Technology News: Major Tech Updates: Pixel Alert, Nikon Z6III, ByteDance-Broadcom, OpenAI-Rockset, CMF Phone 1, iOS 18 Beta, Apple's AI in China

The Indian government has warned users of Google Pixel about a critical security risk wherein zero-day vulnerabilities were found in multiple pixel devices, including Pixel 5a, 6a, and Pixel Fold. These would allow hackers to bypass security on the device and install malware. Google has rolled out a security patch for the same; affected users are advised to update immediately through Settings – System – Software Updates. Nothing is coming to happen to Pixel 4a users in India; there will be no further updates.

Nikon has introduced the full-frame mirrorless camera, the Z6III, into the Indian market. It comes packed with almost every feature from the high-end variant of the series, namely, the Z9 and Z8. With a 24.5MP sensor, this camera will be in great demand for photography and video content creation—deterministic 6K video recording, 120 fps still image capture, and advanced autofocus features. Equipped with an option of an EXPEED 7 processor, it is capable of delivering high ISO performance with near noise-less photography and up to 8.0-stop in-camera Vibration Reduction for stable video recording.

ByteDance is developing a 5nm AI processor with US chip designer Broadcom. It would meet the requirements of compliance under US export controls and be manufactured by Taiwan's TSMC. The move is to cut costs and secure a stable supply of high-end chips amid intensified political tensions between the United States and China. The design process is going on, but production has yet to start. Boosting AI capability, stockpiling Nvidia and Huawei chips, it actively recruits semiconductor talents for tech advances and applications such as TikTok and the Doubao chatbot.

Microsoft-backed OpenAI on Monday announced it had acquired search and database analytics startup Rockset to strengthen infrastructure for enterprise products. The all-stock deal values Rockset in the hundreds of millions of dollars, making it one of the largest for OpenAI. With real-time data processing expertise at Rockset, OpenAI can optimize its retrieval infrastructure for better performance of its enterprise tools. The deal will provide OpenAI with scale to offer services at precisely the time stiff competition from the likes of Google and Anthropic comes out. Just so, Rockset's team is going to form part of OpenAI, while the latter is going to see its technology get incorporated into the former, after all, in a bid meant to offer better AI to enterprise customers.

Nothing is all geared up to announce its first smartphone, the CMF Phone 1, on July 8 and is keeping its eyes on India too. Priced around Rs 19,000, it may feature a MediaTek Dimensity 7300 chipset, FHD+ OLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate, and dual cameras at the rear. It will run on the clean Nothing OS and likely have a large battery supporting 33W wired charging, however, no charger in the box. On launch day, Nothing will also roll out a smartwatch and wireless earbuds alongside the phone.

Apple has just announced the availability of iOS 18 Developer Beta 2, which also incorporates iPhone Mirroring and SharePlay Screen Sharing. The feature of iPhone mirroring will provide the ability to mirror the iPhone screen on Macs, hence enhancing the integration between device categories. Another outstanding feature will be that of SharePlay Screen Sharing, including annotation and serving control over another person's screen in the midst of a video call. The beta was free to all and downloadable in Settings > General > Software Update. The public beta will be released this July, with the final release to take place in September. Another statement from Apple's schedule indicates that it will make beta versions for iPadOS 18, macOS Sequoia, tvOS 18, visionOS 2, and watchOS 11.

The AI dreams of Apple take a big hit both in Europe and China. Its Digital Markets Act in Europe and, similarly, regulatory hurdles in China have put on hold rollouts in some AI features, including the integration with ChatGPT. But amid all odds against it, Apple is still keen on teaming up on AI and has reached out to Meta and others for possible collaboration. The company will provide secure, highly privacy-considerate AI features, but complex regulatory landscapes must be navigated to provide them to users in these key markets.

Last month, Google DeepMind and Isomorphic announced a new version of the AI model AlphaFold 3 that could predict with accuracy molecular and protein interactions that could advance drug design. At Terray Therapeutics, robots and scientists working in a highly automated laboratory oversee nanoscale experiments. Proteins and chemical molecules interact in small wells on custom silicon chips, yielding millions of data points every day. These interactions create 50 terabytes of raw data daily, equivalent to upwards of more than 12,000 movies—a breadth and strength of technology that is hard to fathom.