Technology
The latest technology news and analysis from JournalArta Global.
Smart Locks: What to Check Before Buying One in the UK
Smart locks can unlock a front door with a phone, fingerprint or code, but the right model depends on the door and the lock already fitted. Prices range from less than £100 to well over £1,000. Buyers should check compatibility, security certification and the effect on home insurance before installation.
Linux Kernel 7.4 Tests a Healthier Model for AI Patches
Linus Torvalds has opened the Linux 7.4 merge window with almost 20,000 commits, above the usual ~15,000. He says he prefers AI-related work to arrive during normal development rather than as a rush of fixes during stabilization. Torvalds also cautioned that AI-suggested patches are often rewritten, and said the expected long-term support status of 7.4 may also help explain the large merge.
Football Manager 27 Free Preview Runs Until November 3: How to Install
Football Manager 27’s Launch Preview is available through Xbox.com and the Xbox PC app until November 3. Players can claim it through the Add-Ons section, then install it in the Xbox app. PC Game Pass and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers can keep playing from November 3, ahead of the full launch on November 10.
Moab excavation site oldest: Utah dig may reveal dinosaur species
Scientists have opened a dinosaur excavation site near Moab that could be among North America’s oldest Cretaceous bonebeds. Fossils may date to 138 to 141 million years ago, placing the site between the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods. Researchers hope the finds will help explain a mass extinction during that transition, and say the site could contain a previously unknown dinosaur species.
Leatherman Rebar, Super Tool 300 and Skeletool CX Suit Garden Jobs
Leatherman multitools can help with small gardening jobs, from cutting thin wire to measuring before a cut. The Rebar and Super Tool 300 offer different combinations of tools, while the Skeletool CX takes a simpler approach. These compact options are meant to supplement—not replace—dedicated garden equipment such as hand trowels, clippers and knives.
NASA’s Swift space telescope faces uncontrolled reentry
NASA’s Swift space telescope is expected to reenter Earth’s atmosphere in the next few days after a robotic rescue mission failed to raise its orbit. Its path crosses a band near the equator, mostly over ocean, while experts say a small number of dense components could survive the descent.
Five Foldable Phones Challenge Apple’s $2,000 iPhone Duo
Apple’s iPhone Duo arrives in a foldable market with established Android rivals. The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold are among five alternatives highlighted for buyers weighing price, screen size and design. The available product details show how their displays and features differ from Apple’s new device.
Club386 Opens Worldwide Giveaway for Three-Part PC Upgrade
A worldwide giveaway offers one winner a Sapphire Pure Radeon RX 9060 XT 16GB graphics card, AMD Ryzen 7 9800X3D processor and Sapphire Pure X870A WiFi 7 motherboard. The prize combines three PC components, with the graphics card equipped with 16GB of VRAM and the processor carrying 96MB of L3 cache.
Apple’s Touchscreen MacBook Revives Debate Over Laptop Design
Apple’s first touchscreen MacBook Pros have reopened a debate about whether laptop displays are practical to use by touch. Steve Jobs argued in 2010 that vertical touch surfaces cause arm fatigue, while touchscreen laptops and convertible designs have since appeared across the market. The weekly poll asks readers whether touch makes sense on a laptop, and whether the answer depends on its hinge design.
Apple Brings Touch Gestures to MacBook Pro With macOS 27
Apple’s new MacBook Pro adds a touch display, while macOS 27 Golden Gate brings larger touch targets and familiar gestures to the screen. Users can swipe between spaces, zoom with a pinch and reach Spotlight through Dynamic Island. Apple says more touch optimizations are coming to the Mac.
22 Days Video Game: GTA VI May Cost Australia $70m
Grand Theft Auto VI’s November 19 launch could cost Australia at least $70 million in lost output if workers call in sick, PR expert Eitan Soloducho warns. Deputy’s Ciaran Hale says businesses may face scheduling pressure before launch as staff take time off to download the game. Workplace specialist Deepak Singh cautions against treating the estimate as a settled economic loss.
