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A week goes by, and with it comes a plethora of tech news headlines. Rather than sorting through the world wide web, we are breaking down the biggest news you should know. From AI-Generated art to a 20M pledge from Google and more, read on for the latest tech news headlines!

AI-Generated Artwork Wins First Place in Art Competition

A game designer won first place in the  “Digital Arts / Digitally-Manipulated Photography” category of the Colorado State Fair fine arts competition after submitting an AI-generated piece. The win has sparked some controversy among those who believe that using AI does not fit the contest rules. The artwork titled “Theatre d’Opera Spatial” used a popular text-to-image AI generator named Mid journey to be created. In response to his win, the artist Jason Allen said the following, “I wanted to make a statement using artificial intelligence artwork,” to The Pueblo Chieftain. 

New Smart Scale from ‘Withings’ Measures Nerve and Artery Health

When it comes to measuring nerve and artery health, there is a new gadget in town. Withings has announced the Body Comp, which can assess the health of your arteries and nerves. Likewise, the scale can also measure “normal” body composition. Along with the scale, Withings is also introducing a new Health Plus coaching service to help users meet their goals. The scale will allow users to assess their vascular age, visceral fat, and nerve health from a single device. 

Google to Pledge $20 million to Expand Computer Science Education US

Computer Science Education in the United States will be getting a major boost from Google. The company has announced that $20 million in new commitments will be used to expand computer science education among communities that are underrepresented in the field. As a result, Google sees the funds as a way to improve educational access for more than 11 million American students. “If we don’t get this right, the gaps that exist today will be exacerbated,” Google CEO Sundar Pichai said on Wednesday. “Technology will end up playing such a big role in the future. That’s the fundamental reason we do it.” The funds will go to a mix of newer organizations and longtime Google partners. 

Disney Explores ‘Disney Prime’ Membership Program 

With Disney expanding its portfolio, the media giant is exploring ways to combine its programming and services. In the style of Amazon Prime, Disney is seeking to create a program that would offer various exclusive perks, discounts, and other enticements. At this time, the membership program is in its early stages. In a statement to the WSJ, Disney’s chief communications officer Kristina Schake confirmed the news. “Technology is giving us new ways to customize and personalize the consumer experience so that we are delivering entertainment, experiences, and products that are most relevant to each of our guests,” said Schake. “A membership program is just one of the exciting ideas that are being explored.”

Instagram tests More Ways to Flag Posts You Don’t Like

Tired of seeing posts you don’t care about on Instagram? The popular social media app is hearing you out and working on it. Meta, Instagram’s parent company, shared in a blog post that the company is conducting a test to clean up your feed. The tests include the ability to select multiple posts and mark them using the “not interested” button. As a result, this feature would flag the posts to the app and work to not showcase similar content. As for when these tests will become live features, no confirmed date has been set.

LG Debut’s New Sneaker Boxes to Papmer Your Shoes

For true sneakerheads, this news is major. Tech giant LG has debuted a new way to showcase your collection. LG unveiled its new Styler ShoeCase — a shoebox with a window that’s currently being displayed at IFA. The latest product by LG keeps your shoes safe from moisture and has filters to protect them from UV light. In addition, the cases are stackable and come with a built-in Lazy Susan that rotates to show off your shoe’s best angles. The company has also dropped its new Styler ShoeCare appliance with TrueSteam cleaning technology. The devices Zeo-Dry filters will make your shoes “more pleasant to wear and to have around,” as LG states.

No time to read extensive articles on the latest tech news? No worries! From the iPhone 14 to Major Moves in the Metaverse and more, we have you covered! Read on for a bite-sized version of the biggest headlines happening in the world of technology, media, and science.

