Laser chips utilizing light rather than radio waves provide more than 360 Gbps in indoor settings while reducing energy consumption, presenting a novel approach to alleviate Wi-Fi congestion in crowded spaces.
Some of the finest new Galaxy S26 AI functionalities from Samsung are making their way to the S25.
Samsung announces that an upcoming software update will introduce enhanced Galaxy AI capabilities, such as AI-driven call screening, to the Galaxy S25 series.
WhatsApp calls are set to improve significantly with noise cancellation.
WhatsApp has begun experimenting with an integrated noise reduction feature for voice and video calls, intending to enhance the clarity of conversations in loud environments.
If Samsung introduces a Galaxy S27 Pro, the title by itself won’t rescue it
A Galaxy S27 Pro might enhance Samsung’s offerings, provided it addresses the charging, value, and hardware shortcomings present in the current non-Ultra models.
Your beloved applications could be monitoring you — the FBI’s caution isn’t as clear-cut as it appears
No, this isn’t a theatrical breakup address urging you to remove every application and retreat to a life off the grid.
A Solo Hit Won’t Disable the Gulf’s Desalination Infrastructure
Across the region, facilities associated with water and electricity, such as desalination plants, are under threat or experiencing damage due to Iranian attacks aimed at locations outside traditional areas.
A single attack is unlikely to sever the gulf’s water supply. The system can manage isolated interruptions, but prolonged or multi-site assaults could quickly put pressure on supply.
“In the Gulf, desalination is engineered with sufficient buffer capacity so that the loss of one facility doesn’t instantly impact the availability at the tap,” remarks Rabee Rustum, a professor of water and environmental engineering at Heriot-Watt University Dubai.
In Kuwait, Iranian drone strikes have damaged power and desalination facilities and ignited fires at oil sites. Other regions, including Fujairah in the UAE, may also be at risk.
“Attacking desalination facilities would be tactical but could cross a line,” observes Andreas Krieg, a senior lecturer at King’s College London.
Water infrastructure is unique. “It’s not merely another utility,” Krieg emphasizes. “In regions that depend on desalination, it underpins civilian survival, public health, hospital functions, sanitation, and fundamental state credibility.”
International humanitarian law provides specific protection to civilian assets essential for survival. “This is why assaults on water systems carry significant legal and ethical consequences,” Krieg further states.
These occurrences highlight a structural reality: Desalination is crucial for water supply in the gulf, and any disruption swiftly impacts everyday life.
How the System Manages Disruption
Initially, desalination appears at risk. Shutting down a facility diminishes supply. In actuality, the system features multiple layers of redundancy.
Plants are dispersed across several sites, enabling output redistribution if one slows down. Water is stored at various network points, including central reservoirs and tanks, creating a buffer for delays.
Veolia, an environmental services provider that oversees nearly 19 percent of the region’s desalination, indicates the water supply is diversified through numerous facilities along the coast.
The company further notes that distribution systems are interconnected, allowing plants to assist and substitute for one another, thereby ensuring service continuity.
In the UAE, storage can last around a week, while in other regions, it’s restricted to two to three days, according to Veolia.
This indicates that the system can temporarily manage disruptions. Once reserves are exhausted, water supply relies on the capability of plants to generate enough to satisfy demand.
The System That Generates Water
Unlike many regions, the Gulf does not depend on rivers or precipitation. It relies on desalination plants along the coast, continuously converting seawater into drinkable water.
Seawater undergoes processing through reverse osmosis or thermal methods, eliminating salt and impurities. The resulting water is distributed, stored, and sent to homes, hospitals, and industries.
It is a rigid system, designed for ongoing operation, supporting cities, industries, and services. Gulf states produce approximately 40 percent of the world’s desalinated water, with over 400 plants in operation.
Dependence varies but remains high across nations. In the UAE, desalination comprises 41 to 42 percent of total water usage, 90 percent of Kuwait’s drinking water, and around 70 percent in Saudi Arabia.
When Disruption Becomes Apparent
For residents, disruption isn’t immediately perceived—water continues to flow.
Rustum notes that buildings contain internal storage and pumps, concealing early changes in supply. Water pressure usually remains stable as the system adapts.
Gas prices aren’t the sole element driving the sales of used EVs.
The latest sales figures for electric vehicles paint a bleak scenario — at least for newly sold EVs. Sales of brand-new electric vehicles experienced a significant decline in the first quarter, plummeting approximately 28% year-over-year after the Trump administration eliminated the $7,500 tax credit for consumers, as reported by Cox Automotive.
In contrast, used electric vehicles are trending upwards. A couple of factors have coincided to fuel this surge in sales.
Sales of pre-owned EVs rose by 12% compared to the same period last year, according to the same report from Cox Automotive. There’s also a shorter-term upward trend; used EV sales jumped 17% from the fourth quarter to the first quarter.
The escalating price of gasoline — currently averaging over $4 per gallon — has contributed to increased interest and sales in electric vehicles. However, there’s another element influencing this trend as consumers look for budget-friendly choices: a surplus of expiring leases, as reported by the Financial Times. EV leases were quite popular in the early 2020s, and with their expiration, hundreds of thousands of previously owned EVs are flooding the market. Consumers are eager to purchase them.
By year-end, electric vehicles are expected to make up 15% of all off-lease vehicles, a substantial rise from 7.7% in the first quarter, according to the FT.
The classic economic principle of supply and demand held firm; the influx of used vehicles contributed to price reductions, providing an additional boost to those sales. This has resulted in price equivalence — or nearly so — with traditional internal combustion engine vehicles. As per Cox Automotive, the average cost of a used EV stands at $34,821, while the gas-engine equivalent is priced at $33,487.
