead of Prime Day, it does have the biggest savings. Normally $569.97, the Amazon Kindle Scribe Essentials Bundle is $504.97, saving $65 for 11% off.

Mashable Deals

Still not willing to spend $500 on a Kindle? The good news is, there are more Kindle bundles to explore.

More Kindle deals

Ubisoft’s revised End-User License Agreement (EULA) has raised concerns among gamers, with the publisher now requiring players to “destroy” their games once support is discontinued.

The update, first reported by Tech4Gamers, clarifies that players no longer “own” their games but instead purchase a license to play, subject to the company’s terms.

The updated EULA includes a “Termination” clause, stating that players must uninstall and destroy all copies of a game when Ubisoft ends support, terminates their account, or discontinues the product.

This move has led to significant backlash, with many players expressing frustration online. Fans have taken to X (formerly Twitter) to criticise Ubisoft.

The update also allows Ubisoft to revise the agreement at their discretion, requiring players to check for changes regularly.

If players disagree with the revisions, they are expected to terminate the EULA, leading to the uninstallation and destruction of the game.

Ubisoft’s ongoing struggles, including underperforming titles like Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora and Star Wars Outlaws, have left the company in a difficult position.

The company’s recent subsidiary partnership with Tencent has added further uncertainty to the future of its games. With its focus shifting to a select few franchises, many Ubisoft properties are now in limbo, deepening concerns over the long-term availability of purchased titles.

In response, the Stop Killing Games movement has gained momentum, with over one million signatures calling for the legality of game destruction to be challenged.

Ubisoft’s latest policy has sparked broader debates about digital ownership and the preservation of video games.

The full EULA is now available on Ubisoft’s website.

Samsung’s Glare-Free TV display coating, validated by UL certification, lauded for “making OLED TVs far more versatile for use in bright environments.”

 

Samsung Australia has today announced that Samsung Electronics’ Glare-Free certified TV display technology has won the prestigious 2025 Canstar Blue Innovation Excellence Award in Home Entertainment. In achieving this accolade, Canstar Blue judges deemed Samsung’s Glare-Free certified technology a “game-changing breakthrough” with the potential to improve the everyday lives of customers.

 

Unleashed across global markets in 2024 exclusively on the Samsung OLED S95D TV, Samsung’s Glare-Free certified technology uses an embossed coating to scatter ambient light in various angles and directions across wider diffusion patterns[1]. The result reduces on-screen reflections while maintaining the incredible brightness, object sharpness, and colour accuracy Samsung OLED TVs are renown for.

 

Independently verified by leading applied safety science company, UL Solutions, the OLED S95D became the world’s first certified Glare-Free OLED television, capable of effectively reducing reflection and discomfort glare.[1]

 

According to Canstar Blue judges: “Samsung’s OLED Glare-Free technology, validated by UL certification, stands out for its innovation, making OLED TVs far more versatile for use in bright environments. The Samsung S95 was the first model to showcase this feature, highlighting advancements in OLED TV technology and reinforcing its position as a noteworthy option in the market. Specifically designed for bright Australian homes, it minimises screen glare while preserving brightness, colour accuracy, and picture detail.”

 

Due to the technology’s incredible effectiveness, Samsung has expanded the application of its Glare-Free certified technology across its wider Neo QLED and QLED TV and monitors line-ups, offering enhanced viewing experiences to more Australians who experience their Samsung displays in rooms with abundant natural light.

 

Samsung’s 2025 Glare-Free TV line-up includes the Samsung OLED S95F, Neo QLED 8K QN990F, Neo QLED 8K QN900F, Neo QLED QN90F, The Frame Pro, and The Frame[1]. Samsung has also applied its Glare-Free certified technology to select 2025 monitors including the Odyssey OLED G8, Odyssey OLED G6[2], and OLED Smart Monitor M9[1], providing Australians with a distraction free experience whether they are using their monitors for productivity, entertainment or game play.