Apple to Release iPhone 14 this September

Apple announced this week that its next product launch will take place on September 7. Likewise, the company is likely to introduce a slew of new products and features. The most highly anticipated news from the event will be about the upcoming iPhones and Apple Watches. Apple will hold the event in the Steve Jobs Theater at the company’s Cupertino campus, making it the first event held in the venue since pre-pandemic. Of course, the iPhone 14 will be the main attraction of the event, with four rumored models. The model types that may be introduced include the following: a 6.1-inch iPhone 14; a new 6.7-inch iPhone 14 (possibly with the “Plus” or “Max” tag); a 6.1-inch iPhone 14 Pro; and a 6.7 iPhone 14 Pro Max. 

iHeartRadio Creating Metaverse Concert Venue on Fortnite

Another media giant is entering the Metaverse. iHeartMedia has announced its own dedicated space on Fortnite for events and concerts. The radio giant will launch iHeartland, a virtual park that is currently being developed by the game’s creative mode. The virtual venue will include different areas, with the main stage called State Farm Park and a digital “headquarters.” In addition, the venue will also have mini-games and signature features from the company’s NY headquarters, like its LED tunnel. The Metaverse venue will also have a virtual broadcast recording studio, although no details on how the studio will be used have been disclosed. A pre-recorded performance from Charlie Puth will kick off iHeartMedia’s Fortnite venture on September 9th. There are twenty varying events set to take place in the virtual park over the next 12 months.

Microsoft Flight Simulator for Helicopters and Gliders to Arrive on November 11

Fans of Microsoft’s flight simulator program will have new aviation options hitting the platform. On November 11, the company will be adding helicopters and gliders to its Microsoft Flight Simulator. As the 40th Anniversary Edition of the game, the new features will be available free to existing owners or Xbox Game Pass members. The addition of helicopters and gliders is making a comeback to the game for the first time since 2006. In addition, the company announced that it “will introduce another highly-requested community feature: a true-to-life airliner, the sophisticated Airbus A-310 where nearly every single button works just as expected,” explains Jorg Neumann, head of Microsoft Flight Simulator. 

myQ Smart Garage Takes Home Delivery a Step Further with Walmart Partnership

Chamberlain’s myQ smart garage door will be partnering with the Walmart Plus InHome program to bring home delivery — home. The new partnership will be an expansion of the program Walmart already had in place but with a more secure way to deliver. Beginning this September, Walmart Plus inHome delivery customers can have groceries securely delivered to their garage. Likewise, this expansion applies specifically to customers with a myQ smart garage door controller. Customers who do not have the myQ smart garage door controller can have one installed by the company for free. Currently, Walmart’s in-home delivery service works with Level Lock, Aladdin Connect Genie smart garage door opener, as well as any keypad-controlled lock or garage door. 

Heads Up! — Popular gaming app to land on Netflix

We’ve all, at one point or another, played this popular app-based game. Well, now, Heads Up!, the fun mobile app from Ellen Degeneres, will be heading to a Netflix account near you. The charades game will hit Netflix as an exclusive version of the game, set to feature 28 new card decks from popular series like Stranger Things, Bridgerton, and Squid Game. Likewise, more general entertainment decks are also available for genres like anime, true crime, and baking shows. In addition, the game will be available to play in 13 new languages on both Android and iOS devices. “With the addition of Netflix Heads Up! our catalog of games rounds out to 27 mobile games — doubling our catalog to over 50 games by the end of the year,” says Netflix in the announcement.

Google Brings Back Timer Feature

If you have ever been in need of a timer on your desktop, Google is bringing back its Timer and stopwatch feature. The company has added back the timer tool to its search bar. To use the timer, just type “set a timer for [however long you need].” The top result will be a timer that automatically starts to count down. The features were first introduced by Google in 2013, but reports indicated they disappeared from search results sometime in mid-July. The company confirmed earlier in the month that features had been removed in order to fix an issue. With the timer’s return, you can count on Google again for almost every solution. 

Another week has gone by, and so arrives a new round-up of tech news! From Adidas Solar-Powered Headphones to Google Robots and more, we have you covered. Read on for the latest headlines from around the world of technology and science. 