Voyager 1 briefly goes silent as thrusters switch to backups
Voyager 1 lost contact with Earth for more than 24 hours on October 18 and 19. Diagnostic data gathered after communications returned showed that a group of thrusters had gone offline and backup units had taken over. The team is investigating whether the issue involved fuel lines that have clogged before.
Grayndler artists organize against proposed AI access to Australian creative work
Artists and other creative workers in Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s electorate are organizing against a federal proposal that could let AI companies use ...
Scientists decades-old theory origin faces comet test
Computer simulations challenge the idea that comets delivered life-starting molecules to early Earth. Researchers modeled the impacts 100,000 times and found that high impact speeds could destroy fragile organic compounds, though they say a rare successful collision cannot be ruled out.
Crows make faster better decisions in screen test
Two carrion crows chose the direction of moving dots in an average of about 235 milliseconds, while maintaining accuracy when the patterns were clear. Researchers recorded activity from 248 neurons in a brain region involved in decision-making and could predict the birds’ choices before they pecked the screen.
Here’s FF14 Evercold release: Dates and new Zephyr job
Final Fantasy 14 director Naoki Yoshida announced that Evercold will enter early access on February 19, 2027, with its full launch on February 23. The Tokyo Fan Festival keynote also introduced Zephyr, a ranged physical damage job that fights with a crossbow and an avian companion. The expansion’s release has moved later than the January timing previously promised.
Canada and EU Launch Alliance With Ukraine Loan and Deals on Minerals, AI
Canada will contribute an initial €500 million to a €90 billion European Union support loan for Ukraine under a new alliance launched by Canadian and
AI-Designed Virus Given to Patient in Experimental Fight Against Resistant Bacteria
Radical Numerics says a virus designed by its AI model has been given to a patient with an antibiotic-resistant infection, marking what the San Francisco
New York Restricts Chatbots From Encouraging Self-Harm in Children
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announced a law restricting how chatbots interact with children, with the rules taking effect in January. The measure bars systems from encouraging self-harm or secrecy and limits their use of a child’s past personal or health information. Advocates at a Common Sense Media summit called the law a start, while urging broader safeguards for artificial intelligence.
Samsung Mocks iPhone Duo Display Cracks in Instagram Campaign
Samsung has used an Instagram campaign in Canada to poke fun at reports of iPhone Duo inner-screen cracks, posting images of a bright line across the display. The company called the ad playful and tied it to competition in the foldable-phone market. Apple says a small number of devices are affected and directs customers with display problems to AppleCare for a replacement.
Gears War E-Day reportedly cost $500 million to develop
Gears of War: E-Day reportedly cost $500 million to make and has sold just over 400,000 copies across console and PC. The reported budget, which excludes marketing, raises questions about the game’s commercial performance and the role of Xbox Game Pass. An October estimate put revenue at $42.1 million from 311,000 sales on Steam and Xbox.
Voyager 1 gives controllers a scare before signal returns
NASA's Voyager 1 stopped communicating with Earth after the Deep Space Network failed to detect a signal on October 18 and October 19. The signal returned on October 20. Engineers are investigating a possible thruster issue as the spacecraft approaches a milestone that will stretch command-and-response times to 24 hours each way.
Cape Cod Fireball Meteorite Traced to Jupiter’s Orbit
Researchers traced the Cape Cod fireball’s path to the region of Jupiter’s orbit, suggesting it came from the asteroid belt or a comet near Jupiter. The meteor entered Earth’s atmosphere at nearly 58,000 miles per hour, and fragments may lie in a defined area of Cape Cod Bay.
Apple Unveils First Touchscreen MacBook Pro, Starting at £2,899
Apple has introduced its first touchscreen MacBook Pro, adding touch controls to a laptop line that previously relied on trackpads and keyboards. The new models pair the feature with PROLED XDR displays and M5 Pro or M5 Max chips. Apple says the laptops will be available from November 6, with prices ranging from £2,899 to £14,549.