A Busy Week in the World of Technology

End of an Era: The world of technology witnessed a busy week filled with important news. AOL announced the discontinuation of its dial-up internet services, marking the end of an era characterized by the distinctive sound of digital communication between computers and service providers.

The dial-up internet connection tone was not just a series of random sounds; it was an auditory signal informing users of the connection's progress, from dialing the number to authentication and modem linking to the network. These sounds, ranging from beeps to static, became a symbol of the early internet era and helped users understand what was happening during their internet connection. Source.

Apple Updates: Real-time Translation in AirPods

Real-time Translation Feature: In Apple news, the latest developer beta of iOS 26 revealed a significant and unannounced update for AirPods 4 and AirPods Pro 2: real-time and realistic translation. Although Apple announced the Live Translate feature last month at WWDC, it wasn't intended for real-world conversations, making this new feature an unexpected surprise. Details on how the feature works and supported languages are still not fully known, but it's a significant upgrade for current Apple products.

The real-time translation feature in AirPods points to a future of multilingual communication, where users can understand others in real-time. While Apple previously announced the "Live Translate" feature at WWDC, this feature was primarily aimed at text translation within apps or using Siri for quick translation of short phrases, not for continuous conversations in real-world environments.Source (WWDC 2024).

HTC Vive Eagle Glasses: A New Competitor in Virtual Reality

New Vive Eagle Glasses: This week also saw HTC's launch of the new Vive Eagle glasses, a strong competitor in the virtual reality headset category. The glasses feature a 12-megapixel camera, open-ear speakers, and a battery life of up to 36 hours in standby mode and 4.5 hours for music playback, all in a sleek and lightweight design weighing 49 grams. These glasses may excel in the artificial intelligence aspect thanks to their ability to access both Gemini and ChatGPT. However, the glasses are currently only available in Taiwan, with hopes for a near global launch.

Samsung Launches Micro-RGB TV: A Revolution in Displays

Micro-RGB Technology: As for Samsung, it unveiled the world's first Micro-RGB TV, which will initially be available in South Korea in a 115-inch size. This technology uses very small red, green, and blue LED lights behind the panel to achieve improved brightness and color accuracy. It has achieved 100% coverage of the HDR BT.2020 color gamut, an unprecedented achievement in televisions. Despite its current high price, Samsung expects this technology to become more cost-effective and competitive with other technologies like OLED.

Micro-RGB technology is a display advancement that uses independent pixels composed of very small red, green, and blue LEDs (sub-pixels) that produce their own light. This allows for precise control over lighting and colors, resulting in high contrast, vibrant colors, and deep blacks, surpassing the capabilities of traditional LCD screens and offering strong competition to OLED technology, which relies on organic light-emitting diodes. The competition between Micro-RGB and OLED focuses on achieving the best image quality, where Micro-RGB excels in brightness and lifespan, while OLED is distinguished by screen flexibility and absolute black.Source.

Blood Oxygen Feature Returns to Apple Watch After Patent Dispute

Blood Oxygen Tracking: After an 18-month ban, the blood oxygen tracking feature has returned to Apple Watch Series 9, Series 10, and Ultra 2. This feature was disabled in January 2024 due to a patent dispute between Masimo and Apple, but Apple found a way to comply with the decision and restore the feature to users. However, the reading will not appear on the watch itself but only on your iPhone.

The patent dispute between Masimo and Apple concerns blood oxygen sensing technology. Masimo, a medical device company, claimed that Apple infringed on its patents related to this technology used in the Apple Watch. This dispute led to a ban on importing and selling certain Apple Watch models in the United States. To resolve this issue, Apple modified the blood oxygen measurement algorithms in its watches to comply with the court's decision, allowing the feature to be reactivated with some changes in how the data is displayed.Source.

Insta360 Antigravity Drone: 360-Degree Photography from the Sky

Insta360 Antigravity Drone: In the world of drones, there was an opportunity to experience the new Insta360 Antigravity drone, the first of its kind to offer 360-degree photography. The experience was described as very easy and exciting, though its cost won't be cheap, as the drone combines 360-degree camera technology with a special headset.

OpenAI Responds to Users by Increasing GPT-5 Limits

Increased GPT-5 Limits: Finally, OpenAI responded to criticisms regarding the message limit for GPT-5 for ChatGPT Plus subscribers. CEO Sam Altman confirmed that the limit would be increased to 3000 responses per week for paid subscribers, up from just 200 messages. OpenAI is also working to improve the clarity of user interface labels to identify which model is responding in ChatGPT, in response to user requests.