 

“Samsung’s Glare-Free certified OLED technology reflects years of research, development and investment, setting a new benchmark for TV design and versatility in the Australian market,” said Phil Gaut, Director – Consumer Electronics, Samsung Australia. “By addressing the pervasive issue of glare, Samsung has redefined what consumers can expect from their televisions, combining cutting-edge technology with practical benefits to help enhance everyday living.”

 

Samsung currently also holds the title of Canstar Blue’s Most Satisfied Customers Award – TV, having achieved 5-star ratings across Performance, Durability, User friendliness, and Features & Functionality testing categories.

 

Samsung’s Bespoke AI Heat Pump Combo washer also earned a 2025 Canstar Blue Innovation Excellence Award in the Laundry Appliances category. The Bespoke AI Heat Pump Combo washer was commended for “its speed and energy ratings, offering improved efficiency and potential time savings compared to other models.”

 

For more information on Samsung’s 2025 Glare-Free TV line-up, visit: https://www.samsung.com/au/tvs/

For more information on Canstar Blue’s Innovation Excellence Awards, visit: https://www.canstarblue.com.au/awards/innovation-excellence/

 

[1] Glare Free: Reflection Glare UGR <10, Discomfort Glare UGR <22, Disability Glare UGR <34 by UL LLC. (UL Solutions), Certificate Number: V166045 – Exp. 31/12/2025

[2] Coming to Australia in the second half of 2025. Pricing and availability yet to be announced.

A new study published in the Journal of Statistical Mechanics: Theory and Experiment (JSTAT) reveals a piece of this mystery. It shows that when small amounts of data are used for training, neural networks initially rely on the position of words in a sentence. However, as the system is exposed to enough data, it transitions to a new strategy based on the meaning of the words. The study finds that this transition occurs abruptly, once a critical data threshold is crossed — much like a phase transition in physical systems. The findings offer valuable insights for understanding the workings of these models.

Just like a child learning to read, a neural network starts by understanding sentences based on the positions of words: depending on where words are located in a sentence, the network can infer their relationships (are they subjects, verbs, objects?). However, as the training continues — the network “keeps going to school” — a shift occurs: word meaning becomes the primary source of information.

This, the new study explains, is what happens in a simplified model of self-attention mechanism — a core building block of transformer language models, like the ones we use every day (ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, etc.). A transformer is a neural network architecture designed to process sequences of data, such as text, and it forms the backbone of many modern language models. Transformers specialize in understanding relationships within a sequence and use the self-attention mechanism to assess the importance of each word relative to the others.

“To assess relationships between words,” explains Hugo Cui, a postdoctoral researcher at Harvard University and first author of the study, “the network can use two strategies, one of which is to exploit the positions of words.” In a language like English, for example, the subject typically precedes the verb, which in turn precedes the object. “Mary eats the apple” is a simple example of this sequence.

“This is the first strategy that spontaneously emerges when the network is trained,” Cui explains. “However, in our study, we observed that if training continues and the network receives enough data, at a certain point — once a threshold is crossed — the strategy abruptly shifts: the network starts relying on meaning instead.”

“When we designed this work, we simply wanted to study which strategies, or mix of strategies, the networks would adopt. But what we found was somewhat surprising: below a certain threshold, the network relied exclusively on position, while above it, only on meaning.”

Cui describes this shift as a phase transition, borrowing a concept from physics. Statistical physics studies systems composed of enormous numbers of particles (like atoms or molecules) by describing their collective behavior statistically. Similarly, neural networks — the foundation of these AI systems — are composed of large numbers of “nodes,” or neurons (named by analogy to the human brain), each connected to many others and performing simple operations. The system’s intelligence emerges from the interaction of these neurons, a phenomenon that can be described with statistical methods.

This is why we can speak of an abrupt change in network behavior as a phase transition, similar to how water, under certain conditions of temperature and pressure, changes from liquid to gas.

“Understanding from a theoretical viewpoint that the strategy shift happens in this manner is important,” Cui emphasizes. “Our networks are simplified compared to the complex models people interact with daily, but they can give us hints to begin to understand the conditions that cause a model to stabilize on one strategy or another. This theoretical knowledge could hopefully be used in the future to make the use of neural networks more efficient, and safer.”

