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An anonymous reader quotes a report from Bloomberg: MediaTek is launching a mobile processor more capable of handling agentic AI tasks on devices, positioning to better compete with Qualcomm. The new Dimensity 9500 will provide users with better summaries of calls and meetings, improved output from AI models and superior 4K photos, the Taiwanese company said in a statement. The chip is made using an advanced 3-nanometer process by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., according to MediaTek, and handsets carrying the new chip will become available in the fourth quarter. Xiaomi is set to launch its latest handset range powered by Qualcomm's newest Snapdragon processor later this week, and the Chinese smartphone maker is aiming to benchmark its upcoming devices against Apple Inc.'s iPhone 17. MediaTek's processor, meanwhile, is expected to give Xiaomi's rivals including Vivo a boost in the premium segment. [...] Separately, the Taiwanese company is preparing to place chip orders for automotive and more sensitive applications with TSMC's Arizona plant as some US customers have security concerns, according to the executives.

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President to announce details on Big Red’s storage and security deal for Chinese social media phenomenon later this week

The White House has promised that all US user data on TikTok will be stored on Oracle servers in the United States, according to a deal to be announced later this week.…

With no idea when engines restart, families gear down on spending ahead of Christmas

Jaguar Land Rover is extending the shutdown of its production plants another week in a move that experts say could cost the business in the multiple billions.…

Not as bad as other interference, but maybe it's time for a wired connection

Houseplants could be slowing down your Wi-Fi, according to Broadband Genie, which reckons surfers can increase broadband speeds by almost 40 percent just by moving their router away from any greenery.…

Instead of job offers, victims get MiniJunk backdoor and MiniBrowse stealer

Suspected Iranian government-backed online attackers have expanded their European cyber ops with fake job portals and new malware targeting organizations in the defense, manufacturing, telecommunications, and aviation sectors.…

Init system update arrives behind schedule while desktop overhaul adds app and HDR polish

There are fresh new releases of two of the more controversial and divisive projects in the Linux world for everyone to argue about… and then adopt anyway.…

Meanwhile Lotus Notes still lurks in some Office of National Statistics systems, for now

A flagship Office for National Statistics project to share data across the UK government appears to be ending several years before its time after failing to make enough progress, getting a "Red" risk rating two years in a row, and never appointing a program director.…

Reeves points finger at Moscow in interview when authorities reckon it's local lads

UK chancellor Rachel Reeves is blaming Moscow for Britain's latest cyber woes, an attribution that seems about as solid as wet cardboard given the trail of evidence pointing to attackers much closer to home.…

alternative_right shares a report from ScienceDaily: Scientists have developed a new multi-layered metalens design that could revolutionize portable optics in devices like phones, drones, and satellites. By stacking metamaterial layers instead of relying on a single one, the team overcame fundamental limits in focusing multiple wavelengths of light. Their algorithm-driven approach produced intricate nanostructures shaped like clovers, propellers, and squares, enabling improved performance, scalability, and polarization independence. [...] Mr Joshua Jordaan, from the Research School of Physics at the Australian National University and the ARC Centre of Excellence for Transformative Meta-Optical Systems (TMOS), said the ability to make metalenses to collect a lot of light will be a boon for future portable imaging systems. "The metalenses we have designed would be ideal for drones or earth-observation satellites, as we've tried to make them as small and light as possible," he said. The findings have been published in the journal Optics Express.

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The corpse of Lotus Notes keeps twitching

Some software is more difficult to kill than a horror movie villain, it seems, as Domino and Notes versions 9.0.x and 10.0.x are now set to limp on until the end of this decade.…

Messy ruling details a perfect storm of NAO, MoD, and Aquila contract failures

Managed service provider Node4 has won a £2.4 million (c $3.2 million) damages award against the founder of Microsoft Dynamics consultancy Tisski, after the High Court ruled the company was sold with problematic contracts that were collapsing as the deal was being finalized.…

Stargates or black holes? Risks and rewards from the B(r)itbarn boom

Comment The UK has bitterly expensive power, an energy minister who sees electricity as bad, a lethargic planning system, and a grid with a backlog for connections running to 2039.…