Technology News: Comprehensive Tech Updates: From Windows 11's Direct File Sharing to AI-Powered Augmented Reality and Privacy Risks

A new update to Windows 11 will let users share files and links directly to their Android devices from the Windows share menu. Device linking requires only having the Link to Windows app on one's Android phone and having the Phone Link app installed on the PC. The ability is now available to Beta individuals; when this will release to every other person, no one has said. Meanwhile, Microsoft has paused updating the Recall AI feature due to security issues and is now asking for further fine-tuning from the Windows Insiders community.

Meta has made available a Threads API through which developers can make an integration for a range of capabilities, including publishing posts, fetching content, and reply management tools. Mark Zuckerberg declared the availability of the said API and mentioned that it would soon be extended to many more people. This API is also equipped with analytics to track several metrics, including views, likes, replies, and reposts. Threads has recently rolled out a fact-checking program reflective of Meta's step toward improving user experience and engagement. The overall ecosystem of Meta, inclusive of Threads, keeps on growing: It has hit more than 3.24 billion family daily active users across its platforms, with Threads now at 150 million monthly active users.

A recent report by Surfshark has underscored privacy concerns over smart home gadgets. According to the report, leading players like Amazon's Alexa and Google Assistant collect vast amounts of user data. In this respect, Amazon's Alexa is reported to collect 28 data points out of a possible 32, which also includes a user's location and health details, while Google Assistant collects 22 points. This definitely raises concerns about the security of the data and its possible vulnerabilities that, hence, users should become more careful as smart home technologies are increasingly being adopted.

YouTube is testing fact-checking notes in a bid to purge misinformation across its huge video platform. Notes provide timely context, let creators add timestamps and links at the end to credible sources directly on videos. The platform hopes to fine-tune this feature based on the feedback it gets from users before developing it for possible rollout globally. YouTube hopes to ensure that verified information that is consistent flows out to the public for improved transparency and effective combating of misinformation.

JBL announces its high-end TWS earbuds, Live Beam 3, in India, featuring Hi-Res Audio Quality and Smart Charging Case is fitted with a 1.45- inch touch display. While these come for a price of Rs 24,999, online stores are giving out the device for Rs 13,999, which places them well among top models such as Sony WF-1000XM5 and Apple AirPods Pro 2nd gen. Case comes as another control hub for music playback and message notifications; with features such as ANC, 10mm dynamic drivers, IP55 rating, and LDAC codec support for high-resolution audio over Bluetooth.

Snap Incorporated, the parent company of Snapchat, announced that it's rolling out advanced generative AI to improve augmented reality effects while snapping videos. The new tech makes for far more realistic and sophisticated AR experiences, enabling things like dynamically integrating digital objects seamlessly into real-world videos. On top of that, using an upgraded Lens Studio, Snap is now giving developers much easier ways to create AI-powered lenses and tools which make it easier to construct complex AR effects. What they want to do is take their offerings from just facial AR to full-body experiences in the hope of appealing more to both users and advertisers.

It was the sixth straight success of the mission as ISRO successfully launched 36 OneWeb satellites into orbit using the LVM3 rocket. The cryogenic upper stage of the rocket, which was left in a 450 km altitude orbit immediately after the launch, re-entered Earth's atmosphere recently. Refueling the extra fuel to avoid risks, ISRO ensured the safe disposal of the stage and monitored it up to its re-entry with tracking radar. It followed international and Indian space debris mitigation guidelines by disposing of rocket stages naturally through orbital decay within two years.

Now, Google DeepMind's AI research lab has developed a new AI model, V2A, that can generate audio from videos. Whereas existing video generation models, such as Sora and Veo, have rather limited possibilities with regard to silent output, V2A will improve user experience through the creation of soundtracks and dialogues that fit appropriately to the visual content. This places a high stamp of authority on how far existing AI capabilities have reached, greatly managing to synthesize comprehensive audio-visual narratives right from natural language prompts.