The research by Hugo Cui, Freya Behrens, Florent Krzakala, and Lenka Zdeborová, titled “A Phase Transition between Positional and Semantic Learning in a Solvable Model of Dot-Product Attention,” is published in JSTAT as part of the Machine Learning 2025 special issue and is included in the proceedings of the NeurIPS 2024 conference.

BEIJING, July 8, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — On July 3, 2025 Global Digital Economy Conference was grandly held in Beijing. As part of the conference’s signature “First Launch Global Debut” segment, iSoftStone officially introduced its new overseas brand, iSoftStone Digital, to the international market. This milestone marks the company’s entry into “Going Global Expansion2.0” strategy. With a renewed positioning of driving global client value through digital technology innovation, iSoftStone Digital is opening a new chapter in its international development journey.

At the launch ceremony, Mr. Liu Huifu, Director and Chief Technology Officer; Mr. Han Zhimin, President of Computing Products and Smart Electronics Business; Mr. Huang Li, President of International Business; Mr. Yin Lu, Vice President; and Mr. Li Chuan, Vice President jointly witnessed the new era of “iSoftStone Digital”, marking a significant milestone in the company’s global expansion strategy.

As a Chinese leading enterprise in full-stack intelligent products and services, iSoftStone has always committed to global expansion, identifying “international growth” as one of its four core strategies. Over the past twenty years, the company has steadily built a global business network spanning four key regions: Southeast Asia, the Middle East, Japan, and North America. The release of this new brand is another important milestone in iSoftStone’s overseas development. With a fresh brand identity, the company aims to further empower Chinese enterprises going abroad and support global clients in their digital transformation efforts.

During the launch ceremony, Mr. Yin Lu delivered a comprehensive interpretation of the brand’s strategic positioning and significance. He stated, “iSoftStone Digital not only carries two decades of iSoftStone’s innovation and global vision, but also represents our firm commitment to empowering global clients with digital technology and building a better future together.” Moving forward, iSoftStone will empower global clients with seven strategic digital solutions and innovative products from its proprietary hardware brand MECHREVO.

Later, five key leaders took the stage together, placed their handprints on the brand activation panel, marking the official launch of iSoftStone Digital.

iSoftStone Digital aims to enhance its global presence by integrating resources and accelerating innovation. The company will focus on creating a strong outbound ecosystem, supporting enterprises in their international growth, and becoming a benchmark for Chinese tech firms worldwide. With an emphasis on collaboration, iSoftStone Digital is committed to advancing the global digital economy.

SOURCE iSoftStone

SINGAPORE, July 08, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — buz, the voice messaging app that recently topped app store rankings across multiple countries, has released a product update today, with a spotlight on Japanese users. The update introduces the Kansai Vibes voice filter—buz’s most technically advanced filter to date—along with a suite of new features designed to enable more user creativity and social sharing.

Kansai Vibes: Innovation in Voice Filters

The Kansai Vibes voice filter brings vibrant regional Japanese dialects—like those from Kansai, a south-central region of Japan known for its expressive speech and major cities like Osaka and Kyoto—to life using a completely new speech synthesis approach.

Instead of simple voice conversion, buz now uses automatic speech recognition (ASR) to transcribe the user’s voice, a large language model (LLM) to rewrite it in the Kansai dialect, and finally text-to-speech (TTS) to generate a fresh, natural-sounding Kansai-accented voice. Each output is randomized, allowing for a variety of tones—from playful and anxious to bold or sarcastic—and featuring both male and female voices.

The Kansai Vibes launch is part of buz’s broader push to localize content for a culturally diverse audience. By capturing the nuance and personality of one of Japan’s regional dialects, buz is deepening its appeal among Japanese users and other international users who are interested in Japanese culture.

New ‘Featured’ Tab and Social Video Sharing

The app’s new update also debuts a Featured tab, where filters come to life with dynamic previews and social-ready content designed to spark creativity and encourage sharing. Users can now export voice-based creations directly to video, complete with visual effects and captions, then easily and quickly post them across social platforms.

