Meta AI chatbot and smart glasses launch in UK, Tesla to launch ‘Cybercab’ robotaxi
Meta, the owner of Facebook and Instagram, has launched its artificial intelligence assistant in the UK, alongside AI-boosted sunglasses modelled by Mark Zuckerberg. Meta’s AI assistant, which can generate text and images, is now available on its social media platforms in the UK and Brazil, having already been launched in the US and Australia. Facebook and Instagram users in the UK will now be able to access the Meta AI chatbot by tapping on an icon in their app or by buying a pair of £299 Ray-Ban Meta frames (pictured above). The Guardian
Tesla boss Elon Musk is to unveil a prototype of the firm’s long-awaited robotaxi, the Cybercab, at the Warner Bros Studios in Burbank, California on Thursday. Self-driving cars have long fascinated Mr Musk and he has made a series of bold predictions about them – including that they will save lives or earn their owners money, through being rented out for rides or even overnight stays. But when he takes to the stage for Tesla’s “We, Robot” event he will be under pressure to quell doubts about whether the company can deliver on those ambitions. BBC
Amazon is adding Apple TV Plus to Prime Video, a move that could help bolster the iPhone maker’s languishing streaming service. Apple TV Plus will be available on Prime Video in the US later this month as a $9.99 monthly add-on — the same you’d otherwise pay directly to Apple. The difference now is that Apple TV Plus is being promoted directly to Amazon’s massive video subscriber base. “What we offer channel partners is hundreds of millions of subscribers around the world,” said Prime Video head Mike Hopkins at Bloomberg’s Screentime conference. The Verge
Alarmo, Nintendo’s new interactive alarm clock, is available now in the UK if you’re a Nintendo Switch Online subscriber. The gadget is priced £89.99 on these shores. Upon its surprise announcement yesterday, Nintendo also announced a $99 price point for the US. Nintendo Sound Clock: Alarmo, to give the device its full name, is an interactive alarm designed to sit by your bedside. It includes alarm sounds and animations based around several top Nintendo franchises – including Mario, Zelda, Pikmin and Splatoon – to wake you up in the morning. Eurogamer
Satellite operator SES has confirmed an extension of a contract with Sky for the distribution of satellite TV services to the UK and Ireland. Sky will continue to make use of multiple transponders on the SES-owned Astra 2 satellites orbiting at 28°E until 2029. The two companies previously had a deal running until 2028. This means that Sky Q and Sky+HD users will continue to be able to access a wide range of channels via satellite for at least five more years, giving Sky more time to work on its internet-based TV platform (via Sky Stream/Sky Glass). RXTV
Many people see 8K as the next generation of TV. It offers four times the resolution of 4K, with 7,680 x 4,320 pixels on the screen. That means the potential for more detail in the images that it displays. On sale since summer 2024, the QN900D is Samsung’s flagship 8K TV. It replaces last year’s QN900C, with (notably) greater brightness and more powerful AI processing skills. That’s important, because the AI brains power the upscaling, designed to bridge the gap between a 4K television and this 8K model. Telegraph