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Google discreetly introduced an AI dictation application that functions without an internet connection.
On Monday, Google discreetly launched an offline-centric dictation application named “Google AI Edge Eloquent” for iOS, aiming to compete with Wispr Flow, SuperWhisper, Willow, and similar applications.
The application is available for free download, and after the Gemma-based automatic speech recognition (ASR) models are installed, you can begin dictating from your mobile device. Within the application, live transcription is displayed, and when you press pause, the app instinctively eliminates filler words such as “um” and “ah,” refining the text.
Beneath the transcript, there are selections like “Key points,” “Formal,” “Short,” and “Long” to modify the text.
Additionally, you can disable cloud mode for local-only processing. (When cloud mode is activated, the app employs cloud-based Gemini models for text refinement.) Google AI Edge Eloquent can pull in specific keywords, names, and terminologies from your Gmail account if needed. You may also include your custom words in the database.
The app tracks the history of transcription sessions, allowing you to search through all the entries. It can display words dictated in the previous session, measure your words per minute rate, and count the total number of words narrated.
“Google AI Edge Eloquent is a sophisticated dictation application designed to close the gap between natural conversation and professional, ready-to-use text. Unlike typical dictation software that documents hesitations and filler phrases word-for-word, Eloquent leverages AI to grasp your intended message. It automatically removes ‘ums,’ ‘uhs,’ and self-corrections within sentences, yielding clean, precise written content,” states the company’s App Store description.
Currently, the app is exclusively accessible on iOS, but the App Store description alludes to an upcoming Android version. (We have contacted Google for additional details and will provide updates if we receive a response.)
As per the description, Eloquent delivers “seamless Android integration,” allowing it to be set as users’ default keyboard for system-wide availability across any text field. Moreover, the app will feature a floating button function, akin to Wispr Flow’s on Android, for convenient transcription access from any location.
Transcription applications driven by AI are rising in popularity among users as speech-to-text technologies improve. With this experimental app, Google is entering the market. If this trial proves successful, we may witness enhanced transcription capabilities across Android as well.
Netflix is venturing into children’s games with a brand new independent application.
Netflix has announced the release of a brand new standalone app for children’s games named Netflix Playground, as revealed on Monday. Netflix Playground is included with a Netflix subscription and is free from ads or in-app purchases.
According to Netflix, the app provides kids with an “ever-expanding” selection of games tailored for them. Netflix Playground debuts with titles that feature characters from well-known children’s programs.
Aimed at children aged eight and under, the app is currently accessible in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., Australia, the Philippines, and New Zealand, with a global rollout set for April 28. It is compatible with both iOS and Android devices.
The app allows offline access without needing a mobile data or Wi-Fi connection, which the company claims makes it an “ideal companion for lengthy flights or shopping trips.”
For instance, one of the games is named “Playtime With Peppa Pig,” allowing players to “dive into Peppa’s universe with a variety of enjoyable activities.” Another option is a “Sesame Street” game where players enhance their memory with matching cards or refine their coordination with connect-the-dots. Additional titles include “Let’s Color,” “Storybots,” “Bad Dinosaurs,” and more.
“Our goal is to create a space where children can not only view their beloved tales but also immerse themselves and interact with their favorite figures,” stated John Derderian, Netflix Vice President of Animation Series + Kids & Family TV, in a press release. “We aim to develop an integrated area for exploration, learning, and play. Whether it’s embarking on new adventures with Hank and the ‘Trash Truck’ team or whipping up a smoothie with ‘Peppa Pig,’ engaging with Netflix can be the most enjoyable and effortless aspect of any family’s day.”
Netflix initially introduced games in 2021 with ambitious intentions for the category, but has since scaled back after its offerings struggled to gain momentum. The streaming powerhouse has also terminated several gaming studios such as Boss Fight, Spry Fox, and an AAA studio.
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Towards the end of last year, Netflix ventured into television gaming with a lineup of new party games designed for group play, which includes TV adaptations of Tetris and Pictionary. The company has also expressed its intention to focus on cloud gaming, though it has acknowledged that these initiatives are still in their infancy.
Reasons why safety authorities ended their inquiry into Tesla’s remote parking capability
U.S. automotive safety officials have concluded their investigation into Tesla’s remote parking feature, termed “Actually Smart Summon,” after determining that crashes are infrequent, occurring at low speeds, and are not severe.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration stated in its Friday update that closing the investigation does not indicate that a safety-related defect is absent, and noted that the investigation could be reopened.
The remote parking capability, which was introduced through a software update in September 2024, enables owners to utilize their Tesla app to guide the vehicle to autonomously come to them at low speeds, relying solely on the car’s cameras. This release was significant because the earlier version, Smart Summon, also utilized ultrasonic sensors, which are no longer found in newer Tesla models.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration initiated the investigation in January 2025 following reports of various crashes involving the “Actually Smart Summon” feature. The inquiry revealed that from millions of Summon sessions, less than 1% resulted in an incident, which generally involved minor property damage such as colliding with gates, parked vehicles, or bollards.
Additionally, the report indicated that “no incidents were reported involving a vulnerable road user, injuries, fatalities, or significant property damages as evidenced by airbag deployments or vehicle towing,” according to the findings.
NHTSA discovered that either the individual or the app’s system failed to adequately detect the environment, often due to limited visibility in the camera view. Some incidents occurred because snow obstructed the camera, which the system could not recognize.
Tesla has released several software updates aimed at enhancing camera obstruction detection and improving object recognition, as reported by NHTSA.
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