New creative tools introduced in this release include fresh bubble styles, updated text templates, voice-to-video generation, and support for third-party video sharing—making it easier than ever to make voice moments into compelling, shareable content.

Global Momentum and User Excitement

buz continues its organic growth, gaining strong traction across many markets as users embrace its fresh take on voice-driven social interaction. The app is also showing strong signs of popularity among young users in Japan and around the world, reflecting its broad cross-cultural appeal. In Japan, buz has ranked #5 in the Apple App Store’s Social Networking category and #7 in Google Play’s.

Additionally, buz has reached the #1 spot in the Social Networking category of 12 countries on the App Store and four countries on Google Play. It has also ranked among the top 10 social networking apps in 133 countries on the App Store and 53 countries on Google Play, including the US, UK, Germany, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Philippines. This strong viral growth across different markets demonstrates strong growth and momentum in diverse cultural contexts. With 4.9 stars on the App Store and 4.8 stars on Google Play, buz maintains one of the highest user satisfaction ratings in its category.

Download buz:

App Store

Google Play

About buz

buz is voice messaging made fast, natural and fun. Developed by Singapore-based Vocalbeats, the leading audio-based and voice-driven messaging app bridges age, language and cultural gaps, and is part of the Company’s vision to create the world’s largest audio platform to better connect and communication. With over 29 million downloads globally, buz enables effortless connectivity among users—anytime and anywhere—through secure, clear voice transmissions and a user-centric interface.

buz is available on the App Store and Google Play.

For more information, please visit www.buz.ai.

About Vocalbeats

Vocalbeats is dedicated to building the world’s largest audio platforms to better connect and communicate while pioneering innovation in AI-powered products and experiences. The Company fosters a globally diverse and inclusive team, committed to revolutionizing audio platforms by leveraging the synergy of heterogenous perspectives. This commitment ensures the creation of innovative products that resonate worldwide.

For more information, please visit https://www.vocalbeats.com.

Media contact: media@vocalbeats.com

SHENZHEN, China, July 8, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Innovation has always been a crucial component in creating unique and valuable products. While catering to growing trends, Baseus has also placed heavy emphasis on creating a range of products that meet the unique needs of each user. This means creating devices and gadgets that adapt to dynamic lifestyles – whether you’re on the move or at home. Now, Baseus is launching a range of products ideal for the traveler with the latest PrimeTrip C03 Magnetic Car Mount Series and the PrimeTrip VR2 Max 100W Car Charger.

Built to be flexible, convenient, and user-friendly, the PrimeTrip C03 range consists of the C03 and C03S magnetic car mounts. Each product in this range is equipped with exciting new features that make it the ideal companion on any journey. On the other hand, Baseus is also launching its PrimeTrip VR2 Max 100W Car Charger as part of the exceptional Baseus VR2 range. The 100W charger also comes in a 60W and 30W variety to give users more options when it comes to charging on the go. The new generation of Baseus devices brings several noteworthy updates worth highlighting.

PrimeTrip VR2 Max 100W Car Charger

A 4-in-1 100W Charging Solution: One of the biggest highlights of the PrimeTrip VR2 Max 100W Car Charger is definitely the absolute scale of power and usage. This versatile charging solution comes with 4 different charging ports: A 67W USB-C1 cable, a 33W USB-C2 cable, a 33W USB-C port, and a 30W USB-A port. These each serve a specific purpose and can be used respectively to charge different devices at the same time. Equipped with a hefty 100W maximum output, speed and power are no problem for the PrimeTrip VR2 Max 100W Car Charger. When using multiple ports simultaneously, the USB-C1 port will maintain a 67W output to charge high-power devices such as laptops. 

450° Dual-Axis Flex Rotation: When you’re charging on the go, you need a device that is as flexible as you are. This is why the nifty PrimeTrip VR2 Max 100W Car Charger has both 270° horizontal and 180° vertical movement. This innovative and practical design ensures that everyone in the car has easy access to the charger. For people in the backseat, you can also simply recharge with the longer cable.

