Here are today’s 10 verified tech & science stories, covering Tech & Apps, AI Tools and Science & Space.
Table of Contents
Every item below links to its original source.
The TLDR
- Tech & Apps: Apple Intelligence Is Finally Coming to China
- AI Tools: Privacy-Focused AI Assistant Ollie Is Shutting Down
- Science & Space: Study Finds a Crack in Earth’s ‘Impenetrable’ Radiation Barrier
Tech & Apps
Apple Intelligence Is Finally Coming to China
Apple confirmed on its Chinese newsroom site that Apple Intelligence will launch in China with iOS 27.3, according to The Verge. The features arrive first in an iOS 27.3 beta beginning November 4, with the full release scheduled for December, after a long regulatory delay in the Chinese market. It’s one of the bigger items in this tech news roundup for Apple fans watching the China rollout.
‘Knives Out’ Director Releases an iPhone Camera App
Director Rian Johnson launched Chromagraph Camera, an iPhone app that applies the same color-processing techniques used in his ‘Knives Out’ films, according to 9to5Mac. The $12.99 app, built with cinematographer Steve Yedlin and color scientist Eric Cameron, works from raw image data rather than layering filters on top of standard processing, and quickly became the top paid Photo & Video app on the App Store.
Apple’s HomeView Wallpapers Are Downloadable Early
Apple released the HomeView 27.2 software update for its upcoming smart home hub, and it includes all 20 default wallpapers in both light and dark versions, according to 9to5Mac. HomeView itself is open for pre-order now ahead of its official November 13 launch.
Fujifilm Is Boosting Tape Production for the AI Boom
Fujifilm plans to increase its magnetic tape manufacturing capacity fivefold by fiscal 2028 to meet rising demand for AI data archiving, Ars Technica reports. Tape remains popular with hyperscalers and media companies because it’s cheap and secure for data kept offline.
tvOS 27.2 Brings Small but Useful Apple TV Upgrades
Apple’s tvOS 27.2 update adds a shuffle screensaver mode, the option to pick specific photos for your screensaver instead of sharing your whole library, and FaceTime link support for easier call joining, according to Engadget. It also adds a Find My listing for the Siri Remote and syncs TV app profiles across iPhone and iPad.
Meta Quietly Launches an AI Try-On Fashion App
Meta launched Style Sketch, an AI app that builds a virtual closet and shows outfits on an AI model matched to the user’s body type, in Indonesia, Singapore, and Thailand, per Engadget. The app can pull photos from a user’s Facebook and Instagram accounts to stock the virtual wardrobe.
AI Tools
Privacy-Focused AI Assistant Ollie Is Shutting Down
Ollie, an AI assistant built around user privacy, will shut down on November 6, about two months after raising $7.5 million in seed funding, according to TechCrunch. Founder Bill Lennon said competition from better-funded rivals made it too hard to raise the capital needed to keep growing. If you’re reconsidering which assistant you rely on day to day, see our guide on turning off Gemini as your default Android assistant.
Nvidia May Cosign Billions in Debt for an Nscale Data Center
Nvidia is reportedly in talks to guarantee billions of dollars in construction financing for Nscale’s planned AI data center in West Virginia, agreeing to step in if Nscale defaults on payments, TechCrunch reports. The arrangement would go beyond Nvidia’s usual support of chip leases and purchases, deepening its ties to the AI customers betting on the facility.
Science & Space
Study Finds a Crack in Earth’s ‘Impenetrable’ Radiation Barrier
A new study published in Geophysical Research Letters found that fast-moving electrons breached the inner Van Allen radiation belt, a region long thought impenetrable to them, during a powerful solar storm in May 2024, ScienceAlert reports. Researchers led by Nagoya University’s Yoshizumi Miyoshi found the storm depleted cold plasma in the region, letting electromagnetic waves accelerate electrons to energies scientists didn’t think were possible there.
India Launches a New Navigation Satellite
India launched its NVS-03 navigation satellite aboard a GSLV rocket from Sriharikota on October 30, according to Space.com. The satellite is meant to help restore and strengthen India’s NavIC regional navigation system.
Explore more: cutting your streaming bill with an antenna setup, turning off Gemini as your default Android assistant, best app for training your first half marathon.
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Photo: Apple Intelligence Image Playground / Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.