Technology News: Tech Updates: Microsoft, Google, Apple, Xiaomi, and Meta News

A new recovery tool has been rolled out by Microsoft to fix that CrowdStrike update error; this error has troubled more than 8.5 billion devices. IT admins can use this in-place, bootable USB drive tool for the quick repair of unresponsive Windows PCs hit by this issue. It detects and removes the faulty file, but does not require Safe Mode, thereby making recovery easy. Now, an refreshingly reassuring update from CrowdStrike on its earlier recommendation, that was rather cumbersome to effectively instruct users to perform multiple reboots of the systems, in Safe Mode.

The newest update to Gemini AI on Android enables it to continue its tasks even when the device is locked. You can ask questions, set alarms, and control your favorite tunes, all such that there is no need to unlock your phone. With this update, Gemini will even respond to offline "Hey Google" commands and show the answer in full-screen windows when the display is off. These two features will be functional if the user allows Gemini to work on the lock screen and to access functions from Google Assistant. Greatly improved in allowing interaction with users, it makes accessibility so much easier.

One of the broadest IT shutdowns in decades was created on Friday by a CrowdStrike software error. It hit airlines, healthcare, retail, and office systems around the world. Microsoft's software was hit, impacting about 8.5 billion devices. This far-flung disruption was due to CrowdStrike's marquee product, Falcon, designed for threat detection and response. While third-party vendors linked Microsoft to the big aftermath, CrowdStrike said all was not due to a cyber attack. The road to recovery is supposed to be slow. This incident serves to remind that IT infrastructure has to be strong and go with a skilled workforce.

According to Canalys, the most recent data leaves Xiaomi right back at the top of the Indian smartphone market. This regain came at the expense of Samsung, which slipped into third place behind Vivo. Xiaomi's market share rose to 18% from 15% in the earlier quarter, indicating recovery from a slump in demand. The overall smartphone market nonetheless continued to see dull growth, wherein its shipments increased only by 1% in Q2 2024. It now includes the top five brands: Xiaomi, Vivo, Samsung, Realme, and Oppo. Optimism in the future market is pinned on upcoming features of GenAI across new models by brands like Apple, Vivo, and Samsung.

Apple has explicitly mentioned that none of its AI features, including Apple Intelligence, make use of open-sourced Efficient Language Models that were open-sourced in April alone. More than that, OpenELM was developed for research purposes alone and resides on Apple's Machine Learning Research page. In connection with the newest reports that Apple and other tech giants secretly used YouTube subtitles to train AI models, the company claimed it only makes use of licensed and publicly available data that doesn't come from user data. New versions of OpenELM will not be released, while its AI features will hit the market first with the iPhone 16 series and some Apple devices.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Meta Platforms is in discussions to purchase a 5% stake in EssilorLuxottica, valued at about €4.33 billion. The deal would grant Meta increased control over the development of Ray-Ban smart glasses, one of the company's largest consumer products. On the development, shares of EssilorLuxottica jumped 3%, while the stock of Meta surged 1.2%. A new generation of Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses, which hit the market last October, has outsold its predecessors. An offering from the third generation will arrive in time for the 2025 holiday season.