TechCapsules

Samsung increased prices for several Galaxy models in the United States amid rising component costs. The price hike affected the Galaxy S26 flagship and the 7‑year‑old Nvidia Shield TV Pro, and extended to multiple Galaxy A devices—including the A57, A37, A27, and A17—with adjustments ranging from $20 to $70. The A17, originally priced at $199, now sees a 35% increase, marking its second major price rise. Retailers such as Samsung.com and other outlets reported the changes within [...]

Pope Leo XIV publicly criticized AI‑generated art, asserting a fundamental ontological gap between human creativity and machine output. In a Friday X post, he warned that algorithms, which rely on statistical patterns from millions of images, lack the “spark of humanity” essential to true art. The Pope referenced a May encyclical stressing human dignity amid growing automation. Despite his stance, AI firms such as Anthropic have lobbied the Vatican, seeking a reassessment of non‑human consciousness, with limited success. [...]

Gartner forecasts conversational AI will reduce contact‑centre labour costs by US$80 billion in 2026, with about 10 % of agent interactions automated. The shift is moving from chat to voice, especially in Asia where telephone remains the default channel for problem resolution. Current demonstrations show fluent, natural responses, but real‑world calls involve interruptions, language switches, and network noise. Vendors report response times measured at the AI model boundary (200–800 ms), a metric that does not reflect the end‑to‑end delay callers [...]

Paramount launches a fall promotion offering new and returning subscribers the first two months of its Premium, ad‑free tier—including Showtime—at $0.99 per month using coupon code 26zcsp2prm3qz. The Premium plan normally costs $13.99 monthly. The deal coincides with Paramount’s 2026 lineup, featuring new seasons of Tulsa King, Dexter: Resurrection, and the final season of All the Queen’s Men, plus the debut of Avatar: Seven Havens. UFC fans gain access to UFC 332 and 333, while the service [...]

On September 29, 2026, President Donald Trump signed an executive order renaming “Artificial Intelligence” and “AI” to “Super Intelligence” and “SI” across all federal communications. The directive requires every executive department to replace the terms in official correspondence, public statements, websites, reports, and policy documents, while excluding statutory materials, existing contracts, and congressional laws. The administration argues that “artificial” misrepresents the technology’s advanced capabilities. The change was announced during a White House luncheon attended by major tech [...]

Larry Evans joined his friends on the Australian YouTube channel Ludicrous Feed to compare the XPENG L03 equipped with VLA 2.0 against the Tesla Model 3 running Full Self‑Driving. The discussion highlighted how each vehicle’s intelligent driving system performs in real‑world conditions, noting differences in sensor suites, software updates, and user interface. The hosts also touched on broader EV market trends in Australia, including the rapid expansion of available models and the channel’s evolving focus on electric vehicle technology. [...]

QNX and neueHCT secured a contract with a major German automaker to supply the HCT Luna intelligent driving camera system for a global passenger vehicle platform launching in China, with extensions to Australia, New Zealand, Japan and South Korea. Production will begin in 2027, targeting several million units in the first three years. The system runs on QNX OS for Safety 8.0, uses Horizon Robotics’ Journey 6B computing platform, and offers features such as Automatic Emergency Braking, Lane Departure Warning and Traffic [...]

Ben Lovejoy used an iPad mini to simulate the upcoming iPhone Duo’s large‑screen experience while awaiting its launch. He mirrored his iPhone 18 Pro setup on the mini, noting the 8.3‑inch display versus the Duo’s 7.6‑inch interior screen. The iPad’s iPadOS offered flexible multitasking, though the author preferred full‑screen or split‑screen modes. The experiment highlighted the Duo’s pocketability trade‑off and confirmed the author’s enthusiasm for the new device.