Welcome back to week in review! We have lots of news for you this week, including a shaking of X, Hugging Face’s new robot, new phones from Nothing and Samsung and more. Have a wonderful weekend!
From to do something else: X CEO Linda Yaccarino stepped down this week after a tumult two-year term of office characterized by the advertiser’s setback, Elon Musk’s controversy and platform’s AI problems. The company’s advertising business improved under her management, but the road in the future will still be tough.
See-Through: Apple continues to fine -tune its new floating glass design in iOS 26 Beta 3, calling back transparency in areas such as messages and Apple Music following user complaints. It is the latest step in finding the right balance before us launched in the fall.
The sweetest: Hugging Face has opened orders for its new open source desktop robot, Reachy Mini, aimed at AI developers. From $ 299 Build-IT-Uourself Bots are fully programmable in Python and integrated with the crushing face hub.
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News
Whole mass nothing: Nothing is $ 799 phone (3) is its most ambitious yet, with a quirky new other screen, AI features and flagship specifications aimed at competing with Samsung and Apple. But mixed reactions to design and pricing can keep it in “alternative to” rather than “replacement for” territory, at least for now.
Samsung too: Samsung also released new folding phones this week, The New Z Fold7 and Z Flip7. It also released a cheaper folding phone, Z Flip7 FE.
I want this car: Rivian’s new quad engine R1T and R1S EVs are here, boasts 1,025 horsepower, get you from 0 to 60 in under 2.5 seconds, and flashy new software tricks like “Kick Turn” and Rad tuner for custom driving conditions. With internal engines and a deeper software stack, Rivian’s bet this $ 115,000+ flagship can hold the line until it’s more affordable R2’s arriving in 2026.
Cool, great: Elon Musk says Xai’s new Grok 4 is a “maximum truth-seeking AI”, but tests show that Chatbot often consults Musk’s own X-positions and public statements when answering controversial questions. The model’s adaptation to its founder raises fresh concerns about objectivity and about grok’s preparedness for prime time, including being shown in Teslas, as Musk says coming next week.
And another: Apple’s leader of AI models, Ruoming Pang, is back to Meta, where he will participate in Zuckerberg’s growing AI superintelligence device. Moving is constantly signaling problems in Apple’s AI efforts and adding more AI-Expertise to Device to Meta’s expanding bench.
Security first? Last weekend, Jack Dorsey spent building a Bluetooth-based messaging app called Bitchat, operating via Bluetooth Mesh Networks so users chat without Wi-Fi or Cell Service. The app is now in closed beta, but the claims that the app is secure is already facing the control of security researchers.
It’s time: After 14 years of Intel, RealSense spins out as an independent company of $ 50 million in funding to scale his 3D stereoscopic imaging technology used in robotics, drones and more. CEO NADAV Orbach aims to increase the efforts of marketing and improve the security functions of interaction between humans and robot as AI-driven demand waves.
Analysis
Pulls the curtain back: Slate Auto, a Stealthy Michigan-based EV-start, supported by Jeff Bezos, stunned the industry by revealing plans for an ultra-affordable, customizable electric pickup. After three years in the shadows, the company aims to shake the market with production targeted until the end of 2026.