TECHNOLOGY

Jackie Chan remains alive after a viral social media hoax falsely claimed the 72-year-old actor had died, with recent public appearances and official sources contradicting the posts.

Pope Leo XIV urged the United States, China and technology leaders to take warnings about artificial intelligence seriously, contrasting his position with President Donald Trump's scepticism.

CVS customers across the United States reported difficulties using the pharmacy's app, website and accounts, with some also describing problems at store checkouts and prescription services.

Early reviews praise the Xiaomi 18 Fold's wide design, battery, cameras and performance, while noting its visible crease, added thickness, high price and China-only availability.

Bose has announced $99 wired USB-C earbuds with active noise cancellation, lossless audio support and no internal battery, with shipping expected to begin in October.

Flock Safety CEO Garrett Langley faces online harassment after defending a privacy–public safety compromise, while unverified address claims fuel debate over surveillance, executive privacy and oversight.

Users reported possible Microsoft Outlook problems on Downdetector, but Microsoft had not confirmed a new outage or provided details about affected regions and symptoms.

US stocks opened lower as higher oil prices and Treasury yields intensified inflation concerns, while OpenAI's pause on advanced model training pressured chipmakers and technology shares.

Honor has launched the Magic 9 Pro Max in China, combining dual 200-megapixel cameras, ARRI-tuned imaging, a 2-nanometre chip and an 8,800mAh battery.

Bill Gates says advanced AI could amplify terrorist or hostile-state attacks and urges federal safeguards, monitoring and logging, while Mark Zuckerberg backs company-led safety measures.

Bill Gates said reaching a global agreement on artificial intelligence could be harder than Cold War nuclear arms talks, urging mandatory safeguards and rejecting claims that catastrophic AI risks are a hoax.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 sales reportedly increased 10% in South Korea after Apple unveiled its foldable iPhone, as price and availability gave Samsung an early advantage.

Meta's Muse AI agent has quickly climbed the US App Store rankings, attracting attention with autonomous tasks while raising questions about privacy, trust, shopping access and long-term demand.

Meta's Muse AI agent has passed 3.4 million downloads and topped the US App Store, but questions over consumer trust, retailer access and sustained usage remain.

Meta has unveiled Muse Charm, a pocket-sized 5G device for accessing its Muse AI agent, with a touchscreen and December shipping planned, but no price announced.

Meta and YouTube will accept paid promotions for Alex Gibney's Elon Musk documentary after initially rejecting its trailer, while TikTok and X have not changed their positions.

Early hands-on reviews of Google's five Googlebook laptops are broadly positive, highlighting their design, 120Hz touchscreens and local Gemini AI, but reviewers say buyers should await full benchmarks.

Reviews suggest Apple's AirPods 5 deliver substantially better noise cancellation and sound quality at a lower starting price, but their open-ear fit and battery life remain drawbacks.

Chess.com users reported connectivity problems on Saturday as Downdetector complaints surged and #ChessComDown trended on X, while the platform had not detailed the disruption's cause or scope.

Apple's next entry-level iPad is reportedly set to receive an A19 chip, 8GB of RAM, Apple Intelligence support, 5G and Wi-Fi 7, with launch expectations beginning in 2027.

The US government has asked to intervene in X's appeal against a €120 million EU fine, intensifying a dispute over European regulation of American technology companies.

Musk's companies are pursuing major 2026 projects involving brain implants, Starship, humanoid robots, autonomous vehicles, semiconductor manufacturing and AI infrastructure, despite significant uncertainty around delivery timelines.

Meta has unveiled $1,299 VR Glasses that move most computing hardware into an external pack, significantly reducing headset weight while targeting Apple's Vision Pro market.

YouTube's stricter advertising enforcement has affected Korean mukbang and diet creators, with some losing monetisation, halting uploads or deleting large parts of their archives.

Beats' new 360 headphones target gym users with IPX4 protection, replaceable cushions and 32-hour battery life. Reviews praise their design and sound but note weaker ANC, shifting ear cups and no wired connection.

Reviews broadly regard OPPO's Find N6 as one of the strongest book-style foldables available, praising its near-invisible crease, cameras and battery, despite limited availability and gaming compromises.

Contractors working on ChatGPT-related projects were reportedly removed after using AI to complete evaluation tasks, while internal rules prohibit tools such as ChatGPT, Grammarly and AI detectors.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang will visit Kazakhstan on 23 October for AI Month, meeting officials and technology leaders as the country seeks to strengthen its regional AI ecosystem.

Motorola has unveiled the Signature 27, its upcoming flagship with Qualcomm's new 2nm chipset, advanced AI features, a quad-camera system and seven years of software support.