Adidas Rolls Out Solar Powered Headphones

While solar-powered gadgets are not new to the industry, seamless wearable tech has been slow to roll out. Adidas has changed that with its latest audio headsets. The RPT-02 SOL, is a $230 pair of self-charging Bluetooth cans with Exeger’s Powerfoyle solar cells built right into the recycled plastic headband. Adidas joins only three other companies that have unveiled solar-powered wearables. The Adidas headphones can provide 80 hours of “reserve” battery life, even in a pitch-black room. Likewise, the hype for the Adidas product comes from the fact that it takes the hassle out of keeping the device charged.

Airbnb Launches New ‘anti-party technology’

Good news for homeowners and bad news for revelers. Airbnb is working on new ‘anti-party technology’ in the US and Canada. The new feature would attempt to enforce a global ban on house parties. The rule was already implemented earlier this year but had not gone into effect internationally. The technology is designed to automatically catch the kinds of bookings that are likely to result in unauthorized parties. Airbnb checks this by looking at factors like a guest’s review history, the age of their account, the length of the stay they’re requesting, and whether they’re looking for a weekday or weekend. This new rollout has a much broader focus on catching instances where a party could occur. 

Google Adds AI-Language Skills to Helper Robots so it Can better Understand Humans

Robotics and AI — two of Alphabets (Google’s parent company) most ambitious projects are coming together. The company hopes to bring AI language skills to its helper robots so it can create a more advanced robot. Those familiar with Alphabet’s progress in robotics would recall that the company has been working on advancing its technology since 2019. Likewise, the Everyday Robots project is still in its infancy as the machine is learning to complete everyday tasks. The current bots have been given the upgrade of improved language through Google’s large language model (LLM) PaLM.

James Webb Telescope Runs with Javascript

Everyone’s favorite (and sometimes not so favorite) programming language apparently plays a big part in how the James Webb Telescope operates. Javascript has helped the telescope deliver stunning images that the James Webb Space Telescope has been beaming back to Earth. Of course, what is most astonishing is that one of mankind’s greatest achievements in science thus far is largely controlled by Javascript files. In addition, it is based on a software development kit from 2002 called “the Script Processor Task”. As to why NASA chose Javascript? They feel it gives “operations personnel greater visibility, control, and flexibility over the telescope operations.”

Startup Detects COVID-19 by Analyzing Patterns

Pattern Computer, a Seattle-area startup, is developing a rapid COVID-19 test based on patterns in light from spit. CEO and co-founder Mark Anderson said the company’s “Pattern Discovery Engine” was created specifically to discover and analyze patterns. Though the Pattern Computer focuses on biomedicine, it also addresses problems in materials design, veterinary medicine, finance, mathematics, and aerospace. According to the company, Pattern Computer has an “explainable AI” system that can counteract bias and be part of more conventional machine learning models by skewed training datasets. The company is looking to secure regulatory approval for its COVID-19 test and planning for scale-up.

NASA’s Artemis 2 mission: Taking humans to the moon’s orbit

The United States is going back to the moon. NASA’s Artemis 2 will be the first mission to carry humans to the moon’s vicinity since 1972. Following the launch of the uncrewed Artemis 1, scheduled for 2022, the Artemis 2 aims to bring humans into the moon’s orbit. Artemis 2 is the second scheduled flight of the Artemis program, and it will be the first major test of the Space Launch System (SLS) mega rocket and Orion spacecraft systems with humans on board. The mission is scheduled tentatively set for 2024 and is expected to last between eight and 10 days but may be extended. The crew of four onboard Artemis 2 will be the furthest people to fly from Earth after 1970’s Apollo 13, assuming the new mission reaches its expected maximum altitude of 5,523 miles (8,889 km) above the moon’s surface. 

Scientists believe second asteroid may have contributed to dinosaur extinction

According to new research, scientists now believe more than one asteroid impacting the Earth, contributing to the extinction of dinosaurs. Researchers have discovered evidence of an asteroid impact crater on the floor of the North Atlantic Ocean. The area of impact named the Nadi Crater is located around 250 miles off the coast of Guinea in West Africa. Once confirmed, the Nadi Crater would become one of less than 20 positively identified marine impact craters on Earth. It is believed the crater was created around 66 million years ago. This would put it roughly in the same timeframe as the Chicxulub asteroid; the asteroid believed to be what caused the mass extinction of the dinosaurs. The discovery of the Nadir Crater opens the possibility of more than one impact contributing to the end of that era.

