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• MSI’s Multi-Platform Streamer Prime app - no extra software needed
• Integrates Google TV with thousands of movies and shows
• The wireless display feature supports Google Cast and Miracast

MSI has entered the smart monitor market with the launch of the Modern MD272UPSW, a UHD 4K display.

The 27-inch IPS panel features a 3840 × 2160 resolution and a 60Hz refresh rate, with 94% Adobe RGB, 98% DCI-P3, and 127% sRGB coverage. It also offers a 300-nit brightness level, an anti-glare surface, a 178° viewing angle, and a 4ms (GtG) response time, ensuring sharp visuals and vibrant colors.

MSI, known for gaming laptops, now joins the likes of Samsung and LG, who, with products like the LG 32-inch UltraGear OLED and Samsung ViewFinity S9, are embracing the smart business monitor trend — blending business and entertainment features into a single display.

Google TV integration for all-in-one entertainment

Unlike traditional business monitors, the MD272UPSW includes Google TV, for access to over 400,000 movies and TV episodes. Users can also browse through more than 10,000 apps and 800 free live TV channels.

It also integrates the Multi-Platform Streamer Prime app, allowing users to stream live content across multiple platforms like YouTube, Twitch, and Facebook without additional software.

With Google Assistant integration, voice commands can be used to search for shows, open apps, and control the monitor, while the included remote makes navigation effortless.

The MD272UPSW is still definitely designed for professionals, featuring a wireless display function with Google Cast and Miracast, plus Multi Control and KVM (Keyboard, Video, Mouse) functionality for allowing users to operate two devices with a single keyboard and mouse.

For seamless connectivity, it supports Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5.0, HDMI 2.0b, DisplayPort 1.4a, LAN (RJ45), and USB Type-C with 65 W power delivery. The monitor also includes a headphone jack, two USB 2.0 Type-A ports, and two 3W Dolby Audio speakers.

Via TechPowerUp

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It's rare that a robot video fills me with sadness, but this new one from 1X featuring the company's new Neo Gama humanoid robot left me in a state of ennui.

Neo Gamma is an update to the Neo Beta 1X introduced six months ago. At the time, the company claimed its black and gray humanoid robot was undergoing home trials. In the video, it showed the bot briefly interacting with (even hugging) a human companion. It left me and other roboticists I talked to skeptical. Home humanoid robots are generally thought to be a decade out, but 1X appeared to be trying to close that gap significantly.

Recently, the company unveiled Neo Gamma, a robot with numerous aesthetic and technical improvements. There are new "emotive" LED ear rings that the company thinks will help improve communication. I assume this is because the rings light up when you're talking to the robot, which features microphones and speakers.

They've redone the body cover and almost made it a more attractive beige, making it softer and safer for the home.

Movement's gotten an upgrade, too. Neo Gamma's arms can now swing, and its walk is smoother than that of the Beta model. Additionally, the robot can now sit down in a chair.

As with Neo Beta, Neo Gamma integrates AI. For instance, the updated visual manipulation model will make it possible for Gamma to handle objects it's never seen before. Overall, 1X claims on its website, "NEO Gamma’s design opens the door to start internal home testing—a first step in creating fully autonomous humanoids."

To illustrate this point, 1X released this launch video, which shows Neo Gamma operating in a typical home. It cleans, makes and serves coffee, pours wine, and collects the groceries from its owner. Neo Gamma even cleans windows.

But it's a lonely existence. Most of the time, the couple in the video ignores Neo Gamma, even as it's serving and working around them. When it serves coffee, they barely look up. As it vacuums the rug, it doesn't even get a glance. There is one touching moment where Neo Gamma helps hang a picture and even gets a thumbs up, but that is the extent of real human engagement. At the end of the video, the couple is enjoying a meal in the dining room, one that I bet Neo Gamma prepared and served, and the robot is in the other room alone. It takes a seat on the couch and stares into space.

Is this the "life" we anticipate for our humanoid companions – with us, but separate? Even though I assume these robots will have no feelings, I'm sure others and I will anthropomorphize them and start to thank them, chat, and engage in a more human way. I guess I wonder if 1X could have shown me a bit more natural human-to-robot interaction.

1X hasn't set a price or delivery date for Neo Gamma, but you can join the wait list to become the robot's mas...er...beloved owner.

In the meantime, I think I need to cheer up and go watch a fun cat video.

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During a joint press conference President Trump and French President Emmanuel Macron highlighted their friendly relationship, even when they appeared far apart on the war in Ukraine.

(Image credit: Ludovic Marin)

The European-backed resolution that was approved demands Russia immediately withdraw its forces. The Trump administration had offered a competing resolution that did not mention Russian aggression.

