Author: IQ TIMES MEDIA
Google’s Nano Banana image-generation model, officially known as Gemini 2.5 Flash Image, has fueled global momentum for the Gemini app since launching last month. But in India, it has taken on a creative life of its own, with retro portraits and local trends going viral — even as privacy and safety concerns begin to emerge. India has emerged as the No. 1 country in terms of Nano Banana usage, according to David Sharon, multimodal generation lead for Gemini Apps at Google DeepMind, who spoke at a media session this week. The model’s popularity has also propelled the Gemini app to…
Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta AI glasses demo went wrong live onstage — twice.On Wednesday, the CEO took to the stage at the company’s annual Meta Connect event to reveal the second-generation Meta Ray-Bans, a neural wristband, Meta Ray-Bans Display with heads-up display, and sports-centered glasses with Oakley.To drive his point home that AI should serve people and not just “sit in a data center,” Zuckerberg connected food content creator Jack Mancuso to the big screen for a live demo on how the newly upgraded Ray Ban Meta glasses could help Mancuso cook — and that is when things began to get…
Meta on Wednesday unveiled a new pair of Ray-Ban branded smart glasses with a built-in display for apps, alerts, and directions on the right lens. The smart glasses are controlled by a wristband that picks up on subtle hand gestures, called Meta Neural Band, the same one it unveiled at last year’s Connect as part of its Orion demo. CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced the new product, called Meta Ray-Ban Display, onstage at the company’s annual developer conference, Meta Connect 2025. Unlike Orion, Zuckerberg says this is a product that people can buy in a couple of weeks, starting September 30,…
Mark Zuckerberg has figured out a way to get a phone on your face — by shrinking it down and cramming it into a pair of glasses.Does that sound good to you?If so, you’ll be able to buy a pair in two weeks. They’ll cost at least $800.I’ve gotten a brief test-drive with Meta’s new Ray-Ban Display Glasses. They’re fun because they’re the kind of thing you’ve seen and read about in science fiction forever. Except now they’re real, and they work.I’m also not sure how I would use them in real life after the novelty wears off. But I’m…
SWANNANOA, N.C. (AP) — When 12-year-old Natalie Briggs visited the ruins of her home after Hurricane Helene, she had to tightrope across a wooden beam to reach what was once her bedroom.Knots of electrical wires were draped inside the skeleton of the house. Months after the storm, light filtered through breaks in the tarps over the windows. “All I could think of was, ‘This isn’t my house,’” said Natalie, who had been staying in her grandparents’ basement.At school, Natalie sometimes had panic attacks when she thought of her ruined home in Swannanoa.“There were some points where I just didn’t want…
NEW YORK (AP) — When we make mistakes at work, it can lead to a cycle of negative thinking.The damaging thoughts swirl: “I’m an impostor.” “I’m not smart enough.” “I’m failing at my job.”Feeling like an impostor — doubting one’s own abilities despite a track record of success — is common, especially among women and members of marginalized groups. Even on days when everything’s going right, it can be hard to shift out of a cycle of self-doubt.But there are ways to interrupt that downward spiral.Many people have found cognitive behavioral therapy, a form of talk therapy, helpful to examine…
AI chip startup Groq confirmed Wednesday that it raised a fresh $750 million in funding at a post-money valuation of $6.9 billion. This topped the rumored numbers when word leaked in July that Groq was raising. At that time, reports suggested that the raise would be about $600 million, at near a $6 billion valuation. Groq, which also sells data center computing power, previously raised $640 million at a $2.8 billion valuation in August 2024, making this more than double the valuation in about a year. Groq has now raised over $3 billion to date, PitchBook estimates. Groq has been a…
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices will convene Thursday and Friday of this week under an unaccustomed spotlight. The committee, known as ACIP, usually attracts little attention as it deliberates vaccine schedules and eligibility, but suddenly finds itself navigating political scrutiny, public skepticism and internal upheaval.The stakes extend well beyond the technical details of dosing intervals or eligibility cutoffs. The panel’s decisions could reshape public trust in childhood vaccines, restrict access to vaccines through Medicaid and Medicare, and signal whether scientific consensus or political pressure will steer the nation’s vaccination strategy.The precise language of…
(Reuters) -The West Coast Health Alliance, including the states of California, Oregon, and Hawaii, on Wednesday recommended COVID-19 vaccines in all adults and children who choose protection, in contrast to the U.S. government’s narrowed approvals for the shots.The alliance said it recommends updated COVID-19 vaccines for all children between six and 23 months, and two to 18-year-olds with risk factors or who were never vaccinated against COVID-19.The recommendations contrast with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which last month approved the updated vaccines for people with health conditions and all people aged 65 and older.Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s…
NEW YORK (AP) — Satou Sabally and Alyssa Thomas each scored 15 points to help the Phoenix Mercury beat the New York Liberty 86-60 in Game 2 on Wednesday night, evening the best-of-three playoff series.The decisive Game 3 will be Friday night in Phoenix.Sabally was coming off one of the worst shooting games of her career when she was 2 for 17 in Game 1, but said in practice Tuesday that she was confident she’d bounce back. Kahleah Copper and DeWanna Bonner each had 14.New York had a huge emotional lift before the game with Breanna Stewart able to play…