The world of tech is a buzz, and we have the latest news you want to know. Reads for a bite-sized version of the major headlines in the world of tech news. From palm scanning at Whole Foods to FTC Changes and more, check out this week’s blog below:

New Sensors Could Transform Prosthetics and Robotic Limbs

The UNIVERSITY OF THE WEST OF SCOTLAND reports a new project to develop advanced pressure sensors for use in robotic systems that could revolutionize prosthetics and robotic limbs. The project seeks to develop sensors that would help improve robotic motor skills and dexterity by using highly accurate pressure sensors to provide haptic feedback and distributed touch. These enhanced sensors, made from 3D graphene foam, offer unique properties when put under mechanical stress. According to the researchers, the 3D graphene foam has the capability to mimic the sensitivity and feedback of human touch. The project contends this could transform how robotics can be used for various applications, from surgery to precision manufacturing.

6 Ways to Keep Your Phone Cyber-Safe

If you use a cell phone, you are walking around with a ticking cyber bomb in your pocket. An ever-present and growing threat to smartphones is malware. Although Apple and Google-controlled software stores are vigilant in weeding out unsafe apps, many cell phone users rely on third-party download repositories that run riot with infectious malware. And this is not the only threat. Cybercriminals slip malicious mobile malware onto your phone through various methods. All you need do is visit the wrong website or open an attached document to enable malware.

Know the Risks

• If your phone has one or more of these symptoms, the cause could be malware:
• Unusual messages and pop-ups 
• Messages that are inappropriate or unwanted ad pop-ups are signs of malware or spyware. 
• Titles in your app drawer or library you do not recognize. An internet search for the title may indicate if the app is safe. Delete all unknown app titles.
• Slow performance. This might mean that you are almost maxed out on your available RAM (random access memory). Remove unused apps and restart your phone. If the slowness remains, suspect malware.
• High internet usage and/or increased battery consumption 
• Unusual noise or static on your phone connections. This indicates that a surveillance app is snooping on your phone conversations. 
• Unusual voicemail messages or text messages. Getting messages and calls from unknown parties clearly indicates that your phone may be compromised.

New foldable smartphones from Samsung unveiled

In a bid to cement its leadership in an expanding niche market of high-end foldable smartphones, Samsung Electronics unveiled its latest model on Wednesday. Samsung said it is aiming for foldable phone sales to surpass that of its past flagship smartphone, the Galaxy Note. Foldables have helped Samsung differentiate itself from Apple, Samsung’s key competitor.

FTC Pushes for Change on How Big Tech Handles Data

This week, the FTC issued a new notice that calls on input for how tech companies should handle consumer data. This notice is the first step in creating binding rules for the industry. Likewise, the filing calls for public comment on data collection, algorithmic discrimination, and commercial surveillance. The questions, of course, suggest that the commission is focused on how to handle data collection better as the digital age continues to evolve and expand. 

Apple Focuses on Funding Podcasts that Can be Converted into TV Shows

According to a report by Bloomberg, Apple has signed a deal with Futuro Studio to fund the development and production of future podcasts. Likewise, the podcast producer will provide Apple with first refusal on the rights to turn any podcasts into a film or TV show. Of course, this would not be the first time Apple has turned podcasts into content with the recent series WeCrashed and The Shrink Next Door.  As of late, long-form podcasts have become a source of inspiration for several TV shows and streaming services. Other Networks have already jumped on the podcast to the tv-series bandwagon, like Hulu’s The Dropout.

Whole Foods to Soon Allow Hand Scanning for Payment

You will soon be able to checkout at a Whole Foods store near you with the swipe of your hand. Amazon has announced its palm scanning technology will expand to an additional 65 Whole Foods locations across California. First introduced as a part of Amazon’s One payment service in 2020, the technology was only available at limited locations. The feature has already begun rollout in Malibu and Santa Monica. Likewise, customers can set up their Amazon One payment system by registering their palm at a kiosk or point of sale for a participating store.