(Image credit: Julia Demaree Nikhinson)

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The Trump administration is developing plans to build immigration detention facilities on bases nationwide, a step that could significantly expand the military's role in immigration enforcement.

(Image credit: U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Nicholas J. De La Pena)

• Seagate Exos and IronWolf Pro HDDs are prime targets for scammers
• Scammers alter QR codes and even drive serial numbers
• Toshiba and Western Digital are not as targeted as Seagate — why?

The controversy of fraudsters modifying used Seagate hard drives to appear unused despite having been powered on for thousands of hours rages on.

Exos HDDs were initially targeted, but new evidence from Heise (via ComputerBase — both originally in German) suggests IronWolf and IronWolf Pro NAS drives with capacities between 8 TB and 16 TB are now also being drawn into the scam.

Preowned units of the fastest hard drives can appear new if key data such as SMART (Self-Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting Technology) parameters are tampered with.

How scammers manipulate hard drive data

Some of these drives have been found to have logged over 27,000 operating hours. However, users can verify a drive’s true condition using tools like smartmontools to retrieve hidden operational data.

Scammers also alter product labels and QR codes to bypass Seagate’s warranty verification system. Instead of directing users to a page displaying accurate product details, these modified QR codes redirect to Seagate’s warranty check but do not provide the serial number or storage capacity.

Another method used is serial number manipulation, wherein fraudsters take serial numbers from newer drives and attach them to old units, tricking Seagate’s system into displaying an extended warranty period.

However, this system often calculates exactly five years of warranty from their supposed production date, which is a potential red flag that worried customers can investigate.

Experts suggest that potential buyers can check certain logs - such as Self Test Logs or SATA Phy Event Counters - to determine if a drive has been previously used.

Seagate has acknowledged the issue, confirming that fraudulent practices are affecting IronWolf and Exos HDDs. The company is currently investigating the matter to address these concerns.

In the meantime, buyers are advised to be cautious when purchasing Seagate hard drives from unofficial sellers and to verify product details using multiple sources before making a purchase.

So far, there have been no confirmed reports of similar scams involving Toshiba or Western Digital (WD) hard drives. This raises the question: why is Seagate the primary target?

One possible reason is that Seagate’s verification system relies on data that fraudsters find easier to manipulate; unlike Seagate, WD and Toshiba do not use the same FARM value system.

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• Bybit confirms suffering a large cyberattack
• Hackers stole approximately $1.5bn worth of Ethereum
• Their identities are not confirmed, but researchers speculate it was Lazarus

One of the biggest cryptocurrency exchanges in the world has suffered a devastating cyberattack in which it lost approximately $1.5 billion worth of Ethereum.

The attack against Bybit was confirmed by the company’s CEO, Ben Zhou, who said the threat actors siphoned the exchange’s reserves, and not customer funds.

Despite this being the biggest heist in crypto’s history, Zhou noted the company remains solvent and is under no existential threat, and commended the industry’s big players, which rallied behind the victims and offered help.

Lazarus

The attack itself was quite sophisticated. Bybit kept ETH in a multi-signature cold wallet, a method that’s considered the safest possible. It also means that to move any funds, multiple people would need to sign the transaction.

Apparently, the attackers somehow managed to compromise all of the employees involved in fund transfer, and when the company wanted to pull funds from cold storage into a “hot wallet” to support its everyday activities, the attackers were able to redirect the funds.

All of the involved people never knew what happened, because on their monitors, all of the information checked out.

The news sent shockwaves throughout the cryptosphere. Hundreds of thousands of people initiated withdrawals of their money from Bybit, in fears that the company would not be able to serve everyone (as was the case with Celsius back in 2021). Ethereum dropped roughly 4% on the news.

For the first time, in face of extremely bad news, the crypto industry showed incredible resilience. Usually, news such as this one would send not just Ethereum, but Bitcoin as well, and with them most other currencies tumbling, wiping out a significant portion of their value in a matter of hours. However, Ethereum lost “just” 4% (which is almost negligible in the crypto world) and rebounded relatively quickly. Bybit served all of its customers during the “bank run”, and continues operating normally.

The identity of the attackers is not yet confirmed, although some researchers believe this to be the work of Lazarus, an infamous North Korean state-sponsored threat actor. Indeed, Lazarus is known for targeting crypto businesses and, being on North Korea’s payroll, definitely has the means to pull off a heist such as this one.

Via The Guardian

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Claude 3.7, the latest model from Anthropic, can be instructed to engage in a specific amount of reasoning to solve hard problems.

After a bruising crash last November, Mikaela Shiffrin dominated the slopes on Sunday and made skiing history once again.

(Image credit: Stefano Guidi)

At least three people linked to Elon Musk’s DOGE task force have access to NIH systems that control budgets, procurement, and more, according to records and internal documents viewed by WIRED.