Dual 31.5-inch Retractable USB-C Cables: Speaking of cables, the PrimeTrip VR2 Max 100W Car Charger does it all with 2 durable USB-C retractable cables that run to around 31.5 inches. This extends – quite literally – your charging capabilities and allows anyone in the car to charge their devices comfortably from any seat. With no fixed gears in the cables, you can stretch them to any length you need in a smooth and seamless swoop. The retractable and seamless design also ensures that you never have to deal with cable clutter again. 

Uninterrupted & Ultra-Safe Charging: Your charging experience needs to be seamless, but it also needs to be safe. This is why the PrimeTrip VR2 Max 100W Car Charger comes with several safety protocols to keep your devices and car safe with every charge. These safety measures include over-temperature protection, over-voltage protection, over-current protection, and a flame-retardant shell material. These all work together to ensure that your fast charger is never a hazard on your journey.

Wide Compatibility: Another key highlight of a good car charger is its compatibility. Fortunately, the PrimeTrip VR2 Max 100W Car Charger has a wide range of compatibility and fits in with almost every major branded device available today. This includes phones from iPhone, Samsung, Google, and many others. It’s also compatible with a wide array of tablets, earbuds, smartwatches, drones, cameras, and other devices.

Stable Anti-Slip Clips: Staying stable during a car ride can be a tough ask for many chargers. However, the PrimeTrip VR2 Max 100W Car Charger features a customized special double clip design that provides maximum grip and stability while driving. This will keep your charger steady in place, no matter how bumpy the road gets.

Instant Magnetic Retraction: As mentioned before, a unique element of the PrimeTrip VR2 Max 100W Car Charger is its dual cables. However, another special part of that design is their instant magnetic retraction. This ensures that every retract will pull the cable neatly and smoothly back into place without a fuss, keeping your car tidy and clutter-free.

During this Prime Day, the impressive PrimeTrip VR2 Max 100W Car Charger is now available on the Amazon store with great deals now available for $29.99 and the 30W variant for $19.99! 

Baseus PrimeTrip C03S Magnetic Car Mount

Industry’s First Dual-Arm Design: The Baseus PrimeTrip C03S Magnetic Car Mount comes equipped with a dual-arm design on a compact base, built to fit along complex and curved surfaces. This makes it ideal for several car models and provides unrestricted installation angles for different viewing preferences. Easily stick the car mount in place across any surface in the car for secure and stable attachment.

Seamlessly Detachable Twin Base Design: To stay adaptable, the PrimeTrip C03S Magnetic Car Mount also uses a simple push-to-remove and click-to-lock mechanism that allows you to easily twist the base to detach the main unit. This keeps your phone securely mounted while you adjust the base to your preference, giving you the optimal view and stability at every angle.

Flexible Aluminum Dual-Arms with 3M Adhesive Base: To ensure flexibility and stability in every situation, the PrimeTrip C03S Magnetic Car Mount uses super-strong 3M adhesive pads that stay in place and can endure extreme heat up to 121°C (250°F). The aluminum twin arms can also be bent freely in all directions while retaining their shape. Unlike single-arm car mount designs, the split rod design here won’t block off any portion of the view while driving.

20N Maximum Magnetism: Keep your phone safely in place with 20N magnetism that can secure even large phones and has been proven to reduce phone drop incidents caused by bumps on the road. Apple 12 and above users can attach directly; however, non-Apple users will need to install a magnetic ring using the provided installation guide.

Dual Magnetic Bases: Another great advantage of the PrimeTrip C03S Magnetic Car Mount is that the dual bases feature built-in magnets to ensure that they snap into alignment instantly. This allows you to reset the mount to its original shape almost instantly when you need to.

PrimeTrip C03 Magnetic Car Mount

Industry’s First Magnetic Adjustment Knob: With the PrimeTrip C03 Magnetic Car Mount, you can make use of a rear knob with precise 15-25N force control to give you a firmer grip on your device. This mount also works on complex surfaces and can be used almost anywhere in your car.

