Author: Dawn Solano

Inside Beijing’s factories and showrooms, a look at how one phone maker is extending its reach into homes, cars and the routines that connect them. Buying a phone could also mean buying the key to your car and home–a thought I took away from visiting Xiaomi’s headquarters in Beijing. A purchase usually weighed in camera quality, battery life and price could become the starting point for decisions about much larger things. Technology ecosystems are hardly new. Apple has built connections among its devices and services, extending the iPhone’s usefulness to compatible vehicles and smart-home accessories. Xiaomi’s ambition brings an expansive…

Cybersecurity firm Fortinet has introduced a service designed to help businesses detect threats and prevent sensitive data leaks when employees use artificial intelligence tools. Announced on Oct. 28, the FortiGuard Inline AI Security Service brings AI inspection capabilities to customers using FortiGate firewalls. The cloud-delivered service allows organizations to add protection without deploying separate AI security infrastructure, the company said. The service uses technology from Fortinet’s FortiAIGate platform to inspect prompts and data in real time. It applies security and data protection policies to interactions involving AI agents, large language models and connected tools. Fortinet said the service goes beyond…

Disney has entered a multiyear partnership with Adobe to expand the use of artificial intelligence in theme park design and development. Announced on Nov. 9, the alliance will support concept exploration and development work for Disney’s parks and cruise business, while giving its teams early access to Adobe technologies. Through Adobe Firefly Foundry, the companies will develop proprietary generative AI models tailored to Disney’s characters, environments and visual styles. Walt Disney Imagineering’s research and development team is already using a sketch-to-image model that turns hand-drawn concepts into rendered two-dimensional artwork. Another custom model generates creative assets consistent with Disney franchises.…

Teaching and non-teaching staff across more than 16,400 public schools will receive MacBook Neo laptops under DepEd’s computerization program.

NASA is asking private companies for ways to raise the Hubble Space Telescope’s orbit and extend its working life as the observatory gradually loses altitude. The US space agency issued a request for information on October 29 to assess whether commercial firms could boost Hubble into a higher orbit, service its equipment or help safely end its mission. Atmospheric drag is slowly lowering the telescope’s altitude. Hubble has no propulsion system to maintain its own orbit, and NASA estimates it is likely to re-enter Earth’s atmosphere in 2033 or 2034. The agency anticipates that a mission would need to take…

OpenAI will restrict weapons information available to teens on ChatGPT, even when questions appear harmless, as it expands safeguards against violence.

Smart expects strong demand for the iPhone Duo amid limited stocks, with early reservations and priority access for Infinity subscribers.

The Philippines’ outsourcing industry could help AI firms enter the local market, as businesses explore uses in customer service, marketing and daily operations.

Reddit plans to require users to log in to access more of its content, with tests planned in selected markets outside the United States in the coming months. Co-founder and chief executive officer Steve Huffman, known on the platform as u/spez, outlined the changes in a post titled “About that login screen.” For the past two decades, Reddit has allowed visitors to browse nearly all of its content without signing in. An account is needed to participate through activities such as voting, commenting and joining communities. “We’re going to evolve Reddit to being a primarily logged-in experience,” Huffman wrote. The…

Apple has introduced its first touchscreen MacBook Pro, allowing users to navigate webpages, zoom in on photos and move items directly on the laptop’s display. Announced on Oct. 28, the new models support touch controls alongside keyboard shortcuts and trackpad gestures. Apple said macOS converts touches into clicks, allowing many existing applications to work with the feature immediately. The laptops also have a redesigned hinge to provide greater stability when users touch the screen. Available in two sizes, the MacBook Pro features a PROLED XDR display that uses tandem OLED technology. The screens measure 14.2 inches and 16.3 inches, with…