• Microsoft unveils a quantum chip with a Topological Core for stable and scalable qubits
• Majorana 1 features eight topological qubits, aiming for a million-qubit scale
• Breakthrough is comparable to how semiconductors revolutionized modern computing

Microsoft has unveiled Majorana 1, a quantum chip built on a Topological Core architecture, marking a huge step forward in its quantum computing efforts.

The company says this new chip, which positions the tech giant alongside rivals Google and IBM in the race for large-scale quantum computing, will lead to devices capable of solving industrial-scale problems in years rather than decades.

The chip is based on a topoconductor, a newly-engineered material that can observe and control Majorana particles - a discovery Microsoft represents no less than a new state of matter, which it has used to create a more stable and scalable qubit in a breakthroughit compares to how semiconductors transformed modern computing.

A clear path for scaling

“We took a step back and said ‘OK, let’s invent the transistor for the quantum age. What properties does it need to have?’” said Chetan Nayak, Microsoft technical fellow. “And that’s really how we got here – it’s the particular combination, the quality and the important details in our new materials stack that have enabled a new kind of qubit and ultimately our entire architecture.”

Microsoft adds Majorana 1 offers a clear path to scaling quantum systems. For now, it has eight topological qubits on a single chip, marking the first step toward its goal of reaching one million qubits. Achieving this scale will be essential if quantum computing is to drive advancements in industries such as healthcare, environmental science, and manufacturing.

“Whatever you’re doing in the quantum space needs to have a path to a million qubits. If it doesn’t, you’re going to hit a wall before you get to the scale at which you can solve the really important problems that motivate us,” Nayak said. “We have actually worked out a path to a million.”

The chip is built using a materials stack made from indium arsenide and aluminum, designed and fabricated atom by atom. The Topological Core architecture resists errors at the hardware level, making it more stable than current approaches.

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A WIRED investigation goes inside the Telegram groups targeting women who joined “Are We Dating the Same Guy?” groups on Facebook with doxing, harassment, and sharing of nonconsensual intimate images.

Philip Shenon talks about the past seven popes, and how efforts to reform the Church with the Second Vatican Council led to power struggles and doctrinal debates that lasted for decades.

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• iOS 18.4 beta update adds a third row of apps in Apple CarPlay
• Not every infotainment system is compatible
• The update is welcome, but we still await news on CarPlay 2.0

Some Apple iPhone users are already experiencing some of the admittedly minor updates that the latest iOS 18.4 beta update brings with it, including smarter priority notifications using Apple Intelligence.

However, there has been a more subtle change to the Apple CarPlay experience, which has previously gone announced and has been only been discovered by some users by chance.

Upon plugging into a vehicle’s infotainment system, either wirelessly or via a cable, a Threads user (below) found that the Apple CarPlay app display now shows a third row of applications on the main screen, with three rows of four increasing the number of apps that can be displayed without having to swipe to reveal more.

Post by @jacecraftmiller View on Threads

Despite Apple CarPlay being introduced in March 2014, it has only really enjoyed numerous minor updates to how it looks, feels and performs, seemingly ignoring the fact that many modern vehicles now come with enormous infotainment displays.

The most recent update appears to address this issue, scaling up in a proportion to the screen size it is being displayed on.

That said, there is currently no news on the parameters required to enjoy the extra row of applications, only that it seems to work on those larger infotainment displays, particularly those with a portrait orientation.

CarPlay 2 can’t come soon enough

(Image credit: Apple)

Apple initially said that we would see an all-new version of its CarPlay system in 2024, but that suggested timeline has already elapsed and we are still waiting to see what comes next.

Far from simply being a way to mirror a handful of apps from your iPhone, Apple CarPlay 2 promises greater integration with all of the screens found in a modern vehicle, effectively taking over everything from the digital instrument cluster to the infotainment system.

Apple revealed that it was working with Porsche and Aston Martin on a brand-specific system that would stay true to the marques’ heritage and distinct design, but would effectively form the operating system upon which everything runs.

This would mean that applications and Apple’s user interface would be available from all of the digital touch points, including the digital instrument binnacles and passenger-facing touchscreens in the front and rear seats.

Porsche is arguably the only automotive manufacturer to harness the power of Apple’s Automaker toolkit and expand the Apple CarPlay offering within its vehicles so far.

Introducing more Apple functionality into its My Porsche app negates the need to exit Apple CarPlay to do things like change the radio station, heat for cool the cabin and check on vehicle state of charge and other settings.

But this is still some way off the levels of integration that Apple CarPlay 2 have previously promised, and this could be part of the problem.

In order to take over an entire dashboard, Apple has had to work with notoriously slow automotive manufacturing giants, effectively asking permission to access both vehicle and user data, which is likely something legacy automakers haven’t been particularly comfortable with.

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