Reversible Magnetic Head for Flexible Orientation: The PrimeTrip C03 Magnetic Car Mount also features a 180° flexible angle. Coupled with a 360° rotatable base, it allows you to flip it front to back with a simple twist. This gives you several flexible viewing angles to choose from depending on your preferences.

Smart-Flex Design: To extend the flexibility even more, the PrimeTrip C03 Magnetic Car Mount also has a 180° bendable aluminum arm that can flex easily while still holding firm. This keeps your device stable without sagging an inch. The car mount also uses a 360° rotating base with a dial lock. This allows you to fine-tune angles with precision up to 20°, then twist the dial to lock your perfect position.

Wide Compatibility: Another great feature of the PrimeTrip C03 Magnetic Car Mount is that it can be used with almost any type of phone, regardless of size. The car mount easily secures large phones while reducing phone drop incidents caused by bumps on the road. However, while Apple 12 and above users can attach directly, non-Apple users will need to install a magnetic ring using the provided installation guide.

3M Adhesive Base: To stay securely in place, the PrimeTrip C03 Magnetic Car Mount features an upgraded 3M adhesive that lasts longer and can survive extreme temperatures of up to 121°C (250°F). Simply lock the spot, then apply the 3M adhesive and let it set for 24 hours for the strongest hold.

The PrimeTrip C03 Magnetic Car Mount Series promises to be a new chapter in flexible and adaptable car mount technology. The C03 Magnetic Car Mount Series is now available on Amazon for customers in the US and across Europe in Germany, France, Spain, and Italy.

Overall, Baseus is committed to improving designs and features to keep up with the fast-paced lifestyles of our users. The PrimeTrip C03 Magnetic Car Mount Series and PrimeTrip VR2 Max 100W Car Charger are testament to that devotion. These exceptional products are dedicated to making every trip easier, whether you’re taking a long road trip or simply commuting to work each day. At Baseus, your needs come first when it comes to creating advanced technology that simplifies your day-to-day life.

About Baseus

Founded in 2011, Baseus was born out of utmost care for users. The company embodies its slogan: Practical. Reliable. Base on User. This shows the pursuit of ultimate practicality to solve users’ problems with outstanding design and fashionable appearances that also reflect reliability, high quality, and cost-effectiveness. Baseus delivers a variety of products – including Portable Chargers, Desktop Chargers, Wall Chargers, Wireless Earbuds, and Docking Stations. Chosen by 300 million users and providing 6 billion services, Baseus delivers over 100 million practical and aesthetic products each year, continuously enhancing users’ sense of fulfillment. Join the Baseus family today to see a new world of technological innovation.

Media Contact:

Name: Baseus PR Team
Phone: +1 (213) 512-7063
Email: [email protected]
Baseus Technology (HK) Co., Ltd
Baseus Official Website: https://www.baseus.com/

SOURCE BASEUS TECHNOLOGY (HK) CO, LIMITED

OpenAI has reportedly overhauled its security operations to protect against corporate espionage. According to the Financial Times, the company accelerated an existing security clampdown after Chinese startup DeepSeek released a competing model in January, with OpenAI alleging that DeepSeek improperly copied its models using “distillation” techniques.

The beefed-up security includes “information tenting” policies that limit staff access to sensitive algorithms and new products. For example, during development of OpenAI’s o1 model, only verified team members who had been read into the project could discuss it in shared office spaces, according to the FT.

And there’s more. OpenAI now isolates proprietary technology in offline computer systems, implements biometric access controls for office areas (it scans employees’ fingerprints), and maintains a “deny-by-default” internet policy requiring explicit approval for external connections, per the report, which further adds that the company has increased physical security at data centers and expanded its cybersecurity personnel.

The changes are said to reflect broader concerns about foreign adversaries attempting to steal OpenAI’s intellectual property, though given the ongoing poaching wars amid American AI companies and increasingly frequent leaks of CEO Sam Altman’s comments, OpenAI may be attempting to address internal security issues, too.

We’ve reached out to OpenAI for comment.