Tech

Insta360 has just launched a pair of AI-bolstered action cameras – one of which was co-engineered with German imaging giant Leica – as it continues to chip away at GoPro's two decade-long grip on the market. The Insta360 Ace and Insta360 Ace Pro arrive in an instantly familiar blocky construction, and have a predominantly black and red color scheme.Unsurprisingly, it's the Pro model that benefits from the brand's partnership with Leica, arriving with a large 1/1.3" sensor, 5nm AI chip, and Leica SUMMARIT lens all packed into a small 2.8" x 2.05" x 1.37" body. Users have the option to shoot in crystal-clear 8K (up to 24fps), but can also slow their scenes down to capture high-definition slow motion at 240fps – something undoubtedly targeted at athletes and the company's action sports demogr...

Microsoft has recently expanded the availability of its generative AI-powered assistant, Copilot, to Windows 10 Users. The approach here seems to be to offer users who are either still using Windows 10, or who have incompatible devices with Windows 11, to experience the AI assistant -- it's worth noting that this demographic makes up 69 percent of Windows-based desktop users at the time of writing.To access Copilot, users must be part of the Windows Insider tester program and install a Release Preview build on a compatible Windows 10 Home or Pro device. However, Microsoft has indicated that eligibility for Copilot may not be immediate, advising users to enable automatic updates for quicker access once their device is confirmed as compatible.Being in the program and getting access is just t...

Google Meet is making it easier for users to participate in meetings. The video meeting platform has gotten a new AI tool to make raising one’s hand just a bit more natural.Participants previously had to click on a hand icon in order to indicate that they wanted to speak during a meeting. Google has streamlined the action with a new form of “gesture detection,” in which a user can physically raise their hand to trigger the icon.To set it off, the user must raise their hand in front of the camera, making sure the entire hand is visible to the camera and away from the face and body. Once they’re given the chance to speak, the hand raise indicator will disappear from the screen, signaling that they’re no longer waiting to talk.There’s no admin control for the feature but for those interested ...

Instagram head Adam Mosseri announced that all users of the social media platform can now download Reels that are public.This feature is now available to users all over the world after an initial June roll out for those based in the United States. Users can download a Reel via the "share" option, with the videos that are downloaded on to a device featuring an Instagram watermark with the name of the account that the Reel was downloaded from. Only Reels with original sound will be downloaded with audio; if a Reel features a licensed audio clip, the downloaded video will not include the sound.Users can turn off the option for others to download their reels via the Privacy menu, under Reels and Remix.The new feature arrives shortly after Instagram allowed users to share in-feed posts and Reel...

Samsung and Maison Margiela, have recently revealed their latest collaboration  -- a special edition of the Galaxy Z Flip5, marking a blend of Samsung's technological prowess and Maison Margiela's iconic design approach.Stephanie Choi, the EVP at Samsung Electronics shared "This second collaboration between the two brands brings together fashion and technology by approaching a high-tech device in a way similar to the construction of a haute couture garment. Through this collaboration, we want consumers to discover their own identity and express it without limitation."Unique to this special edition is the rear glass design, showcasing the inner structure of a Maison Margiela jacket. This design, exclusive to the Galaxy Z Flip5 Maison Margiela Edition, uses a semi-transparent effect that rev...

Startup Stability is taking generative AI up a notch. While the technology has been used largely for photos and voice replications, Stability is making waves with a new tool for advanced AI-generated videos.The feature is called Stable Video Diffusion and is described by the company as “a latent video diffusion model for high-resolution, state-of-the-art text-to-video and image-to-video generation.” What that essentially means is it’s a foundational model for creating videos, based on a similar model used to make AI imagery.Unlike most AI models, Stable Video Diffusion doesn’t only churn out videos based on text prompts. It’s also capable of transforming a single image into a video between 14 and frames, shown at a speed between 3 and 30 frames per second.In addition to announcing the tool...

Startup Stability is taking generative AI up a notch. While the technology has been used largely for photos and voice replications, Stability is making waves with a new tool for advanced AI-generated videos.The feature is called Stable Video Diffusion and is described by the company as “a latent video diffusion model for high-resolution, state-of-the-art text-to-video and image-to-video generation.” What that essentially means is it’s a foundational model for creating videos, based on a similar model used to make AI imagery.Unlike most AI models, Stable Video Diffusion doesn’t only churn out videos based on text prompts. It’s also capable of transforming a single image into a video between 14 and frames, shown at a speed between 3 and 30 frames per second.In addition to announcing the tool...